100 Facts & Realizations from the Summer of Slam

100 Facts & Realizations from the Summer of Slam

1. Four (4) oldest 100-mile trail races (Western States, Vermont, Leadville, Wasatch)
2. ~77,000 feet of total elevation gain
3. ~81,000 feet of total elevation loss
4. 11 week span from beginning to end
5. 17 work vacation days
6. 11 plane rides
7. ~80 hours of riding in a car
8. ~30 puking rallies
9. 1,000s of prayers
10. One (1) black toenail
11. One (1) left tingly foot and toes (lasted ~10 weeks)
12. Attempted two (2) 100-mile trail races in 2014, completed one (1)
13. Attempted four (4) 100-mile trail races in 2015, completed four (4)... barely!
14. 42 people started The Grand Slam
15. 25 people remaining after Western
16. 22 people remaining after Vermont
17. 16 people remaining after Leadville
18. 13 people remaining after Wasatch (Class of 2015, ~31% finishing rate)
19. 280 people to ever finish the Grand Slam
20. 315 times that the Grand Slam has been completed (multiple finishes by same people)
21. 30th anniversary of the Grand Slam
22. 100-mile runs are hard
23. Thankful for the countless new friends
24. Lifetime of memories
25. Mouthwash at mile 80 is heaven in a bottle... Thanks Jobie Williams
26. Nine (9) months of planning
27. The struggle bus is real... I rode it all summer
28. The Grand Slam is an expensive endeavor... especially living in the east
29. Capturing a photo of someone when they are battling through a dark low speaks a thousand words (Jobie is very talented)
30. You can run 40-50 miles on nothing but Coca Cola & Water... thanks Daniel Scott Hamilton
31. 1 expensive handbag for my wife (payment, aka "reward" for the Summer of Stress)
32. Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
33. I still don't understand this sick sport
34. I missed out not having a "mule" at Leadville
35. Not sure how Brian Costilow has run Leadville TEN times!!... mental issues
36. My favorite race was my most challenging... Wasatch
37. Realizing that the girl at Pinhoti who said it was just as hard or harder than Western was an IDIOT!
38. Wanting to punch Joshua Cole for ever talking me into my first trail race
39. Wanting to kiss Josh Cole when realizing I was going to finish the last race of The Grand Slam
40. No sunscreen and Breathe Right Strips make funny nose tan lines
41. Clothes smell really bad after 100-mile races
42. Clothes smell even worse when you leave them in a Ziploc bag, in the back of truck while driving across America, in the middle of the summer!
43. Eating ice cubes can fool your brain into thinking you're eating real food
44. Sleep is overrated
45. Trail runners are the nicest people in the world
46. Just because you run a "fast" 50-mile time does not mean you can do that two times in a row to run a fast 100-mile time
47. Finishing a 100-miler is a HUGE accomplishment
48. It's hard to breath above 12,000 feet
49. Poles are good for hiking and for leaning forward to hurl
50. Isaiah 40:31, "But those who put their hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will sore on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint."
51. Running Badwater 135 in the middle of The Slam is just insane... Joshua Holmes
52. Lots of different body parts hurt during and after 100-miles
53. A massage after a 100-mile race is worth every penny!
54. 100-mile races are humbling
55. The Rocky Mountains are one of God's most beautiful creations
56. Running with horses sounds cooler than it is
57. My family/crew work harder than I ever do during a race... I am so thankful for each of you!
58. Trying to pee and run at the same time is hard to do
59. People who don't live in the southeast don't know what real humidity is
60. New weight loss idea... run four (4) 100-mile races in 11 weeks or be the spouse of someone running those four (4) races
61. Pacers do a LOT of work with little reward or recognition
62. Crews do EVEN MORE for little reward or recognition
63. How to stay cool with a homemade Jimbo bandana and ice in arm warmers
64. That God truly does listen and answers prayers
65. The beauty of seeing two sunrises during one race
66. Sometimes smelling bad is better than bathing in a lake with a bunch of crawdads biting your toes
67. Taco Bell is an awesome post-race recovery food
68. Naked Stormtrooper dancing is acceptable at mile 80 @ 11,000 ft up and 25° outside
69. Finding the energy to run the last 5 mile stretch faster than any other miles in the race
70. Katy knows best!
71. Teaching life-long lessons to my girls even if they are too young to understand them now
72. The word "run" is very loosely based when speaking of a 100-mile run
73. Sometimes taking the time to stop and rest will save you more time down the road
74. There are not enough toys to keep kids from getting bored when waiting at aid stations
75. People look at you funny when you tell them you got into The Slam after only completing one (1) 100-mile race
76. Saw the; 'Cary Long in the headlights look' from some girl doing her business in the middle of the trail
77. It's really hard to keep going when your 4-year old is telling you it's okay to stop
78. Anything worth doing is not necessarily easy
79. I finally understand eating early and often
80. It's very, very dusty at Wasatch
81. The pre-race meeting at Leadville is almost better than most standup comedy clubs
82. Smiling does make you feel better no matter how crappy you feel
83. The only way out is through... (Billy Simpson)
84. Words of encouragement are the best medicine for a busted spirit
85. The love and support from my family means more than my family could ever know
86. A fresh pair of socks during the middle of a race can make a world of difference
87. I completed The Slam in 2015 in ~105 hours...
88. Ian Sharman completed The Slam in 2013 in ~69 hours (record holder)... mind blowing!
89. Despite swearing off 100-mile races numerous, NUMEROUS times over this summer, two weeks later I'm already scheming of my next 100-miler adventure
90. Seeing how strong people really are and what we are all capable of doing with the right mindset and determination
91. My crew is my greatest asset during any race
92. Without risk of failure we have no opportunity for success
93. Squirrels in Utah will in fact scream at you
94. Challenging yourself physically and mentally will only make you that much stronger for life's journey
95. PRAYER IS POWERFUL
96. Pain is easily forgotten
97. 100-mile runs are more mental than physical
98. Nothing tastes good after running and puking for 10+ hours
99. Rule of 3's... In any 100-miler you can expect at least 3 things to transpire that you weren't planning on (Ken Niemimaa))
100. The bald eagle trophy for The Slam represented in Isaiah 40:31 (see #50)

‪#‎TheGrandSlamofUltrarunning‬ ‪#‎N8_GrandSlam2015‬ ‪#‎Holland2015‬‪#‎GodsGloryOurJoy‬

Grand Slam of Utlrarunning Award

Grand Slam of Ultrarunning Class of 2015

"Are you Nate's Wife?" - 2015 Leadville 100

"Are you Nate's wife?" guest blog (within a blog) Grand Slam series: Volume 3 - Leadville 100!

Whew! Halfway finished and a five week break between races?!? That felt almost like a vacation! Except for the tiny little nagging thing that took shape in the form of Nathan's achilles injury from Vermont. 
When we returned from VT Nathan could hardly walk and the future of the last half of the Grand Slam races was questionable, to say the least. I don't think he ever really thought that we wouldn't go to Leadville - but I certainly did. I mean, how could he go do something as difficult as run 100 miles when it took him 10 minutes to cross the street? Well, let me tell you that it came down to one week before we were supposed to leave before I was convinced he was healthy enough to attempt Leadville. He came home from a 12+ mile run on that Saturday morning and said his achilles hadn't hurt during his run, so I went right then and bought our tickets! And boy am I glad that we did!

This trip to Colorado has been my favorite GS trip so far! I had only ever been to Colorado in the winter and was really looking forward to getting to see it in the summer. It did not disappoint. 
Living at an elevation of 680 ft. above sea level and going to an elevation of 10,200 ft. without getting altitude sickness can be quite the challenge. Thankfully my FIL had a wonderful plan set out for us and other than a few headaches in the bunch I am happy to report that no one ended up with altitude sickness. Our plan was to spend two nights in Estes Park (elevation 7,522 ft) and one night in Silverthorne (elevation 8,730 ft) before heading up to Leadville. 

Our hotel in Estes Park was only about 0.5 mile from the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and on Sunday we drove the narrow and curvy road up to the Alpine Visitors Center (elevation 11,796 ft) where we had lunch and enjoyed the views. (Except for our poor Heidi who got car sick on the way up and did not enjoy any part of that trip.)

Top of Alpine Visitors Center

The many faces of a car sick Heidi

On Monday morning we left Estes Park and made our way to Silverthorne, CO. Nathan had spent a winter season working in Keystone years ago so it was nice to take the girls and walk through the village. We tried to take the girls up in the Gondola to the top (for some more altitude training) but a storm came blowing through and they wouldn't do anymore rides for the day. 

Tuesday morning we loaded our things into the car and headed to Leadville. Our friend, and Rock Creek Race Director, Brian Costilow and his family were so awesome and let us rent their house in Leadville for the week! It was perfect for us - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and only 3 blocks to the Start/Finish! (Not to mention the playground park for the kids at the other end of the block - where we spent a lot of time!) We spent the next few days walking and exploring the town and going on the famous Leadville train ride! It was probably my most favorite thing we did!

On Friday we went to the Race Expo and got to visit with some of the other Grand Slam runners before the mandatory race meeting. We stayed for the Crew meeting afterward (mostly because I wanted to) and got some good tips for the course. My favorite tip that I actually put to use was to get some index cards and make a card for each aid station so that the Crew could remember to grab all the things that he may need or want! I will definitely be using these in the future!! 
That night we had a delicious dinner of homemade turkey meatballs, mashed potatoes, and vegis before heading off to an early bed!

Race Day is finally here!
Woo! Those 4:00am race starts come way too quickly! Thankfully being so close to the race start allowed us to sleep in just a tiny bit later! I came down the stairs, put my coat on, and we were pretty much out the door walking to the start. Joshua Holmes (fellow Grand Slammer and $lam Water finisher) had come that morning and was going to be leaving his car at the house and then coming back and showering/resting after the race before the awards ceremony and it was nice to get to visit with him on the warm up walk to the start. 
The Start line had lots of energy with plenty of family and friends cheering on from the stands and the side of the shoot. Nathan & Josh made their way towards the front and I got into position to get the 10 second countdown (I have a video from each of the races so far) and with the traditional Leadville shotgun blast they were off! 

In the months leading up to Leadville I had reached out to Brian for crewing advice and he pointed me in the direction of his sister, Kay. She had crewed him for 10 Leadville races and she is the Leadville crewing Queen! She was so amazing and sent me a wonderful email chock full of information and tips about the aid stations and what worked for them in the past. Thanks to her we knew to avoid May Queen-Outbound like the plague and head back to the house to get ready for our day! 

So while my wonderful Mother (and best Gramma ever, seriously) stayed at the house with the girls so that they could keep sleeping... Dennis (Nathan's Dad) and I headed out to the Outward Bound aid station (mile 24.5) just before the sun came up! 
The aid station was set in a field this year and it was really easy to crew. They had plenty of parking in a big open field and a large section marked off just for the Crewing Zone! 

The Sunrise hitting the mountains at the Outward Bound aid station

It was easy to watch for Nathan coming down the road into the aid station and we were able to get some nice people whose runner had not come in yet to let us move in front of them to be able to assist him better. He was looking and feeling good so we refilled his supplies and he was out of there!

We packed up our things and decided to head straight over to the Twin Lakes aid station (mile 39.5) to find a parking spot. They were not allowing you to park in the town this year and were supposed to be shuttling people in. My mom and the girls met us at this aid station and even though we were parked right by where the shuttle pick up was we never saw it and had to walk the 0.5-0.75 miles into the town. Yes, Twin Lakes is a town. Granted, a very tiny town. We found a spot close to where they jump back on the trail off of the paved road through town and set in to wait. Like I've said before, my FIL is amazing at figuring out Nathan's pace and calculating when we should expect for him to come in, so when it got close to time I walked up the hill and around the corner to meet him where he comes off the trail. I waited and started getting anxious thinking he should've been in already. I swear in the future that I am not going to wait to meet him at another aid station like that, because every time that I do I swear he comes in feeling like crap. Which is exactly what happened. He was walking and said that he hadn't thrown up but that he felt really awful and hadn't eaten much since we saw him at the last aid station. Crap. I see why most people drop at this aid station... because they feel like Nathan felt and still know that the hardest part of the race, Hope Pass, is staring them right in the face. Well, if we've learned anything from the last two races it's that Nathan isn't a quitter and so even though he felt lousy he pressed on to the mountain that was before him. 

 

Now the worry starts to set in. I prayed a lot on our way to Winfield. Prayers that his stomach would settle so that he could eat, prayers to give him the energy he needs to climb up and over Hope Pass, and most importantly just to deliver him back to me safely.

Leadville is an out and back race and Winfield (mile 50) is the turn around point. A lot of Crews don't go to Winfield and I can see why. The dirt road leading up to it has ruts so big you can lose a car in them. Once the first runner hits the road in Winfield then they stop allowing cars all the way up to the field at the top and they start parking you on the side of the road and you have to walk in.

Our backpacks were heavy and the oxygen was low as we made our way to find a spot in the grass and wait. This was also the place where the pacers could start running and I got some good entertainment "people watching" all of the nervous pacers waiting for their runners.

From where we were sitting you could just barely see the runners as they came down the road and Nathan was easier to spot because of his orange R/C shirt and yellow-green shorts. So as soon as I saw what I thought was him I ran down the road to meet and walk in with him. He said that he had thrown up a few times after he had left us and again up and over Hope Pass. We made a quick pass through the aid station for some fruit and went to meet Dennis. As soon as Nathan sat on the ground any of the fruit that he had decided to eat came back up - time to get moving - so Dennis and I made quick work of refilling his pack, changing his shirt, and making some ramen for him to carry with him. 

I walked with him down the road and told him over and over again how proud I was of him and how he's got this. I tried to remind him to smile because it magically changes your entire attitude! When he was about to get back on the trail I wrapped his jimbo bandana full of ice (it gets hot at 12,600 ft) on his neck and a told him I would be waiting for him in Twin Lakes!

Dennis and I made the trek back down to the car and down the rut-ridden road back to Twin Lakes (mile 60.5). We ended up getting a sweet parking spot right in the middle of town and it was nice to not have to carry our stuff far to get set up. My Mom & the girls brought us some dinner from High Mountain Pizza and I wish I had had more of an appetite because the 2-3 bites that I had were really good! I also grabbed some cokes and such from the tiny little store in town, Pass Gas, and giggled to myself like a 5 year old. 

 

It was just before dusk as Nathan made his way to us and when I finally saw him he was actually jogging which totally lifted my heart! He got to where we were set up and we changed out his socks and shoes, refilled his nutrition (aka: coke and perpetuem), and stuffed his pack with warmer clothes and his headlamp since it was about to get dark and cold. He had originally planned on switching to his other pack and ditching his poles at this point, but with some more climbs coming he made a good choice and decided to keep them! I walked with him up the road until he got back on the trail and may have tried to guilt him a little with reminding him that he would get to run with me in 2 more crew aid stations!

After we left Twin Lakes we had to swing back by the house in Leadville to get a few things. I took the opportunity to take a quick 30 minute rest on the couch as the girls climbed all over me and told me all about their day. I also felt super guilty because here I was laying on the warm couch and Nathan was out pushing through miles in the cold dark. 

Once we got the text that he had come through the Half Pipe aid station (non-crew) then we gathered our jackets and headed back out to Outward Bound (mile 75.5). Before we left I had changed into my running clothes and then put my other clothes back on and I was thankful for the extra layer because it had gotten cold. By this time the runners are so spread out that there was plenty of room to find a spot to set up and we didn't have to fight for space.

Headlamps coming across the field

One of my favorite sights of the night came from this aid station as well. The runners came in across the huge field that they went out of that morning and it was so cool to see spots of headlamps coming across the field in the dark! 

"Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"
Psalm 119:105

Dennis was right on the money again and Nathan came strolling through at about 12:15a. Dennis stepped away for just a minute and almost missed him. He was cold and needed his warmer clothes so I stripped off my warm jacket to wrap him up as we worked to get his clothes on him. Once we got him dressed and drinks refilled I went with him through the aid station and then up the road for about 0.75 of a mile or so. In the aid station he picked up some "mashed potatoes" that were more like mashed potato flavored soup but the few bites he took ended up coming back up once we hit the road. I told him to hang tough because he would get to pick me up at the next aid station to pace for a few miles and that is something that we both have been looking forward to from the beginning of these races. With a quick kiss on the cheek he was off and I headed back to pack up at the aid station.

The drive over to May Queen (mile 86.5) was pretty quick since they allow you to go over the dam on the inbound trips. It was still pretty busy, but nothing like it was that morning I'm sure, and we had a small hike to get to the aid station. It was about 1:30a in the morning now and we weren't expecting him until around 3:30 so we used the spare time for a mediocre attempt at some rest. When it was finally time then we got out of the warm truck and got a nice "warm-up" walk into the aid station. While we were waiting for Nathan I remember looking up at the sky and just being amazed! I had never seen so many stars at once in all my life! You could even see part of the Milky Way! It was the most beautiful sight and I wish I could've gotten a picture of it. It truly was stunning! What an awesome God we have!

Now back to the race... this was going to be my first ever experience pacing and running at night. Until now I had never done either of these things! I was extremely nervous - everyone knows that Nathan is the hare and I am the tortoise in our relationship. But this was also something that he had wanted me to do ever since these races started and something that I hadn't had the chance to do yet. He came jogging down the hill (yay!) and with a quick refill on his coke and perpetuem we were off. It was a 6-ish mile section to the Tabor boat ramp around Turquoise Lake and we had actually run this section earlier in the week so I felt a tiny bit more comfortable. I learned quickly that my headlamp sucks as I easily tripped over every rock and root there was but somehow managed to stay on my feet. When he walked, I walked. When he ran, I ran. In between sucking air I tried to keep a tiny bit of a conversation and the miles flew by! Nathan said he was feeling pretty good and I knew that the next section after this was mostly road and dirt road and I didn't want him to have to wait on me when I knew he just wanted to be done; so I told him to drop me at the boat dock with his Dad and I would just see him at the bottom of 6th street. So before I knew it we were there and I went with Dennis and Nathan took off towards his last few miles. 

I had originally planned to run in from the bottom of 6th Street to the Finish with Nathan but on the short drive over there I started feeling like crap. I was super nauseas and couldn't stop shaking. (Now I know how Nathan felt/feels, blech) I spent most of the time waiting there with my head in my hands trying not to puke all over the car. Finally Nathan crested the hill off of the Boulevard and was looking for me to run with him. I told him I felt awful and that I would just meet him at the Finish. He understood, of course! So Dennis and I booked it up the hill, found a parking spot, met up with Mom & the girls and quickly made our way to the Finish just in time to see him close the last couple hundred yards! He deserved every step of that Finish and I could not be more proud of him! He is truly one remarkable human being that I love so so much!

Coming up from the bottom of 6th Street

I would also like to take this time to say a special Thank You to a few people. Jenny Baker is a beautiful, God-fearing woman and ultrarunner who came up with a wonderful idea to start a Prayer group so that our friends and family could send prayers for Nathan, our crew, and the runners during the race. (As well as provide emotional support to me during the race!) She is a friend that the Lord has recently brought into our lives and He has really blessed us with her and Franklin's friendship!

Also, my amazing sister/best friend, Theresa, who helped set up and organize the time slots for those that wanted to cover a certain time frame in prayer! I love her to the moon!

And lastly, all of the wonderful and amazing friends and family that sent up their prayers during the race. There are too many to list, but they know who they are, and I just want you to know that we felt the prayers during the race and know what a difference they made! You all mean the world to us! 

We are seriously the luckiest! 

#threedownONEtogo

2015 Leadville Trail 100 Run (Grand Slam Race #3 of 4)

Leadville Trail 100 Run (Grand Slam Race #3 of 4)
Saturday, August 22 - Sunday, August 23, 2015

Gear: Patagonia Air Flow Shirt, Lululemon Surge Tights, Sockwell Plantar Ease Socks, Sockwell Compression Sleeves, Pearl Izumi Thermal Sleeves, $1 Walmart Special Gloves, Salomon XT Wings Gloves, Salomon Bonatti WP Jacket, Suunto Ambit 2 (HR) Watch, Camelbak Handheld Bottle, Salomon Sense 4 Ultra Shoes, Tailwind Nutrition, Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem & Extreme Endurolytes, and Petzl NAO Headlamp

Race:  I'm going to be honest, I don't get too nervous for any race but for some reason Leadville had me a little rattled.  Originally it was because of the altitude but after Vermont 100 it was also a fear of my achilles injury flaring up.  However, the week in Colorado leading up to the race really helped settle my nerves.  Katy, the girls and I had an absolute blast the week leading up to the race!  We spent a few days in Estes Park and one day in Silverthorne before heading up to Leadville.  All those years vacationing in Colorado in the winter I never realized that I should have been coming here in the summer.  Those beautiful summer mountains and that amazing crisp mountain air really got me excited for the race.  

     

My friend Brian, fellow Rock/Creek runner and ten-time Leadville finisher let us rent his family's vacation home for the week.  What an awesome friend!  It's hard to beat a three bedroom, two bathroom house in Leadville that's only three blocks from the start/finish.  I would love to plan a future trip to Leadville where we could spend a couple of weeks and get out to hike/run some of the beautiful mountains surrounding the town.

Our week flew by and before we knew it Friday was here and it was time to put the finishing touches on my race prep and do the pre-race meetings.  To save some sanity Katy and I decided to let the girls hang out with Gramma and Granddad while we attended the pre-race meeting at the local high school.  I have to commend the race staff, volunteers and speakers at the pre-race meeting.  Katy and I haven't laughed that hard in quite a while... we didn't realize that the Leadville Standup Comedy Club was in session for our pre-race meeting.

The nice thing about staying in a home for the week was the ability to cook real food, and cook we did!  Mary decided on homemade turkey meat balls, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner... be jealous!  So, with full bellies and running shoes ready for some abuse we all laid down around 8-9pm.  Being three blocks from the starting line REALLY paid off with a 4am starting time.  It's hard to beat waking up at 3:15am, rolling out of bed, throwing on some running stuff, and making the short walk to the start/finish line.  

My friend and fellow Grand Slammer, Joshua Holmes met at the house Saturday morning to leave his car and walk with us to the start.  It's worth mentioning that Josh decided that his attempt at the Grand Slam would not be complete without adding a fifth race into the middle of the summer's festivities with a Badwater 135-Mile run to make it more of a challenge... what a glutton for punishment!

                                  

With about 650 runners, their crews, families, friends, and volunteers all coming out to cheer on the start, energy was pouring through the streets of Leadville.  With a kiss from Katy and a hug from my Dad I said a quick prayer for everyone enjoying the race and settled into a starting position.

                                   

                                   

I was a little disappointed that I was so wrapped up in the excitement of the race start that I didn't even notice the famous Leadville shotgun blast start.  Oh well, Katy had made a habit of videoing the countdown at each of the Grand Slam races so I knew I could see it later.  A mad rush of people set off down 6th street for a quick 1-mile stretch of road before jumping on to the boulevard.  The boulevard is a nice, VERY wide dirt road that would lead us about 5-miles down to the first section of single track at Turquoise Lake.  It is very easy to get sucked into this section of the race because it is almost all downhill and because it's so early and everyone is so pumped up it can be easy to burn through some fast miles and pay the price later.  So, thanks to the advice from a few of my buddies I made sure not to hit the first aid station at May Queen (13.5 miles) any earlier than 2-hours.  As we made our way around the lake we got our first glimpse of the sun and some beautiful views of the mountains.  We hit the pavement at the end of Turquoise Lake Trail and ran up the road, past the campgrounds and into the aid station.  I wasn't going to see my crew here because they had been warned to skip May Queen on the way out because of the issues trying to get in and out.  So, with a quick refill I was on my way again.

This next segment would carry us up and over the Sugarloaf climb and down the power line descent on the backside of the 11,500+ foot pass.  The first couple of miles had us running along the Colorado Trail where we got to see some beautiful greenery and some technical rocky trails.  A few miles later we popped off of the trail and back onto a dirt road that lead through a couple of long switch backs up to the top of Sugarloaf Pass.  By this time the sun was above the horizon and looking back down toward May Queen gave some of the most beautiful views I would see all day.

     

     

I settled into a nice mix of running and hiking with a fellow from Colorado and before I knew it we had crested Sugarloaf pass and were starting our descent down the power line.  The power line was not so steep that it was unrunnable and bouncing from side-to-side down the ravens it was just a short amount of time before we came out to the road that took us past the Fish Hatchery to the Outward Bound aid station (24.5 miles).

                                 

Katy and Dad made quick work of my bottles, refilled my supplies and sent me on my way.  Leaving Outward Bound was pretty awesome.  It felt like we were running in the bottom of a big mountain bowl.  This section of the course ran through the lower basin of the bowl and beautiful mountain peaks surrounding us made up the rim of the bowl.  After a short jog down the road we detoured back onto the trail heading back toward the tree line that would guide us around the base of the mountains all the way over to the Twin Lakes aid station.  Coincidently, there was another aid station once we hit the tree line called Tree Line.  The trail from here consisted of wide, jeep roads littered with small golfball-to-baseball sized rocks.  Other than a few small climbs this section was very runnable and would be a nice section to run later in the race on our way back into Outward Bound.  Just before the 3-mile descent into Twin Lakes the trail wrapped around a few bends along the ridge giving the first views of Twin Lakes.  

       

       

The Twin Lakes aid station (39.5 miles) was the last stop before heading up to the top of Hope Pass.  Despite my best efforts to have a "sick-free" race I had been queasy and behind on calories since somewhere around mile 30.  My spirits were lifted coming into the aid because I found Katy, Dad, Mary, Heidi, and Harlow.  Regardless of how crappy I feel it's always a great boost to see their smiling faces.  I switched my pack, grabbed some poles and hit the trail wanting to start toward the base of Hope Pass.  

Running through the meadows around Twin Lakes I decided to start my Grand Slam ritual and started my puking sessions at about mile 40...  Well, at least this was one of the most beautiful places I've ever thrown up.  With a quick wipe of my mouth I picked my head up and kept on trucking.  The next couple of miles wound through the knee high grass meadows and 7-8 water crossings with one larger river crossing that was about knee high deep.  At the base of the mountain the meadow trail turned to a nice double track leading up through the trees.  

        

        

The entire climb up Hope consisted of 90% hiking and maybe 10% running.  Not feeling queasy anymore I decided to make the most of my post retching high.  I kept my head down, prayers consistent and my breathing steady.  I knew that the tree line would start to disappear as I approached ~11,000 feet and would only have about ~1,500 feet more of elevation gain.  After a short while the trees started to dissipate and I could see the trail opening ahead of me into the basin just below the final climb to Hope Pass at ~12,600 feet.  There was an aid station about 0.75-miles shy of the summit and I made quick work there as my stomach was still not taking food.  The views were breathtaking and definitely worth the lung-busting climb.  I snapped a few pictures and started down the backside of Hope toward the turnaround point at the Winfield aid station (50 miles).  

                                     

                                     

The trek down was pretty intense.  Steep grades and multiple switchbacks had my gut turning because I knew that within a few hours I would be working my way back up this climb.  After dropping a few miles the trail tucked back into the trees and eventually met up with the Continental Divide Trail and ran a couple of miles over to the dirt road into Winfield.  

                                      

                                      

To my surprise my stomach held out during the entire Hope Pass climb and descent.  It wasn't until about 0.25 mile from the aid that I found myself laid out again losing what little contents of my stomach I had left.  Katy found me as I made my way down into the aid station.  She walked with me as I tried a handful of items from the aid station.  I grabbed a seat with my Dad and Katy, changed my socks and tried to get down some Ramen... no go.  I was reminded of my 2-hour stop at Western sitting here puking and did not want to repeat that again... So, I knew sitting around wasn't going to do me any good and I got up and headed back up the road.  

                                     

On the climb up the back side of Hope there was a slew of crossflow traffic as runners made their way to and from Winfield.  By this time the afternoon sun was shinning pretty bright and popping in and out of the trees made for some pretty hot segments.  Once we got above the tree line the sun was really beating down on the switchbacks and I was really struggling.  This was one of the lowest lows I've ever experienced during an ultra.  I am pretty sure I was moving at about 40-45 minutes per hour on some of the really steep sections and was very thankful to have my poles for this climb. I found that poles worked really good as a prop when you need to lean over for a good retching.

                                   

                                     

Reaching the top of Hope Pass again felt almost as good as crossing the finish line.  I knew that getting back up here for the second time was probably the apex of this race.  I still had 45 miles to go to finish but knew that after completing this climb that the hardest part of the race was behind me.  I said a few prayers thanking God for helping drag me back up this climb and put my head down focusing on getting back to Twin Lakes before the sun set.  Sometimes in 100's it's working toward the the small goals that will ultimately help get you to the finish.  A few more retching spells on my way down the front side of Hope and I found myself in a good rhythm with a couple of runners and together we worked to pull each other back into Twin Lakes just before the sun set.  

       

       

                                   

Coming into Twin Lakes the sun was just going down behind Hope Pass and I was actually feeling pretty good.  Just 5-miles earlier at the top of Hope the only thing I could think of was getting back to Twin Lakes and grabbing a few minutes of rest in a chair... Now, with a little new found energy I wanted nothing more than to get back on the move to knock out the last 40 miles.  Katy did a good job of keeping me motivated also by telling me that this would be the first time she was going to get to pace for me in a race so I needed to quit being a baby and get to May Queen so she could run with me.  What a great crew chief!  #nosympathy

I decided to keep my poles for the 3-mile climb out of Twin Lakes and with the sun setting they also did a good job of keeping my upper body warm as I was hiking this climb.  Once at the top, I stashed my poles and started working on this runnable section back toward Tree Line and Outward Bound aid station.  It was riding the sugar highs and lows from drinking Coke and Perpetuem.  I would get into a good grind and run for 2-3 miles strong and then hit an uphill section that was just a little too much to run and would slow to a quick hike.  Some quick hits of Coke would turn this around pretty fast and before I knew it I would be back to running a descent clip.  The next few miles rattled off pretty fast and I hit the road section that would take me down to the hard lefthand turn into the field that lead over to Outward Bound aid station (75.5 miles).  Well, I hit a pretty low sugar crash on the road section somewhere before my left hand turn and I started nodding off as I was hiking/jogging.  All of a sudden I came too and there were bright headlights coming right at me and I staggered back to the side of the road.  Some lady promptly hung out of her window and told me that I had missed the turn off... crap!!  I turned around and backtracked but never saw the turnoff.  I turned back around and kept plugging down the road and found the turnoff... It was about 0.25 mile past where that lady had told me to turn around... not a cool thing to do to someone at about mile 75 of a 100 mile run.

Coming back into Outward Bound I realized just how cold it had gotten.  It was about midnight at this time and the wind had really picked up in this section.  I found Katy and Dad and grabbed pants, insulated sleeves, a dry shirt, jacket, gloves, and some warm mashed potato soup stuff.  The quick change helped but I needed to keep moving.  Katy walked with me out of the aid and up the road as I tried to eat some soupy-mashed potato stuff and that stayed down for about 20 seconds before I decided to see if it tasted any better on the way out...  It really didn't taste any worse...

I told Katy from here on out I wanted nothing else to eat.  I would stick to Coke and Perpetuem and would see her in about 13-miles.  The next section was the last big climb.  Runners leave Outward Bound and run back up the power line climb to the top of Sugarloaf Pass at `11,500 feet.  After a few miles down a paved road, and a short run up a dirt service road I found myself grinding away at the power line climb.  This climb is deceptively long.  There are about 4-5 false summits, or that's about how many it felt like.  I heard that there was an additional aid station that signaled the summit of this climb so every climb I crested or every corner I rounded I kept searching for that elusive glow of Christmas lights and music that I just knew would signal this God-sent aid station.  Finally, I rounded a corner at the top of this climb and could see a faint glow of lights ahead and could hear some music.  With spirits lifted I found an interesting crowd holding down the top of the mountain.  I won't give too many specifics but this was the liveliest bunch of volunteers I had seen all day and I saw some pretty crazy scenes or some wild hallucinations.  It's not every day you find a 6-foot tall Stormtrooper running around at ~11,000 feet with nothing on but his Stormtrooper helmet and birthday suit.  Oh, and did I mention it was about 30 degrees and windy up on the top of this climb.  Whether a hallucination or reality, I had some good laughs got a fresh flask of Coke... not that kind of Coke, and hit the trail down toward May Queen.

The downhill to May Queen aid station (87 miles) was pretty good.  A lot of very runnable downhill with the last couple of miles on the Colorado Trail that were pretty technical.  Not as much running through here but it was a good break from the downhill trying to shake the Stormtrooper images out of my head.

I found Katy ready to run just outside of the May Queen aid station.  I sat down, ditched a few items and grabbed more Coke and Perpetuem and the most beautiful pacer.  Katy and I run occasionally but haven't had a chance to run together on any of these Grand Slam runs so this was something I had been looking forward too for quite some time.  I was a little worried about the run because the first few miles of the Turquoise Lake Trail are pretty rocky single track.  I knew Katy hadn't run much at night and her light was so-so at best.  She wouldn't take my light and never once complained about the technical sections.  When I ran, she ran.  When I hiked, she hiked.  She kept my spirits up and did a great job of keeping me focused on the trail and before I knew it we were coming up on the Boat Ramp aid station at about mile 93.  Katy knew that no matter how cruddy I felt that the last 5-6 miles of any race was going to be an all out grind to just get it finished.  Once you get close enough to the finish of any race it's easy to find another gear to just set in and pound out some miles.  I would have loved to run those final 6-7 miles in with her but she knew that it would be better for both of us if I just put my head down and ran and she would meet me at the finish.  So, that's what I did.  I thanked God for getting me this far and knew that less than 3-weeks earlier I was still barely able to walk following the Vermont race.  The day had been long and hard, probably my hardest 100-miler to date, but at the same time was the most rewarding.  The week leading up to the race had been some of the best family time we had ever spent together and views of the mountains reminded me how small we really are in this world and how Great our God really is!  

I knew that the next 6-7 miles to the finish were pretty much all uphill, especially once we hit the boulevard, and would hurt.  But, I think that's just the kind of hurt I needed.  I knew that I wouldn't be finishing with any kind of time that I was exceptionally stoked about but knew that I could finish and finish strong and would forever be proud of that.  I was treated to a beautiful sunrise and a second wind to give me some extra energy to run those last miles.  

                                    

Rounding the last turn onto 6th street I hit that last climb to crest the hill about 0.5 miles from the finish and immediately started scanning the finish area for my family.  

                                    

I was so excited to see them there, all of them, Katy, Heidi, Harlow, Dad, Mary, and even a few friends from Chattanooga to cheer me in.  The ultra community is so inspiring and I love that I can be a part of this crowd.  There were people there cheering me just as much as my own family and it's the same at every trail race I've ever participated in.  I grabbed some hugs and kisses from my family, a handshake and hug from Ken Chlouber and his wife who were there congratulating each and every finisher.  I stick with my rendition of Ken's moto... "With the Lord you are stronger than you think you are... you can do more than you think you can!"

                       

I have to start with a huge thanks to my Lord and Savior.  Immediately followed by another huge thank you to my loving family/crew, the Leadville community and volunteers who made this race possible.  The course will forever be one of my favorite courses with the beautiful landscape making this area so inspiring.  

Also, one thing I mentioned in my Leadville Preface blog was that I was 100% certain that no matter what happened in the race that God brought our family/friends to Leadville to bring us closer to Him and each other.  Thanks to the idea of our Chattanooga friends Jenny and Franklin Baker, before race day we put together a message group for family and friends who might be interested in following the Leadville journey through message group updates and who would also help support my effort through prayer.  I know that I didn't have a sick-free run like I hoped but I ended up completing the hardest 100-miler I have ever attempted to date and was carried for almost 60 miles on next to nothing as far as food goes.  I didn't get myself to the finish, it was the prayers of so many people who believed that the Lord could carry me when my legs gave way, and I am so thankful for each and every person who helped get me to another finish.  I hope that these runs bring you some enjoyment/encouragement because without your support I would have failed before I ever began.

        

                                  

#3down1togo

Until Wasatch,

Nathan D. Holland

2015 Rock/Creek Race Team