Pre-Race: We flew into Sacramento on the Monday before Saturday's race and made our way up to Squaw Valley by mid-day to find our vacation home for the week. We were really blessed to find that we had a family connection to a house right in Squaw for the week. The place was less than two miles from the starting line and offered plenty of space for my family/crew. Funny how God provided us the perfect place to stay and free of charge!
It was a blessing and a curse to be in such a beautiful place for the week leading up to Western. I knew that I needed to take it pretty easy during the week but couldn't resist going and doing as much as I could without running myself ragged.
Monday was pretty much filled with flying, driving, settling into the house, hitting up a quick hike at the base of Squaw, and... of course scoping out the local playgrounds. Heidi and Harlow can spot those from a mile away!
Tuesday morning Daniel and I woke up early to get in a run to the top of the Escarpment at Squaw. Since I had not run a single step of the Western course I figured I could at least scope out the first 4-miles of the course and see what the first big climb was like... The views from the top were amazing! Following Tuesday morning's run most of my family/crew and I went and checked out Tahoe City and enjoyed the town, Lake Tahoe and some local stores. My Dad and Mary (step-mother) decided to drive around to all but one or two of the Western aid stations to make sure they were prepared for Saturday... I really am fortunate to have a crew who is so dedicated to helping get me to the finish. Not that many people would sacrifice a whole day of their vacation to drive around doing reconnaissance work for someone else's race. #Thankful
Wednesday morning before anyone else was awake I really, really wanted to go for a run, but decided to just go for a walk around the base of squaw to try and save my legs some for Saturday. I was treated to some breathtaking views as the sun awoke and burned through the early morning fog.
Because we didn't get enough of Lake Tahoe the day before we headed back over that afternoon to enjoy some kayaking and paddle boarding.
Thursday we enjoyed some time at Squaw enjoying the festivities at the Squaw lodge, getting some of my crew signed up for Friday's Montrail 6k Uphill Challenge and finished getting some last minute crewing items situated. We had some pretty awesome crewing tools... be jealous! A big thanks to my buddy Chris for taking us to a fun farmers market street fair in Truckee Thursday.
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| Jobie Williams (Left) & Joshua Holmes (Right) #$lamWater |
Race Day: Boom! Race morning and I was ready to run! With so much crew support my family/crew was splitting into two cars and were going to split the crewing duties throughout the race.
N8's Crew #1: Dennis (Dad), Kristin (Sister), Andrew (Brother In-Law), Daniel (Friend), & Jodi (Trail Dog)
N8's Crew #2: Katy (Wife), Mary (Step-Mother), Patty (Friend), Heidi & Harlow (Greatest Gifts from God aka Daughters)
Even with starting at 5AM there was no reason to start the race with a headlamp. The first 4-miles climbed to the highest point of the entire race at ~8,700 feet. The trail along this climb was jeep gravel roads for the majority of the climb with the last 1/2-mile on a more narrow single-track climb over the top of Emigrant Pass. This part was pretty fun because everyone was treated to an awesome sunrise and some beautiful views.
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| Sunrise During the Climb Up Squaw |
There were quite a bit of people along this climb cheering runners on and getting everyone primed for a huge day. After passing over the Emigrant Pass I was on uncharted territory. I had watched a few movies on the course and read quite a few race reports and thought I had a good understanding of the course. However, I was not ready for the amount of technical running I would have for the next 20 miles. The trail was littered with just enough baseball-to-softball sized rocks to make it very easy to roll an ankle or throw you out of rhythm. The trail was definitely a good mix of these rocky sections with more runnable segments but it required a lot of attention to keep from rolling an ankle or eating a face full of trail. I'm sure I exacerbated the problem by pulling my phone out every 5 minutes to take some pictures. I was blown away by the beauty of the trail and the mountains as we made our way along the Red Star Ridge toward the first crew aid station at Duncan Canyon (23.8 miles). This first 24-mile section averaged roughly 7,000+ feet in altitude and had been mentioned in plenty of the race reports as a section that could easily take more out of a runner than they may expect if they were not careful. So, I tried to stay relaxed and maintain an easy effort to not get into a bad spot early on.
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| All Smiles Early On |
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| Beautiful Trees & Views All Day |
I ended up running a lot of this section by myself or with someone for just a few minutes as they were making their way around me. The trail wound in and out of trees as it guided us along the ridge line and provided plenty of distractions to take your mind off of the effort being used to carry us on the journey. There were two non-crew aid stations through this section of the race, the first at Lyon Ridge (10.5 miles) and the second at Red Star Ridge (16.0 miles). These aid stations were top notch just like everything I had ever read about the volunteer support at Western. The aid stations were a "zone" and once runners came into an aid station they had 1-2 people "assigned" just to them. They made sure you had anything and everything you needed. Water, mixed drink, food, medical, ice, etc... It really was great to have such amazing support at each and every aid station. Before I knew it I was closing in on the first crew-accessible aid station at Duncan Canyon (23.8 miles). I was pretty stoked because I love the boost I get when I see my crew. Daniel, Kristin and Andrew were standing there ready to go as soon as I arrived. They got my bottles filled, packed me back up with energy blocks and a banana, and had the crewing down like a finely tuned pit crew. They had me filled and ready to go so quick I wasn't ready for such great service. I thanked everyone and jumped back on the trail to start toward the second crew-accessible aid station at Robinson Flat (29.7 miles). I knew that I would get to see Katy and the girls at the next aid and I wanted to get there as soon as I could. If anyone really gets me pumped up during a run it's Katy and my girls.
As I rolled into Robinson Flat I went straight past the aid station fair and found Katy, the girls and the rest of Crew #2. They knew right off that I wasn't feeling 100%. I told them I had overheated on the last 6 miles and needed to cool off and get some calories down. They pointed me to some volunteers who where soaking people down with cold water and I quickly got dowsed with water all over my body. When I walked back over to my crew they had some food ready and suggested that I take a few extra minutes to try and eat some more and drink to make sure that I was ready for the next push. They said that while they were waiting they were watching the other crews and noticed a few people (mainly Top 10 runners) running with arm warmers stuffed with ice to keep their forearms and pressure points around their wrists cool. I had never tried it but was willing to go for anything that would keep me cooler. So as they packed my arm warmers full of ice, filled my hat and shirt with ice, I grabbed some food and drink for the road, and... grabbed my cool neck wrap. Spending that extra 10-minutes here really paid dividends. Within a mile I was feeling good again and settled back into a comfortable running pace. The trail opened up a little through the next section and no longer required as much concentration due to the baseball-to-softball sized ankle breakers. Still feeling great I rolled through the Miller's Defeat aid station at mile 34.4 knowing that I would see my Crew #1 at mile 38 at Dusty Corners. The miles were rolling off easily and I was thanking God for my crew every step of the way. The cool arm warmers and food break had turned my low around and I was feeling great. Into Dusty Corners I grabbed a couple of items, got a fresh cold neck wrap, ice, and a good soaking from the volunteers and set out for the canyons section of the course.
When I left Dusty Corners I knew that I would be getting into the canyons section of the course where the heat could be brutal and had wreaked havoc on runners in the past. I may have underestimated this section somewhat in my new found running high. I got quickly caught up in the glorious views and focused on where I was and this experience when I got to the bottom of the first canyon and aid station Last Chance (43.3 miles).
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| New Bridge at River Crossing at Base of Devil's Thumb |
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| Descent Into the Canyons |
I started having muscle cramps on this descent and could really feel my energy draining. I kept moving and worked on eating whatever I could manage even if it was small. It wasn't much but I was still moving so I just kept grinding and eventually found my way to the 52.9 mile aid station at El Dorado Creek. Looking around the aid station fair I figured something would look appealing but everything made my stomach lurch just thinking about eating that. So, I just grabbed a few handfuls of things hoping that I could get something down on my hike out of the canyon and up to the next crew-accessible aid station at Michigan Bluff (55.7 miles). Katy and the girls were at this aid and I knew they would lift my spirits and hopefully help me turn this low into a high again. This next climb out of the canyons wasn't as difficult as Devil's Thumb but was no easy task, especially with it getting into the afternoon by this time and some really stagnate hot air hanging in the canyons. My rev-limiter was pegged out for a lot of this climb and my calorie and drink intake was next to nothing for the majority of the way out of the canyon. It really sucked because I knew I was heading down a bad path but couldn't persuade myself to stop and take the time to get myself right at that time. I just kept focusing on getting to the aid to see my crew and then work on getting out of this funk. I finally made it to the top of the climb and down toward the aid station. I had made it less than 50 feet from the top of the climb when I lost everything I had in my stomach. I started throwing up and within a few minutes I had emptied any amount of food and drink that was in my body. I continued dry heaving for a few minutes before it finally subsided. Crap! I knew it was my own fault for continuing to push when I wasn't feeling good but it was too late now. Like most endurance athletes I've dealt with nutritioning and nausea quite a bit over the years. However, I've been on a pretty good streak for the past 18-months and was on a good run of not puking my guts out during races. Well, that was not the case today!
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| Death Marching Into Michigan Bluff After a Puking Rally |
I barely remember closing my eyes but was soon awoken by a severe cramp in my left thigh. I sat straight up and could tell that I had been out for more than just the few seconds it felt like it had been. Katy and Jobie were sitting to my right and jumped to see what I needed. I massaged my thigh and realized that I actually felt pretty good. I still hadn't eaten anything but my stomach was settled, my head was cleared and my legs were good enough to hold me. The Lord had sent me some relief through children's medicine and great advice (Jobie) for a short cat nap when I was completely wiped out. Katy said I had been out for 35-40 minutes and that my Dad was on his way from the other crew aid station. I hated that my dad had made all of the effort to get over here to see me but I told her I had to go and had to go now! God had sent me some strength and was providing me the energy to move so I was not going to sit around and waste His gift. With some quick hugs and supplies I started to make my way out of Michigan Bluff. Roughly two hours spent at Michigan Bluff were more than I had ever bargained for and I was ready to leave that place. On my way out God sent me one more gift in the form of an ice cold popsicle. The couple who had been kind enough to lend us a chair offered this icy cold elixir of life! I thanked them again for the chair and the popsicle and started on my way toward Foresthill. The trail was similar to the previous canyon sections, it was fairly runnable and non-technical and the descent and ascent of this canyon was much more tame than the previous two. I wasn't flying but was able to maintain a steady shuffle and was just glad to be moving again. At the top of the next canyon runners jump onto Bath Road where they can meet crew members who are allowed to run the next 1.5 miles into the Foresthill aid station with their runners. It was nice to see my buddy Daniel Hamilton here. He was jazzed up and ready to run so I'm sure it was a little disappointing for him that I was forced to hike most uphills and my flats and downs were pretty tame. However, he was a good boost of energy to keep my spirits up. We made our way into Foresthill and we found some stuff at the aid station to carry over to my full crew. Both crews 1 & 2 were here and were getting me taken care of.
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| Photo Credit: Jobie Williams - Crew Hard at Work Trying to Revive a Depleted Runner (Foresthill Aid Station) |
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| Daniel in Pacer-Mode |
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| Scope Lifesaver!! P.S. I Owe Jobie $3.99 + Tax |
So, with a quick swish, gargle and spit of the Scope I was ready for a quick good luck kiss from Katy and off to finish this last 20 miles. Daniel made sure I was full again on Coke and water and we made our way across the river. It was early Sunday morning now and we were ready to finish this thing. At the other side of the river crossing we started a long hike up to the top of Green Gate. This was about a 2 mile hike up a pretty steep grade gravel road. The legs felt pretty good from the cold river and seemed to have a little more pep for this hike. It was great to see my dad, sister and brother in-law at the top of this climb. I got two fresh Coke flasks and said that we would see them once more at Highway 49 (93.5 miles) before the finish. Originally, I had wanted to run a few of these shorter sections with Andrew (brother-in-law) or Kristin (sister) but Daniel and I had good rhythm going and I was leery to try something new. Especially since they had never paced for me before and I was still unsure about completely blowing up and not wanting them to have to deal with me. I found that if I could continue "running" whether it was up, down, or flat I was very aware and focused on my footing and such. However, when forced to hike my low energy levels caught up with me and I started to grow weary. I tried smacking myself but couldn't muster up enough to jar my senses so I asked Daniel what any good pacer will do for their runner. "Hey man, do you think you could smack me... like, smack the crap out of me." I wasn't sure if he thought I was kidding but I confirmed that it was okay and I needed it. So, every now and then I would ask for another and promptly get a quick smack across the face to jar my senses... I did notice once or twice he was ready to smack me pretty quick and maybe he enjoyed knocking some sense into me a little too much!
There were a few aid stations along the next 13-14 miles from the river over to Highway 49 (93.5 miles) but I scarcely remember much from any of these except for shots of anything caffeinated and toping off water and Coke flasks. One other little trick that I got from one of the aid station volunteers was to carry some hard candy and suck on that if nothing else would stay down. It would trick the mind into thinking you were eating some and would provide a few calories. I appreciated the advice because if nothing else the peppermint provided some good flavor in my mouth which was a train-wreak of terrible flavors from the previous 20+ hours. As we closed in on Highway 49 we could hear cars and crews ahead and were really moving at a good clip now. We had been steadily picking people off now for the past 13-14 miles and my leg cramps had become almost nonexistent. We refueled for the last time with our crew and told them we would see them at the finish. We continued on towards No Hands Bridge (96.8 miles) and were able to pretty much maintain a runnable pace all the way down to No Hands Bridge. This bridge is pretty amazing and it felt great to know that we were less than 4-miles from the finish by this point. The only thing that sucked was that I knew we had one last big climb up to the top of Robie Point (98.9 miles). We didn't talk much through here. We just kept our heads down and ran when we could run and hiked when we had to walk. The climb to Robie was steep at times and we didn't even waste time at this aid because we knew how close we were to the finish. Runners get onto the pavement for the last time just past Robie Point but continue to climb for a 1/2 mile or so before beginning the final mile down into Auburn's Placer High School.
I couldn't believe that I was almost to the finish. To think that about 12 hours earlier I was basically finished and ready to call it quits at Michigan Bluff (55.7 miles). I had big intentions for Western and had grand thoughts of crushing this run and just really having a great all around day. The day before I had sent thoughts and prayers out to all my friends, family and every other runner to have fun and enjoy the opportunity God had given each of us to experience this awesome adventure. I had read and posted one of my favorite verses.
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| Last 1/2-Mile Toward Placer High School |
Isaiah 40:31 ... but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
I got caught up in the moment and tried to run my race and tried to do it on my own. When I finally hit the bottom at Michigan Bluff and was ready to throw in the towel I snapped to my senses and called on the Lord to give me strength. Within the hour He had sent answers to my prayers... Katy, Jobie and complete strangers who convinced me to lay down and rest. When I woke from my rest I had renewed strength! He provided the perfect pacer in Daniel. There was joking when I needed laughter, there was sternness when I needed tough love and there was plenty of encouragement when I was falling into negativity. God carried me for 45 miles on Coke and water! Seriously, there's no other explanation for being able to continue on for 45 miles and 12+ hours of running and hiking without His promise to "run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint." The Lord provided the jolt I needed to not be faint through the hand of Daniel (I still appreciate those slaps in the face buddy). I am truly blessed to have such wonderful support from my family, friends and so many loved ones. I found out after the race that so many people had heard or watched on the internet that I had fallen way behind at Michigan Bluff and sent good thoughts, prayers and messages my way. I am forever grateful and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Katy and Patty met Daniel and me about a 1/2 mile from the high school and ran in with us. Daniel and Patty rolled off to let Katy and I run in together. I was so thankful to see her smiling face and was thrilled to be finishing the last of this race with my beautiful wife. I am very humbled by my Western States experience and forever grateful for the experience and finish! This was one of the most beautiful courses I have ever run and I am so thankful for the challenge I faced. I want to thank God first and foremost for all the answered and unanswered prayers. I trust that everything I learned at this race will carry significant weight in my heart for future races. I am so thankful for my crew's support and encouragement; Katy, Heidi, Harlow, Dad, Mary, Daniel, Patty, Kristin, and Andrew! Without your help I never would have made it to the finish. Thank you so much to my friends on the course who helped me throughout the day; Jobie, Monica, Ryan, Michael, Robin, strangers who gave me a chair and a popsicle... you were heaven sent wether you knew it or not. There were so many supporters back home that sent me good vibes and prayers that I did not deserve; Mom, Deming, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, Josh, and so many more friends. Your prayers were there when mine were not. I may not have run the race I had in mind but I am so happy to have represented Rock/Creek and am very proud to call all of the Rock/Creek family my friends.
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| Monica Manning, Stayed Up All Night to Watch me Finish #runnerfriends |
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| Daniel & Patty Hamilton Great Crew/Pacer Friends #runnerfriends |
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| My Beautiful Family Before the Day's Adventure |
Race #1 of 4 in the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning complete and I am proud to say that I believe I ran the race God had intended for me and I hope to make Him proud in the remaining 3 races this summer.
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| #GrandSlamGameFace |
Gear: Patagonia Air Flow Shirt, Patagonia Strider Pro 5” Shorts, Smartwool PhD Compression Calf Sleeves and Socks, Suunto Ambit 2 (HR) Watch, Salomon S-Lab Ultra Set, Salomon Sense 3 Ultra & Ultra Soft Ground Shoes, Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem & Endurolytes Extreme
Nutrition Plan:
Every Hour - ~16oz of Hammer Perpetuem, 1 Whole Banana, ½ Pack of Energy Blocks (GU or Stinger), 2 Hammer Electrolyte Extreme Tabs, ~5oz of Water
After 40+ miles – Added Chicken Noodle Puree, Beef Jerky, Pickles, and Coke as Needed
Until the next race,
Nathan Holland
2015 Rock/Creek Race Team
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