Missoula Meltdown

Good analysis from all of you.  And I agree with all of it! I will say though that the net uphill of the course really was not that noticeable outside of the hill area. It seemed generally flat. But that hill was killer.

Julie: I thought it was a charming and well run race. Missoula is a neat town to visit. So I would still recommend the race. I don't know that I would recommend it for a race with a time goal though. Not so much because I did poorly there, but because aside from that hill, there are something like 16 turns in the last 6-8 miles with weird roundabouts and odd banking of the road, and there are a few sections of pavement that are really bumpy and uncomfortable to run on. It strikes be as a course that is better run for fun than for time. Crowd support in the first half is minimal too. Rather good in the second half though. And you get free race photos and beer.

Jeff Galloway and his wife also have run it the last few years. I rode the elevator at my hotel with him and chatted with him and didn't realize who it was until later!

Carleen, sorry for the tough day but you kept at it and finished.  You look back and see what was different if anything and then write it off and move on.  Congrats on getting it done.