From stanj Fri Apr 11 12:33:09 1997 Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 12:33:08 -0700 From: stanj (Stan Jensen) To: ius-l@american.edu Subject: AR50 report (long, but not XP :-) Well, given that I finished AR50 in an abyssmal 11:43, I thought seriously about posting nothing (really!), but I was told last Saturday that some people use my reports as a vicarious experience ("armchair ultras" was the phrase) and I did want to thank Delmar, Fleet Feet et al for yet another great production, so here goes ... Last year I drove to AR50 and woke up with a pinched nerve in my neck, which kept me (reluctantly) from even starting. This year I dropped a computer on my ankle four days before the race, but I was determined to start. AR50 was my first ultra in '93 and it would be my 50th, so I "had" to do it (it's a guy thing :-). The race briefing was held at Fleet Feet Sports on Friday PM and RD Delmar Fralick and the gang ran things as smoothly as ever (after 18 years, they've learned a few things). List-ers Tom Winter and Martin Hillyer were reminiscing about the good old days, so I went searching for younger folks. This year Delmar had awards for "friends of the trail", which was a nice way to acknowledge the volunteers who've put in countless hours at aid stations, etc. I got my wrist bracelet, T-shirt and bib number, then stuck around to help them load one of three U-Haul vans. I had never appreciated how many supplies and Gatorade coolers it takes to support 500+ runners and 10+ aid stations! I drove back to Rancho Cordova to help a friend for a few hours, then went back up to Auburn, turning in at 10:30 after leaving a wakeup call for 3:30 (you're supposed to get your sleep two nights before an ultra). I woke up dark and early, slurped a cup of coffee, pulled on my elastic ankle brace, and headed out to the dam overlook, where a sleepy crowd (e.g. Dave Littlehales) was gathered in the cold morning awaiting the buses. At 4:15 Pat "DT" Wellington and I boarded the first bus and parked our bare legs on the ice cold seats. An hour later we pulled up at CSUS and joined the lines for the porta-potties. I ran into list-ers Dan & Suzie Lister, Ryan Manning, Janice O'Grady, Eric Robinson, Tony Rossman, Gene & Suzi Thibeault, Gary Wang and Jon Webber, plus about 500 others. We all sang Happy Birthday to one of the runners, then off we went. One of the things that makes AR50 different is that it's like a road ultra, followed by a trail ultra. About 28 miles of paved bike path, followed by mostly single-track trail. Many people blame their performance on that first stretch, claiming the pavement beat them up or they went out too fast. Well, I went out faster than I'd planned, but it was a great day to be running with friends, so I didn't really care. Tom Winter ran by, introducing me to RD Chris Rios, and then stepped off the path to water the bushes. Aid stations were spaced about 5 miles apart and we didn't have to contend with many bicycles or pedestrians, so it went smoothly. I even stopped for a fresh strawberry at the Klein's "aid station". All systems were "go" up to mile 19, drinking well, scarfing down food, peeing on schedule (in the bushes, 'cause we were still in the city), having a great time and not bothered too much by the ankle. And then we crossed at Nimbus Dam and ran on the trail for the first time and I discovered that it was going to be a long day. You can run pretty well with a sprained ankle as long as you're on a flat, stable surface, but rocky, uneven trails means a reduction in speed so great that even Suzi T pulls ahead on the flats! Just kidding, 'cause we ran together from Nimbus through Negro's Bar to Beal's Pt. and she even introduced me to the Berryman-Shaffers. John Medinger greeted us at his aid station, razzing me for walking as I left. Jan Kahdeman took off ahead of me, but with Brian Purcell as her crew I considered it an unfair advantage. As we crossed the spillway I enjoyed the great weather, remembering how hot it oftens gets on that exposed stretch. Ironically, I was passed by Glenn Misono at the same point where I'd passed him in the opposite direction during SNER last year. We left the fire road and started the narrow, winding trail section, weaving through the trees until we came to the Granite Bay aid station. Here's where pacers wait for their runners and Scott St. John (2nd at Ed Fitz 100k) was even refilling bottles while he waited. It's a 6.6 mile stretch to the next aid station, but this year they'd made a new aid station, "Buzzard's Cove", mid-way and Ken & Dee McKim were a life-saver. Running solo from there toward the next aid station, I heard an ominous rustling in the bushes and quickly reviewed the "cougar encounter rules", but it was just a group of large wild turkeys! It was also on this stretch that Errol "Badwater/Rocket" Jones finally caught me. Too bad he'd started at Beal's Pt. It's a pleasure to watch a great trail runner moving quickly along a winding, narrow trail on a beautiful spring day. The Horseshoe Bar aid station finally appeared and Kathi Twietmeyer was efficiently taking care of the runners' needs. A short stretch to Rattlesnake Bar, where Linda Moise had a banquet table of goodies on display, complete with a set of candlesticks and a flower arrangement. On the next stretch I continued to trade places with a runner who'd popped a blood vessel in his calf (yuck) and we kept each other company for a couple hours. I've run that stretch many times, but for the first time I saw Avery's Pond in the distance and really had a chance to enjoy the scenery. When you're running fast or concentrating on the trail, you sure miss seeing a lot! Manhatten Bar came up soon afterwards and knew I'd make it. We ran another three miles along the river, then climbed that unpleasant stretch of dirt road until we came around the corner and saw Last Gasp. The next climb up 2.5 miles of paved road isn't exactly scenic, or fun, but you can see the finish area and it's easy to study the Auburn Dam site (may it never occur) while you're plodding uphill. Many hours later, I finally crossed the finish line and collected my wonderful fleece jacket, had a massage and some soup. Thanks, Delmar! So, if you were there and I missed you, I apologize. It's great to meet fellow list-ers and I wish I'd seen Rocky, Damon and others, but there are so many people at AR50 that it can be difficult. If you saw a guy wearing a white T-shirt with red lettering and a green 3-D cube, that was me. It's taken four days for the ankle swelling to go down, but I'm limping less and don't regret running, while I know I would have if I'd dropped out. Congratulations to all those who finished and shared a great day on the trails with me. Stan "Trail Worker" Jensen ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stan Jensen, Systems Engineer for "SGI Direct" stanj@sgi.com Silicon Graphics Inc., M/S 120 Phone:(415)933-5822 P.O. Box 7311, 1401 No. Shoreline Blvd. FAX: (415)932-5822 Mt. View, CA 94039-7311 "I (heart) Tonks" "http://www.sgi.com" "http://reality.sgi.com/stanj" ------------------------------------------------------------------------