I Survived the Buffalo Run 50 Miler!
Today I ran the Buffalo Run 50 miler on Antelope Island, which is on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The race started at 6 AM, so I had to get up at 3:30 AM. Along the way, I picked up my new friend, Matthew Ricks (he goes by the nickname “Twinkies”), who was also running the race.
When we got there, it was chilly but not freezing cold. Part of it was due to a nippy breeze from the north. This was my first time to race longer than a marathon (an “ultramarathon”), so I wanted to take a conservative approach. However, in the first couple miles, I found myself in fifth place. I don’t regret pushing the pace a little because I felt totally relaxed and comfortable.
The first 19 miles have a lot of uphill and downhill. You go through beautiful terrain and see amazing views (if you take the time to look). I felt great this whole time and kept good running form; it just so happened that I stayed in 5th place during that time. I think I was pushing myself a little too hard toward the end of this part, though, because another runner was right behind me, and I wanted to stay in fifth place. Anyway, the next part was a little treacherous and confusing. At one point, you run out a mile and turn around, but I didn’t know where to turn around, so accidentally I ran an extra half mile. This turned out fine in the end (explained below), but it also meant I was then in 6th place.
The next part of the race is fairly close to the shore of the Great Salt Lake. It was absolutely gorgeous to be so close to the lake and experience its peculiar beauty. On this stretch you run 11.5 miles south and turn around, so it gives you a chance to see all the other runners, which is a great bonus. Most were very friendly and offered congratulations. I also learned that many of them were good liars—they kept saying “you look great,” even though I knew the opposite was the case (or at least it felt that way to me). 
Starting at about the halfway point, I was in pain. For some reason my quads and hip flexors were killing me! Actually, my quads felt strange the entire race, which has never happened before, so I don’t know why. As I got extra tired, I would walk for awhile (anywhere from 0.1 miles to 0.5 miles at a time), and oddly enough my quads burned worse while walking.
But anyway, I made it to the 44 mile mark and was happy to see my beautiful wife and our two cute children. Kate ran toward me and yelled “Daddy, Daddy! Hooray!!!” without any prompting from Laurel. She’s such a smart and cute kid! A lady at the aid station noticed that my hands were swollen and told me to take some salt pills, something I had not considered. During long races, your salt levels can get low, causing you to feel tired, swell, and to have an upset stomach. The salt pills seemed to help.
Reluctantly, I parted with my wife and tried to finish, taking it one mile at a time. Fortunately, I had a little more energy with the end approaching (probably a mental thing). Toward the end, the 2nd-place gal was behind me, so that gave me an extra motivation to push it hard and finish before her (which I did).
At the end, my wife and kids were there again. I can’t tell you how much it meant to share this experience with them and feel their support. They have been super supportive of my training and my strange interest in running this race.
Throughout the race, they provide food and drinks. But it gets hard to stomach those things after eating them for 8 hours straight. You can only eat so many bananas, Twizzlers, and potato chips! After the race, they had hot chocolate and real buffalo stew, a nice and appropriate treat.
During the race, I repeatedly wondered, “now why am I doing this?” I think I thought up some good reasons, but I’ll save that for a later post.
Most of all, I’m really grateful to have the physical ability to run 50 miles. My final time was 8 hours 19 minutes, and I was 13th place. I didn’t reach my goal (8 hours), but I am really happy just to have completed it and to have run close to my goal. Including all stops, my average pace per mile was 9 minutes 59 seconds, so I just barely kept it under 10 minutes!
According to my GPS watch, the race was only 49.5 miles, so the fact that I had run an extra 0.5 miles earlier, worked out perfectly. What would be the point in running 49.5 miles?
Even though this was a great experience, I’m not sure I’ll ever run one again.
9 Responses to “I Survived the Buffalo Run 50 Miler!”
You were amazing today, Steve! I am so proud of the way you pushed through the pain and never gave up. Your integrity shines through even with running. You are a great example to me and the kids. We LOVED being there, cheering you on. What a fun day!! I love you, so very much!
Steve and Laurel — I knew you could do it, Steve. You’re an inspiration to all of us.
Wow!! I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to run 50 miles! Good for you.
I made a comment and it didn’t accept it for some reason. You did a wonderful job running that far. How are your quads now?
Thanks, everyone!
My quads are doing fine now. It’s hard to walk today due to other soreness, but my quads don’t hurt. So I’m wondering if it had to do with not taking those salt pills sooner.
You are da man Steve!! Way to go!! You should feel proud of this accomplishment as this is a huge one!
Great Job Steve! What an awesome accomplishment. Hope the recovery goes good.
I’d like to hear your reasons for running 50 miles because I still think you’re crazy
AWESOME JOB STEVE!!!!! I did not know you were doing this, but you pulled off an amazing race! WOW, I am so impressed. But, I do not believe that anyone could get sick of Twizzlers and chips—NO WAY!!!
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