OKC Marathon

OKC Marathon

Last Saturday, I made the annual trek down the turnpike to OKC to run the OKC Memorial marathon. This was the 10th running of the race, and it was a certainty that it would be the biggest and the best so far. This was my first marathon (2003) and at 43 years of age and at a lean trim 155 lbs, I ran a 3:57:06. Now I am fatter, older, and uglier. "Slower" just seems to fit all too well in that list of adjectives.

Maybe 200 friends or so from RunnersWorld made the trip, with 39 riding in a chartered Party Bus. The closest I got to the PB was following it down I-44. Rumor has is that wine and song were flowing, but what happened on the Party Bus stays on the Party Bus. This pic was put up on Facebook--Tom with a brewsky looking back as is he were TAUNTING ME!!! Poor little me all by myself in the car behind the bus. I posted a pic of MY party "bus".A very low alcohol content in my drink.

The riders of the Party Bus all stayed at the same motel, and the good times just kept rolling.
We were treated to a catered pasta buffet, and it was actually good...not bland at all, and it hit the spot.
Dessert was carrot cake and chocolate cake.
Brian wasted no time, treating dessert like an appetizer.


The alarm rang all too soon. 4:30 seemed an insane hour to wake up, although sometimes I am still UP that late. But to get to the start line in time, and to have time for a few pre-race photos, we had to get an early start.Festivity was in the air...the chilly air. It was a nippy 52 degrees at the start.
Good friends, good times. Although Ed was unaware, I had just put a sticker on the back of his singlet.And just to be fair, I was wearing stickers too!
I was running with a relay team. The Nutty Sole mates.Sandra was our captain, and she ran the 1st 10K. Susan took over from there, running 5K. Then, I took the chip and ran 12K before turning the reign over to Linda who ran 5K and handed off to Bobby who finished the last 12K. My actual plan was to run from the start and hang with my teamies the whole way. Sandra and I made our way to the back of the corral. The gun went off, and because of the long delay, we had time to visit the vacated porta-potties and still make the back of the crowd. Chip timing in a race like this is a good thing--we crossed the starting mat 15 minutes after the gun went off.Sandra had a timer, and we planned on running 2 minutes and walking one. We did this for the duration of the first leg, and averaged about 11 minute miles. I am now thinking seriously about using a timer and regimented walk breaks in the Mother Road III.
I snapped a pic of this shirt. The lady was a good sport....maybe it was because we WERE behind her.
One mile into the race we turned east, and were it not overcast, we would have had a good sunrise.Just a little later, the clouds seemed to disperse, and we ended up with a day of spectacular weather!Mile 4 I think....and Oklahoma's capitol building.
We caught up with friends Deon and Karen. Sandra tries her hand at photo-bombing.
Our transition time could have been a little better, but we really did not think we were gonna be in the money anyway. Sandra turns the chip over to Susan and leg 2 was underway.Susan abandoned the run/walk system, and chose to run by feel. We ran about 80% of the way, and only walked the hills.This was TRUTH in ADVERTISING.
We ran into a few clowns along the way.Actually, Jason and Lisa shouldn't be mentioned with the clowns. They had ran Free State the day before--Jason running 40 miles, and Lisa running a marathon, in ankle deep mud for most of the way. After a few hours of bathing, and a few hours of sleep, they left Kansas at 3:30 am and drove to OKC to cheer us on. Thanks, Jason and Lisa!!

And just to assure you I was not being critical of my teammates--I was no faster with the chip exchange.

I took off, and ran as fast as my middle-aged body would go. I thought I surely could reel off some 9 minute miles, but I struggled to keep a 10 m/m pace. Might have done a minute better had I not taken 3 or 4 pics and slowed to chat with a few RW friends. I did hit it hard near the end to look good at the transition. Linda took my chip and was off in no time. Give her an A for a quick exchange.Just a quick snap of Linda, and she was off before I could get a better shot.

I posed for a semi-group pic with Sandra and Susan........and then I continued my run at a more relaxed pace. I had passed Roman a few miles back, and he was having some hip flexor issues, and I thought I might wait up for him. About a mile in to this slower pace, I came to Candice, who had drove over to watch all of us run. (I think she really missed being out with us.) We chatted for a while while I waited for Roman. Conveniently, she was right in front of a Starbucks, but unconveniently, I did not have any $$$ with me. Awesome girl that she is, Candice hooked me up, and my usual TripleGrandeSoyLatte really hit the spot. Roman showed up right about then, and I resumed my pacer duty (actually, it was more like pacer privileges.)
I spent a little more time taking pictures from here on in.The finish line was not as lively a place at 6 hours as it might have been an hour or so earlier. I might have been under 6 hours for my actual time, although it was unofficial. Our relay team finished in 5:20 and change by the chip, which was better than our goal. I got a good training run. And, I was not really all that beat up as is usually the case after that much road running.

The Party Bus crowd had a late checkout at the motel, and I did manage to get all the salt washed off of me before heading home. All in all, it was a fun weekend!

Check back in a day or so--I may have a few more pictures posted. Also, read the post below for a stroll down Classen blvd.



PS I borrowed a couple of pics from the photography studio of Terrie Broomhall.

Needed to give her props.

Thanx, TB!

Trip Down Memory Lane (or The Road That Never Ends)

Those running the OKC Marathon will attest to the joys of running down Classen Blvd. Even the halfers got their fair share of the never-ending road.But finally, it ended, and we got OFF of Classen!!

I am laying in a bed in a motel in a strange town. I normally go to bed around 1:00 am or so, and the hour is 9:00 pm. I have a full belly of pasta and a huge bottle of SmartWater. I should sleep but it ain't happenin. Tomorrow at 4:15 I'll roll out and board a bus and ride 5 miles and lose myself in a crowd of 10000 kindred souls and run for 26.2 miles and call it fun. It IS fun!!!

Saturday, and Part 3

Another eventful Saturday....a day for the ages. <~~~a bit of a cliche I know, but after I get through telling this, maybe you'll agree. Today was the last "long run" in our marathon training group, and being in taper mode, we were only running 6-8 miles. I had thoughts about sleeping in, or going with some friends to Keystone to run trails there, but instead decided to run with my group one last time before the OKC marathon which is next weekend. Most in our group will run the 26.2, have fun, and decide to do it all again, so of course, I'll still see them. I also had a 10:00 sales call which was a sure sale, so running trails and driving to Keystone was out of the question, and with a short jaunt at the river on paved trails, I'd even have time for breakfast afterward and still have time to shower and make it to my 10:00. It all worked out as planned, and I wrapped up a nice sale. Life is good. But then it got better. Upon returning home from my sales call, Dana was decked out in her mud shoes and had our water bottles full and wanted to run on the trails at Turkey Mountain. You betcha!! It was a little muddy, and quite slick in places. We took turns shaking wet tree branches to douse each other as we ran, and that turned into kicking mud on each other. We were a muddy mess in no time. We ended up with about 5 miles by the time we made it back to the Jeep.

While running over by the YMCA, I noticed a little ravine that ran down towards Mooser Creek that bended a little to the east and looked to get really deep. It was cloudy and raining and it looked to be as dark as night in this canyon of sorts. Perfect place to send the Barkley Book Fair night runners, so when we got back home, ate a little late lunch, I headed back to check things out. It was raining pretty steady by now. My camera was not charged up, and I have been taking pictures with my iPhone, but chose to leave it home since I did not want to get it wet. I ran the Snake Trail, and as I reached Rock City, I turned north and proceeded to cut down the to the lower trail near where I saw this ravine. As I past the last of the huge boulders I saw someone just ahead....eesh, hope it's not some homeless man. I thought I'd turn on the jets and run quickly by, but as I neared the man, I noticed the long scraggly gray hair, and stopped. Sure enough, it was Eldridge.
"Hey man. How ya doin?" I asked.
"Hmmph. Doin ok. Rain and sich." I had all the time I needed this time to get to know this guy. The times before, I had to cut our conversation brief, although the first time he seemed to just disappear. Something was unusual about Eldridge....not like he was deranged or a perv or anything--I thought he had a story to tell, and what little he divulged in our previous meetings pointed to just that.
"You that kid that runs up here all tha time, ain't ye?"
"Yeah." I always seemed at a loss for words around this guy, and I just walked with him for a while. If I am not mistaken, He was wearing the same clothes he was wearing a month or so ago when I saw him south of 61st street. His shoes were held together with strapping tape--several layers. His long gray hair was oily and no doubt dirty, but he certainly had a better head of it than I do. Either my sinuses were plugged up, the wind was blowing the right direction, or least likely, he did not reek of B.O.
He headed onto the lower trail that heads over to the YMCA, and turned off a very faint trail that no one uses any more. I had been on this trail years ago, and there are a lot of old ramps and bridges that the trick bikers built. That's another mystery in itself, as those ramps are like something out of a Dr. Seuss book and no biker in his right mind would ever go over them. I stopped to look again at the wacky elevated wood bridges and ramps and reached for my camera and of course I did not have it. Eldridge was just about to drop over the edge of this plateau and down towards Mooser Creek, and I ran a few steps to catch him. He turned to see me jogging up, and for a second, I thought maybe I was invading his space. But he motioned me to follow him down a very steep decline right down to the murky muddy creek.
"Come on, I wanna sha you something." He held on to a rope-like vine and dropped right down into the creek, or so it seemed. I followed, thinking the vine was most likely poison ivy. Fortunately, my feet hit dry ground, and there was just a little creek bank between the earthen bluff and the water's edge. Then, we edged along the water towards an opening just to the east. Here, a large gully, actually a small canyon dumped into the creek. This, I thought, was the very canyon I had seen earlier from the top side. I followed Eldridge right up the opening of this ravine. It became increasingly dark, and it seemed as though the temperature dropped 10 degrees. The walls were steep, with craggy black roots and vines littering the sides. Mucking through mire was like shuffling through moss and tar, and the smell was of rotted leaves and mildew. About 200 paces or so, Eldridge froze, with an ear to the sky. I looked up, and could hear a a mountain bike on a trail above us, and they sloshed on by. Then, Eldridge reached for a vine on the west wall of the face of the canyon, and pulled back a weave of small limbs and leaves, camouflaging an opening into a small dug-out. "Gotta be careful who naughs about this here."
Um....like what are you hiding here???I thought. He stepped inside, and I followed. It was a fairly large cut-out area, and Eldridge reached for an old muddy oil lamp and with a quick strike of a match, illuminated the hand dug cavern. As he drug the makeshift door over the opening, I noticed a couple of rickety rusty lawn chairs, and he motioned me to sit down. Uncomfortably, I did so.
He took a seat and fumbled around in some pocket or compartment inside his jacket, and pulled out a wadded up foil pouch, and a pack of rolling papers. Oh great, we're gonna smoke some weed! How did I ever get into this mess??? However, as he rolled a cigarette, I noticed it was not marijuana but tobacco....maybe even pipe tobacco. He lit up, and the sweet smell of the smoke reminded me of my grandfather's pipe.
"Wanna smoke?" he asked.
"Nah, I don't really smoke." Stupid response.....either you do or you don't! That almost sounded like my momma would spank me if she found out I smoked! I needed to settle down. This guy still seemed like a passive man, not one at all intent on harming anyone. "What is this place?" I asked--breaking the ice.
"Oh, remember when ye asked where I lived? This is one of the places. I told you here, there, aroun. I guess you could call this 'aroun.' I dug this place out a few winters back when we had all that snow so bad and it sted cold so long. This place never gets to warm or too cold in the winter. Always a little wet, but a man can live here if he has ta."
"What do you eat?" WTG Ken--another dumb question!
"Well, I don't et all that much. I kill a squirrel or a rabbit ever now and then. I have a few potatas planted up the draw. Don't do much, don't need much food." I was thinking maybe I could bring him some decent food and lots of ideas were running through my mind. Then, I remembered what I really wanted to know about this man.
"Hey," I blurted, "Remember when we met about a year ago over on the bluffs by the railroad tracks. You showed me that cave, and we went in and came out somewhere else? Where was that? What happened there?" He was silent for what seemed like a long long time. He took several long draws on his cigarette, and a haze of smoke filled the cave. The nub of the cigarette was getting hot and he pinched it with the tip of his finger and thumb, just like stoners do with their reefer. He finally flicked it over to a dark corner of the cave, and took a long breath and let out a sigh.
"Well....you sim like someone who maught actually believe the story of that cave. There's a lot of things about this area and about me and people like me that no one would ever believe--nor would I think they could even if theyd seen it." Another long pause. He seemed to be thinking about what he was about to tell me--maybe weighing the pros and cons. Maybe he was schizophrenic. Maybe he was just full of crap. Maybe there was something about him that was indeed supernatural....
"See, people don't understand exactly how time works. People think of time as a long stret line. And for some folks, it is....and for them, it's all it'll ever be." I digested that a little, while he thought about what we was gonna say next. I wondered where he was going with this, and he had me on the edge of my rusty chair waiting in anticipation.
"See, if time was really just a long stret line, calenders would be a long ribbon a paper...but they ain't. People long ago when they started makin up calenders knew that--at least some of them did. But in a calender, each week is underneath the next. Monday is right underneath a Monday above it and so on. Time is more like that."What does that have to do with the cave, I thought.
"See, things in time maybe a week before, but often like weeks and months before, even years--that has connections to the actual day you is in."
"Wait a second," I jumped in, "You mean you're talking about time travel?"
"Not exactly. Things happening last week, last year....that has a lot to do with things happenin right now." Doh! I thought. Anyone would agree to that! I think he knew I was thinking that too, and he scrambled to clarify what he was trying to get across. "Sometimes certain people can make jumps in time when it overlaps like that. Now I know there's lots of stories and movies and such about time travel, and most all of em just got it all wrong. They try to make some sort of love story about it or someone figures he can get rich, win a bet on the world series, win the lottery or sumptin. It ain't all that glamrus. Folks that move around in time like that don't go for all that stuff."
"So you're saying you can move back and forth in time???"
"Well, most folks never believe it. You probably won't either. But a lot of you move around in time and don't even know it." I was all ears. He continued, "You ever go by someplace ever day, and then one day you notice something you ain't never seen?" Funny he should ask that--The ravine I had seen earlier was something similar to that. Also, noticed a huge hotel on 71st street that seemed to sprout up overnight.
"So you could be saying that if I drove to work every day, and than one day you notice a huge building there that you never notice being built just popping up?"
"Yeah! That's exactly what I am saying. That happened to you?"
"Well, yeah, but maybe I just didn't notice it being built..."
"Or maybe you experienced a time shift. You probably have things like that all the time. People just explain it away. Never think about it. Close it off." I needed some time to digest that, but he continued.
"You dream a lot at night?"
"Well, yes," I answered.
Now for a lot of folks, dreams are nothing but their minds wandering around a little while they sleep. But you ever have a recurring dream....one that you actually enjoy."
"Um, yeah. Some like when I go to work and forget to put my clothes on." Eldridge actually cracked a grin, and then laughed. I wondered if he was guilty of that dream a time or two....ooh! Not a good thought!
"No, like a dream when you have another life....maybe you're on an adventure, living somewhere completely different. A dream where it seems so real when you wake up and you wanna go back and pick up where it left off, and there seems to be no connection as to what in the hell you'd ever have that dream. That---is a sure sign of a time shift. You are living in a separate time line, and for a brief moment, you have a realization of it. And most folks just splain it away saying it's just a dream."

Right now, I was processing all of this in my head. The guy made an interesting argument for his case....but what did this have to do with the cave on the east bluffs? And I asked him, "So where does that cave over there come into play?"
"Well, see....most people have these time shifts, where they realize or at least experience an overlapping of time. Then there's some folks who have the gift of being able to jump around whenever they want. That's what that cave is, or was."
Ok....I am waiting with baited breath for this!!!

"See, years and years ago, actually centuries ago, there were some early settlers in the area. Some folks say they were the vikings, but I ain't so sure bout that. They found this area over there on the river and kept camp for a while because the river had a good solid bottom and wasn't too deep, plus there were caves at the base of the bluffs right where we was a year back, remember? One day, one of the higher ups wife was in the cave and it was a pretty good size deep cave back then. She got lost, and never came out. Legend has it that several parties of the men went down into the cave looking for her, and they finally explained her loss by evil spirits taking her. The settlers then vacated the area, saying it was cursed, but her husband stayed, and carved her likeness in the side of the bluffs, along with several other marks and in the cave carved out some writings, mostly notes and directions of where he had looked, and messages for his beloved wife Gwen. That was several hundred years ago. If you know where to look, you can still see some of those carvings over there. But she never was taken by evil spirits, and never got lost. She wandered through to the other side through a time rift. She was so taken by the beauty of what was on the other side, that she never returned. Never wanted to."
I was speechless.
"So years and years past, and no one really knew the cave was there. But when Tulsa was growing out that way in the 20s and 30s, and when the railroad went through, people discovered the cave again. It was a popular place for some of the adventurous sorts, and a lot of people went way back into the cave. A few people even got lost but always found their way out. My brother Richard and his girlfriend Anabelle went back there. They found out about that time shift thing, and went back a few times. Truth be known, Annabelle was pregnant, and I still to this day think they wazza trying to undo what they did!" Eldridge started laughing, and the coughing. It sounded like he got choked up on a chunk of phlem, and he doubled over half coughing half laughing. OMG, is this guy gonna die...do I need to do the Heimlich maneuver? But he regained control, and straightened up and tears were streaming down from his eyes.
Gard dangit, I loved both of em. See, somehow with that time rift, they would go in and come out, go back, come out, and they was thinking they was goin back in time. They was sure of it. Heck, they told one time, they was over there and they was maybe 10 years younger that they was. But there was a time when they was thinkin they was back, but in our eyes over here, they were not there at all. Folks thought they were lost in the cave and that's why they dynamited it off. I think I told you I digged my way through there and found them dead, cept they were like 80-90 years old, They musta died of old age, and I hope they lived a happy life. But the thing about it is, they were still right near the passageway, and it looked like they were tryin to find their way back. I buried them, and then got back out."
He seemed to be at a stopping place....maybe this was a lot harder story to tell than he was prepared for. And maybe I was the only one he had shared this with. I was wondering what he would say next, but he seemed to be through talking.
I finally broke the silence and asked' "So how long ago was this, and hold old are you now?"
"Well, that was back in 1934, I think. I was 15 or 16 then, so that's make me 90, maybe 91....hell, I don't know." This guy looked old, but no way he looked 90.
It was raining harder--I could faintly see the sheets of rain through the weave of tree limbs serving as the door. I looked back at Eldridge and he was rolling another cigarette. I did not wanna endure another 10 minutes of smoke, and edged towards the door.
"You don't believe all that I tole ya, do ye?"
Well,, Actually, I am an open minded person. Let's just say I ma fascinated and am still kinda going over all you told me in my head. A lot of it makes sense....it's just hard."
"There's somethin else ya gotta know. Don't go around trying to find yer way into that cave. There's still a passageway there. Ya gotta know how to git it opened up, and not many people have that knack anymore. Realizin that there's some time overlappin ever now and then is harmless enuff. Goin through and tryin to change things kin sometimes be a lotta trouble. See, sometimes when I goes through over there, I come back a hell of a lot younger that when I went in. Other times, I lose a lotta years. Jist never know. You keep away from that, you hear me?"
"Um, yeah, no problem." I pushed the branches and leaves away and took a step out of the earthen shelter, but turned around to Eldridge. "Hey, you ever need any food or anything....I'd be glad to help you out some way if you want."
"Aw thank ye son, but I don't need much. Ahm jist livin out my years. Don't worry about me none." And with that, I closed his makeshift door, and headed back down towards Mooser Creek.

Time shifts. Good material for science fiction, but a chilling possibility when the story is told in a carved out cave in a ravine above Mooser Creek.

Tuesday evening exploration

Bixhoma Lake brings back a few memories of when I lived in Haskell. My boys and I spent a few Saturday afternoons fishing there....never catching anything big, although I did catch a 5 pound catfish there once (which is a huge fish for me!)

In recent years, since I have started this running thing, I have wondered if there might be any trails around the lake. A couple of years ago, I tried to run around the lake. There are gravel/dirt roads around 2/3 of the way, but where the lake turns into more of a narrow finger and eventually a creek, the going was rough and the briers were thick. I did make it around, but it was not a pleasant run.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a sales call near Lake Bixhoma, and took a drive back to check things out.You can imagine my delight in finding this sign pointing up a hill!!!! I did take a 1/4 mile hike up a steep newly cut trail just before dark, but turned around when the trail was getting too hard to find in the waning daylight.

But yesterday, I had a little more time to do some exploring!I parked on the northwest corner of the lake near the new trailhead. After a couple of pictures, I was climbing. I made it to where I had been a couple of weeks earlier, and again, the trail seemed to fizzle out. There was a sign about the area that said something about the area having an grove of "old growth post oaks", some being hundreds of years old. (Just how old are trees anyway?) Since the trail was called the Ichabod Crane Post Oak Trail, I imagined a lot of tall craggy scary trees. Where the trail ended, and I looked around for 5 minutes or so to find any sort of a further trail, I noticed there were a lot of fallen trees. Old fallen trees.Maybe what this trail simply led to a tree graveyard? I paid my respects, and headed back down the hill.

From there, I headed around the lake to see if there was possibly a new trail that circled the lake!There are about 2 miles or so of gravel roads that make for a nice (short) run. I suppose one could treat it as an out and back to get a 4-5 miler in.I hit the end of the road, and there were no trails beyond that point, but there were lots of briers, so I headed back.On the way back, I kept an eye to my right to see if maybe I had missed anything trailish. That's when I started seeing interesting trees.I also found a trail that led straight up a steep climb, and of course, I checked it out. This side of the lake was gated off, and had seen no camping or picnicking for quite some time, but at the top of this hill, the trail led to an old campsite of sorts.This could have been a chair, or maybe a toilet. I did not investigate.
Back down the hill and back to the car.I would have liked to have had another hour or so to do more snooping. This area would be an awesome place to cut some trails. I need something to do in my spare time, right?Darkness was falling. It was time to go, since I did not have my headlamp with me.Bixhoma Lake is a great place to watch a sunset.Total miles for the day: less than 3. (I did not have my Garmin, but I am guessing near 3.)

Tick count for the day:Just this one--the first of 2010!

Accidental omissions and a final word

Ever have a lot of people to thank and give credit due for a great job done....and FORGET to mention them? Ever do that and the overlooked person is your spouse? Um....guilty! Dana organized all the aid station stuff way into the night and wee hours of the morning Saturday. Then, she spent the afternoon cooking hundreds of hamburgers and hotdogs. Then, loaded much of the start/finish stuff into the truck. The finish of McMurtry could not be the same without her.

David Wood, from the Oklahoma Trail Runners and Scott Nutt ran the North Canyon aid station which is by far the hardest to get to. Christin, one of the Crew Chicklettes, ran the South aid station again this year. This rest stop is the last one the runners see, and whoever works it is out there longer than anyone. Sandra, the most famous of all the Crew Chicklettes, ran the most difficult aid station of all. The Peninsula aid stop it right in the middle of a complicated intersection. The runners hit this at about mile 2, and again at about mile 4. Both times, the runners need to get what they need, and turn right. Sounds easy, but so many runners over the years have got confused, got lost, gone crazy, or worst! I call this the McMurtry Triangle. Sandra had one person tell her she must have a twin out at one of the other stations.(Sandra DOES the work of 2, but she is the one and only!) Thank you guys so much for your hard days work!

Finally, the Leap O' Doom. One of the runners from RunnersWorld called the Leap O' Doom like the Grand Canyon on steroids. Jon Gambino said, "The Leap O' Doom was epic! It was almost FEET wide!"We were fortunate that no lives were lost crossing the Leap, and no one was seriously injured. My only regret is that we did not have a photographer capturing everyone's brief moment of soaring across the crevice. Maybe next year....

LMTR Ramblings

Finally, after a couple of good nights sleep, I am able to reflect on the past weekend. My 2nd year of RD at Lake McMurtry went well. Brian and I were thinking possibly 130 to 150 runners, but instead, 215 runners signed up and most towed the line Saturday morning in one of the 4 starting times.As is nearly always the case, some runners got off course. Most of them merely ran on a semi-parallel trail for about a half mile and came out very near to where they needed to be, and 3 good natured dudes got into the McMurtry Triangle and ran in circles for 12 miles before coming back to our world.

From my standpoint, it was a fun but very stressful day. I was working with almost no sleep, and had spent the day before setting up the aid stops and doing a few touch-ups to the course markings.I had the awesome help of my nephews John and Jeff. There will be a day when they have other things to do and will not be able to help me with this race. I do not know what I will do then!Our poor TATUR tents have been through a lot lately. Every time we put our tents up, we have epic winds, or as in the case 2 weeks ago, tons of snow. But, nothing a little duct tape can't fix!

All the aid station foods were delivered either right before or just after the 50K early starters were sent off. After each start (7:00 am, 8:00, 8:30, and 9:00, I had to run someone or something out to an aid station. Each time, I was barely able to get back to be part of the next send-off. Brian was a lifesaver giving all the blah blah blah before each start. I'd come trudging in just in time looking the part of a TZ.

Jason, Lisa, and Kurt look great BEFORE the 50K. This trio is going to Desert Rats, a 6-day stage race in June along with Kurt's MUCH BETTER half Shelley, Vicky Afterburn, and Mike Adams. More on this story in a future blogpost.Speaking of Mike, here he is looking calm and cool. Is he thinking another win? I bet he is. I saw mike at mile 1 and he was running up a hill at a 6 minute mile pace +/-. He and Jay Jump ran together for several miles before the old guy (Mike turned 40 on Saturday) let the youngster go and settled for 2nd. And speaking of Vicky, she finished 3rd in the 50K. Shelley finished 2nd in the 25K. TATUR babes rock!! And TATURs will rock Desert Rats!

I was doing good to get any pictures at all. Here, the 25Kers head out for their passage over the north loops. we could have not gotten better weather is we tried. The rain from the day before did nothing but soften the trails and keep the dust at bay. There was very little mud on the course, and the temps were perfect for running. Only the 50Kers during their last miles had to be concerned with the heat.

At 9:00, we sent the 12Kers off.This distance had more runners than last year, and the cool thing, since it is kind of an odd distance, most everyone got a PR. The speedsters were through in less than an hour, and the people of my speed were in the 2 hour range.

It was very hectic from this point on. I was confident that there would be no one getting lost this year. But, somehow, a Y intersection that had been marked to direct the traffic one way had the tape torn down. Not sure if it happened that morning or late the afternoon before. But, a lot of the 50K and 25K runners were coming back on a different trail. I bolted to where I thought the problem was, barking directions to the runners as they past. The actual difference in the 2 trails was maybe a tenth of a mile....no big deal. It's a trail race anyway, and we do not generally charge extra for extra miles ran. If we did, a lot of people would owe me a dime! After fixing the altered course markings, I hurried back to the start/finish to help Brian with the timing, tag tearing, recording names, numbers, and times. It was maddening, but we made it. With 3 different distances, and the 50Kers coming through and going back out, the 25Kers passing through or finishing, and the throng of 12Kers, it was a monumental task keeping it organized. But Brian kept a cool head, and with the help of Shannon Dorothy, Chuck, and a few other people here and there, the task was completed. To my knowledge, there was only one person who did not get her time posted in the results and that has since been fixed.

I may be sticking my neck out a little here, but I think everyone had an awesome time. Someone will correct me on this, but I saw more smiles than tears after the race.

As I said, we were expecting 130, hoping for 150, and had over 200. Therefore, we ran out of t-shirts and finishers awards. A snafu in the medals for the winners left me scrambling for something nice to give out to those deserved runners. A good friend who made the Snake Run trophies came through and got us these crystal-like egg-like paper-weight-like trophy-like thingies. I like em.

The key chain finishers awards went like salmon patties at a cat picnic. Wish I had ordered more. Next year, I'll have PLENTY!




A course record was SMASHED in the 25K by Joseph Gray, from Team Inov8. Joe ran the race in 1:31. AMAZING! You can read his race report here.




TATUR did not invent the peanut-butter-m&m-oreos, but we sure like em and have them at all the aid stations. They are an ultra-runner delicacy, ranking right up there with boiled slated potatoes. But this year at LMTR, we may have taken the super-snack to a new level!Tom Robinson saw this and after a gaze to the heavens and a word of thanks, he scarfed it down. I wonder if the candy coating on the Advils makes it hard to differentiate between the candies and the drugs?

Finally, I want to thank Chuck, who works tirelessly all day cooking, running stuff to aid stations, helping with emergency course marking, helps with the timing. And did I say cooking? He makes the most delicious jambalaya ever. If you missed it, well that's a shame. Best after-race food ever!

So, after the shouting is done, I wonder what changes, if possible, could make this a better race for next year. There is no way we could top the weather. But more shirts, more finishers awards for sure. Marking the crucial turns down low and up HIGH so a speeding mountain biker might not mow the ribbons down? Maybe big signs with arrows? I am considering taking the south leg down towards the boat ramp and around the back side of the store to the trail head. Just a thought. maybe a blow-by-blow turn-by-turn course description? A map is good, but the important turns near the start/finish would be hard to see on a map. Maybe course marshals with tazer guns?

Well, next up? I dunno. the Midnight Madness 50 Miler, Kettle Moraine, OKC Marathon, Ouachita 50M. Maybe all of them. At least I am through RDing for a while. (Except for the Barkley Book Fair!!)