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The third in the season had me off to Casper, Wyoming.

With no good air sequences, I opted for travel into Denver, then A 4 hour car ride into Casper. With the last flight out, and an early flight back, that meant bookend nights in Denver.

The trip from Denver up 25 was rolling foothills and pastures.I got to Casper and was underwhelmed with the surrounding and town. More industrial then I expected, though a couple of minutes off the interstate had me in rural area. My hotel was just a half mile from the Host hotel (and packet pickup), and down a rather steep hill from the start. There was nothing at packet pickup.

I was winded by the time I walked to the start at the visitors center, but had time to rest before the Marathoners were called out. This was a destination for the Marathon Maniacs, and the 50 Staters, and they made the bulk of the 250 marathoners. The ROTC JR battalion started us exactly on time with a Cannon shot. The 500 or so half marathoners started 10 minutes later, and took a slightly different course to start.

Starting with a loop around the top half of this visitors center plateau, we made our way downhill till the knife river trail. This followed the river for most of the course, looping back on itself in a few places. Most of the time, we were opposing runners.

Early on, I developed a blister on my heel, caused by blown out orthotics. There wasn't much medical on the course, but when I got to 6, I saw some fire fighters that had some tape. I took a couple minutes to get it on, then, a few tight switch backs, and back onto the trail.

I passed the half point in about 2:15, but a Second blister had me stop at mile 16 for band aids -- and again to adjust them from ony toe to another. I had forgotten how debilitating a blister can be.

At 18, I calculated a 4:52 finish, since I was 12 minutes down (from a 10 minute pace) and running 12's. Fool-hearty.

The last loop had a three way intersection with us passing runners still out bound on our left, a turn across the river passing inbound runners on our left, then a loop around a golf course. Getting hot now, with the wind in our face on the back portion. Back across the bridge, through the 3 way intersection, then the last two miles.