Cascade Crest Classic 100 Mile

Photo from left: Daniel, Karl, Gilles and John at Cascade Crest
 

My run of the Cascade crest classic 100 mile endurance run.

I’ve tried to sit down and write up a story on this run but it’s been hard to put 27 hours and 100 miles in a short story. So here’s my best. My first memory of the weekend was the three of us John Karl and myself camping out the night before Gipsy style in a parking lot off the side of the freeway. Where I got to see how experienced ultra runners relax the night before the big race (they drink beer) no big surprise.

The next morning we wake up and head to the start which is at the Easton volunteer fire dept. There they have blue berry pancakes Ham and orange juice waiting for us. Thankfully this race starts at 10:00am so we had plenty of time to eat and prepare before the start. My Mom showed up at about 9:15 to get some pre race pictures and to wish me off at the start. I was pretty relaxed but full of excitement for the adventure to come. And then soon enough start time was just a few minutes away so we Quickly got a shot of the four of us turned back around and waited for the words GO. Then we were off. I ran with John the first 2 miles or so then just couldn’t hold back even though I knew that the gang was all behind me and that they had all ran hundreds before. The first little climb took us up to 5,600’ in only 8 miles. And by this time the temperature was starting to climb up to the low eighties. The trail continues on to meet up with the Pacific Crest Trail which we run on for the next 30 or so miles. I’m feeling good but am a little dehydrated from the first climb and the heat. It starts to worry me when just before I get to the first few aid stations on the PCT I feel my legs twitch and my fingers get tingly. But by mile forty I’m feeling rehydrated again and still running strong all the time thinking of the veterans behind me and wondering if I’m going to fast. Then comes the darkness. I hate LED lights but am thankful for the cool temps the night brings. After running for another few hours I reach aid station #8 where they have perogies and soup waiting. I down four perogies and grab some soup in a cup to go and head off down the trail. It was good to have some real food in the stomach. The next section is a great bushwhacking down hill ropes course that leads to the scary-tunnel or scunnel as the race director calls it. It’s a 2.3 mile long abandoned train tunnel and it is dark inside I had to turn off my light just to check and yep it is. After exiting the train tunnel you hit the next aid station where I changed my shoes and grabbed some more soup. The next 7 miles are tough with the first few being on pavement which is where Karl caught up to me. Then it heads up the mountain on dirt road. I don’t like dirt roads and little did I know this would be a fifteen mile stretch. I was feeling good and was able to turn my lights off and even though there was no moon I could see fine. You always forget how bright the starts are outside the city. When I reached kachess lake mile 68 they had toasted cheese sandwiches waiting for us I called dibs on the only one on the grill but was emptying out my shoes and looked up to see Karl munching down on my toasted cheese. He thought I was joking. O well I grabbed the next one and headed out. Finally we hit some more trail, this had been the part I had been waiting for. I had brought my 13 watt halogen headlamp to help get me though the very early morning and it worked, the caffeine helped too. I loved this section of trail and blew by four people by the next aid station. But that was short lived when I find out that I have another 7 mile stretch of up hill dirt road to mile 81. Karl again catches up to me and we walk together for a while. By this point the morning sun starts to brighten up the sky. This is where the miles start taking there toll on my feet and legs. After leaving the aid station it turns back into trail but my legs were starting to lock up and the bottoms of my feet were really starting to hurt. I hadn’t had any real blisters it was just all the pounding. It would take me a few miles of walking to work though it. And I would go on to lose five positions in the next 10 miles. Also losing an hour and a half to Karl which came in at a time of 25:30 making for an almost even split and taking 10^th overall. That guy can move! He’s twice my age. I had a good time talking with Karl and even though he had been telling me about how tough this race was a week before he had only encouraging things to say during and after the race. So it’s down to the last few miles and I’m hoping this pain in my feet will go away or it could be a long few hot miles. I pop some Tylenol ultra and dip my feet in every stream I see. That seems to work and I’m again moving quickly to the last aid station. Man I was glad to see them. It had been a long stretch and the heat was really starting to drain me. I get some food and refill my bottles as they take my vitals. I must not have looked so good because they were trying to convince me to take a hat for the last few miles I agreed and headed off. Just after leaving the aid station a car stopped in front of me and out popped the race director. He informed me that I was in 16^th and that it was close to a hundred out on the road. I didn’t really care I was so close to the finish I new I could make it. I would look back every so often to see if there was anyone back there. I wouldn’t want to be passed again in the last few miles. I was feeling good or delirious one or the other and was able to keep my legs moving. Then comes the finish and from about fifty yards away I leap into a sprint and fly across the finish line in a time of 27:05 Amazingly the second I stop I’m feeling great a weird feeling after just running a hundred miles. I then get cooled down cleaned off and refueled and wait for John and Gilles to come in.
 

          Ok so that’s the story of cascade crest. But now I enter the realm of the ultra crazy. One week later after my feet stop hurting I start getting restless and think where’s the next race? This is stupid thinking. I must have been still delirious. But here I go again. I jump on my motorcycle and drive two hundred miles to Kamloops to do the Walk in the park 50k. And look I’m not alone there is Gilles at the start. This is the guy who just a week a go had blisters so big you could see them across the parking lot. Boy what had we gotten into. That day had temps into the nineties I think it was 32C and very little shade. But we finished and in ONLY eight and a half hours. And that was still good for 6^th the race went on to see more people drop than finish. Ok! Ok! now I’ve had enough. For now at least. So be warned ultra running is addictive but very rewarding.