On Friday TBun and STUR hopped over to the Delaware Water Gap
Obviously this is the Ultra run part of the rap!
(Oh, and yes CBun has decided on a new rabbit name -
TBun for “Trail Bunny” is her new claim to fame!!)
Arrived in plenty of time to hit up the Olive Garden -
Don’t worry they considered Chick-fil-A, I beg your pardon!
The race had a luxurious 10:30 AM start -
So they could sleep in and have hotel breakfast - smart!
Arrived at the race site - was a bit of a ghost town
The parking lot was empty - no peeps to be found
Turns out the race was really, really small…
Doesn’t matter, the race director was super nice, they’d have a ball!
The first 3 miles were “fast” and flat!
Non-technical trails are where it’s at!
Soon after things changed a little bit…
Lots of up and down, but no reason to quit!
The turn-around was at mile 8.5?!
Going to be much more than 25k - nobody dies…
STUR saw TBun a bit after that spot -
TBun admitted she “forgot” about some of those hills - well thanks a lot!
For STUR the back half was a bit of a slog…
But her attitude stayed positive as she spoke to every dog!
The race director’s daughter helper STUR run it in -
And was there with a fist bump – win WIN!
TBun had CRUSHED the course and waited for STUR’s arrival
At this point for her it was all about survival
FINALLY, it was Chick-fil-A time and a bee line for home -
Away from the usual – it’s always good to roam!
Meanwhile, K and P Buns had headed out of town by car
Headed down to Chattanooga…it wasn’t too far
Would you believe they also partook in some Olive Garden?
Great minds definitely think alike, son of a gun!
Met up with Connie from TriDot on Thursday morn…
Athlete check-in, easy bike preview, then a short run
That evening was a nice group dinner
Big River Grill was definitely a winner
Friday brought a swim practice just above the Chickamauga dam
This water temp on race day wouldn’t be wetsuit legal, but in them they swam
Next they did a short run over near the start of the swim
Which was also on the run course so double-win
In the afternoon they drove the bike course and once around the loop
It was good to see the far turn around if you want the scoop
Speaking of scoops, they stopped for ice cream
Clumpies shop was delicious – it was not a dream
Several times they visited the City Cafe Diner for different meals
With over 400 menu items and friendly prices it was a steal
Saturday was busy with so many tasks
And dropping bikes and gear bags it seems like the time never lasts
Then trying to get sleep the night before the race is always hard
Maybe four hours was all that was in the cards
Race morning they strolled down to transition and were joined by others
Then boarded buses to the swim start to get queued up, no bother
The swim was a swift current assisted affair
PBun had a nearly 20 minute PR out there!
Had clear water most of the way down river
And would you believe ran right by the glasses table upon exiting? Yes sir!
Had to double back to pick them up
While dodging other finishing swimmers sure enough
KBun unfortunately took a kick to the chest
Got her breath knocked out of her so she took a little rest
She also exited the water in a swift swim time
Happy to have that part done, it’s not a crime
There was some rain out on the bike ride
PBun didn’t actually mind it most of the time
At one point, KBun said she couldn’t see the road which is a drag
And eventually called it a day and took a ride back with the SAG
PBun enjoyed the entire course especially the faster half of the ‘lollipop’
The hills were very manageable – no climbing up to a mountaintop
A fun thing they both noted on the loop part
Were five goats staked out cutting the grass in front of a farm
There was also a person dressed as Pennywise the Clown
Red balloon and all, hopefully nothing too crazy went down!
PBun also noticed a house with a chalkboard out by the curb
They were updating the NFL games scores – how superb!!
PBun actually enjoyed the run course, too.
Even though she walked more than she planned to
Well, maybe not that Barton hill,
Which as advertised was a pill!
On the run got to say hi to a cute kitty cat
And it followed her for a bit - imagine that!
A group of dudes really loved the bunny ears
And did chants of Easter / Bunny perhaps while drinking some beers
Around mile 23 or so she thought she was going down
As it felt like her right foot was moving straight through the ground
She tried to add bits of running here and there
But mostly it was a shuffle and pump everywhere
She saw various peeps from TriDot
Those sightings really hit the spot!
Best of all, KBun was at the finish line
Seeing her might have even made PBun cry
Got surprise live stream finish screen shots
STUR had stayed up after midnight to watch
