Hey, I was up for 40 hours at this point! Brian did a great job crewing and he knows it.
I slept in the sun room on the night after the race. John Stewart said, "You must sleep soundly after a 24-hour run." I said, "You feel like you have been in a car wreck."
I WON'T FORGET: VERMONT 100, 1990
Pinky: A volunteer at an aid station in the middle of nowhere handing out her homemade brownies.
A Young Man: the volunteer I saw so many times at various aid stations. He must have been up for two days straight – Did I mention that he only had one leg?
Young Girls: on the horse farm, the start and finish points of the race, who live and breathe horses.
Bob: who was told by a doctor not to run until his eye surgery healed – so he walked 88 miles. You are awesome.
Bev: who had a couple of nasty falls and still finished under 30 hours. Her grandchildren will be proud.
Ross: the 60-something dentist from Oklahoma who blew by me at 93 miles. I forgot to tell you that I admire you.
Dale: from San Diego. On your advice to a rookie on how to run 100 – “start off fast” – Are you sure?
Brian: my handler; who, for 30 hours supplied me with socks, pizza, sunglasses, etc. and an immense diary of notes.
Linda: whom I met at her first 50 in Maine. She’s already a Western States 100 veteran. It was so nice to see your smiling face again.
Medical Volunteers: How many times did you have to say “What was your weight when you checked in?” I forgot to thank you.
Jack: my new running friend. We had some 60 miles of conversation. It’s good to know you.
The Gentleman Who Rode Arabelle: I hope I have your zest for life when I am your age.
California Group and Groupies: I knew from looking at them that they weren’t from New England. They had a lot of fun. I’ve never seen the wave done anywhere besides at ballgames! Please come back again.
The Young Woman Who Came in Second, and Her New Husband/Handler: I say “new” because they were on their honeymoon – honest!
Laura: The State of Vermont’s Ambassador. A salute to you, your caring volunteers, and your beautiful state. It was a wonderful race. Thank you so much for the most exciting weekend of my summer.
The Trail: covered bridges, fresh air, blue sky, green Green Mountains, trickling brooks, dirt roads, horses running free, warm sun, the Northern Lights.
Those green marker lights, Ten Bear Camp, my flashlight dying at 10:30 PM in the middle of the woods, the taste of Coca-Cola (but not for a while).
They say that the course is so well marked (and it is) that Stevie Wonder couldn’t get lost. But I did – twice!
The last leg is 3.2 miles? No way, Laura!
By Bob Bacon
Bob Bacon, 45, from Marshfield, Massachusetts, finished the 1990 Vermont 100-mile Endurance Ride and Run; it was his first (completed) 100.
NOTE: PLEASE CONTINUE READING. THE COMMENTS BELOW ARE ALSO RELEVANT TO THE STORY!
4 comments:
B-O-B! What a tremendous accomplishment - 100 miles in a day! And a perfect honeymoon idea -- it's true love if your wife makes you buckle at the knees, right? Incidentally, a friend of mine and I have been planning to do such an absurd thing ourselves. What was your training regime like? How many marathons, 40s, or 50s did you do before you tried 100?
How to run a 100 mile race. OK Lets see what do I remember about running. To answer your questions. I had run 10 or 12 marathons and three 50's before I tried a 100 and probably should have done more before trying a really difficult or fairly difficult 100. My training runs daily were 10 miles minimum with my long ones on Sunday being 30 or 40 miles. I averaged 150 miles per week with as I remember doing many 20 milers almost daily. I used Boston (my 8th) as a training run and it was so easy. Having a crew that knows what is going on is so important. On my first 100 my handler would place my chair in the sun to change shoes or socks or to eat and drink. It was hot all day and i needed shade not sun. It is really tough on your handlers. Be gentle. You will not be thinking logically at 19 hours and that is why handlers or crew is so important. They need to make decisions for you. It should NOT be their first time at a 100 mile run. You will have to carry water and energy drinks and you need to train with the packs and belts. You have to eat and drink allot during a 100 mile run and you need to know what works for you. Almost everyone I know enjoys soup at night during the race but not me. Coke and m and m's worked for me and pizza or baked potato's. Many people react to 100 mile run by throwing up. You have to learn what your body can stand during the beating and it is a beating. Some one said " Boy I bet you sleep well after a 100 mile run " I replied " You don't sleep well at all , It feels like you have been in a bad car accident". One of my friends said " When was the last time you stayed awake for 24 hours " ? That was a good question. Never mind being on your feet for that amount of time. You won't get sleepy during the race. Getting lost during the run can be extremely mentally devastating . It is fairly easy to make a wrong turn at 3 am on a mountain trail with only a flashlight. Just because you are behind 5 other runners do not think you are on course. Pay attention !! Cut your toenails way down. You probably will loose all of them anyway. It looks worse than it feels. Many experienced runners will run for 55 minutes and walk for 5 minutes and that is a really good plan. Lost time at rest areas is something to pay attention to. It can add up to hours lost. Most races have a cut off time. At WS100 in the Sierras of California if your are ONE SECOND late you didn't finish. Protein drinks are very important. Check it out. I don't think that you should change shoes during the race either. This may sound overwelming and serious and thats because IT IS. All this is totally off the top of my head. I will forward it to three guys who are also experienced ULTRA RUNNERS and forward you their opinions. Clothing , You need experience to know how to dress. Some product to grease you up so you don't chafe. Vaseline is not enough. Between your legs under you arms and on your feet. Sun glasses , a real mental secret weapon on a sunny day or two. Walter Stack from the San Francisco Bay area when asked how to run a 100 race said " Start off slow and taper ". Sounds funny but at 21 or 28 hours into it it will make complete sense . Do not run hatless. Tevas and dry clothes at the end are heavenly. A beer with taste like S---. You will be unable to drive home and even if you could you will need help getting out of the car. Ask me more questions. Tell me about your race and your running experience. You can do it.
I didn't write this, but it's relevant here.
Getting in shape is like playing poker with a man named Slim. Slim keeps uping the anti and you've got to put up or get out of the game. You start off running a couple of miles a day and think this isn't bad; Its strictly low stakes recreation , right ? But the next thing you know you're trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. You're Spending two nights a week at the nautilus center and using the vacation money you saved on orthotics.
Your body"s like Slims in a way; it's playing with an endless supply of funds , a limitless capacity to adapt. Your body will keep upping the ante again and again until one day there you are ; standing by the beer keg after the Western States 100 Miler with a nagging sense of some thing left undone.
More from me .... You probably will be running by yourself for most of the time. I was lucky and ran with some one on my first 100 for 70 miles. Running with others can help or slow you down. Always leave him or her behind if they are falling behind. You will walk but when you do push yourself to walk fast. More later I am sure. Wear clothing that doesn't hold sweat. DO NOT try anything NEW on race day!
This guy finished WS100 in 21 hours on his first WS try.
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Boretti, Richard P" Subject: RE: [Bob's World] New comment on The Vermont 100-mile Endurance Run, 1990.
Make sure you put band aids on your nipples, nothing more painful (or unsightly) than blistered/bleeding nipples.
Regardless what you read, you can not drink too much!
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