Canyon Woodward is a vegetarian who estimates the last time he ate meat was more than a year ago.
But after being the first person to cross the finish line at The Naturalist 50K, he couldn’t help but celebrate the euphoric feeling.
“It was so good. So stoked to be there,” Woodward said of the feeling after winning. “I never eat meat, but I laid into an amazing beef brisket.”
Woodward, 26, is a Franklin native who finished second in 2016 and 2017. He didn’t run last year, but shaved more than eight minutes off his previous best time and won the race by more than an hour.
“It’s been a long time coming. Third time’s a charm,” he said with a big grin.
“I always look forward to this race so much. It’s such a classic in the Southeast I feel like at this point. It’s such an amazing thing for our town and bringing in people from all over.”
Tackling the trail
A total of 94 runners – 59 in the 25K and 35 in the 50K – finished Saturday’s race on the Bartram Trail.
Of those, only 14 were from Franklin.
Race organizers Cory McCall and Rob Gasbarro, who co-own Outdoor 76, are thrilled the race attracts so many people from other towns and states. Runners from nine states participated in the race.
“For us it’s awesome to see people from outside the area filling those spots,” McCall said. “Most of the local runners get out there and know how hard it is; it’s not a fun trail to run on.”
The race began in downtown Franklin. Runners traversed 3 1/2 miles of sidewalks/roads before getting on the Bartram Trail at Wallace Branch.
Because the trail lacks switchbacks, it features numerous climbs and descents. The 25K boasts more than 7,000 of elevation gain on the way up to Wayah Bald, where those runners finish. Runners in the 50K race turn around and return to Franklin.
Michael Basuini from Athens, Tennessee, won the 25K with a time 2 hours, 25 minutes and 51 seconds. Madison Zimmerman of Hendersonville was the first female 25K finisher, placing fifth overall with a time of 2:59.19.
David Evans, who has qualified for next year’s Boston Marathon, turned in the fastest 25K time (2:59.47) among the local contingent of runners.
Evans also shares a special distinction, along with Franklin’s Carolyn Tait and Carrie Maresh of Black Mountain, as being the only runners who have competed in each of the five years of The Naturalist.
In a show of camaraderie and fellowship, Evans and several other Franklin Shameless Runners joined Tait near the end of her 50K run, giving her a mental boost and final push to finish just under the 10-hour mark.
First ultra
Woodward won the 50K with a time of 5:02.02. His previous best time was 5:10:28 in 2017, when he took second and his brother, Forest, finished third.
Forest’s girlfriend, Laura Yale, was the 50K female winner. She turned in a time of 6:53.36, which was 20 minutes faster than the next female finisher.
Yale runs a “fair amount,” but this was her first ultramarathon (any footrace longer than 26.2 miles). She lives in Crested Butte, Colorado, which sits at an elevation of 8,900 feet – or roughly 3,600 feet higher than Wayah Bald.
The 50K features more than 10,500 feet of elevation gain, which is more than Yale would get on a typical run in the Rocky Mountains.
“I think there’s this big misconception from people in the West that the Southeast doesn’t have mountains or elevation gain,” Yale said. “So this was a really great ass kicker.”
Yale jokingly asked if living at nearly 9,000 feet was considered as blood doping. It obviously isn’t, but she acknowledged it certainly helps.
She was thankful it wasn’t hot. Last year’s race featured very warm temperatures, and the days leading up to this year’s race featured record highs around 90 degrees. However, the heat broke just in time and race conditions were cloudy (or extremely foggy at Wayah Bald) and cool, with an afternoon high of 70.
“I just thought it was beautiful, a beautiful trial,” Yale said. “You couldn’t see a whole lot because it was really misty, but I actually really liked that. It was kind of spooky in a great way. It was a cool day and I’m really happy it wasn’t 90 degrees.”
Losing toenails
Woodward is a Harvard graduate who lives in Boston and Maine, where he works on political campaigns. He trains by running nine miles round-trip to work every day while toting his laptop in his backpack.
He started ramping up his training within the last two years, and has competed in 100-mile races each of the past two springs.
In April, he finished third in the Hellbender 100. The race is based in Old Fort and the Black Mountains. It summits Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, and features an astonishing 48,000-plus feet of elevation gain.
Woodward spreads out his racing schedule, and plans on competing next in January at the Tsali Frosty Foot 50K next to Fontana Lake.
Even with the recovery time for races, he still frequently loses the nails on his big toes. Both had just about fully recovered before The Naturalist, but they’re bound to fall off again.
One of the most difficult parts of the race was between miles 21-25, which feature significant climbs and descents. It tortures competitors who are ready for the climbs to be finished.
“I felt like I ran a good race,” Woodward said. “Stuck to my plan pretty well.”
Woodward got to celebrate his first Naturalist victory, and a day later, celebrated the birthday of his father, Doug, and sister, Autumn, who were born on the same day in September.
For Gasbarro and McCall, it was special seeing someone who’ve they assisted for years win the race. Gasbarro recalls Woodward being one of the first kids they gave a free pair of running shoes to, and they still help him out through a UK supplier called inov-8.
“Super cool,” Gasbarro said. “Personally, Cory and I tried to do what we could to foster his running toward the tail end of his high school years. We knew he was a special kid – a good kid, too.”
Volunteer shoutout
This year saw a record 124 registrations. Of those, 14 didn’t show up to pick up their race packets.
Another 12 didn’t start the race, while four didn’t finish (two in the 25K and two in the 50K).
That left 94 who finished, including 72 men and 22 women.
The number of finishers has increased each year, from 52 in the inaugural race, to 66 to 80 to 85 last year.
Of course, the race could not happen without the support of more than 40 volunteers. Gasbarro is stationed at the 25K finish line and McCall at the 50K finish line, so runners have all of their in-race interaction with volunteers at aid stations at Wallace Branch, Harrison Gap and Wayah Bald.
“The volunteers they see on the trail have a way bigger impact,” McCall said.
Most of the volunteers (who get fed and receive a $10 Outdoor 76 gift card) do it every year, which makes their job organizing the event that much easier.
“It’s great to know people in the community see the value of an event like this,” McCall said.
Woodward called the volunteers the “heart and soul” of the event.
“A special shoutout to aid station at Harrison Gap,” Woodward said. “Every time you run through there – every single year, it’s so consistent – whether you’re first or last you feel like the best runner in the world.”