Cle Elum 50k - Race Report

This past Saturday was the day of the race I have been looking forward to.  After months of training it was finally time to toe the line and see what I was made of...

Matt, myself and the dogs drove to Cle Elum Friday night where we camped at the Forest Service campsite that doubled as the race start.   After getting set-up the guy in the tent across the way invited us over to visit around his campfire.  We spent the evening chatting with him and another runner while sitting around the fire and getting rained on.  We learned that they both have a number of ultras under their belt.  One had just run Cascade Crest 100 three weeks prior and the other had a big weekend ahead of him.  He ran Cle Elum 50k on Saturday and another 50k Sunday... He is part of marathon manics and come Thanksgiving will have run 52 races that are equal to or longer than marathon distance in 10 months.  And here I am proud of myself for completing one 50k!

Friday night we went to bed around 10pm to find that there was a puddle in our tent.  That compounded by two very wet, very dirty dogs made for a somewhat uncomfortable sleeping situation.  Not that it really mattered, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to sleep much no matter the circumstances...

Race Day!

We woke-up Saturday morning to find that the rain had stopped.  The weather channel predicted that it would hold off until around 5pm and it did.  None the less everything was wet and soggy from the previous days of rain we had been getting.  Matt made me breakfast (oatmeal with chia seeds and coffee) while I went to the registration table to collect my number.  I tried to eat and was only able to choke down a couple of bites, my stomach was nervous and rebelling against holding anything...  This worked out okay since we woke up a bit later than we should of.  I hurried up and changed and we headed over to the start.

What I wore:

• My trusty red Adidas shorts I have had since high school
• Icebreakers wool t-shirt
• Moving comfort sports bra (this is the only one in my arsenal that didn't cause terrible chafing during training runs...)
• Smart wool socks
• Dirty Girl Gators
• Patagonia Tsail trail shoes
• REI running cap
• Mountain hardware fanny pack/water bottle holder

Start of race

7am - all of the early starters lined up in the road, got a quick briefing on the course and were told we could start running.  The first mile of the course was down the road until we reached the trail head - at which point we began 17 miles of climbing.  I saw Matt 2 miles into the race, I wouldn't see him again until the end.  The aid stations were not easily accessible so it didn't make sense for him to try.  Instead he and the dogs spent a few hours fishing. 

The course contained 7000' of elevation gain/loss.  The gain was almost entirely in the first 17 miles.  The trail climbed, and climbed then climbed some more.  I was fortunate enough to be running with two other gentlemen who were experienced ultra runners, so I walked when they walked and ran when they ran.  The best part - they were talkers!  The first 15 miles or so flew by as I listened to them chat. After that they pulled ahead and I wouldn't see them until the finish.  In fact I wouldn't see very many people period until the finish.  I ran alone for the last 16 miles. 

Anyhow, back to the course.  The race direction mentioned that it isn't the best trail at the start of the race, he wasn't kidding.  It is shared with dirt bikes so it is very rutted and rocky.  And we are not talking little pebble rock, oh no, they are large chunks of rocks.  After climbing for 17 miles you reach the ridge, which I can imagine would have beautiful views.  Sadly I was not to see them.  It was so socked in all I could see soupy white in every direction. 

Thus began the downhill...

Oh dear god, downhill running is not my thing.  As a matter of fact I will go so far as to say 'I Suck' at running downhill.  When I say downhill I am sure you are thinking your local hill in town - no, that doesn't even begin to describe the first downhill segment.  It was ridiculous steep, narrow, and rutted.  As I mentioned previously, this trail is mainly for dirt bike use.  This portion in particular was very narrow, the width of a dirt bike tire - which made for difficult running.  Once that segment was done everything was back to normal and it was a usual trail downhill, steep, but not bad.  The trail also began to become nice, at least in terms of what you found underfoot.  The rockiness from the first 19 miles or so was replaced by a softer forest floor.  This too had its downside - it had A LOT of ruts, which were full of water (remember the rain?).    None the less, it was appreciated since my feet had started to become very tender.

I continued to trudge along and realized that when I am really tired I get a funny hitch in my run.  The best I can describe it is I feel like my right leg is still rotating normally and running while my left is just kinda along for the ride.  I ate at the aid stations and continued to drink my water/Nuun.  I never had any issues with feeling like I was going to bonk or that my stomach was going to revolt.  I suppose all the eating practice I did during long runs paid off. 

The miles seemed to both drag by and fly by at the same time.  Don't ask, I can't explain it.  I kept the same pace the entire race - walking hills and running the downhill and flats.  I never pushed myself, my goal was to finish and get some experience under my belt.  When I reached the last stretch before the finish I picked-up my pace knowing a beer and chair were right around the corner.  It feel good to run faster, I think my legs appreciated the change of pace. 

Almost there!

I finished in 8:21.  Sure, I would have loved a faster time, but time wasn't really my goal.  I had a great time and met a lot of awesome people.  I will definitely be running another ultra.  In fact I signed-up for my next one the day after the race - Orca Island 50k.  This one has 8000' of elevation gain, guess I better work on my hill running abilities!

All in all it was a great race.  The only part of me that was sore afterward was the bottom of my feet.  Otherwise I felt fine.

Stats
Distance: 31 miles
Time: 8:21 (hr:min)
pace: 16:10 (ouch!)