2023 Report

The Big Schloss 50k Run Report: 2023 The Year of Ophelia

The 2023 running of The Big Schloss was already shaping up to be an interesting year, even before the late forming Tropical Storm Ophelia entered the mix. We had a record number of new ultra runners signed up, with the entry list weighted towards the 19-21 age group much more than normal due to a large contingent from the Patrick Henry College running team. Now The Big Schloss isn’t normally the kind of run a new ultrarunner would sign up for, given the 50k-plus distance, steep climbs, rocky terrain and difficult navigation, but each year we seem to have someone cross the finish line in a pair of Nike’s with no tread carrying a disposable plastic water bottle and a big smile on their face, so maybe it’s the perfect first ultra: the views are amazing, the terrain is varied, the trails are in excellent shape due to the hard work of the PATC North Mountain Brigade, and the weather is usually perfect with the first scents of fall in the air and leaves just beginning to change color.

In the weeks leading up to the run, there was a question as to whether the event would happen at all. The Cherry Hill Fire south of the Long Mountain Trail had causes a temporary trail closure that continued even after the fire was out due to temporary phone lines placed across the trail as a stopgap until the existing lines that had burned up in the fire could be replaced. The Forest Service did an excellent job in communicating the situation, and we were able to get permission for the runners to cross the closed section of trail, as long as the lines were well-flagged. The PATC North Mountain Brigade, headed up by Mike Allen, went above and beyond to make sure the trails were clear for the event this year, scouting sections and leading multiple trips to clear brush and downed trees in the weeks before the run and getting intel on the closed trail section, in addition to local runner Justin Wightman, who was able to scout and clear a few sections as well.

The day before the event was bright and beautiful as Quatro Hubbard, Kevin Walker, Brian Collins, Chelsea Smith, Dan Aghdam, Elaina and Christian Stanton and I set out to mark the course, but the threat of Ophelia was looming, and it did not look as if the storm would stay to the east as I had hoped. Those who were camped at Trout Pond were able to enjoy a lovely evening, but the rain started coming down overnight and many campers woke up wet, with a few deciding not to start at all.

The starting field saw 38 runners and 3 sweeps, with a short break in the rain at check-in time duping some runners into believing the day wouldn’t be as bad as they had feared, and so they set off.

The storm didn’t hold off for very long. The day saw rain on and off, sometimes heavy, with wind and chilly conditions on the ridges but luckily no lightning or dangerous wind speeds. Two of the more seasoned college runners, Mark Epstein and Will Koleszar, flew into Aid 1 in the lead, followed closely by last year’s champion, Brian Collins. Brian pulled ahead of Will by Aid 2 and Mark kept the lead until the finish, with a time of 5:41, impressive given the wet conditions.

First female Amy Stulman pulled into each aid station with a big smile and maintained her lead to the finish with a time of 6:54 and 8th place overall, followed by 2nd female Kathleen Cusick with a time of 8:00, and 3rd female Alisa Springman close behind with a time of 8:07.

Though the temperatures were likely perfect for the front runners, some participants found themselves unprepared for the combination of constant rain soaking them to their skin, and windy conditions on the ridges threatening hypothermia. Several runners decided to call it quits at Aid 3 at Wolf Gap, about mile 25, rather than continue to climb up to Tibbet’s Knob, but an impressive number of participants powered through very tough conditions to make it to the finish. I have to think that some of the new ultrarunners got a bit more than they bargained for in this run, but I also believe that it was the perfect introduction to the sport: running a 50k is difficult at the best of times, but these runners were given the opportunity to test themselves physically and mentally on a difficult course in extreme weather, and were also able to experience the support and camaraderie of the ultrarunning community, with more than a few runners literally receiving the shirts off of volunteers’ backs in order to help them get to the finish. Cheers to all who ran, and congratulations especially to the Patrick Henry running team for an extremely successful day, and to the first-timers and veterans alike, it was wonderful to see you all out there making a beautiful day out of a tropical storm.

I cannot say enough about the volunteers that came out to help this year. They really went above and beyond. From the PATC trail crew as I already mentioned; the course markers who kept the runners all on track; to the aid station volunteers who at the last minute planned delicious hot food and drinks and came equipped with warming tents, heaters and blankets; as well as the finish line workers and grill master who cooked up burgers and brats until the last sweeper was through, and made relatively quick work of the clean-up, all through extremely bad weather and cold temperatures. I cannot thank you enough for being more self-sufficient than normal this year, for helping to transport supplies, for reminding me to eat, and for entertaining Theo, who had a blast!

Finally, a word about the sweepers. You runners might not realize that they were trailing you the entire 50k, but not only did they complete the entire course, making sure no one was lost or left behind, they took down every single wet, windswept flag on the trail, going at a necessarily slow pace to make sure the trail was clear, with wet and numb fingers from start to finish. A huge thank you to you guys, you are awesome!

Thank you to everyone who came out this year and made it a success despite all odds. I hope to see some of you first-timers out at other VHTRC events, maybe seeing what running an ultra in nice weather is all about, and hopefully seeing many of you out at the Schloss again next year! Mark your calendars for September 28, 2024. Entry will open August 5, 2024. If any of you have your own stories or photographs to share, please send them my way so that I can link them to these results.

Cara's Big Schloss Photos

Photos

Other reports

• Tales from the Big Schloss Trails, by John Calabrese

Results

Volunteers