There are many a 100-mile race and then there are the really wicked hard ones. Arguably the Cruel Jewel is in the top hardest 100-mile races in the US. It is 106 miles long; it has 33,000 feet of elevation gain (and loss) and it is through the mountains of norther Georgia. It is a wicked race that keeps asking a lot of the racer. It is not easy. and yet that is why we all come out to take on a beast like this one. Hard, yes, nothing more to say than that. It is important to do some reflection post-race and assess how it went. Sometimes this takes longer than a few days to fully understand the implications and in that the opportunity to appreciate all that went into it and what it took to get it done. An effort for sure, a great experience of course, and an accomplishment to carry forward as we take on the next big challenge.

Loving life when I run a race like the Cruel Jewel 100

Joe