Race Report: Lookout Mountain 50 Miler

Standing in line for the porta-potties I was riddled with anxiety. I felt like we arrived at the race start with ample time to don race numbers, make necessary clothing changes, etc. The countdown clock at the race start told a different story 25min... 20min... still in line. With race participation double from the year before, this hold-up was not an issue I remembered from last year. I finally make my way to the front of the line with much relief. My relief was only short lived though as I soon watched my borrowed MP3 player (sorry dad) begin to tumble into the blue pool of death that sat below me. In what I thought was an amazing display of coordination I grabbed the headphone cord just before the whole works disappeared, but the player then separated from the headphones and continued its spiral into the abyss. Well... at least I saved the headphones.

From Left to Right: "Flyin" Brian Williams, Brian Pickett(in Grey T-Shirt),
Troy Shellhamer (Green), Nick Lewis (red), Far right-eventual winner Johnny Clemmons

After a fair amount of last minute hustling I made it to the starting line with about a minute to spare. The four on the right in the above picture formed the lead pack, moving out of sight within the first five minutes. Mr. Brian Williams and I along with a few others formed a chase pack, settling into a pace that resembled something manageable for a 50 mile race.

As we ran along I relayed my story of the MP3 players demise to Brian. His response, "That's kind of fitting because there's nothing but crap on there anyway." ...Thanks Dude.

After about 45 minutes I decided to lay down a slightly faster pace to see if I could at least keep the gap between myself and the front runners to a minimum. I hoped a few others would tuck in behind me, but after about 10 minutes there was no one in sight ahead or behind. Running solo between the front runners and the chase pack is pretty much where I stayed the rest of the day.

My plan was to run a reasonable pace until around mile 35 or so, and then see if I could pick it up a bit and hope one of the front-runners blows up. A few times I had delusions of running down the lead runners, but two months of nagging injuries and 20-30 mile training weeks wouldn't allow it. A wealth of desire and effort simply can't overcome a lack of training.

Chugging Along at Mile 38

At mile 38 I met Caitlin and Dad one last time and was very quickly sent on my way with a full race pack and news that there was a guy a few minutes ahead of me who wasn't looking so awesome. A few minutes doesn't sound like much, but after 6hrs of running "a few minutes" is a hard gap to close. For what seemed like an eternity, I met runners from the mid-pack who kept saying the 4th place guy is "right up there" or "seconds ahead of you." Nearly an hour after Caitlin told me I was closing on 4th, I finally saw a grey shirted dude bobbing down the trail in front of me.

I ran about 100yds behind Brian Pickett for maybe a half mile. I wanted to get my head right before making the pass, hoping to feign the appearance of fresh legs and lots of energy. We actually ended up running through the final aid station side by side, splitting time between encouraging one another and discussing who feels more like death. I was tempted to stick with the guy as we were essentially running the same pace, but I decided this was a dangerous idea and tried to create some space. No luck, Mr. Pickett was in obvious pain, but stayed within sight until within minutes of the finish. I think I might have a crick in my neck from looking over my shoulder.

Trying to not look miserable

So this year I got booted off the podium, but that's OK. Although about 7 minutes off last years race time, I feel like I ran a much smarter race and had many more obstacles this year  in 1) lack of training 2) absolutely HEINOUS creek crossings. To tell the truth, I really exceeded my own expectations for how I'd fare and don't feel I could have run much better, if at all, on this particular day. My running by volume was about a third to half of where it was last year and almost all on roads, I kind of feel like I ran this one "off the couch." One huge bonus for this go around of Lookout was Caitlins expert crewing skills, we probably managed to shave 5-10 minutes just by getting through the aid stations faster. There were a few aid stations were I never even had to break stride. A huge thanks to her and dad for a day full of hurry up and wait while I ran around in the woods.

For anybody considering this race I'd definitely recommend it. The course is really about as good as you'll find and you'll get enough race goodies to break even on your entry fee.What else could you ask for? 

The days winners

Fallout from 7hrs of wet feet, 6,500ft of elevation gain, and 50miles of technical trail:

the largest blood-blister I've ever received

A destroyed birthday present

Finally, congratulations to all the Knoxvillians who went out and made their way through one tough day on the trails. I wish you all a speedy recovery and hope the holidays treat you well.

Cheers!