Saturday, August 20, 2016

Slow & Steady 2016 - Race #29
Jug End Ultra 6hr Trail Race
Saturday, August 20, 2016

Jug End was one of the places I used to run, hike, and ski back when I lived and worked in the southern Taconics, and it's also a site where I've long thought we should hold a snowshoe race. So when I saw that a 6 hr ultra would be held there this year, I decided to sign up, even though I knew it was unlikely I'd last all six hours.

Cooler weather moved in overnight which gave us perfect conditions for the 8 AM start. Since both knees have been bothering me I decided to start out very cautiously and walked the first 4 mile loop. Up, up, up for the first two miles (about a 600 foot elevation gain) and then down down down back to the start. The trails were as gorgeous as always, though the wildflowers in the meadows during the last mile were past their prime. About a mile from the end I was passed by the frontrunners who were completing their second loop and flying right along.

Since the knees were cooperating I took off on a 2nd loop with the plan to run where I could. By the time I'd reached the top of the climb I'd decided to stop after two loops, but then I was able to run a lot of the trail back to the start and that gave me renewed determination to tackle a 3rd loop. Managed to knock 10 minutes off my time for the first loop, and was passed by a reduced group of frontrunners somewhere along the way, finishing their 4th loop and still flying.

During the climb on the 3rd loop I once again decided to stop this time around, except this time I was pretty sure it would stick. About a mile and a half from the end I was again lapped by the guy in front, who was now alone and still flying (he was heading to hit 24 miles in under 3 1/2 hours, yow.) Enjoyed my final pass through the meadows and let the timers know I was done - they offered the option of running one or more of the mini-loops (which were mandatory after the 4 hr 50 min mark) but 12 miles was enough for me today.

Could I have done another loop? Yes, but I suspect I would have walked almost all of it, and my legs would have been beyond fried when I finished. Stopping at 12 miles meant I could probably go for a ride this afternoon, and a run on Monday (the final race of the Camp Saratoga Summer XC series in Monday evening.) And by finishing the first loop I qualified for a nifty Jug End Ultra mug. So all in all a successful morning.

JMH

2016 Event Totals
Run 210.9 mi, 52 hr 12 min
Bike 67.3 mi, 5 hr 3 min
Snowshoe 6.2 mi, 1 hr 39 min
Kayak 1.5 mi, 20 min

states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI
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