Friday, June 29, 2012
Birmingham Sage Race
Everything is just about set for the race. We felt the original date was really pushing things so we moved it back to October 26, 27 and 28. We plan to have the first stage at Red Mountain Park and it will be in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 miles. The second stage at Ruffner Mountain and will be about 14 miles. The final stage at Oak Mountain State Park will be 24 miles. We will adjust the distances as necessary to hit the 50 mile mark. The race will be tough.
Registration will be through Ultrasignup.com and they should have everything ready sometime next week. Runners are welcome to sign up for one or two individual stages at a reduced price however shirts are only available to those competing in all three stages.
Here is a link to the website. Birmingham Stage Race
Monday, June 25, 2012
Announcing a New Race Here in Birmingham - Date Adjustment
Marye Jo and I have had a blast putting on the Run for Kids Challenge the last two years and decided we would enjoy doing another race. Trouble is, what kind of race do we want to put the effort and time into. It will have to be something special.
Last weekend I ran the Chattanooga Stage Race put on by Rock Creek Outfitters. Actually the race directors for all Rock Creek events are Randy and Kris Whorton. (They also do the Stump Jump and Lookout Mountain 50 mile among a number of others.) On the way back to Birmingham, Marye Jo and I decided that is what we want to do. A stage race right here in Birmingham. We started planning and have three tentative courses in mind.
It seems most logical is to use Oak Mountain for two of the races. Saturday I "found" a course that would be mostly on nonexistent trails. I followed some very old mountain roads (when I could locate them) at the north end of the park, a section virtually never used. These roads climb Double Oak Mountain to where they joined private lands owned by a local corporation. If we can get permission to use the land this would be one awesome stage using only about 1.5 miles of the existing park trails.
Another stage would be at the south end of the park and would utilize the lake trail, used by the Run for Kids before climbing up the mountain for a tour of Double Oak Mountain. For the third stage I would like to use more of the private land owned by the same company that is not contiguous with Oak Mountain State Park but not far away. The total distance would be in the neighborhood of 50 miles for the three stages. If we are not able to get permission to use the private land we will probably use Oak Mountain and Red Mountain or Ruffner Mountain.
As in the Run for Kids Challenge, we plan to have two different races in one. The long race will be something like 14 miles, 16 miles and 20 miles with some very difficult climbs and rough terrain. We also plan to have a short version with sections about 6 miles, 10 miles and 12 miles on less difficult terrain but still ultra length.
The tentative date is September 28, 29 and 30. The only problem for me is this is the weekend I have signed up to runt he Gringstone 100 in Virginia. Well, I have already run one 100 mile race this year and I could still enter the Pinhoti 100, that is, if Todd will let me!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Chattanooga Stage Race - 60 Miles, 3 Mountains, 3 Days
As always, Randy and Kris Whorton did an awesome job putting on the Chattanooga Stage Race this year. Randy and Kris also are the Race Directors for 8 trail races in the Chattanooga area including The Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K, (one of the nations largest ultras), Lookout Mountain 50 mile, Upchuck 50K and the Rock/Creek Trail Marathon.
By the way, take a look Kris' bios. Kris Whorton. She is fast. Her time in the 2009 Umstead 100 was 16:05:34. That is amazing! Below are Randy and Kris. She also holds the Master Women's record in a bunch of races.
The Chattanooga Stage Race is three stages on three days, each very difficult running. The first stage on Raccoon Mountain is the easiest and relatively flat (by Eastern Tennessee Standards) which means it is not flat at all. There are just no big climbs. The terrain is very runnable but you sure have to pay attentions. One mountain bike section was really interesting called the "Switchyard." There must have been two miles of trails in what seemed like 50 acres of land. We zigzagged all over the place. The first stage in 18 miles and about 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
The second stage started at Lula Lake land trust. This section has one long climb up Lookout Mountain and two trips up a shorter climb in the land trust. The race starts at Lula Lake and follows a gravel road along Rock Creek and past two beautiful waterfalls, one about 120 ft, before hitting a climb that is about 100 feet and so steep runners have to pull themselves up via ropes for the last 30 or 40 feet. After reaching the crest of the ridge the trail follows a ridge for about 1.5 miles with some absolutely beautiful views of Western Georgia and the area around the Chickamauga Battle Field. The trail here is good enough that you can actually cruise up a gentle climb and enjoy the view without worrying too much about crashing. The descent off the ridge is a little tricky in a few spots but again all runnable.
After returning to the aid station at the start finish runners begin the long 700 foot climb to the top of Lookout Mountain. The trails up Lookout Mountain are good and 100% runnable although the first half mile or so is pretty steep and most of us walked up a ways. We made a big loop up top and had a chance to enjoy running under two power-line easements for a while. (What fun!) We came back down the same route to Lula Lake where we ran the loop around the land trust in the opposite direction. They do throw in a little surprise at the end though. Instead of following the road the last mile you are sent off to the other side of the creek through the most miserable section of the entire course and finally cross the creek and head to the finish. The stage has 2,500 feet of climbing, not a lot for 22 miles. A real plus to the start/finish is that it is located next to an upper section of Rock Creek. Everyone grabbed a beer and climbed down to the creek and sat down in the icy water. It was wonderful and I don't even like beer!
The following photos were taken by Jeff Bartlett and are posted on the Rock/Creek Stage Race website. Below are two shots of the extremely steep descent off the ridge in the Lula Lake Land Trust. We climbed up this section on the first loop in the land trust before heading over to and up Lookout Mountain. On the second loop in the trust we ran the opposite direction and descended this hill about 2 miles from the end of stage two.
The third stage on Signal Mountain is the killer. Although it only had 2,700 feet of elevation gain, (200 ft more than the previous day) the issue is not the climbing, it is the terrain itself. From the start to the first aid station at mile 3.3 and back to Mushroom Rock at about mile 5 is on the Stump Jump 50K course so I knew how difficult this first set of climbs would be. We then began a 6 mile traverse around the crest of the cliff band on Signal Mountain. These cliff bands (Bluffs) around the tops of all the mountains in the area make for some spectacular scenery along some intimidating trails. This section was mostly runnable although we were constantly up and down and we had to frequently slow almost to a stop for a few very technical, rocky sections. There were also long sections where grass overlapped the very narrow trail so you could not see where you were stepping. At one point I was running along thinking to myself I had better pay really close attention because I cannot see where I am stepping. As I finished the thought my foot caught on something hidden under the grass and I slammed to the trail. No damage done so I hopped up and continued.
Two shots of the trail on an early descent down to Suck Creek
This section was spectacular with the mountain dropping almost straight down below the path all the way to the Tennessee River probably 1,000 feet below. There were a lot of places you would not want to fall along here but I found myself taking my eyes off the trail for a quick glance at the view. I did stop once just to look but the pace of a race is fast and you don't want to loose too much time.
We finally reached the third aid station at Edward's Point (mile 9.4 in the picture to the left) and things immediately went down hill, figuratively and literally. We began a very gentle descent, per the profile, to Middle Creek, but this was where things got tough. The trail just about disappeared because we were running in a jumble of rocks about 70% of the time. I am comfortable running over rocks because that is what I run on all the time here in Birmingham. I make good time and passed a lot of other runners in this section but this was as technically difficult as any trail I have ever run and it was exhausting. We were either climbing up steep rocky sections or descending steep rocky sections. Even thought the section was less than 3 miles long it totally zapped me. Finally, near the end we hit a section of very steep stairs climbing almost straight up through the cliff band to the top and the aid station at Signal Point.
I slowed a little after passing Butch Holt being helped up the trail. At the end of the first two days Butch had a 1 hour 30 minute lead over me and about 30 minutes over anyone else in the 60 to 70 age group. He had a rag wrapped around his head and another held to his face. There was blood running down from his head and cheek and his shirt was covered in blood. I asked if I could help and the person helping him said there was help on the way down. He was still about 8.5 miles from the finish. I was sure he would not be able to go on.
By this time it was hot and the Signal Point aid station had pop-sickles. They were great! I continued up a road for a few hundred yards where we cut in front of an assisted living center with a bunch of people in wheelchairs on the porch. The staff waved and cheered as we went by. Some were probably thinking I needed to be in the "nursing home" not out there running. We then shifted on to a nice gravel path for a few more hundred yards then back to the piles of rock. I guess I had not completely made the mental shift back to difficult terrain and no more than a 0.10 mile into the rocks tumbled again. This time it hurt. Rocks are hard, but again no damage done, just a few sore spots. From there things began to get a little better. We finally reached a long gentle climb following a creek that seemed to go on forever but easy to run.
Finally, the Guardrail aid station at mile 16.4. Only 3.6 miles to go! From there we started up a very long climb on a smooth gravel road. It is a lot easier to run up a road when you are really tired and I took advantage of it and relaxed a little. Big Mistake!! I didn't even see anything to trip on but I did. Another hard fall but with a nice recovery roll. This time there were a few skinned places but the worst was the "ROLL!" I was very hot and sweaty and the road is covered in dust and there is no creek at the top to wash off in. This time a walked a minute to regain my senses and get back into a rhythm. Then I was off again. Soon I began to recognize the tail as part of the finish of the Stump Jump course and I knew we were near the end. I raced with several other runners headed to the finish which helps keep the pace up. As always, there was Marye Jo at the end to cheer me to the finish. There may not have been a creek at the end but there was a water hose and it felt really good and cold and I washed off most of the dirt.
Today, three days after the final stage my ribs hurt, my arms and shoulders hurt, my elbow and knee are sore and I am still really tired. But I feel Great!! It is amazing how good going out and totally wasting ones self can make you feel. My legs even feel good but the recovery run at Veteran's Park yesterday was REALLY slow!
Here is a link to all of the Rock Creek Pictures for the Stage Race.
And here is the map of the final stage. Stage three
By the way, take a look Kris' bios. Kris Whorton. She is fast. Her time in the 2009 Umstead 100 was 16:05:34. That is amazing! Below are Randy and Kris. She also holds the Master Women's record in a bunch of races.
The Chattanooga Stage Race is three stages on three days, each very difficult running. The first stage on Raccoon Mountain is the easiest and relatively flat (by Eastern Tennessee Standards) which means it is not flat at all. There are just no big climbs. The terrain is very runnable but you sure have to pay attentions. One mountain bike section was really interesting called the "Switchyard." There must have been two miles of trails in what seemed like 50 acres of land. We zigzagged all over the place. The first stage in 18 miles and about 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
The second stage started at Lula Lake land trust. This section has one long climb up Lookout Mountain and two trips up a shorter climb in the land trust. The race starts at Lula Lake and follows a gravel road along Rock Creek and past two beautiful waterfalls, one about 120 ft, before hitting a climb that is about 100 feet and so steep runners have to pull themselves up via ropes for the last 30 or 40 feet. After reaching the crest of the ridge the trail follows a ridge for about 1.5 miles with some absolutely beautiful views of Western Georgia and the area around the Chickamauga Battle Field. The trail here is good enough that you can actually cruise up a gentle climb and enjoy the view without worrying too much about crashing. The descent off the ridge is a little tricky in a few spots but again all runnable.
After returning to the aid station at the start finish runners begin the long 700 foot climb to the top of Lookout Mountain. The trails up Lookout Mountain are good and 100% runnable although the first half mile or so is pretty steep and most of us walked up a ways. We made a big loop up top and had a chance to enjoy running under two power-line easements for a while. (What fun!) We came back down the same route to Lula Lake where we ran the loop around the land trust in the opposite direction. They do throw in a little surprise at the end though. Instead of following the road the last mile you are sent off to the other side of the creek through the most miserable section of the entire course and finally cross the creek and head to the finish. The stage has 2,500 feet of climbing, not a lot for 22 miles. A real plus to the start/finish is that it is located next to an upper section of Rock Creek. Everyone grabbed a beer and climbed down to the creek and sat down in the icy water. It was wonderful and I don't even like beer!
The following photos were taken by Jeff Bartlett and are posted on the Rock/Creek Stage Race website. Below are two shots of the extremely steep descent off the ridge in the Lula Lake Land Trust. We climbed up this section on the first loop in the land trust before heading over to and up Lookout Mountain. On the second loop in the trust we ran the opposite direction and descended this hill about 2 miles from the end of stage two.
The bridge over Rock Creek at the completion of the first loop in the land trust.
Under the bridge following the finish of Stage 2. Rock Creek in Lula Lake Land Trust
The third stage on Signal Mountain is the killer. Although it only had 2,700 feet of elevation gain, (200 ft more than the previous day) the issue is not the climbing, it is the terrain itself. From the start to the first aid station at mile 3.3 and back to Mushroom Rock at about mile 5 is on the Stump Jump 50K course so I knew how difficult this first set of climbs would be. We then began a 6 mile traverse around the crest of the cliff band on Signal Mountain. These cliff bands (Bluffs) around the tops of all the mountains in the area make for some spectacular scenery along some intimidating trails. This section was mostly runnable although we were constantly up and down and we had to frequently slow almost to a stop for a few very technical, rocky sections. There were also long sections where grass overlapped the very narrow trail so you could not see where you were stepping. At one point I was running along thinking to myself I had better pay really close attention because I cannot see where I am stepping. As I finished the thought my foot caught on something hidden under the grass and I slammed to the trail. No damage done so I hopped up and continued.
Two shots of the trail on an early descent down to Suck Creek
This section was spectacular with the mountain dropping almost straight down below the path all the way to the Tennessee River probably 1,000 feet below. There were a lot of places you would not want to fall along here but I found myself taking my eyes off the trail for a quick glance at the view. I did stop once just to look but the pace of a race is fast and you don't want to loose too much time.
We finally reached the third aid station at Edward's Point (mile 9.4 in the picture to the left) and things immediately went down hill, figuratively and literally. We began a very gentle descent, per the profile, to Middle Creek, but this was where things got tough. The trail just about disappeared because we were running in a jumble of rocks about 70% of the time. I am comfortable running over rocks because that is what I run on all the time here in Birmingham. I make good time and passed a lot of other runners in this section but this was as technically difficult as any trail I have ever run and it was exhausting. We were either climbing up steep rocky sections or descending steep rocky sections. Even thought the section was less than 3 miles long it totally zapped me. Finally, near the end we hit a section of very steep stairs climbing almost straight up through the cliff band to the top and the aid station at Signal Point.
This is what much of the flat sections of the trail looked like. Climbing was easier!
I slowed a little after passing Butch Holt being helped up the trail. At the end of the first two days Butch had a 1 hour 30 minute lead over me and about 30 minutes over anyone else in the 60 to 70 age group. He had a rag wrapped around his head and another held to his face. There was blood running down from his head and cheek and his shirt was covered in blood. I asked if I could help and the person helping him said there was help on the way down. He was still about 8.5 miles from the finish. I was sure he would not be able to go on. By this time it was hot and the Signal Point aid station had pop-sickles. They were great! I continued up a road for a few hundred yards where we cut in front of an assisted living center with a bunch of people in wheelchairs on the porch. The staff waved and cheered as we went by. Some were probably thinking I needed to be in the "nursing home" not out there running. We then shifted on to a nice gravel path for a few more hundred yards then back to the piles of rock. I guess I had not completely made the mental shift back to difficult terrain and no more than a 0.10 mile into the rocks tumbled again. This time it hurt. Rocks are hard, but again no damage done, just a few sore spots. From there things began to get a little better. We finally reached a long gentle climb following a creek that seemed to go on forever but easy to run.
Finally, the Guardrail aid station at mile 16.4. Only 3.6 miles to go! From there we started up a very long climb on a smooth gravel road. It is a lot easier to run up a road when you are really tired and I took advantage of it and relaxed a little. Big Mistake!! I didn't even see anything to trip on but I did. Another hard fall but with a nice recovery roll. This time there were a few skinned places but the worst was the "ROLL!" I was very hot and sweaty and the road is covered in dust and there is no creek at the top to wash off in. This time a walked a minute to regain my senses and get back into a rhythm. Then I was off again. Soon I began to recognize the tail as part of the finish of the Stump Jump course and I knew we were near the end. I raced with several other runners headed to the finish which helps keep the pace up. As always, there was Marye Jo at the end to cheer me to the finish. There may not have been a creek at the end but there was a water hose and it felt really good and cold and I washed off most of the dirt.
Today, three days after the final stage my ribs hurt, my arms and shoulders hurt, my elbow and knee are sore and I am still really tired. But I feel Great!! It is amazing how good going out and totally wasting ones self can make you feel. My legs even feel good but the recovery run at Veteran's Park yesterday was REALLY slow!
Here is a link to all of the Rock Creek Pictures for the Stage Race.
And here is the map of the final stage. Stage three
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Not on top of the Food Chain.
Yesterday I received an email from an Rick Trujillo of Ouray, Colorado. I met Rick lost year while doing tail work for the Hardrock 100. I also did a post about him called "A Running Legend, Rick Trujillo" posted on 8/8/2011. I contacted him about this years Hardrock trail work and getting together with him for lunch one day while we are in Colorado. He is a mining engineer and currently working in Kensington Camp, Alaska.
He attached this article from the Anchorage Daily News which ran in the paper on 12/7/2011. It will make you stop and think. Maybe it is a good idea to always run with a partner, something I almost never do. The only dangerous animals in this part of the country walk around on two legs! Come to think of it, those may be the most dangerous of all! Snakes don't count.
He attached this article from the Anchorage Daily News which ran in the paper on 12/7/2011. It will make you stop and think. Maybe it is a good idea to always run with a partner, something I almost never do. The only dangerous animals in this part of the country walk around on two legs! Come to think of it, those may be the most dangerous of all! Snakes don't count.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Hardrock 100
A few of you know I have volunteered to be the aid station captain for the Engineer Aid Station for the Hardrock 100 this year. I am really excited about the chance to participate in the race although I must admit, I would certainly prefer to be running in the race.
Engineer AS is located along Bear Creek, Ouray (there are 3 Bear Creeks in the Silverton, Ouray, Telluride area) just at timberline (11,800 ft). This is one of the more interesting aid stations because it is a hike-to aid station. The trip up to Engineer begins in Silverton, where you drive up County Rd 2 for 18 miles to it's end. Trouble is, the end of CO Rd 2 is located on top of Engineer Pass at 12,500 ft. and that 18 miles will take between 1.5 and 2 hours to cover.
The road, also known as the Animas Fork Rd, is a 4WD road only, meaning very slow going all the way up, especially in the higher sections. And I will have to make it in a rental SUV. Sounds like fun. I have driven over Ophir Pass several times (between Telluride and Silverton) and it is supposed to be the worst "real road" in the area. Here is a link to a pretty good video someone took going up to Engineer Pass.
Once we get to the top of the pass we have a 1.8 mile hike dropping 1,200 feet to the location of the aid station at timberline. We will have to haul everything we have a the aid station down to the location and back up after the race. We will have, at least, one Coleman stove, two Coleman lanterns, several bottles of Coleman fuel, several collapsible water jugs, several buckets to settle impurities out of the creek water before filtering, two or three water filters, one two person, one three person, aid station shelter and poles, cutting board, food, lots of food, a pot or two, a skillet, at least two sleeping bags, folding chairs, what we will eat and drink and a lot of warm clothing and rain gear.
This is a picture taken near the top of Engineer Pass looking back down to the aid station location, down in he trees at timberline.
This year is supposed to be the fastest field of runners ever for Hardrock so the the lead runners will probably reach Engineer as early as 4:30 or 5:00 PM Friday. (The race starts at 6:00 AM Friday morning.) Runners will arrive all night and the last should be through by 7:00AM Saturday morning. Then we pack everything up and start hauling it back up to the truck. It will take several trips.
Here is a link to some of the best race pictures I have seen by Ted Mahon on his blog "Stuck in the Rockies." His blog is pretty interesting. Running is just one of his and his wife's interests. He climbed Everest in 2003, in 2008 he and his wife finished skiing all of Colorado's 14ers, also in 2008 Ted and his wife Christy climbed Ama Dablam in the Himalayas. You will notice in the last picture from Hardrock he is eating with his wife Christy and Neil Beidleman. (Did you read "Into Thin Air" - you should.)
Engineer AS is located along Bear Creek, Ouray (there are 3 Bear Creeks in the Silverton, Ouray, Telluride area) just at timberline (11,800 ft). This is one of the more interesting aid stations because it is a hike-to aid station. The trip up to Engineer begins in Silverton, where you drive up County Rd 2 for 18 miles to it's end. Trouble is, the end of CO Rd 2 is located on top of Engineer Pass at 12,500 ft. and that 18 miles will take between 1.5 and 2 hours to cover.
The road, also known as the Animas Fork Rd, is a 4WD road only, meaning very slow going all the way up, especially in the higher sections. And I will have to make it in a rental SUV. Sounds like fun. I have driven over Ophir Pass several times (between Telluride and Silverton) and it is supposed to be the worst "real road" in the area. Here is a link to a pretty good video someone took going up to Engineer Pass.
Once we get to the top of the pass we have a 1.8 mile hike dropping 1,200 feet to the location of the aid station at timberline. We will have to haul everything we have a the aid station down to the location and back up after the race. We will have, at least, one Coleman stove, two Coleman lanterns, several bottles of Coleman fuel, several collapsible water jugs, several buckets to settle impurities out of the creek water before filtering, two or three water filters, one two person, one three person, aid station shelter and poles, cutting board, food, lots of food, a pot or two, a skillet, at least two sleeping bags, folding chairs, what we will eat and drink and a lot of warm clothing and rain gear.
This year is supposed to be the fastest field of runners ever for Hardrock so the the lead runners will probably reach Engineer as early as 4:30 or 5:00 PM Friday. (The race starts at 6:00 AM Friday morning.) Runners will arrive all night and the last should be through by 7:00AM Saturday morning. Then we pack everything up and start hauling it back up to the truck. It will take several trips.
Here is a link to some of the best race pictures I have seen by Ted Mahon on his blog "Stuck in the Rockies." His blog is pretty interesting. Running is just one of his and his wife's interests. He climbed Everest in 2003, in 2008 he and his wife finished skiing all of Colorado's 14ers, also in 2008 Ted and his wife Christy climbed Ama Dablam in the Himalayas. You will notice in the last picture from Hardrock he is eating with his wife Christy and Neil Beidleman. (Did you read "Into Thin Air" - you should.)
Friday, May 18, 2012
Why we created the Run for Kids Challenge
Ruth Vanzandt, Run for Kids Competitor in the 12 Hour Race sent me this picture of her Grand Nephew last week and I asked permission to post it. Here is her answer.
"Please do use the picture of Auston. It was taken at the Relay for Life held here in Arab last weekend. His name is Auston Cagle and you can surely put I am his great aunt and PROUD of it!! He and his family are actually going to Camp SAM this weekend!"
Thank you Ruth for sharing the picture of Auston and his friend Justice. This will inspire us all.
a
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Run for Kids Challenge – A Run of Love
This is the article I submitted to Ultrarunning Magazine. Maybe they will use some of it. The first of the article is about the same as the last post so if it sounds familiar, just skip that part.
In 2007 I rode in the Ride of Love, a fundraiser for Camp Smile-A-Mile, Alabama's camp for kids with cancer. The 150 mile ride ends at Children's Harbor (the location of Camp SAM) on Lake Martin, in central Alabama. Sixty riders rode as a group, escorted by two Tuscaloosa motorcycles Policemen. The ride took 12 very long hours. That is a long time to sit on a bicycle seat. The ride was tough, but nothing compared to arriving at the camp. Seeing all those kids in the midst of a battle for their lives, realizing the suffering they and their families have been through made us realize just how insignificant our inconsequential and momentary discomfort had been. I could not help but look around and know a few of theses kids would not be back next year. That was what hurt.
In 2011 I started the Run for Kids Challenge here in Birmingham, Alabama as a fundraiser for Camp SAM. The run was small but we raised about $4,000 for the camp. For 2012 we changed the date and location to Oak Mountain State Park and apparently everyone liked the change. We sold out the run with105 total runners and 71 in the 12 Hour and 50K. The 50-K runners circled this “long” (3.4 mile) course nine times, then ran a “short” 0.7 mile final loop. The 12 hour runners ran the same “long” loop and could use the short loop during the final hour.
We promoted our race as the perfect beginner ultra. The course is a on a beginner mountain bike trail with gently rolling hills and beautiful views of Double Oak Lake. The trails are very runnable, even in road shoes. Most runners complete the long loop in less than an hour so runners are never very far from the aid station and their drop bags or coolers. Our aid station was very well stocked with a variety of bean, turkey breast and cheese & hummus roll-ups. (I read the article in the April issue of Ultrarunner) In addition, we had boiled eggs and the usual cookies, oranges, bananas, M&Ms, PBJ sandwiches, chips and so on.
At the start, the temperature was 65 deg. and mist had settled over the lake giving the park a surreal appearance. After the start, the fog burned off and, as the sky cleared, the temperature rose quickly, eventually reaching 88 by mid afternoon. Most of the run is shaded by trees with the only a couple of long exposed stretches, across the beach area and the 400 yard section across the dam. And, of course, the Alabama humidity was about average at 99.999%. At least that is what it felt like.
We had a great field of runners in both the 12 Hour and 50K races. In the 50K, the 2011 overall winner, Rebecca Massie of Robertsdale, Alabama returned to defend her title. Lisa Ievers from Auburn gave Rebecca a real run for the money. Rebecca stayed within seconds of Roy Wells, the overall race leader, for two laps before dropping back a little. Lisa was within one minute of Rebecca at the end of the first lap but slowly dropped back to about 10 minutes behind. By the end of the final 3.4 mile lap, Lisa had closed back up to within 4 minutes but Rebecca maintained her pace and held on to win by just over 4 minutes in 4:50:30. Lisa finished with a time of 4:54:40 for second. Tiffany Greene of Brandon, MS finished third.
On the men's side, Roy Wells of Brentwood, TN, national account manager for Swiftwick and former pitcher for the Seattle Mariner's, totally dominated the men's race start to finish. For a while it appeared Rebecca would stay with him but his pace was just too much. Roy finished in 4:43:20 for first place overall. Scott Weisberg finished second and 4th overall, with a time of 5:42:50. Matthew Farrar from Fort Rucker, Alabama came in third . Thirty three of the forty four starters finished the 50K.
The 12 Hour race had some pretty dramatic moments. John Brower of Jackson, Mississippi lead the first lap by about 3 1/2 minutes over Wayne Phillips of Jacksonville, Alabama and Josh Merry from Dawsonville, Georgia. John held the lead until mile 24 when Wayne took over and Josh pulled into second. At the end of lap 11 (37.4 miles) Wayne had what appeared to be a commanding 21 minute lead. On lap 12 Josh began to close, cutting Wayne's lead to 11 minutes. Wayne held on to the lead until lap 16 (54.2 miles) where he decided he had had enough and stopped. Josh continued for two laps on the “short loop” for a total of 55.76 miles to take the win. Wayne finished second and Isaac Espy of Norhtport, Alabama ran a steady race all day and finished 50.81 miles to take third.
The women's race was really close. Seven competitors were within striking distance of the lead in the early laps. By lap four Mary Valdez of Crestview, Florida had pulled well ahead of the rest of the field. By lap 6, Kellie Smirnoff of Jacksonville Beach Florida had taken over the lead and by lap 10 (34 miles) had Kelly had pulled ahead of the second place woman, Molly Freeman of Atlanta by 21 minutes. As the runners came through to finish lap14, Molly had taken over the lead and the next 4 women were within 15 minutes of each other and three of the four only 3 minutes apart.
Molly stopped at that point at 47.42 miles, leaving Kelly, Mary, Helen Summerford of Ridgeland Mississippi and Beverly Brower (wife of John Brower, early leader of the men's 12 hour) to fight it out for the top four places. Kelly completed one more long lap for a total of 50.81 miles and still in the lead but decided to stop. Helen, Beverly and Mary shifted to the short loop and continued battling for the the top spot. After three short laps all three women were within three minutes of each other. Mary Valdez stopped after the third short lap at 53.1 miles total. Helen and Beverly took off for one more lap. When they came within sight of the finish on the fourth loop both women were running almost side by side. The finish line was the scoring table (actually a trash can next to the table) and Helen edged out Beverly by three feet. Both women had covered 53.85 miles, but it was not over yet. Beverly, not wanting to give up, took off on another lap with just 6 minutes, 58 seconds to go. She had run the previous lap in 6 minutes so it was going to be close. As the clock ticked down to 12 hours Beverly was not yet in sight and missed the cutoff by just 90 seconds. A pretty amazing finish after 12 hours of running.
David Tosch
RD Run for Kids Challenge
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