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Thank you for putting on a good race on the 19th. It was my first 50 mile run and I had a good time. Good enough that I think I'll do more and quite possibly longer in the future.
Stephen Baumgartner

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I had a fun weekend. I sure do love that run. I always seem to run well there.
I was disappointed about the trail thru Cripple Creek. I liked it better before it was cleaned up.
Joe Prusaitis

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I was the last to finish Sat. and made it home safely in time for church on Sunday. I wanted to thank you for a great event and making sure I was taken care of after I finished. The food was super and I did enjoy seeing the artwork of you and your daughter. Ya'll have a great talent and keep up the creating!
Thanks again for a great event and such great folks at the aid stations and everywhere.
God Bless.
David Johnson, Odessa, Tx.

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Thanks for putting on the CrossTimbers Trail Run! I only managed to go off course once…it's a good lesson in paying attention!! Did you remove some of the hills? It seemed 'easier' this year - HA!
Thanks to the volunteers and all the hard work you and Mary have put into this event!
Mariela Botella

Thank you for holding the Cross Timbers trail run. I am not an ultra runner and my hat goes off to those amazing folks who "run with the gods". I, like so many new trail runners, appreciate having the shorter trail distances. I realize this has been a long time event, but I am sure you will get more participation from those who do not wish to run ultra distances. I had a very good experience running (climbing, jumping, etc.) the half marathon which still provided a challenging run. Whatever the distance, the CTTR has to be considered one of the toughest trail runs around. Did I say difficult.
Bob Wilmot

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Great experience! So nice to have an excuse to enjoy the serenity of nature. Really enjoyed the pasta dinner and sitting around Friday evening chatting with other runners; making new friends. Weather conditions were perfect for the run; spring is invigorating; several runners were talking about how nice the dogwoods and wild violets were in the forest along the trail. Thanks for providing the burgers after the run. The weather was nice enough to enjoy sitting around after I finished the half watching and cheering on the longer distance runners as they came by the pavilion as well as conversing with other runners as they finished.

And please pass on a big "THANK YOU" to your volunteers who were stationed at the aid stations. I still can't figure out how you got that table and food out in the middle of the forest. :-)

Great trophies! I appreciate recognition of the top 3 male/female finishers...and a finisher's medal for all of us.
I must say I very much like the shirt; simple, without advertising/writing all over it. It is definitely a keeper.
I appreciate your planning and hard work to put on race in a great location. Thanks again for the experience.
Linda Boggs

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It sure was a fun race, thanks for the tip. We came up from Austin and it was one of the most fun I have had in a race.
Frank Livaudais

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The CT 50 was a good race. The RD and his folks made us feel quite welcome. The pre/post race food was tasty. And, the course was as tough as reputed to be. It was also well-marked.
Juan Galvan

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Thanks for another great event. The course was challenging as always and well marked. I'm glad I finally decided to take the plunge into the 50-mile zone! The aid station volunteers were wonderful and Tony, Mary and Kasey did a great job!
Mariela Botella

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Just wanted to drop you a note thanking you and the volunteers for all the work put into making the Cross Timbers such a fun run. Hopefully next year I'll be up for the whole 50.
Bill Burton

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This was my first 25-mile trail race. Prior to this, the longest trail race I had completed was the Lake Chabot half marathon in northern California. So was I prepared? Yes and no. At age 48, I've become very conscious of injury recovery times and knee impact related aches and pains. I've been doing primarily cross-training over the past year to reduce these "affects" on my running performance. What this means is that maybe I'll get in 2 or 3 runs a week with mileage varying from 10-20 miles per week. I focus more on heart rate training--high heart rate (upper cardio zone) days followed by lower heart rate(lower cardio-zone) days. Yeh, I use a heart rate monitor. Spinning classes, cycling, elliptical and rowing machines make up a lot of my balance of workouts. So, how did this translate into a 25-mile trail race?

I'm finding that endurance running is not about speed, but about going the distance at a moderate pace. The amount of training that I do per week--maybe 10 hours of endurance zone training--could be upped a bit when in race training. The Cross Timbers course is challenging because it really tests ones endurance in variable terrain. Hill or stair work is important here. Since I'd recently relocated from California where I'd been running hills, I had an advantage there. The 5 mile section of trail from Cedar Bayou Marina to Juniper Point and back is especially challenging in this regard because it also comes at the end of the 25 mile race. This is where I began to feel an energy low and some cramping in my legs that significantly slowed my pace. So, overall, I can see where I can improve my performance by having a more focussed pre-race training schedule as well as by having a better mix and frequency of energy and electrolyte sources while racing. By doing this, I think I can shave off maybe a minute per mile in my overall time. My second place time of 4hours 28 minutes put me 20 minutes behind the lead runner in this category at the finish. I enjoyed the racecourse and especially appreciate how mobile I am after these endurance races versus how stoved up I am after a shorter and faster 5KM or 10KM race.
Dale Beeson