On May 15th a small group of runners from Maryland traveled to northern New Jersey
half marathon, and some more adventurous runners might even consider a marathon, this special group of runners participated in running events that lasted 24 or 48 hours.
Multiday running is not new. In fact events like this date back to the 1800's. For 2014 the group from Baltimore traveled to a race called 3 Days at the Fair, a multiday race held from May 14th to May 17th at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in northern New Jersey. Rick and Jennifer McNulty are the event founders and organizers. Working alongside their family and other race volunteers, this multiday running event has evolved into a running event that attracts many of the top runners in this segment of the running community. The event includes races ranging from 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours and the goal of these races are for runners to see how far they can run during the allotted period of time.Another variable that makes this running event unusual is that it is run on a 1-mile paved loop. While initially this may seem unappealing, runners are always close to a well stocked aid-station. In the event of illness, fatigue or bad weather, the runners are always within close proximity of their tents, vehicles or restrooms. In addition the lap counting is extremely simple – every loop is another mile – and the lap counting and timing is handled by the race management staff.
Course map for the 3 Days at the Fair ultra-marathon in New Jersey. The aid station, timing, restrooms and medical resources are all at a central location on the course if needed.
What happened
Baltimore Runners Hugh Wilson, Christian Creutzer, Tom Nasuta and
Harry Good at their campsite adjacent to the course just prior to the start of
the 48 hour race.
The next morning the race started promptly at 9:00am. Harry Good
and Hugh Wilson were both planning to run\walk for 48 hours. Tom Nasuta was planning to cover 50 miles
each day of the 2 day race and shoot for 100 miles. Christian Creutzer planned to run 5 miles and
walk a mile as long as he could. The
reason I share these strategies, is that everyone has a different plan going
into a timed race. Some runners go back
to their car or tents to sleep during the race and resume running after a brief
rest. Some runners run or walk until they have had enough and then drive home.
One of the most interesting aspects of this race for 2014 was the elite field of participants. World class runners Joe Fejes, Serge Arbona and Phil McCarthy are several of the top runners in the world in the 48 hour race category. Each of these men have impressive running resumes and are highly ranked in the national rankings for multiday running.
Day 1 of the Race tested our patience
Even with the best of preparations, sometimes there are just some things you cannot avoid and bad weather is one of them. The race started easily and for several hours everyone cautiously circled the loop. Severe thunderstorms were expected and by mid-morning it started to rain. Fortunately there wasn’t thunder and lightning so many of the more experienced runners continued to run. It continued to rain for 13.5 hours! This mentally was exhausting and when evening came it also got cold.
It was during this 1st day that many of us from Baltimore thought about the difficult winter we had trained through in preparation for this race. In fact most of the runners had trained through similar conditions. One of the most pleasant surprises was meeting other ultrarunners from our home town. Due to the weather we needed to change clothes often. Many of us noted clothing with Charm City Run, Maryland Adventure Trail Run and the Baltimore Road Runners Club logos and we quickly introduced ourselves. This provided the opportunity to make new friends and support one another at the task at hand. Many thanks to CCR, MATR and BRRC for your support in preparing for this race and creating this unexpected opportunity.
During this 1st day, in spite of the conditions, the majority of the runners adapted to the conditions. Food items provided by the race volunteers was excellent. We were pleased to be accumulating the miles and working toward our individual goal. It was especially pleasing to see the comradery that was evolving on the course throughout the day. Strangers were introducing themselves to one another and working together.
Conditions Improve
for Day 2 of the Race
Saturday
morning brought us much more pleasant conditions. As the sun rose, the puddles
on the course evaporated and we could continue to make progress. Although we were able to change clothes as
needed, it was impossible for the runners to keep their feet dry during the 1st
day and many of us were experiencing blisters and foot pain. But the runners
and walkers continue making progress.In summary, the weather conditions obviously impacted our performances at this race, but ultrarunners are very resilient. All of the runners from Maryland performed brilliantly and adapted to the conditions. Below is a summary of the race results for the runners from Maryland.
48
Hour Event
Serge Arbona 150 miles Parkville, Maryland
Christian
Creutzer 117 miles Parkville, MarylandSerge Arbona 150 miles Parkville, Maryland
Tom Nasuta 102 miles Parkville, Maryland
Rich Moran 100 miles Annapolis, Maryland
Tammie Massie 80 miles Gaithersburg, Maryland
Hugh Wilson 78 miles Reisterstown, Maryland
Harry Good 76 miles Reisterstown, Maryland
Betty Smith 57 miles Rockville, Maryland
24
Hour Event
Lisa
Gesualdo 103 miles Bel Air,
MarylandDavid Ploskonka 57 miles Baltimore, Maryland
For more information on this event check the organizers website:
https://sites.google.com/site/njtrailseries/fair
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