Allisons Report

Tacoma is a great course because it has a hill. Hills are good because even though they hurt real bad, you get a nice long rest afterwards. The funny thing about this hill is that you run up most of it and then when you are totally blown you have to get on your bike and ride up some more. The riding up part is a great place to make up time and I always go as hard as I possibly can and then have fun on the single track decent. The trail conditions were pretty much perfect, nice and tacky with a perfect temperatures. My final result wasnt great (17th compared to 8th last year) but it was a good time and I felt like I was in control of my race. Lots of time in cross you feel at the mercy of your body or your head and that wasnt the case at all in this race. Hillary and I continued our race result trade off. This weekend I raced faster than her. Next time it will likely go the other way. Like it has been doing for like 5 years (except for that one year where she beat me in every race).

Cathys Report

The run up. The run up. The walk up. There you have it. This was a beautiful course, on a beautiful day in Tacoma. Seriously, that run up was BRUTAL! Picture an endlessly steep climb with spectators everywhere, ringing those cow bells. Theres no way you can quit there. At the top of the run up, you then get on your bike and ride up another steep hill, also in view of the hordes of fans. By the time youre out of view, the course gets super sweet and twisty and fun, so you dont even consider quitting. Then youre back to the run up, repeat a few times, then the race is over. Its pretty amazing how bad 40 minutes can hurt, and how much fun it seems at the same time! An intoxicating purity of focus...

2008

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2004