Canyons Endurance Runs 50K by UTMB - Race Report

The Canyons Endurance Runs 50K by UTMB took place on April 26^th in Auburn, California, the “Endurance Capital of the World”, along portions of the historic Western States 100 course. I had identified this has one of my “A” races of the year, in addition to the Vermont 100 this July, and had signed up about six months ago. My primary goals going into the race were to place around Top 25, run somewhere between 4:10-4:20, and try to increase my UTMB index to above 700. It was also going to be a great opportunity to see my family, as my brother and his girlfriend Kate had signed up for this race as their first ultra, and my fiancée Charlotte, and my mother and my other brother were all coming out to watch us race! However, before I even traveled out to California and ended up on the start line for the Saturday race, I began my week completing the equally historic Boston Marathon for the eighth time on the prior Monday. Knowing I had Canyons five days later on Saturday, this was my first time running the Boston Marathon just to enjoy the course and take it all in, and what an experience it was! I ran within myself, finishing in three hours and eleven minutes, and by the time I boarded our flight to Sacramento on Thursday, my legs felt like they were back to normal and ready to race again.

Charlotte and I arrived at our Airbnb late on Thursday night, immediately going right to sleep with plans to meet up with family in the morning. The next morning, we all converged on the race expo and participated in the HOKA Shakeout Run at BASECAMP with about a hundred other runners, which was a great opportunity to check out parts of the course and prepare myself for the elevation I would be taking on tomorrow! After the run, we went back to the expo at BASECAMP, picked up our packets, and did a little bit of merchandise shopping. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful as we lounged around for most of the afternoon, recovering from the long day of travel the day prior, before heading over to Cole’s girlfriend’s family’s house for dinner in nearby Meadow Vista.

Elevation Profile

Race morning came quick with a wake-up at 5:45 AM for the 7:00 AM start. Thankfully, the house we were renting was incredible, and was located a two-minute walk from the start line. Given the weather for the day, low to mid 40s and raining, I was thankful to have a place to hide out— my family and I did not make our way down to the start area until nearly 15 minutes before the race began. For this race, I decided to take a flyer and change up my gear a bit, hoping it would allow me to be more competitive. Since we were required to carry a liter of water, rather than going with a vest, I opted for a Naked Running Belt and a handheld, fueling with a combination of Tailwind performance drink and Precision Fuel chews. On my feet, I had a new pair of Hoka Tecton X3’s with the embedded carbon plate, which I bought specifically for this race, given the relatively untechnical rolling terrain. With a few minutes to go, I parted ways with my brother and his girlfriend and made my way up towards the front of the race, ditching my jacket and gloves and opting for just a singlet. A few announcements later and we were off and running down the streets of Auburn! 

Race Start!

One thing I knew to expect about this race was that it was going to start off hot, and hot it did. I was quickly gobbled up by a number of runners taking off on the first uphill mile of roads that connected us from downtown Auburn to the singletrack trails as we would make our way over to Robie Point on the Western States Trail and descent down to No Hands Bridge. After the initial climb on the roads, we hit the singletrack and began a steep technical descent, dropping 800 feet over the next three miles, including 600 feet over Mile 2 alone. I knew I needed to be patient and reserved early, especially as we would be making the same climb up the trail we had just descended at Mile 30, but I found myself a bit antsy, feeling like I was not fully taking advantage of the descents, and losing a lot of early time here compared to some of the runners I ended up finishing near. Still, I have always run better, more confident races when I am charging late and feeling strong, and knew there was a long way between these early miles and the finish. After our two-mile descent, we crossed over historic No Hands Bridge before a short road transition took us to the first aid station at Confluence – 1.

Confluence – 1 – Mile 3.9, 86^th Place, 29:07 Total Time, 7:21 Average Pace

After a quick refuel at Confluence we entered the Clementine Trail for a rolling uphill mile before beginning an 800-foot climb  on Lake Clementine Road over the next two miles up to the next aid station at Mile 7.2. I was feeling pretty strong on the early climbs, beginning to pick people back who had gone out hot on the initial descents. I didn’t know what place I was in, but I began mentally ticking off runners as I passed, my months of winter training spent focused on long incline workouts on the treadmill at eight to ten percent grade, positioning my body to feel strong on these types of long sustained climbs. I passed over a dozen runners over the next three miles as we made our way to the next aid station, Clementine, at Mile 7.2  I refueled my bottle with Naak performance drink, already having sucked down my first bottle of Tailwind with 75g of carbs, before setting off on the Connector Trail, which made up a portion of the larger Foresthill Divide Loop, where we would spend majority of the race, and which would take us out to Drivers Flat and back.

Descent Down to Mammoth Bar!

The next eight miles on the Connector Trail were flowy and gorgeous, featuring over 1,200 feet of climbing and nearly an equal amount of descent. With the drizzly, overcast weather there were times I felt like I was running through the Amazon. The views of the Canyons and the North Fork American River, when we had a break in the tree line, were breathtaking. The course continued to gradually pitch upward as we tested the highest points of the foothills. So far, my nutrition was on point, and I was running strong, continuing to pick off runners, and, beginning at Mile 11, I started gradually pulling back the first of the elite women. I was still running right at an eight-minute pace on average as I made my way over to the next aid station at Drivers Flat at Mile 15.6, the mid-point of the race.

Drivers Flat – Mile 15.6, 44^th Place, 2:05:19 Total Time, 8:02 Average Pace

After Mammoth Bar Aid Station!

The next five miles of the course, as we made our way down to Mammoth Bar, were probably my favorite. While there were some tight, singletrack trails, these were largely untechnical and widened out to doubletrack at certain points allowing you to really open up your stride. I was feeling good, and the slight downhill pitch, which wasn’t extreme, allowed me to make up a lot of time. In ultrarunning though, you often feel great until you don’t and I felt super strong until about Mile 22, pulling my average pace back below eight minutes, but beginning to feel fatigued as I hit a section of uphill switchbacks. This uphill transitioned into by far the worst section of the course for me, which featured nearly 1,000 feet of descent over the next two miles as we made our way down to the Middle Fork American River and the next aid station, Mammoth Bar, at Mile 23.5. I was slamming on the breaks going down this moderately technical descent, navigating what felt like over two dozen switchbacks, and unable to capitalize on this portion of the course. Technical descending continues to be a work in progress for me as I try to figure out the best balance of aggression and precision for attacking these portions of a course. It was at this point about half a mile before the next aid station that I was caught by another runner, and we made our way into Mammoth Bar together.

Descent Down to Confluence Aid Station!

Mammoth Bar was the second to last aid station on the course, with the trail that was to follow connecting us back to Confluence, where we would travel back the last four miles the way we had started the race. I left Mammoth Bar with just over eight miles to go flagging a little bit, and totally unprepared for what awaited me as soon as I left. I guess I didn’t study the elevation profile of the course enough or I would have realized there was a 500-foot climb coming out of Mammoth Bar! As a result, I found myself deep in the pain cave. My aerobic engine felt strong, but this three mile stretch of course from Mile 22-25, which had over 1,500 feet of elevation change really did some damage. In hindsight, I actually salvaged this climb quite well for how unprepared I was, running it quicker than a handful of the runners ahead of me and only being overtaken once. This was generally a very lonely section of the race from Mile 20 onward as the stream of runners had thinned out considerably. After what felt like an eternity, I crested the top of the incline and was rewarded with the next three miles of downhill doubletrack trails on the Confluence Trail taking us back to the Confluence aid station. It was here at Mile 27 that I hit my second fastest split of the day at 6:54. Finally, we popped out of the trails, and I passed the aid station at Confluence – 2, beginning the short road transition that would take me back to the Western States Trail and the climb up to Auburn!

Confluence – 2 – Mile 27.9, 34^th Place, 3:44:38 Total Time, 8:03 Average Pace

Finish!

Only 900 feet of climbing over the next three miles and then a quick descent back into downtown Auburn stood between me and the finish, but the past four hours of fast running had zapped my legs and as I continued back up the Western States trail, the ominous final incline awaiting. I was moving well, well but knew that my goal of sub 4:15 was slowing slipping away. I pushed hard, trying to take advantage of the less technical trail before the final mile of switchbacks, which ascended nearly 600 feet, was upon me. The trail, while pretty clean four hours ago, was now a muddy mess as hundreds of 50K runners had trampled on down its path. I continued to push up the long climb, finally allowing my heartrate to redline knowing the end was near. After what felt like one of the longest climbs of my life, I popped out of the trail onto the road and then… continued to climb for another 150 feet! I overtook one final runner during this last climb, before making the mile descent into Auburn. There was to be no blazing last mile like Sleeping Giant 50K a few weekends ago, but I still was logging my fastest split of the day as I charged for home. The rain continued to fall as I rounded the final turn in downtown Auburn and kicked for the finish line. I finished in 4:20:20, which was good for 33^rd Overall out of a field of over 650 runners!

Finish – Auburn – Mile 31.9, 33^rd Place, 4:20:20 Total Time, 8:09 Average Pace

After reconnecting with my family, we stayed close by to the finish line, waiting for Cole, Kate, and Kristen to come through. Cole came first, finishing 68^th in 4:51:57, a phenomenal time for his first ultra, especially considering the elevation gain of the course! Kate followed next in 6:00:54 for 188^th and 43^rd female, and then Kristen in 7:09:15 for 386^th! Overall, Canyons Endurance Runs 50K by UTMB was an incredible experience and I had a great time mixing it up on the west coast with a bunch of insane athletes. However, there is little time to reflect on this race for long as I shift my training block back to my “A” race of the entire year, the Vermont 100. This next phase begins in earnest with another 50K this very next weekend, designed specifically to test my legs under duress and under sub-optimal recovery, trying to mimic what it will be likely during Miles 70-100 of the Vermont 100. As such, I am stepping back onto the line to try and defend my title at the SpartanTrail Bear Mountain 50K. Stay tuned for more, as the racing season is just about to heat up. 

With Cole Post-Race!

Sleeping Giant Trail Runs 50K - Race Report

The Sleeping Giant Trail Runs 50K, put on by Steep Endurance, took place on March 30^th, at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, Connecticut approximately 50 minutes from my apartment in Stamford. I had this race circled on my calendar for a while, and it was my first Ultra of the season after spending the winter in base building mode after NYC Trail Mix 50K in November. Sleeping Giant Trail Runs 50K was intended to be a stepping stone to my “A” race of the year, which is the Vermont 100 Mile in July in West Windsor! Unfortunately, my body had other plans, picking up the flu a week out from the race and rendering me less than 100% healthy at the starting line. It wasn’t until I sat and wrote this report, two weeks post-race, that I can really appreciate how limited my lungs were for this one, as the race was on Sunday, and I did not start turning a corner until Thursday of race week. Still, I had signed up for this race with a number of friends, including Skyler Silsdorf, Alex Hauer, and Ed Bonessi running the 50K, and then my good friend Mike Magarian running the 25K. Illness or not, there was nothing going to stand in my way of the start line.

On race morning, I arrived at Sleeping Giant State Park at approximately 6:15 AM, lingering in my car for a few minutes as the low 40s temperature with wind gusts, while not exceptionally cold, still cut through my layers of clothing. After gathering myself, I headed up to check-in to pick up my bib and to spot my drop bag. As the race was a two-lap course, I prepared all of my gear ready for the interloop period to refuel. Shortly after, I met up with my three friends and we huddled around the starting area before gathering shortly after 7:00 AM for pre-race announcements. After a few announcements, we were off and running!

Start Line!

Immediately, the race started off fast, as we had only a quarter mile section of asphalt that would allow the race to thin out before entering the single-track trail. I had aspirations of staying close to a local regular of Sleeping Giant State Park, Lee Davis, who knew the course exceptionally well, but he took off like a rocket, and it quickly became apparent I was going to have to run with a more conservative approach and keep my head down. Sleeping Giant State Park is known for its hellacious trails, long scrambles, sheer descents and extremely rocky, and technical terrain. Not to mention the nearly 7,500 feet of elevation gain that we would tackle over the 50K race. Settling in to the first mile, my heart rate felt sky-high, already pushing the 160s as I tried to get a feel for the competitors and avoid putting myself in no-mans land early. I quickly settled into fourth place, with Tobias Tello and another runner just ahead, and with Justin Kousky, one of the best ultrarunners in the Northeast, and probably the best ultrarunner in Connecticut, stalking behind us in fifth. I had figured that he and Lee Davis would be my main competitors for the day, so I was a bit surprised to find myself pretty much in fifth place early. The first five miles of the loop are mostly runnable rolling singletrack except for a few technical small rock scrambles, and I found myself running in a fairly tight pack with Tobias, Justin, and the other runner, with Lee already pushing a minute or two ahead of us. Normally, it takes me a couple miles to settle into a rhythm but today, as we approached the first aid station, it was not happening as quickly. I had tried to make a move around Tobias and the other runner at Mile 4 as we approached the first aid station, going around briefly, but I was then fended off. For a fairly technical trail we were moving though the first five miles as we passed the first aid station at about an 8:30 average pace, but we were about to hit the Headwall Climb, which was a lung busting rock scramble of 500 feet in just 0.3 miles. And what a rock scramble it was.

Headwall Climb – 1 – Mile 5.0, 5^th Place, 43:02 Total Time

On to the Singletrack!

I consider myself to be a fairly experienced technical runner and I handle elevation gain well, but I feel like I still have some work to do the way that Tobias, Justin, and the other runner pulled away from me over the next two miles as we got through the meat of climbs. Even with Hoka Speedgoats on, I was still slipping and sliding on the ascents, and, more dangerously, the descents, already having taken and shaken off a hard fall. Where I really lost traction though was on the sheer descents, where one wrong step means you fall fifteen feet and land on your head. There is a certain combination of technical expertise and also fearlessness that it takes to really excel on this type of terrain.

A few more technical ups and downs awaited us before we turned towards the southern end of the park, briefly bisecting the Tower Trail, which we would finish the loop steamrolling down. We moved to the east now on the Yellow Trail, with slightly less technical terrain and some rolling singletrack trails, which allowed me to open up and close the gap on the three runners ahead putting them back in eyeshot, before we arrived at Chestnut Trailhead, the location of the eight-mile aid station. I quickly grabbed refuels on both my Tailwind and my water, and inquired about positioning, with Tobias about thirty seconds ahead, and Justin and the other runner approximately a minute ahead.

Chestnut Trailhead (Yellow Trail) – 1 – Mile 7.8, 5^th Place, 1:25:55

At Mile 9, we approached our next big climb, with the forest opening up, allowing me to see the three ahead of me marching up the second longest ascent on the course. I was closing on Tobias, but not by much, as Justin and the other runner were pulling away slightly. Overall, I was feeling quite weak on both the hard climbs and the super technical descents, feeling my strongest on the slightly more flowy singletracks, when he had it. Overall, not a super great way to be feeling on a course like this, which was way more on the technical side, especially the middle portion of the Yellow Trail, between Mile 8-11, which was the slowest and most technical section of the race. Shockingly, I actually caught Tobias during this section at Mile 11 right as we began to approach the White Trail, which was a mile or so of faster terrain before hitting the same aid station at the Chestnut Trailhead at Mile 12 for the second time.

Chestnut Trailhead (Blue Trail) – 1 – Mile 11.6, 4^th Place, 2:10:10

Top of the Headwall Climb!

I refueled again, with Tobias about thirty seconds behind, as I began the two-mile climb up to the top of the park via the Blue Trail, where we would then pop out on the Tower Trail and begin our descent back to the start of the race at the Pavilion. Overall, I found this section of the trail, while still challenging, to be a big mental boost, knowing I only had two miles of climbing until the top of the park. Generally, I would say this was one of the most technical trails I have ever run on, somewhere between the Middlesex Fells and Skyline Trail up in Boston, leaning more towards the composition of the Skyline Trail. Finally, I could see the break in the tree line and the Observation Tower up ahead as I pulled off of the technical Blue Trail onto the graded, soft gravel, Tower Trail, balancing the need to try and catch my breath and regain my composure with needing to take advantage of the fastest terrain of the course, which dropped 500 feet over the next mile and a half. And fast it was, as I came through Mile 15 in 6:56 and began to approach the short uphill climb to the pavilion. I crossed into the drop bag area at Mile 15.5 in 2:47:21, spending about a minute and a half refilling my bottles and dropping off a jacket from my pack. Inquiring about Justin and Lee, I was told that Lee had come through about 13 minutes ago, and Justin about 9 minutes ago. The other runner who was ahead had seemingly gone off course, which now put me in third place. As I was leaving the Pavilion, Tobias was just coming in, giving me about a minute or so gap over him.  

Pavilion – 1 – Mile 15.4, 3^rd Place, 2:47:21

I began the second loop feeling remarkably average, not able to take advantage of the more runnable terrain that was presented here, which actually had become quite muddy as over 200 runners from the 25K, which started 30 minutes after the 50K, had stampeded through the trail. I have generally hit a rough spot between Mile 16-19 in 50Ks, and this was no different. There is something about starting that second loop and leaving the Pavilion that just makes you feel so far away from the finish. My legs felt like cement as I approached the Headwall Climb at Mile 20 for the second time, with Tobias now gaining ground on me only thirty to forty-five seconds back as I could feel him continue to stalk. 

Headwall Climb – 2 – Mile 20.5, 3^rd Place, 3:47:19

Rounding out the top of the Headwall Climb, my legs felt shot and my navigating of the sheer descents continued to deteriorate, as I took a very hard fall on my thigh at Mile 22 and had to limp it off. After that point, my descending took a giant hit, as Tobias finally caught and passed me hard on the next climb, which I had zero response for. He probably put a minute on me over a tenth of a mile rock descent as he was a much, much better technical descender. Within a span of two minutes, I had practically watched him disappear from eyesight. Moving into the Chestnut Trailhead aid station at Mile 24 I was feeling pretty deflated sitting in fourth place as Tobias had moved 2-3 minutes ahead of me and Lee and Justin continued to pour on a 20+ minute gap at this point.

Chestnut Trailhead (Yellow Trail) – 2 – Mile 23.4, 4^th Place, 4:26:21

Leaving the aid station, I knew I just needed to see myself through the challenging portion of the Yellow Trail and get to marathon mark and mentally regroup. These were certainly slow miles, my slowest of the day, and undoubtedly where I lost the most time. However, I was fueling well, and when I had the less technical singletrack I was really rolling. Approaching Mile 27 at the White Trail as the terrain eased up,  I was beginning to get something of a second wind, running hard to the Chestnut Trailhead Aid Station at Mile 28 for the last time. It was there I actually saw a family member, Brian Stiewing, who I knew would be volunteering here, which was a big mental boost! As he refueled my water and my Tailwind, he told me that Tobias had about a five-minute gap on me.

Chestnut Trailhead (Blue Trail) – 2 – Mile 27.3, 4^th Place, 5:20:53

Finish!

I set off from the aid station feeling renewed and determined to see how much of the gap I could close. At this point, I was beginning to pass up slower runners from the 25K, who were an incredible tracking tool for me as I pushed, and were proof that I was closing down, albeit slowly. First it was five minutes, then it was four minutes, then two minutes. I was working super hard, enacting a delicate balance of trying to close ground while also leaving something for what I felt like had the probability of turning into a fast finish down the Tower Trail. My legs were screaming on the final rock scramble up to the Observation Tower and I got my last beat on Tobias right at this point as I neared the Tower Trail, which was that he was about a minute ahead. In fact, I hit the Tower Trail down by approximately a minute and ten seconds, but quickly poured on the speed, running at an upper five-minute pace as I was rounding each corner hoping to see him in my sights. I was about a half mile in, with little more than a mile in the race with no Tobias in site, starting to get deflated when I rounded the next corner and saw him approximately 30 seconds ahead. My adrenaline surge kicked in as I closed the next half mile at 2:35 (and fastest quarter mile in 1:16) as I was screaming down the Tower Trail. I finally caught up to Tobias with about a half mile to go before we hit the open field up towards the Pavilion and I was worried I had spent myself, as he put in a surge as soon as I caught up, which I was barely able to cover. However, when you go hard like this, you have to go for broke, and I sped up forming a small gap as I did not want to make this a sprint finish uphill across the open field. Finally, I hit the end of the Tower Trail with the finish line less than a quarter mile to the finish with only the uphill across the grass field ahead. I was completely spent but refused to look back as I powered for home, basically falling across the finish line to finish third place overall in 5:55:13, with Tobias only 27 seconds back. I had covered my last mile in 5:23, which was a new record mile for me in an ultra, and it only came at Mile 31!

Pavilion – 2 – Mile 30.9, 3^rd Place, 5:55:13

Podium with Justin and Lee

I gathered myself, congratulating Tobias on an absolutely fantastic race and battle all day for third place. Based on my research and talking to him, Tobias is a beast of a runner, completing some of the most technical 100 Miler’s on the East Coast, one’s I am still dreaming of. Despite being in his early 20’s, he has an insane number of ultra finishes, dating back to his first one at only 14 years old. I wish I had gotten the opportunity to talk to him a bit longer! While I was very happy to have pulled off third place, especially coming off the flu, I had wished that the gap to Justin, who ended up winning in 5:12:47, and Lee, who came in second in 5:27:04 had been closer. Still, as I sit here typing this two weeks later, it has taken me that addition two weeks for my lungs to feel back to 100%, so I am pretty proud of the fight I put up in a less-than-ideal situation.

I hung around at the Pavilion for the next couple hours watching runners come in, including my friends Ed Bonessi at 7:37:29 and Skyler and Alex Hauer coming through in 8:49:46. Overall, this was a great new addition from Steep Endurance to its racing series and I can’t wait to be back here attacking the Sleeping Giants trails again in the future. Next up is the Canyons 50K by UTMB out in California on April 26^th, followed by the Cayuga Trails 50 Mile in Ithica, New York on May 31^st!

With Skyler and Hauer Pre-Race

NYC Trail Mix 50K - First Overall & Course Record

The NYC Trail Mix 50K/50 Mile, put on by Redpoint Productions, took place on November 16th at the Greenbelt Conservatory on Staten Island, approximately one hour from my apartment in Stamford, Connecticut. I had been introduced to this race by a friend who had completed the 50 Mile last year, and who signed up again for the 50 Mile this year. While I had not originally intended to enter this race, a failed attempt at 100 Miles at the Ghost Train 30-Hour Ultramarathon in Milford, New Hampshire on October 20th had left a very bitter taste in my month and had created a desire to end the racing season on a high note. As such, I had registered for this race within two days of my failure at Ghost Train, which had resulted in me tapping out at 75 Miles after approximately 14 hours.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this one. It represented the culmination of a year that had already included four ultramarathons and two marathons, three of those races which had taken place in the last two and half months. And, to top it off, race week brought with it a grizzly chest cold that nearly had me pulling out of the race before I even reached the start line. Needless to say, when I left my apartment at five in the morning to drive down to Staten Island, I felt anything but confident.

NYC Trail Mix 50K/50 Mile by Redpoint Productions!

I arrived at the Greenbelt Conservatory at approximately 6:10 AM, having just missed the start of the 50 Mile, which began ten minutes earlier. Thankfully, it was a relatively neutral weather day for mid-November with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees at the start with a bit of gusting wind. As I worked through my pre-racing routine, I considered my pacing strategy and fueling strategy, and whether I might be able to target the 4:10:31 course record set in the inaugural year of the race last year. While this was the initial target, I did not know what to expect from the course, which I had been told was fairly runnable, or how my legs or my lungs would react until I was out there. As the minutes ticked down to 7:00 AM, we began to line up at the start line, and, after a few words, we were off.

Start Line

Pretty much right from the gun, I settled into first place, moving from the short opening at the start line into the narrower single/double track trail which was relatively smooth, but fairly undulating. Packed with pine needles and not very many rocks or routes, my initial impression was that it felt fast, which a 7:37 first mile confirmed, however, I could tell I definitely did not feel comfortable early on. For the 50K, we would be completing two laps of a 15+ Mile loop. Tracking in my shadow for the first several miles was 31-year-old Kristoffer Mack. While I felt like he wanted to move by me within the first mile or two, he never did, though, I had secretly hoped he would as I felt like I was running more to not get passed rather than running to settle into a rhythm. The first several miles of this course, working our way to the first aid station at Mile 3.6, High Rock, featured a few rolling climbs, which continued to take me out of my rhythm and pushed my heart rate higher than I had wanted. Kristoffer and I rolled into the first aid station at approximately 28 minutes. I paused for a few seconds to grab a handful of chips while he continued on, taking the lead.

High Rock – 1 – Mile 3.6, 1st Place, 28:44 Total Time

A Mile In.

Given that this race was not necessarily an “A’ race for me, I saw it as a great opportunity to work on refining my nutrition strategy. Historically, I have a very poor track record with gels, which do nothing but give me nausea by the fourth one I’ve taken, so for this race, at the recommendation of a friend, I was taking Precision Fuel 30g Carb Chews, which were basically akin to Turkish Delight. In a couple practice runs these chews had worked well for me and were much more tolerable than gels. The plan for each 15 Mile loop was to take 50-75 grams of carbs via Tailwind and 60 grams of carbs via Precision Fuel Chews, for approximately 60 grams of carbs an hour over four hours.

I departed the aid station with approximately a fifteen second gap back to Kristoffer, which, over the next mile on a wider fire road, I had managed to close back down. At the same time, we had another runner, who I could tell had been stalking us since the start, catch up to us about five miles in. I thought that he was working hard, and I also wanted to see what type of reaction Kristoffer would have, so I slowed our pace down and allowed the other runner to catch up to us before putting on a very significant surge for about thirty seconds. To my dismay, this seems to do very little, with both Kristoffer and the other runner closing back down on me over the next half mile. At about Mile 6, we went through probably the coolest two parts of the course, the first of which was a quarter-mile elevated switchback bridge, and the second of which was an opening along a ridgeline which opened up to the Richmond County Country Club with views of the Long Island Sound. While Staten Island may get a bad rap at times, I must say that this course overall was absolutely gorgeous, and I never would have anticipated trails like these on Staten Island. Mile 7-9 saw Kristoffer, me, and the other runner take turns controlling the lead, still, with each of us more content at this early stage to let someone else do the leading than to lead. I definitely felt like I was working very hard early, my heart rate continuing to hover in the upper 160s, which was close to the danger zone of above 170 bpm that I try to avoid at all costs early in ultras. By Mile 9, Kristoffer and I had dropped the other runner, and, as we approached the second aid station at Mile 10.1, La Tourette, he had begun to gap me as we exited the single-track trail momentarily and entered some faster paved road within the conservatory. After one road crossing, we approached the second aid station at approximately an hour and twenty minutes, where I had stopped to refuel my bottle, but Kristoffer went on. As I left the aid station with Kristoffer’s lead sitting at about thirty or forty seconds, I had to tell myself to calm down, run my own race, and that there were still twenty miles to go. In the past, telling myself “there are still twenty miles to go” having just been gapped and having not felt the greatest to this point in the race would have been more mentally fatiguing than calming to me, but the fact that I looked at this as a positive, rather than a negative, is a testament to the strength and endurance I have built this year that I have not necessarily had in the past. And, with two recent races within the last two months at 67 Miles and 75 Miles, I was confident in my ability to get through 50K without issue.

La Tourette – 1 – Mile 10.1, 2nd Place, 1:20:36 Total Time

A Few Miles In; Kristoffer Still Hot on My Trail.

Over the next mile, I really began to settle into my first rhythm of the race. It felt like it had taken me nearly ten miles with the cold weather and working through the remnants of the chest cold to truly warm up. The third stanza of the loops, like the first stanza, featured a number of rolling hills, though none of which were “unrunnable”, as well as some flatter more open portions of double trail. I was gradually beginning to close on Kristoffer as we went up the steepest climb of the race, and, after a steep downhill that opened into flatter double trail, I had closed the gap. We ran together silently for a minute before entering more single track where we began chatting and introducing ourselves for several minutes before shifting back to the task at hand. Over the next two miles of undulating narrow single track, I had begun to pull away ever so slightly. Nothing that bordered on an intentional move, but rather a much more subtle slow drift, like the two ends of a piece of gum being stretched thinner and thinner until it snapped. After a bit more winding single-track, I popped out onto a flat double track that ran along side the La Tourette Golf Course, which was approximately a mile from start and finish area. I was still working hard with the heart rate still redlining against 170 bpm, but for the first time I was beginning to feel good. About a half mile from the end of the first loop I got a much-needed burst of energy, seeing my friend Skyler who was also finishing up his first loop of the 50 Miler.

Nature Center – 1 – Mile 15.4, 1st Place, 2:01:13 Total Time

Finally, I rolled through the start and finish area at 2:01:13, with Kristoffer just behind at 2:01:53. I grabbed my Tailwind bottle for the second loop and was off within thirty seconds, trying to prevent Kristoffer from narrowing the gap through the aid station. Miles 16 and 17 were fueled by the adrenaline of beginning the second loop, but by the time I approached Mile 18, nearing the High Rock aid station for the second time, I just started to feel gassed after having worked through a few of the bigger climbs of the course. Coming through High Rock 2:30:24, I stopped briefly to refill my quickly depleted bottle with the races Nuun electrolyte mix, planning to further increase my carbohydrate and fluid intake for the second lap. Historically, I have had a hard time with sugar-based calories during ultras, but I am trying to take a page out of the David Roche playbook and increase my tolerance for carbohydrate intake during races, and the limited practice I have had this year has already been successful. I left High Rock sitting on an approximately 1:40 lead, trying to hold the gap through the second stage of the course and fight the fatigue setting into my legs, knowing that I may be letting the course record target of 4:10:31 start to slip.

High Rock – 2 – Mile 19.0, 1st Place, 2:30:24 Total Time

Second Lap.

I rolled through the elevated switchback bridge for the second time, keeping my eye on bridge as I doubled back on the trail looking for Kristoffer coming down, but I did not see him. With my focus off the trail, I took my only wrong turn of the day, missing a flag at a critical intersection and having to double back, losing about 30 seconds. As I approached the ridgeline for the second time around Mile 22, I could feel a subtle change coming over me. I had just taken my third Precision Fuel chew and had steadily increased my fluid intake, and my legs were starting to respond and now felt much better than they had the first few miles of the second lap. Through 75% of the race, I was sitting at about 3:03:23 and on pace for a 4:05 – 4:07 finish but knew I would need to fight for it the last quarter for the race for a shot at the course record.

I continued to work my way through the switchbacks and inclines over the next several miles as I approached the La Tourette aid station for a second time. I powered through some of my quickest miles of the day from Miles 23-25 between High Rock and La Tourette, splitting in the 7:40s on the winding trail. I hit the faster paved road again and rolled into La Tourette at Mile 25.5 in 3:23, stopping for less than 10 seconds to refill my bottle. I knew the course record was mine if I could finish the last five miles in about 47 Minutes, and at that point I was thinking more about sub 4:00 than I was about 4:10.

La Tourette – 2 – Mile 25.5, 1st Place, 3:23:05 Total Time

On My Way to High Rock Aid Station.

I left La Tourette and entered more switchbacks and inclines, continuing to go by runners in the 50 Mile and the half marathon that had started a few hours later. I again made my way towards the steepest climb of the race, taking my final Precision Fuel chew after cresting, and then entered the flatter double trail before the final two miles of single tracks. While I was working hard here, the constant undulation of the single track was slowing me down and with two miles to go sub 4:00 seemed out the door, but I continued to push the pace through the trail before finally hitting the gravel path along the La Tourette Golf Course with a mile to go. The last mile I battled the headwind and slight uphill all the way down the final stretch, my heart rate now up to 180 bpm, but I ended up hitting my fastest mile of the day on the last mile. With a quarter mile to go, I could see the finish line ahead, and I began to kick it in to finally cross the finish line in 4:03:16 for the win and course record!

Nature Center – 2 – Mile 30.8, 1st Place, 4:03:16 Total Time

I ended up splitting nearly dead even on my two laps, running 2:01:13 on the first lap, and 2:02:03 on the second lap. While I had only put seven minutes on Kristoffer through La Tourette at Mile 25.5, I put another seven minutes on him between that aid station and the finish, as Kristoffer ran a great race to finish second in 4:17:11. Overall, this was a fantastic event put on by Red Point Productions and I am very excited to give their Laurel Highlands 70 Miler a try in the future, which is a qualifier for the Western States Endurance Run. I also want to give a shout out to Jordan Buck who crushed the 50 Mile in a course record of 7:29:24 and to my friend Skyler Silsdorf who finished 12th Overall in 10:02:16! Finally, it was super cool to get a shout out from iRunFar on their article: “This Week In Running: November 18, 2024”.

https://www.irunfar.com/this-week-in-running-november-18-2024#disqus_thread

Grindstone 100K by UTMB - Race Report

The 2024 Grindstone Running Festival by UTMB took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia among the Allegheny Mountains on September 20th and 21st, offering distances of 21K, 50K, 100K, and 100 Miles. I had registered for this race several months ago in the 100K as the “A” race of my entire year. The 100K is a beast; it is well known for being closer to 66 Miles (versus 62.1 Miles for a standard 100K) and features nearly 11,000 feet of elevation gain, including three major climbing sections. My objectives for running the race were pretty straightforward: finish and collect running stones for the UTMB Lottery for the championship race in Chamonix, France and to knock out my Western States Endurance Run qualifier to enter the lottery in December. This race was the only domestic UTMB race on the entire east coast and had the added benefit of being relatively close to Connecticut. I arrived in Virginia by car mid-afternoon on Friday, checked into my hotel, and then headed over to the start at Camp Shenandoah to pick up my bib number, check out the merchandise store and also watch the 100 Mile runners, who begin at 6:00 PM on Friday, start their race. Watching the start of the 100 Miler was a great way to stoke some fire for my own race the next morning! 

Three Major Climbing Sections: Miles 11-18, Miles 26-35, and Miles 44-47

I arrived back at Camp Shenandoah the next morning at about 5:15 AM and made my way over to the start area. This was going to be my longest race ever, and my first time doing a single loop of this size, so it was also my first time really racing in a running vest. I am not a huge fan and normally would go with handhelds, if possible, but that was not the case for this one. I was wearing my Hoka Speedgoat 5’s, a Hoka Airolite short sleeve top, a Salomon Adv Skin 12 vest, and a Suunto watch. My nutrition plan was to consumer one Tailwind packet every aid station and to supplement with solid food at aid stations and throughout the course. We began to congregate at the start line at about 5:55 AM and after a few quick words from the race director we were off! 

I knew this was a competitive race as the top three received auto entry into UTMB Mont Blanc, but man do people start hot! It looks like the top guys were cranking 6:20-6:30 miles during the opening 5.7 Miles to the first aid station “Lick Run – 1”. This section of the course featured a short loop at the start of about a mile, followed by three miles of gradual uphill on pavement before we transitioned to a gravel fire road for another mile and a half before reaching the aid station. My plan was to start conservatively, run smart, and move up throughout the day. I knew it was going to be a long day and it was also going to be very hot later (80+ degrees) so there was no reason to overcook it too early. I kept it in the low eight minutes miles to start, giving my body and legs time to warm up for the work ahead.

Start!

Lick Run – 1 – Mile 5.7, 44th Place, 45:56 Total Time 

After leaving Lick Run – 1, we entered the single-track trails, where we would spend most of our day. We hit the first significant climb of the day here traversing 660 feet over eight tenths of a mile, reducing the train of people ahead to power hiking. This was the first moment of the day where I was stuck with the reality of the task at hand, calves on fire at only Mile 7, reduced to a hike. We crested the top of the climb and spent the next several miles running along undulating single-track trail on the ridge line making our way over to the second aid station, Wolf Ridge. I only passed a handful of people over these miles as it was still early, and the hot starters were still out in force. 

Wolf Ridge – Mile 11.4, 40th Place, 1:49:01 Total Time

I stayed at Wolf Ridge for two or three minutes, refilling my water and Tailwind and taking my time to collect some food to go in a plastic bag, as it was nearly ten miles to the next aid station. It was early, but the only thing that really seemed to be working for me food wise outside of the Tailwind was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Oreos. Leaving the aid station, the first major climbing section of the race began, which was nearly eight miles of single-track from Miles 11-18. My plan here was to continue to take the climb relatively easy and feel good coming out at the top. I ended up shadowing another runner for nearly the whole climb who was making a good pace as we went by more than half a dozen runners. After cresting the end of the climb, we had a very nice grassy non-technical descent for nearly three miles to the next aid station where I was able to open the pace back up into the 7s. I came into the next aid station, Sand Springs at Mile 21.0 feeling great and got several remarks from the those at the aid station that I looked fantastic. 

Sand Springs – Mile 21.0, 30th Place, 3:33:16 Total Time

Leaving Sand Springs, we had a very quick 4.2 Miles to the next station, with the entirety on nice, fast gravel roads, with the vast majority being downhill. I split my fastest mile of the day here at Mile 23 running 7:17. It was also nice that this part of the course was mostly shaded. It was only 10:00 AM by this point, and the heat of the day had not entirely set in, so it still felt relatively cool traversing over to the next aid station at North River Gap – 1. During this time, I also pulled out my phone and shot a quick video to send to my family as I had promised to give them a few update videos throughout. Even though I was running fast for this section, I practiced some restraint as I knew we had the second major climbing section coming up from Mile 25 – 35 after leaving the next aid station. 

North River Gap 1 – Mile 25.2 – 29th Place, 4:07:05 Total Time 

Gravel Road from Sand Springs
to North River Gap - 1

North River Gap aid station was one of the ‘key” aid stations of the race. This was one of only a handful of stations where spectators or crew were allowed, and it was also the location of the drop bags. We would also be coming back through here around Mile 53. I took extra time at this aid station, grabbing more peanut butter sandwiches and Oreos to stash for the climb, and grabbing my extra Tailwind packets, knowing I was going almost exclusively uphill on single-track for over an hour to the next aid station. Side note, this aid station had by far the coldest water of any aid station, and it was a godsend. I left North River Gap – 1 and after a short road climb, turned left and entered the single-track. I crossed a rickety, bouncy bridge and the climbing was on. I passed several runners over the next stretch of miles, probably a combination at this point of those who had started out too quick and those who were having tough days. This climb was certainly a low point for me. I did not have another runner to key off of to pace the climb and it was the first time all day where I really felt the heat come through. Still, I felt like I was running relatively strong, and the goal was to get through the climbing section under a twelve-minute mile average. At about Mile 30, shortly before the next aid station, the single-track widened out a bit and lost most of the technicality. I came through to the next aid station, Lookout Mountain, relived to have a momentary respite from the climbing and an opportunity to refill my water and Tailwind, which I very much had to ration through the previous climb. 

Rickety Bridge at Mile 25

After leaving the aid station, I continued to climb, this time, however, on more of a fire road trail, which was quicker than the single-track but was in the direct sunlight for most of the rest of the climb. I caught another runner around Mile 34 and paced off of him for the remaining mile or so of climbing before we began to enter a fairly technical descent over four miles to the next aid station. I definitely felt very tight on this descent, with my quads not quite able to open up as nicely as the last downhill section we had from Mile 18 to Mile 26. I lost the runner I had caught up to for a bit during this section, not making up ground until we had leveled out a bit more on the trail as we approached Magic Moss. 

Magic Moss – Mile 38.1, 19th Place, 6:39:29 Total Time 

I left the Magic Moss aid station and set off towards the final aid station before the biggest climb on the course. We were greeted with five relatively flat miles of gravel road. The first two miles after leaving Magic Moss were downhill and in the shade, but shortly after that the road flattened out considerably and we were in direct sunlight as the temperatures were starting to peak up near 80 degrees. There was considerable carnage on this stretch of road where I went by no less than six runners. After a fast 7:55 mile at Mile 41, I too got caught up in the heat a bit and started to dial it back. I have consistently seen in race reports and on YouTube videos that something about the gravel road running this late in the race is such a low point, even though it should be one of the quickest parts of the race. I think it is because the only thing you really can do is run, and it is a relentless one foot in front of the other. There is relatively no change in trail conditions, no change in pace, it just feels very rote and unforgiving at this stage in the race. I made a concerted effort to relax a bit as I entered the last mile or so before the aid stations, my hips tightening up considerably over the last few miles. Finally, I rounded one final turn and ran into the Camp Todd aid station, which was well stocked with crew and spectators, preparing to take on the daunting climb ahead of me. 

Stream Crossing at Camp Todd
at Mile 44

I stayed at Camp Todd for several minutes, taking extra water and refilling both my bottles. I was starting to struggle with nutrition a little bit, my appetite for Tailwind going down with each mile. I grabbed a few more PB&J sandwiches, stashed a few Oreos, and left the aid station, with nearly ten miles until the next one, with “only” 2,700 feet of elevation gain and 3600 feet of elevation loss in between. Leaving Camp Todd, I completely drenched my feet in the stream crossing, failing miserably at following the dry path. Thankfully, I had stashed an extra pair of socks in my drop bag, but I knew it would be nearly two hours before I reached it. 

After crossing the stream, I was immediately faced with the totality of what was ahead of me. 3 Miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I had “practiced” this climb in training, but nothing but the real thing ever really prepares you. These three miles were slippery, technical, and unrelentingly uphill. You couldn’t really run it even if you wanted to. It was at this point in the race where I met Nicholas Wirz, who had come into the Camp Todd aid station right before me. I went by him for the first mile of the climb, but he was a relentless power hiker, driving by me about half way up the climb with his poles. My goal was to stay in eyesight of him and stay connected. After what felt like an eternity, I finally crested the top of the mountain, and that’s when the rain hit. 

Chasing after Nicholas at Mile 54 

Thunder had rolled into Camp Todd and the Shenandoah Valley in the hour earlier, which finally gave way to a downpour. Within minutes, I was completely drenched, navigating technical undulating single-track with every cold wet shrub whacking my body as I went by. Nicholas was beginning to pull out of my eyesight as I was debating putting out my rain jacket, but finally decided against it. While the rain was cold, it was refreshing after hours of 80-degree heat. Unfortunately, this section felt very slow, due to the slippery, technical descents. After about 30 minutes, the sky began to clear and the rain dissipated, however lingering thunder would remain for much of the race. I finally caught back up to Nicholas near about Mile 49 as we traded conversation and leads. I would take the front on the downhills, and he would power by me on the climbs. The elevation loss was the real sneaky killer of this section. The near 2,500 feet we dropped over the next seven miles was destructive on the quads. The last mile before the next aid station dropped nearly 800 feet and was barely runnable at this point. Nicholas had gapped me over the last few miles, but I did pull him back in over the last downhill as we ran into the next aid station at North River Gap – 2 together. 

North River Gap – 2 – Mile 52.8 – 13th Place – 9:38:53 Total Time 

Technical Descent before North
River Gap - 2

I took my time at North River Gap – 2 again, changing my socks and taking in extra water and food, knowing this was the last critical aid station before the finish. Nicholas set off about thirty seconds before me as we left the aid station and traveled up the gravel roads that we had run down from Mile 21 to Mile 25. I stayed within eyesight of him, as I began the slow, methodical climb back up. After about three miles, we took a right hand turn back onto the trail, at which time I caught back up to Nicholas, and he and I continued to run and power hike together for the next two miles of fairly non-technical single-track. We both thought that we were still on target for a sub-12-hour finish but knew that we would need to close strong. After the single-track, we popped back out onto a short gravel descent that we had come up on way back at Mile 8 or 9, and this where Nicholas and I finally parted. He was climbing much better than I was, but said his quads were shot. He had his GPS hooked up to the course topo profile and did warn me we had a pretty extreme downhill coming up over the next mile and boy was he right. I had just passed 60 Miles on my Suunto as I entered the downhill, which was not technical, but was indeed very steep. At the bottom of this descent, I popped out on the fire roads which would lead me back to the final aid station, Lick Run – 2. This was an odd mentally low point for me of the race, especially because it was so late. I must have misread or missed the sign indicating the distance to the next aid station, because I thought it was nearly two miles sooner than when I actually reached it. I kept going up and up the fire trails, out of water for nearly 20 minutes, with each turn I made failing to yield the final aid station. I was now beginning to get nervous I would not squeak in under 12 hours, when I finally rounded a turn and could see the final aid station up ahead. 

Lick Run – 2 – 60.5 Miles, 11th Place – 11:11:09 Total Time 

4.5 Miles, a tiny bit of climbing, and nearly 600 feet of descent was all that stood between me and the finish. I did spend about a minute or so at this aid station, even refilling both my bottles. I didn’t really need the water (or the weight of it), but I think I was just trying to compensate for the fact that I had been out before and had hit a mentally low spot. I had approximately 49 minutes to go the last 4.5 Miles to make it under 12 hours, knowing all I had to do was just get to the asphalt road. After about a mile of slightly uphill fire road, I finally hit the turn left to travel back to Camp Shenandoah. The sky was turning a deep grey color, but the rain and thunder was holding off for now. I felt surprisingly strong and smooth passing by all of the farmhouses and fields that I went by in the dark over eleven hours ago that were now illuminated. I pulled out my phone with two miles to go sending a short video to my family, trying hard to contain the emotion in my voice. I made one final turn on the asphalt road before approaching traffic volunteers, who told me I was less than a mile away. “That’s the best thing I have heard all day” I said. After two quick final turns on the asphalt, I plunged into one final smooth trail that traversed the back of Camp Shenandoah towards the finish. Having clocked low eight-minute miles the last three miles, I knew I was now well inside the twelve-hour mark and tried to soak in the last half mile, thankful for the great adventure I was able to have today and the ability to be able to push my body the way that I do. One final turn and I was on the path to the finishing line, a sense of relief coursing through my body. As I crossed the finish line, the sky began to open up in a downpour, perhaps waiting until the very second that I crossed the line to unleash. I raised my hands to the sky and took it all in. 

Finish – Natural Chimneys – Mile 65.4 – 11th Place, 11:46:07 Total Time 

Finish!

I had finished in a time of 11:46:07, which was good for 11th Overall, and 10th Male. When I was told that I had finished in 11th my jaw dropped. Looking at the results from last year, on a great day, I thought maybe I could have been in the Top 20 or Top 25, but this result was far outside of my expectations. The winning times were slower than last year, but it really was a hot day out there and I’m sure there was carnage for those who went out too quickly. I ended up executing my race plan perfectly, moving up the entire day, from 44th at the first aid station to 11th at the finish, without getting passed once. After hanging out for about fifteen or twenty minutes I made my way to the car when the weather suddenly started to turn violent. Lighting directly overhead, torrential downpour basically blowing sideways. It was so terrifying that after 66 Miles of running, I still ran to my car to get to safety, zig zagging in the open field trying to avoid getting struck by lightning. That certainly would have been a way to go. I felt grateful for finishing when I did, but props to the runners still out on the course who had to battle through that. 

Overall, I could not be more thrilled with how this race turned out. It was a lot of validation for me that all of my hard work and training have been paying off; that I could come into a race put on by UTMB with a national (at minimum, regional) class field and make the Top 10 Men. With the task at hand completed I now wait for two things. First, I finally have the opportunity to enter the lottery for the Western States Endurance Run, a goal of mine since I was 12-years old. I may not make it this time around, but you have to start somewhere and often times setting the foundation is the hardest part. Second, I collected three “Running Stones” which gives me an opportunity to enter the lottery for UTMB Mont Blanc, the World Series Final in Chamonix, France. I think I probably have a 1.00% chance of getting into WSER per their lottery analysis, and probably a 20% chance of getting into UTMB Mont Blanc per other analysis I have seen. Hopefully, I am fortunate enough to be on one of those starting lines next Summer, but if not I’m sure I will have some other big plans!

Spartan Trail Bear Mountain Trail Challenge 50K

The Bear Mountain Trail Challenge, put on by Spartan Trail, takes part at beautiful Bear Mountain State Park in New York, right off the Palisades Parkway, and approximately 45 minutes away from my apartment in Stamford, Connecticut. I have had this race circled on my calendar for at least two months given that I have hiked at Bear Mountain a handful of times, the race was very close to home, and I figured it would be a well-run event considering it was put on by Spartan Trail, whose parent organization is Spartan Race. 

I didn’t necessarily go into this with the idea of it being an “A” race. I had just finished the Boston Marathon only 19 days prior and was still trying to shake off a relatively lukewarm performance there, which featured a 2:53:52 finish, but a 1:22:09 front half and then a pretty poor 1:31:43 back half. My goal today was have fun, run a smart race, and aim for a Top 3 finish and under six hours on the 50K.

I arrived at Bear Mountain State Park at approximately 6:15 AM, 45 minutes before the 7:00 AM start and walked over to pick up my bib. I was shocked moments later when my old coach, Kris Brown, who had coached me in 2020-2021, came over after recognizing me and told me he was actually the race director! Kris Brown is an extremely talented ultrarunner and a two-time Western States Top 10 finisher, so I was a bit relieved he was directing and not racing as he would have kicked my ass! Kris and I chatted for a few minutes before he had to attend to some pre-race items. After grabbing my bib, I walked back over to my car, changed out of my layers, put on some sunscreen and some bug spray, and grabbed my nutrition. For this race, I was working off of one twenty-ounce handheld water bottle with 480 calories of Maurten drink mix packets and about 420 calories worth of peanut butter pretzels. I’m honestly not a huge chest pack runner; I’m not really a fan of how restrictive it can feel and prefer to use a handheld. I finished up my pre-race checklist and made my way over to the start line with about five minutes until the gun. After a quick national anthem, some instructions from Kris, and a glance around at the field, we were off! 

Within the first half mile or so, which was on the road out of the park before entering a section of the Appalachian Trail, two guys had already broken off and were pulling away quite rapidly. Third place had also put some distance on me as I ran together with fourth place. It was quite a shock to the system hitting that very first trail section of the race, stepping onto the rocks and roots and ascending and descending the constant elevation change of the trail. My initial reaction based on the way my legs felt was that it had the potential to be a long day. Not a great start a half mile in! We popped out of the Appalachian Trail after about 10 minutes and entered about a mile stretch of the race that was on the road, climbing us uphill to the main set of trails in Bear Mountain State Park. On this long straightaway, I could see the gap between the leaders and to third place had continued to grow. I made a move here to put myself solidly in fourth place, but was wary of my heartrate, which was climbing into the 170s already. 

Somewhere Near Mile 4!

I reached the first aid station Mile 2.4 at Silver Mine in 19:11, already 2:10 seconds back of the leaders, and making a conscious effort to put myself in a better rhythm. The first seven miles or so of this race are largely uphill and it was just a “bear”, no pun intended. With the onslaught of rocks and roots, the constant incline, and the stifling early morning humidity, I was feeling pretty beat early on, especially towards the end of the first set of climbs near Mile 6-7. My Suunto, after the race, confirmed what I had expected, that I did not get my heart rate under control until just about Mile 7. I’m not exactly a heartrate runner, but I do run on feel, and I think heartrate can be a valuable tool there when used correctly. At about Mile 7, we had finally peeked out at the top of the skyline and while the elevation gain had subsided, we continued to test the skyline over and over again over the next several miles, dipping back down into the trails, and scrambling up large inclines, including one around this time that put you on all fours climbing up the side of the trail. I came into the second aid station at Arden Valley at Mile 7.7 still sitting in 4th place with the leaders apparently 7-8 minutes ahead and third place “a few minutes ahead”. I grabbed a Gu, a handful of potato chips, refilled my water, and then I was off again. 

In terms of the course profile, I knew exactly what to expect from this race in terms of the technically. The Northeast and New York State are famous for their rugged, technical rocky courses, and I have run on several just like this. These courses demand absolute precision on your footwork, one wrong step, or one step put down weakly, and you are on the ground. I took my first fall right about Mile 10, gashing my knee and sending blood all the way down my shin and soaking my sock and my shoe. Overall, Miles 8-12 were certainly my low point of the race, and that’s not where you want to be with over 20 miles to go! 

Around Mile 14, Running with Aaron.

I hit the next aid station at Mile 11.2 at Crossroads 1 again in 4th place, but I genuinely thought I had been moving well after stabilizing my heart rate, only to find out I had lost ground to all three ahead of me, with the leaders 18 minutes ahead, and third place 8 minutes ahead. This took quite a bit of wind out of my sails, and I felt like I ran a pretty sloppy race on this section of the course, losing focus, and making a handful of very minor double-backs after missing a marker. On a side note, this course was marked extremely well, with pink flags every 30 seconds or so. There were a handful of places where I had to pause for a moment to scan ahead for a flag, but for the most part I was able to switch my brain off, which certainly saved much needed mental energy. At about Mile 12, I could sense fifth place, Aaron Perez, coming up on me, so I slowed until we were connected. We ran the next several miles together, which was great morale booster for me as I had been running entirely alone since pretty much the start. 

Action Shot on the Bloody Knee!

Things started to get a little strange for the first time at about Mile 14, when we had a 50K runner come at us from down the trail. I knew he wasn’t one of the top three ahead of us, and I’m not sure how he came down that way, but we got him turned around and running with us. After a couple minutes, we ended up dropping him, and Aaron started pulling away from me a bit on a long grassy decline. Right as we were coming up to the next aid station at Mile 15.8, Little Long Pond, things continued to get weirder. This section of the course featured a short out and back, with a half mile descent down to that aid station, followed by the climb back up. Going down the decline with Aaron just ahead of me, we could see a handful of runners making their way up the climb. I reached the aid station at 2:54:21 and promptly asked what my place was. A bit to my dismay, he scanned down the list and said 12th! I’m not sure what happened exactly, but it looks like a handful of runners may have missed a small loop (~1.5 – 2.0 Miles) out near the very outer ends of the course. While the navigation was a bit more challenging out there, Aaron and I never lost site of a flag, and I actually came into the aid station with about 16.8 Miles on my watch. I left the aid station a bit flustered, forgetting to grab some much-needed food, but reminding myself that it was a long race. At this point Aaron had stopped for a bit longer than I did at the aid station, so I continued up the hill without him, and did not see him again until the finish. By the top of the hill, I had begun to catch a handful of the runners ahead of me, hoping to ascertain what had happened, and to get an idea from them as to what place I was in. I definitely had to take some deep resetting breaths here and remind myself that it was a long race, and I was feeling perhaps the best I had felt all day. At the last aid station, I had also closed the gap on the leaders to about 12.5 minutes, though I had no idea where third was. 

I continued to pick off another two runners as the second half of the course was much more runnable and had far less elevation gain than the first half. At about Mile 18 or so, I came up to the “third” place, Mac Crawford, and chatted with him for a bit as we ran into the next aid station together at 19.7 Miles at Lake Skannatati, which is where things started to get interesting. The guy who had been running in second place the entire race ended up dropping out here, putting Mac and I in second and third position, though we were somewhere between “4th to 6th” in terms of runners who had come through and might have nicked that outer loop. I came through 19.7 Miles in 3:38:49 and was now 16 minutes back of the leader with twelve miles to go, having given back a couple minutes since the last aid station. I stayed with Mac for a couple more minutes and then took off down the trail, not so much intending to catch the leader, but more so to pass the other runners ahead and eliminate any doubt as to positioning. I knew Aaron was probably still back there running strong, and Mac looked good as well, but I told him “I’m not letting anyone pass me; you can pass me, but I’m not letting anyone else do it!”. With that I set off down the trail towards the last aid station. Overall, the last ten miles of this race was super runnable and much more downhill. We probably climbed 65-70% of the elevation in the first half of the race, and the back half did not have nearly as many super steep or technical climbs. My legs continued to feel very strong, particularly on the downhills and the flats as I made my way to the last aid station at Mile 23.7, Tiorati Brook Road. When I got to the aid station, I quickly took water only, and inquired on my place before setting off. I was told I was in 4th overall, with three men and one woman ahead. I didn’t know it, but I was about eleven minutes back of the leader with less than eight miles to go. 

Around Mile 20, After Lake Skannatati.

Within about a mile after the aid station, I caught the female runner ahead on a long uphill section and went by after a brief chat. Within about another mile or so, approaching Mile 26, I had caught the second-place male, who happened to be the same runner who had run down the trail at Aaron and I earlier! We were relatively close on overall mileage when we compared, and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance on positioning, so I took off pretty hard to put some distance between us and to put myself in second position (both on the course and overall). At this point, the humidity was relatively tame, and we had gotten some decent cloud cover, but I was still trying to ration my remaining water. There were no more aid stations between Mile 23.7 and the finish, so a deliberate and patient fueling strategy was required, despite my thirst. To bad at Mile 27 I briefly stopped to put the remainder of my Maurten drink mix in my water and in my haze tipped my water bottle instead of the drink mix and promptly dumped the rest of my water onto the trail. A few expletives later, I had no choice but to continue down the trail to the finish, the only remaining place I knew would have water! That was definitely a tough stretch for me mentally; I was still running strong, and my legs were feeling great, but I was out of food and water with nearly five miles still to go. Thankfully, the trail continued to still be relatively runnable and downhill, and I worked hard to continue to put distance between myself and those I knew were behind me. 

Finish! 

Finally, with about a mile and a half to go, I spotted a runner up ahead, tall and slender. I had passed by a handful of runners still on the half marathon course, but when I saw him ahead, I just knew it was the leader. I quickly worked to close the gap over the next half mile and came up on his shoulder with little over a mile to go. One thing I have learned after years of racing, especially close to the finish, is that if you make a move, you have to make it with conviction and leave no doubt. I wish I could have stopped for conversation or been kinder about the pass, but I came up on his shoulder, and accelerated by, picking up my pace into the low sevens to put some quick distance between us and to not turn my head to look back. I certainly ran pretty scared the next half mile, but that feeling also created a tremendous amount of adrenaline as I was determined not to let up on pace. Finally, I approached the last turn on the course and could see the paved road leading back into the park only half mile from the finish. I tore out of the trail down the road and my stride just opened up as I was not prepared to coast in, pushing my pace down to low sixes. It was an absolutely exhilarating and surreal feeling to approach the finish line and have those at the finish, and especially my old coach, and Race Director Kris Brown, cheering as I approached the finish. I made the final turn doubling back down the straightaway to the finish and crossed the line first overall in a time of 5:31:23! 

Close-Up Finish Shot!

After a quick hug from Kris and collecting my finish medal, I was taken over to the starting tent for a post-race interview where I had the opportunity to discuss my race, my experience at a Spartan Trail event, and to provide some advice to newer runners or runners hoping to one day run the 50K. Afterwards, I took a quick trip to medical to clean up my knee, which had long dried but since stained my mud soaked shoes with blood (RIP HOKA’s). After about 15 minutes or so of chatting with a number of the finishers in the half marathon or spectators for the event, Kris called myself and the second and third place male finishers, over to the podium to present awards. After a photo session at the podium and some congratulations to the other runners (Tom Woolway in 2nd Place, and Aaron Perez in 3rd Place, whom I had run with way back at Mile 12!) we took a handful of professional photos with the top women finishers at the finish line before I began to collect my things to make the drive back to Stamford. 

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this event or Race Director Kris Brown. Everything from the atmosphere to the course markings, to the aid stations were extremely well done and I’ll definitely be doing another Spartan Trail race in the future! Maybe even as soon as later this year… 

See you at the World Championships?

Overall Men & Women's Podium.