3 Days of Syllamo Report- Ashley

Ashley Nordell to a trip to Arkansas to run the 3 Days of Syllamo where she finished as the 1st place female (6th overall) in a time of 14:52.12. Below is her report. Congrats Ashley!

Three Days of Syllamo Race Report

The Three Days of Syllamo is a three-day stage race that begins and ends at Blanchard Campground in the Ozarks of Northern Arkansas. The courses differ each year due to weather, trail conditions, and race director Steve Kirk’s creativity, so it is always a surprise on race day to find out where we will be running. This year, the state was hit by a major ice storm in February, which destroyed many of the trails due to downed trees, so Steve had to be even more creative than usual in his courses.

The first day was 26 miles instead of the normal 50k due to the trail conditions. I have to admit I was happy when I found out thirteen miles into the run that it would be short since my legs felt like they were filled with sand. I don’t know if it was the Grand Canyon run two weeks earlier, or the twelve hours of traveling the day before, but my legs were heavy the entire weekend. I ran much of day one with a friend Andy that I met last year at the race. We had fun maneuvering over and under the trees and trying to stay upright on the slick rocks. The course incorporated both single track and logging roads, even going by an overflowing chicken coop in the middle of the woods.

The adventures continued on day two’s fifty-miler. As Steve puts it, “This is where the fun begins!” The first ten miles were an out and back that crossed numerous creeks and plenty of mud and slick rocks. There was a group of people out to watch us cross the chest deep stream. One wrong step and we were swimming. After those ten miles, we ran by the campground again, and then headed out the other direction on more single-track trail for nine miles. From there, we did a ten-mile out and back on a gravel road before returning to the finish. Once again, my legs felt tired and sore. The upside of feeling crummy was that I ran an easy enough pace that I was able to eat solid food throughout the whole day. I wanted to practice fueling for Bighorn, and I usually can’t eat anything but gels.

The final day was a 20k. We would be doing an out and back that once again crossed the chest-deep creek. I ran the first half chatting with the stage leaders Adam Cassiday and Dave Wakefield, who had secured their spots and were taking it easy the last day. We were running back and forth with a woman who had come out to just race the 20k. We pulled ahead on the technical parts, and she flew by on the flatter sections. I was content to just let her go, but at the turn-around, Adam and Dave had other plans.  They strategized that as soon as we crossed back over the creek I would be sandwiched between the two of them so I couldn’t slow down.  I had been enjoying the more relaxed pace, but they didn’t give me a chance to argue.  True to their word, as soon as we crossed back over the creek, we started to fly up the stone steps. For several minutes we just ran, with me stuck between them so I couldn’t back out. Even Adam’s spill into a giant mud hole didn’t slow us down. After a couple miles we missed a turn, so then Adam took over the lead and picked up the pace even more. Despite the effort, I had a blast running with them. It meant a lot to me that they would team together to help me with my race.

Once again, Steve put on a fabulous, friendly, and adventurous race. I hope to return next year for a fourth time!

Gear Used: Pearl Izumi Syncropace and Syncroseek shoes, Infinity split shorts, Aurora T, Nathan Handheld