Breakneck Point Trail Marathon - Race Report - 1st Overall

The twelfth edition of the Breakneck Point Trail Marathon, put on by Red Newt Racing, took place on May 3^rd at Breakneck Ridge in Beacon, New York. The Breakneck Point course is well-known for its expansive views overlooking the Hudson Valley, but also for providing more vertical gain per mile than all but a handful of races in the country and was ranked as the toughest trail marathon in the Northeast. In 2021 and 2023, USATF selected the Breakneck Point Trail Marathon to serve as one of two qualifiers for the US Mountain & Trail Running Team. In those years, the race brought out some of the best technical and mountain runners in the country, and even in a regular year, the course attracts some of the best mountain trail runners in the region.

The last two years during the first weekend of May, I have found myself racing at the SpartanTrail Bear Mountain 50K, just over the Hudson River at Bear Mountain State Park, but this year I was hoping to test myself on something new. I have run at Breakneck a handful of times, including completing repeats of the Bull Hill Climb, with my good friend, Mike Skluth. Additionally, I attended a course preview run covering the first half of the race a few weeks prior and ran with a handful of great guys including Ian Shultis, Matt Decker, Andrew Knesnik, Joseph Mullhaupt, and Cristhian Galeano, a few of whom would also be running either the Half Marathon or Marathon. That’s all to say, I did have a solid understanding of what type of terrain I was getting myself into, at least for the first half of the race. I also had a couple of other friends who would be racing the Marathon, including Christopher Petroff, who I had dueled with for nearly twenty-nine miles a few weeks prior at the Sleeping Giant Trail Runs 50K, and Kris Mack, who I first met a few years back at the NYC Trail Mix 50K. 

Elevation Profile; 8,500 Feet of Climbing 

I arrived at University Settlement Camp a little bit later than I had intended to; only about forty-five minutes prior to the start of the race at 6:30 AM. It was colder than I had expected, with the feels like temperature hovering in the mid-thirties, but overall excellent condition for racing. I made my way over to the bib pick-up in the large barn adjacent to the start line and settled myself in and began preparing my gear. As I do now for all races under 100K, I was rocking the HOKA Tecton X3’s with the carbon plate, Nike half tights, a HOKA Aerolite Tank Top, HOKA hat, and, most importantly, my Naked Running Belt. I would be carrying two 400ml bottles, one filled with water and the other with 50g concentration of Skratch, as well as an assortment of gels and gummies.

About twenty minutes before the race, I ran into both Kris and Chris as we chatted a bit before making our way over to the start. Chris was a late addition to the race, only registering the Friday night before. We would be meeting again a little less than a month later at the Cayuga Trails 50, another spectacular Red Newt Racing event, up in Ithaca, New York. My goal time for the race was between 4:45 – 4:55, which I thought was aspirational, but hopefully good enough to contend for the podium based on historical race results for non-USATF years. After a few announcements, we were off and running, charging up the 1,000-foot climb that takes place over the first two and a half miles of the race.

Pre-Race

Redlining from the gun is certainly a choice for opening a nearly five-hour race, but I found myself leading for the first half mile or so, uncomfortably and haphazardly navigating the loose rocks on the climb. I did not like being the one setting the tone this early, especially at our torrid pace, and so I let both Chris Petroff and Felix Ostendorf go by shortly thereafter. Both Chris and Felix are quite fast, having run 2:32 and 2:27, respectively, at the Boston Marathon just two weeks prior. In fact, Chris had blown by me at Mile 22 during that race as I was en route to my own 2:34 finish. I was discouraged that I had to let Felix and Chris go less than a mile in, with the pair out of sight by Mile 2, but the pace was simply too hot this early and I couldn’t afford to burn the matches. In fact, we came through Mile 1 at about 9:00 with over five hundred feet of gain over rocky terrain, which graded out to a six-minute mile, not even considering the course technicality. Even though I lost Chris and Felix, we had put a considerable gap on the rest of the field, and I sat comfortably in third, though I was struggling early to get my body and my mind to lock-in.

Breakneck Point Trail Runs features a distinct two-loop course, with an overlap where runners begin with this two-mile climb, descend back down the trail at Mile 13 to the start area, climb the same trail yet again from Mile 15-17, branching off onto the second loop, and then fly down the descent for a final time to end the race. The two-mile initial climb came to an end as we forked right off the Notch Trail (Blue) onto the Wilkinson Memorial Trail (Yellow) to begin a steep two-mile descent down. It took me a bit to find my trail legs, navigating the technical switchbacks  and rocky descents, and by the time I reached a course marshal at Mile 4, I was already two minutes back of Chris and Felix.

As I began the next climb, I was grateful for the fantastic, cool weather we had this morning. I had heard from a friend who had run the race last year, a wet one, to expect a cacophony of bugs, but thankfully they never materialized given the temperatures. The next ascent, Breakneck Point, is considered the signature climb of the race, and is described as “steep, gnarly, exposed, and absolutely beautiful.” The climb begins with several hundred steps composed of the signature granite and gneiss that the Hudson Highlands are known for, before transitioning to the sheer, exposed scramble up the cliff face. This was a horribly slow mile in general, and as I reached the photographer from Goat Factory Media at the top of the climb, he indicated that the lead guys were still running together and about four minutes up. This climb continued a short ways past the exposure section and then transitioned to a steep decline down more granite stairs before finally opening up to a groomed gravel trail at Mile 6, which drops over three hundred fifty feet over the next mile and a half to the first aid station.

I used this groomed trail to reset mentally and physically, and as an opportunity to refuel. Between gels, gummies, and Skratch, I ended up taking down 60-70g of carbs this mile alone and was on target for the overall goal aiming for approximately 90g-100g of carbs an hour. Despite the runnability, I decided not to completely bomb this section because I knew we had a huge 1,100-foot climb out of the aid station. Just after Mile 7, the trail flattened out as I took a left-hand turn onto a quick quarter-mile section, taking me to the first aid station, Cold Spring.

Cold Spring – Mile 7.4, 3^rd Place, 1:13:23 Total Time

Top of Breakneck Point!
PC: Goat Factory Media

I was in and out of Cold Spring quickly, stopping only to refill one of my bottles with water. Again, inquiring about position, I was told I was about six minutes down of the lead. I began the climb up the Washburg Trailhead (White), reminiscing about the late August day last year my friend Mike and I had tackled this climb five times in a single morning. The Washburg Trailhead is one of the most well-known trails in the state of New York and is a particular favorite of the day hikers coming up from the city. As such, the trail can get crowded early, but, this morning, I mostly had the trail to myself. Overall, I was still feeling relatively unremarkable at this point, and all I could do was tip my hat to the bagpiper the race had stationed about halfway up the climb, who was playing some rendition of “Taps” or something similar. I made my way to the top around Mile 9, ending the third (and longest) of the four climbs on the first half of the course. Breakneck Point has its share of rollers to be sure, but unlike other races with relatively similar elevation profiles such as Sleeping Giant, Breakneck tests you with extended climbing and descending with 1,000-foot climbs followed by 1,000-foot descents, which take an ever-increasing toll on your quads (and your knees).

The next two miles were probably the least memorable of the front half of the course but featured a  steady descent with some of the more rocky and technical sections of the race. I descended down past Mile 10 to a course marshal who said the leaders had now split up, with Chris Petroff in the lead. After taking a right-hand turn onto another trail, there was a nice half-mile groomed path to the beginning of the fourth climb, which had its share of rocks, but was the easiest of the four on the front half. Peaking a bit after Mile 11, the course took a “transition” mile along undulating, rocky singletrack, which would take me to the downhill back to the start area. During this mile, I kept looking over my shoulder sensing that someone was coming up to me, but no one ever did.

Eventually, the trail bisected the Notch Trail (Blue) again and I began the two-mile downhill to the start. This was an exciting and nerve-wracking section of the race as it would be my first and only opportunity to get a bead on where the leaders were as I was coming down the trail and where the chasers were as I was coming up. As I worked my way down the trail and closer to the start area, I was checking my watch practically every minute, noting that I had split approximately halfway distance-wise in about 2:23, right on pace for that 4:45 finish target. Finally, I saw Felix, who had now taken the lead and looked very strong (and who I later heard from Chris had bombed down the descent by him), and I made a mental note of the time on my watch to calculate the gap when I was coming back up to the same spot. Probably the story of my race, but I took a more cautious approach on this descent, knowing we had a gnarly 1,500-foot climb out of the aid station. As you approach the start area, you begin a small quarter-mile loop or so that takes you behind and through the start line to the aid station. Making this turn, I still did not see Chris, so I knew I was close, as I entered the University Settlement Camp aid station at Mile 14.7.

University Settlement Camp – Mile 14.7, 3^rd Place, 2:31:59 Total Time

Another Shot of Breakneck Point!
PC: Goat Factory Media

My plan approaching the University Settlement Camp aid station had been the same as before the Cold Spring climb, and that was to build up a calorie reserve, which I began towards the end of the descent when the technicality temporarily eased, and continued at the aid station as I had prepared an extra Skratch bottle for this aid station that I had guzzled about half of. I moved out of the aid station quickly in about thirty seconds, inquiring about Chris’s position and was told that he had just left! Sure enough, as I rounded the trail and began the climb, I caught my first glimpse of him since Mile 1. It wasn’t long after that I saw the host of chasers coming down the trail, led by Samuel Kirk, who was approximately four minutes back from me, and several other guy who were about six to eight minutes back. In fact, I passed the spot where I saw Felix trailing him by about eight minutes. I was beginning to feel better but had doubts about being able to close that kind of gap over the next twelve miles. Instead, I focused on the simpler task at hand, which was trying to reestablish connection with Chris without burning myself out too much. Over the next mile and a half or so, I slowly closed the gap down to about ten seconds, but perhaps Chris could sense I was behind because I couldn’t fully bridge the gap.  

At about Mile 16.5, we took a sharp left-turn to follow orange flags for the remainder of the second loop, onto some more incredibly steep terrain with another exposed climb, though not nearly as tough as the one on the front half. Still, I paid for my hard charge this mile, feeling wiped as I bled about thirty seconds back to Chris. I was now officially on unknown terrain. In reviewing prior finishers’ times on Strava, it was evident that most people had a pretty sizable slow down on the back half, though it was hard to say for certain whether the terrain became more challenging or it was simply a case of attrition. Only time would tell. Near the peak of the climb, there was another course marshal who indicated that Felix had about a ten-minute lead.

Finally, I summited South Beacon Mountain (1,610 feet) around Mile 17.5 and was met with views of an incredible looking watchtower. It truly was amazing how much vertical gain this race packs into it with a peak elevation of a little over 1,600 feet. Topping out at the tower, I suddenly saw Chris appear from my right-hand side, only seconds ahead, looking like he had temporarily lost the orange markers and gone off trail. About a quarter-mile later, I had caught up to him, and we chatted for a moment before he let me take the lead, saying he was having some difficulty following the flags. I wasn’t ready to put in a full move, as there was a lot of race left, but I did want to apply some pressure. I sped up over a relatively flat and rocky section of trail bordering the Beacon Reservoir, which then transitioned into a beautiful, groomed gravel road at Mile 18. I pressed here and opened up a gap over the next half mile, stealing a glance back as I hit a right-hand turn back onto another steep, rocky climb to see I had about thirty seconds on Chris. I kept pushing up this climb, thinking I was moving a bit better uphill at this point and wanted to use it to my advantage.

Topping out again at Mile 19, I had about a mile and a half descent to “run” into the final aid station, Sunnyside. I use the term “run” loosely, as this was one of the most treacherous descending miles I have ever run; an absolute minefield of boulders and twisted branches on shot quads, where one wrong step and you are toast. I’m likely not alone in this feeling, but if I were looking for where to find time on this course, it’s almost certainly on the descents. I think it takes a certain skill set that is difficult to learn, and harder to master, coupled with familiarity with the terrain (which I didn’t have) and a sort of abject fearlessness (which I’m also not quite sure I have) to excel here. It was another one of those miles where your anxiety makes it feel like someone is going to blow by you here and you will have no response because of the terrain. Finally, this never-ending mile and a half ended as I dropped down into Sunnyside aid station at approximately Mile 20.3.

Sunnyside – Mile 20.3, 3^rd Place, 3:35:50 Total Time

It was getting a bit warmer, so I paused for a few seconds to refill both my bottles with what turned out to be lifesaving, ice-cold water. Huge thank you to the volunteers who had to truck those big jugs up to this aid station. I again inquired about Felix’s position, and they said he was six minutes ahead, but were unsure if he was catchable. Leaving the aid station, I was hit with a climb I have now come to find out is appropriately called the “The Abusive Jeep Trail” on Strava. You might be wondering how I could have missed a 1,000-foot climb at an average grade of more than 16% over 1.15 Miles, but the course map is remarkably deceiving in the sense that the 1,500-foot climb to begin the second loop makes it appear like you have a few moderate-length climbs throughout the back half but that it is largely rolling. I had no idea how long this climb was, so I was forced to moderate the effort more than I might have and was reduced to about 85% power hiking. However, this was exactly the situation I had been training so extensively for, as I have been working for months at climbing intervals on the treadmill, lately modeling climbing workouts based on David Roche’s workouts. Coupled with some weighted vest training on the stair stepper, I was about as prepared as I ever had been for this type of climb late in the race. Still, this was certainly a low point for me. While I wasn’t tracking the total gain on my watch, the only saving grace was that I knew that there was likely only rolling terrain with a few small climbs, and then a few miles of descending back to the finish, as I finally crested the top.

It took me a few minutes to recover at the top of the climb as I entered about a mile and a half of undulating singletrack along the ridgeline. Coming off the ridge, I made a left-turn down and was shocked to suddenly see Felix only about 15 seconds up ahead! It had appeared that I had cut four minutes off his lead on the last climb and then slowly taken the rest over the past two miles or so. I worked to close the gap over the next quarter-mile, as I came up on his shoulder right before Mile 23. I am a big proponent of when you make a move late in a race you have to make it with authority, and so I went by Felix hard on a stretch of flat trail to take the lead for the first time since Mile 1. I was immediately rewarded (punished) for my move as the flat trail transitioned into another crushing climb.  Ideally, I would have moderated this climb a bit more but was instead forced to commit to the attack and, despite the pain, it appeared that doing so had snapped the connection.  

Finish!

This course is described as being approximately 26.5 Miles via the GPX file; however, my watch was telling a different story, clicking past Mile 23.5, Mile 24.0, Mile 24.5 and still not connecting back to the trail I had come up, though now I had begun gradually descending. Right before Mile 25, I finally turned back onto the Wilkinson Memorial Trail (Yellow) and reconnected with the Notch Trail (Blue) for the descent to the finish. While I pressed on hard to the finish, I was also cautious so as not to clip one of the countless loose rocks on this section of the trail. Still, it was hard to ignore the energy from the other runners, with marathoners going up the climb for their second loop, and half marathoners working their way down the climb with me. I checked my watch with a bit less than a mile to go and saw 4:44, knowing  I would have a shot at sub-4:50, but it would be very close. The trail leveled out for the final time as I made the left-hand turn onto the small loop to the finish, which signified about a quarter-mile to go, as I saw a few ticks over 4:48 on my watch. I kicked it in hard, finally crossing the finish line with a few seconds to spare, officially finishing with a time of 4:49:44 and earning the win! 

Finish – Mile 27.3, 1^st Place, 4:49:44

Post-Race Photo with Kris!

It was funny, but I’m convinced not a single person knew I finished due to the fact that I had come in with a flood of half marathon finishers around the same time as I had to notify the timer that I was in fact done with the marathon. Thankfully, I found some nice women who were my cheerleaders after figuring it out! I waited at the finish line for Felix, who was second at 4:57:30, and then Samuel Kirk, who had overtaken Chris to finish third on the podium right behind Felix in 4:58:49. Samuel is an incredibly strong runner with multiple Top 10 finishes at JFK 50, and it was great to spend a few minutes chatting with him after the race. Chris ended up crossing the line in fourth in 5:07:05 after some stomach troubles had resulted in a tough last third of the race. A bit later, Matt Decker, whom I had met a few weeks back at the preview run, finished seventh in 5:38:34. Finally, my buddy Kris Mack crushed his goal of sub-6:00 hours, running 5:40:14 for ninth overall! After everyone finished, I chatted with Chris and Kris post-race as we waited for awards. I ended up receiving a very nice peach crumb pie, which I brought up to Newtown, Connecticut later that day for my grandmother’s birthday (winning the best grandson award). 

This was such a special day for me, and I can’t thank the race directors at Red Newt Racing enough for putting it on. I’m also very thankful for the photographers at Goat Factory Media for capturing photos, as well as all the volunteers, especially those at the Sunnyside aid station! This race was definitely a big confidence booster for me. I always like to go in with the mentality that I am capable of winning, but this race has had some seriously stout winners in the past, and it means a lot to be able to add my name to that list. It’s also a big indicator that the training I have been doing is working, and that the treadmill workouts, the weightlifting, the fine-tuning gear and nutrition, are all making me a stronger and more competitive runner. Maybe I’ll have to come back here next year to defend my title, but for now, I am just going to soak it in for a bit, as I recover over the next few days before my next big race, returning to the Cayuga Trails 50 at the end of May in Ithaca, New York, also put on by Red Newt Racing.

When I first ran here back in August of last year, I had said on Strava afterward that I think “Breakneck might have broken me a bit.” Well, I’m happy to have finally evened the score.

Podium Photo with Felix and Samuel 
PC: Goat Factory Media

Sleeping Giant Trail Runs 50K: Return to The Giant

The second edition of the Sleeping Giant Trail Runs 50K, put on by Steep Endurance, took place on March 29^th, at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, Connecticut. While not necessarily an “A” race, Sleeping Giant serves as a great season opener and stepping stones to some longer races I have later this year, including Cayuga Trails 50 in May, Vermont 100K in July, and Javelina Jundred in October. I would be back for the second year in a row, and with some unfinished business. Last year, for the inaugural edition of the race, I was recovering from the flu, and while I took third, I struggled the whole way through the technical terrain and the nearly eight thousand feet of gain the race features. I was miles behind winner, Justin Kousky, and second place, Lee Davis, and so I came in this year excited for the chance to see what time I could put down when healthy. I thought the win, and a time somewhere in the 5:15-5:20 range, just off of Justin’s course record of 5:12:47 last year, was certainly in play. However, I would have to battle multiple fast runners coming from out of state including, Darius Parker from Vermont, Christopher Petroff from New York, and Peter Bonito from New Hampshire. Not to mention a couple of other strong local runners from the great state of Connecticut.

Pre-Race

I would be running this race with my friend Nick L’Amoreaux, no stranger to long distance running, but who would be completing his second official ultra. We arrived at the start line at about 6:15 AM on a chilly morning where the temperature hovered at 28 degrees. We quickly grabbed our bibs and then beelined back to the car to prepare our gear. For the race, I would be using the Naked Running Belt with three 13.5-ounce bottles, two of which were filled with 50g concentrated Skratch mix, and then I would be supplementing with some Gu Gummies as well as Maurten Gels. Ultrarunning appears to be very much making the pivot away from the running vest and towards the running belt; as an example, Hans Troyer rocking the belt for wins at the JFK 50 and Black Canyon 100K. As such, I had spent a lot of time practicing with the belt with plans to use it going forward for the 100K and under distance. After pulling my gear together, Nick and I huddled around the starting area before gathering shortly before 7:00 AM for pre-race announcements. After a few announcements, we were off and running!

One thing I have learned after twenty-two ultras is that no matter how much experience you have, you can still make stupid mistakes. That was apparent immediately as about thirty seconds after the start, two of my bottles and half my gels went flying out of my belt all over the asphalt in front of a storm of charging runners. Total rookie hour. Apparently, I had accidentally put the belt on inside out and so the loose end of the pockets were facing outward instead of pressed up against my body. I guess all that practice didn’t pay off! Just like last year, the race started off hot and by the time I had collected my bottles and tried to salvage some of my dignity, four runners, including Darius and Christopher, had already taken off and were well on their way down the trail.

Before the Bottle Mishap

After a short technical section right off the asphalt, the course opens up for the next several miles to rolling, runnable singletrack and I had to work harder than I would have liked, barreling through a couple sections of frozen mud, to bridge the twenty second gap I had gifted to third and fourth place. Darius, and another runner, Justin Halmose, were already out of sight, but I had regained contact with Scott Greinig and Christopher Petroff as we ran in a tight bunch in third, fourth, and fifth. We were already moving way faster than last year’s course record pace, but I had no choice but to hang along for the ride. One of my goals over the next several months is to get more comfortable being aggressive and trying to survive a hot early pace. I was certainly in good company, with Christopher being a 2:37 marathoner, and Scott being a 2:31 marathoner. It’s wild to think about how the sport of ultra running is changing and how you can now have nearly half a dozen 2:30 something marathoners lining up for a local ultra!

I attempted to make a move by Christopher and Scott around Mile 4, holding the advantage for all of about a minute before I tripped over a rock and ate the ground hard, easily the hardest I ended up falling all day, and leaving a giant contusion on my hip. By the time I had shaken off the fall, and given myself a minute to recover, I had lost both runners down the trail. I tried my best to regain my composure as we hit a long, rocky downhill before the first aid station at Mile 5, right before we begin the infamous Headwall Climb, a lung busting rock scramble of 500 feet in just 0.3 miles.

Headwall Climb – 1 – Mile 5.1, 5^th Place, 39:45 Total Time

Up the Headwall

I hit the Headwall Climb seconds behind Scott, who had stopped briefly at the first aid station, with Christopher out of sight further up the climb. This climb definitely caught me off guard last year with its precipitous 30-40% grade at times, so I’m glad I knew what to expect this year. I was also thankful that unlike last year, conditions were dry and crisp, instead of wet and slick. Despite the cool temperatures, which were now in the low thirties, I was feeling warm enough to ditch my gloves early, but still comfortable with the Vuori Strato Tech long sleeve I had on. Overall, the next three miles represent one of two sections that really take you through the meat of the course, featuring technical rock scrambles and sheer descents. This year, in addition to ditching the vest for the belt, I had made another gear change, switching out my HOKA Speedgoat’s for the HOKA Tecton X3’s, with the carbon plate. While I certainly think the carbon plate helped, and I plan on continuing to use it, there were points where I felt like the Tecton X3 did not handle rocky descents well, twisting and shifting more than I would like amongst the rocky terrain.

I ended up catching Scott shortly after the climb as we chatted for a few minutes continued toward the southern end of the park, briefly bisecting the Tower Trail, which we would finish the loop steamrolling down. Scott started to fall back over the next mile as I hit, in my opinion, the second hardest climb of the course with several wooden staircases, before a gentle singletrack trail took me down to the next aid station at Chestnut Trailhead.

Chestnut Trailhead (Yellow Trail) – 1 – Mile 8.3, 4^th Place, 1:17:10

I ended up running through this aid station as I still had sufficient water and was carrying all of my fueling. If all went according to plan, I would be aiming for about 95g of carbs an hour. I will say though, it certainly felt like a force to get fueling down on this course. Technical climbing and descending are unforgiving, and, at least in my case, if I lose my concentration for more than a second, I am hitting the ground. That made it feel difficult at times to get in the constant fueling that makes 95g of carbs an hour possible. Leaving the aid station, we entered the infamous Yellow Trail loop, which I would characterize as the slowest portion of the course by far. While it does not have some of the same massive climbs, there are an uncharacteristic number of sheer descents as well as what feels like unrelenting rocky terrain. Last year, these sections, especially on the second loop, were by far my slowest miles and where I bled a ton of time to Justin and Lee. I was feeling strong early, despite the hot pace, as my watch clicked into double digit miles. By now, I had begun to wonder where Christopher had gone, the discomfort of being in the fourth-place position weighing on me, when I finally got a glimpse of him about 30 seconds ahead when the trail opened up after another sheer descent. I seemed to be moving better than Christopher on the descents and more technical terrain, and I managed to bridge the gap to him by Mile 11, however, the opportunities to pass here were limited so I sat behind him. Finally, the trail smoothened out as we hit the White Trail, which is a little less than a mile or so of faster terrain, before we would hit Chestnut Trailhead at Mile 12 for the second time.

Chestnut Trailhead (Blue Trail) – 1 – Mile 12.2, 4^th Place, 1:56:37

Navigating the Boulder Field

Christopher and I both ran straight through the aid station as we began the two-mile climb up to the top of the park via the Blue Trail, where we would then pop out on the Tower Trail and begin our descent back to the start of the race at the Pavilion. Like last year, this stage of the race was a welcome relief, as it felt like, despite being nearly four miles to the finish, that you were closer than it seemed. However, it may have been those rose-colored glasses that lead me to misremember how difficult this section of the trail was as Christopher ended up dropping me pretty hard over the next two miles of climbing. He was out of sight as I finally made my way to the Observation Tower as I turned left off the Blue Trail onto the soft gravel of the Tower Trail, which would begin a 1.5 Mile, 500-foot descent back to the Pavilion. By far the fastest terrain on the course, I did not take advantage of it the first lap last year and I would not make that mistake again, as I came through this next mile in a bit under six minutes. As I exited the Tower Trail and approached the short uphill to the Pavilion, I could see Christopher just beginning to enter the drop bag area. I crossed into the drop bag area at Mile 15.7 in 2:27:59, about 46 seconds down of Christopher and nearly a full twenty minutes faster than last year, not to mention five minutes up on last year’s course record pace! Despite our torrid pace, Christopher and I were still down about six minutes to Justin and almost twelve minutes to Darius.

Pavilion – 1 – Mile 15.7, 4^th Place, 2:27:59

Leaving the Pavilion

Executing a pretty rapid transition, I was able to leave the aid station only about fifteen seconds after Christopher as I set off on the second, and final, loop. I had refilled my water bottles and Skratch, grabbed more gels and gummies, and executed a shirt change, moving into my much lighter HOKA Aerolite short sleeve as the temperatures had risen into the low 40s. Last year, the second go on the single-track miles were a slog for me, but this year I was moving well, despite the copious amounts of mud that had now thawed, running about the same pace for these miles as I did on the first lap last year. Overall, this was probably the section where the HOKA Tecton X3’s helped the most. I was gradually closing down on Christopher, though still back about thirty seconds at Mile 18, when I spotted another runner just ahead, who turned out to be Justin Halmose. He seemed to be hurting a bit after the hot early pace, as I closed that gap within the next half a mile and pulled away as I began the descent down to the next aid station. I could feel some of the tenseness leave my body after moving into third, knowing I was now in a podium position and would need someone coming on very strong to pass me. Perhaps the trail sensed me relaxing, as I took another digger, and in nearly the exact same spot as the last loop. So once again, I moved myself gingerly down the trail, running through the next aid station, to begin the Headwall Climb for the second time.   

Headwall Climb – 2 – Mile 20.6, 3^rd Place, 3:09:23 Total Time

Headwall Climb

My legs were screaming at me as I made my way up the Headwall Climb for the second time, but I knew with this climb out of the way, there were only a handful of big ones left on the course, and more importantly, less than ten miles to go. I was a lot more confident on the technical terrain this year, but I could still sense the footwork starting to get sloppy at times as fatigue set in. However, my legs were still feeling relatively good and spirits were high, despite the fact that I had lost Christopher at some point during and immediately after the Headwall Climb. Shortly after, I bisected the Tower Trail again, dodging other 50K runners coming down the trail, and made my way east on the Yellow Trail, before hitting the second longest climb on the course, where the forest opens back up. I tried to power through this section quickly as it is one of the only spots in the middle of the race where you can really get a glimpse of your competitors if they are within two minutes or so. Third place is already an anxiety inducing spot to run in, and I would have liked to avoid giving away any sense of my positioning if I could help it. Despite what I felt was some pretty strong running (!), in my review of race splits, it looked like Christopher had put his largest gap of the day on me by Mile 24 of about three minutes as I made my way into Chestnut Trailhead for the second time.

Chestnut Trailhead (Yellow Trail) – 2 – Mile 24.0, 3^rd Place, 3:52:14

Outside of the Pavilion, I made my only other aid station stop of the day here, gathering a bit more water, as the temperature, while quite comfortable, was heating up a bit, and I wanted more for the slow, technical Yellow Trail. Last year, the second loop of the Yellow Trail was my undoing, only saved by a very strong finish on the Blue Trail. This year, I was moving much better and more confidently, though I ran into a traffic jam of 25K runners much earlier than last year. Consider it to be another challenging piece of the puzzle to try and run through exceptionally rocky terrain, taking 85-95g of carbs an hour, and also dodge 25K runners (who I will add were all very gracious and accommodating!), with fatigue continuing to increase. It was towards the back end of the Yellow Loop, where I moved around a 25K runner on a descent, where I fell forward bracing with my hands in a triangle position and just stopping a sharp rock inches from hitting my face. The technicality of these trails is absolutely no joke, and I always have to remind myself to snap back into it whenever I feel my concentration lapsing. As I moved through the meat of the Yellow Trail, I kept looking over my shoulder, especially with several sections that back-tracked close by one another, but I did not see anyone behind. I also did not see anyone ahead of me, but unbeknownst to me, I had begun to gradually close down on Christopher. I was feeling strong but knew I was running out of real estate as I approached Mile 27 on the White Trail, as the terrain eased up and I headed back to Chestnut Trailhead for the final time.  

Chestnut Trailhead (Blue Trail) – 2 – Mile 27.8, 3^rd Place, 4:34:59

Photos by Dan Brehant 

I hit the Chestnut Trailhead for the last time and took a left turn, beginning the final two-mile slog up to the Tower Trail. As soon as I made this left turn and the trail smoothed out a bit (and I was able to actual look straight ahead instead of at the ground for the first time in miles), I finally saw Christopher about 30 seconds ahead. There was about a half mile of quicker rolling terrain that I used to my advantage before we would take a sharp turn and begin the meat of the climb. I tried to close as much distance over the next half mile as I could before that climb, and without letting Christopher know that I was coming up on him. As we approached the turn, I managed to bring the gap down to about five seconds before I was spotted. As I caught up to Christopher on the beginning of the climb, he put in a bit of a surge and held me off as I took a breather and power-hiked for a few seconds. I really wanted to avoid another battle down the Tower Trail like last year, but I also didn’t want to blow my legs with three miles to go. A lap ago, Christopher had pulled away from me decisively on this section, but as I caught up to him for the second time on this climb, I decided I had to make my move now, a little more than a mile from the Tower Trail, and try to put the race away. I went by hard, trying to put some distance between us and using the numerous 25K runners we were going by as buffers to snap the connection. Looking behind me, it seemed like I had bridged a sizable gap, but I did not want to let off the gas until I hit the Tower Trail and could reassess.

The last climb up to the Observation Tower is definitely sneaky. It has several false peaks where you expect to see the Observation Tower up ahead, but you end up dipping down on the trail and then climbing again. I finally hit the last peak and turned left on to the smooth ground of the Tower Trail and started making my way home, with little more than a mile and a half to go. It was here that I checked my watch for perhaps the first time in hours and was pretty stunned to see about 4:56 elapsed on my watch. I knew it was little more than ten minutes to finish and thus it looked like I would be under Justin Kousky’s incredible course record time from last year of 5:12:47 by five minutes and change. I was relieved that I didn’t need the same all-out final mile of 5:23 that I needed last year to snag third, as it looked like my second-place position was secure as I could not see Christopher behind me. So, I figured a little bit more relaxed Mile 31 of 5:49 was in order for this year! I made my way down the last of the switchbacks on the way back to the Pavilion and began the final climb up the grass hill. I finally crossed the finish line in second overall in 5:06:48, about six minutes under the course record from last year!

Pavilion – 2 – Mile 31.4, 2^nd Place, 5:06:48

Peace

However, the course record was not officially mine as Darius had run a mind-altering 4:43:03 to win going away; a time I didn’t even think was possible prior to the race! Christopher ended up rounding out the podium in 5:09:13, with Peter Bonito finishing fourth in 5:30:37. Shortly after, Brian Vanderheiden called the three of us together for a podium picture where we got some amazing swag from several of the sponsors including CT Run Co., Athletic Brewing Company, TrailHeads, and Twelve Percent Beer Project! I also had the opportunity to talk with Darius, Christopher, Peter, and a bunch of other friends following the race. It was great to share stories, discuss training, and talk about upcoming races. In fact, I’ve got a rematch with Christopher, who lives in Ithaca, in two months’ time at the Cayuga Trails 50! We all chatted until my friend Nick ended up finishing his race in 6:43:49, good for 18^th Overall, and an incredible time for a second ultra on this course.

Overall, I would say I was extremely satisfied with my time and race on this course. While I hung on to the podium last year despite recovering from the flu, I found myself pretty disappointed in how far back from Justin and Lee I was, so this was a great personal redemption run for me on this course. You always want to be able to win, but I was beat by someone who I expect is going to be mixing it up with the big dogs of the sport over the next couple of years, so I can’t complain about second place! Additionally, I would say I was very happy with the pacing consistency after the hot first half in 2:27:59, still coming home in 2:38:49.  

I have a pretty packed schedule for the rest of the year that begins in haste with the Boston Marathon (and hopefully a sub 2:35 time there!) followed by the Breakneck Marathon in early May, Cayuga Trail 50 in late May, and then the big “A” races of the year with the Vermont 100K in July and the Javelina Jundred in October. It’s definitely a bit away, but I also registered for the Black Canyon 100K in February 2027 as I have been itching for more opportunities to see how I stack up regionally and nationally.

A final shout-out again to Brian Vanderheiden and Steep Endurance, as well as all of the volunteers, for putting on what I think is one of the coolest races in Connecticut and the region! Third place last year, second place this year, that means next year must be my year, right?

SRC Presents: A Backyard Ultra - Race Report

The SRC Presents: A Backyard Ultra took place on December 13^th and 14^th at Blydenburgh County Park in Hauppauge, NY. I had signed up for this race several months ago after a recommendation from a friend, who had run the race last year, and who would be running it again. This was going to be my second “A” race of the year after the Vermont 100 in July, and I had big aspirations going in.

For those that are not familiar, a Backyard Ultra is unlike any other type of ultra and is effectively a “Last Man Standing” race. Rather than being a set distance, instead, competitors complete a 4.167 Mile loop, called a “Yard”, every hour, on the hour, until only one runner remains. For example, if you complete the yard in fifty minutes, you then have ten minutes to rest, fuel, or do whatever you like, but you must be back in the starting corral at the top of the hour, no exceptions. Fail to be back in the starting corral or take longer than an hour to complete a yard and you are out. Why 4.167 Miles, you ask? With this lap distance, every twenty-four hours represents one hundred miles. This unique concept was pioneered by Gary Cantrell, otherwise known as Lazarus Lake, in 2011 who puts on the annual Big’s Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, which serves as the “World Championship” for this race format.

Pre-Race Photo with Skyler and Mike

Going into the race, I did have some experience with Backyard Ultra’s. I first took a stab back in 2020, running the Quarantine Backyard Ultra for 10 Yards (41.67 Miles), and then took additional attempts at the Mountain Lakes Backyard Ultra in South Salem, NY, which was put on by Steep Endurance, where I completed 13 Yards (54.16 Miles) in 2021 and 12 Yards (50.00 Miles) in 2023. However, I had much loftier goals for this race; I wanted to put myself in contention for “Last Man Standing”, no matter the distance. I thought that it would take somewhere between 27-30 Yards. Competition going into the race was going to be stiff with defending champion and NY-native Jordan Buck returning. Jordan is an incredible runner who just ran 14:22 for 100 Miles at Tunnel Hill in November and earlier this year was a part of the Old Glory Ultra Relay, where he, along with 11 other veterans, began a coast‑to‑coast relay from San Diego, CA, to Washington, DC carrying a single American flag to raise $1 million for Veteran health and wellness. In addition to Jordan, there were multiple other runners from the previous year who had reached 24 Yards, or 100 Miles. 

Much of the week leading up to the race was spent gathering gear and fuel. A Backyard Ultra is almost as much about your “post-loop” setup as it is about the actual running, and for a race taking place in the middle of December, the setup was going to be crucial. Thankfully, I would be sharing a camp with my two great friends, Skyler Silsdorf and Mike Skluth, who would both be running as well and hoping to put up some big miles.

Race Start!

I arrived at Blydenburgh County Park at about 6:45 AM on race morning and quickly went to work on pulling together my setup. Skyler, Mike, and I would have a mostly enclosed canopy tent, which would provide much needed relief from the elements, as well as a smaller sun shelter that I had brought. I would also get the benefit of some incredible crew members for a large portion of the race, Skyler’s family, who lived 15 minutes from the start. The next hour was a blur as I organized my supplies and mentally got into race mode. We spent a couple minutes chatting with Jordan Buck, and another friend Spencer Satterlee, before it was almost time to start, which would be at 8AM sharp. As the minutes ticked down, I reflected a lot on what I wanted out of this day and this race. My motto for this race was taken from my favorite Stephen King book, The Long Walk, which has incredibly parallels to the Backyard Ultra format and was “Live a little longer. Live a little longer. Live a little longer.” I lined up on the start line; 227 souls in total, embarking on a race with no finish line, as the final countdown began.

And then we were off.

The Day Loops

Early Loop Finish

There is no definitive winning strategy in a Backyard Ultra per say, though there are several prevailing schools of thoughts. The two most common seem to be targeting the 45–50-minute Yard, and then the 50–55-minute Yard, requiring a tradeoff between quicker pace and more rest time or slower pace and less time in between loops. My goal for today was to settle in to consistent 46–49-minute loops, not so fast as to trash the legs, but not so slow as to feel rushed in between loops. We would be beginning on the Day Loop. It is very common for Backyard Ultras to have a “Day Loop”, which is typically more trail, as well as a “Night Loop”, which is more roads or carriage trails. Before the start, Skyler had made me a little bit antsy with his experience from last year, as the single-track trail bottled up early and he was reduced to a walk, so I made the decision to get out a little bit quicker on the quarter mile road stretch before we turned right into the single-track trail. The Day Loop was a nice mix of single track and bridle path trails, some root, sand sections and fallen trees with two wooden foot bridge crossings and approximately 135 feet of elevation change. It was very runnable.

With Mike "The Alley Cat" Skluth

I was glad to be able to experience the first loop largely on my own as it allowed me to settle my nerves and also feel out the course, figuring out where the walking spots would be and mentally benchmarking my time at various landmarks to track for future laps. I ended up completing the first loop a little bit faster than anticipated in 45:35, with Skyler and Mike coming in about five minutes back. Mike joined me for the next lap as we talked about anything and everything, coming through at 45:15. The next lap I was alone again, as I was starting to get familiar with the people around me taking the same approach with their own strategy. The weather was dry and comfortable for mid-December with minimal wind, a far cry from the conditions to come later on. I do run quite cold, so I kept on my fleece lined New Balance jacket and beanie but subsequently switched into my sweatshirt and HOKA hat beginning on the third lap. Underneath I had a comfortable Vuori base layer on and then a long-sleeved tech shirt on over that. I was not warm necessarily, but felt comfortable as the goal was to minimize sweating so as to not get cold in between loops.

All Smiles at Yard 6

Moving back into Lap 4, 5, and 6, I was rejoined by Mike, with whom I would spend most of the day. We were clicking off steady 47-minute laps, which seemed to be the sweet spot for me. It was around this time that I had decided to grab my handheld bottle to take with me on loops. The prevailing strategy for the most part seemed to be that people were foregoing bottles or vests during the loop. I had figured I wanted to avoid a vest, so that I could more easily change layers, and avoid a handheld bottle generally so I would not risk soaking my hands in the cold. However, the cold weather definitely saturates your thirstiness, and I was not taking in nearly enough water, so I grabbed my bottle, mixed with Tailwind, for a few laps. Mike and I were passing the time cracking the same jokes at the same spots each lap, talking to a couple different people, and coming up with nicknames for each other.

It wasn’t until about Yard 8 and Yard 9, which were the first real milestones, that we finally started to see the field atrophy a bit, as Mike and I gradually saw the pack thin out up front as we went from coming in for the loops in about 25-30^th to about 10-15^th. A cool concept, the race was giving out stickers at certain laps of the race, which would later fit into your race medal. After Yard 7 (29.16 Miles), we received our “Beyond a Marathon” sticker and after Yard 9 (37.50 Miles) we received our “Chasing the Sun” sticker, indicating that we were about to switch to the Night Loop. After Yard 9, the 227-person field had been whittled down to 126.

The Night Loops

First Night Loop at Yard 8

The race doesn’t really begin until the Night Loops, and some would argue that the race doesn’t start until much later. The goal was to get through the Day Loops with as little damage as possible to the legs, and other than some early low points around Yards 6-7, I was feeling very strong. Fueling thus far was also going well, as I subsisted primarily on pizza, chips, pretzels, as well as the more classic fueling of Tailwind, Gu Gummies, and Sis Isotonic Gels (which were fantastic for this format). Additionally, Skyler’s family who had been out all day with us thus far had brought in a heater hooked up to a propane tank as well as a burner and had heated up tomato soup and canned potatoes for us. To this point, Skyler and Mike also both seemed strong as we prepared for the shift to the Night Loops, putting on our required safety gear, including headlamps and blinking vests, as I also switched from my HOKA Speedgoat 5’s to my HOKA Clifton 9’s.

The Night Loop was a mix of road and bridle path trails, with some sand sections, and approximately 140 feet of elevation change. It was essentially a straight line with two different U-turns at each end. I thoroughly enjoyed the Night Loop, and am probably in the minority, but I liked the monotony and predictability of the asphalt, as my legs felt much better switching into a new pair of Clifton 9’s. The first third of Night Loop was all on asphalt as we then moved back down onto the sandy bridle trail, which was a slight net downhill to the next turnaround. It was definitely a lot more fun to hit the turnaround and to get tabs on who was behind you and how they looked. It was also really the first time that I got to consistently see Skyler, Jordan, and Spencer on each loop and it was refreshing to be able to talk to them in passing and shoot out encouragement each lap. The third mile of the Night Loop, heading up a consistent slight incline was the worst part of the loop, but also a good chance to walk and reset. It was hard to say for sure whether the night loop was any faster than the Day Loop, though I will say while the elevation was minor, I definitely felt it more on the Night Loop.

Before the Storm

Mike and I clicked off Yards 10-12 like a metronome, consistently coming in in the low 47-minute range. We were now coming up on the next big sticker milestone which was Yard 12 (50.00 Miles), and which undoubtedly would have a number of drops. It was at this point that Mike was also beginning to reach the end of his day. He had come in with a target goal of 12 Yards and had been running so strong all day. I think Skyler and I gave him so much shit about stopping on a milestone distance that we got him out there for one more lap as Mike finished his day at Yard 13, with 54.16 Miles. By Yard 13, the field had truly begun to atrophy as 94 runners had completed 12 Yards, but only 47 went out for another lap with the field being culled further to only 35 runners after Yard 13.

If I had to identify the singular point where the race really “began” for me it was here, at Yard 14. Setting off for the first time alone without Mike, whom I had run with for the vast majority of the thirteen hours, was a bit jarring. It was also at this point that the weather had turned. Throughout the week leading up to the race, there had been a possibility of some wintery mix, but the forecast had oscillated constantly, and it was unpredictable as to what the actual weather would be. At 9PM though, as we lined up for Yard 14, the snow began in earnest.

Yard 14 and Yard 15 were some of the lowest points for me. There is something about the 50-60 Mile range, especially in a hundred miler, and even more so in a Backyard Ultra, that the finish just feels “far away”. It was at this point that I made a complete reset of my gear as well, replacing my base layer, tech long sleeve, and putting my New Balance fleece lined jacket back on as well as a Nike Trail rain jacket. I got to share a portion of these loops with Skyler, who had been picking it up the last few yards and was looking really strong.

Last Loop with Mike; Yard 13 (Mile 54.17)

Surprisingly, there were minimal drops through Yard 15 (Mile 62.5) which represented the 100K mark. Maybe not so surprising, as I feel like nearly every person I talked to said they were aiming for at least 100 Miles. After Yard 15, Skyler came in and said he was calling his race. The Backyard Ultra is one of those race where it’s easy until it’s not easy. Jordan, Spencer and I rallied Skyler to not “quit in the chair” and to get back out there for one more yard. We were successful, but Skyler ended up missing the time cutoff, ending his race. By the end of Yard 16 we were down to only 22 runners remaining. It was at this point that Skyler and his family, who were lifesavers throughout the day, packed up their gear and were going to head home. Thankfully, they generously left me with the canopy tent, extra chairs, and a light, and would come back in the morning to pick them up.

Yard 17 featured one of the last milestones “After Midnight” as the 22 of us set off into Sunday morning . In reviewing the results post-race, Yard 17 and Yard 18 looked to be where the race really shifted and a ton of damage was done to a strong field, including multiple 100 Mile finishers last year. Conditions just continued to worsen and worsen as snow was beginning to accumulate on the road and trail. My shoes and socks were already starting to get very wet, but thankfully the temperature was hovering right around freezing and the wind was minimal to nonexistent. After Yard 18 (75.00 Miles), our field had been reduced further to only 12 runners. It was honestly shocking lining up in the corral at this point and seeing the numbers reduced to so few. I wasn’t expecting a tremendous number of additional drops from here to Yard 24, but still, I had thought more of the field would remain at this point.

Yards 19 and 20 were more low points for me as I continued to battle the elements, the sleep exhaustion, and some awful heartburn that was significantly hampering my ability to take in calories. However, I was still moving incredibly well, splitting in the low 47-minute range. At this point, I was repeating my mantra to myself every single lap, “Live a little longer.” I still had Jordan Buck out there who locked fresh and effortless as well as Spencer Satterlee, who was aiming for 24 Yards, and who had been consistently coming in the mid-50s each lap.  Three more souls dropped at Yard 19 and Spencer was an unfortunate casualty at Yard 20 as he came in over the cutoff, as our field was whittled down to the final eight remaining out of the 227-runner starting field. Everyone remaining looked incredibly strong as I was consistently coming through about mid pack and nearly everyone was in before 50 minutes.

Finish of Yard 24!

We were deep into the morning at 4AM as Yard 21 began and the storm was reaching its crescendo. By now, the road had been reduced to a slushy, slippery mess and the trail was blanketed with inches of powder. It was absolutely surreal to be running in these conditions in the middle of the night and reflecting on how this felt like a completely different race from earlier in the day, one that only a small minority of the original field was still around to experience. I had switched to carrying my bottle with me again as I was really struggling with calories at this point, only able to get down about half a Sis Isotonic Gel at a time and having to dilute my Tailwind mixture further just to be able to drink it. Not to mention, my shoes, gloves, socks, and chest were all completely soaked at this point. It was this yard where I made the decision in my head that Yard 24 and 100 Miles was going to be the end of my day (or night rather). And it was honestly a relief. My legs felt surprisingly strong and my pace was not slipping, but the lack of sleep, inability to put down calories, and drenched gear was grinding me down. There were several runners, including Jordan Buck and Pavlo Li that still looked incredibly strong, and I also knew it would likely take several more yards on the Day Loop to win it and I felt like I didn’t have the gear or the willpower to wade through the six inches of powder that had been accumulating on the loop overnight.

Second Belt Buckle Secured!

Yard 22 brought the advent of the 90+ Mile mark, as this was the first point for me where the race  really and truly felt like it was approaching its culmination, and was my slowest lap of the day in over 49 minutes. By now, the interloop period had become worse than actually running, as I sat in my chair, staring blankly ahead, actually hoping for the minutes to count down before we were back on the start line. However, Yard 23 was a wave of relief, as the sun was finally beginning to come up by the end of the loop, as I treated this as the “final yard” with the last one being the “victory yard”.

Finally, our group of eight, who had forged together through the deepest parts of the night, set off on Yard 24, as for the first time all race, the Night Loop was illuminated. This lap was honestly surreal and otherworldly as I reflected on the last 24 hours spent running around the same county park over and over again in Long Island. I continued to pass the same landmarks that had greeted me the last 15 hours as I got a final boost of energy at the thought of being done. Watching my watch pass the 100 Mile mark, with about half a mile to go (and losing the hundredths number) was an absolutely surreal and incredible feeling. I finally crossed the start line for the final time, which had now become the finish line for me, with a smile on my face, in my fastest lap of the day in just over 43 minutes.

Yard Splits

I collected my final milestone “24 Hours”, as I, and three other runners, tapped at the 24 Yard (100.00 Miles) mark as I officially came in 7^th Place out of 227 runners, and tied for fifth in distance run. It was great as well having both Skyler and Spencer back at the start line as we finished the 100 Mile mark. While my race had concluded, four runners, Jordan Buck, Pavlo Li, Andrew Drake, and Jake Meeker lined up for another yard, as Andrew and Jake would go on to complete one more yard before tapping, and Jordan and Pavlo would go to battle in the powder of the Day Loop for several more hours before Jordan earned an incredible victory in Yard 29 (120.84 Miles) to defend his title. 

I am absolutely thrilled to earn my second hundred-mile finish and second belt buckle of the year. For the longest time, I just could not figure out the hundred-mile distance, and to be able to complete it twice this year, is incredibly special. The Vermont 100 was the hardest thing physically I have ever done and SRC Presents: A Backyard Ultra was by far the hardest thing mentally I have ever done. To continue to put myself out there loop after loop and reach 100 Miles, in the cold, dark, snow, everything soaked, everything hurting, was something I never thought I was capable of doing and I think unlocks a lot of fun goals and adventures for me in the future as I push myself to see how far and how fast I can go. I have a really exciting racing season lined up for 2026 that I am hoping to finalize in the coming weeks. For now, though it is in to a nice two or three week reset into the new year before beginning the next build for the first “A” race of 2026, which looks like it will be Canyons 100K by UTMB.  

I can’t thank RD Mike Petrina, Smithtown Running Company, Sayville Running, and SRC Timing enough for putting on this incredibly well run and fun event. I also want to thank all of the volunteers and photographers who were out there, as well as a big shout out to Skyler and his family, who I couldn’t have done this without. Finally, a shout out to my fellow runners, who continue to help each other raise the bar and find out what they are truly capable of.

Above the Clouds 50K – Race Report – 1st Overall & Course Record

The Above the Clouds 50K took place on October 4^th in stunning Woodland Park, Colorado and was put on by Revenant Running. Situated at 8,600 feet above sea level, Woodland Park is often called the “City Above the Clouds”, which is how the race aptly gets its name.

This was not a planned race by any means for me, and I ended up on this start line on a whim. I was already going to be in Denver visiting my family and was perusing UltraSignup to see if there happened to be something local that might be fun. No expectations of finding something close by, but as it happened, the Above the Clouds 50K ended up being the perfect combination of race distance and travel time from Denver. I wanted a low-stakes challenge to wash away the disappointment of withdrawing from the Grindstone 100K by UTMB two weeks earlier. Following an exceptionally difficult double over a five-week period, running the Vermont 100 Endurance Run and then setting a new Marathon PR of 2:37 at the Sri Chinmoy Marathon, I did not feel like my body was ready for another hard 100K only four weeks after the marathon. After taking about a week of downtime following that withdrawal, I was ready to find something again to scratch that itch. Enter the Above the Clouds 50K.

I arrived in Denver late Thursday night, greeted by family who had picked me up from the airport. The next day, we drove up to Boulder to meet my brother, Cole, and his girlfriend, Kate, for a hike around Green Mountain West followed by lunch out in downtown Boulder. Cole would be running the 50K with me in the morning, our second 50K this year after the running the Canyons Endurance Run 50K by UTMB back in April. He would be spending the night with us in Denver before our early morning wake up call. After an early pasta dinner, we were off to bed.

Pre-Race Photo!

Our alarms went off at 4:00 AM, and Cole and I quickly mobilized our supplies and hoped in the car at 4:30 AM so we could arrive at Woodland Park by 6:00 AM. I spent most of the car ride trying to control my breathing and heart rate as we slowly climbed from Denver’s elevation of 5,200 feet to Woodland Parks elevation at 8,600 feet. To say I was not acclimated would be an understatement. As I exited the car after we arrived at Woodland Park Middle School, my heart rate was nearly 100 bpm. After walking down to the starting area to grab our packets, Cole and I hung out around the car until about ten minutes before the race, preparing our gear and trying to stay warm. While it wasn’t exceptionally cold, we were expecting wind chills in the mid-40s and high winds up in the mountains for a good part of the race. Cole and I made our way back down to the start and after a few pre-race announcements we were off!

We quickly set off from the dirt track and forked left onto a paved road climb. This climb would take us up nearly a mile before we entered a dirt trail, which would ascend Lovell Gulch. All told, the first three miles of the race featured an oxygen-sapping 900-foot climb from the race start elevation of 8,600 feet up to 9,500 feet, with runners spending majority of the race above 9,000 feet. Not that I was expecting anything differently, but within a half-mile of starting my heart rate was already pushing mid 160 bpm. I knew I would be comfortable holding a near anaerobic effort up to about 170 bpm, but I didn’t want to push too hard too early. By the end of the first mile, we had a runner immediately gap Cole and I with another a few seconds ahead as we settled into third and fourth with a few other runners right behind us. As we turned onto the trail and continued our ascent Cole and I had pulled ahead of the other runner and moved into second and third place. We had planned for Cole, with his partial acclimatization, to lead the charge on the climb so that we did not overdo it, yet we still found ourselves pushing the climb harder than we expected trying to keep the leader in sight. As we entered the third mile, the steepest of the initial climb, I actively had to pull back my effort as my heart rate hit the mid-170s as Cole and another runner pulled ahead. Finally, we exited the climb turning onto the forest service roads where we would spend much of the race as we passed the first aid station at Lovell Gulch.

Course Elevation Profile

Lovell Gulch – 1 – Mile 3.1, 4^th Place, 29:28 Total Time, 9:31 Average Pace

The three runners ahead of me had all skipped the first aid station given that it was early in the race so I followed suite. For this race, I was wearing my Naked Running belt with a 500ml soft flask filled with water as well as a handheld filled with 50g of Tailwind and an LMNT packet. I was planning to fuel aggressively, taking in 80-100g of carbs an hour, primarily through drink mix and Gu Gummies. Given the relatively untechnical nature of the race, I had brought my HOKA Tecton X3’s, with an embedded carbon plate, to the party. Turning onto Rampart Range Road, a slight downhill allowed me to quickly bridge the gap back to Cole and the other runner. I went by them, determined to see if I could reel back in the leader who did not seem to be widening his gap anymore. Moving into second place as I began to chase, neither Cole nor the other runner went with me. We continued to climb ever so slightly the next three miles as we continued on Rampart Range Road. The wind gusts continued to exceed 30 miles per hour as I hit Mile 6, as we turned onto a rolling straightaway where I had an absolutely stunning view of Pikes Peak. Towards the end of this straightaway, I had finally started to put significant time into the leader, and as we hit Mile 7 and began the first real descent of the race, I was right on his heels. The next mile dropped nearly 300 feet as the second aid station, Rainbow, approached.

Rainbow – Mile 7.5, 2^nd Place, 1:04:19 Total Time, 8:34 Average Pace

Views of Pikes Peak at Mile 7

I quickly refilled my water bottle and added a new packet of Tailwind as I exited the aid station first and took the lead. I intentionally backed off the gas a bit here as we had another large descent to Rampart Reservoir, where we would spend a large portion of the race, and I wanted to get my heart rate under control and get a feel for how the other runner was feeling. The other runner, who I came to know as Teri Copeland, pulled up on me and we chatted for a few minutes before making a right-hand turn and entering the singletracks of Rampart Reservoir, which we would primarily follow for the next 12-13 Miles. The Rampart Reservoir trail was classic singletracks trail, not too technical, but with endless little steep undulations that were sapping my legs and sending my heart rate screaming.

Around Mile 9, I put in a surge to break the race back open and dropped Teri as he fell back perhaps 10-15 seconds. I continued along the trail, catching stunning views of the reservoir through the trees, as I tried to continue to build a gap while keeping my effort moderated. While the course was exceptionally well marked, I missed a sharp turn and sent both myself and Teri up a steep climb that ended in a parking lot. We quickly turned back around, perhaps losing two minutes total. As we found the trail again, we bisected my brother Cole, who was passing by right as we were reconnecting, putting all three of us together in a pack at the front. I was a bit surprised that he had been so close considering the effort I thought I had put in the last few miles.

We ran together for about another mile or so before I put in another surge to try and break the race open again as we briefly left the Rampart Reservoir and hit another service road which would take us on an extended downhill as we passed by the closely guarded Rampart Reservoir Dam. I opened up the pace into the low 7s as I checked back to see Cole and Teri probably 30 seconds back. Our service road descent ended at Mile 14 as we turned into a tight single-track trail that would connect back to the Rampart Reservoir. For the first time since Mile 7, we were starting to go back uphill, and I hit the beginning of a major low point of the day as my legs and lungs were tested on a 200-foot switchback climb. After an agonizing climb, I arrived back at Rampart Reservoir, hitting the next aid station, Dam. I quickly refilled my bottle and set off, getting about a minute into the woods before I heard cheers indicating the next runner, who I assumed to be either Teri or Cole.

Dam – Mile 14.3, 1^st Place, 2:01:37 Total Time, 8:30 Average Pace

Course Map

I ended up hitting the halfway point at Mile 15.5 in about 2:11, about 7 minutes up on course record pace, but beginning to struggle mightily. My next three miles were wholly uninspiring. While the Reservoir was beautiful, there was something about the constant undulation of the trail and being at altitude that did not allow me to settle in. Every little climb was beginning to feel like agony on my legs as I struggled with oxygen deprivation, and I could start to feel the pain building in my head. I finally began the ascent out of Rampart Reservoir at Mile 19 and as I turned to begin a nearly three hundred foot climb I heard a large shout from behind me. It was my brother, Cole, who must have been not more than thirty seconds back as we had entered the first straightaway in a long while. I felt like a dead man walking as the altitude was starting to chip away at me. I pretty much did all I could do to keep Cole at bay as we continued to climb up to the penultimate aid station at Rampart Ridge.

Rampart Ridge – Mile 19.8, 1^st Place, 2:53:12 Total Time, 8:45 Average Pace

View of Yellow Aspens and Forest Service Roads

At this point, I decided to ditch my drink mix entirely which was not working for me at altitude. I left the aid station about 30 seconds ahead of Cole as we continued to climb. I was desperate for downhill as I felt like I was hemorrhaging time with every step. Finally, we hit the peak at Mile 21, as the climb gave way to descent and my legs were able to open up. The descent, in addition to choking down water, was slowly starting to lessen the pounding in my head. I continued to descent with Cole still tracking by closely as we left the forest road for a wet and technical single track at Mile 23. The single track gave way to the most daunting section of the course, another six-hundred-foot climb over the next three and a half miles. I figured my best shot at holding Cole off was to push very hard on this section knowing I would have something left for the last three miles that shot back down the nine hundred foot climb we had come up. By Mile 24, it looked like I had finally put some distance on him, but I wasn’t looking back to check very often. All I could think about was trying to survive until the last aid station came back to Lovell Gulch as I was quickly running out of water. Even the stunning beauty of the yellow aspen trees was not enough to take my mind off the pain. Still, all things come to an end, even the never-ending climb at Mile 25 and Mile 26 as the last aid station approached. I turned left back on Rampart Range Road and hit the Lovell Gulch aid station at exactly Mile 27.

Lovell Gulch – 2 – Mile 27.0, 1^st Place, 4:01:55 Total Time, 8:58 Average Pace

Even though there were only a bit more than three miles to go, I was desperate for water due to the extended distance from the prior aid station. Thankfully, the aid station water was ice cold, and I set off knowing I had a little less than thirty minutes to go. I was expected all downhill the last few miles but instead was hit with a profile that would descend, bite back with a steep punctuating climb that took back some of the loss and then dropped down again. All told, my legs were feeling really strong as the oxygen deprivation felt like the true limiter today. The mini-rollers, some of the steepest of the day, did not end until about a mile and a half to go as I reconnected with the trail that we had ascended earlier in the day. Now with true downhill ahead, I was eating up the distance, finally popping out the trail and turning right back onto the paved road with less than a mile to go. With the win seemingly comfortably secure, I was now racing to see how much time I could put into the course record as I took off down the road descent as my pace crept into the low 6-minute range. Finally, I hit the parking lot and turned right back on the dirt path as I crossed the finish line in first overall with a time of 4:31:23, a course record by about six minutes.

Finish  – Mile 30.8, 1^st Place, 4:31:23 Total Time, 8:47 Average Pace

Smith Brothers Take 1st and 2nd!

I continued to wait at the finish line and before I knew it Cole had appeared in the parking lot and entered the dirt track as he would go on to finish second in a time of 4:36:54, a phenomenal effort that put him only six minutes behind me and also about a minute under the old course record! All told, it was a 1-2 sweep for the Smith Brothers on a beautiful and breathtaking (literally) course through the mountains. While perhaps not as much of a dominating performance as maybe I had hoped for or anticipated, I was thrilled to put myself in a position of adversity and try to challenge myself in a way I had not before. I had no idea what to expect going from sea level to 9,500 feet with near zero time to acclimate and the result was a win, a course record, and a pace of 8:45 per mile at 9,500 feet with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Overall, this felt like a psychological victory more than a physical victory, telling me I can go into any environment and compete. This was the exact type of mental race I needed as my next ultra, a backyard ultra in December on Long Island, beckons.

After the race, Cole and I took a photo together at the finish line and chatted with a few competitors, including Mikey Lightning, who had taken 3^rd, Parker Halcomb, who had taken 4^th, and Teri Copeland, who had hung on for 5^th, before we packed up to head back to Denver. Overall, this was an incredibly experience and a really well put together race by Revenant Running. The views were some of the most stunning I had ever seen in my life and while painful, I was glad to have been out there today to witness it and push my body.