Afton 50k Race Report

The Afton Trail Run 50k was this past Saturday. I rode along with Kurt and Sonya out to the park. Being that 50k is the shortest commonly run ultra, people often make the mistake of taking it rather lightly. I had to remind myself that it's still 31 miles, and that's no joke. Add heat, humidity, and a tough, hilly course, and it's serious business.

The race went off wonderfully, thanks to the many volunteers. It's a testament to great course marking that both Brian P. and I managed to stay on course! Race Director John Storkamp, who does a great job all around, designs awesome shirts and awards. It's worth checking out the race web site and blog for a small taste of his work.

As for my race, it was a successful day on the trail. I've been a little self-conscious lately. I saw a runner who I used to coach last week at Western States and the first thing he said was..."I heard you've been struggling lately..." And then after my last post, where I talk about the possibility of running a course record at Afton, Steve Q. commented that it would be too humid for anyone to run a course record this year. I did manage to run nearly even splits, won the race, and broke the course record, though it very close.

Patrick Russell, Brian Peterson and I were out front in a lead pack for nearly the entire first loop. I don't think any of us wanted to run 31 miles alone, so we'd sort of trade leading duties, and slow down a bit to pack back up after aid stations. I took 3 gels and 3 salt tablets, as well as around 50 oz. of fluids on the first loop, which took just under 1:54. My breathing was pretty easy, but my legs didn't feel great. In particular my right hamstring felt a bit tight...probably from hammering those downhills in the Marin Headlands earlier in the week.

Toward the end of the loop, Patrick built up a small gap on some of the winding single-track, and then extended that on the climb back up to the start/finish area. He was still within sight, but Brian and I were a ways back from him coming through the first loop. I swapped out my water bottle, forgot to grab a fresh supply of gels (oops!), and set off in pursuit of Patrick. Brian took a little longer in the aid station, and I didn't see him again until the finish.

Patrick's gap seemed to lessen each time we went uphill, so I didn't worry too much about catching him. Not far into the second loop, he actually slowed up and started talking to me as I caught him. "Bastinado!" he cried, in ode to Wynn Davis, a strong local runner who was tackling the 25k this year.

It was getting really hot. Pat mentioned that it had not been his plan to go out on course record pace. I pleased with the pace and was right where I wanted to be. We ran together for a while longer, until I took a slight lead on the sharp downhill into the back 40 loop.

I was quick through the aid station, and my legs were feeling pretty good, so I decided to pick it up for a while. Patrick stayed close through the loop, but on the climb out I seemed to put some time into him. I later learned that he began to suffer from the heat shortly after that, and ended up dropping out. Still, for a guy who has only been back to training for a short period of time, he looked really strong. Having run on the U.S. team at the World 100k, he's a real talent at the long stuff. Everyone who knows them hopes to see the Russell's back in Minnesota soon!

So the first 2/3 of the second loop went great. My legs were strong, I took another gel from an aid station and a couple more salt tablets, and rolled along at a nice strong pace. I seemed to have built up a good lead, as I couldn't see anyone behind me coming across one of the long, open meadow stretches.

Then...coming down through the downhill between the campground and the river (about 10 miles into the loop), I was coming up on some 25k runners. I lost focus for a second, caught a toe on a rock and careened forward. Rather than just falling on my face, I tried to catch myself and stay up, pulling my legs back under me as fast as I could. My upper body was too far forward, though, so I only succeeded in causing both hamstrings to seize up as I hit the ground. The trail left its mark on my left knee and hip, but I was more concerned about my hamstrings. I managed to get back on my feet, the cramping released, and I cautiously ran the rest of the downhill.

Fortunately, there's a nice flat stretch along the river at that point on the course, so I was able to cruise along there and give my legs a chance to regain some rhythm. Still, I never regained momentum, and the last five miles felt pretty rough. I knew I was probably slightly under course record pace, but I also felt like things could fall apart pretty badly if I pushed too hard.

The meat grinder went pretty well...ran the whole way up albeit at a walk-like pace, but the snowshoe loop really nailed me. By then it was so hot and my sub-par fueling on the second loop may have been catching up to me. I just told myself to maintain effort and get through it. The last 3 miles of that course are really tough. Passing 25k runners gave me a little boost, as many were offering words of encouragement. I tried to return the favor.

With the end in sight, I realized that I'd sneak under the course record. It felt great to cross the line. I saw that I had torn through the toebox of one of my shoes...my big toenail didn't survive the run very well. Brian P. held on well for second, and Eve, who seems to own this race, took another win on the women's side.

Lots of fun hanging out and chatting after the race. Lots of TC Running Co. folks, and many others as well. It's like a reunion every time you go to a race: You never know who you'll run into. Congrats to Ben and Kelsi (go U of M 1262!) for their great runs in the 25k! Check out Helen's blog for some nice reporting and photos.