And we're back! After a six month break from racing to focus on my family and responsibilities as a new father, it felt great to get back to familiar trails and the ultra running community I love so much last weekend. I celebrated earth day by running the Chopawamsic 50K, one of several races hosted by Athletic Equation at Prince William Forest Park on Saturday, April 22nd. The day started early as I quietly slipped out of bed and left the house before dawn, trying my best to not wake up my sleeping wife or baby girl. Bud was of course awake and excited to see me, until he discovered that I was rudely leaving him behind and not taking him out for our normal morning run together - sorry fella, you will have to settle for chasing squirrels in the backyard instead.
I was rather groggy on the drive down to the park, but a few scoops of Amino Energy and loud music snapped me out of it. As I continued along I found myself getting rather emotional, as it just felt so very strange leaving Sarah and Abby at home alone. I spent the next 30 minutes or so of the drive praying for them, the health and safety of all the athletes who would be running with me, and for opportunities to share the love of Christ throughout the day, which really helped to calm my spirit. With that I arrived at the park around 6am, a good hour before the race was set to begin. On the short walk over to the mess hall to check-in I was greeted excitedly by a friendly volunteer named Bertha, who noticed the Spartan Ultra shirt I was wearing (my favorite one from the 2018 Spartan World Championship in Iceland) and couldn't resist shouting "AROO!" We chatted for a bit, I thanked her for volunteering today, and left her with some words of encouragement as she prepares to take on her first Spartan Ultra in Fayetteville, NC next month. I was again reminded of the power of the Spartan brand as a young woman shyly approached me while I was dropping my gear at the aid station because she also noticed my shirt. She too was preparing for her first Spartan race, so she naturally had some questions. Although it has been several years since I have run Spartans, it was cool getting to share my knowledge to help others again and reminded me of how fun and welcoming the OCR community is. The ultra running community has always been the same for me, which is one of the main reasons I keep coming back.
A little before 7AM Race Director Alex Papadopoulos herded us all to the starting line for some pre-race remarks, and off we dashed into the woods. I quickly surged ahead with the lead runners and made short work of the first 6.3 mile trail loop, finishing it in 1st place with a time of 55 minutes. Thankfully I was far enough ahead of the other runners that none of them saw me do an epic face plant toward the end of the lap, as I bombed down one of the more technical descents and tripped over a large root. It shook me up a little and the root tightened my left shoelace to the point where I thought my foot might explode, but aside from that I moved on unscathed. Trying to spend as little time as possible at the aid station, I had one of the volunteers top off my handheld water bottle while I hurriedly grabbed a protein bar and a few gels from my bin. I typically train fasted in the mornings, so I opted to start the race fasted as well, but after the first lap I was definitely ready for breakfast. I had a little bit of PB&J and 1/2 a banana on my way out of the aid station and downed the protein bar as I returned to the trail for lap 2. For the rest of the race I would rely primarily on SaltStick Electrolyte Fastchews and Hammer gels every 30-45 minutes, which has worked well for me in the past and did just fine today. Most of the 2nd lap I was engaged in pleasant conversation with a local ultrarunner named Justin, a runner from D.C. named Josh, and a younger U.S. Navy runner named Cole. It was so much fun getting to know them all! Justin informed me that he had 4 kids and had his oldest daughter crewing for him today as he ran the 100K (which he would go on to win while setting a course record). Josh has a daughter who is about a year older than my daughter, so it was especially easy to connect with him. I also enjoyed getting to know a runner from New Jersey named Dave, who was attempting his first 100K. With a blended family of 5 kids ages 2-15, I can only imagine the sacrifices he made to be here today. A common theme we all discussed was that even though ultrarunning is an incredible sport, it can be such a selfish endeavor if you allow it to be. We all acknowledged how much time it takes away from family, and I listened intently to the advice of the more experienced fathers as they talked about the importance of including your family in your training and racing, just like Justin was doing today. A story one of the dads shared about dropping in the final stages of an ultra race that he was winning because he missed his wife and kids so much really resonated with me, as I I spent most of the race thinking about Sarah and Abby. Seeing little children out playing and laughing in the field near the start line each lap just made my heart long to see them that much more. I can't wait until Abby is old enough to join the other kids someday.
Laps 3 and 4 were rather uneventful, as my pace slowed and I ran solo for a few hours. I observed that I definitely run faster with people, as hearing their stories while sharing both the joy and pain of ultrarunning together is another one of my favorite things about the sport. As gorgeous as the scenery at Prince William Forest Park is, the monotony of running the same trails over and over had started to wear me down mentally. I strongly prefer point to points races rather than looped courses because every step presents you with something new and beautiful. But 6.3 mile loops? Not really my thing. By the end I was really tired of it, as I knew every hill, bridge, rock, root and tree by memory. Thankfully I had elected to only do the 50K (5 laps); I honestly could not imagine doing anymore at the moment. I lost track of my position but pressed on, and was rather surprised after so much time alone to have 2 women pass me toward the end of the final lap. I barely heard them coming and they looked so strong! A mile later they both greeted me at the finish line, where I learned they were 1st and 2nd of the female 50K finishers. After a handshake and some kind words from Race Director Alex, I sat down with great relief knowing that my race was done and I had finished in 6th place. It seems I crossed the finish line just in the nick of time, too, as heavy downpours started not even 10 minutes later. After running in the rain during much of the Yeti 100 miler last fall I was not at all interested in a repeat performance. Tired but satisfied, I hit the road with a lot on my mind. What is it that drives me to continue ultra racing? Is it love, or is it fear? More on this to come as I process my thoughts. The best reward of the day came when I arrived back home in Arlington to the warm and loving embrace of my wife Sarah, a peacefully napping baby, and the heavenly aroma of steak filling our house. As we sat down for dinner that night, all I could think about was how blessed I am. Being a husband to Sarah and father to Abby are the greatest honors I have ever had, and I can't wait for our next adventure together as a family.
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