There is no easy way to do this. 100+ kilometres doesn't let you hide; even in the dark.
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| Ready to start |
The distance would be hard enough on a flat course, and the MMU route consisted of two laps of 51.5 km, covering some of the steepest climbs and most technical trail sections that Gatineau Park has to offer. The total elevation covered in two loops was almost the combined height of the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales. The '3 Peaks Challenge' that I completed in the UK a few years ago was a closer experience to the MMU than any running event I have done (especially the overnight parts!).
Three of us signed up to run together, Greg entered the 50 km (51.5) and so would run the overnight lap with myself and Tony, who would then go out and repeat the course in the daytime for the 100 km (103). We trained together as much as our various personal commitments and summer running schedules allowed, including time getting to know some of the Gatineau trails, and we even managed a team night run in the park.
Knowing how to prepare for such a late start was challenging, especially fuel. Most distance runs tend to start early so the focus is on eating right the night before and at breakfast. For the MMU we needed to eat and rest enough during the day to sustain us into the night. On race day we met for dinner several hours before the start and 'carb loaded' (and salt/fat/protein loaded!) with a range of fast-foods and desserts.
Around 9pm, about 2 hours after sunset, roughly 80 people gathered in the start area at Champlain Lookout. There were 24 entries for the 100 km, a few more signed up to run the 50 km and the remainder running the popular 25 km option.
Lap 1
All distances started at 10pm, and set off along one of the easiest 'trails' - the dirt track that runs across the top of the park. The first half an hour was about getting warmed up and settling into a sustainable pace.
The darkness caused 2 main issues. The first was navigation.
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| Which way now? |
The trail markers were hard to spot, and some of the route descriptions were hard to match up with the right turn or intersection. Less than an hour after the start we missed one turn and had to double back, adding almost 2 kilometres to the route. This early mistake made us extra cautious and there were a couple of lengthy pauses and short direction-finding detours to keep the mistakes as short as possible. The second issue was footing. Shadows from our headlamps jumped around and the technical trails meant lots of trips, twists and stumbles. Our night time practices had also been in the summer and now just enough leaves had fallen to mask roots and rocks. Thankfully we didn't have any serious falls but there were a few scary slips and by the time the trails got light our ankles and toes were tender.
Being on the trails at dawn was quite special. After the initial relief at being able to turn off headlamps, the early light suddenly turning into full sunrise and the park came to life. We had hoped to complete the first lap before the official sunrise time (06:50) but the last few km along Trail #9 was particularly technical - I'm glad we didn't have to do it in the dark - and we arrived back at the lookout at 07:10, 9 hrs and 10 mins after the start.
Lap 2
After saying goodbye to Greg, pausing to get changed and eat a couple of slices of pizza, Tony and I headed out to start lap 2 feeling relatively energized. The trail markers were obvious in the daylight, and we had a better understanding of the route the 2nd time around, so we were able to relax and get on with ticking off the kilometres. At 59 km I passed into uncharted territory - this was now my furthest distance ever. We were still feeling relatively comfortable and it was surreal to think we had been going for almost 11 hours by that point.
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| 50 miles / 80 kms |
The temperature started to climb as we reached an exposed stretch of roadway that the course followed for several kms. It was hot and uncomfortable directly under the sun, but we forced ourselves to pick up the pace a bit to offset the harder trails ahead. As we completed the road section and passed into the shade of the trees again, we reached the 50 mile / 80 km point. This was a psychological as well as a physical milestone. By now knees and feet were starting to hurt and the kilometres seemed to pass slower and slower.
The aid station at 81 km was a much needed oasis. The course layout meant we passed the same aid station at 4 points in the race (twice on each loop: 29km, 40 km, 81 km and 92 km). In the night the marquee had appeared almost as a mirage, but by mid-afternoon we were looking forward to the positive energy of the volunteers and the iced drinks and edible treats, which were a welcome relief from my in-race nutrition. My tried & tested 'Clif Blok / Clif Bar combo' was starting to feel a bit stale after 15 hours on the move!
The second half of the loop was definitely the hardest physically, climbing 'Trail 1' and 'King Mountain'. The daytime loop was mentally tough as we were able to see the scale of the hills that rose into the distance to be climbed. Although the views were much more enjoyable, the second time around this section was draining and we entered the last 10 km. We encouraged each other to shuffle faster wherever the trail became easier underfoot, but it was getting harder to move at any kind of 'running' pace. We battled along the 3 km or so of Trail #9 that seemed to go on forever and finally we were on the home stretch.
The finish line came into sight and I was elated to see my cheer squad waiting, with cow bell ringing and balloons and cake! The support I have is incredible. We finished lap 2 in 10 hrs 14 mins for a total time of 19 hrs 24 mins in joint 10th place (14 people finished the full 103 km - MMU 2017 results) with a total distance of close to 110 km due to the errors.
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| The End |
I've hit my km target for the year... hopefully the sponsorship will catch up!
https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1466&AID=1695&PID=602510&Preview=Y
My two fellow Midnight Moose runners were heading down to participate with Tony pacing the 4 hour marathon and Greg aiming to run sub-4 hrs for a Personal Best. They invited me along. I was still a bit disappointed at not running my planned fall marathon in Washington D.C. and although I hadn't been doing marathon-specific training I felt like my high summer mileage could carry me through. The logistics were taken care of and all I had to do was turn up and try to keep up!
