Jed Smith, the race, not the American pioneer, Jeddiah Smith, has been running since 1987 according to UltraSignup, albeit not results on that website for 1988 and 89. Two other pillars of our NorCal ultra running circuit are Skyline 50K dating back 1982 and Way too Cool, 1990. But these are trail and hilly ones, as opposed to the flat and fast Jed Smith which has then attracted speedsters to kickoff the winter season.
I missed 2007 between a trip to Europe and one to Asia, then 2008 as I was racing the 6-day Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica. I ran my first Jed Smith in 2009 when it was still at Gibson Ranch. 10 consecutive finishes in respectively 3:51, 3:25, 3:28 (that new course), 3:19:04, 3:46, 3:25, 3:21, 3:20 (Rich's record), 3:19:54 (on another super fast and flat course dur to park closure) and 3:26. Some good times as we say... Missed 2019 for a trip to Europe, plus hamstring tendon injury, and 2020 because of a trip to Europe. Still coming back from my hamstring injury, I entered the 50-mile in 2021, as a post-Covid test, only to log 35 miles as a long tempo run ("Back to the ultra lab"). 4:05 and 3:42 in 2022 and 2023, then a DNS in 2024, on a mild calf pain and 4 weeks breaking my left meniscus.
After a lot of work since last October to rebuild, and a few reasonable tempo runs at the track the past 2 weeks, I was shooting for 3:45, a 7:15 min/mile. At least a sub 3:10 marathon split since the race offers an official Boston Marathon time at the end of the 5th lap, as long as you finish the additional and final lap. That was before hearing that it would be rainy, windy and muddy...
Drove in the morning without incident this time on the highway, although I made the detour on 84 and 5 this time (Christine reported a crash on 80 with a car burning...). I got in before 7:10 which gave me time to check-in and chat with two speedsters: Rich Hanna, owner of the race management and timing company, Capital Road Race, and one of the fastest runners in the country in my age group, and James Scanlan, who was aiming at breaking the 50-mile M55-59 American Record (5:48).
Pre-race, I also handed out remaining plaques from last years award ceremony: 6 to Tamalpa and 4 to Buffalo Chips, including these 2 plaques for another local Masters legend, Bev Abbs-Anderson:
Just some drizzle at the start of the 50-mile at 7:30.
Then the rain picked-up while we were getting prepared for our 50K start at 8:30 (photo credit, Shiran Kochavi, Pamakids' MUT Captain). Here I am, getting to the start line with only 5 seconds to spare!
Ah, Shiran, I had not realized we had started that slow (motion)! ;-)
We first run a 1-mile out and back so it's easy to see who is in the lead. I didn't recognize the overall, leader, a gal, then it was Karl and Victor from Excelsior, then another gal. Keep that in mind for comments on the results.
I ran the second mile, returning to the start/finish area, right on 7 minutes for an average of 7:06 min/mile. I was running with that second gal and Victor who couldn't keep up with Karl's sub-7 pace. We lost sight of Karl half way on the first lap (of 6).
I tried not to get caught up in that fast pace but the pace was uneven so we traded place while maintaining a 7:05-7:10 pace. At the end of the first lap, Victor must have stopped to grab something, I lost sight of him behind. I was getting more comfortable running my own pace, trying to get closer to 7:15, which was easier on the way out than the other side where were were battling some headwind plus the mud and puddles which were forming as the rain persisted.
My average pace was still below 7:15 at mile 17 (3 laps), where I did a ~45-second stop to drink a pouch of Vespa and grab a second GU gel. We were drinking water from the sky hose but I would concede that, under the pressure of maintaining that pace, I wasn't drinking enough from both my GU Brew and water bottles.
Failing off pace is hard, mentally especially. the glutes where on fire so it became a mental fight to keep pushing toward the marathon split goal especially. 2 more laps... That mask captured by Shiran...
I still had a few miles under 7:30 helped with tail wind but the return on the other side became harder and hard, clocking 7:40 miles. I even lost the mojo on mile 24, 8:04, then 25 and 26, over 9 minutes, ouch! Marathon split of 3:18: still 32 minutes under the M60-64 3:50 requirement, but would likely get behind the 10 or 15th wave, would I even consider going back to Boston, not so good...
Meanwhile, Victor caught up with me and passed me in the 5th lap, then Paul Broyer, from Excelsior too, like Karl. Great Men team! At the beginning of the final lap, 24-hour Team USA member, Pam Smith, of Oregon, passed me too. She was running at 7:40 min/mile, my new average pace, while I was down to running the last 3 miles in the 9:20-10:00 range.
On the last up ramp to the Watt Avenue bridge, I saw Bev closing in and that gave me a kick to run the last hundreds yards at 7:20 min/mile pace, which now felt like a sprint... I had been chicked 3 times already, I felt that was enough. Although, now looking at the results, the first two leading gals are absent, they must have dropped. (Correction, per Bev's comment: I hadn't realized, they were actually on the marathon, which started with us.)
4:04:17, I was disappointed not breaking 4 hours but, given the bleak 2024 season and outlook, still happy to finish this 13th Jed Smith 50K. On the road to reconstruction...
In the 3rd lap I got passed by a tall runner with a red hat. On the 4th lap, by another runner in Nike shoes. I didn't catch their bib so not show who's who between Piotr Kaszkur, the winner in 3:36:03 and 3rd place David Horton, 3:53:03. The Excelsior gang took 2nd, 4th and 5th. Amy was 6th overall and I took 7th, a few second ahead of Bev, then her husband Alan in 4:18.
On the 50-mile, James was still smiling and running strong although he had missed his record goal. He easily won in 6:26.
If you think crewing during a record attempt is easier than actually running, you should have seen Chikara, who holds many records of his own, sprinting between the bridge and the aid station table, certainly exhibiting more stress than James... Serious Excelsior team spirit and support!
Here is another super happy camper: after running trail 50Ks all her life, it was Lisa's first flat and road 50K, for a huge PR at 63, breaking 5 hours by a few seconds. Well done, Lisa, and Gary, for your 214th result on UltraSignup, and I bet this is missing many of your ultra man achievements! I'm at 201, will try to log a few this year! (Correction this Sunday afternoon, UltraSignup shows Gary at 218, and 210 results for me, weird.)
As for Christine, she felt it was a loopy long day...
Legendary trail photographer and now retired, Joe McCladdie, was taking pictures with his iPhone, I may add a couple later when he shares. Just a phone? Big change for him from all the tele-lenses he did shoot us with for so many years at local races.
For my Club, another big miss: we had hopes to form 2 teams but Marc bailed out, challenged to fully recover Achilles issues, then Marco didn't show up. Bjorn clocked 4:58:06, Elizabeth, 5:06:19 and Charles, 5:58:22.
These results show both Tamalpa and Buffalo Chips short of one finisher to scoring a team. Pamakids had 6 finishers and one DNF but Shiran mentioned 8 starters so, like for Christine, that page might miss some club names (entrants not registering their club upon signing up). Re Tamalpa, not any two runners but Carl and Steve, competing in the M70 age group!
It wasn't that cold, not that rainy for that matter, but I had some challenges changing in the car between some cramping and shivering. I did enjoy the hot tomato soup and one hot dog before the drive back home. Which, despite low visibility with pouring rain in the afternoon, was eventless, accident wise. If not for this other appalling environmental disaster seen after passing over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. Our State is trying so hard to save our planet but I can't imagine the carbon footprint of wildfires, the catastrophe in LA, and that way of burning oil... Not sure what that was about, we could see huge flames under this thick black smoke... (CBS reporting 6 workers injured in the explosion)
Back to the race, I haven't checked all the results of the past years, I felt that, while Jed as kept the very high standards of course and event sanctioning to attract elite runners, the size of the field was really small. At least the 50K with less than 50 entrants, the 50-mile under 20, and even considering the myriad of concurrent options (marathon, 30K, half-marathon). We are so rich in our North California area, it's tough for the USATF Pacific Association to compete. With that, special thanks to the Buffalo Chips Club and volunteers for holding this great winter ultra tradition! Especially on a rainy day, so grateful for these course monitors standing for hours in these conditions... See you all on the first weekend of February next year!
PS: stat wise that was my 80th 50K and 199th ultra race (182 finishes), out of 511 ultra runs, training ones included. Yes, I love the 50K format...
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