Race Cancellation Revelations

America's biggest trail races require planning. I started back in early fall, setting my sights on a race that seemed impossible to get into. The Leadville 100 was probably the best known trail race in the country, made famous by Christopher McDougall’s Best-Selling book, Born To Run. But being the eternal optimist, and willing to explore all angles to achieve something, I found a way in. And with that, I was deep into a training program with my race specific coach when COVID-19 reared it’s ugly head.

In the weeks since this pandemic spread across the country, those of us training for races wrestled with the concern for our health, the safety of our families, and the selfish concerns that “our” races would be cancelled. I mean they are “our” races right? it’s funny to me how we take ownership of them from the moment we hit the register button. Especially when you are really stretching the limits like I was doing with Leadville. As endurance athletes, we know that there has to be an emotional connection to big goals and dreams. We recognize that there will be significant suffering in the training and on race day. Maybe we learned the hard way that without that connection, it was surprisingly easy to quit. So we dive into the deep end without dipping a toe, we go all-in and commit to “our race” and do the work necessary to make it a possibility.

This spring, as I watched the races fall off the calendar, I knew it was likely going to jeopardize my Leadville plans. The first one to go was the IronMasters 50K, So on that day, and with my wife providing a mobile aid station, I ran my own 50K on the Appalachian Trail across the great Cumberland Valley. It was a perfect day and I took over two hours off my fastest 50K time. The training plan was working, and I knew I would be able to be ready for Leadville if I just kept to the plan and stayed healthy.

Then Western States fell, and the other big races were cancelled, and suddenly it seemed likely the Silver Rush 50 (another of “my races” for 2020) and the Leadville 100 would be cancelled as well. But Ken Chlouber, the founder of the LT100 was famous for saying “I won’t quit”, so I held out hope some ingenuity would allow the race to go on. But the Leadville City Council made the decision to cancel all races and camps for the summer of 2020, and it was done.

So now what? Was all this training wasted? Are my dreams of watching the sunset from my return crossing of Hope Pass dashed? It reminded me a little of that scene in Forrest Gump where after running for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours, he decided he was done and the other runners asked, “What do we do now?”

I wallowed for a little while, saddened that I was not going to get to realize my dream this year. Then I picked my self up, put on my trail shoes, and went out and did my training assignment. My run that night consisted of a warm-up followed by 5, 3 minute climbs at max effort. I ran that climb like an angry soldier trying to take a hill, and at the summit, sat on a rock and meditated for 15 minutes. As I sat there, listening to the birds, hearing the wind in the pines, and feeling the cool breeze evaporate the sweat off my back, I was at peace.

I put everything into perspective in that 15 minutes. The eternal optimist, I realized I now had 15 months to get ready for my dream race. Instead of shooting for a finish in under 30 hours, I could set sights on 28 or even 26 hours. I also decided that the mountains are not closed. I could still go to Leadville and train, and even maybe do a dress-rehearsal on race day. Without a clock to beat, and a congo-line of other racers, I could explore these mountains as I did when I was a kid growing up in the 7-Mountains Range of PA.

I stood up and began to run down the mountain. I bounded down that trail like my favorite character from Winnie the Poo, Tigger. Bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun! I hopped off of rocks and using the banks of the trail like a bobsled run. It was maybe the most fun 20 minute run I have had in years.

In that run, I reminded myself why I run. I run for those who can’t, for those we’ve lost. I run for the feeling of accomplishment I get after every hard effort. But I know now that the reason I trail run, is to reconnect to that childhood of exploring all god’s creation, to splash through the creeks, and climb the ridge just to see the other side.

So yea, “my races” are cancelled, but my goals are not! And since the mountains are not closed, I’ll be heading to Leadville this summer to explore. Hopefully it will be more like Tigger than Eeyore!