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Inn of the Mountain Gods 9 Mile Cross Country Run
I’ve scoured the internet, and cannot find any reference to the 9 Mile Cross Country Run that was once hosted at the Inn of the Mountain Gods on the Mescalero Apache Indian reservation near Ruidoso, New Mexico. The Inn sits at an altitude of 7,200 feet, so oxygen is at a minimum.
The two Inn of the Mountain Gods 9 Mile runs (actually, 9.2 miles) were some of the best that I ever did. I ran Cross Country and Track in high school; I ran the mile (1500) and the two mile (3000). In preparation for my senior year in 1981, I ran what I call the summer of 1,000 miles. It worked; in the Friday afternoon time trial, I ran well enough to become a member of the Varsity squad. I then faced the worst thing ever in my life up to that time; I found in a pre-season physical that I had developed a hernia, and subsequently experienced the worst case of Achilles tendinitis ever.
The race at the Inn of the Mountain Gods was on Saturday morning after I made the Varsity squad, and I and three buds traveled to participate. It was not such a great race for me, but it was an awesome run. We ran through mountainous territory and backwoods trails. Although it was not the best run of my life, it was so beautiful that it didn’t really matter. The forest and mountain scenery superseded the thin oxygen at that altitude. I finished the race in 68 and some minutes, 24th out of 70-80 or so runners.
I loved that run, and the subsequent track season in which our team won District (again). I ran the season after having the hernia surgically repaired, and overcame the debilitating Achilles tendinitis. After about a month down for the hernia surgery, I came back to once again make the Varsity as a 3000 runner. I still had the endurance from the summer of 1,000 miles, but lost the speed to run the mile. The last race I ever ran was the Inn of the Mountain Gods 9 Mile Cross Country Run. It was another fantastic run, and the last of my competitive career. Nasty shin splints kept me from ever running in competition again.
The two Inn of the Mountain Gods 9 Mile Cross Country races that I ran were spectacular, and it saddens me that the race no longer exists.
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My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes. - Ronald Reagan, 11 August 1984.
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