Wausau 24 hour Mountain Bike Race
Wausau, Wisconsin
July 31-Aug 1st, 2010
In the early spring of 2010 my friend Tyler sent me a message on facebook asking me if I would be back in the Wisconsin area in the summer and wanted to participate in a 24 hour mountain bike race. I said sure after about 2 seconds of thinking about it. Now, I must admit I was excited, and all in, but my friends ride bike a lot and I do not. So I definitely put my best effort into training for that and finishing my training for my 50 mile, but I didin’t really start focusing on the mountain bike till late June. Luckily my friends were gentle with my sometimes anal and senseless questions about the race and type of bike I should use. Of course they did give me a hard time about it.
We all met at the race on Friday night trickling in at different times. The race did not start until Saturday at 10 am, so we had some time to set up a few tents, the tent trailer, and the shelter. We had a nice set up. The team was going to consists of 5 of us. We each took one lap at a time until about 10 pm. Then myself and 2 other teammates did 2 laps consecutively in the darkness. The course was 11 miles long. During the day my teammates were running between 53 and 56 minutes laps and I was trudging along at about a 60 minute pace. At night things slowed down to about in the 64-69 minute range. It was a fun course, some short ups, some short downs, a few rock gardens and lots of single track. The experience included watching some ultra endurance athletes ride for 24 hours in the solo division. They are like semi trucks, not to fast, but very steady. I got to see some super fast brothers who cranked hard for 12 hours trading off one lap at a time. Of course there were some crazy fun teams as well. It was a great atmosphere, good course, and well organized event.
Overall we placed 8th in the 24 hour division and 1st in our category. The funny part about the 1st place in our category, was we went into the race just wanting to have a good time and we maintained that attitude throughout. We just happened to be the fasted group in that division.
Sitka Sunrise
Sometimes it pays to walk the dog
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sun Mounatin 50 mile
Sun Mountain 50 Mile
June 20th, 2010
Winthrop and Twisp, WA
I haven’t run a 50 mile since my first ultra race in 2008. Since that time I have learned an enormous amount about ultrarunning. I was setting up to run a 50 mile last summer, but started graduate school. This year, I set my goal to run one 50 miler. I choose the Sun Mountain 50 because I ran the 50k last year and enjoyed the terrain. The 50 mile this year allowed a retrace of much of the 50K from 2009 plus added the twist river valley which was different yet amazing. Besides I always like to travel through the North Cascades to Winthrop and spend time in that area.
Annahootz, Anna, and I headed over to Winthrop on a Friday. We camped at the Winthrop KOA and spent Saturday hanging out. Of course we had to stop at the School House Brewery and Pub to have my usual burger and beer on Saturday night. So it was a relaxing and comfortable run up to the Sunday race. This was my first Sunday race and I enjoyed having the Saturday to prep and just relax.
The start for the 50 mile needed to be reached by catching the bus at the start finish line of the 50k and 25K. So it was an early start on the day to catch the bus. This was the first year the 50 mile had been run, so there were a few dozen of us on the bus. These would be the few that took on the challenge of the 50 miles. One of my biggest fears going into this race was the possibility of heat. Well the weather was cloudy and rainy which was a blessing for me. Living in Seattle at the time, I train in ran, I live in rain, and I prefer cool drizzly conditions and that is what we got. At one point during this race the sun did come out and when it did, it made its presence known. It got super hot and you could feel the heat. Anyways back to the 50 miles. Overall it is a really beautiful and challenging run. I would not say it is overly steep or overly technical. The only part I did not like was the few miles on the road.
As far as my run went, I reached my goal of under 10 hours. I ran a respectable 9:30something. The downside is I struggled with the last 5 miles or so, but I finished within my goal. Now I move onto other goals and other things. Next up, I will be participating 24 hour mountain bike race in Wisconsin with a team of 5 friends. Then I am moving back to Alaska!
Gear, Hydration, and Energy:
Asics running short
Headsweats running visor
REI long sleeve running shirt
Montrial Rockridge
Drank one bottle of HEED from Hammer before the race started
Ran with two ultimate direction water bottles. Started with one bottle of water and one bottle of Perpetum form Hammer for the entire race. I also took two Endurance Aminos and two Anti-Fatigue Caps before the race and one of each every hour during the race. Both are Hammer Nutrition products. Somewhere I also mixed in some Edurolytes tabs.
During the race I used Hammer gel Vanilla flavor.
After race drank one bottle of Recoverlyte from Hammer
June 20th, 2010
Winthrop and Twisp, WA
I haven’t run a 50 mile since my first ultra race in 2008. Since that time I have learned an enormous amount about ultrarunning. I was setting up to run a 50 mile last summer, but started graduate school. This year, I set my goal to run one 50 miler. I choose the Sun Mountain 50 because I ran the 50k last year and enjoyed the terrain. The 50 mile this year allowed a retrace of much of the 50K from 2009 plus added the twist river valley which was different yet amazing. Besides I always like to travel through the North Cascades to Winthrop and spend time in that area.
Annahootz, Anna, and I headed over to Winthrop on a Friday. We camped at the Winthrop KOA and spent Saturday hanging out. Of course we had to stop at the School House Brewery and Pub to have my usual burger and beer on Saturday night. So it was a relaxing and comfortable run up to the Sunday race. This was my first Sunday race and I enjoyed having the Saturday to prep and just relax.
The start for the 50 mile needed to be reached by catching the bus at the start finish line of the 50k and 25K. So it was an early start on the day to catch the bus. This was the first year the 50 mile had been run, so there were a few dozen of us on the bus. These would be the few that took on the challenge of the 50 miles. One of my biggest fears going into this race was the possibility of heat. Well the weather was cloudy and rainy which was a blessing for me. Living in Seattle at the time, I train in ran, I live in rain, and I prefer cool drizzly conditions and that is what we got. At one point during this race the sun did come out and when it did, it made its presence known. It got super hot and you could feel the heat. Anyways back to the 50 miles. Overall it is a really beautiful and challenging run. I would not say it is overly steep or overly technical. The only part I did not like was the few miles on the road.
As far as my run went, I reached my goal of under 10 hours. I ran a respectable 9:30something. The downside is I struggled with the last 5 miles or so, but I finished within my goal. Now I move onto other goals and other things. Next up, I will be participating 24 hour mountain bike race in Wisconsin with a team of 5 friends. Then I am moving back to Alaska!
Gear, Hydration, and Energy:
Asics running short
Headsweats running visor
REI long sleeve running shirt
Montrial Rockridge
Drank one bottle of HEED from Hammer before the race started
Ran with two ultimate direction water bottles. Started with one bottle of water and one bottle of Perpetum form Hammer for the entire race. I also took two Endurance Aminos and two Anti-Fatigue Caps before the race and one of each every hour during the race. Both are Hammer Nutrition products. Somewhere I also mixed in some Edurolytes tabs.
During the race I used Hammer gel Vanilla flavor.
After race drank one bottle of Recoverlyte from Hammer
Monday, July 26, 2010
Beer and Burger Alaska Friday
Well Washington friends, it is time for me to head back to Alaska. On Fridays I have a tradition of burgers and beer. One of my favorite hang outs has been the Dog & Pony in Renton http://www.thedogandpony.com/ So, I will be there Friday August 6th, 2010 starting at 7 pm and would love to have a beer and hear how the summer has treated everyone thus far before I head out. This is not goodbye, it is just a chance to catch up before I leave and come back next summer, so it will be casual. I hope to see you all there and please spread the word. I don’t have everyone’s e mail or phone number and I am certainly not an exclusive type of person, so spread the word.
Dan
Sunday, February 21, 2010
12 Summits
Saturday 2/20/2010
12 Summits
When you live in Washington or for that matter what is considered the Northwest, you are living in one of the United States ultra running Meccas. The Seattle area and Washington has produced some of the legends of the sport and currently has some of the elite, national runners. When you live in an area like this, there are some well known training runs. One of these training runs is the 12 summits. The 12 summits is actually the 6 summits of Tiger Mountain, but it is an out and back so your total summits in a day is 12. The distance in 34 miles and the elevation gain is 10,500 feet. It was a training run I read about it 16 months ago and told myself I wanted to do it. When my friend said a group was doing the 12, I was in. I describe the run simply as; climb up and run down, then repeat 11 times. It was a very grueling 8 hours and 11 minutes. One of the greatest things about this 12 summits experience was the day we picked to run. It was a beautiful, blue bird, sunny day. We saw Mt. Rainer, the Olympics, and the Capital peaks near Olympia. It was a great day for running and I can not think of a better way to have spent the day. I must admit, the 12 summits pushed me to places I haven't felt since my first 50 miler, which was my very first race over 18 miles in length. On the nice side, I am not as sore, nor as tired as I was after that race. Well, I will probably never be considered one of Washington's elite Ultra runners, but I can at least understand what it feels like to train like one of them. Ever time I complete training run like this I have more and more respect for those that have the physical and mental ability to run ultras and for those that do it competitively. They are also a supportive and pleasant group to associate with as well.
12 Summits
When you live in Washington or for that matter what is considered the Northwest, you are living in one of the United States ultra running Meccas. The Seattle area and Washington has produced some of the legends of the sport and currently has some of the elite, national runners. When you live in an area like this, there are some well known training runs. One of these training runs is the 12 summits. The 12 summits is actually the 6 summits of Tiger Mountain, but it is an out and back so your total summits in a day is 12. The distance in 34 miles and the elevation gain is 10,500 feet. It was a training run I read about it 16 months ago and told myself I wanted to do it. When my friend said a group was doing the 12, I was in. I describe the run simply as; climb up and run down, then repeat 11 times. It was a very grueling 8 hours and 11 minutes. One of the greatest things about this 12 summits experience was the day we picked to run. It was a beautiful, blue bird, sunny day. We saw Mt. Rainer, the Olympics, and the Capital peaks near Olympia. It was a great day for running and I can not think of a better way to have spent the day. I must admit, the 12 summits pushed me to places I haven't felt since my first 50 miler, which was my very first race over 18 miles in length. On the nice side, I am not as sore, nor as tired as I was after that race. Well, I will probably never be considered one of Washington's elite Ultra runners, but I can at least understand what it feels like to train like one of them. Ever time I complete training run like this I have more and more respect for those that have the physical and mental ability to run ultras and for those that do it competitively. They are also a supportive and pleasant group to associate with as well.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Orcas Island 2010
Orcas Island 50K February 6th, 2010
Well for the 2nd year in a row I headed to run the Orcas Island 50K and for the second year in a row the weather was fantastic!
Orcas Island 50k is run at the Moran State Park on Orcas Island. It is somewhat of a Ultra runners trek to Winter Camp. The run is based out of the Moran State Park learning center and camp. Some of the runners stay in the camp cabins and others camp there. My friends and I rented a cabin at West Beach Resort and Campground. We had a cabin on the beach and it was a wonderful time. I had a burger and a couple of beers before Friday night then got some good sleep.
The race started at 8:30 am. This is a late start for most 50K races, but because some people catch the early Saturday morning ferry to Orcas, the race starts a late to accommodate for that. The sun was out for the start of the race, temps were low 40’s I would say. I started with some running friends but then after we started to get to some of the first good climbs I started to pull away from them. It is always hard to know at the beginning of the race if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I train with one of these friends regularly and we have a similar pace and he was one of the people we were sharing the cabin with. So I don’t want to be going out to fast, and I also don’t want to leave my friend behind either. In the end though, they will catch me if I bonk and they will let me know about it. The goals for the race were come in around 6 hours (time last year 6 hours, 38 minutes) and try to stay strong through the entire race.
The race has two aid stations (mile 11, mile 24) and one water station (mile 21). I was moving really well in the first 11 miles which climbs up Mt Picket which is on the eastern (I think that is the compass direction) boarder of the park. I felt strong and arrived at the first aid station at 1 hour 45 minutes. I moved onto the second major climb so after that and again felt strong. The sun was out but there was a nice breeze hitting me in the back and the temperature wasn’t too hot. I moved into the water station at mile 21 at about 3 hours and 30 minutes. I felt strong and moved onto the Mt. Constitution climb to aid station 2 at mile 24. The climb was hard, but I felt like I was climbing well and the scenery was amazing. I caught the view towards Mt. Baker a few times. I arrived at the 2nd aid station at about 4hours and 15 minutes. Then I started on the steep quick downhill. After the downhill comes a one more uphill section that isn’t very steep and here is where I started to falter. There was a runner just a few yards ahead of me and I used him to set my pace. I wasn’t struggling enough following, but if I passed I wasn’t sure I what would happen. Then I started the long downhill to the lake and then the last long mile or so to the finish. That last long mile I was really pushing, but that didn’t mean I was going fast, it just meant I working really hard just to keep a decent pace. I pushed up the final small hill, then turned down the small hill to the finish in a final time 5 hours 45 minutes. So I managed to reach one goal, but the other goal eluded me. I still feel good about this run. Not a bad start for this time of the year.
Gear, Hydration, and Energy:
Asics running short
Headsweats running visor
REI long sleeve running shirt
Montrial Hardrock 09’s
Mountain Hardware gaiters
Drank one bottle of HEED from Hammer before the race started
Ran with two water bottles one ultimate direction water bottle and one Nathan water bottle. Started with one bottle of HEED and one bottle of Perpetum café latte flavor. Filled the bottles with one nuun and one water at each aid station.
After race drank one bottle of Recoverlyte from Hammer
4 hammer gels, peanut butter and jelly sandwich quarters at each, so keebler fudge strips, peanut m&m’s.
Well for the 2nd year in a row I headed to run the Orcas Island 50K and for the second year in a row the weather was fantastic!
Orcas Island 50k is run at the Moran State Park on Orcas Island. It is somewhat of a Ultra runners trek to Winter Camp. The run is based out of the Moran State Park learning center and camp. Some of the runners stay in the camp cabins and others camp there. My friends and I rented a cabin at West Beach Resort and Campground. We had a cabin on the beach and it was a wonderful time. I had a burger and a couple of beers before Friday night then got some good sleep.
The race started at 8:30 am. This is a late start for most 50K races, but because some people catch the early Saturday morning ferry to Orcas, the race starts a late to accommodate for that. The sun was out for the start of the race, temps were low 40’s I would say. I started with some running friends but then after we started to get to some of the first good climbs I started to pull away from them. It is always hard to know at the beginning of the race if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I train with one of these friends regularly and we have a similar pace and he was one of the people we were sharing the cabin with. So I don’t want to be going out to fast, and I also don’t want to leave my friend behind either. In the end though, they will catch me if I bonk and they will let me know about it. The goals for the race were come in around 6 hours (time last year 6 hours, 38 minutes) and try to stay strong through the entire race.
The race has two aid stations (mile 11, mile 24) and one water station (mile 21). I was moving really well in the first 11 miles which climbs up Mt Picket which is on the eastern (I think that is the compass direction) boarder of the park. I felt strong and arrived at the first aid station at 1 hour 45 minutes. I moved onto the second major climb so after that and again felt strong. The sun was out but there was a nice breeze hitting me in the back and the temperature wasn’t too hot. I moved into the water station at mile 21 at about 3 hours and 30 minutes. I felt strong and moved onto the Mt. Constitution climb to aid station 2 at mile 24. The climb was hard, but I felt like I was climbing well and the scenery was amazing. I caught the view towards Mt. Baker a few times. I arrived at the 2nd aid station at about 4hours and 15 minutes. Then I started on the steep quick downhill. After the downhill comes a one more uphill section that isn’t very steep and here is where I started to falter. There was a runner just a few yards ahead of me and I used him to set my pace. I wasn’t struggling enough following, but if I passed I wasn’t sure I what would happen. Then I started the long downhill to the lake and then the last long mile or so to the finish. That last long mile I was really pushing, but that didn’t mean I was going fast, it just meant I working really hard just to keep a decent pace. I pushed up the final small hill, then turned down the small hill to the finish in a final time 5 hours 45 minutes. So I managed to reach one goal, but the other goal eluded me. I still feel good about this run. Not a bad start for this time of the year.
Gear, Hydration, and Energy:
Asics running short
Headsweats running visor
REI long sleeve running shirt
Montrial Hardrock 09’s
Mountain Hardware gaiters
Drank one bottle of HEED from Hammer before the race started
Ran with two water bottles one ultimate direction water bottle and one Nathan water bottle. Started with one bottle of HEED and one bottle of Perpetum café latte flavor. Filled the bottles with one nuun and one water at each aid station.
After race drank one bottle of Recoverlyte from Hammer
4 hammer gels, peanut butter and jelly sandwich quarters at each, so keebler fudge strips, peanut m&m’s.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Bridal Trails 2010
Bridal Trails January 9th, 2010
First 50k of the 2010,and as you can tell by my blog, first 50k since april. No I haven't stopped running, I have continued to train, but have added mountain biking, and rock climbing back into the list of activities I enjoy. I helped a friend by crewing and pacing part of the run this summer at the Mountains to Sound race. I was signed up to race the White River 50 mile but had to drop out due to mental ultra I am currently running ( I enrolled in Doctoral school to earn a Doctorate in Education). The mental ultra takes me back to MN 2 weeks in the summer and coincided with the race. So I think I may find a race in MN/WI before those two weeks this summer. I also took a two week road trip through California. When I say through, I mean almost top to bottom. Drove the I5 down from Seattle to San Diego, then Drove Hwy 1 all the way back along the coast till Oregon. So I was a different busy.
So back to bridal trails, the 5.2 mile, 6 loop race was a ton of fun and without the rain the course was very nice, but still provided some really nice muddy spots. Having lived in Washington for more than one year now, I have become friends with some fellow ultra runners and it was good to see them all at the race.
As I am just formulating some of my running plans for this year
Objectives for the race were pretty simple: Stay hydrated (which can be an issue for me), run comfortably, finish around 6 hours, and have fun.
Results: I stayed hydrated (I took a potty break on every lap), every lap felt good, finishing time was 5 hours, 10 minutes, lap times were nice and relatively consistent, and I had a blast. I ran with some friends for the first half of the race and then I just found a zone and kept going. I have a lot to learn and a lot of training to do, but it felt good.
Gear, Hydration, and Energy:
Asics running short
REI running visor
Petzel Tikka XP 2 was my headlamp and I loved it. I started with it is spot light mode and that was okay, but then flipped up the diffuser and loved it. Other runners even commented on the light it put out over the whole trail. I know some runners can run without lights, but I am okay with lights.
REI long sleeve running shirt
Montrial Hardrock 09’s
Mountain Hardware gaiters (I got blisters on the upper part of my ankle where the gaiters close around the leg, never has happen before. Not sure what to do about that)
Drank one bottle of HEED from Hammer before the race started
Ran with one ultimate direction water bottle (filled at aid station on each loop) bottle 1: started with HEED from Hammer, bottle 2: water, bottle 3: NUUN, bottle 4: water, bottle 5: NUUN, bottle 6: water
After race drank one bottle of Recoverlyte from Hammer
One hammer gel at the start of each new lap, peanut butter and jelly sandwich quarters at each lap
Next Race: Orcas Island 50k February 6th, 2010
First 50k of the 2010,and as you can tell by my blog, first 50k since april. No I haven't stopped running, I have continued to train, but have added mountain biking, and rock climbing back into the list of activities I enjoy. I helped a friend by crewing and pacing part of the run this summer at the Mountains to Sound race. I was signed up to race the White River 50 mile but had to drop out due to mental ultra I am currently running ( I enrolled in Doctoral school to earn a Doctorate in Education). The mental ultra takes me back to MN 2 weeks in the summer and coincided with the race. So I think I may find a race in MN/WI before those two weeks this summer. I also took a two week road trip through California. When I say through, I mean almost top to bottom. Drove the I5 down from Seattle to San Diego, then Drove Hwy 1 all the way back along the coast till Oregon. So I was a different busy.
So back to bridal trails, the 5.2 mile, 6 loop race was a ton of fun and without the rain the course was very nice, but still provided some really nice muddy spots. Having lived in Washington for more than one year now, I have become friends with some fellow ultra runners and it was good to see them all at the race.
As I am just formulating some of my running plans for this year
Objectives for the race were pretty simple: Stay hydrated (which can be an issue for me), run comfortably, finish around 6 hours, and have fun.
Results: I stayed hydrated (I took a potty break on every lap), every lap felt good, finishing time was 5 hours, 10 minutes, lap times were nice and relatively consistent, and I had a blast. I ran with some friends for the first half of the race and then I just found a zone and kept going. I have a lot to learn and a lot of training to do, but it felt good.
Gear, Hydration, and Energy:
Asics running short
REI running visor
Petzel Tikka XP 2 was my headlamp and I loved it. I started with it is spot light mode and that was okay, but then flipped up the diffuser and loved it. Other runners even commented on the light it put out over the whole trail. I know some runners can run without lights, but I am okay with lights.
REI long sleeve running shirt
Montrial Hardrock 09’s
Mountain Hardware gaiters (I got blisters on the upper part of my ankle where the gaiters close around the leg, never has happen before. Not sure what to do about that)
Drank one bottle of HEED from Hammer before the race started
Ran with one ultimate direction water bottle (filled at aid station on each loop) bottle 1: started with HEED from Hammer, bottle 2: water, bottle 3: NUUN, bottle 4: water, bottle 5: NUUN, bottle 6: water
After race drank one bottle of Recoverlyte from Hammer
One hammer gel at the start of each new lap, peanut butter and jelly sandwich quarters at each lap
Next Race: Orcas Island 50k February 6th, 2010
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sun Mountain 50K
Sun Mountain 50K
April 11th 2009
Winthrop, WA
The winter started out with a bang in December in Washington. Then it was warm and very little snow or winter weather hit the mountains. Along came March and the mountain snow came in feet, day by day. The race director for this race advertised beautiful views and dry weather. I was sold and wanted to check out the east side of the North Cascades. The heavy snow pack and continued cold weather in March caused the course to be reduced to a 3 loop figure 8. He did not settling on the course route until Thursday evening prior to the race. The original proposed course looked extremely fun, so there was some disappointment in the change. Despite this I was excited and off to Winthrop, Washington I went for the weekend to run 50K.
I booked a little cabin at The Virginian Resort in Winthrop. It was one of the only hotels in Winthrop that would take dogs (more advertised boarding area for horses). So I left on Friday and made the 4 hour drive to Winthrop. The registration was from 3-8pm at the Old School House Brewery. The owners of the brew pub are ultra-runners as well. I usually have a beer and burger on Fridays. I have tasted many burgers in the Seattle area and I am here to tell you that the Old School House Brewery burgers are extremely great burgers. An exciting start to the weekend and the really great Patagonia race shirt was a nice treat too. This helped counteract the race director having trouble setting the course. It was a nice drive and it was a nice day in Winthrop on Friday. Some clouds, mostly sunny and middle 50’s.
The temperature in the car on race day said freezing, the proposed forecast called for low 50’s with clouds, and when I woke up the sun was coming up and there were a few clouds. I went with shorts and a short sleeve shirt with a hat and gloves to start the race. The race started at the Chickadee parking area by Sun Mountain. This is also the cross country ski trail heads, so there was a nice shelter to stay warm in before the race. There were still patches of snow in the shaded areas, which the race director and wonderful volunteers had covered with straw. Prior to the start of the 10K, 25K, and 50K, came the start of the 1K (kids run). We all watched as they sprinted off and then with a variety of running forms, and red faces, crossed the finish line to our applause and cheers. The race debrief came next with the general thought being; just take the 5 extra seconds to read the signs and always look for the orange tap and you will be fine. This was a little longer than average briefing but it was a course that had no real map, and was announced more or less about 36 hours prior. After that we started, and before I go any farther I will say the course was very well marked and very easy to follow.
Part 1 of the figure 8 consisted of a run single track short run along a lake and then a gradual climb up towards sun Mountain lodge. Then you crossed the driveway of the Sun Mountain lodge and started down hill towards the aid station that was the middle of the figure eight. The first part ran nice and the traffic being of the 10K, 25K, and 50K worked itself out smoothly for me on lap one. I felt strong in lap 2 in this section, but was needed to work hard on lap 3 especially in the uphill sections.
After the aid station you start part 2. Part two starts with a run on the road for short distance, followed by a jump of a guard rail, then climb up an embankment, and finally climb up and down a small ladder over a fence. This is so much fun that you get to do in 6 times throughout the whole race. Now part two was shaped like a lollipop (race directors words, not mine), which conflicts with my figure 8 visual, but that is okay. The stick of the lollipop is up to start and has one gate in the fence to go through (it was a really simple gate thought and not a problem). Then just after you start on the making the circle for the lollipop, you have a really super nice and on lap 2 for me super fast side hill traverse on a 4x4 road. Not sure how far this went, but it was warm and it felt slightly down hill. After that really nice side hill though, came the longest climb up to the ridge on a 4x4 road. What goes up must come down; so after a short ridge run came the downhill back to the road. Then after the aid station you continue the climb up the road to the start of the part 1 again.
My overall thought are that this was a wonderful the race even with the multiple loops and can only imagine it will be even better when the originally planned course will be used. The terrain was open even when you are in the trees you can see the world around you. The area around Winthrop, WA is full of history and a different kind of beauty from that of the west side of the Cascades. I left this race with a wonderful feeling, mainly because it was my best race yet at 5 hours, 38 minutes. It was also the best I felt through a 50K race and that is a great feeling. Some days you got it and other days you don’t, At the Sun Mountain 50K I had a good day.
Shoes: Montrail Nitrus
Shirt: Arteryx short sleeve poly
Shorts: Nike
Socks: Injinji toe socks (my first race and only second time wearing these type of socks and I really like them and feel they added to my foot stability and keep my feet feeling good)
Water bottles: 1 Ultimate Directions and 1 Nathan hand held
Hydration: HEED orange (1 before the race and 2 in each bottle to start race), during the race keep 1 bottle full of Nuun and the other full of water at the aid stations
Food: 4 Hammer gels, 1 pbj, M&Ms, chips, 2 slices of boiled potato
April 11th 2009
Winthrop, WA
The winter started out with a bang in December in Washington. Then it was warm and very little snow or winter weather hit the mountains. Along came March and the mountain snow came in feet, day by day. The race director for this race advertised beautiful views and dry weather. I was sold and wanted to check out the east side of the North Cascades. The heavy snow pack and continued cold weather in March caused the course to be reduced to a 3 loop figure 8. He did not settling on the course route until Thursday evening prior to the race. The original proposed course looked extremely fun, so there was some disappointment in the change. Despite this I was excited and off to Winthrop, Washington I went for the weekend to run 50K.
I booked a little cabin at The Virginian Resort in Winthrop. It was one of the only hotels in Winthrop that would take dogs (more advertised boarding area for horses). So I left on Friday and made the 4 hour drive to Winthrop. The registration was from 3-8pm at the Old School House Brewery. The owners of the brew pub are ultra-runners as well. I usually have a beer and burger on Fridays. I have tasted many burgers in the Seattle area and I am here to tell you that the Old School House Brewery burgers are extremely great burgers. An exciting start to the weekend and the really great Patagonia race shirt was a nice treat too. This helped counteract the race director having trouble setting the course. It was a nice drive and it was a nice day in Winthrop on Friday. Some clouds, mostly sunny and middle 50’s.
The temperature in the car on race day said freezing, the proposed forecast called for low 50’s with clouds, and when I woke up the sun was coming up and there were a few clouds. I went with shorts and a short sleeve shirt with a hat and gloves to start the race. The race started at the Chickadee parking area by Sun Mountain. This is also the cross country ski trail heads, so there was a nice shelter to stay warm in before the race. There were still patches of snow in the shaded areas, which the race director and wonderful volunteers had covered with straw. Prior to the start of the 10K, 25K, and 50K, came the start of the 1K (kids run). We all watched as they sprinted off and then with a variety of running forms, and red faces, crossed the finish line to our applause and cheers. The race debrief came next with the general thought being; just take the 5 extra seconds to read the signs and always look for the orange tap and you will be fine. This was a little longer than average briefing but it was a course that had no real map, and was announced more or less about 36 hours prior. After that we started, and before I go any farther I will say the course was very well marked and very easy to follow.
Part 1 of the figure 8 consisted of a run single track short run along a lake and then a gradual climb up towards sun Mountain lodge. Then you crossed the driveway of the Sun Mountain lodge and started down hill towards the aid station that was the middle of the figure eight. The first part ran nice and the traffic being of the 10K, 25K, and 50K worked itself out smoothly for me on lap one. I felt strong in lap 2 in this section, but was needed to work hard on lap 3 especially in the uphill sections.
After the aid station you start part 2. Part two starts with a run on the road for short distance, followed by a jump of a guard rail, then climb up an embankment, and finally climb up and down a small ladder over a fence. This is so much fun that you get to do in 6 times throughout the whole race. Now part two was shaped like a lollipop (race directors words, not mine), which conflicts with my figure 8 visual, but that is okay. The stick of the lollipop is up to start and has one gate in the fence to go through (it was a really simple gate thought and not a problem). Then just after you start on the making the circle for the lollipop, you have a really super nice and on lap 2 for me super fast side hill traverse on a 4x4 road. Not sure how far this went, but it was warm and it felt slightly down hill. After that really nice side hill though, came the longest climb up to the ridge on a 4x4 road. What goes up must come down; so after a short ridge run came the downhill back to the road. Then after the aid station you continue the climb up the road to the start of the part 1 again.
My overall thought are that this was a wonderful the race even with the multiple loops and can only imagine it will be even better when the originally planned course will be used. The terrain was open even when you are in the trees you can see the world around you. The area around Winthrop, WA is full of history and a different kind of beauty from that of the west side of the Cascades. I left this race with a wonderful feeling, mainly because it was my best race yet at 5 hours, 38 minutes. It was also the best I felt through a 50K race and that is a great feeling. Some days you got it and other days you don’t, At the Sun Mountain 50K I had a good day.
Shoes: Montrail Nitrus
Shirt: Arteryx short sleeve poly
Shorts: Nike
Socks: Injinji toe socks (my first race and only second time wearing these type of socks and I really like them and feel they added to my foot stability and keep my feet feeling good)
Water bottles: 1 Ultimate Directions and 1 Nathan hand held
Hydration: HEED orange (1 before the race and 2 in each bottle to start race), during the race keep 1 bottle full of Nuun and the other full of water at the aid stations
Food: 4 Hammer gels, 1 pbj, M&Ms, chips, 2 slices of boiled potato
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