A Pacific Northwest Adventure - Orca's Island 50 Mile Race Report
Posting Date: 5/14/17
Current Weight: 175 lbs
Total Miles Last Week: 59
Long Run This Past Weekend: 50 Miles at Orca's Island 50m
I first learned about Orca's Island about a year ago when watching an online video highlighting the 50k race hosted on Orca's. The lush pacific northwest trails that the video showcased captured my imagination, and I kept Orca's in the back of my mind as a place I'd love to be able to run someday.
Someday came about four weeks ago, fresh off the heels of my finish at Zion 100 mile. I was cruising around Ultrasignup.com, looking at event details for a few races I'd read about while on my trip. I came across the Orca's Island 50m, marathon, half + Trail Running Festival, an event that was to have it's inaugural running this year to compliment the 50k and 100mile distance races that already exist on the island at different times of the year. I'd read about the 50k and 100 mile races on the island, and not only to most race reports mention the beauty and scenery of the island, but also the sheet difficulty of the events, which feature aggressive elevation profiles, each summiting several mountains, multiple times in the case of the 100 mile.
My plane arrived in Seattle on Friday morning, and I quickly hit the road up towards Anacortes, WA, where the ferry to Orca's takes off. I arrived at Moran State Park in the middle of the afternoon, with plenty of daylight left to do a little exploring. I did a little pre-race shakeout hike around the lake next to the camp, and started to get an idea of what kind of trails we would be racing on. I had reserved a bunk at one of the cabins onsite at Camp Moran, and slept there for the night prior to the race. The two hour time difference always does me in, and sure enough, I was wide awake at 3:15am on race morning. I got up and began getting my pack together and preparing for the race. The weather was cool for this time of year, in the 40's with a light rain that would persist through the early afternoon.
Race Course Stats:
After a short pre-race briefing, they kicked off the 50mile event at 5am. The first section of the event is mild compared to the majority of the race, with rolling hills and not much technicality. After about 5 miles, though, you begin the climb up towards Mt. Pickett. This climb is mild compared to what comes later in the race, but was difficult in it's own right. At this point it was quite hazy, and the sun was still low in the sky, making the scenery outside the dense tree cover difficult to make out. I met a couple people on the way up the climb, including Josh Slyhuis from northern Alberta, CA. I ended up completing the entire first lap with Josh, and a good chunk of the second, as well. We had great conversation on topics ranging to other trail races, to meat production (he's runs a meat market, among other things), to the hilarity of the state of affairs in the US government. The decent from Mt. Pickett is a blast, with a steep but still running friendly downhill grade. The ground of the trails is also very soft, making it an ideal surface for really blasting your way down the hills. After Mt. Pickett we headed towards Cascade Falls and the second aid station. Throughout this section you're running through dense wetlands, thick with massive, tall evergreen trees. The forest floor is littered with downed trees and plants, which turn into ecosystems themselves, with thick greenery growing on everything. On the way to Cascade Falls you hit a section that wraps around Mountain Lake, which is a bigger body of water that lies in between Mt. Pickett and Mt. Constitution. This is perhaps the most spectacular and picturesque section of the race. You spend the majority of this section on alternating portions of trail that are high on ridges above the lake, and others that are right down at the water level. It feels so remote, secluded, and spectacular. After we hit the Cascade Falls aid station, we headed towards the trail up Mt. Pickett and the Cascade Lake aid station. From this point you begin the very long climb up Mt. Constitution, which features two summits, one called "Little Summit" and a second which is the main summit. The total climb between these two is roughly four miles of vertical gain. Needless to say, you're climbing this beast for a while.
When we hit the top of constitution the first loop, it was covered in a dense fog that inhibited any view from the top. I kept in my mind the view that was sure to be waiting on my second loop once the fog had burned off from the sunlight. After spending a mile or so on top of Mt. Constitution, you descend down the exact same trail we used to get up in the first place. The downhill is fun...really fun. It's like a roller coaster with a beautiful mountain view, and you're in the drivers seat. I love downhill running, and this section could not have been more perfect.
Upon hitting the bottom of the mountain, you're in to loop number two, which starts around Cascade Lake. This small lake serves as a beautiful centerpiece between the two mountains within the park, and trail around it is mild with rolling hills and mostly runable terrain. This was where I started to feel what would become a my first and only major low point in the race. I was still running with Josh, but it was becoming clear I was hitting a wall and he wasn't. We stuck together until about half way up Pickett, where we met up with the front of the Women's field and an Ironman Triathlete turned Ultrarunner named Bobby. I stuck with our friends and Josh took off like he had a jetpack on. In the great words of Bobby; "That guy is froggy! He just took off!" (Josh went on to run the whole second loop strong and round out the top 10 with a 10th place finish). I on the other hand was not feeling "froggy" in the least. I made a grave miscalculation at the final aid station before the climb up Pickett, not taking any more water in my pack, and only taking a single gel. The distance between aid stations is only about seven miles, but with a big 1800ft climb mixed in, it goes quite slowly. After about an hour without any water and about 80 minutes since my last bit of food, I started to feel very light headed, dizzy, and generally exhausted. I was dehydrated, and my blood sugar had hit rock bottom. Running was almost scary due to the dizziness, but I kept a slow jog pace, worrying every step if I'd be able to stay upright. Finally we hit the Mt. Pickett aid station. At this aid station I ate two bars (not sure what they were) a cup of soup, and probably a half gallon of water. After fussing with cold hands to get my pack open and filled for about five minutes, I was back on the trail and already feeling tenfold better. I picked up my pace and rode a high as I began the climb back up Mt. Constitution. I reached the top feeling great and ready for the long descent ahead, but unsure on how my legs would handle the downhill pounding after already doing over 10,000 ft of elevation gain and loss. After taking a few dozen pictures on my phone of the view at the top, I began the long descent back to the base of Mt. Constitution and to the finish line. Much to my surprise, my legs were performing great and I was able to pass up three other 50 mile runners during this section.
As I finished the 1.75 mile Cascade Lake trail leading to the finish, I couldn't help but smile and feel so grateful for the experiences I've had this year in Marin, Utah, The Grand Canyon, and now Orca's Island and the Pacific Northwest. Who gets to do this stuff?!
In the end I took 14th place, 11:21. After since reading the course profiles in Ultrarunner Magazine (It receives a 5/5 in difficulty in both of their categories of course challenge), and seeing the finish times of stout runners that have run the course, I feel good about my finish time. Could I have possibly pushed a bit harder? Yes. But then I wouldn't have enjoyed the course like I did. I stopped to look at views, take pictures, and really soak in the experience.
Current Weight: 175 lbs
Total Miles Last Week: 59
Long Run This Past Weekend: 50 Miles at Orca's Island 50m
 |
| Photo Credit - David Suzuki |
Someday came about four weeks ago, fresh off the heels of my finish at Zion 100 mile. I was cruising around Ultrasignup.com, looking at event details for a few races I'd read about while on my trip. I came across the Orca's Island 50m, marathon, half + Trail Running Festival, an event that was to have it's inaugural running this year to compliment the 50k and 100mile distance races that already exist on the island at different times of the year. I'd read about the 50k and 100 mile races on the island, and not only to most race reports mention the beauty and scenery of the island, but also the sheet difficulty of the events, which feature aggressive elevation profiles, each summiting several mountains, multiple times in the case of the 100 mile.
My plane arrived in Seattle on Friday morning, and I quickly hit the road up towards Anacortes, WA, where the ferry to Orca's takes off. I arrived at Moran State Park in the middle of the afternoon, with plenty of daylight left to do a little exploring. I did a little pre-race shakeout hike around the lake next to the camp, and started to get an idea of what kind of trails we would be racing on. I had reserved a bunk at one of the cabins onsite at Camp Moran, and slept there for the night prior to the race. The two hour time difference always does me in, and sure enough, I was wide awake at 3:15am on race morning. I got up and began getting my pack together and preparing for the race. The weather was cool for this time of year, in the 40's with a light rain that would persist through the early afternoon.
Distance - 50.4 miles
Elevation Gain - 12,400ft
Elevation Loss - 12,400ft
After a short pre-race briefing, they kicked off the 50mile event at 5am. The first section of the event is mild compared to the majority of the race, with rolling hills and not much technicality. After about 5 miles, though, you begin the climb up towards Mt. Pickett. This climb is mild compared to what comes later in the race, but was difficult in it's own right. At this point it was quite hazy, and the sun was still low in the sky, making the scenery outside the dense tree cover difficult to make out. I met a couple people on the way up the climb, including Josh Slyhuis from northern Alberta, CA. I ended up completing the entire first lap with Josh, and a good chunk of the second, as well. We had great conversation on topics ranging to other trail races, to meat production (he's runs a meat market, among other things), to the hilarity of the state of affairs in the US government. The decent from Mt. Pickett is a blast, with a steep but still running friendly downhill grade. The ground of the trails is also very soft, making it an ideal surface for really blasting your way down the hills. After Mt. Pickett we headed towards Cascade Falls and the second aid station. Throughout this section you're running through dense wetlands, thick with massive, tall evergreen trees. The forest floor is littered with downed trees and plants, which turn into ecosystems themselves, with thick greenery growing on everything. On the way to Cascade Falls you hit a section that wraps around Mountain Lake, which is a bigger body of water that lies in between Mt. Pickett and Mt. Constitution. This is perhaps the most spectacular and picturesque section of the race. You spend the majority of this section on alternating portions of trail that are high on ridges above the lake, and others that are right down at the water level. It feels so remote, secluded, and spectacular. After we hit the Cascade Falls aid station, we headed towards the trail up Mt. Pickett and the Cascade Lake aid station. From this point you begin the very long climb up Mt. Constitution, which features two summits, one called "Little Summit" and a second which is the main summit. The total climb between these two is roughly four miles of vertical gain. Needless to say, you're climbing this beast for a while.
 |
| http://www.bellinghamtrail.com/p/orcas-island-marathon-half.html |
When we hit the top of constitution the first loop, it was covered in a dense fog that inhibited any view from the top. I kept in my mind the view that was sure to be waiting on my second loop once the fog had burned off from the sunlight. After spending a mile or so on top of Mt. Constitution, you descend down the exact same trail we used to get up in the first place. The downhill is fun...really fun. It's like a roller coaster with a beautiful mountain view, and you're in the drivers seat. I love downhill running, and this section could not have been more perfect.
Upon hitting the bottom of the mountain, you're in to loop number two, which starts around Cascade Lake. This small lake serves as a beautiful centerpiece between the two mountains within the park, and trail around it is mild with rolling hills and mostly runable terrain. This was where I started to feel what would become a my first and only major low point in the race. I was still running with Josh, but it was becoming clear I was hitting a wall and he wasn't. We stuck together until about half way up Pickett, where we met up with the front of the Women's field and an Ironman Triathlete turned Ultrarunner named Bobby. I stuck with our friends and Josh took off like he had a jetpack on. In the great words of Bobby; "That guy is froggy! He just took off!" (Josh went on to run the whole second loop strong and round out the top 10 with a 10th place finish). I on the other hand was not feeling "froggy" in the least. I made a grave miscalculation at the final aid station before the climb up Pickett, not taking any more water in my pack, and only taking a single gel. The distance between aid stations is only about seven miles, but with a big 1800ft climb mixed in, it goes quite slowly. After about an hour without any water and about 80 minutes since my last bit of food, I started to feel very light headed, dizzy, and generally exhausted. I was dehydrated, and my blood sugar had hit rock bottom. Running was almost scary due to the dizziness, but I kept a slow jog pace, worrying every step if I'd be able to stay upright. Finally we hit the Mt. Pickett aid station. At this aid station I ate two bars (not sure what they were) a cup of soup, and probably a half gallon of water. After fussing with cold hands to get my pack open and filled for about five minutes, I was back on the trail and already feeling tenfold better. I picked up my pace and rode a high as I began the climb back up Mt. Constitution. I reached the top feeling great and ready for the long descent ahead, but unsure on how my legs would handle the downhill pounding after already doing over 10,000 ft of elevation gain and loss. After taking a few dozen pictures on my phone of the view at the top, I began the long descent back to the base of Mt. Constitution and to the finish line. Much to my surprise, my legs were performing great and I was able to pass up three other 50 mile runners during this section.
 |
| Photo Credit - Takao Suzuki |
| h |
In the end I took 14th place, 11:21. After since reading the course profiles in Ultrarunner Magazine (It receives a 5/5 in difficulty in both of their categories of course challenge), and seeing the finish times of stout runners that have run the course, I feel good about my finish time. Could I have possibly pushed a bit harder? Yes. But then I wouldn't have enjoyed the course like I did. I stopped to look at views, take pictures, and really soak in the experience.
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