April 29, 2006
Crowders Mountain 50k Punisher run

Poison ivy can be quite nasty. I was still getting over it on race day. My ankle was still a bit swollen so I knew I might not finish but I was certainly going to try. The weather was perfect, 58 degrees and a few clouds. The course was a mystery. I'd heard there were stairs. There were many, many stairs.

Two groups formed early. The fast group would wear me out too quickly and the slow group was a bit too slow. I found myself in between along with a another guy, Travis. We got to talking and decided to work together. I recognized Travis from the Mount Mitchell Challenge. He started out way too strong and his body blew up. He had to plead with the sweep just to make it to the finish line. The sweep can pull a runner off the course if they aren't on course to finish timely enough. Travis was the last to finish, but he made it.

Our strategy was to walk any section with more than a 2% grade. We would jog the level sections and go all out on the downhills. This was a strategy that would pay off famously.

The course started out on rolling hills but quickly changed to a very steep mountain climb. We passed one from the fast group before we reached the top. The view was spectacular but fleeting as we descended the other side. This descent involved those steps I'd heard about-300 of them. They weren't so bad the first time.

After the steps, the trail descended steeply on gravel. We took a turn to single track and were greeted by roots and rock beds. Tricky footing isn't a problem early on in a race but it becomes a challenge in the later stages. Stabilizing muscles tend to get fatigued after about 20 miles.

After one hour we arrived at the turning point of the trail. I thought we went at too fast a pace. I did not expect to be able to continue at that pace. It was time to do it in reverse. We were at the lower point so the 600 foot climb at the beginning would become an 800 foot climb on the return.

The 300 steps were a slow go but we made it without losing much time. We had discussed downhill strategy and both saw ourselves as strong downhillers, perhaps in line with the elite runners. Our prognostication proved to be accurate. Travis was very strong but I pulled way out in front. Being the only 200 pounders on the course, we had gravity on our side. The return trip saw us pass two runners from that lead group. We enjoyed a negative split and reached home base at 1:55.

Home base featured a nice spread of food. We loaded up quickly and were on our way to round two. This round proceeded at only a slightly
slower pace than the first. The mountain seemed a bit taller and the steps seemed like 400 this go round. Yet, nobody was passing us. The leader was well in front but there was no chance of him lapping us. We reached home a second time at 4:15. I was ecstatic that we didn't lose much time in the second lap. The third, however, was likely to be more grueling.

More hiking was in store for us this time. About amile into the third leg, the leader came barreling by us. This climb was slower than the previous two. I could not keep up with Travis. The stairs downhill presented a formidable challenge this time. The knees were no longer nimble. The entire trail seemed about 50% longer.

Finally, the last turn was reached. The return trip proved slow but steady. The runner who had held 5th place was walking. I never expected to catch anyone on the way back. The steps were daunting but knowing that the last mile and a half were downhill kept me going. On the downhill, another runner was passed. I was back in 12th place and I made sure I held it. The finish line came into sight so I kicked it into high gear and finished in a roaring sprint.

I finished 6 minutes behind Travis. Two ultras down and many more to come this year.

Raging Bull