
5 years later (to the day, surprisingly!), with many miles and a few ultra-marathons under my belt, I decided it was time to give it another shot. So, I headed back to the Pemi, the headwaters of my ultra-running river, to see what I could do …and the results were rather stunning!
But first, a little history …
When I ran the Pemi back in 2009, I was in the shape of my life. I was less than 6 months removed from road PR’s in the 5k, 5m, Half Marathon and Marathon. PR’s which were so solid at the time that they still stand for me today. Meaning, I was at the absolute peak of my road running career. Only, I didn’t know it yet! And, I wouldn’t actually realize that fact until a few years (and injuries) later.
I ran the Loop with my good friend SteveWolfe (who was in equal, or better, shape) as part of the Pemi Wild Ultra – an unofficial race in which 5 teams of two tried to complete the 31.5 mile trek in as little time as possible and without breaking our necks! We started at 4:00am and headed in a counterclockwise direction around the loop. Steve and I had a great time and, not surprisingly, ended up coming in first!
Fast forward to 2014 and I’m now 5 years older - and slower than ever! Except, that for the past year I’ve been racing and training for ultra-marathons. So, the big question was: Would that fact alone be enough to turn back the clock? I hoped so, but at 6:15am as I headed out alone across the bridge to start the loop (clockwise this time) I still had my doubts. Doubts that only grew stronger less than a half hour later when I was off the side of the trail. Puking.

The weather was near perfect. Mostly cloudy, very little wind and no rain. And with temps maxing out at around 80, I was a very lucky boy indeed! The trip over to the high point on the course went quickly and before long I had 10.5 miles under my belt and was starting down the Garfield Ridge Trail – my own personal White Mountain nemesis. I hammered it as hard as I could, but it still seemed to last FOREVER. Eventually I hit Galehead Hut and enjoyed a well-deserved bowl of soup.
The “Hut Rally” did me good and I was able to find the legs I’d lost along the GRT. I scrambled up South Twin and started pushing the pace over the very runnable Twinway. At this point a sub-10 hour loop seemed possible and I wanted very badly to make that happen. After popping out of the trees at Guyot I could feel that the day had warmed up considerably. Many of the early clouds had given way and in their place were stunning views across the Pemi – and beyond!
The climbs of Mount Bond and Bondcliff seemed easier than I’d remembered previously and after I crested the last summit I really started putting the hammer down. Flying along the twisty-turny Bondcliff Trail I actually let out a HOWL of sheer and utter joy! Unfortunately, all the jostling on the steep downs was too much for my already queasy tummy and a few moments later I had to stop and puke. Again.

I jumped into the river to cool off and drove home a very happy man. Content in the fact that, while I may not be able to turn back time, I’m certainly going to try and give it a run for its money!
Below are my split times and miles per hour for each segment of the Pemi (not including the 20 odd minutes I spent at the hut) for both the 2009 and 2014 trips.
Pemi Loop Splits: 2009 2014
Start to Osseo :13
:13
1.4m (6.46) (6.46)
Osseo to Flume 1:15 1:24
4.1m (3.28) (2.93)
Flume to Lafayette 2:16 1:45
5.0m (2.20) (2.86)
Lafayette to Garfield 1:50 1:20
3.5m (1.91) (2.63)
Garfield to Galehead 1:32 1:12
3.1m (2.02) (2.58)
Galehead to Twinway 1:16 1:06
2.8m (2.21) (2.65)
Twinway to Bond :32 :26
1.3m (2.43) (3.00)
Bond to Wilderness 1:57 1:34
5.6m (2.87) (3:57)
Wilderness to Finish :58 :48
4.7m (4.86) (5.88)
Total: 11:49 9:48
31.5m (2.66) (3.21)

1.4m (6.46) (6.46)
Osseo to Flume 1:15 1:24
4.1m (3.28) (2.93)
Flume to Lafayette 2:16 1:45
5.0m (2.20) (2.86)
Lafayette to Garfield 1:50 1:20
3.5m (1.91) (2.63)
Garfield to Galehead 1:32 1:12
3.1m (2.02) (2.58)
Galehead to Twinway 1:16 1:06
2.8m (2.21) (2.65)
Twinway to Bond :32 :26
1.3m (2.43) (3.00)
Bond to Wilderness 1:57 1:34
5.6m (2.87) (3:57)
Wilderness to Finish :58 :48
4.7m (4.86) (5.88)
Total: 11:49 9:48
31.5m (2.66) (3.21)

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