Saturday October 20th was the Saskatoon Roadrunners Association's Sask 50 km Ultra Marathon.
Back in May, at the pasta dinner the night before the Saskatchewan Marathon, I met Michyla. She was seated at the same table as Ang, my mom and I. As we introduced ourselves, she shyly leaned over and admitted to following my blog. She is a member of the Saskatoon Roadrunners Association and had read the write-up about me in the newsletter in March.
A couple months later Michyla emailed me to see which run I would be doing in October. She and a mutual friend Morgan were planning to train and run a half marathon and wondered what the options were. I explained that I had planned to try and complete the full marathon in Regina to 'count' as both my Sept & October runs; but, my backup if I wasn't able to would be the Sask 50 km Ultra Marathon Relay. I offered to be their third member if that was what they chose to do. They excitedly agreed and together we formed the "Moms on the Run" relay team!
In August, some of the girls who have been training to run the half marathon in Las Vegas decided to form two relay teams. The idea was that it would serve as the last good, long training run before we head for Vegas. Angela, Sarah & Mj formed team "Sam I Am" and Jadah, Kevin (Sarah's hubby) & Katy formed "The JKs".
Then, Morgan hurt her knee. She's been going for physiotherapy and taking it easy, but the Wednesday night before the run, she had to admit that she wouldn't be able to complete her leg of the race. Yikes! It's not easy to find someone who is able to run 15.2 km with only two and a half days to prep.....but, my friend Erica Weber agreed. She said she hadn't ran more than 6 miles since she ran the SPS 10km in April, but she would give it her best try!
As I said last week, I had a few reasons to be nervous about this run. Rather than worrying about the things which I had no control over (the weather, the way my body was going to react to the distance, etc), I decided to focus on the things I could control. I bought a snazzy new pair of running tights, I organized a fantastic FAST playlist, I went for my pre-race short outside run (I had to make sure the snazzy tights were going to stay put), I went for a physio appointment and I stretched.
We were lucky to have our dear friends Kathryn & Micheal and their daughter Julia spend the night at our place Friday. My husband picked up my race bib for me on his way home from work and I prepared the "classic" night before supper of chicken, pasta & broccoli. After enjoying a beer and a well overdue visit with our company, I tucked in for a good sleep. It was nice to wake the next morning and get hugs and well wishes from three happy kids and three of my favourite adults.
So, together with the small group of runners and organizers, we nervously huddled together in the parking lot at the Mendel Art Gallery. The weather was cool and the sky was overcast as we got the first three girls started on their way. The remaining six of us piled in to Kevin & Sarah's truck and we set off to meet them on course!
The Event
This was the fifth annual Sask 50 km Ultra Marathon. You can participate in this event as an individual and run all 50 km yourself (yowzers!) or as a three person relay team. The route is designed in such a way that the three legs of the course start & finish at the parking lot of the Mendel. The organizers are upfront that this is a small, very basic event. They encourage runners to plan ahead and have friends and family available to support them en route and even ride bikes or run with you for encouragement.
The three legs of the relay differ in distance (15.2 km, 16.8 km & 18 km) and terrain. It wasn't until after the race that I realized how fortunate I was that I ended up running the third leg. While it was the longest, it was also a fully paved out & back course that had some nice views and a few gradual inclines. When compared to the second leg that I was originally supposed to run, it was literally a walk (or in this case run) in the park!
The running community is one that generally embraces anyone who is willing to lace up their sneakers and hit the trail; and, in my experience, runners are usually friendly and encourage each other at events. I found that was not necessarily the case on Saturday. This is my first Ultra event. Perhaps it is the extreme nature of the ultra distance, but the jovial support from fellow runners was not as evident as what I've become accustomed to. Erica noticed it too and she has had the chance to participate in many varied events....it didn't really matter though, we decided we'd still continue to smile and shout out support while we ran whether we received anything in return or not.
The organizers and volunteers were fantastic! The Saskatoon Roadrunners had the start/finish/relay exchange zone well organized and things seemed to run smoothly. There was a tent with heaters to allow us to warm up, there were a couple porta potties, a bag drop tent, a generator that powered a microphone and some fun music and the Girl Guides had a food tent where they were preparing pancakes.
Brooks sponsored the event and each registrant received a shiny, slick black running jacket. However, I feel like, given the basic nature of the event, the registration fees were high. Each person paid $65 ($55 if you're a Roadrunner member) whether you were running as an individual or a three person team. This seems steep to me. Also, given my predisposition of loving race medals, I definitely felt that the relay runners should have received a finishers medal. I get it that the individual participants ran further and that accomplishment is crazy cool, but a relay medal would have been awesome....especially since each team paid three times the fees to cover the same course. The registration form actually says on it, "Your entry fee includes a pancake breakfast after your run and a surprise gift which you will receive at the finish line when you complete your race!". There were pancakes, but no surprise gift. Anyway, I am willing to embrace the minimalist nature of this event, but I think the registration fee should reflect it.
While I am happy to have had the opportunity to participate in the Ultra, I wouldn't recommend it for a less experienced runner or anyone who is looking for a more conventional event....It's pretty hardcore.
The Excuses
I am just so pleased to have been able to complete this run, that I'm not going to give any excuses.
The Best Part
We did it!!!!!
I have only ever ran one other relay (the Banff to Jasper Relay with Erica last Spring), and I had forgotten how much fun it is! The ultra relay really gave a us a chance to come together as a group. I was excited to spend the day with my friends and be there to see them complete their legs of the race; but, I hadn't anticipated how much we would rely on each other throughout the process.
Going into this event, there was a bit of worry over the 'minimalist' nature of the race. Each leg only had one aid station that you passed twice. When you compare this to a more mainstream event where there are typically drink stations every few miles, it gave us cause for concern. So, at soccer practice last week, Ang and I devised a plan. We looked at the route map for the first leg and picked a couple spots where I promised to be waiting with Gatorade, water and a smile. Then, with my husband, I made a similar plan for my leg of the run. He promised to be at two spots that I would cross twice on course which would give me a total of six "aid stations" (including the two stops provided by the event volunteers).
It's funny how something that starts as a worry can turn into one of the best experiences! I had fun providing aid for the three girls running the first leg, and I LOVED having my friends and family support me while I ran!!!
Leg 1
The route of the first leg was kind of a double loop. It went out by the water treatment plant and then back and over the University Bridge to cover the distance between it and the train bridge and back. We met the girls out at their first loop point. They were warmed up and running strong. We dropped Michyla off at the exchange zone (Erica was running fast!) and then met them a second time by the Diefenbaker Canada Centre on the U of S campus. It was fun to cheer for the runners! Ang had woken up that morning with a head cold, and it was making it hard for her to run. While she looped out to the train bridge and back, I peeled off my warm pants, popped a piece of gum in and put on my running watch. I was able to join Ang for the last bit of her leg and cover the additional distance I needed. It felt great to see her succeed and her kids were waiting for her at the finish line!
Jadah and her kiddos
As I had expected, Erica powered her way through 15 km despite having two days notice....she finished in one hour and twenty one minutes!
Leg 2
There was plenty of "action" that took place on the second leg of the race....we had a husband and wife race, less than optimal route conditions and an encounter with an overly friendly dog! I didn't get a chance to get out on the second leg of the race because there wasn't enough time. Michyla, Sarah and Kevin had to run 16.8 km that went north of the Mendel and across the river via Circle Drive pedestrian bridge. They then proceeded through the off leash dog park and out the grid access road, ran along Central Ave and back the same way. Because Erica was so fast on the first leg, Michyla had quite a head start, then Kevin started twelve minutes ahead of Sarah.
It had been raining and the terrain was slick. The stretch of the course along Central Ave was also troublesome because it had the participants running in the ditch. It was during this area that Sarah wiped out hard. Not cool. Then as she made her way back through the off leash park she was tackled from behind by a big dog. More not cool. When the teams were deciding who was going to run each leg, I thought it was funny that a couple of the girls flat out refused to run the second leg because they were afraid of dogs....I guess they were right!
Despite the crudy course and terrain all three runners did extremely well and Sarah managed to set a personal best.
Leg 3
Michyla came around the corner with a smile, we tagged hands and I was on my way! As I set out and my music helped me find my rhythm, I felt good. I felt strong. I didn't go too far before I saw Sarah blasting toward the exchange zone. She had caught and passed Kevin! He wasn't too far behind and he was still smiling.
As planned, my family was waiting for me under the Circle Drive bridge with high fives and a swig of Gatorade. After I passed them, I started to think that I had too much distance until the next aid stop...not to worry. Halfway between, I came across Jadah waiting at the roadside. Perfect! Then I got to the "real" aid station at the park and just beyond that Sarah, Kevin, Ang & Jadah were there cheering. Then again at the next designated spot, they were all gathered and I could see my boys playing tag in the distance. I continued on as the course entered unchartered territory. The turnaround point was on a stretch of new trail up by the Silverwood golf course. It is an area with a beautiful view of the river. Right around here Katy caught up to me and her long legs carried her strong and fast to the finish.
After I turned around and started on my way back, I met Mj. She looked great and had her big smile! Soon after I came across Michyla! Wrapped in a blanket trying to stay warm, she was sitting by the trail waiting for me. I told her where the others were and by the time I got back down the trail, she had joined them.
Over the course of this year, I have run this river trail many times....in fact, I feel like I could tell you the location of each crack, ridge, divot and tree root along the way!! But, I found that knowing my boys, husband and friends were going to be up ahead waiting for me, really broke up the course and made the time pass quickly. It probably seems silly, but the boost that it gave me every time I saw them or they drove by and honked was just fantastic! I think we should do every race like this.
The final act of support was when I came to the train bridge and my husband and sons were waiting and ready to run the last half mile with me. I felt great as we crossed the finish line together at my last event on home turf of the year.
I saw this quote on Facebook this week:
Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.
-Rumi
I feel like the nine of us were on fire and our flames were burning bright as we worked together to cover the 50 km course! I am thankful that I have such great friends and family.
I am SO excited to have completed my tenth half marathon of the year! This run puts my total distance to date for 2012 over the 705 mile point. Now, I have two weeks to get organized for our girls' trip to run the Really Big Free Marathon in Las Vegas!
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