February 4, 2006
Uwharrie 41 mile run

Friday night was the pre-race dinner. It was there that I found out exactly what I was getting into. This little race was not only tougher than the Mount Mitchell Challenge, but by a wide margin. That race which climbs from my town to the tallest mountain in the east climbs about 5000 feet overall. The Uwharrie Mountain Run climbs 7000 feet.

Shortly before the start, I was stretching my calves on a small log. logs tend to be round as was this one and I just about fell flat on my face when it rolled out from under me. I almost foiled the entire run. Unfortunately, I didn't hurt myself. The pain was yet to come.

We embarked upon our journey at 7 am at a walking pace, which would be instrumental later in the day. Ultrarunners are an odd lot. They don't seem to care about how fast they get through a race. They only care to finish and even that isn't a must.

The first mountain contained numerous rock beds with very difficult footing. We trotted along and sooner than expected, came upon the first aid station. The stations were rather gourmet with homemade cookies, fruit and beverages. The miles piled upon one another until an extended downhill. That was where I picked up the pace and left the others with whom I'd been jogging. I met up with a couple of young ladies and ran with them intermittently for the next ten miles.

Rock hopping is an art form. Fortunately, it is one of the few art forms I seem to excel at. I kept my feet dry the entire run. After the widest stream crossing, the longest climb loomed in the distance. This one took a while to scale and wore me down a bit. I trudged on for several more miles and finally arrived at the turn around point. 20 1/2 miles and 5:20 later, it was time to head back for round two.

The emotional boost of the halfway point led me to run like a gazelle for the next three miles. Also, it was nice to commiserate with those I met earlier in the run. The return run was lonely. I passed a few runners and a couple passed me. The aid stations seemed to be placed further apart on the way back. The easy downhills on the way out became tedious climbs on the way back.

6:00 at the 38 mile point was the cutoff to go on without a light. Fortunately, I had a light with me just in case. I made it to 38 at 5:45, but I was glad I had a light with me. The sunset was spectacular as I reached the top of the last mountain. The way down was through the rock beds, in the dark. I stubbed a toe on one rock so I got out the headlamp. I slipped in the rock bed and nailed the side of my foot. Since that was the most painful moment I endured, I felt fortunate. The level of muscle pain was quite low. By staying slow, no lactic acid built up.

Soon I could hear people at the camp at the trailhead. The end was near. 11 hours, 18 minutes and 41 miles later, I was greeted by the finish line. I saw several runners who were way behind me. They dropped out. About 25 of the 100+ runners did not finish. I finished 67th. My goal was simply to finish but many experienced ultrarunners did not finish. I believe there was only one other first time ultrarunner and he finished 3 minutes after me.

I'm looking forward to the next ultra. It really was enjoyable. It wasn't the grueling trek I expected. I was sore for two days but it wasn't a debilitating pain. I was on the bicycle Monday, and may run tomorrow if the snow doesn't get too deep

Raging Bull