So many amazing things about this race, no wonder it's a lottery entry with hundreds on the waitlist.

First - the parking/access/start/finish area: This race embodies what makes ultras great - laid-back vibe, easy parking, plenty of bathrooms, chill start area, awesome post-race hangout area with free food (pulled pork!) and beer (10 Barrel!). Wins across the board.

The race is run almost entirely along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), treating runners to extremely well-maintained, gorgeous paths and breathtaking views of Timothy Lake, Mt. Hood, and classic Pacific Northwest forest. The actual trail is just prime - soft pine needles on top of mostly even, not-too-rocky dirt trails. See my pic below to get a taste of the views - just incredible.

Aid stations - again, showing what makes ultras great. Incredibly helpful volunteers and a huge spread of food which allowed me to practice eating a bunch of different foods while experimenting with different amounts of salt and sweet while easily getting enough calories. Plus, tons of ice for when the day got hot (it did, but not too bad - about 45/50 at the start and probably 75 at the finish but sun felt hotter).
At one point, a volunteer asked what I needed and when I told him water for my hydro-vest, he insisted I take it off and let him fill it and replace it in the pack while I went to power-eat. I came back and he was holding up the vest so I could put my arms through and be on my way. So helpful!

Overall - this was an "easy" ultra when it comes to vertical gain - only about 5,500. But most of that was on the back part which made it a lot more challenging. I ran it as a training run for the Leadville 100, so my training partner (Matt, pictured on left) took it easy for about 45 miles and picked it up from there to finish strong. My race couldn't really have gone better - I felt strong and well-stocked the whole way, and I clearly saw how much better I do by pushing the calories. Here's my strava file if anyone cares about that. https://www.strava.com/activities/1074301139

Highly, HIGHLY recommend this race, and I can't think of how a 50 mile race could be done better. Kudos to the race management - Go Beyond Racing - on another killer event.