2022 Afton 50k
The race that made me feel like a real ultra runner.
Somehow it took me over a year from the inaugural Baby Backyard 50k to take another crack at the ultra distance. Not that I wasn’t keeping busy with running. I kept the furnace burning with Grandma’s Marathon in June 2021 and Twin Cities Marathon in October 2021. I sprinkled in a few shorter races - Surly Loppet Half Marathon (my first long distance race back in 2016, it holds a special place in my heart) in September 2021, Zumbro 17M in April 2022, and Grandma’s Half in June 2022. But the thought of doing an official 50k trail race was still incredibly intimidating to me. Despite all of my training, I continued to have doubts, and it took a lot of convincing from Elliot to get me to take the leap. He had a few ultras under his belt at this point, including the Zumbro 50M (which is a killer course!), and I envied his confidence. I also knew the only way for me to gain that confidence was to keep signing up, showing up, and seeing what I had in me. It was time to pull the trigger.
The Afton 50k is a beautiful course consisting of two 25k loops through Afton State Park near Hastings, MN. The entire course is on runnable trail that meanders through the park and boasts a handful of decent climbs totaling 4,670 feet in elevation gain. It always takes place the first weekend of July, so temperatures are known to be hot. And we had been experiencing that heat up until race day, where we got incredibly lucky to have a mild day with a starting temp of 61 degrees and a high of 79 that felt much cooler thanks to the cloudy skies. A sure sign that it was meant to be!
Photo: Cary Johnson
The race started at 6:30am, and the park is about an hour from our house. I wanted to ensure we had plenty of time (I get stressed when I feel rushed), so we woke up at 2:30am for a 3:30am departure. We started the morning off right with some hot coffee and my go-to pre-race breakfast - overnight oats with chia seeds and almond milk, mixed with vanilla protein powder and a little cinnamon, and topped with blueberries and apples. It’s held the test of time for many races over the years.
When we arrived at the park, we discovered that the bib pick-up line was essentially non-existent, and we had all the time in the world. But we were grateful to have nabbed a parking spot right near the start line and have lots of time to check out the area, get our drop bag organized, enjoy our coffee, make a couple port-a-potty stops, and take pictures.
But as with any race, the waiting brings a bit of anxiety. I was ready to get going, I wanted to start making progress on this beast of a race ahead of me. The waiting made me think too much. Come on 6:30! Soon enough, it was time. The starting announcements were made, best wishes given, and we were off.
Photo: Mike Wheeler
El and I both felt great out the gates. There was a nice, big downhill right at the beginning, surely just to get everyone excited. We did a bit of weaving and passing until we found our place in the pack, settling in at a 10:15-10:30 pace. The trails were captivating, and I was dialed in. It was reminiscent of the Surly Loppet, but with a whole new vibe knowing that we’d be out there for three times longer. The hills felt punchy, but were a welcome break from the flat sections and always preceded a fun descent to bomb down afterwards. We held our pace strong for the entire first loop, bringing us back to our drop bag plenty shy of the 3 hour mark.
It’s funny to reflect on this race and that we used a drop bag for a 50k. Nowadays we really only use drop bags for 100k or further. But at the time, we felt it was necessary, and we made the most of it. Primarily, potatoes were the name of the game. Elliot’s special “ultra potatoes” to be exact. He was telling everyone about them throughout the entire first loop. “We’ve got potatoes for you at the 25k mark!” And he made sure to offer them to everyone when we got there. To which everyone had the same reaction. “Nah, I’m good, but thank you…well, ok I’ll take one.” We’d watch the enjoyment spread across their face as they savored the potatoey goodness. “You want another one?” “Nah, I’m good…actually, could I maybe get one more?” These potatoes have been our jam ever since.
Anyway, with sliding through the first half so quickly (for us), we took our time at the aid station and set out on lap two at about 2 hours 58 minutes. My stretch goal for this race was 6 hours. This was based off of nothing more than my previous marathon times and a feeling. It just seemed like a reasonable goal. Knowing that we had sandbagged the aid station, I felt like it was attainable to do the second loop in 3 hours. But as I set out on loop two, my fatigued legs brought on a great deal of doubt. I still felt confident in a sub-7 hour time (my back up goal), but the sub-6 was going to require a great deal of pushing.
I quickly did some trail math, which is never usually accurate, but I determined that if we could stay below an 11:30 pace we should be golden. We were holding an 11:08 as we started the second loop. That made it feel much more doable. I was on a mission.
Photo: Cary Johnson
Fortunately, both El and I were feeling great. We had stayed on top of our nutrition and hydration and didn’t have any stomach issues. We just needed to manage the fatigue in our muscles that made each hill feel at least twice as hard as the first round. We kept pushing each other, as we do, holding each other accountable to a strong pace. That sub-6 goal was in my sights. But as we got closer to the finish, the hills felt more and more intense. The climbs slowed us down, but the downhills allowed us to catch up. It was going to be really fucking close!
Then, we were about 5 miles from the finish when nature called. El had to go, it wasn’t just #1, and there was no holding it. Of course the first thing I think is, this is totally going to impact our finish time. But I wasn’t about to leave him. This was our first trail ultra together, and I wanted to finish together. Plus, I knew we’d still come in right around 6 hours, and I was happy with that. I was out there to enjoy my day after all, it wasn’t all about the time goal. BUT, I am also very competitive with myself, so when we hit the aid station 3 miles from the finish, and I knew we had 28 minutes to wrap it up, it lit a fire. I remembered hitting sub-10 minute miles during this stretch on the first loop and felt a renewed sense of possibility.
We straight kicked ass the next 3 miles. They were filled with lots of ups and downs, a dynamic and technical finish, which was welcome. When your body is aching like that, anything to shift which muscles are getting beaten on is helpful. I approached another runner and his pace was exactly what I needed. I latched on and let him pull me along for a good 2 miles, allowing him set the cadence for our finish. It helped keep me moving, helped me stay focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
As we got closer, I felt the excitement creeping up in my chest. I saw the flash of the tent through the trees and nearly started crying. Keep. Pushing.
But oh the deception of the trail. I learned the hard way that there was still a ways to go, and the hills were getting SO HARD. They slowed me down big time and I simply couldn’t push myself any harder. I watched my sub-6 slip away. BUT! El is a friggin’ goat on the hills and had charged ahead of me. I thought, shit, maybe he’ll get it! Alas, he came in just shy at 6:00:05, and I came in shortly after at 6:00:52. Gah! So damn close! But it was hard to be disappointed finishing 52 seconds off of an arbitrary goal time for my very first trail ultra. I was elated.
Photo: Mike Wheeler
I still have the finish picture from this race up on my fridge because it encapsulates so much raw emotion that I was feeling in that moment. I felt so proud of myself. But more than that, I felt so much gratitude for my body and what it had allowed me to do. After months of rehabbing my knee, I went from barely being able to run two miles to a freaking 50k. I was holding back tears in that moment. If we weren’t talking to El’s friend right afterwards, I’d probably have been bawling my eyes out. A 50k in 6 hours. Hell fucking yeah. An amazing time outdoors surrounded by trees, flowers, fields, beach, and the St. Croix River. The cleansing rain for the last handful of miles that made the birds chirp and the grass smell so sweet. The three deer that came crashing across the path. The lovely runners we met along the way. The intense challenge that gave me the opportunity to learn what I am capable of and build resilience. The time with El, strengthening our bond through running, chatting, and inspiring and motivating each other to be our best. I’m so fortunate to be able to experience these things. To quote my journal entry from that day:
“Even as I sit here now, exhausted and sore, I find gratitude in it. As it reminds me of the struggle and the success. There is no growth without struggle, without the adversity. Today was hard. So fucking hard. But I did it, and I will probably do it again and again.”
P.S. Of course I gave Elliot shit that I would have hit my goal time if he hadn’t stopped at the biffy. To which he retorted that without stopping he may have slowed down. Ha! Can’t know. I’ve since forgave him, and it just meant we had to come back and crush that time the following year ;)
Somehow it took me over a year from the inaugural Baby Backyard 50k to take another crack at the ultra distance. Not that I wasn’t keeping busy with running. I kept the furnace burning with Grandma’s Marathon in June 2021 and Twin Cities Marathon in October 2021. I sprinkled in a few shorter races - Surly Loppet Half Marathon (my first long distance race back in 2016, it holds a special place in my heart) in September 2021, Zumbro 17M in April 2022, and Grandma’s Half in June 2022. But the thought of doing an official 50k trail race was still incredibly intimidating to me. Despite all of my training, I continued to have doubts, and it took a lot of convincing from Elliot to get me to take the leap. He had a few ultras under his belt at this point, including the Zumbro 50M (which is a killer course!), and I envied his confidence. I also knew the only way for me to gain that confidence was to keep signing up, showing up, and seeing what I had in me. It was time to pull the trigger.
The Afton 50k is a beautiful course consisting of two 25k loops through Afton State Park near Hastings, MN. The entire course is on runnable trail that meanders through the park and boasts a handful of decent climbs totaling 4,670 feet in elevation gain. It always takes place the first weekend of July, so temperatures are known to be hot. And we had been experiencing that heat up until race day, where we got incredibly lucky to have a mild day with a starting temp of 61 degrees and a high of 79 that felt much cooler thanks to the cloudy skies. A sure sign that it was meant to be!
Photo: Cary Johnson
The race started at 6:30am, and the park is about an hour from our house. I wanted to ensure we had plenty of time (I get stressed when I feel rushed), so we woke up at 2:30am for a 3:30am departure. We started the morning off right with some hot coffee and my go-to pre-race breakfast - overnight oats with chia seeds and almond milk, mixed with vanilla protein powder and a little cinnamon, and topped with blueberries and apples. It’s held the test of time for many races over the years.
When we arrived at the park, we discovered that the bib pick-up line was essentially non-existent, and we had all the time in the world. But we were grateful to have nabbed a parking spot right near the start line and have lots of time to check out the area, get our drop bag organized, enjoy our coffee, make a couple port-a-potty stops, and take pictures.
But as with any race, the waiting brings a bit of anxiety. I was ready to get going, I wanted to start making progress on this beast of a race ahead of me. The waiting made me think too much. Come on 6:30! Soon enough, it was time. The starting announcements were made, best wishes given, and we were off.
Photo: Mike Wheeler
El and I both felt great out the gates. There was a nice, big downhill right at the beginning, surely just to get everyone excited. We did a bit of weaving and passing until we found our place in the pack, settling in at a 10:15-10:30 pace. The trails were captivating, and I was dialed in. It was reminiscent of the Surly Loppet, but with a whole new vibe knowing that we’d be out there for three times longer. The hills felt punchy, but were a welcome break from the flat sections and always preceded a fun descent to bomb down afterwards. We held our pace strong for the entire first loop, bringing us back to our drop bag plenty shy of the 3 hour mark.
It’s funny to reflect on this race and that we used a drop bag for a 50k. Nowadays we really only use drop bags for 100k or further. But at the time, we felt it was necessary, and we made the most of it. Primarily, potatoes were the name of the game. Elliot’s special “ultra potatoes” to be exact. He was telling everyone about them throughout the entire first loop. “We’ve got potatoes for you at the 25k mark!” And he made sure to offer them to everyone when we got there. To which everyone had the same reaction. “Nah, I’m good, but thank you…well, ok I’ll take one.” We’d watch the enjoyment spread across their face as they savored the potatoey goodness. “You want another one?” “Nah, I’m good…actually, could I maybe get one more?” These potatoes have been our jam ever since.
Anyway, with sliding through the first half so quickly (for us), we took our time at the aid station and set out on lap two at about 2 hours 58 minutes. My stretch goal for this race was 6 hours. This was based off of nothing more than my previous marathon times and a feeling. It just seemed like a reasonable goal. Knowing that we had sandbagged the aid station, I felt like it was attainable to do the second loop in 3 hours. But as I set out on loop two, my fatigued legs brought on a great deal of doubt. I still felt confident in a sub-7 hour time (my back up goal), but the sub-6 was going to require a great deal of pushing.
I quickly did some trail math, which is never usually accurate, but I determined that if we could stay below an 11:30 pace we should be golden. We were holding an 11:08 as we started the second loop. That made it feel much more doable. I was on a mission.
Photo: Cary Johnson
Fortunately, both El and I were feeling great. We had stayed on top of our nutrition and hydration and didn’t have any stomach issues. We just needed to manage the fatigue in our muscles that made each hill feel at least twice as hard as the first round. We kept pushing each other, as we do, holding each other accountable to a strong pace. That sub-6 goal was in my sights. But as we got closer to the finish, the hills felt more and more intense. The climbs slowed us down, but the downhills allowed us to catch up. It was going to be really fucking close!
Then, we were about 5 miles from the finish when nature called. El had to go, it wasn’t just #1, and there was no holding it. Of course the first thing I think is, this is totally going to impact our finish time. But I wasn’t about to leave him. This was our first trail ultra together, and I wanted to finish together. Plus, I knew we’d still come in right around 6 hours, and I was happy with that. I was out there to enjoy my day after all, it wasn’t all about the time goal. BUT, I am also very competitive with myself, so when we hit the aid station 3 miles from the finish, and I knew we had 28 minutes to wrap it up, it lit a fire. I remembered hitting sub-10 minute miles during this stretch on the first loop and felt a renewed sense of possibility.
We straight kicked ass the next 3 miles. They were filled with lots of ups and downs, a dynamic and technical finish, which was welcome. When your body is aching like that, anything to shift which muscles are getting beaten on is helpful. I approached another runner and his pace was exactly what I needed. I latched on and let him pull me along for a good 2 miles, allowing him set the cadence for our finish. It helped keep me moving, helped me stay focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
As we got closer, I felt the excitement creeping up in my chest. I saw the flash of the tent through the trees and nearly started crying. Keep. Pushing.
But oh the deception of the trail. I learned the hard way that there was still a ways to go, and the hills were getting SO HARD. They slowed me down big time and I simply couldn’t push myself any harder. I watched my sub-6 slip away. BUT! El is a friggin’ goat on the hills and had charged ahead of me. I thought, shit, maybe he’ll get it! Alas, he came in just shy at 6:00:05, and I came in shortly after at 6:00:52. Gah! So damn close! But it was hard to be disappointed finishing 52 seconds off of an arbitrary goal time for my very first trail ultra. I was elated.
Photo: Mike Wheeler
I still have the finish picture from this race up on my fridge because it encapsulates so much raw emotion that I was feeling in that moment. I felt so proud of myself. But more than that, I felt so much gratitude for my body and what it had allowed me to do. After months of rehabbing my knee, I went from barely being able to run two miles to a freaking 50k. I was holding back tears in that moment. If we weren’t talking to El’s friend right afterwards, I’d probably have been bawling my eyes out. A 50k in 6 hours. Hell fucking yeah. An amazing time outdoors surrounded by trees, flowers, fields, beach, and the St. Croix River. The cleansing rain for the last handful of miles that made the birds chirp and the grass smell so sweet. The three deer that came crashing across the path. The lovely runners we met along the way. The intense challenge that gave me the opportunity to learn what I am capable of and build resilience. The time with El, strengthening our bond through running, chatting, and inspiring and motivating each other to be our best. I’m so fortunate to be able to experience these things. To quote my journal entry from that day:
“Even as I sit here now, exhausted and sore, I find gratitude in it. As it reminds me of the struggle and the success. There is no growth without struggle, without the adversity. Today was hard. So fucking hard. But I did it, and I will probably do it again and again.”
P.S. Of course I gave Elliot shit that I would have hit my goal time if he hadn’t stopped at the biffy. To which he retorted that without stopping he may have slowed down. Ha! Can’t know. I’ve since forgave him, and it just meant we had to come back and crush that time the following year ;)
