963 Beulah Trail Challenge 2024 Race Report
An almost half marathon at night and a battle with my inner demons
It was dark, I was cold, my legs were dead, each step sent bowling-ball-like thuds in the pit of my stomach, and I had 4 more miles to go.
Welcome to trail racing.
Since my plans to run the Beast of The East 25 miler last December fell through because of contracting Covid, I wanted to pump myself back up by signing up for another trail-related endeavor. Backpacking just isn’t in the cards anymore since the spring semester started, so I settled for a half marathon near me in St. Louis County.
The Race Logistics
The Beulah Trail is a 4.3 mile loop within Greensfelder County Park, which is easily one of my top favorite places to trail run and hike. I was familiar with this trail even before the race, but I knew Beulah and I would become much closer over the next couple of weeks leading up to the race. The premise of the 963 Beulah Trail Challenge hosted by Terrain Trail Runners-STL is simple. Runners have three options: a 9 hour race, a 6 hour race, or a 3 hour race. For the 9 hour race you have to run at least 8 loops of the Beulah Trail or a 50k within the allotted time. The 6 hour race consists of running at least 6 loops or 25.6 miles. The 3 hour race, as you can imagine, you have to complete at least 3 loops or 12.9 miles. Since I haven’t run anything longer than a trail half marathon, I decided to stick with what I know and do the 3 hours.
My Training
In preparation for the race, I ran around 3 times per week with a long run on the weekends. I made sure each long run was on the Beulah Trail just so I could practice as best as I could on the actual terrain I would be racing on. Throughout this small training block, I ran at most up to 2 hours. The shorter runs within the week were a combination of easy runs, speed workouts, and hill repeats. For the past year or so, I have been using Vert Run for all of my trail running related endeavors. It’s been extremely helpful having a trail specific plan tailored to each unique need I have or race I will be running, so I highly recommend using their services if you’re new to trail running and don’t know where to start (not sponsored).
My Goals
For this event, I mostly just wanted to have fun, gain more racing experience, and complete the 3 loops within the time cutoff. I had to admit, I was a little nervous I wouldn’t be fast enough. However, I tried to reframe these anxieties by focusing on separating my performance from my actual running identity. I love to trail run and each experience is valuable no matter the outcome. “Just run,” I repeated to myself as I drove into the night toward the trailhead. “Don’t think, just run. Trust the training, trust my feet, and the rest will follow.” Even so, the doubt monsters lurking in the corners of my thoughts still had me worried.
This race would be very different than the other ones I have been involved in. Not only was the format of the race new to me, but the fact that it took place at night was even more foreign and exciting. The 9 hour racers had started at 3 pm that day with the 6 hour runners starting just three hours after that. My race’s start time was at 9 pm, which meant it would end right at midnight. As someone who has trouble staying up after 10 pm, this would be quite interesting. I was depending on adrenaline and my caffeinated gels to help me get through.
The Start
As we all lined up just five minutes before the air horn blew, my mind and the comparison game I play all too well began. I was one of two women identifying runners there, at least for this part of the race. I was also one of the youngest as I noted how many 30 to 40 year old men stretched and paced around the start line. “You don’t matter, what are you even doing here?” I thought as I pretended to fiddle with my watch. “Why are you here?”
To run. To have fun. To feel like I am a part of something bigger. To celebrate how far I have come in running, in recovery, and in my personal life. To show up for Little Callie. To connect with nature and the trails I love. To flow, to feel, to push through, to process, and to fly.
Next thing I knew, the air horn blew and my feet were moving along with the other bodies around me. The first lap was smooth and relaxed; I think I ended up running it in 50 minutes or so which was faster than I ever had in training. I mostly followed the pack and passed a few of the other runners who were going slower as they had been racing for much longer than I had at that point. The second loop was when my legs really started to feel heavy, but because of the fact that I knew literally every root, rock, and switchback of this trail, I trusted my feet to instinctively guide the way. I made it back to the start with a few minutes to spare before 11 pm. As long as I had at least an hour for the last loop, I knew I would be okay.
The Finish
The final 4 miles were a struggle, more so mentally than physically. Yes, my body was seriously feeling fatigued at this point, but the fact that I knew I had a little less than an hour before I could stop running was demoralizing. I definitely took more walking breaks during this lap, but tried really hard not to beat myself up for it. Even with less than 0.5 miles to go, I trudged up the last few minor inclines of the trail just feeling defeated and exhausted at how tired I was feeling. I knew I wanted to race longer distances in the near future, so just knowing that I was feeling that worn out at almost 13 miles was discouraging.
Despite this, I managed to rally myself into jogging toward the finish line and headed straight for the aid station for stroopwafel snacks once I was done. Before heading back to my truck, I honed in on the fact that running is a process, and even though I was feeling somewhat disheartened by my stamina, I was proud of myself for even completing the race. I had fun. I smiled through some of the tough parts and met the goals I had set for myself. The 963 Beulah Trail Challenge was a win and I am really glad that I did it even if I did experience some feelings of doubt and insecurity. Hopefully, the more I race and train, I will become more confident.
What’s Coming Next?
Here are a few of the adventures I have planned for this coming semester!
Hike the 37 mile Buffalo River Trail in March over Spring Break
Complete the Victory Section of the Ozark Trail
Do the Berryman Trail Marathon in May.
Possible month long trip to Madrid, Spain in June (which may include some trails and small hikes)…to be determined!
Blood Sweat Tears Announcement!
In other news, I have an exciting announcement to make! For the past few months, I have been involved in a collaborative writing project with other outdoorsy women+. The result of this project is a short story collection called Blood Sweat Tears about what it is like to be in a female body while on trail doing hiking and running related adventures. I will publish a Substack post that goes into more detail later, but in the meantime, I am super excited and honored to have been involved in this collection!
The book will come out May 1st. Pre-orders for the book are now available at the following link.
Blood Sweat Tears Pre-Order Link
This is an Affiliatly link, so I do get a portion of the earnings. I appreciate the support!
Thanks for reading and see you out on the trail!