Trail running race 7:54:18 [3] 35.33 mi (13:25 / mi) +1850m 11:33 / mi
shoes: On Cloudflow dark grey
Ragged Mountain Part 3 of 3-stage trail race (Ragged, Kearsarge, Sunapee) put on by Six03 Endurance. I signed up for the stage 3 "50k" four days before the race not being sure if it was a good idea for my hip/groin. But the perfect weather forecast (upper 70's breezy, dry) and some encouragement by Jess et al from Six03 prompted me to enter.
Of course I was not at all prepared for the endurance part and the climbing/descent part. Yet what really did me in was my usual leg cramping after 20+ miles in spite of me stuffing my face with (junk) food at the 4 aid stations - this coincided with the Bog Mt section: at this point my brain got tired, and I stumbled quite a bit - wished I had some caffeine gels. I had to stop several times and proceed very gingerly avoiding extra leg movement. Pickle juice and pickles, rubbing in anti-cramping creme at the next aid station, and the slowing down eventually fixed the problem, and I made it unscathed over the hardest part of the course (miles 30 - 35) climbing Ragged and then descending on the gravely trail down the ski slope at a slow and sluggish pace.
BTW 1.2 miles of the distance are extra, b/c we missed turn while babbling around mile 13. Thanks to my carrying a map we were able to correct the mistake.
In the end I finished somewhere in the middle of the pack (actually I was 23 out of 84 finishers- results just got posted). I was the oldest on the course. My legs did not feel particularly tired. But I had absolutely no appetite. I just felt somewhat wiped out from the effort. Ragged Mt Ski area offered a delectable Bar-B-Q but I could only stomach salads. Then after an hour I consumed my free beer which felt great.
Super organization by Six03 with inflatable finish chute, a rasta MC greeting every finisher with a message of accomplishment and loving support by the community of fellow runners, while in between great (and loud) music was filling the arena (Well, I did my cool-down of keeping my leg into the air propped against a wooden structure, and that happened to be right under the loudspeaker - could not help grooving to the music). The aid stations had an eclectic mix of everything, and the "staff" (all runner members of the club) were extremely helpful. A great day!