Cool Trail Runs - 1st Place

Race Summary - Best Race Yet

The race was held on Saturday February 12th under near ideal conditions. We were fortunate to have a break in the rain and the trails were in good shape. Although it was cold at the start (low 40’s) the cold wasn’t too much of a bother after the first few miles. My hands were complaining in those early miles though despite gloves.

The worst part of the race for me occurred during the first 3 miles when I slipped on a rock while trying to avoid getting my feet wet when crossing a small stream. I managed to bang up my right leg pretty good but was able to keep moving. I think the adrenaline from the early stage of the race helped cover up the pain. I didn’t pay much attention to the damage until after the race when I was able to clean the wounds. There was actually a dime sized puncture wound on my lower leg. If the fall had happened later in the race it probably would have been more troubling.

Either way, I ran the first several downhill miles strong, crossed No Hands Bridge and headed up to Auburn Overlook. I ran these first 8 miles with Aaron Summerhays who, as he often does, marked the course the prior day. Marking the course entailed Aaron covering 21 miles the day before. The course marking were excellent which meant little chance that I would get lost today. Aaron performed a little better on the first uphill section but I managed to stay close and then took the lead at the Auburn Overlook aid station while Aaron took a minute to refuel.

I was now in the lead and had the luxury of seeing how close everyone was as we turned around at Auburn and headed back to No Hands Bridge. There were several people (including Ray Sanchez) in close pursuit so I pushed the downhills hard before arriving back at No Hands and heading up K2.

K2 is a beast of a hill (over 1,000 feet in 1 mile) and always takes some time. I managed to get up it in about 15-16 minutes and felt decent at the top and kept the pace up as I made my way over the Knickerbocker aid station and then over to Cool to complete the first lap (21 miles).

The next four miles after Cool are mostly downhill and I really tried to push the pace hard to keep and hopefully build the lead. The race consists of two laps with the difference between the two laps being the second lap doesn’t include the trip up and back to Auburn Overlook. So after reaching No Hands Bridge you proceed to turn back and head up K2 for the second time. This quick turnaround allowed me a chance to see who was in second and the lead I had. I was surprised to see I had only a 3-4 minute lead with about 9 miles to go. This meant trying to push up K2 as hard as possible. This stretch took about 18 minutes which was longer than I hoped but not too bad. Knowing I didn’t have a big lead helped motivate me to push hard after reaching the top of K2 and over to the Knickerbocker aid station.

Reaching Knickerbocker meant about 5 ½ miles to go with no significant hills remaining. I managed to exit Knickerbocker without seeing the second place runner which meant I had at least a couple minutes of lead time. This meant keeping up a good pace on the flat and rolling hills. Fortunately this last section has some long stretches which allow you to get a good look and see if there is anyone in your rearview mirror.

I managed through the next few miles without seeing the second place runner but then caught sight of him with about 1 ½ miles to go and maybe a minute or two lead. I was able to push hard to the finish and won the race by a minute in a time of 4:54:07. The second place runner (who I discovered was Tim Long from Boulder, CO) finished in 4:55:25.

Being able to hold on to the lead and finish 1st while knowing someone was in hot pursuit was hugely satisfying. Officially I was able to cut 50 minutes of my race time from last year (although my time last year included an extra mile due to getting lost and a shoe change). Comparatively I still probably cut 30-35 minutes from my time. I felt dialed in all day and was able to get in and out of aid stations quickly which really helped my overall time.

A couple weeks later and I am still feeling the high from this race. It’s amazing how a great effort can stick with you long after the race is over.

P.S. If you are interested, here are my splits, race map and elevation profile.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/68233539
Official race results are here:
http://www.sntrailruns.com/2011cooltrailresults.html