“Look Kids!! Big Ben, Parliament” – Rhode Island 6 Hour Ultramarathon

Fans of the National Lampoon Vacation films will recognize this homage to the scene from European Vacation when the Griswolds get stuck in a roundabout in London and can’t move to the left to get out.  They keep passing the same scenery over and over for hours.  This is what I expected from my first foray into a fixed time race.  However, it wasn’t as bad as I expected.
Back on Sunday November 14^th, I participated in the Rhode Island 6 Hour Ultramarathon and Relay in Warwick, RI.  Being busy at work and going on vacation around Thanksgiving, I never finished my race report.  So I waited for a slow time on the Bimbler website and resurrected by uncompleted report.  So here it is.

For those not familiar with this type of race, it is a fixed time race over a set course.  In this instance, it was for 6 hours over a 2.7 mile certified, paved, rolling course in the Warwick City Park.  The object is to do as many loops as possible within the time limit.  With timing mats at the Start/Finish, 50K mark and 26.2 mark, there were three place they would take partial loops up until you did a 50K.  After 50K, only complete loops counted. It was so long ago when I signed up for this race, that I don’t remember what my reasoning was to do this.  I’m sure it was, first, that it was something I hadn’t ever done before.  Secondly, it was so far out of the box of what kind of runner I am, that it would be a unique challenge.  Those who know me know I dislike loop courses, and most of all, I am not a road runner.  They beat up my feet, and I am not particularly speedy on them. I was apprehensive about the course being in a city park.  I was picturing running out in the open through softball fields and picnickers.  Surprisingly, the park is very expansive and heavily forested.  It is also a peninsula, surrounded by ocean water on three sides.  The Start/Finish is located at the parking lot for the beach at the tip of the peninsula and is surrounded by woods.  The course was run on a paved track that circumnavigated the park along the coastline.  The track was about 6 feet wide and had a dividing line down the middle which kept traffic control over the bikers and walkers.  Bikers to the right.  Walkers to the left.  Other than being paved, you felt like you were on a trail running along the coast in the woods.  Of the 2.7 mile loop, only about a quarter mile was along playing fields or along a road.  The relaxation of running in the woods along the coast, I believe, relieved the tedium of running the same loop over and over again.  It actually wasn’t that bad.  The unvarying surface of the paved loop is what I found difficult.  The constant use of the same muscles on the road is very different than the varying terrain on the trails. The race was put on by the Tuesday Night Turtles.  A local running club.  The support was great with one well stocked aid station at the Start/Finish line.  It was chip timed, but they also had a big board at the Start /Finish line that they kept track of your laps.  This was very helpful, because sometimes when you mind wanders, you forget what lap you are on and then try to convince yourself different.  The volunteers were great also.  There were more than enough and at the couple of points were the loop crossed a road, they had volunteers stationed to stop traffic, so you didn’t have to break stride. I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as runners, and it was an eclectic mix.  When I first arrived, I saw tons of Boston Marathon garb on people.  The most I have seen other than in Boston on Boston Marathon weekend.  I felt a little out of place at that time and I was pretty sure I would definitely be in the back of the pack.  Well, racing is individual right???  However, as more cars arrived, some familiar faces from the trails arrived and others that looked like regular runners, not road elites.  There were even faces from the Bluff that I recognized.  Also in the mix were 22 relay teams of up to 6 runners, which most of them had.  They set up canopies with chairs and tables and brought out all kinds of food and libations.  It really lent a party atmosphere to the whole affair. It really is a battle of one.  Other than by looking at the runner board, you could not tell who was leading.  People passed you a few times or you passed them, but you didn’t know if they were individuals or in a relay.  Since there are so few marathons in Rhode Island, there were a few 50 Staters there also.  These are individuals who try to do a marathon in each of the 50 states.  One older gentleman had a shirt on that said he had done the 50 states 5 times and was on his 6^th time.  Amazing right, well the other gentleman I met was named Larry.  Larry was a senior gentleman and he wasn’t moving too fast, but he was always moving when I saw him.  He had a shirt on that said he had done the 50 states, SIX times.  Yes, SIX.  I said hello to him, expressed my awe at his accomplishments, and wished him well.  He picked up his head, nodded, thanked me, and reburied his head in determination.
Curious about Larry’s story, I looked up his name in the results.  His name is Laurence Macon, age 66, from San Antonio, TX.  He is the Guiness world marathon record holder, completing 106 marathons in 2010.  He broke the previous record of 105 that was set in 2008 by, yes, himself.  He has run over 675 marathons or ultras.  Pretty cool the people you meet.

Surprisingly, I finished in the middle of the pack.  I was 37^th out of 64, completing 12 loops in 5:46:03 for a total distance of 32.4144 miles (This road stuff is real precise).  My 26.2 split was 4:31:15 and my 50K split was 5:29:52.  Not bad for just a fun race.  Another medal, another ultramarathon.  Watch out Larry.

I really enjoyed the event.  Running out of the box was a nice change of pace.  I would recommend to anyone to try a timed event.  It really is much different than a fixed distance event both on road or on trail.