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 Vermont 100

"Are you Nate's wife?" guest blog (within a blog) Grand Slam series: Volume 2 - Vermont 100!

Pre-Race:  Coming into this race I had quite a bit of nervous energy. After all of the craziness that encompassed Western and the fact that I would be leaving our girls for the first time ever; I was feeling pretty anxious when it came time to leave on Thursday. We were planning on driving all through the night on the way up and the way back so we laid our second row flat and put up the third row so that whoever was in the back could stretch their legs and then later on we could inflate the twin size air mattress and use it to sleep. Nathan, Dennis, Daniel, & I loaded up in the car and after lots of goodbye kisses from the girls and some tears from me we finally got on the road about 7:25pm. Now anyone who knows me knows that I hate to drive; if it is over an 8 hour drive time just put me on an airplane. But I can honestly say that the drive up to VT wasn't bad! We had ice cream, learned a lot about Genghis Khan (thanks to Daniel's podcast series), and everyone was able to have some decent periods of resting and driving. 

                       
We made it up to the Start/Finish around 2:00pm and got Nathan all checked in! We had some time to kill before the 4:00pm mandatory meeting so we were making our way towards the trail to see what the last mile of the course looked like when we stopped to chat with a man named Paul and his horse Adam. Paul had explained how the runners and the horses were really similar when it comes to endurance races. They have to watch how much the horses are eating/drinking, keep their electrolytes in check, and make sure that their bowels and such are still functioning. Here are some of the things that we learned: the horses have mandatory rest points at certain aid stations where they are thoroughly checked over by a Veterinarian who determines if they were well enough to continue on, that further along in the race he would actually dismount his horse and hold the horse's tail and hike behind him to give the horse's back a break when going up climbs, that if you're passing a horse at night to talk to the horse/rider as soon as you get the chance as to not spook him, and to not look at the horse with your headlamp on when passing because you can blind him for a few seconds. I know I was pretty curious how the race would go with runners and horses racing together so I was thankful for the chat and the information! 
We finished with the mandatory meeting, picked up some dinner on the way back to the hotel (which wasn't as easy as it seems because there isn't a whole lot in Springfield, VT), and finally got into bed at about 8:00pm.

Race Day:  We woke up around 2:00am and got ready for the day ahead of us! It was raining pretty good and didn't let up until right before race time. When we got back up to the Start/Finish we met up with the rest of our Crew and lined up to cheer the runners off! Now that the rain had stopped the weather was spectacular, despite the warnings for humidity from some of the Northerners, (clearly they have never been to the South) and soon enough they were off! 

The Vermont 100 is mostly run on private property so they have some pretty strict rules to keep all the landowners happy. One of the biggest rules had to do with Crewing. You are only allowed one Crew vehicle (which is checked in the day before with your runners number written on the windshield) and they don't give you any Crew directions until your car is checked in with their staff. I assume this is to keep people from going up and trying to pre-run sections of the race before race day. But, as I am a planner, I was a little stressed because I didn't have any directions or information. Well let me tell you - their directions were amazing!!! 

    

After the race started we went and loaded all of our stuff into my sister-in-law's 15-passenger van. We had more than enough room for everyone and everything! We decided to make our way to the first aid station because parking was limited and we knew that he would be in or around the Top 20. There were two versions of directions to each aid station that I nicknamed "Men's Directions" and "Women's Directions". The women's directions had landmarks and streets that you would pass along the route which kept you knowing that you were going the right direction (and similar to how most women give directions - especially with landmarks) and the men's directions were straight and to the point. They also had estimated travel times from one aid station to the next which was so helpful as well!                  

We made it to the Pretty House aid station (mile 21.3) in plenty of time and everyone took about 20-30 minutes to rest before we got our stuff out and ready. Nathan came cruising into this aid station and was looking great! He hit the bathroom, had us fill up his water, switched out his bottle of perpetuem for a fresh one, and grabbed some pickles and a banana and he was back on the move! I was thrilled to see him feeling good and smiling!

The next aid station was Stage Rd (mile 30.3) and with it being so close we packed up pretty quickly and made the short drive over there to get set up. (We made quick friends with the parking crew when we offered them some of Gramma's famous homemade chocolate chip cookies all the way from Tennessee.) At this aid the runners have to run down the road and around the corner to get to the aid station so part of our crew went over to the turn to see him coming down the road (and ring the cow bell so we knew he was coming, thanks Annabelle!) while the rest of us stayed with our stuff. He came cruising into this one much like the last one and headed straight for the bathroom. (Which is a good thing!) We made quick work getting him the things he needed and he was in and out pretty quickly! 

      

From here we went on to Camp 10 Bear for the first time (mile 47) - we revisit this aid station again at mile 69.4. We found a nice spot right past the aid station with easy access to both the aid and the exit. It's always so nice to have a runner in the front of the pack because then you get all of the good parking spots! We knew we had some time to kill and so Kristin and Daniel went to check out some later parts of the course that she would be running, Deborah and I tried to catch a little shut eye, Deming took some pictures, and Dennis & Annabelle played some card games!

I ended up not getting any sleep, but that was okay, and we went and got our stuff set up close to the weigh-in station. Well as we were hanging out waiting for him to come in all of a sudden there was a huge crack of thunder and next thing you know it started pouring down rain!  We scrambled to get our stuff together as Dennis hoofed it to the van to get the pop-up canopy so that we could have a dry place for Nathan to come in to. We got the canopy set up, while getting completely soaked in the process (2nd time getting wet for the day), and were kinda scrambling to get all of our stuff for Nathan set back up when it started letting up and thankfully it stopped raining right before Nathan came in. He got weighed-in and wasn't down much (thanks to the weight from his pack) and we got him over to the canopy to get his socks and shoes changed out. I made the crucial mistake here of moving his perpetuem bottle off of one of his bins so that I could get him out some wipes and that is the same bottle that didn't make it into his pack when he left. He took off and we were packing up when I realized that he didn't have any perpetuem and my stomach just dropped. Daniel reassured me that he would be fine since we had sent along a baggy of perpetuem and he had his water that he could mix it into if he needed it. I felt awful for forgetting it and hoped it wouldn't mess him up since he was feeling so great so far!

It was only 11.5 miles between that aid station and the next aid station at Margaritaville (mile 58.5) but there were some harder climbs so we took the opportunity to stop in at a little general store called Watroba's and get a sandwich from their deli! It was a cute little family owned store and since they didn't have a restroom the lady even let Daniel use her personal one upstairs where they lived above the shop! It also worked out nicely since the day before Nathan's mom & stepdad, Deborah & Deming, had left their car here (they weren't going to get to stay for the whole race) and we were able to see where we would be dropping them off after the next aid station. 

Back in the car and on to Margaritaville we went! We didn't have to wait too long for Nathan to come into this aid station since we had used up quite a bit of time getting lunch so we maybe only waited about 10-15 minutes before we saw him... walking in. Immediately my mind flashed back to Western when he came death marching into mile 55. I knew that he had gotten off track because of the bottle we had left out and no matter how many times he "tries" to reassure me I know that was the reason. He walked in and went to the bathroom where he spent a little bit more time than at the previous stations. When he came out we gave him some plain Lays chips and those almost immediately came back up. Oh crap. After Western we had gotten him some rub on Zofran cream in case he wouldn't be able to keep anything down so I grabbed it quickly and rubbed some on his arm. The only problem with this was that as he sweat it would come out of his pores or would not get absorbed well from the beginning. He said he wanted to keep moving so he grabbed some puréed chicken noodle soup and kept moving on down the trail. 
From this point on my nerves became crap.

 

We left Margaritaville more worried than we had been all day but with the hope that he could turn it around. I remember saying a lot of prayers on our way to Watroba's to drop off Deborah & Deming. We got them set and on their way and headed back to Camp 10 Bear (mile 69.4) for the second time. I was afraid that the parking here would be an absolute nightmare since that is where the 100k runners also meet up with the rest of the race and with all the 100 mile runners who would be coming into Camp 10 Bear for the first time... but as we came in from the opposite direction as everyone else we saw some prime spots right by where we had parked the first time and were able to just drive by everyone else (sorry to all those people walking half a mile in) and got a great spot! This was also the aid station where Nathan could pick up his first pacer, Kristin! While Kristin was getting ready and we were waiting the sun decided to make an appearance and it got HOT, quick! I took a second to thank God that it hadn't been this hot all day and then Annabelle, Dennis, and I got to work stuffing ice into some jimbo bandanas, for Nathan & Kristin, that his mom and I had made! I knew he would probably not be feeling great when he came into this aid after getting sick at the last station and then now with the heat. Down the hill he came where he had to weigh-in again and then came over to us where he asked for Coke in a bottle and no more perpetuem. Crap again! We put his arm warmers on, stuffed them full of ice, wrapped his bandana around his neck, and he & Kristin took off.  

Over to Spirit of 76 (mile 76.2) aid station and Daniel was going to be picking up running with Nathan from here so he got all his stuff ready and we had to walk a 0.25 mile or so down to the aid station. The sun was still out and it was still warm so we brought along another jimbo bandana and bag full of ice. Thankfully the aid station was in the shade with plenty of tree coverage so we didn't have to sit there and roast while we waited for them to come in. Of course the aid station was at the top of a climb and before too long we saw them coming up the hill. We had everything ready to go into his pack but as he gets to us he tells us he is ditching his pack and just wants his hand bottles. So we scrambled around a bit to get different bottles ready and while we were working on that Nathan throws up again. For whatever reason he doesn't do well with stopping once he's been sick.  So we finally get him the things that he needs and he and Daniel get moving. Back to the van we go!

     

Kristin fills us in on her leg of the race as we head over to Bill's aid station (mile 88.3). We even got lucky enough to see Nathan & Daniel on one of the "gravel roads" on our way there!  Once we got to Bill's we took some time to clean out and organize the back of the van. I remember feeling weird that it was this early and we were already this close to the finish. We started the short walk down from the parking area (another grassy field - more on that in a minute) when we looked up at the sky and saw a dark, dark rain cloud. Right after we got down there I forgot that I was going to grab a baby zofran from the van in case Nathan needed one and so I turned around to head back to the van when it started raining. I ran to the van, grabbed everyone's rain jackets, and ran back down to the aid. It monsooned for a good 20 minutes and we got soaked. Head to toe we were just wet. (For the 3rd time that day!) It quit raining and was getting mostly dark when I saw Nathan's headlamp coming down the road. His Nao headlamp is so bright it's easy to pick out from a distance. He had his last weigh-in at this aid station and he grabbed some fresh coke and told me that he expected me to run at the next aid station before heading out. 
So we get back into the van and peel off our rain coats to try and dry out some on the way to the last aid station when we have to exit the grassy field out of a small uphill section. After that momentous downpour the grass was so soggy and slick! We got close and then would spin. Back up and try again; keep spinning. Kristin did great and with some coaching from Dennis and some praying we finally made it out of the field and onto the road. I can't imagine how bad that field was by the end of the race and just how many cars got stuck!

Oh, Polly's. Polly's aid station (mile 94.9) is officially the last Crew aid station before the Finish and also the point that I was supposed to start pacing with Nathan. I have always been wary of pacing Nathan. I mean I run at a tortoise pace and he is, well, the hare. I always joke that it takes him running 95 miles before I can keep up with him for 5 miles. At the beginning of the race I was actually looking forward to running this section with him, but as the race went on I knew that the smartest decision would be to let him keep running with Daniel. If he decided to push it those last 5 miles (which he did) there would be no way that I could keep up and as much as I wanted to run with him - making him slow up to my pace was out of the question. So as they came rolling into the aid station it was pretty clear that I wasn't going to be running with him. I told him it was the better decision and that I would see him at the Finish line shortly!

It took just a few minutes to drive from here to the Finish and when we got there we made sure to park Kristin on a downhill so she wouldn't have to worry about getting stuck and started to unload our stuff out of her van and back into my car. We had just finished when Dennis said that we should probably make our way over to the Finish line in case Nathan decided to pull some crazy 10 minute miles out of his hat for these last 5 miles. (Which, funnily enough, is exactly what he did!) We literally were at the Finish line for about 3 minutes when I saw 2 headlamps making their way down to the Finish. I knew that it was Nathan and Daniel because right before the Finish Daniel pulled off the trail, shut his light off, and then Nathan crossed the line! (Daniel is so thoughtful about letting Nathan cross the finish line alone, which is one of the things I really appreciate about him! Plus, his awesome race videos!!) I couldn't believe our luck and am so thankful that the good Lord put us down there right on time! So completely and utterly proud of him! Vermont 100 complete!! 

#twodowntwotogo

Many blessings, 
Nate's Kate

 

2015 Vermont 100 - (Grand Slam Race #2 of 4)

Pre Race: It's been three weeks since Western and my legs seemed to have recovered pretty well, or at least I hope so...  I suppose I'll find out come 20-30 miles into Vermont.  Vermont was going to be the only race where we weren't going to take the entire family.  Because Vermont was relatively close to Tennessee we decided to make this a long weekend trip and drive to and from Vermont at about 17-hours each way.  Thursday evening Katy, my Dad, Daniel and I got finished packing and hit the road to make the overnight drive to Vermont.  If our timing was right we should get to the race check in on Friday afternoon with a few hours to spare before the 4PM race meeting. 

Traveling in Style

3-Hours in and Someone's Already Tired of Traveling...

Once we arrived, we spent about 30-minutes getting checked in, going through medical check-in and strolling around the vendor tents.  Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run is a unique race with people and horses racing side-by-side.  The foot race has both a 100-kilometer (100k) and 100-mile distance offered.  While the horse race offers three distances; 50-miles, 75-miles and a 100-miles.  Each of the 5-races start at different times throughout the day and are staggered enough to allow for some more constant flow of finishers throughout a narrower time frame.

Crew Stuff

Beautiful Ladies (Katy & Annabelle)

Pacer Swag

Dad's Scoping Out the Area

We met a gentleman, Paul, and his horse, Adam, who spent about 30-minutes explaining how the horse race would transpire and how many similarities Adam and the runner shared.  I'm not going to lie, there were more similarities than I would have ever imagined.  Also, after talking with Paul and Adam I'm convinced that it is more difficult to ride a horse for 100-miles than to run 100-miles.  With a new-found knowledge on equestrian endurance racing we made our way up to the 4PM race meeting and settled in for a quick run down on Saturday's logistics.  

We had decided to get a hotel room for Friday night so that we could hopefully get an early bedtime and make good use of some hotel room nightshades.  With driving through the night and rotating sleeping positions in the car we were all pretty worn out and looking forward to an early bed time.  Now we just needed to eat some dinner, finish some last minute race prep and get to bed for some rest.  

Race Day:  With about 7-hours of sleep 2AM didn't feel as early as I had thought it would.  I was kind of excited about the 4AM start.  I've grown to love early morning runs and being treated to some beautiful sunrises.  It was in the low 60's and a little rainy when we got to the race.  Joining my regular crew today was my Mom, Step-Dad, Sister, and Niece...  I suppose I can never use "lack of support" as an excuse for a bad race... and I'm very thankful for that!

Pre-Race Smiles with my Wife of Choice!

With just a couple of minutes left I gave my love to my crew and found my way over to the starting line.  Amongst the 300+ runners I found my friend, and fellow Slammer Joshua Holmes.  We chatted for a minute and took off through the starting line together for the first little bit.  It had stopped raining but there was a small nip in the air.  It felt great to get moving and get some blood flowing to warm our limbs.  After a few miles the road turned onto a small dirt path through the woods and I found myself running along by myself for a little bit.  I took the silence and alone time to thank God for just getting me to this race.  I was remembering the rough times I had experienced at Western just a few weeks earlier and was so thankful for Him getting me to the starting line of Vermont. 

The Vermont course was not one that I was particularly looking forward too.  It was touted as having ~70% gravel roads, ~28% trail and ~2% road...  Gravel roads and roads are not my cup of tea so I wasn't sure what the day would hold.  After an hour or so I quickly realized that I better get used to these "gravel" roads or I was in for a long day.  They weren't "gravel" in the sense that I usually think of gravel roads.  Around Tennessee gravel roads consist of thousands of marble-to-golfball sized rocks making each step a little dicey with risk of turning an ankle on quick descents, dealing with foot slippage on uphill climbs and of course dealing with the stone bruising that goes along with pounding out mile after mile on these little buggers.  Apparently people in Vermont do not define gravel roads the same as Tennesseans.  The only gravel I found was a few 10-20 small rocks off to the side of the road every few miles.  The "gravel" roads were so smooth I had a hard time telling if it was gravel or just a dirty asphalt road.  I settled into a nice easy pace with a couple of guys who were holding about the same pace and who seemed to have some pretty interesting stories.  I was that creeper about 20 yards back laughing at their stories for about 2-3 miles before I finally just pushed the pace a little to run with them and join in the conversation.  Bob and ... Joel... maybe... sorry I forgot your name.  Anyhow, these guys were seasoned veterans to Vermont 100.  Joel had attempted and completed the 100 five times and completed four.  Bob had completed something like six or seven and both had a vast amount of information about the race.  They knew every single person that came running by us or each of the few that we passed.  I thoroughly enjoyed their company.  They rattled off tales of previous Vermont 100 races, other ultra experiences, made funny remarks when someone came roaring by on the uphills like we were standing still... noting that those people would pay for that foolish effort late in the race when the relentless hills took their tole.  For those that have not seen the Vermont 100 elevation profile, I encourage you to find one and try to find some "flat" areas.  The entire course is either up or down.  It appears that there are no flat areas on the entire course.

A Pretty Awesome Covered Bridge

Really Awesome Truss Work

Anyhow, after spending the majority of the first ~20-miles with these two guys I found my way coming into the first crew aid station at Pretty House (21.3 miles).  The day was flying by.  The company was great, my stomach was doing well and my legs still felt great.  I knew my digestion system was still up and running because I knew a Porto-potty was in store or I was going to be looking for an inconspicuous area to make a Cary Long Pit Stop.  Funny enough, at the pre-race meeting the race director was pretty adamant about people being careful not to make any #2-deposits in anyones front lawn.  The majority of this race is held on private land and apparently those land owners aren't too fond of anyone making poo-castles in their front yards... I can't imagine why.  Pit Stop completed I got some pickles, chips, and a banana from my crew and took back off.

Typical "Trails" for VT100

I lost my running buddies and was on to running by myself for most of the next few sections.  The rolling hills continued on as they had been for the first 20+ miles.  The elevation map proved to be pretty spot on.  There was plenty of ups and downs and it was pretty rare to find any true flat areas on the course.  I mean, there were plenty of "flat-ish" sections that were close enough that it broke up the climbing and descending.  As I descended down off a nice open meadow section of the course I found the Stage Road aid station and second crew aid station (30.3 miles).  Grabbing another restroom break and bid farewell to my crew and knew that it would be a few hours before I saw them again.

The next few sections were filled with a good mixture of steep short climbs, runnable downhill and a mixture of double-wide dirt trails and gravel roads.  I ended up running most of the next 17-ish miles with another seasoned Vermont 100 veteran, John.  I swear, it seemed like everyone I met during the race so far had run Vermont at least three times or more.  But, it was great news for me because all of these vets were giving me loads of advise for upcoming sections.  John and I had been running pretty well together through this last section between crew aid stations.  He let me know that a few miles past the next crew aid at Camp Ten Bear we would have one of the biggest and steepest climbs of the day.  So, we decided to try and stick together again after Camp Ten Bear.

Horse Spotting

As we rolled into Camp 10 Bear (47.0 miles) I found my crew and some fresh socks and shoes.  In my haste to get out of the aid station quickly I didn't realize that I left my bottle of mixed drink laying on the ground as I ran out of the aid.  I found John and got about a mile or so down the road before realizing what I had forgotten.  I wasn't too worried because I knew I would see my crew again in about 10 miles.  Just as John had said we hit a pretty steep climb right around mile 50.  Settling into a strong hike I quickly found myself alone as I trudged up this climb.  Continuing on by myself for most of the next few miles I could feel my first low coming on.  I slowed my pace and tried to get in some calories to see if I could minimize the low.  As I made the final climb up to Margaritaville (58.5 miles) I decided to scarf down a whole banana.  I found Katy and the rest of my family and realized that banana was not going to set well in my stomach.  It was just a couple of minutes before I started throwing up again...  Well, trying to stay on the positive side of things I figured at least this time I made it roughly 3 miles further than Western before I got sick... not that it was much consolation.

"Gravel" Roads

So, with great thinking on my crew's part they let me finish getting everything out, made sure I had all of my supplies and got me out on my way.  They knew that once I had gotten sick the best thing for me was to keep moving.  I gave my love to my crew and thanked them for everything.  I really wanted to apologize for getting sick.  I knew they were worried about me but I was pissed at myself for getting sick.  It's hard to explain, but I almost worry more about them worrying about me.  Every ultra run has so many highs and lows for a runner and equally as many for those people who crew; but, I hate adding any additional stress to my crew's already stressful job.

It's all Smiles at the Top of the Climbs

From here I had another roughly 10 miles back to Camp 10 Bear.  Luckily for me this section ended up being a lot of downhill and I was able to maintain a pretty good pace despite not feeling 100%.  About a mile out from Camp 10 Bear for the second time the sun finally made an appearance.  It was nice to see the sun for a bit but it soon out grew it's welcome as the temperatures immediately started raising.  Coming into Camp 10 Bear (69.4 miles) my crew knew exactly what I needed before I even got there.  They had my new ice bandanas and arm warmers ready to be stuffed with ice.  I was excited to pick up Kristin (big sister) here and was happy to have her run with me for the next roughly 7 miles.  It ended up being a lot of hiking as we had a big climb from about 70-73 miles.  I didn't mind though because that gave us more time to talk, well more time for me to listen to Kristin talk.  I still hadn't eaten much since my mile-58 puking rally and I still hadn't been able to get much down.  For Kristin's first pacing job she did a fantastic job.  She kept my mind going on all of the conversation and I didn't even realize how fast we were getting through this section.  Before I knew it we were already making our way into the Spirit of 76 aid station at 76.2 miles.  The last 7 miles were roughly 3-miles of trail climbing, then 2-3 miles of gravel road followed by another mile or so of trail into the aid station.

Big Sister Pacing Duties (Thanks Kristin!!)

I grabbed a few things from crew and tried to see if I could eat something to get some calories in and within a minute or two I found myself puking out everything for the second time today.  Well, nothing to do now but keep on moving.  I was glad to have Daniel for the next 20+ miles.  Daniel is a great pacer and does a great job of pushing when you need to be pushed and good job of giving you mental boost when your mind gets into those real negative places.  Back on the move again my stomach soon settled back down again.  I was still having trouble with anything except broth and other liquids but I knew from Western that with prayer, Coke and Water it was possible to keep moving.

Daniel filled me in on the day's events to help keep my mind off the run and I filled him on the previous 70+ miles.  I told him of the beautiful stacked stone walls that were lining all of the gravel roads.  They looked to be 100+ years old and looked to me like they would have taken more than a 100 years to build.  Another cool thing about Vermont was the number of aid stations.  Early on in the race there were a couple of unmanned aid stations, and then there were manned aid stations no more than 5 miles apart from then on out.  The crew aid stations ended up being about 10 miles apart after the first one at roughly 20 miles.  It was great for getting those little boosts from the volunteers and crews so often throughout the race.  Right around dark Daniel and I found the one thunderstorm that had been looming all day.  This storm did not disappoint.  It rained so hard that I could barely see 2-feet in front of me.  It was one of the hardest rain storms I had ever been in and lasted for a good 15-20 minutes.  Despite now being soaking wet as the sun dropped and the dark set in we realized that we were almost to the Bill's crew aid station (88.3 miles).  I was a little leary about this aid station because it was the last weigh point and by this time I had been almost 30 miles without eating anything and I knew I wasn't drinking as much as I should.  I want to thank God for the thunderstorm and the extra weight as I was completely soaked to the bone as I jumped on the scales... down only 3-4 pounds... good enough to continue!

Beautiful Stone Walls Along the Majority of the Gravel Road Sections

Apparently the thunderstorm found my crew as well.  God love them, despite being soaked to the bone they looked so thrilled to see us and even had a couple of popsicles!  I am so lucky to have such an awesome crew!  We grabbed a few items and I scarfed down a popsicle as we headed back out.  Daniel and made it about 1/2 mile down the trail before my stomach quickly reminded me that it wanted nothing but Coke and water.  I left my popsicle on the side of the trail as quickly I had scarfed it down.  I tell you what, I seemed to be getting this puking thing down to a science... I felt like I hardly missed a beat as I got rid of my popsicle and continued on with our run...  Not sure if that's something to be proud of or not... oh well!

The next few miles were kind of cool as we seemed to be running through a huge open field spotting markers through the fog and darkness.  Daniel and I would randomly pass people as we were catching some of the 100k runners as well as a 100-miler every now and then.  Daniel fell right back into his Western pacing routine.  As we closed in on aid stations he would bark orders to the volunteers for nothing but some broth, Coke and water.  Our mantra was to get in and out of aid stations as quickly as possible.  We both knew that wasting time at the aid stations trying to eat was futile and my best bet was to minimize stoppage and keep moving.  Somewhere around mile 90-ish we turned onto some gravel roads and I noticed where we were.  We had just taken a hard right hand turn and I pointed back to the left and told Daniel that down that road less than 1/2 mile was the start finish line... we would be running the last few mile of the race within earshot of the finish line.  Luckily for us the finish line festivities were kept to a minimum and didn't toy with our minds for the remaining few hours.

I had told Katy that at the last crew aid station, Polly's (94.9 miles) that I wanted her to run in the last 5 miles with me... she had said she would just have to see and wasn't going to commit.  So, as we made our way into Polly's I had hopes that I would get to join Katy for the last few miles but as soon as I saw her I realized she was not going to run in with me...  She is such a selfless person that she did not want to risk "slowing" me up.  I had reassured her plenty of times that she would not slow me up, especially in the later stages of a 100-miler, and not to mention, that finishing time was nowhere near the top of my priority list.  However, I knew that I had put her through enough stress today and it would mean just as much to her for me to finish as quickly as possible.  So, with a quick hug and kiss I told her we would see her at the finish shortly.  Daniel really did an awesome job of pushing me the last 5 miles.  He didn't have to say a word, he just ran hard when I needed to run and hiked when I had to hike.  It was no time at all when we saw a little sign saying that we had 1 mile to go.  We pushed and pushed this last mile... which ended up being all up hill and what felt more like 50 miles!

As we pushed the pace for this last mile I realized that my right Achilles was hurting a lot more than I had let myself believe for the last 10-15 miles.  Coming over the last climb we rounded the corner and found the finish area.  I was so thankful for another run completed.  Just like Western, God had provided me the strength and support I needed to get from start to finish.  Katy and the rest of my crew were there to cheer us across the finish line.  Crossing the finish line of any race is always the ultimate goal but many times I find that crossing that finish line after battling all day is a little bit of let down.  Don't get me wrong, 95% of the time finish is all I want to do in the later part of a race but at the same time I know that once I've crossed that finish line the adventure is over, the challenge of the race is complete and inevitably my body will know that my journey is done and will shut down completely with that first step over the line.

19:38:26, 21st Overall

Post Race:  The greatest lessons to be learned from Vermont were learned after the race.  I made the most rookie mistakes...  My stomach was still not there but I tried to force down a thick chocolate protein drink because I knew I needed the calories for recovery.  I should have taken it slower because I was only 1/4 of the way through the drink before I couldn't keep it down any longer.  Next I  cleaned off in the race shower, which happened to be a small pond around the camping area.  I didn't really have a good choice since we were getting back in the car to make the 18 hour drive back home.  After an hour of trying to roll out my muscles unsuccessfully and still not having eaten anything I made my way to the pond.  With my headlamp shining I noticed an infestation of crawdads in the pond.  Oh well, I figured they would pay no attention to me as I waded thigh deep into the water.  Not the case!  It took all of about 45 seconds for those little buggers to find my feet and calves to start pinching me all over.  So here I am trying to not fall over into this freezing cold water, trying to be as quiet as possible to keep from waking fellow campers and trying to bathe enough so I didn't kill everyone in the car from the stench.  With a few new pinch marks and a 1/2 a bath I finally got warm as I crawled onto the blow up air mattress in the back of the car to start our drive back home.  It had now been close to 2 hours and I still hadn't eaten.  I knew this was a HUGE mistake but could not persuade myself to do otherwise.  All I could think about now was passing out for a few hours on that mattress.  So, that's exactly what I did and when I woke 4-5 hours later I found myself in a world of pain.  Every muscle in my body hurt, my Achilles had only worsened and my head was pounding.  My body had feasted on my muscles and anything else it could post race.  I had not provided any nutrition to help with recovery so it went to the only thing available...

The last and most dangerous mistake that I made was not planning to stay the night/morning at another hotel or at least bringing a tent to sleep in post race.  Not just for me but for my crew, who had been up just as long as I had during the race.  By the grace of God, Katy and my Dad where able to drive us from the time we left the race around 1AM through to the morning when I awoke and we found some breakfast.  I know that they both battled to stay awake and keep us between the paint.  In hindsight our desire to get back home quickly put us and others in an unnecessary danger.  However, we managed to get all the way home without any real issues.  This was only possible by rotating drivers every 1-2 hours throughout the entire trip home and lots and lots of caffeine.

Gratitude:  I want to give all the glory to God and thank Him so much for another successful run.  The crew/family support He provided was more than I could have ever wished for.  Thank you so, so much to Katy, Dad, Mom, Kristin, Deming, Annabelle, and Daniel for making the trip with me and for supporting me all day.  Thank you to Mary (Gramma) for watching Heidi and Harlow for the weekend and for all of the encouragement and support from Chattanooga.  A huge thank you to everyone who sent prayers and good vibes to get me to the finish.  Thank you to Rock/Creek for race team support on this journey.

Supporting Daddy During the Race all the way from Tennessee! (N8's Crew)

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