Race: Silver Comet Ultra Runs 50k
Location: Rockmart Georgia
Date/Time: Saturday, February 25, 2006, 7:30 AM
Weather: Rain, 45° F, 92% humidity, calm winds
Web Site: http://www.tynesweb.com/guts/e-scur.html
There aren't that many ultras in Georgia, so this was too convenient to
pass up and it fits nicely into my training plan. The start is in
Rockmart, which is about 75 miles west of my home. The purpose of doing
this event was to run an "easy" four to five hour run to prepare for an
upcoming 50-miler. So I didn't race this event (as if I could actually
"race" an ultra). All miles except the last one were run at an easy
pace. I stopped at all but the last aid station.
This was my second 50k. The 2 races were very different. The other 50K
(Dizzy Fifties) that I did was last November. It involved lots of hilly
terrain on dirt trails. I fell numerous times during that race. The
Silver Comet Ultra is run entirely on a flat and wide paved trail. The
Silver Comet Trail (http://tinyurl.com/esp4p) is a 60 mile-long,
converted rail-trail going from Smyrna, about 15 miles Northwest of
Atlanta, to the Georgia-Alabama state line. You are probably not going
to find a trail in Georgia that is more flat than this one. The course
(http://tinyurl.com/k9fpr) rises 300 feet fromt the start to about the
10K mark. This is just under a 1% grade, which is almost imperceptible.
The paved path also has a dirt/grass bridal path that runs adjacent to
the asphalt. I ran on this as much as I could. Since it rained for the
entire event, there were some sections that were too wet or muddy, but
for the most part this was a welcome relief from the hardness of the
pavement. There were 3 aid stations along the course - 8k, 18k, and the
25k turnaround. The volunteers were most excellent. They treated my like
the Sultan of Um-papa Mau Mau. There were only 52 runners signed up for
the 50K and 11 for the 100k. Suprisingly, there were only 4 that didn't
start. I spent half of the race by myself with virtually nobody in sight
in front or behind me. For hydration and energy I carried Cytomax powder
and a 24 oz. hand-held water bottle. I measured out 40 gram amounts of
Cytomax and put them in 4 small baggies. They neatly fit inside my
Amphipod waist pack. At the aid stations the volunteers did all the
work, which was a good thing, since I could not move my fingers very
well after they got cold. The volunteers filled my bottle with water,
pulled a baggie from my pack and mixed it in with the water. My plan was
to drink about 10 oz every 2 or 3 miles. As it turned out, this was too
much fluid for such a cool day. I stopped 4 times along the course to
empty my bladder. I wasn't racing, so this was not a big deal. At about
20 miles, I drank about 10 more oz and dumped the other 10. I ran by the
last aid station at the 26 mile mark. The main thing was that I wanted
to test this "mixing routine" during a long event. It worked quite well
for this event. This would not work well in a crowded event where the
volunteers are merely handing cups to thousands of runners. This is
another added bonus for ultra races. You get first class treatment at
the aid stations. If you want, they'll sit you down, wash your feet,
dress your wounds, pop your blisters, you name it.
The weather was lousy. It rained for the entire event, with the temps in
the mid 40s. I wore a long-sleeve technical t-shirt, vest, shorts,
hat, rag wool mittens, and Sugoi wind mitts. I carried some chemical
hand warmers in my pack in case I needed them later. I put a light coat
of Vaseline on my feet, legs, and face. I started out pretty cold, but
soon warmed up nicely. Half way through my hands started to get pretty
cold, so I opened the chemical hand warmers and put them inside the
mittens. The hand warmers barely warmed up at all. Maybe they got too
wet, or they were defective in some way. They've worked before on
20-mile training runs, but not today. During the remaining 15 miles I
balled up my hand inside the mitten, one hand at a time, since I was
carrying my water bottle. I kept telling myself, "This could be much
worse if it were July." I can put up with the cold hands. It will not
impact my running.
One neat thing about an out-and-back course like this is that you get to
see the front runners as they are coming back. Every single runner
smiled, waved, and had a friendly greeting. Even during the end of the
50K as some of the 100K runners were on their way to their second lap
they were still smiling. Unbelievable! I personally would require some
major motivation to start that second 31-mile lap. You've just finished
running 31 miles. Your car is right there. You have lots of friends and
family offering food and warmth. You know what? I think I'll call it a
day. Why put myself through this for another 4 or 5 hours? I found this
inspiring that these guys and gals continue on their journey through the
cold/wet weather with a wave and a smile.
The 50K and the 100K are run concurrently. The 100k runners do 2 laps of
the 50K out-and-back course. As I was nearing the 30 mile mark, with 1
mile to go, I was starting to gain on a runner. My competitive juices
started to kick in as I felt this runner pulling me closer and closer.
If I wanted to pass him, I had to start running considerably faster than
my average pace. As I ran by him I smiled and said we only had about a
half mile to go. He smiled back and said, "No. I've got another lap. I'm
doing the 100k." Oh my God! Here I am killing myself to overtake this
guy and he's got another 31 miles to run!
Overall a great course with great support and gorgeous views of the
rolling countryside (even in the rain). If it works out for my plans, I
will certainly do this again next year.
My time was 4:49:06. I placed 14 out of 54 starters. Not bad for a
training run. I accomplished my goal, which was to stay moving forward
for 4.5 to 5 hours.
Results: http://www.tynesweb.com/guts/r-scur06.html
--
Phil M.