First half report: http://www.dailymile.com/people/MartinS9/entries/16727921

I've now been up for almost 24hrs. The race is halfway over with about 40.5 miles done in 5 hours which is just a shade under our predicted 7:30min/mile pace. What a team!! Sisters and Misters with Blisters have been doing fantastic and I really wanted to have a good leg for the team. I pounded a Live Wire Mountain Dew for some caffeine and sugar and a couple of Advil which I was hoping was the recipe for 6 miles of invincibility after an all nighter. As I walked over to the exchange spot I saw a couple of teams come and go but figured I still had some time to wait before Kellie M. arrived. She crushed it so I didn't have much time to think before she passed off the wrist band and I was on my way.

Leg #7: Hillsboro to Hwy 200 (6mi)
I passed a few people on their way to the exchange point so I knew Kellie had increased our roadkill tally and got us closer to some more teams. This leg was completely powered by the people behind and in front of me. There were a few people who exchanged right after me and I was determined not to get caught right away. The first mile was a bit fast because of that (6:45) so I reigned it in a little but caught up to a few runners by mile 2 (7:12) and saw several more off in the distance. My stomach was feeling much better this leg thanks to some Immodium because the pre-race meal of nachos and beer had me struggling a bit on the first one. To keep my mind off the hip I just repeated the roadkill tally in my head and worked hard to reel in the next one around mile 3 (7:07). One runner wearing black was in sight most of the way but moving well passing the runners I was hoping to pass. Over miles 4 and 5 (7:04, 7:06) I was burying it and I could feel the temperature creeping up. I finally caught my target with about 800m to go and quickly passed a couple of others to bring the roadkill tally up to 10 near mile 6 (7:10). As I got closer to the exchange point I didn't see Nick F. and knew that I was coming in earlier than expected. I saw a couple of my teammates and heard them yelling for Nick who was by the car and running up to the exchange point just in time for me to hand off the wristband and head to the van for another tasty Shocktop.

Leg #8: Hwy 200 to Grandin (8mi)
We got in the van feeling good about our efforts so far and busted it to Grandin to wait for Nick. We all felt bad for Nick knowing he was struggling with his knee facing the longest leg of the race. Once we got to the next exchange I caught up with Jim L. who finished his racing for Twisted Blister and we were feeling pretty good about being done since the temperature was rising quickly which would make it difficult for the rest of the runners. The exchange points were getting quite full now as we were catching up to a lot of the other teams. A big change from earlier in the morning when we were the last team to leave the pit stop lonely and in the dark. Nick came cruising into the exchange point in an hour, amazing since he had spent the past several on his butt with ice on his knee after a tough first leg.

Leg #9: Grandin to Gardner (6mi)
Stacy K. took the wristband from Nick and ran off into the heat on her second leg of the race. At this point in the day I had been up for over 24 hours, I was tired, sore yet still excited about the race and my awesome teammates. The personal goal was to kill the pain with Advil, ice and beer and I was making good progress in that part of the race as well. Stacy did a great job completing her leg with an even faster pace than her first leg and passed it off to Miriam for a tough 7.5 leg in the heat to go.

Leg #10: Gardner to Argusville (7.5mi)
The second longest leg of the race and now in the heat of the morning. You know it is getting hot when the runners at the exchange point are all hiding in the shade. We saw Miriam from a distance wearing our red team singlet, dark hair flowing looking like Des Devila and much stronger than the runners around her. She had her eyes focused forward, gritting her teeth and determined to catch the runner in front of her even though she was clearly too far ahead to be caught. The going was getting tough but this team just kept on delivering.

Leg #11 Argusville to Harwood (6mi)
Miriam passed it off to Josh P. and we shipped it off to Harwood to meet up with Josh and let Miriam notch up her roadkills from the previous stage. One of the funnest things to do between stages was to watch your teammates notch their roadkills up on the rear windows of the team van. Another was to talk and laugh with the other teams which we did plenty of now that most of the runners were at the same exchange points.

Leg #12: Harwood to Fargo (7mi)
Josh P. came in after 11am and we could tell how hot it was getting by how haggard the runners coming in were looking. In true Sisters and Misters with Blisters form, he had a great run, notched up some roadkills and got us over the 73 mile mark in the process. A fantastic effort by everyone so far with only one leg to go as he passed it off to Kellie M. to finish it off.

Leg #12: Harwood to Fargo (7mi)
Kellie took off like a flash and we quickly drove over to Newman field since we would be able to run in with our teammate to the finish line and finish as a team. We got there and walked around the field to the other side where the runners would be coming around the corner to the entrance of Newman field to finish at home plate after running through left field and down the 3rd base line.

There was a real feeling of camaraderie out there all participating in the same crazy event and the team finish really capped it off nicely. I think the whole race setup and the staggered start made the race a little less cutthroat competitive between teams which made for a more festive atmosphere. However, the team aspect really ramped up our own desire to run our best and not let our teammates down even thought there would be nothing but support and encouragement if we had a rough run. The fact that we felt we had a legitimate shot at the Mixed (3male, 3female) title also kept us running hard through pain and stifling heat.

Everyone was hiding in the shade near the outfield fence waiting for their brave final runner to come around the corner as long as they could see them through the waves of heat coming off the road. We first got to see Brian G. running for Twisted Blister with the rest of the Red River Runner crew pacing him in. Now we weren't expecting to beat Twisted Blister but that didn't mean we weren't going to try. This sank in when I saw Nick F. click his watch to start the countdown. They started 15mins ahead of us and I think the Gap was usually around 10-30 mins at each exchange. It was helpful since we knew our runner would be coming in soon once the Twisted Blister exchange was made.

Sure enough we saw Kellie M. come cruising around the corner about 13 minutes later and we rushed to meet her and cross the finish line. What a feeling watching Kellie surge ahead (the rest of us couldn't keep up with her) arms raised in the air. 81 miles in the books. 10 hours 14 minutes (unofficial) later and one I will never forget.

Big thanks to Nick our team captain, who stayed on top of things and battled through knee pain running a couple of fantastic legs. To Miriam (roadkiller!) and Josh who answered the late call to substitute for Auralee S. and Jon J. and kept us inspired with some gritty efforts. Stacy who offered up a much appreciated ice cold cooler of water, constant encouragement and a couple of great stages. And Kellie who hadn't even met most of us making her way down from Rugby and fitting right in while continuing her illustrious heat running exploits (heat warnings at the Boston Marathon, this year's Fargo 5k with triple digit heat, and now the final leg of 81on81 in the 90's after being up all night).

It was awesome interacting with all of the other runners throughout the race especially our Red River Runner members. I am definitely going to take some time off of running and let the hip heal while I set my sights on the inline skating marathon at the end of August.