Highs and Lows of the Capitol Peak 50 mile Trail Run

I was unsure of whether I wanted to run the Capitol Peak 50 mile trail run, given that I have a 30 hour Adventure Race next weekend, but I eventually convinced myself that if I ran it just as a training run, I could finish feeling good without too many ill effects. So, I packed up my stuff and drove down to the Capitol Forest on Friday night, squeezing myself into a camping spot at Fall Creek shared with two other groups of runners. The race started Saturday morning at 6am, with a 55km option that was being run simultaneously.

Temperatures Saturday morning were in the high 30s, expected to improve to mid 50s or so. The actual weather during the day was all over the place: some clouds, some sun, a little light rain now and then, and a couple snow flurries at the top of Capitol Peak. I wore shorts and short-sleeved tee, with hat and gloves and arm warmers. Gloves are necessary for keeping my hands warm, especially when I am gripping a bottle of cold water in each hand for the whole race. The hat and arm warmers I dumped at my (only) drop bag at mile 19. I warmed myself at the fire barrels going next to the start line while listening to the pre-race meeting, and then we lined up and were off.

I always go out too fast, but this time I let all the front runners go ahead, and they quickly disappeared from view. I even stopped to wait for Gleen, who was just behind me, so that we could chat for a little bit. The first 19 miles of the course are very runnable, however, and I soon settled into a reasonably fast yet comfortable pace.

At mile 19, we came back through the start/finish area, where I picked up two new bottles filled with energy drink from my drop bag and swapped a new pouch of food into my fanny pack. I was eating molasses cookies, Gu, Clif shot bloks and string cheese (hopefully a little fat would keep my stomach settled better), washing it down with a few Endurolyte capsules. Next up was a 5.5 mile climb up Capitol Peak.

As climbs go, this one was fairly mellow, rising 2000 feet over 5 miles. I made sure to stop and walk a couple parts that were steeper in order to give my body a break, but I quickly started jogging again whenever the course flattened out. I reached the aid station at mile 24.5 in exactly four hours, and had already put most of the climbing behind me. I felt great. The aid station personnel mentioned that I was the fourth 50 miler to come past. Not too bad for taking it easy.

We made a three mile loop around and over Capitol Peak before coming past the 24.5/27 mile aid station again. I caught up with one of the 50 mile runners who was looking like he had seen better days. Hiking the steep ascent up to the peak, I also caught up with James Varner, who was doing the 55km. I convince him to switch over to the 50 mile race (the two races separated at mile 27, right ahead of us) so that I would have someone to run with. He agreed.

I waited briefly for James as he told the aid station personnel that he was switching events, and we were off. I felt great. After running with James for another fifteen minutes, he told me to go ahead, as I was definitely full of energy and hitting my stride. I pulled ahead and started thinking about a strong second half showing. I passed a runner sitting by the side of the trail taking of his shoe. I was now in second place. I started to think about racing this one after all.

In between visits to the mile 31.5/43.5 aid station was a six mile long trail that we had to run out and back. I found it a little difficult to run out, as I knew that each step I took was taking me further from the finish, as it had to be retraced. Mentally, it was harder than doing a 12 mile loop. However, we did get to see how we were doing compared to the people in front of us and behind us. When I saw the front runner, I discovered that he was only five minutes ahead of me at the turnaround, and I vowed that if he showed weakness, that I would catch up with him and pass him. James was five minutes behind me, and a couple other runners were a few minutes behind him. Only 13 miles to go.

On my way back, I made a potentially huge blunder. The trail came to road that was marked with flagging to go right. I remember thinking as I turned right onto the road how I hated running on the sections of forest road as I was coming down. I ran along the road for a couple minutes until... it ended. Dead end. No flagging or nothing. I certainly didn't remember this part.

With memories of Orcas Island in 2008 (where Darin Bentley and I ran a bonus fifteen minute loop right before the finish while we were distractedly chatting), I decide quickly to turn around and run back until I met James, and get a second opinion. I made it all the way back to the flagging and discovered a third marker further up in the woods where the trail had crossed the road and continued on the other side of it about twenty feet down the road. I headed back on course again, hoping that my five minute deviation didn't cost me too much. First place definitely looked out of reach now.

It turns out that James and the others were still behind me, but I finished the out-and-back section strong, hoping that they wouldn't catch up. I passed the aid station again (this time at mile 43.5). The last 6.5 miles of the course dropped 1500 feet in a sweet, easy downhill, the perfect kind of finish to a long trail race. I flew down the hill, feeling great and light on my legs, covering the last 6.5 miles in 55 minutes and finishing in a very respectable 7:55. And I felt great, too. I should do these training runs more often.