My results
12:35:39
15:07 min/mi
3rd F OA
17/36 OA
6,824 ft elevation gain
Flood warning
Mud
Gear
It was going to be a rainy Spring day, so for this kind of weather I like to wear shorts and knee high socks. I’m a fan of this combination for just about any ultramarathon, though.
Under my knee high socks, I wore a thin pair of Injinji socks to prevent blisters (and applied Squirrel’s Nut Butter to my feet for further protection before putting on my socks).
My shoes were King MT., which unfortunately, Altra Running no longer makes. I have four pairs of this shoe, it is definitely one of my all-time favorites.
On top, I wore a Plant-Based Run Coaching tank over a favorite sports bra. My GRT Buff was good for wiping my nose on and for keeping the rain from going down my shirt.
I wore a North Face Gore-Tex jacket, which isn’t breathable, but it doesn’t bother me too much. Some people this might bother because they would get too hot.
Wrapping up my kit, I wore the Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta. This vest is probably too big for most 50 mile ultras where you have an aid station every 5-12 miles.
It is a good option if you’re going to run a self-supported or unsupported 50 miler. This is also a good 100 miler vest option.
Read about (there’s also a YouTube video) how I used my UD Adventure vest to complete my 50-something mile Fastest Known Time run: To Hell & Back, Women’s Unsupported FKT
Very rarely do I ever run without a hat, so I chose my bright pink Vinyard Vines hat, which I got in Charleston, SC. – This isn’t running gear, ha!
Fueling
For fueling, I mostly used what the aid stations offered, which were Hammer products, real food, water, and Gatorade.
I carried a few Spring Energy gel packets in my vest. I’ve been using Spring for several years. I consider that to be real food.
Race start and course description
We ended up having a flood warning on race day, but that wasn’t surprising. It rained in the morning and drizzled all day.
– poured the day prior. It has rained or stormed during many of the ultras I’ve done, making great stories.
The start and finish are at McDanels boat launch. There is a picnic shelter where racers can pick up their packets, bibs, and grab a little food or beverage.
Some years there is a fire going in the fireplace, which is in the shelter. Restrooms are available on the other side of the parking lot.
David, one of the race directors, gave the pre-race talk. He covered important details of the race, such as the course markings.
Side note: David was also in charge of the Upper 528 Aid Station, which 50 mile runners visit three times.
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The race started at 6:00 AM right outside of the picnic shelter. There is a generous 14 hour race time limit.
The main parts of the race course is on the North Country Trail (NCT) and Glacier Ridge Trail (GRT). It a bright green with spring flowers speckled throughout. There are plenty of hills that will test you.
The trail is a mixed variety: dirt single and double track; grassy; bike path; back roads; horse trails.
I feel like the majority of the trail is dirt, rocks and roots, but definitely has runnable sections.
I do recommend wearing trail shoes, even on dry days, where are muddy sections.
Racing
After the race started, we all ran on the bike path, settling into a comfortable pace. It is about three miles to the North Country Trail (NCT).
Once I was at the NCT, I took my first Spring Energy, which is something I do at every ultra. It is important to fuel early and not allow yourself to get hungry.
The pack of runners was spreading out, some of us running up the rolling, single-track hills. I’d run part way up, then power hike.
There was a water stop along the way, but the fun continued all the way towards the main aid station, Upper 528. The run was going great and there was beautiful scenery, as always.
During ultras, I like to remain present in the moment, soaking in the experience. There are times where I use mental strategies, like distraction, positive self-talk
There was a lot of mud. The course got worse as the day went on due to shorter race distance runners going through it. I saw a lot of people slip and fall.
Mud
The mud covered up rocks and roots and downhills were slick.
There were places in the final 10 miles going uphill where I had to look for traction (roots and rocks were helpful), otherwise, my feet would slide backwards.
Ultras are hard, the mud made it harder, like as if I was running on a treadmill. Moving, but not getting anywhere fast.
Picture of Mike and I on the road portion of swamp. Mike is a beast of an ultrarunner, a very tough man.
He is a friend and someone who will talk almost the entire time, which is fun. This is where I caught up to him, he started the race a little faster than I did.
The swamp section was extra swampy with shin-high, cold water slowly moving across the trail around mile 30.
The hills in the swamp section heading towards the book are steep. Mike fell backwards while we were going down one of the hills, aggravating an old injury, but he was able to recover rather quickly after a few of us checked on him.
This section was an out and back, so we had to go through the water twice.
Mike can vouch for the ridiculousness of this whole section. We did 20 miles of it together.
Before the Swamp Aid Station, there are 6 or 7 gravel hills. They are deceiving and steep.
You visit the Swamp Aid Station once before heading out to rip your page out of a book. Ripping the page from the book and giving it to a Swamp Aid Station volunteer proves that you’ve been out there.
It is not a hidden book, like Barkley Marathons. It was hanging from a pole. There are steep hills out by the book, too.
After Mike and I got our pages, we returned to the aid station and turned them in. I used the porta-potty. We then began our run/hike trek back through the gravel hills.
The last few miles
I went into the race knowing that the last 10 miles had 6 climbs, which would mentally help me break it up and power through.
The 528 aid station is at mile 10, 20, and 40 of the race. Immediately following the aid station is a hill. It’s a good idea to grab food from the aid station and eat it while hiking up the hill.
This picture is after one of the longer climbs, I was getting my legs back before running again.
The final 3 miles of the race are on a paved and fine gravel bike path. It is a relief to know that you are so close to the end.
The mud and water was definitely the highlights of the day. My race went very well with no real issues.
I had friends out there and absolutely awesome volunteers.
My husband, Stephen, paced me the final 10 miles. I didn’t need a pacer, but why not?
Stephen kept me company as we hammered our way to the finish. These people make the day great!
What will you do today to finish stronger?
Read my article about Finish Stronger – What Will You Do Today To Finish Stronger?
I didn’t even realize that I was 3rd female overall until my friend Jamie told me.
For finishing, we each received a blue GRT logo tumbler. The tumbler is pictured in the first photo.
I am proud of my accomplishments on this day, as everything that I’ve worked extremely hard on over the years, all of the littlest details, continues to come together making ultrarunning a great experience.
I’m looking forward to what the next adventure may bring!
Ultrarunner, do you need some support?
If you are interested in working together on stepping up your mindset and mental wellness around racing and life, reach out to me.
I’d love to hear about your goals.
We will look at problem areas or where you’d like to see improvement, set a realistic goal, and then put those steps in place.
– I work with ultrarunners all over the United States who want to dial in their race mentality, mental strategies, and overall improve their mental wellness.
— My coaching services are fully on the mental side (I am a National Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor in PA, coaching is a non-clinical service).
Here’s what we can work on
- Improve day-to-day mental wellbeing.
- Build better habits.
- Incorporate mindfulness
- Learn emotion regulation strategies.
- Set challenging, yet attainable goals.
- Discuss motivation
- Address body image thoughts or concerns.
- Talk about you! Who are you, besides a runner or athlete? – parent, sibling,
- entrepreneur, community member… What else do you do, and how does it impact training for races or vice versa?
- Coping with injury and setbacks.
- Juggling priorities and time management.
- Are you actively trying to find a mental health professional? I can assist!
- Are you searching for a running coach? I can provide pointers on how to go about finding someone who’s a good fit and what questions to ask the coach when interviewing them for fit.
- Mental strategies and mindset for racing.
- Training and race day visualization.
- General worries and race day stressors.
- What might you do if you encounter a problem during a race.
- Building trust with yourself.
- Improving self-care, self-esteem, and self-compassion.
- Knowing when to push yourself and when to be kinder to yourself.
- Why’s and meaning behind what you do. Passion. Using that as support and drive.
- On top of talking, I do provide resources and homework.
Where’s the chair, I need to sit down?! … I hope that this give you an idea of the good stuff that we can cover.
Contact me if you have questions or want to schedule.
A friendly deer
This deer was a part of the race. There were a few runners who reported that the deer was sort of following them over the course of a few miles.
I didn’t see the deer until the finish line as I was watching other runners come in.
Related articles
Only Eye Athletics Podcast with Dean Banko 09/04/2023
Baker Trail UltraChallenge 2022 Race Report
Get Lucky 50/50 50 Miler Race Report (2022)
Baker Trail UltraChallenge 50 Miler Stories and Memories (2021)
The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1000 KM & 2000 KM
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