Damn Hot!
Somewhere around mile 24 of the 2007 Damn Wakely Dam Ultra I started
cursing RD Jim, his crew, his course, and his race.
That cursing lasted several months.
Eventually, slowly, during long quiet runs, contented smiles would
creep across my face as snapshot memories would come out of nowhere.
Maybe I had enjoyed my first experience at Wakely.
All too soon, an email arrived inviting me to sign up for the 2008
Damn Wakely Dam Ultra. More
smiles, more memories. I
entered and I was coming back. The
training started in earnest and somewhere during the hill training and the
extra long runs, I started cursing RD Jim again.
Why did I sign up for a mid-summer, bug infested, unsupported 32
mile trail run through bogs and rock piles?
How did I let his love and enthusiasm for the
Adirondacks
and the Northville Placid Trail draw me in again?
While questioning my decision to enter, I hoped that my training
during this hot and humid spring and summer prepared me for whatever might
happen on race weekend.
Fast forward to Travel Day and early Friday morning I loaded the car and
headed for the hills. Coming
from South Western Ontario in the middle of farm country, just about
anything else is considered hills. I
was driving solo as my training partner and fellow 2007 Wakely runner
couldn’t arrange the time off work.
The drive, while long, was uneventful except for the sweet deal I
found on some trail shoes while stopping for a break in
Syracuse
.
By mid-afternoon, I arrived at
Camp
Wakely
and found everything was in full swing.
I claimed my patch of grass for the night and got checked in at
race headquarters. A pleasant
evening was spent talking with veteran and rookie runners.
I even went for a short run along the road section to remind myself
that it isn’t as long as it feels. However,
the blackflies eventually chased me into the tent for the night.
The big blue bus made it’s arrival about the same time as the
alarm sounded. A quick bite of
breakfast and it was into the bus.
I had the pleasure of sitting with a couple of rookies from
Pennsylvania
, Ian and Alex. We talked
about trails we had run, family, jobs…anything to pass the time to the
start. Little did I know these
two unassuming runners were about to tear up the course.
Once we arrived, I had a chance to meet the rest of the Canadians
that were running. With a few
photos taken, we were all called together.
The race was ready to start after a few words, both encouraging and
cautioning, from RD Jim and with a “go” we were off.
As I seem to have been blessed with the ability to run at a decent
pace, I started out towards the back of the lead pack.
I was trying to trim 15 minutes off of last year’s time and run
under six hours. The
Northville Placid Trail does what it does best and the group started to
separate in the first 30 minutes. Running
alone, I was able to appreciate the sights and sounds of a truly fantastic
part of the
Adirondacks
. The bogs seemed a little
less boggy and the blow downs were at a minimum.
I’m sure I remembered climbing over, around, and through a lot
more branches last year.
I was able to run more of the trail this year and arrived at the
Caretaker’s clearing (half way) about ten minutes ahead of last year.
I had drained my 100 oz Camelback so I refilled at the next stream
crossing. I had also consumed
a Gel and a salt tablet every 45 minutes or so.
While I thought I was keeping ahead of my liquid and fuel needs, I
did have a heavy feeling in the legs and body coming into the half way
point. Within 15 minutes the
quads started cramping up and I got quite light-headed.
The heat was taking it’s toll.
There’s not much to do once a runner gets behind in fluids other
than to slow down and get as much water back into the system as possible.
With a lot of walking & jogging, drinking, salt tablets, and
massaging the legs, I was able to get back to running the trail but my six
hour goal was now long gone. I
had drank most of the second 100 oz of water and was running again at a
quicker pace. It helped that
the second half of the course is a little easier than the first half.
Maybe I could still get under 7 hours.
I remember the last four or five miles taking forever last year and
this year was no different. The
heat was still having an affect on me.
By the time I finally got to the dirt road, I couldn’t wait for
this to be over. Funny though,
I wasn’t cursing RD Jim. The
beauty and tranquillity of the course had it’s hooks in me.
The heat and the humidity meant that even 7 hours was not to be
this year. How Ian and Alex
were able to break the course record is beyond me.
I guess some runners handle the heat a lot better than others.
I wasn’t able to have the race I wanted but that didn’t matter.
I was able to spend an awesome weekend in the company of fellow
crazy runners and in a beautiful section of bogs & rocks & bugs.
.
