… and why I’ll do it again.

In April of 2017, Metallak Race organizer Bridget and I met over a coffee to discuss her plan to revive an endurance race in Coos County, New Hampshire. I loved it. I loved the idea of it so much that I volunteered to compete in it. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It didn’t sound that bad, in theory. A little bit of biking, running and paddling over the course of the day. I didn’t own a mountain bike at the time I committed, but, whatever, I had time to practice. A bit later I learned the course: 35+ miles of mountain biking, 6+ miles of “running” (part of it was straight up a cliff) and 2 miles of paddling. All of that was with an 8-hour time cap and 5,000′ feet of vertical gain. Did I mention that I went into this as a 230lbs Powerlifter/Strongman?

Well, here’s what I learned and why I’m doing it again next year.

 

1. Strength is the Foundation

   I’ll be the first to admit that I was in over my head. I went into the training relying on my foundation of strength to allow me to complete the race. I wanted to prove why we put strength as the foundation of athletic performance in the Ektelo Methodology. Without a doubt, there is a direct correlation between strength and athletic performance; I made up for my lack of skill with strength. On every single hill.

   My race partner, a former pro-am mountain biker, noticed this every time we went up the many hills. I did (apparently) what you’re not supposed to do. I stood up on the pedals and hammered away, sometimes for a mile or two at a time. Away I went and pulled ahead as he kept grinding. Granted there was nothing I could do when I was terrified on the downhills, riding my brakes, as he went screaming past me at 40mph on gravel, but I crushed the uphills.

   

   Now, we didn’t come close to winning. But we finished 3rd of 5 teams, and I only trained three months for the “long course” that some work years towards tackling. Strength is king.

2. Don’t Underestimate a Reputation

   The Metallak Race has a reputation as one of the toughest endurance races in New England.

   

   It’s not the best known in the racing community, nor does it have the most extensive field of competitors. I soon learned why. The 8-hour long course was no joke.

   While my foundation of strength allowed me to finish with a reasonable result, it didn’t make it easy. This was one of the toughest physical challenges I’ve undertaken since parts of US Army Ranger School. Training for a 500lbs squat does nothing to lessen the crushing grind of 8+ hours of racing. This race was just as much a mental challenge as a physical one, and I loved it. I haven’t been challenged like that for a long time and, in a masochistic way, it was therapeutic.

3. Nutrition Makes or Breaks You

   

   There is a reason that nutrition stands at the center of our Sports Performance Pyramid. It is THAT important. Just like fueling up after a 2-hour weigh-in, having race nutrition and hydration dialed-in is a must. Especially as a 230lbs dude that sweats a lot.

   The biggest thing I took away from this race is that you can’t underestimate nutrition either. We ended up adding an extra hour to our team time because my partner crashed on one of the very last legs. I carried a lot of bars and baby food pouches, and next year, I’m bringing more.

4. Have FUN!

   

   This is a hard one for me because I don’t typically compete for fun. Whether I’m stepping onto the platform at a powerlifting meet, lifting atlas stones at a strongman, or flipping cabers at a highland games, I’m there to win. This time I was certainly the wrong body type to win and my partner was recovering from a life-threatening illness less than a year ago. There was no way we would win, and it was almost liberating.

   I learned from Metallak that, at least once a year, I need to compete in something just because it’s fun. Racing with Russ was a blast and one of the all-time highlights of my athletic ventures. I challenge anyone reading this (especially those type-A personalities like me) to go sign up for something that you like the idea of, but you’re going to suck at. Racing in the Metallak Race might have been the best decision I made in 2017.

5. Endurance Athletes are Alright Afterall

   I haven’t competed in the endurance world since a 50k ski race in Talkeetna, Alaska in 2013. I have to admit; after a few long-distance Nordic ski races in Alaska, I didn’t have a very good impression of the endurance community. I thought it was an elitist community that didn’t welcome outsiders. I’m so glad I was wrong on this too.

   Granted, every fitness community has a few oddballs that run around in bright colored spandex. Nonetheless, the pre-race and post-race parties were a blast. We ended up drinking beer and eating delivery pizza until 1:00 am that night… and despite my ability to ride a mountain bike down a hill, no one in the skinny-legged endurance world was going to beat me at that!