51 miles on foot

On Saturday I successfully completed my first 50 mile ultramarathon. The race started and ended in Damascus, VA. The majority of the course was on the Iron Mountain Trail. The night before the race I stayed with some friends in Abingdon. The above photo was taken from Denise and Bob's front yard. The mountains in the background are the Iron Mountains. The race included long stretches of that ridge line.

The big mountain left of center is Mount Rogers, the tallest peak in VA. This photo was taken from the same spot. I hope to have a view like this someday.

The best thing about endurance sports is the athletes. I met some really cool people on the trail. The three in the center helped me get through some low points in my day. These people redefine hardcore. The woman on the left is 46 years old and beat me to the finish line. In ultramarathons everyone gets the same applause at the end. Spectators and competitors cheer equally loud for the winner and those that barely make the time limit.

This is my new friend Dean crossing the finish. Last year he and his wife competed in twelve ultramarathons and six marathons.

These are my worn out dogs after 51 miles of grueling trail. I was hurting the whole time, but I did not cramp up or bonk all day. Other than some severe indigestion my body dealt with the abuse well. It took me ten hours and nineteen minutes to complete the course. I placed 23rd out of 58 racers. Only 41 people finsished within the 12 hour limit. The winning time was sub-eight. I had lots of time to think on the trail, and I kept asking myself "Why am I doing this?". The answer is simple: to see what I am made of. Long distance running strips away all the bullshit. It forces the athlete to ignore the pain and put one foot in front of the other for endless hours.

As the sun set over Damascus I had a good conversation with a fellow runner. He asked me how I did and I told him, then added "I did not really care about my time, I just wanted to finish." He replied "That's what ultrarunning is all about".

Special thanks to Denise, Bob, Nick, and Elana for the grub and accommodations.