This was my first DNF (100 mile race/I ran just 65 miles), so a dose of humility in my running 'career'. I got home just minutes ago, so wanted to write this while it was fresh in my mind, and before I had a chance to second guess my decision to tap out with rosier colored glasses.
The Haliburton 100 is a tough course, no matter what. Very technical, with 14,400 feet of knarly elevation. I ran it (won the Master's division) 5 years ago on the 'old course' in a time of 26:46:27 when the cutoff was 30 hours. They changed the course since then, taking out a significant number of lumber roads and exchanging them for a rather technical and difficult trail section. They also increased the cutoff time to 33 hours.
The course is four 25 mile loops, with 4 aid stations. The longest section between aid stations is the new technical section, and is 10 miles. After complaints in previous years, they added a 'water only' section in there at the 6 mile (give or take) mark. My "A" goal was to finish in under 30 hours by running the loops in 6 hours, 7 hours, 8 hours and 9 hours. My "B" goal was to just finish in the 33 hour cutoff.
So, as predicted, it was cold, wet, and muddy. And miserable. When I arrived on Friday afternoon, there was a torrential downpour. I had to wait an hour or more to set up my tent. Very messy out there. It continued to rain all night Friday, and it was still raining Saturday morning when we started at 6am. It was 10C/50F when we started, which was the high for the day (and night).
The first 2 miles are non-technical trail. They end at Aid Station 4 (weird, and I don't know why, but the Aid Stations go from 4 to 1). After that is the 10 mile knarly technical section. At that point, my headlamp died. I don't know why. I had tested it, and it should have lasted 3 hours. Maybe the cold and rain? But it was dead, and it was still dark. This was not the headlamp to get me through the night, but a cheaper one that should have done the job that morning. So, I basically followed a pack of three other runners who (fortunately) were running about my speed. Not ideal, but by 7am, I was okay without them. That was my first problem solving situation.
The second situation happend on a steep downhill after Aid Station 3 - still just 3 hours into the race - when I felt liquid all over my chest. The nipple on one of my soft water flasks had fallen off in the bouncing, and I could not find it, despite looking for a minute or two. So, I figured I'd just have to deal, although it really threw a wrench into my nutrition and hydration plans. Basically, I filled that one with water at every Aid Station, and drank it down immediately. At the end of my second loop at Aid Station 1, while this was happening, someone overheard my (repeated) explanation of why there was no nipple and offered me his flask. It was brand new. He had just finished the 50km race and had not used it. That was amazing and made a huge difference in my planning. Thank you - whoever you are!
A third 'situation' was my timing. I knew the charge on my Garmin would not last the entire race, and so had arranged for a second one from a friend. My plan was to run each 25 mile loop, and then put my Garmin on a charger and run the next loop with the fresh one. Well, my friend reneged at the last minute and I was stuck. I ended up buying a cheap (waterproof) watch at Canadian Tire enroute to the race. Better than nothing. My Garmin lasted until mile 40.5. After that, I had to rely on my knowledge of the course and my estimates of where I should be, until mile 75 when I would be able to use my recharged watch. Never got there.
Lap one went fairly well, despite the challenges. There are 5 races going on here: the 100 mile, 50 mile, 50km, 26km and 12km. 600 runners in all. The 50 milers run the course twice, but the others run it differently. They go in the opposite direction - sort of an out and back, and it meant having to dodge a significant number of runners on a mostly single track and technical trail. Not an issue after the first lap. I finished that first lap in just under 6 hours (5:50:30), so all went according to plan.
The second lap I finished in 6:37:22 - a combined time of just under 12 and a half hours, so I was comfortably ahead of where I wanted to be. I ran the first lap with a 14 minute/mile pace, and the second in a 15:30 minute/mile pace (not sure exactly, due to not having the Garmin for the last 10 miles. I could almost walk the last 2 laps to finish in 33 hours, and was fairly confident at that point of reaching my "A" goal.
I reached Aid Station 4 on my third lap at 7pm, helped myself to a selection of food that was offered, and headed out for that long technical section. I held off turning on my headlamp for as long as I could. It should last 12 hours (as tested), but after the incident in the morning, I wanted to preserve the battery as long as possible. I was forced to turn it on at 7:45pm. At this point, I had no way of tracking speed, so I just figued I'd be good if I arrived at Aid Station 3 by 11pm. (I did, by the way. I should have been right on pace to start my final lap at 3am.)
So, it was somewhere in here that the wheels fell off. And it seemed to have happened quickly. The rain never stopped. Just a mist at times, and a bit heavier at others. And it was getting colder, although I felt overheated on my second lap and had taken off my rain jacket and my hat. Without them, I was comfortable. I was eating and drinking according to plan, and had zero GI issues. The only people I encountered on my second lap, mostly, were at the Aid Stations. Same for the third lap. But on that knarly section on my third lap, I caught up with Ron and his pacer. He is a 77 year old man running the 50 mile race, on his second lap. I am so happy to see that he finished his race in a time of 25:33:40. Way to go Ron!
After that, Owen caught up with me. Turns out he is a 61 year old (basically my age) who ran this race some 9 years ago (I think he said) and just wants to get his buckle. He is also on his 3rd lap. I could keep up with him on the uphills, but he really was handling the downhills way better than I could. He passed me. I caught up with him at the water station, and had a chance to chat with him on that very long uphill section that follows. On the downhill after that, I lost him and never saw him again. SO happy to see that he came in 4th today, in a time of 28:06:48. Way to go Owen! Can you believe that in a field of 64 racers, a 61 year old runner came in fourth? Wow.
Anyway, it was around that time that things went south. My quads were trashed. I was in agony running downhill. Initially, I thought it was the challenge of running in the dark on a very muddy and technical trail, but there is a 1 mile road section leading up to Aid Station 3. I ran it my first two laps at a pretty decent pace. This one, I mostly walked it. Walking was fine (hammies were great), but the quads were trashed.
I did all the Aid Station things, and then set off. At this point, my timing was good. This was the 'easiest' section of the course. Not this time. Walking uphill was okay, but I just could not run the downhills. I was forced to walk them. When I got to the short section of road that leads from the steep hills to the swampy section, I realized I was shivering. My hands had been numb for some time, but now I felt chilled to the bone. So, I put my hat and rain jacket back on and kept walking, but it was here that I realized a DNF was inevitable. Once my brain went in that direction, I think it was done. I walked to the nearest Aid Station, arriving there about midnight, and tapped out.
Tough decision, but the right one. I wanted to write this before I started to second guess my decision. I had dry clothes stashed at the Aid Stations, but I would have needed something heavier to get me through the night, and even then I would have been walking the final 35 miles. Yes, I could have done that in the 15 hours remaining to the 33 hour cutoff, but given the shivering muscles, and the fact that I was stumbling even on the road section, told me I could not do it safely. It rained all night, and the temperature dropped to 4C/39F, and the wind was stiff.
They were great at the Aid Station. Gave me a foil blanket and hand warmers. Drove me to Base Camp. Gave me no choice re: seeing the doctor. That took a while, as he piled electric blankets on me and kept taking my temperature, blood pressure, and a few other things. Finally released me, and I drove to my tent and was out for the night.
Although I was not planning on coming home until Monday, there seemed to be no sense in staying in a cold, wet tent another night, so drove home. Drinking Scotch, and looking forward to a warm bed tonight.
70 registered, and 64 showed up. 17 finished. About 1/4, which seems expected for this course under these conditions. Bummed that I had my first DNF, but respectful of the circumstances, and not questioning my decision to tap out. Even with a parka, at that point, I think I was just too chilled to the bone and too sore to finish.
EDIT ONE WEEK LATER:
Never should have tapped out. Should have toughed it out. What a mistake that was, after all that training. Dumb, dumb, dumb. (I KNEW I'd second guess my decision!!!). I left a part of myself out on that course. I'll have to go back to find it. Either next year or the year after, I'll be back.
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