Epic 24 Hour Race 2013

The third annual Epic 24 Hour race was a huge success in Spartanburg, SC!  About 150 runners took part in the event which has experienced monumental growth each year.  This event is more of a End of the Year Running Party than a race for me personally, but I somehow managed to sneak in about 52 miles over the course of the race.

I started running the 3.1 mile loop as the race began at 9:00 AM and finished a 50K distance in 7:28.  After taking a brief break, I headed out for a few more loops before taking a long break around 9 PM for some burgers and drinks.  I ran some more throughout the night and enjoyed staying warm by the fire as it rained on/off.

It was great to run a relaxed pace with so many friends and not feel any pressure from cutoffs or other racing logistics.  The new Race Director Angela Merrill did a fantastic job along with all of the volunteers who helped out.  This was the perfect way to close out my 2013 ultra racing year with friends & family.

Pinhoti 100 Mile Ultra Race 2013

I've tried to begin writing this race report at least five times, then stopping after being overcome with emotions.  I don't know how to write it, but I want to make some attempt to record it.  This time, I'm forcing myself to just write while putting my emotions aside to the best of my ability.  I would rather not even post what I have, but I know looking back I will regret it.

I'm not going into a lot of detail about the course itself.  This is the 4th time I've ran the race and you can find that information over on the right side of the page from previous years.   The course is a beautifully diverse point to point run taking you over Bald Rock State Park which is the highest point in Alabama.

Several of my friends were running this as their first 100 miler.  Annie, Angela, Bo, and Katie in addition to a few others.  The five of us had done several training runs/races together and shared the common vision of a solid finish under the 30 hour race cutoff time.

You form a close bond with friends like this when you're working towards such a monumental goal race.  All of us had different struggles on various training runs through the six months leading up.  We just all hoped that race day would be the day that everything was "clicking".

Annie and I had decided to combine our crews and run it together as a team several months before the race.  She ended up with most of my regular crew friends and I had the experience of how to run the course.  It was a good decision to join up.  Her husband Bryan and Joe were there to provide support and run with us some.

I rode down with Joe on Friday and we all celebrated our pre-race dinner together at Mellow Mushroom in Heflin, AL.

I was excited to finally be back in Alabama and running Pinhoti again.  This race has that familiar "homecoming" feel to it with so many new & old friends taking part in it.  It was really special to have everyone together and helped me relax before heading to be around 9:00 PM.

I slept great through the night and woke up 10 minutes feeling excited before the alarm went off.  As I laid there watching the minutes tick down to 3:30 I wondered what would be going on 24 hours from now?  The comfort of the warm bed was such a contrast of what was to come, but I was more than ready to face it.

We were up at 3:30 and leaving the hotel at 4:30.  It was a 40 minute drive to the start where Bryan and Joe dropped us off to walk the half mile to the start line.

It was freezing as we walked down the gravel road to the campground.  As soon as we got there and signed in we headed for someones fire in one of the campsites.  It was small so I headed out into the dark woods to gather some more wood.  I just needed a distraction.  I never get to races early because I get antsy just watching everyone get wound tight.  Walking around in the dark did the trick.

Bright smiling faces minutes before the start!

Todd, the race director stood up three minutes before the race and murmured some words that no one could hear, then just like that we were off and running 100 miles at Pinhoti!

Well, we were actually walking because when over 230 runners try to get onto a single track trail it creates a monster traffic jam.  It was a little frustrating to get caught near the back of the line, but I knew that starting slow was smarter than fighting near the front of the pack.

Annie, Phil, and I made our way together sharing a beautiful Alabama sunrise and lots of laughs into the first aid station around six miles.  I've learned that you must adjust "on the fly" during a 100 mile race.  Things rarely go as planned and this had already happened after six miles.  Jason R. Tiana, and Tim informed us that our crew couldn't make it to the aid station.  So we handed them our warm gear and head lamps. 

As we headed off through the next section of trail I couldn't help but to be overwhelmed by how beautiful the trail was.  Off into the distance you could see views of a small town valley and towering mountains under a deep blue sky.  It was just the type of scene that you wanted to freeze and enjoy for a long time.  Unfortunately, the race clock was ticking so that was not possible, but it was a great reminder of why I love trail running so much.

I use a supplement super starch product called UCAN to help "steady" my mental & physical energy during ultras and one serving normally lasts about 3 hours.  It begin to wear off around mile 11 and so did my patience. 

Phil, Annie, and I were all three still running together and begin to come upon large groups of runners.  Sometimes the group would be as big as 15 with someone moving what seemed to be very slowly in the front.  It was very difficult to pass a few times and my patience final broke.

My watch was showing a very slow pace that was incorrect and thought that we were already way behind cutoff times for the race.  Everything blew up in my head and went darting past a large group of about 20 runners.  What was even worse is that it was only about 100 yards from the next aid station which made me really look like a jerk.

I came into the aid station upset and just wanting to get away from the crowds.  My blood sugar and/or pressure had to be all over the map and I instantly began feeling normal again after getting some food in me.  I apologized to Phil & Annie and we continued on down the trail heading to the next stop at mile 18.

The next 10 miles were enjoyable as we all shared stories and just enjoyed the terrain.  I was able to maintain my energy & attitude a lot better and felt so horrible for losing my cool earlier in the race.  I had to put that behind me because you don't want any negative thoughts monkeying around in your head during a 100.

The temperature began to get warm as it always does just before the mile 27 aid station.  I was really excited about this one because Bryan & Joe had us cheeseburgers waiting!  On the other hand, I felt really tired.  It was just the distance and I knew I would work through it.  I just hate having to do it.

My stomach was churning as we entered the aid station.  Bryan & Joe were so helpful always asking us what we wanted and if I didn't answer they would start suggesting different things.  I was able to scarf down about 1/2 of the burger and we were off again.  Heading down one of the longest & toughest mental stretches of the course.

Annie begin to suffer from some stomach issues through here and I actually begin to feel much better.  I knew going into the race that running as a team meant sharing the highs & lows.  We had both adjusted very well with these up to this point.  Annie didn't bother me when I had my breakdown and I tried my best to help her through the stomach issues.

Either way, I knew the real race would soon begin around mile 41 after we climbed up Mt. Cheaha towards Bald Rock State Park.

We made our way up to the top at mile 41 around 4:30 PM which was about 10 hours into the race.  We were still about 1.5 hours ahead of the cutoff and moving well, but not feeling well.  Annie kept complaining of her stomach hurting and I had literally told her everything I knew to do for it.

I felt so nappy, like a dirty salt stick and wanted to take a quick bath.  Joe gave me a hand with it and as always I ended up flashing him and the rest of the park.  As he was holding up a towel a wind gust came by and took all the privacy away.  All we could do was laugh at that point.  It was just better than crying.

It was great to hear that Joe would be running the next five mile section with us!  We were both a little weary from the first 41 miles and I was hoping that he could possibly help Annie out some.

Right after leaving Bald Rock Park the course takes you down a very steep and rocky section of trail called "Blue Hell".  We went off course through this section and ended up traversing a rock slide.  Luckily Joe was there to help us find our way back to the trail which consisted of a really steep climb up a ledge.

At this point Annie was really struggling and in pain.  I kept thinking that she would work through it by the next aid station.  Joe helped her by getting her to take some electrolyte tabs and we enjoyed this easier stretch of running onto the next aid station where Bryan would be waiting for us.

It was just starting to get dark and I knew what was in store for the rest of the night.  It was about to get interesting.  It always does when the sun goes down after running all day.

Bryan had us some hot chicken broth which really brought me back to life at mile 46.  Annie was having a tough time getting any calories to agree with her and we tried to just rest for a few minutes to see if that would help some.

After a few minutes we were headed out into the night with our headlamps trying to prepare mentally for a night on the trail.  We enjoyed a brilliant sunset over the river and ran upon several campers with huge campfires during this stretch.  It was a gratifying sound to smell campfire smoke and hear laughter as it got dark.

We heard Angela and Jason Rogers scream at us from about a half mile back at one of the turns and it was great to have them catch up.  The four of us enjoyed catching up on how the day had went as we were now around mile 50.

Annie was getting sicker through this section and I asked Angela to keep moving ahead with Jason even though she was trying to help her.  We tried to slow the pace on the climbs and it helped out some.

I had finally transitioned over to my "feel good" zone of running with normally happens after about 50 miles.  I knew that barring any big setbacks, we were going to finish this race.  It was just a matter of taking care of ourselves and putting one foot in front of the other.

I was really excited to be sharing this experience with Annie.  I knew how hard she had trained for over half a year and that she was ready to go head-to-head with the rest of the course.  It was going to be fun to see her finally shake off these stomach problems and start building some momentum into the 2nd half of the race.

Bryan & Joe were waiting for us at Mile 55 and I could sense that they were a lot more anxious this time.  Apparently we were now losing time to the cutoff clock.  Annie got very sick at this point and all I could do was sit there and pray for her.  I had exhausted every solution to try and help her and was now just wanting it to finally pass.

Joe was set to run the next 30 miles with us and I was so thankful to have him and Bryan helping us.  We headed off down the trail with what seemed to be less than an hour ahead of the cutoff time that would cause us to be pulled from the race.

This stretch consisted of all fire road and I had yet another mental breakdown.  A truck drove up behind Annie and Joe and came very close to hitting them.  It stopped then spun the tires before taking off.  I lost control and took off chasing the truck running as hard as I could.  I was hoping that the next aid station was just ahead so I could set whoever it was straight.  Luckily, it wasn't and I ended up running upon Angela again.

We made up 8 minutes on the cutoff clock through this section and were quickly through it and back on the trail.  All Annie could do at this point was eat a few ginger chews and try to maintain even a marginal level of stomach comfort.  I was really getting concerned since she had now been dealing with this for over four hours.

Joe did the absolute best he could with us both.  We slowed way down through this next stretch and couldn't really help it because so much of it was rocky & hidden under pine needles.  We were doing anything to take our mind off of it.  Rapping, singing, whatever, just make it end!

When we rolled into mile 65 I think we were about 20 minutes ahead of the cutoff time.  We had lost a lot of time stumbling around through the last section and at this point Annie was hanging on by a thread.  The temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees and we were all shivering.  Of course it took another five minutes to get our warm clothes on and we got back on the trail as quickly as possible.

Annie began asking me to go ahead and leave her through this section.  She didn't want me to get caught by the cutoff and have to drop.  I understood what she was saying and asking, but we had committed to run this together.  Joe tried to keep us both moving and to not worry about it until the next aid station.

I knew how sick & tired she was at this point.  She had just ran 20 difficult miles after doing 45 other ones with basically no calories in her system.  She insisted one more time that I go ahead and leave her and Joe.  I told her no, that I wanted her to dig as deep as she could and get to the next aid station.  This section had a very long & steep climb that seemed to go on forever. 

Annie got quiet and just started running.  It was the strongest effort that I've ever seen a runner in that condition put in.  Any time that the trail turned I could see her face wincing in pain, but she never complained.  Whenever the trail would flatten out she put in her best pace, running on empty just trying to stay in the race.  To me, it's what ultra running is all about.  Laying it all on the line until you have no more to give.

As we ran into the mile 69 aid station she looked as if she was ready to collapse.  I could tell that the fight was still alive in her mind, but the body was finished.  Shaking & trembling.  Her fight was over for this race.  I told her and Bryan that I couldn't make this decision and as they talked I finally confessed that with us being 10 minutes ahead of the cutoff and the toughest stretch of trail ahead it was over.  They both agreed.

The life went out of me at his second.  I wanted to cry, but nothing would happen.  Within seconds all of the training and talk of this race rushed through my head.  Was this really happening?  This can't be.  I knew how much Annie & Bryan had both put into this weekend to make it happen and it was too much to grasp.  I thought I should just drop.  It would be easier on everyone.  Annie was clearly violently ill and I had no right to be out there.

The confusion and emotions made me nearly get sick.

I may always feel selfish for the decision I made to continue, but I did.  I ran 32 miles with rage.  As hard as I could maintain and at points sending me into spells of delirium.

Joe threw half of a burger in my lap before we left the mile 68 aid station and told me to eat it.  I did and like a dog he threw me the other half and I ate it too.

As we crossed the highway leading into the toughest 5 miles stretch of the course I told Joe that the sweeps would never catch us.  I told him to get in front of me and drag me.  I didn't care what hurt.  This was personal now and it was getting done.  The race now had my heart stamped on it because it had robbed so much from Annie & Bryan.

We must have passed 10 runners on the way up the Pinnacle climb.  I was pulling off my warm clothes and pouring sweat in 30 degree weather and 20 MPH winds.  We made up 10 minutes on the climb up Pinnacle and I wanted more.

The blisters and my heels and Achilles had become highly aggravated from all of the water crossings and burned with pain.  I could feel them burst open in my shoe and it would burn like fire.  I visualized a box in my mind where I would toss any problem that came up.  The box didn't have a bottom and once the problem was in there it couldn't come back up.

As we crested the Pinnacle and went back onto some very rocky single track I kicked a rock so hard I was certain my foot was broke.  It went into the box and didn't matter anymore.

At mile 78 Joe and I both went completely out of our minds.  We had kicked so many rocks and fallen around that we didn't even know where we were.  I think at one point we circled a set of the same trees three times screaming into the dark Alabama night. 

I knew that Joe was in pain.  I had noticed a wrap on his right foot and it was making him run differently.  He laid it all on the line for me.  Another reason to keep moving and not let him down either.

We finally got away from the nasty rocks and had some decent fire road to run on, still only 10-15 minutes ahead of the cutoff.  Now to compound the situation, both of our headlamps were just about to burn out.  Fortunately, the sun came up just as they begin to go dark.

We went as hard as possible down to the mile 85 aid station.  I just knew that we were going to miss the cutoff and my race would be over there.  We pushed and pushed. 

Finally we came out at the aid station with about 10 minutes to spare.  I saw Bryan and my eyes tried to fill up with tears, but I couldn't now.  I had to get out of this aid station back on the trail.  He handed me the best bacon, egg, and cheese muffin I've ever had and I took off. 

I had thought so many times how much fun it would be when Annie go to this section.  It's mainly all fire roads in and you can really start sensing the end of the race.  The thought of it brought me to to ground.  I began crying uncontrollably with me head between my knees.  I'm not sure how long I was there, but another runner pulled me up by the shirt and told me to cry later, we were about to get caught by the sweepers. 

Whoever you were, thank you.

I stood up and ran as hard as I could go.  I ran up hills and down them, nearly to the point of exhaustion.  I was stumbling forward when someone said "hey" and it was Katie and her pacer.  This couldn't have came at a better time and I was able to gain some composure by spending a few miles with them.

I ran ahead into the final aid station at mile 95 with a head full of confusion.  I saw faces and people talking to me, but it was all a haze.  I shoved about 4 brownies down, gave Bryan my water bottles and headed about for the final 4.75 miles. 

I had a tremendous peace come over me during this stretch.  As I was running I felt as if the ground was moving underneath me.  It felt effortless and I've never enjoyed a Sunday morning run as much as this one.  The dew was dripping from the grass and I could hear every breath go in and out of my lungs.  I connected with God in a very real way and just ran with a grateful heart.

The final 1-2 mile stretch is on paved road through a neighborhood area.  I cried nearly all the way down the road because Annie was missing this.  I had fought my fights here before.  I lost some and won some.  It hurt to not be able to share this part of the trail with her, but at the same time I was thankful for such good friends.

Finally, I made the turn into the Sylacauga High School Football stadium and my friend Jon Allen who had finished the race in 4th place was waiting and offered to pace me into the finish.  I was so incredibly humbled by this and it really made my day.  Of course, I continued my tradition of hitting the football tackling dummy on the way into the track.

This finish was much different than the other two.  I took the outside lane of the track and shuffled slowly.  No screaming, or carrying on.  It was a bitter sweet finish that I'm still dealing with in my head.  I crossed the line and I was so happy that the Race Director had ran out of finisher awards, Belt Buckles.  I would much rather get one in the mail and just have it that way.

Of course thanks to Todd Henderson (Race Director) and everyone who volunteered and helped me.  Especially Bryan and Joe who were just perfect the entire race.

And a big shout out to Bo, Katie, and Jason G. who finished their 1st hundos! 

Whitewater Center 50K Race Report

This was a first annual ultra race taking place at the US National White Water Center in Charlotte, NC.  The race featured two distances of 50M or 50K which were both ran on a looped course format.

I choose the 50K option since Pinhoti 100 is only about 13 days away.  It was a wise decision because the course seemed to run much tougher than everyone originally expected.

Packet pickup on Friday night was easy & quick at the center.  It was great as always to hang out with friends and make some new ones.  I was able to catch the last 10 minutes of a panel discussion featuring a very talented ultra runner Karl Meltzer and a few others.

Great hotels are only about five minutes from the location which made it easy to get a good nights sleep.

Everyone arrived a little early to the race on Saturday morning.  Even me, which is very unusual.  It was actually nice to be able to relax with friends for a few minutes before the start.

The 50K course featured three 10.3 mile loops with approximately 1,000 foot of climbing on each loop.  A very tame course and possibly a Personal Record type event with perfect temperatures hanging in the upper 50's to 60ish.

A slight drizzle began to fall just minutes before the race as about 50 runners heard our final instructions together in the Whitewater Arena area.  The facilities here are phenomenal and professional grade.  Heated lockers rooms with full showers, high end gear shop, and attention to every athlete's needs.  It was a strange, but exciting "feel" for an ultra.  One that I have yet to be a part of.

 I've never seen runners take off at the pace that was taken when it started.  It was a dark start at 6:00 AM and I'm guessing well over 75% of the field must have averaged an 8-9 minute mile as we began.  I watched the headlamps make the turn across the river and so many went quickly out of sight.

Me, Katie and Angela settled into a nice steady pace and enjoyed some laughs as we zigged zagged our way through the first miles of the course.  We hit the first aid station around mile 4.25 and soon after that the sun began to come up. 

 



We took down the first 10.75 mile loop in about 2:15.  As the sun came up and I got a feel for the trail I knew this was going to be a solid day of running.  The UCAN I've been taking in addition to a steady drip of sugar has really helped me keep a steady flow of energy.

It was great to have Katie's husband Jeff looking out for us and he grabbed all of our headlamps after the 1st loop.  The three of us got restocked at the great aid station and headed back out for loop 2.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course because even I could run so much of it.  There were no big climbs and the terrain was diverse enough to keep things interesting.  A few roots & rocks, but nothing that could really hold you back.  I think what ended up making the race tougher for most people than expected was all of the twists & turns.  This really takes a toll on your lower body after lots of miles.

Angela began to experience some back problems around mile 15 on loop two and she insisted that Katie & I carry on ahead of her.  We were both hesitant to go, but realize when Angela says something she means it.

We were all running so well and I wanted to try and hang with Katie.  She is one of the most consistent runners I've ever paced with.  Uphills, downhills, flats - all the same pace.  I'm normally all over the board with my pace, but today I felt like I could hold on for the 2nd half of the race.

We finished out miles 16-21.50 and did the 2nd loop in about 2:40 which was around 5:00 hours into the race.  Jeff was there to help us out again and we fueled up, then hit the trail again for our final loop.

We continued the steady 11-12 min mile pace heading into miles 22-32.  My butt & hip muscles began to really starting fatiguing around mile 26.  I knew it had to be all of the twist & turns.  All of the aid stations were so clean and the volunteers were super nice.  This really helped keep me going at the later points in the race.

At one point we both thought we had went off course because we didn't recognize the course.  It was marked properly, but after looking back at my GPS we never went off course.  I think we were both going a little looney at this point.

I mentioned to Katie that we could possibly finish under 7 hours, but we both agreed that it really didn't matter since we had a 100 mile race in only two weeks.  Then again, I think it did matter and we both really just wanted to be finished!  We took turns taking the front and pushed the pace down to around 10:30 min/miles in some stretches.  My freaking legs were screaming with the burn, but it felt kind of good too.

We finally made the last turn which led us to a half mile finish along the Whitewater River Rafing course.  I saw my friend Drew up ahead and told Katie that we had to push all the chips in and go for him.  Wisely, she didn't buy into my nonsense, but I began pushing wide open during the final quarter mile towards the finish line. 

Drew caught a glimpse of me coming at the final turn so at that point we were both committed to a full out sprint.  My closing kick must look like a Rhino on Meth, but I gave it my best.  He crossed 1 second before me and I collapsed to the ground and nearly got sick in front of everyone. 

It was a fitting finish for the day.  I feel very well trained & mentally ready for Pinhoti 100.

This was an outstanding race and very professionally put on by the RDs and volunteers.  I highly recommend it!

Also a special shout out to Kat, who finished 1st female and took home several great prizes including a NEW Suunto GPS Watch!  Also to Jeff who let me wipe me glasses on his clean shirt and fed me beer at the finish.

Here is my full GPS race if you're interested in looking over the details.

http://www.movescount.com/moves/move20132168

Georgia Jewel 100 Mile Race

After signing up for the 100 mile race here last year and then dropping down to the 50 due to burnout, I had been thinking of going back and running this race for the whole year.  The course is located in Dalton, GA and features some of the most beautiful & rocky single track trail in the area.

Going in the course measured a little long at 103.9 miles with just over 16,000 feet of climbing involved.  I was very anxious to see first hand how this course would measure up with another 100, The Pinhoti 100, which takes place farther south on the same beautiful Pinhoti Trail system.

We started the weekend off enjoying a poolside dinner and lots of laughs.

My crew/pacer scenario consisted of Annie, Bryan, and Nick.  Nick was to run miles 52 to 64, then Annie would pace me the rest of the way in.  Bryan would stay busy cooking and coordinating logistics.

Joe & Phyllis were running the 35 miler.  Katie, Angela, and Rachel the 50 Miler.  We were literally going to be scattered all over

Bryan probably wondering what exactly he has gotten himself into here.

I tried something new the night before the race (never recommended) and took two Advil PMs.  This gamble paid dividends because I slept excellent and woke up feeling fresh around 3:00 AM.

The 100 & 35 mile runners would begin at the Start/Finish line at 5:00 AM.  The 50 mile runners would begin on the other side of the course and run back to the finish at 7:00 AM.  Nick loaded me up in the Jeep and we made the short 1 mile drive up to the Dalton Convention Center where the Start/Finish was located.

Just after I checked in it begin to pour down rain.  This was far from the ideal way to start a 100 mile journey, but I've learned that you have to be willing to adapt to whatever the trail throws at you.  Unfortunately, this was going to be the case from mile 1 today.

I had doubts of finishing this race as I sat with Nick just minutes before the race.  I had only been averaging about 47 miles per week and I knew this was a monstrous course.  I wondered why I keep coming out and doing it.  Deep inside I knew why this time.

The Start Line at 5:00 AM.

I was excited to be running with Joe (who was doing the 35 miler) for 17.5 miles and my buddy Phil who was doing the 100 miler.  Phil and I have shared some similar race(s) and experiences and we felt it was wise to try and stick together as much as possible.  This turned out to be an excellent decision and as always I gained encouragement from him. 

The race director yelled "GO!" at 5 AM sharp and Phil & I both just stood there.  We purposely placed ourselves in the back of the pack and walked out of the Start line.  It was kind of funny to have Joe starting with us at this pace.  He's such a speedy runner, but today he wanted to hang out and see what the beginning of a 100 mile pace would feel like.

My heart was filled with joy, excitement and anticipation as I made my way up the steep paved road which begins the race.   I spent some of this first mile wondering how I would be feeling about 30-36 hours from now when I was heading back down it towards the finish.  Those thoughts were too overwhelming to handle so I dove into some conversation with other runners around me.

Phil, Joel, Brad, and Dan really put me at ease as we joked nearly all the way to the first 5 mile aid station.  I've ran so many races with these guys & they really helped me to settle in and relax.

The first 10 miles or so of trail is known as "The Rock Garden".  It lives up to its name in every way, but today was even more special with flash flooding.

The first 10 hours of the race presented us with repeated scenes like this.  There was no reason to try and fight it, you were going to be soaked to the bone.

As we chatted down the trail Phyllis came breezing by us on a uphill section making it look way too easy.  She ended up winning 1st place female in the 35 mile race.  Well done!

My crew would first meet up with me at Snake Creek Gap which is 17.5 miles into the race and also the turn around point for the 35 miler racers.  It was very reassuring to see them here and I devoured down about 6 pieces of bacon.  My Hoka shoes which had over 1,400 miles on them blew out I was feeling great despite the rain and quickly got back onto the trail.

Phil & I at Snake Creek Gap Aid station mile 17.5.

Phil and I had plans to stick with each other and he quickly caught up to me after about a mile out of this section.  This was the only mile I spent alone on the trail the entire day.  Fairly amazing for a 100 mile race.

Phil & I shared some great conversation up the fairly tough climb to to the mile 25 John's Mountain aid station.  The rain & wind really began to pick up through here.  As we climbed up the steep jagged steps I would rub my body into the pine trees on the side of the trail that were filled with ice cold water.  It felt so good as the cold water cooled me.

Heading into mile 25 Aid Station



I was starving as I came into this aid station and I could smell bacon!  I had been using my UCAN supplement which helps your body use fat stores for fuel and I'm very impressed with how well it worked.  My blood sugar & pressure remained stable and I didn't suffer the normal big ups or downs through this point of the race.  I used a documented idea of sucking on hard candy while using it and it really worked like a charm.

I have no idea how my Bryan & Nick were able to grill out in "sideways" blowing monsoon storms, but they did!  I felt eternally grateful to be out in the middle of nowhere and have them hand me a huge juicy bacon cheeseburger that was even warm.  I felt like the best cared for runner on the course and this really helped keep my spirits high.  And I stayed really full too.

I had absolutely no issues either physically or mentally in the first 35 miles of the race and much of this is due to my stellar crew!

 It was another great mental lift to run upon Angela & Katie through this section.  They looked very fresh & relaxed as they were making their way through the rain on the 50 mile course.

It seemed that Phil and I knew about every other runner who was running the 50 miler which was a lot of fun as we spoke to everyone.

Phil and I both knew that eventually things were going to go sideways.  They did around mile 35.  As we approached the Manning Road aid station Phil made a comment about how high the river was.  Then we both agreed that this was probably the river that we would have to cross soon.  I figured the crossing would have some high rocks or something, but I was wrong.

Let the "sideways" begin.

Here is what the river looked like when we ran into the aid station:

My crew, Jason Green, and some others warned us that this crossing was being closed because a few runners had gotten swept off their feet during the traverse.  Fortunately Bryan & Nick were paying attention and they were able to help get them out of the river.



Suddenly the race became too much for me to grapple with.  My mind was already entering the Ultra "Twilight" Zone and I didn't understand how the crossing could just be closed?  I had studied and nearly memorized the entire course and this threw my entire plan off.

I begin to panic inside and pouring sweat.  I tried my best to hold it together on the outside, but I was all over the emotional map inside my head.  My crew handed me some more hot food and a Coke.  They assured me that everything would be OK.

This probably doesn't look like a man who is worried about much, right?

Suddenly the race begin to takes it's toll.  Our crew and a few other folks told Phil & I to run to the end of the road and take a right at the red Tahoe SUV.  We both begin to question the race and what was happening.  It must have been some conversation to hear.  We ran up on Dan Burnstien and he didn't even seem to care.  He had his music going just running down some country road.  At this point we had no idea where we were.  I was getting extremely worked up inside my head.
 

I owe a lot to Phil at this point in the race.  He reminded me that neither of us could afford to waste emotional energy on this "situation".  The race was still running and our job was to just keep running until someone told us to stop.  Those words were perfect and I took them to heart.

 

 

We both must have regained confidence because we were constantly having to slow our pace as it was occasionally going as low at 8:30 min/mile.  Not what we need to be running at mile 40 during a 100!

 

 

This detoured stretch of road seemed to just go on and on until we finally made it into the next aid station.  I think that our crew may have been the ones responsible for the re-route of the course, but don't hold me too that.  I couldn't get too upset at the situation after that because I knew they had my best interest at heart.

 

 

Annie putting up a new course marking sign.

The Narrows aid station was pivotal for me both times I ran through it during the race.  It was the 1st time that I felt that I would surely finish the race and then reassured on the return trip back through.

I've never really been big on "Devoting" a run to anyone, but for some reason my daddy was stuck in the front of my mind the entire week leading up to this challenge.  Specifically how he dealt with me when I was in 7th grade and trying out for the Jr. High football team.  It was incredibly hard on me being a chubby kid who had not had to deal with a lot of rough times early in life so after the 4th practice I went up to the coach and told him that I wanted to quit the team.

 

When my daddy got word of this he disciplined me and told me that I wasn't a quitter and that I would never be able to do anything in life if I lived in fear.  He sent me back to the coach, who I had to beg for another chance to get back on the team.  I had to run extra sprints after practice the entire season because I had quit, but looking back they were one of the best things in my life.  They taught me to love running and not to quit.

 

I would have went back to the coach even if my daddy had not said anything too me because I could tell from the look on his face that I let him down.  That look stays with me to this day.

 

After thinking about this and battling in my mind Phil reminded me at the perfect time that there were only two scenarios left for us during this adventure.

1.  We finish and get the buckle.
2.  We get hurt so bad that our crew drives us to the hospital.

 

I really believed that I was past this low point in the race as I left the aid station heading towards the halfway point turn around.  I was extremely wrong.

 

This next section featured a climb from the aid station that nearly brought me too my knees.  The humidity must have reached 100% through this section and even though it wasn't hot, the air was very uncomfortable.  We ran & ran on a gravel fire road that seemed to go on forever.  Many of the 100 mile runners began to pass us through here with big smiles on their faces.  How could they be smiling?  I'm so far behind them and I will never finish this race.  With every runner that passed me, my morale would sink lower and lower.

 

I was convinced that my race was over at the the turnaround point.  When my crew and the aid station see what bad shape I'm in they will pull me from the course. 

 

Then just before the aid station it got even worse.

Every ultra marathon seems to have it's overly hyped "gimmick" that everyone talks about as being so bad.  One of those for The Jewel is the Power line section.  If you look closely in the picture you can see the tiny runner climbing the massive hill.  There were maybe 3-4 of these and they brought me to my knees.

 

Phil and Willy had been running with me through here, but I couldn't maintain their pace.  I feel way behind and debated just lying down and quitting.  If I just "look" bad enough they will make me quit and it won't be my decision.  I kept thinking that as I creeped up the climbs with seat pouring all over my chaffed body.  The salt burned like fire as it hit my exposed raw skin.

 

I'm not sure how I made it through this section other than with the strength from God because it was clearly not mine.  As a matter of fact, I don't even remember climbing the final hill and running the next quarter mile into the aid station.

 

I was delirious in every way that was possible.

 

At this point I just threw myself into the mercy of my crew.  I had no idea what I needed for where I was.  I wanted to quit here worse than any other time in my life.

 

I couldn't.  I couldn't let my crew down, my family, all of these race volunteers, and most of all my daddy who I was now clearly running this thing for.

 

I don't remember much about this aid station but I knew for certain that Nick was going to be pacing me for the next 12 miles.  My inner thighs were bleeding from severe chaffing after 14+ hours of rain & sweat and I had to have relief.  I remembered packing a pair of Under Armor shorts in my bag that I never wear at the last minute and I asked Bryan for them.

 

Nick held up a blanket while I changed at the aid station and I remembered him asking me what I was going to wear over them.  It turns out they were really underwear, but at least it was getting dark at the time.

 

I don't remember eating or doing anything else here, but my crew hurried me back out onto the trail with Nick.  If it weren't for him going back I'm not sure that I would have made it.  He took control of the pace & attitude of the run.  We know how to run with each other when times get tough and I settled in behind him.  Mindlessly following him into a rich orange golden Georgia sunset.

 

I moaned a lot going back through the power lines, but they weren't nearly as bad going in the opposite direction.  Then a thought hit me, "I'm heading home...".  My friend Weezy and I had talked about how good we would feel at the turnaround in this race because that would mean every step was getting us back closer to the finish line.  These thoughts in addition to 500 calories worth of sports drink put some fire in my pace as Nick begin to shuffle.  Then we actually begin to run again.

 

It was very difficult to contain my emotions through here with all the thoughts on my Daddy and the last section, but I kept reminding myself to store them away for much later when I really needed them again.

 

Me, Nick, Joel, and Dan worked our way through a lot of this section together at a steady pace and it seemed to fly by.   The next thing I know we are at mile 69ish back at the Narrows aid station where I knew I would finish before the first time through.

 

Once again, Bryan had me delicious bacon, burgers, and sausage cooked and this immediately lifted my spirits.  Annie was taking over pacing duties for the rest of the race and I was ready to face the detour section of hard top road again.

 

All of the unexpected hardtop road running was destroying my shins.  I used Marshall Ulrich's mental technique of pretending that the hurting areas of my body didn't really exists.  They aren't mine and I don't feel them.  It worked for me so I rolled with it. 

 

Miles began to click by as Annie & I shared stories from the day.  It was fun to hear about how everything went for the crew and she enjoyed hearing what happened on the trail.

 

The next 20 miles would be filled with all sorts of animal encounters.  Annie & my crew made certain that I was eating & drinking through the night.  By mile 75 I had passed the point of no return.  My mental capacity for reality was letting go more & more every hour and the trail was becoming my home.

 

I felt like one of the many animals that we would hear out on the trail as we ran into aid stations.  I belonged on the trail, not with the loud noise of the aid stations and bright lights.

 

I'm still blown away that Bryan even had hot cooked food for us on top of John's mountain around mile 81 and even at the next aid station around mile 96!

 

1 AM quickly turned into 3 AM and we had a very disturbing encounter with some type of wild animal that was just off the trail.  As we approached it started making some type of hideous screaming noise.  Annie picked up what looked to be lick a 1 inch diameter pine stick and I grabbed two rocks and started banging them together.  It seemed to heed the warming and leave us alone, but left us both a little nervous for several miles afterward.

 

No one had really told me exactly how many extra miles were being added to the race by the detour, but I began to realize that it was going to be much more than just a few as we got closer & closer to the finish.

 

Bryan finally said his final crew farewell to us at Snake Creek Gap which was 17.5 miles from the finish line.   My watch read about 96 miles here.

 

Annie & I both were anxiously awaiting the sunrise because I knew that we would both get a lift from taking our headlamps off and seeing everything again.  Sure enough, the sun began to creep over the ridges just as we entered the final section of single track known as the "Rock Garden".

 

I was on complete auto pilot through this section.  I began to have wild hallucinations.  At one point I saw a wooden house up ahead that was incredibly beautiful, then as I approached it was only a downed tree rotted on the ground.  I saw gingerbread men, other houses, and bulldozers.  None of them were real, thankfully.

 

Some of the sweetest & most gentle souls greeted us at the final manned aid station around mile 103.  There were 2-3 young ladies (I think) who we had lots of laughs with (I think).  I could even hear some man snoring really loudly in the tent (I think).  It was just the perfect way to send us on our final 10 mile stretch.

 

I asked Annie to just pull me along at this point the best she could.  I wanted to run as much as possible so it would be over sooner.  At the 29:00 hour mark into the race we were both fairly delirious.   I have no idea what kind of pace we were maintaining, but every step was closer to that finish line.

 

I would occasionally think of my daddy and how proud he would be to see me finish this.  The emotions were way too much to deal with and I would put them to the side.

 

We finally exited the single track trail and found our way to the final 2 mile stretch of gravel road and highway.  We both struggled down the steep/rocky gravel road that I had easily marched up nearly 29 hours earlier.  Time & spaced seemed surreal. 

 

Annie pulled herself together as we got on the busy highway stretch that led to the finish line.  She sternly told me to stay behind her and to not get into the road.  I must have been all over the road because she kept telling me to get back behind her.

 

I went totally off the reservation at about mile 112 going down the road.  We saw two guys about 100 yards ahead of us doing something weird.  They had their backs against each other going down the road.  I thought they were just teasing us so I started sprinting towards them yelling at them to stop!  As I got closer it seems like the runners quads were shot out and his pacer was trying to ease him down the road.  I felt really bad for yelling at him and if you ever read this I'm truly sorry.

 

We seemed to be in an all out sprint at we saw the finish line down in the valley below with about a quarter mile to go.  Tears filled me eyes as I tried my best to keep Annie's pace down the road.

 

At last we made the final turn into the Dalton Convention Center and there it was, the FINISH LINE and so many of my friends and crew who had helped me accomplish this monumental goal!  The clock read about 30:10 for 113.5 miles.

Immediately after getting the buckle I took a celebratory shot of top shelf tequila from my crew!

 



I simply cannot express my gratitude to the Race Director, Forest Service, Volunteers, and my crew & friends who helped me achieve this hundo!  To me it will always symbolize the strength of God & the human spirit.  We can always go further than we ever thought possible.
 

And I do devote this buckle to my daddy who went to heaven many years ago, but leaves his legacy behind with so many down here.  I normally wear my buckles around to ultras because I'm proud to have earned them, but this is one that I will never wear.  I didn't quit and it's just for him.
 

 

 

 

View GPS Data From Race:

 



Yeti Snakebite 50K - The house of Mirrors

This race took place at Sweetwater State Park near Six Flags / Atlanta GA.  Jason Green was the RD of this 1st annual event and it was too inviting to pass up in my training for the GA Jewel 100 later this month.

I really appreciated the Musgroves hosting us at their house and cooking a perfect pre-race dinner the night before.  The after dinner shenanigans weren't too shabby either.  Synchronized dancing and chainsaws.  Good times.

Here is a brief description of the race from the event's website:

"50 mile and 50KM races designed to help runners achieve a new distance and allow veteran runners to run a speedy time or tune up for upcoming fall events. Both races utilize a variety of relatively easy trails, including weaving single-track and broad open fields, as well as narrow trails along the Chattahoochee River. With moderate hills and trails, the course is designed for fast times and for those looking to try their first trail ultra."

I originally signed up for the 50K thinking that a 50 miler this close to my 100 was a little too much, but was swayed into the 50 miler since everyone else in our group was running it.  More miles, more fun, more trail time...it all made sense on Saturday night before the race.

As it always seems to be, I found myself pinning my bib number on 30 seconds before the race began on Sunday morning and I actually broke a sweat by just doing that.  This was the thickest air of the summer.

We've had a terrific cool & rainy summer in South Carolina with unusual low humidity.   This was one of the few days I can remember it actually feeling like summertime in the south.

It looked like about 200 runners lined up and started the race as the RD gave us some final instructions and sent us on our journey.

Me, Joe, Bo, Tiana, Katie, Annie, and Rachel were all running in a pack.  The hills were fairly small in the beginning, but we ran most of them for the first 4-5 miles.  I noticed that I was losing a TON of sweat and felt like the pace was dangerous, but I really wanted to run with everyone else.  I kept pace, but it was uncomfortable on the running climbs.

It was lots of fun to chat with Rachel some and even Tom who I had the pleasure of running my 1st ultra with five years ago.

My first mistake/surprise came at the aid station.  There was only water and no food or salt.  Luckily I had brought along about six S-Caps and I took my first two.  I've seen this often in ultras and I should have been prepared with some nutrition.

I began a high fat / low carb lifestyle of nutrition three weeks ago and I was testing it out during this run using a supplement product which helps your body burn fat for fuel instead of mainly carbs.  One benefit of this method is that you don't have to eat as much since your body is supplying the fuel.  I just didn't have a clue how adapted my body was to this yet or how much I needed to eat.

In hindsight, with the weather being brutally hot, I should have just loaded up with carbs and ran like I always have, but that makes way too much sense.  This was not the day for a learning laboratory.  No, instead lets play "Electrolyte Yahtzee" and see how long it takes me to fade away into oblivion.

It didn't take long.  By mile ten I began to get really dizzy.  I had just went through the 9.5 mile aid station with the entire group of friends.  I ate a salted potato, a little watermelon, and just got some water.  I complained about them not having ice, but they actually did.  I was just having a hard time focusing because my head was already screwed up from the heat.  I was sweating so hard my visor looked like rain was pouring off the rim.

The next stretch of trail is beautiful and takes you alongside the river.  I really began to fall apart through here and get ill.  I took my supplement at the 3 hour mark, but it did nothing for me.  I believe that is because my electrolytes & nutrition was nearly depleted. 

After vomiting twice and dry heaving I sent everyone else on their way and stayed behind.  This really put me in a dark spot because I was not faced with the task of trudging 20 more miles along to finish the 50K.  My hopes of making the 50 mile cutoff were gone.

I sadly watched my friends scurry ahead up the trail and I started looking for water to get into.  If nothing else, I've learned during an ultra, when everything goes to crap just stop and start over.  Pushing only compounds problems and can land you in the hospital if you're not careful.

After another half mile of a druken stagger I plopped down into a refreshing creek that was about 1 foot deep, but very cold.   After wallowing in this wonderfully cold slop for five minutes and cooling down my first task was to check my vitals.  I counted about 3-4 heat beats even 10 seconds and that is very low for me.  I believe that the heat and lack of nutrition had somehow caused my blood pressure to plummet.

As I laid in the creek playing doctor several runners passed by asking if I was OK.  I actually laughed a few times and thought, "how can anything about this be OK?!"  Some of them looked as bad as me, but none of them joined in the festivities.

After 15 minutes I pulled myself out of the creek and managed to at least walk normally for a mile or two.  At this point the trail opened up into full exposed sun I began to feel delirious.  Any hill climbing would cause me to nearly faint & black out.  I found myself holding onto trees at times to keep from going down.

I thought the next aid station was at mile 15.5 which would be the turn around point for the 50K runners, but it actually ended up being closer to 18 miles.  These next three miles were a big blurr.  I remember seeing Tiana coming back down the trail from the turn around and just managing to mumble to her.  I laid down by a small stream and drank from it like a dog.  At this point the pride was gone, it was all about getting to the aid station and dropping from the race.

It seemed like nearly every runner would come by me saying, "they have ice pops at the next aid station."  I just wanted a truck at the next aid station to take me home!

The trail finally took me out into a residential neighborhood and I was certain that I was off course.  I still saw course markers, but that meant nothing to me at the time.  I figured some neighborhood kids probably just put them up as a joke.  Who cares?  I thought if I could find a swimming pool in here I was getting in.  Man, I'm glad I didn't find that pool.  That would have probably ended in cuffs.

I followed a hard top road and then a gravel road forever.  The sun & humidity were just hideous through this section.  There was no where to hide from it beating down on my head.  Jason Green was called all sorts of interesting names through this section.

I finally made it to the turn around at about mile 18.  I had never felt this horrible during a 20 mile run.  I didn't drop right off the bat, but went to the aid station and got some ice cold Coke and ice.  I followed that down with some salty chips and oranges.  I laid in the shade for about 30-45 minutes and began to feel a little better.

I felt like I was in a house of mirrors at this point.  All alone and looking back at past races where I had hit low points.  Every direction I looked in my mind showed different ways I had figured out how to finish.  Many of them were brutal and I have permanent scars, but they are the ones that I will forever cherish.  I remembered how it felt to just quit and give up at a race,  Sitting alone at the finish line watching runner after runner finish so excited to finish their race while I was nothing but a quitter.

I'm not sure that it's ever worth giving up hours of agony for a few hours of comfort knowing that you will give up the personal glory of finishing a race.

I had left my family for a portion of labor day weekend to come down and run this race and at that point it hit me that I would find a way to finish it.  I don't quit anymore.  I may miss cutoff times or get injured where it's impossible to run, but there was no way that I was taking that bib number off until one those two things happened.

I will always respect fast runners who race and drop because they don't want to ruin themselves for another event, but that's just not who I am.  The beauty is in the suffering.

I stood to my feet and looked at my watch.  I had about 8 hours to make it around 14 miles back to the finish.  My plan of attack was to slowly walk all of the exposed sunny areas (like I had another choice!)  and get into every source of water that I could find to stay cool.

I felt just as bad & hot on the first four miles of the return trip.  I stood amazed as a runner would occasionally come flying by me.  The contrast of feeling great & feeling doom was overwhelming.  I had to put my mind  somewhere other than here so I started forming shapes with things in the forest.    This would only last for a few minutes and I would just daze off into some ultra funk where there are no more thoughts. 

I've learned to be comfortable at this point even though my body & mind may not be.  I've learned that this is normally rock bottom and things will get better if you take care of your body and keep moving.  Even if it's only 1 mile per hour.  Just keep moving.

As I reached mile 20 I was completely spent.  I laid down on the side of the trail and began to hear thunder in the distance.  It was so peaceful here.  A cool wind was beginning to blow and the leaves above almost seemed to be cheering me on as they clapped through the summer heat.

Then it began to rain.  Then it all got better.

God unleashed buckets of rain and the temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees.  The wind began to blow and humidity seemed to vanish.  I took another dose of my supplemental mix with some protein and within 30 minutes I was actually running!  I put together a 4 mile stretch of nearly all running as I approached the final main aid station.

To my surprise I ran upon a guy who had completely cramped up and was surrounded by others on the trail.  He was wrapped in a space blanked to help keep him warm and emergency personnel were already arriving on the scene.  I spent about 30 minutes waiting to see if I could help get him out, but they sent me away.  I realized how fortunate I was and that my day could have really been much worse.

I ran into the final aid station with food and had a very strange, but awesome food combo.  I ate a chunk of watermelon, then dipped the rhine in peanut butter, then salt.  These calories kicked in and I had the best stretch of running for the entire day.

It was so cool to finish the course along the lake and hear everyone partying at the finish line.  It caused me to push harder  so it would be over.  I finally hit the pavement for the final quarter mile into the finish as was greeted by a nice round of applause as I crossed the finish line in about 9:30.  Most runners would never be proud of a 9:30 50K time, but I was grinning like a cat the whole time.

This was a special race for me and just what I needed before heading into these fall hundos.  I have a solid plan of nutrition that was learned the hard way.  HUGE thanks to Jason and his army of volunteers who stood in blazing heat and thunderstorms for us to go for our goals.

I still can't fathom how Annie, Katie, Joe, Bo, Rachel, and some others pushed themselves past the 50K turn around to go after the 50 miler.  I heard only about 40 runners out of well over a hundred did that which was incredible.

Possibly the most exciting & touching moment of the weekend was seeing Bo & Rachel finish the 50 miler together.  This was Rachel's 1st 50 mile finish and I'll never forget the look on her face.

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.

2013 Laurel Valley Ultra Marathon Race

This was my 5th Laurel Valley race finish and I think my 14th time actually running the entire course.  I'm surprised that I've made it through that course so many times and am still alive.  I say that jokingly, but not really.  There is so much that can go wrong and you are literally in the middle of no where for so much of the race.

You can read about the course details on some of my other race reports and I'm just going to hit the highlights in this one.

The course runs fairly evenly through NC & SC  during the race.  The NC part of the race is the cruelest part of the course.

My theme for this race was to "finish with dignity."  So many times I've found myself crawling (literally) up the last 1,000 foot climb gasping for breath and my next step.  This was often from over doing it during the first half of the race and trying to post a better finishing time.

I began the run with Annie & Bo who are both also training for 100 milers in the fall.  Since the three of us just wanted a steady pace and "time on our feet" type of training run, we ended up sticking together for the entire race.

This year Claude (Race Director) started all of the runners together at 5 AM which meant running in the dark for well over an hour.  This was fine, but I think it did end up adding a little more time to everyone's finishing time.  I actually enjoyed it because I like night running & it meant getting finished earlier in the day.

The first 13 miles zipped along fairly quick in about 4 hours (well, they were quick to me) and then the race started to get interesting.  I always joke that the real LV course doesn't begin until you reach Rock Creek around mile 12.  I think that saying held true again.

I began the climb up the infamous "Canebrake" section away from Lake Jocassee feeling stronger than I ever had during this run.  The three of us just slowly chipped away at the climb and I was surprised to feel so fresh at the top.

We gradually made our way through the next 6-7 miles and eventually hit Horsepastuer River which meant about 10-11 miles to go.  This is when the course unleashed her fury.  Extremely heavy storms moved into the area and the temps dropped from 87 to 75 nearly immediately.  This was a mixed blessing because it was cooler, but footing became very tricky as the trail turned into a creek/lake/river.

The three of us all seemed to zone out through this stretch for the next 5 miles until after we climbed away from Thompson River with about 6 miles to finish.  I think we were all feeling in good spirits, but it was storming so hard we literally had to scream to talk to each other.  Just not worth the energy at the time!

We nearly lost Annie into one of the flash flooded creeks.  As she shuffled across a small wooden bridge she slipped and nearly went head first into the current below.  It was definitely strong enough to sweep her away and in a split second I could just see Bo and I jumping in behind her.  Thankfully she was able to balance herself so that didn't have to happen.

"Life is not worth living if you can't feel alive" - Some movie I think.

I had never seen the water that high through the course.  There were a few areas where I was really concerned about us being able to safely cross, but I knew that we were climbing higher with each mile.  I don't think I've ever been so happy to climb in LV!

We finally made are way up the Whitewater River and crossed the beautiful bridge which leads to the finish.  It was fun to relive the adventure between our little group as we made our way up the final climb.

I think most runners either love Laurel Valley or hate it and all three of us finishing with big smiles plastered on our faces.

Full run details can be found below if you're interested: