Seneca Creek Greenway Trail Marathon - March 8, 2025

 Another Event

Two weeks after our Copper Corridor 50K, Emaad and I find ourselves once again looking to do an ultra.  It is the familiar MCRRC Seneca Creek Greenway Trail 50K/Marathon, at which one decides which distance to complete a quarter mile from the marathon finish. Either go the quarter mile and call it a day, or run an extra four miles around Clopper Lake for the 50K.  And the inside joke is that neither are the advertised distances: the marathon is closer to 29 miles and the 50K more like 55K. New runners often discover that when they are on the course, not having read closely enough the race description that the "distances are at least" their advertised length.

Don, me and Emaad at the start

 

 

We wait until a couple of days before the race to assure that the weather will be pacific before signing up, as early March can present anything from pleasant days to wind, rain, ice, snow, mud and high water crossings.  See some of my earlier SGCT reports (2023, 2015, 2014, for example), for proof. But this year there is little rain leading up to a race day that promises to be pleasant.

At the start we greet Don, Caroline, Michele and other runner friends and at 7:30 a.m. the approximately 250 entrants start off.  Since the registration fee is the same and the actual distance run is determined late in the day, it is a mass start.

Near mile 2.

A Statistical Interlude

Don, who is fascinated with data, each year analyzes the registrations against the finishes.  This year there were 235 50K and 76 marathon registrations (76 percent 50K). The results had 157 50K finishers and 88 marathon finishers (64 percent 50K).  How many of the 66 unaccounted for registrants did not start or did not finish is unknown, at least to Don and me.  In any case, more people did the shorter distance than said they would.  And far fewer persons completed the 50K than signed up for it.

To Go Short?

I start out with Don and Emaad but the after less than three miles the pace becomes too much for me and I gradually fall behind.  I'm not sure I am fully recovered from Copper Corridor and start thinking that maybe I'll turn around at Black Rock Mill or the Route 28 aid station and call it a short day.

Selfie with Seneca Creek behind

But then Emaad backtracks and says he plans to stay with me and that quitting is not an option.  My weak body is overwhelmed by my weaker mind and I agree with his plan. We go on at a not particularly fast pace. Michele and Stephanie pass us near the power lines at 3.5 miles. Another mile further along Seneca Creek we stop to take pictures. We refuel at the Route 28 aid station (mile 8) and lament that Don is no longer the captain there, as his annual food themes (Peeps, tofu, Pringles, etc.) and witty signs were legendary. 

Route 28 Aid Station

New Friend

Stephanie crossing
Dry Seneca Creek

Going south on the Seneca Bluffs Trail we catch up with Anna. ("Anna, like banana," she introduces herself.) She is running her first ultra and we brief her on what to expect on the rest of the course. Our pace is only slightly faster than hers and she often catches up with us.  We cross the low (but never) Dry Seneca Creek easily enough on the stones set in the creek without getting our feet wet.  Down to River Road (mile 14.5) we cross over to the east side and head north on the Seneca Greenway Trail. 

Just before the Berryville Road aid station (mile 16) we cross the Hookers Branch, a small feeder stream, again without wetting our feet.  Fueling up with some of the last slices of bacon we head north.  Anna comes in to the AS just as we depart. "Have some bacon," I advise.

I find a feather from large bird and try to stick it in my cap, while Emaad warns of avian flu and other diseases from handling it.  He refuses my request for aid in securing the prize to and hat, and it soon floats away.

Back at the Route 28 aid station (mile 20) we refuel and press on.  We both comment on how climate change has affected the next stretch which used to consist of pine trees with a corresponding trail covering of soft pine needles.  Now many of the pines are dying, and the trail has been rerouted higher away from the creek.

Emaad crossing Hookers Branch

Missing Mishap

At Black Rock Mill (mile 22), I take advantage of the Portapotty before getting on the Seneca Ridge Trail for what always seems like the longest part of the SCGT race.

After about half a mile I search for my phone and can't find it. I pat myself down with no luck.  I tell Emaad to go on as I need to go back and see if I dropped it in the Portapotty.  After a quarter mile I recheck myself and find it in my waistbelt, which had worked its way under my shorts waistband.  I text Emaad about my find and he says he'll walk to give me a chance to catch up.  I run as much as I can and after about a mile catch him as he looks back, sees me on my way, and stops to wait for me.

We exchange greetings with other runners, most of whom are passing us.

Return of the Amigos

We come upon the Shrine of the Mariachis of the Trail, three deer skulls wearing colorful sombreros.  At one time there were five, but vandals had removed them. It will be harder to desecrate the shine now, as the skulls are securely screwed down to their log perch.

The Shrine of the Mariachis of the Trail

Finally we reach Riffle Ford Road, turn left and get to the aid station (mile 28.5), and thank the volunteers, I grab a cookie and on we go with the finish line for the marathon about a mile ahead.

Providing Aid

In a quarter mile I come upon a runner limping in obvious distress.  I inquire how he is, and he replies that his knee is hurting, as he had reinjured it earlier in the day from an injury a few weeks earlier.  I offer him couple of ibuprofen with the advice that it will take 20 minutes before he gets any relief from them. He notes that he has to drive back to DC so they will at least help him on the way home.

We reach the decision point for the the 50K but there really isn't any decision to be made: we are there well past the cutoff time and we weren't going to do the 50K anyway.

We go up the hill to the finish, announce that we did the marathon and not the 50K, collect our finisher's medal and get a bite to eat before walking back to the car for the drive home.

Results

I finish in a languid 8:13:47, with Emaad 29 seconds ahead.  My device claims the distance as 29.9 miles, which includes about a half mile backtracking for my (not) lost phone. Surprisingly, my time is good enough for first of three in my age group.  I'm second oldest (and 73rd overall) of the 88 marathon finishers.

Anna Banana finishes her first ultra marathon in 8:33. Michele and Stephanie finish in 7:49. Don finishes the 50K in 8:35, a minute behind Caroline.

Swag: Bib, Wooden medal

Copper Corridor 50K - February 22, 2025

Emaad and I at the start.

Distances

"The distance is what the race director says it is," is a slogan I often state when it comes to ultra races.  The reasons are simple: laying out a course on trails means it can only be where the trails are, and unlike road races where it is relatively simple to add or subtract mileage, it is usually difficult to do that when trails are involved.  In addition, measuring distances on trails can be difficult due to changes in elevation, switchbacks, tree cover and the like. No one is taking a measuring wheel on a trail.

And so, the Copper Corridor 50K is reported to be about 30.1 miles, rather than the 31.1 miles that would be the equivalent of 50K. But no one is going to call it a 48K race either, although that would be a more accurate (48.4 kilometers would be even more accurate, but let's not get obsessive).

Anyway, I've run 50Ks that have ranged from 29 miles to 33 or 34 miles.  It is was the race director says it it is.

And that will make a difference at the end.

Overview

Early on; Picketpost Mountain looms ahead.

The race mostly circles Picketpost Mountain, a singular mountain rising to about 4375 feet, or about 2000 feet above the surrounding area. It starts on Main Street in Superior, AZ, then runs roughly seven miles on the north side of Picketpost Mountain to the Arizona Trail (AZT), where it turns north for almost 2 miles, then south on the AZT for nine miles, almost entirely uphill on the west of the mountain.  By then most of the 3000 feet of climbing is over, with maybe only another 200-300 feet remaining. There, well south of Picketpost Mountain, the course turns north on the east side of the mountain on rough, unpaved and rocky North Telegraph Canyon Road, a stretch favored by ATV and other off-road vehicles. Five miles north on the road takes us to Arnett Canyon Trail, a smooth, flat, mostly shaded single track along Arnett Creek.  The remaining six miles is mostly on unpaved and paved roads, along with smooth trails on the outskirts of Superior and back to the Main Street start/finish.

In the morning.

Vignettes

Rather than the usual step-by-step report, here are some snapshots from the trail.

Don't Let the Cows Out

A fair amount of the early going involves running through grazing land.  There are numerous fences and gates with signs about closing the gates.  But most runners seem to be leaving the gates open, on the idea that the next runner is not far behind. From running Finger Lakes 50s, I, on the other hand, am obsessed with closing the gates.  There, runners are instructed to close the gates unless the following runner is within an arm's length of the gate. So that's what I do.  There are no cows in sight, and Emaad accuses me of being OCD, a label I accept.

Cactus Encounter

Running along I reach out to the left for some reason.  It isn't a good move, for without looking I grasp at a small saguaro cactus.  As soon as I contact the spines my hand recoils but it is a bit late, as I have managed to prick two fingers with three of the sharp needles.  Two barely break the skin, but the third is deeper and a trickle of blood results.  At least it wasn't a cholla cactus, I think to myself.

Long-horn cattle.

Javelina Hunter

Headed south on the AZT portion of the course, we approach a man in camouflage, carrying a long gun across his waist.  We stop to chat with him and he tells us that he is out to hunt javelinas, the  pig-like peccaries common in central Arizona.  He says he usually shoots from 300-400 yards, but with runners on the trail, he won't take any chances and isn't hunting.  This is the second time he has come across a race when he has gone out to hunt, but seems to be taking it with equanimity.

Cattle

Just before leaving the AZT to get on N. Telegraph Canyon Road, I spot something standing on the trail ahead.  It is large, reddish brown and has a massive pair of horns. Looking right, there are several more cattle slightly up a slope looking at us.  The one on the path ambles away toward the herd and we quickly go by.  A little while later we spot another one lying down in a dry wash. 

Orange Off-road Vehicle

On the AZT.

We hear it before we see it.  Coming up from behind us is a large, orange off-road vehicle, with a couple sitting side-by-side on-board, wearing helmets with microphones. We move to one side, they pass slowly on the other side, and everyone exchanges waves.  Once past us, they take off, leaving us to consider whether we chose the right mode of travel.  

Cramps

Someplace around mile 20 or 21 my right thigh starts to develop cramps. I recall - with regret - that I had been meaning to take salt tablets. I've been drinking exclusively liquids with electrolytes, but it is not enough.

Later in the day. Long sleeve shirt off.

And then I start to feel woozy and tired.  I sit down while I take a salt tablet and eat a gel, sipping my electrolyte liquid.  Slowly I feel better, but the key now is to slow down time.  I decide that I need to sit for five minutes.  Emaad hangs with me, but we are closing in on the cut-off for the Telegraph Hill aid station at mile 21.8 and I tell him to go ahead so that he can make it.

After three minutes I'm feeling close to normal, but I'm determined to take the entire five minutes, even if it might cost me the cut-off.

At five minutes I feel OK, get up and head out.  I've caught up with Mike. We head to the aid station and don't care about the cutoff.

Southbound on the AZT.

Aid Stations and Cutoffs

The aid station should be just ahead, at mile 21.8.  It's less than a mile.

But it is not. Mile 21.8 comes and goes. So does mile 22. Finally we come to it at mile 22.6, well past where the course directions indicated it would be. And we are there at 6:35 into the race, five minutes past the cutoff.

But we are not cut-off. Emaad had gotten there in time and asked the aid station volunteers about the cut-off and they knew nothing about it.  After calling race headquarters they are told not to worry about it.  So we are free to go on.  As to dropping out there, they helpfully suggest that it would be better to go another five miles to the next aid station.

We wave Emaad onward to assure that he can make the final 9 hour finishing cut-off.  Mike and I take our time, eating, refilling our hydration packs and deciding that we will stick together and not worry about the final cutoff.

Final Cutoff

Mike and I set off walking. No pressure, no hurry.

We turn onto the Arnett Canyon Trail along Arnett Creek.  A couple of Arizona Rangers are there asking if we have seen a 32K runner who is missing.  Unlikely that we would have seen him, as where we came from was not on that course, but there is no accounting for getting lost.

The trail is shaded, smooth, and flat and I ask Mile if you wants to run.  He replies in the affirmative and we set out mixing running with walking.

We are making good time and I start to do arithmetic of the pace we need to finish in time.  It's doable and the running is easy.

The course is well marked and we partly retrace about two miles of the beginning of the outbound course.  Then we turn off onto the wide, but unpaved Apache Tear Road.  It is gentle downhill and I'm a bit ahead of Mike.

I spot Kate ahead. She injured her ankle a couple of weeks ago but is still out here, mostly walking. I catch up and walk with her.  I look back and can't see Mike.  Kate is grateful for the company but as we turn onto a trail around mile 27.3 I tell her I'm going on and take off.

The trail leads to Arnett Drive where a pair of sheriff deputies stand by their car.  I tell them that there are two runners not far behind me as I turn left to pass the Superior Public School complex.  I'm momentarily confused looking for the aid station, but it is across the street by a skate park pavilion.

Picketpost Mtn. from the southeast.

I only take time to get some liquid and cookies to eat on my way, as there are only two miles to the finish . I have about 38 minutes to go two miles. Nineteen minutes a mile on pavement and smooth, mostly level trail is walkable. I run some but mostly walk. Once I turn onto W. Main Street with less than a mile to go, I know I can walk it in, so I walk.  Only when I'm within 20 yards of the finish do I run, and I finish in 8:53:41.

The Distance is What the Race Director Says it is

Had the Copper Corridor 50K been 31.1 miles it is unlikely that I could have done the additional mile and finished under nine hours. I had 6:19 to spare, plus whatever additional time I could have picked up from the Telegraph Hill AS over the last 8.5 miles.  And it might not have been much, as I averaged 15-17 minute miles over the last four miles. Could I have shaved a minute or two off those miles, spent a few fewer minutes at the Telegraph Hill AS and started to run sooner after leaving there? Perhaps, but it would have been a near thing.

But the distance is what the race director says it is, and on this day, that worked in my favor.

Finals

Mike finishes in 8:56:25. He is the last official finisher, as Kate finishes but over the 9 hour cutoff. Emaad was there at the finish, waiting for me, crossing the line in 8:39:37.

In the six years of the race's existence, I am only the second runner 70+ or older to finish it and I tie for oldest at 74.

Swag: Shirt, glass, sticker, bib.