Cassie Scallon over came a rough fall to work her way up to third at the 2016 Ultravasan 90k. In the following interview, Cassie talks about her fall, the rest of the race, and the rest of her season, including what’s up next for her.
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Cassie Scallon Post-2016 Ultravasan Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Cassie Scallon after her third place finish at the 2016 Ultravasan. How are you doing, Cassie?
Cassie Scallon: Oh, a little bit sore, but it’s okay.
iRunFar: A little bit sore? You had what looked like a challenging race out there. How did it go from the start?
Scallon: Yeah, I focused on taking it out a little bit slow. I think my races have been going better that way. I tried taking it out pretty slow, but then on the technical section, I was feeling very comfortable and passing quite a few people until I hit some really slick boardwalk. The whole thing was pretty slick, and maybe I should have seen it coming. All of the sudden my feet were above my head, and I smashed down pretty hard. That was only about mile 23. I didn’t know if I was going to continue after that.
iRunFar: Did you fall on a knee?
Scallon: Yeah, I just hit my knee really hard. It hurts a lot today still. I was so far away from the next aid station, by the time I got there to that aid station, I felt like I was going to be able to work through it. I had a little blueberry soup, and I was all better.
iRunFar: You can’t hurt having blueberry soup, right? Were you in fourth at that point?
Scallon: Yeah, I was trading back and forth with the fifth place girl quite a bit.
iRunFar: When did you start moving up?
Scallon: Well, when Isabellah [Andersson] dropped out I gained a spot. Then I think about 73k, pretty close to the finish, when I finally secured third.
iRunFar: Did you make a decisive move at any point?
Scallon: I heard that the girl ahead was slowing down quite a bit. All of the sudden, she was just stopped at an aid station which is when I passed her then. She was enjoying blueberry soup.
iRunFar: This blueberry soup is helpful and dangerous. Did you enjoy it?
Scallon: Yes, it was one of the best parts about the race.
iRunFar: Nice. You obviously ran home and ended up in third. Are you happy with your performance?
Scallon: Yeah, I’m almost surprised that I finished. I was in a really bad spot after that fall, so I’m just thrilled I was able to pull that off.
iRunFar: Do you feel like those kind of efforts are good building for future races and events?
Scallon: Yeah, as long as you’re not really hurt. Sometimes it’s hard to assess in the moment, but I made the right decision.
iRunFar: What else do you have coming up?
Scallon: Next is Les Templiers.
iRunFar: Another fast race, but that one has a lot more climbing.
Scallon: Yes, more climbing and a much more technical section at the end.
iRunFar: Have you been hitting the mountains this summer?
Scallon: Yeah, I’ve only been running about two or three days a week. I have a funny work schedule where I’m working every Tuesday and Wednesday night. That kind of bites into the time when I feel good enough to run. Other than that, a lot of good mountain adventures as it’s been good weather in Colorado.
iRunFar: Now, is it between now and then that you’re shipping westward?
Scallon: Yes, at the end of September we’re going to move from Colorado to California.
iRunFar: Are you going to be in a mountainous area or trails? What’s it going to look like?
Scallon: Yes, we picked Santa Barbara because there’s a university there for Greg to work at and because the mountains there seem to come right out of town.
iRunFar: Have you run there before?
Scallon: No, I’ve never been there.
iRunFar: You’ll be able to do some exploring?
Scallon: Yes, absolutely.
iRunFar: That’s a fun kind of training. How’s the rest of your year gone leading up to this?
Scallon: I haven’t really raced—well, Bighorn, but that was just a short race just for fun—since Comrades [Marathon]. Comrades was a really disappointing run—travel all that way, and I had an injury coming into it. After the 100k Nationals in Madison I had some Achilles problems that took awhile to work through.
iRunFar: They weren’t worked out by race day?
Scallon: It was feeling better, but to not have run almost a month before that, I had lost a lot of confidence and fitness.
iRunFar: Well, you’re working your way back up. Having seen you do that in some other seasons, hopefully you can peak at Templiers.
Scallon: Yes, I hope so, too. Thanks.
iRunFar: Congrats on a great race. Good luck.
Scallon: Thanks.
