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Aug 21Liked by Jeff Calvert

I think you made the best out of the situation.

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Side note: Renee has decided to redirect all that Eastern States training to the Mogollon Monster, so we're off to Arizona next month (It's a worthy alternative — I ran it as my second hundred back in 2016. Not quite as much climbing and the trails are a bit smoother, but it's a tough race in a beautiful place, and she's going to do well there.)

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Side note #2: there were some brave souls who ran the race anyway. Here's a report from one of them (Adam Kolb) that will take you straight into the heart of the matter (it's an amazing read, especially if you've been there and done that): https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rgRzMfMnw3zPcsDB/

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I can’t imagine the disappointment in the moment Jeff - I’ve been gutted when short sport matches have been lost to rain! - but it sounds like you made the most of it

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We did make the most of it. And now we have this bonus trip to Arizona (my wife is running Mogollon Monster now) and that's always a great place to visit.

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So sorry about the cancelation—I bet it was a roller coaster of emotions and highly stressful. Your story reminds me of other heartbreaking cancelations, like 2008 Western States due to fire, but everyone had traveled there already. I bet next year will be a big celebration!

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The last-minute cancellation I was thinking about was one of the big-city marathons (I don't remember which one or when it was) that was facing high temperatures. It's hard to take whatever the cause, but people really did handle it well.

And an uplifting note... in the couple days after the race, multiple ultras (like Virgil Crest, Baker Trail, Wild Goose Trail Festival) reached out to the Eastern States field to offer race slots and deep discounts. This is a good community we're part of.

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