There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream. ~Author Unknown
I rolled over and looked at the clock. It read 4:15. The alarm hadn’t gone off yet because I had set it for 4:30 a.m. John was sleeping, so I tried to be as quiet as possible as I headed to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day. I looked out the hotel window: rain.
As I brushed my teeth in the darkness, I thought about what was in store for us that day: John would be running his first ultramarathon: 50 miles through the mountains in Vermont. Ultras are the ultimate dream (and goal) for endurance junkies. John trained five months specifically for the Vermont 50 miler. This training was preceded by years dedicated to marathon and triathlon training. In other words, an ultra requires considerable focused preparation. You will run many, many miles chasing this dream. To put it mildly, ultramarathons are difficult, and the distance is only one of the challenges. They typically traverse trails that differ in their level of difficuly. Most trails scuttle up and down thousands of feet of vertical elevation. Some are held in extremely hot conditions, such as Badwater. Others are in extremely cold conditions, such as the Arrowhead Ultra. The weather can be your best friend or your avowed enemy. Based on the steady drip outside, it seemed like it would not be our buddy today.
I thought about what started the ultramarathon dream. After running a few marathons, we faced the question: what next? So, we decided to try a few triathlons. Seeking some resources that would help with triathlon training, I headed to the bookstore. As I was perusing the racks, I saw books about marathons and running. Running is my favorite, so I was drawn to these books. I selected two books: Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner by Dean Karnazes and Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seenby Chris McDougall. I had no idea the combined effect these books would have. They introduced us to a world of ultra running and helped to answer the “what next?” question. Turns out, ultra marathons are the answer.
Based on a chance selection in April of two inspirational books, I was now brushing my teeth in the dark at 4:20 a.m. at the Ascutney Mountain Holiday Inn. As I was spitting out the last remnants of toothpaste, I heard John starting to rustle in the room.
Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow. ~Dan Rather
He was nervous. The nerves had been steadily building for a few days now. But, this morning, they were outwardly apparent. Who wouldn’t be nervous? It takes an incredible amount of guts just to show up at the starting line of an ultramarathon. Add rain and the uncertainty of what it would be like and it’s amazing that anyone shows up on race day. Yet, when we arrived at the base lodge for the race meeting, it seemed that a few hundred people battled their nerves and found the courage to start.
It was a little hectic prior to the start because the race includes a 50 mile run, a 50 mile mountain bike and a 50K run. By far, there were more mountain bikers than runners. Once the mountain bikers departed at 6:15 a.m., the congestion cleared quite a bit. Now, we just had to wait 30 minutes for the start of the 50 mile run. I tried to convince John to eat something, but the most he could manage was a half a bagel and a banana. I suppose shoving food into a nervous stomach wouldn’t be any better than having nothing at all. So, he sipped on his sports drink. Some calories are better than none. (Side note: his heart rate zovirax monitor indicated that he had burned 8500 calories by the end of the race!)
Then came the call: “50 mile runners! We need you outside at the starting line.” It was time. I quickly snapped a picture of John as he headed to the start. The rain was not letting up, but at least it was not very cold. As the race began, I was overwhelmed with excitement and pride. I wiped the tears as they mixed with the rain.
As the runners disappeared onto the course, I ran to the truck. Now I had to find the 12 mile aid station, which was the first aid station that handlers would be able to access. Once there, I posted updates to Facebook and Twitter, made arrangements to meet up with John’s parents, and then I stood waiting with the other spectators, having a variety of pleasant conversations. John ran through the mile 12 aid station around 9:05 a.m. He looked great, and said he was feeling great. What a relief! All of the nervousness and apprehension was gone. He was focused, energized, and moving forward.
I met up with him one more time at the mile 32 aid station (Dugdale’s) around 1:20 p.m. As he ran through, he said he was feeling strong and was looking forward to seeing me at mile 41, where I would meet him to serve as his pacer. I was excited that I would be able to share part of this experience with him. And, I have to be honest: I wanted to be out there! My legs were itching for some movement. I felt like a dog on a leash whose master wouldn’t let her go play with the other dogs. Let me loose! I got my chance around 3:10 p.m.
Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts. ~Steve Prefontaine
For most runners, ultramarathons are not about speed – but they are about guts. As I joined John at mile 41 to run the remaining 9 miles with him, I saw first hand how difficult the terrain was and the perserverance and stamina it required to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The runners who had raced the VT50 before said the last miles were “long miles,” which meant they were the extremely hard. It was definitely the most challenging conditions I’ve ever run in. The course was naturally difficult – lots of steep elevation on some narrow trails. The weather increased the difficulty level considerably. The rain had created a mud bath. The several hundred mountain bikers had churned the trails into a mashed potato-like consistency. With each step, the mud made a sucking sound as it wrapped around our shoes. A few sections of trail were thin, with steep cutouts, and slippery conditions.
Despite the challenges, John was in high spirits. And, because I only had such a short distance: I was having a lot of fun. As we ran, we met up with runners and would run apiece with them. There was a strong collective feeling to this run. No one that we met was trying to “beat” anyone else. The run was about the personal challenge. Other runners were company–not competitors.
The finish line was at the base of Ascutney Mountain so the last 3/4 of a mile was all downhill. I split up from John about 500 meters from the finish line, so I could watch him in his moment of triumph.
It was truly spectacular. After the race, we met up with his parents. His mom commented that she was speaking with another spectator who was talking about 100 mile ultramarathons. And, she said, “That’s just crazy! This 50 miles is hard enough.” I looked at John and laughed. I could already see the new dream that was forming.
