KT82

The weather in St. Louis had been beautiful. 70s, no humidity, pleasant. Then of course we'd get a heat wave. I was the first runner and started at 5:30 am. It was dark and humid. I only had to run 2.3 miles and it was hard only because of the humidity. The course was fun. I enjoyed running a grass trail that was illuminated by glow sticks. I also did not run with music on this leg and it was peaceful listening to the sounds of nature. I finished this leg with a 9:32 pace.

I started my second leg at 9:20 am. I had been sitting in a van for the 3.5 hours since my last leg. I was feeling okay, but was worried about the heat. This leg was rated as difficult. I couldn't understand why for the first 3 miles. It was a gravel road. Most of it was shaded, so it wasn't all that bad. The route then turned into single track, and that's where the fun began. However, I had to walk the majority of it because it was rather difficult. Large rocks, steep ups and downs, lots of tripping hazards. The trail zigzagged around a creek, and it was just beautiful. I finished with an 11:44 pace.

Finishing my 2nd leg.

My last leg sucked. I started running at 2:05. It was now in the mid-90s and it felt terrible outside. This leg was just on the Katy Trail, so it wasn't all that interesting. And a majority of it was in the sun. I walked while I was in the sun... my head was hurting so bad and I seriously thought I could get heat stroke. I was the first one to finish running, and it felt so good!! I cracked open a beer and it tasted so good. We made our way to Hermann. This was my first time in Hermann (but it didn't feel like my first time). I must have been there when I was younger. I really enjoyed stopping at all the old railroad towns along the way.

Team finish.

This is the best team finish photo we got... and they took 10 of us at the finish. They really need to redo their layout, or hire a new photographer.

We finished the 82 mile relay in 12:03:23. A pace of 8:50. I had some fast runners on my team! It was a lot of fun! I just wish we had cooler weather. And here is a better finish photo:

Team 82 Problems but the KT ain't 1