Day 4 is the BIG day. 68km and 2200m of vertical. I had told myself to take it easier on the first couple days to prevent any kind of major blowout on Day 4. I had a plan to go fairly quick of the beginning and then eat lots at the aid stations so the group of people I was usually riding with would catch up/not get too far ahead.
This mostly worked.
I finally realized on Day 4 that a lot of people don't stop at aid station 1. They must be more machine than me because I needed to fuel up at each aid station. I took advantage of food (PB and jam with bananas is the best racing food ever) and fluids. Day 4 was the first day that the weather finally broke and the sun made a lasting appearance. There was some very steep climbs off the start of the day that would have been climbable if there weren't as many people to bump into on the trail. There were also some very, very fast pack descents near the start of the leg that I heard chatter of someone breaking their lower leg/ankle on one of the loose big rock descents. I don't know if this is true or not but could believe it given the speeds, closeness of other riders and loose trail conditions.
Day 4 is long. It is hilly. There are some very fun trail sections and fantastic views along the way that make it enjoyable and memorable. A huge bridge next to a waterfall, some very open and fast and rocky sections, some twisty and woody sections.
At the end of Day 4 I felt like the race was officially half over. I had survived the big day. Everything else would be easy going forward. I rolled into Sechelt with a big smile on my face. The food that night was awesome - bbq'd salmon and lots of salads. I think I ate a record setting amount of food that night.
I also spent some serious time on my bike to make sure it was happy and operational. I had burned through a set of metallic brake pads in 4 days + 1 month of Whitehorse riding - they should last at least a season here in Whitehorse. I also was beginning to notice some shifting issues and my dropper post was getting harder to activate (but still working perfectly).