Branches hung low under the weight of the freshly-fallen snow Saturday in New Auburn as I settled into my race pace early in the Chippewa Moraine Ultramarathon. It would prove to be a mistake, but not my most costly, or even my first, of the young race.
Trailing the lead pack of about 10 runners less than a mile from the start and more than 30 from the finish, I decided not to bridge the already 20-second gap to the frontrunners, opting instead to hold my comfortable pace and conserve the energy for even distribution over the remainder of the chilly slog through the snow.
As racers wound through the woods on the Ice Age Trail, I kept sight, for a short time, of the leaders while losing contact completely with the main field of 134 runners.
Soon I lost sight of the leaders and was left alone in the woods. Despite my total lack of experience running ultramarathons, I was quick to convince myself this was for the best, as I do nearly all of my running alone on trails and would be allow