Curly's Record Run 3.7 Mile Snowshoe Race
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Curly's Record Run snowshoe race info
2008 Curly's Record Run results
The short version:
check out the course profile for today's race (click the thumbnail for a larger image):
course profile courtesy of Berkshire Sports
Note the roughly 750 feet of elevation gain between miles 0.6 and 1.5. Yes, that climb was every bit as steep as it looks. Also note the 800 feet of elevation loss between miles 1.6 and 2.5. That was even steeper than it looks (it's also the section that Albert "Curly" Voll, father of RD Beth Herder, set a 1 min 10 sec record on for downhill skiing in his younger days... an even more impressive feat once you've come down the trail on foot and experienced both how steep it is and how sharp the curves are!)
Long steep climbs and descents plus lack of training equals a long slow slog for the Turtle. I've really got to get to work and get ready for Vermont in March!
On the plus side - it was a wonderful sunny day, Pittsfield State Forest is absolutely beautiful, and as always the other folks there were great. I can definitely think of worse ways to spend a Sunday morning!
The longer version:
I've never been able to do Curly's in the past, because it has always been held on the same weekend as the Lake Effect Snowshoe Duathlon out in Rochester. So once the du was replaced by a half marathon (which I knew I wouldn't be able to complete if it turned out to be a snowshoe event) I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go somewhere new and run with the fun group of folks from the Western Mass Athletic Club. Though I do have to admit, the course for Curly's (which climbs 750 feet nearly to the top of Pine Mountain in Pittsfield State Forest and then rapidly descends 800 feet on a 1920's ski racing trail) looked to be considerably more difficult than the Lake Effect course in Webster Park!
I had originally expected today to be cloudy and grey, so finding sunshine in Pittsfield was a definite plus! It felt a bit strange to be doing the drive this morning, since Ann and I did essentially the identical trip a few weeks ago in hopes of seeing the rocks at Balance Rock State Park in the northeastern part of Pittsfield State Forest. As I drove into the park I was very impressed with how nice it is - I'll definitely have to visit there again in the summer!
Parking was a bit tricky in the small lot, but once I got the car situated I checked in and got both a very nifty T-shirt and a water bottle in my goodie bag. Then I wandered around for a while taking pictures before gearing up for the run. Chatted for a bit with a gal parked next to me, who'd never done a snowshoe race before and then with Konrad and Bill, who are typically at the back of the pack with me. Then we all headed over to the starting area and waited for the fun to begin. After a few words from RD Beth, her father Albert "Curly" Voll took the field to set us on our way. The race is named after his record-setting 1 min 10 sec ski down the trail we'd be using to come down off the mountain. With a blast of his whistle, the race began, and off we went!
I jogged across the field, but as soon as we hit the first climb up the road slowed to a fast walk, knowing there was a lot of climbing ahead. We turned off into the woods and continued to climb, and I found myself right behind Rich Busa, who usually finishes snowshoe races 5-10 minutes ahead of me. I tucked in behind Rich and decided to try to stay right behind him, at least until we reached the steep descent where he'd probably disappear down the hill while I was trying not to lose a knee or two. The crested the first hill and had a very pleasant run downhill until we crossed Parker Brook... and then the fun began.
As much as I tried to keep up with Rich on the long climb, he pulled away from me early on and gradually disappeared off into the distance. I tried to set a brisk pace, but between the steep sections and lack of juice in my legs just couldn't keep it going. That was one tough climb, and I basically put my head down and did my best to plod my way to the top, with occasional breaks to catch my breath and grab a sip of water. The scenery was beautiful... unfortunately, I was too busy trying to survive the climb to really enjoy it. But reaching the top was sweet... there was a quarter mile or so that I was able to run (fairly slowly, since my legs were pretty well toasted from so much non-stop climbing early in the race.)
And then I hit the steep descent on the Shadow Trail, and slowed to a crawl again. Steep downhills are very risky for my bad knees, and this was aggravated by the hard-packed snow (very little glide) and the way my cleats kept building up snowballs (which cut my traction.) The occasional sharp turns didn't help either! That trail might have been fun in deeper snow, or just dirt and rock, but today it was downright scary. So I crept down it, and was passed by several runners who'd been behind me on the climb up the mountain (including the gal I'd given what tips I could to before the race - good for her!) At the bottom Jeff Clark, Konrad, and Bill all caught up with me, and we headed off into the woods for the mile and a half or so to the finish.
I suspect that for a lot of this stretch, the trail had been bushwhacked, because it wound back and forth through the woods, mostly in sight of the main park road. Mostly runnable, even with my fried legs, and after hiking up the mountain the small hills in this part didn't seem so bad. Footing was tricky in spots... I found myself catching the tips of my snowshoes on rocks and branches just under the snow, in part due to the snow cover being pretty thin and in part due to my being pretty tired! Toward the end we ended up on a wide snowmobile trail - easy running, woo hoo! That took me through an evergreen grove and then down into the field that we'd started the race on.
Running across the field was tough... even there wasn't much snow, it had been sufficiently churned up that the footing was not great. Hauled myself up the hill at the end of the field and finished with the fastest run I could manage down the road, reaching the end in 1 hr 13 min 25 sec... not a great time by any stretch of the imagination, but not terrible considering the challenges of the course.
After that I snagged some ramen noodle soup and a cookie, chatted briefly with the gal parked next to me (she had a good time, so she'll probably do some of the upcoming races) and changed into dry clothes and shoes. Then it was time to head out to the northeastern corner of the park and see if there was any possibility of getting to see the glacial erratics today...
Next up: a double-header (unless I come to my senses!) Northfield Mountain on Saturday (note the word "mountain" in the name... another race with substantial climbing and descending) and Saratoga Winterfest (short and relatively easy) on Sunday. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd predict that at least one and maybe both will end up being trail races... but then I expected today's race to be cancelled due to lack of snow, so what do I know?
JMH
2008 Event Totals
Run 0 mi / 0 min
Bike 0 mi / 0 min
Snowshoe 14.1 mi / 3 hr 56 min
states visited: MA,NY
