Rob Jones' First Trail Race Report
On March 22nd, I completed my first trail race - The Bel Monte 25k (about 15.5 miles) Endurance Run in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
The journey leading up to the race was almost as challenging as the race. Starting in January I built my mileage from 35 miles per week to 70 miles per week, completing many 20+ mile runs including a 27-miler. The purpose of this training was originally geared toward running the USATF 50k (about 31 miles) road championship in New York in early March. However, due a personal conflict I didn’t compete. However my desire to complete a 50k didn’t go away.
Since the number of 50k’s aren’t as plentiful as the local 5k road race scene, my best available option was the Bel Monte 50k trail ultra-marathon three weeks later. I soon informed my wife, Lysa, of my decision which gave her a good 10 minute laugh followed by the inevitable “Are you an idiot”? However, I got the last laugh when I told her that I took the liberty of registering her too!
Unfortunately, a week prior to race day my IT Band flared up on the outside of my knee. After much consternation, I decided running a hilly 31-mile race with an IT Band problem wasn’t a smart choice, especially with the Boston Marathon a month away. Fortunately, Bel Monte also had a 25k option (the same race Lysa I entered in) so I emailed the race director and changed my registration.
Despite all this training, I felt underprepared and uncertain as I lined up at 6:30 a.m. on March 22nd. The Bel Monte 25k is one of the more challenging trail races on the east coast if not the country. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia that has over 3,000’ of vertical climb on mostly technical rocky single track with several water crossings.
As the race started in the dark, about 300 runners darted off funneling into a 5’ wide rocky trail in the first 200 meters. During the early miles, we ran single file navigating the course stepping gingerly over rocks and through streams using flashlights. After 400 feet of climbing we approached our last major water crossing about 4 miles into the race, and began a heart pounding 3.5 mile climb with soaked shoes that ascended another 1,300 feet. For comparison purposes, the last mile of Brian’s Run on Tigue Road climbs 100 feet.
During this climb, another runner and I worked together ascending the rock layered trails. Unlike me, this runner was experienced on trails and must have noticed my poor trail running technique. He shared helpful tips on how to run on rocks and ascend very steep grades. We remained together until we reached the peak. Upon reaching the aid station at the peak, we proceeded back down the hill we just climbed up. At this point my “newbie trail runner” status was a handicap because the technical rocky descent was more challenging than the climb itself.
I watched in awe as my competition flew down the hill and out of sight. Amazingly, experienced trail runners can fly downhill on this terrain. In my case, for the next 5 ankle rolling miles, I cautiously descended 1,700 feet falling once and rolling my ankles several times. During my descent, I ran past Lysa who was climbing her way up. Rather than saying, "Good job" or "Keep it up," I simply muttered “I’m sorry” and looked as sympathetic as I could. I figured that I better start apologizing sooner than later for getting her into this race.
After roughly an hour of downhill running, I reached the final aid station averaging about 12 minutes per mile or roughly 5-6 minutes per mile slower than my typical training pace. I was never so happy to start going uphill.
While the last 3 miles were uneventful and mostly on asphalt road finishing where we started, the challenges of this race far surpassed my expectations. Some people refer to this race as the “Bel-Monster” calling it the most difficult race they have ever run. While I agree on the level of difficulty, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of most running career.
Overall, I finished in 8th place getting manhandled by runners that I can handily beat in a road race of any distance further highlighting the differences between trail vs. road running. Lysa also successfully completed the race and commented how much she enjoyed running the entire trail running atmosphere. Despite the difficulty, she was also pleasantly surprised how much she enjoyed running in the mountains.
We both found that there is something very special about the purity of trail running and connection with like minded individuals. It is something that I look forward to enjoying for many years on my journey from a road runner to a trail ultra-marathoner.
(Rob is a former co-worker of mine with IMA Consulting, Inc., who regularly runs 2:43 to 2:50 marathons. His eighth-place finish came in a time of 2:33:09. The winner finished in 2:06:31. His wife, Lysa, finished in 3:44:15.)
The journey leading up to the race was almost as challenging as the race. Starting in January I built my mileage from 35 miles per week to 70 miles per week, completing many 20+ mile runs including a 27-miler. The purpose of this training was originally geared toward running the USATF 50k (about 31 miles) road championship in New York in early March. However, due a personal conflict I didn’t compete. However my desire to complete a 50k didn’t go away.
Since the number of 50k’s aren’t as plentiful as the local 5k road race scene, my best available option was the Bel Monte 50k trail ultra-marathon three weeks later. I soon informed my wife, Lysa, of my decision which gave her a good 10 minute laugh followed by the inevitable “Are you an idiot”? However, I got the last laugh when I told her that I took the liberty of registering her too!
Unfortunately, a week prior to race day my IT Band flared up on the outside of my knee. After much consternation, I decided running a hilly 31-mile race with an IT Band problem wasn’t a smart choice, especially with the Boston Marathon a month away. Fortunately, Bel Monte also had a 25k option (the same race Lysa I entered in) so I emailed the race director and changed my registration.
Despite all this training, I felt underprepared and uncertain as I lined up at 6:30 a.m. on March 22nd. The Bel Monte 25k is one of the more challenging trail races on the east coast if not the country. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia that has over 3,000’ of vertical climb on mostly technical rocky single track with several water crossings.
As the race started in the dark, about 300 runners darted off funneling into a 5’ wide rocky trail in the first 200 meters. During the early miles, we ran single file navigating the course stepping gingerly over rocks and through streams using flashlights. After 400 feet of climbing we approached our last major water crossing about 4 miles into the race, and began a heart pounding 3.5 mile climb with soaked shoes that ascended another 1,300 feet. For comparison purposes, the last mile of Brian’s Run on Tigue Road climbs 100 feet.
During this climb, another runner and I worked together ascending the rock layered trails. Unlike me, this runner was experienced on trails and must have noticed my poor trail running technique. He shared helpful tips on how to run on rocks and ascend very steep grades. We remained together until we reached the peak. Upon reaching the aid station at the peak, we proceeded back down the hill we just climbed up. At this point my “newbie trail runner” status was a handicap because the technical rocky descent was more challenging than the climb itself.
I watched in awe as my competition flew down the hill and out of sight. Amazingly, experienced trail runners can fly downhill on this terrain. In my case, for the next 5 ankle rolling miles, I cautiously descended 1,700 feet falling once and rolling my ankles several times. During my descent, I ran past Lysa who was climbing her way up. Rather than saying, "Good job" or "Keep it up," I simply muttered “I’m sorry” and looked as sympathetic as I could. I figured that I better start apologizing sooner than later for getting her into this race.
After roughly an hour of downhill running, I reached the final aid station averaging about 12 minutes per mile or roughly 5-6 minutes per mile slower than my typical training pace. I was never so happy to start going uphill.
While the last 3 miles were uneventful and mostly on asphalt road finishing where we started, the challenges of this race far surpassed my expectations. Some people refer to this race as the “Bel-Monster” calling it the most difficult race they have ever run. While I agree on the level of difficulty, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of most running career.
Overall, I finished in 8th place getting manhandled by runners that I can handily beat in a road race of any distance further highlighting the differences between trail vs. road running. Lysa also successfully completed the race and commented how much she enjoyed running the entire trail running atmosphere. Despite the difficulty, she was also pleasantly surprised how much she enjoyed running in the mountains.
We both found that there is something very special about the purity of trail running and connection with like minded individuals. It is something that I look forward to enjoying for many years on my journey from a road runner to a trail ultra-marathoner.
(Rob is a former co-worker of mine with IMA Consulting, Inc., who regularly runs 2:43 to 2:50 marathons. His eighth-place finish came in a time of 2:33:09. The winner finished in 2:06:31. His wife, Lysa, finished in 3:44:15.)
posted by WalkSports.com | 4:54 PM
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