Reports on a race that may or may not have happened

The secretive sometimes-annual Barkley Book Fair was held Saturday night--and most of it Sunday morning. For a race that supposedly doesn't happen, it sure beat me up. For most years previous dating back to 2007, The race was "held" whenever I felt like buying a few books and devising a course. What is this about, you ask.

From Wikipedia: The Barkley Marathons is a 100 mile run and a 60 mile 'fun run' held annually in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee in late March or early April. The course itself, which has changed distance, route, and elevation many times since its inaugural run in 1986, currently consists of a 20-mile (32 km) loop with no aid stations except water at two points along the route and the runner's parked car at the beginning of the loop. Runners of the 100 Mile version run this loop five times, with loops three and four being run in the opposite direction and loop five being runner's choice. Runners of the 60 mile 'fun run' (considered to be harder than Hardrock) complete three circuits of the loop. With 54,200 feet (16,500 m) of accumulated vertical climb, the 100 mile run is considered to be one of the more challenging ultramarathons held in the United States, if not the world. In addition to running, competitors must find between nine and 11 books (varies per year) and remove a page from each book as proof of completion. The cut-off time for the 100 mile race is 12 hours per loop, and the cut-off for the 60 mile version of the race is 40 hours overall, which averages out to approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes per loop. Since the race's inception in 1986, only fourteen runners out of about 800 have completed the 100 mile race within the official 60 hour cut-off (Mark Williams 1995, David Horton and Blake Wood 2001, Ted "Cave Dog" Keizer 2003, Jim Nelson and Mike Tilden 2004, Brian Robinson 2008 (55:42:27), Andrew Thompson 2009, Jonathan Basham 2010, Brett Maune 2011, Brett Maune 52:03:08 (new course record), Jared Campbell 56:00:15, John Fegyveresi 59:41:21 for 2012, Nick Hollon 57:39:24, Travis Wildeboer 58:41:45 for 2013). In 2006 nobody finished even the 60 mile 'fun run' in under 40 hours. The best women's achievement is Sue Johnston's 66 miles (106 km) in 2001. More than 30 competitors failed to reach first book (two miles). [1] [2] The race is limited to 35 runners and usually fills up quickly the day registration opens. Potential entrants must complete an essay on "Why I Should be Allowed to Run in the Barkley." The race starts at different times each year and is signaled by the lighting of a cigarette. The course was designed by Gary Cantrell. His idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about Martin Luther King, Jr's assassin James Earl Ray escaping from prison, and making it only 8 miles (13 km) after running 55 hours in the woods. Cantrell said to himself "I could do at least 100 miles." Thus, the Barkley Marathons was born.

I thought we needed a race like this in Tulsa. So, back in 2007, I bought some used books with titles like Blood Trail, And Then You Die, Terror In The Night, etc., and hid them on a semi-marked trail through trailz on Turkey Mountain. I had a day run of 4.5 miles and a challenging but doable course. And then, I devised a course much more difficult and tried to take people to places on the mountain where no one had ever been. This involved visiting several caves, up rubbed creek banks, and on mysterious loops in the trail where it seemed like you were in the Bermuda Triangle. I never wanted the run to get very big--just TATURs and friends of TATURs.  
Over the years, the night tun has evolved. It has went from being a marked race, to one with sparse markings and a detailed course description, to a race with a poorly drawn map, and finally to a good map with the book locations marked but no route specified.

Last year, Stormy and I talked about him having a whack at designing the night course, and he did just that. While my usual night outings were 7-9 miles in a big serpentine loop, Stormy chose to do several smaller loops with returns back to the start/finish. It made for a more interesting event for those waiting around on their friends/spouses, and it gave a way for runners to refuel and refill water bottles. I could SWEAR I heard Stormy say "15 books/three laps/five books per lap." But it turned out to be five laps/three laps per book. No problem--do the math. But this meant running many more miles, a bit of deviousness conjured by Mr Philips himself.

Rule #1--Follow the rules.
Rule #2--Stormy makes all the rules.
Rule #3--Stormy reserves the right to change or make up new rules along the way.
Rule #4--No whining or stupid questions.

By now, I realized it was gonna be bitter medicine and I needed to be a big boy--drink it down and like it. Si at a little after 9:00, we were sent off. Seven teams with 2-4 members each took off. My team of Kathy, Mitch, Russell and I had studied our map, and decided to climb LipBuster and head west to the washing machine where the first book was. Book two was in or near the Pepsi trucks, and the last book was on the stairway between the Ridge Trailz. Although we were way behind everyone and seemingly deep in last place, I knew all the shortcuts in the dark rugged wilderness area. This was gonna be fun. We found the first book easily right in the washing machine and tore out the page which corresponded with our team number. On the way to the Pepsi trucks, we took a little-used trail that lopped off a 1/4 mile, we passed a glow stick just off the trail, which we knew was not on our map this time around. We were running like gazelles and quickly found the second book where we bagged another page.

Swiped from Scott Smaligo's photo collection, his team were evidently ahead of us at this point in the race. Another shortcut, using a trail from Pepsi Pond alongside a feeder creek and then onto the Powerline Trail. I knew where there was a cut-in to another little used trail that bee-lined over to a trail that led right down the side of the east mountain and right down the staircase. I led us down to the lower Yellow Trail to head back home, and veered off the end of the mountain on another shortcut trail, and I thought our shortened course choices might have netted us the lead in the race, but we were in 2nd behind a twosome of Matt and Jenny.

This race was seeming easy, although loop one was right at 4 miles. Could each loop be a four miler?? 20 miles on Turkey Mountain AT NIGHT???

On lap two, I rolled my left ankle pretty hard, and spent the remainder of the race being very careful where the left foot fell. I still ran, but especially in the more technical sections I was barely faster than a hike. We were slower on the 2nd loop, but it was a longer loop too. Loop three was even longer with us going  as far north as possible and west to the YMCA area and finally southeast of the main parking lot across a gravel pit. Fatigue was setting in, as I had marked the 4.5 mile day run, and then actually ran the day run leapfrogging between Dana and the group behind her. With the 12 miles ran earlier, I was sure to get a marathon distance and all on mostly technical trailz.

We saw light as we neared our last book, and it was Matt and Jenny. We thought we were maybe 1/4 mile behind them, and taking another shortcut after our last find, I thought we'd catch them at the start/finish. But when we got there, they were gone. Our lap 4 sent us right back down the lower paved trail and onto a gravel road that crossed under 71st, and then we figured out that they were probably close to a mile ahead of us.

I am sure Stormy meant us to have to walk for miles on the railroad tracks, but we took the adjoining paved bike paths and I knew where holes in the chain link fence was so we passed through and endured a little tromping through weeds and saved a few minutes. From there, we ran along the service road on 1-44 and cut into the trailz across the old Pepsi Bridge. We had been here or near her twice already on previous loops, and it did seem like we used the same trailz a lot--the ones that made for faster running and that were straighter.

The next book was on the far north Pipeline trail, and we followed the map closely. I found the end of the trail, but it did not jive at all with the map. We stumbled around in a 1/4 mile circle, and it was starting to seem like we were stuck. My ability to reason was fading, and I was frustrated that we were burning time looking for a book that seemed to be deviously hid.


Then we followed a hunch to check out the glow stick we had seen earlier which was less than a 1/4 mile east. Eureka!! It was the book, and Stormy was guilty of a bad map marking. But who's complaining?

At this point, we were 80% of the way into the race, and wiped out. we had ran almost 20 miles, and I had a 50K on my legs for the day. Against my usual behavior, I took a couple of Ibuprofen and they kicked in quick. We were near Rock City, so we took the east side of the Snake Trail back to the upper parking lot, and then shuffled down Elwood instead of LipBuster.

Our last loop included a book hidden further west on 61st Street, and then in the stink plant parking lot and in the Petroglyph Cave. We were off. It seemed like this loop went fast. It was part of Stormy's rules that we had to be done before the sun came up. What a hoot, I thought. But if we walked the whole last loop, we might not make it in before sunup. We charged up LipBuster (actually walked very slowly up, and then jogged west to the far west side. From there, it was a well memorized cut-across to Pepsi Bridge, and a shuffle over to the stink plant. I know exactly where to slip through the fence to get up to the Petroglyphs. Book 15 found! We were done, and made our way the mile back to the finish line.
 Edward was a finish line official, and Christy had bailed earlier in the race. They were both dead to the world.
Matt had kicked it up a notch when he and Jenny saw us earlier. They thought we were right on their heels, and ran like the wind to finish over an hour ahead of us. We took second, and Scott Smaligo's team finished with just a couple of minutes to spare. We received nice finisher's canes--a very practical award and I am thinking about using these in future races. How far was the run? It depended on how many shortcuts you took, and/or how many tiomes you opted for longer distances on easier trailz. I have heard as few as 22 miles, and as much as 25. I had 36.68 for the day including my miles marking the trail and doing the day run.

Candice won the day run easily, and Dana took second--her best finish in a race to date. Rachel and Lana tied for third.

 Candice then competed in the night run, and broke her little toe and had to drop after a couple of loops. Dana drove to the YMCA and picked them up. 

I had a lot of fun running this. The hardest thing about the race was the distance, but to people who are not as familiar with the trailz, it would seem quite difficult. Stormy did a great job, and will make a great race director. (hint hint)

Book Titles

DAY RUN

1. On The Run (end of Red Trail)
2. Pathfinder (1/4 way down Lo-Chi Trail)
3. Climbing (base of I-Want-My-Mommy-Hill)
4. Now You Can Cry (top of I-Want-My-Mommy-Hill)
5. The Long Walk (mid way back on the Yellow)
6. Dean Man Walking (under the last wood bridge)


NIGHT RUN
1. Heart of the Night (Ezekiel saw the ______)
2. Voices in the Night (Toss a penny, Make a wish)
3. Walking toward Your Fear (The troll left a mess!) (EEWWW!! DEAD FISH!?!?!)
4. Book was missing when I went to pick it up (No troubled water here)
5. The Dying Place (Walk the line--but not this one)
6. Fatal Amusement (Death of many bikers)
7. Spell of the Mountains (Another bridge and aid station)
8. Midnight Memories (No more Pepsi deliveries)
9. Crack of Doom (Old Homestead)
10. The Gates of Hell (Me Caveman)
11. The Torment of Others (In deep dark places--Say NO to Crack!)
12. Cliffhanger (Cave City)
13. Fatal Terrain (Going UP!)
14. Marathon Man (Top of the morning mountain--but going down)
15. Midnight Run (Down Down Down)
16. Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex (You've never been this far south)
17. Devil Take All (Old Homestead)

RD's Notes 

I was amazed that over half of the night runners found all the books.

The book at the YMCA was missing when I went to pick it up, as were books 14, 15, 16.

I am pretty sure that the titles listed on 13 and 14 are correct--might be switched.

I am less certain that I am remembering the correct title of book 16.

I had an even dozen ticks yesterday and today. Anyone top that?

Barkley Book Fair 2012

The 6th running of the Barkley Book Fair snuck in and out of town on the sly. Friends and privileged friends of friends gathered at the urban wilderness to do a little book collecting Saturday evening. We had 10 runners in the day run, and 22 runners in the night run. I never want this event to get big. This is about the perfect size, so keep it a bit of a secret, and share with your best friends. My day Saturday started at 7:00, when I gulped down some excellent coffee and powered up. I met Robert Ray, who got ribbon and directions and charged into a challenge of his own--conquering the LoChi and I-Want-My-Mommy-Hill. Robert marked the trail like a pro, and I followed him an hour behind after picking up a few supplies, and I began stashing books.My DrawSomething friend Nedra came out to help, and we hid a book on the red trail, and one on the LoChi. Robert called me to check in while midway up the monster climb. Here is a short video of your truly huffing and puffing up the said hill. By the time I caught him, he had topped the insanely steep climb, and was resting on the best sitting rock on the mountain. I was proud of him for facing this challenge. Robert will amaze me again--he is driven. He took the HoChi back to his car, and after marking northward, we caught him just before he made it back to his car. Day course marked, and six books stashed. No one would get lost on the day run. Thanks so much to Robert, and Nedra, for helping me with the chores of setup. I owe ya big time!!

My afternoon consisted of hiding 17 books for the night race. The night course is not marked. I have ribboned it in years past, marked only the turns, given crudely drawn maps, given slightly better maps with written directions, and it seems that people actually like the race better when it is less than perfect. The struggle and even the failure of finding books makes it more fun. I think staying in groups makes it fun too, and I prefer that--just in case someone breaks a leg, gets snake bit, etc. The plan was this year to issue good professional maps, and mark where the books were on these maps. Then, instead of insisting the book seekers follow a specific course, I let them pick and choose the order they wanted to hunt their books. I placed small cheap glow sticks near the books, which could be seen IF they were close. I also used a few cheap clip-on book lights. Thanks to the local Dollar Store! Would this work? Only if someone in each group could navigate around the mountain and tell on the map which trail was the book actually on? I knew the night runners could definitely get lost, but hey--it's the Barkley.

At 5:30 PM, I had 13 of the 17 books placed, but I had to get to the start/finish to send the day runners off. 10 runners tackled the day run--a little smaller crowd than we've had in past years, but I like a smaller crowd. As soon as they took off, my chore was to get back to EVERY night book and snap the glow sticks. Had I done that earlier in the day, they might have gone dim before the night runners found the books. I got books 1-9 lit up. It was still light, and I hoped the sticks would be enough--otherwise the night wanderers were in for a long one. I hurried back to the start/finish to see my day runners come in, and to my surprise, EVERYONE had made it back!!Vicky Arterburn won the race, covering 4.5 miles in 48:19. I missed seeing her finish, and did not even get to congratulate her!! This picture is from a BBF a couple of years ago--when she also did the night run. Congratulations Vicky for the win, and thank you for bringing the watermelon!!!
Rafael Robles narrowly edged a charging Candice Brown, the two finishing 2nd and third in 59:07 and 59:09 respectively.

Other finishers included Wes Rupell, Huni Badgierre, and Mitch Drummond. Mitch rehydrated and began focusing on his next task at hand--the NIGHT RUN.

Kate gives a lesson in hydration. Take the prescribed liquid container firmly in hand, tilt bottle back, and glug.

The night run turned out twice the crowd. 22 runners accepted the challenge of searching for books at night on unmarked trails by looking at hand written marks on a map and quirky clues. I seriously doubted ANYONE would find all the books.

Once the night runners were set off, I still had books 10-13 which needed the glow sticks broken, and 14-17 placed and lit. I was sure I had plenty of time though. I drove to the far north side of the course, and parked by the railroad tracks. This gave me fairly close access to the three caves and the books hidden there. I made those three caves even though it was pitch dark. But finding the entrance to the faint trail head that led back up the mountain onto the trail the runners HAD to take was nearly impossible to see at night. I passed it once, and nearly twice. This is the one place where I used a glow stick as a course marking. Did I make it too easy? Maybe. I got book 13 placed, and then ran back to my car, and entered again at the top of Lipbuster where I ran to SOB Hill to hide a book at the top and at the bottom. It's actually scarier going down the hill than up. All was well. Just two more to place. The 16th was not actually on trailz, but down a gravel road to a place where I bet none of our runners had ever been. I gave thought to going another half mile out, but decided that running on gravel roads SUCKS when you've spent hours running on single track. SO, I made the find easy by plopping the book in the middle of a road in the shadow of the bridge above. Turns out, this book was so easy to find it was hard. Some people just did not believe I would hide it in the middle of a road.

On the way to place the final book, I met EIGHT LIGHTS screaming down the hill running toward me. I cold not believe the group led by Stormy was this far along. Stormy had speedsters John Noble and Tim Eraker with him, and the other five were not pokie either. I had to turn on the jets to get the final book placed. The final book was again at a place no one knew about. At the far NW corner of the red trail--between there and Elwood, there is an old homestead with the remains of some old barns. It is so heavily wooded there, and protected by thick briers, that despite running within a few feet of these ruins, no one knows about them. The problem--in the dark, I could not find them!! My legs were getting shredded, and I was probably collecting ticks in grand fashion. I finally had to settle for a spot that was very near where the mark on the map would lead them. A glow stick placed high in the tree would have to suffice.I placed the book, and added a clip light on the book, and got out of Dodge. But I nearly got caught!!Just as I was nearing the Red trail out of there, the group crashed through the brush. I hit the ground til they passed, and quietly tiptoed out to some quiet dirt trail and then hot footed it back to the start/finish.

The group led by Stormy, which included Brynna, Tim, Rachel, John, Karrie, Eric, and Chrissy--found all 17 books!!! They did it in 2:43, covering around 7.8 miles thanks to a couple of shortcuts that Stormy knew about. Mitch, Kathy, and Russell also found all the books, running closer to 9-10 miles in 4:35. Danielle and Scott were the last to finish, and despite having trouble with the book right in the middle of the road, found them all in 5:28.

Kate, Chrissy, Rachel Selph, Kathy and Troy Moore, John Parris, Wilma, Derk and Barbara made it back but fell short of finding all the books. Still, 13 of 22 found every one. GRRR!!!! Next year!!!!

Thanks to Brian for furnishing and setting up the TATUR tents, tables, sound system, and timing clock. To Kathy for helping set up and take down all the aid stuff, to Russell for his pictures which I borrow from time to time and who always helps pack things up, to Mitch, who always pitches in a hand when help is needed, and who also bought us breakfast at IHOP at 3:00 am. And to Edward and Chrissy, who furnished and painted the coolest Barkley Book Fair Shirts for the runners. They were all different, and all great.

Barkley Book Fair Saturday Evening, May 26

Many years ago, Brian and I were on the way home from some trail race somewhere, and were tossing ideas around. The Barkley Marathon had recently been ran, and somehow the idea of having a race at Turkey Mountain so hard that no one could finish it seemed intriguing. The depravity had began.We have shamelessly copied and modified the format of the infamous Barkley Marathon, a 100 mile race where there are several books hidden in the rugged mountainous wilderness that serve as checkpoints. Runners must tear out the page in each book that corresponds with their race number to prove they went the route and distance. This race is so hard, that most years there are NO FINISHERS. I like that!! The race is comprised of 5-20 mile loops with nearly 12,000 feet of elevation change per loop. A 60 mile fun run is also on the slate, and few even make it that far.
Our Barkley Book Fair has a slightly higher finishing rate. Our run consists of two separate races. the day run begins at 6:00 to 6:30--whenever the RD gets the whim to send the runners off. It is ~4.5 miles long, and only has one hill--one BAD hill that is.
The course will be adequately marked, and those wanting to run it like a race are welcome to do so. Those wanting to take it slower and enjoy the ride, are encouraged to do just that. Take pictures, have some fun, stay hydrated. Along the way, there will be 5-6 books planted--semi hidden, but they will not require any digging tools, ropes, or scuba gear to find. For some, this will be trailz where you run all the time anyway. But for some who are newer to Turkey Mountain, the day race will be the hardest thing you have ever done.
And since I have a sick since of humor, the book titles have a demented relation to the adventure, excitement, and torment you endure while traipsing through the woods. Find all the books and make it back to the finish line, and you are an official finisher. Miss a book, and you're a DNF.

After the day runners are through, the night runners are sent off. While the day course has stayed basically the same each year, the night course is different every year.
Some years, the course has been marked heavily with ribbons. Some years, I relied on signs and arrows. In the last running, there were very few markings but maps and written directions were issued. It seems to me--the harder I make the course, the more fun people have?!?!?
To be sure, there will be some major climbs
For sure, someone will get a few ticks.
A bit of rock climbing may be in order. If these particular climbs are really tough, I'll have some ropes to assist you in getting to the top.
It is highly likely you'll visit one or two (or three) caves along the way. Maps will be issued and the book locations will be marked on the maps. Once you are close, there will be some sort of lure to get you to the books. There will be a suggested route, but since you will have a map with locations of all the books, the route you decide to take as a NIGHT RUNNER is up to you. I do REQUIRE you to stay in groups, carry a water bottle or hydration pack, a headlamp or flashlight, and for each group to carry a cell phone. Nearly every year, someone has got lost and with a call, I can get you back on track.
While this is not the course elevation of this years race, it is a good indicator of what it COULD BE. If I can manage to throw in a few more wicked spikes o that elevation chart--well--you know. Every year, there has been some sort of quirky twist to the course. If I can get you turned around, I'll think I've done a good job.

The race is free. There are no entry fees, no t-shirts, no medals, no belt buckles, no post-race massage, and no whining. You can expect great refreshments at the finish line, one aid station on the course for the day runners, and two aid stations somewhere for the night runners.

Please RSVP, email me, Facebook me, text me, call me, write me a note on my driveway with a piece of chalk. I need a rough head count so I have enough race numbers and enough aid station grub for everyone. (There will be a coffee can/Tupperware canister/wal-mart sack, or something for donations is anyone would like to kick in a buck or two to help with the aid station food. Put this on your calendar--it's a run you'll never forget.

Barkley Book Fair 2010

Last Saturday night was the fifth running of the Barkley Book Fair. This race is fashioned after the Barkley Marathon, a race in Tennessee which is actually much more than a mere marathon--100 miles with over 52,000 feet of elevation change--6 miles of climbing?!?!? Well, my little event has some nice vertical sections, but probably has only 1,200 feet of elevation change at most.
12 runners toed the line for the day run. The early version of the BBF took off just after 7:00 pm. There were a quite a few first-timers in this event, including Arena, Kirk, Ben, Cory, and a couple of others whose names I will insert later when I find my book of entries that was misplaced when we were picking things up.
Five books were placed on the day course over the 4.5 miles. Some of the titles were Dead Mans' Walk, Journey to Forever, Dead I well May Be, Vertical Run. Four book titles you may ask?? Well, there were five books on the course but not one runner found all five. My first thought was that one of the books had been swiped, but at least one page was torn form all five of the books. So, there were no official finishers. Nikki, Cory, Ben, and runner 4028 came across the line first with pages from four of the five, so they were the unnofficial winners.

The night run has to start--well, at night. So, with the day runners finishing by 8:30, we had some time to kill between the races.So, we hung out and caught up on all the running stuff.Tom, RockStar, and Kate rehydrate after a sweatfest of a run.

Brian spends his time between the races deciding whether or not he is gonna do the night run. He decided he was under-hydrated and spent the next few hours addressing that problem.

Kirk took a spill and got his pretty new MM50 race shirt dirty. Kirk debated the to-run-or-not-to-run dilemma for the night run, and finally decided to go for it.
Who says trail running is not a spectator sport? We had more fans for the day race than we had runners.

Finally, the daylight began to wane, and I made the announcements, passed out maps and directions, and sang the Star Spangled Banner. (J/K about the singing, although next year.....) I did pass out spiderweb sticks for the fast runners and for those who thought they might get lost.19 runners went out on the night run in search of 13 books. I would have liked to have ran with them, but felt the need to get to the bluffs to help with a dangerous ascent up the face. Last year, I heard that a particular runner felt the night run bad become too easy, since it was so well marked. This year, there were very few course markings, and I supplied maps and written course directions (in ridiculously small font.) This years course got ugly in a hurry, with 1 quarter mile of creek scrambling over slick boulders and briers to get to book one (Journey Into Danger.) Half a mile into the race, the runners had to use rope to climb up a steep bank into a weedy field and then into a jungle-like area to a newly barley cut trail to a tree that had been split by lightening where book two (Trail of Blood) was placed. Then, after a quarter mile of mosquito and tick infested thicket, the runners were treated to 150 yards of paved trail before heading up the steepest of the climbs for the night. From the lowest point on Turkey Mountain to the highest--a climb of 300+ feet in .15 of a mile. Along the way, book 3 was waiting (Dead Runner.)

Then, the whipped souls got a half mile of easy dirt trail straight north on the Ridge Trail. About half way down this well traveled trail, they took a right turn down a long bunch of switchbacks. Down down, to the very bottom, collecting book 4 (The Worst Way To Die) just before the steepest decline. I had asked before the race started if anyone had ever run track. There were a few hands raised. Good, I told them, because there was gonna be some track to run tonight--railroad track. They took the tracks, which ran right along the base of a long series of high bluffs, north about a half mile. There is a small cave along the way that if you know where to look, can be seen from the RR tracks. I had placed book 5 (Glimpse Into Terror) in the cave beside a Tiki candle. Then, the runners had to go back south about 1/4 mile, and enter a narrow inlet into a wall of vines which led right up to a series of caves. I was waiting for them here, along with a good friend Glen. In the first cave, book 6 (On the Edge) was placed, which involved scrambling up an incline and dealing with a lot of spider webs.From there, they inched around some huge boulders to another small cave, and then climbed a series of makeshift ladders to a ledge where Glen and I were waiting to assist anyone who was nervous about the next climb.Kathy was the first through this section. She was up the ladder and scaled the next ledge and was off like a shot.Cory was not far behind her.
Chris gets ready to make the necessary jump to get his footing for the steep climb.And Chris' buddy, also named Chris (I think) makes the ascent as well.
Glen and I waited for the next group of runners, and as we waited, I got a call that Kirk had sprained an ankle but was hobbling back in to the starting line. Barkley claimed it's first victim of the night. Turns out it was a minor thing, and after icing it and putting peppermint oil?? on it, he feels as good as new.
The Hauge family was the next group, and Bob decided to stay on the ledge with Glen and I to recollect his energy. There was only one more group--the OKC boys, and we waited a while for them and finally saw them pass below us on the way to the first cave. We decided that Bob and I would go on and he would finish the run, while Glen waited to help the OKC gang with the cliff scaling. So, Bob and I were off and up. We collected the next book (Cliffhanger) from the Time Portal cave above (where I got my hand caught last month) and then popped out onto the Yellow Trail (Ho-Chi) and headed north. We reached the Sitting Rock, and crossed over to the west side, and went down down down all the way to Mooser Creek where a book was placed in the sink hole. (Darker Than Night) Bob was at a major advantage from this point on, because I had placed the books--no danger of missing one, or getting lost. Looking back, I should have deliberately got lost. Then we climbed back out of Mooser Creek, and and picked up book 9 (In The Deep Woods) in another small cave that someone was camping in not too long ago. Then, we went back down Then it was over to Pepsi Pond, and then made a hairpin turn and crossed over Mooser Creek on the concrete bridge where I had 2 cooler stashed. I guess most of the runners did not make it to this cache, because very little of the drinks were gone. From there, we crossed another dry creek bed and climbed a steep bank and hill over to the bicycle graveyard, an area where years ago some of the BMX guys had built some ramps and bridges that looked like Dr Suess contraptions to ride over. Most of these wooded structures have rotted out and fallen, and you get the idea you might see some bones laying around. I had another short out-and-back to Mooser Creek to get book 10 (The Turnaround) appropriately placed.
Well, at this point, we were 2 solid miles away, and while the trails back are good trails, and most of them were ones that the runners seldom used, there were no killer climbs, no caves, bluffs, water crossings--it was just a put-your-head-down-and-run sort of trail--and dodge the spider webs.Each year, I try to pull some sort of trick on the runners, and this year, I had bought 3 IDENTICAL books, and placed them along this trail, and called them all book 11. My thoughts were that it might make them think for a second they were going in circles. (I actually did make one group run incircles last year.) I think it caused a couple of them to briefly wonder if they were lost, but I think mostly they thought I was weird. Book 12 was (Blood Run) and book 13 was (Journey Into Darkness.)

Scott Herbst and everyone who stayed with him made it back and found all the books. Scott is a master of orienteering and adventure racing. He used the printed directions and found all the books fairly easily. A few of the next bunch made it back and missed only a book or two. The Hauge family got off course, and found only 10 or so of the books. The OKC boys overshot the first cave and reportedly looked into a guard shack somewhere and saw a guy that they thought was dead?!?!?They got to the cliffs where Glen was waiting much much later, and eventually called me because they were lost and out of water (missed the water cache.) I ran out and met them and brought them water, and we all made it back. Bret, one of the OKC guys, did not want the directions, and actually scribbled through them. I think they enjoyed getting lost as much as they would have enjoyed finding all the books.

Curfew at Turkey Mountain is 11:00 PM, but we were still out there until 3:00 AM before we packed it up and headed home. Hanging around and visiting with running friends is one of the finer things in life.

Big-time thanks to Dana who single-handedly marked the day course (and also pulled the markings) and brought all of the water/Gatorade. Thanks to Brian who set up the Tatur tents and brought a lot of the food stuff. And also thanks to those who pitched in a few bucks to offset some of the cost. This race has no sponsors and no entry fee. Possibly in the coming years, there may be a fee to do it and maybe t-shirts or something. Next year, I am thinking something will be different for the BBF. I may move it to another location. I may let someone else take the reins and give it a go....any takers? It's a fun event, and I don't want to let it go, but there are not many more surprises on the mountain. Unless Eldridge comes up with something.