Staten Island Trail Festival 50k

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Willowbrook Park, Staten Island
8 December 2012
7:23 Finish

It was a perfect day for a long trail run:  in the 40s, overcast, and slightly drizzly.  I got to Willowbrook Park about half an hour before start time.  Bib pick up was fast and it got pretty cold waiting around after that, but I chatted with a really nice woman for a bit before getting last minute directions from the race director.  About a hundred runners lined up at the start line; only about a fourth were signed up for the 50k. Read More

NJ Ultra Festival 50k

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Sussex County Fairgrounds, New Jersey
24 March 2012
7:11:47 Finish

Since this was my first-ever 50k, I had gotten pretty nervous in the days leading up to it, mainly wondering if I had trained well enough.  But races wait for no one, whether you’ve trained well or not, so I made my way to the starting line bright and early.

The weather was perfect, in the 50s (and overcast most of the day), and there was no long wait in a corral before we started.  We gathered around for instructions just a few minutes before start time and ran when we heard go.  The course was a 10-mile loop that consisted of a short out-and-back, a long out-and-back, and a circular route through the Sussex Count fairgrounds.  We had been told that there had been rain several days before the race, but the course was mostly dry thanks to our warm, dry winter.

That was true, but… Read More