Registration opens today for the JFK 50 miler, so I am making the leap and registering today. (Active Military status - "A" qualifier.)
I hope that the increased miles I have been doing, along with the better race finish times as of late, indicate that I am ready and can do the 50 miles before the 12-hour cutoff.
I just hope the weather is good that day... 50 miles is a long way to go in crappy weather.
---Anyone else doing the JFK-50 this year, or have any advice / comments based on previous years races?
The Plan '15 → /// "Run Hard, Live Easy." ∞
Occasional Runner
I'm not a fan of the race but here's my race report from 2012. I must be in the minority because this race is very popular and sells out fast. Good luck!
http://www.slippingslowlyintopain.blogspot.com/2012/11/2102-jfk-50-race-report.html
Uh oh... now what?
I just hope the weather is good that day... 50 miles is a long way to go in crappy weather. ---Anyone else doing the JFK-50 this year, or have any advice / comments based on previous years races?
Fifty miles is a long way to go regardless of the weather. Push the hopes for good
weather out of your mind. It is one of those minor inconveniences you cannot control.
Check the forecast, take the appropriate clothing, wear what is needed that morning -- run.
There are many reports out there, but the book The Longest Race by Ed Ayres
immerses a person into the day... might be good preparatory reading.
rgot
Just dropped my entry with payment in the mail. "Not an April fools Joke" I had to tell my spouse...
lace up - You write one heck of a Race Report, excellent. And the pictures as well give a superb insight. I also like your direct honesty about the course. I've heard other folks describe the towpath as a dreadful part of the run also. -Not certain why I am amongst this group of folks that sign up for it, but it is on the bucket list of a few 'must do' races. This will likely be a race I only run once. I'll move onto other races, and perhaps I may get some great ideas for other awesome courses from your other RR's!
John M. I will check that out. I want to read at least a couple books related to long distance running, so I will pick that one up. On the weather, not usually a major issue for me, but I have had amazingly bad luck lately in some shorter races with either strong wind, or sleet in the face! I'll make it no matter what and can't control it, I just hope for no blizzard type conditions... :-)
John M. I will check that out. I want to read at least a couple books related to long distance running, so I will pick that one up...
Books... ?
Serious Runner's Handbook -- Tom Osler -- (I am not a serious runner, but it is a good book.)
A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning -- Don Allison, ed -- (Some say it is too old--2004ish--but it all still applies.)
Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters With the Ultramarathon, Neal Jamison (An excellent collection of tales and truths.)
John M.
I ran it for the same reason. It's kind of legendary, so I wanted to see what it was all about and I thought running the 50th anniversary race would somehow be cool. It wasn't. I don't regret the experience at all, but I'll never understand the hype behind that race. And just to show that I never learn, I'm running the west coast version next weekend. The American River 50 has some striking similarities. I hope I hate it a little bit less though.
Good luck with the race and be sure to go into it with an open mind. Don't take my word for it. You may absolutely love the experience.
Some of you may not be old enough to remember the 50-mi craze of the Kennedy era (my high school years). This race is probably one of the few legacies remaining. The military folks may appreciate some of the history more than others. Thank you for your service.
(I'm about half way through Ayres book, and I think he captured the 50-mi craze reasonably well.)
I sent in my registration yesterday. It seems like people either really love this race, or they think it's way overrated. I figure there's only one way to figure out which group I'm in.
As soon as I posted on facebook that I was sending in my entry, trail running friends started telling me why I should do Stone Mill instead. Yes, I've heard nothing but good about Stone Mille, and it's only $35 compared to the $200 of JFK. But I honestly don't know if I really even want to do another 50 miler. I just want to do JFK because of the history of it, and because we're moving from Maryland to Texas in a couple years so I thought I should do it while I'm still here.
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