Having posted an Old Goat 50 link in my last entry, I just read through it myself. And I must say that the Old Goat report did not relay everything that I would have wanted, had I waited before writing it. I think it might be better to let more time pass before making a race report. Way past the fact, two things that seemed minor at the time, ALWAYS come to mind when I think of Old Goat 50, and I didn’t include them in my report.
First, when I passed that Holy Jim aid station more than a year ago, before the eight mile uphill climb to the peak, I pretty quickly became ill. I could barely walk, felt like collapsing, was near delirium. No lie. There were some hikers up ahead that I managed to pass. For a while, I only kept a few feet ahead of them as one of the men struck a conversation with me. He learned from our chat what I was doing, that I was at approximately mile 31 in my quest. He could tell that I was sick and possibly getting sicker. He chuckled questioningly, perhaps nervously, and said these words to me: “And you do this for fun?”
On that same climb, about three miles later, I came upon another hiker. He was hiking down Holy Jim as I struggled my way up it. I thought he was a running friend Scott B. He looked just like him, and I had seen him earlier that day at the eleven mile aid station. I thought it odd that I’d see him again, here at mile 34. Still, I didn’t question whether I was talking to Scott when I said to him, “I don’t know if I can go on much longer.” He in return answered, “Keep going til you cry uncle.” You can imagine my confusion when I saw Scott again at the Santiago Peak aid station (mile 39). It was the real Scott this time. The man, if there really was a man, on Holy Jim, was not the “real” Scott.
I find it amusing to see what memories stick with me.
Miles logged: 10.75
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