Run thru Hell results and review

After a 3 year hiatus, my uncle's race was back on!  In the past, the crowd has topped off near 1500-1800 runners total between the wienie run (4.8 miles) and 10 mile race.  This year it just reached 1,000.  I am hoping that the word will get out that the Run thru Hell is back and we can double that total next year!

I got to the race location 2 hours before the start.  I had assumed I would need to help set up or hand out registration packets.  They didn't need me to do a thing.  I was there to be food for the humming bird sized mosquitoes though.  Holy moly, these things were awful!  I was getting eaten alive.  I tried to hard not to use insect repellent, but finally broke down and sprayed myself from the waist down.  so instead, they bit my face.  I had 3 very large welts on my forehead and side of my face.  Guess that is what happens on a damp morning out in the country! 

3 runners from my gym were running this race as well.  We met up at the start line, waited for the gun to sound and off we went.  I took off on my own.  I may run with them during the week, but I like to race alone.  My goal was to finish in 1:15, which would be a 7:30 pace.  This course sticks to mostly dirt and gravel roads with lots and lots of hills.  Definitely a great work out!  I kept leap frogging this younger woman.  She would kick my ass on the up hill but I passed her every time on the down hill and flat ground.  About 2 miles left to go, she passed me one last time and I never did catch her.  I tried.  Afterwards I thanked her for the push.  I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:17:05 with a 7:43 pace.  Good enough for a 3rd place finish in my age group but 2 minutes off my goal.  I looked up the results of the woman I ran with and she finished in 1:17:10.  So although I had not caught her in the end, I ran the course 5 seconds faster.  Feels good to know this 32 (almost 33) year old body can take on a young woman who is 23 years old! 

Official Results;
Time; 1:17:05
Pace; 7:43
AG place; 3rd/22