HOLY DANG!!!!!!!!!!! long, but worth the read & new info

I could not even think of a title that would do justice to yesterday. First off, I will answer the burning question. The answer is no. If the rain would have came at the start and persisted all day, then the answer would have been a resounding yes. What was the question you ponder? It was this.
For some, as Chili pointed out in the comments, the race was truly EPIC. For me is was simply the hardest seven hours I have EVER put in doing a race.
I will try to give some insight and you may decide for yourself.
Rocktober Challenge is truly one of a kind. It is a backcountry Marathon that will challenge you in many ways. Sure there are other events that are of the same distance, in the country. I am not so sure there are events that encompass anywhere near the terrain that was encountered yesterday.
Here are the quick numbers:
74 miles
9,898 feet of vertical
9, 458, 382 rocks on the course. Most in bone jarringly long "trail" succession.
Avg speed 10.8
finish time 7:12, I was third winner was 6:39
More course info.
15 distinct climbs that I could feret out
18 miles of climbing, 25% of the race
50% of climbing miles at 4 or 5%, that was interesting to me.
33% of climbing miles at 6%. Why did it feel so damn hard then??????
Here are the climbs:
Miles, % Grade
Lap 1
1.1, 7
2.0, 6
.9, 6

Lap 2
1, 8
1.3, 7
.5, 6
3.0, 4
1.5, 5
.5, 14 Damn you Kuhn
1.7, 6.4
1, 6
1.3, 4

Lap 3
.5, 15.3 That Powerline can go
1, 5
1.8, 5

7 100 mg caffeine Gu packs consumed
3 Margarita 200mg sodium Clif Blok packs
3 50mg caffeine Balck Cherry Clif Blok packs. 850 mg of caffeine for those counting at home.
122 oz of HEED
72 oz of water

What is absolutely impossible to explain is how difficult it was to ride the rock sections. Not a rock here or there, but stretches of trail over a mile long that are nothing but rocks the size of your head. Throw in a few 1/2 mile descents through rocky stream beds that are running full on for good measure. Dirt road climbs, that are soft from the previous days rain, that are 5-10 minutes long at a 10% grade. Trails so vertically steep that you have to walk them. Trails that are so twisty, blind and fast, that you somehow forget the pain of the aforementioned hell and just want to make motorcycle throttle noises.
I can not do a race report, because how do you remember 7+ hrs of backcountry riding? I can't do it.
I will recount some high points.
Start: Robbie L., Brandon & Wes are gone like they are shot from a cannon. This is up a long steep climb into a soft, bumpy field. Soooo hard. I settle in at 11th, and fifteen minutes in question my strategy of starting out chill. Within fifteen minutes I move up to form a group of three with Ry and NUE racer Shawn Adams, riding 4, 5, 6. Shawn tears his sidewall in the first major rock garden and he is hiking out of the woods. Ry & I roll the rest of loop one in 1:25 for 17 miles. Into the checkpoint to get a new bottle while Ry needs to fill up bottles and stop for a bit. I take off for what was probably the hardest, physically and mentally, 35 miles and 3:45 of riding I may have ever done. Totally by myself for the whole lap, wondering why I am doing this. Lap two had SUPER steep climbs, crazy mile long sections of rock gardens and endless places where I thought I was lost. I kept hearing the bronzed God was just a minute up the road, trail, rock graden. I went a bit harder to catch up, ate shit spectacularly once or twice, then fell back into my strategy of race your own race. Finally hit the checkpoint to see Zayne fueling. Thank God Aaron & Zach were there to help with chain lube. Switched Camelbacks, got a bottle devoured some yummy beef jerky courtesy of Mr. Shempf, and Wes & I headed out for lap three. 5:12 into the race, and we knew we had somewhere between 15-20 miles still yet to ride. We also knew of at least two monster climbs. We barely turned the pedals on the rise to get out of the lot, then finally loosened up on the road. As much as we cursed the good name of Uber promoter, super racer, and damn fine guy we enjoyed some super sweet singletrack. It was not a race at that point. It was riding cool trails with a good friend. I waited at times, Wes waited at times. We enjoyed, as much as we could, some really sweet trails, dumb Powerline climbing and knowing we had to be done soon.
With a gentleman's agreement in hand I took over the last section of trail, and absolutely ripped it so fast. One minute of pure unadulterated childlike joy, made the previous 7:11 all worthwhile.
Brandon won in 6:39. He is the real effin' deal.
Robbie L. was second in 6:51. This was a warm-up for him. One of the best 24 hour racers in the country.
Kuhn promoted a top-notch event. To see all the amenities and prizes he had for us was unbelievable.
The Kuhn and The Oesterling families are incredible. They give sooo much of themselves for this passion that we enjoy. Thank you!
Thanks to DCNR for allowing such a unique event.
Thanks to equipment sponsors, Cannondale and Ergon saved me yesterday. Flawless bike performance and grips that are second to none. I can not wait to rock my new Deuter pack for Granogue. It is designed so much better than any competitor product.
VisitPA.com for the incredible support we receive and for promoting all that PA has to offer people, right outside their front door.
Thanks to Masala Bistro for some yummy late-night Terai Chicken.
Thanks for reading.