Oh, dare we say it? Is racing back? Can we lean into the plans we've tentatively made? I don't know about you, but I'm straddling the line of excitement and apprehension, guilt and grace, with a strong urge to roar from start lines, and also curl up in bed and just silently, secretively train for the rest of my days. But, despite where we've been, where we are, and where we're unsure we're headed, races are happening.
If you know anything about our team, we've been training through Covid, at first singularly and on treadmills in our garages, with masks, avoiding those who leapt into bushes when they heard our footfalls. And followed state/county guidelines. And got vaccinated. And started training together again (still in smaller groups). A collective angst was sure to happen in the continued and affected training cycle. We maximized every virtual opportunity. What we needed was a true line, with true bodies, and the crack of a gun, and gut rot and porta-pottys, and that post race kneel down in the shower. A highly self-motivated individual has his/her/their own limits. And all of this is privileged living. And all of this to say - we're thrilled and grateful for the return to racing. Fingers crossed.
Alicia finishing the Wy'east 50 Miler
Saturday, June 12 - The Wy'east Wonder 50 Mile and 50k took off, and with it our fabulous, positive and community-driven teammate, Alicia. She raced the big guy - the 50 Miler, which professes to be a real vista treat. With views of Mt. Hood, the eastern Oregon desert, and the Hood River Valley orchards, the course takes on over 7,000 ft. of gain and over 10,000 ft. of loss - a real quad yippity-do-da. Both races can also be used for puntos toward UTMB, which is sick.
Let's start with the meaning. Wy'east is the original name for Mt. Hood, given by the Multnomah tribe of Native Americans who first inhabited the area. It comes from a legend in which the two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with the beautif