Shore2Shore 50k Ultramarathon Race Recap

Pre-Race

It was 5am and the alarm went off. It was time to get up and get ready for the Shore2Shore 50k Race. The kids were all sleeping, but Kelly and I were already changing, packing, and preparing mentally the race. This one: The Shore2Shore 50k Ultra Marathon from Heckscher Park to Sunken Meadow Park, the full width of Long Island. 

Kelly was much more prepared for this race than I was. She followed a plan I made for her, but I didn’t run enough miles to be considered properly trained. Yet, I was still highly confident having run 29 miles in December and 52 miles in October. My runners math said, you can do this too. I had the confidence of having done this distance nearly twice, but this was Kelly’s first ultra marathon and first trail run. 

We drove the car to the finish line and parked. It was time to make our last second decision on whether to wear pants or shorts and we sat unofficially polling all the other runners as they moved about the parking lot. We went with shorts, which was the right decision for the 50 degree day. Waiting for the bus to transport us to the start was easy. We paid for it in advance, they checked us off on their clipboard, and off we went. The bus ride was long. We were happy there was heat on the bus, but we felt like roasting chickens about halfway there so we started opening windows. All we knew was that all of our mental and belly issues would go away once we started, like every other race we run. 

We arrived and waited on line to get our number. We found our friends on line and eventually at the starting line. Since we arrived with the buses, we waited a bit to get our number and t-shirt, but we still had time to use the bathroom and pull together final prep. The line moved a bit slow, but the directors improvised fast and helped speed up the line pretty quickly. Then the race director gathered everyone, gave final instructions, and sent us on our way. 

The Race

Find Our Stride

The Shore2Shore 50k race started with a couple miles on pavement. There was some jockeying for position as everyone found their groove but we were moving slow and steady. I was feeling strong for the few miles I had put into training for this race. We were moving easy and even found our spot within the pack. We had about 50 meters of space in front of us and 50 meters behind us by mile 3. I was just thinking, “Perfect”. Why? Well, I have a thing about feeling pressured by runners behind me or pressuring the runners in front of me. So, the space meant we ran our own race, and I liked that. 

Mental Struggles

As time went on, we found a few places for us to get some short walks in to rest the legs. Kelly was starting to hurt a bit early into her run, but her struggles aligned with some of the mental struggles I had during my 52-mile race in October 2023, also occurring early in the race. She was having doubts and pains and needed to slow down and walk more. I was happy to stay with her as we planned and help guide her the rest of the way.  

Races like the Shore2Shore 50k call for a positive attitude. Really, life and everything we do calls for it. Crowing up in a competitive culture, I was taught about visualizing yourself doing your best. It meant meditating and visualizing scoring the goal, crossing the line first, holding the trophy, seeing the pass, etc. This race is no different, but since it is so long, you can transform your visualization into active thoughts that can help or hurt you during your run. 

You need to take caution with how you say things and what you say. Saying things like: We aren’t even halfway there is negative. Or you can say, we are already about halfway there. See how they mean the same thing but one is a full glass of water and one is empty? 

Trails vs Pavement

Trail running is much different than road running. This was a hard lesson for Kelly this day since it was her first trail run more than maybe a 10k. So, at 14 miles, she was tired of it. This is understandable, especially if you, like her, enjoy triathlons which afford you rest in transition and through changing activities. The key here was to stay positive. See the above section.  

Trails also mean you can’t zone out. There are too many obstacles in front of you that would be dangerous if you zone out. Big roots and rocks, stairs and giant mud puddles. There was miles in the middle of the course that were just mud puddle after mud puddle. In places where there were small foot bridges, we worried about slipping, but we were ok. We often sidestepped puddles by going through bushes. I was happy to run through some of the mud puddles left by the rain from the days leading up to the race, but Kelly was nervous about wet feet. So I’d run through and wait for her as she trekked through untouched bushes to avoid the mud.  

Getting Silly

At this time, I was having a different, silly worry…my watch might not say I ran a full 50k and I won’t get credit. I’m a data analyst, so sue me if I want to have all my stats as close to right as possible. So, I started running 30 meters ahead and then jogging back to her to get my mileage up. In the end, it turns out my watch was closest to right and I was over the mileage by probably the same amount I added to my race to catch up (shaking my own head). 

We also joked about how I NEVER fall. I can’t think of a time I’ve fallen in my life during a run. I’m an active watcher of the ground in front of me. But as we climbed a hill and I zigzagged for the extra 10 meters it got my on my watch, I nearly fell over a large overgrown piece of grass. That’s when I decided to stop goofing off and just let the watch say what it says. The course is measured and my watch will do the best it can, just like me.

Breaking Things Down

By mile 20 we were doing some more walking. This helped our legs but also our mental capacity. We were starting to get into the hills of Long Island and our legs were feeling it. There were thousands of flags and trail marks, but we saw our friends, who got a bit of distance on us, go the wrong way. We didn’t know how get in touch with them, but we found them behind us at the next aid station.  

The hills were doing a number on us, and Kelly was now breaking our race into tiny little segments. This is smart because you can trick your brain into knowing it can run a few blocks non-stop, even when exhausted. I mean, it’s only a few blocks. This same methodology can be used throughout life. Read about setting goals and using this strategy here.

I would run a bit in front of her because she would continue to run as long as she saw me running, so it kept our forward progress, well, forward, but we stopped often. The hardest part was getting her started again. “We can start at the next street sign.” “Let’s start once we get past this mud.” This worked fine but became tricky in the final miles of hills. We would agree to run after cresting a hill only to find a really short trail before a bigger climb, so we walked again. There were a lot of false starts like this. 

Finishing

I knew we were close, but I didn’t know just how close. Our watches were off by about .75 miles from each other now and we had no idea which was right. What we knew was that we surpassed the ultra marathon mark. We decided to bank on Kelly’s watch because it meant the finish was closer. We entered Sunken Meadow Park from an angle we never did before and explored some new trails. It was now raining on us a little bit. My legs were really tight at this point from stopping and going often, but they were still firing. At this point, we had to climb a few big hills and knew that Sunken Meadow would provide us with a bunch of new really big hilled obstacles.

We reached probably the last really big hill and saw the photographer there. Kelly NEEDED to know how far and when he said a bit over 1 mile, her heart sank. I kept telling her, “Come on, I want to go home!” She would respond with “I just need to know where it is. I need to see the finish.” Not long after that, I could hear it, then see it down the hill. We made a final unfamiliar turn before I realized we were at the top of snake hill. I knew this well from High School cross country. 

Kelly was off and running now and I was following her lead. We were moving quick at about 9-minute mile. It was really windy and still lightly raining. We made the turn for the finish and I was basically pulling Kelly across the line as she nearly collapsed into me at the finish. Kelly was now officially an ultra marathoner!  

The Finish

Because of the weather, there was minimal activities at the finish. There was very little nutrition and handing out our awards was merely having a worker jump into the back of a U-Haul and hand delivering a small keepsake. The keepsake was cool, a bottle of sand from the start and the finish line. It was a bit generic with a Shore2Shore 50k sticker but there was no date. I still liked the idea anyway. I have run with this race director before and know this is a weather thing, so I’m not taking off any points on that, but I wouldn’t complain if there was more either.  

Our little award is also really cool. I’m striving to get a belt buckle at some point, but this was actually a jar of sand. There is sand from Heckscher State Park (the start) and also sand from Sunken Meadow State Park (the finish). It’s a really cool touch. I plan to go back again next year and I hope they have something a little different. All that to say, I am proudly displaying my sand in my house! 

Final Recap

I had fun running this ultra marathon. I got to run the whole way with Kelly. We helped each other the whole way through. I’m confident there were points that she had an impact on me that I don’t even know about yet. We finished holding hands which is probably the first time we have ever done that. It was so cool to do that with my best friend in the world.  

The Shore2Shore 50k was great. Even with a few hiccups, like poor post-race nutrition, I’m really happy at how they did and thank the directors and all those who volunteered at the race all day. You are all kings and queens in my book. Thanks for the snacks and drinks, and whatever help we needed along the way. If you are open to travel, or are in the area, I suggest running one of their races. They provide a really fun and laid back atmosphere for such an incredible challenge! Thanks to Happily Running! Also thanks to Goat Factory Media for the great shots on the trail!

Up next is the LI Half Marathon.

I’m ready to go back again next year! Anyone want to join me?!