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Yesterday was the Great Ski Race. The third time I’ve done it, too.

Before the race even started, I arrived at the finish line in Truckee at 7 in the morning. I made it just in time to take a shuttle bus to the start line, in Tahoe City. Along with a couple of dozen strangers, we sat in excitement as we traveled forth. I sat alone.

When we got to the start line, I picked up my bib (#850), put on my skis and went for a small warm-up and losening of the pre-race jitters.
And then… about an hour to kill. So, I spent it walking around, checking out the people that came in. There are pros, who look serious, strong and fit… there are moms and dads, who tow their infant offspring in a sled trailer, high school kids, wacky old men and people in costumes – like the lady in the striped short dress who received many looks and compliments.
It’s really quite a show, and it puts you in a very jolly mood for the upcoming suffering that you’re about to bring upon yourself.

This year, only about 750 people registered. Last year, there were almost 1100. Recession? Fattening of America? I don’t know. I’m not complaining. It was nice to be able to fight only a few hundred people in the first mile as I tried to find my own pace somewhere in between them.

Anyway, here’s what it looked like at 9am, right before the start:

See those grey skies? Everyone kept looking up, wondering if it was going to snow or rain. Rumors were spreading that it had just been raining a few miles this way, or that way. The announcer gave out a warning about hypothermia, asking everyone to stay warm and hydrated. It was kind of concerning and frightening.

Well, no one cried wold in vain. It snowed. And then, it rained. Luckily, I had enough gear to stay warm, and only suffered from cold in the treacherous downhill sections.
However, I was wet. At first, from my own sweat as I went up, gaining 1200 feet. After that, from the snow and rain, as I tried to make it to the end.

The weather didn’t only affect the racers, but the race course itself. It was slushy, and therefore slow. My goal was to be faster than last year, but I didn’t even come close to that. I finished in 3 hours and 39 minutes, placing in at the 568^th position. But I’m not disappointed with my performance. I did fairly well at overcoming not only the exhausting course, but the weather conditions. Just like last year, my triceps started cramping with about 5k to go, and right after I ran out of water in my camelback.

The finish line was a mess. The hill that leads to the finish line was overly slushy, and after a 30k long odyssey of leg-burning skiing, it’s quite difficult to gracefully glide down the steep hill of shame. But I crossed the line, and at least I didn’t end up like this guy. But I almost did.