The last day of the Golden Ultra, a.k.a. the tears,  consisted of a “flat and flowy” 20K with 375+ m gain. In comparison to what we ran before, this was set to be the easiest course. That being said, your legs are likely to be fatigued from running 60K over the two previous days with all the climb/descent as well.

Day 3: “The Tears”
Distance: 20K (12 mi)
Elevation: 375m gain (1200 ft.)

Click here to watch the video recap from Day 3.

Read about Day 1.
Read about Day2.

Getting started

I was early to the start line on day 1 and 2, so it made sense that I would roll up to the start line less than 5 minutes before it started. I’m a runner and we just simply can’t be expected to show up on time to EVERYTHING. Some clouds rolled in at night and we were blessed with some light rain at the start. I ended up getting an extra poncho from Craig right at the start since I didn’t bring a running jacket. I ended up wearing it for the first few miles before packing it away once we were protected by the trees. The sprinkles were pretty much non-existsent at that point and it was shaping up to be a beautiful overcast day for some trail running.

Fatigued much?

Honestly, my legs felt pretty good. I had been sleeping in my Pro Compression socks each night to help with recovery and although my legs weren’t “springy,” they didn’t have much of a problem getting comfortable. With slight inclinces and declines, the miles were going by pretty quickly.

It was clear that EMZ was in her comfort zone as she jumped out in front and led the way. With the up/down being minimal in comparison, she was running along pretty easily. I typically run back-to-back days, but 3-days in a row isn’t my normal. We were exiting my comfort zone and entering EMZ’s. Had it now been for EMZ, I would have been out there for an additional 30-minutes, no questions.

From the Golden Ultra taken by @brunolongphotography

Enjoying the day

We walked a bit more, probably because I wanted to, but I think we were both just enjoying the last day of an epic adventure. There were no “down” moments on this day and we had some really nice segments of several minutes of simply just running through the trees. The course was beautiful, well-marked, and it was the perfect end to an epic weekend.

@DanaNotman caught up to us over the last few miles and it was clear that she was also enjoying the day and running strong. The three of us ran together after taking a fresh pic. Over the last half mile or so, we jumped a little in front of Dana, and she snapped THIS amazing picture. She finished pretty quickly after us and the 3-day running adventure was in the books.

Taken by @dananotman

Data via Garmin fēnix 3

Total Distance: 12.4 mi.
Total Steps: 29,699
Total Time: 3:00:53*
Total Elevation: 1,726 ft. gain, 1598 ft. loss

*official finishing time

2016 Golden Ultra Discount

After my 3-day experience, are you ready to run the Golden Ultra in 2016?

Dates: September 23-25, 2016
5% off code: PAVEY
You can run all 3 days, relay, or individual days.

Are you ready to take on a 3-day Ultra?