Lost Soul 54K Ultra: The 2019 edition race report

Hey friends … so I ran the Lost Soul Ultra 2019 … the 20th anniversary of the race on Saturday.

The organizers and volunteers pulled out all the stops on all fronts. Everyone received a rock at the finish line and a sweet jacket in our race kit. As always, the race did not disappoint.

As you know .. I love the 54K course. So I was excited to go back for another romp around the coulees after last year’s mess and the DNF in 2017. This year had to be better, right?

I was super nervous about this race because my volume has been way down this year. Recovering from my badly sprained ankle took months longer than I had expected so I needed to be smart about my training. I focused on gaining strength by getting as much elevation as my legs could handle.

It seemed to have worked because I felt strong at Elk Valley. I may have shown a blind eye to improving my pace this year but as they say … hill training is speed training in disguise or something like that.

Leg 1 – South Loop

Someone told me a while ago that I should use poles for this race. So I use poles for this race. But I got to tell you, they are more a pain in the ass than anything. I ALWAYS end up carrying and cursing them for most of the race. This year, I said SCREW you poles, you’re staying tucked in my hydration pack.

I started somewhere in the middle. Too close to the front and I am running too fast. Too far in the back and I want to punch people. Safest bet is always in the middle.

I took off at an easy pace – not too fast, not too slow – down that first hill. I dropped my sunglasses and a runner behind me scooped them up and handed to me right away. (Thank you!)

I approached the first hill with a little apprehension. How would my legs respond? Thankfully I was up that hill in no time and I wasn’t passed. I think last year I was passed a lot (and it’s a freaking short hill).

I ran the rest of the leg at my easy pace and trying not to trip over my feet. I am one of those runners who is always worried about “over doing” it early in the race.

Leg 2 – Headquarters to Softball Valley

One thing I didn’t tell you about the first leg – I had to pee as soon as I heard the piper play. Throughout the leg, I kept looking for places for a pit stop. I held it in until I got to the porta potty at headquarters.

I felt relief once I visited the facilities. Leg 2 runs under the iconic Lethbridge train bridge. Also it’s where the photographer is hanging out to take pictures of runners.

This is a great leg with views of the river and the valley until you come across the water treatment plant. Boy was it ripe this year. The smell was overpowering – enough to get me moving quickly up and down those darn coulees.

Leg 3 – Softball Valley to Pavan Park

There’s a couple nasty coulees to start this leg. I considered pulling out my poles. I thought screw it. I’ve made it this far (not that far) with them. I was most worried about the next leg because that’s the one I think I can improve on the most out of the six legs.

I ran up most of the smaller hills. My legs were feeling pretty good. While I was getting passed on the hills, I stayed steady and strong.

I leapfrogged a bit with Patrick Humenny the winner of the 200K race. He liked my hat. Funny enough, he owns the store in Kimberley that sells the hats. Man this guy was on fire. He looked so strong at 178 kms. He was passing everyone on the hills (myself included). Thankfully I was able to shake him on the leg to get to the aid station first. (I already felt incredibly like a slacker each time he caught up to me. )

Leg 4 – North Loop to Pavan

The north loop can be the hottest and the loneliest. We get to scale some fences and run through farmers’ fields on private land. I was pretty much alone on this loop to begin with. I tried to stay focused and run the flat bits as much as I could.

I would say I was doing pretty good until the final three or four kilometres. The heat was getting to me a bit and I hadn’t seen too many runners. Negative thoughts were creeping in but I tried to stay positive by thinking about how much stronger I felt this year. I knew if I could just keep one foot in front of me, I could finish this race. I was looking forward to the next two “easy” legs.

Leg 5 – Pavan Park to Softball Valley

A chatty Kathy on leg 2 got in my head. She was talking about how Leg 5 was so hard when I mentioned I was hoping to improve on Leg 4. So now I had this big fear of the three bitches (coulees). I vaguely remembered this leg. Now it was all I could think about. I asked someone at the aid station and she said, “It’s fine. You did leg 4. This will be a breeze.”

Ugh. The first two “hills” were fine. But I may have crawled up the third hill. Boy was it steep. My running was “easy going” for the rest of the leg. I got passed by a guy in a blue shirt on one of the narrow hills. (Truth be told, I always wanted to push him over the edge. But that’s another blog post.)

I kept my eyes on the guy in blue for the majority of the leg. It was a short leg but it felt so BLOODY long. I should have run more but something died inside me on that steep coulee.

Leg 6 – Pavan to Finish line

Are we there yet? It’s hard to start running again after you visit an aid station. I tried to get in and out. But a few times over the course of the day my hydration pack got twisted so I had the attachment sticking in my back. Not sure how that heck that happened but I have purple welts to show for it.

I ran/power walked the final kilometres on very runnable terrain to the finish line. While it was lovely to feel the shade from the forested bits, it was lonely out there. (I come to realize I like to have someone to chase because my mental game is not that strong .. yet.)

I turned on my iPhone and blasted a few Maroon 5 songs from the pocket of my hydration pack. A lady passed me while I was walking. I was surprised she caught up to me because I had passed her quite early in the leg. I was happy to see her because she inspired me to get out of my head and to run the rest of the way. I passed her on the hill and kept going to the finish line.

I got a hug from Dean at the finish line. Nice to see a friendly face at the finish line. In fact all the volunteers were super amazing. I love that about this race.

I didn’t take many pictures at the race. Also I don’t have any pictures of me. Now looking at all the pictures of other people, I kinda wished I asked someone to take my picture. But I always feel ridiculous asking strangers to take my pictures. Anyway, although there is no picture proof, I was there!

Thoughts on the race

Overall I was super happy with my performance. Of course there’s lots of room for improvement – mainly my mental game. I ran up hills that a year ago I would have power walked. And I didn’t use my poles. Although it didn’t really reflect it in my time, I ran stronger and more confident this year. Maybe it’s time I step up my game in 2020 and attempt the Lost Soul 100K. What do you think?

(Unofficial) Race results: Finished in 8:17 – 13th female out of 61 runners. 51st out of 137 finishers. Find out more here: www.ultrasignup.com