50 miles at ECSWI
Disclaimer: I received a free entry to ECSWI race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I've had a few days to let this race sink in. I was hovering between the highest of runner's high -- successfully completing one of the most anticipated races of my running season -- and exhaustion of completing the race and decompressing once we returned home.
I had run this event 3 years in a row before I received a free entry for this year and I had planned on running it again anyway! I had signed up 4 years ago to do my first 50k here (but then I got anxious and ran a 50k beforehand!) and it was also here that I ran my first 50M with my running friends. My daughters and I had an opportunity to meet Dean Karnazes at my first pre-race panel and it's something they'll never forget. I knew this year would be just as amazing.
Packet pick up & Pre-race panel.
I was expecting Dean Karnazes at the pre-race panel; I didn't think he would miss it 2nd year in a row. But I (along with others there) were severely disappointed. If I'd kept up on their Twitter feed, I'd have seen that the speakers were race director Nick Moore and CAF's Joseph Brunia. It was still a great time and I could have listened to Nick tell race stories for hours. This was my 4th North Face Endurance Challenge and I never knew he was an endurance athlete. I seriously tried to find more info about him online to find out more of his adventures but came up with nothing. I'm apparently not any good at stalking! If you know of any (besides the Morocco run), I'd love to hear more!
Nick cautioned us to drink plenty of fluids from the start of the race due to the anticipated heat and humidity. He flat out told us he upped the number of EMTs and DNF drivers because as he explained it, "when the temps go up, so does the number of DNFs." And he said this several times.
Setting gear out and last minute changes on what to wear was simple -- extra electrolytes (my go-to fuel and hydration are Hammer Nutrition and Base Performance salt) and less layers of clothing.
Race day
Alarm went off at 3:50am and it'd been about 2 hours since I was last woken up by the inevitable yelling and doors slamming closed down the hallway. But getting out the door was mostly smooth, with taming my hair taking up most of the time.
We drove up to the park to receive our pass for the day and the ranger laughed and joked about my pass from last year. They're my mobile medals :) I keep them year round!
I'm sure there's a reason for it, but every year I've parked there for the 50M, we've been directed to the furthest parking lot away from the start. It seems like a cruel punishment, especially after finishing the race! It's dark but the lots are lit with runners' headlamps as we all quietly gather our gear and do our last minute adjustments as we slide the hydration packs over our backs.
Drops bag for the race and the finish line was quick and simple -- all in one spot and the volunteers just took them all, placing them in their respective places. The only thing left to do was to visit the porta-potties until it was closer to race start. This race event knows how to make pre-race morning as easy as possible for runners.
I nervously joined the other runners in my wave and next thing I knew, it was time to go. I followed the runners as we shuffled forward and started my watch with the others as we crossed the start, hearing the beeping of everyone else's watches going off. I almost immediately rolled my left ankle as we run across the grass "Well, that's a good start," I thought.
One of last year's mistake was starting off way too fast. I wanted to be somewhere in the middle to back of the pack for the first half of the race so I had to fight every urge to run ahead right in the beginning. My biggest concern was my ankle. Sure, it's handled 50k races since the sprain but 50M was another story.
The first few hours were just maintaining a slow and comfortable pace and making sure to finish my water bottle by the next aid station. By the time the sun came up, most of the runners had thinned out. I fell into a group, mostly listening to their conversation behind me. I heard a female voice mention being the race director for Titletown Ultra, a race I'd wanted to run but coincided with another race.
"I'll have to talk to her later on when she catches up to me," I thought. Then part of that group broke up and 3 ran ahead. We then started talking and getting to know each other.
Next thing we knew, we'd run 2-3 miles and was close to the next aid station - I knew I had to stick with them. I checked back with my hubby who was struggling and told him of the plan -- "they call themselves the Turtle Club." Their names were Rob, Mandy and Lynne. "We can definitely finish the race with these guys, it'll be perfect!" He just nodded and grunted a response that I took as an agreement.
I'm a bit nervous about running with new people at races only because the filter between my brain and my mouth tend to go away as the miles add up. I curse like a sailor and as I mentioned to these guys, I live for "That's what she said" jokes. To my amazement, they shared the same common interest and thus started my education into dirty phrases from Urban Dictionary. What a glorious hour that was. I also found out that Mandy was running her first 50M!! Rob promised that he will get us to the finish line and I had complete faith in him. He'd run 100M before so I figured he had a lot more experience than all of my 50Ks and one 50M combined... I promised that if he got us to the finish, I'll have thefood aid station info with cut off times readily available.
At the first cut off, I realized I completely lost track of my husband. Wife of the year.
The first cut off had been made so I decided to wait for my hubby, fill up both of my water bottles, refuel and use a porta potty (a luxury during trail runs). As I emerged from my luxurious throne in the woods, I noticed the neon pink tank that Ann was wearing heading back to the trail. Holy crap - they've already left. Did Ben go ahead too? Do I wait? We'll probably see each other at the next aid station either way... so I ran after Ann. Turns out the Rob, Mandy and Lynne were still at the aid station. "oh... oops" Oh well, we'll all catch up with each other at the next aid station, I thought.
I got to get to know this amazing woman for the next 30 miles or so. She'll be too nice to deny it but I bugged her with questions... about how she got into race directing and how she runs 100M races, etc. I had questions and this lady had the answers. This was a learning opportunity for me and I was not going to waste it!
I decided to turn my phone off airplane to text my hubby but he'd already texted saying he will be dropping around the marathon distance due to the pain in his knee (probably IT band, his hip hurting as well). I felt beyond guilty and apologized for not waiting to which he replied, "Lol noo I just kept getting slower and slower" and said to text him as I get closer so he can get pics of me crossing the finish. Best husband ever?
At my last 50M, my low point was around the 29 mile mark. I recall saying a few times "If we'd signed up for the 50K, we could be done pretty soon" and just wishing someone would agree and quit with me. I managed to get over that and I know hanging out with Ann and the Turtle Club crew had a big part in that. We did meet up throughout the aid stations and the topics of discussion would quickly change but were never boring. Just as my first 50M, there were a lot of singing involved!
At this time, we came back to an aid station where there was familiar face. I first noticed his Ironman Madison shirt so I mentioned volunteering at the finish and asked about his race. I asked if he happened to work at the gym from my old job -- and what a small world, he did. We remembered each other with our previous Ironman talks. He'd done them and I was still uncertain about signing up for a full. He's now the Aquatics Director at his local Y and I now work for the Aquatics Dept at my own local Y. These little coincidences amaze me.
BTW, this aid station had THE BEST sandwiches. PB & J + M&Ms + Pretzels.
My lowest point in the race was between 35-45 miles ~ lots of ups and downs. I tried not be vocally negative during the last few miles leading up to the 40.6 mi aid station but that heat and sun beating down wasn't helping. It was hard to run for a long stretch out on the open prairie but my trail angel Ann kept me going with her positivity! That aid station was worth it all. As we walked up, a North Face crew member handed us an ice cold buff, the volunteer filling my water bottle added ice (not an easy task) without my asking and the EMT on site placed ice cold towels or sheets on our shoulders. I want to cry just thinking about it - those gestures meant everything.
Going to the 46 mi aid station was a difficult point. Hard cut offs had been met, the finish line was getting closer but seems so far away. And the heat...
But we finally reached that last aid station. Ann had a friend waiting there for her and surprised her as her pacer. There was also another runner down. I'd noticed at least one runner struggling at each aid station though not always being carried off in the ambulance. This guy was already on the stretcher and my heart just broke for him. 3 miles from finish but your body just said "no"
I was introduced to Ann's friend, Lauren (I believe that's her name...) and she'd gotten lost for 3 miles and had missed the cut off by minutes. We also finally got to talk to another runner that had been behind us throughout the afternoon. I asked if she'd been running this race all herself all day and (she said she had. I called out "That is amazing. But you should hang out with us now!" She said she'd been trying but that we were too fast for her! Lol
As Ann went ahead with Lauren, I stayed with Tammy. She was running her first 50M and she'd traveled all the way from West Virginia! I asked what made her travel all the way to WI (!!!) and she said it was supposed to be one of the easier NF Endurance runs; she'd run 50K in Washington D.C. and said that was brutal.
As I saw the road that will eventually take me to the finish in about a mile, I felt renewed. I actually felt great! Legs were tired but I could still run. Sure, in my mind I was sprinting but I'm sure it looked like a pained crawl. I asked about Tammy's future races to distract us from the fatigue. I remember talking about Ironman and before we turned towards the finish, yelled out "Anything is possible, right?"
The finish line was ahead of me, just yards away. I looked over my shoulder to Tammy and called out "You got this!" And I just ran and threw my arms up as I crossed. First thought was "Holy sh*t, 50 miles done." Second thought "I could actually run a little longer. I should sign up for a 100k"
I'm pretty sure I yelled out "Is this it?"
Anne had crossed ahead of me and gave me a hug as I received my medal. We did it!! We got our photographs taken and as we walked away, I noticed his Ironman 70.3 Brasil shirt. So of course I had to say something about it. It turns out, he works for them and he was on his way there for next week. "SHUT UP!!" I cried. "That's so incredible!!" I got an offer from him to go along lol
I found my hubby at the finish and despite my protest about being sweaty and gross, gave me a hug. And despite him having to wait for me for over 5 hours out there, he was in good spirits. As we chatted and drank our beer, I kept looking over at the finish to keep an eye out for Rob and Mandy. There's no way they'd quit. And Lauren had said the director was going to allow the racers out there to finish after the cut off since they were so close -- and the weather was unrelenting.
Sure enough, I saw them and hobbled, barefeet, over to the finish and yelling over to Ann. We yelled and congratulated them and hoped to see Lynne cross shortly.
By the time we'd crossed, finish line festivities was coming to a close. There was still plenty of hot food and beer left though! The volunteers and North Face crew were working on clearing out their tents but were still out there smiling and being helpful as they could be. We took more photos and caught up with Rob and Mandy for a photo and then we took off. Or better yet, hobbled off to the car. I couldn't wait to shower and lie on cool sheets before the real dinner ;)
Another North Face Endurance Challenge in the books and I can't wait to come back next year!
Happy running~
Dye
I've had a few days to let this race sink in. I was hovering between the highest of runner's high -- successfully completing one of the most anticipated races of my running season -- and exhaustion of completing the race and decompressing once we returned home.
Packet pick up & Pre-race panel.
I was expecting Dean Karnazes at the pre-race panel; I didn't think he would miss it 2nd year in a row. But I (along with others there) were severely disappointed. If I'd kept up on their Twitter feed, I'd have seen that the speakers were race director Nick Moore and CAF's Joseph Brunia. It was still a great time and I could have listened to Nick tell race stories for hours. This was my 4th North Face Endurance Challenge and I never knew he was an endurance athlete. I seriously tried to find more info about him online to find out more of his adventures but came up with nothing. I'm apparently not any good at stalking! If you know of any (besides the Morocco run), I'd love to hear more!
CAF athlete Joseph Brunia (middle), Nick Moore (far right)
Setting gear out and last minute changes on what to wear was simple -- extra electrolytes (my go-to fuel and hydration are Hammer Nutrition and Base Performance salt) and less layers of clothing.
 |
| Met fellow Bib Rave Pro, Laura!! |
Race day
Alarm went off at 3:50am and it'd been about 2 hours since I was last woken up by the inevitable yelling and doors slamming closed down the hallway. But getting out the door was mostly smooth, with taming my hair taking up most of the time.
I'm sure there's a reason for it, but every year I've parked there for the 50M, we've been directed to the furthest parking lot away from the start. It seems like a cruel punishment, especially after finishing the race! It's dark but the lots are lit with runners' headlamps as we all quietly gather our gear and do our last minute adjustments as we slide the hydration packs over our backs.
 |
| Waiting to start |
Drops bag for the race and the finish line was quick and simple -- all in one spot and the volunteers just took them all, placing them in their respective places. The only thing left to do was to visit the porta-potties until it was closer to race start. This race event knows how to make pre-race morning as easy as possible for runners.
I nervously joined the other runners in my wave and next thing I knew, it was time to go. I followed the runners as we shuffled forward and started my watch with the others as we crossed the start, hearing the beeping of everyone else's watches going off. I almost immediately rolled my left ankle as we run across the grass "Well, that's a good start," I thought.One of last year's mistake was starting off way too fast. I wanted to be somewhere in the middle to back of the pack for the first half of the race so I had to fight every urge to run ahead right in the beginning. My biggest concern was my ankle. Sure, it's handled 50k races since the sprain but 50M was another story.
"I'll have to talk to her later on when she catches up to me," I thought. Then part of that group broke up and 3 ran ahead. We then started talking and getting to know each other.
Next thing we knew, we'd run 2-3 miles and was close to the next aid station - I knew I had to stick with them. I checked back with my hubby who was struggling and told him of the plan -- "they call themselves the Turtle Club." Their names were Rob, Mandy and Lynne. "We can definitely finish the race with these guys, it'll be perfect!" He just nodded and grunted a response that I took as an agreement.
 |
| Reaching first aid station |
I'm a bit nervous about running with new people at races only because the filter between my brain and my mouth tend to go away as the miles add up. I curse like a sailor and as I mentioned to these guys, I live for "That's what she said" jokes. To my amazement, they shared the same common interest and thus started my education into dirty phrases from Urban Dictionary. What a glorious hour that was. I also found out that Mandy was running her first 50M!! Rob promised that he will get us to the finish line and I had complete faith in him. He'd run 100M before so I figured he had a lot more experience than all of my 50Ks and one 50M combined... I promised that if he got us to the finish, I'll have the
 |
| Another race, another food tattoo |
At the first cut off, I realized I completely lost track of my husband. Wife of the year.
The first cut off had been made so I decided to wait for my hubby, fill up both of my water bottles, refuel and use a porta potty (a luxury during trail runs). As I emerged from my luxurious throne in the woods, I noticed the neon pink tank that Ann was wearing heading back to the trail. Holy crap - they've already left. Did Ben go ahead too? Do I wait? We'll probably see each other at the next aid station either way... so I ran after Ann. Turns out the Rob, Mandy and Lynne were still at the aid station. "oh... oops" Oh well, we'll all catch up with each other at the next aid station, I thought.
 |
| With Ann at the finish |
I got to get to know this amazing woman for the next 30 miles or so. She'll be too nice to deny it but I bugged her with questions... about how she got into race directing and how she runs 100M races, etc. I had questions and this lady had the answers. This was a learning opportunity for me and I was not going to waste it!
 |
| Hot hubby in front, ignore the old lady behind him. |
I decided to turn my phone off airplane to text my hubby but he'd already texted saying he will be dropping around the marathon distance due to the pain in his knee (probably IT band, his hip hurting as well). I felt beyond guilty and apologized for not waiting to which he replied, "Lol noo I just kept getting slower and slower" and said to text him as I get closer so he can get pics of me crossing the finish. Best husband ever?
 |
| Misting station - THANK YOU NORTH FACE!! |
At my last 50M, my low point was around the 29 mile mark. I recall saying a few times "If we'd signed up for the 50K, we could be done pretty soon" and just wishing someone would agree and quit with me. I managed to get over that and I know hanging out with Ann and the Turtle Club crew had a big part in that. We did meet up throughout the aid stations and the topics of discussion would quickly change but were never boring. Just as my first 50M, there were a lot of singing involved!
 |
| A little something for the last stretch of the race :) |
At this time, we came back to an aid station where there was familiar face. I first noticed his Ironman Madison shirt so I mentioned volunteering at the finish and asked about his race. I asked if he happened to work at the gym from my old job -- and what a small world, he did. We remembered each other with our previous Ironman talks. He'd done them and I was still uncertain about signing up for a full. He's now the Aquatics Director at his local Y and I now work for the Aquatics Dept at my own local Y. These little coincidences amaze me.
 |
| Life changing |
BTW, this aid station had THE BEST sandwiches. PB & J + M&Ms + Pretzels.
My lowest point in the race was between 35-45 miles ~ lots of ups and downs. I tried not be vocally negative during the last few miles leading up to the 40.6 mi aid station but that heat and sun beating down wasn't helping. It was hard to run for a long stretch out on the open prairie but my trail angel Ann kept me going with her positivity! That aid station was worth it all. As we walked up, a North Face crew member handed us an ice cold buff, the volunteer filling my water bottle added ice (not an easy task) without my asking and the EMT on site placed ice cold towels or sheets on our shoulders. I want to cry just thinking about it - those gestures meant everything.
Going to the 46 mi aid station was a difficult point. Hard cut offs had been met, the finish line was getting closer but seems so far away. And the heat...
But we finally reached that last aid station. Ann had a friend waiting there for her and surprised her as her pacer. There was also another runner down. I'd noticed at least one runner struggling at each aid station though not always being carried off in the ambulance. This guy was already on the stretcher and my heart just broke for him. 3 miles from finish but your body just said "no"
I was introduced to Ann's friend, Lauren (I believe that's her name...) and she'd gotten lost for 3 miles and had missed the cut off by minutes. We also finally got to talk to another runner that had been behind us throughout the afternoon. I asked if she'd been running this race all herself all day and (she said she had. I called out "That is amazing. But you should hang out with us now!" She said she'd been trying but that we were too fast for her! Lol
As Ann went ahead with Lauren, I stayed with Tammy. She was running her first 50M and she'd traveled all the way from West Virginia! I asked what made her travel all the way to WI (!!!) and she said it was supposed to be one of the easier NF Endurance runs; she'd run 50K in Washington D.C. and said that was brutal.
As I saw the road that will eventually take me to the finish in about a mile, I felt renewed. I actually felt great! Legs were tired but I could still run. Sure, in my mind I was sprinting but I'm sure it looked like a pained crawl. I asked about Tammy's future races to distract us from the fatigue. I remember talking about Ironman and before we turned towards the finish, yelled out "Anything is possible, right?"
I'm pretty sure I yelled out "Is this it?"
By the time we'd crossed, finish line festivities was coming to a close. There was still plenty of hot food and beer left though! The volunteers and North Face crew were working on clearing out their tents but were still out there smiling and being helpful as they could be. We took more photos and caught up with Rob and Mandy for a photo and then we took off. Or better yet, hobbled off to the car. I couldn't wait to shower and lie on cool sheets before the real dinner ;)
 |
| Pre-dinner meal & drinks |
Another North Face Endurance Challenge in the books and I can't wait to come back next year!
Happy running~
Dye
 |
| Me, Ann, Mandy, Rob |
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