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| Luc and I after our 4:30 am run |
This is one of my favorite weekends because I get to see a few hundred trail runners enjoy the Forget The PR 50K and 25K. It is nice to give back once in awhile and that is why I make it a point to volunteer at this race every year. The fact is that I have just as much fun volunteering as I do running the races. I also like to get a few runs in since I am in Mohican for the weekend! Last year I did a run at 4:30 am on the race day and was done before the 50K started. Lucas was camping and volunteering with me and when I suggested doing an early morning run before our volunteering duties this year he was completely on board. Both of us also signed up for the half marathon which was on Sunday morning.
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| 50K runners ready to roll |
I got to Mohican Adventures in the late afternoon on Friday and was able to assist with loading the boxes of aid station supplies into the trailer. My friend Steve Pierce was also there and we put out the parking sign and did some other odds and ends. We both went down to Trails End Pizza for some dinner after helping out. I went back to the camp site and set up my tent along with getting ready for our early run the next day. Lucas showed up around 10:30 and we got his tent set up and talked until around 11:30. It was a cold night and I did not get much sleep but when 4:30 rolled around I was ready to go! Lucas and I set out into the dark trails and completed 10 miles in the cool morning. The showers where we were camping had no hot water and taking a cold shower when the air temp is 40 degrees is not an ideal situation. We decided to go down and say hi to all our friends that were racing before the 50K started. Then we were able to get showers down at the conference center where there was hot water. After that we went down to our aid station at the start finish area and helped Cheryl and Amy set up although they almost had it all done by the time we got there! It was non stop action as Luc and I were refilling everyone's water bottles and I think we became camelbak experts. It is not easy filling the water bladders and they come in all shapes and sizes. Cheryl and Amy along with a few others were making sure the runners were getting enough food. Along with being a great aid station captain Cheryl is a PB & J making machine!
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| Relaxing at site 500! |
We had a good time volunteering and were exhausted from getting up so early. We left the race as people were finishing and went to Trails End Pizza for some food. After eating we just went back to the camp site and sat by the fire talking for awhile. I think we both went to our tents around 8:30 to go to sleep. We got up the next day and packed all our stuff up so we could both take off after the half marathon. Luc and I ran with Amy during the half marathon and she had already done 5 miles or so before it started because she needed extra miles for her training run. It was nice to catch up with her and hear about her training for the Mohican 100 miler in June. Lucas did well in the half marathon and did not have any stomach issues when using Tailwind Nutrition that I turned him on to. I have been using Tailwind nutrition for running and it literally is everything you need to keep fueled during a run. After the half marathon we hung out and talked for a little bit and then started the long drive home. I left with a big smile on my face as I always do after the Forget the PR weekend. It was great to see all of my Ohio ultra friends and hang out with my bro Lucas.
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