2018 Sybil Ludington 50K: Race Photos & Results

This morning was the 40th running of the Sybil Ludington 50K!  In the previous 39 editions the course had consisted of one big loop - essentially honoring Sybil Ludington's ride to warn the colonists - the "British were coming!"  Sybil was the female Paul Revere.


Today was the introduction of double loop course - two 25k loops, and the inclusion of a separate 25k race!  Logistically it was an easier layout - especially with the opportunity to use a drop bag (which I did to switch into a dry shirt) at the start/finish.  Also a new addition was the relocation of the start/finish to the Veteran's Memorial Park (from the traditional VFW Hall).


As for my race, it was my 8th Sybil finish!  This race has a special place in my heart because it was my very first ultra - way back in 2006!  At 5:29:44 it was one of my slowest Sybil finishes (if not the slowest - need to check that).  But I had a blast.  To put road ultras in context - even with over 2000 feet of elevation gain - I still finished a solid 2 hours faster than the 50K I ran at the NJ Ultra Festival 2 weeks ago (tough technical trails and lots of elevation gain)!


At the finish we received a great wine glass!  But the most interesting thing I took home was the Canadian $2 coin I found on the course (around mile 13.5 or so)!  I love finding things while running - but this coin was a first (and when I picked it up mistakenly thought it was a EURO, not getting to look at it closely until I stopped to switch into a dry shirt)!


Here are the official results from Taconic Road Runners.

April 2018 Race Schedule

It's hard to believe April (and/or Spring) has arrived with a forecast for snow tomorrow morning (seriously) on the horizon!  Be that as it may, Happy Easter - which is today (as I write this)!


As for races, this month is mostly about trails - with the Urban Environmental Challenge 10K kicking things off next weekend.  I love this event - and the Van Cortlandt Track Club really makes it fun (with carrot cake AG awards as well).  This year it conflicts with the second TGNY 100 training run, which is also tough to pass up.  Since I've already registered for the 10K... looks like the conflict has been resolved :D


The following week is a return to 50 miles!  I haven't done a stand alone 50 mile race in a while, so really looking forward to this one!  It's a multiple loop set-up, with runners covering various distances up to 100 miles.  I had originally thought about entering the 100 miler, but think it's too early in the season for that distance :O


After recovering from the NJ trails, the following weekend I'll head up to Wards Pound Ridge for the Leatherman's Loop!  That's easily in my top 5 favorite trail races (only Escarpment and NipMuck ahead of it) :D


Finally,  the month ends with the Sybil Ludington 50K, a joint Taconic RR and Broadway Ultra Society event (in fact, race #2 in the 2018 B.U.S. Grand Prix).  This will be year one of the redesigned course - now a double 25K loop, instead of the original one loop configuration.  Hopefully the reconfigured course will eliminate a few of the hills ;D


Here's how it looks so far:


4/8 - VCTC Urban Environmental Challenge 10K
4/14 - NJ Ultra Festival 50 Miler
4/22 - Leatherman's Loop 10K
4/28 - Sybil Ludington 50K


As always, if you're at any of them - say hello!

2014 sybil ludington 50k: race report

when i ran the 2012 edition of the sybil ludington 50k i had no idea it would be two years until i completed my next ultra!  in fact, my longest run since the 2012 race was the44 miles i logged at the greater ny 100 miler in june.  the pain in my right foot had become unbearable - a pattern that seemed to repeat itself as my mileage increased during races.  not only did i not run ultras during that period, but i only ran 2 marathons (it would've been 3 had hurricane sandy not led to the cancellation of the 2012 nyc marathon).

that's a rather long-winded introduction to this race report - but the point is, on friday night i had a case of pre-race jitters that would rival any newbie!  add to that the pouring rain when i woke up on Saturday morning, and the prospect of starting the race (much less finishing it) didn't seem very likely.  but the rain stopped, i signed up for the race, put the bib on - and lined up with everyone else(butterflies aside).  i had put in plenty of training miles during my recovery/base-rebuilding.  the issue for me was mostly about getting my head back into the ultra game.

as for the race, my goal was a sub-5 hour finish.  that may have seemed like a stretch, but my 2012 time of 4:58:26 was 5 minutes slower than my 2011 finish - and well off my pr for the course.  my plan was to string together as many 9:50 miles as i could - and brought along my ipod in case i needed some inspiration along the way.  in addition to the ipod, i carried an expresso lov gel, a packet of power gel gummies, my buff, a pair of gloves, and a headband in my fanny pack.

the volunteers carpooled the runners to the start.  tom drove hiroshi, emmy, mike and me in his car.  the best part of the start was the lack of rain!  not only wasn't it pouring (like when i woke-up) but event the light drizzle that followed along on the drive to carmel had stopped.  that itself was just the auspicious kick-off we needed.  my first mile was a 9:23 and felt good, although the humidity was thick - and would linger for a couple of hours.  the remaining mile markers (except for the half marathon and marathon splits) would come at 5 mile intervals.

i figured that 48 minutes 5 miles splits would get me under 5 hours.  but, that would probably be a stretch.  even so, i my first 5 miles came in at 47:46 and my second 5 miles at 48:21, for a 10 mile split of 1:36:17 - a solid 10 minutes off my 2012 10 mile split of 1:27:04.  still, it was on pace for 5 hours.  but by the time i reached the half marathon mark in 2:06:55 - still off my 2012 split of 1:56:08 by 10 minutes - a 5:10 became a more realistic goal. it was unlikely i'd be able to make up 10 minute during the second half.

as it turned out, my next two 5 mile came in at 49:33 and 49:36 - for a 3:16:27 split at 20 miles. that was a solid 15 minutes off 2012's 3:01:24.  but i was still feeling good.  i had started on my pack of power gel gummies (and some chips at eliot's aid station, then soda from richie's traveling aid station just past the half marathon mark).  for the most part, however, i was just drank water at the aid stations.  now i'd start drinking gatorade as well.

during the next 2 five mile stretches i slowed down significantly.  it took 53 minutes to reach 25 miles and almost 54 (53:57) minutes to reach 30 miles.  the split at 30 miles - just over the causeway - was 5:03:27.  there was not way i'd run a 6:30 mile to squeeze in under 5:10.  but, somehow surprising myself because of the annoying calf cramp i had in my left leg for the last 4-5 miles, i managed to run an 8:14:33 last mile!  that was a minute faster than my first mile (and probably my fastest mile of the race).  i was more than happy with the 5:11:41 finish :D

i was even happier back at the vfw post when i learned it was good enough for 3rd place in my age group - now that was a surprise!  the real highlight for me, however, was just covering the distance.  i've run a lot of 50k's over the years, but to finish this one, and finish strong - after such a long break - was incredibly satisfying.  i'm not sure what my next ultra will be, but there certainly won't be a 2 year interval in between them ;D

here are the rest of my race photos (the photo of me running was taken by eliot as i came into his aid station at mile 10).

2014 sybli ludington 50k: race photos & results

happy to report that i'm back to running ultras!  sybil was my first ultra in 2 years (and my last ultra back in 2012) before succumbing to chronic compartment syndrome - which is now, thankfully, a distant memory.  but the really big new was the retirement of the race directors and the possibility that the 36th edition of this historic event may, in fact, be its :(

i didn't have my camera at the start, so the first two photos are eliots - who not only took photos and manned the 10 mile aid station w/his son - but is running the lake waramug 50 miler on sunday!  way to go eliot :D

as for my return... i didn't break 5 hours (5:11:42) - but was more than pleases (ecstatic, actually) to have it in the books.  and getting a 3rd in my age group was icing on the cake :D

here is my race report.

here are the race results from taconic roadrunners.

here are the rest of  my photos (post-race) up on facebook.

april 2014 race schedule

with any degree of luck, this month will be a return to ultras.  actually, it will be my first ultra in almost 2 years - and, fittingly, it'll be the sybil ludington 50k (my very first ultra, oh so many years ago)!  i'm really looking forward to it :D

in the short run, however - pun definitely intended - the scotland run 10k is on deck for this weekend.  it's a nyrr team race, so i opted to run it (and nab a nycm point in the process) instead of running my local 15k the next morning.

the next weekend is another 10k - over different terrain (and park).  it's over t to van cortlandt park for the urban environmental challenge!  this is a great xc/trail run put on by the vctc - and includes a couple of water crossings!

easter weekend will include a trip up to darien for the bunny boogie 3 miler - with chocolate bunnies as the age group prizes ;O

last, but not least, is sybil the following weekend (the only downside here is missing the leatherman's loop the following morning at ward pound ridge reservation).

here's how it looks so far:

4/5 - scotland run 10k
4/13 - urban environmental challenge 10k
4/19 - bunny boogie, 3m
4/26 - sybil ludington 50k

as always, if you're at any of them - say hello!

2012 sybil ludington 50k: race report

the 34th annual sybil ludington 50k on saturday was the 6th time i've run this race over the last 7 years.  in 2006 sybil was my very first ultra.  except for last year, i managed to make it back every year since.  that's despite the fact that each year i repeated swear it will be my last sybil (because of the traffic runners have to compete with over the course).  this year it would be my longest run since the mhrrc "recover from the holidays" 50k in january.  except for a pair of 30k races last month, i haven't gotten in any decent long runs this training cycle.

with that training backdrop, i had a 5 hour time goal in mind.  the course is one large - hilly - loop, starting and finishing in carmel, new york.  it traces the historical route sybil ludington rode on horseback to warn the colonialist that "the british were coming."  except for the first mile, mile markers were spaced at 5 mile increments (with splits for the half marathon and marathon distances noted).  i had a 22 ounce handheld with me for hydration (and a couple of gus).

the first mile went by in 8:34 - which was way too fast.  with the high humidity (the threat of rain was ever present for the first few hours), a nine minute pace would have been more realistic.  i reached the 5 mile split in 42:48 (just over an 8:33 pace).  it would be my fast 5 mile split of the day.  the next 5 miles, at 44:15, also came in under a 9 minute pace.  i had reached 10 miles in 1:27:04 - just under an 8:45 pace.  by that point the sun had started to burn through the clouds.

my half marathon split was 1:56:08 - which was on pace for a 4:40 finish!  regardless of the math, that wasn't a realistic target.  i expected to finish much closer to 5 hours (and was surprised at how close to 5 hours it actually took).  my next 5 mile split, at 46:06, had crept over a 9 minute pace.  my 15 mile split was 2:13:11, still under a 9 minute overall pace.  but the next 5 miles, at 48:13:09, which got me to 20 miles in just over 3 hours (3:01:24), slowed the overall pace to 9+ minutes.

from that point on my pace dropped to 10 minutes miles - with the next 5 mile split at 52:44 (25 miles in 3:54:08).  my marathon split clocked in a 4:07:17 - which gave me just under 53 minutes to finish the last 6 miles.  with 10 minute miles, i could reach that target.  as it turned out, i reached 30 miles in 4:46:53 and had 13 minutes for the last mile.  just before the mile 30 marker i started to get calf cramps (despite plenty of sodium and an s cap at the halfway point).  it took me 11:28 - and i crossed the finish in 4:58:26... way too close for comfort!

all in all, it wasn't pretty - but it was fun.  as usual, i swore it would be my last sybil - especially since dodging traffic seemed unusually fierce this time around.  but i wouldn't be surprised to be there again next year :D

new york running show podcast: boston marathon and sybil ludington 50k

the new york running show last night (episode 73) was all about boston and sybil - mainly because brenn and i were joe's only guests on the show.  brenn recounted his tough day at the boston marathon - and the especially tough hot weather.  i talked about the sybil ludington 50k up in carmel, the prior day. 

sybil is one of my all time favorite ultras - and it was, actually, my very first ultra back in 2006 :D

listen to, or download, episode 73 at talkshoe.

2012 sybil ludington 50k: race photos and results

i ran the sybil ludington 50k this morning. it was my longest run of 2012 since the mhrrc recover from the holidays 50k back in january. i had a 5 hour time goal - and just managed to squeak in under it with a 4:58:28, 9:41 pace :D

i'll write up a race report.  here are the race results from trrc.

here are a few more pictures posted on facebook.