[wayneheff]

Kudos to Phil and Hunt for putting on a great race! I had a great time as did others.<br><br>
There were 3 distances to run: 50K, marathon distance, and 20K. All started on the same loops with cutoffs for the marathon and 20K. About 100 runners showed up at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area in Elkton, MD. Fair Hill is a great place to run. The course was mostly single track with some meadow crossings and some wider trails through the woods. The trail was very well marked. Also, all the runners brought food items to donate to the aid stations and there was plenty to go around. As always, the ultrarunning community proved to be a great bunch of folks who pulled for one another and had a great time together. The weather was great, too. It started out on the cool side, but ended up being a perfect temperature under cloudy skies.<br><br>
It proved to be a unique day for me. Here's the story . . .<br><br>
My friend, Steve, was going to do the 20K and I was scheduled to do the 50K. We were going to run together until the cutoff for the 20K. Steve is a triathlon guy who's longest running race was a half-marathon. His longest training run was 15 miles. Anyway, when Steve showed up on Saturday morning he said, "I think I'm going to just keep running as long as I can to see how far I can go." I said I would stay with him the entire time if he really wanted to go for it. So, off we went. Steve did really well! He finished the entire 50K in 6:37. It was a blast to run together and be a part of his personal records in both distance and time on his feet (including his tri's). I'm hoping there are some marathons in his future and, of course, some more ultras!<br><br>
I'd recommend this race to anyone. I think you'd really enjoy it.<br><br>
--Wayne

 

[beardobees]

I second your enthusiasm about PHUNT 50K. Although I was still a bit ragged from extending the holidays long beyond their limits, it was good getting the kick in the ass I need coming into spring races. Congrats to you and your friend Steve!

 

[wyetri]

The PHUNT was my first 50K. Coming from a triathlon/road racing background, it was definitely a different experience. That's a great area to hold a trail run.<br>
Beardobees: I think I ran with you and one of your buddies for a short while towards the end. I had an orange jacket/white hat.<br>
Question for the experienced: How does this race stack up, in terms of difficulty, with most 50K races?

 

[beardobees]

Yes indeedy, we did spend some time together out on the trail! Small world, isn't it--though I'm finding these kinds of coincidences more and more common in the ultra community, perhaps simply because it's so small.<br><br>
I've only run a handful of 50Ks--GEER, Promise Land, HAT, Finger Lakes--and Finger Lakes was the easiest of the four (though, like PHUNT, I was in terrible shape going into Finger Lakes). The amount of climb is probably the biggest factor for me--PHUNT has around 3,000 feet of climb, while Promise Land has over 7,000.<br><br>
You should consider running HAT. It's just right up the road from you, and its climbs, though not too long, are a good challenge. Or if you want to get into the mountains of Virginia, Bel Monte is being run in March. A bunch of us are heading down for the 50 mile.<br><br>
I remember you saying how it was flat, flat, flat where you live. I think one option is to hit the dreadmill and put it on a steep incline. Though "geographically challenged," you can run whatever you put your mind to. Hell, I've heard of flatlanders from Florida running Hardrock.<br><br>
See you back on the trail.<br><br><br><br>