Hellgate
100k 2006 – Is it cold down there?
I heard once that in some countries with cold climates they don’t
believe Hell is a hot place, but rather is a cold place where you get really
cold, but never go numb. Instead you
suffer at that point just before numbness sets in, when the pain is very
intense and relentless. I think there
are many people who have attempted to finish this race who can relate to this
view of Hell.
December 9
It
is 12:01am, and I am starting my fourth Hellgate 100k. This is the fourth year this race has been
run, and I am one of ten people who have finished the first three and are back
for the fourth one. This year, Martha
and Nathan are crewing for me. Amy
decided that she likes to sleep in a bed if she has the choice, so she is with
Martha’s parents for the weekend. The
temperature is cold, around 20 degrees for the start. It is forecast to fall into the low teens tonight, and we might
see single digits up on Headforemost Mountain.
I am wearing my thick tights, a long-sleeve Coolmax shirt, Dry Road
jacket, hat, and gloves. Although the
weather is cold (and going to be colder), the course is very dry, and I think I
have a chance to challenge my personal best on this course. Two years ago, I ran a 16:17 on a dry warm
day. If I can survive the cold night, I
should be ready to push the pace after sunrise.
Mile 3.5 43:57 (12:33 avg./mile) FSR 35
Some
have called this first section the prologue, and it is appropriate. This section rolls along a nice wide trail
and poses no problems until a half mile from the aid station when there is a
stream crossing. On wetter years, the
water has been at least knee high, but this year, only one of my ankles gets
wet. I ran this first section well
except that I rolled my right ankle about two miles into the race. I started without my ankle taped, hoping my
exercises have made it stronger. The
twist isn’t bad, but now I will have to run carefully, so I don’t hurt it
worse. My time getting to the first aid
station is my second best and is only a minute behind my pace from two years
ago.
Mile 7.5 55:19 (13:50 avg./mile) Petites Gap
This
section is four miles uphill (the whole way) on a gravel road. Since there is no snow or ice, the climb is
not bad, and I run on some of the less steep sections. This is a gamble I am taking running some of
the uphill this early in the race, but it is hard to make time in this race,
and this is one place where good time can be made. David Snipes is running with me until just before the aid station
when he goes on ahead of me. This time
is my best on this section. I just hope
I haven’t pushed too hard this early. I
change my shoes, drink half a pint of chocolate milk, and then decide to put on
another long-sleeve shirt because the wind is still blowing at the higher
elevations. I eat a bagel and head on
down the trail. I am still a few
seconds behind my personal best pace.
Mile 13.1
Leaving
the aid station, the trail heads downhill on a tricky technical section. I quickly pass a few runners, one of whom is
Martha Wright. She says it is good to
see me because I know the way. So, I
take the lead and glide down the hill.
The only problem is that only one of the four or five runners keeps up with
me. This is the last time I see Martha
Wright, and she ends her day at mile 42.5, Bearwallow Gap. This aid station is inaccessible to the
crews, but it is well manned. I grab
and few peanut butter and jelly quarter sandwiches, and down two cups of Conquest. The very good news is that I ran this
section faster than ever, and I am now over a minute ahead of my best pace.
Mile 21.9
This is the longest section of the race, and it occurs at the hardest part of the day—a few hours before dawn. Starting this section, I have been out on the course for over three hours, and this section takes me to 5:40am. I step in a hole at one point, twist my right ankle again, and fall down. Since I didn’t break anything, I pick myself up and continue on. When the course switches from a wide grassy trail to a single-track rocky trail, I fall again, but luckily don’t hurt myself. I was by myself for this whole section until less than a mile from the aid station I pass another runner. My time on this section is four seconds slower than two years ago, but I still have a little over a minute on my personal best pace. At this aid station, it is very cold. This is the highest point on the course. The wind is blowing 20-30 miles per hour, and the actual temperature is around 12 degrees Fahrenheit, making the wind chill well below zero! Martha has trouble just melting butter on the Coleman stove as she fixes me a grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese never did melt, but I eat it and drink the other half of a pint of chocolate milk. I am too cold to worry about anything else, and I head out of the aid station. David Snipes is just ahead of me, as I saw him leaving the aid station when I was coming in.
Mile 27.6
It
is almost all downhill on this section, but I just cannot make good time. My ankle is shaky, but I still run on all
the downhill sections, and my time should have been better. The sun finally comes out about halfway on
this section. By the time I get to the
aid station, it is much warmer as the elevation is much lower, the sun is up,
and the wind isn’t blowing down here in the valley. I take the opportunity to eat breakfast—an egg and sausage
sandwich. I wash it down with more
Conquest. I also tape my ankle, but
keep on the same shoes. This section
takes me 10 minutes longer than two years ago, and I am now over nine minutes
behind pace. The important thing is
that I have plenty of time on the cut-off pace, so if I don’t get a personal
best this year, I should still finish.
Mile 34.5
This
section starts with a long climb and then a long downhill. I make good time going uphill as I pass
another runner. Then on the downhill
section, I feel like I am not running that fast. I don’t catch anyone else, and I am still behind David
Snipes. It has warmed up some, but it
is still chilly. I hike up the last
climb to the aid station, and surprisingly, I am sleepy tired. I think I nodded off once on the last climb,
and I am imagining seeing different things that I know aren’t there. At one point, I see a new house that wasn’t
there when I ran this last year. Of
course, when I shake my head and look again, there is no house there at
all. When I get into the aid station, I
surprise Martha by asking for some coffee.
I never ask for coffee, and she has to make sure the aid station has
some. They do, and I drink two small
cups. I also eat a couple of sandwich
quarters, and then take a stack of Pringles with me. It is a long way to the next aid station, and I want to have
enough fuel. I sure hope the coffee
wakes me up and keeps me going. The
good thing is that I finish this section as fast as two years ago, so I
maintain only a nine-minute deficit on my personal best.
Mile 42.5
Last
year, most of the course was covered with snow. I am convinced that it actually helped make this section easier
because the snow covered the rocks.
This year, there is no snow, and the leaves are deep over the
rocks. I take the rocks carefully, but
I am still surprised I didn’t make better time on this section. My split is 11 minutes slower than two years
ago, and I am now over 20 minutes off of my personal best pace. However, I have 55 minutes on the cut-off,
and things are looking good for a fourth finish in this race, if I can hold it
together. I have caught up to David
Snipes at this aid station, and he waits for me to get ready to leave the aid
station. When I entered the aid
station, I see Aaron Schwartzbard just leaving. He must be having a tough year, as he is usually at least a
couple of hours ahead of me. Also,
Bethany Patterson has just dropped out because she couldn’t focus and distinguish
between the rocks and the leaves. It is
reported that she has frozen corneas—ouch!
I feel fortunate to still be upright.
Usually, there are hot dogs and hamburgers cooking at this aid station,
but there are none when I get here, and the soup they gave me was cold. I eat a bagel, change my shoes, and David
and I head up the trail.
Mile 49.5
It
is nice to have David with me, as I have run most all of the race by myself,
rarely ever seeing other runners. We
make good time on this section, and we almost catch Jordan Chang, but he is
still running well on the downhill sections.
This section is mentally challenging because of the never ending looping
in and out of the side of the mountain.
David keeps pointing out how far the drop off is from the side sloping
trail we are running on. We get to
another gravel road and walk the last mile uphill into the aid station. Nathan meets us about a half mile from the
aid station and keeps us company as we enter the aid station. I eat a grilled ham and cheese sandwich,
washing it down with another pint of chocolate milk.
Mile 56.1
This
next section is much longer than the reported 6.6 miles. It is probably about eight miles, which
makes this one of the worst abuses of Horton miles. However, all of us veterans know this and adjust our minds
accordingly. It still doesn’t help, as
all I want to do is finish. I am not
going to set a personal best, and I am well ahead of the cut-off. It is very tempting to really slow down, but
I know on this race that an hour is really not that large of a cushion. David and I pass Rick Gray as we roll into
the aid station. I am now over 30
minutes behind my personal best pace, but we have 2.5 hours to get to the
finish from here. There is a guy who is
dropping out saying that his knee is messed up. David and I wish he had continued as the last section is in standard
miles, and he could almost crawl in from here in 2.5 hours. I drink more chocolate milk and chase it
with two cups of Coke.
Mile 62.4
David
and I are both in agreement that we don’t need to set any land speed records on
this last section. We climb steadily
the 2.8 miles up to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We make good time getting to the top just under 47 minutes. Then we both take leaks just the other side
of the road, and then begin the run down the hill to the finish. David is moving well, and he opens up a gap
on me, as I just cannot seem to run freely downhill. With a little over a mile to the finish, the course comes back to
a smooth gravel road. I pick up the
pace, catch David, and we run in to the finish together along with Nathan. It is awesome to finish this race again, and
doubly nice to finish it before dusk.
Official
Finishing Time
42nd out of 95
starters (57 finishers under 18 hours)
David Snipes said long
before the last section that he only came back this year to avenge his DNF last
year. Now that he has finished with a
respectable time, he is sure he is not coming back. I wouldn’t bet on it, but we will see. I, as one of the survivors of all of the Hellgate races, really
don’t have a choice to not come back next year. The group of survivors lost another one this year, as Rebekah
Trittipoe drops out at Bearwallow Gap.
It is sad to see one of the survivors not make it, but this race shows
no mercy. It has never failed to claim
a survivor even if it has only gotten one each of the last two years.
Overall, I am very satisfied
with my race. I finish with a good time
and over an hour on the time limit. I
saw and heard about so many people dropping that I am surprised I didn’t finish
higher than 42nd, but there were a record number of starters this
year. My plans for next year are
unclear at present. I failed to get
into the Western States 100, so I will probably run Mohican again in June. I am not going to run Massanutten, but I do
plan to work an aid station and pace someone.
Until next time,
Never stop running,
Darin