What a day this turned out to be! I woke up at 0430 to get ready for the first leg of the triple crown series, Garden of the Gods 10 miler. I have been running this race since 2011, but I was nervous. This year was a new course; I was also a Mighty Marmot. I didn't want to fail being a part of this team. I knew from previous years, I could finish this race within the time requirement for the Peak. I was still nervous as I could be. My husband, Gerald, was nervous too. We didn't know what to expect with the course change. We arrived at the park around 5:20 this morning. I informed my husband, I did not want to be tied up in the line of traffic that would occur if we waited later to get there. We pulled into the Rock Ledge Ranch as the sun was hitting kissing camels. What a beautiful place to be able to race!! In the distance, I could see Pikes Peak just inviting each one of us to come and conquer the mountain! Gerald and I went for a nice easy warm up with our friend, Melvin. Afterwards, it was time to meet for the Marmot Picture at the Start. What a great privilege to be a part of this team. I have applied several times before and this year, I am a part of the Marmot family. Time was getting close for the start and I was getting nervous again. Luckily, the race was delayed and I was able to get one more stop at the porta over with!. 0720, the gun went off and we had officially started the Garden 10 mile race. The first mile was a quick introduction to the hills of the Garden!. It was wonderful to hear people comment about the beauty of the Garden as we rounded the curve and looked over the rock formations!! Plus this is my favorite part of the course!! It is a wonderful downhill as you look pver to the rock formations on the left, but you can see Pikes Peak to the right. The energy of the race was so wonderful!! This is the first year, I actually enjoyed each mile, Previous Marmots would cheer as they ran by! Yes this is what I was looking for as part of the team; a sense of community. It is amazing how many people you get to know in the running community! The downhill finish was a sigh of relief! I finished the race and my fellow Marmots were gathered together. What a wonderful experience! Run fest was excellent! Once we were done watching the awards ceremony, we headed off to Manitou to do the Incline and train on Barr Trail. We ran into several of our friends on the trail getting ready for the Peak. I still had my Marmot tank on. I was able to explain to some of the other incliners about the Marmots, Pikes Peak Sports, and the Triple Crown series. One tourist was unaware you could do the series to get into the Peak. I informed the individual about registration in March. I also explained about the great race we just completed in the Garden. Hopefully, I can contribute to spreading the word about the wonderful race. In reflection, this day was everything I wanted it to be. Plus I DIDN'T DIE on the rolling hills!