2025 Crater 50k Race Report

The 2025 Crater 50k trail race was held Saturday June 7th in Decorah, IA. Started and finished at Van Peenen Memorial Park. It was my first race in Iowa, and I drove down from St. Paul, MN the night before as it started at 6am and was a 2:45 drive.

My training wasn't too bad for this, not as good as for the Black Hills race last year, but I felt good going into it. The first 3 weeks of February was spent on the rowing machine as we had constant lows around, and below, zero. Felt good once I did get back outside and quickly/carefully ramped up to 20+ miles per week in just about a week. I got in 6 good runs at Afton State Park, but only 2 with the extra campground loop. Had a rare uneventful taper (timed well with Canadian wildfire smoke)!

Pre-race photo

Course/Elevation

Race morning - got there ~5:10, so plenty of time to get my bib, have my pre-race bagel and get ready. The temp was 60°, and stayed in the 60's -  but the humidity (and a very light rain initially) was going to be around all day. I did not have a good sense of the course even though I had looked at it plenty. Knew it was a double loop, and we'd hit some aid stations multiple times. I really should have asked more questions when I went to leave my drop bag at the start so I could hit it at the halfway mark. When they answered that a vehicle would take it the short distance, I didn't question it. I really should have! (There was nowhere obvious at the trail entrance or the check-in)

Sign-in area

Entry road and near race start (in woods)

Start line!

So we started just in the tree line and I had just a handheld with water and a few chocolate GU's in my pockets. I lined up at 6am in a pretty accurate spot as I didn't really pass or get passed much. In the initial slow climb, I was able to alternate a fast hike with some faster shuffling on the single track. Seemed a little slow overall as I went past the first aid station (Death Valley, ~0.9mi) without stopping in 12mins. The steeper climb immediately following it though...that was going to be more/less fun the next time! There were some very technical spots, but also a good mix of less-technical trails.

After running along the River Trail, came into the next aid station (Palisades Park) after 3.1 total miles and 36 mins. Topped off my water and got right back on the trail, again, right uphill! The next 3 miles  were in the Palisades Park area and alternated with short straight sections and sharp turns. Could often see/hear others heading opposite me on a different level of the hills. With ~5500+ feet of climbing, the course was often up or down. Just before 10k, I had been running a little behind a group of three for a while, and caught them once we hit the long flat stretch on Ice Cave Road. We chatted as we headed to the aid station and it turned out 3 of us had birthdays on three consecutive days (one was that day!)! Talked races/training, refilled again and had my 3rd GU just after the aid station (again at Palisades Park ~7.4 miles in, in 1:32). 

Ica Cave Rd

Continued down that road (that section closed to traffic) and had a nice climb that I kept up my normal/fast pace hike. You come off that road with a sharp right straight up - with use of a rope to help get up the rocks. That was a first for me, and not an issue even with a handheld! I was already looking forward to the halfway and my drop bag, as my vest was filled with iced gatorade and I could refill my GU. The humidity was draining. Glasses would get too sweaty to see, and even fog up at times...

Can see the rope to the right of the red-flagged tree

The 2nd quarter of the course had more hills than the first, and got into the aid station at mile ~11.3 (Death Valley again) in 2:20 needing something....If I remember correctly (now that I write this 7 weeks later - I am not sure this station had anything yet?...), they had a pancake station there, so I downed some syrup, stuffed my mouth with a pancake, grabbed some chips and headed out. That was something, but not enough...by mile 13 or so, I started getting threats of cramping in my legs - calves, shin, thighs/quads. Every time I kicked a root, a stabbing pain would shoot through my legs. Slowed down, tried to be more careful, but it was not avoidable in my situation. I was just counting down to my drop bag. 

Made it to the halfway, call it 15.5 miles, in 3:14 (those ~4.2 miles took me almost 54 mins), but there was no drop bag, and no aid I had any interest in. It seems my drop bag was driven to the Palisades Park one (down the road/hill). That did not put me in a good space and I practically walked to the next aid station (Death Valley, 3:30 and ~16.4 mi), with another 2.2 miles to my drop bag. I wasn't worried about finishing, even with being on the constant verge leg cramps. I had slowed down and was walking a lot, even the flats. Had another syrup-shot and pancake and trudged back up the steep hill. 

Finally - at Mile ~18.6 in 4 hrs (almost 30min for those 2.2 miles), came to the Palisades Park aid station that I had gone through twice before, and there was my vest. Sat and took 3 minutes to get situated before the next steep hill. If only I had realized at Mile 7.4 that my vest was in reach...may have changed things up quite a bit (by that, I only mean I'd have gone faster with less cramping issues, not like negative split or anything!) . Oh well.

The next 4.3 miles was at a slog of a 17 min/mi pace. Got back to the Aid Station in another 1:13 (total 5:16 for 22.9 miles) - 4min/mi slower than on the first lap. Walked much of the Ice Cave road this time and made the rope climb unscathed. I did run much of the middle 20-25 miles basically solo. Never an issue for me, and somewhat typical for my events. There was one new thing this year though. When I packed up the previous night, I forgot to pack my compression shorts. Can't recall the last time I ran anything 'long' without them under my running shorts. Wasn't much I could do at 10pm the night before when I realized it. Now I know I start to chafe in a very 'sensitive' area. I noticed around mile 20, and all I could really do was stuff my buff down my shorts to help alleviate the rubbing. Much later realized I could have pulled my shorts up higher, but again, I wasn't thinking well then. 

What also messed with my head was my phone health app... at around mile 21 (per the map, course, etc), my phone said I was at mile 24.5. The time between the aid stations seemed much longer than I expected, I didn't think I had slowed that much - and I really thought I had run some extra miles...which was disheartening. 

So the last aid station was at ~26.8 (at Death Valley again) - 59min for that 3.8mi section (6:16 overall), and 4.3 mi left (even though my mileage showed 31 miles at that point)! Continued moving, met up with another runner for some of the last mile, and finished in 7:11. 

That wasn't quite the end though...my drop bag, that had my car keys. Wasn't where I thought it was at the start/finish, so started walking down the hill/road the mile or so to the aid station. Thankfully - got a ride down there from some runners I had met, and once we got there and realized they had taken them back up - drove me back up the hill to get it. So thankful!! 

Then the drive back home, clean up and then head back out to drive another hour north for a Heart concert (front row). Was a good day overall!

Photo dump!

Decorah, IA

Ice Cave!

Post-race!

 

2021 Icebox 480 Race Report

Saturday November 6th, 2021 was the 9th running of the Icebox 480 - an 8-hour timed race on the Whitetail Ridge Trails in River Falls, WI. A 7-mile loop to be run (and completed) as many times as you can (or want to) in 480 minutes. No partial laps count. 

After my last race in January (Harbison 50k), my running was up and down for a few weeks, and then an ankle issue popped up, my thoughts were either a stress fracture or tendinitis. After replacing running with rowing starting in March, and going through April (I hit 1M meters for my lifetime), and Still having minor issues, I decided to see a dr. Inconclusive x-rays, and 6 weeks in a walking boot. Five weeks later (mid-July) with just some biking and walking, I started PT. Continued biking and walking, and 2 weeks later (July 25), ran for the first time since March 21. 2 weeks to get to 5mi running, 3 more weeks to get to 7.5mi. 3 weeks later, all while doing PT, I was still having twinges of ankle pain (all very minor, still more of an annoyance). I decided to stop doing PT, and continuing to run my 4-7 mi routes. 6 weeks later, my ankle pain was gone. 2 weeks later was the Icebox 480.

My intention was to run a lap, or maybe even two depending on my fitness, and then keep moving until I had my 28mi.

I choose to start just before the sun rose at 7:53am. It was late this year as the time change was the following morning. A flexible start time was allowed between 6am-8am due to COVID-19 still being a consideration. It was 43° as I took off (alone) at 7:36am, not needing a headlamp. Perfect for shorts, t-shirt and my jacket, and one handheld water bottle. Wore my calf sleeves too (and still have to think hard about whoch direction faces front!)
1st loop was uneventful, ran alone, and tried to pay attention to certain locations with respect to times - that worked out well for me last year to know how much longer I had in each loop. 

Came into my pit area (at 1:12) just outside the trail entrance, out in the small field, and swapped out my water bottle for my vest/bladder and grabbed a bag with chips and part of a pb&j. Pit time was no more than 2 minutes (I'm pretty efficient most of the time) and legs were good. 

2nd loop, I was behind a group of 4 for quite a while, but my left hip flexor started aggravating me in the 2nd half of the loop. I was still doing ok, but it was starting to slow me down, and I came into the pit area after 2:33 (2nd loop of 1:21). Another 2min pit stop to grab another pre-made baggie with pb&j and chips. I was halfway to my goal and felt pretty positive it would happen. 

Loop 3. Pace still slowed down and was just behind two other runners for a while (Ed & Maria). My left hip and right IT band started up on this loop. Got back into the pit after 4:07 (1:33 for that loop). Took 5 minutes or so to add Gatorade to my bladder, make a toilet stop, and grabbed another baggie. Had some coke and took a swiss cake roll as I walked out to start my last loop. 

Again, I was mostly behind one person for a little while as I mostly shuffled/walked the loop. My IT band was the major issue, not allowing me to run for more than 20secs at a time. I'm a fast walker, and finished the loop in 1:43 for a total time of 5:50:36. I sat on the bench with two others who were done as a couple people tried (desperately) to get me to go do one more loop. Their appeal did not work and I was just glad to get my 28 miles in. [Thinking later - the appeal they should have used, was that if I had to stop running after today, would I be satisfied with stopping while I could still go out for more. I may use that for myself next time, because I certainly could have done another loop in under 2:10.

I now have just over 164 Icebox miles. :-)

My hip, knee, shins, and lower back were sore for 2-3 days and got back out to run on Thursday.

2021 Harbison 50k (virtual, supported) 1/9/21

The 11th Harbison 50k was held on 9 Jan 2021 in Columbia, SC at Harbison State Forest. I have run all but one of these events, missing 2019 due to an injury. I was planning on traveling down for this event to get my 10th finish, but due to COVID-19, I decided it would not be wise. The race director (Matt) was gracious enough to allow me to run this one virtually. Honestly - immediately after my Icebox 480 event, I was kind of looking forward to taking a break and skipping this event. Once Matt made the offer though, I committed to doing it (and I am glad I did!).

Weather leading up to the race in South Carolina was looking great temperature-wise (32°-52°), but of course rain the day before would make it a bit muddy. Where I was in St. Paul, MN, I was looking at temps between 12°-16° all day. My route around Lake Phalen was basically cleared of snow/ice (yes, they plow the path around the lake!), and with no wind, it would not be too bad.

My normal route is from my house to the lake (0.5mi) for my 3.1mi loop(s) and back (0.5mi). I decided that three out and back trips, with 3 laps of the lake each time out would get me my 31 miles and break it up nicely. I only had to adjust one section out from my house to add ~0.1mi. 

My training had been fine (no injuries really), but I knew I had ignored my long runs. Looking back now - I had not done one run of 17 miles outside of racing. Whoa-that surprises me. Since July, I had done 4 races of 26.2 or longer, and managed them just fine. Before the last one, Icebox 480, I neglected to ramp up my mileage and it showed. For Harbison, I had a few good runs, but was still feeling lingering effects from an ankle issue on longer runs. With that, I fully expected to need to walk the last 10 miles or so.

So race day comes along, and I had set out my 'Aid Station' just inside my front door. I was to start at the same time as the race in SC, so 6:30am here. I wasn't worried about running for the first hour in the dark, I'd just be a little more careful with patches of ice. I had my plan and expected times, with grilled cheese to be ready on my 2nd trip back home, thanks to my wife! 

House 'Aid Station'

For temps in the low teens, my clothing started out as follows: normal road shoes-Asics 2000-7s, with fitsock socks and neoprene toe sleeves (I wear if it's under 20 as my toes Always get cold otherwise). Wore my calf sleeves under my old (20+ yrs) Nike dryfit tights, and some running pants over those. Long sleeve technical shirt, with a fleece running vest (courtesy of my Seashore Nature Trail 50k finish back in 2011), and my bright orange Saucony jacket. Saucony mittens are a must for cold weather runs. On my head, I started with a balaclava and a buff around my neck. My UD vest was worn Under my vest/jacket to keep the nozzle from freezing (and still almost initially froze as I neglected to tuck the nozzle underneath them both!). I had bib number 31, and as I keep track of Everything, I knew I had run a race (2007 Paris Mountain 6k) with that same bib number, so found it (I keep Everything too) and pinned it on my jacket.

Race morning weather

Starting 'line' is just outside! 

I started on time, and headed down the street and my modified path by a local rec center over to the lake for my first three loops. First loop was good - the expected 'freezing fog' warning never materialized, but it was foggy and it was initially difficult to see from one end of the lake down to the other. Hoar frost was everywhere though, and made for a beautiful run once it got lighter out. I went out at a slightly slower pace than usual, and still was a bit under my expected times. I warmed up fast and removed my mittens after the first mile. I actually never got cold the whole day, turned out to be a nice day out! 1:33 for the first of three sections, 10.4mi. Back at the house, I swapped out my technical shirt for one that was dry, and mittens for gloves that I'd need again, the balaclava for a fleece hat, and a new buff. Added Gatorade to my water in my bladder, ate most of a granola bar (had a Gu an hour into the run) and headed back out after a long 12 minutes. I had expected a 5 minute break, which was still a few minutes longer than I usually take. Wasn't concerned about time today, so took it easy.

1st loop - still dark

after 2.5 hrs

No issues on the next loop and my lap time was still ~28minutes. One more loop and I would be more than halfway. I kept imagining where on the Harbison course I would be, and knowing that as I left the halfway point (start/finish aid station), I'd definitely finish. Had the same expectation here, but with being closer to home, and at home after 20 miles, there was certainly more opportunity to stop. My daughter (11 years old), said the day before the race that I would finish, because I always told her to never quit. 

I did start adding some walk breaks as my hips got tight, and then my left arch started up. That was a new one. Maybe it was the pavement? Who knows? So my laps slowed to 31 and 34 minutes and I headed back home. 1:45 for that 10.3mi section, and 3:30 after 20.7 miles. 

Got home on schedule and my grilled cheese was ready. :-) That made me happy. Took a 16 minute break to sit and eat (chips, chocolate). Wow - that was a long break! Didn't change any clothing and headed back out for my last 'loop'! I did something here that I Never do...The last time was in 2012 when I ran my 12 hour event at the Black Mountain Monster 12hr - I listened to music on my headphones. It worked for me, especially when I found a beat that matched my pace. 

Lap 7 of the lake was a good mix of walking and running/shuffling. My hips were so tight, and I was limping due to my left arch. I was down to walking the last two laps. I had walked laps around the lake before, and knew I could do the 3.1 miles in 41 minutes on a normal day. I expect I could do 45min loops, but those last 2 laps, with favoring one foot, I still did 41 minute loops.

About 2 miles to go, I started watching the time more closely. I was going to be close to the 6 hour mark. If I shuffle the couple of downhills, that may help? Couldn't do much more than that, but with a mile left, I knew I needed to. Shuffle, shuffle, walk, shuffle, shuffle. Finished my 9th lap of the lake. Now the half mile back home and I had 6 minutes 47 secs to break 6 hrs. I knew walking would not do it. Shuffle shuffle.

Once I hit my block, I knew I'd break 6, and came down the somewhat snowy sidewalk to the front of my house to finish in 6:59:23! 

basic phone app data

Harbison #10 done, 5th long event in 6 months, and 46th marathon/ultramarathon finish overall. 

And now ready for a break. (We'll see how long that lasts!)

2020 Icebox 480 Race Report

Nov 7th 2020 was the 8th running of the Icebox 480. This is an 8 hour event (480 minutes) run on a loop in River Falls, WI. As the pandemic is still raging, it was managed a little differently this year, but it all seemed to go off without a hitch!

distanced aid station spots

My original plan was to run 4 loops, as this is typically a 7mi loop. I wanted my marathon+ distance, for my 45th race of that length, and 4th in the previous 4 months. I was feeling pretty comfortable about that, at least the first 3 loops! The week of the race (or so), a course adjustment was made due to construction/erosion, and the new length was 6.31mi/loop. This meant I now had to do 5 loops. Not that many more miles, but mentally, it had me discouraged. I knew I'd be fine though and get my 4th finish of this race. 

Almost ready to start

One major change (pandemic) was the course was open to start running from 6am-8am. You'd have your own pit area and a marker to keep track of your own loops/times. I chose to start at 7:30am (right around sunrise, so I could avoid use of a headlamp). Temp was 57 degrees and it was to be cloudy day, warming to 65 by the end of my run. 

Not a bad day to run!

Arrived around 7am and set up my aid in my pit spot (spread out and numbered in the field adjacent to the trail entrance). A few were already running as their headlamps could be seen in the trees. I set out my water, Gatorade, roller, and had my snacks and extra shoes handy. Decided to run with a handheld the first loop, before swapping it for my vest/bladder. Walked up to the start at 7:29, and started at 7:30 with one person right ahead of me. We'd swap places a few times these first 2-3 laps. 

Legs were a little tired, but felt better toward the end. Course markings were perfect. The one spot I missed on the first loop last year seemed even more silly, as I realized I took a sharp left turn (almost 180 degrees) instead of continuing straight. I did miss one little path, that dipped around a retention pond (?) instead of going straight alongside it. It may have cut off a whole 20 seconds. Oops. ;-)

The course skipped the middle aid station section, and also was re-routed to bypass the curving bike-ramp. We ended up running just below it. Instead of the typical 1:10 first loop, my time was 1:05. 

Swapped my handheld for my vest, and got back out onto the course in about a minute. Felt pretty good for loop 2. Saw a few people, but like the whole day, pretty much ran solo. No issues for this loop, finishing it in 1:09 (2:14 total) and did Not stop at my aid station. Circled my loop #, wrote my time in the spot provided, and went right back onto the trail. 

Loop 3 was definitely slower going. Hips were getting tight. My ankles had some soreness. Toes were tender at the end of the loop. I had been having ankle issues for a while, but doesn't really show up until I get around 15miles in to a run. Came in the aid station after 1:19 (3:34 total). Took ~5 minutes to add Gatorade to my bladder, eat some chips and PB&J, and a sip of coke. 

The hill at mile 1 of the loop

Loops 4 and 5 were mostly walking. Legs just didn't have anything. Loop 4 in 1:36 (5:10), with a few minutes for food/water. Re-laced my shoes at some point, realizing a little late that that was likely the main reason my ankles were sore. (I never thought to re-adjust them once I stopped wearing my orthotics after last year. Doh!). 

Loop 5 was All walking, and right knee soreness kept me from running even the downhills. It was a nice day to be outside though, so there is always that to reflect on. Nothing to do but keep moving forward.

Nice fall day!

Finished that loop in 1:36, for a total time of 6:52. Should have been about 31.55 miles. My phone app (granted not the best for this sort of thing, but all I have) showed 27.1mi. Either way - I got my miles in and completed another one. Now up to 136.55 Icebox miles.

Knowing my fitness for this distance was lacking these last 3 hours left me a little dejected. I did better with these races when they were 2-3 weeks apart. This ended up being 6 weeks since my last race, and I knew that was pushing it without some longer miles. (One half-marathon distance wasn't sufficient! - I was right!). With the pandemic and travel not happening, I was just fine with Not running the next race I had scheduled - another Harbison 50k January 9th. 9 weeks meant I should do some 'real' training, but I just wasn't feeling enthusiastic at the moment. Stay tuned!

(Footnote - took a few days off with sore shins - that's a new one for me, and some back soreness, I guess from my bladder as it was a bit higher up on the sides? Then, seemingly back to normal the next weekend).  

2020 Fire Tower 50k Trail Race (Virtual; Self-supported) 26-Sep-20

 

1^st Fire Tower 50k, 26 Sept 2020

2 weeks after my Med City Marathon, I started watched the weather (=Temperatures), looking for a weekend low temp in the 50’s to run this event. 10 days out, I saw my weekend, the last weekend in September and the last weekend to run this event. I chose Saturday Sept 26^th to make my way up to St. Croix State Park.

I’ve been known to have ‘phantom’ pains the week before a race – a weak leg, a knee issue, minor things that never show up otherwise and usually disappear completely before the race. This week was different, and not in a good way. Not sure what I did (slept wrong?), but felt a little twinge in my next Tuesday morning as I did an easy run. It became very tight by the next day, and affected my sleep and how I moved throughout the next few days. Turning my head was difficult, looking up (or down) was unpleasant, with tightness down into my back. Thursday morning I did a 2 mile jog, and it actually felt better when I ran, but once home and back to normal life – it came right back. Friday night, the evening before my run, I resorted to taking ibuprofen. Got almost my normal sleep, and woke up around 5am to get ready for the drive/run. Took another dose for good measure – I expected I would be fine.

The 1hr 15 min drive to the park was fine even in a nice fog the whole way. Temp was 57° and humidity was at 99%. Gates were open as I arrived just before 7, and I made my way to my drop bag location, the Kettle River Overlook, which I would come through around mile 14.5 and 20. Tucked a small cooler bag, a jug of water, and a bag with shoes, snacks, and a roller, behind a tree and made the ~20 min drive back to the start area. Parked in the main lot and got ready (vest/bladder, snacks, phone, map, etc).

Having never been to the park before, I checked the map and found the trailhead. There was a large scout troop camping adjacent to the start, and wondered if I’d see them when I returned in 6+ hours…

Started off at 7:50am.

 

Entrance (as I left)

tad Humid! :-)

At the Start

Course Map

First couple of miles were horse trails and (packed gravel) roads.- not terribly even terrain, but flat. The whole course was pretty flat. Started out comfortably, had a printed course map and written directions with me, plus the State Park Map app (which was wonderful!) on my phone. Had the gate numbers and suspected mileage marked on my map for further reference. I was ready!

Horse Trails

Early road

Past first 'gate'

Gate 31 was a sharp right, at about 46min in, somewhere about mile 5. Mileage between landmarks/gates were iffy based solely on the course/trail map, so afterwards, I used the time, map mileage markers, phone app distance, and relative pace to guesstimate.  

I guess this part (the picture below) was the only time I felt unsure about my path. Sign obviously says Mathew Lourey State Trail, but part of me wondered if the trail was just parallel to the road. After going along a bit, I realized I was probably on the right track. Either the printed map or the App had me second guessing it - but I followed the sign and was fine.

Leaves were beautiful out. The morning fog was quite bad driving in, but the park became clear (below the tree tops anyway) with cloudy skies. Temps only warmed up a few degrees (to ~63°), but I was very happy with that. 

Got tot he Firetower just as a couple were making their way down it. I was happy to see it open - a big reason why I wanted to run this race. I made my way up - but didn't have much of a view as it was still foggy. 

Could see fine straight down.

It's really only a minute or 2 climb up or down.

Steps added for 'vertigo' option

It would have been good to have the tower later in the race, so maybe it would be a little more challenging. This was about 90 minutes in, so just about 9 miles in I think. Spent about 6 minutes there total, including eating a little snack, before heading back down the road. Still felt fine! Was about 7 miles away from my aid station, but this next section I was looking forward to as it was beside the river.

Hadn't seen too many people on the trails, but I did see a few hikers. No other runners.  

First view of the Kettle River (at Big Eddy)

Absolutely loved this section! Was pretty technical at first, until it got on the main trail, where it was just a little less straightforward. Good to finally be on some singletrack! I did kick a root pretty good with my right foot. Wasn't too bad (I would finally lose the blackened nail 2 months later).

These next few photos are at the Kettle River Overlook, where I had stashed my aid. It was Crowded! (and would be even more so later). Time was 2:52, and distance was about 16 miles. I refilled my bladder with some Gatorade/water, got out my PB&J sandwich and chips and cookies and snacked some - bringing some along with me. Used the roller a bit, and stashed it all back behind a tree. Left knee was slightly sore, but manageable. Same with some outer upper thigh soreness...it would soon disappear. 

and wonderful views of the river!

Back onto the trail

Next section was a loop down (~2mi) to the Two Rivers point, then back up ~2mi, before cutting down the road to the aid station at Mile 21. 

Happy to be in the woods!

pine straw

Two Rivers (Kettle And St. Croix)

Swans!

Soon after I passed the swans on the river, I made my way down the road back to the Aid Station. I had thoughts of taking my aid station with me, so I wouldn't have to spend 45 minutes after the run to pick it all up. Silly idea as I then recalled I also had a pair of shoes, just in case. No way to carry much of it at all. As I was turning to go into the parking lot, someone heading out on the trail asked if I was Brian. I said yeah, and they said "good luck". I had put a note with my stuff stating I was running a 31 mile race and to please leave it. That was very nice of them!! This was a very quick stop...and the lot was much more crowded. Distance of ~21 miles, time of 3:55. I was still moving pretty well, but slowing down. Saw a few people I had seen earlier in the day (tower couple, plus a few hikers). 

Joys of running in the Fall!

This next 4.4 mi section (Bear Creek Trail) was not my favorite...some nice views with the leaf coverage, some horses, very few hikers. The ground was an overgrown jeep road, and the following section, although it was only not even 2 miles as you headed back to Gate 31 from the south, was an uneven, slightly overgrown road/trail. You did feel like you were in the middle of nowhere, definitely off the beaten path. I walked/jogged as I could, and was feeling it in my legs. 

Dealt with heavy legs the last few miles, and tried to judge my time, wondering if breaking 6 hours was possible. Once I determined it was not, 6:10 was my next goal. It was good to pass Gate 31 (5:22) and reverse my path back to the finish. A very runnable section, and a few more people out on trails. 

I made my way to the finish and stopped my watch at 6:07:54! Mileage (per my phone app) showed 32.4 miles. (So 6hrs was doable if it was a 31 mi course!)

Tired, happy after 6+ hours!

The scout troop was still there, and avoided me as I laid down while they threw a football nearby. I was pretty happy with my event, and glad to have done it, even solo. I recommend this event and will run it again I think! 

Wasn't thrilled about retrieving my stuff, but it was fine. 

Had my typical 2mi recovery walk the next day, and after 2 easy runs that week (with some knee soreness), was back to normal the following weekend. Not bad (for me) for 3 races in 2.5 months! 

Next up - Icebox480 on Nov 7th!