Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd 2017 a few pics and words

It's hard to believe that we've had SEVEN years of the Pumpkin  Holler Hunnerd. We've always had good weather for this race (oh we've had a few warm afternoons.) But this year gave us a huge obstacle--a severe, slow-moving thunderstorm during the night after the 50K and shorter distances were complete. But more on that later.

The scary pumpkin rose from the depths of mutilation by the evil two-headed vulture and was photographed chomping on a runners leg. Thanks to Susan Melon Westmoreland of Mile Junkie for the artwork for this year's shirt.

Photo by Gina Day

Stormy Phillips handled the announcements and race play by play and color commentary. 

Photo by Gina Day

I was actually fairly well rested this year, and set about the duties of smashing large pumpkins to start the three waves of runners. We allowed a two-hour early start for the hundred milers who worried that they might not make the 30-hour cutoff. We did this as a trial since in past years we have also had a 135-mile race and a lot of 100 milers took that start time and dropped down to 100 miles, giving them 40 hours. Next year, we may not have the early start, since it causes some minor and but fixable problems with the results

Photo by Gina Day

A good crowd of 100-milers, 100Kers, and 50Kers started out right at 8:00 am.

Photo by Gina Day

The 25K and 10-mile races started at 10:00. This year, the 25K used the main loop instead of crossing the nature preserve-traded in a long hill for a shorter but steeper one. Plus, they got to see Mad Dog and Them Idiots for the first time.

Photo swiped

And yes, our old bridge that was torn down last year (and at least "I" am still mourning the loss of) meant an extra mile of pavement to get to the new concrete replacement that is named Combs Bridge, a name stolen from the old steel historic, yet removed landmark. I just have to bitch.

Photo by Lisa Butler

A bit of a bustle early on, but the crowd soon thinned out. This race could easily handle 500 more runners.                

Photo by Misty Rowland

The blue loop is 29.7 miles including the out and back to the start/finish. 50Kers had a short out and back by the Nature Center on the purple road. The 100K had a longer out and back. The 100-Mile had a much longer out and back. From there on, the 100K and 100-mile just had loops--no out and back. The second and third loops were shorter--29.7 miles.

Photo by Chrissy Whitten

One of the prettier sections early on the loop, the gravel road runs between a  steep upward bluff to the right and the Illinois River to the left.

Photo by Chrissy Whitten

About 4.5 miles into the loop, the long hill leading to Mad Dog greeted the runners. I love this hill. It just goes on and on and on with a couple of false summits. This hill was the beginning of my introduction to this race course--the one that was easily summited with hardly breaking a sweat. Of course, I was driving my Jeep.

Photo by Kristin Wise

Kevin LeMaster and fam ran Mad Dog again for the 7th consecutive year. Night have caught them napping on an early round I drove. Mad Dog is the 10-mile turnaround.

This year was pleasant during the day with the sun peeking out every now and then but with a course that's 80% shady, it was a great day.

FrankMuller and Johnny Spriggs run the self-named Dem Idiots. They had a variety of smoked meats and sausages. And whiskey.

Photo by Kristin Wise

Clouds moved in around mid-day. I borrowed quite a few pictures from FB buddies, and this was one of them. There's no shortage of great picture-taking opportunities. Just point and shoot--a great photo guaranteed. 

Photo by Clint Green

Another great picture on a rare sunny stretch of the route.

Photo by Clint Green

Screaming down the hill into Savanah Corner. What would await them??

Jfrank with candy tassels no less!! I saw these in person but never saw them spin more than once or twice.

Photo by Bryan Drummond

This is the only picture I could scrounge u from the Waffle Stop. I don't even see any crusty batter on the griddle. I could have done a much better job of picture taking. Next year we'll have a photography team.

Photo by Lisa Butler

RJ, Abby, and Alicia ran the turnaround for the 100-milers. This aid station only saw 30 runners, and then their schedule was complete. They were overstocked on foodstuff, but they transported the surplus to other aid stops and were put to work on other fun stuff--pacing and shenanigans.

East of Eden is the far point on the course. Kate and Ed manned this lonely corner again this year. Kate and Ed have the best beans and cornbread around. I had seconds. There is no cell service here Local residents don't even know what cell phones are--but they're pretty back-woodsy anyway.

At East of Eden, runners have an option. The Great Gourd Challenge--to do, or not to do? They can continue on the course, or take the small detour up a decent incline--a mere 236 feet in a half mile (if you take out the flat part, 200 of the feet of climb in about .25 of a mile.) It's a calf burner on the way up and a quad burner on the way down. At the top, Susan Melon Westmoreland awaits and presents you with a nice souvenir to wear with pride. This year, it was a buff-like stretchy thing (can't call them Buffs) and almost 100 runners took the challenge.

Photo by Earl Blewett

Next aid station is Hard Up Ahead. The last segment goes by a few houses and the Pumpkin Holler Cemetary. The old graveyard is a scary place indeed in the middle of the night. That's allI'm gonna say about that.

Photo by Earl Blewett

Earl Blewett and Chuck Streit have attended to this aid station for all seven years of the race. They are probably the most experienced ultra runners I know. Earl was running 100-milers when there were only about 75 people in the world who even knew running 100 miles was possible for a human to do. In the picture above, we know that this is from lap one because Kathy and Mike are smiling, and are dry.

Photo by Wes Rupell

The next stop is Bathtub Rocks. The segment to get here is paved--old asphalt with a few gravel spots here and there. There are a few sneaky hills sprinkled in--hills that grow during the night, and by the third lap, they are mountains. Bathtub rocks is a party station. Disco light and lively music is standard fare. Runners have come to expect gourmet food here, and this year did not disappoint.

Picture swiped

Last Gasp is the last aid station on the loop. Shorty can be a loving encourager, feeding runners warm soup, fixing their feet, massaging cramped calves, but mention anything that sounds like quitting, and she turns into a rabid drill sergeant. No DNFs on her watch. From here it's only 3.5 miles to the finish, and she always gets the runners on their way.

Photo swiped from Bryan Carpenter who probably swiped it from someone else

Earlier in this post, I mentioned "a severe, slow-moving thunderstorm during the night." If you've read my two previous race reports (Cloudsplitter and Heartland) then you know that heavy rain with high winds, hail, and general misery have been a common theme--so why should this week be any different???  A bad squall line was bearing down on us bring a 110% chance of rain. And rain it did. All night long. Relentless rain. So bad--it was fun--if you had been dropped on your head.

Photo by Earl Bewett

I had done my best to get tarps and/or tent walls to every aid station, and they helped. The aid station workers had it the worst. Running or even brisk walking generated enough body heat to keep runners from having hypothermia, but sitting around in the aid stations trying in vain to stay dry was not the dream situation for our volunteers. But we at Pumpkin Holler have the best volunteers in the world.

Photo by Misty Rowland

Stormy Phillips (what an appropriate name!!) emceed the start/finish line for 32 hours. He sent the early starters off at 6:00 am Saturday. He cheered the 10-milers and 25Kers in to their finish. He heaped on kudos to those finishing the 50K, praised the 100Kers and 100-milers as they embarked on their 2nd and 3rd laps and then administered the accolades to the multi-lap conquerers as they crossed the finish line. Dude never slept and was chatty and funny nonstop. I'm not sure how he did it.

Photo by Misty Rowland

32 hours after he started he was just as witty yet genuine as ever. Great and appreciated performance, Stormy Phillips. 

Jesse Deana was the final finisher and she got the honor of smashing the last pumpkin. Jesse was close to being behind the cutoff, and with 9 miles to go, it looked like she might not make it. But she had great pacers and once she passed Last Gasp, she picked up the pace and finished with 6 minutes to spare. 

Top three in the following distances are as follows.

10 Mile Men

1. Dominic Halser

2. Kyle Knapp

3. Steven Hill

10 Mile Women

1. April Shroff

2. Morgan Richardson

3. Holly Bronsert

25K Men

1. David Carter

2. Ted Holder

3. Joe Van De He

25K Women

1. Lori Enlow

2. Missie Warner

3. Annette Ward

50K Men

1. Mark Schattenbe

2. Aaron Trujillo

3. Josh Crocker

50K Women

1. Katie Kramer

2. Amanda LLynch

3. Lindsay Fritsche

100K Men

1. Bo Shelby

2. Cory McDaniel

3. Rob Green

100K Women

1. Ruth Loffi

2. Elizabeth Baker

3. Jennifer Benecheck

100 Mile Men

1. Justin Walker

2. Lance West

3. Jeff Lewman

100 MileWomen

1. Lisa Butler

2.Kathy Hoover

3. Sherry Meador

Full results for all distances can be found here.

Crotch  shot by David Newman

Our copper belt buckles were well received. Even as RD I have these buckles in my possession, I have a major case of buckle envy, and I am just going to have to find a way to run the 100 to earn one that I can wear.

Photo by Candy Williams

It's so hard to thank every volunteer individually, but heartfelt thanks to the 80+ volunteers who gave a day or two of their lives to help make this race special for our runners.

Big props to Dana Childress and Brynna Schelbar Phillips who ran the start/finish aid station which doubled as the final feasting place for finishers. During the night in the rain, inside their walled tent, they stood in 6" of cold standing rainwater. Come daybreak, we moved the station to higher ground, and the breakfast crew sprang into action. Brynna server up scrambled eggs, bacon, and a variety of quesadilla/burrito concoctions. Dana created all the aid station kits, which included shopping for nearly $2000 of food/drink, and then packing over 100 pounds of grub into huge packing tubs for each of the aid stops. She also orchestrated set up and tear down of the start/finish (except for what was provided byTATUR Racing) and packing the box truck for the trip home. All that to say this--we have the best volunteers on the planet.

What's new for next year? We do have a few changes in mind, and in the next few weeks/months, I'll clue everyone in on what we have up our sleeves!!

Pumpkin Holler 2016 Recap

I'm pretty late in getting my race recap wrote. Sorry. This year brought another record crowd out to Eagle Bluff Resort to our SIXTH RUNNING of the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd. our numbers increased in the 25K, 50K, and 135-mile events. The 100K and 100-Mile attendees were off a little, but a lot of 135ers stopped at 100 miles or 100K. The 10K was set aside in lieu of a 10 Mile, which is a better fit for the course.

e

10:00 p was the start for the 135ers, 29 runners toed the line, for a 16-mile jaunt across the Nature Preserve under the light of a full moon, and then had four 29.7-mile loops to get their hard earned 135-mile buckle and trophy. 

Mike Rives (pictured above) and Ken Saveth drove mobile aid stations, one keeping u with the faster runners and one staying back for the slower starters. This worked fairly well, and by daybreak, the aid stations were up and running on the loop. Mad Dog and Dem Idiots even stayed up for the super ultra runners. This adds up to close to 40 hours of aid station duties for these two aid stops. They have my utmost gratitude!!

8:00 am was the start for the 50K, 100K, and 100-Mile races. There was a huge thundering crowd that roared through the campground and out the gate. 

Unlike the past 5 years, we had to run for about a quarter mile down HWY 10 to the new concrete bridge that replaced the old charming steel bridge. Progress just sucks sometimes. 

I swiped pictures from Deanna Thornton, Johnna Ellison, Misty Roland, Brian Lamb, Ken Saveth, and master photographer Laurie Biby. I saved the ones I liked but did not mark down which belonged to whom. I expect to pay royalties.
                             

Dirty Sanchez takes a break after the huge incline up to Mad Dog. Breakfast was being served. Kevin Lemaster has manned this aid stop about mile 5 in the loop, and he also made the finishers bandanas. Kevin also is the brains and owner of Ultra Gator--one of our sponsors. He is a good person to call for personalized individual race shirts, hats, or jackets.

The gravel roads were the best they've ever been. The area had a spattering of rain the past two days, and the dust was minimal, the normally had surfaces were a tad softer, and the dime sized gravel was hardly a problem. I wish the leaves had turned a bit more. We have had a summer that has hung on too long!

Johnny Spriggs and Frank Muller headed up the next aid station on the course. These two crazies are the brains behind the Post Oak Challenge--which has three days of running next year.

Their name was self-imposed, and I appreciate their honesty. They had a huge variety of finger foods. Their possum belly roll-ups were yummy. Beer was their drink of choice, but sodas, H20, and Heed were also in abundant supply.

I drove the course a tie or two and made a couple of emergency trips to pick up overheated runners. I do feel the need to go back and run myself a loop or three.

Savanah Corner was the next aid stop, and John, Jeno, and JFrank held down the fort here.This was the second possible crew stop, and a lot of crews took advantage of this. This wide T intersection was barely passable for much of the race.

Savannah  Corner--home of the holy crop tops, complete with hairy bellies.

Mr. Arnold Begay--100-mile finisher. Arnold finished Pumpkin Holler--but only after finishing Urban Adventure 100, Arkansas Traveller 100, and Heartland 100 in the three preceding weeks. Four 100-milers in four weeks. 

A new aid station on a new route on the course. We did away with the old out and back, and added an out and back by the Nature Center. Since the loop around the Nickel Nature Preserve was 29.7 miles, we added 1.5 miles here for the 50K, 3 miles for the 100K, and 11 miles for the 100 Mile. All distances got their out and back miles on the FIRST LOOP. This was a risky change, but the runners loved it. Susan Melon Westmoreland made big bold yellow signs noting the specific turn around points. No one messed up to my knowledge.

The Waffle Stop--a crowd favorite, for those who like waffles, was manned by none other than Mitch Drummond and his partner in crime Roman Broyles.

They risked being shot by clown-o-phobes, but had fun scaring the crud out of the squeamish.

On to East of Eden. This aid station is famous for RockStar Eddie Carden, and my favorite hippie chick Kate Ellisor. It' also famous for their beans and cornbread, and for camp fires that set bears on fire.

At East of Eden, runners have a choice of adding an extra mile to their race--a mile that involves a 236' climb. That doesn't seem all that bad on paper, but considering the 236' is crammed into 1/4 mile of road, it's a real doozy of a climb--and the descent is a real quad killer. WHY would anyone WANT to do this extra mile--one that easily adds 20 minutes to their race time?? Well, for bragging rights, and for the goodies that await the at the top. Susan Melon Westmoreland greeted the runners and presented them with their commemorative Pumpkin Holler Melon Wrap--sort of like a Buff--but we can't call them a Buff. I managed to snag an extra for myself, and they look good on my melon. Susan, owner of Mile Junkie (one of our sponsors) has consistently pulled off real works of genius for these awards at the top of the hill.

This is Pumpkin Holler Road. It's scenic, but at this stage of the race, runners are scenicked out. This section is about 4.3 miles, but it seems to just drag on and on. Hard Up Ahead i--well--just up ahead.

Here, Chuck Streit and Earl Blewett greet their runners with potato soup, barley and mushroom soup, and a wealth of ultra knowledge. They have been a staple at this aid and crew stop for all six years.

Three miles of old asphalt later, and you have reached Bathtub Rocks. This is later in  the loop,and many runners especially n the longer distances feel like the walking dead--and the course decorations pointed to this.

this natural water crossing brings tourists in from all over the world. This stream that runs across the road cascades down a rock formation and has several  holes deep enough bathe in, and one big enough to swallow a Volkswagen. I have always said I needed to jump in the deep hole, but I've yet to do it.

These guys decorated my office. Fortunately I made it out after catching a nap.

Shorty ran the show at last Gasp again. She is famous for fierce pep talks, hard massages, and not taking crap.

This sign made by her buddy Melon is more than fitting

It was a hot year--maybe the hottest, but the heat with the humidity and the allergens in the air made for tough conditions for many of our runners. We had one drop--like pass out--just .2 mile from the finish line. Dana, Ken Saveth,  Edward Lebowski, and I worked on him for 30 minutes and finally got him up into a chair, got dome fluids in him, and got him a ride on to the finish. Sherry Meador, a friend who runs Lots and Lots of 100s stopped her race and selflessly helped with this runner. I was impressed with her. 

Another guy--a pacer--had to stop due to heat exhaustion on the far side of the course. His runner had to leave him and let him walk back to the aid station they had just left. Savannah Corner took good care of him, and by the time we picked him up, he was in much better shape.

What do we have here?? A BANDIT aid station cropped up 1.5 miles from the finish line! Meego, Mike Rives, and a huge group of cronies server various beverages from mid afternoon until the next day. Nothing like a shot of Fireball to make you forget the pain for a few minutes.

The start/finish had a steady stream of runners all through the night. Stormy Philips, Shannon McFarland, and Jody Lingbeck stayed awake for them and handed them their hard earned medals, trophies, finishers bandanas, and served the hot food. 

My sweet wife Dana worked her tail off--first going almost four days with no sleep shopping for aid station supplies, organizing them, helping me pack the big truck, setting up all the  food for the pre-race dinner, setting up the aid station food at the start/finish, setting up the post race food, then heading up the loading of all the race stuff late in the day Sunday. Oh--and throw in filling water jugs and ice off and on during the day. But it's not over then either. The big truck has to be unloaded, all the stuff re-organized, keep what can be saved, throwing away what won't keep--she's the MVP. Plus she puts up with all my crap.

And thanks to Ken Saveth who did the roving aid station thing and then did gopher work for most of the rest of the race. And then there's Eldon Galeno who fresh off a busy week RDing the Heartland 100 miler the previous weekend came down and drove stuff out to the aid stations all day and all night and mot of the next day. Valuable stuff.

I spent most of the report talking about aid stations and volunteers, but these people are the lifeblood of the race. Without great help like we have, it would not be possible to have an event such as this. 

I mentioned Arnold running four 100s in four weeks. Kathy Bratton also ran four in four--and seemed to run each one a bit faster. I need to see a list of who all has done streaks like this. Kathy said she thinks the record is six in six weeks. I bet that Kathy is in the top 20 for most 100-mile finishes for women, Some research will bear that out. Russell Bennett also has a lot to be proud of, Russell WON the 100-miler, And this was after doing two 100-milers in the previous two weeks. They call him the Iron Horse. Rightly so.

Chris Dial paced Johnna on her last loop of the 100K--her first. She is poised and ready for the next step--the hundo.

Another couple of 100kers. Jodee and Candy have accomplished everything they have set out to do. I'm impressed with them, although they do seem to think I stretch the truth a little--or maybe I flatten out the truth a little. They should make up a bunch of these head wraps. i could use them on a long trail run--might keep me from losing a sock. ;-)

Chrissy whitten had a great story. Her first daughter had a chromosome disorder and lived 103 days before getting her angel wings. Chrissy had talked to me for a few years about running 103 miles to honor the memory of her daughter I was thrilled she chose to complete that goal at Pumpkin Holler. She wisely chose to sign up for the 135-miler which in effect gave her 40 hours to reach her desired total. She ran the 16 miles out and back--then 4 29.7 mile loops, and also ran the Great Gourd Challenge for a total of 106 miles. She was always upbeat, and after the race, she said she was one and done--but as is usually the case--she has her sights set on Prairie Spirit for her next 100 on April 2017.

Full race results can be found here.

There will be a few changes for next year. First off--a possible change of venue for the pre-race dinner. More details to come. Second--a change of location for the start/finish. We have found at Eagle Bluff a more scenic place where you can see the runners as they cross the bridge and the runners can see the finish line about a quarter mile before the get there. We will add one more manned aid station at the 100 mile turn around. There may be a couple of other changes in the works as well.

Registration will be open for 2017 by December 1. Look for it!!