Last weekend I ran the Elder Creek 50-Mile race on private reservation lands owned by the Cahuilla Band of Cahuilla Indians. I had been planning to run the Sean O’Brien 50-Mile race a week later, but like many races throughout the past year, it was canceled. Just like running an ultramarathon, though, you have to be flexible and make adjustments when things don’t go according to plan! Thankfully, the Race Director of the Sean O’Brien races, Keira Henninger, sent out an email explaining that she was going to put on another race instead. I wasn’t planning on making the northern to southern California road trip a week early, but my schedule allowed for it, so my wife and I hopped in the car with our dog and set off!
The Elder Creek course intrigued me because I had never run a multi-loop race before. For the 50-mile race, we had to complete 11 loops of 4.6 miles each. One of the many fun things about ultrarunning is that it is very nuanced, and there are many different types of races: mountain ultras, road ultras, looped courses, timed track races, last person standing events, and so much more! I’m much more accustomed to running point-to-point or one loop mountain 100-milers, so a course with so many loops was a brand-new experience for me. I enjoyed the format very much, because it allows for more race interaction with other runners and crews. By the time I finished the race, my wife joked that “I knew every person who was at the race!”
In addition to running a new race format, I committed a cardinal sin: using something new on race day! Why would I do that, you might ask? Well, because my apparel sponsor rabbit had just released their new line of shorts with woven fabric rabbitDRY material, and I couldn’t resist! All of these shorts use a new, sustainable recycled coffee grounds printing technology that is quick drying, has odor control, and reduces the condensation rate when you sweat. If you know me, you know I love to run in short shorts, so I chose the 3” inseam “thigh time.” And they didn’t disappoint! The brief liner and back venting of the shorts feature new rabbitICE fabric, which is a combination of the signature rabbitKNIT material blended with recycled coffee grounds, working together to cool your skin temperature 1-2 degrees Celsius. So, on a beautiful but hot day in Southern California, the thigh time shorts kept my legs feeling cool and strong all day, which paid off in the form of a win and new course record time of 7 hours and 15 minutes!
Since I began wearing rabbit products in 2017 and started running for the rabbitPRO team in 2020, I’ve had 100% trust in every product the team has created. Runners have enough things outside of their control during an ultramarathon, so why not handle what’s within your control and trust your body to the best apparel money can buy? Spring is coming and you know what that means…it’s thigh time, baby!