Bear Chase Result

The Bear Chase Trail Race is the easiest 50 mile race I've ever done, when viewed in terms of technical and vertical difficulty. With about 3,000 feet of climbing over the entire distance and most of the four laps on non-technical trails and dirt roads I wasn't expecting anything too hard. With that said, by the time I was about halfway through lap three I began asking myself, "What the HELL was I thinking?"

When the race began my legs felt surprisingly good and I just cruised along with Brooks Williams for a while. By the beginning of the second lap, however, my legs started to betray the lingering fatigue from the Bear 100 the previous week, and without much warning I suddenly felt like I had already run about 20 fast miles farther than I really had. This heaviness stayed throughout the rest of the day and made the course into much more of a challenge than would normally be the case. Hence my personal inquiry above.



The interesting thing was how my mind was the main motivator in keeping me moving. Towards the end - especially the final lap - my legs were really tired and begging to stop. In the past I have felt this way and just complied with my legs - slowing down and allowing myself to walk too much. But here I recognized that by forcing myself to run mentally, I could totally do it. This is the technique that Tony used to beat me at White River: while he may have been tired and had heavy legs, he forced himself to run the entire second climb and therefore widened the gap between us considerably. The power of the mind cannot be overstated, and that's why ultrarunners value mental stamina as much as physical ability - because if you're willing to go through the pain you can literally force your body to cooperate. This rule has its exceptions, to be sure (for example, Tony's run at Leadville this year ended because he literally could not move any further. He didn't just give up from being tired; his body quit working correctly) but all in all the power of the mind will make the body work.

#2 Patrick Blair

So even though I felt like crying for most of the final lap, I was able to maintain a strong pace pretty much from start to finish, and came into the finish line in about 6:39. I wasn't aware that I was in first until they told me, though. Patrick Blair led for most of the race, and would have won outright if he hadn't had an IT band issue on the final lap. He is a young climber living in Casper, WY and going to med school, and this was his first ultramarathon. Apparently a friend of his was doing the Bear Chase and he decided to sign up on a whim a month prior to the race. With minimal training he showed up and ran an unbelievable time, and doubtless with more training he has the ability to make a name for himself in the sport. In third was Brooks Williams, from Colorado Springs, who you probably know but if you don't you should. Does that make sense? Hopefully.

#3 Brooks Williams

Anyway, this was a fantastic weekend for everyone involved in the race and I recommend it to anyone who wants to run a relaxed and supported ultra. The race director has some plans for similar races in equally accessible places for Front Rangers, so keep up on David Manthey's doings. Sweet!