Wasatch Lottery Run

I threw my name in the hat again for the Wasatch Front 100 lottery.  I did Wasatch in 2012 and have learned A LOT since then.  My hopes were that if I was able to get in I could correct all the things that went bad for me that day.  I was still a relative newbie when I ran it last.  It was my third hundred miler and maybe 10th ultra but I had only been doing ultras for 15 months.

Whenever I put my name in lottery drawings I go for a long run the day of the lottery.  It's fun to find out if you made it but why waste a whole morning when you could be out running.  The Western States and Hardrock lottery always falls on the Ryan Anderson Invitational Marathon so that it easy.  I didn't put in for States this year but I did for Hardrock.  Not surprisingly, my 0.whatever percent chance didn't land me a spot so I'll keep trying.

There were 4 of us from Boise who put in for the Wasatch lottery Heather Culig, Cory Harelson, Derek Call and me.  Heather, Cory, and I met up for a run Saturday morning with no real agenda other than 20+ miles and as much trail as possible.  The forecast was saying more than a half an inch of rain was supposed to fall Friday night so we didn't have high hopes that we would see much trail.  As it turned out the rain missed us and we got to do a majority of the distance on the trails.

Cory got this great shot.  The clouds look ominous but it didn't last long.

We ran into Dave and several other friends in Rocky Canyon and headed up Three Bears to Watchman.  The sunrise was amazing and well worth the early start.  The temps were in the 50s at the start so I just wore short and a short sleeve shirt which is insane for Idaho in February.

Heather went up 5 Mile with Dave and Cory and I went down Orchard.  Once we hit Rocky Canyon Cory and I decided it would be best to go up the Ridge Road and come down 5 Mile.  The lottery started about the time we hit Aldape Summit and I quickly got a text from my friend Scott in Utah who was keeping his ears open for all the Idaho guys.  Just after that Heather calls and told me I was in and she was too!  She was the 2nd name drawn, crazy.  We motored along Ridge Road and down 5 Mile and got another text that Derek was in.

Guess who's going to Wasatch? This guy!

It was fun getting the play by play while out pounding out some hills.  When we hit the bottom of 5 Mile I was running and texting (not advised...even on flat ground)...and got another one from Heather that said something about Cory.  I yelled at him to check his phone and the message was, Cory has a 59% chance at this point.  Ugh, we were hoping it was to say he was in.  We went all the way down 5 Mile and Rocky Canyon all the way to our cars with no more texts.  I figured the lottery must be over by then so I asked Cory if he didn't get in if he would like to come and pace me.  He said yes, but I could tell he was a bit bummed.

We parted ways and just a few minutes later on the drive home Heather sends another one saying Cory was the 4th from the last name drawn! Woohoo.  I replied and said dammit there goes my pacer, sarcastically.  He said, you wouldn't believe how stoked I am right now!  I said I could believe because he was stoked just to hear we all made it.

It was a fun day out running and winning the lottery!

Route