April 5th is the 11th time that I have run to Crown King from the floor of the Phoenix desert valley. I did the 50K 10 times and the 50-mile once. Like the back of the race shirt says, "Spines to Pines." I wasn’t sure I would publish a race report this time simply because my traverse, time, and finish place aren’t unusual or amazing. The fact that I started doing CKS in 1997 and am still doing it 17 years later tells a different story.
Trish, me, and the dogs (Rangas and Reo) drove up to North Phoenix Friday night and got a hotel room 40 minutes away from the start at Lake Pleasant. The weather prediction for Saturday called for a cooler than normal day in early April. Last year was in the high 80s and this year didn’t get over 70 and was maybe 55 degrees at the finish with a 10mph breeze.
Many times in the past I only carried two hand-held 20 ounce water bottles. This is usually enough except for the warmest days. But since I’m not concerned about blazing times and a little extra weight I opted to wear a 70 ounce Nathan’s hydration pack. I knew I would only need to refill this one time but it was convenient for carrying other supplies as well; gels, e-caps, bandana, etc.
We arrived at the 6am start with 15 minutes to spare. I quickly checked in and donned my hat and sunglasses and jogged over to line-up. It’s always fun to see everyone for a minute or two before take-off. I found Scott Modzielewski (Mojo) running for his 12th plus time and shook hands with many others like Rich McKnight, Joe Galope, and Nick Coury. James Bonnett did the countdown and we were off. I don’t think I ever seen anyone take off as fast as shirtless Dave James. I thought he was in another race at first the way he sprinted off into the distance.
The first mile and a half is on rolling pavement and then onto dirt roads. The next several miles are scenic and casual cruising along at long run training pace jacking jaws with friends. I started running with Mojo and then sidled up with Paul Bonnett for awhile. The sky was partly cloudy as the sun came up in the east over Lake Pleasant. It was turning into a gorgeous morning.
As far as 5 miles into the race I ran with Bret Sarnquist for a bit. He won Mesquite Canyon 50K two weeks earlier and was using CKS as a trainer for Zane Grey 50-mile in 3 weeks. I was impressed with the way he held back and started conservatively in order to better tackle the late hills.
Like I stated earlier this is the 11th time I’ve been out here but this time I felt totally in tune with the beauty of the Sonoran Desert combined with the history of the area in the Bradshaw Mountains. I chose once again not to look at my GPS watch although I could hear the beeps every mile. I took short walk breaks on the early steep hills and pushed the pace on the long gradual downhills. The first 8-mile Cow Creek aid station came and went quickly and before I knew it I reached the 15-mile French Creek aid and hunkered down for the real challenge that lay ahead.
Miles 15-19 are probably the toughest part of the course but it’s early enough that you still have energy coming out of 15 to take it head on. That kind of strategy backfires for most people except the super strong or completely naïve. The steepest hill on the course is approaching mile 19. The best advice I can give here is to walk up it slowly. The sun is beating down on you and your legs are burning from lactic acid. Better to get to the top undamaged, fill your water bottles at the 19-mile aid at Silver Mountain, and take advantage of the very runnable next four miles into Fort Misery.
I set off on a downhill from 19 and maintained a decent clip coming into mile 23. Normally this is where the heat can be unbearable. Today was nothing but cool breezes and a moderate sweat when chugging up a hill. The aid station volunteers have a nice set-up at Fort Misery and were dressed in super hero costumes. Leaving 23 is uphill for a half-mile but has some decent runnability after that until around mile 26 when the deception takes place.
Oro Belle aid station mile 27 sits in view from way down below a couple miles away. You will lose sight of it every once in awhile as the road curves back and forth into a mountain draw. It comes back into view again and somehow isn’t any closer. You always know you’re getting nearer when you see Linda Van’s joke signs coming up the last climb to 27. Example: "This Hill Might be Easier if you Were Younger." As a bonus once you reach the long sought-after aid station there are still 2 more miles of ascent to top-out. Most people are pretty much blown at this point and end up walking to 29. It was no different for me. I got my arm swing going which helped pick up my walking pace.
With a half-mile to top-out the road turns sandy and you are in the pines. One last short climb and there sits the radio vehicle signalling the top of the hill. Here comes your reward, what you’ve been waiting for the entire day – two miles of soft dirt road in shady pines all the way to the finish, albeit in the company of several ATV riders. I breakdown the last 2 miles into three sections; first I look for the heliport sign; then the left-hand split to town; lastly I look for the cabins coming into sight on the left and you are less than a minute away – total relief!
As I mentioned I never looked at my watch and was concerned that I was much slower than last year. When the clock showed 5:25 I was surprised to be only one minute behind. I really enjoyed the course and am glad I decided to throw the clock out the window much earlier in the day.
This year Aravaipa Running lined up a new finish area which had lots of room to spread out for runners, family, and supporters. There was a band playing on stage, cheap beer specials, and an awesome spread of food catered by The Mill restaurant. It was great fun talking with the first and second place male finishers from Tucson, Gabe McGowan (4:13) and Dennis Pollow (4:19). I also ran into Mike Wilke, an old comrade in previous ultra boondoggles, who had just finished his first CKS.
After a 5-year hiatus Crown King Scramble 50K made a comeback in 2013 and is just as healthy this year. All of the new people that ran this year need to bring two friends next year. At one time in the late 90's and early 2000’s CKS was the fifth largest 50K in the United States. The main allure to come out to this race is the camaraderie everyone shares trying to conquer the climb and then join the party at the finish. You really can’t turn around and quit. It may take all day but you will get there.
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