Step by step
MUDDY CREEK TWP — Most couldn’t even begin to imagine lining up at a starting line by 6 a.m., preparing for an arduous 50-mile trail run that will last until the afternoon.
For the 11th time, such determined runners gathered at Moraine State Park Saturday for the Glacier Ridge Trail Ultramarathon and Trail Race.
They had their choice of four different events — a 30K, a 50K, a five-person 50-mile relay, and an individual 50-mile run. Steady rain and muddy trail conditions made an even tougher go of it.
“You get what you get,” said Tim Flaherty, a member of the race committee. “Any trail race, the weather is part of the race. You can have a beautiful day, you can have rain, you can have heat ... It’s a mixed bag.”
Chris Dudek, a 39-year-old who grew up in Prospect and resides in Pittsburgh, placed first overall in the 50-mile race with a time of 8 hours 26 minutes and 9.4 seconds. It was his first time running so far.
He trained by running 60-70 miles each week and also got ready by running on the trails at North Park. The conditions weren’t much of a difference to him.
“I feel like I actually had a lot of days like today (in training),” Dudek said. “Good ol’ Western Pa.”
Michael Cammarata, a native of Jamestown, N.Y., finished third in the same event and initially decided to run in order to improve his mentality. He’d participated in two 50-mile runs before, but on the road rather than a trail.
What make this race more challenging for Cammarata was his limited time to train. A nagging groin injury had kept him sideline for five weeks.
“I only had a month to prepare for this, really,” said Cammarata, a student at Penn State Behrend. “It was really challenging because, realistically, I would’ve loved to come here and do a 36-mile two months prior. It just wasn’t able to happen.”
Cammarata posted a time of 9:47:39.6. Michelle Pede, 35, of Minoa, N.Y., was the first woman to complete the 50-mile event. She completed her first-ever 50-mile race in fourth overall, finishing in 9:53.55.94.
After preparing through winter weather, she surpassed her own expectations in navigating the messy path.
“It was really hard to get moving fast on some of the downhill sections, especially, because your feet were just slipping all over the place,” said Pede, who came from Syracuse area to run. “Some places were just a river.”
Recovery took different forms. Dudek, a vegan, said he planned on recovering with a few orders of Thai food. As a makeshift ice bath, Cammarata took a dip in Lake Arthur for 15 minutes before enjoying some cake with his family.
Dudek and Pede brought home engraved glass awards. As Bethel Park’s Lauren Worrell and Murrysville’s Douglas Moore, respective winners of the 50K and 30K. Team Slaughterhouse-5 came first in the relay.
Other finishers left with a shirt and, depending on the event they took part in, a mug-type glass, a larger glass, or a stainless steel water bottle.
“We decided to change things because we’ve been giving away the same medals for a number of years, but runners start to get a collection and it’s not as special,” Flaherty said. “So we’re giving away different things.”
Part of the proceeds of the race are donated to Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Center, and McConnell’s Mill State Park.
Flaherty said some of the funds from this year’s edition will go toward the clearing of a trail for individuals with disabilities.
“There’s a lot of other people that all help to put this together,” Flaherty said, specifically mentioning race director David Murray and aid stations coordinator Tammy McGaughey. “People that maintain the park throughout the year. We’re here so that runners can have fun and hopefully reach some goals.”
Even if the temperatures were in the mid-30s with a driving rain and powerful wind gusts, most participants still would have shown up and bared it.
“These people are as hardcore as you will find,” Flaherty said. “Everybody running this will run pretty much all year. Rain, snow, whatever. It’s your thing and you just love doing it.
“Race day, you just take what comes. It’s part of the thrill of the event is dealing with the conditions.”
