Vermont 100

I’ve had the desire to run the Vermont 100 a second time ever since 
completing it in 2003 as part of the Grand Slam.  The whirlwind summer of 
four consecutive races left me with few memories of the race and with an 
empty feeling because of it.   I sent my application in early this year to be 
sure I would be entered before the 300-runner limit was reached.  

Initially running Vermont was supposed to be a fun adventure and time to 
enjoy the scenery but as the race neared my goals changed.  I’ve never been 
the best at anything I’ve done but I’ve always given my all.  Winning or 
coming on top has never been important to me as long as I try my best.  I 
wondered as the days came near for the start of the Vermont 100 if indeed 
I’ve ever given my all in this type of race.  The answer was simply yes but 
only in what I consider to be easier 100-mile races such as the Rocky Raccoon 
100 in Houston, Texas.   In the past I’ve been intimidated by the events held 
in mountainous areas and therefore have held back to be sure I would finish.  
Not that the Vermont 100 is held in what I would consider a rough mountainous 
area but it sure is a step up from Rocky.  This would be my chance to prove 
to myself that I have the ability, stamina, and courage to run my best in a 
tame mountain range.    

Now that the goals were in place I needed to prepare myself for the challenge 
that lay ahead.  My running had been consistently erratic for a few months 
due to lingering injuries but I had no doubt I would be conditioned to run 
race day.  The level of stress in the days leading up to the race was still 
very high though because of fear I might physically breakdown before the race 
even started.   My mileage was up, my emotions were down, and rest was 
impossible.  I was training on a fine line between success and disaster. It 
was getting to the point where I wasn’t sure if this was all worth the 
effort. 

Motivation for this type of event usually comes pretty easy for me.  I 
constantly have thoughts of my grandfather, nieces and nephews that push me 
to my limits.  This time; however, there would be someone else on my mind as 
well.  Someone that eliminated me from her life, someone that I will always 
care for very much.  Unable to express my feelings towards that person and 
unable to release my emotions in any way other than tears I was going to let 
it all loose on the course.    

I joined some friends in the drive up to West Windsor, Vermont from Delaware 
on Friday the day prior to the race.  Two of the friends would be running the 
race and the third would be pacing another guy who was coming up in a 
separate vehicle later in the day.  It was a seven hour drive in which most 
of the time was spent talking about other events we’ve each participated in.   
It was a good distraction away from my normal pre-race worries of whether I 
would attain my goals.  

When we arrived around 10 a.m. check-in had already started so I made my way 
towards one of the big tents where I would receive my bib number and go 
through the medical checks.  The staging area for both the foot race and the 
horse race was held in a gigantic open field.  It was an adequate setting for 
such an event but not even close to the beauty of Smoke Rise Farm where the 
events took place in 2003.  My weight was 142 lbs., which I believed to be 
about four pounds heavy but the thought of disputing it never came to mind.  
I was sure the scale would be accurate when I weighed myself next at mile 43 
during the race and that’s all that mattered.  When the three of us finished 
checking in with race personnel we had some time to kill before the 3:45 p.m. 
race briefing so we left the site to eat lunch and check in at our hotel.  

It was a sunny, warm, humid day and one that I hoped would not be duplicated 
the following day.  It seemed no one could agree upon what the actual 
forecast was for race day.  Some said low 80’s low humidity, and cloudy while 
others just said very hot and very humid.  I tried not to pay too much 
attention to the prognosticators because I knew I was running through 
whatever weather God decided to throw at us that day.  

After killing off some time we made our way back to race headquarters 
allowing plenty of time to arrive before the pre-race meeting and to get our 
drop bags together.  I packed my drop bags the previous day so I wouldn’t be 
scrambling at the last minute to get things together.  As usual for me I put 
drops at each place where they were allowed.  It’s always overkill but it 
gives me a level of security that I need.  

The briefing was held outside the tent in the sun, which for the first time 
made me aware of how hot it actually was.  I had sweat pouring off me while 
just sitting there doing nothing.  Several times during the briefing we were 
informed that the weather would not be conducive to running and that we 
should take all precautions to maintain our health.   When the briefing was 
over we stayed for dinner, socialized a bit and then headed back to our hotel 
around 7 p.m.  When we got back to the hotel one of the guys realized he had 
placed both pairs of his running shoes in his drop bags and had to go back to 
retrieve a pair.   I went back to race headquarters with him so that he 
didn’t have to make the 30-minute drive alone.  When we arrived back we found 
that the bags had already been delivered to the drop bag sites so we asked 
for assistance in finding them.  One of the volunteers offered to drive us to 
the drop bag location where we thought he left his shoes and we accepted his 
invitation.  What happened next is a story in it’s own right but to make a 
long story short I had the ride of my life in the bed of his pick-up truck 
going at least 50 mph down narrow dirt roads.  I took a deep breath when we 
finally got back and looked in the sky and thanked God for allowing me to 
live. Shoes in hand we went back to the hotel to finally get some shuteye.

We were awake the next day and out the door by 3 a.m.  This allowed us plenty 
of time to get there, get prepared, and eat.   As I was standing under the 
tent next to the table where the food was set up I accidentally stepped on or 
kicked a ladies bag.  The next thing I knew I was being slapped on the 
shoulder and told to act like a human.  Wow!  I couldn’t believe this lady 
thought I purposely stepped on her bag.  I stopped and thought for a second 
before reacting and realized that this was probably her first ultra and the 
tension was overwhelming her causing her to be a little on edge.  I told her 
it was an accident and apologized and then walked a short distance away.  
Anyhow the time was ticking away and it was getting closer to 4 a.m. and the 
start of the race so I made my way towards the start line.  I stood in a 
group about the second or third tier back from the front allowing those 
faster than me the room to get away quick.   There was a countdown and then 
we were off on our 100-mile journey through the farmlands of Vermont. 

The course led us down a flat dirt road for a couple of miles before turning 
off to the right onto one of the first trail sections of the day.   It was 
unexpectedly muddy in this section and I was surprised when I had my shoe 
sucked off my foot less than 30 minutes into my run. I had taken off pretty 
quick and was afraid I’d get trampled by those behind me when I reached down 
to unbury my shoe from the mud but I moved quickly and was able to get it 
back on without hindering those behind me.  I had a passing thought that the 
wet, muddy sock on my foot could cause some blister problems but it was early 
in the race and I figured it would dry out quickly before any damage could be 
done.  

I continued along the rolling course running in the dark for the first hour 
and a half or so.  Despite the muddy trail section the footing was excellent 
so everyone could run as fast as they wanted without tripping or falling.   
Since I had few memories of the course from the last time I ran it I had no 
milestone markers early on.   The lead pack disappeared from my view on the 
trail and I was now with the second tier of runners.  This was actually a 
good thing for me because it brought me back to reality and helped me pull 
back a little realizing I did not have the ability to stay with the guys in 
the lead.  

Just as the sun rose I saw two people on the trail with dogs far off in the 
distance.  I approached them tentatively at first until I saw they had two of 
my favorite kinds of dogs with them, a St. Bernard and a Black Lab.  I went 
from being fearful to having a very good feeling inside because I know 
they’re two of the nicest breeds on Earth.   I slowed briefly to talk to the 
dogs but then continued moving on and soon found myself running alongside Jim 
Rayburn from Red Lion, Pa.  not too far from my home in Delaware.  We kept 
each other company talking about everything under the sun but mainly about 
his Leadville run and East Coast temperamental people.  The conversation 
flowed and before I knew it we were at the 12.5-mile mark crossing over the 
first covered bridge of the day.   The area was just so beautiful as we 
crossed the bridge and made a left going up what I would consider the first 
major climb.  The scenery with the river on our left and mountains all around 
combined with the quiet country atmosphere actually made the climb relaxing.   
It was a long but fairly simple climb up an asphalt road with houses 
scattered about on either side.   Finally at the top we began a long descent.  
As I did so I felt something sharp grabbing the bottom of my right foot.  I 
thought that it couldn’t be anything serious I must have just gotten a stone 
in my shoe so I kept running until I reached the bottom.  When I got down 
there I took some time to pull my sock off and turn it inside out but no 
stone.  There was no significant pain in my foot but something was definitely 
annoying me.  The feeling stayed with me when I started back up and continued 
for several more miles but eventually went away.  I guess I must have 
aggravated a ligament or muscle causing it to spasm for a little while. 

Anyhow we were on our way to the first crew checkpoint at mile 18 where the 
first true report of my progress would come.  I can’t remember a lot from my 
2003 run but I do remember that I made it to this point in around 3:10.   As 
we passed through Jim told me our time into the aid station was 2:47.   Even 
though it was early on it was uplifting to know I made it here 23 minutes 
quicker than the last time.  Actually I figured I would need that extra time 
since the course changes made in 2004 were supposed to make things a little 
more difficult in the latter stages.  

When I approached the crew area the crowd cheered and off to the right I saw 
friends of mine Rick Palmer, Mike Mason, and his wife.  They were 
enthusiastically cheering me on and Rick ran to the aid station with me to 
make sure I was okay.  Rick made me aware that I was sweating heavily and 
reminded me how important it was for me to take the Succeed caps to replace 
the lost sodium.  I was so focused and concentrating on moving quickly that I 
did not think about taking the Succeed caps I had stashed in my pack.  I was 
drinking water constantly but it was coming right back out of me in the form 
of sweat.   After he told me how much I was sweating I started to take 2 caps 
per hour for the rest of the day which still may not have been enough.  I 
finished my business at the aid station and then made my way out.  The amount 
of support I had received here had me very fired up and maybe feeling a 
little too confident too early.  I got a burst of energy and used it entirely 
for the next 3 or 4 miles most of, which were run on dirt country roads with 
once again rolling, hills.   

The rolling hills and dirt country roads would pretty much be the theme for 
the day.  The hills rarely disappeared for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a 
time depending on how fast you were running.  In my opinion these were hills 
and not mountains.  Some of the climbs were long but not everlasting like 
some you would see out west or even at MMT.    The road sections were not 
jeep trails or fire roads they were actually active roads that were usually 
very smooth with little or no rocks.   I was able to run as fast as I wanted 
without concentrating a whole lot on where I was stepping.  

I ran into my first trouble of the day somewhere around mile 25.  I was 
climbing to the top of a hill in one of the few areas completely exposed to 
the sun and it just sucked the life out of me.  I struggled to maintain some 
kind of walking pace as several people passed by me including Sarah Almodovar 
the lead lady at the time.  I was struggling to walk fast and she was running 
up with a big smile on her face like it was nothing.  As she went by I asked 
her how she could do that.  I already knew the answer was because she’s a 
woman and she’s a hell of lot tougher than I am.  Her answer to me was that 
she was trying to recover from the long downhill she just ran.   Yeah that 
made sense to me.  Bust your butt going downhill as fast as you can and then 
recover by busting your butt running up.   I guess I’ll just never understand 
how females find the inner strength to do those types of things.   

A couple of more people passed me after my quick conversation with Sarah and 
I knew I had to quickly come up with a resolution to my problem.  The first 
thing I knew I needed to start doing was hitting every aid station and 
refilling my water bottles.  Up to this point I had been blowing off all the 
unmanned aid stations and getting away with it.  Now I was struggling up to 
the top of a hill with little or no water left kicking myself for not 
refueling a couple of miles back.  Secondly I had to start dousing myself 
with water to keep cool.   I honestly did not feel the heat unless I was out 
in an open area but knew it was affecting me because of how fast I became so 
sluggish and the amount of sweat pouring off of me.  The third and final 
thing I needed to do was make it to mile 28 as quick as possible to down a 
Red Bull, Ensure, and take a bottle of Rocket Shot energy fluid.  I was very 
confident that if I followed my plan I would regain my strength and be moving 
at a decent pace again.  

When I got into mile 28 Rick and Mike again were there to greet me but this 
time I could tell there was some concern.  I lost 8 or 9 places and didn’t 
exactly look the picture of health.  Rick once again followed me to the aid 
station table and gave me a pep talk.  I assured him I was okay and quickly 
got in and out.  Wow it was early but I felt as though I had disappointed a 
lot of people because I fell back so far.  Well there wasn’t a lot I could do 
about it but continue to try my best.  I certainly wasn’t concerned because I 
knew there was plenty of time and in that time a lot can happen.  

Up to this point I was alone for most of the morning but things would change 
beginning now.  I left with a young guy named Adam Lint who’s lives around 
the Philadelphia area.  If nothing else I got lucky having the opportunity to 
run with a couple of guys who live in my area and share common interests.  
Adam’s a pretty fast runner having displayed his ability with a third place 
finish at the Laurel Highlands 70-mile race in 2004.  I could tell he was 
holding back on this day because this was his first hundred-mile race and 
didn’t know what to expect.  I offered him a little advice but he didn’t seem 
to really need it.  He didn’t reject it but it was obvious he was a confident 
young guy.  We would bounce back and forth with each other the rest of the 
day eventually being joined by Krissy Sybrowsky for the final 40 miles or so.  

Other than being passed by the first horse miles 28 to 43 were uneventful as 
I traversed the same kind of terrain as I had the first 27 miles.  My ability 
to stay focused on the task at hand and the scenery counteracted any effects 
of the heat and humidity.  Honestly I felt surrounded by trees for the most 
part which protected me from the sun and I even felt an occasional breeze.  
The humidity is something I’m used to having lived in Delaware my entire 
life.  I guess it’s an advantage I have just as those who live in Colorado 
have the advantage of being acclimated to the altitude.   I won’t say that 
the weather had no effect on me at all because my body was reacting I just 
didn’t feel it.   I realized this the first time at mile 18 when Rick told me 
how much I was sweating.  It was reinforced when I reached the Camp 10 Bear 
aid station at mile 43 and weighed in 6 pounds under my initial weight of 
142.  I struggled to make the quick calculation… 7% of 142…..what was it?….I 
just couldn’t think straight.   The volunteer who weighed me told the doctor 
on site that I had lost 7 pounds I quickly responded no I only lost 6.  The 
doc then looked into my eyes to make sure I was okay and told me I need to 
drink more fluids to get my weight up or she may have to pull me the next 
time around.   I really did feel okay and I was drinking as much water as 
possible.  I was just sweating more than I was drinking.  I had the urge to 
urinate a few times but was afraid to for fear it would lead to more weight 
loss.  Actually I never did do the whole bathroom thing until after the last 
weight check at mile 89.  Well I left Camp 10 Bear a little worried about my 
weight but knew I had 25 miles or 5 hours or so to resolve that problem 
before the next weight check.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it because 
I had been drinking as much as I could and taking the Succeed caps to replace 
the lost salt and potassium.  I figured my best bet was to start pushing food 
inside my body whether I wanted it or not.  Normally I just pick at the food 
grabbing a sandwich now and then but from this point on I was taking a few 
extra seconds to take in more food.   My strategy of blasting through the aid 
stations as quick as possible was still in tact but definite modifications 
had to be made or my day could end real quick.  

Adam had pulled ahead of me somewhere between miles 43-49 so I lost him for 
awhile and actually figured we wouldn't meet up again until the finish.   I 
did; however, catch up with Randy Hunter from Canada.  His crew person and 
girlfriend remembered me from our time spent lost together on the Javelina 
course in 2004.  We had a pretty good chuckle over that wondering how in the 
world we got lost on a loop course in the open desert. It wasn’t long before 
Randy pulled back a little and let me move forward.  As I entered the aid 
station at mile 49 I noticed a clock that read 12:25 p.m.  Okay I just did 49 
miles in 8:25 so I should be able to do a 10-minute mile to get to 50 
probably in 8:35.  Not too impressive but I was okay with it.  I looked to my 
right while in the aid station and saw a few early casualties.  I made it a 
point to check on one guy in particular because we ran together briefly early 
on.  I wanted to check on him before leaving to make sure he was okay.  He 
actually sounded very good and told me he was just tired.  His response 
prompted me to tell him that he wasn’t done.  He needed to take a few more 
minutes to rest and then get his ass up out of that chair and get back ahead 
of me.   I guess my stern words of encouragement didn’t work because I found 
out later that he pulled himself from the race at that point.  

Miles 49 to 52 were mainly out of civilization so when I reached the aid 
station at mile 52 and saw people again it brightened my spirits.  There is 
not a lot of time spent out in the woods in this run like some of the rougher 
mountain races so I didn’t mentally prepare a lot for that situation.  When 
it did happen I coped but couldn’t wait to see signs of life again.  As I 
left the aid station at mile 52 I saw Sarah Almodovar in the distance.  She 
was at a dead stop and looked to be reaching down to massage her lower leg.   
As I approached her I asked her if she was okay.  She indicated there was 
some severe pain in her lower left leg and she feared it might be broke.   I 
stopped to make sure that she was okay and see if there was anything that I 
could do to help.  I advised her to consider dropping from the race 
especially if she thought it might be a stress fracture.  She said she would 
be okay and she didn’t seem to be distressed in anyway plus the aid station 
was less that 300 yards behind so I felt okay continuing my run.  I did find 
out later that she did the smart thing and dropped from the race at the next 
aid station.

I was alone for a very short time before once again joining Adam Lint and 
then Krissy Sybrowsky.  I talked to Krissy a little about her Slam attempt 
and was surprised to hear of her concern over Leadville.  I assured her that 
a runner with her ability would have no problem with what Leadville had to 
offer.   I doubt I aleved her of her concern but I felt obligated to help her 
out since I’ve been there before.   The three of us never really ran together 
for long periods of time we just jockeyed positions back and forth with the 
occasional chitchat.   We continued like this running the same type of dirt 
roads with the occasional short trail section all the way through mile 63.   
When we reached mile 63 one of the aid station volunteers warned us that we 
should refuel and carry as much water as possible because the next stretch 
would be 5 ½ miles through a tough trail.  This message sent a little fear 
through me.   I was on a good pace but a tough 5-mile section could really 
put a damper on things.   I listened but tried not to give it too much 
thought because everyone on the course had to do the same section this just 
happened to be my turn.    

We started out running on a nice flat road or I guess you could consider it a 
trail.  It eventually turned into a very nice long downhill on what I 
consider very runnable terrain.  I have to take into consideration that it 
was still daylight so I could see where I was running.  It’s very possible 
that the runners later in the day may have struggled a little here in the 
dark.   Even though I enjoyed the easy downhill I couldn’t keep up with 
Krissy and Adam and they eventually pulled away from me enough to where I 
couldn’t see them.  Now that they were gone I had no one to lead me so I had 
to stay aware of the course markings on my own to make sure I stayed on the 
right track.  I normally do this anyway but occasionally when I’m with 
another person I take it for granted that he or she is following the right 
route.  Anyhow at the bottom of the hill the course turned off to the left 
back towards Camp 10 Bear.  I made the turn but in the distance could not see 
Adam or Krissy.  I couldn’t believe they were that far ahead of me.  I 
continued to run but worrying at the same time that I got off course.  Camp 
10 Bear is also mile 43 so there was the possibility I backtracked some how 
and was following the wrong markings.  I never thought of turning around 
because something inside me just kept pushing me forward.  Finally in the 
distance I saw Rick Palmer standing at the bottom of the hill urging me on.  
He seen me running down the hill and made the comment “now that’s what I’m 
talking about”.    He knew I was struggling the last time he saw me at mile 
28 and saw a significant difference now.  It was a big lift to hear he was 
confident in me again.  Down at the very bottom of the hill I passed Mike 
Mason giving him a high five and then headed towards the scale to be weighed.   
As I was weighing in Rick yelled over to me to ask if I wanted Mike to pace 
me.  I yelled back are you kidding!  Turns out Mike’s runner Todd Walker 
disqualified himself after realizing he made a wrong turn on the course.  
Todd was vying for the lead with another runner when the mistake was made.  
Not sure if it was his mistake or the other guy’s Todd continued on for many 
more miles before coming to the conclusion he was at fault. Todd’s obviously 
a class act and a very respectable guy for making such a tough decision.   I 
felt bad for him but at the same time couldn’t help but capitalize on the 
situation.  I was thoroughly excited to have a great runner like Mike pace me 
the final 50K.  

I was excited to be able to pick up Mike as my pacer but I still had to jump 
on the scale to be weighed and feared my day could be complicated with any 
more lost weight.  It was okay though as this time around I picked up two 
pounds and didn’t wait around for a second opinion.  I got my stuff and took 
off while Mike prepared to pace.  Rick told me to take off and that Mike 
would catch up to me.  Even if I were fresh Mike’s quicker than I am so I 
wasn’t worried at all that I would lose him.  I went down the trail about 
three quarters of a mile before I saw Mike making his way towards me.  I told 
him it was now his job to get me in and he seemed pretty excited to do so.

It was about 3:30 p.m. and we had 31 miles to go.  Having all that daylight 
left to run made me wonder just how quick we could finish up.  I didn’t waste 
too much time thinking about that though because 31 miles is still 31 miles 
and anything can happen good or bad.  Just as Mike caught up to me we reached 
what I would consider the toughest part of the course.  It was straight up 
hill on rocky, uneven terrain.  It reminded me a bit of the Massanutten 100 
course.  Okay I’m getting a little carried away with that statement but it 
was the most rugged trail I faced all day.  It was what seemed to be a never-
ending climb and it sucked every bit of energy out of me.  There was so much 
activity at the last aid station with the weigh in and finding out about Mike 
that I forgot to access my drop bags to get my extra Rocket Shot energy 
fluid.   When we finally reached the top I was exhausted and feeling sick to 
my stomach and could have used some kind of lift.  As I struggled I saw a 
friend of mine off in the distance hauling his butt back down the trail 
towards Mike and I.   He was trying to get back to Camp 10 Bear where he was 
sent in the wrong direction and wound up running an extra 8 or 10 miles.  
Runners come into that aid station at both mile 43 and mile 68.  My friend 
came in at mile 43 but was sent out in the direction that the mile 68 runners 
were to go in.  He ran all the way to the next aid station at mile 72 before 
realizing his mistake and backtracking.   When we saw him he still had about 
a mile and a half to backtrack before getting back on course.  I found out 
later that he made the smart choice to DNF rather than fight the heat and the 
cutoffs the rest of the day not to mention the mental fatigue of knowing he 
should be 10 miles ahead.  

Well after our friend left us Mike and I continued on doing a run/walk thing.  
I didn’t have a lot in me at this point so running was a struggle but I did 
it when I could.   As would be a pattern the rest of the day and night Mike 
pushed me to run when it was obvious we needed too. Mike forced me to give my 
best effort on the flats and the downhills but anything that resembled an 
uphill I was walking.  Every once in a while I would get a surge of energy 
and run partially up a short hill but never all the way.  My main concern as 
we headed in and out of the mile 72-aid station was to control my stomach 
problems that I was all of the sudden having.  I could not look up without 
feeling dizzy and nauseous.  Somehow I was able to regain control after about 
a 15-minute struggle.  I did it by moving forward while looking straight at 
the ground and refusing to let it overwhelm me.  I tried running more which 
also seemed to relieve the symptoms.  Even though I regained control it 
happened again off and on over the next five or six miles or actually every 
time we stopped at an aid station.  Luckily it never turned into a serious 
problem and I was able to function without stopping.  

Krissy Sybrowsky caught up to us again somewhere after mile 72.   Krissy and 
her pacer stayed with us for a short time but then went by without much said.  
I think at this point we all just wanted to get to the finish as quick as 
possible and idle conversation only expended energy.   We ran alone and would 
meet up with no one else until mile 90 after Krissy went by.

Once again there was really nothing significant that occurred between miles 
72-90.  It was just the same rolling terrain that I faced the entire day.  I 
did; however, begin to notice there were more flat sections than before.  The 
flats were driving me crazy because I knew I needed to run them in entirety 
but it was just so hard because it bored me to death.  The only thing that 
kept me going was imagining that I was running at home on my normal route 
alongside the highway instead of quiet Vermont.   Those thoughts put me at 
ease and allowed me to run or at least do something that resembled running. 

It was about 8:00 p.m. as we were approaching the turn off to the mile 89 aid 
station when out of no where a deer jumped out of the woods directly in front 
of Mike.   The deer came out so quickly that Mike didn’t even have time to be 
stunned.   We both kind of looked at one another afterwards knowing what each 
of us was thinking without saying a word.    That had to be one of the most 
unbelievable things I’ve ever seen.  I guess looking back we’re both lucky 
the deer didn’t come bolting out of no where and run one of us over.  

Still moving forward and even finding some energy to run after the deer 
incident we made it into the mile 89-aid station.  I realized at this moment 
that I had lost my flashlight that I had been carrying with me all day.  Yeah 
I carried it all day and then lost it when I needed it.   As I was being 
weighed for the final time I yelled out to the crowd to ask if anyone had a 
spare light.  Mike’s wife was there to greet us too and she quickly responded 
that she had a light.  As she went to get it another runner was coming down 
the path towards the aid station.  Mike’s wife quickly got the headlamp and 
even put it on for me.  My weight checked in okay, I had my bottles refilled, 
and I had a light so it was time to get my butt out of there before being 
passed.  

I was led to believe that the final 10 or 11 miles of the course would be the 
hardest and that I should save some energy for it.  Leaving mile 89 I was 
feeling pretty good whether from the adrenaline rush of having someone on my 
tail or whatever reason I had energy.  We ran for a long time on an easy flat 
to downhill trail section.  Once again I call this easy but there was still 
some daylight as I ran so things could have been much harder for those 
running in the dark.   I figured I built a sizable lead on the guy behind me 
by the time we got off the trail and back onto road because I really believed 
there was no way he’d be able to run as much as I just did 90 some miles into 
a run.  I was wrong though because here he came down the road as we 
approached the mile 95-aid station.  He was looking fresh and strong and 
determined to finish quickly and get this thing over with.  Me, well I still 
had energy but certainly wasn’t fresh and for some reason didn’t have the 
determination that I would have like to have had.  I wanted the top 10 finish 
really bad but with a little less than 5 miles left it wasn’t in the bag yet.  
I should have had some motivation but I think at this point that I just 
wanted it over with too.  

We had a couple more miles of road until we reached the final aid station at 
mile 98, which Mike urged me to blow by and I complied.   He said I had 30 
minutes to go 2 miles in order to break 19 hours and that I should be able to 
do it but I had to move.  Like most 100 milers I’ve done Vermont does not end 
on an easy note.  In the last 2 miles there are 3 or 4 nice size hills you 
have to get up and down before coming to the finish.  Also if you arrive at 
this section in the dark you can see the finish all lit up off in the 
distance.  It actually seems closer than it really is and can be deflating 
when you realize you have one more nice size hill to get up before finally 
making the final ¼ mile descent down to the finish.  When I reached the top 
of the final hill Mike screamed at me to run hard because I was close to 
breaking 19 hours but I still needed to push.  I listened and gave what I had 
crossing the line in 18:56:12 and 9th place overall.  

I was happy about the placing and the time but must give all the credit to 
Mike for bringing me in the last 31 miles.  I know that if I had been out 
there alone the demons that normally take over my thought process would have 
taken over again on this night.  He did an excellent job offering 
encouragement and keeping me motivated in times of difficulty.  He knew 
exactly what to say and how to say it.  He literally pushed me to a limit 
I’ve never reached and helped me achieve a goal I thought was unattainable.  

The 2005 version of the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance run was a very organized 
event that included a lot of hardworking volunteers.   The amount of aid 
stations and the variety of foods and beverages are second to none.  The 
attention received from the medical staff and other race personnel was 
excellent and at the very least comparable to any race I’ve ever participated 
in.  

Dave Bursler
Bear, Delaware