First 50 at JFK 50 Race report of JFK 50-Mile Run: Nov. 21, 1998 By Grant McKeown I was awake and in the shower at 4:30 AM. Actually, I was awake all night. The JFK 50-Mile Run was my first attempt at the distance and I was just way too wired to nod off. I'd always been able to sleep at least a couple of hours before marathons and other ultras. No sleep. Well, a PR already! As I checked my clothes and my Ultimate Express race pack the only dilemma was whether to wear light or heavy polypro tights. I chose the light ones. Marc Ornstein, a running buddy from New York City, and I then headed out the door of the Super 8 Inn. It was about 5:30 AM. No rain this morning. Unlike the evening before, driving across Pennsylvania through hundreds of miles of rain showers. Thanks to Marc's driving, we just made the Friday evening race check in. But brr! It was a cold morning. A good thing I'd stuffed the heavier tights in my finish line bag. We then drove by the Hagerstown Days Inn to see if any pre-race coffee and muffins were still available but they had just shut down. So on the road to the start we stopped at a gas mini-mart for coffee, muffins and water. "Good mornings", from a few fellow runners too. After which we all convoyed east, 15 minutes down the road to Boonsboro High School. Over 880 entries meant a very full parking lot and gymnasium as well. The surroundings made it feel more like a 30-year high school reunion than the beginning of an ultra. I changed to my heavier tights. Better to be warm at the start then cold at the finish. Twenty minutes till the start, we moved out of the gym and started across the athletic field toward the town square, a half-mile away, and the starting line. Dawn was just breaking on gusty, clear, cold and crisp morning. I reached to my head and I momentarily panicked. I'd lost my lucky "ultra" cap. I quickly back tracked a couple of hundred yards and was elated to discover it on a hillside. Retracing my steps, I caught up with Marc. Just enough time to get a fellow runner to take a picture of us. Just like my June run in Adams, Massachusetts at the Mt. Greylock Trail Marathon, I carried along a little disposable Kodak camera to chronicle my run. And a minute later we were off! We started at the back of the field at a very leisurely pace. Marc had cautioned me about going out to fast. The beginning rocky Appalachian Trail section, he told me, was the toughest part of the course. The first 2.7 miles was on a paved two- lane road and a straight shot climbing about 510 feet, before joining the trail. After a mile or so of our 12 minute pace, I decided to move up and would not see Marc again until the finish. Looking back down the road, as I entered the trailhead, I figured I was about in the middle of the pack. The almost 13 miles of Appalachian Trail was very rolling with only a couple of steep ascents and descents. Nothing like the Mt. Greylock's trails! The difficulty here was its relentless, very rocky and brutal ankle twisting nature. Lifting your eyes from the trail often resulted in stumbles. I stepped into a leaf-covered hole, on my worst mishap, causing a near "facial" but, fortunately, no damage. Conversations with others were, necessarily, pretty faceless. I did though have a great two-mile chat with guy who made docu-dramas of Civil War battles. He told me his latest film was showing at the local Antietam Historic Battleground Site. The Trail section of the course ended with a short technical, several hundred-foot descent at Weaverton Cliffs via numerous 20-yard long steep switchbacks. The shouts and cheers of crews and friends resonated up the hillside from the road below as I made my way down. I was glad to finally exit the trail as the bottoms of my feet felt a bit stone-bruised. I now began the flat C&O canal towpath section, snaking north for 26 miles along the banks of the Potomac River. It had taken me about 3:38 to cover the first 16 miles. But I had not pushed the pace and felt fresh. The aid stations were particularly great at the JFK, supplying practically anything. a runner might want. Power Ade, Power bars, bananas, p&j sandwiches and even soup at one station. They have developed a healthy competitive spirit. In fact, post race, runners are encouraged to vote for the best aid station. They were welcome sites along the river, offering colorful relief from the very, very, very flat towpath. As myopically demanding as the trail was, the simplicity of the towpath demanded extra mental stimulation. I was glad to have my little camera and took many shots along the way including one of the owners of a local B & B, taking their pet llamas out for a walk. It was on the towpath that I met runners who were vets of Western States and Leadville. Debbie Moss and Peyton Robinson seemed like they were on a fun run. Their relaxed approach to the 50-miler run was contagious and helped to dissipate my concerns about completing the run. An event with thirty-six years of running history results in many runners who return year after year to compete in the JFK 50. More than 250 have returned to run the course at least 5 times with many 10 time finishers and thirty or so 15 time finishers! Even my running buddy Marc was making his 5Th appearance. The effect of so many returning year after year creates a great atmosphere of camaraderie, wonderful for 1st timers and enjoyed by all. Marc had told me that a good goal at JFK was to finish before sunset. I just wanted to finish under 10 hours (a 100-mile qualifier) and not feel totally zonked! A couple of miles before the Mondale aid station (38.4), my time was at about 7:20. I had managed to not push at all and felt very good. No leg cramps thanks to the Succeed! Buffer caps and a few ibuprofens every couple of hours. And plenty of water and Power Ade too. I decided to test my race legs. Amazingly, I was able to increase my turnover. And it was effortless. The three plus miles between Mondale and Woburn, I covered in 26:35. I was little over eight hours at 41.9 miles! I felt strong and loose. I knew then, I would finish under 10 hours. The only question was how much under. I still had over eight miles to go. As I turned off the dirt and made the initial 100-foot climb up the asphalt road, I expected my legs to waver on the hard surface. Instead, my legs reacted like they were glad to finally return to familiar territory. Almost like I was back on the Central Park Drive in New York City. I soon began to pass others runners. I have never enjoyed the last 8 miles of an ultra or marathon as much as I enjoyed the simple country road of the JFK. The pastoral nature of the surrounding farmland was splendid. Even the dairy cows, patiently, confidently waiting to be let in for the evening seemed to have a calming affect on me. My pace over this portion averaged out less than 9 minutes a mile. And I finished strong in 9:20:54 and before sunset too! My patience and conservative running had paid off big. Looking back, I probably had a sub 9-hour in me. But, I was very happy with my time. The Springfield Middle School gym, at the finish, supplied all with hot chocolate, cookies and some excellent noodle soup, among other things. I had finished in time too, to view the awards ceremony. Howard Nippert, a former Olympic marathoner was first overall with a time of 5:58:41. He joined the second place finisher, Eric Clifton (6:08:42) in an elite sub-6 hour group of ten men over the 36 year history of the race. Bea Marie Altieri was outstanding as she blazed the course in 6:58:44 and 15Th place overall. Her time was the second fastest ever by a woman. My friend Marc finished in 10:14, though "A little beat-up." he said, from the unusually hard dirt Towpath. A new record number of finishers for an American ultra, too. The 774 number surpassed the JFK '97 total. The finishing touch to my day was a conversation I had with Eric Clifton. You see, Eric had chosen to shave his hair into alternately bald quarter sections while shaving off half his moustache and the other half side of his beard. Sitting in the gym bleachers near him, curiosity got the best of me. So I leaned over and asked him why the unique razor cut. Eric said, "A friend dared me to do it." "Really?" I said, "That's it?" "Yep." he replied. And I thought to myself, "Why not?" I mean if you're going to be crazy enough to go out and run 50 miles, how daring could a strange haircut be?