April 14-15, 2007
Run for Africa 24 Hour Relay and Solo Race

I'd never seen so many cars for a trail running event! I had to park quite a distance from the start. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem but I was providing support for myself and had a cooler and a duffle bag to cart over. I saw Sarah Almodovar, and we lugged our stuff over together.

We placed our stuff in the giant aid tent. They would have pizza, burritos and locally brewed beer, on tap. That made it all the more difficult to keep running throughout the night. I knew if I had a cold one, it would be over.

The Run for Africa is an inaugural event to raise money for clean water in African orphanages. It's the brainchild of local ultrarunner extraordinaire Will Harlan, and his sister Jill. They traveled to Kenya last year and were compelled to do something to improve living conditions there. Will doubled as the race director and Jill as the head of aid stations. They both went above and beyond the call of duty in both organization and execution.

The event took place at Camp Rockmont, the former site of Black Mountain College and the current site of the Lake Eden Arts Festival. I'd never been to the camp before and was duly impressed with all of the amenities.

The event was primarily a team relay race with a solo option. Most teams and runners signed up for the full 24 hours with an option to drop to 12 if necessary. Teams came from all over, many camping inside the final quarter mile infield.

We started at noon and headed straight up singletrack. I let the teams pass and slowly hiked the incline. The trail leveled out for a bit and climbed steeply again. This was followed by a rolling section and the steepest climb. The aid station was just a bit further and then it was downhill on a wider trail. A steep downward pitch led to a gravel road which took us to a grass section around Lake Eden and the second aid stop. More grass and gravel took us up by the soccer field, outdoor theatre and the rifle range. Back down we passed the climbing wall and zipline and headed back toward the start. The five mile loop climbed about 700 feet.

I ran with a few 24 hour people. I spent the most time running with Denise Davis. We kept passing each other and catching up to each other. I hammered the downhills every opportunity I got. My pace was a bit faster than I'd anticipated. No timepiece was on my wrist. I just wanted to listen to my body and not worry about time. Adam Hill showed up to cheer us along and sent a couple of his Presbyterian Home kids to pace me around the camping area.

I knew the first few loops took less than an hour but I didn't know how much less. I likely would have slowed things down a bit had I known my pace. The pounding downhills took their toll on my muscles. During a sprint, my hamstring completely locked up. I had to stop and stretch and then walk for several minutes. At just 19 miles in, it looked as if I wouldn't make it till nightfall. The pain came back a few more times.

Tony Rouse and Mike Day ran with me intermittently and after lapping me, Drew Shelfer did for a while as well. Drew had just run 100 miles at Umstead two weeks previous and he was moving well in this run. Jay Curwen was the first to lap us at mile 18. Sarah passed at mile 20. Richard Lilly passed as well.

The loops continued at a steady pace. At six laps, I opted to slow down. It was six hours in and I had 30 miles covered. That was right where I wanted to be but I wouldn't make it 18 more laps at that pace. I let Denise go ahead and focused on slowing down.

Nightfall came and my hamstring was holding up. The downhills took longer but easing up was the only route to finishing. I walked most of the course, just jogging intermittently. I got passed up a second time by a few runners. It didn't faze me and just went about my business.

By midnight, most 24 hour runners scaled back to 12 hours. Tony, Stu Gibeau, Jay, Drew and Sarah had all dopped out. Only five continued throughout the night. The night did become a bit scary as a thunderstorm rolled in and lightning flashed all around. It happened as I approached the highest point on the course. Lightning flashed directly over my head as I noted that I did not cast a shadow.

The miles wore on. I ate some pizza and spent a little more time at each aid station. The aid people went out of their way to make sure we were as comfortable as we could be. Fortunately, when the hardest rain hit, I was under an aid tent.

I bided my time until morning, when I picked up a bit of speed. Mike Day was gaining on me so I picked up the pace a bit. My 16th lap was the fastest since the fifth. I knew if he got within a lap he would have an outside chance at catching me. I knew I wouldn't catch Denise but I wanted to be the top male finisher.

After completing the 17th lap, I got many cheers, even from some runners who had dropped out during the night. The cheering pumped me up a bit and I sprinted off on my final lap. This lap wound up being excruciatingly painful! The balls of my feet had become giant blisters. Every step was painful. I considered cutting the course to get the pain over with, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The last five miles took 1:40. Denise caught me again on her 19th lap. Her husband Tony, drove up and offered a raincoat and it poured within the next ten seconds.

I couldn't stay with Denise so I limped around the course on my own. The finish line was a welcome sight. I through off my Camelbak and trudged around the final quarter mile. I mustered up enough energy to sprint the final 50 yards.

This was my first ever victory of any kind. I was the top male with 90 miles, and finished second overall. It's quite a satisfying feeling to run for over 24 hours. It's also nice to be a part of a very worthwhile charity event.

Raging Bull