From owner-ultra@caligari.Dartmouth.EDU Thu Jul 17 17:27:25 1997 Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 17:24:29 -0700 From: stanj (Stan Jensen) To: ius-l@american.edu, ultra@caligari.dartmouth.edu Subject: Yet another HR100 report (XP) Joel and Dana have provided us with excellent reports on their experiences at the Hardrock 100, but someone has to tell the tale of Suzi T and I've accepted the challenge. Bear with me or hit Delete ... I've always been in awe of this event, ever since Blake Wood joined the lists in '95(?) and I saw the photos on his web page. For the last year or so I've hosted his HR pages on my server, enjoying the updates that he sends on a regular basis. Well, I finally decided that if I was ever going to run Hardrock, I should go out to Colorado as a crew or pacer and see what it was like up close. That's pretty much what I said to Suzi Thibeault as we rode the bus to Green Gate on Feb. 22 on our way to the WS training run. She said "How'd you like to pace me?" and by the end of the run I told her husband, Gene, that I'd be glad to do it. Fast forward to Saturday, July 5 ... I'm in the Denver airport, three duffel bags checked through to Durango. As I reach the gate where I'll take the little turboprop onward, who should I meet but Mark "Barkley" Williams, also on his way to Silverton. I was glad to see he'd been able to get time off from work, even if he didn't consider himself to be in shape. As we crossed the San Juan Mts. I noticed that there was a lot of snow and some very rugged mountains. Hmm. We shared a rental car for the hour-long drive north to Silverton, where we found Suzi lounging in a chair outside the Miners' Mansion (ha!). I'll skip a lot of my normal fluff here, except to say that it was fun (and helpful) to spend a week before the race getting acclimated (I didn't get a headache or other symptoms), covering the Grouse Gulch to American Basin and Cunningham Gulch to Silverton stretches, relaxing, and meeting more of the runners as Friday approached. I finally met Matt Mahoney, Joel Zucker, Dana Roueche and even Gary Cantrell, who was walking two dogs and smoking a funny-smelling cigarette! There's an optional trail briefing on Wednesday, but the RDs have the courtesy to stress that it is optional and it is very long (we left after the first 20 miles took 90 minutes to describe). There's also a medical check (BP and pulse), but no weigh-in and no wrist bracelet! On Thursday there's a brief (one-hour) meeting and drop bags are collected. What I noticed at this briefing (for ~100 runners, plus crew) was that it was a tough-looking crowd of seasoned runners, as opposed to what you may find at an urban 50k. Not many people try Hardrock as their first 100-miler. Another indicator was that about half the runners had Avocet altimeters instead of regular watches. At Hardrock, it's not the time or the distance that you measure, it's the altitude. Friday morning at 5:30 we gathered at the Kendall Mt. Ski Hut: Gene & Suzi and PJ Salmonson (runners), along with John "HURT" Salmonson, Eileen & Bob Dickinson, and me (crew/pacers). Some runners (a few) were in shorts and T-shirts with a single water bottle, but most had long sleeves, tights and a large pack. Several had walking sticks or an ice axe! They took off at 6am, running slowly or walking through town as they headed west. We returned to town, had breakfast, then John and I drove out to meet them at Chapman Gulch (mile 19.0). We arrived in time to see the first runners come through around 10:45, then waited until noon for Gene (he'd been hit by a loose rock), followed by Suzi and PJ (1:15), who were happily running together. If you can visit the web site, look at: http://reality.sgi.com/stanj/HR/hr96ph10.html and you'll see what the runners saw as they approached Chapman Gulch (in the bottom of the photo labeled "final pitch on Grant-Swamp Pass"). This year the snow allowed them to slide over all that scree in the foreground, but after they left the aid station, they still had that steep climb in the distance. This is a typical section of the course. At mile 19, the middle of the pack had taken 7 hours to reach this point! After Suzi and PJ had left, we stuck around to see some other friends, then shuttled two injured runners to the next aid station at Telluride (mile 28.1). The lead runners beat us, but Gene came in around 3pm, with Suzi & PJ still together at 5pm. John kept telling me to get some rest and even bought me a greasy cheeseburger to keep my fat levels up! At this point, 1/4 of the way through, the first and last runners were five hours apart. The next stop was Ouray, the "low" point on the course at only 7,680'. I drank a beer and lay down in the van for some shuteye until Gene's arrival at 9:30pm. He was having trouble breathing on the passes, but after some encouragement from his crew, he headed out with a pacer. John and I met PJ's pacer, Diane Ridgeway, then I tried to get some more sleep. Unfortunately, we were joined shortly by Gene, whose breathing was seriously affected and had returned to Ouray. Around 11:15 Suzi and PJ arrived, still in good spirits (and together), grabbed warm gear and flashlights for the long night and headed out with Diane. Bob & Eileen loaded Gene in their car and the four of us headed back to Silverton. As we crossed one of the passes I couldn't help but wonder if we should get Gene to a hospital, 'cause he sounded like he couldn't get any air. We got back to the house about 1:30 and crawled into bed for about three hours of sleep. The rest was nice, but when the alarm went off at 4:30am, I wished for a moment that I'd been Gene's pacer, and not Suzi's. I put on my running gear and, after some coffee and a snack, we drove to Grouse Gulch (mile 59.3) and waited for Suzi. She came in alone and within a few minutes my job began (still with me?) at 6:45am on Saturday. As we walked up the hill toward American Basin, she told me that she'd left PJ and Diane shortly after Ouray and hoped they were OK, but she had felt that they weren't going fast enough. I could tell she felt bad about doing that and concerned for her friend, so I asked her what the grounds rules would be. She said that she wasn't going to drop unless her life was in danger. I told her that I was going to do anything I could think of to get her across that finish line, in time, even if we wouldn't be on speaking terms when it ended. Kinda like tough love. The first part wasn't too bad, because it was familiar to me and Suzi was moving pretty well. We crested the ridge and headed down into the basin below Handies Peak. The snow was soft and easy to cross, but on the other side was a steep, unrelenting climb up a series of switchbacks, where we passed some hikers. Dana was with us at this point and we climbed to the summit (14,048') and took pictures of each other. >From here we went along a ridge, then descended a steep, rocky slope where the only signs of a "trail" were the reflective metal tags. You had to watch your footing here, because a misstep would either twist your ankle or cause a rock to bruise it. We stopped at the bottom to refill our water bottles from a stream, not bothering to filter (ask me in a week if I get Giardia). The trail descended through a grassy basin, then steepened its descent as we followed a noisy stream down through the timber line, heading for the valley far below. When we finally reached the dirt jeep road, we shucked our tights and warm clothing, then slow-jogged along the road for another mile or so until we finally reached the Sherman aid station (mile 69.7). It had taken us over six hours to cover the last 10.4 miles (well, there was 9,322' of elevation change :-). Jay Hodde was there, waiting for Carolyn Erdman, and we loitered for about 25 minutes, scarfing down PBJs and getting ready to head out again. Finally we took off, shuffling up a series of switchbacks through the trees of Cataract Gulch and following a large stream, which we inevitably had to wade across (note: your feet will always be wet and often cold, from the streams, mud and snow). We crossed again at the top of a waterfall, then went up a large alpine basin, catching up with Dana once again. The three of us crossed another pass and as we descended the other side, Suzi spotted six motorcycles across the basin. They came toward us and asked how to get to a location near Silverton. Suzi sweetly suggested that they follow the trail markings and ask the people at the tents up ahead. Off they went in a cloud of exhaust and we didn't see them for a mile or so until we came to a deep stream crossing where one of the 'cycles had stalled. It was fun to wade across, thigh-deep, and pass them! They recovered, however, and passed us shortly and headed for the tents of the Pole Creek aid station (mile 78.9), where (as Suzi had predicted) a BLM agent arrested them for riding in a wilderness area. I think that gave her a little boost of energy! We left around 5pm in a group of about six people, but our 2mph pace quickly put us in the lead, crossing a large, muddy meadow and heading up yet another climb (across creeks and snow fields) to the Continental Divide. From here, it was a long, steep descent toward the next-to-last aid station, Maggie Gulch (mile 84.8), which we reached just at 7pm. Suzi's plan had been to get to the next summit before sunset, so we left quickly, carrying some food and a can of Coke. To me, this was the hardest stretch: about 1,350' of climb up a steep, grassy slope. There were numerous false summits, a small section where we used our hands to climb up a rock chute, and even an iced snow field with a short vertical climb. On top of all this, Suzi's Coke can had exploded in her pocket, soaking her only gloves, so I'd given her mine and was trying to tuck my hands in my armpits for warmth. We "raced" onward and upward and just barely made it over the top as the sun set in the west and we headed downward, passing one of many old silver mines. It did get easier, since we were now on a rough jeep road that could be negotiated without a flashlight. When we reached the treeline, we switched on our Maglites and continued for what seemed like forever, watching the lights below and wondering where we were headed. I'm grateful that Suzi was still alert and familiar with the course, because there was a right turn in the road that I would have followed, but for Suzi stopping and pointing across a stream on the left. Sure enough, there were those reflective markers on the other side! We crossed the creek and even managed to yell back at a runner who'd missed the turn and get them back on course. At the bottom of the hill, we turned left and started up the road to the aid station and were soon joined by Bob, who had come out to great us. After 91 miles, however, Suzi finally reminded us of her title by emptying her stomach. It wasn't Bob, but rather an old salami sandwich that she'd just eaten which probably triggered the eruption. At last we reached Cunningham Gulch (mile 92.1) just before 11pm and were met by our crew of six! Suzi put on her fleece bunny suit and I added a warm parka, because neither one of us wanted to ever be cold again. We had seven hours to finish the last nine miles, which we'd been on a week before, yet there's always the chance of something going wrong, so we tried to break the journey down into even smaller parts that we could conquer one by one. We headed out, immediately crossing yet another cold, swift stream, then started the set of switchbacks that would take us up the last major climb. I'd taken a Caffedrine pill, so I was tired, but awake, but Suzi was weaving a bit, so I followed close behind her to keep her from stumbling off the cliff. It took two and a half hours to climb the 2,950', but we finally made it! The snow field along the ridge was icy, but with all the footprints, it wasn't too bad (as long as you didn't know what was to your right). From there, we descended across the rocks and a few more snow fields and reached the jeep road. Soon after that we entered the tree line and walked and walked and walked. Suzi was suffering from major sleep deprivation, she'd stopped talking, she didn't like my jokes, and it wasn't as much fun anymore. I brought out my trump card ... Earlier in the week she'd spotted some earrings that she really liked. I'd gone back and bought them, and when she returned to the store, the owner said they were all gone (major disappointment). I put them in my fanny pack at Grouse Gulch and carried them for the next 40 miles, until I finally told her that I had them with me and they would be hers to wear at the awards ceremony IF she finished in time. However, if she didn't keep moving and missed the cutoff, not only wouldn't she get them, but I'd give them to PJ to wear. Well, that seemed to work. Apart from an agonizingly long vomit session just before we reached the trail section, she kept moving. It's "only" about three miles at that point, and a fairly easy trail past the beaver ponds, but she was a zombie. Even when I walked slowly, I needed to stop frequently and wait for her. We had another person join us, but they didn't want to pass, preferring our company to any slight speed advantage. When I asked Suzi if she wanted to cross the finish line together with him, she croaked "All I want to do is finish and get my earrings!" (that was a good sign). We slogged through the mud and water, too tired to care about staying dry or warm. As we approached the sound of a large, noisy stream, there was a person on the opposite bank with a large flashlight: it was Bob! He met us, told us how close we were, and then, lo and behold, there was the finish line. Suzi ran (slowly) down the hill, crossed the finish line, kissed the Hardrock and received numerous hugs from Gene and the RDs: 101.3 miles and 66'000' of change in only 46:45:28! The rest was anticlimactic. We stuck around briefly, went home, showered and napped until just before the banquet/awards at 9am. It's a real nice buffet (free to all, not just runners) and the awards ceremony is brief (well, there were only 39 finishers). Each finisher gets a nice print of a mountain scene similar to many spots on the course, and their print is numbered with their finisher's position (Suzi was #33 and 3rd female). After the ceremony, we napped some more, then had greasy ribs and lots of beer for dinner, followed by Margaritas and shooters for dessert! We'd earned it. Dana just posted a tribute to the women who ran Hardrock and I agree completely with his comments. I have immense admiration for Suzi (and the others) for even attempting this event. I feel sorry for those, like Gene, who had to stop when they wanted to go on, but factors beyond their control made continuing a severe risk. I also respect Carl Yates (a spry youngster of 69) , who "unofficially" finished in 48:20 (maybe I'll pace him in '98 :-). "Wild and Tough" is an appropriate motto for this one. Thanks for UltraReading ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stan Jensen, Systems Engineer for "SGI Direct" stanj@sgi.com Silicon Graphics Inc., M/S 120 Phone:(415)933-5822 P.O. Box 7311, 1401 No. Shoreline Blvd. FAX: (415)932-5822 Mt. View, CA 94039-7311 "I (heart) Tonks" "http://www.sgi.com" "http://reality.sgi.com/stanj" ------------------------------------------------------------------------