2024 RUFA Mt Sentinel Race Report
In February 2024 I race Running Up For Air Mt Sentinel 12 hour. I wrote this race report after that event and am publishing it now. I had a good time at RUFA Mt Sentinel. It’s the Sunday after and I'm walking around nicely, just some good old fashioned sore legs. My right knee is creaking and grinding. I have a wicked blister on my big toe that is just ripped skin at this point. During the race the body held up fine, no cramps, no strains, no bodily failures (amazing!). This effort has me stoked on my fitness and durability. Strava gave me a 50km best of 6:35, amazing… with more vert than the rut too. Good stuff. I think the best decision I made was that I only have total time and lap time visible on my watch. I honestly didn’t want to know the distance and I definitely wasn’t interested in seeing the vert stack up hour after hour.
This is the first time I’ve done a timed race. It is a unique format especially when it is hosted on your home hill. The 12 hour race seemed most intriguing to me. RUFA Mt Sentinel also offers a 3 hour and 6 hour option. Previously the men’s course record was 11 laps. I set a goal to get 12 laps which seemed manageable to pace one lap per hour. The timing of this race in February also provided a nice winter goal to train towards to avoid stagnation.
It was a successful race. In the end this race worked me hard. First of all I was not expecting to be chasing Luke around, dude just jogged up to the M during the first lap and left me in my fast hiking, some nerve. This is why my first lap was the fastest as I followed his headlamp from a distance. First two laps I did without poles. I just wanted to keep my hands warm and have my hands free to organize things and get situated for the day. Lap 1-6 were cruisers, and definitely got into a solid groove. I felt pretty good until lap 7ish. I was taking in my nutrition, I think 80% of it. I went through 8 hours with solid nutrition. My stomach ended up going south, which then resulted in 5 toilet stops in the second half. Was it the downhill running? Was it a particular food? I think this slowly affected me as my calorie intake decreased and I focused on not crapping my pants. There were moments, during laps 6-7, that I figured if I kept with the 55 minute laps I could push for a 13th lap, but that lack of calories caught up to me. I did have one Red Bull, split into two servings. Maybe that boosted morale around laps 8-9. I started listening to some music around this time too. First time I have ever done that in a race. Lap 9 I gained some time on Luke as I guess he took a longer stop, we passed each other lower on the M trail. Oh man I was hoping he was going to blow up, props to him for holding it together. Once I got through lap 9-10 I really just kept things moving and tried to not crap my pants. I had a handful of chips to try some solids before lap 11 and ate 2 celebratory Oreos on lap 12 along with some sips from my flasks. Jenn joined me for lap 12, she was quickly disappointed by my slow uphill hiking pace. My “A goal” was locked in, barring any disastrous blow up, so I was fine with the slow pace.
My original plan to only stop every other lap didn’t last long as I quickly got ahead of schedule. I ended up having to grab a bottle between every lap so that did add some extra stoppage time. I also then had to use the time on my watch (and nutrition reminder) to drink and finish fuel. This unfortunately also meant I never had an empty vest, maybe I should have carried one bottle at a time to adjust to the laps timing.
It was a good day, it all went super well. I did love seeing the same friendly and smiling faces lap after lap after lap. That is a super unique part of this race and course. To go run the same course from sunrise to sunset is cool and unique. On one hand lapping such a familiar mountain makes the long distance seem more achievable. But the dangerous thing is when you downplay the entire effort and end up in the pits after a handful of laps. The best strategy is to take one lap at a time.
I highly suggest running a RUFA event locally to you. The events are hosted for a good cause, supporting local efforts to improve air quality in the communities. Also most of the events are held in the winter which provides a fun goal when races are rare in the American West. Thanks for reading, keep on ripping.
