Catoctin
50k Trail Run 2005
On
Saturday, August 6, I ran the Catoctin 50k.
This was my third time participating in this event, but this year was
different because I was guiding a friend through his first ultra marathon. Brad King has paced me over the last
35 miles of the Mohican Trail 100, but he has never done a race farther than
the classic marathon distance (26.2 miles for those who don’t know). He told me in June that he was going to
finally run an ultra, and I told him that the next one I was running was
Catoctin in August. So, we spent the
remainder of June and all of July running long runs on the roads and trails in
Hanover County. Well, some of the long
road runs ventured into Louisa and Goochland Counties.
On
Friday, the day before the race, Brad picks me up at Dulles Airport as I am
returning from a week in San Diego.
Yes, I was working again in some beautiful location. Anyway, since this race is northwest of DC,
it was convenient for me to fly into Dulles.
My plane lands around 3:45pm, and we make it up to Frederick, MD by
5:00pm or so. Then we check into our
luxurious motel (an older Comfort Inn) and then go to dinner at Carrabba’s. After dinner, we make a stop at a local
grocery store to buy some energy bars and a few quarts of Gatorade, along with
a gallon of water. We are back at the
motel, relaxing, and watching TV by 8:00pm.
On
the morning of the race, we are treated to the in-motel breakfast, which
includes Belgium waffles while we wait. We head up to the race start/finish at High Knob, check-in, and
get our numbers. We meet several
runners that I know, and I think I got them all introduced to Brad. At 8:00am sharp, the race starts, and we are
off.
Mile 6.0 1:17:10 (
The
initial plan was for Brad to basically follow me for the first half so that we
don’t go out too fast. This plan lasts
until about mile three when I need to take a leak. While I am watering the bushes, Brad continues on. I figured I would catch up to him quickly,
but by the time I reach the first aid station, he is still nowhere in
sight. I am satisfied with my time at
this point. My goal was to get us to
the turnaround point between 3:00 and 3:15.
Mile 9.0 31:38 (
After
reaching the first aid station without catching up to Brad, I decide that I
need to pick things up a little bit. In
my effort to run faster, I take my first fall of the day. Fortunately, I do a nice Pete Rose slide,
and only draw blood on my left thigh, left knee, and right knee. My hands are okay, and I managed to avoid
contact of my face with the ground. My
injury is just a surface wound, and I quickly get back up and dust myself off
before resuming my chase. When I get
into this second aid station, Brad is still nowhere to be seen, and I get
plenty of attention from the aid station workers because of my injury, but
there is no time to waste on tending to my that now.
Mile 15.6
This
section is more downhill than up, and I continue my rapid pace, faster than I
would have if Brad were with me instead of obviously going out too fast for the
first half. At one point, I pass Paul
Arnett, and he asks me where the fire is.
I tell him that I am trying to catch up with a friend. Finally, as I get to the turnaround point,
there is Brad. My halfway time is 2:58
and change, and I think he has been at the aid station a couple of minutes
before me. There is a lady wanting to
wash and disinfect my injury, but I wave her off. So, finally, Brad and I are back together to begin the second
half of the race, which starts off with a two-mile climb back up the way we
have come.
Mile 22.2
The
plan to stay together doesn’t last too long as I push ahead going up the
hill. For a while I try to keep Brad up
with me, but I figure he knows the way back to the start/finish. I have a decent climb back to this aid
station, but the cloud cover and cooler temperatures that we enjoyed this
morning are giving way to sunny skies and warmer weather. It is still not hot, especially compared to
what it has been this week, but lower temperatures are always better. I am still feeling good, and I am hoping
that I will have a good push to the finish from here. At this aid station, I refill by Camelbak for the second time
(the first was at the turnaround). I
make sure to get it completely topped off so that I won’t have to fill it
anymore.
Mile 25.2
I
take it easy going this section of three miles so that I will have something
left to push on the last section. I
manage not to fall this time. My time
is slower than I expect, but now it is time to throw all caution to the wind
and head for the finish. I down two
cups of Coke at this aid station and don’t even stop.
Mile 31.2
My
rush leaving the last aid station lasts about 30 minutes until I make a wrong turn
and lose about five minutes. Right
before a fork in the trail, a mountain biker passes me. He takes the left fork, and I follow him
without thinking that maybe he isn’t going the same way I am. After not seeing any blue blazes on any
trees for a few minutes, I turn around and retrace my steps to the fork and
this time I take the right one (literally).
I am now bummed slightly, and my legs are really starting to feel the
effects. I continue to stay focused,
but I can’t seem to really push hard like I would like to. Several people pass me, but I still hang on
and pass a few as well.
Official
Finishing Time
32nd out of about
112 finishers
My time is over 25 minutes
slower than last year, but still a nice time to be happy with. Brad comes in about 30 minutes after me, and
also less than two minutes behind Gary Knipling. It is a good day, and I don’t even have to drive home because I
am riding with Brad. He does well in
his first ultra experience, but he sprains his left ankle a few times. By the time we get back to my house, it is
really starting to swell.
My next race probably won’t
be until the JKF50 in November, but there is a chance that I will run the
Mountain Masochist 50 miler in October.
Until next time,
Never stop running,
Darin