Xterra 2012

Up before sunrise on a weekend can only mean there's some kind of event. Today it was the Xterra Trail run at Kualoa Ranch. I woke up, ate a banana, packed some coconut water, and hit the road. It was about a 40 minute drive and on the way I thought about what I was getting myself into.

The start line...or start arch

Last year was the first time I did the Xterra. I did the 5k run. I trained for well over a month and did pretty good. This time around I signed up for the 10k run. But I didn't train at all for it. I'm fairly fit but I haven't ran in about 5 months. Could my knees and ankles handle the impact? Will my lungs burn after the first mile? Is this 10k a good idea? Guess I would find out...

The event kicked off with the arrival of Team Xtreme, a group of military badasses who dedicate their races to wounded warriors. They run the 21k course in full gear and with oxygen masks on – the masks inhibit their breathing by about 30% or 40%. And they run as a group and make sure they all finish together. No man gets left behind.

As is their custom, Team Xtreme arrived by skydiving into Kualoa Ranch, landing to a roaring crowd of runners who wish they could be half as badass. This year they dedicated their run to a man who lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan. In fact, they took him on the run with them, carrying him on their backs. Also, one of the Team Xtreme members lost a leg in combat and used a stilt. With their arrival, the 21k race got started and 10 minutes later the 10k race began.

I began the race in the main field at a steady pace. I remember from last year the first mile being mostly uphill and nearly gassing out because I charged out from the start. This time I took it easy. Many people ran ahead, huffing and puffing as they climbed the hill. I just stayed relaxed, actually breathed through my nose for the first half mile, and it wasn't long before my steady pace caught up to many of those that charged ahead too fast too early. At the top of the incline the trail leveled off, I picked up the pace just a little, but mostly I enjoyed the scenery.

The valley was gorgeous. Steep rocky mountains towering over a pristine green valley. The air was crisp and kept cool by cloud-cover. Great day for a run. Great place for a run.

About 2 miles in I passed Team Xtreme. They moved as a cohesive unit. Several of us shouted encouragement as we ran by.

I was holding a good pace. That is up until the trail turned from a 10-15 foot wide road to a single lane trail. It was like hitting rush hour traffic on the freeway. Everything stopped. It was about a 3 minute wait to get onto the trail. Yep, there was a line. When I got onto the trail it was so jammed up that we could only walk for the next 100 meters or so. Eventually things thinned out and we returned to a slow jog but being a single lane trail everybody was at the mercy of whoever was in front of them.

The rest of the run was like that. The trail was only wide enough for one person and there were only a few stretches where it opened up enough for two people to fit. The pace slowed a lot. A few of us decided to run off the trail in order to pick up the speed. Footing wasn't sturdy at all so we had to be careful not to roll an ankle.

The trail finally opened up with about a quarter mile left. I felt fine. My legs were only mildly sore and I wasn't close to being out of breath. There was plenty left in the gas tank so I decided to open up my stride for the finish. The dirt trail opened up to the grass field of Kualoa Valley and the finish was just ahead. A few seconds later, I finished my first 10k trail run, official time: 52:13.

Much to my shock, I felt great. Legs were a little sore but they still worked just fine. I wasn't out of breath at all. Although I'm sure the slowed pace of the single lane trail saved me some pain.

Photo finish. I still think the guy in orange won

There were some other cool things that happened. The battle for first place for the 21k was nothing less than a battle. It was a sprint to the finish between the top 2 runners. One led by maybe 3 feet, he wore a white shirt, and let up at the very end. The other guy, in orange, pushed it all the way and closed the gap. Both men stormed through the finish shoulder-to-shoulder, the guy in white crashed into a cameraman while the guy in orange narrowly avoided doing the same.

And there goes the cameraman

It looked like the guy in orange edged out the victory. My friend Kalani was taking photos and on his camera it looked like the guy in orange won by a hair. Even one of the even staff who was right next to the finish claimed to see the guy in orange come through first. But it was a really close call. Event staff crowded around cameras, video, and even asked people in the audience if they had any photos that might help (for some reason they didn't want to look at Kalani's pics though, go figure). The event staff couldn't make the call and had to hand the decision to the event director. This is what he said, “We don't know who broke through the finish tape first, but we know where the finish line is. There is no option but to call this a draw.”

A draw!? Wow. Never seen that in a distance race before. They took the first and second place prize money and split it evenly between the two runners. First place won $2000, second place won $1000, so each runner took home $1500. I guess that's fair...but I really feel that the orange guy edged out the win but the director and staff just didn't want to call it one way or the other.

A few minutes after that drama, more drama! A man proposed to his girlfriend as she crossed the finish line. Luckily she said yes. There were two sisters running the 21k, the youngest runners there. The older sister is 12, and crossed the finish line to a cheering crowd. A few minutes later her younger 10 year old sister crossed the finish. More cheers rang out.

After the run it was barbeque time! A bunch of friends, many who didn't actually run but came to support, fired up the grill and opened up the coolers. We cruised on the valley floor while the rest of the runners, and of course Team Xtreme, finished the 21k. We stayed well after everybody else had left. Good run, good food, good drink, good times! Thanks to those who sent encouraging messages and to those who came out to support, and congrats to all who ran and conquered the course. Cheers!

Some cool statue thingy. It won a gold medal.