6:04:15, 2nd female and 29th overall. 4854 feet of total elevation gain, 9708 feet of total elevation change. Tripped at least 20 times, but never went down. Pretty good for my first ultra.
The real ultra studs were in the 50mi race, of which the men's podium passed us 50k-ers in the last few miles despite having started 2 hours earlier. That was amazing to see, particularly since this was during the race's roughest stage between Queensboro and 1777 aid stations - 2.5 miles worth of loose rocks the size of my fist piled deep atop what used to be a forest road, not a speck of dirt available for relief, and for the last 1/2mi the rock road becomes a 30-45 degree hill.
This leg sticks in my memory because my body was putting up with it but my mind was starting to shut off. I was fortunate that two fellow racers, Joe and Marco, who helped me continue to put one foot in front of the other during the last 10 miles. I couldn't thank them enough, both during and after the race. I know all the reasons for which pacers are present for safety's sake for races longer than 50mi, and now I've experienced first hand just how beneficial they can be. I ran with Joe from a couple miles before Anthony Wayne #2 to half way to Queensboro, and the rest of the race from there on out was with Marco. Were it not for them, I would have stopped dead somewhere around mile 26 and just cried. But seeing Marco bounding up behind me with encouraging words forced me to keep going. All the walking I did to as part of my training (I only run 3, occasionally 4 times per week; the other days I walk the 6-7 miles to school) payed off big time, since I was only fighting the mental will to finish rather than fighting the face that I was on my legs all day. Meaning, the only thing missing from my training was the experience of having raced an ultra before. But you gotta start somewhere.
I ran with Patricia through the middle, longer leg from Arden Valley to Anthony Wayne. She looked calm and consistent. I was thoroughly impressed. My intention was simply to finish - to stay true to my own pace as dictated by effort level, to drink every 5 minutes whether I wanted to or not, to eat at every aid station unless it made me puke, and to cross the finish line. In truth, I expected a minimum of 7 hours. As it ended up, I entered the first three or four aid stations as the first female. The reception was entirely different to being in the lead. Volunteers immediately offered to fill my bottle with whatever I wanted, smiles and supportive words flew all over the place. Trish had the lead from Anthony Wayne #2 through the end, but even then my entering the Queensboro aid station at mile 25.3 was received with a guy smiling and announcing "2nd female, 50k" and sounding a cow bell. Totally awesome. I'm sure it was the luck of having the real big-wig females in the 50 mile race, and east coast trails are less popular than west coast due to their propensity for tons of loose rock and going straight up/downhill rather than using switchbacks. But it was awesome nonetheless.
Other gear decisions that I'm glad to have made in the month leading up to the race. My previous kit included Body Glide, spandex-style running shorts, Smartwool socks, Brooks Cascadias, and Nuun/Camelback Elixer. Trial and error, and reading recommendations from other such as Running&Rambling, lead me to the following, all of which made an incredible difference: Aquaphor knee length running tights (shorts never stay down on me), DryMax socks (not a single blister! no alien toenail baby!), Montrail Rogue Racers (again, no alien toenail baby!), Gu Brew, and chugging Pepsi at each of the aid stations from Anthony Wayne #2 on.
Also must give major props to Nathan, who finished at 6:51:14. It was his first ultra too, but he barely trained thanks to a crazy work schedule. We did the Easter half marathon fun run that's part of the Holiday Marathon series put on by local runners in Van Cortlandt Park, and he had a few other hour long runs. That's it. And yet he still managed to finish sub-7 hour. I would have DNF were I in his shoes. Determination? Lots of time on his feet at work? Natural ability? Probably yes to all and then some. Hopefully next time he'll be able to train and run it the way he'd prefer. Still, proud of him.
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