Pedernales Falls 60K – Capt Karl Night Series, Race 1

Jun 08 2025 No Comment by Minel D

Pedernales Falls 60K – Capt Karl Night Series, Race 1

From sunset to sunrise, this race tested me. Hot. Humid. Brutal. Temps were close to 90°F at the 7 p.m. start and didn’t let up all night. I haven’t run at night in a long time—and definitely not in training. That’s exactly why I signed up for this: Pedernales Falls 60K, part of the Capt’n Karl night run series. Mission was to get back into the rhythm of night running. I’m glad there was a 12-hour time limit. I used all of it. And yes, I was DFL.

Lap 1:

Felt good. Steady effort. I let some segments go a little faster than I planned, knowing the rocky sections later would slow me down. I adjusted pace where I could.

Lap 2:

Things fell apart fast. I was tired, sleepy, at least there was a breeze to keep me cool. The course itself was manageable, but the boulder/ rocks section wore me down. I tried jogging but kept catching my toes. Hiking wasn’t much better, I was too fatigued to lift my feet properly and kept stumbling. At one point, I seriously thought about dropping at Polly aid station. Andria was there and said, “I’ll support your decision – but it’s only a 10K left.” She reminded me I had already cleared the hardest section. I wanted to quit, but my headlamp situation was worse.

Sidebar:

My Kogalla light was great, super bright, but the battery only lasted 1.5 to 2 hours. I couldn’t adjust the brightness (possibly a defective unit), and both my headlamp and waist lamp were dying. I told Andria I had to stop. She handed me her headlamp, and that’s what kept me going.

I kept moving. Andria caught up with me again at Wolf aid station (about 2.5 miles from the finish), and then came back out to meet me at the end. When I finished, I was relieved—but numb. My downhill knee pain, the blister forming on my toe, the fatigue—I couldn’t feel much beyond pure exhaustion.

This was a hard race. I made mistakes—starting with underestimating how tough it would be. I haven’t run trails at night in a while and didn’t prepare my gear. But the goal was night run practice for Javelina. That part was accomplished.

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Learnings:

Headlamp & battery – Always test and check brightness settings before race day. Bring backups or alternative lighting.
Night run training – Include some night runs in training to get used to fatigue, focus, and terrain in the dark.
Chafing & blisters – Even with powder and cream, heat and humidity soaked everything. Chafing from the Kogalla belt, and a blood blister on my left toe. I felt it coming.
Drop bag setup – Bring a camping chair for loop courses to keep drop bag off the ground and organized.
Respect the ultra – No distance in an ultra is “just a loop” or “just a 10K.” Fatigue, terrain, and heat will catch up if you don’t give it full respect.

One lesson for the Capt’n Karl series: I need to rest during the day to be fresh for the race as finishing still matters. For this one, I was up at 5 AM on Saturday for a swim, then did yard work; no nap, no downtime before the 7 PM start. So when I finished, I have been up and awake for more than 24 hours.

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Shoutout:

Big thanks to the volunteers—out there all night, standing in the heat and humidity to support us. We can’t race without you. I try to give back and volunteer when I can and will keep doing so.

Extra gratitude to Andria Marsh—after working a full day, she came out and stayed up all night helping runners. She kept me from quitting, loaned me her headlamp, and made sure I crossed the finish. I’m grateful for the support.