NEO24 Un-Race Report

Keen followers may recall that Dan is Done... With ultras, that is. That's still the case, but he did help his friend Larry Orwin organize a new event, NorthEast Ohio 24-Hour Run, aka NEO24. It was tons of fun and quite the event. Our team had been striving to make NEO24 much like NC24 (which hasn't been run since 2019), albeit at a different venue. I think we succeeded. I didn't compete; I only helped and watched. That's why this is an un-run, un-race report.

Friday: I arrive at Brunswick Lake Park early, set up the 'Dumpster here' sign, rent the truck, and proceed to meet RD Larry in Akron. Akron is the home of the Running Forward / Giving Back storage area. This organization puts on ultramarathon races for charitable causes and maintains some equipment for any/all. As part of RFGB, NEO24 will donate its proceeds directly to Roy Heger's charity, Run to Share. Joe Vasil helps us load the truck with all sorts of stuff we'll need. We proceed to Larry and Chris' home in Chagrin Falls, in order to load even more stuff. Our final stop is Giant Eagle in Brunswick, where we load over 200 heavy gallons of drinking water. After setting up a few tents and stuff, it's off to dinner at Bianca's, where 20+ of us listen as Pete Kostelnick tells some great stories.

The start

Saturday: After my shortened run, I arrive at Brunswick Lake Park early, although not quite early enough. Larry informs me that the truck has already been unloaded. This, at 6:00 AM! We continue setting up until the race starts at 8:00. That start is exciting, as are the early hours of the race. It's wonderful to see all of my new and old friends. Some I haven't seen in a half-decade or so. And they're all doing great. Until they aren't. It gets hot fast, and that eventually takes its awful toll on just about everyone. We volunteers try hard to keep everyone hydrated. We volunteers, by the way, are also working hard and sweating nearly as much as the runners. But there's love and appreciation all around.

Volunteers and organizers

It seems to get hotter as the day progresses. Until it doesn't. Finally, the sun begins to set, and the evening air begins to cool off. What a relief. More friends, old and new, are coming and going. It's fun. This 'magic time' of the day should be enjoyable, and it undoubtedly is for most everyone. Except me. I'm dead tired, so I head home a bit earlier than planned, for an evening nap.

Sunday: I had hoped to sleep until about 2:45 AM, but instead, I awake about an hour and a half earlier. Unable to sleep any more, I slowly get myself together for the long 2.5-mile drive back over to Brunswick Lake. By now, it's close to 3:00 AM, and the cool nighttime air feels great. I find my friend Chadwick Sunday, and run some of the 1-mile loops with him. He's always a pleasure to be with, but especially so right now. I encourage him as best I can, telling him how much confidence I have that he will make it. Make it to 100 miles, that is. Five miles, plus a couple more here and there, are about all I can manage. That's okay; I didn't expect this to be a great running day, at least for myself. Everyone else, however, is doing great! And that's so good to see! As the hours wear on and dawn approaches, many of the competitors are reaching their mileage goals. Lary announces those who achieve 100 miles, and eventually, Chadwick, Pete, and another old friend, John Hnat are among them. It's about as inspiring as it can get.

PS: Cleanup is always a chore when everyone is so darn tired. Today was no different. It was also tough to drive the loaded-up truck back to Akron for the unloading (with Larry and Chris), before returning it to Brunswick. But it was all good. And, as I say, very inspiring.

Looking for loping long on Lester

Hello Lester, my old friend. I've come to run on you again. Because a vision softly creeping. Left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain. Still remains. Within the mound of limestone. 

It's still very dark, but I find Michelle Wolff wandering on Lester Rail Trail. She is looking for Andy and muttering that he must have gotten lost. That's a tough task on LRT, which is only three miles in each direction. We run together for a while, then I take off a little faster.

But not too fast. In fact, I go so slow at this early hour that I begin to doubt my ability to do a long run today. As anyone who knows me will tell you, a long run is 18 or more miles. 17.9 - not a long run. 18.0 - long run. My hope is that Shannon Barnes will help me get up to that mileage.

Shannon shows up at 6:00, and I only have five of the planned six in by that point. We put in eight solid miles together, but then I'm alone again. I still have five to go, and this is the point in the run when I often start slogging.

But today, I don't. I actually speed up a bit, and make it (barely) to the 18-mile mark. It turned out to be a decent long run. Two weeks till Akron, and one week since Erie. Giddyup.

Erie Marathon Race Report

"There is a five-minute slowdown ahead. You are still on the fastest route." No problem, thinks Dan. I've got over 45 minutes to spare. Gobs of time.

"Plenty of time to spare." Brian Polen says this as he sprints by Dan with 100 yards to go to the start. Dan is sprinting as well, but of course, Brian is sprinting faster. That little slowdown turned into a parking lot to get into the Waldemeer Park Parking lot. Dan had parked with nine minutes to spare. That's where the 3/4-mile sprint had begun. The Race Director had stated in one of her emails that the race would start on time, no matter what. Pity those still parking.

"And the home of the brave! .... Boom." The Star Spangled Banner is just finishing up and the starting gun goes off as Dan arrives, completely out of breath.

"I've had some good runs and some terrible runs here." Connie is talking to Dan as they're starting their run. She doesn't know the half of it, thinks Dan. He's too out of breath to mention this out loud.

"It's a perfect day for a run," says everyone. Dan agrees. It's in the upper 50s and blustery. But the wind doesn't bother Dan. It's refreshing. The views of Lake Erie are stunningly beautiful. Dan had gone into the race thinking that he wasn't in the best of shape, and that he hadn't been feeling well for the previous week. He had planned to make this just a 'training run.' But things aren't quite working out that way, as Dan falls in with the four-hour pace group.

"Do not get ahead of this man," thinks Dan, referring the pace-group leader. He wants to keep his pace easy. In fact, this 9-ish pace may be too aggressive. Time will tell.

"Small but mighty." Dan is replying to the pace-group leader who had noted that his group had gotten a little smaller. After some small chuckling, Dan thinks of mentioning inappropriate uses of this phrase, but he thinks better of it." The pace-group leader is very nice and encouraging. Dan learns that he's from Canada. That explains it, thinks Dan.

"1:59," says the clock, By half-way, Dan has indeed gotten ahead of this man, but not by much, Dan runs through the 13.1-mile mark and begins his second loop of wonderful Presque Isle in good time. Will he be able to continue to maintain this pace for another 13 miles? Again, time will tell.

"I'll get you next time," jokes Dan. He had accidentally almost hit someone running next to him with a used water cup. The other runner had had to dance out of the way and had said that's okay when Dan had apologized. He chuckles a little at Dan's quip.

"Do you need help," Asks Dan to a couple different people who are cramping up in the latter miles.  They all answer no, hoping get themselves moving again. Dan has been there. Dan himself had picked up his pace a little. but he's still wary of the cramps.

"Good job," encourages Dan. He says this to a lot of other runners, but nearly all of them are people he is passing. At about mile 20, these two are passing him. One is the guy he nearly hit with the cup. Dan knows him - he sees him around a lot, and has probably met him at some point. He tries to stay with them, but although his pace is still good, he can't do it. Oh well. 

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," sings Andy Williams. Dan sings right along, even though it's his least-favorite Christmas song. This late-in-the-race water station is Christmas-themed, complete with a decorated tree and Santa handing out Gatorade. All the aid stations are great, as is everything else about this race. Except for the parking. Dan is singing because he does indeed think the weather is wonderful today.

"How is this possible?" Asks Dan. He spots the 3:55 pace group up ahead with less than a mile to go. He thinks about trying hard to catch them, before realizing that that isn't going to happen. Instead, he maintains, that slightly fast 8:55 or so pace that he's been doing.

"3:55." Dan finishes, and he's very happy with this much better-than-expected performance. He learns that he's second in his ancient age group. This is better than he usually does at this race. The guy who beat him? His name is Michael Juppe and he won by less than a minute. Michael is the guy Dan almost hit with the cup; the one who passed him late in the race. Dan was right to have said, "I'll get you next time!"

"Good weather trumps good training and being in shape," thinks Dan. It's the lesson of the day.

PS: "Why can't you break 3:50 anymore, Dan," You ask? Dan's answer is simple: "Because I can't even break 3:55 anymore."

Somewhere in the middle of the race

Offical chip time was 3:55 and a couple of seconds

At Waldemeer Park after the finish

The classic course takes runners around the peninsula twice

When coffee doesn't work, Part 327

You guessed it, today was one of those days. I had every intention of putting in a decent Something of Substance run at the track with my friends. There was no reason to doubt that I could - Friday's Yasso workout went fine, and so did Sunday's double Hinckley 19-miler. Even Labor-Day-Monday saw a decent enough ten-miler with Shannon Barnes. But today, not so much (of a good run). In fact, not so much of a run at all. That coffee just refused to kick in, and then when there finally was some effect, it was the wrong kind. And that's all I'll say about that.

This leaves me in a bit of a quandary. The Erie Marathon is this Sunday. I'd been thinking all along that I'm not quite ready for an 'A' effort; I would just run the distance, perhaps trying to concentrate on finishing strong, even after an easy first half. But then, I saw the weather forecast. It's for a low of 53 and a high of 64. You don't get that kind of marathon weather every time out. I had begun to think that this should be my 'A' effort, and not 3-weeks-away Akron. But now, I'm back to feeling not all-that-ready.

I'd better play it safe. Oughtent I?