Suffern Bear Mountain FKT Report by MPF Athlete Blythe Yost
Date: September 30th, 2022
Location: Harriman & Bear Mountain State Park in New York
Adventure: Suffern Bear Mountain Trail / 22 miles, 5,300 elevation gain / Unsupported
A year and a half ago a friend told me about the Suffern Bear Mountain trail and we made a plan to run it together. He also mentioned we should do it in a specific time based on some website, but as a newcomer to trail running I didn’t really know what he meant. Unfortunately the timing never worked out for us as a team, but the trail still lingered for me as a distant goal. Although I had plenty of motivation to get out and run, I didn’t have any idea how to properly train for 23 miles alone, and definitely lacked the confidence for a solo attempt. Luckily, this past May I found some expert help in Elizabeth Azze and she got me on the right path. She helped me learn how to properly train, how to keep up my energy on the trail and generally gave me the confidence that the SBM was possible. She also introduced me to FKTs (Fastest Known Times) and helped me set a goal to break the current one.
By the end of September I was as ready as I’d ever be. I studied the map and made a plan that broke the run into five 4.5 mile sections with a 1.5 mile homestretch and calculated a target split for each one.
It was chilly starting in the early morning and I couldn’t decide if I needed an extra layer. I ditched it at the last minute and was immediately thankful – the first climb was quite a warmup! After the initial accent, the trail was fairly flat with minimal rocks. I stretched out and made good time. Reaching the end of my first leg, cross with the Kakiat Trail, a few minutes ahead of target gave me a boost - maybe I could pull this off. Fabulous ridge views of Rockland County kept me going through the next section and I reached the junction with the Tuxedo Mount Ivy trail a solid seven minutes ahead of my goal. The midpoint shelter surprised me, I wasn’t expecting it so soon and doing some quick math it seemed I was a good 25-30 minutes ahead of the previous FKT. Although that gave me a confidence boost, I knew the hardest parts were yet to come and I’d likely need every bit of my early gains.
After crossing 106 and reaching the Irish Potato there’s a long descent to the Palisades Parkway. When planning, I’d thought this would be a great opportunity to relax, recoup, and get ready for Pingyp. Instead it seemed to be an endless downward shuffle between rocks and roots on the gloomy north side of a mountain. By the time my feet hit the solid road pavement I was tense and stiff and needed to shake out on the quarter mile of flat road. Mid-morning on a Friday seems to be a difficult time to cross the Palisades and I felt like it took forever to find a break in the cars. On the upside, by the time I hit the base of Pingyp I had recovered from the downward slog and was ready for the most technical part of the run. This was my third time up Pingyp so while it took all of my concentration, it felt like I made good time. In hindsight, I probably pushed too quickly because the next few miles were slow and rough and I reached the end of the fourth leg only a few minutes ahead of target.
As expected, the section between the 1779 and 1777 trails was the most mentally and physically challenging. The constant elevation changes paired with difficult footing and tired feet almost kept me from appreciating some of the awesome views. At the top of Cat’s Elbow I ran into a hiker who was asked if I had come from the Anthony Wayne parking lot as I ran by. When I shouted back “no, Suffern” he was super encouraging and impressed – exactly what I needed at that point! He shouted after me as I left “I hope you have someone picking you up at the other end!”
The fatigue and elevation definitely took their toll as I hit the 1777 trail about 3 minutes behind my goal, I needed to push hard the last 1.5 miles to finish in under six. The Doodletown jeep roads offered some gentler footing and I was able to pick up a little speed, but there was one last climb that took the wind out of my sails. It was only 200 feet of elevation but felt like 2000. I finally rounded the top and tried to kick it down hill to Hessian Lake. I probably looked like a crazy person zooming out of the bushes to the trail head in the middle of busy Bear Mountain, but it didn’t really matter. I finished 5:55:10, just over 5 minutes faster than the previous FKT.
I carried 3L of water/electrolytes and a few PB&Js (gels make my stomach turn out on the trail…old school sandwiches seem to be better). I’m still learning how to properly eat and drink on the trail, but managed to get through most of my water and one of my sandwiches. As a rookie trail runner covering almost 24 miles in six hours by myself was an awesome test of endurance and courage. I’m really excited for the next adventure!