2017 Berryman Marathon

The Berryman was my first official Marathon (i.e. race). I signed up to run it in 2016, but a flub with health insurance when I was changing jobs left me in a coverage limbo that I couldn’t risk with a trail race. All that aside, the primary reason I re-signed up for the event was to get first hand experience with the course, as I was also registered for the Mark Twain 50 Mile race later that year, which covers two laps of the same course.

The course is eminently runnable with very few, if any, technical climbs. Where other events I’ve run (e.g. the Quivering Quads, and Corps of Discovery Half-Marathons) tend to take the shortest distance between base and summit by simply ascending in a straight line, the Berryman Trail instead relies heavily on switchbacks (likely a byproduct of its use by Backpackers on the Ozark Trail).

While having a very “runnable” course is fine for a sub-ultra distance, I found myself having to constantly monitor my pace, and remained very aware of my perceived level of effort during most of the event.

Aid stations were generously placed every 3–4 miles through out the loop, and each was stocked with a great spread of nutritional options. These included quartered PB&J sandwiches, pretzels, salted potatoes, candy, flat soda, Gatorade, and of course water. The volunteers were especially top notch, and their encouragement also had the tone of veteran runners. It was clear that the question “How are you feeling?” was not rhetorical, but asked with intent and almost diagnostic attention. Their level of dedication rose to what I would expect of a crew dedicated to a single runner.

Aside from a bag drop area at the start/finish, which was specifically for those running the 50 mile distance, there was a bag drop at mile 16. Just prior to this, there was a creek crossing that was itself preceded by an incredibly mud-slick series of switchbacks. Despite my best effort at traversing it with care, I did manage to tweak my right knee, which would end up being a minor annoyance for the rest of the loop.

Weather played less of a role in the event than I anticipated, and overall probably worked in the participants’ favor. While the day or two leading to the event was fraught with rain and thunderstorms, the morning of the event saw only a drizzle and occasional precipitation from wind shaking water from tree leaves.

When I had asked a few veterans about trail conditions when wet, I was assured that the Berryman Trail drained “fairly well”. To that, I would like to add the qualifier that it appears that much of the aforementioned “drainage” occurs in and on the single track, which coincidentally makes an excellent trough. More than once I was almost convinced I was actually running in a small creek.

There were a few downed trees along the course that had likely fallen the night before, but it was very clear that someone (government, organization, or race volunteers) had done extensive work on clearing the trail of nearly all other obstructions.

Roughly two miles from the finish, I encountered a runner who was in mild distress. She was light-headed and extremely nauseous, so I elected to stay with her until a member of her crew could come down the trail to meet us. After about 40 minutes, and no sign of help, we ended walking out together.

She and I ended up having a great conversation, and I’m glad that I could help her finish.

In light of the MT50 in September, here’s a list of key takeaways from the Berryman Marathon:

• Dial back the hill work, but don’t cut strength training
• Leave the vest behind, and instead use the two-bottle waist pack instead.
• ̶L̶i̶b̶e̶r̶a̶l̶ Fanatical Run Guard application.
• Work on dropbag preparation and organization