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Notes

Short version: My best race performance. 1st Grandmaster (over 50), and 1st USATF Master (over 40 AND a USATF Member) at the 2015 Afton Trail Run 25K. I had to sprint like crazy at the finish to beat the #2 guy in both categories; he and I battled all race! I finished <1 second ahead of him.

I started near the front this year, unlike the past 2 years. I didn't really race it the last 2 years; I was still in the porta john last year when they started playing the national anthem. But when I finished last year, they asked my age, and when I said, "49," they said, "Ah, too bad, you just missed being the Grandmaster champion." That moment made me believe I had a chance to place this year, being 50 and all, so I started near the front. There is no timing mat at the start. There is only "gun time" or "race time," no separate "chip time," so if it comes down to a close finish, the person who crosses the finish line first wins (i.e., no chip correction for those starting further back). This is important in this case.

I saw him about a mile into the race -- a grey-haired, older-looking guy, no idea who he was. He was with a group of about 4 or 5 people. I passed them without thinking too much about it. We hadn't reached any of the big hill climbs yet, and I was feeling strong. I wanted to pass anyone I could fairly early on, since I think I am pretty strong on the hills. It's fairly narrow single-track up most of the hills, and I didn't want to get stuck behind slower climbers, unable to pass. This was very frustrating for me in prior years here.

He must've passed me at some point after the first big hill climb (I don't remember it), but later, about 4 miles in, I see him up ahead and off to the side of the trail having, umm, intestinal issues. I pass him again. Maybe 5 minutes later, he catches up and asks me what time my watch says. Confused, I ask, "You mean, what time is it?" He wants to know the elapsed race time -- duh! I tell him what my watch says, and he expresses disgust at his own watch, and then he drops back rather suddenly. I assume that I've left him behind for good.

The hills at Afton are tough. Tough enough to make walking up them a smart choice at times, even when competing for time or place. I walked several times, knowing that the trade-off between energy expended and time lost clearly favored walking on several occasions. I felt like I was running a smart race. Things are going well, and I start to think about my "A" goal for this race, to finish under 2 hours. I had gone from 2:21 to 2:09 the last two years, but sub-2 hours on this course puts you up there with some fairly accomplished runners.

The next time I see him, I'm cruising along very late in the race, all the big hills are behind me, and I'm maybe only a quarter mile from the finish line, thrilled that I will break 2 hours on this course. But then he passes me (I had no idea anyone was coming up behind me), and it slowly occurs to me that this might be significant. So I pick up the pace just enough to stay on his heels. When we are about 100 yards from the finish, he looks over his shoulder and seems surprised to see me right there behind him. I think I have another gear available, so I just go for it. I pass him quickly, and I run like hell! It burns, but there's an adrenaline rush, too! I was able to hold on to my "sprint" all the way through the finish chute, which is good, because he finishes less than one second behind me. YES!!! (Hehehe, Garmin's plot of instantaneous pace shows me doing 4:37 pace at the finish.)

There is some commotion, and I hear the PA announcer say something about the Grandmaster Champion. I listen and watch in anticipation ... as they hand HIM an award (a nice plaque), and there is applause from the small gallery of runners. I am apparently invisible. Nobody hands me anything or says anything to me. So, I stand around the finish area like an idiot, thinking that they would also hand me an award, or maybe say something to me. I'm over 50 (ok, just barely), and I crossed the finish line ahead of this guy, so it doesn't matter if he's 50 or 85 or 99, I should be the Grandmaster Champion, right?!

I decide to talk to the grey-haired gentleman (who I later learn is a fairly accomplished runner, and a good guy). He asks me who I am and says that I had a nice finishing kick. Then he shows me his plaque. It says Grandmaster Champion. I say congrats ... but I can't help but also say, "But it's funny, cuz, well, I'm a Grandmaster, too." He wonders if perhaps I signed up while I was still 49, or if there was some other reason why they gave him the award instead of me. (My hind-sight rationalization is that, when we finished, I looked much too young to be a "Grandmaster.") He suggested that I talk to the race organizers to see if I could resolve this. In fact, the e-mail sent out to all runners before the race specifically said that there would be no formal awards ceremony, and that if you felt you should've received an award, you should not be shy and let someone know. After talking to 3 different race officials, and getting the brush-off from all 3, I gave up. (I cannot fault any of them; the race was still going on, and my politest requests must've sounded like childish whining.)

Days after the race, the on-line race results listed me as the Grandmaster Champion (and the USATF Masters Champion, but that's a separate deal ... there were 3 Non-USATF Masters Males that beat me, so ... I lucked into that title ... and a check for $125!). I eventually decided to e-mail the Race Director, a person for whom I have tremendous respect -- a local running legend of sorts, and just a really decent human being. I really hesitated to send the e-mail, afraid of whining to someone who should not have to listen to anyone's whining. Well, his response was amazing: apologetic, respectful, kind, generous, ... He took full ownership for the error (even though he had no direct involvement in the mix-up at all). He said that he would talk to the the various race officials involved and use it as a learning experience. I was incredibly grateful and told him so in an email. About a week later, I received the Grandmaster Champion plaque mailed to my home. I do not know whether he had another plaque made, or if the other guy sent it back after seeing the on-line results. Either way, it was pretty darn cool.

But it gets better! A video overview of the 2015 race was posted on the race website, and I noticed that, as part of the video, there was a still shot of me running down the trail through some thick trees ... with the grey-haired guy just a few steps behind me! (About 4:45 into the video.) A great photo, and I wanted it. But the video resolution was very grainy when I tried to save a screen shot of it. I couldn't find the photo posted anywhere else. Sooooo, I sent one more email to the race director, and I mentioned that, if he happened to know anything about that photo, I would pay good money for a copy of it. A day later, he emailed me a 3.5MB high resolution image file! It is easily the best race photo I've ever had taken of me! Again, I have tremendous respect for this RD, and this series of events just solidified his legendary status in my eyes.

Almost an afterthought: The award for the USATF Masters Champion was a check for $125.00 mailed to my home. Very nice! Again, there were 3 Masters Males who finished ahead of me, but none were USATF members, apparently. The USATF representative also exchanged some e-mails with me to confirm my address before mailing me the check. I saw him at a race about a month later, and he recognized me and congratulated me in person! Really, really good people these running folks are.

So the total haul for this one race: a hunk of wood with hay-bale twine strung through it (finishers medal), a check for $125 for being the USATF Masters (over 40) Male champion, a plaque that says Grandmaster Champion, a high resolution photo of a special moment during my best race effort ever, and a pretty good story.

MTA: I have seen the grey-haired gentleman at races since this one. We have beaten each other several times and have established a friendly rivalry. He is the Grandmaster 25K Course Record Holder at the Afton Trail Run in 2012, and I'd have to drop another 3 or 4 minutes to match his record. He won the title easily in 2016, but I hope to at least give him a run for his money in 2017!

MTA: In 2017, I finished 1st G-Master, and Dennis was 2nd, about 1:30 behind. He saw me and asked what my time was (perhaps curious to see if his record was still intact). I said I was just barely under 2 hours, which left his record safe. I will push hard in 2018 to see if I have a shot at the G-Master Course Record. I think it is within reach ...