Vermont Overland

West Windsor, VT

Saturday, May 11, 2024

I learned about this race from running friend Nick Alge, who has run it the past two years and signed up again this year.  There is an Overland Trail (15M) and Overland Path (5M) option.  The only reason I'd consider the shorter Overland Path option was that it allowed dogs, but even then, it wasn't a canicross race, so I'd be at a big disadvantage if I ran with Brady on a leash.  

This fit reasonably well in my schedule, given that it was two weeks out from my spring marathon, but the issue I feared is that I hadn't been training on hills at all, and this race was at Ascutney Mountain, with over 2,000' of elevation gain.  Nothing crazy, but still several 300' and 400' climbs, and a 700' drop.

For lodging, I was leaning towards the recommended mode of camping, which was available at $5 or $10 per night (note: no facilities).  I periodically checked in on the weather and as of the Monday of race week (i.e., five days before race day), the weather forecast was for rain both the evening before the race and the morning of the race itself.  Well, that does it - no camping.  This is a fairly remote area, and that late, the best I could find was a motel 30 minutes north in Woodstock, so that's what I booked.

Course preview:  We arrived at the race site, Ascutney Mountain, Friday afternoon in time to get changed and go for a featured 4pm course preview run.  I checked in with the course preview leader, who introduced himself as Dan, as to whether dogs were allowed on the preview run.  He said yes, we're very dog friendly.  The course preview would take in the first 1.5 mile section and the final 1.5 mile section.

Although I had studied the course maps prior to the race, and found Strava posts from previous years' participants, there is no substitute for getting out the course itself.  About 30 people (plus Brady!) showed up for the run.  The first half of the preview run was mostly uphill, and I sensed that I was breathing harder than those around me.  This was not a good omen for tomorrow.

Start of the group run 
(Brady and I on far right side)

Once we hit the hills, the group broke up
into different sections

On single-track with Brady just ahead of me.
It's difficult for me to run with my left leg being so much
longer than my right leg, but I do my best.
(Race Instagram site)

With Brady being the only canine in the group, several runners asked his name, including the race leader, Dan, and a fast looking blonde woman.  

One of my favorite pics.  Exited the single-track,
and back up to climbing grass slopes.

Group pic at top of slope

Brady found a nice stream to
cool off in.

Finishing up the group preview run.

Our motel that evening was nothing to write home about,
but it worked for a short stay and good night's sleep.

Quite rural area.  We crossed through this
neat covered bridge, and were on miles of
hilly dirt roads between the motel and race site.

Have my racing gear all laid out for tomorrow's race.

Race day:  Arrived race area two hours before start, got a simple breakfast, and actually got in a few more winks in the car before loading my pack and getting ready.  Met up with Nick (running the 15M) and Heather and Meriden (running the 5M "path" option) and went out for a short warm-up with Brady, before heading back to the start to line up.

Runners and dogs before the race.  Interesting that the
race photographer once again including Brady in the
race photos.

Very dog friendly here!

The Race Director went over a few logistics, including that 15M runners would follow orange flags and signs, and 5M runners would follow turquoise, and if you forgot which color to follow, look at your bib (also color coded).  There were other pointers given, but that was probably the most important one.

Race start:  I lined up about three rows back, and we were quickly off without much fanfare.  Shortly into the race, the blonde woman from yesterday jokingly asked me, "Not running with Brady today", as she passed me at the start of the first uphill.

Pic by Jana.

Exactly like yesterday, I was breathing really hard in the first significant climb.  I was already writing my Strava post "obituary" in my mind - "was dying on the first climb, getting passed by so many runners, and it got worse from there."

The first climb

Top of the slope, just before going back into single-track

As you can see in above pic, I was just barely ahead of two fast women runners.  As we left the field and entered the single-track, still climbing, I was keenly aware that I was now holding back the two of them as well as several guys who had now joined the back of the queue.  I had a quick flashback to the Quebec Mega Trail 50K, where I made the analogy that I was a school bus holding up a long line of cars and should pull aside to let them pass.  At QMT, I did pull aside, and while I pondered the same here, an opening came up quickly which made it unnecessary.  The two women went past me, and promptly one immediately wiped out in the mud and went down and the second one veered off course onto a different trail!   (Yes, we did yell for her to come back, and yes, as they each recovered and got back on course, they both repassed me again.)

Miles 3 -5:  I was glad when the 300' climb ended about two miles in, although Miles 3 and 4 featured one of the twistiest miles on the whole course.  It was towards the end of this section, about four miles in, when I heard, "It was nice of you to wait up for me!".  I recognized the voice of the only other runner I knew in this race, Nick Alge.  I expected him to go past me at this point.  We left the twisty section and were headed downhill on a wide grassy section with lots of mud.  I could hear one person just behind me and I just assumed it was Nick.

Miles 5 - 7:  We emptied out onto a gravel road, which we would be on for the next two miles.  This would also feature a 400' climb, but surprisingly I not only held my own but actually passed quite a few runners, including the two women that went past me back at Mile 2.  There was an aid station on the left side of the road and runners were stopping for it.  I was tempted to see what they had, but resisted the urge to stop and sauntered on.  (Note this was a cupless race, so you would have to come to a complete stop to get a drink or refill your pack.  I guess this was one advantage of me filling my pack with about 1.5 liters of water; I never needed to stop.)

Miles 7 - 10:  After a short downhill section, the gravel road continued straight, but the course took a hard right off the road and onto an uphill single-track section.  I continued straight on the dirt road, veering off course for the first of two times.  The person I had just passed yelled at me, and as I turned back, he said, "I think the course goes this way", pointing into the woods.  Indeed it does.  Argh.  Following the race instructions, I had downloaded the GPX route onto my watch, and vowed to actually pay attention to the watch going forward.

I repassed the runner, as well as the next runner who was power-hiking the hill, as we ascended another 400' to what would be the highest point on the course.  Shortly after, it was on this section where I made my second and final error in going off-course.  About the time I noticed I hadn't seen a flag in a while, I checked my watch which indicated that I was indeed off-course.  Obviously, I missed a turn but since it appeared I was running parallel and very close to the true course, I continued on hoping the two trails would reconnect.  They would not.  Unfortunately, I quickly came to a point where the trail I was on continued straight while the true course veered left.  Now what?  Retreat or bushwhack?  Given that I was seemingly so close to the true course and I had run at least 1/4 mile since the trails diverged, I chose the latter.  Here I briefly came almost to a walk as I was bushwhacking through thin trees very close together.  Fortunately, after only about 50 meters of this, I came upon and re-entered the course, right in front of a runner I had passed at least a mile ago.  Yes!  Just as I was fearing a DNF, I was back on track.

Mile 10 was downhill, partially with switch-backs through the woods, and partially along the edge of a grass field.

Miles 10 - 12:  These two miles would be on dirt roads.  We exited the grass field onto Bible Hill Road, and Mile 11 saw over a 300' drop, with Mile 12 going back up for about 160'.  My legs are feeling really tired by now, and I'm welcoming the downhill on gravel roads.  Mile 11 will be my fastest mile at 6:26 (6:56 GAP), and I again pass quite a few runners on the downhill and uphill, probably at least a dozen more.  This includes at 2-3 that have resorted to walking uphill, but I'm feeling reasonably good and that's not even a consideration for me.  I pass aid station #3 with two runners stopped, but at this point I feel good, I still have plenty of water and I have been taking GUs every 45 minutes, so I decline to stop and continue on.

Miles 12 - Finish:  We turn off the dirt road for the final time, and head slightly uphill over a long and very wet and muddy grass field.  I catch up to a runner, who promptly takes off again as I catch him.  I'm running my own race and not specifically chasing him, but we play this cat and mouse game for several iterations more before I finally pass him for good.  When I reach the top of the open field, I recognize this from yesterday's course preview run, and realize that we just have ~1.5 miles to go, with the vast majority of it downhill!

Wet muddy section towards the end

I am really enjoying this section of the course and savoring that we are very close.  There are actually a couple of spectators on this single-track section of the course, likely runners themselves, and they are telling me that I've also to the finish.

As we exit the trails and onto the short section of ski trails downhill, I catch and pass several more runners.  The finish line is in sight.  When Jana asked me what time I expected to finish in, I had guessed about 2:20, so I was that much more surprised when I saw 2:00:xx on the clock as I approached.

Finished!  Feeling pretty good, actually.

Final result:  2:01:01, 23rd out of 106 males, 1st in M50-59 age group.  Full results here.

Celebrating with my fan base

What went well:

• Very well organized.
• Fun, low key event.  (I didn't know the course preview leader was pro runner Dan Curts, he just introduced himself as Dan.  Similarly, the friendly young woman runner that was talking to me even during the race went to win the race and $1,250, but never mentioned it.  Humble.)
• Nice mix of single-track and dirt roads.  Going into the race, I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I rather enjoyed it.
• Near zero asphalt (only crossing roads or transitional to the next trail).
• Continuous camp fire added to the trail run vibe:
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• Dog friendly!
• Post-race burrito lunch:
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• I ran well and had a lot of fun!

What could have gone better:

• The race seemed a little pricey to me, at $115.
• I struggled on the uphills, especially early on.  I've always been a slow uphill runner relative to others my pace, but I have some work to do.
• While the course was generally well marked, I still managed to go off-course not once, but twice.  Fortunately I followed the directions and downloaded the route to my watch, otherwise it would have been tough to recover from my second deviation.
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