Two years ago I ran my first Ultramarathon at the gorgeous Riverbend Park, in Jupiter, FL. As the 2019 running of this fat-ass style event is approaching (you can sign-up right up until race day for free), here is a reposting of my Race Report from October 1, 2017.
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Race Report: Riverbend 50K Ultra 2017
First and foremost, yes, I met all three of my goals yesterday, at my first 50K ultra race! I finished, which was a feat in and of itself; I did it in less than 8 hours (I believe my official time is somewhere around 7 hours and 15 minutes), and not only did I sprint in for the last few hundred yards, I WAS able to walk around for several hours following the race. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Race Report
Now for the official race report!
I arrived at the park around 6:30 for a 7 AM start. It was still dark when I got there and I spent the first 15-20 minutes getting prepared-applying bug spray, organizing my food, water, water bottles, extra shoes, socks, etc. I then spent the next ten minutes carrying everything to the pavilion so I could ensure my aid station transition times were as short as possible.
In the future, I’ll consider having someone come and help me do this because lugging around heavy coolers can be a bit of a strenuous warm-up activity before a 32-mile endeavor!
A few minutes after 7, race directors Robert and Christian gathered the group of runners around for a pre-race meeting and then we were off! Half of the group was aiming for a distance of 50K (eight 4-mile loops around the course) and the other half (the die-hard bad-asses) were in it for the long-haul (the 12-hr option)!
Lap 1
So we hit the trails around 7:15 AM. Since many of my trail running buddies were also running this race it was easy to settle in with a pack of friends who wanted to start out running at or near my goal pace. Pacing yourself in the beginning of an ultramarathon is critical and my friends Mark and Keith helped me remember this with gentle reminders about not starting out too fast. If you’re not an ultra runner you may be a little puzzled by this mentality but since most of us can run much faster than the pace we should start out with, it’s easy to over-do it in the first few miles and the consequences might mean the dreaded DNF! So I took their advice to heart.
As I was finishing my first lap, my friend Pete was just starting his second, and as we crossed paths he turned around, ran with me towards the aid station for a few minutes and gave me some great tips about what to do when I got there to ensure I don’t get dehydrated and have enough fuel for the long-haul. A real stand-up guy, that Pete is! I did everything he told me to do. I mean the guy just finished a grueling hundred-mile race in under 30 hours in August! I’ll take his advice any day!
So, I finished my first 4-mile lap pretty easily, in right around 44-minutes, or an 11-min/mile pace. At the aid station, I refilled my handheld, took a salt capsule (it’s actually a blend of electrolytes and Vitamin D), ate a banana (per Pete’s instructions), and got right back out for my second lap.
Lap 2
I ran this one in 44 minutes as well, so I was happy I was able to keep my pace consistent. At the second aid station stop I ate a portion of a raisin bread & peanut butter sandwich I had brought with me, refilled my handheld, walked around for a minute or two, did some easy stretches and got right back out for lap #3.
Laps 3 & 4
So at this point, I’m actually still running! Having never run a distance of 32 miles before and knowing that at distances like these it’s possible to get to a point where you can’t move your legs one more step (or bonk, as it’s sometimes called), I wasn’t sure when I should start incorporating walking into my routine. On the one hand, I knew if I started walking too early I might not make my 8-hour goal, but if I waited too long I could actually get to the point of no return and totally burn out my muscles. So I ran the third and fourth laps each in 48-minutes, not bad, considering. I was now halfway done, with 16 miles under my belt!
Lap 5
In between my third and fourth laps, I put on a clean, dry shirt and a new visor as everything I was wearing was drenched in sweat (the humidity was very high) and the new clothing definitely made a difference in how I felt in the middle of the race. I added a little walking into lap #5, mostly when I wanted to drink from my water bottles that were now strapped around my waist. I completed this lap also in 48 minutes, so my strategy of starting out slow was paying off!
Lap 6
With three laps to go, I knew I would have to start walking soon. Could I really run another 12 miles after having already run 20? Well, this is where the support of my friends kicked in. With every stop at the aid station, everyone was cheering me on, helping me refill my bottles, catering to my every beck and call. And by this time, they sensed I needed support so they discussed who would run with me for lap #6.
My friend Jeff stepped up to the plate and I immediately let him know that I intended to walk some, if not a good portion of it. He was Ok with this, considering his knee was acting up anyway and we were off. I probably wound up running half of the lap, and walking the other half, alternating whenever I felt like switching it up. I should also mention that at this point it was getting really hot and every time the sun came out, that was my cue to walk! It’s amazing how the heat of the sun can drain your body of every last morsel of energy when it comes out from behind a cloud! Well, Jeff and I managed to complete that lap in 53 minutes-not as bad as I thought.
Lap 7
Now it was Marcella’s turn to take a lap with me and I am so grateful she did! Although I had to walk some of it she knew I had a time goal and gently encouraged me to run whenever I felt I could and her support and enthusiasm made it possible for me to finish that one in just under 59 minutes.
Lap 8
The final lap! Oh, how I was looking forward to that one. I don’t know how I did it but I knocked eight minutes off my previous lap’s time and completed this one, with Jeff’s help, in 51 minutes. And the monsoon-like rain and wind that appeared out of nowhere halfway through it only made it that much more exciting! All in all, not a bad effort! I believe my overall running time was around 6 hours and 40 minutes (forgot to turn off my running app until a few minutes after I finished in all of the excitement so I don’t have the exact time!) and start-to-finish, with stops at the aid station, around 7 hours and change.
Post-Race Report
I stayed at the pavilion for a few hours afterwards to cheer on the other 50K and 12-hour runners as they strove for their personal bests. After putting on some dry clothes (it was still raining pretty hard at this point) and having a burger and a hot dog, graciously cooked for me by one of the RDs during a thunderstorm under a tent, I taped up my toe blisters and had a beer provided by another friend.
Once home, I showered, proudly put on my race shirt, and strapped on a pair of Normatec boots, generously provided by Dr. Steve Muscari at New Path Chiropractic , following a few weeks of ART and Graston therapy for my plantar fibromas…they didn’t bother me one little bit throughout this whole thing! And the boots are an incredible way to get the blood circulating again in tired and worn out leg muscles. My quads are in heaven, and so am I!
Have you run an ultra yet? Leave a comment and tell me all about your first ultramarathon experience. And if you’d like to join my mailing list, CLICK HERE to get started! See ya on the trails!
Keep running to the beat!!!
