On August 13th I headed north to Lake Padden, Washington with Wifey for our first steps in the world of trail endurance running. The Hamster Endurance Race is a trail run where competitors elect to compete in one of four time classifications; 6,12,24, or 32 hours. Having completed 9 marathons and 30+ half-marathons Hamster represented my first trail event. I was looking forward to the race though don’t mind admitting I was a bit nervous taking on this kind of challenge for the first time.

The course, by trail/ultra standards is quite tame consisting of 2.6 mile loops around the lake – but as I was soon to discover, tougher than just about any mainstream road race! There was one climb and two short but fairly steep downhills on each circuit. The terrain varied from gravel, packed dirt, rocks and a few tree roots here and there to dodge. There was also a short paved section through the park areas. Not that I have any experience with trail runs, but I’m speculating that this would not be considered a technically challenging course by any means. Each 2.6 mile loop had about 250 ft of elevation gain (and subsequent loss).

Race Setup

Upon arriving at race check-in, the first thing that struck both of us was the laid back atmosphere. Being a loop course there was a runner recovery station under a covered pavilion in the park area with all kinds of food, drink, hydration, and nutrition. We found a nice spot on the lawn to set up our chairs and gear bags. As we were putting everything together we enjoyed chatting to several other runners around us and getting their perspectives, goals, and advice! This was a small event with just under 70 runners in total across the 4 classifications. Everyone was very personable and engaging.

Weather at the 8:00 am start was wonderful with the sun sparkling over the lake and the temp hovering just below 60 degrees. We knew that this would change over the next few hours. My goal was to maintain as constant of a pace as possible and I realized that I should not even think about attempting my normal road speed. A couple other runners clued us in on the steep hill about a mile into the course and advised us to not even try to run it, but adopt a power walk up each climb.

The Race

At 8 am we were sent on our way…the math was simple, 2 laps per hour would net 5.2 miles, multiply that 6 and I complete my 50K within the 6 hours. One important note was that only completed laps counted so at the end of the race there was no partial credit. For the first 3 hours everything went to plan as I completed 15.6 miles through the first half of the race.

However, it only took an hour or so for me to realize that trail running is a completely different beast. I had elected to use my Glycerin road shoes – major mistake. After a while the rocks and exposed tree roots on the course started to have an effect as the loops continued. By road standards this was far more technical than anything I had ever attempted. And, the cool early morning sparkling day turned hotter as the sun rose. By the end, we were running in 85-90 degrees and this roadie had been taken to school!

The Finish

I ended my race at 5:41 because I would not have made another complete circuit in my 6 hour limit. At the four hour marker as the sun continued to beat down I knew that the 50K was not likely. My feet and legs were hurting like nothing I had ever experienced in any previous marathon. The one major climb was getting longer and steeper each time and the downhills were shredding my hamstrings and knees. But, with the temperature approaching 80, I was not going to settle for anything less than a marathon. And, with a new goal in mind, I adjusted my recovery time support the new target. This resulted in at least 5 minute breaks as I recovered and adjusted after each loop. My total moving or run time was actually 5:03 (11:33 average pace), but on the flip side it indicates I took 38 minutes in the runner recovery area during the race. I’m guessing that’s probably not very good!

Overall, I was real happy with the experience at the Hamster Endurance Race. I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed with my overall result. But, settling for another 26.2 on a tough course in the middle of summer is still an accomplishment. This was my 10th marathon in total, 5th in 2016 and 3rd in 2 months. Additionally, I’ve broken ground on the trail circuit and am looking forward to getting that 50K added to my running resume sometime in the future. I have a much better idea of what to expect next time.

Final Thoughts

Despite the challenges of running 26+ miles on a trail the change from the road was a great experience. There was none of the normal stress often associated with larger events and race setup from a runners perspective was a breeze. The friendliness of the other runners was something that we both noted as well. We chatted with several others setting up near us pre-race. During the race I chatted with quite a few runners on the occasions that we passed each other. Everyone was very supportive and friendly and happy to chat for a couple minutes to break the monotony as the distance built.

I would absolutely recommend this race and, schedule permitting, we will be back next year. The volunteers and race organizers were fabulous and all kinds of food and drink options were made available to the runners.