Notes
Where to start? I knew this was going to be a tough race with big climbs well ahead of time. I was unsure about the technical difficulty but expected it to be less than Superior 100 but more than Kettle. It was also a cupless race which meant no cups of Mtn Dew/Coke for caffeine.
The race starts at 6PM and the forecast was for rain most of the night then to taper off mid-morning. The taper off part didn't happen. The race started and a large group of runners head out on a short road running 7:30 pace. I hold back as there is really no need to go this fast or at least so I thought until we got to singletrack and there was already a conga line of 30 runners ahead of me. I figured the pace would even out but at the head of the conga line were two runners now doing 11 minute miles. After a couple of minutes I got impatient and sprinted through the bushes for about 30 yards to pass to the front since I did not want to run the first five miles at 11 minute pace.
Finally got to the front and slowed down to a comfortable 8:30 pace until I started climbing, and climbing, and climbing. Having never run a mountain race, I was unprepared for how long the climbs were despite having done several treadmill hill workouts at 10-12% incline up to 4 miles straight. Even with 12,000+ ft of elevation gain per week in training I could still feel the effect of the hills pretty early on. I went up the first hill then back down a little to the first aid station. While I was running I heard a freight train and was thinking I hope I don't need to cross the tracks. Guess what, 1/4 mile later I got to the tracks and waited for the train to pass (it was only 30 or so seconds luckily). (~mile 5) On to the first major climb to Elliot's knob. It is already dark out but the good news is it was a gravel jeep trail, but the bad news was it was washed out and steep (climbing 2000 ft over 5 miles with some sections with pretty good pitch). I got to the top and took a wrong turn, then another, finally found the orienteering punch we were supposed to use to punch our bib (~mile 10). As I was doing that another runner came up and I was no longer in the lead.
We went down a half mile to single track and then down even more for some of the most technical parts of the trail. Lots of loose rocks every step much like Superior Trail made it so that my only focus was a couple of feet in front of me which was hard enough to see with the fog and rain. I traded places with (I think Patrick) a few times as I almost took a dive off the side of the mountain once and wanted to slow down, then he slowed down. Finally got to the ~15 mile aid station and prepared to go up again. At this point I am in the top three runners, mostly leading and I feel really good. There is another 1000 foot climb over 2 miles then we drop down 1500 feet over another 2.5 miles. Another couple miles of relatively flat then we hit the first aid station with drop bags at mile 22. My headlamp is already dying and by the time I reload it with batteries and get going Patrick has caught up to me.
I head back up another 1500 feet and then back down close to 2000 feet at mile 35. I head back up again and get to the mile 37 aid station. I had felt really good on this section and time flew by. I honestly thought I was closer to mile 30. The crew told me I was in first place and told me I had this in the bag. I grabbed more gels and kept moving. Shortly after leaving the aid station my hamstring started tweaking and I was forced to walk up steep inclines to keep the pain level under control. Luckily, a fast walk was not painful so I could generally keep moving pretty well. After a couple of miles I saw what looked like a light shining on a hill to the right. As I got closer I saw two lights and then realized they were eyes staring down at me. OMG, it was a big old black bear climbing up a tree. I stopped for a brief time in awe and then got moving because I was envisioning the bear getting pissed of and deciding to chase me down.
I keep going and so does the rain and fog. I've been running for 6+ hours and it is still raining with only occasional let ups. Several times when I'm running I see field mice scurrying out from the leaves covering the trail but time is starting to slow down and feel like it is taking forever to get to the next aid station. I finally get there (mile 44) and change my shirt as I am now freezing. Shortly after leaving the aid station I get passed not once but twice as I am walking due to hamstring pain. I power hike up a long hill, mixing running when it is somewhat flat and punch my bib at reddish knob. Most of this is either gravel jeep trail or paved road. Then back down to the mile 51 aid station and once again I am convinced I am going the wrong way. Now my right quad is also tweaking and I cannot run downhill very fast either. (This started bothering me the last couple weeks of training)
I finally get to the mile 51 aid station and get some more dry clothes, more batteries for the headlamp, and get moving once again. Going back down to the aid station at mile 55 seems to take forever. I drink some soup, grab gels and get going again. Things are somewhat a blur between mile 55 and 80 where my watch finally died but all I remember is lots of rain, fog, and finally it got light out. I got passed a few more times and somewhere after it got light out I saw a mamma bear and her 3 cubs. The mamma was on the left side of the trail and the 3 cubs on the right. I stopped and stood silently hoping they would move along. Two of the cubs ran across right away but the last cub kept looking around until it too finally crossed the trail and they all ran away. Silently I was praying, please don't maul me mamma.
Once I got to the aid station at 80 things seemed to move a little faster again. I did get passed once but I passed him again after a few minutes. I finally got to mile 90 with the long descent from Elliots knob and my right quad was screaming. My left was a little tight but I felt like I could have moved faster if not for my useless right leg. I forgot to mention that somewhere after mile 40 I had to stop and pee almost every hour. I don't know what was up with that but sometimes it was more than once per hour. I wasn't drinking a ton nor was I dehydrated. Over the last 5 I made a promise to myself that I would not stop to pee again. (no luck). At the last aid station they tell me that I am in 8th place.
In what seemed like took forever from the mile 5 aid station I get into the Boy Scout camp and think I only have a mile left or so. I pass 7th place who looks like he is hurting bad. I wind around the camp and get to where I think is the end but the flags point the other way. As I start out that way I see a runner in a gray shirt going to the left not following the flags. I keep following the flags thinking I am going to be in 6th place. I go up the hill and keep following the flags but I don't recognize the path at all. Then I hear cheering as the sixth place finisher (and first master) runs into the finish area. I keep going a little ways then decide I must have went the wrong way and head back a half mile. I run into 8th place Adam W. and he tells me I am going the right way, follow the flags. Now I am pissed because either the other guy took a shortcut or I have just added an extra mile to my time. I keep going and eventually I know I am going the right way after all. I can see the camp and the lake and finally roll into the finish. I haven't known the time for several hours and am shocked to see the clock read 22:19. Done in 22:19:05. 6th place was 22:05 and I am still wondering what really happened...
Official Splits:
14.63 (Pace 10:16) 37.13 (Pace 10:12) 51.56 (Pace 11:43) 65.33 (Pace 12:21) 96.67 (Pace 13:05) 101.85 (Pace 13:08)
02:30:00 (10:16) 06:19:00 (10:10) 09:47:00 (14:24) 13:27:00 (15.58) 21:06:00 (12:36) 22:19:05 (14:06)