Spring break brings all sorts of opportunities. This year’s adventure for me included being a pacer for a 100 mile trail race. Yes, there are people that actually run 100 miles for fun. My friend Bob from my Sunday School class is one of these guys. The way these things work is that Saturday morning the runners start out on the trail. Somewhere around 50 miles in the runners have the option of picking up a pacer to run with them. This allows them company through the night for safety and motivational reasons. My original plan was to start with Bob at mile 75 and run about 18 miles with him.
Through some unexpected events, my original plans morphed into starting with Bob a bit earlier at mile 68. I drove down to Lake Martin around sunset and hung out at the Russell Crossroads stable (which served as the race headquarters) until about midnight when Bob came in. He loaded up on some food and we took off into the night with our headlamps illuminating the way. The race course was designed for the 100 milers to do four laps of 25 miles each, so by this point the trails were well worn and the large patches of mud from the previous days of rain were deep and slippery. Despite the obstacles, we progressed well and made steady time with the strategy of walking the uphills and running the flats and downs.
Ultra runs such as these tend to have great aide stations. These are much more than the water stops you see in road races. In ultra marathons the aide stations turn into feeding stops stocked with all sorts of food, some of which they will cook to order. You can get hot soup, sandwiches, cookies, pickles, etc. There is something there for everybody. They will even refill your water bottle and replace the batteries in your headlamp. (Thanks, guys!) During the night there is usually a nice fire going and blaring music to provide some energy and let you know when you are approaching it from the trail. Even though these guys in charge of the aide stations aren’t running in the race, they are putting in a lot of work and staying up all night with the runners. It is a unique experience. I particularly enjoyed the enthusiasm at the aide station run by BUTS (Birmingham Ultra Trail Society).
During the run, one thing led to another, and next thing I know I committed to finishing the race with Bob. (OK, I actually volunteered. I couldn’t pass up a chance to finish my first run over 50K when I knew I would be so close.) Somewhere around mile 90 for Bob--22 for me--we got to turn off our headlamps since the sun peaked over the horizon. We had been hearing frogs throughout the night and now the birds started to join in. It made for a refreshing way to bring in a Sunday morning. (Ironically, Bob and I were running while our Sunday School class was meeting back at home. We considered our run a field trip.) We made one last run through the mud and a series of creek crossings to finish back at the stables and the finish line. Bob made all 100 and I got to share the last 32. It was a blast the whole way.
I have experienced quite a few organized races, but by far the ones that have been the most fun have been the relays and team events. Last spring break, twelve of us from Homewood (including Nivada Spurlock, Melonie McBrayer, Tyler Burgess, Rebecca Shields, Josh Donaldson, Mike Hathorne, and some Homewood parents) were on a relay team that ran from Atlanta to Oak Mountain. It was a two-day adventure that I would gladly do with this group again, even the four hour lightning delay somewhere between Pell City and Vincent. A few years ago we pulled together the Johnston family (with my dad as the featured runner and mom as the crew chief) to run the Mercedes. This was pure fun the whole race despite the extreme cold that morning. My wife and I have been on a few duathlon relay teams together. There is nothing quite like handing off the baton (or rather, the timing chip) to your wife and encouraging her as she runs into the distance and then cheering her as she crosses the finish line. The two times I have now gotten to be a pacer in a 100 mile race have been a great experience. Working as support for someone going for a monumental goal is quite fulfilling. This lets you be a part of the accomplishment even if you aren’t the one to complete the whole event.
I want to encourage everyone to form teams and find some races. There are many of these out there. You can try to be competitive and make a fast team, but I find it is just as much fun if the goal is for everyone to do their personal best, relax, laugh a little bit, and enjoy themselves. You get a chance to strengthen relationships and meet people that you don’t already know. The camaraderie is great among not just teammates, but also the other people that participate in events like these. There is a unique, cooperative, encouraging culture of people that do these things. Anyone can join right in and have a lot of fun and get healthy at the same time. You don’t have to wait until next spring break to get started.
As we leave the last aide station I’m on the left eating my PB&J sandwich on the move to make it through the last seven miles.
