Sweaty Butt 50 k race report

Mile 25 or so

Mile 25 again

Jeff Dufour and Frank Lilley

My butt was Sweaty

I promised some of you all a post race report on my run on Saturday.
The Sweaty Butt 50k was a no frills run that was held in William B.
Umstead park in Raleigh. We started promptly at 715 am after our RD
Mike Day gave out instructions as to the course. The course would go
all through single track trails that would combine two of the main
trails, Company Mill and Sycamore. They are both breathtaking and are
challenging as well. We were to do three loops that measured a little
over ten miles each and were to complete all of these in less than ten
hours. The weather was warm from the beginning and I did the first
loop in a little over two hours, which I realized climbing up
subsequent hills on loop two was way too fast for me. I ran a decent
pace the second lap and ran about 5 miles with some buddies of mine
from my other running club, the Mangum Track Club. They were all in
the zone and began to pull away from me before my ascent out of the
Company Mill basin as I finished my 2nd loop. I sat down at the
pavilion with my butt very sweaty and only managed to run my second
loop in a little over three hours. As I sat there I saw Frank Lilley,
also a member of MTC and the co-director for the inaugural Medoc
Mountain Marathon and 10 miler that will be held in October. I
suggested we go out again and off we went. We ran, talked, chatted in
general about everything under the sun. I quickly forgot my pain, the
time, and just enjoyed being there doing what I love to do. We were
beat but we knew there was strength in numbers. We got poured on,
dodged lightening (not fun) and managed to run some climbing out of
the last part of Company Mill loop. We finished in 9 hours and 30
minutes and I never have been so happy. Not cup, no mug, no t shirt.
Just Mike Day there with cold ice cream for us to eat (Gotta love dry
ice).
My wife was there as she ran some, my trail puppy Odie ran one lap
with me, My daughters bf had chicken cooked for us and it never tasted
so good. Things I learned from this run. Life is too short to stand
back and that the fastest time isn't always the one you cherish the
most. Thanks to Sharon for telling me to slow down. And you think you
can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Happy Trails. Jeff