Pass Mt Ultra 50k Trail Race

After training hard for the R2R2R I decided to keep the running momentum going by registering for the Pass Mt 50k trail run for November 14th at Usery Regional Park outside of Phoenix.

With a proper taper from the Grand Canyon double I still went into the race a bit nervous. I'm not an ultra runner by nature and 50k (31 miles) is a bunch of miles on the feet. But I have grit and the mental capacity to suffer through the hard moments when most people would mentally crack and scamper off for a DNF. Not me. 

The race started off with a hot pace and I backed it off knowing there were two loops with nearly 4000 feet of climbing. I came into the start/finish at 2 hours and 44 minutes knowing that was a great time for me but knew I would be slower on the second loop. The course was a mix of flattish trail and some rocky climbing. A great mix to keep it interesting for the most part.  It was getting warm and I knew I had to stay on my fluids and keep trying to eat some solid food as well. Running seems so much harder than bike racing. My legs were tight but I still never had any cramping issues. I managed to catch a couple people on the second loop and held onto a 10th place overall finish and 2nd in my age group (40-49) with a time of 5 hours and 56 minutes. That was tough but yet fun. I'm definitely hooked on the ultra running. Its nice to mix it up with the biking. I'm debating my next 50k on December 5th or a 60 mile bike race in the same area at McDowell Park near Fountain Hills, AZ. Decisions, decisions.........1st world problems. Ha!

Results here: http://www.aravaiparunning.com/results/2015PMTRResults50k.htm

My Strava link with lap times: https://www.strava.com/activities/432767708

Gear used:

Altra Olympus 1.5 trail running shoes

Nathan Vapor Air running pack