2016: Year in Review

The year of 2016 was a busy, but wonderful year.  I have traveled a bunch, running in some cool places. I have also had the chance to race a decent amount with some decent finishes. I am eager to take the lessons that I have learned into the new year. I also was able to tie the knot with the love of my life, Ashlee which was the most incredible moment of my life.

Some Highlights of the year:

1. Got married!!!
2. Ran in all kinds of cool places
3. Have an awesome job
4. Have made so many new friends
5. I am in good health
6. Nothing to complain about only happy memories of the year.



With my job at Nathan, I have traveled as far west as California for work trip and as far south as Texas and Florida. It has been such a wild time. I am looking forward to a fun 2017 with the company. Here is my photo montage of the year as the Nathan Eastern Region Tech Rep:

Ragnar with the Salomon Crew. Photo Credits: Cole C.

Nathan at USB Sales Conference. Photo Creds: Dan Suher

Ragnar events. Photo Cred: Cole C.

Weekend getaway with Ashlee at Letchworth State Park. Photo Credits: Ashlee Prewitt Crosby

Demo with Finger Lakes Run Co and Robert K. Photo Credits: Cole C.

Demo run in Asheville, NC. Photo Credits: Andrew Snow

The Perfect Oklahoma Wedding. Photo Credits: Bailey Salisbury.

Demo in Hotlanta. Photo Credits: Cole C.

Fun DC Demo run with Fire Up Your Run night and Johnathan. Photo Credits: Cole C.

Fall Running in Princeton, NJ. Photo Credits Cole C.

Christmas long run. Photo Credits: Cole C.

For my races in 2016: I ran 6 Key races/events and here is how they went:

Febuary I ran the Cast-A-Shadow race which is usually a snowshoe race but instead was a 6 hour muddy trail run.

I placed 1st running about 42 miles in the 6 hours.

Running strong. Photo Credits: Ron Herkins JR.

March: Caumsett 50k: 7th place
Then I raced the Caumsett 50k, a USATF 50k road championship. I placed 7th in a PR run of 3:11 which I was happy with due to no specific speedwork in training and some nutrition issues during the race.

Running with the Pack and friend, Eric Senseman. Photo Credits: Charles Crosby

April: Hyner View Challenge  3rd Place.

A Race where I had no expectations as I had not gotten any elevation training in months, the effort paid off. I ran with Mike Daigeaun and Adam Russel and helped push the pace to all three of us besting the old course record. Quite a day. And it was a blast hanging with the Nathan crew.

1st big climb. Photo Credits: Momentum Photography.

Chasing the leaders at the first climb. Photo Credits: Mark Lengel




June: Cayuga Trails 50 mile: US Trail Champs DNF
DNF at mile 28. Puking my guts out. I came into this race primed and fit. I left it broken after having pre-race nutrition mis-cues. No whole fruit with the skins EVER AGAIN! It was great to see so many great performances even with the heat.

3 cool dudes. Photo Credits: Lauren Ashley.




 

September: I Run For Half Marathon and Marathon : 1st in 2:38

This race I used as training for Tussey Mountainback but it went as well as it could have gone with me bonking pretty hard at mile 18 but great effort given the hills.

Myself with Anne. Photo Credits: VPPhoto.com




October: Tussey Mountainback 50 Mile/USATF 50 mile road champs: 3rd place in 6:22
 

This race for me I had a solid training block for it but was a physical and mental wreck come race day and fell apart at mile 21. The hardest I have ever fought in a race to come out holding on to third place was by far the race of the year for me.

Last long run before Tussey. Photo Credit: Cole C.

 

 

 

Tussey Pre-race gear. Photo Credits: Cole C.

SO what does that mean for 2017 you ask? Well, I hope to mix things up. I feel more comfortable in my current job with Nathan and will be looking to add some great races to the mix.

Here are a list of goals and races I on my radar to run in 2017:

Some Snowshoe Races: This would include the World Champs in Saranac Lake, NY and National Champs at Bend, Oregon.

Setting some FKTs around some of the larger Finger Lakes: Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka etc.

Syracuse Half-Marathon

Hyner View Challenge 25k

Breakneck 42k

Binghamton Bridge Run Half Marathon

UROC 100k in Virginia or Dirty German 50 mile

Ontario Summit Trail Marathon

Herald of Victory Marathon: Guinness World Record for Marathon in Toga

Maybe Cayuga Trails 50

Finger Lakes 50 Mile

Twisted Branch 100k


Fall 100 miler or 100k

Tesla Hertz 100k or 100 mile

Stonemill 50

Hellgate 100k


I want to thank everyone who has been with me this incredible journey in 2016.

Thank you to my lovely Wife, Ashlee.

Thank you to my friends, family and the whole team at Nathan and USB!

Thank you to my sponsors who have helped me become the person I am today:

Mammut North America: for being with me every step of the way with the best shoes, apparel, and gear in the industry.

Nathan for being not only my employer but also with aiding me with the best in hydration, visibility, gear and runner's care essentials.

Team RNRMPF for allowing me to be on a roster with some of the best and most kindhearted trails runners in the East.

Boom Nutrition for helping to fuel me with the all-natural fruit power of Boom gels.

Fits Socks for making the best merino wool socks that fit better than a glove.

Redfeather snowshoes for the ColeVapor shoe and the best in snowshoes.

Karhu NA for great road shoes for all of my ultra training and road running exploits.

Craft NA for the best baselayers, running tights and winter gear.





Here is to what has been an incredible 2016 and I will raise a glass to 2017. Time to make some dreams and turn them into reality!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Run For Marathon: Training For Tussey

This was a fun race and a great opportunity. I had run the I Run For Half marathon two years ago and had a blast. I knew that with a course that featured 767 feet of climbing for the Half Marathon, that for a Marathon,  I was going to get a great training stimulus in for Tussey Mountainback.  

It was great to be able to run such a great local event after having an incredibly busy summer on the road as well as to run a race on September 11th.  The Seepersauds are an incredible down to earth family and it has been such a pleasure to know them and to run their race.

http://www.irunforhalfmarathon.com/


Weather for the race was mild in the 60's and rainy. This is decent weather but I knew that I would have to stay on-top of hydration and salts as the forecast was going to have temps get near 70. The race course is a quad out and back with 6.5 out and back twice. This would be beneficial to 1) Know the course well, 2) Help receive aid easily throughout  3) Help build some mental toughness of seeing the same scenery.

The race went out well from the start. I hit the first mile in 5:22 and knew that  I had to settle-in and get into marathon pace. I proceeded to run a very controlled and comfortable 5:50 average through the first 6.5 miles. The first 6.5 of the course climb gradually to the top of the course at the turn-around. Throughout the first quarter of the race, there are some long and short and steep climbs that can tax the legs. Going through the hills, my slowest mile was 6 minutes on the dot. Looking back at the pace, it was probably too aggressive given the course design. I was on pace for 2:31/2:32 (giving a potential slowing in the closing miles). Once I hit the turn-around, I began to relax and continue to ratchet the pace.

Let me also talk about the pacers: Having Jack and Kat out there on the support bikes was incredible. They kept me going an honest pace and helped to motivate me throughout! Thank you to both of you.

I went through the 13.1 mark feeling strong in around 75:55 on a fast pace through the course and even added about a half mile around the turn-around too. I switched out my Nathan Speedshot handheld and was off for the second 13.1. The weather was getting warmer with the sun coming out of the clouds. I started struggling at mile 18 as my 6 minute mile pace began to slip. I started running 6:04, then 6:11, then 6:20, followed by another 6:11. Near mile 20, my legs could not handle the effort anymore and the early miles really took a toll on me. I then pushed as hard as I could with lead legs for the final 6.2 miles.

My last few miles ranged from 6:30 and up to a 7:20 last mile. It was not pretty but I got to the finish line in one piece. I finished around 2:38:48 on my watch through the finish which had me a few minutes long. I finished the race in around 2:39.

For the future, I know not to run as if I am running a flat marathon for a hilly marathon. My pace out the gates was too hot for the course. Overall, I was pleased with how  I hung tough even when things started to crumble on me. This was great preparation for Tussey.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible. Thank you to the volunteers and to the whole Binghamton community which is the best around!

There was so many great stories out there during the race. Many strong marathon finishes and great goals met out there! Nice work to all the runners!

Thank you to all of my sponsors who helped to get me outfitted and ready for the race:

Mammut North America
Nathan
Team MPF-RNR
Fits Socks
Boom Nutrition
Redfeather Snowshoes
Karhu NA
Craft NA
Confluence Running
Finger Lakes Run Co

Coming into the Finish-Photo Credits: Jack Kuhn

Photo Credit: Jack Kuhn





 

Myself Hanging on. Photo Credit: Jack Kuhn

All my Race Gear: Mammut,Nathan, Karhu, MPFRNR, Fits Socks, Boom Nutrition

Having fun in the ADK. Photo Credit: Cole

Great Demo with Syracuse at Green Lakes. Photo Credit: Cole C.

 

I Run For Marathon: Training For Tussey

This was a fun race and a great opportunity. I had run the I Run For Half marathon two years ago and had a blast. I knew that with a course that featured 767 feet of climbing for the Half Marathon, that for a Marathon,  I was going to get a great training stimulus in for Tussey Mountainback.  

It was great to be able to run such a great local event after having an incredibly busy summer on the road as well as to run a race on September 11th.  The Seepersauds are an incredible down to earth family and it has been such a pleasure to know them and to run their race.

http://www.irunforhalfmarathon.com/


Weather for the race was mild in the 60's and rainy. This is decent weather but I knew that I would have to stay on-top of hydration and salts as the forecast was going to have temps get near 70. The race course is a quad out and back with 6.5 out and back twice. This would be beneficial to 1) Know the course well, 2) Help receive aid easily throughout  3) Help build some mental toughness of seeing the same scenery.

The race went out well from the start. I hit the first mile in 5:22 and knew that  I had to settle-in and get into marathon pace. I proceeded to run a very controlled and comfortable 5:50 average through the first 6.5 miles. The first 6.5 of the course climb gradually to the top of the course at the turn-around. Throughout the first quarter of the race, there are some long and short and steep climbs that can tax the legs. Going through the hills, my slowest mile was 6 minutes on the dot. Looking back at the pace, it was probably too aggressive given the course design. I was on pace for 2:31/2:32 (giving a potential slowing in the closing miles). Once I hit the turn-around, I began to relax and continue to ratchet the pace.

Let me also talk about the pacers: Having Jack and Kat out there on the support bikes was incredible. They kept me going an honest pace and helped to motivate me throughout! Thank you to both of you.

Running for the second 13.1 (Photo Credit: Brent Rice)











 

2016 Cayuga Trails 50: Could not Stomach the Day

This race has been my Achilles heel.

I have finished 9th in 2013, 7th in 2014 and a DNF in 2015. The race has always been a tough one for me. Maybe it is because of the time of year, the humidity of early summer? I really am not sure.

Getting to the race site the night before and sleeping in the Nathan Mobile was nice to be able to be right where the action would happen. With a nice cool morning right around the high 50's, it was great to sleep with the windows down and the beautiful starts overhead. I felt poised and ready to go. You never go into a race feeling 100% perfect though training had gone well and I was hopeful for a great day.

Photo Credits ATRA  Myself and the chase pack

 

 

 THE RACE:

 

 

 

Photo Credits: Mountain Peak Fitness --Hanging with Avi and Zach

 

 * The race like all of the others had us gather together with Ian's blowing of the ram's horn. I settled a little further back than what I normal would do putting myself around 10-15th place. I wanted to start the run more conservatively than in years' past because I have encountered issues when going out with the front group. I also wanted to take the time to enjoy the beginning of the race more so than before. I felt that maintaining an upbeat attitude would bode well for conserving much needed energy for the longer ups and downs encountered the 2nd 25 miles of the course on tired legs.

 

Photo Credit: ATRA

 

 As the field began to separate, I met one of Zach's friends from Ann Arbor, Avi who we spent a large portion of miles together. The photo above shows the fun we were having rattling off strong but consistent miles. We kept our pace in the 7:45-8:30 minute range through the gorges and the steps of the course. It was really great to have someone along for the journey. This course knows how to pack a punch and I was feeling really strong besides the humid and warm day. With my job, I had spent the past month in some warmer spots of the country so this was helpful and felt that with maintaining a sound hydration and nutrition plan, things would go well. I was making sure to drink 18 oz every 6 miles and making sure to take a gel every two aid stations. Avi and myself began to catch other runners around the Buttermilk turn-around. I had some GI issues leading up to that aid station and had to stop to use the bathroom. I lost some time here as Avi heading up the steps of Buttermilk falls as I took my pit stop.

 

Photo Credit: ATRA

 

Life was going pretty well in the early stages...

 

 

 

Then things became real!

 

The pit stop was the first warning sign. I began to sweat a little more but my stomach felt better. I continued on my nutrition plan. I knew I could catch Avi again as he was maybe a minute or two ahead of me. I soon caught one runner and then latched on with former Red Newt/MPF runner, Ben Nephew. We hung together as I noticed Ben was going through a little low point and eventually decided to make a move to pass. I started taking in more Boom Gels and Tailwind and started noticing a weird sloshing in my stomach. I continued to try and remain calm knowing that stomach sloshing could be caused by all types of things.

 

Photo Credit: TJ Moore

 

After a bathroom pit stop, I did not think anything of this. I kept trucking along.

 

 

Photo Credits: TJ Moore 

This photo was the breaking point. The stomach sloshing with the heat really was making me feel sick. I dumped water on myself to get some evaporative cooling before the next push to mile 25 turnaround but really had that sea sick type of feeling.

All it took was right after the Highway Aid station I stopped to walk on one of the uphills and then felt it coming. I threw up some and then began to resume running hoping that was going to be all I had to deal with. Boy was I wrong. My body's system had enough. Any bit of running and I was projectile vomiting all over the trail. I had to walk. I thought maybe a few minutes of walking would do me good. Soon Ben Nephew and some other runners passed me by. They could tell something was off. In an ultra, you have some time to rebound and make a race of it. I knew that at this moment, top 5 would be out of the picture but if I could put together a strong last 25 miles, I could maybe crack the top 10.

It was torture. Every moment I got going into a running motion, I would find myself throwing up. I finally after struggling for the last 7 or so miles and being passed by the lead ladies, I knew my race was in jeopardy.  I finally crawled into the 25 mile turnaround point and knew I had to make a decision. I already felt dejected knowing that already 25 miles in that this race was not the redemption race I had hoped for.


Stomach Problems Led the Way:

Photo Credits: ATRA

 

Here you can see me dejected and sick. The whole team at the Start/Finish was incredible. A friend of mine, Dom was the man of the hour getting me back to feeling stronger with ice pops and plenty of water. It took me a solid 15 minutes before I headed back out. Kudos to everyone there to help boost me up as best as they could. That support was truly incredible. I was leaving the 25 mile mark at about 4:03. If I had a solid second 25, I could still make some magic happen. The downside, was that I was not sure if I was really feeling back to normal. I told my fiancé, Ashlee and my Dad to meet me at each aid station as we would play it aid to aid to see if I could improve and rebound.

 

From the energy of all the volunteers, I bolted out of the 25 mile aid and up into the gorges. It was maybe about a mile or so before I stopped by a rock and puked some more. Then tried to run again and the puking continued. That was it. I continued to average 15 minutes a mile through this section until I had made the near 50k mark. I hit the aid station finally and sat down on a chair here and said I had to drop.

At this point I had thrown up maybe 20+ times in those last 5 miles and was not able to put anything else down. I felt weak and dizzy. My race was over.

 

 

 

Again, the Cayuga Trails Course bested me yet again. I made it back to the Start/Finish to cheer on  MPF/RNR teammates and other finishers.

 

The heat made it hard for all of the runners out there but so many preserved and finished.

 

Incredible races by:

 

Tyler Sigl who ran a gutsy 6:43 besting Sage's course record on a hot and humid June day was incredible.

 

Jared Burdick who has been so consistent here with two 2nd place finishes!

 

And props to MPF/RNR teammates:

Ben Nephew for his 6th place finish

Jan Wellford showing he has some ultra speed too finishing 9th

and Silas Carey finishing in 10th.

Photo Credits: Ashley Lauren

 

 

So what went wrong?  

Pretty simple: After talking to everyone, eating fibrous fruit for breakfast was not the best idea. I had two apples and a peach with the skins on. This mistake with the hot and humid conditions only made things worse. I noticed when I threw up the first time that the skins were the only thing I could make out in the mush.  It goes to show that we can always learn new things about ourselves.

 

 

Even though the outcome was not what I hoped for, the people of this race are what  I truly love and am thankful for. Thanks to all of you, this is the reason why I love this event year in and year out.

 

Thank you to all of the race volunteers for keeping me going when I thought I should just throw in the towel, the RD: Ian Golden for putting on a killer race year in and year out, Dom for almost reviving me, Elizabeth of MPF and so many others.

 

Thank you to sponsors: Mammut North America for being such an incredible company to represent as well as Nathan which is also become a second family for me, Fits socks for the best in merino blister-free socks with the best Fit around, Boom Nutrition that keeps me fueled and ready to go, Redfeather Snowshoes for the best in running snowshoes, and Team MPF/RNR for helping to inspire me each and every day to train and race my best!

 

 

Hyner View Challenge: 3rd Place, The View was Worth the Challenge

Alright, it has taken me a long time to write a post on this race so I will make it short and sweet for everyone but to sum up the whole experience, it was a true confidence booster for myself and a truly incredible event.



For all of those out there: Hyner is a tough race. With 5 long arduous climbs all 800ft-1200ft ascents with similar descents on Rocky and technical Central PA terrain, this race truly...Hard! 

I was unsure how this race would go for me as I had come from places such as Savanna, Georgia where the running is pretty flat so my dedicated hill-training was at an all-time low. Running this race was a great opportunity as preparation for Cayuga Trails 50.  With running with the Nathan Team, this was an even more exciting opportunity.  After my events in DC during that week, I took the Nathan car out to Lock Haven, PA for the race. I camped in my car at the starting line and arrived at the race site around 10pm. I rolled the windows down as it was a beautiful April evening and quickly grabbed some zzzzzz.

The morning came quickly and as I lounged around and almost missed getting my bib and had some contact with the Nathan crew: Maggie, and Brent; and then I was off with the crew for 50k of some of the most brutal trails around.

The race went out comfortable and sadly I could not get that darn GPS of mine to sync up. Time to race by feel. To say that the course record was not on my mind would be a lie. I really felt that with such a solid crew of runners and with some smart pacing, that the record could go down.

To see the top 3 including myself break the record, was something special!








The Top 3: Myself, Adam and Mike!



 

We hit the first climb and the run now became a hike. I was breathing a little heavy but was to be expected with running hardly any hills like this in quite some time.

I latched onto Adam Russell and Mike D, who are very accomplished Ultra runners. Adam recently was second to Ben Nephew at Breakneck and was the past course record holder of Hyner. As For Mike D, he has all kinds of fast times out in the East Coast trail scene such as A victory at Umstead 100, both course records at Green Lakes 50k and 100k and numerous other fast times. I knew that if I could run relaxed with these two for as long as possible, great things would come from it.

 

After the first climb, it was us three the whole way. Mike and Myself had to work hard to match Adam's strong downhill running. That guy knows how to fly on steep technical terrain! I felt pretty solid making sure to drink often and take my Boom gel every 45 mins. This worked great to keep my legs and body feeling strong. I felt strong on the climbs and even worked a few of them pretty well to test how Mike and Adam felt.

 

 

Making the first big climb at Hyner!

 

On climb number 3, I made a little move up the long gradual climb before running a little harder on the flat section and then into a nice runnable downhill. I gained some separation on the two but the goal was to test the waters and see how they would respond. Eventually, the two matched my pace on a steeper downhill section.

 

I still managed to feel fresh. We hit this creek section that was the next climb and Adam decided to ease off the pace as I led Mike into the wet rocky footing ahead. It was hard to run fast on this section and I felt like we were crawling but I could look back and it seemed that our pace was consistent. Remember, with no GPS, I had no idea if we were on record pace or not or any pace really. Towards the top of the climb, Mike caught to me on my shoulder and we talked how we were running close to 4:30 50k pace which was stellar as the old record was 4:52. I told Mike if we keep working together here, good things will come from it. It was fun running with Mike as we rocked the NJ love pretty well growing up only 7 miles from one another. Mike was also the man I attempted to break his incredible 3:28 Green Lakes 50k time so it was a pleasure to connect with him during the race.

 

I lost contact with Mike at one of the Aid stations. I stopped, he kept going. I lost about 20-30 seconds on him here as we made our way at the top of a ridge. I kept Mike in my sights as we began another descent. Once we finished the descent, we were now mixed in with the 25k runners. I knew that I wanted to catch Mike as this would be the final home stretch and we had one more crazy climb before the finish. I pushed hard on the wet rocky footing trying to pass the 25k runners as best as possible. To put it in perspective, this part of the course is wet slick rock and one bad false misstep and you could fracture an ankle. It is a trail designed for a few hikers every so often. Passing a conga line of runners was difficult as there was no place for the runners to step off to the side of the trail. A little frustrated as I was losing Mike in the crowd, I tried to maneuver off the course running as hard as I could to pass as many people as I could. With each strong pass, my body was getting exhausted. I could feel myself creeping into severe fatigue at this point as the small gap to Mike felt like an eternity.

 

I eventually gave up to trying to maneuver on this course and began to hike slowly behind the line of runners. I felt that all of this extra effort just was hurting my cause so I began to fuel up for the final miles of the race. I began to lose sight of Mike but knew that if I kept it within a few minutes, that I could close well. Maybe a few minutes go by and then I see Adam as he passes by on the trail. At this point I am just trying to stay upright as my legs have cramped on me.

 

Once out of the Creek Bed, I was able to run more as the trail allowed some passing but I was just frustrated that I gave up. I mixed in some run-walk to get the legs to have me power-up the last SOB climb. I have heard this one is a tough one. I clenched my teeth and gave it one last push. Once up the ski slope 40% type of ascent up the SOB, I fueled at the top of the climb and saw Brent. We chatted a little and then off I was running. This portion of the trail was more runnable and now after losing about 15 minutes I felt on the last few miles from Mike and Adam, I began to gain my energy and kicked it into high-gear. My GPS watch finally kicked on. Okay, let's see how fast I can go!

 

My last 4 miles, I split: 7:38, 7:15, 7:49, and 6:23.

 

I ran through the trail hard and was yelping "50k runner flying" the whole way to the finish. I was on a mission to catch Adam and Mike if I could and felt great the last few miles. As soon as I hit the road section, I opened up my stride and kicked it to the finish.

 

I hit the 3rd place mark in 4:47:27. I was 10 minutes behind Adam and 15 behind Mike.

 

We all broke the course record and my body handled the hills incredibly well. I was truly pleased with this performance and know that if I was to run this race again, I could improve upon that last section on the creek and serve up an even faster time.

 

The views of this course was unbelievable. This is a true mountain ultra. For me, it was a very technical race with rocky and loose footing but cannot express how incredible the experience was.

 

Thank you to all of my sponsors that help to power me through all of my running adventures:

Mammut North America

Nathan Sports

Team MPF/RNR

Fits Socks

Boom Nutrition

Mcdavid USA

Redfeather Snowshoes

KarhuNA

Craft NA

 

 

All the gear used from a solid race:

*Nathan Sports Fireball Hydration Pack with Exo shot 12 oz Flask and Speedraw Plus Insulated Handheld

*Mammut MTR 141 Zip Shirt, MTR 71 shorts, MTR 201-II Max Shoes

*Fits socks Runner Low Sock (No Blisters, No Problem)

*Boom Gels (Consumed one gel every 45 mins for perfect energy levels)

*Mcdavid Compression 10k Run sleeves!

*MPF/RNR Apparel for the race and cool down!

*Karhu Flow Trainer: Cool down shoes

*Craft Focus Shorts: Cool down shorts

 

 

http://www.parunners.com/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=734&Itemid=53&year=2016&month=04&day=23&title=hyner-view-trail-challenge&uid=3c9f54a4d02a6c2fb4f3b7022285f62c

 

 

 

 

 

What a View From the Top: The Lookout Mountain 50 Mile Race Re-Cap

What a special day.  I had such a memorable experience at Lookout Mountain and hope to be back one day!


With my job as a Tech Rep, I was so very lucky to have the opportunity to run one last 50 miler before the year was out in Chattanooga, TN. To put this into perspective: I have always heard such great things about the city of Chattanooga, its people, the racing community, and the host of races and trails that make the area one of the best in the entire country. Running an ultra in Chattanooga has always been a dream of mine!


As I ended up getting my trip solidified, I was excited to sign-up for the Lookout Mountain 50 miler.

This was a part of the Rock/Creek race series but is now under the "Wild Trails" non-for-profit race management group.  The course from what I was able to read online was a fair course with good vertical gain and loss (6,600ft) , had amazing terrain with scenic overlooks, runnable trails, and good long and gradual uphills. I was a fish that had taken a bite on the hook. I knew that after the Virgil Crest Ultra 50 that I had run in late September, I was going to be a little rusty on race tactics but had trained consistently from September and knew this was a prime opportunity to race hard one last time before the year was up so I was going to take it. I knew that this race was going to be an adventure and that in the past years, the race has always brought in some great talent. I was excited to see how I would stack-up to the competition and who knows, maybe run one of the fastest times at the event.

Here is the photo of the course map and design.  I was planning on spending the Christmas holiday with my family in Nashville, TN so everything was lining up perfectly. I signed up for the race the week before as I was making my way to DC, Virginia and Tennessee for work and then began to prepare.

My time spent the week out from the event was great with a highlight of running around the heart of Washington DC, having the chance to see honest Abe, Einstein, and other famous tourism destinations in the heart of our Nation's Capitol. I also really enjoyed my time in Lynchburg and Charlottesville, Virginia checking out the running scenes at UVA and Liberty University. My time the day before in Chattanooga was excellent!

Here is my Race Recap:

I arrived in Chattanooga the day before the race where I had the chance to settle into my hotel, grab some food and visit the local store accounts in the area. It was such a cool city, with nice rolling hills off of the rivers that it reminded me of Binghamton, NY a ton. It was fun and to get myself ready I gorged myself at a Little Cesar's Pizza Joint (That's right, cheap pizza before an ultra). It was such a cool place with some awesome restaurants, and a packet pick-up at the Chattanooga Brewery which was the place to be on a Friday evening. I ended up getting all settled and then it was a nice night of sleep before the race tomorrow.

Photo Credits: Cole C. All my Race Gear

I carried with me a much different level of running gear than what I have used before. I was planning on racing with:

*Mcdavid Compression Sleeves

*A Nathan Vapor Air Hydration Vest

*A Handheld bottle in combination with a vest

*Multiple layers, jackets, hats and gloves

*Trusty Mammut Racing shoes with 800 miles of wear.

The weather was looking to be cool: in the 20's in the morning with a high near the mid 50's which for me is an ideal 50 mile temperature range. The body warms so much in the course of 50 miles that these temperatures would mean with proper layers and fueling, I would have to worry about over-heating as much as in traditional summer temperatures. I felt that by carrying a hydration pack, I could comfortably stash my layers without use of a crew or drop bags and could do so comfortably. Also, I was hoping to stash a full set of Boom Gels (10 total) into my Nathan Vapor Air pack without much issue with comfort and weight distribution issues. The Mcdavid sleeves were a chance to try out one of our partner company's products and see how they stack-up with other graduated compression products on the market. I can give you a sneak peak and note that they performed nicely.

The sun about to rise 15 minutes before race start. Photo Credits: Cole C.

The race start time was at 7:30am with a sunrise at 7:40am. With a traditional start, I wound my way up the hill to Covenant college, a small religious university at the top of Lookout Mountain. The course would cross the college three times which made for a terrific central location. It was a cold morning with a little frost on the grass and the Wild Trails race set-up is cool with a huge bon-fire and pulsating music. It truly had the vibe of a big-stage event with the lovely southern charm the area's people showcase.


It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to run this ultra. I soon crowded the starting line with the top group as we got ready to race. I knew some top local athletes would be there. Nathan was guy that had won the race the year before in 7:14 and from what I was told from staff at the local running store: Fastbreak Athletics, I knew that he would run a smart evenly paced race and had excellent course knowledge. I was also told that a guy named Daniel was hoping to run 6:30 on the course and was quite a speedster. He would be blasting off the front so I knew to key off of him later in the day.

As the horn sounded for one last 50 miler, I settled in with the top group of 4 including myself. I decided to hang with Nathan as he would be my guy to key the smart race with. As we know with myself, I have a habit of making wrong turns and I was not wanting to make that mistake at all in the event so I wanted to have the security of not making a foolish decision.

Daniel shot out and ran with another gentlemen who turned out to be third place finisher: John Kelly. I ran the nice road section as we left the college for the first few miles before entering the trail and beginning our descent off of Lookout Mountain.

Mind you, Lookout Mountain has some incredible views and vantage points right on the sinuating trails from the get-go. I was treated to 100 mile views as soon as we entered the trail section. We began the rolling descent along one of the ridgeline trails of Lookout Mountain and man was it perfect. I was in awe of the beauty of the course as the sun was rising through the trees. It was so great to spend the early miles hanging with Nathan, a solid local Chattanooga Ultra runner who had some great accolades himself such as a 7:14 on the course last year for the win. We talked and enjoyed the early morning miles and I even had a slip-up where I banged and scrapped up my knee pretty badly. With my fall, Nathan stopped to help me up to begin our pursuit of 1st and 2nd. We kept that group in sight for the most part but knew that after the ascent back up the mountain, then the real race would begin. Anything to kill yourself too early on could be a move that had the potential to bite you in the rear later in the race.

 

Aid station one in the race went by nicely!
Photo Credits: Wild Trails

After the first few aid stations, we began to make our move together running a strong and smart pace. As we hit the first few climbs, my lungs could feel a little of the early fatigue from not having insane vertical training before the race but I knew my body was primed and well-trained for the race. I had to be at ease with feeling a little extra fatigued from the hills.  As we made our way along the ridgeline back up to the summit, I must say it was so much fun running the race with Nathan and having that chance to get to know him. This guy is going to do great things in the ultra world. I cannot wait to see how he does at the Georgia Death Race! 
As we hit the last climb, Nathan let me go ahead hoping that we may see one another later in the race. I began to begin making a slight surge up to the top. As I hit the top, the morning sun was clear in the sky and man the view from the top was unbelievable. It was awesome! I kept a steady effort through the finish area and then felt ready to start rolling into a higher cadence in the next few miles. I was hoping to run miles 25-30 faster than my previous 25 and then work on picking up the pace miles 30-45 and then hold on for what I have left. I was able to do just that.

With perfect fueling with Boom Gels every 45 mins and I was drinking plenty from my Nathan Speedraw Plus Insulated 18oz handheld and that was a great call on my part. I felt strong, relaxed and ready to race hard. As I was entering the next section of trail I heard a yell coming from behind me. Then I saw a runner sprinting off trail towards me.

Was I going the wrong way? It was the second place runner at the time: John who came up and mentioned he had been lost for like 5 minutes. I assured him that we could get back on track. I then led the way as we looked around the dirt mounds at the top of the school. There we saw the Race Director: Randy and he apologized about the markings. We maybe lost a minute or two here. Nothing big in the scheme of things. I then continued to lead the charge after Daniel, the race leader. I felt strong and had the confidence that I could catch Daniel. We navigated the Tennessee switchbacks in the deep woods until also missing a turn at the top of a jeep road and luckily a volunteer hollered to get us back on track. Jason held his own with me really well as we worked together to close the gap. After each aid station, the gap was mentioned as either 2-4 minutes. We were extremely close. Jason kept going as I took the time to shed my layers and place them in the back of my Nathan Vapor Air Pack. This was a smart move. I took down some soda and loaded up on gels as I heard this section had a nice uphill push with a rope climb. I surged on the jeep road and was able to catch Jason going up the steep rope climb section. With a solid mix of power-hiking and running at the top of the ridge, I began to pull away. I threw down a surge here to create a little separation.



Photo Credits: Jim T. at Flickr

Let me tell you that the views from this race were unbelievable! Once at the top we were greeted to massive views of Chattanooga. I was in awe of what I was seeing. The next section began the tornado section that was devastated in a tornado and the low-lying windy trail made for a technical hop-scotch game. As I hit the next aid station coming from a 1 mile road section, I was about 3 minutes behind. I fueled well again and then proceeded to try and catch Daniel. This point in the race it was near mile 35 or so and I began to feel a little bit of muscle cramping. I immediately worked on taking gels and fluids. This 5 mile stretch was a tough one. The trail went around a lake and a creek and this winding narrow trail section was hurting my ankles and putting extra strain on my body. I worked hard not to walk here but most of the walking I did do was in fact in this section.  In spurts I would walk 10 seconds here, 20 seconds there, intermixing both walking and running while trying to get my body back to balance. I would feel good for a few minutes then would cramp a little again. This was my rough patch. I was still running strong but had to ease-off my pace slightly.

After this loop, I found that my time down on Daniel stayed the same. That drew confidence for me as the roughest section of the race so far had me lose no time on the lead which showed he was hurting some. After fueling here, I felt like a million bucks. My 5 mile so-so patch was gone and I was back to the hunt. Now I would head back on the course the way I came. It was great to see so many people on the trail giving words of encouragement. On some of the uphills, I had to grind them out but I began to surge and regain my early pace. I went through the Tornado section, the Vantage point section back on the crazy descent of the Rope climb and then back to the Lula Lake Aid. I was 2 minutes behind and began one final push. As each mile progressed, I felt stronger and stronger. Time to Race! I grit my teeth at my slightly tight muscles as I pushed with all I had. Some people I was passing on the trail said I only had 30 seconds to catch him. I was close. I got to about mile 45 and by this point my body was tired from the surges I had made. I briefly power-hiked some of the uphills and hammered the downs. The rest of the story is history. I kept pushing hard the last few miles, slowing in pace as I was truly tired now. I knew that if Daniel was to falter, the past 10 miles was my chance to catch him. He fought hard and earned his victory. I hit the sand dunes and knew I was almost home free.  I fought the last few climbs and then shot through the finish chute.

I finished 2nd in about 6:45:13 beating the old course record of 6:52 and only finishing about 4+-5 minutes behind Daniel. I ran a perfectly executed race for myself on the day and truly felt very strong almost the whole time. I was so pleased with how I fueled in the race and with adjusting to my new life on the road, I did amazing on a great course that is a solid challenge.

The Finish!!!!!!

 

Me and my Award, Photo Credits: Charles Crosby



Podium! Photo Credits: Charles Crosby

All the awesome gear at the race. Photo Credits: Cole C.

I want to give a big Thank you to my sponsors:

Mammut North America

Nathan Sports

Redfeather Snowshoes

Fits Socks

Red Newt Racing- MPF/RNR Team

Fits Socks

Boom Nutrition

SUNY Oneonta XC/TF

Karhu NA and Craft NA

Mcdavid USA

This race performance was thanks in part to your continued support!

I would like to thank my father for making the trip out to see me race. I would like to thank my amazing fiancé for believing in me each and every day.

I would like to thank RD Randy Whorton and his wife Kris for putting on such an incredible event. I would like to thank the amazing volunteers that helped me stay on course, helping ensure I was well-nourished and kept me motivated with some great stories and jokes. Thank you to Nathan Holland for keeping me company throughout the first 20 or so miles of the race. Best of luck in your future races.

The Trail Running Community here at Chattanooga is truly one of the best in the country. The trails are fantastic; the perfect blend of technical with runnable ability and the views and the style of the trails were so cool. The people of Chattanooga are what make this area tick. I met so many kind and interesting people here that with coming from Upstate NY, I felt like I was a part of the family. My advice for those Chattanoogans are keep doing what you are doing. I was treated to one incredible race experience so thank you. What a way to close out 2015! 

So I got in my last ultra of the year. Now what for 2016?  For starters, I am going to get back to training and preparing my body for winter. I

Christmas in Tennessee and the Year Ahead:

I had a great time spending the opportunity to run some of the rolling hills of Tennessee right in West Nashville. I had a beautiful 70 degree day running at Percy Warner and Edwin Warner Park which is one of my favorite places to train in period.

I am so excited for 2016 and the year ahead. My plan will be to run many USA Championship events from 50k-100k on both road and trail. Thank you again everyone for an incredible 2015 and onward to 2016.

Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

Final Race Results