Pacific Crest Trail 50K

This past Saturday I ran a wonderfully casual Pacific Crest Trail 50K that’s part of a training weekend for Cascade Crest 100. However, many folks running it were doing it just for fun or general training (like myself), and not specifically in preparation for Cascade Crest.

It’s a point to point, so we carpooled to the trailhead at Tacoma Pass, and headed north on the PCT to Snoqualmie Pass. There were roughly 30 of us on the trail, following the PCT blazes.

I’ll admit that in the beginning I felt out of place. Everyone seemed to be super experienced, and know each other. However, in the first few miles, I settled into a steady pace with a lovely woman named Doerte. Her husband was one of the guys organizing the race, and he was the sole proprietor of two (very welcome) mini aid stations. Doerte was incredibly nice (as was everyone else), and I really enjoyed chatting for nine-ish miles with her. We covered all of my favorite topics – races, cats, travel, etc. (Note to self – look into small trail races in Germany… they have cake at the end!!)

We rolled into the 11 mile aid station, and she ended her run there due to a nasty blister. I was sad she couldn’t continue, but so grateful for her cheerful company in the beginning! She set me at ease, and I was looking forward to the rest of the day. I left the aid station in good spirits.

I was alone for a few miles, and feeling good as I hit some very runnable sections of trail and got in a groove. As it got rockier, I was just about to blast some tunes so keep my mojo going, and I heard a voice behind me. A new running partner – Joe! Joe is an experienced ultrarunner and great company. Lots of stories, and he kept me pleasantly distracted on some slightly more technical trails.

Before long, we reached Mirror Lake. It was very pretty, and I adore the color of alpine lakes.

At this point, we met up with a couple (Ryan and Genia) who had just taken some time for a swim in the lake to cool off. We headed out together and they cruised right along. We swapped race stories and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to keep up with them (it didn’t last, despite their best efforts to slow down for me, lol.)

We ran into the 22 mile aid station, with Mike smiling from a camp chair and chilled beverages and snacks at hand. (Cold grape juice is really good on a hot afternoon run, FYI.) We didn’t have too far to go now, so onwards! I’m glad we were able to refill our water when we did because it was definitely warm. Every patch of shade was momentary bliss.

Before too long, Joe and I came into an open meadow with a ski lift and I-90 in the distance. A lovely cruise down the trail, with a pause to admire the view, and we were done!

I really loved spending the day on a famous chunk of trail with some really wonderful folks that made the day go by quicker than I had expected. I didn’t fall (which is notable since I’ve taken two good spills in three weeks), so it was a success! I became acquainted with some lovely runners that I’ll hopefully see more of out there on the trails, and I got to enjoy wildflowers and mountain views. What more could you want?

Finishing time: 8:35

Elevation gain: 6,100 feet

Calories consumed: 1,000 calories (1 small pack of Tailwind, 1 ham and cheese roll up, 1/2 sweet potato/bean/rice burrito, 1 purple potato, 4 Glutinos, 1/2 sweet potato/apple baby food, handful of tortilla chips)