Thanks a lot for getting me to this start line fellow Bimblers – namely (in no particular order) Allstate, Booman, Mr Wonderful, Bimble & FRH(shared) among many others, far too many to mention individually. I have missed the camaraderie we share on our trail runs this year and I dearly miss physically fitting into my old running gear too. It feels good to finally be running again and I also look forward to returning to the trails soon. My walk/run program will be complete in mid March so a 5K was tough for me at this stage of the game. When I told myself (and my brain is very influenceable as many of you know – especially on the run) that I was at mile 29 in a 50K – well,  then I felt great during the race! Running for me is a lot of things, a moving meditation, a time for creative problem solving, connecting with friends, fitness, a reason for eating less ice cream and consuming more greens including that whole “look better naked” aspect. Running really helped me to recover from surgery last year and no doubt it made chemotherapy more manageable too.

Life is a wide range of simple and complex experiences – some we choose for ourselves and some choose us. It seems unavoidable that we (in some but not all ways) become the sum of our experiences. I guess that is part of life and knowing that  ”the pain is only temporary”  does help.  There is no way I can express exactly how much the kind gestures and meaningful support from all of the Bimblers has meant to me this last year…. phone calls, texts, cards, hugs, walks, reports, all sorts of comforts. You have taught me how to be a kinder, more generous and less self-centered person. So far, I’ve been lucky in many ways. When people say to me – Last year was awful and that they hope next year is better, I do understand what they mean – truly I do. But for me it all had a happy ending and I have the opportunity to run with my friends again this year – I am grateful. Actually, last year turned out great.

Photos by Shaggy

So the Frosty was a very big deal to me and I hope to see you all out at more races and for training runs this year. I guess the message I’d like to share at this reflective time of year is the following. I think that Life’s purpose can be very simple.  I like to think is can all be summed up into the following…. Life’s purpose: To love, to make or create love and to be loved. Lean on a friend, be loved, love and know that you make a huge difference in the lives of those with whom you share it.

Running is a fantastic metaphor, I look forward to taking in the views, the heavy breathing and the endorphins with all of you in 2012!! WooHoo Have a wonderful new year everyone – I hope to see you all at the Pews!

Iggy

~ Winston Churchill

There was nothing normal about this experience. Certainly, normalcy is not an attribute of mine. Hellgate is not a normal 100K, in distance or demeanor. My training leading up to the race was anything but normal. The weather was not normal. My strategy was not normal. What a wonderfully weird day!

The race was a beginning, in that it was my first ever Hellgate. I will readily admit that the last time I had such race related butterflies was for my first ultra ever. Hellgate just has such an “aura” about it, and I had seen it, without experiencing it, twice before. The race was also an ending. It was the end of The Beast. While I could not say I was confident, I can say I was hopeful I could finish this off. Nothing short of death would cause me to DNF my way out of The Beast at Hellgate! The race also marked the end of an eventful year for me, both on and off the trail. Lastly, several friends were of the (mistaken) opinion that the end of the race would mark the end of facial hair for me … more on that later.

Chipper signed on early as crew / designated driver. I had been filling in for her the last 2 years, but I had taken the only honorable way out of crewing by registering for the race. At the last minute, we had two unexpected surprises: Booman was crewing too (very fortuitous for all) and El Toro could not race (this was an unfortunate, but warranted turn of events). So, Chipper, Spuds, Booman, Mr. Bimble, Loopy, and I set out for Camp Bethel. Other than road closures due to flooding, late starts, etc… the trip was uneventful. Dinner at the camp was unusually good, and the pre-race briefing was entertaining as always. David Horton has beaten the adjective “special” to death regarding this race, but it is TRUE. I hope Hellgate never changes. The drive to the start, expertly managed by Chipper, included our team plus Mike, a guy who Loopy had met and run with last month at MMTR. We assembled for the cold but not frigid start as prayers, and the Canadian and “real” (Horton’s term) National Anthems were sung.

At 12:01 AM we were off. Things started happening fast. Too fast. I could not believe the pace. I struggled to not lose sight of Loopy and Spuds. Nobody ever told me the start was like this. Flat, good footing, wide. For quite a way. I tucked in behind Loopy, refusing to allow a gap to open. In less than a mile, I saw Spuds blur and disappear, never to be seen again. Mr. Bimble I never saw at all from the word “go”. I was determined to follow Loopy closely, as I wanted someone with experience near me. I had told her before the race that I planned to “hang” with her, and she seemed very skeptical. By time we reached the first aid station, I was praying that I would manage to keep up with her. So, Loopy, Mike, and me formed a group of three and moved along, with Loopy leading the way, as Mike and I were both first-timers.

The trail quickly changed to “up”, and stayed that way, seemingly forever. AS #2 provided an opportunity to see Chipper and Booman, and get a report on Mr. Bimble and Spuds. Then we began the long slog up to the highest/coldest point on the course, the infamous Headforemost Mountain (AS #4). It was during this period that I began to wonder whether or not I would be able to keep Loopy in sight. We saw the crew again at Headforemost, and it is amazing what a friendly familiar face can do for your spirits! Booman and Chipper were awesomely helpful to us even while focusing on their “official” charge, Spuds. MANY thanks to both of them.

Past AS #4, my pace slowed, and my doubts increased. My lower right leg started developing severe pain, and I also needed to follow a side trail, both very bad signs. I bid adieu to Loopy, and told her I was hopeful I would see her later. I am not even sure she heard me. I got back on the trail fairly expeditiously, and decided to sprint to catch Loopy and Mike. I think that may have been my best decision of the entire race. I locked on to them in less than 15 minutes, and stayed there.

We were comfortably ahead of the cutoffs at Headforemost. Loopy announced that she was well off of her blistering pace from last year, but OK. That sounded good to me. The trail stayed challenging, but interesting, with a lost of variety, and sections of the Terrapin and Promise Land trails provided a little bit of comfortable familiarity. Loopy handed me breakfast when we arrived at Jennings Creek. Yum! We reached Bearwallow Gap a little past 11 AM, 1.5 hours ahead of the cutoffs. I took 4 vitamin I caplets there to dull the pain in my right leg. We saw Chipper and Booman, and off we went. It was in the next stretch that Loopy suffered the letdown that I suffered after Headforemost. Now it was me setting the pace for a while. She urged me to go ahead and “run my race”, but in reality, I was giving it everything I had. We pressed on, with all of our spirits dimming a bit. I started doing some bad math and wondered whether we might miss the cut-off. Sometime during this time, Kerry Owens (a Beast Finisher too), who had been back-and-forth with us many times, passed us quickly, indicating that she had some concerns about the cut-off too. This just made me worry more. We struggled our way to Bobblet’s Gap, possibly my favorite aid station anywhere (Spirit of 76 at VT is another contender, as is the Carlson Station at The Bluff… never mind, I guess I like ALL aid stations!). Logic told me, and I tried to convince Loopy, that the stretch from Bobblet’s to the last station, Day Creek, would be “easy” because it had to be mostly downhill. Unfortunately, experience told Loopy that they don’t call this section the Forever Section for nothing!

It did take forever. It is easily the cruelest part of the race. We got through it, but we were suffering from doubt, dehydration, delay, and maybe a little dementia as we pulled in to Day Creek. Loopy, a little bit alarmed by her condition and the lateness of the hour, didn’t even stop. My hydration pack had run dry miles ago, so I had to stop. She moved right on through walking up the final big three mile up hill. Mike and I caught up with her shortly thereafter, and she insisted we go ahead. I was very reluctant, but she was very slow, and we briskly walked away. Once we crested the ridge, with a three mile downhill to the finish, we debated continuing the walk or running slowly. We need not have debated. I had finally realized there was almost enough time to walk to the finish. My ibuprofen had worn off, and all I wanted was a finish.

Suddenly, only a few minutes later, Loopy came roaring past me and Mike. She was, as we say specifically for her, “on fire”. She was getting away from us! Mike seemed to be able to fall in behind her quickly, but I could not. The gap opened. She called back to me several times: “are you OK?” and I grunted “yes”. I decided to not tell her to “just go”, because I was afraid she might do just the opposite. Clearly, she wanted to break 17 hours. I decided that if she disappeared, so be it, and I would just do my best. Finally, the legs that had grown cold and still on the uphill loosened up, and the pounding downhill beat my leg pain to an “11″ at which point you really don’t feel it anymore. We hit the smooth dirt road with 1.5 miles to go, and I finally was able to match pace. Mike fell back a little. The “one mile” mark arrived, and Loopy picked up the pace again. That is the longest mile on the planet. Once inside the camp, we backed off just a bit and saw Booman cheering us in. And then, it was done. David Horton was there to congratulate us, as was Clark Zealand. We collected our Hellgate and Beast schwag, hit the showers, and headed out.

The traditional Saturday night meal in Staunton was fun, and well deserved. We all toasted with our Bimblers back in CT, at least in spirit Sunday morning we hit the road, and were home before dark.

So, here I sit with no future races paid for, a situation I have not known in over a year. No firm plans for races next year. Actually, no firm plans for much of anything. Except the beard…

POSTSCRIPT: This is the first race where I have experienced the help of Bimblers from afar, at aid stations, and on the trail. I heard a “WOOHOO” at 9:18 AM which I assume had wafted down from East Rock. Was that you, Snobody? I received aid at the stations, most notably from Booman who loaned me his glittens. Lastly, and most importantly, I had the amazingly good fortune of running as part of a team, something I have never done during a race before. Loopy and I took turns pulling each other through the tough parts, although she did most of the heavy lifting. Thank you one and all.

POST POSTSCRIPT: I ran this race for IGGY, and I did my best to project some of the amazing views back along the same channel that carried the WOOHOOs southward. IGGY, did you see it? It was beautiful.

The Beast endeavour, like all true adventures began for me as a convergence of occurrences that pulled me in to the six race series of mountain trail ultramarathons.  Initially, there was Hellgate, a 100km race that I had finished 4 times from 2007 to 2010.  Going into 2011, I was therefore vying for the coveted 5 time finisher’s award.  Shortly after finishing Hellgate 2010, occurrence number 2 came in the form of my friend Jay (Forrest) informing me that his goal was to complete the Beast series in 2011.  He was wondering if there would be any other participants of the individual races for company during the 9h-ish drive to all of the races in the Lynchburg region of the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains.  There was talk in the running group that folks would be interested in joining him for Promiseland 50km (race number 3 in April), Mountain Masochist 50 miler (race number 5 in November) and, of course, Hellgate 100km (race number 6 in December).  However, I was sure that Forrest would need company for the drive down to all of the races in the beast series.  As well as the three races mentioned above, there is also Holiday Lake 50km (race number 1 in February), Terrapin Mountain 50km (race number 2 in March) and Grindstone 100 miler (race number 4 in October).  Holiday Lake, Terrapin Mountain, Promiseland and Mountain Masochist also comprise their own four race sub-series, known as the ‘Lynchburg Ultra Series’ which allows runners to run the ‘shorter’ races without having to deal with the ‘toughest hundred miler in the East’ Grindstone and the infamous Hellgate.  In signing up for the Lynchburg Ultra Series (LUS), one is automatically entered into the Beast. 

Thus, I decided that I would sign up for the Lynchburg Ultra Series to accompany Forrest at the shorter races when he may need some driving company.  This would also help me to fulfill my running goals for the year.  With my determination to finish my fifth Hellgate, this meant that I would only sit out of Grindstone as I had previously claimed to be ‘retired’ from 100 milers.  Occurrence number 3 then cropped up as another friend, Jerry (Mr Bimble), a highly experienced ultrarunner and 8 time finisher of Hellgate discussed his running plans for the year on an early January training run.  “I’ll run Grindstone if you do” he said to me.  “OK” I said back.  Thus, I committed myself to the entire Beast series, although I realistically was more focused on ensuring I get through the LUS and finish Hellgate.  Grindstone and the Beast were secondary priorities, at least at that point.

Hence, I dove head-first into training as soon as I had recovered from Hellgate 2010 in preparation for the first race of the 2011 series, Holiday Lake 50km.  My training partners, as well as Mr Bimble and Forrest also included Carrie (Loopy) who, along with myself and trendsetter Forrest had committed to the entire Beast series.  Most of my training, was spent with my wife Jen (Chipper) and our dog Ellie, a German Shepherd mix and a fanatic trail runner.  We had also just adopted a second dog, Skip.  Skip is a border collie mix and although he has plenty of energy he would take some time to get up to speed on trail running.  Of all my training partners, Ellie has to be classified as the greatest motivator for cold, early morning training runs as she carefully noted run mornings and would incessantly harass us out of bed and onto the trail after the alarm rang. 

The training for Holiday Lake proved to be tough.  Connecticut had one of its snowiest winters in recent memory and Chipper, Ellie and I (and occasionally Skip on the shorter runs) were confined to one set of trails that would allow for up to a 3h run.  The heavily snowpacked trails meant wearing yaktraks and sometimes snowshoes.  If Holiday Lake was to be snow-covered as it had been in the past, this training would be perfect.

Forrest, Loopy and I arrived at Holiday Lake to no snow and temperatures of 25^oF (race start) and 50^oF (high for the day).  As the racecourse is mainly double-track trail and is fairly flat (the only one of the Beast races which is not in the mountains), this meant that we were in for a lot of flat-out running.  After the race started, that is precisely what happened.  During the course of the race, my legs progressed to a degree of acute soreness that I only normally experience during road marathons (in trail races, my legs get extremely fatigued and tired, but never usually acutely sore).  Nearing the end of the run, I was absolutely ready to be finished running and was relieved when I crossed the finish line.  The quickness of the course reflected in my time, a PR for me at the 50km distance.  Both Forrest and Loopy also finished strongly and we all headed back in tact ready to continue our adventures the next month at Terrapin Mountain.

The Terrapin Mountain and Promiseland 50Ks were both similar in course style and had their own unique hills and challenges.  I enjoyed both and had very uneventful experiences – with the exception of Loopy giving me a scare at the midpoint of Promiseland when she said that she’d thought she’d broken her leg in a fall.  She muddled through the second half of the race (beating me handily in the process!) and fortunately her leg recovered sufficiently to leave her injury free for the majority of Grindstone training.  At Promiseland, Forrest, Loopy and I also had the exceptional company of a number of other members of our CT running crew, including Chipper and all had very successful outings.

After Promiseland, the training for the longest race, the 100+ mile Grindstone began.  It got off to a stuttering start for me. I had a lot of work-related travel in June and even when I was at home, my core training partners were away – Chipper was also out traveling a lot at this time, so Ellie and Skip went to stay with Chipper’s parents for a couple of weeks.  The end of this travel period was marked by July 4^th and Chipper and I were to head to her parents for the holiday weekend.  The day before we were due to leave, we got the news that Ellie had died very suddenly.  By all accounts it sounded like a heart attack or stroke or something that fortunately caused her very little suffering and was very quick.  It was a very sad day for Chipper and I as Ellie had been a key part of our small family since the beginning. 

Despite these events of life occurring, Grindstone training continued and I felt reasonably well prepared for the race when it arrived although I struggled to remain confident in my ability to finish.  Especially after I got out onto the course and found out how challenging it was!  The race was not without its moments including missing my crew – Chipper and my parents – at one aid station (for a full story and a outside view on ultrarunning, read Dad’s crew report at http://collinda.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/grindstone-2011/) and some second night confusion that led to me wondering if I was actually seeing trail markers or just imagining them and even mistaking a trail marker for Chipper.  I decided I needed to call it quits and told Chipper and my parents as much when I arrived at the next aid station at about mile 78.  Chipper, however was having none of my nonsense and quickly got me out of the aid station and back on the trail before I had time to put up any sort of protest.  She paced me for the remaining few hours with my parents meeting us at the aid stations.  When I finished the race, I felt like I’d accomplished something very special but only with a great deal of help from so many different people and places: Chipper, my parents, other crews – notably Loopy’s crew of Hillary (Soupergirl) and Thomas (El Toro) who were fantastic at supporting not only Loopy, but being a back-up crew for me! – and all of the smiles and concerns of other runners, pacers and crews along the way.  Although I feel that a highly supportive “we’re-all-in-this-together” spirit is commonly found at ultrarunning events in a way not found in road marathoning, for me Grindstone typified this feeling of camaraderie.  At the end of the day, I was very, very happy with my finish and view it as perhaps my greatest running achievement.  This one’s for you, Ellie!

The Masochist provided a completely different challenge for me than Grindstone.  I am a very consistently paced runner (as evidenced by my Hellgate finishing times across the years) and do not like to be hurried into a pace that doesn’t suit me.  At Masochist I was pressed by the cut-off for the entire race.  I don’t think I got more than 20 minutes ahead of cut-off all day.  I found this to be an incredible drain, to the point where I could not think about anything else but the time.  Time to eat?  No, got to run.  Time to take a side trail for relief?  Nope, maybe later when I’ve got my time cushion larger.  Time to drink, chat, laugh, cry?  Only if I’m running at the same time.  Nowhere was this more apparent than the second to last aid station.  I came in with 6 minutes to spare and overheard talk by the station workers of starting to shut up shop and what to do with runners that had to be pulled from the race.  I probably spent all of 15 seconds at the aid station before beating a hasty path onwards for fear that the cut-off Grim Reaper would appear behind me on the trail and deftly rugby-tackle me to the ground and out of the race.  Fortunately this feeling was (relatively) short-lived as I made it to the final aid station with 15 minutes to spare and an almost assured finish.  The finish line was certainly a beautiful site when I finally arrived and waiting for me there were my fellow Connecticut Beast contenders (and now LUS finishers) who had both ended with a little more of a time buffer than me.

So, all now focused on Hellgate.  I did virtually no training between the Masochist and Hellgate for a number of different reasons but given how much I had riding on this one race – the Beast and a 5-time finish – I felt that I could possibly make it through on adrenaline alone.  Loopy and Forrest were also excited for their second and first potential Hellgate finishes respectively and Mr Bimble (where were you at Grindstone, Mr B?!) was also joining us with his aim of making it 9 for 9.  Finally, crewing us all (but primarily me…) were Chipper and another close running friend Suresh (Booman).  From the start, fueled by adrenaline and prerace lasagna I set what was for me a very quick pace.  Although I remember feeling somewhat concerned that I may suffer because of it later in the race, I continued on and found that I was able to keep up a decent clip until the last two sections when I started to slow somewhat.  Throughout the race I managed to keep well fed and hydrated and came into the last aid station craving my eighth cup of chicken soup (thanks aid station workers!!).  I quickly downed this and pushed on up the final hill to the Blue Ridge Parkway before pulling out what I planned to be my last bite to eat of the race – a small corner of a PB&J.  One bite and I ingloriously lost the entire contents of my stomach in front of two or three unfortunate passing runners (my sincerest apologies!).  Fortunately, the finish was about 3 miles away, all downhill and now with an empty and placid stomach I ran down the hill and through Camp Bethel to the finish line.  The beast was done and I could now proudly say I had joined the special group of 5 time Hellgate finishers.

In reflection, the Beast was an awful lot of running, not only during the races, but even moreso in training.  Friends and colleagues who do not run ultras ask me why I do this and I commonly reply with climber George Mallory’s answer to the question of why try to climb Everest – “Because it’s there”.  In the end, the greatest pleasure I get from these races is reminiscing about what happened during them with fellow runners and crew.  The same race can be vastly different for each person and reliving each race and adventure can satisfy hours of conversation.  I look forward to plenty of these conversations with Forrest, Loopy, Chipper, Mr Bimble and all others that made this series successful for all three of us Beast finishers from Connecticut.

How do I tell her I want to this again next year?

Those who can remember my only previous race report about a successful 100 Miler may remember the vague sense of “obligation” that permeated my report, and the lack of “fun” I seemed to have had. And that was after an “easy” (no such thing!) 100, Vermont.

Three different years, three different 100s… The first try, an unsuccessful attempt at the (then) Iroquois (now) Virgil Crest 100. Virgil Crest has become my symbol, my focal point, my mythical Waterloo. After Virgil Crest, I quickly realized that I was broken down physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What I didn’t realize (we rarely do in those kind of times) was that things would get better. The second try was Vermont. My arduous struggle to right my wrongs, heal my wounds, and fix my head has been documented in this venue, already. Astute readers, Bounce foremost among them, noted that it sounded like Vermont was done not for “the love of it” but to settle a score. Once again, I was too stubborn to really see it. I definitely had attained a physical redemption of sorts, but I was still “wandering in the woods” emotionally and spiritually. So, in the same way that I realized, shortly after Virgil Crest, that I had “bottomed out”, shortly after Vermont I realized it was time to start climbing up. And so, I did.

I set goals for myself, challenging but hopefully attainable. I started treating everything like a race.
First Rule: Constant Forward Momentum. Seriously. Every day.
Second Rule: Walk With A Purpose. That one is tricky. I depended greatly on several Bimblers to teach me that one; to teach me that the First Rule needs to be done sustainably. That means you have to slow down sometimes, a lot, but you don’t have to stop. You can’t stop, there are cut-offs. Think about that…
Third Rule: It is never all good or all bad. Mr. Bimble told me that a long time ago about 100s. You have to adjust to the problems you encounter along the way, and you need to know that things will get better, and worse, as you move forward. He was right, they do.
Fourth Rule: Deal with NOW. You can’t change the past, and you can’t change the future if you don’t get there intact. So work on the present.

So, despite my somewhat somber mood post-Vermont, I took away from that race a sense of what I, with a lot of determination, and the help of my friends, could accomplish. I decided to declare myself to be “at the turnaround” for my 50th birthday. A little too early to “smell the barn”, but believing that I could pick up the pace with some confidence of success. I committed myself to signing up for The Beast, and also to getting everything else “in order” whatever that meant.

My life got very busy, in good ways and bad, but perhaps the most encouraging sign of all was that I ran less. Really. I know, you don’t believe me, but it is true! To train for a big year of races (six 50Ks, one 100, one 50M, and one 100K), training had to take priority, but not exclusively so. I had other important things to get done. But here’s the good news I found out: Running towards a goal is less of a burden AND less time consuming, than “running away”. I was done with running away, and that has made ALL of the difference.

Oh yeah, that’s right, there was a Grindstone race report in here somewhere, right?

Was I ready?

Undertrained? CHECK
DNF’d at last race? CHECK
Well Rested? huh? what’s that?

On a mission? Greatest Crew Imaginable? Surrounded by AWESOME people? CHECK! CHECK! and CHECK!

The team of Bounce / Ultra / Forrest (aka “The Boys from ‘Staven”) had proven itself out at Wasatch. I had total faith that we would thrive together at Grindstone too, and we did. My BeastMates, Loopy and Spuds had similar confidence in their teams, as well they should. Also, I was sure there would be a synergy with three crews “on the ground” that would be beneficial in many ways, none of which I could actually imagine.

We all converged on Swoope, VA at varying times from varying points on the compass. Loopy accompanied (?) Bounce, Ultra, and me in her car (scratch your head here) Thursday AM. We arrived in Hamburg for stops at Cabela’s, Hecky’s, and Ultra’s Aunt Betty’s / Uncle Luke’s on time and feeling fine. Ultra bought the brightest possible headlamp on the planet, having been “left in the dark” at Wasatch. We concluded our trip at the post-Hellgate “rubber ducky” hotel in Staunton, an easy 20 minute drive from the race site in Swoope, VA. Sometime around our arrival time, Loopy’s teammates, El Toro and the runner-subsequently-known-as SouperGirl departed CT in my vehicle, with most of my race supplies in their care (drive carefully, El Toro, please). Meanwhile, Spuds was flying in from Colorado, with one of his crew, Chipper, still there through midday Friday, and the rest of his crew, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, picking him up at the airport. We all, except for Chipper, arrived at the race mid-day Friday. We had about 6 hours to eat, sign-in, get informed, set up tents, meet and mingle, arm-wrestle (?), win prizes, etc… Live music lightened the mood, but the smell of fear did permeate the site as the afternoon wore on. I had done little to get ready ahead of time, so it was easy to keep busy all afternoon. Finally, all but Chipper converged on the start line, 6PM arrived, and we departed.

There is a circuitous route through/around the boy scout camp, such that after 1.5 miles or so, you get to say “goodbye” to your crew again. This feature would prove downright cruel on the return. Still, races require photo-ops, and this was our one last opportunity to smile for our crews’ cameras. I lost track of Loopy and Spuds a little before 2 miles, and would only see them once more during the race. Shortly thereafter, the trail turned REALLY technical. Kind of like what Westwoods would be like if you removed all the mud and dirt, and left only the rocks and roots. Fortunately, it was pretty flat. Then the technical stopped, and the hills started. I shouted a guy back from a missed turn, making a deposit in the karma bank. We all suspected we would need our headlamps before the first aid station, and we definitely did. The first aid station, Falls Hollow, would be easy to skip, except that the next aid station was over nine hard miles away. I stopped to eat and drink, and moved on, quickly. The next section included a ridiculously steep gravel road ascent to the top of Elliot’s Knob. So steep you almost had to laugh, and wonder, about what the return trip would be like. I passed lots of runners hiking up the road, in stealth mode, with my headlamp off and the almost full moon illuminating the way. I shouted another guy back from another missed turn, and he corrected me. It was I who took a turn prematurely. There went my karma balance

After Elliot’s Knob, the stretch to the second aid station, Dry Branch Gap, was crazy. Mostly downhill, moderately steep, extremely “exposed”, and full of big loose rocks that slid, rolled, and clattered underfoot. I lost sight of most of my fellow runners, but was reminded of their presence by the sound of rock striking rock, knees striking rock, and expletives being shouted. I resolved then and there that I would not return over this section of trail alone. Ultra would have his pacing work cut out for him. I also believed that there was NO WAY the entire course could be this nasty, and I was right. Every so often, the bright and low moon would line up directly behind me, and I would wonder what “crazy reckless runner” would try to pass on this stretch of trail, not realizing it was the moon chasing me.  On the subject of “bright”, I found that I could not afford to save batteries. If I was going to find trail markers and stay upright, I needed my brighter lamp on the brightest setting.

Things got better after Dry Branch Gap, or seemed to. Maybe the trail did not get more tame, maybe it was the promise of seeing Bounce and Ultra at the next station, Dowells Draft, that made everything seem a little bit better. They moved me in and out pretty efficiently, as we had all learned at Wasatch that it is easy to waste too much time at aid stations, ESPECIALLY at crew stations! Besides, I was doing OK, hydrating, eating, keeping it all in, and my pace was dead-on. Oh yeah, about the pace thing…

OK, so, the stated goal was to finish. That plan evolved a little as race day approached. I gave my crew (with a little prodding from Loopy) my three goals, in a very particular order:

1) Finish. That was what mattered most.

2) Finish healthy. Healthy enough to leave me in adequate condition to run Mountain Masochist one month later.

3) (The “Loopy Challenge”) Finish fairly quickly, but NOT to put goals 1 or 2 at risk. What was “quickly”? Well, I had readily available accurate data for the splits to do 29 hours. I thought that was ridiculously fast, but the numbers were readily available, and I foolishly (but ultimately correctly) assumed a 29 hour run over those brutal 101.85 miles would be good enough to win my division.

So, 22 miles in and feeling OK and on pace, Bounce made the decision to manage me to my 29 hour goal, and Ultra would pace me to it.

On I went, while the trail went easy then hard, up then down, rocky then smooth. I encountered a runner in distress, but when I inquired as to whether I could help, he cheerfully replied that he was OK, “just a broken leg”, and not to worry, he would be fine. The next time I saw my crew was at North River Gap, mile 36. There was a roaring fire, and an empty chair, a dangerous combination. BUT, it was the “lucky chair”, transported all the way from Wasatch. Ultra had sat in it, and look how his race turned out, so what harm could there be? In truth, neither I, nor my crew can remember whether or not I sat. If I did, it was brief, and we are sure I did not sit anywhere else for the entire race. The next crew station would not be for another 30 miles, and it was still cold and dark, and it was hard to leave.

The hills got bigger, but the path grew smoother. I got to Reddish Knob, the high point on the course, just before sunrise. The view was priceless. Well, OK, it can be had for several hundred dollars and a few thousand miles of  training, but I digress. There were a couple of friendly-enough teenage boys hanging out there, verifying that we tagged the summit. Sadly, they could not absorb the “beauty all around them”, despite my stopping to explain it all to them. I asked for a cheeseburger at the base of the knob, but none were ready. I ordered one for the return trip, as I would be back at this station on the return trip, in about 7 miles. Bang. Just the thought of a cheeseburger triggered my classic ultra-gastrointestinal-response mechanism, and things went downhill from there, even as I climbed up.

The sun rose, and I was watching the lead runners come back at me, and I gave a shout out to Deb Livingston as she powered up a switchback on the road on her return trip. Soon, I caught up with my crew at the non-station where pacers may join. I told Ultra I needed him, NOW! He obliged and headed out on the short uphill to the turnaround with me. I think he was worried I was “keeping” him for the rest of the race. Little did he know, I wanted to save him for “the fun part” later. Bounce and Ultra continued to ply me with my favorite foods, and managed my eating / drinking / lubing / etc… One note to crews / runners… I kept asking about Loopy and Spuds, wanting to know how they were doing. I kept getting positive reports on Spuds, and little info. on Loopy. Even in my fatigued stupor, I KNEW that meant Loopy was struggling. “I am SLOW, but not STUPID” (That’s my mantra). Anyway, shame on me for asking, and I quickly got my head together and determined to run my own race, stay in the “here” and the “present”, and worry about everything else later and elsewhere. In short order, I crossed Spuds and Loopy (time out for a quick “hey” and a hug), then I got the full story from Ultra. Spuds was his typical unflappable self, but Loopy had gone through an exceptionally low point unusually early in the race. Fortunately, by time I had the whole story, it was obvious that Spuds was Spuds, and Loopy was back on track.

Ultra paced along with me for a while, and I came to a startling realization: I was having fun. No, really, like, really having fun. Despite my pain and distress, my pace was staying intact. For better or worse, I gained enormous confidence that I would finish. Similarly, I had a lot of faith that my fellow Bimblers would finish, and that the day would stay nice, and that I would be able to eat and drink, and that yes, the running, walking, eating, and drinking would be ENORMOUSLY difficult, and it would all end OK! So, at the next crew access station, North River Gap (mile 66), I told Ultra that while I appreciated his company, he could take a break. I also assured Bounce, who was fastidiously monitoring my intake and pace, that I was sticking to the master plan. Shortly thereafter, I met up with Joe From Maine. I don’t know that I have ever run for such a long distance with one other individual during a race. We talked a lot and the time flew by. Eventually, Joe seemed stronger, and my caloric challenges convinced me that I should slow down, so I sent Joe ahead, not wanting to slow him down. I did not believe I would see him again. I would find out later that not only would I see him again, but I had also seen him before!

As it turns out, Joe had REALLY picked up my pace. The plan was for Ultra to rejoin me at Dowells Draft, mile 80. This was the last crew station I could be confident of reaching before dark. Well, I ran into Dowells Draft about 1/2 hour ahead of the master plan. What to do? Push on, alone, into the soon to fall twilight? Sit around and wait for my crew, who might have suffered a mishap? I consulted with Anita Finkle, who was crewing her husband Jay. The Finkles are known to several Bimblers, and are all around great people. She offered me a caffeine supplement, which I desperately needed, and advised me to go on, alone. She also offered to fire Ultra and Bounce on my behalf, if they arrived before Jay departed I asked her to not do so, as I might need Ultra and Bounce later that night! I opted to press on alone. JUST as I was headed into the woods, I spotted my crew walking up the road. I jokingly displayed my shrugged shoulder, upraised palms look, the universal “WTF?” gesture, making sure to have a smirk on my face. I told Ultra, yet again without warning, “let’s go”. He bounded into the woods after me, without so much as a handheld bottle for gear!

Moments later, Jay Finkle caught up to me, and the three of us pressed on. Jay said that he was confident he would reach the crew station at mile 88, Dry Branch Gap, without a headlamp, and Ultra agreed that was a fine plan. And so, we did. After Dry Branch Gap, it grew cold and dark almost immediately. This was where I really needed Ultra, and he truly “shone” with his new 140 lumen toy. Bounce got me rigged up for the night, and I knew he would be waiting at Falls Hollow for any “home stretch” details. Once we got over the horrible rocky, scary, impossibly long uphill stretches, Ultra told me that I should “watch and learn” from Jay Finkle, that he (Jay) would fly on the downhills. I watched a lot and learned a little. Jay disappeared into the distance. Ultra and I pressed on in the lonely darkness. Soon, Ultra spotted a slightly confused and slightly lost runner ahead. It was Joe from Maine. A new gang of three was formed, and we pressed ahead. Ultra was key in sticking to the course, which Joe and I doubted at several times. The trip down the impossibly steep hill from Eliotts Knob was crazy, and I kept on looking/hoping for a turn on to a trail that went UP, or at least flat. Ultra correctly insisted that we keep slip-sliding down, down, down. The road flattened, and a “mile to go” sign appeared. Darn!  it was a mile to the aid station, not a mile to the finish! Joe fired up on the flat, and moved ahead. Ultra paced me from in front, trying to get me to speed up, but jogging the flat road seemed enough for me.

We moved through that last aid station quickly, with no complaint from Bounce. He declared me “on pace”, but I assured him and Ultra that the last section was BRUTAL. Impossibly steep hills, ridiculously dangerous footing, and an utter lack of trail markings, you name it. In retrospect, and after consultations with Ultra, it would appear that my recollections of that part of the course were slightly skewed by my soreness and fatigue. We caught back up with Joe from Maine, and headed uphill. The last 5 or 6 miles were basically an uphill stretch with good footing, a downhill stretch with fair footing, a flat stretch with lousy footing, and then the aforementioned wandering through the boy scout camp. Somewhere on the downhill, things really clicked for me. Ultra commented that I developed some sort of crazy gait that was neither walk nor run, but was definitely quick. I ran away from Ultra and Joe, but Ultra shouted at me to keep on going. I did. I came into the camp, and headed back out. Then, headed out to loop around the lake, I saw the “1 mile to go” sign. I had only 10 minutes to get my 29 hour finish. Could I really run a 10 minute mile, now? I flat out sprinted. I didn’t waste any time looking for course markings. I just trusted my feet to follow the most obvious path. I finally came to the dam, and had to climb down into the spillway, run across, then up the opposite side. Ouch!

Once over the dam, I could run, pretty fast. I came into the “chute” and it was very quiet. Bounce appeared, and Ultra too! He had taken a shortcut once I had left him. The finish was awesome, and gratifying, and FUN. I hugged the totem pole to make the finish official, and gratefully accepted my buckle from the RD (Clark Zealand). I IMMEDIEATELY asked for my Hellgate application, but was told David Horton had gone to bed. Before 11PM, in the middle (OK, closer to the end) of the race?

Bounce, wisely, headed to the tent to sleep. He knew he would be doing the bulk of the driving on Sunday. After calming down, and getting some post-race food with Ultra, I wandered through the woods to the showers. It took me forever to find them in the dark, and then it took forever to find my way back to the finish. Seriously, it must have been 1AM by time I got back there. I settled into a chair, wrapped my sleeping bag around me (it was COLD), and waited for Loopy and Spuds. I knew I would not miss them, because their crews would assemble before they appeared, right???? Well, almost. El Toro, wanting to finish with Loopy and SouperGirl, ran right past me sitting there and I did not even see him, nor him me. So, of course, despite my waiting there forever, it was at the EXACT moment that I entered the building for a cup of coffee that Loopy crossed the line! I was back outside before she hugged the pole. I eventually guided her to the showers (getting lost, again), then we both settled in to wait for Spuds, while El Toro and SouperGirl headed to sleep. The wait for Spuds, with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and eventually Ultra, was not long. What an awesome feeling to have all three of us over the line.

Spuds and company headed off to their luxurious lodgings while Loopy and I hobbled back to the tent, hoping to not wake Ultra and Bounce. Moments (hours?) later, it was time for breakfast, awards, etc… It turned out that, just as I had dared to hope, my 29 hours was good enough for a division “first”.

The bottom line… This race was BIG fun. Why? Well, because it was hard. Crazy hard. Like, so hard you just had to laugh at it, and realize that there would be no shame in not finishing, which removed all the pressure. Why? Because of the company. Loopy,  Spuds,  Bounce,  Ultra,  Chipper,  El Toro,  SouperGirl,  Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head.  How could this NOT be a fun weekend? Why? Because if a little bit of sleep-deprived silliness is fun, imagine TWO nights without sleep, back-to-back. Things get REALLY strange! Why? Because we all “won”, meaning we get to go to MMTR, and continue the Beast-Quest. WOOHOO!

No matter how you think about it, it’s always a gamble…any race…any time…something can take you out of the game. For me, I know my weaknesses, all night, sleep deprivation, and always my mind.  From the beginning of the Beast, right at Holiday Lake, I started picking everyone’s brains about being up 2 nights at GS100 and used all I could of those techniques at Hellgate. I carried a big can of Red Bull in my pack, I had a mantra for the dark hours, and one for the daylight hours. Luckily, as I had started 2 Hellgates, the last 2 years, I knew what to expect in starting the race, so I was relaxed. I knew what to pack, I was however coached in how much time to think about changing before actually changing, haha. It is a bit of a wait from the end of the prerace briefing until it’s time to drive to the start.

I had planned to run the race with a fellow runner I met at MMTR, as long as we could keep in pace we would run together, his name is Mike. What I did not know was that Forrest intended to accompany me at Hellgate as well, as long as I was making the cutoffs. Chipper and I had also preplanned for her to take my car to the start so she could drive all the runners to the start and crew from there. At 10:50pm we were off, getting to the start with some time to spare, checked in, and stepped up to the start. The Canadian National Anthem was sung by 2 Canadian runners and then The Star Spangled Banner was sung by the rest of us. After that we rounded the gate with one min count down, Horton stepped out of the way, and off we went.

The start is flat and fast and some might wonder “are we going too fast?”, we are, fast enough to fall into the mud and again into the deepest water crossing…soaking my gloves, my ear cover(which I was holding at the time) and my sleeves up to my elbows. But you really only have a second to think about it and BAM! You’re on your way up the first of many, many climbs. A little concern was freezing hands and ears, so when we pulled into aid station 2, I asked Chipper if she would not mind trying to dry the gloves and ear wrap on the dash heater in the car and I could get them back next time I saw them. I knew I would be at risk of freezing on the way up to Headforemost Mtn but at least I might have them back once I got there. Chipper said she would try to dry them and then an Angel appeared, he looked just like Suresh, and he offered me his gloves and an orange hat that he pulled out of his pocket. How grateful I was ALL night and day for those gloves and the hat, and I never wear hats, but they were warm and wonderful!

After aid station 2, we got into a pretty good rhythm, the three of us and we moved right along. There was a tired point but I drank my Red Bull and woke up pretty quick. At the end of a long single track downhill, we came out onto the road and began the climb to Headformost Mtn, I checked my watch and knew I would be behind the time I wanted to get there but plenty ahead of the cutoff, and I stuck to my mantra, the sun will come out. We reached Headforemost at 5:50 am, 50 mins ahead of the cutoff.  The first worry out of the way, we refueled and moved on out. The next section had some fun downhill and I lead the charge down, down, down to Jennings Creek, which comes fast because not only are you running downhill but the lamps go off and the sun DOES in fact come up!

With the sum up and the “breakfast” aid station now behind us we headed up to Little Cove Mtn aid station. We met up with some other chatty runners on this section and we moved along well. We climbed up to Little Cove and it actually looked like it was closing when we got there, so I cruised through. Next up, Bearwallow Gap, with the second cut off of 12:30, and an 8 mile section to get there. Time to move quick which I think we did. We did a nice job of taking turns all day leading the group.  We reached Bearwallow Gap at 11:15am. Chipper and Suresh were there to greet us and take care of any of our needs. I knew they had been out freezing since midnight and they were still smiling for us. They were awesome! We departed and said we would see them at the finish, as they would be off now to run with Spuds, who was having a SPECTACULAR day!!

We left Bearwallow and about a mile later I crashed. This section of the race between Bearwallow Gap and Bobblets Gap is my favorite and I wanted to run, and I tried to keep up but it was tough. I urged Mike and Forrest to go on ahead, I told them I would get myself to the finish, but they stayed, and we pushed and pushed through to Bobblet’s Gap aid station, which had some awesome blue bubbly stuff to drink. I have to find out what that was! Out and down from there is some painful downhill for several miles and on and on and on in the forever section! And when you are not feeling well… it really takes forever. This section is advertised as 8 miles and it took 2:30 to complete. I was not moving THAT slow! (OK maybe I was J) We reached the final aid station at Day Creek but, right before we jogged in I had taken 3 advil and Mr. Bimble’s expresso gu (he gave me when we were getting ready back at Camp Bethel). I was at a nice low at this point and I chucked my trash in the can, told Forrest I was going to keep walking, that I knew he and Mike would catch up.

Most of the time aid stations are a welcome sight but very occasionally aid stations are a great place to stop. I was in tears, as some of you Bimbler’s have already seen, I am good at that during difficult races and sometimes not so difficult races, and I knew if I stopped there I might just not go on, and who wants to quit at the end game right, so I just kept going like nothing was there, no way out. The day time mantra, you never have to do it again after this, just finish this, sang in my head, it’s long I know but it worked! Forrest and Mike eventually passed me and headed out of sight on the climb. Lucky for me the advil and the expresso kicked in and I was able to climb a little faster on the second half and before I knew it I could see the gate to cross the Blue Ridge Pkwy, the last crest of the day, and downhill into the finish. I started to run down the hill and I was picking up to full speed when I saw the boys ahead. I looked at my watch for kicks and saw that if we moved along quickly enough we could get in before 17 hours, nothing like a goal in the very last stage. They said OK and down we went. We reached the lodge at Camp Bethel at 16:53 and change, with David Horton there to greet us for the last race as Beast participants! He brought us into the lodge and announced our finish to the onlookers (mostly other runners who were hanging around). We received our Beast Trophies from Clark Zealand, our Beast shirts and our Hellgate shirts as well.

It has been quite a year in 2011. The Beast was amazing. I could not have completed it if I did not have an amazing family, a mom who never lets me down, and children and friends that are really extended family, who support me in all that is important to me. Not just running. All the little things that add up to BIG things in the end can not be forgotten. That is how I got through the Beast.

The ride down this time was a bit different as Forrest and I drove down with Brian Rusiecki, who I now know hates traffic more than me! We had so much traffic and one detour that I had to excuse my self to the side of the road on the edge of the highway to use the ladies room, haha… not as funny as Forrest’s bathroom stop, but I will let him tell that for himself. Brian and Forrest conversed along the way and I read my book that brought me to sniffling tears in the backseat.

We made it to the Kirkley Hotel in time to meet up with Spuds, pick up packets and eat dinner and listen to Clark and Horton talk. Horton’s quote for this year is “don’t be stupid” which I suspect we will hear one more time! Dinner was good, and I kept hoping to see my friend Dorothy Hunter. She is a BEAST from 2 years ago and has been “coaching” me through some of this via email. She was going for her 10^th finish at MMTR and I needed this finish to continue and we hoped to run together for most of the day.  I had told Horton I wanted to run with her and we would get each other through, and SURPRISE, he called me out at the dinner! I am slowly learning to go with embarrassment a little better so I stood right up and said Hi to Dorothy across the room. After the dinner I caught up with her and we made our plan for the morning.

So Dorothy and I met off the buses, and started off together. We ran the first 15 miles pretty well in step, but from mile 15 to 29 I was really struggling. I told Dorothy to run her race, I would catch her up if I could. The doubts tried to seep in, I did very well at keeping them out. I thought a lot about Cassie and how much she cares about my running. I thought about the fact that I could suck it up. I laughed a lot when we came into an aid station and Dorothy whined to her crew and they called her “Nancy” and told her to suck it up. It was a beautiful day and I got to be there, even though it hurt, and even though I might struggle. I did learn later in the race that mile 29 is more like mile 33. So the first cut off was a bit unnerving, the aid station said mile 26.9 and the cut off was at 6hours. I was there in 5:45 unaware at the time that most of the garmins were reading 30 miles!! THAT’S FAST !! Dorothy was still at the aid station, so I had not lost her after all. Dorothy’s crew took care of me, fed me salt tabs, gave me ibuprophen, made me drink…all the wonderful things crew think of but not the runners themselves! By mile “29” I was 30 mins ahead of the cut off and feeling much better. Dorothy and Mike(another runner that was with us) and I were able to run together for quite a while. We had a couple more split ups and catch ups but finished the race together in 11:22 and some seconds… The finish line crowd was great. I heard my name announced as I was running in, that was fun! Clark and Horton were there with high fives and hugs, and not far back was Forrest, waiting for me as usual!! And Brian was still there too. He had come in second place by about 30 secs he thought, not too shabby, waiting 4 hours and 24 mins for me to finish!! Toward the back of the finish line was another bit of fun. Although I did not partake in the bench press contest, I heard the female winner would be tough to beat with 40 reps at 75lbs. As all of the events put on by Clark and Horton, the race was exceptionally well run, organized and full of great volunteers!

The second half felt MUCH better than the first half. Which is a lesson in itself, after all these long races, maybe it is going to take longer to get in the groove.  So, for the next one, I should probably not expect to feel great until morning, ugh! HAHA. (Another lesson, with no power and complete loss of routine there really is no time to worry too much about a race, that might have helped too, but I really hope the power stays intact now through the winter!!) The course, although lots of road, has some beautiful views, some really tough climbs and some nice single track too. In the end strength won over the doubt in this one. But the mind is a fragile thing, it only takes one seed to plant itself too deep. So for the next 5 weeks the focus is on strength and rest and more strength.

The Highlight: All 3 CT Bimblers remain contestants in the BEAST!!

My first official ultra is complete and all the training and preparation paid off. The day before the race I did everything to keep my mind off the race so as to not psych myself out: worked on the car for a few hrs, mass amounts of laundry, etc…). Thankfully it worked and I went on to prepare my list of medical supplies, food and gear for the race. I wanted to be over prepared since I didn’t quite know what to expect my body to do. Once that was done I felt much better about toeing the line the next day (I realized once there, the “line” was more like “stand over here”). I also woke up with a pinched nerve in my neck and I couldn’t look left which put me in the dumps a bit about my condition for the race.

5am arrived and I popped out of bed like a kid on caffeine. Coffee brewing, eggs boiling, got showered, packed the car and was off! After about an hour drive up to Guilford in the dark, we got to the school where the start/finish area was. I checked in and began with my pre-race preparations which included gobs of vaseline, stuffing my packs with Gu’s and fighting with my bib number to put it on my shorts straight.

An hour later, everyone was corralled into the start area where we all join in on singing the national anthem together with Shellygirl, and then with a very nonchalantly :”on your mark, get set, go” we were off. One guy was singing away some classic rock song (I think) while we looped the field.

I was pretty familiar with the 1st part of the race (the stick) as I had run it a few times in sections with other Bimblers at the bites. As the field spreads out a bit and we pass by the first aid station 2.5 miles in, I try to tell myself to slow down so as to not kill myself in the first parts of the race. My ego was fighting me as I let runners pass me but I swallowed my pride and knew I could pass them later on. It was going to be a long day.

The single track turned into a dirt road for about 5-7 miles until we reached the 2nd aid station at Bluff head. I had my girlfriend and my sis as my crew/cheering section with my bags of stuff and I saw them at the first station cheering me on but didn’t see them at #2. I shrugged it off, filled up my bottle and continued on. I made the turn back onto the course and all I saw was a 45 degree climb up the side of the mountain. I got halfway up and to my surprise was the crew girls waiting for me! I gave them a quick hello and continued on (as I did a few more times during the race) and continued the climb up Bluff head.

This part of the race was much more technical that the rest of the course as many of us know. Walking was a necessity in many parts just so I didn’t take a dive onto a bed of sharp rocks. At this point I met up with a guy from Rhode Island, Kenny, who was doing his 2nd 50k. From that point on we ran together until the last aid station. The 3rd aid station (1/2way point) showed up after a short bit that passed through some horse farms and a quick road section. A small bichon dog actually followed us at this point for about a quarter mile. I saw Lefty here who proceeded to heckle me for not living up to my name so I did a quick roll around on the ground to prove him wrong.  About 2 minutes after I left the 3rd aid station I realized I had lost my iPod which was tracking my mileage. I didn’t have the energy to turn around and thankfully it was returned to me by a fellow runner!!!

After some more rocky sections and winding through more thick woods aid station 4 appeared out of nowhere and my crew had literally just gotten there with my gear. I took another Gu and advil from them as my left knee had begun to bother me. At this point my legs were beginning to cramp intermittently and I needed to keep moving. My friend Kenny took almost no time here and gained about 100 yards on me. I kept him within view until we reached the stick again and I caught back up. From aid station 4 to 5 was 8 miles(as we were reminded several times) and it seemed like an eternity. The company of another runner really helped and as we approached the last station, I had a bit of adrenaline kick in and was able created a cushion between Kenny and me by the end.

I arrived at aid 5 with the crowd cheering, cowbells ringing (can never have enough cowbell), and signs telling us that there were only 2.5 miles left. LONGEST 2.5miles of my life. I powered through the parking lot, crossed the street and back into the single track. By this point my right leg was stiffening up and I was praying I wouldn’t trip in this last section. I did have a slight trip but didn’t quite fall, thanks to a very sturdy tree that caught me halfway to the dirt. Thank you Mr. Pine tree.

As I neared the finish line, I could hear cars passing by on the nearby road and I saw several hikers on their way out. As I came into the finish I took a last look at my watch and realized that I had accomplished my goal of racing under 6 hours with a time of 5hrs 42min. I felt beat up but accomplished. I got 19th place overall and 2nd in my age division!! I was being fed pretzels, candy corn, apple cider and an assortment of other great foods; however, my stomach was not up for a feast at that moment. Not until later that day was I able to put down some solids without upsetting my stomach.

My first ultra was a great adventure and I hope to do more in the future. My appreciation for those who do 50mi and even 100mi races has increased 10 fold and I aspire to be at that level one day.

A BIG thank you to the the race director, Mr Bimble, and my Mudder crew gals for supporting me and cheering me on the whole race. It really meant a lot that they came to keep my spirits up. Fingers crossed I’ll be back for round 2 next year!!

Forrest, Bounce, Ultra and I began the GS100 trip on Thurs morning. We drove all the way to Staunton, to get a good night sleep and have Friday to prepare.  With a stop in Hamburg, to visit Ultras Aunt and Uncle, eat at Hecky’s and shop at Cabela’s we made it to Staunton by early evening, ate and settled in to sleep.

Friday am came quickly and I was still tired. After a prolonged breakfast and organizing some things we headed out to the Boy Scout Camp start/finish area. We picked up race packets and I signed up for the arm wrestling competition!Ha, me arm wrestle? Shortly after we arrived so did my crew!! El Toro had a late Thurs class and had to wait to leave CT. He and Soupergirl drove part way on Thurs night and finished up the drive on Friday morning.  We set up camp and headed into the Pre Race briefing. The most memorable comment from the briefing was “Don’t be stupid”. Horton stated in reference to not getting lost on the course. If there is no streamer, turn around!

The arm wrestling competition turned out to just be 4 women and I was taken for first place in about 2 seconds by a crossfit girl named Erin. But I earned my princess bike tag for second place. We all then went over race items, what to have. I was pretty sure that all I wanted was broth and noodles at each crew stop. I had bought boullion and some ramens to break up for each stop. Broth has always worked well in every long race for me so this is what I wanted most of all. It turned out this worked out well for crew and runners alike. All seemed to partake in my broth idea.

6pm start: Spuds, Forrest and I started together but Forrest quickly took off. Dan and I stayed together for some time. But in the dark and long line of runners I lost Spuds as he pulled ahead. Mile 22 came rather quickly with the sun down and the temp cooling, I changed my tops which was great to be dry from the initial overheating. I took my arm sleeves, gloves and jacket. I had all the food my crew gave me and drink. I was in and out of mile 22 feeling ok. But not for long, sometime before mile 35 the breakdown began. I was taking long enough that Ultra came out to find me.  When he did I told him I was done. We had a heated conversation almost all the way to the aid station. Ultimately I left mile 35 pissed off that they would not let me stop. Fortunately I was pissed off enough to realize I had better make up some time, as I was feeling the heat of the cut offs. So I ran much more of the next section than I thought possible.  By the time I reached the mile 42 aid station I was feeling pretty good, not too tired. I ate a lot here and moved along. The sun was now up, and about 8am I started to fall asleep! I walked into a big bush and realized I really needed caffeine.  I was getting closer and closer to Soupergirl who I knew would also have coffee at the next crew point. On the way I saw Forrest and Ultra working their way back. Forrest was looking so strong! I moved along as quick as I could and climbed up Reddish Knob which was actually all paved, but with a fantastic 360 deg view! And shortly after a big down hill found my crew! Out to the turn around and back to crew with El Toro for company, made a longer stop to drink some coffee and have more broth and noodles.  Then El Toro and I set out for the full return trip. I was concerned about how El Toro might feel about going so slow all day, but he was fantastic company and we enjoyed a good portion of the day together. On the way back I sent him up to Reddish Knob for the view and he was pleased he went up there. It did not take him long to catch back up to me. We pulled into mile 66 at about 4pm. Soupergirl was heading out with me from this point. She had made her super broth but Spuds without crew here had the super soup and was heading out, which worked out fine because this aid station had great hot food! My goal was to reach mile 80 before dark. Soupergirl was AWESOME out there. We had great conversation, she kept me moving even though we could only run 30 ft at a time, we would start to run turn a corner and head back up. Up, up and up!! This was when I started to think Clark was trying to kill us.  Kept on task we made it into mile 80 by 7pm before darkness fell. El Toro had just awakened from his nap so we fumbled a little to get what we needed, headlamps and warmer clothes and started out for the next big climb. In keeping with the theme, up we went for a long time, running when we could and descending the steep downs as best we could. Mile 87 came fairly quickly and El Toro was ready to go out again. From 87 to 96 I think was the ultimate low. I kept telling El Toro if we could just get to 96 I could definitely finish but I was moving at such a snail pace, combined with irrational fear of missing a turn, I really thought I would never get there. I was getting tired and El Toro suggested I drink the red bull we had taken along. I did and almost immediately, It all came back up in an amazing bunch of foam, right next to El Toro’s shoes. I have the most vivid picture of his shoes there, thinking he better move back because I am definitely going to splash J So, no caffeine but vomiting woke me up a little and I moved better after we got off the steep downhill. Right before the aid station, 3 runners and 2 pacers caught up with us. We (Soupergirl and I) left the aid station together after El Toro and Soupergirl switched again. We ran in the last 6 miles together, pacers far ahead and runners a bit behind with lively conversation and a fourth? wind, hahaha. El Toro came out from the finish to meet us so we knew we were getting close. The 3 others runners and I decided we would all cross the finish together, which we did and even ran in from the grassy field. We were greeted by Clark, whom I informed he was trying to kill us. And Forrest was there waiting out the hours to see me finish! I could not believe I was standing at the finish line. A little bit later we got to see Spuds (with Chipper) come running  through the finish line and the Beasties from CT continue the journey through the series.

To view more pictures from the race, click here

At the start, I noticed almost all the Bimblers lined up together. This caught my attention but it also sort of made sense. Personally, I had low expectations for the day. I have not really trained this entire year but have run a bunch of stuff and the combination has left my gas tank a bit on the empty side the last part of the year. In addition, Shelly Girl has been struggling on and off with various injuries and decided to run less than 12 hours before the start. Catamount and Nadia were coming off a smokin performance at Pisgah 50k, El Toro was trying to convince himself to make this a training run ahead of next week’s Grindstone pacing duties (for Loopy), Miles was another guy in training mode and Hillary was attempting her first trail marathon (I hope that is true Hilary, I think that is what Thomas told us) So, right from the get go it seemed that this might just be a bimble training run.

Clinton Morse, and the Shinipsit Striders have taken over this race from Nipmuck Dave and they did a great job, even allowing Dave to have a bit of his usual pre-race shenanigans, but the start was kind of funny. I actually think Clint said, “okay get out of here” and we were off!

My predication did indeed become reality as me, Shelly, Nadia, Catamount, Miles (he needs a name) and even El Toro went out together for the first leg. Nipmuck is a 10k out and a 10k back to the start, followed by another 7 out and 7 back segment heading out the other way from the start. On a dry day Nipmuck usually is quite technical and…well… mucky. Today, it was mucky squared! At some point the rain came and this made things even more fun. We all stayed together but the four eyed runners (me and catamount) definitely were dealing with the added challenge of foggy glasses. it seemed to me that Nadia led most of this first section but we basically stayed together for the first 10k. At some point El Toro had enough of the mid pack tempo and took off, never to be seen again, except at turn arounds. On the way back to the start, Nadia, Shelly Girl, Catamount and Miles (he needs a name) started to get ahead of me. The trail was quite technical and the mud, caused by the rain, really was playing havoc with my legs so I just let them go. The remaining part of this section was your typical trail race for a guy of my ability level, walk the bigger hills and run the rest of the way. I got back to the start, about 12.4 miles into the race just behind the gang of 4 (Shelly, Nadia, Cat and the guy who needs name) and Shelly and I got to our drop bags to resupply for the back half of the course.

It was at this point that I lost touch with the gang of 4 for the rest of the race. I am not exactly sure what happened but I just took way to long to resupply, get my ipod on, blah blah blah and they were gone. In addition, I was just feeling pretty sore and unmotivated so I soldiered on, alone in the woods, for the remainder of the day. The back half of the Nipmuck Marathon is actually about two miles longer than the front half and there are two hills that are pretty tough. I have run the race before and I knew I should just take it easy until the final turn around. The Nipmuck Trail is a wonderful trail and the day was beginning to clear up so I simply did the best I could and enjoyed the day. I noticed I was now passing people and this is usually a good sign so I just kept going. There is a bit of a road section (easier on the way out) then lots of rolling single track. I found this section much less NipMUCKY than the first half. I had to laugh when I saw Ben Nephew coming up the road at almost the exact same spot I see him every time I run Nipmuck. We were about 16 miles into the race and he was about 8 miles in front of me! About this time I started to see some struggling runners and thought how incredible these people are to keep going with sprained ankles, sour stomachs and the rest. I know that you don’t have much choice when you are in the middle of the woods but still, I was proud of these folks. Soon enough, I started seeing a bunch of people coming towards me and I knew the final turn around round was getting closer. I must admit I was a bit upset when I saw Catamount, Nadia and Shelly Girl, soon followed by the guy who needs a name, coming at me but I was as happy for Shelly that she was having a good day. The worse part was I figured they were all about 15 minutes ahead of me. I am not sure how they put 15 minutes into me in seven miles but I got kind of mad at myself for my lackluster performance. I made the final turnaround in 1:40, from the second half start, and said to myself “okay let’s go” At this point I really thought I was going to catch my fellow Bimblers. I was smokin people and must have passed 20 runners on the way back to the start, which would now be the finish line. I skipped all the aid stations and just pushed it. I saw Hillary, who was looking great heading up a hill to the final turn around, as I was in the middle of free fall after tripping on a rock. Hillary, I was not running that fast, I simply was trying not to get killed! By this time the day was just beautiful, with fall temps, sunny skies, heavy breathing and single track. What’s better than that?

I even chugged up about 75% of the monster hill that I always walk. I think Ben nephew runs the whole hill. I got to the final aid station (2.5 miles from the end) and just went as fast as I could the rest of the way. Somewhere in this section I realized I was not going to catch the gang of 4. This did not surprise me. I gave away too much time and they are Bimblers. The people I was passing were not. Translation? The Bimblers would not fade! Eventually, I charged down the final hill and that was that. I ran the last seven miles 15 minutes faster than the way out but it was not enough. I had only made up about five minutes. I was totally fine with this because I soon found out that Shelly Girl had had a great day, just eking out Nadia and Catamount by a minute in what must have been an epic battle. She PR’d, won her age division and won pie! A good day.

El Toro, who kept saying all day he was only training for Grindstone, finished in 4:30. The guy who needs a name came in sometime after the gang of three and before me, all under the 5 hour mark. Hillary came in under 6 hours. I know this because she seemed happy about that fact. yay Hillary, you rock!

Well, that is it for me. I am tired and going to take a break. It has been a great year, considering we had no goals this year. While my year peaked at Escarpment, and I have been barely hanging on ever since, I am just so happy to be a part of the Bimblers. Shelly Girl and I are both better runners because of the group. I would also like to hope we are better people due to folks like all of you. Here is are a couple “top” lists for the year in no particular order.

Bimblers

1. Mr. Bimble for the vision.

2. Iggy for showing us that running is nothing hard at all.

3. Suds for his mountain madness.

4. Guthrie for allowing us to play a small part in an incredible achievement.

5 To Diana for today and every other day I see you out there supporting Nadia , and the rest of us

6 To everybody who we have run with or followed through the web-site this year. Whether a 5k or a 100 miles all honor goes to those who toe the line in an attempt to face the challenge of the day.

7 To Shelly Girl you are Marvin’s daughter and my hero.

　
Personal

1. Escarpment PR

2. Pemi Loop

3. PR at Bear Mountain with no training

4. crewing/pacing Guthrie at VT100

5. Any run with Shelly Girl

see ya on the trail

Lefty

Before you ask, no these are not my feet!

James’ evil laughter when he compared the extensive markings on my 50K course map to those for his intended 23K.

Finally wearing those arm warmer things they handed out at Bear Mountain, so it was not run in vain!

Paranoia won’t destroy ya. Having seriously sprained my ankle at Pisgah last year, I not only wore an active ankle brace, but also packed a spare (for no reasonable reason I can think of). Five miles into the race, I saw a runner hobbling in pain with a newly sprained ankle. He quipped that he’d give me a dollar for the brace I was wearing. I rejected that offer, but let him know another one would be ready and waiting for him at the next aid station, where Diana/Whisperer held my refueling supplies. She told me later he was going strong at 19, so it seems like it did the trick!

Using Bimbler power to push through tough spots…Recalling Ultra’s 100 mile triumph (If he can do THAT, I can do this) and Allstate’s pledge to do a real-time empathy run on the Pisgah Mountain Road near her house.

Hearing Sandy report at the 25 mile aid station that she’d loved the 23K and was finally “converted” to trails!

Discovering a smiling, unexpected Whisperer on the final paved road, who ran me to the finish in her Teva’s (a more intense effort than she anticipated, as I had just zoomed past a female runner who was ahead of me the whole race, and didn’t want to give up that place!)

Seeing Catamount demolish his prior PR by a whopping half hour.

The beautiful, cool, sunny day and wonderful, runnable course. I adore all those evergreens, ponds, bouncy wooden bridges, and ridgeline views. The whole day just seemed charmed, with zero falls, zero ankle rolls, and my head, stomach, and legs all on good behavior. Even my feet survived ridiculously unscathed, pedicure intact (despite the gnarly, bandaged feet pictured on the ugly race T-shirt!)

Getting a PR (5:33ish, 13 minutes better than last year) despite being so undertrained I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to complete the course. This seems like a dangerous precedent that could encourage further ill-advised endeavors…

Race results