2016 Kismet Cliff "Beast of the East" Trail Run

I'm going to start this recap on Friday afternoon, after I'd joined the family at the inaugural NoSto Festival in our town.  Really cool little small town gathering.  Perfect Fall weather, and a great time to be living in New England.  I wasn't itching to get on the road, but knew I'd better be driving by 2 or it might really be a slog to get to Conway.  Made a couple of errors getting ready.

First mistake:  Lori's car was low on washer fluid, so as I was cleaning my truck to get it ready for the trip, I figured I'd fill the reservoir.  Grabbed the big bottle of blue liquid, started pouring...and realized it was power washer concentrate for the house!  Whoops...had to dilute it with water, run it dry (soapy!) and refill the tank.

Second mistake:  Hastily getting my gear together.  In my mad dash to get on the road, I forgot to pack two critical pieces of gear for a run in the White Mountains:  gloves and a windbreaker.  Dummy.  More on that later...

So...I finally got on the road, with plans to meet friend, WTAC cohort and fast runner Rhody Seth at the Moat Brewhouse for drinks and dinner.  Coming into Conway, I was gonna miss checking into my room before 6:30, so I went straight to Moat.  I also texted local friends Ryan and Kristina to see if they were around.  Ironically, Ryan was on North Moat flagging the course (and did a fantastic job, it needs saying...I didn't get lost!) in a headlamp, as the Sun was going down.  They both said they'd meet us!  Coolness.

Moat was packed!  Didn't realize how crazy it got, but Seth got us seats, the food was good and the beer better.  Ryan joined us for a drink, Kristina stopped by to say Hi, and I cruised back to the motel at 8:30, where I was treated to a G-Bot IPA and a showing of "The Empire Strikes Back."

Use the Force, and the beer will come to you...

I had Yoda's wisdom stuck in my head during the race:



So there's that...call me Skywalker!

Next morning,  I wake up to cool temps, partly cloudy skies, and a brisk breeze blowing.  I've forgotten crucial wardrobe items from my list.  My hands always get cold first, it's Sunday and all the shops are closed.  But I work construction, and there's a Home Depot in Conway!  Ha!  One set of Gorilla Grip gloves, and thin poncho and a contractor's trash bag later, and I'm ready for whatever comes at me!!!

I arrive way early to Echo Lake.  Just a few people there, and the lot gradually fills up.  Seth and I get checked in, and do a short warmup around Echo Lake.  This race is very low-key, and pretty much every runner in the field looks fast and fit, even for the short 5-mile option.  Except me.  After RD Gabe Flanders gives a short directive, we start and I'm immediately at the back of the pack.  As in last.  There's only about 40-50 people total, so I think "OK, just do your own thing."

Seth about to throw down.  Cathedral, in the background, is the short first climb...

After a short cruise around Echo and some lower forest run, we turn and begin the ascent up Cathedral Ledge.  A long, steep climb with peeks through the trees at a spectacular view across the valley and mountains.  Basically, what I didn't see last year.  I kept pausing to take it in, and it just kept getting better.  After the Cathedral/White Horse ascent, we were offered a brief respite before the three-ish mile death march up North Moat Mountain.  It just keeps going up.  Last year, the fog kept tricking me.  This year, I'd fallen in with two local women (Sherry and Katie) who hiked there all the time, and as you looked up Moat, you could see ever more rises and falls, and the summit way off in the distance.

Sherry and Katie

Frank!

Sherry and Katie

Wind was whipping up there, but the views are incredible

Another runner named Frank joined us as we were getting to the top, and we all paused for a couple pictures.  Awesome.  The wind was whipping, though, and we got off the top quickly, and I put on my Gorilla Grip gloves on the way down.  The trail was bone-dry, a totally different course from the previous year.  Wow.  We could actually run the downhill to the creek!

Now it was new friends Sherry, Katie and Frank, and we all worked together as a group, stopped together, and stayed together until the big turn back up White Horse.  The ladies had a time goal in mind, so they pushed ahead.  Frank and I were happy to just cruise the rest of the course, shoot the shit, and finished the race (run) together.  Great new friends!

Course totals for my increasingly erratic Garmin: 12.8 miles, with 4,700+ feet of climbing, in a bit over 4 hours.  Not my dream race, but I finished one of the toughest races on the East Coast, and I'm cool with that!

After the race I was greeted by Seth, who had kicked ass and turned in a 7th place finish in 2:40 in a very fast field, and informed me that I'd won a pair of La Sportiva running shoes in the raffle!  Sweet!!!  I picked the Bushido:

http://www.sportiva.com/products/footwear/mountain-running/bushido

Gabe and his crew put on a great race, a tough race, and I'll say it again:  WAY too few runners for a race this badass.  I can't believe that out of all the trail runners in New England, there are so few takers for this race.  It's beautiful, brutal, and worth every minute!

 I had a long drive ahead, so I called it a day and got on the road.  I really like New Hampshire, the pace really seems like it fits me well, everybody is pretty laid-back and mostly seem to be there because of the incredible beauty of the area.  We had hikers cheering us on during the race, and everyone I encountered was friendly.  I really do need to get up there more often!!!