Squaw Peak 50

I finished my first 50 miler on Saturday.  The Squaw Peak 50 has a total elevation gain of 14,000 feet and is said to be the 3rd toughest 50 mile ultra in the US.  For some reason this one just made sense for my first choice.  I couldn't really explain why, it just felt right.  I remember when running last year on the trails above rock canyon.  It had crossed my mind that these were the same trails that the SP 50 was on.  I wondered in awe how people would manage to run 50 miles on such terrain.

In all honesty this time last summer I was wondering if I could somehow manage to run the Skyline Trail Marathon and live.  I had never ran over 18 miles at one time in my life.  I had no practical experience on trails, just a desire to get out and see how far I could go.  After completing Skyline and finishing a complete wreck I convinced myself that I could somehow run a 50k.  I trained a little more and had a fantastic time completing my first 50k at Antelope Island 2 months later.  Somehow in between everything I became hooked.  When asked by other people if I would ever go farther, my first response was probably not.  I was scared and intimidated by moving to a longer distance.  Long story short in November I decided that I would put in for the SP 50 and somewhat hope that I wouldn't get in.  Well as it turned out, I got in.

Much of the winter became a transition for me.  I went from slugging out 18 mile runs to looking forward to running my 20+ runs for training.  Some of these were even in the single digits on roads and I was eating up every second.  Fast forward 5 months and there I was, I couldn't believe it.  I was honestly going to attempt my first 50.

Starting my taper 3 weeks out I went with my friend Chris up Grove Creek to Big Baldy.  It turned out to be a fantastic day in the mountains.  Chris was also doing SP so most of our time was talking of our impending adventure.  We had a fantastic time.

Meadows between Battle and Grove

Panorama from Big Baldy

The week before the race my wife asked me how I felt. I felt good, energetic and was full of confidence.  In my head I had already completed the race and was mentally preparing for the next challenge.  Still that didn't prevent me from feeling completely overwhelmed with nerves at any given point.  I didn't get much sleep that night, mostly tossing and turning.  I kept worrying about small details, especially how cold it would be in the morning.

I got up at around 2:40 and got some breakfast.  I figured since I wasn't sleeping much I would try to get up to the race start to see my friend Chris and his friend Bill off at the early 4am start. I missed them however because the parking for the racers had been moved 1/4 mile down from vivian park.  I sat on the bank of the Provo River freezing and cheering them on as they passed.

My father had woken up and drove an extra hour down just to see me off.  I seriously have the best dad.  He has always been such a great support to me and with out him there I probably would have just been a big ball of nerves.   The race started just after 5:00 am heading west along the Provo river trail.  I remember seeing the all the lights shining on the tree canopy above the trail as we were running.  It looked like we were in a tunnel.  It was one of the many parts I wish I could have had a camera for, since in time I am sure the memory will fade.  

I remember that I kept telling myself, "Slow down till you feel like your running slow and then slow down some more."  I was doing 8ish min miles with the group I was with.  I kept telling myself that I needed to save it or I was going to regret it in the later part of the race.  But I kept going anyway, till we reached the Boniville Shoreline Trail heading south and up to Squaw Peak. It was a long line of fast hiking runners trudging there way to the top.  I got in with a great bunch that were just chatting and having a great time.  When we were coming up on Hope CG and the first aide station I could smell breakfast in the air.  It was then that I equated Hope = Bacon.  It stuck with me for the rest of the race.  

I got a quick refill on water and quickly left the aide station.  

If there was one thing that I had heard in my obsessive stalking of other ultra runners is what Craig Lloyd often evangelizes is that you should get out as quickly as possible from aide stations.  I decided that i was going to take this advice to heart.  I reminded myself that I needed to focus on a steady sustainable pace, but I was lost in it all.  I keept up on my nutrition though.  Something that I had learned the hard way at Moab this year.  Gu's every 45min with solid food in between.  It hasn't let me down yet. 

The canyon above Rock Canyon was beautiful.  The big pines and aspens had that smell about them that just gets right to your bones.  I live for that smell of the forest.  After taking off from the Rock Canyon aide station I found myself catching up to Chris and Bill.  Bill had had some very nasty stomach problems that had set them back quite a bit.  I was hoping that I would catch them around mile 25 or so.  Bill was feeling better however and they were both optimistic about the race.  With some reassurance and encouragement I headed up the trail hoping to see them catching up to me later in the race.  

It was this section of the trail that was less of a trail and more like a scavenger hunt for the trail markers.  The trail was practically non existant.  It was to my surprise that we ran across our RD John Bozung standing out in the middle of nowhere with his camera taking pictures of everyone.  John has an amazing history and quite a few accomplishments as well as just being a very nice guy.  Coming up over the ridge I could see the next aide station off in the distance.  I was still feeling good, but was running alone for most of this section.  I started thinking to myself quite a bit, and was wondering when I would hit my low and how many I would have. I guessed that it would be coming down into the next aide station Pole Heaven and I was right.  For some reason running on the dirt road was grinding me the wrong way. It became a matter of focusing on what I needed and just getting to the aide station.  It probably had a fair amount to do with the amount of down hill as well.  I began tripping over rocks quite a bit.  I even managed to recover from one potentially nasty spill and received a round of applause from the runners around me.

At Pole Heaven I tried to prepare mentally for the climb up to Left Fork on the pavement.  It was this section that I was not looking forward too. I was relieved to find that it was more lively that I thought it would be.  I talked with several people and people were cheering and honking from their cars.  When I was almost to Left Fork my dad showed up and cheered me on.  That helped to see a familiar face.  I hung around the aide station waiting for a bit to see if my wife and kids would show up but as it turns out I missed them buy just a few minuties.  

It was from this stretch on that I could see people struggling either mentally for physically.  Its not hard to see in an ultra, but its one of the things that binds everyone together.  Everyone from the runners to the aide station volunteers to the support crews seem to have this connection.  Its one of the things that I love about this sport. 

The sections from Sheep Creek to Windy Pass are some of the most beautiful of this course.  It was also at this point that I figured out I wasn't doing as well as I thought on hydration and my salt intake. Only having one bottle from Sheep Creek to Little Valley I ran out of water quick.  I was smart enough to pack another bottle at Little Valley but I didn't take the chance to hydrate well enough before leaving the aide station.  Something that in hindsight, had I known what was ahead, I would have taken some extra time to do.  

Climbing up out of little valley was beautiful.  I knew that this was the section that had the dreaded Bozung hill but I didn't really have a grasp on how difficult it would be.  It went straight up, creating its own trail on the ridge line of the mountain it gains roughly 1,100 feet in under a mile.  Its a but kicker for sure.  I felt like I tackled it ok.  But at the top I knew I was in trouble.  I had drained both bottles I had and my legs were starting to cramp.  I had been taking salt tabs but as I would soon find out, not quite enough.  Had I been properly hydrated coming out of Little Valley I think I would have faired much better. It was at this point that I met a guy who was just full of life.  Hooting and hollering and just having the time of his life.  It was infectious.  I always love meeting people like that.  

When I got to the Windy Pass aide station I drank and entire bottle of water and started taking in more salt.  It took a while, but eventually the cramping stopped and I was able to make a better pace down the mountain. It was during the cramping that my right IT band started to tighten up and cause me grief.  It wasn't so bad that I had to continually walk but it did cause me to favor my left leg a bit.  The larger rocks on the trail didn't help much either.  This caused my left food to take the brunt of a lot of things.  It ended up being the only injury that I had with blisters on my big toe and a sore ankle.  

Heading down to Big Springs I knew I was in the home stretch.  Getting to the field above the aide station I could see my dad waiting with my baby girl Emma.  She just grabbed on and wouldn't let go.  It was a great moment.  I grabbed some snacks more salt and filled both bottles fearing I would be slow the last 4 miles to the finish.  I soon found out however that it was a bit over kill.  I was able to get back up to a decent pace of around 8 to 9.  The last mile however I could feel it in my blood.  I dumped all the water I had and just went for it. It was a fantastic finish running to the end with my little girls. I managed to beat my expectations by finishing in 12 hours and 11 min.  I honestly thought it would have been more around 13-15 hours.  

It was a great race, and already I am looking forward to the next adventure. I would love to try a 100k and from there who knows.  I would still really like to attempt a R2R2R or Zions Traverse this fall.  But we will have to see how everything pans out. But from where things stand now, its going to be a great summer!

SP Finish