Race Name: JFK 50 Mile
Race Location: Boonsboro, MD
Number of Years Finished: 26
Years Finished: 1996 to 2021
Best Finish Time (Year): 8:23:19 (1996)
Course Description: Boonsboro and Williamsport, Maryland, are about 11 miles apart. These two towns are the start and finish locations for the JFK 50 Mile.
The course is U-shaped, using paved roads, single-track, and jeep trails.
The first 2.5 miles begin in the center of Boonsboro and head east on Alternate Route 40 uphill, climbing 600 feet. At the top of the pass, near the South Mountain Inn, Alt Route 40 intersects the Appalachian Trail.
The next 1.5 miles is on the single track AT to the Reno Monument. The AT from this point south to the mountain top is rocky and rugged. There is a paved road going to the top, and the organizers utilize this paved road for the route.
Once at the top, we stayed on the AT for the next 9 miles to the final mile switchbacks. Many runners do not take advantage of the switchback downhill, as stepping off the side could result in a 10 to 30-foot fall.
Off the switchbacks in Weverton, the AT continues under Route 340 into Keep Tryst, where the trail crosses the main east-west train tracks paralleling the Potomac.
Once crossing the tracks, the course turns northwest onto the C&O Canal Path for 26 miles. The first milepost is #59, and the final is #84. The surface is either loose dirt or packed crushed stone. The trail is wide enough for an emergency vehicle.
Past milepost #84, we can hear Dam #4 on the Potomac and exit the C&O Canal Path heading north on Dam 4 Road.
The final 8.5 miles are on paved roads. We take Dam 4 Road to Downsville, then Spielman Road to Route 68. They want us to run on the left side of these roads, keeping that side free of traffic.
Once on Route 68, we stay to the left, heading into Williamsport. In 1996, they were not enforcing this desire, and we ran across four lanes of traffic for the shortest path.
Staying on Route 68, we turned right on Sunset Avenue, and after topping a small hill, the finish line was in sight for a final sprint.
What makes this race a special memory: In 1995, I tried and failed to run a qualifier for the 100th Boston Marathon, scheduled for April 1996.
In the mid-90s, there were three epic endurance races in the United States: Boston, Western States, and JFK. Of the three, JFK is a couple of hours from Fredericksburg, making accessible day trips for on-course training runs.
In 1995, club member Derrick Carr made an ultrarunning presentation to FARC members. Looking for a new challenge, I decided to try to run an ultra and picked the 1996 JFK 50 Mile as my target event.
In 1962, President Kennedy challenged all military officers to hike 50 miles in one day. In the spring of 1963, many 50-mile hikes were organized across the country. Buzz Sawyer organized the event in Maryland. Over time, the other walks disbanded. Buzz kept his event going and turned over the directorship to Mike Spinnler in the early 90s. The 60th edition will be held in 2022, the race being the longest-continuous-running event in the United States. Mike figured out how to conduct a race during the 2020 pandemic when others canceled.
Having failed a BQ in Philadelphia in November 1995, I had a whole year to prepare for JFK.
That year, I boosted my weekly mileage from 45 to 55, and I started doing long runs once per week. My long runs ranged from 16 to 20 miles. I incorporated nine marathons into my training, counting the 26.2 miles as that week’s long run.
I first ran the JFK course in August with Jeff Hinte, Phil Anderson, and Dan Grayson. We went from Boonsboro High School to Weverton via the AT and back. That was my first 31-mile, 6-hour adventure.
I visited the course three more times, running the last road section, the AT, and the canal path to gain course experience.
In high school, our track coach had us run a workout of ten quarter-mile repeats and chided us when our times were slower than 60 seconds. In my senior year, I practiced high jumping to avoid these workouts.
For JFK, I built to 10 times 800 meters averaging 3:10 per repeat. Then, I tapered from 20 times 400 repeats to 4 times 400, averaging 90 seconds per repeat. I enjoyed the workouts without the coach’s push.
Also, that year, I ran PRs at every distance from 1 to 50 miles, excluding 10km and 10 miles.
Of all my races, before and after, the 1996 JFK was the most prepared I have been for a race. And, on race day, the preparation paid off. I was off the C&O Canal Path 30 minutes ahead of schedule and finished while there was still sun shining on the finish line.
I didn’t catch the “repeat the race” bug immediately. In early October 1997, I ran a 24-hour event in Ohio and experienced swollen ankles from low sodium.
I didn’t decide to register for JFK until late October. After I ran a second time, the following editions became a habit.
A lot has changed over 26 years. The race entry fee grew from $35 to over $200. The field size has expanded and contracted. The time limit has been reduced to 13 hours.
The course and challenge have remained the same.
The sun rises at 7 am in Boonsboro on the last Saturday before Thanksgiving and sets at 5 pm. For many years, I accomplished my goal of finishing before sundown.
Having an annual goal race has kept me active and healthy. Pick your every-year race to accomplish.
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Over the years, I’ve run 147 different races and finished some of them multiple times. To some, this is not a large number of various events. Over the years, I’ve had some memorable races and have been able to rank my favorite races. If I couldn’t visualize the course and remember how I felt, I moved a race down my rankings.
Other races on my list
#6 Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon
Honorable Mentions:
Races between 5km and 10 Miles