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SHARK IN THE WATER
I was like, "I can do this." Like, I knew I was 10 minutes out the previous loop, I think, from second place. And now I had intel that I was only like three to five minutes out from second place. Like, I just knew like this is what I came here to do. I've been thinking about doing this for basically a full year at this point. Like, I can hurt for 20 miles.
So that was where I decided, at the beginning of that second loop, I was like, "I need to put time into people now." And the chase for the top two after that was on. I was having a really great time even though I was like in the hurt locker so bad. Being able to—I don't know, this is the fun part of our sport, is like being able to be in the chasing position is so empowering and fun. And it's like a little game. I feel like I'm in Mario Kart or something. Like it's just like you're constantly chipping away into time into people.
And I passed second place around probably close to Jackass, maybe like two miles, three miles out. And I just kept employing that same strategy of like, "We're not going to—we're going to press the gas when I pass this place or this person." But at that point, you know, golden ticket is mine. Oh my god, I said it out loud! I passed a couple people in the race, and I was like, "I'm in a golden ticket position! Like, I'm doing it! I'm fucking doing it!"
I was like freaking out, but also I was like, "You have to calm down." And I had to kind of make a decision leaving Jackass of like: do I go for it right now, and do I push myself to potentially break maybe going down to the finish, or do I just maintain? And I was like, "Let's just go for it. Like, I'm here, I'm ready." And I could see Noah right before Rattlesnake, around sometime around like maybe 92, 93 miles, and I was like, "Oh, I'm going to get him." I could smell—I could smell like a shark in the water.
I was like, "I can do this." Like, I knew I was 10 minutes out the previous loop, I think, from second place. And now I had intel that I was only like three to five minutes out from second place. Like, I just knew like this is what I came here to do. I've been thinking about doing this for basically a full year at this point. Like, I can hurt for 20 miles.
So that was where I decided, at the beginning of that second loop, I was like, "I need to put time into people now." And the chase for the top two after that was on. I was having a really great time even though I was like in the hurt locker so bad. Being able to—I don't know, this is the fun part of our sport, is like being able to be in the chasing position is so empowering and fun. And it's like a little game. I feel like I'm in Mario Kart or something. Like it's just like you're constantly chipping away into time into people.
And I passed second place around probably close to Jackass, maybe like two miles, three miles out. And I just kept employing that same strategy of like, "We're not going to—we're going to press the gas when I pass this place or this person." But at that point, you know, golden ticket is mine. Oh my god, I said it out loud! I passed a couple people in the race, and I was like, "I'm in a golden ticket position! Like, I'm doing it! I'm fucking doing it!"
I was like freaking out, but also I was like, "You have to calm down." And I had to kind of make a decision leaving Jackass of like: do I go for it right now, and do I push myself to potentially break maybe going down to the finish, or do I just maintain? And I was like, "Let's just go for it. Like, I'm here, I'm ready." And I could see Noah right before Rattlesnake, around sometime around like maybe 92, 93 miles, and I was like, "Oh, I'm going to get him." I could smell—I could smell like a shark in the water.
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