My 1st 100 miler...

The Howard L. Aslinger Foundation Endurance Week-end 24-12-1 Hour Run/Walk:

This was a 1st year event held in memory of Howard L. Aslinger. Mr. Aslinger contracted polio at the young age of 11 and spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair. However, he never let the “inconvenience” that he believed polio to be get in the way of some amazing leadership and successes he worked hard to achieve throughout his life, which ended in 2009. It’s evident in the attitudes of Mr. Aslinger’s family how much he positively impacted the lives of others. What a great backdrop for an event that would test my legs & heart/determination to the MAX.

I signed up for the 24hr option with a goal in mind to get to 100 miles. It’s a 1-mile flat & paved course through Arena Park in Cape Girardeau, MO. The race began at 7pm on Friday the 19th (March) and concluded at 7pm on Saturday the 20th.

I had three main objectives in this race:

1) Raise money for Girls on the Run St. Louis – which I did, more than $1,200!!!
2) Cover 100 miles for the Girls (especially the SUPERSTARS at Griffith Elementary in Ferguson, MO)
3) Get the “monkey off my back” after my DNF at Ozark Trail 100 last November

It was comforting to know there would be some familiar faces on the course with me in terms of fellow runners. Several St. Louis Ultrarunners Group members were participating and helping out during the event – it was an AWESOME SLUGs turnout!
 

In my typical (flawed) fashion, I was out WAY too fast. I covered 72 miles in the 1st 13hrs. OOOOoooops. I only walked 7 laps of the 1st 70 miles. This equaled “death march” for the last 30. I think I only ran 5 miles of the last 30 – OUCH. Stopping really wasn’t a good option for me, because when I’m done, I’m DONE. Rather than take breaks or try to nap, I just kept moving (albeit, VERY slowly). Sitting in a chair or taking a nap would have equaled DONE for me.

I can’t really put in to words how difficult it was to continue to march on and on and on – for HOURS on end. I’m pretty sure I was sleep running and walking from 2am to 4am because I kept catching myself opening my eyes. Once the sun was up at 7 or so staying awake wasn’t that difficult, but the pain from hips to toe-tips was getting excruciating around the 85 mile mark.

Adam Williams, who helped me in the last quarter of the race, asked me at about mile 95 if I finally felt like I KNEW I was going to get to 100. The honest answer was, no, I really wasn’t too sure. Each mile passed the start finish area and the tent, sleeping bag & beer sure were tempting. It was a strange paradigm: each mile meant there were fewer to cover to reach my goal of 100, but each mile also tempted me with a chance to quit – it really was tough. But hey, this was for the Girls of Girls on the Run, and quitting isn’t a good message to send to the kids, now, is it?

So, I just didn’t quit until I got to 100. Flat out, the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. There were some serious warriors out on that course Friday and Saturday. My hat is off to each and every participant who battled out there. I don’t care if you did 1 lap, or 108 (freaking phenomenal, Brian Kelpe!) – you ALL have my utmost respect. I witnessed people who had never run a marathon before and they covered 50k! AMAZING. Greg & Tommy – I know you guys didn’t have your best days, but you’re fantastic runners and I know you’ll come back with a vengeance! I especially want to give a shout out to Lee Dougherty. For those of you who don’t know him, you should get to know him. Lee covered 90 miles and I’ve never seen someone work as hard as Lee, in as much pain, and do it with a smile and positive attitude for 23+hrs. I’m telling you, this guy has the heart of a lion and a will of tempered steel – well done Lee. I’m genuinely quite humbled by the experience and by the efforts of everyone that was out there, crew & volunteers included.

In the end, I covered 100 miles in 21hrs 21mins. I’m really glad I didn’t give up before that (the Girls have high hopes and they deserved it!). It’s a wonderful feeling to have finished a run of 100 miles in length! So, 21:21 and my bib #? 21! No, I didn’t do that on purpose. Trust me, I’m not sure I knew my name throughout half of the race, I sure didn’t plan something as cool as 21:21 + bib 21.

MY CREW
I really can’t thank my crew enough for getting me through this thing. It wasn’t at all possible for me to have accomplished 100 miles without each & every one of them. Wendie Cummings was there from beginning to end, pitched a tent course side at the Start/Finish & never left the course for a single moment. She was there through every high and some very major lows. Wendie – what I can say? You know I’ll take any opportunity if I can ever return the favor, which I’m not sure I can ever fully do. The Calvary came with back up early on Saturday morning. Travis Liles, my favorite running buddy and accomplished ultra runner, popped in for 6 or 7 hours to help me through a tough morning. He went out of his way, even though he had family in from out of town, to help me. Thanks for the Mickey D’s Travis – you read my mind! Jen “The Champ” Mommens also arrived early on Saturday and was there till the end – giving me tons of mental support & is a crewing master! Adam & Becca Williams really surprised me by showing up and they’ll never realize how much that meant to me to have them there to share my finish of this run. And of course, Lauren (my AWESOME wife) is always there for me. Due to work, she couldn’t stay for all 24 hours, but she jumped through hoops to get me to the start line and stay for the first couple of hours, help crew & lie to me about how strong I looked. You’re the best honey :)

Special thanks also to Lee Hess for the masterful blister repair job. But especially, Lee, thanks for being at my side at the finish. Means more to me than I can tell you.

In the end, THIS ONE WAS FOR THE GIRLS. The Girls on the Run directors, staff, coaches, and ESPECIALLY the kids are a HUGE inspiration to me. Wendie did a great job of reminding me what it was all about when times got tough during the race, which was quite often (thanks Wend-O!). GOTR: Thanks for the encouragement, inspiration and for what you do for the kids in the Girls on the Run program who benefit so greatly from YOUR monumental efforts. You GOTR folks are all heroes to me.