Delirium Ultra 12 Hour, Ridgeland, South Carolina 1,2 Elevation: 79' RESULTS February 8, 2014 - After a disappointing outing in Texas the previous week I was thinking I need a good race during my three-and-a-half hour drive to Hilton Head from my new home in North Carolina. After checking in I found I was able to sleep in my car at the start/finish line, which served me doubly. The price was right for my accommodations and my car was a convenient place to lay out all my "stuff" to grab when needed on my thirty trips past it during the event. I had run this lowcountry event last year and enjoyed it. However, the course venue changed to the grounds of the R & M Plantation near Ridgeland, so it was like an entirely new event. It was kind of cool looking up at the stars and moon and high clouds during the night, thinking about the history of this place - a southern plantation that probably grew cotton that was picked by slaves, etc. I wondered about the people. Parked in the middle of a grassy field that had probably been seeded in cotton and known the tears and joys of a time that has long since passed. What was it like? Did the energy of that time still echo off the trees, up from the swamps? And could I get a feel for what it must have been like? I must have thought long and hard on the matter as I did not sleep very well. Maybe the energy was a little stronger than I thought. The forecast was for rain in the morning with quick clearing and sunshine by afternoon. And that's exactly the way it played out. The first two hours were a steady cold rain, but it was very pleasant all afternoon. The course was a loop of 1.695 miles around the grounds of the property, mostly on soft surfaces, around a large pond, through a typical lowcountry long leaf pine forest. My objective was to run for twelve hours and see how many miles I could tally. Some set out for a six hour objective, but most were here to go for the full 24. Thirty rounds equated to 50 miles. That was my objective. I wanted to gauge how I felt doing fifty miles back-to-back, weekend-to- weekend, after doing 50 the previous weekend in Texas. Since I am doing multiple back-to-backs this year, I can use the feedback for my preparations and reparations. The course was easy, but the good rain at the start made it a mudfest, which would last throughout. My shoes tell it all. |