Hey All,
Anyone interested in an ultra, or, part of one? Sat., Oct. 25th I ran in my first ultra, The fall 50, as one of 61 solo runners, with the remaining 730 or so runners comprised as 3 to 5 person relay teams, and a few pairs teams.
This was an absolutely beautiful and serene course starting at Gills Rock, at the northern tip of the Door County peninsula. Using a combination of route 42 and secondary roads it works down through the picturesque communities of Ephraim, Fish Creek, Egg Harbor and a few others. It also runs through the majority of Peninsula State Park. Go to the web site,( The Fall 50 ) for an accurate sequence of the route, and ,each leg. You'll also find the first 28 mi. or so is hilly, with a few to be taken seriously (especially if you 're going the distance), with the remainder flattening out, just in the nick of time.
I carried more fuel than I needed as the exchange points/water stops had at the very least water,gatorade, and cliff bars, and the odd numbered stops with fruit. Exchange point 5 was the "Half-way Buffet", around mile 28, there was also chicken soup and fixins' for sandwichs, plus assorted sweets. The chicken broth at that point was as good as gold.
The volunteers were all fantastic and supportive. The race director, Sean Ryan, who also directs the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, did a great job.
The starting time for the solo runners is 7am, with the teams starting at 8,9,&10am based on their anticipated pace. This scheme has the majority of runners finishing within a roughly 2 to 2 1/2 hr. window lending to a good post-race party. The race ended on the lawn of the Stone Harbor Lodge, in Sturgeon Bay, which was the host hotel.
With an average stop time at the water stops of about 4 to 5 min., around 10 at the "Half-way Buffet, walking a couple key hills, and using a walk-run mix the last 10 mi.or so, I was ecstatic to finish in 8:39:22. The temps. ranged from the mid 40s to lower 50s, which they said was a bit cooler than the previous two years they've run it.
Aside from a very swollen rt. knee on mon. and tues.(which I attribute mostly to the 5 1/2 hr. drive home Sunday), this race was a blast!