Below is my race report for the 2013 Backyard Ultra. This is an unusual race in that there isnt a fixed time or distance one runs. Each hour, on the hour, we start a 4.166667 mile loop. Everyone who finishes in less than an hour and who wants to continue toes the line for the next loop. Anyone who finishes over the time limit may not continue. The winner it the last (wo)man standing. The daylight hours are spend on a trail loop while the nighttime hours are spent on the road. I didn’t want to go…. The day before we were to fly out I called my wife to tell her I wasn’t going. I hate racing and always have. It’s dumb, selfish and pointless. She talked me down from the ledge, however, and Thursday morning we were headed back to Tennessee for the 3rd running of Big’s Backyard Ultra. Friday morning found us at the Waffle House (the happiest place on earth!) and then visiting the race start. I was reminded then of why we come to these things – seeing old friends and making new ones. John Price had brought us a tent and sleeping bags. Tim & Kathey Dines, Pat & Shannon Burke, Bill Lovett and Catherine Harding were setting up the Thug Palace (which I can only describe as a “tent/canopy complex”). We shared laughs and Poop-Pops (delicious!). Of course laz and the real star of the show, Big, were there too welcoming runners as they trickled in to set up. We hadn’t seen these folk since April but, like true friends, picked up exactly where we had left off. Lisa and I eventually headed back to a good meal and our hotel for a restless night of sleep. Race day started as these things always do. Some milling about and, eventually, toeing the line. The bell rang and off we went. The first loop was much more relaxed than it had been two years ago or than I had imagined it would be. At some point I started to get a little worried that we all might time-out, but it was fine. We made it. After that, we fell into our respective rhythms. Most of my first 12 laps were spent within sight of my friends Tim and Bill. My strategy early was to conserve and eat. And eat. And eat some more. I expected the race to go longer than the 28 hours last year’s race lasted. Lisa, my wonderful wife and awesome crew kept the food coming. She had brats, sandwiches, chili, pizza, rice balls, oatmeal, grits, soup (Mega Noodle!), chips, gels, drinks, candy. Every hour I ate at least 200 and usually more than 300 calories. If there’s one reason I did well, it’s the food she made. Whatever she handed me, I ate. Thanks Lisa! As the day wore on the field thinned. After 12 hours we moved from running laps in the daylight on the trail to an out-n-back on the road in the dark. We were down to 10 or so runners by now. The first loops on pavement were surprisingly hard. It’s like my legs just didn’t want to run in a straight line, but by loop 3 they settled in. There was a full moon to light the way and before long we had all left our headlamps back in camp and ran by moonlight. As the night progressed to early morning, I got to talk to and watch some of the other competitors. Tim Dines ran tough and strong on a bum knee. Marcy Beard is just as nice as she seems. Keith Knipling and I go way back to the Grand Slam of 2006 but hadn’t really gotten to know each other before. Jim Ball pointed out some “interesting” formations in the hills (at first I saw G-rated silhouettes which he soon, um, supplemented). Mark Williams and Sheryl Wheeler were incredibly strong walkers. The last few loops we ran mostly close together. When one of us walked, the rest did too. None of us would drop before re-entering the trail section at 24-hours. There was no point to push. The race had changed. We weren’t competitors anymore; we were comrades getting through the night together. The other “interesting” thing that night brought was learning how my body would react to eating that much food. I began wondering where the duck following me was hiding. With morning came the bright sun, warmth, renewed energy and a return to the trail loops. I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be as hard to transition from road to trail as it had from trail to road? It was more critical to manage time on the trail since the loops were slower and took more time. Plus I had never run 50 miles on roads before and just didn’t know what toll it had taken on my legs. The previous day I had established a half dozen points where I could check my progress. So the first loop and a half I watched these very closely and ran conservatively. I felt fine. It turns out that the transition hadn’t been as hard as I feared. So I opened up a bit and ran comfortably. This gave me about 7 minutes or so back in camp to, well, eat. Lisa kept the deliciousness coming and I continued to pack it in. It hadn’t been purposeful, but the perfect pace was one I knew well. Every morning I hike with my dogs up a ridge outside of my little town and then run the two miles back to the car with them. ZuZu, my 10-year old, sets the pace while Missy, my 12-year old, follows closely. ZuZu’s pace was exactly what I maintained on the trails. So the day wore on. And on. And on. Soon, just Keith, Marcy and I were left (good prognosticating, Joe!). Then it was just Keith and I. And on we went. Eating. Running. Eating. Running. It was still fun, but it was hard too. And night was approaching. Night meant going back onto the road. The road meant that neither of us would time-out in the near future. It seemed likely that if the race lasted 36 hours, then it would last 48 hours. I didn’t know how much I had left. The previous night had been cold. Would I be able to stay warm? Would I be able to stay awake? I worried. My good friend and mentor David Lygre had given me advice before the race. He reminded me that each time I toed the line I only had one question to answer – can I run 4.167 miles? One hour at a time. I knew I could do one more hour on the road. As has always been the case, it was good advice. And Lisa kept the good food coming. Loops 34 and 35 I ran a bit slower trying to conserve some. Loop 36 would be mostly in the dark on the trail and the going would be slower. I did not want to time out then. Also, I started ramping up the caffeine. I finished loop 35 with 3.5 minutes to spare. Lisa handed me food, my lights and a new headband. We were going over strategy to quickly transition to road shoes at the end of the next loop when the 3-minute whistle blew. On the past 2 loops this was when Keith had appeared through the trees. We knew it was about 45 seconds from that spot to the start/finish. “Don’t look, he’s coming,” she said. The 2-minute whistle blew. “Don’t look, he’s coming,” she said. The 1-minute whistle blew and I started to believe it might be over. With 30 seconds left Keith still hadn’t appeared and someone said “it’s over.” I don’t have the vocabulary to explain how it felt, so I won’t try. I’m certain you can imagine. The race had lasted 35 hours and 145.833 miles. I can’t thank Lisa enough for her support. But thank you, Lisa. I also can’t thank Big enough for letting us play in his backyard. So thank you, Big. And thank you everyone else too. It was hard but the most fun I’ve had in a while. I knew I wanted to go….
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:35:40 +0000
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