The Hamsterwheel 6 Hour Race Report

To be honest, I had no business entering this race. The chronic musculoskeletal condition that kept me from running for over three years has limited my training to 1 - 2 days per week over the past two and a half months. Averaging just 13 miles a week and having run between 2 -3 hours only 3 times does not prepare the body to run for 6 hours. But the Ultra goddess is a temptress and I found her siren call impossible to resist. I stood at the start line of The Hamsterwheel 6 Hour Ultra determined to go the distance, or in this case, do the time.

My first ultra race bib since the 2011 Wakely Dam Ultra.

The race consisted of three miles (1.5 miles out and back) on the New Boston Rail Trail along the south branch of the Piscataquog River, and one mile of dirt roads around the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, creating a lollipop loop course. The rail trail section was basically flat, although it dipped in the center creating a very slight incline/decline in both directions. The fairground section had the only hill, which was short but sort of steep, taking you to the high point on the loop before dropping back down the the start/finish line in the center of the fairgrounds.

That's a sad looking lollipop but you get the idea.

Elevation profile or my EKG during the race?

I'm usually not a fan of out and back, multi-loop races but I actually enjoyed this course quite a bit. It was interesting to see the race leaders (making it look easy) and other runners lap after lap, offering encouragement, a smile or a just slight nod of the head as the hours wore on. The views and sounds of the rushing river offered a distraction along the rail trail and the hill in the fairground provided an opportunity to work the leg muscles in a different manner. Plus, it's comforting knowing what to expect lap after lap when you are out of shape and in over your head!

My friend Wendy cruising to a 28 mile finish.

The rail trail section parallels the Piscataquog River.

Looking upstream from the rail trail.

I knew I would have to use a run/walk system in order to go the full 6 hours so I settled on a 0.7 mile run/0.3 mile walk ratio. I thought if I could keep moving for 6 hours I would have a shot at completing marathon distance. Once the race started I began my 0.3 mile walking segment through the fairgrounds and was dead last in no time flat! When I got to the rail trail section I was disappointed to see the trail surface was crushed stone. Ugh! Not having seen the course I made the incorrect assumption that the rail trail was an unimproved dirt rail bed. I had to quit a run on a crushed stone rail trail a few weeks ago when it caused considerable plantar fascia pain so I felt like my race was over before it even started. 

What evil lurks beyond this sign?

Leaf covered rail trail concealed my nemesis.

Damn you crushed stone!

After running the first 0.7 mile segment I knew my feet wouldn't survive for long if I stuck to the 0.7/0.3 run/walk plan. I would have to walk the entire three mile section of rail trail and run the one mile loop on dirt roads around the fairgrounds. I felt discouraged knowing it would be impossible to reach marathon distance running only 25% of the course. It was better than quitting though so I pressed on. I completed the first loop in 54 minutes despite walking more than planned. 

As I started my second loop I thought why not flip the run/walk split and go with 0.3 run and 0.7 walk on the rail trail section? Although not ideal, it was far better than walking all of it. From this point on I ran approximately 50% of the distance covered in the remaining 5+ hours. This run/walk ratio proved very effective as I ran very consistent splits for the next four loops.

Loop 2: 52 mins
Loop 3: 52 mins
Loop 4: 50 mins
Loop 5: 52 mins

Energy conservation was on my mind. It was the only way I would survive.

As I was nearing the end of my 5th loop I started getting severe pain in my right knee. I knew immediately it was caused by my tightening IT band, a chronic problem that hampered my running throughout 2010 and 2011. With 20 miles down and another hour and forty minutes remaining in the race, I had no thoughts of quitting. After refilling my water bottle I headed out for my 6th, and possibly last loop.

The pain in my knee seemed to affect my stride and I felt like I was running with a slight limp. At least I was still running, albeit even slower than usual. I needed to do some running no matter how painful if I wanted to have enough time on the clock to go back out for a partial 7th loop so I could reach my goal of 26.2 miles. Although slowing to 58 minutes on loop six, I had about 42 minutes left to run or walk the 2.2 miles needed to complete a marathon.

My knee pain worsened and I was forced to walk most of the final miles. The weather conditions, which were pretty brutal all day, had not bothered me at all earlier in the race. Now that I was walking, a wind chill temperature in the thirties and occasional snow had me questioning my decision to run in a short-sleeve shirt and shorts. It did made me walk with a purpose! I caught up to a woman using trekking poles who was doing her first ultra. (Sorry I didn't get your name.) She was having a great time and we talked the remaining mile(s) away. As we approached the end, I could see many runners who already completed the race standing at the finish and cheering us on. It was an awesome sight to see. My new found friend convinced me to "run it in" and we crossing the finish line together in 5 hours, 58 minutes. I'd say we got our money's worth.

Oh, and I "ran" 27ish miles and received congratulatory hugs from three young ladies to boot! Not too shabby for the oldest person in the race. 

I can't thank RD Bill and his enthusiastic volunteers enough for making this a great experience for me. I highly recommend The Hamsterwheel to newbies looking to run their first ultra and to experienced ultra runners looking to lay down some serious miles.

OK, time to rest.