50 miles of Torture! Not every race goes as planned. The Voyageur 50 Mile Ultra.

Coming off my best finish of a race ever at the Curnow trail marathon 2 weeks prior

I felt really good coming into this race. I even was able to trick myself into thinking that

50 miles was not that far. 

The night before the race I headed into Carlton to pick up my race packet. Carlton was hoppin!

Carlton Days was just getting rolling and people were all gathering for the start of the

5K. For some reason I thought the 5K was on Saturday. I ran into my buddy Stu and

some of his family. Stu and his Daughter Jordyne were running the 5K as were some of his family.

I had Spaghetti on the stove at home cooking otherwise I would have stayed to watch

them run. They have been a huge source of  encouragement and even included me and my

 family in the Sorenson Stampede. They have an annual 5K in the middle of the winter with

family and friends. I quickly headed out before they closed the roads for the race.

I got home and carbed up with a huge plate of spaghetti with garlic bread.

I tried to go to bed at about 9pm but that just wasn't going to happen. I did finally fall

asleep around midnight. The alarm was set for 4:30 am.

I got up with an hour to have breakfast and get ready to go. I had my usual pre race

breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and a couple cups of coffee. At 5:30 it was already

warm and humid as I headed to the start. It took about 5 minutes to get to the Carlton High School

and check in. Then I found the other Sorenson Stampeders that were running as well.

We hung out and took some photos.

Then we all gathered for the race directors instructions.

He informed us that there was another race running at Spirit Mountain and that they marked

their course with the same color ribbon. It was an obstical race. He told us when we come to 

the cargo net at mile 24 just to go around it. We didn't need to go over it. Everyone got

a chuckle out of that. I ran into Steve Jurek(He works a Sappi too and yes he is related to Scott somehow) at the start as well. He has run the Voyageur something like 12 times.

Then we were off. I ran with Steve for the first three miles to the first aid station. He

gave me a lot of tips and told me about some of the other runners we saw that he knew.

We talked the whole way to the swinging bridge. It didn't take long before I knew

that the day was going to be a struggle because of the heat, humidity, and sun.

I ran almost all the way to the 3rd aid station except for the few short hills that everyone

else around me would walk too. I was drinking only water at this point and

easily finishing my hand held 20oz between each aid station. By this point the Sun

was out in full force and it had to be above 80 by 8am. I had to change my shirt

at this aid station due to the fact my pack was chaffing the hell out of my neck. I knew this might happen so I packed a shirt with a higher neck line just in case. 

I also put a cooling rag around my neck and wrist. When you wet them they are supposed to cool for hours. What a crock that was! All they did was make me look funny and chaffe some more. I ended up taking them off later.

After check point 3 we headed into the infamous power line section. This section is completely exposed to the sun for the most part. It also is some of the worst up and down climbs on the course.

It was here that my race began to unravel. Not only was I beginning to cramp, but my knee was just killing me on the down slopes.

As you can see by how gingerly I was making my descent. The look on my face says it all.

It's kind of comical considering I had just run this course two weeks prior, but I didn't remember this section to be nearly as difficult or as long. It seemed to go on forever. Finally it did come to an end. After the powerlines it's a nice up and down single track under the canopy until you finally make the climb up to the bike path and the fourth aid station. I finished my handheld and broke into my Gatorade while going thru the power lines.

This was me coming into the aide station. I topped off all my containers with water. I carry 2 20oz Gatorade in my pack. I drink  half of both then dilute them with water.

The next section starts off with a run down the bike path a little ways then quickly dives into the woods on a single track mostly downward toward Fondulac. In this section you go thru a lot of wash out sections from the flood in 2012. In those sections there is still a lot of downed trees and stumps to climb thru. So even tho it's downhill it's pretty slow moving. We also hit a section of the Superior Hiking Trail that Stu and I have trained on. On my way to the Fondulac aid station I start getting caught by other runners. With my legs are going into full revolt. I could do very little to hold the other runners off. When I would hear talking I'd do my best to keep them at bay. Soon I got to the Fondulac aid station. I quick grabbed some salty snacks and topped off my water.

On the way out of Fondulac we have the steepest climb on the course. It's so steep they have fixed ropes to pull yourself up from the creek bed floor to a ridge line up above. Soon after I reached the top I was passed by one of the best female  runners around.(April Cole) She not only won the Superior 100 in 2013 she came in 2nd overall. I knew she was back there from the start having seen her in the beginning of the race. Steve and I even talked about her being behind us in the beginning. We wondered if that was her race statigy or if we were just starting too fast. As she past me I figured it out. She was just running with her new husband and kind of guiding him along. Once off the ridgeline this next section is a long slow climb back up to Beck's road. It is on an old overgrown road. So it's mostly double track all the way to the aid station. At the beginning of the climb I caught one of the goatz from Iowa/Nebraska(Jenni) who I had met a couple days prior to the race. She did an early start and was cruzing right along. I tryed to give her some encouragement as we talked a bit. I quickly moved on up the hill and said I'd see her at the finish line. As I got close to the aid station the leaders started flying by on there trip back. It's always cool to see them come by on an out and back course. At the Beck's road aid station I started putting ice in my pack where a hydration pouch would normally go. 

After Beck's road it's about a mile for paved road to the top of Ely's peak/Spirit Mt area. This was basically a long walk for me with very little running, but I figured I'd make up some huge ground running down it on the way back. I started taking S!Caps on this section in hopes of getting the cramping to stop. By this time other runners were also starting to struggle with the heat and whatever else. John Storkamp passed me in this section heading the other way.(Superior race director and winning of the Curnow 2 weeks prior) Then we take a left onto some cross country ski trails and continue what seems to be more climbing. More or less rolling hills all the way to the last aid station before the turn around. Near the end of this section I see Steve Sorenson(Stu's brother) he's looking very good. He ask's me if there are any old guy's in front of him he could possibly catch. I laugh and said maybe one if you hustle.  At the skyline aid station Cheri was working. I met her a couple weeks before at the Curnow. It always fun to see familiar faces. 

After that aid station I was hoping to be recovered a bit and be able to make up ground going down Spirit Mountain to the zoo turn around, but it didn't work out so well. Even going downhill I was cramping. I reached the zoo in just under 5 1/2 hours. I was pleased with that because it felt more like 7. I passed a lot of people at the turn around because I just did my normal quick topping off and grabbed a bite to eat. Lots of people were sitting tending to there feet and what looked to be changing shoes. Most of those that I passed caught me back up and passed me by the end of the climb back up Spirit Mountain. That climb is totally exposed to the sun. Once I got back to the skyline aid station I pulled a zip lock baggie out of my gear. Cheri was kind enough to fill it for me with ice. I then tucked it in the band of my visor. This was my saving grace.

The ice rested on my neck and help get my body temp back under control. Once the ice would melt I would dump the cold water over my head. By that time I'd be to the next aid station for a refill. The aid workers got a kick out of this and even took pictures of me. 

After skyline it was going to be the long runable down slope that I hoped to make up time on. The cramps were still so bad it was a struggle just to do a run/walk combo. I'd run until the cramps would hit. Then I'd walk until they released only to try again. This went basically the rest of the race.

On the stretch between Beck's road and Fondulac I stopped in a creek to cool down. While I was standing in the water a girl with long braids caught up to me. She told me how she was trying to keep her feet completely dry the entire race because of blister problems during Curnow. I thought it felt so good to be standing in the water I would happily take a couple blisters. I figured she would catch back up and pass me but for some reason I never did see her again. A little while later I reached the last big creek crossing at the Fondulac aid station. Again I took a little extra time in the creek getting my whole body cooled off.

The climb from Fondulac back up was pretty uneventful. I was passed by maybe one or two other runners. At the next aid station another runner was ordering aid workers around and saying he needed a chair.(who does that?) I left quickly not wanting to hear or see his rediculousness. It was head down and back into the woods to the powerlines once again. I was passed by a few ladies and guys as well in the section. It had to be in the 90's by then. The sun was just zapping all my energy. I knew if I could just make it to the next aid station I would be able to make it to the finish for sure. I had my drop bag waiting for me at the aid station. I got there, grabbed my bag and sat on the road in the shade for a few minutes. I had a Moutain Dew in my drop bag with 2 more 24oz Gatorades. I sipped on the dew and switched out my Gatorades. I also did a little stretching while laying on the road. That felt so good. I got up filled my water and grabbed some snacks. As I did some Dude started to throw up on the side of the road. It was a violent throw up too. Not just once, but repeatedly. We all had uneasy looks on our faces. I took off as I thought of the Stand By Me blueberry pie eating contest😁

Knowing I only had a little more than 10 miles to go I started doing the math in my head. If I could just pick it up a little I had a chance of finishing in 12 hours. This is were Bob and I parted ways during Curnow. Unfortunately Now I was feeing just what he must have been going through at the time. I was running using the course marking as my incentive. I'd run through two then walk to one.  I used this technique all the way to the finish pretty much. Through the next 2 sections I yoyo'd with a few runners. 

I made it to the last aid station. There Jeff Leno(my Chiropractor that had worked on my knee) came up and talked to me. He was just out watching to see if he knew anyone. He wanted to know how the knee was doing. I told him it hurt but was manageable.Then he asked," are you still running the 100 in Sept?" I laughed and said he better ask me again in a couple weeks. 

Only 3 miles to go!! I was going to make it as long as I didn't break an ankle or something. That last 3 is so hard with tired legs. The terrain is very rocky, root infested, and hilly. 12 hours was slipping away no matter how much I pushed. 

By this point I didn't matter. I just changed the goal to under 12:30. As I broke out of the woods I was overjoyed at the fact I was going to do this. I rounded the last turn and ran down the street toward the high school. As the finish line came into view I could hear my name as the whole Sorenson crew had stayed around to see me finish. What an awesome group of people!

12:23 finish for my 1st 50 miler.

 

After a finisher group photo. We all congratulated each other and dispersed to our vehicles. I pulled a lawn chair out and cracked a beer right on my tailgate. Then my wife and kids showed up as I finished my 2nd beer. Finally the rain came so we packed right up and headed home.

Not the best race but I definitely learned a lot. I need to start out slower and eat more real food. A watch is a must. It will help with pace and eating on a set schedule. When it's hot I also need to get a jump on the S!Caps. But none the less it was a P.R. For 50 miles and it gives me something to shoot for next year.