Viaduct
Trail 100 Race Report
August 9-10, 2008
By Dave Bursler
Every year something prompts
me to wonder if it’s time to move on to another arena to face a different
challenge or to just observe, help and teach.
At one time I functioned as though I were a machine focused on
perfecting my ability while living in a funnel cloud where only few people were
allowed to enter. A series of events
occurred in 2006 that methodically broke through every inch of my inner being
while cracking through that funnel cloud to force me to understand that it is
much easier to let others in than to shut them out.
When I hurt my leg in 2006 I
made a promise that I would recover and return stronger than ever. Things did
not exactly play out to that script. The injury to my leg was never diagnosed
or treated properly and because of that I still experience pain even today. The
pain that I experience has never showed its ugly face in a race but it
certainly limits the amount of time that I can train. My mind is still
conditioned to give 100% but my body just can't do it anymore. I certainly will never renege on the promise
that I made to myself two and a half years ago but I now realize that there are
many definitions for the word strong. My
body may be weaker but because I’ve rid myself of that pesky shyness that once
dictated my life I am now a much stronger person all around.
A week prior to the race I
came to a decision that I would not participate in the Viaduct Trail
Ultramarathon. I came to this decision
immediately after completing a story that I wrote about my experience as a
Badwater crew person. When I read my own
story about the suffering and inner struggles of my runner, myself and the
others on the crew I went into deep thought and even a little depression. The question had to be why I would want to
continue down this path of destruction.
This question led to several others most of which I could not answer. I knew that if I could not answer these
simple questions than I had no business participating in this type of grueling
event.
Another eye opening
experience happened weeks prior to the race.
An older gentleman, with whom I hold in great regard, wrote a very sad
note to the members of a running forum in which I participate. In the note his thoughts were profound and
his feelings ran deep. A successful
ultrarunner in his own right he was distressed by the fact that at 68 years old
he had failed at his most recent attempt to run 100 miles. I could feel his pain as tears streamed down
my own face but my tears were not created by his failure but instead they were
created because I knew he was caught in the circle of death. Over the years this particular gentlemen has
run several 100 miles races to completion but due to one unsuccessful attempt
he considered himself to be a failure.
Very few people can escape the vicious circle of death created by
ultramarathons. The feeling of joy and
accomplishment after crossing the finish line lasts a short time and is
something that those of us who participate strive to recreate over and over
again. Some people can complete the
circuit and gain what they need from the experience and move on to something
else while others get stuck in the loop circling around always in search of the
same feeling over and over again. I
couldn’t help but wonder if in fact, I would ever escape this same circle of
death and move on to something new.
Despite these thoughts and
concerns I changed my mind and made a decision to participate in the VTU on the
Monday before the race when my friend Rick told me that he decided to give the
100 a shot. I had lost all interest in
the race but I couldn’t turn down the chance to experience another adventure
with my best friend.
The Viaduct Trail Ultra is
advertised as a Fat Ass event meaning that the runners are expected to supply
their own aid. Rick and I prepared for
this by shopping for supplies at the local Walmart the Thursday evening before
the race. Both he and I have experienced
this type of format before so we were on the same page when it came to shopping
for our needs. Personally I look for
foods that provide the calories that I need over the long haul and are easily
digested. Some of the things that we purchased were Ensure Plus, Red Bull,
Coke, Ginger Ale, graham crackers, peanut butter & jelly, soup, Chef
Boyardee spaghetti, pudding, M&M’s and Raisinets. The following day I paid a visit to the
local supermarket where I purchased a couple of blocks of dry ice, a few bags
of regular ice and a few gallons of water to complete our preparations.
Friday evening Rick and I
left for
We both woke up around 4:30
but instead of jumping up immediately to prepare we sat in the car and watched
the others arrive. The once bright sky
full of stars was now pitch black as clouds had accumulated throughout the
night. I took notice of the darkness and
made a mental note to be prepared to run alone in this type of
environment. The mental demons that can
destroy a race thrive in this type of darkness so I had to be prepared to fend
them off.
Once we were up and about
things flowed smoothly. We dressed; made
sure our drop bags were arranged and identified the start area. Around 15 minutes prior to the 6 a.m. start
one of the race organizers yelled for us to begin gathering under the viaduct
where the event would begin. Rick and I
grabbed our drop bags and an ice chest that we would leave at the start and
made our way over. Though the fat ass
format requires the runners to care for themselves the organizers took the
appropriate action of checking each of us in.
This would allow them to keep track of who was on the course so that
they could maintain a safe event. I
wasn’t surprised by the mandatory check in but I was surprised when I was
issued both a race number and a cool glow in the dark bracelet. Since a number certainly would not be needed
to track so few participants I considered both novelties of the race.
Prior the start of the event
a young lady sang the National Anthem to the backdrop of a harmonica
soloist. Finally there was an opening
prayer and then the start.
The race
started underneath of
The little bit of research
that I did on the course left me feeling good about my chances to successfully navigate my way toward a
finish but still I knew that there would be unknown factors that could
determine my fate.
I went out conservatively
toward the front of the pack to get a feel of what the other twenty two people
had in mind. The pace was a bit slow but
in retrospect probably what I needed to maintain. After 15 minutes I increased the pace to
spread the field a little as a way to bring the competitors to the forefront. Not a smart move on my part considering that
those alongside of me had their sights set on 50 miles and were more likely to
maintain whatever pace I set. When the
field spread I wasn’t surprised to see that
Tom Kanger joined Byron and
I as the leaders going out to Thompson.
Since I didn’t know Tom I initiated the first conversation with
him. He told me that he jbecame interested in long distance running this year and
that his first 50K was in May. He gained
my attention when he mentioned getting lost in a golf course where he missed a
turn. I too got lost in a golf course
while running a 50K in May and as it turns out it was the same race and he was
following me. Though I never met him I
now felt as though we were close friends. Ultrarunning is a funny sport in that
it brings commonality to people of all walks of life.
I was comfortable running
with both Byron and Tom but at the same time I could feel some energy being
sapped from my body. I didn’t pay too
much attention to what was going on but as the run progressed I realized that I
had expended too much energy focusing on the competition instead of running my
own race.
We maintained a consistent
pace of around 9:30 as we navigated our way around the troublesome, pesky rocks
of varying sizes. The course itself did
not pose a particular challenge so I went out of my way to identify small areas
that could potentially cause problems later in the day. The variations of rocks causing an uneven
running surface were obvious but then there was also the old, disheveled bridge
that would have to be navigated a total of eight times. The bridge, in particular, was a concern
because the condition was such that the runners had no choice but to
concentrate on each step or face the possibility of falling through the open
slats. The slats were made of old
railroad ties lined up together to form the platform that led across the ravine
below. The bridge was constructed in
such a manner that each 6x6 railroad tie did not butt up against the other but
instead were separated by about six inches leaving enough of a gap for a leg to
fall through but not the entire body.
Concentrating during the day would be no trouble but during the night it
could be a different story so I kept this in mind throughout. Another challenge came in the form of the
gradual uphill grade of the course as it led out to Thompson. I could feel and see the uphill grade but it
was not so severe that it would justify walking. While there are a select few who have the
ability to run an entire 100 miles most of us look forward to obvious sections
where we can walk and feel okay about it.
As Tom, Byron and I
progressed I could sense that I was allowing outside influences to control my
mind which ultimately would impact my performance. I would like to say that the course was
beautiful and that there were many views from which I could use as a
distraction but honestly I can’t. In
fact the scenery itself was quite ordinary and sometimes even boring. The race is held on a course surrounded by
beautiful mountains but never once were we led up those mountains or to an area
with spectacular views. Instead we
maintained our route on a mostly open path littered with rocks and dirt
polluted with creosote. While going out
I noticed that directly in the woods to the right the ground rose up into a
mountain while off to the left the ground dropped down into a valley. Based on that knowledge alone I was certain
that we were being led around a ridge for the entire12.5 miles. We crossed over a few local roads and passed
by several single family homes so never once did I feel as though I was out of
civilization. It was just a normal run
that lacked the feeling of the unknown that a 100 mile adventure normally
provides.
After forty five minutes of
running Byron mentioned that we should be reaching an aid station soon. I wasn’t aware that we would be given the
luxury of a water stop so it was a welcome note. However as we continued to run past the one
hour mark with no aid in site I began to wonder if Byron misunderstood. Since he was carrying two water bottles I
also wondered why he was so concerned about receiving aid. Upon questioning I found that the two water
bottles he was carrying were in fact bone dry.
I guess he must have thought that he could survive the first six miles
without water and went out with empty bottles.
I still had a bottle and a half of water so I shared what I had with him
so that he wouldn’t shrivel up and die.
It was just after I made a
comment about the simplicity of the course that the terrain through a curveball
at us. We were approximately 6.5 miles
into the run when we encountered a short but sharp downhill into a ravine. The large, sharp rocks that covered the
ground provided a challenge but certainly nothing to get worked up about. I have to admit the change in terrain snapped
me out of the treadmill trance that I had once been in. Now concentrating but certainly not making good
decisions I ran up the hill and out of the ravine at the same pace
as I ran down. The opportunity to walk
was there but I let my big ego get in the way and did not take that
opportunity. Since it was early there
were no adverse affects from that poor decision but I realized that trend could
not continue.
Finally 8.5 miles into the
run we reached a cross road where we were met by a volunteer who provided
water. He showed up at the right time
because both of my bottles were now empty and the sun had peeked through the
clouds adding a little heat to the early morning humidity.
Humidity……hmmmm….something I
didn’t consider. Who would think that
there could possibly be humidity in August on the east coast? Well I certainly would have prepared for it
but the cool 50° early morning temperature threw me off. The cool outside temperature was nice but the
sneaky high humidity put us all at risk for dehydration.
After refilling our bottles
the three of us crossed the road and continued in anticipation of finding the
town of
After twenty minutes of hard
running we came upon an orange cone on the side of the road that I was certain
to be the turnaround point. When we went
by the cone I saw what looked to be an unoccupied pavilion to the right and
couldn’t help but wonder if we had reached the turnaround before the volunteers
just as we did the water at the six mile mark.
We slowed to a crawl but continued moving forward until we saw what
appeared to be a small town a quarter mile off in the distance. A few moments later we reached an
intersection where the trail met a main road but still there was no indication
of an aid station so we continued to move forward again. Tom stopped to take care of some personal
business while I hesitantly moved forward.
A minute later I saw people tucked away in a far away corner off to the
left a few hundred yards down the path.
I took a deep breath in relief and stopped to access my drop bag. I wasn’t hungry or thirsty but knew that it
would be important for me to grab something because aid would not be available
again for another 12.5 miles.
I was drained from running
and talking so I needed a quick energy fix.
I drank some Red Bull for the energy and chased it with Ensure for the
calories. Byron came into the aid
station and exited without so much as taking a look at the drop bags. I made an early mistake by jumping up out of
my seat and chasing him down. The
mistake that I made was ego driven and a pattern that I could not afford to
allow to continue. I couldn’t get it
through my thick skull that what I should be doing is running my own race and
following my own plan. Byron is an
experienced guy who was on a mission to accomplish a separate goal and I failed
to recognize this. After catching up to
him he took the time to remind me that I was running 100 miles and should be
taking it easy this early in the race.
Though I knew what he said was true I continued to pursue his pace but when
Rick appeared less than a minute later I found a reason to stop.
Rick was breathing
erratically and obviously feeling bad.
The funny thing about Rick is that no matter how much time he has to
prepare prior to a race he always seems to forget something. Most times it’s nothing critical so he’s able
to recover but this time he forgot to bring along his asthma inhaler. The loose dirt, high humidity and the pollen
from the surrounding trees filled his lungs with enough gunk that he could
barely breathe. The lack of air had
sapped so much energy out of the poor guy that he was laboring to make it into
the first aid station. During our brief
conversation he asked me to grab his inhaler out of the vehicle and bring it
out to him on my way back out the second time.
We only spoke for a few moments before heading off into different
directions.
Now that I was alone on the
trail I found it hard to focus on running.
I had no companion by my side to keep my mind occupied with thoughts of
moving forward. My mind became consumed
by negative thoughts which in turn depleted my energy stores and intensified a
pain in my groin ten fold. An easy
course was going to battle me tooth and nail and I wasn’t certain that I could
be a formidable foe on this day. These are the times when the character of a
person dictates how he or she will respond.
The next several miles
tested my heart and my soul. The course
itself was a spectator of the real battle going on inside of my own mind. The arena was inside of my head and the
combatants were fantasy and reality.
I’ve been successful in the past in similar situation by twisting and
turning the struggles of a grueling event into a fantasy that can be easily
managed. I struggled on this day to
fend off reality and because of this a normal, reasonable solution to the
problem prevailed. I had pain, I was
bored and I was tired so I should quit. I
battled this thought over and over until I finally realized how much energy
that I had expended in doing so. I was
so flustered that I considered quitting the race but I used my experience to regain
some control. I reminded myself that a
100 mile race consists of many baby steps and that each step had to be taken
prior to making a drastic decision such as quitting. I countered reality by understanding this
concept and by doing so I threw it off track which in turn settled the dispute
in my mind.
The first baby step that I
decided to take was a long rest break when I arrived back at the viaduct. The knowledge of this in hand eased my mind
even more allowing me to think creatively which opened up the door to stored
energy in the form of passion.
After twenty-five miles of
running I arrived back at the viaduct in a little over four hours. During my twenty minute break I planned to
reevaluate several things but time and performance would be the most important.
Both internal and external pressure to produce is what initiated the difficult
period that I had just survived. If I
was going to be successful on this day then I had to be willing to accept any outcome. I used my time alone to convince myself that
I should focus on fun which in turn would help me to relax. Finally the last thing that I did was to ask
God to help me to clear my mind.
Prior to going back out onto
the trail I stopped to refill my water bottles, one with water and one with
Gatorade. Though most of my problems
centered on a failure to focus properly I also suffered from an electrolyte
imbalance which certainly contributed to the early fatigue. In order to reduce
or eliminate the fatigue I planned to take small sips of Gatorade to bring my
electrolytes back to an acceptable level Once the bottles were filled I took
three aspirin and two Succeed caps (sodium/potassium) and ate a can of spaghetti. My mind
was now focused on positive matters and I was ready to run to my level instead
of the level which I thought that I should be running. I was relaxed, thinking
positively and enjoying the beautiful day on the trail. I only had to remind myself a few more times
that I was not there to do battle but instead I was there to have fun. Dam that
sure is a hard concept for me to grasp. My
mind is stronger than my body so if my mind is stressed than my body is
stressed and visa versa. The plan was to remain in a calm state which in turn
would allow my body to function at a high level.
I developed a plan that
would relieve my mind of the stress associated with running the entire 12.5
miles out to Thompson. I employed a
strategy that would allow me to incorporate walk breaks on both the outbound
and inbound sections. Though I was
certain my body was capable of running the entire distance I was just as
certain that my mind would not allow it to do so. My thoughts are easily reeled in when I
incorporate rest breaks but not so easily reeled in when running for long
periods of time. In order to be
successful I had to shorten the course and the only way to do that was to break
it down section by section. A few rest
breaks allowed me to remain in control of my thoughts which is something that
would not have been possible with continuous running. I claimed success for traveling a mile or two
instead of becoming distressed by the fact that I still had 75 to go.
My strategy included
choosing a variation of rock that would be best suited to walk on rather than
run. Since the larger rocks created an
unstable surface where I could easily twist my ankle or lose my balance I
decided I would walk on that surface.
Though there were only a few sections covered with this type of large,
loose rock there were enough to give me the mental breaks that I needed. The authoritative walk that I employed
helped me to maintain a positive outlook while also making good time.
As a way to stay positive on the gradual
uphill going out I made an attempt to convince myself that I am a strong
climber. That thought alone provided
confidence and momentum with every step that I took. I made the challenge seem less formidable by
thinking of those attempting to run the entire Appalachian Trail or across the
I marched through the next seven miles
with little or no problems in fact I improved and became stronger as I
continued. Like any race of this
distance though there would be peaks and valleys and with less than two miles
to go until I reached the aid station I faced yet another challenge. Suddenly I became dizzy and weak but I was
not overly concerned because I knew that the cause of these symptoms was
hunger. Though weakened I was still
optimistic and managed a run/walk into the aid station where I literally
stuffed my face as if I had not eaten for days.
I grabbed a cold bottle of soda first to quench my thirst and satisfy my
need for sugar. I then ate a can of spaghetti,
an entire bag of graham crackers and drank a bottle of Ensure. While I sat at
the aid station the co-race director, Dave Kennedy, mentioned to me that Rick
had called it a day after twenty five miles and that he assumed that I would do
the same after fifty. I smiled at Dave and said things have changed. .After our brief conversation I noticed an
injured Ruthann Helfrick arriving at the aid station. Apparently she had taken a nasty spill and
banged up her leg as a result of it.
Despite the injury she appeared to be upbeat and strong as she stood by
the aid station table waiting for medical assistance. I took the time to chat with her for a couple
of seconds before I decided it was time for me to head back out on my own
again.
I walked slowly for the first quarter
mile out of the aid station to the intersection of the trail and the main
road. I had hoped that this would allow
enough time for the food in my stomach to settle but when I started to run my stomach
rebelled. Again I was not concerned
because I knew that the discomfort was the effect of overeating and the only
remedy would be patience. I convinced
myself that I would be okay if I could ride it out for an hour while the food
in my stomach digested. Occasionally
some of the food would erupt from my stomach but after the hour things settled
just as I had thought.
I would occasionally have the pleasure of
greeting a person going by in the other direction. The human contact was short
lived but long lasting. The fifty mile
leaders had long passed by me and were now no where near in sight. I'm used to loneliness so I easily relaxed
and allowed gravity to take my down the gradual down hill slope. The downhill
grade let me run more on the way back than I did coming out. I had now made a total transformation from a
person in despair to a person with hope.
The plan that I had developed allowed me
to gain consistency. This is something
that can be quite difficult for most to achieve in an event of this type. My goal was not to catch up to those in front
but rather to stay within myself. When Tom
Kanger appeared in the distance I was tempted to give
more effort but his race was just about over and I still had fifty plus miles
to go. I had no desire to waste my energy
in an attempt to catch him but instead I stayed within myself and slowly caught
up to Tom without increasing my effort.
Once I passed by him I never looked back because the only thing that mattered
to me was directly ahead. I focused hard
on reaching the viaduct where the real race to see who could reach 100 miles
first would begin. I cruised across the unstable bridge and back to the viaduct
in 9:04. I wasn't impressed with my time
but in order to stay positive I didn't spend a moment lamenting my split but
instead I remained centered.
When I arrived
back at the viaduct I looked at Rick and told him you know I'm going back out
right? I think that he already knew and
in fact he was prepared to go out with me for my third attempt. I was more than happy to accept his offer of
keeping me company while completing his own 50 mile day. Prior to leaving I told him that he should
not give up on his dream to run the entire 100 miles. There was still plenty of time and it could
be done if he took baby steps. He didn't seem too receptive to my suggestion
but he didn't say no either. I didn't
push the issue but still believed that there was a chance.
I explained to
Rick how my pace would be dictated by the size and type of rock that covered
the path. His primary mission was to
keep me company so even though he may have felt strong he accommodated my
idea. In the past I haven't responded to
pacers in a positive manner because of my tendency to use them as a
crutch. Instead of taking a punch in
stride I'm more inclined to whine and cry about the pain when accompanied by a
pacer.
Though I enjoyed
Rick's company I failed to stay on track and I slowed and walked more than I
did the previous time out. I felt strong
but just as I did not want him to run a way from me I had no desire to run a
way from him. I justified my pace by saying that I was conserving energy but in
fact I pulled back so that both Rick and I could take it easy. The result of the slow pace was realized when
I found that my nearest competition was within four minutes of taking the lead
when we left the outbound aid station.
I was motivated
to make it to the town of
It was getting
late and though I had my light I tried my best to beat the sun before it exited
for the night. When we were within a
mile of the viaduct I was finally forced to turn it on as a way to brighten the
narrow path leading across the dilapidated bridge. We made our way across and into the start
finish area just before 9 p.m.
I had been in
the lead the entire day and now with only twenty-five miles left I would not be
willing to let it go that easily. Prior
to arriving back at the viaduct Rick and I discussed what I would need to
prepare for the last leg of the race. I
needed batteries for my light, a swig of pedialyte, an aspirin to fend off the
pain, a bottle refill, and a Red Bull.
When we arrived I scrambled through my bag to find batteries for my
light and then quickly tended to my other needs before heading back out
again. Just as I entered the trail Glenn
Butcher, who was in second place at the time, was exiting. I was impressed that he had gained time from
the last aid station because Rick and I maintained a good pace back to the
viaduct ourselves. The once four minute
lead was now one minute and my sense of urgency was raised to the next
level. I became aware that if I were to
maintain my lead over Glenn than I would have to run a good portion of the
uphill section leading back into Thompson.
Based on his strong showing on the last section I surmised that Glenn
was a strong down hill runner so to counter this I had to use my strength as an
uphill runner or face the possibility of a sprint to the finish. Just as before I convinced myself I am a
strong uphill runner and gained energy from those thoughts. I continued to incorporate short walk breaks
but only long enough to satisfy my mind.
I blocked everything completely out of my mind except the thought of
getting to Thompson while still feeling strong.
I was confident
but couldn't help to recall my debacle at the 2004 Massanutten 100 when I took
over 12 hours to navigate the last 25 miles of that brutal course. I let that thought enter my mind and I
allowed it to exit just as easily. While I didn't like the thought it wasn't
worth expending the energy to fight it.
I was certain that if I could keep myself under control and maintain a
high level of confidence that I could put this race to rest by the end of the
outbound section. I had no doubt that my
experience would allow me to maintain my lead and even extend upon it. I honestly believed that one of us would
stumble and I refused to let it be me. I
wasn't certain as to what extent Glenn's inexperience in this type of event
would factor in the outcome so I pushed hard to find the answer.
I felt awesome
when I arrived at the six mile mark much quicker than I did the two previous
times. It was here for the first time
that I took a peek back to see if I could see Glenn or his shining headlamp in
the distance. I continued to feel
emotionally charged so I took off before I wasted too much energy worrying
about how close Glenn was. My energy
level peaked through 8.5 miles but I hit a valley while traveling uphill as I
exited the second gorge. I started to
feel very hungry and weak. I had
expended a lot of energy to get to this point and with the aid station still a
couple of miles away I had no way to replenish prior to feeling the effects of
hunger. I was forced to walk, stumble
and crawl as quickly as I could to the aid station. The slower pace made me paranoid which in
turn caused me to look back a few times.
Even though I was slightly concerned I believed that I had put enough
distance between Glenn and I to earn this walk break without losing
ground.
When I walked
into the aid station I enjoyed a cold coke, more spaghetti and a few
raisinettes. I was ready to get the race
over with so I wasted very little time before heading back out. As had been the
pattern the entire day I walked from the aid station out to the main street but
this time I made a wrong turn to the
left and wound up on someone's front lawn.
I rushed back to where I came from and immediately recognized where I
had gone wrong. So now back on the trail
I was in search of Glenn. Once I
identified where he was on the course I would know exactly how to pace myself
to maintain the lead. I was very
confident that I had increased my advantage but wasn't sure if it was
insurmountable. Anticipation alone
caused me to pick up the pace and now that I had satisfied my hunger I found
that I had the energy to run once again.
I had hoped to
reach the first gorge before seeing Glenn.
I believed that if I could make it there before him than it would just
be a matter of keeping it together. When
the gorge came into view I saw no one at first but as I started down Glenn and
his bright light were now in full view.
He was moving slowly and methodically up the hill toward me. When I came upon him he seemed sluggish but
still alert. The first thing that he
told me was that he was ready to call it a night but I emphatically told him
no. Instead of quitting I suggested that
he take an extended break at the aid station which would give him enough energy
to finish the last leg of the race. I
reminded him that it was only midnight so he still had almost twelve hours to
complete the last leg. He seemed
receptive to my suggestion and even led me to believe that it was something he
would consider so I ended the conversation and started my trek forward. I felt bad about leaving him out there to
suffer all alone but I was ready for the end and I was certain that he would be
okay.
The pressure was
reduced to a minimum with Glenn struggling but still I continued give my best
effort. By focusing on the finish and maintaining my lead I was able to stave
off the demons that dared enter my mind this late in the race. I had no plans
on changing my outlook and ran as if I were still being chased.
When I reached
the second gorge I encountered Steve Wehrle and his pacer. They too were moving slow but Steve was in
excellent spirits and good physical condition.
I told him of Glenn's troubles and of the suggestion that I left with him. Steve agreed that Glenn should not quit and
we both expressed our hope that he nap and go on to finish. We then wished each other luck and moved in
our respective directions.
Shortly after
seeing Steve I reached the six mile mark at which time I knew it would only be
a matter of time. I felt good and
continued with the same walk/run method that had gotten me to this point. I was excited to be so close and wanted to
take the time to stop and look around to enjoy my last moment but I was
overwhelmed by emotion which cause me to run more than I walked. I remembered how Rick and I navigated this
section together in just over an hour and I used those thoughts to help me to
duplicate that effort.
I tasted the
finish line but refused to release my feelings for fear the release might
expend needed energy. When I crossed the
final road that led to the trail across the old bridge I finally slowed to
savor the moment. The thought of becoming the first person to finish the
Viaduct Trail 100 was not the prevailing thought. In fact what I felt most satisfied about was
that I was able to reverse the feelings of despair and fear of failure that I
felt on the first outbound section. When
I did finally cross the finish line in 20:45 I was greeted by both race directors
Carl Albright and Dave Kennedy. As an
impromptu photo was taken I tried to come to grips with what I had just
accomplished. When things settled Carl
told me that I was a machine. I couldn’t
help but laugh at that statement because today I am more human than I have ever
been in my entire life. I feel pain, I
cry, I laugh and I understand that I need people in my life and I even realize
that there is a time to quit. Machine no
but a confident individual who understands his own mind yes.
I had a good day
while learning an awful lot about who I really am. I enjoyed the company of my best friend while
also making new friends and hopefully representing myself in a respectful
manner. I was the first to finish this
race but every individual who started underneath of the viaduct on August 9,
2008 are champions because they did not fear what others believed to be
impossible.