March 23, 2019
Growing up you don't have a clue about what you'll be doing when you're a grown up. Playing football with Andy and Michael in the McCauley's front yard gave me no hint that two of those three carefree kids would choose ultra running as a hobby 40+ years later. Michael (now known as Mike) and I have somehow decided that stumbling around on forest trails for hours on end is a good choice for an adult past time, (Andy, now A.J., was obviously the smart one of the trio).
Mike's a couple years my junior and he's also somewhat new to ultra running, but not at all new to running. He got his true ultra running baptism at the
Devil Dogs 100K in December. Seeing his Facebook post that he had moved off the HAT Run wait list made me chuckle, as he and I would actually be running the same event. Kind of cool to be running an ultra knowing a guy I've known for as long as I can remember would be there too. Competition? No not at all. Mike's at that point in running where he's still trying to run fast and me, yeah I'm at the complete other end of the spectrum; I just want to enjoy the scenery and finish under the allotted cut off time.
I had been to the HAT Run before. In
2014 I ran with such an awful cold, that I really didn't have fun. And last year's story had an even worse ending. Days before the race, the region got a dumping of snow. The day of that storm was the same day the pull cord on my Mom's snow blower broke. My time to clear her snow was limited so I shoveled as fast as I could and I somehow strained my back. I went to the HAT Run anyway, made it to the first aid station and got a ride back to my Jeep in the race director's Jeep. My back was spasming and tightening up with extreme pain so my 2018 HAT Run was a DNF (my first and so far only 50K DNF). I was coming back this year to first of all have the fun I missed in 2014 and to avenge the DNF of 2018.
This is the 31st edition of the HAT Run 50K, it's held at
Susquehanna State Park near
Havre de Grace Maryland. 30 years of experience has ensured that this is a top notch, well run event. The format is basically two 13.7 mile laps of the park after an initial short loop of about 3.6 miles. There's enough elevation gain to get your attention (4,300') and while there is some road running, the majority is scenic trail with enough water crossings to keep your shoes clean. Unique to this event is the start format, similar to cross country events.
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The Classic Cross Country Start
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I had been hanging out where runners pass through to get to the start line, hoping to see Mike before the event. Janice kept telling me he's probably already down there and she was right. I walked along the front of the mob until I saw him. We had some good pre-start chit-chat and when the horn blew to send us on our way I could only hope he'd save some finish line food for me.
We rolled out across the pasture in front of us and then across another before entering the forest onto single track. We passed by the start finish/finish. looped back around and found ourselves passing back through the start/finish to send us on the start of the first of the two laps. On that first pass, I saw
Tim Gavin, one of the Race Directors, and I told him I would not be needing a ride in his Jeep this year.
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Picture In Picture - the results page actually has time synced video of the finishers.
This is the first pass through the start area.
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During the opening loop is when I spotted the "other Perry". A few years ago I ran the
Frozen Heart 50K and one of the highlights was getting to meet and run with another guy named Perry. I haven't met many, in fact I only knew one other and that was back in high school. Perry Rapp is from southern Maryland and somehow I recognized his mop of hair as he blasted past me. I yelled, "hey Perry, it's Perry", he recognized me, we exchanged "hellos", I told him to not let me slow him down and he took off. I knew at that point, second place in the "Guys Named Perry" category would be the best I could do. Funny thing, I saw Janice just before re-entering the woods and I said, "hey, the other Perry is here" and some guy standing near her said, "funny, he just said the same the thing about you".
Rolling into the wooded trail, I was starting to feel like I may be establishing a pace I could maintain all day. Unlike the last race, the first few miles were not a muddy quagmire; they were quite dry and runnable. Considering last year's race was in question up till the last minute because of a crazy snow fall, these trail conditions were awesome.
This year's weather feature was high winds. It had been windy all night and I thought the forecast was for them to die down as the day went on, but they never did. In the forest they were nearly non-existent, but in the farm fields they were strong. It was pretty cool when they were at your back, you could really feel the push. That wind was an easy battle, I wore a wind jacket and zipped it up when I was in the wind and unzipped it when I wasn't.
Susquehanna State Park is a combination of farmland pastures and heavily forested hillsides. Running through the park, you just feel the
history emanating from its grounds. Its nestled along the banks of the Susquehanna River just before it pours into the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace Maryland. The race starts and finishes at the
Stepping Stone Farm Museum.
The course winds through a camp ground with cabins and right through a restored historic section with a working grist mill. On the two major climbs on the course, the view of the river is pretty amazing. My favorite along the course is an amazingly huge American Beech Tree on top of one of the many hills you climb.
There's an aid station near the start/finish and a lower aid station that is really two aid stations. You visit all of them twice and the one near the start you pass by three or four times depending on whether you count the opening lap. The aid stations were well stocked and staffed with runners knowledgeable of what you were going through and what you need. If you continued on with an unmet need; it was probably your fault. At this type of race, a 50K where Janice can see me often, I really run on
Huma Gels,
Pickle Juice Sport,
Clif Shot Bloks and
Tailwind.
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| Intriguing Water Sharing Setup Between The Two Adjacent Aid Stations |
Janice has crewed me so many times that she doesn't even bat an eye at taking care of me. She hands me a small bottle of Pickle Juice and new handheld. The handheld has a Huma Gel and Clif Shot Bloks in it and the bottle is full of Tailwind. Typically late in a race I'll look for something to actually eat like Peanut Butter and Jelly or Perogies. I do rely on aid stations for extra sugar in the form of Coca Cola and/or Mountain Dew. I'm not one of those runners who stands at an aid station gabbing with volunteers chomping on Gummy Bears and talking about what I bought at Costco last night. In fact, those folks drive me nuts, "get outta' the way, I want a PB&J"is what I'm thinking, but never say. No matter what's being offered the volunteers who staff these aid stations can never be appreciated enough, and I'm sure to thank them.
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Huma Chia Energy Gel
Pickle Juice Sport
Perfect Together
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The camp ground on the course is the opening to a fast downhill road section. I don't recall how long it is, but it's short enough that it doesn't drive you crazy and long enough that it can buy you back some time you might've lost out on the trail. That road section dumps you back into the lower half of the twin aid station which is followed by two serious climbs. I remembered those climbs and knew I'd just have to gut them out. On the first lap I found myself on the front of a string of about ten runners, exactly what I didn't want. I kept saying, "you need to pass, just say the word" and I got no takers. All I could think was, "damn these guys are as slow as me if my pace is ok".
After the first climb, the trail delivers you to the restored historic area with the grist mill, but there's no time to enjoy it because you quickly go right back up a steep little climb to start the second ascent. That short little climb was sloppy mud with water running down it, lovely. On the first lap I recognized that area and remembered that the course was different those years ago, but I couldn't determine what was different. The more important thing was I remembered that Janice had met me here and she wasn't there this time and my bottle was nearly empty After the second climb, there were water jugs just before a road crossing so I was able to top of my bottle. I was concerned those jugs wouldn't be there or they'd be empty on the second lap so I asked Janice to meet me at the grist mill the second time around.
Surviving the climbs, the course soon points you back at one of the fields leading you back to the start/finish area. Janice was waiting there and she and I walked through the aid station and she walked with me till the course re-entered the forest. I told her, "now for the hard part" as I now got to do it all over again on lap two. I must admit that during the second lap I kept expecting the wheels to come off. My spring training has been sub par at best and I just didn't have the confidence to think I could complete this event without something going wrong. Like clock work, with Pickle Juice and a replacement handheld, Janice met me at the next aid station and then the next and she found her way to the Grist Mill as well.
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| More Coca Cola Please |
I cleared that second climb and while entering the last muddy field before the finish, I realized that I hadn't imploded and I was going to finish under the cut-off. The icing on the cake was, with about 200 meters remaining I heard a voice give a cheer and that voice even said my name. I looked and didn't recognize him at first, but it was "the other Perry" and he ran with me to the finishing chute. As we were under 100 meters, Perry said, "and now for your finishing sprint". I assured him that he was looking at my finishing sprint already. That was fun.
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| Perrys |
So yes, I avenged my 2018 DNF and had the fun that I didn't have when I ran here in 2014. No nasty cold to cough my way around the 50K and no huge snow storm to complicate matters. Next up for me is the
C&O Canal 100 Mile Endurance Run.
Oh yeah, the Bear attack? Yeah that didn't happen. What did happen was that I got a scratch from a thorn on my left thigh somewhere in the first three miles. On the first lap descending to the water crossing, a volunteer asked, "did you fall already?". I assumed he was talking to someone behind me and looked over my shoulder. He said, "no I mean you, look at your knee". The tiny little scratch was dumping blood nicely and it seemed to bleed most of the day. Fast forward to near the end of the run, my knee is now covered with blood and two young guys volunteering at a road crossing commented on how "bad ass" my bloody knee looked. I chuckled and admitted it was merely a scratch from a thorn. They protested loudly and said, "Tell no one! Clearly a Bear attacked you! Stick with that story!" So there you have it, yes I was bloody and yes, those two made me laugh, but no a Bear did not attack me (thankfully).
There was however a real close encounter with wildlife on the first lap. After crossing a creek, you cross a road and then ascend away from the road on some switch backs. I was in a long string of runners at that point and I heard a woman up ahead yelling something and a lot of rustling in the brush at the same time. I had just figured out she was yelling "DEER!" when I saw the white tail bolting through the brush. I thought, "wow that's something I haven't seen at a race before" and just then another Deer decided it didn't like our company and also bolted. This one however went in the other direction and ran right between two runners. Neither were hit, but it was close. That really happened. :-)
Two unfortunate negatives on the day:
- Surprisingly, my friend Mike's Jeep got broken into while he was running and his wallet was emptied.
- I'm pretty sure I saw a woman cut the course and hang out to cross the finish in a time that wouldn't raise suspicion. Not sure why anyone would do that...just stupid...and yes, I know her bib number.
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