Twisted Branch 100k 2024 - Clear and Warm

August 24

The finish line is just in front of the wing

For the third year in a row, I am heading to upstate New York to run the Twisted Branch 100k.  And, Peter Lovassy is joining me to crew again this year for the third time in a row!  We flew up Friday morning, got our rental car, and went to our usual lunch spot in Penn Yan.  We placed our order and sipped on our drinks for about 45 minutes when our waitress comes out (without our meals) and tells us that she forgot to put our order in with the kitchen.  She is very sorry, but is putting it in now with a rush on it.  We get our meals five minutes later.  This wasn’t too big a deal except that I didn’t finish my lunch until almost 2pm.  As the race starts at 4am tomorrow, this could be an issue.

The rest of the afternoon goes without issues, and Peter and I are eating dinner around 6pm in the rental house.  I go to sleep at 8:20pm with my alarm set for 2am.  The morning all goes well at the house, and we leave for the start at 3am.  As we get about halfway there, the rental car tells us that it is low on fuel.  Low on fuel?  We just picked the car up yesterday!  Obviously, it didn’t have a full tank when we got it.  So, instead of getting to the start around 3:25am, we have to stop and put some fuel in the car and get to the starting area around 3:35am.  As Peter says, there is always something that needs to be solved that wasn’t in the plan.  Fortunately, I don’t need to do anything more than check-in and empty my bladder before the race.  I walk over to the start and meet Carl Bligan.  We chat briefly, and I learn that his dad, Kevin, is crewing for him today.

The race begins!

Mile 6.1      1:25:56 (14:05 avg./mile) Cutler

I get started fairly near the front of the pack of runners.  I am probably just ahead of middle of the pack.  I feel like I am pushing the pace somewhat and hope that I am not going out too fast.  At some point I bump a tree, and my cranky left shoulder complains for about a minute.  I will try not to do that anymore.  The other body part that is complaining this morning is my right quad muscle.  I strained it training five weeks ago, and it likes to let me know. I am trying out a new headlamp this morning.  It is the Petzel IKO CORE.  So far so good, but I will be using my other one for most of tonight’s section.  At this first aid station, I don’t take anything and press on through.

Mile 10.6    52:44 (11:43 avg./mile) Naples Creek

The first difference with this year’s course is this section.  Instead of this section being mostly on trails, it is nearly all on roads this year as there was some issue with the land owner.  I run all of the downhill portions, trying not to go too fast.  We enter Naples, and clearly, I am not going too fast.  I also time it well as I don’t get to this aid station until after daybreak so I can leave my headlamp.  Peter is waiting for me with a biscuit and chocolate milk.  In the past, I have eaten bagels or croissants, but when we were in the grocery store yesterday, there was a package of biscuits that looked delightful.  This morning, they are tasty and salty, but also very dry.  I eat about 75% of it before I toss it into the woods.

Mile 18.0    2:11:53 (17:49 avg./mile) The Sneaker

Powering up yet another hill

Leaving Naples Creek, the hardest and longest climb on the course begins.  I am followed by two guys from Maryland that I chat with for a couple of miles.  I never learn their names, and they were never ahead of me.  They have also trained in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia like I have.  At some point, I leave them and begin leapfrogging with a lady that lives in Ithaca, New York, but is originally from Long Island.  This section has a couple of extra miles in it to make up for the difference in the last section.  I was worried that the extra miles would be tough, but the extra is actually a pleasant rolling grassy trail on which I think I made decent time.  I am following a guy down a tricky downhill when we near a bridge crossing, and he starts hopping and shouting.  There are yellow jackets around, and he get stung a few times.  Somehow, I luck out am do not get stung, but as I am climbing up the hill on the other side, I hear several runners behind me shouting in pain.  So, while the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were swarming in Ireland, some yellow jackets were swarming on the Twisted Branch course!  At this aid station, I grab a pickle, two orange slices, and a handful of cookies.

Mile 22.3    1:02:28 (14:32 avg./mile) Italy Valley

Nicole and I run together for a mile or so leaving The Sneaker, and then she presses a little ahead.  Meanwhile, I keep up a nice pace on this mostly downhill section.  Near the end of this section, Mark catches up to me.  I heard him and Jason talking behind me for a while, so I greet him by name when he comes up behind me.  Mark is a medical doctor, whose son recently completed basic training at Parris Island.  His son is trying to get into Marine Recon, and we talk about that for a bit.  At this aid station, there is the same normal assortment, and I only eat a handful of potato chips.

Mile 28.9    1:48:59 (16:31 avg./mile) The Lab

Dr. Mark and I run this whole section together.  At some point while I was engrossed in conversation on a technical downhill portion, I roll my right ankle for the first time today.  It doesn’t hurt, but I need to try not to do that again.  The last part of this section is on a gravel road with a beautiful view.  So far, this day has been beautiful, cool, and clear, but it is now starting to get warm.  Last year at this point, the breeze still felt very cool.  This year, any breeze is nice, but it doesn’t feel cool.  At the aid station, Peter has a bacon, egg, and cheese grilled sandwich ready for me.  I eat most of that and wash it down with CR02 and a little chocolate milk.  Since the temperature is now warm and only going to get warmer, I put on my new Iced Cap.  Peter packs it with ice, my brain freezes, and I head out of the aid station.

Mile 35.3    1:49:31 (17:07 avg./mile) Patch

I leave the aid station just behind Nicole, and I stay with her for a couple of miles while the ice in the Iced Cap keeps my body cool.  In these moderate temperatures, the ice lasts close to 50 minutes.  I saw these Iced Caps on the streaming of the Western States 100 this year and figured it would be a good thing to have.  I tried it out three weeks ago while I was training on Priest and Three Ridges, and it is very effective at lowering one’s body temperature.  When all of the ice melts away, I make a concerted effort to slow my pace down.  This race is all about conserving my resources for everything that is still in front of me.  At the aid station, I grab a couple of cookies and get my Iced Cap repacked with ice by a nice aid station volunteer.

Mile 39.8    1:27:50 (19:31 avg./mile) Finger Lakes Camp Ground

Now past halfway and in the heat of the afternoon, I focus on power hiking not just the uphill sections, but also most of the flat sections as well.  I am still running very smoothly on the downhills as my feet are doing very well.  For part of this section, I run with Jason who lives in Colorado Springs but is originally from Long Island.  He says he knows Nicole and isn’t surprised that she is ahead of us.  Jason walks away from me on the steep uphill section after a gentle downhill road portion.  A few more ups and downs, and I am joined by Pete (not my crew) as we make our way to the aid station.  Peter is ready for me, but the only food item I asked for was another biscuit.  I eat about half of that and ask what the aid station has.  The only real food they have is quesadillas, so I get two quarters of those.  Peter repacks the Iced Cap with ice, my brain refreezes, and I head out for the next section.

Mile 46.8    2:21:30 (20:13 avg./mile) Glenbrook

I continue to run conservatively, trying to save my legs and keep my body at a reasonable temperature.  For this section, I am almost entirely by myself.  There is one guy a bit ahead of me, and I pass him at a creek crossing, but otherwise, it is just me and nature.  The two twisted trees are on this section, and I note that it is less than 30 minutes after I pass those two twisted trees that I reach the aid station.  As I enter the aid station, I see Nicole’s husband and daughters who are crewing for her.  I ask him if she just left, and he says she is in the porta-john.  Peter has a grilled ham and cheese sandwich ready for me, and I eat the majority of it washing it down with plenty of CR02.  I trade out the Iced Cap for a Buff as it is now 5pm.  I also get my Petzel headlamp to take with me as it will be 11+ miles until I see my crew again.

Mile 51.6    1:54:34 (23:52 avg./mile) Lake David

I track out of the aid station less than a minute after Nicole leaves.  There is a short trail section before we get back on a gravel road for a little bit.  On the road, I can see Nicole just ahead of me, but I never catch up to her.  Like the last section, I spend most of this section by myself.  It is good that I am not getting passed by anyone, but I am not catching anyone either.  A couple of guys do pass me near the end of this section as we are climbing up a stupid steep climb just before we traverse around a pond to the aid station.  This climb is one of a few climbs late in this race that really saps the energy and will out of the runners.  At the aid station, I eat two boiled potatoes and a pierogi and drink a small cup of Coke.  I am looking at one of the aid station volunteers when I realize I know the guy.  It is John Rynders, who I ran with some the past two years at this race.  He says he got injured in July and decided to defer his entry to next year.

Mile 56.0    1:26:55 (19:45 avg./mile) Mitchellsville

Leaving Lake David, we are told that we have to get to the next aid station before 9pm.  Initially, I think this should be no problem as it is just before 7pm, and this section is only 4.4 miles.  Furthermore, the tough climb and super steep decent on this section has been removed this year.  I get caught by the Smith brothers, Kirk and Nate, early on this section, and I tag along with them for a few miles.  It isn’t until about a mile to go on this section when they stop to water a tree that I get back ahead of them.  As I am making my way over the last mile, a small cloud decides to drop a couple of rain drops on us.  There was a zero percent chance of rain today!  However, it doesn’t rain more than the couple of drops, so I am not complaining.  I get into the aid station, sit down, and drink a cup of broth.  The broth isn’t very salty, but it tasted good otherwise.  I eat another boiled potato before heading out just behind the Smith brothers.

Mile 58.4    0:49:14 (20:31 avg./mile) Urbana

Starting this section, the headlamp comes on as it is nearly dark in the woods.  My legs aren’t wanting to turn over at all, and I go to a caffeine pill.  It takes a few minutes for it to kick in, but then I am back in business running down a nicely cushioned trail avoiding tripping on any roots.  The section seems a bit longer than I remember, but soon I am running across the field next to the grape vines and into the town of Urbana where the last aid station is.  I actually ran this section two minutes faster than last year.  That might be accounted for in the fact that I didn’t have a headlamp with me, but I was 40 minutes earlier so it wasn’t completely dark yet.  Peter has some Ramen soup ready for me.  I eat about half of a cup before I strap on my Black Diamond headlamp for the finishing section.  In hindsight, I should have sat and eaten more, but I was ready to get the race finished.

Mile 64.0    2:14:54 (24:05 avg./mile) FINISH

This last section starts with the second toughest climb in the entire race.  It is a brutal climb of almost 1,000 feet with close to 30 switchbacks.  The afternoon breeze is long gone.  It is cooler, but still warm and hiking up the incline gets the sweat pouring out of my pores once again.  Soon a lady and her pacer catch up to me near the top of the climb, and I stay with them for a couple of miles.  Her name is Susan, and she is from nearby Corning, NY.  When I mention I am from Huntsville, she says her son lives in Meridianville, which is the same town I live in—what a small world it can be at times!  After a couple of miles another lady passes me, and she and Susan press on ahead.  I have plenty of time on the cutoff, but I am starting to feel not so good.  I hold it together and manage to finish in decent shape.

Finally, I am finished!

Official Finishing Time 19:26:28

150^th out of 203 starters (156 finishers under 20 hours)

This race is not only hard, but is relentless with the climbs and slow technical trail.  So many times, the course pops out to a half mile road section, but then it goes back into the woods for slow technical trail, or a stupid steep climb.  I am glad I got it done, and it should translate into a good training effort and confidence builder heading into the fall.  Right now, the next race I plan to run is not until December and the Hellgate 100k.  So, it might be back-to-back 100k races.  But, before then I am pacing James at the Georgia Jewel in September, and I plan to pace my son, Nathan, for his first 100 miler in October at the Rim to River.  Until next time…

Never stop running,

Darin