Mountain Magic?

Can these old bones take it?

Hey, I bit the bullet and registered to do the 2007 Grandfather Mountain Marathon scheduled for July 14. Figured it would be a good warm-up run after the 50 miler. It's four weeks out so it should be fine.

It's shaping up to be an adventure. The run starts at Kidd Brewer Stadium on the campus of Appalachian State University and ends at McRae Meadows in Linville, NC; the site of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.

Check out the links below for more information:

Grandfather Mountain Marathon Homepage

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Homepage

BTW- Large gatherings of Celtic people scare me. They are a clannish group who like to drink and throw heavy objects- usually farm implements. Highland games gives new meaning to the phrase "We ain't leaving till we're heaving"

Tóg bog é,

Marc

2007 Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 Mile Race Report

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse"
- Ann Trason

Success!



UPDATE! I did it! Rode across the USA on a bicycle! Check out my journal of the adventure here at: Three Spokes and a Mirror

I'm happy to report a great run was had in Ellerbe, NC on Saturday June 16, 2007. I crossed the 50 mile mark in 11 hours 8 minutes, chalked up my third ultra-marathon, and felt remarkably well afterwards.

Here's the splits I recorded. They should be pretty close to the official times- 1:45, 2:11, 2:24, 2:18, 2:28.

The Famous Bethel Baptist Church- Start/Finish of the Boogie Races

The 2007 Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie, sponsored by the Magnum Track Club, began promptly at 6 pm with a record crowd. The Boogie races are actually a combined event. There is a regular marathon and a 50 mile ultra-marathon. This year 75 runners participated in the marathon and 68 did the ultra. The 50 mile course is 5 laps along a 10 mile loop.

For official results click here: The Boogie Races or enter here: The Mangum Track Club Site

Want to see even more of this years Boogie? Check out pictures taken by Alan Hughes, Laura MacLean and Joey Anderson at this link:

"Boogie Slideshow"


Kim- The Best Darn Support Captain Around!

Getting Psyched Up

Race Director Doug "Boogieman" Dawkins explains how big this course really is to a newcomer

Kim and Marc Pre-Race Hug

Marc Found Chuck Wandering Around. Good to See You!

The New Run Strategy

I decided to do one thing the same and three things different for this years race. What would remain the same would be to maintain a moderate pace and to walk all the big hills. I learned that from talking to all the veteran Mangum Track Club ultra-marathoners. Thanks guys! It worked well for me way back in 2004 so why change?

Now, the three different strategies involved:
• Fueling
• Blister Control
• Support

As you know from previous reports, I've been researching endurance fueling methods and settled on a combination of two Hammer Nutrition products- Heed and Sustained Energy. I'll use the Heed product as a traditional energy drink while the Sustained Energy will be for providing the proper carbohydrate/protein ratio for the long haul. Switching to fuels containing polysaccharides instead of monosaccharides made a major difference in how my body performed and how good I felt at the finish.

I also learned a whole lot about pre-race meals from the 7th Edition of “The Endurance Athlete’s Guide to Success” by Steve Born. Links to this booklet and another article on endurance physiology here:

Fueling Handbook (large file not suitable for dial-up connections)

and

100 Mile Races

Blister control took the form of switching socks. My blisters back in 2004 were so bad; Podiatry students would have paid big money to study them. I didn’t want a repeat of that so I discovered Injinji (in-gin-gee) socks. Veterans of the Badwater race swear by them so I decided to give them a try. Injinji's are "toe" socks made of cool max material. It takes a while to get use to running in them but they really do help minimize blisters and keep your feet cool.

My Secret Weapon- Injinji Socks

By far however, the best part of this year’s race was having Kim there to provide support. She did a fantastic job and was there every single lap to pass me cold refilled drink bottles, gels, and endurolyte tablets. I can't give her enough praise-thanks Kim, love you!

The Boogieman giving the pre-race briefing

What a Crowd!

Marathoners go one way, Ultra-runners go the other

We're off!

Fireflies!

The first lap went off well. You could feel the adrenalin in the air as the runners battled the heat of the day (mid to upper 80’s with good ‘ol Southern humidity) and the hilly course.

First Pass, 4 to Go

Main Aid Station. Plenty of Hydration and Other Goodies to Eat

By lap 2 the crowd began to thin a bit. Kim brought her mountain bike and paced me. It was good to have her alongside and broke up the monotony of the road. At the end of this lap I changed into a dry shirt, shoes, and a new pair of socks. No blisters or hot spots so far!

End of Lap 2. Time for a Dry Shirt, Socks, and Shoes

As the sun went down the temperature cooled to the mid 60's but we were still plagued by humidity. That was okay since after dark the firefly show began in full swing down along the out and back loop. I have never seen so many fireflies! They buffeted the whole wood line and it looked as if someone had put up a gazillion tiny yellow Christmas lights in the trees. The chorus of bullfrogs, crickets, and other critters making music in the night was stunning. I stopped, turned off the mp3 player, and stood there immersed in nature’s glory. What an awe inspiring moment. Okay- back to the race….

Lap 3 would be pivotal. To me the 30 mile mark would be the best point to access the fueling products. I was very pleased and felt pretty good. This was a stark difference to my first ultra where I began to get seriously nauseous between the 20-30 mile mark. No problems this time around so let’s move on!

Laps 4 and 5 were down right treacherous! Rain began as a slight drizzle on lap 4 then the bottom dropped out during lap 5. Thank goodness there was no lightning associated with the storms. The rain made my glasses hard to see through and they kept fogging up on me but that was no match for the darkness. Only 3% lunar illumination this year. I have never experience such darkness! This was good ‘ol country darkness. I must admit, at times I got a little spooked looking out ahead only able to see as far as my headlamp could shine. Just for fun I ran without the headlamp burning as much as I could. It kept the adrenalin pumping. Errie feeling!

My original plan was to change into a dry shirt, socks, and shoes after lap 4. Kim was prepared to do that but I decided it was futile since my shoes and socks were soaked anyway. It was only during lap 5 that I began to feel a hotspot developing under the ball of my left foot. No doubt the wetness contributed. I love those Injinji socks!

Just Up the Hill- The Finish!

I’ll admit the worse part of the course for me mentally was the little down and out past the main aid station. On the way out, there is a nice downhill run to the turn around point but then you have the long haul back up the famous Bethel Hill to the church and the start/finish line. I often wondered why old country churches were invariably put on top of hills- it’s because you tend to yell Halleluiah and Amen after the climb. Well, I made it to the finish line beating my previous time by 1 hour and 2 minutes! Life is good.

Yeehaw! Another Boogie Down!

Appreciation

This was a remarkable event and would not have been possible without good leadership and fantastic volunteers (the port-a-johns helped too!). Thanks to Doug “Boogieman” Dawkins for putting together a fun and safe double event, Mark Long and his crew for the aid station at the dog pen, the countless volunteers who stayed up all night making sure us runners stayed hydrated and in good spirits with encouraging words, all the runners for just coming out, and of course all the MTC’ers who keep this part of the running sub-culture alive!

Now go run,

Marc