The ultramarathon finisher’s medal looked and felt menacingly pointed and sharp. But for the 327 ultra finishers of this 50-kilometer test of physical stamina and will power under the searing heat of the Texas sun, including 121 (37%) lithe and determined women, it had better be. For you had to be pointed and sharp to survive this long, long run in the Wild, Wild West!
The road to Cowtown had to go through Latin America. After running a marathon in Florida, I spent a week recovering in the beautiful city of Cali, Colombia where, as before, I was tempted to indulge in the pleasures of Colombian cuisine, leaving me pretty much protein- and carbo-loaded by the time I set foot for the 4th time in 4 years in the Lone Star State of Texas.
After spending a night in Detroit, where my flight was delayed due to a snowstorm that required the wings of our airplane to be de-iced, I arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport 2 days before the race. Some 29 years ago, I nearly got stranded in this airport on my way to Atlanta in what was my first-ever trip to the United States. Recalling that trip felt like passing thru a time tunnel.
Like runners from 45 states and 6 countries, I had come to run the 34th edition of the Cowtown. This signature Fort Worth running event has a comprehensive menu of 12 race types- from individual events for the full marathon, half marathon, 10K, Adults 5K, and Kids 5K, to team-based versions for the same race categories. I was running the 50-kilometer ultramarathon.
After checking in at my hotel, I rushed to get my race kit at the Health and Fitness Expo in the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall within the Will Rogers Memorial Center’s vast compound. Months before, I had registered for the race online, at a discounted price for members of the craziest running club in the world- The Marathon Maniacs. I wish other races offered similar discounts.
First organized in 1979, I was to learn at the expo that the Cowtown races were being sponsored by many of Fort Worth’s leading companies and had strong support from the city government. So strong indeed that Fort Worth’s mayor Betsy Price was registered to run the very next day! Arriving late at the expo had its downside though- I couldn’t get my correct race t-shirt size.
There were lots of running goodies for sale at the expo - from official race merchandise to discounted paraphernalia from Dallas/Fort Worth’s running specialty stores. There were also booths for the region’s civic societies, registration areas for volunteers, cheer groups, and pace setters, even a massage clinic for tense running muscles already expectant of a long next day ahead.
And there was a series of briefings about the marathon’s history, the race route, and the preparations needed to be able to run a safe and enjoyable race. The race director Jim Newsome did a good job in prepping the runners while noting that the year’s event was using a newly redesigned course that would offer runners more of the city to see in a safer and more comfortable way.
I walked and jogged the 2 miles or so from my hotel to the race start area very early on race Sunday. Start time was at 0700 and the temperature when I arrived an hour before the race, with the wind chill, was in the upper 30s and low 40s. I delayed to the last minute depositing my jacket in the gear check area thinking, just seven days before, I was running in hot and humid Florida!
As dawn was breaking at about a quarter of an hour before race start, I huddled with the other runners in my designated corral that was assigned based on my expected finish time. The ultra, full, and half marathon runners were to start en masse in each corral. The time limit was set at 7 1/2 hours for the ultra runners, easily achievable with a relaxed pace of about 14:30 per mile.
The Cowtown offered a solemn setting for those who wanted to start their runs on the right path and in high spirits. Held indoors beginning at 0530, right next to the race start and finish lines, was a Sunrise Worship Celebration where runners of all faiths were welcome. At the race start itself, simple ceremonies were held before the runners sped off as the sun began to appear on the horizon.
All races started and finished in the Will Rogers Memorial Center, in the heart of the cultural district of Fort Worth, which hosts at least five museums buildings erected along tree-lined boulevards with delicately trimmed greenery. Attractions in the area include the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, So7 urban neighborhood, Trinity Park, and the UNT Health Science campus.
The 50-kilometer ultramarathon route took the runners from the Will Rogers to Trinity Park, to the Historic Stockyards, to the Fort Worth Convention Center, to the Texas Christian University campus, to Foster Park Trail, and to the Colonial Golf Club, before heading back to Trinity Park where the ultra runners did an the extra 8K loop on a riverbank trail to complete the distance.
The route had much to offer that reflected the beauty and character of historic Fort Worth and, among other sights, runners had a chance to see the city’s cultural district,
some historic landmarks,
the downtown,
the middle class neighborhoods,
the upscale residential areas,
the side streets,
the main thoroughfares,
a trail park
or two,
and even a magnificent riverbank view of the city’s skyline.
There were at least a dozen entertainment stands set up to liven up the atmosphere of the race course - from a few bands to belly dancers to drummers and to individual performers. But what seemed to be a church choir performing near the starting line was certainly unique and eye-catching. Their songs of hope and victory certainly were needed to propel me thru the next 49 kilometers that day.
The race searched and welcomed volunteers for all facets of the event. Volunteering opportunities included adopting water/fluid stations and/or cheer corrals. The volunteers’ motto was "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, could prevent us from swiftly completing our appointed distribution of quenching liquids”. I stopped at this station for a quenching glass of cold liquid – beer!
Aside from hydration stations, other stations offered food and even GU gels/electrolytes. Five GU stations were set up at key locations for the ultramarathon- the first in downtown at around the 10 mile mark, and others at around the 17-, 21-, 23, and 26-mile distances. At key intersections, race volunteers pointed runners to the right direction while police officers secured the course.
The organizers wanted cheers for the runners that they gave instructions on how to drive to key intersections to wait for the runners while enjoying Fort Worth sights, among them, the Amon Carter Museum for race start, Main Street at the 10K mark, St. Paul Lutheran at mile 10, Foster Park at mile 19, and at “Cowtown Alley” (Burnett-Tandy Drive at the Will Rogers complex) for the finish.
This year’s Cowtown set a registration record of 25,564 runners for all race categories, topping last year’s mark by 3,475. Kelley Aviles of Lewisville, TX won the women’s ultra race with a time of 4:00:40 while Koby Styles of Holliday, TX topped the men’s side with a time of 3:18:18. In the men’s marathon event, a controversial finish was recorded - the actual winner did not use his own race bib!
There were 62 maniacs who ran The Cowtown, with some running the full marathon, others the ultra, and still others serving as pacers in both the race categories. Texas has the 3rd largest Marathon Maniac community in the US following Washington and California. The signature yellow-shirts and variations thereof were all over the entire marathon and ultramarathon routes.
The Cowtown ultramarathon course differed from the marathon course on account of an extra 8K loop on a paved and winding trail. As I made a U-turn at the end of the loop, race marshals congratulated me but, though I smiled gladly, I knew it was still an uphill battle in the last 5K. For aside from tired and aching muscles, the now-scorching heat of Texas sun was fully bearing down on me.
Rounding the last corner to the finish line without an injury meant a personal triumph in this first ever ultra road race in the USA. But more important was the other sure winner- the Cowtown C.A.L.F. charity - that advocates a healthy lifestyle through physical fitness and nutrition among the youth from area school districts, including providing running shoes to 1,400 children!
With 50K of prime Texas asphalt and cement left behind, it was time to, once again, do the perfunctory pose at the finish, sharp and pointed medal in hand, to immortalize this 29th finish of a unique marathon or unique ultramarathon in 22 months in 17 different US states or countries. Never mind the time. Like everything else in Texas, this landmark finish was big for me!
Most of the runners were long gone by the time I entered the exhibits hall at the finish area where assorted refreshments and food were being served and finisher shirts were being distributed. A bunch of the runners lingered, no doubt still waiting for friends, family, and team mates to arrive, while others took the time to digitally record their day’s hard-earned achievement for posterity.
Back at the hotel, I reckoned that after running an ultra in this city of Cowboys and Culture - Fort Worth, Texas, USA - there was only one thing left to do that afternoon before I had to leave Cowtown the very next day... and it had better be done in the Michelob Ultra and Nolan Ryan Texas Beef way!
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