Are you Nate's wife? - 2015 Western States 100

Hey everyone! And welcome to the "Are you Nate's wife?" guest blog (within a blog) Grand Slam series: Volume 1 - Western States 100!

I decided a few weeks ago that I might try my hand in the blog world with a couple guest posts of what it's really like to be a Crew Wife in this crazy Grand Slam endeavor. 

First let me introduce myself: My name is Katy; aka "Mommy" or "Babe". In the trail-running community you can usually find me behind the packet pickup table for most of the Rock Creek and Wild Trails races or pounding out my miles at Enterprise South Nature Park a couple times a week. The most common question that I get asked is "Are you Nate's wife?" and I always happily answer... "Yes, I am!!" 

I was as surprised as anyone when Nathan's name got drawn for the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in December as he had assured me that there was less than a 4% chance that he was going to get drawn, especially his first year. Riiiight. And before I even had a chance to wrap my head around this one race, that was located on the opposite side of the country, came the talks about the Grand Slam and how this might be his only chance to complete it. I was probably the least excited because I was responsible for thinking about all the "practical" parts of the races: Where will all the money come from? How will the girls handle all the long car rides and crewing hours? How will I juggle everything and keep my sanity? But after some long discussions with Nathan (that may or may not have included him promising to sell his Jeep that has been sitting in our garage for 2+ years... Seriously though? Does anyone want to buy a Jeep??) and lots of praying I felt comfortable in telling Nathan to go on and go for it! I mean, this is a once in a lifetime chance! (At least it better be! ha)

Our week in Lake Tahoe seemed to fly by, as most times do when they are filled with wonderful family/friends and super fun activities to do, and all of a sudden it was the night before the race. We had hoped to be in bed earlier and fall quickly to sleep, but as anyone with children can understand, what you want is not always what they want. The girls were up at different times throughout the night and none of us got a good nights sleep. 3:00am came too quickly and by 4:00am we were off to the race start. My stomach was in knots as we watched all the runners getting ready and lining up, but Nathan was cool as a cucumber, just excited for the race and the day. 3..2..1.. and they were off - and so were we! After the gunshot we watched for a minute and then headed to the car to make our way to our first Crew station (Robinson Flats 29.7miles).

Crew #2 consisted of myself, Mom, Patty, Heidi & Harlow. The drive there was windy but thankfully on paved roads and we made it there without much trouble. All of our Crew stations for the day were shuttle-to aids and for this first one we got to ride on a School Bus and Heidi was so excited! We got up to Robinson Flat and found a place in the shade to set up and wait. I was very impressed with this aid station and the way that they had a path marked off for the runners and they wouldn't allow any Crew in the path. It kept the way clear for the runner's to easily find their Crew and get in and out quick and easy. As we waited for Nathan we watched as the first runner's came in and what their Crew's were doing; I mean, what better way to pick up some pointers?  They were filling arm warmers and bandanas full of ice and sending them on their way. We didn't have any of the bandanas (called Jimbo bandanas we later learned) but had a pair of thin arm warmers in the box and got those out and ready. When Nathan came through he didn't look terrible, but he didn't look great. He told us that he was behind on his eating and feeling a little tired. Those are some of his key words that usually indicate that he is in a low of some sort. Chris Luberecki was there and he helped convince Nathan to take a couple extra minutes to eat and drink while he was with us. I felt good about the time that he spent with us and after we filled up his arm warmers and hat with ice, put on his cool neck wrap, and gave him some food to go - he was off again!

As soon as he left we packed up our things, hopped back on the bus, and made our way down to our next Crew station: Michigan Bluff mile 55.7. The shuttle that took us to this aid was a mini school bus and we were thankful to not have to walk down the huge hill to get to the bottom. When we got to Michigan Bluff it was around 12:15p and there weren't a ton of people there yet. We set up shop in some of the only shade that we could find which was nestled nicely in between some other crews who were nice enough to share. There was a little restaurant up there that was selling some delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, and popsicles so we got some lunch and then Patty and I were able to catch a quick 30 min cat nap.

Let me take a second and brag about how awesome Mrs. Patty Hamilton is... She handled all the crazy adventures of the day with grace and ease. She was amazing with helping to keep the girls entertained, she never once complained about anything, she did whatever was asked of her and more, and was just so easy going. I am so grateful for her and her sweet soul. If you don't know her, you are definitely missing out! Now, back to the race. This aid station area was an absolute zoo. The more crews that came the more people just starting piling up in front of the ones that were already there, eventually taking up almost the entire road. We didn't expect Nathan until around 4:00p based off of his last updates on ultralive.net (big shout out to Joshua Cole for keeping us updated with texts as our phone service was spotty at best) so as it neared that time we had to move from our original spot to try to find a spot close to the road but still in the shade. My mom had suggested that I go down to the road that runs beside the aid station and wait for Nathan to come in. So I did and I waited. And waited. And waited. I knew that something was wrong. So I prayed. I knew that he should have been here by now. So I kept praying. When he finally came in he was death marching. He looked like crap and I could tell he was suffering. He told me he had thrown up a bunch and wasn't feeling good. He made a quick pass through the aid station and then came to where we had our stuff set up. A super helpful and sweet couple offered him their chair when we didn't have one and I changed out his socks and shoes. He kept saying he was so tired and just needed to rest but he decided after a few minutes that he didn't want any of the food that we had in our boxes and wanted to make another pass in the aid station. So I walked down with him and when we got down there he spoke with some of the volunteers and they put him into the care of the medical staff. They ushered him into one of their lounge chairs and allowed me to join him. He promptly vomited again as soon as he sat down and they were great about getting him some possible food and drink options to help in any way they could. After about 20 minutes they told him that he needed to keep moving and hopefully that would make him feel better. So we left the aid station and headed back towards our Crew area. By the time he had walked the couple hundred yards to where we were set up he was white as a ghost. Mom & Patty were great and took the girls for a walk so that I could focus on Nathan. Thankfully Jobie showed up and reminded Nathan that a few extra minutes here could save him big time down the road. So Nathan gave in and decided he wanted to lay down. We spread a blanket on the ground in the shade and let him lay down. As soon as he was on the ground he threw up everything all over again - so I ran to the medical box and grabbed a 5mg baby Zofran and just enough water for him to get it down. He took the Zofran and told Jobie & me to wake him up in 10 minutes. Yeah, sure. During this same time Patty had taken the shuttle back up to the car to call Nathan's Dad and have him come to this aid station. So I decided that I would let Nathan sleep until his Dad got there. And... now I get to brag about Jobie! Jobie stayed there with me pretty much the entire time before and while Nathan was sleeping. He kept me talking about just whatever and it kept my mind occupied so I didn't become so stressed with worrying about Nathan. He continually assured me that this was just what Nathan needed to get back on track. I trust him and am thankful that he took the little bit of extra time out of his day to just shoot the bull with me and help to keep me calm. He is also the same super awesome friend who delivered the mouthwash to Nathan at the Rucky Chucky aid station. His family is beautiful and we still owe him and his sweet wife Sherrie a dinner in Chattanooga!!
Even though this was probably the worst part of the entire race I never really thought that Nathan would pull - I know his determination and how bad he wants these races! I knew that his time for this race didn't matter as long as it was under the 30 hour cutoff. But that doesn't make my worry for his health lessen any. After about 30-35 minutes Nathan woke from a dead sleep with a terrible cramp in his left thigh. After that he said he felt better (but still looked like crap) and wanted to get moving. The sweet couple from earlier gave him a lemon lime popsicle and I walked with him as far as the aid station check out and with a quick peck on the cheek and a lot of faith I sent him on his way.

As he took off down the trail the bus was coming down the hill so I decided to hang around for a second to see if Patty was on the bus. Lo and behold, Patty & Daniel got off the bus and I told Daniel that he had just missed him. He asked if he could catch him and I told him that "No, he was already checked out of the aid and if you followed him he would get disqualified." So Daniel turned and booked it up the 1/2 mile hill back to the truck to meet Nathan's Dad; which was not an easy feat I assure you. We gathered all of our things from Michigan Bluff and headed on to the Foresthill High Aid station (mile 62).

Both Crews reconvened at Foresthill and it wasn't too long of a wait for Nathan and Daniel (who had met Nathan at Bath Rd.) to come into the aid station. I have to admit, he looked better. I mean, at least he was jogging into this aid station. A quick run through the aid station and a short stop by the Crew to grab his headlamp and some food (not that he ate any of it) and he and Daniel were off!!

After they left Foresthill we had another break before seeing them again at Rucky Chucky (Mile 78) so Patty & I took my Mom and the girls to the hotel and grabbed some McD's before heading back out. The girls had had about as much as they could take. We had spend nearly 7 hours at Michigan Bluff and they handled it like champs, but to ask them to stay out all night would've been more than their little selves could handle. I am again so grateful for my Mother and the awesome Gramma she is to our girls. It made Crewing life so much easier knowing I didn't have to worry about them anymore.  Seriously, what a blessing! So Patty & I made it to the parking lot to catch the shuttle to the Rucky Chucky Aid Station. She and I joked that each shuttle got smaller and smaller because the shuttle we took to the bottom was basically just a rafting van. I sat on the window side of the seat and soon realized that I had made a huge mistake. I could see off the side of the mountain and felt for sure that we were going to drop a tire and careen down the side. I did a ton of praying during this ride. But we made it to the bottom safely and found our way over to the aid. We sat on the ground and got comfy for the wait. Monica was still there and we were happy to see her. She was volunteering at Rucky Chucky and had stayed past her shift so that she could see us and another local, Michael Sherzer, through. We chatted off and on and soon Jobie joined Patty & I at the aid. (With his special bottle of mouthwash!!) We talked and kept each other awake - joking with Jobie for trying to catch a ride across the river in a raft so he didn't have to get all wet and again I was very thankful for everyone's company! When Nathan and Daniel came into the aid they were quick. Since Daniel had enacted his "No sitting and No leaning" law they were in and out pretty fast. We watched them cross the river, said our goodbyes to everyone else, and headed back up to the car. (Which was an equally scary bus ride in case you were wondering!)

Crew #1 had the next two Crew aid stations so after a little back and forth Patty and I made our way to the Finish and decided to try to get a little rest in the car while we waited. I set my alarm to go off every 30 minutes and would wake up and check ultralive.net to see what kind of progress he was making. So I basically got no sleep, ha. Finally my father-in-law called me and said they were on their way to the school. A few minutes after they got there we met up with them and Dennis (Nathan's Dad), Kristin (sister-in-law), Patty & I started walking up the hill and towards Robie Point. After we topped the hill Dennis & Kristin decided to turn back and head down so they could get pictures of Nathan coming in. Patty and I waited for the boys at the top and we didn't have to wait long! When I saw them coming down that road I was so happy I don't think there is even a word for it! We ran with them down the hill and Daniel & Patty dropped off right before we entered the stadium. I was so deliriously happy for Nathan that I couldn't stop laughing as we made our way onto the track. He grabbed my hand and we made our way around and into the chute. I tried to let go at the beginning of the chute so that I could get pictures of him crossing the line and so that he could cross the line by himself since he (and God) had worked so so hard to get there. But he told me no and wouldn't let go of my hand - so we made those last few special steps together. Even now it is hard for me to put into word's how incredibly proud of him that I am! These are the stories that I will use to encourage our girls as they grow and encounter situations where the easy decision is to just quit. I don't think there were many dry eyes as he crossed that line and every happy tear was well deserved!

Now on to round two!

Many Blessings,
Nate's Kate