It definitely had the makings of a party. The music was
blaring with upbeat rock songs in which I knew all the words and like others
was singing along to myself. The food would be flowing with pretty much
anything you would want. It was like a New Jersey Diner under a canopy. Everyone
was smiling and laughing though there were a few people deep in their own
thoughts. People were reacquainting themselves and introducing themselves to
friendly strangers. Some people were even dressed in costume. This party was
really rocking. It would go on for 36 hours.
Yet I knew that I was going to leave the fun and vibe of
this scene to be by myself for intervals of a couple of hours at a time. It may
seem strange to leave the fun and frivolity of a party, but this was not just a
party. It was the Wild Goose Trail Festival hosted by the Sassquad Trail Running.
It was a collection of runners of all kinds, running all kinds of distances. I
was seeking to run 100 miles. In which I estimated would take me about 30 hours
on this course. I had run 100 miles before in 29 hours, but that course was not
as technical as this one. In addition, three days before the race I had come
down with a stomach virus. While I was okay for normal day to day activities,
running 100 miles is not normal and I wasn’t sure how my body would react. So
the 36 hour cutoff made my decision easy.
I should correct myself I was not really leaving the fun,
but I was switching my fun. I was going from Type One fun to Type Two fun. For
those of you not familiar with the Fun
Scale it states that there are three types of fun. Type One Fun, is fun in
the moment like a birthday party, wedding or picnic. Type Two Fun is difficult
and maybe even miserable at the time but afterwards when reminiscing about it
is great. Type Three Fun is actually miserable both in the moment and even
looking back. I like to specialize in Type Two Fun and this 100 mile run was
definitely Type Two Fun. I suspect that most of the runners are like me at this
race even if they are unfamiliar with the Fun Scale.
If I had ordered any weather for this race, it couldn’t have
been any better than it was that day, sixties and sunny at its peak and the overnight
low maybe high forties. While I have often had to deal with the weather it is
always nice when that is not a concern.
There is enough thinking and mental games that go on in one’s head
during an ultra-marathon. So that eliminating one thing to think about is
always nice.
The race consisted of three different loops, a pink (7.75 miles), checkered (4.75 miles) and a blue (6 miles) I was to complete 5 sets of each, plus a bonus pink loop. I had done a couple of races before at Wawayanda State Park and knew some trails could be very rocky, possibly wet as well, not to mention hilly. My first trek across all three I usually push myself but try and find the right pace which is hard when you do not know the course. I usually will walk the steep hills because after all it is 100 miles and it is not a sprint. It isn’t even a marathon actually it is like four marathons.
After completing the set of loops, I knew a couple of
things. First the trails were in great shape. Yes, they were rocky but for the
most part dry. No need for some of the extra shoes and socks I had packed. I
also noticed that my watch indicated that my run would be longer than 100
miles. Doing this run I would finish
closer to 104 miles than 100 miles. Which meant more than an additional hour on
my total time.
I also now had a feel for my pace and set my goals. I wanted to complete two full sets plus the
pink loop before darkness set in. I did not want to do the longest loop more
than once in the dark. I was talking to another runner Craig and he had the
same goal though we both knew it would be close. Luckily for me my friend Dan
would come and pace me for the late afternoon. (Sassquad Trail Running has a
nice policy in that older runners over 60 that you can get a pacer at any time
on the ultra. Most pacers are for the end only.) Dan’s presence lifted my
spirits and we reached my goal.
As the night and darkness set in, it was time for some Type
Two fun! One enters running at night in the forest with some trepidation when
one knows that bear and coyotes live there. Even though I knew that with so
many people an encounter was unlikely, it still is something that lurks in the
back of your mind as you traverse the sometimes narrow trails with your only
visibility that which is visible by your headlamp. At one point there was a
woman behind me and I was going to let her pass because she seemed faster. She,
however, was more than content to follow along as we both heard animals in the
woods and it seemed safer to run with someone else. That was the only time I
ran with someone that night. All the other loops were solo just me, the
darkness, and my bear bells.
I trudged on through the night with only one break I took
thirty minutes out to take a nap and recharge my watch. It was a new watch and
while it was good for thirty hours I knew I would be over that time.
My favorite part of running through the night is the dawn.
There is something that is truly magical about watching a new day begin. You
can hear the birds and at least for me you truly appreciate the sunrise. I
always feel stronger I guess because I know that I came through a challenge. I
also was on pace to finish in 31 hours. I had a marathon left.
It was funny as I headed out after running for twenty-four
hours I could see some runners who were lining up for the 50k. I decided to walk a bit more so that they
could all pass me. I didn’t want to be on the single track pulling off to the
side to let them pass me. It would be discouraging. Better that they pass me on
the road part. I was amazed at how fast they were all moving. Their legs were
so fresh. You could say a lot of things about my legs but fresh was not one of
them.
I was moving fairly steady a little slower but I knew I had
time. That is until I hit a wall. All of a sudden on the next to the last loop
the blue one, I was struggling. Not only were my legs like lead but my head was
out of sorts. I had taken my foot off the gas pedal and couldn’t get the fire
back. I tried doing the math of when I would finish and I was going to be a lot
longer than I thought because of this loop. I also said to myself that I will
never do this race again.
After finishing the blue loop, I only had one loop left, the
pink one. I rested just a bit got some nutrition and decided to attack this
last loop with everything I had. I was
moving again and was surprisingly passing some other runners. I thought that I
would be one of the last finishers. When I got to the point when I was only a
little over a mile from finishing all of a sudden, my stomach turned and I
vomited. I kept moving, however, between incidents. I recovered enough to run
that last mile. I was certain that only a few people were behind me. I was
disappointed that I was at the back of the pack.
At first I was not happy with my finish of 33:07:51. It was
two hours longer than I expected. Then I looked at the race results and saw
that I came in 30th place out of 41 finishers. Thirty runners, however, did not
even finish the race.
When I got home I was dirty, sore and unable to unload my
gear from my car. My wife asked me how was the race I said “hard but fun!”.
Type two fun. Will have to sign up for it again next year.
