After running my first 100k at Black Canyon in 2016 I was
excited to return this year. With my
training and experience I expected to improve on my time by 2 hours. Then due to flooding then race was changed
from a net downhill point-to-point to an out-and-back. This did not change my race plan or
expectations.
The Saturday weather forecast was revised from 20mm of rain
(a normal Vancouver day) to 50mm and close to freezing temperatures. This worried me so I packed all the rain and
warmth running gear I could find.
We started at 7am in the cold rain which reminded me of so
many North Vancouver runs. The first 3km
on the road was fine but when we turned onto the Black Canyon trail runners hit
the thick desert mud. With every step my
shoes stuck in the mud and my foot even came out a couple times. When I managed to lift a shoe it was caked
with 5 pounds of mud like concrete weights.
This lasted for a few km until we got on single track trail then there
was just normal runnable mud.
I focused on nutrition, hydration, pace and blister
prevention. When I reached the 50km
turnaround point I was behind schedule but running well and in good
spirits. I made it to 75km before
needing my headlamp. As the sun went
down the temperature plummeted and the rain and wind turned on full force. I was soaked, freezing and borderline
hypothermic when I ran into the 80km aid station. It was filled with dozens of runners in bad
shape drinking hot soup and huddling around a propane heater.
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| All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy |
I grabbed my drop bag, stripped off all the wet layers and
put on every piece of dry clothing I could find including 3 hats. A volunteer made me a garbage bag poncho that
helped significantly shield the wind and rain.
I met another runner named Josh and we set out into the cold wet
night. The next 10km was tolerable and
we actually managed a decent pace.
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| Go to the Dagobah system! |
The final aid station was at 90km and we took a long break
to eat and get warm. Over 100 runners
DNF’d due to the cold wet conditions.
The final 10km was harder and colder than I imagined. The rain turned to hail and there were shin
deep puddles of water and mud. After 22
weeks of training I wasn’t going to quit without getting my Western States
lottery ticket.
After 16 hours and 20 minutes I crossed the finish
line. It was so cold, windy and wet that
there was no one there. A guy popped his
head out of a heated trailer to get our bib numbers.
This was not a good race day but I finished sub-17 to get my
Western States lottery ticket. I learned
a lot about relentless forward progress in the face of harsh and adverse
conditions and I suspect this will benefit my adventures for years to come.
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| Ritual post-race poutine |
