Paleozoic Trail Run – an amazing run

2025 Paleozoic Trail Runs – Cambrian Fall III 25K Race Report

November 8, 2025
25K Trail race held at Palos Park, Illinois – Cook County Forest Preserve
21st Place overall, 3rd in M60-69 Age Group
2:24:23
Race Results

I was so glad to wrap up my 2025 racing season with this fall trail race again. As I was running the early part of the race, I was thinking about how similar things were going for me from last year’s race, and that I could probably just cut and paste last year’s race report and just change a few things. But the latter half of the race certainly was different than last year.

I don’t even know why I try to make a pre-race plan, because I never stick to it. I had pre-run half of the course last week, and the rest this week, and my pace plan and how I felt during those two runs told me I need to dial it back from the start. But did I? Nope, gunned it too hard and would end up paying for it later.

Heading out with excitement and trying not to step in a hole.

The day seemed perfect for racing, maybe 45℉ at the start, calm wind, and the course was in really good shape. The first mile netted me a split of 8:09, and I knew I would regret that. But the hills soon came and forced me to slow down and rein myself in. Once I got to four miles or so, I finally had dialed myself in and was on autopilot.

After getting passed by other runners who had started slower than I did, I found myself running behind a guy running at about my same pace. Blue-sleeved Guy, as I named him, would gap me a little climbing hills when he was jogging strongly up them and charging hard down them, neither of which I was able to do. But I would slowly reel him back in on the flatter portions of the race.

As we got to the 7.75-mile turnaround, Blue-sleeved Guy hit the portapotty, and I went straight to the aid station to refill my water bottle. I had seen in the pre-race email that Tailwind would be at the aid station, but oftentimes it’s diluted too much. I asked the volunteer at the aid station if it was mixed to a good concentration, and he responded like he had been asked before, saying that most everyone had said it was spot on. I trusted him, filled my bottle, and turned back to the trail. I kept looking over my shoulder for Blue-sleeved Guy, but he never materialized.

Out-and-back courses give you an advantage to see how many are ahead of you and how many are behind. I felt pretty good about seeing fewer faces heading out as I did after turning around. I figured I was in the top twenty or so. I settled back in and kept chugging away at the miles at a comfortable-hard race pace for me.

I felt pretty good up until 11 miles into it. I could feel myself starting to struggle. A guy passed me around the 12.5-mile area and said, “Even the small hills are feeling like large hills now.” I couldn’t have agreed more. I told him that I was gassed, but I kept trudging along.

My mile splits had been holding steady, but at 13 miles, I hit the wall. My wife, Kari, had said before the race started that she had put an extra gel in the zippered pocket of my hydration belt for me. I honestly didn’t think that I would need it, seeing that Tailwind had been working great for me, but boy, was I wrong. I was blowing through my hydration and was concerned that I would drink all of it too soon. I reached in and grabbed the gel and ate it. It would have been worse for me had it not been there for me. It was a race saver.

Coming into the last little bit of the race. The trail was filled with beautiful fall foliage.

I started having some foot cramps, and knew that could spell trouble. It was at the last two miles that I decided that the “race” was now just to get to the finish. As I came off the main trail and onto the grass, I was passed by a guy who was my age, and I asked him if he wanted a sprint finish. He said, “Sure,” and I chuckled. I said, “I’m going to make you earn this.” 😄 But honestly, I couldn’t keep pace and was just glad to make him earn it. The second year in a row that I was out-kicked in the final quarter-mile of the race. Oh well, I guess that’s racing for you.

So dead and done with the race that I was stopping my watch even before crossing the mat.

Kari was awesome once again, taking pictures, making sure I had what I needed, and getting my very sore body back to the truck for the drive to Pop’s for some much-needed lunch replenishment. She ended up walking 8 miles of trails while I was out there punishing myself.

The slogan of this race is “Finish or Fossilize,” and I was certainly glad that I didn’t fossilize. Came close. 😄 Time to recover and plan out my race schedule for next year.

2024 Paleozoic Trail Runs – Silurian Fall II 25K Race Report

November 9, 2024
25K Trail race held at Palos Park, Illinois – Cook County Forest Preserve
14th Place overall, 1st in M60-69 Age Group
2:20:02
Paleozoic Trail Run – Silurian Fall II Results

I have done the spring version of this 25K before, and since I opted to not burden myself at Tunnel Hill 100 with another 100-mile attempt this year, I decided to give the fall version a go. And I am happy that I did! We had a cool and overcast morning for the race, with perfect trail conditions, and seeing that the fall version is run at a different course, I found this one to be a lot less technically challenging. That’s not to say this was easy – it had nearly 1500 feet of elevation! Lots of rolling hills, and a few steep enough to force me to walk, but the day turned out great for me.

My faithful sidekick/super sherpa/wife Kari and I got there way earlier than necessary, but were glad to do so to get a prime parking spot as the location had very few and we didn’t want to have to find the second and third parking option and have to walk. We had lots of fun people-watching and chatting about the other racer’s prerace routines.

I had made a race morning decision to wear my more comfortable road shoes instead of my trail shoes, based on the race director’s email stating that the course was in great condition. I also wore my gaiters to keep the little rocks, sticks, leaves, and other trail junk out of my shoes. I was looking around and it seemed that I was the only one that opted for them. I was so glad that I did.

At the start of the race, a short grassy section that led to the path.

The 50K started at 8:30 and my race started at 9:30. This course is much more crowded with other patrons, but they weren’t too bad and gave us plenty of room. My plan was to not go out too fast and have to suffer in the later miles, but of course, I bolted out of the gate. It wasn’t long before I found myself in no-man’s-land once again, not quite with the lead pack and way ahead of the back-of-the-packers. Doesn’t matter what length of race I do, I find myself in this spot every time.

There was a giant hill that I walked just before mile 2 and I got passed by a couple of other runners, but walking calmed me down and I settled into a more appropriate pace. The hills kept coming and I just kept pushing on.

The 50K leader was shirtless and I saw him around my 5-mile mark and knew that I would definitely see him again. It wasn’t long after that when I saw the first 25K leader coming back at me from the turnaround, and she was flying! She did eventually win the race, a first for the race director, which he was super excited for.

As I got closer to the turnaround myself, I was marveling at how good a gel would make me feel. Every 30 minutes is when I choke down the 100-calorie syrupy stuff, and I was finding myself looking at my watch 15 minutes after each one wondering how much longer to the next. I finally caught a guy that I had been slowly reeling in, but he would jog the hills and I would walk them and have to work at pulling him back in again. We arrived at the turnaround aid station at the same time. I had already had the lid off of my 21-ounce water bottle and had it refilled with another 21 ounces. I’m glad that I opted for the bigger bottle this time instead of the 12-ounce handheld bottles I used in the spring race. I was staying on top of hydration.

After the turn, I found my legs and started running at a pretty good clip. This portion would be downhill for a while, and I tried to take advantage of that. I could see the competition coming at me for the first time and I was glad I had a good lead.

I have to give a shout-out to the large group of spectators who greeted us when we went out and came back on the course around the middle section. It was a big pick-me-up.

The next runner ahead of me was another one that I had tried to reel in from the start. She had passed me within the first 1/2-mile of the race and looked strong, but by mile 11 she clearly had run into a wall. I passed her and put some distance on her. I didn’t think that I was in the top ten at this point, but gaining a spot gave me some motivation to keep chasing others. The problem was, there weren’t any ahead of me that I could see!

With about 2.5 miles to go, we hit the last big hill and I was passed by another guy. Great, I had just gained a spot and now I was losing one. I tried to match pace with the guy, but he was younger and stronger. And to add insult to injury, the race director informed us at the awards that he had raced the RDs fall Lakefront 50K the week before. Tip of the running visor to him.

Once up the big hill it was flat and I summoned the energy I had left to push a little bit. I could hear the quick footsteps rapidly approaching me from behind and of course, it was the 50K finisher passing me in the final mile. It has happened twice now to me and I hate it! Oh well, another tip of the running visor to the shirtless 50K winner, whose overall 50K time was nearly a half-hour faster than my Chicago Marathon time. Actually, the second-place 50K finisher was also faster than my CM time. Crazy kids. Tip of the running visor to both of them.

As I was dealing with that defeat, the sounds of more footsteps were approaching, and I was passed by a woman who clearly was kicking to the finish. I tried to keep pace with her but she was slowly pulling away (tip of the visor to her-lol). We emerged relatively close from the trail and onto the grass to do a parade lap of the park to the finish and she hit the afterburners, beating me by 15 seconds. I knew that I couldn’t catch her, but I also knew that the clock was ticking rapidly to the 2:20 mark and I gave it my best to be sub-2:20, but my official time put me two seconds over it. My watch time shows 2:19:38, but it paused while I was refilling my water bottle. Seeing that I had predicted a 2:40 finish when I signed up for the race, and then thinking I had a good chance to go sub-2:30, to get 2:20:02 was a huge surprise that I will proudly take as a new PR.

Finishing the race and getting my medal and age group award

All in all, it was a great day and a great performance for me. I might have to keep this one on the calendar for next year!

The Value of Course Recon

With one race left on the calendar this year, I decided to do a little course reconnaissance seeing that I had not run this particular race before. I have been on the trails in this area, but it was a long time ago, and I felt it might be a good idea to see what I had gotten myself into.

The race is the Paleozoic Trail Runs – Silurian Fall II 25K held in Palos Park, Illinois in the Cook County Forest Preserve District commonly called Swallow Cliff. If you have followed my blog you will note that I have done the spring version of this race before, three times actually, but that course is in a different location.

Last week I went out to find the start/finish area and ran from the start to about 4 miles out before turning around. The trip paid off because I took a couple of wrong turns and had to double back to get back on course. But the trail was nowhere near as technical as the spring course is. There was about 540 feet of climbing for the portion I ran and the two hills were definitely steep enough to warrant walking them. The trail was in pretty good shape, with good footing. I ended up running eight miles in about 1:15, so I was pleased with my speed and effort.

Last Saturday, Kari and I went back to the trail to walk the second part of the trail, which I hadn’t gotten a chance to run last time. It was also in good condition with very few technical aspects to it. There were 530 feet of climbing in this section, so overall, that will be the challenge that awaits me. Tackle the hills with the appropriate effort, and push pace on the flats and downhills.

Tried to capture the type of trail and the rolling hills of the course.

Today I ran one final 8-mile run near home at a comfortably hard pace and held an 8:32 average pace, finishing in 1:08. I was pretty gassed after that, so I may have to dial back my expectations just a little on race day. Plus the hills will slow me down somewhat. The race website asks you to submit a predicted finish time, and based on my three previous attempts at the spring version of this 25K, I estimated 2:40, but I think I have a good chance to be under 2:30 and maybe closer to 2:20. At least now I know what to expect from the course and the pace I have been running lately. I’m looking forward to race day.

If you are interested in running or would like more info about this race, here’s the website: Paleozoic Trail Run – Silurian Fall II

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Ordovician Spring II – 25K Race Report

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Ordovician Spring II 25K Race Report

When: March 23, 2024

Where: Willow Springs, Illinois

Finish Time: 2:48:53

Finish Place: 31st overall out of 74, 2nd in Age Group M60-69

Results Link: RunRace Ordovician Spring II 2024 Results

If there’s one thing I consistently do as a runner it’s having bad ideas and then acting on them. On Thursday I had already decided to skip this race having dealt with high hamstring tendonitis for over a month, a lack of running for three weeks, and the weather showing rain and snow the day before. Since this trail race has many stretches of dirt sections, I didn’t want to deal with it being muddy. But on Friday I opted for an easy 3 miles on the treadmill and found that my butt pain from the tendonitis wasn’t any worse for it, planting the bad seed in my head. What if I show up and just take it easy? Walk the hills, run slow, and have a plan to bail if things turn bad. And that’s how bad ideas get acted upon.

Saturday morning was the complete opposite of Friday weather-wise. It was bright and sunny and not horribly cold. I picked up my race packet and then milled around the start line waiting for the start. I joked with the race director that at least it wasn’t last year with its stupid 11 degrees F. at the start. Or the year before last, a mudbath of a run.

The countdown began and I thought about how I bolted from the start last year and led the race briefly. Maybe I could lead this race for a bit this year too! I took my spot on the line, but I wasn’t alone there this year. I was out-bolted by a woman who looked to be taking the race very seriously, and she would end up finishing third overall. Well, that was one bad idea averted.

The previous day’s weather left a small amount of an icy snow-like covering which was melting quickly. I’d rather my feet get wet as I progressed through the race and not at the start, but here I was dealing with wet toes not even a 1/4 mile into it. Thankfully, I had applied plenty of lube to my feet for just that reason.

As we got to the first hill, I decided to implement my hill-walking strategy. The hills aren’t overly difficult, but rather just a bunch of rollers one after another. By the time three miles had been run, I felt like I had warmed up somewhat, both overall and with my butt tendonitis, making running seemingly okay. I must be doing things right. About four miles into the run I decided that the windbreaker of a jacket needed to go, so I stopped at a little table that was unmanned and had a jug or two of water sitting on it. I took off my jacket and a couple of upcoming runners gave me a hearty “THANK YOU!” mistaking me for a volunteer. “Guys, I’m running too – but you’re welcome!” It lifted my spirits.

Soon afterward, I got to an open area and the cold headwind made my sweaty body rethink taking the jacket off, but I knew I’d be back in the woods soon. Passing a very vocal volunteer aid station, I was high-fived by a toddler who was enjoying his moment and headed into the technical part of the run.

An hour into the run, I ate one of the two gels I had brought along to keep me fueled for the run and tried to concentrate on my footstrike as I ate it. As I went to put the wrapper back into the pocket of my handheld water bottle, I realized that the second gel was not there. I thought I might be in bad shape without it, and I could have dropped it within the last quarter mile, but I decided to keep pressing on instead of doubling back to look for it. They will have something at the aid station to eat in less than two miles.

I pressed on and soon saw my bad influence of a friend Jodi, returning back toward the start finish. She was in the 50K and had an hour head start on me. She was walking and acting like she was in some pain, and I thought that maybe I might catch her before I finished if she truly was suffering. Fat chance, as I later saw her again with a mile to go running just fine. She’s not a quitter.

I was running through the area where I had tripped and fallen the year before, but I never saw the root that had tripped me up. The course was in better shape than the past two years, and there weren’t really any hidden dangers. I kept stepping on little sticks that would then be elevated and I would catch my trailing foot on them, almost tripping myself three times, but I was never really concerned with actually falling this year.

I had been running by myself for quite a while, nobody directly ahead of me or behind me and wasn’t really sure where I was in the field. At the 7.75-mile turnaround, I refilled my water bottle, grabbed a mini Snickers bar as a replacement for my lost gel, and then headed back toward the start. I was very surprised by the many runners still heading to the turnaround. I thought I had been bringing up the rear of this race.

I was feeling pretty good but decided I needed to hold back any uptick in pace until I was closer to three miles to go. As I neared the spot where I lost my gel I kept my eyes on the ground looking for it and when it appeared in the mud I literally shouted “YES!” and stopped to pick it up. The runner behind me was a little surprised at my enthusiasm at this spot in the race, but I explained how I had just found the gel I had lost and that it may be vital to me finishing the race.

At that point, I had a little surge of adrenaline and realized that this guy could be a good pacer for me. I matched his pace for a while, but as we hit the technical hills, he was more adventurous than I was and bounded up and down them with ease, whereas I exerted caution to not fall and break something.

I was starting to feel the effect of the hills and getting a little low on energy. At two hours into the run, I decided to eat my recovered gel. As I was eating it, another runner overtook me and I could tell he was probably in my age group. We chatted a bit and he became my second pacer, trying to keep up with him with four miles of the race to go. A little earlier than my planned push, but I tried. But even with eating the gel, I was hitting the wall. Not running in the past three weeks, having not done any long runs longer than eight miles in the past month, was starting to remind me that this bad idea may lead to a crash and burn. I walked more, and before long the guy was out of sight.

I was hoping for more hills just so I could have more walk time. I remembered that I had a Snickers bar in my possession and decided to start eating it. I’m so glad that I had it, or I might have been in really bad shape. I chewed it until it was basically liquid, washed it down with water, and hoped that the sugar would be quickly uploaded to my muscles.

Two miles left and I found my final pacer, a woman who was also walking hills but had a stronger running pace than I had at the moment. I kept trying to keep up but she was heading strong into the final stretch. At a mile to go, I heard another runner or two coming up behind me quickly. I said to the first guy “Can I borrow some of your extra adrenaline?” and he said he was using it all. And just like that we were both passed by the leader of the 50K. I knew that might be coming, but I was still surprised that it happened. “Oh shit! I just got passed by the 50K leader!” He offered some encouragement and I looked back to see who else might be coming.

I made the turn back onto the grass and looked back up the road and kept looking back – nobody there. I was spent and decided to walk the hill up toward the finish, maybe a quarter-mile to go and looked again – two people! Where did they come from? I picked up the pace. I saw my wife Kari and asked if they were gaining on me. I think she thought I was crazy, as they were pretty far back. But I was running on fumes. I kept looking over my shoulder and as I made the final turn I could see that I had no challengers. I began walking and about five feet from the finish, three guys standing around started yelling encouragement – “YOU GOT THIS!” I got this? I’m literally five feet from the finish. It struck me as odd and hilarious at the same time. I crossed the finish, hit stop, and was thankful I survived this really bad idea.

I met Kari, drank some Coke and Gatorade, ate a piece of banana, warmed myself in the truck, and then waited for the award ceremony. Second in the age group, finishing behind the guy who passed me at the 11-mile mark. He finished four minutes ahead of me, which was the time I finished this race last year.

Time to rest, recover, and start training for the next bad idea. Thanks for reading.

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Devonian Spring II – 25K Race Report

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Devonian Spring II 25K Race Report

When: March 18, 2023

Where: Willow Springs, Illinois

Finish Time: 2:44:53

Finish Place: 20th overall, 4th in Age Group M50-59

Results Link: RunRace Devonian Spring II 2023 Results

I ran this race last year in rainy and muddy conditions and it didn’t deter me from signing up for it this year for some reason. This year has to be better, right? Nope. 11 degrees F. at the start with a feels-like temperature of -2. That’s because it was super windy too! Fun times. At least it wasn’t muddy. Nice and firm frozen ground, which I would become very acquainted with later on.

I got there early enough to see my crazy ultrarunning friend Jodi start the 50K race an hour before my race started. I picked up my race packet and sat in the warm car for an hour. I had brought lots of clothing options and I really thought that I was going to have to run in my coat. But after seeing what some others were opting for, I also went a more minimal route – three long-sleeved shirts, the race shirt over that, two layers of gloves, a balaclava with a visor and another hat on top of it, and a new windbreaker jacket I bought last week. I also wore my warmest running pants which might not have been necessary, and to add to that, the elastic wasn’t as strong as it used to be. I slowed several times to pull them up, but eventually stopped and tied the drawstring in a knot. Anyway, I was pretty comfortable and maybe a little too warm.

I walked over to the start about 5 minutes before and took a look around at the competition. The race director gave us some last-minute info and the countdown was on, but no one was anywhere near the start gate. As he declared go, I was the first to bolt through it and off to the races!

I wasn’t kidding that no one was willing to take the lead! Here I am bolting through the start gate! Photo credit Bill & Michelle Thom/RunRace.com used with permission.

I’m in first place! I had a smart pre-race plan of pacing slowly and not starting out too fast. Race day adrenaline took over and it wasn’t long before my labored breathing was forcing me to slow down. Being in first place in any race is kinda fun, but I would much rather pass people (encouraging!) than be passed (discouraging!). By a quarter-mile into it, a young lady joined me and we paced together until about a mile into it, when we got to a hill and I slowed and she didn’t. She would finish in 2nd overall. I had no business pacing with her. Another guy passed and I was now in third.

I kept up the count every time someone passed me, and I would tell them “you are now in 4th! or 5th or 6th, etc. I quit telling them after I dropped out of the top 10, which was about 4-5 miles into the race.

I was starting to sense that something was wrong with the way I was feeling. I felt like I was running on fumes and might be in for a slog. Thankfully, I brought along some gels to help get me through some rough spots.

I got to the turn-around of this out-and-back race and was feeling pretty happy about my time at that point. My split was an hour and twelve minutes for 7.75 miles and I was turning for home. But right about a half-mile later I came to a dead stop, tripping on some damn root or stone and falling to the ground with a thud. Since I have started running trails I have been falling, and I was super cognizant of that today, but it didn’t matter. The bill of my visor struck the ground causing my glasses to be forced into my nose causing a cut. I had the wind knocked out of me, yet that didn’t stop me from unleashing a string of curse words that had the forest creatures running. I was also seeing some stars after getting to my feet. That’s a new one. A few kind runners took time to stop and take stock of my dumb ass and offer assistance. One asked if I wanted her to walk me back to the turn-around for help and I initially said yes. Then I said no. I could walk, nothing seemed broken, and I felt like I could probably press on. And press on I did, albeit much, much, slower.

The rest of the way was a combination of running the flat sections and walking up and down hills and just moving forward. I was starting to get foot cramps and I was starting to think I was very dehydrated. I had water and I was drinking it, but I don’t think it was enough. I didn’t feel like I had been sweating all that much, but my wife Kari said my clothes were soaked when I got home.

I got to the finish and was glad it was over. One volunteer asked if I was okay, and I said no. I was mad at myself, but it was nice of him to ask. The race director asked how old I was and then said I had just missed the age group award. I kind of figured that out. It was actually a relief because it meant I didn’t have to hang around for any awards.

I walked back to the car and sent Kari this picture:

I sent “I’m all done with my 25K!”

Kari replied “Why are you bleeding!!”

Me: “The ground might have had something to do with it.”

Her: “I can’t let you out of the house!!”

I was a little concerned that my calves would cramp up on the 20-minute drive home, so I got out and walked around a little bit. I went into the toilet and peed some pretty dark urine, which was all the indication I needed that I was pretty dehydrated. I grabbed a nearly frozen Coke from the finish line and started drinking it. It turned me around pretty quickly and I drove home with no issues.

So there you have it, falling at trail races seems to be a thing for me. It’s a good thing that I only have three more on the calendar this year.

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Carboniferous Spring II – 25K Race Report

Paleozoic Trail Runs – Carboniferous Spring II 25K Race Report

When: March 19, 2022

Where: Willow Springs, Illinois

Finish Time: 2:28:46

Finish Place: 12th overall, 2nd in Age Group M50-59

Results Link: Paleozoic Trail Race 25K Results

Too Long/Don’t Read Version

I had a great time running a 25K trail race through a very muddy and challenging forest preserve course.

All Of The Muddy Details

Pre-race Course Reconnaissance:

Seeing that I have never run a trail race before, and because I have never run at this particular location before, I decided on Monday to drive the 30-minutes to Willow Springs and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to see what I was up against. I’m glad that I did because I received an in-depth view of the course. There were lots of missed turns, lots of rocky terrain, and lots of hills. Seeing that there was rain in the forecast for race day, I bought a pair of trail running shoes for the race. Rain or no rain, the trail shoes certainly improved my traction on this trail system.

Race Day

Mud can be fun, right?

It rained on Friday – a lot. I knew that this was not going to make for a good run, but what can you do? It was still raining on Saturday morning, and it was cold too. You can’t control the weather, so I always hope for the best conditions and plan for the worst. Of the bad weather races that I have done, this one ranks around fourth I would say, behind Leon’s Triathlon 2015 (3rd – downpouring rain), Ironman Chattanooga 2019 (2nd – extreme heat), and the Boston Marathon 2018 (1st – cold, downpouring rain, headwind the entire way).

I met up with Jodi, the ultra-marathon crazy friend of mine who was running the 50K.

The Bad Influence and me. The Stones logo was not placed there intentionally.

Jodi’s race started an hour earlier than mine, so I waited around and was soon joined by my friends Jim and Leah.

Jim, Leah, and me. Photo credit to Leah’s husband, Steve, which I gladly stole from Facebook.

We lined up, wished each other well, and off we raced!

The race started on grass and 100 yards into it my feet were feeling the wetness from the grass. That soon gave way to much softer grass, and mud and I was trying my best to jump over visible puddles, but it was quickly becoming not worth the extra effort.

The course map with the colored trails we ran.

I bolted out from the gate a little stronger than I probably should have and found myself trying to keep pace with some faster runners that I had no business trying to keep up with. By a mile into it, I was passed by another more sensibly paced runner and watched him slowly pace away from me. I was starting to question the choice of layers I was wearing as I was getting a little warm. I took my gloves off, unzipped my pullover, and pulled the hat up to expose my ears. I was struggling with my eyes watering and my glasses fogging up. Miles 2-3 was the portion of the trail that most likely had the best conditions. We ran the Yellow Trail for about 3.5 miles and then came to the Orange Trail. I encountered the leaders of the 50K returning back to the start on their first loop. They were impressive. I saw that someone had ditched their jacket near the unmanned water station and I gave it a brief consideration but opted to keep wearing it.

The Orange Trail was one of the worst portions – a ditch that was basically full of mud. I made an energetic effort to run the ridge and make my way through it. Thankfully, it was short-lived and soon was on the very technical Blue Trail, with lots of hills, roots, and rocks. The Blue Trail gave way to the Green Trail, but I never noticed the markers. I was too occupied with watching for the orange course marking arrows painted on the ground to make sure I was going the correct way. Thankfully, I was seeing more and more of the 50K runners coming back at me, so I knew that I was on the right path. Around Mile 6 I was hearing another runner coming behind me and he must have been watching me dodge puddles and really muddy spots. He advised, “at a certain point you just have to commit to it.” As he passed I could see he didn’t give a damn about the puddles, just trudged right through them. I paced behind him for a while, but I still lacked the confidence to plow straight ahead through the worst spots. I wasn’t afraid of getting wet or muddy, I had committed to that a long time ago. I just didn’t want to slip and fall, possibly getting hurt.

Typical of the most of the course, but there were worse sections. Photo credit to Jodi – another steal and used without permission.

From Mile 6 until the turn-around at 7.75 miles was some of the worst of the muddy trail. I trudged through and reached the turn-around and walked over the sensor pad. I refilled my handheld water bottle, grabbed a couple of pretzels, made a quick toilet stop, and then made the turn to follow the same trail back to the finish. I was happy that I hadn’t ditched the jacket, as the light wind was now in my face and it had started to rain a little harder.

I saw Leah coming at me and figured she was about a mile behind me. One thing to be said about the runners I was seeing heading to the turnaround, they were all seemingly having a good time. I will admit, I was having some fun too.

Thankfully, I had brought some gels with me or I might have run out of energy much earlier in the first half of the race. I was eating a gel every half-hour and it was keeping my energy up. I took my fourth and last one around the 12-mile mark and hoped that it would get me through the last 3.5 miles. Back on the Yellow Trail with it’s better conditions, I pushed my pace again and tried to keep it up. I could hear another runner behind me and as I reached a rather steep hill, I slowed to a walk and he went around me. A glance over my shoulder didn’t reveal anyone else, so I made an effort to try to reel him back in and was doing a decent job of it until I hit the grassy portion with another uphill climb that just took the wind out of my sails. I ambled around the picnic area, following the course, and saw Jodi just leaving out for her second loop. That was something I would not have wanted to do at that point! I was spent. As I crossed the finish line, a guy with a clipboard told me that I was the 2nd place finisher in my age group. I made my way to the car for some much-needed warmth.

My feet were squishy wet. Amazingly enough, the shoes looked out-of-the-box new after a turn in the washing machine.

I sat shivering in the car trying to warm up, which was made more difficult by the wet clothes I was wearing. I pulled my top layers off of me, found a long-sleeved shirt to put on, topped it with a couple of windbreakers and my sweatshirt, and then hopped back into the car. I texted Kari and advised her that I was done, and she texted that she and daughter Ashley were on their way, which was a little surprising to me, but I had left some extra shoes at home and she was kind enough to meet me with them. They helped me stay warm while we waited for the awards.

Glad to be done with this crazy run and a little warmer.

I ended up with 12th place overall and second place in my age group and was very happy with that. And it was a fun and memorable experience that I won’t soon forget. Turns out running in the mud can be fun.