The Pinhoti 100.6 Mile Trail Race – Heflin to Sylacauga, Alabama
November 3-4, 2018
For anyone who dreams of doing amazingly more than they thought they could…. Read on!
My training, sleep and eating may have been their best ever coming into this race. Race weather was near perfect. I had, arguably, the best crew of any runner out there. I beautifully executed my best race plan to date, going into mile 42. And, an aid station volunteer said I was “The happiest runner out there! Smiling and complimenting others” any time she saw me. What happened? I finished the race “DFL” (Dead ___ Last). And it may have been my greatest race triumph yet!
The Pinhoti 100 started at 7 AM. A chilly but pleasant 37 degrees. I felt calm and peaceful as the gun went off and the hoard of 258 runners oozed down the trail of Pine Glen Camp. The Pinhoti 100 is actually 100.6 miles and covers a moderate 32,766 feet of elevation change (Over 16k’ of gain/16k’ of descent). The coolness of the air, the beauty of the changing leaves around us, and the electricity of the crowd, made running an absolute joy. I had my Garmin covered and planned to run the first 41 miles comfortably, without looking at my watch. I just ran by feel while thanking God for every step and the beauty around me.
The trail was rocky, rooty and thin. There were sections it was no wider than 6” and had a cliff off to the side of it. I was positive and running smoothly. But something happened at mile 45. Something really bad! My body was doing great. But my mind totally and completely hit the wall like never before. And when it did, everything went “dark.” Almost every negative message that could come to mind flooded my thoughts and I felt absolutely horrible. My mind is usually my strong point. But not then. I have pondered it extensively, and my best assessment is that, I went into this race just mentally exhausted. But did not fully realize it? I felt positive and relaxed. But the events of the last 10 years or so, and especially this past year, had finally caught up to me. And my mind just rebelled. I felt so bad. I was running with my son, Matthew, who is a great pacer and friend, and I wanted so bad to run well and be positive for him. But I was in such a dark hole. It was so weird?! Yet, another calm voice in my head repeated, “Keep moving… it ain’t over yet.”
I do not know how I kept moving. When my pacers would ask me, what I wanted? Or, do I want them running in front or behind me? All I could say, after an awkward silence, was “I don’t know.” My crew chief Shawn said at the aid station (mile 65), “I looked in your eyes and I saw nothing.”
Later, running into the aid station at mile 69, I was telling myself, “I am going to tell the guys I am done. At least I got to as far as I did last time and I lasted the past 24 miles feeling like hell.” But I did not want to let the guys down. They had sacrificed so much for me. They deserved far better! Jesus deserved better. I tried to hint at stopping, but I saw Shawn gearing up to run and he would hear none of it. Prior, he had no intention of running. He was recovering from a 150 mile race two weeks before and had no business running. But he knew I was in big trouble and needed drastic help. Plus the toughest 6 miles of the entire course were just ahead. The climb up to The Pinnacle! Off we went into the night. Shawn was behind me, in my ear constantly: “You are going to have to go faster… All your life leads up to this… No way are you going to DNF… All I expect is all you’ve got… every step is a gift… you ran harder than this in Idaho… I have seen you run harder!” And on and on he went. Constantly, for however long it took to get up the mountain. I was giving it all I had. But my mind was still shot. I was secretly telling myself, “With all the time you lost over that 24 miles, there is NO WAY I will make the cutoff at the top of the pinnacle.” “I will be swept at mile 74.5.” It’s kind of embarrassing to share how bad off I was. That’s not me. But I kept pushing and kept climbing, giving all I had. I could hear the music at the aid station and thought, “Whoa, we are almost there. This was not as bad as people said.” Instead, it was a false summit. We were maybe 60% of the way there and still had tons of switchbacks and climbing to do. So I kept moving and Shawn kept pushing.
Suddenly, the music stopped. I thought: “That’s it. It’s past the cutoff. I missed it. They are shutting down the aid station.” (Actually we were running around the other side of the mountain). Then, I became angry! “Are we ever going to get to the top?! I am giving everything I have.” Finally we get to the top, and I somehow beat the cutoff by about 13 minutes (FYI, the cutoffs in this race get considerably tight at times as they are set by distance without consideration to elevation). It was a miracle! I am at mile 74.5, and now my mind is not only gone, but my legs felt flat out shot, or so I thought. So I started walking down the trail.
Out of the night, a runner is behind us. However, it is not a runner. It is the dreaded course sweeper… Jeff. Shawn quips “The course sweeper is right behind me” (I can hear him less than 10’ back). So I just take off running! The first glimmer of hope in over 30 miles and 8-10 hours. Now I did not want to be swept and go home. I did not want it to end as I had before. I was still in the fight. And Shawn was behind me saying, “Good job! That’s it!” So on numb legs, I just ran with all I had.
Shawn asked Sweeper Jeff (Who we called, “The Grimm Sweeper!” lol), how far to the aid station? How much time do we have? Jeff said, “If you run like this or faster for the next 45 minutes, you may make it?” I am thinking, “Shoot! I do not think I can hold this pace for another 45 minutes, let alone, go faster?!” But I must. So every 3-5 minutes, Shawn is like, “Okay, 37 minutes to go… Okay, 33 minutes to go.” And so on. As we are getting down to the final minutes, Shawn tells me, “Whatever happens, sprint into that aid station. Show them you are strong. They will let you through.” Also, the sun was coming up over the mountains. It was stunningly beautiful. And I was now praying, “God, help me finish. I am so sorry, Do let me get swept.” My mind was coming back as mysteriously as it had shut down back at mile 45! It was an undeserved gift.
I ran through aid station 15 full tilt with 1 minute to spare. Shawn quickly grabbed me a dixie cup of ginger ale (for my nausea) and fun size Snickers bars and caught up to me. So we left Sweeper Jeff there and off we went. When I saw or heard no sweeper, I slowed up some. I thought I had a little buffer and could recover. Plus my vision was blurring, the trail was a wreck, and I was stumbling around at times like a drunk. Good thing Shawn would grab my jacket and pull or who knows?! The new rally cry from Shawn, “Make it in time to Bull’s Gap, our next aid station, mile 85.6, and you will finish the race!” (The course gets easier after that). So I am running, hiking, and pushing myself the whole time. I have had too little fuel, since I could not stop at the aid stations much, if at all. My Garmin battery died and Shawn had no watch. So we had no idea how far Bull’s Gap was, nor how long we had to get there. All I am doing is focusing on pushing myself as hard as I can… period! It felt like I have never pushed like that before… yet had such quality support. My crew truly was the best.
Back to the race. All of a sudden, some wild-eyed dude comes running toward us down the trail screaming “Jeff… Jeff.” He was looking for his runner. As he ran by me, he barked, “If you ever had a second wind, now is the time. You have 7 minutes to get to the aid station!” Mind you, we were on super rocky technical trail that was not marked well due to overgrowth. So I took off in an all-out sprint at about mile 84! It was remarkable. Like the elderly lady lifting a car off of her grandchild. I was like super human for that moment. Shawn said, “I have never seen you run that well on technical trail before!” We were probably running a 9-minute pace (or faster) on elevation and rocks (That may be beyond my best when I am fresh?). I am sprinting along when all of a sudden I see my son Matthew on the trail and I think, “Good. We made it!” He yells, “Great job guys. We have 3/4 of a mile to go to the aid station.” My heart sank. I think, “I am busted. I have been running super hard for at least 7 minutes. My time is up.” Shawn asks, “How long before the cutoff?” Matthew responds, “We have passed it.” Then I think, “NO… We have come too far. Fought too hard to fail now.” Shawn says to me, “Keep running. Just run right through the aid station. If they take your bib, just keep going. You are finishing this race officially or not.” Now I am struggling with anger. “I do not want them to take my bib. I want that bib. I want to finish officially.” My mind is going strong. So now I run even faster.
I get to Bull’s Gap aid station and they are taping it off. A bad sign for sure. I sprint into the aid station (mile 85.6) and just keep going – no food, no aid, no fluid. I say, “I am moving on.” And even though I was almost 10 minutes late, they said, “Go ahead!” I was so happy! So now I am a bigger mess. I have pushed, sprinted, been under time pressure for many hours. The rolling jeep road may be easier running, but my feet and legs hurt pretty bad. Then along comes my buddy and other crew member “Fabio” with the new sweeper, Paul… a nicer version of Jeff, but still a killer! 🙂 The 10 minutes behind time hurt me, so I need to run hard again. It is getting hot out by this time, and I have not had as much fuel as I need. But it does not matter. I was in striking distance, the final 15 miles to go. I need to get to mile 95 and pick up Matthew again.
I stay ahead of Sweeper Paul. Met some fellow strugglers like Eric from Alabama, and Mina the eccentric Egyptian who repeatedly said, “This race is so stupid!” We just laughed. He was a strong runner who had previously completed a 200-miler. Just out there having fun. Fortunately, I mad up time in this segment and get to Matthew with time to spare. Now Shawn finally gets to drop off. Fabio is running with Paul picking up the race markings behind me, but secretly, he was being a great friend and wanting to encourage me (I can only have one runner officially at a time). Matthew and I pressed forward along beautiful trees and a lake. The beauty is still etched in my mind. Matthew was coaching and pacing me well, encouraging me to breathe slow and pump my arms. He did a great job and I am truly proud of him!
We hit the town of Sylacauga, AL at about mile 98, heading toward the High School track where the finish line was. I was moving fairly well. The plan was to have the whole crew run with me the last lap around the track and cross the finish line together. Our dream from 2 years ago, before I got injured in that race, was to run that same track with Matthew and cross together. It was finally going to happen! I crossed the finished line at 29:35:57, having made up 34 minutes on the final leg and had 24 minutes to spare.
Race winner and Altra Elite runner, Jeff Browning, came up and sat down for a pic with me and stayed and talked for like 20-30 minutes. A great guy! Matthew got me a big plate of bbq shredded pork, beans, and a pickle. Shawn handed me a beer. And I sat there in the sunshine, among guys I love, and other special people, staring at the 100 mile Pinhoti Belt Buckle that had alluded me 2 years earlier due to an injury during the race. I was just savoring this absolutely amazing moment. I thanked God for it, for lessons learned, and for allowing me the gift of finishing. While knowing there was no way on this day I would have ever finished without Shawn (a.k.a. Catfish), Matthew (a.k.a Young Gun), and Cristiano (a.k.a Fabio).
Finishing took each one of them, with their specific blend of gifts to help get me there. My crew were the people others wanted to meet and be with. And I know why. Each guy is special… way beyond common. As evidence, I later learned, that Shawn, who was not supposed to run at all, ran 9 hours on 150 calories. He was giving me his fuel to insure I would make it, at great cost to himself. Cristiano, who had an injured foot, was hobbling far worse than me after the race because he pushed that foot on the trail more than was probably wise, but because it was needed. And no one cared more that I lost time on a pacing shift than my son Matthew. He really cared how I did and he wanted to give his best. He did for 30 miles! You do not find men like this in today’s world easily. I know each man well and I know they are truly special. Their example is to be applauded and imitated. (Not most of my example here!). I gave way beyond that day due to God’s gift of power when needed and the love and strength and sacrifice of these men. I was at my worst at times. They were always at their best!
Key in all this? “You CAN do way more than you think. It is inside you. It needs to be drawn out.” And, “There are times when there is no way you will do anything special alone. Learn to lean on God and special others, and you will go much further than you ever thought possible!”
A very special thanks to Altra for making the best running shoes and running apparel out there! To XOSKIN for making the absolute best & most durable toe socks in the world! And for its compression shirt that keeps you cool in heat, warm in cold, and comfortable throughout running for almost 30 hours. And, 2XU for their MCS compression running pants/shorts series. Those things are so comfortable and helpful. I highly recommend that you try each. I have run in Altra shoes for almost 15,000 miles now without problems and with more comfort than I could have thought possible.
I truly wish for your dreams to come true and more. And for you to personally experience going WAY beyond! There is much more I could have shared. Feel free to ask, if curious.
In Your Corner,
Andy
Some Facts:
Pinhoti 100: 100.6 miles from Heflin, Alabama to Sylacauga, Alabama. 32,766’ of elevation.
Cutoff: 30 hours
Shoes: Altra Superiors 3.5 (outstanding for the 1st 45 miles). Lone Peak 3.5 (Outstanding for 55.6 miles). They performed flawlessly!
Apparel: Altra Buff, Arm sleeves, & Gaiters. OR Light Arm sleeves & hiking gloves. XOSKIN. Shirt, socks, & XOTOES. 2XU MCS Compression Running Pants. All performed outstanding! Gear: UD Light Vest & Nathan Vest. Black Diamond Carbon Z Poles (for 20+ miles) & Head lamp. Opportunity Center Trail Lamp.
Fuel: Tailwind. Rocktane. Gu Gels. Nutella. Snickers & Milky Way Bars. Pretzels. Coke. Potatoes. Quesadillas. Larabars. Trail Mix. PB on Cookies.
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