Mile 7.2 to Mile 11.6: Alum Ford Aid Station
Every ultra runner knows how important a strategy is. After leaving aid station one, I decided to mentally break the remainder of the Yamacraw 50K into segments based on aid stations.
This piecemeal tactic seemed less daunting than tackling one massive effort. Just live in each section, monitor my knee pain, look forward to treats and my boys at each stop, and eventually I’d be at the end.
Going Behind the Falls
The namesake of the Yahoo Arch trail section is Yahoo Falls, Kentucky’s tallest natural waterfall (not a mullet). As I snaked my way along the narrow holler carved out by Yahoo Creek, the immense scale of the amphitheater-style grotto undercut behind the falls came into view.
Truck-sized cubes of limestone lay strewn about, resolute in their resting places after having plummeted from the ceiling above. To my right, Yahoo Creek glistened and sparkled on its 113-feet freefall descent to the emerald splash pool below. Voices of fellow runners mingled with that of the falling water, then amplified and echoed throughout the grotto. The sight and sound was so stunning that I momentarily forgot about my worsening knee.
The trail eventually swung southwest, out of that holler and into the bottom created by the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. The river flowed slow, flat, and calm toward the Alum Ford aid station.
Hustle & Boost
Jake was waiting at the top of a set of stairs that ascended out of the canyon and onto a gravel trail leading to the Alum Ford aid station. He jogged backwards while getting a status check on me and taking my nutrition order.
“Man, my knee is really bugging me. I think I’ll be fine, but it’s definitely slowing me down.”
“Just tell me what you need, man. Some ice? Ibuprofen?”
“Just mix up one bottle of Intra-Formance and one bottle of Endura-Formance. I could go for another Hydration Stick, too. I’m fine on water.”
Jake’s a big guy, but he motivated and easily pulled ahead of me to start making preparations at the truck. Andy was there shooting video and jumped into action as a mixologist on the tailgate.
I took one Hydration Stick in a hurry as a dry shot, just to stave off the specter of muscle cramps.
Again, their company and logistical assistance were great, but the psychological boost I got from anticipating seeing their familiar faces, then actually seeing them at the aid stations was immeasurable.
Refueled and refilled, but still with pain radiating into my entire right knee, I got back to grinding on the Sheltowee Trace trail and onward toward my goal of becoming an ultra runner.
There’s still over 20 miles of course left! Find out what happens next in Part VI: Time Is NOT On My Side.
Need a refresher on that last section? Jump back to Part IV: I’ve Got a Bad Feeling.
You must log in to post a comment.