Sunday morning (race morning) downed a banana and then stopped at McD's for a coffee and bagel. Arrived at Pennypack Park just as registration was starting and took #2 #1, then picked up packet. After picking my outfit I took #2 #2 and waited by the start. This was definitely NOT a Horton race for several reasons: 1) RD was not yelling at anyone or being frantic; 2) the race started ~7 minutes late; 3) the competition was not like a Horton race (more on that later).
Countdown and we're off to the sounds of polka music. This race is a 50 miler, 50k, and 25k. 50 Milers run a 3.5 mile loop back to the start, then complete the same 15.5 mile loop as everyone else, 3 times. I felt great and was not straining the pace, but was right behind 3rd and 4th place (Tony and James). 1st place guy shot off like a racehorse and I never saw him again all day. 2nd place snaked past and ran with #1 for a while. I ran my own pace but stayed not far behind James and Tony, then between the start and AS1 I saw James and ended up catching both him and Tony shortly after AS1. They asked if I wanted to pass and I said "no, just wanted some company". So we ran together at a pace too fast for me but I felt good. They had the Garmins (I wore no watch) and we were clocking low 7s, even high 6s for a while. I felt out of my league with these veteran ultrarunners but again, I felt good. By the end of loop 1 James had fallen off a bit but me and Tony kept at it. He pulled ahead but stopped to use the bathroom and then we were leap-frogging all of loop 2. By the end of the loop, I was ahead of him and was pulling out of the start line as he came into view. Loop 2 was nice because we were passing many of the slower shorter distance runners so I wasn't alone. Loop 3 was different... Also, during loop 2 Tony's crew told him the 2nd place guy dropped back so he and I were #2 and #3!
Loop 3 was slow. The pace of loop 1 and the 35 miles behind me were hanging onto my legs and dragging. But I kept on. I walked so much at MMTR I wanted to see what I could do this time around. After AS1 I stopped to get rocks out of my shoes (there were 2-3 stream crossings each loop) and I kept feeling like Tony was gonna pass me. But I kept running; even the short, steepish climbs were still runnable for the most part. I was feeling great but was hitting the "I'm ready to be done" point. Just AS to AS... 3 more, 2 more. Sometime about halfway through Loop 3 some dude I hadn't seen all race BLAZED past me like he wasn't even trying. He ended up 2nd place... I knew now I no longer had a 2 place buffer to get on the "podium", so I had to stay strong. I guess it was good enough because I came through in 3rd place with a time of 7:41:42. The guy who was originally in 2nd came through a few minutes later, and then Tony ended up in 6th, I believe.
Course: Mostly trails, 2-3 miles of road each loop (too much!), no memorable climbs, but some fun single-track.
Fuel: Had my 1.5 liter pack with Nathan electrolyte tabs, 4 gu's. I ended up going through my pack 2.5 times... never drank so much in a race. AS was usually pbj, goldfish, or potato chips. Loop 3 I started downing a cup of soda (first time in a race) and a cup of water.
Weather: 75 with a slight breeze and clear skies
Overall a great race. If you are close to Philly I would recommend it, especially as a first time 50 mile. The swag is AWESOME and the staff is great. It was only their 3rd year so they have room to improve as well. Good bratwurst at the end too! My knee is still hurting as I write this (Wednesday morning), but everything else feels really good. Hoping to be good to go for the North Face trail marathon on Saturday!!
Tech-T, Hat, Beer Glass, Drawstring bag, and Authentic Handcrafted German Cuckoo Clock! (3rd place prize)
Freaking A. I get the "I'm ready to be done" feeling at like, mile 10 of a half marathon... I don't know how you do it brother. My kudos to you, plus, gnarly clock!
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