I was
now on what I knew was the longest stretch between aid stations. This
part of the course would lead me back up and down the hills to mile 63.
There were still people coming in the other direction headed towards mile 42,
which kind of surprised me. One person in particular, David Hughes, said
something to me that got me thinking. He said "good luck catching
the guys in front of you". This was not something that had
been going through my mind. I was on the defensive, concentrating on
defending my 4th place standing. This told me a lot about myself. I
need to start being more aggressive and think about overtaking people rather
than being overtaken. Sometimes I think a runners performance and style
can say a lot about the individuals personality. I truly am a meek person
and because of that I sometimes allow people to get over on me. Those
that go for the win also go for the kill and do not accept defeat and would
never allow anyone to take advantage of them. Is my theory true for
everyone? Probably not but it is for me. One day I would like to
experience what it feels like to win an event but at the same time I really
dont have a dire need to have that feeling. Especially if its at
the expense of someone who does need it.
I felt good from miles 58 to 63 but not spectacular. I ran most of the
way only walking partially up some of the steeper inclines. Those uphills
sure seemed a lot shorter on the way out than they did on the way back. I
was able to stay focused and remain confident in my ability to finish with
little difficulty. I got a tremendous boost as I ran the final hill up to
the mile 63 aid station and was greeted by the cheers of a volunteer who told
me I looked strong. Both gentlemen in the aid station told me that
as strong as I looked I still had a chance to win this thing. It was a
good ego boost but I knew in reality that I had no chance of catching Mark
unless he completely died out there. While the volunteers were filling my
bottles I ran to my drop bag to grab my gloves and my headlamp. There
were still a few hours of daylight left but this is where I left my light so I
had to get it. As far as the gloves go this was the only drop bag where I
had a pair stashed so I had to grab them because it was sure to get cold at
night. The aid station volunteer talked me into eating a cup of
beans before leaving assuring me they would only have a positive effect on
me. I was tentative because I have never experimented with beans before
in a long run and there was the potential of them causing stomach
problems. Im a pretty adventurous guy though and I dont mind taking a
gamble so I ate them. I thanked the guys and headed off down the road
this time towards mile 68.
I walked a few hundred yards eating the food I just got from the aid station
before putting it in gear down the road. This section started out pretty
flat however there was a slight upgrade to it. I ran for long stretches
before boredom led way to walking. I just cant seem to stay in the same
mindset on flat surfaces as I can with the hills. A couple of sections of
this course really reminded me of the road from the fish hatchery to Half moon
Campground in Leadville. The road was so flat and boring I walked
most of the way out to the campground and then again on the return on the way
back to the fish hatchery. I didnt do nearly as much walking here
as I did at Leadville because I was able to occupy my mind with positive
thoughts. I continued on pushing forward as the course did eventually
revert back to its hilly form. I still felt strong physically and I
was hanging in there mentally as I made my way to the top of the hill that led
down into the mile 68 aid station. I could feel that I was slowly
weakening and decided I needed to pump myself full of energy fluids. I
had a drop bag at this station and planned to use every kind of energy booster
I had stashed in it. As I sat in a chair sorting through my bag a dog
came up and sat next to me. Im not sure what it is about animals but they
seem to have the ability to comfort me and put me at ease. I talked to
him as I looked in my bag for what I needed and he seemed to respond by laying
his head on my arm and staring in my eyes. I drank some
"Rocket Shot", a bottle of Sobe Adrenaline, and a bottle of Ensure.
I also took a couple of Arnica tablets to help me manage the pain. I
packed my bag back up and said goodbye to the dog and headed out looking for
mile 75.
I felt awesome between miles 68 and 75. Yes the course remained somewhat
rolly polly but I kicked some butt and ran just about the whole distance
in. I wanted to get to mile 75 with some daylight so I could start the
final 25 with my spirits high. I looked back occasionally on this
stretch just out of curiosity to see if anyone was near but I didnt even see a
silhouette of a person. I think I did so well here because I was
driven to get in before darkness. I was focused on a positive goal
keeping my mind occupied and away from the negative thoughts, which plagued me
throughout the day. When I reached mile 75 it was indeed still
light outside and I was pretty fired up even for a tired worn out
guy. I didnt waste too much time here as I wanted to run some more
in the daylight.
The miles between 75 and 83 started out very strong but as I went along I could
feel myself weakening. There were points where I found myself going back
to the walk/run method that I implemented earlier in the race. As
darkness overcame the sunlight I started to pay more attention to where I was.
The course was marked fairly well but there were at least two times when I
thought I was lost. I was hoping that there would be a few more
confidence glow lights set out but to my dismay there wasnt. I have
a tendency to gaze off into my own mind and lose track of where I am.
This was okay on this course during the day but at night I needed to pay more
attention. Markings were few and far between mainly because its a
direct route on the road. The few forks and intersections that I did encounter
were heavily marked. When I felt lost it was only for a few minutes
at the most but it was enough to scare the heck out of me. Who wants to
run 80 some miles only to get lost and have to backtrack to get back on the
right route? Certainly not me. As I passed through the only
wooded section I knew I was on the right track and on my way into the mile
83-aid station. The deer that I had met up with earlier in the day on
this section was long gone but the warm thought still remained in my
mind. It was enough to get me up the final hill into the mile 83-aid
station. When I arrived I was feeling very weak and my
stomach was starting to feel queasy. It was also getting cold outside so
I put on a long pair of pants, my long sleeved shirt, and a pair of
gloves. I left one of my water bottles in my drop bag because I was
drinking a minimum amount of water at this point so it was more of a hindrance
than anything else. After getting some soup I started off on what I knew
would be a very hard section. I would have to make it through miles
83 to 91 in the mini Wasatch Mountain Range.
I started off weak and I continued to be weak as the miles went by. I
never allowed my body to take over even though it was screaming for
comfort. My mind was in total control all the time devising ways to
overcome the challenge. No matter how tough it got I never walked for
long periods of time. The walk up the hills and then run down method was
old and boring. It was no longer sufficient to keep me going so I had to
come up with something else. After some thought I came up with the
plan to run for 70 seconds and then walk for 40. Where I came up with
those goofy numbers who knows but it was working. I would run for 70
seconds no matter if it was up or down and the same with the walking. I
continued doing this the entire way into the aid station. There
were a few times when I almost lost my concentration and thought of walking the
entire way in but I immediately squashed those thoughts and kept pushing
forward. Those little hills really did seem like mountains and the
short ascents felt like major climbs. I knew it was all a game my mind
was playing with me though and if I kept pushing Id be through this section in
no time at all. Sure enough through all the adversity I saw a light in
the distance and ran hard toward it knowing I had just finished the hardest
part of the course. When I arrived I begged for some Pepto
Bismol. I was feeling very nauseous and struggled to keep from
getting sick. Stomach problems are not something Im used to having
to deal with during one of these events but have certainly been a factor in the
last three Ive participated in. I was sure the Pepto Bismol would
be enough to get me through the last 8 miles and was very appreciative that the
aid station had some available for me. I didnt waste any time getting in
an out of the aid station because at this point I was ready to get this over
with.
I was escorted across the final cow crossing by a sweet little girl that
couldnt have been more than 12 years old. We walked about 50 yards
together toward the crossing as she told me how she was going to pace her
mother to the finish. I thought to myself how nice of a feeling it must
be to be able to run with a son or daughter in one of these events. I
didnt spend a heck of a lot of time thinking about that though because having
no kids myself its something I may never have an opportunity to
experience. Sad thoughts are just not something I needed at this
point. Having that little girl walk with me those 50 yards though did
give me a brief feeling of how great it would feel to be a father. Alone
again it was time to finish what I had started many hours ago. I had 8
miles of flat road to travel before finishing up in Cassoday. I
wasnt charged full of energy like I have been in the past at mile 92 so I knew
running the entire way in was improbable but I sure could attempt to run as
much as possible. I went about a mile and a half when I turned to look
behind me to see if anyone was near and for the first time I saw two lights
shining in the distance. This was enough to put a charge in me and force
me to go all out. I was not only running I was running dam fast. I
could only maintain it for about 2 or 3 minutes at a time before stopping to
walk. When I walked I would look back and see if anyone was gaining
on me. The lights would appear and then disappear leading me to
believe that when I was running I was pulling away from them but when I walked
they regained whatever they lost. I figured to stave them off I
needed to maintain this until the finish. There was no way I was going to
let anyone get by me this late in the race. I had a guy pass me at mile
95 in Vermont in July and it wasnt a feeling I was going to revisit on this day.
Im sure my stalkers were in pursuit of me as each time I turned around my light
shined in their direction. If I could see their light than Im sure they
could see mine. I pushed harder and harder each time I would run and then
I would power walk for a while. I knew I was getting close because I
could hear the train moving along the tracks that was near the finish
line. In the distance I could see lights from the towers that were near
the town. It was just a matter of relentless forward motion and pushing
as hard as I could. I looked behind a couple of more times and saw no
lights so I was confident I wasnt going to have to bust my butt to keep my 4th
place position. As I made the right turn onto the main road with about ΒΌ
mile to the finish all the sudden I saw two lights pop on about 200 yards
behind me. I kicked it into full gear as I saw they did the same. I
had way too much of a lead and easily pulled away to finish in 4th place in
18:56:50. The two guys behind me finished about a minute or so later tied
for 5th. I had a great time at a spectacular event.
Dave Bursler
Bear, Delaware
************************************************************************************************
First
the Heartland:
What a fabulous race! The organization is perfect, the RD and volunteers
outstanding, the setting and course both beautiful. It remains the only 100
I've completed, and I've now run it twice. I don't regret a step of either
race. This year I was grossly undertrained, but everyone was so nice out on the
course that I just kept running.
It was nice to see that the field was much larger this year than last, at least
twice as big. It was much faster too! The difference between last year when I
ran alone for 75 miles, rarely even seeing another light, and this year, where
I could see people in front of me and behind me for much of the race, was
strange but fun. The leg from the mile 42 aide station to the turn around at
mile 50 was still the most maddening stretch of running I've done, but
Heartland is a great race that I would recommend to anyone. And the pre-race
dinner and pre-awards ceremony breakfast in the Cassoday Cafe? I swear those
are worth the price of a plane ticket to Kansas on their own.
Andrew Pollack
***************************************************************************************************
I just wanted to post a quick message about the
Heartlands 100 in case anyone was wondering what it was like. I'll leave
the race reports for the RD's and others, and just describe the race for
those who might think about doing it next year.
The race is a small, relatively informal event. Last year there were 43
people or something starting, but this year there 65 starters, so the race is
starting to get attention. However, the runners spread out fairly
quickly. It wasn't even 2 miles into the race when I first started
running alone - which I would be doing a lot of. I think I saw about 4
human beings throughout the whole day and night that were not involved with the
race. I was on the course for a little under 23 hours and I would guess
that I was dead alone for maybe 20 of those hours without another human being
as far as the eye could see (and that was far).
The course is fairly fast with plenty of rolling hills, but no really steep
climbs. The views were absolutely stunning. I just can't describe
how beautiful the course is. It was so beautiful for so long that in a
weird way it got kind of boring. The course was very well marked,
although a couple of times at night I thought I might have been lost.
The course follows gravel roads and has very good footing about 97% of the
time. I really enjoyed not having to watch where each and every step is
placed to avoid roots, giant rocks, holes in the grass and fallen trees covered
in moss.
Plenty of aid stations in all the right places - and I think they were all run
by experienced ultrarunners. At least it seemed that way. The
volunteers were all very helpful (as usual).
The RD mentioned that they tried to design a race that would allow new 100 mile
runners to give it a shot. I can definitely see that. Because of
the good footing, the gentle terrain and the experienced volunteers, this is a
great course to try your first 100 on.
However, that is not to say that this was an easy race. First off, there
is no such thing as an easy 100 mile race. Secondly, the wind is always
present and somehow managed to always be pushing against you. Also,
you're quite exposed out there, so although the weather was ok this year, it
certainly has the potential to be a real downer.
Something I found a little strange was that there wasn't a medical check at
all. I've only been a part of 3 100's now (2 as a runner and 1 as a
pacer), but I thought those were fairly standard. Heartlands 100 does
seem to be a more informal race, so maybe that was part of it.
There was something very primitive about being so alone for so long in the wild
prairie. So few houses and people (less than 5 of each), so many cattle
and coyotes and stars in the sky. I really enjoyed the race and that's
not just because I came in about 4-5 hours faster than I thought I would and
earned my first buckle!
Just my thoughts.
Phil Rosenstein
{VERY Proud owner of first belt buckle}
*Also from Phil, his race report to friends and family*
Hello,
After finishing the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run in 27 and a half hours a few
months ago, I signed up for the Heartlands 100 in Kansas to see if I could
finally reach my goal of 100 miles in less than 24 hours. After all, I
really wanted a belt buckle so big it looked like I knocked out the heavyweight
champion. I only hoped I would heal enough to do it.
Then, three weeks ago, I changed my goal for the race. Moving to
Wisconsin and starting a new job had basically interfered with my training - my
endurance and strength were not what they should be, I hadn't been eating
healthy and I wasn't sleeping much at all. Also, I wouldn't have my
friends at the race to help me as a crew or even pace me towards the end of the
race. So, with all that going against me, I figured 26-27 hours would be
good. If everything went perfectly, I would maybe have a 1% chance of
getting near 24 hours. Mostly, I was just looking to have some fun and
see some of Kansas while getting some real experience that would help me in
future races.
The Heartlands 100 is a smaller, more informal race. While Vermont had
several medical checks before, during and after the race, this race had none.
While Vermont had 250 people start the race, this one had about 60-65.
You have to sign up for Vermont 7 months in advance, while Heartlands had
people signing up the week before.
The weather was more than a little cold in the morning and the night when the
sun went down, but plenty hot during the day. The wind was always present
and I always seemed to be running into it. The views on the course were
absolutely stunning. It was so beautiful for so long, thatin a weird way
it almost got boring. There were a lot of gently rolling hills, but no
steep climbs. I think I saw about 4 houses along the course and 3 human
beings who were not involved in the race. A few trees. A few
coyotes in the distance. And a few thousand head of cattle. The
rest was just wild prarie grass as far as the eye could see. I would
guess that for about 90% of my total time on the course I was dead alone
without another human being as far as the eye could see in every direction (and
that was far).
I actually felt pretty good for the first 25 miles or so, before hitting a hard
part with a lot of uphills and into the winds. Then, I was thinking this
could be a long day/night. Coming out of an aid station around mile 32, I
checked my time compared to my predicted paces and was surprised to see that I
was still ahead of my 24 hour pace. After all that feeling bad, I was
still that far ahead of schedule! That gave me a sudden burst of strength
and morale that carried me for a long time. In fact, I was running so
much and so fast for so long, that I basically outran my supplies. I had
put my headiight into a drop bag at mile 58 thinking that was where I would be
shortly after sunset. I ended up getting there so early I had to carry it
with me for the next 15 miles before I needed it.
My quad muscles held up really well, as it wasn't until mile 80 something that
they finally started to hurt a lot and affect my running. When you're
that tired at the dead of night and you first hear the coyotes it's a bit
creepy. At least there were no scary cults or anything walking around
like in Vermont. I ended up doing more walking than running for the last
15 miles, but still managed to run some of the downhills and flats with steady
footing.
I finished a little after 4:30 in the morning with a time of ... 22 hours and
40 minutes!!! And to think I didn't think I would do so well! I
ended up beating my Vermont time by 5 hours. By finishing in under 24
hours, I got my long-desired, highly-valued gold belt buckle. I will wear
it every day for the rest of the year. I finished in 13th place
overall and in 10th for the men. Since I felt so strong and so fast for
so long, and my results were so good, this was probably my best race
ever. I am still shocked by how well I did.
I finished so early that I had time to take a 6 hour nap before the
lunch/awards ceremony. Those 6 hours were the most I had slept in a row
in over 10 days. I got my buckle at the awards ceremony and then headed
off to Milwaukee to sleep in an empty apartment that night. My belongings
arrived Monday morning. They are all still in the boxes they were packed
in. They will probably stay there for a few more days while I catch up on
sleep at nights after working all day.
I'm heaing very quickly. Seems no permanent damage. Lost no blood
at all which was nice, but I did have sore muscles all over. I'm even
walking around, albeit awkwardly and painfully. Thank goodness my new
place has a hot tub.
Hope all is well with all of you and thanks for your encouragement/well wishes
with the new job. It's going ok so far, though I still have to get used
to the whole idea of staying in an office all day without any fresh air.
Phil
VERY Proud owner ofa new, bigger than a tank, gold Belt Buckle
*********************************************************************************************
Hi
Randy,
I wanted to thank you and Jim, and all the volunteers for a wonderful
experience at the race. Everyone was fantastic...the course was
beautiful; the food was awesome, with plenty of things for those of us who are
vegetarian! Of course, my fellow runners were great and I enjoyed their
company before, during and after the race.
I was amazed with the runners who finished their first 100 mile race, and
especially those for whom it was their first ultra!! They deserve and big
CONGRATULATIONS! and so do all of you for your support and encouragement to all
of us who dared to start this race.
Thanks for the beautiful buckle and cool award!
Suzanne Weightman
************************************************************************************************************
Randy
and Jim,
Thank you both and all the volunteers for pulling together such a great event
this last weekend. Everyone made this a special race for me and the course was
everything I expected and more. Got to see a Prairie Hen (no cougar :-) ) and
even a Cowboy on a horse. I wouldn't call it an "easy" course. It may
lack the altitude of some of the bigger races but those rollers, the gravel
roads, direct exposure to the elements and stark beauty of Kansas are
challenging and enjoyable.
Thank you for recording my 50 mile finish and the beautiful award, even though
I started out for the 100. That made me feel very accomplished and proud
inside.
Sincerely,
Eric Poulsen
Sebastopol, Ca.
************************************************************************************************************
Hello
Randy and Jim: Thank you very much for putting on a great event. It
was tough but a lot of fun. Last year I was still sort of a novice but now I'm
starting to get the "hang" of these 100 milers, even though I am
still slow. Everything went great with no physical problems or blisters
at all. I really appreciate all the work you and all the other volunteers
put into it! See you later!
Joe Galloway
************************************************************************************************************
A friend
of mine, Steve Varga, used to be a very good ultrarunner. Long ago we ran
the Vermont 100, mostly together, in 18+ hours. He might say it was his
best ultra...until now.
Maybe a decade ago Steve had a severe headache during a bicycle ride and was
rushed to the hospital. His wife and I talked with the neurosurgeon after
the surgery for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, and he gave Steve a 50% chance of
surviving. He did recover, but became cautious about subjecting his body
to the rigors of ultras. But he gradually returned to ultrarunning, and
in recent years ran Rocky Raccoon 100 and Javelina well. Now he's 52.
Three years ago another friend, Tim Englund, and I ran the Heartland100 and had
a great time. We especially appreciated the exceptionally nice group of
ultrarunners who worked hard to put on a fine event. When Steve asked us
about the run, we recommended it. Since he has a sister (who has been
deaf since birth) in Wichita, he decided to do the run and give all his
relatives nearby an invitation to be part of the event.
What follows is an email Steve sent some friends after the run. It wasn't
intended for public consumption, but I hope he doesn't mind me sharing it with
you. I edited just a couple of spots for clarity.
Conditions were good. The temp was warm during the day. Warm is
anything over 65 degrees by my book. The wind was there but moderate. The
night was invigoratingly cool for me, so I was able to keep moving fairly well.
No kidding, I could have had a time at least 20 minutes better but have no
regrets. For the final 16+ miles I was the pacer for my nephew, who was
supposed to be my pacer, but he hasn't run more than 5 miles before and had just
bought new shoes. He had paced me for 5 miles earlier, miles 58-63, and
did fine. Then he joined me again for the last 17 miles. He bonked
after we caught up with the eventual women's winner (Suzanne Weightman,
PA). Suzanne and I had run earlier together for about 24 miles. We
got to the turnaround together and discovered she was in first place on the
women's side. She was stronger than me at that point and had told me she
ran well in heat but had problems with cold. So I told her to go after
it. She did and got up to maybe 30 minutes on me... at least 20 because I
asked at an aid station. I think I had already started to eat away at her
lead before that.
When Johnny (my nephew) joined me again at the aid station he told me she had
just left. When we shortly caught her she was bonking and, with no
exaggeration, she was quite glad to see me. When we ran earlier I called
the shots and did so again. So the three of us ran together. I
called the run-walk pieces, crashed the downs and let them catch up with
me. Finally we had to let Johnny drop off.
I felt more satisfaction about bringing her in than in my own time. It is
a feel good story. She was a back of the pack runner (she told me her
times) but had decided she didn't like it. So she has been doing some
tough training races back east and her times had improved dramatically.
There was no way I was going to catch anyone ahead of us. I kept looking
back because there was a guy that came into an aid station just as I
left. I saw a flashlight behind us once, but for awhile the three of us
got moving pretty well. That flashlight was no more. We settled
in. As we got close to the end we talked about two things that we didn't
talk about earlier. One was that we had a shot at breaking 20 hours.
The other was that she had helped me to a better pace during the heat and I had
returned the favor in the night. So we decided to tie.
It was no cheap win. Only one woman had run the course faster, Sue
Johnston, who I think is well known. Suzanne's time was hours ahead of
some past women winners. Wish I could have such a story, but helping
someone else's fantasy come true was, well, maybe more fantastic. She had
no expectations of winning and never considered she could run a hundred under
20 hours.
End of story. It will get better over the years, but this is the true
story.
Looking forward to a week of rest and spending the week with my crew.
That is another whole story. My sister, both nieces, their children minus
the baby, were there for the finish as well as at many of the aid stations.
If you can't tell, I'm on top of the world right now.
David Lygre
Ellensburg, WA
*********************************************************************************************************
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