Volcanic 50km trail race ...MT.ST. Helens

I won the lottery ...Well runners Lottery !
I got in to this race after being on the wait list for months . I found out a week before the race that I got in . I was so excited and thought well I am going to school it would be great to go away , so I could lock my self in a hotel room for the weekend and study with a run break ;)

Course description

A remote and challenging course with over 6700 ft of elevation gain and loss circumnavigating Mt St Helen's, all on rugged, single-track trails covering 50+K’s. All but 4.5 miles are on the Loowit Trail. You will travel over lava and pumice fields, crossing rivers, through the blast zone as well as through dense forests. http://www.volcanic50.com/course/

 I was on a mission to make cut off !!
A strict cut-off time has been established for AS 4 (Ape Canyon). If a runner hasn’t left AS 4 by 4 p.m., they will be pulled from the race – no exceptions.

 Race Day

Start  7am am I ready ....NOPE 

Mandatory gear check and I forgot my space blanket CRAP !  If you didn't have all the required gear there was a 1 hr time deduction from your finishing time , and I knew I needed every minute . I hit panic and ran over to the race director I explained i was from Canada and I for got my blanket at home AHHHHH ... He  had extras!!!!! ...YES I was back in the game ! 

This race was a little more stressful with the mandatory gear , and the fact there was limited aid stations . It was really hot out and I knew water would be a problem . They explained that one point in the race it would be really exposed and there would be a creek that we could use to fill our packs and they suggested we did ! 

About a hr into the race I realized that I fill my water bladder only half way , so I race out of water for almost a hr  . My electro light bottle as I took a drink broke , so this meant no water ,and no electro lights ...CRAP ! By the time I got to a aid station it was too late I had already dehydrated . I continued to race , but by aid station 4 they kept me at the aid station and made me drink water , eat salt tablets . I stayed for about 20 minutes then carried on . 

This race was so hard for the fact of no water , the heat and the climbs were UN for giving ! I have never crawled over rock as much as this race  , the worst part was  really no great views ! just lava rock endless lava rock . 

I finished this race in 10 hrs ...Whew I didn't think I would ! 

When I woke up the next day I felt like I was drunk from dehydration ! I got up to walk in the hotel and the vertigo that I had was really hard to walk . 

I have learned that check your water pack bladder ! bring extra bottles for electro lights , and when they say limited aid ...plan like you have none !