Race Report, The 16 Hour Lock In
Race Report, The 16 Hour Lock in November 18, 2023
The race start time was 9am on Saturday morning. Angela, my wife and I had already set up our site (tent, sleeping bags, tables) in the primitive camping section the night prior. It was raining but we managed to get the gear arranged and it was mostly dry the following morning. We got up around 6:30AM, ate some oatmeal and had a generous cup of coffee. We returned to Carolina Beach State Park and arrived shortly before the race start. It was warmer than desired starting in the mid-60s Fahrenheit. We met Jenny and laid out our energy and hydration on the table. Every lap we would pass our campsite and this would allow us to rest, rehydrate and get some calories. Energy sources included Clif Shot Bloks, Honey Stinger Waffles, Belgian waffles, spaghetti, potato chips, pickles and olives. We had three chairs, one of which reclined to a recumbent position.
The course is a 4.5-mile loop on the sandy trails of Carolina Beach State Park. Some parts of the course are exposed to the sun and other parts have complete shade. The sand provides cushion for the feet and joints but you lose the bounce of the road. More effort is required with each step, and you have to be careful not to turn an ankle. Fortunately, the rain the night prior made the sand more compact and easier to navigate. We walked over to the start line, did some last-minute stretching, joined 28 others and off we go. You can see the start of the race with the following link: (20+) Facebook. The initial excitement needed caution to avoid going too fast in the early part of the race. I wear a Garmin Fenix watch which monitors my pace and heart rate. We trained and executed running the race using a run-walk strategy. We would run for three minutes and walk for a minute independent of the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) or HR. In order to stay aerobic, I determined that my heart rate (HR) could not exceed 140 beats per minute (BPM). If my HR jumped up higher than this, I stopped running and would walk till my HR got below this threshold.
Although we all started together, participants rapidly dissipated over the course. I quickly found myself alone. Angela, Jenny and I ran together during training runs, but at least initially each went our own way during the race. I carried a water bottle in one hand, and my iPhone in the other. I had earbuds to listen to music but did not use these for the first few loops. The loop was counterclockwise. The first couple of miles were next to the Cape Fear River and a gentle breeze would occasionally blow from the river towards the trail. As the trail turned inward, the breeze ceased and the stillness of the park became apparent. During the first loop, we received a text from Jenny asking for us to leave out the Tylenol. Uh oh.
I managed to make each loop of the first four loops on the hour (10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm). It was hot. My watch recorded a temperature up into the mid-80s as the sun rose. I was sweating and at one point ran without a shirt. The heat caught up with me and my pace decreased from 12 to 14-minute miles and my rest period at the completion of each loop increased from 6 minutes to as much as 25 minutes. Passing 26.2 miles, the marathon distance and 31 miles, the 50K distance were accompanied by a sense of accomplishment and relief. As we made the 8th loop, mile 37, Angela ran merrily on while I lay in the recumbent chair asking myself how much more could I carry on? I ate a couple of slices of cheese pizza with a Coke and headed out for loop 9. A fast walk was the best I could muster. The sun began to set and the evening set in. We had previously discussed that this race was really two races, the day and the night. If you could save some energy for the night, that is when the fun would begin. And so it did. I recovered and started picking up the pace with the hopes of catching up with Angela. We eventually all three connected at the basecamp and started looping together. We got out our headlamps, grabbed a grilled cheese, tomato soup, and traversed the course several more times. It was good to be together. The glow of the moon shined down upon us. The millions of spiders that live at the park reflected like glitter when illuminated with the headlamp. The distance and time rapidly passed. Jenny completed 9 loops (40.5 miles) and Angela completed 10 loops (45 miles). I had started doing some calculations regarding pacing and the time it was taking to complete each loop. I finished loop 12 at 11:45pm. On my arrival, the timer and race director asked, one more loop? Yes, one more loop. So I grabbed an Oreo, and off I ran into the dark for one final lap. I returned at 12:52AM, with 8 minutes to spare before the end of the race. I completed 58.5 miles, and much to my surprise, won second place for the men for distance completed.
Special thanks to Punk Rock Ultras and the race directors, Karyn and Tony. We really appreciate you putting on this event.