The Stormy 50 Mile Run

Well, I finished my first 50 mile run in Squamish, British Columbia on August 8th. It took me 11 hours and 7 minutes. I was the 9th women in out of 16 and 2:5 in my age group (40-49 year old women). I chose Squamish because of its similarities to Juneau; steep mountains rising out of the sea, an abundance of trails, and a laid back atmosphere with lots of good runners. I'll tell you though, several times during the eleven hours I wondered why I had selected such a mountainous course for my first fifty. The run consisted of three large climbs with the last being the longest and steepest with the least support (one remote aid station at mile 35.5 after a steep climb of 1500 feet). Ninety percent of the runners were locals from Squamish, Vancouver or the Kelowna area. There were only two others from the U.S., a runner from Seattle and one from Arizona.

Here's a quick recap of the race starting with the website warnings:

The Stormy race website warns of having incidents in the past with two common, local predators: bears and cougars.
I've had my share of bear encounters this summer in Juneau, so I wasn't overly concerned; however, cougars are something new. I Googled "cougars attacks," and learned that if you spot a cougar on the trail, you'd better have lots of luck on your side because the animal has been stealthfully stalking you for several miles and you don't have much of a chance. You can try covering your neck (the strike zone) and keeping the cougar in front of you, but truthfully it's all over unless someone off-roading in a Jeep Wrangler pulls up and saves you. With the cougar articles in mind, I purchased a small canister of bear (cougar) spray and carried it during the first hour but gave it to a helper at an aid station once it was light. Why was I running in the dark at all? Since this was my first attempt at 50 miles and there were various cut-off times along the course, I started with the optional early start at 5:00 a.m. In retrospect, I should've started with the bulk of the runners an hour later because after a few miles I pulled ahead and consequently ran for several hours alone in the woods. It would have been peaceful except for the technical uphill climbs, the need to vigilently watch for trail flags, and the constant visions of cougars my brain was manufacturing.

All in all, Stormy was a gorgeous run on single track and logging roads through the lush mountains of coastal British Columbia. Most of the course was through thick woods of mainly spruce and cedar, and every so often the trail would open up into a glorious alpine meadow or serpentine along deep, rocky gorges with views of rapidly flowing water.
There were aid stations every 4 - 10 miles. Each boasted a variety of food typical of ultramarathons. Race day was warm, sunny and humid and given past stomach issues, I stuck to a bit of banana, pretzels and boiled potatoes and washed it down with Coca Cola. After months of training with Energy Bars, GU and spendy electrolyte replacement drinks, I found it rather curious that I couldn't even look at my stash of commercial sports products without feeling a bit sick.In addition to the 50 mile race, there were about 30 runners attempting 100 miles. The 100 milers ran the course twice with the first loop the prior night. It's mystifying how the runners maneuvered the steep single track at night. And, forget the technical trail, I would've been a nervous wreck every time I heard the slightest crack of a twig in the dark forest certain it was a cougar bent on attacking my neck. In addition to the nutty 100 milers, there were also several relay teams each with 8 members. The relay participants were able to maintain a much faster pace, and I felt like I was creeping along as they sprinted past me to towards their hand-off at the next aid station. Despite the difference in pace, I actually felt pretty good until the third climb. It was over 6 miles up a steep logging road and the sun was hot on my back. I'd already run 28 miles at the start of the hill. I was low on water and each time I reached a false plateau, I was crestfallen to discover the gravel road continued upwards. Sigh. My calf muscle was strained and giving me little warning zings. Would this dreadful hill ever end? Finally, I was back on single track weaving through pine trees, and the trail peaked with a gorgeous view of the mountains below. Next I had pleasant down hill in the woods for another six miles. My GPS watch indicated I was approaching 40 miles, and I began to think I was going to finish my first 50 miler. I relaxed a bit and tried to enjoy the thick, verdant woods. I chatted with a runner from Winnipeg who had completed a 50 mile run two weeks earlier and was already back racing. Alone once again, I ran easily down a series of switchbacks towards the aid station, and my partner, at mile 42. Everything was going fairly well despite my calf, when suddenly at mile 41 a large black bear blocked my path. There was very little brush in this area and the trees were quite tall, so visibility was good. The bear jumped when he saw me and ran up two switchbacks after I yelled at him, but he stopped abruptly and turned back towards me. Sitting back on his haunches, he started sniffing, slowly rocking his head side-to-side. I took a deep breath and remembered I had two chunks of potato in my pockets as emergency fuel. "Oh no" he wants my potatoes! As I watched the bear watch me, suddenly I was no longer exhausted but incredibly wide awake and really missing my bear spray. I raised my arms, yelling at the bear and trying to look big. The bear just sat there eyeing me. Unsure of what to do, I continued down the trail, crossing directly under the bear's fall-line. Phew...nothing happened. A quarter of a mile later I passed a runner with blood stains on his knee, limping and leaning on a make-shift crutch from a tree branch. I warned him about the bear, but maybe I should've kept quiet because he was looked dismayed and said the bear would want to eat him because he was "a cripple." Luckily, the woods opened up to the long-anticipated aid station a short time later. Now I was within 8 miles of the finish line. It was mid-afternoon, warm and sunny. I walked and ran to the next aid station, around mile 45. Shortly after the final aid station, I had my last steep climb but it was relatively short. And, yes, I saw another bear in the berry bushes but this bear acted more predictably and scampered off crashing through the brush. I passed a 100 mile runner from Australia. He said he'd been walking the last 20 miles. The trail became sandy and I noticed groups of rock climbers on the rock walls. Finally, I was within two miles of the end. Two young women passed me and spurred me to pick up my pace. I passed them in the last mile and we chatted about how difficult the run was. Five minutes later, I ran across the finish line and received my medal and a ski hat. My partner and I joined the small crowd on the grass, eating grilled chicken and watching the finishers come in. I had completed my goal of 50 miles and was still standing! We returned to sunny weather in Juneau and our energetic puppy.

Here are my Garmin stats. It shows the elevation and click on "Satellite" to get the Google Earth view. Stormy 50 mile run by anne.johnson1 at Garmin Connect - Details
See you on trails, AJ