Race Recap: North Country Trail 50

A year ago, I signed up for what I thought would be my second fifty mile race, and my goal race for 2018.  I chose North Country Trail 50 because I had heard so many great things about it, and when a race sells out the day it opens for registration, it has to be good, right?  In the following two months, I ran Ragnar Michigan with some fellow Michigan Runners, and then the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C.  And then?  Then I took nearly all of November and December off, running only about 50 miles each month.  But, right before Christmas, I won that race entry to Chattanooga 100 and my head started spinning.  I had work to do.  And while I'm not really a "New Year's Resolutions" kind of girl, I do enjoy a fresh, new year and the new possibilities that come with it.  So I made some plans.  I registered for and ran a trail marathon and trail half marathon at Pinckney Trail Weekend in April, the Tie Dye 50k in May, and the Mohican 50 in June.  I figured a couple of strategically placed 50 mile races in my year would get me ready for Chattanooga, and North Country Trail 50 went from my goal race, to a stepping stone.  Also in the spring of this year, I was given the opportunity to represent Simple Hydration and run the Hungerford Trail 50 in late September.  Now my schedule was full: Mohican 50, North Country Trail 50, Hungerford Trail 50, and then Chattanooga 100.  I knew these challenging 50 milers would be tough, but they also served a purpose.  I needed them, physically and mentally, to be ready for my first 100 mile race.  After I came away from Mohican and had shaved off more than two hours from the previous year, I was feeling good.  My recovery only took a few days and then I was back at it, because I had just two months to be ready for North Country Trail 50.

I am not sure where the summer went, but soon enough it was the third week of August.  I had slogged through the heat and humidity of this Michigan summer and had followed my training plan, but this race kind of snuck up on me. With the kids heading back to school last week, I was so busy getting them prepared and ready, I had barely even had time to think about my looming 50 miler.  Maybe that was a good thing!

Just like that, race weekend was here.  I packed my bags and headed north, into unknown territory.  After watching the weather forecast all last week, I knew this race had the potential to be a wet one.  The 50 mile course consists of two loops through Manistee National Forest, and was set to begin at 6:15am on Saturday morning.  Following that start would be the marathoners and finally the half marathoners.  Aid stations were set up to be about every three miles along the course, so I planned to just carry minimal water and provisions in my pack.  From what I had heard, the aid stations were fully stocked with tons of hot and cold foods and drinks and I planned on getting my calories in at those stops.

On Friday night, I met up with my friend, Steve, from Michigan Runners, and we headed to packet pickup.  Let me tell you, they had their system DOWN.  We were in and out of there in less than ten minutes and came away with a t-shirt, a tech shirt, a hoodie, a hat, a water bottle, a coffee mug and a car sticker, all in a North Country bag.  That is some seriously nice race swag for just an $86 entry fee!

My alarm went off at 4:10am on race day.  I quickly got myself ready and out of my hotel room and discovered when I got outside that there was a pretty good thunderstorm going on!  I stopped for a quick coffee and then I headed to the race start.  Within five minutes, the rain had stopped and I was hopeful that that would be the end of it.  The radar looked a little spotty, but it didn't seem like anything major was headed our way. 

I had decided about a week prior to pick up a little voice recorder to use during this race.  I always seem to forget things during these long races and I thought being able to just whip out my little recorder would be an easy way to document everything.  I have a few of the clips thrown in here and there throughout this post, so if you're interested, click the links as you go for a little live action from me along the way.

Audio clip 1

With the rain still lingering, I headed to the start line.  I was quickly informed that the race was delayed 15 minutes, with a new start time of 6:30am, so I headed back to my car to stay dry for as long as possible.  As I got out of my car for the second time to head to the start, I was informed there was another delay with a new start time of 7:00am.  Sigh.  Back to the car.  Again.  At 7:00am I again left my car and headed to the start. Except we weren't starting yet.  Rhonda-Marie Parke was there, talking about being a blind runner and the challenges that presents.  I had listened to her on my favorite podcast as she told her story of running Vol State 500k this year without using a guide runner, and found her very intriguing.

When she was finished, I assumed we'd be starting. but the race director gathered us up for what I am sure was a very difficult speech.  Due to the amount and style of food the race was serving at aid stations, food service licensing had to be obtained for this year's race, and the current delayed start was because the health department was out on the course inspecting each and every aid station.  He couldn't even give us a start time because he didn't know how long it would take to get final approval.  He was almost in tears giving us this news, and I'm sure he was very frustrated to have no control over this situation.  The rain had settled into a light drizzle/sprinkle so we walked around and ran into some more Michigan Runners!  There's always time for photos with MR peeps!

Finally we were told that the new race start would be at 8:35am, 2 hours and 20 minutes after the original start time.  This put a little bit of a spin on things because my race morning routine is usually protein bar, coffee, wait an hour, run the race.  Now it had been more than three hours since breakfast and what to eat, if anything, prior to the race start became an issue.  Also, with the later race start, the finish time became an issue.  With a 14 hour cutoff, the original cutoff for the 50 miler was 8:15pm, in daylight.  With the new start time of 8:35am, the final runners had until 10:35pm to finish.  In the dark.  At a race where no headlamps were suggested.  And, you know, as I was packing, I looked at my headlamp and considered bringing it. But the race was supposed to start in the light and end in the light and I opted to not grab it.  Lesson learned.  Even if I managed to finish in 12 hours, 8:30pm in the woods this time of year can get pretty dark.  Luckily, Matt, one of the Michigan Runners, happened to have one with him.  He was running the marathon distance and wouldn't be needing it and he offered it to me.  THANK YOU, MATT!  There were several other ultra runners without headlamps and the race director promised he'd have them waiting out at the aid stations for those who needed them later in the race.

Finally, at 8:30am, we all shuffled into the starting chute, and stood silently while Oh, Canada and The Star-Spangled Banner played.  Then, I strategically placed myself not too close to the front, but not too far back as to get stuck behind some of the slower runners on the single-track course, and it was READY, SET, GO!  This race start was different from any other ultra I have done.  Usually, there are a few friends and family members on the sidelines, along with a few race volunteers and its a very low-key start.  Today, though, because of the delays, all of the marathoners and half marathoners and their families and other bystanders were there to cheer us on.  It was a pretty excitement-filled start!

The first mile was a short little loop on a wider track, which gave us all a little time to settle in and find a good  pace.  I hadn't really looked at the course map too much and was pleasantly surprised when we passed back through the crowd at the starting line once again.  I think for a few moments there we all felt like celebrities!

After that, it was time to get down to business.  I had been following a tall guy for about two miles because I liked his pace, but around Mile 4 I had to pass him because he was catching every tree branch with his head and whipping them back at me behind him.  Adios, dude!  Shortly after that, the first male marathoner streaked past all of us, and we cheered him on.  He was flying and went on to finish in 3:04:41.  HOLY CRAP!  The first aid station was around Mile 5, and while I was disappointed that they didn't have any peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I did enjoy the grilled cheese straight from the grill.  Around Mile 6, the first female marathoner came past us, also going very fast, and she finished in 3:30:40.  I'm sorry, I do not comprehend.  That is SMOKING fast on trails.  I was feeling pretty good and was right where I wanted to be as far as pace goes. Here's another little update from the trail...

Audio Clip 2

As I continued on, it warmed up a little but the rain was still coming and going and the forest was a little hazy.  After seeing the bear poop, I got a little paranoid and every tree stump or dark spot caught my eye, as I was sure I was going to just stumble upon a bear, or worse yet, bear cubs.  There were quite a few marathoners passing now, and even though I knew they were on a different mission than I was, it wasn't a very good feeling to know that I was going so much slower than them.  Oh well, eye on the prize, right?  The terrain kept going back and forth from dirt and leaf-covered trails in the forest, to sandy, brighter areas full of greenery.  It was quite beautiful and I couldn't help but take a few pictures.

I was thoroughly enjoying all of the delicious foods at the aid stations, but was trying to just grab and go as to not waste too much time at these stops.  My right hip had been bothering me on my higher mileage runs lately and by Mile 12 it was starting to become just a little bit noticeable, but I was still moving pretty well.

Audio Clip 3

And then things took a turn. I'm not sure what happened but I got into a serious funk.  I wasn't feeling great, everyone I knew in this race was way up ahead of me, and the course had gotten a lot hillier.  I was completely soaked from rain and sweat and who knows what else and I was really grumpy.  I decided to take a salt cap and finally made it to the next aid station.

Audio Clip 4

As I made my way down the trail, I found myself following this guy with trekking poles stuck in his pack.  So I struck up a conversation.  Did he plan to use the poles? Had he used them before? And then he told me that just two weeks ago he had completed Bigfoot 200.  Sweeeeet!  He hadn't run  step since that race but he somehow thought a little 50 miler would be a good choice as his next run.  See how crazy we ultra runners are?!  He was moving at a good pace and I stuck with him for a while. 

When we came into the next aid station, I thought we were at Mile 20.5, but they told me it was actually 21.5 and we had just three more miles to go and we'd be done with the first loop.  Bonus!

That cheered me up quite a bit and I happily bounced down the trail.  But then I realized I was approaching another aid station and I thought there was some sort of mix up.  Did I really have three more miles until this loop was finished?  The volunteers assured me there was only 1.5 miles left to go and I'd be done with this loop.  Whew!  I had a quick cup of cold water, as the previous two aid stations had run out of water (really?) and carried on.  This last little section took us up to the highest point in the park via a sandy trail.  It was still misty and foggy and there wasn't much to be seen, so I made my way back down the hill and headed in the direction of the cheering I could hear in the distance. 

And then I made my way through the crowd at the start/finish and was greeted with cheers from friends and other onlookers and headed out for the second loop.  The countdown was on!

Audio Clip 5

After the short out and back loop, I stopped at the first aid station.  Several people were changing into dry clothes, but as it was still misting and raining off and on and I was already a mess, I opted to just stay gross.  My feet were dry and I didn't want to mess with things if they were fine as they were.  There were a couple of chairs at this aid station and I decided to take a couple of extra minutes to sit and eat and regroup.  I grabbed some Coke and a cup of hot Ramen noodles and plopped down. Boy, did that feel good.  Shortly after that, a girl plopped down next to me.  She said, "I was totally judging you for sitting down in that chair and then I decided it looked like a really good idea, so I'm joining you."  Judge away! Haha!  (Please note how soaking wet my clothes and body are.)

I took off from that aid station at around 5 hours and 47 minutes into the race, which left me plenty of time to finish within my goal time of 12.5 hours.  I was looking forward to this second loop, as it would be only those of us running the 50 miler out there and we were all in it together.  My hip was really starting to hurt, but oddly, only if I walked.  This gave me added motivation to keep on running, so I tried to walk only on the steep uphill sections.  With so many less people out on the course it got really quiet and actually a little boring.  I decided to turn on an audiobook for a while to get me through the next few miles.  I was counting down to the finish, but I still had 20 miles to go and I knew there was a lot of time left on my feet. 

The next couple of aid stations came and went.  I sat at each of them in their nice red chairs and drank some coke and had a quick bite to eat.  Aside from my hip pain, I was feeling pretty good. 

There weren't any mountain tops or caves or wild horses in this race, but it was beautiful and every time I stopped for a moment to snap a picture, the runners near me would comment on how they thought it was so amazing to be out there.  It really is a special feeling knowing that you're in the woods with strangers, but you're all there together, loving it, despite the ups and downs of the day.

At Mile 40, the sun decided to show it's face for a few glorious minutes and I just had to document that.

The sun was low in the sky and I knew that soon it would be gone.  I had ten miles to go and a little less than three hours to do it in to meet my goal, and I was down in the dumps.  I decided to phone a friend.  I've never called someone mid-race before, but I was lonely and I needed a pick-me-up.  I decided to call my dad, and he happened to pick up in the middle of his dinner.  It was so nice to hear his voice and I totally lost it.  I was trying not to let him hear me cry but I don't think I did a very good job.  He was there with my mom and grandma and cousins and they all sent me well wishes and cheered me on, and despite my tears I was glad that I had called.  I didn't want to quit, but I did want to be done.  I refocused and went on down the trail. 

Audio Clip 6

By Mile 46.5, my whole body was hurting.  It hurt to walk and it hurt to run.  One thing I always tell myself and others in this situation is, if it hurts to walk and it hurts to run, just run-you'll get there faster!  I was trying to run as much as I could but it was getting dark quickly now and by Mile 47.5 I decided it was time to get out my borrowed headlamp.  I didn't want to trip and fall in the last two miles and I could barely see where my feet were landing.  As I came up to the last aid station, I must have looked horrid.  The man standing there asked me if I was okay.  I might have lied a little when i told him I was and took off for the last 1.5 miles.  When I came out of the woods and turned to go up the sandy hill once again, I passed Steve and his pacer just ahead of me.  If only I had known they were so close!  I think running with anyone in those last few miles would've made a big difference.  I hit the top and went right back down and I could hear the cheers from the finish line.  In less than a mile I would be there; this would be over.  I got a little emotional that it was really going to be over and then I rallied myself to get to the finish.  I have never been happier to hear my name announced at the finish line of a race!  The announcer said my finish time was 12:02, but that sounded strange to me.  How much different had my GPS really been?!  That was a huge PR for me and I was excited.  They hung the huge finisher's medal around my neck, and it was HEAVY.  Although I don't run races for medals, this race boasts the largest ultra marathon medal in the country.

When the final results were posted, my official time was listed as 12:13:45, still a PR of 26 minutes.  I'll take it! To be honest, I was hoping for a little bit faster time, but overall I'm content with this finish. 

Every race is an adventure and every race is a learning experience. I love running through places I've never been before and I love being able to go places only reachable on foot.  This forest was filled with giant white mushrooms, and bright green mossy balls, and tiny neon orange flowers.  There were huge pine trees and a million ferns and fresh new oak trees sprouting.  There was so much to explore and I am thankful for my day in the woods. 

And my fellow ultra runners?  Well, they are unbeatable.  It is completely uplifting to come into an aid station to cheers from people you've been running with all day because they are truly happy you're still going.  Unless you're an elite athlete, ultra running isn't about winning.  Everyone is out there for their own reasons, on their own paths, but there is a camaraderie that connects all of us. 

North Country Trail was a great race with awesome volunteers and amazing aid stations. I can see why so many runners go back year after year to run these trails.  And hold onto your hats because the RD announced that next year there will be three half marathons, a marathon, a 50k, a 50 mile and a 100 mile option.  Something for everyone!

 "Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." ~John Muir