As you can see, this race report is belated. It stems from the fact that August is one of my busiest months where various activities and events are concerned. As I write this, I can't help but think of this event as one of the best weekends I have ever had. I so want to make this an annual event...
The Civic Holiday weekend (August 1-3, 2009) was packed with a tonne of fun. While people in Toronto were jumping up and partying on the streets for Caribana, I was down south in Ohio having my own fun.
A group of us travelled to Ohio to take part in the Burning River 100M Trail Race. This is the third year for this race and it has been a success every year. This is the first year I decided to go down and join the fun in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I did not actually run the race though. I was there as a crew and pacer. I figured that I would get some solid miles under my belt so that I can properly taper for the Dirty Girls 24H run which was the week after.
I was already starting to plan my travel down to Ohio after getting in touch with Fred Davis - the legendary ultrarunner who I would be pacing for the final 40 miles at the event. It all came together when I received an email from Charlotte asking if we could carpool together. Sold! We then started coordinating meeting times and also lent a hand to John and Sharon who needed their drop bags delivered as they would be travelling down Friday night after work and would be late in getting their bags to the aid station if they didn't send it with us.
Thursday morning, I woke up feeling ill. I suspected that I was starting to come down with something and I did not want it ruining my fun for the coming weekend. I phoned in sick and slept for a good part of the day and picked away at the packing. This also meant running errands to pick up stuff that I knew I would not be able to find in the States.
Friday morning, Charlotte came to pick me up at my place. We loaded up my gear in the car, got Sharon and John's bags in the car, and hit the road. The drive to the border was uneventful. We talked for pretty much most of the drive anyway. John phoned us just before we got to the border to let us know that he and Sharon will be picking up their bibs on site the morning of the race. We pretty much drove non-stop to Fred's place only stopping a couple times for washrooms and lunch. I was still feeling a little under the weather but I was on top of it with the homeopathic and naturopathic remedies as I would be for much of the weekend.
We arrived at Fred and Flo's place in the middle of the afternoon and proceeded to unpack our stuff from the car. The greetings were all animated as usual and we were welcomed with open arms. After settling down for a bit, we all got ready to head down to Cuyahoga Falls where we were to partake in the pre-race dinner and meet some of the other runners there. The air conditioning at the venue was crazy cold and only succeeded in making me sicker. As soon as we left, I started feeling a little better. As we were leaving, we picked up Rosemarie Evans and took her back with us. She was going to try and sleep in the parking deck and catch the bus to the start line. Fred and Flo did not take no as an answer and she came along with us. After we arrived, we all started settling in for the night as we had an early start in the morning.
The next morning, we were all up before the sun. We assembled all our gear and placed them in the van before heading over to Willoughby Hills, where the start line was located. Before the race started, we all greeted the other runners, including John and Sharon who only got around two hours sleep before getting on the bus to the start line due to the late arrival the night before. Attendance was taken and then shortly after - at 5h00 - the runners were off and running. Flo and I then got back in the van and headed back to the house, where Fred left his bib number. We skillfully timed Char and Fred's arrival at the Polo Fields where we were going to meet them. After stopping off and getting the bib number, we made our way to the drug store where I picked up more homeopathic remedies, as well as some odds and ends that we needed - including ice for the cooler. We then made our way to Panera Bread for some breakfast sandwiches and tea before heading over to the Polo Fields.
After meeting up with Fred and Char, Flo and I made our way over to Shadow Lake where we lounged for a bit before our runners made it over. It was starting to get hot out so I changed out of what I had on (capris and a long-sleeved top), into my running gear. Flo and I were having a blast the entire time. We talked quite a bit that day, that's for sure... After leaving Shadow Lake, we proceeded over Station Road where we knew we had a bit of a wait. Knowing this, we decided to stop off at Walmart on the way. We also stopped off at Chipotle's restaurant for some lunch, which served as my dinner as well since I knew I would be pacing later and I needed to be fed well. I was still feeling quite rundown so the remedies were being pumped into me at a regular interval. I was determined to get well before I headed out for the night run. After helping Fred and Char out at Station Road, we drove over to Ottawa Point where I laid on a blanket in the shade in order to get some sleep. We also saw Rosemarie on a regular basis. She was doing really well and was moving at a consistent pace. There was no stopping her and it showed how much fun she was having.
After we left Ottawa Point, we went over to Boston Store where I was to pick up Fred and run the final 40 miles with him. This spot is one of the busiest because from this point on, pacers were allowed to pick up their runners. Flo and I chilled out in the van for a bit before talking to some of the other people there. The one surprise we had there was the arrival of Char, who we thought was way past at this point. It appears that Char may have made a wrong turn due to some of the signs being turned around on the course. She ended up racking up an extra 12 miles for her error. She was not happy but she kept moving on to catch her composure. She was doing really well and it really threatened to put a damper on the event for her. Fred came into Boston Store just in time to do his loop in the area before I picked him up. He quickly changed his clothes in the van and gathered his lights before we set off.
We were quite the happy duo out there in the woods together. The whole time we were out there, we were talking and saying any and everything that came to our minds. To sweeten the pot some, we were actually picking off numerous people throughout the night. I'm sure we must have sounded a little too happy for some people's liking but we were having fun. We were cracking some of the wittiest jokes known to man, imitating comedians, and talking about the Ontario Ultra Series folks - especially Ron... hehe... In fact, one of my handheld flashlights was acting up and I couldn't help but think of the MadTV skit that would have been perfect for that occasion... Hehehe :)
Flo was at all the other designated aid stations to tend to our needs. For that, we were truly grateful.
My favourite part of the course was at Happy Days. I just loved the idea of squeezing between the big rocks and boulders which were part of the course. Char would later tell me that the northern part of the Bruce Trail has the same type of terrain. The parts I hated the most were the roads and towpaths. They do not mix with a tender ITB and I had to be mindful of that by stretching regularly. The worst spot on the entire course was on the towpath, right by the Akron sewage treatment plant. Believe me, the scent was so horrid that those who were prone to puking would have really been in for a treat at that point. There was a section of trail just before the Covered Bridge where we had to run through shoe-sucking mud. It was raining and my shoe actually did come off. It was so bad that I had to trudge through the mud with that shoe off until I could actually put my shoe back on. After the Covered Bridge, we had miles and miles of roads and towpaths to contend with. At that point, we were looking forward to twilight and we sensed that the end was coming soon. Fred and I were surprised to run into John on the towpath. He was running with Sharon the whole time and we were surprised that she was not with him. He then told us that they had to take a nap at the Covered Bridge due to the lack of sleep they had the night before. The muddy conditions were also not kind to Sharon. She was forced to drop at 80M due to her Achilles flaring up. We walked on with John for a bit before he picked up the pace. We would later pick him off and come in five minutes ahead of him.
It was daylight when we got into Akron. Fred and I were both feeling good. In fact, Fred was ahead of his goal pace by about 15-20 minutes at that point. When we met up with Flo, we dumped our lights, and I changed out of my jacket and shirt for something drier. We then headed down the towpath with about 10 miles to go before the finish. The final stretch of the course took us on some roads and through the trails that followed the Cuyahoga River towards the falls. I was amazed at the beauty of the river and its force. With two miles to go, we had to follow one last technical stretch before the final mile which led us to Falls River Square, in downtown Cuyahoga Falls, where the race ends. We got passed by one other runner who then ran the final mile with his two daughters to the finish. Fred's projected time for the race was 27:40. We beat the clock by almost 30 minutes and we felt so good just doing so.
Flo, Char, and Rosemarie - who timed out at the Covered Bridge - were there to greet us when we came in. Mike Keller was also there after volunteering around the clock at the Covered Bridge. In fact, he was quite surprised to see me out there pacing - forgetting that I mentioned my intentions to come down for this. No matter, it was a happy meeting for the both of us as we had not seen each other since the Art Moore FA back in January. His presence was well noted by one of the runners - Mark Caroll - in his blog.
After changing into some clean, dry clothes, we all hung around with John and Sharon for breakfast before they left for home as they wanted to get home early. We also mingled with the other runners and took part in the awards ceremony. None of us was in a big rush to leave the venue. After we said our goodbyes to the others, we all headed back to the house. I was pretty much wired - probably because of the supplements I had. Fred and Char crashed almost immediately upon arrival while I took a shower, and spoke with Flo for a bit before getting the computer from her and heading upstairs where I immediately fell asleep. After we woke up, Fred, Char, and I headed out for a drive to get some Chinese food for supper. We then returned and had a good sit-down meal together. The rest of the evening involved taking it easy, and organising our gear for the drive home the following day.
Monday morning, Char and I continued to organise our gear. We were even waiting for the laundry to be completed. We both profusely thanked Fred, Flo, and Erma (Fred's mama) for allowing us to have a great weekend with them. Once everything was set, Char and I hit the road for home, stopping for P.F. Chang's Chinese Food to take home with us. The drive home was great. We had no snags on the way home, other than feeling a little stiff and having to get out to stretch. We arrived home just on time to unload, and get ready for work the next day.
I was living on a Burning River high for the remainder of the week. As much as I hate parts of the course because of the road, I am really itching to do this race in 2010. Oh by the way... The bug I had that weekend did not become serious. However, I did pay for my efforts with laryngitis. I pretty much lost my voice from that Sunday, and I didn't really get it back until later on in the week - just before Dirty Girls. Allergy season is also in full swing at that time but the pollen count had been low at the time so there were no worries there.
Below, you will find a slideshow of photos that were taken throughout the course of the event... Enjoy!
Results and links to photos, as well as information regarding this event can all be found here.
The Civic Holiday weekend (August 1-3, 2009) was packed with a tonne of fun. While people in Toronto were jumping up and partying on the streets for Caribana, I was down south in Ohio having my own fun.
A group of us travelled to Ohio to take part in the Burning River 100M Trail Race. This is the third year for this race and it has been a success every year. This is the first year I decided to go down and join the fun in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I did not actually run the race though. I was there as a crew and pacer. I figured that I would get some solid miles under my belt so that I can properly taper for the Dirty Girls 24H run which was the week after.
I was already starting to plan my travel down to Ohio after getting in touch with Fred Davis - the legendary ultrarunner who I would be pacing for the final 40 miles at the event. It all came together when I received an email from Charlotte asking if we could carpool together. Sold! We then started coordinating meeting times and also lent a hand to John and Sharon who needed their drop bags delivered as they would be travelling down Friday night after work and would be late in getting their bags to the aid station if they didn't send it with us.
Thursday morning, I woke up feeling ill. I suspected that I was starting to come down with something and I did not want it ruining my fun for the coming weekend. I phoned in sick and slept for a good part of the day and picked away at the packing. This also meant running errands to pick up stuff that I knew I would not be able to find in the States.
Friday morning, Charlotte came to pick me up at my place. We loaded up my gear in the car, got Sharon and John's bags in the car, and hit the road. The drive to the border was uneventful. We talked for pretty much most of the drive anyway. John phoned us just before we got to the border to let us know that he and Sharon will be picking up their bibs on site the morning of the race. We pretty much drove non-stop to Fred's place only stopping a couple times for washrooms and lunch. I was still feeling a little under the weather but I was on top of it with the homeopathic and naturopathic remedies as I would be for much of the weekend.
We arrived at Fred and Flo's place in the middle of the afternoon and proceeded to unpack our stuff from the car. The greetings were all animated as usual and we were welcomed with open arms. After settling down for a bit, we all got ready to head down to Cuyahoga Falls where we were to partake in the pre-race dinner and meet some of the other runners there. The air conditioning at the venue was crazy cold and only succeeded in making me sicker. As soon as we left, I started feeling a little better. As we were leaving, we picked up Rosemarie Evans and took her back with us. She was going to try and sleep in the parking deck and catch the bus to the start line. Fred and Flo did not take no as an answer and she came along with us. After we arrived, we all started settling in for the night as we had an early start in the morning.
The next morning, we were all up before the sun. We assembled all our gear and placed them in the van before heading over to Willoughby Hills, where the start line was located. Before the race started, we all greeted the other runners, including John and Sharon who only got around two hours sleep before getting on the bus to the start line due to the late arrival the night before. Attendance was taken and then shortly after - at 5h00 - the runners were off and running. Flo and I then got back in the van and headed back to the house, where Fred left his bib number. We skillfully timed Char and Fred's arrival at the Polo Fields where we were going to meet them. After stopping off and getting the bib number, we made our way to the drug store where I picked up more homeopathic remedies, as well as some odds and ends that we needed - including ice for the cooler. We then made our way to Panera Bread for some breakfast sandwiches and tea before heading over to the Polo Fields.
After meeting up with Fred and Char, Flo and I made our way over to Shadow Lake where we lounged for a bit before our runners made it over. It was starting to get hot out so I changed out of what I had on (capris and a long-sleeved top), into my running gear. Flo and I were having a blast the entire time. We talked quite a bit that day, that's for sure... After leaving Shadow Lake, we proceeded over Station Road where we knew we had a bit of a wait. Knowing this, we decided to stop off at Walmart on the way. We also stopped off at Chipotle's restaurant for some lunch, which served as my dinner as well since I knew I would be pacing later and I needed to be fed well. I was still feeling quite rundown so the remedies were being pumped into me at a regular interval. I was determined to get well before I headed out for the night run. After helping Fred and Char out at Station Road, we drove over to Ottawa Point where I laid on a blanket in the shade in order to get some sleep. We also saw Rosemarie on a regular basis. She was doing really well and was moving at a consistent pace. There was no stopping her and it showed how much fun she was having.
After we left Ottawa Point, we went over to Boston Store where I was to pick up Fred and run the final 40 miles with him. This spot is one of the busiest because from this point on, pacers were allowed to pick up their runners. Flo and I chilled out in the van for a bit before talking to some of the other people there. The one surprise we had there was the arrival of Char, who we thought was way past at this point. It appears that Char may have made a wrong turn due to some of the signs being turned around on the course. She ended up racking up an extra 12 miles for her error. She was not happy but she kept moving on to catch her composure. She was doing really well and it really threatened to put a damper on the event for her. Fred came into Boston Store just in time to do his loop in the area before I picked him up. He quickly changed his clothes in the van and gathered his lights before we set off.
We were quite the happy duo out there in the woods together. The whole time we were out there, we were talking and saying any and everything that came to our minds. To sweeten the pot some, we were actually picking off numerous people throughout the night. I'm sure we must have sounded a little too happy for some people's liking but we were having fun. We were cracking some of the wittiest jokes known to man, imitating comedians, and talking about the Ontario Ultra Series folks - especially Ron... hehe... In fact, one of my handheld flashlights was acting up and I couldn't help but think of the MadTV skit that would have been perfect for that occasion... Hehehe :)
Flo was at all the other designated aid stations to tend to our needs. For that, we were truly grateful.
My favourite part of the course was at Happy Days. I just loved the idea of squeezing between the big rocks and boulders which were part of the course. Char would later tell me that the northern part of the Bruce Trail has the same type of terrain. The parts I hated the most were the roads and towpaths. They do not mix with a tender ITB and I had to be mindful of that by stretching regularly. The worst spot on the entire course was on the towpath, right by the Akron sewage treatment plant. Believe me, the scent was so horrid that those who were prone to puking would have really been in for a treat at that point. There was a section of trail just before the Covered Bridge where we had to run through shoe-sucking mud. It was raining and my shoe actually did come off. It was so bad that I had to trudge through the mud with that shoe off until I could actually put my shoe back on. After the Covered Bridge, we had miles and miles of roads and towpaths to contend with. At that point, we were looking forward to twilight and we sensed that the end was coming soon. Fred and I were surprised to run into John on the towpath. He was running with Sharon the whole time and we were surprised that she was not with him. He then told us that they had to take a nap at the Covered Bridge due to the lack of sleep they had the night before. The muddy conditions were also not kind to Sharon. She was forced to drop at 80M due to her Achilles flaring up. We walked on with John for a bit before he picked up the pace. We would later pick him off and come in five minutes ahead of him.
It was daylight when we got into Akron. Fred and I were both feeling good. In fact, Fred was ahead of his goal pace by about 15-20 minutes at that point. When we met up with Flo, we dumped our lights, and I changed out of my jacket and shirt for something drier. We then headed down the towpath with about 10 miles to go before the finish. The final stretch of the course took us on some roads and through the trails that followed the Cuyahoga River towards the falls. I was amazed at the beauty of the river and its force. With two miles to go, we had to follow one last technical stretch before the final mile which led us to Falls River Square, in downtown Cuyahoga Falls, where the race ends. We got passed by one other runner who then ran the final mile with his two daughters to the finish. Fred's projected time for the race was 27:40. We beat the clock by almost 30 minutes and we felt so good just doing so.
Flo, Char, and Rosemarie - who timed out at the Covered Bridge - were there to greet us when we came in. Mike Keller was also there after volunteering around the clock at the Covered Bridge. In fact, he was quite surprised to see me out there pacing - forgetting that I mentioned my intentions to come down for this. No matter, it was a happy meeting for the both of us as we had not seen each other since the Art Moore FA back in January. His presence was well noted by one of the runners - Mark Caroll - in his blog.
After changing into some clean, dry clothes, we all hung around with John and Sharon for breakfast before they left for home as they wanted to get home early. We also mingled with the other runners and took part in the awards ceremony. None of us was in a big rush to leave the venue. After we said our goodbyes to the others, we all headed back to the house. I was pretty much wired - probably because of the supplements I had. Fred and Char crashed almost immediately upon arrival while I took a shower, and spoke with Flo for a bit before getting the computer from her and heading upstairs where I immediately fell asleep. After we woke up, Fred, Char, and I headed out for a drive to get some Chinese food for supper. We then returned and had a good sit-down meal together. The rest of the evening involved taking it easy, and organising our gear for the drive home the following day.
Monday morning, Char and I continued to organise our gear. We were even waiting for the laundry to be completed. We both profusely thanked Fred, Flo, and Erma (Fred's mama) for allowing us to have a great weekend with them. Once everything was set, Char and I hit the road for home, stopping for P.F. Chang's Chinese Food to take home with us. The drive home was great. We had no snags on the way home, other than feeling a little stiff and having to get out to stretch. We arrived home just on time to unload, and get ready for work the next day.
I was living on a Burning River high for the remainder of the week. As much as I hate parts of the course because of the road, I am really itching to do this race in 2010. Oh by the way... The bug I had that weekend did not become serious. However, I did pay for my efforts with laryngitis. I pretty much lost my voice from that Sunday, and I didn't really get it back until later on in the week - just before Dirty Girls. Allergy season is also in full swing at that time but the pollen count had been low at the time so there were no worries there.
Below, you will find a slideshow of photos that were taken throughout the course of the event... Enjoy!
Results and links to photos, as well as information regarding this event can all be found here.
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