Farm Park Challenge Marathon - May 6, 2023

A beautiful day for a run. 

We Live in an Imperfect World

Less than a minute into the first 5.1 mile out-and back-lap of the Farm Park Challenge Emaad says he forgot his water bottle. Which immediately reminds me that I did likewise.  We both retrieve our bottles at the beginning of the second lap.

Uncharacteristically, Emaad lags behind me on the first lap. As we pass each other on the out-and-back, he tells me that he isn't feeling well and will likely only do two laps.  In the second lap he says he'll do a third, and in the third, catches up with me.  But he knows his body and calls it a day after we finish the third lap together.

As I start to sweat on the second or third lap I'm reminded that I forgot to bring handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat off. My shirt will have to do.

Going to change my long-sleeve shirt at the end of the second lap I rummage in my bag and curse upon finding another long-sleeve shirt that I thought was a short-sleeve one when I packed it.  Fortunately I have another short sleeve shirt in the bag, but for some reason only packed one, rather than extra ones for changing on subsequent laps.

Who needs shoes if
you have ears and a tail?

Midway through the fourth lap I feel chafing on my left nipple. I didn't bring tape and don't have Vaseline along, so it could get worse. An inspired thought - I have lip balm with me. That works.

 Headed back on the fifth lap I spot a woman runner emerging from the woods. "It's a lot easier for you guys," she says as she heads onward.

At the end of the race I collect the beer glass that is the finishers' premium. But unlike previous years, there are no cans of beer to go with it. For whatever reason, the park hasn't granted the race the authority to hand out beer. But Mike offers me a non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn and I sip it while sitting in his camp chair.

Bridges

The course has three small bridges to cross. Since the weather has been dry there isn't much water in the streams anyway, but the bridges do enable quick and dry crossings.  On the way inbound on one of the laps I notice flagging that indicates that the course wants the runners to go through the stream rather than take the bridge. I only see one person do that, and I use the bridge each time

First bridge

Second bridge

Third bridge

Stream crossing headed to the turn-around.

The Turnaround

The course has only only one small change from last year. The lap has been shortened by about 0.1 of a mile, making it marginally easier for those running the challenges. For the marathon, the final mini-lap has been lengthened accordingly. Also, the last bit of course veers left from Rock Creek Trail and crosses a small stream before the turn-around a hundred yards or so beyond.

Turnaround.

First lap by one of the fields.

Exceed Expectations

The challenge part of the Farm Park Challenge is to get through each 5.1 mile lap in less than an hour, then wait until the start of the next hour to run another lap in under an hour.  There are three challenges: three-, six- and ten-hours. The marathon does not require meeting the one hour per lap, pace, simply finishing 5 laps plus a bit of an extra out-and-back in ten hours.

I may be able to finish one lap in under an hour but that I could doing even three more is unlikely.  Although not necessary for the marathon I want to do the first lap under an hour. And I succeed - barely.  I get through the first lap in 59:51, a mere nine seconds to the good. (My subsequent laps are 64:56, 69: 28, 70:20 and 68:31, and 11:14 for the final .8 mile out-and-back.)

My finishing time is 5:44:27, good for 19 of 30 overall, 10 of 14 males and 1 of 2 in my age group. That is 40:53 faster than last year, when rain made the course muddy  It is only 2 minutes slower than 2021, on a slightly different, and likely slightly harder course.

Swag: shirt, glass, bib.