June 16-17, 2007
Mohican 100 Mile Run

This would be my second 100 miler in 30 days. I realized I hadn't given my body enough time to fully recover from Massanutten. I had tendonitis in my ankle and shin but figured I could run through the pain for however long it takes.

I felt fine for the first twenty yards and then the tendonitis started to kick in. I expected it to bother me but not quite that soon. The first ten miles were on a mix of dirt and paved roads. The hills were substantial but I didn't think too much of them in the morning. The return the following morning would be a completely different story.

I ran alongside four runners from Cincinnati. One guy had run Wasatch and six other 100's. We stayed together for most of the road section. I was known to them as either "Asheville" or "Massanutten" for the remainder of the race.

Ten miles in, the singletrack started. This was the Green loop and would be repeated later in the day. I'm always happier on the trails. I picked up the pace and enjoyed the gently rolling terrain. I thought much of the run would be like this. I made excellent time but had to get my feet wet on a stream crossing.

I made it to the third aid station at 14 miles in 2 1/2 hours. That was way ahead of the pace I'd expected. Amy Bly was working it and was filled with enthusiasm. It's always a boost to see someone you know and I didn't know a single runner in the race. She gave me some words of encouragement and I went on my way.

The rest of the Green loop went well. I ran with a couple of women from Michigan who'd never even tried a 50 miler but were trying to tackle a 100. I also ran with the Cincy runners but foolishly took the lead and really pushed the pace. We made outstanding time for the next mile but I knew I was overdoing it and had to drop back.

The covered bridge was the site of an aid station that would be passed five times. I crossed it and made the first big climb of the day. This was the only one with switchbacks and reminded me a bit of the Smoky Mountain trails. It was a bit steep, especially for Ohio. At the top was a road section and then it was back to the trail. On a slight downhill, I encoutered one of the best stretches of trail I'd ever seen. It was smooth and snaked around myriad twists and turns. Another guy took it at my pace and we put an incredible amount of space between us and the group we were with.

I continued on the Orange loop and was at a 20 hour pace at the 30 mile point. The temperature started to heat up and my tendonitis became very painful. I had to do a bit of walking, even on the easy parts. I came upon an out and back stretch and didn't recognize any of the runners who were passing me. That meant I still had a while before the aid station. When I got there, Amy was waiting for me. She had a break from her aid station since it was at 14 and 56 miles into the run. That was a major pick-me-up. I dropped my bag and did a short, steep loop and then it was back to the station again. Getting through the Orange loop took a while and I was glad to be done with that 17 mile stretch. At the covered bridge, we had to wade through the river. It was extremely refreshing and I took my time and soaked my ankle.

Next up was the Blue loop. Runners were coming back from it looking exhausted. I had another thing to contend with--crowds. Throngs of kids were out playing on this trail. It was quite rocky and had difficult footing. When I turned up to the left, the trail became a stream bed. It was nothing but boulder hopping until I reached the steep part. It was a climb on roots and rocks using all fours. It was short but was at a 75 degree angle. The trail climbed a bit more to the dam and then it was on the road and in the sun. The road climb was endless and led to a trail climb. It was then back down to another rocky trail and back to the covered bridge. The stated distance was four miles but it took about 1:40 to traverse it. I was glad that this loop would not be repeated.

The Red loop contained the two greatest climbs and the first started immediately. It was nothing next to the Massanutten climbs but it tested me a bit, especially with the heat. After a brief reprieve, another climb reared its ugly head. I was running with Suzanne, on her first hundred. We traded off position for the next twenty miles. A very exposed section of trail led to the bridle area and a rest stop. I was really feeling the heat after the sun had beat down.

Most of the Red loop was relatively flat but it went on for a good while. I had to rock hop a couple of streams and then wade through another. I was an enticing idea but one I simply could not entertain. I'd dragged a pacer up from Tennessee and couldn't let her down plus I'm not into giving up without a great struggle. A climb led to a road which went past a church and cemetary and then back to single track which took me to the Green loop again.

The Green loop was my favorite. It was nice to be on such friendly stretches of trail. There was another stream crossing but I could change my socks and have dry feet again until mile 87. I struggled with the climbs that came so easily that morning. 52 miles take their toll on a set of legs. The tendonitis was holding steady since I adjusted my foot strikes to land a bit more on my heels. It was still a sweet stretch of dirt and I cruised into Amy's aid station again with a smile on my face.

I still had four miles until Amy could pace me. I headed toward the fire tower, where the largest crowd waited and cheered us on. This was another easy stretch but it took longer the second time through. When I saw singletrack, I knew I was close. I strolled in and loaded up on food, changed clothes and Amy was ready to go.

The remainder of the Green loop was a nice stretch to start on. It followed a stream and was mostly downhill. A few fallen trees presented hazards but we made it to the covered bridge quickly. The Orange loop was up next for the second time. It started with a switchback climb and then onto a road. We came upon an older runner who appeared to be struggling. It turned out he was 69 years old and had run eight previous hundreds. He asked if we were married and told us not to wait too long. He then offered up his 39 year old daughter to me if I'd move out to California. He said she was single and owned her own home. You can't blame him for trying but pimping out his daughter was a bit tacky, especially in front of a woman he thought I was married to.

We reached a grassy trail and headed downhill. It was starting to get dark but Amy insisted on running without a headlamp. I wussed out and switched mine on. I'd walked a fair amount during the hottest hours of the day. This had allowed me to run a fair amount at night. My pace was mostly slow but at least I was able to jog. This was the most scenic forest on the run. Unfortunately, this time it was dark so Amy couldn't see it. We followed a ridgeline and then switched back just below the ridge. The aid station had grilled cheese sandwiches so I filled up on them. The generator at the aid station went out just as we were leaving.

At around mile 70, we were on a mountain biking trail which curved all over a hill. We could see headlamps bobbing around in every direction. It was difficult to tell if someone was ahead of us or behind us. We closed in a number of runners, slowly passing them. Then all of a sudden, I got a burst of energy and speed and we took off. I had run this very slowly during the day but made up for it with an unprecedented surge in the forest. Amy did well to stay with me. She had little experience at night running. She encouraged me to keep it up and we blazed past over a dozen runners, sometimes going off trail rather than waiting for them to let us pass. The pace continued down the hill and onto a grassy section. I stopped running since we still had over 25 miles to go. We made it to the Grist mill aid stop and sat for a spell.

The short loop was up again but I hiked the entire thing rather than doing something stupid on the steep terrain. The steep drops were taking their toll on my ankle so I did some sidestepping down them. Heading back on the grass we were in good spirits but I opted to walk for a bit. Amy said that she'd done some singing at her aid station so she asked if I'd sing a bit. I broke into "Mr. Jones" and "Born to Run". I didn't sing quietly but rather very loudly. We got a few cheers from runners going the opposite direction on the out and back. Amy sang some "West Side Story" tunes and then we broke into "The Sound of Music". Singing takes the edge off of night hiking but it's quite difficult to climb a hill and sing at the top of your lungs simultaneously. We had a blast with it though.

After a steep drop, we had a level section back to the bridge again. We made good time, moving steadily. This time, we could actually cross the bridge rather than wade through the river. I took a load off my feet again. The stops were getting longer but really helped in the following stretches.

The Red loop's climbs concerned me a bit. Amy handled them with aplomb but I struggled and rested a couple of times at log crossings. She continued to encourage me with positive messages. At night, that truly makes a difference. The second Red climb was just as difficult as the first. It got continually steeper. I didn't remember it from the day time. We had some winged visitors swirl around our heads but the bats didn't bother us any. We made it to the bridle station again as I gingerly descended the singletrack. The volunteers at the bridle station were extremly friendly and we talked for a good while. I loaded up on food since it would be over seven miles to the next one.

Most of this section was easy but it still contained some climbing. The temperature was warm until we got near the river where it dropped dramatically. A rock hop led us to a nice climb and some more flats. The river popped up again later and we rock hopped again. I miscalculated where the stream crossing was and thought the trail had been changed for the night time. I was wrong and we did have to wade through. I thought the road was just a quarter mile further. We could hear traffic but didn't see the road. I kept saying it was right around the bend. I said this for two miles or more. Amy didn't believe me any more and doubted that there even was a road. Despite my delusion, she continued to encourage me.

The road did appear, but after daylight approached. I'd hoped to be nearing the finish by daybreak but it was not meant to be. We passed the church and the "Enter at own risk" sign at the cemetary. The singletrack was a godsend since it was all down hill. It was just another mile of trail and then on to the ten mile road finish. I was actually looking forward to some road running. I changed my mind after a couple of miles.

The hills on the roads seemed endless. They didn't bother me at all on Saturday morning. Sunday morning, however, was a different story. I kept jogging as much as I could. It was comical because Amy was walking at the pace I was jogging. I think she was a bit frustrated but certainly understood that I didn't have much left. She kept saying how proud she was of me for making it over 90 miles.
A guy named Jeff had tried Mohican the last two years and dropped out each time. He bumped into us at aid stations and we passed each other on the course. A guy in blue had been doing the same thing until his body crashed and could no longer run.

The aid station at mile 95 took an eternity to reach. There was much relief and rejoicing when we made it there. The home stretch was now within reach. The last five went slowly as well. We passed a couple of more runners and Jeff caught up with us. The third try would be the charm for him. I maged to run a good bit on the roads but walked with Jeff for a while. On the last climb he went ahead and I just let him go. I wasn't sure how much further we had to go and we still had a good bit left. The last downhill was incredibly steep. One guy was sidestepping at a snail's pace. I took it easy on the descent and we came to a level stretch. The camp wasn't in sight yet so we plugged on and came upon a few runners. We passed them easily and then we could see the finish. Two more runners were passed and we entered the camp.

I thought about sprinting across the finish but since I was in enough pain already, I decided against it. When we reached the last two turns, my body made its own decision and it kicked into high gear. I felt no pain and sprinted across the finish. I was seen as a bit of a badass for being able to run a full sprint after 100 miles.

I received congratulations from many people. Amy completed her first 40 miler. I wasn't able to push her too much as far as speed but she still spent 13 1/2 hours on her feet. I completed the run in 27:49:37. That was four hours less than Massanutten. It was a much easier course but there is no such thing as an easy 100 miler.

Raging Bull