4:58:21
9 of 30
The weather leading up to this race had been pretty brutal. No rain to speak of and it had been in the 90's. Fortunately we caught a break on race day as the forecast called overcast skies and wind. as well as a good chance of rain. This being the first year for the Marathon length Lakeshore Trail Trek, this was a good thing.
I hadnt preregistered for this race due mostly to procrastination and the fact that I have been battling a nagging shin issue for a while now and wanted to make sure I felt up to the race distance. I had been planning on this race for a while though, so after my ritual two packs of oatmeal and coffee, I was out the door with my wife who was running the 10K version. We arrived early and I got registered and had plenty of time to mingle around with several of my running friends.
The race started on the road just in front of the Coytee parking area with the Marathoners facing one direction and the 10Ker's facing the other. After a few final race instructions from the R.D.'s we were off. Within the first 200 yards the Marathoners crossed the Coytee foot bridge just like in last years 16 mile Lakeshore trail race.
My plan was the same as the one I had followed in the Fall Creek Falls 50K a couple of months earlier. GO SLOW! I couldnt help taking the opportunity to run hard to the bridge on the short distance we were on asphalt though. I ended up crossing the bridge in eighth place. In hindsight, running hard to the bridge was a good idea as I would basically end up staying right there pretty much all day.
After we got off the bridge, we began on single track immediately. I stayed with the lead pack for roughly the first mile, but I kept reminding myself not to try and keep up so they eventually faded into the distance and I lost sight of them. After the lead pack was out of sight it was just myself and another runner immediately behind me. I never knew who the other runner was, but after pacing me for another mile or so, the footsteps began to fade out and I was by myself until I got to the aid station at mile 4.5.
As I stopped briefly at the first aid station manned by Tony Owens and Leah Jones. Soon after I had three other runners catch up, two men and a woman. I recognized the female runner from previous races and knew I wouldnt be able to keep up with her. i was right. Within the next mile I was beginning to lose sight of her and one of the two male runners. I was able to pass the other male runner back though as he stepped aside and let me pass.
The next 3 miles to the second aid station were pretty uneventful as I was once again by myself. At about mile 7 of the 8 mile out and back the leader, Sho Gray, passed me on his return. One of the best and worst things about an out and back course can be seeing how many runners are ahead of you and who they are. I was still in 8th place by the time I got to the second aid station at Lotterdale Cove. A quick drink or two and I was back on the course to Coytee
Just after leaving the aid station at Lotterdale the course follows a trail that runs right beside the road as it passes the lake for about a half mile. It gave me a chance to see every other runner in the race and how far behind me they were. Kind of makes you pick up the pace a little whether you actually need to or not. I ran by myself once again for the four miles back to the mile 12 aid station(same as mile 4). At this point I couldnt resist the offer of a popsicle. Unfortunately, that slowed me down just enough to get caught by another runner. I kept up with her for the next two miles as we had a little conversation. I could tell by the way she was talking about our pace that she expected that we would be running together
for a while. Not to be though. Her pace was faster than what I could maintain and I eventually lost sight of her and was once again by myself.
At about mile 15 I tripped on a small low cut stump. I took one stab at saving myself, but I was too far gone. Bam, I hit the ground pretty hard, but luckily didnt get hurt, just a little scuffed up. After sitting there for a second or two on the ground and putting the lid back on my handheld, I got up and continued on to the main aid station at mile 16.
After I finished up a quick snack at the aid station, I headed out on a short section of road that lead to the next section of trail that was roughly a 5 mile out and back. Once again I was running alone for the most part. Once we got to the mile 19 aid station we had a quick 2 mile out and back to the golf course left and it was in this section that I actually caught and passed two runners. One on the way to the golf course turn around and then another shortly after we started back to the aid station. As soon as I stopped at the aid station again, now mile 23, I decided to have another popsicle. One of the volunteers was keeping a tab of who had came by and in what position. She remarked on my return that I had passed two people in that section. My response was "I'll pay for it", and I did. As soon as I said that, one of the runners I had passed earlier caught me. I left right with him from the aid station, but I couldnt keep pace with him and lose sight of him pretty quickly.
The last 3.5 miles back to the finish I was by myself once again. The last segment was pretty uneventful except for a strong shower that started around mile 24. The shower quickly turned into a downpour. A heavy downpour. It was raining hard enough at one point that I actually questioned whether or not it was hailing. I couldnt keep the water out of my eyes for a short distance, but luckily the cover from the woods thickened up and it wasnt too bad. By the time I was at mile 25, the rain was over, but my shoes stayed full of water until the finish.
All in all a great race as I finished with a time of 4:58. I had planned on coming in at around 4:30, but I definitely didnt want to be over 5 hours. I really didnt have the training I needed leading up to the race, so I wont complain about the 9th place finish. I also ended up with my first ever overall Masters win in a trail race.
Looking forward to another great run next season!
