Bobby Guy’s 50k Run

I made it to Hell...and back!

Since I started running in 2009, it's been all about new challenges for me.

A 5k quickly led to training for a  half-marathon. I can remember finishing that thinking "there is NO WAY I could turn around and go back to the starting line. How do people run marathons?" The following year, I did.

Earlier this year, I completed my first ultra-marathon (Kal-Haven Trail Run) and my first off-road half-marathon (North Country Trail Run).

I had set a goal of 26.2 in the woods for next Summer but surpassed that on September 26 running the Dances with Dirt 50k.

The 30+ mile course literally was, quite literally, Hell. Starting in the Pickney State Recreation Area, the hilly course was by far the most challenging I have ever run. Racers had to negotiate tough terrain with sections of the course named "This Sucks- Less," "Don't Get No Better," "Limbo," and "Abyss," while hurdling downed trees in the path and navigating the sometimes hard-to-find trails. We got wet crossing "the River Styx" 3 times before wading down the middle of the river for about a quarter mile, eventually exiting the water with only(!) 8 miles to go.

Many firsts for me that day:

• First 50k
• First time starting the event late
• First time getting lost out on the course
• First Aid after the race

I can't tell you how it feels to cross that finish line that you thought you'd never see after being out in the woods for more than 6 1/2 hours. The last hour was brutal as I simply willed one foot in front of the other and prayed I would not fall as my body was completely worn out as I was working on only 3 hours of sleep.

Surviving and finishing was my only goal; getting an age group award was a bonus!

Running these events doesn't make me a Superman- I put a lot of time into training and persistence pays off. I put in a lot of miles on the trails at Yankee Springs Recreation Area this Summer and it helped me get to the end of this one. Those situps I've done almost every morning for the last 3 months kept me breathing and my  legs moving. My point is, you can do anything once you set your mind to it and do the work it takes to make it happen.

Related