June is a hot time of the year to do a 50K in these parts, but that did not keep a host of TATURs from heading over to Hobbs State Park in Arkansas to run the Tail Twister. Jeff Genova, with help from folks from Rush Running put on this first year event on some of the nicest single track I have been on. My plan was to get 50K in, while Dana was tackling the 25K. Our friends Bobby and Susan rode over with us, and Bobby planned on hanging out with Dana while Susan worked the TATUR aid station along with her brother Russell. We stayed in a very nice new hotel in Bentonville, which was about 22 miles away. Problem is, at 4:30 in the morning, and me without a sufficient amount of coffee in the bloodstream, we did not see a turn on HW 12 from the interstate (I still swear it was not marked--seriously) and I was afraid we were not gonna make it to the race by start time. We had several race packets with us for a bunch of our friends, and I figured my name would be MUD or worse.
But we made it in time--parked 3 miles away and caught the shuttle buss to the starting line with several minutes to spare--enough time to visit with friends, take pictures, and visit the porta-john.
Kate and her sister (I should know her name!) were running 25K. They must have done great since they were long gone by the time I finished.
I did not get to visit much with Julie at this race. She also was evidently heading back to Oklahoma by the time I finished.
I did run briefly with Don, and probably would have ran more with him, but early on I was feeling good and got ahead of him. He later caught me and passed me while I rehydrated at the TATUR aid station.
Another couple of TATUR friends Eric and Polly. Eric ran strong and finished 10th male in the 25K. Polly also ran a good race in hot conditions and probably had showered, ate, and were halfway home by the time I found the finish line.
Rob, together with Arnold pictured below, toughed out 50K in under 6 hours. Rob thought his time was slow, but it would have been a huge PR for me.
Both Arnold and Rob were beat down by the heat. It reached the mid 90s by the time most of the 50Kers finished. Of course, everybody looks fresh here--at 6:15 am.
Ok, I am bad with names. This is one of the park rangers, who made some announcements about the trails. This man was responsible for cutting many miles of the fantastic trails we ran on. He also spent all week weed-eating some of the trails--with a sling blade!
Without a lot of fanfare, the 50K and 25K took off at 6:30. There were also an 8.5 mile race and a 3.8 miler. I could have PR'd either of those, since I have never actually raced those distances. I could have definitely finished before the heat started beating down.
This picture is courtesy of Aaron Ochoa, who was the 3rd place male in the 25K. I am not sure who took this pic unless it was Dee, his girlfriend. I did not see Aaron all day (except on the short bus ride to the start line.) He did show up Sunday morning to run with the TOTs though.
This was the trail menu for the day. Lots of single track. Some was gravel covered. It looked like the gravel had been hauled in in places to keep the erosion down. Much of the course was dirt and pine needles. Lots of gradual ups and fast gradual downhills. Some folks complained about it being really hilly, but I thought it was awesome.
One happy TZ with tall pines as a backdrop. I caught up with Charlotte, and ran maybe 6-7 miles with her. We were feeling good and felt like we had a chance at finishing the 50K--which had a tough 8 hour cut-off time.First aid stop was the TATURs. Brian brought the TATUR tents, the huge arch (not pictured) and lots of goodies.
Brian served water, and took pix all day. Can't wait to see his photos. They are always good.
It was warming up. I had ran about 2 miles fairly hard when I rolled into TATUR. I was nearly out of water, and needed to eat something. I had been taking 2 Salt Stick caps every 45 mins, and my electrolytes seemed fine. It was just getting hot.
This table of cool fresh fruit really hit the spot. There was a restroom here, and I should have stopped, but time was of the essence, and I skipped it. Big mistake. After a mile or so, I stopped to pee. More "maintenance" needed to be done, but since the necessary supplies were not at hand, and I did not want to lose a bandanna or a sock, I pushed onward. Charlotte had got way ahead, and my pace slowed. When I reached the next aid stop, I was at a 15:50 pace and was not feeling too great. But, after hitting the john there, I felt revitalized. Making the 50K under 8 hours was out of the question with the temps climbing, so I changed my plans. I decided to run the course backwards to find Bobby and Dana and then run the 25K with them. i was not really super excited about melting down trying to finish 50K.
About a half mile back, I ran into Bobby. The girl with them actually screamed when I snapped their pic from behind a tree. I guess I was hiding.
Dana was just a little behind them, and the heat was getting to her as well.
This aid stop was not as festive as TATUR, but they were very helpful, and had a good spread of goodies.
I tanked up on oranges, took a couple more Salt Sticks caps and we headed out.
From there on to the finish, the heat was on. It was beautiful, but the humidity was high and there was not a hint of a breeze.
Not sure where the stream was. We did cross a bridge a half mile later that was dry. I would have soaked in it, even if it were sensitive, although the ticks were supposed to be bad and where there are ticks, there are usually chiggers. But, no increase to the tickometer here. Seems like everyone is getting ticks but me.
Dana found a burst of speed a couple of times in the last few miles. The nice gradual downhills were sweet, but they usually had a price.
This picture is reminiscent of one taken at Sunmart a few years ago, where Bobby ran has 1st 50K and Dana ran her 2nd.
No, I did not drink the water. I stuck with the Gatorade.
This was the last aid stop for us. The Rush Running team ran this oasis. Thanks Ryan, Desiree, and Tom. I am sure there are some people I am leaving out--all the aid stops were great.
I left out of here with a handful of potato chips and 2 mile to the finish. And 2 more hills.
About a quarter mile to go, and I sent Bobby and Dana on. I had something I needed to do. I took off my shoes and socks, and tied my timing chip to my toes and ran the last little portion barefoot. I have always wanted to do this--not because I want to be a barefoot runner, but more for a few hoots and giggles. this was way too rocky to do barefoot, or even in minimalist shoes in my opinion.
I was fumbling for my camera when the guy at the finish line as removing my chip, and I missed that photo-op. My feet held up fine, and it was actually fun. I may just try some more shoeless running in the future. Short runs.
We hung around the finish line and waited for the rest of our friends to finish. I was the last 50Ker--well, I found out later there was a guy way behind me. He might have dropped somewhere along the way and just got credit for 25K--I'm not sure. Rob and Arnold came through. Kelly from our Tulsa group came through finishing her first 50K in grand fashion. Kathy was not far behind her, and she was hot. Hot like overheated. Why do we do this? She made me glad I an the 25K.Other Tulsa runners--Caroline finished not too far ahead of Bobby and Dana. We left before Charlotte finished, but Caroline waited for her. I'm proud of Charlotte for toughing out a hard 50K.
This is another of the park rangers. Both of the rangers have worked here for 25+ years. It must be a great and rewarding job. I could do that!
Brian, Russell, and Susan came to the finish after packing up their aid station. This pic (as well as the above TATUR aid pix are courtesy of Russell.)Our finishers awards were not the typical medal on a ribbon. These mini-trophies were cast out of pottery and stained. I thought they were great. Next year, I want the big one!
This race was so well organized it was amazing. the course was marked perfectly. Every intersection (there weren't many) had course marshalls pointing the way. I doubt anybody got lost. If there is anything I might suggest--it would be to have the race a few weeks earlier in the year. It was unseasonably hot, but June can always be in the 90s. Also, giving the 50Kers 9 hours instead of just 8 would give fat boys like me a fighting chance of finishing. There is talk of doing a 50 miler here nest year and if they do, then there will be plenty of time for me to get my 31 miles in.
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