Bandera 100K – 2003

Robert and I arrived at the starting line full of anticipation. The back seat was also full of almost every piece of running gear I own. That was a good thing.

The start was in the low forties (never got much warmer) with showers forecast throughout the day. For once, the weather man was right! I saw a lot of bare legs at the start, but I was thinking about that sotol cactus I had been hearing so much about. I started off with a short sleeve cool max, long sleeve cool-max, wind pants (more for the sotol than the cold), and my Sunmart tyvek jacket for rain. Way more clothes than I usually would start out with, but I knew I could drop stuff 10 miles down the road.

Suddenly, it's time, and "oswego"! I knew it was going to be a tough course, but those tough hills also made for some awesome views. I figured I'd better enjoy them now because I knew a lot of the second loop was going to be in the dark. Came across Joe at the top of a hill - he had that silly grin on his face watching his runners tackle the hill. I figured I oughta be running if he was watching. Steve Williams and I are doing this part together and we are talking about how Robert has taken off on these downhills. This is Robert's kind of territory. So we are cruising along, checking out the sotol and wondering where it gets really thick. Got to the first aid station, #2, manned by Chris and Chuck. "Looking good,?" they said. "I damn well hope so at this point," I thought. Shortly past there was the only turn I missed (twice!). Fortunately, some speedier folks also missed it , so I had only gone a few steps before they came back saying there was a "wrong way” sign (Nice touch, Joe). That was enough to catch me up with Gayla Harris, and we ended up running a good deal of the 1st loop together. (She was doing the 50K). She seemed to really be having fun and I was enjoying her energy.

Onward, up, and over Ice Cream Hill. Never did find any ice cream, but did find the thick areas of sotol that made me glad I had my wind pants on. I was only slightly warm in them, but was thinking of dropping them at Mickey's aid station (we would go through there 4 times including just after dark).

When I got to Mickey's Aid Station Three, I was surprised to see Robert, Doug, Shan, and Henry were still there. Henry was trading in his bare legs for his bumble bee outfit (black tights under his yellow shorts) and Robert said he was keeping his pants on. (I hate when he says that. :-) ) In fact, that warm soup is already tasting good. I decided that I has not gotten warm enough to bare my legs, but switched to my yellow series jacket that was breathable and had a hood. Henry, Doug, and Shan sped on. Robert decided he had played with the speedsters as long as he could and he, Gayla, Kelly and I carried on. Steve had left me in the dust (mud) as well. That guy can move out in a race!

On we go, intermittent showers turning the flatter, "fast" areas into mud mires. Nothing like carrying a few extra pounds on each foot to add to the challenge. Paul Stone's Aid 4 was a welcomed sight, as was coming back to Aid 3. Clothes seemed to be working, so some more hot soup and a top off of Hammer Gel, and off again. We soon came upon the Twin Peaks, tackled them, and we were back at Aid 2. Then more hills, down the road a bit, and into a field. Kelly was falling a tad behind, but not far. Then to Letha's Aid Station 5. They had a big fire going and a large supply of Fat Tire and Shiner. How bad did I want that buckle? I tore myself away before I succumbed to the forces of decadence. Robert and I consoled each other with the thought of grabbing a beer on the next loop and crossing the finish line drinking it. Unfortunately, by the time we got there again, we were not feeling that chipper.

One more 3-mile section to go to complete the first loop. And, thank you Joe, were we in for a big surprise! As in Mount Everest. We also have a couple of ravines to cross, one rocky, one muddy. I say, THIS is going to be real fun in the dark. But, up and over, down a muddy road, and suddenly buildings appear. In to the aid station, across the halfway line in 8:04 which was right on my anticipated target of 8 hours.

On to our truck to assess the gear situation. I could hear the party going on in the dry, warm, tent, but I gotta keep chasing that buckle. (Damn you Joe.) I decided to go for heavier, dry, blue series jacket a stuck a Sunmart rain poncho in my pocket since this jacket did not have a hood. I grabbed my smaller flashlight, and "oswego" again. Robert and I joined up with Rick Gastelum on the way out, debating whether to walk or pick up the pace. About that time, my glasses were fogging pretty badly, and fearing I would have to keep cleaning them or carry them, I decided to take them back to the truck. Robert and Rick said they would walk while I went back (100 yards or so), so I trotted back, stashed my glasses and caught back up. I was concerned about this move since I now rarely run without my glasses. But, knowing how well the trail was marked, I could not foresee having to read the map. So we moved on. In hindsight, I wish we had pushed a little harder here while it was still light. Rick and another runner pulled ahead while Robert and I continued our journey. I got a bit ahead of Robert, but I was worried, so I waited for him at Aid 2 while downing some warm soup and he quickly appeared. Why was I worried? Let me count the ways: (1) I was skeered of the dark, and not confident about the prospect of being "out there" alone after dark. (2) I did not want Robert to be by himself, not that he was not capable, but it is my wifely duty to worry. (3) I did not have my glasses.

As we arrived at A3, Chuck informed us that I (#32) was 32nd and Robert (#33) was 33rd. Now isn’t that special?! I should be so lucky at the Lottery! He also informed me that I was 5th female.. That one surprised me, as Robert and I were more concerned with whether or not we were last.

By this time, it had been raining quite a bit. My pants legs were feeling saturated for the first time, but I knew I had a closet full of dry gear at Aid 3. So Chuck and Chris gave us some trail mix to stash in our pockets to keep those calories burning and we were on our way again. It got dark during this stretch, so I'm pretty sure we'll be walking from now on. We both still have plenty of energy, but we are cautious in the dark and wet. By the time we reach Aid 3, the rain has let up and my pants dried, but I did switch to a fleece middle layer. It was like turning on a heater, but not too warm. We also switched to our bigger flashlights, stashing the smaller ones in a pocket for emergency. Joe is there, and he tells us that Doug is behind us and that Shan had to drop. We could not figure out how Doug had gotten behind us so we decided Joe was confused - certainly not us!

Oswego again. Running (I use the term loosely) in the dark is quite a trip. Fortunately, not littery for me. The only time I fell was when I slipped in the mud crossing a creek. The howling coyotes added a nice touch. Heck, maybe it was the party back at the tent hootin' and hollerin'. Nope, coyotes. Rounding a corner, we encounter car lights shining in our eyes. Thought it was kind of strange. We stopped, hoping we had not come across some Bandera Bubbas looking for sport, us crazy runners being the sport. Turns out, we had come upon Aid 4. Forever helpful, when it was obvious that nothing in the fabulous spread of trail food was getting our attention, we were offered a brisket sandwich. Meat!! Yes!! And some soup with big chunks of chicken!!

It seems like it was during this stretch when I commented that it felt like the rain might be done, it really started raining again. Somewhere along the way, we were in such heavy mud that the backs of my ankles were feeling bruised. Although my feet were doing well otherwise, I was considering a shoe switch on the last(!) pass through Aid 3. By the time I got there, I decided to leave well enough alone. I was still thinking about the slick muddy ravine at Mt. Everest coming up, and the shoes that I have on have more traction than my spares. James Booher is also still there to offer support at this late hour.

Oswego again. The taste of victory is getting close. We see a green LED light going up the Twin Peaks, but do not know who it is. Then our final trip through Aid 2. The rain does not stop. However, the water flowing down the trails was much easier to navigate (notice I do not say "run") than the 10 lb. mud balls. It was raining hard enough now that my pants were again soaked, my arms were now feeling wet, and my hat was starting to leak. Remember that poncho I stuck in my pocket earlier for just such a situation? Well, I didn't until I was emptying my pockets after I was done. It's s a bitch gettin' old. My core was still relatively warm, but I was concerned about the hour plus I knew it would take me once I passed the last aid station (where IS it?).

Finally, the last aid station. Someone was warming by the fire, and he said, "You got the old man with you?" As I realized it was Steve Williams, I was not sure if I should say "Yes?" since Robert was the one who talked Steve into switching from the 50K to the 100K. I said, "You finished and you came back here???!" He kindly informed me he was not done and was warming.

After a brief warmup by the fire and one more refueling, we declined to escort the beers to the finish and the three of us headed on to summit Mt. Everest and the accompanying ravines. Would they require a swim by now? Fortunately not, and we journeyed on. Past the mountain, Robert started pulling ahead a bit. He was watching for us, but as Robert was pulling ahead and Steve was dropping behind, I decided to just keep on moving, rather than wait and chill. We were past any more treacherous territory and had no more turns to make, so it was just a matter of getting there through the mud muck. As I neared the finish line, I gave it a 50 foot run for show and was greeted with a hug and a belt buckle from Joe. The second loop had taken about 12 hours and 40 minutes instead of the 10 hours I had anticipated. Robert had his hood pulled so close around his face I did not recognize him at first. Steve came across and we grabbed our dry stuff as Joyce escorted to the tent with the BIG heater and got us some blankets and hustled us up a beer. Nothing but first class all the way.

We were told Kelly had also dropped and that three more people were still out there, including Doug. OK, so it was NOT Joe who was confused! It started raining really hard again. Joyce was getting worried and decided to to look for them. What a woman! They powered across about an hour later and all were home. Yes, it would have been great to have pulled it of in less than 20:41:55, but I had completed my 1st 100K - a tough one and in adverse conditions. I was fourth of five females to complete the 100K. Fifty folks started and thirty finished.

After a whole 2 hours of sleep, it was time to get up and go eat breakfast and tell war stories. Talk about endurance, Slammin' Sammy was now on his third day of cooking. Not to mention, only Joe and Joyce know how much time they contributed to our little romp on the trails. And the aid station angels who were much colder than us. What an event. I'm sure glad I was there.