Vermont 100 Endurance Races

After a not-so-great photoshoot across the river in NH this past Saturday (see previous blog post), I headed west to see if I could catch some shots of racers in the famous Vermont 100 ultramarathon (one of the original Big Four races of the Grand Slam circuit of ultras). Well. To be perfectly honest, I'm proud to say I came away with what I think is some of my best photo work ever.

I set up at mile 48 along a very scenic stretch of dirt road and ended up shooting for about 5 hours as runners and riders came through just before the halfway point of their very long journey. During this window of time I

• met and joked around with a crew who were filming a documentary about one of the runners and his ultramarathon journey (this guy); can't wait to see it! special thanks to Doug Scott for helping me out with a couple of shots. 
• was given a cold glass of icewater by the family who lived just down the road at the farmhouse where they spent the better part of the afternoon offering to hose down hot runners.
• encountered the most awesomely positive group of racers I've ever seen at any race ever; it was just endless smiles and laughs and positive energy. 
• witnessed a woman come by on a prosthetic leg, having already run 48 miles and looking effortless; the inspiration I take from having seen her is tremendous and will last for a very long time. 

The photos below are just a small sampling of some of my favorite pictures. The full gallery can be seen here at Northeast Race Photo: Vermont 100 photo gallery

L: Women's race winner, Larisa Dannis

R: Does anything more need to be said?

Look at how happy that horse is to get misted down with some spray from the hose!

 

L: First time I've ever seen runners and riders so effortlessly share a race course.

R: On the back of the prosthesis it said "LIVE LIFE WITHOUT LIMITATIONS"

After I took some regular shots of him approaching, he turned his back to me and grinned and said: "Elmo."

wahooooooo!

Frenzy in the Forest

Yesterday I went to Sunapee, NH to take photos at Frenzy in the Forest, the latest race in the excellent Western New Hampshire Trail Race Series (website here). This is the third race in the series that I've photographed this year, and so far the race organizers and participants alike have been extremely friendly (even the runners who aren't necessarily thrilled when I catch them on an  uphill or at a tough point in their race) and the courses look both challenging and very, very fun.

My photos weren't so great for that race, though. I prefer to get shots out on the course rather than at finish lines, especially at trail races, but I didn't make the best decision about where to set up this time out. For starters, I ran the first two miles or so of the course to get to the spot I was looking for, a short uphill at a clearing where Mt. Sunapee should have been looming the background. It was very humid that morning and I was in cotton shorts and a t-shirt with a backpack full of camera gear. By the time I found the spot I was completely drenched in sweat, and acting as a smelly magnet for mosquitoes and deerflies alike. And to my great disappointment I realized there would be no way to get both the mountain and the runners in the same shot. With the first runner due to arrive in minutes, I found a spot to catch them coming up the hill into the small clearing. I shot there for maybe the first 2/3 of the race, then moved further along to a spot where I could catch people coming downhill along a prettier stretch of the trail (there were many pretty stretches of trail in this race). As I said, I'm really not thrilled with the results, but for anyone who ran and is looking for the pictures, here they are.

2013 Frenzy in the Forest in Sunapee, NH

running, technically

As sort of a sequel to our last run in the same area, Nate and Dave and I ran farther along the open ledges of Mt. Tom last night. For a hard run on a hot summer day, this one turned out to be a complete winner. Somehow it didn't feel all that hot and humid (though it was), the running was really fun (and hard), the evening light made for magazine cover quality scenery (even if I only had my crappy-quality Nikon AW100 camera with me), and there were very few bugs (until we stopped at the end and the mosquitoes pounced).

It was pretty technical running for much of the mile or so along the edge of the cliffs, not so much for the open ledges as much as all the little ups and downs in between. Geologically, this ridge is famous for its beautiful columnar basalt blocks (resembling the flanks of Devil's Tower, which, even though I've been there, never fails to remind me of Close Encounters of the Third Kind), which force a runner to scramble steeply up or down when encountered. Also, there are several sections with loose scree rocks that must be negotiated with care in order to prevent a sprained ankle (or to ensure that a healing one doesn't get re-injured...). Anyway, technical was what we wanted since it makes for excellent training for some of the harder northeastern trail races coming up in the next few months (there's a lot!).

the perks of being a trailrunner

Went for a 4-5 mile run this evening at Mt. Tom. I met up with Nate and Dave of the 413 Trail Runners at the unofficial trailhead on Chapin Street in Easthampton at 7:15, and off we went up onto that thar hill. We ascended via the rapidly eroding old Reservation Road on the mountain's west side, then hopped onto trails once we crested the ridge. First on the D.O.C. Trail to Whiting Peak (pictured above) and then back on the Metacomet-Monadnock (M-M) Trail. We got to the Whiting Peak summit just before sunset, and man it could not have been nicer up there. It was quite warm and humid out, but a decent breeze kept the bugs at bay and the near-constant thunderstorms of the past week let up for a gorgeously-lit evening on the mountain.

This was only my third run since spraining my ankle on a short scouting run at Pisgah a little over 2 weeks ago, and I really babied it. I fell behind the guys a little bit on any downhills with tricky footing, but I generally kept up on flats and ascents. Which is good because it can really suck to feel like you're the anchor of any group. Despite the ankle being a little tender and stiff, I think it'll be OK. I iced it for 20 minutes when I got home and popped an ibuprofin PM for good measure. At this point it's mostly just a process of reconditioning it for regular running engagement.

Nipmuck South Trail Race

I had a great time taking photos at the first annual Nipmuck South Trail Race in northeastern Connecticut today. This 14-mile beauty winds up and back along the Fenton River just east of UCONN. It was hot and humid, but well-shaded much of the way (not that you'd know that from my photos, where I mostly deliberately sought the better light of more open areas). I encountered a few patches of poison ivy leaning into the trail along my several mile walk, and tried to warn runners just before they got to it (most were appreciative, except the guy who replied back to me "don't get it; don't care!"). The mosquitoes took their fill from me whenever the breeze died down, but honestly it really wasn't that bad. I've experienced WAY worse this time of year in New England. Congratulations to all the runners who came out for this inaugural race; it definitely looks like one to save the date for in 2014! Here's a quick sampling of the photos:

the preview album is up on Facebook here

and the full gallery will be posted at Ben Kimball Photography in a few days

The New England Relay

After hopping across the river to take photos of a local 5K cross-country race (the annual School's Done! Raider Run in Westhampton, MA) (full gallery here), I came back and plopped myself down in a beach chair out in front of Hampshire College to take photos of the 2013 New England Relay.

The relay starts in western Rhode Island and continues for 225 miles, winding through New England and ending in southern Maine, making sure to touch all six states at some point. Teams of twelve (or sometimes six, for the hardcore) tag-team along the route using passenger vans, with each person running a total of 3 (or 6) legs. The exchange between legs 8 and 9 occurred about 3 miles from where I live, along Rte. 116 at Hampshire College just south of Amherst.

This was one of the most relaxed photo shoots I've ever done and it was so enjoyable. Just kicking back in the breeze in my beach chair (trying to rest my sprained ankle) on a nice warm afternoon, rising every ten minutes or so to take action photos of fit athletes looking cool. Not a bad way to spend a day!

School's Done! Raider Run 5K

The New England Relay

(full gallery here)

brewery to brewery ride, and a sprained ankle

I drove up to Chesterfield, NH today to photograph riders as they came through miles 98/99 of the 2013 Harpoon Brewery to Brewery Ride. This was work I did for a client (Destination Cycling), so I don't have a gallery of my own at Northeast Race Photo this time. The photos are in an album here [link removed], mixed in with shots by other photographers stationed at the start and finish. I took shots both at the scenic, pastoral spot near the top of the climb at mile 98 and at the aid station at mile 99 in the center of the village. I'm so pleased with how these shots came out.

My other story for the day is that I appear to have sprained my ankle. I arrived early to Chesterfield so I decided to go take a short scouting run on trails in Pisgah before the first riders came through. I wanted to see a section of trail on the Pisgah 50K course that I hadn't been on yet. So there I was, looking around and wondering if I'd missed a turn and thinking about doing my first ultra and BAM... rolled that left ankle out and OUCH! So stupid. Looks like a good week of weights and swimming ahead for me.

mile 98 of the 2013 Brewery to Brewery Ride

Hollis Fast 5K

Raced the Hollis Fast 5K in New Hampshire for the first time tonight. The course drops several hundred feet over three miles and gives you a great chance to get a 5K PR. I was hoping to do that, but came up just short. I was well-trained... for a longer race. My weekly mileage has been in the high 30's lately, and I've brought my weight down to the low 170's, but I've only done a few track workouts, and short ones at that. So although the conditions were perfect at race time (temps in the high 50's with a light rain, heavier rain at the finish) I still only ran my third or fourth fastest 5K, a 19:33.

just before the finish of the 2013 Hollis Fast 5K

I enjoyed the race and am glad I did it and certainly would recommend it, but to be honest I'm not sure I'll do it again. The field was huge (it was a New England Grand Prix event this year) and the traffic was pretty heavy. And unless you do a 3-mile warmup from the finish, you have to take a bus to the start. All of which means it's quite a production for a short Thursday evening race. As an introvert I think I'm just more comfortable with smaller events. 

Westfield Wave Triathlon

Took pictures as the official photographer of the 2013 Westfield Wave Triathlon (a local sprint tri) today. Not much more to say, really. The shoot went really well and I got some good shots! Full gallery posted here at Ben Kimball Photography.