Big week with my first ever ultramarathon on deck in Quebec on Saturday. Jumping right into the deep end with this debut given I've never raced further than 25K, so this is more than double (who runs a 50K before a marathon?). This course is also considerably difficult with very technical sections, 6,500' and usually the weather is a challenge. It's also very competitive event with winner usually being top trail runners from Canada. Excited for the challenge and to race in Canada but certainly a bit nervous about how I'd hold late in the race with how hard the course is and not having done a race anywhere near that long before. Taper week going in.
Monday: 3 Miles- Westerly, RI
Champlin mixer loop with the outside trail. Good short run/easy loop.
Tuesday: 6 Miles- Westerly, RI
Avondale/browning loop.
Wednesday: 7 Miles- Westerly, RI
Fun Run week #5. No double trying to cut back on the mileage. Goal was 6:00- just spin the legs a little bit but no real workout ahead of the race. Trying to hit that line of being as fresh as possible but not running so easy that my legs just feel flat and have no bounce race day. Ran slightly faster than that but for some reason didn't feel very good at all. 2nd to Jake.
Thursday: 6 Miles- Westerly, RI
Ran from Avondale to Watch hill and looped back. With Nick Turo (Hartford), Nick Cozzolino (Stonehill), and Jake (Clemson) at 5:30AM. Didn't realize so many guys had been running early, was nice to have company and enjoyable. Although a bit faster than I would have liked.
Friday: 4 Miles- Hartford, VT
Pre-race stayover to cut down the drive to Quebec. Not a great area to run roads in (White River Junction), lots of sidewalks and decently busy roads. Kind of a shame because it's a great area for trails but way too hilly pre-50K. Got my Vermont run for the year though!
Saturday: 32 Miles- St. Ferreol les Neiges, QC, Canada
Race day. Race venue hotel was extremely nice (Marriott Mont Saint Anne). Some background on the race:
I had signed up for this in December as it was about to sell out. My Dad and I had discussed racing this, but I always had some reservations given the huge jump in distance and absolute lack of experience. Once I was registered I was committed but I certainly never felt confident. With a focus on indoor track and then the Pittsburgh half marathon, I didn't shift my focus to trail and long distance until mid-May, giving myself only 6-7 weeks to train for the race. It wasn't really enough although I was in a good place aerobically coming off a 1:13 half marathon. My focus became to get in long, technical and steep trail runs. I became adjusted to challenging terrain with 3 runs in Massachusetts- plenty of hard stuff in Blue Hills, Holyoke Range and Greylock but isn't as brutal as some others. I then got in a catskills run, hard run in the Whites + a bear mountain run that I fell apart in. So 6 training runs ranging from 14-18 miles and between 3,500' and 5,600' elevation gain, lots of technical trails in there. It was something, but it wasn't enough when the race distance was 32 miles. I'd be set on the elevation (Quebec is about 6,800') and likely the technicality but the distance would be something else. I'd just have to hope 6 months of training + some solid runs would carry me through, but a lot of uncertainty going in. I wanted to play it really conservative and not push especially hard until 20 miles or so.
This is one of the more prestigious trail races in Canada and is actually part of Golden Trail Series for USA and Canada, the only Canadian selection for this year (which was the 25K). It's a very competitive race and the top runners are usually some of the best in all of Canada. It's a very challenging course with a rolling first 10 miles on technical terrain along a river, then a lot of steep ups and down on the ski resort before a much gentler last 10 miles.
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| Cool bib! |
I believe this was my first time racing with a pack and just a completely different experience to manage nutrition and hydration throughout constantly. I was using a relatively new solomon pack and brought 10-12 gels or so + 3-5 waffles. I had two soft flasks and filled one up with skratch + the other with water. We headed towards the bus shuttle just before 6:30AM for a 7:30AM race start. Used the bathroom at the start line then I went for a warm-up shuffle- about 0.8 miles. Got a feel for the pack and tried to pull out my flasks on the move which I hadn't done on a training run, but seemed easy enough. One more bathroom break and then lined up in the first wave.
First 10 Miles- The Mestachibo
It was warm and humid, which definitely made things a challenge. I lined up in the 3rd or 4th row and went out at what felt like a comfortable, relaxed pace without going slow. First two miles were really easy and went quickly, but the trails were packed and I had to watch my footsteps carefully. There was nothing especially hard but there was occasionally a narrowing of the trail or brief rocky section and it was quite difficult to navigate early on with so many people around. Just constantly getting cut off. Felt like a big road race but on singletrack. We got onto some wider roads then a brief downhill road section where 6:30 felt like an easy pace and I went by some people. 7:10 and 7:28 first two miles. These would be the fastest splits of the day by far as now the real challenge began.
We went into the singletrack and onto the Mestachibo trail along the Riviere Saint Anne, which we'd be on until Mile 10 where we'd return to the ski resort. The terrain quickly went from really easy to really hard as the trail was suddenly -20% grade, wet and technical. Being so early on, I tried to keep the effort easy and relaxed. People started bombing past me left and right, completely unaffected by the steep downhill. I'd learn over the next 10 miles that whatever technical trail running skills I thought I had paled in comparison to the Canadians. After getting passed by 10 people or so, the dust settled and I found myself in a good position. It was still quite crowded, a big change from running in no man's land in less competitive trail races recently. I blew past the first aid station, allowing me to pass a few people and I still had plenty of fluid left. The river was very pretty but impossible to take in the views as the terrain was extremely technical here. It became an endless pattern of hiking up a steep hill, about 100', slow descending the technical terrain watching footing carefully and then continued very technical terrain over big boulder and constantly using hands. I looked back frequently as I didn't want to hold anyone up but did okay enough that I didn't need to pull over yet. The challenging terrain and the humidity made this part feel really hard. I had gone out conservative but the combination the two made it feel like I was racing a half marathon, which was concerning.
After 5 or 6 miles, I found myself in a group of 8-10 or so. We crossed the river twice over extremely sketchy bridge. I started to run but found the bridge would shake and rattle a lot. Then walked quickly using my hands to grab the ropes as support but every 10 meters or so there was a knot or something metal that was awkward to hit with hands. This was slightly nervewracking with how much the bridge was shaking and a fall would be real bad here (it was roped in so you couldn't fall into the river, but it'd be easy to fall on your groin awkwardly and hyperextend something). We continued on the brutal pattern on steep up, steep down, extremely technical flat with only very brief runnable sections. Running 12-15 minute miles here. Every once in a while, I'd pull over if I felt I was holding someone up and others would do the same. Someone tried to speak French to me every once in a while which was a little awkward.
After 8 miles or so, we started to move away from the river and the trail became a lot more runnable. We passed some of the top 100 milers. On a long uphill section, a second pack came out of nowhere and absolutely blew past us. I kept the easy effort though and powerhiked and some others were doing the same. I ended up getting dropped from the pack a little bit as Mile 10 was much more runnable. I confirmed with another runner how far the aid station was (less than 3 miles) and finished my fluids. At 9.5 miles there was a long steep climb up a staircase and a massive, beautiful waterfall out of nowhere. I surprisingly dropped a few people here. First 10 done, very difficult and glad to get out of that technical grind.
Second 10 Miles- The Mountain
The mile leading up to the ski resort was very runnable with even a manicured gravel path and I passed a few people. I noticed people were cheering both in French and English which was interesting. Came out to the base of the ski area and second aid station. I didn't take any food here but refilled my flasks, which my Mom came and helped with. Some other runners had support from the side where their family/friends would just hand them already filled up flasks. I felt a bit tired and warm here, but generally strong and no real leg fatigue yet. That said, I was still afraid I had so much left to go given the first 10 were so hard.
Ran a little bit on the service road but it didn't take long for it to be steep. Powerhiked a bit of service road, then singletrack went into the woods. Biggest climb of the day with 2,300' in just over 3 miles. Miles 12 and 13 with 800'. There may have been some brief running here, but was 95% powerhiking or more. This climb was real tough given the heat/humidity, steep grade and having the brutal first 10 miles behind me. I generally kept the same momentum of easy-ish effort but probably appropriate for the distance and always moving. I was able to pass a few guys who were struggling a bit. Came out of the woods with a half mile/500' to go to the summit with the final climb on a ski slope. This part was brutal- completely sun/heat exposed with the steepest grades of the climb. Glanced back a few times for the views but it was pretty hazy out. Just before the summit there was some runnable although slow terrain and then interestingly, we went into the summit building.
I had yet to grab food, but now was a good time to completely refuel. I used the water jug to refill my flask but didn't really know how to open it and spilled water all over the floor. I had some XACT fruit chews, emptied my trash and got going- now for a 1,000 foot drop on the ski slope trail over 1.5 miles. I think I did well at this part as I caught and passed a guy. The downhill was relatively relaxed compared to bombing down it in a shorter race. It wasn't uncomfortable but wasn't really enjoyable either on the steep grade. But feeling pretty good. My nutrition goal going forward was to finish both soft flasks before the next aid station to make sure I was taking in enough fluid (as well as having a gel or waffle every 40-45 minutes). Now the climb back to the summit- first portion was still open and on a moderate grade, alternated hiking and running. Soon we switched to singletrack with another climb, but this would be the last steep and extended climb of the race. A canadian came up on me and I pulled aside to let him pass but he indicated he was okay with the pace. I talked to him a bit and he was nice enough to give me the layout of the remainder of the course. Interestingly he pulled out a phone and had a entire phone call conservation while we hiked up the steep terrain. It felt pretty warm here and there was definitely some cumulative fatigue, but I felt strong overall and tried to run anything gradual.
Came back through the aid station, weird set up going up and down some stairs in the building. Just relaxed and walked through there. Volunteers would refill my flasks going forward although there was a bit of a wait there. Saw Dad coming through for the first time and he indicated he wasn't feeling well and would probably drop out. I would have one soft flask with their electrolyte drink and the other with water. I had some oranges and watermelon, but mainly focused on the XACT chews for energy. I somehow made through this aid station much faster than some guys and may have passed a few, plus got a lead on the guy I had talked to on the way up.
The rest of the course would be much easier, but still half the race to go distance wise. One of the longer breaks between aid stations at 10.4K (6+ miles) but easier terrain. 2 miles steep downhill on ski slope where I found myself in no man's land for the first time in the race. No one in sight behind and only one guy 300 meters or so. Entered the woods at 18 and interestingly ran right up on the guy who was completely stopped. He saw me and started running. I kept running for the early sections and got by him but the trail became a gradual climb. Runnable at 6-8% grade but alternated powerhiking and running given the amount of distance and blow-up potential left. Others were stronger at this point and the guy who I was talking to earlier quickly caught me and passed easily. Eventually reached the top and going forward, it would only be 100 ft climbs or less but mostly downhill.
Last 10-11 Miles: Easy trails
Had a mile of gradual downhill dirt road running which was pretty nice. At one point I kept looking back as I thought I may have gone off course given the lack of flags but was happy to see the guy behind me follow. He passed me as well. Shortly after the road turned to flat/slight downhill and I completely bonked. Nothing in the tank. Smooth slightly downhill dirt road and I was walking. A few guys went by me, I had my gel and returned to a slow jog. This was the first and only time of the race I ran out of energy before it was time to take another gel. Much of the rest of the race was similar- following a pattern of mostly downhill, combination of dirt roads and moderately twisty/rooty mountain bike trails. There would also be the occasional steep but short 50ft uphill climbs that I'd walk. Somewhere in a dark mountain bike forest trail, I stopped to pee as I had to do that for a while. Eventually came to the Mile 23 aid station, needed that. Refueled a bit and didn't take too long but wasn't as fast as others. I also stretched a bit as my legs were getting pretty tight. Took off running but shortly after there was another uphill and I got passed again.
Going forward I broke down the race into aid stations. I had been doing this but now was really playing the game of just counting down distance to the aid station. This time only about 3 miles. This came and went without too much difficulty. My legs were quite heavy and deep muscle fatigue at this point, but there really wasn't a whole lot of race left. The distance was short enough that I hadn't finished my water flask and dumped this over my head. This final 10 miles did have the occasional annoying deerfly (none in the first 20 miles) but fortunately there were never multiple at a time. Final aid station then I just needed to survive for 6 more miles. I knew I was on track to have a pretty good race and needed to hang in there.
I knew I was doing quite well and just tried to keep moving with the pattern of running most flat or gradual terrain and walking uphills. I was passed by another guy on a winding uphill. With 2 miles to go, I had my final gel. My zipper in my new pack had been getting stuck and would be hard to close all day and this time it just would not budge. I awkwardly held the pocket to prevent stuff from falling out while trying to zip it up. I tried to force it and the zipper completely broke off. This unfortunately led to a walking break so I could move the stuff in the pocket to a "secure" pocket and I lost some seconds here.
I saw a guy coming up on me with about a mile to go but I had a decent gap. Of course the goal would be to hold him off. Suddenly we crossed a raging river that went waist deep. Almost immediately after that, there was another river crossing, this time knee deep. Made my way through both which was challenging so late in the race. The guy was running faster than me and passed me. We shortly came to the final stage of the race and had a quarter mile of asphalt before the final quarter mile in the ski area. With so little left, I ran the uphill and was starting to regain on the passer as he was walking them. I thought I had run out of room but had more distance to run as the finish wasn't where I thought it was. I didn't think a 6 hour race would end with an all out sprint but I gave a final chase to catch the guy. He had too much room and a bit of a kick himself, as I finished 3 seconds back.
Final result: 25th place of 385, 2nd american, 6:21:56. Results here. I was really happy with the result for a debut ultramarathon. I thought on a perfect day with my lack of experience and coming in with 25K being my longest race that 6:30 would be possible. That estimate came from past winning times and my training, which I thought was decent but could have been significantly better (kind of like when pro marathoners do abbreviated blocks). And that 6:30 was assuming decent weather and the challenge of the course being the elevation. The weather and technicality of the course were both significantly worse than I had anticipated, yet I was still under that goal. This is a loaded field for trail 50K, and there aren't that many trail 50Ks in North America where I would place worse with this performance. This is likely a top 10/20 trail 50K for North America and top 3 to 5 for Canada.
Unlike a road race, it was hard to enjoy the post race high as I felt battered. I congratulated the 2 guys immediately ahead of me, had some water and then made the trip back to the hotel room. It was a half mile or walking or so and a struggle. Fortunately I bumped into my Mom as otherwise I would have been stuck outside the room. Legs and energy were terrible post race, just hurting. Felt better after some food and ibuprofen.
This was a fantastic event. Not sure I'd do it again given how brutal the course was and it'd feel nice to step down to an easier 50K, which most would be. I now would like to do the Laugavegur 55K Ultra in Iceland after watching my Dad race in 2022. It'd be a nice comparison and hopefully feel a lot easier weather and terrain wise after this one.
Sunday: 4 Miles- Beaupre, QC, Canada
Dad, Brady and I did a lollipop. Really nice route with essentially an out and back on a dirt road/rail trail, neighborhood roads and nice non-technical trails. Unfortunately the deerflies were awful, but only for a section in the middle miles. Very humid and foggy then absolutely downpoured for the 25K as we were heading out. Surprisingly was only a little sore but that's likely from slow pace on soft terrain.
Weekly Total: 63 Miles
Weekly Highlight: Having a great race and ultramarathon debut at QMT. That race really could not have gone much better and there was so much potential for it to be a disaster and/or sufferfest.
Weekly Lowlight: High humidity and temps in Quebec. Really very few places on the East Coast have good weather in July.
Movies Watched: Tetris (great movie)
