Desert RATS 50 – CO

I ran in the Desert RATS 50 mile race in Fruita, Colorado. This race is part of the Trail Running Festival put on Gemini Adventures.   It used to be called the Spring Desert Ultra.  I’ve wanted to do this race for several years, but it has always conflicted date-wise with Zane Grey 50, which I have run for the past four years.   After four Zane Grey finishes, I had enough of that tough race.  I decided to give the Fruita race a try.

 

Desert RATS 50 is run above the Colorado River on mostly single-track mountain bike trails.   The course is laid out to be a 25-mile loop that consists of two major climbs with plenty of rolling ups and downs in between.  The 50-mile race runs the loop twice, the second time in the other direction.  The race is billed at being challenging, and that is probably correct.  However, I would not classify it as a tough 50-miler because most of the trail is non-technical and the climbs are not terrible.

For those who enjoy desert runs, I found the scenery spectacular.   It is similar to runs further down the Colorado River drainage, in Moab, but the course runs over less slickrock than those races.   The trail is generally a nice smooth trail, worn by mountain bikes that is free from rocks.  There are some sections that are categorized as tough for mountain bikers, but only semi-challenging for ultrarunners.  Looking at the results from previous years, I set my goal to finish in 10:30, hopefully to finish in the top-20.  About 60 runners would start the 50-mile race. 

I traveled to the race with two of my sons, my oldest 27-year-old son, Davy, and my youngest 12-year-old son, Connor.  It was great to have them along.  Our drive was less than four hours and we spent the night at a nice motel in Fruita.   A bad storm had gone across Utah and Colorado recently, but it left within its wake, perfect cool running weather for the desert.  When we arrived at the start, it was 45 degrees.  I decided to leave behind arm warmers and gloves.   

At the start line, they announced that there would be $100 bills for the first male and female runner at the 1.3 mile mark at the top of a small hill.  Several runners took the bait and were off like a shot.   For the first quarter mile, I actually ran next to Anton Krupicka.  As he watched others racing ahead of him, he finally bid goodbye to a friend and said it was time to start racing.   In addition to the 60 50-mile runners, we were also running with about 120 25-mile runners.  Paul Grimm caught up with me and we exchanged greetings.  I hoped to try to keep up with him for awhile.   During my last 50-mile race, he left me in the dust around mile 27. 

Go buy these great pictures!

Mile 1.5

After the first 1.3 miles, we turned onto a single-track mountain bike trail (Moore Fun Trail) that started to make a steady climb up from the desert floor to the high plateaus above.   I kept up a good strong pace but after another mile was breathing much too hard.  I just couldn’t keep up the pace and watched about 20 other runners eventually pass me on the climb.  It was frustrating.  I concluded that the cough I had battled for the past week was affecting me.  But I also had to remind myself that most of those runners were only going 25 miles and should be going at a faster pace. 

The views as we rose above the desert floor were amazing.  The sun rose and reflected off the red rock cliffs.  As we crested the top of the high hill after climbing about 2,000 feet, I recovered and soon felt much better.   Ahead of me was a runner with a red shirt who I noticed had some good downhill speed.  I pushed it up a notch at was determined to keep up.    We passed a couple runners.  I noticed that on the more technical downhill spots I would actually run faster than on the smooth trail.  That is silly, but mentally I enjoyed the challenge of the tougher trail and would show myself and others that I could really blast down with speed.  It was great fun! 

Finally we caught up with a long train of about 20 runners who had passed me on the uphill.  The red shirt runner took the caboose position and I was about to suggest that we both try hard to pass all these runners.  But then I could see that it would be very hard.  The only way to pass would be to go “off-road” on some very rough ground and around obstacles.   It looked like redshirt was content to just be patient and make the long descent with everyone else.    

I didn’t have the same patience.  The pace seemed too slow for me.  I usually make up time on the downhills. After another minute, when I saw a small opening, I shot off the trail and whipped around the last two runners in the train and then whipped back in line.  The trail leveled out on a saddle between two hills and I saw another opening.    It felt like I was in a Nascar race.  I did a sling-shot, off the trail, kicked it up two gears and whipped around another set of half a dozen runners.   I noticed some funny looks given me, like “What is he doing?”   I repeated it again a couple more times and soon only had four more runners at the head of the train to pass.   I could now see clearly the runner in the front who was holding up the train.  The trail was now on a much steeper downhill that went through some slickrock sections, but that didn’t stop me.  I cut a corner to pass another couple runners and finally passed the entire train.  There was just “clean air” ahead.  I was thrilled and pushed it ahead at the speed I enjoyed.   After a quarter mile I passed another runner.  It was Paul Grimm.  I called out hello, but passed him right by.   My frustration was now gone.   Perhaps I couldn’t keep up on the first big climb, but I made up for it on the first big decent. 

Aid Station	miles	goal	actual
Moore Fun	5.9	1:02	0:53

I cruised into the Moore Fun aid station (mile 5.9) and was shocked when I checked my watch.   I arrived at the 53-minute mark, nine minutes ahead of my planned pace.  No wonder I was having trouble keeping up on the climb.  This pace was just way too fast.  All these 25-mile runners were goading me to go as fast as they were going.   As we left the station, I purposely held back my pace and watched a few runners go ahead on the next climb. 

We made our way up to a shelf above the Colorado River (Mary’s Loop) and enjoyed a smooth rolling trail that made its way in and out drainages and pour-off areas with cliffs to our left descending down to the Colorado River.   My pace was good, but I discovered that I struggled to keep up on the smooth flats.  Whenever a downhill came, especially if it was semi-technical, I pushed much harder and could catch up or increase my distance. 

Aid Station	miles	goal	actual
Pizza Overlook	9.2	1:38	1:29

I arrived at the next aid station and noticed that I did a better job staying on my goal pace.   I quickly downed a gel and filled up my bottle.  This race decided not to use paper cups at the aid stations, claiming it is more “green” to not use them.  That was a bother and seemed pretty silly to me.  I ended up having to grab a 2-liter bottle of coke and just pour it into my mouth without putting my mouth on it.   It would just take too much time first pouring it into my bottle. 

Mile 10

Leaving the aid station, I made a big blunder.  I took a wrong turn and no volunteers noticed.  Just the day before, I read a race report about someone taking the same or similar wrong turn.   As I was taking an S-cap, and eating something, I noticed there were not any foot prints.  I couldn’t see anyone following me.  I didn’t wait long.  I turned around and started running, faster and faster.  Sure enough, I took a wrong turn.  I saw the right trail in the distance and went cross country a little and then fell in line with the non-stupid runners who could stay on course.    That was discouraging because I lost about 6 minutes and was at least a half mile behind the runners I had been with for the past hour.   The runners around me now were all new faces.

The next section was really impressive.  The trail would wind in and out along the shelf above deep gorges.  At one point we could look across the gorge and see runners about a half mile ahead of us.  Sure enough, I could see where I should have been running if I didn’t go off course.  But I pushed ahead harder on this leg, determined to make up a little time. 

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Crossroads	12.5	2:14	2:06

During the next leg on the Troy Built trail, the runners started to be more spread out as we fell into a more comfortable pace very similar to each other.  The Colorado River came into view again along with the railroad.  The trail made some nice climbs and descents.   The terrain was more desesrt-like with less vegetation.

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Troybuilt	19.2	3:29	3:27

We finally descended down to the valley floor with the roar of I-70 close by.  The volunteers at all the aid stations were great.  I was impressed that they all seemed to be knowledgeable and gave good help and suggestions to all the runners.   Next up I knew would be a long climb up and over a mountain.  But I was surprised to see that the climb wasn’t that bad.   I concentrated on keeping a nice pace going.  Before I reached the top, I was shocked to see that the two front-runners were already coming back toward me!   They were about eight miles ahead of me.  Here I am, pushing myself almost as hard as I can, and these guys look fresh and are running very fast.   Anton Krupicka was running in 2^nd or 3^rd. (Something happened right after I saw Anton. When I returned to the aid station on the way back, I heard the volunteers talking about the long-haired runner without a shirt who had DNFed on the hill.   I wonder what happened.)   

Mile 23

I tried to keep count of all the runners coming toward me.  Finally the trail again descended back down toward the desert floor and poured back out onto the dirt road.   I saw many of the runners I had be up with earlier in the morning.  Paul Grimm came running toward me, about 1.5 miles ahead of me.  It looked like there were 32 runners ahead of me.

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Start/Finish	25	4:40	4:42

The start/finish came into view and I saw my two boys there to greet me.  They knew my goal was to get there in 4:40, so they shouted loud, calling me “old man,” chewing me out for being two minutes late.  The guy on the microphone announced my arrival and also mentioned that I was two minutes behind schedule, but that he was sure I could make it up.  I laughed.    My boys had just checked out the motel and barely made it back in time to see me.  I didn’t need anything from my drop bag.  My feet felt great, no grit or blisters to worry about.   I just filled up, ate a few things, pounded down a gel and after a quick two-minute stop, continued on my way.   I did notice all day that my aid station stops were quite a bit faster than runners ahead of me.  I could always leave with a runner who had arrived a couple minutes before me. 

OK, back I went.  It was fun to greet all the runners behind me, including some friends from Utah.  Everyone seemed like they were having a great time.   During the long climb, I started to struggle somewhat with my pace and was passed by a couple runners, but I never let them too far out of my sight.

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Troybuilt	30.9	6:10	6:05

By the next aid station, I was again ahead of my goal, but the next leg would be tough as the afternoon sun peeked out from behind the clouds.   In one particular canyon climb, I could really start to feel the warmth, even though it probably was only in the 60s.  I noticed that some runners ahead of me were slowing a little, so I set my sights to pass them, a runner in gray and a runner in pink.   It became a good challenge to concentrate on.  I finally passed them both and next had a runner in orange in my sights (Garry Curry) along with a runner in white (Fred Ecks).  I would determine how many minutes ahead they were and keep trying to close the distance.  At times I came within yards of Garry but then would fall back again.

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Crossroads	34.2	7:35	7:41

I was now a little behind schedule, but after drinking and eating well, I felt energized and was determined to pick up the pace.   Within the first quarter mile, I kicked it up a couple gears and was running fast again.  I passed Garry for the final time and he complimented me on my effort.  After racing down the next hill, I set my sights on Fred.  He had a nice pace going.  As we reached the gorge, I noticed that next runner ahead of us was about a half mile ahead.  I hoped that I could next chase him.  On the other side of the gorge, Fred started to walk, so I found my opportunity and finally passed him.  The rolling trail was fun but as I neared the next aid station, I started to fade poorly and Fred passed me back.

Mile 37

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Pizza Overlook	37.5	8:20	8:24

At the aid station, I was breathing very hard.  A volunteer correctly diagnosed that I was dehydrated.   As he filled my water bottles he firmly told me that I needed to drink an entire bottle before the next station.   Another person asked if I needed anything.  I replied that I needed a nice long rest.   But I didn’t stop.   Fred went on ahead and I couldn’t keep up.   After awhile, I started to feel very poor.  Despite the warmth, I felt chills up and down my arms, felt light-headed and noticed that I had not been sweating for some time.  My head was still working and I realized that I had early signs of heat stroke.  I needed to take immediate action.  I downed a couple S-caps and immediately tried to drink as much fluid as I could, even though I wasn’t thirsty.  Finally, I significantly reduced my pace.   I kept looking behind me, but there were no runners on my tail.  I wondered what happened to Garry.  I guessed that he too must have been affected by the blazing 65-degree heat. 

After a half hour, I finally felt much better and gradually started to pick up the pace again.   I estimate that I lost 10-15 minutes because of this dehydration blunder.  

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Moore Fun	44.2	9:05	9:21

At the final aid station, the guy there mentioned that my boys had been there on their bikes but had left awhile ago.  I had also heard that they had been seen back at the Troy Built aid station.  I was glad that they were having some fun on the trails.   As I left, I could not see any runners chasing me from behind, or any far ahead of me.   All afternoon, however, I did run into many mountain bikers on the trail.  They were very courteous and always would stop to let me run past them.   As I started to climb, I saw two bikers ahead.  They were my boys, Davy and Connor.  I called out a greeting.  They explained that they thought they had seen me up ahead and tried to catch up, climbing part of the huge hill ahead.  They weren’t too happy to find out it wasn’t me.   This section of the trail was probably the hardest for bikers.   They wished me well and continued to ride back down to return to the start along a long dirt road.  Connor mentioned that he had a low tire. 

I had a big climb ahead and started to get very lazy.  But as the trail started to wind back and forth, I noticed Milada Copeland from Utah coming fast toward me.  At one point our trails swung within only about 20 yards of each other, even though she was about 3 minutes behind me and still had to climb up and around a ridge.   That woke me up and I really started to push much harder.  I was determined to not let anyone catch me before the finish.   I quickly started to put more distance on Milada.  When I reached a saddle, I ran into a mountain biker and asked him how far ahead the next runner was.  He shook his head and said the next runner was on top of the high knoll, probably about a mile ahead.    

OK, I wouldn’t be catching anyone else, but I pushed ahead on the long climb.  As the trail would switch back, Milada would seem so close behind.   But when I finally reached the top, I was pleased to see that I had some good downhill speed left.  I had a great time descending down the hill with the desert valley far below and the final road in view.   I kept looking above me, but there was no sign of Milada.   I finally spilled out onto the dirt road for the final 1.3 miles. 

I noticed a couple guys on bikes ahead.  They were my boys, working on a flat tire.   Connor’s tire finally went flat.  He had pushed the bike for about three miles and Davy had went to the car to retrieve a pump.  When he returned, Connor pumped up the tire while Davy sang a silly song, “Pump, pump, pump it up….”  As they laughed and pumped, eventually the tire exploded.   Pretty funny.   I arrived shortly later.   Connor would have to push the rest of the way while Davy rode beside me.   I was concerned about being caught, and we looked behind and could see Milada.  But we were going about the same pace, so I was glad I wouldn’t have to sprint to the finish.

Aid Station	miles	goal	Actual
Start/Finish	50	10:30	10:46

I crossed the finish in 10:46:16 in 24^th place overall and the 3^rd runner age 50+ to finish.  About 20 or so 50-milers chose to quit after 25-miles and get credit for that distance.  Another 8 runners DNFed.  See results at: http://www.geminiadventures.com/Fest09.html 

I again was badly dehydrated.  I was just dumb for not drinking enough.  I washed up and we soon were on our way home.  I drank a bunch and it seemed to empty out of my stomach very fast.   After an hour I felt much better. 

I really enjoyed the race and feel that a sub-10-hour finish is possible for me on this course.  It isn’t really that hard.  However, I doubt that I will return, because usually it is quite a bit hotter.  A hot race this early in the season is tough on me.   We returned home by about 10 p.m.  My recovery for the next few days was a little rougher than normal because of the stress on my system caused by the dehydration.  A simple lesson re-learned.  I will do better next race.