April
28
I flew my plane up this morning from Huntsville, Alabama, and my
cousin, Andrea, picked me up at the Goshen airport. After grabbing lunch, I drop her off at the
high school where she teaches a class in the afternoon, and I drive out to
Chain O' Lakes state park. I get there
around 2pm, but the packet pickup doesn’t begin until 3pm. So, I have a little time to kill. The weather is mostly overcast with rain in
the forecast for tomorrow and Sunday.
The only question is whether the conditions will be better or worse than
last year, when the rain began late morning and didn’t stop until early Sunday
morning. Packet pickup goes quickly, and
I am soon on my way back to Goshen and Andrea’s house.
We eat dinner at a good restaurant in Warsaw. I have some delicious lasagna with several
pieces of bread. This is about as
extreme of carbo loading as I do these days.
We get back to the house, and my head hits the pillow around 9pm. I am asleep almost instantly, and I don’t
even think I rolled over before my alarm goes off at 3:15am.
April
29
I take care of my morning routine in quick order, and I am driving
towards Chain O’ Lakes state park before 4am, arriving there about 4:30am. I get an excellent parking space that is very
close to the start/finish line and aid station tent. I make my final preparations, which includes
forming five ham and cheese sandwiches.
For my refreshments at the end of each 20-mile loop, I will have a ham
and cheese sandwich and the option of chocolate milk and/or Conquest. I also have cinnamon raisin bagels if I want
them. I start the race wearing shorts,
thin long and short sleeve shirts, a buff on my head, and my Camelbak. It is about 50 degrees, which is the
temperature it will basically remain at, plus or minus two degrees for the
whole race. The good news is that it is
not raining at the start. The race director
mentions the possible hazardous weather forecasted for the afternoon and
evening, along with something about stopping the race if necessary. Then we start the race on his simple voice
command right at 6am.
 |
| At the Start before Dawn |
Mile
3.0 35:33 (11:51 avg./mile) South
Park
Although
it is dark when the race begins, I do not start with a light. For one, it will be daylight within 20
minutes, and nearly everyone else in the race has a light. There are 170 runners starting the 100 mile
race, and I do not have any trouble seeing where I am going. In addition, the 50 mile runners are with us
for the first two sections. I try to
relax and run as slow as I possibly can given that I am very excited to be
running. I chat some with Darcy
Lallathin during these early miles. She
and I both say that we want to run this first loop no faster than four hours. At the first aid station, I don’t even stop
as it has only been three miles.
Mile
7.5 50:38 (11:15 avg./mile) School
House East
 |
| Darin in Background - Gray shirt, red shorts |
After
South Park, I think Darcy is pushing the pace ever so slightly. I decide to stick with my own pace,
especially given the fact that Darcy is a much faster runner that I am—she won
this race two years ago! I am very
content to run my own race at my own pace.
If anything, this section was a tad bit fast. At the aid station, I grab
my first two grilled cheese sandwich quarters.
This race is phenomenal with the aid stations. Every aid station has grilled cheese sandwich
quarters along with soup. The weather is
overcast with temperatures near 50 degrees.
No rain so far, but we all know it will be coming at some point.
Mile
12.1 53:59 (11:44 avg./mile) Rally
Campground
Over
the different sections, I maintain my a little better than 12 minute per mile
pace. I feel really good, and these
early miles are just floating by. The
rolling grassy trail is in good shape, and I have thoughts that maybe a sub
24-hour race is possible. At the aid
station, I eat a couple more grilled cheese sandwich quarters along with a few
potato chips.
Mile
17.5 1:05:16 (12:05 avg./mile) School
House West
I am back to the school house, but this time on the
west side of the road. The school house
is actually on this side of the road.
This section is the longest stretch at this race. At 5.4 miles, it isn’t long at all in the
grand picture of ultra races. That being
said, it is still long enough, and I am glad to almost be done with the first
loop. I eat just a handful of potato
chips as I know I have sandwiches at the car.
Mile
20.1 38:57 (14:59 avg./mile) Sand Beach
(start/finish)
I
record my time when I am leaving an aid station. So, while I finished the first loop
officially in 3:57:11, I don’t start my second loop until 4:04:23. When I got to the car, I sat down, ate a ham
and cheese sandwich, drank over a cup of chocolate milk, and changed my shoes
and socks. I hadn’t planned on changing
shoes at this point, but I decide that these shoes are dry at this point so I
can use them again later. The pair of
shoes that I take off is my newest pair of trail shoes. I stay with the same clothing I started the
race with—thin long and short sleeve shirts.
With the seven minutes here, I am right on the pace I wanted. It also is good to get off my feet for a few
minutes.
Mile
23.1 35:27 (11:49 avg./mile) South Park
Before
I changed shoes, my right (chronic) ankle is hurting me. After I change shoes, I don’t feel it at all
the rest of the race. Although the
change of shoes may have helped, I think it is the few minutes I sat down that
helped it the most. I run this section
six seconds faster than I did earlier.
My pace is holding very nicely, and the fresh shoes and socks feel good
at this point. I do stop briefly at this
aid station to grab some potato chips and a couple of cookies before heading
back onto the trail.
Mile
27.6 53:29 (11:53 avg./mile) School
House East
 |
| Red Buds on the Trail |
As
can be seen, my time on this section is slightly slower than earlier, but I
hitting the exact pace I want. 12-minute
miles, if I was able to hold it would yield a 20 hour finish. That obviously won’t happen, but my reach
goal today would be a sub 24 hour finish.
I am holding a really nice pace for that given that I will slow down at
some point, and things will be a little slower tonight. Depending on how much it rains later, the
muddy course will slow things down as well.
At this aid station, I go back to eating a few grilled cheese sandwich
quarters.
Mile
32.2 58:41 (12:45 avg./mile) Rally
Campground
Soon
after leaving the last aid station, the rain begins. It starts as a light rain, but this is very
close to the same time that the rain began during the race last year. It also started raining lightly last
year. The difference is that I am better
prepared with about three times the number of shirts and jackets. I have a jacket in my drop bag here at this
aid station, but I will use that yet.
The trail starts to get a little muddy, but it is not yet sloppy. I eat a few more grilled cheese sandwich
quarters before heading back out in the rain.
Mile
37.6 1:13:06 (13:32 avg./mile) School
House West
The rain continues; fortunately it is still only lightly
raining. The course is muddy and
starting to get a little sloppy. I am
blaming my slower split on the rain.
Even with this slower split, I am still moving well. With the quick first loop and a half, I just
need to average 15-minute miles from here in to finish in less than 24
hours. At this aid station, I grab
another stack of potato chips and head for the finish of my second loop.
Mile
40.2 43:24 (16:42 avg./mile) Sand Beach
(start/finish)
Somewhere
during this section, the rain stops. It
even feels like it might stop for a while.
The forecast called for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, so we
haven’t gotten those yet. The atmosphere
seems to still be unstable as the wind is gusty, and the sky is overcast. My race time after 40 miles is 8:20:08, but
once again I will take some time at my vehicle before starting the third loop
at 8:28:30. This time, I eat another ham
and cheese sandwich, drink some more chocolate milk, and change both of my shirts,
as well as my buff. I stick with the
same shoes that I wore for the second loop.
They are not very wet, and I am not sure that they won’t get wetter.
Mile
43.2 42:11 (14:04 avg./mile) South Park
The
muddy course is definitely slowing me down at this point. This section of the course contains some
brand new trail, and the rain really makes it sloppy quickly. That being said, I am still setting a decent
pace, but I don’t know how long I will be able to keep the pace at this rate
given the muddy trail. At the aid
station, I grab a couple of cookies to eat on the course.
Mile
47.7 1:03:00 (14:00 avg./mile) School
House East
As
the rain has stopped for over an hour now, the course with the gusty winds is
starting to firm up, even though the sky is still overcast. I am pleased with my pace on this section,
and maybe I can get through halfway before the storms start. I am still moving well. While the legs are starting to get a little
tired, my energy levels remain solid. I
eat a couple of grilled cheese sandwich quarters at this aid station and also
get a cup of soup.
Mile
52.3 1:08:15 (14:50 avg./mile) Rally
Campground
The
50 mile runners shorted the first loop to 10 miles, so they are 10 miles behind
me as I catch a few of them. At one
point on this section, I catch up to three guys who are running their first 50
mile race. They are struggling, but will
hang on and finish, I think. One of the
guys is having knee problems. The other
two guys are hanging with him. The three
of them (with their troubles) provide me some levity. The course is still muddy in spots, and this
only adds to these guys’ struggles. At
the aid station, I grab some more grilled cheese sandwich quarters, and then
get back out on the course. My elapsed
time at this point is 11:21:56, so I am well ahead of 24-hour pace.
Mile
57.7 1:16:33 (14:11 avg./mile) School
House West
Soon after leaving the last aid station, two guys
(Pascal Becotte and Dan Milligan) come by me.
They seem to be setting a nice steady pace, so I latch onto them. After a while we make introductions, and I
learn that they are trying to get done with this third loop by 13 hours, which
leave 11 hours to finish the last two loops.
Pascal and Dan have a great pace going.
The other thing I learn is that Pascal’s ultimate goal is a finish in
order to qualify for the lottery for Western States next year. These goals line up very closely with my
own. Just before we get to the school
house, Dan says that Pascal and I should push on as he is hurting. After trying to convince him to stick with
us, Pascal and I push ahead. When we get
into the aid station, I sit down and eat a couple of grilled cheese sandwich
quarters and drink a cup of soup. As I
am starting my soup, Pascal says he is going to start walking, and I tell him I
will catch up soon. Then Dan comes into
the aid station, but again tells us not to wait on him.
Mile
60.3 45:41 (17:34 avg./mile) Sand Beach
(start/finish)
I
leave the school house a minute or so after Pascal, but I never catch him. Our times at the end of loop 3 show he was
three minutes ahead of me at that point.
My time is 13:14:33 into the aid station. While I don’t have a full 11 hours for a sub
24-hour finish, I still have a legitimate chance to make it. I eat another ham and cheese sandwich, drink
more chocolate milk, change my shoes, and get my headlamp as it will be dark in
a couple of hours. I probably could have
spent less time here getting everything ready, but I wanted to make sure I was
ready for the next loop. The shoes I put
on are the ones I wore for the first loop, but now I have fresh socks. I plan to wear this pair to the finish.
Mile
63.3 42:37 (14:12 avg./mile) South Park
I
get going again and manage a decent first section for the start of my fourth
loop. There is a large train of runners
that comes by me as we approach the aid station, and I hang with them for a
bit, but then let them go. I need to let
the race come to me—namely run my own race depending on how my body is feeling. At this aid station, I only grab a handful of
potato chips as my stomach is still digesting the last food I ate.
Mile
67.8 1:10:45 (15:43 avg./mile) School
House East
On
the way to the school house, I am starting to resign myself to the fact that I
might not have a sub 24-hour finish in me.
I am not sure why I felt this way, but there were several runners that
came by me during this section. In
hindsight, it doesn’t look like I was moving too slow. Michael Lewis is one of the runners that
passed me, and I am able to hang with him as he is walking quite a bit. As we are trudging along, the thunder and
lightning starts to pick up. At first it
is very distant, and then it is off to the east. We get into the aid station without getting
wet. I grab some more soup and a couple
of grilled cheese sandwich quarters, but when I ask for coffee the nice aid
station workers say that it is being replenished. So, I set off without any coffee at this
point, but instead I drink a small cup of Coke.
Mile
72.4 1:28:14 (19:11 avg./mile) Rally
Campground
Mike
and I press on as it is now dark. My
headlamp is working well, and we have plenty in common to talk about. He is a school teacher in Ohio, and he
coaches football. Specifically, he is
the defensive coordinator of the high school team. We talk all manner of football strategy and
how film has changed over the years. I
am very interested in how he manages to train enough while teaching and
coaching. The lightning and thunder
continue at a safe distance—meaning we aren’t getting wet yet. We aren’t moving fast, but we are making
steady forward progress. As we are about
100 yards from the aid station, the rain begins again. We dash into the aid station and proceed to
take our time in dry comfort of the aid station. I eat some more grilled cheese sandwich
quarters and start drinking coffee along with a cup of soup. I change my shirts, putting on two long
sleeve shirts. One of the long sleeve
shirts is really thick and warm. I don’t
usually wear it unless the temperature is much colder, but with the rain
starting again, I want to ensure I don’t get chilled to the bone this
year. I also grab my Houdini
jacket. The rain stops within 10
minutes, and Mike and I head back out.
An aid station worker tells us that this was just a glancing blow and
that the major line is coming in about 15 minutes.
Mile
77.8 2:28:59 (27:35 avg./mile) School
House West
My time splits show that I spent almost 13 minutes in
the last aid station, but if I can stay drier a little longer and keep myself
fueled up, it is worth it. Right on schedule,
15 minutes after we left the Rally Campground, the thunderstorm finally finds
us. I put on my jacket right as the
deluge begins. It is a gully washer. Within minutes there are streams running down
the trail beside us. We trudge on
through the darkness, the thunder and lightning, and the heavy rain. For over an hour, we press through the rain
before arriving at this aid station. We
duck into the aid station tent and there are a few runners taking cover from
the storm. Mike and I join them. He is standing up next to a heater, while I
am sitting a few feet away with a blanket over me. I am wet and cold, shivering most of the
time. However, my inner layers are mostly
dry. It is just that my whole lower half
of my body is wet and cold. The storm
rages on outside while I try to stay focused and not let thoughts of dropping
enter my mind. After about 30 minutes,
Mike tells me he thinks he is done. I am
determined not to drop. After being in
the aid station about 45 minutes, the report comes from other runners that the
storm is letting up. Here is my
chance. It is now or never. I need to get going! Although there are about a dozen runners in
the aid station at this point, I get no takers to join me right now. So, I set out on my own.
Mile
80.4 50:37 (19:28 avg./mile) Sand Beach
(start/finish)
 |
| Start/Finish Aid Station at Sand Beach |
I
make it to the start/finish area, and the aid station tent here is
flooded! I decide not to go to the car,
but instead go into the aid station tent and grab some grilled cheese sandwich
quarters and refill my Camelbak. I also
drink a cup of soup. So far during the
race, I have refilled my Camelbak only at the car. It hasn’t been warm, and I only ran out of
water in my Camelbak on two of loops during the last section. I have only one more loop to go. The time is now 2:05am, and I have until Noon
to finish—plenty of time, but clearly I won’t finish by 6am for a sub 24-hour
finish.
Mile
83.4 1:12:13 (24:04 avg./mile) South
Park
On
my way to this aid station, I decide that I need to use the outhouse. My stomach is not feeling wonderful, and I
think things might improve if I can have a successful sit in the outhouse. The trail is nice and muddy, but the plus is
that it isn’t raining. When I get to the
aid station, I visit the portable toilet, but I am mostly unsuccessful. After several minutes of attempt, I give up,
head back into the aid station, grab some coffee, and continue on the
course. Other than my stomach, I feel as
good as could be expected given that I have been running for over 20 hours
through rain, mud, and more rain.
Mile
87.9 1:46:41 (23:42 avg./mile) School
House East
I
am mostly by myself through this loop so far.
The fast runners have finished.
The mid-packer runners are spread out all around the course. I am mostly walking now due to my stomach,
but I am still making forward progress, and I am not overly tired. It is a very dark night as it is still
overcast. The wind is still gusty and
always blowing in some direction. I get
into the aid station, and eat more potato chips along with some Coke. I need to find something that will turn my
stomach around.
Mile
92.5 1:47:41 (23:25 avg./mile) Rally
Campground
On
this section, a runner and his pacer come by me. They ask how I am doing. When I tell them my stomach isn’t doing well,
one of them offers me a ginger piece of candy.
I take it, and it is very spicy.
It is supposed to help with stomach issues, but I can’t tell. I am peeing every 30-45 minutes. I have taken in a lot of fluids with the
water, coffee, soup, etc., and I haven’t been sweating since it is cold and
wet. It dawns on me that I might have
too much water in me that my body cannot rid of quick enough. The solution is simple—I need to stop drinking
water. I make my way into the aid
station still managing to stay upright.
The mud is very sloppy, but at least it is below my shoe tops. In the aid station, I eat another grilled
cheese sandwich quarter, and then fall asleep in the aid station while sitting
on a folding chair. An aid station
worker wakes me up and says I need to get going. I couldn’t have been asleep even three
minutes, and I am a bit perturbed at the worker for waking me up. Regardless, I decide to head back out onto
the trail.
Mile
97.9 2:06:24 (23:24 avg./mile) School
House West
I plod along in the dark by mostly by myself. At some point, there are two other guys that
I manage to stay with for a couple of miles.
About a mile or so from the aid station, my efforts at letting my body
regulate to the proper water level seem to have succeeded—my stomach is feeling
enough better than I can run some. I get
into the aid station just as another rain shower is beginning. It isn’t a hard rain; rather it is a nice
soft rain. The type of rain that one
wakes up to and decides they should sleep in today. I have no such luxury. I am down to less than three miles to the
finish. At the aid station, I grab some
potato chips, nothing to drink, and head onto the trail that will take me to
the finish.
Mile
100.5 47:47 (18:23 avg./mile) Sand Beach
(start/finish)
After leaving the aid station, I talk to Mike
Ekbundit, who is feeling even better than I am.
He says that when the thunderstorm struck last night, he was really
close to the start/finish. So, he
stripped off his wet clothes, climbed into his sleeping bag in his vehicle, and
slept for 1.5 hours. It seems to have
worked well for him as he will finish over 10 minutes ahead of me. I am running the downhill sections again, and
it feels great. Up until now, my legs
haven’t bothered me at all. As I start
the last climb up a hill, my left knee feels kind of weird. I let that work itself out as I proceed to
the finish. I run the last 200 yards
down the hill to the finish!
Finishing
Time 27:46:08
60th
out of 170 starters (94 under 30-hour cut-off)
 |
| The Reward |
I have just read on the Indiana Trail website that the 100 miler is moving to October to try to avoid the harsh weather. Coming back
from last year’s DNF after 67 miles required a lot of mental preparation. I came this year ready to deal with whatever
weather Mother Nature threw at me, and I have prevailed! My training was excellent the past three
months since I had the flu in January. I
had all of my logistics lined up, and it didn’t hurt that we did get a little
less rain than last year. I get my belt
buckle from the race director immediately after finishing. I quickly remove my shoes and socks, put on
my crocs, and start driving back to Andrea’s house. At her house, I eat some bacon and eggs
before crashing for a couple of hours.
My body is in pretty good pain and sleeping consists of rolling over
every 15 minutes. I will fly home
tomorrow in a 80+ knot headwind.
This is my
only planned 100-mile race this year. I have
no other long races planned until the fall, although Amy and I are talking
about doing a 50k together in July. Until then…
Never stop
running,
Darin
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