Ultracentric 24 Hour Race Report - 2009

OK, I'm gonna keep my race report pretty simple and short (yes, it's a first!). But, I also want to comment on the state of the race, especially after last year's fiasco (debacle/ unfortunate incidents?)



I got a call from the RD ten days before the event. "Hey, we've got a great new course. It's flat. It's been certified. We're giving prize money to all top three finishers in each race. We're gonna write checks on the spot." I respond, "Well, that sounds like a good change. When is the race going to be held?" The RD says, "It's next week." Hmmm...? Weird. Very weird.

So, I guess he hooked me a little. At least, got me thinking. I was very interested in doing a 48 or 72 hour race this year. But, since ATY got cancelled, there were no other options available. Given the incredibly short time frame, I had no chance to really train. Plus, I had just run Heartland 100, 4 weeks ago. I had planned on taking a few months off and skiing and trying to get fat (if you know me, it's a funny thought). My work situation has been very hectic. I wasn't really planning on attending. On Wednesday, I cashed in a frequent flyer ticket and signed up for the 24 hour race. I love impulsive decisions!


The Race:
Things went really well. The course was a short 1/2 mile loop. It was pretty flat. I would estimate there was maybe 10' of vertical gain/drop over the loop. It was nice to have a small undulation to vary muscle usage a little. It wasn't terribly scenic. Although, you could get a glimpse of the lake every now and then. There was a sharp turn at the far side which was a little stressful on the joints. I started slowing down for it early on. It was fine at a slightly lower speed.

The aid station was great! Lorrie Gray was in charge of most of the aid fare. She did a great job, along with her husband and mom (?), and several other great volunteers. Once again, the volunteers rock! The food was the usual fare, plus LOADS of Hammer products. At the end, there was a big table just stacked with boxes of bars, gels, energy drinks. They had more than they could give away. If I wasn't flying with one small carry-on, I would have grabbed a few boxes of bars. The finale was a full breakfast, including bacon, eggs, oatmeal, pancakes and juice. My favorite - yogurt with fresh fruit. Big strawberries and giant black berries! Excellent job, Lorrie!

The timing was provided by RunFar, out of Austin. They had live updates any time I wanted one. They also posted results every 30 minutes. The guy even showed me how to pull up splits on is laptop, if he wasn't there. But, usually he was. It was great.

I don't know what to make of the RD for this race. He seems like a really nice guy. He obviously puts a ton of work into this event. But, on the other hand, he didn't have anything up on the website until maybe a month before the race (maybe less?). Last year, he told everyone that the course was flat. It was a lie. There was a big hill. Many big time runners showed up for records and were very pissed off, and understandably so. Me - I had a good time, in spite of the hill. But, I certainly understood people's frustrations. I have emailed with a couple of people who say they are still owed money from last year's prize money. I won't make any call on this, since I don't really know the whole story.

There were a total of 12 runners in the 24 hour. All told, I think there were around 40 participants in all events. In 2008, I would estimate well over 200 participants. There was supposed to be a 24/48 hour mountain bike event. But, I never saw a bike, nor heard anything about it. It seems to me that the RD probably lost money on this event, possibly quite a bit. But, in the end, it was pretty well run. I think that if future events are run as this one was, there is hope for this race. Sadly, it's going to probably take a lot to overcome the problems of last year. I really like that there is another opportunity presented to do a longer event, like a 48/72 hour. The RD joked (?) that he would have a 96 hour event next year.



My Race:
I decided that I would try to win. Yep. I've never said it before in a race, or even thought it possible. But, there were 12 entrants and I knew I could pump out at least 100 miles, or more. If there was not a ringer in the field, I could do it.

I started out at a 10:00 per mile pace. It felt good, so I stayed with it through about 20 miles. At this point, I was leading. Holy crap, I've never been in the lead! I tried to drop down to a 11:00 pace for a while. A 50 mile split of 9 1/2 hours would mean a 11:30 pace. At mile 30, I started to fade to about 12:00. By the time I hit 50 miles, it was just past 10 hours. I was still hoping to put up 105-110 miles total. Unfortunately, I soon realized there was a ringer. Sam Thompson from Seattle was banging out laps at a 10:00 pace and was not slowing down. By 14 hours, he was about 15 miles ahead of me. Man, he was smooth and consistent! I vowed to hold onto second place for the time being. If he stopped, or went to sleep, I would keep going. I wasn't going to bail out early, under any circumstances.

As the night wore on, I started to slow some more. I was putting in some 15:00-16:00 miles. When I added in a stop for water, food, or a clothing change every few laps, the pace was really starting to drop. Getting 100 miles in was starting to look iffy. As the sun came up , I got a burst of energy (oh, glorious sun!). I was at 89 miles, with two hours to go. I had 3.5 miles over 3rd place. Damn, I wanted that 100 miles! I decided to just start cranking the speed up. If I could go hard for a few laps, maybe I could still squeak in 100 miles. I really hated the thought of ending with 99.4. I started running harder. As I approached the small downhill, I let it pull me. I was movin'! I started clocking 11:30 miles, then down to 11 minutes per mile. I kept it going for the last two hours. Each time I crossed the line I would call out to see if new laps had been posted. At about 23:30, I passed the 100 mile mark. Better put in a couple extra, just in case. I ran two more miles. At 23:54, I crossed the line again. That was it. I sat down.

Overall, I finished in second place with 102.4 miles. Sam Thompson took the 24 hour win, with 115.6 miles,a very good run. He even slowed down for a few hours at night, so he had a lot of good solid miles built up. I PR'd my 100 mile time at 23:30. I increased my 24 hour total by 1/3 mile over my best finish. Small steps... small steps. I've never finished in second place. Third place, once. But, there were only three runners. As a comparison, I would have placed seventh at FANS with this mileage. But, I am very pleased. Plus, to top it all off, I got a check for 75 bucks, on the spot!

So, now I'm back to lazing around, getting fat, and waiting for the ski lift to open on Wednesday. Life is good!