NOBLE CANYON 50K – September 2009
The day was finally here. The 3rd annual Noble Canyon 50K put on by the San Diego Bad Rats and sponsored by the San Diego Running Institute. I was even more excited this year because I had trained with eleven Dirt Devil runners, some never having run more than a half marathon, and now we were at the start line. The weather was calling for temperatures between 94 and 103 degrees, but at the moment there was a chill in the air. As we all stood in the morning chill the race director, Scott Mills counted down, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO! Off we went!
The plan was simple this day…finish. Some of us were faster than others but we all knew this was going to be one tough 50K due to altitude, hills and heat….not to mention the distance. As we started off up through Noble Canyon you could physically feel the temperature change from cool to warm to hot as we ascended up and into the canyon. Our group was already separated as we made our way up the single track rocky trail. It was approximately four miles to the first aid station and I thought I would make the most of it. Steven, Chavva, Carl, Mike, Barry, Kathleen, Shelly and I “trail-surfed” the downhill sections, enjoying the trail and the opportunity to run sub-eight minute miles while we could. It was a beautiful day.
I pulled into the first aid station and waited for my posse. They were all right behind me and I turned to high-five them as they went by, most not even stopping at the aid station. I waited for my soon-to-be-running-partner-for-the-day, Amy. This was Amy’s first Ultra. She had trained smart and hard, followed the schedule and was determined to conquer Noble Canyon. As I was waiting, Dorothy passed by and I shouted words of encouragement, including a reminder that she make sure to drink. She promised she would and sped off up the canyon. Just then Amy appeared and she and I began the merciless climb towards the Penny Pines aid station. A climb of approximately 2,000 feet in 7 miles, on single track rocky terrain and the temperature was still climbing (it would reach 99 degrees!)
It was now just myself and Amy with most of the Dirt Devils in front of us. Jeff Coon was the only Dirt Devil behind us and is ultimately the winner of the “Devil’s Tail” award for the Noble Canyon 2009….congratulations Jeff! Amy and I plodded along reminiscing about training runs as we covered familiar ground. When we spotted Indian Creek Trail we both got a noticeable second wind as we knew we were drawing nearer to the Penny Pines aid station. Getting there would be a moral victory as we knew Amy’s husband and children were there to great her in her first Ultra and my own battle tested Ultra-running aid station “Guru,” Krista would be there waiting for us.
As we pulled into Penny Pines there were Amy’s kids holding signs they had made themselves saying “Go Mommy” with huge smiles on their faces. How cool is that? Krista, Jay and Carmella were also there and Carmella, an experienced Ultra runner herself deftly took my pack and made sure it was filled so I would be ready to go for the next 5-6 miles. We received various reports from Krista on our different Dirt Devils. How well they were doing, how good they felt…..or how bad. So far so good, all was well and off we went.
As we were readying to cross Sunrise Highway I saw a familiar face, Jerry England, a customer from San Diego Running Institute. He was wearing a sling! I thought he had been hurt in the race but it turns out he separated his shoulder prior to the event and had to pull out. His buddy Charlie however was running just ahead of us.
We headed over Sunrise Highway and onto the Pacific Crest Trail. The views of the desert are spectacular here and we paused to take a few pictures. We headed up the PCT knowing we had to climb 700-800 feet before cresting. The temperature was now peaking and there were no clouds in the sky. We encountered other runners slogging their way up this hill that Amy aptly named “Mount Exposure.” I voted for Mount Sunburn but eventually gave in. As we crested Mt. Exposure and started our descent towards Big Laguna Trail I tripped and smashed my left kneecap into a rock! Ouch! Now in pain and filthy from my knee-face impact with the ground we persevered knowing it was mostly downhill from here.
As we ran onto the Big Laguna Trail I reminded Amy of the training run when our club encountered hundreds of cows….and bulls in the meadow. One had even charged us and scared the SH%@#**%T out of Carmella! We finished cruising through Big Laguna and returned to Penny Pines aid station. On the way I ran past Charlie. He was struggling with his knee….kind of stiff legging it and was not sure he could finish…..thankfully, he would.
At Penny Pines I got the rundown from Krista & Jay on all of the Dirt Devils and actually saw Dorothy’s ponytail as she sped out of the aid station. Amy and I fueled up and Amy said her final goodbyes to her family. She would not see them again until the finish. Charlie joined us and we happily left Penny Pines for the last time, taking comfort in the fact that most of the race was downhill from here.
As we made our way down Noble Canyon the sun was really beating down on us and taking it’s toll. I began to use my experience as an Ultra runner to motivate Amy and keep us moving down the hill. If you have never done anything like this it is difficult to imagine but let me paint you a picture. You have already run 22 miles and it’s 100 degrees. Your knees hurt, you’re tired, sweaty, agitated, and you just want to stop. But you can’t because there is nowhere to stop. Civilization is 10 miles up the canyon and you have to get there. So one foot plods in front of the other, mile by mile reaching one small goal at a time until you finally get to an aid station.
As we entered the 2nd to last aid station we were greeted by Cindy Yankee, an ultra runner and aid station captain extraordinaire. We enjoyed her company….and the shade for a few minutes while they filled our packs, made sure we ate something, and asked whether we needed any Salt Stick pills.
On the way to our next short term goal and last aid station, I came across a distressed runner. He was in dire need of help and beginning to sit down on the trail. “Doc, I’m not doing so good” her muttered. I told him the aid station was less than a half mile away and that he could make it. I told him he was having heat exhaustion and he needed to get some shade and hydrate. I also gave him an Accelerade gel to get some sugar in him. I let him know a “train” of runners were on the way in 5 minutes or less and he should rest until then and then run to the aid station with them. I promised when I got to the aid station I would wait 5 minutes before alarming them about his exhaustion. He thanked me and off I went. When I got to the last aid station I began to prep for when Amy would be coming in. It was such a hot one it was no surprise that there was another runner at the station who was so cramped up he could not even stand without all his leg muscles going into spasm and thrusting him back into a chair in pain. Just then Amy and other runners arrived in need of aid, including the exhausted runner I met and helped. I forced some oranges on Amy and filled her pack knowing we only had 4 miles to go. Ready I said?
On the last leg back things were getting difficult. I tried to distract Amy by telling her stories from when I was stationed overseas while doing a stint in the Navy. Most of the stories were about guys who gave up and went AWOL. Amy agreed that the reasons they choose to go AWOL made no sense and that giving up makes no sense. I am not sure if she was aware of the psychology I was using, but the stories seemed to distract her long enough that she forgot how difficult the trail was. Suddenly we were only 2 miles away and it was mostly downhill from there. We got our 3rd wind and began motoring down the switchbacks getting back to the main road in record time.
As we jogged up the road to the finish we ran into Amy’s husband and children. They were elated to see their Mommy again and began to run along side her! We ran toward the finish line to an exuberant bunch of Dirt Devils, previous finishers, and loved ones clapping and cheering for us all the way to the finish line. Despite the Race Director instructing all who finish to kiss the Finish Line mascot, Amy finished instead with a right haymaker to the dangling “Badrat.” (She had promised me she would punt the mascot across the parking lot, but in all his Ultra experience and finish line wisdom, Scott Mills had tied it up high enough so disgruntled runners were unable to kick it.)
And just like that the race was over. Another Ultra under the belts of the newly formed trail running group, the San Diego Dirt Devils. 11 started and 11 finished. Some ran fast, some ran slow, all plan to do another Ultra marathon…….imagine that.
