We had been told in the long course briefing on registration day that this section had a few mandatory water crossings, so I had Emily leave me a dry pair in my next bag. The problem I had with the water crossings was that they loosened up the tape job on my feet, which up to this point had kept any hotspots or blisters in check. I was too lazy after the water crossings to take my shoe off and check though, so I pressed on with the tape beginning to bunch. Luckily I was not feeling very fast and never ran for too long at a stretch, so it was not really an issue.
At one of the water crossings I met a guy named Glen as he was taking care of his feet, dry socks, or maybe he took his shoes and socks off… I’m not entirely sure, but he was sitting down as I came across and we chatted for the next few miles. He was up from San Francisco and had his parents crewing and his wife had been pacing him for some sections, because she too was an ultra runner. He told me that his only DNF was at Pine to Palm 100 last year and that when he dropped at mile 50 a woman had dropped too. He said “hi” and now a year on they were married! They were a lovely couple too and his parents were the sweetest people.
This section of trail is also part of the Klickitat horse trail and I actually came across a husband and wife on horses leading a third one along. They said they were just out for a little ride and getting the new one used to the trail. I was surprised to see them dressed in jeans and long sleeves. It was early, but wow… I would’ve been cooking.
We had one last major river crossing of almost a hundred feet. I had just been passed by Jeremy who was now being paced by his friend Libby. Speaking of people that should’ve been cooking… Jeremy ran the entire race(I believe) in a long sleeve flannel shirt!
We had one last major river crossing of almost a hundred feet. I had just been passed by Jeremy who was now being paced by his friend Libby. Speaking of people that should’ve been cooking… Jeremy ran the entire race(I believe) in a long sleeve flannel shirt!
Even with enough water this section was hot and dry, the trees never truly covering the trail well enough to provide shade. The grass was also terribly parched and it looked as though a sneeze could start a fire! The poor Western forests are so dry, it’s no wonder they’re burning down! I couldn’t help but think as I was wandering over these mountains and ridges that wildland fire fighters do this day in and day out, and with packs and tools!!! That is a job that I may be capable of, but man I’m not sure I would want to… Those men and women have my utmost respect for being out there and doing that hard work!
When I thought we had finally come to the top of the climb there was a sign that said “Elk Peak Out and Back”. This particular out and back went up a very steep, very loose section of trail up to the summit. This may have been the least awe inspiring of the Out and Back summits, but it was still impressive. From here you could see where you came from and how much more was remaining ahead… A little over 35mi to go.
The descent off Elk Peak was more of a glissade than a run, but I was able to keep my feet under me and negotiate the terrain until it settled out at the Out and Back sign. I took the turn to the aid station and let it fly. I was in a good mood, a downhill to an aid station where there would be great volunteers. I was very excited! As I was bombing down the trail I saw someone hiking up. It was Glen’s wife and she was hiking up to meet him. I told her that he was probably not to the Out and Back sign yet and that she could wait for him there… We parted and I continued to the aid station.
When I arrived at the aid station it was everything I had hoped it would be. They had a chair, and the volunteers were so helpful, filling bottles and bringing me food. At one point an Avocado Burger made its way into my hand and it was AMAZING. I had no idea that it was what I wanted, but someone knew, and it made me very happy! Someone asked if I had a drop bag and I said I think I should #52. They found it and brought it over to me… I knew Emily had said that she would leave a bag for me, but I didn’t know what to expect. In it were a change of shoes, clothes, socks, an Ensure and a Ginger Ale, as well as a foot care kit she had assembled for me. It was amazing and I was so grateful!!!
More than food though my first order of business was to get my feet taped up and taken care of. I suppose I could have done it, but the medical guy on staff, Nick, was available and so I asked if he could please work on them. He very kindly said that he could and set a chair to prop my foot on and went to town with mole skin and Leukotape. I am glad that I had him work on my feet, not only for those few minutes watching him tape my feet, which will be forever in my memory as how to tape a foot, but because it was great to just talk to Nick. We chatted about his travels for races and what Ultramedical does. I also mentioned to him that I had been thinking about a quote over the past miles “There are no extraordinary people. Just ordinary people who do extraordinary things.” I was just in awe of what was going on around me… That me and my fellow runners were doing this and none of us seemed extraordinary, and the volunteers… I had been hearing tales of their aid stations being open for days at a time and their commitment to helping us was what kept them going. In all I was just surprised by how when people all come together round a goal we can all succeed!
Now that I had a good tape job, clean socks, dry shoes, and a belly full of Avocado burger I was ready to depart! Only 17mi between me and what I saw as the last real cut off at Twin Sisters(mile 173.3). As I was putting on my back pack we could hear thunder coming from over the ridge. I didn’t have a rain jacket as it was in the bag of stuff I had given Emily to crew me. A friendly volunteer at the aid station named Kent offered me his nice North Face rain jacket. Turns out he was actually a racer, but had to drop early in the race because his shoes didn’t fit right. After his drop though he got right out on course and was helping runners… I accepted his jacket and arranged to give it back to him at the finish or possibly leave it in one of his drop bags at the next station. He said it was no problem and that he wanted me to be safe. I truly appreciated his gesture. I was debating the intelligence of heading out on trail with thunder so close, then I realized that if I waited much longer though the medical or aid staff may think better of it and hold me, so off I went. Just before I left there was a very nice lady that had been helping me. I believe her name was Lois. I looked at her and said “You look like a hugger” and just gave her a huge hug, thanked her for the excellent service and was on the trail again.
Thunder storm aside my pace was quickened by a want to arrive at the next aid station Twin Sisters, the penultimate aid station and the last true impediment to my completing the race. I heard from the Klickitat workers that the cut off at the next station was @ 4:30am. They had also told me that this section was 17.4mi and over 5kft of climbing, but none of them were more than 800ft at a time. I had been figuring my paces at 3mph(20min/mi), but this section was a lot of climbing and descending on vaguely marked trails… That pulled the pace down to a little better than 27min/mi. The slower pace was necessary though, because the trail was quite “reclaimed” at this point. There were downed trees that we had to climb over and places where you would march into a stand of bushes where it may appear others had been and proceed until you hopefully found a marker… I am not sure if it’s some innate tracking sense or if the few years I spent as a hasher taught me how to properly follow a “zen trail” With those skills, as well as leap frogging and Jeremy and his pacer, I was able to find my way thru the forest and then traversed an interesting section of trail that was once a path about 4ft wide cut into the side of the ridge. The trail bed was still there in most places, but occasionally it would wash out, or there was a small drainage, of course they would always occur at a place where the trail was the most overgrown and you needed to bull through it, only to find that it the footing was not level under you!
Eventually that overgrown, poorly marked section gave way and we made our way onto a forest service rd. My InReach allowed me to see my location on my phone, where the route went, so I could tell I was close to the better trail(I hoped).
Once on the road Jeremy and his pacer went ahead and for the second time I stopped to again try and catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower. I shut off my headlamp, laid down in the grass next to the trail, rested my head on my hydration pack and just stared up into the sky. Although I still didn’t catch a shooting star my poor eyes(and brain) were so tired that the stars began to vibrate and move. Nothing to vigorous, but it was fun to watch for a few minutes and my legs enjoyed the break. Soon enough though I got up and started my way up the next hill… It was at this point that I decided I wanted to be at the aid station and get some rest. My brain just needed to not be on, but I couldn’t sleep to shut it down until the aid station. I figured the next best thing for my brain to sleeping was to just stop thinking. I blocked all thoughts from my mind and just started doing. Using my hiking poles and my feet I would count in my head “1,2,3,4, reset,1,2,3,4,etc…” to the rhythm of whatever song was on my mp3 player. I could never run a whole race that way, but to be able to just stop thinking and let my body push on was liberating! I used this new found skill to climb the remaining hills in this section. I would simply keep my head down and count “1,2,3,4”.
My father used to tell me in lines at an amusement park or ski area, probably in response to my complaining about how long the line was, “no one has ever waited in this line forever”. It was with that attitude that I climbed these hills… No one has ever climbed a hill forever and so I just kept moving up, and up, and up until finally the slope would yield and the trail was flat. On the flat ground now I was quite ready for the aid station to be there… Now! I checked my watch and the intersection with the one really big out and back on the course – the other four were <.5mi ea, but this one was ~5mi and downhill/uphill – was only .4mi away, so I picked up the pace. I ran past Jeremy curled up on the ground with his pacer standing over him. The pacer told me Jeremy was fine and just taking a 10min power nap. I mentioned to him how far down the trail the intersection was and then moved along. It turns out that he was grateful for the info, because he thought that he missed it and was about to go back down the trail to verify…
The downhill to the aid station was good trail with some downed trees that slowed progress. The trail took a turn and began going down along a canyon wall and I could see lights on the other side. I was sure it was the aid station, so I marked its location in my mind. I could see a light approaching from behind pretty quickly, Jeremy and his pacer, rejuvenated by their rest at the top of the hill were now bombing down it, flying past me and continuing down the trail. I was not feeling so fresh and was merely focusing on the bed that was awaiting me just on the other side of this canyon, but the trail never turned…
I had the location of the “aid station” in my head and was certain the trail would turn right at some point, but it wasn’t. My watch also had me listed as off the route, so I began to panic thinking that I had missed a turn. I worried for a minute, but then collected myself and continued down the trail. Shortly after my little crisis I located a dragon and was set at ease, but a lot of mental capital had been spent in the panic over route finding.
More than food though my first order of business was to get my feet taped up and taken care of. I suppose I could have done it, but the medical guy on staff, Nick, was available and so I asked if he could please work on them. He very kindly said that he could and set a chair to prop my foot on and went to town with mole skin and Leukotape. I am glad that I had him work on my feet, not only for those few minutes watching him tape my feet, which will be forever in my memory as how to tape a foot, but because it was great to just talk to Nick. We chatted about his travels for races and what Ultramedical does. I also mentioned to him that I had been thinking about a quote over the past miles “There are no extraordinary people. Just ordinary people who do extraordinary things.” I was just in awe of what was going on around me… That me and my fellow runners were doing this and none of us seemed extraordinary, and the volunteers… I had been hearing tales of their aid stations being open for days at a time and their commitment to helping us was what kept them going. In all I was just surprised by how when people all come together round a goal we can all succeed!
Now that I had a good tape job, clean socks, dry shoes, and a belly full of Avocado burger I was ready to depart! Only 17mi between me and what I saw as the last real cut off at Twin Sisters(mile 173.3). As I was putting on my back pack we could hear thunder coming from over the ridge. I didn’t have a rain jacket as it was in the bag of stuff I had given Emily to crew me. A friendly volunteer at the aid station named Kent offered me his nice North Face rain jacket. Turns out he was actually a racer, but had to drop early in the race because his shoes didn’t fit right. After his drop though he got right out on course and was helping runners… I accepted his jacket and arranged to give it back to him at the finish or possibly leave it in one of his drop bags at the next station. He said it was no problem and that he wanted me to be safe. I truly appreciated his gesture. I was debating the intelligence of heading out on trail with thunder so close, then I realized that if I waited much longer though the medical or aid staff may think better of it and hold me, so off I went. Just before I left there was a very nice lady that had been helping me. I believe her name was Lois. I looked at her and said “You look like a hugger” and just gave her a huge hug, thanked her for the excellent service and was on the trail again.
Thunder storm aside my pace was quickened by a want to arrive at the next aid station Twin Sisters, the penultimate aid station and the last true impediment to my completing the race. I heard from the Klickitat workers that the cut off at the next station was @ 4:30am. They had also told me that this section was 17.4mi and over 5kft of climbing, but none of them were more than 800ft at a time. I had been figuring my paces at 3mph(20min/mi), but this section was a lot of climbing and descending on vaguely marked trails… That pulled the pace down to a little better than 27min/mi. The slower pace was necessary though, because the trail was quite “reclaimed” at this point. There were downed trees that we had to climb over and places where you would march into a stand of bushes where it may appear others had been and proceed until you hopefully found a marker… I am not sure if it’s some innate tracking sense or if the few years I spent as a hasher taught me how to properly follow a “zen trail” With those skills, as well as leap frogging and Jeremy and his pacer, I was able to find my way thru the forest and then traversed an interesting section of trail that was once a path about 4ft wide cut into the side of the ridge. The trail bed was still there in most places, but occasionally it would wash out, or there was a small drainage, of course they would always occur at a place where the trail was the most overgrown and you needed to bull through it, only to find that it the footing was not level under you!
Eventually that overgrown, poorly marked section gave way and we made our way onto a forest service rd. My InReach allowed me to see my location on my phone, where the route went, so I could tell I was close to the better trail(I hoped).
Once on the road Jeremy and his pacer went ahead and for the second time I stopped to again try and catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower. I shut off my headlamp, laid down in the grass next to the trail, rested my head on my hydration pack and just stared up into the sky. Although I still didn’t catch a shooting star my poor eyes(and brain) were so tired that the stars began to vibrate and move. Nothing to vigorous, but it was fun to watch for a few minutes and my legs enjoyed the break. Soon enough though I got up and started my way up the next hill… It was at this point that I decided I wanted to be at the aid station and get some rest. My brain just needed to not be on, but I couldn’t sleep to shut it down until the aid station. I figured the next best thing for my brain to sleeping was to just stop thinking. I blocked all thoughts from my mind and just started doing. Using my hiking poles and my feet I would count in my head “1,2,3,4, reset,1,2,3,4,etc…” to the rhythm of whatever song was on my mp3 player. I could never run a whole race that way, but to be able to just stop thinking and let my body push on was liberating! I used this new found skill to climb the remaining hills in this section. I would simply keep my head down and count “1,2,3,4”.
My father used to tell me in lines at an amusement park or ski area, probably in response to my complaining about how long the line was, “no one has ever waited in this line forever”. It was with that attitude that I climbed these hills… No one has ever climbed a hill forever and so I just kept moving up, and up, and up until finally the slope would yield and the trail was flat. On the flat ground now I was quite ready for the aid station to be there… Now! I checked my watch and the intersection with the one really big out and back on the course – the other four were <.5mi ea, but this one was ~5mi and downhill/uphill – was only .4mi away, so I picked up the pace. I ran past Jeremy curled up on the ground with his pacer standing over him. The pacer told me Jeremy was fine and just taking a 10min power nap. I mentioned to him how far down the trail the intersection was and then moved along. It turns out that he was grateful for the info, because he thought that he missed it and was about to go back down the trail to verify…
The downhill to the aid station was good trail with some downed trees that slowed progress. The trail took a turn and began going down along a canyon wall and I could see lights on the other side. I was sure it was the aid station, so I marked its location in my mind. I could see a light approaching from behind pretty quickly, Jeremy and his pacer, rejuvenated by their rest at the top of the hill were now bombing down it, flying past me and continuing down the trail. I was not feeling so fresh and was merely focusing on the bed that was awaiting me just on the other side of this canyon, but the trail never turned…
I had the location of the “aid station” in my head and was certain the trail would turn right at some point, but it wasn’t. My watch also had me listed as off the route, so I began to panic thinking that I had missed a turn. I worried for a minute, but then collected myself and continued down the trail. Shortly after my little crisis I located a dragon and was set at ease, but a lot of mental capital had been spent in the panic over route finding.
When I finally arrived at the aid station I was mentally drained, even more than when I met Emily at Chain of Lakes. I just wanted to sit! I located the drop bag Emily had stashed for me and found a chair. In typical Emily fashion she had prepared an amazing drop bag with fresh clothes, socks, and an Ensure and Monster. Everyone at the aid station was so nice and friendly. Glen’s mom and Jeremy’s crew chief Libby especially wanted to be nice and helpful, but I was so drained though that I couldn’t really accept it. I just wanted quiet and actually said something to the effect of “I’m generally a really nice person, but right now I just can’t…” I wasn’t cranky, just unable to be happy, I needed rest! The volunteers and crew were very understanding of my situation and I did thank them for putting up with me when I woke up and made sure to thank both Glen’s mom and Libby after the race too. They showed me to the sleep tent and I told them I wanted a wake up around 3:30am, giving me about an hour and a half of sleep.
What a difference the little sleep made… I woke up and I was refreshed(ish) and ready to get to the last aid station! I stepped outside and found my way over to the chair at the aid tent. They were still cranking out bacon, hash browns, and scrambled eggs. I asked if I could have some and they loaded me up! 2 eggs scrambled, a pile of hash browns and bacon upon bacon; it was GLORIOUS!!! I ate my fill and was out of the station 10min before the cutoff. I remember passing Kate and another runner on my climb out of the aid station and thinking that they had missed the cutoff and feeling very bad that that was how their race would end at mile 175ish…
The climb back onto the ridge was not all that bad, as it was tempered by the knowledge that there were no appreciable climbs after this one! Up I went, back over the same trees I had wrestled a few hours before. Once on the ridge though, with the dawn gathering in the East and the terrain all downhill to the finish I was alive again! There were still more trees to climb over and the last climb up to Pompey Peak, but it finally became real that I was going to make it. That this thing was mine if I just keep on my feet and keep moving!
The trail began following a ridge and it surprised me how step the edges were. Although I was in the trees the trail was on a ridge only, maybe 20ft wide at times and the ridge’s sides dropped off steeply on both sides. The most impressive part to me was that the trees could still grow on such a steep angle. There were a lot of blow downs in this section and some were treacherous! Multiple trees that you had to climb over and then hop onto another tree, it reminded me of some obstacle races I’ve done. Climbing over one tree in particular, my foot slipped and I began falling toward bed of punji sticks! I swore that this slip was going to end in a gaping chest wound, but I managed to hop/shuffle myself to the side of the tree and realized, that could’ve been bad, and continued down the trail.
Halfway across the ridge I came to the final Out and Back, the climb up to Pompey Peak. It was step and loose in spots, but once I got to the top the view was amazing! My timing was such that the sun was just over the horizon as I reached the summit. To see Mount Adams was amazing. It’s now a small mountain visible on the horizon, when just yesterday it loomed so large above us. We were now in the presence of Rainier though! From the top of Pompey you can see the valley far below and Mt Rainier right there above everything…
After Pompey Peak we descended the rest of the ridge negotiating more blow downs, but finding generally nice trail. Then the trail ended and we were on an amazing forest service road. It had two wheel tracks and grass growing on the sides and in the middle, but it was a great road and we could run on it! The problem was that after four days I didn’t feel like running and most of the time it was a slow trot at best, but I wanted to move as fast as possible. A fellow runner said that it felt like hell, just going a few hundred feet down this road and then turning a corner only to find another couple hundred foot section followed by more road. Every corner it seemed greeted them with more road, but as with all things the aid station did finally show up for them.
The road just kept going and I couldn’t figure out why it was kind of abandoned. When I turned a corner it became apparent why it was abandoned… The entire road save about a 3ft stretch had been washed down the side of the ridge. The creek had washed the whole road away here and in a couple other places and it had just never been repaired.
The road just kept going and I couldn’t figure out why it was kind of abandoned. When I turned a corner it became apparent why it was abandoned… The entire road save about a 3ft stretch had been washed down the side of the ridge. The creek had washed the whole road away here and in a couple other places and it had just never been repaired.
The aid station was more bare bones than most of the others, but no one cared… It was staffed by two amazing volunteers that had been there for a long time, but were super helpful. I got my drop bag that Emily had once again so kindly gone ahead and place at the aid station, because she couldn’t meet me in person. I opened the bag and found an Ensure & a Ginger Brew waiting for me, but as I dug deeper in my bag I discovered that she had also left me a thing of beef jerky! I was touched!!! It was so nice to see that little gesture. I sat there eating beef jerky and drinking Ginger Brew slowly realizing that I had an entire day to do a half marathon on road…. I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT!!!!!
It took me a few minutes to get myself out of the aid station and moving along the road again. The road was actually quite steep for the first couple miles and really beat me up, but I tried to go as quickly as possible… It did finally level out onto a paved road with the sun beating down on you. It was approaching noon and I was getting hot. I noticed Glen and his wife up ahead and tried to “run” as fast as I could to catch up with them. After some time I was able to catch them and we shuffled along together for a while.
It was very nice to meet Glen’s wife. She was very kind and supportive of him and it was just nice to have her around. In addition to getting to meet Glen’s wife while I ran with them I also got to borrow his cheering squad! His mother and father were crewing him and since this was a road section they could wait at a pull off, cheer as he came by, and then go a mile down the road and do it again… It was so sweet!
We started running by people houses and they would have their sprinklers on watering their yard or garden. At one person’s garden where their sprinkler would spray on the road for several feet I stopped and waited. I just stood there and let the cold water ever so briefly splash on me before it continued on its path. Then it would come back again, each time hitting me with its brief chill I would gasp. It was briefly refreshing, but not totally enough to cool me off…
I tried running along the road section, but even a great cheering squad and flat road couldn’t make me run fast. I think that I may have had a max pace through this section of 12 min/mi, but my average was 15 min/mi. It was a very fast march, but I was determined to push on as quickly as possible.
Eventually I was so close to the school that I even knew where I was on the road. I knew that once I crossed the big bridge ahead of me all that was left was another mile or so to the school! I ran over the bridge and saw a convenience store directly on the route. I had carried a $20 bill with me the whole time and decided I wanted a Monster to celebrate with at the finish, so I headed in. It was kind of weird walking into a convenience store in full race gear, but I didn’t care… I got my drink and was back on the road.
The last mile was no easier than the previous ten on the road, but at least they lead to the finish. As I got within sight of the school I was amazed… I had done it!!! I turned in thru the high school’s parking lot and on to the track. There were a bunch of other finishers and crew all gathered around the finish arch as I made my way around the track on a 300m victory lap. Coming down that last 100m was amazing… I didn’t sprint on the way in, but I did give it everything I had… When I crossed the Finish line and passed thru the Bigfoot finish tape that Candice was holding up I was DONE! The clock had stopped for me at 100:41:xx. I had made it...
 |
| Photo: Jerry Gamez |
One of my first acts after collapsing to the ground in the shade was to text Emily and let her know I had finished and to thank her for making it possible!
All of my training and races this year, all of the experiences I had and people that I had met… In that moment of crossing the line they were all worth it. All of those events culminated in me crossing that line and I am not sure that without any one of them I could’ve been successful. The knowledge I gained from meeting so many amazing people this year at so many events helped me negotiate the physical and mental trials associated with running 200mi.
It really does take a village to raise an ultra runner… That’s not to say that people can’t find their way to ultra on their own, but I feel like that would be missing out on what makes ultra so special. When you have a community that can nurture, guide, and support you it is an amazing gift and something special. There is an African proverb that says “If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far go together.” And that couldn’t have been more true at Bigfoot. Whether it was on course with other racers and pacers or at every aid station with the volunteers and crew people, it felt like we were all truly in this together!
Oh, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the after party… It was a great, low key event with finishers parked in camp chairs drinking off the keg of Rogue that was provide and eating homemade tortilla pizzas that we assembled ourselves and then placed in the pizza oven Candice had arranged. It was amazing and we all partied celebrating the last few finishers and awaiting Kate’s arrival. She had made the cutoff after all and was now the last runner and was only a mile out. When she came onto the track she was chased the whole way round by a kid in the Bigfoot costume while everyone was cheering wildly. And after she crossed the finish line… That was it… The inaugural Bigfoot 200 was in the books. Of the 85 starters there was a 75% finish rate. The winner crossed the line in 65hrs and Kate crossed in 105hrs, almost two days later.
It was a spectacular experience, in a part of our country that I find amazing in its geology and wild life… To be able to spend over 4 days traveling fast and light thru it was amazing. I am not sure if I’ll do another 200 again, it would be on a case by case basis and I don’t know if I would go back to Bigfoot… Not that I didn’t love the race, far from it actually… I wouldn’t want to tarnish such a special experience and risk having a bad go of it next time. Everything came together so well for this one with weather, timing, and especially with Emily crewing for me. I think that is what made all the difference in my race and I wouldn’t want to do one without a solid crew and that is hard to come by. The gratitude I feel for Emily’s service is beyond word.
Excellent recap(s)!
ReplyDelete