Jack Sayles

Mar 31, 201913 min read

Music City Trail Ultra 2019

Redemption at the rough and rugged Music City Trail Ultra 2019.

What a great day it turned out to be.

The run up to the run. It’s been said that many hands make the burned lite. John Hardin has managed to gather a solid group of volunteers around Hardwin Adventures that help with everything from trail prep to race day. Music City Trail Ultra (MCTU) was no different with days of trail prep being done in large part by the Dirtbag Trail Run Club. The trail was blown for most of the major single track sections, briars cut down or back, trees moved out of the way – no not all of them we had to leave some to climb over and the flagging. It was nearly 3 or 4 weekends plus a few days during the week to get this course ready and it was in the best shape ever thanks to all the help. Race day ended up being no different with a solid group of aid station and finish line volunteers. Without these folks this race would be totally different.

Please remember, if you didn’t already know, I like to tell a story in my blog. So sit back, relax and enjoy.

So if you haven’t ever run this event before I highly recommend it. It’s been around for seven years and I’ve run it each year. The first three years I ran the 25k, which got renamed after the first year to a 27k. I’ll never forget that year, it was run in June so it was hot. I remember looking at my watch and seeing 15+ miles and I’m thinking where in the heck it this finish line! Three miles later I was done. Yea, 27k was much more appropriate. These last four years I’ve run the 50k course, which to put it directly is beautifully brutal. This year I managed to follow in Roy’s footsteps whom I ran this 50k with 4 years ago, but more on that later.

The night before the race I check to see how long it was going to take me to get to the race, 30 minutes great. I’ve now got everything laid out ready to go, food, vest, hydration, clothes. I’m ready for the morning, or so I thought. I had planned on being there an hour before the race started, giving myself a chance to chill before having to mentally switch gears. I get out the door and into the car, pull up Google Maps, put in the address ready for my 30 minute drive. Now I was being told it was going to take nearly 50 minutes to get to the race. What a way to start race day, yea I worked to get there a little sooner than that.

Once there my prep went fairly well. I managed to say ‘Hi’ to a lot of friends. I get my bib on, vest ready and one of the aid stations being manned by dear friends, Dan and Marla, was taking small drop bags so I sent one with them; this will pay off later on. So I’m ready and John gathers us up.

The start of the Music City Trail Ultra 2019 — Time to start this race! Oh wait did I remember to put all my affairs in order?

John gives us a few pointers with course saying that the first 3 miles are the hardest, yea right, the whole thing ain’t easy. He has us repeat the runners’ oath and then walks off saying “You have 5 minutes to get your life in order and the start line is right there.”, pointing at some spot on the ground. Then almost 5 minutes later standing off at the gate we would have to run through John tries to get our attention for the start. I hear him saying something, so I raised my hand to let him know I was listening. Next thing I know I’m hearing the count down, then ‘GO!’ This would be the only time I’m in the lead and only because I was paying attention, it lasted a whole 3 maybe 5 minutes. I do like being out in front of most of the masses during the start of a race; I know that I’m going to get passed but this way I can settle into my race and focus on that and not worry about having to get around a ton of folks.

By the first climb not a ¼ mile away and up a little wash I had been passed by 10 to 15 folks all younger than me; this is time number 7 for me on this section of the course so I’m not pushing it. The first 3 miles of this course are hilly to say the least. About ¾ of a mile in you get popped out on the pipe line for a short climb and your first treat of the day, beautiful views a head of you.

Now that has to mean that the ground in front of you is going down for you to be able to see as far off as you are right then. This is the point at which I just chuckle to myself as more and more people start to pass me. We’re now on a descent of a roughly 9% grade, which crosses a very think creek at the bottom and instantly go back up at a steeper grade. Yea as I go up I manage to pass a few folks back without trying; this is when going out too fast catches up to you early on. You just can’t do that on this course. Once back up we run on some easy fire road for a bit before getting back on single track. After about 2.5 miles of easy running on a mix of single track and fire road you get smacked again with a serious descent that flattens out about ¾ of the way down such that your running off camber while trying not to slide down into the creek below. Yup, you guessed it as soon as you cross the creek you go nearly straight up, no switchbacks on this course. Nearly every year before I get lost, off course, after reaching the top but this year we blew the trail and cut back most of the trees and briars so it was smooth sailing, nearly 4 miles in. On finial approach to the first aid station, I know I’m close and I start to open it up a bit on the descent into the aid station. I know the way, or so I thought. I wasn’t really looking for the turn, which I miss. Becca calls out ‘Jack back here! You missed it.’ ‘Crap!’ While is it was only less than .1 of a mile of an overshoot, it still cost me time and mental energy. I think this was my second wrong turn.

I hit the aid station at fully steam ahead while crossing the creek at the bottom. I throw my windbreaker on the ground around the table and keep going, no need to stop here.

I know I’ll be back here as it is the last aid station before the finish and I’ll pick up my jacket then. I have to cross the same creek again to continue on course. My third missed turn was going to be just a head. I see runners on the other side of the creek and see what I thought was the creek crossing to take us to the trail on the other side, nope wrong again. I was really frustrated for missing all the turns, blurting out ‘Dag nab it!’ and ‘Crap!’ several times. I was reminded to chill and it wasn’t really going to be a big deal anyway by Becca. Those mistakes did end up having an impact later on.

Once we crossed the creek we climbed so I pulled out my first bullet, about an hour in and it’s time to eat. Away from the creek I was starting to feel settled and I felt like I was moving well. I had no idea of the pecking order of things other than 3 of my friends, Kevin, Jeff and Jason, were out in front of me somewhere. Becca was hanging on my 6 and then others were somewhere behind me, at one point she asks me if I’ve been eating and I replied ‘Yup, 1 bullet and 1 SpeedNut down’. As I round the turn that puts me on the final approach to the next aid station I look down at my watch and think ‘Wow, I’m already here.’ I really felt like I was making great time. I had just finished another Spring Energy Longhaul so I just rolled through this aid station telling David and Shannon to save me some Fireball for the return trip. On a race like this when I’m doing well it really benefits me to only stop if I really have to stop. The first pit stop of the day came at about mile 8 and I tell Becca I’ve got to pull off. I’m told that I’ll catch up to her. Once I was moving again I tried to catch up to Becca, but then realized I was going to kill myself moving too fast. My best move to was slow down slightly and take my time catching up, 4 miles later I did. I was moving through parts of the course I knew so well and pushed when and where I could especially on the long downhill leading to the briar field. The briar, really blackberry, field came quickly which told me I was less than ¼ of a mile from the next aid station. I arrived at the 3rd aid station just as Becca was leaving. I had just finished another Longhaul so I didn’t feel the need to stop. Dan and Marla were manning this aid station and double checked on me making sure I had everything I needed. Dan managed to shove a few Spring Energy’s in my vest as I push through in an attempt to catch up with Becca and the guy that had been with us up until I pulled off. I call this section the ‘backside loop of the 50k’; it’s roughly an 8 mile loop and it’s a ton of fun for me. A climb out of the aid station, a drop down to run along a creek that we cross several times then a climb out of the creek bed to a fire road then on to a gravel road. That section along the creek will slow a person down if they’re not prepared for wet feet and high steppin’ due to all the roots along the creek bank. It is one of the most beautiful sections of the whole race with my other favorite section coming up.

After we run on this gravel road for maybe ¼ of a mile you make a left turn on to a pipe line and instantly encounter your second pipe line hill, just as steep of a descent and climb as before just not quite as long, but almost. From the point you get on to the pipe line back to the aid station you just left it’s up and down all the way with the hills getting shorter the closer you get to the aid station. This is MY section and it’s my favorite, so many creek crossings. I’ve marked this section of the course for many years, with this being the first time in a long time I haven’t. Hitting the pipe line with Becca just in front we pass the guy that had been running with her, just a head or just behind for most of the race up until now, and we left him behind as we descended. Next up, literally on the climb up, was several other guys that I had been seeing off and on for most of the day. On one of the steep descents and climbs I manage to pass and pull away from all of them. Creek crossing after creek crossing, climb after climb I was moving farther in front of this group, such that by the time I hit my favorite spot of the whole course. These brief few yards are covered in daffodils and every year they are in bloom for the race. I had caught up to the 3rd place girl who blew by the turn to the aid station heading straight for a huge climb. I yelled, screamed and shouted as loud as I could to no avail, there was no way I was going to miss my turn to the aid station. As I’m making my turn she turns around and I yell again and point the way. As I duck into the woods I’m movin’ and the girl is hot on my heals. My friends are at the next aid station and I couldn’t wait to get there. I see a guy walking in the woods and I tell him as I pass him that he’s almost to the aid station, he starts running with me and tells me that the longest he’s ever run before is a ½ marathon. I’m thinking and you chose this for your first ultra, well you’ve made it this far you’ll finish it. I yell out with my call to let Dan and Marla know I’m coming in and then I shout out ‘I need everything!’ We hit the aid station. This would be my first stop of the day, I fill up my water and grab all my Spring Energy which Dan and Marla had taken with them at the start/finish. While refilling I a grab a Spring Energy McRaecovery and suck that down. The 3rd place thanks me for getting her attention and I tell her that turn was well marked.

After a brief bit of encouragement at the aid station she and the guy move on, the guy with his buddy who had just come into the aid station with Becca. I would later learn his name was Nick with the 101st out of Clarksville. In the few minutes I’m stopped we, Dan, Marla and myself are telling Becca that 3rd female just left. Her reply was classic ‘She can go ahead and chase metals. I’m chasin’ buckles.’ and that was that. As I ran back through the briar field I pass back Nick as we crossed a creek telling him that when he finishes I’ll have a beer for him. Nick had been running for a bit with his friend Steve who was also with 101st. As we turned the corner to climb the fire road I managed to run just a little of the way up seeing if I could keep 3rd female in my sights, by the top of the climb she was gone. Maybe a 1/4th of the way up I switch to a power hike with Steve just in front of me trying to run up the hill. We’re going almost at the same pace up. I said something to him like ‘Do you realize I’m using less energy than you are and we’re going about the same pace.’ At that point Steve starts walkin’ and talkin’, pulling out of me answers to his ultra running questions. We’re together for the next 4 miles talking about trail running and his upcoming deployment. During this time period I get pretty stoked because of my time to this point in the race. Steve and I are dropping down to another creek crossing and then up the fallen trees climb, a couple of years ago a tornado/straight line winds came through and blew down a bunch of huge trees right on the trail. As we top out I start telling him of the Fireball awaiting us at the next aid station. I couldn’t believe how well we, me especially, were moving. Steve is in his 20’s so I was expecting him to move well, he had told me he had never run this far before and didn’t really train for this distance. Oh to be young. As we topped off the climb we passed a couple of ruck sack runners, we gave our hello’s and good job’s as we passed them.

Not too long after that I hear another voice behind us and look back to see Keith closing in fast. Keith is getting ready for his 2nd 100 miler, which is about 4 weeks after this. I hear voices and let out my signature yell followed with ‘Get my Fireball ready!’ We hit the aid station and I refill both water bottles this time, one water one Spring Energy Electro-ride then have a shot of Fireball with Steve. Keith had already pulled a head a bit and was at the aid station just before us. We all kinda left together and I started bragging on Keith to Steve and told Steve if he felt like he could move faster that he should keep up with Keith. Just before the right turn which took us off the out and back section Steve’s leg cramped up on him, I stopped with him for a second and when I realized it was going to take longer than a second to get going again I took off. I really didn’t want Keith to get too far in front of me. By the time we hit a little horse shoe bend in the road I could no longer see him. He was moving great, smooth and efficient. As we hit the woods again I checked behind me, nobody. I kept checking behind me never seeing anyone. I’m on my descent to the last aid station that had a bunch of crazy friends manning it. When I get there I’m nearly thrown out and told by Katie to go catch up to Keith because I was only 2 minutes behind him, then she asks if I need anything. I get my water bottle refiled and my windbreaker stuffed into the back of my vest, then I was off chucking at the notion of catching Keith. Roughly 5 miles to go. So because I’ve run this section of the course for the last 6 years I’m looking for certain landmarks, I remembered one part but thought it had come after another section but I kept moving. I was racing myself at this point. I knew that unless something went terribly wrong I was going to beat my time from last year, now it became how close I could get to the ‘old man’ record. I had done really well with all my nutrition and had saved one SpeedNut and two Canaberry’s for this last section. I’m pushing but I’m slowly running out of gas, instead of sticking to my original nutrition plan for this section I take a Longhaul instead of a Canaberry, this change up didn’t foil my ending. There it was the downhill I had been waiting for, followed by a steep up, back on the pipe line with less than a mile to go to the finish. I tried to move faster. I hit the last turn and knew I was in great shape to finish strong. Down the hill I pass one of the 27k’ers, across the dry creek bed out on to the pasture in which we had started. I braced myself for the gale of wind that seems to always hit me smack in the face as I head for the finish. It never comes. I finish at 6:26:36, 4 seconds slower than my fastest time on the course and what turned out to be 30ish minutes faster than last year, but fast enough to finish first for everyone over 50. I was following in Roy's foot steps, when we did the 50k together he was first in his age group. I have to shave off another 30 minutes for the ‘old man’ record.