Toeing the line at only my second actual race this year! The Ironbull Ultra 50k was this weekend, and what a weekend for it. The weather was just perfect in the mid 30’s to start then into the 40’s for the majority of the run. Some sun, but mostly clouds, vastly superior to 7 hours of rain like last year.

The course was gorgeous! This year the 50k was split into a couple different options, as Rib Mountain State Park would only permit the race for 50 participants. Having done the high elevation course last year, I opted to run the second version, which is on Rib Mountain, but through private land, and it was superb. Elevation was still pretty decent at 3600 over 31 miles, but there wasn’t anything too steep in there at all. There was some challenging sections for sure, with strewn boulders that my toes seemed to constantly find. This second version was also done in loops, 6 to be exact, and was the same course the 15k runners were to use when they set out 5 hours after us, (they needed 2 loops out there).

From the starting line on the State Park Speedway race track you bank into turn one and shoot out from turn 2 into the woods. Then it’s up a steady incline for about the first mile over some rutty and rocky trails that I think are normally ridden by four wheelers. The incline is a strange one, where it feels like you should be running it, but walking is probably the smarter choice. Once the climb is finished, the version 2 course separated from version 1, we took a side trail in even rougher shape down a fun little speed section over rocks and saplings. I loved this section, especially the first time through, as you could let gravity just take you down, and all you needed to worry about was having quick enough feet to get them back under you. Bouncing off rocks and smashing through the little trees and bushes, this was fun.

This downhill brought us out to a straight shot down to a road, slight incline into a field which we wrapped around the outside of. Some of the best views on the course were here. Even though we weren’t ON the mountain, the views of the mountain from here were incredible. You could take in the entire surrounding area from this spot, and with the fall colors at peak, it was always a very welcomed sight.

From this field there was a small loop through some breath taking hardwoods. With the sun low in the sky on the first couple of loops, there was a magical golden glow that made this section feel like it was out of a story book. The terrain through here had some ups and downs, but it was pretty easy running and I always looked forward to this section on every loop. Out from there, to finish the path around the field and back the way we came to the finish.

The company couldn’t have been better, getting to run this whole race with Chad was really nice. We kept each other going well and he helped to make the time just fly by. It was really nice to be able to get in a race this year, but being able to run it with a friend is even better. We had a lot of good conversation, and even when there was silence out there, it was great knowing he was there going through this journey with me. I’m not certain how, but that always seems to make enduring training runs or races easier.

Made a new friend out on the trail, Seth, who ran with us most of the first 3 laps. Seth, while being a very accomplished athlete is new to ultra running, having done only a 15 mile run as his longest before diving right into a 50k! Seth went on to finish strongly and did an amazingly out there. I was happy to see him finish this race and really can’t wait to see what comes next for him. Obviously Chad and I were talking him into triathlon, but I guess we’ll see what happens there…

There was a bit of a dark time though in the middle of this race, as there is in all of these long events. Mostly though, it was just due to my inability to do math. When we completed loop 3 or half way through, I was convinced in my head it was 4 completed. Which made that 4th lap then a complete mental game to get through. While I was struggling with that brain game, my legs were feeling the drain, getting heavy, which caused me to start kicking even more rocks. By the time we were finishing up loop four I hit a rock badly, at a really strange angle, which had me limping for a few steps, then gingerly testing how load bearing the toe was going to be. While I didn’t break anything, I do totally expect to lose that nail now. The pain that set in from this was enough to make me think about quitting. But by the time we got to our drop bags, stretched and got some food, it had subsided back to a dull roar, and I pressed on.

Loop five I was extra cautious to not kick any further rocks, and actually succeeded. I’ve done so many training and race events this year on laps now, I’ve become quite a pro at them. There’s a bit of a mental game to going over the same terrain again and again, with the only changes being the weather, the sun, and your depreciating body. For me the trick to getting through these short loops is to actually break them down even further. Every turn, every decent/accent, you can look forward to what’s next because you know what’s there. I try to pick out specific markers, something that sticks out on each loop, and mental mark it as completed when I pass, sometimes even touching it as I go by. It sounds rather OCD as I type this out, but for me this creates a habit of continual goal completion. One little dopamine shot after another to keep you going to the next little goal point. Then, when you get to the final loop, you’ve created all these last little check points in your head, and you get to say goodbye to them as you go around that last final time, creating much larger dopamine hits, propelling you towards that finish line.

As the loops were ticking away, we were near enough to an hour a loop. The first was quickest of course, and they were deteriorating from there, but at 5 down and 1 left to go, I thought we’d have a good shot at breaking 6 hours. We came to the start/finish just as the 15k group was getting lined up, and heading to our drop bag I knew we should make it a quick one, to try and get out with the 15k group. That little extra push they would supply was going to be needed. We did just that, and started the 1 mile ascent with about 30 new friends who all had fresh legs. Once into the downhills though, we started to move. Using that tactic mentioned above, we continued to tick of the little goals, and push towards the finish line. I changed my watch over to show elapsed time, (as it was displaying only heart rate the entire race so far, I hard cap my effort to 150bpm on these longs events), and noticed we had about 21 minutes to make the final 2 miles.

Then I promptly got my left foot tangled in a root and fell on my face. Chad was directly behind me in the single track section and just avoided crashing down on top of me. Thankfully nothing was broken or hurt. I got back up quickly, reminded myself to watch where my feet were going, had a little laugh about it and pressed on. One mile to go, 12 minutes to beat 6 hours, and it’s all downhill from there. I’m happy to say we crossed the finish line in 5 hour 57 minutes.

So happy to be back to an actual race! It’s been so hard during these Covid times, pandemics really put a damper on things. I thought that Ironbull did a great job with social distancing & masks where needed. With only about 25 people on our 5 mile loop, there really wasn’t any problem with keeping a bit of distance at all times. So happy to have been able to compete this year, and I’m really looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to Ironbull and Jenn / Ellen for putting on a terrific race!