Gary Gellin ran a solid race at the White River 50 Mile in Crystal Mountain, WA by grabbing 3rd OA in 7:11:53. Yassine Diboun likewise ran a great race and got 2nd OA at the Mt.Hood 50 Mile with a time of 6:45. Jim Johnson raced the USATF-New England 5 Mile Road Championships on Saturday and was 7th OA in 25:36. Jim wore the Road-X 155's under very hot conditions.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Weekend Results
Dave James - 2011 USATF 100 Mile Trail Champion
Yesterday Team Inov-8 member, Dave James won the Burning River 100 Mile, also serving as the USATF 100 Mile Trail National Championship. Dave bested a tough men's field despite the hot and humid weather by winning his first National Championship with a stellar time of 15:57. Dave wore the F-lite 230's from start to finish and reported all was well with his feet.
Friday, July 29, 2011
This Weekend's Starting Line
Gary Gellin - White River 50 Mile - Crystal Mtn, WA
Dave James - Burning River 100 Mile - Cleveland, OH
Monday, July 25, 2011
Results
Joe Gray captured his 3rd NACAC title and also broke the CR by over 3 minutes. Joe helped the US Men's Team to a Bronze overall team finish. Amber Moran ran a very solid 3rd OA (Bronze medal) race for the US Women's Team and helped the ladies secure the top 3 spots. The US women easily won the Gold medal for overall team competition.
Amy Lane once again had a solid Vermont 100 race by grabbing 3rd OA female in 19:48. Here is a nice article about her effort. Chris Reed was 3rd OA at the Quadzilla 15k in 1:05:54. chris wore the F-lite 230's. Sabrina Moran broke her own CR by 12 miles (PR of 6 miles in the 24 hr) at the Back on My Feet Lone Ranger 24 Hour Race. Sabrina was 1st female and 2nd OA by throwing down 137 total miles in 24 hours. She also secured a spot on the all time North American Ultra List with her effort .
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
2011 North American Central American & Carribean Mountain Running Championships
 |
| Ajijic y Lago Chapala |
Central Mexico was quite the experience. When I arrived in town I got a chance to check out Lake Chapala, which sits on the South end of Axixic. Lake Chapala is Mexico's largest freshwater lake and happens to lay below the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. After a brief tour around the city I looked above and happened to see the lush green mountain trails surrounding the city and decided to join the Canadians along with fellow USA teammate Tommy M. on a trek around the course "solamente para los ferinos".
On the flight over many Mexican locals warned me the course was insane. Before I set out for the mountains I of course dropped in to visit a local Taquero to get some authentic Mexican cuisine and again, like a broken record (I thought), more people telling me the course was crazy. I asked a few locals if they had been the top and many who have lived there their entire lives had not even seen the peak yet! That was the first time I got a little nervous. I've done some crazy races, some that I would call highly technical, but I've never done a race in a town where many of the locals had not even made the ascent to the summit.
With that in mind we set out for an adventure, one that will forever haunt my memories. The course shoots straight up the mountain through areas with large boulder's and waterfalls all around. You are forced to walk with the steep inclines and thin crisp air on the way to Chupinaya. Being that it was the rainy season, the course had high water on some of the creek crossings and most of the trail was muddy, slick, and did I mention steep. Even at a slow pace up to Chupinaya everyone was starting to tire out a bit. We reached a point at which we thought we must be close to the summit, but the race director who also joined us for the run quickly set fear back in our hearts and told us we not only had a small descent but basically two more small peaks on the way to the final peak and in fact, we had not even seen the hardest portions of the course. After telling us this, he set back down to Ajijic and we were on our own from there to find the course marked with white rocks and religious crosses symbolizing peaks along the upper ranges of la ruta.
I stood there at this first plain/peak area and thought to myself "what have I gotten myself into". Little did I know that the trail ahead would be even more challenging.
To finish off the rest of the course, lets start with the race. The race went out extremely hard. Everyone knew there was no prize money unless you broke the record so in order to break the record on this course it would take quite the effort being that it was held by Mexico's all time best Mountain Runner and highly decorated on the World Mountain Running scene Ricardo Mejia. Around this first peak it was Mexico's top runner Ranulfo S. with the lead followed by Canada's top athlete, myself and another top Mexican. It was obvious Mexico was going to have a strong team showing as neither of their top two guys looked to be struggling as hard as the 6'2" American and Canadian mountain running newbie. To give you an idea of the height difference check out the pic:
We made our way to the next section of climbing which featured a trail where if you made one bad step you would literally fall off the cliff, possibly die. So this race is a bad idea for those who do not have life insurance and/or health insurance BTW. At this point Ranulfo and I had seperated ourselves from the field and I was able to eventually take the lead. This was short lived. We reached a point that was at least 40% and I was smacked to a walk. At this point I hear Ranulfo say in Spanish "run it". I looked back at him with the look of death, continued my walk, waved him by to let him pass. I had pretty much settled for defeat temporarily. He made a strong move to the front and not only due to the fact that he was small in stature did I lose sight of him, but also due to the fact that the trail was very dense with trees, high grass and huge boulders. As we approached the summit, a sigh of relief was followed by a spike in heart rate from the canon/firework that fires off to let everyone below in the city know the first athlete had reached the summit. I had caught him as the canon went off and found a second wind. Since he had also been shooting for the record and knew the course quite well I noticed from my watch coordinates that we were on pace to break the record. Through the horse/cow/dog patties we went as I built a lead heading into the treacherous descent. Guess I've gotten good at running through crap since so many people fail to obey scoop laws. Lots of roots, rocks, and trees of which I knocked a few small ones down. Made our way back out to the main trail that pops out into the city and this is where it got tricky. Lots of big rocks to climb down and lots of creeks to cross.
I went the entire race without falling, but as I hopped over one of the last big boulders I ran into a few people and got blindsided by a stick coming out of a bush. I didn't look back, checked the watch one last time and set out of the trail on a mission to get the record. Some would say even the last mile in the city is pretty tough being that it was on sharp, jagged cobblestone. I made my way to the final turn in the plaza and could hear locals telling me I was close to the record. I got there so fast when I checked my watch before the finish I figured I made a wrong turn or something or maybe the pace bike in the city made a wrong turn, but in the end I broke the course record by 3 mins and brought back the Gold for USA. This marks my 3rd NACAC title in 3 different countries. Tommy Manning and Mario ran strong and the USA team brings back the Bronze for the team competition. The USA Women's team again, won the Team and individual Gold medals lead by Maria D. with Christine L. taking the Silver and strong runs by Inov-8 athletes Gina L. and Amber Moran (Bronze Medal). They swept the field, very impressive ladies! If you look at the bodies of any of the athletes who ran, you will without a doubt find a few new lumps, nicks, bruises, scratches and certainly if you ask them about the race, a few horror stories...
http://usatforegonmut.blogspot.com/2011/07/americans-joe-gray-maria-dalzot-win.html
Check out the World Mountain Running Assoc. Article here:
Friday, July 15, 2011
This Weekend's Starting Line
Chris Reed - Quadzilla 15k - Schnecksville, PA
Jim Johnson- USATF-NE Grand Prix 8 mile Road Championships - Stowe, VT
Amy Lane - Vermont 100 Mile - Woodstock, VT
Joe Gray - NACAC Mtn Champs - Ajijic,Jalisco,Mexico
Tommy Manning - NACAC Mtn Champs
Gina Lucrezi - NACAC Mtn Champs
Amber Moran - NACAC Mtn Champs
Scott Dunlap- Masters T&F World Championships (competing in the marathon)- Sacramento, CA
Sabrina Moran - Lone Ranger Back On My Feet 24-Hour Run- Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, July 14, 2011
IAU World Trail Championship 2011 by Ben Nephew
IAU World Trail Championship 2011
Connemara National Park, Ireland
7/10/11
70km
8k of climb
http://www.runconnemara.com/
BOGGING DOWN
I will start this report by thanking my wife. This is because I left my passport at home, and she and Gavin drove through rush hour traffic in Boston to get me my passport twenty minutes before my plane left the earth. Thanks Steph!
The Course
The real story around any good trail race should revolve around the course, and this was definitely true in Ireland. While I will try to give a good description of the course in this report, I’m hoping that the photos and helicopter video coverage that will be posted somewhere soon will give you a better idea of what we literally went through. On paper, it sounded like it could be a fast course if dry, with only 6k of climbing in 44 miles. However, a closer examination of the course info revealed that the elevations of the climbs were off, and there was clearly more than 6k of climbing. My estimate is 8k. In addition, the course was definitely not dry, it was soaked with rain. I brought both 255 road shoes and my trusty 315’s with me to Ireland. I raced Bear Mountain in the 255’s and they were outstanding. I took out the 255’s and hiked up a hill behind our lodge two days before the race. Going uphill was OK, but as soon as turned around to go down, I instantly fell. I could barely stay upright as I tried to get to the bottom of the hill. I’ve never been on such slippery terrain, and can’t compare it to anything in the US, other than something covered in snow or ice. I would clearly be going with the 315’s, which had incredible traction on the same descent. This was the type of terrain they were designed for, and they did a good job! It was a real fell running course, and there were tons of athletes wearing Inov-8’s. I spotted 295’s, 212’s, 285’s, 315’s, and a couple of Terrafly models.
Important features of the course were the 1300’ climb of Diamond that we did twice at the start, the climbs of Ben Baun mountain (2000 and 2200’), and the bogs. The route was out and back after the two climbs of Diamond Hill, with the last climb being the toughest. Although I did not think this was physically possible, some of the bogs were uphill. Yes, water usually tends to seek a level surface, but things are different in Ireland, and I have first-hand experience with steep uphill bogs. When someone asked what the bog trails were like, the RD, Richard Donovan, replied that they were Irish trails. Translated into American, this means that there were no trails; we would just be following flags.
The Team
Roy Pirrung and the lovely Chris = You can Google Roy if you don’t know who he is. He’s done a few long races, and really likes bogs. Chris is his lovely full time support staff.
Liza and Eliot Howard = Liza was supposed to run, but a stress fracture kept her out of the race. She and Eliot were awesome at the second aid station at 28k.
Jason (JB) and Allison Bryant (AB) = Ultra good mountain runners that were both running for the US team.
Gabe and Perla Rodriguez (G ROD and P ROD) = Gabe and Perla came to Ireland looking for new challenges. Mission accomplished. Gabe also won the team support MVP, as he was able to get us all very nice Underarmour singlets. They both competed for the US team.
Dave James (DJ) = Dave is a bog specialist, and spent a great deal of time during the race in the bog searching for new bog species. His aunt gets a second team support MVP.
Josh Brimhall (J BALL) = Josh misinterpreted the meaning of Irish trails as something you could actually run on. DJ also told him that there would be Guinness at the aid stations, so he signed up to run for the US team.
The Race
The 7am start at the front door of Kylemore Abbey was incredibly scenic with early morning sun shining into the valley. A few runners went straight to the front, including Jason Loutitt of Canada, DJ, and 2 Norwegians, and then a large pack formed just behind them. I settled into the back of the pack for the 5k trip to Diamond Hill. As soon as we started the climb, I started passing runners without much effort, and could tell it was going to be a good day. I immediately thought about Steph and Gavin, and wished they had made the trip to watch the race. The view from the summit was spectacular, and I mostly held my own on the first descent, with the exception of few guys that were really hammering down the hill. It was a very runnable descent, but I knew that running downhill at this point in the race would cost me later on, so I tried to find a pace that was quick, but not punishing. I picked up my bottle at 12.5k at 58 minutes and headed up for the second climb. I was 12th at that point, and passed 6-7 guys on the next climb while still running easily, and then the same 5 guys that passed me before went by once again.
We started onto the bog at 18k, and I really enjoyed this somewhat dry downhill section that was almost terraced. I passed a few runners on this section, including one where I practically jumped over him. We then hit a long road section that leg to the monster bog. This challenge started with a downhill stretch covered with thick bushes and was ankle to knee deep. We then crossed over a fence, and I saw trail markers and laughed out loud. There was no trail, just random posts sticking up from the bog. We followed this for a while, and then headed across a large open stretch. I was watching the French runner 100m ahead of me when he suddenly disappeared in a splash of water. I thought he had tripped, and laughed as I asked how the water was. As I got to the spot where he fell, I was swallowed by the bog past my waist. There was a bit of a panic attack before I managed to pull myself out. Another French runner behind me was laughing, and I told him he was going first next! There were a few more close calls on the remaining section of the bog until we finally reached a short road section to the 28k aid station. I had the 6th fastest time over this 16k section.
I was passed by two Italians as I picked up my bottle, and there were several more runners right behind me. I knew the toughest part of the course was starting and was pleased that my legs still felt good. The first Italian took off, but I passed the second one soon after we reached the trail that leads up to Ben Baun. The Irish trail heading up to the steep climb was quite rough, but it was nice to get off the hard dirt road we had been on. The mountain was quite imposing from a distance, and as I approached it became obvious that we were going straight up. I could see most of the field higher up on the climb, and the closest few looked like they were struggling. The steepest sections required the use of your hands, and the easier grades were 20-25%. I passed a Norwegian that had gone out very hard, and then a French runner on the rocky upper slopes.
The Norwegian passed me back soon after started the descent off the summit cone. We then crossed a small col, and then the course basically dropped off the mountain. I stopped in shock as I looked down at a grass wall that we were supposed to run down, and almost soiled myself. I’m not sure how far someone would fall before stopping, but it would surely be ugly, so I was extremely focused as I started my way down. Terror tends to do that. Any small slips instantly led to a grab onto the grass wall, which was just behind me. Due to the extreme angle, the upper section of this slope was somewhat dry, and I soon realized that the best tactic for staying on my feet was with very deliberate and confident foot placements. Hesitation and small steps tended to lead to slips, and throwing your heel or side of the foot into the grass with some force provided good traction. I became more confident in my downhill running with each step, and was pleased that no one passed me during this section. Unfortunately, the bottom of the descent was extremely wet and slippery, and I went down a few times as I desperately tried to find a stable foot placement. My 315’s saved me from total destruction on several occasions, and I was relieved to make it to the dirt singletrack where I ran past the RD, Richard Donovan. I told him how evil I thought he was for designing the course, complete with a few expletives. Despite this, he was kind enough to cheer me on. There were many spectators on this section of the course, and all the “ALLEZ ALLEZ!!” made me feel like I was back in France at the last IAU Trail Championship. The French were everywhere in Ireland, and were supportive of all the athletes. This was true for the staff of all the nations, and I recognized several of them from two years ago. I passed through the 40k aid quickly and started down the 8k out and back where I could find out where I was in the race. I was 7th fastest over the first traverse of Ben Baun.
I soon passed the Norwegian, and started to get excited as I kept getting closer and closer to the turn around without seeing anyone. I finally saw Jason Loutitt run past in the lead, followed by two French runners who were flying. Erik Clavery ran 31 minutes for this 8k, which was windy and included a couple small hills and some mud, as well as the aid station. I knew I was doing well, but had been too afraid to try and figure out my place prior to the turn around. I was incredibly excited when I suddenly realized I was in 7th place and close to the next few runners with only 22k left to run. I passed JB in middle of the dirt road, and like the coach he is, he yelled out instructions for the entire team in a span of about 10 seconds! I soon saw DJ and J BALL, and we all shared our shock and awe concerning the course and cheered each other on. The best part was that my legs were ready for the big final climb. My time of 36:19 was 7th fastest for the 8k.
Although I still felt strong, I was a bit worried about what would happen over the last 20k based on what I had witnessed in France. Several of the top five from the race in Serre Chevalier had passed numerous runners in the last quarter of the race, and I had a bit of a chase pack as I headed out of the 48k aid. G ROD and I crossed paths shortly after the aid station, and he was pretty excited to see how close I was to the leaders. I knew I was climbing well, so I just focused on getting to the grassy wall. By the time I reached the base, I could spot 4th through 6th up on the climb. I actually thought the French runner in 6th was a hiker, as he had trekking poles. Considering how soft the ground was and the steepness of the slope, I’m not sure how much they helped. I put my head down and hiked up the lower section with my hands on my knees. I caught the French runner as the race helicopter dropped down into the valley. When grade increased, I formed my hands into hooks and went at the slope with all four limbs. You could have used ice axes on this section. I pushed hard when I realized I was catching the Norwegian, but paid the price by the time I reached the rocky summit cone. I passed P ROD at this point, and while she shouted some words of encouragement, my response may not have been coherent. I’m pretty sure the Norwegian spotted me and picked up his pace, as the gap suddenly increased, and then he disappeared on the descent. I lost a bit of time getting off course on the way down the mountain, including a sudden stop on the edge of a 40 foot ledge. There was grass at the bottom, but that was at a 30% grade. It was a bit tricky following the course back to the 60k aid, and I was very thankful for the National Guard soldiers that were manning the course and directing the runners. I hadn’t really thought about exactly how close I was to the leaders since I couldn’t really see 5th place, so I was a bit stunned when I ran by Roy and he indicated that I was about 7 minutes out of the lead. That is not a long time in an ultra, especially on the Connemara course. Although I was pushing the pace, it seemed to take forever to reach Liza and Eliot at the 60k aid, where I grabbed a drink and headed back out to the bogs. I had the 4th fastest time for the second traverse of Ben Baun.
There was somewhat of a trail from our first time through the bog, and I could see the Norwegian and the Italian up ahead by the time I got to the first uphill bog. I tried hard to reel them in, but trying to run through the slippery mud was totally exhausting. I had a better idea of how to navigate the bogs, but my legs didn’t have much left. It took me a while to get back up to speed when I reached the long road section, and the downhill on the road was hard on my tired legs. I was spent by the time I reached the last 2k of fields and bogs and lost some time here. I was able to run up the last dirt hill and enjoyed the final 1k of pavement into the finish to place 6th overall. Erik Clavery held on to win over a hard charging Jason Loutitt, who had dropped down to 4th at one point. JB finished strongly to earn 21st place, and DJ was the third team scorer in 50th, with J BALL a few runners back in 58th. G ROD called it day at 48k to avoid self-destruction. AB was 12th in the women’s completion, followed by P ROD in 29th. We were all just happy to have survived the course, and although there were not many injuries, there was a fair amount of blood on a number of runners, and several of us strained our bog muscles. Our men’s team finished in 6th place, which is pretty good for a bunch of virgin bog runners. In case any Americans were unaware, the French are very good at trail ultras, as they won almost everything.
The highlights of the event included DJ falling NECK DEEP into a bog, J BALL announcing that the Connemara course made Zane Gray look like a freeway, Roy announcing that this IAU event was not actually a running race due to the bog swimming component, JB planning on passing a pile of runners in the last 20k while being unaware that that was everyone else’s plan, AB poaching brown bread from the French table, Roy being so bogged out and Ben Bauned that he tried to drop at the summit of Ben Baun, DJ getting passed on a downhill by someone sitting on their rump and paddling with their hands, and P ROD tripling the length of her longest run ever.
In addition to thanking my wife for getting me on the plane, I’d like the thank the entire American assault team that travelled to Boggemara, the family of the Kylemore Lodge who fed us incredible breakfasts and cheered for us at the turnaround, the IAU, and Richard and Paul Donovan and their entire staff for another outstanding IAU event.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Where Dreams Don't Fade
Inov-8 team member Alex Nichols is making a documentary with friend and former cross country teammate Martin Mundry. It is about 3 Kenyan runners from the most decorated running nation in the world and what drives these runners to perform at such a high level consistently every year. Click here for the article.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Weekend Results (updated 7/12)
Last Thursday night Ryan Woods got 2nd OA at the The Bear 5 Mile in 33:03. Eric Charette had a fine weekend of racing at the Run the Keweenaw stage race. Eric was 2nd in the 5.8km trail hill climb (about 1000' from the Lake Superior shore to the peak) on Saturday morning in 25:52 wearing the x-talon 190's. Then he was 2nd in the 12km trail race on Saturday night in 41:17. Then once again was 2nd in the 25km trail race on Sunday morning in 1:41:22. Eric totaled 6 points and finished 2nd overall for the weekend. Eric wore the x-talon 212's for the 12km and 25km. At the Summer Roundup 12k, Peter Maskimow (pictured) bested teammate Tommy Manning and won in a CR time of 44:54. Tommy ran strong and got 3rd OA in 45:48, both wore the X-talon 212's. Jim Johnson won the Ascutney Hillclimb in Windsor, VT yesterday (3.7 mile ascent-only) mountain race to cap off the USATF-NE Mountain Series for 2011. Jim also won the series title as well. Ben Nephew had a solid performance and finished in 6th OA (6:54:26) at the IAU Trail World Championships. A 70k course with sadistic type terrain that challenged all the elites. Ben wore the Roclite 315 and reported that this shoe saved him. Dave James grabbed 50th OA in the stacked field with a 8:09:13.
.
.
Western States 100 Race Report - Chris Reed
On Saturday, June 25th I ran the 38th edition of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, which started in Squaw Valley, CA and ended in Auburn, CA. I ran the entire race in a pair of Roclite 295’s, which worked very well for me. You can find my detailed race report here.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thursday Night & Weekend Starting Line
Ryan Woods - The Bear 5 Mile - Grandfather Mtn, NC
Ben Nephew - IAU World Trail Challlenge - Connemara, Ireland
Dave James - IAU World Trail Challlenge - Connemara, Ireland
Eric Charette - Run the Keweenaw Stage Race - Copper Harbor, MI
Monday, July 4, 2011
Weekend Results
Team Inov-8 had a big day at the Vail Hill Climb, claiming the top 2 spots and the 5th OA position. Jared Scott won the overall title in a swift 50:32. Peter Maksimow was not far behind grabbing 2nd OA in 51:43. Ryan Woods got 5th OA in 53:53.
In other action at the Finger Lakes 50k, Sean Andrish had a strong 2nd OA finish.
Friday, July 1, 2011
2011 Keyes Peak 50km
June 25, 2011
Florence, WI
This summer I was fortunate enough to escape the heat of Alabama and spend a month with my parents in my home town of Kingsford, Michigan and work remotely. The real reason for the pilgramage was to spend some time with my Mom and Dad during a period in which they would both celebrate birthdays (57th for my Mom, 60th for my Dad), Father's Day, and their 39th Wedding Anniversary. The trip also lined up with the 2nd running of the Keyes Peak Trail Runs in Florence, Wisconsin. In the inaugural year I was fortunate enough to have lead the marathon from the start and took the overall victory. This year race director Jeff Crumbaugh of Great Lakes Endurance, added a 50km distance and immediately sparked my interest. The events also earned national recognition by Runner's World as on of the top 32 trail races in North America. This distinction was sure to help draw a good level of competition to this small community in northeastern Wisconsin. Trail racing is relatively new to this area and ultrarunning is brand new so you can imagine my surprise when I saw this marquee welcoming them to town.
Read more here...
Two days before the race I took the mountain bike out to the southern portion of the course specifically to check out the infamous river crossing at mile 23 on the 50km race. Last year the crossing, which is the confluence of the Pine River and its main tributary, the Popple, was moderately high and surprisingly swift. I was washed downstream to the more shallow rope crossing before sloshing up the bank and onto the final 8 miles. The few days since I had arrived in Michigan had been cold and damp, highlighted by 5" of rain on Tuesday. I needed to mentally prepare for crossing by seeing the river in advance. What I saw on the way to the crossing was gravel roads engulfed in standing water, nasty mud on logging roads and a fresh berm to prevent vehicular traffic at the half-marathon mark. Here are some snap shots of the course.
When I finally made it to the river crossing, it was clear that there was no way we would be crossing it on race day. The current was faster and the level was higher than last year making it impossible even to add a rope downstream for a safe crossing. The course markings lead up to the river crossing, but it was my guess that Jeff and gang marked from the start up to the river and didn't see how bad it was until they got there. I suspected that they would change the course and this was confirmed at packet pick up on Friday night. The course would now be an out-and-back.
Climbing the berm
The swampy roads
The XC Ski trail stream
There was a smaller turn out than I thought with only about 50 starters in the marathon and 50km. That didn't matter much though as I was focused on the fast looking guys who stood at the starting line. The temperatures were good to start at 55 degrees but by noon it would rise by 20 degrees and with the wide open sections, it was certain to be warm. I had it in my mind that I would not run the first mile up the back side of the ski hill at a blistering pace like Pete Witucki and I did last year, for which we both payed for late in the race. Before I knew it, I was sprinting up the hill in my roclite 285's alongside Jason Schatz from Madison, with Pete and Josh Wopata from Indiana close behind. Ironically, none of the four of us were from Wisconsin! Jason and I chatted through the first few miles but while he was running with ease, I was working too hard to be running under 7 minute pace for the first 5km of a 50km race. So I wished him well (he was wearing x-talon 212's) and I backed off to a more comfortable pace. It was not long after that Josh caught up to me and not long for him to blaze past. He too was nice and we exchanged a few words about the race and I tried to give him some pointers on the course before he was out of sight.
Mentally I had split the course up into four sections.
The race start with Pete Witucki to my left
The first section included the climb up the ski hill but them was steadily downhill to the river on very runnable gravel or jeep roads and very little mud so I hope to make good time. The depth of the standing water on the roads surprised me several times, but otherwise I managed the section very well and according to plan. I stayed true to my hydration and fueling plan and fought through the sandy sections, splitting the first 8 miles in 55:32 for just under 7 minute pace.
The second section involved much more climbing, grassy jeep roads with ankle deep water, muddy logging roads, climbing over the berm at 13, followed by a nasty single track section with waist high ferns covering up the uneven footing. To top it of, after turning off of a cross country ski trail and back onto the gravel road near LaSalle Falls, there was a mile and a half climb to the turn around. The effort was about the same as the first part, but the pace was slower due to the poor footing. What was important was the fact that my mind was strong and I was feeling strong. I had not seen Pete in some time, but figured that I was at least 10 minutes behind the leaders approaching the turn, but was caught off guard when I saw Jason more then a mile away from the turn; he was eating up the course! As the turn was closer and closer, there was no sight of Josh. I came to the turn and very quickly I saw that Pete was right behind me and Josh followed; he said that he had taken a wrong turn somewhere and gotten off track. Let's just say that he was now running on adrenaline and passed me before LaSalle falls on the way back. I hit the turn around in about 1:54, which with a different finishing mile than the start, was a little less than half way.
Just as I was able to see the gap to the leaders at the turn, so where the people behind me, and me them. I don't think that I saw the 5th place runner until the top of the climb at LaSalle Falls but then there was a steady stream of runners, including the first female at the mile 14 aid station. It made me a little nervous to see how close they were! There would be little margin for error in the second half of the race. The temperature was climbing mile after mile on the way back as I passed 50km runners still on their way out and marathoners on their way back. It was a nice mental boost to see other runners instead of the loneliness of the first two hours. Slower runners were very nice on the crowded single track with two-way traffic, stepping aside for me. I tried to return the favor with words of encouragement or letting them know what was just ahead on the course. Everyone seemed to be in such great spirits! It felt like I was slowing too much but my splits were still in the low 8's through the hardest part of the course. I walked for the first time at the 20 mile mark (2:32:01) to take an S! Cap and two Alleve. I had been taking S! Caps regularly but was starting to cramp slightly so took an extra. This probably wasn't the best idea as it upset my stomach a little and made me want to throw up. For some reason my left instep was bothering me impact which was the reason for the NSAIDs. Pete passed me while I walked and after that I tried to stay with him but it wasn't long before he was out of sight too. I was still running pretty well and was on track for a sub 4:10, which was my secondary goal, knowing that it would take a sub 4 to win.
I met my parents at mile 23 and took a second bottle from my mom. I grabbed a handful of MM's and some bug spray before taking off again. The fast downhill from miles 2-8 at the start would now be a steady 10km of climb to the top of the ski hill. I did walk some of the first climb and made small talk with some of the marathoners and encourage them, but for the most part I kept a smooth running motion, albeit slow. I had it in my mind that if I could keep it under 9 minute miles through the final few miles I could still slip in under 4:10, but other than the tough mile 24 where I struggled a little, I was able to stay in the low to mid 8's and plod along. I was worried about tired legs on the soft sand before coming back through the final aid station but it wasn't too bad and before I knew it, I was turning back onto the pavement at Country Road D and heading toward Emily Lake. To my surprise, I could see Pete ahead just by maybe a quarter mile. Maybe it was the thought of a top 3 finish or maybe I could smell the barn, but I picked up the pace and tried to close the gap. The closer I got the more I thought that maybe we could push each other in the final 5km and come in together at the end. So when I finally caught up, we ran a couple of miles together and talked about the day and the race as we passed a few more people. I laughed when he said that just because we were going to run it in together that it didn't mean that we had to hold hands! Together we hit the crest at mile 30 but I could tell that he wanted so slow down. We talked about it several times and I felt bad leaving him and we had decided to finish up together but finally he started to walk and told me to go and so I went. I felt good and wanted to push hard through to the finish so I knocked it down to 7:30 pace as the road wound around the top of the ski hill. I narrowly missed a turn coming down the slopes but there were some great course marshals volunteering that guided me back on track and I cruised down the hill, pushing to keep it under 4:07 and crossed at 4:06:49.
Having run the majority of this race in solitude I was really able to take in the beauty of my surroundings and reflect inward on what I was really doing out there. Not everyone can run and even fewer can perform at such at a high level. Most of the time I focus on how I performed and how I was able to overcome the tough stretches and it is just a focus on me. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I have been blessed with the ability to run and given the gifts to compete and from there it is up to each person to realize there own potential and search for their limits. Without getting too deep or too spiritual, I just want to say that I do feel fortunate and am thankful for every step that I am able to take and I am finally feeling like my running has a purpose.
Coming down the ski slopes to the finish at the lodge
Final Results
Full results from Sam and Kara Graci with SuperiorTiming.com can be found here.
Place Name City Age Time Time Back 1 Jason Schatz Madison WI 29 3:42.42 0:00:00 2 Joshua Wopata Westfield IN 31 3:46.57 04:14.8 3 Eric Charette Huntsville AL 35 4:06.49 24:07.4 4 Pete Witucki Chicago IL 30 4:08.16 25:33.2 5 James Webber Otsego MI 28 4:40.41 57:58.9
Handmade Finisher Awards from local hardwoods
Post swim in the icy cold Keyes Lake
Elevation Profile
Mile Pace Total Time Ave Pace 1 7:24 7:24 7:24 2 6:31 13:55 6:57 3 6:39 20:34 6:51 4 6:44 27:18 6:49 5 7:12 34:30 6:54 6 7:01 41:31 6:55 7 7:12 48:43 6:58 8 6:49 55:32 6:57 9 7:43 1:03:15 7:02 10 7:44 1:10:59 7:06 11 7:42 1:18:41 7:09 12 7:33 1:26:14 7:11 13 7:48 1:34:02 7:14 14 9:18 1:43:20 7:23 15 8:10 1:51:30 7:26 16 7:34 1:59:04 7:27 17 8:10 2:07:14 7:29 18 9:05 2:16:19 7:34 19 7:28 2:23:47 7:34 20 8:14 2:32:01 7:36 21 7:56 2:39:57 7:37 22 9:04 2:49:01 7:41 23 8:42 2:57:43 7:44 24 9:51 3:07:34 7:49 25 8:21 3:15:55 7:50 26 8:14 3:24:09 7:51 27 8:51 3:33:00 7:53 28 7:58 3:40:58 7:53 29 8:24 3:49:22 7:55 30 8:55 3:58:17 7:57 31 7:41 4:05:58 7:56 31.1 0:51 4:06:49 7:56
Shawangunk FKT Trail Challenge: Old Minnewaska Loop (by Ben Nephew)
Shawangunk FKT Trail Challenge: Old Minnewaska Loop
7.88 miles
941’ of climb
This was neither a race, nor what is traditionally thought of as a Fastest Known Time course. It is a new trail running option that I think will interesting to many trail runners. I’ve run some pretty incredible trails from Alaska to California to New Hampshire to New Foundland to Iceland and France, but in terms of the quality of the trails themselves, it is tough to beat the trails around the Shawangunk escarpment in the New Paltz, NY area. The only reason I know this is that I was lucky enough to marry my wife, who is from New Paltz and introduced me to the local trails about 13 years ago. Yes, there is also a bit of rock climbing in the area, but I prefer the trail running. We were in New Paltz to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary where we were married, at the Mohonk Mountain House. Mohonk itself is a special place, and not only because it is right at the center of some of the spectacular trails that are located on Mohonk property, or on the adjacent Mohonk Preserve land. Although there are occasional races on these trails, they only cover a fraction of the terrain. Two local runners, Marc Gravatt and Tom Kaplan, came up with the ingenious idea to create an entire trail series of 12 different loops in a Fastest Known Time format called the Gunks Trails Challenge. They have obviously put an incredible amount of effort into this very unique project, which is based on the following website:
http://gunkstrailschallenge.com/
The website includes trail descriptions, maps, elevation profiles, and lists of top times for all the loops. The challenge is simply to log your GPS track of either a monthly loop, or the Mega Challenge of running all 12 loops over 6 months, and the fastest time wins donated prizes from surrounding businesses. I’m not familiar with all the trails that they hit on the 12 loops, but they have definitely hit all of my favorite trails. Steph and I were hiking and running all over the Mohonk property last weekend, including a number of rock scrambles, which I can’t really describe without being able to take you on one. When Steph decided to head to Pilates class on Saturday afternoon, I figured I’d see what I can run on the June loop, Old Minnewaska. I just happened to bring my GPS watch with me, and Steph and I had explored some the sections of the loop that were new to me on Friday. The only problem with my plan was starting the loop at the top of a rather large hill. It’s only 500’, but you gain that in 1/3 of a mile, which is almost too steep to hold dirt. My first 3.5 miles would be on the nicest carriage roads you have ever seen, and then I’d enter singletrack for the remainder of the 7.9 mile loop. My GPS track can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/95160630
I started out a bit fast on the carriage road, with my pace dipping below 5:00 on a few occasions. After settling down, I went through 3 miles somewhere around 17:30, which included a pause for an encounter with a horse and rider. The first section of single track was quite wet and rooty with plenty of turns winding through the trees. I was quickly on the gradual uphill of the Old Minnewaska Trail, and starting to feel the effects of my fast start. The upper section of the trail is eroded, and the footing and gradual uphill made it difficult to run much faster than 7:00 pace. I reached the left turn onto the Undivided Lot trail, and then soon lost the trail. I wandered around a bit before finally spotting the trail marker, but the rest was probably a good thing.
The next 1.2 miles of trail were along the ridge, but I was too busy trying to following the winding path over rocks and between trees to admire the views. By the time I reached the base of Clove Path hill, my legs were not exactly fresh. The good news was I only had .33 miles left. It took me 6 minutes to climb the hill, and I’m actually pretty happy with that. I was able to run the first 0.1 and the last 0.1. I wasn’t even close to running the middle section despite breathing so hard I was inhaling leaves and small woodland rodents. They list the loop as 7.88 miles, and that is exactly what my GPS read when I stopped it at the top after 56:06. My weapon of choice was the Roclite 285, which worked well on both the carriage road and the singletrack.
If you are looking for a trail running vacation in the Northeast, you might want to head to New Paltz to explore the Shawangunk trails. If you bring your GPS, you might be able to create your own race! Mark and Tom have done a great job of creating a unique challenge that involves the entire community, and it will be exciting to see their project grow over the next few years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
