Well, I made it (just barely). My watch shows 11:47:50 (the cutoff was 12:00). But that's 46 minutes faster than Heartland! And the course wasn't "easy." There weren't major elevation changes but there were enough hills that it was hard on the legs. And portions of the course were so rooty that it was tough going--I saw two runners do full face plants on the trail right in front of me.
I'll post more later when I have time, but I'll briefly say that it was really hard but really fun. And I never, not once, thought "No more ultras for me." I have decided to adjust my training and racing schedule, but I feel like I'm in this for the long run.
Before I go, here is one of the coolest things about SunMart: "premiums." At race check in I went through a line where they handed me a large gym bag with the SunMart logo. Then I walked down the line and filled it with stuff! If I remember correctly, I got:
Sunglasses
Pedicure set in a little case with the SunMart logo
Bandana
Disposable camera
Rain pancho
SunMart hat (choice of colors)
SunMart polo shirt (choice of colors)
Portfolio with the SunMart logo (like you would use at work--pad of paper, slots for business cards, etc.)--I'm really excited about that because I can carry it at business meetings and declare my love of ultras
Then at the finish I received a nice medal and a choice of a Tyvek SunMart jacket or an afghan (I chose the jacket). I came home with about 50% more stuff than I took with me!
Right now I can't sleep even though I'm exhausted. I had a lot of soda and coffee for the drive home (three hours!) and I think the caffeine is keeping me up.
Thanks everyone for your support. I'll post more about the experience soon.
