|
MMTR Race Report - 2007 Stuart McLay When you sign-up for what is generally considered to be a testing trail race, run over a course that is approximately double the length of a traditional marathon, the obvious question is ‘Why?’ In my case it all stemmed from a short visit to the US to run the Orlando Marathon in Florida in January 2007. Filling in time in a bookstore on the days leading up to a race, I happened upon the best-selling “Ultramarathon Man’ book by Dean Kaznares and having read it, I was convinced that running an ultra was something I wanted to try. Finding a race was the next challenge, but as a British teacher working in an International School in El Salvador, the autumn half term break offered a small window of opportunity. Having scoured a number of ultra running sites, the MMTR seemed like the best option. As I had begun to read more about the sport, Race Director David Horton’s name cropped up on a regular basis and the more I read, the more I realised that I would not only be in good hands, but that the race would be an experience to remember. There is no doubt that both these things came true. My wife, who was to provide invaluable support, and I arrived in the United States and Virginia six days before the race itself and busied ourselves in the days before the race enjoying some short walks in the National Parks and visiting local places of interest. At the race briefing on Friday evening I was indebted to Herm and Jean Richards, two experienced ultra marathon runners, who were able to give me some advice about the course and running what was to be my first race over the marathon distance. The briefing was inspiring in many respects, but still had the effect of raising both my levels of dread and excitement in seemingly equal measures. I can’t pretend it was the best nights’ sleep I’ve ever had, but the cool temperatures at the James Visitor Centre the following morning meant I was both focused and keen to embark on the run ahead. Arriving from the warmer climes of Latin America, for me it was definitely hat and gloves weather for the first couple of hours. As I set off on the initial road section my game plan was just to run as much as possible within myself, whilst following my strategy of drinking water over the first few miles, before switching to an electrolyte mixture, together with raisins and jelly beans for the rest of the race. Trial and error in the lead up to the race had suggested that my stomach wasn’t really capable of coping with much more and I was very much hoping that this would provide me with the energy to finish. As I left the road and headed for the trails, dawn was just breaking and at this early stage I calculated that I was well down the field after my necessarily conservative start. Because of the underfoot conditions, I had to be very careful, and as trail-running novice, I stumbled many times and actually fell twice during the second half of the race, fortunately only picking up cuts and bruises. Denise, my wife, was able to get to on average, every second aid station and I had worked out a strategy in advance as to what she would have ready for me, so I could grab what I needed on the run rather than stopping at the aid stations themselves and thus save a little time – the volunteers who managed these stations are simply incredible and did a fantastic job. Running for the most part on my own, I quickly began to look forward to each and the promise of some fleeting company and encouragement. Hearing the music and the cheers for each runner in the distance as you approach was a great incentive and I found the noise and support at each to be a real boost. During the first part of the race I gradually worked my way through the field – I was doing well on the up hill stretches, (my inexperience meant that I ran them all, rather than adopting the power-walking technique of many of those around me…..) but struggling on the down hills as the more experienced trail runners were skipping past me whilst I tip-toed between the rocks – consequently I passed and was then passed myself by a few familiar faces as the race went on. Whenever runners went past there were always encouraging words spoken, which I think is very much a part of the camaraderie of the race and not something that you find too often in the road and track races I run in other parts of the world. When I went through aid station five, Denise was able to tell me that I was in 18th position, which was really encouraging as up to that point I had no real idea as to where I was. Feeling a little more confident, the next few miles passed by relatively smoothly, but, by the time I got to the half way point at around 27 miles my legs were starting to feel the strains of running over the rough terrain and the constant ascents and descents and I knew the major peaks were still to come in the second half of the race…..for me this is where the mental side of things comes in, as you physically begin to deteriorate – you really have to focus and stay positive, as limbs start to ache under the strain. In any race of this distance you also have to accept you will have ‘bad’ patches and I certainly had those over the second half, but you have to have the confidence in your own physical abilities that you will come through these and be alright on the other side. Just as importantly from my point of view, my stomach held together remarkably well, although I did begin to cut back a little on both the liquids and solids, as I started to feel a little nauseous over the last twenty miles.
I saw
Denise for the last time as I exited the infamous ‘loop’ after 39 miles,
where I’d had a really rough time - I had fallen once and momentarily got
lost a couple of times. It was at this point that Denise was able to
remind me of the Race Briefing on Friday and David Horton’s announcement
that the I knew from the contour map that I had been given before the race that the final four miles were downhill and that knowledge allowed me to dredge up some energy to push on over this final stretch – it is amazing what the body will withstand and how the mind can conquer pain and negative emotions in these situations. Consequently, confident in the fact that I was now likely to finish, come what may, my final four miles proved to be my quickest of the race. I was surprised to go past another runner with two miles to go and then with one mile to go I caught the runner in 8th. Thereafter, the route brought us out of the woods to the final stretch on tarmac and the short distance to the finish. There was still time for a final twist as I made the possibly understandable error of mentally relaxing at this point, which was a big mistake as I was so unsteady on my feet that I caught the kerb and fell over again on the road! Fortunately, I managed to quickly get back to my feet and to the finish line a few seconds before the runner behind. I was very proud to receive my jacket for my 8th place at the award ceremony on the Saturday night – and I have much to thank David Horton for - during the course of the run I lost two toenails, a few pounds in weight and a bit of blood after my falls, but I think I gained much more in creating a sense of achievement within myself, whilst realising just how far you push things under pressure…….I look forward to the next one! Stuart McLay, El Salvador, November 2007
|
