Big Rock Runners

What a surprise it was to determine on the eve of the Croom Zoom that the first purchase we would have to make in Florida would be mittens. The early morning temperatures were predicted below freezing. So off we went to Wal-Mart on an emergency glove hunt. We were pretty happy to find not only gloves but what a deal two pairs for $1.40.

Saturday mornings six o’clock start didn’t disappoint us either as we had to scrape ice off the windshield. At race start the temperature gauge read 28F, I was very grateful to have brought a wind shirt as I had not planned on cold weather & didn’t even have a long sleeve shirt to start in. I was a little cool at the beginning but very happy with my new mittens. The race is run much like the Blackfoot Ultra (25k, 50k, and 100k) with out all of those pesky hills. The first stage of the race was a 2.2ish mile loop followed by six slightly under 10 mile loops to bring the total distance in at 100k. I started out with a group of six before we had finished the first little bit two young guys pulled away leaving me with three young gals. The girls were happy to follow me for about 10 more miles in the dark but at sunrise we were passed by another couple which didn’t sit so well with my early morning companions so they to passed me & gradually pulled away for the duration of the first loop. 

On the second loop I caught up with one of my earlier girls, Krystle Martinez a perky 26 year old chiropractic student from Miami. She was running pretty well & I assumed she was in the 50k but I soon learned she was the reigning female winner in the 100k. She stayed with me for about 5 miles but fell off the paced as I don’t think she liked the cool morning air. At that point in my mind I had the two guys in the 100k in the lead, next was the couple that passed us fairly early then the two girls that I knew were in the 50k. So I put myself in third place in my mind finishing lap two.

 I had stripped down to just a shirt for lap two as the weather had started to warm up with the morning sun. The next two laps went pretty much as planned. I was not passed by anybody but was occasionally passing other runners in the 25k, 50k & 100k races. Lap five was a little more problematic as what started out as flat terrain was now beginning to have hills the size of small mountains. The ground is also fairly sandy which makes it a little disconcerting for a prairie boy like me to run on. I had thought I could run a possible PB with the terrain & it being at sea level but that illusion was crushed on leg five & six as I started to realize even ten hours may not be in reach. 

As I left for my final lap the time keeper told me that there were only two in front of me. From the very early on up until that point in the race I hadn’t been passed by anybody so I decided in my mind to run the last lap as though I was winning the race & I ran determined not to be reeled in by anybody that was behind me. I was pretty happy with my lap & again was not passed or lapped from behind. I crossed the finish line at just over 10 hours (10:00:30) felling pretty good about my last lap & my third place finish. The organizers came up & congratulated my on the race & gave me a trophy. I thought it was for the first old geezer but it read 1st overall. Thinking that I was in third I tried giving it back for the guys in front of me, but much to my surprise I was told that there was nobody in front of me & I had actually won the darn race. I must have looked pretty much stunned but I will say I had a great laugh at my earlier miscalculation as the two guys I had pegged in front must have been in the 50k race. The time keeper had a good laugh as well as he had been pulling my leg about the two guys. The next runner, David House came in at 10:29:52 & I was really happy to see my young chiropractic student Krystle come in at 10:56:03 to reclaim first prize for the women.

All in all it is a very well organized race on a beautiful single track course. I would highly recommend it to anybody that likes a smaller race in what I would describe as near perfect running conditions. I will probably not be able to go back next year, I would be really pleased if another Albertan or at least a Canadian went down to bring the hardware home again. 

Wayne Gaudet

For pictures click here.