Crooked Road 24 Hour

(photo courtesy of Ricky Scott. Looks like I was sleep running those first few laps)

Just a short recap of Saturday's event. Got up at 4:00am and drove down to Rocky Mount, VA. The event started at 8am, and it was quite chilly, but the weather was nearly ideal for most of the day. I didn't set any goals for the run, though I considered 50 miles to be a nice goal distance, which would wrap up the day well before sunset. I really never had any intention of being competitive for the full 24 hours, mostly due to my lack of running volume over the last six months. My weekly "long" runs have been roughly 10 miles, and my mileage around 40 miles per week. I also had a bit of a gear hiccup in that the shoes I ordered to arrive several days before the event got lost in the mail (they were Hokas btw). So, I ended up having to find shoes to wear last second and opted to run in an old pair of racing flats and trail shoes. How’s that for improv? At any rate, I showed up to run in my requisite Hawaiian board shorts, and sleeveless flannel shirt. Yup flannel. Clearly, I take this running business seriously
;-)

Well, I ran the first 15 miles at exactly 7:30 per 0.95 mile loop. It wasn’t really planned, it just sorta happened, and I noticed I ran almost identical lap times for the first two hours. Clearly, this was not a 24 hour pace, nor was it ever intended to be. Apologies to anyone who thought they’d see a similar Mike Morton...esque Hinson Lake earth shattering run. Did I just use Mike Morton’s name as an adjective? After that I was just happy to roll through the marathon mark and then the 50k. I spent most of miles 33-40 walking and jogging with my friend Bill Gentry, a local ultra legend, and really had fun just laughing and talking. He's a phenomenal runner and always makes for good company. I spent some other laps meeting and greeting with cancer survivors Anita Finkle (eventual women's winner)and Shannon McGinn. Both of them have truly incredible stories and it was an honor to run with them, even if only a little while. These women are special athletes and have used their battles to really inspire people inside and outside of the running community.

From miles 40-50 I ended my social butterfly period and wrapped up my goal of 50 miles with a few hours of sunlight left. Though I didn't plan to run more, my body felt great, and I wanted to stick around for pizza. I spent the last ten miles pretty much stuffing my face with food, eating, talking, eating, and eventually realizing I needed to actually do some running. I knew other runners were gaining quickly on my distance, but I kinda realized it was irrelevant knowing I was going to be stopping very soon. I was a bit surprised how good I still felt when I stopped, and momentarily entertained the notion of running more, but I was well pleased with just over 100k in the bag.

Congrats to Glen Redpath on an exceptional run, 139 miles, and the overall win. It was a pleasure running with him for a handful of loops, and very humbling to watch such immense talent up close. I was sad to hear elite female, Anette Bednosky, stopped at 50k. It takes guts to come out to a 24 hour event so soon after an apparent car accident. It was also inspiring to see all the folks completing their first ultra, or attempting to run any distance beyond their previous best whether it was 10 miles, or 100. I met a runner named Amy that really embodied this spirit as she was out running the day after her doctor cleared her to run post ACL injury. I can’t blame her, and would have done the same thing ;-)

If anyone is thinking about a nice December ultra, I'd easily suggest this event. The $40 entry fee gets you a long sleeve technical shirt, and great race support. The course is a fairly fast gravel loop measured at a USATF certified 0.95 miles. There are little hills that add up, and the RD stated a gain of 120 ft per loop, which one should consider if desiring to bust out a PR. The course is set up so you can park your car, and personal items, right off the course. There are bathrooms on the course, food, drinks, and cheering volunteers awaiting you through every loop. The support out there was terrific, and the volunteers were enthusiastic and energizing the entire time I was there. It might be one of the most catered 24 hour races on the east coast. The event was limited to 100 runners this year, so mark your calendars, and be sure to sign up for the 2012 event!

Thank you to all the volunteers! You give me a reason to come back next year and do all 24 hours :-)