Riddle Run 2010 Report

Yesterday was the 11th annual running of the infamous event called the "Riddle Run."  Officially, this is a 28-mile fun run--but people are "allowed" to do as much or as little as they want.  No entry fee and no finisher awards.  It's a great winter fat ass run.  I kept my "I'm King of the Riddle Run World" streak alive by finishing my 11th one.  I now have a total of 249 "Riddle Run miles."  I finished in 5:49--not my fastest time, but it went well and it certainly wasn't my worst finish.  For a quick comparison, last year I finished 28 miles in 8:56 (that's a whole 'nother story).  The trails were snow covered and a bit icy in a couple spots, but overall, we had reasonable footing.  The weather started off in single digits (around 9 degrees), and then slowly warmed up to about 20 degrees by the time I finished.  Lots of sun and only a little wind made the day pretty nice for running.  There were 89 starters and 14 finished the full 28 miles. As usual, many stopped at 12 miles (3 loops).

Overall Champions:
1st male - Matt Small, 3:58:30
1st female - Kristy Powell, 4:18 (tied course record)

As the tradition goes, Matt and Kristy will receive an invitation from me to run the Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run (the race is closed, but the Riddle Run champions are allowed to register). Poor Scott Dewitt tried to win this race so he could get into Clinton Lake.  He had a great run, but ended up in 3rd place.  Considering his name is "Dewitt" and Clinton Lake is run in Dewitt, maybe I should let him into the race anyway? 

This was the first Riddle Run with visitors from out of state (Indiana doesn't count!).  The current Clinton Lake record-holder (Logan) came from Colorado to get in a nice long run and two "50 & DC Club" folks came up from Georgia (Walt & Kendel) to get in a marathon distance run.  This little Midwest event is going national! 

I hadn't gotten in a run over 10 miles in over 3 months.  Winter has taken its toll on me.  I'm happy I finished the full 28 miles and still feel good today.  I suppose this has kick-started my training for the Canadian Death Race.  Time to get serious and start doing a lot more long runs.

Harvard Barefoot Running Site

You may have caught this in recent running news, but Daniel Lieberman and colleagues at Harvard University have a new web site focused on barefoot and minimalist running.  Very cool.

"Running Barefoot or in Minimal Footwear"

Check it out!  This guy is a real researcher with hefty credentials.  It'll be hard for running shoe companies (& the media) to dismiss the claims made by these folks.  According to the authors, the website "has been developed to provide an evidence-based resource for those interested in barefoot or minimal footwear running."  I love it.  The site was funded by Harvard University and Vibram USA (makers of the FiveFinger shoes).  Lieberman has a new article published in the latest issue of Nature.  Can you believe a research article on barefoot running made the cover of one of the most prestigious science journals in the world?  The tide is turning...this isn't a fad. Dan Lieberman was interviewed for an NPR story on January 27.  Here's a link to the story.

NOTE:  If you were looking for my weekly Friday morning test run update---it isn't here.  I skipped my test run today.  I didn't feel well so figured why do a run?   I'll get back on schedule next week.  Tomorrow is my first ultra run of the year: Riddle Run 28-Miler.

Clinton Lake Course Rating

For those that don't know, Ultra Running magazine now has expanded its race entry information to include course ratings.  This is true for both the actual magazine race listings and the online calendar equivalent (online has even more data based on what an RD submitted).  There are two course difficulty ratings--one for terrain (elevation gain from flat to mountainous) and one for surface (paved to rough/rocky trail).  They are both based on a  1-5 rating scale: 1=easy, 5=very hard.

So, where does Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run fit in on this scale?  If you look at the online calendar, Ultra Running has two listings for the race (one was done automatically by the editors, one was submitted by me).  Depending on which listing you look at, Clinton Lake is either a 2/2 or a 3/3 rating for terrain/surface.

2/2 = rolling, total climb up to 50' per mile, mostly groomed trail or dirt roads
3/3 = hilly, total climb between 50'-150' per mile, trail or dirt road with some rocks, roots, or ruts

I submitted the second (harder) rating. The trail does have an elevation gain of over 1500' per 10-mile loop (that's about 150' per mile) and qualifies for a rating of 3 for terrain.  The surface is probably between a 2 and a 3. It's mostly single-track trail with a few rocks, roots, and ruts.  Sometimes there is an open grassy meadow, other times there are muddy and slippery hills, but most often it is just a basic single-track trail with a bit of uneven footing.  I think that's a "3" rating...and if we have rain and mud, it's definitely a 3...leaning toward a 4!  Runners should hope for dry conditions on race day.