Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon

Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon

7/16/16

This is my third year running Eugene Curnow Marathon and it is one of the races I enjoy the most. The race is run from the Duluth Zoo to Carlton, MN ending at the Munger Trailhead.

I was not sure if I would run this year's race as we had just gotten back from vacation the weekend before and I had no idea how busy I would be. Turns out I did not have tons of work to catch up on so decided to use my free entry that I won at the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Annual Banquet last November.

Similiar to the last two years races I drove up on Friday night after work to sleep in my van near the Trailhead. This year the trucking company allowed us to use their parking lot and this is where the bus picked us up on Saturday morning at 4:45 am to drive us to the start line which is at the Duluth Zoo parking lot. I arrived Friday night at about 8:45 and chatted with some others parked and sleeping in their vehicles that night as well. The weather was great, not too humid and the bugs were minimal this year. I went into bed not too late, maybe 9:30? First I got everything ready for the race by laying out all my clothes and making sure my hydration pack was fully loaded and ready to go. I decided to run without drop bags and just carried what I needed. I mostly planned on getting my nutrition from the aid stations and/or gels. I knew they would have gels if I did not want to survive on candy from the aid stations.

I awoke at 4 am after a fairly good night of sleep. The pad I chose to use was not as comfortable as the other foam pads I have used in the past so I will probably go back to the old ones for van sleeping. I brought my backpacking stove so I could make myself some coffee and actually grabbed a disposable cup to take my coffee on the bus with me. I tried to choke down a bagel but the left over chocolate chip cookies I had with me tasted much better for breakfast.

I jumped onto the first bus leaving. This got us to the start line with lots of time to get registered and use the porta potties. This year there were 100 more runners registered than the previous year, from 250 to about 370 or so. It seemed like they added a lot of extra porta potties at the start line. Not that I was complaining.

The race started at 6:00 am with a small speech in the beginning and the usual "go" to get the race underway. I positioned myself at the back of the pack. Either way there was going to be a traffic jam as we attempted to funnel onto the trail. I did not feel the need to position myself further up as I had no time goals for this race. This race was being run without any printed plans on my part. Not even my normal sheet showing desired pace and finish time with all the aid stations neatly printed out with distances between. I was using this race to have a fun day of running the trails and use it as a training run and my last long run for Voyageur 50 mile in just two weeks. It was also my opportunity to familiarize myself with the trail again. Every other year this race includes Jarrow's Beach and that was to be this year again. I was most eagerly looking forward to that small section of the race! Oh and it was very muddy this year! They had gotten a lot of rain in the last few weeks and I was told the creeks were running higher than the last year.

How is this for mud?

I got into a comfortable pace after climbing the first hill. Much of this course is runnable and I did find myself running some quicker miles like miles 3, 7, 8 and 9 being roughly less than 12 minute miles. We actually hit Jarrow's Beach around mile 5 or so. This is where the fun really began. Even though we have to move much slower climbing the rocks I enjoy the technical aspect of it. Although, to be honest if it were at mile 23 I might not!  I managed to pass a few runners in this next section.

Entering Jarrows Beach with a warning, "be careful it is wet and slippery"

Having fun through Jarrow's Beach 

(photo credit: Shane Olson)

I seemed to have found my inner monkey during this race! (photo credit: Shane Olson)

I had so much fun running these first 7.5 miles that when I ran into Becks Aid station I could not stop smiling! I was having fun. I saw Bob Marsh here helping us to cross the highway! Thank you Bob for volunteering!

The other fun portion of the course that I look forward to are the ropes. This is a fun section that first runs along a very narrow ridge and then drops down where the race director puts up ropes so that we can make it down without falling.  I found myself running with a group of about 5 runners and I ran with them out of Jarrow's Beach all the way to the Powerlines.

Going Down!

Looking back up after coming down.

After all this fun we soon hit the powerlines. Just before getting to them we have an aid station stop at Seven Bridges. I refilled my water bladder at this point as I did not want to run out of water on the next section.

Running into Seven Bridges Aid Station just prior to the "Powerlines"

This section includes some major climbing and running out in the open. It can get very hot! The first hill is always the hardest one to climb and it is most often the muddiest. This year it was quite muddy and I fell within the first few steps trying to climb up. My hands were covered in very wet clay like mud. This was probably a good thing because now I could climb using my hands and not worry about trying to keep them clean! :)

Beauty on the Power Lines!

After the Powerline section I found myself running alone for quite awhile. I passed a few runners but was no longer running with a group of runners. Things were still feeling good, although that last climb into Peterson's aid station is an eye opener. With this trail being mostly runnable I found myself slowing down on this final major ascent.

Finally I found myself at the final Aid Station (I did not stop as I had gels and plenty of water) and crossing the swinging bridge. It was quite populated while I was crossing so patiently waited my turn and slowed down as a result.

Coming over the Swinging bridge in Jay Cooke State Park

This next section is very technical but not very hilly. It does tend to be more populated being in Jay Cooke State Park. Many people out hiking with little children. It was slow and steady to the finish having fun dodging the roots and rocks (and people) on this section.

I was not looking at my watch for what time it was. I was going to finish this race without knowing my finish time. It was going to be what it was going to be. There is a final hill getting onto the Munger Bike trail and when I saw it I knew the end was close. I steadily ran the paved trail and picked up my pace slightly when the saw the finish line.

I finished in about 7:24 and was very happy with how well this race went. I do have to admit that I was looking for a sub 7 hour finish but with Jarrow's Beach I am happy with my finish time. Now I just have to go back in two weeks and run 50 miles in less than 14 hours! I am hoping that I can go into Voyageur 50 mile race and run it happy as well.

One odd thing I did have to deal with on this run was with my shoes. My shoe liners in my Hoka Challengers kept moving around in my shoe and folding under the arch and heel of my foot. I had to stop several times to figure out what was going on. They would bunch up on the down hills and then on the flats or going uphill they would eventually work themselves out. At first I was worried about creating some blisters on my feet but eventually had to just let them be or I would have been stopping too often to fix them. It was an odd feeling and I think that the water and wet feet must have been what caused the situation. Has anyone else ever had that happen with their Hoka's? I was wearing two pair of socks, my injinji's and a thin wool sock. I have run this way before though so don't think it was my socks causing the problems. I do know I need to get this figured out before running voyageur. I don't want to deal with it for 50 miles for sure.

Thank you to all the volunteers who help make this race possible and to the Race Director. If you are ever looking for a fun and challenging trail marathon this is an excellent choice!

May 21, 2016 Spring Superior 50k Trail Race

The short report:

This race was hot, hilly, technical and hard!!

The long report:

If you are still reading after the quick short version above here is the full story. I have been spending so much time getting ready for my hiking trip to the Border Route Trail in the boundary waters in a few days that I spent very little time thinking about spring superior. I have run the 25k and Moose Mountain marathon twice and am familiar with the course and what to expect. Training I had covered just did not put much thought into how the race would go. I suppose some may consider this a good thing as it means there is no time to get nervous about the race. And this is possibly true.

I drove up north on Friday afternoon after a morning at work. I was excited to be starting my weekend early. I picked up my friend Dawn in Hammond and we drove up the Wisconsin side to Superior and then into Duluth. Note to self: this is the slow road to China, I mean Duluth. It may be fewer miles but you have to drive through all the small towns slowing down as you go through each one. Frustrating when you just want to get up north. We arrived at about 6:15, dropped our bags off at the room we were sharing with Robyn at The Mountain Inn and headed over to packet picket and eventually dinner at Mogul's at Caribou Highlands. We had a nice dinner with a drink to relax and headed back to the room to get our stuff ready for the morning. I must be getting old as we were all in bed by 8:45 pm. Alarm was set for 5:15 for a race start of 7 am.

Me, Dawn and Robyn with Moose Mountain in the Background

I was awake much earlier than my alarm but stayed in bed. Last fall the motel ran out of coffee in the lobby so the first order of business was coffee to help wake up. It was a good choice as they ran out of coffee again but not before I was able to get at least one cup. I needed to get my drop bag to the packet pickup by 6:30 so I got dressed and headed over after using the sunscreen out of the drop bag first. I was able to get another cup of coffee at packet pickup as well. I saw some friends hanging around packet pickup but needed to finish getting ready so went back to my room.

The morning was warm at around 50 degrees. Good temps for starting a race but it was also a good indicator of how warm the day was going to get.

John started out with the usual starting line speech and thanks to Robyn for reminding me to check in that morning my name was not called. I started out near the front with Jamison. I was not too worried about holding any one up when we hit the single track as there was plenty of road for the faster runners to pass me by. One big problem was I was trying to keep up with Jamison and noticed we were doing 10:30 minute mile pace on an uphill road. Finally decided the peer pressure was not going to take me (well it may have helped that I could not breathe after about 1/2 mile) and backed off my pace. I may have even ended up walking a bit on the road section but I will neither confirm nor deny that if asked. My jockeying for position in the eventual conga line worked well as I don't believe I held anyone up and was able to keep up on that first climb. Once it leveled out I ran for a bit and at some point discovered Robyn was behind me. I did not realize she started behind me so was pleasantly surprised. She got out in front of me and I made the decision I would stick with her for as long as I was able. She set a good pace and kept me moving just a tad bit faster than I would have if left to myself. I affectionately refer to the first half of my race as my RRR race. That would stand for Run Robyn's Race, instead of Run your own race which is almost always a better strategy.

There is me trying to keep up with Jamison

The temps started heating up quickly. We arrived into Oberg, aid station 1 about 20 minutes ahead of my "just finish the race in 9 hours plan". I was able to stay ahead of my plan by that 20 minutes all the way to the turnaround at Carlton Peak.

That climb to Carlton Peak was hard! I huffed and puffed my way to the top all the while my thighs were screaming for mercy, not to mention my lungs. That climb felt like it went on forever. Up to this point I met many runners on their return trip but as we got close to the top they started telling me you are almost there. Now I love the positiveness and encouragement offered by my fellow ultra runners but I also know that lying to an ultra runner is an acceptable practice so I may have been a bit sceptical. But I finally made it to the top! Robyn was there just ahead of me and was enjoying the view and getting the required picture of Kevin Langton who was the official Carlton Peak crew this year. I took my time to take in the view and yes it is possible that the real reason was because I had to catch my breath before heading back out.

Getting to the top of Carlton Peak. Photo Credit: Kevin Langton

View of Lake Superior From Carlton Peak

View to the East on top of Carlton Peak

Robyn and I on Carlton Peak. Photo credit: Kevin Langton

Time to head back to the finish line! Photo Credit: Kevin Langton

I finally realized that the race was not going to finish itself and it was time to head back. Robyn was still ahead of me and while i kept her in my sights she was not within shouting distance for most of the next section. The heat was starting to zap my energy and I was starting to wane. It is only 2.25 miles from Carlton peak to Sawbill AS but that was long enough for me. My cutoff for Sawbill was noon and I made it in by 11:30 so my time was looking good. I had started putting ice in my water bladder and wetting down my buff and my visor to try to stay cool. My drop bag was at Sawbill AS so each time I went through I applied more sunscreen. I could not afford to get sun burnt with my hiking trip so close. It seems I managed the sunscreen well as I came out unscathed.

The next section out of Sawbill is about 5.5 miles and I have until 1:30 to beat the cutoff. In my head this should have been easy but I am pretty sure this section is when my body decided it was ready to be done. My garmin was not tracking mileage correctly so I was losing track of how far away the aid station was. I slowed down considerably on a section that is suppose to be very runnable and I hit my low point in the race for sure. Robyn had mentioned that she may drop at Oberg AS due to her injured calf and I quit trying to keep up with her on this leg. Well even if I had wanted to I don't think I could have but I was OK with that. I figured I would make the cutoff but also figured I would lose the 25 minute gain I had for the first half of the race. I was pleasantly surprised when I ran into Oberg at 1:10 or so. Lost some time but at least it was still ahead of the cutoff. Everyone was asking how I felt and all I could say was I was hot and how hard this race was. I spent at least 10 minutes in the aid station mostly trying to cool down. At this point I no longer had an appetite and just planned to eat cliff bloks or gels just for energy. I had added heed to my bladder back at Sawbill AS and even that was starting to taste bad. I could feel my feet with hot spots and someone asked if I wanted to tape them but I did not even want to take my shoes off this late in the race to see what was happening. I saw Robyn and asked her what she was going to do and she said she was going to run it in with me.

We left Oberg with about 10 minutes to spare with the desire to be done running. I was desperately trying not to think about the course that stood between me and the finish line. One step at a time and I would deal with it as it came. We moved slowly and while I watched the mileage slowly tick by on my garmin I refused to pay attention to what our finishing time would be. Those roots that I so admired on the first half of the race were no longer admired but dreaded. My feet hurt, my quads hurt and oh did I mention it was hot? We learned to appreciate when the sun was hidden by clouds and we could feel a small breeze in the air. The breeze helped to keep the bugs out of our faces. I don't think I mentioned the bugs. The gnats and flies were out in abundance. They were loving the perfect weather conditions.

This was the view I saw all day as I chased the elusive runner through the woods.

Beaver dam

These flowers loved the wet muddy spaces on the trail.

Soon we were running the switchbacks of the last major climb (well walking would be more accurate) and anticipating the top as we knew as soon as we hit the campground it was all downhill from there except for the little blip after the poplar river and before  the road. We finally hit the campground and had to celebrate with a selfie.

The Campground signaling it is all downhill to the finish. (well almost)

Not sure what we were celebrating as it turns out the downhill was painfully technical. Oh that is right we were celebrating being almost done. When I finally satisfied my urge to check my running time and noticed it was over 8 hours. Well that's OK I thought now I don't have to try to push myself for that sub 8 hour finish. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and we will get there Robyn says. Is that the Poplar River we hear? Well not sure but I can definitely hear the finish line! Yep that is also the river and by golly there it is! Now just to tackle that road finish. We will just run it slow and steady says Robyn. But my abs hurt when I run! I must have really used my core on those hills. I am not nauseous but the stomach muscles hurt. Oh well we are almost there. All of my races at superior I have always forced myself to run this last section in. No walking on the road. Finish strong. It is mind over matter even though my body is screaming it wants to walk. With the bridge in sight we finally turn right back onto dirt and bring it into the homestretch. I feel bad that I did not ask Robyn if she wanted to sprint it in before I picked up my pace as she may have thought I was trying to finish ahead of her. She kept up with me pace for pace and we crossed the line together. So what started out as me running Robyn's race may have ended up as Robyn running Janet's race. Either way it was a great day on the trail and running with Robyn definitely made it more enjoyable than listening to my own thoughts for over 8 hours.

Finished in 8:37:15. Overall 167/177, 41/45 females and 3/3 Grand Masters. Not the fastest of races but on a difficult course with the heat anything less than 9 hours was a roaring success!
 

April 23, 2016 Chippewa 50k Trail Race

This marks the fourth year I have ran this race and my third year in a row for the 50k race. I enjoy this race despite the out and back course which means the entire field of runners will run by you at some time out on the course. For me that means most of the front runners will run by me on my way out to the turn around aid station. I have come to appreciate that unlike my first year running the 50k. I now enjoy seeing all the runners out on the course as I would normally never see the front runners on a looped course.

I had not preregistered for this race being so close after the Zumbro 50 mile race just two weeks previous. I started thinking about running this race during the week of the race. By Friday I could not get the race out of my mind. I knew there would be race day registration so made my decision to run on Friday evening. With the decision being made so late I had no time to put together my formal pacing plan. I took the time to look up my past times so I would know what a potential PR would need to be. My tentative goal was to get at least a sub 8 hour race. Last years race was run with a cold so was over 8 hours whereas the previous year my time was about 7:54.

I arrived at the visitor center with not much time to spare. I almost took a wrong turn but realized something did not look right so figured it out without too much trouble. I parked down the hill and walked my way up to register for the race and drop my drop bag for the turn around aid station. I saw many running friends, including, Angela, Karen, Jim, Wendi, Jamison, and Dave. Dave's goal was to run a sub 8 Hour race so I decided to try to keep up with Dave for this race.

With a few announcements and little fan fare we were off. I start towards the back so after running for a few yards we come to a walk as everyone funnels down the hill. Yes, the nasty hill that we are required to tackle at the end of the race. This race circles the visitor center and runs some prairie before hitting the ice age trail which is dirt single track. We run north of the visitor center so get some spectator encouragement about 1 mile into the race.

Although this trail does not have any major elevation climb the never ending rolling hills start to add up. There were a lot of leaves covering up all the roots and rocks on the trail. This course is very technical with roots being the number one obstacle. If you take your eyes off the trail for one second while moving you will end up tripping. I was lucky enough to stay on my feet but did have a few stumbles along the way.

Dave was just ahead of me and I stuck to him like glue. He kept a good pace, just enough to challenge me, but not enough to leave me gasping for air. We hit the aid station just before the turnaround aid station and I kept it quick and got out of the aid station as soon as I could. Dave got out after me and I did not see him on this next section until we were at the turnaround aid station. We made it within 15 minutes of the cutoff time so I had time to spray on some sunscreen and eat something before heading back out. I started the race with Dave in front of me and somehow on the section back I kept in front of him.  My stops at the aid station were quick and I continued to run whenever I could. I decided that I would actually try to run faster than my normal shuffle I adapt towards the second half of the race. I figured it hurts to run slow or fast so I might as well go fast, or at least as fast as I could. I made it to the last aid station and decided to make that stop super quick. Dave needed to get more water in his pack so I told him that he could catch up with me and off I went. This last section of the race is mentally tough as it takes you just below the finish line where you can hear everyone and you continue to run away from the finish line for a couple of more miles. I was alone on this section of the trail and pushed myself to run whenever it was runnable, meaning on the downhills and the flats. I pushed myself at this point all the way to the bottom of that hill. Remember the hill? Well I power hiked up that hill and when I get to the top I ran that last bit in, which can be difficult after that big hill!

I was able to PR my race with a finish of 7:52:20 with the help of Dave's pacing. 

All ready to go!

Watching the Sunrise on the early drive

April 9, 2016 Zumbro 50 Mile Endurance Trail Race

I debated many months before finally registering for this race. I started training in January even though I had not made the official commitment. Should I register for an early 50 mile race and train throughout the coldest months? I was concerned that all the training and the race itself would burn me out before the season even began. I now no longer have to be concerned about that. My training went well and the race went even better!

It is finished! And has left me with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

In a way this race was easier for me than Surf the Murph was last October which was my first 5O mile finish. This race allows no pacers but I knew that there would be others that I could run with during the race. I found myself on the trail alone at times but this did not bother me in the least.

The race begins at 12:01 am on Saturday. You have 18 hours to run 3 loops about 16.8 miles each with a total elevation climb of roughly 9,000 feet. This is a new race start time for me and I was looking forward to the night running. I have limited vacation at work so worked Friday until 3 and headed out to Zumbro after figuring I would have a better chance of sleeping at the start/finish area of the race than trying to sleep at home. I arrived around 4 pm after first picking up a Dominoes pizza for dinner and a pre-race snack.


The plan was to hang out for a bit, check on fellow runners in the 100 mile race and then head into the minivan for as much sleep as I could manage. Six hours would have been great but I knew nearly impossible as who goes to bed at 6 pm listening to cow bells and commotion happening just outside the van doors. I must have fallen asleep at some point as I woke up several times over the next several hours. My plan was to sleep until 11 and then get ready but I finally got up at 10:30 and started getting dressed early.


I had thrown all seasons of race clothing in the van. Temps were predicted to get down to 18 degrees that night and I was still trying to figure out what clothing would be best. One of my biggest fears is being too cold so I do have the tendency to overdress. This time, however, I made very good choices in clothing. I chose to wear the winter tights, winter running shirt and winter running jacket with winter mittens, winter hat and of course a buff for my face and chin. This clothing choice worked well for two full laps. It was cold!!

Stephanie, Angela and myself waiting for the start

I started the race out with Jamison and Angela. I could not find Sally at the start line so our plan to run together did not happen. While waiting for the race to start my feet got very cold and it took several miles for them to finally thaw out. The first mile requires some major power hiking up that first big climb and that helped get the blood flowing again. After cresting the hill we came to just about everyone's favorite spot that I have heard referred to as hobbit woods. The trail conditions were dry and it made the running easier than in past years when they were muddy and slick.

That first aid station comes quickly. Jamison is familiar with my getting out of aid stations quick and after attempting to quickly drink a coke slushy and getting a brain freeze we were out. (That was the last coke I attempted to drink during this race.) I lost Angela and she must have gotten out ahead of us.

I felt really good on loop one. We hit each aid station and I mostly drank coffee or chicken soup for liquids. I noticed I was not drinking much of my water which I tried to change by making myself drink more between aid stations. It is harder to drink water on cold runs for me. I finished up the first loop about 15 minutes ahead of my projected pace at around 5 am. I was ready to head out on loop 2 and I could not find Jamison so made the decision to head out. It was still very cold so I did not shed or change any of my clothes. My hands got very cold at the aid station attempting to eat so a  volunteer offered me her heat packs to put in my gloves and it felt great.

LOOP 2

I hit that that first climb and came upon another runner whom i did not recognize in the dark. She had been running with a friend who had dropped after the first loop. We ran together and were talking and whatever she was talking about made me turn to her and ask who are you? We had a good laugh when we realized that we knew each other already. It was Victoria. We reminisced about how she ran with me when I completed what I refer to as my accidental 50k. I was running Chester Woods at a fall 50k or whatever fatass intending to run long for my marathon training and ended up running the full 50k instead. I reminded her that she was a major factor in me running the full distance. We ended up running most of this second loop together or leap frogging each other as we made our way through the loop. We witnessed the sunrise and celebrated when we were finally able to take off our headlamps. Over 6 hours with a headlamp and running by artificial light gets irritating after awhile.

 

I finished up loop 2 in a total of 10:16 hours on the trail for 34 miles. I came into the aid station and was happy to see some familiar faces in Dave Shannon and Rob Henderson, who had already finished his 100 mile race. I also saw Mike which was a nice boost. They helped me get food and water in my pack and I went to change out of my winter running top as it was now starting to warm up some. Not a lot but enough to require a change. I debated changing out some socks as my toe on my left foot was starting to hurt but decided against it in the end. I had started to experience some chaffing so grabbed the body glide to fix that problem before it got any worse.

Friends Rob, Dave and Mike helping me at Aid Station 5

Heading out on loop 3, still not warm enough to take off the jacket, gloves or hat.

LOOP 3

My third and final loop was definitely starting to get slower. I was not hurting specifically but was feeling fairly fatigued. I started to experience a hot spot on my left foot and my shoes were feeling really tight. By the time I hit aid station 2 I figured it was time to see what the damage might be. I taped up my toe and the socks went back on. It was rough running for that next small loop as I had irritated the spot by messing with it. I got somewhat discouraged as this is a very runnable loop and I was moving way too slow. Then the pain started to recede and I was excited to hit aid station 3 knowing there was only one aid station left before the finish.

This was short lived, however, as the climb out of this aid station is tough. I hit my low point between miles 40 to about 45 as I had slowed down considerably. I started seeing my goal of a sub 16 hour race slip away. I ran much of this section alone. The climbs were difficult but running down Ant Hill was no treat either. I got my biggest surprise when almost at the bottom of Ant Hill I turned around and saw Jamison behind me. I was glad to see him and we started to run together yet again. We hit the gravel road and I was actually excited to be on flat ground again. From here on in there are only small hills and I was grateful for this. I slowly ran the entire road and decided that I would not stop at the final aid station. My watch had died but according to Jamison's watch we could still achieve a sub 16 hour finish. So we relentlessly ran/power hiked our way forward. Jamison was instrumental in keeping me moving forward at a fast clip. The last 4 or so miles I ran with negative splits. I was determined to stick with Jamison and knowing he would sprint across the campground had me groaning but my competitive side knew that I would also be sprinting to the best of my abilities to try to keep up with him.

The Pine Tree section; one of my favorites to run

I finished the race in 15:47:39! Success and overall a very good race. There were many familiar faces at the finish line which is always fun.

Photo Credit: David Shannon

 

Very happy with my finish and the race!

Jamison and I at the finish line!

Picture at the finish with the Race Director, John Storkamp

The spoils of the race

Next up is Spring Superior 50K!

October 24, 2015 Surf The Murph

I decided to run the 50 mile race at Surf the Murph after missing my 24 hour race in September to go on a Boundary Waters canoe trip with 5 other ladies. I had set out to finish a 50 mile race this year and felt the need to get it completed this year rather than waiting until next race season.

My training up to this race was not as mileage heavy as my training leading up to Black Hills. I was running 30ish miles (or less) each week due to my busy schedule. I managed a few long runs but really the longest would be the two marathon races I ran. Moose Mountain Marathon in September in Lutsen and the 6 hour Shuffle in Lake Elmo in mid October.

I have had a good year for races so really was not nervous about this race and figured I would be able to complete it in the 14 hours with maybe even some time (only about an hour) to spare. I was wrong about having that extra time!

The race started at 6 am and being 1 1/2 hours away I was not looking forward to getting up at 3:30 am to get myself to the start line. I decided to car/van camp at Horse Camp out at Murphy. They opened up free camping for those racers coming from out of town so I took advantage of that. My thought was that I could do the driving Friday night and be able to sleep in longer the morning of the race and also not waste any energy driving that far. I think this was a good decision.

I went to dinner after work with my husband and then took off for Murphy. I pulled in around 8 pm and there were only two other tents set up. I pulled my minivan through the locked gate near the others rather than parking in the empty parking lot by myself. One of the last things my husband told me was to make sure I locked the van doors before going to sleep so figured I would be safer being near the other campers.

I slept fairly well and was able to set the alarm for a 4:30 wake up. I made myself an oatmeal breakfast with some coffee and made the final preparations for my drop bag and start/finish line bag. The start/finish area was only about a mile away and I arrived to pick up my packet at around 5:30 am.  I saw several of my friends as we were waiting to begin. It had rained most of the night on Friday and was misting and wet as we got ready to begin the race.

Early Morning start

Loop 1

After the traditional pre-race announcements (namely it is really wet, muddy and slippery on the trail so be careful!) we were off. With it being 6 am we started the run with headlamps. It was slow going with the rain currently coming down and the wet and muddy trail covered in leaves. The mud was quite slippery and there were several times that I almost fell sliding in the mud. Going downhill was more difficult than going up the hills on this first loop in the dark. The first five miles of the course is where the majority of the elevation gain takes place. There are lots of both small and medium size hills. The first aid station is at mile 2.90 and the next one (Horse Camp) is around mile 5.50. The hills between these two aid stations are the worst of the hills. This was definitely my least favorite section.

By the time I ran into Horse Camp AS the sky was brightening and I was able to remove the headlamp. The sun was not shining but rather overcast. It was no longer raining though and this was good. Once through Horse Camp aid station the course levels out and traverses horse trails, goes around a lake and some prairie sections before heading back into the woods just before Natchez Aid station at mile 9.90.

Horse Camp Aid Station at mile 5.50 miles into the loop.

One of my favorite sections of single track running into Natchez. See how flat this is?

After leaving Natchez we had to run the road for about a mile before heading back onto the trail. I was able to make up some time in these flat sections and my pace was right on track with where I thought I would be. After Natchez AS you run through the prairie and back into Horse Camp AS at mile 13. From Horse Camp AS the next leg is back to the start/finish line and the completion of the loop.

There are some more hills on this final section but what is most memorable is the beaver dam crossing. Up until the Beaver Dam crossing I was feeling great! I was not prepared for this. It was muddy and very wet and when I came upon it the first time I was contemplating the best way to cross with the least amount of mud and water when another runner comes up behind me and says "you just have to run through it". So that is what I attempted. Epic failure! Rather than trying to balance across some very narrow and unstable looking logs I opted for the mud. A few steps in it sucked my shoe in and I was stuck. I fell forward and put out my right hand, which was wrapped in a cotton bandanna for some extra warmth, straight into the mud up to my wrist! I was able to save my left hand by using a nearby log instead of falling into that shoe sucking mud. What happened to the runner that told me I just needed to run through it? He looked like he sailed right across the top without getting either muddy or getting his shoes sucked into the mud!

Beaver Dam. I tried crossing in the left side of this picture. Photo credit: Selena

I was not happy at all. I was cold and now had a hand covered in mud with a bandanna that was useless as it was also full of mud. I ran the last few miles covered in mud carrying a wet, cold and muddy bandanna in my wet, cold and muddy hand! Oh and my shoes? They were covered in mud up to my ankles and I spent those last couple of miles trying to lose said mud.

I got into the start/finish line AS in 4:15 which was right on target, however I was rattled, full of mud and generally cranky as a result. When asked what they could get for me I said please get this mud off my hand! I was complaining about having to cross the beaver dam on the next two loops and Rob Henderson told me the trick to a dry crossing was to go to the left of this mess and cross there (outside of the picture to the left).

While I was still in the aid station finding something to eat Janet Hausken caught up with me and told me she would run her final loop and my Loop 2 with me. I thought this sounded great!

Loop 2

Janet and I headed out to start Loop 2. Oh great, five more miles of those darn hills! At least this time it was in the light and I was able to see better. Although it was still muddy and slippery the trails were starting to dry out a little but.

This time I stopped at the North AS and while there grabbing food I overhead a young man say that his longest run to date had been 4 1/2 miles. And he was running the 50k! He headed out of the aid station with us and decided to get behind us to try to keep up. He was feeling pretty bad and said he felt he could only mostly walk. We encouraged him and told him that he could even just walk the rest of the loop and he would finish as he had a total of 13 hours to get it done. We had some good conversation on the trail working our way to the the Horse Camp AS. Remember this was the really hard and hilly miles section! We told our new friend Jimmy that it was perfectly normal for an ultra trail runner to walk during the race and definitely walk up the hills. It was actually nice to try to encourage someone else in their race as it took my focus off my race.

Running into Horse Camp AS with Janet H and Jimmy

I was starting to slow down on this loop and I could tell that Janet had it in her to run faster than I seemed to be able to but she stayed with me and, in her own way, tried to push me to keep moving forward. There was a 3pm deadline to get this loop finished and at the speed I was moving I was going to need all of that time to get in by the cutoff. Only a few miles from the completion of loop 2 Julio came running toward us to run me into the aid station by the cutoff and then get me ready to head out on loop 3. He kept telling me to run faster and then I could spend more time in the aid station before heading out on Loop 3.

I got in with just 7 minutes to spare, which I was told by the race director when she asked me if I was planning on going back out for the final loop. Of course my answer was YES as I was definitely going to get this thing done! After being waited on by several of my friends all asking me what I needed and me not having a clue, I moved out of the aid station, ahead of the sweepers, to start my third and final loop!

Loop 3

I was blessed to have company yet again on this loop. I was accompanied by Robyn Reed who was going to run only some of the loop and Julio Salazar for the entire loop. For the first 5.5 miles of this loop (remember this is the hilliest section of the course?) I listened to Robyn and Julio chatter back and forth. I actually enjoyed this as I could suffer in silence and not be required to engage in the conversation. As I huffed and puffed up the hills those two talked and I just listened. It was nice. I had brought my trekking poles for this loop and I was glad to have them along as they helped me climb the many hills in this section. They were helpful both uphill and downhill as the downhills were also hurting. My right hip had been hurting for most of the second loop and the trekking poles helped to aleviate some of that pain.  In fact my hip no longer hurt on this loop.

I started to experience some burning pain on my left foot and knew that when we got into Horse Camp AS I better take off my shoe to assess the damage happening and wrap my toes to complete the race. This was a very smart idea. I was able to wrap my pinkie toe and change into a clean sock and this helped tremendously.  Robyn said goodbye at this point, told me she knew I would finish the race, and ran back down the trail to her waiting family. I grabbed my jacket and was told I better grab my headlamp as it would be getting dark soon and Julio and I headed back out to finish the last 11 or so miles of the loop.

I was definitely moving slower and had lost track of my average pace and what I needed to be running in order to finish by 8 pm. Julio kept pushing me knowing that I would need to move quickly in order to stay ahead of the sweeps. There were one or two runners behind me, also in front of the sweeps, so I figured I would be cutting it close to finishing by 8 pm.

Prairie section as the moon was rising although my camera did not capture it.

We got into Horse Camp AS the second time at 7 and I did not stop but kept going. I knew trying to get those last 3.8 miles in one hour was going to be tough and could not afford to stop. I had water and food in my vest so really had no reason to stop. At this point food was unappealing anyway. My stomach did not feel the best. It was not necessarily nauesous but just uncomfortable.

These last 3.8 miles were in the dark yet again. Started the day in the dark and it seemed I was going to finish the day in the dark. Julio pushed me, as much as I would let him, to get moving and all I could think about was how I was not going to make it by 8:00 pm. Julio told me to stop worrying about it and just keep moving forward as fast as I could. At one point he said something about seeing if I could sprint for a bit and I told him that I was sprinting!

With three minutes to 8 I looked at my watch and I tried to pick up the pace, and could have done a good job of it had there not been those final hills! But with the finish line in sight, finally, I managed a sprint up the hill to cross the line at 8:03:39. (Ok, no laughing here! My sprint may have looked like a crawl to those around me but my body was screaming this hurts so it must be a sprint!) There were a few folks still at the finish line, well the volunteers anyway, and Dawn Klaes was one of them. It was nice to see a friendly face at the finish! I was tired, sore and overall not feeling well but oh so glad to finally be finished!

Julio with his volunteer medal and me with my first 50 mile finishers medal!

This was a tough race for me. Mostly physically tough, though, as I don't recall experiencing any lows on the run. Just pain and being tired and wanting to be done running. 14 hours is a new PR for time on my feet and 50 miles is my new PR for longest distance.

Witnesses will tell you that I was spewing "never again" with vigor but I am claiming temporary insanity and can't be held accountable for what I may have said immediately following my first 50 mile finish. I just may be looking forward to tackling the challenge again with the goal of running it stronger, not necessarily faster.

My Spoils from the race

Forgot to get the required muddy shoes picture.This was the mess after taking the shoes off