First, I would like to give a little bit of back ground on the race.  Laurel HIghlands is one of the oldest ultra trail races in the country.  It is a point to point run on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. It is normally 70 miles but a detour was put in place because of a bridge being out over a highway.  The detour is a 8.3 mile gravel and tar road run with little shade.  So with part of the trail unusable and the added road section you get 77 miles instead of 70.5 (.5 is because the start is not right at the trail head).

The race start was at 5:30am. I left the family sleeping in our VW Eurovan pop-top at the Ohiopyle State Park campground and jogged to the start in the dark which was about 3/4 of a mile.  I put my lights and jacket in a gear bag and placed it in the drop bag section for the 44 mile aid station.

We started at exactly 5:30am getting over the tracks before the next train and then onto the LHHT (Laurel HIghlands HIking Trail).  There were over 100 runners because some were relay teams.  The only way to tell us apart was with the color of the bib number.  Black was solo and red was relay. Two girls got ahead of me but I wasn't worried since 1) they could be in relay  and 2) we had 76 more miles to go.  I got into a rhythm and started chatting with some of the guys I was running the same pace as.  

After a few miles and some tricky downhill, which I love, I caught a few guys and one girl.  I found out she was a relay runner and we had a nice conversation.  The first 10 miles was a lot of climbing.  Once we were up on the ridge the next 10 miles was mostly gently rolling.  The footing was tricky with rocks and roots, and there were also a lot of wooden bridges.  I ran that section with a nice guy from D.C.  That time flew by.  All the while I was conscientious of my water and food intake. I wore my Nathan Hydration vest filled with Succeed pills, a flask of Hammer gel and I carried a water bottle filled with Perpetuem.  I felt good and was running a strong pace.  

I got to see Scott, Shep and Dahlia at the County Line Road Crossing at mile 28.  I gave them kisses, switched my Hammer gel to a different flavor and got a new bottle of Perpetuem.  Mile 37 started the road section.  At this point I was all alone and focused on running it strong and maybe catching a few people.  The road was an energy sapper.  The last 3 miles back to the woods was all uphill.  I tried to run most of it but found myself getting increasingly fatigued.  I gathered myself at the aid station and reminded myself I only had just over a 50k to go.  I watched some of the other runners change their socks and I thought as I left the aid station that would be a great idea. 

 

This next section was so cool with boulders to run through and rocks to skip around.  Unfortunately, I walked a lot of it because I couldn't find the energy to scamper over the type of trail I love the most.  Also, my back was beginning to hurt where the bottom of my pack lay.  I knew I was getting an abrasion there and I think it was the material of my shirt as this normally doesn't happen. My feet were also getting sore from all the pounding.  

It took me about 2 hours for the next 8 miles.  I was in a real bad patch.  When I saw Scott at  the next aid station I asked to get rid of my pack and get a new pair of socks.  Unfortunately, the van was 1/4 mile away so I opted to drop my bottle and I would see him at the next aid station that was 11 miles away.  I did feel a bit better without the bottle on my hand.  Maybe it was throwing my alignment off ever so slightly, and after 50+ miles, you really feel it.  As I was doing the math in my head I started to run more knowing that if I wanted to get anywhere near my goal and not get caught I really needed to get moving!  I just had no strength there.  I could cruise the down and flats with easy footing  but I was still having a really hard time on the uphills.  I finally made it another 11 miles where I changing my socks, changed my top, nursed Dahlia and ate some real food.  I also dropped my hydration pack and picked up another handheld bottle. Feeling lighter and refreshed, I was on a mission.  The trail was very runnable here, so I focused and started knocking out the miles (as only someone can do after running 50+ miles:) with only a half marathon to go.  I had my lights and was pushing to get as much trail covered as possible before dark.  

Just before the last aid station, the trail traveled onto a mile of gravel road that was almost unrunnable even if you could run because of the large rocks that were put down. I speed walked there, arrived at the last aid station, and left with focus.   The trail got trickier but it was almost all flat and slightly downhill. I had a vintage Petzl Tikka headlamp and a Surefire LED handheld.  With 5 miles to go I switch on my lights. Night fell and darkness was now a factor.  I was not happy with my lighting situation. I tried many different ways to use them which slowed me down as I fumbled with the lights, but I figured better now than in October for my next 100 miler.  After about an hour in the dark I heard the finish line in the distance; music , cheering and I could see the lights.  I crossed the line in 16 hours 27 minutes.  I was very happy to be done!  I received a nice trail marker trophy and a small cooler filled with goodies. Mission accomplished.

                                                                                   

On course                                                                 At the finish