July 2022

IN THE

RETURN TO 6 DAY RACING

LONG

RUN

By CHARLIE UPSHALL

“You keep going around and around until you figure a way out,” John, at the race.

“People think I’m crazy. But for me, it’s how I ward off crazy,” Shamus, at the race.

For the first time in three years, I was able to go back to my favourite race, the 6 Day in New Jersey. I was looking forward to the experience, meeting up with people I hadn’t seen and getting to test my mettle in a long ultra again. Although feeling somewhat rusty and undertrained, nevertheless I assumed that all would be fine. I figured that Canadian M75 records for 48 hours, 72 hours and 6 days could be attained.

In the weeks prior to leaving for the States, we had been enduring a cold, wet spring, and I had been jokingly predicting that the first hot day would be the first day of the race. The event would begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 9 and continue until 9 a.m. on the following Sunday. You run, walk, eat and rest as you choose during this time period, circumnavigating a one mile, mostly asphalt loop at the State Fairgrounds. There is an aid station and washroom facility near the start/finish line.

Well, it was very warm and extremely windy, with no clouds in the sky, throughout Day 1. I wore a hat, long-sleeved shirt and long pants the entire day as there had been no opportunity for me to get any tan prior to arrival and I have to avoid sunburn due to several bouts of skin cancer. Although I was a bit hot, it went well. I chatted occasionally but generally jogged and walked by myself, keeping my focus on the task at hand. Except for a dinner break and a change of socks/ shoes, I stayed on the course until about 1 a.m. My total for Day 1 was 59 miles, about what I had hoped to do. I felt fine, had eaten and drunk repeatedly, utilizing the aid station for many

snacks, as well as drinking copious amounts of my electrolyte drink, which I carried in handheld bottles. I fell asleep quickly and got some rest for about three hours.

The weather on Day 2 was the same. It seemed quite hot, with temperatures in the upper 70s, still very windy and, once again, there was not a cloud in the sky on the completely unshaded course. I continued to keep all my skin covered, even wearing gardening gloves with cut-off fingers to try to protect my hands from excessive swelling, one of the side effects I get at this race when I am out in the hot sun, day after day. In spite of the gloves, my hands were ballooning up, and I also began to get hot spots on my feet. My fabulous crew, Sandy, tended to me, draining a few blisters, having me soak my feet in Epsom salt water and then bandaging the appropriate spots so that my feet did not bother me while I was out walking. Yes, by the second afternoon, I was only walking.

Unfortunately, I had begun to develop what is known as the “dreaded lean”. I was tilting more and more to the right, and forward as well. This ailment is somewhat common in multi-day events, especially among older men, a group in which I now have a full membership. There are several theories as to the cause for the lean, but none have been proven. At any rate, the result was that my entire right side, from the hips up to the shoulder, became painful. As well, both shoulder areas had become progressively sorer, I think as a result of carrying a water bottle for so long. I decided to take a prolonged break and so changed clothes and sat outside in a comfortable chair. Sandy had made a terrific chicken with vegetables dinner. The time away from doing laps, just resting and having fun with some of the other competitors as they went by, felt great. The sun went down during this period too. When I ventured back out, I left my drink on our table and began a routine of stopping to have a little drink every mile. Sometimes I would brush my teeth or have a swig of Kombucha to get rid of the persistent fuzzy dryness in my mouth. As well, I would periodically have some yoghurt or fruit. In addition, I continued to consume sandwiches, noodles, or soup at the aid station. By now, I was simply grinding out each mile between nutrition breaks. Walking as best I could, I stayed out again until after 1 a.m. My total for

Day 2 was 48 miles, and I calmly accepted the fact that I would not reach my pre-race goals. I knew that once you get the lean, you almost always have it until the race is over. Rest helps a bit, but in my case, the pain always returned after a couple of laps. That’s just the way it was.

I got up before 5 a.m. and headed out for Day 3, another hot one with cloudless skies, but finally no big wind. Partway through the day, a friend, who had arrived to do the 3 Day, came to say hi. Immediately, he saw my red balloon hands and said he had something for me. He is a nutritionist and gave me some magnesium pills, telling me to take one twice a day. By Day 5, the swelling was almost gone and I now have some important new knowledge.

The rest of the days went pretty much the same, although the sky finally became cloudy and once we even had a few night-time hours of rain. I was glad to be able to wear shorts and t- shirts for the last three days. The lean continued, with the pain radiating into different areas across my back. I slow-walked and got into some nice conversations.

There was one highlight. In the middle of the night of Day 5, I completed my 1500 th lifetime mile at the race. For reaching this milestone, you receive a brick with your name and the distance engraved. The custom is that you have to carry the brick for that mile. Sandy, and my friend Steve, who had done the 48 Hour, walked it with me. I tried to use the brick to balance myself side to side, but no luck!

I’m back home now, with stiff knees and no fluidity in my walking. Sometimes even I wonder why I still do such events. Perhaps it is because I believe in what Yeats called, “the fascination of what’s difficult.”