WWC 50 Miler Race Recap

My eye lids popped open. My room was quiet, and I looked over at my alarm clock. The red digital lights read 2:59 AM. It was time to get up and make my final preparations for running 50 miles today. 

An hour later, I was pulling in to the WWC parking. As of late, the night guard has gotten used to seeing me. Over the last few weeks, I have been running some of my long runs at 5 AM to prep for this race. Today, it would be the real thing.

I put my drop bag in the designated area, and I headed back to my car. It was time to gear up.

At 4:45 AM, Travis gave us a rundown on the race logistics and the course break down. Only a couple of changes from last year. We would head down Parkway to pick up the East Main trail, instead of running North Main trail behind the pavilion, we come down the grave road, and lastly, we would enter Figure 8 trail from a different location. After the race last year, the WWC did some construction which took out the previous year’s entrance.

I pulled on my head lamp, and I walked up to starting line. It was nearly 5 AM, and the temperature was about 57 degrees. This was better than the early week forecast when the weatherman kept telling me that it would be rain on Friday and Saturday. If this had actually happened, it would have been a miserable 50 miles. Fortunately, as the weekend neared the rain forecast pushed of until Saturday night. However, just in case, I packed a few items such as hat, extra towels, and rain gear. I like to be prepared.

Unlike the 50k, there is no parade lap for the 50 miler. We went 100 yards from the start and dropped right in to the Figure 8 trail. Justin and I had plans to run together but in the dash to get in to the woods, we got separated.

I settled in to a comfortable pace, and I got my head lamp adjusted to the proper position. From here, I just focused keeping myself upright. From the Figure 8, we went to Tortuga, to Thread, to Figure 8 again, and to North Main. While the temperature was 57, it was on the humid side around 98 % so I was sweating pretty well.

We picked up South Main, to Goat. I have a love hate relationship with this section. It has two steep hills. By the 3 lap, my hip flexor hate me. They hurt climbing both the front and backside of this trail.

Back South Main, to Toilet Bowel, and back to South Main, I was feeling better, and I can tell that it is starting to get light. The glow of the dawn can be seen in the distance as I pass under the power lines.

Going by the 2^nd aid station, I would catch up with Justin. We run down Parkway, and we pick up the East Main tail. In the open, we don’t need our head lamps but once back under the foliage of the trees, I realize that my head lamp is still needed.

Justin and I work well together, and we chat over the next several miles. We would catch the runner in front of us just before Prairie Dog. By the time we reach the back side of East Main, I switch off my head lamp. I am not going to need it for the rest of the day.

The 3 of us run together back to the Start/Finish to complete lap one.

I grabbed out my lap 2 camel back, down some food, and extra drink. I look over at the Justin, and ask if he is ready. He say to get ahead that he would catch up. I headed out.

The other guy that we had been running cruise right through the drop bag area and headed back out.

I run him down about a mile later. My legs feel pretty good. I felt like I had been holding back on the first lap.

Before I knew it, I was back on north main trail. I could see a couple of the other 50 milers in front of me when we did switch backs.

I ran up Goat hill, and I spotted them a couple hundred yards ahead of me.

I caught them just before the 2^nd aid station. The temperature was coming up so I opted to grab some extra fluids and snack here. One those guys jumped on to my heels, and we run the rest of East Main together. I didn’t realize it but he was the guy that won the 50 miler here last year.

So far, both of my first two laps had been faster than the same laps in last year’s race. I had run a 3:04 and 3:06 laps.

I was feeling pretty good starting the 3 lap. Perhaps, I was pushing harder than I should that hat I am not sure. However, I was descending one the many rollers on Tortuga when suddenly, my left hamstring started cramping. I kept thinking how terrible this was. I still had another 16 miles to go. For the next 20 to 30 seconds, I continued to walk and stretch it. I also started massaging it my left hand. I felt it release, and I started to run again albeit slower.

From here on, I went very easy on the downhills. Anytime that I descended, I was using my hamstring more than quads, and my left hamstring was not liking it. Although, I noticed that as the miles wore on, the hamstring twitching was less noticeable. After the race, I was thinking about this, and I wondered if this has something to do with the load that I was carrying in my 3^rd Camel Bak. For the 1^st to 2 laps, I had been carrying about a liter and half of water. The 3^rd lap, I was carrying nearly 3 liters. That’s extra weight and added pressure on my hamstring. And as I said, it was less noticeable once I started drinking down the water.

I stopped at the second aid station for some extra water and food. The temperature was on the rise and so was the humidity. I needed the extra fuilds.

I glanced at my Garmin. The elapse time was 8 hours and 15 minutes. I was doing some mental calculations on possible finish times. I felt that if I maintain my current pace, I could break 10 hours.

I entered East Main for the final time. My legs were tired, and I tried to ignore the pain signals. I hadn’t seen anyone in the 50 miler in over an hour, and I had no idea where I was in the race.

I completed Prairie Dog and headed back in to the woods on East Main. Confidence was starting to build that I was going to finish, and I would finish running.

I finished those 3 nasty hills on the back side of East Main, crossed the road for the final section. This is roughly 2 miles from the finish. My eyes were tired of looking for roots and rocks, and my brain was tired of using this information to tell my legs to lift my feet off the ground to clear them.

As I was coming to the East Main exit point, the woman and her two kids, they had been there all day, came to cheer me on. I smiled, waved back, and thanked them.

I looked back as I turned at the trail. I was glad that it was behind me. I slowly ran up the hill. On the plus side, my hamstring didn’t mind the up hills or the flats. Cresting the top of the hill, I glanced back one last time. No one was insight.

I rounded the channel, and I looked to my right as the start/finish line came in to sight. I had nothing left in my legs, and at this point, I could not ask much more of them. They had carried me 50 miles.

I pumped my fist in front of me. The thought that I had was finishing my 2^nd WWC 50 miler felt awesome.

Jenn gave me my 50 miler belt buckle, and I gingerly walked over to the aid station. I needed water – plain water.

I chatted with Travis, Tom, and Jenn for a few minutes. I then walked over to the food trays for some nice pasta.

Getting up to walk back to my car, my legs had already started to stiffen up, and it was hard climbing up the stairs.

While I was suffering postrace, I was happy with what I had done. I ran 9:40:45 which was some 13 minutes faster than last year and was 3rd overall. I had finished the final lap in 3:29:51 which was 2 minutes faster than I had run it last year. Not bad considering, I was nursing a tender hamstring for 16 miles.

As usual, I offer major kudos to volunteers which up early to help us. To the WWC crew they provided a well-marked course. A nice race shirt and finisher belt buckle.

Kickin’ up trail dust,

The Cool Down Runner