Ultra Runners

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Flint Hills Marathon (Read 16 times)

dhuffman63


Trails

    I'll preface this with the comment that I'm not good at writing up race reports like some of you.  This was supposed to be a marathon but due to sign issues turned into a 50k for me.

     

    The drive up took 4 and ½ hours but it wasn’t bad. A lot of people think KS is flat but while there are sections that are pancake flat there are hills.  I drove past some of the most amazing tall grass prairie where you could see nothing but grass for miles.  Easy to imagine great herds of buffalo.  Got to Manhattan, KS at around 4 pm and checked in to the Quality Inn there, then went to find the packet pick up site which was the LRS.  Nice store but I was hungry and wanted to find dinner.

    Since I have issues with dairy but decided on Olive Garden, pasta you know, it took a while to figure out how to get what I wanted with no sauce. So I ordered spaghetti, grilled chicken and the asiago sauce on the side…presto, no dairy.  Back to the hotel for the night.  Took a hot Epson salt bath once the water came back on…really of all times to have plumbing issues.

    Since my race didn’t start until 7:30 and breakfast was at 6 I got up at 5:30 and went down to have what ever I could eat…some scrambled eggs and grabbed a banana. Went up and got dressed.  I brought my fleece tights, injinji socks, a SS shirt, and my fleece zip up along with gloves and a fleece hat.  Topped that off with a rain poncho.  I had a ton of GU’s that I have found I can no longer tolerate so I gave them to the RD who had them available to anyone who wanted any of it.  It went fast.

    So in the rain and 40 something temps the marathoners started out. We made a one mile loop through the nearby industrial park before heading north to the gravel roads for the 25 mile loop.  At the start of the gravel loops there was a road blocked sign but no sign from the run so I thought I missed a turn and headed back to the start to find out…no, we go through that.  Start of the bonus miles for me. J

    Instead of my usual F bombs let me just switch out to Boy Howdy! And Boy Howdy there were hills, and more hills and Boy Howdy there were at least 24 miles of hills. And it rained ALL DAY.  Never got warmer than 45.  And yes you can get wetter and colder especially if you plod along like me.  At this point I so wished I was a runner and could get warmer.  There were AS and those poor people were out in it with little tent things but at least they could get in their cars to warm up.  Oh and pringles and damp don’t do well together…lol.

    So cruising along and about maybe 17 miles or so in, quit looking at my watch cause me fleece jacket sleeves were soaked and pushing them up made my hands cold, was the unmanned water stop and the sign directing our turn. Here’s where some local yahoo thought it’d be funny to turn the sign.  So I headed down the wrong way and eventually the front 2 50 milers ran past me.  They were moving well at this point.  A little later a van pulls up and asked if I’d seen them as she was tracking her fiancé and he was going the wrong way.  Told her they were ahead of me and she drove on to find him.  Eventually the 2nd place guy ran past and then the 1st place guy but at this point they were so far off course he lost his placing.  As I was making my way back there was a turkey buzzard fly up and land on a telephone pole as I went by.  I laughed and told him I wasn’t dead yet. More bonus miles J

    At this point I started leaning to the right which meant my back was not doing well. The only thing that helped was to take my right hand and put it behind my back.  At what was the last manned AS I took 2 tylenol with 9 miles to go.  Sat for a bit too and ate part of a banana, drank some coke and kept on.  There was a fantastic guy with 3 miles to go who set up a floating AS.  He gave me some gatoraide and some more pringles, and boy howdy there were still hills!

    Made it back to the finish line upright and ran across it. Unofficial 50k in 10 hours and 36 minutes.  The course reminded me of Pumpkin Holler with the gravel roads and hills so I was thrilled.  PH took me 12:15 and I did not run across the finish.

    I’m supposed to do the Heartland 50k on May 5th up in Cassoday, KS and am hoping there aren’t any boy howdy hills.

    RWD


      What do you mean, you wished you were a runner? Seems to me like you are.

      dhuffman63


      Trails

        Lol...one of those wonderful people who wore shorts cause they moved faster than me.  Since I did do "some" running I'll go with that.

        Bert-o


        I lost my rama

          Great job!  Especially keeping your head on straight and gutting it to the finish, especially with that course mishap, the turkey buzzard, and back issues.  Oh yeah, those boy howdy's too.  Maybe you need to up that goal a little bit since you already did a 50K this year.   Congrats!

          3/17 - NYC Half

          4/28 - Big Sur Marathon  DNS

          6/29 - Forbidden Forest 30 Hour

          8/29 - A Race for the Ages - will be given 47 hours

          dhuffman63


          Trails

            I'm slow and cautious...my first 50 miler will be Bravos Bend in Dec...then I want to do the 100k at Javelina in Oct 2019...2020 will be the year of the 100.  Trying to find the right one to do.

             

            I love reading all your race reports, I've learned so much from them.

              Woohoo, great job!

               

              Laughing at shooing away the buzzard.  And the "boy howdy" hills.  And sad soggy Pringles.  Aid stations really need to re-think their game when it's raining.

              4/14/24 Napa Valley 50k, Calistoga, CA

              7/20/24 Tahoe Rim Trail 56 miler, NV

              9/21/24 Mountain Lakes 100, OR

              berylrunner


              Rick

                Congrats on your race.  Too bad about the sign.  Course sabotage really makes my blood boil.  Way to make the best of it and have a great attitude.  Boy Howdy!!!!

                12-22   Last One Standing  - dnf 37 miles

                1-23  Sun Marathon - 3:53

                3-4-23  Red Mountain 55k - 7:02

                4-15-23  Zion 100 - 27:59