| Author |
Topic: Race Report: North Face Endurance 50 mi (Washington / VA) |
runkg
Member |
 posted Aug-05-2007 04:05 PM
  
I anticipate North Face will be facing a lot of heat for this race. I'll try to be as objective and fair as possible. Similar to Merigayle (her comment in TNF Endurance Race Map string), I too found the course markings lacking and contradictory. This, though, was a minor frustration. I was out for a long training run, not a PR -- I just pretended this was a Hash House Harrier run (but without the beer).
As for the volunteers, I thought they did their best in a difficult situation. It was hot, many of the volunteers were unfamiliar with the demands of ultra running, and from my conversations with a few, it seemed that they hadn't received extensive guidance prior to the race.
In short, I could have walked (hobbled) away relatively content, this despite the extra miles, the confusing and often absent trail marking, the imperfectly organized support, nothing but bananas at the finish, a post race festival meal--5 miles away--that was already packed up at 5.30, despite being advertised as running till 6 -- had it not been for one thing. Approaching mile 36 I came upon a 50k runner crawling just off the trail. I began asking the runner questions to get a medical history. He lunged at me with his left arm, collapsed and lost consciousness (aggressiveness and loc are frequent symptoms of heat stroke). Another 50 miler--many thanks, yellow shirt--ran ahead to the aid station at mile 36, where the start / finish is to get medical support from the race staff (the race description notes aid would be available at the start / finish) while I attended to the 50k runner. I am greatly indebted to the several hikers on the trail who stopped and helped provide aid: calls to 911, steady supplies of water to help cool the runner and later, instant ice packs. Oddly, despite North Faces assurances that there would be medical sports volunteers "on course and at finish area," no North Face aid ever came. My wife, who was waiting to pace me from the mile 36 aid station -- just across from the finish -- was able to run out and help with the evacuation. In short, it took approximately 50 minutes between runner loss of consciousness and EMT litter evacuation--at least 20 minutes longer than it would have taken any reasonably equipped BLS trained medical volunteer from the finish line to reach the downed runner. The difference between 30 minutes and 50 minutes is critical -- 50 minutes is the outer end of the "magic hour" for BLS response. I've participated in other trail runs with minimal or no medical support. None of these runs billed themselves, as the North Face Endurance Challenge does, as "your first ultra." Perhaps there was medical support -- and for some reason there was a breakdown in communication between the mile 36 aid station and the race organizers, a few 100 yards away. In any event, I recount this here (as I have in a more detailed email to the organizers) in the hopes that in future races North Face will either (1) acknowledge medical support will be limited and, as such, expressly note that the ultra distance may be inappropriate for some runners or (2) provide responsive medical aid and the volunteer training to ensure the line of communication for delivering such aid. Lastly, and most important, if the 50 k-er reads this, I hope you are well and I look forward to running with you another day.
[This message has been edited by runkg (edited Aug-05-2007).]
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merigayle
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-05-2007 04:32 PM
Hey! i think Durt and I saw you running with your wife on the last stretch. I was wearing a bright orange shirt and he was shirtless. Your wife has short hair? I noticed a man and woman and the woman had no number on, presumed a pacer. I was jealous you had a pacer.
That is crazy about the fallen runner. Durt and DeTurtle had some issues with another runner and the EMT/medical response. I will let them (Turtle mostly) tell that story though. All i know is that a runner compeletly siezed up and fell to the ground in severe full body cramps on the trail. With the weather the way it was, it was irresponsible for them not to have unmanned aid stations with just water along the course, like at the turn around on the difficult run section.
I went to pick up my AG award at a little before 6 and the entire festivities were done, everything packed up and they were getting ready to leave! I really think i ran 60 miles  I am just finishing up my long race report, will post soon.
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runnertim17011
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-05-2007 05:19 PM
Did anybody not run an extra 3-10 miles yesterday? Another runner and I saw a small kid with a handful of orange trail markers. He was collecting them. hahaha! We put a couple of them back on the trail and told his mother that the markers were there so the runners don't get lost. The EMT's were all over me at the finish line. 2 different people were taking my pulse at the same time. I wanted to lie down because I was fairly dehydrated. They said I looked in bad shape but I wasn't. I talked to the North Face race director after the race about the course markings, volunteers pointing runners in the wrong directions at crossroads. I was very diplomatic in my approach as to not sound like an angry winner. He was very receptive to what I said.
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merigayle
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-05-2007 05:23 PM
Tim, I will say you looked great every time i saw you out there! You were making it look easy I will send them an email this week. I talked to one of the volunteers at the hotel and he said they would appreciate constructive criticism. They knew things did not go as planned.
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runkg
Member |
posted Aug-05-2007 05:35 PM
Hi Merigayle, Yes, that was my wife and me. She's run in all conditions (sub freezing; the mud at Jay, McNaughton and Dances with Dirt)... but had the good sense not to run 50 miles in DC in August. She did welcome the chance for a decent 14 mile trail run (turned out to be at least 16 miles because she ran out to help with the med evac). I am grateful she was there -- she made the ludicrous markings seem funny rather than frustrating. Congrats to you for finishing first in your age group and to Derrick for his DFL!
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merigayle
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-05-2007 05:40 PM
That is cool that she paced you and distracted you from the clusterf*ck the race was When we saw you, i think we saw maybe 4 runners in the last several hours of that race. It was weird. Especially on an out and back.
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timlong
Member |
posted Aug-06-2007 02:06 PM
I ran the 50 M and was injured (knee) while crawling around the Potomac hilly area and at that point was in 3rd place with a 30 min lead over 4th. It was my first 50 miler and I organize and time over 30 events a year (and run a bunch too) and have never seen a more confusing or poorly marked course. The organizers should be embarrassed to say the least. My race report is at
footfeathers.blogspot.com
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runkg
Member |
posted Aug-06-2007 06:14 PM
Thanks for the report, Tim, and sorry about the injury. Hope you are feeling better.I just saw this report from the 50k: http://johndimeo.blogspot.com/2007/08/north-face-endurace-50k-trail-run.html ... kind of made me feel ok to be a hack out there for some exercise. I sympathize with anyone who trained hard for this one, only to get lost. In the big scheme of things, though, it's just a run... a few hours (in my case, a dozen hours!) away from the infinitely more challenging and troubling realities of the world. I wonder what TNF's response will be. I'd run it again if they prove good sports and make a good faith effort to rectify the shortcomings.
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garyg
Member |
posted Aug-13-2007 04:22 PM
"Lastly, and most important, if the 50 k-er reads this, I hope you are well and I look forward to running with you another day. " Unfortunately this young man won't be reading this thread for a long time, if ever. My wife is a PT and has been working on this man, he is in very bad shape. The best anyone of us can do is to keep him in our thoughts and if so inclined prayers. Be careful out there folks, listen to your body.
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merigayle
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-13-2007 04:46 PM
quote:
Originally posted by garyg:
"Lastly, and most important, if the 50 k-er reads this, I hope you are well and I look forward to running with you another day. " Unfortunately this young man won't be reading this thread for a long time, if ever. My wife is a PT and has been working on this man, he is in very bad shape. The best anyone of us can do is to keep him in our thoughts and if so inclined prayers. Be careful out there folks, listen to your body.
OH NO!!! That is terrible  It was neglectful of the race to not have water drops along the course on such a crazy hot day. My thoughts are with the runner, and i hope for a good and quick recovery. Keep us posted.
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runkg
Member |
posted Aug-14-2007 04:59 PM
Just an update: The race directors contacted me to provide an update on the runner's condition and to address some of the concerns I raised in my letter to North Face detailing what I at the time perceived as the unnecessarily delayed provision of definitive medical care (for a short description, see the original post in this string). The runner is still in hospital but is now out of ICU; in short, there has been improvement over the past ten days. As for TNF, I think their response (both by email and by phone) demonstrates their concern and their desire to improve future races. TNF shared two helpful points: (1) an EMT was stationed at the mile 36 Visitor's Aid Station -- but 15 minutes prior to when the aid station received notification of the emergency, this EMT had been called away to attend to an injured golfer and (2) the EMTs at the race finish, when they received notification of the stricken runner, advised the race organizers that an off site 4WD EMT crew could reach the runner more quickly than they could travel the 1.7 miles on foot. As I wrote in the original post, my wife, who was at the mile 36 aid station when volunteers received notification, did cover the 1.7 miles and did help with the evacuation. I fully understand, however, that the EMTs, in contrast to my wife, are not experienced ultra runners and as such, I respect the EMTs' thought process and decision. As others have written, I too continue to hope for the runner's full recovery.
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danerunsalot
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-16-2007 03:17 PM
quote:
Originally posted by runkg:
Just an update: The race directors contacted me to provide an update on the runner's condition and to address some of the concerns I raised in my letter to North Face detailing what I at the time perceived as the unnecessarily delayed provision of definitive medical care (for a short description, see the original post in this string). The runner is still in hospital but is now out of ICU; in short, there has been improvement over the past ten days. As for TNF, I think their response (both by email and by phone) demonstrates their concern and their desire to improve future races. TNF shared two helpful points: (1) an EMT was stationed at the mile 36 Visitor's Aid Station -- but 15 minutes prior to when the aid station received notification of the emergency, this EMT had been called away to attend to an injured golfer and (2) the EMTs at the race finish, when they received notification of the stricken runner, advised the race organizers that an off site 4WD EMT crew could reach the runner more quickly than they could travel the 1.7 miles on foot. As I wrote in the original post, my wife, who was at the mile 36 aid station when volunteers received notification, did cover the 1.7 miles and did help with the evacuation. I fully understand, however, that the EMTs, in contrast to my wife, are not experienced ultra runners and as such, I respect the EMTs' thought process and decision. As others have written, I too continue to hope for the runner's full recovery.
I ran the 50k and anyone is welcome to read my recap here if they'd like: http://danerunsalot.blogspot.com/2007/08/north-face-endurance-50k-challenge.html
But more importantly do we have a name of the 50ker who collapsed and a place where we can send wishes?
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