My very own Iroquoia Trail Test finishers rock.

Well, I've been there, done that and I've taken home the finishers rock. Yes, you read correctly, a rock. A very nice painted rock with my bib number and finishing time on it. Honest! This was my finisher's memento for completing my first Iroquoia Trail Test.

Oh, and I finished with a time of 3:12:25, in first place. Well, sort of...

Picture this, a thirty-two kilometre figure eight course, an out and back of tough, hilly, rocky, technical single track and even less than single track trails. It starts at the Killbride Public School and winds it's way through various paths along the Bruce Trail along the Niagara escarpment, out to Appleby Line and back. Throw in warm but fairly humid temperatures and you get the picture. It's an evil, ankle twisting, toe mashing test of endurance if there ever was one.

There are two starting times. The slower runners and people that want to get started before it gets too hot start at 7:00 AM and the fast people and those that prefer an extra hours sleep to the cooler temperatures get to start at 8:00 AM.

I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep so I showed up for the 7:00 AM start. A good crowd of about fifty people are there as well. Photos and announcements were made, rules and regulations read and with little more ceremony, we were off and running.

I managed to get into the front group and stayed within the top ten runners on the kilometre of road before the first trail section. We pass the water station at the trail entrance and charge into a couple of warm up hills before we hit the first major decent.

As with most of this course, there are very few places to pass, so you have to wait for your chances and be ready to jump on them.

At bottom of the hill is the infamous stream crossing. Runners were not supposed to use the bridge, but were required to get his or her feet wet. Needless to say, the course marshals just sat there and let people take the bridge. Everyone that I saw opted for keeping their feet dry. Except for me, that is. I saw the line up for the bridge (a four-foot ladder climb to get on the bridge) and the line up to get off the bridge down on the other side. I knew about the stream before hand and I remembered to put a light coating of Vaseline on my feet, so I just thundered through the water.

I picked up a few places, putting me in the top five or so in the early group. I even manage to sneak past a few more in the confusion on the other side of the stream. I followed right behind "Mr. Fourth Place" for a while, when he makes a mistake and turns left instead of right. I don't follow, head back to the stream and I'm number four, but he's right behind me. It's a race down hill to the stream for another wet foot. I take the stream, he takes the bridge, I win again. I even manage to out walk him on the big hill and I'm alone by the return past the start/finish line.

At the third aid station, around twelve kilometres, I see two guys ahead of me heading into the woods on the other side of the road just as I emerge from them. I knew I had a chance, but I wasn't going to kill myself to catch them. I get water and some cookies and head back on the trail behind them.

I run and run and run. There's a short climb down a small cliff face and there is still no sight of the guys ahead of me. I hit the fourth aid station at Crawford Lake and still no sign of anyone. With just one hundred metres before the turn around at Appleby Line I get passed by someone going the other way. I'm closer than I thought to the leaders.

I burst through the brush at Appleby Line and hit the turn around on the Chip mat. The people at the station are yelling, and telling me that I'm in second place.

It takes a while to sink in. Second? SECOND! NO BLOODY WAY!

I grab two cups of water and head back into the trails to chase "Mr. First Place". Where the second and third place runners went, who knows? I hear later that the leader got lost and missed the turn around, DQ'ed. The other guy must have missed that sharp reverse turn at the top of the escarpment.

I was going to just take it easy and enjoy myself, but being in second place is not someplace I'm used to being. I just have to go for it, even if I'm starting to bonk with twelve kilometres to go.

On the reverse, I start passing other runners headed to the turn around. A couple of them are club members that win Ultras. From Henry Van Gemert I get, "What the heck are you doing up there?" and from Les Michalak I hear, "Go get'em Mark".

I finally catch the leader at the sharp turn that heads back up the long slow climb along the foot of the escarpment. He went left, and he should have turned right. He asks for directions, and I point up the significant hill just past the turn. Off he sprints, I walk.

He says over his shoulder, "I've got to make up time!".

I disagree with his strategy. In this type of race you can't make up time, you can only lose it. In ultra's you walk up hills, it's all about energy conservation. I don't bother to try to catch him, I can't hold his pace. I'll run my race and see if I can hold on to second place.

Often, the slow and steady plan works. I catch up to him at the bottom of the almost vertical escarpment climb. At the top of the escarpment we come to a silent truce and run together.

It wasn't long before the fast guys that started at 8:00 AM pass us, going the other way... Fast! I see Bill Schnurr in that lead pack and I hope that I can get to the finish before they can run us down.

On a flat wide access road between Walkers Line and Guelph Line, I notice that he is fading and I take the opportunity to slowly pickup the pace. He just lets me go, without a challenge, but I don't dare look back to check.

With four kilometres to go, I'm alone again and hurting big time, trying to negotiate the rocky trail littered with rocks the size of soccer balls, tricky climbs and dangerous drops. I end up walking far more than I want to, but with my balance going and my quads fried, there's nothing more that I can do. There is just no more gas left in the tank.

I'm baked, fried and toasted. Near the end there's a set of steps to a small footbridge crossing. I never thought that going down six steps would be such a tough mental challenge. I manage to stumble through the last few metres to the field behind the school. I kick up my heels and sprint as fast as I can and manage to cross through the tape first with a time of 3:12:25.

Not bad, not bad at all...

Unfortunately, my first place finish wasn't to last. When the faster runners from the 8:00 AM start are all accounted for, I end up with a twenty-second overall placing.

But during that half hour when I was in first place, it was glorious.

By Mark G. Collis

Revised: July 12, 2004.
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