[Nick's Trail Adventures] "Running with ED" Race

[Trailrunner]

Running with ED is a race located in Park City, which helps raise money for the school district. With 5 people per team, teams race for fun or for the pleasure of winning. This year the people of Park City will face a new team, team "ZBsports" which is the new running specialty shop in Park City. With super fast athletes and the drive to win these new competitors will bring the race to life. As the gun fires at 8am the first person in each team race to the next checkpoint to hand off the baton to their teammate. But little do people know a group of Ultra-Runners one of them being Bryon Powell-Park City's Newest author and owner of Irunfar.com-set out to complete the full 42 miles on there own. Not only are they tough but they have the drive and will to push through each checkpoint without complaining or stopping for a break! But as the time ticks until it reaches 10 a new wave of runners race to the next checkpoint with ZBsports and Probar neck and neck all the way until the final minutes of the leg! Pressure is on as I wait with the Probar group anticipating the arrival of there runner, but we are soon find out what we are up against. The first ZBsports runner is flying down the road at what looks like a 5-6 minute mile, he quickly hands the baton to his teammate who flies down the road at astonishing 5 minute mile!

He is so fast!

 The first Probar runner rounds the bend and soon hands of the baton to my mom who pursues the ZBsports runner with much more speed than we had hoped for! My dad and I jump into the car and follow the runners to the next checkpoint, as we gain on my mom we soon realize that we have lost sight of the ZBsports runner, not until we finally reach the next checkpoint do we see him speeding up behind us on the path. He hands the baton to the next ZBsports runner and he flies off into the distance, but we soon find out that the ZBsports runner who just completed leg ran the 1.5miles in 7 minutes! Coming in a few minutes behind him my mom finally reaches the checkpoint and hands the baton to the next Probar runner. We hurry and hop into the car and follow the runners who are on their way to make it to the next checkpoint, I laugh as I realize that this is the hardest leg of the run. It is mile long climb to the top of a super step hill, but at the top they are greeted by the magnificent Olympic Museum which makes up for the killer climb! The Probar runner is close behind and I feel that satisfaction that Probar might actually win this race! He runs quickly to the checkpoint and hands the baton to the fastest UPS guy I know "ED" he is quickly on the ZBsports tail as he chases him up the next winding hill! As we race down the hill to catch them at the next checkpoint my dads camera dies and we are left with a decision, drive home and charge or just watch the guy come through? We decide to hurry home and charge as well as grab a few snacks for the road.

Faster than a speeding Eagle we are out of our house and ready for the runners! Just out of our development is the next road crossing, so we set up to take a few pictures of the lead runner. As the lead ZBsports runner appears he is running so fast that we only have a few seconds to take a picture, but as he passes we get some spectacular shots and we feel happy about our success. We follow him until the next checkpoint and are amazed at how fast his teammate takes off, by the time we get to a place were we can view the runner we are astounded by the speed that we only get time to get one photo in before we have to hop into the car to beat him to the top of the hill. Nearing the top we see some awesome futuristic planes which make for an awesome background. But as the race runs longer and longer into the day we realize that team Probar will never catch up, but we are still hopeful they might because you never know if one of Probars guys gets a sudden boost of energy and just rips to the finish. The last hour we get lost and have no view of the runners, so we decide to head to the finish to see if our friend Bryon Powell has come in yet. At the finish line we are greeted by Bryon's girl-friend Meghan Hicks-Ultra-marathoner and writer-who waits anxiously for his arrival.

Bryon finishing like a stud!

After about 10 minutes I run up ahead and catch a glimpse of Bryon running, as he reaches me I run beside him thinking "Wow! How could he do 42 miles and not even look to tired?" Nearing the finish he races off to end it strong, and as I enter the clubhouse everyone is cheering and the announcers are going wild! He is the first person to come in who has completed the whole thing himself in 6 hours and 13 minutes, an awesome time for such a hilly course. After the crowd dies down and Bryon is left to sit and drink his water and eat his oranges in peace we receive news that the ZBsports runner is close behind. And a few minutes later he and his team race in to be the first team to complete the race! Everyone gathers around them and they are showered in praise, because they have just shattered the course record! The results are finally announced and ZBsports is the winner, with Probar in close second! After a days worth of racing a new company wins the race and the amazing Ultra-Runner Bryon Powell has completed the whole course in 6 hours and 13 minutes!

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Posted By Trailrunner to Nick's Trail Adventures at 5/21/2011 07:29:00 PM