Erik L. calls from Pie Town, he’s out

Hi this is Erik Lobeck calling in, it’s 3:00 and I have had to abandon the race.  I got stomach flu, giardia or food poisoning yesterday.  Road all afternoon with it to get to a town called Pie Town. And felt progressively weaker and light headed and wrong throughout the day and then started feeling really sick having to pull off the trail allot. And then spent the night in I guess stomach flu agony and most of this morning to. I can’t see myself getting better in the next day or two and I have not been able to put any food in me which for the last 300 miles is pretty much a pre requisite especially since food is pretty widely spaced and it is riding thru the desert. So I have decided to make the wise decision to pullout of the race.  I hate to do it so short of the goal, I was really looking forward to completing those last 300 miles in about 2 days which I think I could have done and gotten in, in my 21, 21 ½ day time frame which would have made me happy but I think it is the smarter decision rather than being stuck in the desert not feeling good with dehydration I still don’t feel very good I am in the car on my way home. There you have it that is why my spot hasn’t moved, Pie town is where it ended. More later when I feel more like talking.