By: Jerry Bath
What a perfect day to be on the runners. Overcast with gusty wind and 25-35 degrees. I’m sure you have read the results as this post is a bit late. Lots to do before my hometown Lander race.
At this point in the game, the races within the race are forming but still plenty of time for rises and falls in the overall standings.
Lina Streeper came back strong as the feeling was evident at the starting line that she was here to make a statement but definitely looking over her shoulder feeling Bruce’s presence as she crossed the finish line. Bruce’s time was right on her heels still in striking distance after stage 4 widening the gap between Dave and Alix. Jeff, JR, Dennis, and Austin in the next grouping. All are very capable of advancement. Greta is in her own race as of today but is within striking distance to the previous group. Jerry and Laura are dueling for 10th. Chris slipped a bit but his dogs looked good across the finish line today.
The Lander stage will be shortened to approximately 30 miles with MOTHER NATURE reminding us who’s boss. Lander will still have a decent amount of climbing only losing 1 long climb of 2 miles. The groomer was getting ready to go out as we passed the race parking lot on South Pass so the trail should be hard and fast with the usual South Pass winds of 20 mph with gusts much above are predicted with a warm-up starting at 11 AM. So it’s wise to get out and back and don’t get caught in the sun bake. If the run were the usual 42 miles this would be a problem for some.
From tomorrow on it is advisable to NOT take any question marks. For example, a dog that was off a bit and a day or two ago might seem that you should run them but experience tells me it’s a big gamble.
As for the predictions in my last post? Well, 3 out of 10 ain’t bad…
Tomorrows guess would be Bruce, Lina, Alix, Dave, JR, Dennis, Jeff, Greta, Jerry, Austin, Laura, and Chris. Anything can happen, a simple tangle, a poor pass or a team just turning a bit flat are all true possibilities for anyone no matter how good you THINK your team is.
On another note… the ride to Lander was uneventful even with 60 MPH wind with heavier gusts, one semi truck had blown over 10 miles from Lander. If the road had been snow and ice packed I’m sure it would have been closed.
