Back in June 2013, I ran my first race in the mountains of
West Virginia, the Highland Sky 40 Mile Trail Run. The first 19.7 miles were
mostly uphill and the vistas that followed were truly amazing. Combine that and
a phenomenal running community/club in the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners
and I was sold…that couldn’t be my last trek south into West Virginia. Nowhere
around NE Ohio or anywhere in reach do places like that exist. Enter the West
Virginia Trilogy…
The West Virginia Trilogy is held within the Monongahela
National Forest on the eastern side of WV and a bit south. Seneca Rocks then
Elkins would be the closest towns. The event itself consists of Friday’s 50K,
Saturday’s 50 miler, and Sunday’s half marathon. Finish them all to be a
Trilogy finisher. I’ve never even heard of such an event, much less attempted
one but after my experience at Highland Sky, I solicited the support of my wife
and signed up. We left NE Ohio for the 6hr drive south this past Thursday.
Upon getting within an hour of The Mountain Institute (TMI),
race headquarters, we first lost all cell reception then were on gravel roads
as we climbed in. I discovered today that if I had simply followed the race
director’s guidance, all of that gravel road was unnecessary but instead, I
made up a Google Map and followed those. Lesson learned! The funny part was at
one point, a bunch of black cows blocked the road…just staring at us. Not until
we honked the horn did they scoot out of the way and we finished our drive in.
Arriving at TMI, it’s truly in the middle of nowhere…but
amongst incredible beauty. Untouched West Virginia Back Country is everywhere
and “yurts”…circular buildings make up TMI plus a bathhouse with men’s and
women’s restrooms. We set up our tent (our first camping experience in nearly
21 years of marriage) in the misty rain then headed up to the main yurt to
check in. As soon as I walked in, Adam Casseday stood there saying “Welcome
Nick!” I had never met Adam before and only recently became “Facebook friends”
so yea, that was a great way to be greeted to the Trilogy. Dan Lehman, the 2nd
of 3 race directors was nearby and I said hello to him…he is the race director
of Highland Sky. I heard about the fantastic meals prepared at TMI and at no
point this weekend did they disappoint. All fresh, all homemade, and nut-free.
Yep, they asked everyone to please keep nuts and peanut butter away! (Don’t
they know that just to sign up for the Trilogy, you gotta be some kind of
nut?!) The pre-race meeting at 7pm and volunteer meeting thereafter for my wife
were knocked out and back to the tent we went…heads uphill as we made the
rookie mistake of staking our tent on a slight downhill section.
Trilogy 50K (over 4500' of elevation gain)
I had not the knowledge of what the day would hold. I have
no issue climbing the “hills” of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in NE Ohio.
Those aren’t in the mountains, though. The time limit is set at a very liberal
10 ½ hours in the attempt to encourage runners to take it easy since 50 miles
followed the next day. I did that but eventually, I would be moving slow
because I was beat. My goal was simply to run smart, not get hurt, and save my
quads. With big climbs, there are going to be fast, rocky downhills that can
wreak havoc on my quads that is unrecoverable in one overnight sleep. I
distinctly recall 3 slaps in the face: upon saying goodbye to my wife who was
working aid station #2, we hit a long, long steep climb. That same thing
happened at the next two aid stations as well. Good grief! That’s where the
true mountain hill climbers shined (e.g. not me!). I was amazed at how some of
them climbed and made it look effortless. A good, safe pace turned into a crawl
at times, for sure.
As for technicality, there are rocks and lots and lots of
them. With Fall in full force, leaves..wet leaves covered everything so fast
downhills were tricky. There were also lots of water crossings and one even
went above my knees (which meant I got to wash all of the mud off and soak for
a minute in the ice water.) With the ongoing mist and rain, there were also
plenty of shoe-sucking mud baths to run through. What made it all ok was the
beautiful splendor that surrounded me. Absolutely stunning.
I also remember well arriving at mile 27.7, the final aid
station of the day and where my wife was waiting. One thing had been wearing on
me mentally for miles leading to her….that being my pace and the cutoffs on
Saturday during the 50 miler. I expressed that as soon as I saw her but true to
form, she assured me I could do it and to keep charging on…only 3.5 miles to
the 50K finish. One more hill waited, dubbed “cardiac hill” before a run around
the cow pasture and down a nice grassy hill to the finish line where Adam and
Dan were waiting. 7hrs, 55min, 6sec. The hardest 50K I’d ever run…period…and my
25th ultra marathon finish.
The evening was a night eating right, hydrating as best I
could, and taking two servings of Hammer’s Recoverite to help me recover as
best I could after the 50K beat down. My left foot definitely felt a bit raw.
In all of my races, I have never had a foot issue or a blister. However, I had
to re-tie my left shoe 7 times and took it off to re-lube it twice because I
felt the heat that precedes a blister. Luckily, I didn’t see a bubble forming
those two times or I would’ve been in trouble. Dinner was awesome and the 50 mile pre-race
meeting took place, especially for those registered only for the 50 miler.
Afterwards, they had a giveaway where my wife scored a $149 Patagonia backpack
and then we watched a new documentary about Anton Krupicka called “In the High
Country” by filmmaker Joel Wolpert who is good friends with Adam and Dan. Bedtime…
I remember walking back to the tent from the bathhouse on
Friday night saying “I’ve never been so afraid of failing.” The way I felt beat
up and Adam’s comment to me at the 50K finish after I mentioned the hills “You
haven’t seen anything yet” certainly was wearing on me. Raised to pursue
perfection is some kind of stigma that has never left me. I don’t embrace it
and honestly, I often struggle to just “let things go.” But, that pursuit to
always achieve, never give up, love on those entrusted me to the death is
always there…and I always believe that isn’t quite good enough. So, staring
down the 6am start on Saturday morning…well, if we’re all being honest here, I
was a bit scared. Still, though, I would give it 100% and run my race…”there is
no other way.”
Trilogy 50 Miler (over 8000' of elevation gain)
Alarm at 4:15am and I made my way after lubing up and
getting 50-mile-ready up to the bathhouse to brew my espresso again with my travel
espresso pot. I didn’t want to change a thing. A hearty breakfast followed and
I woke up my wife at 5:45am to let her know it was time. The mist continued to
fall and I was hopeful I might see the sun for the first time today. Headlamps
on, we walked 100 yards to the start/finish area where the sight was nothing
but headlamps in the foggy mist. Seconds before the start, Adam said a quick
prayer (so appreciated!), I gave a kiss to my bride, and we were off and
running.
About 2 miles in, we were already climbing up to the ridge
where we’d run until the first aid station about 6 miles in. I heard that in
past years, the sunrise was second to none up here but on this date…fog. This
run along the ridge was asphalt that was a first for the Trilogy thus far.
Dropping my headlamp at AS1, I entered the trail and the rocks began…just like
Highland Sky which is like boulder running. I felt great, honestly, and ran
smart and steady as advised by others who had run the course before. Aid
stations on the 50 mile day are far apart. The next AS, in fact, was 9.2 miles
off and the rest varied in the 8 mile range…a long way. Along that stretch on a
gentle decline, single track, and a steep drop off to my right, I must have
taken a step wrong on a few slippery leaves above some mud because before I
knew it, my feet swung right and I landed off the trail, on that slope and
landed on my right hip while the back right of my skull created a nice “thud”
sound against a boulder…and my right calf cramped up on impact…which hurt more
than anything! To say my calf looked like a baseball would not be an
understatement. I’d feel the effect of that cramp for miles, too. A fellow
runner was passing by and gave me a hand up the slope and I was off and running
and very thankful my head hit flat against that rock and not on a jagged edge
or corner.
Arriving at AS2, mile 16.1, Judy Springs, I felt pretty good
but hadn’t really hit a climb yet…not like yesterday, at least. I fueled up,
had a quesadilla piece, and headed to Horton’s Trail. Ahead, the few deep water
crossings awaited and then a climb UP Horton. We came down it yesterday. It’s a
very narrow, rocky, muddy, rooty trail. This is the point where reality hit me.
I felt like I hadn’t rested a bit from the 50K’s climbs. I wasn’t even 20 yards
into it and my wishes for fresh hill legs were not heard. I bet I was passed by
6 runners on that segment. At the top, we take a 90 degree right turn and head
to Whites Run aid station…mile 24.9…an out-n-back section about 5 ½ miles each
way. This section is far less technical but is downhill after downhill after
downhill. This is when I first looked at
the clock, knowing that this aid station had a cutoff of 12:50pm. I was not
concerned with the cutoff at all…I was good. However, I knew how the hills were
killing me and with every downhill I went down, I grew more worried. At the
turn at 24.9, I had 35min ahead of the cutoff. I quickly grabbed a few bites
and began the climb, grabbing a few branches I made into walking sticks to help
with the steep hills. I still moved slow and things just started hurting more
and eating anything, including the Hammer Gels I had been taking sounded
horrible…even drinking anything but water made me nauseous. Again…passed by
more runners and I knew at that point, I was at the back of the remainder of
the 50 mile pack. There was maybe one runner left. Getting to the top of Whites
Run, I looked at my clock and it was 3pm. The next cut was at 3:30pm…about 2 ½
miles away…down a slippery-loose-rocky descent. I moved as expeditiously as I
could in this section and about a mile out, fall #2 took place. Legs flew out
to the right again and I landed right across the trail. One rock was stabbing
my left hip while a pointed one (I can still picture that mutha!) jabbed my
right elbow. To make it a complete trifecta, my left quad cramped. Given my
little-known condition of vasovagal syncope, that was enough to turn my lights
out momentarily. Yep, passed out across Horton’s Trail. I woke up and was looking up at a fern then
sat up but immediately felt nauseous (the common side effect after waking up)
so I laid back down just for a moment to let the episode subside. As I got up,
one solo runner was hauling down the hill trying his hardest to make it to the
cut. I encouraged him on and told him to go for it and then the trail “sweeper”
got me. He’s the one who cuts down streamers and collects trail markings after
the last runner has passed. That would be the first time a sweeper has gotten
me! Thanks to his walkie-talkie, I was fully aware when the 3:30pm cut took
place as I heard it back behind me from the next aid station. I kept running
and arrived at 3:43…13 minutes late. Race over. Trilogy failed. I had some soup broth that hit THE spot and
bummed a ride back. On the way, we stopped at aid station 6 (3.8 miles to the
finish) where my wife was working to let her know what happened and not to be
looking for me. BIG ‘ol hug for sure…all I could think to say was “I’m sorry. I
gave it everything and left it all out there.” Then the nurse part of her
started triaging me for hmmm…..the two falls, hitting my head, passing out,
etc., etc., etc. J
After a shower and waiting for her to get back, we had
dinner, met some new friends, congratulated many, and headed back to our “home”
away from home. I felt awful…not just mentally but physically. It all hurt.
Until I could find a spot to lay that wouldn’t make me feel nauseous, I
couldn’t fall asleep. Somewhere around 10:30pm, we both woke up and took a
dark, misty walk to the bathrooms and got some water then called it a night.
Today, Sunday, was the morning of the half marathon. All
along, we were slated to run it together as she is a big lover of half marathon
and it would complete my trilogy. Given my drop at mile 33.6 the day prior, it
didn’t matter to me if we did it or not but I was 100% in for her. Waking up
this morning, we deliberated over it for nearly an hour and jointly decided we
just pack up and head home a bit early. I wouldn’t say I’m sad or happy about
that decision. It just “is”. Watching them take off and all of the orange
wristbands (trilogy runners were wearing them) head back to the trail
definitely was a punch in the gut. However, looking back I wouldn’t change a
thing. I ran textbook, in my opinion. I had a plan and executed it. Simply put,
THE
TRAIL WON THIS TIME.
I’d really like to pay respects to those who came up with
this event. Adam, Dan, and Kat…you guys are the best! My wife who volunteered
the first two days couldn’t stop talking about the community of runners and
organizers and how much fun she had. This raw, human, take-care-of-each-other
kind of event is diminishing these days in the world of ultra-running so it’s a
breath of fresh air to be a part of your events. It was because of the same
experience at Highland Sky that I chose the Trilogy and I’m so glad I did. The
location was one-of-a-kind, too.
It truly is West Virginia’s “Back
Country” and beyond beautiful. It is such the perfect location that matches the
surroundings with the event and its underpinnings so well.
THANK YOU…from the both of us.
Some photos of our weekend. Feel free to click on any photo to load the high resolution version and save to your computer. Enjoy!
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| The view of the start/finish and tent setup when we arrived (TMI far right) |
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| Pre-Race Meeting (Kat, Dan, Adam...left to right) |
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| Our breakfast each day |
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| Pre-50K start |
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| Recent camp site...and CHAIRS! |
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| I could've stayed here all day long. So peaceful and beautiful. |
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| 50K finish. Stage 1 complete and my 25th ultra. |
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| 2 of my 3 pairs of Brooks worn... |
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| AS2 of the 50K with my wife |
