They Don't Make Shoes for This

So yesterday was the 2007 Ugly Mudder. Seven and ¼-ish miles over the steepest, ugliest trails in Reading. That’s how the race always comes. This year, three inches of ice were added to it for good measure.

In my head, I always picture these races to be smaller than they are. This time around, I figured a lot of people wouldn’t come because of the impending snow. I think I was wrong, though final figures aren’t in yet….there was a crazy mob of people there. They call this one of the largest trail runs east of the Mississippi and it probably had 700 or so, total.

Literally, the entire course was on either hard crusty snow, except the parts that were on hard crusty rocks and a few very short parts over roads. Mud would’ve been welcome, actually.

I think I lined up in about the right place… knew the course wouldn’t be ideal for passing. I’d say throughout the entire race I probably didn’t move up or down more than twenty paces. I did a great job moving up miles two to five, but think I probably gave up some of that in the final two miles.