Table Rock Ultra 50K - Morganton, North Carolina

Elevation Gain: 7587' ............ Max Elevation: 3940'

September 23, 2023 - After a restless night sleeping in the car I woke early to drive a half hour to the race venue at Steel Creek Park, north of Morganton, NC. Temps were comfortable in the mid 50's, so I wore a light pocketed vest over a T-shirt so as to carry my cell phone (required) and provisions. As dawn gradually creeped in upon the darkness, a couple hundred of us headed out at 0700 to mount the first challenge of the day, climbing most of 3000 feet to summit the event's namesake, Table Rock Mountain. I had stood atop this peak previously on a loop run from the opposite side through Linville Gorge. It is rocky with great views, but as the day would turn out, clouds kept the temps cool and visibility muted.

It continues to surprise me when the field runs away from me in the early goings of a race. My self image is still one of a competitor, and not an old man left to slug it out as best he can. It occured to me that over 90% of my peers were not even born yet when I was winning my first races, but such perspective offers little solace as I literally watch my past disappear up the trail ahead of me. I was pleased, however, to cover the first five miles in an hour - a pace that I have not been able to sustain in training - this, over rolling trails with most of a thousand feet of climbing.

The day began well, but it is still as if I am being held back and cannot punch it out as in days of my youth. I try to reason out that I put in the training and that my attitude and intent are primed well to toe the line, but when it comes down to it, my legs are dragging, probably held back from more than fifty years of injurous scar tissue and just wear and tear. It is hard to watch youth just run away from experience.

By the time I reached the serious part of the climb at ten miles I was warmed up and could lift my knees to out-climb many of the more fleet of feet on the way up to the summit. Exercising appropriate caution, I still have the finesse to dance with the rocks better than most. After a pause on top, I cut loose with more abandon on the way back down to, again, reel back others that I believed I should be ahead of. The climb is a healthy pitch with over a 2500' gain in less than a mile and a half - much to my liking.

The next seven miles on slighly tilted gravel roads wore me out. By the time I reached twenty miles, I was having trouble sustaining a 15-minute tempo. My shoulders and lower back were tight and sore. I didn't lose much ground on the field the rest of the way, however, as everyone else at the back of the pack is struggling as well in the late stages of such an event.

A gorgeous technical section with steep descents, following a gushing stream with lots of waterfalls down a narrow canyon between miles 20 and 24, was my absolute favorite part. I counted eleven stream crossings throughout the entire race with variable depths between shins and shorts, so everyone's feet were wet essentially the entire way.

It was a fun event, even as I drug into the finish to be greeted by RD Brandon Thrower, who always puts on a good show with races that remind me of earlier years. Just wish I could run them the way I used to. Finish time 8 hours 15 minutes and change.