GDR 2008 - Day 5

One trend I'm noticing with David Blaine is that he seems to be an early riser when it comes to getting back on the trail. This morning his spot tracker shows him heading out of White River, MT at around 5:40 AM local time.

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Yesterday, David was briefly the race leader after leaving Butte, but Geoff Roes and John Nobile caught him on the way to White River. Apparently those two riders continued on towards Polaris during the afternoon while David rested up in White River. Based on Geoff's last Spot Tracker signal they may have stopped about 3 quarters of the way to Polaris to camp overnight.

It's interesting to watch the rest and riding strategies that the different racers are using. On a long haul like this it seems crucial to be in tune with your body's needs and maintain proper rest and nutrition, but for the top riders actively competing to win the race there are times you have to push yourself to the very edge. Finding the proper balance is the key and not a simple task.

Case in point: yesterday it sounded like John Nobile was thinking about resting up in Butte a little longer because of a cold he is dealing with, but when Geoff and David caught up to him he quickly changed his mind and got moving again. Hopefully his decision to press on as long as he did yesterday will work out for him. I'm really curious to see what time he and Geoff get going today after a longer day yesterday and if David catches up to (or passes) them this morning.