Collegiate Peaks 50 Mile Trail Run
May 6, 2000

The Collegiate Peaks 25 & 50 mile runs in Buena Vista, Colo. (elev.
8000 ft) have traditionally been held in mid-April.  About 1 year
out of 3 there would be a major snowstorm, and sometimes the course
has had to be changed at the last minute because some of the remote
aid stations were inaccessible.  That is what happened in 1999.  This
year the RD decided to move the race to the first weekend in May,
hoping for better weather.  Instead of snow what we got was HEAT.
The predicted high for BV was 75-85 F and with cloudless skies the
sun was fierce in the afternoon.

The 25 mile runners do a single loop mostly on jeep roads and single
track with a little paved road heading out of town.  The loop is very
hilly with some short, steep and some long, gradual climbs and
descents.  There is about 3300 feet of climbing on the loop, and the
high point is about 9300 feet.  High up on the back side of the loop
runners are treated to outstanding views of the Collegiate Peaks, with
many summits over 14,000 feet.

The 50 mile runners turn around at the start-finish area and repeat
the loop in reverse.  Runners in the 50 mile are allowed to quit after
one loop and still get a 25 mile finishing time.  This rule leads to
high attrition in the 50.  This year there were 153 runners signed up
for the 50 miler and only 73 set out on the second loop.  The heat
took its toll on those runners and only 49 finished within the 12 hour
limit.  During the awards ceremony four or five intrepid runners
trickled in after the cut-off.

The race began promptly at 6:30 a.m.  It was cool in a tee shirt and
shorts, but I knew it would very soon become too warm for anything
more.  I carried a 26 OZ hand bottle and several gels in the pockets
of my RaceReady shorts.  On each loop there are 5 aid stations in
addition to the start/finish area, so I figured a hand bottle would
suffice.

The first loop went well for me.  I ran roughly my planned pace.  I
like to start fairly slowly and try to maintain an even pace late in
the race.  The first 3 miles is basically flat and mostly on roads
along the Arkansas River, allowing for the runners to spread out.
We then began the first of many climbs.  I climbed pretty casually,
but as usual found that I blasted by other runners on the downhills.
I ran for a little while with Kathleen Hoffman, but lost her on a
descent.

After the 5 mile aid station the runners were pretty well spread out.
I caught and eventually passed a group of 5-6 guys, but one of them
stayed with me & we began to talk as we loped easily along.  He turned
out to be Bob Africa, who is on my email list for our thursday evening
running group, but whom I had never met.  Bob was attempting his first 
50 miler, and was inquisitive about strategies and pacing.  It was
clear that he is a very strong runner.  It was great to pass the time
chatting.

At about mile 23, on the old Midland railroad grade, we saw the 50 mile 
leaders returning from the turn-around.  First was Charl Mattheus,
winner of the Comrades in 1997 and one of the fastest ultrarunners in
the world.  But, Charl was only entered in the 25 and was running the
the second loop for additional training.  Adam Chase was close behind, 
and soon we saw Dale Peterson and another runner whom I did not
recognize (turned out to be Hal Koermer).  As we turned off the Midland
onto the single track a bystander told us we were something like 25th
place, but of course most of those ahead of us were in the 25 mile.
A couple hundred yards from the start/finish we saw another 50 mile
runner heading out, so it looked like Bob & I were in 5th and 6th place
in the 50.

Our split time at the turn-around was 3:46, maybe a little faster than
I had anticipated.  I grabbed some more gels and a fresh hand bottle,
and waved at some friends who were hanging out after completing the 25
mile.  I learned later that Dave Mackey had won the race in an
amazing time of 2:55, only a minute or so off the course record.
Bob wanted to change his shoes, so we wished each other luck as I
headed back out.

Running back up the hill it was fun to see the other runners coming
down.  I soon enountered the leaders of the women's 50 mile.  Diane
Ridgeway was first, followed by Kathleen Hoffman and Stephanie Ehret.
Diane and Kathleen have traded 1st and 2nd place in this race for the
last 2 years.  It looked like it was going to be an exciting race!

Back on the flat Midland trail I felt good and ran hard.  I soon
passed a runner and moved into 4th place.  I knew that Adam and Dale
were far ahead and probably untouchable, but I thought I might get the
3rd guy eventually.  It was getting hot but I felt good & was staying
well hydrated.  Greeting the 300 or so runners who were behind me was
good distraction.

After long climb to the 32.5 mile aid station there was a fun 3.5 mile
gradual downhill that I ran very well in about 26 minutes.  That was
followed by a series of rolling hills, and I began to have difficulty
on the climbs, but ran the descents well.  I knew if I slowed too much
in the second half that Kirk Apt would catch me.  He's famous for
running even splits on this course, and it is practically a rite of
passage to get passed by Kirk a few miles from the finish.  As the day
wore on I was looking over my shoulder quite a bit.  I was also looking
ahead, hoping to catch sight of #3.

Somewhere about 38 miles was a deep stream crossing that could be
bypassed by careful walking on a log/stick jam.  I had been looking
forward to a cooling dip, and plunged right in up to my thighs,
splashing the cold water on myself with my hat.  However, exiting the
water I found my shoes were had picked up a lot of sand.  This plagued
me for the rest of the run, sticking into my toes.

By 40 miles my stomach was pretty stale, the heat was taking its toll.
I was not able to eat anything after that.  Asking at the aid stations
I was usually told that #3 was 4-5 minutes ahead.  At the 45 mile aid
station it was down to 3-4 minutes and I figured I had a good shot.
After about a mile there was another stream crossing with a number of
jeep roads entering and exiting the stream, but I saw no course
markings.  It took me a couple of frustrating minutes to be sure which
road was the right one, and my hopes for 3rd place faded right there.
For the most part the course was very well marked and easy to follow,
some one had probably pulled the ribbons from this section.

Soon I was back on the road by the Arkansas River and I ran as fast as
my tired legs would go, still looking over my shoulder for Kirk.
I finished in 4th place with a time of 7:45.  The line-up had not
changed:  Adam Chase caught Charl Mattheus and they finished together
with a time of 7:17, a great win for Adam on this hot day.
Dale Peterson was 2nd at about 7:32 and Hal Koermer was 3rd at about
7:39.  Hal is only 24 years old, definitely one to watch.  Kirk rolled
in at around 8:05.

I took off my shoes, had some real food, and waited to see who would
take the women's race.  Bob Africa came in around 8:30, a strong first
50 miler on this tough course and good enough for 2nd place in the
20-29 age group.  Kurt Blumberg pulled up at 8:41, not close to his age
group record from 1998, but still good enough to win the 50-59 group by
about 1.5 hours.

Eventually a woman rounded the corner and we all began to clap and
cheer.  It was Steph!  She won the race with her usual winning smile
in a time of 8:47.  She had passed Diane at about 30 miles and just
kept cruising.  Diane took 2nd at about 9:06.  She's a remarkable
athlete, still going extremely strong at age 50!  Jill Van Tiel
finished 3rd.  Kathleen was the 4th woman.

It was a good day at the Collegiate Peaks 50, and it was great to hang
out with many friends after the race, sharing stories and just lying
in the shade.