Sunday, October 29, 2006
2006 Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon results
Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon info
2006 Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon photo slideshow
Since The Crash, the longest distance I've run has been 8 miles. So I wasn't too upset to learn that this weekend was supposed to be characterized by drenching rain on Saturday and frigid cold with up to 40 mph winds on Sunday. I even went so far as to say something like "Wow, those guys are going to have a miserable race on Sunday - glad I'm not paying to do that!"
You can probably see immediately where this is going...
Saturday afternoon I got home and just for the heck of it, I visited the Hairy Gorilla site and chuckled over the "bring warm clothes to change into" and "you will get WET" statements. Then, just for the heck of it, I pulled up the e-mail that was sent to pre-registered runners, and that was my downfall. Because in that e-mail posting were three tiny hooks guaranteed to catch the trail running Turtle...
- Each half marathon finisher would receive a mini Hairy Gorilla - last year I'd seen these small stuffed gorillas on the awards table and been bummed that I'd never be able to get one, since it's unlikely I'll ever place in my age group. But this year - I could get one just by finishing...
- The course had been altered slightly, as requested by last year's runners - in particular, two annoying loops through the grass fields in front the the picnic area (race HQ) had been eliminated and replaced with a short stretch along the escarpment trail in the first half and an out-and-back loop in the 2nd half into an I'd never been in. So they not only addressed two of my peeves about the 2005 course, but I would also get to see someplace new...
- The loop through the Paint Mine area of Thacher Park was being run in reverse of what we run for Indian Ladder every July, as well as continuing to include some trails that aren't used in that race.
So take all of that, plus the fact that the trails would be muddy beyond belief, and Saturday afternoon I made the decision to run the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon Sunday morning. I finalized that decision by making a run to the store to pick up supplies (Clif bars, a disposable camera, and bananas) and changed my clocks before going to bed, somewhat wondering what I had gotten myself into for Sunday...
So for the 2nd time this fall the alarm went off on a race day. At this point that's not a big deal, and this one is especially nice in that it's close enough that I didn't have to get up too awfully early. Probably the toughest thing about packing was knowing what clothes to bring - I finally went with the overkill approach, figuring it was better to have a fleece top I didn't need than to be up there freezing and wishing I'd brought it. Had a pleasant surprise on the trip over to Thacher - sunshine! Parked the car and registered for the race, and had another pleasant surprise - a race T-shirt! After that I spent a while gearing up and wandering around... the views off the escarpment were, as aways, great, and whenever the wind dropped a bit it was actually pretty pleasant. Got the word that the race would start in 20 minutes, so I made a tough call and put my windbreaker in the car - my main worry being that I would end up walking a lot during the 2nd half of the race and freeze my backside off.
Josh Merlis, the RD, had a few quick things to say once we had gathered at the starting area - among them "If you're from the Western Mass Athletic Club - you're going to think this course is flat, smooth, and dry!" in a nod to the many insane places they do races and, to first time trail runners, "You're going to die." And then, after a few short delays - off we went!
As in last year's race, after we entered the woods there was a brief bottleneck where folks were trying to tiptoe around a huge puddle, and as in last year's race - I splashed down the middle, figuring I'd be wet soon enough anyway and probably wouldn't dry out until the finish. The trail through the woods was flooded in spots - a warning of what was to come. After that we got to wade through a very cold stream - fun! and had a brief jaunt along the escarpment before heading into the Paint Mine area and a couple of long slow slogs uphill. But most of that was relatively dry, and all too soon we were heading down Paint Mine Road to retrace our steps through the stream and through the flooded woods back toward the starting area... at which point the sane folks headed to the finish of the Squirelly Six Miler and I headed off into the wilds of the 2nd half of the half marathon. My time at that point wasn't bad - 1:18 or so - but also wasn't great, and my legs were beginning to hurt, which meant I was in for a slow 2nd half.
Part of the fun of this race is the people - the ARE encourages both runners and volunteers to appear in costume, so there were numerous interesting characters on the course, including a number of gorillas and a chainsaw-wielding maniac. I even had a very nice young lady dressed as a huge banana running with me in the short space between the end of the six miler and the return to the woods for the remainder of the half. (Some of the other volunteers urged me to run faster and not get beaten by a banana, but I'm not proud... any banana that's faster than me, and that doesn't take much, is welcome to beat me!)
Into the 2nd half, and pretty much on my own. Just before the bottom of the 2nd big hill, the top three guys blazed by me within seconds of each other... they had about three quarters of a mile to go and I was only about half done. Impressive. Slogged up the hill and warned the volunteer at the top that he might want to get a flashlight so he could see me when I came back through! After a brief pause to empty rocks and sticks out of my shoes, I made my way around the pond and onto the first of several long, slippery, muddy plods. Between the wet course and the 100 or so runners who'd been through before me - there was no way to run without ending up on my back or blowing out a knee. So I slipped and slid to the next aid station, where I repeated the flashlight warning to the very nice folks there.
Then it was off into the new area - another mud-plod down a trail to a loop around a field. It was during this section that the snow flurries started - would have been quite pretty if I hadn't been trying to stay on my feet and maintain some forward motion!
After that it was up the road to the old quarry, and then a long slow run along the Long Path and doubletrack to get back to the aid station. It was during this stretch that I became the official "last runner", as two folks from the WMAC passed me. (You can always tell you're last when the guys taking down the course markers appear behind you!) At the aid station Christophe the gorilla greeted me enthusiastically and did his best to get me pumped for the last couple of miles. Christophe is an incredible runner who has done several ultras this past year - it was nice to actually get a chance to talk to him for once (usually the only time I see him is when he blazes by me on the return leg of an out-and-back race!) His energy and enthusiasm helped keep my spirits up as a slowly made my way back to the top of the hill - where I got my picture taken! (So along with the two pictures I asked volunteers to take using my camera, I should have at least one more too.)
At the bottom of the hill I ran into John Kinnicutt on his bike and after I asked him a question about the last bit of the course he decided to ride back down with me. It was great talking to him and best of all - it distracted me from that last run through the field, which I always find difficult. And before long I was back on the trail through the woods, slipping and sliding up the last hill, and then out in the ball field and heading for the finish line, complete with a cheering mass of volunteers. (They may have been cheering because they could finally pack up and go home, but I'm going to keep thinking that it was because they were happy I'd made it, after 3 hours and 21 minutes!) I may have even managed to pick up the pace slightly... OK, very slightly. I was given my stuffed gorilla and best of all - they gave me two! So now I have one to give to Ann...
So all in all it was a good day to plod my way through 13 miles - cold, wet, windy, and muddy, yes, but the people there were great and it feels good to have done a run I really wasn't positive I could finish running. A huge congratulations and an even bigger THANK YOU to the Albany Running Exchange and all the volunteers for putting on such a fun event. And after my conversation with John I think I may have to run it next year... it sounds like they're making some changes to the course that should be very interesting.
JMH
2006 event totals
snowshoe - 3 miles, 59.5 min
running - 118.23 miles, 29 hr 31 min
riding - 52.4 miles, 4 hr 8 min
