This is a race I always want to do but I’ve only made it there once, to do the 50 miler in 1999. I hadn’t planned on entering the race this year as the Mother Road 100 is just three weeks afterwards. Big Red’s Passing changed my mind and I entered the shorter 50 km option just to be there and think about him and Bob. Bob Givens had nagged me for several years to come and run Palo Duro. I was glad that I finally went in 1999 as it was the last time I saw him alive. Both Bob and Red built a lot of the trails we would be running on and I planned to think of them both during the run.
My wife and I had planned to make a camping trip of it, leaving Tulsa early Friday and staying until Sunday afternoon. She’d get some horseback riding in, I’d run the race and we’d hike together. However, I came down with a nasty head cold the Sunday before and the race was up in the air. I recovered enough by Thursday to book a dogsitter and think about packing. I’d already taken Friday off. At 9:00 pm Thursday Jen announced she wasn’t feeling well and didn’t think she wanted to go. So I did the abbreviated packing for myself, planning to just sleep in the station wagon and come back Saturday night.
Since we weren’t making a camping trip out of it, the weather was especially beautiful. I had a six and half hour drive to Canyon, TX where the packet pickup and pre-race dinner was being held. I didn’t see anyone I knew at the dinner, stayed for Red’s tribute and headed out to Palo Duro Canyon. They were nice enough to refund my Saturday night stay and I pulled into the Sagebrush area. I tried to take some pictures but the sun was already going down. I crashed on an air mattress in the back of the wagon and had no trouble getting to sleep before 8:00 pm.
My alarm woke me at 6:00 am and I could see the headlights of a string of cars descending the road from the rim. I managed my bagel and banana breakfast, made a bathroom visit and somehow got my contacts in. I am not a morning person. I headed out to the race start, fording two creeks along the way. I had to laugh at the 4WD ahead of me slowing and crawling through a couple of inches of water while the sedans and my station wagon just drove through. Guess they don’t get offroad much. It was a new start area for me and I had to park on the side of the road and walk a fair ways in. Even from the parking spot I could here the piper. It made me feel like home, I’m Scot/Canadian and we just spent two weeks in Scotland in June. A lot of things start with pipers in Canada.
The Start area was busy but I had no trouble checking in and getting a drink. I ran into one person I know, Joe Pruisitis, just before the start. It was pretty dark at first but we were moving pretty slowly over the single track and other peoples’ flashlights were enough to see by for the first 20 minutes. I talked to Joe and Barbara Hitzfeld on the way to the first aid station. I’m pretty sure I ran with Barbara in her first ultra back in 1996. She’s gotten faster and I’ve gotten a lot slower. At the first aid station she went on with the 50 milers and I turned right and caught up to Joe for the leg back to the Start-Finish area. The 50 km runners go out to the first aid station (Phils) then go back to the Start-Finish along the route we’d take in the south loop for a 6 mile warmup. Then we do two big loops of 12.5 miles each to make 31 miles. The 50 milers just continue on and do 4 big loops of 12/5 miles for their 50 miles. I’ve known Joe for >10 years so we talked as we headed back. The trail with the creek on your left hand with a canyon wall on your right is my favourite part of the course. When doing the last lap of the 50 miler, back in 1999, I put up a flock of turkeys going over Turkey Roost Bridge.
After tanking up at the Start-Finish area we headed back out on the original single track trail, no flashlights needed this time. We passed Red’s Rock for the second time . Along the way we met three local, Amarillo runners on the way to the first aid station and learned about some other good trails in the park. Try the CCC trail if you can, for a great view. Joe made a comfort stop at Phil’s aid station and I headed out alone on the north loop. I really like this section of the course as it feels the wildest and you get some small climbs with the rim above you. . Almost all the race is on the floor of the canyon, you never have to climb up to the rim. It was nearly perfect weather, just a shade too hot for my tastes. There had been several inches of rain the weekend before so the trail was in great shape. The trees and bushes were green, not dusty at all. I remember some ankle deep sand traps the last time I was here. I had a good second loop, maintaining my pace, passing a lot of 20 km runners and eating a lot at the aid stations. The aid stations were excellent with potatoes and salt, bananas and helpful volunteers I ran with Greg from Dallas for quite a bit. We had different running paces and I’d catch and pass him on the downhill and he’d catch me as I walked the uphills. I pulled into the Start-Finish at 3:15 and thought I had a sub-6 hour run in the bag. I filled up again and headed out, maintaining about an 11 minute pace. After two miles the wheels just fell off. I can’t blame it on the sun, which wasn’t a factor until after 11:00 am. I’d had a hard run three weeks before, the Flat Rock 50 km in Kansas, and I guess I just wasn’t recovered from it. I dragged my butt around the rest of the loop getting passed by a bunch of people. I could run steadily, it was just really slow. At the Dos Loco Senoritas aid station I picked up a bell to ring for Red at the finish. As I neared the finish I could hear the crowd and I had 5:55 on my watch. I pushed steadily to the end but ended up 6:00:51. I was happy to finish and have one of the double cheeseburger I’d smelled earlier. Just wish Bob and Red could still have been here. I’d expected Joe to pass me for most the loop but he meandered in a bit after me. I did get a nice finishers hat, much better than the purple one in 1999. I complained about it then. Red told me if I didn’t like it to run faster and get a jacket next time.
I wish I could have showered and made a day of it just sitting around watching the 50 km and 50 mile runners finish but I wanted to get back to Tulsa and see how my wife was feeling. I showered (still had hot water), had another burger, got Joe to snap my picture and headed back to Tulsa.
This is a great race in a beautiful setting. I’ll be back again and be sure that my wife is long next time to see it as well.
Happy trails,
Earl Blewett