Desert Rat Chick

I probably have a few things to write about regarding my 50 miler experience. However, this particular note is about Desert Rat Chick. I was on about mile 16, trudging up a rocky uphill section of the trail when suddenly out of nowhere comes this woman passing me as if I am standing still. She did slow down slightly as a courtesy, enough for me to fully recognize her superiority. She was wearing one of those truck stop baseball caps, that I swore I saw that morning at 4:00 at the Pivot Gas Station. She wore it backwards and slightly askew as if to say, “yeah, I decided to just show up to this run today and bought this cap because it might be fun to have a little jog in the sun.” Her non chalant attitude did not have me fooled, I could see the $200 pair of Salomon Trail shoes with the dust gators fitted over them. A tell tale sign that this was not an amateur runner. She had the look. The type of look that you only get after running thousands of trail runs, living on 100 calorie gel packets.

She had the nerve to say, “doing a good job,”  and then with a slight smile said, “see you next time.” Oh yes, there would be a next time. This was the first time she lapped me. Mile 16. The second time would be on Mile 48, same section of the trail in the pitch black of night. I was nearing the end of my race and she was only half way done. She was completing the 100 miler event. When I did cross the finish line, I heard report that she was the leader, well ahead of second place in the 100 event.

So Desert Rat Chick has now replaced Pony Tail Girl. My new rival. My motivation. My nemesis. Next time I will not be staring at the ground, hunched over, breathing heavily and feeling sorry for myself. There will come a day when I will come upon Desert Rat Chick and startle her as a zoom past with Gazelle like grace making some funny comment about how we will meet again at the finish line.

Guy Reams