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I started near the back of the pack, which may have been a mistake and certainly cost me some time. There was one choke point early in the race, where we left the road and hit the trails. The people I was bunched up with were extremely cautious along the trail. It wasn't until we got to the bottom of the first hill that I was able to start passing people.
I was checking my time pretty carefully throughout the race. I completed the first mile, which was before we hit the trail head, in 17 minutes. The second mile, which ended near the bottom of first hill, took me 27 minutes to complete, thanks to the bunching on the narrow trail.
Humble Hill, the first part of the first hill, was extremely steep. I was moving faster than most people were and there were lots of opportunities to pass that I took advantage of. After Humble Hill it leveled off briefly but then it was all uphill to Hyner View which is also used as a launch point for hang gliders. The last few hundred meters to the peak were once again very steep.
There was an aid station at the top. I walked right past it and headed down the backside of the hill. I was concerned about my time. I had goals in mind and I felt that I needed to pick up the pace so I shuffled most of the way down the backside of the first hill. I slowed a couple times to eat a little bit of a pro bar and drink a little bit of the water I brought with me.
The second hill was long but nowhere near as steep as the first. The route to the top of the second hill was along Johnson Run. The trail crossed back and forth over the stream twenty or more times. A lot of the people ahead of me were very tentative about crossing. For the most part the water wasn't more than ankle deep. I got impatient and started going around groups of people crossing wherever it seemed like I could. My feet got wet; I didn't really care. I wanted to maintain a good pace.
I passed more people along Johnson Run than I did anywhere else. Even climbing up the last bit to the top of the second hill I passed a lot of people who were just moving too slow for me. I would run briefly to get ahead of them and then resume walking.
I went right past the second aid station and started down the other side of the hill, Post Draft. I paused briefly for a few more bites of pro bar and sips of water. The path was very narrow after a point, which made it difficult for me to pass people. I wound up behind a small group of people who were moving slower than I wanted to move. I stayed behind them until a couple runners came through and asked to pass. I followed in their wake past the people I had been stuck behind. I did this a couple more times down to the bottom of Post Draft and leading up to the third and final hill.
The path along Cleveland Hollow, the first part of the final hill was steep and I didn't think I was moving all that fast. Still, I passed a number of people on the way to the top. It wasn't as long as the previous two hills but the final few hundred meters (aka SOB) were extremely steep. For the first time I considered pausing to catch my breath. I didn't stop until I got the top but I was moving much slower than I had been by the time I got there.
At the top, I stopped at the third and final aid station. It was snowing lightly. I drank a couple cups of water, ate some trail mix, and caught my breath. After about five minutes I moved on. There was a little more uphill but it wasn't very steep.
The hardest part for me of the remaining 5 miles was the long downhill along Huff Run. For the most part it wasn't very steep but my left knee was starting to bother me. I walked the whole way down. I would have liked to shuffle down and pick up some more speed but my knee just wasn't having it. I got passed by a number of people, who were running, on the way down. Many of them were people I had passed on the way up Cleveland Hollow or earlier in the race.
The last mile was all along roads. I quick marched the whole way. I broke into a jog right at the end. I passed a few people and was passed by a few others in that final stretch. There was a big crowd at the finish line cheering people on as they crossed. I received a medal for finishing and then went to grab a bite to eat.
They had barbecue chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, pizza, and desserts. I got a huge piece of barbecue chicken and some potato salad. There were a number of beverage options. I passed on the beer and stuck with water.
Originally I was hoping I would have a good enough time (4 hrs 30 min) to qualify me to participate in next year's 50K. As I walked and occasionally ran, it became clear to me that I wasn't moving fast enough to hit that mark. My secondary goal was to finish with an average pace of 3 mph, which I calculated would mean completing the course in 5 hrs 15 min. I just made that mark; my official time was 5:14:35. What I didn't realize is that the 25K race was actually about a half mile longer than 25K, so I did better than just squeak under the wire of my secondary goal.
This race was not easy in the least bit. It was fun and challenging. I didn't push myself to the very edge of my physical limits but I was worn out and very hungry by the time I finished. I think I would need to be in better shape, take it easier, and eat more during the race in order to complete a 50K of this magnitude of difficulty.
Time: 5:14:35
Pace: 18:57 / mile
Place: 601/958 (Overall), 114/161 (M 40-49)
Results: PA Runners
