On Saturday April 24, for this year's edition of the Sybil Ludington 50K, I awoke to a clear sky, and cold temperature. I drove 50 miles south, to the VFW hall in Carmel, to spend another morning with Sybil Ludington.
In April 1777, Colonel Ludington's regiment of the Continental Army had been sent home to take care of their plowing and planting. On April 26, British regiments, led by General Tryon, began a siege on Danbury, Connecticut, where the continentals kept a large amount of supplies. Only 150 troops had been left to defend Danbury, so Colonel Ludington's troops had to be recalled.
First the soldiers had to be found and notified. The messenger from Danbury was too exhausted to continue. Ludington's oldest child, 16 year old Sybil, set out on this April night to round up the troops. She rode from the Ludington Mill in Stormville, to Carmel, Mahopac, past the Red Mills at Mahopac Falls, past Mahopac Mines, through Kent Cliffs to Farmer's Mills, Pecksville, and finishing up back home in Stormville.
Every April, the Taconic Road Runners Club holds a 50K race to commemorate this ride. We do not do the precise route Sybil Ludington took. We start and finish in Carmel, running through many of the towns Sybil coursed.
To make the distance work out to 50 km, the race starts a mile or so south of Carmel. The runners are driven there by race volunteers.
By race time, temperature was up to 35 degrees, with strong wind. Several runners were wearing shorts, but I went with capri pants, a heavy polypropylene top, wicking glove liners, and a thin fleece ear band. At some point I will be overdressed, but for the present and foreseeable future, this is what I need.
The race starts on a busy stretch of US-6, so there isn't much of a starting line. The 45 starters is a record for this race. I line up close to the front, not so much because I'm feeling aggressive, but because I'm feeling claustrophobic. Shortly after the start, Ellen McCurtin, last year's overall winner, takes the lead as expected. A young fellow named Duke, runs off with her.
I'm running with a guy who traveled from Ithaca. With the southern tip of the West Branch Reservoir on our right, we pass through the first mile in 7:38. I ask him his intended pace, and he tells me that's it. My intended pace was more like 8:00 per mile, but he doesn't ask, so I don't tell. I don't want him to think I'm some chump who's going out too fast. The pace feels about right.
My first and last goal for today's race is to run a good workout for the Vermont City Marathon in five weeks. I wouldn't mind running under four hours for the 50 km, but I think going through 30 miles in four hours is a more realistic goal.
The Ithacan and I do some strange gaining and losing on each other, then he volunteers that he really takes uphills easily and makes up for it on the downhills. I express regret that the course isn't quite long or tough enough to walk the uphills. He wonders how long young Duke can stay with the leader. Knowing this isn't Duke's first 50K, I express confidence in his knowledge of pace.
The first aid station is in Mahopac, shortly before we turn off route 6. The Ithacan gets through it much faster than I do, and leaves me long behind. Two other runners pass me here as well. As we run along Lake Mahopac, I catch back up to them. We go through 5 miles in 37:39. One of the runners asks me how old I am. It strikes me as a strange question. I tell him I'm 38, and ask him his favorite color.
At Red Mills, we start heading north, to Mahopac Mines. a work party, painting a cemetery fence, watches us run past. I see young Duke in the distance. As I catch him, I ask, "How's it going?". Judging by how much I startled him, the answer was "not too good".
I stretch my lead on the two other runners, and spend the next few miles looking for a good place for a pit stop. The course is fairly rural, but I'm being cautious. My spot was so good, that when I caught back up to the two runners, they had no idea how they got back ahead of me. It was so good, I seem to have a bit of poison ivy on my wrist. If this is the worst I get it all year, I'll consider myself blessed.
I go through 10 miles in 1:15:57, giving me 38:18 for the second 5 miles. I'm intrigued by the pace, but real happy with how it feels. Soon I leave the two runners behind for good.
We skirt the western finger of the West Branch Reservoir, then head towards Boyd Corners Reservoir. The next several miles are steadily uphill, but I really like this stretch. Here, as on most of the course, Forsythia is in full bloom. Of more interest to me is how much Mountain Laurel there is on the highlands east of the reservoir. I'd love to run here in June sometime. I go through the half Marathon in 1:38:32.
I pass the 15 mile mark shortly before we head back to a major road. I hit it in 1:53:24, giving me 37:27 for this third five mile segment. I start feeling a mite peckish, so I try to eat some Cliff Bar. I manage to get two bites down. It doesn't give me problems, but it's really all I want. I spend considerable time loading up at the next aid station.
Now we have to make our way to Pecksville, in Dutchess County. This is a long straight stretch, which is steadily uphill. Midway through, the main road turns off, and we run onto a little road. White's Pond, and the White's Pond Multiple use area is on the right. I hit 20 miles in 2:31:42, giving me another 38:18 segment.
Surprisingly, I see a runner in the distance. It's the guy from Ithaca. He's walking up a hill in spite of my quip. I catch up to him shortly before Pecksville, and it is clear, we are running two different paces. He seemed so strong when I saw him early in the race. Perhaps he is still feeling the Hinte-Anderson Trail 50K he ran last month.
From Pecksville, Sybil made her way back home to Stormville. We have to make our way back home to Carmel, perhaps following the early part of Sybil's route, perhaps not. We run on dirt road for a while. After 20+ miles of pavement, it feels good, but unsteady. Towards the end of this section, a man offering water tells me I am getting close to the leader. I do a major double take, and decide he's exaggerating.
When I get out to a larger road, I see that she is indeed within sight. Being the first man is cool, but being first overall would blow me away. I am gaining, but slowly. Unlike the runners I have passed up to this point, she still has some good miles left in the tank. I go through 25 miles in 3:07:24, with a 35:42 split.
The next aid station is immediately after a turn, and I am unprepared for it. I know the aid after this is at nearly 30 miles, so I consider this the last station. Loading up here is important. Ellen makes it through this station much faster than I do, but everyone makes it through every station faster than I do. I go through the Marathon in 3:17:09. I am pleased with the evenness of my half marathon splits, especially given how hilly the course is.
By this point, I realize I am no longer gaining on Ellen McCurtin. The stars are back in alignment, Ellen has pulled away, and I am running to finish comfortably. As one might expect from this time of year, the day is warming up. It's only in the fifties, but after more than three hours of running, I'm feeling the heat. The ear band comes off, the sleeves get pushed up. Because it's still windy, the gloves stay on. I hike my pants up further. Is this a good idea or not? It is cooler to have my knees exposed, but my stride now has more resistance.
Images of the causeway that crosses the West Branch Reservoir are all that keep me going. A man across the road asks me what race this is. I tell him, "Sybil Ludington". At this pace, conversations with stationary persons are possible, and he asks me how far, I tell him "50K", and wonder if that number means anything to him.
After this pleasant diversion, I see it: the causeway! A man at the aid station tells me I just have a few tenths of a mile to go. I don't have the time or energy to explain that it is a few tenths of a mile to the 30 mile mark. We are running 31 plus a few lire. I go through 30 miles in 3:46:02. I've got my 30 in 4, and the 50K should be under 4 hours as well. The last 5 miles were in 38:38. This is my slowest split, but not to a worrisome degree.
As I head into Carmel, I'm looking for another lake. The race finishes on the east bank of Lake Gleneida, by the massive statue of Sybil Ludington. I see the lake, but there is one more obstacle to cross. The last 500 meters are on grass. After more than 30 miles of distance run, this wet, bumpy field makes me feel ... stuck in the mud.
I see the finish line; I see Sybil!
However slowly I make my way across this grass, I will finish. I finish in 3:54:10. My previous Sybil was 4:26:21, so I'm pretty happy. Personal bests still feel good, even if I need to find brave new distances to attain them.
I'm getting chilly, and see no runners coming, so I head back to the VFW basement to change and rest. Cheerful, helpful Taconic Roadrunners members try to ply me with food, but I am happy with the water and Gatorade I have consumed, and the comfortable corner of floor I have found.
After a while, runners start pouring into the room. Now it is time to eat. The six foot sub of grilled vegetables is just about the best post race food I have ever encountered. We all sit around and talk in the wonderful atmosphere that only seems to surround ultra events and their cousin, trail races. Some folks are actually talking about a 50K they will be running the following day in a place that sounds like Lake Runamok. The slackers will be running the Leatherman's Loop 10K in Westchester. I was just happy to bring my daughter around in the stroller the next day. Next up, Ellen McCurtin and her significant runner, Joe LeMay will both be running Mount Washington, so watch out! I'm still looking towards the Vermont City Marathon on Memorial Day Weekend.
It's awards time, and I get my award for second place overall. It's a hand drawn, lettered and colored map of the course, complete with motivational "Ten Suggestions for Having a Good Sybil", with cartoonish illustrations and parodies. This is probably the coolest award I have ever received, and it will be hung in my office, if I can figure out what to do with my framed Newfoundland iceberg picture.
This is a fun race. If you've got an opening in your schedule, I heartily recommend it.
Steven
Cangemi
Red Hook, New York