6 am start, Saturday, October 19, 2024 Autumn Lakes Vineyard, Williamstown, NJ
Only months after I signed up for the 2024 BadgerPalooza 12-hr ultra did I realize I had registered for a backyard-type ultra.
As stated in the race rules,
"Each athlete or relay team will start the 5K at the top of every hour. If they finish the 5K in less than an hour they will rest/wait until the next hour to run again. Runners must be in the start corral by the next 5K start time. If you miss the start, you’re out of the race. This could be due to not completing the previous 5K within the hour, spending too much time in your home base, just not being able to make it to the start line, etc. You must start with the group to stay in the race."
I started to panic just a tad— What if I don't collect my 5K miles in the allotted one hour. And I thought—I'm going to spend twelve hours to collect only a maximum of 37.2 miles. It would be a test of speed and beating the clock, and not endurance.
But the setting for this event was the beautiful landscape at the Autumn Lakes Vineyard and around two lakes in Williamstown, NJ. It made logging laps very inviting.
And because I can definitely run four miles in an hour, collecting only 3.1 miles in the allotted one hour every hour would not be difficult, even if I had to walk the miles. I'm a pretty fast walker.
My goal was simply to finish each 5K loop before the hour twelve times with a healed left knee. In July an MRI revealed a meniscus tear, bone marrow edema, a stress injury, and a Baker's cyst. I didn't want to risk re-injuring my knee. I spent July & August rehabbing my knee. You can read more about what I did to rehab my knee.
I went into BadgerPalooza ultra with only 121.6 of mostly walking training miles, a few slow running training miles, and 8.59 pool running miles to help heal my knee, and my Hainesport 12hr 42.6259 walking miles the previous Saturday. I trained simultaneously for Hainesport and BadgerPalooza by collecting walking miles.
The day before the Saturday 6 am start, Jon set up our tent and I walked the course to familiarize myself with it. I was happy I had the opportunity to walk the course; it put me at ease. It's a good idea to walk any race course, especially if it's not too far from home or from the hotel you're staying in.
It was a beautiful late Friday afternoon. The sky was blue, the warm sun was blinding, and the course around two lakes and adorned by vineyards was impressively well-marked with colorful flags. I walked the course in forty-eight minutes and some change.
By the time Jon set up the tent, the clock for the 24-hr runners went off at 6 pm, and we went home.
Race day morning, Saturday, October 19, was dark and a cold 39°F. Jon and I arrived at 5:30 am. Layered up, I got my bib, my awesome long-sleeve tie-dye swag shirt, and a flyer with a QR code so runners and their crews could livestream every lap result on RunSignup. This was a great idea.
I was ready to tackle BadgerPalooza, my 41st ultra. I walked to the corral and joined the 24-hr runners. They had just completed twelve hours overnight in cold temperatures; only twelve more laps to go. I joined my fellow 12-hr runners, a small group of twelve. And off we all went with our headlamps. I was the last runner going into the first lap.
Photos: Jon Gilbert
After we ran/walked through grass, we climbed two sets of stairs that took us to a very dark, flat, tree-covered trail of sandy soil, twigs, tree roots, and fallen autumn leaves. I walked at a brisk pace, careful not to trip.
And then after approaching the first sight of the vineyard and a couple of feet far from the mile 1 marker, I tripped and fell forward hard on both knees. I couldn't believe it. I worried I'd injured my healed left knee. Both knees hurt. But I bounced right back up. Like the saying goes: it doesn't matter how many times you fall, it only matters how many times you get up. Off I went careful not to take another tumble.
Then I stopped to capture this beautiful moment in nature as the sun was starting to rise.
And I was happy with my first lap time in 46:11:10 and a 14:52 pace. One lap down, 11 to go.
If I kept this pace, I would beat the clock every lap.
Approaching the timing mat at the end of the second lap of the BadgerPalooza 5K loop. Photo: Jon Gilbert
As I power walked the course through the vineyards and around the lakes, I improved my pace. Laps 3 and 4 were completed at a 13:25 and 13:45 pace, respectively. I maintained a 14-plus minute pace for laps 5 to 7. By the end of lap 3, the temperature was 47°F and I peeled off one bottom layer and one top layer, and my head wrap.
Photos: Jon Gilbert
Along the way, I munched on small slices of my homemade chocolate chip loaf and kept hydrated. At the end of lap 5, I had a mug of my homemade chicken vegetable soup. Delicious!
I had more soup at the end of a couple of more laps. I also fueled on a cheese sandwich and an almond butter and blueberry jam sandwich made with homemade bread and jam, and a hard-boiled egg from Ruby, one of my hens.
Photos: Miriam and Jon Gilbert
By the end of lap 8, I started to slow down. My pace between laps 8 and 10 fell in the 15:14 - 15:22 range. I was happy with this pace, kept my eye on my Garmin, and never worried about not beating the clock.
And while I was always the last, third to last, or second to last runner to go through the timing mat at the end of each lap, I always had more than enough time to relax, eat, use the porta-potty, chat with fellow runners, and head back to the corral and the start of the next hour and lap, and finally the last lap at 5 pm. And the last time we'd be climbing the stairs.
Race director, Lou Bougese, volunteers, and folks at Autumn Lakes Winery enjoying glasses of wine gave us high fives and cheered us on.
The end was near. We waited all day for the last lap. I was happy to share the course with so many awesome runners, and to meet new runners. I was happy to meet Jim, who ran the 6-hr relay with his wife. Jim and I know each other from the Running Over 60 FB group. I shared the course with Vanessa, co-race director of Beast Coast Productions and the Hainesport Endurance Run, and who came in second female in the 12-hr event.
And I wasn't the only one who fell. Katie, whom I met Friday night as she was getting ready to start the 24-hr event, also fell, and came in first female in the 24-hr event. We're tough. That's just par for the course.
Photo: Jon Gilbert Selfie
I was tired the last two laps, but Marta, who placed second female in the 24-hr, and I kept each other company as we chatted about life and all our blessings during walking breaks. And towards the end Katelyn and I leaped frogged. When I was behind her, she kept me going and vice-versa.
And there were all the awesome runners way ahead of me who cheered me on, like Vanessa and Tim, who praised my walking pace, as they headed toward the end of the lap every single time, and I was still on mile one-and-a-half, walking or slowly running as fast as I could.
And what a pleasure to share the course with Landon, a phenomenal first-time ultrarunner and winner in the 12-hr event at age 16. He conquered the laps in 4:41:10:90 at a speedy pace of 7:33, and set a new course record. He has a tremendous ultrarunning future.
I was the oldest runner; he was the youngest. That's one of the beauties of ultrarunning—all are welcome no matter the age or skill level. Ultrarunning meets you where you are.
On the last lap while heading to the finish, I took a picture of the trail we navigated in the dark at the start and on the way back to the finish during every lap. It let us know that the bright light at the end of the tunnel was within reach—the finish line and timing mat, the blaring, fun music, a live band, the RD, volunteers, timekeeper, and our patient and faithful crews— before running past the winery filled with the laughter and chatter of folks enjoying wine, friendship, celebratory parties, and romance as the sun was starting to set on a beautiful Saturday evening.
And then I crossed the timing mat and finish line in 9:10:56:15 at a 14:47 pace for a 7th place female finish and 10/12 OA. I was super happy with my miles of gratitude and for all my blessings, including beating breast cancer in June.
Photos: Jon Gilbert
The BadgerPalooza is a great backyard-type ultra. I hope to return next year at age 66. And Jon will crew me again. I highly recommend this event. I love the swag shirt and medal. And I hope to share more ultras with everyone at BadgerPalooza.
I dedicated this ultra to our brother-in-law Joey Koff, who lost his battle with cancer. May his memory be a blessing.
Enjoy the video that Jon made.
©2024
I am the author of Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. You can order it from the publisher from the publisher, Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble here. It's available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and Kindle.
©2024
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