Year of the Beast
2012 turned out to be a great running year for me. My accomplishments included the following:
· Participated in 13 ultras (12 finishes and 1 DNF at mile 30 in a 50 mile race)
· Two 50k PR’s and a 50 mile PR
· Finished the Lynchburg Ultra Series which includes three 50K’s and a 50 miler
· Finished the Beast Series which is the Lynchburg Ultra Series plus Grindstone (100 miles) and Hellgate (100k)
My year didn’t start out so great. I came out of 2010 fat, uninspired and recovering from an ankle injury. 2010 had been completely disappointing with DNF’s at Western States, Vermont and Mountain Masochist. My DNF at Western States shook my confidence. I was as well trained as I possibly could have been for that race and I came up short. My heart wasn’t in it after that. Then I rolled my ankle badly in November and had to miss the Philly marathon. I was unable to run much in December. I wondered if I had a comeback in me and wondered whether given my age and very modest running ability running ultras made any sense.
Fortunately my love of trail running was stronger than my self- doubt and common sense. I resolved to get back in shape and decided I needed a big goal to inspire me. I didn’t get in Western States so that couldn’t be my focus race. I considered Masanutten, a big, tough Virginia 100 miler, but I didn’t get through the lottery. I was on the waiting list and had an outside chance of getting in the race but I wasn’t ready to do all that work getting ready with no guarantee of even getting in the race.
I finally settled on the Beast series. This series starts in February and runs through December. There are three 50K’s in the spring and then the series continues in October with Grindstone, Mountain Masochist and finally Hellgate. This was a big goal for me. I knew I could finish the 50k’s. However one of them, Promised Land, has to be one of the toughest on the east coast. After the 50k’s came three races each of which I figured I had 50:50 chances of finishing. Grindstone is a monster 100 miler (actually it’s 102 miles) which was designed to be the toughest in the east. A nighttime start and 23,000 feet of climbing makes this one unforgettable. Mountain Masochist comes a month after Grindstone. It’s a hilly, tough 50 mile run (actually 54 miles at least) with a pretty tight time cut-off. I DNF’d at Masochist in 2009 and 2010 at 45 miles and 28 miles respectively. No doubt about it. This race had my number. The last race in the series is Hellgate. Hellgate is a mid December 100K which starts at midnight. It’s long (66 miles) and tough. The wild card is the weather and the condition of the trail which can be ice covered in a bad year. In a good year you get a leaf covered rocky trail.
I haven’t written a race report in awhile but I’m going to try to cover the highlights of my journey. All of races were intended to prepare me for the Beast series races. I ran a lot (too many) races as training runs. I find it’s easier to run long with aid stations and the excitement of a race.
Holiday Lake 50K --February 12 (first race in the Beast series)
A couple of queens?
This is the first race in the Beast series. It was a great day. It wasn’t that warm but the trails were dry. What a pleasure it was to escape the snow covered Pennsylvania trails for a day. It almost felt like spring. The course was scenic but fairly easy. It’s a simple out and back course around a lake.
The highlight of the weekend happened the night before the race. I drove down to Lynchburg VA with Harris Brenner and we were sharing a hotel room. We got a late start on the trip and we arrived at the hotel very late Friday night. The clerk took our information and started processing our reservation. She looked up from her computer and without a hint of a smile asked “a couple of queens?” I broke a few moments of silence by telling her we weren’t gay, at least I wasn’t. This led to Harris saying I was curious…then I claiming that Harris was bi. This went on for a while and ended with Harris telling her I was trans-gender but still confused. That 5th grade humor never gets old! Finally the clerk had had enough. She looked at us and asked “a king size bed then?”
Seneca Creek 50K—March 5
This was my facebook entry. I think I spelled wow wee wrong but otherwise this was a pretty good summary of a tough day.
Finished the Seneca Creek 50k race. Great event but wow-wee what a bad run I had. Lost my mojo early and never got it back. Loss of mojo was followed by nausea, cramps, blisters, nausea, chafing, Achilles pain, nausea and blood loss (from a nipple). I wonder if my body was trying to tell me something.
This is a nice fun race. Easier but more scenic than Hat Run. It’s a point to point course. They bus you to the start and then you run back to your car. Love it.
Hat Run—March 19
“Death before Dishonor”
The night before the race I said goodnight to my 11 year old son, Eric. I suggested he should wish me luck because I was racing the next day. He looked me in the eye, gave me a fist bump and said “death before dishonor.” Sound advice.
This was a fun day. There were a bunch of BCRR folks there so that made it special. However, my run wasn’t so special. I was fat and slow. I finished but that’s about it. A highlight was running with Melissa Lipari for awhile. She saw me popping a couple of Advil. She told me it took something like 48 hours for ibuprofen to reach therapeutic levels in the body. With that information she forever ruined the placebo effect for me. Remind never to run with a medical professional again.
Hat Run water crossing. That’s how it’s done!
Terrapin Mountain 50 K—March 26
Second race in the Beast series. Again my facebook entry:
This is one of my favorite races. It’s sponsored by the Virginia Happy Trail Runners and it’s perfectly organized. The course is great. There’s about 100 yards of road. The rest is nice single track trail. A lot of the course follows a stream (Bull Run creek I think) and woods are full of beautiful flowers called bluebells. I really love this race and I do well here most years.
This year was disappointing. The course was really muddy and the first 18 miles (at out and back to the start) really wore me out. I was already exhausted by doing 4 50k’s since February. I knew I needed to save something for Promised Land (a Beast series race) which was coming up in a few weeks. For the first time in my ultra “career” I quit a race. When I got through mile 18 I had made the decision to quit. I ran another 10 miles or so to the Fountainhead aid station and then bummed a ride back. I knew I could finish the race but it was one of those days I didn’t feel like running. My only DNF of 2012.
Promised Land 50k—April 26
Third and final spring 50k in the Series
This race is a lot tougher than most. The elevation profile looks about right. However, the 31.75 miles is a lie. The course is really around 34 miles.
This is my favorite 50K by far. This one belongs on everyone’s bucket list. The course is gorgeous. It features beautiful single track trail and Virginia spring time at its best. The streams are swollen and rushing. The plant cover seems to have this special deep brilliant green hue. You get to run by a very cool waterfall which is your reward for a tough 3 or 4 mile climb which you cover 2500 feet of elevation gain. That hill hits you right around mile 25 or 26 which after years of doing marathons always feels like a logical stopping point to me. I’m not complaining though. I really can’t get enough of this course.
This is my favorite 50K by far. This one belongs on everyone’s bucket list. The course is gorgeous. It features beautiful single track trail and Virginia spring time at its best. The streams are swollen and rushing. The plant cover seems to have this special deep brilliant green hue. You get to run by a very cool waterfall which is your reward for a tough 3 or 4 mile climb which you cover 2500 feet of elevation gain. That hill hits you right around mile 25 or 26 which after years of doing marathons always feels like a logical stopping point to me. I’m not complaining though. I really can’t get enough of this course.
Kirsten Holst, me, Aaron Mulder (with one of the kids)
Fortunately this race has a very generous cut off. I finished the race which was my only goal but it was a slow day for me. It took me at least an hour longer than it should have. It didn’t matter. I accomplished what I needed to and had a fun day.
Dirty German 50 mile—May 22
After all these races I still wasn’t in shape. I was starting to have doubts about my goals for the year. I had Vermont coming up in a few short months and I was starting to think I should withdraw from it. Running 100 miles is tough even when you’re in shape. It really sucks if you’re not in shape. I wasn’t even close to being where I needed to be. I told myself I would use Dirty German as a final fitness test to assess my readiness for Vermont. If I had another bad race I would drop out of Vermont
Dirty German is a pretty nice race held at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia. I had never run there and I didn’t expect much. It turned out to be a pretty good course. It wasn’t really hilly or technical but it was fun and it was pretty nice for being in the middle of Philly. We had a handful of guys from club went to the race so it was nice doing a local ultra.
I usually don’t even wear a watch when I run especially when doing long distances. It feels I would make myself crazy ticking off mile after mile. When I get to aid stations I usually try not to find out what mile I’m on. I need to get in the mindset that I going to just keep running until I’m done. Trying to anticipate the distance or time to the finish seems to make it that much longer to me.
At the time I was a new Garmin GPS owner. I bought the big clunky version because it has a 20 hour battery life. My facebook entry for this momentous change:
Crossed over to the dark side and bought a Garmin. First run this morning...7.01 miles in 1:01. Last .01 mile at a 7:17 pace. That's over 70 miles per hour by my calculations! Very happy with that.
A lot of my facebook so called “friends” were quick to claim my math was wrong on that last .1 mile but nobody else was there to see exactly how fast I was going. I know I was flying.
Anyway I used the Garmin for Dirty German and it worked pretty well. I had a good day and by watching my average pace I knew I had a chance for a PR. At 50k I had a PR and by monitoring my pace I was able to finish the 50 miles with a PR (by a few minutes).
Equinox 50K –June 19
This is a low key fun event for Bucks County Roadrunners members. My friend, Chris Mortensen is the race director and I never get tired of hearing him try to explain why a race which takes place the week of the summer solstice is named Equinox. It’s a fun race and you can run as much as you want up to 50 miles. The race was this year was 3 weeks before Vermont so I decided up front 50k would be my limit.
I had another very good run. I used the Garmin again and it helped me stay on pace. I ended up with another 50K PR, at least 20 minutes ahead of my previous best time. Things were finally starting to come together.
Vermont 100 miles—July 16
I have a love/hate relationship with race. It’s fun because a few of my buddies go there every year and the course is very scenic. The race is unique because a 100 mile horse race also takes place simultaneous with the foot race. The hate part comes from the fact that the July heat and humidity just destroys me. Also the early aid stations are so poorly supplied it really becomes difficult for a back of the pack guy like me without a crew to stay hydrated. Most of the stations don’t have any ice and in 2010 one didn’t have water which forced me to go 9 or ten miles without being able to refill my bottle. I dropped not too long after that.
I did this Vermont this year so I could build up my confidence for Grindstone. My last 2 hundred milers prior to this year’s Vermont were DNF’s for me. I needed to finish this time.
Again I didn’t have a crew this year. I also didn’t have a pacer lined up. The pre-race dinner was fun because we had a great group this year. Regulars, Chris Mortensen, Diane Mortensen, Aaron Mulder (with a couple of kids and a very pregnant wife) and Jeff Vinosky were there. There were some new Vermonters, the amazing Harris Brenner (with Dawn as crew chief and Greg Yerkes as pacer) and Chris Pallodino. After dinner I went back to the motel and went to bed really early in anticipation of a 2:30 am wake- up call and a 4 am start. I drifted off to sleep only to be woken up a few minutes later by my mom calling to wish me good luck. Of course I didn’t sleep another minute the rest of the night!
The start of a 100 miler is always fun. I love that intense nervous energy in the air while you’re waiting for the start. The weather forecast was looking pretty good. It was going to be hot as you would expect for July but not really that humid. It had been a pretty dry spring so the course should be in pretty good shape.
Bucks County Roadrunners just before the 4am start. Whose bright idea was this??
Chris Palladino, Jeff Vinosky, Aaron Mulder, Harris Brenner, Chris Mortensen, me
My race started out OK but by mile 30 my old nemesis in 100 milers, a bad stomach, was back for a visit. The warm Gatorade and water stocked by the aid stations didn’t help at all and I spent the rest of the day throwing up every time I tried to eat or drink.
I made it to Camp 10 Bear the first aid station with a medical check in pretty bad shape. I weighed in light and was warned I had to hydrate. I sat there for a while sipping coke and ginger ale trying to keep something down. I finally left the aid station and continued on my way. I was so bonked and tired I was spending a lot of time at each aid station trying to get some strength to keep going.
Going in to the Tracer Brook aid station at mile 57 I was really in bad shape. I drank some water and ate some fruit which I immediately threw up. The doctor there weighed me and told me I weighed enough that he didn’t have to pull me from the race. However, his recommendation was that I quit. He told me his opinion was that it was “medically impossible for me to finish in the condition I was in”. I told him I wanted a second opinion and finally convinced him to let me go on to the next station with medical personnel and we would re- evaluate there. That was the good news. The bad news was that aid station was 13 mostly uphill miles away. The doctor actually ran with me for a mile or so down the road before letting me go on my own.
I struggled onward. I hated life for the most part but finally it was dusk and there was some relief from the sun and the heat. I was starting to feel better but I wasn’t sure I would go on after Camp 10 Bear (that aid station covers mile 50 and 70). I didn’t have a pacer and I didn’t think I could go all night without one.
I arrived at Camp 10 Bear and the doctor greeted me by saying “I heard you’re in trouble”. Fortunately I was feeling a lot better and I told the doctor I was fine. I asked if there were any pacers available and I was thrilled to hear there was one. He had been scheduled to go with another runner who had dropped so he was available to go with me.
What a break! My pacer, Terry, was a local guy who knew the course very well. I left the aid station with renewed hope that I might finish. I was feeling better but my biggest issue was that I was now pretty close to the time cutoffs.
Terry was great. He knew the course very well and he told me what to expect at all times. Knowing what to expect seemed to make things easier even when it was bad news, like “we’ll climb for a mile and a half and it will look like we’re at the top but it’ll be a false summit and we’ll have another mile after that”. He was a great guy. It was really helpful having him with me.
As time wore on I was hydrating better (coke in my water bottle) and eating some (mostly soup). I started making better time. I was staying ahead of the cut-offs. I had a few rough spots and even hallucinated a few times. The weirdest was seeing an aid station completely with food and people sitting around a fire. I could see any empty chair and I desperately needed to sit a few minutes so I could try to re- group. I kept telling Terry I needed to stop at the aid station but he wasn’t stopping or even acknowledging that we could stop. I couldn’t figure out why we weren’t going to stop and was getting angry. I finally had enough and headed over to the aid station. I ended up stumbling in to the ditch. At that moment the aid station disappeared and I was staring at bushes and the woods….no aid station.
In general however I was getting stronger and stronger. I was running more than walking and by the time dawn came I was pretty confident I was going to finish. I was actually starting to enjoy myself. I finished half an hour ahead of the time cut-off. Amazingly Chris, Dianne, Dawn and Harris were waiting to see me cross the finish line. Harris and Chris had finished something like 8 or 10 hours earlier so it was crazy that they were there for me.
This was a satisfying finish. I had every reason to quit, especially when the doctor told me I couldn’t finish. I had broken a little streak of 100 mile DNFs and felt maybe I had a chance at Grindstone.
Labor Pain 50k (followed by post operative pain)—September 4
It took me a while to recover from Vermont. I didn’t run a lot during August. My plan was to do the Labor Pain 12 hour run and use that as a kickoff for a serious month of training for Grindstone. Labor Pain was held at a German social club in Reading on Labor Day weekend. The course is a 5 mile trail loop and the idea is that you do as many laps as you can in 12 hours. I rode up with Aaron Mulder and we met Chris Palladino and Rob Hoy up there.
I didn’t realize it at the time but a week earlier I had suffered a detached retina. I noticed my vision in my left eye was getting worse all week but I foolishly didn’t go to the doctor. Somehow I hoped it would resolve itself. By Labor Pain the bottom half of my vision in my left eye was gone. I ran OK at Labor Pain but my impaired vision made it hard. There were a lot of blown down trees on the trail and I was having trouble seeing the trail. I didn’t have a specific plan about how far I wanted to run that day. Finally the loops were getting boring and every loop started and ended in a German beer garden. I gave into the boredom of the loops and the lure of a cold German beer after completing 50K.
I went to the eye doctor the next morning and ended up going from the doctor’s office straight to the hospital where I had surgery that afternoon to repair my eye. The surgery was successful but I was told I couldn’t run for at least 4 weeks.
Grindstone 100 miles (4th race in the Beast series)—October 7
My training plans for Grindstone were ruined. I wasn’t supposed to run at all or doing anything strenuous while my eye was healing. I cheated a little with some time on the stationary bike and the treadmill but I did almost no running in the weeks leading up to Grindstone. I finally got the OK to run with 10 days or so before the race. I didn’t tell the doctor about Grindstone so she had no idea what she was clearing me for when she finally did.
Grindstone is a relatively new race. This was its 3rd year. The race is designed to be the toughest 100 miler in the east. It features at 6 pm start so even the elite runners will have to run a night. Unfortunately for me the 6 pm start meant I would be faced with running two nights. The course is really hilly too. It has approximately 23,000 ft of elevation gain and another 23,000 ft of descents.
No question I was in way over my head. I wasn’t trained properly and I was facing the toughest 100 miler I had ever attempted. At least I figured I couldn’t sink any lower than I did at Vermont. I saw Aaron at the pre race registration along with his expanded crew, 3 kids, Erin and Aaron’s parents. I had Patricia again with me so I was happy I would have some crew support.
Aaron Mulder and I before the race
The race started pretty uneventfully. I struggled making good time all night. The course had long punishing climbs I had to walk. The downhill sections all seemed to be on technical rocky trails. There were steep drop offs along the sides of the trail and the rocks were loose so I really made slow, careful progress.
I was already exhausted by the time dawn came. I didn’t seem to get the usual boost from seeing the sun come up. I was really having trouble staying awake. Around noon I was running with a woman, Carrie, and I actually fell asleep while running. I woke up when I hit the ground. The woman stopped and started unloading Red Bull’s out of her backpack. She was planning to quit at the next aid station so she didn’t need the Red bulls. Trying a new food or drink isn’t recommended during an ultra but those Red Bulls hit the spot.
I finally made it to the turn around. The course is an out and back design. You run 50 miles, turn around and run back. The cruel thing about Grindstone is the “out” leg covers three up and downs over three major mountains. Turning around for the run back was tough. It was a tough day. I made steady progress but I was really sleep deprived.
By the time the sun was going down I wasn’t sure if I could go on. I didn’t have a pacer. I was feeling OK but I was afraid to run the second night by myself on those trails. I was at the back of the pack and the aid station were really far apart (8 -10 miles). I was afraid I could get hurt and be stuck out there by myself for a long time before I could get help. Fortunately I met up with another runner, Rush and his pacer, Sean. I decided I would stay with them so I wouldn’t be by myself.
Running with these guys really saved my race. Rush was struggling but Sean was a great pacer. He was a talkative interesting guy. He kept us moving and was paying attention to the time cut offs which were becoming an issue. Actually I was feeling pretty good and felt I could have gone faster but I stayed with them.
Many times during the race I thought about a conversation I had had before the race with Chris Mortensen. He was trying to pump me up about Grindstone and said because of the generous time cut offs he was confident I could finish. He told me I would be OK because it “only a matter of mental toughness”. I had plenty of time during this race, as everything lower than my ears hurt, to curse Chris and his mental toughness theory.
I didn’t suffer from my usual stomach problems this race. I kept pretty well hydrated and fueled the whole time. I finally got sick but it was at the last aid station and throwing up seemed to get all the poison out. Rush, Sean and I ran the last 5 miles. We passed about a dozen people during that last 5 miles which felt great. I wiped out and fell about a ¼ mile from the finish right where the trail ended so finished a minute or 2 behind them.
I finished about 6:30 after more than 36 hours on the trail. It sure felt good to cross the finish line. A few minutes after finishing, ultra-running legend, Dave Horton shook my hand and handed me an application for Hellgate. He said “you earned this” as he handed it to me. That moment made the every minute of the past 36 hours worth it.
Mountain Masochist 50 miles (Final race in the Lynchburg ultra series and 5th race in the Beast series)—November 5
Ultra Peace and Love
This is a very cool race but I had never finished it. I tried in 2009 and 2010 and both times I failed miserably. The race has a tight time cut-off but the bigger issue for me is the time of year. By the time November comes around I’m usually burned out or injured. It feels like off season already.
This year was different with Aaron’s help. He ran with me all day which meant he was committing to an extra three hours or so on the trail. He’s a competitive guy and at the time he was probably second or third in the Beast series. He gave up his spot in the standings to help me. He was a big help. I didn’t have the Garmin or a watch and he pushed me along so I would make it in time. I knew he was nervous about being so close to the cutoffs. Welcome to my world, Aaron.
When we crossed the finish line, Harris Brenner and Chris Mortensen were waiting at the finish line. It was dark and cold and those guys had finished hours earlier. Standing around that long after a tough 50 miler must have been tough. That’s ultra love. We were all there to see George Hollerbach a few minutes after me.
When Aaron and I crossed the finish line Dr. Horton pointed to Aaron and asked me “what’s he doing back here?” “He’s with me” was my proud reply.
Chris Mortensen, me, George Hollerbach, Aaron Mulder, Harris Brenner after the race
Hellgate 100k (Final race in the Beast series)—December 10
Miracle at Blackhorse Gap
I’ve always been fascinated but afraid of this race. My fear comes from that fact that every time I’ve mentioned running it to Chris he says “go ahead…but never again for me”. This race is legendary because of its 12 midnight start time during December in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The course is hilly and long. Legend has it that it’s 66.6 miles so it’s 4 miles longer than the advertised 100K. It seems a lot of runners don’t finish this race on their first attempt. Runners in past years have had to deal with extreme cold, ice and multiple cases of freezing corneas, Hellgate eyes. Dave Horton always talks about how “special” this race is.
I needed to finish Hellgate to finish the Beast. It was that simple. My investment so far in the Beast series was 5 races, 250 miles on the trail and 70+ hours of driving back and forth to Virginia. I had started the Beast back in February and 10 months later it was time to bring it home.
The pre race dinner was very cool. You were supposed to sit with people you didn’t know and dinner was served family style. The vibe was great. It actually was special.
The start was interesting. It was surreal to get out of the car at midnight and assemble at the trail head. We sang the American and Canadian national anthems and Dr. Horton said a little prayer. Finally we were off.
We were lucky this year. The weather was clear and it wasn’t exceptionally cold. It was around 30 at the start and it was going to get a bit colder on top of the mountains. It had rained heavily a few days earlier so there were plenty of wet spots and more than a few stream crossings were you couldn’t avoid getting wet.
I felt good all night. The highlight was going up to Camping Gap, the 2nd aid station. The mile 4 climb usually isn’t a highlight but there was a full moon so we could turn off our headlights and still see pretty well. At some spots you look around and see the lights of other runners in the distance ahead or behind you snaking through the mountains. This course is big and tough. The pattern in the first 30 miles or so was long climbs up fire roads and then steep descents on technical rocky trails.
The first time cut off was at Headforemost Mountain, mile 22. I was half hour or more ahead which gave me a lot of confidence. I knew I could go faster during the day and I did. I ran well all day. I saw my Grindstone friends, Rush and Sean during the night. I knew Sean would get Rush to the finish line in time. I figured if I could stay with them I would be OK. I played leap frog with them all night and day. I was faster on the up-hills. Rush was faster on the downhill but never let them get too far ahead.
By mile 50 or so you get to a section nicknamed the “forever section”. The official mileage is 6.5 miles but every GPS measures it at over 8 miles. I ran this section pretty well. I actually enjoyed it for some reason even though there are some ugly, gnarly miles in this segment. I was solidly ahead of the cut offs.
Then I made a mistake which made the forever section even longer. I missed a turn and ran half a mile or so to an intersection with no markers. I knew I must me wrong so I started running back to where I came. Some other runners were behind me convinced me we were going the right way so I turned around and we all ran to the same intersection again. We had to double back again until we found the right turn off. This is mistake cost me half and hour so which was most of my cushion on the cut-off. At the turn I met up again with Sean and Rush. I was pretty worried. I didn’t want to be so close on time.
The last aid station was out of soda and cups so I didn’t get anything. My lips and mouth were really swollen. This has happened before but this time it was really bad. I couldn’t suck an electrolyte drink out of my camelback because my lips were so swollen. I hoped I would be OK because we were only 6 miles to go.
I left the aid station with Rush and Sean. We had an hour and 45 minutes to go 6 miles. The last section was purportedly 3 miles up the mountain and then 3 miles down. Sean, the master pacer, announced the plan which was something like three 20 minute miles up and 15 minute miles down. Even after 60 miles this seemed like a very doable plan. We started the long climb up the mountain. I started to bonk after 2 miles. I couldn’t get any liquid in me because of my swollen mouth. I tried a gel but with no liquid I couldn’t swallow it. I gradually fell behind Sean and Rush as I struggled to make any progress up that hill. I watched helplessly as they got farther and farther ahead of me until they were finally out of sight.
I was alone now and sure my race was over. I would crawl to the finish if I had to but I was convinced I had blown it and would miss the cut-off. Going up that hill was miserable. There were several spots where you would think you could see the top but when you got there it would turn in to another switchback up.
I finally made it to the top of the hill, Blackhorse Gap. I saw car on the road which I thought it was weird. I didn’t expect to see anybody there. As I got closer I realized it was one of the ham radio operators they use to keep track of all the runners. Next to the car on the ground was a half full gallon bottle of water! The water was going to be useless if he didn’t have cups. When I got to the car I saw cups on his hood. These weren’t little aid station cups. These were big college keg party size cups! I gulped down two full cups of water and ate 2 gels while leaning against the car. I could hear the chatter on the radio about clearing the course. They were talking about who they were going to pull from the course. The radio operator I was with got on and reported number 76 (my number) had just passed through and was on the way down the mountain. He looked at me and said “Get out of here. It’s all downhill.”
So I ran. I’m usually careful running downhill. This time I ran as fast as I could. I could have taken a bad step on a rock or in a hole but I decided I was leaving it all on the course. I sprinted every step of the 3 miles down that hill. I’m convinced I had a 5k PR on that hill. Finally I could see 2 runners ahead of me in the dark. It turned out to be Sean and Rush. I knew then I was going to finish in time.
It’s OK to laugh. Check out the swollen mouth
Crossing the finish line was sweet. Hellgate was as advertised, “Special.” I actually loved this race. The course is awesome and beautiful and the whole experience was great. It felt like the runners, crews and volunteers were all in it together. They generated a warmth that easily outshined the December cold and wind.
Conclusion
I chose a big goal for the year and I accomplished it but I couldn’t have done it without a lot of help. All of these races have a lot of volunteers and every one of them was awesome. My wife crewed for me at 3 of the races. Having her there made a huge difference. Thanks Patricia. I have great friends to run with and they made those endless training miles fun. Countless other people wished me good luck and there were many times on the trail I swore I could feel you pulling for me. Thanks.
