After
not finishing an ultra in 2011, I was looking around for an interesting fall
race for 2012. Susan Donnelly, of our Haw Ridge running group suggested the Duncan
Ridge 50K. She had run it the previous, inaugural year. I wanted a hilly course
where I thought I could be more competitive. From Susan’s description, it
sounded like this course fit the bill. The course would cover the Coosa
Backcountry Trail in Georgia’s Vogel SP, and then have an out and back to Fish
Gap on the Duncan Ridge Trail in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. I had hiked the
Coosa Backcountry Loop and knew it was tough, and the Duncan Ridge Trail was
also well known as one of the toughest trails in Georgia. The race was
advertised as having over 10,000 feet of climbing.
The Duncan Ridge 50K Course.
I
had some high quality training leading up to the race, but perhaps not quite
enough of it. I’d run the Dirty South Half Marathon (more like 14.2 miles) in
Knoxville the weekend before in 2:48. The four weekends prior to the race
included two ~20 mile runs in the Smokies, an 18 miler on the North Boundary
Trail in Frozen Head SP, and a really tough off trail climb up Lester Prong to
Charlies Bunion in the Smokies (link). This should have
given me enough training for a 50K. But, I have a history of IT Band and
tendonitis issues in my left knee that can make downhills excruciatingly
painful. I hoped that walking the steep hills would keep that issue at bay.
Luckily
my friend Aaron also signed up for the race, and we were able to make the trip
together. We left Knoxville on Friday at 5:30, stopped for dinner in Cleveland,
TN, and stayed at the Best Western in Blairsville, GA, not far from Vogel.
There were a few early indications already that I wasn’t on my “A” game. First,
I left my credit card at the restaurant after dinner. I called them from the
hotel, and we were able to pick up the card on the return trip. Then at the
hotel, the screw holding my glasses frames together popped loose. Luckily I
found the screw, and had the tiny screwdriver needed for the repair. But, if
that had happened the next day in the woods, I’d have been a one eyed runner.
Race
morning was cold (35-40F), and we both spent a long time in line for the single
bathroom near the start. The course wasn’t too crowded at the start, even with
an almost immediate mile of single track. We would run the north side of the
Backcountry Loop, both going out and coming back. The south side of the loop
goes through the Blood Mountain Wilderness where competitive events would not
be allowed. After the initial single track, was a nice downhill jeep road to
the first aid station.
Then
the long climb up Coosa Bald started. The grade was gentle running at first,
but the last mile was very steep. Everyone started hiking, the line compressed,
and I found myself just a few places behind Aaron. Feeling good, and knowing
this was my strong suit, I passed him and a few others on the climb.
At
the top, I was feeling aggressive and pushed hard down the steep descent of the
Duncan Ridge Trail. Steep downhill running isn’t my forte, and normally is
extra tough on my knees. I got passed a few times going into Aid 2 at Whiteoak
Stomp. I tried to fill up and drink up, thinking of all the miles still ahead.
Duncan Ridge 50K Elevation Profile.
Duncan
Ridge Trail was mostly solid single track, great for running. The drops into
the gaps at aid stations 2 and 3 were steep, everything else was runnable for
me. Heading toward Mulky Gap (Aid 3), there were lots of great view over the
valley of Nottely Lake to the mountains on the north side. We also got a few views
south toward the Appalachian Trail and Blood Mountain. Coming into the
turnaround at Fish Gap (Aid 4), I saw Misty running strong, already on the
return leg. I had just met her, and she had not yet joined our Haw Ridge group,
so I was surprised to see her that early. Counting runners, I thought I was
around 44th at the turn, just a few places behind Aaron.
I
had a little tightness in the outside of my (left) knee coming into the steep
descent back into Aid 2, but I was still moving up through the pack and caught
Aaron again.
But
going up Coosa Bald, I could tell my tendonitis was flaring up again. I was
going to pay the price for my hard run down the back side of Coosa Bald.
Once
over the top, I could barely walk the downhills because of the pain. When Aaron
caught up again I warned him I’d likely finish an hour behind him. I grabbed a
hiking stick and barely limped down the trail, dreading every bend of my knee.
On the steep section of the descent I must have been passed 20 times. I felt
like a greeter at Wal Mart, “Hi, Hello, Looking good, etc.” as the runners
streamed by. In barely an instant my race goal changed from a likely sub 8
hours, to a long shot at sub 9 hours, to just wanting the pain to end.
When
the terrain got gentler, I could walk again at a decent pace, maybe 4 mph, but
not fast enough to make up any time. The final few miles back to Aid 1 were
smooth and gentle, but I just gimped along. I could hold my own on the final climb
out of Aid 1 as most everyone was hiking by then. But they all ran the last
downhill, and I lost another 5 or so places. I couldn’t even run the pavement
into the finish line.
This
was a hard course, and I’d had a decent race, but I was really disappointed.
The tendonitis pain was as bad as I’d ever had. I wondered if my strategy had
backfired and I needed to just run easy courses, and hope that wouldn’t trigger
the knee pain. I was worried about doing long term damage to my knee, and even of
ruining future hiking or running plans.
After
the race, my GPS showed 29.9 miles and 9895’ of climb. After plotting in TOPO!
the results were 30.5 miles and 8635’. My time was 9:10:32, and I was 62 of 91
finishers with ~130 staters. Aaron ran 8:25, which was good enough for 42th.
Misty was F4 in 7:40. She would go on to win the women’s race in 2014. There
were another 80 finishers in the 30K race.
As
it turned out, Duncan Ridge did have a long term impact. It took several years
for me to totally shake the specter of tendonitis in my left knee. I was OK at
Barkley in 2013, quitting early on lap two. But in 2014 the tendonitis flared
up early in lap one causing me to quit at the Fire Tower, the first time in 11 tries
that I’d failed to complete a loop. I never had raced a lot, but outside of
Barkley the next few years saw only a pair of 50Ks. I would still do some
shorter races, but the impact on my knee still showed up for a few years in far
fewer runs on my favorite courses in the Smokies and around Frozen Head SP.
It’s hard to say exactly how long the recovery took, but it wasn’t until late
2016/early 2017 that I felt confident racing again.
