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2021 Desert Rats Stage Race- Stage Three: Jort Power (Chapter 4 of 7)



Day 3

Another restless night’s sleep in the tent, but I was able to drag myself sheepishly out of bed around 5:45AM. Today’s stage was the shortest of all of them at 9 miles, and I was looking forward to a shorter run and a day of relaxation.

Since it was the sprint day, I threw on my running ‘jorts’. Not sure if they help me go fast, but they definitely make me poke pun at myself and lighten the mood. I grabbed some light breakfast and coffee and made sure my running gear was packed up for the stage.

I didn’t really have a plan for the stage, other than continue to keep tabs on Morgan who was only about 20 minutes down in the overall. I did have a thought that if the trail looked runnable that I would hammer it out after the first mile or two.

Morgan and I 

The start

We all started together on this stage. The first mile was a gradual climb back up the road we finished yesterdays stage on. The pack of runners was tight up the hill. The leaders were all together and the mood was light. We slowly ran up the hill and then made the left turn onto the Kokopelli single track.

I saw a hill in the distance and was running smoothly. I decided to lead the group out onto the trail since I was feeling good. About ½ mile later the group was spreading out and I made the decision to run at tempo pace. I surged hard for a couple of minutes and dropped the field behind me. I was still feeling good after the initial push so I powered up the hill to get out of sight of the pack.

I was running 7:30-8:30 pace and feeling great. The trail meanders down to the Colorado River and into this cool section of trees and greenery. The trail was rolling and not too technical, allowing me to keep pushing pace.

A quick look over my shoulder and I couldn’t see anyone in the distance. I was way in front and feeling awesome.

The final mile was a bit of a blur. I crested a hill and could see the finishing tent in the distance. I descended the road at 6:30 pace to win the stage in 1:19:00.

Still in first!

Morgan and Mike were the next to finish and were close to 10 Minutes behind me for the day. I felt good that I had a little more of a buffer for the overall lead going into the Expedition Stage the next day.

Mike and I

I had cell reception at the finish and called Julie to say hello. It was AWESOME to hear her voice! I was really starting to miss home and my family. I also called Hillary and told her coaching was paying off. As always, she was super humble and told me that it was my work that was making the difference and to keep it up.

We cheered on all the finishers as they crossed the line and then shuttled over to our camp.

Cheering in the finishers

Having some extra time this day to drink, recover and dunk in the river was awesome. I took a nap in the afternoon and rubbed a ton of CBD into my sore muscles. I ate and drank a ton and thought nervously about the next day.

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