The weather/timing finally worked to where I was able to ride to Tobey Park for the 3rd and final installation of the Cyclocrunk series. The course was short in multiple ways- a couple of sections used previous nights were removed, the barriers were cut down 2cm (due to a protest to TBRA from one of last week’s competitors), and, it was announced on the start line that the race would only be 30 minutes long.

I have lately been feeling riled up over the usual excuses for shorting female racers in race payouts. I channeled that into determination to rip the legs off of as many male racers as possible. I had an excellent start, and, unlike previous Crunk races, I didn’t sit back and let the race thin out a little before really laying into it.
Before the end of the first lap, I was hot on local triathlete Daniel Schaffer’s heels, fighting for 4th place behind Hart Robinson, John King, and Ryan. As we finished the first lap, we got “4 to go” from the race promoter. Knowing how short that would be, I decided I wouldn’t let up from the already eyeball-bleeding first-lap pace I was maintaining.

Sometime on the next lap, I caught up to Daniel, only to have him make an attack I wasn’t able to follow. He got a gap away from me that I never managed to cover in the remaining 15 minutes of racing. According to him after the race: “I kept looking back and was like, DAMNIT, SHE’S STILL THERE!”

The last two laps were grueling. My internal dialogue was a clutter of curse words and yelling. Later at home I looked at the Garmin file for the race and saw that my heart rate average for 22 minutes was 190bpm- equal to about 95% of my (true) maximum heart rate.

I crossed the finish line still in overall 5th, hoping I’d broken a few hearts and legs.

I get another shot at the guys this weekend at Spookycross.

(courtesy of Perry Barker, who not only takes great photos, but also does a lion’s share of trail work around Memphis)