Another running adventure to motivate your muscles and mind onto the marathon trail follows:
Insanity strikes in the same place twice!! I must truly be out of my mind to do again this 50.2-mile ultra-marathon that I did last year. About 300 runners and I are in the gymnasium at the Boonsboro Educational Complex, Boonsboro, Maryland, at 4:30 AM. In 30 minutes, we will be starting this ultra-marathon. The race director is again stressing that there is a very strict 14-hour time limit to finish. The cut-off times at the 7 locations prior to the Finish will be equally enforced! The other 900 plus faster runners will start at 7:00 AM and will have the same cutoff points and Finish time limit of 7:00 PM.
The thought of covering 50.2 miles in a 12- or even a 14-hour race is incredibly intimidating! Fortunately, my two very good friends and marathon running buddies, Katharine Hunter from Reston and a Reston Runner and Karen Michelsen from Toronto, are also both here to do this race. They're nervous, but they are much fitter, faster, and younger runners than I am. Intuitively, I sense very strongly that they will succeed although both are defying classic training rules. Katharine did the Marine Corps Marathon with me on Oct. 29, finishing in 5:12:17 with no prior training runs. Since then, she has done no runs and has been coping with a protracted leg injury. Katharine has also only completed 2 marathons while Karen has done close to 30 marathons. Karen completed the Greater Hartford Marathon on Oct. 14 and has only done two training runs since then aside from working her usual 12-hour nursing night shift. Hectic work schedules and other demands have severely affected their free time to fully train. I really admire the courage and tenacity of both of these ladies. In my case, it's merely insanity.
There are a surprising number of older runners in their 60?s and 70?s among the waiting group. The greater majority of them have successfully done this course five or more times. An older lady, probably in her late 60?s, sitting next to me will be pursuing her 9th finisher's medal. Although I encouraged other friends who were experienced and faster marathoners to join me this year, only Katharine and Karen were willing. It is quite a leap of faith to believe that one can simply go from 26.2 to 50.2 miles and survive. Katharine and Karen certainly have an explorer's inherent spirit of adventure to bravely go into the unknown.
To mentally and physically prepare for this race, I did 11 marathons this year of which three were in the past two months. I have to believe this will be sufficient. The one major factor that I believe significantly contributes to a successful finish are the Reston Runners (RR) club volunteers and fellow runners who cheer all of us wearing the RR bright orange vests. All of the 70 RR members who are running this event have one or more designated volunteers who will be at the designated 5 checkpoints to provide moral and any other support needed to sustain morale and focus. In our case, Peter Westcott, who is unable to run due to an injury, will be supporting Katharine and me. He will prove to be a critical factor in the next 12 hours!!
Time to walk the 1000 yards to the start line! The course begins at an intersection in downtown Boonsboro, and then continues for 2.5 miles on a paved road that rises 500 feet to the point where we will access the Appalachian Trail. The next 13 miles, excluding two miles of paved road, will continue on the often rocky and leaf-covered trail. This section initially rises until we reach the top of this mountain. At 15.5 miles, we will finish at the Weverton Aid Station and then begin 26.3 miles on the C&O Canal towpath. This towpath is generally a flat unpaved dirt surface covered with millions of leaves. At 41.8 miles, we exit the towpath and continue on 8.4 miles of rolling paved country roads until arriving at the Finish line at the parking lot outside the Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, Maryland.
At the start, we meet several spry 70-year olds who are eagerly looking forward to finishing their 10-plus race. What great role models for us spring chickens! Several other mutual friends with Katharine strongly encourage us to do well. The signal is given and we're off in the darkness. Most of us have flashlights for avoiding collisions and seeing where the road is. I'm in the forward part of this group while Katharine and Karen take a more conservative approach and walk more than I do. It's an odd feeling to speak to other nearby runners but be unable to see their faces.
We steadily climb this road and then reach the trail entrance. It's a narrow path, so for the most part I follow the runners in front of me and hope I don't trip on a rock and fall. This path has a spooky flavor as the leafless trees surround us. All I can see are the flickering lights ahead. We continue climbing in many sections, jump over logs, and sometimes descend steep rocky sections. Having imperfect night vision, I keep hoping to avoid falling or fracturing a toe. Sunrise at about 6:30 AM is spectacular. The sun is diffused with its rays displayed as a very bright band of red across the overcast sky. Temperatures began in the 30?s and will be in the 40?s. Great running weather although this path is very trying. Memories from 1969-1970 doing winter military exercises in the hills of Camp A.P. Hill and Fort Belvoir often return as I continue jogging on this trail, trying to focus on rocks and odd shapes on the ground. At one point, my foot finally strikes a rock rendering my toes numb for several minutes.
Since there are no mileage markers, it's difficult to gauge one's pace. Finally, at about 7:15 AM, we descend the hill and reach the first aid station at Gathland Gap. Peter flags my attention and provides spirited encouragement. Katharine and Karen remain somewhere behind me as I soon continue up the next hilly segment.
At about Mile 13, Karen calls from behind as she reaches me. She's in great spirits although having some problems with the rocky trail. We continue generally together for the next 2 miles. As we cover the very rocky section leading to the steep switchback section, the lead runners from the 7:00 AM start begin passing us. They resemble antelopes in their quickness in jumping from rock to rock at high speed. The eventual winner will complete the entire 50.2-mile course in 6:04:40 or 7:16 minutes per mile!!! The first female runner, at 50 years old, will finish in 8:00:31 or 9:35 minutes per mile! As we complete this rocky section, Karen severely stumbles, recovers, and then walks slowly to regain her momentum. I pass her and begin fast walking the series of steep switchbacks. This is a somewhat scary section as a mistaken step can have one over the side and falling onto the rocks below. We slower runners alert each other as the lead runners continue passing us at high speed along these switchback paths.
Finally, we reach the Weverton Aid Station at the end of this hilly trail. Peter is there beaming a great smile and voicing encouragement while offering hot noodle soup. A few minutes later, I'm continuing along the final trail section and reach the aid station at 15.5 miles with Karen beside me. Katharine is still behind us but probably not too far.
We now start the C&O Canal towpath section. Bursting with energy and now on a flat road, Karen roars ahead. A short time later, Katharine joins me briefly before she soars ahead. I see her for about the next mile in the distance before her footsteps disappear. At least I know they are both on the course somewhere ahead and are both doing well.
This C&O towpath is somewhat mind numbing after several hours. We are jogging on an embankment that is about 10 feet above the vigorously flowing Potomac River on our left and the remnants of the canal on our right. As we progress along this towpath, the waters of the Potomac River become less turbulent but they seem very cold. The canal varies from green-covered moldy, stagnant water, to an open ditch. All the trees on both sides are leafless. Aside from the other runners, there are periodic mysterious hikers or bike riders who seem to come from nowhere and are going apparently nowhere since the exit points seem so far apart. At times, the towpath veers inland and we are running along heavily forested sections. Many of the same runners keep leapfrogging with me, although eventually they all are able to sustain a faster pace and leave me. Keith Whited, another RR runner and friend, passes me somewhere in the 30-plus mile section and gives strong encouragement to keep going. There is a 59-year old runner who is often ahead of me but really struggling. This is his 31st JFK race but the day is not going well. At the 38-mile aid station checkpoint, he finally gives up and sits down exhausted.
After passing Mile 30, I'm starting to feel increasingly tired and overall exhausted. After passing the 34.4-mile aid station checkpoint, I'm having recurring doubts that I will be able to stay ahead of the remaining cut-off checkpoints. My buffer time is decreasing while overall fatigue is rapidly increasing and blisters are developing on my right foot. It a real mental battle to fight off defeatist demons and just focus on making the next checkpoint. Peter is very encouraging at the 38.4-mile aid station checkpoint that I make by only 15 minutes, and his words help to keep me going. Each mile seems to take longer to cover and the number of runners around me keeps decreasing as they either sally ahead or fall behind the required time cutoffs. Peg's spirit, as has so often happened before during tough marathon moments, responds to my call. I feel her warmth and strength of spirit from the surrounding trees and nature, and feel like I'm in another world, no longer feeling the pain of massive fatigue and foot blisters. My legs keep jogging and the mental energy is more focused. I'm moving slowly but at least hope of finishing has returned.
I finally reach Mile 41.8, the end of the towpath, at about 4:25 PM. Donning a reflective vest received from a volunteer, I then join other runners and begin slowly moving over a very long and steep hill. We are now on a narrow 2-lane country lane, passing farms as darkness approaches. Progress seems really slow as I walk slowly up the hills and then try to do a fierce shuffle on the declines and the few flat sections. Nightfall brings disorientation from the approaching vehicles? lights. I have to strongly focus on remaining positive and avoiding doubts about making the 6:00 PM cutoff at the next aid station.
At about 5:40 PM, I reach the final aid station cutoff at Mile 46. Peter is simply great! He keeps telling me I will make it! I just have to keep moving! So off I shuffled up and down several more hills. A few more frantic runners are able to pass me while I pass a few struggling souls who are clearly injured and will not finish the final miles before 7:00 PM. At this point, the stress level is quite high as my mind battles between believing victory is close and serious doubts that I will just not make it. The last several miles are endless as the minutes tick by. Reaching the final aid station at about Mile 48.4 at around 6:30 PM, I'm struggling to just keep standing and moving. Five of the volunteers are incredible as they form a small tunnel in the near darkness and then give an energetic wave, shrieking to keep going!! What an adrenalin rush!
I'm then on the main highway and join a straggling small number of other crippled and hobbling runners who are all determined to somehow make the cutoff and cross the Finish. There is incredible camaraderie as we yell to each other to keep going. Making the final right turn, the Finish line is up a small hill about a ¼-mile away. Amidst the increasing cheering, I can hear the announcer state that a new record has been set as Finisher # 1000 has crossed the Finish at 13:48. With the Finish so close, a car turns in front of me a short distance away. Volunteers scream for him to move as I struggle on this final section, hear Katharine, Karen, and other RR members, yelling to keep going, and cross the Finish line at 13:50:46, becoming finisher # 1007 out of a total of 1015 finishers. The last official finisher crossed at 13:54:50.
It was a great moment as Katharine and Karen joined me, wearing their medals, and appearing quite refreshed. They had both done exceptionally well with Katharine finishing in 12:48:03 and Karen in 11:28:03! Completing this race was an amazing feat, but it was definitely a joint effort with Peter who provided superior energetic support at the aid stations as well as Katharine, Karen, Keith, and other RR members, both on the course and at the aid stations, who provided vigorous support also. This race offered the best in camaraderie!
Hope each of you has equal camaraderie in your challenging experiences/adventures!