Beating The Boys, Breaking The Record: My Walking Tall 50k Race Report

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Course History and My “Why”

The Walking Tall 50k & 25k trail race has been a southern staple for the last 8 years since it was founded. It takes place in Big Hill Pond State Park, just 90 or so minutes east of Memphis, Tennessee. I found the race on ultrasignup a few years ago and always felt drawn to it. However, due to October being a very popular month for many other wonderful trail races, I never ran it. This year I finally decided to commit to it, because nothing excites me more than going to a completely new area to run new trails!  

I was excited to run this for a handful of reasons. Being so far away from my normal region, I was excited to immerse myself in a new community of runners where I did not know anyone. Being outgoing person that I am, I LOVE meeting new people. Especially trail runners who share the same love and passion for the sport that I do.  I was also excited to support a race with a mission that I believed in. All proceeds from this event directly benefit the state park that receives little funding and also little foot traffic (minus this race being their busiest day of the year!)  You could tell that the race directors care a lot about this area, the runners, and making it a magical, well supported and positive experience for everyone. 

I went into this race with the goal to race hard, enjoy the journey, and focus on running my own race. Based on my current fitness level and last two months of racing, I had the time goal to finish in under 5 hours. Which would break the current course record of 5:27. I knew this was attainable, I just had to play it smart. 

Course Conditions 

The 50k course consists of running a single ish lollipop loop that only overlaps about 6 miles or so, with 4,000 feet of elevation gain according to my watch. For me personally, the entire course was runnable with rolling hills. No hill was larger than 200 or so feet. Most of them averaged 50-100 feet, however, there were a LOT of them. They definitely kicked you in the butt, especially at the end.

The trail conditions are what I would consider pretty moderate. Not too technical, but not completely groomed either. There were some leaves down on the course but it was never an issue for me. The more technical sections had a good handful of roots and thankfully never too many rocks. It was a good mix of single track and double track trail that made it perfect for running, in my opinion.

For the 50k you climb to the top of a fire tower twice. The views were incredible and the volunteers greeted you at the top with humorous signs and fireball shots!! I turned down the fireball but took in the views, and asked for a photo.

The morning started off at a balmy 64 degrees, heating up to the mid 80 degree temperature range. I would consider this HOT and pretty miserable if I’m being real. But sometimes you get what you get, so just roll with it!!

Race Report 

The gun went off at 7 am. I started in the front pack, letting the front pack of men establish the pace. I knew within the first mile of the race starting that I would likely spend all day racing the men. 

I got comfortable in 4th place overall. I found two guys to run with that were going at a solid effort that I could maintain, with the first place man sprinting ahead of us and completely out of sight. Deep breath, we have a lot of miles left in this thing.

The first 6 miles were rolling and fast. Our first mile started on the road, I clocked a 7 minute flat, then the next five ranged from 8-9 minute miles. 

At mile 6.1, we made it to a railroad crossing and got there 10 seconds too late, with a train blocking us from continuing on the course. We were told that the lead male was 3 minutes ahead of us when we got there. However, we had to wait exactly 3 and a half minutes for the train to pass (I timed it on my watch)

The lead male now had a 6-7 minute lead on us. At this point, while waiting at the train tracks, one other runner caught up to us. So I was now with my pack of 4. We hydrated and fueled at the aid station and quickly got out of there. Suddenly I was leading the pack, with these boys right on my tail and following.

Somewhere around mile 8, we had caught up to the lead male. He was wandering around, completely off the trail, looking at his phone because he got lost. He jumped right into our pack and began running with us again on the course. I made the comment “We are all even stevens now!” just to be silly and encourage us to race each other.

The previous lead male who had gotten lost, once again sprinted ahead of us. I was still in front of the other 3 men though. However, after a few miles I slowly dropped them and found myself running alone from miles 10-13.

Somewhere around mile 13, I caught up to the lead male. He once again was at an intersection and looking at his phone, unsure of where to go. The course sign had an arrow but it said 25k, so he was confused. However, in the pre race meeting we were specifically instructed to follow the 25k signs for the first half of the race, then the 50k signs for the last half of the race. He must not had heard that before starting.

From miles 13-15 we leap frogged. He would sprint ahead of me, then I would catch up when he got confused on the course. I asked him if he had run a trail race before and he said this was his second ultra ever. So I’m sure he had a hard time following the markings. He told me he was scared of getting lost so was just being extra cautious.

After mile 15 he decided to just stick to running with me to prevent him from getting lost. I was feeling good and chatty so I tried making small talk with him to get to know him. He was listening to loud music with headphones on so every time I said something he would loudly say “WHAT?” and then I would have to repeat myself. Haha!

I could tell he was making some rookie mistakes. He was shirtless, no handheld bottle or any nutrition that he was carrying. All he had on him was his phone and that was it. Mind you, on a technical hilly course and an 80+ degree day! He told me his first ultra was an 8 hour race where he ran 60 miles. Super impressive! I knew this guy had some serious speed so I was definitely pushing myself and worried that he could pass me at the end. He asked me what my goal for the race was, and I told him to finish in under 5 hours. I asked what his goal was and his response was “To full send it.” After hearing his response I felt totally inspired. Like… why not give it all you’ve got and see what happens? Sure, there is a huge risk there, but the reward is even better if you could pull it off. My mindset shifted after this. FULL SEND IT!!

I got to talk to him later at the finish line and he did admit that me he totally paid the price for not carrying any water later when it got hot! 

As mile 18 approached, he slowly backed off and fell behind me. I was now leading the entire race!! Holy crap!! I knew I needed to stay smart and this guy could be right on my toes, so I did my best to stay consistent, keep fueling & hydrating, and have fun.

(Another funny note… After talking to him at the finish line, apparently after he fell behind he actually lost a shoe somehow that fell off his foot! He also got misdirected on the course and sadly did not get an official finish time, even though he had ran an extra 3 miles) 

I managed to pull this off up until the last 5 miles, where I began to slow down. I kept looking at my watch and doing “runner math” to figure out what my finish time would be. I knew even if I slowed to a 10 minute mile that I would still finish in my goal. I stayed optimistic and just kept moving, however my legs were getting tired and each hill at the end took more and more energy away from me.

All of a sudden there it was, THE FINISH LINE!! I made it there in an official time of 4:41:42. Winning the 50k race overall, breaking the women's course record and apparently only 5 minutes slower than the mens course record. 

When you finish, all finishers get a small (1.5 foot) wooden bat that has the race name and distance burned into it. The podium awards are a much larger (3 or so foot long) wooden bat that they burn your name and finish time into! These are probably some of the coolest and unique awards I have ever received.

The finish line vibe was where it was at. Everyone was so beyond friendly and reminded me why I love this sport so much. It’s the community, the people, the culture, all of it. Everyone greeted me with so much kindness. I had the most fun getting to talk with some of the guys that I got to race with, and sharing our individual experiences. I also met so many other runners from this area and stayed about 4 or so hours after finishing. My good friend Michelle Gray was the only person at this race that I knew going into it. I hung out with her husband, Rick, at the finish line while waiting for her. She actually came in second place just after me! It was great to get to catch up with them while also meeting so many new people.

I am so happy with my performance here and really excited to continue my training as I gear up for the most competitive race in the country : Black Canyon 100k in February. I still have a lot of work and training to do, but this race was just what I needed before my “real” training block begins.

Cheers! This race really reminded me why I love this sport and community so much, and I am so excited to continue on this crazy journey of trail and ultra running.

Fueling

For this race I fueled with 6 or 7 Huma + gels (The + meaning they have added elecrolytes! I ate three that had 25mg of caffeiene - saved those three for the last 1.5 hour of the race), two Noka fruit smoothie pouches, two random gels that my friend gave me before the race that I decided to try. ( I cannot remember the brand, but they were vegan and made from apple concentrate and brown rice syrup - which I knew would be okay on my stomach), and bananas at every aid station. I carried a 16oz handheld bottle and only drank water, since some of the gels already had electrolytes in them. I consumed about 300 calories per hour which equated to 60-70 ish carbs per hour. This worked perfect for me!

The podium award was this pretty sweet wooden bat that has your name and finishing time burned on it!

All other finishers get a smaller version of this wooden bat that says Walking Tall 50k on it, and there is someone at the finish line who can burn your finish time on it for you. Definitely one of the most unique and badass awards/medals I have ever received. First time I can say an award I won that also counts as a weapon!

It was an honor to share the podium with such wonderful, badass women! It was a hard day on the course but these ladies made it look easy!

Me and my sweet friend Michelle Gray. She was the only person at this race who I knew (Minus all of the new friends I made!)

Michelle is an ultra running legend, having run over 200 ultramarathons which I can only aspire to one day achieve something that incredible. She inspires me with her grit and grace!

Last photo of the top three award. I'm keeping this bad boy in my car for self defense if I ever need it lol!