Des Moines Creek 6 Hour Trail Ultra

I have been intrigued by set-time events for the last year. I’ve had a hard time wrapping my mind around running a 50 mile ultra, but running for 12 hours somehow seems more doable. I have tentatively added the Ultracentric 12 hour (Dallas in November) to my 2008 race calendar, but thought it would be wise to try a 6 hour first and decided if I even like the set-time format. With that thought in mind, I signed up for the Des Moines 6 Hour Trail Ultra on March 1st.
My drive north to the race start was miserable. Heavy rain and wind made visibility next to zero. Early in the morning I had packed my car with every article of clothing imaginable. I had a raincoat, thermal coat, vest, tights, long-sleeve shirts (both heavy and light weight), shorts, three pairs of gloves, two hats, three pairs of socks, two pairs of trail shoes and one pair of road shoes. I also had my Nathan hydration pack and a hand held water bottle. I packed a drop box full of Sports beans, pretzels, Ensure, Gatorade, BodyGlide and BioFreeze. I was prepared! I learned last year that trail ultras can vary greatly and not to assume any level of difficulty or support. I reached the race start and parked in a soggy, muddy meadow just as the clouds parted, revealing a glorious late winter sunrise. Given the present conditions, I decided my bright orange Brooks running skirt, black Brooks long sleeve Runderwear shirt, Black Maniac singlet, gray Brooks Cascadias, and orange/pink paisley Dirty Girl gaiters would be just right (topped off with gold hoops and champagne diamond studs, of course). If the weather changed, I’d pass by my car every 4 miles and I could change.

Right before the race start, the race director explained the race. Everyone would run a 4 mile loop, when the clock ticked down to one hour remaining runners would be allowed to continue on a 1.1 mile short loop for the remainder of the race. Only completed loops would count and you could drop at any time. Loops completed at the time you stopped would be your official result. After one loop was completed (either long or short) there would be no DNF’s, just shorter distances in the results. I already decided I liked that format. There was no pressure to complete any set distance.

I ran the first loop slowly. I didn’t know what to expect for terrain and didn’t want to waste energy I may need later in the day. The first 2 miles wound up and down through a wooded ravine. The footing varied greatly: sand, mud, nicely packed dirt, rocks, roots and logs. There were a few steep inclines and gentle down hill sections. The next 2 miles twisted and turned through an old housing development. All the houses were gone, but ghostly stairways would peek out of overgrown shrubbery. Remnants of foundations would jump up out of the mud and grab unsuspecting runners. Roads from nowhere would appear from underneath blackberry brambles then conclude in a jumble of broken concrete. These obstacles proved to be much more treacherous than the roots and rocks of most trail races. At several points there were drop-offs that had to be navigated. I took special note of which drop-offs had dangerous footing at the bottom, and which ones provided safe landings. I completed the first 4 mile loop in 45 minutes, grabbed a granola bar and started out on lap two. I felt a little more confident, ran the flats faster, walked the up hills with more purpose and started to come up with pet names for the obstacles. I finished seven 4-mile loops before I was diverted onto the short loop. I managed to complete 2 short loops before crossing the finish line in 5:58. I racked up a total of 30.2 miles. I’m not sure how I placed, but only 6 people ran the entire 6 hours. Most dropped out after completing the marathon distance.

I really enjoyed this type of race and am looking forward to trying a 12 hour later this year, although I don’t know if I can wait until November.