Harbison 50k Trail Race - RunUltra Marathon


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Columbia, South Carolina
United States
Dan Hartley
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 8h 21m 14s
Overall Rank = 154/164
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Same as always: coffee, PBJ, water & gel.
Event warmup:

Stand around campfire & chat.
Run
  • 8h 21m 14s
  • 31.2 miles
  • 16m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

First loop went pretty much according to plan although my feet started barking at me early on the LC trail w/ it's constant up/down & snaking motion. Plenty of roots & rocks on course caused my feet, not used to being in trail shoes or running on trails (last time was in September), to completely break down. Second loop became a mental game to keep focused on relentless forward motion. Once I got to 10k left w/ 2 hours & 45 mins before cutoff I basically power-walked/slow jogged it in.
What would you do differently?:

Well, I would train if I was going to do this again. I hadn't run over 6.3 miles since MCM in October. The race was a last minute decision (I signed up Tuesday night before the race once 3 slots came open) designed to test my mental stamina and toughness. That and the run itself was a chance to spend long hours on my feet, test my fueling/hydration, and just see how I would respond. Given my limited goals, I felt good about finishing. Harbison is a great venue w/ some sneaky tough trails that are fun to run.
Post race
What limited your ability to perform faster:

See above.

Event comments:

Awesome volunteers who had tons of ultra goodies at the aid stations set up every 5k. Couldn't ask for better support and the trail was marked very well (you'd have to try hard to get lost). I was so slow that by the time I finished most of the post-race party & food was gone but that's ok. I'd give the race 4.5 stars if I could only b/c of that. T-shirt is nice, medal doubles as a bottle opener, and got 2 pint glasses to boot. Highly recommend.




Last updated: 2012-01-04 12:00 AM
Running
08:21:14 | 31.2 miles | 16m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/164
Performance: Good
2 loops run in 3:30 first loop, 4:30 second loop w/ 20' spent trying to fix blisters on feet.
Course: 2 loop course beginning at Gazebo, heading over to Lost Creek trail, then coming around on Stewardship to Midlands Mountain, onto Spiderwoman w/ Inner Loop thrown in, then back to Midlands Mtn & returning via Firebreak Trail. Technical singletrack for over 20 of the 30 miles. Lost Creek & Spiderwoman (totaling 18 miles) were toughest parts of course. 4186 ft. elevation change.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4