Race Report: The Cornbelt Running Club 24 Hour Run, May 3 - 4, 2003 - Eldridge, IA
Yes, I actually flew to the Midwest in an attempt to log as many miles as I could in 24 hours on a 400-meter track at North Scott High School in Eldridge, IA. What transpired was a top notch, well-managed track ultra held on an absolutely beautiful spring day. Like most of the participants, I watched the weather channel routinely in the days leading up to the run, and the numbers continually looked optimistic - sunny to mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60s and lows in the lower 40s. Seemed almost too perfect. A day or two before the event, the forecast called for thunderstorms on Sunday, but Saturday remained positive. And, since the run has a 7 AM start, most of the running would take place on day one anyway. We were set.
Most of the runners mustered for a pre-race pasta meal at a local restaurant, where we received our packets and final instructions from race director Karl Ungurean. There was a nice mix of experienced/tenured Cornbelt runners, and plenty of newbies to 24-hour track ultras - like me. This would be my first attempt at any event longer than 50 miles, and I had, perhaps, over confidently estimated my finishing mileage at 80. That would have been a decent first result in my eyes - but I had absolutely no idea what the sleepless night would hold for me, or how my body would react to a 24-hour effort. It was a quick dinner, as everyone seemed anxious to pack it in, set up tents, and prepare for a long day and night on the track. As usual, I had a difficult time falling asleep, and came to the track Saturday morning properly fatigued.
The group was introduced to our first shift of lap counters, treated to the National Anthem from the trumpet of Scott Hoag, who quickly repacked his horn and headed over to the starting line as a participant, and we were off.
There is this really cool dynamic to a track ultra - the ability to see and converse with every participant. Within the first few laps, I had met, and was greeted by several of the participants. We would share comments, a soft pat on the back, or a simple "how ya doing" as we passed each other. And, when the track direction was changed (at three hour intervals ), you would be treated to a whole new perspective. Heck, I even got to speak with Scott Eppleman a few times, even though I was usually speaking to the back of his shirt. What a fluid, smooth runner he is - and a very approachable guy, to boot. The day was made enjoyable by the extremely collegial and supportive behavior of all participants, volunteers, crews and spectators. This was a good group.
Because Cornbelt does not use the computer chip counting technology, it is important to have a good rapport with your assigned lap counter. This group was the best! From John, my first lap counter, who stayed at least 6 hours counting my laps (and then began running laps himself), to Paul, my last lap counter, who brought me home from 4 AM to 7 AM, one could not have asked for better prepared and organized volunteers. Thanks also to Mick, Mike and Bill, who worked the "dog shift" as my lap counters. All of you deserve a standing ovation.
Perhaps my most difficult pre-race decision was what music to load in the MP3 player. Yeah, shoes were important, and perhaps I should have given run/walk strategy more attention, but I knew I would be under the headphones for quite a while. Again, because manual lap counters are employed at Cornbelt, I was forced to turn the volume way down so as to hear my lap counter call my name. You really don't want to be messing with a volume control at 3 in the morning. So, the music did not turn out to be nearly that important. Shoes and strategy sure were.
Prior to the race, I attempted to learn as much as I could from the Internet and other sources about training and participating in track ultras. Oh, there are tons of reports, observations and short features about trail runs, but very little about ultras run on the oval. I managed to strike up email conversations with a couple of seasoned track ultra runners, and their advice proved invaluable. Realizing that I was in fairly decent shape, and had logged over 500 miles on the track since February, I figured I could at least keep moving forward for 24 hours. But, I knew I had better use a run/walk strategy if I wanted to be on the track during the final hours on Sunday. I chose to use the run a mile/walk a quarter strategy, and that worked for the first twenty-five miles. I then switched to the run three laps/walk one strategy, and that got me through 50 miles in 10:28. It was at this point that I was in un-chartered water, so I down shifted to running 1 & 1/2 laps, and walking 1/2 lap. That got me to 75 miles or so, and then I was just kind of hanging on. About the most that I could do from 3 AM to 5 AM was run the straights and walk the curves. Oddly enough, I was fairly cogent and energetic until about 5 AM, and that's when "I first saw the bats", as Dr. Hunter S. Thompson declares in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
For some reason, at 5 AM, my mind wanted to run, but my body did not. I had managed to continually move forward for 22 hours, and now this! I started to swerve like a drunk driver. And, thanks to the very kind lady who hand delivered me a cup of coffee at 4:30 AM so as to prevent my continued Foster Brooks routine, I managed to move forward once again. That generous act saved me. And then there was Paul, my final lap counter who pronounced, "I'll take you home from here" as he assumed lap counting duty. At 5 AM, I thought I was pretty well finished. Oh, my legs were fine, but I was essentially asleep on my feet. If my memory serves me, Paul informed me that if I would just try to run some, there was a good chance I could pull off 100 miles. All I remember was that the combination of his and other lap counter's encouragement and the rising sun lit a flame inside of me - and I was off! To the best of my knowledge, I was somewhere around 382 laps (14 laps short of 100 miles) with less than an hour to go. With the boost from Paul and the new day, suddenly I remember being one mile short of 100 with 15 minutes left on the clock. I must have run about a 10-minute mile, because I got to 396 laps with 5 minutes remaining. What a joyous feeling that was for me. It would not have happened without the tremendous support from the Cornbelt Running Club volunteers, and I am indebted to you all.
Negative Lessons learned:
1) Never, never break the cardinal rule of ultra-marathoning - doing something in the race that you have not practiced previously. I broke the
rule, and paid for it with badly
blistered feet. In trying to prevent blisters, I think I may have actually caused them, and I really felt dumb about this. It also cost me about an
hour (3 - 5 miles) in time as I tried to ameliorate the problem. Bad scene!
Positive Lessons learned:
1) Yes, contrary to popular belief, one can run a 24-hour race on just liquids. I did it, and it worked like a charm. I will admit to taking one
small bite of a very hot baked potato late at night, and a sip or two of homemade chicken soup, but nothing more. I saw several
participants puking their guts up, and I luckily did not have one minute of stomach upset.
2) If you stay on the track, and limit your time in the restroom or elsewhere, you can log a good chunk of mileage. We had 54 starters at 7
AM on Saturday, but I bet there weren't 20 people on the track at 3:00 AM on Sunday morning.
3) It is a very good thing to have one pair of really large, really soft shoes for the final third of the event. I ran the first 100 K in one pair of
shoes, and then slipped into this cheap pair of Nike Prestos in size 14.5 that were just what my blistered feet needed.
4) The "sunrise" effect of the second day is real, and you do get the strength from somewhere to actually run.
5) Strengthen your legs with weight lifting. I am convinced that this had a huge bearing on my performance. Yes, I was tired, but never
cramped or got really sore.
6) You can self-crew a 24 hour track run, but you need to be a whole lot more organized than I was. One of the many goofy things that
happened to me was the loss of one of my running gloves in my gear bag, which just happened to be the exact color of the glove. It was in
there, but I just couldn't see it. So, I ran through the cold night Michael Jackson style - in one glove.
7) Track ultras are fun events, and it is a pity that there are not more to choose from. Think about it - logistics seem to be much easier:
controlled area, complete view of the action, no trail permits, etc.
8) The hills are much easier. I rest my case.
Guy LeVan#22
Back to the main page: