DNF

First the good news, I did not get a flat tire on the way home. And my running time was good, though I am quite sure that 2 miles was not 2 miles.

So after deciding that I would not like myself if I did not even go to the race, I headed out. The rain had mostly stopped and it was not nearly as cold as predicted, but still chilly and damp at 36 degrees or so.

Made it to Smithville in plenty of time. Small field, what a surprise. At the pre-race meeting, they said we would be surprised by how fast the trail really was, even with the rain. Supposedly it did not rain up there until last night so I was hoping for the best.

The run was sloppy in places so I packed on the mud pretty quickly, but there was enough on the pavement to knock it off.

So I head out on the bike. I don't have a bike computer on my mountain bike so I don't know how far I got before the bike got really crudded up with mud. Some of the first parts were actually very wet, which was better in terms of not messing up the bike but more treacherous to ride. I skidded once and fell. And I had to dismount alot more than usual. So about halfway, at best, the trail got less wet but still very soft. The dirt and grass and leaves were just piling up around the brakes, on the chain, anywhere. I stopped several times in an effort to unclog it. Everyone around me was having the same problem. A nice guy showed me a trick by planting your hand (gloved preferably) behind the break and rolling the bike to skim off the mud, but it wasn't very successful.

The real wheel just stopped moving several times it was so clogged up. Every time I got it cleaned up enough to move, it just picked up more mud. So I quit.

One good thing about Smithville is that there are roads and paved trails running throughout the park. I carried the bike down to the road, knocked off more mud and headed to the end on the roads. It was rideable at that point, as I wasn't accumulating more mud. But I felt like a big loser for quitting.

Maybe if I felt like I was a little closer to the end, I would have stuck it out. It was just unbelievably frustrating to make no progress. I don't mind going slow in the mud, I don't even mind dismounting and walking through something tough. But to keep cleaning it off and having it build up again before you are even back on the bike was just too much.

I'm sure I won't be the only DNF but still. I don't know how many runs or rides I've done in my life but this was the second time that I did not finish. The first was a Run for the Zoo in Denver many many years ago. That time I really was a baby. I had my heart set on a sub-45 10K, which I thought was attainable because I'd run just under 46 a couple months previous. At some point, I dropped out when it became apparent that it was not going to happen that day.

This was a case of equipment failure, of sorts. If my bike had disc brakes, it would have helped alot, but not completely. Even the disc brake bikes were clogging up. Maybe a more skilled rider would have made it through with less mud accumulation, I don't know. I seriously thought about carrying it but the slop made walking difficult and the bike, which is already pretty heavy, was even heavier with all the mud. Plus with 4 - 5 miles to go ... not really an option. And it didn't seem that the terrain was going to improve. Sigh. I don't like to quit what I have started.

Once I got home, I got to spend about 20 minutes hosing the mud off the bike. Or most of it anyway.

So now what do I do with the shirt? I don't think one should wear the race shirt unless you actually completed the event. Unless you had to drop out due to injury. It's a nice shirt, dark blue. The logo is sorta out there though.

My hearty congratulations to anyone who finished this race. Especially if you were one of the folks back there with me slopping around and cleaning off your bike every 10 feet.