Subject: Kettle Moraine 2001 Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 12:32:32 -0700 From: "Paul Schmidt" To: ultra@LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU This year I'm trying to run a few 100's that I haven't had an opportunity to run previously. Kettle Moraine came at a good time for me with a slow period at work. I also remembered reading Kevin Setnes' report last year, where he was disappointed with the race turn out. So, with the help of frequent flyer miles and a cheap car rental rate, I was off. I spent Friday morning at Old Wisconsin World, in Eagle. It is a grouping of early settlement homes (1800's) moved from all over Wisconsin to one site. It was raining a little, but I enjoyed just relaxing and being a tourist. After lunch, I drove around the course checking out road crossings and getting a feel for the trails and marking (painted arrows). The race check-in was held at a country store in La Grange near the start/finish. It was pretty low key and I got an opportunity to say hi to Kevin, Kris, and meet a few new folks. Friday night a big storm moved in and there was loud thunder with lightning and heavy rain when I went to bed. Oh well! It was still raining at the start, but not too hard. I deposited my drop bags and headed for the start after introducing myself to Jane Moser,who had given me some information on the race via e-mail.. This year's course started and at the Nordic Trail Center. The race course followed the Ice Age Trail with two out-and-backs from the Nordic Center. We actually repeated the first 8 miles 4 times, heading in a different direction depending on which out-and-back we were on. The race begins in a forested area with a slight ascent, then you go over some roller coaster type hills for a few miles. The first aid station comes at 5 miles (Bluff Rd), you hit this one 4 times in total! It was raining, but not too hard with a temp. of about 45 degrees. You then travel thru a pretty forested area with trees reaching for the sky before getting to the next aid station only 2.5 miles away. The next section is 7.5 miles, although it seemed longer on the return trip. It is at the Emma Carlin picnic area with crew access. I had hooked up with a few friends, Jay Anderson, another runner from CA, and Karen an old friend from Wasatch. Karen was a last minute entrant after she got someone to cover for her at the hospital where she is doing her medical residency in Michigan. Karen's husband Tom was at Emma Carlin (and every station there after) to help out. Jay and I have run together in two local 50 milers in Southern Cal. this year. We have finished within minutes of each other despite Jay usually having a large lead early in the race. Jay is aiming for the AC100 this year and said he would run with me at my conservative early pace. Soon, Jay met up with a local guy running his second 100 miler and they were gone! Karen and I hung together as the course now went through open grassy meadows. This section is mostly flat with a few nice views. It was raining pretty hard now and I put on a plastic poncho to avoid hypothermia. The course was swampy and the brush was high and wet! The next section of the course went in and out of the woods crossing highway #67 twice until we reached the Hunter's station. We were in and out of the station pretty quick, just refuel and go! Tom was there to aid Karen and it was nice for me to see a friendly face. Karen was having some achilles tendon problems. She started putting in chunks of cardboard in the heel of her shoe to reduce the pulling-- it was helping! The next goal was the turnaround at 50k. This section is mostly back in the woods with a some climbing on a single track and then a few miles of dirt road. We were guessing on when we would see the first runner coming back to us. It was Brandon Sobroski (sp?), he was about 9 miles ahead of us! Anne Heaslite (sp?) was the first women in about fourth place overall! A few miles from the 50k, we came upon Jay. He was talking about dropping. I got on his case a little, pushing him to come back out, but I never say him again! I had a drop bag here and decided to change into some dry clothes and socks (not something I usually do). What a great decision! I felt much better with warm clothes and dry socks. Now we just had to back track to the start on a now familiar course. Karen I separated somewhere in this section. On the return trip to Emma Carlin, I again changed my socks and Karen caught me. I was feeling pretty good in this section and started having fun teasing a couple guys who were running the 100k. They were shuffling a long a head of me and looking back to see if I was gaining on them. They would speed up in a surge only to slow again. Once I got within shouting distance, I would yell something about tracking them down, kicking their butts. When I finally caught them, I explained that I was in the 100 miler. We all had a good laugh and they let me go by! We hit the roller coaster section again five miles from the Nordic Center knowing that we would soon be back out on this section and have to deal with it twice more before calling it a day. Several runners had passed us on their way back out from 100k, but a lot fewer than the first time at the 50k turnaround. Brandon was nowhere to be found? Anne was now second overall and running strong. The rain had let up by the time we reached the Nordic Center. I got my light and again changed into dry shirts and socks. It began to rain hard again on the way out and I wondered if I had made a major mistake by not bringing a poncho. Again we went through the roller coaster section, walking more now than previously, but still running the down hills. Just after the 7.5 mile station we took the turn on to a new section of the course. This section is a little bit more technical (roots and rocks) and muddy. I was singing the blues by now. Not feeling badly, I just sing the blues sometimes when I'm out there to take my focus away from the struggle. The rain turned into a slight drizzle. I got to about 73 miles before I had to put on my light. The farther you get in daylight usually the better! Karen and I had left the Nordic Center together, but we split just before the roller coaster section. Now I was running solo, aid station to aid station. This section of the race is mostly single track with a few climbs, followed by a few miles of open meadows with some long wooden bridges before reaching the 77 mile aid station at Hwy #12. From this point you have a couple steep (and muddy) up and downs that cover the entire 4 miles into the turnaround at Rice Lake. From here it's 19 miles back to the Nordic Center and more downhill than up. I was beginning closely followed by a guy with two pacers. I thought that I was moving pretty well, but it was just an illusion. I couldn't shake them. Returning to Hwy 12 meant there was only 15 miles to the finish. I got in and out of this station quickly--- too quickly. One mile out, I realized that I had made a major blunder. I forgot to get any gel or candy and only had plain water in my bottle. Time for a crash and burn, and I did! I ran into Jane Moser and company and begged some gel from a pacer. It helped but I was behind the eight ball now. It seemed like forever before I finally reached the next station. I was toast, but not too far from home. A worker at this station began giving me the 3rd degree. His intentions were good, but after the third time that he asked me where I was from and why I ran 100 mile races, I chugged my soup and got out of there! Now it was back through the nice wooded section to the Bluff road. Mary Gorski ran the first 50k of the race and then went out and worked this aid station for the remainder of the race. Thanks a million Mary, you were a tremendous help! Now it was once more over the roller coasters to then finish. I reached the finish line where Kevin, Kris and few other volunteers cheered me home. Kevin immediately handed me a nice plaque and gave me a hand shake. I headed off to the first turnaround area (by car) for a shower and returned to cheer on the last finisher. It was my new pal Jane. She had a difficult day, but showed the true spirit of a champion by finishing! My sincerest thanks to Kevin, Kris and all of the volunteers for putting on an excellent race! I got in my car and drove to Milwaukee, to Miller Baseball Park. I bought a ticket from a group that had an extra and had a great time watching a game between the Brewers and the Cubs! It was a long day, but worth every minute! Try this race you'll enjoy it, but don't let the warm car lure you in at the 100k distance!