USA SNOWSHOE NATIONALS----Eau Claire, Wisconsin From 13th one day to 5th the next day! The Longer the Better!

Well, it has been about a month since my race at Snowshoe Nationals, and I have found that I have a little time to start working on my thoughts on the whole trip and the race weekend!

Some cool links to the Race Weekend: http://snowshoenationals.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Half-Marathon-Division-Results.pdf

http://snowshoenationals.com/


The trip was a wonderful 5 days and it was great to see another part of the country.  I began my trip boarding a plane from Syracuse Int. Airport around 7am to Philadelphia then off to Minneapolis. I had some flight delays which cost me some extra hours of settling in hence why I flew 2 days before the first race. I ate plenty of Auntie Anne's pretzels as I awaited my arrival in Minneapolis.

Once I made it the Minneapolis around 4pm Central time, I was pleased to be greeted with plenty of sunshine but they had almost no snow maybe a half an inch. I thought... "I hope there will be enough snow in Eau Claire to even have a race." I picked up my sweet luxury Toyota Corolla with back-up camera and fancy headlights and headed out to Eau Claire, WI.  After my 90 minute drive, I picked-up some pizza for dinner and then checked into my room for the next four days and headed to Walmart to pick-up some few items. I was settling in.

The next day was nice as I had the whole morning of Friday to kill some time before registration at 1pm. What was nice was that my hotel was a mile from the race site so I had plenty of time to explore Eau Claire. The city/town of Eau Claire reminds me of any typical 70k Midwestern town.  There was a shopping mall, tons of franchise eateries, a state college which I had the opportunity to check out a little, a nice downtown with some cool shops and boutiques and fairly easy driving.  I began my morning with a 4 mile jog around town as their was maybe 2-3 inches of snow on the ground but we had perfect sunshine and very  cold temps hovering -20 in around 7 am warming to about 11 by midday.  It was fun to explore town and to get myself prepped for the 10k/half marathon double.

Once it was close to 1pm and I had explored the University of Eau Claire, the downtown, the shopping mall, etc, I made my way to the race site. I hit the highway and took the exit near all of these car dealerships to the Expo Center. I parked my car and proceeded to head in.

I was pleased to meet Bob and Denise Dion, Owners of Dion Snowshoes, Mark Elmore, Director of the USA Snowshoe Association and my new friends at Redfeather Snowshoes who I joined their athlete team this winter. It was great to spend some time chatting with everyone and catching up. By the way, I was amazed with how Redfeather operates as a Non-Profit Organization and the amount of creativity they put into all of their snowshoes. I was pleased to have my Redfeather Vapors adjusted with a better crampon for the hardly packed snow of this race.  After meeting with everyone, I decided to preview the course.

I was treated to a wonderful course of open vistas, some hills, and wonderful winding single-track and double-track trails. The snow was fast. I jogged the 10k in 47 minutes. This would be a solid winning time in any NY State snowshoe race this season as we received our fair share of snow I could not even believe what the pace would be tomorrow. I felt that a PR would be what would happen over the weekend.

I headed to the athlete Meet-N-Greet at the Local Store and V1 gallery. The food and wine samples were great. I also picked-up some great souvenirs. We found out that 2016 Nationals would take place in Ogden, Utah...time for altitude training. It was a fun social event then off I headed for bed for the bid day.

I felt primed for a top performance in the 10k and Half Marathon and was hoping to place top 5 if I had a great day in both events.
The morning of the 10k, it was a cold morning with temps in the below zero range with things warming to about 10 degrees by mid-afternoon. I had all of my awesome Mammut gear ready to go such as my Denali Tights, Anergy Thermo Vest, and MTR 141 Thermo Half Zip. I had two pairs of Fits Socks on my feet, and Acidotic Racing Beanie, Sunglasses, a Craft Thermal Baselayer and Gunde Shorts, and some Boom gels to power me through.

RACE DAY-----10k National Championships  Hosted by Dion Snowshoes

It was cold!!!! -10 degrees to start out the morning. Not too much wind, just straight cold air. I had a nice warm-up and felt as ready as I ever would. I had great snowshoe training this winter and had some solid races even with feeling tired at both events. I knew this would be more like a track race than a snowshoe race so I was prepared to let the race come to me. I wanted to run as relaxed as possible and to maintain contact with the top 5-7 positions to be in contention for the National Team. The field was very strong so I knew I would have to put up a really solid run to place top 5. Guys like Eric Hartmark(MN), Scott Gall(IA), Zach Rivers (NY), Jeff Quednow(WI) and many more. 
The race went out hard. Our first kilometer went through in 3:08
 (5 minute pace!)  We then slowed to a 3:20 kilometer for the second k.  It was a fast pace from the get-go and I was in great position but the pace was tough! I felt like this pace could not be maintained the whole time as it was a relentless pace but the top guys were able to manage a fairly decent average not too far off from the first few k's.

Photo Credits (Skymotion Media)

Photo Credits (Skymotion Media)

The first 2k of the 10k race!

 

Photo Credits (Brandon Nall)

 

Photo Credits (Brandon Nall)

Photo Credits (Brandon Nall)

Coming around the woods loop at 8k

 

 

As you can see, we ran a blistering pace. I think the first mile was in 5:20 or so. With that pace and the cold air, I was foolish enough to not wear anything to cover my face as the cold air seemed to almost shock my system by 5k into the race. I stayed in a solid place 5-8 but soon I felt my chest seize up on me like I was having a heart attack. What was going on??? Physically, my body felt ok but my lungs were trying to power myself as much as possible but I felt like I was running backwards. Was I running underwater? I hoped it was a cramp so I pressed on but my chest never really improved. It sucked. I started to look all pale and was struggling so bad. Like any ultra runner I let the things that happen be as they are and work through the kinks so that hopefully I can improve. Though I never felt better. I went from National Team contention to just trying not to make myself look like a fool out there.

 I  was passed by a couple of guys as I had no response to even move-up. I finished in 13th in the race and ran about 42:30.  It was disappointing to run not so well but it happens in sports. My thought as I reflected on the race was that the cold air at that fast pace zapped my chest a little too much as I had a hard time breathing and warming up the air.  The course was beautiful though it was hard to enjoy while suffering the way I did. I am glad I hung on tough as all of my gear performed great!  I wore all the right layers, my Karhu Flow Trails kick but and my Redfeather Vapors have changed my snowshoe racing for the better. As I reflected on the race I felt that some form of warm face mask would have kept me in the game but you never know when it comes to competition. I felt hungry for the next day as I wanted to run solid for the Half Marathon and go for the win. I fueled up and got some rest for the big day.

 

Redfeather Snowshoes National Half Marathon Championship!!!

 

 What a perfect day to snowshoe. It was cold but around mid teens and snowing which was much better than the other day. I warmed-up as per usual and physically felt as fresh as could be. Maybe suffering in the 10k was good to prep my body for feeling well-rested for a race I had been waiting for since I found out last summer. As I hit the start line, I noticed all of the top 5 guys from yesterday's 10k on the line too. Dang! Well, my hope was to go for the win but maybe this race was going to be harder than expected. I took to the lead of the race and began to run a fast but comfortable tempo. The top guys followed suit. I think my wardrobe change to the grey Mammut Hoody and Green Beanie plus a face wrag was a great move. I fueled with Boom Raspberry gels during the race: one before the start and one past the 10k.  That worked great. On this day I was a different Cole Crosby.

 

Photo Credits (Brandon Nall)

 

 

The pace was still fast for a half marathon but we went out much more controlled. It was going to be a battle of attrition. Who could hold on to the pace set in the beginning the longest?  As you can see I soon dropped the lead pack of three as I was red-lining a little bit too much so I felt that I had to run a little more within myself. I dropped back but still had plenty of steam to go.

 

 I am off in the distance in fourth.

Photo Credits (Brandon Nall)

 

From there, Eric Hartmark pulled up on me and I let him pass but still wanted to maintain eye-sight of him. Was I going to be passed again like yesterday. The answer would be...NO! 

I hung tough and went through the first lap in about 47:50. I grabbed some water and then kept going after my Boom gel. I knew that 5th and 6th were closing on me. I was in no-man's land so I told myself to kick it in gear if I wanted that 5th team position. I rallied in the last 10k. I started to gain my second wind and pretty soon I was whipping through the trails smiling enjoying the peacefulness of the race fueling at the aid stations and closing on 4th and 3rd even. Eric at the 10k had about a minute and a half of a lead on me. By the end of the race, it was 30 seconds!  My last 4k was amazing. I felt like I was flying with a big old smile on my face as the Half Marathon felt more like my race. The peaceful snow falling and my focus on my own running was intense and vibrant.  I continued to push the pace until the final circuit around the stadium into the finish. I came across the line in 5th place a National Team spot in 1:34:37 where I negative split the last 10k pretty well. I was so pleased to run well in the Half Marathon as the 10k the day before was not a good performance at all. The guys in front of me deserved their placing and props to Scott Gall who won both the 10k and Half Marathon!  I still have a lot of work to do in the sport of snowshoe running. I do not have the speed for the 10k yet. Maybe I can get there. For year three of snowshoe racing, it was a good one.

 

I got to spend the rest of my time in Eau Claire, hanging out with buddies Jon and Matt Grey who drove to see me on a whim and man was it great to see those guys. It had been too long but they have always been like family to me and I think we will always be close till our dying days. Monday, I flew back to Upstate New York, Land of deep snow and cold.

 

Overall, this was an incredible trip. I loved every moment of it. I did miss Ashlee like crazy but I hope for next year we can get her to come along to Ogden, Utah.  I am excited to race the new Marathon Distance Snowshoe Race in 2016 as the longer running is more of my style. What a great season of Snowshoe Racing and I am very grateful for the opportunity to race and represent such awesome companies.

 

Thank you Mammut North America: Your support as my Title Sponsor has been tremendous and I am so luckily and blessed to be apart of the team!

Thank you Fits Socks for the best fitted Merino Wool socks on the market.

Thank you Acidotic Racing and Chris Dunn for your continued support and connections in beautiful New Hampshire.

Thank you Boom Nutrition as your gels are not only the best tasting but have the best packaging, serving size, real-fruit, calories, and everything else that just plain works for athletes.

Thank you to Karhu and Craft North America for great road running shoes for my training and apparel that is great for training and your "cashmere of baselayers" fabric technology.

Thank you to the Finger Lakes Running Company and Confluence Running for keeping me going with gear and a wonderful career in Run Specialty.

Thank you to USATF Niagara.

 

Thank you to Redfeather Snowshoes for the best racing snowshoes I have ever owned. I had so much fun hanging with the crew and it was such an honor to represent the company at Nationals.

 

To a great winter!  Now it is time for Ultra season.  I feel my winter running in snowshoes has given me more strength than ever before. Onward!  

 

Next up will be to break Michael Wardian's 50k indoor track world record of 3:06:03! 6 minutes a mile for 31.1 miles. I plan on an attempt at the end of April!  Wish me luck!  Then it will be Cayuga Trails 50 in May!

Feeling Frosty at the Frosty Loomis Snowshoe 10k Race--Hammond Hill State Forest

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am please to bring to you my report on the Frosty Loomis Snowshoe race that took place Jan 31st of 2015 for the inaugural event. It was a cold morning and with this race, I ended up networking with a bunch of guys where we would run the course Wednesday nights in Hammond Hill. I found that having the chance to run the course has not only helped me in terms of snowshoe running shape, but also helped me for race day.

As a first year race, it was exciting to have a snowshoe race for people in Central New York in a location that is close for those living in Ithaca, Cortland and Binghamton as there has not been such a race in quite some time. The Finger Lakes Running Club helped put on the event as the Frosty Loomis Snowshoe race's Main Sponsor. I was excited to have some fun and to have the opportunity to get another quality snowshoe race in the books.


Leading up to the event, it was wonderful to be able to spend many Wednesday and/or Thursday Nights with a crew of Ithacans running out along the course we would navigate on race-day. I felt very strong coming into the race though as classes had just begun, I was a little tired coming into the event.


After marking the course with Boris, one of the RDs through a cold snowy morning that had me propel my car into a little bit of deep snow (no one was hurt including the car), I was gearing up to run somewhere around sub 50 minutes for the course.

For anyone that knows Hammond Hill State Forest, there are some solid hills to the course, great views, and a solid challenge for the snowshoe running enthusiast. In the 10k course, it begins with a solid 2 miles of gradual uphill climbing followed by a few short uphill bursts and small downhills. Once by the 5k, the course levels out then begins a roller-coaster ride of hills with 2 solid downhills. Then you climb up the steep snow-drift area up a nice long half-mile climb followed by a flat plateau and some downhills. The finish is a nice last-mile downhill finish back to the warming hut.

My guess is that this course gains about 1,200-200 feet in elevation in the 6.0 miles of the race course.  It is a balanced course perfect to simulate any type of course lay-out for Snowshoe Nationals.

Race-day was a cold morning with temps in the -5 to single digits with sunshine and some strong gusts. I had all of my Mammut gear to keep me nice and warm and even two pairs of gloves to warm those hands of mine up. I soon found out that running mits are the way to go if you want to ensure you keep all of your fingers in-tact.

We arrived at the line and then departed for the race. I immediately took to the lead and started to push up the steep hills of the first 2 miles.  I was huffing and puffing as my legs started to fatigue quicker than what I would have liked. But what really got to me was the cold air on my face in the first mile had frozen my face to the point where my skin felt like leather. I kept smacking and rubbing my face to get some warmth and blood-flow going to the region. I also had freezing cold hands as they burned through the climbs of the opening miles. I had a decent lead maybe 20 seconds or so to spare. As I came through the 5k point, my face was beginning to warm-up and my hands began to heat up some too ...except for my left pinkie finger!  I kept clutching that darn pinkie as I was running up and down the hills of the course.  In the first few miles, I wanted to drop out because I felt super cold to the point where I was a little worried about frost-bite. I split the 5k somewhere near 21 minutes and the early hot pace through the rutted snow path was taking its toll on my body. I began to relax into a slower pace to recover some and then make a push the last mile.

Miles 4-5 had me slow-down a significant amount yet I still could not see anyone else behind me. With about 30 minutes elapsed, I felt it was time to slowly stride out more on the flats, hammer the down-hills and then charge the remaining uphills. I regained my tempo back to the early pace I was running to begin the race. Once I saw the sign labeled, "Finishline" I knew I was a mile away. I picked up my pace faster than I have ever run in a race in snowshoes next to the Bend, Oregon Snowshoe Nationals and hammered to the finishline.

I came across the line exclaiming a "Loomis!" in honor of freezing my body for 6 miles of sheer winter wonderland bliss. I ran around 46:56 which for the 6.0 mile race was about 7:50's which for a day which had me on low energy-levels and tired from a 90-mile training week, I was very pleased to run the way I did.  It was not my prettiest race, but all in all, it was a solid day out on the trails.

It was great to converse with everyone as they came across the finishline. Boris and Eric and the crew did such a great job organizing the event and I think everyone had a wonderful time.

This is the point in my story where I thank Mammut North America for being a company that has inspired me to reach for new heights in my running, Boom Nutrition for keeping me going with energy gels chock-full of fruit goodness  as a gel before each race has proven to be a huge success, Redfeather Snowshoes for working with me and for giving me snowshoes that have changed the way I train and race, Karhu/Craft North America for great training shoes along with Mammut to keep me running light and fast as well as the best baselayer in the industry, Fits Socks for the best fitting athletic socks around and for keeping my feet super insulated. And to my new team: Red Newt Racing/Mountain Peak Fitness for helping me in my endurance racing endeavors for 2015 and beyond.

2015 Cockadoodle Shoe--A new Year---A new Cole

Well it is now officially 2015 and I am very excited to be transitioning into higher mileage, more vertical running and snowshoe running to prepare myself for a wonderful 2015 of ultra running. 


I am very happy to write to you that I have finished my first snowshoe race of the year this past weekend at Saranac, NY in the Adirondack Region and I was able to pull out a victory to start 2015 off right.  I really love this race from last year and with RD Jeremy Drowne at the helm, he puts on a well-thought-out snowshoe race through a wonderful course that I feel suits my strengths well.

Ashlee and myself made the fun trip in our new car, a 2013 Ford Fusion as we gathered our belongings and made the 4-5 hour trip to the North Country. We had a hotel room in Plattsburgh, NY and we were excited to spend some alone-time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday Cortland.
We were able to push out of town around 1:30pm or so as blowing snow was making getting out of town a little difficult. 


We had such a blast on the way out talking and singing songs in the car, and being at awe with the majestic mountains of the Adirondack Region.

We go in late to our hotel room which was a fantastic suite. We headed into Downtown Plattsburgh for some grub. It was super cold in the North Country with temps near or below zero. We walked around and then stopped at a delicious Thai restaurant and had a delicious meal and then stopped at the Stewart's gas station/convenience store for some drinks and late-night snacks before relaxing in the hotel room. 

 

This is a photo from last year (Credits New Land Trust)

We awoke in the morning before a 10 am start to a freezing cold but cloudless sky with plenty of sunshine. The temps marked about -15 which is darn cold and would be the coldest snowshoe race I ever raced in. I was so happy to be back and to see everyone I met from last year again. I also had unfinished business with the course as last year the weak snow caused for me to post-hole in the snow way too often and cost me  a solid race performance that had me disappointed in the outcome.

Ashlee was being such a great sport being all bundled up as we checked in and proceeded to prepare for the race. I had with me my magic weapon: Stewart's Raspberry Iced Tea which uses no High Fructose Corn Syrup and tastes delicious so I was ready to go. I also before the race took a Grape-Pomegranate Boom Gel to give the necessary energy needed for a 40-60 minute snowshoe effort.

The snow on the course looked incredible and I felt times would be fast like last year.

(Credits New Land Trust)  Pre-race photo with Jacob Malcomb

It was great to hang out with Jacob, Jeremy, and Matt again as we prepped for another Cockadoodle Shoe. I had like 7 layers on so with a little running, I felt nice and toasty.

I would be debuting my Mammut Snowshoe Race Kit (as I call it) this year with my Mammut Aenergy Thermo Vest and my Grey Thermo Running Half Zip with a matching beanie and Denali Power-stretch Tights.  I wore two pairs of running Fits Socks to help insulate my feet and man with that Merino wool, my feet felt perfect. After the kids fun-run, it was race time.

We jogged the half mile or so to the starting line and prepared for another fun race.

With a solid warm-up in, the Boom gel coursing through my veins, and a kiss from Ashlee, I was ready to go for it.

With a "Go" we were off.  It felt great to race again after a nice hiatus of a month or so. I settled behind a group of guys and with all the snow flying in my face decided to move up front more so I was not plagued by the frost beard.

This photo was taken by Ashlee as we hit the trails of Limehollow Nature Center the one other day to snowshoe. I have been testing out my modified pair of Redfeather Vapor 21s which I have been getting used to the binding but have been loving the shape of the snowshoe and the traction of the cleats.  Plus the Limegreen and Black I feel is an excellent color choice.

* As far as the race went, I got behind Jacob in the first mile or so and took the lead into the downhill loop into the steep and short uphill. Once we hit the first hill, I began to feel pretty solid through the snow conditions and felt like I was floating on-top of the snow. This was fantastic as I had a comfortable gap of about 15-20 seconds on second place.  I knew with a lot of fast guys in this race, that the tempo of the race could easily change as the distance progressed.  I remained calm and comfortable in my effort.  I came through the first 5k quick in about sub 21 pace and felt really solid. Second place was still about 10-15 seconds behind me so I knew I had to put the hammer-down the second 5k. The course winds through all kinds of lush wooded forest and is just what an Adirondack snowshoe race is all about.

The second 5k was a lot tougher as the snow had drifted over the trail in most of the sections so I was forced to break-trail and use-up more of my energy stores to power myself through the un-even snow. My Mammut apparel kept me the perfect temperature as well as shedding off the snow that I was kicking-up. I pushed harder through the thick spots of snow often every third step, loosing my balance as I began to sink into the deeper pockets of white powder. I wanted to run fast like the first 5k and grew a little impatient, okay, really impatient with the deeper, slower snow conditions. I still had second place hovering near me. I was hoping that the deep snow was giving them the same trouble but you can never be certain. I hit the meadow in around 32 minutes and thought the race was almost over. I could not see second behind me but took nothing for granted and continued to push through.

I was getting pretty winded and was so ready to finish, though I think I had about 2 more miles to go. My pace slowed big time as I was practically treading water, ready to just finish. I toughed it out and then came to the finish.

Ashlee snapped this amazing photo of myself finishing all decked-out in my Mammut and Redfeather gear!  My gear worked to perfection in super cold conditions and I felt amazing. As always, I love the green and am excited to wear the gear so more this winter.

I finished in 51:03 a big positive split but was happy to survive through a tough course and felt truly blessed to have run a solid race with some awesome people.

Thank you to all of the volunteers for cheering us on: especially Bob Bolton!  Ashlee was truly incredible for coming with me on this adventure. Thank you to Jeremy Drowne for another amazing race and his family for working so hard with the Land Trust to produce another top-notch event. The Dak Bars were yummy and you should check those out.

1st and second place (Credits New Land Trust)

As far as prizes go: It is always nice to win some cash with $150 in prize money, a sweet snow-globe and some Darn Tough socks for Ashlee in purple.


Thank you to my sponsors: Mammut North America (MTR), Fits Socks, Boom Nutrition, Red Newt Racing/ MPF Endurance Team, Redfeather snowshoes, Craft/Karhu North America.

Thank you Ashlee for the support along the trip, I had a blast with you exploring Lake Placid and the Adirondack Region. I am hopeful for many more trips out this way.

Here is to a solid 2015. I am so thrilled to have energy reserves the whole way in my snowshoe race and feel that the sickness is all behind me now. I am truly ready to race tough! 

See you out on the trails!  And if you have questions about snowshoe running or are curious about what Mammut offers in terms of amazing gear, you can email me at colecrosby88@gmail.com.

2014 Tussey Mountainback--- Running on Empty--3rd place Adventure

Let me begin by stating that Tussey Mountainback is an incredible race. The views the nice gravel and paved roads, long gradual up hills and long rip-roaring descents really make this event a must-run race for elites and first-time ultra runners alike.

My story begins two weeks prior to Tussey. I began two weeks out having an odd hamstring tightness that was holding me back from training at my normal pace. What I found was that life had stressed me out.

After a great massage from one of my roommates who is a massage therapist, the hamstring felt great to lead into race week and I was back to a Sunday run that was right at my goal 50 mile race pace (7min) flat. I felt really good.  Then something horrible happened, I ended up on Monday, catching some form of chest cold. I kept coughing and coughing up gross projectiles. Overall not feeling my best. I began to worry that this cold may not be gone in time for the Tussey Mountainback which was one of my major races of the year.  I do not know what has been going on this year with bad luck yet I did what any person would do, I took it easy, rested and dosed myself up on Vitamin C and all kinds of medicine.   I had it bad. The flem was all way deep down in my lungs. So to cough anything up would mean two to three powerful coughs to dislodge a q-tip sized wad of icky flem. The patterned continued all week: one day wet coughs , the next day a drier cough, the next day back to wet coughs, gagging on the muscus and so on.

I was not getting better he way I had hoped. I lost a lot of sleep in the prep week with hacking all night and as we loaded up our car for the 4 hour trip to State College, PA, I was just living on a prayer that I would wake-up Sunday morning with no sign of bronchitis.  The drive down was wonderful minus my coughing and Ashlee and myself jammed out to 80's pop songs.

Once we made it to town, we ate lunch at Chick Fila and toured the Penn State University campus, football stadium and the downtown. After an hour of walking around, we linked up with my father who had made the drive from NJ also to celebrate my birthday. We met at thenToftrees Resort and Golf Course and have a lovely room awaiting us thank you to our race director, Mike Casper.

We settled into the room and I began to dose myself up still feeling sick, optimistic for tomorrow's race.

I spent all night hacking away only getting about an hour or two of solid sleep.

Race morning began with cold drizzle and temps in the mid 30's. It was chilly but I always find myself thriving in such conditions when others struggle.

I was sick but man I just hoped I could get through 50 miles unscaved though I knew that to do so would probably be a miracle. I had all of my warm gear on: mammut fleece beanie, warm gloves, mammut MTR 141 Air jacket over my mammut zip shirt and a singlet underneath the shirt. Being bundled up was going to be a lifesaver for a day which the high temp was 45.

At 7am , the race was off into the darkness with a simple yell of the word "Go!" There from the starting line, I settled in with Eric Senseman, Michael Wardian, and another kid. We remained relaxed as we made the firs three mile climb to begin the race. We all knew that Wardian was going to be the man to beat. I spent the early morning hours remaining relaxed on the climb trying to keep a smile as we remained somewhat quiet. I would interject every now and then to try and lighten the spirits. Breathing was a challenge for me with my lungs full of flem but I knew that I was going to need a zen-like level of relaxation to survive this race.  We hit the switchbacks all together and with a half of a mile before the crest of the climb, Wardian assumed the lead.

From a Trailrunnersblog.com: This view is what you are graced with for 50 miles. Does not get any better than this!

After the three mile climb which was long and gradual, we hit a solid 6 mile downhill.

I was running with this one kid with wardian up ahead in sight as we chatted and had fun with the race. It was his second ultra so I knew he might have issues challenging this fast pace going 7:20 uphill to follow up with 5:40-5:50 on this downhill section.

With all things considered, I felt very relaxed. I soon opened it up a little and as my buddy I had just made went for a bathroom break, I was alone off to catch Wardian.
The next aid station of significance would come at Whipple Dam around 11 miles in. We did a little out and back and I was maybe 45 seconds behind Michael Wardian as I made the turn-around and headed back out. I felt very good with one gel in my system and drinking some Gatorade from my bottle. I did not need to refill just yet as the cold and proper fueling pre-race had me feeling pretty darn good.

I put in a little surge to see if I could close on the leader yet Wardian's pace was matching my surges.

Mile 20-26 was at a point where we had a solid climb and this was the first time where my lungs struggled. What normally would be a easy uphill for me, I struggled. I had many moments of hacking and dry-heaving which stopped me in my tracks. Even so, my 1-minute deficiet only grew to about 3 minutes after this section. I was averaging close to 5:30 for the race at this point and truly I could not believe actually how comfortable it felt at this point in the race. Once I had made the climb I began to regain my legs as I headed into the aid station.

I was going  well and now had more downhill, where I opened up my gait.  The coughing did take some wind out of my sails but I kept on.  I continued to remain relaxed as if Wardian would falter, I might be able to catch him and make a move.   A few more Carboom Orange Vanilla gels gave my my boost I needed.

The Tussey Course is incredible, with great hills, a smooth yet gravel surface gives you the best in footing and man the scenery was magnificent. At the marsthon point, the view at above 2,000 feet was insane. Seeing the mist from the early morning give way to sunshine was a sight to see. It rejuvenated me in my sick state. And so I kept pushing on.

I entered the 50k at 3:25 a pr for me and I began to get a little calorie-deprived at this point I took 4 Carboom gels at once which gave me the strength to push up a slight hill from the last check point.

I was told I had second place locked up unless I would unravel.  It was at the aid station at mile 35 where I noted to my family in a lead vehicle that I was hurting.  I had spent miles 32-35 coughing so bad that I thought I would pass out from the lack of oxygen.  I attempted to fuel up at 35 and then it was at this point that I began to run out of steam. From running an incredible pace early on I still was optimistic I could finish sub 6 hours even with me struggling.

I fought hard ever uphill, mixing in power hiking and forceful running as my quads began to seize up on me. My body was giving up on me and I felt because of a sinus infection and bronchitis, I could not get any more air to my ailing body in time. The flats soon became like steep up hills, as I cringed at struggling at terrain I easily thrive on. It was mentally draining.

I thought back to third and fourth place knowing this could be the time they might catch me. I was weak but still trying my best to push through.  It was by mile 40 that what was once 7 minute miles now became 9-10. I was using every ounce of my will to get me through. At 40, I felt defeated and could only pray for those last 10 miles to come and go quickly. I still felt lucky I had second place still but Eric Senseman who was running strong from mile 35 to the finish ate up my near 20 minute lead to mere moments.

I finally hit the last hill at mile 45 and it was steep like a Upstate NY hill.  By this last hill, my whole body seized up on me, running was still a struggle as I virtually had no more power left. I hiked up the hill and glanced back to see a person wearing red, that was Eric. I knew here was nothing I could do to hold him off, he ran smarter than me. He came up to me and we chatted for a little bit as he mentioned to me that he was ready to drop at 20-35 then he caught a second wind. I told him go up ahead and that he ran smart. I got up the hill and saw my family there I felt bad I had lost 2nd place which was in my grasp all day. With 4 miles to go and all downhill, I pushed my body which felt like planks of wood down the hill, a little sad and dejected that I had suffered so much.

After what felt like an eternity, I finished in 6:16 for third place.

Michael Wardian ran 5:46 my initial goal pace
Eric Senseman in second at 6:10

What I learned from everything was that after a hard year of racing, this race was by far my greatest run to date. Later I went to the doctor and found I had bronchitis and a severe sinus infection simultaneously. For myself to run so relaxed and fast for 32 miles and to run at close to course record time, that was incredible. And for all things considered, to hang on for third in a very competitive race is also a great accomplishment. I have never felt so bad in a race yet run with so much composure. I really have no idea how everything worked out the way it did! Getting sick a week before a big "A" race is never anything I would wish upon anyone. What I learned from the race is that you should always believe in yourself, even when things look grim. I was sick, really sick, but somehow held it together until I ran out of oxygen. I am so blessed to have so much support that held me together in this race and truly this race was for you. My advice is not to try what I did at home in your own race practices. But if you have spent the time and money for a big race and do find yourself sick, do not panic. You have put in the time and effort to perform well and even with being sick, approach the race as such:

1. Start more conservatively: that was my big mistake.
2. Take in double calories and hydrate like a fire hydrant: I also did not do this as much as needed.
3. Do not panic: I did manage to stay relaxed.
4. Enjoy the experience and know that you can still perform well and be hungry for what a run is like at 100%: There is no point to be mopey because you do not feel 100%.
5. There is always another race!

I would love to run Tussey again, for redemption so that I can prove to myself that I can handle this course and run to the best of my ability.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me in this journey:

My father, my family, my love Ashlee Prewitt,

Mammut North America, Acidotic Racing, Fits Socks, Boom Nutrition, Redfeather Snowshoes, OK Runner, Confluence/Finger Lakes Running, Karhu/Craft North America.  Thank you all! Thank you to the volunteers, Mike Capser the race director and to the whole Central PA area for being so hospitable. It was an incredible weekend.

I now have a few weeks to get healthy for the JFK 50 mile. I have been taking antibiotics and an inhaler to rid myself of this sickness. I am hopeful that I will be ready come November 22!

Gear Pre-Race

Fits socks and Mammut MTR Pro Low 201

Cayuga Trails 50 Miler 2014---Last Man Standing

I want to begin by saying that this will not be your ordinary race recap post. This will be a discussion about how far the sport has come, the building interest in the East, and the potential for the sport in the future.

All the race gear!!!!!!

What will be discussed will be my vision that the Cayuga Trails 50 help to validate. And of course along the way I will recap how the race transpired because this year it was unlike any ultra that I have been apart of.  Here we Go.


My personal story begins 4 weeks prior when I twisted my ankle on a training run on a Thursday. It was nothing special just a stupid mistake as I approached the entrance to some trails. The ankle continued to get worse and for the Tom B trail run, I was a little on the weak-side with the ankle so I knew that I had to be cautious. I used the race as a training run and succeeded running 3 sub hour laps until the final lap. I hit a root and with already a marathon in my legs, I faltered and twisted the chocolate sauce out of the thing. I then continued to walk and kinda jog the last 8 miles. I finished in 4:15 crawling at sub 10 minute pace.

The next week was taken entirely off in hopes to heal my really severe medial ankle sprain which is about 5% of all ankle sprains and I am a pronator which means that I favor that side of my ankle. Luckily I had trained some big volume days leading up to the event and by 3 weeks time, would be feeling the gains. By the week of the race, I was back to running my 10-13 mile runs around the same pace I normally would without too much struggle.

I came into race weekend confident I could place well but knowing I had to run more conservative than I would like to because of my weakened ankle where I felt one false slip and I would have done permanent damage that would sideline my running for months on end.

7:46:02!!! 7th Place

Ian Golden has done such a great job with the Cayuga trails and I have been lucky enough to have him for a boss at the Finger Lakes Running Company. It is always great to see all the praise that everyone has given Ian, the volunteers and race management, sponsors for the race. This year had some amazing competition  and I was excited to finally have my name in the mix. I knew that I was not at full 100% but was still expecting a strong race with the solid training I have been able to put together.

The race had so many top prospects: Matt Flaherty--50 mile road champ extrodinare and a speedy guy to boot, not to forget mentioning the most legendary mustache in ultra running history, Chris Vargo---part of the Nike Trail Team and a guy that has run ridiculous times out West in Cali and Colorado, surprise Tristin Williams---- who smacked me at USA Mountain Running last year, Yassine, who is a 100 Mile specialist and Western States top 10 finisher, Ben Nephew the East Coast FTK specialist of the Catskills who is arguably the fastest runner on some of the ickiest terrain, Brian Rusecki who now runs for Patagonia and has run crazy times at Vermont 50, races in Virginia, a solid performer, Jordan McDougal---North Face Bear Mountain Multiple winner and super fast and top three last year, Zach Ornelas a fast mountain runner and young stud running his first 50miler which he could do some damage and SO MANY MORE!

As you can see the race was stacked. A top 10 finish would be lovely and a top 5 or 3 would be ideal.

To put into perspective, this course is one level more runnable than Virgil Crest or any crazy Catskill trail race, but has its fair share of elevation changes, creek crossings, roots, rocks, and crazy steps that make you feel like you are running the Great Wall of China Marathon!  This course had near 12k of vertical gain with the new Red Pine Trail which I have run and has a steep uphill section and the dreaded Lucifer Steps which has an amazing view but makes me feel like I am Lara Croft running away from some stone gargoyles or something of the sort. And I digress…

Back to the story… So I arrive with my father at the race, check in, say HI to Joe Viger, Ryan Welts, Amy Rusecki,  Kristina Folcik, and many others. It was a cool morning and I could feel the pre-race jitters. I hit up the bathroom as usual and hung around nice and relaxed ready to run 50 grueling miles. I had a Clif Bar for breakfast and some pre-race Honey Stinger Cherry Cola Energy Chews, yum. I had all my Mammut gear ready with my MTR 201 Pro Lows in the new icicle blue and my blue and green gear. I had my new Coolmax Fits Socks that are blended with Merino (SOOOO AMAZING) EVERYONE MUST BUY THIS FALL, and my Acidotic Racing Visor and little logo on my shirt!  With 10 minutes I lined-up with the top crew and was ready to roll. Never before have I felt like people know WHO I AM. I had people I have never met before wishing me luck, who have read my blog and have talked about my recent accolades. It feels surreal because I do not approach myself like a celebrity but for anyone that has supported me and looks up to me THANK YOU! Your support and admiration is a breath of fresh air. I have  been blessed to have such wonderful support and anyone that considers themselves a fan of myself Thank you. I will state here that IF I Ever Were to become famous, I will always remain humble and respectful of everyone that is awesome and cares about me. My goal in all of this is to inspire people that hard work pays off. That your dreams can become a reality if you wake up each and every day ready to fight for them. I spent my life being told I was never good enough for anything and here I am today. I am still on the cusp of big success but I attribute what I have achieved to believing and having people that have believed in me has given me the strength to keep on when I felt like calling it quits. Thank you again.



Once the rams horn went off we were out.

I settled into the pack of top guys. We are like 15 deep as I can feel the excitement of a USA 50 mile trail championship. I know that many of the guys upfront will lose pace so remaining consistent would be the goal. I decided to remain mid-pack as I had no idea how the ankle would hold and the pace was hot from the get-go so I wanted to remain smart. I also knew that the weather would heat up later in the day so running a smart and consistent race would pay dividends in the later stages. I settled along with Ben Nephew, Yassine, and some other fast dudes as we meandered around the gorges. I began to run the uphills with ease so I knew all my vertical was paying off leading up to the race. With my ankle, I strained on the downhills but that was to be expected. The course was of course gorgeous and more importantly was the first race in a long time for the East Coast to bring this deep of competition to an ultra marathon. I have never run 12 miles into a race and still have a pack of guys to run with. I enjoyed the day with the race and up the steep Lick Brook Climb gained some ground on Yassine and company. At this point, it was the large main pack that I had to catch but the race was still early and I wanted to take it easy to ensure a stronger second half. Once we left Buttermilk and then headed on the fields that connect into the last section of the Gorge Trail, Yassine caught me. I was having the beginnings of fatigue and could feel myself losing pace 4 miles before this photo op.

Photo Credits to Ron Heerkins Jr.

We ran together for numerous miles as Yassine would crush the downhills and I would catch back up on the Uphill sections. It was fun to be back running with him again. I was following my gel and liquid nutrition plan getting ginger ale and water at the stations, downing at least a gel ever 45 mins and consuming 20 oz every aid station. I felt good.  Then Ben Nephew caught up to us a few miles from the turn around and we hit the Lucifier's Steps and I could not climb with them. My legs felt real tight from stressing the downhill sections and holding my body back and the heat of the day was starting to deplete my body quicker than what I could take down. I was beginning to become severely dehydrated.  I lost my edge and then the separation began. Once I lost ground on Yassine and Ben, I knew that I had to be smart. My ankle began throbbing and I had the thoughts of dropping. I hit a low point only 3 miles from the 25 mile turn-around. I walked up some of the hills and felt like I was trotting. I remember seeing all the top guys maybe a mile ahead of me and knew that if I could make due and improve my pace something could come of this but I felt exhausted. 

Ron Heerkins Jr with another solid photo! 

Loop 1 coming back to the Gorge Trail

As I came to the turn-around I saw that Jordan McDougal had dropped out and I talked to him about how he felt. He mentioned to me that the top guys were looking strained and that if I held it together, I could get into some of the carnage. I too was struggling now from the heat and beginning to feel its effects but I thought if I was in 8th now, I could pick up some spots and if guys are to drop then I would have a chance. I came out of the aid station like  person reborn. I won the coveted CLIMBER's JERSEY for the fastest section from the turn-around to the next aid station which has some solid climbs and Lucifer Step's again. I was still climbing like a champ and went for it. Once I got back into nearing Lick Brook, a Salomon Runner was with me now. It was hard to fight with this guy as physically by mile 30+, I felt hot!  I would be able to cool myself off at the creek crossings and aid stations, but truly, all the water and GU Brew that I could take down just was not enough to get myself back to feeling comfortable. I was able to pass him near entering the downhill to Buttermilk Falls. I came down to the Falls, and Ian mentioned that I looked like I had stopped sweating. I was cold and clammy and had no visible sweat on me. That was bad. No wonder I felt like I was roasting on this 80 degree day.

I cooled off and kept powering through. The race from this point with 13 miles to go was not good for me at all. I managed my body from going from Heat Exhaustion to Heat Stroke the last 13 by cooling myself off but I felt dizzy, cold, tired, my legs were cramped, I had a headache. It was not comfortable. Myself and Kristina Folcik-Welts experienced much of the same issues as did many of the competitors. Each aid station, I was told runners were dropping like flies and I kept hearing places opening up for myself as people were moving up slots because of the drops. 

With the vertical and the toughness of the course, I dug deep and pushed through. Once I hit the last two aid stations with 7 miles to go, my body was spent. I was walking more of the hills now if not all of them and of course could hardly even run the uphills. I just wanted to be done. 

What ultras teach you is to dig deep even when you are having a crappy day, because you never know what the day can bring. For Cayuga, I felt like my race was not good at all but was not terrible. I have trained hard since November and Snowshoe Running Season has given me a new level of fitness that I am very happy about. If my ankle was at 100%, I feel my performance would have been much different but that is what racing is all about: seeing what you have on the day.

I held things together and finished 7:46 which was much quicker than my 8 hour time last year on a harder course with both ankle issues again. 7th in a much deeper field from 9th I will take it as I struggled but the story of the day was to just hang on and hope the heat would not kill you. I was pleased with a solid day of hurt and struggling but it taught me to hang tough and good things can happen.  My summers I like to train hard to prepare for a fast fall. This Fall, I would like to run more of the Road Ultras as my Can-Lake 50 race was no fluke and I love that I have a real knack for the roads. I also thing as my ankle continues to heal and strengthen, running on the roads might not be a bad idea. Luckily in Cortland, I have plenty of tough ascents on road and gravel seasonal roads so I can achieve a lot of solid vertical up and down without stepping on the rocky and rooty trails.

1st place--Chris Vargo! Climbed well all day and hung tough

3rd Place--Matt Flaherty who had a tough day and hung in there.

I DID IT!!! SO HAPPY TO BE DONE!

Going for the Climber's Jersey

So what was learned from this race: *With a Cold Winter, Heat acclimatization was crucial for success.

* Do not give up

* Take in more calories and gels

* Strengthen the ankle since it is weak

*Keep Training Smart

*Reach for the Stars

The amount of interest in Trail Running and Ultra Marathoning has exploded in the East! This is a very exciting time as more and more top athletes are coming from the East rather than Colorado and the West. There are more and more races featuring prize money and I was amazed with how solid the competition was this year. I cannot even wait for JFK! I feel that my running is coming around and I look forward to getting myself out there more to market the companies that keep me going. I have an awesome bunch of sponsors and they deserve more media time and I hope I can get them there. More and more athletes are being sponsored which is great in the sport of trail and ultra running and people are really taking a liking to the sport. I am very pleased with the excitement that is being generated from the sport and cannot wait for Cayuga Trails 2015! We all learned from a tough day but it was a great day!  

Ready to Climb Buttermilk Falls

Thank you to my family, friends, people that want to support me, my sponsors: Mammut North America, Fits Socks for the most amazing new Cool-max socks, Acidotic Racing, Redfeather Snowshoes, Karhu/Craft and Confluence Running for the support. Thank you Ron Heerkins JR for the photos and Matt Gawors for the photos too. Thank you everyone and have a wonderful summer!

Gear Used: 

Mammut MTR 71 Shirt (Green)

Mammut MTR 201 Pro Low in Icicle Blue!

Mammut MTR 71 Run Shorts in BLue

Acidotic Racing Emblem and Visor

Fits Socks Brand New Cool Max socks in Green!!!!'

Ultimate Direction 20 oz handheld and Essential Belt

Lots of Gels (GU) (12 gels)

Lots of Fluids (11-13 20 oz)

Zensah Calf Sleeves

Next up is Manitous Revenge which is a crazy Catskill mountain race. I look forward to having fun and testing myself. Have a great summer and see everyone next year! 

http://www.manitousrevengeultra.com

This race is BURLY and not being much of a mountaineer, I have no idea how my climbing skills will be but at least it will be a fun experience and I can say I summited a bunch of high peaks in the Catskills.

Today's Greek Peak Training run for Manitous'