24 Hours of Awesome Fun

This last weekend was the 24 Hours of Telemark . . . a 24 hour ski race. I had such an incredibly fun time. I was on a team with five other women who kept me laughing and skiing all night long and into the morning. It's the same group of amazing gals that I did this event with 2 years ago and I'm so glad we did it again!

Race Facts:
50k skied by me and 295k by the team
For me it was 15k then 15k then 10k then 5k then 5k
Intense amounts of laughter and giggling all night and into the morning
Food consumed - unfathomable quantity
Funniest food combination - toaster waffle plain and a slice of veggie pizza
Final Result - 1st in the 6 Women Team
Final Result That Matters - Incredible fun, amazing memories and completing more skiing than expected

Words can't do the event justice so here it is in photos:


My ski teammates - Sisterhood of the Ski
Yes, we are sponsored by Horny Toad


Waiting to ski.


Heading out on my first lap.


Handing off to my teammate Val just as it is getting dark


Thrilled to have survived my first 15k


So happy I'm dancing? No, I'm showing my super secret technique for skiing through the deep mushy snow that was encountered on many of the hills early in the race.


Heading out for lap number 9 which I thought would be my last.


Handing off to Jamie at the end of what I at this point still thought was my last lap.


Being interviewed as I head out for lap 10. He asked me how many kilometers my team had skied and I was having a hard time with the math . . . "ummmm, 6 women, 5k laps . . . . I don't know a whole lot of kilometers." I lost all ability to fathom numbers at the end of the event and could not remember for more than 30 seconds at a time how many laps my team had done.


Here I am early in lap 10. I decided to take the last lap for our team since the last time I did the event I opted out. That also meant I would get in 50k (about the same distance as the Birkie . . . of course, you don't get to take a break mid-race in the hotel during the Birkie).


Taking it easy down the hill into the finish area as I finish out the race. (I was taking it easy as it was icy and there was a crowd gathered and I really didn't want to crash in front of everyone which I felt was a distinct possibility).


And now a shot of our hotel room at the conclusion of the race. We had two adjoining rooms. One was for people trying to sleep and one was for changing, eating, relaxing and apparently making a mess.

In conclusion I would like to say that I hope that the 24 Hours of Telemark sets the tone for the rest of 2008. I'm not one of those people who does resolutions but if I did I think my resolution would be to really enjoy life fully and laugh and love and just embrace all life has to offer. I can't help but say that the year is off to a great start and I can't wait to see what else awaits me.