Cohutta 100 and 35er

Our camera was not working, so these are pictures from a kind soul, Ronnie Fields.

Wow, what a crazy, muddy, but fun race!

I was lucky, as my bike shifted as well as can be expected in the mud. I was only out a few gears and have had enough chain suck in the past to know that I was incredibly lucky to be able to pedal. That kept me smiling the whole way. I noticed that my front tire would not hold air the day before the race and Shey and I decided not to risk replacing the stans with no air compressor. So, I took a Co2 cartridge with me to add air as needed. That worked well.

This a fun, fast and beautiful course. Good stuff all around.

Suzie broke her ankle, so I wanted to hammer to find a volunteer to give them detailed directions to her. I didn't want to take the time to add air, then, so I made it through the first few muddy downhills with a squishy tire, but reinflated before any major decents, after that. Gave quick directions to 3 different volunteers to make sure she would be found asap and I'm sure 20 other riders did the same.

Jansen and Everett had a very fun and fast race. I didn't see them laying on the side of the trail during my ride, so I knew all was well. Bruce eventually got Jansen's name and age right at the start, so he was smiling, too. (Jansen, not Everett and he just turned 13) Everett hit hard on a bridge, so he wasn't smiling quite as much. Shey NEVER smiles.........

All four of us had a ton of fun and Jansen won some pretty cool prizes.

While I was scoring, I heard this incredible noise in the distance and I said, " I bet Aimee is coming in" and, sure enough, she was making her way across the bridge. I am soooo proud of her. She had another amazing race! Very cool!

Kate had a major mechanical which left her on the side of the trail with a sad look as she tugged at her chain. She got it moving and finished the race in a darn good position!

I wasn't sure if we could use ipods so I took mine off, which left me talking to myself for most of the race. I'm sure the guys around me thought I was totally crazy, but what's new? I sang each time I had to add air to my front tire. I chose an Avril song, which is quite poppy. It made me calm down so I wouldn't loose too much time from fumbling around with the CO2 cartridge.

The food was great. The tshirts, hats and mugs were great. The trail and foliage were great. The volunteers were awesome this year. They were very clear with directions as I came through. (last year, there were a couple times that I wasn't sure if I was still on the race course or not)

And you guys....our cabin was AWESOME!!! It makes it feel so weird to drive back into Atl and all the noise and buildings, because the cabins and homes are tucked into the moutains, where it is so peaceful.

A big thanks to my buddies for coming over to hang out for a bit and keep me company after their races. They are so understanding and would only talk when racers were not coming in. I've got the coolest group of buds and family around, for sure! It was very cool to have so many friends in one place this weekend.

Big, big thanks to J and E for all their help after their race. I know you guys were tired and you are always volunteering to help whenever needed. It's always cool to hang with my boys!

Kari