My Day At The Frozen Fatass 50K

This morning I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd Annual Frozen Fatass 50K at beautiful Sandy Neck Beach on Cape Cod Bay, sponsored by the Cape Cod Ultrarunning Society. Actually, Sandy Neck is a beautiful place in the summer. On a cold, windy January day, it is a nasty place for running event. I had received an invitation from my friend, Pete Stringer, the founder of the Cape Cod Ultra group, and I didn't want to let Pete down, so off I went.

This was my first brush with these "ultra athletes", and they are a special breed. I knew that already, but you really need to be there to experience it first hand. The course is a lopsided figure 8, one loop is 5 miles, and the second loop is 10.5 miles, so one lap is 25K. The figure 8 crosses at the bath house/parking lot, and serves as the starting line, finishing line, and aid station. They had a heated camper, hot soup, food and refreshments.

Needless to say, the weather was cold and very windy - just brutal. But there were about 25 entries, including a few females, some dressed warmer than others. Most of the runners called it a day at the 25K mark, had some soup, and either went to their cars or into the warm camper. There was a Park Ranger on duty, and he provided an electrical connection.

Amazingly, there were some competitors who stopped at the 25K point only long enough to check in, get something to eat and drink, and off they went for another lap. It was impressive and mind-boggling at the same time.

As I left, I promised Pete that I would be back next year as a volunteer at the aid station. I'm looking forward to it.