(Below, any information regarding the trail or other objective aspects of the race are in italics. My experiences and thoughts are in plain text.)
For the first time since signing up for this race on Black Friday 2019, I was finally back to where I had longed to be: with my people, at the start of an ultramarathon, ready to put ourselves through something. Looking to see if we have what it takes to make a way to the finish line so many miles out in front of us.
Prerace
Twisted Branch, August 21, 2021, was my first 100k and my first ultra since Glacier Ridge 50-mile in May of 2019. In between those races I had done two 50k distance personal projects in the Adirondacks: the Saranac Lake 6er Ultra and the Lake Placid 9er Ultra. For Twisted I was extremely lucky to have along three of my good friends to crew/pace for me on the day. Mark was the been-there-done-that veteran (Oil Creek 100, Eastern States, Tahoe 200) and crew chief. My brother Josh was is training for his first 50k and would handle the bulk of pacing duties (19miles). Kurt was the third member of the crew and training for his second 50mile race and was given the responsibility of getting be through the last six miles of the course to the finish.
A four-hour drive on Friday got us from my home in the heart of Oil Creek 100 territory to the middle of the gorgeous Finger Lakes region.
Everything about the prerace check-in and start at Twisted Branch was very laid back and matter-of-fact. When you got to Ontario County Park you drove to the very top of the hill and were told where to park by a volunteer. Packet pick-up was a breeze. From there it was "set-up your tent wherever you want in the field." I have certainly camped in less scenic places.
For the start in the morning, check-in was at the same pavilion as packet pick-up, then pick out a spot in the queue of people. Promptly at 4:00 AM, one of my favorite things happened: the unremarkable response that occurs when someone yells "go" at an ultramarathon, everyone just kind of starts walking forward.
The only negative to anything pre-race was that the mandatory meeting started half an hour later than it was supposed to. And the only reason it was negative is that by the time it concluded and we drove back to the town of Naples the restaurants in town had closed or were about to do so. But the crew and I were able to grab some very tasty local pizza. I got to sleep around 11:00 with my alarm set for 3:00, but my mind had me awake at 2:30. Let's do this!
Start to Cutler - mile 6.0 overall, 1:25 overall time
A caveat up front, the Finger Lakes region was absolutely hammered by heavy rain in the week+ leading up to the race in 2021, so the descriptions of mud may be specific to this year. That being said, the mud and water damage to the course was pervasive and, in some cases, extreme.
With the 4 AM start, this section was run completely in the dark, but is entirely on singletrack. There are very few sections to pass, so stay patient and keep in mind that you will be wishing you could run as fast as an 11-minute mile by the end.
The mud and water in this section was minimal and avoidable. The uphills here were all small rollers. The only big downhill was right in the middle of the section, and with everyone being fresh it went easily.
I started the race beside Tami Sari an absolutely amazing ultra runner from the same neck of the woods as me. She was toeing the line a month after completing Tahoe Rim Trail 100-mile.
I ran much of the early part of this section with a guy named Ted, I am guessing that was a nickname because I couldn't find him in the race results, who told me a funny story about his calf tattoo. He got it when he and his wife joked about their thirteenth anniversary being the "tattoo anniversary" and then they actually followed through on the idea.
Culter to Naples Creek - mile 12.5 overall / 6.5 section, 2:47 overall, 1:21 section
This section opened with what was a very long road section. Overall, I was surprised by how many road miles there were in this race. In the total mileage of the race it was not a huge percentage, just something I missed in the pre-race prep. This particular road segment was around a third of the total length of this section. The sun came up just in time for the very long downhill into the first crew accessible aid station.
As soon as the road section ended the day's mud began and from that point (8.0 miles) to the finish my feet were soaking wet.
The Naples Creek aid station was welcome as I was completely out of the Gatorade I started with and I was looking forward to trying the Skratch labs drink that the race was providing on-course all day. I had never tried it before. Normally that is not a strategy I embrace, but somehow I never found what drink mix the race was using until a few days before the race (my fault, not theirs). So my plan was to try it early so I knew whether to stick with it, or go back to the supply I had brought with me in the crew van.
The crew had the perfect parking spot at the aid station - the very first spot as you came in and also the closest spot to the course possible. Our aid station process was exceptionally smooth here and throughout the day honestly. They had my pack off my back, emptied, completely refilled, and back on in less than two minutes. This was aided by a simple plan for my nutrition on the day that I had communicated clearly beforehand.
Naples Creek to the Sneaker - 18.2 overall / 5.7 section, 3:56 overall, 1:07 section
This section was completely up, up, up with only one short downhill of any real length that only set-up the next uphill in the section. Straight out of the aid station was the steepest uphill of the entire day. This was a truly massive climb straight up the mountainside with no switchbacks. This climb ran directly along a large creek (or at least it was this day due to the heavy rain) containing some stunning waterfalls. These gave a great excuse to stop for a few seconds as a break in the climb.
About two-thirds of the way through the section there was an absolutely beautiful gorge over seventy feet deep right beside the trail. The sound of water roaring through was all-pervasive and beautiful. I even stopped and took another runner's picture for them because they were enjoying it so much.
This section concluded an extremely long, but gradual climb up to the aid station. For my abilities and goals on the day it was just outside of a runnable gradient, but it did allow for very strong and fast power hiking.
This section was 100% singletrack and was the only section of the day in which the mud did not play a factor at all. This was also the second prettiest section of the day.
It was in the back half of this section that I passed Tami while I was power hiking and did not see her again until the finish.
Sneaker to Italy Valley - 22.6 overall / 4.4 section, 4:46 overall, :50 section
This section was exceptionally fast and unremarkable because the first 2.75 miles were all on country dirt roads and the rest of the section was steep, downhill singletrack to the aid station.
This downhill was where I first realized that downhills were going to be my weakest point in this race because I was already unable to go downhill with any kind of speed. I got passed by four people just on this downhill.
It was in this aid station that I tried an rice, egg, and cheese square (good) and took some orange Gu gummies for the road (also good).
Italy Valley to The Lab - 29.3 overall / 6.7 section, 6:16 overall, 1:27 section
Right out of the aid station this section hit with the longest single climb of the entire day. After the climb was a long, very runnable trail section despite the mud. This was a general theme throughout the day. This course contains sustained, runnable sections despite the potential for mud and the overall elevation profile. The climbs all seemed to be either long and continuous, or short but steep. Either way it was very easy to decide whether I should be hiking or running on these ascents.
This section concluded with a long, moderate downhill road section into an incredibly short trail section led into the aid station. This aid station is beautiful. You run around the backside of a pond, all the while looking across it into someone's backyard that is covered with crew, spectators, and volunteers.
This was the first section of the race that was demanding psychologically because it was the first time that I had to start paying attention to the course and navigating for myself. Halfway up the first climb the trail marking flags disappeared and there was not a trace of another one for a mile and a half (not an exaggeration, I tracked it on my watch). There weren't any side trails so you just had to fight through the nagging voice in your head that something was wrong.
After this point I started to take special notice of the signs at each aid station exit that displayed what tree blazes the next section would be following. These blazes are permanent and occur more often than the race flags. They also use the standard trail display for upcoming turns. There are multiple sections on the course that use multiple colors of trail blazes, so pay attention to that as well.
It was during the road running at the end of this section that the unexpected (at least by me) amount of road running in this race was going to be a huge boon for my race. All day long I comfortably hit 9:30-10:30 pace for the entire length of the road sections, eating up miles quickly and easily.
I must admit this aid station crept up on me. I thought I had another mile to go when I came out of the woods and was hit by the energy of the The Lab.
During the road section I felt some rubbing in my shoe and decided to make an unplanned sit-down at the Lab and get the rock/dirt from my shoe. What I found instead was that I had worn holes in each of my socks! New Desitin and socks and I was a whole new man. Plus they had salt potatoes at the aid station for the first time all day!
The Lab to Patch Road - 35.6 overall / 6.3 section, 7:50 overall, 1:26 section
This was possibly the most unremarkable section of the whole course. Some rolling hills in and out of the woods with a bunch of field and road crossings.
It felt good to be halfway done because I was in a good headspace at the time, making it an uplifting, not intimidating, thought.
It was also in this section that I realized that with my 7:25 first half that my stretch goal of finishing without a headlamp was a possibility. I reckoned I could positive split by 1.5 hours and still get it done, which (SPOILER ALERT) is exactly what ended up happening.
One of the funniest events of the day occurred in this section, about a mile (maybe two) from the Patch Rd. AS. A large group of us were running together, when we came upon a lone person (I am presuming the landowner) with a cooler on the back of their side-by-side UTV. They told us "free cold beer or water." It was around noon and getting very hot. I had plenty of water, but I still took a peek inside the cooler to see what his non-H2O offerings were: Milwaukee's Best Ice and Labatt Blue Light. As neither of these where what I was craving at the time I said thank you and moved on, but some of my trailmates gladly imbibed. When I departed this impromptu oasis they were happily chugging away their libation of choice. While I was still in the aid station, one of these guys came in. One volunteer approached, saying "Can I take any trash for you... or your beer can, okay. How did that taste out there?" "It seemed like a good idea at the time," came the reply. I left with a broad smile on my face, happy for two newly full flasks of Skratch.
Patch Road to Bud Valley - 39.8 overall / 4.2 section, 9:03 overall, 1:11 section
This section began with what used to be a logging road, I think, then was at one time a trail, but is now a complete washout filled with large troughs, large rocks, unstable dirt, and steep banks. After this and another half mile of singletrack, the trail popped out onto another extended downhill road section. There was absolutely no shade on this road and is where the heat of the day really announced its presence. As soon as this road section ended it was straight up and over two ridges, the second of which dumped the trail out onto a very rough and steep downhill dirt road that led directly into the Bud Valley Aid Station.
The climbs in this section were not overly arduous and they only stand out in my memory because they were the first of the day against which my fatigued body really protested.
It was during this section that I switched to completely liquid and gel calories because I could tell that the heat was not going to let my stomach tolerate more solid fuel.
The Bud Valley aid station is one long driveway into the campground that is lined with crew, spectator, and volunteer vehicles. The aid station proper is at the very end of the driveway after passing all of these. My "in aid" time here was only a minute because I had already spent five minutes at the van drinking ice cold Coke. I was very pleased to eat my first bacon of the day at this aid station though.
Bud Valley to Glen Brook - 46.2 overall / 6.4 section, 10:42 overall, 1:37 section
I made it to Josh! I was ready to run with someone. I had been running around, but not with, people since mile eighteen, so I had had plenty of time inside my own head by this point. The heat and miles had stripped the amiable chatting out of the runners that had been so prevalent early on.
I do not think that anybody could have been more ready to run than Josh was for his nineteen miles of pacing duty.
This section opened with the last extended road segment of the day. It was also completely open to the sun, which finally came out in full force after a very overcast morning.
The mud that was assaulting my race effort is what stands out to me here. This is when I first started cursing the trail. My go-to was "this is not a trail."
My feet were definitely abused by this point. My Xero Shoes Mesa Trails are the best shoes I have ever owned, I just needed a switch for the final twenty-mile push. When we got into Glen Brook I switched socks again - thanks to Kurt for giving me one of his pairs of Injinji socks, and put on my Altra Superiors. Ahh... cushion.
Glen Brook to Lake David - 50.6 overall / 4.4 section, 12:14 overall, 1:22 section
In all I really enjoyed this section. Most of it was a very runnable traverse across ridge tops and along farm fields. I believe it was in the woods of this section that most of the creeks were actually bridged. That didn't matter much on this day with so much of the trail being a quagmire, but in a dry year it would be a nice feature.
On the back end of the section there was a very long downhill to a road (County 13 as it turned out). Immediately across this road was an absolutely devastating uphill, very long and at a very difficult point mileage-wise in the race.
At the very top of this climb the trail comes out on the very edge of a lake bordered by a wide, flat, and mowed bank. On the far side of the lake you can see the Lake David aid station. I have seldom seen a more idyllic setting to run or have an aid station.
The volunteers at this aid station were probably the best of the entire day. They came a quarter of the way around the lake to run in with us, find out how we were doing and ask what we wanted to do/get in the station. They were not shy about grabbing our bottles to fill them. They talked us through the next section as they worked. They even offered us some bourbon to fuel us on our way! And it was not cheap bourbon either. I passed, but the generosity of these people fueled struck me deeply.
Lake David to Mitchellsville Rd. - 55.7 overall / 5.1 section, 13:41 overall, 1:24 section
It wasn't to long into this section that the real mental battle started. It wasn't a battle to stick it out to the finish, that was never in question. Instead, it was a battle to stay positive, to savor and enjoy the day.
Physically I was only only facing two challenges: sore feet (and maybe some small blisters), and chafing due to two straight crew stops of forgeting to reapply Body Glide. There is so much energy and excitement in aid station stops, this is something I must deliberately plan for next race.
This section was very straight forward: ridgetop for two miles, HUGE! downhill mile, STEEP! uphill mile, STEEP! downhill mile.
It was in this section that my ultra brain kicked in strongly and I convinced myself that this section ended in Urbana, and then there would only be six miles to the finish. I was so sure of this that I didn't even tell Josh (who was pacing me) because he would have set me straight right away. So I pushed a bit harder in this section and intentionally allowed myself to get behind on calories toward its end, expecting a big, crew stop to renergize.
As a result of all this, when we came in to Mitchellsville Aid Station I was devastated. My mood instantly turned black. It was not helped by this being an absolutely skeletal aid station. All they had that I wanted was Coke. I was regretably uncommunicative with the volunteers, not rude or mean, but not myself. All I knew was that I had to get out of there and just get this thing done.
Mitchellsville Rd. to Urbana - 59.2 overall / 2.5 section, 14:22 overall, :37 section
This section is my only true regret of the day. It was the only section that did not have a speck of mud in it. This was also the most beautiful section of the course, by a huge margin. The entire length of this section is along Mitchellsville Creek as it runs through a very deep gorge, the path running right along its rim just feet away from the fifty foot (more in some places) drop. The entire woods was filled with the sound of raging white water thanks to the recent deluges. It also seemed like every quarter mile there was another compelling waterfall to stop and see.
The very end of the section came to the end of the gorge and into the maid valley that holds Urbana, Hammondsport, and Keuka Lake (THE PROMISED LAND). The final half mile (maybe three-quarters) included fifty yards in between the rails of an abandoned railroad, a beautiful creek crossing on a bridge, and a quarter mile along the grape vines of a vineyard. This last half bit was the LEAST scenic part of the entire section, that is how special it is.
This section started with me at my lowest of low points but I was back by the end. Josh tried to talk to me early on and I said something along the lines of being in a very dark place. Josh: "Do you want to talk about it?" "No."
In the end it was the waterfalls that pulled me out. The constant roar of water to our immediate left caused me to realize I would regret not stopping to see them. The first one seemed inconvenient, the second was pleasant, and by the third I was "wowing" out loud and enjoying the trail again.
The Urbana aid station was a purely business stop. A quick sit (only and always on a camp stool, all day. These are not comfortable and with no back to lean on, you don't want to stay on it), some solid-food calories (FINALLY AGAIN), pack refill, lube, and then I was back on my feet. I grabbed my hiking sticks for the final climb up and over "Mount Washington" and then Kurtis and I were on our way into the homestretch.
When leaving I tied on my Kogalla Ra waist light but I vowed to myself that I would not use it. It was 6:30 and based on my pre-race research, I had one hour and forty-five minutes to go six miles before it was too dark to see.
Urbana to Finish- 64.7 overall / 5.5 section, 16:18:12 overall, 1:47 section
Kurt and I left the aid station, crossed the road (NY 54) and immediately began climbing. The climbing did not stop for slightly longer than a mile. This was, without a doubt, the hardest climb of the day. It could have been anywhere else in the course and it still would have been the hardest. But it wasn't anywhere else, it was fifty-nine miles into it.
For the only time of the day I "ran" behind my pacer, either Josh or Kurt, during this climb. I was really relying on him to "pull" me up faster than I wanted to go. I do not want to know how long this would have taken me if I had been out there on my own. A few times I had to stop because my pulse was so high that it was making me lightheaded, but it would pass quickly and then we would continue.
Across the top of the mountain was very broken trail. It is so remote up there that trail maintenance would take a herculean effort. There were numerous downed trees as well as the trail being very narrow in between briars and other vegetation. At one point we were going along the uneven ground at the very edge of a soybean field.
My hiking sticks (a.k.a. repurposed wood broom handles with braided paracord straps) were great for these downed trees. I could run up to them, place both sticks on the far side and "launch" myself over the trunk with most of my weight on the straps, all without breaking stride. This would have been impossible with real running poles.
From the time we got to the top we got to the top we could see Keuka Lake through the trees, a tantalizing sight knowing the finish line was on its shore.
The descent to the finish line is eternal. It was two miles from the time we started down until the finish. Of all the descents on the day, this one was the muddiest because of how moderate it was. The only highlight of this descent came as we were traversing across a muddy slope. I slipped and should have gone down into a muddy grave of exhausted self-pity. Instead, I reflexively planted my uphill (left) stick and caught myself at the last second. Kurt gave me a, "That was amazing! I thought you were going down."
Throughout this entire descent I constantly asked Kurt, "How far have we gone?" I knew we had six miles together, so it was easier to have him read his GPS watch than for me to constantly be subtracting the 59.2 to Urbana from whatever was now displayed on my watch. But what I was tracking was not how far we had to finish. I was keeping an ongoing distance-remaining to light-remaining ratio. My highest goal from the outset of this race was to finish without using lights and it was still achievable if we could move fast enough, having lost a lot of time on the climb up Mount Washington. Halfway down, I knew we had enough light for two miles in open country. My "worry" was as we went down the mountain, the woods kept getting thicker and thicker. With three-quarters of a mile to go the mud abated and we were able to move!
Now we could hear the sounds of the party in front of and below us. Kurt looked back and said, "We got headlamps coming." Sure enough, a quarter mile behind us was our pursuit. I was not getting passed at this point! Into the gathering gloom we pressed on. There was just enough light left to run confidently.
The finish line! I could see it! Across the final road crossing and into the "chute" made by the course marking flags I followed all day. Kurt said, "Go get it buddy," and peeled off, graciously allowing me to cross the line alone. The final steps brought tears to my eyes. This was the culmination of nineteen months of training. The end of a day where I shocked myself in how well I operated. I had finished, headlamp free, the last person to do so, in sixteen hours eighteen minutes and twelve seconds, finally a 100k runner.
