Posted by & filed under 2019, Contender.

Hi everyone! I’m back!

For those who are new, I’m the one who’ll be last to finish each leg. I don’t mind; someone has to lead the procession of police cars at the end of Stage 4. Again. I’m in it for the social aspect and the bragging rights (what, you ran how far?). I’m not a great runner like some of you, but I do what I can and feel a sense of accomplishment with each stage. I look forward to cheering you all on as you pass me and know that I’ll have the biggest cheering section when I come in because everyone else will already be waiting for me at the finish.

We are so glad to have five-time finisher Michelle Barnes back in 2019!! We missed you last year!

How is your training going? Too many issues to mention, so I know that I will DNF for time, but I will finish the distance!

How will your ENDURrun 2019 compare to previous years? It will be slow but fun.

What are the key pieces of advice to Rookies that you’ve learned over the years? Get to know everyone, especially the volunteers. This isn’t just a ‘come out and run’ event; this is a family reunion and everyone who participates is part of the family.

For someone who has never been to ENDURrun week, what should they expect? Joy, more support than you can imagine, heat, rain (at Bechtel), high fives, pride in your accomplishment, sore feet, quads on fire for days after Chicopee, amazing food, the world’s best volunteers, new friends for life, and the belief that you can take on any challenge. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you preregister for next year before the week is out.

What about ENDURrun keeps you coming back? For this turtle, it is the feeling that even though I am not one of the elite I am treated as though I am. I feel as though I belong and that I matter.

What are your ENDURrun 2019 stories? If I can finish the first two stages within the time limit then I will feel good. I don’t think I’ll finish Bechtel in time given my too-rough-too-talk-about-here year, but I’ll still do 10K on Saturday even if I’m technically out. My goal is to run 160 km over the week, be it as an Ultimate finisher or not.

What are you most looking forward to about ENDURrun 2019? Seeing my running family again.

What are you nervous about, if anything? Finishing. I had a rough year.

What is your runner profile? This is my sixth Ultimate, and I still don’t feel as though I really know what I am doing.

What else would you like to share?I didn’t participate last year and felt the biggest sense of regret. I decided that I’d rather DNF this year than not register. I have done the ENDURrun often enough that when training I will actually picture certain stages of the event as I run.