T&T 2006: Comments

I just wanted to let you know what an awesome time I had at Sunday's Turkey and Taturs race. Especially considering it was the first year, I thought Brian and Mike (and everyone else) did an absolutely outstanding job. Even the rain and mud only served to make me feel more like a trouper. I can't think of anything that could have been done to make it any better, with the possible exception of an extra porta-potty at the third aid station (the one at the lower parking lot). They had a blue tarp around the back of the station, and I got all excited thinking it was a porta-potty! What a let down... lol!

The aid stations were wonderful, the folks manning (and womanning) them were friendly, helpful and enthusiastic even after sitting out in the cold, rain and wind all day. They were stocked with everything a cold, tired, hungry and wet runner could possibly need. I did something evil to my left knee somewhere along mile seven, and found blessed relief when the sisters of mercy at the next aid station came up with ibuprofen for me. Not sure how I could have made it the rest of the way otherwise.

I've got to say, though, the prize for the best aid station goes to Randy and Marcie Ellis and their family without a doubt! The guys dressed like waiters added a much-needed touch of humor to that last stretch, and Randy's sweet & special nephew is a world class chef in my book! They actually greeted Dana and I well before we got to the station, asking what they could do for us, and bent over backwards to see that we got what we needed.

All of the aid station volunteers did a fantastic job, as well as the volunteers who stood out on the trail and gave directions, cheered us on, took pictures and let us know how much further to the next aid station, water drop or the finish line.

Kathy's whimsical t-shirt design made for great race shirts, and I know she did all kinds of work in the background without expecting any fanfare or kudos. The prizes from Runner's World and other sponsors were worth sticking around for (new running shoes, wow!). Woe to any who left before their name was called! :-)

Special thanks to Sue Mallon for being our own private nurse. She dispensed medical aid and kind words as they were needed.

To everyone who helped with marking the course (exceptional job there, by the way), brought food, ice chests, etc., made phone calls, did footwork behind the scenes, and put in the hours necessary to pull this off... THANK YOU!!! This is a race that will be talked about for months to come, and I know it will be bigger next year, and the year after that, once word gets around. GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!!

I still can't believe Brian and Kathy were willing to do all of this a scant week before their wedding! You guys must be superhuman is all I have to say. Just think how much easier it will be next year with one race under your belt and the wedding a year behind you!

A huge, heart-felt word of thanks to my race partner, Dana Childress. Dana, you ROCK, girl! Just about the time I had resigned myself to running the rest of the trail all alone with my twisted knee, you came through like a champ and pulled me through. My attitude improved tremendously from the time I saw you coming down the mountain, and from then on you were a beacon to me! Really and truly. Thanks for being such a great running buddy. And thanks to Ken as well, for all the work I know he put into this race, and for all the work both of you do to improve the trails out there.

I guess that's about all. Hope I didn't miss anyone. If I did, know that any part you did to help make this race the raging success it was did not go unappreciated.

Happy Trails~ Sarah Huhn

Again, the race was awesome. Aside from thinking I was going to never reach the finish (the last few miles were the longest), I had a great time. I loved the signs you guys put out. I stopped a few times to make sure I read them correctly. they were a hoot.

I wanted to let you know info for myself, Kari and Maribel have the wrong City and State. I don't think that makes a difference. Also, I'm listed as a guy (I'm not bolded). Plus I think Michan Wynn was in the group of three ladies that came in after me.

Keep me informed of any other races / training runs you guys do. I might be able to come up for them and even drag out a few friends that live in Tulsa.

Thanks again for a great event!

(Note from web guys: 1:30 AM does not seem to be the BEST time to update the results... Dooh!

Great job! Everyone who worked on this deserves major applause. Course markings, volunteers, registration, aid stations, finish line cheering section, everything was well done. Hard to tell it was a first time race. You created a tough act to follow next year. ;-)
Thanks, you helped me start to find my running legs again. Ouch! There they are again.

....i heartily agree----an OUTSTANDING feat of race organization!!!

I've never had such a fun time running in the rain and mud (this coming from a total weather wienie!)!!! Brian, Mike, et al.--- THANKS!!!

Jeff Beene (9/19/2006): Just wanted to say thank you to everybody for all the very hard work for this race! Mike got me in to this! His fault!

I met Mike one day last month on Turkey Mountain while he was mapping the route and he invited me to join in the fun. I've been running on Turkey for awhile now but NEVER been in a race of any kind before. It was lots of fun although my heel (Plantar Fasciitis) was hurting like heck. Running with other people was different for sure and I learned a lot ... like, don't start too fast cuz it's a LONG way to the finish line! Not sure how I measured up, but hey I finished! I really admired everyone who ran that day. The camaraderie was really great.

Thanks to EVERYONE who helped put on the Turkey and Taturs run yesterday! The course was great, you did a magnificant job getting in a 15 mile loop at Turkey without using the same trails. The trail was very well marked and appreciate all the time you took to do that. Most of all thanks to all the volunteers who enthusiastically stood out in the rain all day and kept all the runners going, you were GREAT! Great door prizes and food afterwards as well. For a first time event you all did an incredible job! Look forward to doing it again..

Hi! First, I wanted to thank you for taking your time to make sure that the TATUR run was a huge success (and fun). My husband and I have never ran any race for competition (excluding way back when in high school). We were a little anxious and unsure at first, but the course was marked well and the pre-registration was easy. All of this combined made for a wonderful, unforgettable experience we hope to repeat in the near future.

Can you give me a heads up on where to find more information about other local trail runs?

Second, when do you think the race results will be posted? We know we weren't winners, but we are anxious to see how we did within our age group.

You guys did an awesome job of running this race yesterday! It's easy to say that this is now my new favorite race, bumping Bandera down to a close second. The trail wasn't too easy, wasn't too hard, it was just right. It was marked very well (did you use one runner's entry fee on just pink tape?). If anyone got lost, it was only because they were only looking at the shoes or butt of the person in front of them. Holy cow, there was a sea of pink!

Huge kudos to you and your lively volunteers. What an amazing group to be out there heartily cheering people on in the rain and later, the chillier weather. They should get a HUGE pat on the back (and a keg party) for all that they did to support the runners.

Great shirts. Great swag. Great door prizes.

I've already chastized the rest of the NTTR gang for missing this one. I hope we can get more people up there next year to support y'all. It was well worth the trip.

I'll definitely be back. Thanks again!

Well you all missed a fabulous race yesterday, I have to tell ya! I think I've found my new favorite.

The folks up on Tulsa held a very well run Turkeys and Taturs race yesterday, despite the rain (it wasn't a frog drowner like Cross Timbers this year, but had the potential).

It looked like about 100-ish people showed up for the 10k/25k/50k race that took you up in and around Turkey Mountain, just west of Tulsa. With temps hovering around a steamy 83 degrees and sprinkles, all 3 groups started out together for about 2-3 miles, then the 10k-ers split right, while the rest of us went left. The 25k was one long loop and the 50k would be the same loop twice.

The trail was rolling hills the first 5 miles or so, then settled out to long switchbacks along the contour lines of the ridgeline. The forest there was so dense you couldn't see anyone else out there and the scenery was beautiful! The trail itself ranged from slightly sandy to technical/rocky. I ran for about 45 minutes with a couple of the Taturs. Nice people! At about mile 12-ish, there was a long hill with an awesome cheerleader at the top pointing the way to the next nearby aid station. After that, the trails continued on shorter switchbacks, with one incredible view of the Arkansas river from a bluff. It continued teasingly close enough to hear the highway and finish line. At one point, the rain was pouring down pretty good and I knew I was close, the trail kept switching back AWAY from the finish line. Almost started tearing up, but held back. LOL! There was a lady with a radio about 100 yards from the finish calling ahead so that Brian could yell out your name as you came down to the line. By the time we left around 11:30 the temp had dropped to about 64 with the rain.

The Tatur race was well stocked with ultra treats (mmm...PBJs at every station), extremely well marked (it was a sea of pink ribbon), great volunteers, smoothly run and overall it was challenging without being too challenging. It was just right. Oh, and the tee was a Mizuno technical tee with a fun logo on the front.

Afterwards, they had a door prize drawing and just about everyone got something, I think. Overall, they did a great job (yay Brian and his crew). Y'all should put it on your list of races to do next year.

I saw a couple of other Dallas folks, but in our little group of 3, we're pretty sure Maribel Reymundo placed 4th for the women, I came in about 12 minutes later, and Robbi Hardesty completed her first 25k!! (She just started trail running this year with her first 5m at Cross Timbers and finished at Grasslands). Proud of both ladies!

Cheers!
Kari

Just wanted to say THANK YOU for putting on an AMAZING race!! We had a great time!!

GREAT JOB on the race Sunday. You and your volunteers did an OUTSTANDING job marking the course and supporting it. Many thanks. Please pass along to your volunteers that they did a SUPER job.

Thank you for a great race. The 10/25/50 was the race I'd always hoped Tulsa would have. It was well organized -- especially for a first time event. Support was superb. The trail was well marked. I only had a handful of hypoxia bonus yards all day. I'm not an ultra runner by any stretch, but I'd be surprised if the word doesn't get out among the ultra community rather quickly. Next year you'll have to increase the number of runners you'll take, as demand is sure to be great. I can't think of anything that a runner could have wanted yesterday. It was simply a perfect race. Thank you and congratulations on your success.

The alarm clock went off at 5:35am to the sound of thunder. I got up and took a shower, threw on the clothes I laid out the night before. It rained most of the way on my short drive from Bixby to Turkey Mountain. Upon arrival, around 6:20am, it wasn't too bad. People were pulling in and parking. The roads were still mostly dry.

The race started. It was bunched up for a while but soon spread out far enough that it seemed like you were out in the woods alone. As the rain picked up, you start thinking, to yourself “What am I doing out here?” The most exciting event came when I heard the crowd cheering on the finishers. I thought wow, I'm almost there. Then the path would cut back away from the excited spectators. Once again, I approach the sounds from the finish line, I thought to myself is this it, am I getting close to the finish? Then the trail turned back one more time. The rain began to pick up and the trail started to deteriorate. I pushed on toward the finish. I passed several others along the path; which is an accomplishment for a race walker.

The finish was exciting too. I heard the crowd cheering and Brian, Announcing my name as I ran across the finish line. When everyone finished the 10K, winners were announced. It seemed like everyone that stuck around won a prize. The funny part was having hamburgers and hotdogs at 9:30am. It sounds crazy but after that race, I was ready to eat. I have completed 25 races this year, primarily race walking 5K, 8K, 9K, 10K. I started doing races three years ago including the Tulsa Run. I must say, that trail runs are still among the most challenging.

The hills were challenging, foot placement critical, and solitude fulfilling. The race was great, well marked, and a challenging course. What I really enjoy is feeling pains three days later that you can only get from a trail run. I had a feeling of accomplishment that I had really done something on a rainy morning when most people were still home in bed.

THANKS for everything!! I'll most definitely be back next year or any other race the TATURS organize

Mandy Hall

I would like to extend thanks for a great race. Sure, I felt like subjecting myself to a DNF several times, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? This race could not have been the success it was without the great organization and the volunteers that took time out of their busy lives to help feed us, mend our wounds and encourage our spirits. I am looking forward to next year's race and I know I can do better and maybe give some of the other women a run for their money, lol!

I also would like to express many thanks to your awesome tough trooper of a fiancée. She was like an angel provided for me at a time when I didn't think I could go on. I hope she was able to finally get some rest so she can get rejuvenated for the upcoming wedding.

The course was definitely challenging and it was enough to shake me out of the running rut that I had gotten into over the last few months. Thanks for not letting me quit!

Richard Tate

I think I am hooked on trail running. Is there an Oklahoma City group? Are you the only ones and should I join your Tulsa club? How can I find a list of trail runs to add to my race schedule. My quads, hamstrings, glutes, and feet are BARKING at me today but it is a good bark. I really did enjoy the challenge of the trail runs and would love to do more. Thanks for your advice and again thanks for a great day of racing

Jessica Tranchina

Yes, Brian! Successful race. I wanted to commend you for one of the best held races ever!! You and your team really shined and showed us racers how much you all really care. We saw that and want to thank you so much for it. It was extremely well-marked and very well thought out. I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to another one of your races.

Thank you again!!!

Richard (R.C.) Liley

Well, it was great to meet all of you at the run yesterday. I have never had such a good time at a race like that. Although the rain probably didn't help my feet any, it was cool just to say I did it. I hope to see you guys around again at another race or the same one next year. Good job on being so organized, everyone working out there did really showed they cared. I just thought I would write and say thanks for the great time.

John McCoul

You put on a great race but it looks like we brought the Cross Timbers weather with us!

Stephanie Lampinen

Hey Brian Stephanie Lampinen here (once a Dill). We are so bummed about not making the race!! Expletives!!!! We were leaving early Sunday morning but got slammed by the storm! We live in the National Forest and have a pretty long driveway so naturally we have a lot of trees...well...one blew down across our road and we don't have a chain saw...just a hand saw and a weedeater....we did not attempt to use either one on the tree. We were stuck until my Dad came up and cut it up for us....yay firewood for the winter...boo didn't make the race. And to top it off lightning fried a couple of our appliances...nice. Anyway, will you keep us up to date on you TATUR schedule? We are really looking forward to racing with you guys!

Oh, by the way, how can we get our race packets and shirts? We would like to at least have that so we can look at it and sob.

Take care...see ya on the trails!

David Clear

Thanks for all of the hard work you and everyone else did to put on this race. I never expected a first time event to be so well put together. Kudos to everyone involved.

Here's my race report, to the tune of "On Top Of Old Smoky";

On top of Old Turkey
All covered in rain.
I ran with the TATURs,
Not one of them sane.

I stepped in a mudhole
And lost my left shoe.
I slid down a gulley
Got covered with goo.

I busted my noggin'
On low hanging logs,
And missed several ribbons,
Got lost in the bogs.

I twisted an ankle,
Scraped open a knee,
And gouged out an eyeball
On part of a tree.

Got shredded by brambles
And trampled by deer.
At last saw the banner
And hear the crowd cheer.

I looked at my Timex
And grinned as I found
I had lots of time left
For one more go 'round.

Johnny Spriggs

Here is my race report. I came, I got my ass kicked, I went to the hospital, I went home, I wimpered.

Michon Wynn

I just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for an awesome race. Although there were suppose to be four of us, only three of us could make it. It was the first 25k we have done, even on flat road! I think I am getting hooked on trail running. It is so much more gratifying, and challenging than road racing is. I am not fast at either one, but I do enjoy the trail running more. I would like to learn more about it when I have time to research area races.

Thanks again for an awesome race. Rain and all, it was great!!!!

Chris Corbin

I'll be sending you a check in the mail sometime next week to join the group. I know it was only my second ultra, but I can't imagine one being more fun. The rain and mud only added to ambiance(no idea how to spell it and don't have a dictionary near). I never thought I would do so well on such a technical course, but come to find out I would rather do a course like that than a flat "easy" 50K. I really think the only reason I placed towards the top is because I never stopped to use the restroom. I joked with my wife and told her after the race that I figured I was soaking from the rain anyways and figured no one would notice a little more saturation. The sad part is I had to tell her I was just joking two or three times before she finally believed me. She knows my competitiveness all to well. Thanks again to you and everyone else that put so much time into such a great event.

Ken Childress

I’ll have the turkey, a side of taturs, hold the gravy

(Turkey and TATURS 10k/25k/50k)

Sunday was the long awaited day. My great friends, Brian, Mike, Kathy, had put in hours putting this race together, and Dana, Earl, Randy, Brian, Mike, Marvin, Morgan, Austen, and Doug (have I forgot anyone?) had spent a very hot 97 degree day the day before marking miles and miles of the rugged dusty trails. I wondered if the extreme heat would hang around another day. What would Dan Threlkeld say? (It does help to have our own personal weatherman in our club!!) Well, at 5:00, it was a balmy clammy (Oh heck, it was HOT) 82 degrees. BUT, there was thunder in the distance, and did I see lightning on the horizon? Hmmm, rain = cooler temps. A short shower might be just the ticket.

Dana and I arrived at the race, and as always, I headed for the potty line. Looking at my watch and realizing that just in a few minutes, I would be on my journey usually makes me queasy, but today, I felt ready to run. Some of us Taturs had debated as to how hard this course was, and it is hard, but I kept telling myself that there were enough nice flat smooth trails mixed in here and there that some time could be made up. None-the-less, after Brain the RD yelled GO, I thought to myself, “what am I doing?!?!” A sea of runners rumbled down a hill and around a pond to the first of many miles of single track trail. After a short climb, the runners spread out enough that there was never really any congestion. Such exhilaration running fast on the down hills jumping over roots and rocks, the wind hitting me in the face….all was well with my world. I trotted along, trying to not lag too bad, but not push myself so hard so as to bonk early. If I was to bonk, I wanted it to be 100 yards from the finish.

It started raining fairly steady and little by little, the dusty trails turned to sticky goo, then just slop. After a mile of so of tiptoeing around the puddles, I finally started plowing right through them. How often do grown men get to play in mud puddles? Each aid station was a welcome sight. I capped my water bottle off at every other one of them, and took a gulp of Gatorade at about ½ of them. The PBJs and boiled potatoes were the perfect fuel to get me to the next aid stop. I did not think of the race as 31 miles, but as running from one end of the mountain to the other, just a short section here, and then a nice jaunt back, and I was able to lie to myself enough to get myself to the finish without being too overwhelmed.

I finished the 1st half in 3:28ish, grabbed a cookie, and headed out. The start/finish area was buzzing with activity at this time. A lot of 25Kers were finished, and most of the 10Kers were hanging around getting their prizes, eating and celebrating. One of my nephews, Jeff, had run his 1st 10K. His longest race up to this day was a 5K, and he doubled that, finishing 8th overall. I jokingly asked if he wanted to run the next loop with me, and he said sure! I cautioned him that it was 15.5 miles and he said he was good for it. I thought surely he would have to bail out, and since I know the trails at Turkey, I could show him shortcuts back to the YMCA. I asked him several times if he needed to cut it short, but he kept with me and actually helped me run a little quicker than I would have normally run.

The east mountain has 3 passes south to north, and 3 north to south. The runs northward were gradually downhill and I pounded them trying to shave off a few minutes. Little by little, the finish line was getting closer. After a second trip up Lip Buster, fatigue set in. Instead of cranking out 12ish minute miles (on the average), I slowed down about a minute per mile. I was still moving but my legs were hitting the ground a little harder, and the rocks were taking their toll on my quads and feet. But, the last 3 miles passed by. I wound through the series of switchbacks that everyone has commented on, nearing the finish line and then turning away for a bit, but finally I was at the point in the trail where the next turn was the last turn and then it was all downhill some 150 yards to the finish line. There was a big puddle in the trail, and I made sure to stomp right through the middle of it. Loads of applause awaited me at the finish line. For a second, I was treated like a super-star!! I had to turn and bow, given the hearty welcome home. I finished in 7:13 and some seconds. It was about an hour better than I thought would be possible for me. I was pleased with the time. I agree, the course markings were good. Nothing like pink ribbons in a green wilderness.

The post food was good, even for back-of-the-packers like me. My burger was hot, the 2 or 3 hotdogs were juicy, and life was good! It’s amazing how I can burn 300 calories running and then in a single feeding put them al back into my belly!!!

I was proud of Dana for finishing a grueling 25k, Jeff for his 22 miles, his twin brother John for his 1st 10k and several more extra miles after the race, and Kody, another nephew for his 1st 10k.

I look forward to next year, more friends, more miles, more fun.

Tom Dorothy & Family

WHITEWATER ADVENTURE

On Sunday, September 17th, 2006, I embarked on an adventure of a lifetime, the Turkey & TATUR’s 10K/25K/50K trail run at the Westside YMCA in Tulsa,OK. TATUR, Tulsa Area Trail & Ultra Runners, is the brainchild of Brian Hoover, and is a newly formed group that my family and I are proud to be a part of in the Tulsa, OK area. This group ranges from the beginning runner to the vastly experienced trail runner. The group having just been formed a few months ago, took on the task of putting together Tulsa’s first ever ultra run. This was one that was definitely going to stretch the limits of this newly formed club. Through Brian’s vision and leadership, we were able to make it all happen and have the dream become a reality.
For me, this was a whole family affair. My oldest son, Will-age 14, and my wife, Julie, entered the 10K portion and I tackled the 50K. My daughter from what I understood, kind of took over the start/finish line aid station by making sure that things were in order and my youngest son just enjoyed all the finish line goodies. As a family, we had several training runs and felt confident going into the race and felt fortunate to just be a part of the club. Then before we knew it, it was race day!

Checking the weather map on Saturday and the Aviation forecast, it helps sometimes to have a friend who is a pilot; it looked like we were in for a wet day. Early that morning it was lightning, but it had not rained yet, so our hopes were still high. We loaded up the truck with all the goodies and the kids and headed on the way to make our usual pre-race ritual stop at Quick Trip for pre-race energy. Driving in to the YMCA, we came across another vehicle that was lost and couldn’t find the Westside YMCA, so they ended up following us in. I guess they didn’t heed Brian’s pre-race warning. We arrived at the YMCA and still no rain, Hallelujah! We unloaded all our supplies and kids and found race director’s Brian Hoover and Mike Snyder trying to coordinate last minute instructions as we were vastly approaching the 7 am start time. Runners were still settling in, drop bags were being positioned under the shelter, and last minute anticipation was settling in. Finally race director, Brian Hoover, announced that we were going to be starting soon with a pre-race prayer and we would be on our way. Randy Ellis, ultra runner extraordinaire, led us in a pre-race prayer and we started the mass line up under the banner. Brian announced to everybody that if they did not feel comfortable with the current weather conditions that they did not have to start at 7 am or if you did, we were going to be soon on the way. The anticipation set in as this was my first ultra run. Never having even done a marathon and I was going to go about 5 miles past that. I felt confident as my training had been good and I knew the goal was to finish and do the best I could. Brian announced 30 seconds till the start, and before I knew it we were off.

I started out running good towards the front and before I knew it, we were in the woods and going up and down the hills. The course started out on the west 10K portion of the trail and we that were in the 25 & 50K portions would veer off to the east for the remaining 15K section of the 25K loop about halfway through. I ended up running with fellow TATUR, Ron Haveman, for awhile and he ended up falling back and come to find out later, he did not finish due to nausea. I was sorry to hear this as Ron is a great runner. When we found our way to the open section to head to the east there was race director, Brian Hoover to greet us and cheer us on. This guy moves around! We headed into the east 15K portion and ran the power line section before veering back into the Turkey Mountain timber. This section of the course was a series of switchbacks, hills, and flatter sections that kept us mainly inside the timber. Three aid stations were throughout this portion and all the volunteers were really encouraging and knowledgeable as to the distances on the course and how far to the next aid station. Not to long after we were into this portion, the rain came and boy did it come. I thought for awhile that I saw squirrels lining up, two by two, but I realized that it was just a hairy ultra runner. The rain on the first loop was not too much of a factor and the temperature was still fairly warm. We made our way around the course until we encountered, “Lip Buster Hill”, as it is affectionately known by the mountain bikers. The difference between us and the bikers was that we were headed up the hill, not down. I was running with some great trail runners in the grassy area leading up to it and we all came to a brisk walk when we encountered the hill. It reminded me of the lines they used to make going up the mountains in Alaska through the Inside Passage to find gold, except we were trying to run up them. We finally made it to the top and headed back into the 10K portion when suddenly we were greeted by waiters with bowties and white shirts. Obviously we were suffering the effects of dehydration and were hallucinating at this point or we were waiting to be seated at Olive Garden. When we stopped, we realized that this was just Randy Ellis and family manning the last aid station and we were not really in a dreamland. After this station we were headed back to the start/finish line and we will have completed the first 25K portion of the course. I ran most of this section with a great Ultra Runner from the KC Trail Nerds running group, Rick Mayo. Rick is a veteran of 9 ultras, including a couple of 100 milers in that. Rick is a great runner and he ended up in 5th place overall. We talked and ran together to finish line to fuel up and head out again. I was feeling fine at this point and then it happened. The Curse of the Bananas!

I stopped at the finish line and grabbed a banana from my drop bag and ate almost of all of it when a sick feeling came over me. I couldn’t even finish it and just gave it to my wife, who had just finished her first trail run, and had her throw it away. I just took off at that point and headed back out for the second loop. Once I got into the woods again and started back on the hills, I felt nauseous and a lot of my run became a walk. I would run in some flat sections and drink water, but nothing seemed to help. I finally made it out of the 10K section again and grabbed some Gatorade which didn’t help and spent that next section mainly walking. I finally was able to start running again and got really bad side cramps on my left side and was forced to a walk again. At this point I was unsure of what was going on and decided to take a gel and after awhile the cramps went away and was able to run to the next aid station. I had failed to grab a shirt from my drop bag and due to my walking and the 20 degree drop in temperature; I was starting to get a little cold. Fellow TATUR Marvin Lee, who was manning the aid station with his wife, offered me a shirt, but I thought as long as I was able to keep running I would be alright. I tried drinking some Gatorade and it tasted horrible at this point and I decided to go on. I was able to keep running on this section and was about half way through when something strange happened, my stomach started rumbling. I was HUNGRY! I had some gel blocks on me and ate some on the hills and it helped a little, but it was not doing the trick. It was at this point where I started getting passed by some other trail runners and was starting to get discouraged. I made my way to the lower parking lot aid station and some familiar smiling faces helped cheer me up. An employee of mine had volunteered for the race and was manning this aid station and she was a delight to see, she refilled me back up with water and pretzels and soon I was off on my way.

I started running again and was feeling pretty good and guess what was ahead, Lip Buster Hill! This time I was the only person on the waterfall, or I mean hill, and I managed to make it up and was off to Randy’s aid station. Did I mention that it was still raining after about five hours into this? I stopped at Randy’s station for a second time. I got some pretzels and some water and was off and running again. Randy said that I was about 3.5 miles from the finish and knew that I could knock that out. This is where I think it hit me that I was actually going to finish. I seemed to have more energy and have the confidence I needed to finish. The trail at this point was a series of lagoons and waterfalls and made the going a little bit tougher. My shoe lace at this point decided to come loose and I stopped to tie it. This is when I felt like rigor mortis had set in on my legs by the stiffness that I felt when I bent down to tie my shoe. I knew that I had better keep going or that I would not make it or the mortician would soon be after me.

I made my way through the course and knew I was getting close when I came by the YMCA pond and could hear people talking. As I rounded the corner and heard the race director, Brian Hoover, say that here comes Tom Dorothy and people starting cheering, I knew I had done the impossible. I do not remember much of what Brian said at that point, but I do remember him saying something about another loop, to which I kept my remarks to myself. I was then greeted by my patient and loving family that had waited for almost 6 hours in the rain and I was elated to be through. I was happy that I completed my first ultra, but I was more elated that my son and wife had completed their first trail run, as tough as it was for them. Here it is several days later and we are still talking about it.

Our hats are go off to the fabulous jobs that so many contributed that day, but we especially would like to thank Brian, Kathy, Mike, and Diana for all that they did to make this race a success. I know it was a lot of hard work, but by the thank you letters that have come in, I think you know it was well worth it. Events like these are not something that is to be taken lightly. Sometimes the people in these events are accomplishing set goals, achieving milestones, or facing the reality of being alive. Let us always keep in the mind the tasks that are ahead and to accomplish them with enthusiasm; running the race that has been set before us. You guys put on an excellent race and I am proud to have been a part of it, but more importantly you have helped create dreams that will be forever etched in our memory for the ages to come. Thanks.

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