Holiday Lake 50K 2015 - DNF...The magic was gone !

Start in the dark

This is not going to be a big post. Last year was incredible, or should I say 'once in a blue moon'. The excitement of first ultra with challenge of deep snow was something magic. This year it was different. I just wanted to better than last year, which was expected as cut-off was 8 hrs instead of 9 as there was no snow or icy slush like last year.

It all started the same way. I reached a day early, slept in one of bunk beds and woke up early. After the breakfast we were ready for the start. I remembered the route mostly due to the amazing experience last year. There was an aid station at every 4 miles, so in total 8 segments of 4 miles each. The first leg was paved roads followed by narrow trails, leg 2 has the thigh deep water, leg 3 was easy and leg 4 was hard and then repeat in reverse.  The problem was the 27F (-2 C) temperature and the chilly wind.

Leg 1 - Frost on the ground

Leg 2 -The shallow stream

The first 4 miles huddled with other runners on the trails I was pacing 13 minutes. Leg 2 was flat so I was back to 11:30 pace. I was pacing much better than last year, but it was not that fun. Instead of deep snow, there was morning frost and some sleet on paved roads. The stream on the leg 2 was just knee deep unlike waist deep. Maybe that was a good thing, but not challenging. I was already losing interest. In the snow the whole scenery was magical like winter wonderland, but now it was just different shades of brown all around.

Leg 4 - Even the bridge was dry and Brown

The leg 3 was the easiest as expected. Without snow it was just running on wider trails and paved roads so I continued with my 11:30 pace. The hard part was coming, and it was still really hard. As the narrow trails on leg 4 started my focus was changed to find my footing rather than pace. With my pace gone I was really cold now, and the wind was not helping. I found the bridge dry without sleet or snow and thought of last year. I was at 18 min pace by the time I finished leg 4. 

It was 3:30 hrs and I was 15 minute under the cut-off time, so I had 4:30 hrs to do the same path I came from. A runner who came after me returned back on the trails to finish. I sat there thought for some time, and chose not to. My motivation to finish was gone, I was too cold to go back and run 16 miles and this year the trails look just bored. So I chose to return home.

This was my first DNF and I am not happy about it, but I think it was right decision looking at circumstances. May be I will try some other ultra some time. I am not sure if I will be back to Holiday Lake though. It is a great race, and I will recommend it to anyone who wants to try it as first ultra marathon. But for me the magic is gone.