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| The Boulder Field. |
For my third Boulder Field 50K report, I've dispensed with the usual linear narrative and grouped stories by themes. For more traditional reports see my 2024 and 2021 reports.
FOOD AND DRINK
The five (the first one is visited twice) aid stations on the course are stocked with the usual feasts that trail runners expect: cookies, candy, orange slices, soda, electrolyte drinks, water, potatoes and grilled hot food.
But sometimes there are secret menus, if you know where to ask.
Bacon Special
Coming into the first aid station (just past mile 5) I compliment the volonteers are the excellent spread they have prepared for us: including grilled cheese sandwiches, bacon, and boiled potatoes. But, I tell them, the second aid station is better. They look puzzled and remind me that this station is the second aid station, which we will revisit after five miles on the up and down trails that lie ahead. I tell them when I have done the race in the past, the second visit has pototoes fried in the bacon fat, or bacon on the grilled cheese.
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| AS 1 & 2. Dan on left. |
Special Hydration Liquid
In previous years, the aid fourth aid station, on the Stage Trail (mile 17) has had special beverages (made with water, malt and hops, processed by yeast), but only if you asked for them. I've been looking forward to this stop for days, and am crushed when the volunteers inform me that they have none. This is strictly in accordance with regulations as Pennsylvania state parks, including Hickory Run State Park, where park staff and rangers enforce a blanket ban on the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
However, they recognize that there have beer special beverages available in the past, and suggest that I ask for "Zack" (a nombre de cerverza) at the next aid station.
After crossing the Boulder Field I get to the aid station (about mile 20) get some things to eat, refill my hydration pack and say, "I was told to ask for Jim, or Tom, or Scott, or someone whose name I've forgotten to see if he has anything special for a thirsty runner." "Zack" tells me that it is he whom I seek, and invites my over to his truck, which contains, in the back seat, a cooler that has refreshments that have come from Canada. Opening a can in the bed of the truck he hands it to me. I pour some on the cold, golden carbonated beverage into my collapsabe silicon cup and drink it down. Then I pour a second (my cup is small and the can was large), quaff my thirst, thank "Zack" and properly refreshed, proceed on my way.
LOST AND FOUND
I often tell runners that it isn't a trail run unless you get lost or fall down. I manage to not fall down, but still scrape my shin on a protruding stick. I do check the get lost box, not once, but twice.
On the Shades of Death trail around mile 12 I miss ribbons indicating that the trail turned right and go straignt. Gradually the path begins to deteriorate and I come to a stop to reconoiter my situation. Fortunately, a second runner behind me has also gone how I did and we consult. He has a course map loaded on his device and can see that we need to backtrack a bit. We do and are quickly heading in the right direction. At most we have added a tenth of a mile to our race and two or three minutes.
About a half mile after leaving the aid station at the start/finish where I changed shirts and left my poles, I overtake Victor who is power walking the race. We become engrossed in conversation and gradually approach State Route 534. As we near it I realize that it isn't where we should be. We turn around and in a couple of minutes we see the ribbons that indicated that we should have taken a hard left from Gamewire Trail onto Gamewire Road. The detour has cost us about a third of a mile and maybe five or six minutes.
TRAIL FRIENDS
On of the joys of trail running is getting to meet new people and share stories with them.
Michael
On the Skyline Trail I meet Michael. Like me he is using trekking poles. He offers to let me pass him and I tell him I'm okay - and then we start the age game. He tells me that I'm not in his age group. No, I reply, YOU are not in mine. It's time to turn our cards over. Turns out we are in the same age group, since he recently turned 70. (Little do either of us know, but there is a 72-year old well ahead of us.) Michael's Achilles tendon is bothering him, perhaps from overuse, or maybe becasue he did a six-week hike across Romania in June and July. On the switchbacks to the second aid station he picks up speed, then doesn't linger there and I will not see him the rest of the day.
Victor
Having changed my shirt and ditched my poles at the start/finish aid station, I head out onto the second part of the course. I about half a mile I catch up to someone power walking and slow down to walk and chat with him. He is Victor and this is his first 50K, although he has trail experience at shorter distances. We talk of many things, so much so that we miss a turn (see above). His walking is nearly as fast as my running as he finishes only 25 minutes behind me.
Adam and Dani
Along the Boulder Field Trail I come upon Adam and Dani, a couple mostly walking the course. They tell me that their 20-year old son is ahead and running his first 50k. They have hidden a car key at the start so that he can access the car when he finishes. Adam says they saw a bear the day before. Dani notes that she is afraid of bears, but Adam isn't. To balance the scales, Adam reveals he is afraid of snakes, while Dani points out that she is not. Neither has seen one this day. We leapfrog a couple of times, mainly due to my aid station lingerings, but I eventually leave them for their leasurely stroll around the course, finishing in 10:11.
Emaad, Claire, Beth and Eric
And the usual gaggle of friends, who run the race, but at their own pace:
Running spouse Emaad, who has run so many races with me. We run together for about a half mile and then he is gone to finish his third Boulder Field 50K in 8:53.
Claire, a recent Bethesdan from the West Coast, who we meet at a local pub run, and eagerly agrees to join us. It's her first introduction to eastern trails. She gets caught in the Porta-Potty line and starts after everyone has left the start ("I wasn't sure which way to go," she says later) but blasts past me and most everyone else for a podium finish as third female overall in 6:17.
Beth and Eric, who we met at Water Gap 50K last year. They have come out from NYC and although dinner plans for Friday night don't pan out, we spend some time with them at the end. Eric finishes in 6:58 and Beth in 8:15, which is good enough for second in her age group.
SURFACES
All trails have a variety of surfaces. Boulder Field has perhaps more than most. Rather than describe them, here are pictures of many, but not all, of them.
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| Pine Hill trail - mile 3 |
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| Hickory Run Trail - mile 5.5 |
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| Gould Trail - mile 5.8 |
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| Shades of Death Trail - mile 11.5 |
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| Shades of Death Trail - mile 11.8 |
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| Stage Trail - mile 17.5 |
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| Across the Boulder Field - mile 20.2 |
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| Boundary Trail - mile 22 |
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| Crossing Fourth Run - mile 24.5 |
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| Fourth Run Trail - mile 26 |
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| Fourth Run Trail - mile 26.5 |
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| Ridge Trail - mile 28.3 (looking back) |
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| Stage Trail - mile 29 |
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| The finish - mile 31 (Photo by E. Burki) |
FINISHES
I finish in 9:21, but am officially recorded as 9:24, as the finish line voluntees/staff weren't there when I came in. No matter, but as a result I did not get my finisher's Wetterhaus. I already have six from previous races, so not a problem. I'm third in my 70+ age group, but get no reward for that either. ( I believe that while the top three finishers in the other age groups get awards, only the top finisher in the 70+ group is acknowledged. Or maybe because the finish line was unstaffed at the moment I cam across. (If the former, seems like blatant ageism.) I'm the oldest finsher by three years.
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