I hope Holly, Mike, Karin, and Skip chime in on this RR and add their perspectives and pictures!  Karin, thanks for choosing the VT50 for your 50th birthday run - it was a blast!   As Twocat pointed out on FB, a 50 mile race is not your normal birthday party!

Holly, Mike, and I flew to Boston on Friday afternoon and rented a car together to drive up to the race.  The 2.5 hour drive turned into 4 hours because of traffic, but we arrived about 7 pm at our airbnb rental cottage.  Holly's brother, Mike S, rode his motorcycle up from Virginia to join us for the weekend, and Skip drove over from Syracuse NY.

It was a beautiful place to spend the weekend:

View of the barn (no, this is not the cabin!)

This is Mike S's photo:

We had a good carbo-loading spaghetti dinner, then went out and looked at the stars for a while.  It's so dark there at night that the milky way was clear and beautiful.

Saturday morning we lazed around on our porch, visited with the resident horse, visited with the landlords who stopped by, and played on the tractor.  Mike E - we need your tractor picture, please!

Coffee on the porch:  (Holly's picture)

The view and the horse:  (Mike S's picture)

Marj and Henrun were staying at a hotel nearby.  They came over, and we went to a local diner for lunch.  That was followed by more lazing around, reading, and napping.  Mike S went off with Marj and Henrun for some sightseeing since they didn't have to rest up for the race.

Late in the afternoon we drove over to packet pickup, and met up with Karin and her crew. Here's our pre-race podium picture:

We went back to the cabin and carbo-loaded some more, then went to bed early.  MIke and I had to be up at 3:45 for a 5:30 racer meeting and a 6:30 start.  Unfortunately that meant Holly, Mike S, and Skip also got up early because the cabin was small!

Holly's 50k race started at 8 am, and Skip drove her over and saw her off.  The 50 mile race was a loop course that passed very near our rental cabin at about mile 13.5, so Skip and Mike S walked down the road and watched the racers.  Mike and Karin had already passed before they got there but they waved at me as I ran by. Holly didn't go that way, because the 50k was also a loop course but it cut off the north part of the 50 mile loop. It was a cool, foggy morning, very welcome before the day heated up.  This is about mile 12, going up a steep hill:

Here's the elevation profile.  I liked all the oxygen down there at sea level, but it was relentlessly hilly!

The course was a mix of trails and dirt roads, and all very scenic.

This is me coming into the 31 mile aid station.  Sorry it's a bootleg pic - not sure which one(s) I'm buying yet!

The day got pretty warm, but most of the race was in the shade.  At about mile 34 there was a steep climb up switchbacks on a hot open hillside, but at the top a homeowner had set out a cooler of beer on ice, and had a garden hose with a spray nozzle.  Very welcome!  I had half a beer, and didn't want to finish the rest, so I gave it to the guy who came up behind me.  I sprayed my head with cool water, and hosed off the dirt on my arm that I got by tripping on a root and falling down (the first  of 3 falls).

We were allowed to have pacers from the mile 40 aid station, and Skip had agreed to pace me in.  It's not a very spectator-friendly course, so I figured if I asked him to run with me he'd get to see 10 miles of the course, and I'd get the benefit of his company!  The race organization provided a pacer shuttle van to the aid station, and Skip got there early enough to see Holly, Mike, and Karin run through while he was waiting for me.   Mentally, it was very helpful for me to know I'd see Skip at mile 40, so I could concentrate on getting there instead of all the way to the finish.

Skip got behind me when he stopped to visit the nice blond lab at the side of the road, so I got a good picture of  him:

The last part of the race included a steep climb up to the Mt Ascutney ski area, then a downhill finish on a grassy ski slope.

I finished in 10:51:33, which I was really happy with, since I'd been a bit worried about making the 12 hour cutoff.  And I cut 3 hours and 10 minutes off my 50 mile PR!  Mostly because Bighorn was higher altitude, more elevation gain/loss,  and mostly technical trails.

Here's Karin, Holly, and Mike at the finish:

The awards ceremony was held before I finished, so I checked the printed results that were posted, but they weren't recent, so I went and asked the guy in the timing van.   He told me I was 3rd in my AG, and Karin was 2nd! (out of 8)     So we went over and told Karin, and one of her friends, who knows the RD,  got our prize bottles of VT maple syrup, and we staged our own podium finish shot:

A wonderful weekend with good friends!  I'm already looking forward to the next RA meetup, wherever it might be.  Holly's turning 50 next March, and we're considering where to go!

An Ode to Fifty

Fifty is a nifty

Number.

To some, an age

Of maturity.

To some a

Golden anniversary.

But to a few

A milestone

To be conquered

And relished

Through the changing

Colors

Of Autumn in Vermont.

I finished in 10:51:33, which I was really happy with, since I'd been a bit worried about making the 12 hour cutoff.  And I cut 3 hours and 10 minutes off my 50 mile PR!  Mostly because Bighorn was higher altitude, more elevation gain/loss,  and mostly technical trails.

I would never have thought a mile or more down to sea level and an experienced pacer would help produce a nearly 30% improvement (Is that correct?). Henry's ode makes it all worthwhile too.

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for the fabulous report and photos of the fantastic event! Congrats on blowing your previous PR to smithereens!

Thanks also to Henrun for the poetic interpretation, and to CNY for her great perspective and photos.

Jay

Before I give my painful description of this race, let me first tell you all how much I enjoyed this trip.  Meeting and re-meeting RA friends has made running so much fun for me...and I was having a lot of fun before.  I do wish we could have spent more time with Karin and her bunch.  They really looked like they would be a fun group.  Karin looks so dang fit and that smile of hers can be seen a mile away.  But relaxing, before and after the race, with the people I shared the cabin with was fantastic.  Marj and Henry are just fun to listen to...Henry is really lucky to have Marj keep him in line.  It was really nice to have Skip and Holly's brother with us, too.  I really enjoyed talking to both of them.  Another day or three would have been a whole lot better, but I'm glad I had the time I did with them all.  Thanks for driving, Wild!  Thanks for taking care of everybody, Holly!

I really don't have any pictures that would show anything better than what wild already posted...well...except when she climbed onto that dang tractor...yes, this was a tough trip for me...

Okay...here's my report...as painful as it is...

Happy Birthday, Karin…Happy Dang Birthday! As you all know, Karin turned 50, this year, and I was one of the fools who accepted her invitation.

This was THE hardest race I have ever done. Pikes Peak had a longer and steeper ascent, but it was only 26.2 miles and the last has was all downhill. The Edmund Fitzgerald 100K was 12 miles longer but it was manageable rolling, paved trails and roads. The World Duathlon Championships in Venray, Holland—in the cold rain and wind—really took me to my limits. But none of these events chewed me up and spit me out like the VT50. Happy Birthday, Karin…Happy Dang Birthday!

There is no place in Minnesota—that I know of—where I could have gone to train properly for this event. I read the course description and I never picked up on how difficult the course was going to be. I knew it was going to have some hills…but I didn’t realize it was not going to have any flat spots. I knew it was going to be on trails…but I did not expect the roots and the rocks that had to be watched every step. Every time I thought it was safe to look up, I tripped over something. I just could not seem to pick my feet up far enough. I fell twice…the second one hurt…both physically and mentally.

I really believed that I could run this thing in around 8 hours. I read, to predict your 50 mile time, that you could double your marathon time and add one hour. For me that was around 7 hours and I added an hour for the hills. So, when I went through the first few miles around a 9:15, I really didn’t think I was going out too fast. That quickly changed when we hit the trails. By 20 miles I knew I was toast. But I kept telling myself to hang on and tried to stay positive.

I wanted to get to 25 miles—the half way point—in 4 hours. At about 24.8, I hit the deck. I got myself back on my feet and limped through 25 around 4 ½ hours. I was ticked and I was fed up with the whole idea of running this stupid race. It took me another 15 minutes to hit the marathon mark. I was fading fast and I had a long way to go.

My average pace went from 10:30 at mile 25 down to 14:15 by mile 31...then I was ticked that I didn’t switch to the 50K when I had the chance. My quads were trashed!  I could barely walk the downhill portions. I was ready to walk the last 19 miles…and I just about did. My Garmin quit on me around mile 32.

Skip being at mile 40 was a huge help to me. He made sure I got any food or drink that I needed. Because he had done even tougher events than this, I knew he knew how I felt and…somehow…that was comforting to me. While, I did make a comment that I was ready to drop out at that 40th mile…I really had no intention to quit.

My mother drilled into my head my whole life that it is not okay to quit. I figured the only way I was not going to finish this race was if I passed out and they carried me out on a stretcher. If I had to walk the last 10 miles, then I would walk the last 10 miles. But I knew I had two ladies behind me…and I knew neither one of them were going to quit…and I really didn’t want either one of them to pass me. So, I ran when I could and walked when I had to.

It took hours to get from the 40 mile aide station to the last aide station. I thought it was only 5 miles away and I would have 5 miles left. My water ran out and I was thirsty. A lady was standing on the road and saw that I was in trouble. She took my water bottle and ran to a neighbor’s house and filled it with water. I asked he to marry me…she declined. When I finally made it to the last aide station, I heard somebody say I only had 3 miles to go. I asked them to repeat themselves so I was sure they really said 3 miles and not 5. Then a woman asked me if I wanted to finish the race with her and I said that I would love to. She told me to go ahead and I took off. She waved me on and I never saw her again.

The last mile and half were the longest mile and a half I have ever done. I could heard the crowds and pretty soon I could see the finish area. But I just couldn’t get there…it was like a bad dream…I was running as fast as I could, but I wasn’t moving. Then I saw Marj, Henry, Mike S, and Holly. Oh, man, were they nice to see. They cheered their heads off and I managed a smile as I ran through the finish line.

Since Holly had only run the 50K, she was there, quickly, and helped take care of me and get me to a spot where I could lie down. It was so nice to have her there to take care of me. Her brother did everything he could do to help me as well…they were great.

As I look back…I am a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to stay strong throughout the race. I expect a lot out myself and, when I don’t live up to my expectations, I get down on myself. But, I am very proud to have completed that race. That was a tough course and I finished it. Plus…I spent time with some of the greatest people I have ever met.

Carolyn, Holly, Marj, Henry, Skip, Holly’s brother, Mike…and, of course, Karin…yeah…Karin the “Birthday Girl”…well, Happy Birthday, Karin…seriously…Happy Birthday!

Yes!  That was her!  So...did she talk about me?  What did she say?  Do you think I have a chance?  Oh...wait...Debbie might not like this...

I'm very sorry about, Nancy...I have no right to complain.  Wow...8:30 on that course...how?

Wonderful reports, all! I admire your abilities and am glad that you could get together like this.

Maybe someday...

What a great report!

I will just add a couple more pics.  Here is early in the 50K race (technically they said it was 32.1 miles):

Here is a spot where we came out of the woods a little bit later:

Here is the view near the end - that white building down below on the right is the Ascutney Mountain Resort where the finish line was.

As for the race, well, from the description I expected it to be a lot more runnable than it was.  Like Mike said, the hills were so much steeper than I expected, and we had lots and lots of this:

By mile 17, my climbing muscles felt like toast.  An added difficulty is that the 50k course met up with the 50 mile course somewhere about there, and we shared the trail, much of it single track, with the mountain bikers, as well as the front runners of the 50 mile runners.  What that meant for me is that I had to stop and step off the trail to let them pass. I would guess I did this 20-30 times, maybe more.  I have to admit, at that level of fatigue, I was getting kind of annoyed to have to keep doing that, and it was harder and harder to start running again after stopping to let others through.

I did meet up with a woman named Annette at about mile 18.  This was her first 50k and she and I had shared the first 7 miles or so before getting separated, and when she saw me at the 18 mile aid station she said was so happy - she was really needing some encouragement. So we ran and walked the rest of the race together.  I chatted her ear off the whole way, trying to distract her and keep her spirits up, and really it was fun to share those tough miles with someone else.  After the race she thanked me for getting her through, but really, it worked both ways....

My finishing time was terrible, 7:56 or thereabouts - my slowest 50K yet.  I could give some reasons, but it's not really necessary - I wasn't out there to win anyway, and it was an extremely beautiful (if somewhat brutal) course.

The race and my performance wasn't really the most important thing anyway - this was about spending a magical weekend in an amazingly beautiful place with some extraordinary people.  I had an absolutely wonderful time!  And I was truly impressed by the amazing performances by Mike, Karin and Carolyn - what an amazing accomplishment to run 50 miles on this course - I am in awe of the three of you - I remember thinking when I was out there that I could not imagine running 18 more miles of those hills.  GREAT JOB!!

Plus, I got to spend time with my brother, which was very cool, and he said my running friends made him feel very welcome.  Add to this that I finally got to meet someone I have been wanting to meet for a long time, and he is every bit as wonderful in person as I thought he would be.  Thanks, Skip, for being a part of this and for all your help!