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?