Black Hills 100 Race Report 2021
Preamble
I had signed up for my third attempt a Black Hills 100 or 2020 are the race directors at the written foresight to cancel race later which became a super spreader event nationally as a result further adding to the shit sandwich that 2020 had become.
I reset my training plans, dealing with Covid-19 and life in general. My training fell off at some point, so when given the opportunity to resign for 2021, I mentally set progressing goals that I need to achieve to get ready for a June race. January of this year I was weighing approximately 194 pounds the most I’ve weighed since I started running. My training had gone pretty far downhill. My goal was to core strength up at least 70 to 80% of where it was when I ran the LOVIT 100. I needed a fitness level to get through the mileage yet mobility and strength to be able to get through a very difficult mountain race. I love technical with lots of large rocks and trees. I enjoy being in that kind of environment even though I’m not able to see all of it while racing. Just being in it, moving through it, the sounds, feeling the breeze, changes in the weather, critters that are around and yes even disturbing all of that peace and quiet with my own music, that that’s what draws me the trails.
So I set up training races, Athens Big fork in Arkansas, Ouchita Switchbacks in Oklahoma, volunteer and pace at the LOVIT 100 in Arkansas, another race near and dear to my heart, and then peak out with a 50 mile weekend at the OUTLAW 135/100/50 mile/ marathon, half marathon/ 10K/ 5K. I would taper down training Possum's Revenge 25K and then a four hour run at Achille's Hills, a small fat ass race that offered 2/4/6 hour and the last man standing format, these last two races I was hoping would give me valuable heat training to acclimate and figure out the nutrition and effort levels that can be maintained and reasonably simulate Black Hills.
Oh my work schedule since the first of the year has been incredibly high volume so my training time is been very limited. I was starting to miss training runs, so I began running at least a couple of hard miles if I had a little time. I wasn’t gonna let fact that I didn’t have big blocks of time keep me from consistently training and at least doing a minimal amount of core training and some yoga flexibility, All the while watching my weight and consistently coming down. No set diet, just trying to eat semi keto and eating as clean as possible cutting out most all the sugar and processed sugars and keeping the carb level low and tracking my weight.
I was successfully easing down 90 days before the race, reaching my goal at 173 pounds in May. My coach, Greg Sisengrath, provided basic calorie guide add drop bag outline along with pace charts from 31 hours to 34 hours because I felt like stretch goal could be 31 hour finish based on a fitness check I had done and using the McMillan pace chart.
When I signed up originally in 2020 couple of running buddies Arturo De La Cruz and Rolando Negron had signed up as well neither opted to roll their registration forward to 2021. I posted a few times of when registration came out for Black Hills, hoping other locals might go as well. Apparently I’m the only crazy from Dallas Fort Worth area that found it appealing. Oh, add a couple of songs to the playlist Fleetwood Mac "Go your own way" and Whitesnake "Here I go again".
Not that I mean it in any figurative or literal way this song just comes to mind because Ice Cube is going in the same frame of mind with "No Vaseline"; one of my all time favorites.
My wife had crewed me on my first Black Hills 100 attempt and I told her that I wouldn’t ask her to go again because she had her fill of South Dakota experience during that trip.
I thought about having virtual crew after an experience with another running buddy and running mentor who navigated for me virtually when I participated in a Cannonball Run when I was up without the navigator. The logistics was gonna be dodgy at best. I’ve got a good short list of Badasses that I absolutely trust with my life in these situations, but there’s that commitment, asking for the commitment on their part and figuring out what their role is going to be and what’s expected and then I didn’t have good solid idea on how to piece it out.
I ran a couple of 4 x 4 x 48 runs with running buddy Ginny Gwyn and we talked about it. She offered and agreed to do whatever and I kind a left her with the muddled yes I need you but I’m not exactly sure how I need you and what I need you for. Her commitment gave me a little heightened level of confidence that I had support. I’m not sure how it’s gonna work but I felt like OK I’ve got to figure it out on my own I’ve got to do everything I can to make race execution as goof proof as possible and so the next thing is can I find a pacer? Hit up home trail buddy Phil Uecker. After back-and-forth delayed messages, he tells me he’s not trained enough to pace me all the way back. I replied yes that’s OK I just need you to get me from Pilot Knob to Silver City and back in one piece. If I'm still able to move well at that point, I should be good to finish the race. So now I’m a couple of months out from the race. No live crew, but one virtual and I have one partial pacer. That's enough to get an old man through, I hoped.
I had airline reservations made months ago, but I didn’t get accommodations until about a month and a half out, I found an AirBnB for one night before the race and I didn’t have any accommodations for after the race. My biggest concern was getting a good nights sleep before the race, so I didn’t worry about it. The original plan was to have drop bags ready a month to two months before the race. That didn’t happen. I did mentally outline drop bag items and figured out what I had and what I would need to order. Plus gear that I would need about 4 to 6 weeks before the race. I need a new shoes, socks, shorts with zipper pockets and compression shorts that would not chafe. I also need to sort out hydration bottles/packs and bottle holders/hydration belt combinations that would work.
I tested multiple scenarios training with hydration packs. I purchased a new hand held that was comfortable and also had some storage available. With his race one has to figure that it’s going to be hot, It may not be hot, but it has the potential to be extreme, As I’ve learned from other races, prepare for the absolute worst and you can dial back from that much easier than trying to deal with the worst not be prepared for it. From the podcast "Run the Riot" by David Theriot, I ordered some T8 compression shorts and some T8 ultra running shorts, both were very expensive but if they delivered as indicated by David I would be very happy very. The ordering process is a little confusing due to the fact that the company is based in Hong Kong requiring Hong Kong currency, plus added delays in shipping times but finally got the product and was able to test them in a race and a few training runs and found them to be very good for short races but they wouldn’t work for 100 miles for me. The shorts are a combination of a naked belt built onto very light shorts. Probably very good for extreme heat on short distances for me but not for long distances. They didn't provide the comfort and feel that I wanted. My coach had excellent results with XO Skin shorts over multiple days at the Cocodona 250. By the way David Theriot has accepted them replacing T8 and touted XO Skin as all American made. The newest top-of-the-line version was not available. I dropped down to the next version, ordering one medium and one large since my weight fluctuation put me on the borderline on size. It’s also fairly expensive, but at this point I’ve got so much invested in this race I’m not taking any chances and I’m not going to let equipment get in the way and cause of the race to fail.
After hearing about the Hoka Speedgoat Evos from a couple of different sources, I decided to give them a try, the latter of the earlier versions got bad reviews.
I’ve been training/racing on Speedgoat 2’s that I stockpiled a few years ago and they are almost smooth wore out. I also have 3 pair of waterproof Speedgoats that I save for wet races. I highly recommend the Waterproof version coupled with Darn Tough thick wool socks for wet conditions. I tried to get the Evos at REI and Luke’s locally, but neither had them or knew about them. I tried a few other online stores, but none had my size so I ponied up and ordered 2 pairs of Evo’s, 2 pairs of Speedgoat 5s and a pair of Road shoes, since my 8 year old trainers are also wore smooth out. The pile was about waist high and about 700 bucks.
I figure those should last at least 3-4 years of training/racing.
I use Protalus insoles and I purchased 2 new pairs and signed up for 6 month subscription replacement. I tend to use those well beyond the normal lifecycle as well, they offer additional cushion and arch support.
The XO Skin shorts didn’t come in until race week, so I barely was able to test them. At least I sorted out the size issue, large is what I need, I’m hoping to return/exchange the smalls, otherwise some deserving small ass trail buddy will get them.
With the help of my wife, I laid everything out 2 weeks before the race. I still had items on order or to order. I have been testing different protein/nutrition drinks, which have also served as meal replacements during my weight loss program as well as baby food packets, which I’ve found in general, more densely packed with nutrition than the geriatric versions. I planned to pick up some of those in Rapid City at Walmart.
Tuesday before race, I tested the large XO Skin Compression shorts on short run/ hike with my running buddies. I then began completing each bag with outbound and inbound items separated.
Everything fit into 2 carry on roller bags and a backpack plus trekking poles that wouldn’t fit into any bag.
Around 10:30-11PM I was set, I took a quick look at my work iPad and discovered I had appointments scheduled for Thursday and the weekend.
I frantically composed an email to alert my boss and make sure they were reassigned so no customers would be inconvenienced.
I took too much time getting ready Thursday morning and almost made my wife late for work. She’s a RN and that’s unacceptable. I’m lucky she made to work on time.
There were issues with my reservation, so I couldn’t check in at the self serve terminal which was good because I needed to add the checked bag.
They took my 2nd bag at the jetway, so all I had to keep up with on the plane was a backpack and poles. I’d hoped to sleep on the flight, but a 2 year old next to me was having none of that. Thirty minutes after touchdown, I was in the parking lot hunting my Red VW Jetta. Off to Walmart for food. Strawberry PediaSure, emergency panchos, a snickers bar and Dr Pepper Zero were top of the list. I stopped at a Subway and got a Turkey/Bacon/Avocado Wrap and headed to Sturgis. The weather forecast seemed to change daily, the heat didn’t look like a significant factor, but rain and cold overnight temps could be.
I felt ok that I didn’t bring the waterproof Hokas, I expected at least 2-3 deep creek crossings, and hoped the Evos would dry quickly since they are so light.
There was significant storms all afternoon, which was alarming since a good bit of the first 13 miles is in open fields. It just didn’t matter, I know what to do if that situation comes up, lucky for me, it didn’t.
Being familiar with a race has many small benefits, you know where to go, where stores and restaurants are located, plus you can time everything out easier and more stress free. I made it to check in around 3:30PM, got my packet and bought a hat and then went to the RV Park office to see about getting a room for the days after the race.
I booked for Saturday/ Sunday and let them know I might be later than 8PM, but I wouldn’t know anything about time until Saturday. They gave me a number to call and I was happy to have secured post race accommodations. The 50M/50K runners pretty much fill up the rooms, cabins and take significant camping and RV spaces, that along with a Camaro rally weekend kept he place busy all weekend.
As I’m leaving the RV Park, I see Christoph and his best friend Adam on there way to packet pickup, we talk in the mist/ light rain about the race and possibly running together the first part since we seemed to be at about the same fitness level.
There was an 80’s Camaro with an old school custom paint job with patina from the era in from of a quaint tiny 2 Bedroom home where the owner sleeps in the basement and rents out 2 bedrooms, all sharing one bathroom. I’m greeted by Kemo or Chemo, I didn’t clarify the spelling, a very attention needy dog. Normally I’d be annoyed by this, but fate put two souls together at the right time, I had patience and made time for canine affection and enjoyed the moment, thinking about my grand dog Kingsley. There were a couple of guys from Minnesota in the other bedroom, here for the Camaro Rally weekend, they’d been prepped by super host Carrie on my race plans and said they’d be sure to keep it quiet so I could sleep well, I let them know it was a 10AM start and I’d be normal sleep time and thanks for their courtesy.
It was nice to be there, we stayed in motel first attempt, I stayed in a cabin at the RV park on my second attempt, it’s neat to see other runners and their people, but this was more restful than previous trips, I didn’t miss the sometimes awkward interactions with other runners pre race. My stomach was a little cramped and rumbling most of the afternoon, in retrospect I think the Subway had something bad in it. It was a little worrisome, but not a major problem.
I went to Red’s Restaurant & Bar as recommended by Carrie for a Cobb Salad. It was there that I discovered something was definitely off kilter with my GI system, glad I was packing wipes, luckily they weren’t the Dude Wipes I picked up at Walmart. Not that Dude Wipes are bad, it’s just that they are difficult to get out of the package without pulling half of them out. Good for cheap wipes, not good for race conditions. I ate my salad and returned to Kemo's home. I laid out everything I’d need to start the race and got to bed at a reasonable hour. The next morning I was so proud to produce real poo. I stayed in bed resting an additional hour after I woke up, got ready and headed to the race, about 5 minutes away, no traffic.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The RACE
Christoph & Adam
I saw Christoph and Adam and we spoke for little bit, after the normal 3 minute course briefing, we were set off, I haven’t seen Christoph or Adam since a few miles in early part of the race. It was raining lightly, I knew that was good because everyone could go harder effort due to the cooling effect. Some were wearing layers and I knew they would overheat, temps were never much below 60 I think, I believe these were optimal racing conditions. I set in to keep my HR around 142. 132 is my target when it’s hot / humid, I felt ok bumping that up due to the conditions. I was wearing a Dallas Running Club PACE LEADER tech shirt, game day decision from the cotton Rolling Stones shirt originally chosen for heat. Right off the bat, I felt a little weirdness from the XO compression shorts, they ride low. I noticed from volunteering at LOVIT 100, guys that wear them only are almost showing butt crack, I think it was the difference in the waistband ride that bothered me, I stopped down once and adjusted them, not issues remainder of the race. I snugged up behind two really fit looking runners that I stayed behind for miles, a Dad and his daughter who had just graduated HS and was about to turn 18, her goal was to finish a 100 before her birthday in a few weeks. He was her running crew / pacer, I’m guessing he could easily sub 30 hour this race. They were from the East coast area, I don’t remember exactly, her name was Grace, I couldn’t remember his.
17 year old HS graduate, Grace and her father
For a while when I was behind them, we were bibs 47,48,49 consecutively running
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There were a few guys that followed/ ran some with me, we never exchanged names, we referred to each as Pennsylvania, Cheesehead, because it was easier than Wisconsin and I was Dallas, later Colorado ran with us a bit, but he dropped. Pennsylvania dropped us, but we would catch him sometimes at aid stations.
We would see Dad off and on at aid stations and then he would speed away to catch up to his daughter. I ran alone for a good distance and slowly tracked down Nashville, a 40 Y/O female bartender, running her first 100M, she is an incredibly adept downhill runner and as I found out over many miles to come, and was my kindred trail spirit. We’re both mountain loving flatlanders, she prefers technical single track and absolutely loves blasting descents. I had guessed since it was her first hundy, she had gone out a little too hard at the start, thus I’m catching up, we appeared to be at similar fitness levels and would later hook up with Cheesehead, who was also similar fitness. I was executing my race plan as set, taking in nutrition, fluids and electrolytes as planned, it heated up about 4-5 hours into the race and I adjusted appropriately. I was getting calories ok, but the aid station selections were fairly limited on things that worked for me. Watermelon Banana PB M&Ms Chips and Coke were about it, I somehow missed packing my Spring gels at race start, so I had to live off aid station stuff until Elk Creek (17.5M) my first drop bag.
Struggling....
Nashville was having difficulty fueling because she’s vegetarian and this is cattle country and they don’t give 2 shits about having Vegan selections. I gave her a Speednut gel (250 calories). We probably started running together from about mile 26, I think Cheesehead got ahead at an aid station and that’s what had us paired up alone for a long stretch. Nashville had to take a dump, I told her if she could hold out a few miles, Nemo would have an outhouse or porta-potty. I needed a dump stop as well. It had started raining again. I was getting a little chilled, so I broke out a $1 Walmart pancho at the aid station and took care of my business after Nashville did hers, we compared notes after, I thought it was a competition and I clearly won. Baby Ruth beats Peanut M&Ms! Hand sanitizer, emergency pancho and we’re off again.
It didn’t take but 3-4 miles for me to have to stop down and remove the incredibly durable yet seemingly flimsy $1 pancho.
It held heat too well. I lead most of the way, longer descents I’d let Nashville go ahead, cause I wasn’t gonna blow myself up pushing too hard for a little fun, been there done that, it definitely don’t pay off in a hundy. At some point by mile 40, we hooked up with Cheesehead, I introduced them and lead the trio to Pilot Knob where as I told them, Phil Uecker would be joining to pace to Silver City and back. I needed another dump stop, don’t remember if Nashville did or not.
Cheesehead didn’t wait for us, it wasn’t an extraordinarily long stop, just not a quick stop.
Before we hooked up with Cheesehead, Nashville and I made an agreement that we’d stay together until either of us held the other up for 10 minutes, at that point we’d split. I said “I don’t want to fuck up your race, and I’m damn sure not letting you fuck up mine.” We had been running at least 20 miles or more at that point.
Phil paces from behind, I wasn’t sure if Nashville was right behind me or Phil, but I was leading and setting the pace. Somewhere only a mile or so in I hear Nashville asking Phil if we were going to make Silver City cutoff.
I knew from her tone and inflection, she was done. I did my normal “coach ‘em up” talk a few times in the coming miles, but about the same time, I managed to get us off course, way before the turn that cratered my last race. Phil recognized that we were off course, but didn’t know exactly where we were. We crested a hill and were greeted by the eery glow of cattle eyes, a small herd was right next to the trail we were on. It startled Nashville, they were docile, we moved past, came to a dead end and Phil said go right. We wound down a hill and through a valley, crossed a stream and hit a road. Phil knew where we were from the road, he just didn’t know how far to the trail. I was so glad Phil was getting us back. I pulled out the Map App, which I meant to learn how to use prior to the race, but didn’t, luckily it was user friendly, I pulled it up on my phone, handed it to Phil and it confirmed his decision. We had added a little over 3 miles. I was happy, that was only 1/2 of last time and if Phil hadn’t been there who knows how long it would have taken to get back on course. Nashville was mentally broken, there was nothing positive coming out, she was kinda staying with it, I had hopes she would stick it out.
We made it into Silver City, got everything we needed, I changed shoes and socks, only because I felt some mud on my heel. I had a change of clothes, but didn’t think I needed them.
I did grab the outer shell I’d packed since the temperature dropped dramatically and would continue to drop until daylight.
We left Silver City sometime around the 3:30AM cutoff, I assume, I didn't ask, I didn't care. I just had to get back going.
There was a creek crossing in the field near Silver City Aid Station, Phil had helped Nashville cross on the way in, I assumed he had again on the way back, so I just zipped over the log bridge and thought nothing of it, I heard Phil behind me later, I assumed Nashville was dropping off pace. I knew she would drop, and I wasn't gonna beat myself up over it. Same thing happened at Outlaw 50M. A gal running her first 50 was ill prepared, I told her I would get her through if she wanted to finish. Conditions were hard, she dropped way early because she didn't know what to do about the conditions, she had 48 hours to complete the race, it was a looped course, I beat myself up on that one for a few hours, and finished the race in almost 20 hours. Nashville was history for me, I'd be pleasantly surprised if she "came back to life" and caught up later, but I knew that wasn't happening. I think I related as much to Phil regarding Nashville's plight.
Phil and I met about 8 years ago on a rocky hilltop in South Dallas on a group training run. He's a local here and has run the 50K/50M/100K and 100M. I ran miles with him on his 100M my first attempt. He's a quiet, reserved guy and we talk very little on the trail. I don't remember if we spoke much all the way back to Pilot Knob, Phil was a great pacer, exactly what I needed to get this race done. We saw the shuttle buses drive past Pilot Knob, Phil said don't worry about the 50 milers passing by. Little would I know that the drama had barely begun with my race. I was in a bit of a brain fog, I don't remember when we came into Pilot Knob, but I'm fairly sure we didn't make the 6AM cut off. Phil took my outer shell and headlamp and would leave them at my rental car at the finish line. I kinda remember a conversation about cutoffs. I said I'm not quitting, ate some Ramen and a 300 calorie Spring Oatmeal breakfast pak, thinking those were my most GI tract friendly options. I grabbed my stuff and climbed out, the Sun was up, as soon as I made the climb and was looking down at the aid station, I had to stop, lean forward on my trekking poles and proceeded to violently puke up everything I'd just eaten. The generator at the aid station kept them from hearing the pukes and dry heaves. I was glad for that, I just needed to get moving again. Nutrition would be one thing I could cross off my mental list of things to do. Next item of business, figure out how the fuck to keep going another 43 miles without taking in real food. I'd done it before, but I didn't recall that at the time, but I finished my second Arkansas Traveller 100 on little sips of water every 20 minutes and power-hiking it all the way in. The course to Nemo was a rough, rutted out jeep/ATV trail, Grace and her Dad were long gone, Pennsylvania was gone, Cheesehead was gone, Nashville gone, Colorado gone, I'm not sure if there are any folks behind me at this point.
I had a weird experience with a little bird on the trail which I captured on video, that was a nice distraction from my fatigue/ sleep deprivation/ GI issues.
About a mile out from Nemo aid station, I called my coach, no answer, I called my virtual crew, Ginny Gwen; gave her my assessment and she immediately had a solution. Coke and water. Calories from Coke/ Hydration from water, simple as that, it worked for her in a race somewhere. I bailed on the call as I was coming into the aid station, I grabbed my drop bag, I think I drank a PediaSure, but I'm not certain of that, I asked for Coke in one bottle and water in the other and got back to arranging my gear and ditching what I didn't need. The aid station captain had the obligatory conversation, I developed my standard response, I'll respect the RD's decision if they think I should be pulled but I'm not taking myself out of the race, I understand the aid station close schedules. I probably sat for 5-8 minutes at most, got my bottles and took off again. The sun was out and the temps began climbing. An "oh shit" moment occurred within a mile after leaving the aid station, almost concurrent with passing the trail shot offer.
I pulled my coke bottle out of my belt and realized I'd only been given a 1/4 bottle of coke. This was the only time I was super pissed off during the race. I should have checked it, I just grabbed and left, assuming it was full. Fully cognizant Steve would have immediately sensed the problem, it wasn't her fault, it was mine. She's sacrificed a weekend to be out here. I paid to be here, I had a 1 minute pity party and decided to sip the coke to ration it over the next 6 miles to Dalton Lake, if I run low on water, I'll cut down the effort level to maintain hydration. I took a caffeine pill, which I thought was a 450mg Vivarin and it hit me like Speed! I woke up, most all my fatigue pain went away and I was able to run like I did mile 12-30. I made up time. This was a much needed mental boost and spirit boost. I felt confident I was in the game and had a shot for a finish. That "high" lasted around 5 miles, I didn't crash, but I definitely came down a few notches. 50 milers were passing me steadily now, Dalton Lake aid was busy, I gave them my number, I don't think they recognized I was a Hundy runner, the aid station seemed to be a massive cluster fuck, so I went directly to my drop bag, moved a chair into the shade and went to work ditching almost everything non essential, switching out to my pack, carrying 5 bottles in anticipation of down the line aid station closures leaving me without fluid. I would keep enough to finish out the race without support, so cutoffs would not be an issue, unless I was pulled. I got a full bottle of coke plus spillage to coat the outside, then I got a rinse and cleaned it off. I filled the rest of my bottles. It was obvious this aid station had mostly first timers, and I didn't have a lot of patience, so I managed as politely as possible to get what I needed and get out. I checked out without discussion and went on my way. I'd tried multiple times to text updates on where I was to Ginny, but they kept bouncing back unsent, I attempted resends and finally gave up. I needed help again, but would just have to figure it out on my own. I drank a Strawberry PediaSure (280 cals) from my drop bag at Dalton Lake, it soothed my mouth, which had become irritated from the Coke / base salts I'd been taking. That was the issue I needed help with. I realized the caffeine was only 200 mg. That seemed to last about 3 hours. I ditched the container that had that and ginger chews and mustard paks at Dalton Lake. In my hasty stop, I'd shorted myself on valuable resources. Spilled milk at this point, press on.
I think Dallas Dirt Runner Kyle passed me along this stretch, I introduced myself, since we'd never met, he said he would pray for me and pressed on. At this point, I'm appreciating any help, positive vibe, prayer, wing, voodoo, witchcraft or time travel that might be available. I thanked him and continued on. The sleep deprivation was hitting hard again, when it would hit, I wouldn't be able to hold pace, concentration was difficult, I may have pissed on my shoe at this point, although I think that happened 15 miles earlier. I was lucky to cross a creek with a clear stream of water to wash it down/ dilute it into my sock to a healthy level. I believe my piss count was around 10X for the entire race, 8X I pissed my pants before the full stop down and release, only once firehosing my foot. My urine was clear until after mid-day Saturday. I was slightly to moderately dehydrated the last 50K of the race by my assessment of symptoms and lack of proper intake. I don't remember much about Crooked Tree, but I think I had an in depth conversation there and let them know I had enough fluid to get back without support. Temps bounced all over the place the rest of the afternoon. If the Sun was out and I was climbing, it was ugly, when the clouds and wind came, temps dropped 10 degrees or so and moving became easier, fluid intake required lessened. I was deep into the pain cave throughout the afternoon, my right lower back was the worst offender. I had massaged my left hip numerous times earlier in the day, and would dig my trekking pole handle as deep as possible when I stopped and sat at aid stations, that helped alleviate the tightening and soreness. I had long ago quit looking at pace. I ran when I could, I power-hiked as hard as I could when I could, and I moved it forward as best as possible otherwise. When I was feeling good, I could almost run hard downhill. By almost hard, I mean leaning forward and flying down. I wasn't willing to try that, I thought it too risky and probably would blow me up. I was holding my trekking poles and shuffling quickly with a slight backward lean on the steepest descents, I was near straight on the easy descents and at a decent jog, almost a run. I was hitting 17-24 min paces until the sleep dep hit again and El Sol came back out. I had to stop down, sit and reset multiple times around Elk Creek. A number of other runners some hundys some fiddys were doing the same, I passed 2-3 runners through that tough going, no effect on my outcome; however. Mile 68 and 77 were about 29 minutes. I was doing all I could with all I had.
This is what I come to see, big rocks, big trees, big spaces, big cliffs
I've been here before in races and I've pushed myself to the point of my body shutting me down, I wasn't going to let that happen today, I would stop for a reset when I sensed nearing max fatigue. Elk Creek I had a drop bag, that mile was 44 minutes, I don't remember much about it.
I closed in on Cheesehead and caught up with him as he's taking a little break, contemplating his life decisions. Upon hearing my 3 miles added and subsequent story, he felt his near give up decision may be premature. I told him he could definitely finish, it would be ugly, but let's get it done. He only had fatigue and overall muscle pain issues, no other problems, feet good, gut good, hydrated well, electrolytes in balance, man what I'd given to have that. I was just the opposite, the only thing I had working was my muscles, legs good, back a little sore. If I could stay awake and not nauseated, I could run. We made an odd couple. My pace was a little faster than his, especially on the descents, but that was the case early in the race as well. I'd pull ahead and stop down for him after a downhill. We figured Elk Creek would be gone, but Leslie Warren from Pilot Knob was there. It is always good to see a familiar face, although I didn't recognize it was her until we left, but I was deep into Ultra fog at that point. I had enough fluid to finish the race. Now we only had 18 miles left. I had taken a few chips at the aid station and I tried a little Tailwind. Bad decision.
20 minutes later I projectile puked and dry heaved every bit out as Cheesehead observed. I cleared the vomit from my nostrils with my sweatband, fingers and wiped it on my shorts. It wasn't worth dealing with the Dude Wipes in my ass pocket, they were too hard to get out.
Shit worthy at best (Dude wipes) puke could be self cleaned at this point. I felt much better, I hadn't realized the chips had messed my gut up so badly. We pressed on. It was getting dark, Cheesehead called his wife and had her bring his headlamp to the Bulldog aid station location.
There were people there waiting on 50 milers, there was still left over stuff there, we topped off bottles, Cheesehead got his headlamp and off we went for the final 11.5 miles. This was the longest 11.5 miles and I swear I didn't remember more than 15% of these miles even though I've covered them 3X prior to this race. Our fastest mile out the final 12 was 18:17, most were 21-28. I would pull ahead, find a place to sit and wait for Cheesehead. Less than a half mile from the aid station, we meet Pennsylvania coming back. Surprised, we query "what's up dude?" He'd realized he wasn't going to make the 34 hour cutoff. I went through the whole, you've come too far and too much not to finish, buckle or not. We talked a little more, as we left he thanked me for the pep talk. I think no less of him for his decision, I think his was more difficult than me and Cheesehead pressing on to finish, but that's just me. Kinda like Nashville back at Silver City, you gotta run your race and as Paul McCartney says "Live and Let Die". The mountains overlooking Sturgis literally kicked my ass. I could not remember much at all of this from prior race starts. I was having to stop down every mile or so, sometimes more often. I'd pull ahead of Cheesehead, sit and he'd catch up, occasionally I would stay seated so he could get a rest as well. Then it got dark, I was leading, Cheesehead gave me his light, because I was blocking it from the trail ahead. I did my best not to separate from him, the trail was really dark and easy to lose without a light. This stretch was agonizingly long and surprisingly steep at points to me. We finally made it off the single track. Cheesehead was a little confused about the course following flags and going under the highway. I knew this part well. He'd forgotten the concrete and wood bridges back to the park as well. Good thing we stuck together. Now the weirdness kicks in. I can't keep up with Cheesehead on the concrete. He's able to go way faster than on the single track now and I have to stop down occasionally to reset at even a 21 minute pace. We're less than 1.5 out, I point out the park. When we get to the parking lot, his family is there, 1/4 mile to go. I continue on the path and give him the family moment. He passes me and gets a photo at the finish line. His wife offers to take one for me. She takes plenty. I'm so relieved it's over. But my adventure isn't nearly over for the night...
This is the elevation for the race and a little video recap
https://www.relive.cc/view/
Nobody answers the phone # I was given for assistance. I decide to drive to Rapid City to try to find something, risking life and limb way worse than anything in the race only to find Rapid City essentially sold out for events. I get a shower at Pilot and drive back to Sturgis and sleep in the car in the Downtown RV Park parking lot at 3AM.
My wife asked me if I regretted my decisions. No regrets. Would I change anything if I had prior knowledge how this would shake down? Not a chance in hell. Everything of significance went my way, fate put with the right people at the right time, no challenge was insurmountable or unable to overcome. Takeaways: 1: I'm not fast enough to make the cutoffs in this race 2: You need to have your post race accommodations locked down prior to the race. I highly recommend this race for anyone who likes hard mountain races. It will provide you with the most adequate hard mountains! It is an excellent "old school" race. No frills, no vegan options, Bold, Brash just as advertised. Johnny Cash gives the finger.
Black Hills 100 Recap
Numbers:
Attempt #: 3
Race Start 10AM
Distance ran: 108.37 Miles
Total time: 36 Hours 29 Minutes
Elevation gain: 16,247
Average Pace: 20:12
Moving Time: 31:24:24
Average moving pace: 17:23
Crew: 0 Live 1 Virtual -Ginny
Pacer: 1 - Pilot Knob to Pilot Knob - Phil
Black Dog calls: 27 (est)
Trail Pee stops: 11
Pissed pants: 8
Pissed on shoe: 1
Trail Dumps: 0
Outhouse Dumps: 2
Shoe/Sock changes: 1
Dry heave stop downs: 2
Pukefests: 3
New trail friends met: approximately 8
Fuel/ nutrition plan followed: 62 miles
FUBAR/ seriously doubting life choices: 4
Sit downs to reset: Dozens
When I signed up originally in 2020 couple of running buddies Arturo and Rolando had signed up as well neither opted to roll their registration forward to 2021 I posted a few times of when registration came out for Black Hills apparently I’m the only crazy from Dallas Fort Worth area that finds it appealing. Oh add a couple of songs to the playlist Fleetwood Mac go your own way and Whitesnake here I go again. Not that I mean it in any figurative or literal way this time just comes to find because ice cube is going in the same frame of mind with no Vaseline. My wife had crude me on my first break girls attempt and I told her that I wouldn’t ask her to go again because I have her fill of South Dakota experience during trip that we made. I thought about virtual crew after experience with another running buddy and running mentor navigate it for me in a cannonball run when I was up without the navigator but the logistics when I got down to it gonna be a little dodgy and really wasn’t sure yet multiple people I’ve got a good short list of folks that absolutely trust with my lifeIn the situation but there’s that commitment asking for the commitment on their part and figuring out what their role is going to be and what’s expected and then they didn’t have good solid idea on What does it work and how it would work. I ran a couple of 4 x 4 x 48 runs with running buddy Jenny and we talked about it she offered and agreed to do whatever and I kind a left her with the model yes I need you but I’m not exactly sure how I need you and what I need you for. Her commitment gave me a little heightened level of confidence and I add support I’m not sure how it’s gonna work but I felt like OK I’ve got to figure it out on my own I’ve got to do everything I can to make race execution as proof as possible and so the next thing is can I find a pacer? Hit up home trail buddy Phil euchreAfter back-and-forth delayed messages, He tells me he’s not trained enough to pace me all the way back. I replied yes that’s OK I just need you to get me from pilot knob to Silver city and back in one piece and get a wife still moving I should be good to finish the race. So now I’m a couple of months out from the race yes true well no crew no live and I have one partial pacer.Oh I had airline reservations made months ago and I didn’t get accommodations until about a month and a half out found Airbnb for one night before the race and I didn’t have any accommodations for after the race since my biggest concern was getting a good nights sleep before the race I didn’t worry about it. My original plan was to have drop bags ready a month to two months before the race. That didn’t happen I did can’t mentally get dropped bag items in mind and figured out what I had and what I would need to order and also gear that I would need about 64 to 6 weeks before the race. I need a new shoes, socks, Shorts with zipper pockets and compression shorts that Would not chafe. I also need to sort out and he’ll bottle/pack bottle holders/hydration belt combinations that would work. Tested multiple scenarios Training Hwy Bronze purchased a new pain pill that was comfortable and also had some storage available. With his race have to figure that it’s going to be hot it may not be hot but it has the potential to be extreme, As I’ve learned from other races prepare for the absolute worst and you can dial back from that much easier than trying to deal with the worst not be prepared for it. And from the podcast run the riot by David Terrio I ordered some T8 compression shorts and some tea eight ultra running shorts, both were very expensive but if they delivered as indicated by David I would be very happy very. The ordering process is a little confusing due to the fact that the company is based in Hong Kong Hong Kong currency this also adds to delays in shipping times but finally got the product and was able to test him in a race and a train runs and found them to be very good for short recess but wouldn’t work for 100 miles for me the shorts or a combination of a naked belt Mary very light shorts probably very good extreme heat for short distances for me but not for long distances provide comfort and feel that I wanted. My coach excellent results EXO skin shorts multiple days at the Cocodona 250 and by the way David Terryhill has excepted them replacing T8T8. The newest top-of-the-line version not available drop down to the next version,Ordering one medium and one large since my weight fluctuation put me on the borderline on size. It’s also fairly expensive, but at this point I’ve got so much invested in this race I’m not taking any chances and I’m not going to let equipment get in the way cause of the race to fail.After hearing about the Hoka Speedgoat Evos from a couple of different sources, I decided to give them a try, the later of the earlier versions got bad reviews.I’ve been training/racing on Speedgoat 2’s that I stockpiled a few years ago and they are almost smooth wore out. I also have 3 pair of waterproof Speedgoats that I save for wet races. I highly recommend the Waterproof version coupled with Darn Tough thick wool socks for wet conditions. I tried to get the Evos at REI and Luke’s locally, but neither had them or knew about them. I tried a few other online stores, but none had my size so I ponied up and ordered 2 pairs of Evo’s, 2 pairs of Speedgoat 5s and a pair of Road shoes, since my 8 year old trainers are also wore smooth out. The pile was about waist high and about 700 bucks.I figure those should last at least 3-4 years of training/racing.I use Protalus insoles and I purchased 2 new pairs and signed up for 6 month subscription replacement. I tend to use those well beyond the normal lifecycle as well, the offer additional cushion and arch support.The XO Skin shorts didn’t come in until race week, so I barely was able to test them. At least I sorted out the size issue, large is what I need, I’m hoping to return/exchange the smalls, otherwise some deserving small ass trail buddy will get them.With the help of my wife, I laid everything out 2 weeks before the race. I still had items on order or to order. I have been testing different protein/nutrition drinks, which have also served as meal replacements during my weight loss program as well as baby food packets, which I’ve found in general, more denselypacked with nutrition than the geriatric versions. I planned to pick up some of those in Rapid City at Walmart.Tuesday before race, tested Large XO Skin Compression shorts on short run/ hike with my running buddies. I then began completing each bag with outbound and inbound items separated.Everything fit into 2 carry on roller bags and a backpack plus trekking poles that wouldn’t fit into any bag.Around 10:30-11PM I was set, I took a quick look at my work iPad and discovered I had appointments scheduled for Thursday and the weekend.I frantically composed an email to alert my boss and make sure they were reassigned so no customers would be inconvenienced.I took too much time getting ready Thursday morning and almost made my wife late for work. She’s a RN and that’s unacceptable. I’m lucky she made to work on time.There were issues with my reservation, so I couldn’t check in at the self serve terminal which was good because I needed to add the checked bag.They took my 2nd bag at the jetway, so all I to keep up with on the plane was backpack and poles. I’d hoped to sleep on the flight, but a 2 year old next to me was having none of that.30 minutes after touchdown, I was in the parking lot hunting my Red VW Jetta. Off to Walmart for food, Strawberry PediaSure, emergency panchos, snickers bar and Dr Pepper Zero. I stopped at a Subway and got a Turkey/Bacon/Avocado Wrap and headed to Sturgis. The weather forecast seemed to change daily, the heat didn’t look like a significant factor, but rain and cold overnight temps could be.I felt ok that I didn’t bring the waterproof Hokas, I expected at least 2-3 deep creek crossings, and hoped the Evos would dry quickly since they are so light.There was significant storms all afternoon, which was alarming since a good bit of the first 13 miles is in open fields. It just didn’t matter, I know what to do if that situation comes up, lucky for me, it didn’t.Being familiar with a race has many small benefits, you know where to go, where stores and restaurants are, plus you can time everything out easier and more stress free. I made it to check in around 3:30PM, got my packet and bought a hat and then went to the RV Park office to see about getting a room for the days after the race.I booked for Saturday/ Sunday and let them know I might be later than 8PM, but I wouldn’t know anything about time until Saturday. They gave me a number to call and I was happy to have secured post race accommodations. The 50M/50K runners pretty much fill up the rooms, cabins and take significant camping and RV spaces, that along with a Camaro rally weekend keep the place busy.As I’m leaving the RV Park, I see Christoph and his best friend Adam on there way to packet pickup, we talk in the mist/ light rain about the race and possibly running together the first part since we seemed to be at about the same fitness level.
Check in at the AirBnB is interesting.
There was an 80’s Camaro with an old school custom paint job with patina from the era in from of a quaint tiny 2 Bedroom home where the owner sleeps in the basement and rents out 2 bedrooms, all sharing one bathroom. I’m greeted by Kemo or Chemo, I didn’t clarify the spelling, a very attention needy dog. Normally I’d be annoyed by this, but fate put 2 souls together at the right time, I had patience and made time for canine affection and enjoyed the moment, thinking about my grand dog Kingsley. There were a coupe of guys from Minnesota in the other bedroom, here for the Camaro Rally weekend, they’d been prepped by Superhost Carrie on my race plans and said they’d be sure to keep it quiet so I could sleep well, I let them know it was a 10AM start and I’d be normal sleep time.
I was nice to be there, we stayed in motel first attempt, I stayed in a cabin at the RV park 2nd attempt, it’s neat to see other runners and their people, but this was more restful than previous trips, I didn’t miss the sometimes awkward interactions with other runners pre race. My stomach was a little cramped and rumbling most of the afternoon, in retrospect I think the Subway had something bad in it. It was a little worrisome, but not major. I went to Red’s Restaurant & Bar as recommended by Carrie for a Cobb Salad. It was there that I discovered something was definitely off kilter with my GI system, glad I was packing wipes, luckily they weren’t the Dude Wipes I picked up at Walmart. Not that Dude Wipes are bad, it’s just that they are difficult to get out of the package without pulling half of them out. Good for cheap wipes, not good for race conditions. I ate my salad and returned to Kemo's home. Laid out everything I’d need to start the race and got to bed at a reasonable hour. The next morning I was so proud to produce real poo. I stayed in bed resting an additional hour after I woke up, got ready and headed to the race, about 5 minutes away, no traffic.
When I signed up originally in 2020 couple of running buddies Arturo and Rolando had signed up as well neither opted to roll their registration forward to 2021 I posted a few times of when registration came out for Black Hills apparently I’m the only crazy from Dallas Fort Worth area that finds it appealing. Oh add a couple of songs to the playlist Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way" and Whitesnake "Here I go again".
Not that I mean it in any figurative or literal way this song just comes to mind because Ice Cube was going through the same frame of mind with "No Vaseline". My wife had crewed me on my first Black Hills 100 attempt and I told her that I wouldn’t ask her to go again because she had her fill of South Dakota experience during the first trip. I thought about virtual crew after an experience with another running buddy and running mentor navigating for me in a cannonball run "drive" in Dallas when I was without the navigator but the logistics when I got down to it were gonna be a little dodgy and really wasn’t sure how to use multiple people. I’ve got a good short list of folks that absolutely trust with my life in these situations, but there’s that commitment, and asking for the commitment on their part and figuring out what their role is going to be and what’s expected and then I didn’t have good solid idea on what could work and how it would work.
I ran a couple of 4 x 4 x 48 runs with running buddy Jenny and we talked about it she offered and agreed to do whatever and I kind a left her with a muddles yes I need you but I’m not exactly sure how I need you and what I need you for. Her commitment gave me a little heightened level of confidence that I had support. I’m not sure how it’s gonna work but I felt like OK I’ve got to figure it out on my own. I’ve got to do everything I can to make race execution as goog proof as possible and so the next thing is can I find a pacer? I hit up home trail buddy Phil Ueaker. After back-and-forth delayed messages, he tells me he’s not trained enough to pace me all the way back. I replied yes that’s OK I just need you to get me from Pilot Knob to Silver City and back in one piece and if I'm still moving well at that point, I should be good to finish the race. So now I’m a couple of months out from the race. No live crew and I have one partial pacer.Oh I had airline reservations made months ago, but I didn’t get accommodations until about a month and a half out. I found an AirBnB for one night before the race and I didn’t have any accommodations for after the race. Since my biggest concern was getting a good nights sleep before the race I didn’t worry about it. My original plan was to have drop bags ready a month to two months before the race. That didn’t happen. I did mentally get drop bag items in mind and figured out what I had and what I would need to order about 4 to 6 weeks before the race. I needed new shoes, socks, Shorts with zipper pockets and compression shorts that would not chafe. I also need to sort out the bottle/pack, bottle holders/hydration belt combinations that would work. I tested multiple scenarios during training and purchased a new hand held bottle that was comfortable and also had some storage available. With this race you have to figure that it’s going to be hot. It may not be blistering hot but it has the potential to be extreme, as I’ve learned from other races prepare for the absolute worst and you can dial back from that much easier than trying to deal with the worst not be prepared for it. From the podcast Run the Riot by David Theriot, I ordered some T8 compression shorts and some T8 ultra running shorts, both were very expensive but if they delivered as indicated by David I would be very happy. The ordering process is a little confusing due to the fact that the company is based in Hong Kongand Hong Kong currency is required. This also adds to delays in shipping times, but I finally got the product and was able to test them in a race and a few training runs and found them to be very good for short races but wouldn’t work for 100 miles for me. The shorts were a combination of a naked belt married up to some very light shorts. Probably very good for extreme heat for short distances but not for long distances. They didn't provide the comfort and feel that I wanted. My coach had excellent results with XO Skin shorts multiple days at the Cocodona 250. By the way, David Theriot has accepted them as a sponsor replacing T8. The newest top-of-the-line version was not available. I drop down to the next version, ordering one medium and one large since my weight fluctuation put me on the borderline on size. They are fairly expensive, but at this point I’ve got so much invested in this race I’m not taking any chances and I’m not going to let equipment get in the way or cause of the race to fail.After hearing about the Hoka Speedgoat Evos from a couple of different sources, I decided to give them a try, the later of the earlier versions got bad reviews.
I’ve been training/racing on Speedgoat 2’s that I stockpiled a few years ago and they are almost smooth wore out. I also have 3 pair of waterproof Speedgoats that I save for wet races. I highly recommend the Waterproof version coupled with Darn Tough thick wool socks for wet conditions. I tried to get the Evos at REI and Luke’s locally, but neither had them or knew about them. I tried a few other online stores, but none had my size so I ponied up and ordered 2 pairs of Evo’s, 2 pairs of Speedgoat 5s and a pair of Road shoes, since my 8 year old trainers are also wore smooth out. The pile was about waist high and about 700 bucks.I figure those should last at least 3-4 years of training/racing.I use Protalus insoles and I purchased 2 new pairs and signed up for 6 month subscription replacement. I tend to use those well beyond the normal lifecycle as well, the offer additional cushion and arch support.The XO Skin shorts didn’t come in until race week, so I barely was able to test them. At least I sorted out the size issue, large is what I need, I’m hoping to return/exchange the smalls, otherwise some deserving small ass trail buddy will get them.With the help of my wife, I laid everything out 2 weeks before the race. I still had items on order or to order. I have been testing different protein/nutrition drinks, which have also served as meal replacements during my weight loss program as well as baby food packets, which I’ve found in general, more denselypacked with nutrition than the geriatric versions. I planned to pick up some of those in Rapid City at Walmart.Tuesday before race, tested Large XO Skin Compression shorts on short run/ hike with my running buddies. I then began completing each bag with outbound and inbound items separated.Everything fit into 2 carry on roller bags and a backpack plus trekking poles that wouldn’t fit into any bag.Around 10:30-11PM I was set, I took a quick look at my work iPad and discovered I had appointments scheduled for Thursday and the weekend.I frantically composed an email to alert my boss and make sure they were reassigned so no customers would be inconvenienced.I took too much time getting ready Thursday morning and almost made my wife late for work. She’s a RN and that’s unacceptable. I’m lucky she made to work on time.There were issues with my reservation, so I couldn’t check in at the self serve terminal which was good because I needed to add the checked bag.They took my second bag at the jetway, so all I had to keep up with on the plane was backpack and trekking poles. I’d hoped to sleep on the flight, but a 2 year old next to me was having none of that. Thirty minutes after touchdown, I was in the parking lot hunting my Red VW Jetta.
Off to Walmart for food, Strawberry PediaSure, emergency panchos, snickers bar and Dr Pepper Zero. I stopped at a Subway and got a Turkey/Bacon/Avocado Wrap and headed to Sturgis. The weather forecast seemed to change daily, the heat didn’t look like a significant factor, but rain and cold overnight temps could be.I felt ok that I didn’t bring the waterproof Hokas, I expected at least 2-3 deep creek crossings, and hoped the Evos would dry quickly since they are so light.There was significant storms all afternoon, which was alarming since a good bit of the first 13 miles is in open fields. It just didn’t matter, I know what to do if that situation comes up, lucky for me, it didn’t.Being familiar with a race has many small benefits, you know where to go, where stores and restaurants are, plus you can time everything out easier and more stress free. I made it to check in around 3:30PM, got my packet and bought a hat and then went to the RV Park office to see about getting a room for the days after the race.I booked for Saturday/ Sunday and let them know I might be later than 8PM, but I wouldn’t know anything about time until Saturday. They gave me a number to call and I was happy to have secured post race accommodations. The 50M/50K runners pretty much fill up the rooms, cabins and take significant camping and RV spaces, that along with a Camaro rally weekend keep the place busy.As I’m leaving the RV Park, I see Christoph and his best friend Adam on there way to packet pickup, we talk in the mist/ light rain about the race and possibly running together the first part since we seemed to be at about the same fitness level.Check in at the AirBNB is interesting.
There was an 80’s Camaro with an old school custom paint job with patina from the era in from of a quaint tiny 2 Bedroom home where the owner sleeps in the basement and rents out 2 bedrooms, all sharing one bathroom. I’m greeted by Kemo or Chemo, I didn’t clarify the spelling, a very attention needy dog. Normally I’d be annoyed by this, but fate put 2 souls together at the right time, I had patience and made time for canine affection and enjoyed the moment, thinking about my grand dog Kingsley. There were a coupe of guys from Minnesota in the other bedroom, here for the Camaro Rally weekend, they’d been prepped by Superhost Carrie on my race plans and said they’d be sure to keep it quiet so I could sleep well, I let them know it was a 10AM start and I’d be normal sleep time.
I was nice to be there, we stayed in motel first attempt, I stayed in a cabin at the RV park 2nd attempt, it’s neat to see other runners and their people, but this was more restful than previous trips, I didn’t miss the sometimes awkward interactions with other runners pre race. My stomach was a little cramped and rumbling most of the afternoon, in retrospect I think the Subway had something bad in it. It was a little worrisome, but not major. I went to Red’s Restaurant & Bar as recommended by Carrie for a Cobb Salad. It was there that I discovered something was definitely off kilter with my GI system, glad I was packing wipes, luckily they weren’t the Dude Wipes I picked up at Walmart. Not that Dude Wipes are bad, it’s just that they are difficult to get out of the package without pulling half of them out. Good for cheap wipes, not good for race conditions. I ate my salad and returned to Kemos home. Laid out everything I’d need to start the race and got to bed at a reasonable hour. The next morning I was so proud to produce real poo. I stayed in bed resting an additional hour after I woke up, got ready and headed to the race, about 5 minutes away, no traffic.
The RACE
I saw Christoph and Adam and we spoke for little bit, after the normal 3 minute course briefing, we were set off, I haven’t seen Christoph or Adam since a few miles in early part of the race. It was raining lightly, I knew that was good because everyone could go harder effort due to the cooling effect. Some were wearing layers and I knew they would overheat, temps were never much below 60 I think, I believe these were optimal racing conditions. I set in to keep my HR around 142 / 132 is my target when it’s hot / humid, I felt ok bumping that up due to the conditions. I was wearing a Dallas Running Club PACE LEADER tech shirt, game day decision from cotton Rolling Stones shirt originally chosen for heat. Right off the bat, I felt a little weirdness from the XO compression shorts, they ride low, I noticed that from volunteering at LOVIT 100, guys that wear them only almost showing butt crack, I think it was the difference in the waistband ride that bothered me, I stopped down once and adjusted them, not issues remainder of the race. I snugged up behind two really fit looking runners that I stayed behind for miles, Dad and daughter who just graduated HS and was about to turn 18, her goal was to finish a 100 before her birthday in a few weeks. He was her running crew / pacer, I’m guessing he could easily sub 30 hour this race. They were from the East, I don’t remember exactly, Her name was Grace, I couldn’t remember his.
There were a few guys that followed/ ran some with me, we never exchanged names, we referred to each as Pennsylvania, Cheesehead, cause it was easier than Wisconsin and I was Dallas, later Colorado ran with us a bit, but he dropped. Pennsylvania dropped us, but we would catch him sometimes at aid stations.
We would see Dad off and on at aid stations and then he would speed away to catch up to his daughter. I ran alone for a good distance and slowly tracked down Nashville, a 40 Y/O female bartender, running her first 100M, she is an incredibly adept downhill runner and as I found out over many miles to come, has my kindred trail spirit. We’re both Mountain loving flatlanders, she prefers technical single track and absolutely loves blasting descents. I had guessed since it was her first hundy, she had gone out a little too hard at the start, thus I’m catching up, we appeared to be at similar fitness levels and would later hook up with Cheesehead, who was also similar fitness. I was executing my race plan as set, taking in nutrition, fluids and electrolytes as planned, it heated up about 4-5 hours into the race and I adjusted appropriately. I was getting calories ok, but the aid station selections were fairly limited on things that worked for me. Watermelon Banana PB M&Ms Chips and Coke were about it, I somehow missed packing my Spring gels at race start, so I had to live off aid station stuff until Elk Creek (17.5M) my first drop bag.
Nashville was having difficulty fueling because she’s vegetarian and this is cattle country and they don’t give 2 shits about having Vegan selections. I gave her a Speednut gel (250 calories)
We probably started running together from about mile 26,
I think Cheesehead got ahead at an aid station and that’s what had us paired up for a long stretch. Nashville had to take a dump, I told her if she could hold out a few miles, Nemo would have an outhouse or ports-potty. I needed a dump stop as well. It had started raining again.
I was getting a little chilled, so I broke out a $1 Walmart pancho and took care of my business after Nashville did hers, we compared notes after, I thought it was a competition and I clearly won. Baby Ruth beats Peanut M&Ms!
Hand sanitizer, emergency pancho and we’re off again.
It didn’t take but 3-4 miles for me to have to stop down and remove the incredibly durable yet seemingly flimsy $1 pancho.
It held heat too well. I lead most of the way, longer descents I’d let Nashville go ahead, cause I wasn’t gonna blow myself up pushing too hard for a little fun, been there done that, it definitely don’t pay off in a hundy. At some point by mile 40, we hooked up with Cheesehead, I introduced them and lead the trio to Pilot Knob where as I told them, Phil Uecker would be joining to pace to Silver City and back. I needed another dump stop, don’t remember if Nashville did or not.
Cheesehead didn’t wait for us, it wasn’t an extraordinarily long stop, just not a quick stop.
Before we hooked up with Cheesehead, Nashville and I made an agreement that we’d stay together until either of us held the other up for 10 minutes, at that point we’d split. I said “I don’t want to fuck up your race, and I’m damn sure not letting you fuck up mine.” We had been running at least 20 miles or more at that point.
Phil stays behind, I wasn’t sure if Nashville was right behind me or Phil, but I was leading and setting the pace. Somewhere only a mile or so in I hear Nashville asking Phil if we were going to make Silver City cutoff.
I knew from her tone and inflection, she was done. I did my normal “coach ‘em up” talk a few times in the coming miles, but about the same time, I managed to get us off course, way before the turn that cratered my last race. Phil recognized that we were off course, but didn’t know exactly where we were. We crested a hill and were greeted by the eery glow of cattle eyes, a small herd was right next to the trail we were on. It started Nashville, they were docile, we moved past, came to a dead end and Phil said go right. We wound down a hill and through a valley, crossed a stream and hit a road. Phil knew where we were from the road, he just didn’t know how far to the trail. I was so glad Phil was getting us back. I pulled out the Map App, which I meant to learn how to use prior to the race, but didn’t, luckily it was user friendly, I pulled it up on my phone, handed it to Phil and it confirmed his decision. We had added a little over 3 miles. I was happy, that was only 1/2 of last time and if Phil hadn’t been there who knows how long it would have taken to get back on course. Nashville was mentally broken, there was nothing positive coming out, she was kinda staying with it, I had hopes she would stick it out.
We made it into Silver City, got everything we needed, I changed shoes and socks, only because I felt some mud on my heal. I had a change of clothes, but didn’t think I needed them.
I did grab the outer shell I’d packed since the temperature dropped dramatically and would continue to drop until daylight.
We left Silver City at Cutoff was 3:30AM.
There was a creek crossing in the field near Silver City Aid Station, Phil had helped Nashville cross on the way in, I assumed he had again on the way back, so I just zipped over the log bridge and thought nothing of it, I heard Phil behind me later, I assumed Nashville was dropping off pace. I knew she would drop, and I wasn't gonna beat myself up over it. Same thing happened at Outlaw 50M. A gal running her first 50 was ill prepared, I told her I would get her through if she wanted to finish. Conditions were hard, she dropped way early because she didn't know what to do about the conditions, she had 48 hours to complete the race, it was a looped course, I beat myself up on that one for a few hours, and finished the race in almost 20 hours. Nashville was history for me, I'd be pleasantly surprised if she "came back to life" and caught up later, but I knew that wasn't happening. I think I related as much to Phil regarding Nashville's plight. Phil and I met about 8 years ago on a rocky hilltop in South Dallas on a group training run. He's a local here and has run the 50K/50M/100K and 100M. I ran miles with him on his 100M my first attempt. He's a quiet, reserved guy and we talk very little on the trail. I don't remember if we spoke much all the way back to Pilot Knob, Phil was a great pacer, exactly what I needed to get this race done. We saw the shuttle buses drive past Pilot Knob, Phil said don't worry about the 50 milers passing by. Little would I know that the drama had barely begun with my race. I was in a bit of a brain fog, I don't remember when we came into Pilot Knob, but I'm fairly sure we didn't make the 6AM cut off. Phil took my outer shell and headlamp and would leave them at my rental car at the finish. I kinda remember a conversation about cutoffs. I said I'm not quitting, ate some Ramen and a 300 calorie Spring Oatmeal breakfast pak, thinking those were my most GI tract friendly options. I grabbed my stuff and climbed out, the Sun was up, as soon as I made the climb and was looking down at the aid station, I had to stop, lean forward on my trekking poles and proceeded to violently puke up everything I'd just eaten. The generator at the aid station kept them from hearing the pukes and dry heaves. I was glad for that, I just needed to get moving again. Nutrition would be one thing I could cross off my mental list of things to do. Next item of business, figure out how the fuck to keep going another 43 miles without taking in real food. The course to Nemo was a rough, rutted out jeep/atv trail, Grace and her Dad were long gone, Pennsylvania was gone, Cheesehead was gone, Nashville gone, Colorado gone, I'm not sure if there are any folks behind me at this point. I had a weird experience with a little bird on the trail which I captured on video, that was a nice distraction from my fatigue/ sleep deprivation/ GI issues. About a mile out from Nemo aid station, I called my coach, no answer, I called Ginny Gwen, gave her my assessment and she immediately had a solution. Coke and water. Calories from Coke/ Hydration from water, simple as that, it worked for her in a race. I bailed on the call as I was coming into the aid station, I grabbed my drop bag, I think I drank a PediaSure, but I'm not certain of that, I asked for Coke in one bottle and water in the other and got back to arranging my gear and ditching what I didn't need. The aid station captain had the obligatory conversation, I developed my standard response, I'll respect the RD's decision if they think I should be pulled but I'm not taking myself out of the race, I understand the aid station close schedules. I probably sat for 5-8 minutes at most, got my bottles and took off again. The sun was out and the temps began climbing. An "oh shit" moment occurred within a mile after leaving the aid station, almost concurrent with passing the trail shot offer. I pulled my coke bottle out of my belt and realized I'd only been given a 1/4 bottle of coke. This was the only time I was super pissed off during the race. I should have checked it, I just grabbed and left, assuming it was full. Fully cognizant Steve would have immediately sensed the problem, it wasn't her fault, it was mine. She's sacrificed a weekend to be out here. I paid to be here, I had a 1 minute pity party and decided to sip the coke to ration it over the next 6 miles to Dalton Lake, if I run low on water, I'll cut down the effort level to maintain hydration. I took a caffiene pill, which I thought was a 450mg Vivarin and it hit me like Speed! I woke up, most all my fatigue pain went away and I was able to run like I did mile 12-30. I made up time. This was a much needed mental boost and spirit boost. I felt confident I was in the game and had a shot for a finish. That "high" lasted around 5 miles, I didn't crash, but I definitely came down a few notches. 50 milers were passing me steadily now, Dalton Lake aid was busy, I gave them my number, I don't think they recognized I was a Hundy runner, the aid station seemed to be a massive cluster fuck, so I went directly to my drop bag, moved a chair into the shade and went to work ditching almost everything non essential, switching out to my pack, carrying 5 bottles in anticipation of down the line aid station closures leaving me without fluid. I would keep enough to finish out the race without support, so cutffs would not be an issue, unless I was pulled. I got a full bottle of coke plus spillage to coat the outside, then I got a rinse and cleaned it off. I filled the rest of my bottles. It was obvious this aid station had mostly first timers, and I didn't have a lot of patience, so I managed as politely as possible to get what I needed and get out. I checked out without discussion and went on my way. I'd tried multiple times to text updates on where I was to Ginny, but they kept bouncing, I attempted resends and finally gave up. I needed help again, but would just have to figure it out on my own. I drank a Stawberry PediaSure (280 cals) from my drop bag at Dalton Lake, it soothed my mouth, which had become irritated from the Coke / base salts I'd been taking. That was the issue I needed help with. I realized the caffeine was only 200 mg. That seemed to last about 3 hours. I ditched the container that had that and ginger chews and mustard paks at Dalton Lake. In my hasty stop, I'd shorted myself on valuable resources. Spilled milk at this point, press on.
I think Dallas Dirt Runner Kyle passed me along this stretch, I introduced myself, since we'd never met, he said he would pray for me and pressed on. At this point, I'm appreciating any help, positive vibe, prayer, wing, voodoo, witchcraft or time travel that might be available. I thanked him and continued on. The sleep deprivation was hitting hard again, when it would hit, I wouldn't be able to hold pace, concentration was difficult, I may have pissed on my shoe at this point, although I think that happened 15 miles earlier. I was lucky to cross a creek with a clear stream of water to wash it down/ dilute it into my sock to a healthy level. I believe my piss count was around 10X for the entire race, 8X I pissed my pants before the full stop down and release, only once firehosing my foot. My urine was clear until after mid-day Saturday. I was slightly to moderately dehydrated the last 50K of the race by my assessment of symptoms and lack of proper intake. I don't remember much about Crooked Tree, but I think I had an in depth conversation there and let them know I had enough fluid to get back without support. Temps bounced all over the place the rest of the afternoon. If the Sun was out and I was climbing, it was ugly, when the clouds and wind came, temps dropped 10 degrees or so and moving became easier, fluid intake required lessened. I was deep into the pain cave throughout the afternoon, my right lower back was the worst offender. I had massaged my left hip numerous times earlier in the day, and would dig my trekking pole handle as deep as possible when I stopped and sat at aid stations, that helped alleviate the tightening and soreness. I had long ago quit looking at pace. I ran when I could, I powerhiked as hard as I could when I could, and I moved it forward as best as possible otherwise. When I was feeling good, I could almost run hard downhill. By almost hard, I mean leaning forward and flying down. I wasn't willing to try that, I thought it too risky and probably would blow me up. I was holding my trekking poles and shuffling quickly with a slight backward lean on the steepest descents, I was near straight on the easy descents and at a decent jog, almost a run. I was hitting 17-24 min paces until the sleep dep hit again and El Sol came back out. I had to stop down, sit and reset multiple times around Elk Creek. A number of other runners some hundys some fiddys were doing the same, I passed 2-3 runners through that tough going, no effect on my outcome; however. Mile 68 and 77 were about 29 minutes. I was doing all I could with all I had.
I've been here before in races and I've pushed myself to the point of my body shutting me down, I wasn't going to let that happen today, I would stop for a reset when I sensed nearing max fatigue. Elk Creek I had a drop bag, that mile was 44 minutes, I don't remember much about it.
I closed in on Cheesehead and caught up with him as he's taking a little break, contemplating his life decisions and upon hearing my 3 miles added and subsequent story, he felt his near give up decision may be premature. I told him he could definitely finish, it would be ugly, but let's get it done. He only had fatigue and overall muscle pain issues, no other problems, feet good, gut good, hydrated well, electrolytes in balance, man what I'd given to have that. I was just the opposite, the only thing I had working was my muscles, legs good, back a little sore. If I could stay awake and not nauseated, I could run. We made an odd couple. My pace was a little faster than his, especially on the descents, but that was the case early in the race as well. I'd pull ahead and stop down for him after a downhill. We figured Elk Creek would be gone, but Leslie Warren from Pilot Knob was there. It is always good to see a familiar face, although I didn't recognize it was her until we left, but I was deep into Ultra fog at that point. I had enough fluid to finish the race. Now we only had 18 miles left. I had taken a few chips at the aid station and I tried a little Tailwind. Bad decision.
20 minutes later I projectile puked and dry heaved every bit out as Cheesehead observed. I cleared the vomit from my nostrils with my sweatband, fingers and wiped it on my shorts. It wasn't worth dealing with the Dude Wipes in my ass pocket, they were too hard to get out.
Shit worthy at best (Dude wipes) puke could be self cleaned at this point. I felt much better, I hadn't realized the chips had messed my gut up so badly. We pressed on. It was getting dark, Cheesehead called his wife and had her bring his headlamp to the Bulldog aid station location.
There were people there waiting on 50 milers, there was still left over stuff there, we topped off bottles, Cheesehead got his headlamp and off we went for the final 11.5 miles. This was the longest 11.5 miles and I swear I didn't remember more than 15% of these miles even though I've covered them 3X prior to this race. Our fastest mile out the final 12 was 18:17, most were 21-28. I would pull ahead, find a place to sit and wait for Cheesehead. Less than a half mile from the aid station, we meet Pennsylvania coming back. Surprised we query what's up dude? He'd realized he wasn't going to make the 34 hour cutoff. I went through the whole, you've come too far and too much not to finish, buckle or not. We talked a little more, as we left he thanked me for the pep talk. I think no less of him for his decision, I think his was more difficult than me and Cheesehead pressing on to finish, but that's just me. Kinda like Nashville back at Silver City, you gotta run your race and as Paul McArtney says " live and let die". The mountains overlooking Sturgis literally kicked my ass. I could not remember much at all of this from prior race starts. I was having to stop down every mile or so, sometimes more often. I'd pull ahead of Cheesehead, sit and he'd catch up, occasionally I would stay seated so he could get a rest as well. Then it got dark, I was leading, Cheesehead gave me his light, because I was blocking it from the trail ahead. I did my best not to separate from him, the trail was really dark and easy to lose without a light. This stretch was agonizingly long and surprisingly steep at points to me. We finally made it off the single track. Cheesehead was a little confused about the course following flags and going under the highway. I knew this part well. He'd forgotten the concrete and wood bridges back to the park as well. Good thing we stuck together. Now the weirdness kicks in. I can't keep up with Cheesehead on the concrete. He's able to go way faster than on the single track now and I have to stop down occasionally to reset at even a 21 minute pace. We're less than 1.5 out, I point out the park. When we get to the parking lot, his family is there, 1/4 mile to go. I continue on the path and give him the family moment. He passes me and gets a photo at the finish line. His wife offers to take one for me. She takes plenty. I'm so relieved it's over. But my adventure isn't nearly over for the night...
Nobody answers the phone # I was given for assistance. I decide to drive to Rapid City to try to find something, risking life and limb way worse than anything in the race only to find Rapid City essentially sold out for events. I get a shower at Pilot and drive back to Sturgis and sleep in the car in the Downtown RV Park parking lot at 3AM.
My wife asked me if I regretted my decisions. No regrets. Would I change anything if I had prior knowledge how this would shake down? Not a chance in hell. Everything of significance went my way, fate put with the right people at the right time, no challenge was insurmountable or unable to overcome. Takeaways: 1: I'm not fast enough to make the cutoffs in this race 2: You need to have your post race accomodations locked down prior to the race. I highly recommend this race for anyone who likes hard mountain races. It will provide you with the most adequate hard mountains! It is an excellent "old school" race. No frills, no vegan options, Bold, Brash just as advertised. Johnny Cash gives the finger
Comments
Post a Comment