DreamBig 2014 - #27 Wyoming

STATE #27 - Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Jackson Hole Half Marathon
Finishers: 250

June 13, 2014
Before I even say a word about my travels or race.....

This is what you see the second you land in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. You land and you step off the plane onto the tarmac and they have to tell you not to stop and take pictures but how can you not?! I almost did a little trip down the stairs because the view was just breath taking! So prepare for scenery pics galore!

Hopped off the plane...into the mountains

I arrived in Jackson Hole around lunch time and headed the short drive into town. I was staying at the Antler Inn which wasn't anything fancy but it was right in downtown Jackson Hole and I could easily wander my way around the town square and shop and grab food and snacks (aka ice cream). I grabbed a sandwich from a bakery/deli and ate in the little park square and just people watched. I ran over to pick up my race number and t-shirt so I wouldn't need to deal with that later.

Such a cute little town!

The entrance to the little park in the square

#64 for #27 - don't mind the scenery

My sorority sister, Katherine Abrams lives in town so we planned to meet up once she got off work. She mentioned she wanted to go work out and even though I had a race in the morning, I couldn't say no once she told me she was going to go on a hike up one of the paths over near Snow King. 

Katherine picked me up around 3 for our hike and I was so excited to have a friend to catch up with! The hike, although tiring, was absolutely gorgeous. We spent some time at the top snapping pictures and I just loved hearing stories about her outdoor adventures because obviously Atlanta doesn't quite have the same outdoor scene.

Ash and Kat

Katherine was heading for a Happy Hour that night since a lot of her friends had just gotten back in town but I opted to cool it and get takeout from a nearby restaurant. Pasta with reindeer meat and other game protein. Sounded like a must at the time - right? I went to bed early because I knew I needed as much rest as I could get for the adventure that lay before me.

June 14, 2014
I woke up rather early as usual so I could eat, chill out and prepare for my walk to the shuttles about a half mile or so away. It wasn't all that cold but it was still "tuck your hands into your long sleeves" cold. The shuttles departed at 7:00am and took us up to the base of Teton Village where the race would start. Basically we got dropped off in the middle of gorgeous nowhere. Seriously, have you ever seen a start line this gorgeous?

Timing Starting Mat

Just hanging out in the mountains waiting to run

Looks like we will be heading south in more gorgeousness

Not a HUGE group

The race started around 8am and we all just lined up along the bike path since there were only 250 of us running. It was a bit packed when we started but I knew the elevation was around 6300 feet and I have an odd history of altitude related illness so I just did my best to pace myself and enjoy the views. The first 5-6 miles the mountains were to my right. Whenever I would have a moment of self-doubt I would just look to my right and realize where I was and that would quickly snap me out of my mood. This part of the race was also a net downhill which helped to keep me rolling.

Running over a bridge - mountains in the background

Once we jumped off this first path, we started the winding course towards Jackson. Once we started the long uphill towards town, my body kind of lost it. I was hurting and fighting stomach cramps and shaking a little and figured I was probably dehydrated. Thankfully I passed a water station just when I needed it the most and then just tried to stay positive and continue my uphill climb.

We were getting closer to town and jumped on another trail (and off the shoulder of the highway) around Mile 9 which looped under the highway and in to a cattle field! No joke, we had cows on our left and right and we were just running between two fences listening to all of the moooooos - it was a hoot! I slowed down to joke with some ladies about it for a few seconds and then wished each other luck before getting back to our own pace.

Normal race fans.

Near Mile 10.5 I was again feeling very sluggish but knew I just needed to stay positive. At this point, I said a little prayer to Simon Everett, the brother my friend Bob. Simon had very recently passed away but he was one of those charismatic, outgoing, personalities that always had a smile on his face and extreme joy and laughter to bring to the table. Another half mile after sending my prayers for just a little more strength up to Simon, I felt a bit re-energized and was ready and charged up to finish the last 2 miles.

The course jumped on yet another trail that ran through the south side of Jackson right near where Katherine and I had hiked the day before! It was an uphill finish all the way to the end (why is this always the case?) but I did my best to use my body to pull down the last stretch to the finish. Phew - that was quite a race of ups and downs, but such an experience all the same!

27!!

Same pic as below but with scenery.

Official Race Pic - 27 states down, 23 more to go! #DREAMBIG

I had a lady take my picture with the mountains in the back, had a slice or two of pizza, and then head back to the hotel to shower and change for brunch with Katherine and her friends.

ZTA and FranYan Sisters at Cafe Genevieve

I met the crew at Cafe Genevieve for brunch before heading to the airport and although it was a quick trip I can easily say I will be coming back to Jackson Hole!

View from the air

27 states down, 23 more to go!
#DREAMBIG