April
9
This race hasn’t been run since 2019, so it is great to be back to run
this April tradition. This is my 13th
running of this race. When I lived in
Virginia, I ran it 2004-2014 only missing 2012 when I was recovering from my
ACL reconstruction. Then in 2018 and
2019 I came back to run this race as I find it a wonderful spring 50 miler to
prepare myself for my 100 miler that I usually run in May or June. I am blessed this year to have a veteran crew
with my daughter Amy and her partner Edward.
Amy has crewed for me multiple times, and Edward joined her crewing for
me last year at the Burning River 100 miler.
It is also convenient that Amy and Edward live in Virginia, and only had
an hour and a half drive to Manassas. Of
course, I flew up from Huntsville in my airplane, landing at the Manassas
airport.
The weather today is near perfect.
The temperature at the start is 42 degrees, and the high is forecasted
to be 53 degrees. I will start with a
short-sleeve shirt and a long-sleeve shirt and hope to drop the long-sleeve
shirt at some point. There are 187
starters this year, which is significantly less than previous years. As we gather at the start, I see Gary
Knipling, who is not running this year, but it is awesome to see him, embrace,
and chat for a minute. I also see Jack
Kurisky, Rande and Kari Brown, and several other old running friends. Quatro as race director gives us the typical
last minute instructions, which includes the course change due to high water,
and then we are off at 6:30am.
Mile
7.2 1:26:59 (12:05 avg./mile)
Centreville Road
Right
from the start, I find myself running beside Kari Brown and Gaynor
Bourgeois. They seem to have a smooth,
easy pace, so I follow along for these early miles. The heavy rains earlier this week caused the
high water and the course re-route.
However, there wasn’t much rain late in the week, and it only rained
lightly last night. Therefore, the
trails are moderately muddy, but not too bad considering everything. The first stream crossing has the tops of the
cement pylons above the water line, and the second stream crossing has the
water level above the pylons. Thus, my
feet are now wet (and muddy) as I get to the first aid station. But, before I get to the aid station, I pass
Mike Campbell, who is 72 and is running his 18th BRR. At the aid station, Kevin Sayers is in his
usual position welcoming us into the aid station. I climb the steps to the aid station where
Amy and Edward are waiting and ready with chocolate milk and a croissant.
Mile
9.2 22:58 (11:29 avg./mile)
Centreville Road
Leaving
the aid station, Kari and I run together leaving Gaynor behind. It seems like we are picking up the pace
slightly. As this is the high water
course, we are told to turn around at the unicorn. Sure enough, there is a dancing unicorn on
the trail. I stop long enough to join in
a selfie with another runner before we head back to the aid station. Along the way, I slip once, but catch myself
on my hands so the only thing that got muddy were my hands. Back at the aid station, I drop off the
long-sleeve shirt an drink a few gulps of Tailwind.
Mile
14.3 1:03:53 (12:32 avg./mile) Hemlock
Overlook
Kari
and I continue to run together. At
times, I think she is falling back, but then she is right behind me. The trail is in really good shape, and the
temperature is near perfect! With my
shoes wet and muddy, I decide that I will change them. Kari doesn’t have a crew, but she does have a
drop bag at this aid station and is talking about changing socks. I sit down and quickly change my shoes while
drinking some chocolate milk. I take a
croissant with me, and there is Kari again as I leave the aid station.
Mile
18.6 51:50 (12:03 avg./mile) Bull Run
Marina
It
feels like we are running well and making good time. The blue bells are in peak bloom, and it is
starting to cloud over just as forecasted.
I was starting to wonder if it was going to cloud over or whether the
temperature would climb higher than forecasted.
After we pass through the soccer fields there is typically a bog-like,
muddy section, but reports are that this has been addressed with some trail
build-up and boardwalks. It turns out
the reports were accurate, and we sail through this section in quick fashion
with minimal effort. As we are chatting
with other runners, the aid station sneaks up on us, and here we are. Amy took Edward back to the hotel so he could
get some work done, and she just barely makes it to see me. I drink some Tailwind and grab a PB&J
sandwich quarter.
Mile
22.8 55:36 (13:14 avg./mile) Wolf Run
Shoals
For
this section, I find myself leading again, but when I stop to take my first pee
break, Kari presses on. For a while I
wonder if that is the last I will see of her, but she was also talking about a
pee break, so maybe I will catch back up to her. I am feeling good and continue to lay down a
good pace and with about a mile to go to the aid station, I see Kari up
ahead. She arrives at the aid station
before me, but then takes her break.
This aid station always has a theme, and this year it is a Chippendale’s
theme so all of the aid station workers are in chipmunk costumes. Alex is here as always running a fantastic
aid station. I grab several fresh
strawberries along with a few cookies before I leave the aid station, again
finding Kari and I running together.
Wolf Run Shoals Aid Station Volunteers
Mile
25.6 36:18 (12:58 avg./mile)
Fountainhead
This
section used to be only 2.0 miles, but when significant trail work was done a
few years ago, it added some length to this section. It is now 2.8 miles, and it definitely feels
at least that long. Kari continues a
smooth and steady pace, and most of the way, she is in the lead—not like we are
racing or anything. But, during the last
stretch into the aid station, I apparently was back in the lead as the picture
shows. I drink some chocolate milk and
eat another croissant before resuming my run.
Coming into Fountainhead
Mile
29.6 52:18 (13:04 avg./mile) Do Loop
The
first part of this section is the white loop.
It is a 1.6-mile stretch that takes you nowhere except back where we
started near Fountainhead aid station.
That takes us about 23 minutes.
Then we can start making progress towards the next aid station. As Kari and I begin this stretch, we catch up
to a string of about five runners. Kari
quickly moves to the front of the line, and I hang near the back of the line
content to wait for the best time to move up.
When it looks like Kari is gapping the line of runners, I decide I need
to move up and pass the other guys in the line to get back up behind Kari. Three of the guys are from Vienna, Virginia,
and we will see them several more times during the rest of the race. About a half mile from the aid station, we
meet Kari’s husband, Rande, heading the other way. He is running very well, and looks like he is
going to get a nice time. I lead the
group into the Do Loop aid station where I eat a quesadilla.
Mile
32.6 38:56 (12:59 avg./mile) Do Loop
Starting
the Do Loop, I lead Kari and Jeff Jordan down to the water where there are
crew-teams practicing their rowing. It
is a nice day running on the trails, but I am not sure it is quite as nice on
the water. As forecasted the sky has
clouded up, and there is usually a good breeze.
The temperature is in the low 50s, which is quite nice for our
running. As we begin the up and down
climbs for the second half of the Do Loop, there is a drop or two of rain, but
that is all. After completing the loop,
we only have the lollipop portion left to go back to the aid station. On this part, we meet several runners heading
out for their Do Loop. One of the
runners is Gaynor. She looks good, but
of course is 30+ minutes behind us. At
the aid station, I grab a PB&J sandwich quarter along with some chips. I am in and out of the aid station a little
quicker than my fellow runners, but they will catch up soon.
Mile
36.6 57:44 (14:26 avg./mile)
Fountainhead
After
leading out of the Do Loop aid station, Jeff and Kari catch me quickly. Then Jeff decides he is still feeling good so
he presses on ahead of us. I wonder if
we will see him again, but for now, I have to focus my effort on keeping up
with Kari. My return trip is definitely
slower than going out. On this section,
we meet several runners still heading out towards the Do Loop. Jeff Reed is one of these runners, and he
looks great for being 62 years old.
Another runner is Sean Andrish, who appears to be running with a new
friend. Somewhere on the white trail, I
get a rock in my shoe, and it causes quite the discomfort before I arrive at
the aid station, sit down, and remove it.
I drink some chocolate milk and eat another croissant. It is great to see Amy again, and I will only
get to see her one more time before the finish.
Mile
39.4 38:00 (13:34 avg./mile) Wolf Run
Shoals
I
manage to stay close to enough to Kari on the way to Wolf Run Shoals despite
the fact that I am slowing down a little.
She opens up the gap a quite a bit, but I keep her in sight. This section is relatively new trail, and it
is more rolling with little ups and downs, but it is smoother than many other
parts of the course. Along this section,
the three guys from Vienna, Virginia catch me and get ahead of me. However, when they stop for a pee break, I
move on past them. I arrive at the aid
station with Kari still there, and I manage to leave just before her. I grab a cup of Coke and a handful of potato
chips as I quickly pass through the aid station.
Mile
43.6 1:00:02 (14:18 avg./mile) Bull Run
Marina
Shortly
after leaving Wolf Run Shoals, Kari catches and passes me. At first I have hopes of keeping up with her,
but these hopes fade quickly. Before
long, the three guys from Vienna are back behind me. As we near the crest of a climb, I am about
ready to let them by me, when the lead guy says, “I know better than to pass
you before a downhill.” This is somewhat
motivating for me, and I push my pace down the hill. From there, I manage to keep the guys behind
me all the way to the aid station. About
a mile from the aid station, I decide to take a caffeine tablet to see if going
to “the whip” will allow me to catch Kari.
I walk right through the aid station, grabbing a piece of pound cake and
taking a couple of gulps of Tailwind.
Amy says that Kari just left and was fussing with her phone. Let’s see if I can catch her!
 |
| Coming into the Finish |
Mile
49.0 1:12:39 (13:27 avg./mile) FINISH
I
leave the Bull Run Marina on a mission to push the pace to the finish and
hopefully catch a few runners in the process.
My efforts are not very fruitful as I only catch a couple of runners
near the end. And, neither of them is
Kari! Even when I cross the soccer field
complex, I have no glimpse of her.
Regardless, I was able to turn my slowing pace around some, and I push
it hard to the finish. It is always nice
to make it back to Hemlock Overlook.
Official
Finishing Time 10:37:13
53rd
out of 187 starters (149 official finishers)
After I
finish, I chat with several old friends.
Quatro gives me my finisher sweatshirt, and I put it on my quickly
cooling body. Amy and Edward are here,
of course, at the finish. I get a brat
and eat it while watching Aaron Schwartzbard’s kid run around. However, I don’t stay long as the day isn’t
getting any warmer, my hands are going numb, and I am ready for a shower.
My run today was
very solid. I was able to maintain a
nice smooth pace, and my place shows that I am not too slow yet. This was my fastest time at this event since
2014. The weather was close to perfect
with the temperature never getting past 53 degrees, no rain with mostly cloudy
skies, and a nice breeze most of the day.
Last year, every race I ran had above average temperatures. So far this year with two races, the
temperature has been below average. Will
this continue for my next race, which will be the Kettle Moraine 100 miler in
Wisconsin in June? Time will tell. Until then…
Enjoying my Brat
Never stop
running,
Darin
