Bear Lake Ultra 2020

 Race: Bear Lake Ultra 

Date: October 17, 2020

AG Place:-- 

Males: 3rd

Overall: 3rd

Pre-Race Conditions:

Sliding into one more race during this crazy year. After finding out about this a few months ago from Kimmy I thought it would be fun to try for another long 24 hour event since we get no WTM this year. It was in limbo as I was on the waitlist and not 100% sure I was going to get it. They did give us a month notice on this one so plenty of time to prep. No crazy rush like the Ode To Laz 10 day notice to race in August. 

This one is only running a 5k loop as many times as you can in 24 hours. Nothing to break it up. Just running. Which is good right now, because my strength is at an all-time low. I was pumping out on a small boulder wall last weekend. The good news is that my running may never have been better since that is all I have been able to train. Running is good. My gear is all packed. Only a few more hours until I get to head up to Lapeer to setup. 

The goal is as many miles as possible and to blow away 108.3 miles I did at Ode and set a new personal long run best. 

Race Recap:

We got to the site a bit before 7AM. I did not realize how much I had missed following a random line of cars down the road not knowing anyone but knowing we were all going to the same place for the same reason. 

It was a nice chilly morning for the start. Mid 30s with a quick rise up to mid 50s and then it was going to stay in the 50s all night. A little warm through the night but I’ll take it. The race started off with the nice downhill and we were all pretty packed up. I was about mid pack and just hanging with the group. I tried to make some jokes on our way down the hill but no one was having any of it or wanting to talk much. The loop was pretty quick. I was towards the front keeping back my pace because I knew I would need it later as the night went on. After a few loops we got pretty spread out on the course. There was no packs like at Ode where you can continue the same conversation and have the same jokes to keep you sane. After about 9 loops the drag of the course stated to get to me. I was still making good time but every little bit of muscle fatigue was weighing on my mind. I kept going but slightly slowing down over the next few loops until I needed a good pick up. I got back to the pit about loop 13 and decided to grab my Bluetooth speaker I bought for this race and get some music going. 

I had already created a playlist that I knew would take my mind off the race and let me just run. Crossing the starting line I hit play and the Macarena started. Then after that, it played again. I wondered if this was going to be a full loop of the Macarena or iTunes shuffle happened to play the same song twice. It was twice. I spent the next few laps with increased energy rocking out to Baby Shark, Gungam Style, Egyptian Lover and some Chumbawamba. The next loops flew by with me acting like a crazy person rocking out. 

After 50 miles we were allowed to have a pacer. That was 17 laps. Once I crossed the finish on lap 17 I went to hit the tent to resupply and do another loop. Don had shown up to hang out with everyone and volunteered to do a few laps with me. He pushed the pace and we quickly knocked out another 15k. On our second loop his mom and our race mom were there taking pictures and informed me that it was his birthday. I made sure to remind him every chance I got. He also had never heard Baby Shark or The Fox. It was a great way for him to experience what happens during an ultra. 

3 laps with Don and then Matt was there to take over official pacer duty. We took off and like normal Matt and Miko running it devolved into stupid jokes and miles that flew by. Matt did 2 laps with me and then Max wanted to jump in and see the course. Matt graciously took a bit of a break and hung out in the pit cheering us on and catching up with some of the other crews he knew from all his adventures. A few quick laps with Max and then Matt took back over and we crushed some more miles. 

About 2AM we got an update on where everyone was place wise. 1st and 2nd were up a lap + 6 minutes and 4th was 6 loops behind. At this point it didn’t look like the guys in front were slowing down at all so Matt and I decided to push to get the buckle at 100 miles and then call it a race. I had 3rd locked up and was happy with it. We had plenty of time and ended up walking lap 33 entirely. We kept joking how Tamara and my Dad were going to show up after I was done. Luckily, we took enough time on that last lap, stopping to talk with Paul on the last out and back loop that they were there to see me cross the finish with 102.5 miles and earning my first 100 mile buckle. 

Unofficial time of 22:19 for 102.5 miles and about 10,000’ of elevation gain. (Garmin had it about there and we estimated about 100’ gain/mile) 

The Course:

The course, simply explained, was everything. It started with about a quarter mile easy downhill that went right into a single track back up almost all the way to the start. Next was the quad killing downhill. What it lacked in distance it made up for in steep drop. From there we did a longer cement out and back along the cabins to get to the trail. An easy trail section led us to the next short steep climb. This one wasn’t good or bad. It was just kind of there. 

The next section was the first of three loops on the course. This one was an undulating trail that kicked us back out to the gravel road for a nice run to loop number 2. The athletic field loop was a nice flat grass loop that took us over to the challenge course trails and the 3rd and final loop. The 3rd loop as a nice easy wide trail that was an easy run. 

After that we got onto the last bit of trail. This last section was some fun up and down where we crossed 2 small bridges and then a 3rd longer bridge I nicknamed the 100 acre woods because it would be a good place to play poohsticks if we had time. A nice climb after that bridge took us off the trail and back to a small grass field. Only 600M to the finish. A quick run with a small downhill brought us back to the bottom of the road we ran down at the start. Only that long climb back up to the finish and a quick break before the next lap.  

The Bad:

The best thing about this race was no major issues. A few minors that were good learning experiences. Early in the afternoon, I started to feel a migraine that was lingering the week before the race. It definitely influenced my race negatively. Unfortunately I did what I could to manage it and then just had to deal with it. Luckily, a couple Tylenol were able to take the edge off and help me focus on running. That little bit of migraine may have been part of my struggles doing all those laps when I was alone. I was stuck in my head and lost focus for a while. Every little ache had me thinking what if it was something bad that was going to stop me. Definitely something to work on.  

One other small issue was some hot spots on my right foot that at one point I had stopped and added some trail toes. That was enough for a short time but ended up wearing off and I ended up with some blisters. The better plan would have been to do a little more maintenance, which could have sped up some of those later laps. At the very least it would have made them more comfortable. 

The Good:

The good news of this race is that besides the small dark time I had fun the entire race. It was a great time messing around on the course and talking with everyone. This race was a new style race that I crushed. It will only get better with more experience. I pulled off 100 miles and was unofficially officially the 3rd person in 3 years to get a buckle. A few small tweaks and it could have easily been more than the 33 loops. 

This wasn’t a type 2 fun event. It was type 1 the whole time. 

Moral of the Story:

It was a great race that kind of fell into my lap. I had been hoping for more miles to setup a run at the orange jacket next year at WTM. This event definitely showed me I need to work on some strength and drive. Plenty of time to work on some things and get stronger to be ready. I’ll be ready for a hopefully more regular season next year. 

If nothing else, this was an extraordinarily fun way to spend a weekend. 

Gear/Nutrition:

• Garmin Forerunner 935

• Garmin Forerunner 620

• Salomon Adv Skin 5 Hydration Vest

• Altra Superior 4

• Dirty Girl Gaiters

• Feetures Elite No show socks

• 2XU compression shorts

• Under Armour Compression cut off

• Tailwind

• FitAid

• Kion Mixed Berry EAAs

• Beet Elite / Beta Alanine / EAA Mix

• Simple Truth Cinnamon Applesauce pouches

• Snacks from the aid Station

• Salt Sticks (1x Salt Stick caffeine) 

• Bananas

• Gatorade Chews

Weather:

Mid 30s and calm at the start. Clear and in the 50s during the day. Windy and 50s through the night. 

Map:

Results: 

Obstacle List

1. Just a 5k trail loop this time. Nothing to break it up