Squaw Peak 50 (but not quite?)

Well, the Squaw Peak 50 Mile Endurance Run starts tomorrow at 5AM, and I'm shooting for a sub-11 hour finish... but it's not really the Squaw Peak 50 this year. Due to the record-setting snow fall this winter, more than 20 miles of the original course is under several feet of snow, making it impossible to support the runners, let alone actually run the course.

So the race direcor John Bozung spent many sleepless nights and tiring days figuring out an alternative route that kept the runners and crews at lower elevations so we could at least still pull off a "one-off" version of the Squaw Peak this year. I'm still approaching this with the idea that I'm going for a "personal best", but not a Squaw Peak personal best... just a 50 mile personal best. I'm shooting for a sub-11 hour finish tomorrow, which means maintaining a better than 14 minute-per-mile pace including Aid Station stops. Doesn't sound like much, but over 50 miles of mountainous terrain, it's a legitimate challenge and I'm going to be pressing right up to the edge of my conditioning to pull it off.

If you're at all interested in following this folly, John has set up a site where you can see the real-time results as I pass through the Aid Stations at http://sp50.kd7bbc.org. See you at the finish!