My First Trail Race

Wissahickon Trail Classic 10K 

I had been a runner for over 7 years when I finally ran my first trail race, at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.  A running buddy recruited me to be sure that Pike Creek Valley Running Club would field a complete team in this Mid-Atlantic USATF event.   As it turns out, it’s a good thing we ended up with a good turnout.

Pike Creek Valley Running Club

Nice runs by our scorers Josh (placed in age group), Tom, Chris  (just 6 days after an impressive RNR Marathon), Kelly and Jack .  Good thing we had a bunch of runners, since we also had a DNF (injury), and 2 runners who started 18 minutes late due to a wrong turn driving (I wish it was a chip race!).  Unfortunately, one of late runners was me.  But when we arrived, we figured we might as well pay the $30 and do it, even if just for pride.

The girls at the now lonely registration tent were still happy to take our money.  Very hilly, very rocky, often slippery course, most of which was single file – but a well organized and fun event!  There were no milemarkers, and since the hills made it impossible to judge pace, I had no idea where I was.  After a half mile of flat, packed dirt, I came upon the first hill.  Wow, it really was a hill.  Halfway up and I was already doing some walking.

Beautiful, but challenging course
The nicely wooded course featured 3 main hills that we’d go all the way up and all the way back to the valley.  It took me almost 2 miles to pass the last runner.  The hills were steep and those rocks were large enough to actually be used as steps.  For a while, I was being followed by two bikes, basically looking for runners in need of assistance.  I commented later that since I was behind everyone, I was surprised not to see some blood on the rocks, since the surface mud from recent rain made the path slippery.

As I passed runners, I encouraged them by saying “We can still catch them!”  Since my clock time would be ridiculous, I didn’t have the usual race pressure, so I could enjoy myself a bit.  Course was well marked, which is vital in a trail race where there are constantly forking paths and crossroads.  Only a couple times did I have to look around more than once.  Some rocks on the ground were spray painted blue, and there were orange tapes hanging from numerous branches to mark the route.

Fancy footwork
Trail races require concentration and a combination of looking ahead to see where the course turns and looking down to watch where to step.  First priority is to prevent falling or twisting ankles.  Going up was exhausting, while coming down meant scrambling over and around rocks, branches and mud to maintain the best footing possible.  Braking too hard could mean slipping.

I found out where I was for the first time when I asked what mile I was at while passing the 2nd (of 2) water stop.  I was happy to hear “5 miles”.  I then had a comfortable half mile on flat, wide trail before encountering the grand finale – the steepest of the hills.  Now there was a steady stream of runners/walkers ahead of me, so I had to choose my spots for passing.  Reaching the bottom of the hill allowed just a 100 yeard sprint to the finish, and due to resting on the way down the hill, I really did have a kick!

It was gratifying to have the timekeeper call out, “This guy started 18 and a half minutes after everyone else” as I cruised to the finish.
After the post-race bananas/bagels/pizza, 9 of us hit a restaurant just down the block for a nice late morning brunch.

Have any interesting trail running stories to share?