Afton 50K-Keep Climbing
First ultra marathon completed. 50k in 6:20:09. July 4th, 2026.
THE STARTING LINE
Just under 3 months after my first swing at an Ultra Marathon (Zion 100) I decided to try a local race at the Afton Trail Run 50K in Afton, MN.
I came into this race with confidence but also with some leg issues that had limited some of my training so I wasn’t 100% sure what I was going to feel like.
We arrived, my wife and two kids (Carter 11 and Harper 10) and they hung out with me until the run started…then they bailed for a bit to go get some breakfast.I intentionally hung back to start out later so I wouldn’t feel the pull of trying to keep pace with others…I was determined to finish this race feeling good.
THE RACE
I had the opportunity to go run the course a few weeks before the actual race so I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. There was a great mix of runnable flats through fields and along the St. Croix River, mixed with some steep somewhat technical uphills.
The structure of the race was that you could run a 25k (one loop) or a 50k (which was two loops).
The weather was great, getting quite warm later in the day, but for the most part it was really good.
My plan was to race based off of a combination of heart rate and RPE with my plan being to keep my HR under 145 for loop 1 and under 155 for loop 2. That actually ended up being a great plan for me as I spent nearly the entire first loop in the range I was hoping for before climbing closer to 150 towards the very end of the loop.
I got into the crew stop after loop 1 and my wife and kids were there with food, drinks, and smiles. They sent me off feeling great as I started loop #2.
Around mile 27 or so I did notice my legs getting tired, but that was expected. I ran my race the entire day and am really proud of the effort I put in.
For the day, I ran 31.6 miles with 3,904’ of elevation gain in just over 6:20 and about 6:06 moving time…only 14 minutes of stoppage.
My average heart rate for the day was 149, and it did max at 167 but that was during one of the climbs.
Unlike Zion 3 months prior, I used restraint and I raced maturely.
Instead of running the flats in an attempt to make up time from the climbs, I kept the flats easy so I didn’t burn myself for later.
TAKEAWAY
My main takeaway from this race is that I am officially an ultra marathon finisher. That is something I am really proud of. The other thing that I learned is that just because I feel like I am capable of moving faster doesn’t mean that I should.
One key for ultra running is that you have to weight the risk/reward scenarios constantly.
Is it worth saving 5 minutes by taking this downhill too fast, knowing that it could cost me later?
Is it worth flying past this aid station knowing that I might not have enough fuel?
Some risks are worth taking…but you always have to know what the payoff is. Don’t risk your whole race in an attempt to save 3 minutes. I learned that at Zion and I kept it in mind when running Afton.
Family there at the end
Best crew people ever
Me with the kiddos