Mt. Taylor/Stagecoach 55k Race Report

My name is Joshua Pauley. And I have just been reminded that things do not always go as planned.

Gordon Ainsleigh the man himself. 

Mary and I headed out to Grants, NM on Friday to race the Mt. Taylor 50k. After waiting all week we were excited to be traveling.  At the race dinner that night Gordon Ainsleigh spoke to us about his origins. Somehow that turned into a discussion about cocaine…it was a little weird.

The next day the race started promptly at 6:30 and we headed towards the East to greet the sunrise. This race starts at 9,000’ and immediately climbs to roughly 11,000’. I took my time in this section and was comfortably in third. As the race went on and things were smooth until about 12.5 miles. I tripped on a something and felt a pop in my hip. My entire lower right side was hurting very badly and with every step it seemed to be getting worse. I was afraid that continuing on would only increase the damage done. It was a tough call and as I hiked four miles up to the next aid station I thought about it and prayed about it. As I pulled into the aid station thirty minutes late I knew that my day was done. Seeing Mary there waiting for me really did make things better though.

All of the planning and preparation for Mt. Taylor straight down the drain. But I would move on…and sooner than what I had thought.

As we headed home I got a text from a friend saying that the Stagecoach 100 had been canceled due to bad weather and there was going to be a 50k instead the next day. If my hip/glut felt better the next morning I knew I would want to be at Ian Torrence’s race.  He was gracious enough to invite me with arms wide open. Now it was about recovering and seeing how I felt the next morning.  I ate, I hydrated, foam rolled, and heated hoping to get things moving again.

Course profile for Stagecoach 100

The next morning I was sore but felt capable of running so we headed out to the starting line at 7 am. The race was the first 34 miles of the Stagecoach 100 course. I was not familiar with the course and did not know the details of it. Before the start I met up with Chris Vargo and he suggested we just run together – which sounded great to me. The race started and 50 meters later I looked to Chris and said, “I don’t know that this is a very good idea.” But we trudged on (which really means he told me to suck it up).

The race started with a five mile climb and my body warmed up.  I felt decent. Sore but capable. The next thing I know I was pulling into the first aid station. The volunteers told me that I was actually the first runner in and that the people ahead of me were relay runners. This came as quite a shock to me because I was content with hanging out for the day. But I figured I’d give it a shot to go all the way.

Then I made a mistake. I ran out of fuel before the next aid station (which was at mile 20). For some reason I thought there was an AS at mile 16.  I crawled into 20 out of water and fuel. But I was happy to see people. Ian coached me through the aid station as I drank coke and grabbed a couple of gels. Before I left I asked if there was another AS and he told me this was the last one….I went back and grabbed another gel.

It was a downhill race from here. I was hurting pretty badly the rest of the time. I had no idea who was behind me and if they were coming or not. The last 14 miles were all on wide and exposed trails – not single trek like I prefer. Before I knew it I was out of water again and I began overheating. I shuffled along step by step inching towards the finish line. At mile 31 I looked over my shoulder and to my dismay a runner had caught me. I tried responding but the legs were shot and the gas tank was just about on E.

I finished second in the first annual Stagecoach 55k in roughly 4:22. I just felt really depleted and empty. The previous day really had taken a toll on me that I was not expecting and that lead to my unraveling. I was happy to have been able to race this weekend and get in a great long effort.

This weekend was a great reminder that I am not in control and I do not know what the Lord has planned. If I just keep moving forward and trust in His will I know that things will work out…they always seem too.

Finishing up

It ended up being a good weekend. A special thanks to my wife Mary for supporting me in the ups and the downs, Ian Torrence for putting on good race (this guy is a true professional when it comes to race directing), and to Chris Vargo for the continual guidance towards my bigger goals.

-J. Pauley.