Hell of the Marianas-Toughest Bike Race in Micronesia. Done and Done!
Andrea and I finished the race in five hours and 20 minutes. 62 miles total, 31 miles each up and down almost every hill on my small island. We made our first cutoff time with 30 minutes to spare. Andrea finished the first leg in a little over an hour and I finished my second leg in under two hours. I was so excited! I had a very tough leg and rode it faster than I had at any point during training. At that point, it was all smooth sailing. Andrea finished the third leg in under two hours and I crossed the finish line at 11:20 or so. It took me only 50 minutes to bike the last 15 miles! I felt so awesome when I crossed that finish line. Chris, Joyce, Anna, Kayla, Ross, Kyla, and of course Andrea and Aaron were there to cheer me on. It was one of the few times I have actually felt like this was home. I think my dad is the most proud of me too-his little girl who refused to ride a bike for ten years finished a very tough bike race. I learned the importance of pushing hard and focusing on the goal. And that I need to stop under-estimating myself. I was so nervous all week that we would miss our cutoff time and we had no problem meeting it with time to spare. Andrea was an amazing teammate and her brother Aaron drove us around all morning which was a huge stress that neither of us had to worry about!
Overall, the morning went amazing! No flat tires or crashes or bike malfunctions. I am so glad Andrea and I are a little crazy and decided to do it! It will be a memory I have forever. This morning my legs are tired, but I am going to give them a few days rest while I figure out what to train for next. I think a triathlon is in the works, but I will keep you updated!
