It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. No, scratch that, this was the worst of
times, but more about that later. On
Thursday evening, my son-in-law, Ben, and I flew up to Roanoke in order to
arrive ahead of the weather that would arrive on Friday morning. Most years, I fly up from Huntsville on
Friday morning. This is the first year
that I will spend the night before the race in a hotel room in Roanoke. The flight goes very well, and then Ben and I
consume Buffalo wings and such at BW3s.
On Friday morning, I sleep in as long as I can, all the way until
7am. Then I spend the rest of the
morning lying around the hotel room, reading some emails, and a magazine. We then get lunch, buy the last few grocery
items, and drive up to Camp Bethel arriving about 2pm. I have more waiting around for the race that
is the cornerstone of my ultra-racing year.
Ben and I spend the time catching up with old friends—Robert Wehner,
Jeff Garstecki, and Aaron Schwartzbard.
Later I chat with Curtis Tait, who is running his first Hellgate.
 |
| Before the start |
The weather forecast is not good.
It has been raining lightly most of the day so far, and it is supposed
to continue into Saturday morning. The
low temperature is supposed to be around 38 degrees, and I decide to wear
shorts with a long sleeve and a short sleeve shirt. I will also wear thin gloves and a hat. My strategy is not to dress too warmly so
that I will be motivated to run hard and stay warm. At the starting line, it is just misting, but
the temperature is closer to 34 degrees.
We sing the National Anthem, Horton says a prayer, and we are off for
the 17th time in this race!
Mile
3.5 43:23 (12:24 avg./mile) FSR 35
There
is no wind, and I feel really good. I am
not cold at all, and I am not too warm either.
I find myself early on ahead of the other four of the fearsome five
(Aaron, Jerry, Jeff, and Ryan). At the
one mile mark I need a photographer to document this phenomenon, but there is
none in the woods on this dark, dreary night.
My lead of the other fearsome five quickly vanishes, but I do manage to
stick with Jeff and Ryan until the first aid station. I don’t feel like I am pushing the pace too
much, and my time is within the range I want to hit. Most years I am a minute or two slower, but
this seems like a perfect start to this adventure. I drink a cup of water at the aid station
before heading up the hill.
Mile
7.5 55:53 (13:58 avg./mile) Petites
Gap
Given
my fast time on the opening section, I dial back a little. I run and power hike my way up the hill,
minding my own pace. Many people feel
like they need to make some time while they can, but I relax and enjoy the
dreary night. The rain is very light for
this section, and even as the dirt road climbs higher and higher, there still
is no wind. When I get to the aid
station, Ben is waiting for me with gear at the ready in the back of the
mid-size SUV we rented. I drink some
chocolate milk before grabbing a full bagel to take with me. Most years I change my shoes at this point,
but with the rain there is no use. My
feet will be wet until Jennings Creek.
Both of these first two sections are faster than average for me. I am off to a great start!
Mile
13.1 1:35:18 (17:01 avg./mile) Camping
Gap
Leaving
Petites Gap is where the race really starts going. I take the first mile downhill section very
well. It is nicely technical with rocks
and such. When we make the first
“tricky” turn on the course, I find myself behind a group of 5-6 runners. Initially, it feels like a good pace, but
after a little bit I decide to pass them.
I am then free to set my own pace again over the next few miles of
single-track technical trail. I make
good time on the single-track and when the course dumps out onto the next dirt
road section, I find myself with Steve.
He is moving well and wants to push the pace to catch back up with
Jordan Cooter, who Horton refers to as
Beaver. Anyway, I let Steve press on as
I continue to set my own pace. Once
again the climb to the higher elevations does not bring any wind. The rain has remained light, and with no
wind, I am reasonably comfortable. I
grab some grilled cheese sandwich quarters at this aid station along with a cup
of broth. My time is really good so far. At 3:14, I am 15 minutes ahead of my pace
from last year and have not been faster than this since my 2010 race.
Mile
21.9 2:25:53 (16:35 avg./mile)
Headforemost Mountain
The grassy road begins this section. I try to run most of it, resisting the temptation
to walk the easy gradual uphill parts.
About halfway through the grassy road section, I link up with Hannah
Quigg. She is a Liberty University
student that is taking Dr. Horton’s class this semester. It is her first time running this race. We chat a little bit, but mostly just keep
pressing along. Around 4am, the rain
picks up to fairly steady and moderate.
Hopefully, the rain is nearing its end.
I am still feeling reasonably comfortable as I run the single-track
trail. Hannah follows me as we hit the
single track portion leading to Overstreet Falls. At one point she drops back a little, but by
the time we get through the aid station at Overstreet Falls, she is back with
me. Most years the aid station is up at
Floyd’s Field beside the parkway, but this year the parkway is completely
closed due to ice, so Charlie has the aid station down here, and there are
plenty of people manning the aid station with Charlie. I grab a few pierogis before quickly exiting
to continue up the hill. At the top is
where I mark my time as this is the location the aid station was for the first
several years. As I climb up the dirt
road to the top of Headforemost Mountain, the wind decides to show its presence
for the first time tonight. And let me
tell you, it is not a welcome guest. I
quickly get chilled by the wind and know that I will have to run hard after
cresting the top to warm back up.
Initially, when the wind starts blowing it seems like the rain is going
to stop, but this is a false hope as the rain resumes at a moderate pace soon
thereafter. My overall time at this
point is 5:40, and is as fast as I have gone since 2010. In fact, 5:40 at this point ties for my
fastest time with a couple of other years.
Only 2010 at 5:32 is quicker.
Mile
27.6 1:57:36 (20:38 avg./mile) Jennings
Creek
 |
| Sitting in the vehicle at Jennings Creek |
Cresting
Headforemost Mountain with the wind blowing and rain still coming down at a
moderate pace, my hands are nearly numb.
The rest of me is sopping wet.
So, I run downhill to the next aid station, praying that I won’t go
hypothermic along the way. Hannah is
with me again as we get into the technical trail about midway through this
section. Thoughts of dropping out of the
race enter my head with full force. I
think that ending my streak with 16 straight finishes sounds okay. The problem is that I still have a few miles
to Jennings Creek before I can drop out.
Hannah and I had been running along in silence so far on this section. To distract me a little from the pain of the
cold, I ask her how she is doing. She says
she is doing okay given the conditions.
She is a little cold, but what is one to expect but to be a little cold
at Hellgate? Then she asks how I am
doing, and I, with brutal honesty, say that I am freezing. My plan of dressing a little bit on the light
side seems like not the best idea right now.
Then I start telling her about the trail ahead from here to the aid
station. The conversation has the
desired effect of distracting me somewhat from my misery. By the time we get onto the grassy road that is
the last mile into Jennings Creek, I no longer have any thoughts about dropping
out. Instead my thoughts are only on how
I am going to get warmed up so that I can continue this race. I get to the aid station, find Ben, and hop
into the vehicle. I spend the next 25
minutes accomplishing the following tasks all while I am shivering
uncontrollably: change my shirts, change
my shoes and socks, and eat a bacon, egg, and cheese grilled sandwich that my
extraordinary crew has perfectly prepared.
After I have accomplished those few tasks I am still uncontrollably
shivering, and it is still raining. So,
I add another layer, putting on my yellow Houdini jacket along with dry gloves
and a hat. Then I exit the vehicle to
resume my race. Sitting in the dry vehicle
didn’t warm me up any so now we will see if good, old human exercising can do
the trick. Arriving at Jennings Creek at
7:13 is the fastest I have been here since 2010. My plan for dressing lightly worked well for
my pace. The problem is that I then had
to spend 25 minutes changing into dry and warmer clothing.
Mile
34.5 1:51:15 (16:07 avg./mile) Little
Cove Mountain
 |
| Leaving Jennings Creek |
The
course goes up for a few miles leaving the Jennings Creek aid station. Hannah apparently didn’t take as long in the
aid station as I did, and she will finish before me. On my climb up the hill, I catch up with
Darryl Smith, who has run this race 13 times or so. Amazingly, Darryl and I have never run together
in this race. It doesn’t take more than
15 minutes of power hiking for me to warm up nicely. It is still raining, but only lightly now,
and the jacket is doing a good job of shedding the water. The dry hat and gloves are also nice and will
be as long as they stay mostly dry. It
must be very close to freezing, probably 34 degrees or so, as there is a little
ice left on the dirt road from last night.
This section is uneventful other than the rain finally decides to stop
before 9:30. At this aid station, I eat
a few PB&J sandwich quarters and drink a cup of Pepsi as that is all that
they have. Now that I have survived by
not going hypothermic, I can focus on finishing under 17 hours, and the Coke
should help me run a little quicker.
Mile
42.5 2:26:20 (18:18 avg./mile)
Bearwallow Gap
 |
| Coming into Bearwallow aid station |
Darryl
and I run most of this section together.
It is good that I was behind him at one point because he dropped both of
his mittens. I picked them up and hand
them back to him (once I caught back up).
We catch up to Chelsie Viar during this section. This is interesting as I caught up to her about
this same point last year. Last night
before the pre-race briefing, Chelsie told me she hated the fact that I knew
exactly how long it was into the next aid station from various points on the
course. The one that rubbed her last
year was from the turn up the hill to the devil trail. For me, it is right around 45 minutes from
the start of the devil trail until the aid station. So, when I make the left turn to go up the
hill to start the devil trail section, I make a point of yelling over my
shoulder to Chelsie that we are 45 minutes from the aid station. This year, it takes Darryl, Chelsie, and me
44 minutes and change to arrive at the aid station. I was hoping that I could shed a layer or two
at this point, but while it has stopped raining, it hasn’t warmed up very
much. It is still around 40 degrees or
so. I do leave the Houdini jacket with
Ben at this point, along with my gloves.
I haven’t worn either of these since before the last aid station, so I
should be okay. Ben has cooked a perfect
grilled ham and cheese sandwich. I eat
most of it and wash it down with some Conquest—yes Conquest! This is my last serving of Conquest that I
have been using sparingly since I bought a case or two about a decade ago
before it was no longer made. I leave the
aid station before Darryl, but I hope he will catch up soon. My elapsed time is 11:55 leaving this aid
station. I am going to have to run
really good times on the next two sections to give myself a chance at finishing
under 17 hours for the third year in a row.
While sub-17 is necessary for a Western States qualifier, only sub-18 is
required to be an official finisher of this race.
Mile
49.5 1:56:40 (16:40 avg./mile) Bobblets
Gap
I
make good time heading out of Bearwallow Gap.
This is a beautiful section with great views. The problem (as with most parts of this
course) is that I cannot take my focus off of the single track trail in front
of me. A couple of people pass me on
this section, and I manage to pass one person.
Otherwise, it is a peaceful time run alone. Darryl doesn’t catch me until just before the
aid station. I sit down by the fire at
the aid station. It is chilly as the wind
is whipping around at this point. I eat
several quesadilla wedges and drink a nice cup of Coke. Three ladies come through while Darryl and I
are eating at the aid station. They look
to be moving quite well. My time is not
as quick as I would have liked. My
chances at sub-17 are fading, but I have the next section to try and correct
that.
Mile
56.1 2:06:11 (19:07 avg./mile) Day
Creek
 |
| Last aid at Day Creek |
On
the 2.5 mile downhill from Bobblets Gap, Darryl and I pass the three ladies and
another guy. However, when we get on the
single track trail and resume climbing the three ladies pass us by. Darryl and I push hard and steady through
this section. I am leading most of the
way, and I think we have a chance to get under two hours for this section. We pass the point at which I met Sophie
hiking back towards me in last year’ race when she told me it was 55 minutes to
the aid station, and this year I am at 1:19 for this section. The problem is that I can’t remember how long
it took me last year. Well, now I know
it is about 45 minutes from that point to the aid station. This is again about 10 minutes slower than I
needed. It is still a really nice time
for this section; it is just not going to allow me a chance to finish under 17
hours. In fact, this time is faster than
I have done this section since 2008! I
eat a handful of potato chips and drink another Coke before heading up the last
climb. My stomach is not doing
wonderful, so I decline the bagel that Ben offers me.
Mile
62.4 1:35:47 (15:12 avg./mile) FINISH
Leaving
Day Creek, the three ladies, Darryl, and I are all together. Darryl thinks we still have a shot at sub-17
and does a slow shuffle up the hill. I
am power hiking conservatively as I know I have a nice cushion of time. If I really pushed it and felt good, I could
probably finish in 17:15 or so. I don’t
feel either of those so I am just going to finish. One of the three ladies is a pacer, and she
says that she thinks we can make it to the parkway in about an hour. I inform her that it should definitely be
less than an hour. As Darryl leaves us
behind, the four of us stay around each other the rest of the climb. I make it to the parkway first as they stop
to address some issue one of them is having.
I reach the parkway in 47 minutes and begin to make my way down the
other side. The problem is that I have
to exert energy to force myself to run, and I have to exert energy to watch my
step on this dirt road that has loose rocks on it. With those two exertions of energy, there is
not enough energy (or motivation) for me to run hard. I am in a survival shuffle that barely keeps
me in front of the three ladies. I finally
make it to the gate that marks 1.5 miles to the finish. I have covered the last two miles in a
blazing 32 minutes, downhill with a tailwind.
Well, it is not quite a tailwind, but it is definitely downhill. Right before I reach the gate, the three ladies
catch and pass me. When I get out of the
smooth, gravel road, my legs come to life, and I manage to run the last 1.5
miles in 15 minutes. I manage to finish
ahead of the ladies, but fail to catch another guy that I see in front of me
for the last mile.
Official
Finishing Time 17:34:16
109th
out of 142 starters (124 finishers under 18 hours) |
| Just after crossing the finish line |
This year was
truly a challenging Hellgate. The
fearsome five all agree that this was the toughest year in terms of the
weather. (I still contend the first year
was the toughest mentally as we didn’t have any idea what the course really
was.) The 9+ hours of cold rain in the
dark from the start of the race made it extremely difficult. Amazingly, the drop rate is not very
high. When I was feeling pity on myself
coming down from Headforemost Mountain, I had myself convinced that a majority
of the field would drop at Jennings Creek.
As it turns out, most everyone did what I did. They regrouped, changed into dry clothes, and
pressed on to the finish. At Hellgate,
the cut-offs are fair and as long as one is in front of the cut-offs, there is
still a good chance of finishing under the final cut-off.
While I wish
I had been able to get another sub-17 finish, I am really happy that I was able
to get my 17th straight finish.
The rest of the fearsome five all have finished well before me. Unlike last year, I am again the fifth of the
five, but still one of the five. I
expended quite the energy running this race while keeping my body warm
enough. Now, it is time to recover and
figure out where I am going to achieve a Western States qualifying time next
year. My next race will be the Mountain
Mist 50k on January 25 in Huntsville, Alabama.
Until then…
Never stop
running,
Darin
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