*Photo above by @nbthemountains
Saturday, November 18, 2017 – “Located in the visually stunning Marin Headlands, The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship course engages runners with both scenic views and drastic elevation change.” Our teammate, Corrine, toed the line at 5:00 am in Sausalito, for The North Face Challenge 50 Mile race. As most teammates were competing at the USATF NW XC Championships in Portland, OR the same day, a teammate was appointed as tracker, to let all of us know how Corrine was fairing.
From an article posted back in June by Competitor Running, titled, “Big Changes For The North Face Endurance Challenge California,” Allison Pattillo wrote on the changes The North Face Endurance Challenge would see, including a different start date, start and finish location (moving from Fort Barry to a start in Sausalito and a finish across the Golden Gate Bridge in Crissy Field). I particularly liked this tidbit on why changing the date was a good idea: “The new date is a result of the NPS and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) wanting to avoid events the first weekend of every month. It also means participants will be in post-race recovery mode when it’s time to celebrate Thanksgiving!”
Pattillo goes on to write, “Even though some aspects of the event are different, the $30,000 prize purse remains, with each first place male and female finisher at TNF EC California Gore-Tex 50 Mile going home with $10,000, each male and female second place finisher earning $4,000 and $1,000 for each male and female third place finisher. The North Face also recently signed the Clean Sport Collective pledge, and is committed to having the events in the Endurance Challenge Series being clean, drug-free competitions.” Hell yes.
The 50 Mile field was stacked for both women and men. iRunFar had some excellent and thorough Women’s and Men’s previews documenting the likes of Ida Nilsson, Megan Kimmel, Stephanie Howe Violett, Anne-Lise Rousset, Annie Jean, Clare Gallagher, Anne-Marie Madden, Anna Mae Flynn, Camelia Mayfield, Megan Roche, Kelly Wolf, Renee Metivier, Brittany Peterson, our own Corrine Malcolm as “Other Fast Women to Watch,” plus a slew of others. For the men: Zach Miller, Hayden Hawks, Max King, Paddy O’Leary, Tim Freriks, Mario Mendoza, Chris Mocko, Tyler Sigl, and a huge list of others to keep your eye on. Ok, enough of the backstory, let’s hear how Corrine’s race, and her 2017 season went…
2017 WAS HARD, A CLIFF NOTES VERSION
By Corrine Malcolm
I made a promise to myself to create more this year, and now at nearly 90%-ish (!?!?) of the way into 2017 I’m a little bit behind. In part it’s because I was suppose to be writing. I was suppose to be writing a lot. I had thousands of scientific words that were supposed to be constantly flowing out of me. Manuscripts, literature reviews, abstracts, my…thesis. Writing on spectral analysis, Nephrology, sodium receptors, recovery metrics, heat shock proteins. I have not read a book for fun in about as long, because I’ve felt guilty…guilty that I was not reading scientific articles instead. However, in recent months I’ve made some major life changes and I’m happy to be creating words once again.
After much deliberation, I think the best concise way to sum up the forward flailing that has been my 2017 season is through haikus.
-Drop-Out-
Things were very bad
I retired from grad school
yes you heard me right
-Hey Coach-
I got a new job
I will tell you what to do
please go run some more
-An Ode to Bowels-
For the Chuckanut
I spent more time in the ferns
then on the race course
-Practice-
Practice races, fun
pushing off my quads all day
goodbye first toenail
-Pulled off Course-
Transvulcania
got a shot in my bottom
so pretty, so sad
-Worlds-
Not the teams first choice
fought hard for the team I love
everything hurts now
-Lonely Long Runs-
1-2-0 mile week
solo miles in no-where
must carry bear spray
-Doubt-
I am so tired
100 miles is far
how can I do it?
-Leadville-
4am race start
Eating battle is the worst
how did I not die?
-Douche Grade-
SF you so mean
please chop off my left leg now
friends won’t let you quit
In essence…2017 was hard. I challenged myself to meet race goals that I knew would test my limits, races that were flatter, faster, and outside my comfort zone. I made a huge life change by ultimately leaving my graduate program to find a future profession that I hope will be healthier, happier, and more satisfying. 2017 I’m glad you’re almost over, because I can not wait to embrace the new things coming down the road in 2018!”
In case you didn’t catch it, Corrine’s experience at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile was revealed in haiku (which I’m obsessed with), and was titled, “Douche Grade.” She elicits, “I had a decidedly rough go at #TNF50…My plan had been to go out conservatively and pick up the carnage in the final 10 miles…that worked until my legs imploded and I became carnage myself. I’ve had some issues all season with my left side and with a quick build up over the last month my imbalances were clear by mile 12 when I came into the Tennessee Valley aid station. I did my best to check my ego and keep it positive as I grew frustrated with myself, but when I got a much needed hug at mile 41 I started crying. It was hard out there, and not in a type 2 fun way…but despite the tears, and the disappointment I’m happy that I toughed it out and got to finish smiling over the Golden Gate Bridge. Thanks to all those who came out to cheer, support, offer me rides, food, and places to stay, you are the community that keeps me running!” Corrine finished 18th F in a time of 8:45:29.
Results from The North Face Challenge 50 Mile: 1. Ida Nilsson (7:07:56) 2. Clare Gallagher (7:12:05) 3. Megan Kimmel (7:19:27) 4. Megan Roche (7:24:09) 5. Brittany Peterson (7:29:49). For the men: 1. Tim Freriks (6:02:26) 2. Zach Miller (6:15:23) 3. Hayden Hawks (6:20:39) 4. Kris Brown (6:32:23) 5. Paddy O’Leary (6:36:07)
*See Corrine’s post on her blog HERE!
*Check out interviews by the top female & male competitors at iRunFar HERE!
*See The North Face Endurance Challenge: California Race Results HERE!
*Featured image on the blog by: nbthemountains
