2018 Snake Run

This year--for the first time--I ran the Snake Run. I have been the RD for 10 years, and now Bryan formerly known as Mitch Drummond (now referred to as BfkaM) took over the RD duties for me. So now on Snake Run day, I was FREE!! But rather than trying to bust out a marathon, I took it easy. Some people are pretty sure that's all I can do since it's all I usually do. I may up my efforts in the coming months. I'm a work in progress--but that's not what this post is about.

It was a wee bit chilly to start the race. Some of the runners and volunteers had participated at Land Run the day before. Some took the second day of racing as an easy cool-down shake out the legs thing, but some of the doublers came to compete.

BfkaM did a great job in rounding up volunteers for the race. We are lucky to have so many friends eager to spend a weekend setting things up, serving drinks and snacks, helping with course marking and unmarking, and packing things up after the race. Two Al(ie)cias--one with an i and one with an e--worked the start/finish aid station, registration, and packet pickup. Then also with lap counting.

The highly coveted Snake Trophies are what keeps the fast trail runners coming back. It takes 100% effort for the whole duration (3-hours or 6-hours) to finish in the top three. 

BfkaM goes over race instructions--yada yada blah blah. I've rattled through the speech many times. Fortunately, it's quite difficult to get lost on this course, but it sometimes happens.

Clint Green had marked the course this year. The course is a long out and back that actually has a one mile loop. When you reach the complete revolution of the loop, you hit an aid station, and turn around and run the course in reverse.

Daniel Jennings was among the leaders for a few laps when Boy decided to take it easy for the rest of the race. 

Ok--aid stations. There's one at the start/finish. A little less than a mile, you hit another aid station. Continue on and you hit the one at the turn-around which is merely the other side of the last one you passed. Then--a BANDIT aid station popped up. It was fully stocked with beers and mixed drinks and shots. And shady characters.

I ran the first lap with Lyda, who just the day before ran her first ever 50K at Land Run. We chatted it up and critiqued the race the day before. Lyda finished with two laps, I believe.

Ample goodies at the start/finish.In the past three event I have been involved with either running or RD-ing, it seems like less and less food stuff is being consumed. I think that partly because so many trail runners wear hydration packs and stuff a few of their favorite gels and snacks and end up using less aid station food. Just a theory.

But hey--how can you pass up a Gatorade from these smiling faces? Thanks, K2, Leah-haha, and Cheryl.

After finishing lap one, and making sure my lap was counted, I DROVE home (only a half mile to my house) and picked up Roxie so she could do a lap. She is all about the trailz, but has not been around that many runners. She wanted to greet them all at first but quickly figured it out that they were not gonna stop and pet her. Then, she decided it would be fun to keep up with the fast runners,  and away she went with me in tow. My strides were probably 7-8 feet long, and I kept right up with a couple of speedsters for quite a while. Then, I kicked a little stump and was on the ground in a split second. I instinctively rolled out of it end over end and finally slid into home plate. SAFE!! Only a skinned knee to show for it, and the dust clogged the blood up nicely.

Clint Green and Justin Walker jog along together at basically a zombie speed. Justin would have been a real threat to win this race, but he was tapering for his big run--the Trans Okie--511 miles across the state from New Mexico to Arkansas. A real Forrest Gump-like endeavor.

Speaking of Forrest Gump--it's Arnold Begay.

So on my second lap and second passing of the Bandit aid station, I had a couple of Fireball shots, and some apple pie moonshine.  like a swig or two on a trail run. Never enough to get loopy, but a long smooth nip is better than a Gu--any day!

I took Roxie home and brought Zeke back for the third lap. Now Zeke loves being out on the trailz, but he mainly likes to just sniff things. Any king of poop--and we're talking long analytical sniffs. And tree or plant that sometime in the history of the world might have been peed on  by any creature. Zeke has a good trot. His actual runs are spirited but short. I knew that a 3.75 mile loop was about two more than he bargained for, but we just walked. So many people commented on how big he was. He is actually a little smaller in shoulder height than the average Lab. Some people commented on his healthy appetite. Others complemented my=e on not forgetting any of his meals. And there were a couple of "OH MY GOD YOU DOG IS SO FAT!!" One friend cracked me up saying he saw me running with a dog and then with a dog who apparently had eaten the other dog. A little FYI--we do have him on a reduced diet. We have stopped with the table scrap snacks. Male labs just like to eat. We have some good eating habits that we are working on. As of this writing, Zeke has slimmed down a little. He's my boy, and I love him.

I didn't get pics of the 3-Hour winners, and swiped most of the pictures in this post. Thanks to Clint Green and JC Runner for most of these. The 6-Hour men's top three were a couple of dudes from Nebraska who put on the Dizzy Goat--a 3-Hour, 6-Hour, and 12-Hour in Omaha. I did this race the first two years and highly recommend it. Jeff Greg on the left was first. Mathew Randle in the middle was 2nd. Kenney Alexander from Mounds, OK was 3rd.

The top three female Snake Runners are also the top three in the Oklahoma Dirt Trail Series. Kait Bykowicz on the left was 1st. Susan Roets on the right was 2nd. Tiffany Fiedler in the middle was 3rd, and was/is so terrified of the trophy that she could not hold it or even look at it.

I was impressed with BfkaM and crew in coming up with a great beer sponsor. The name is truth in advertising. It was smooth and drinkable--much better than Bud Light.

Hats off to a man from Bugtussle, OK who at 75 years of age, ran 16.5 miles in the 6-Hour event.

To BfkaM--great job running the show. It was a seamless transition.