Random Ulltrarunning Connections
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- Опубліковано 23 гру 2024
- This week I go for a run at Eno River State Park in Durham, NC with my friend Eric who also ran the Umstead 100 this year and will also be running the Grindstone 100 this September. With less than 5 month until the race I see this run as our unofficial kick-off to the training cycle. During the run I learn some interesting facts about the history of our friendship that I never knew before!
Eric began following me on Strava in 2019 or 2020 after we had competed in the same race and he was checking out the competitors who finished around his pace, and I followed him back. After quite some time of following me on Strava as well as on UA-cam Eric released that he had "run" across me before but I never knew the story until this run.
It turns out that Eric's very first trail racing experience was on March 30th, 2014 at the Mountains to Sea 12 mile trail race. This was the very same race that yours truly slipped off of a bridge, broke my ankle, and became the Tin Man (and also met my wife who was volunteering at the race!) One mile into Eric's very first trail race he came across me being carried off of the trail with a severely broken ankle, AND HE STILL THOUGHT TRAIL RUNNING WAS A GOOD IDEA! 🤣
I hope you enjoy this video of our first of many Grindstone training runs.
Great story and great run! Well done to both of you. That looks like a fine day on the trails.
Thank you! It’s was so fun to find out that we had this connection that neither of us had put together before.
Wow! He’s had no fluids or anything for 12 miles and you are packed down. Lol. I don’t know how ppl do that. Dang, 10:30 min pace at Eno is tough. Never been on that section I don’t think.
Ha! Agreed! No idea how (or why) he runs without water. I kept offering him some of mine and he’d just tell me he had some in the car. 🤷🏻♂️
I felt like 10:30 was pretty quick too but I just looked up the race results from 2014 when I came in 3rd in the 11 mile race. I ran 6:48 pace! 🤯 I don’t even know how that’s possible.
What a weird coincidence with your friend!
And those trails look great. I was a little worried on that rock. I know how slippery those get.
I know! He told me he started following me and then months later he realized I was the guy who fell during his first race. What are the odds?!?