Hot Times, Cold Weather: Hellgate 2008

So Hellgate has been on my radar for several weeks now and I was pumped at the idea of completing my first 100k. The stories I had heard from other Bimblers (icy weather, treacherous footing, Horton miles, freezing eyeballs) were both daunting and exciting but I loved the idea of adventure and overcoming the challenges. On the other hand, no matter who you are or what races you’ve done, hearing such tales of peril and difficulty is enough to give anyone pause.

After many trail hours and long coffee shop discussions about the race, the day finally came for us to pack our gear, bundle up our courage, leave our doubts and head south for the winter. After a few shenanigans (as you have heard, there was a BRIEF discussion of sleeping arrangements and a mention of a friday morning run), a visit to Cabelas where last minute items were bought and a lot of driving we finally arrived at Camp Bethel, which served as both the pre-race dinner and briefing site and the finish site. We checked in and got our race numbers (which were given based on Horton’s pre-race rankings: Jerry was 5, Dan 24 and I brought up the rear with 79 [BEHIND a couple of girls i might add, but lets not get into that]), grabbed our shwag bags and claimed a table in the dining hall strategically close to the pre-race buffet. The dinner hit the spot nicely and we moved across the compound to the briefing hall where we rested, packed our hydration packs and generally prepped ourselves for the race (taping, bandaiding, lubing, etc). I was fascinated to watch Spuds fill his camelbak with Coke as he explained it was the only drink he found that his stomach would tolerate and realized this is why I love running because where else would you see someone strap 2 liters of a carbonated soft drink onto their back and head off on a jog?

As we all were gearing up, we listened to Horton give his race briefing and learned that the crew would not be able to get to all the aid stations as expected, the drop bags would not be where we first thought they would, the course would probably be marked well, and that the closest Horton could come to gauranteeing us that aid would be available on the course was to recommend that we run in the middle of the pack. Awesome. Glad everything is clear.

Finally, the big hand told us it was time to head off, so along with a few other racers, we piled into the cars and joined the caravan as we snaked our way along the highway and country roads until we reached Hellgate trailhead. The moon shone down on us, beautifully illuminating the landscape like a soft blue street lamp and was occasionally eclipsed by a passing cloud, dimming the light. The temp was surprisingly warm and by that I mean it was in the upper 30’s and we all wondered whether we had overdressed. [insert nervous laughter]. We had not.

After exchanging last minute encouragements, Jerry, Dan and I toed the line and at the sound of the gun, we were off. Sort of. Just as Jerry had advised, there was a mad rush from the start while Jerry and I settled in to a strong but moderate pace. I was immediately excited to be tackling new trail and the adrenaline of the race was pumping through me as we wound through the first few miles. After splashing through a couple of water crossings, the field spread out and as we headed up on of the many hills, we were able to turn off our headlamps and run with just the light from the moon to guide us. It was quiet and peaceful and before I knew it, we were running into the second aid station where Kerry and Jen were waiting. They heaped encouragements on us as we paused to re-fill/re-fuel and we were out just as quick as we came in. From the get go, Jerry and I managed to fall into a similar pace and not wanting to give a second to the other, we each worked to keep the pace. I was able to put a little space between us on a technical downhill section and as the trail shifted uphill, I knew it would only be a matter of time until Jerry would be back and sure enough, at the top of the hill at the next aid station, not 5 seconds behind me, who appears but Mr. Bimble. With a non-chalant “hey, good to see ya” that I later learned concealed a phenomenal effort to power up the hill Bimble refueled and we headed out together again. I managed one more time to gain a little space on a downhill section but once again Mr. B showed his prowess and caught me again at the 4th aid station. As we wound our way through the mountain range, we leaped frogged each other for the lead position and on a couple of occasions, I was forced to hurry my pitstops knowing that there was always the danger that Mr. B would drop the hammer and pull away. But I managed to make up the time and for the rest of the race we were neck and neck, neither willing to yield to the other. As we progressed through the stages, a welcome sight was seeing Guth on the trails as she ran backwards from the next aid station to us and would then accompany us back to the aid station. Always itching for a run, we would see Guth up the trail, beaming from ear to ear and bouncing back and forth like an excited puppy and know that food and drink was near (although as B and I struggled to make solid footfalls and avoid twisting an ankle on an unseen stone, Guth seemed all too pleased to show us how nimbly she could navigate those same trails). As the miles piled up and the hours ticked by, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise over the mountains and used the invigoration to move our way up in the rankings. Keeping a steady pace and minimizing our time at the aid stations (made easier by the fact that most of the drinks were turning into icy slush and the food was not what you would call warm) we found ourselves in 7th and 8th place heading out of the final aid station. My two pre-race goals were to finish under 14 hours and grab a top 10 spot and since I don’t like to look at my watch, I knew that the one goal I had control of was a top 10 finish so Mr. B and I pushed on. The last section is 3 miles up hill and 3 miles down. But the uphill is very, very up. Not knowing how long the hill trail was, I kept searching uphill for the summit but each time I thought we were close, the trail would curl back up. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, B pointed up ahead and said “look, there’s the summit. We turn off onto the trail and from there it’s just 3 miles to the finish”. But as we approached, he took another look and said, “oops. sorry. we’re not quite there yet”. I was just about to thump him with my shoe when we looked up and saw the real peak just 100 yards further up. We crested the hill and from there let gravity do it’s thing and just tried to move our legs to keep up. We cruised to the bottom and were met by Guth. We survived a brief challenge from a runner we had passed earlier and crossed the line exhausted in 13hr33min42sec and tied for 8th place (having been passed on the uphill section by a different runner).

After the race, as we gathered to recover in the lodge, Bimble told me that after a day or so, I would look back on this race and only remember the good things. That’s a load of shit. I remember the hamstring crushing uphill sections; I remember the freezing temperatures and blasting wind at the top of the mountain that managed to freeze my drinking tube on my hyd pack for 2hrs; I remember the stick that caused me to tumble; I remember the river of leaves we had to wade through and I remember the stones hiding under the leaves just waiting to trip you up (I distinctly remember actually getting angry at the rocks at one point for all the stumbling and bruises they caused. Then I got pissed at the leaves for covering up the stones but then I thought, no f the trees for dropping the leaves. That was a tough part of the race). But while I do remember the difficulties, the positive memories jump to mind much quicker and easier than the negatives. The beautiful night sky; the shooting star; the gorgeous winding trails, the sense of adventure, the challenge, the thrill. It was great. I achieved both of my goals, ran some fantastic new trails, and enjoyed some great company along the way. The only question left now is would I do this again?

HELL yes.

I gotta thank Guth and Jen for all their help and sacrifice as well. They were AWESOME; beside providing much needed aid, they gave fantastic moral support.