The JFK is hands down my favorite Ultra. It probably always will be so keep in mind I am biased towards it. Saturday was my 13th consecutive year completing the event and in comparing it to other years, it was an ideal year to run.

This 2006 year generated what I perceive as ideal weather conditions: cool but not cold temperatures; mostly dry, non-slick terrain; no precipitation, no fog, and good cloud cover.

There are two options for this event. You can choose to do a 5AM start and have 14 hours to complete the event, or you can start at 7AM and have 12 hours for completion. Over the years I have tried both start times, but this year I started at 7AM. There are definitely advantages to both. The fun part about starting at 5AM is that at some point into your race you will get to become a spectator as you get passed by the lead runners. I always enjoyed this because I am always running the event and I am never in the lead. The advantage to starting at 7AM is that your confidence builds as you pass people with the 5AM colored bibs on. So even if you slow up in comparison to the people with the 12-hour time limit, and that group continues to pass you, you can still get an ego boost because of the group aiming for an under 14-hour pace.

I decided to start out running hard this year. I naturally tend to be a conservative runner, always saving for the end, but then at the end I have more energy. I reasoned that even if I go to fast I could always slow up and still finish. So....I blasted through the first 15.5 miles which are my favorite because they are mostly on the Appalachian Trail (Keep in mind this is the only organized event allowed on the AT--it was grandfathered in and our continued usage for the JFK 50 is dependent upon good etiquette of entrants). I like this portion because it is rocky, rooty, and has rolling hills. I felt great and was energized as I left the trail and made a transition to the C&O Canal Towpath. This is a 26 (marathon length) portion that is basically flat. It runs adjacent to the Potomac River on the South and old canal to the North. During the 26 miles you can view 3 states: you are running in MD, but can see West Virginia and Virginia across the river. It is beautiful, but can get boring because its 26 miles of flat. There are mile markers each mile for this portion.

Well...like I said I entered the trail energized and feeling great and continued on that way at a solid 9 hour pace. Then I hit mile 30 and things started to change. I began to experience breathing problems (which I have never had my entire life). I could not take full breaths--could only inhale about 1/2 my normal lung capacity. It was very weird because my body felt perfect but I would take fast strides and then have to walk to catch my breath. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was later diagnosed with strep throat and a lung infection that is giving me temporary asthma.

As not to cause myself damage, I slowed up for the remainder of the course. There was no question of me missing the time cut-offs and I had nothing to prove so I settled for a slower time. The last 8.4 miles of the course are on these rolling hills on road. You run past these rustic little farms with animals and it is very pleasant. I crossed the finish line in 10:33.

I’ll for sure be back next year!

Side note: I was really proud with the women’s overall results--a 50-year old women was the women’s champion with a time just over 8 hours.