I have never been more satisfied with a DNF. No one goes into a race not wanting to finish. Of course everyone wants to finish the race. They have put a whole bunch of training into this effort. They want to get out there and finish the job.

For me this DNF was a long time coming. I waited two years to earn this DNF. I was supposed to run this event in 2025. But I got injured and had to defer until 2026.

I spent time in PT. Then slowly building back up into running more regular miles and then back into training gradually over the course of a year. Being extra cautious of any niggle or pain that felt like it could be the warning sign of an injury. I planned my training to minimize injury risk. If there was pain I backed off and took rest.

The last thing I wanted to do was get injured again. I had spent 2 of the last 3 years missing time running due to injuries. Staying healthy was the priority.

Going into this race I had only one goal:

Get to the start line healthy and happy. The goal was to actually toe the line for the start of the race. Everything from there on out was going to be gravy.

After a 2025 season where the only miles I ran in a race setting was essentially a test run to see if I could actually run at all during one of my favorite events Sehgahunda Trail Relay with friends. And that was just a few weeks before I should have been lining up for this event in 2025.

Why Cayuga Trails?

After my last injury that kept me out and then making a return from that to successfully complete Many on the Genny in 2024 I started to dream big. I was setting some big goals for myself. I really wanted to get myself as fit as I could and ready to take on some of the hardest races in our area. I needed to start gradually building up my race difficulty in order to achieve those goals. And after completing Many on the Genny, Cayuga Trails felt like the next step up.

I have been aware of Cayuga Trails for a long time. The race takes place not too far from home. About 45 minutes away in Ithaca, New York. Cayuga Trails runs through two of my favorite state parks, Robert Treman State Park and Buttermilk Falls State Park, and it also utilizes parts of the Finger Lakes Trail and trails through other natural areas I am familiar with. And therefore am well aware of how challenging those trails or just for shorter runs and hikes let alone a 50k or 50 mile race. These are all beautiful natural areas. Some of the most stunning scenery you can ask for at any race destination. But since I was very familiar with it, that aspect wasn’t as big a draw for me as it would be exploring somewhere completely new. And I think those aspects made it easy to put off doing this race for so long. It’s too hard and I have already seen all of those beautiful feature. It was easy to talk myself out of until I decided I needed to step up my game if I really wanted to have the opportunity to do some of the things that have been thinking about.

So, I signed up for Cayuga Trails 50 mile as a way to start getting experience in harder events to prepare myself to pursue bigger goals I wanted to set for myself. And then I got injured again. And now most of those goals are on the back burner for now.

Robert Treman

And then the horn sounded ad we were off. Making our way out into Robert Treman State Park. The event starts off in a wide open field then narrows onto some wide service road areas and then abruptly hits single track. And the dreaded bottleneck. That made me feel like I should have started up closer to the front even though I am no where near a front runner, but I was feeling good and ready to go and the last thing I wanted was to slow down.

After a bit of climbing. (My least favorite part of trail running and the aspect I was least trained for currently.) We finally reached a nice long decent and I made the most of it. Eventually you reach your first set of what will be many, many stairs. As you make your way along the rim trail you actually reach an area that if you stopped you’d be at the bottom of the beautiful Lucifer’s Falls. But instead of relaxing and enjoying the views we are taking a sharp left and starting up the first of many sets of stairs. The stairs just go up and up and up switch backing on themselves multiple times. Then you get a view from across the gorge of Lucifer’s Falls. Go ahead, take a second to look, you definitely earned that view.

Shortly thereafter you make your way onto the gorge trail section of Robert Treman State Park. And going this direction it is mostly downhill. My favorite part of trail running. The trickiest part of this section is that most of the descending sections are on stairs. And for me at least with long legs and giant feet, it is tricky to go quickly and effectively down stairs in a way that doesn’t feel totally awkward.

Eventually you move away from the stone stairs of the main gorge area, hitting some other stair sections, and eventually reach some more wooded areas with rocky dirty trails. And just as I am feeling really good, that is when I trip and go down hard. I felt it happening and was able to turn and land mostly on my side, shoulder, and hip. Nothing more substantial than a little road rash and I was up and going again.

I got to the first aid station faster than I had planned given I had no idea what to expect of my performance at this event. I saw my crew, said hi and carried on my way. I may have run this first section too hard considering what still lie ahead of me, but I felt good and I wanted to run and have fun for as long as I could not knowing how long my day was going to last.

Then we were off on a section of trail out into a big open field that I had never been in before. Eventually rejoining the gorge trail we had just descended for a little bit of two way traffic action. Then turning off to the right to go up into even more climbing but at least not stairs on a section of trails I had only ever been on once before running a different race at this same park put on by the same race director. The climbing was hard. But eventually there are some more runnable sections of trail with mixes of ups and downs. Some runnable some walkable. But nothing to long or steep. A nice mix to keep movement at a reasonable pace without being able to get going too fast or getting slowed down too much.

Then I arrived back at aid station 2, where we started and would hopefully finish the race. I saw my crew. Picked up a fresh bottle of tailwind and a few snacks. Then my crew made sure I was on my way. I needed to be in and out of each aid station quickly if I was going to have any hope.

The inbetween

This next section was going to be what connects us from Robert Treman State Park to Buttermilk Falls State Park. I did not know all of what awaited me but I did know there was at least one steep SOB of a climb.

After leaving the aid station you quickly and steeply descend. Then run some flats for a little while. Running under a highway. Then under a train track. And crossing a stream. Then a dry stream bed. And then there it is. The climb I have been dreading.

This is a really beautiful scenic area full of streams and waterfalls and gorges. But all I could think about is how this climb was going to punish me and boy did it. My longest run of this training block was 10 miles and I was now beyond that. Plus I had no hill training because I was just trying to avoid anything that might lead to an injury. And I also hate hills and If I am not going to be on a trail I don’t want to be on a hill. Did I mention that this race was only the second time all year that I had run on a trail and the first time was just 2 weeks prior.

I gradually made my way up the climbing switch back up into thte gorge that never seemd to end. I typically get passed on hills, but I felt like I was moving really slow here and got passed by quite a few people. On an average day this is a beautiful gorge with excellent scenery and I highly recommend everyone visit the Lick Brook area, but for me at this time I was unable to appreciate any of that natural beauty. I just wanted the climbing to stop.

And eventually it does. The trails mostly level out. (Trails are never actually level, just comparatively) Runnign by a beautiful local cidery. Then across a road and onto a section of trails I have never been on before. And that is really nice. new trails are the best trails.

The Buttermilk Falls loop

Eventually I reach the upper Buttermilk Falls State Park area where I know more stairs await me as I will need to make my way around the lake. At least there is some nice time spent on relatively flat ground looking out over beautiful landscape before the climbing begins again. And if I have not said it before, stairs are the worst form of climbing any hill. I understand why they exist in the grand scheme of things, but I would really prefer they not for me, or at least cut a narrow path next to them for anyone who prefers not to climb stairs and wants a more natural feel.

I finally completed my journey around the lake and arrive at the next aid station to meet up with my crew. My wife and friends get me prepared for hte next segment andd send me on my way. I knew the immediate future held a downhill section in store for me. I was hopeful about that thinking it might go well and be just what I needed. It didn’t and it wasn’t.

I knew it was a bad sign when I could barely trot down this very flat and steep service road on a decent that for other races I have run using it I am usually bombing down it. Then I came to the section I was most curious about.

About 75% of the way down this road you are directed off into the woods. An area of the park? That I have never been in before and I am pretty familiar with the park. I did not know these trails even existed and when I was looking at the course map I had no idea where these would take me or what the trails would be like.

At this point I was kind over discovering new trails, especially new trails that lead to more hills to climb. Part of the benefit to me of runnign this race is that I was very familiar with the area and mostly knew what to expect and exactly how soul crushing each section would be. This section where I was really beginning to struggle completely negated any advantage I had from familiarity.

Plus we added at least a bonus mile here to missing a turn. Thank goodness a couple of runners ahead of me also missed the turn and just about the time I was beginning to think I hadn’t seen a flag in a while the other runners were running back towards me yelling that there are no flags that way. We backtracked a bit and eventually found our way back onto the right course consulting with other runners we met along the way.

Finally finishing this new section and getting back into the park proper that I saw was familiar with was a bit of a relief, even though it meant climbing back up the fairly steep and stair filled gorge trail. But at least there were beautiful waterfalls. Despite being totally exhausted this climb actually felt better than most of the recent previous climbs. So Yay, I guess. Then I finally made it back to the aid station I just left and reconvene with my crew.

Running back to Robert Treman

I was not hungry enough o eat the solid food I had brought, my homemade cinnamon chocolate chip pancakes. So we went the complete opposite direction and added SMARTIES candy to my already consistent supply of tailwind. If you have never eaten smarties they are basically just compressed pure sugar and they chew up and dissolve in your mouth pretty easily. Really great ultra fuel when nothing else will go down. And I was on my way back towards Robert Treman State Park reversing some of the previous route that got me there and splitting off for a different section that wasn’t too bad.

Really beginning to get passed by so many 50k runners was a bit depressing. But it was pretty cool to hear how psyched they were for me when they ask and I tell them I am runnign the 50 miler. Fellow trail runners really are the best of us. I was really starting to fade and I needed to try to grasp onto every bit of energy my fellow runners were passing on. Thankfully this section did not have much climbing but it was still slow going.

Robert Treman part 2

I finally arrived back at the main aid station area at the Y Camp area of Robert Treman State Park. I arrrived in relatively good spirits despite multiple times during the previous segment feeling like I might have gotten off course again.

After getting refueled and hydrated I checked in with my crew. My wife asked if I wanted to know where I stood regarding the cut off times. I said yes. I needed to know. It would help me know how to proceed through the next section and potentially light a fire within me if there was anything left to give. I was currently 1 minute behind the time I needed to be at to stay ahead of the cut off.

With that in mind I set off. To have any chance to finish this race I needed to try and speed up a little bit. On fresh legs at the beginning of the race this section felt pretty good and like one of the easier segments. But I also knew that it held one of the steepest climbs even though it was relatively short. And I knew my legs were far from fresh.

It is a mix of climbing and descending prior to arrriving at the one steep climb up a lot of stairs that would really tell the tail for me. And on my way there I was joined by the sweeeper for the race. (The person responsible for making sure everyone is off the course safely by the race end) This is not ideal, but it is also not the death knell. I have finished a race DFL where the sweeper followed me for miles and miles.

But climbing up those stairs the second time around was more than I legs could take. I required multiple rests. My constitution was just so low. I could barely muster the energy to climb. And the only way I can think to express how I felt trying to navigate the climb is almost like I was nauseous, but that isn’t quite right either because I didn’t feel like I was going to throw up. It was just like my body had no more to give.

Thankfully, the paper was super friendly and chatty. So we talked they gave me some advice about stretching and things I ccould do to loosen up my legs on the climb. WE chatted most of the way through this section. At one point the sweeper asked if I was going to keep going after this next aid station. He noted that if I kept this pace I could possibly make the cut off and keep going, but the likelihood of me not slowing down even further was not good.

I said I was pretty sure I was pulling the plug at the next aid station and ending my day there. The sweeper casually mentiaoned that if I was going to stop at the next aid station anyway, I could take the turn off early that I would evventually take after that aid station had I decided to keep going, and that would bring me back around to the main Y Camp aid station and I could at least get a solid 50k distance in if I took that route.

I knew that if I took that option it meant much more climbing lay in my future and I knew I was not up for that. IT would be such a slow grind. And I didn’t care about any specific distance goals other than 50 miles. If it wasn’t going to be 50 miles stopping at any other distance did not really matter to me. And my crew was waiting for me at the next aid station. Although the sweeper did kindly offer to let them know of my reroute and that they could meet me back at the Y Camp aid station. But I was not taking the bait. Lol.

After the big climb it was a lot of more level and descending terrain which was good, but also highlighted how little I had left in the tank. I was barely trotting along even on the nice gradual downhill sections.

I finally arrived at what would be my last aid station check in. I asked what my time was looking like. I was 4 minutes behind the time needed to be at to make the cut off. So not only would I need to keep pace I would need to speed up. And the next section was probably the hardest climbing of the entire course. It was hard the first time around on fresh legs.

Technically I could keep going, I would not be forced to stop until the next aid station if I was still behind the cut of time. But, I knew how hard the next section would be. It would be just grinding out miles for no real reason. I was not going to make the cut off.

There is nothing wrong with just grinding out whatever miles. You have left, but it was not going to be the right choice for me in this situation. And the calculus that leads to these decisions is different for every runner. For me there were only a couple of goals for this race. Get to the start line healthy. Start the race. Finish the 50 miles. for anything other than a full 50 mile finish the only other acceptable option was don’t get injured.

Pushing on past this point only increased my odds of getting injured. Either from simply pushing past the limits of where my training was able to get me and keep me healthy. Or from simply being too tired to pick my feet up over a root or a rock and taking a bad fall. And the only thing I wanted more than finishing this race to not to be injured again. I did not want to miss another summer of running.

My run ended here, but not my day. And not my running journey.

Conclusion

I knew my chances of finishing this race were very slim. It was going to take me having some kind of magical day where I ran better than I had any reason to expect in order to just barely finish.

But if you had told me that after a year of injury and sub optimal ultra marathon training I would come back and essentially run a really hard 50k in the same amount of time it took me to run my very first 50k when I was probably in the best shape of my life. And I am now 8 years older with two years mostly not running due to injury and not nearly in as good overall shape than I was in 2018 when I ran my first 50k at Worlds End Ultras.

One of the best things about participating in a trail race is the full support you have from all the people involved and at the very top of that list are my wife and two of my closest friends who were there to crew for me. I would not have been able to get even as far as I did without their support and encouragement.

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