The Huntington Ultra Frigid Fifty (HUFF) lived up to its name this year. It was nine degrees (F) when I rolled in to the Kil-So-Quah campground just outside Huntington, Indiana. This race was billed as being “one of the ten largest ultramarathons in North America.” And, indeed, there was a fairly large field of runners as we lined up for the start.
The course is a three loop setup, with three aid stations per loop (including the start/finish area). The morning was clear, sunny, and still as I started out on the first loop around the Huntington reservoir. The course had mile markers, and, just before mile three, we reached the dam holding back the waters of the Wabash River. In the distance I could see the bridge three miles to the southeast that I would be crossing later in the day.
Just down the road from the damn we reached mile four and the first aid station. They had turtles! (chocolate covered candies with caramel and pecans.) Yum!
The course is pretty flat, except for a few places where erosion has cut into the hillside. There the trail dips and then climbs out of a mild ravine. Other than that, it’s even going: wide and smooth with few roots or rocks. Although today the ground was hard packed from the cold and all the folks in front of me, another runner told me that in warm years, the course can be very muddy.
The second aid station comes just before the bridge on the southeast side of the reservoir
The difficult part of this race this year was the cold. The ground was frozen hard, and the hard surface made for increased leg strain. That, coupled with the wide and level trail, made trail running a lot more like road running.
Midway through the second loop, I ran past a pack of hunting beagles. They sounded like a flock of geese. Just after I passed them I heard a loud shot. Apparently the south side of the reservoir is open to hunting this time of year (the north side is a “safety zone”). So, it’s a good idea to wear some orange for this race!
After the second loop, my legs were tired from pounding the frozen ground, but I my energy was otherwise good. I thought about dropping for a minute, but since I’d driven down from Grand Rapids, I figured I would get my money’s worth and finish it up. I walked a bit more at the beginning of the third loop, but then my legs loosened up and trotted through the rest of the distance, passing a number of beat up looking runners in the last few miles. I came through the finish line in 7:27:01.
