The Gibbet 50 Ultramarathon

The Gibbet 50 Ultramarathon by Final Mile Events

Course Description: Using all marked trails throughout First Landing State Park, runners will make two full 25 mile loops. Trails are primarily flat with varying terrain (sand, pine needles, wooden bridges, tree roots). Mostly runnable, there are a few sections that have technical short steep hills. Stunning water and trails views along the way. Terrain – 95% trail, 5% road.

Not sure where to start with this to be honest. I’d been *thinking* about this event for a while, but only signed up a couple of days before the race was due to take place. With the Cardiff Half Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon taking place later this month I knew recovery from a 50 mile race would be a bit hit or miss. However, in the end I decided a local, inaugural 50 Miler was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Priorities were to enjoy the event, the course and the ultra-camaraderie, but I also had a sneaky outside goal of breaking 7 hours. Probably a bit ambitious with my recent glute/groin issues, but what the heck, eh? I deliberately chose to not go public with the goal as I didn’t want this race to turn into a “pressure event” – turned out to be a good decision.

Pre-race I set my Garmin to beep every ten miles, alert me each hour (a reminder to take 3 Endurolyte capsules) and to just display average pace. I also set “Jonesy” (my virtual partner) at 8:24/mile pace – just fast enough to squeeze inside the 7 hour goal.

[And we’re off…. Photo courtesy Ally Speirs]

I figured I’d probably go out too quick, and I was correct – 8:10 pace for the first 10 mile loop, but it felt.so.good. Perpetuem was my fuel of choice, but I’d also stashed an espresso gel (and the Endurolytes) into my hand held pouch for some emergency fuel if the need arose.

It was nice to have company for most of the first 25 mile loop. I ran about 18 miles with the female half of the 2 x 25 mile relay team. She was using the 25 Mile event as a long training run for Ironman Florida. We chatted about triathlon, running, nutrition and a variety of other topics, and the miles literally flew by. 2nd 10 mile split was 8:11 pace – again too quick, but once again it felt.so.good.

[Note: I did manage to cut my upper arm on a tree branch in the early miles, and also took an embarrassing tumble on one of the side trails – my first real trip on a tree root, and it all happened in slow motion just like the text books say. Luckily there was no damage (aside from sand all down the left side of my body), so I picked myself up and carried on running.

Not sure what happened at around the 18 mile mark. Without making any conscious effort, I picked up the pace and started to stretch things out. Deep down I knew it wasn’t a wise move, but had a hard time dialing things back to my original goal. I didn’t get a split for the half-way 25 mile mark, but finished in front of the relay lady, and also the 1st place runner in the 25 Mile event. Naturally I set off for the 2nd 25 mile lap a very confident runner…

My third 10 mile split came in at 7:40 pace – way too fast with 20 miles still to run. It was about this time that I realized the temperature had risen pretty quickly and I was sweating profusely. I brushed away a bug that was buzzing around my head and was horrified at the salt crystals that had formed on my neck. Despite taking a regular dose of Endurolytes I was a little scared that my electrolyte levels were off, and made sure to take in pretzels and chips at the next aid station. I never really felt thirsty, and the combination of my hand held w/ Perpetuem and water at the aid stations felt just about perfect.
I think it was the loneliness of the 4th 10 mile section that made me slow up. Yeah, I was getting tired, but I think I lost focus for a few miles and spent longer than normal at the aid stations making sure I took in plenty of salty snacks. I also had to make a stop in the woods for a short time, so this may have cost me a minute or two too! Anyway, 8:59 pace for the 10 miles. Hmmm….

With *just* 10 miles to go (5 of them on the tricky side trails of the park), I worked out I needed to roughly average 9 minute miles to break the sub-7:00 barrier. Sounds easy, but with 40 miles in the legs already, it was difficult to keep the cadence going. The next five miles were the toughest of the race. With “the win” almost guaranteed (I forgot to mention I was in 2nd place until about the 13 mile mark, after which I continued to put big time on my nearest challenger), the thought of backing off the pace and coasting home to the finish crossed my mind. Well, actually, the thought crossed my mind for just a split second before deciding to throw caution to the wind and just “go for it”. However, I didn’t/couldn’t improve my pace on the Osprey & Cape Henry Trails, which left me 5 miles to cover in 45 minutes. Ugh.

I’d already ditched my hand held at this stage in the race (sick of carrying it), but knew there were 3 aid stations that I could grab water from if necessary. Come on, Steve; let’s do it. Thankfully the Cape Henry Trail is marked every half mile, which I took full advantage of….. As each half mile passed, I found myself putting time in the bank, and with one mile to go was amazed that there were 12 minutes left to break the magic 7 hour mark.

[Managed to find a spring in my step for the final 100m… Photo courtesy Ally Speirs]

I cruised the last mile, thanked the final aid station volunteers for their help and support, and kicked it in for the finish. The clock displayed 6:56 something as I crossed the line, but to be honest was in my own little word and purely on auto-pilot. (8:49 pace for the final 10 btw…)

[Sub-7:00. Wow… Photo courtesy Crystal L. Santos Photography]

What a wonderful event, and what a very satisfying performance. Not really sure where I find the drive to keep pushing when the going gets tough, but hope it never goes away. Thanks to everyone for the continued support, wonderful comments and daily motivation – it really means so much. Thanks also to Final Mile Events for putting on a top notch event and to all the wonderful volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help out a bunch of crazy ultra runners.

By the way, the Gibbet 50 Ultramarathon awards are probably the coolest I’ve seen at any race. Check out the light-up skull I won for being 1st place Male. Tremendous!!

[Accepting 1st Place Male award from Race Director Brenda Carawan… Photo courtesy Ally Speirs]