frequently, with varying degrees of un-success. This was in 2013. Then a
season went by with few races and less motivation followed by a season
of fewer races but more satisfaction; pacing a few others in their
personal quests, and just ticking over personally with my running.
Now here we are, 2016, with Sulphur Springs only days away. I didn’t sign up
until 8 days prior. I had no fantastic months of training and was away
in the UK for a month but managed some lovely 10-15 mile trail runs
while in ‘The Garden of England’, Kent. Running in the North Downs I ran
through beautiful carpets of Bluebells.
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| Fields of Bluebells in Kent, England along the North Downs Trail |
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| North Downs Trail - constantly rolling hills with great beauty |
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| Taking a break from DIY chores on a lovely day in Kent, UK |
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| More trails which are beautiful |
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| Follow the acorn markings for the North Downs Way |
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| Glorious Kent Countryside |
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| Rochester Cathedral in Kent, UK |
Returning to Canada I became re-acquainted with Short Hills, The Bruce
Trail, Woodend Park and when I checked out the OUS (Ontario Ultra Series) race calendar noticed
Sulphur Springs was quickly approaching. I popped out for a 23 mile
training run in Short Hills to ascertain fitness and willpower,
remembered why Body-glide is an essential addition to any ultra runners
repertoire, and decided 50 miles was likely 19 miles further than I was
capable of and settled on the 50km, a race distance I’ve not attempted
at Sulphur Springs before.
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| Start of 50/100 mile races at 6:00am |
years. Of course there are many race distances at this particular event
and many will be doing the 50 mile or 100 mile distances but it will be
nice to be in a race situation again and be amongst fellow runners. I
also know race directors Andrea and Tim from social runs together and
look forward to supporting their race.
While my training run gave me confidence that I can indeed complete a
50km run (I didn’t say race), the temperature on that outing was a
comfortable 20 degrees. I’ve mentioned several times in my blog how
poorly I perform in elevated humidity and temperatures. It saps me
entirely so I was less than ecstatic, looking at the forecast to see
Ancaster temperatures rocketing on Friday/Saturday/Sunday with humidity
making it feel like 37 degrees and possibly rain as well. Bugger! I
feel sorry for those poor souls doing 50 and 100 milers. I’m glad,
however, that it is not the weekend for the Niagara Ultra which is far
more exposed.
I’m not sweating emotionally about the race and don’t imagine I’ll
start over-thinking things or not be able to sleep restfully. The course
is pretty ingrained in memory and the only difference this time is doing
a 10km short loop initially, followed by two of the full 20km loops. The
50km race commences at 7:30am alongside the 25km runners and they turn
back 5km into the beginning 10km loop.
I always like to have a goal in mind and it makes for good reading
after the fact, to see how right or wrong I got it. I’ve made a few
fairly accurate predictions but also got it horribly wrong on a number
of occasions. Two things that often bite me are the same factors that
any other runner faces, and getting it right comes with experience and
lots of practice - pace and fitness. Go out too fast and you’ll wind up
with an impressive first lap followed by -- DNF on the result sheet.
Been there! Don’t put in the right training and you’ll face the death
march, that unenviable position when your head is no longer in the game
and isn’t willing to push those legs any faster.
So my prediction is, with a very hot day forecast, that I’ll finish in
5 hours 30 minutes. Well, we’ll know soon enough. . . .
Race Day
4:15am awake, out the door by 5:00am and it’s 21 degrees already with
sunrise yet to come. An easy 45 minute drive up the mountain gets me one
of the last remaining parking spaces by the athletic complex. Sun is up
and temperatures are rising. I take myself over to the start line and
get my bib for the 50km and chat to runners I know who are minutes away
from their 50 or 100 miles start. Jack is there and Ron and they line up and off
they disappear down the hill. My time is only 1.5 hours away. I head
back to the car, organize my stuff and head back to the start with my
packed bag and folding chair which I place by Barbara, Ron Gehl’s wife.
Ron is doing the 50miler.
I’m just sitting comfortably, watching the
comings and goings, and on my other side a family sets up, a woman
called Trish with several bright tattoos. She’s already done several of
the OUS races and looks fit and ready for the day, also doing the 50km.
With 15 minutes to go I feel stomach rumblings despite two trips at home
and I join the lengthy line-up but it moves well and I’m back in my
chair with 4 minutes to go. I decide no shirt today which is the first
time I’ve ever gone shirtless and Barbara kindly rubs it in my back and
I then join the starting line and just relax before the air horn goes
and we all begin our respective journeys on what promises to be a very
hot day!
Lap 1 – 10km. Time about 55 minutes
I’ve looked at the finishing times and it’s a bummer that there are no
lap times, only finish times and average pace but the first lap went by
pretty quickly. I’ve never done the 10km loop to start so there was a
tiny bit of new trail where they tied it into the 20km loop but soon I
was in familiar territory. My pace was too fast but I wanted to get as
much done before the heat peaked. We passed 2 bridges which then takes
you to a right turn past a park bench and eventually to the 3 ‘sisters’
hill which is nasty. The final bit always leaves me gasping although on
the first lap I was able to do a short walk and get back into running
fairly quickly. When I’m on fresh legs I always enjoy the downhill
lollipop section and before long I was back at the final aid station and
climbing up the steep hill back to the start/finish. Only two more laps
to go!
Lap 2 – 20km. Time for this lap about 2:05
I started the lap feeling reasonably well and did make a conscious
effort to slow it down after lap 1. I ran with a few runners around me
while others passed by or we passed them and I was not checking bib
colors for the race distance they were in and just wanted to finish
feeling not too bad. By the time we got back to the Aid Station by the
road I was starting to flag and the heat was getting pretty strong. They
had popsicles for awhile and dang they tasted good! One of the
volunteers had a sponge with cold water and poured some over my neck and
down my back and it was like AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, that feels good.
Immediately it gave me an injection of energy and I lasted about 3km
before the heat overwhelmed me again. During the lap I caught up to Kimberley Van
Delst who was in the 100 mile and we walked and ran sections and she
would fly down the hills. At the aid station I lost sight of her and
then caught up to Catherine Kelly who is a tall woman, with two long,
red, pig tails. I saw her last year at the Laura Secord 100km and she
did awesome there. During the first loop there, she caught a root and
did a spectacular face plant without managing to get her hands in-front
of her bounced up, unscathed. I retired from that race after only 1.25
laps.
We stayed together for awhile and then she was bounding down a steep
hill and I got that horribly queasy stomach feeling which indicates I’m
seconds away from a ‘reboot’ so I let her get away and stepped off the
trail and up came whatever needed to. Being so hot I had been very aware
about hydration and salt and was taking S-caps every 30-40 minutes and
drinking a full handheld between each aid station but I think I still
was short on water. I barely managed one pee in 8 hours. I had some
ginger ale at the next aid station.
Getting into the open fields at the top of the lollipop loop was an
instant blast of heat rising from the grass and the sun was so intense.
I was so happy to get back into the trails and tree cover and be heading
back to the start. The climb was less than fun and I knew I would get
out on the final loop but also knew my ‘race’ was over and that my
energy was expended.
Lap 3 – 20km. About 3 hours 5 minutes
I managed to keep it together until I was back in the trail at the
bottom of the hill and then it quickly deteriorated from a run, to a
jog, to a periodic jog, to a long walk and half hearted attempts to jog
for 20 feet. My breathe was ragged even on the flats and on any hill was
more like a steam train. My exhalation was very hot which meant my core
was overheating and I was really not enjoying this lap at all and
everything that passed by relatively quickly in lap 1 and 2 seemed to
take forever to appear. By this point I was with several people who were
similarly hurting and I’d pass them only to be passed, back and forth
over the course of several km.
The prospect of aid stations was what helped spur me on and I’d try to
manage my water to empty it just before getting to the next one. Any
sections in the open sun were brutal with temperatures easily 37-38
degrees. I sat at one aid station for up to 4 minutes just trying to get
it together and by this point I didn’t care about time at all. The final
downhill section on the lollipop, normally great fun, hurt, and my toes
were now getting mashed into my toe-box and my heels felt blisters.
I felt sorry for myself to be sure but every time I saw a 50 or100
miler come by I had huge respect and told them how great they were
doing. I found there was a lot of camaraderie out there with everybody
acknowledging each others efforts and that gives you a boost.
Also, the aid station personal were fantastic, acting quickly, showing
you where things were, asking what they could get you, etc. The
popsicles were a huge hit and the ice put in my hat or ice sponges
drenched down my back were a great relief. I did think the aid station
offerings for food were a bit on the thin side as far as calories and
selection. From what I remembered they had watermelon, orange slices,
some sort of colored candies, pretzels I think. That’s really all I
remember. Perhaps there was more but I did hear that feedback from some
other runners at the end.
I was so happy to be climbing that final hill and Jack was ½ way down
and high-fived me going by. I rounded the finish line with a few claps
and managed a run for 25 meters, got my medal and made my way to my
folding chair and flopped down, drank some hot coke and topped up on
more water. Final time, 6 hours 4 minutes, good for 54th place of 138
finishers.
After about 20 minutes I made my way to the marquee and grabbed a
water, a banana and choose the pulled pork sandwich which was AMAZING! !
! Oh my I loved that. They had brought in a company whose name eludes me
but it was yum yum yum. I sat for a bit and was chatting to two other
French ladies who had completed the 50km. My biggest injury came then
when I went to adjust my chair and my hand slipped down the side of the
chair, jammed into the folding mechanism and bent back the nail of my
thumb which proceeded to bleed profusely. Nothing like a new pain to
replace an old one.
After enjoying my sandwich I hobbled back to my chair, moved it closer
to the cones leading to the finishing chute and cheered on over the
course of the next hour other racers.
Then I got back to the car, enjoyed A/C for a few minutes and then
drove home. There you have it. It was not a pretty run but I did get it
done and it was my first ultra in quite some time. I’ve signed up for
Niagara 50km in 3 weeks and hopefully it will be a nice day out.
Here is a shot of my race stats from my Garmin. This race seems to be a few miles short of 50km (31 miles) at 29 miles. Perhaps other people's GPS shows a different statistic but I've long suspected the course is slightly off on the 20km length per loop.
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| Home and stinky |
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| 50km done! |
hopefully I’ll see some of you out there.
The Running Dude, aka Alex
Lap 1 – 10km – 55 minutes
Lap 2 – 20km – 2 hours 5 minutes
Lap 3 – 20km – 3 hours 5 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 4 minutes
Place: 54 of 138
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