Pinhoti 100
Saturday, November 1 - Sunday, November 2, 2014
Gear: Patagonia Air Flow Shirt, Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts, North Face Tights, Smartwool PhD Graduated Compression Socks, Pearl Izumi Thermal Sleeves, Marmot Trail Wind Jacket, Lululemon Gloves, Salomon Sense Pro Shoes, Suunto Ambit 2 (HR) Watch, Ultimate Direction HandheldBottle, Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin Hydration Pack, Petzl Nao Headlamp, Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem & Extreme Endurolytes
Saturday, November 1 - Sunday, November 2, 2014
Gear: Patagonia Air Flow Shirt, Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts, North Face Tights, Smartwool PhD Graduated Compression Socks, Pearl Izumi Thermal Sleeves, Marmot Trail Wind Jacket, Lululemon Gloves, Salomon Sense Pro Shoes, Suunto Ambit 2 (HR) Watch, Ultimate Direction HandheldBottle, Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin Hydration Pack, Petzl Nao Headlamp, Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem & Extreme Endurolytes
Background:
Coming
out of my first attempt at a 100-mile run, and also my first ever DNF, from
Rock/Creek’s Thunder Rock 100 I was pretty determined to get back on the horse
and give another 100-miler a shot. I am
very thankful for all the words of encouragement I received from family,
friends and complete strangers from my Thunder Rock DNF race reports, Part 1 & Part 2. Using the lessons learned from
my DNF and some great advice from friends and long time trail running gurus I
decided to find another 100-miler relatively close to home and Pinhoti 100
looked like the perfect option. For
anyone unfamiliar with the Pinhoti Trail Series, they are a group of five
(5) races with multiple distances offered at some events and range from 10k to
100-mile runs. All of these runs take
place in Alabama and runners are treated to some of the most beautiful trails
that the Talladega National Forrest has to offer.
Organization
was one area that I was lacking during my Thunder Rock attempt. So for the Pinhoti my wife found some awesome
ArtBin clear plastic boxes for
organizing running gear and food during these long races. I highly recommend a couple of these for your
crew if you need a better way to arrange your running stuff. A big thanks to Brian and Natalie Picket for
the organization ideas and another huge thanks to Katy and Mary for finding
these specific bins and getting me organized.
Another
area I normally spend a lot of time studying and reviewing prior to any race
are course descriptions, elevation charts, old race reports, pace charts, etc.
to make sure I have a good idea of what’s coming and set myself some goals
times throughout the race… Well, not for this race. Since my main goal was to complete a 100-mile
race in under the cutoff time, all I was focusing on was completing this run in
less than 30 hours. To help my crew I
spent about 10-minutes looking at the elevation profile for the race and set
some arbitrary pace estimates from one aid station to the next so that they
would have some idea when to expect me.
It really was kind of nice to not worry about what time I needed to be
at this aid station, how long I had to go until the next crew accessible stop,
where I was in relation to my finish estimate… I was really looking forward to
simply running by feel and enjoying the race with no predetermined goals.
My
biggest issue with Pinhoti was the fact that it starts the day after Halloween and
having a 2-year old and a 3.5-year old meant missing trick-or-treating was not
an option. So, we made plans to head
down late Friday evening following the Halloween festivities and camped at Mt.
Cheaha state park. On paper we figured
we were only 30 minutes from the starting area and figured we could leave early
Saturday morning with plenty of time to get to the starting line. However, what we didn’t take into account was
that we had quite a bit of gravel jeep road to drive to get to the starting
line parking area, which was about a ½-mile up the road from the starting
line. I jumped out of the truck with
less than 15 minutes to run down to the starting area and find my number,
timing chip and get situated to spend a few hours in the woods. The quick run down served as a nice warm up,
the volunteers got me checked in with no difficulties, I got my number and
timing chips pinned on, and ran back up the road to find my Dad/crew to grab my
pack... With my pack secured, my shoes tight and my gear-situated I looked at
the starting clock and realized I had a little less than 2-minutes… perfect
timing.
Race Details:
A
cold front had blown in Friday evening and Saturday morning was pretty chilly
with temps in mid-to-upper 30’s and expected highs in the 50’s. However, most of Saturday morning, evening
and Sunday morning would see pretty windy conditions making it feel even
colder. Battling hypothermia was an
issue for me at Thunder Rock and I did not want to deal with that again so I
took my Dad’s advice and decided to start the race in my tights, thermal
sleeves, lightweight running jacket, and gloves. I didn’t have but a few minutes at the
starting line to look for familiar faces and I definitely didn’t have time to
catch up with any of my friends before the race started. So, I found my friend Brian Picket and knew
that we generally run around the same pace and figured I would start out with
him to get a good feel for the first little bit of the race. Brian is a great runner and very methodical
about his planning and execution for a race so I knew that he would be a good
person to run with and pick his brain for some insight on the rest of the day.
Well,
before I knew it the starting clock was counting down with less than 10-seconds
and we were off. Brian was quick to let
me know that we had only a few hundred feet before we dumped onto the single
track so we pushed a little to make sure we were sitting somewhere in the top
10 to make sure we didn’t get held up in the conga line funneling onto the
Pinhoti. As we made our way toward Aid
#1 we settled into a nice comfortable pace that took advantage of our fresh legs, easy rollers through the first
~35 miles and good conversation. I
quickly lost count of the stream/creek crossings from the start over to Aid #1
(6.7mi) but thanks to the relatively dry conditions there were no crossings
that required runners to get their feet wet, which was a nice relief
considering the cold temps. Before we
knew it we could hear the cheers from Aid #1 as we rolled into this aid station
and quickly grabbed a few items from our crews.
The
trails leading us toward Aid #3 continued just the same as the first 13+ miles
of trails. They were easy rollers with a
few minor creek bed crossings. Every now
and then another runner would join our group and some would surge off in front
of us to only be picked back up a few minutes later. Our group grew from three, to five, to six,
and settled back at three as Brian, Kelly and I continued to chug along. I’m pretty routine with hitting a low around
18 miles into any run and just before Aid #3 (18.3mi) I started to feel a low
coming. I knew we were close to the aid
station and also knew that the best thing to do during a low was to eat and
drink if I was forced to slow down and I could expect to turn the low around
relatively quick. I took a few more
minutes at Aid #3 since this was the last crew accessible aid station until Aid
#7 (40.9mi). I’ve found that grabbing
some items at an aid station and continuing to walk/eat works better than
trying to stop and spend too much time at the aid station. So, with some hot soup, a variety of food and
topped off drinks I continued up the road toward the trail head.
Jumping
back on the trail heading to Aid #4 (22.7mi) I was battling a little low so I
decided to drop my pace slightly and fall off the back of my running
group. The Pinhoti trail continued with
more easy rollers, minor creek crossings and some occasional pine needle trails
sections which were so soft it felt like I was running on a mattress. Slowing my pace and taking a minute to
eat/drink more during my low paid off quickly and by ~mile 20 I was feeling
great again and settled back into a nice pace through the next few aid
stations. Aid #4 came and went pretty
quick and Aid #5 (27.7mi) did the same.
Aid #5 had a small out-and-back section to get to the aid station beside
Lake Morgan. This was kind of nice
because I was able to see about 4-5 runners coming in the opposite direction as
I was heading back out toward Aid #6.
Since I hadn’t done a lot of pace planning for this run and really
hadn’t studied the course I couldn’t remember a lot of the details about what
was coming as far as course layout, but I did remember that once I left Aid #6
(34.6mi) that I would get to see my crew/family at the top of Bald Rock Aid
#7. This was all I was thinking about as
I came into Aid #6 and I quickly topped off my water, grabbed a few items and
took back off knowing that I was going to have the first big climb of the race
to get me to the top of Cheaha State Park.
As I
started up the climb toward Bald Rock I remembered that on the elevation
profile this climb looked like it was going to be brutal. In February of this year I ran Mt. Cheaha 50k
which runs some of the Pinhoti 100 course, in reverse, from Porter Gap, Aid #13
toward Bald Rock, Aid #7. So I had
climbed to the top of Bald Rock from the opposite side which was VERY technical
and steep so I was anticipating this side to be similar. Well, a few miles into the climb it really
was pretty tame. It wasn’t technical and
it didn’t feel all that steep. I was
moving slower than I had due to the climb but overall it wasn’t nearly as bad
as the elevation map makes it seem. About
halfway up this climb the views really started getting pretty spectacular. Mt. Cheaha has the highest elevation in
Alabama. The cool crisp temperatures
made for some amazing views. Speaking of
the weather… It was still pretty cold
and windy. I hadn’t really ditched many
layers like I had planned. I figured
that by 10, maybe 15 miles into the race I would be burning up and ready to
ditch my long pants and my jacket for sure.
Well, with the wind blowing pretty steady, not having much direct
sunlight and not running all-out I was still pretty comfortable. With each foot of elevation gain the trail
become more technical. Rocks started
popping up throughout the trail and you had to start picking your path through
the rocks to continue to the top.
Finally at the summit everyone was treated to the most amazing views and
it made the last 40 miles completely worth the effort. The trail dumped onto the wooden bridge that
carried people from the Bald Rock parking area out to the bluff to enjoy God’s
beautiful masterpiece. Enjoying the view
as I ran down the wooden bridge toward Aid #7 I decided to make a pit stop
since I figured this would be the last real facilities that I would find for
the duration of the race. There to greet
me at the parking lot was my beautiful wife.
She grabbed my pack and I quickly told her some things I wanted and she
rushed off to get them taken care of while I made my pit stop. Finished with the facilities I decided to
take another minute at this aid to change my socks and shoes so that I could
take the time to put some more cream on my feet and hopefully prevent any
blisters… another lesson learned from Thunder Rock. This was probably the best part of the entire
race. I ran down to my wife/crew’s car
and piled in the back seat were my two daughters, my niece and my
sister-in-law, while my wife and step-mother helped me change socks and
shoes. All of these beautiful ladies
cheering me on and laughing and giggling made me feel very loved and I said a
few thankful prayers for the support from my family.
Stealing
some kisses from my wife and two little girls I figured I had burned through
enough time and needed to get going again.
I continued down the road following the signs that lead runners down
toward Blue Hell. This is the trail that
I mentioned earlier that Mt. Cheaha 50k runners are treated to on their climb
to Bald Rock. Well, if I thought it was
difficult to climb, I think it was even more difficult to descend! This trail is not for the faint of heart and
can lead to some serious injuries if you’re not careful. This is what I would consider a scramble
using hands, arms, legs, feet, any available body part to get yourself safely
down the mountain. After a 1/2-3/4 mile
decent on Blue Hell the trail gets more runnable and runners can pick their way
through rocks without having to clamber down the rocks. Coming off of Blue Hell runners have another
mile or so of pavement before taking a hard left onto a forest service road
that runs down to Aid #8 (45.3mi).
Coming
into Aid #8 I was again treated to cheers of encouragement from my crew and
even a high five from my 3.5-year old as she ran out to meet me on the
road. As I walked with my wife out of
this aid station my friend Randy Whorton (Rock/Creek Trail Series Race
Director) walked with us and asked how I was doing and offered some advice for
my comments of “my legs feel a little crampy.”
I mentioned that I was doing about two (2) electrolyte tabs per hour and
Randy immediately insisted that I up the tabs to make sure I was getting enough
electrolytes and then said to always eat more food than you think you want so
that you try to stay ahead of the game.
So… I grabbed a large handful of tabs and a cup of soup I wasn’t going to
take and was on my way again. The trails
toward Aid #9 were in and along some larger creeks than early on in the race
and I was sure I would be getting wet through some of these, but to my surprise
the water was low enough that with some quick assessment I was able to stay dry
across all of the crossings. This
section of trail was really quite beautiful and really pretty peaceful. Somewhere through this section I got in with
a group of runners, one of which is a trail friend from Chattanooga, Ryan
Meulemans. This was a nice change of
pace. Ryan and I talked for the next
10-miles all the way through Aid #9 (52.1mi) and Aid #10 (55.3mi). Ryan set most of the pace and really showed
me that a good strong hiking pace is worth it’s weight in gold in a 100-miler…
I would have to run/jog to keep up with his hiking pace! I did not want to stop running with Ryan but
after burning through Aid #9 we were at Aid #10 and I knew I would get to see
my family/crew again so I decided to take a minute to enjoy their company. By this time in the race I knew it would be
getting dark soon and it was important to make sure I stayed warm throughout
the evening. Another lesson learned from
Thunder Rock was not staying warm and getting the uncontrollable shivers that
is an early sign of hypothermia. 
With
some fresh supplies, a headlamp, neck warmer, audio book, and most importantly,
some Hot Hands in my gloves I headed back out.
Leaving Aid #10 was probably the most difficult station to leave of the
entire race. I thought this would be the
last time I would see my wife and daughters until the finish line and I knew
the night was coming and colder temps would be coming with it too. This section of trail was mainly gravel
forest roads and resulted in a lot of slow steady shuffling as I made my way up
the climbs to then run the downs and then repeat again as I continued on toward
the next aid station. As mind-numbing as
forest roads can be the audio book I was listening to really helped pass the
time and before I knew it I was at Aid #11 (60.3mi). I was in a nice rhythm so I grabbed a few
things quickly from the aid and kept on shuffling and running. This continued for another 4-miles or so
before finally getting back onto a single/double track trail that would take me
the last mile down to Aid #12 (65.4mi). The
people I met, even if just for a moment, at each aid station were so
enthusiastic and truly happy to see you.
It really made for a memorable trail run. Coming into Aid #12 (65.4mi) I remember
seeing my Dad and immediately asking if Katy, my wife, was still there… about
that time I heard her cheering on runners and my spirits were lifted
again. I was feeling pretty good, but
having them there for another stop really made my night. Normally I only get to see my wife and girls
at the beginning and end of a race. It’s
very rare that I get to see them along the way and so far I had seen them four
times throughout this run. |
| Lu... Ready to Run |
It
was only about 3.5-miles from this stop to Aid #13 and I knew that my
brother-in-law was going to be joining me at that aid station to run so I made
sure that my wife would be at the next stop, kissed my 2-year old and took off.
The trail over to Aid #13 (68.4mi) was pretty nice. This section included one steep climb and
then a long descent into the aid station.
As I jumped off the trail and into the Porters Gap (Aid #13) parking lot
I recognized it as the starting area for the Mt. Cheaha 50k race. Spotting my family/crew I ran down to meet
them by the road and grab a fresh light and other gear.
Lu
and I didn’t waste any time. He was
ready to go when I got to Aid #13, so I hugged and kissed my wife and told her
I would see her at the finish. The next
aid station was Aid #14, The Pinnacle. A
few people warned me that this was a tough climb so I figured having Lu run
this section with me would be ideal. Lu
is the owner of the Tennessee Bouldering Authority (TBA) in Chattanooga,
TN. He is a great family man, an avid
rock climber, a real outdoor enthusiast, and most of all a great friend. Lu is a good runner but up until August, the
furthest distance he had run was a half marathon. The sections Lu signed up to help me with
were from Aid #13 to Aid #16, a total of ~17-miles. I ensured him that he would be fine since I
would more than likely be hiking the climbs, jogging the flats and running the
downs. So, as we made our way toward The
Pinnacle climb we chatted a little about the race, other runners Lu had seen,
our families/crew and it really helped pass the time. Before we knew it we were climbing and we
both asked ourselves if this was the climb… it wasn’t anything too steep and,
even though we were hiking the climb it didn’t seem as bad as it was made out
to be. So, we continued to climb and
eventually we started hearing some music and seeing some decorations scattered
around the trees as we continued to climb.
We knew we were getting toward the top as we started seeing more and
more rocks, we reached a series of switchbacks, which Lu had been told were on
The Pinnacle climb. The past 5.5-miles
had flown by with the company and the nice double track trail. Again there had been beds of pine needles
throughout the lower portion of the trail which made for nice soft steps and
even as we approached the top the rocks weren’t even technical enough to really
warrant any special lines through the trail.
We were met by the most excited group of volunteers yet at Aid #14
(74.5mi)! There was a hot fire, chairs,
blankets, lights, music, food, drinks, etc.
I told Lu I need to check my feet as I felt I was getting some blisters
and was quickly given a chair and provided all the help I could wish for by a
couple of volunteers. After pulling my
socks and shoes, reapplying some foot cream and lacing back up I knew we needed
to go quickly because stopping for just a few minutes already had me shivering uncontrollably.
Many,
many thanks for the warm potato soup, bananas, and help with my feet and we
took off. Stopping hurt now. It took me a mile or so to warm up and get my
legs loose. I knew that I wouldn’t be
able to stop anymore and sit down for fear of not getting back up. Lu and I got back into our rhythm of
hike/jog/run and were making pretty good time across the top of this
ridge. The trail was a mix of gravel
forest roads, runnable double track and rocky/technical single track. I knew that my legs were getting tired as I
had a couple of close calls through this section and almost face planted a few
times. As we closed in on Aid #15
(79.5mi) we could again here music and saw some more decorations hanging on
trees throughout the woods. This was
really uplifting and was an awesome way for the volunteers to lift each
runner’s spirits. This aid station
welcomed us just as wholeheartedly as the rest and they even had steak
tips! Yes, steak tips and they were
delicious!
With
roughly 6-miles to go to Aid #16 I was not looking forward to loosing my
running partner. Lu had provided a lot
of encouragement and had really helped push me more than he knew. Somewhere through this section he mentioned
that he felt great and he thought he could run more. I quickly jumped on the opportunity to let
him know that I wouldn’t complain at all if he wanted to keep running with
me… I won’t say that I had prayed that
God would give me an opening to ask Lu to keep running with me, but I won’t say
that I didn’t! I couldn’t remember what
total mileage this next aid station was but thought it was somewhere around 86-miles
and knew that I had about a half-marathon left to finish out my first
100-miler. We could hear the music from
Aid #16 (85.6mi) from a good 1-1.5mi away which was nice to give us a boost to
get there as quickly as possible. This
last 6-mile section had been rougher toward the top with some technical single
track and then opened up into a nice runnable double track that carried us all
the way down to Aid #16.
Coming
in here it was great to see some Nashville running friends and great to see my
original crew who had been out here supporting me throughout the entire
day. Dennis (my Dad) and Mary
(Stepmother) were still as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they had been all
day. The rest of my crew had long gone
to go and get some sleep but I’m truly thankful for my Dad and Mary being there
throughout the entire day. Without their
help I wouldn’t be doing as well as I have and there’s no way I would have been
as well taken care of. They quickly got
on board with Lu continuing to run and would see us one last time at Aid #18
where they would take Lu and meet me at the finish line. Lu and I grabbed some Coke and soup and took
off down the forest service road toward Aid #17. After a few hundred yards of walking so I
could drink some soup and chug some Coke we took off, and I mean we really took
off. I’m not sure if it was the Coke,
the idea that I only had about a half-marathon left or what but we had thrown
our old rhythm to the wind. We were
running up hills, flats and down hills.
This section of the race was forest service roads and something lit a
spark in us because once we started running we only stopped to take a
leak. During the short facility break I
asked if he knew how far it was to the next aid station and figured that we
still had a little time, but little did we know that just past the next rise
was Aid #17(89.6mi). I looked at my
watch as we ran into this aid station and told Lu we just ran that last leg as
fast I had ran any of the previous ~85 miles.
Not
wanting to break our new tempo we grabbed some more Coke and took back
off. The next 5-miles of forest road went
almost just as fast. We only slowed once
or twice to catch our breath on a few small steep climbs and then immediately
got back into a quick pace. There was
only one time during a walk section that I felt sleepy and I yelled out a few
times, Lu looked at me and asked if I was tired… I nodded and he said “Well,
let’s get it!” so there was no more walking.
Lu did great! I honestly felt
bad, because the first 17-miles he ran with me were pretty tame given the
amount of climbing/hiking we did and the ~10 miles of extra running that Lu
added were not anywhere like the first.
Despite my best efforts though, Lu never fell off pace and helped get me
through to the final aid station at Aid #18 (95.2mi). As we neared the aid I thanked Lu time and
time again and decided that I needed nothing more than a full bottle of coke to
get me through to the finish. I yelled
out to my crew to fill a bottle with Coke, ran into the aid grabbed my bottle
and was out immediately.
They
yelled that I had roughly 2-miles of trail down to the road then 3-miles of
road to the finish. This 2-mile section
was wide double track and jeep road mixture with lots of runoff gullies. I said
a few prayers that I wouldn’t twist or break my ankle as I was determined to
get through this 5-mile section to the finish as fast as possible. The trail section had a few grassy clearings
that we ran through with the Moon beaming down and the tall frosty grass on
either side of the trail making for a pretty amazing section to run. As I found my way to the road I knew that I
was almost done and I started to run through things in my head and quickly
realized that overall God had helped me with a very successful run. I had only really had one low that I could
honestly remember, usually I have at least two during a 50-miler, the weather
turned out to be terrific, I was treated to some of the most beautiful scenery,
and my family/friends were there throughout the entire race to cheer me
on. Lost in my thoughts I quickly
realized that I could see the stadium lights and knew that I was just a few
minutes from finishing. As I turned
between the fencing to head toward the track I was met by my gorgeous wife who
had just run over from the camper to meet me for the last 1/4-mile into the
finish. I’ve never been fortunate enough
to run across any finish with my wife and it worked out that on my first
successful 100-mile race I would get to enjoy this with her.
20:36:02, 9th
First
and foremost I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to run and enjoy
this beautiful course. I also want to
congratulate everyone who ran in the 2014 Pinhoti 100, both finishers and
non-finishers alike. Everyone who
attempted the run should be very proud.
Just by taking the chance to try is an accomplishment because the
biggest risk to anyone is failing to take that chance and missing out on life’s
great journey.
As
always I want to give all the glory to God and thank Him for keeping me and all
of the other runners safe throughout the day.
It was truly a blessing to run in such a beautiful part of the
country. A big thank you to my family/crew
for being there to support me. Thanks to
my family for being there throughout the day and lifting my spirits more than
you could ever know. Lu, thank you for
busting out a midnight trail marathon! I
want to thank Rock/Creek for all of the great running gear and support
throughout the year. Last but not least,
I want to thank all of the volunteers and personnel who helped put together the
2014 Pinhoti 100. You guys did an
amazing job taking care of all the runners and keeping people on course for
such a long race. The trail community is
lucky to have met many of you and I look forward to repaying the favor in the
future and pray that I can help others as much as you helped me throughout this
race.
Until
the next race,
Nathan
D. Holland
2014
Rock/Creek Race Team
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