Ultramiriam | VERMONT 50

Vermont 50 - Sept 30, 2006 - Brownsville, VT

Because I now had some experience tip-toeing my way through the treacherous terrain in the Appalachian Trail at the JFK 50, and because I had completed my first 50 mile ultra in under 13 hours, I gave the Vermont 50 mile trail ultra run a shot in 2006. The morning of the race, which began at 6 am, was a wet and misty one, but not cold. The first 3 miles of the race were on a flat asphalt road. The next 47 miles were a series of trails and uphills and downhills.

The weather couldn’t decide if it wanted to rain, drizzle or shine sun. At mile19, I was feeling good and ahead of my time at the same distance in JFK. At about mile 25 it started to pour and I was facing blinding rain. The beautiful Vermont landscape, mountains, and trees kept me alive and energized me. Fellow runners helped to keep me focused.

At mile 31, Jonna quickly replaced my wet socks while I munched on an Oreo. And off I went into the solitude of the woods. It kept me company and kept me focused. I was on pace.

At about mile 42 I got lost for about a minute. At about mile 45 my left foot and shoe got stuck in the mud in the middle of a beautiful meadow surrounded by hissing snakes. I couldn’t see them but I could hear them. After pulling out my shoe from the mud and the sock from my foot, I ran for about a quarter mile through the woods with a sockless, shoeless left foot peppered with a couple of blisters. Right before the mile 47 cut-off I saw my husband and son.

I barely made the mile 47 cut-off. With Sebastian as my pacer the last 3 miles in the dark with one headlamp, I made it down the alpine slope to the finish past the 12 hour time limit in 12:52:54. I came in dead last. A cold hamburger and a finisher's medal awaited me.

Tip-toeing my way down the alpine slope to the finish in total darkness.

Happy to come in last and happy that

I did not quit.

I am also the author of Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. Read excerpts, praise, and reviews, and order the book here from the publisher, Amazon, Bookshop, or Barnes & Noble. My Vermont 50 journey is one of many ultramarathon experiences that weaves through my memoir.