*RECAP* VERT Sasquatch Trail Run - The Race That I Almost Missed
/Welcome to the race recap that almost didn't happen.
On Sunday morning I woke up nice and early to sneak in 2 relaxing miles before the 4th Annual VERT Sasquatch Trail Run (2.35 miles).
After a cool run and a light breakfast, I began driving to pick up my friend and Slumbrew Happy Soles teammate Heather for the race.
That's when it happened.
My car died.
Womp womp! I didn't want a DNS (Did Not Start) because of my car, but it looked like it was going to happen anyway.
But luckily the best time to break down is before 8am on a Sunday as the tow truck driver got to be within 15 minutes. Woo!
Luckily I was less than a mile from my mechanic, where we left the car, and I took the 1.5 mile walk back home with the wife.
We hopped in my mom's car and my wife got me to the race with 15 minutes to spare. Phew! :)
I was psyched and riding some serious adrenaline. Haha.
standard pre-race photo with Amy!
It was awesome swooping in and getting lots of hugs from the teammates before we started.
I was in Wave 1 so I was set to start at 9:30am. I had a little time to stretch then it was go time.
The first 0.4-ish of the race was grass/road. We left the field and headed on to the street (Pond Street) to meet the entrance of the trail.
Once inside the trail we started up the incline.
My goal was simple: run the entire course. It was hot - even with the shade of the trees - so I wanted to play it safe. If I had to slow down I would, but I didn't want to walk. If I started walking, I wouldn't start running again.
I hadn't run Sasquatch since 2013 (this was my third time doing it) so I forgot the beginning featured more of the incline than the tail end.
Thanks for the free photos VERT!
Despite the heat, I felt stronger than the past Sasquatch races. With the course being just over 2 miles, I listened to my body but pushed myself to go faster. There were a few folks I was playing chicken with if you will (me passing them, them passing me) and I wanted to finish in front of them. :)
Thanks for the free race photos VERT!
For some of the trail, it is a single lane so you can potentially get "trapped" behind someone else. But with good weather recently, there wasn't much mud on the sides of the single lane so you could safely pass someone if you needed to.
I couldn't exactly remember my times from 2012 and 2013, but I thought I was ahead of pace. There was a water stop just around Mile 1, but I opted to pass it knowing there wasn't too longer to go. I didn't skip it to save time.
When you exit the Fells/woods, you come down a sharp decline. I slowed up because ain't nobody got time for gettin' hurt. :P Okay I don't have time to get hurt and I am clumsy. Once back on the field where we started, you run around the field (Greenwood Park) to hit the Finish Line. THIS is where I buckled down and gave it whatever was left in the tank.
DONE!!!
2012: 18:59 (8:05 min/mile pace)
2013: 19:15 (8:12 min/mile pace)
2014: N/A
2015: 17:46 (7:34 min/mile pace)
Oh hey course PR!! Woo Woo! And to think I almost missed the race. I could tell I was running fast - I mean look at this action shot I grabbed.
WOAH! So fast my camera couldn't even put me in focus. Hollah!
I finished 122nd out of 913 overall, while the Slumbrew Happy Soles took 5th out of 36 teams.
This race also marked the 4th anniversary of the Slumbrew Happy Soles. We first came together at Sasquatch in 2012 with about 11 members. It's amazing to see how this crazy crew has grown over the years. :)
I love being a part of the Happy Soles and meeting new friends at every race and having even more people to high-five and cheer for during the race.
Team swag i handed out to happy soles on race day!
Like every Cambrige 5k/VERT race, the post-race party was off the hook. (Do kids still say that?) Free beers were being poured by NOTCH Brewing and Slumbrew, while Downeast brought the cider. American Fresh (owned by Slumbrew) provided post-race food.
Susan and I enjoying the post-race festivities
And of course there was the dance off. Oh it is a glorious site the watch!
Selfie thanks to amy with race director eddie o!
Now the VERT Sasquatch is a great way to get your feet wet into trail running. If you are a Boston area runners and are looking for a bigger challenge, you can join the Slumbrew Happy Soles at Fellsfest on September 13. Sadly I won't be there, but the rest of the crew will.
Have you dabbled in trail running?
