Dusk Till Dawn Endurance Night Race & Relay - Race Recap

On May 29th I set out for a different kind of adventure by joining up with two friends, Austin and Ross, to run all night.  This was the second year that they have held the race, but it was the first year for the relay.  Not knowing what to expect we all set out for a new adventure.

We arrived at McIntosh Reserve around 6:30pm on Friday night to get checked in, and begin setting up our tent area.  Each relay team had an area close to the start where they could set up at tent, and have a place to rest when they weren't running.  After we all got everything settled we headed up to the group shelter for the info meeting before the race started.  The RD went over all the instructions, and then gave us about 5 minutes to talk to some of the other runners before the race began.

Austin ran our first lap so he could become familiar with the course in the daylight, and because he has gotten lost in a few other races in the past.  Our strategy going in was that Austin would run one lap, then Ross would run two laps, and then I would run two laps.  After that we would see how things were going.  Austin and all the other runners took off on their first lap while everyone else hung out back at camp.  I was already feeling tired, so I laid down in the tent to get a quick power nap.

About an hour after they took off I began to hear people yelling, and clapping for the first runners coming back from their first lap.  I got up out of the tent in time to see Austin run by and up to the check in point.  Austin passed off our slap bracelet to Ross and he was off for his first lap.  It was about this time that it really started to get dark.  I pulled out my headlamp and headed up to the group shelter to hang out with Austin, and Joshua who was hanging out and serving as our crew for the race.

Slowly we would see headlamps in the woods off in the distance begin to get closer to us, and we would cheer for the individual runners as they came to check in from their lap.  When Austin came in we realized that he was the third runner in, so we were hoping to keep this up.  We began to see some of the relay teams come in and switch off runners, and then we saw Ross running up to check in.  He was covered in mud, but in good spirits.  He got a refill on his water, ate a few things at the aid station, and changed his socks before heading out to run a second lap.

I was really getting anxious at this point because I haven't run one step yet and it continued to get later and later.  I got my water bottles and pack loaded up so that when Ross came in I would be ready to go.  As I was hanging out talking with other runners and listening to them talk about the course I started getting more anxious.  I was ready to go!  I became a little nervous though because I heard from a few runners that they had gotten a little off trail at a few points.  I knew that I was going to have to pay close attention to make sure I didn't get lost.

A little after 11:30 Ross came in from his second lap and I was off.  Immediately I went from the excitement of the aid station and being around people to running on a trail in the dark by myself.  The trail was a little torn up because of some rain earlier in the week that caused a lot of muddy sections.  The wet trails plus the fact that people had been running on the trail for 3.5 hours already made the trails even muddier and more slick.

I run by myself a lot, and run in the dark a lot, so being out on the trail was peaceful to me.  I was able to enjoy the sounds of the night.  Most of the loop was a series of horse trails, and gravel roads to connect the trails.  Because I had heard so many people talk about missing flags and getting off trail I was hyperaware of looking for the next flag and making sure I was on track.

I finished my first lap and came into the aid station for just a moment before heading back out for my second lap.  The second lap I felt myself slowing a little and I had to make sure to push myself to run as much as I could.  The last two miles were in a big field where I was able to cut my headlamp and run by the light of the moon.  I finished my second lap and passed the bracelet off to Austin to head out for two laps.  I was beat, but I knew that I would need to be ready to head out again for a third lap.

I stayed in the aid station to catch my breath, drink some water, and eat a little food.  I then headed down to our tent to get out of my sweaty clothes and sleep a little.  I told Joshua to come wake me when Ross headed out for his next loop.  I quickly fell asleep and before long heard Joshua waking me up.  I was groggy, and sluggish at this point.  I got enough of myself together to get my shoes back on and my pack together to head up to the aid station to wait on Ross.

I was slowly getting everything together when all of a sudden we saw Ross charging in from his third lap.  He passed the slap bracelet to me and I quickly threw my pack on to head out on my third lap.  I was not as ready as I would have liked to have been, but it was my turn to head out.  Right away I could tell that my whole body was tired.  Not just tired legs, but tired all over.  I knew that this lap would be kind of slow.

I made the most of the lap as I worked my way up the hills, and tried not to slip too bad in the shoe sucking mud.  I even ended up running through the small stream crossing after a failed attempt to rock hop it.  This was not my lap.  I just kept telling myself that I needed to be done by 6:30am at the latest, so that Austin would have plenty of time to head out for one more lap.  I finally made it back to the aid station around 6:15am to pass the slap bracelet off to Austin for one more lap.

Trail Dawgs: Ross Wise, Austin Hall, Adam Reed, & Joshua Warren (crew)

Austin was able to get one more lap in for our team and all total we ended up with 60 miles!  This was good enough to be tied for second.  After the last runner came in we were treated to a catered breakfast where we were able to talk with the other runners and hang out talking about the night.

This was my first team relay event, timed event, and loop course.  I had fun, and definitely learned a lot from the experience.  I hope that we are able to get the Trail Dawgs back together next year for this event.