This was my first attempt at an ultra distance race and I got a big piece of humble pie served to me. The race started at 7 am in the small town of Carlton, MN and was an out-and-back to Duluth, MN over some very difficult woodland trails. The weather started out perfect with clouds, some wind, and temps in the 60s. I didn’t know what to expect so I started out slow while other racers went out fast. The plan was to catch up much later. However, after 2 miles I realized why many went out fast because the trail turned into a single path of large rocks, roots, and mud. You could only trot and hike through this section. The scenery and sounds were awesome, but if you take your eyes off the trail for very long you’d end up on your face. I got caught behind some slower people and there weren’t a lot of opportunities to pass (trail was just too narrow). Finally had an opening and ran past. After that early stage I knew I lost a lot of time so I had to change my master plan. I’ll let the route dictate when I took things slow and when I could open the throttle. I stuck to that strategy and passed several people whenever there was an opening and flat spots, but that wasn’t very often. When the trail did open up there were loads of hills. Some hills were only 350 feet of climb, but nearly straight up and down, over and over again. Besides my quads were getting fried from the extreme descents. After 15 miles my legs felt like they've done 20 miles on the roads. Not a good sign.
I can’t tell you how frustrated I was getting by the route. It was beautiful out there, but the road racer in me was putting me in a damn hurry while the trail was forcing me to slow down. I then realized that this race was not going to be a battle with the other racers and the clock, but really a battle against the trail and myself. Several times the trail got the best of me as I got off course once (some prankster moved the marking ribbons), fell 3 times tripping on tree roots, and rolled my ankle twice. After the third fall I just rolled onto my butt and sat there a minute angry and broken. Falling was getting really old and this time I hurt my wrist catching myself. At least the falls happened on the wider sections of the trail with no sharp rocks around. If I take a spill on the rocks or narrow parts then serious injury was highly possible (found out later that this actually happened to one of the racers and he was taken away in an ambulance). So I had to change my gait a bit and really focus on lifting up my feet at a time when I just wanted to drag them along.
The aid stations were very well stocked and came every 3-5 miles. My wife greeted me at each aid station for mental motivation and support. I lost time at each station drinking fluids because I forgot my water bottle. While I was pounding down the cups, others would have their bottles filled up and then bolt off with some food in hand. My mental apex came at the aid station at mile 31. I wanted to pull the plug, because being an out-and-back I knew what nasty hills and trail were coming up again. I definitely didn’t want to go through the dreaded “Power Lines” hill section again. With 19 miles left I was declaring the trail as the winner. I was not going to finish the race around my goal time and I simply hurt. The show is over, exit stage left, and turn out the lights. While Krista and I were walking away from the aid station she asked me, “Did you know you are in the top 20? Probably top 15 at this point.” I said “Really?” which she replied with a “Yeah! That’s great for your first time. You look good and I think you can do this.” I said, “Yeah a top 20 place would be pretty damn good for not knowing the course, but I don’t know if I can hold it.” She said, “Oh, you can do it for sure and I’ll see you at the next aid station.” The smoldering wick was becoming a fire again. The seed was planted and a top 20 place was my new goal (along with not getting seriously injured). Before I knew it, the legs were moving and I was trotting off again.
For the rest of the race I remained focused on my new goal and staying balanced physically and mentally, one aid station at a time. I ended up finishing in 9:11:58 and placing 14th in the men’s group (16th overall). There were 142 starters and 124 finished the race. After I showered at the high school, we just hanged out, snacked on food, and cheered on the other finishers. We met some great people and talked about racing and life in general. Several of them knew one another from the common bond of ultra running races. A tight, but very friendly group. A little later an awesome lasagna dinner was served to all the racers and their family or friends. Afterwards, awards were handed out and I received a special mug for placing within the men's top 15. That was a nice surprise as I didn't expect it at all. Then Krista and I said goodbye to the friends we made and were on the road once again. What a day. | 