 |
| Bill's Badass 50K |
Background
I made the decision to travel back home to visit my family
in the latter part of November this year. While sifting through races on ultrasignup I came across Bill’s Badass
50K. This race was not only taking place in the timeframe I was home, but it
was also in one of my favorite places in the country – The Cuyahoga Valley. I
spent four years at Baldwin-Wallace College where I trained at the Millstream
Run and Rocky River Reservations. Therefore, I consider the Cleveland Metroparks
my second home.
 |
| Everett Covered Bridge |
The race featured 4,472 feet of vertical gain and six
loops in the southwestern portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Under
direction of Bill Bailey and Bill Wagner the race has been going strong for
eight years (I believe). Most importantly the race raises money for various
charities, this year the proceeds benefited Girls
with Sole. This is a great program that “uses free fitness and wellness
programs to empower the minds, bodies and souls of girls who are at-risk or
have experienced abuse of any kind”.
 |
| With Bill and Bill Post Race |
Location
History
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a 32,950-acre
swath surrounding the Cuyahoga River, which reclaims and preserves the urban
encompassed landscape between Akron and Cleveland. The Recreation Area became
Ohio’s first and only National Park in 2000. The Cuyahoga River is a V shaped
river that empties into Lake Erie and is steeped in history. The Native
Americans utilized the river as a trade route, and provided the name, which
means crooked river. The Western
Reserve settlers used the river to fill the Erie Canal in 1827, leading to the
rapid industrialization of northeast Ohio. Subsequently the river became an
oozing mix of sewage and industrial waste, which caught fire nine times.
Fortunately a 1969 river fire was a catalyst for a nationwide Water Quality
Improvement Act.
 |
| Blanding's Turtle at Pokagon |
The 22-mile Burning
River is a work in progress but the efforts to improve the ecological
health of surrounding tributaries and wetlands in Cuyahoga Valley NP have led
to re-colonization of many animals thought to have been extirpated from the
area. The park is a mosaic of habitats consisting of deciduous mixed-mesophyic
forests, wetlands, and cultivated agricultural lands.
 |
| A Muddy Exit |
The Race
The course is a five-mile loop that starts and ends
at the Everett Covered Bridge. This year the race took the counterclockwise
route that featured a few hill climbs and some Furnace Run crossings. The trail
meandered through thick deciduous forest; the ground was covered in leaves and
the path slick and muddy. The weather was less than ideal, rainy and low 40s
for most of the race. The rain ceased around the third lap, but a fleeting
sleet storm struck around the fifth lap.
 |
| Bill's Badass 50K Course Map |
The first portion of the course went under the
covered bridge then crossed a road before ascending a gradual hill that led to
a flat stretch along the park boarder. Then a few curves in the trail cut down
to the second road crossing which marked the half waypoint. After crossing the
road, a series of creek crossings, rolling hills and tight turns highlighted
the next mile. Immediately following the final creek crossing began the climb
up the steepest hill in the race. After cresting, there was a mile flat portion
that was quite runnable with the exception of the slick mud. The final descent
consisted of a few switchbacks back down to the covered bridge.
 |
| Bill's Badass Elevation Profile |
Each lap my dad was there to encourage me on and
hand me gels. After running the first lap in 39 minutes, I knew that a sub-four
effort was out of reach given the trail conditions. The subsequent laps became
slower and slower and my last lap took about 46 minutes. During the race I
consumed about 24 ounces of water, 600 calories of Tailwind and 200 calories of
gels. After the sixth lap we were directed up a set of winding staircases for
one final ascent. Here we were tasked with grabbing a pack of crickets and
descending back to the start/finish. I came through in 1st place
with a course record time of 4:28:14.
Closing
Remarks
 |
| Pokagon Trip with Goose & Hootie Next Day |
The course was well marked, the landscape was
beautiful and exactly how I remembered the old days running in the greater
Cleveland area. The race directors did a phenomenal job, one of the most fun
and memorable events of the year! Thank you to all of the volunteers for
braving the weather. Thank you to my family for their support. Thank you to
Ezekiel and Sara for letting me crash at their apartment in Medina. Thank you
to my Tibialis Anterior for not flaring up too badly during the race. Thank you
to my father for driving up with me, encouraging me on and supporting me
through my first race in Ohio since 2012.
Statistics
Lap Splits
Lap #
|
Lap Time
|
Lap Pace
|
Cumulative Time
|
1
|
39:54
|
7:58
|
39:54
|
2
|
40:24
|
8:04
|
1:20:18
|
3
|
43:30
|
8:42
|
2:03:48
|
4
|
44:09
|
8:49
|
2:47:57
|
5
|
45:15
|
9:03
|
3:33:12
|
6
|
46:33
|
9:18
|
4:19:45
|
Final
Mile
|
8:56
|
8:56
|
4:28:14
|
IMTUF 100 Miler to Bills Badass 50K Training Block
Month
|
Dates
|
Run Miles
|
Time
|
Elevation
|
Longest
|
Bike Miles
|
September
|
18 to 24
|
3.13
|
0:24:07
|
144
|
3.13
|
32.45
|
September
|
25
to 1
|
56.34
|
11:05:13
|
6,581
|
10.21
|
|
October
|
2
to 8
|
53.33
|
9:35:17
|
7,211
|
14.06
|
|
October
|
9 to 15
|
71.59
|
10:55:55
|
7,395
|
18.34
|
|
October
|
16
to 22
|
54.81
|
7:39:58
|
4,983
|
15.03
|
|
October
|
23
to 29
|
71.22
|
11:17:36
|
10,253
|
20.03
|
|
November
|
30 to 5
|
59.99
|
12:44:48
|
6,132
|
17.13
|
|
November
|
6
to 12
|
62.82
|
13:09:54
|
7,070
|
14.9
|
|
November
|
13 to 19
|
60.94
|
9:57:08
|
8,545
|
31
|
24.6
|
Totals
|
9 Weeks
|
494.17
|
86:49:56
|
58,314
|
31
|
57.05
|
