Eagle Up Ultra

Brian Johnson — MM8807- DA707-HF7287

Eagle Up Ultra
28th Marathon or Longer
Still Holding at State 16
4th Ultra Marathon
First of my 2020 deferrals to 2021

To get here was a struggle. Between breaking my wrist a week before the race and my car dying 2 days before the race, I thought I was toast.
Luckily my friend Angie, who was also doing the race, was able to give me a rife there and back.

Where else can you camp on a baseball field with a few hundred of your closest friends?

Race day was as great as always. I forgot how much I love the race environment.

I hit 3 problems in my first 3 miles that told me it was time to walk.

1. My ankle bracelet for timing got loose and became annoying

2. I started feeling my wrist

3, The back part of the course with squishy(muddy)

I have gone down in the mud before. I knew it was time to alter my strategy, so I walked. I Also forgot my other pair of shoes so that played into it also.

In lap 2, A nice gentleman named Jim started talking with me and helped me pick up my pace. He stayed with me until mile 15 before he had to change shoes and rest. I just kept going.

The day got brutally hot that more and more people were walking as the day went on.I kept grabbing food and water when I went through the aid station and went back out again trying to keep moving.

Doughnuts, pizza, hot fogs, bacon, grilled cheese, PB&J, M&M’s, and pretzels were on the menu as the day went on.

I took my first short break in mile 21 to give my legs a rest. I did it again in mile 26.

Mile 25 started the music to keep me going. I just played music from “The Biggest Loser” 80’s edition

When I hit the 50k turn around I started playing Freebird on my phone just for something different and knowing that I was about to be done.

It was a great race, I strongly encourage it.

I was after redemption from a miserable showing 2 years ago. Then it took me 17 hours to go 43 miles. Here it took me 10 to go 31.

Not a bad day.