March 24, 2007
Bartram 21 Mile Endurance Run

We would be running through the land of the midday sun. The run started with a mile+ road stretch and then it went right through the Nantahala river. The water was low but quite cold. Most runners followed each other, very slowly through the frigid water. I went around them and shook off the cold.

The trail went straight up, next to Piercy Creek. The creek was well below the trail. It was unlike any other creek I've seen. The creekbed was mostly solid rock, extending on either side of the creek. The view was quite distracting, which made it dangerous. The trail was narrow in spots with a very steep dropoff.

The 21 milers split off from the 8 milers, or at least most did. A few 8 milers turned left and continued past the aid station, when they were explicitly told there would be no aid stations on the 8 mile run. The trail climbed gradually and then became rolling. It stayed that way until a nice downhill and then rolled alongside the Nantahala. A couple of spots were a bit tricky and I almost took the wrong trail twice. I noticed several guys running up the steepest pitches. I shook my head and just hiked them.

Beyond the aid station, the trail followed an endless gravel road. I kept looking for the trail to leave to the right but it kept on the road.
I struggle on flat gravel and was passed by several runners. A runner named Paula caught up to me and we ran together intermittently for the next six miles.

The trail finally turned into singletrack and headed up toward the Nantahala dam. The trail hit nearly 45 degrees but rewarded us with a fine waterfall view. The trail kept climbing and then turned to rolling hills and came up to an aid station along the lake.

A short road section skirted the lake and then it became trail again. The first 15 miles seemed to be way too easy. I knew we had an arduous section ahead. I would have been disappointed if there hadn't been one.

I went ahead of Paula as the trail became ridiculously steep. I'd paced myself well and expected to pass quite a few runners on this intense climb. I just power hiked up the mountain but everyone else was struggling. The climb didn't end for some time. I caught up to Mike Piercy and ran with him on a short, flat section and then it was on to more climbing.

The heat was now very noticeable. I was glad this was just a 21 mile run. The last aid station came into sight and I arrived just as Steve Parrish was leaving. They were out of water, and from the looks of the faces of the runners I'd just passed, they would be suffering mightily over the last four miles.

Surprisingly, at this higher altitude, bugs made their first appearance and stayed with me a while. They motivated me to keep running however. I ran through a burned out section. The forest fire had consumed dozens of acres on the mountain. I made my way up to the highest peak on the course, passing Denise Davis, who I would run with three weeks later in the Run for Africa. In a grass clearing, I finally made it up to Steve and we ran together as we entered the Appalachian Trail.

I thought Wayah Bald was the highest point but it was mostly downhill on the AT. I had enough energy left so I moved very well, almost at a sprint. The last little climb to Wayah was surprisingly easy and I sprinted up to the end of the singletrack, where several people were cheering on runners. I mistakenly thought this was the finish but I still had to go another 100 yards on pavement to the summit. I had to walk a bit to catch my breath so I could run across the finish.

I ran a 4:43, for the first time ever, beating my prerace goal of 4:45. I was fortunate enough to pass 15-18 runners in the last six miles. The stone tower on the summit kept the beverages cool. I drank quite a bit and relaxed, talking to a bunch of runners. The van system for transporting runners to the start broke down. Six of us crammed ourselves into a pickup bed and we made the uncomfortable trip down.

Raging Bull