No Crew, No Pacers, No Whining…But Winning Permitted

--Glen Redpath

Runners and writers who write about running talk about this great “Experiment of One”.

Feeling a little pressure from a couple of my friends who have run seven (yes seven) one hundred milers this year (mostly unsupported using only drop bags) and another friend who swears by 50-mile training weeks.  I decided to try an experiment of my own what I am calling “my minimal period”. 

So with four 50-mile weeks (this is considered low mileage by most ultra runners) under my belt (buckle) on Wed Sept 9 I entered the Haliburton Forest 100 mile trail run.  The run was only three days away so I had little time to prepare.  On Fri I drove the 560 miles from NYC to arrive in beautiful northern Ontario.  I knew I had arrived when searching for a radio station I came across 100.9 Canoe FM.  My goal was simple – enjoy the trail, run controlled and make use of all the aid stations including my drop bags.      

 At the pre-race meal the race director asked everyone to stand and introduce them selves.  The race nurse also informed us that if are fingers swell up like sausages during the run tomorrow then we need to “Salt Our Sausages” by ingesting salt tablets.  We were also told of the animals we may encounter.

 A little cold out I decided to sleep in my car versus my tent.  Upon rising I could hear wolves howling making me quiver.  This would end up being my only hearing or animal sighting other then a couple frogs and a little brown bat at dusk. 

 After a short prayer and the playing of bagpipes runners are ushered to the start in the dark.  The Haliburton Forest event has an accompanying 50k, 50M that start together with the 100 miler promptly at 6am.  

 I decided to carry one bottle along with my small waist pack filled with my various favorite gels and snacks.  Feeling pretty relaxed I ran a steady pace around a beautiful Macdonald Lake with a few 50 mile runners for the first 25k.  The course is very runnable with logging roads, single track, tree roots, decaying log trail and a dry mud single-track section.  At one aid station feeling pretty good and seeing another runner I just gave chase and blew through the aid station.  I few minutes later I was running with the second place runner in the 50 miler.  The pace seemed fast put I felt pretty comfortable.

 At the 50km aid station I went for my drop bag and pulled out a Soy Protein smoothie.  It tasted wonderful but I think I drank it too fast as my stomach started to give way.  The next 10 – 15km were rough and I thought a couple times about walking.  Keith, a former hockey player from Kingston, ON, caught up to me and we chatted briefly.  He looked pretty good and I could sense that he really wanted to push the pace.  Just before the 69k aid station Jeff slowed to stretch and I bolted ahead.  My leg strength started to return and the return loop around Macdonald Lake went by fast.  Just before the 74k aid station I could see Adam Hill the leader in the 50mile event walking.  I encouraged him to start running again but he had bonked and was reduced to walking to the finish.  Keeping a steady pace I was the first to arrive at the 50mile turn around at 1:50pm and quickly turned to do the loop a second time.  Returning I could see that another runner Derrick was only about 6 mins behind me followed closely by Adam and Jeff.  When I reached the 91k aid station I stopped to munch a couple slices of turkey.  The temperature was in the lower 70’s and the salty turkey tasted wonderfully.  My hands remained slim but I decided to pop a couple salt tabs anyway.  Just keep eating and drinking is what I told myself.  When I reached 120k my lead had stretched to 28 mins and I knew that if I just kept running everything would be fine.  At 130k I picked up my flashlight and then ran a little quicker with the thought of getting in more miles before darkness fell completely.  Around 135k I turned on my flashlight my focus was now on trying to run without falling.  Despite my slower pace I managed to navigate the single track trail around Macdonald Lake one last time.  Coming to the last aid station at 158k everything seemed to be going my way and I did stop shortly after up the last hill with 1 mile to go my flashlight went dead.  OMG panic should I go back to the aid station, should I stop and just walk damn it I will run and if I fall down I will get back up – no whining!!!  Luckily I was on a dirt road and amazingly my eyes adjusted to the dark and I just ran till I could see the bonfire at the finish.  (From now on always use LED’s!!) 

 When I arrived at the finish I screamed out, “first runner.”

They yelled back but wait we are not ready.  Go run through the chute again so we can get a picture.  My winning time was 17:18 (61mins under the course record) pretty quick considering 10,000 feet of up and down.  After answering questions and eating a marsh mellow my body temperature plummeted and I needed to be warm.  Special thanks to Bernadette, Iris, Paul, and Jeff for letting me use their cabin to shower and warm up after my run.  I definitely had a little case of hypothermia.  My feet however - fine (no blisters) wore the Salomon XT Wings S-Lab’s all day.  

 When I recovered I learned that Derrick finished strong in second in 17:52 (also under the course record).  Keith had hung onto third place and Adam Hill had won the 50Miler.   

On Monday, September 14 I took the day off from running (yes this is allowed).  I continued with what I call my Michael Phelps Mondays (no I don’t go find my Haight Ashbury friends at 420 and light up).  This is where I try to consume up 6000-7000 calories mostly at the Faculty Lounge lunch buffet (this feeding consisted of five sesame chicken breasts, a plate of broccoli, a plate of rice and a small salad).  Thanks Pat!

Then on Tuesday I took another day off from running.

Wednesday feeling a little spunky I ran 5 miles really slowly.

Thursday feeling even more spry I decided to do the Central Park workout.  The guts of the workout being a continuous 9Mile run (broken down into three 3 mile sections) the first to be run at marathon pace, the second at half marathon pace and the third back at marathon pace.  I did the first 3M at 6:35 pace then dropped down a 6:15 pace.  Legs feeling a little heavy I stopped at 6M.  Then I went back to work and registered online for the Iroquois 100 miler two days later.  (This is the Experiment!!)

Friday I took another day off from running left work at 4pm and drove the 220 miles to Gatherings Restaurant in Virgil, NY, the start / finish area of the Iroquois trail events.  When I arrived Chris McDougall (author of “Born to Run”) had just finished his lecture and started signing copies of his book.  While others waited in line I searched for a hostess and pleasantly begged for any leftovers.  She returned with a huge portion of pasta, chicken and salad.  This is sure not NYC.  After eating I met my friends Kelly Wilson and Jack Pilla.  They were camping in the field behind Gatherings.  I set my tent up in the dark and went to sleep with all my clothes on.  It was very cold for the end of summer.  Upon waking it was about 38F I quickly grabbed my drop bags and headed for the start about 150 meters away.  The Iroquois 100 is made up of three different sections with over 18,000 feet of up and down.  The first a 6 mile loop to the top of Greek Peak and back mostly on a recently mowed grass path up and down a ski slope.  The second section is a combination of single track with plenty of tree roots sharp turns and short steep climbs coupled with beautiful runable sections with a few miles of dirt and paved road sections.  The third section that makes up the 50Mile loop is much like the second except for a couple longer steeper climbs and longer trails sections coupled with a gong player at the turn around at the Daisy Hollow aid station (Mile 37 and Mile 87).

Promptly at 6am we were off running.  The steep climb had runners taking little baby running strides while others walked.  When we reached the top we were treated to this amazing view of Virgil Valley while the sun rose to the east.  Shortly after the first loop I hooked up with Aliza LaPierre, a very fast female 50 miler and friend of Jack and Kelly’s.  She had recently got back into running after being sidetracked with mono.  We chatted and chatted for the next 42 miles.  It went by so fast and she kept alerting me to drink and eat that I hardly even realized that we had run through most of the early leaders.    

 Aliza went on to win the 50mile event out right finishing ahead of all men.  I came through the Half in 8:32 in second just over 20 mins behind Jeff the leader.  When Aliza stopped I hooked up with another woman, Gerta, running in her first trail event she had missed the start and after doing the third loop first decided to run loop one with me.  Again the time moved quickly upon returning to the Gatherings aid station I begged Gerta to run the next 18mile lollipop loop with me but she was missing her 2year old daughter and decided to stop.  This next section seemed to take forever and all I could focus on were the noisy racecars over at Skyline Raceway in Cortland.  After grapping a cup of coke at the Mile 62 aid station I decided it was time to pick up my pace and try to run as much as I could before dark.  I managed to get back to the Gatherings aid station Mile 74 where I left my flashlights.  Despite my minimal period I decided it would be ok to carry two lights.  While consuming more sliced turkey and with darkness coming and cold weather and I also opted for my Salomon long sleeve tech shirt.  

The climb back up to Greek Peak was a slow walk.  At the top my focus was now on running without falling (Aliza had fallen three times in the day light) no matter how slow I was going I just did not want to fall.  A couple miles before the Gong turn around aid station Mile 87 I saw Jeff.  He was moving good and had plenty of light also he was now over 45 mins ahead of me.  So with 13 miles to go I really focused on the basics on keeping my calorie intake up (drinking and eating) and moving forward there was no fast running here.  My legs were shot but walking was not an option except up steep hills.  At one point I could see two flashlights coming towards me then nothing was I dreaming.  Then a yell - Glen!  It was Jack pacing Kelly to her second 100 miler.  They were still heading out to the turn around.  Their scare actually woke me up and I picked the pace up hoping now to get under 19 hours.  With one final downhill my focus was still on not falling.  Over the last 26 miles I ran the second half faster (3:04 – 2:57) to finish in 18:56 for 2^nd place.  Jeff Browning won comfortably in 17:34.  Kelly Wilson went on to be first woman in 23:26.

 With this experiment complete I learned was my body still rebounds quickly (most likely as a direct result of a high protein diet and a long history of running).  My feet are fine (no blisters) most likely as a direct result of the Darn Tough socks / Salomon Trail Comp running shoes.  There are always things to improve but what I truly enjoy is being on the trail meeting new people and pushing my body to its limit.