I finally made the decision last week to run @capitalbackyard again this year. Right now I'm in the "let's go have some fun stage." Hopefully I never reach the "put a bullet in my head, I wanna die stage" this year.
Is the goal 1% of attempts finish, 1% of participants (i.e. Jared & I don't "count" this year), or 1% of qualified applicants could finish? I really don't know. Seems if 1% can finish, that 1% is selected, & everyone finishes, that's actually the right difficulty. #BM100 (10/10)
Sometimes people catch lightning in a bottle (congrats Ihor & Aurélien!🙂), but most of the time people have to keep at it until they get "lucky" conditions (e.g. Greig, Jasmin, Karel). There were zero finishers 2018-2022. "The harder I work, the luckier I get." #BM100 (9/10)
Is 5 too many? Will the course get much harder next year? I don't think so. Everything perfectly aligned this year, and none of the finishes were by a huge margin. Next year probably worse start time, worse weather, and not as many strong veterans up front. #BM100 (8/10)
Course changes were significant, but difficult to quantify. Removed 1 of my least favorite sections, replaced it w/ my new least favorite (briars, blowdowns, cliffs, no clear path... an absolute mess). Added 2 books, even if no new distance that adds ~10 minutes. #BM100 (7/10)
Start time was perfect. 5-8 AM is my ideal window. Good sleep, light by the time you need it, guaranteed daylight finish. Also, no loops of near total darkness. #BM100 (6/10)
This was the 2nd year in a row with fantastic Barkley conditions. Last year slightly too cold, this year slightly too warm, but neither with the heavy rain or dense fog that increase the likelihood of those race-ending mistakes. #BM100 (5/10)
I also get more seeing a finish from e.g. Jasmin, Ihor, Greig. I've got mine. There's marginal value to more. You don't get to the top & stay there by knocking everyone else down. Pull them up w/ you. Then when you inevitably slip they're right there to catch you. #BM100 (4/10)
There's benefit to everyone - even me. This year I was more of the "fixer" than the guide, ensuring that no small mistakes became disastrous. We made quite a few, and yes little things can kill, but one big mistake could've outweighed all of our small ones. #BM100 (3/10)
For loops 2-4 we were mostly in 2 lead groups. One had me (22 loops prior to this year), one had Jared (25). Also Greig & Jasmin (6+ each) plus Damian (4). Everyone was a solid navigator (Jasmin in particular seemed to instinctively know things). #BM100 (2/10)
Thread of general #BM100 thoughts from this year. To start, how were there so many finishers? Not intentionally being a smartass, but, well, it's because there were so many finishers. Had we all been working alone, there might have been 1-2 finishers if even that. (1/10)
Capital Backyard Ultra goes above and beyond in pretty much all aspects of their race, including the awesome @SwankyBadger finisher's award! Thank you so much! Almost makes me want to do it all again 😉
#BibChat#BibRavePro#squirrelsnutbutter
https://t.co/7wpPorTT0w
@jonj1017@SageCanaday It would first be necessary to find someone willing to tell him how to apply. I am guessing after this rant it will be a long time coming.
@keithdunn Aren’t you in central daylight time? Never mind the fact that your phone might spontaneously change time zones in the park depending on what tower it’s pinging…but I think there’s 1:07 to go.
John is limping, Aurelian is sprinting. In each of their minds there is a halfway point in loop five, and both want to reach that point first. We have a race. #BM100