Getting Loopy at the Pulse Endurance Runs

I poked my head out of the aid station tent and sighed – The rain was coming down harder than it had all day and I was tired of being cold and wet. I had already accomplished quite a lot in the first half of the race sitting in first place just a few hundred yards shy of 100 miles, but found it difficult to wrap my head around running for 24 more hours.

Obligatory Pre-Race Selfie

The race, Pulse Endurance Runs, formerly known as Pickled Feet Ultras is ran on a relatively short looped course at Eagle Island State Park just outside of Boise with the challenge to clock as many miles as possible within a given time limit. I had ran both the 12 and 24 hour races in prior years so I was familiar with what to expect from the course, but this year I decided to take a jump into the unknown and give the 48 hour race a try.

Start Line

Annnnd we're off!

We started at 6:00 PM Thursday night on a modified version of the course that had been diverted due to flooding in the area (this is becoming a theme of my 2017 races apparently), though we were fortunate to have a warm evening with a dry weather forecast through the night. I started off running the 2.62 mile loops quicker than I had planned, and found myself matching the speed of the leader, not wanting to give up any distance this early on in the race. We cruised through the first half marathon in just under 2 hours before the leader peeled off to his car to take a break. I felt slighted for wasting so much effort into keeping pace with him to have him dip off the course quite so early. I kept moving, easing into a more comfortable and sustainable pace through the night. The 50 km mark came and went at about 5 hours and 15 minutes, and I was at 100 km before sunup on Friday morning still holding on to the lead by less than a lap.

My feet weren’t happy with the shoes I was wearing anymore so I decided to take the time to stop and swap out for a fresh pair of shoes and socks and get off of my feet for a few minutes, knowing full well that I would also be giving up the lead. I was right, and within a couple of minutes Logan Beaulieu, a Canadian runner, had passed me. I finished changing out my gear and refueled at the aid station before heading back out, now nearly a lap off the lead, but feeling better than I had for several hours.

The "Dry" Section of Trail

After a lap or two, Logan had an entire lap on me, but I was able to match his pace so we began running together. The rain began to fall around 10:00 AM and continued for most of the day. 

Logan and I trudging along on Day 2

Logan and I ran stride for stride until about 2:00 PM when I decided I needed to get the lap he had on me back. I opened up my stride and ran three laps with purpose. When I finished the third lap at mile 91, and still hadn’t seen him on the course I swung into the aid station and found that not only had I caught him, but had put a lap on him as well, he was really struggling with the cold and wet conditions as well as an old ankle injury that was flaring up. I convinced him to hop back on the course with me and we hiked a couple more laps, edging closer to the 100 mile mark. At 6:00 PM, halfway through the race I was in first place outright with 99.56 miles, Logan in second with 96.94, and Gus in third with 94.32 the rest of the field was in the low 80’s or below. I stopped for a 15 minute break to eat some real food and gather myself prior to getting back on the course with Logan in tow. I walked two laps with Logan and he got up over 100 miles but the rain and cold weather had taken its toll, before I knew it he was calling it a day and handed his chip in, concluding his event.

My sister Jeanna and brother-in-law Ian came out to cheer me on at 7 o’clock, this entailed me eating pasta and drinking a beer with them in the aid station while the rain hammered down outside. With Logan out of the running, it opened up the potential for others to vie for podium spots, the rain stopped around 8:00 PM just as the sun was setting and I was finally able to convince myself to go back out for a couple laps with Sean Olson and Sam Collier, who had been running a few laps behind me for most of the first half of the race.

Spectacular sunset over the pond. 

Smallest 'trash-bag-poncho' ever, courtesy of Sean (after the rain stopped)

'Runner's World' shot

With 104 miles and my closest competition now 10 miles behind me (Gus 94 mi), I took the opportunity to get off my feet for a while. I crawled into my tent a little after 10:00 PM and took a nap until just before midnight. I had never taken such a long break in a race and was concerned with how it would affect me, but it turned out to be for the best as it felt like I had a new pair of feet when I got back on the course.

I had given up half of my lead, now only two laps ahead of Gus, so I quickly went to work, I did 3 laps on my own and then caught up with Daragh Maccabee who was running the 24 hour with his daughter Hollie. I chatted with him for a bit and let him move on ahead. I ran a single lap with Hollie and then walked one more before retiring back to my tent for another quick nap. I had covered a relatively quick 13 miles in less than 4 hours and was now 5 full laps ahead of Gus (a great opportunity for a break).

I slept from 4:00 AM - 6:00 AM in the comfort of my tent. When the 12 hour day race started I woke up and swapped out my wardrobe for clean, dry gear and went back to work only having lost one lap to Gus during this time. I had 117 miles completed with 12 hours remaining in the race, and all I had to do was keep a gap between Gus and myself and I would have the race locked up. This proved to be more difficult that I had anticipated.

Before the fog lifted on Day 3

Sam and I stuck together for a few laps in the morning, drinking coffee and keeping each other amused, but mostly complaining about the torture that we signed up for. The rains from the day before had caused the water level in the Boise River to rise and it flooded the fields, spilling onto the course. What was once a dry dirt path on Thursday night was now an unavoidable ankle deep trough of water that grew with each passing lap. Eventually Holly, the RD felt bad enough for us and modified the course to keep us out of the deep water. This left us with a much more manageable 2.12 mile loop that kept our feet dry anyway.

"The Pond" that grew until the RD felt sorry for us and changed the course.

I spent a good chunk of the morning with Sam and eventually took an opportunity to run with Lara Maccabee (Daragh and Dolores’ middle daughter) for a good number of laps, we were able to click off miles at what I considered a very good pace for this late in the race (13-ish minute average). I was getting concerned because no matter how fast we were running, I couldn’t seem to widen the gap I had on Gus, Dolores came to the rescue and told me that she was going to take me for a loop and I knew better than to object. We ran a 21 minute lap, with one mile showing a 9:05 pace, while shocked that I was able to move so well, I paid for it for the next hour or so. We put a half of a lap on Gus and now I could finally see him occasionally on the opposite side of the pond on subsequent laps.

Grilled Cheese and Fireball, sweet combo. (Mile 130ish)

I slowed back down and kept an eye on Gus, and was finally able to relax a bit; Sam and I were again strolling around the course together wishing for beers and for the race clock to run out.

By the time I was convinced that I had enough of a lead to not lose my first place position, I had broken the 150 mile barrier. It was just before 4:00PM and I wanted nothing more than to sit in a chair and drink a cold beer - so that’s what I did - Sam didn’t take much convincing to do the same. I saw Gus come through once or twice closing the gap slightly, but with 12 miles of cushion and only two hours left, I knew he was no longer a threat.

 Jeanna and Ian showed up at around 4:30 and had a beer with me and helped me take down my tent as I waited for the short loop (0.28 miles per lap) to open up for the last hour of the race. I wanted to get a few more miles before calling it a day. Sean and Jeanna ran a couple of the short laps with me and I decided to end my day with 30 minutes left on the race clock.

Waiting for the short loop to open up.

The time expired with Sam in third with 128.92, Gus in second with 145.00, and yours truly in first with 153.05 miles. There were many people that did incredible things in their respective races and I am always inspired to see people of all ages and different backgrounds pushing themselves to their limits to see what their bodies are capable of. It is a humbling experience to be able to be a part of a community that is so supportive and accepting.

48 Hour Podium - Drew (153.05 Miles, Center), Gus (145 Miles, Left), Sam (128.92 Miles, Right)

This was a huge accomplishment and an unnerving adventure into the unknown, both from duration and a distance perspective. I also came away with my first overall win in any race. This one means quite a lot to me and it wouldn’t have happened without the support of my family and friends, and the amazing race staff and volunteers that sacrificed their time to come support us on the course. A sincere “Thank you” to everyone involved.