From my blog (https://debrunsto50.wordpress.com/2019/09/25/revel-big-cottonwood-race-recap-bq-3/)
Race morning, the alarm on my phone started ringing at 2:45am. Soooo early! I hit the snooze until 3:00 and rolled out of bed. I was excited and nervous. Yes, after 31 marathons I still get nervous. I think the thing that contributes the most to my nerves is logistics. Can I get to the start on time? Will there be an empty porta potty when I get there? Did I remember to pack everything I’ll need? And the list goes on and on…

The bus pick up was only a 9-minute drive from the AirBnB where I was staying. It couldn’t have been easier to drive there, find a parking place and head onto the bus. On the ride up, I met a very nice young lady who was running her second marathon. We chatted the entire ride and that made the hour bus ride just fly by.

I headed straight to the porta pots and then made a nest along the side of the road next to a young man named Cayson, who was running his very first marathon. He asked me for advice about the course and I told him to enjoy his first marathon because there is only one first marathon! I also told him not to brake on the downhill. You’ll tear up your quads even more if you do that. After about an hour I lined back up for my final trip to the porta pots and waited and waited… The line was ridiculous. This wasn’t necessarily because of a lack of potties or poor logistics, it was more because people didn’t listen and lined up in one big line instead of short lines in front of each potty. I waited so long that I missed the Marathon Maniac picture that was taken right before the race. That made me sad.

I fought my way through the mass of people to the drop bag truck and slipped off the side of the road but caught myself before I fell. There was a twinge in my right glute and it worried me, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I walked a short distance to the starting area and warmed up a bit with some dynamic stretches. There was no National Anthem, but a brief announcement and an airhorn and we were off.

COURSE BREAKDOWN

Mile 1 was sooo steep! This was the largest drop at 468 feet descent. By the way, the altitude really does not bother you when you are descending so fast. I clocked in a 7:31 mile and that is fast for me.

Miles 2 and 3 evened out a little more with a 238 and 225 foot drop. I felt pretty good and was trucking along at a good clip until the last .25 of Mile 3 where we took a sharp left and proceeded to the loop around The Old Mill Golf Course. It was a gradual ascent. I knew this was coming and just ran by effort. Not too fast, not too slow, just chugged along while telling myself this was only going to last until Mile 4. I looped around and saw the 4 mile mark and glanced down at my watch. I ran that mile in 9:10 at altitude. Not bad. All in all, it really isn’t that much of an incline, it just feels hard. My watch registered only 23 feet.

Miles 5 through 8 were pretty steep. I was almost getting tired of going downhill. I took a gel at Mile 5 and washed it down with some water at an aid station. During Mile 8 I started feeling like I was slowing down a bit and I was.

Miles 9 through 12 only registered drops of 104-169 feet. While I was still descending, it didn’t feel like it because it wasn’t as steep as it was before.

I hit the halfway point at a PR time of 1:43:49. The course was beautiful. The sun was starting to come out, but we still had the shade from the canyon. I smiled and waved at all of the photographers on the course. A very nice man who had been trading off passing me and being passed by me, came up from behind and handed me my little hand towel. I guess it fell out of my fuel belt. I thanked him and took off. I was glad he gave it to me because I would need it later when the sun was beating down.

Race tip: I like to carry a little magic towel from The Dollar Tree with me during races because I often soak it in water and wipe down my neck or just have it to wipe sweat from my brow. Since it only cost me a dollar, I usually just toss it to the side of the course before I finish.

Miles 14 through 18 were a pretty steep descent. Again, I was getting a little tired of running downhill and my quads were starting to scream at me. I knew this course though and knew that I would get some relief after Mile 18 on the Out and Back section. Miles 14 and 16 were the steepest at drops of 360 feet and 333 feet. Finally, I was at Mile 18. The downhill would be done for awhile. (5 miles to be exact). I thought I would be glad for the change, but quickly decided I was not.

Miles 19-23 are the dreaded Out and Back. In almost every review that you read about Big Cottonwood, everyone mentions how bad that Out and Back is. You have to go out for 2.5 miles and make a U-Turn to go right back to where you started at Mile 18. That doesn’t sound so bad, but when you have been running downhill for so long, the rolling hills feel like huge mountains to climb. Not to mention, the shade from the canyon is now gone and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. This is where it gets really tough. I slowed way down as I climbed up to the end of the first mile. We were still headed up and my pace was so slow. I continued up the second mile to Mile 20 and on to another half mile. The road evened itself out here and I made the U-Turn. I headed back the way I came and darn it, the road seemed to be on an incline again! How was that possible? Mile 21 came and then low and behold I saw the popsicles!! What a welcome sight! They weren’t otter pops this time, they were real popsicles. And they were delicious. I actually started walking for the first time so that I could eat it. When I finished, I started jogging again until the next mile marker and the next popsicle! Yes, there were TWO popsicle stations. I was so excited! There was a little more walking in this section and then I finally turned the corner on to Mile 23 and down the home stretch. I made it through the Out and Back!

Miles 24 through the Finish Line were downhill again, but very close to the traffic coming from the other direction. The exhaust fumes were a little sickening. It was getting extremely warm and I stopped at every water station until the finish. I drank water and poured it over my head as well. There was one more mile to go and I was determined to finish this race. I glanced down at my watch which said I still had a projected finish time of 3:45 so I took off. As I approached the finish line, I started giving high fives to the spectators who were waiting at the finish. Just before I crossed the line, I yelled at the top of my lungs “BQ” and everyone cheered. The announcer said “Now that’s the way you finish a race!” I qualified for Boston with a 9+ minute cushion.

The finish line festivities are great! There is pizza, doughnuts, water and the beer tent. Beer Tip: Get your ID wristband at the expo so you don't have to deal with it at the race. Also, buy the Revel Beer Glass and you can get two beers instead of just one!

This is an excellent, fast race that is a must for anyone who loves downhill running. Revel is the best race series around!

I signed up for this race (my 31st marathon) to redeem myself from Revel Mt. Charleston a month ago. That race didn’t go so well mainly due to the heat, so I decided to run RR and see what I could do.

My first worry about this race was the altitude. I had only run races that started at about 7500 feet, not 10,000 feet.
My second worry was a glute/hamstring injury that I was nursing after Mt. Charleston.
My last worry was the lack of shade and hills on the back half of this course. I don’t do well in the heat. Add on hills and altitude to that heat for a true challenge!

Here is my breakdown of my experience at Revel Rockies:

Lodging
We stayed at the La Quinta in Golden. It turned out to be the perfect location. We were about 10 minutes from the expo and 12 minutes from where the bus pickup was on race day. Our choices were limited because our dog was traveling with us.

Expo/Packet Pickup

First, there was a shakeout run in Golden right before the expo. That was a fun little meet up and the course was lovely down by the stream that ran through town.
Revel expos are small with about 15 vendors. The t-shirts are very nice looking, but sizes ran very small for the women’s shirts. I had no problem exchanging for a different size. Revel always puts a little surprise gift in the swag bag. One year it was hats, one year it was socks, this year it was a pair of Goodr sunglasses! Love them!!!
Also, there is a much-needed mylar blanket and a pair of throwaway gloves. Be sure to listen to Coach Paul’s explanation of the course at the expo. He also does videos with training tips every Wednesday and has course breakdowns on the blog site. They are terrific resources.

Race Day Buses/Parking

My husband dropped me off at Bandimeer Speedway (bus pickup) at 3:45 am on race day. There were plenty of people directing traffic and helping with parking. The school buses were clean and the ride took about an hour to the top. The starting area of Echo Mountain was just a pull off place without any buildings. There was water and powerade available and about 20 porta-johns. There should have been about 15 more. The first time I got in line, it was quick. By the time I got in line again after all the buses had dropped off, the line was huge and I hardly had time to put my drop bag on the truck. I had packed a jacket and long pants to shed. The mylar blanket and gloves also came in handy. It was quite chilly up there!

The Course
The race started promptly at 6:00 am. There were flags with projected times where you could line up. It wasn’t too crowded at the start. I only had to do a little weaving to find an opening.
Miles 1-6 are a fast downhill. The sun was just rising and the course was beautiful. At mile 6, the course flattens out a bit, then downhill again at 7-9. Around mile 9, you are out of the mountain and the course flattens a lot. There is no shade. I was glad I banked quite a bit of time at the beginning so that I could have some time to get through this next part of the course. I hit the halfway mark at a PR of 1:46:46 and then the toughest part began. Miles 14-16 are the largest hills on the course. If we weren’t at 7,000 ft. these hills wouldn’t have felt so bad, but the altitude and lack of shade really played a part in slowing down my pace. Miles 17-22 are also a bit tough with flat parts and more rolling hills and no shade. But, the otter pops at mile 22 were a wonderful relief! Miles 23-26 were back downhill (more otter pops at mile 25!) so I was able to pick up the pace. Be forewarned, there is a hill in the last .10 of the race and at that point, it feels like a mountain!
I was able to cross at 3:50:50. A BQ with a 4:10 cushion. Not a huge cushion, but a BQ nevertheless.

Finish Area and Medal

Medals were distributed right at the finish and they are beautiful with a spinner. There was chocolate milk, some protein bars and fruit at the finish. On your bib are tickets for Pizza, Pie and Beer. I bypassed the others and headed straight to the beer! It tasted wonderful!
Results are printed on a small card immediately after your finish. If you BQ’d you got a special luggage tag.
There are plenty of places to take pictures as well.
My husband and dog were able to meet up with me right away.
There is a shuttle going back and forth to the parking area and we were able to catch that without waiting more than a few minutes.

So, my 3 worries were all ok. The altitude didn’t seem to bother me because we were headed downhill. It was a slight challenge when the course flattened out or had small inclines, but I was fortunate not to have altitude sickness.
My injury didn’t affect my performance. Probably due to the fact that the impact was mostly on the quads and not the hamstrings.
The lack of shade was uncomfortable but bearable because I had banked a lot of time at the beginning. Had it been later, it might have affected me even more.
Revel puts on outstanding races. Every detail is taken care of and everything runs quite smoothly. Don’t be fooled by this being a downhill course. There is a lot of uphill as well. It is a gorgeous and challenging race and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Just be sure to train for the downhill!

This was my very first 50 mile race and it was perfect for a beginner!

Course – Perfect for beginners, mostly flat and well-maintained. Beautiful fall foliage!

Course Support – great aid stations, but pretty far apart. Runners are required to carry hydration. Great food!

Race logistics – Good pre-race communication, easy packet pick up. Plenty of lodging close to start.

Swag – Nice shirts (sizes run small), beautiful bibs, stickers and belt buckles. Free race pics.

Location - fly into Kansas City and drive an hour to Ottawa.

Lodging - Bed and Breakfast (The Painted Lady)

Awards - I was the second overall female, but no special award. Was handed a belt buckle and 50 mile sticker at the finish.