Gettin Odds On The Big Boys Blogs

Mountain Masochist 54 Miler is only days away now and I'm already having trouble relaxing!

This is gonna be an all out battle for a top three placing and that highly coveted auto entry into Western States 09. Some top names within the sport are down there and everyone has the same goal. I've been told that there are at least ten of us shooting for the podium.

I managed to get a mention on the big guys blog this past week. Karl Meltzer is a bit of a legend within the scene and he posts odds on most big races on his website. Thanks to a comment from a friend I'm being given an outside shot at making some noise.

Race Director Clark Zealand just released the 'seedings' and they contradict Karl's blog slightly as there is some confusion as to who will actually be on that starting line. Even with the few names in question potentially missing out, it still makes this the most competitive running race I've yet been a part of. Here are the seeding's from RD Clark Zealand:

1 Miller Zach MALE 32 MICHIGAN USA

2 Grossman Eric MALE 40 VIRGINIA USA

3 Freeman Lon MALE 33 CALIFORNIA USA

4 Andrish Sean MALE 39 VIRGINIA USA

5 Ramsey Jeremy MALE 32 VIRGINIA USA

6 Basham J.B. MALE 31 VIRGINIA USA

7 Melcher Ryne MALE 29 BC CANADA

8 Robbins Gary MALE 31 B.C.CANADA

9 Schuster Michael MALE 35 VIRGINIA USA

All I know for sure is this. I've battled through a few issues since Stormy in August but have managed to keep my feet moving the entire time. In the last few weeks I finally feel like I am close to 100% again and I know definitively that there is absolutely zero more that I could have done to prepare for this race. With that in hand, all I can do is run my race and let the chips fall as they may.

'The race has already been decided. The training in the months and even years leading up to this event have determined who will finish where, and that training includes mental preparations and actually running a smart race come race day. All that is left now is for the opponents to show their cards.'

On that note, I'm off to bed as I intend to get some early starts to the next few days. With the time difference of the race being in Virginia, the start will be at 3.30am Pacific, and the bus to the starting area departs at 2am PST. I figure a few days of an obscenely early wake up call should help prepare me Saturday...at least I hope that's the case, otherwise I'm just gonna be cranky for a few days for nothing!

GR