December
14
Fear is always present at some level in most of our daily lives. A good amount of fear is driven by the
unknown of what is going to happen in the future; this creates worry to go
along with the fear. This race imparts a
healthy portion of fear as it starts a minute after midnight in December in the
Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. The first
year in 2003, the 71 of us who lined up for the start didn’t know enough to be
appropriately fearful. Now, everyone
knows what to expect (as far as the course is concerned), but there is still
the unknown. The typical ultra-run
questions are here to be answered: Have
I trained enough? Am I well rested? Am I mentally ready for this challenge? But, this year at this race, there is another
HUGE question—what will the weather be?
The forecast calls for precipitation and temperatures between 31 and 33
degrees. It appears some will be frozen,
and some will be liquid. How much? When?
Who knows!
In the ten previous editions there has never really been any
precipitation during the race. Sure
there were some stray flurries in 2004, and a couple of rain drops near the end
another year. There has also been snow
and ice on the course, but never has it been fallen during the race. It seems like odds have finally caught up
with Hellgate. I start the race for my
11th attempt with tights, two long sleeve shirts, Patagonia Houdini
jacket, watch cap, and gloves. Of
course, I have my Flash Flo Camelbak and Black Diamond headlamp. The bank thermometer in Natural Bridge
Station said 28 degrees, so it appears to be a little colder than predicted.
David Snipes and Mike Donahue ride with us to the start. My son is crewing for me this year for the
first time by himself. His winter break
from Georgia Tech worked out perfectly as he came home yesterday. It is cold at the start. I wear an extra jacket to walk over to the
start. Then I hand it to Nathan after he
takes my picture.
 |
| Waiting for the start |
Mile
3.5 45:42 (13:03 avg./mile) FSR 35
Fear
of wearing too much clothing wasn’t in the forefront of my mind before the
start. However, I have unzipped my
jacket within the first mile, and then I take my gloves off in the second mile. It is cold but with no wind, it is quite
comfortable. Of course, it will cool
down in the next section when we climb higher.
The creek crossing is deep and everyone gets their feet wet. This is my slowest time ever on this first
section, although it is not too slow.
Mile
7.5 1:03:18 (15:49 avg./mile) Petites
Gap
After
leaving the first aid station, where I didn’t take anything as they only had
water and Gu, I remove the jacket completely and tie it around my waist. I spend the majority of this section with
David Snipes. We are reminiscing about
past years and just enjoying the night.
When I get to the aid station, Nathan is all setup. I change out my wet shoes and socks and get a
full Camelbak. I give my jacket to
Nathan deciding that I will be fine without it for tonight. When I get up, I leave my gloves lying on the
ground. As I am walking out of the aid
station, Nathan catches up to me and asks if I want the gloves. YES!
Thank you so much!
Mile
13.1 1:43:11 (18:26 avg./mile) Camping
Gap
About
a mile out of Petites Gap, it begins to sleet.
It isn’t heavy, but boy am I glad that I have my gloves with me. I took a bagel with me from the last aid
station, and as I begin to eat the majority of it, my heart burn flares
up. It is severe enough to cause me some
good pain, but I can’t stop. What would
I do? It is sleeting, and I can’t spare
any time, so I press through. Drinking
water makes the problem worse, but eventually it relaxes some, and I no longer
feel like I am going to pass out. The
rest of the section goes fairly well.
The sleet isn’t too heavy, but the dirt road leading into Camping Gap is
starting to get covered. Just before
reaching the aid station, the sleet begins to turn to snow. This is much better! At the aid station, I drink a cup of ginger
ale, and then eat a cup of soup. I also
take a few cookies with me to eat as I walk. At the aid station, there are
several runners standing around the fire.
Many of them will drop out.
Snipes is standing here talking with Bob Hiltebridle, who is going to
sweep the course with his wife. I yell
at him to come with me, but he stands there talking away. My time isn’t as fast as I wanted, but I am
doing okay.
Mile
21.9 2:33:17 (17:25 avg./mile)
Headforemost Mountain
The snow picks up and the level of fear increases in
some runners. The flakes are very big
and fluffy. It is hard to see at times
with my headlamp shining through the flakes, but I am enjoying myself. I know I am probably not making really fast
time, but it is slower running through the snow. I am nicely warm, and I don’t miss my Houdini
jacket at all. The aid station is down
at Overstreet Falls, and I get there in 2:07:05. I managed to negotiate the tricky, rocky
portion leading down to the falls successfully, and I am rewarded with more
ginger ale and grilled cheese sandwich quarters. The cut-off at Overstreet Falls is 6:10, and
I am here at 5:39am, so I have about a half an hour on the cut-off. As I am climbing up Headforemost Mountain, I
slow down some relative to the runners around me. I am getting sleepy. It is way too early for this, so I take a
No-Doze tablet around 6am, just before I get to the place where the original
aid station was. It is 6:05am when I
pass this point, which is my second slowest ever to this point in the race. Here’s hoping that the caffeine will liven
things up.
Mile
27.6 1:38:46 (17:20 avg./mile) Jennings
Creek
The
parkway at Floyd’s Field is covered with snow.
It is very pretty up here, not windy at all. But, there is no time to admire the view and
besides I really can’t see anything except what my headlamp is shining on. The moon is almost full, but you wouldn’t
know it as the clouds prevent seeing the moon.
I start running down the hill, and I quickly pass a couple of runners. It feels like I am making better time now. As daylight begins to break, the wind picks
up a little, but just for a few minutes.
As I crest the last little uphill going down to Jennings Creek, I can
see the low clouds in the valley below.
What a neat scene! If only the
sun was out, it would really be awesome.
I pass one more runner before I reach the aid station. It will be 7:44am when I leave here, which
isn’t great, but isn’t too bad either. I
have been here twice slower than this. I
sit down to devour a most excellent English muffin with egg, bacon, and cheese
on it. I wash it down with a little
chocolate milk, trade out my Camelbak, and head back out on the trail.
Mile
34.5 1:44:34 (15:09 avg./mile) Little
Cove Mountain
Just
as I am leaving Jennings Creek aid station, I see Charlie Hesse driving the van
in with dropped runners. What I don’t
see is David Snipes in the van, although I find out later that he was in
there. He dropped at Overstreet Falls
after slipping and straining his back. I
don’t know why, but I am feeling really good at this point. I rocket up the first climb, passing a few
other runners. When I get to the top, I
stop to relieve some liquid from my bladder, and a guy named Dan catches up to
me. We start rocking the downhill
section and don’t stop until we bottom out onto another dirt road. He was really flying; I was feeling good; and
I had to work fairly hard to stay up with him.
We talk as we hike into the aid station in a new record time for me on
this section. Maybe I can ride this high
to a sub-16:30. At the aid station, the
crews are now not allowed here, and the only thing available is potato cubes,
Bugles chips, M&Ms, and chocolate chip cookies. I eat a few potato cubes and grab a few
cookies for the next section. They really need more substantial food at this
aid station before one of the toughest sections of the race.
Mile
42.5 2:20:51 (17:36 avg./mile)
Bearwallow Gap
I
leave the aid station ahead of Dan, but he isn’t far behind me. I pass a lady early in the section, and then
Dan catches up to me as we finish up the grassy road section. I am pushing moderately, but it feels great
to be making really good time. However, my
high ends rather abruptly as I think my energy drops from not getting enough
food at Little Cove Mountain. I tell Dan
he should go on ahead as he appears to still be in a good groove. I manage to still run the downhill okay, and
turn the corner onto the devil trail at 1:30 since leaving the last aid
station. The lady I passed earlier
passes me. Just after crossing the creek
a lone hardy sole hiking out from the aid station approaches and tells me I
will have 6-8 minutes after crossing the road.
It is now raining lightly, and he has to be cold. I get into the aid station without bonking
too badly. Nathan has my grilled ham and
cheese ready, and I sit down to eat it.
I drink a little Conquest to try to help wash it down. I am not feeling great anymore, but maybe the
sandwich will help get my energy back.
The good news is that it is 11:49am when I leave. I have over 40 minutes on the cut-off at this
point. On my way out of the aid station,
I grab a pancake.
Mile
49.5 1:59:38 (17:05 avg./mile) Bobblets
Gap
The
key to this section is staying focused and letting the course come to you. I hike up the first climb watching runners
just ahead of me leave me behind. I
still don’t have much energy, but when it comes time to run I manage to do
okay. When I finally turn the corner and
head down to the dirt road leading into the aid station, my mood improves
greatly. Dr. Wortley drives by me as I crawl
into the aid station. My time on this
section isn’t horrible, but it is my second slowest ever. I sit down and wolf down a piping hot bowl of
Ramen soup that Nathan has cooked up.
This really tastes good. Then I
do something that I should have been doing more often. I drink a full pint of chocolate milk. This is typically what I do in races, but for
whatever reason I haven’t been. It must
be my stomach and heart burn because there are not many better calorie sources
during an ultra than chocolate milk. I
grab a few pretzels from the aid station table on my way out.
Mile
56.1 2:09:17 (19:35 avg./mile) Day
Creek
It
has been raining all afternoon, but now it is starting to pour. I catch up to Mike Burr on this section, and we
spend the majority of the time talking about running various races. He has attempted Barkley’s several times, and
I am fascinated by the event. There are
13 creek crossings on this section, and I think I get my feet wet on all of
them. Of course it doesn’t matter at all
with the rain coming down. We are making
good time, and I am feeling much better.
I guess it is the Ramen and chocolate milk. I really wanted to do well on this section as
I hadn’t done very well on it the past four years. This time is my fastest since 2008. At the aid station, I trade out my hat and
gloves for dry ones. Then I drink a can
of Coke and head out of the aid station.
Mike is just ahead of me, and I am hoping to stay with him.
Mile
62.4 1:41:16 (16:04 avg./mile) FINISH
Fear
in this race has many causes. The
midnight start is one. Another is the
length between aid stations. A runner
really has to fuel up to make it to the next aid. Finally, the weather is another cause of
fear. Typically, the weather on the last
section is not a fearful thing. However,
as the rain continues down, and my energy is dropping (again!), I feel the cold
penetrating my tired, hurting body. My
hands are now frozen (not literally as it must be above freezing since it is
raining). My feet are sopping wet, and I
just want to finish this race for the 11th time. This last climb is one of the longest and
hardest on the course. Usually I do very
well with it as I can smell the finish line.
This year is different; I can’t pick up any scent of the finish line as
I struggle up this final climb. Did
another bend get inserted into this climb?
I know better, but it is taking me a long time this year to get up the
hill. I finally cross the parkway for
the last time in 47:46 since leaving the aid station. I think this might be my slowest climb ever
for this section. My fastest is 35
minutes. Well, now it is time to run
downhill. This should warm me up. I start trotting down the hill, but my legs
are dead, and my motivation is low.
Adding to issues is that I don’t have a headlamp with me. With the clouds and mist, it is getting very
dark. My hands and feet are still really
cold, but I have a mission to complete.
I make my way along, hoping that the gate, which will tell me I have
about 1.5 miles to go, will be around the next bend. It is completely dark before I reach the
gate, but I have managed not to trip and fall.
Now, I have a nice smooth gravel road to the finish. The turn into Camp Bethel is a beautiful
sight, and I continue my steady trot to the finish.
Official
Finishing Time 17:39:50
102nd
out of 135 starters (108 finishers under 18 hours)
I have
conquered the Hellgate course one more time.
How many more times will I succeed?
I don’t know? Thoughts of not
entering next year are quickly pushed out of my mind before they take
hold. I feel absolutely terrible as I am
cold, hungry, and thoroughly exhausted.
A can of Coke does wonders for me, and I manage to get cleaned up and
dressed. I speak with several other
runners at the finish. Many of them tell
me I should have stopped after 10. This
is one of the best finish atmospheres as it is small and everyone understands
what we have been through since last night.
Despite
training hard, running Masochist for the first time in three years, and trying
to motivate myself to get back under 17 hours, it is not to be this year. However, the best part is that I
finished! I can now rest, recuperate,
and enjoy Christmas. I hope you enjoyed
reading this. Merry Christmas!
Never stop
running,
Darin
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