Subject: AT100 Report (long) Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 01:29:19 -0400 From: "David M Bursler" I flew into Little Rock around 10 am on Friday and immediately went shopping for my supplies. Since I was unable to check in to my hotel until 3 PM I decided to make my way to Lake Sylvia for the weigh in and pre-race meeting. The ride from Little Rock to Perryville is about 35 miles and the road has many twists and turns. I wanted to keep this in mind because I planned on finishing in the dark therefore my trip home could be dangerous. When I arrived at the park there were not a lot of people there yet so I had no problem checking in. I weighed in at 136 lbs. so I was allowed to drop 10 lbs. according to their standard before being dismissed from the race. After I weighed in I waited for the pre- race meeting to start at 2pm. At the meeting Charlie Peyton announced that this would be his last year directing the race and introduced Chrissy Ferguson as the new director. After the meeting I made up my drop bags and set them out then I returned to the hotel to check in and call it a night. The race start time was 6 am so I decided I would have plenty of time if I got up at 4:30 and was out the door by 5. I made a mistake by not eating anything before leaving so I stopped at a mini-mart on the way out and lost about 10 minutes. I did not arrive at Lake Sylvia until 5:45 and I still had to get my gear together, check in and walk about 3/4 of a mile to the start. I was about 15 yards from the start when the gun sounded and the first runners took off. I made my way the last 15 yards to the start then turned around and the race began for me. This was just the beginning of my problems. Less than a mile in to the race my waist pack broke loose and I had to stop and fix it before I could continue. I went another 3/4 of a mile and one of my water bottles fell out of its holder on to the ground. When I picked it up and put it back I noticed it had a split and was leaking so I had to discard it. Luckily I was carrying a 3rd bottle. The first 5 miles were in the dark so a flashlight was needed. I was using a new light I had purchased the night before so I did not expect any problems with this. The light died before sunrise but I had enough light to see my way through and I did not stop to change the batteries. The first 9 miles are run on dirt/gravel road with rolling hills. I ran most of the first 9 miles by myself and I did not notice any course markings so I was kind of worried I may have strayed off course. We were told at the meeting that this course is mostly on roads so don't go off the road and make your own course. I stayed on the road and sure enough around mile 9 or so I entered the Ouachita trail. The trail is very runnable even though it has its share of rocks and rolling hills and even some downed trees. With that said I still fell 4 times while running the 8 mile trail. I was frustrated at this point because I have run on more difficult trails and did not fall plus I was having some physical problems with stomach cramps and a pain in my hip. I just kept on going and at this point I just wanted to get off of the trail and get going on the road again. The trail was well marked and I did not have any problems making it back to Lake Sylvia the 17 mile mark. The course is an 82 mile out and back at this point. This is when the race began for me because I started to feel better and I had more energy. From mile 17 to mile 25 it is once again run on dirt/gravel road with rolling hills. At mile 25 the course turns to a more rugged trail/road with lots of rocks and other obstacles. This continued for about 4 miles and was mostly downhill. I did not have a problem running this on the way out but I knew it could be a problem running on the way back in the dark. I was still running by myself at this point but the course markings were now very easy to track. When I reached the Lake Winona aid station at mile 32 I finally caught up to a couple of runners. We ran together for about 2 or 3 miles until they made a pit stop and I continued on by myself. Mile 32 to 38 was run on the same dirt/gravel road as most the previous miles. Mile 38 to 40 was run on a more rugged surface but not too difficult. At the mile 40.3 aid station there were women dressed in Hawaiian grass skirts who placed a lei around your neck while your picture was being taken. This was something different but it helped take your mind off your pain for a while. On my way to the mile 43 aid station I passed another runner and slowed to converse with him for a couple of minutes before continuing on. I was now on my way to Smith Mountain which I was told was the hardest part of the course. I kept this in mind as I made my way up. I was about half way up the mountain when I ran in to Tyler Curiel (it was good to place a face with the name) and Amanda McIntosh (cover of Ultrarunning Magazine this month). I ran behind them for a while because we were on a difficult part of the mountain and I was not going to run any fast if I tried to pass them. When we reached the top I decided it was time to take off again and I tried to run as fast as I could down to try and put some space between the two behind me. Amanda and Tyler must have ran hard also because I could not lose them right away. The mile 47 aid station looked more like a bar than an aid station. There was at least 6 or 7 bottles of liquor lined up on the table. I figured on my return trip there might be a big party here. Next stop was mile 49 the powerline. I knew that I would have to weigh in here but I also knew I would have no problem. The course from 47 to 49 was up and down with good footing. When reaching mile 49 I weighed in and as I expected I had lost nothing. I picked up another runner at this point that had some problems earlier in the race but now felt ok and we ran together from mile 49 to mile 53. As we talked I found out his name was Greg Loomis and he placed 21st at Hardrock and had many other credentials. I know one thing for sure, he could run fast downhills. we ran from 49 to 53 averaging about 8.5 minute mile which at this point in the race I felt was good. (may be a little too good) I let Greg go after the mile 53 aid station because I like to run my pace not someone else's. I also had the feeling that if he continued at that pace that I may see him later in the race. I finally seen the leaders coming back when I was at mile 56 meaning they were only about 4 miles ahead of me. At this point I was in about 12th place. I passed the 50 mile mark in 9 hours even which disappointed me a little because I was shooting for 8:40 but with all of the problems I had early in the race I could not complain. I hit the turnaround at mile 58 and took some time to get on some dry clothes and prepare for night time running. I ran with Butch Almon off and on from about mile 60 to about mile 85. He could run the downhills fast and I would catch up to him on the up hills. Neither one of us could shake the other so we ran together for a while. Mile 58 back to the power line (mile 68) were more difficult than on the way out because it was later in the race and the course was more up hill than down. My goal at this point was to make it part of the way back up Smith Mountain with a little sun light. I reached mile 68 and it was just getting dark so I knew I had a chance if I could get in and out of the aid station quick. I was slowed a little because they wanted to check weight again before letting anyone leave. Once again I had not even lost a pound. I was on my way to Smith Mountain with some daylight left and a chance to make it up a ways before a flashlight would be needed. When I got to the mile 70 aid station (bar) I looked for evidence of a party while I was gone but found none. Apparently the volunteers had been on their best behavior and left the liquor alone. I could only get part of the way up the mountain when I had to break out the flashlight. The footing is kind of tough in the dark and it took some time to locate the markers. I really had to be alert and pay close attention or I could get lost very easily as I almost did on the descent. I was just about down when the trail came to a fork and I took a left when I should have taken a right. Unfortunately another runner (Amanda McIntosh) had followed me in the wrong direction. I only went about 100 yards when I realized I was not going the right way. I turned around and went back and found the marker and continued down. It was at this point that I found out what Amanda has accomplished including a victory at Leadville this past summer. I figured we would run together for a while and then she would fly by me to the finish. At the next aid station (mile 73) Amanda took a little longer than I did and I did not see her the rest of the race. Between miles 73 and 77 I caught up with Butch Almon again and we continued together until mile 85. Mile 77 to mile 79 was again gravel road with rolling hills. Mile 79 to mile 85 I thought was going to be very difficult because of the distance between aid stations. The conversation Butch and I had seemed to pass the miles quick. We were running at a pretty good pace partly because Butch's flashlight was dying and we were trying to lose a runner we passed on the way to mile 85. We arrived at the mile 85 aid station in 16 hours and one of the attendants mentioned we probably still have about 4 hours to go. Remembering that there was still a rugged trail section that would be hard to get through in the dark I agreed with his opinion. I did not waste any time at the aid station and I told Butch that he would have to catch up to me. I ran from 85 to 88 by myself. In my mind I believed that the next section from 88 to 92 would be the most difficult part of the run. I knew that if I could survive this part I would come away with a good time. I did not think I was ever going to get to the 90 mile mark. On the way I passed Stan Ferguson and Ray Bailey. They were not feeling to well and just wanted to get this thing over with. At this point I started feeling real good and believed I had a good chance of passing more people in the last 10 miles if I gave it all I had. I got off of the trail at mile 92 and now knew the course was going to be easy. I ran what seemed to be straight downhill to the next aid station at mile 94. I had one more 4 mile easy trail section, a mile and a half of downhill on pavement and about a half mile of uphill to the finish. I passed 3 more runners on the way to the finish including Greg Loomis who was running too fast a pace for me at mile 54 but was now slowed to a walk at about mile 96. Greg had been following the glow lights and someone moved a few on him and he got lost for a while. He was also freezing, the temperature at this point was probably somewhere in the high 30's. After putting him back on course I took off for the finish. I got of the trail and started to run the next mile and a half down hill. I was concentrating on staying ahead of the people behind me and not where I was running when all of a sudden I tripped and fell for the sixth and final time during the race. This one was a hard fall because I was going downhill and my momentum just through me forward for a hard landing. I laid there for a second or two to make sure I was still alive then got up and continued on. I wanted to continue running a steady pace because I did not know if any one was on my tail and I desperately wanted to keep my place. I kept looking behind me for signs of an oncoming runner but did not see anything so I coasted to the finish in 19 hours and 55 minutes and a 5th place finish. This is a good race for first timers because the aid station and volunteers are excellent. There are many, many hills but I would not consider this a mountainous race. The footing is good for the most part but I would recommend gaiters due to the small gravel on most of the service roads. I was told that you need to be prepared for any kind of weather this time of the year in Arkansas. Last year it was in the 80's this year temperatures ranged from high 30's to 50's. A lot of people attempt the race and it is very well organized. Dave