Badger Mountain Challenge 50K Race Report

This was my first ultra in nearly a year following an injury. Ultras are about exploring the nooks and crannies of your physical and mental self, and I had seriously missed it. So one could say that I was excited to be back out there and decidedly nervous because finishing an ultramarathon is never a sure thing. But it would be a journey, regardless.

The Badger Mountain Challenge doesn’t look too intense on paper, but I’m so glad that I had been forewarned of the challenges by my coach (who finished the 100-miler for the 4th time.) Adam was running the race with me, so at least I’d have some guaranteed company out on the course.

The race began right at the edge of Kennewick, Washington, at the small Badger Mountain Trailhead Park. The route for the 50K (actually 55K) is an out-and-back with four aid stations every 4-6 miles. The course is broken out nicely into four sections:

Start – Badger Mountain & Candy Mountain

The start was understated and old-school, to say the least – it was simply an orange line spray-painted in the parking lot. After a concise course briefing, and a hug from my coach (who had just placed second in her 100 miler a mere hour before), Adam and I set off with our fellow 50Kers! We immediately climbed up tight switchbacks and the elevation gain rewarded us with a beautiful view of Kennewick below. The trail was a steady climb, but non-technical. It’s at a pitch that you want to run but then you remember there are 30+ miles to go, so pacing was the order of the day. After the climb it was two, winding cruiser miles down Badger and that was FUN. The sun was rising into a clear blue sky and we were feeling good – trail running at its best!

We quickly hit the Candy Mountain Aid Station at 4.6 miles. That early in the race the only thing we needed was to strip off some layers as the temperature quickly rose with the sun. Our friend Ellen was volunteering (after she finished the 50-miler the night before, I might add), and it’s always lovely to see a friendly face. We grabbed a handful of salty snacks and continued on to Candy Mountain.

The climb up Candy Mountain was steady, non-technical and not as long as Badger. Once we reached the top, we took a few photos and briefly enjoyed the view. Then the trail suddenly became somewhat technical on the downhill – my least favorite combo. Adam bombed down while I did my best to pick a line and trust my footing. Near the bottom, Adam stopped and waited for me. I asked what was wrong and he said “there’s a photographer up ahead, so we should be together!” Awww.

Candy Mountain – Vineyards

The trail led down to I-82 and after a sharp turn, went through a culvert beneath the highway. It was just long enough that our eyes started to play tricks on our eyes with the light at the end – it felt like we were spinning in the Twilight Zone. After another sharp left turn after the culvert, the course followed the road for roughly three miles. It wasn’t a busy road, so hooray for not having to dodge traffic. After some easy miles, we arrived at the Jacobs Road Aid Station, and it was time for the “Endless Vineyards.”

Vineyards – Jeep Roads

The course skirts the edge of the vineyards so there are vines on one side and sagebrush on the other. We were told during the briefing that no matter what, you should never have vines on either side of you. I was grateful for the reminder because one interesting thing about this course is the trail markings. The course was marked with pink flags and ribbons, but unlike many Pacific Northwest trails, there are virtually no trees out there. So all of the markings are down at your feet, and you have to pay attention in order not to miss them.

As we ran many miles by the vineyards, I wondered, why isn’t there wine at the aid stations? It’s fruit. That’s a good ultra fuel. A suggestion for next year, perhaps. 😉

At the end of the vineyards came the infamous Jeep roads. Despite already having seen pictures (thank goodness), I had to stop and laugh when we came up to the first one.

Seriously? Okay, then. So down and up and down and up we went. This section is not scenic – just challenging and a little sandy. But I knew that once we reached the end we would hit the turnaround! So onward we ran until we hit the halfway point at Field Road Aid Station.

The sun was nearly overhead and we (cheerfully) took out our sunscreen to protect our vampire-like Seattle skin. We also attended to hotspots on Adam’s feet with 2Toms BlisterShield and new socks, and headed back out.

Jeep Roads – Vineyards

At this point, I had been doing the “ultra math” in my head and realized we needed to keep it moving in order to stay ahead of cutoffs. (Maybe someday I’ll know what it’s like to run a race and not worry about cutoffs?) Adam and I agreed there would be no dawdling at the aid stations, and kept on moving.

I was quite happy that when we made it to the end of the Jeep Roads with that one last (silly) climb. I have a brilliant idea though… a zipline to reach the other side. Eh? Eh? Who’s in?

Vineyards – Candy Mountain

Once at the vineyards, we were faced with relatively flat miles that we just needed to grind out. I’m better at these than technical trails, and I was happy to get some miles under my feet. I blasted some pop music for inspiration and even did some shoulder/arm dancing. (sorrynotsorry, my fellow runners.)

While I was jamming out, Adam was having a less stellar time. In hindsight, we both needed more calories, and he was suffering because of it. (It certainly couldn’t have been because we had already run 20+ miles, haha.) My dancefest was his trudge and we drifted apart for a bit. We reconnected at the culvert beneath the highway, and braced for the final climbs.

Candy Mountain & Badger Mountain – Finish

At this stage, my own energy was dropping and my nausea increasing. I had been managing an upset tummy for the whole race, but the climb up Candy made it significantly worse. The exertion and “heat” (it was maybe 67 degrees F) didn’t help. Dealing with nausea mid-race is a somewhat regular phenomenon for me, and hardly unusual in the ultrarunning world. Maybe someday I’ll crack the code on it, but for now, I’m still experimenting.

We cruised down the groomed side of Candy (hopefully looking more graceful than we felt), and I was grateful to see the Candy Mountain Aid Station. Just one more &*$%ing mountain to climb.

At the base of the climb, my coach, Jess Mullen, paid us a surprise visit! She wanted to give us one last little boost before the end, and it’s exactly what I needed. She was all smiles, encouragement, and told us specifically what to expect when running Badger in this direction.

Remember how I mentioned the winding descent down Badger in the beginning and how fun it was? It’s less fun on the way up, but again, I was grateful for the smoother trails. At least we didn’t have to worry about our feet. Although we did see a tiny little snake across the trail at the top, which made me and Adam laugh because we’d been singing this stupid, earworm of a song from the internet for days (watch it at your own risk):

Less than a mile from the end I had “a moment.” A tiny (mostly internal) tantrum that was a quick pressure release of what I was feeling – exhaustion, pain, nausea, and the overwhelming desire to stop. Small tantrums/pity parties are not uncommon mid-ultra, but I felt silly having one this close to the finish and during a 50K.

I reminded myself that it had been over a year since running an ultra, and I needed to treat myself with a little grace. Lately, I’ve also experienced some additional stresses/worries from work and family things so I’d imagine that played a part in my having “a moment.” That all sounds overly dramatic, but again, ultras are about exploring the nooks and crannies of your physical and mental self. Sometimes it’s impressive and inspirational, like when you manage to finish strong despite horrible conditions or physical distress. Other times you’re just a hot mess sitting beside the trail, and clearly there’s some room for growth. Balance. 😉

After my momentary motivational crash, the finish line was in sight! We ran the tight switchbacks down off the mountain and into the park where the small crowd cheered. I grabbed Adam’s hand as we ran through the chute – our first race together in three years!

Some quick numbers:
Distance: 50K (but really a 55K – 34 miles)
Finishing time: 8:06:15
Elevation gain: ~4,100 feet
Calories consumed: ~1,200 (5 Glutino Oreos, 1 pouch sweet potato/apple baby food, 1 pack Skratch Matcha/Lemon chews, 1/2 navel orange, handful of potato chips and pretzels, 1 Spring Energy Canaberry gel, 2 Hammer gels, ½ Uncrustable, cup of ginger ale)

This race was a sneaky one – each section is relentless with a particular challenge, but it’s not ever too much to get through. Badger has a history of absolutely dreadful weather – rain, sleet, wind, and mud –  so I was very grateful that no meteorological conditions besides sunburn played a part in our race. The race itself was well-run and well-supported, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a fun challenge that has great community support and feels authentically old-school. It was also an excellent confidence-builder as we prepare for our next big race in just a few weeks… I can’t wait!