Long Play Ultra Marathon 33 1/3 Miles, Race Report
Official Time: 6:18:33
The main goals of the race today was to cover some miles, help my friend Dixie run his first ultra marathon, and experience the ups and downs of running 33 miles.
The race started at 6:30, just as it was about to get light out. We had arrived about 5:30 after a drive of just under an hour (almost took two cars because Dixie called at 4:25 to say he would be almost 15 minutes late, I said I'd wait, 5 minutes later he was waiting for me at the meeting spot - fortunately traffic is pretty light at 4:30 am).
Just before 6:30, the race director Andy Matthews was going over the course and things to look out for (like the water crossings) and how not to get lost. Dixie was back at the car getting some last minute things. 10 seconds before the race started he was back and ready to go but noticed he didn't have his Garmin. I said I'd run slow and he could catch up - I didn't want to lose sight of the runners and risk taking a wrong turn. It all worked out. He was soon caught up and we were running a nice easy pace in the back of the pack and slowly working our way to the middle.
Start to Tucker Hill (6 miles) - 10:59, 9:44, 10:44, 10:20, 9:57, 11:55
I think this section was pretty uneventful, running was good and it seemed to go by pretty quickly. There was a 2.5 mile aid station (turnaround for the 5 mile race) which we didn't stop at. This section had a combination of packed dirt road, paved road (very briefly), paved bike trail, sandy fire road and finally single track.
Tucker Hill to Croom Road Aid Station (Miles 7-14) - 12:02, 10:15, 10:32, 9:55, 9:03, 9:32, 9:44, 10:06
The back side of Tucker hill is covered in roots and a bit tough (for me) to run on and there was a few muddy spots but not too too terrible. There is also a fun ravine to run through. After the ravine, we started picking up the pace and had some good miles through this section. In hindsight, maybe we went a little too fast, but nothing crazy at lesat. It was all pretty much single track until we reached Croom Road which is paved. We weren't on it too long before hitting the aid station and getting back onto single track. I think at about mile 10, I noted we were averaging a 10:28 pace. Thought that if we could hold this pace, bank a few faster miles here and there we would be in good shape. Unofficial goal was under 6 hours which seemed very reasonable, 10:00 pace would get us about 5:30, 11:00 pace would make us just miss it.
Croom Road Aid Station to Course Turnaround (Miles 15-20) - 10:59, 10:10, 17:24, 10:14, 10:26, 10:38
Headed back onto the trail, wound through some woods and then I could hear the highway nearby (I-75), where we should have gotten onto a sidewalk underneath an overpass with a rive next to it. But the sidewalk was under water. The flags were there marking where the route should have been. It didn't look too safe (although I think it would have been ok since there was a guardrail hidden underwater which would have prevented us from falling into the river. But, there was a way around, over a fence, scrambling through some brush and along a steep embankment, then over another fence and back next to the water again. So, all of this meant a pretty slow mile. But, it also meant Dixie had a chance to recharge and catch a second wind. There was an aid station in the Silver Lake campground, quick stop there and then onto the turnaround. Through some more cypress then into some open areas near meadows until finally getting to the turnaround aid station just past 20 miles. They had gels there, so I took one because you never know if you really can have enough gels.
Course Turnaround to Croom Road Aid Station (Miles 21-26) - 11:40, 11:31, 12:25, 13:05, 15:33, 19:02
This was some of the most serene looking terrain and I felt good that we were finally heading back and were more than half way done. Dixie was struggling a bit so we talked different strategies such as 3-1 or 4-1 run-walk and just concentrated on what we could do. Eventually made it back to the campground aid station where I had run ahead a little faster to try and save time, filling up Dixie's water bottle and encouraging him to keep going. Got going again and then back to the flooded out overpass. He got ahead of me and is better at scrambling across that sort of thing so I figured I'd catch back up once running again. But, by the time I had gotten past the flooded bridge aread and over the fences the trail came to a fork. I was pretty sure we needed to take a slightly different path back. Dixie was nowhere to be seen, but another runner who we had run into earlier had caught up. He was pretty sure we should go right, so right it was.
For a while the trail looked like what I thought it should. There were periodic orange flags put up by the race director, along with the blue blazes painted on trees to mark the existing trail. Then, the trail was no more. I could still see the orange flags but instead of ground was a flooded cypress swamp. RD did mention something about water crossings. Ok, here goes. Water was ankle deep, then thigh deep, and then waist deep. Almost looked like it would keep going. I knew that this was actual trail most of the year so the ground under the water was fairly solid but also rooty. And then, eventually the trail was back again.
Trail wound on some more and then it disappared again. But, with all of the zigging and zagging and what looked like a road nearby it almost seemed like I had taken a wrong turn and was on the wrong side of the water. So, I looked at my garmin and pulled up the little line drawing map and sure enough it showed that I would complete the loop if I kept on going forward. So, back in the water. This one was a bit more open looking with fewer trees and it also bordered closer to the river. But, then after maybe 4 or 5 minues (which seemed like forever), the trail was back.
So, that was the 15 and 19 minute miles. And soon after the trail was back I came out of the woods I was at the 26 mile aid station. And, not only that I was congratulated by the volunteers for actually following the correct trail (they had been making the people that went the wrong why run out 0.2 and back 0.2 miles to make up the lost 0.4 miles (although they also missed all the fun and lost time of slogging through the swamp water). I had just missed Dixie by about a minute.
Croom Road Aid Station to Finish Line (Miles 27-33.333) - 11:26, 9:35, 11:45, 12:42, 11:27, 9:10, 8:55, 0.46@8:15
I left the aid station, making up some of the lost time and eventually caught up to Dixie. He seemed to be on a second wind and was running strong for a while and also running with a woman named Crystal (who had herself gotten lost and had run an extra several miles somehow (and also missed the swamp crossing)). We had a few slow miles and stuck together until I got to the mile 31 aid station. Stopped there and when I looked back realized I had gotten ahead farther than planned. The sun was being kept mostly behind clouds but it was still a bit warm at around 78 degrees. Decided it'd be ok to go ahead. I felt good and picked up speed as the course changed from single track to fire road and then eventually paved bike path until finally back to dirt road. About a mile away the RD had put up a series of signs - "You're almost there!", "Keep Going", "There's BEER at the finish line", and then "Say YES", followed by "Say YES" repeated 48 more times. The last "Say YES" sign had a drawing of an engagement ring on it. The RD's girlfriend was running her first ultra marathon and apparently was in for a big surprise at the finish line.
I finished up, grabbed some refreshments and headed back to the finish line to catch a photo finish of Dixie and Crystal.
Also got to see the proposal - she said yes fortunately!
Overall, it would have been nice to run this a bit faster even though I was mainly wanting to just pace Dixie, but he did finish and with the obstacles and warmer temps it could have been worse.
But, maybe the best part was how easy the last 7 miles felt for me after I hit the 26 mile mark and how good it was to experience so many things I would never have seen or done.
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