Oriflamme 50K
March 20th 2010
It was 7am at almost 6000 ft. altitude and the 1st San Diego ultramarathon of the season was about to begin. 120 runners signed up for the inaugural Oriflamme 50K organized by PCT50 race director, John Martinez. In typical fashion, promptly, at 7am, John shouted 3-2-1-GO! Off we went! We headed south towards the Pacific Crest Trail. It was about 40 degrees at the start, perfect running weather. I had battled the flu for the last two weeks but seemed to be feeling well enough at the start of the race. That would seriously change.
Twelve Dirt Devils had showed up for the race. Dr. Runco, Paul, Dr. Mike, Beth, Katie, Joan, Kathleen, Stephen, Carl, Dr. Bozorg, Dorothy and Amy Fancher. Mike “Trail surfer” McDaniel got called into work. Seems that the local population in pacific Beach decided to put on a “Floatzilla Drinkathon”. That is, you are not allowed to drink ON THE BEACH in San Diego anymore. BUT, no one ever said YOU COULD NOT DRINK IN THE OCEAN! Thousands showed up to languish on their floaties and drink….so Mike being a lifeguard had to work. Sorry Mike, we will see you at the PCT 50. The faster Dirt Devils took off. I noticed Mike, Carl and Paul out in front of Stephen and I pretty soon losing sight of them. Stephen and I made our way to the Pacific Crest Trail eventually getting passed by Dr. Bozorg. Once we got to the fire road that descends into Oriflamme Canyon we were pretty fired up and making decent time. Our strategy was to smoke the downhill and get to the turnaround in 2.5 hours. The downhill fire road was brutal. It was full of rocks, sharp ones that dug into your feet. We ran downhill for a full 10 miles before arriving at the first aid station. We really did not need anything so we didn’t stay long and took off towards Box Canyon. On the way to Box Canyon I commented to Stephen that going up that hill on the way back was going to be a bitch! He seemed to be looking forward to it……suck it Stephen! We arrived at the second aid station and the entrance to Box Canyon after another 3.5 miles. We were still pretty good on supplies so once again we did not linger and took off headed for the turn-around. At this point the trail turned very sandy, like the beach. This type of running is difficult as it requires you to dig through the sand and causes you to work twice as hard. Plus you had to watch out for the cactus! Stephen was a little ahead of me but I finally caught him (Ok he waited for me at the turn-around). We enjoyed some cold water when suddenly I turned and there was Kathleen “sweet potato” looking like she had barely run a mile. Before I knew it she and Stephen had taken off and were heading back towards Box Canyon. I knew at this point I was on my own.
As I ran back towards Box Canyon I saw lots of friendly faces running towards me. I slapped hands with Dorothy and Amy and I stopped to talk with Joanie, Katie “electric eel” and Beth. Joan and Katie looked great but Beth’s freakin knee was killing her. Two weeks prior to the race Beth had come down with the dreaded Iliotibial Band Syndrome. She had barely run for the last two weeks and today was a physical experiment. The brutal downhill fire road had flared up her knee. I gave her some Tylenol and Excedrin along with some words of encouragement and told her I would see her at the finish.
When I got back to the nearest aid station I was greeted by one of our Dirt Devils, Andrea Campian. Her husband Mike, Carl, Paul, Stephen, Dr. Bozorg and Kathleen had all passed through and now she was waiting for me. She offered me by bag with my other running shoes in it. I had decided to bring a second pair of shoes that are designed for running on rocks that morning. I should have taken the time to put them on but decided that what I was wearing would be okay. This turned out to be a major mistake. The rocks later on really started hurting my feet. I would learn that many of the runners experienced the same problem. Next time I am wearing trail shoes that are made for rocks.
As I ran out of Box Canyon and into Oriflamme the “Death March” began back up the canyon. It was pretty oppressive as each switchback seemed to become steeper and have more loose rocks on it. Along the way I met and was passed by lots of friendly faces. Rachael the Iron-girl, Charlie from the Rundown and Jerry England a friend and customer from San Diego Running Institute. They all expressed kind words and ultimately left me in their wake. I just could not seem to get going up that hill. The flu I had been battling was really kicking in. My stomach was in knots and now came the cough. You would think I was coughing up a lung. Soon I heard Dorothy, a fellow Dirt Devil shouting words of encouragement from behind me. She made sure I was OK and kept putting one foot in front of the other. I tried to keep her in my sights and just kept wondering when in the hell I would get to the top of the canyon. Just then an angel appeared in the form a women with a bottle of frozen water. I was running low and trying to conserve and she handed me the bottle! Had it not been for her I would have run out of hydration before the next aid station. I did not get her name but she made my day. Thank you!Finally cresting the ridge I made my way back onto the Pacific Crest Trail and more familiar territory. I was actually able to get my legs running again; man did it feel good to run instead of plod uphill! I was picking up speed and actually enjoying the run again. I could see Jeremy Scarborough and wife, Kara at the top of a ridge doling out water. I set my sights on them and cruised up the switchbacks until I got there. They had humped water out to the trail and were the last “official” aid station. They filled my pack and gave words of encouragement as I headed of in search of the finish line.
As I neared the finish I could see a Dirt Devil in front of me. It was Dorothy “Rambo” Hanling. I caught up to her and we soared into the finish line being greeted by fellow Dirt Devils with cheers and beer!
We all stayed around, drinking beer, waiting for all of the Dirt Devils to finish. They started coming in one by one with Amy Fancher finishing with a time of 7:03. She shaved over an hour from her Noble Canyon 50K time. First time 50K runners, Kristine “Frenchy” and Allen crossed next and headed straight for the beer. We all gathered and waited for our last three Dirt Devils. Joanie “the mayor”, Beth “Maam” and Katie “the electric eel” were all first time 50K runners and still on the course. Just when we thought they might DNF (Did not finish) they appeared over the ridge. It was obvious things were not good because they were not running. As they plodded towards the finish we cheered them on and greeted them with hugs and cold beer. What an accomplishment! Katie was under trained and happy to be alive. Beth struggled with stabbing pain in her left knee and “the mayor” was already talking about signing up for the PCT50 miler!
So in the end all the Dirt Devils finished and all of the first timers ended up signing up for the Pacific Crest trail 50 Mile Run in May. The following week we learned that Katie was going to get stationed in Afghanistan for a full year. The mayor quickly organized a party that kicked-ass! We are going to miss “the electric eel” but will await her return next year. Be safe Katie, we all will miss you!
