I’ve been meaning to write this post for three weeks. Procrastinate much? Yes. I’ve been busy—the end of the semester + work craziness—and I’m just tired, but still.

On April 21st, I did the Wild Canyon Ultra in Quitaque, Texas. It was my first ultra, and I just did the 25k. There was also a 5k, a 10k, a 50k, and a 100k.

We were using it as training for our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim attempt in October, but the race was actually a great experience. (Except for the rain and hail.)

The scenery was gorgeous. Packet pickup and the race briefing were super simple and well-organized, and everyone in Quitaque was very nice and friendly. (It’s a tiny Texas town, population 411.)

As you would expect from a canyon run, there were a lot of uphill climbs, including one doozy of a technical ascent at about mile 5, which took us to the top of the canyon and then right back down. (No pics of that, because I’m scared of heights, it was super windy, and I wasn’t looking behind me.)

It started raining at about mile four. No rain for over 210 days—according to a local racer—and it poured for a while. With pea-sized hail mixed in for fun. Which turned the red clay into a super slippery slope where we risked life and limb—and dignity—trying to stay upright. (I was successful. My companions were not.)

The course was tough, but it was beautiful.

I have to say, the worst part was when we got back to the top of the canyon—maybe 1/4 of a mile from the finish—and had to make a two-mile trek along the canyon top and back to hit fifteen miles. #idontwanna

We challenged ourselves, and the downpour was actually the most fun of all. A couple of guys were there from France to do this race! (I did get all the mud off my shoes, too!)

Here’s the broadcast I made about the race for my Field Reporting class: