50K for the 50^th!

Ever since becoming an illustrious member of the Marathon Maniacs it seems that, when it comes to my running, I find myself having these unexplainable urges to behave in a maniacal manner. That can be the only explanation for why I suddenly decide that, to celebrate my 50^th. marathon, I should naturally run my first ultra: The Chuckanut Mountain 50K.

So there I found myself, on the beautiful morning of March 13^th, lining up next to nearly 250 ultra entrants to tackle the, fast becoming legendary, Chuckanut 50K. Among the starters, I did see a few familiar faces: Chuck Dooley, Glenn Tachiyama, Scott McCoubrey and Dave Dutton. For the most part though, these were not the “usual suspects” I line up to at area road races that I normally compete in. In other words, I was feeling a bit out of my comfort zone among these ultra endurance athletes. But, it was a beautiful day and I really didn’t have any plans…

5…4…3…2…1…GO! So, now I am definitely committed as I take off from Fairhaven Park at 8 AM on this crisp, clear morning. I tell myself that if there was ever a time to “start slowly” this was it; so I decide I’ll try to relax, take it easy and “preserve myself”. The first 6 miles or so is really a nice warm-up, running a wide graveled trail south from Fairhaven Park to the base of the trail that winds up Chuckanut Mountain. The first Aid Station is at the base of the trail and I quickly take some fluids before beginning the climb. The trail is in good condition and well maintained and for the most part is single track for the next 4 miles or so before coming to a long, unrelenting 3 mile climb up a gravel road.

Once at the top of the gravel road, you encounter an “oasis in the forest”: the #2 Aid Station (Mile 13)! Having been running for the better part of 2 hours it was truly a sight to behold, what with fruit, pretzels, cookies, sandwiches, beverages- you name it and I’m sure it was on the table at this Aid Station- near the top of a mountain, somewhat out in the middle of nowhere! What incredible organization and volunteers to make all this possible.

The Aid Station at Mile 13 marks the start of the BIG LOOP you are about to begin near the top of Chukanut Mountain. For the next 1 and ½ hours or so you find yourself at the top of the world running through beautiful woods that open on to gorgeous vistas of Mt. Baker, Bellingham Bay, the San Juans and beyond. You do not, however, want to take your eyes off the trail too long, considering there are spots where the trail literally parallels some drop offs that seem to be bottomless cliffs! You also find yourself challenged by several rocks you must scale and many roots and trees you must navigate around. Toward the end of this loop, around 20 or so miles into the run you encounter the absolute steepest trail running I’ve ever done: a section of the trail called “Little Chinscraper”, also fondly referred to as “Upchuck”. I think the names say it all- Here you are about 3 ½ hours or so into a race that will eventually cover 5000 vertical feet and you are greeted with a seemingly vertical climb in front of you. Take it from me, I like to think I can somehow run anything no matter how steep- Wrong! I met my match at Little Chinscraper- I could see absolutely no way one could run up a trail as steep as this. So, I was content to “scale” this section with a “brisk” walk.

After completing this loop you arrive back at the same Aid Station at Mile 13. And, if you thought it looked good at Mile 13, you can only imagine how good this Aid Station looked at Mile 21! As I sampled and drank what seemed to be just about everything on the table, I thought to myself that “it’s only downhill from here”. That seems to sound good unless you have done some serious downhill running before- nearly 4 miles of pounding your quads and calves after logging about 3 1/2 hours and 22 miles of running is not exactly the most, shall we say, “comforting experience”? That pounding really takes a toll, so the thought of hitting the flat again for the last 6 miles seemed to be actually a pleasant thought at that point- although can anything really be thought of as “pleasant” after 25 miles and 4 plus hours? Never the less, as I approached the final Aid Station and “refueled” for final time, I managed to convince my weary muscles that “we only have 6 miles to go”!

What I thought was a “flat” trail on the way out now seemed to me to actually have an uphill pitch to it- although that was probably my mind playing tricks on me and trying to come up with a creative excuse for why I was moving so slowly! Never the less, I find myself reaching deep and keeping those feet turning over, and over, and over… until finally- a mere 5 hours and 9 minutes after beginning- I’m back! I did it!

I could never have imagined myself running for 5 hours and 9 minutes when I started but now that I was through I really did have a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that I could complete something as physically demanding as this. It did make me recall my Swiss Alpine Marathon experience which was a trail marathon over the Alps but even that wasn’t the ultimate challenge this was- after all that was only 26.2 miles- not 31.1!

As I reflect back on this fantastic experience I have to first acknowledge all those folks who helped organize this event: Greater Bellingham Running Club, Fairhaven Runners, Krissy Sybrowski (Race Director) and the many other volunteers who made sure the trail was in superb condition and that the Aid Stations were all staffed and stocked with everything imaginable for a race of this type. I find myself already thinking about a possible “repeat” for next year- although I think I’ll “take it easy” for a while and maybe just run a few “easy marathons” before again tackling an “ultra one” again. Is that a “maniacal thought”?