2017 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile...A new perspective on ultra running
So for a little perspective, in the past 4 days, I've written, deleted, rewritten, deleted and now rewritten this report. I was going to write my typical report leading up to the event and how I didn't really have the training in my legs, but instead am going to focus on the things that I learned during the 2017 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile
I've been lucky over the 8 years that I've been running ultras to learn a lot. I consider myself a student of the sport...I won't say that I'm a good student...but I am striving to be a better student. Learning from my peers, feeding off of the energy from those around me and just remembering that this sport is a gift. The 2017 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile proved to be more of a graduate course in perseverance than I ever thought it was going to be.
Being the open book that I am, I have a hard time restraining my unbridled enthusiasm for "racing". I put in parenthesis because over my 13 ultras, the one thing that I've learned is that I'm realistically racing myself in every event. Every event is different, but I am only competing against myself.
Traveling to Texas was great. Very smooth. I'm so happy to have friends that live in the area and willing to host me and spend some time with me out in the woods as I go on these dumb journeys of self discovery.
First thing that I learned from years past, if you can stay closer to the start line the night before the event, this is best. I have a difficult time sleeping before races so it worked out perfectly that we were able to camp out the night before and just relax. Travel is such a tax on your system in general, if you can avoid driving excessive distances the night before an event, do it.
The pre-race briefing was great. Thanks to Tejas Trails and Chris McWatters for putting together a beautiful backdrop to listen to some last minute instructions on the course. Since the course hadn't changed since I ran in 2016, I found myself spacing out a bit. No disrespect to Chris or others that were speaking...my ADD kinda kicked in :)
I was so happy to see Meredith Terranova walk in with her husband Paul to the packet pickup. I give Meredith all of the credit in the world for learning a little bit more about my struggles with my stomach from the 2016 Rocky Raccoon. I was really hoping that she was going to be there and I brought her a gift to thank her for being so kind the previous year. Paul hadn't been on the starting list but I got SO EXCITED to see him getting his bib. Paul is a true legend in the sport and someone I have looked up to for years. His resume is really impressive and is one of the most humble guys I've ever shared a trail with...even it it was briefly. This couple truly embodies and "ultra marriage".
The race was also about to get a little more fast as Zach Bitter walked in the door. For the "ultra geeks", Zach is insane. Notching some crazy wins at some incredibly difficult races and is the world record holder for fastest 100 mile on a 1/4 mile track in 11:40...this race is about to EXPLODE!!!!!
Race morning lead to a 2:30 wake up, for no other reason than just my own excitement. I laid in bed for nearly 90 minutes just trying to breathe. I find that I get too worked up in the mornings and that stress leads to a stressful start to the race. A "malfunctioning coffee pot" was not going to derail me and I tried to take everything in as just another experience. Joe, Byron and I made our way over to the start line, found a cup of coffee, met my new iRun4Ultra teammates (Melinda & Amber) and just waited. This is usually the time before the race that I am just a nerve bomb, but this time around I just waited and just went through some strategies in my head.
Some last minute instructions and the race was off. I purposefully started near the back of the pack with the desire to just start slow. I know that if I start nearer the front, my pace goes through the roof and I have a hard time backing down before everything goes haywire. I learned this a long time ago and some races I've done really well at containing but because I knew what type of terrain I was dealing with (BILLIONS of roots on the ground) I knew that this was the best strategy.
Loop #1 (0-20 miles)
The weather started off cool, so I decided to go short sleeve Fitness Sports shirt, with Moeben sleeves and my ultra light UVU wind jacket. There was a slight chance of rain so I did keep it on/with me for the majority of the loop. I was also wearing some HOKA Challenger ATR 3's that I had just gotten that week with the idea of swapping them out early in the race if they were causing me any problems. I was rested, running easy, keeping my heart rate down and trying to focus on quick feet. I made my way through AS's, grabbing some supplies and trying to get in/out quickly. Nature Center and Damnation out were a breeze and I barely remember stopping.
I was into my first crossing of the Dam loop, about 2 miles out from the AS, when BAM!!! I stepped weird on a root and folded my left ankle in half. As I jumped, I said the mother of all four letter words and thought for sure my day was over. The tendons and ligaments on the left side of the foot were throbbing. From my experience with ankles, if you stop the ankle tightens up REALLY fast. So I did what any other dumb ultra runner does...and just kept running. Then about 1/2 mile later...it happens again. Then again. The third time I actually yelled "What the f**k is happening right now?" Which left those around me giggling.
I love to meet people out on the trail and the beginning of ultras are where it happens. Unfortunately I can very rarely remember names, but I am really good with faces. This year I got to meet the shorter guy who I beat by 3 minutes last year, I met a mother of 4 from Seattle who was running her first 100 miler and was using it as a preview of the distance leading up to the Cascade Crest 100 miler in her home state. I met an older guy who was so excited to be running this race for the 100th time...and then I met Gracie.
I came upon Gracie as we were making our way out of the Damnation aid station on the first loop. Wearing a camelbak hydration pack that was bouncing all over the place and sloshing around like crazy. I asked her if she needed any help"burping it" to get the sloshing out. She told me that she didn't and as usual I asked how she was doing and "Is this your first time running this race?" Her response was awesome!!! "Actually," she replied, "this is the first time I've run anything over a half marathon". Honestly, I thought she was joking. She explained that she had gotten talked into running this by a friend and that she was trying to talk him into a RAGNAR race and he told her the only way he would is if she did this with him (which he eventually bailed due to a back injury). Wow!!! What a mean friend :) We passed the time just chatting about nutrition, fueling, eating, cramping, salt, her running history, college sports, and all of the things that I tend to do wrong. I was in awe of her composure and even 10 miles into the race how composed she was. She was set up to do something great on Saturday.
Because of the conversation, the first loop went by MUCH quicker than I had initially planned. We came into Dogwood in a really good 3:41. I grabbed a couple chunks of Bearded Brother bars, put on some more body glide, got screamed at by a volunteer to "get your ass back out there NOW!" (which was hilarious) and was back on the trail in 3-4 minutes.
I had been stopping at every AS through out (Nature Center, Damnation x2, and Park Road) and was filling my bottles with tailwind and water and felt really good. It was really hard to determine how much tailwind was being put in my bottles since I would drink it down in between the aid stations and then just topping off as we went. I knew that I had to harness as much energy as I could through this time because it was only a matter of time before my stomach started to go sour.
Loop #2 (21-40 miles)
I love the first 3 miles of the out section on this looped course. You get to see a lot of people coming in on their first 20 mile segment. Tons of "keep it up" and "good job" are being shared with others. That's a thing that I truly love and have grown to appreciate about the community. Very few people aren't willing to offer some words of encouragement or motivation as they are making their way on the trail. I've learned to keep my headphones out for the most part, especially in segments like this, because it gives you the chance to experience other peoples races too.
I had left Dogwood a few minutes prior to Gracie leaving (I couldn't figure out where she had gone at the start/finish) and knew it was only a matter of time before she tracked me down again. Still feeling really good, I topped off my bottle at Nature Center, talked briefly to Byron and Joe, bolted out of the aid station. I really needed to take advantage of feeling good because about 2 miles out of this AS is where the stomach started to go again.
This was about the point when I was caught by Gracie. She was moving REALLY well. I told her that I was having some stomach pains and she relived some of her own stomach problems. I really wanted her to keep moving and to run her own race. I loved having her company, but she didn't need me dragging her time down. I literally tried to convey every bit of advice that I could give to her between the time we hit the gravel road to when she left me about 2 miles into the Dam loop. I was reminding her that it was OK to walk. She needed to run when she could. She needed to make sure to eat and to get some caffeine once the sun starts to go down. I was regurgitating everything that I could think of to make sure I did my duty to see that she would have a great race. Even though my great finish was in jeopardy, I needed to do this for her. Once she left me...to run up a hill...stud....I spent the next few hours alone. And that was OK.
The Dam loop is the worst part of this course. My buddy Byron said it best when he called it a "mind f**k". That's exactly what it is. You THINK you know right where you are at, but you have no idea. I was on this part of the course for the 7th time (2nd time that day) and there is a hill section that doesn't stop. When you are having stomach problems, it is hard to push, but luckily for me I have a VERY long walking stride. It pisses people off most of the time :)
As I made my way out of the Dam loop and coming back into Damnation, I was FREEZING. I walked up to the tent, asked a volunteer to grab my drop bag and started bitching to one of the medical staff that I was having a rough stomach, freezing cold and a little woozy. It was too early to sit, but they urged me to so that I could change out of my shirt and drink some chicken broth. They were really worried that I was beginning to go hypothermic and urged me to change out my soaking wet shirt and sleeves for a dry shirt and put my jacket back on. We determined that I was probably low on salt so they had me pop a couple of salt sticks with some water and to start drinking ginger ale. I was so pissed because it seems like this happens every race right around the same time and I couldn't figure out why. Walking out of this AS was the moment I said to myself, "no matter what happens during the rest of this event, I am going to enjoy every second". And that's what I did...
The rest of loop 2 was fine. I walked, ran when I could, and hiked fast and just finished the loop.
As I was finishing up loop #2, I heard a familiar voice come up behind me and say "Brad!". It was Sabrina Little, one of my heroes and someone who I have become friends with via twitter over the past year. She is one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of conversing with in 140 characters and FUNNY. She and I had been chatting a few weeks out from Rocky and I told her that I was bringing her a present of a Sycamore 8 hat (the race that I put on) as a thank you for being such an inspiration. I hadn't had time to grab it out of my drop bag to leave with her husband at the start/finish line so it was good timing. As she approached, she told me that she thought she was going to drop. She was exhausted and had been PUSHING for 60 miles. She just kept saying that she didn't think it was safe because of how sleepy she was getting on the trail. I wanted to make sure she finished strong into the end of the loop and kept encouraging her to dig deep and to get some caffeine in her. As we came into the end of the loop, I recognized her husband who was standing waiting to swap out her bottles. I yelled up that she needed some caffeine immediately and to get her back out as soon as they could.
I ran over to my own stuff, chatted for a brief second with Byron, grabbed some things to eat, filled my bottles with water and ginger ale, grabbed the hat for Sabrina and headed back out. As I approached the timing mat I saw her laying on the ground stretching. She had literally chugged two bottles of Mt Dew faster than I had ever seen or done myself and was just trying to gain some composure. I ran up to her, kneeled down, threw the hat at her and said "Come on, let's get back out there. Hopefully this will give you some motivation" and started loop #3
Loop #3 (41-60...beginning of my death march)
My preparation for this race was spent a lot in the gym just trying to get stronger. After having done so many of these races, I always find myself just feeling weak about 50 miles in. My back, quads and butt always hurt. I could feel that the preparation that I had done in this regard was really starting to show during loop 3. I was sipping water and ginger ale for almost this entire loop. When I came into the Nature Center AS on loop 3, this was the first time that I had really touched real food. As I came in I went right for the potatoes and grabbed a couple...cold....I hadn't thrown up all day but this about made it happen. The potato had good taste to it but when you were expecting a nice hot potato, a cold one is HORRIBLE. I spit it out and just kept moving.
The next portion of the trail really gets into your head because you know that as soon as you are on it for about 30 minutes you are going to pop out on to the gravel road which leads to Damnation again. The sucky part about this section is that it is so twisty and turny and remote that you never have a landmark to pick out to remember "Oh, I've got 10 minutes before I hit the road". It's also the section where the big roots really start...or they seem as though they start because your mind starts to play tricks on you...
As I came into Damnation I walked up to the table and asked for some hot potatoes because of my experience at Nature Center. The volunteer looked at me with pained eyes and said "we just ran out. Someone is supposed to be getting more....we have instant mashed potatoes?" "YES!!!" I said emphatically, "That's exactly what I need. Can you mix it with chicken broth?" He looked at me like I had just grown a horn out of my head but obliged. Oh...it was marvelous. I was getting some actual calories and not having to chew. It was beautiful :)
This Dam loop was still the same. Roots, that never ending hill, disoriented, roots, tripping, etc. When I got back to Damnation for the trek back into the start/finish, the tent looked like a triage unit from a battle. The 3 medics that were working this AS were all tending to people with their feet up in the air. This was also the AS where I saw one of the scariest things I've ever seen at an event like this.
I was on the side of the tent closest to the trail and across from me was a female, mid-50's or so, with all of her hair done up in crazy braids. I had seen her a couple of times earlier in the day and she just looked to be a fun person with her bright clothes. As I sat down to have some of my potato/broth mixture and a cup of coffee, I noticed that she was shaking uncontrollably and taking very short breathes. I looked at her and offered up some words of encouragement as I could tell she was distraught about something. "You're alright. These guys are going to take good care of you". Her look back was one of panic and a deadness I've never seen before. It was eery. As she sat there she started to take very short, panicked breaths. I told her to put her head between her knees and breathe deep but she was looking straight through me. Two EMT's come in and start asking questions. The below sequence does not have the correct names or dates:
Medic 1: "Ma'am...I can not tell you that you need to be done. You signed up for this and I am here to watch your vitals and your condition. If I feel that it's necessary to pull you from this course, I will do that"
Runner: "But my time. I'm wasting time"
Medic 2: "Ma'am...Can you give me your bib number?"
Runner: (while trying to glance down) "120?"
M2: "What was that again...without looking down?"
R: "120"
M2: "Ma'am...Can you tell me your name?"
R: (with a 10 second pause and the blankest stare I'd ever seen) "Julie?"
M2: "And your last name?"
R: (another 10 second pause) "Smith?"
M1: "Julie, what is your birthdate?"
R: "1965..."
M2: "What month and day?"
R: "April.......5th.......I think"
At this point I looked at the volunteer that was standing assisting and gave the "she's done" hand motion, changed into my UVU insulated top and walked out. After 12 previous ultras, I have NEVER seen anyone like that. It was scary and made me realize that this sport is a gift. We all do it for our own reasons, but I'll never put myself into a situation where I won't remember things like that. It's not worth it.
As I stood up, I had this all too familiar sensation in my stomach. I had eaten two cups of potato/broth mixture and a cup of coffee. When I stood up, something didn't feel quite right. I went behind the tent and emptied the entire contents of my stomach. Sweet relief. It was awful and beautiful at the same time. There was no solids left in my stomach so the things that were sitting right on the top of my guts were gone. I felt 1000% better. I walked back through the tent, told one of the volunteers and he took my bottle and filled it with ginger ale. He made me promise to drink that before I had gotten to the next AS (roughly 4 miles away) and I had to promise that I wasn't going to run until I had something back in my stomach...no problem buddy because I wasn't running anyway 😉
Walking out of Damnation, I came across a lady who had walked out a few minutes prior to me. She had gotten some blisters taken care of hobbling terribly. As we all do, I asked if she was good and she started sobbing. She was a young girl, 19 I believe is what she said, that had dislocated her knee cap....around mile 3.....and we were at mile 53....tell me that women aren't tough. She told me that she was just going to come up to 55 and drop as her parents were there waiting for her. My heart absolutely broke for this young girl. All she wanted to do was finish and was absolutely distraught because it wasn't going to be her day. Being a dad of 4 kids, I've learned how to console kids. You have to be a cheerleader for the success on the day. I made her realize how far she had actually come and told her that if I would have been faced with what she was going through, I might not have continued. I gave her a little insight into my weight loss journey and focused on positives. She apparently was a very good swimmer until and accident forced her to switch hobbies. She had the competitive drive in her like is rarely seen in kids this age. It was awesome.
We just continued to talk and walk...at my pace...which is almost a jog for her, but again, being a dad, I couldn't just leave her out there alone with what she was going through. Sure it was affecting my time, but at this point the 24 hour goal was out the window anyway, and I was looking out for her safety. It was dark and starting to cool off a bit and I just wanted to get her back to the safety of her parents. If something happened and that knee gave out, she needed someone there.
As we came into Park Road AS, we found her parents and she started bawling. Hunched over, I grabbed her shoulders and said "look at me. You did what you could today. You gave it what you had. Don't be disappointed in not finishing, celebrate even being here. This was the moment you trained for. You suffered all you could today. It's OK to cry for now, but get checked out and go to sleep tonight knowing that you gave EVERYTHING you had today...man...I smell terrible...sorry about that" (gotta inject some comic relief). I gave her a big hug and told her that I was proud of her and walked off to get some food as my stomach had finally settled again.
The rest of the loop was uneventful, but I was drawing so much strength from her perseverance. Injury was going to be the ONLY thing that kept me from finishing this race.
Loop #4 (61-80 miles)
As I came into Dogwood, I found Byron and Joe. I looked at Byron and flat out said "24 hours is done, but let's finish this damn thing"...and I meant it. We headed to the medic area as I was starting to get a couple of hot spots on my big toe and my pinkie toe (both of which are the spots I hadn't used Squirrels Nut Butter and just taped in the morning) and wanted to get those taken care of. The very nice...and stern...medic bandaged me up and made me take a bottle of pedialyte mixed with water along to sip. As she was very stern in her delivery, I gladly obliged.
Byron and Joe were absolute ROCK STARS and grabbed me a bunch of food, helped me change some gear to get ready for the potential for rain, grab my Nathan pack, change into an older pair of Challenger 2's that I had brought (I just needed to change shoes. The Challenger 3's were working beautifully), change socks and got me back out on the trail for the next 15 mile section with Joe to pace me.
I had met Joe the year before. He was all set in 2016 to pace Byron, but due to some unfortunate foot problems, was forced to drop about 50 miles in. I had prefaced him prior to us being out there of my emotional problems during races and the sheer amount that I was going to complain. He still graciously accepted the opportunity to come along for the ride.
We talked and walked. The night sky was beautiful. We got to know each other better than we had already known. These early morning hours where we spend time together just chatting are some of the most beautiful moments. This is typically where I bawl all of the time and talk about my kids and the problems with society, but it was not of that this time around. We had normal conversations and just learned about each other...especially how uncomfortable Joe gets when people throw up 😁
I told Joe what I was eating at every AS and just asked that he get me those few things. I told him that I would sit for 3-5 minutes and get something in my stomach at each stop. He seemed cool with that and kept me honest with it. Coming into Damnation the first time for the loop we did just that. I was telling one of the volunteers that I had been dealing with a terrible stomach all day and he asked if I had taken any ginger chews. I told him that at each AS I was filling my bottle with ginger ale and that it was seeming to work to just keep everything settled. He said, "well, why don't you take some of the ginger with you and that should help". As we walked out of the AS, I started to chew the ginger AAAAAAND proceeded to throw it right back up. As I was emptying my stomach for the 2nd time that day Joe very casually walked away and kept his distance. In hindsight it was actually pretty funny :)
We proceeded to make our way through the Dam loop and Joe let a snot rocket fly. Now, normally, I wouldn't bring up snot since it's such a common occurrence in these events, but it was the fact that he said "I've been dealing with that for the past couple of hours...then I realized that I just watched you puke and it was probably OK to let it go". It had been several hours since I had laughed, and that did it for me.
The Dam loop took FOREVER. And people were passing us left and right but honestly, I didn't even care. Normally during races I get really anxious when people are passing me but this time I was actively learning what it was like to manage the suffering and I just didn't have any desire to keep up with them. We kept our steady pace, managed tightness as it came up, managed what little calories I was able to keep in and worked on drinking.
Near the end of this loop we came across a guy sitting on a log. He was DONE. His mother was with him and urged us to get a medical team to come out and get him because he couldn't move. Because this loop messes with your head it was hard to determine where he was located, but we mentally took his number down and proceeded on our way. When we got back to Damnation we told them roughly where he was at and urged them to get out there because it was starting to get chilly.
This AS was the first time I looked at Joe and told him that I was so tired and I needed to take a short cat nap. I told him to set an alarm for 15 minutes and when I laid my head back was the time to start the clock. No more. No less. Within a nano second of laying my head back...I was out cold.
15 minutes came and went, we got up, got some food and kept moving for the final 4 miles I was going to be with Joe. It was so awesome and such a wonderful experience to get to know someone. Originally we had talked about him doing a 20 mile loop with me, but I was about to pick up April for a shorter section to split it up...which worked out beautifully.
As we came into Park Road, April was there waiting patiently for us. April is one of our oldest friends and a wonderful person. She is kind hearted, a beautiful woman inside and out, yet can be down right mean when you haven't slept for 24 hours HA HA HA!!!! Just kidding 😀
I said my goodbyes to Joe, grabbed some potato/broth mixture and some coffee and moved. I needed to keep moving and April was going to make sure that happened. The extreme nausea was back on this last section of the loop and kept making really bad cramps in my stomach. I just was trying to drink to keep away the stomach issues. Ginger ale and water were helping but I was so deficient in calories that it was making it hard to stand up straight. We walked the final 5 miles of the loop and chatted away. She'd never done anything on the trails at night so it was a great first experience for her too.
We walked the short section of jeep road before meeting up with the bi-directional traffic of the trail again and knew that we were just a short distance from the finish line. It was awesome to see some people again and to offer up more encouraging words, but a little demoralizing knowing that those people were 3-6 miles closer to finishing than I was.
Coming into Dogwood, I told April that I was going to need to take another short nap. Note to pacers going forward. If your runner says they need a nap, fine. 15 minutes. That's it. Don't give them an opportunity to take more than that. This is the only one area that I had during the final two loops. I told her 15 minutes, then she asked me if I wanted an extra 5...and I took it. Once I sit down in that chair and i want nothing more than to sleep don't let me sit there for too long because I'm going to say yes and it was HARD to get out of that chair. Oh well. We all live and learn. No harm, no foul.
Loop #5 (81-Finish)
I kept telling myself as we were walking out of the AS that this was going to be the final time I did any of this stuff. This would be the final time I walk this direction. This would be the final time I would walk on this soft spot on the trail. This would be the final time I saw this sign. I was soaking it in. That's the beautiful thing about looped courses. The last time you are on a loop is the last time you will do "X" every time.
Nature Center AS is where I would leave April to pick up Byron. I was so thankful to have April out there with me. Having her jump in was never even discussed previously, but she decided that she wanted to help out and drove the hour drive (3 times) to come and be a part of the experience and I was so appreciative to have her there.
Just as we were approaching Nature Center it started to rain. It wasn't a heavy rain, but annoying nonetheless. All I wanted to do was sit down and eat. I didn't care that the rain was coming down. That is all I wanted. As Byron and April were swapping out some gear, I took this time to reflect on the last time that I was going to be in this aid station. I asked for some Mt Dew, the first/last time I had it all night and it was TERRIBLE. I've never hated Mt Dew more than in that one brief moment. I switched back to coffee for some caffeine and we just walked.
For anyone who knows my history with Byron, he is truly one of my best friends. He is one of very few people that I can go without speaking to for a year and then when we do, it's like we had just spoken the week before. He's honest, genuine, a great father and wonderful friend. Together we've spent a lot of time together during these events because he has acted as my pacer/crew in so many events. He is one the people who can make me laugh and make me want to beat him to death with a rubber hose in one small conversation, but I love him till the end of the world. #bromance
My pace coming out of Nature Center had slowed drastically. I was just exhausted. Having a 5 month old has taken a toll on good quality sleep...which he's actually a good sleeper but I just toss and turn all night...and it was really starting to affect me. I was catching toes on roots left and right and was fighting needing/wanting to take another nap. I told Byron early on that all we had to do was make it to sunrise and I'd be good. He did what he's always done and sang, cracked jokes, got philosophical and let me be in my own head when I needed to be. I just kept telling him "we're going to finish. That's all this is about now".
We were powering and I was giving everything that I had. The lack of calories was starting to affect me severely, but on a positive note, I was peeing like crazy!!! For anyone who knows me and who knows ultras, the frequency/color of your pee can be a telltale sign of hydration problems. I won't go into the weird details, but it was volumous and great color. I was winning the battle this time.
As we came into Damnation after the Dam loop for the last time, this was the first emotional feeling I had gotten the whole race. I wasn't crying, which was a shocker, but more just a feeling of accomplishment and gratitude that I knew that I was going to finish. It was a beautiful thing.
Walking up to the table, it was starting to get light out and I just needed actual food. I grabbed a pancake and it took everything I had not to shove the whole thing in my mouth because it was GLORIOUS. I told Byron that I needed another and that we weren't sitting down. I grabbed a little more coffee to chase my pancakes and we left.
For fans of the "Walking Dead", this is the point in most ultras that you see the people that could potentially be extras in the show. People are completely destroyed and walking up hills is exhausting everything that they have to just move forward. For us, we were still moving at a decent pace. This was also where we met some really cool and interesting guys.
Since it was light out again, we were able to have conversations with some people and get into mental status of those around us. We met a couple of dudes that were exactly what Byron and I aspire to be someday. These guys are dudes that have been in the sport for 20 years and love to talk about the good old days when you could walk up to a 100 miler and not have to worry about lotteries or early registration. Where you could show up with a mustard container as your only water carrying device. Where you could get into the Hardrock 100 mile (one of the hardest races in the world and most challenging to get into) and DNF three times and be OK with it. Where you got all of your ultra news from a magazine that came out once every couple of months. Honestly, the last 9 miles of this race were almost a blur because of the conversation that we were having with these guys. It was AMAZING!!!
The final 3 miles of this course are the bi-directional trails again. There was no race traffic coming against us at this point because of the time restrictions and the fact that anyone who was going to finish had to be further along. As we closed in on the finish line, listening to the stories of the "old days", I was able to take in the view of Huntsville State park lake. I was able to listen to the frogs. I was able to take in the smell of the pine needles beneath our feet. I was able to experience the warmth on my face for the final time of this event. I knew where I was at, knew that I would finish and was trying to milk every dime out of my entry fee.
Rounding a corner, I could see the finish line. I told Byron that I wasn't going to run until I could see it. He told me to go ahead and finish on my own. As I crossed the road to get to the jeep road that led to the finish line, I took a deep breath and jogged. As slow as it was, I was still moving. I approached the finish line, looked at the clock and you couldn't take the smile off of my face. I had finished. In the longest, time wise, ultra I had ever done. 28:00:26. I stepped on the timing mat and just took the deepest breath of the entire day. I was DONE.
The cheers were amazing. I thanked those around me for their hard work on the day, saw Chris McWatters (the RD) and gave him a great big hug. I was guided over to a table where the beautiful buckles were laid out and was given a choice.
Chris and the Tejas Trails crew had decided that in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the event, that they would give people who were earning their 500 mile or 1,000 mile buckles the option of bringing in one or all of their old buckles to donate to others to pick from. This would give people the choice of a brand new shiny buckle or the option to select a "Legacy Buckle". Because I love the history of ultra running, for me, it was a no brainer to select one of the old buckles. Tejas had also decided that if someone had brought in an old buckle that they wanted them to sign the back so people knew who they had come from. I picked up a couple of the buckles I preferred and selected one with the name of the front man for Guns 'n' Roses. "Axel" is all it read on the back. This was it. The buckle had chosen me.
As I was standing there, looking at how beautiful it was, an older gentlemen approached me and was telling me about when those buckles had been given out. I was listening, but with having slept 35 minutes in the past 48 hours, I wasn't really paying attention. It wasn't until after I had looked up results that I may have actually been speaking to Axel himself as he had finished shortly before I had...bummer.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning up, attempting to sleep (which I did in the car), eating, drinking my celebratory beer (I chose Yeti's Imperial Stout because of the fact that Yetis are found only in the woods 😀) eating a TON of food and watching the Super Bowl...which just happened to be in Houston...and spending a little more time with my friends. It was sitting outside of Byron's house that he made me realize something with this race. As I had said, Byron has been with me for 5 of my ultras. He's seen my SUPER highs and my SUPER lows. I'm always an emotional wreck. As we were sitting having a beer, he said to me "You know, this race was a lot different. You seemed a lot more composed and mature". It hadn't really struck me until that point that the only time I cried was when I had finally crossed the finish line. Maybe I'm finally growing up. I learned a lot during this race. I learned about my nutrition plan going forward, that humidity doesn't like me AT ALL (apparently other people too due to the low finishers rate), that I really like mashed potatoes, that my headlamp is pretty awesome, and that I am able to walk significantly faster than most :)
The next morning I had an early flight to get back home to see my family. It was a long trip and I was just ready to be back.
As I stated in the beginning of the report, I love this silly sport. I love everything about it. I love the community. I love the trails. I love running. I love the crazy highs and the crazy lows. I love spending time learning from others around me. I love spending hours on end with God. I love knowing that MAYBE I helped someone finish. I love that I can watch my friends accomplish great things. I love the volunteers. I love pushing myself farther and for longer than I ever thought were possible. I love showing the world that we are capable of AMAZING things and that you have to step outside your realm of what is possible to experience the beauty that is our bodies.
The race didn't go as planned for me time wise. It didn't go to plan of what I think I am capable of on this course, but I never stopped learning during the 28 hours, 00 minutes and 26 seconds. I never gave up when I had nothing in my stomach and every inch of my body hurt. I never gave up for a single second...and to me...I won the battle.
As I usually do, I want to thank God for pushing me through this event. I was praying all day for strength to just keep moving and He gave that to me. I want to thank my beautiful bride and my four babies for allowing me to do these crazy things and for pushing me to show you that YOU are capable and able to do great things. I want to thank my family, friends, coworkers and everyone that I met on the course for encouraging me. I wan to thank Byron and April for being such gracious hosts and incredible friends. I want to thank Joe for giving up your family time to come hang out with some dude that you barely know. I want to thank Chris McWatters and the Tejas Trails Tribe for putting on such a GREAT event. If I can I'll never stop coming to Texas in February. I want to thank the volunteers and aid station workers. You guys make this event special and memorable for so many. I want to thank UVU Racing, Fitness Sports, Nuun Hydration and iRun4Ultra for their support of my crazy adventures. And lastly, I want to thank you for reading!!!!
Things I used at the 2017 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile
UVU Vim Race Tee
UVU Air Jacket
UVU Stamina Jacket
HOKA ONE ONE Challenger 3 (60 miles)
HOKA ONE ONE Challenger 2 (40 miles) *No longer in production
Injinji Performance Trail Midweight Mini-Crew (One pair for 60 miles, one pair for 40 miles)
Mobeben Arm Sleeves (provided to me by the one and only Shannon Farrar-Griefer)
Nathan Hydration VaporCloud hydration vest
Black Diamond Storm headlamp
I've been lucky over the 8 years that I've been running ultras to learn a lot. I consider myself a student of the sport...I won't say that I'm a good student...but I am striving to be a better student. Learning from my peers, feeding off of the energy from those around me and just remembering that this sport is a gift. The 2017 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile proved to be more of a graduate course in perseverance than I ever thought it was going to be.
Being the open book that I am, I have a hard time restraining my unbridled enthusiasm for "racing". I put in parenthesis because over my 13 ultras, the one thing that I've learned is that I'm realistically racing myself in every event. Every event is different, but I am only competing against myself.
Traveling to Texas was great. Very smooth. I'm so happy to have friends that live in the area and willing to host me and spend some time with me out in the woods as I go on these dumb journeys of self discovery.
First thing that I learned from years past, if you can stay closer to the start line the night before the event, this is best. I have a difficult time sleeping before races so it worked out perfectly that we were able to camp out the night before and just relax. Travel is such a tax on your system in general, if you can avoid driving excessive distances the night before an event, do it.
The pre-race briefing was great. Thanks to Tejas Trails and Chris McWatters for putting together a beautiful backdrop to listen to some last minute instructions on the course. Since the course hadn't changed since I ran in 2016, I found myself spacing out a bit. No disrespect to Chris or others that were speaking...my ADD kinda kicked in :)
I was so happy to see Meredith Terranova walk in with her husband Paul to the packet pickup. I give Meredith all of the credit in the world for learning a little bit more about my struggles with my stomach from the 2016 Rocky Raccoon. I was really hoping that she was going to be there and I brought her a gift to thank her for being so kind the previous year. Paul hadn't been on the starting list but I got SO EXCITED to see him getting his bib. Paul is a true legend in the sport and someone I have looked up to for years. His resume is really impressive and is one of the most humble guys I've ever shared a trail with...even it it was briefly. This couple truly embodies and "ultra marriage".
The race was also about to get a little more fast as Zach Bitter walked in the door. For the "ultra geeks", Zach is insane. Notching some crazy wins at some incredibly difficult races and is the world record holder for fastest 100 mile on a 1/4 mile track in 11:40...this race is about to EXPLODE!!!!!
Race morning lead to a 2:30 wake up, for no other reason than just my own excitement. I laid in bed for nearly 90 minutes just trying to breathe. I find that I get too worked up in the mornings and that stress leads to a stressful start to the race. A "malfunctioning coffee pot" was not going to derail me and I tried to take everything in as just another experience. Joe, Byron and I made our way over to the start line, found a cup of coffee, met my new iRun4Ultra teammates (Melinda & Amber) and just waited. This is usually the time before the race that I am just a nerve bomb, but this time around I just waited and just went through some strategies in my head.
Some last minute instructions and the race was off. I purposefully started near the back of the pack with the desire to just start slow. I know that if I start nearer the front, my pace goes through the roof and I have a hard time backing down before everything goes haywire. I learned this a long time ago and some races I've done really well at containing but because I knew what type of terrain I was dealing with (BILLIONS of roots on the ground) I knew that this was the best strategy.
Loop #1 (0-20 miles)
The weather started off cool, so I decided to go short sleeve Fitness Sports shirt, with Moeben sleeves and my ultra light UVU wind jacket. There was a slight chance of rain so I did keep it on/with me for the majority of the loop. I was also wearing some HOKA Challenger ATR 3's that I had just gotten that week with the idea of swapping them out early in the race if they were causing me any problems. I was rested, running easy, keeping my heart rate down and trying to focus on quick feet. I made my way through AS's, grabbing some supplies and trying to get in/out quickly. Nature Center and Damnation out were a breeze and I barely remember stopping.
I was into my first crossing of the Dam loop, about 2 miles out from the AS, when BAM!!! I stepped weird on a root and folded my left ankle in half. As I jumped, I said the mother of all four letter words and thought for sure my day was over. The tendons and ligaments on the left side of the foot were throbbing. From my experience with ankles, if you stop the ankle tightens up REALLY fast. So I did what any other dumb ultra runner does...and just kept running. Then about 1/2 mile later...it happens again. Then again. The third time I actually yelled "What the f**k is happening right now?" Which left those around me giggling.
I love to meet people out on the trail and the beginning of ultras are where it happens. Unfortunately I can very rarely remember names, but I am really good with faces. This year I got to meet the shorter guy who I beat by 3 minutes last year, I met a mother of 4 from Seattle who was running her first 100 miler and was using it as a preview of the distance leading up to the Cascade Crest 100 miler in her home state. I met an older guy who was so excited to be running this race for the 100th time...and then I met Gracie.
I came upon Gracie as we were making our way out of the Damnation aid station on the first loop. Wearing a camelbak hydration pack that was bouncing all over the place and sloshing around like crazy. I asked her if she needed any help"burping it" to get the sloshing out. She told me that she didn't and as usual I asked how she was doing and "Is this your first time running this race?" Her response was awesome!!! "Actually," she replied, "this is the first time I've run anything over a half marathon". Honestly, I thought she was joking. She explained that she had gotten talked into running this by a friend and that she was trying to talk him into a RAGNAR race and he told her the only way he would is if she did this with him (which he eventually bailed due to a back injury). Wow!!! What a mean friend :) We passed the time just chatting about nutrition, fueling, eating, cramping, salt, her running history, college sports, and all of the things that I tend to do wrong. I was in awe of her composure and even 10 miles into the race how composed she was. She was set up to do something great on Saturday.
Because of the conversation, the first loop went by MUCH quicker than I had initially planned. We came into Dogwood in a really good 3:41. I grabbed a couple chunks of Bearded Brother bars, put on some more body glide, got screamed at by a volunteer to "get your ass back out there NOW!" (which was hilarious) and was back on the trail in 3-4 minutes.
I had been stopping at every AS through out (Nature Center, Damnation x2, and Park Road) and was filling my bottles with tailwind and water and felt really good. It was really hard to determine how much tailwind was being put in my bottles since I would drink it down in between the aid stations and then just topping off as we went. I knew that I had to harness as much energy as I could through this time because it was only a matter of time before my stomach started to go sour.
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| I was having WAAAY too much fun :) |
Loop #2 (21-40 miles)
I love the first 3 miles of the out section on this looped course. You get to see a lot of people coming in on their first 20 mile segment. Tons of "keep it up" and "good job" are being shared with others. That's a thing that I truly love and have grown to appreciate about the community. Very few people aren't willing to offer some words of encouragement or motivation as they are making their way on the trail. I've learned to keep my headphones out for the most part, especially in segments like this, because it gives you the chance to experience other peoples races too.
I had left Dogwood a few minutes prior to Gracie leaving (I couldn't figure out where she had gone at the start/finish) and knew it was only a matter of time before she tracked me down again. Still feeling really good, I topped off my bottle at Nature Center, talked briefly to Byron and Joe, bolted out of the aid station. I really needed to take advantage of feeling good because about 2 miles out of this AS is where the stomach started to go again.
This was about the point when I was caught by Gracie. She was moving REALLY well. I told her that I was having some stomach pains and she relived some of her own stomach problems. I really wanted her to keep moving and to run her own race. I loved having her company, but she didn't need me dragging her time down. I literally tried to convey every bit of advice that I could give to her between the time we hit the gravel road to when she left me about 2 miles into the Dam loop. I was reminding her that it was OK to walk. She needed to run when she could. She needed to make sure to eat and to get some caffeine once the sun starts to go down. I was regurgitating everything that I could think of to make sure I did my duty to see that she would have a great race. Even though my great finish was in jeopardy, I needed to do this for her. Once she left me...to run up a hill...stud....I spent the next few hours alone. And that was OK.
The Dam loop is the worst part of this course. My buddy Byron said it best when he called it a "mind f**k". That's exactly what it is. You THINK you know right where you are at, but you have no idea. I was on this part of the course for the 7th time (2nd time that day) and there is a hill section that doesn't stop. When you are having stomach problems, it is hard to push, but luckily for me I have a VERY long walking stride. It pisses people off most of the time :)
As I made my way out of the Dam loop and coming back into Damnation, I was FREEZING. I walked up to the tent, asked a volunteer to grab my drop bag and started bitching to one of the medical staff that I was having a rough stomach, freezing cold and a little woozy. It was too early to sit, but they urged me to so that I could change out of my shirt and drink some chicken broth. They were really worried that I was beginning to go hypothermic and urged me to change out my soaking wet shirt and sleeves for a dry shirt and put my jacket back on. We determined that I was probably low on salt so they had me pop a couple of salt sticks with some water and to start drinking ginger ale. I was so pissed because it seems like this happens every race right around the same time and I couldn't figure out why. Walking out of this AS was the moment I said to myself, "no matter what happens during the rest of this event, I am going to enjoy every second". And that's what I did...
The rest of loop 2 was fine. I walked, ran when I could, and hiked fast and just finished the loop.
As I was finishing up loop #2, I heard a familiar voice come up behind me and say "Brad!". It was Sabrina Little, one of my heroes and someone who I have become friends with via twitter over the past year. She is one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of conversing with in 140 characters and FUNNY. She and I had been chatting a few weeks out from Rocky and I told her that I was bringing her a present of a Sycamore 8 hat (the race that I put on) as a thank you for being such an inspiration. I hadn't had time to grab it out of my drop bag to leave with her husband at the start/finish line so it was good timing. As she approached, she told me that she thought she was going to drop. She was exhausted and had been PUSHING for 60 miles. She just kept saying that she didn't think it was safe because of how sleepy she was getting on the trail. I wanted to make sure she finished strong into the end of the loop and kept encouraging her to dig deep and to get some caffeine in her. As we came into the end of the loop, I recognized her husband who was standing waiting to swap out her bottles. I yelled up that she needed some caffeine immediately and to get her back out as soon as they could.
I ran over to my own stuff, chatted for a brief second with Byron, grabbed some things to eat, filled my bottles with water and ginger ale, grabbed the hat for Sabrina and headed back out. As I approached the timing mat I saw her laying on the ground stretching. She had literally chugged two bottles of Mt Dew faster than I had ever seen or done myself and was just trying to gain some composure. I ran up to her, kneeled down, threw the hat at her and said "Come on, let's get back out there. Hopefully this will give you some motivation" and started loop #3
Loop #3 (41-60...beginning of my death march)
My preparation for this race was spent a lot in the gym just trying to get stronger. After having done so many of these races, I always find myself just feeling weak about 50 miles in. My back, quads and butt always hurt. I could feel that the preparation that I had done in this regard was really starting to show during loop 3. I was sipping water and ginger ale for almost this entire loop. When I came into the Nature Center AS on loop 3, this was the first time that I had really touched real food. As I came in I went right for the potatoes and grabbed a couple...cold....I hadn't thrown up all day but this about made it happen. The potato had good taste to it but when you were expecting a nice hot potato, a cold one is HORRIBLE. I spit it out and just kept moving.
The next portion of the trail really gets into your head because you know that as soon as you are on it for about 30 minutes you are going to pop out on to the gravel road which leads to Damnation again. The sucky part about this section is that it is so twisty and turny and remote that you never have a landmark to pick out to remember "Oh, I've got 10 minutes before I hit the road". It's also the section where the big roots really start...or they seem as though they start because your mind starts to play tricks on you...
As I came into Damnation I walked up to the table and asked for some hot potatoes because of my experience at Nature Center. The volunteer looked at me with pained eyes and said "we just ran out. Someone is supposed to be getting more....we have instant mashed potatoes?" "YES!!!" I said emphatically, "That's exactly what I need. Can you mix it with chicken broth?" He looked at me like I had just grown a horn out of my head but obliged. Oh...it was marvelous. I was getting some actual calories and not having to chew. It was beautiful :)
This Dam loop was still the same. Roots, that never ending hill, disoriented, roots, tripping, etc. When I got back to Damnation for the trek back into the start/finish, the tent looked like a triage unit from a battle. The 3 medics that were working this AS were all tending to people with their feet up in the air. This was also the AS where I saw one of the scariest things I've ever seen at an event like this.
I was on the side of the tent closest to the trail and across from me was a female, mid-50's or so, with all of her hair done up in crazy braids. I had seen her a couple of times earlier in the day and she just looked to be a fun person with her bright clothes. As I sat down to have some of my potato/broth mixture and a cup of coffee, I noticed that she was shaking uncontrollably and taking very short breathes. I looked at her and offered up some words of encouragement as I could tell she was distraught about something. "You're alright. These guys are going to take good care of you". Her look back was one of panic and a deadness I've never seen before. It was eery. As she sat there she started to take very short, panicked breaths. I told her to put her head between her knees and breathe deep but she was looking straight through me. Two EMT's come in and start asking questions. The below sequence does not have the correct names or dates:
Medic 1: "Ma'am...I can not tell you that you need to be done. You signed up for this and I am here to watch your vitals and your condition. If I feel that it's necessary to pull you from this course, I will do that"
Runner: "But my time. I'm wasting time"
Medic 2: "Ma'am...Can you give me your bib number?"
Runner: (while trying to glance down) "120?"
M2: "What was that again...without looking down?"
R: "120"
M2: "Ma'am...Can you tell me your name?"
R: (with a 10 second pause and the blankest stare I'd ever seen) "Julie?"
M2: "And your last name?"
R: (another 10 second pause) "Smith?"
M1: "Julie, what is your birthdate?"
R: "1965..."
M2: "What month and day?"
R: "April.......5th.......I think"
At this point I looked at the volunteer that was standing assisting and gave the "she's done" hand motion, changed into my UVU insulated top and walked out. After 12 previous ultras, I have NEVER seen anyone like that. It was scary and made me realize that this sport is a gift. We all do it for our own reasons, but I'll never put myself into a situation where I won't remember things like that. It's not worth it.
As I stood up, I had this all too familiar sensation in my stomach. I had eaten two cups of potato/broth mixture and a cup of coffee. When I stood up, something didn't feel quite right. I went behind the tent and emptied the entire contents of my stomach. Sweet relief. It was awful and beautiful at the same time. There was no solids left in my stomach so the things that were sitting right on the top of my guts were gone. I felt 1000% better. I walked back through the tent, told one of the volunteers and he took my bottle and filled it with ginger ale. He made me promise to drink that before I had gotten to the next AS (roughly 4 miles away) and I had to promise that I wasn't going to run until I had something back in my stomach...no problem buddy because I wasn't running anyway 😉
Walking out of Damnation, I came across a lady who had walked out a few minutes prior to me. She had gotten some blisters taken care of hobbling terribly. As we all do, I asked if she was good and she started sobbing. She was a young girl, 19 I believe is what she said, that had dislocated her knee cap....around mile 3.....and we were at mile 53....tell me that women aren't tough. She told me that she was just going to come up to 55 and drop as her parents were there waiting for her. My heart absolutely broke for this young girl. All she wanted to do was finish and was absolutely distraught because it wasn't going to be her day. Being a dad of 4 kids, I've learned how to console kids. You have to be a cheerleader for the success on the day. I made her realize how far she had actually come and told her that if I would have been faced with what she was going through, I might not have continued. I gave her a little insight into my weight loss journey and focused on positives. She apparently was a very good swimmer until and accident forced her to switch hobbies. She had the competitive drive in her like is rarely seen in kids this age. It was awesome.
We just continued to talk and walk...at my pace...which is almost a jog for her, but again, being a dad, I couldn't just leave her out there alone with what she was going through. Sure it was affecting my time, but at this point the 24 hour goal was out the window anyway, and I was looking out for her safety. It was dark and starting to cool off a bit and I just wanted to get her back to the safety of her parents. If something happened and that knee gave out, she needed someone there.
As we came into Park Road AS, we found her parents and she started bawling. Hunched over, I grabbed her shoulders and said "look at me. You did what you could today. You gave it what you had. Don't be disappointed in not finishing, celebrate even being here. This was the moment you trained for. You suffered all you could today. It's OK to cry for now, but get checked out and go to sleep tonight knowing that you gave EVERYTHING you had today...man...I smell terrible...sorry about that" (gotta inject some comic relief). I gave her a big hug and told her that I was proud of her and walked off to get some food as my stomach had finally settled again.
The rest of the loop was uneventful, but I was drawing so much strength from her perseverance. Injury was going to be the ONLY thing that kept me from finishing this race.
Loop #4 (61-80 miles)
As I came into Dogwood, I found Byron and Joe. I looked at Byron and flat out said "24 hours is done, but let's finish this damn thing"...and I meant it. We headed to the medic area as I was starting to get a couple of hot spots on my big toe and my pinkie toe (both of which are the spots I hadn't used Squirrels Nut Butter and just taped in the morning) and wanted to get those taken care of. The very nice...and stern...medic bandaged me up and made me take a bottle of pedialyte mixed with water along to sip. As she was very stern in her delivery, I gladly obliged.
Byron and Joe were absolute ROCK STARS and grabbed me a bunch of food, helped me change some gear to get ready for the potential for rain, grab my Nathan pack, change into an older pair of Challenger 2's that I had brought (I just needed to change shoes. The Challenger 3's were working beautifully), change socks and got me back out on the trail for the next 15 mile section with Joe to pace me.
I had met Joe the year before. He was all set in 2016 to pace Byron, but due to some unfortunate foot problems, was forced to drop about 50 miles in. I had prefaced him prior to us being out there of my emotional problems during races and the sheer amount that I was going to complain. He still graciously accepted the opportunity to come along for the ride.
We talked and walked. The night sky was beautiful. We got to know each other better than we had already known. These early morning hours where we spend time together just chatting are some of the most beautiful moments. This is typically where I bawl all of the time and talk about my kids and the problems with society, but it was not of that this time around. We had normal conversations and just learned about each other...especially how uncomfortable Joe gets when people throw up 😁
I told Joe what I was eating at every AS and just asked that he get me those few things. I told him that I would sit for 3-5 minutes and get something in my stomach at each stop. He seemed cool with that and kept me honest with it. Coming into Damnation the first time for the loop we did just that. I was telling one of the volunteers that I had been dealing with a terrible stomach all day and he asked if I had taken any ginger chews. I told him that at each AS I was filling my bottle with ginger ale and that it was seeming to work to just keep everything settled. He said, "well, why don't you take some of the ginger with you and that should help". As we walked out of the AS, I started to chew the ginger AAAAAAND proceeded to throw it right back up. As I was emptying my stomach for the 2nd time that day Joe very casually walked away and kept his distance. In hindsight it was actually pretty funny :)
We proceeded to make our way through the Dam loop and Joe let a snot rocket fly. Now, normally, I wouldn't bring up snot since it's such a common occurrence in these events, but it was the fact that he said "I've been dealing with that for the past couple of hours...then I realized that I just watched you puke and it was probably OK to let it go". It had been several hours since I had laughed, and that did it for me.
The Dam loop took FOREVER. And people were passing us left and right but honestly, I didn't even care. Normally during races I get really anxious when people are passing me but this time I was actively learning what it was like to manage the suffering and I just didn't have any desire to keep up with them. We kept our steady pace, managed tightness as it came up, managed what little calories I was able to keep in and worked on drinking.
Near the end of this loop we came across a guy sitting on a log. He was DONE. His mother was with him and urged us to get a medical team to come out and get him because he couldn't move. Because this loop messes with your head it was hard to determine where he was located, but we mentally took his number down and proceeded on our way. When we got back to Damnation we told them roughly where he was at and urged them to get out there because it was starting to get chilly.
This AS was the first time I looked at Joe and told him that I was so tired and I needed to take a short cat nap. I told him to set an alarm for 15 minutes and when I laid my head back was the time to start the clock. No more. No less. Within a nano second of laying my head back...I was out cold.
15 minutes came and went, we got up, got some food and kept moving for the final 4 miles I was going to be with Joe. It was so awesome and such a wonderful experience to get to know someone. Originally we had talked about him doing a 20 mile loop with me, but I was about to pick up April for a shorter section to split it up...which worked out beautifully.
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| Nap time |
I said my goodbyes to Joe, grabbed some potato/broth mixture and some coffee and moved. I needed to keep moving and April was going to make sure that happened. The extreme nausea was back on this last section of the loop and kept making really bad cramps in my stomach. I just was trying to drink to keep away the stomach issues. Ginger ale and water were helping but I was so deficient in calories that it was making it hard to stand up straight. We walked the final 5 miles of the loop and chatted away. She'd never done anything on the trails at night so it was a great first experience for her too.
We walked the short section of jeep road before meeting up with the bi-directional traffic of the trail again and knew that we were just a short distance from the finish line. It was awesome to see some people again and to offer up more encouraging words, but a little demoralizing knowing that those people were 3-6 miles closer to finishing than I was.
Coming into Dogwood, I told April that I was going to need to take another short nap. Note to pacers going forward. If your runner says they need a nap, fine. 15 minutes. That's it. Don't give them an opportunity to take more than that. This is the only one area that I had during the final two loops. I told her 15 minutes, then she asked me if I wanted an extra 5...and I took it. Once I sit down in that chair and i want nothing more than to sleep don't let me sit there for too long because I'm going to say yes and it was HARD to get out of that chair. Oh well. We all live and learn. No harm, no foul.
Loop #5 (81-Finish)
I kept telling myself as we were walking out of the AS that this was going to be the final time I did any of this stuff. This would be the final time I walk this direction. This would be the final time I would walk on this soft spot on the trail. This would be the final time I saw this sign. I was soaking it in. That's the beautiful thing about looped courses. The last time you are on a loop is the last time you will do "X" every time.
Nature Center AS is where I would leave April to pick up Byron. I was so thankful to have April out there with me. Having her jump in was never even discussed previously, but she decided that she wanted to help out and drove the hour drive (3 times) to come and be a part of the experience and I was so appreciative to have her there.
Just as we were approaching Nature Center it started to rain. It wasn't a heavy rain, but annoying nonetheless. All I wanted to do was sit down and eat. I didn't care that the rain was coming down. That is all I wanted. As Byron and April were swapping out some gear, I took this time to reflect on the last time that I was going to be in this aid station. I asked for some Mt Dew, the first/last time I had it all night and it was TERRIBLE. I've never hated Mt Dew more than in that one brief moment. I switched back to coffee for some caffeine and we just walked.
For anyone who knows my history with Byron, he is truly one of my best friends. He is one of very few people that I can go without speaking to for a year and then when we do, it's like we had just spoken the week before. He's honest, genuine, a great father and wonderful friend. Together we've spent a lot of time together during these events because he has acted as my pacer/crew in so many events. He is one the people who can make me laugh and make me want to beat him to death with a rubber hose in one small conversation, but I love him till the end of the world. #bromance
My pace coming out of Nature Center had slowed drastically. I was just exhausted. Having a 5 month old has taken a toll on good quality sleep...which he's actually a good sleeper but I just toss and turn all night...and it was really starting to affect me. I was catching toes on roots left and right and was fighting needing/wanting to take another nap. I told Byron early on that all we had to do was make it to sunrise and I'd be good. He did what he's always done and sang, cracked jokes, got philosophical and let me be in my own head when I needed to be. I just kept telling him "we're going to finish. That's all this is about now".
We were powering and I was giving everything that I had. The lack of calories was starting to affect me severely, but on a positive note, I was peeing like crazy!!! For anyone who knows me and who knows ultras, the frequency/color of your pee can be a telltale sign of hydration problems. I won't go into the weird details, but it was volumous and great color. I was winning the battle this time.
As we came into Damnation after the Dam loop for the last time, this was the first emotional feeling I had gotten the whole race. I wasn't crying, which was a shocker, but more just a feeling of accomplishment and gratitude that I knew that I was going to finish. It was a beautiful thing.
Walking up to the table, it was starting to get light out and I just needed actual food. I grabbed a pancake and it took everything I had not to shove the whole thing in my mouth because it was GLORIOUS. I told Byron that I needed another and that we weren't sitting down. I grabbed a little more coffee to chase my pancakes and we left.
For fans of the "Walking Dead", this is the point in most ultras that you see the people that could potentially be extras in the show. People are completely destroyed and walking up hills is exhausting everything that they have to just move forward. For us, we were still moving at a decent pace. This was also where we met some really cool and interesting guys.
Since it was light out again, we were able to have conversations with some people and get into mental status of those around us. We met a couple of dudes that were exactly what Byron and I aspire to be someday. These guys are dudes that have been in the sport for 20 years and love to talk about the good old days when you could walk up to a 100 miler and not have to worry about lotteries or early registration. Where you could show up with a mustard container as your only water carrying device. Where you could get into the Hardrock 100 mile (one of the hardest races in the world and most challenging to get into) and DNF three times and be OK with it. Where you got all of your ultra news from a magazine that came out once every couple of months. Honestly, the last 9 miles of this race were almost a blur because of the conversation that we were having with these guys. It was AMAZING!!!
The final 3 miles of this course are the bi-directional trails again. There was no race traffic coming against us at this point because of the time restrictions and the fact that anyone who was going to finish had to be further along. As we closed in on the finish line, listening to the stories of the "old days", I was able to take in the view of Huntsville State park lake. I was able to listen to the frogs. I was able to take in the smell of the pine needles beneath our feet. I was able to experience the warmth on my face for the final time of this event. I knew where I was at, knew that I would finish and was trying to milk every dime out of my entry fee.
Rounding a corner, I could see the finish line. I told Byron that I wasn't going to run until I could see it. He told me to go ahead and finish on my own. As I crossed the road to get to the jeep road that led to the finish line, I took a deep breath and jogged. As slow as it was, I was still moving. I approached the finish line, looked at the clock and you couldn't take the smile off of my face. I had finished. In the longest, time wise, ultra I had ever done. 28:00:26. I stepped on the timing mat and just took the deepest breath of the entire day. I was DONE.
The cheers were amazing. I thanked those around me for their hard work on the day, saw Chris McWatters (the RD) and gave him a great big hug. I was guided over to a table where the beautiful buckles were laid out and was given a choice.
Chris and the Tejas Trails crew had decided that in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the event, that they would give people who were earning their 500 mile or 1,000 mile buckles the option of bringing in one or all of their old buckles to donate to others to pick from. This would give people the choice of a brand new shiny buckle or the option to select a "Legacy Buckle". Because I love the history of ultra running, for me, it was a no brainer to select one of the old buckles. Tejas had also decided that if someone had brought in an old buckle that they wanted them to sign the back so people knew who they had come from. I picked up a couple of the buckles I preferred and selected one with the name of the front man for Guns 'n' Roses. "Axel" is all it read on the back. This was it. The buckle had chosen me.
As I was standing there, looking at how beautiful it was, an older gentlemen approached me and was telling me about when those buckles had been given out. I was listening, but with having slept 35 minutes in the past 48 hours, I wasn't really paying attention. It wasn't until after I had looked up results that I may have actually been speaking to Axel himself as he had finished shortly before I had...bummer.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning up, attempting to sleep (which I did in the car), eating, drinking my celebratory beer (I chose Yeti's Imperial Stout because of the fact that Yetis are found only in the woods 😀) eating a TON of food and watching the Super Bowl...which just happened to be in Houston...and spending a little more time with my friends. It was sitting outside of Byron's house that he made me realize something with this race. As I had said, Byron has been with me for 5 of my ultras. He's seen my SUPER highs and my SUPER lows. I'm always an emotional wreck. As we were sitting having a beer, he said to me "You know, this race was a lot different. You seemed a lot more composed and mature". It hadn't really struck me until that point that the only time I cried was when I had finally crossed the finish line. Maybe I'm finally growing up. I learned a lot during this race. I learned about my nutrition plan going forward, that humidity doesn't like me AT ALL (apparently other people too due to the low finishers rate), that I really like mashed potatoes, that my headlamp is pretty awesome, and that I am able to walk significantly faster than most :)
The next morning I had an early flight to get back home to see my family. It was a long trip and I was just ready to be back.
As I stated in the beginning of the report, I love this silly sport. I love everything about it. I love the community. I love the trails. I love running. I love the crazy highs and the crazy lows. I love spending time learning from others around me. I love spending hours on end with God. I love knowing that MAYBE I helped someone finish. I love that I can watch my friends accomplish great things. I love the volunteers. I love pushing myself farther and for longer than I ever thought were possible. I love showing the world that we are capable of AMAZING things and that you have to step outside your realm of what is possible to experience the beauty that is our bodies.
The race didn't go as planned for me time wise. It didn't go to plan of what I think I am capable of on this course, but I never stopped learning during the 28 hours, 00 minutes and 26 seconds. I never gave up when I had nothing in my stomach and every inch of my body hurt. I never gave up for a single second...and to me...I won the battle.
As I usually do, I want to thank God for pushing me through this event. I was praying all day for strength to just keep moving and He gave that to me. I want to thank my beautiful bride and my four babies for allowing me to do these crazy things and for pushing me to show you that YOU are capable and able to do great things. I want to thank my family, friends, coworkers and everyone that I met on the course for encouraging me. I wan to thank Byron and April for being such gracious hosts and incredible friends. I want to thank Joe for giving up your family time to come hang out with some dude that you barely know. I want to thank Chris McWatters and the Tejas Trails Tribe for putting on such a GREAT event. If I can I'll never stop coming to Texas in February. I want to thank the volunteers and aid station workers. You guys make this event special and memorable for so many. I want to thank UVU Racing, Fitness Sports, Nuun Hydration and iRun4Ultra for their support of my crazy adventures. And lastly, I want to thank you for reading!!!!
Things I used at the 2017 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile
UVU Vim Race Tee
UVU Air Jacket
UVU Stamina Jacket
HOKA ONE ONE Challenger 3 (60 miles)
HOKA ONE ONE Challenger 2 (40 miles) *No longer in production
Injinji Performance Trail Midweight Mini-Crew (One pair for 60 miles, one pair for 40 miles)
Mobeben Arm Sleeves (provided to me by the one and only Shannon Farrar-Griefer)
Nathan Hydration VaporCloud hydration vest
Black Diamond Storm headlamp
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| When you are in the St Louis airport, you just have to :) |
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| HOKA ONE ONE Challenger 3's. Ready to fly |
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| This guy :) |
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| Thursday night entertainment |
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| Mmmmmm. Brisket sandwich...... |
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| A fellow iRun4Ultra teammate |
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| Meredith Terranova - She's freaking awesome |
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| Zach Bitter - Dude is FAST. Dropped early due to badly sprained ankle |
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| Yep. Freezing at 58 degrees in Texas |
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| The distances are way off, but you get the idea |
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| The distances are way off, but you get the idea |
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| Celebration beer :) |
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