Looking down the tram line to the hotel and start.That’s a wrap, folks. My first competitive mountain running season is officially over. I went big at the end, too. As you know, if you read my previous post on the race, the Alyeska Climbathon took place last weekend - up the North Face trail and down the tram as many times in 10 hours. I was dreading it. Mainly because I knew there was going to be unpleasantness at some point during the day. Not the usual anaerobic discomfort but the kind of pain that comes only on long outings. This one didn’t disappoint.
Ascending the mostly single-track trail for 2.2 miles and 2,100 vertical feet over and over took its toll on everyone. Being the geek I am, I find the performance variation over the course of 10 hours of exercise fascinating. I focused on my own sensations, of course, but also enjoyed my fellow racers’ battles with motivation, bad belly, cramps and success. These challenges are virtually absent in shorter events.
No. This is not my EKG from the race.Some friends rented a house down in Girdwood for the weekend and turned the event into a family/friend getaway. It was nice being close to the start in the morning and we had fun just hanging out together for the two days. We made some great meals, too.
I was surprised by the turn out with over 100 competitors signing up. I can’t say that the depth of competition was huge but there were enough fast guys there to make it fun. Matt Novakovich, winner of Mount Marathon and a few other events this year, toed the line with the record in his sites. His previous best was 12 laps and he was hoping for 13 this time around. I was hoping for 11 laps as my own goal but my friend, Karol, insisted that 12 was not out of the question.
Once again, we got lucky on the weather. The day was going to be cool and sunny. The heavy rain of the past week ensured some muddy trail sections. Food was organized in individual bags or boxes and organizers took them to the top before the start. That way we could feed on the 4-minute ride down.
Nutrition
I was committed to the Gu-only fueling plan but others had virtual smorgasbords on the menu. There was a hint of doubt lurking in my mind about my plan but I was willing to suffer for the cause even if it didn’t work out.
Let the fun begin
The gun went off and instead of the usual hell-bent sprint, we started off at a leisurely conversation running pace. Actually, being the old guy with the fading VO2 max, I wasn’t actually conversational but the young guys in the group were clearly within themselves.
The first 10 minutes, or so, start on a low angle machine road. The trail then narrows and steepens to 30 degrees for a short stretch. There’s a lower angle single-track section and even a narrow boardwalk over a bog before the course angles up into the meat of the business. The final 10 minutes ease off again before ending at the tram dock.
Initially, I was worried about traffic problems on the first lap but after we spread out I realized there would be no issues. Even with the sensible start, a group of seven or eight of us separated from the pack as soon as the trail got steep. Three guys jumped ahead. I kept an eye on my HR monitor, determined to stick to the plan and save my fun tickets for later. I was pleasantly surprised to see Matt N. stay behind me, clearly sticking to his game plan.
We introduced ourselves to each other and he even inquired about my footwear choice (more on that later). I sensed his interest in closing the gap to the others and stepped aside for a second. He quickly bridged and I kept plodding. My HR touched 160 bpm briefly before he passed so I knew he was distracting me from my plan. That said, I enjoyed running with him for that short period, being the local powerhouse that he is. It’s unlikely I will find myself in his company at any other event.
When the trail kicked up again, I started closing the gap to the front group and as we crested the top to end the first lap in 37 minutes, the seven of us were together. With the tram leaving on the 10-minute mark, we quickly refueled our stores and jumped on for the ride down. Some guys opted for carrying nothing on the actual run while others, like me, carried a bottle or hydration pack. I opted for my Ultraspire Synapse with the Cell attachment. I carried a half bottle of mix and a Gu flask.
The descent was over quickly and we bolted from the door en masse. Four runners quickly took off, clearly on a different pace than our first. During our conversation, Matt mentioned that he wanted to go on a 14-lap pace for the first seven or eight laps and then see what happens. He was hoping for 13 laps. The other three of us settled in and jockeyed back and forth on the second lap staying close. It seemed we would be the “other group”.
Our timing allowed for a more leisurely transition as we just missed the tram. We would spend the next few laps refining our effort so as to conserve the most amount of energy while still making the tram with enough time to eat and drink.
I was surprised to see how things changed over the next few laps. My fellow competitors were clearly starting to vary their efforts as the rubber band stretched. I discovered what I hoped would be my all-day pace and watched the HR monitor to stay on track.
It seemed when the others choked down a bagel at the top, they were quickly off the back at the start of the running. I was determined to run the first 10 minutes of each lap and this proved to be a good barometer for all of us. One by one, I managed to shed my nearby competition and I watched with great interest at each tram down load to see who would make it. It was always a relief when another would fail to get in the door before departure.
By lap six I was on my own and dealing with some gut issues. I think I over-fed early on and was now facing some gastric emptying distress. I switched to water for a lap or two and things eventually sorted themselves out. Poor discipline on my part and a general lack of confidence in my plan, I think. Turns out I really had nothing to worry about.
On lap seven I was surprised to see Matt jump onto the tram, having just lapped me. This was sort of expected but I was still a little bummed. He was alone, of course. He was starting to experience some minor groin cramps, similar to mine, that started the previous lap on the run. He still looked and sounded game.
When my stomach cleared I decided to let one tram go on my schedule and drink a Gu Brew Recovery drink and take some extra rest. After the bloated feeling of the last 1.5 hours, it was nice to down something tasty. When I started back up on lap nine I could feel the positive effects. I did some calculating and 12 laps suddenly seemed realistic. I pushed the pace to make the tram and had to rush through the next transition, missing my liquid and counting on the Gu in my flask.
Oh, how things can change. The tenth lap was my worst up to that point with the groin cramps plaguing me and a serious quad cramp threatening my efforts to run. I tried to ignore them as I knew they’d abate once I started power hiking. About half way up I slowed considerably and my HR dropped into the basement. I ran very little of the upper trail and knew that eleven laps might be it.
Somewhere in here (I can’t be sure which lap) I came across Matt rummaging through his bag at the top. He hadn’t passed me on the trail so I was confused. I got on the tram and when the door closed he was not on board. More confusion. As it turns out, he apparently paid for his early pace and burned in hard with, perhaps, a migraine headache. He literally put on extra clothes and waited for a significant period of time before continuing.
When I topped out and stopped at the score desk to record my lap they assured me that I was in second place. What? I really thought that I was in fourth. Matt was still ahead of me but I had unknowingly passed the others along the way. I was passing people all day but I was unaware that some of them were the original four leaders. That was some exciting news.
The end draws near
Although I was able to refill my bottle in a stream along the trail, the eleventh lap proved my undoing. I cratered. I managed to run the bottom but everything else was pure damage control pacing. Walking was not hard but getting that 12th lap looked unlikely.
It was close. I topped out in 9:10. The score keeper knew the deal. He was confident that a 45-minute lap was unlikely for me at this point. I agreed. Suddenly, it was over. I walked over to my feed bag, pulled out the bag of chips and enjoyed some fat and salty goodness.
My phone chirped up. It was Karol and Marc texting their position at the 7 Glacier Bar, a shwanky restaurant mere steps from where I was standing. Libations were in order. I entered in all my ripeness, saw them smiling, waving their martinis at me and I pulled up a chair. Mission accomplished.
Closing Thoughts
If you look at my HR graph, it’s clear that I found the pace that worked for almost the whole event. I wouldn’t change that next time. I let one tram go near the end and that cost me the opportunity to get twelve laps. Even with that extra time, I’d still have to deal with the cramping to pull it off. Definitely within reach but not in the cards this year.
As for food, at first I thought my strategy a failure. But was it? In hindsight, I don’t think so. I mean, the guys I beat were at least as talented as me from an aerobic standpoint. Many of them paced like me. But the big difference was food. These guys were eating all kinds of stuff, many things that were slow to digest. Admittedly, my stomach wasn’t always great but mostly due to over zealous feeding in the first 3 hours when everything tasted good. Next time I would restrict myself to 300 kcal/hour and trust the plan. I certainly didn't bonk and I slowed way less than the others.
Although I used a combo of Roctane Endurance drink mix and Gu gels, washing the gel down with a caloric drink is likely where things went sideways. A better plan would be to either go drink mix all the way or stick with gels and water. The latter would be my choice.
And finally footwear. I’m cooking up a post on this but I’ll briefly announce that I did the whole event in Hoka One One Stinson EVOs. I like to call them “Twinkie shoes”, for their cushy nature. I won’t say much more than that for now except that they RULED! My feet were very happy.