What started as a practical joke on me, ended up with 100-miles of life changing satisfaction. Not only had it changed me, but it also had helped ease a burden on others.
Over a year ago, I was on my regular weekly Sunday group training run. Being the frugal guy I am, I normally stop and pick up change I see by the road. This particular morning, it seemed I had hit the mother lode. Every few yards I found a coin or two. Soon I had fallen behind the group because I was stopping so often, picking up change my pockets were filling. When I got to our next water stop, I found out Angela Foster and Gretchen Scoutelas had gone out before the run and dropped change all along the route. They were getting a good laugh. I told them we should start a foundation with this money. We could call it “Road to Change”. With that initial $0.41 and a $5 bill I found on a run the next week, I researched and found the Water Project (www.thewaterproject.com) , where we could fund the building of a clean water well in Kalimani Kenya. It was a perfect project for us since runners appreciate water and Kenya is known for its runners.
I wanted a big, meaningful challenge as part of this effort and since I had done a double marathon for my 50th birthday, I wanted to stretch beyond that. I decided to do the
Arkansas Traveller 100-mile run. I had over a year to train. The key for me in setting goals for a run like this is first to tell a lot of people I was going to do it, which for me, locks in the commitment. If you give your word, you have to follow through.
Our Sunday morning group was very supportive of the project both through donations and training. John Phillips, another member of our group, decided to run the 100-miler with me. He had completed an Ironman and was looking for another challenge.
Endurance training, rather than speed, is the key preparing for a 100-miler. I had a plan to run marathons as a pacer throughout the year. Beginning the year, I ran New Orleans , Little Rock, St. Louis, and Cleveland, OH marathons. I also ran a Midnight 50k, Bartlett Park 50-miler and a 73-mile training run in addition to my regular training, to make sure I was prepared.
I was very fortunate to have articles about the Road to Change in local papers and magazines and even a radio interview in Cleveland, OH to help spread the word about our project. We asked for donations of $10, enough to supply water for someone for 10 years. The response from so many caring people was amazing. Not only friends and family, but people I didn’t even know, like Mrs. Saylor’s senior class from Murrieta Valley High School, who had fund raisers to make a very nice donation.
We exceeded our $5,000 fundraising goal, by raising $5,791.45, but now it was time to run the race. As with the fundraising, it takes a lot of support to run 100 miles. John Phillips and I had four pacers, Nancy Highland, John Hazen, George Higgs and Randall Swaney, who volunteered to spend their Saturday night making sure we completed our race.
We arrived for the mandatory pre-race check-in and instructions Friday. We were weighed and given wristbands which showed our current weight and the weights at which we would be pulled from the course if we went below. Seeing the other runners at the meeting, I felt like the chubby kid in gym class. The advice was straightforward from the veteran runners, “Keep moving. Don’t quit. Don’t stay in the aid stations more than a minute. Don’t sit down.”
We started at 6am in the dark, in perfect cool weather. Our friend, John Hazen had persuaded us to use a headlight for the first hour, while it was dark, which turned out to be great advice.
John Phillips and I planned to run together for as long as possible. As we ran through the third aid station, I asked our pace. One of the volunteers said we were on a 20-hour pace, which was much faster than we had planned. Our goal, which we decided the night before, was a 26-27 hour finish.
The trails were hilly, rocky and technical. The rocks were the size of your fist, which took a toll on my feet. By mile 30, I had developed blisters. In the aid station, I asked for duct tape, to put on my feet to eliminate the pain. I changed socks, my shirt and was back on the course.
Getting to mile 50 seemed like it took forever. Psychologically, it made a big difference to get past there, knowing I was working on the second half of the race. It was near the turnaround aid station, on a dark gravel road, that two cars with our pacers, my wife and daughter pulled up beside me, which was a big emotional boost. I got a hug and a kiss and kept going.
Making it to the Powerline aid station at mile 68 was great. There I got to see my wife and daughter again and picked up my first pacer, John Hazen. I also had a doctor do some repair work on my blisters.
They say the real race begins at sundown, which is true. When your field of vision is limited by the headlamp and you have been running 12-14 hours, you have to keep your mind focused on relentless forward motion. John Phillips had long since gone ahead. He was having a great race. The hills had taken a toll on my quads and running downhill was extremely difficult. The volunteers at the aid stations were terrific to the runners. At that point in the race, most were struggling. They not only fed us but entertained us.
The temperature was now in the 50s and it began raining about 2am. I picked up my last pacer, Randall Swaney for the last 16 miles, which were extremely tough. We had to go through a lot of water. I fell going around one large puddle and thorn bush cut my leg and hand.
With less than 5 miles to go, the sun came up. Randall, who talked with me non-stop to keep me awake, took videos and pictures. When he told me we had 2 miles to go, it seemed like 200. John Phillips had already finished (finishing in just over 25 hours). George Higgs, our other pacer, came out to locate me to update my crew at the finish line. I finally hit the pavement and I knew I was close to the finish line. It was at that point that it became pretty emotional for me, knowing I was about to finish, what great friends and family I had supporting me and the 4,000 people who would have access to clean water because of this. I saw the finish line with my friends and family and I moved with everything I had left, which wasn’t much. I crossed the finish line in 28 hours and 7 minutes. 42nd place out of 95 who started. 29 had dropped out of the race.
Despite the aches, blisters and “why would you do this” comments, I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I never quit or even thought about quitting. 4,000 people, more people than in the town where I grew up, would have access to clean water. With God’s help and the kindness and generosity of so many people, that practical joke had a good ending.
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