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 ¼ 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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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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