MCRRC
Greenway Trail
Marathon
March 1, 2008
Damascus, MD

Runner Report

This was to be my first marathon and it was on a local trail that passes within a couple miles of my house.  The pleasant and dry winter provided ample training opportunities on the trail and I felt as if I would be fully prepared.   That is to say up until three weeks before the race.  In that time, three significant storms beginning with sleet, then snow and finally heavy rains made recollections of the pleasant dry trail fade into a distant memory.  I’m not sure how anybody could have prepared for today’s conditions.

The fourth running of the SCGT marathon and 50K, March 3rd 2007, was a combination of conditions from the inaugural year in 2003 which was cancelled due to unusually heavy snow and the 2004 race that experienced high water and a very muddy trail. The 50K option was added in 2005 and attracts a strong competitive running group, many of whom consider this a training run for additional ultra events later in the year.  Every runner’s endurance and perseverance would be  given a solid workout today that’s for sure. 

To be fair, there were a few dry spots on the trail, and I remember each one fondly.  The rest consisted of snow, ice and ponds of water all surrounded by shoe sucking mud.  Over the first 9 miles the trail was mostly frozen and at times encased in a dangerous slab of ice.  I saw runners slipping, falling and clinging to trees to avoid tumbling down the hills. My paranoia over trail conditions resulted in a screw up that turned out to be a big advantage early on.  On the day before the race, I put two dozen sheet metal screws into the bottom of an old pair of running shoes (http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm).  This gave me traction where other runners had none and allowed me to get ahead of the pack.  This was a very strong and fit looking group to be running among.  I knew that I would be seeing any runner I passed later on in the day, when their strength and conditioning surpassed my initial traction advantage.  As it turns out many of these runners would complete 50K and pass me not once but twice, after running the optional loop around the lake near the mid-point of the race.

The worst slide I witnessed was on a steep hillside above the creek.  You had to angle downhill on a sloping ice sheet, turn, and head back uphill.  The runner I saw lost their footing and began accelerating downhill.  He seemed to intentionally aim for a large tree and after about 20 feet came to a stop against its trunk just above the lip of the creek.  He could have easily been dumped sideways into the creek.  I ran past while he got back on his feet.  I wondered how many more would fall there today and hoped that nobody would be seriously hurt.

The largest stream crossing also occurs early in the race near mile 4.  The stepping stones were fully submerged, however a rope was strung across to aid your balance. Wading the creek was the only viable option but would ensure wet feet from this point onward.  The runner in front of me hesitated at the creek bank as I approached, which allowed me step in front and into the creek first.  The water was calf deep and cold, but was over quickly.  I was happy to be ahead of the pack as there was no lineup of people waiting to cross. As it turns out having wet feet early on removed any hesitation of plowing through the ponds of water and mud pits ahead.

On the next smaller stream crossing a volunteer had placed a board across it’s width.  It was helpful because you enter from a steep bank and wouldn’t have to bottom out in the stream bed.  It also added a nice a spring to your step as the board bent under your weight and then propelled you to the other side.

A friend of mine had volunteered to be my personal crew.  I saw him at the road crossing near mile 7 or 8.  I think they added an extra mile in the start somewhere, as it felt a lot further than I thought it should have been.  He had dry shoes and other goodies for me, but I wasn’t ready to give up the screwy shoes just yet.  We had a quick exchange and he agreed to meet me at Rt 355 (mile 11).  Things got really interesting in this section.  There was less ice overall but what remained covered the uphills and downhills. There are also a lot of neighborhood side trails in this section and you have to pay attention not to get off course.  That is until the trail headed into the river.  Most of the trail follows the creek along the flood plain and in this section the creek banks are low.  The creek was swollen and spilled across the flood plane due to heavy rain and flooding from two nights earlier. Blue blazes for the trail could be seen on trees 30 feet out into the water.  The only choice was bush whacking and clinging to the hillside until we could pick up the trail again.  Finally Route 355 appeared and that meant dry shoes, Gatorade and Clif Shots.

There was more ice between Rt 355 and the Lake, but for the most part it had given way to pools of water and thick mud.  At many points it was obvious that the creek had recently engulfed sections of trail less than 12 hours ago.  While I had changed into dry shoes, they didn’t stay that way long.

The next friendly aid station (mile 15) was along the park road at the lake.  Already feeling tired I wasn’t even tempted to consider the 50K option. I grabbed a handful of pretzels and quickly continued on my way.  Accounts from those who did the 50K, described more sheets of ice covering the sloping hillsides.  By this time runners had begun to master the act of aiming for and using trees as an aid to move in the direction they more or less wanted to go.

The next couple sections went by more easily, and I don’t recall to much about it.  The trail was wet and muddy after Riffelford Road.  There were large puddles for sure.  I had to stop and knock the rocks out of my shoe once.  Most of the time you were just trying to avoid the deep mud by sticking to the side of the trail.  During these miles the 50K race leaders began to pass me by, they had completed an extra 4-5 miles and were going strong.  Each one offered words of support as they went past and I did sincerely appreciate it.  I had to wonder how bad I was beginning to look to be given this treatment.  It gave me a boost thinking that even for a brief period I had been in front of the 50K leaders. 

Andrew met me again at Black Rock and Rt 28.  It was very nice to have my drinking reservoir filled while I ate clif shots or grazed at an aid station.  I hated leaving the aid station at Rt 28 behind, but I had already had a little bit of everything.  Boiled potatoes dipped in salt, pretzels, tofu and my favorite, M&M’s.  While I had some minor cramping earlier in the race, nothing prepared me for what was yet to come.

Below Rt 28, the trail had some passable stretches between monstrous puddles.  At one point an enormous tree had fallen across the trail.  It was 60 – 80 feet in length and extended to the edge of the creek.  Going around it didn’t seem possible, so I started through it, climbing over and under the major branches.  It probably wouldn’t have been much of a challenge but it was here that my lower body began to seize up.  Those golf ball sized cramps began a mystery blitzkrieg cruise through my lower body.  I had no idea what muscle was going to seize up next.  I was now walking the flat sections with periods of slow jogging.  The recent food and salt seemed to help but the going would remain slow through the end of the race.  It was a long and lonely stretch from Rt 28 to Berryville Rd.  The mud and puddles in this section had grown in size.  My subconscious natural aversion to puddles was replaced with a laughable realization that if you were to fall face first into one of these mud pools it might be easier to drown while stuck in the mud than it would be to get back on your feet.

More pretzels and gel at Berryville Road aid station.  The end was less than 2.5 miles away.  There was a final stream crossing to wash the shoes and then a steep stair climb up the hillside.  A few more runners passed by, and my repeated attempts to pick up the pace failed.  Go too fast and the cramping returns.  Finally the pavement appeared near River Road and while the footing improved it was still a long mile to the finish.  Volunteers helped make sure the road crossing was safe and the rest was a final slow decent down the dirt road to the finish.   The creek which parallels the road was muddy and swollen within a foot of its banks but we already knew that.  The end was terrific, there was water followed by a casual walk to the picnic.  There more volunteers greeted each runner with food and drinks.  Hot food never tasted so good.  I was glad to be finished and enjoyed watching additional runners arrive to the picnic as I let my feet dry in the sunshine.  Every runner will have had their own experiences however I was sure that the shoe sucking mud was improving it’s grip with each passing runner.  We may never know how many shoes the mud swallowed whole today.

I had completed my first marathon through challenging conditions.  I was physically tapped out and significantly beyond the point I had prepared myself for and somehow I couldn’t stop smiling.  My socks are now permanently stained in official trail colors which I’ll continue to wear like a badge of honor.  For anybody contemplating their first trail race, I would encourage you to do it. The people and camaraderie are hard to beat.  Just don’t forget to plan for the worst, because with a little luck, it just might happen.