Otter Falls / Snoqualmie Lake trail run (19 miles?)

Volcanic 50K Race Report: Finding Balance and Redemption on the Trail

I am typically not a fast runner. I do not train enough and I like beer and unhealthy eats way too much. :-) But that is why I do ultras. They help me balance my diet and more importantly, they help me reach out and find the edge of myself, and in the process they help me balance my soul.

At the Volcanic 50K last Saturday, I surprised myself. Even with stopping to support (literally!) a badly cramped runner on a very exposed cliff on Windy Pass (that was sketchy!) and 5 wasp stings on my left leg and ankle (right where the shoe rubs!!!), I ran 2 hours faster than I thought I could. More importantly, I redeemed myself for the only DNF I have ever had in 25 years of racing. (Last year, I took a wrong turn, ran a couple miles extra and then took over 200 pictures and missed the 24 mile cut off by under 2 minutes! I felt dumb for underestimating the smoking dragon called Mount Saint Helens. This was a race I knew I could finish and so this year I was looking for redemption.)

Saturday's race was different in every way. I found another gear. I ran faster than I have in a long time, on one of the toughest courses you can find. The faster than normal run was the product of a number of things. First and foremost, this is an excellent group at Go Beyond Racing putting these races on. The course was marked very well and the aid stations were well stocked and staffed with amazing folks who were responsive and supportive. To top it off, the weather was perfect, overcast and so much better than the smelting sunny heat of last year.

And of course, the Mountain was splendid and perfect!  I most appreciated her duality, hidden at times in dense fog, a worthy adversary, a sly and elusive dragon, full of tricks and challenges; then suddenly rearing up, clear, glorious and genuine; a supportive friend encouraging me on.

This is one of those unique races that tears you down and then builds you back up, over and over again. And somewhere along the way you suddenly become a better person.  The journey defines you and makes you whole.

People often tell me, that I am crazy for doing races like this. I do not usually know what to say to that. But after this race, after running through the pain, finding new reserves and making it all the way round that beautiful volcano, I have to say, I would be crazy not to.