Great Cranberry Island 50K

Gretchen H

Last September (while procrastinating at work), I decided that it was time to venture beyond the marathon distance and dip my foot into the ultra marathon waters. While I wasn’t quite ready to run 50 miles, I was willing to commit to a 50K. So, I sat down at my computer and began running Google searches for ultra marathons at the 50K distance.

I don’t quite remember my search criteria, but they probably included “best race ever” and “50K.” As soon as the website for the Great Cranberry Island (GCI) 50K Ultra Marathon loaded, I got the feeling that this race could be perfect. The race takes place on a small island on Maine’s incredibly scenic coast line, and the number of entrants is limited to about 125.

Many people who have run on GCI say there is a palatable energy in the air, and the island boasts, per capita, the most runners to qualify and compete in the Boston Marathon than from any town or city on earth. At that point, I decided the GCI Ultra would be the perfect first 50K race. The lottery was held on February 1st and luckily my name was pulled.

After surviving the heat of the Boston Marathon (see Stephanie P's Flyers Blog post), I changed gears and focused on training for the 50K. After doing some research and talking to experienced runners, I realized that training for a 50K is a lot like training for a marathon. But instead of training based on mileage, I trained based on time, perceived effort and cumulative fatigue. My weekly mileage increased by about 10 miles per peak week and I also ended up running multiple long runs of 24 miles or more. Additionally, after a very hot Boston, I was worried about a very hot 50K and decided to train in the heat, when possible.

Great Cranberry Island is one of about a dozen islands off the coast of Maine that is still inhabited year round. It has 35 year-round residents and the race was founded to bring attention to the dwindling year-round island communities in Maine. There is one road that runs the length of the island and also served as the course for the Ultra… this road is two miles long.

The only way to get to GCI is by boat and so on Saturday, July 21st the island was invaded by 115 runners and their family and friends. As we came up the dock, the year-round residents warmly greeted us and offered the use of their cars to transport all of our gear and camping equipment to the starting line. The short half-mile walk to the starting line gave a quick glimpse into the beauty the island has to offer.

Runners are encouraged to spend the night, so the first thing we did when we got to the island was set-up our tent in an open field. Then, there was the very quick check-in (benefits of a small race) and catching up with an old teammate from my high school days.

The race started at 11:30 AM underneath a giant inflatable archway reading, ”Carpe Diem Acadia Runners.” Throughout the 2-mile course were signs for every runner, with their name and home town, mixed in with other signs displaying humorous or inspirational quotes. The race consists of eight loops, with the first loop being a 5K out and back. The next seven loops start with a half-mile run downhill to the dock, then the runners turn and run back over the entire two-mile length of the course, turn again, and run the mile-and-a-half back to the finish. Each end of the course is basically at sea level and there are two main hills between those points.

Surprisingly, running back and forth eight times on one road never got boring.  In fact, it was pretty fun. It allowed everyone to watch what was going on in the race, including multiple lead changes in the men’s and women’s field. Cheerful smiles and waves were common in the first few laps, but they slowly decreased as the day heated up and the miles piled on.

The scenery along the course never tired and with each lap something new and beautiful was spotted. The ocean was often visible and there were breath-taking views of the mountains in Acadia National Park. The local pygmy hens cheered us on as we ran by their hen house, and the slip-n-slide set-up on someone’s front lawn kept some runners cool with each lap. There was no cut-off time for the race; the only requirement is if still running after dark you had to wear a headlamp. The last runner finished up around 9pm, cheered on by all the runners, family and friends, in the true spirit of the sport.

The post-race party was worth sticking around for, I promise. There is a lobster bake and bonfire party after the race. The lobster had been caught fresh that morning by the island’s lobstermen and was cooked to perfection. This was the first time I’ve ever eaten lobster that I cracked open with a rock (yes, we used the GCI rock to eat the lobster) and it was surprisingly much easier than using lobster crackers! The kegs were kicked by 7:30 PM and luckily the owner of the island’s general store agreed to open up for us, so we could purchase a truckload of beer. The party went on until past midnight, including karaoke and fireworks.

The GCI Rock Covered in Lobster Guts!

The next morning was filled with pancakes and eggs cooked by the Great Cranberry Island Ladies Aid Society. Afterwards, everyone packed up and took the ferry back to the real world. The residents of GCI were absolutely amazing to open their island up to more than 100 runners, their friends and family. The support was phenomenal and the race was expertly organized. Thank you to Gary Allen and Mary Ropp for putting on a wonderful and wicked fun race.

Want to see more?  Here's a photo diary, complete with soundtrack:

Footnote: Kathy Kass also ran the race as reported on the Flyers race results page.

-Gretchen H