Running in Circles in Iowa

Back in high school, one of my events on the track team was the 2-mile run. This equates to 8-laps around the track. I hated this event. I believed it was torture to have to run around the track that many times. I vowed never to spend that much time running in circles again. Last weekend, more than 20-years later, I found myself attempting to complete more than 400-laps around a ¼-mile track as part of the Cornbelt 24-hr race in Eldridge, Iowa. Never say never.

It all started this winter when I met Bo and Ron, a couple of local ultra-runners that I contacted after seeing their names on the lottery list for the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run. I thought it would be great to have someone else nearby to go out and run the trails with. However, I quickly found out that they weren’t really the trail-running types. Their favorite 100-miler was this 24-hr track run called the Cornbelt. A track run in Iowa? Why would I drive through three states to run a race with the same course as the high school down the street from my house? At least the trail runs usually have some interesting scenery. I quickly realized that I was the victim of “trail running snobbery” and figured I would give this track idea a try.

I was looking forward to the Cornbelt run about as much as I look forward to going to the dentist. Now that it is over, I can share the top five reasons why a 100-mile track run can be as much fun as any exotic trail run:

• The nearest aid station is never more than ¼-mile away. You can throw all of your stuff into a large duffle bag and have it all available all day long. The logistics of packing drop bags for a point-to-point run can get quite complicated.
• There is always someone nearby to help pass the time. Both the fastest runner and the slowest walker are always within ¼-mile of each other. Usually when dealing with a low point in a 100-mile run, you are on your own. Even just a few minutes meeting someone new during a walking break can really lift your spirits.
• Race strategy and planning is greatly simplified. I put together a detailed pacing plan for every lap. I knew all day long how I was doing relative to my plan and could make adjustments accordingly.
• They turn on the stadium lights when it gets dark. It was nice to not have to worry about night running gear.
• There are spectators … sitting in bleachers … with popcorn and pizza. Anyone who has attempted a trail ultra knows that this is not the norm.

Don’t think that this means a track ultra is “easier” than a trail ultra. I’m convinced that the constant hills on most trails are easier on the legs than the constant repetition of running around a track. Running 100-miles is difficult no matter how you choose to do it.

For the Cornbelt, I broke up my plan into 25-mile phases. I planned to run the first 25-miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes. I would then add 30-minutes to each subsequent 25-mile phase. In summary, here were my planned times for each phase:

• 3:45:00 – Mile 0 to 25
• 4:15:00 – Mile 25 to 50
• 4:45:00 – Mile 50 to 75
• 5:15:00 – Mile 75 to 100
• 6:00:00 – Mile 100+

We arrived in Iowa about 3-hours before the race start time at 7am. We checked into our hotel, grabbed a quick nap, and then headed out to the track to pick up our numbers and get ready to run. Even though the weather was cold, windy, and rainy, I found the experience to be quite enjoyable.

Because my plan called for me to run the first phase faster than the rest, I was leading the race after 25-miles. Even at the 50-mile marker, the top three runners were all within 1-mile of each other. Normally this would be a problem since I don’t usually find myself on the winner’s podium, but I knew I would slow down and I could tell that the other two front-runners would likely hold their current pace the entire day.

I resisted the urge to follow the leaders and stuck to my plan. As a result, I set personal records for every ultra-distance along the way. I passed the 50-mile mark in under 8-hours, the 100-km mark right at 10-hours, and had run almost 73-miles after 12-hours. I was on schedule to finish 100-miles in under 18-hours until everything fell apart at mile 91.

It seemed like every muscle in my legs cramped up after finishing 362 laps. At the same time, my intestines decided they were tired of holding on to their contents. I rushed to the restroom and tried to pull myself back together until I began shivering uncontrollably. As long as I was moving, I was generating enough body heat to stay warm in the cold weather. However, when I sat down, the tell-tale signs of hypothermia quickly became evident. I made my way to the medical tent to get some hot-chocolate and blankets, after which my stomach grew tired of holding on to its contents. I then became dizzy and quickly realized this was not going to be a quick fix.

The person counting my laps graciously offered to let me sit in his car with the heater running. I took him up on the offer and ended up taking a nap for about 90-minutes. After waking up, I was warm and over the nausea issues, but my legs were far from ready to get moving again. I knew that it would be extremely hard, both mentally and physically, to complete 9 more miles. However, there were 6-hours left on the clock and knew I would regret it if I didn’t at least give it a try.

As I was dragging myself back out onto the track, one of the race directors was shocked to see me. Even though it was 1:00 in the morning and I had already run 91-miles around a track in Iowa, he felt compelled to say, “Don’t do anything crazy!” Finding the warning quite ironic, all I could think was, “That ship sailed a long time ago.”

I limped around the track for a couple of laps and was eventually able to move into a slow walk. That last 9-miles was probably the most difficult time I have had in an ultra. I was able to spend some time talking with my friend Ron along the way, but then he began to deal with his own issues with the cold. Finally, after 3-hours of walking, I passed the 100-mile mark. I went an extra 6 laps and then decided to call it a day, even though there were still 3 more hours left in the race. I was quite happy with what I had accomplished and was confident I would not have any regrets the next day.

Besides, I have to have something more to shoot for next year!