Fly..... Potowatomi 50 Miler

Bracelet from Riyanti
December 2017
Quote by: Erin Hanson

The night before my first 50 miler at packet pick-up, I thought there was no way I could do this. I doubted myself, and came up with every excuse I could think of as to why I would fail. The weather was awful, this course was tough, It was cold, it was windy, it was miserable, and I wasn't sure I wanted to try. Then I thought about all the months of training, all the time away from family and friends....all the miles. I had to try, so I decided to put my faith and trust to the test.....

Sushi dinner courtesy of Riyanti's sushi making skills

Race day morning, the alarm goes off at 4:30am. Of course I'm already up since I didn't sleep well. Who sleeps before a race anyway? The temperature was at about 18 degrees, with a "real feel" at 11 degrees. Thankfully the wind had died down and the forecast was for sunny skies, but still cold. So I put on all my winter layers. My thought; by around noon, I'd be able to change into something less "cold weatherish" (what a cute little thought there).

Welcome to McNoughton Park

Cold! but at least it wasn't windy!

I had arrived at McNoughton Park around 5:30am with my crew and pacers, Jenna and Riyanti. The 200 milers, 150 milers, and the early starters had already begun (I couldn't even imagine the weather they had dealt with for the last 48-hours). We stood around the fire trying to stay warm, and I soaked in what I was about to undertake. Five loops, I just kept telling myself, you have "only" five loops, don't think of it as 50 miles, that won't work! Jessica was running her first 50 miler today too, so her and I meandered over to the crowd of people getting the pre-race talk and settled in to the back of the start line waiting for things to begin.....

Temperatures for the Day

Trying to stay warm at the fire

Here we go!

At exactly 6:00am, we were off! Across a field and into the woods. It was a bit like a train, just a line of runners trying to get the feel for the terrain and the course. Some passed, some fell in line, and I just moved forward. Then the course opened into a bit of a field, where people who needed to get ahead could. Jessica and I just moved along chatting and finding a somewhat comfortable pace. I knew we'd be at this all day, so I didn't rush. A mile or so more around the field, and I headed back into the woods and came upon the first hill. It was certainly a bit of a surprise! The hill went up steep and quick, and so the power hiking started early. Then a bit more single track, and I came out of the next set of woods, up a grassy hill, and what did I see on the right? The start/finish line about 100 yards or so away. Unfair I thought! Not only do I have to go through the start/finish five times, I have to see it five times more on top of that? UGH!

Back into the woods I went. Sometimes, I would lead, sometimes Jessica would lead, it seemed to work for us. We still had a train of people behind us, which tends to make me nervous and go too fast, so I did let them pass. Up and through the single track for the next few miles.

As I approached the first aid station I looked to the right and I got a view of a most beautiful sunrise. This was worth the 4:30am wake-up!

Sunrises make me so very happy! And clear sky is a bonus!

I arrived at the Totem Pole aid station, at about 3.2 miles. I grabbed just a plain piece of bread there. I had not eaten breakfast (lovely nerves!), so just getting something in my stomach was important. I knew that I was going to keep water in my bottles all day and just add nuun for electrolytes. I had also decided if I just eat something, even if it was little at each aid station, I would at least be fueling and getting calories in. This was going to be my plan for the day, and supplementing with gels if needed.

I continued on until around mile four, when I got to the first water crossing. That is certainly one way to wake up your feet! It was cold and around calf deep. For the next six miles, my feet were wet! This pattern would continue for the next six miles: dry for four miles, wet for six miles!

First water crossing at mile 4
(picture was during loop 3)

After the first river crossing, I noticed that the terrain started to change. The sides of the hills started to creep higher and higher as I descended lower and lower. The trees were tall and majestic, but still thin enough to bend with the breeze. I ran along the river and could hear the gurgling of the water (I think it was laughing at me). Although I was in the woods almost the whole race and you couldn't see far, it was gorgeous. I couldn't imagine how pretty this place would be once everything had woke from it's winter slumber. But I was snapped back to reality quickly! I came upon Golf Hill! DAMN! It was steep. There was a pretty thick rope wrapped around the trees to help you climb up. Many will tell you that you don't need the rope! I am telling you otherwise. These short little legs could NOT get up over the tree roots without it! The worst part, the rope only helped you up halfway up that hill! Caroline had mentioned that miles four through six were probably the hilliest and toughest. She was certainly not lying! The hills were either straight up or straight down! There were no switchbacks, or easy way to get up or down them, so I just had to climb one way or the other to get through.

At mile six, you coming to Heaven's Gate aid station. This was the Flatlanders aid station, manned by Scott Kummer, from Ten Junk Miles. I quickly introduced myself and looked for something to eat, I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and I was on my way again through the lollipop loop. This loop was another 1 mile loop that fondly reminded me of leg-bone at Veteran Acres, so I was able to pick-up my pace a bit and run along the ridge, which was situated above the river once again. As I finished up the last little bit of this section, I was taunted by another steep hill that I had to climb before coming back to Heaven's Gate, where I tried to grab and eat some gummy worms, which just happened to be frozen. 

The next two miles consisted of more single track and hills, where you then saw a sign letting you know you were coming to the second river crossing. I was happy to see that there were rocks above the water-line, so I thought I could balance my way, and save my feet from getting cold and more wet than they already were. What a mistake I made. As I balanced my way across the last section, I hit a slippery rock and WHAM I hit the water! Both hands and knees hit the icy cold water, and I felt a sharp pain in my right knee as a corner of a rock caught it in just the right spot. Someone asked if I was okay. "Of course!" I said, "I've already started icing my knee!" Scurrying up the muddy bank, I proceeded on towards the end of the first loop. I only had a mile to go and I thought, no problem, just another mile! Right before you finish your loop, there's another beast of a hill that you must climb before you can get on the path to the tent city!

Hi Honey! I'm back! One loop down! 

Lap one was done! Now the way Potowatomi is set up, you actually stop at your "camp" before you officially finish your lap. My crew was ready for me, but since there was no live tracking, I had sent them a message with about two miles left of the loop. This way they had an idea of where I was. My feet were cold and wet, and my biggest fear was getting blisters, so off came the wet stuff!

End of Loop One: 2:45:10

I put a new layer of Trail Toes on, dry socks, and dry shoes. I decided to leave my winter clothing on, as the temperature had only gone up a few degrees and I was chilly more often then I was hot. Threw a gel in my vest (which I couldn't find later, too many pockets?), grabbed a pancake for on the go, and I was off on lap two with Jessica again.

Now one would think that lap two would be really close to lap one in a ten mile loop. They're not! Food at the aid stations continued to be frozen, so you had to be careful what you bit into or you could break a tooth. I found pickle juice shots at Totem pole, and I knew that would help keep the twinges of cramps under control. Somehow at mile six, right before Heaven's Gate a magical
Port-o-Potty had appeared with a full-supply of toilet paper. It was glorious! It was still bone-chilling cold so a half a cup of coffee at Heaven's Gate helped in warming me up a bit. The river was still freezing cold, and after I crossed the first one, I was completely annoyed as I had to stop several times as the insoles of my shoes kept floating to the tops and up against the tips of my toes! 

The sun had come up and was shining brightly and even though the temps were still in the low 20's, sunlight does it's job. It melts things! The firm frozen dirt of the trail became a mud-filled slip and slide. You didn't run as much as the first loop and the hills became treacherous and difficult. It was bound to happen and I fell. I was coming down a steep descent after Golf hit and I lost control. SPLAT! Into the mud, and down the hill I went. I may have even bounced off of a tree or two. My entire left side was covered in mud and I think I hit my hands and elbow on a tree root. Needless to say, I was not in as chipper of a mood when I came into the tent city! 

How a crew passes the time while
their runner is "out there"
Loop two time: 3:09:11

I know it added time, but I was determined to keep the blisters away, so I changed shoes, socks, and insoles once again. My original plan was to try and do three loops without any of my pacers, but I knew Jenna was eager to jump in, Jessica had already left for loop three, and misery loves company, so I tagged her in. I about died laughing when I saw how giddy she was about getting out there. It was refreshing and gave me some new energy. I could now play tour guide on the loop and let her have the fun of seeing things for the first time!

Loop 3 ready to go!

Off we went again on loop three. Once again, the trail had morphed a bit. The slippery muddy sections had started to dry, so it wasn't quite as treacherous, and I didn't have to worry about taking a digger. The hills had started taking it's toll on my legs, and I knew I was moving slower. I also started to notice that the steep ups and steep downs were getting more difficult as the pain in my knee from the loop one fall increased in intensity. Stopping was never an option, slowing down was, so I did. I took the lead and ran when I could and walked when I had to. At one point, I looked at my watch and saw that I was at 25 miles. I whined, "UGH I've got 25 more miles to go!!!" Jenna's classic response, "But you've gone 25 miles already!" I think I may have thrown an expletive at her for that one!

Jenna kept me company and we chatted away, however, I no longer recall how much we talked or what we actually talked about. Which is nothing again Jenna, just my state of mind at that point. Finally, as we got to the final river crossing a lady made a comment about the river being different, which confused Jenna. Actually it was different, I explained every time we did a loop, the river had been rising. In addition, someone had added new rocks and tree branches in an effort to make a bridge to cross. I did not get my feet wet on loop three at this crossing because of that!

Golf Hill! The rope stops halfway up!
You still have to go the rest of the way!

Exact spot where I fell on loop one.
This is loop three.

Loop three in the books. Now on to loop four. This time I added K-tape to my right knee to provide some extra support as it was really starting to give me fits. Another change of shoes, insoles, socks, food and off Riyanti and I went into the forest. Again I got to be a tour guide, which I was getting quite good at since this would be the fourth time I saw things. 

Riyanti and I starting loop four
Loop Three time: 3:17:00

Riyanti and I had a lovely loop, if one can say that 30 miles into a 50 miler?! We started out and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the early miles. The view was still spectacular and I really started falling into a love/hate relationship with this course. The mud was almost gone, the weather was still cold, and the sun was shining, as it had been all day. I had never changed out of my fleece tights or removed any of my 3 layers on top or my gloves, but I was comfortable in the layers I had. So a cute Skirt Sports picture was not going to happen today. As we reached Totem Pole, I received a phone call from Caolan (I had called earlier but no answer). It was so nice to hear her voice and her encouraging words. She gave me gentle reminders on how eating and drinking were important and to keep doing what I was doing. One of the aid station volunteers teased me about being on the phone, so I responded, "I'm just using my phone-a-friend life-line." Caolan and I did a quick run-down of how things felt and talking to her gave me some additional positive energy and I was ready to move on. Another shot of pickle juice and we were off.

The river had definitely risen, or at least just appeared to be higher (ultra brain?), and Riyanti and I trudged through it. This time however, I noticed something different as I came out of the water. I couldn't figure it out. Suddenly Riyanti says, "I think I have ice in my shoes!" That was it! The water from the river had turned to ice as soon as we exited the water. Yep! It was cold out. Thankfully the ice melted and the cold water warmed up quickly with our body heat. However, once again I suffered with the insoles sliding up into the toes of the shoes! 

For the rest of the lap, I continued to take the lead and ran what I could and walked the rest. I knew I wasn't going to be able to run for much longer. Riyanti could see that the ups and down were becoming very painful, so she suggested that during the last lap I take a trekking pole to help me navigate these steep spots. Riyanti continued to be my amazing and positive company. We chatted as we took in the gorgeous views of the hills and valleys and made our jokes about how this is our little Barkley Marathons, but without book pages or getting lost. The course was getting familiar so I knew when the next hill was coming or the next steep down, and we just kept moving, "smiling," and talking.

We reached the end of loop four and I was hoping that Jenna could join me for the last. Thankfully she did and was still eager to do so (crazy friend). Since Riyanti had to drive us home the next day, we agreed that her doing two laps in a row was probably not a wise decision, but we would text her at two miles out and she would come out there and meet us. She even offered to take down the tent and pack things up. (She would regret that decision I think!)

Start of loop Five
Loop Four time: 3:18:41

Last change of shoes, insoles, socks, layer of Trail Toes, one trekking pole and headlamps and we were off. The sun was just starting to set, so we had maybe an hour of daylight left. As we entered into the first field, we saw a whole herd of deer. Now when one is on mile 40 of 50 miles, quantity of things get blurred. I believe there might have been around eight to ten in that group. Jenna stopped for a picture, but I had to keep moving, I could no longer stop or things would freeze up, so I continued on, knowing she would catch up. As we entered into the second field and again past the power lines, we saw two more large groups of deer. They were out in full force, enjoying the little bits of green grass that were popping up. I want to say we probably saw 25 in all. 

Another call to Caolan, just for some extra motivation, but the connection wasn't as good. The conversation was choppy, at best, but I was at least able to hear her say something to the effect of "Almost there! Keep moving!"

As the sun went down and the headlamps went on, we heard in the distance a huge owl waking up and hooting through the forest. At this point, the forest took on a whole new view. You had a general idea of what mile you were at because you knew where the aid stations were, but the familiar trail no longer looked familiar, you heard sounds and people across the distance.  you could see the glow from another runner's headlamp, either above you or below you, so you could guess if an uphill or downhill was coming. However, I was no longer running. In fact, I hadn't run a step in all of lap five. For this lap though, I pulled out my secret weapon, power walking with grim determination. There is no other way to describe it. I just put my head down and go as fast as I can walk. I used the trekking poles on the ups and downs, and just kept moving with all my might the rest of the time. I don't remember saying much on this lap, except several "fuck you's" to many big hills that I would not have to see again.

I just wanted to be done, I was tired, I was in pain, and I could no longer regulate my temperature anymore. I was so cold, so stopping at the aid stations were no longer an option. I had to just keep moving. At one point I felt my sugar dropping and things were getting wavy, so I grabbed a gel from the pack and choked it down with some water. Just enough to get me to the finish, that was all I cared about. 

Things don't look the same in the dark!
Photo credit: Rick Albanese

I knew Jenna was still there because I could here her footsteps behind me, and occasionally the sound of her feet jogging to catch up. She had been texting Riyanti, but there was no response, so I wasn't sure if she was getting the messages to come out to meet us. A bit after we crossed the last river, I saw a headlamp in the distance, and it was coming towards us. "Marco!" I yelled. No response. A bit further "MARCO!" Jenna yelled, and we heard it "POLO!" Riyanti had found us! They were both going to bring me in to the finish. 

As we are trudging through the last mile, the cold fog rolled in. Things became really hard to see and reality gets a bit distorted. I must have been confused as to where we were. We had gone up a really steep hill, and I was whining that we still had one more hill to get up, and I didn't want to do it. Suddenly, around a corner, I saw it; Tent City. We were there. Excitedly, I said, "That was a pleasant surprise! We already went up THAT hill!" 

I handed my trekking pole off to Riyanti as we passed our tent, and I began to run. I saw it! The finish line! I just need to get there, cross the line, and be done! I had done it! 50 miles! DONE! Now I needed to get in the car and warm up! (I would have my beer as soon as we got to the hotel!)

DONE!
last loop: 3:21:18
Total Time: 15:51:20

Sometimes things that seem impossible become possible because you took that leap of faith and trust. It may take you longer to figure it you, but your friends and family know what you are capable of...

~"BUT, you have what it takes and, you will do this. When I finished kettle with you last year that's when I really saw it. Be you. Be amazing. Do hard shit. That's just what we do, right?"  ~Caolan

You have to learn to trust your body, your mind, your heart, and your soul. And when you do finally let go, and take that jump into a scary, unknown place... you can fly!

Special thanks to Caolan, Jenna, Riyanti, and Bruce for encouraging me, supporting me, and helping me reach my goal! Thank you is not enough!