Race Report by Emmett Delaney

On Saturday March 18t, 2023, I ran the Terrapin Mountain 50km/31mile near Bedford, in a rural part of southern Virginia. Several other ultras take place in this region due to the pristine trail conditions in the Shenandoah mountains. I saw many veteran 100-mile runners using Terrapin as a training exercise, including two from my trail running posse who started with me: Jim Ashworth and Richard Key.

A week earlier I felt fit and ready for Terrapin, but on the Tuesday before the race I hurt my back in the gym. I struggled to walk or stand erect, and I was in a lot of pain. I had sciatica and felt pins and needles in my legs and stopped all forms of exercise. My girlfriend Alia was the heroine pushing me into yoga movements, twice daily stretches and frequent naps. By race day I was confident enough to start even though I knew I was not 100%.

Terrapin offers a half marathon as well as a 50km (more common these days in trail runs). This doubles the attendance and adds options for the sane runners among us. About 350 runners started, more doing the HM than 50kms. We started in the dawn light and headed straight up the mountain for 4 miles together before the half marathon runners took a different path. The early miles were lovely – we ran alongside babbling brooks and through whispering forests. A gentle breeze ruffled the foliage on the ground. The recent rains filled some stream beds and we ran past a lovely waterfall. We waded through a stream at about mile 3 which soaked our shoes and socks. This means the rest of the day your feet are wet and may be prone to blisters. However, we are in nature and crossing streams is part of the outdoor experience. This is not the W&OD.

Race day weather was cold and blustery. The forecast was 37F at the start, but it felt colder than that in the wind and up the mountain. I wore two shirts, gloves and hat, which came on and off all day.

After Aid station #1 at mile 4 we ran down a fire road for about 4 more miles. This was fast and hard on the quads. While running downhill was nice, I also had the thought “I have to run back up this hill again soon”. Most of this section was parallel to a gorgeous creek and I took many photos. Taking photos forces me to notice the lovely areas we run through in inaccessible places. When time is not important, I find this adds to my day. Overall, I took about 45 snaps.

Much of the trail was covered in leaves. While picturesque, this is ankle snapping territory as you can’t see the terrain underneath. The more nimble runners can flit through these patches; however I am the tip-toe kind, carefully feeling my way between the rocks. This kept me at a run-walk pace for many miles.

Around mile 18 I missed an important turn and continued climbing a mountain. It was only when I hit a paved road that I realized my mistake and retraced my steps. The timekeeper at the next aid station estimated I ran about 2 unnecessary miles and worse, had wasted that energy up a hill. Despite about 120 runners starting this distance, we quickly become separated and can easily be out of sight of the rest of the field. I noticed no runners ahead of me, nor behind me, but didn’t add it all up until I hit Blue Ridge Parkway. I searched both sides of the Parkway for arrows before I had to admit I was lost and retrace my steps down the hill. I had to push the “bonus miles” out of my mind and deal with it later; else I knew it would fester and eat at me.

Heading up mile 22 was the toughest mile so far with a steep ascent, scrambling and stepping and pulling with my hands. I threw down a 26 minute mile here. This was the peak of Terrapin Mountain and I paused to drink in the panorama, take a few pics and dream of an easy run home. Not so much. The descent down the far side was steep and covered in loose scrabble. I slipped between rocks, grabbed branches and zig-zagged where needed. Many people passed me. For me, those 3 miles of drop-offwere treacherous, scary and horrible. I struggle with balance and footing at the best of times, and the precipitous slopebrought out all my fears of falling. Several times I thought I would face plant. These miles were 20-23 minutes each.

My last mile heading home was zippy 8 minute pace. I finished in 7 hours 18 minutes, slow for the distance. I am OK with that, I walked many of the toughest miles, took a lot of photos and had those “bonus miles” too. I achieved my goals for Terrapin Mountain 50km– a lovely day out in nature, some camaraderie with friends, no falls or injuries, and good preparation for Two Oceans Ultra in Cape Town in April.

The aid stations were great with warm food, helpful volunteers and cheering support. Volunteers spend hours in the cold at remote aid stations preparing and assisting runners. They don’t get the glory or bling that finishers do, but we can’t run without them. Volunteers are the fuel of the race. Race Director Clark Zealand congratulated everyone at the finish and RD emeritus Dr. David Horton was there too.

Lessons learned from Ultra running, reinforced by Terrapin. First – know why you are doing this. Knowing why will motivate you when times get hard. Two – Have a strong walk. The course will get hard and you will get tired. You need to walk fast when you can’t run. Three – You are stronger than you think. You will get lost, fall or get injured. You can do it anyway.

Thanks to Jim and Richard for running coaching. Thanks to Alia for rehabilitation and endless encouragement. Thanks to Sarah for editing this article and making it readable.

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Published: 21 March 2023