2016 Cayuga Trails 50 Mile Trail Race

Wordy as I am when I get my act together, the "Spring Trifecta" of trail races is officially complete!  I'm pretty proud of this, as it wasn't an easy trio of races, and culminated in my longest and most difficult race yet.  In order:

2016 Breakneck Point Half Marathon:

2016 7 Sisters Trail Race:

2016 CT 50 Mile Trail Race:

Three very toothy elevation profiles!  So here's my first ever 50-mile race recap, and definitely not my last!

I wanted this to be my first 50-miler from the moment they announced it.  After several years of things standing in my way (life, fitness, etc.), this was gonna be the year.  I had a treatment for Lyme in the Fall, had done badly at a couple of long trail races, and the triple I'd chosen was my redemption, culminating in the CT50.  I even downloaded a training spreadsheet!

With my work schedule, I was trying to fit runs in where I could, and I just couldn't get the mileage up to where it needed to be, so I substituted the deficit with shorter, intense technical trail runs.  I think that it worked great for the first two races!  However, I just hadn't been able to get that all-important super long prep run in, and I know that a few people were concerned (Beth! Faith! Ha!), myself included...

Two weeks before the race, I had an impromptu day off, and decided to drop the dog off at daycare, park my truck as an aid station at the beginning of a 2.7 mile trail loop, and run until I had to leave.  30 miles in 5 hours, some help from Faith and some solo time did the trick.  OK, I've got this...fast forward to 6/2:

Arrived in Ithaca on Thursday, got settled in and had dinner at Ithaca Beer Co.  Friday I decided to start with some course recon, and it turned out my hotel was only 2 miles from the park where the race was held.  I previewed some of the Treman State Park trails, steep but not terribly technical:

Lower Falls from up on the Rim Trail

Gorge Trail entrance

Bees!  Had one harass me for .25 mile

Oh, stairs...there's a lot more at the top, around the corner...lol

OK!  Preview #1 done, I went to check out the infamous stream crossing at the Underpass Aid Station, where "swimmies" are awarded for best water crossing photo.  I had just started my recon., when I noticed that another runner was approaching me.  His distinctive mustache gave him away, hey!  That's Matt Flaherty!  We stopped and chatted for a bit, and he was also interested in checking out the water crossing.  We ran over, talked about the race, and he noted that because the water level was low, RD Ian might shift it over to a deeper section nearby...

Underpass

Probably the most mellow, enjoyable stretch of trail I've ever seen, and far too short!

The tracks!  We go under those.

Where the stream crossing was...

...where it got re-routed.  Note the darker, deeper water!

Preview #2 done, I drove the short distance to Buttermilk Falls, and ran up the stunningly beautiful Gorge trail:

The beginning of the Gorge Trail at Buttermilk

Cool, looked like a waterfall flowing into a cave, and out into another waterfall.  Pictures don't do it justice...

Just perfect.

Trails and old CCC walls/steps from the 1930s.  Thanks, FDR!

One more!

That done, I went down to pick up my race packet, socialized for a bit, then drove out to Taughannock Falls, where I shot a picture from the overlook (before I found out the lower trail was closed):

Stunning!  Note the path far below.

I then went and found our family cottage from 35+ years ago (still there!), and had a nostalgic hike up the gorge behind it to the waterfall, went back to the car and returned to the hotel, where I freshened up, had dinner at the Ithaca Beer Co. and called it a day.  Bed by 9:30, early for me!

THE RACE:

After a fitful night of attempting to sleep, I rolled out of bed, ate a quick breakfast and made the short drive to Robert H. Treman State Park.  What an electric atmosphere at these races, it's really something to see, as runners, crew, family and friends all get ready for the day.  I quickly stowed my drop bags (loaded with changes of shirts, shoes, extra handhelds, etc.) and met up with Janet and Brenda, and looked around for Claire, who appeared to be in stealth mode.  Found her right before the start, got a quick picture, and before I knew it we were off!  As it was supposed to be warm, I opted for a singlet, shorts and light hat, and had my CamelBak filled with Tailwind.  After a short stretch running through the field at the campground to spread out the field, we entered the woods and climbed a service road on our way to the Gorge trail.  

Miles 1-7:  Everyone was still bunched up and still very chatty.  Yeah, that'll change...I'd previewed this trail, and it rolls and climbs up the gorge, ascends and descends Lucifer Falls (so many stairs!), and passes through the first aid station (Old Mill) at the top on the way to the Underpass AS.  Feeling good!  My goal was to finish, so I kept a conversational pace and carried on.  From the Underpass, the first major stream crossing was coming up, and it was waist+ deep.  Cool, clear, and now I had wet shoes AND wet shorts...and six miles to the turnaround at Buttermilk Falls.  Squish!

Miles 7 to 12.5 - After the stream, runners enjoy a false sense of security in flowery meadows, before hitting a very steep, seemingly endless climb.  This one wasn't fun at all, switchbacks, taped off so you couldn't go straight, and relentlessly UP.  Once that was finally cleared, there's a level-ish section of single track, some meadows, and a couple of quick road crossings before you enter Buttermilk Falls SP.  The meadows were great!  You could see other runners ahead and behind, and I was able to catch a few of the leaders as they flew by.  The descent into Buttermilk was uneventful, but the temperature was slowly climbing.  At the aid station, I refilled my pack, grabbed some munchies (PB&J, bacon, pickle slices), changed my shirt and was off!

Miles 12.5 to 19 - Getting back to the Underpass was no problem.  Always somebody to chat with, the usual ebb and flow of runners, and I saw two friends who I've seen before at races, John and Juan, who always race together.  I also ran into Janet, who was doing the marathon distance (they started 2 hours later), and she looked good!  Said Claire was up ahead.  I got to the Underpass AS, chowed and filled my pack and was off!

Miles 19 to 25 - Climbing out of the Underpass, through Lucifer Falls and back to the Start/Finish was much slower.  I could feel the stairs and every climb was taking longer.  On the way there, I ran into Claire.  She was having some issues but was pressing on, and looked determined.  Way to go!

I was determined to do whatever I could to finish this race, and my only thought was "Get to the turn, load up and get the Hell out of there as fast as possible!"  And that's what I did.  Got to the turn, reloaded, chatted with Mike S. from Red Newt briefly, and changed my shirt and hat. Big milestone getting out of there, as it was getting really warm and humid.

Miles 25 to 32 - Now it really begins.  Let's see how we handle a double marathon with multiple steep climbs.  My goal at this point?  Get to Buttermilk, no matter what.  If I got to Buttermilk, I knew I had it locked.  I felt hot and fatigued.  The Sun was out in full force, and unbeknownst to me, runners were dropping left and right.  Ran into Brenda on my way out of the Gorge trail, and she wished me luck!  I kept it steady on, loaded up at Old Mill and Underpass AS (the strawberries at this point were epic), and kept going...get to Buttermilk!

Miles 32 to 37.5 - Lots less people on the trail now...I found myself alone quite a bit.  Fortunately, I ran into Claire in the meadows between the parks and she looked great.  The #TrailsRoc crew sat her down and hydrated her until she was ready to crush the last 20k!  Unfortunately, the "easy" section of the course was in direct sunlight, and actually worse (at least how I felt) than the hilly sections in the shade.  I arrived at the Buttermilk Falls AS with a big smile on my face.  I was wiped out, in uncharted territory now (my longest run ever was 32.5 up to this point), and knew I was gonna make it back no matter what.  The AS crew at Buttermilk hooked me up!  Filled my pack with GU brew and ice cubes, put ice in my hat, and hustled my ass out of there when I decided to go look at my drop bag.  Smart people!  And great volunteers!  I saw one of my on/off running buddies from the race, Scott G., chilling in a lawn chair and thought "No Way, he can't be done here!" (he wasn't).  And up Buttermilk Falls I went.

Miles 37.5 to 43 - Really uneventful.  Other than the back and forth partnership with Scott, before he pulled away, and meeting Steven, who, like myself, had slowed to a walk/jog combo and was feeling the effects of the distance and heat.  We chatted, I kept a brisk walking pace with fits of jogging, and was determined we'd finish the race no matter what.  The photographer was gone at the deep stream crossing, and we took our sweet time there, as it was hot out and the cool water was a gift at this point!  Chafing aside (and there was!), it was awesome.  We arrived at the Underpass with 7 miles to go, and the volunteers were there and greeted us like rockstars!!!  They hooked us up, told us we were not, in fact, dead effing last, and sent us on!

Miles 43 to 50! - Steven and I walked, talked, and enjoyed the fact that we were going to make the cutoff.  I maintained a brisk pace, we negotiated the stairs up, through the Aid Station, and the stairs down.  The last couple miles, he encouraged me to go ahead and finish as fast as I could, so I sped up a bit, and managed to cross the line at 14:00:41 officially, #160 of 173 finishers, of 249 starters, of 300 registered to race.  

Can't wear the shirt if you don't finish the race!  

(Note the nifty plaque and stainless steel pint glass)

On the surface, my numbers would be pissing me off!  The reality?  It's probably the race I'm most proud of.  Here's why:

Did this for 50 miles.  With Superman as one of my co-pilots!

I was mentally positive throughout the entire race, and never thought I'd quit.  I just knew I wouldn't quit, it wasn't an option.

I was smart about the race/pacing.  Hardly ever happens for me.  I stayed slow and steady, not knowing what the back half of the race would have in store.  It worked.

50 Miles! My longest distance by a long shot!  My previous long was 33 miles.  And this was hilly, haha...

The Volunteers.  I'm proud of them!  Saved my ass, encouraged me and made me feel important, looked after me, and hustled my ass out of Dodge when I was taking too long...It's a gift and a blessing, those aid stations, but a DNF waiting to happen, and they were the key to success on Saturday :)

Helped a couple people who were struggling, and made a difference for them?

When the volunteer at mile 32 said to me, "This is your first 50?  You picked a muthafucka!" and he was totally right.

When my wife, who was tracking me, texted me to say she was worried because I hadn't been heard from since mile 32, and I was at mile 40!  Ha!  Imagine her surprise when I called...(she later told a colleague who's into this nonsense, and he confirmed that it was a bitch of a race, so there's that!  I think she's proud, anyway!).

I enjoyed the whole damn thing.  Mile 1 to mile 50, I really, truly enjoyed every minute of it.  The course, scenery, runners, volunteers, the aid stations!  Ithaca.  Damn.  Loved every minute of it.  It's really a magical place.  Ask anybody else who was there.  I'm either completely full of shit or right on the mark that it's a perfect destination race...

So there it is. The CT50, my first and not my last.  Here's a link to the results, couldn't believe how many DNF's there were, some quite deep into the race too:

2016 CT50 Results

And my Strava data:

I'm gonna forget something.  I'll add it later, but here's the bottom line:  I made this a big deal, and did it.  Loved it.  Made friends and strengthened other friendships.  Traveled, got way out of my comfort zone, pushed my limits, and will continue to do so.  It's a good way to be.  The Red Newt Racing events are what it's all about, I'm here to tell you.  Legitimate beast-level races, in places that make you stop mid-race to pull out a camera for a picture, and also really put it on the line.  Worth it on so many levels!

50 Miles.  I'm already putting the race on my calendar for 2017, no doubt at all...oh, and I almost forgot: