Race morning began very early, waking up at 4:45am in order to park our car at the finish line in Del Valle park. The race provided school buses promptly at 6:30am from the finish to the start of the race at Mission Peak park in Fremont. It was an hour long, nervous bus ride with newbies sitting quietly in their seats wide-eyed, and returnees rattling off stories about prior Ohlone race experiences. I remember one quote from a guy in his 50s sitting behind us:
"Running Ohlone the first time is like hitting your hand accidentally with a hammer. But running it again is like hitting your hand again on purpose!"
Need I say that Burnout Bear and I were becoming more nervous by the minute? I could barely swallow down my breakfast of a Hammer bar and sports drink.
Luckily, when we arrived at the start, there was a large group of Mission Peak Striders already there. Seeing familiar faces helped me to feel a bit better, especially knowing that they were about to endure the same challenge as myself. Dave, our club president, was there to root us on even though he couldn't run due to an injury. We all milled around and exchanged nervous smiles, anxious about what the day would bring.
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| Mission Peak Striders at the start. (courtesy of Paul Ng) |
It was the 25th anniversary of the race, and the race director had a special introduction. There were several runners returning this year that had run the very first race 25 years ago! Wow.
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| 25th Anniversary celebration. (courtesy of Paul Ng) |
...And then we were off!
The course begins steeply and climbs 2000 feet in the first 4 miles. Most smart runners speed hike large portions of this, knowing that there are still 27 miles remaining after reaching the top of Mission Peak, with the hardest climbs still to come.
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| Here we go! (courtesy of Paul Ng) |
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| Climbing up Mission Peak. (courtesy of Paul Ng) |
After reaching Mission Peak, we descended 2000 feet into Sunol regional park. I had lost Burnout Bear shortly after Mission Peak and thought that I wouldn't see him until the end of the day. But luckily I pushed it on the downhill and managed to catch up to him. It is always more fun to run together!
Dave somehow drove quickly over to Sunol after the start and was there to meet us on the downhill into the park! It was such a surprise and so wonderful to see him there. He ran with us down the hill, asking how we were feeling and shouted encouraging words to us. He then turned back up the hill to wait for other Striders coming through. Yup, that's our awesome running club president!
When I arrived at the Sunol aid station, I filled my Salomon pack with 50 ounces of water with the help of our friend Lori (another Mission Peak Strider!) I instantly gained 10 pounds! And then we had to begin the long climb up to Rose Peak... mile after mile, it seemed that Burnout Bear was falling behind, though. I kept looking down the hill to make sure that he was there, but something just didn't seem right. I had a feeling that he was struggling with the heat which kept growing more intense after entering into Sunol. There was no shade on the bald, steep hills. I continued on, hoping that he would recover at the next aid station and then catch up to me. Unfortunately, I did not see him again until the finish.
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| Mooove it, people! (courtesy of Paul Ng) |
I think I pushed it a bit too hard on some of the following downhills, though - particularly the "Big Burn" trail. Either that or the heat finally caught up with me because my stomach began to hurt and I experienced slight waves of nausea. I wasn't sure if I needed more salt, or more fluids, so I decided to gulp down two large cups of Gu Brew at the aid station 5 miles before the finish. It didn't help and only made my stomach start to slosh, but I managed to keep going.
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| Burnout Bear toughing it out at mile 29 (courtesy of Joseph Swenson) |
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| Still running at mile 29... (courtesy of Joseph Swenson) |
Half a mile before the finish, I saw a runner laying on the ground unconscious. Two volunteers were bent over him searching for vitals. They shouted, "Stay to one side, there is an ambulance coming through very soon!" This really scared me. It was so insanely hot at this point (90 F) that I suddenly wondered if it was safe to run at all. So, I continued to walk most of the way into the finish.
I was so happy to see the finish line that I almost started to cry! I was so hot and tired and just wanted to sit down. The clock read 6:46, which I wasn't overly happy about, but was fine for a first 50k on such a warm day. At least I finished and was able to run MOST of the way!
As I crossed the finish, the race director held out a wooden plaque for me. I took it, and in my confused state thought that it was an age group award since it was made of wood. (I had heard that the "big" awards were wooden posts.) "Wait, seriously??" I asked, surprised. The race director frowned and said, "No, I'm sorry, that's just a finisher award." Embarrassed, I replied, "Oooh, okay. Thank you! That makes more sense." I knew that a lot of women passed me while I walked the last mile or so. The race director turned away and then suddenly turned back after chatting with a man under a nearby tent. "Wait! Is this your first 50k?" I smiled. Yes it was! I had earned myself the ZombieRunner Female Rookie of the Year Award! He took back the wooden plaque and exchanged it with a large wooden trail post!
Burnout Bear crossed the finish about half an hour later, after having experienced painful leg cramps from mile 14 on! He toughed it out, though, and completed all 31 miles under such brutal conditions. What a trooper! I thought for sure that our days training together were over, as he surely wouldn't want to go through all of this again! Until he asked later that day, "So, when is the Skyline 50k again?" Hooray!
And next time, I am definitely going to drink that Coke!
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| At the Finish: Striders in the Hood. (courtesy of Kelly Tarkowski) |
