Groundhog 92

Race Report---1992 Groundhog Fall 50. [running]

Punxsutawney, PA.

September 12, 1992.

50 miles, 6200' total climb. (two laps on a 25 mile course)

Almost entirely trails and right-of-way.

• Five months between ultras is too long---I almost had a full set of toenails! (But Saturday took care of that.)
• In the traditional Friday night introductions, J.D. Smith said he was going to use the order he likes best...which was Smiths first, then everyone else A-Z.
• Nancy had a great time, and finished in 12:11. Everyone seems to know her. I've become ``Nancy's husband.'' (Dialogue at Sunday breakfast:
  • Big Ed: Good morning, Nancy! How did you do? Did you finish?
  • N: Yes! By the way, have you met my husband Sean?
  • Big Ed: Nice to meet you! Did you run too?)
• Despite getting a personal invitation from David Horton to come run Masochists, she's determined not to run another ultra... ...until she's trained enough to do it justice. She's talking about a Groundhog Day Dawn-to-Dusk directed by one of her new friends (Bill Beck), followed by Wild Oak.
• Due to landowner problems (after the Tar Pits) and strip mining (Water Tower Hill is now Water Tower Gulch) the course had to be changed, generally by replacing long road segments with more trails. Also, in the penultimate segment (after Adrian Mines), rather than going right across the metal sheet, you head straight through the now reclaimed mine area and then right up a long paved hill. (Then left through the farm, and on in the usual way.) The total climb is still the same, though.

  The consensus is the new version is harder---times were generally slower than last year's.

  Personally, I like the new version better. More trails and less direct sun.

• Weather: cold and foggy in the morning loop. (5AM temp: 45F) Beautiful moon, though! Warmer in the afternoon---maybe 70.
• The horses didn't catch me until the last eight miles or so, but on the second 25 miles you certainly knew that you weren't going to be keeping your shoes clean.
• About a dozen runners came down from some club in Massachusetts. I suspect in future years these guys are going to rival the Burlington, Ontario folks: they drank beer Friday night. They drank beer after the race. The ran in a pack. Singing the whole way. Things like the ``Green Acres'' theme.
• Leaders: Gary Burdick from Ithaca won in 6:40:00. Chris Gibbons came in 24 seconds later. Keith Hileman was third, edging out David Horton (4th, just over seven hours) for a new master's record. Suzanne the Marine was the first woman, in about 8:30. There must have been quite a finish---just about sixty seconds separated her from the third place woman.
• Me: I finished in 9:00:44, for a P.R. (Previous best was ~9:52, at last year's GHF50.) 40th, out of approximately 150 starters. I was pretty happy, especially considering the course changes, and the fact that (along with two Canadians) I blew 17 minutes going the wrong way after the Vet Check (the first time through). (But we got our money's worth: an extra hill and some shiggy to get back to the turn we missed. :)

  Definitely the smoothest ultra I've done. I ran the whole way, except for some of the steeper hills; some muscle soreness but no real bad periods. Still didn't manage to do negative splits, though---maybe at Masochists.

  
  
  
  

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