Race Report - 2017 Black Warrior 50K

Coming into AS#2 early on in the race.

The Black Warrior 50K is a low key trail race (and that's a good thing) about 75 minutes from my house at beautiful Bankhead National Forest near Moulton, Alabama. Folks will tell you that it's a flat and fast course, but I disagree. It's always rolling (even though there aren't any serious climbs) and the terrain can be difficult depending on weather conditions. The race is run on horseback riding trails. One year, it rained for a couple of weeks prior to the race followed by a sudden freeze, turning the entire trail into terrain that was covered with frozen potholes and postholes from the horse tracks, making turned ankles extremely likely. This year, thankfully the trails were mostly dry, but it was a rather balmy day making hydration a priority to avoid muscle cramping.

Race Report - 2016 Black Warrior 50K

Cool shirt and pretty sweet award.

The Black Warrior 50K was only my third ultra marathon in early 2010. Since then I've logged many a miles and ultra distance races. I remember the horse trails very vividly from that year, frozen pot holes that could threaten some serious ankle injuries. Luckily, none of that materialized and I finished the race in one piece. Fast forward six year. I had just finished another Mountain Mist 50K and decided not to join my local running buddies at Mt. Cheaha 50K this year. Last year's edition had left me with an unpleasant ankle injury, which I did not want to repeat this year. I figured why not go back to Black Warrior to give it another go.

Race Report - 2010 Black Warrior 50K Trail Run

It was 4:30 AM in the morning and time to get out of bed. Richard was going to be here at 5:15 AM and we were going to drive my car to the race. I had to get up early, because I decided Friday night to wait and pack my running gear, food supplies and drop bag in the morning. I sometimes get consumed with the "planning and packing phase" so I decided to force myself to wait until morning, when I wouldn't have the opportunity to spend endless hours on packing and repacking. And it worked; I only spent about 15 minutes to pack my stuff. I also packed a drop bag for the first time. Rich had told me that runners were able to leave a drop bag that would be placed at aid station 2/4 (miles 12 and 22) for them. The reason it was a good idea to utilize a drop bag was the number of creek crossings runners had to deal with.

According to Richard, who had run this race before, it was really nice to have a change of clothes and shoes at aid station 4 after crossing a significant number of creeks. Dry shoes can make all the difference on the last few miles of an ultra run. Especially when you frequently struggle with blisters like myself. My drop bag included a spare pair of Mizuno Wave Ascend 3 trail shoes, Thorlos Level 1 padded running socks, a pair of running shorts and a short sleeve tech shirt. This would come in handy on the first "warm" day of the year at mile 22 of a 31 mile race.