 Date: June 27th, 2015 Race: Energizer Night Race 10k Race Type: Trail Running Location: Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela Athlete(s): Claudia Peñaloza Over 3000 enthusiastic runners gathered at my undergraduate Alma Mater, Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela, for the 8th Annual Energizer Night Race 10k. The course would traverse the beautiful mountains surrounding the campus, ascending 581 m and descending 570 m along the 10 km route. The night was charged with excitement; runners were packed tight behind the arch, waiting anxiously for the gun. The start was FAST on the kilometer or so false-flat leading up to the dirt and the first climb of the night (2.4 km -1.5 mi-, 229 m -751 ft- elevation gain, 9% grade). Fortunate to be toward the front, I was able to maintain my pace as I advanced on others up the climb. Snaking our way through the cloud-forest in the bouncing radiance of thousands of LED headlamps was energizing (ha ha)... the upcoming descents under an overcast moon would be EXHILARATING! Soon after I started the first descent, I passed Rosalba Moreno (to-be 3rd place Overall Female). The second ascent (0.3 km -0.2 mi-, 89 m -292 ft- elevation gain, 23% grade) was more challenging than during training, forcing me to walk about half way. After the summit, there was another fly-down descent, where I raced against anyone around me... at about 6.5 km, spectators shouted I was second! I couldn't believe it! I kept going, ecstatic... but soon overheard the 3rd Female was close behind. No letting up; one climb, one descent, and about 2 km of false-flat left before the finish line. I concentrated on lifting my knees & engaging my glutes and buckled down for the rest of the haul. Climb, descent, asphalt... wild crowds... this is it... already hanging on by the skin of my teeth, the uproar extracted an all-out 200 m sprint to the line. Arms outstretched and blissful, I had again way surpassed my expectations. Am I really a trail runner that cross-trains cycling? Results: 2nd Place Overall Female Date: June 28th, 2015 Race: Piernas de Acero Race Type: MTB Location: Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela Rider(s): Claudia Peñaloza After months of working hard on my bike handling and decent skills, I raced the long awaited "Piernas de Acero" (Legs of Steel) mountain bike race on Sunday. It was held in the gorgeous mountains surrounding my undergraduate Alma Mater, the Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela. A very demanding course, three 8 km (5 mi) laps with a total elevation gain (and descent) of 1171 m (3842 ft) over the 24 km (15 mi). The average grade was 14% on the accents and 20% on the descents, including a 0.8 km (0.5 mi) long fresh-cut singletrack designed specifically for this race. Ten women lined up for a combined start of Expert and Elite Females. Turbos were on from the gun and we only started to split up at the bottom of the first big climb, which put us each in our place… The to-be 1st place Elite Female, Elsa Peñaloza (unrelated), promptly took the lead... the rest of us played leap frog for three laps and battled it out against each other, or rather "the mountain", to varying degrees. Boisterous crowds were peppered along the course, cheering, supporting, and updating us on our competitors' progress. The new single-track, dubbed the "Pica Scott" (Scott Trail), to honor the joint effort of its construction by the organizers, Ciclismo USB and Scott Venezuela, was PACKED with spectators and photographers, who enjoyed the fast and technical descent as much as the cyclists. The start/finish was another exciting place to be... a long false-flat saw many battles and position changes between riders right up to the archway, which was quickly followed by a log ramp to an impressive 3 m (10+ ft) drop that really had them screaming. Soon after, descending two flights of wrap-around stairs was the next challenge on the show. Sooooo many photo opps! The race was hard, very hard (the previous night's 10 km (6 mi) Trail Race, where I placed 2nd Female Overall, may have had something to do with that); it felt like we were either climbing a wall or dropping off a cliff, with no rest in between. Though I never lost sight of my closest competition, all the legs, lungs, and heart I put into it weren't enough. Less than a minute off second place (2:13:28 and 2:14:18, respectively), I finished empty tanked, loopy, and seeing stars. I was DONE (i.e., stick a fork in me?!) and very happy with my performance. In addition to the awesome location, enthusiastic spectators, impeccable organization, and determined cyclists, the overall challenge made the #PiernasdeAcero the best race I've ever done. Only 360-some days until I can do it again :D Results: 3rd Place Elite Female Comments are closed.
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