(Continued from page 3.)

Runners had all sorts of expressions on their faces on the way back across Sweetwater Creek. Most were smiling broadly, glad to be done with the creek crossings.

I bet some wished they could do it again! It was a hot afternoon and the water probably felt great.

This was the first guy I saw come back across, but I don't know for sure that he
was leading the race at the time or won it; the results don't show runners' numbers.

Christian Griffith looked happy to be back on the "mainland."

Abi Meadows had a blast. Abi ALWAYS has a blast at ultras!

It looked like Steve Michael might need to help the woman ahead of him
as she struggled through some rapids, but she did OK.

I could see Jim approach the crossing on the trail on the other side of the creek
and enter the water, holding the return rope as the volunteer watched.

He had a big smile for the camera part way across!  I took a series of 8 shots as he crossed.

Attaboy -- steady progress with no slipping on the way back!

THE FINAL THIRD

When runners came out of the water at just under 20 miles into the race, they were almost two-thirds done.

I walked with Jim through the sand for several hundred feet as he approached the aid station at the broken bridge. He was still feeling pretty good, considering he wasn't optimally trained for the race. He got some food at the aid station and was off to finish the second loop:

I didn't see him again until he finished the race.

I followed the course for a little while, stepping aside when runners approached from behind. I found a shortcut to the road and followed race ribbons to our truck and the finish area. I liked this little birdhouse along the way:

The group shelter was hopping at the finish!

Most of the runners and crews hung around for food, beverages, and socializing as they watched other participants run up the last hill to the finish banner. Although it was an unseasonably hot day to run this early in the spring, it was perfect weather to hang out:

 

 

Smile!

I found a shady spot for Cody and me to sit behind the rustic wooden fencing to watch the runners come up the hill to the group shelter. I hopped up to take pictures and cheer when I saw folks I knew.

The finish line and timer were stationed a little ways down the hill. You can see the park reservoir in the background. Runners had a short walk up to the shelter to catch their breath:

This is the runners' perspective of the finish line. I took this photo after the race began, when only the timer (Chip, I think) was around. (No, there isn't chip timing at this race. Chip IS the timer!)

And this was the perspective of those of us waiting at the top of the hill for our friends and loved ones to finish:

Christian Griffith

Abi Meadows

Rob Apple

Bev takes a picture of Steve Michael

There's MY loved one!

Jim looks pretty happy to be done.

Jim relaxes after the race. Cody's been a patient crew dog all day.

The second-best thing to do after a long race is eat! That's potato salad, not scrambled eggs.

You can find the official 2010 race results at this link.

Jim finished just before the official cut-off of 4:30 PM. We hung around for about half an hour to eat and talk with friends who were still there, then began the 50-mile drive back to our campground at Lake Allatoona. It was a fairly long day and we both slept well that night!

So did Cody-pup. He had a big day, too.

NOW WHAT?

Today we'll be leaving the Navy Lake Site around lunchtime and driving about 300 miles to Carolina Coach, a Carriage dealership in Claremont, NC. We have a service appointment in the morning to have some warranty work done on our Cameo 5th-wheel camper. We can park overnight in their large parking lot, which has some RV sites for folks who come in for repairs.

After the work is done (one, maybe two days) we'll drive to Roanoke, VA to stay at our house for about four weeks. In early May we'll head back to the Rockies for our summer trip. Jim's next race is the Jemez Mountain 50K near Los Alamos, NM.

Addendum re: the Sweet H2O 50K race: I wrote and uploaded this four-page entry a year after the race (4-26-11). By now the 2011 edition of the Sweet H2O has been held. We weren't there but we read Christian Griffith's recent race report. It wasn't a total washout, but close. The creek was so flooded that the course was rerouted and runners didn't have the opportunity to cross it to run the yellow loop. More road miles were added, to the disappointment of many of the runners who were looking forward to fording Sweetwater Creek, the signature feature of this race. At least the race wasn't cancelled entirely. I'm glad Jim did the race in 2010 when it was held on its traditional course and we could both see the park in a more "normal" condition.

Next entry: eventually, a summary of the problems we've had with the Cameo since we bought it in late January, 2010, and modifications we've made to make it "ours." I still haven't written those entries yet. However, Jim uploaded (in a timely manner) an excellent entry about installing solar panels on the coach while we were at our house in VA in April, 2010. It is dated April 29, in case you're interested. For now, I'll link you to the 2010 topics page and you can scroll down to the next entry you'd like to see.

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the Ultra Lab

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© 2010 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil