2014 Hellgate 100K

My first run of the Hellgate 100K++ is over and done. Or as Dr. Horton called it, due to the mild temperature and lack of rain or snow: Sissygate. It was an amazing experience. I'll try a give a decent run down of my race experience. Unfortunately I'm one of those where so many details seem to blur together, but I'll do my best. My prediction going into the race was to run 12-13 hour. My GOAL was try for under 12 hrs. And my super-secret goal was a top 10 finish, something I had yet to do in any of the Lynchburg ultras.

Friday night was a all around good time. I showed up about an hour before pick-up, introduced myself to Dr. Horton. Dr. Horton is founder and race director for Hellgate as well as other ultras around the Lynchburg area. From his quirky charisma, you know he cares for every runner out there. The first to acknowledge your success, but he won't budge an inch until you've earned it. That night we had a wonderful dinner by the staff at Camp Bethel, along with an informative and entertaining briefing. For a few hours we waited, prepped, maybe tried to sleep before heading off the start.

Hellgate starts at the Glenwood Horse Trail, near the Big Hellgate Creek and the Little Hellgate Creek, thus the name. A few minutes before Saturday (this is all starting in the middle of the night, near midnight), we gather to sing the national anthem, and pray. Once Saturday comes at midnight we are allowed to cross in front of the trailhead's gate. And at 12:01 am we are gone!

Start to AS1. This was a lot of rolling trails. The pace seemed a tad faster that I probably would've normally attempted. OK, a bit faster. But I felt compelled to keep that lead pack in my sight. The trail had some rocks and roots, but nothing un-runnable. I had a vague idea of how many were ahead of me, but nothing solid at this point. AS1 had only water, and with my pack pretty full, I just continued on through, determined to keep in sight.

AS1-AS2. This section was completely unmarked, but it's just one road that you follow up, up, up, and up. This is four miles all up hill. It's early enough in the race, many of us aren't running with our heads. So many times, I'm telling myself how much smarter it would be to start walking, but I can't seem to let myself. There's so many spots where you think you're almost to the end, only to see the road switch back and up again. I counted out that I'm somewhere around 12th. I'm a few dozen yards of the lead pack, with a handful of others in between. I resolved not to try and catch anyone yet, and just maintain where I am.

AS2-AS3. Many people see their crews here, and as people start stopping for various lengths, I pretty much lose visual on the pecking order. I grab a few pieces of food, a quarter of PB&J and head out. This next section has a lot of variability in terrain. Just past the aid station, we turn off onto some single track that mainly heads downhill. I've got a few people in sight, but 1 or 2 people might as well be free falling, they're going so fast. Horton calls the next mile or so a road, I think of it more of an ATV trail/double track. We're hear for just a little ways before ducking back on to trails for a lot of decent climbs and descents. I tend to lose people on the downs, but can make it back up on the climbs. I eat a gel or whatever in here, but I'm anxious to get to the aid station.

AS3-AS4. I get some real food in, and then start heading out. I'm feeling really good. One runner I could never reel in and who escapes on the initial downhill, I overtake on the climbs easily. It's back in forth for a bit, but I eventually lose him. What could it have been? MOUNTAIN DEW. I've experienced it's magic before, and I can definitely tell a difference. Reluctantly, I know it's going be a staple fuel throughout the rest of the race. I should also say, at this point, I'm no longer running the whole time. I get some good sections, but I'm a little more conservative and want to make sure I don't lose ground.

AS4-AS5. Even reading the course details, all I remember now is a lot of variability. Some ups. Some downs. Some gravel roads. Some grassy ATV trails. Some single track. I remember briefly being concerned about which section I'm on. I was pretty sure I went through AS4, but since I decided not to go to my drop bag, and thus never saw it, I slightly doubt it was there. I run a little bit with a guy from the Blacksburg area, who's a 8th-year veteran. We're never together continuously, but we talk some and he helps with some pretty accurate info on what's coming up. At some point through several of these sections, I some times think I see an aid station way off in the distance. Then a slight turn and I no longer see it, not really sure if it was even there. The trails are OK, but I'm becoming increasing frustrated with all the BRIARS! I don't know the actual name, but I just called them briar stalks. Just the tall stalks, and you run through them because you can't avoid them, and suddenly I'm a pincushion.

AS5-AS6-AS7. There's just a lot of running. There's also a God awful amount of leaf coverage. No exaggeration: up to my calf. Some sections I don't just because I don't feel safe doing so. The trail is also so narrow next to the side of the mountain; you're worried about falling on your face as much as falling down the mountain. At some point during this time the sun comes up. I'm so excited to turn off my headlamp. If you ever wonder about running throughout the night, my experience is that it's not the sleep deprivation: it's the hours on hours of darkness with only this tiny window of light. One of these sections is longer than Dr Horton claims, and I'm becoming frustrated. I just can't wait to see that next aid station, which is where my drop bag will be.

AS7-AS8. With the sun up, at AS7, I change a bit to get out of some cold weather clothes, to be more prepared of the warmth. Dr Horton happily greets and lets me know that I'M IN SIXTH PLACE. I think I had that kinda worked out before, but to here it from the man himself was great. I've switched to handhelds, and have filled them with Gu for the extra fuel, though, as I've been since AS3, I pound down about 3 cups of Mtn Dew. I grab a Fluffnutter slider (Yes, it is amazing) and head out. Just as I leave, I see another runner come in, and I suddenly feel a huge pressure to defend my position. This next section I actually enjoy for the most part. Initially there is some hard climbing. But eventually there's section of "PIOs;" pointless in and outs. They are certainly not pancake flat, but since I'm feel good, I find most of it runnable, and I enjoy the zig-zagging. By the end, I'm fading a little bit, but the aid station is near.

AS8-AS9. This is my absolute lowest point of the race. At the aid station I fill up my bottles, down my Mtn Dew, grab a few tater tots. This is the "lunch" aid station for most people, but it's still about 9:30-10ish for me. Then I get the worst tidbit. The AS worker tells me the next section is down hills for a ways then flat. I know this has been called "the FOREVER" section, but down hill and flat? I can deal with that. It is true that there was a fair amount of down hill for a while. But once we cut into the woods, it because very clear that it is not flat. While maybe not the steepest, this is some of the worst climbing of the entire day. That leaf coverage is back, and by now I've resolved to run on it where I can, some places I just CAN'T. I have so many false hopes throughout this section, I wanted to cry. And I was PISSED! Down hill and FLAT?! I'm sure I low of calories, but I'm livid. Every time there's a slight down, I think "this is it" and it NEVER WAS. And I swear I hear the people at the next station, but honestly, that started about 45 minutes before I actually got there.

AS9-Finish. This is IT. I grip a little bit to the AS workers, but I try to only speak positively. Negativity just breeds negativity. There's 6 miles left. Two miles up, four miles down. I head out, run a few hundred yards in and take a bathroom break. And... I felt resolved just to walk. At this point, the line between runnable and un-runnable was blurred. I think twice I ran a few hundred feet. But I kind of had no guilt about walking. It felt like a long two miles. When I got to the top, I felt very stiff. But I worked it out crossing the road, and head down. At this point, it was unmemorable, besides just the elation of getting to the end. My quads were on fire, but I'm so close I just abuse them some more. I'm still paranoid about 7th place right behind me. But I see that 1 mile mark and try to get another gear. I turn into Camp Bethel and try to reach one more. I cross the finish line in 12:37:00. And I get my sixth place.

In the end I think I had a great race. I think I'll always wonder if I went out too hard for those first 7 ish miles through AS2. Could I have closed even better if I had left more in the tank earlier? Perhaps. But what I did did get me to where I needed to be to get sixth, and for that I don't regret it.