Amidst the gloating in my last post, I did make sure to note Helen's and my overall placement. So, yes, I did beat her by over a minute. But in terms of gender placement, well, I came in somewhere in the high 40s. Helen came in third.
But could she have won? That's the question.
I mentioned our 'detour' in the last post. I'd guess that took us around two extra minutes. That's longer than the final separation between Helen and the first place woman.
I think it's pretty clear that Helen would have been second, without the detour. The woman who did come in second passed Helen during the detour. Helen almost caught up, but not quite.
First? That's a tougher call. It's not just the simple math. The woman who won could easily have had an extra gear that she was saving up. She was the first woman from fairly early on in the race. So it's likely that, had she seen Helen creeping up on her, she would have been able to accelerate away. I guess it's annoying that Helen didn't have that chance.
Obviously, I wish we hadn't missed the turn. The turn wasn't that hard to see; it wasn't super easy to see, though, and with the group of people we were following, it made sense not to be looking for it. There were certainly easier turns to see that had people standing there giving directions. That's the surprising part.
I'm guessing that this sort of debate is old news to people who have a lot of experience with trail races. Anyway, on to the next race.
1 comment:
I just chalk this up to inexperience.... fast runners don't always know where they are going. I should've followed my instincts and questioned the wrong turn sooner. Regardless, we both ran solid races and I did much better than I thought I had any business doing. I look forward to next year's half wit.
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