The Desert Runner Trail (DRT) Series consists of 7 total events: Pass Mountain, McDowell Mountain Frenzy and Cave Creek Thriller in the Fall Series and San Tan Scramble, Coldwater Rumble, Elephant Mountain and Mesquite Canyon in the Spring Series.
Pass Mountain, the first race in the DRT series, was my first attempt at the 50K distance and it hadn’t gone exactly as I had hoped. I went out too hot and blew up in spectacular fashion. Here’s a link to that race report if you’re interested!
McDowell was my second attempt at a 50K, and I was going into it with the specific goal of running the race at my own pace. After going out too fast at Pass Mountain and reading Nick Coury’s blog on Negative Splitting Ultras I decided that a more conservative approach, at least in the first half of the race, would be a better plan of attack for future efforts.
McDowell Mountain Frenzy takes place at McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Fountain Hills, just to the northeast of Phoenix. The course itself is mostly non-technical with a few rocky sections at the steepest part around mile 19. Unlike Pass Mountain, the McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50k consists of 1 long loop, as opposed to two smaller loops, which in my mind, made the course seem more manageable. McDowell Mountain Frenzy is also, typically, the largest event in the DRT series in terms of total participants, which means a higher level of competition. Last year’s 50K had a total of 170 starters compared to 58 at Pass Mountain.
The date was December 4th, exactly three weeks after Pass Mountain. I remember being worried that my legs had not yet completely recovered but on race week I was feeling ready.
The weather was a cool 52 degrees at race start. I knew with clear skies that the cool temps would not last long… Next to me at the starting line were several fast runners, all of whom I knew could really boogie. Andrew Belus, who’s on the Aravaipa Racing team, is blazing fast and I knew I shouldn’t be trying to keep up with him out of the gate. I also knew Brianna Grigsby (also Aravaipa Racing Team) and Natalie Sandoval are outstanding runners as well and would be tough competition.
This time when the Race Director, Noah, let out his classic “Go get ‘em 50K runners” I was intentionally not at the front of the start line. I went out at around 8 minute mile pace and watched as the front pack of runners disappeared into the distance. I found myself in a group of 5-10 other runners as we navigated the windy, sandy Escondido Trail.
After a few miles, the pack of runners I was in slowly separated and I found myself trailing Natalie Sandoval. My buddy, Dylan, had warned me before the race that she was coming off several strong wins and that she is “dangerous” on trail. I kept reminding myself to NOT CHASE this early in the race as Natalie pulled away from me on the way to Granite Tank Aid-station.
Side note: The area surrounding Granite Tank Aid was the location of one of Arizona’s largest landslides, The Marcus Landslide, which occurred roughly 500,000 million years ago. It’s some really interesting stuff and you can still see some of evidence of the landslide on-course if you know what to look for.
This race, unlike my previous 50K, I was able to get down some nutrition in the first 25K as my average heart rate was not nearly as high as it had been the previous month. It was only a couple Spring Energy gels and some watermelon at the aid station, but the difference in my energy level was noticeable.
The section between Granite Tank Aid and Dixie Mine Aid was a bit of a blur outside of the epic views of the Four Peaks Wilderness to the east. Although you may be tired at this point, don’t forget to look around through this beautiful section.
The final notable climb in the course is around mile 19, where you’ll ascend approximately 600 feet. I still felt good at this point and saw a few runners ahead of me so I decided to push the climb a bit. I passed several runners through this section including Aravaipa Racing Team member, Brianna Grigsby, who was maintaining a smart, consistent pace.
When I reached Dixie Mine Aid-station, around mile 23, I had built up a small gap on the group behind me. The rest of the course, after this point, is primarily downhill with a couple of smaller, punchy climbs. I decided to only stop for water and push it to the finish. At the time I remember thinking “if they don’t ever see me at the aid-station then they’ll be less inclined to chase me down”. Just as I was departing, I turned and saw Brianna quickly closing in on me, still looking relaxed and smooth.
After leaving Dixie Mine Aid I wasn’t feeling great but I was moving fairly well. This is exactly when Brianna came flying past me in the final stretch of the race. She gave me a few words of encouragement and bounded down the trail past me. I tried chasing but I was soon overcome by heat and exhaustion and my pace began to slow.
At this point nausea had really set in and I threw up around mile 30. This ins’t not ideal but it was much better than my previous race where I had started throwing up at mile 15. This is a trend that I have since broken… kind of… but nausea definitely plagued my first few 50K efforts. (Dialing in my pre-race breakfast and taking salt pills throughout longer efforts have made a world of difference in my recent ultra-distance efforts.)
I finished this race (nearly 10 minutes behind Brianna) in a time of 4:37 feeling way better than I had when I finished my first 50K. I wasn’t nearly as depleted but was still hurting enough to take a few minutes laying on one of the aid-station cots.
McDowell Mountain Frenzy was a massive leap up from my previous 50K effort at Pass Mountain but I knew there was still a lot of room for improvement before the next DRT Series Race, Cave Creek Thriller.
