Ultra Kraut Running

I could blame my buddies Paul Morris or Jeff Morgan for suggesting it in the first place, but that wouldn't be fair. They just provided the excuse to do this again. I figured the timing would be perfect for a final hard effort tuneup race for my Tahoe 200 Miler a month later. 

I arrived at Vogel State Park, the finish location for the Cruel Jewel 50 Miler, Friday evening around 6PM, still in time to pick up my bib and race swag. The Cruel Jewel 50 Miler is a point to point race that starts at Camp Morganton and finishes at Vogel State Park after 56+ miles of challenging terrain with approx. 15,000' of vertical gain. Most of that elevation gain comes from a 20+ mile section on the Duncan Ridge Trail, lovingly referred to as the Dragon's Spine. Race organizers shuttle runners in comfortable coaches from the finish line area at 6AM on race morning to make the 1 hour drive to camp Morganton. This gives runners about an hour leading to the 8AM race start to finish their race prep, catch up with fellow racers and share some encouraging words with some of the Cruel Jewel 100 Mile runners that would arrive at the turnaround for the out and back 100 mile distance while we were waiting on our race to start. Having done the 100 before, I felt sorry for them considering what still lay ahead of these badasses. But I also knew the tremendous feeling of accomplishment that awaited these runners once they made their way back to the finish line at Vogel State Park, but not until enduring the same 50 miles again plus the infamous 6 mile out and back that added a couple of thousand feet of extra vertical to really make them earn it.

Paul, Jeff and I shared a campground at Vogel State Park that allow room for both Jeff's Camper and my camper van. After picking up my race packet, I headed to the campground to get my gear ready and to fix some simple sandwiches for dinner before getting some sleep ahead of my 4:30AM alarm. I planned out my nutrition for about 12 hours of running as I fully expected to rely on aid station foods later in the day to change things up. I loaded 12 Spring gels (Canaberry, Awesomesauce and Koffee) into my UltrAspire Zygos 5.0 vest. For fluids, I prepped two bottles with Nuun electrolytes, relying on fluids from the aid stations.

 I would also carry some basic layers as well as trekking poles to do some final gear testing before Tahoe. As expected, I resorted to mainly coke for the last couple of hours of the race. I stuck with the Mont-Blanc trail shoes, currently my favorite ultra trail racing shoe from Altra paired with Merino CEP socks. All of my choices were spot on with the exception of my choice of shorts and built in liners. I'm changing to a linerless short couple with a separate baseliner to try to avoid chafing issues, that have unexpectedly crept up in my last couple of races. I also intend to try some different lubes as moving for 72+ hours in hot/cold/wet climates can create serious havoc on your feet and nether regions.

Race morning was fairly uneventful. Jeff was kind enough to make coffee for our entire crew and I ended up shuttling us the mile from the campground to the shuttle bus pickup near the finish line. We arrived at Camp Morganton at 7AM as expected, giving me time to chat and just relax and consider my plan for the day. I was 5 weeks out from the Tahoe 200, so while I didn't want to cause any damage to myself, I did feel that I could push a little, if the day required it. As we all lined up at the starting line for some final words from the race director, I started scanning the field of runners around and ahead of me. I only recognized a couple of them. Either way, I figured I'd line up somewhere near the tail end of the first 10 runners off the start line. That plan had been working well all year, so I stuck with it. 

The race started at 8AM sharp and we all took off down the road leading out of Camp Morganton. The first 2.8 miles are all on an asphalt road with the first of many climbs starting just after the first mile. I ran almost all of that first 2.8 miles, but quickly started to hike the climbs once we passed the first aid station and entered the trails. After all, the plan was to simulate my Tahoe 200 race, so pushing on the hills was not a good plan. As it turned out, the day felt slightly warmer than expected, so I had no choice but to slow down on the climbs to minimize overheating.

I quickly lost sight of the race leaders and most runners around me, but would fall in with the eventual third place female runner, Shannon Howell. We ended up running together until about mile 48, when she flew in and out of the aid station while I tended to some minor issues. She would end up putting 20 or 30 minutes on me over the final 8 miles, but I was by no means taking it easy, especially for the final 5k to the finish. Nothing like felling like you're being chased down by another runner over the final miles of a long race to put some fire under your ass. 

While I was pushing pretty hard for the final 3 miles of the race, I ended up having do dial it back a little in the earlier miles. This race has some serious elevation change and while the early climbs are longer and less steep, the Duncan Ridge Trail section is all about short and steep climbs and descents. This is where the warmth and humidity of the day finally caught up to me. I started to get pretty hot on the climbs and had no interest in overheating. I was staying on top of my fluids and nutrition and my Spring gels kept my energy level. That coupled with SCaps and plenty of fluids ensured that I did not encounter any muscle cramps.

Slowing down the pace on the climbs prevented the redlining I was fearing, but I'm not gonna lie, the Duncan Ridge Trail never has been a favorite of mine. I prefer long steady climbs over short and steep stuff. However, this had to have been the best weather I have experienced over the course of 10 years of racing and running in this area. As a result, I was able to snap a couple of images from along the course. The pictures in this race report are image grabs from the video clips I took during the race.

I made it to the final water stop just before dark. I put on the headlamp and readied myself for the final 3.8 miles that mainly consisted of a climb back to the state park and the finish line. While I had only been passed by one runner after the first 8 miles, the eventual female winner, I wasn't quite sure where I would end up in the overall standings. I was pleased to find out that I ended up as 5th overall male finisher with a finish time of 13 hours 39 minutes, two and a half hours faster than my first stab at the Cruel Jewel 50 Miler in 2015. It will probably be a while before I get back on the DTRT, but I won't say never this time, I learned that much. Thanks to the awesome race volunteers and RDs for putting on another perfectly executed event. Find the 2022 Cruel Jewel 50 Mile race results here.

The Grayson Highlands 50K had been on my to do list for a few years, but I always had a conflict. I even registered a couple of times and ended up having to back out. This year, I was not going to miss out. The race woulds be part of my ramp up for the Tahoe 200 in June and I finally wanted my chance to check out the wild ponies that the race is known for.

After 6 hours of driving I finally arrived at the state park the evening before the race, just in time for packet pickup. I picked up my bib and headed back down the mountain to a campground adjacent to the Virginia Creeper Trail, a National Recreation Trail. Unfortunately, it had been raining and storming ever since I left Alabama. in fact, I received multiple tornado warnings on my phone as I was making my way to Virginia. I found my camping spot for my camper van, fixed myself some dinner, prepped my race gear and went to sleep. While the race didn't officially start until 7:30AM, I wanted to make sure to get there an hour early to chill, so calling it an early night was the best decision.

After a making a fresh cup of coffee, I made it to the race start with plenty of time to tape my ankle and hang out in my van. Temps were in the 40s, so I had no intention of standing around outside any longer than necessary. I actually decided to wear my favorite Patagonia Houdini windbreaker to provide both some protection from the constant rain and wind as well as some added warmth. That ended up being the right decision as I wore that windbreaker for the entire duration of the race.

I lined up at the starting line about 5 minutes before the official start time. It...was...cold. RD Sean Blanton informed us of the "minor" change to the race course vs. previous years, essentially adding 4ish miles to the race course at the beginning of the race to ensure that it is a full 50K rather than a longish marathon. This added section really set the tone for the remainder of the race, easy descents but technical and steep ascents. This would be the theme for the day, at least for me. I had no idea that this course was so technical. Sean sometimes like to "oversell" the terrain or difficulty of a race and after seeing some of the fast finishing times of previous years, I expected this course to be easy. Quite the opposite was the case, even if this year's sub 4 hour winning time did not reflect that. On that note, congrats to the winner Michael Babinec, who not only set new course record and fastest time ever on this course, but he did it on a course significantly longer than the previous years. This guy is still new to the sport of ultra running, but I fully expect him to be a serious contender in the ultra scene, if he sticks with it.

While I kept Michael in sight for the first mile of the race, I quickly made the decision not to stick with the lead pack of three runners that included some speedy guys. Instead, I stuck with the chase pack of 5 runners for the first few miles that also included the leading lady and eventual overall female winner. Our pack of runners started to stretch out after the first 5 miles. At this point, we had long lost sight of the top three runners and that was just fine with me. I wanted to run my own race. I had run the Devil's Race Track Backyard Ultra the previous weekend, which extended the number of ultra marathons I had run since late January to 13. Not only that, but every single one of these races had gone exceptionally well for me and I wanted to keep it that way. Getting sucked into someone else's race or race plan would be a sure fire way for my race to fall apart early in the day. 

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to distract me from racing as the weather continued to be overcast with rain and strong winds for the entire day. That meant I was solely focussed on executing my race plan, which was to work hard without overextending myself. After all, this was supposed to be a hard training effort for Tahoe 200, but it should not keep me from continuing training the next day. 

As our pack stretched, I quickly lost sight of runners ahead and behind me, which allowed me to run my own race and pace pretty early on. It wasn't until the aid station near the half marathon mark that I caught back up to the female front runner as well as another runner ahead of me. I would eventually pass both of them. I would not spot another runner behind me until 3 miles from the finish. As I looked over my shoulder climbing the road out of the final aid station, I spotted. runner behind me. Oh no, I am not going down without a hard effort to the finish. Getting passed in the final 5K of a 50K stings, so you'll have to earn it, because I won't be surrendering my position at that point, be it for top 10 or top 100. You gotta earn it!

Aside from the inclement weather, the race really went well for me. I consumed a total of 5 Spring energy gels, split between my favorites Awesomesauce, Canaberry and Koffee plus a couple of cups of coke. For fluids, I started off with Nuun and used the drink mix provided by the race's aid stations thereafter. My nutrition was on point, no issues, no complaints. Allm of my gear choices were spot on as well, I continue to love the Altra Mont Blancs for any terrain and ultra distance. My Legacy 2.0 UltrAspire race vest provided the perfect amount of gear space necessary for this 50K. Lots of storage space in the back and pockets in the front to carry any essentials you can think of. Cinch it down or expand it as needed, it's my go to vest for 50-100K races. 

After a lung burning final ascent over the last 2-3 miles I finally spotted the finish line arch and RD Sean to greet me. I was excited to cross the line in 5th overall out of 200+ runners with a total time of 5 hours and 9 minutes. Considering the longer than usual course, I was happy to have missed my sub 5 hour goal by just 9 minutes. Thanks to the entire race crew for putting on another awesome ultra event. While I may have missed the spectacular views and sights this race is known for, I was still blown away by the beauty and gnarly nature of the actual course. 5000 feet of vertical gain is nothing to sneeze at on this terrain and I was happy to have finally tackled this race.

I literally signed up for this one 48 hours prior to the actual race start. My late signup kinda went with the theme for this race, since fellow locals Eric Fritz and gang didn't publicize this event until just 4 weeks before the race date:-) After having been out of town on business, I needed to cram some serious miles into my weekend, so this event felt like the perfect solution. There was no real risk of me running too hard, since you had to run just over 4 miles each hour before lining up again at the top of the hour for another 4+ miles. It allowed my to come up with a consistent rhythm. However, I didn't bring any race nutrition or salt and that would prove rather fatal late (too early) in the race.

I arrived at Wade Mountain Nature Preserve trailhead early enough to set up my truck right next to the start/finish arch and the course. I raised my tailgate, set up and table and chair and relaxed as other runners arrived and set up their stations. The field for this first time event was expectedly rather small, due to the short notice, but I'm sure it will grow exponentially, due in large part to the worldwide popularity of the backyard ultra format created by Southeastern ultra legend Gary Cantrell aka Lazarus Lake. 

There were fewer than 20 runners lining up in the runner's corral under the start/finish arch in time for RD Eric Fritz to explain the rules of this backyard ultra in short detail. In general terms, the race format was very closely mimicking Big Bog's Backyard Ultra, both as it pertained to the course and the specific rules. I had o intention of competing for the last runner standing title. My goal was to run for 2 hours to get to 50 miles to reach my weekly training mileage goal.

The entire field ran the first 2-3 loops before we lost the first runner to the cutoff. Both the fairly technical course combined with rather warm temperatures made for a challenging day for everyone. As a result, none of us got to experience the overnight "road loop". As is the case at Big Dog's Backyard Ultra, runners at the Devil's Race Track Backyard Ultra start with a short road out & back section before entering the trail for about 4 miles before returning to the start/finish area. This would be the day loop. The night loop would consist of a pure road loop, ensuring that runners would have no reason not to continue through the night as it would be easy footing for them. But as I mentioned before, it was not to be. You could say, I am actually partially to blame for that. Why? Because I ended up dropping out during the 10th loop as the second to last runner, which meant the eventual winner could only complete one more lap before being crowned the last runner standing. At this point, it had been 3 loops since the winner and I had been running on our own as everyone else had dropped.

Mu ultimate demise came fast and sudden and was a result of my aforementioned poor nutritional planning. In particular, the lack of salt intake caused me to have to stop early. As I came in after loop one and sat down to put up my legs as I had the previous 8 loops, my body locked up, all the way from my hips to my feet, quads, hamstrings and calves included. I tried to resolve this issue somewhat covertly as not to draw any attention from my fellow competitor as I didn't want to provide any additional fuel to his fire by asking the aid station volunteers for some table salt. Unfortunately, both the big heap of it and another teaspoon in a bottle mixed with electrolyte did not resolve the problem. While I started loop 10 as planned and made it onto the trail, I quickly turned around once I lost sight of my fellow runner.

I called it a day with just under 40 miles and I was happy to collect my DNF hat from the RD. I did stick around to congratulate the eventual winner, who was fairly new to backyard ultras, so I could congratulate him on his much deserved win. He had his own serious injury issue to deal with and kudos to him for sticking it out for the win. I'm not sure whether I will be toeing the starting line again next year as this format is not my preferred ultra race format, but I'll definitely be back out here again as volunteer or crew as I am sure this event will be here to stay and will sell out from here on out.

Thanks again to my fellow local Huntsville ultra runners for putting on a great event. I particularly love the race t-shirt logo/design. I had been waiting forever for someone to create a trail race that uses the "Devil's Racetrack" trail name. Such a cool trail name, race format and location.

I originally signed up for this race as a long, very long training effort ahead of my Tahoe 200 adventure coming up in June. However, three weeks before the race, I decided to actually taper (which is almost never do for anything). I significantly dialed back the distance while keeping the effort the same, which had been low HR training for the most part anyway. I decided to actually set an ambitious A goal. I even decided to share this goal with some close running friends, because everyone knows it ain't a real A goal unless there is some accountability attached to it, even if it is just the knowledge of having to fess up to your buddies when you don't hit that ambitious goal. 

While I have completed most of my 100 milers without the help of crew or pacers, it is always extremely helpful and way more fun to have support while you are out there struggling to accomplish your goal. This time around, I decided a crew would be essential to have any chance at meeting the challenge I set before myself. Luckily, my wife Anya stepped in once more as crew chief and my good friend Nick Schuster was willing and able to jump in as crew and pacer on very short notice. Huge shoutout to his family, in particular, for letting him miss much of their camping trip just to support me. 

I arrived in Blue Ridge, Georgia, the packet pickup and start location for the 2022 Endurance Hunter 100 Miler, around 3PM with an hour to spare before packet pickup officially opened. That gave me time to explore this little town that I had never visited previously. I grabbed a coffee at a local bakery, browsed a vintage bookstore with my buddy Jeff Morgan, who was running the event and had already arrived as well, and finished up with checking out the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway that operated out of this town and takes passengers along a 4 hour 26 mile roundtrip journey along the Toccoa River. This ride is definitely on my to do list for the future. For now, it there was only enough time for a quick pic before I headed back to packet pickup to pick up my race bib and shirt.

I chatted briefly with a few fellow runners before making the 45 minute drive to my campground at Fort Mountain State Park. I had driven our camper van while my wife had to work late, so she took our 4Runner straight to the campground, which allowed her to use a more capable vehicle while chasing me through the mountains on (sometimes) sketchy, curvy and narrow dirt roads. We both arrived at our campground around the same time and while she was kind enough to prep our obligatory pre race pasta dinner, I finalized prepping my gear for the next day. Temps in the low 30s for most of the day meant possibly carrying more layers for warmth. Aside from the mandatory emergency blanket I carried extra gloves, buff and my trusty Patagonia Houdini windbreaker. I decided not to use drop bags and instead rely exclusively on my crew to meet me at the designated spots along the course. I had extra clothes, shoes, bottles and nutrition zip-locked and labeled for easy crew access to minimize my time in the various checkpoints. By 8PM, I attempted to go to sleep to get as much rest as possible prior to the 7AM race start the next morning. That proved to be challenging, but having anticipated a restless night before the race, I had made sure I got plenty of sleep the week leading up to the race. Whether that actually works or not, it gave me the confidence and peace of mind not to worry about lack of sleep.

I set the alarm for 4:30AM the next morning, but I was up by 4AM, plenty of time for some pour-over coffee before making the 45 minute drive back to the starting line. We would leave the camper van at the campground, so Anya would crew me out of our 4Runner throughout the duration of the race. The race course would actually have us running 20+ miles inside the state park between miles 70-90 during this point to point event that starts in downtown Blue Ridge and finishes just outside Chatsworth taking runners on a 105 mile journey (vs. 94 miles last year) along retired railroad tracks, the Benton MacKaye Trail, the Pinhoti Trail and aforementioned Fort Mountain State Park all while climbing more than 20,000 feet.

While the race field of runners was small, the energy at the start was palpable. We had a great group of 4 runners from Huntsville, Jerry, Paul, Jeff and I, toeing the line for this adventure and while the weather forecast looked ominous for the duration of the race, we were all just thankful that it wouldn't be 80+ degrees. As it turned out, we ended up with many hours of snow flurries and more than 24 hours of temperatures in the low 30s. All that was left to do was to get going and so we did, at 7AM sharp.

After running through the still sleepy downtown Blue Ridge for about half a mile, we quickly dropped onto 2 miles of abandoned railroad tracks. This was a new experience for me for sure and it made for a challenging cadence and razor sharp focus. But with all that focus, I still managed to take a wrong turn off the tracks after just a mile along with the lead group of 3 runners. Now I have the answer to whether it is possible to take a wrong turn off a straight path and proving once again that playing "follow the leader" is a bad idea if you want to make it to the finish line of an ultra. Better approach "Know Thy Race Course!".

Once we finally left the railroad tracks, we started to climb continually until we reached the first of only 9 aid stations for the course at mile 8ish. I was clearly ahead of my race schedule as my wife struggled just slightly to get my bottles filled and exchanged. I grabbed my nutrition for the next section (3 Spring Energy gels) and continued on. We encountered the first of more than 20 creek and river crossings as we left this aid station. Apparently, some runners opted to take off their shoes, which may sound like a great idea...until you realize you have 20 more creeks to cross, so you should probably just accept that your feet will stay wet for the next 24-36 hours. It's part of what makes trail running what it is, be it creeks, rivers, snow, hail, ice or a crap ton of blowdowns that nature throws at you. Speaking of blowdowns, the RD pretty much assured us before the race even started that the course record would not fall today. Apparently, the 10 mile section between aid stations 3 and 4 had literally 100s of blowdowns, making this section extremely slow and cumbersome to cover. He was not exaggerating at all! 

Pretty much from the start, I settled in with two other runners, a 100K runner and a fellow 100 miler, who had run the inaugural version of this race last year. He reiterated the problems many 100 mile ultras often experience in their first year, but we where hopeful that most of these issues raised by runners had been addressed and resolved for this year's edition and for the most aprt that was absolutely true. The aid stations were well stocked for the most part, with the only exception being Mulberry Gap AS, but that was due to trstrictions out on the race organizers last minute by the owners of the MTB resort. The RD already confirmed that this issue would be resolved by moving the AS to the actual Pinhoti trail head at Murky Gap, which would also eliminate an out and back to the Mulberry Gap resort.

The most beautiful section of the race course for me personally as the Benton MacKaye Trail section offering runners lots of amazing single track trails and some spectacular views off to the side as we climbed and descended on this trail, all while being covered in s light dusting of snow. Eventually, we would leave the Benton Mackaye Trail and enter the Pinhoti Trail at its northern terminus. As mentioned earlier, due to the remoteness of some of these trail sections, runners had to be self sufficient for 10-15 miles with quite a few half marathon distance stretches. Cooler temps definitely ensured that runners didn't have to carry too much fluids, but on a hot day I can see this being even more challenging for some runners. The longer stretched did ensure, however, that I didn't waste a lot of time in aid stations and when there was an aid station, I moved through with purpose, largely due to the assistance of my awesome crew. They were ready for me every single time, providing me with the fuel I needed and even allowing em to test some nutrition ahead of Tahoe 200 (ie mashed potatoes with extra salt and white rice with liquid aminos). The latter proved to be difficult to heat up, so still some more research to be done. I may opt for pre-made cold rice balls, instead, using liquid aminos as I consume them.

I pretty much partnered up with Andrew "Andy" Harvey and we ran in 2nd and 3rd place for much of the first half of the race until about mile 55, when I hit a low point and had to let him go. This low point saw me moving extremely slow through the early and later hours of the night until just before sunrise, when aches subsided and my energy returned for the final 20 miles, much to the credit of my pacer Nick, who had jumped in to keep me company AND to keep me on course through the most challenging part of the course at Fort Mountain SP. Some navigational challenges, the late hours of the day and the vertical gain made this the most difficult part of the course for me personally. Once we completed this section and rolled into the second to last aid station around mile 92, Nick said goodbye. After this, I wouldn't see my wife and crew chief Anya until the finish, but I was ready. There was a significant downhill section out of the park on the Pinhoti connector trail towards the final aid station and I was ready to open up a little. Daylight usually provides some additional energy as well.

What I hadn;t expected was the miles we still had to cover. The course ended up rather long, which was quite unexpected, but my wife didn't let me wallow in self pity very long, instead telling me that fourth place wasn't far behind and to get on with it. I heeded her advise::-) In fact, I probably had some of the best running over the final 13 miles, shuffling uphill with the help of my trekking poles and bombing downhill.

Note to future runners: While the course profile shows a 13 mile descent to the finish, there are plenty of uphills in there that are not to be underestimated. When I finally spotted the bottom of the final descent to the finish line, I could hear my wife and the familiar sound of the cowbell she had been using all day...and night:-) While I had missed my A goal, my crew made sure that I did not give up and instead continue to fight for that overall podium spot. I managed to hold on to third overall with a large gap to fourth overall. Apparently, I missed a lot of fun 2 hours ahead as veteran Andrew Harvey and 18 year old newcomer Owen Thornton battled it out for first place, sprinting to the finish with Andy taking the win by a mere 10 seconds! Owen had led most of his first go at the 100 mile distance. Both runners put down impressive performances. Thanks to the RD and the entire race crew for putting on an exciting and adventurous 100 miler on some challenging East coast terrain. With some minor tweaks, this will be an event that is going to grow quickly. If you need an endorsement, I'm already considering to run it again next year, but sssh...don't tell my wife. She's still recovering from crewing me:-)

I can't remember if I suggested Three Days of Syllamo to Jeff or if he mentioned it to me. I had heard of it before, but never signed up. Until this year, when I figured it would be a great opportunity to use it as a heavy load training weekend. This event is a 3 day stage race that has runners run a 50K on Friday, a 50 Miler on Saturday and a 20K on Sunday for a grand total of 94 miles over 3 days. The race takes place near Fifty-Six in Arkansas at Blanchard Springs Recreation Area in the Ozarks. The different race courses utilize the Ozark Highlands Trail, Syllamo Trail and Sylamore Trail, which mostly consisted of beautiful single track trail. The biggest challenge were the number of cambered trail sections that would do a number on my ankles, especially my right one which is already held together by medical tape only.

Jeff and I decided to ride and camp together, so Thursday around noon, I left my house in my camper van and stopped by Jeff's to pick him up for our 7+ hour ride to Fifty-Six, Arkansas. Our drive to Arkansas was rather uneventful, dare i say boring, but we did stop for lunch in Memphis at my favorite vegan restaurant. In case you're wondering, anyone that ever travels with me for a weekend of adventuring out of town usually has to experience a plant-based meal or two as my hometown has a very very limited offering for plant-based folks.

Three Days Of Syllamo offers free camping to all runners, which makes this a really cool weekend of camping and ultra running with the trail running community. While there are many runners attempting to run the entire 94 miles, just as many runners sign up to run just one or two of the events. Whatever you choose, you are definitely going to experience an awesome weekend of camping and trail running in an amazing location. The race location even had a clear river nearby that many runners would use as a post race ice bath throughout the weekend.

Jeff and I arrived at the Blanchard Springs Recreation Area just before dusk to pick up our race packets for the weekend, which included a nice long sleeve shirt, a hat and CBD/THC brownies, yup. Unfortunately, we were too late to grab one of the most desirable camping spots near a big cliff wall, but our spot afforded us a short 30 yard walk to the start and finish line for the weekend as well as the bathroom. 

Jeff and I called it an early night, but thankfully, we didn't have to toe the start line until 9AM the next morning to know out the first of three races, the 50K. The 50K was an out and back with the lollipop loop near the turnaround that had us on a steady climb for the first mile, barely allowing you to get acclimated and instead, working hard from the get go. Jeff and I started the race together and stayed together for the first section, until I decided to push a little...big mistake. The trails in this area were absolutely amazing, but since I decided to run hard early on, I didn't get much footage of the course. That would change later on in the race, as both my pace and mojo deteriorated, both because I got tired and because I remembered that I still had a 50M and a 20K to do over the following two days.

The 50K consisted of 99% single track trail with only a double track section at the beginning and end of the race. While my pace slowed towards the end, I did end up just in the top ten as I crossed the finish line. The finish line has a large permanent pavilion right next to it, where the RD had set up race HQ as well as  a finish line food buffet and a cooler loaded with drinks. After I finished, I quickly nabbed a hot shower before grabbing one of my camping chairs to head back to hang out at the finish line while downing a few Athletic Brewing beers (non-alcoholic) and eating some of the free grub and deserts. Once Jeff finished, we hung out a bit longer before getting our gear ready for the long 50 mile day ahead.

The next morning called for a 4:30AM wakeup call, so I could brew up some fresh coffee before the 6AM race start. I woke up feeling only slightly worn from the day before. In other words, it could've been worse. The 50 miler started the same way as the 50K the previous day, only steeper. It assured that I was definitely not going to run too hard too early. I had decided before the start that I would run at least the first half of the race together with Jeff to make sure I had a more evenly paced day vs. the previous day. 

Jeff and I settled into a more comfortable pace pretty much from the start, making this quite a bit more enjoyable and less punishing on the legs. The race course for the day featured lots of natural highlights, from cliff walls to beautiful overlooks and challenging single track trails. As intended, Jeff and I continued to run together until and through the halfway point, slowly passing a few runners, who had made the same mistake I had made the day before. I was still feeling pretty good as we continued to make our way back on this straight out & back race course. As on the day before, the volunteers were amazing, cheerful and helpful. My favorite memory was a warm cheese and egg sandwich mid morning, which provided some much needed energy. Sadly, they had run out of these sandwiches on my way back. I am not gonna lie, I was a bit sad as the though of another one of those sandwiches had sustained me for the better part of the 10 or so miles leading back to this aid station. Oh well, I just have to make it back to the finish, so I could enjoy some of the delicious finish line food.

Jeff and I got separated with about a third of the race left and I continued on my own, slightly increasing my pace in hopes of running a negative split. As I made my way to the finish, I reeled in a few runners here and there, which always gives me an added boost of energy. I maintained a reasonable pace for the remainder of the race with no reason to slow down as the next day "only" featured a 20K race. Having saved my legs during the first half of this race, low energy thankfully wasn't an issue. 

When I finally crossed the finish line, I managed to finish just inside the top 20 overall for the day. Another hot shower and some beans and rice later, I was back hanging out at the finish line watching and cheering the remaining runners across the line. Jeff finished not much later and with a 9AM start time for the 20K the next morning, there was no reason to rush back into the camper van. Instead, we relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful sunny day that had turned much more pleasant after the rather chilly early morning start.

As expected, the final race day would be the easiest featuring a 20K loop that felt like a road race. It seemed like everyone was ready to get this final race done. I decided to push early and hang on for dear life. I managed to do that for the most part with only 3 stage race runners finishing ahead of me, the guys that ended up top three for the 94 mile stage race. Elated to hear the crowd at the finish line, I sprinted one last time to complete one of the most unique race weekends ever. Another hot shower and a small snack later, Jeff and I were loaded up and ready to make the 7 hour trek back home, but not until collecting our finisher rocks and finding out that I managed a top ten finish for the stage race.

If you enjoy camping, running trails and ultras and hanging out with a bunch of likeminded people for an entire weekend, then you need to out the Three Days Of Syllamo on your bucket list. Better yet, don't delay and sign up for next year. You won't regret it. I may just be there again myself:-)