Siskiyou Outback (SOB) 50K! Barely an Ultrarunner!

“If you don’t throw up when you cross the finish line, you didn’t run hard enough!" – My friend, Adam

Cost: $55.00
Type: Trail
Length: 50 kilometers/31.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 1280 meters/4200 feet
Gear: Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Race Vest, Suunto Ambit 3 Run watch, Saucony Peregrine 5 trail shoes
Water Guzzled: About 180 oz/5.1 kg
NUUN Tablets Used: 6
Bags of Peanut M&Ms Eaten: 6
Number of Falls: 0
Shoelace Re-ties: 0
Ankle Rolls: 0
https://siskiyououtback.com


This was it, the big race I was training for this year. I spent four months following a training plan… sort of. Maybe 60% of the plan. OK, maybe 50. I replaced track intervals with hill runs, I ran too long on my cutback runs, and I fell behind on my long runs so that I ended up with a two-week taper instead of a three-week taper. Even then I shorted my final long training run by about four miles. I have no idea if any of that mattered. I’m starting to believe that training plans are really a waste of time.

The race started at 7 AM. I got up at 5:30, scarfed down a granola bar, dressed in my running clothes, tied my shoes on and gathered my things. I left the camper I was staying in at 6 and drove half an hour to get to the start line at Mount Ashland Ski Area. Skies were clear and temperatures were comfortable, right around 16C/60F, but they were forecast to climb to 31C/88F.

I checked my gear. Running vest: check; water bottles: check; NUUN tablets: check; many bags of M&Ms: check; running watch: check; phone: check. I got my packet and shirt, pinned on my bib, filled up my water bottles, went to the bathroom, took a picture of Mount Shasta and got to the start just in time! We were off! We ran a short way on a dusty forest road before peeling off onto the PCT. Incidentally I didn’t start my watch until we were about half a kilometer in. D'oh!

I should mention here that my history with the 50K distance had been a mixed bag. My first attempt was a DNF because my calves kept locking up on me about half way into the race. I finished the Mount Hood 50K a couple months later, but even there my calf cramps forced me to walk a lot more than I wanted to, especially for a race with such mild elevation gains. My time was a disappointing 6 hours and 10 minutes. Long story short, I wasn’t approaching this race with a lot of confidence.

I was sluggish the first couple miles; it often takes me some time to find a comfortable pace. The trail wound through forest and exposed meadows that were bursting with wildflowers! Mount Shasta dominated the horizon! The course was already promising to be spectacular!

I found my pace and was drinking plenty of NUUN water. During my last long training run I was able to stave off my calf cramps by chugging water. I hoped that would hold true for the race, but I reigned my pace in just a bit as a secondary measure. There were some easy rolling hills and the PCT was very runnable.

I got to the first aid station, Willamette-Meridian at around five miles, in under an hour. The volunteers topped off my water and called me “The M&M Runner" since M&M bags were bursting out of my running vest! I grabbed a bag and ate them as I took off from the aid station. So delicious!

The next section started with some relatively easy climbing before a couple miles of glorious, non-technical downhill into a forested canyon on the PCT! This was my favorite section of the race and I was able to make good time. I winced when I realized we were going to be coming up this on the way back, but I put that thought away and enjoyed the moment.

We bottomed out at the Siskiyou Gap aid station about 15K/9 miles in. I had been going for almost two hours and was pretty pleased with my time so far. The next section, though, was a five mile uphill forest road; it was about to get tougher!

I started up the road at a reasonable jog, happily munching on some more M&Ms. The road got pretty steep in some sections and I found myself hiking as much as I was running. I chatted with a guy from Eugene for a bit and then picked up the pace again before having to hike some more. I should have been getting up this faster, but maybe the elevation was hampering my hill running. In retrospect I wish I’d pushed harder through this section.


Halfway through the race we crested at the Siskiyou Gap aid station, 7500 feet/2300 meters above sea level. It took me a bit over three hours to get here; I definitely lost time on the long uphill! The view was an amazing 360 degree panorama that included Mt Shasta and the Cascades, the Crater Lake rim, Mt Ashland and the Siskiyou Mountains! I probably lingered here longer than I should have, but I was so awed by the views that I couldn’t help myself! Water bottles refilled, bowels emptied and another bag of M&Ms on its way down, I started my return journey.

The next couple miles were exposed on the gravel road back to the Wrangle Gap aid station. We got onto the PCT there and I found a comfortable, if a bit slower than I’d like, groove on the (mostly) downhill back to the Siskiyou Gap aid station. The heat and exposure were making themselves felt now and I was going through water quickly.

At mile 23, kilometer 37, I hit that uphill that I enjoyed so much as a downhill earlier in the race. Those two miles were the most brutal, although mostly shady, thankfully. My energy was still pretty good, but I didn’t have the strength at that point to run that steep an incline, so I ended up hiking most of it. The heat was wearing me down, but I was able to keep moving forward. I was drinking a lot of water and was concerned about running out before the final aid station. Some folks I had passed earlier pulled ahead of me and beat me to the final aid stop.

I made it into the last aid station shortly after I ran out of water. My calves were feeling tight, but no signs of cramping! I got my water refilled quickly and ate my last bag of M&Ms then started on the home stretch, the final five miles!

I jogged, shuffled and hiked those last five miles. I could feel a sunburn itching on my shoulders, but my spirits were good. I passed several of the folks who passed me on that last hill and even cracked some jokes – tried to, anyway. I think I’m funny!

I came off the PCT onto the road leading back to the ski area. I passed a gal I had been battling with for the last half of the race. She flashed me a smile and yelled, “Strong! You’re strong!" A bicyclist came toward me and told me the finish was literally around the corner. I caught up to a guy who I can only assume was running the 50 miler because he had that elite runner build and no elite runner was as slow as I was on this 50K course! (Incidentally, the 50 milers started an hour before we 50Kers, but just think about that… He covered 19 more miles than I did and only needed one more hour to do it.) We high fived and raced to the finish line. He beat me.

I finished with a time of 6:50. It was a full 40 minutes slower than my Mt Hood 50K time last year. This course was definitely harder with tougher hills and elevation to contend with, but I still had hoped I’d come in closer to a 5:30 or 6:00.

I was elated, however, that my calves didn’t cramp! The water and electrolytes worked! It took me two years to figure out and beat that problem, but now I won’t have to be as conservative with my running! As a matter of fact, this was the best I’d ever felt after a big race like this! No cramping feet, no spasming shins, just a little bit of soreness in my hamstrings! I felt like I was strong enough to run some more! This race really established a comfort level for me with this distance. I’ll go into my next one with more confidence.

The post race party was pretty fantastic. They had a great live local band, BBQ and an array of food and drinks, not to mention the warm but not too warm summer sunshine. I have a hard time eating a lot right after a big race, so I only had moderate portions - I’m really jealous of those who can finish a race like that and eat a ton of food immedately! - but everything was awesome! Everyone was friendly and chatty, and I had a really great time decompressing with the folks down there.

The volunteers were friendly, efficient and always helpful, the course was well-marked and beautiful, and the entire event seemed exceptionally well organized. The finisher’s loot for the 50K included a glass mug, a beer cosy, two SOB bumper stickers and a medal! That’s the most generous finishing loot I’ve seen in a long time! I also opted to buy an SOB NorthFace shirt, and the 50 milers got an additional hand-crafted coffee mug - jealous!


I keep getting asked when I’m going to be a REAL ultra runner and do a 50 miler. I’m leery of that. It’s another 19 miles and would require that I spend even more time running if I want to finish well. I think I’ll stick to the 50Ks and my weight training. I want to be able to squat 300 pounds, dead lift 400 and bench 225 in the next few months. I also would like to work on improving my 50K time. I think for now I’m content to be barely an ultra runner. :)