Flat Rock 50 km, near
By Dave Scott
Recently. I seem to have been
reading a lot of race reports where the
author is just having no fun at
all. That is, unless he/she only derives
pleasure from self-inflicted pain.
These suffer-fests, I suggest, hardly
make for inspiring reading. So,
bearing this in mind, I present my report
of the Flat Rock 50K with eight
Reasons to be Cheerful ...
1. It is a very scenic route. The run is an out-and-back
course on a
trail which follows a small
limestone escarpment, bordering a reservoir
in a remote area of
runs over, under and through the
rock formations, with occasional vistas
across the lake from the tops of
little cliffs (it is advisable to walk
if admiring the view, to avoid
tripping and flying over the edge). The
trail crosses through woodlands and
open grassy areas filled with wild
flowers.
2. I got to run an extra 10% on this very scenic terrain. It
is difficult
(or embarrassing) to explain why,
but I missed a turn in the trail just
before the turn-around, and yet I
was certain I was in the right place
(it was similar to experiences I
have had orienteering, where one starts
to fit the map to where one thinks
one is, and then one ends up in the
wrong valley). So I started back
for the return leg without finding the
midway aid station. But later,
after meeting someone who had just come
from the aforesaid aid station , I
decided to do the race properly and
ran all the way back to the
turn-around. Therefore:
3. I did not get disqualified. I also finished, and in good
order, albeit
slowly. It was a hot and humid day,
and some had a rougher time of it than me.
4. I only fell once, which is not too much cause for
celebration, but
this was one fall better than my
previous Flat Rock experience. It was a
bit of a bruiser, and the kind
people at the aid stations kept offering
me Band-Aids for my scraped elbow,
but it did not really hurt, and no
permanent damage was done. After
falling, I was really careful to watch
where I was putting my feet so I
did not take another tumble.
5. My training paid off. Doing long runs of two hours or
more during the
long hot summer helped me deal with
the conditions. The five-hour-plus
run I did on the Greenrock trail
three weeks beforehand was especially
useful. The Greenrock, the trails
in west Tyson, and the upper trails in
Castlewood were all useful for getting used to running over rocks.
This
last weekend (October 1), I ran a
10-mile race in the Wild in the Woods
series, and although I felt a bit
(excuse the expression) sluggish at the
start, endurance was certainly not
a problem and I ended up placing. I
forget exactly how wrecked I was
after my last Flat Rock, but I am sure I
was not racing the next weekend.
6. Wes, one of my friends from
his age, my finishing time was
pretty good. Well, Wes is 20 years older
than me (i.e., 64) and I ran my slowest
50K by almost an hour (that’s
including some 50K’s that were more
like 60K) - but then I should not
have to worry about breaking this
particular personal (worst) record for
a few years.
7. There was a good group of
them again after the race. There
were also two other Slugs there - Paul
Shoenlaub ran an excellent race as always, finishing second
in just over
five hours (I think that running
100 milers is probably good training for
Flat Rock). Don Love I caught on
the course with about 7 miles to go
(after he had overtaken me during
my mid-race excursion). I regret that I
did not hang around and run in with
him - I was still moving relatively
well at that stage and wanted to
get finished, while he ended up retiring
at the last aid station after a
bruising encounter with a tree. Before
we parted, he reminded me of the
Ryerse mantra, “relentless forward
progress” which kept running
through my head, urging me on, during the
last few, slow, miles.
8. Ultrarunning has more than its fair share of eccentrics,
and Eric
Steele, race organizer and the self-styled King of Flat
Rock, may be
included in that number. The post-race
awards concluded with Eric,
dressed in cape and Burger King
crown, inducting a new member (the
fourth) of the Flat Rock “Hall of
Pain” - this distinction being awarded
to those that have completed the
50K in ten consecutive years. While that
is an honor that I doubt I will
ever aspire to, this is a fun race that I
would certainly recommend. Just
watch where you are putting your feet.