3 minutes.  180 seconds.

Brief amount of time that cut my Fruita experience short.  Overall, beautiful rugged course on Colorado’s Western Slope.  Miles & miles of climb, high alpine desert.  Strong mountain bike/rock climbing community.  Colorado’s version of Moab 🚴

Took off slow, power-hiked in a conga-line of runners UP UP UP.  Over 9k elevation.

Stomach wonky.  First Colorado trail of 2024, little/no altitude training… felt a bit flatlander.  Ate light, hydrated often.  Pushed/worked thru the nausea.  8-9 miles, course would flatten out for miles.  Allowed me to break free & enjoy the open expanse.  Red rock, cliff canyons, spectacular view of the Colorado below.  Cool temps this day — pretty much perfect, traversing high arid desert.  Completely exposed, heat would be a suffer fest.

3rd Aid Station on, hung with a group from Oregon/Virginia.  All graduated Virginia Tech days past.  One guy in the bunch struggling.  Marathoner/fit but notta lotta altitude ’round his DC home.  Couple of us stayed behind, kept his spirits up, feet moving forward.

Unfortunately, that’s how I’d end my day.

Course went long by half-mile so… after 18+ miles, we arrived at the day’s only cutoff station @ 12:03pm, 3 minutes past Cinderella hour. Explained to folks I was feeling GREAT & could certainly finish remaining 13 miles over the next 5 hours (course limit).

This day, rules were rules.

Post-race, 90% of my run friends say you ignore them & go on.  Refuse to give up your bib.  They expect that.  Huh?

Not me.  Just a chump I guess.  Higher [integrity] standard, that goes far beyond trail racing.

So… that’s how it ended.  You take off your bib & give to RD.  They eventually provide transport back.  That’s what happens when you DQ… & now I know.  2 of us chose to run over the saddle on an ATV road, extend our day & forego the SAG wagon experience.

Today stung.  Didn’t end by choice.  Wasn’t meant to be.

Will return to Fruita this November (Kessel 60K).  Not sure if Desert RATS will make a future calendar.  Thankfully there’s a lotta race options that probably better align with my run standards.  Strong believer we support our trail community/young old new experienced… especially in my home Colorado.  Was told I should have left him, drop a pin location on my cell phone & share at the aid station.

Come on.  Think we’re better than this.

DQ Disappointment