2021 JFK 50 Race Report

On November 20, 2021 around 2:50 PM, I gathered up all the energy I had left and sprinted across the JFK 50 finish line. It was a long day with emotions spanning across the whole spectrum. At times I found myself laughing and having a great time. Other times I found myself questioning whether I would finish or not.

I break down the race into four parts: Starting Line to Appalachian Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and Road to the Finish Line. But before jumping into the race, I want to paint a picture of my conditions going into the race. This will give you a good idea of what I went through that day.

Before the Race

Life sometimes has a funny and cruel sense of humor. A week before the race, I was feeling a little off as if my body was fighting a cold. Most of the days leading up to the race I felt fine and thought I would be good to go for race day. The day before the race I felt like crap. I had a high resting heart rate, heavy breathing, and fatigue. I was in no condition to run and was very frustrated that this was happening right before my race.

Saturday morning arrived. I woke up feeling a bit better, but still sick. I had two choices here. One was to whine and bitch about how life isn’t fair. The other was to suck it up and plan how I was going to get through the day. I chose the latter.

Starting Line to Appalachian Trail (mile 0 - 2.5)

The race was set to start at 6:30 am. It was 27 degrees F that morning. Over 1,000 people huddled at the starting line. All of sudden I heard the gun go off. A sea of runners made their way from downtown Boonsboro, MD to the start of the Appalachian Trail (AT). This was about 2.5 miles uphill on the road gaining about 500 feet of elevation.

I averaged about a 10:24 pace here. My body was still warming up and it was hard to go faster with so many people there. I also wanted to take it easy because I had a lot of miles ahead of me.

The Appalachian Trail (mile 2.5 - 15.5)

This was my favorite part of the race. This section was a mix of trails with leaves, rocks, roots, and mud, as well as paved bike paths. Immediately upon getting onto the AT, we got hit with an ascent to the highest point of the course. Once I got over that mountain, the other smaller ascents didn’t see so bad. The terrain was rugged, but I trained really well for this.

Unfortunately, others had a rough time getting through. I saw a girl who stopped because she broke her ankle. Another man got carried out in a stretcher after wiping out. People were leaving the AT with bloody knees, bruised hips, and destroyed toes.

I averaged about an 11:08 pace in this section. Some uphill walking was involved, as well as some bottle neck issues. But once I hit those downhills, I made up for lost time.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (mile 15.5 - 41.8)

This was the toughest part of the race, physically and mentally. Coming right out of the AT I felt good and confident. I quickly met up with my crew to switch from my trail running to road running shoes, and then I was off to the canal towpath!

The canal trail was beautiful and the sun was shining. Most of the trail was packed dirt with gravel. A lot of it was covered by fallen leaves. I was enjoying myself until mile 20. That is when I felt my cold catch up to me. I’ve been on runs when I was sick and my body just shuts down and says, “no more.” I was nervous that this was going to happen so early in the race. I dialed back my pace and started to incorporate small walks whenever I felt my body getting overworked.

During this section I really utilized the aid stations as much as I could. I drank gatorade, coke, and water. I ate boiled potatoes with salt, red velvet cake, one bite of a cookie, and one oreo. The rest of my nutrition was from my gels and hydration drinks. There was one aid station handing out fireball shots, but no thanks.

During the canal section I averaged a 9:28 pace over 26.3 miles. I was hoping to go a little faster in this section (sub 9:00 pace), but my body just wasn’t having it. I also thought this section would be flatter. It’s a very low grade, steady climb. It seems easy and flat, but that little incline does add up!

Road to the Finish Line (mile 41.8 - 50.2)

The final section led me right into Williamsport, Maryland. It was a nice change of scenery and terrain with some rolling hills on the road and countryside views. I enjoyed the hills because I could capitalize on those those downhills. Some cars were passing by with honks or words of encouragement. There were signs counting down the number of miles at each mile. I was saving a little gas in the tank for the last three miles so I picked up the pace. I also sprinted (at least it felt like a sprint) the last half mile through the finish line. I averaged about a 9:40 pace in this section with my last mile being my second fasted mile of the race.

Conclusion

My goal was to finish in less than 8 hours and 30 minutes. I finished the race in 8 hours, 24 minutes, and 45 seconds. I averaged a 9:59 pace throughout the course. I finished 133 out of 1,038. I’m very happy with that considering it was the deepest and fastest field of runners in all of the history of the JFK 50. The first place runner finished in 5 hours, 19 minutes, and 38 seconds. This is a 6:22 pace. INSANE!

Overall, it was a great event. The runners, volunteers, spectators, and anyone I came across were very supportive. It felt like I was part of one big family. A special thank you to Rachel, Mrs. Johnson, and Mr. Johnson for crewing that day. You all did a great job!

After the race, my legs feel good, except for my left achilles. It took a few days before I could go back into my training runs.