Here is what I remember of the beating that I took -

Seems that once you cross south of the Mason Dixon line the interpretation of course conditions changes dramatically. Race organization hailed the fast flowing smooth single track (in the Northeast it means just that) but once on the other side of the line this means some nice sections of singletrack punctuated with lengths of rock gardens (both on the descents and climbs), wet muddy root ridden sections and loose rocky climbs!

Set up for the conditions I thought would be at hand and set out on the preride with a rigid fork and 2.0 tires. Within 1 km of the preride start I already had the first of 3 flats for that loop and knew it was going to be a long Marathon the next day. Not only was the old man going head to head with competitors of all ages, I was (perhaps stupidly) doing it on a single speed.

By the end of the first lap of the race I was praying for it all to end and hoped to slip into some kind of trance so that the hurt would go away. I ground out the laps but just to add insult to injury had yet another flat only 1 km from the finish. In what had to be one of the sloppiest repairs ever, the clock wound down before I could make the line for a seventh lap (phew) and I saw two of my competitors glide past while I was on the side of the trail.
Ended the race in 20th overall, worn out but spirits raised by the cold beer waiting for me as I crossed the finish line.

Chris Wurster