Jed Smith 2022: back to the tradition.

For as long as I can recall over the past 15 years, Buffalo Chips' Jed Smith 50K has been our season open in the MUT Pacific Association Grand Prix. And so it was in 2020 before we pulled the Grand Prix plug right after SingleTrack's Pioneer Express 50-mile Trail Nationals mid March. Interestingly enough, Jed Smith even occurred in 2021 but at a time the national USATF consensus wasn't favorable to a return to organized racing yet. We ended up running our Grand Prix from August to November last year. Hoping 2022 is the good year for the return to more normalcy!

This year, we actually opened the season last week with a new Mountain-style event: PCTR's Mount Diablo 10K. Next year, we'll open the season even earlier with Quad Dipsea at the end of November... 2021. It may look odd but this is to address the need to close the season early in the year to allow for all the crazy early-notice ultra planning and registration. Our final event this year is going to be Ruth Anderson's 50K and 50-mile, co-directed by Steve Jaber, whom many have seen on the Jed Smith course this Saturday, Anil Rao and Rajeev Patel.

Back to the title, the tradition means the re-inclusion of this fast 50K race in our Grand Prix then. And the very nice winter gathering of our ultra community, also welcoming new members as well as other runners, thanks to the Buffalo Chips strong presence in Sacramento. Indeed, Jed Smith isn't only about ultra: this year it had 6 distances: 50-mile, 50K, marathon, 30K and half marathon. Some for everybody's taste and will to test their limits! (Poto credit: Stuart Taylor.)

With the continuation of our terrible California drought --we didn't get a single drop of rain through January, such a bad record-- at least the weather was excellent for running: about 45 and overcast at the start, then sunny and getting on the warm side actually in the afternoon. And not the winds we experienced last year.

While there were 170 registrants overall, only 50 in the 50K and sparse field, competitively speaking, so much as I was seeded #2 by UltraSignup. I assured Jonah Backstrom he could have it this year. He said that he was going to start with a 6:20 min/mile pace, more conservatively than his last attempt. Our Club President, Stuart, had entered Fort Ord 50K but forfeit his entry to join us and support our team instead. He recently ran the first 100K at HURT and, in a very different register, almost broke 3 at the marathon last year. With that, we let Jonah go and ran the first 2 5-mile laps together.

Initially at a 7:15 average pace but, as the pace increased, I settled in 3rd.

(Last two pictures from Boris Dumitrescu who volunteered for several hours at the only road crossing and leverage his time to take pictures and retouch/post them in real time on Facebook!)

At the end of the 3rd lap, I caught Stuart up as he had stopped to pick his headset. Although this is more than half way with the initial 2-mile out and back, we were just above a 2-hour split and my sub-4 goal was seriously at risk. Stuart passed me again around mile 19 as I was struggling and slowing down. Mile 21 was my first above 7:30, at 7:33 and, from there, splits oscillated between 8 and 9 minutes. Although I was disappointed by the loss of form, I avoided cramping and, even more importantly, walking. I took a 3rd Vespa pouch at the end of lap 4. Never stopped at the aid stations used 4 S!Caps and 3 GU gels. Otherwise, mostly the lack of training showing, the injury pain being endurable. What kept me running though was the competition behind...

Little known secret that this race actually offers a live webcast by publishing results live, including splits, on Athlinks. At the end of lap 4 I did stop to grab my phone. At the next bridge passage I checked on the website and saw I still had an 8-minute lead on Michael Fink, in my age group. On the 6th lap, I check again and it was now down to 6 minutes. With a quarter mile to go, in the last chicane of the Watt Avenue bridge, I see a runner closing on my, with bib 45. That one I didn't see coming! That was Andrew Furillo who finished 6 seconds behind me, with Michael Fink 35 seconds after him, phew!

While Jonah Backstrom won in 3:18:56 I would still label this year's race as a record slow one with me claiming a podium spot with a time of 4:05:28! We are far from last year's win of Malcom Richards in 2:51, followed by Chikara Omine in 2:59. So slow that Jonah didn't even wait for us to finish to get a podium picture, oh well! There must have been something different in the air last year. For me, this is so far from the sub 3:20s I used to run just a few years ago, it's still the struggle of this hamstring tendon injury which is so painful still after more than 3 years. When every stride is painful, ultra running looks like punishment... I can't train seriously, I can't extend my stride, a bummer. Have to live on the amazing past memories, maybe that's why Rich Hanna called me a legend when I crossed the finish line, living in the past... ;-) 

Rich owns the Capital Road Race Management company and is the local legend. And not just from the past! On that course and over the past 2 years, he set our age group's new record for both 50K (3:26) and 50-mile (5:51). That performance got him the UltraRunning Magazine 4th age-group performance of 2021, although he doesn't even care about the fame, only running for the joy of... running fast and against his clock.

Similarly, we had another local legend on the 50-mile, and same autograph treatment for her, on the same page of the magazine. Bev won the 50-mile again this year in a time of 6:37!!

We are still far from pre-pandemic levels in terms of participation, and from Pacific Association members in particular. 22 this time, half last week's turnout. Doesn't help when the club leader goes from 25 to 7, yet still dominated the field! Anyway, great job to all for coming! Speaking of Pacific Association, see this invitation to attend this year's virtual award banquet.

I stayed for another 2.5 hours to chat and mingle with people, and wait to see Keith and Jim finish. Both Keith and I raced back to back, and Keith also got an age group podium too this time, yeah!

So many amazing stories when you take the time to ask... For instance, and with a tip from Rich, what about James Flanigan who not only ran the 30K today but finished 38 Boston Marathons! He says it's harder to finish under 6 hours nowadays, to remain eligible to run year after year, he regrets the 20 years he was qualified to run in his youth but couldn't enter for lack of financial means to make the cross-country trip to New England, saving everything for Med School. And James is polyvalent, he won his age group at the Mountain Running Nationals lat year!

With consistent and Jed Smith-regular Michael Fink (we are both over 10 finishes):

Huge thanks to John Feenley for perpetuating this long Jed Smith tradition, to his crew of volunteers all over and around the loop, and his Buffalo Chips club who had many members within that crew or running one of the races. Another perfect edition, well done and already looking forward to next year then!