Race Report: The Fall 50

The Fall 50

By Drew Sills

 

The idea for running this race/distance came from David Nichols, who ran the Nashville Ultra last year and his positive experience. Like any other sane runner, I thought it would be a good idea to also run 50 miles!! With this, I started to research races of this distance within the Midwest, hoping to find one in the fall for cooler weather. The Fall 50 in Door County WI on October 20 was chosen as the next new adventure. This race is designed mainly for relay teams but allows up to 200 solo runners to complete the course. During one of the BOR training runs, I casually mentioned the idea to a few others and before you know it, we had the Fall (50) 5: Michele Applegate, Leah Hoffherr, Jeff Alvey, Cathy Downes and myself.

With the 20 week training plan and long miles behind us, we all departed for Door County on Thursday, most of the group leaving early to make the 10 hour drive that day. My family and I left after school got out and drove to Chicago to stay the night. We got up on Friday morning and finished the drive to Sturgeon Bay, where our hotel was located and also the location of the finish line. I met up with the other runners that afternoon to discuss the logistics of Saturday, or race day. We all left around 3 pm to attend the expo, which was held at a bar and consisted of an outdoor tent and a few tables. The group got our race T-shirts, bibs and final instructions for the next day. 

 

I was kind of jealous leaving the bar because some of the relay teams were enjoying their beers/carbs for the next day. I knew to stick to the nutrition plan and beer was for AFTER the race. The group all did their own thing for dinner that night and the plan was to meet at the room at 5 am. We had to go to another hotel that morning to catch the shuttle bus to the start line, 50 miles north. The bus ride was uneventful and we arrived at Gills Rock at 6:45 am, leaving 15 minutes before the start of the race. It was dry and overcast at the start, which was such a relief because it had rained for 7 straight days prior to the race. It was supposed to remain dry until Monday but the clouds looked like they could open up at any time. At 7:05 am, the race began for all of the solo runners. Relay teams started in waves beginning at 8 am.

The first few miles seemed easy because our group and most of the other solos stayed together. We were able to chat with other runners and find out where they were from. The first exchange point/water stop came 8 miles into the course. By this time, Jeff, Michele and Leah were ahead of Cathy and I. Cathy and I stayed together the entire race so most of my account of the race includes Cathy. The miles still seemed relatively easy because we were keeping a 9:45 pace and walking the big hills. The course was quite hilly for the first 25 miles and had rolling hills for the last half. At the beginning of mile 16, we entered a large state park that included a golf course and many walking/running trails.

 

  Near mile 18, we first saw our first support crew/cheering section. This included Miki and her husband Jerry, Wayne (Michele’s fiancé), and Cathy’s husband Brian. It was good to see some friendly faces and hear some encouraging words. After seeing them, we came up on the third water station. We started eating normal food at this time. The park we were in lasted for 8 miles and I knew at the end would be my personal cheering section. This included my girls, wife, 2 cousins, 3 aunts and parents in-law. It was great to see all of them and know they would be cheering us on. They also helped crew and cheer on Michele, Jeff and Leah throughout the race. At mile 32, Miki joined Cathy and I and ran with us for 15 miles. This helped a great deal just to have someone in the group with fresh legs and other discussion topics.

 

  At mile 42, my wife jumped in with us and ran until mile 47. Once we got to mile 47, those two got into my family’s vehicle so they could make it to the finish line before us. Those last 3 miles were quite tough but we know what satisfaction we had at the finish line. Coming to the last half mile, Miki was there to run Leah, Jeff and Cathy in. The highlight of my race was having both daughters run with me through the finish line. It was a very emotional finish and it felt so good to just stop running. 

 

 

The group met up at the end and took some pictures with the finisher’s banners. Once we were all ok to move again, we made it into the party tent where they had unlimited beer and pizza for all the runners and families/friends. The group got a chance to sit down and discuss the race. It was so nice to sit down and take in what we were able to accomplish that day. We all finished under 8.5 hours and Michele got 3^rd in the Open Female division.

Overall, the race was well organized and the group all had a great time. It would be fun to run the race again but I may have to join a team next time. I would enjoy cheering on the solos and not being one of them!!

 

 

The Road to Boston - by Michelle Walker

Do you have a bucket list? Do you have goals to check off? My big dream for the past 5.5 years has been to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I thought this would be an easy goal to check off. With the proper training, I knew I could accomplish this goal 5.5 years ago when I ran my very first marathon in Phoenix, AZ.

 

When I stepped up to the starting line of the 2007 PF Chang’s RnR Marathon in Phoenix, I was very hopeful that I could qualify. I had never run a marathon before, but I have always been a hard worker. I knew that I put in the proper training to earn a spot at the starting line. Thanks to the encouragement from one of my fellow travelers, I was even confident that I could achieve my Boston Marathon time goal. When the starting gun was fired, I took off. I ran fast. I ran hard. I was feeling good. The sun was shining; temps were unusually cool; and the course was flat. My “I’m going to Boston” euphoria kicked in right away and lasted until well, just mile 16 where I had my first encounter with the infamous “Wall”. I had 10.2 (and the .2 is significant) miles to go; yet, my legs would not move. They were done. Finished. Kaput. I was quickly humbled as the pace teams who I had hoped to beat progressively passed me. How was I going to make it to the finish line, let alone finish under a BQ standard?

 

My first effort to remedy the situation was to grab an energy gel. At this point (mile 17), I was on the brink of nausea. A voice inside my head told me not to take the gel packet the smiling race volunteer handed to me. I had never taken this brand or flavor of gel before: a big “no no” in marathon running. (We are taught to mimic our race day during our training runs. There should be no new elements during the race.) In desperate need for energy, I threw the cardinal rule of marathoning out the window. I inhaled the Cliff brand gel pack as if it were my ticket to the finish line. My upset stomach immediately revolted. I had to move to the sidelines where I literally started to gag. Hundreds of runners passed me while I tried to regain my running composure. Some how, I kept the contents of my stomach inside, as I alternated between walking and running for the next nine miles. I made it to the finish line, but I did not experience the euphoria that so many runners have when they complete their first marathon. Instead, I felt deflated.

 

The Boston Marathon is the mecca for many long distance runners. The race has a rich history. Having to qualify with a time from a previous marathon creates an exclusive environment. This race is the big badge of honor in the marathon world. The exclusive entry is coveted by most long distance runners.

 

Due to the increasing popularity of marathon running, the Boston Marathon has become more stringent on their time qualifications. The marathon has set the bar even higher on its standards, making it more difficult to get in. For example, I am in the 40-44 year old age group for females. When I started marathon running, my qualifying time was 3:50. I spent several years training hard, trying to break the 3:50 barrier. About two years ago, the Boston Marathon tightened everyone’s time qualifications because the race was filling up at record pace. To my dismay, my qualifying time of 3:50 was changed to 3:45. When this change occurred, I must admit. I started to lose hope. A time of 3:45 or less seemed like an impossibility.

 

After the near disaster first marathon experience, I was on a mission. I would train even harder and eventually qualify for Boston! Ironically, my second marathon proved to be even more of a tragedy than my first. I was unable to complete the race, despite my efforts. I learned quickly that the marathon distance was to be respected. I have never been a natural athlete, but I had no idea how much work was ahead of me in order to check the Boston Marathon from my bucket list.

 

I spent the next five years of my fitness life working on my running endurance. Granted, I did have a baby during that time but even during my pregnancy I trained (under my doctor’s guidelines). I immediately went back to marathoning after the birth of my sixth child, running the WDW Marathon six months postpartum.

 

Over time I found the more marathons I ran, the better my endurance. The better my endurance, the faster my marathon times. The infamous “Wall” disappeared as I adjusted to the distance. Since January of 2012, I have run 22 marathons. This high frequency of marathon running is not recommended by the experts. For me, however, it works.

 

I am fortunate that over my 5.5 years of marathoning, I have never had an injury. Nothing. Nada. For me, the best form of training has been the marathon itself. I found myself using each marathon as a training run for the next race. I kept plugging away; logging marathon after marathon. Progressively, I was getting faster and faster.

 

Five years and 29 marathons after my first race disaster in Phoenix, something clicked. I started consistently running each of my marathons below the 4 hour time mark. This is generally considered to be a quick pace in the marathon world, but my times were still not meeting the new stringent BQ standards.

 

It wasn’t until I ventured to the mile high city of Denver (where altitude was a factor) in May of this year that I finally crossed the finish line about 15 seconds under the time I needed to qualify for Boston. I was elated! It took me 38 marathons; five years and 4 months for my dream to become reality.

 

Since May, I have run eight other BQ times. Little by little, I am shaving even more time off my marathons. I am occasionally placing in my age group; sometimes even placing as one of the top three overall females in the marathon.

 

On April 15, 2013 when I step up to the starting line of the Boston Marathon, I am sure I will be flooded with a myriad of emotions. What I originally thought to be a short term goal turned into a very long and arduous journey. My road to Boston is one that I will never trade. I have learned so much about myself during the process of seeing this dream come true. I am not the same person who stepped up to the starting line of a marathon in Phoenix more than 5.5 years ago. The confidence that I have gained by realizing how strong, tenacious and persistent I am has been life changing.

 

If you don’t already have one, I encourage you to make a bucket list. It is rewarding to have goals. It is even more fulfilling to accomplish the goals through your own efforts, no matter how long the journey. Dream big and work hard!

I AM A COLOR RUNNER....

 

by Leah Hoffherr

 

Waking up at 4:00 a.m. was not the easiest thing to do after spending the previous evening at a Cardinals Game, but I was excited to begin our 24 miler.  With lights turned on fuel belt/handheld water bottles filled we were off into the streets of STL. It was my first time to run this city, so I was excited to see the city by foot.  Jeff had mapped out a route that showed off some of STL’s best sites. Starting from The Pear Tree Hotel (downtown on Market St.) we ran through St. Louis University.  I really enjoyed seeing the old hotels converted to dorms for the university.  They were very tall and full of character.  After a few miles we came to the entrance of Forrest Park, which I heard was pretty hilly.  It was pretty dark, so it was difficult to see much of the park, but still enjoyable. It was also comforting see a running group running in the park and it made us think of the BOR.  It brought a smile to my face.

            We reached the furthest point of the park and headed towards the zoo.  One thing I remember was a huge T-Rex statue that caught my eye.  By this time we were approaching mile 9ish and exiting the park.  We passed Barnes Hospital, which was huge.  Somewhere around the hospital we were teased with the smell of donuts.  Then, I looked ahead at the arch and saw the sun beginning to make its appearance.  I turned to Jeff and asked if he planned the arch with the sunrise in the background.  He just smiled.

            By this time, around mile 12, we were running through a different part of the university and approaching the downtown area again.  Color stations were being set up for the color run and it put a little pep in my step.  We caught up with another runner and shared running stories and wished each other a good time at the Color Run.  I looked at my watch and I knew I wanted to get 21 miles in before we lined up for the Color Run.  The Color Run began at 8:00 a.m., but needed to be lined up at the start at 7:45ish.  I wanted to cross the Color Run finish line and be done with our run.

            We approached the arch and ran the trails along the river, which took us by many other runners. We ran down by Laclede’s Landing. Jeff and I headed back uptown towards the groups of people all wearing white tanks and Color Run sweat bands.  I was getting more excited to get to the start line….I was told to relax and slow down.  We had one pit stop at the Hotel to retrieve our bib at the front desk and out we were to head to the start line.  We got in all 21 miles before lining up at the start (and that last mile was running around the same block about 25 times…thought Jeff was gonna kill me if I went around that block again). 

            I thought it was a typo when I read 25,000 runners for the Color Run, but it really was that many people.  We talked to a really neat lady at the start line that had completed many marathons and 2 Iron Man competitions.  She was a real inspiration. We had to wait about 8 minutes before our wave was released.  Those first few steps were pretty rough, must have tightened up waiting.  But Jeff and I were ready to get our COLOR ON!  We got our first color at the 1k and I believe it was red.  There were people with bottles of red powder that shook it on you as your ran by.  I seemed to always get more color then Jeff…he he.   I noticed lots of walkers, joggers and runners participating in this run.  The Color Run is truly for ANYONE.  There is no chip and no clock, which definitely made it appealing to me. Just fun.

 

 

            At the half way point of the Color Run we approached the water stop and I grabbed a cup and threw it over my head and I saw Jeff gulping water down.  The people around us probably thought those 1.5 miles really kicked our butts.  We had 3 more color stations we ran through.  The cool thing about running through the color stations was that it was just a haze of color.  It was sometimes even tricky to see because there was so much color powder in the air.  Our watches dinged 24 miles and we gave each other a high five as we kept running to the finish line.  When I got to the finish line I rubbed the color off my watch to read 24.32 miles. Jeff and I congratulated each other on another long run together. 

 

 

            We were full of color and headed toward the sound of the pop music…One Direction.  This is where we found everyone gathering by the stage, dancing, and throwing color packets on each other.  They had given us a color packet in our goody bag.  At one point they did a BIG color toss.  It was a big color mess; so much that you truly could not see anything but color. 

 

 

            I recommend the The Color Run if you are looking for just a good time.  Our run was a charity for autism, which a good cause always makes me enjoy the event even more.  I also recommend to do this run if you have kids and want to include them in your running.  Kids love it!   I still have color on my shoes and refuse to clean them because it was such a good memory. 

Caution: I blew my nose the following day and it was blue.