Race Report: North Face Endurance Challenge

It's been a while since I updated this blog but figured that my recent 50 mile ultra marathon was a good excuse. Please see below for a breakdown of how I survived the epic endeavor. 

Pre-Race:

The adventure began at 3:30 AM on Friday, September 16. Why would anyone choose to wake up at 3:30 the day prior to a 50 mile race? For one, my Spirit Airlines flight boarded at 6:15. Then there was the fact that I had still had to run a couple early morning errands before taking the train down to the airport. Ultra Tip #1: 4 hours of sleep 2 nights before the race is not a recipe for success. 

Saw this terrible name upon arriving to Chi-town

Once I arrived in Chicago the day was spent touring around the city, grabbing my packets at the North Face store, waiting in line 3 hours for my iPhone 7 and enjoying some hearty local cuisine until James and I hit the road for Wisconsin just before dark. On our way there, I mentioned to James that I was pretty sure the race started at 5:30. He said he thought it started at 5. We compromised by agreeing to wake up at 4, neither of us conscious enough to look up the actual itinerary online. Ultra Tip #2: check your race itinerary before your race.

Race Morning:

Waking up at 4am, we figured we had plenty of time to make it to the course with time to spare, so we took our time to get ready and ponder the day that lie ahead, I turned to James and asked, “You're sure it’s at 5:30, right?” James lacked all confidence in his reply, “No you said it was at 5:30. I thought it was at 5. Should we check?”. I snapped, “At this point, it doesn’t matter. Let’s hit road and get there as soon as we can”.  We left the hotel at around 4:30. 

Pulling into the parking lot safely at 4:55 AM, the park director pointed us to turn left for race parking. But of course, we were too oblivious to comprehend specific directions at such an early hour, so we continued straight for about a mile before realizing that we were headed the wrong way. Turning around, we made our way back to the park director who reaffirmed her earlier directions towards the start line. 

Pulling in at 4:59, the parking lot attendant radioed the start line to let them know that 2 runners were making their way towards them. So much for a 5:30 start time. The gun was literally going off as we stepped of the car. James and I sprinted the quarter mile to the start line before joining the pack just in time to begin with the 3rd wave of runners out the gate. Ultra Tip #3: When warming up, try to conserve all energy. Your body will thank you later.

Gametime (1st half): 

The race started out far different than we had initially anticipated. With our nontraditional ultra warm-up that consisted of a dead sprint to the start line, the blood was flowing early and the 10 minute/mile pace that we settled into felt like a walk compared to our normal training routine. 

Rock On!

Morning Glory - Feeling Fresh

Running through the dark on relatively narrow dirt, rocky trail for the first couple of hours provided a nice distraction from the 50 mile effort we had to look forward to. Cruising through the first several miles, we took our time to chat with fellow participants, none of whom it seemed had ran 50 miles before. Perhaps an indication that this was a one and done type of sport. Ultra Tip #4: enjoy the early camaraderie. Having good rapport with your opponents can become crucial later on. 

As the race dragged on, I started to get thirsty, wishing I had drink more water prior to the start. I couldn’t wait to stop by the first water station. Fortunately aid stations were spread out every 5 miles or so, which worked well with my plan to start taking a Hammer Gel and an Endurolyte pill at every stop until it got old, a strategy that had worked for my Ironman last year. Ultra Tip #5: Come to the race with a firm but flexible nutrition plan.

All focus - Nothing can stop us

When we finally made it to the first aid station I took a sip of the first clear liquid I saw only to be told that it was not water but some form of clear energy juice. Spitting it out immediately, I knew not to make that mistake again. Ultra Tip #6: Don't assume clear liquid is water until you ask. Overall, I will say though that the race did a great job of providing nutrition on the course, a nice selection of m&ms pretzels, potatoes, mountain dew, pepsi, bananas, and oranges, which would come in handy later.

Setting a blistering 9 minute pace

Crushing miles throughout the first half of the race, James and I took turns leading. With James initially setting a blistering 9 minutes average mile pace, I hung back a ways, occasionally yelling up that I wasn’t confident matching his intense speed so early on. Ultra Tip #7: if the pace feels too fast, it definitely is not sustainable.

At about mile 10, I decided it was time for me to step up and take the lead so that we could settle into a more relaxed pace. But of course, I did the exact same thing, speeding up to a couple sub 9 minute miles at one point. 

As we reached mile 16, I decided to crunch some numbers to discover that we were on a blistering 8 hour pace! James turned to me and said, “I would be very happy with 8 hours”. Little did we know what brutal territory lie ahead. Ultra Tip #8: Don't get cocky. Respect the course.

At around mile 18 we chatted with a guy who was clearly more experience than us in the world of ultras. Not only had he ran this race before but he had also ran a 100 miler not too long ago. When we asked about his experience in this race, he said to watch out for miles 28-35. The hills would slow us down but not to worry as we would make up later on. When asked about the hundred miler, he said, “Haven’t broke 24 hours yet”. The idea of our competitors’ experience wasn’t enough to deter James and myself from blowing past him up the next hill. 

James can't keep up

Me just being rude for the camera

As we approach half way, we began to pass a slew of top ultras who were headed the opposite direction towards the finish. One thing that stood out to me more than any race I’ve done in my life is that nearly every ultra we ran by said either “good job”, “keep it up” or “nice work” when we passed. Maybe it was our proximity to Canada that rendered these people so friendly. Unfortunately, I did not always have the energy at this point to return the gesture.

Trucking Along (2nd half):

Second Half Struggles

The halfway aid station was what I would call a “turning point” in the race. 25 miles in, I was about ready to call it a day. Looking over at James, it was clearly that we were both becoming exhausted. We took our time to stretch, eat, drink and motivate ourselves before continuing on for another 25. 

As we continued along, the weather grew hotter. It was about 10 am and the Wisconsin sun was out in full force, with temperatures reaching the low 80s that day. With sore legs and mental fatigue beginning to settle in, I turned to James and said “I don’t care about time. Let’s just cross that finish line”. James agreed. We would do whatever it takes to finish the race we had set out on. Ultra Tip #9: Just finishing is always a good strategy.

As the second half dragged along, our pace slowed to nearly 12 minutes per mile, hampered my sore legs and over exhaustion. To make it even more difficult, the hills came one after another, unrelenting. After struggling up the first few, James turned to me and said, “I’m going to walk up the hills from here on out, need to save my legs”. I had a tough time agreeing, having clandestinely set my mind on a new goal of 9 hours. But eventually  I conceded that I would do the same. Ultra Tip #10: Finishing an ultra often requires time goals to be either continually reset or completely thrown out the window.

As the race dragged on, the aid stations seemed further and further apart, with nearly an hour lapsing during the 4-5 mile intervals. I progressed from eating Hammer Gel and Electrolytes to consuming anything I could digest, which included anything from chicken broth, mountain dew, oranges, bananas. Above all else, Mountain Dew became my go-to energy drink of choice that field me to the finish. Ultra Tip #11: When all else fails, do the dew.

No energy left for smiles

The toughest stretch of the course for me was around the 30 to 40 mile stretch when we had to endure 7 miles between aid station. At no other point in the race was it so apparent that James and I were the only two competitors who were not carrying liquid of some kind to stay hydrated, which was fine when we had aid every 40 minutes but not so much when you stretch that out to an hour and a half in the blistering heat with hill after hill and an exhausted body and mind. Ultra Tip #12: Carry water. Your 30 mile deep self will thank you immensely.

The exhaustion got so severe that I literally ran a 4 mile stretch where I asked every person who I passed for a sip of their water (there was a marathon and a 50k race going on at the same time on the same courses so there were a decent about of generous walkers on the course). Most people were surprisingly willing to share. “Sorry I’m fresh out” or “please, take as much as you want” were the only two responses I received. Ultra Tip #13: Most ultras are friendly and willing to share.

The home stretch was anything but epic. Picking up some speed with the end in sight, I ran to the finish at a blistering 10 minutes mile pace before being greeted by the most beautiful oasis of finish line festivities I had every seen, 9 hours and 30 minutes after initially sprinting to the same place. Ultra Tip #14: Anything other than walking will feel like a sprint to the finish.

Thankful to be finished

Acknowledging the crowd

Recovery:

After the race, I immediately headed to the red cross aid station where I hung out with the medics while I waited for James to finish (we were about 10 minutes apart). After hearing about an ice bath, I was quick to make my way over there to try and soak the soreness out of my legs. Finally, the BBQ and beer helped ease the fatigue of a full day’s work. Ultra Tip #15: Remember what delicious food and beer awaits those who finish.     

Final Thoughts:

Overall I’m happy to have completed the race but cannot say I have any plans for another ultra marathon anytime soon. I would say that I was undertrained and would have been better prepared with a little more time and motivation. However, no matter what training regimen you subscribe to, the race ended up being as difficult mentally as physically. There were countless times during the second half that I wanted to quit. Ultramately, the commitment to finish is what kept me going.