From despair to elation (and then terror)

One of the biggest uncertainties about the TransRockies Race is who will end up as my partner. There are 150 teams of 2 runners. Each 2 runner team is required to run the entire race together. Needless to say, getting matched with someone of comparable ability is a priority.

Early on, I was put in touch with a guy a Gore Flagstaff, Erin Hutchinson. Big-time trail runner/racer. Erin has finished 8th out of 800 at the Pike's Peak Marathon. Couple that with my 6th out of 600 at the DE Marathon, and we both excel at what we do. But, I've not run much on trails or at altitude. Erin, on the other hand, has rarely run two days in a row. While training for DE, I actually ran something like 83 out of 84 days. We spoke a few times and agreed that there might be something there with respect to partnering for the TRR.

Weeks elapsed without the two of us conversing. During this time, our race coordinator worked to find non-Gore matches for Erin and I since the rest of the Gore athletes are not at our level. Erin was very concerned about finding the best possible teammate (not too slow, not too fast, but just right) and had been in touch with two other guys. Over the past few weeks, he had begun to feel obligated to pair with a guy from Sweden, Fredrik Olmqvist. Fredrik is the editor of Runner's World in Sweden and a veteran of many events like the TRR. The other guy is Mark Krause, an American triathlete. In fact, he is a PROFESSIONAL triathlete. He actually finished 7th in last 1/2 Ironman World Championships. 7th in the freaking world! He is competing later this year in the full Ironman World Championship. With Erin leaning towards Fredrik as a partner, I'm left with the choices of a professional triathlete or partnering with someone else at Gore and running the race for fun rather than competitively. Neither choice interests me and I am crushed.

I email Erin one final appeal before leaving work on Friday. I send him the electronic copies of my training and diet, tout the benefits of partnering with a fellow Goron, the ease of communication, comraderie, etc. Upon arrival at work on Monday, I had an email awaiting me from Erin saying that my appeal worked! What a relief! I was thrilled and still am.

But, I'm also scared shitless. Now somebody else is officially counting on me to perform. I've never had a race partner before and its a lot of pressure. I'm terrified of letting him down but its great inspiration for my training.