Conestoga 10 Mile Trail Race. Epic. As always. Maybe even more so this year as Central Pa. was hit hard by the recent flooding, extra humidity this year and just generally wet, slick, and slippery on an already 10 tough, hilly (and thats putting it mildly) course. Throw in the bee stings and we have the makings of a classic. This year was made all the more special as Matt and I were joined by great friends and running legends! This year brought out Moca (my wife) who has been nagged for three years to finally make it out, Dr. Randy and his swift footed friend Jason, true running ultra stud and legend Tom Green (first ever Ultra Grand Slam runner - that's the four toughest 100 milers all run in the single course of a year)and legends in the making Judith and Abby. At this point it didn't matter how the race went - running with these guys (girls) was and is an honor and a privledge.
The whole day really was an event - from the beautiful counrty side on the drive up to the bus ride to the course ending - it's all part of the fun. But (and maybe this is only me) the real fun begins on the 900 foot hand over hand, mad scramble in the first mile. And that's just the beginning of what Race Director Bill Smilth bills as "Ten Hillish miles". With aid stations at mile 2,4 and 7 I figured I was safe taking only one small hand held bottle and this would prove to be a slight mistake as the humidity was moisture and energy draining. I left the race a bit dehydrated (which Moca rightly pointed out is a re-occuring issue with me and one that's entirely fixable). The aid stations themselves were fairly simple but as always manned by a great crew who kept us all on our feet (except for the slipping, sliding and falling). Thanks guys! It was in these first 2 miles that we all began to seperate. Matt and I ran near Abby for a bit and Moca and Judith ran all the way to the finish together. Randy and Jason took off and we never saw them again until the end - way to run guys! I should add that this was their first trail race ever and both finished well under 3 hours. Matt begin having problems around 2-4 miles in and this was unusual as we usually run the course well up until the climb coming into the 7 mile station. But with the slipping and the humidity everything was hard and it took its toll early. So around mile 4 Matt assured me that he was fine on his own and I took off and tried to catch Randy and Jason (I never did). Matt pushed hard and finished strong - it may not have been his fastest Conestoga but it should be his proudest as it was easy for no one - even Tom Green mentioned how tough the course was and he's done all the tough ones. Great run Matt and next year is sub 3 for sure.
There's several real dicey sections to this trail and one is boulder hopping above the Susquehanna River (not my favorite)and rock slab skiping along the banks of a stream (not my favorite either)but the real deal breaker is the 700 foot elevation gain to the last aid station at mile 7. Ouch is all I can say that brings any kind of justice to this climb. It feels endless and I'm pinching myself right now to make sure I haven't passed out on my feet and only dreaming that I'm done (I am right?) I recovered from the hill pretty quickly though and increased my pace as time was running out for a 3 hour finish. I had about 45 minutes to cover 3 miles and with more hills up ahead the previously mentioned stream bed ordeal still ahead it was by no means a given. Some areas along the stream bed were butt sliding moments for me and I'm pretty certain no one was around to witness my newly invented technique for covering distance over wet rocks. At least I hope so. It's here where I managed to pass the greatest number of people through the course of the day - obviously they don't know the butt slide maneuver. I also ran into three-peat course runner Carli who out ran me last year for a sub 3 and that gave me confidence to keep pushing on. Thanks Carli! At this point I knew it would be close and I was edging towards doubtful - my Garmin read 9.75 when I ran past a man who told me I was half a mile out. I was at 2:57 and change and this was discouraging news. No way I'm running half a mile in 3 minutes. I run on another minute or so and see Randy ahead (looking pretty refreshed for just running 10 miles)and he tells me it's only 300 meter ahead. I can do this - 2:58 something and I sprint it in for a sub 3 (not by much and don't remember exactly but will post it when I find it). Pretty happy about that.
Randy and I hiked and then ran down to run Matt back in and then later Matt and I would do the same for Moca and Judith - fortunetly they were moving fast and we had to travel less to meet them. Both sprinted it in hard and fast at the end - as did Abby just a few minuts before them.
Judith and I both suffered bee stings and we all suffered to varying degrees along the trail. Yet really none of this seemed to dampen anyones spirit. We all watched a 70 something year old man run a hard finish close to the 5 hour mark - he was joking minutes later. It's that kind of a race.
So next year will make four years in a row - you're all invited. But you've been warned. Even under the best circumstances it's tough. But you'll smile at the end - I promise.
Once again a big thanks to Bill Smith and all the volunteers - you made this day work for us all.
I'm hoping to convince the crew to submit their own race report here as well - so feel free to nag them till they do!
(And hopefully pictures soon)
Peace,
Eric
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