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By MATT, YVONNE and KYLA CARPENTER
www.skyrunner.com
Matt Carpenter reports:
Distance: 50 miles
Goal: Win / Get some redemption for last year
Results: Won / Redemption feels good
Website: http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/
General Summary:
After last year's race report, some chastised me for its rather short length. Apparently there is an unwritten rule that an ultra race report must take as long to read as the race itself. With that in mind...
The North Face Endurance Challenge is just that — a challenge and a pretty serious one at that. The course is always throwing something at you and any mistakes you make will come back to haunt you. I learned this the hard way last year (https://www.skyrunner.com/story/2007nf50report.htm). To say that this haunted me is an understatement and for the past year pretty much every hill I ran I had visions of Uli Steidl pulling away from me at mile 44. I was determined to “get it right” this time around by leaving nothing to chance.
First and foremost would be to get a crew. I went with my Leadville crew — Yvonne and Kyla. After looking into the cost of 3 plane tickets and a rental car we decided the best option was just drive out. We got an unexpected bonus when in the weeks leading up to the race gas prices had dropped from $4 to below $2.
We left on Wednesday morning and after a long day of driving (721 miles in 10h55m or 66.0 mph avg, 11h45m with stops) we stopped at Ely, NV. I had picked Ely as a stopping point since it is at the same altitude as Manitou Springs — again nothing was being left to chance. However, an easy 20 minute jog revealed a kink in my planning in that my hamstrings had become tight from the drive. Fortunately, they worked themselves out during the run.
The next day was quite a bit shorter (546 miles in 8h5m or 67.5 mph avg, 8h35m with stops) and we arrived at our hotel at 4pm. We stayed at the host hotel which was located only 1.89 miles from the first/last crew access point at miles 9 and 44. We quickly drove there before it got too dark so I could run the “evil last hill” in the event that the race came down to that section again.
Almost immediately two things became obvious: 1) 372 days had made this hill much bigger in my mind than it was in reality and 2) my hamstrings were really tight today — painfully, limping tight! Hoping for a repeat of the day before when they loosened up, I slowly worked my way to the top of the hill in 20 minutes and ran a few extra minutes to get to where we would intersect this trail on our first climb (see http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/content/maps/SanFranMarin_50MileCourse.pdf). Upon getting back to the car I was very concerned because my hamstrings never completely relaxed and unless I could get that under control I did not see how I was going to race 50 miles in two days. Back at the hotel I could not decide between aspirin or Ibuprofen for my hamstrings. Yvonne suggested both. I also took a hot bath and worked on my hamstrings with some deep massage and
gentle stretching.
On Friday we did a quick trip (made even quicker by Yvonne’s ability to ignore several stop lights) into San Francisco to get my packet. We made Kyla’s day by driving up and down Lombard Street which is the famous and insanely steep street with a section that switchbacks back and forth 9 times in the space of one block! Another quick detour over to the race start and then I got dropped off back at the hotel while Yvonne and Kyla drove to the various crew locations. She drove to some of them more than once since it would have to be done in the dark and even brought back photos to prove that she had been there. Did I mention we were leaving nothing to chance?
After a couple of hours going over the course in my mind and on my laptop I went for a 25 minute run and was relieved to find that my hamstrings were not an issue at all. In fact, I felt like going more and doing a few “tests” on them but deiced that more races are lost by doing too much in the final days instead of doing too little.
That evening, as I had done for about a week straight, I had the exact same meal — pretty much plain pasta. Kyla was not hungry so I ate her portion as well. Yvonne and I went over the Camelbak/water bottle/Boost/gel ratios and quantities and we got to bed fairly early. For the most part I just laid there and went over various race scenarios but I did manage a little sleep before the 3:45am alarm went off. We were out the door with plenty of time to make the 4:30am check in time.
I was happy to see that it was not as cold or wet as last year. But it was still a bone chilling 45 which, because of the humidity, felt more like 25 in Colorado. As such, and despite knowing that it would “warm” up to perhaps 50, I went with knee length tights, a long sleeve shirt and a super light jacket.
The start was uneventful other than Uli coming up beside me to say “good luck.” I don’t believe races are about luck so replied, “have a good run yourself.” Ten minutes in and I was glad I had my jacket because there was a very strong wind that cut like a knife and it was funny to watch the pack narrow to about 2 wide with everyone drafting off of everyone else as we headed up the first 900’ climb.
Depending on what you call a climb, the race consists of a ton of them with 7 being rather significant and 2 of those being 1,400’ or more. (See course profile at link broke) Of course, on the back side of all those climbs is a downhill!
During the first climb, which I felt I had to lead last year, I was content to just hang back about 5 seconds in a rather large group of about 15, perhaps more. At the top, as mentioned before, we intersect with what would be the final stretch. I took a split so between Thursday’s run and now I would know the ins and outs of the last 6 miles. When we reached what would later become our 47 mile aid station (it is not an aid station on the first lap) and the start of our first downhill the group started to head to the right. However, I saw a glow stick about 15 meters straight ahead and went for it thus taking the lead while shouting “cable” so those that tried to cut too early would not get tripped up by the cable blocking car access.
Within seconds a swarm of runners went flying by me. Again, unlike last year, I did not feel the need to be at the font of that and let it string out by about 10-15 seconds. At this point Michael Wardian ran up beside me and started chatting away. He seemed like a nice guy and I tried to be social to a point (I told him about the ladder to come later when he asked about it) but finally I told him that I needed to get back into race mode as someone was making a surge on the front. However, within seconds of the hill starting to level out we were one big group again — like an accordion whose song would play several more times.
The next climb/descent pretty much unfolded the same way — a group going up with it spreading out going down. This downhill in particular I had been thinking about as it was the first one with steps in it. Since I was running my own race they were not an issue. Just before the first crew station at 9 miles I ran by Uli who was watering the bushes. Soon after and still about 100 meters away I started hearing what I thought was my name being called over and over and over. Turns out that is exactly what it was as Yvonne could not tell one runner from another so was just standing there yelling “Matt, Matt, Matt...” I had already taken off my jacket and tied it around my waist and pulled off my camelback so the exchange was done on the run and may have taken all of 1 second. This quickly closed the downhill gap that had developed and again I was near the front of the pack but not at the font — just where I wanted to be.
Like last year, things started to settle down after the first crew section and there was a lot of talking going on. Indeed, several never seemed to stop talking. This sort of thing really threw me for a loop last year and I stressed over it. Those of us that live at altitude know that there is little to no talking at the front of the pack because there is no air. Those that talk too much are usually off the back within minutes. But at sea level, and especially in an ultra where the first 2 hours are run in pitch black which tends to slow things down, there is just a mob of people with many yacking about everything from races they just did, are going to do, or want to do, to family, work and politics. I just soaked it all in and pretended I was out on a training run except that we were going slower.
At any rate, at the end of the first part of the climb there is an intersection where the 1/2 marathon runners would be turning right. It was marked with yellow (we were following blue and white) and the 5-6 who were running in front started going the wrong way. I was about to call out when Uli set them straight. This put Uli and I in the front but I was happy to let Uli lead as the next section is rather steep and has a couple of nasty stair sections which are not fun at all in total darkness!!! (see http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/m_G3VxEtFx4sn8J2wolIrg?select=LSfiYoC9HfFvOrqqyOPy_w)
Fortunately, soon after this section and about 1h30m into the race, dawn begins to take hold and for the first time you get to see some of the spectacular views! Unfortunately, with the light some of the runners start getting a little crazy on the downhills. In fact, at the next one into the Muir Beach aid station at mile 13 a few of the runners tested their legs a little. One guy in particular just flew off the front.
Between the aid station stop and the flats we were now running, most of the group quickly reformed. We soon came up on the remaining fast downhillers just standing there wondering which way to go. There were markers in the trees that I thought were rather obvious. And so for the 3rd time I found myself back right back at the front. So much for their 10 second lead! I joked with Uli, “you would think these guys would have learned by now.”
The next .25 mile is on the road. I choose to run on the left facing traffic whereas the group stuck to the right. It just felt good to get a little “air” and now things were light enough that we did not need the combined power of all of our lights to see what we were doing. We hopped off the road for .65 of a mile onto the Redwood Creek Trail until we had to leave it and cut back across the road. Last year, this turn was not marked so well but this year, like many spots that were lacking last year, not only was it extremely well marked they even had a real live person standing there. Kudos to the North Face Crew!
Our next climb is the first of the two longer climbs and starts out up the Heather Cutoff trail. It is an extremely shallow climb undoubtedly due to the fact that there are an amazing 25 switch-backs in only .8 of a mile! Back and forth, back and forth — just crazy! Most of the switchbacks have a little retaining wall at the end where one must balance the costs/gains of stepping up a step or going a few feet longer to avoid the step. I saw both strategies being used. I was running 4th behind Geoff Roes, another runner and I think Shilo Mielke or Tsuyoshi Kaburaki (yes, my fingers were on the correct keys when I typed both of those names.) Whomever was in 3rd let the gap grow to about 15 seconds on Geoff but this was of no concern because soon we would run into the much wider Coastal Fire Rd. Once there, I closed the gap on Geoff and was content to let him break the wind that started popping up again. And finally the sun rose from its sleep for a beautiful sunrise! Soon after Shilo ran up and asked me
when the “real” race began. I thought of something really smartass to say but instead looked at my watch and told him, “it started 2 hours and 11 minutes ago.”
Evidently, the long climb to PanToll aid station at 18 miles finally started to spread the group out a bit. I did not know it at the time because I had not been looking back but it can be seen by the splits in the results. Still, there were 10 of us within 90 seconds. Thanks to another exquisite handoff from Yvonne and Kyla I ended up starting down the Steep Ravine Trail in the lead. Very shortly thereafter Shilo must have decided that this is where the real race was going to begin because he just took off. I wanted no part of it. I just cruised on down and soon Kyle Skaggs pulled up behind me. I was not sure if he knew about Shilo so I let him know there was one more in front of us. He responded, “it’s too early to fry the quads now.” I truly did not expect this from him because every time we ever ran together in an IC run he would fall back on the ups and then just dive bomb the downs. This race day composure really impressed me coming from a 23 year old as I had not learned it last
year at 43.
We ran down the rest of the way together including climbing down “the ladder” (See: http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Muir/Willow%20Camp%204.jpg) and the trail’s many, many steps (See http://lh4.ggpht.com/_A1ZAgygvd5U/SAQtph_FgDI/AAAAAAAADbY/qmpb9wPavXY/s720/IMG_0017.JPG and (link broke)) Once we left the steep stuff we hopped onto the famed Dipsea trail where I had to make a pit stop to unload Kyla’s portion of the previous night’s dinner. I pulled off the trail onto a side trail which I thought would be out of sight of the other runners. Unfortunately, I was in plain sight and watched about 2-3 guys go by. At this point I started debating between a
quickie (< 30 seconds — yes, I practice) and a more relaxed and um, thorough job. I went with the latter which extended my stay to just a tad over 1 minute and allowed me to see another 3-4 go by, including Uli. I would later learn that Uli was nice enough to let Yvonne know, via his wife, not to worry about me. Soon after my stop I arrived at the Stinson Beach aid station at mile 21 for another flawless handoff.
The next hill is the biggie, 1,400’ up the Matt Davis trail. This climb also has a lot of steps in it and as such I did not want to overdo it and instead just focused on maintaining a good cadence. However, much to my surprise I started picking off the runners who had passed me during my pit stop at a much faster rate than I was thinking was going to happen. By the top of the climb I had caught all but 2 and they were in sight and within 15 seconds or so. Props to Uli for being the only one who asked if I wanted to pass and for getting clearly out of my way.
In short order I pulled up on Shilo, who in my head I was now referring to as “downhill boy,” and Geoff. Despite knowing the answer, I asked how many were in front. When they replied, “none” I just went by them at the same effort I had been doing since my pit stop. Last year I was hosed here and could not put any distance on Uli and eventually I just pulled over for a pee to let him catch me at the turnaround so I could relax and run with him. This year I felt fresh but there was no need to press. The in and out nature of the trail made for lots of locations to spot check the gaps. Just over a mile later at ~24 miles I had 26 seconds on Shilo and Geoff and 39 on Uli (see middle of this video: Video removed) Normally, I would not put too much into such a small gap at this point of such a long race but the fact that I had obtained it without trying had me feeling pretty good. I kept my
rhythm and proceeded to the McKennan Gulch Aid station/turnaround at mile 26. The run back to PanToll was uneventful although I must thank Nikki Kimball for being perhaps the best cheerleader I have ever seen in the middle of a race. As I went by her on her way out she yelled, “Go Matt” and other encouragements so loud it gave me Goosebumps!
Unfortunately, this section did not go so well for a couple of the top runners. “When’s the real race start/downhill boy,” Shilo, appeared to me to be out of it — perhaps feeling the effects of his downhill indiscretions. He must have dropped at the turnaround since he has no PanToll split. And it would turn out that “where’s “the ladder” boy” Wardian must have wanted to do “the ladder” again because he headed back down the Matt Davis trail instead of continuing straight to PanToll. I spoke with him after the race and he said that everyone coming up the trail was looking at him rather strangely until he finally got turned around and back on course. When he got back to the intersection he said he saw the arrow pointing towards PanToll and had one of those “DUH” moments. According to his race report he thinks the detour cost him about 15 minutes. But credit where credit is due and he did not let it phase him too much and he went on to finish in
the top 10.
At any rate, back at PanToll, now the 30 mile aid station, I finally got rid of my jacket which cost me a couple of unplanned seconds because I had tied its thin sleeves into a very tight knot. Otherwise, Yvonne and Kyla were like a NASCAR pit crew and had me in and out in no time. However, I was delayed 10-15 more seconds when a volunteer was trying to get me to go back down the Steep Ravine trail apparently wanting me to do “the ladder” again as well. It took a few attempts to get it through to him that I had “been there, done that” before he would let me go on to the Bootjack trail.
Ah, the Bootjack trail. What to say other than perhaps the most technical section of the race! More steps along with lots of rocks and roots from hell. (See photos 12-17 in this series — a super series from a 50k runner that covers almost all of the 50 mile course. #13 and #14 in particular do the Bootjack trail justice! Links removed) Not stuff I want to take any chances on unless absolutely necessary. However, I did not think I was jogging either. But apparently I was because out of the corner of my eye on a switchback I saw Uli! This meant he had closed what I was thinking to be a 2 minute gap at PanToll (the splits would show that it was 2:16) to within 15 seconds in the space of only 15 minutes!!! I did not know what to make of it. I instantly began to think of another duel to the finish. Should I push it? It was rather
unnerving but after a few panicked moments I decided the best course of action was no action and just to continue at what felt was a safe speed. I knew from last year the technical stuff would end when we turned off Bootjack onto the Pelvin Cut Fire road. Here I was able to run more relaxed since it was a much more gentle downhill on less technical terrain. There were even a few uphills to break things up a little. But I was relieved to finally get to the bottom which is marked by a huge fallen tree that last year we actually crossed on top of but this year apparently the liability gods must have thought it safer to have us run beside it. I looked back and much to my surprise the gap was about the same. This was very un-Uli-like! I had no explanation as to how at the rate he was closing he did not just swallow me up. Did he go to the bathroom? Did he fall? Or did he overdo the steep technical section only to have nothing left for the more runnable section? (I would later learn that his wife was yelling at
him at PanToll that, “The steps are yours Uli.”) I only knew that I was very glad to take a turn in the direction of up onto the Lost Trail and our next climb. I felt what happened over the next several miles would be crucial.
The Lost Trail gains about 800’ in the space of a mile. Much of it is done via steps. (See photo #19 in the photo series above.) Last year when I surged on Uli here he just slowly reeled me back in on the flat section that follows so my surge only hurt myself. Therefore, I decided that this was not the time to change my effort. I wanted to see what he would do. I got into a good rhythm on the steps. When I got to the top I had about 1 minute on him. OK, that was expected since he does not climb like I do. What will happen on the next flat section? Near the end, I still had right at 1 minute on him. OK that was unexpected and a bonus. As was getting to see Kyla who I guess technically illegally paced me for about 20 yards. Indeed, I actually caught myself trying to drop her in the event someone would complain. The irony of having to surge to outrun my 6-year-old daughter. Back to the race Carpenter!
How about some gentle downhill on some asphalt? Check! How about a real test — the downhill to the Old Inn aid station at 36 miles via more nasty steps which are part of the famed “suicide hill” of the Dipsea? I arrived at the aid station and did not even want to look! Instead, I quickly refilled my bottle and was just waiting for a “hi Matt.” But there was no Uli! I did not know the gap but I did know I had gotten through a good section of flat, a good section of gentle down on a road, a steep section of down on some steps and had even managed to refill my bottle and there was still no Uli. I had held him off by maintaining the same effort as I had been running since the beginning of the race. An effort which was designed to preserve my energy for mile 44!
Our next little climb is rather short but it is also very steep. We ascend up the Dipsea trail to connect to the Deer Park trail/fire road for a short downhill before crossing the road and jumping onto the Redwood Creek trail. I felt very strong on the climb and passed a huge group of about 20 hikers before taking a sharp left and cruising the downhill. The Redwood Creek trail is ever so slightly downhill, very smooth and somewhat lush because of the creek that runs through the valley.
I was rolling along at about mile 38 taking a mental and physical inventory when all of a sudden something moved in front of me. That’s a freaking mountain lion! After looking at me for what seemed way too long, it turned and proceeded down the trail with me following it for about 100 meters before it went off trail. I was a little worried he would jump me when I got to that point but he must have realized I was the leader of the pack and so was waiting for weaker prey. The encounter was very exciting as the only other mountain lion I had seen was when I was running on my treadmill and one walked in front of my garage not even 3 feet away!
Soon, I came back to the intersection where previously we had jumped off the Redwood Creek trail to head over to the Heather Cutoff trail. Again, thanks to the in and out nature of the trail, I could not resist doing a couple of gap checks. Many times I saw nothing but finally I saw that the mountain lion had not gotten Uli either. I was pleased to see that the gap seemed about the same as back at the top of the Lost Trail (~1 minute). I told myself that if he had it in him he would have already caught me by now. I even considered the possibility that he was now running with his only hope being for me to falter. However, I was feeling strong and by now had regained most of the confidence that had escaped me back on the evil Bootjack Trail. I then hit the same road we had run on earlier for the .25 miles to the Dias Ridge trail. The road felt smooth, fast and easy. Things were looking up!
Literally! The Dias Ridge trail would be a great climb in and of itself. (See photos 20-26 of the series above. Again, the photographer really captured the essence of its magnitude.) But to throw it at runners ~39 miles into a 50 mile race just seems cruel. Not unlike the hitting the Powerline monster ~78 miles into the Leadville Trail 100. But just like the Powerline at Leadville, this was to be one of my favorite sections. I hit another split on my watch at the foot of the climb and looked back a few times until Uli hit the same spot to start his climb. 59 seconds! A short time and a lifetime all at the same time. Short if you are in front, long if you are not.
It would be 24 minutes before I hit the Shoreline Highway aid station at 41 miles. I did not run easy and I did not run hard. Again, all my eggs were going into the 44 mile basket. A quick refill and again I was gone. The next section of fire road (still called the Miwok trail) is very gradual. Last year I made yet another desperate surge here while Uli was getting food. I was done but hoped he was as bad off as I was and that perhaps he would break. He did not. This year there was no need for a surge as I already felt like I was picking up speed without even trying. The soft dirt of this section felt like an all weather track. My 5.8oz flats felt like I was running in socks and for the first time I thought about winning the race. As an added bonus, they kept us on the Miwok this year whereas last year they incorrectly had us run the 1/2 marathon route which added .2 of a mile. Point 2 is not much, but not having to run it felt like Christmas had come early! Before taking the turn off the fire road portion
of the Miwok back onto the single track portion, I did another gap check on the huge “C” section of course I had just finished. I saw no one! It had to be at least 2 minutes perhaps even 3. No matter, it looked like a long way when I was looking over to this point several minutes ago and I hoped it would be just as discouraging to Uli to get there and see no one.
The final downhill back to the Tennessee Valley aid station at mile 44 is pretty steep and somewhat rutted. Last year I had Uli puking on it. I had thought it was mine then just as I was thinking it was mine now. In fact, I was now close enough to the end that for the first time I even started pressing the downhill a little in the event that Uli was going to do another crazy descent. I was reveling in the fact that I was starting to pass more and more 1/2 marathoners when I came upon a group of 3-4 of them. (I had long since passed the leaders of the 50K) I was making my way to the side of the trail to go around... THUNK! I hit the ground before I knew I had fallen! I landed on a three point triangle consisting of my ear, my jaw and my shoulder. I heard a pop by my ear. I don’t even remember what I yelled. My ear was already ringing but I could hear muffled voices asking if I was OK. Over years and years of trail running and the obligatory falls that come with it, I have forced myself to get up after a
fall and just start running faster before the shock and pain settles in. Here, now, I did not have to think about it. It was reflex. I got up and ran. I ran as fast as I could which for a few moments was not that fast. Oddly, this was the only time in the entire race in which I thought about the 10 thousand dollars that were on the line. I wondered if I could still win it and, if so, how much of it would be used for my medical bills.
The rest of the descent down to the Tennessee Valley aid station was a blur. At first I could not open my mouth very far but then it popped and started working again. My ear was ringing less and less and the white holes in my vision slowly went away. Even the buzzing feeling in my head dissipated. I was still a little confused when I got to the aid station but by then I was going fast enough that I felt the fall was not going to be a factor. However, it took a few seconds to register Yvonne holding out my final water bottle and I almost did not take it. At the last second the thing that “clicked” for me was that it was a smaller bottle than the one I was carrying so I grabbed it to save some weight. I don’t think I even broke stride. It had not even registered that I would be exchanging air for liquid so I would actually be taking on weight. As I headed away from the aid station Yvonne was yelling something about 1 minute and not to take any chances.
And just like that 372 days had brought me back to mile 44. But today it would not be an issue. Despite the fall I had saved everything for here. I killed the demon in 13 minutes compared to Thursday’s hamstring gimped 20. I knew how long it was until I started down. I knew how long I would have to run down and over and to the end. The whole time I just stayed in that little place I had gone after my fall and focused on each foot plant so that I would not make the same mistake twice. Other than that I really don’t remember what I was thinking most likely because I was not thinking. I was just running and I was feeling better with each step. My feet danced when they reached the pavement. The smile on my face at the finish was one of relief. Kyla joined me for a little jog and within a few minutes or so I was eating some great food. The North Face crew had a heck of a spread last year and this year it was even better. For the next several hours I smiled a lot, hung out and visited with other runners,
and just soaked it all in while we waited for the awards ceremony.
Afterwards, we took Kyla to Rodeo Beach before heading to the hotel. Once there, another inventory revealed a clicking jaw and a painful shoulder which Yvonne felt compelled to take a picture of. We went out to eat with Uli and his wife. It was a great time and I downed a whole pizza. I did not sleep that night but instead floated through it on a cushion of joy. We left the next morning and split the drive over 3 days with stops in Yosemite and Las Vegas. Unlike the trip out, I did not keep as many stats. For that matter, it dawned on me that I had failed to pack a single thing that would be needed after 12pm on Saturday. When we finally got home it was 28 degrees and as I stood there in the cool crisp air and looked up at Pikes Peak I could swear it felt warmer than any day in San Francisco. I love Manitou!
Things Done Right:
- Knew the course (by default) but still studied it endlessly
- Got a crew!
- Trained more specially for the demands of this course. How do you spell STEPS!
- Used a couple of Fall Series races at tune-up races looking for any weaknesses.
- Ran my own race and let the others do crazy downhill dives.
- Did not let it phase me one bit when I had to make a pit stop.
Things Done Wrong:
- I almost blew it by not monitoring my legs on the drive out.
- I should not have eaten Kyla’s portion of pasta the day before the race
Beyond that, considering the outcome there is not a lot that I need to beat myself up over.
Any Other Stuff:
Got a Poison Oak rash on my arm which was new for this year.
The “official” North Face recap story is at:
http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/races/2008/sca_recap.html
Yvonne and Kyla Carpenter report:
Distance: 50 Miles
Goal: Remove Aid Station delays from last year
Results: Objective achieved! Matt spent less than 30 seconds on all aid stations combined!
Website: http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/
General Summary:
CREW REPORT for Kyla and Yvonne
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The drive to San Francisco was uneventful. We got there Thursday, Dec 4, at 4pm in time for Matt to go for a very short run at Tennessee Valley (part of the race course) before it got dark.
That night Matt asked me a question he never asked before during the 11 years I have known him: “My hamstring is really tight — I am not sure I can run 50 miles on this — I might have to drop out or not even start if it feels like this race day — so, what should I take? 4 Aspirins or 2 Ibuprofens??????” To which I answered: Hummm. WHAT? What do you mean? We drove for 2 days and you are NOW saying you might not race at all? Are you crazy???? Get in the tub and soak the leg! I don’t know what you should take — maybe 2 aspirins and 1 Ibuprofen!!!!!! How the heck should I know? Want me to massage it or something? Gee, how did it happen? Did you pull it during the run today? His answer was, “I got it from PACKING! And then sitting in the car for 2 days. I don’t do well in the car.” All right. I guess not!!!!!!!!!!
The next day (Friday) we drove to downtown SF to pick up the race package, I accidently ran thru 2 red lights, but no one seemed to notice or care except Matt! We then drove to the race start so I would know the way the next day. We headed back to the hotel to drop Matt off and Kyla and I went for a “dry run” of the crewing route. I had no issues finding the aid stations, but I had no clue where I had to stay to crew. I decided to do another dry run, but this time I got out of the car and tried to find the trail markings and take pictures of the places I “thought” I had to be at! We headed back to the Hotel and got confirmation from Matt we were at the correct locations. Phew.
Saturday, Dec 6, race day started very, very early (3:45am) — Kyla described it best as “middle of the night.” I dropped Matt and Kyla as close to race start as possible at ~4:30 am and parked the car 1/2 mile away. I met them back at the race start after a few minutes. Matt did his warm-up and did not say a word about the hamstring so neither did I!!!!! And just like that the race stared — a stream of lights dancing in the dark.
My main job had started too.
Tennessee Valley (Aid Station #2, 9 miles) is the first aid station we can crew at. It was still pitch black — good thing I drove that 4 times the day before in daylight! There is no way I would have found that place in the dark for the first time. A few minutes of waiting and 20+ lights showed up on the dirt road heading down towards us. A short time later there were 20 guys dashing thru — there was no way to recognize anyone until they were right at your face! I started calling out real loud “Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt...” in the hope Matt would see/hear me because there was no chance I was going to spot him! He switched camelbaks and was gone without missing a stride. I have to admit that I was quite surprised to see so many guys together at that point of the race. Matt was probably in 7th or 8th but itt was really hard to tell.
Next stop: PanToll Station (AS #4, 18 miles). I decided to skip AS #3 at Muir Beach as it was still going to be dark and no crewing is allowed so we would have just stood there only to watch Matt zoom by in the dark and then have to rush to the next AS. Not very appealing and very cold so Kyla and I took our time driving to PanToll and got a good parking spot. That is where I met Uli Steidl’s wife, Trisha. Uli won the race last year so needless to say Matt and Uli were running together or pretty close together for the entire race. Therefore, Trisha, Kyla and I were together the entire day as well! Matt showed up first at PanToll going out. He grabbed a small bottle and dashed out — no time wasted there. One minute later Uli and some other guys trickled in one by one, still very close to each other (~1 min apart).
Next station was Stinson Beach (AS #5, 21 miles). The first runner out of the trail was not Matt, but some guy flying down the trail in a tank top and asking where to go! (It was cold — not exactly tank top weather!) He did not even grab anything — just continued his flight in the direction pointed out by the aid station crew! I think 5 or 6 guys including Kyle and Uli came in before Matt. As soon as Uli went buy Trisha told me Uli had reported Matt had stopped to “relieve” himself!! A few seconds later Matt went by, grabbed his stuff and went on his away. He did not look rushed or worried about the guys taking off on the downhill they just came off of. Neither were we — we knew most of those guys were not going to be around for long. “Tank Top” guy btw I heard dropped out of the race soon after this station.
Back at PanToll (AS #7, 30 miles) Matt grabbed more Gatorade and gels and headed off. He lost a few seconds as he wanted to lose the jacket he had tied “real tight” around his waist! Matt actually looked great and that was the first time I was a little calmer as it is nerve wrecking to watch so many runners battling it out and so close that late in the race. Next runner into PanToll was Uli and another guy (that ended up 5th) 2.5 minutes later — so Matt had a little cushion. Uli left the station with his wife screaming encouragement saying he should not give up and that “the steps are yours, the steps are yours.”
Kyla and I drove back towards TV for the last crew accessible Aid Station of the race (AS #10, 44 miles). But before getting there, we stopped halfway to watch the runners go by. We followed Trisha as she was there last year and knew some good watching spots. We just watched and cheered as that is not an aid station but just a viewing point! Uli had closed 1.5 minutes already — he was only 1 minute behind Matt now! Phew...Stress? What Stress? I guess the steps were his after all!!! Kyla wanted to run with “Dada” so she waited for him at the top on a little hill and took off after him like a mad dog for about 30 yards or so after he went by — I got a picture — it is hilarious — both of them with their hair flying in the air! She surprised Uli too as she went back up the hill to chase him as well! Kyla met Uli when he stayed with us for a month 2 years ago for the PPM.
Once we saw the top 5 go by (Matt, Uli, Japanese guy, 5th place guy, Kyle Skaggs that got 4th) we headed back to TV. That one was really stressful. We can see the runners at the top of the hill — they look like little ants on an ant hill!!! Since Uli had closed up the gap to a single minute last time we saw them, there was no way to tell who would show up first at TV. So we waited, and waited, and waited. I had to get away from the other people because the conversation about this race and other races was making me even more nervous! So I stood right next to the aid station table and Kyla went to climb a tree. I don’t remember the exact time but ~ 6h 10 min into the race, Matt showed up at TV looking as fresh as a daisy, he took a small bottle of diluted Boost and headed up the hill out of TV. Not a second was spared. I was sure Uli would be on his heels so I told Matt (well, I yelled as he was getting away fast!) that Uli had closed most of the gap by the spot on the
trail where we were. I told him not to hold anything back and just go as hard as he could to be on the safe side. But... he never listens to me, well, except for the Aspirin vs Ibuprofen deal two night before! Uli finally arrived at TV 3 minutes later with some stomach issues. He was desperately looking for Coke. He finally got some and dashed out of there with what looked like a canon in his hands! The Coke had a lot of carbonation and he was shaking the water bottle to get rid of it, but when he tried to drink it sprayed out like a hose!!!! Very entertaining! But, they were now gone — and so were we. It is only 6 miles from there to the finish so no time could be wasted or we would miss the finish!
We arrived at the finish line, but again had to park 1/2 mile+ away. Kyla and I ran to the finish line just in case. I asked the guy behind the computer if the 50 miler winner was thru already. His answer was that the 50K and 50M runners were not expected to finish until 12:15pm. It was 11:45am at that point. Four minutes later, Matt crosses the finish line winning the race! So, so cool — the job was done! His and mine! Uli finished second about 5 min later.
We stayed for the awards ceremony, chatted with old friends that were there, and later on went out for dinner with Uli and Trisha. We drove back home the next day after a “little” detour thru Yosemite Park and Las Vegas spread out thru 3 days of driving.
Ironically, I did not run a single mile race day nor the 4 days before or the 3 days after, so the race “weekend” was a massive taper for nothing! Kyla and I had a great time though. And just like that we both got our stars!
Things Done Right:
Scouted the aid station locations twice — it would have been really hard to find where to go on race day.
Things Done Wrong:
Put the camelbaks in the same basket as the extra race clothing — the camelbaks leaked overnight soaking up one of the shirts and a pair of socks! Ooops! Fortunately, Matt never asked for anything that was wet!
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