Stump Jump and Delano 50 Miler Race Recaps!

March 10, 2026•6 min read

Stump Jump and Delano 50 Miler Race Recaps!

Weather, weather, weather!

That was the theme of the weekend races for everyone that raced. It was warm, humid, and became stormy. Great job to all who put in a hard effort despite the conditions this weekend!

Stump Jump 50k Recap

Wow. That was a doozy. If Mountain Mist was an example of planning and execution, Stump Jump was not that. The week leading up to the race, my body was not feeling great. Heart rate was way higher than it should have been and exertion levels felt the same. I assumed the quick transition to heat and humidity was the cause and knew Saturday would be the same.

The race started at 7:30 and it was already warm and muggy. Went off with the lead pack through the first mile and saw my HR was already sitting way too high for the pace we were running. Stayed with my friend Tay through the opening few miles and tried to keep effort steady and controlled but still felt like things were off. At the first aid station I made sure to stop and grab water and Tay blew right through it, I did not see her again. I was able to keep one guy I knew from Strava and some local races in sight and actually ended up running and chatting with him for a while off and on. He too was having a pretty terrible day. Overall I just felt like I could not stay hydrated (Dylan tried to warn me about taking only 1 bottle) even though I drank as much as I could and took a ton of electrolytes. I did manage to stay on top of nutrition with 80 grams of carbs an hour, but with the heat I stayed relatively nauseous for several hours. Cramps started to hit in a rock garden with a bunch of odd steps and climbs that caused me to stop and walk for a bit. Finally I hit one of the last aid stations and chugged water and another LMNT and got a second wind and was able to mostly run the last 10k, which helped me to catch someone who passed me.

This course really was something. 5300 feet of vert with some massive climbs and generally always up or down. Around most of the plateau we were off camber and going over rocks and roots. Had a double water crossing that required ropes and was waist deep which I quite enjoyed. Beautiful vistas in multiple spots, but my attitude did not allow me to enjoy it quite like I would have wanted.

Overall I finished in 9th place in 6:04 which was over 75 min slower than mountain mist just a few weeks before. So a testament to the difficulty of the day and course because everyone was slower than expected. Happy to have done it, but also happy to be done with it! Now do I run a marathon in 2 weeks??

-Josh

Delano 50 Miler Recap

Going into Delano, I didn't have too many expectations beyond trying to settle into a good effort that was sustainable and prepare myself physically/mentally for the 100k distance in 5 weeks. I chose this race due to its runable nature, frequent aid due to being a 1 mile looped course, and it's history in our running community.

I came into the race healthy and ready to see if my plans were going to work or if I'd need to adjust them. Goal #1 was to run based off heart rate since I have a good idea of what HR I should target for 50 or more miles. Goal #2 was to hit hydration/electrolyte targets and carb numbers that I will need for the 100k. Goal #3 was a chance at a state age group record which I thought may be possible if I had a good day.

The morning went well. I woke up at 3, ate 2 Bobo's PB&J's, drank some coffee, then an Alani and drove out to Decatur. I set up my own aid station to include a tent, table, chair (no sitting allowed), water pitchers, electrolyte packets, gels, a few shoe options if needed, and pickle juice in case of cramps.

Soon as the gun went off, I settled into a quick pace but watched my heart rate to see what the day would decide my pace might be. It took a couple of miles for it to get steady and then I stayed on target right around 154-157.

The race plan was to drink one 20oz handheld with 500 mg sodium and take one 30g gel every 2 miles. At the end of each hour I I'd take a 100mg caffeinated gel. It was hot an humid from the start and it only got hotter as the day went on and the cloud cover dissipated. I stuck to my plan and decided to go plain water on about 5 of the bottles through the day.

I started to get pretty hot and more tired around the 50k mark and decided to tie on an ice bandana. I bought the East Peak ice bandana the day before from Fleet Feet and it worked amazingly. I had your typical pain and cramps fatigue that happens in longer events and used Tylenol and pickle juice to help things calm down. I was almost uncomfortably full of liquids most of the race but I knew it had to be that way to sustain the pace and keep from cramping bad.

I came through a marathon a little after 3 hours, then 50k in 3:37 and knew it was going to be a good day if I could hold on. Everyone's encouragement on the loop helped to keep the mojo going. It was great to run with so many friends from Huntsville and meet new friends along the way.

I faded about as much as I planned to pace-wise, which was 10-ish%. I ended up finishing 6:07:56 which was good enough for first place and 3rd best time in course history. I got a bonus state age group record for 34 yo in the 50k and the 50 miler.

Learnings? I think I have a good plan for Desert Rats now. I will need to carry much more water than I'd like but it is going to help a lot and using my top end Z2 to dictate effort is a good tool to keep myself from going out too fast.

-Dylan

Beyond running alone, there are a few things that have helped us dial in our training and make smarter plans for our races.

Getting a sweat test.Understanding my sodium rate has helped me know exactly how many mg of sodium I need per bottle. If I am sweating more I just need more bottles, simple right?
Training smarter. Making my training more specific for what I am trying to do has made goals easier to accomplish. Also sounds simple, right?Run coachingcan help you get dialed in to make the progress you want to see.

Happy running,

R2S Team

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