Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run

My First Crew Job

It all started several months ago when I felt the desire to do something really nice for Rob Apple for being so kind and giving to me. Seemed that I had been on the receiving end for quite some time and it was bearing on my mind that I needed to give back. I gave it great thought about what I could possibly do. Then I began to think about Western States. My original plan was to make a surprise appearance at the finish line. Fly into Reno late Saturday evening, be at the finish for Rob and then make the drive back to Reno to fly home. At the time, it seemed to be unfortunate for me that I didn’t have enough knowledge to pull this off without Rob having any clue. I began asking questions and he began to be suspicious. I eventually had to tell him what was up. He felt that if I showed up at the race, I needed to see more than just the finish. Quite a long plane ride and expensive, too, just to see a finish.

I gave this much more thought and pestered Rob about my going to Western States. He tried to discourage me. To put this in his perspective, I was the horse that could not be broken. He finally gave in to me and said that if I was going to make that trip, then make it worthwhile and crew. He tried to tell me how difficult that was going to be and I understood that, but I still wasn’t discouraged. I was willing to give it my best shot.

After much discussion, I finally got to reserve my flight for Sacramento, CA on May 31, 2004. I had to get a flight out of New Orleans to be able to get a schedule suitable for Rob. I needed to be in Truckee, CA by a certain hour so that I wouldn’t interfere with his sleeping schedule and New Orleans had what I needed.

The next big problem was getting off from work on Friday, June 25^th. I had all kinds of little plots cooking until a co-worker told me that one of the bosses would be off that week on vacation leaving an assistant available to work in my place. What kind of luck is that? I asked her to work and she gladly accepted.

I would have liked Monday off from work, but that was going to be impossible for reasons I won’t list here. No need to waste my time to ask for an extra day.

My flight called for a late arrival in New Orleans Sunday night on the return trip and a drive in the wee hours of the morning going north to Laurel. This was the part of the whole trip that I dreaded the most. I do NOT like driving when I am dog-tired and I knew that I was going to be. Two and a half hours of pure misery. This was a small price to pay to give back to my dear friend, Rob.

I e-mailed my itinerary to Rob and then we began to plan. He advised what kind of clothing I would need for the all night vigil and informed me that I would need to have food during this time as well. This trail is not downtown. When you get to a crew accessible area, you either have or have not and if you have not, perhaps another crew person may have and share with you or you just do without.

I left my home in Laurel at 12:30 a.m. on Friday. My flight was at five and I needed three hours to get to N.O. for it was raining and I wanted to have a big window of time in case of any severe storms or thick fog that might slow me down.

I arrived in N.O. with plenty of time to spare.

We boarded the aircraft and as I was inching my way to my seat, a fellow who was in front of me moved to the side and to my great surprise stood another ultra running friend from Metairie, LA. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened and his face mirrored mine as I stuttered out, “What are you doing here? Where are you going??!!” Jerry Sullivan is going to Western States to pace a runner from Florida.

We got together in Atlanta where our non-stop to Sacramento originated. We were both very excited about the adventure we were on.

Had a lot of turbulence on the way to CA, which just made me smile from ear to ear. Landed in Sacramento with no problems.

Jerry waited for me and we rode the shuttle to the car rentals and then Jerry said that I could follow him to Truckee. Jerry forgot that he was in another state and drove like a South Louisianan. We stopped at a curb store for refreshments and I had to tell him to slow down and stop weaving in and out of three-lane traffic. I’m from hick town and we don’t have three lanes and we don’t go eighty-eight miles an hour while doing some stunt driving in the traffic. I think he got his driving lessons from Burt Reynolds in his movie, “Bandit”.

Sacramento is flat, brown and dry. I was wondering where all the mountains were. It didn’t take long to get to them. Absolutely beautiful country. What little I got to see while driving like a bat out of h## trying to hang on to Jerry’s bumper, was mind-boggling. I wanted so much to take pictures, but we were on a mission…get to Truckee…. and hopefully we weren’t going to take a stop at an ER by way of an ambulance on the way to Truckee.

Got to the hotel thankfully without getting in an accident or causing any. As I stepped out of the car, I got a big whiff of cedar. The forest is full of cedar trees and they give off their odor just like our pine trees.

Arose at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to pack up all my junk and to prepare for the journey ahead. We had to be at the race start to check in no later than 4:00 and to pick up bib numbers.

I met some other ultra runners whose names I have been seeing many times in Ultra Running Magazine as they came in to pick up their numbers. What an exciting pre-race time for me.

It is five a.m. on Saturday at Squaw Valley. The start gun goes off and the runners head up a steep incline that greatly reminded me of Pikes Peak. Friday afternoon I had walked about a city block up this incline. Altitude and the steepness took my breath away.

Clock counting down to the Start

Sharon, who is the wife of Wesley Fenton of Ohio and Rob’s best friend, her parents John and Mary of California and I stayed until the runners were out of sight.

Sharon will be working as Wesley’s crewperson and her parents are along to lend support for Sharon and Wesley.

Sharon, and her parents and I drove back to the hotel to prepare our cooler with ice, sports drinks, water, and various types of food.

After we made preparations for ourselves and anything else that we thought Rob and Wesley might need, we made the two hour drive to the first crew accessible aid station. This is called Robinson Flat, which is about 24.6 miles from the start. It was exciting watching some of your favorite runners coming through while waiting for your own runner.

It was hard finding a shady place to sit. There were hundreds of people waiting for their runners and since they got a head start on us they got the choice places. We had to settle for a semi shady spot about a quarter of a mile from the aid station. Sharon and I kept making trips down the hill to the station keeping a lookout for a good place to move. Eventually, we found a great place under a huge cedar tree right next to the station.

We had a long wait and the scenery along the road going to the station was beautiful. I took my camcorder and hiked up the hill to get some awesome shots of the mountains.

We were very happy when Rob and Wesley came in. They had to be weighed before they could do anything. We had borrowed some lawn chairs for Rob and Wesley to sit. Gave them some Gatorade and orange soda and refilled their water bottles. Rob changed his socks and then they were on their way.

A shuttle was provided to and from the parking area, but the service had stopped by the time we were ready to leave. We had a cooler, two lawn chairs that Sharon’s parents were using, two beach towels, two backpacks, camcorder, and some bagged food to lug up this steep hill that was about a half mile long, but seemed to be five miles long. Sharon told her parents to stay put and that she would walk with me to the car and drive down to pick them up and all the gear we had.

We had not gone far when a pickup truck stopped loaded with runners to offer a ride. We piled in with them to go to the intersection where we needed to get off to walk another quarter up a steep hill to the car.

After we got our car, we were afforded an opportunity to do our good deed for the day when we assisted a crewperson and a pacer with a ride up the steep grade.

Another scenic drive to the next station that is named Michigan Bluff at 55.7 miles. It was about twenty-one miles to this station, but took a while to get there because the roads are two lanes and nothing but hills and hairpin curves. Can’t go more than 40 mph most of the time unless you want to get an up close look at the bottom of these canyons.

We didn’t have to wait very long for Rob and Wesley to come down the trail into the station.

I didn’t know exactly what Rob needed at Robinson Flat, but I made some mental notes and had it all rehearsed and ready when he arrived at Michigan Bluff. He had a drop bag placed there earlier by race officials containing socks, a flashlight and a dry pair of shoes. I helped him change his socks, shoes and refilled his water bottle and assisted him in getting other items he needed out of the backpack that I was carrying to each station.

Loaded up our gear after they left and drove to the next point, which is Foresthill Elementary School at 62 miles. It will be dark when we see Rob and Wesley again.

Sharon’s parents decided when we got to Foresthill that they were too tired to stay with us. They went to a hotel in Auburn to get some rest and a good night’s sleep.

Sharon and I were sitting in the roped off crew area when suddenly we heard Wesley’s name called out that he had arrived. Seconds later, we heard Rob’s name called. They got there before we had expected them to.

Again, we borrowed some chairs for them to sit down for a few minutes. Gave them some refreshments and then they left out and disappeared into the darkness.

It is now a little after eight o’clock and it’s going to be five hours before we can expect to see our runners again. We have to make a drive to the next station, which is Green Gate at 79.8 miles. The drive was not going to be long. What to do with all this time?

Sharon had the idea that the fellows might enjoy a hot baked plain potato. We drove to Auburn in search of this hot potato and we couldn’t understand why no one is baking those puppies at midnight.

We arrived at Green Gate in almost total darkness. This place is in the middle of nowhere. The sky was clear and we could see the Milky Way and the moon was about a quarter full and bright. The path to the aid station was 1.5 miles down a long steep, very rutty and rocky, winding hill. The moon did provide enough light that if you went very carefully, you could walk without a flashlight. Sharon and I were carrying too much weight to risk a fall or a twisted ankle and used one. Luckily for us, Rob had provided a flashlight. Sharon and I had to share it since she didn’t have one.

The night was very cool, but we worked up a sweat going downhill. Got settled down near the roped off area reserved for crews. It was a very small place and the rules were you had to wait outside the roped area and wait for your runner’s name and bib number to be called out before you could enter. The runners were announced as they left from the Rucky Chucky (river crossing) at 78.0 miles. This gave the crews time to set up for their runner before they arrived.

As we waited for Rob and Wesley, we cooled down rather quickly. Sharon had brought two thick beach towels to wrap up in. I had on fleece pants and a fleece jacket with another fleece vest and still needed the beach towel!

This was a really neat aid station. The runners were treated to Christmas lights strung on each side of the trail just before entering the well lit and well-stocked aid station. There were two gas-operated generators providing the power for the lights. There were more colorful lights strung at the departure area.

This is the place that I started nodding off to sleep with my eyes open. I didn’t know that I could do that. I looked back over my shoulder at Sharon and I could see her sleeping like a baby. Occasionally, she would wake up and ask if I’ve heard Rob or Wesley’s name called. Sharon was doing all the driving and I knew she needed to sleep. I also knew that someone had to stay awake for our runners. We made an agreement that I would stay awake at the station and then I would get to sleep on the drive to the next station.

The fellows came in and we gave them more Gatorade and orange soda. They didn’t want to hang around very long. No shoe or sock changes. They were in and then they were out. They waved good-bye and saying that they will see us in Auburn at the finish. We were instructed to get some sleep.

Sharon and I worked up another sweat going back up this long hill. It took us nearly thirty minutes to get to the top where our car was parked. We were lucky that we got a place so close. Some folks had to walk at least another mile to their car.

Sharon and I wanted to see Rob and Wesley one more time before the finish. We agreed to go to 49’er Crossing which was on the way to Auburn and only six miles from Green Gate. We thought that we could drive down to the station and park nearby. Wrong! State Troopers were manning the crossing (runners had to cross the highway to the aid station and onward to the finish) and told us that we had to go back in the direction from which we came for about two miles and ride a shuttle.

Sharon had two lawn chairs and we were still carrying those beach towels for warmth. We settled down in the darkness and waited for sunrise. We were freezing. Both of us were shivering. We were still damp from the sweat we worked up climbing the hill at Green Gate and the chill in the air was making us very cold. We could hardly wait for sunrise because we knew it wouldn’t be long after sunrise that we would be shedding some clothing.

Sharon kept taking catnaps. I tried to stay awake. I didn’t know how long it was going to take Rob and Wesley to get there and I certainly didn’t want to miss them. Sharon took up conversation with a redhead who was waiting for her husband. She said that Rob and Wesley and her husband were running pretty close together. They had come into Green Gate almost at the same time. I took the opportunity to grab some sleep while Sharon was talking.

Across the highway, we could see runners coming. We kept looking for the blue shirts that Rob and Wesley were wearing. Eventually, we did see those shirts and Sharon jumped up from her chair, started waving at Wesley, then she turned and grabbed me and started jumping up and down with sheer delight. The guys were right on time, but we were thinking that they should have been there much earlier. We were ecstatic to see them.

They were not only surprised to see us, but they expressed that they were glad to see us.

Wesley gave his water bottle to Sharon; Rob gave his extra shirt and fanny pack to me. The guys had carried these items far enough and were tired and didn’t want to carry any extra weight any longer. They are at 93.5 miles. You can see on their faces that they are very tired, but like the ultra men that they are, kept marching forward. They are going to make it! YESSSS!!!

We drove happily to Auburn to Placer High School for the finish.

Pacers and crewpersons are allowed to accompany their runners from Robie Point, which is at 98.9 miles. I quickly changed into running clothes and ran down to Robie Point to meet them. It wasn’t a long wait, but I was so anxious to see them that it seemed like an eternity passed.

I saw them coming and yelled, “Come on Buds!!”(Rob and Wesley call each other Bud.)

Rob was so tired at this point that he didn’t know who was standing there yelling. He broke out in a big smile when it clicked in his tired brain.

I accompanied them to the high school stadium where they have to go around the track to the finish. I cut across the field to join Sharon and her parents at the finish to watch the Grand Finale.

As they came around the track their names, bib numbers and where they were from was announced.

A finisher’s medallion was hung around their necks. The belt buckles will be awarded later on in the afternoon.

What a weekend! Tiring but fulfilling. It’s like running an ultra. It may be uncomfortable at times, but well worth it all at the finish. This will be a trip that I will be talking about for a very long time.

Congratulations to Rob Apple and Wesley Fenton for a job well done!!

Thanks, Rob, for letting me be a part of Western States.

Thanks to Sharon for being a great companion while crewing and to her parents John and Mary for the wonderful conversations and company they provided.

Let’s do it again!

RAZ

My flight was at 3:30 Sunday afternoon out of Sacramento with a connection in Phoenix. I almost fell asleep waiting to board. It didn’t take long after take-off that I went dead asleep for about an hour. The flight attendants were taking up trash when I awoke. I knew then that we were not far from landing and kept an eye out for the Grand Canyon and did see it!

Boarded my five hour flight to New Orleans and found myself seated beside a mom and grand mom with a screaming infant. That baby had better lungpower than I.

I went into the panic mode knowing that I HAD to get some sleep. I found a flight attendant and explained my dilemma and she gave me permission to move to a seat nearer the front farther away from Big Lungs that could be heard all over the plane, but I was far enough away that I could go to sleep which I promptly did for about three hours of the flight.

Landed in New Orleans and then my nightmare began. The hardest part of my whole journey was about to begin…a two and a half hour drive to Laurel.

I did pretty well until I got about halfway home and then the sleepiness started settling in again. I took a sip of Coke every time I felt very sleepy. Eventually, the Coke was gone and I had to do something else to keep my eyes open. I remembered nodding off to sleep with my eyes open at Green Gate and that horror was forever on my mind.

I took my hat off and leaned forward on the steering wheel, turned up the radio to ear blasting loud and had the AC on high to keep it too cold. I used the empty Coke bottle for a drumstick to beat on the steering wheel as I swayed to and sang with the radio and resorted to beating myself about the shoulders and head.

Luckily for me, no one was around to get a picture or tape this activity. Hat hair, no makeup, eyes looking like roadmaps with circles underneath and beating myself with a Coke bottle. A picture of that would have been enough proof for anyone to send me immediately to the nuthouse.

Yes, I had to get home. My boss was expecting me to be at work at seven this same morning. No time to stop and sleep.

I arrived at my home at 2:15 Monday morning, got a few hours sleep and off to work I went.

I, at last, have finished my personal ultra! © Raz  See more pictures!