Sunday, March 22, 2009
Six Hour Long Snake Run Report
The Snake Run began early for race directors Brian and TZ. The course was marked the day before, the porta-johns were in place. But the starting line and aid stations needed to set up, the time clock put in place, as well as setting up for all the peeps who wanted to sign up just before the race, those picking up packets, and probably other stuff that we had both forgot about!
Mitch Drummond had volunteered to time the race for us. He had a program that worked flawlessly for counting laps of the runners. Truly, with the larger than expected number of runners, we could not have managed without him. Many many thanks!!
This race was like a reunion, or a homecoming. It was awesome to see so many friends, some of which I rarely get to see.
Case in point is Bill Richardson, who only lives an hour away in Perry Oklahoma. We ran with Bill on his birthday run last May. Some of the snake pics in a recent post were taken during the night while running with him. Bill led the Snake Run for a few laps early in the day. I did not get to visit much with him, but hope to hang out with him again in May. 
To the right is Ken, aka K2, another good friend. K2 and I usually hang out on Saturdays. Still good to see him, and thanks, K2, for the several great pics you sent me!
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Another friend who I have not seen as much of lately was Paul. This guy has a wish list of 100 milers longer than MINE! Paul keeps throwing the idea out of running the HURT 100 in Hawaii....hmm....I am still thinking....
Another good friend and kindred spirit, Bob sports a cool vest. I have one just like it, and shoulda wore it. We coulda been TWINS!!!!
TATUR BABES!!!! Shelley, Nikki, Vicky, and Kat. Not a slow one in the bunch.
In an effort to continue a tradition, T Z snaps a picture of Nikki adjusting a wardrobe malfunction. Sorry, Kurt. It's the best pic I could manage this time around.
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Some of the RunnersWorld gang. Super Runner Girls Rachael and Linda along with Bobby and Susan. Brian displays an expression of his intellect.
Joye, who takes to trail running as if she has always been a dirt diva, is all smiles before the run. Busy girl....she ran her race, and then was up to her ears in baby showers, as her daughter and my great friend Candice is expecting a new trail runner in just a very few days. Missed you out here, Candice!
First time to meet Kerry (hope I spelt yer name rite). She did not seem like the usual "blue hair!" Ran a great race, and I overheard Vicky and Shelley recruiting her to come back out to Turkey for more trail running. Hope to see ya!
Turkey Mountain regulars Debbie and her Dad Don mingle before the race. Wonder where Deanna was?
More of the RunnersWorld gang.
Perhaps I should devote a whole post to this friend of mine. Bill Ford, aka Spud is a TATUR friend from Ponca City. Bill has an acquaintance who runs for his high school cross country team, and is going to Australia for a meet. Bill wanted to help him with the finances of the trip, and was running for 24 hours to help raise funds for his friend. Bill started Friday around 3:00, and ran the rest of the day, and then all night, and then ran the 6 Hour Snake Run, finishing with 88 miles!!!!! He was taking pledges, with some people donating set amounts and some donating so much per mile he ran. Bill has ran several ultras, with his longest race being 50 miles. There is no doubt in my mind that he has many 100 milers in him. I think he proved that.
Kathy ran with him from 3:00 in the afternoon Friday, and way into the night, and then crewed for him while my friend Marvin took over the pacing duties. Kathy then ran the Snake Run with Bill and ended up with 68 miles herself.
Marvin is an awesome pacer. I can vouch that if Bill came to a cattle guard, Marvin would have carried him over it!
Thanks to Glen for helping out before the race. Glen takes a lot of heat from me and especially Kurt for reasons that I am sure the censors on Blogger would flag. Glen has a big 100 mile bull's eye on his back, and I look for him to tackle the distance pretty soon.
A couple more fast Taturs. Mike Adams, who won last years Snake Run by running 41 miles chats with Tom Dorothy, who finished 2nd this year! Awesome job, Tomdog! More about Mike's performance later in this post.
After some pre-race instructions, the Brian sent the runners off! Click on this link for a sequence of race-start pics.
Hope that link worked, but if not, the pics are in the previous post that can be viewed by scrolling down.
Eric cruises through the woods. Eric went on to finish 3rd male. WTG!
Tina keeps a steady pace, and a fast one at that. Her husband Wayne held on for a while and finally cut her loose. More on Tina later.
A Snake Train. This two mile out-and-back made for a race where even when things got spread out, runners were never alone. Fortunately, the trail was just wide enough that passing was not much of a problem.
Yay Jenni!!
Kathy adds to her total finishing with 68 miles in less than 24 hours.
My nephew Jeff ran 16 strong miles, and then helped out at the start/finish.
His twin brother John (in the yellow shirt and green jacket) helped at the turn-around aid station for four hours, and then ran 4 miles himself.
A few runners got the most out of the trail by taking a fall. I have always said a good trail run involves a little dirt, mud and/or blood.
Carmie got a little dirty.
Chrissy took a fall and sports a little dirt. But they did not get as many points as Teresa below.
A nice little bloody knee action. Congratulations!
On and on, the runners ran. Miles and miles of dirt, roots, and rocks.
Tinker Bell made an appearance, or was that Stinker Bell?
Our youngest runner, Annabelle, covered four miles at the age of three!! Very impressive!!!
Tom, the Protein Bar chef, ran in what may have been his first trail run. While he did inquire about shortcuts a time or two, I think he enjoyed himself.
Carmen, Sam, and Sandra are near the end of their run. I am pretty sure it was the first time on dirt for them as well. I heard they thought they got a half marathon in. Congrats!
This quartet of RunnersWorld babes are all smiles after their great run. Carmie, Teresa, and Cindy are no strangers to the trails or ultras. Not sure about Donna. I am sure she'll be on the ultra bandwagon soon if she keeps this company.
Susan relaxes after her outing. Susan stopped at 8 miles, and later went out for another 4 miles. 12 miles is a great bunch of running, girl! Susan is going to Greece later this year to take part in the Athens marathon I hear.
Glen kills a brew after running all day. Kat wonders if her beer is safe after Glen finishes his.
I don't think this guy drinks. Actually, Kurt has a corner of McNellies named after him. He also has a morbid fear of narwhals, so bad, that he almost withdrew from this race.
Vicky and Nikki discuss future races? Vicky SWEARS she'll never run a 100. Hmmm.... but she did say she would be glad to pace someone. Good thing, as I am actively recruiting.
Third place Kara, and her trail running daughter Annabelle! Awesome job, ladies!
Julie rests after running all day. I can't wait to view all the results....I know Julie ran a long way.
And who ran the farthest?
Tina King ran the farthest among the women, finishing 34 miles, a course record for women.
And my friend Mike Adams defended his title, winning the event for the second year, bettering his total from last year by 1/2 mile.
Mike ran 41 1/2 miles in six hours, after skiing all last week. And then, helped pull course markings and tear down the aid stations, and drove home to Manhattan, KS. WOW!!!
Special thanks to Roman, who ran a little then manned the turn-around aid station for the last 4 hours of the race. Also to Lisa, who gave up running to help with the timing even though she was feeling a little cruddy. And most of all, to Taturcakes, aka Dana aka my loving wife, who puts up with a grouchy sleep deprived zombie, cooked cheesecake and brownies all day Friday, and worked both aid stations all day long, and then helped pack things up. My MVP, for sure! I probably am forgetting someone else. Brian, thanks, but you still owe me some good beer.
Thank you for reading this long long report. Thanks to all who ran it. Race results should be online very soon, and will be posted on the RunnersWorld website and on TATUR's site.
Mitch Drummond had volunteered to time the race for us. He had a program that worked flawlessly for counting laps of the runners. Truly, with the larger than expected number of runners, we could not have managed without him. Many many thanks!!This race was like a reunion, or a homecoming. It was awesome to see so many friends, some of which I rarely get to see.
Case in point is Bill Richardson, who only lives an hour away in Perry Oklahoma. We ran with Bill on his birthday run last May. Some of the snake pics in a recent post were taken during the night while running with him. Bill led the Snake Run for a few laps early in the day. I did not get to visit much with him, but hope to hang out with him again in May. 
To the right is Ken, aka K2, another good friend. K2 and I usually hang out on Saturdays. Still good to see him, and thanks, K2, for the several great pics you sent me!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Another friend who I have not seen as much of lately was Paul. This guy has a wish list of 100 milers longer than MINE! Paul keeps throwing the idea out of running the HURT 100 in Hawaii....hmm....I am still thinking....
Another good friend and kindred spirit, Bob sports a cool vest. I have one just like it, and shoulda wore it. We coulda been TWINS!!!!
TATUR BABES!!!! Shelley, Nikki, Vicky, and Kat. Not a slow one in the bunch.
In an effort to continue a tradition, T Z snaps a picture of Nikki adjusting a wardrobe malfunction. Sorry, Kurt. It's the best pic I could manage this time around.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Some of the RunnersWorld gang. Super Runner Girls Rachael and Linda along with Bobby and Susan. Brian displays an expression of his intellect.
Joye, who takes to trail running as if she has always been a dirt diva, is all smiles before the run. Busy girl....she ran her race, and then was up to her ears in baby showers, as her daughter and my great friend Candice is expecting a new trail runner in just a very few days. Missed you out here, Candice!
First time to meet Kerry (hope I spelt yer name rite). She did not seem like the usual "blue hair!" Ran a great race, and I overheard Vicky and Shelley recruiting her to come back out to Turkey for more trail running. Hope to see ya!
Turkey Mountain regulars Debbie and her Dad Don mingle before the race. Wonder where Deanna was?
More of the RunnersWorld gang.
Perhaps I should devote a whole post to this friend of mine. Bill Ford, aka Spud is a TATUR friend from Ponca City. Bill has an acquaintance who runs for his high school cross country team, and is going to Australia for a meet. Bill wanted to help him with the finances of the trip, and was running for 24 hours to help raise funds for his friend. Bill started Friday around 3:00, and ran the rest of the day, and then all night, and then ran the 6 Hour Snake Run, finishing with 88 miles!!!!! He was taking pledges, with some people donating set amounts and some donating so much per mile he ran. Bill has ran several ultras, with his longest race being 50 miles. There is no doubt in my mind that he has many 100 milers in him. I think he proved that.
Kathy ran with him from 3:00 in the afternoon Friday, and way into the night, and then crewed for him while my friend Marvin took over the pacing duties. Kathy then ran the Snake Run with Bill and ended up with 68 miles herself.
Marvin is an awesome pacer. I can vouch that if Bill came to a cattle guard, Marvin would have carried him over it!
Thanks to Glen for helping out before the race. Glen takes a lot of heat from me and especially Kurt for reasons that I am sure the censors on Blogger would flag. Glen has a big 100 mile bull's eye on his back, and I look for him to tackle the distance pretty soon.
A couple more fast Taturs. Mike Adams, who won last years Snake Run by running 41 miles chats with Tom Dorothy, who finished 2nd this year! Awesome job, Tomdog! More about Mike's performance later in this post.
After some pre-race instructions, the Brian sent the runners off! Click on this link for a sequence of race-start pics.Hope that link worked, but if not, the pics are in the previous post that can be viewed by scrolling down.
Eric cruises through the woods. Eric went on to finish 3rd male. WTG!
Tina keeps a steady pace, and a fast one at that. Her husband Wayne held on for a while and finally cut her loose. More on Tina later.
A Snake Train. This two mile out-and-back made for a race where even when things got spread out, runners were never alone. Fortunately, the trail was just wide enough that passing was not much of a problem.
Yay Jenni!!
Kathy adds to her total finishing with 68 miles in less than 24 hours.
My nephew Jeff ran 16 strong miles, and then helped out at the start/finish.
His twin brother John (in the yellow shirt and green jacket) helped at the turn-around aid station for four hours, and then ran 4 miles himself.A few runners got the most out of the trail by taking a fall. I have always said a good trail run involves a little dirt, mud and/or blood.
Carmie got a little dirty.
Chrissy took a fall and sports a little dirt. But they did not get as many points as Teresa below.
A nice little bloody knee action. Congratulations!On and on, the runners ran. Miles and miles of dirt, roots, and rocks.
Tinker Bell made an appearance, or was that Stinker Bell?
Our youngest runner, Annabelle, covered four miles at the age of three!! Very impressive!!!
Tom, the Protein Bar chef, ran in what may have been his first trail run. While he did inquire about shortcuts a time or two, I think he enjoyed himself.
Carmen, Sam, and Sandra are near the end of their run. I am pretty sure it was the first time on dirt for them as well. I heard they thought they got a half marathon in. Congrats!
This quartet of RunnersWorld babes are all smiles after their great run. Carmie, Teresa, and Cindy are no strangers to the trails or ultras. Not sure about Donna. I am sure she'll be on the ultra bandwagon soon if she keeps this company.
Susan relaxes after her outing. Susan stopped at 8 miles, and later went out for another 4 miles. 12 miles is a great bunch of running, girl! Susan is going to Greece later this year to take part in the Athens marathon I hear.
Glen kills a brew after running all day. Kat wonders if her beer is safe after Glen finishes his.
I don't think this guy drinks. Actually, Kurt has a corner of McNellies named after him. He also has a morbid fear of narwhals, so bad, that he almost withdrew from this race.
Vicky and Nikki discuss future races? Vicky SWEARS she'll never run a 100. Hmmm.... but she did say she would be glad to pace someone. Good thing, as I am actively recruiting.
Third place Kara, and her trail running daughter Annabelle! Awesome job, ladies!
Julie rests after running all day. I can't wait to view all the results....I know Julie ran a long way.And who ran the farthest?
Tina King ran the farthest among the women, finishing 34 miles, a course record for women.And my friend Mike Adams defended his title, winning the event for the second year, bettering his total from last year by 1/2 mile.
Mike ran 41 1/2 miles in six hours, after skiing all last week. And then, helped pull course markings and tear down the aid stations, and drove home to Manhattan, KS. WOW!!!Special thanks to Roman, who ran a little then manned the turn-around aid station for the last 4 hours of the race. Also to Lisa, who gave up running to help with the timing even though she was feeling a little cruddy. And most of all, to Taturcakes, aka Dana aka my loving wife, who puts up with a grouchy sleep deprived zombie, cooked cheesecake and brownies all day Friday, and worked both aid stations all day long, and then helped pack things up. My MVP, for sure! I probably am forgetting someone else. Brian, thanks, but you still owe me some good beer.
Thank you for reading this long long report. Thanks to all who ran it. Race results should be online very soon, and will be posted on the RunnersWorld website and on TATUR's site.
