Bear's perspective of the event:
Many, many thanks to everyone who registered, ran, watched, or commented on the race. Trail runners have to be the nicest people on the planet. And MS50 trail runners are the best of all. Hope to see you all again next year.
Now that a couple of days have passed since the Carl Touchstone Memorial Trail Run (I did the 50K), I wanted to share my thoughts. Saturday, March 5, 2011, marked my first trail run and my first 50k. I will admit to being a little nervous and a little apprehensive as I did not really know what to expect. The anticipation of bad weather increased my nervousness. Why, I have no idea as it is not like I have never run in bad weather before. Regardless I reached the starting line Saturday morning a little out of sorts, and frankly dreading the thought of spending hours on end in the rain (I am admittedly slow as molasses). I think Saturday might have been the best day of my life - if not the best it is definitely a top five day for me! I so enjoyed every second I was out on the course. Being slow has it advantages as I had the opportunity to meet and speak with a lot of different people. I also got to witness firsthand the awesome power of God when lightning struck a tree about 50 yards or so in front of me around mile 14 or 15. It was an awesome sight, but one that freaked me out and sped me up. At that point I met Jen Torres who was running almost next to the tree that got struck at the time it got struck. We ended up running together the rest of the way and finished together, along with a co-worker of mine, George Martin, who was also running his first 50K. The three of us finishing our first 50K together was pretty cool. Please pass along my thanks to the aid station volunteers. They were awesome, totally supportive and made sure we had whatever we needed. As well please pass along my thanks to the race director and everyone else who works behind the scenes, but gets very little recognition. This was an excellent, excellent event from the communication provided up to race day (and after) by you, to the dinner and packet pick-up the night before, to race day itself. Y'all are so fortunate to have such a beautiful trail to run. I am jealous. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for all that y'all do. I really enjoyed my weekend and hope to be back for many years to come. Davis Barlow
Thanks to all the volunteers who worked in the
rain and mud to make the 2011 Mississippi 50 our largest run to date. And
one of the most memorable for all involved.
There is a little pre-story to this story. I first attended the MS50 to
run my first 50K on my 55th birthday. Richard Cozart and his wife Shirley
invited me to join them on this adventure.
Skip ahead 7 years and I had this urge to run my first 50 miler on
my 62nd birthday at the same MS50.
Richard, at 81 years old, decided to go and run the 20K. Marty and
another friend, Lisa, also joined in the fun. Marty was doing her first
50K since she was 40! That is 18 years ago! This was to be Lisa’s second
trail run in her short career.
Well, here is my story! It rained the entire night before the run. What I
had remembered as a “flat” course was anything but flat. I had touted this
flatness to Marty and that helped make up her mind to join us.
Well, it is hilly with most of the trails made of clay!
Picture clay and water...What do
you get?? Extremely slick down hills! We had streams to cross about every
mile or two. The 50 mile course was 3 loops x 12.5 miles and then a
separate 6+ mile trail that had to be done twice.
The 50K was 2 big loops with one shorter one while the 20K was just
one big loop. Marty and I ran
the first 25 miles together. Slippin’ and slidin’ along.
She had braved wearing road shoes but on the second loop, quickly
switched to trail shoes!
Richard stopped at mile 8 of his 12.4 mile quest. The conditions were so
bad, we feared him falling and being hurt and even getting hypothermia. It
was a cold rain that never gave anyone a break. Lisa managed to finish her
20K in 2:58. Another local
girl, Cari Trapp ran a very fast 50 mile time of 9:52.
As remote as this race was, Marty and I were breaking out of the forest
and had to cross one of the very few roads that were navigate able in the
park when a car just happened by at that very instance. It was our friend
Lisa. Had her car been 30 seconds earlier or later, we never would have
seen each other. Things happen
in very mysterious ways! Might just have to reflect on that one for a
moment!
We ran together for about 6 hours in a horrible thunderstorm! All the
rivers were rising and the trails were like ice!
I split off from Marty after the
first two big loops. She then headed to the shorter one while I headed
back to the bigger loop. The
shorter loop consisted of flatter trails at times but they had 2-4 inches
of water in them on the level ground! It
was a real slog-fest! Marty finished her race in 6:50 and was the 5th O/A
female and the first female over 51 years old (she’s 58)!
I continued on with my wet and wild challenge. I had just finished
mile 44 and was at the start/finish line with a time of about 9:40. I had
ONLY 6 more miles to go. The race director held me up saying the National
Forestry Service had pulled the plug on the race! We had lightning popping
all around, had trees falling across the trails, etc. Reports were
received about a line of worse thunderstorms carrying tornado cells headed
towards us! He stopped the race! I felt great! Had more energy and had the
course been dry, I feel I could have run much faster.
I was bummed about not getting my 50 mile buckle. I could have
walked the last 6 miles slowly in 2:20! The race director is trying to
make those type of decisions as to whether or not to give out the buckles
for essentially finishing the race. He made a good decision but I'm still
bummed. I will warn everyone that if we talk about this race you might
just hear a little disappointment in my voice about not finishing (and not
getting my buckle!). I was the
first person over 58 to run the 44 miles. I turned 62 the next day.
Our trail run turned out to be a real adventure race. Wonderful
volunteers! We had a great time in spite of not having “great” times!
I think we are finally starting to dry out!
Thanks so much for a great event. No amount of rain could prevent us from noticing what beautiful trails (& streams) we were fortunate to be running on, nor did it dampen the spirits of your great volunteers. Yes, it was an epically muddy day, but a great one nevertheless. Hoping to be back in 2012 to take a shot at the full 50. Thanks again, George
This was my first 50K and after
having done 4 marathons since June I would have to say it was the most
difficult and fun thing I have ever done. I am admittedly a trail
goober and loved every aspect of the course. I even came into one
aid station around mile 21? when the rain started again. I commented
"thank goodness I was feeling dry and warm, the rain started again!"
The volunteers were exceptional, especially the guy at the blue loop aid
station who kicked me out because I was doing so well lol. I found
myself hanging out and chatting with everyone forgetting I was actually in
a race. It probably cost me a top 10 finish, but I was happy
regardless! I wore my "Why do I run shirt" and commented to you at
the last station that there were a "few puddles" on the course!
Absolutely brutal, hardest thing I have ever done since I became a Navy
Diver and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! I personally
have renamed it the Muddy Waters 50 in tribute to the blues great.
And the coup de gras was having a beer later that evening, called yup you
guessed it "mudslinger". Kudos to you and the organization.
Also I love the hat, is there any chance of purchasing more? It's in
my favorite colors and great for runs. Thanks so much and I look
forward to attending again next year!
I simply wanted to thank the race director, officials, and volunteers for hosting such a wonderful event! This was my first 50K and one I will not soon forget! I enjoyed every minute of it. The pre-race banquet, the run, the aid stations, the organization, and the fun environment were all incredible! Again, thank you! Run THE Race! Mike Williams,
Running Bear and all volunteers - Thank you for a wonderful experience. This has been on my "To Do List" for a long time. I turn 50yrs old this year and a 50K seemed like the right thing to do to celebrate the event. I've done several marathons but nothing can compare to what we all accomplished on Saturday. Now its on my annual "To Run List". Alan Barnes
Note: persons who are easily disturbed should skip this
race comment/report (?). Bud Light presents... REAL MEN OF GENIUS {Re-al men of geeeeeene-yuss!} Today we salute you, Mr. Race Official and Weather
Forecaster Who Casually Mentions "Some Chance of Rain" for Raceday. {Mis-ter "commmmmme fro-lic in-our-rainnnn-drops-and-splash-innnnn-our-mud!"} "A slight chance of thundershowers"? "What's a few
sprinkles among friends"? And "it'll be so much fun"? Are you kidding?
When we show up for your race, wearing only shorts and a plastic garbage
bag, and then just ten miles into it we get, like, today's Japan!--we
*know* damn well you're NOT a weatherman. {"It'sssssssssss prob-bab-blyyyyy just a pas-sing
cloud-burst!"} "Thundershowers"? Try: Tsunami! Because there is now
more hard falling water driving itself out of the sky and onto your swamp
and into our misery than has EVER been reported on CNN before! The
temperature has dropped and the monsoon is ripping the entire jungle apart
and we are all just freezing to shivery death! {"The aid sta-tions allllllll have Tup-per-ware to
keeeeeep your po-ta-to chips crisp!"} You probably have this race confused with your last
family vacation to some Caribbean wading pool and water park. Sprinklers?
Does your giddily gleeful family simply delight in scampering under hoses
in 85 degrees in the midday lush paradise? Wellllll, get a load of this! {"It'sssssss not tooooooooooooooo bad, izzzz-zit?"} The entire National Guard has been called out to fill
sand bags to try and keep the county from being washed out to sea. So.
Now. We're guessing the Good Lord WASN'T willing and the creek DID rise,
eh? To a depth, say, of about 8 feet above flood stage? {"Maaaaaay-beee a few sand bags will al-so save the po-taaaaa-to
chips?"} Even the Navy has been called in. Entire fleets of
warships are now banging into one another atop those very creeks your race
has us crossing several times per loop. Did you think we could continue
having fun and playing in the mud when most of Planet Earth is underwater? {WHOAAAAAAAAA!!!} So crack open an ice-cold Bud Light, O Mr. Al Roker of
Today's Show of overly optimistic hype, but please wait until *after* the
National Forest Service officially shuts down your race for the umpteenth
time due to weather, to save your runners from drowning--or worse, being
coated with leftover oil from the BP spill--and to force everyone still
stuck out on the trails to evacuate because, as you have told us yourself,
this race takes place in a "dry" county; so beer of any kind, whether ice
cold or lukewarm, is completely illegal. But apparently homicide by
raindrops is not. {Missssss-ter Raaaace Off-fi-cial and Wea-therrrrr
Fore-cas-ter Who-Cas-u-al-ly-Men-tions-Sommmmmme Chance of Rain for
Race-day!} Bud Light beer: we don't care where they brew it; we
just dig their commercials. ( O_O ) Yours troubly, Rich Limacher "your 800-year-old running-and-often-swimming lute
plucker from France" (now on tab at
March 13, 2011 Louisiana’s Multon wins Mississippi Trail 50 From Dennis Bisnette, Race Director LAUREL — All 240 runners braved the monsoon-like conditions at the Carl
Touchstone Memorial Mississippi 50 Trail run on Saturday, March 5, but
smiles dominated the day.
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