I will start this post with the usual: acknowledgement that no one (other than me) gives damn about this post and expression of my appreciation to WordPress for allowing me to store my selfish memories online. But I like writing this stuff and enjoy reliving the events months and years later, so here goes.
Anyway, during the weekend beginning April 5, I participated in the 48-hour fixed time version of the Beyond Limits Ultra (“BLU”) held at Pathfinder Ranch near Mountain Center, CA. Note the choice of verb: not “completed,” not “competed.” Just “participated.”
As a brief background, between 2008 and 2014, I completed 14 one-hundred mile events, with 12 of them in less than 24 hours and the other two in the 25-27 hour range. In 2014, at the age of 58, something changed…..loss of desire, loss of mental toughness, decline in physical ability, whatever, I had no finishes at the distance for four years.
In 2018, I discovered the more relaxed pace of the 48-hour event in pursuing a 100 mile buckle. With this being my fourth 48-hour, I was going to adopt the usual strategy: “two-thirds / one-third and the tack on.” Basically, this means get in about 67 miles on day one, sleep a few hours, come back on day two and get the remaining 33 miles. Stop again, guzzle beer, sleep a full night and tack on a few miles for show before the event ends.
After participating in four of these events, I sorta think that the majority of the 48-hour participants fall into three categories: the “competitors,” i.e.. those competing to win (not me); the “grinders,” those trying to get in the maximum possible miles, even if they are no threat to win (also not me); and the “one more hundred” crowd–that’s me! Most of the latter group are mature (read: old), or slow or some combination of these. Most are just trying get in one more (or a first) hundred miler.
At BLU, the 72-hour event started at 8:30 AM on Thursday, the 48-hour event and the 100-mile event each started at 8:30 AM on Friday, with the 24-hour event, the 50-mile and the 50K events starting on Saturday morning. Whew! With multiple races going on at any given time, runners frequently asked each other what event they were doing. My answer was the same each time: The Old Man’s Hundred!
On to the logistics……Google Maps’ AI took me through the Mojave Preserve in SoCal to get to the race site. I’ve run multiple races in the San Bernadino region and the drive on I-15 and I-215 is almost enough to make me stay in Utah. However, this route was very quiet….I’m glad I didn’t have car trouble!
A stop in the Mojave Preserve. Not the usual view in traffic-heavy SoCal.
As noted, the race takes place at the Pathfinder Ranch, which is generally used as a summer camp, with canoeing, archery, horseback riding, etc. It is pretty remote by SoCal standards, about 30 miles out of Palm Desert, CA. In contrast to my usual accommodations (a hotel room, single occupancy, preferably with an in-house bar serving a variety of micro-brews) runners were in a series of bunkhouses. I hadn’t been to a camp like this in 50+ years, so this was a little unusual. Plus, like a real summer camp there was no TV or outside distractions! (AT&T cell service was available). This was a bit of a problem with the NCAA basketball national semifinal scheduled for Saturday. Finally, there were two bathrooms in my building, but both were shared between the genders, not separate. Hell, this was California, so maybe gender distinctions are a thing of the past, but I was a bit uncomfortable with that. “Moderate” alcohol consumption was permitted, so I had a stash of Sierra Nevadas on ice.
My personal space for the duration of the event.
The Thursday night pasta dinner, prepared by the staff of Pathfinder, was fun and social. I sat with a couple of 60-something ladies also in the 48 hour. When asked their mileage goals, each said “100.” Maybe this post should be gender neutral, and be labeled the “Old Person’s Hundred.”
Pre-race dinner with the 48-hour crowd as well as the 100 milers.
Friday was cool and clear to start, and who doesn’t like the early miles of an ultra? Relaxed pace the first couple of miles, let everything warm up. Chat with other runners, generally just enjoy the day. In my 24-hour days, I used to target 12 minute miles for the first 50, with a goal of 10 hours for that distance, then hang on for the remaining 50. Those days are gone–I now go through 35 or 40 miles feeling pretty good, leaving a much longer “hang on” time. But conditions were good–cool temps, not rising about the mid-50s. A little windy at times, and the threat of rain in the late afternoon, but overall a fine day for running.
Day one, moving well, ultras are still fun at this point. (Photo credit to David Hyatt).
The course is a meandering two mile loop. Not difficult, but with a couple of sandy stretches, a water crossing, some narrow spots, a muddy patch…..well, you get the idea. Not ideal for those targeting fast times, but not a large concern to me given my expected pace.
One of the few long, straight sections of the course.
Just beyond this is the dreaded sandy stretch.
One of the fun aspects of short-loop ultra running is the social nature of the event. You can spend multiple loops with different runners, talking about anything from running (duh) to life in general. I spent many loops with Steve Williams, a retired fifth grade teacher from the Sacramento, CA area. I suspect Steve grew weary of my constant chatter, mostly about my love of capitalism, the efficiency of free markets, the frailties of human decision making processes, etc. Probably not subjects covered in fifth grade–in California, especially.
Conditions and good company notwithstanding, the “why am I doing this” thoughts inevitably set in as the day wore on. Ken Rubelli, the race director of both BLU and the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival, recently sent out a discount offer for previous Jackpot participants to register for the 2020 version. Both Steve and I took advantage of the offer. By late afternoon, both of us were pretty sure we were never doing this stuff again.
Day sorta blended into night, and it was indeed very dark, with no moon and no ambient light at our remote location. Steve and I were each targeting 60-some miles before breaking for the night. Some time around midnight, Steve’s pace dropped off a bit and I spent the next couple of hours with Jessica Horn, a university professor from Corona, CA. She probably learned more about my family than she would ever want to know. At about 2 AM each of us decided it was time for a break. I headed back to my bunk, showered and climbed into my sleeping bag for a few hours.
In hindsight, this was a mistake. I was feeling pretty good, and not particularly sleepy (unusual for a late night, running or not) and should have kept going. First light would have appeared by around 6 AM, so I could have conceivably just plowed through 100 without rest. But I was 68 miles (34 laps) in, on schedule, and took a break, getting back on the course by about 6:30 AM.
Day two should have been fun–a mere 16 laps to go, and the promise of hitting 100 well before dark. And it started out well with a breakfast burrito, coffee and a few easy laps. But for some reason, by mid-to-late morning, my mental attitude tanked. The day was warming and the laps simply weren’t adding up very fast. My goal was simply to get to 100 miles, stop and never enter one of these things again.
Day two. Not sure why I’m smiling, unless it was early or I was done. (Photo credit to David Hyatt).
I finally hit 100 at about 3:15 in the afternoon. That was 30:45 in clock time since the event began, so in theory I could have entered the 100 mile event and finished within the 32 hour cutoff for that event. My time on the course was 26+ hours. I had no desire to log any more miles. Similarly I had no desire to sleep in a bunk or hang around for the next 17 hours. So I took a shower, booked a hotel room in Yucca Valley, CA and headed off. Enjoyed some beers, watched the second national semifinal game and slept in a real bed before heading back to Utah Sunday morning.
In hindsight, I enjoyed the event, low spots not withstanding. Ken and Stephanie Rubelli do a great job on their races and have a great story, and I highly recommend their events. http://www.beyondlimitsrunning.com/about-us/our-story
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