2014 Big Dog Backyard Ultra

What is Big Dog Backyard Ultra?

This is a different sort of ultramarathon, where neither the time, nor the distance is predetermined. Some people don't even make it to the ultramarathon distance.  The race takes place on a 4.16 mile trail loop beginning at 7 am and then switches to an out and back road course beginning at 7 pm assuming that anyone is left at that point. A single loop race will take place at every hour, on the hour. Runners failing to complete a 4.16 miler within an hour will be timed out. Runners failing to make the start in any hour will be eliminated. Runners that are able to continue are tied for first each loop.  The winner will be the last man (or woman) able to complete a loop within the time limit.  If the race gets to a point where all but one runner wants to quit or all but one times out, that runner must still run one more loop under an hour to win.  If all runners time out on the same loop, there is no winner.  If all the remaining runners decide to stop on the same loop, there is no winner.

Why run it?

I joined the Ultra e-mail list 3.5 years ago and learned about the Backyard Ultra.  I ran it 2 years ago for the first time.  The idea sounded very intriguing and I enjoyed it so much the first time that I wanted to run it again.  I have followed the race with the reports and pictures posted online the years I have not run it.  It is as interesting for me to follow as it is to actually run it.  The race is put on by Lazarus Lake, the race director for the famous Barkley Marathons (100 mile run or 60 mile fun run) and also some other unique races such as Vol State 500K (run across TN) and the newest being a little more mainstream but very challenging Barkley Classic 50K which I ran last month.

I didn't delay registering this year since this race has filled up the past few years.  Last year I had intended to register but it filled out before I got the chance.  I was on the wait list and offered a spot a few weeks before the race but had already made a commitment to run another race. Even after running it once, the format is still irresistible to me.  The idea is almost absurd since the race could theoretically go on for days.

Training

Just as the last time I ran this I didn't train for this specific event.  I ran 3 Days (92 miles) of Syllamo in March, Berryman (50 miles) in May, and Mohican (100 miles) in June.  Over the summer, I trained specifically for the Heart of America Marathon.  Since Mohican, I ran long long runs for marathon training and no back to back long runs.  When HOA was over I ran the Barkley Classic (50K) a little over 2 weeks later and Rock Bridge Revenge (50K) two weeks later.  There was no time for real ultra training since these races were too close together.  Mileage since HOA had been in the 30s - 40s and had been running in the 50s between Mohican and HOA.  Training for Mohican was in the 50s - 60s so nothing too crazy with mileage.  I was looking forward to ending my ultra year at Backyard.  I was also happy the ultra races I planned for the year would be over and I can focus on other activities.

Prerace

The race took place in Laz's wooded back yard in Bell Buckle, TN (near Mufreesboro).  I left Friday morning.  I had hoped to take a short detour stop as I took 2 years ago to Roly Poly in Mufreesboro but found out before I left they had recently closed.  I ended up having lunch at Long John Silvers somewhere along the way.  Traffic was horrible through Nashville but I made it to race headquarters around 4:15 pm. I wasn't interested in checking out the course since I had already run it before and would be running many more laps.  I set up my tent close to the road next to the house on the property.  After setting up my tent I checked in and got my race number and shirt.  Also, picked up the next 3 Big Dog books from Laz.  He remembered me from 2 years ago and said my race number 27 must mean I was going to run 127 miles.  I visited with a few people before heading to dinner at Sir Pizza with Johnny A. and 3 other guys. This is the same place we ate 2 years ago and has become a tradition before the Big race.

We headed back to camp after dinner and I went to bed early around 8:30 pm.  I slept pretty soundly for several hours and then woke up and heard the cows across the road mooing.  I had set my alarm for 6 am but woke up about 10 min early.

The "Big" event

I drank a protein shake, and ate a banana for breakfast inside my tent to stay as warm as possible.  The temp was in the 40s and felt damp and cold.  I got dressed and set up my aid station outside my tent.  I brought a bunch of gels with me that I hoped to use since they are expired or about to expire since I don't use them much anymore.  I had an extra banana, 2 containers of yogurt, a small serving of chips, mixed nuts/trail mix and Carbo Pro.  I brought far less variety of food that 2 years ago. Weather was overcast and about 40F, and eventually would get into the mid 60s.

At 7 am, we begin our first loop on the trail.  There were 40 starters.  The timer said something about no one that went 100 miles last year completed their trail loops faster than 48 minutes. Apparently people took him seriously, since no one started out too fast.  The first few loops I stayed with several runners and tried to keep a steady pace.

The course was well-marked so not too much problem figuring out the loop and having run it before I got to know it very well.  There were very runnable sections, rocks, roots, and a few things to climb over.  There was one section that was a bit muddy but managed to not get my socks wet.  I walked all the hills.  I had to stop to pee  during the first few loops and then waited until after each loop.  I removed my long sleeved pullover after the first loop and was very comfortable in a short sleeved shirt.

Everything seemed to happen very regularly.  I set my GPS to show me instantaneous pace, as well as my lap pace and lap time.  I got to know where I would be at a certain point in each loop.  Running loops can be a little hypnotizing even with the few minutes rest to break it up.  I don't remember thinking about much other than focusing on running and what I needed to do when I completed the loop.  I ate small quantities of food.  I carried Carbo Pro in my bottle and would eat a gel sometimes and other times a few nuts after the loop. I wish I had taken more of the Dannon Greek yogurt since it went down good and was filling.  The first 12 loops I ran 49:xx except loop 3 and 5 were 3 - 5 seconds over 50 and loop 12 was 50:41 as it was getting dark.  I was surprised that I was running faster loops than 2 years ago but it still felt easy.

Tasks that I would regularly do with my 9 - 10 extra minutes was mix a bottle of Carbo Pro for later loops,  a bit of food, refill my bottle, use the bathroom, put my GPS on the charger for a few minutes, talk to some other runners, sit a few minutes, etc.  Laz would blow the whistle 3 times at 57 min, 2 times, at 58 min, and 1 time at 59 min.  Then we had to be ready to start on the hour.  There is something comforting about knowing what to expect next as long as you are feeling good.  Everything was very routine, comfortable, and predictable.

I wished I had brought more real food to have some actual meals or soup would have been good too.  No problems with digestion and I felt pretty good the first 12 loops.  At the end of 12 loops, I changed into my road shoes and socks.  I had plenty of time to dry off my feet and reapply Body Glide. The change of shoes felt really good and I was looking forward to running on the road since it would feel easier, at least for awhile.  Also, after 12 hours on the trail, it was a welcome change and the road is easy to run on at night.

Twenty runners started on the road where we would be running 12 hours unless we timed out.  I ran pretty well on the road for awhile coming in between 43 - 47 minutes most laps.  It seemed like other runners started out faster than me on the road but then I would predictably pass them every time and sometimes about the same part on the road.  The road was an out and back.  It was cooling off but I still ran a couple laps before putting on a jacket.  Things went well up to lap 20.  On lap 21, I was feeling a bit low energy and doing more walking than before.  Like on the trail, on the road I had my points where I walked.  Since it really wasn't hilly, I would run the first 2.08 miles.  The first part is downhill so easy to run.  Then I would start walking every half mile from the turnaround and then walk up the hill at the end.  On lap 21, I started walking sooner.  Overall, I was the second fastest runner for the average time for all of my laps.  However, this loop I was slower and not passing runners like before.  Eventually I caught up to a bunch of runners also walking a half mile from the end and we walked all the way in that lap.  I still had 10 minutes at the end.

I was seriously considering calling it a day and trying to convince myself that 88 miles is a good effort and I could have an 88 mile PR.  I found some peanut butter crackers on the food table and had a gel.  When it was time to start, I automatically got back up to start.  I thought I had kept pretty close watch on my nutrition but must not have eaten enough.  I did have 3 brats (no bun) for a few laps and some chips but probably was eating pretty light.  I wondered if maybe I had gone too fast a couple laps before when I came in at 43 minutes and was feeling good.  I started lap 22 and felt better and was back closer to my usual time and ran it in 46:53.

The only other issue I had on the road is my feet hurt a little starting around 19 laps, but didn't notice it after lap 22.  Once I made it to 22, I knew I could make it 24 laps for 100 miles.  I had been running 10:40 - 11:30 pace so I had a pretty good cushion if I slowed down even a couple minutes per mile.  Lap 23 went well.  Unfortunately, I felt myself begin to struggle during lap 24.  After the turnaround I felt like I had no energy.  I started running with Joe and Kelley.  I knew I could make it within the cutoff but figured this would be my final loop.

I went into the race thinking if I could make it 24 laps again this time and go back to the trail at lap 25, I would like to complete it without timing out.  Kelley had mentioned she was going to start another lap which got me to thinking maybe I should try.  We finished in 51:26 which is much better than I thought it was going to be.  I convinced myself to go out for the first trail loop of the morning.  I went in search of food since nothing I had sounded good.  There was a guy at the food table and he asked if I wanted some peach pie which sounded good so I ate a couple small pieces.  It was a store bought pie and didn't look that good but tasted great at the time and was exactly what I needed. I felt my energy return instantly. I also ate a bag of corn chips.

I hadn't been drinking much later in the race and still was well hydrated as I was peeing regularly so I didn't bother to fill my bottle.  I knew this lap was probably going to hurt since I would need to push to make the cutoff.  I felt pretty good going out so that peach pie had saved me.  I was by myself the entire lap once we entered the woods.  For the first time, I had to push the pace if I was going to make it.  I managed to complete the loop and not fall since I was taking a few more risks.  For the previous part of the race I was always careful on the trail to step off rocks and logs and no jumping.  This also helped conserve energy and lessen any impact on my joints and muscles.  I knew this would be my last lap so I now had no reason to conserve.  I ended up running it quicker than I expected.  I figured I would at least get the 3 minute warning whistle, but managed to run it in 55:43.

I had already made the decision that I would quit so I immediately took off my timing chip before I changed my mind and turned it in.  Laz seemed a little disappointed.  I had accomplished my goal and didn't see any reason for me to attempt to go further.  I don't normally quit but I was really okay with it this time. I would have DNF'd if I had timed out on the next lap and really didn't want to waste my energy attempting another lap and not being able to finish in the cutoff.  Maybe I should have tried but I'm fine left wondering if I could have completed another loop in the 1 hour cutoff.

This year I didn't stick around to see how it would end since I knew it was going to continue for a long time.  The field this year had some outstanding runners.  I hung around for awhile but then packed up my stuff and was on the road by 9:30 am and feeling extremely hungry.  I had breakfast at Arby's.  I had planned to eventually find a hotel and drive the rest of the way Monday.  However, I had a sample of 5 hour energy that I decided to give a try.  I was still sleepy but felt better and then sleepy again.  I decided to stop for lunch and reevaluate.  I had lunch and some more caffeine and felt better.  Then felt sleepy again so stopped to take a half hour nap at a rest stop.  After the nap, I felt fine for the remaining 4 hour drive home. The closer I got the more I wanted to sleep in my own bed.  When I got home, we had dinner, and I finally go to sleep for real after being up for 40 hours.

A total of 12 runners completed at least 100 miles in the cutoff and 9 ran 104+.  I got credit for 104.  After I stopped the race went on for a long time until it ended at 49 hours.  Joe F. could have run for days but stopped at 37 hours since he had to go to work.  Jeremy and Johann kept going but Johann had to catch a flight Monday afternoon.  He could have delayed the flight but he had no way of knowing how long to delay. Neither reported to the start line to run the 50th hour so technically there were no winners and everyone DNF'd.  The final 2 had run 204 miles.   I can't even imagine and to know they could have gone even longer is amazing.

Afterthoughts

I didn't feel nearly as stiff as I did after this race 2 years ago and actually walked really well.  However, I have been very tired for 4 days after.  I've been eating a lot and losing weight every day. I  think I had a bit of water retention this time.  I didn't run until Saturday but walked quite a bit from Wednesday until Friday.  I felt better than I feel after marathons other than the extreme tiredness.  I don't have another ultra scheduled until March so don't feel the pressure to train that much.  I am starting my cross training phase for the next few months so will be doing less running.  I am not really sure what I will do next year. For long races, I have the 60K in March and will run Heart of America in September.  Backyard will be very tempting to do again.  As for other ultras, nothing sounds tempting at the moment.  The Backyard is a special event and the format makes it tempting for me to do again.

This race is technically a DNF but overall I placed 9th for number of miles.  I had the second fastest pace running.    For the 104 miles actually running and not resting, my time is 20 hrs, 9 min, and I was 21 hrs 30 min for 104 miles 2 years ago.  I am still not sure the best way to tackle this kind of race but think multiple strategies must work since for the last 2 guys to quit, one had the fastest overall pace and the other one had the slowest.

Splits/Map

Pictures

Short Instruction video (Johan Steene)

Race Results

Race shirt and Big Dog books

Laz's race updates and results 

hour 3 of big's backyard ultra just underway.

4.1666667 miles an hour.
every hour.
until only one man is left standing.

40 runners answered the first bell:
johnny adams
mike baker
marcy beard
john beard
gregory burger
charles carter
sal coll
rodney coombs
tom dekornfield
tim dines
david donald
steve durbin
terrica durbin
jeremy ebel
andy emerson
charlie engle
joe fejes
kipley fiebig
nathan b forrest
chris gkikas
karen jackson
karl kersey
christopher knight
drew landerman
wayne mccomb
john price
dee reynolds
jason sanchez
sue scholl
john sharp
johan steene
elizabeth stewart
charlie taylor
diane taylor
tim waz
kelley wells
jennifer whitley
ben yancey
bill Schultz
amy carter

at the end of the first hour, diane taylor failed to make the cutoff.

hour 2 the field came thru clean.

39 runners are now out on loop 3.

the betting doesn't get heavy until later.
the weight of answering the bell doesn't get heavy until later.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hour 4 began without:
terrica durbin
bill schultz
charlie taylor
john price
of the original 40, we now have 35.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

all 35 runners started hour 5.

it is interesting to see the various strategies unfold.
is it better to get thru quick and have some rest?
or is it better to run as slow as possible,
and not overexert?

or is it better to mix it up?

one thing is sure.
the milling around between laps is about done.
people are heading straight to the chair.

and there is the beginnings of grumbling about the whistle.

"not already. that clock is running too fast"

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 hour 6 began without david donald or wayne mccomb.

33 runners headed out into the backyard.
it is cool and sunny (not cold)
perfect weather.

 karl kersey, drew landerman, and amy carter are down.

29 survivors start the 7th hour....

some of them are starting to look grim.
and the fun is just beginning.

 steve durbin, elizabeth stewart, dee reynolds, jennifer whitley

23 runners begin hour 8

 chris gkikas is gone – hour 9

 no more colonel potter.

mike baker down.

I'll be providing the timing and scoring for this year's Big's Backyard
Ultras, as I did last year.  Results will be posted every hour, a few
minutes after the hour, at the following webpage:

http://mcmtiming.com/?page_id=3422

Results for 2013's race can also be found on that webpage.  It looks to be
near-perfect weather for the race, but the trail may still be wetter than
usual since it's still drying out from all the rain that hit Middle
Tennessee.

laz has coined a new term - 'backtard', defined as a runner who's not smart
enough to stop running meaningless 4.167-mile loops through the hinterlands
of Middle Tennessee'.

The field looks stellar - here's the link to the entry field:

https://ultrasignup.com/entrants_event.aspx?did=28403

44 entrants, although I expect a starting field of fewer than 40 runners,
due to last-minute no-shows.

Looking forward to watching an epic race this weekend!

Sincerely,

Mike Melton

Jensen Beach, FL

 and ben yancey is carried home in a paper sack.

21 of 40 remain.
looking like a longshot for half the field to finish a half day.

but remember,
the backyard is like sifting the proverbial
box of crackers...

the little crumbs go right thru.
but the big chunks have to be broken up a piece at a time.

we are finding out who the big chunks are.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 that's right.
we entered hour 12 without tim waz.

50% of the starters have a chance to make it to the road....

any bets whether they all make it?

 nathan b forrest missed making it to the road by 27 feet.
after 12 hours of running, I just cut off my own son for coming up 27 feet short....

I think I can safely renew my heartless bastard license.

I had the wrong count last time.

19 people made it to the road.
so, now the cutoff will be "easy" for the next 12 hours.

I will put out the list of those runners asap.
they deserve some recognition.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 19 road runners:

Andy Emerson
Charlie Engle
Christopher Knight
Gregory Burger
Jason Sanchez
Jeremy Ebel
Joe Fejes
Johan Steene
John Beard
John Sharp
Karen Jackson
Kelley Wells
Kipley Fiebig
Marcy Beard
Rodney Coombs
Sal Coll
Sue Scholl
Tim Dines
Tom Dekornfeld

 making the cutoff is easy.
answering the bell.....

no more Jeremy sanchez or tim dines.

and now there are 17.

 you do know what a backtard is, don't you?

someone who doesn't know when to quit.

14 hours in the books,
17 in and 17 out into the 15th hour.

nearing the distances where we all have our low points in a 100 miler.

in the backyard there can be no low points;
there can only be 4.1666667 miles in less than an hour...

every hour.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The unique format of the Backyard Ultra has everyone tied for the lead at
the start of every hour.  But the way they get there differs greatly.  The
following is the amount of time each runner WASN'T running after 14 loops
(14 hours).

Johan Steene 3:37:45
Sal Coll 2:50:59
Andy Emerson 2:34:54
John Sharp 1:52:48
Rodney Coombs 1:44:01
Christopher Knight 1:34:58
Tom Dekornfeld 1:31:49
Charlie Engle 1:21:15
Karen Jackson 1:18:57
Marcy Beard 1:18:30
Kelley Wells 1:13:39
Joe Fejes 1:13:26
John Beard 1:12:57
Sue Scholl 1:07:45
Kipley Fiebig 1:02:46
Jeremy Ebel 0:25:40
Gregory Burger 0:15:15

So now who do you think is in running for last man standing?

Mike Dobies

the happiest face we saw was greg burger...

when he told us that he did not need to hurt himself any more.

16 runners are out on hour 16

laz

 16 runners in from 16
16 runners out for hour 17.

some are comparing the race to placing a frog in a pan of water
and slowly heating it to a boil.

the runners come in.
the runners dutifully go back out.
in camp we speculate as to who will be the next to fall....

because fall they must.

all but one.

laz

 16 hardy souls head out into hour 18.
this one takes them to 75 miles.
the hard way.

 well, you can think about there only being 15 of you left.
rodney coombs is gone now.

he is a good guy.
you probably liked him...

but you are glad he is gone.

because he had to go.
and 14 more just like him have to fail.
and you don't want it to be you.
not after all this.

lots of groaning and moaning.
75 miles down.
heading on towards 80.

how many more hours?
30, 31 maybe?
how many more miles?
120, 125, maybe more?

you don't want to think about it.
you can't afford to think about it.

you tell yourself;
"they are hurting just as much as I am... they have to be."

finally you have to do the only thing you can do.
make the time limit one more time.
because this is not going to end for a long, long time.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 we lost two more going into hour 20.
christopher knight and sue scholl are gone.

13 survive to suffer on.

 all 13 runners made it thru hour 20,
and headed into hour 21.

only 4 more hours till the sun comes up,
and we find out who can still make the cutoff on the trail.

13 runners in and 13 out.
hour 22 is under way.

they pass 90 miles this hour.

 13 in and 13 out to start the 23rd hour.
but almost everyone is at low eb.
many of them have been very close to dropping,
but stayed in.

if they can survive 2 more hours, the sun will be up
and they should all feel sort of better.

not good.
but better than now.

down to 12.
tom dekornfeld came back after a half mile.

the surviving 12 all set out on the final night lap.
spirits seemed high,
but there was a general dread of the upcoming trail loop next hour.

the dirty dozen:
marcy beard
kipley fiebig (marcy's brother)
john beard

(25% of the remaining runners are beards)

sal coll
jeremy ebel
andy emerson
charlie engle
joe fejes
karen Jackson
john sharp
johan steene
kelley wells
(25% of the surviving field are women)

100 miles the hard way.
congratulations!

such a shame that all save one will fail
(unless, of course, there is no winner, and they all fail)

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 hour 25 is huge.
this is yearly a defining hour in the race,
because back on the trail,
that hour time limit is a lot harder to make.

the entire structure of the remaining race is going to be determined
by how many, and who, among the dozen survivors,
can make the hour time limit.

speculation is rife,
and betting is heavy.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 12 of the original 40 completed the first 100 in under 24 hours.
the consensus opinion was that this might not be the easiest way to break 24...

or do a 100.

but I have to wonder if that 30% of the starting field breaking 24
isn't somewhat higher than normal?

there was an expression of disappointment from pretty much everyone
when all 12 answered the bell for hour 25.m
now the race begins.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 9 runners completed the 25 hour trail loop under cutoff,
but andy emerson then dropped.

that leaves us with the great eight still in the game:

johan steene
joe fejes
sal coll
john sharp
charlie engle
john beard
jeremy ebel
karen Jackson

now we are down to the big crackers.
who will break first?

the betting is picking up around the campfire.

 johan "legless" steene and joe "the orc" fejes put in an authority lap,
burning the 26th hour in 43 minutes while running together.
all the rest of the great 8 completed the loop (later),
with Karen Jackson bringing up the rear,
logging her second consecutive finish with less than a minute to go.

betting has closed on the next casualty.
Karen looks like an animated corpse,
with a 45 degree bend at the waist.
she was struggling to stay on the driveway.
no one gives her a chance of finishing the 27th hour...

but she went out.

for the other 7,
it does not appear the end is anywhere near...

but, it never will.
because the race is no longer about what you think you can do.
it is about what you think the other guy can do.
none of these guys will quit because they think they cannot go on.
they will only quit when they think there is someone they cannot beat.

there is a lot of "that didn't hurt" macho going on in big's backyard.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 as expected, we are starting hour 28 without Karen Jackson.
sal coll was a surprise addition
(altho the on site betting had him pegged as next)

so there are now 6 runners in big's back yard,
coming up on 116 miles.

everyone looks strong...

for whatever that is worth.

laz

 6 really tired men just started out into the backyard.
no predictions who will be next to fall....


anyone out there have any insights?

Laz

 6 runners now out on hour 30.

this one brings them to 125 miles.

and any news is big news.
john sharp just bailed.

this leaves only legless, the orc, jeremy, john, and Charlie

 without any warning.
after running a very comfortable looking 30th hour,
john beard turned in his chip.

he seemed to be very happy with his decision.

now it is down to 4.
they have started hour 31

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 as we head toward 32 hours,
we do so with only 3 runners.

charlie engle threw in the towel after 31.

it seems that when the discussion turned to three days....

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 off they went, into hour 33.
three tired warriors.

this will continue until one of them decides he cannot win.
(then we will start over with 2)

no one appears close to that decision yet.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

starting hour 34.
3 survivors moving on toward 142 miles.
no visible change.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

tying the longest backyard ultra to date.
the guys were cracking jokes to each other at the starting line,
about taking it to the road tonight....

the one hurdle is the 36th hour,
when it gets dark on the trail.
it is notoriously difficult to make the cutoff
if you don't get enough distance in before the visibility is gone.

if they get thru that,
I expect this race to last into tomorrow...

at a minimum.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the most feared lap at the backyard ultra is hour 12
the final lap of the trail before dark....

because it does not entirely take place before dark.
runners have to take a flashlight, because it will be pitch black in the forest
halfway thru the hour.

many a runner has found themselves struggling to make cutoff.

that same lap, the dark lap, happens every day.
and on day 2 it happens at hour 36.

the last major hurdle for the 3 amigos is the dark lap.
if they can make cutoff, the next 12 hours are on the road.
they can "easily" make cutoff for  the next 12 hours,
and log a 200 mile 48 hour.

if only one of them makes the cutoff,
we will have a winner at hour 36.
if two or more make it,
we are in for a hell of a night.
and, if none of them make it.....

there will be no winner at the backyard ultra 2014.

this is a significant hour.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 All 3 runners negotiated the dark lap in time.
and have continued on past 150 into hour 37.

there is no end in sight.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other quotes from big's backyard...

'I was wrestling with my bra and was going to ask Tim to help me with it'

'I was on the trail and saw a big black bird flopping around with a hurt
wing.  I thought it was a turkey so I said 'hey, gobble, gobble, gobble',
but I got closer and saw it was a buzzard.  So I said, 'Get out of the way.
I'm not your lunch today, f*cker'. '

'Nice boots'  'Thanks'  'That's a lot of hand-tooling'  'And they cost
hundreds of dollars'  (those who were there know what this was really about)

A man approaches the timing tent holding a skirt with a number pinned onto
it.  He says 'Does the runner need to wear their number all the time?'
Every man within earshot offers to help replace the skirt on the runner.

'I had nicknames for a lot of the runners.  You were 'the talkative guy',
and another guy was 'the stinky guy'. '

Heard about 3:00 PM Sunday afternoon - 'Joe already asked me if I have to be
home tonight.  I told him 'I guess not'.  He said 'Good'.'

At one point the discussion at the start/finish line turned to the fact that
Johan Steene looks like the character Legolas the Elf from the 'Lord of the
Rings' movies.  He's tall, longish blond hair, slender with Scandinavian
looks (Steene is Swedish).  Someone commented that Johan might not be
flattered, but someone else said 'Hell, I'd love to look like Legolas.  I'd
get laid a lot more than I would if I looked like Mike Melton'.

After lap 31 finished, Jeremy Ebels hopped into one of the porta-potties.
Someone suggested that Johan or Joe wedge a stick in the door of the
porta-potty so that Jeremy would not make the start of the next loop.
Fortunately for Jeremy, no one did.

With three runners left - 'I heard about Joe and this Johan, but this other
guy is off the chain too.'

Three of the runners were John and Marcy Beard, a husband-and-wife team who
have run the backyard ultra before, along with Kip Fiebig, Marcy's brother,
who was at the backyard for the first time.  Someone said 'I asked Kip why
he came to the race and he said 'John and Marcy have both been taking about
the race for a couple of years, so I figured what the heck'.'  All three
finished with more than 100 miles.

Two runners who were already out sitting at the start/finish line mid-day
Sunday afternoon.  One says to the other, 'My legs really hurt.  What about
you?'.  'Mine too'.  D'oh ;-)

Heard at the start/finish line late on Sunday afternoon - 'You need more
beer.  Pretty soon you'll be dancing naked on a table'.  'You haven't seen
her dance - you'll need a bigger table'.  'If she's naked, we'll have a big
enough table'.

Johan finished Hour 35 and Jim Ball congratulated him.  One of them said
'Are we done yet?' and laz said 'We're almost halfway now'.

 it is the same.
it is always the same...

has it always been this way?

I rouse myself from my fantasies and look at my watch.
it is 44 minutes past the hour.

I leave my little semi-heated space and go out into the cold.

I walk across the wet grass and stir the campfire to life.

johan comes in.
he is running exactly the same as he is every time.
I listen to the timing mat beep,
johan stops and sits in his chair.

I cannot really see him from here, but his movements say he is tired.

I hear the door slide open on melton's van.

he walks around the van and gets in the drivers side
to start the motor and warm up the van for when he returns.

then he walks over to the scoring table.

I hear Heidi's sleeping bag zipper open.

in a few moments I see her tall thin shadow walking over to stand beside the fire.

"good morning"
"good morning... again."

I look at the big clock.
"it's almost whistle time."
"yes. it is."

I walk towards the scoring tent.
and stick my whistle in my mouth.

as I walk past johan, I ask him;
"feeling chipper, again?"
"not really"

Jeremy comes running in the driveway,
and passes me, heading to meet heidi at his tent
"good morning"
"good morning... again."

I stop in the light of the scorers tent.
melton is doing something with his equipment.
"good morning"
"good morning...again"

I look at my watch, and see the seconds tick off...

I blow 3 whistles.
a minute later, 2 whistles.
a minute after that, 1 whistle.

then I call off the countdown:
"30 seconds"
"20 seconds"
"15"
"10"
"5-4-3-2-1-"

I ring the cowbell.

Jeremy and johan shuffle past.

"you gentlemen have fun out there."
the responses are grunted "we will"

as I start back toward the fire,
to warm up a bit before returning to my fantasies
I hear Heidi's sleeping bag zipping back up.

as I leave from the fire toward my little semi-heated space,
I see melton heading for his van.

it is always the same.
maybe it has never been any different.

the two remaining runners are out on hour 43 right now.
as usual, the format is as much a mental game as a physical one.
it is intriguing to watch it play out,
altho I am not yet ready to wager a guess as to the outcome.

laz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 on their way to 200 miles.

https://www.facebook.com/VBUltrarunner/media_set?set=a.10204008324540836.1073741885.1005052989&type=3

it was the most unexpected outcome of all.

johan knocked out a 41 minute lap in the 48th hour,
and, instead of retiring to his chair as had  been his custom,
came over to talk to us at the campfire.

he and Jeremy had talked quite a bit during the second day,
especially after they became the only two competitors
remaining on the big trail.

johan had a flight scheduled this afternoon.
he had made arrangements that it could be changed...

if necessary.

the problem was,
he did not know exactly how long it would have to be postponed.

it seems that we had two people in the big backyard,
who could run 4.1666667 miles an hour
(100 miles a day)
almost indefinitely.

Jeremy arrived during the discussion,
and there was no doubting that this was true.
neither looked any worse for the wear.

johan and Jeremy have just left on hour 49,
running together.
after that lap of the big trail is completed,
johan will pack to catch his plane.
Jeremy will run another lap to become the last man standing.

I don't know what I can add to that.

laz

the best laid plans do not always come out the way they were originally designed.

after 49 hours were completed
and the 50th was set to begin;

Jeremy and johan stood together thru 3 whistles..

then 2 whistles...

then 1 whistle. ..

then the cowbell sounded to an empty starting line.


it was a windy day,
and a lot of us watching had something blow in our eyes.

there was no official winner at the 2014 big dog backyard ultra.


laz

2014 Rock Bridge Revenge 50K

Saturday, I ran the Rock Bridge Revenge 50K. I have run some form of this race back to 2003 when it was a 10K/20K for several years and more recently a 7mi/25K.  In 2010 and 2011 there was also a 50K which was discontinued in 2012 due to low participation.  This year there seemed to be interest in bringing back the 50K so it was added after registration had already opened and quickly received participants.  The race filled to its limit of 150 with each race pretty evenly split.

I only ran once the week of the race with my last run on Tuesday.  I was out of town early in the week and Thursday there was rain and thunderstorms the entire day.  It rained a lot in the days before the race with around 6 inches of rain in the park so there was more water than usual in the creeks this year.  Temperatures cooled down the night before the race and starting temperature at 7 am was 38F with a high of 53F and 17 mph wind predicted.  The wind doesn't have much effect in the woods but it did keep it feeling cooler than normal.  The other races started at 8 am and we went out and back on the road to spread out at the beginning so the race was not congested at all once we hit the trail.

As often seems to be the case, I really had no idea how fast pace to run but was thinking no faster than 9:30 to start.  My first mile which included the road was 9:09 so not too bad and I think I started on the trail in around 3rd place running behind the eventual winner with the eventual 2nd place guy up ahead.  After a few miles, the guy in front of me pulled ahead.  Then another guy came up behind me and I let him pass.  We ran together for a few miles until I stopped to use the bathroom at the aid station.  I was in and out pretty quick, probably less than 90 seconds but 3 people had passed me.  I passed 2 of them within the next few miles and caught the third near the Boy Scout camping site where he was confused which way to go.  In several places someone had pulled down some flagging and signs.  The flagging was stuffed under logs. I don't really understand why anyone would sabotage a course and would enjoy catching someone in the act some day to ask them.  We ran the rest of the loop together until we got back to the finish.  It was nice to have company for 8 miles.  He was running his first 50K.  At the creek crossing about a mile from the end of the first loop, we had to cross in waist deep water.  As I was sliding down the bank I nearly went in all the way but pulled myself up just in time.  We had 4 major crossing each loop and also a section of trail that was flooded up to my knees.  For nutrition, I was drinking Carbo Pro and had 1 gel and small cup of Coke at the 2nd aid station.  

The first loop is slightly longer since we include the out and back on the road.  The course is actually a loop on each side of the road but I am just calling it one loop.  My time was about 2:36 by the time I started the second loop after I ate another gel, piece of banana, and refilled with Carbo Pro.  I was definitely starting to feel tired by this loop so had to start pushing myself.  I was hoping I could finish in less than 5:30 even if I slowed down.  I ran the next 7 miles at about 10-something pace.  I saw a lot of the 25K runners in the second part of this loop and some of the 50K runners on a section that we run both directions.  I managed to fall a few times but it was mostly when I was barely moving and got off balance due to some of the mud or just stumbling a bit.  Once I cut my hand slightly and my left hip that I fell on over a month ago was a little sore again but fine today (Monday).  The aid station in the second loop was wonderful.  About a quarter mile or so from the aid station, Zach (one of the volunteers) was ringing a cowbell and carrying gels down the trail so I had another one.  When I got to the aid station, I had a cup of Coke and Ginger Ale.  I ran the last 9 miles at mostly an 11-something pace.  I wanted to run faster, but it was not to be.  This time, I was extra careful sliding down the creek about a mile from the end.

The last part of the course goes up a hill and into the finish.  I guess this is part of the "Revenge". The total elevation loss from my GPS was 5800 ft so not nearly as bad as the Barkley Classic 2 weeks ago which made this race feel quite a bit easier.  The hard part was trying to keep up the pace since I finished 4:15 faster than Barkley in 5:22 which was good enough for 3rd place (33 total finishers). I had a 10 minute positive split so not too bad. The winner ran 4:38 (and a negative split) and 2nd place 5:17.  I ran 11 minutes slower on the same course in 2011 but don't think we had as much mud and water to deal with.  I'm happy with my race and recovering immensely faster than the torture I put myself through at Barkley.

I was ready to eat a few minutes after finishing.  Earlier in day pancakes were served but for those of us finishing later we had pulled pork, chips, cookies, and chocolate milk.  Hugh ran the 7 miler and then went home, ran again with the dogs, and came back about when I finished.

Race nutrition consisted of 2 servings of Carbo Pro, half banana, 2 cups Coke, 1 cup Ginger Ale, and 3 salted watermelon gels they were serving at the aid stations. I don't normally use many gels, but those weren't too bad.  I'm guessing around 1,000 calories.

Map/Splits

2014 Barkley Fall Classic 50K+

I felt a bit of anxiety going into this race with all the pre-race hype that I probably should have ignored.  This was the inaugural race so a lot of unknowns going into it. It was helpful reading some of the Facebook posts for the race in order be prepared but some of it made people scared. At some point the race was full and had a wait list.  By race day, there were several spots available since people dropped for various reasons and some may have just been scared while others had valid reasons.  There were over 200 other runners so somehow we would get through it even with the dire predictions that less than 10 runners would finish.  The race took place at at Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee.  The idea was to give runners a taste of the real Barkley 100 mile which is run on an unmarked course and is rumored to be at least 130 miles (more info http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/).  The BFC was took place on trails with arrows at key intersections and runners were also given a map and a compass which was needed a few times at points of confusion.  There was no confidence flagging that you see in many trail races.  Hopefully, runners knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed up.  The time limit was 13 hours, 20 minutes, the same as the real Barkley 100 race loop. 

I left for the race around 7 am Friday morning for the long 9+ hour drive.  I had a confirmation e-mail from Orbitz and somehow had booked the room for Sunday night, instead of Friday night.  I made a new reservation before I left and called them on the way and they were able to cancel the nonrefundable reservation and refund all of my money.  I stopped at Old Chicago in Clarksville, TN on the way to fuel up myself and the car and check e-mail.  I arrived early enough that I had time to find the start line before heading over to packet pickup.  Then I stayed for the Barkley movie and dinner which didn't start until after 7:30 pm.  I didn't each much since I was full from lunch but did enjoy the movie.  I drove back to my hotel, about 30 minutes away, and prepared for the race, getting to bed a little later than I would have liked so only got less than 6 hours sleep.

I arrived at the race site around 6:20 am and got a parking spot close to the front.  There was no lines at the bathrooms but they were all in use.  I was wondering if Kimberly from Ohio had arrived yet and she walked out of the porta-potty I was waiting to go in.  We were able to talk awhile before the race.  I also saw Johnny A., also from Columbia.  We stood in a 2 lane road to start and had to run less than a mile on pavement to the trail.  Immediately we had to start climbing and climbed for over 2 miles before I was able to run a bit but even when I was able to run pace was only around 14 min.

Around mile 5, I felt something stinging my upper arm/shoulder through my shirt.  I briefly heard some buzzing but did not see the critter.  I checked it out and had a slight area of swelling and it hurt pretty good for the next 5 miles.  It seemed like forever before the first aid station and I ended up drinking the 2 bottles I was carrying.  I didn't carry much for nutrition other than a flask that contained 4 gels and 3 Kind bars. I started out with water in one bottle and Carbo Pro in the other one.  After more climbing, I finally got to the aid station which was a mile further than expected, I drank about another bottle of water, and filled up with more water and Sword.  Sword is the drink they were serving at all the aid stations and I was impressed with the taste, non-sweetness, and it settled very well.  I also had a bit of banana at the aid station before continuing on my way.  We also had to get our bib number punched at some of the stations and various points to prove we had been there.

A couple miles out of the aid station, the North Bird trail becomes difficult to follow.  I start looking around for people and eventually there are several of us that are confused but we bushwhack our way up to a tree where there is another guy with a punch and the trail is clearly defined.  I followed some people for awhile and we reached the Garden Spot, we were a bit confused since there was no one there to punch our bib so not sure we even needed to go there and looking at the map now, it looks like we went a bit out of our way.  We turned around and found an arrow to continue on the course.  At this point, there is around 15 - 20 people in the group and got to a point where they weren't sure if we should go left or right.  Someone pulls out his map and says we should go right.  Meanwhile, I noticed a guy way ahead that had gone left.  Someone else tells the guy he has his map upside down.  Finally, the consensus is that we should turn left which was a jeep road and the right direction.

It has been awhile but we finally make it to aid station 2 around 10:30 am so have been running 3.5 hours and around 14 miles.  From this point we run out 4.5 miles to a turnaround which was easier running for a couple miles and then some climbing.  There was a sign at the turnaround and then about half mile on the way back we had our numbers punched again. I saw Kimberly and Johnny on the way back.  I estimate Kimberly was about 4 miles behind me at this point.  Another guy I had been running with for awhile counted and we were in 30-something place.  

On the way back there was an arrow to take us to a different trail and the part of the course known as Rat Jaw.  Rat Jaw which climbs 1000 feet in 1/2 mile under some power lines and past some abandoned coal mines. The ground is covered with sawbriers that you have to climb through.  In some places there is a downed powerline that can be used as a climbing rope. Otherwise you have to climb with your hands, and the thorns draw blood.   When we arrived there were a couple people standing there staring up at where we needed to go or they weren't sure where we needed to go exactly.  Lucky there was a guy there that had run a loop of the Barkley 100 and he was familiar with this section.  I took off with 4 other guys through this section. Using leather gloves and having most exposed skin covered was a big help.  I wore hiking shorts that covered my knees and socks that covered my calves.  I wasn't too worried about my arms getting a little scratched so they were exposed.  I strapped 1 of my bottles around my running belt so I would have a free hand to help me climb.  This guy directed us through this section and we had to crawl flat to the ground at some points to pull ourselves up.  We took a significant break at one point.  We finally reached close to the top and could see the tower where we would have to climb to get a punch.  There was a guy below the tower taking pictures.  Once we got our punch, I continued alone my way and separated from that group.  The mile that included Rat Jaw took 48 minutes, but it's the Barkley Classic so most of us don't care how long it takes. The foremost goal is to just get out alive and secondary is to hopefully finish the race.

The mile also included an aid station the group reconvened but most of us separated and went on our way.  We had only stuck together to get us through one of the toughest parts of the course.  The next part of the course drops about 2,000 feet so was somewhat more runnable but still didn't go too crazy since what goes down must go up.  At the 22.1 mile aid station (at this point, it was actually 26 miles I'd guess), we were at the bottom and an aid station.  As I was turning into the aid station, I took my first and only fall but wasn't too bad and only hit my knee a little.  Laz (the Barkley race director) was there to punch our numbers and tell us it was all downhill from here. I told him I would be very disappointed if it was all downhill.  He asked if I was setting a PR today and I laughed.

I started off with another runner that I had been running near off and on.  Eventually, he told me to go around since he wanted to rest.  The trail kept going up and up.  I should have known but had no idea how far up it went.  This section is a climb to the top of Chimney Top Mountain which has an elevation gain of approximately 2,000 feet over 4 miles.  The total elevation gain/loss of the course is approximately 20,000 I'd guess so a significant chunk of elevation to climb all at once.  Another guy passed me on the way up.  There were only a few points where any running was possible since it kept climbing.  It reminded me a little of climbing Hope Pass at Leadville.  At some point I catch up to him and we reach some huge rock formations at the top.  He asks which way I think we should go.  I assume we should take the trail that keeps climbing.  We go around the huge rock formation and there is a dog and someone sleeping in a hammock.  Then it gets difficult to see a trail so we obviously went the wrong way.  Luckily we found the trail again and we were a little disoriented so he pulled out his map and compass to make sure we were going the correct direction.  I stayed behind him until the end.

There was still a little more climbing and finally we start to descend.  There is another aid station ahead.  They tell us 3.3 miles to the end and all downhill.  We ask if they are lying to us but it is really all downhill.  They told us we were in 27th and 28th place.  We run it out until the very end together.  It felt good to be running and finish strong.   

I crossed the finish in 9:37:27 and 28th place of the 164 that finished.   240 started so 68% finished which I am sure was a huge disappointment to the race directors.  I was hungry right after the race and had not eaten that much during.  I only ate 2 of my bars and about 2 gels, plus some banana and energy bar at the aid stations.  I purchased a ribeye steak sandwich which tasted pretty good at first but couldn't finish the bun.  I would have loved to stay around and see more people finish but had to start the drive home 40 minutes after I finished.  Surprisingly, I didn't get tired until about the last 1.5 hours of the drive and arrived home before 2 am.

Pictures

Results

2014 Heart of America "Marthon" Marathon

Heart of America was my first marathon so it has become a tradition to run it every year.  It is also a plus that it is local and reasonably priced at only $45.  This year was my 11th consecutive year running the race.  Last year I ran the Leadville 100 miler, 2 weeks before the race.  This year I ran the Mohican 100 miler in June so was hoping I would have some time to actually marathon train.  Training was kind of blah but managed around 50-something per week since Mohican.  I ran hill repeats and got plenty of long runs.  However, my enthusiasm for long distance training has been waning and I didn't do any tempo runs.  I have been doing  track workouts but geared for shorter distance and I have been enjoying those. Like last year and most years post the Long Run Lunatics group, my training was far from ideal, but I was still hoping for a decent race.  My weight was up about 7 - 8 lbs this year so that was probably not ideal. 

The weather forecast changed dramatically in the 10 days before the race.  At first predictions were lows in the 70s to highs in the 90s.  Then as we got closer to the race, predicting temps in the 70s - 80s with a very high chance of severe thunderstorms.  The day before the race, it did not look good.  I wasn't worried about the rain but I was more worried about lightning canceling the race.  I was actually looking forward to rain keeping us cool. 

I woke up just before 5 am and it was pouring rain with a little thunder but not much.  I figured the race was going to happen and we left about 5:40 am to get to the start line which is just a little over 2 miles from where I live.  It didn't seem like a lot of people were there but I think most were hiding out in their cars.  At 6 am, we received notice there would be a 30 minute delay and they would come around to our cars if that changed. I was about to get out of the car at 6:25 and we received notice we would be starting at 7 am.  At this point, I needed to use the bathroom again.  Hugh drove Allan (who was hanging out with us) and I to the Hearnes Center but they had already locked it so we went to Hugh's workplace.  We posted a message to the Heart of America FB page about the delay since we are administrators, used the bathroom, and headed back over about 6:45.  The rain had let up and had nearly stopped by 7 am.  I was surprised since the forecast when I woke up called for 100% chance of thunderstorms until 10 am.  The race director had consulted with a TV station meteorologist and they thought we would be fine starting at 7 am.  I expected to get wet at some point but just stayed cloudy and never rained.

The rain had cooled the temp down from earlier so we started with 66F and 100% humidity. There were 179 runners which was down about 50 from last year.  I wasn't feeling great as my throat felt a little sore and head hurt but figured it was allergies.  We were off and I was in about 12th place running with the 2 guys that finished just ahead of me last year.  When we turned to go south we were in for a big surprise.  We had a really strong headwind to deal with.  I was glad I left my hat behind since I would have likely lost it.  I heard later people were losing hats and earbuds due to the strong wind.  I figured it would calm down once we got out of town and into the tree cover but it probably took a little more out of me than I had to give for those first few miles.  I had to deal with the wind for about 4 miles and just a little at one point around 8 miles.  

I couldn't seem to get in a groove to run as fast as I wanted (sub-7s).  The 2 guys I started with went way ahead to the point I eventually lost site of both of them.  I passed a couple people back and forth but overall this was a solo race most of the way.  I couldn't keep my pace below 7 minutes.  Only mile 1 and 6 were under 7.  My average pace at the halfway point was 7:17 and my split was 1:36:07.  I thought it might be neat to finish my 11th marathon in 3:11:11 but doubted I could pull it off since I figured I would slow down.  I was in 10th place at this point.  I had 4 gels with me that I took every 5 miles but not sure I needed them.

I wasn't feeling great but was able to maintain my pace pretty well the rest of the way and was hoping for a sub 3:15 and to hold onto my 10th place.  I didn't see anyone behind me.  This is a hilly course and considered one of the toughest marathons in the US.  It scares some people away but it really isn't that bad and the organization and great volunteers makes it worth running.  It was a long lonely road to 22 miles when I could see a runner ahead for the first time in 13 miles.  I was slowly gaining on him and as I got closer I could see he was taking walk breaks.  He took one too many breaks on the hill at mile 23 so I passed him at about 23.5 miles going up a hill.  My legs were feeling heavy and I just felt achy all over.  I managed a 7:36 miles for both 24 and 25.  When I turned the corner before 25, I could see someone ahead of me but figured I would never catch him this close to the end.  It was my friend Tom and he was taking walk breaks.  He took enough breaks to allow me to pass him and I felt strong to the end.  Just knowing the end was near gave me a boost.  I ran mile 26 in 7:23 pace and the last 0.5 in 6:01 pace.  Finishing time was 3:13:44 and 8th overall.  My second half was 1:37:37 so 1.5 minutes slower than the first half.  I ended up being 1 minute ahead of Tom so my lucky day since we are back in the same age group this year and it isn't easy for me to keep up with him in any race.  He said he was having blood sugar issues and that is why he was walking.  Both of us were about 9 - 10 minutes faster last year.   Some people were breaking their course PRs this year but not all of us.

I think the delay was a good call overall.  The weather turned out nicer than normal for this race with the clud cover keeping the temp down for the runners until the last half hour.  It was humid as usual.  11 HOAs completed and this one was my 8th fastest time.  Placed 8 of 179 and first in the the 45 - 49 age group.  The closest finisher ahead of me was 3:07.  The winner ran a 2:45!  I was also the first place Master's runner thanks to Tom taking some walk breaks so get a pair of shoes from Tryathletics.  The fact that he or someone else didn't show up to run faster is probably a miracle.  Last year there were more people, I placed 9th and ran faster and the first place Master's ran a 2:49 so it is only luck and not a good performance that I won the first place Masters this year.

At the finish, they had Hot Box cookies, fruit, Gatorade G2 and soda.  I managed to eat a couple cookies and had some caffeine and felt better.  We watched quite a few runners come in and then headed over to the the pizza party and awards ceremony at Shakespeare's Pizza around noon.  It was a fun race and am looking forward to doing this marathon again next year.

Splits/Map/Elevation

Race Results

Pictures

2014 Mohican 100 miler

I arrived Friday afternoon at 2 pm just as it was starting to lightly rain.  My campsite was tree covered so didn’t have a problem getting the tent set up as it was pretty sheltered from the light rain.  I was located up a big hill which the race course actually went less than 100 feet from my tent.  I got see George and Kimberly, the only 2 people I knew running one of the races at the prerace meeting before heading to bed.  Set alarm for 3:45 am which actually felt like 2:45 am due to the time difference but attempted to get 6 hours sleep.  I say attempt since the rude people next to my site next to mine were loud, obnoxious, and partying well past the quiet time.  I managed to sleep a little but they kept waking me up.  I woke up again when security drove by to tell them to turn off their radio and quiet down.  One of the women then went on loudly blabbering for what seemed like an hour hoping she wasn’t keeping her neighbors awake, and just going on to be annoying to everyone in the area.  She loudly said she hope she wasn’t disturbing her neighbors.  I assume someone reported them.  I was about 20 feet from their site.  The Ambien the woman loudly announced she had taken finally kicked in and they quieted down. At that point, I fell asleep dreaming they had been kicked out of the campground and didn’t wake up until the alarm went off.  I really wanted to make a loud racket when I got up but refrained since not everyone near us was running the race.  However, I did make it a point to be slightly loud since I thought it might wake them up.

I took a shower since I felt really sticky and wanted to start fresh and fairly dry.  I ate a protein shake, banana, and Greek yogurt.  The start for the course was about a mile from my campsite so I had to start walking at 4:30 am and made it there in 20 min.  I saw George at the starting line and we were able to run together for a while. There were about 200 registered for the 100 miler and the other races started later.  I followed George for a while until we were separated and then didn’t see him again until later and we ran together some more until I ran ahead.  I ran the first loop (~27 miles) in about 5:20 and felt pretty good about it.  For the first 2 loops I was able to run with and see some of the same people but the next 2 loops I ran alone at times.

I ran the second loop in about 5:40 and was at 11 hours at 54 miles which maked me wonder if could run 22-something if things continued as they were and even if I continued to slow down at the same rate.  My secondary goal was to run under 24 and was pretty sure that would happen unless things fell completely apart.  I chose to run without a shirt the entire day.  I realize a shirt is supposed to be wicking and keep cooler but I really dislike the feel of a damp shirt.  There was some light rain early in the day but nothing heavy.  The shorts I wore stayed dry and no problems chafing with them and the Body Glide. 

The sun stayed under for most of the day other than a few minutes which helped keep the temp down.  The high was forecasted at 79F but humidity was likely 80-90%.  The course was tougher than I expected but I just walked all the hills and ran where I could.  Pace seemed really slow since there was a lot of climbing, one which went straight up and had to grab hold of some intricate root ladder system and climb up like a ladder.  The course was very scenic, lush, and mostly tree covered.  Lots of ferns and still some May apples.  I think my sun screen I had applied just added to the stickiness and was probably not too necessary with all the tree cover.

Things fell apart slightly during the first half of the 3^rd loop which is a shorter loop at about 23 miles.  I was feeling just a little off and my pace slowed.  The first 11 miles were tough even on the runnable sections.  I think it was a bit of a nutrition issue so I tried some things like solid food (turkey sandwich) and started to feel human again.  There were some huge climbs after the covered bridge aid/drop bag station which gave the food a chance to digest.  Once it was runnable again, I passed a guy and his pacer that passed me earlier.  I ran this shorter loop in about 5:40 and ran pretty well during the second half so made up some time I lost when not feeling well.  I managed to make it most of this loop without using my light which I picked up at mile 65. I took a fall once squishing out part of my water bottle and getting my hands pretty dirty but no damage.  I really thought I was going to be able to run out of the fall but went down anyway.

I felt strong for the last loop even though I ran it slower.  I’ve had this feeling before where after the sun goes down I feel even better.  I was able to consistently run although a slower pace.  Goal was to make it one aid station at a time and try to figure out what I needed as I made my way to the finish.  I used very few gels since they tend to make me nauseous.  The 3 Mama Chias went down very well and caused no problems.  Also, used some of the squeezable snacks which went down much better than gels being closer to real food.  At aid stations, I ate a small quantity of food – orange slices, water melon, ramen noodle broth once, small turkey sandwich a couple times, and a few chips.  I passed a lot of people on the last loop, some still doing the 50 and marathon and some various stages of the 100 miler.  It was nice to see so many people and the loop course and 3 races made this possible.  I passed a lot of people in the last few miles and at this point was running as fast as I could to get it over with.  I would have short bursts of speed and was running a little dangerously at times.  I took a second fall 2 miles from the end and hit my left calf on a blunt rock.  It was kind of like ART and had to recover a minute to make sure no damage although the spot I hit is still slightly sore to the touch. 

As I made my way to the finish, I passed a lot of people doing different races.  One guy running the 100 miler that I had passed me at the beginning of the 3^rd loop was hunched over on the side of the road with less than a mile to go.  I didn’t say anything since I was assuming he was doing what he needed to do to get to the finish.  Another guy I passed about half mile was walking and said his shin hurt and he hadn’t been able to run for several miles.  I finally see the sign where I can turn to the finish and it was still a little further than expected.  I was hoping I didn’t burn myself on the torches they had set up.  I ran the last loop in about 5:52 which was actually about a mile shorter than the previous loop since we didn’t go back down the road a mile.

Finishing time is 22:32:20, 9^th overall of 108 finishers (~190-something starters), and 5^th in 40 – 49 age group.  I was very surprised I was 2 places ahead of the first female runner since she is an amazing runner.  My goal was to run this about as fast as Burning River 100 miler 2 years ago even though this was a more difficult course.  I felt like I was better trained this time and didn’t have a stellar day at BR100 where I did a lot of walking even on the flat sections.  My B goal was under 24 hours which I always hope I can finish but still isn’t always possible.  I’ll take the 32 min slower than BR100.  It was nice to finish in the dark before the sun came up.

I saw more wildlife on this run than usual including a raccoon, deer, mouse, and an opossum.  I was not interested at all in food after the race and had to wait until morning.  Hugh (the timer), wanted to get me something so brought me a Coke and I drank about half thinking maybe not a good idea if I wanted to get any sleep.  I was very interested in a shower as this race was very dirty and I was covered in stale sunscreen, sweat, mud, and debris. The trails drained well but there was mud in a few places and overall felt very sticky.  Even without a shirt, being sticky for over 22 hours wasn’t pleasant.  I got a few hours sleep before packing up to get my drop bags.  I had intended to sleep more but woke up to the obnoxious people next to me talking and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I had to wait around quite a while for my drop bags which is I wrote the first draft of this report.

Tough race but feel like I did very well and had very few issues.  It still makes me wonder if I should think twice before attempting another one.  It is hard to explain to anyone why I would want to run 100 miles.  Having done it 7 times now, I know what I am getting myself into but there is something about starting anew, at times giving up a little and yet pushing on, and often feeling better.  Even if not always feeling better still making it to the finish. Also, having all the time to be mostly alone and one with nature even if occasionally talking to other runners is good for me.  This may or may not have been my last 100 miler. It isn’t something I can plan for since I don’t know if the urge will strike again.  I can certainly see myself running 100Ks and 50 milers or multi-day events.

Excellent 2014 report by volunteer Colleen Theusch.

Mohican trail 100 mile elevation profile (above) at 29,062 feet elevation gain/loss compared to Leadville Trail 100 mile elevation profile (below) at 27,152 feet. Both taken with my GPS which I doubt is very accurate.  I've found vastly different results for Leadville on other sites.

2014 Berryman 50 Miler

Race Results

Splits and Map

Race Website

I have run this 50 miler 5 times and the marathon twice.  In recent years it has been pretty warm but this year it was only 37F when we started and the high was 63F.   I drove down with Jeff  on Friday and David, Brendan, and Cody met us at the campsite which Jed and Brandy saved for us. I slept and stayed warm but woke up pretty frequently.   At first it didn't seem that cold when we got up at 5 am but then started to feel it as I was getting ready.

I had a small bowl of cereal, pineapple and a Lean Body shake for breakfast and took my Succeed Pre-Race Pack.  Only managed to use the bathroom once which was not a good sign.  The 50 miler started at 6:30 am and the marathon at 8 am.  Unlike last year, it was not warm enough to run without a shirt.  I wore a short sleeve shirt and a long sleeve pullover with the thumb holes to keep my hands warm.    We were allowed a drop bag at the start and Brazil Creek at 16 miles and 41 miles.  The plan was to drop the long sleeve pullover there as it warmed up.

I had a variety of gels (some were free samples I tried), some Peach Tea GU chews (free sample), Beechnut Fruities (smoothie), Succeed, Carb Pro, and Hammer Fizz. I started out with Hammer Fizz in my bottle and switched to Succeed at 16  miles.  Also, had a bottle mixed and ready to go at the start.

The course is two 25.7 mi loops and we headed straight into the woods.  Not quite sure where I was placed as we went in but started pretty fast and was maybe in the top 10 with David behind me and a string of people behind us.  I don't really like haven't that many people behind me since I felt like I was holding them back.  At the first aid station David said he would see me later since he wanted to slow down.  After continuing to have a pack behind me and a few passing, I finally pulled over to pee and let them go past.

At about 9 miles, I am thinking I am not going to make it to a port-a-potty so start considering my options and looking for some really good leaves.  Once I pull enough leaves I head into the woods and was pleased I only wasted about a minute.  After the first 5 miles, being 9-something pace, the next 5 were mostly 10-something.

I caught up to Paul before Brazil Creek at 16 miles.  At the aid station, I added Carb Pro to my bottle, had a smoothie, and continued onward.  At most of the aid stations I ate nothing or had a small piece of banana and and orange slice, and a couple chips once.  After Brazil Creek, we turned onto a road for a quarter mile and Paul said he was going to take it easy up the hill.  Not much happened the rest of the first loop other than passed 3 more runners.

Being cooler I thought my first loop might be a little faster than last year but ended up being 4:20:07 something which was only a few seconds faster than last year and didn't spend much time at my drop bag.  I grabbed my bottle, another smoothie and headed out.  I passed the only female ahead of me within a mile or so and another guy shortly after.  Then I didn't see other 50 mile runners until mile 35 I caught another guy.  I left my shirt at Brazil Creek.

My overall average pace slowed 7 - 14 seconds which fluctuated around 7 seconds for quite awhile.   The last part of the course is more difficult and that is where it slowed even more.  After mile 41, I started calculating in my head every mile my finish time if I could maintain an 11 minute pace.  I figured I could finish in 8:57.  This helped pass the time and I wasn't sure if I was going to see any other runners.  Finally, just before the last aid station I catch another runner that says good, you don't look 50.  He said he was 50 so we were not in the same age group.  He wishes me well.  I skip over the last aid station since I had enough fluids and even dumped some.  My estimated finish time had dropped and I was hoping I wouldn't see any more runners but just over a mile from the end I passed another guy that was walking at times. He was not in my age group.

Ended up finishing in 8:52:29, 6th overall and a race PR.  In 2008, I finished 8:53:56 and the course was 1.4 miles less.  The course is now 51.4 miles and next year it will be even longer due to trail changes and will call it a double marathon.  I did win the 1st place Master's award so was lucky to pull off again for the 3rd consecutive year.

Although cold at the start overall the weather couldn't have been better.  I tripped on a few things but never fell.  I did drop my water bottle once when I tripped while trying to keep my balance and it hit my knee.  I felt like a had something left at the end so hopefully this bodes well for my upcoming 100 miler.  Also, unusual is that I felt like eating immediately after the race.  I had a brat, a few chips, and potato salad and then had a recovery shake and some yogurt.  Usually, I have to wait longer to eat.  Ankles are not sore and I am walking pretty well.

2014 - 8:52:29 (6th)
2013 - 9:01:13 (3rd)
2012 - 9:39:44 (4th)
2011 - 3:56:46 (5th) (marathon/course changes)
2010 - paced Jeff the second half of his 50
2009 - 9:15:33 (12th)
2008 - 8:53:56 (6th)
2007 - 3:37:39 (4th)

2014 Three Days of Syllamo

Day 1 - 50K:

This was my 4th time running the Syllamo 3 day stage race.  Previously, ran in 2008, 2009 and 2012 with my friend Jeff and he went with me again.  As I have mentioned before this race is worth repeating.  The course is very challenging and scenic and requires paying careful attention to trail markers and any flagging since it is not marked excessively.

We drove on Thursday to pick up our race packets and had a good dinner and Pizza Inn buffet.  The race on Friday started at 9 am and was about 45F and temps warmed up to upper 60s and cloudy all day.  I made the right decision to wear a short sleeve and leave the jacket behind since I was warm within 5 minutes.  I didn't really have a plan other than to experiment a bit with nutrition since I just do this race for fun and to finish.  It is good to run conservatively the first day since we still have a 50 mile and 20K facing us the next 2 days.  In 2008, I ran a sub 5 hour 50K and had a miserable 50 miler which was also my first ever 50 miler.  Each year I have run since has been a slower 50K except 2009 when we ran a different course on mostly forest roads due to a storm.

The 50K was pretty uneventful.  I started off very modestly and took about 8 miles to actually feel warmed up but pace pretty much remained about the same the rest of the race other than varies a great deal with the terrain.  Even with the same pace, I passed quite a few people.

I carried one bottle and used Hammer Fizz which is a zero calorie electrolyte and gives my water a nice flavor (lemon-lime, grape, and mango).  I also carried a gel and had a few items in the drop bag at 15 miles.  For the entire race I had 4 orange slices, 1 apple sauce, and 1 gel so figure I had about 250 calories.  I train without nutrition so I was hoping I could race fairly well and run off of burning fat.  It seemed to work since I felt fine the entire race and did not get very hungry.

At around 15 miles point DA caught up and flew by me since she had gone off course for about an hour.  About 2 miles from the end I caught up to SJ and another person and we all finished together in 6 hr 4 min.  I felt good about my warm up race for the 50 miler the next day.  I didn't soak in the creek this year but when back to the cabin to get our plates for the dinner and took a shower before heading back.  Jeff had already finished when I returned.  My left ankle was a little sore but it felt fine by the next morning.  I only took my usual supplements plus an extra turmeric each day.

Map and Elevation
Splits

Day 2 - 50 mile:

Saturday's race started at 6 am.  Temperature was a bit cooler at 6 am and was down to 41F at the start so I decided to start off with my jacket. I had 2 drop bags on the course which is about and back  there was one at 9.5/40.5 and 18.4/31.6.  We had to start off with a light so dropped off with my jacket at 9.5 miles and was plenty warm.

The first mile goes up so just stayed behind a line of people and took it slow and took 15 minutes for the first mile.  After 4 miles, I began to pass some people but still very slow going since this is a tough course.  I knew I would need to eat more to do the 50 miler after the 50K but still planned to wait awhile since I had a good breakfast before the race.

After dropping off the light at 9.5 miles, we encountered snow that had hardened and at a slope on what was supposed to be the trail.  Below, you have a ravine that goes down to a river.  We had to get around it but it wasn't easy since there was all kinds of dead trees and brush and stuff washed up from the river to climb through.  We made it through but I got a little scratched in the process and that mile took 18 minutes.

I managed to stay close to several runners until mile 18.5.  I had noticed a little before I was lagging behind and feeling extremely hungry.  I decided to wait until the aid station to get some real food.  I ended up spending some time eating peanut butter and crackers, probably an entire orange, cookies and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich they gave to me when they noticed I was eating so much.  One of the workers just wanted me to grab some food and leave so I didn't waste time.  I told him I was way ahead of cutoff so not a problem.  I grabbed some supplies from my drop bag, took some more food and was on my way.  I estimate I consumed about 1200 calories.  I was no longer hungry but had little energy.

I struggled for the next 14 miles.  One of the guys in the group I had been running with beat me to the turnaround by 17 minutes.  The turnaround came a lot quicker than I expected so that was good.  I turned around at 5:57 so had 8 hours to return before the cutoff.  I saw many people on the way back including Jeff.  At least 10 people passed me.  I estimated I would be lucky to finish in 12.5 - 13 hrs at the pace I was moving.  I had a bad case of I don't care or whatever you want to call it.  Questioned why I was running this race and why I signed up for more ultras this year.  I planned to pick up my light at 40 miles so I could make it back in case it was dark.

I had finally figured out I was pretty dehydrated miles back and had drank a PowerAid Zero at my drop bag at the 31.6 miles drop bag which was actually less. I also picked up a packet of Succeed from my bag and added to my drink.  I think the fluid loss was my main problem for my sluggishness and it had warmed up to around 70F.  Around mile 32 over on another ridge I see Jeff so he couldn't have been too far behind.  I tried to pick up  the pace a little and things continued to improve dramatically.  It became cloudy and the temperature dropped which also helped to bring me back to life.  I believe I ended up  passing every runner that had passed me earlier and 1 or 2 more.  I wasn't moving any faster than a 13 min pace.  I began to have hope that I could now finish in under 12 hours and have a negative split.

Before arriving at the 40.5 mile station, I had to go through the area earlier with the snow.  I think it had melted some so I stayed on top the ridge and hung onto the rocks or anything I could grab and made it across much more quickly than on the way out.  When I made it to the 40.5 mile aid station, I was pretty sure I was going to finish under 12 hours and in the light so did not take the headlamp.  I grabbed something small to eat and headed on my way passing 2 runners before the end.  Finished in 11 hr, 49 min so a negative split by 5 minutes.

Maps and Elevation
Splits

Day 3 - 20K+:

Two years ago when we ran the 20K it rained and this year was not looking good either.  It had been raining through the night and was still raining in the morning.  The temperature was 54F, the warmest starting temp of the races so didn't seem quite as bad but I knew I was going to get wet.  I couldn't find the rain jacket I had taken to the race so ended up wearing another jacket. It had been in my drop bag the day before but was now gone and still has not turned up.  I wore a different jacket and a short sleeve shirt underneath.   I was soon soaked but warm enough.  The trails had turned into tiny rivers with water running down them.

After the first 2 miles, I was able to pick up the pace a little and start passing the line I was running behind.  Details are a little fuzzy for the rest of this race.  I remember the wind really picking up while we were on a ridge.  This made me cold which made me want to run faster to stay warm.  Eventually got out of the wind, but it was apparent the temperature was dropping.  The rain did let up some.  I was running alone for most of the time but occasionally would see a few people and catch up to them and pass.

Then I didn't see anyone for awhile.  I was starting to question if I was on course, but there were still the yellow markers.  I had run this course before so not sure why I had so much doubt other than I was cold and now running for survival.  I kept checking myself to make sure I was really okay and figured if I could keep moving I would be okay.  I caught up to a couple runners at some point and then they somehow got way ahead of me very quickly.  At one point I crossed a road and the race director was driving around and asked if I was warm enough.  I lied and said yes and continued into the woods on the next portion of trail.  I only had 4 miles to go so hoped I could make it.  He said to be careful crossing the river.  I kept running but not very hopeful.  I tried to avoid running in the water if I could since it was making me feel even colder.

By the time I reached mile 12+ turned down a trail with yellow flags, but saw a green marker which really confused me since all flags and markers were supposed to be yellow.  I was about to turn around and recognized the area and then 2 runners came behind me.  I had to walk down some "step rocks" that turned.  I told the I was feeling pretty shaky and to go ahead but I would try to stay with them.  At this point, I was shivering and running at the same time.  The river was rushing but not too wide where we crossed and we hung onto some branches.  Somehow this mile took me 18 minutes.  I guess between climbing down the steps, climbing through some trees and the river added a little to the time.  I followed them to the end and the road to the finish came sooner than I expected.  I've never been so happy to see the finish line in a race.

I was quickly pushed into a tent with a heater and a cup of hot chocolate that I was shaking so much I could barely keep from spilling it.  DA was in there and told us we needed to get out of our wet clothes.  I stayed a little longer and then realized she was right so ran to my car, drove less than a quarter mile to dry off in the beach house and put on dry clothes.  Then went back to the heated tent, shivered some more, got out and back in about 3 times before I stopped shivering.  In between all of this I missed Jeff finishing but was thankful to see he had finished.

My finish time was 3 hrs, 1 min.  I ate nothing during the race and had drank less than 1/3 of my bottle in those 3 hours.

As soon as I got to the car, we took off and were ready to get out of there.  I had 2 jackets and the heat set pretty high for the drive home.  Getting home was an adventure.  It was still raining and the temperature kept dropping as we headed north.  Before we were out of Arkansas it had changed to ice but the road was still warm enough it wasn't bad yet.  Then it changed to snow and we were reduced to speeds of 43 mph for quite awhile until we got to a point in Missouri where the plows had cleared and treated the roads.  At this point, we stopped for lunch at 3-something.  By the time we were less than 30 miles from home, there were not signs it had snowed but it was still cold.

Maps and Elevation
Splits

Results:
Day 1 - 12:27/mi - 6:04:10 - 22 of 58
Day 2 - 14:51/mi - 11:48:56 - 11 of 38
Day 3 - 13:21/mi - 3:01:39 - 28 of 63

Overall - 13:51/mi - 20:54:45 - 12 of 31.  This is based on my GPS distance of 90.6 miles for the 3 races. There were 48 signed up for all 3 races but not sure how many started the first day.  Slowest time ever for the 1st and 3rd day and second slowest for the 2nd day.