El Scorcho 25K: We're Up All Night 'til the Sun

I can't let the summer days pass without telling you all about El Scorcho, one of my favorite running events of the year. El Scorcho offers 50K and 25K options and is run at midnight each July at Trinity Park in Fort Worth. The race is broken down into 5K loops--5 for the 25K and 10 for the 50K.  This year marked the seventh running of El Scorcho, a race that started when a local runner wanted to run 30 miles to mark his 30th birthday.  It has evolved into a wildly popular event with both distances  selling out in a couple of days way back in February.  Not only is El Scorcho super challenging and fun, it benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society--a very worthy cause.  

This was my third time to run El Scorcho and I had gained valuable experience in the prior two years.  We seemed to catch a break with the temperatures for the second year in a row.  I remember the first time I ran this race it was near 95 degrees...at midnight...that was the hottest summer in 31 years.  Staying upright was a legitimate concern that night.  The temperatures were in the low 80s and felt very manageable, however, the high humidity became much more apparent once the race was underway. 

Pre-race Frunner hang out

The day of El Schorcho is a little bit like Christmas Eve, I was so excited to run but knew that it was going to be a long time until midnight rolled around.  Is it time yet?  How about now?  Maybe now? Can we run NOW? Mr K and I had a delicious brunch and took it easy (pretty novel for a Saturday as we are usually up and running before the sun) until later in the afternoon when we headed to Marci and Jason's place in Fort Worth.  Marci and Jason were so very generous in sharing their guest room with us so that we would not have to drive home right after the race.  The Ninja family and Dat joined us later and we all went to a local hole-in-the-wall for a pizza feast.  Mr K and I tried to catch some shut eye until it was time to leave for Trinity Park, but it was nearly impossible as we were all very excited about the race.  This was the first year that I didn't get any sleep during the day and I was somewhat concerned but also knew that it was beyond my control.

Jaoquin the Powah Monkey

We headed out to the park around 10:00 and staked our claim to a great spot just beyond the start/finish line.  We saw a return of Jaoquin the Powah Monkey (look for the inflatable monkey) and soon enough the whole frunner gang had assembled.  There were glow sticks a plenty as we readied ourselves to run.  The 50K runners were off and running at 12:01 and we gave huge cheers to Robert and Dat as they passed.  After they cleared, all of us 25K-ers made our way over for our 12:10 start.  The announcer was pretty hilarious, reminding us just how nuts the whole concept was and how it was likely to be a difficult evening.  I knew that I would have to run strong and steady in order to PR, but I also felt confident that it was well within my reach.  Mr K and I always start races together, with the intent to run together...until we are not.  He crossed the start line two seconds ahead of me, take note of this as it is a key detail later in the race. 

I'm proud to be a part of this crew

Lap 1
30:59 min
Average pace 9:59/mile
This 25K is more manageable when it is broken down into 5K loops and I tried to think of each one of them individually.  The start of any race is crowded, but this one has the added element of figuring out the changes in the surface.  The race surface includes crushed limestone, grass, pavement, and a basketball course--no one wants to face plant amongst the starting mob! My goal is always to run as consistent a pace as possible and I had planned for each of my loops to be very close to each other in pacing.  The course was slightly different this year due to some construction on one end of the park.  I  think that I might like this version a little bit better and I quickly settled into a routine -- up a slight hill, fill handheld at first aide station, grab wet paper towel at second aide station, then cruise through the park to complete a loop.  I always look forward to the wet paper towels as I would squeeze it over my head and then cram it into my shirt.  Coming back to the start/finish line always boosted my energy as there were spectators cheering us on.  I can't say enough about the volunteers and spectators who come out for El Scorcho, without them it would simply be a lonely run in the dark.  They really do turn the park into a party.  As I approached our home base, I grabbed a gel and heard the crew (Erin, Jason, Anne, and the Ninjas) encouraging me to "go catch Mr K!" I confidently called out "don't worry, he will slow down before the end" over my shoulder as I ran off.  Their cheers put a pep in my step for the next loop.

 

It is Marci -- our gracious host

 

Lap 2

30:49 min
Average pace 9:56/mile
I elected to ditch my headlamp after the first lap, I felt that I had plenty of light between the moon and the random streetlight.  The headlamp only showed me how much dust was in the air and I preferred not to think about that.  My eyes had adjusted to the dark by then and I had little trouble negotiating the course.  I worked hard to find the sweet spot between "I can go all day/too slow, not maximizing race effort/too fast might bonk" paces.  During this time some of the gazelles started to pass me. I couldn't figure out if they were 50K-ers or fellow 25K-ers, but they were pretty ridiculous and I marveled at their speed as they retreated into the darkness.  The start/finish area became visible from at least a half mile out and I was pleased to see that I hit both laps in the neighborhood of 30 minutes. More encouragement from the frunner pack and I was on my way again.


Our crew-Erin and Ninja- hit the food trucks during our laps

Lap 3
30:21 min
Average pace 9:47/mile
I was really in the swing of things now, soaked from the humidity but otherwise feeling great.  I was using the changes in terrain to my advantage.  I felt as if I could run faster on the pavement so I sped up in those sections and used the grass and limestone parts as a pseudo-recovery. I seem to do really well with running at this weird hour--around 1:45 am at this point, my brain just knows that it is dark and I train in the dark two mornings a week.  I am fortunate that I did not have some of the digestive struggles that some of my fellow runners have.  This was my fastest lap of the night, I came through the start/finish line again and the frunner pack let me know that I was gaining ground on Mr K.

My extra loop buddy -- Mama C

Lap 4
30:50 min
Average pace 9:56/mile
I was having a great time and was really surprised at how quickly the race seemed to be passing.  I saw Mama C and Bal early in this lap and then Elaine later on.  I love that about looped courses, always an opportunity to look for friendly faces.  I spotted Mr K ahead of me on one of the out and back sections, but I knew that he was still a little bit out of my reach.  I added an extra stop for electrolytes during this lap, so humid!  I made a game of talking to people during the last two laps, encouraging other runners as I passed them.  It made the time pass quickly and also made me smile. Through the park, over the start/finish line and over to the frunner pack where I slammed a pickle juice shot and readied myself for the last lap.  They were so excited telling me that Mr K was just there and that I should go and catch him.

Fueled by pickle juice

Lap 5
30:55 min
Average pace 9:58/mile
There really is a terrific mental boost about heading out for the last lap.  I had a plan to come out for extra miles after the race, but I knew that it was the last time I would see the landmarks, spectators, and volunteers under race conditions.  I traveled along, keeping my steady pace, and really only became tired/impatient just after mile 13.  I always laugh that I am a true half marathoner because I usually have a bit of mental fatigue around mile 14.  Things were about to get interesting though...a little over a mile from the end I spotted Mr K...and I was gaining ground on him.  Pretty soon I was running just behind him and planned on keeping a low profile until the very end.  Another runner crossed the path in front of me at the paper towel stop and I was certain that Mr K heard my voice so I revealed myself to him--big mistake.  By now we were just under a mile until the end and Mr K picked up the pace.  He always does, no way he is going to let me beat him...and I'd have it no other way.  I was SO CLOSE and gave it all that I had as we approached the final stretch.  He crossed the finish line a couple of steps ahead of me.  It appeared as if he beat me, but a check of the results would show that we tied...down to the very second!  Remember how he crossed the start line two seconds before me?  Well, I crossed the finish line two seconds after him...thus a tie.  How fun is that?!

Always chasing this guy

Time: 2:33:53
Average Pace: 9:55/mile
30th out of 167 females
95th out of 327 finishers
Also....a shiny new PR!!  I managed to top last year's time of 2:37:32 and was way better than the 3:00 finish from my first year.  I was most proud of my super consistent laps, all within about forty seconds of each other.  Just as last year, my marathon training plan required extra miles--I needed 18 this time--and just as last year I took off with Mama C for her last loop.  My legs revolted at first, wondering what I was thinking as they were pretty sure we were finished.  I rarely get to run with Mama C, my Rangers commercial co-star, and we had a great time chatting about all kinds of stuff as we traveled the final 3.1 miles in the dark.  Once we finished we settled in to cheer on Robert as he continued on his 50K journey. It is always a bit of a jolt to look down at my watch and see that it is well past 4:00 am and then look up and see people who have been running since midnight--many of then with big smiles on their faces.  Robert finished his race like a champ and we celebrated his new status as ultra-marathoner.  It was daylight as we packed up and headed to the car, I have officially been up for 24 hours straight.  All a part of the El Scorcho charm!  We headed back to Marci's and enjoyed some cold pizza before crashing for a few hours.


New Bling!

I love this race and its quirky cult-like following.  It plays havoc with my sleep for a whole week, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.  I'm already looking forward to next year!

(Thanks to Erin and Mama C for sharing their pictures with me.)