It’s Eastern States 100 week, and I’ve relocated to the temporary center of the ultrarunning universe (Waterville, PA and Little Pine State Park) to join the team for the final prep work and heavy lifting involved in putting on this little race we’ve grown so fond of.
It’s a lot of work, and it can be tedious, but as I was out on a local trail under the bright moon tonight, I couldn’t help but feel excited for the runners who will be out there in that same silvery light a few nights from now: full moon, clear skies, dry trails, autumnal overnight temperatures predicted… the stage is set for an epic race.
I also thought about last year’s race, and realized I’d forgotten about the write-up I sent to Ultrarunning Magazine about it. They didn’t use it, so I will.
Here’s what happened last year…
Eastern States 2021: Welcome Back
Location: Waterville, Pennsylvania, August 14, 2021
Distance: 103.1 miles
Elevation gain: 20,000+ feet (~199 feet/mile)
Course description: A single-loop circumnavigation of Pine Creek Gorge, mainly on rocky and rooty single-track, a relentless series of steep and rugged 900-1,200-foot climbs that often follow creek beds or fall lines (few switchbacks), frequent water crossings, laurel tunnels, breathtaking vistas, and a plethora of wildlife. Not for beginners.
Hands feet and poles for the first Tiadaghton climb. (PC: Emily Shaffer)
The thunderstorms that rolled across the Allegheny Plateau and Pine Creek Gorge on Thursday and Friday were in perfect character for mid-August in Pennsylvania, as was the heat and humidity. The microburst storm that blasted Callahan Run and laid a dozen large trees across the Black Forest Trail on the day before the race, though… that was an extra touch, a warning and an affectionate machismo greeting from the race: “Welcome back to Eastern States — I’ve missed you!”
Eastern States is that kind of race. It welcomes you hard, offers its affection with a rough and joyful hug, and then asks you to earn that. Its route is a natural circumnavigation that flows through the terrain without artifice. Each climb is necessary, each rocky descent is part of a coherent whole, each deer and bear and rattlesnake and rock is a fellow traveler through a wild and ancient landscape — a landscape that is happy to test you in a friendly but merciless way, or give you a big and burly stage on which to test yourself.
Despite that stormy welcome/warning, the weather was moderate (for an Eastern States weekend) — enough heat to challenge the unprepared, but without the extremes of some prior years, and with no storms. Morning humidity (and the slick rocks it produced) and daytime heat took a customary toll in the form of bloody falls and dehydration and chaffing, but 130 of the 162 starters made it through Big Trail (mile 57) and into the night, and nearly a hundred made it beyond Slate Run (mile 64). The rugged trails of the northern quadrant claimed another 15 runners, with steady attrition through the night and into day two. In the end, 83 runners made it to the finish, for a typical 51 percent finish rate.
Browns Run. (PC: Emily Shaffer)
Nicole Yokum had a notable performance in her first hundred-miler, as her 24:48:57 finish broke the female course record set seven years ago by three-time winner Kathleen Cusick. On Saturday afternoon, a buzz of excitement spread around the course — Nicole had taken the lead at Dry Run (mile 51). She was tied for the lead past Big Trail, but by Slate Run she had slipped back into second (behind eventual winner Ben Quatromoni), a position she held to the finish: first female and second place overall. Her victory at Eastern completed a sweep of the Pennsylvania Triple Crown of Mountain Running (she won her debut 100k with a course-record performance at Worlds End in June, after winning Hyner 50k in April).
Nicole Yokum reloads at Long Branch. (PC: David Walker)
Ben Quatromoni, also a first-time hundred-miler, ran within two minutes of Nicole for the entire first half of the race. His patience and steady running paid off as he took firm control of the race after Big Trail, methodically pulled ahead through the night, and finished with a dominant two-hour lead in 22:31:28 for the win.
Aaron Ellison was solid through the entire race and finished in third place. Steven Larick caught Emanuel King in the final ten miles for fourth place, and in a valiant late-race push, Adam Kolb closed a 96-minute gap in the final 35 miles to finish only 24 seconds behind King for sixth place.
Adam Kolb on Browns Run. (PC: Emily Shaffer)
The battle for second and third female wasn’t settled until late in the race. Samantha Hurlbutt and Faith Hall were tied as they left Long Branch (mile 76). Samantha pulled ahead from there, but as late as Sky Top (mile 85), Faith was only five minutes back. Over the final miles, Samantha expanded her lead to finish as second female (twelfth overall), and Faith finished third female (fourteenth overall).
The drama persisted to the back of the pack, where 20 of the 83 finishers crossed the line in the final hour of the race, just ahead of the 36-hour cutoff. The afternoon sun glowed on the lake next to the finish, making this golden hour more than a metaphor, and a joyful and raucous crowd celebrated the arrival of each runner.
Of course they were celebrating more than just these individual efforts. They were celebrating the return of the race, the efforts of over 200 volunteers, the resilience of the community, and prospects for the future. It was a good weekend, and at the end of it, we returned that greeting the race had given us… Welcome back, Eastern States, we’ve missed you too.
Misty morning mountains from Lower Pine Bottom. (PC: Emily Shaffer)
This year’s race is yet to be run, but it promises to be a good one (how could it not be?). I can hardly wait to see what happens.
