Hellgate
100k 2005 – Hell freezes over with ice and snow
December 10
It
is 12:01am, and I have been up for about 17 hours. I will probably be up for another 18+
hours. I am running the third annual
Hellgate 100k. This is a race reported
to be 62.4 miles long, but these aren’t standard miles; they are Horton
miles. Horton miles are always at least
as long as standard miles, but will vary by a factor of 1.0 to 1.3. Therefore, by best estimate, this race is
somewhere between 65 and 70 miles.
Although, I would say it is closer to 65 miles.
I
am one of 11 people who have finished the first two editions of this race and
are returning for a third round of punishment.
The first race was cold, like this one is going to be, but the footing
wasn’t bad as there was just a little snow and ice on about a quarter of the
trails. I don’t think I even fell two
years ago. Last year, conditions were
near ideal for December in Virginia. The
temperature stayed mostly in the 40s and most people ran faster than they had
the year before. This year, the forecast
for the nearest location of civilization (Glasgow) is for lows around 18
degrees. This does not take into account
that Headforemost Mountain is over 2,000 feet higher in elevation. Therefore, the low up on Headforemost Mountain
could approach single digits.
Furthermore, 3-4 inches of snow fell four days ago, and the night before
last, up to an inch of ice descended from the sky. So, there is snow covered with ice on almost
all of the trails.
What
makes me do this? I really don’t know,
except to say that the pain usually subsides after a week, and the memory of
the pain is long gone in a couple of months.
Martha is crewing for me this year.
She has crewed for me on several races, but this will be her first
Hellgate experience. In the pre-race
briefing David Horton lets us know that the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed in
several places, so Martha will have to drive extra far from aid station to aid
station to meet me. There are a few aid
stations that only four-wheel drive vehicles will be able to get into. Fortunately, we have our old reliable F150
4x4, which is hopefully up to the task.
At
the start, I have decided to wear two pairs of tights, a long-sleeve Coolmax
t-shirt under my Dry Road jacket, hat, and thin Gore-Tex gloves. In addition, I have a headlamp on my head and
a Camelbak strapped around my waist. The
temperature is in the low 20s as the race starts.
Mile 3.5 44:14 (12:38 avg./mile) FSR 35
It is
definitely cold out here, and any thoughts that I might be over dressed are
erased from my mind. The ground is
completely frozen and only swiftly flowing streams are not frozen. These first 3.5 miles are nicely rolling
along a two-tracked dirt road. This
allows the field of 80 runners to spread out nicely. It is a challenge to not start out too fast,
especially in these cold temperatures because running faster will get me warmed
up quicker. Near the three-mile mark, I
cross the stream where there is no choice but to get the feet wet. The stream is fairly low, and the water only
comes over the ankles. The water feels
very cold on the feet, but I press forward to the aid station. At this aid stations, the crews are not
allowed because there isn’t any parking.
I grab a cup of Conquest and head on up the road.
Mile 7.5 1:04:15 (16:04 avg./mile) Petites Gap
I
leave the first aid station with Dave Snipes.
We talk, walk, and run a little as we progress up the road. This section is all uphill. Some parts are steeper than others, and only
some of it is worth running. The road
this year is basically ice all of the way.
Traction is definitely an issue as sliding backwards a few inches
minimizes every step I take. This is not
too big of a deal except for the fact that the cut-offs for this race are tight
under good conditions. With these
conditions, the cut-offs will always be in the forefront of my mind. I get to the aid station, and Martha is
waiting with dry shoes and socks. I feel
good so far and changing shoes only helps things. I drink some Chocolate milk, grab a few
cookies, and depart with a bagel in my hand.
My time is a little slow, but this ensures I haven’t gone out too fast.
Mile 13.1 1:38:32 (17:36 avg./mile) Camping Gap
Leaving
Petites Gap, after eating some and drinking cold Chocolate milk, I am
cold. However, nothing warms me up like
running downhill to a lower elevation.
The trail leaving the gap becomes a single-track trail. The going is rough with snow and ice blocks
that have been broken up by the earlier runners ahead of me. It is interestingly hard running, and I
definitely will not make good time on this section. While going downhill on a trail section, I
come across an iPod that it seems another runner has dropped. I pick it up and turn it in at this aid
station. This is another aid station
where Martha can’t meet me. My time on
this section is a few minutes slower than the previous years, but I am
confident that I can make the first cut-off at the next aid station. My time is now five minutes slower than the
first year when I finished the race with less than 10 minutes to spare on the
time limit.
Mile 21.9 2:41:07 (18:19 avg./mile) Headforemost
Mountain
This section starts out with a mile of ice on a gravel road. It is so slick that ice skates would have really worked well. I am running in the vicinity of a couple of ladies at this point, and we each seem to take turns falling down. I will get a good rhythm going and then the next thing I know, I am sliding along on my way back down to the ground. I guess I fall at least five or six times just in this section. Since this part is basically flat, it is usually a good place to make good time. Good forward progress is not to be had this year on this part by me. The fortunate part is that I don’t seriously hurt anything on any of my falls. After the course leaves the road, I make better progress on the trail, but climbing up the hills is still slower than normal because of the traction, although on the trails, I don’t continue my practice of falling. I feel like I am making good progress compared to the runners around me, but I come into this aid station after 6am. The cut-off is 6:30am, and I have 22 minutes on the cut-off, but this isn’t much at all and can evaporate over just a few miles. I am now 13 minutes behind my time from the first year!
Mile 27.6 1:40:17 (17:36 avg./mile) Jennings Creek
Leaving
Headforemost Mountain, I am ready to make some good time going downhill to the
next aid station. Well, there is a
little uphill, but most of it is downhill.
I am making good time, but my left knee starts hurting for the first
time today. I strained it two weeks ago
on a 14-mile training run. Hopefully, I
will be able to continue and push through the pain. The good news is that I make this section
faster than the first year, and I am now only five minutes behind that
pace. At Jennings Creek, Martha says
there are only about eight runners behind me.
I take off my jacket, put on a short-sleeve shirt over the long-sleeve
one, and trade out my gloves for thinner ones.
Then I grab some eggs, a sausage patty, and a few cookies. I wash it all down with some chocolate milk
and head out on the next section.
Mile 34.5 1:49:07 (15:49 avg./mile) Little Cove
Mountain
I
leave Jennings Creek with a full stomach and motivation to keep pushing hard so
that I can make the next cut-off at mile 42.5.
This section starts out with a tough uphill climb, which I do well on. Then it is time to stretch the legs out and
run the downhill even harder in order to make good time. I pass a few runners and think, yes; I have
at least 10 runners behind me now. This
section ends with an uphill climb. In
the past years, this is where I have seen Bear hunters, but I have yet to see
any this year. At the aid station,
Martha has made the treacherous drive up to the road and is waiting. I strip off one of my pairs of tights, decide
to leave on my hat and gloves, and do not change my shoes because I don’t want
to use up anymore time. I made really
good time on this section and am now eight minutes ahead of my time from two
years ago.
Mile 42.5 2:17:07 (17:08 avg./mile) Bearwallow Gap
I
am nicely surprised at my time on this section.
I make it into the aid station and cut-off with over 30 minutes to
spare. I have over 20 minutes on my time
from two years ago. I am now confident
for the first time today that I will make the time limit. There are parts on this section where the
snow actually helped by filling in the gaps between the rocks. I pass several people who look like they are
having a rough day. Of course, we all
are having a rough day, but some people look like the course and the conditions
are getting the best of them. At this
aid station, I see Dave Snipes who tells me dropped out at the last aid
station. He was one of the 11 that had
finished all of the Hellgate races. Now
there are no more than 10 of us.
Mile 49.5 2:03:30 (17:39 avg./mile) Bobblets Gap
I am
confident leaving Bearwallow, but my confidence quickly evaporates as I realize
the snow and ice isn’t going away.
Furthermore, my left knee continues to hurt. It isn’t bad when I am walking up the hills,
but running on it is getting quite painful.
I manage to catch Kevin Townsend, and we come into the aid station at
the same time. My time is not great, as
I give back 13 minutes as compared to two years ago. Once again the chance of not making the time
limit increases. The crews cannot make
it into this aid station, but fortunately, the aid station is manned by a
couple of tough guys. I eat some cookies
and a Twinkie, along with two cups of Conquest.
Mile 56.1 2:04:43 (18:54 avg./mile) Day Creek
Leaving
Bobblets Gap, the course goes downhill for about 2.5 miles. I run all the way down the hill even though
my knee is hurting worse. Kevin is right
behind me, and as we go back on a trail, I ask him if he wants to pass. He says he is pacing off of me into the next
aid station because I said I was going to do it in two hours. So, I press on, now with the responsibility
of making good on my two hours to the next aid station pledge. Up and down the trail we go, through snow and
ice (which is now slushy), around a bend, and around another bend. This year I count a total of 11 creek
crossings. All of which are
jumpable. Finally, we get to the aid
station just over two hours. In the past,
I have just grabbed two cups of Coke at this last aid station and headed
out. However, for some reason, I first
drink a cup of chocolate milk, eat some cookies, and then drink a cup of
Coke. Kevin heads out ahead of me
because he says I will catch him on the climb.
I am 22 minutes ahead of my pace from two years ago, and I have almost
two hours to make it the last section to the finish.
Mile 62.4 1:46:32 (16:55 avg./mile) FINISH
My
energy level has stayed high all day. I
have remained focused the whole way with no lapses in concentration. My legs have felt good, except for my left
knee. This last section is 2.8 miles up
to the pass, and then 3.5 miles downhill to the finish. Last year I did it in 1:15, and two years ago
it took me 1:25. I do okay getting to
the top in 47 minutes. Now, I have 1:10
to get to the finish. I cross over the
Blue Ridge Parkway, which is completely covered in ice, and start down the over
side. I try to start running, hoping
that my left knee will allow it.
However, the pain is intense, I am still running on ice and snow, and I
can’t seem to really get going. Kevin
passes me and disappears quickly as he is pouring it on towards the
finish. Hoping that somehow the finish
will get here sooner, I stagger, shuffle, and wobble on down the hill. Several runners, who all look like they are
moving well, pass me. I was hoping for a
17:30ish finish time. Now, I will just
hope to get in under the time limit.
Finally, I turn in the drive to Camp Bethel. A few ladies are cheering for me. I manage to pick up the pace slightly to what
might be called a slow jog. As soon as I
pass them, they start cheering for the next runner behind me. With 200 yards to go, I push it in so that I
will not be the last runner to finish under the cut-off.
Official
Finishing Time 17:49:24
52nd out of 80
starters (53 finishers under 18 hours)
The conditions on this race
could have been worse, but I am not sure I want to see them when they are. The cold temperatures combined with ice and
snow made the going very slow and difficult.
I am happy I finished and now am one of only 10 people who have finished
all three Hellgate races. My knee hurts,
I am chilled to the bone, dog-tired, but content to have finished. I sit in the race headquarters, trying to
warm up and figure out what my stomach will accept at this point.
Martha drives me home, and I
manage to eat a Frosty and some French fries when we stop along the way. I don’t know what my next race will be or
what most of my races for the coming year will be. I only know that I will be back next year for
the fourth annual Hellgate 100k!
Never stop running,
Darin