2011 Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run 50K Trail Race:

 What are the Cut-off Times?

          I’m rarely among the front-runners in an ultra but I’ve also never been concerned with cut-off times. However, in the weeks leading up to this race I was starting to think that my 5^th consecutive Psycho Wyco 50K finish was in danger. First there was the snow (tons of it). KC had been getting a more-than-usual amount over the last couple of months. One snowfall after another had made training tough. Every trail run since forever had been a slow, post-holing, exhausting ordeal; in fact, one mid-January Saturday saw my slowest Wyco Lake loop ever (nearly three hours!?!).  There were also the cut-off times themselves, which I had heard through the ultra-grapevine would be more aggressive this year.  Finally, there’s the terrain, its always an issue at the Psycho. If you’d never ran the 10.35 mile loop trail around Wyandotte County Lake, you would not believe that such terrain could exist in Kansas, I’ve seen GPS estimates of at least 5000 feet of climbing per loop. This course is arguably the toughest, slowest, and most frustrating 50K course outside of the mountains.  Add some roots, rocks, snow, ice, and mud and you’ve got “…a worthy setting, if the devil decided to have a hand in the affairs of man”.  There’s no such thing as an easy day at Wyco, you’ve got to bring your A-game every time.

Loop One – I took off with a couple hundred runners. The field of deep snow we ran through before hitting the woods seemed to confirm my fears as I envisioned post-holing for 31 miles. Once we queued up to enter the actual trail I could see that it was packed down pretty good and would be as run-able as I’d seen it in weeks. I was soon moving along with a good group that included Matt Wilson and Graham Fox. These guys are both solid trail runners so I was as happy with my pace as I was with the trail conditions. After moving through the “Wyandotte triangle” without incident, Matt picked up his tempo. The side of me that wanted to stay with him was held back by the side that has learned hard lessons about going out too fast, too early.

          I was really getting aggressive on the down-hills; however, and had a blast going down “fall-down” hill, an endless series of quick switchbacks that drop you down, down, and further down below the dam. From there it was a run across a frozen field and a serious climb back up to lake level and the mile 5 aid station. Mile 5!?!?! That’s it??  The course distances were marked by signs this year...I think I was better off not knowing.    

            I passed the aid station without stopping and started the long haul up the paved road. It’s the one section of the course that’s always “run-able” but I rarely see anyone “run” it due to the vertical gain. A huge drop off and an awesome view to the Northeast make the road a fun climb and a great excuse to slow down.  From the top of the hill we moved back into the forest and down “speed-demon ridge”, which a few of us locals still call the hedgehog (you know…after Sonic). I’ve seen a few runners do Sonic-style rolls down this thing. The ridge is always a highlight of my loop at Wyco and so today I really let it rip, yelling obscenities all the way down as those who know me also know that my level of enjoyment on a run is directly proportional to my usage of profanity.

         Fester’s wander, a super-cool part of the course that was designed by the race director’s dog (the late “Fester”), was up next and I felt really strong throughout this single track section. Strange, with its many quick ups and downs and winding trails, it’s usually a slower section. It was also the site of my first ever hallucination in an Ultra (on my third loop of this race in 2008). Getting into it from the North requires a brutal long climb up to speed demon's sister ridge.  Once I got up that initial climb, I felt great and was able to make short work of the Wander. In fact; each loop of the wander was a more "enjoyable" experience this year for some reason...all the training must finally be starting to pay off.

        The mile eight aid station was a site for sore eyes as it meant I only had a couple more miles in the loop. I tried to pick up my pace. In my opinion, the last two miles of the course are the toughest.  They include the aptly named “three hills section”, which are three serious hills that hit one after the other...after the other. I was feeling good but decided to hike the majority of the hills knowing that I’d see them again...and again (the nine hills section?). I hit the start/finish area in just over two hours which on this course, in these conditions, for me is pretty good (my best loop ever was 1:46:00 which I did on 70 degree early last fall). I quickly reloaded my gels, changed into short sleeves as the temperature had climbed into the 40’s, and took off for another round feeling good and no longer concerned with cut-offs.

Loop Two - By this time I had started running with Rick Troeh, who would act as an excellent pacer for most of the second loop and part of the third. It was probably the longest I’d ever run with the same runner during a race.  We were moving the same tempo and seemed to really hit it off. It’s always cool to find someone who runs a similar pace. I do so many solo miles in training that running with a partner is a nice change and can make the miles go by a little quicker…and of course I’m always scouting for potential partners for the running ambitions I harbor that require teammates (like the Trans Rockies stage race, the Ragnar Relay and some others).  I also ran part of the loop with Graham and Mark Van Nuland, who were running the 20-mile race. Both were running very strong races and were a huge boost to my pacing as well.  I felt pretty fatigued the second time through festers wander and started to wonder if my lack of a taper and Thursday's episode (see last post) had left a high toll. I just tried to focus on staying positive and keep the conversation going with those around me. It seemed to work, Rick and I hit the start finish area at the 4 ½ hour race mark.

Loop Three – We both got through the aid station quickly. I’ve found that to be a key in races. I try to run as self-supported as possible and avoid stopping at aid stations. When I do need aid, its get-in and get-out.  My best ever Psycho Wyco race time was 7:47:00 in 2010, and I credit not stopping at aid stations for finally getting me sub 8-hour finishes. Today, I realized that I could beat that 2010 time if I didn’t bonk or blow up. For the third loop, I decided to drop the hydration pack. I was trying to get out on the final lap with a fast “runner's” mentality. The theory was that instead of slogging along with a bunch of water on my back doing a “survival shuffle” as I’ve done in years past, I would run with just a water bottle in each hand like I was on a 10 mile training run going for speed. I felt pretty fast out of the gate.

         Ok...so speed is a relative thing. As we crossed the road before the Wyandotte Triangle, I felt good but not fast. Rick felt a surge right before the Triangle and really kicked it into a new gear. It was a tremendous effort and he would have an extremely strong finish getting in before me by about 20 minutes. My early third loop burst fizzled out. I slowed down and got passed by a number of runners in the triangle which kind of pissed me off. I wasn't mad at them, at that point it felt like I was falling into the death march of previous years so I was mad at myself. For the most part I had stayed positive the whole day but at that moment in the triangle, I was in a really dark place.

         After my last slide down "fall down hill' and the climb back up, I hit the Damn Dam aid station and decided to use their services for water. They slipped me a couple S-caps and I slogged up the paved road. Actually, I ran most of the road (albeit slowly) on this final loop and at the top overtook two of the runners who had passed me back in the triangle. By the end of Fester’s Wander I had passed the other one as well. Again, I really just race myself, but it served as a little mental boost. When I was in my triangle death march I never expected to be able to get going again. Catching up with them was huge for me, to know that even when things get their darkest, you can just keep your head down, plug through it and claw your way back to respectability. They also all offered words of encouragement which provided a mental lift. It was just a little moment of everything that I love about endurance sports. 

         I hit the mile 28 aid station and decided I’d try and sustain my new found pace through the three hills section…it didn’t happen. I held a decent trot but had to hike most of the three hills themselves as my legs were starting to feel tender and the traction on the trails was really getting bad. Still at this point, all I had to do was keep moving forward and I soon heard the cowbells and hit the final tree-lined chute to the finish line. I was somehow able to break into a full sprint and was stoked when I saw that the clock read 7:29:00. I really thought that my triangle lapse had cost me my course PR. Inexplicably, I had beat it by 14 minutes, notched my fifteenth 50k and scored a fifth consecutive Psycho Wyco finish. Somehow, even with the week I had and the derailed & over-snowed training, I managed to run my strongest Wyco ever. I still don’t know what the cut-offs were…and I don’t care!

          Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you to race directors Ben Holmes & Sophia Wharton for all that you do for the Trail and Ultra Running scene. Every time I run with Ben I learn something about the sport. You guys are the Race Directing Benchmark!

Huge thanks to all of the race’s phenomenal volunteers, Nobody does it better!

Huge thanks to Dick Ross (www.seekcrun.com) for the thousands of photos you take at these events. I think at least half the pictures I own come from your camera.

Thanks to Graham, Matt, Mark, Rick, and countless other runners I met today, you guys all ran strong and kept me motivated!

Finally, Love and thanks to my wife Jessica who continues to support my ambitions no matter what I seem to do to myself physically, and my kids who always make sure daddy gets a recovery run when he gets home. By the time I start running 100’s, they’ll be a highly trained crew!

Psycho Wyco Run Toto Run Race times:

2007 – 8:30:23

2008 – 8:05:15

2009 – 7:46:18

2010 – 7:43:00

2011 – 7:29:00 (at this rate of improvement...I'll be a top five finisher when I'm 60 years old!

My 8 hour finishes were back of the pack. My sub-eights put me about in the middle. While I've had some top 25 finishes at races, the Wyco just continues to give lessons in humility!

Thanks for reading!