6:30 AM, a line drawn in the dirt, and lots of anxious runners waiting. The second annual Buck 50 was about to begin, but first a couple of words from co-RD Bill. Ready and encouraged we were off! The front of the pack took off fast. Way too fast for me. It seemed like folks were really pushing the pace on the short road section, and on the beginning part of the trail too. I hung back and cruised with Joe D for a while. It would be a long day and I had no desire to be aggressive right at the beginning. Running with Joe was fun and great to have the early company. We stayed together all the way to the Lookout on Buck. When we turned around, amazing! There was a pale light in the sky, the clouds were below us, and through the low clouds the lake and islands appeared in stark contrast. This view alone made it an amazing day! And, we were just getting started.

Soon after the Lookout, we got to the actual Buck Mountain summit. It was well marked, but I still messed it up. Two other guys and I went all the way to the summit and got another great view, but we were supposed to skirt the peak. We enjoyed the view, searched around for the trail, and then remembered our mistake. We got back on the route soon enough and then got to enjoy the descent.

Coming off the back side of Buck was great, just cruising at an easy pace. The footing was pretty solid because it was such a dry season, but there had been a little overnight rain.

I was able to get a very good rhythm going down. Once off the mountain, there is a huge clearing of trees in the forest near the road, and it surprises me every time I go by it. This day was no exception. I got to the road with another guy so we chatted as we went grinding along the gravel. There is a slight ascent on the road, but nothing like the mountains.

We pulled into the first aid station together and left at about the same time too. The first aid station was great, I refilled my bottles with tailwind and got some bananas. It was very good to get some more real food. We stayed on the road a bit longer, but soon we were back in the woods.

Climbing up Sleeping Beauty is a challenge, but relatively easy. We were just clicking the miles away chatting, running, and hiking. We didn’t push it, we were just cruising. This year I didn’t miss the turn near the top of Sleeping Beauty (like I did last year), so I didn’t actually go to the summit. Coming off the top was great. I kept up a pretty good pace for the descent, which isn’t too technical. The running was easy.

The section between Sleeping Beauty and Black was fabulous. We passed two lean-tos, lots of streams and a couple ponds while running through a gorgeous forest. The sky was bright blue, the fall colors were amazing, and the natural beauty of it all was incredibly uplifting.

At the base of Black Mountain, just before the ascent, we got to the second aid station. It was great. Becca was in charge and they had everything I needed. I filled up fast and got right to it: the Black Mountain ascent! Rocks, roots, and steep. I hiked a good portion of this section, but the effort felt strong and sustainable.

Nearing the summit of Black I fell in with another runner, and it was fun chatting. He was new to the area and was excited about the race, the region, and the incredible forests we were travelling through. Even though there is a beautiful vista at the top, when we finally got to the summit we spent almost no time there. I was feeling great for the descent, so I really took off. I flew down the lake side of Black Mountain, hitting the technical downhill hard and really enjoying the non-technical stuff too.

Then, along the lake at the base of Black I came to the Farrell aid station. Awesome! The best tailwind, potatoes, and pierogies. Delicious! I had too many pierogies though, and that caught up with me later in the race. The Farrells were simply stunned by the ridiculousness of it all, but loved helping everyone along their way.

After fueling up quickly it was time for the grind up Erebus. Three miles of grind! The only apt description: grind. For most of the climb up Erebus I hiked, but tried to keep up a good effort. I pushed a pace without running that felt sustainable, but by the time I got near the summit I was fully fatigued. Thankfully, the beautiful and rugged forests at the top of Erebus brought me back to life.

Coming off the South side of Erebus I was thrilled. I had forgotten how runnable the downhill is once you get over the summit, and took full advantage of it. My legs were tired from the climb, but loosened up as the running got easier. The wide and relatively smooth trail on the descent was an absolute pleasure. A fabulous run through gorgeous forests.

After the easy downhill miles I hit a few miles of rolling terrain. It is a relatively uninteresting section, with a wide grassy trail, and a sneaky amount of gradual ascent. The difficulty of this section is the expectation for what’s to come. Even though it feels longer than it is, I was able to have a great time because I met up with Matt M. He was hiking an ascent and when I met up with him we cruised together. We chatted for about 20 minutes, which was great and really energized me. I’m super glad we got to take the time, it was one of the best parts of the day.

Eventually, I started running again and I left Matt near the last aid station. I filled up my bottles quickly and grabbed potatoes and cookies for the road. The literal road, because we were back on the road section headed to Buck. My stomach wasn’t great, but I knew I needed to keep eating. I was very careful on the road, constantly looking for the flags because I did not want to miss the road turn or the turnoff back onto the trail. It’s a pretty good run on the road, but I took my time and got back to the Buck trail without a problem.

Back on the Buck Mountain trail I was super happy for the last push! However, my stomach was getting worse. I had to duck into the woods for a minute, and when I came back on the trail I was feeling good and my friend Joe was right in front of me. He and another runner were both moving quickly uphill, so I knew I had to push my pace to keep up. It was great. They really pushed hard up our second ascent of Buck Mountain, and it was just what I needed. I kept pace with them both and hit the summit feeling strong and motivated to hit the downhill hard. The three of us went over the summit and stayed together until the Buck Mountain Lookout.

At the Lookout, I really started to move quickly over the technical trails. And as it got more technical, it felt like I sped up. I was absolutely loving it, bouncing down the mountain, so fun! Then, I saw another runner, not too far ahead. When I caught up with him it was clear that he wasn’t going to let me just cruise by him. Nathan, from NYC, was ready for some competition over the last few miles so we settled into a good rhythm and started chatting.

The last 3 miles with Nathan was a real race. I stayed slightly ahead of him for the downhill section where we couldn’t talk much, paying close attention to each of our footfalls. We moved quickly with gravity on our side. It was very fun! When we hit the flat section, we both slowed a bit and were able to chat. The time flew by and we kept up a good steady pace on the trail, and then picked it up even more on the road. We both complained to each other about how we didn’t want to push the end like this, but it was super fun. He edged me out in the end by four seconds. It was a great finish!

Afterwards, I jumped into the lake with Matt. We just hung out in the cold water letting our muscles relax. It was a great post race atmosphere too, with plenty of delicious foods and drinks. Sitting in the sunshine cheering on the other finishers was super relaxing and fun. I was fully fatigued but basking in the post-ultra marathon euphoria.

Another fantastic year at The Buck 50!

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