Ultramarathon Eve

It's finally here, my first ultramarathon: the Ultimate XC Challenge! On Thursday, our entire family flew with our friend Mark Brucato from Chicago to New York. Today, Friday, my dad drove Mark and me up to the tippy-top of Vermont: Jay Peak. We removed the middle seats of the minivan and Mark and I rode in style in the far back seats.



As we got closer and closer the mountains seemed to get bigger and bigger. We finally pulled around a bend in the road and set our sights on the peak we'll climb tomorrow morning and one of the highest peaks in Vermont: Jay Peak, 3,968 feet.



After we got checked into our hotel we walked out the back of the building to behold the peak right in our back yard. It looks REALLY big. I'm not sure if the course marker at the base of the peak indicates forward or straight up!



When we drove back into town to pick up our race packets, we were welcomed by an EMS truck. An ominous sign?



Before we picked up our packets we had to sign a LONG waiver. The "death" part always gets your attention.



Of course, we signed it anyway.



After signing our lives away, we found a nice pasta dinner at a local restaurant (thanks for treating, Dad). While we waited to be seated I shot this quick panorama off the front deck of the restaurant. Click the small image below for a larger view. It's really beautiful country and I can't wait to run through it with my buddy, Mark.



More updates tomorrow afternoon, after the race....