NK 50k, 2nd Ed.

• 31.6 miles
• 6 hours, 11 minutes (5:45 of moving time)
• One major wipeout by Tony--full body barrell roll--on what is arguably the flattest and softest section of the entire trail
• A full moon at the start, and a nice sunrise a bit later
• A late start, due to Dan getting pulled over on the way to Glenbeulah
• Several potty stops, that we'll just call "El Camino's Revenge"
• Dan's plan for his 100 miler:  "Show up, start running, and stop 100 miles later."

These are some of the highlights of the 2nd edition (I won't call it the 2nd 'Annual' because I want to do it again this spring!) of the Northern Kettle 50k, which was completed by Tony, Dan, and myself (Nic) on Thursday.  It was one of the most enjoyable days I've ever had on the trails.

Tony and I arrived at the Glenbeulah trailhead at 4:45, and after chatting for a couple minutes were back in our cars.  It was cold!  Because neither of us had Dan's cell number, I ended up checking in to Facebook to find out he was running late...and had been pulled over.  No big deal, though--the officer was obviously a runner and let him off with a warning.  At 5:19, we were on our way up the trail.

By the time we reached Hwy 23, we didn't need our headlamps anymore.  The miles just kept clipping by at a comfortable pace.  A couple bathroom breaks were taken at Greenbush, but by Hwy 67 we were back together.  I personally was using two bottles of water, nuun, with Carbo-Pro.  I had some SCaps along with a couple gels in my pockets.  I never used either of those, just sticking to the water and CarboPro and taking advantage of the PERFECT conditions. 

We walked most of the uphills and ran the flats and the downs.  Every now and then we would accordion away from eachother a bit,  but only join back up not far down the trail.  Tony had stashed a cooler near Butler Lake, so we had a 'lunch' there of water, fruit, trail mix, and pretzels.  After sitting around for about 15 minutes, we were all getting cold again, so it was time to continue on our way. 

As you head south on the trail, the rocks are roots ease up a bit, and it's easier to find your cruising gear.  We did this the whole way down to Hwy H, stopping occasionally for pictures and to simply enjoy the time out there.  I had forgotten how nice the IAT is near Mauthe Lake State Park, and highly recommend a run in that area.  Just North of Mauthe Lake has some nice climbs and drops, and the area just South of it is a great trail of 4 miles length to New Fane.  We shared some stories, some other things on our to-run lists, and even a "what happens on the trail stays on the trail" moment or two.  It was a blast! 

With 6 hours on the clock, were hit the final couple miles and finished up.  I have never felt so fresh after that long of a run.  We all agreed that we could have done another 10 miles. (In fact, Dan is probably running right now.  He was planning on another 20 today, and then 20 tomorrow!  As he put it, "Kettle Moraine 100 isn't going to run itself.") Instead of continuing to run, though...

We went to Fudgienuckle's in Glenbeulah and had some beer and a Bison Burger.  Not a bad way to end the day.

Dan also had a coffee.  I found that very, very odd.  Then again, he's a Hoosier.

Here is the Garmin Data from the run.  Join us out there next time!