Cloudland Canyon 50 Miler

January 10, 2015

Cloudland Canyon State Park

It was 4:45am, somewhere between 10-15degrees and with a wind-chill well in the single digits. Being out of the warm truck for just a few seconds was absolutely miserable. How in the world was I going to make it out here all day long?

Standing at the starting line.

Standing at the starting line I found myself calmer than I thought I would be. Today would be a day of first. First trail run in the dark, first time attempting 50 miles, first race in sub-freezing conditions, first run in tights... Yes, I once again found myself doing exactly what I say I don’t like to do, wear something I haven’t trained in. My thoughts were if I didn’t like them I would switch to shorts at the mile 14 aid station where Carmen and mom would be. Luckily they worked great.

I gave Carmen a thumbs up and off we went. I immediately noticed I was ahead of about 75% of the runners and I didn’t like being in the front of the group. I decided to keep pace and let others pass as needed.

Runners heading off.

My first goal was make it to the sunrise. Breaking the day up into tangible goals seemed to make the thought of running 50 miles manageable. I have never run trails in the dark so I knew I wanted to stay with a pack but definitely not lead one. Just over half a mile on the road we hit the trails and I nestled nicely into a group of about 6 guys covering a pace slightly higher than I wanted. I was feeling good and wanted to stick with people so I stayed with the group. About a mile later I began to feel a pain in my left hip. It was more uncomfortable at the time and figured it would work itself out or I’d endure some paint throughout the day. I kept moving. The trail ran along the side of a creek that sounded beautiful (I would pass this area again in the light to see it) for about 2 miles before hopping on the back country trail. I looked at my watch and 30 minutes had passed exactly.

My nutrition goal for the day was to eat at least 100 calories every half hour. I planned on eating a hammer gel every 30 minutes and either a honey stinger waffle or beef jerky stick along with 2 hammer endurolyte salt pills on the hour.

I wasn’t hungry in the least but knew the key to successfully getting through the day was proper nutrition. I downed the gel and kept on rolling. After 1 mile on the back country trail we crossed a gravel road to enter a short 1 mile loop before hopping on the Cloudland Canyon Connector Trail (CCT). Once on the CCT, our group of 6 dwindled down to just 2. I began to make small talk to the guy in front of me leading us and before we knew it we came to the first aid station at mile 6. I stopped behind a tree near the aid station to use the restroom real quick and took back off. I rarely take anything from the first aid stations as I still have plenty of water and nutrition on me.

Leaving the first aid station was a nice descent that I bombed down trying to catch up to the closest runner I saw. Once again I wanted to rely on someone else leading my inexperience in the dark.  I caught up to him and joined another line of about 4 runners. We continued on for another mile or so until I found myself leading a pack of runners. At this point I realized how weak my headlamp was to some of the other runners. I began to get a little nervous trying to stay on the trails that I could barely see while the guys behind me were counting on me to not lead them straight into the woods. Further up ahead I could see distant lights from other runners so I began to pick up pace to catch up to them. I reached the other runners just to have them move to the side and let me keep going. I told them I was in no hurry and they just laughed and waved me on. Mile 8 dinged on my watch and I was completely alone in the dark.

I pulled out a honey stinger waffle to eat 1hour30min in. I tried to take a bite and it was completely frozen. I was able to get it down but knew all the waffles I brought for the day weren’t going to work. The bigger issue was my water bottle. The water was starting to freeze as well. The trails continued to wind back and forth in the dark for another mile until I started seeing headlamp lights up a ridge ahead of me. I got excited thinking I was finally catching up to some more runners. The next thing I knew I was drudging up rocky switchbacks and the distant lights were long gone. Half a mile of switchbacks and another half a mile of winding trails passed. As I crested over a small ridge I began to see the pink from the rising sun start showing. I continued along the ridge as the sun slowly started to rise out of the mountains. I had made it to sunrise. It was the first of many beautiful sights I’d see that day.

My next goal was to make it back to the start/finish aid station before 2:30pm. Any runners coming in after 2:30pm would have to take their headlamp back out with them for the final 11 mile loop within the park. I did not want another run in the dark. Coming off the ridge the course turned back onto the main CCT trail that leads back to Cloudland Canyon. I wasn’t too familiar with the course for the day but I knew the direction I was headed would take me back to the park. I began to wonder if I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Looking at my watch I was almost 12 miles in to the race and heading away from where I knew the aid station was at (mile 14). Thinking of stopping and hoping another runner would come up behind me, I decided to keep going. Right at 12 miles I came to an intersection with a course marshal. Phew, I was headed in the right direction. The course turned us down a side trail I didn’t know about and sends us back the way we just came. I thanked the course marshal for being out there braving the cold, blew a sigh of relief and pushed on.

The next  1.5 mile section was simply amazing. On one side of you there was a rock wall with giant frozen icicles hanging off it and the other a beautiful creek. I came across another runner who was attempting her first 50 miler also and we made small talk all the way to the next aid station.

Rolling into aid station #2 (14miles) - Ascalon.

Ascalon aid station, mile 14, was where Carmen and mom would be waiting for me. Anytime you see a friendly face along a race it gives you an extra boost. I came into the aid station and they began to refill my nutrition for me. I took my gloves off (huge mistake) and tried to chip the ice off my water bottles. I ate a pickle and a few chips and took back off. My new friend I had just come into the aid station with was already on her way and I wanted to catch up to her. I was running and trying to put my gloves back on but it wasn’t working. In less than a minute with my gloves off they had gone completely numb and frozen. I wrestled with my gloves using my teeth and everything I could to get them back on. Finally I managed to get them on but it was too late. My hands began to hurt incredibly bad. It would take the next 2 miles for them to finally warm themselves back up.

For the next 7.5 miles my new friend and I kept each other company during the long stretch to the next aid station. This was a hard 7.5 miles along the 5 Points mountain bike trails and it was good to have company along the way. Big climbs and rolling hills aside, there were about 3 frozen forest ponds that were stunning. I also took a nice spill but luckily the only thing I hurt was my ego.

Coming into aid station #3 (21miles) - 5 Points.

A bit over 4 hours and almost 21 miles in we came into the 5 Points aid station. One of the awesome volunteers helped me untie my shoe to remove some debris and tied it back for me. I felt like a little kid whose mom was putting on their shoes. I ate 2 frozen apple slices and a handful of frozen peanut M&Ms and pretzels. One of the volunteers took my picture and I began to feel my hands cooling off again. It didn’t take but a minute or so of not moving for your body to start feeling the cold air. I looked and saw my friend was still eating but I had to get going to warm up. I took off out of the aid station alone. This would be the shortest stretch from aid station to aid station. I felt bad for leaving my new friend but I kept looking back from time to time and I could see her pink beanie through the trees and knew she was just a bit behind me. Another 2 miles or so of painfully numb hands and I decided the least amount of time stopped at aid stations the better.

I was back at the Ascalon aid station, mile 26sih, before I even knew it but I wasn’t feeling the greatest. My hip pain was starting to get worse. It didn’t bother me when I ran, but as soon as I began to walk it would come. I found this comical. I would run till I was climbing a hill or needed a break then start to walk, but when I began to walk I started to run because of the hip pain. Back and forth this went the rest of the race. I told Carmen and mom I was struggling some and as always they were there with encouraging words. This was one of the busiest aid stations with a lot of volunteers and it was really hard to leave. After drinking some power aid and eating some potatoes and salt I was back on my way.

Dragging into aid station #4 (26miles).

Getting encouragement from eskimo Carmen.

The next 12 miles would be almost the exact route I had taken and would lead me back to the start/finish line where I would then begin the final 11 mile loop within the park. Most of this course I had run earlier in the dark and it was cool to see it now with the daylight. I ran this entire 12 alone passing 1 or 2 runners along the way. I began to feel much better and the miles just ticked by. Running along the creek we could only hear near the beginning of the race was simply beautiful and I found myself just enjoying the scenery.

Aid station #6 (39 miles) - start/finish.

Headed out for the final 11 miles.

Coming in at mile 39 was the start/finish line aid station and the last time I would see Carmen and mom before I finished. I was feeling really good at this point and was joking with 2 other runners who had come up. Carmen and mom said not a lot of runners had come through so I asked the volunteer who was writing down all the check-ins how many had made it. He said 15. Wow, my first 50 miler with only 11 miles left and I was in the top 15? This was just the boost I needed to push on and finish strong. As I started leaving the aid station to head for 3-4 miles of road, I heard “Good job man!” I looked over and standing off to the side was Nathan Holland who had already finished the race. I yelled back “You’re already done?! So I know you must have won then. Congrats!” Seeing him stick around to cheer others on put a smile on my face.

Unlike a lot of the other runners I was excited about the road section. Here was where I was going to gain a lot of my time back. I looked at my watch, 7hours40minutes. I started to think I could actually break 10 hours. Surely I could do the next 11 miles in 2 hours, especially with almost 4 of them being road. Little did I know…

I turned on the after burners once I hit the asphalt even passing a runner along the way. I had just moved up to 14^th place in my first 50 and I could still break 10 hours. Unfortunately that didn’t last very long. There were 3 nasty climbs on the road that actually had me walking. I couldn’t believe it. This was supposed to be flat and easy. It only got better and better.

From the road we took the West Rim Trail. This was by far the most technical of the day. Rolling hills, rocks, roots, bigger rocks and views. The views made it all worth it. Just when I was beginning to get down on myself for losing so much time the trail began to run alongside the cliff side overlooking Trenton and the whole canyon. I decided pace wasn’t important anymore. I stopped, cleared some debris out of my shoe and reminded myself to enjoy this amazing trail I was on. I began to stop to look at the scenery and would talk to all the hikers I passed along the way. It was beautiful and stayed beautiful even when I got the Sitton’s Gulch.

Frozen waterfall.

The Sitton’s Gulch trail is the last trail. It is a 2.5 mile out and back trail you complete before the final mile to the finish line. I don’t know any other way to describe this section other than amazingly horrendous. The trail leads from the very top of the canyon all the way down to the bottom starting with 1,200 stairs that you have to climb back up and out. What makes this worse is it is by far the most beautiful trail on the entire course. You want to hate it but you can’t. The trail runs alongside giant frozen waterfalls running into a gorgeous creek. The trip down is nothing but breathtaking. It literally was breathtaking when I had to cross a frozen creek and my left foot slipped into the icy water. (I would drench my right foot on the way out) At the bottom of the descent is the last aid station.

Giant ice on stairways.

Leaving the final aid station is complicated. I couldn’t wait to leave knowing I was so close to the finish, yet I had the largest obstacle of the day still ahead of me, the climb out. I drank as much Coke as I could and put down 2 handfuls of peanut M&Ms and set off up the canyon. I passed a lot of runners headed down on my return trip up. I tried to tell each one how far they were from the final aid station, most replied with sighs of disappointment.  I passed a friend of mine’s husband who is a much much more experienced runner than I am. I was shocked to see him figuring he was already done. Come to find out he had taken a wrong turn earlier on and it put him behind. Even though you could tell he was tired he smiled through it and even congratulated me on doing well. I pushed on up the hills moving slowly and getting both feet soaked in the icy creek crossing before finally reaching the stairs.

Beautiful flowing creek.

My 2^nd to last mile took me 20minutes to complete. Those stairs will haunt me for weeks to come. The stairs I flew down 2 at a time I was crawling back up on my hands and feet. I didn’t think I would ever reach the top. I passed my new friend I had met earlier in the race making her way down on my way up. We high-fived and then I got to tell her the bad news of how far the final aid station was. I continued on slowly and finally made it out. The course marshal at the top of the stairs directing everyone to the out-and-back section informed me I had just 1 mile left to go. I couldn’t believe it. For some reason I still thought I had closer to 3. I looked at my watch and set a new goal. If I could finish under a 12minute mile I could get under 10hours30minutes finish time. I took off.

Half of the final section was paved trail that I flew down. I passed a group of people out enjoying the park who asked me how many miles I was running. I told them I’ve done 49 about to finish 50. They shouted “Ohhhh my! Congratulations!” I couldn’t help but to bust out laughing and thank them. I have to say all the hikers out there, and there were a lot on the Sitton’s Gulch trail, were extremely friendly and moved over to let runners pass. Cheers to them! I entered back onto the very last stretch which was a little ridge that led up to the group lodge and saw people standing on the top looking down for runners about to finish, one of them was my mom. They told me I just had to make that last climb out and I was done. I wanted to walk it so bad but instead I grit down and came out of the trail pushing hard. I saw my mom and then I saw Carmen with her camera ready snapping away. I thought about posing for her for about half a second, but decided I was way too tired for shenanigans. I crossed the finish line with a high-five from the RD and took a deep breath. All the past months of hard work, sacrifice, and training had come down to that moment. I had finally accomplished my goal.

Coming into the home stretch.

Just feet from the finish line.

After I hugged Carmen and mom, the winner (3 whole hours prior) Nathan Holland came over and congratulated me on my first 50. Such a stand-up guy.  We both agreed that the race turned out to be closer to 52 miles than 50. One of my best friends Eddie came up and braved the cold to support me also. It’s an amazing feeling having family and friends that will sacrifice their time and comfort to support me and my crazy running. I also came back to a phone blown up with texts all wishing me well. We hung around for a while to wait for my friend's husband to finish before I needed to get my family back home. It was such an amazing day that I know I’ll remember for a long time to come, but the only thing on my mind at the moment is, what’s next?

Finish

10:24:28

Elevation profile.