Claire Gladstone(MM12421) – Notchview Ultra (Windsor, Mass.) was an experience yesterday!! The first pic pretty much sums up the conditions 😂
I signed up for this race ages ago with my dear friend and mentor Cathy, who L❤️VED this race and the RD Benn. We had planned to do it together, but as many of you know, she passed away unexpectedly in January.
As the race date grew closer, and the weather predictions were increasingly wet, the possibility of deferring seemed real. The decision weighed heavily on me… I wanted to honor my commitment to Cathy, but the idea of running for 24hrs in the rain was equally heavy. What to do🧐 I heard Cathy’s voice in my head “come on darlin, let’s go” and I realized I could go and run 5 miles or 50 miles…. It didn’t really matter, I just needed to get out there.
And so, I did!! Of course it’s always great to see friends like Sandee Landon, Michael Ortiz, Clint Burleson (some for 12hr,24hr,48hr or 72hr) Lots of amazing people out there racking up the miles.
There were many options once I started… run till it’s dark. Run 55 miles as my last race @age 55. Run till I can’t. Run till I’m blistered. Run till I slip in the mud and fall….. I decided I just needed to get 26.2 and I could level up to marathon or more #120
So at 30.4 miles, after my last dark, muddy loop, I stopped. I had a cup of ramen, and drove home in the pouring rain.
Cathy, this one was for you. I miss you.
Photo and Post Credit Claire Gladstone