Tim Mullican's Staging Area

This is one of the hardest 50Ks that I’ve run, right up there with the Bighorn Wild and Scenic Trail Run 50K. The scenery along most of the course is worth it though. I say most, because there was a 4-mile stretch where the road that we ran on for the out and back served as a service road for I-80. It was along one of the higher points of the course, so there was more wind there and a lot of traffic noise. The rest of the course was beautiful and wound through the Medicine Bow National Forest, including the Vedauwoo climbing area that had unusual granite outcrops and rock formations that some people call “hoodoos.” There were four major hills along the 50K course, the last of which made me want to quit. I stuck it out though, and I’m glad i did, as the last hill turned out to be slightly easier than I thought it was going to be at the 8,000 foot plus altitude. There was a 9 hour time limit for the 50K, which was the same amount of time given for the marathon runners, but I made it with 35 minutes to spare. For the marathon, 9 hours is plenty of time, even for us flatlanders. The 50K runners were given a long-sleeved cotton shirt at the packet pickup and were presented with a nicely detailed belt buckle at the finish. The volunteers were very friendly and supportive; however, not all of the aid stations had hydration with electrolytes made up ahead of time. They did have a powder drink mix that they could mix up, but that took a little longer and it was hard to get the powder to dissolve in a smaller water bottle like the ones I had in my hydration vest. I finished dead last, but I am happy with that given that I was doubting whether I could finish for about 6 of the last 10 miles. Incidentally, the marathon is rated as one of the top 10 most difficult marathons by one of this website’s lists.

This was the second race that I’ve done near Susanville, the first one being the Bizz Johnson 50K, which was mostly downhill and was a fast course. The Paiute Meadows Trail Run is run mainly in the hills surrounding Paiute Meadows, except for one long out and back in the first part of the course. Most of the steeper parts are in the second half of the course, and the hills wiped me out. I was reduced to a crawl going up the two last climbs. The views of the valley and wildflowers were beautiful though, but it was tough going getting up there. There were a lot of switchbacks, which helped, but some of the climbs were long, especially in the afternoon when the temperatures started to climb into the mid-70s. There were scattered rocks on the trails, so you had to pay attention to avoid tripping. There were plenty of aid stations staffed by helpful volunteers. The sweepers ended up catching up to me with about 6 miles to go, but they were very supportive and allowed me to take as much time as needed to get to the finish line. It seemed like the race director and volunteers wanted to see everyone finish as much as the runners did. All in all, I have never felt so much support from a race.

The Jackpot Ultras is organized and managed by Aravaipa Running, which puts on some of the most well organized and popular races. If they are the race organizer, you know it will be a good one. This race was on a 2.31 mile u-shaped out and back around the lake at Cornerstone Park in Henderson, NV. As an urban ultra, this one was fairly scenic with mountains on the horizon and a picturesque lake in the middle of the course. I enjoyed watching the ducks and geese that were swimming in the lake, and watching the other runners and members of the public walking their dogs. The one thing I didn’t care for much was the hard running surface which was hard on my feet and joints. The wind was also strong along the back stretch, but you can’t blame the race organizers for the weather. The course was down in a low spot, but that didn’t prevent the wind from gusting on part of the course. As usual, the aid station and support was phenomenal, along with live entertainment and nice swag.

I thoroughly enjoyed this race through the Anne Springs Close (ASC) Greenway and around Lake Haigler. Yes, it did have some hills, some of which I would classified as medium difficulty, but none of them were very long or very steep. For the first few loops, I kept telling myself that it wasn’t bad, but knew in my heart that they would eventually add up and get to me. None-the-less, the scenery of the late fall trees and the lake kept me distracted. However, it seemed like almost every time I looked up at the views, I immediately would trip on a root. This became more common as it got dark, and I started fearing that I might eventually fall, so I cut my run short of the full 12 hours. I still managed to complete a 50K and earned the owl pin that they gave out to everyone who completed that distance. The one main aid station had a good variety of hot food including grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. They also had a taco bar complete with chicken, pork, and ground beef, and two free beers for all runners. The shirt was a light-weight, long-sleeved hoody shirt. The weather this year was cool and crisp, but I did not feel a need to put on running pants after dark. It was kind of a fun course, with some challenge, but not so much as to wipe you out. The race venue was close to the Charlotte Douglas Airport and there were plenty of motels close by. Overall, I would give the race a grade of an A.

This race was held at a golden time of the year when the fall colors are at their peak. The course is along single track mountain bike trails, which can be hard on the feet due to the hard packed dirt. The course is far from flat with a total elevation gain of 420 feet per 5 mile loop. There are a lot of switchbacks, which can make progress back to the start/finish area show, but they also ameliorate the hills. With the exception of one particularly steep, but short hill, the uphill sections were very manageable, but eventually took their toll on this flatlander. The venue is nice in that there is a large building with indoor restrooms, a restaurant which wasn’t needed due to the well-supplied aid station, and a large lounge area where support and family members could get out of the cold in the morning. Door prizes were randomly awarded as runners crossed the start/finish line throughout the race, and most of the 12-hour runners had to option of receiving a nice picnic blanket or a discount for next year’s race. There was no medal, but the blanket was a much better deal.