The plan was for me to come into this trail double marathon with a 50 miler already under my belt. That plan wasn't to be. Yankee Springs would be my first test of this type of distance outside of a 24 hour format.
We left for Grand Rapids, MI on Friday afternoon after everyone arrived home and as soon as the car was packed. The drive up was relatively swift and incident free. Knowing we would be arriving late at the hotel, we planned to have a decent dinner on the road. As we are not strangers to Rt. 23 in Michigan, we thought we remembered seeing an Olive Garden around Ann Arbor. We were almost right. It was in Brighton. The parking lot was full (go figure) but we were seated immediately. Dinner was tasty and filling and we took a piece of tiramisu to go for later.
The drive was going just fine until we hit a stretch between Lansing and Grand Rapids. That's where we hit a 40 minute delay as 3 lanes of traffic merged into 1 and we exited and re-entered the highway as a bridge overpass was being constructed. We were sailing smooth again after that point. We found the hotel, the Hilton Grand Rapids Airport, easily enough and checked in. I began to suspect something was up when I had to sign a noise policy agreement. And there were an awful lot of high school age girls hanging around. It turns out there was some girls volleyball tournament going on and the hotel was booked. It also turns out the hotel was old and needed to be upgraded. Badly. The doors were steel but not insulated for sound. Every sound from the hallway and from the connecting room next door was transmitted. Heather and Bailey seemed to sleep OK that night, but I only managed about an hour. That's OK. I'm only going to try and run 52.4 miles in the morning. An hour of sleep will be just fine.
We arrived at the park early Saturday morning, giving us enough time to find where we needed to go, pick up my packet and bib, haul my gear in, and get the car parked in the appropriate area. First, it was DARK! I mean pitch black dark in the trees. Second, there were bugs. LOTS of bugs, mostly attracted to the headlamps of both the car and me. Third, were the mosquitoes. I didn't notice them right away, but I have 15 - 20 itchy bites to prove they found me.
The race was small and personal, much nicer than a big city marathon. We pulled up a picnic table and set up right at the start/finish area. Time passed quickly and I was nearly caught unprepared to start. My bottles still needed mixing. Heather helped get that solved for me with about 3 minutes to go while I listened to the pre-race instructions.
Nearly two dozen runners lined up for the 6:00 start of the double marathon. There would be many more starting an hour later running the half and full marathons. I didn't expect to see many of those runners. In fact, I was hoping to finish my first loop without being caught by any of those runners.
With a simple count down, we were off and on our way. Who knows what the day would bring. I was unfamiliar with the course and the shape it was in. How much elevation change would there be? How hot would it really get? The forecast high for the day kept creeping upward. Anything over marathon distance really puts a runner at the mercy of the elements. I would just need to stay aware and make adjustments as necessary.
The field spread out immediately. I never saw the fast folks again. I settled into a small group, which also slowly spread out. I didn't want to start too fast, but I felt good, so when I could get a pass in going up a hill, I did. That put me in front of a couple running together and behind a fellow in a blue shirt. As the sun wasn't really up yet, I had a hard time seeing the course markers, so being able to see the blue ahead of me reassured me I was staying on course. I made a quick stop at the first aid station for water and passed the fellow in the blue shirt. For the rest of the first loop, I was pretty much running solo. In the woods. In the quiet. Just how I like it.
I really enjoyed running along in the solitude of the early morning. The course was variable and scenic. The hills weren't bad at all. There were some walkers, that's for sure, but nothing too extreme. What I wasn't prepared for was the sand. I'm familiar with how sandy the land is in Michigan, but didn't expect it this far south and west. Running in it wasn't bad, it only slowed my pace a little in spots, but it was getting into my shoes despite my gaiters. As it would turn out, the sand was sifting in through the mesh on the tops of my Cascadias. It was then going through the thin tops of my Balega trail socks and getting stuck under my toes at the thick bottoms. That was new. I've never run in sand before to find out this problem.
I felt really good on that first loop and just ran. Not racing, but not running cautiously. When I came upon a section beckoning me to run fast, I ran fast. And there were some fast sections, especially on the mountain bike trails.
What I was really enjoying though, was running on DRY trails! The northeast Ohio trails have been so wet and muddy they ceased to be enjoyable to me. I don't know if I will do much on trail training until they dry out. But these Michigan trails were a dream to run on. Not too rocky, soft and without many roots. We ran through forest and grass. There were only a couple muddy sections, and they were mostly a soft dry, though thick, mud.
In fact, the wettest spot on the whole course was just before finishing each lap on a spur that was added to get the course mileage up. Two spots that needed to be leaped over to avoid wet shoes. And after running almost the entire way around with dry shoes, I wasn't going to let two little spots get me.
The bugs on the first loop weren't too bad, until the deer flies woke up, that is. They were horrible. I made a mental note to switch to my curtained hat when I reached the start/finish. I've had good results defeating deer flies with that hat.
Refilling my bottles was also on my mental to-do list. I had to stay on top of my hydration. My Gatorade Endurance + Nuun combo would be put to the test this day.
The only non-trail section of the course was along a dirt road. I was thinking "country dirt road" but it turned out to be "dirt access road" and eventually "jeep trail." That was fine with me. There were a couple climbs on this road, allowing me time to rehydrate, and this low spot that was flooded. There was a narrow trail on the right side we used to get by.
I was worried about being in the sun, but almost all the course was shaded, even the road section. That was a very good thing as the temperature just kept climbing all morning.
While I was out running my first loop, Heather managed to get some additional photos of the course. We had bought a canopy tent just for this race, but decided not to use it because were were under all these large shade trees.
The course was marked with these little orange flags at all the turns and along the trails. I thought the course was very well marked, but I heard that a few runners ahead of me managed to get off course. I guess it happens.
One of the few mud sections, this one shortly after the start.
Yes! Please! Thank you! Although I did see many shotgun shells along some sections of the trail.
I actually snuck up behind Heather as she was walking back to base camp. She had been out waiting for me and I must have took too long to return.
Potty break. I didn't see many other facilities out on the course.
Smiling here because I was feeling good after my first loop. Not too hungry yet, just thirsty.
I have to run how many loops? (Don't know what provoked this look)
Going out on loop #2.
A section of twisty turny boardwalk awaited us shortly after the start area.
Some of the sand. And roots.
With all the things on my mental to-do list, I neglected to switch hats. So I got my bandanna out and put it on under my hat to make a curtain. I got the coverage I wanted, but the flies actaully got worse. To the point that I was fighting off a small swarm of them for a few miles without a break. It occurred to me that my BLACK bandanna was contrasting with my WHITE hat and shirt and actually attracting them more. After removing the bandanna the flies became tolerable again. From that point I used the bandanna as a fly swatter of sorts, flapping my shoulders when necessary.
The wildlife of the area was mostly heard and not seen. I saw this little garder snake and got a photo for Shannon since she loves snakes so much. There were many flutterbyes (butterflies) and tons of ants. The occaisional lumbering bumble bee would make an appearance as well.
I thought I saw a pack of groundhogs running through the woods at one point, but that could have just been a halucination. This guy was just sitting in the middle of the dirt road as I was approaching. He took off with enthusiasm when he noticed me.
Bailey ventured out on the course a bit to explore to pass the time while I was away. He said the flies were annoying.
Here I come in after loop #2. I slowed down quite a bit as the heat was beginning to take a toll on me. I had a decision to make too. Do I drop down to the full marathon and finish? Or do I go out on loop #3 and see what happens. If I didn't switch races at this point and I couldn't finish, it would be a DNF. After getting some fluids and food, and being talked to by my crew, I went back out. I would walk more. LOTS more. I told them to give me up to around 4 hours to finish this looop.I pressed on. I began to get very uncomfortable on this loop. Nothing was cramping but my legs were just exhausted. My feet hurt, from my toes through my arches. I don't know if that was a sock or shoe thing. I might have to have more shoe options for BR. I knew that when I finished this loop it would be my last. I was done. Even if I went out for #4, I don't think I would have finished within the time limit of 15 hours.
I was able to thank the aid station workers on my last time around. The potato at aid staion #2 tasted really good, though I put too much salt on it. A handful of animal cookies at aid station #3 helped get me through the final 3 miles or so. I was going from not hungry at all to starving and back again. I knew I was dehydrated. Just how bad was the question. My sweat rate had slowed down and when I would run a section my heart rate would jump too much.
So I just took my time coming in. The day was nice and I would just enjoy my time out in the woods.
I did try to pick up the pace as I got close to being done. I didn't want to look like too much of a slacker. I could at least finish running.
With only a few runners still out on the course at 10 hours + into the race the crowd had thinned considerably. I finished loop #3 and officially withdrew from the race. The day had beaten me and I felt like I had been beaten. I hurt.
Back at the hotel I peeled off my shoes, socks, and gaiters to see the damage. Just dirty toes and the usual sore spots on the bottoms of my feet. Not bad at all.
Note to self: Don't wear those Balega trail socks in sandy conditions.
After a nice shower and sitting in some air conditioning I felt much better. My worst injurie was some chaffing in spots. A little Aquaphor helped me get around the rest of the day. We went to dinner at the Grand Rapids Brewing Co which was down the street. We should have known something was up when the place was nearly empty. The beer and food was sub-par, the AC wasn't working right, and there were fruit flies everywhere.
If you ever go to Grand Rapids, don't eat here and don't stay at the Airport Hilton. Aside from those two disappointments, the rest of our trip was enjoyable. I would like to return to this race in the future, as I now have unfinished business with it. For an innaugural race, I thought it was very well run. It's the kind of low key small race that I prefer these days. Congrats and thanks to the race directors for putting on a great event. I hope it becomes an annual thing. And thanks to Heather and Bailey for crewing me and sitting in the woods all day for me. While their job probably wasn't as tiring, I'm sure it seemed to last longer than mine. Anyone intersted in viewing my Garmin data can do so HERE.
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