Jay Mountain Trail Run

Jay Mountain Trail Run is advertised as one of the toughest off-road challenges in the world. At the top of Jay Mountain on July 29, 2006, fog covered the area. At the bottom of Jay Peak, and the rest of the way… sun beat us down. It was hotter than 90 degrees F and we were in the presence of intense humidity. I was sweating before I even began the race.My legs were shaking with fatigue after just 13 miles, as I took off my Montrail running shoes to empty them of mud and pebbles.I had run up, and ran down northern Vermont’s tallest mountain, presumably the hardest part of the course. That was a bit of an assumption.This was an amphibious course; many miles and much time was spent foot-planting in the shin-to-waist deep river, and climbing up and falling over slimy boulders.After trudging for 4 hours and 50 minutes, I thought about quitting. My friend Sally, who was tracking my progress from a spectator’s position, slapped my right face cheek, my left face cheek, and then my butt cheeks, and told me, “You don’t quit. You get moving.” Apparently in shock, I listened.I was zigzagging through a tall grassy field, and then I was running through patches of wild berries. I was hiking it up another hill, winding through the woods, and then my feet caved into the slick mud, and I went down to the ground like I was sliding into home plate in a baseball game.Another section included total submersion in water while I pulled myself across using a 50-foot cable. Surely, this was not a typical trail run!31.6 miles of obstacle course in 8 hours and 49 minutes: I finished (22nd of 75 females). What an accomplishment!