David Kennedy

Below is the text from the original report (must be logged in to the Runner's World site to view).

Viaduct Trail Ultramarathon-RR

posted at 8/13/2007 3:31 AM CDT

Well the big day finally arrived, and after a night of not so good sleep, I got up at 3:30 to finish gathering my supplies, woke the DW up at 4:30 (she was not happy about that!), and we left at 5:30 to head to the start line, a good hour and fifteen minutes away. Stopped at gas station for Krispy Kreme donuts (that cheered DW up a little), arrived 15 minutes before post time.

At 7:03 the three of us who showed up to start this adventure were off. We all kind of hung together for the first two miles, then with bathroom breaks and walk breaks, I pulled ahead only by a little bit. I think it was around mile 4 (there weren't mile markers and I don't own a Garmin, so all these mile references are subject to my warped interpretation, but pretty close I think!) that I looked up and NO WAY, here's a skunk in the trail...I thought it was dead, until the head starts looking around. I waited till the second place guy caught up to me and we decided the skunk is very sick and shouldn't pose a threat, and we both quickly scoot by, what a start to this crazy race.

I then ran with the second place guy for a few miles. It was the first time meeting him and we took the time to talk about our jobs and running of course. He is not a big endurance runner and just joined up with us to see how far he could go. He made it to 20 miles, which was a distance PR for him. Then he stayed on till the end helping with aid stations...Thanks Rylan!! One note of interest at some point along here I stepped funny on a rock in the trail and started feeling some discomfort in my right knee, not pain just discomfort...it comes into play soon.

From mile 8-28, I was cruising. I was using a 10 minute run, 2 minute walk routine and things felt good, except the rt. knee would be aching at the end of the run segments, but not hurting terrible yet. At mile 31 I start thinking about the halfway aid stop and lunch with the DW, and it was here that my knee started seriously hurting. It wasn't a sharp pain that I felt I needed to stop or end up in a wheelchair, but enough I was groaning out loud. I made it to the 35 mile aid station but it was a very low point in the race and here's where I started thinking about quitting.

I ate a PB&J sandwich, an Electrolyte pill, and a Coke, and headed back up the trail before I got too stiff or too comfortable. I passed the other competitor at this point, my long run partner, and spoke briefly with him. He looked fresh and said, "All we need to do is finish and we'll place!" Funny, I was hoping he'd say, screw this let's go to a bar! So I keep moving, but my run segments are much shorter, but I try to limit my walk breaks to the 2 minutes.

I get up to 42 miles and continue on (sorry I don't remember tons of details), the trail gets a little softer, more cinders less gravel, and this helps with the knee pain-which at this point both left and rt. are hurting. I start to notice that my running segments are getting a little longer and I'm actually feeling pretty good. Could this be my second wind kicking in? I get up to mile 48, take a very short break and get going again, I want to get in as many miles before darkness falls as I can. I move up to mile 54, and an aid station is set up by an ultra-couple who lives near the trail, they weren't there, but they left all kinds of goodies for us...thanks wargo's, delicious cantalope.

At mile 57 the sun has set, and now I'm running via headlamp. If you ever run an ultra in darkness in a fatigued compromised state of mind, you'll know the anxiety I felt. It's almost like being obsessive compulsive, and paranoid, but not directed at anything in particular. I filled up my hand-held water bottle at mile 58, and that would be the last time I'd see aid till the end. The hardest part of the course is in the next few miles. there is a very steep downgrade, and the trail loops around a lake, then goes steep uphill for about 1/4 mile. I get through that ok, then there is a huge mudhole to manuvere around, which in pitch dark isn't fun either.

After those two obstacles I cross an asphalt road, then for some reason don't recognize the trail and think I'm lost. I back track at least 1/3 of a mile and figure out I am on the correct trail and have to go through it again (here's where I added extra mileage on for the M&M game). I'm just about spent at this point and with 4 miles to go, I'm walking alot. I shuffle for a 1/4 mile then just walk...don't ask me what I was thinking, I don't remember. Finally I see the drop off to the road where the finish line is and run/shuffle as fast as I can, and cross in 16 hrs. 59 min. 17 sec. (12:01:17 Sunday morning) First place! (out of 2 finishers...I'm still happy!) Carl crossed the line with 20 hrs 30 min. 27 sec. (3:33:27 A.M.) He never once complained, always saying I feel great, Carl is a true warrior!

Lessons learned from this event: Ultras take as much effort (training and race day) as running a fast marathon or shorter distance. This was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I have such respect and admiration for ultrarunners. Aid workers work just as hard as the runners in any event. The two main guys working with us stayed to the end, and were sore and limping and tired, but still cheering us on, they did a wonderful job.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I had a great experience.

Dave

P.S. I'm getting emails about total miles completed. The course was GPS at 68.63. Add in another 0.5 for the aid station off course set up by the ultra-couple. And at least 0.4 for when I thought I was lost. I figure I completed at least 69.0 total.