Last weekend was the annual Hotter than Hell 100 bike race in Wichita Falls, Texas. This was our (Patrick, Kati, and myself) second year to participate. The main event is a 100mi road bike ride through Wichita Falls and surrounding towns. There are however 2 lesser advertised races during the weekend, a 12ish mile mountain bike race and a trail run consisting of 13.1 (1/2 marathon) a 10K and a 5K distance. Somehow we got the wild hair to compete in the Triple Threat which combines all the races into one event. Very few do all 3 races in fact out of 14,200 participants in the Sat ride there are only around 100 people that brave all 3 races. Friday 6pm you compete in the 12ish mi mountain bike race then wake up nice and early on Sat to ride the 100mi road race and if that wasn't already enough you get up early again on Sunday and run the 1/2 marathon trail run. All your times are combined and a total time is given. Here is the breakdown of each individual race.
Mountain Bike finish time 1hr9min - Fri 6pm 12ish mile Mountain Bike race - A great mountain bike trail consisting of some tight turning flat sections and some very near vertical drops and ascents of up to 8-10ft. There was also a bridge section which was a man made elevated platform/bridge up to 6ft high 4ft wide and extending for about 100ft. There were a few stream crossings and obstacles both man-made and natural to add to the excitement. I took a nice header into a tree while trying to duck under a large limb stretching over the course. I though for sure I would be buying a new helmet because the hit left me slightly dazed for about 10-20 sec. Overall a nice course and very fun and a comfortable pace as the next morning's 100mi was in the back of my mind.
Road Race finish time, pedaling 6hr6min, total time 7hr33min total - This year the race didn't live up to it's name of Hotter N' Hell, it was more like the Milder N' Hell. The high for the day was 92deg and it was probably in the low to mid 70s when we started. A perfect day for a bike ride, even a 100mi bike ride. The only negative side was that cool temperatures brought out more riders bringing the total entrants for all distance to just over 14,200 which is 2,000 more than last year. My goal for this year was to finish in roughly the same pedaling time but less total time and stop less often. Last year I stopped at 4-5 rest stops this year I only stopped at 3 and not for nearly as long. Overall a more comfortable ride than last year partially because of the weather and mostly because I was far better prepared both for the distance and as far as hydration and nutrition are concerned. I think I could have definitely pushed harder and only stopped twice, once at 60mi and then again at 90mi but I wanted to make sure my legs still had some life for the next day.
Half Marathon Trail Run (13.1mi) total time 2hr28min - I was pleasantly surprised that when I got up Sun morning I was not really sore. I did however have a very sore Rt knee that started on Saturday around mile 20 and persisted the rest of the 100miles. I was somewhat concerned Sat night that the pain would be worse the next morning and then coupled with sore tight muscles I would be unable to run. The race was supposed to start at 7am but due to a high degree of disorganization and confusion among the race volunteers and the race director it started at 7:30 with runners still scratching their heads as to where the turn around points for the shorter distances would be. Luckily for us you just keep running and never turn around, it was basically a big loop. This was my first 1/2 marathon distance run which coupled with doing it over rough terrain, i.e. the mountain bike trail we rode Friday evening, made me a little nervous. I was pleasantly surprised in that my knee tolerated the entire run as long as I did not make a long stride. The only time I stopped was at 2 aid stations to get a quick drink of cold water and a few wedges of oranges then right back to running. I finished just a few minutes behind Kati which always makes me happy when I am close to her when finishing a run.
Totals 126miles either pedaling or running in 10hrs total work time, 4500calories, and 29,800 pedal strokes.
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