Sometimes perfect just isn't good enough.
Pre-Race
Mountain Masochist 50 Miler has had a special place in my heart since I first ran it in 2021. I had a string of bad races and hadn't felt really good about an ultra since summer of 2019. I went in thinking if it went poorly then maybe I should stick with shorter distances and put the ultras on hold for a while. I started out conservative, was running 5th for most of the early miles, fell back to 8th but passed 3 runners in the last 5 mile downhill (2 of which were in the last half mile) to take 5th in a time of 8:42:28. A few months later I would take my first win at an ultra. Masochist turned things around for me and I couldn't wait to go back.
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| I didn't have much left after finishing in 2021 |
In 2023 I made my return to a slightly different course. The new RD's took out the awful second loop and added in more of the original course, including more of the Long Mountain Climb and the Mt. Pleasant Climb. This time I started out a bit slow on the initial climb but briefly worked my way up to second by the Hotel Trail, fell back to 3rd and ran over half of the race with John Smith who would eventually take second. John dropped me a mile into the loop and Meg Landymore passed me on Mt. Pleasant. I was hoping for the downhill magic from 2021 but my legs were too trashed to reel anyone in and I once again finished 5th in a time of 8:57:14, 15 minutes slower than my first time.
I knew I could do better at this race and felt like I had unfinished business so sometime around June I signed up again. My training started out pretty good in August and September. I ran one tune up race, Psychoactive, a last runner standing race where your time to complete each 1.5 mile lap decreases as the race goes on. I managed 55.5 miles and was back to running with virtually no soreness by Monday. I had penciled in the first weekend of October to do a back-to-back long run while my wife was out of town. My plan was to join my friend Kendall in Asheville for about 34 on Saturday but once Helene struck, my plans changed. Kendall was fine but the forests were closed so I decided a few days out to make the drive up to Virginia to join a course preview run put on by the RD's. I woke up at 3am and hit the road to make it there in time. I ended up running with Lee Jarvis for the first half of the out and back covering the first and last 12 miles of the course. It was clear Lee would be my toughest competition, we ran and talked the whole way, but I felt like he was having an easier go of it than me. After a night in Lynchburg I went to Long Mt. Wayside and ran the remainder of the course. In that weekend I ran the entire course in a combined 8:42, matching my 2021 time.
The remainder of my training consisted of me traveling into Virginia or trading mountains for rocky, rooty trails with the forest closures. Typically 1 week out from a race I go to a nearby fire road and put in a simple 12 mile out and back but this time around I did something different. On the Friday before race day I decided to drive up to the Moses Cone Carriage Roads outside of Boone, NC to get in one last good long run, over 19 miles with a 2x30:00 tempo built in had me feeling primed and ready to go. As I drove up to Montebello I was felling cautiously optimistic of my chances, I had had no illness or major disruptions to my training and was feeling fit as ever. I tossed and turned with excitement all night, not getting much more than a few hours sleep, but I woke up ready to roll.
Start to Loop 1 (Miles 0-11.8)
As I neared the top of the steepest section, I saw that one runner had been dropped from the lead pack. After the initial steep section the course follows an old jeep road that holds a steady 1-2% grade over the next 2 miles. It’s a section where a lot of ground can be made or lost. By time I reached the forest gate a quarter mile into the jeep road I caught up to the straggler. It turned out to be Jared Der-Yeghiayan who finished nine minutes behind me last year. We exchanged pleasantries as we made our way around the gate and just as quickly as I caught him, I dropped him. I continued pushing along the jeep road catching glimpses of the lead pack of six runners as the road contoured in and out as it wrapped its way up the mountain. After a mile and a half the road makes a big left hand switchback and I knew I’d get a good look at who was ahead of me and who was behind. As I saw the headlamps change directions ahead I scanned the hillside above to see if I could determine who was who. I saw Jordan Chang but he was the only one I could pick out in the darkness. They were moving pretty quick and seemed to be pulling away from me. As i I made the turn I started to scan below and to my surprise Jared was still in second and Lee was third. In fact, the gap between Jared and I was larger than between him and Lee. As I continued to climb for the next mile I was treated to one of my favorite parts of this race. Below me was an endless line of headlamps snaking their way up the mountain. In the cold, quiet, darkness, those headlamps are a beautiful sight. After a mile the trail switches to a slightly steeper jeep road and turns away from the big switchback. At this point I realized how alone I was, I couldn’t see the pack ahead nor could I any longer see the headlamps below, it was just me and the small area illuminated by my headlamp.
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| The jeep road (taken during the group training run) |
The next three quarters of a mile were a bit steeper as I climbed to the ridge but I never broke my running stride. Eventually it leveled out a bit as I reached the ridge but I still couldn’t see any lights ahead. About 5.5 miles into the race, the course veers off from the jeep road onto a barely marked rocky single track trail to the top of Elk Pond Mountain. At 4,000’ Elk Pond marks the high point of the course, which meant once I made it to mile 6 I’d be done with climbing for a bit. I finally got there after 5 miles of continuous climbing having run every step, no small feat. I had hoped to see headlamps ahead from this vantage point but instead I saw only darkness. No worries, the descent from Elk Pond is among the steepest of the course and as someone who loves technical descents, I tore it up and in just a few minutes I was down and back on the jeep road. The next mile or so meandered along the ridge until it climbed up a few hundred feet to join the gravel road that accesses the cell tower atop Rocky Mountain. As I started this final little climb along the ridge I finally saw a lone runner ahead. My hopes were up until I caught him and found out he was part of the early start, either a 100k runner or old enough to be given an extra hour the 50 mile.
After a few minutes I crested the climb and was rewarded with a mile and a half of downhill gravel road leading to the Salt Log Gap aid station. The goal here was push but don’t blow up the quads. I cruised in to SLG in 1:21 elapsed, 4 minutes faster than last year but still several minutes off the lead. I shouted out my number, thanked the volunteers and disappeared back in to the darkness.
The next three miles of gravel started out flat, descended a bit and then climbed for a mile or so up to the Loop aid station. I passed two more early starters but never reeled in the lead pack. I locked in to a good pace on this stretch and was savoring the final few minutes before the sun rose when I reached the Loop aid station in 1:46 elapsed, still 4 minutes up on my split from last year. One of my favorite things about this race is the two and a half hours of darkness at the beginning. It's always very peaceful but once the sun comes up, it almost feels like you hit the reset button and you're starting the race fresh. The night/day shift breaks it up making the 50 miles more manageable. I'd run almost 12 miles but it felt I was just getting started.
Loop 1 to Reservoir (11.8-23.3)
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| Hotel Trail |
The final climb of the Hotel Trail gains 400’ in just under a mile topping out on the AT. Last year this was where I lost second place and was reeled in by fourth. It’s a long enough climb but given that you can see almost the entire thing at once it almost feels longer than it is. Once again I put my head down and chipped away until I was crossing the Appalachian Trail without walking any of the climb. I descended quickly and made it to the Cabin aid station in 2:24, now 5 minutes ahead of last year. I stopped briefly to refill one of my bottles and asked how many 50 milers were ahead, the answer surprised me. Just one. I would later find out that a second 50 miler had been in the lead pack but rolled an ankle and was deciding to drop at the loop as I was passing through. I had never been in this high of a position this deep in, granted 15.8 miles is still very early but that got me really excited.
The next 4.8 miles on paper seem easy, you’re back on a smooth gravel road and you descend 1000’ to Long Mountain Wayside, however, the first two miles are hillier than you’d expect. The road starts out mostly flat but gives way to a few rollers and then throws in a 300' climb in just over half a mile. Just when you think you're finally on the long descent, they throw in one more small climb for good measure. If you've not run this stretch before it can be very disheartening, but for me, I knew exactly what to expect and I hit it hard. I made it to the final summit and settled in for the two mile descent into Long Mountain. I made sure to keep it somewhat conservative so as to not blow up my quads. I covered it in about a 7:30 pace which felt controlled but still pretty quick. I cruised in to Long Mountain at 3:04 elapsed, a staggering nine minutes faster than last year. At this point I was faster than last year's winner to this point yet I was still at least 5 minutes back. I quickly swapped water bottles with my wife who was crewing me, thanked the volunteers and crossed the road to head down to the turnaround.
The next mile and a half is nearly flat and then descends 500' in a mile down to the Reservoir aid station. This section is entirely gravel road and has some pretty great views along the way. You can really pick up the pace here if you've got the legs. As I was nearing the aid station I was looking for the leader and hoping I wouldn't see him until I was really close. Last year I saw the leader about a quarter mile from the turnaround. While I was still .6 miles out, I saw him come around the bend. He was over a mile ahead and looking strong. What also surprised me was that he wasn't anyone on my radar. His bib number was 120 which meant that, since numbers were assigned by ultrasignup score, he was at the bottom of the list because this was likely his first ultra. I was at least ten minutes back but I almost felt better about my position. He likely got caught up in the fast start of the 50k's and was pushing too hard too early and was going to eventually blow up. I had experience on my side and just needed to be patient and continue to run my race. I made it to the Reservoir aid station in 3:24, 12 minutes faster than last year. I turned around and settled in for a long climb.
Reservoir to Loop 3 (23.3-38.4)
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| The road heading back to Long Mountain (Taken during my training run) |
I continued to push the climb up until it leveled out and felt comfortable in the fact that I was over 25 minutes ahead of 10th, meaning I felt pretty safe about grabbing a top ten jacket, but I wanted more. I made it back to Long Mountain and quickly swapped bottles with Laurie and she handed me a refill of my gels and chews. I had made it back to Long Mountain in 3:50, 15 minutes faster than last year. I was now 26 miles in and it had dawned on me that I ran a virtually perfect first half. I hadn't walked a step, paused maybe 20 seconds total in aid stations and was still over 10 minutes back. I thought if I could keep it up, surely he would falter and I would prevail. I was about to find out if I could keep it up. The climb back up Buck Mountain gained 1,200' over three miles. In my previous attempts, this climb was a slog. After a sub 4 hour marathon through the Blue Ridge Mountains, it would take a hell of an effort to run the entire climb. I once again put my head down and started chipping away. I was passing so many runners going down as I was climbing and the encouragement we gave each other was a big boost. My legs were burning but I refused to hike it. I made it to the false summit and kept pushing. Finally after over half an hour of grinding, I made it to the top. This gave me such a rush and I started pushing hard into the Cabin aid station. I had passed the last of the 50 milers heading out and was once again alone, likely for the last time as I would start passing 50k runners after the Cabin. I was really experiencing a runners high here as I knew I was running the best race of my life. I started psyching myself up while charging hard along the gravel road. If anyone saw me I'm sure they'd think I was nuts. I made it to the Cabin a second time, which was essentially the 50k mark, in 4:41. Not only was this my second fastest trail 50k ever, but I was 23 minutes ahead of last year. While passing through I asked how far ahead he was and they told me about 15 minutes. Shit. As hard as I pushed on that climb he was still pulling away. Surely he couldn't keep it up forever. Run your own race and you'll get him. From there you follow gravel roads for another 1.8 miles back to the Loop aid station. It starts out flat but after a right turn you climb nearly 500' in a mile. It's not that steep but it's a constant grind. I hit it hard and was huffing and puffing as I started passing 50k runners. Nineteen minutes after the Cabin, I rolled into the Loop aid station right at 5 hours, 27 minutes ahead of last year. I swapped bottles with Laurie and took off on the 5.8 mile loop that nearly broke me last year.
The Mount Pleasant Loop starts out with probably the second fastest bit of single track in the race and you get tricked into thinking it's gonna be easy. It's not. after a mile or so, the trail goes from smooth to rocky and doesn't relent for several miles. For the next mile and a half you climb 700' of rocks and roots. Both times I ran this race I got passed by two runners on this climb. To think you can run the whole thing 33.6 miles in is sheer lunacy. But I had to give it a shot. I made it halfway up to the Mt Pleasant out-and-back and was greeted with the sweet relief of a slightly level quarter mile of trail before it got steep again. Within 3 minutes I saw the leader heading down which meant he had about a .9 mile lead. I had finally stopped the bleeding and was starting to close on him a bit. This fueled me to push the climb harder and harder until I topped out without hiking. I quickly punched my bib and turned around and started running down until I hit a campsite. Shit, this wasn't here on the way up! I had made a wrong turn in the maze of boulders on the summit. I turned around, backtracked and got back on course. Not a big loss of time but really the only thing to have gone wrong all day so far. I pushed the descent as fast as possible and 6 minutes after leaving the summit, I passed Lee on his way up. We exchanged words of encouragement and within a few seconds I saw John in 4th place. I was both impressed and terrified that he'd run me down. Corey was hot on his heels just a few seconds back. All three guys are over the age of 40 so the battle for first Master's runner had 3 guys within 30 seconds! After the climb up Mt Pleasant, the final two climbs of the loop seem tame. I pushed hard and flew back into the Loop aid station for the third and final time in 6:06. I was now 42 minutes under my time from last year, the hardest part of the race was over and the leader was starting to show he was mortal. Let's go.
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| The view from the east summit of Mt. Pleasant |
Loop 3 to Finish (38.4-50.2)
I swapped my bottles for the final time, told Laurie I'd see her at the finish and took off down the gravel road in hot pursuit. The 3 miles back to Salt Log Gap always feels longer than it does in the morning, partially because the sun is now up but mainly because you've got 38 miles on your legs. My legs were really starting to feel the miles but I was as mentally engaged as ever and I pushed the section hard, only two minutes slower than on the way out. That's a win in my book. I made it back to SLG in 6:33, 45 minutes ahead of last year. From SLG to the finish is nearly 9 miles with only a water drop a few miles from the finish. I didn't want to risk running dry so I topped off one bottle and took off on the final major climb of the race. Probably the most consistently steep of the major climbs, the climb back up the gravel road out of SLG gains over 500' in just under a mile. This climb is also one of the most exposed spots on the course, so if it's a warm day, by afternoon, you'll feel it on this climb. Last year I hiked probably 75% of it while constantly looking over my shoulder, paranoid that I'd be caught. I hadn't hiked all day and I decided I wasn't about to now. It wasn't easy, or fast, but I knew I needed to run this if I had a shot at winning and so I ran the entire climb. About a quarter mile from the top I passed two 50K runners who told me the leader was about 10 minutes ahead. A few minutes later as I was cresting, a hiker heading down the hill said he was only 5 minutes up. I didn't know who to believe. If he was only 5 minutes up, surely I'd catch him, but 10 minutes is a lot to cover in 7 miles. It felt like I'd been chasing a ghost all day. I had no idea who this guy was, yet he was blowing away the field and I couldn't seem to reel him in no matter what I did. I knew if I could just put eyes on him that it would be enough for me to catch him, but ghosts are notoriously hard to see.
With the final large climb behind me there was nothing left to do but push as hard as possible along the ridge and then hold on for dear life on the final descent. After a mile of pushing the ridge I hit the turn off to Elk Pond Mountain. This was it, the final climb of the race, but also the steepest. It's a short climb at just over a quarter mile, but it's 200' to the top. I gave it my all but unfortunately after 43.5 miles and 9,000' of climbing, my legs just couldn't do it. I finally, for the first time all day, had to switch from running to hiking... for about a minute. As soon as it leveled off I switched back to running and had just under six miles to go. I pushed the rest of the ridge and finally, with five miles to go, the trail started to descend. This was it, time to throw caution to the wind and leave it all on the course. And that's when I kicked a rock hard and nearly bit it. I stayed upright but felt like I broke my toe. (It turned out to be fine, however, even now a month and a half later I've got a big black spot on my big toe nail.) I assed things, realized I was fine and refocused on the task at hand.
I hit the jeep road and started trying to scan the road below me to try to spot him but it turns out people are easier to see on the road when it's dark and everyone has headlamps then in the light of day and the one you're looking for is wearing all black. Like I said, a ghost is hard to see. I made the big switch back and started looking for the gate at the end of the jeep road, from that point it would be just over two miles. My legs were burning and the 2% downhill grade really wasn't steep enough to let gravity do the work. I needed to push if I wanted a chance but a feeling started creeping in that I'd felt since SLG. I'm not catching him. If I was, I would've caught a glimpse of him by now but I hadn't. I had had a perfect day, the best race of my life, and it still wasn't going to be good enough to pull out the win. But it could still be good enough to break 8 hours. So I made that me main focus. Only one person had broken 8 hours since 2019 and that was by 29 seconds. If I broke 8 I'd be in elite company. I hit the gate and kept pushing until I reached the steep section and let gravity do the work. As it leveled out at the bottom, I hit pavement in 7:51 and let 'er rip. With just over three quarters of a mile to go I could do it, but I had to RUN. I started charging hard with everything I had, hard enough that it would be my fastest mile of the day. I hit the main road with five minutes to break 8. Two minutes later I could see the finish line and gave it a final surge. I veered off the road and sprinted across the field hitting the finish at a dead sprint and collapsed on the ground next to the ghost I'd been chasing. "Who are you?!" I said "Who are you??" he replied, out of breath and astonished at how close he'd come to losing his lead.
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| Photos courtesy of Jay Proffitt and Susan Spaulding |
His name is Spencer Kirsteatter, a former colligate runner who decided to run his first ultra at MMTR. He told me he didn't realize until he was already several miles in that most of the group he was hanging with were 50k runners. At that point he decided to hang on for the ride and see what he could do. He started hurting at SLG and from there to the finish I had cut his lead from twelve minutes to three in just under nine miles. Halfway through I said to myself if I kept up the perfect race and couldn't reel him in then I'd shake his hand and congratulate him on a hell of a race, and I did just that. I also told him he better not be one-and-done in the ultra world because he had some real talent.
I finished in 7:57:49, 3:06 behind Spencer but nearly an hour faster than last year. This was also a personal best at 50 miles by about 17 minutes. I've tried to think of where I could've shaved off another 3 minutes and I'm not sure it was possible. My wrong turn atop Mt. Pleasant only cost me 15 seconds, the difference between my elapsed and moving time was only 49 seconds, most of which was a quick bathroom break during the loop. During my training runs I visualized the race and thought about best case scenarios and even those only had me running 8 hours. This was the race of a lifetime and I've never gotten more out of my fitness. I ran solo for 49 miles, running my own race and am Incredibly proud of my effort.
18 Minutes after I finished, John crossed the line in third, a phenomenal effort on abbreviated training. He finished 8 minutes faster than 2021 on a tougher course. two and a half minutes later Lee crossed the finish line under a deflated blow-up arch. To round out the top five, Corey crossed the line in 8:28, putting the top five all under 8:30. After the race I introduced myself to Dr. David Horton, Creator of this race and RD of Promise Land 50K and Hellgate 100K. He told me he'd let me run Hellgate next year if I applied, I may just take him up on his offer.
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| John (3rd), Spencer (1st), Me (2nd), Lee (4th), Corey (5th) |
Some final Stats:
- 94 oz of Skratch Hydration
- 94 oz of Precision Hydration 1500
- 40 oz of water
- 100 calories of gels or chews every 25 minutes (19 total)
- song stuck in my head for half of the race: "All I Need" - Radiohead
- 50.2 Miles
- 9,275 ft elevation gain
- 9:29 per mile
Lastly, I'd like to thank my wife, Laurie, for spending her morning driving around the blue ridge mountains and waiting for me for hours in the woods to make my race go a smoothly as possible. I couldn't have done it without her support. Also, a huge thanks to Jordan, Brenton, Tim and Michael for directing an absolute top notch event with the best swag in the game. Finisher shirts and top ten jackets provided by Rabbit, Boco socks, and an awesome coffee mug.
