Here is my report. Keep in mind that I haven't actually reread it since writing it late into the night, so I am aware that words will be out of place.
Race Report: http://www.briankunkle.com/2014/08/call-of-wilds-mountain-marathon-race.html
http://www.valleyrunningclub.org/
Wow. That is a good bit of climbing for marathon/50K. And those snakes!!! Nice work getting it done.
LB2
Thanks.
I have to believe that given the reading I got from Garmin and the amount of race left after mine died it must have topped out somewhere around 8,000ft.
running under the BigSky
That looks like a toughy to be sure, congrats on a very solid finish! I totally agree why not add a couple of miles and go w/ a 50k? I ran a "50k" last year that was a little over 36 miles, why not call it what it is? They also had their aid stations stated incorrectly, which was frustrating.
My buddy got bit by a rattlesnake a week ago, he ended getting life flighted to Billings, took 8 doses of anti-venom and his blood pressure dropped dangerously low- definitely worth avoiding!
2023 goal 2023 miles √
2022 goal- 2022 miles √
2021 goal- 2021 miles √
Tim
Nice job, Brian. Looks like that "Marathon" is every bit as hard as the 50k's at Hyner View or Ironmasters.
Got to love our nice PA trails. What we lack in vistas and awe inspiring views, we sure make up for with roots, rocks and quad busting climbs.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
Le professeur de trail
Sounds brutal but I expected nothing less from the folks that put this on. Congrats on the B2B. Hope that bodes well for you for your 100k. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite day of the week is RUNday
That looks like a toughy to be sure, congrats on a very solid finish! I totally agree why not add a couple of miles and go w/ a 50k? I ran a "50k" last year that was a little over 36 miles, why not call it what it is? They also had their aid stations stated incorrectly, which was frustrating. My buddy got bit by a rattlesnake a week ago, he ended getting life flighted to Billings, took 8 doses of anti-venom and his blood pressure dropped dangerously low- definitely worth avoiding!
Thanks. I'd never seen a rattlesnake in the wild until last week on the Pine Creek Trail. Just 7 days later I got to see an entire nest of them at Call of the Wilds. They were very well behaved hower.
I do like the idea of having another Central Pa Trail MARATHON. There are already tough 50k's to be found in the region (Green Monster, Hyner), but if its going to be called Marathon it could probably stand to be at least a little bit closer to 26.2 miles. I think a lot of people probably went into it having run some of the popular trail half marathon's and 25k races and saw this as a logical step toward 50k. That was sort of how I thought of it when Maria and I first talked about doing it. I've already run 50k, but this was to be her first race beyond 30k. She end up becoming a marathoner and ultra runner on the same day, hehe.
Thanks. Several rest days ahead for me now. A longish run this weekend, if my body is ready, and then nothing but easy running until Pine Crek 100k on Sept 6th. Just found out that Maria will be at an aid station somewhere out on the course, which is encouraging. Its gonna be an adventure, thats for sure.
KillJoyFuckStick
That course sounds and looks like a good combination of both beautiful and tough. Good job on seeing it through.
You people have issues
Thanks. I'd like to spend some time on parts of the course some day in a non-racing situation to get a better look at my surroundings.
Congratulations on running a strong race.
I was given a ride back to the start by Craig Fleming. He claimed that the course was actually chosen by the DCNR rangers. Maybe that was just so no one tried to throw him and Denny in the lake afterwards . It sounds like the DCNR was very involved with and supportive of the race which I think is really cool. He also said that the Mid State trail people are planning more trail improvements to their portion by next year.
The Vista on the Tiadaghton is just a little below what I would call the summit. It is off the trail somewhat and to get the best view you had to do some minor rock climbing. The only reason I didn't miss it was that I was leapfrogging at that point with Brian Newcomer and he pointed it out to some of us. My picture of the buildings far below in the valley and the other one shooting up the gorge are from that point.
Congratulation to Maria on finishing that race. I didn't know it at the time but I'm quite sure (based on her picture in your post) that she came into AS #3 while I was still sitting there waiting for a ride. She looked exhausted at that point and I would have bet on her dropping at a later point. Good to know that she toughed it out.
I've done both versions of Hyner and the Mega twice. For my money and only seeing the course to AS 3 I think this course is tougher then either of those. I didn't really mind the climbs, I had did a decent job of training for that. For me it was that there was so much poor footing. I really thought that the trails would have seen higher traffic year round and therefore be in better shape. I was wrong.
Congratulations on running a strong race. I was given a ride back to the start by Craig Fleming. He claimed that the course was actually chosen by the DCNR rangers. Maybe that was just so no one tried to throw him and Denny in the lake afterwards . It sounds like the DCNR was very involved with and supportive of the race which I think is really cool. He also said that the Mid State trail people are planning more trail improvements to their portion by next year. The Vista on the Tiadaghton is just a little below what I would call the summit. It is off the trail somewhat and to get the best view you had to do some minor rock climbing. The only reason I didn't miss it was that I was leapfrogging at that point with Brian Newcomer and he pointed it out to some of us. My picture of the buildings far below in the valley and the other one shooting up the gorge are from that point. Congratulation to Maria on finishing that race. I didn't know it at the time but I'm quite sure (based on her picture in your post) that she came into AS #3 while I was still sitting there waiting for a ride. She looked exhausted at that point and I would have bet on her dropping at a later point. Good to know that she toughed it out. I've done both versions of Hyner and the Mega twice. For my money and only seeing the course to AS 3 I think this course is tougher then either of those. I didn't really mind the climbs, I had did a decent job of training for that. For me it was that there was so much poor footing. I really thought that the trails would have seen higher traffic year round and therefore be in better shape. I was wrong.
Maria doesn't like me to talk about it, but since she doesn't post here I will. She didn't train for this race. She didn't really train for Hyner or Rothrock either. She works a lot of hours and has a darling little girl to take care of. Conbine that with some injuries in the recent past, and some how these races always seem to creep up on her. She's attempting events in her 2nd year of running that I'd never even thought of until after having 5 or 6 years under my belt. And still, she found the strength to run it in the last few hundred yards across the grass. Blows my mind.
Its great that the state is getting in on the action. Everything in the world of government these days seems to be about cutting back. But its times like these that we need our wild places more than ever. Kudos to them.
flashlight and sidewalk
Congrats on the race and nice race report. I like what I'm hearing about this race!
**Ask me about streaking**
congrats to you and Maria! And thanks for the race report, sounds grueling
Faster Than Your Couch!
Congratulations, well run!
I found the early climbs harder than the ones after about 15 miles, even though they were about the same difficulty, perhaps even harder because they were longer. But by then, I had adjusted, I guess.
I also felt that the aid stations were a bit beyond what the chart had said, but thought that it was just me, LOL.
Run for fun.