The Georgia Death Race

The Georgia Death Race

Vogel State Park to Amicalola Falls State Park

68ish miles with 20,000 feet of ascent

“The hardest race east of the Rockies.”

Elevation Profile

A little back story leading up to race day….

Last year back in June, a group of us local trail runners met while training for the Chattanooga Mountain Stage Race. After the race our group of 5 eventually became a solid group of 7. We trained all summer together with all of us signed up for Lookout 50 miler in December. Only half of us had plans to run the Georgia Death Race as well but by time registration opened for it peer pressure had taken its toll and all of us signed up. Lookout 50 now became a training run for the Georgia Death Race.

Fast forward to March…

Our group split up into 2 cabins for the weekend. The Holland’s, Baker’s, Lackey’s, Pharr’s and Evatt’s in one while the Cole’s and Horvath’s in another. Unfortunately just 2 days before we were set to head out our group dropped from 7 to 6 as Corey developed flu like symptoms. Being the amazing friend he is, he still made the trip down to support the rest of us and cheer us on.

After everyone checked into their cabins we all met up at the Amicalola Lodge around 5pm Friday evening for our gear check, packet pickup and to attend the mandatory meeting. After Sean, the race director went over all the last bits of information we were treated to a motivational speech from an Army Ranger about facing your fears. After the meeting Josh and I ran into Corey who told us he would try to be at some of the aid stations. We made our way back to the cabin where Candice, Josh’s wife, was cooking dinner for us.

After an absolutely amazing dinner, Josh, Candice, Carmen, my mom and I all sat around the table going over the course map and planning all the crew stops. Josh and I had been talking for weeks and planned on running the entire race together. The idea sounded great. Running such a long race would usually mean there would be plenty of time where you are all alone out there in the middle of nowhere. Having a friend by your side the entire time sounded like a blast, but also seemed difficult to me. Over the course of a race this long there are going to be times when a person just crashes, both mentally and physically. The problem with trying to stay with another person is if you both crash at different times it just makes you slower and slower. We had 25 hours to finish the course. Josh and I planned out a goal between 17-18 hours. I didn’t know how it would play out but I was anxious to see. We finished getting our gear together and I got to bed around 11pm.

Race Day:

Photo cred: Corey Evatt

Our cabin was close to Amicalola Falls State Park which was the finish line so we had about an hour drive to Vogel State Park for the start. We arrived around 7:30am and parked right next to the rest of our GDR Crew who had all ridden together. After picking up the old rusty railroad spike that we were required to carry for the entire race our group posed for a few pre-race photos. I got a hug from mom, a kiss from Carmen, and a few good lucks from my buddies and we were on our way.

Vogel State Park to White Oak

Miles 0 – 8

Start of the race leaving Vogel

The race starts with the climb to Coosa Bald, the largest climb of the entire race. Josh and I started at a comfortable pace leaving out of Vogel State Park onto some great single track trails. As we began the climb up Coosa we ran steadily with a good sized group of runners. I found myself leading a train of people along the way with Josh right behind me. I hate leading a pack like that so I continued to tell people to pass us if they wanted but they all seemed content letting me lead the way so on we continued. Before we knew it we made it to the top of Coosa Bald. Josh and I both commented on how surprisingly “easy” of a climb it was. Not too steep at all. After peaking at the top we bombed down the backside of the mountain and found ourselves at the first aid station and 10min ahead of schedule. We were in and out after just refilling our water bottles and continued on.

White Oak to Fish Gap

Miles 8 – 15.5

Refilling Josh's water. Photo cred: Carrie Bryant

I knew we spoke too soon. While the climb leading up to Coosa Bald was relatively tame, the next 20 miles would be anything but. In fact, this is the hardest section of the entire race. Nicknamed the “Dragon Spine”, the Duncan Ridge Trail would unleash it’s furry on us for hours and hours. Steep ascent after steep ascent. After you thought you finished one climb you would have another waiting. Up and down we went. Honestly I don’t remember much through all this because I was just trying to focus on getting through it. In hindsight I should have slowed us down a bit to reserve some strength but we continued to push on. Josh and I stayed talking throughout and in good spirits despite the tough climbing. We found ourselves running with a solid group of people again all sticking together. Here and there we would catch up to others and pass them by. I felt we were moving really strong, climbing well and taking full advantage of the downhills. After one of the steepest and longest climbs I’ve ever done we were treated to a beautiful view to the left of us of the rolling Georgia mountains. It was a view definitely worthy of a photo but I didn’t want to take the effort to stop. As I looked at the mileage on my watch I knew we should be hitting the next aid station soon. Instead of arriving at an aid station though, the course markings directed us off the trail and onto a bushwacking section up the mountain. It wasn’t fun. We finally made it to the aid station less than a mile later.

Fish Gap to Skeenah Gap

Miles 15.5 – 21.5

We made our way out of the aid station quickly again after refilling and eating a little food. Halfway through the Dragon Spine and the hills continued on. We were both feeling pretty good despite the tough terrain and the conversations and jokes never seemed to dwindle. Not long after leaving the aid station we caught up to our friend David Pharr. David had ran this section with the rest of our friends a few weeks before. Josh and I continued on following behind David. David is a much better climber than me and would pull away on the ascents and we would catch back up to him on the downhills. This continued for what seemed like forever! We continued to leap frog a few other runners over and over again, we’d pass them, they’d pass us. We eventually pulled away. David told us that we would know when we were close to the next aid station once we saw a wooden sign on the trail. After a large ascent David said “I’m pretty sure that was the last climb.” Three hills later he was right. That David…

We were now on the 1.5 mile out-and-back section of the course. As we were headed down the mountain others were headed up. We passed our friend Sarah Woerner (who would go on to finish 3^rd for the women) near the top as she was finishing up the out-and-back. We continued downward getting closer to the next aid station when we saw our friend Jeremiah working his way back up after just leaving it. We screamed his name and hooted at him and shared some high fives. The sun was starting to come out the temperature was warming up a bit. A few minutes later we arrived at the next aid station. David was quick to get his water refilled and began heading back up the mountain. Josh and I did the same and followed suit.

Skeenah Gap to Point Bravo

Miles 21.5 – 28

Josh and I caught up to David at the top of the 1.5 mile climb back up the mountain. The three of us continued on through rolling hills but nothing like we had previously experienced. It seemed like the worst was behind us. We were joined by a guy named Rick from the Huntsville area who stayed with us. The now four of us were treated to some gorgeous mountain views and a nice steady 3 mile descent down towards the next aid station. While we were heading down I rolled my right ankle at mile 24. I felt it go completely sideways. I just knew I sprained it. I kept running hoping it would loosen up it which it did.

Getting closer and closer to the next aid station we began to see people hanging out beside the trails. Lots and lots of people. They were cheering us all on and commenting on how big of a group we were running all together (4 of us). David commented that it felt like we were running a road marathon with spectators. Point Bravo was the first aid station that our crew could be at so of course it was going to be a popular and crowded one. We came up on this one guy sitting under a tree with a camera in hand. David yelled at him “Hey picture guy!” before realizing it was our friend Corey. We all rolled into the Point Bravo aid station together which was so cool to do. As soon as we got there we noticed not only were David, Josh, Corey and I all there together, but another member from our GDR Crew was also, Jeremiah. Somehow in this 70+mile race we were all together at this aid station.

Coming into Point Bravo

Jeremiah was sitting in a chair with his wife Heather beside him. He said he was debating dropping due to his severe ankle pain from a sprain he had a few weeks earlier. He was obviously in pain and upset. I didn’t know what to do for him so I just knelt and prayed with him. I told him no matter what he decided to do his friends would support him. I looked up and saw Carmen and my mom across the road waiting for me.

It was so good to see my family for the first time since the start. They refilled my bottles for me and had all my food and supplies ready for me. I ate a Nutella sandwich and drank some Powerade. Nathan’s wife Katy was there also with their 2 daughters. Nathan and Franklin had passed through much earlier.

At Point Bravo Photo cred: Katy Holland

I talked to my family for a few minutes, ate an orange and went to check on Jeremiah again. As I was walking over to him David was heading out of the aid station. He told me he was going to start hiking it and that I should catch up to him shortly. David checked out of the aid station and took off up the trail. That would be the last time I would see him during the race.

After eating all I could and refilling my pack with food and hydration, I kissed Carmen goodbye and went and stood beside the trailhead as I waited for Josh and Jeremiah. Corey and I talked for a minute before Josh was ready to go. Jeremiah was throwing on a clean shirt so Josh and I told Corey to let him know we were going to head out but we would be walking so he could catch up. We looked at the aid station volunteers and yelled out our numbers “1-1-8 and 5-0 out!”.

Point Bravo to Sappling Gap

Miles 28 – 33

Leaving Point Bravo aid station began a good ascent. We used this climb to walk, let our stomach’s settle from all the food we just ate, and to hopefully allow Jeremiah to catch us. As we made our way up the climb we joked and laughed about all sorts of stuff. We were in pretty good spirits at that moment after seeing our wives. All the sudden we hear someone behind us yell “What are you girls talking about up there?! Your favorite music singers?” it was Jeremiah.

Jeremiah had dug deep and despite the pain decided to try and continue onward. Hearing him crack a joke on us was great and I prayed that he would bounce back. The three of us continued on together down the trails. Soon we were treated to a nice little rain storm. Josh and I both love running in the rain so as soon as it hit Josh began screaming like a little kid. The trail stopped climbing and began to start descending. Jeremiah started to get a bit quiet and I could tell that the pain was starting to be too much. We stopped for a minute and Jeremiah told us he didn’t know what to do and pondered going all the way back to Point Bravo aid station. We urged him to continue on to the next aid station since we were so close. The rain let up and we found ourselves marching into the Sappling Gap aid station.

Sappling Gap to Long Creek

Miles 33 – 41

We arrived at Sappling Gap which is an aid station right on a ridge (just like most have been). The rain had chilled us pretty good and while we stopped to eat and refill I began to get pretty cold. We sat Jeremiah in a chair while one of the aid station workers began tending to him. They told us that it would be difficult for them to get someone out of this aid station and the best bet would be to push on to the next one. The volunteers then began to wrap Jeremiah’s ankle.

I started to shiver a bit so decided to pull out my arm sleeves and gloves. Josh did the same. I saw some grilled cheese sandwiches on the table so I ate one and walked over to where a bonfire was.  I went back for grilled cheese 3 more times. It was so good to have some food with substance. All I was carrying on me food wise for the race were some gels, gummies and Slim Jims. As I was eating my fourth grilled cheese I turned and saw that Josh was shivering pretty bad. I told him we needed to get moving to warm up. We told Jeremiah that we needed to head out and get moving. Josh and I left Jeremiah with the care of the volunteers at Sappling Gap and headed back out.

It didn’t take long at all before the arm sleeves were getting rolled down and the gloves were coming off. It’s amazing how fast the body warms itself up. We had 8 miles to the next aid station. For some reason I don’t remember much about this section. I think Josh and I began to have some deep conversations during this time so that could have played a part in it. When you spend hours upon hours out in the woods with someone it’s pretty funny to look back at the conversations had along the way. We would go from talking about the race to making jokes and laughing to having deep meaningful conversations about life. It’s actually pretty incredible.

Anyways, I think this was a serious and deep conversation section of the race so I couldn’t even tell you what the trail was like. All I remember was that we soon came upon a bunch of teenage boys out camping. Soon after we passed them we ran right passed 2 other younger boys hiking down the trail. One of the kids said to us “You guys are less than a mile from the aid station.” Sweet! We pressed forward. We caught up to a guy named Adam and ran and chatted with him all the way till we came to the aid station.

As we approached we could hear drums beating and saw tents and people everywhere. A big banner was stretched overhead between 2 trees that read “Boy Scouts of America”. We were at the aid station ran by the local boy scout troop, and apparently it was the place to be!

Long Creek Aid Station Photo cred: Janette Mass

Long Creek to Winding Stair

Miles 41 – 47

The Long Creek aid station was at the intersection of a few forest service roads. There were a good bit of volunteers and boyscouts here. It felt like we were at a big party. We made our way to the table with all the food and began to fill our faces. One of the volunteers came up to me and took my water bottles, filled them up, and put them back in my pack for me. The volunteers were so awesome and knew exactly what we needed. They seemed to be having a good time too laughing and joking with us. Before we headed out they pointed to a toy pony sitting on the table and said we had to touch the pony for good luck. Of course Josh being the weirdo he is, had to lick the pony while the volunteers took pictures.

Josh being Josh. Photo cred: Janette Mass

We left the aid station headed down one of the dirt service roads. We caught up to Adam, the guy we ran into the aid station with. Six miles to the next aid station and all on this service road “we should get there in about an hour” Adam said to us. We ran and chatted with Adam for a few miles as he told us about his previous race experiences. Josh and I began to slow down a bit and we separated from Adam. We continue along this winding road for what seemed like miles and miles. The majority of this section was actually some of my favorite of the race, despite being on service roads. The dirt road ran along a decent sized creek that we listened to the entire way. Josh and I continued on the road and it began to get a bit rockier and started to climb a bit. We began to pass campsites off the side of the road along the creek with people set up to spend a night in the woods. As we ran passed the campers, I kept thinking how much more fun they must be having than we were. We continued to power through this dirt road section climbing higher knowing the next aid station would be our next and last time to see our families until the end of the race.

Refueling and hydrating at Long Creek. Photo cred: Janette Mass

As we neared the top of the road, we could see the aid station ahead of us sitting at the top at another intersection of service roads. I could see my mom in her white coat standing there looking for us and Josh noticed Carmen. As we jogged into the aid station Josh’s son Jude came running to greet us. As he got close the poor little guy tripped and faced planted right in front of us. Josh picked up a crying Jude and carried him into the aid station.

Winding Stair to Jake Bull

Miles 47-54

At Winding Stair Gap our ladies had a blanket spread out on the ground with both Josh’s and my bags sitting there waiting for us. I decided to put on a fresh shirt and was going to change socks for the first time. After I took my shoes off and emptied all the rocks and debris out of them I decided to keep the socks I had on. I was wearing my Swiftwick merino wool socks and my feet felt fine. I didn’t want to mess anything up so I just laced my shoes back on. I refilled my pack with some beef jerky sticks, Stinger gummies and walked over to the aid station tables to refill my bottles with water and see what foods they had. When I came back over our crew Josh was sitting on the blanket talking with Candice, his wife and changing shirts. It was 7:40pm and the sun was beginning to set so I went ahead and put on my headlamp. After a few minutes Josh was ready and we said goodbye to our families for the last time and started off down one of the fire service roads.

A father's love.

Wipe out!

The bad part of stopping at aid stations is your body cools off and you begin to get really cold. Immediately after we left the both of us were pulling out our gloves and putting them back on. We were on the home stretch now. Just 2 more aid stations and a little over 20 miles left in the race. We continued taking the service road down the mountain and were treated to amazing views to the right of us. The sun was setting behind the mountains and the glow made the mountains look like they were on fire. It was gorgeous and for the first time all day I pulled my phone out to snap a few pictures. A few minutes later the sun was gone and the only glow we would have was that of our headlamps.

Watching the sunset as we head into the night.

We continued down the mountain for what seemed like forever. Josh and I kept looking closely for trail markers to make sure we didn’t miss our turn off that would take us back on the trails. Finally we reached the bottom and saw a blinking red light in the darkness which was our sign to turn. We found ourselves back on some great single track trails and managed to pick up our pace despite the fact that we weren’t moving downhill anymore. In the darkness we could see the light of a headlamp just a bit ahead of us. Soon we caught up to another runner, and another, and another. For the first time in a while we seemed to be surrounded by people. We moved along the trail until it came out into a clearing that ran along side of a lake. Soon after, the trail opened up to a wider and a bit muddier section. We passed a few more people in this section. I was really trying to pick up our pace since I knew the next aid station was near. Josh mentioned that he was starting to hurt some and was beginning to feel rough. We pushed on just a short bit more and rolled into the Jake Bull aid station.

Jake Bull to Nimblewill Gap

Miles 54-63

We came into the Jake Bull aid station and turned off our exceptionally bright Petzl NAO headlamps so not to blind all the volunteers. Josh told me he was feeling a bit nauseous but was going to try to eat something. I wasn’t feeling 100% myself but saw one of the volunteers grilling some small quesadillas. I had one then went back for another. It was so good! It was 9:30 at night and we had been running for 13.5 hours so far. This was the first warm food I had all day. (The grilled cheese I had back at Sappling Gap were cooled off when I had them) Josh wasn’t looking too good but tried to eat a quesadilla. He took one bite and handed it to me. “Uh uh” he said. He was filling too sick. I overheard one of the volunteer ladies saying something so I asked her what she was talking about. She told me that the section of bushwhacking at the end of the race had been cut out. I was dreading this section so I was extremely relieved to hear that it was cut. Apparently the rangers at Amicalola Park didn’t want all the runners tearing up this non-trail section. As Josh and I were about to leave the aid station we were joined by a guy from Michigan that we had ran and chatted with many hours earlier during the beginning of the race. The 3 of us all headed out of Jake Bull together.

Josh was really feeling bad so we decided to hike it out for a while. Our Michigan friend stayed with us for a few minutes then took off on down the trail, but not before offering some weed to Josh for his nausea. Seriously, this dude pulled out some weed in the middle of a trail race. Needless to say Josh declined of course. We continued power hiking down the trail as people passed us in numbers. It was a decent downhill section but unfortunately we weren’t able to make up any time on it.

After 1 incredibly long mile I sent Carmen a text letting her know we had slowed down and were looking at a later finish than we had predicted. After another excruciatingly slow mile we found ourselves spit out of the trails and onto paved roads. The past 2 miles had taken us 50 minutes. Usually road miles would be much quicker but the pounding of pavement under our already beaten up feet kept us moving slower than we planned. Josh’s nausea began to pass but now it was my turn to bonk for a bit. For whatever reason I just couldn’t keep a good pace on the road and would have to opt for a run/walk method for a bit. The roads we were on took us through the small quiet town of Nimblewill. It was well after 10:30pm and these small country roads were a bit eerie. Many times Josh and I looked frantically for a confidence marker. I decided to turn on the navigation on my GPS watch to make sure we were headed in the right direction. As we moved further along, the road began to climb and turn until the paved road became another forest service road.

As we moved from pavement to dirt the road began to climb. This would be our longest and final big climb of race. The road continued to wind along the mountain as we continued our march up. In the distance behind us I could see 2 headlamps closing in on us. Soon we could hear their voices. No wait, that’s music. As the runners got closer I could make out what they were jamming to, “It’s tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time it’s tricky…it’s tricky tricky tricky tricky!” It was Pete Coleman and his pacer.

Josh and I had been leap frogging Pete since about midway through the race. “You guys are rocking out tonight” I said as they were passing us. “80’s rap all night baby!” Pete said. They looked strong and continued on ahead of us until we could no longer see the shine of their lights. I was getting to the point where I was just over this race and ready to be done. I put my head down and just focused on powering through the climb. I guess I had a pretty good pace going for me cause I would pull away from Josh for a few minutes and then I would hear him running to catch up. We continued this onward for an eternity it seemed. Where is this last aid station and how high is this mountain?! Suddenly in the middle of the road I noticed a faint glow. It was a red glow stick. A few steps later I saw a blue one, then a green one. I told Josh we had to be getting close. “I hear a generator” Josh said, which is the sound of an aid station. As we turned one more corner we could see Nimblewill Gap aid station straight ahead at the top. Finally, after one of the longest and most mentally challenging sections of our race we were at the last aid station.

Nimble Will Gap to Amicalola Falls State Park

Miles 63-72

Nimblewill Gap aid station was right at the top of a ridge and the wind was ripping when we got there. As soon as we ate some food and filled up our bottles for the last time we dug out our jackets and quickly threw them on and cinched down the hoods. Josh and I were in great spirits. We knew our last stop would be the finish line and we were both eager to get there. I pulled out my phone and sent Carmen a text letting her know we were just 9 miles away. We thanked the volunteers who were more bundled up than we were (except one dude standing by the fire in shorts in a t-shirt) and left going down the other side of the mountain.

About a mile out from the aid station a headlamp was coming up towards us. As the runner passed us Josh asked him if he was ok since he was going the wrong way. The guy replied with a snarky tone “Why are you guys going the wrong way?” Josh told the guy that we were going the correct way and just passed a marker just a few steps back. I told the guy that the course took us down the mountain after the aid station and he was clearly going up. The runner refused to believe us insisting that we were going the wrong way and he was right. I kept on running because I didn’t want to get irritated with this guy. I soon saw where he got turned around at and yelled back at him to follow us. I looked back and just saw him standing there shining his headlamp up into the trees. I said to Josh “Let’s keep going and not let this clown slow us down.” We moved on.

The section of trail we were on now was more like four wheeler trails and were actually quite smooth. Josh and I were making really good time. The continued to wind and circle around until we finally came upon a road crossing. On the other side of the road the trail continued but this trail had a big sign that read “Amicalola Falls State Park”. “WOOHOO!” we shouted, “We made it!” We were close now, or so we thought.

The trail inside the park was a twisting technical mess with rocks and roots everywhere! We really had to watch our footing. As we approached a serious rock garden I could see 2 headlamps ahead of us. “We can catch those guys”, I thought to myself. We came off the rock garden back onto more technical trails that lead us to the bottom of the park. We passed the 2 runners one we reached the bottom. We were now on a trail that ran real close to the finish line. As we were running past an open field like area I heard my name “Nick?” I looked to my left and saw my mom. “Oh it is you guys! You are almost to the finish. We will see you in a few minutes.” “Awesome!” I thought as I thought of being done in “just a few minutes”. Unfortunately it would be a bit longer than that.

The trail took us onto a paved pathway, through a parking lot, and onto another pathway with signs that read “Waterfalls Trail”. We caught up to Pete and his pacer buddy still jamming to their music. As we approached the waterfall and the stairs that would take us all the way back up to the top of the park we pulled ahead of Pete.

Amicalola Falls is the largest waterfall in Georgia. There is a staircase of over 600 steps that takes you all the way up and this was the final test of the Georgia Death Race. After 70 something miles we now were climbing, slowly, up each step. With Josh right behind me, I put my head down and focused on one step at a time. Up and up we went as we listened to the roar and felt the mist of the falls beside us. My calves were screaming and my quads were burning with each step but each step was closer to the end. Somehow we made it to the top to be greeted by an arrow pointing us toward the paved road back down the mountain. It was pure torture. Ready to be done I hit the road hard feeling the impact of the pavement shutter through my destroyed legs and quads. Halfway down the road the markers pointed us back on the trail, the last bit of trail, the most technical bit of trail. The roots were bad in this section and I think I tripped on every one of them. I was pulling ahead of Josh then would stop and wait to see his headlamp coming up behind me before taking off again. Soon I began to hear shouts and knew the finish was right around the corner. I pushed as hard as I could and could see the lights of the finish line. As I came down from the last section I could see Sean, the race director just ahead of me but instead of taking the small bridge that lead across the creek to the finish, the race flags had it blocked forcing runners to dredge through the ice cold creek before being done. I hit the water and pulled myself out of the other side and got the high-five from Sean meaning my race was over. Just a few seconds later Josh came barreling out of the woods and through the creek to end his day in the woods as well.

Freezing and now soaking wet we had finished at 2:30am in 18hours 30minutes. We returned our rusty rail road spike and picked up our engraved finishers spikes. Carmen and my mom filled us on how the rest of our friends did then led us over to the car where we threw on some warm cloths and headed back to the cabin to grab showers and some sleep.

Post Race:

Josh crossing the finish!

The Georgia Death Race was by far the most difficult challenge I’ve ran yet. To say I did it running side by side the entire way with a friend still blows my mind. I’m thankful and blessed God allowed Josh and I to experience such a challenge together. We may not have been the fastest out there but we finished 57^th and 58^th out of 162 finishers and 212 starters. I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

Finisher's award, a rusty dirty spike.

We had so much fun I think we are going to try the same thing again, this time at Thunder Rock over 100 miles. I mean, 100 miles isn’t that much further, right?

Josh and I before the race.

Lookout Mountain 50 Miler

Lookout Mountain 50

December 19th, 2015

Lookout Mountain, TN/GA

What a year it has been! It is amazing how fast 12 months can go by and how much a person can grow in that time. As I trained for Cloudland 50 last year I stuck to an extremely detailed training program and strayed very little from it. For Lookout Mountain 50, things would be a little different.

After a several months of racing and heavy training my body began to give out. First I sprained yet another ankle in July, began to have some foot pain issues in September, and at the beginning of November my left knee decided to go out on me. My knee pain became the most debilitating injury I've had since I started running causing me to miss one of my most anticipated races of the year, Upchuck 50k. Determined to get healthy in time for Lookout 50, I began physical therapy to get things under control. After several weeks of therapy and prayer, I finally felt that God had given me the green light to attempt the race. Although I have ran more technical and longer races than Lookout 50, I knew that December 19th was going to be a slow and painful day. Thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong.

#99

My alarm went off at 4:30am but I had been awake for an hour already. I went through my pre-run morning routine of eating a PB and Nutella sandwich and drinking my Rockstar energy drink as I sat at my computer playing music that I wanted to get stuck in my head during the run. I started to get my things together as my beautiful wife Carmen woke up and began sleepily getting ready herself. How luck am I? My wife hates only 2 things in life, waking up early and being cold, 2 things she was going to experience today for me. I am so blessed to have a selfless wife that supports these endeavors of mine. As I continued getting my things for the day I realized this is the most unprepared for a race I have ever been, both physically and mentally. Usually I have maps laid out, my gear all ready days before and so forth. Today though I was running around the house trying to think of what I needed and grabbing food out of the cabinets. It was a little chaotic but also nice. I was stressing over anything, just thinking to myself "This is just going to be a long run out in the woods today."

Mom and I 

We left the house and picked up the other half of my pit crew, my mom. My mother, like Carmen was giving up her entire day to wake up early and stand in the cold to support me. I feel so selfish and yet so extremely blessed to have these 2 women with me in the morning. We drove up to Lookout Mountain where it was a nice breezy below freezing morning.

As we made our way to the starting area I spotted my friend Corey Evatt near a bonfire. Corey and I both weren't as trained as we both had hoped we would be by race day so I had planned on us getting in some nice slow miles together throughout the day. We chatted for a minute then I went off to find some other buddies. I spotted David Pharr and Jeremiah Lackey who were both planning on really fast days and Nathan Judd who was already busy panning his GoPro around the crowd that was gathering. I got a kiss from Carmen and a hug from mom and went to the starting line. Before positioning myself in the mid-pack I made my way up to the front of the starting line to wish some of my faster friends good luck. The always humble Nathan Holland, always smiling Franklin Baker, and always blazing fast Daniel Hamilton (who would go on to win 1st place) were all lined up ready to take off. After wishing them luck I made my way back a bit and waited for the countdown.

Lookout Mountain 50 course

The closest way to describe the course is a figure 8. From Covenant College runners run a big loop across, down, and back up the mountain and arrive back at Covenant just before the halfway mark. From there runners do an out and back through the GA side of Lookout and return to the start/finish once again. 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!

Miles 0-6.3 Covenant College to Craven's House

Coming into Craven's (courtesy of Nathan Custer)

Leaving Craven's (courtesy of Alan Thomas)

My thoughts going into the day was to listen to my body and run off how I felt. I wasn't going to worry about any time or pace, just take care of my knee and hopefully see the finish line. The largest climb of the entire race is in the first half and I knew if I could make it up without too much pain I would continue on to the 2nd half of the race. As we left the starting area I stayed in my mid-pack section while others were zipping by me on the short road section we had. I know the course very well and knew we had a good bit of downhill for the first 13 or so miles. We ran the road behind the college and jumped onto the Jackson Springs trail which is a nice short decline down to one of my favorite trails in all of Chattanooga, the Bluff Trail. The Bluff Trail runs along side the west side of Lookout giving runners gorgeous views of Lookout Valley to their left. We continued along the Bluff Trail until we reached the Mountain Beautiful Trail. This is a short section of switchbacks that leads us down the mountain a bit. By now my knee was a little tender but nothing unmanageable. The trail then spits runners out onto the Hardy Trail which is a wide gravel service road that leads to Craven's House. Along this section I met a guy named Rob who I would share a good bit of miles and conversation with. We came into the first aid station at Craven's House and I was feeling pretty good. Another friend, Nathan Custer, was there to show some support and snap some pictures as well as Alan Thomas who I just met earlier that week. Seeing a few friendly faces always helps! I refilled my water bottle and was on my way.

Miles 6.3-14.8 Craven's House to Nature Center

After leaving Craven's it was all downhill. Rob and I stayed together and chatted through all of this section. First we headed down the technical rocky Rifle Pits Trail, onto the wide and flat Guild Trail then a onto the Jura Trail which is a great section of single track. After Jura, runners turn onto the wide trails of the Nature Center that continue to take them all the way down the mountain. Once we got down to the Nature Center the course changed from previous years. Due to recent flooding, the Lookout Creek had completely flooded the trail that ran beside it. Instead, we ran along the gravel roads alongside the creek to the second aid station. I refilled and ate a couple of potatoes and salt. I looked up at the mountain and knew what was next.

Miles 14.8-22.5 Nature Center to Covenant College

There was only one way to get to the next aid station, and that is up. Leaving the Nature Center aid station I knew I had my work cut out for me. Hopping off the gravel road we made our way down the Lower Truck trail, another wide section, before heading up the mountain. As Rob and I started the short but steep climb up to the Skyuka Springs Trail he began to pull away. I was not nearly the climber he was. My knee started to get a little aggravated from the ascent but once I reached Skyuka it flattened out and I was back to running a consistent pace again. I was able to catch back up to Rob and 2 other runners (J.B. and Connor) caught up to me right as we were about to hit the John Smart Trail. The four of us began our climb up. The best way to handle a climb that's this long is just to put your head down and one foot right in front of the other. Rob began to pull away quite a bit again as I continued on with the other 2 in tow. As we made our way up and up our group began to pass a good bit of other runners. I caught up to Rob again who I think was wearing down a bit from the climb. The four of us crested the top together and before I knew it we were making our way across the road back to the start/finish area. The big climb up John Smart was done!

Coming into Covenant with Josh, Jude & Micah

Coming into the aid station I saw my good friend Josh Cole and his son Jude. They came up to show support and give encouragement. My brother Micah and his girlfriend Paige were there also. Once again I am blessed with all the family and friends that show love and support each and every race. I was warmed up now so I took my jacket off and left it with my crew and went up to the aid station to eat some pickles and potatoes before heading back onto the trails.

Miles 22.5-29.9 Covenant College - Lula Lake

I left the aid station feeling great! My knee was a bit sore as expected but I was now headed onto the back half of the race. Rob and Connor had left at the same time and the three of us started down the trails. I didn't realize it but no more than a mile down the trails it was just Connor and I. We talked about running and things runners talk about for a few miles until I noticed a familiar figure up ahead. It was my buddy David. I was expecting him to be way ahead of me. I thought either he wasn't doing well or I was doing great. Come to find out it was a little of both. We caught up to David and he said he was trying to recover after a rough few miles. We ran together some until Connor and I pulled away and continued on the trails that would lead us into the Lula Lake Land Trust. As we made a road crossing I began to get excited because we were into the Lula Lake section, another one of my absolute favorites. Lula Lake offers a little bit of everything from single track, wide trails, waterfalls, steep climbs, and bluff views. We made our way through the winding trails and came out right at the next aid station beside one of two gorgeous waterfalls.

Miles 29.9-34 Lula Lake to Longbranch

Coming into Longbranch aid station

I took a second to snap a few photos of the 100foot falls and continued on down the road and onto the High Adventure Trail. This trail is straight up and even has three ropes to help through some of the sketchier sections. This section always gets my legs burning. Once I made it to the up it clears out to a wide section of trail that runs along the top giving runners great clear views of Chattanooga Valley. Connor and I continued on and eventually saw the lead runners run past us heading back to the finish line. We made our way down the F4 trail that runs alongside Rock Creek and I knew the next aid station was just a few miles away. After a short climb the trails bring runners out onto Nick-A-Jack Road for about a quarter mile before arriving at the Longbranch aid station.

Miles 34-38.2 Longbranch to Longbranch

As I was coming down the road into Longbranch I noticed another familiar figure ahead of me again. This time it was my friend Jeremiah, and he wasn't running. Once I reached him he told me he had sprained his left ankle and in was in some serious pain. I told him I would stick with him and we would finish this race together. We walked into the Longbranch aid station where my crew was waiting for me. I told them I was feeling great but was going to stick with Jeremiah through the rest of the race. Jeremiah and I left Longbranch for our 4 mile loop section. 

I have ran the entire Lookout 50 course before except for 3 miles in this loop so I was looking forward to it. Slowly, Jeremiah and I made our way through the trails. This section was absolutely stunning. Moving at a slower pace really allowed me to appreciate the beauty. I could tell Jeremiah was hurting bad so I was doing my best to try to keep his spirits up without being overly annoying. That's actually really hard to do. We were less than a mile out of the loop when David along with Connor came up behind us and quickly passed us by. David looked like he recovered from his low patch he had earlier and was running well. We made our way back to the Longbranch aid station and got some ibuprofen from my crew. I ate a small nutella sandwich. David was at the aid station throwing down on a $5 foot long from Subway. Jeremiah and I slowly made our way out of Longbranch and back on the road that would lead us to the F4 trail again.

Miles 38.2-42.5 Longrbranch to Lula Lake

On the road I recognized a guy that my brother knew from high school and was a local road runner, Marco. He was running his first 50 so we stopped and talked for a minute. I tried to give him some advice and he seemed in great spirits. I turned around and ran to catch up to Jeremiah who was power hiking along. We moved off the road back onto the trails. It was going to be slow going but for having a nasty sprain Jeremiah was actually booking it. In fact, we passed people going up some of the climbs. It was amazing to see him pushing so hard when I knew he was hurting so bad. We continued on making it back into Lula Lake, across the bluff line, back down the High Adventure trail, past the waterfalls and into the final aid station.

Jeremiah powering through Lula Lake

Miles 42.5-50 Lula Lake to Covenant College

Racing the sun, almost to the finish.

Arriving at the aid station was a mini victory for us. Realizing this was the final aid station and the next stop was going to be the finish line boosted Jeremiah's spirits. I grabbed some more pickles and licorice at the aid station and ran to catch up to Jeremiah who was already powering down the road. We did a little math and realized that if we could maintain a 16:30 pace we would be done around 10 hours which would actually be a PR for me. We continued on through the rest of the Lula trails, crossed the road and celebrated being on the final section of the race. Just a few miles of single track and a powerline cut descent was all that was keeping us from the finish line. As we pushed on I could tell the pain was intensifying for Jeremiah. Regardless, he never slowed down and never stopped, not once. He would pull away from me on the climbs and I would have to jog and catch up on the descents and flats. To say his determination was inspiring would be an understatement. As the sun began to set we got closer and closer until we could see the strung up lights at the finish line. We picked up the pace and crossed the finish line together in stride. 

Finish

Finishing together!

I could never have imagined the race playing out the way it did. I expected a long day of knee pain struggling to make it to the finish. Instead, I felt God's hand over my knee the whole day and setting a PR while power hiking a third of the course with my good friend. The weather was amazing all day long too. Lookout 50 will definitely go down as one of my favorite races and was the perfect wrap-up to a long year of running accomplishments. 

Thanks to Wild Trails, Randy and Kris Whorton, who put on such perfect races and to all the volunteers that spend so much of their own time to allow runners like myself to enjoy the long days in the woods. Thank you to all my running friends mentioned above for your constant encouragement and friendship. It has contributed to me becoming a better runner and a better person. Congrats to all the runners who were brave enough to attempt such a long distance and thanks for all the kind words and conversations along the course. Here's to a 2016 full of new running and trail adventures!

Always by my side!

Thunder Rock 100

Thunder Rock 100

May 15, 2015

Cherokee National Forest

Just a warning, this could get extremely long, technical, and very boring…

To be honest, I don’t know where to even begin with this race report. So much went into this experience starting from the minute I registered to the moment I crossed the finish line that I don’t want to leave anything out. I guess I’ll skip all the training most aren’t interested in and dive right into race day.

Thunder Rock 100 course and elevation profile

I had the feeling I would wake up earlier than I wanted on Friday May 15^th. Thunder Rock 100 has a starting time of 12pm (noon) which is pretty sweet. This allows runners to get a good nights rest the day before and even sleep in a little. Anyone who knows me though knows I’m a morning person and rarely sleep-in so I had already planned for this. Of course come Friday I was awake by 7am so I just got out of bed and went outside to catch the sun rising up from behind my house. Knowing I’d probably be awake that early anyways I wanted to do something I’ve never done, watch the sunrise twice in a single day. As I stood out on the patio feeling the sun hit my face I realized 2 things;  1. I was about to have the longest day of my life and 2. It was going to be hot and humid.

Chilhowee in the distance.

Carmen and I hit the road a little before 10am with my parents following behind us in their car. I rented a cabin right off Highway 64 so my family would have a place to hopefully go to and get some rest throughout the race. As we headed out of Cleveland towards the Ocoee, we were able to see Chilhowee, the first section and climb of the race.

We arrived at the cabin, checked in, and unloaded some of my family’s stuff. The sky was overcast with a nice breeze blowing. The cabin had a wonderful deck that sat right on the edge of Lake Ocoee. It was a beautiful view and I didn’t want to leave. It was almost 11am so we made sure I had all the gear and I needed and we headed to the starting point at Parksville Lake Campground just 6 miles down the road.

We arrived at the starting area to see all the runners and their crews standing by their vehicles looking over their gear, eating, chatting, and taking pre-race pictures. Going over my gear one last time, I decided to carry enough with me that would get me till the next time I would see my crew which was 17-18miles. I carried 2 water bottles (1 filled with PowerAde), 6 gels, 4 jerky sticks, 1 honey stinger waffle, enough salt pills for 4 hours, Advil, a dry shirt, body glide, wet naps and my cell phone. We were about 30 minutes till the start and I was getting a little hungry. All I had eaten so far was my normal peanut butter and Nutella sandwich I eat before every run about 2 and a half hours earlier. I decided to go ahead and down a gel and eat a beef jerky stick to get some calories in. In hindsight this wasn’t nearly enough. We got a few pictures in and we headed down to the starting line.

Waiting on the start.

All smiles minutes before the race.

At the starting line I saw my new buddy David Pharr who I’ve had the pleasure to train with over the past month. David finished Thunder Rock last year so I really leaned on him for advice and guidance going into the race. Without him I would have never been as prepared for race day as I was. We introduced our families to each other and I had the privilege to meet a few other runners. The seconds drew near and before I knew it the race was about to start. I hugged my parents, kissed my wife and then I was on my way.

The first section of Thunder Rock is the most strenuous. It’s about 18 miles and includes the largest climb of the entire race (all the way up to Oswald’s Dome), the largest downhill of the entire race, a lot of exposure to the sun (it was mid-day), and crossing the Hiwassee River. My goal for this section was to reach the Gee Creek aid station, which was on the other side of the Hiwassee by 3:30pm.

First mile on the trail.

We started out on the road inside the Parksville Lake Campground and circled around the campground till we took a left down the trails. The trails would be a steady climb for about 10 miles. I saw David ahead of me pushing an incredibly fast pace. I decided I would try to keep him in my sight and that should carry me through. Five minutes into the race and I was completely soaked from sweat due to the humidity. The trails at the beginning were incredibly runnable. I knew I was probably pushing myself a little harder than I should at the beginning but I told myself I needed to take advantage of these easy trails. I was slowing passing people and kept my pace up even though I was already starting to get a little hot.

Around 8.5 miles was the first aid station of the race, Mulepen Gap. When I arrived David was already there refueling. My nutrition plan for the race was to eat a gel or jerky every half hour and to throw down at every aid station. For some stupid reason all I grabbed at Mulepen Gap were 2 orange slices… I don’t know what I was thinking. I needed more calories, especially since I was about to make the largest climb of the race. Instead of eating more and drinking my water and refilling it a few times all I did was grab the oranges, refill my water and headed out towards Oswald’s Dome for a 3 mile 1000 foot climb up a totally exposed gravel road.

David and I heading up towards Oswald's Dome.

David and I set out towards Oswald’s Dome. I was feeling pretty good and even pulled my phone out for a pic and checked my cell signal. I had service so I sent the pic to Carmen and continued my climb up the mountain. David is much better climber than I am and pulled way ahead of me until I couldn’t see him in my sight anymore. As I was slowly grinding my way up the mountain I began to get passed by a few runners here and there. About a mile away from the top I met a guy named Jerry from Fort. Worth, Texas. Jerry has ran over 84 ultras and was running in Tennessee for the first time with 2 other buddies of his that drove all the way from Texas. We chatted for a bit as we climbed all the way up to Oswald’s Dome.

At the top of the mountain we took a left back onto some single track trails that switch backed all the way back down. I was looking forward to this downhill section to get some speed but halfway through I was looking forward to it ending. The constant pounding was jarring my entire body. For almost 4 miles this continued and I was feeling more wrecked during this section than I was during the entire climb up. Part of the trail became extremely narrow with a substantial drop off on one side. I rolled my left ankle pretty good at one point and ended up having to slow down. I was able to run through the pain and it loosened itself out. No harm. Once I reached the bottom of the mountain I crossed a road and was right at the edge of the Hiwassee River.

Crossing the Hiwassee River.

I came to the river’s edge where all the runners were entering and could see that the water wasn’t too terribly deep. “It’s only waist high”, one of the volunteers at the river said, “You shouldn’t have to use the rope.” I climbed down into the nice cool Hiwassee. It felt so good on my legs. I started wading out across the water. Some of the runners were dunking themselves and swimming in it to cool off a bit. I would have joined them but I didn’t put my cell phone in a plastic bag so I needed to keep my upper half dry. There were volunteers out in the water helping and I wanted to just stay there all day, but I had to keep moving. I wasted no time and crossed the river. I pulled myself out on the other side and continued on about a quarter mile to the next aid station and where I would see my crew for the first time.

Crossing the Hiwassee River.

Coming into Gee Creek aid station.

I came into the Gee Creek aid station right at 3:15pm. That's a whole 15 minutes faster than I had planned. Although that may not sound like much, it meant I was running close to one whole minute per mile faster. Once again I just grabbed a few orange slices from the aid station and went to see my family who were set up just a few yards away. I sat down and took off my soaking wet shoes and socks, dried my feet, and threw on a fresh pair of socks, my newer pair of shoes that I would wear the rest of the race, and a fresh shirt. I told my crew that I was feeling dehydrated and went out much too fast during the first section. Carmen, mom, and dad helped refill my bottles with PowerAde and water then replaced my gels, jerky, and threw a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my bag. I was feeling pretty rough and was not looking forward to the next section of the race.

I headed out of the aid station after grabbing another orange (why didn't I eat my sandwich at this point?!). As I was leaving ages Creek, I passed David who was talking with his wife and refueling all his gear. He caught up to me and we ran together for just a few minutes before he took off up Starr Mountain.

Eating oranges at Gee Creek aid station.

Starr Mountain. I have a complete love hate with this part of the race. For the next 23 or so miles the course would take runners on another large climb up to the top of Starr Mountain, over the top, and back down on the other side. As I started making my ascent my body began to make its descent. The more I climbed the more I began to feel sick to my stomach and weak. My slow steady run quickly became a slow steady hike. I popped a gel trying to get some energy and I immediately wanted to puke it up. When it was time for me to take more salt tablets I got one stuck in my throat and ended up drinking half a bottle of water just to get it to go down. The grueling pain just continued to go on. I started thinking to myself "You're not going to be able to do this." "You are going to have to drop out." "You aren't even a quarter of the way through this race." I began to think about what I was going to tell people when they found out I failed what I started. I also kept hoping that I could turn this race around once I got to the next aid station, ate some food and rehydrated. These thoughts continued on for miles and miles it seemed, and then it rained.

Feeling like crap, but enjoying the view.

The rain poured and poured turning the trails into muddy flowing rivers. I tried to avoid as much of the water as I could but it was pointless. I just grit down and sludged on through the mud. Although I wasn't feeling any better physically, there is something about running in the rain that I love and lifted my spirit. I was almost out of water completely so I opened one of my bottles to try to get some rain water but it just wasn’t collecting. As I painfully moved on I began to think of Carmen and my parents. I was really hoping they were somewhere dry. As the mountain continued to climb the rain began to subside. I came to a spot where there was a clearing in the trees which looked like it led to a decent view. I was not disappointed. I pulled my phone out and unzipped it from the plastic bag I put it in when it started to rain to snatch a few pics. The view of the mountains and valley below was beautiful. The rain had completely stopped and there was a low fog rising from the valley. I looked at my watch, it was 4:30pm and I was around 22miles. I knew I should be coming up to the next aid station soon, Iron Gap, and I was still hoping I could recover once I got there.

View from atop Starr Mountain.

On the way to Iron Gap aid station I was passed by a group of 3 guys running together. I was able to stay pretty close to them all the way to the aid station. I arrived at Iron Gap around 5:10pm. To my surprise I got there with quite a bit of other runners. For most of the Starr Mountain climb I was alone only, spotting single runners here or there. It seemed that we all funneled into the aid station around the same time though. At Iron Gap I began to feel really sick. Sometimes when you stop moving you feel worse than you did if you kept on. I ate a couple more oranges and really nothing else at that aid station. I decided to take a few minutes here and try to get in a good bit of water. One of the volunteers asked how I was doing and I told her it was my stomach. She encouraged me to take some time there with them before heading back out. I crouched down trying to decide what to do. What were my options? There was only one, keep moving. I pounded some more water, grabbed some gels and headed out of the aid station. At this point runners were coming and going out of Iron Gap quite a bit and I didn’t feel so alone out there.

Leaving the Iron Gap aid station, runners begin to take a forest service road for several miles before hitting single track trails again near the Hogback Ridge and Bullet Creek sections. The service road continues to climb a good bit and I found myself still walk/running a slow pace. As I was a moving onward a runner came up beside and stopped. “Hey man, are you ok?” the guy asked. “Naw, not really” I said. He asked me what was wrong and I told him it was my stomach. He offered me some Tums and I politely declined. “I’m gonna let it work itself out” I told him. The man was Bill Ford from Oklahoma.

Bill and I talked for a bit and he offered me some Tums a second time. This time I put my stubbornness aside and accepted his gracious offer. I don’t know if it was the Tums, the conversation, the companionship of running with another person after a decent stretch of running solo, or a combination of all three, but I immediately began to feel better. As soon as I took some Tums I was able to force another gel down and jerky stick. Bill and I picked up the pace, finished the service road and jumped onto the single track trails that took us along the spine of the mountain and treated us to some amazing views on both side. I felt like a whole new person. I was at one of the lowest points of my running life, debating even continuing the race and now I was pushing a good pace (or so it felt, lol) across the mountain chatting it up with Bill and feeling great. This is what everyone must’ve been talking about when they mention the lows and the highs of ultra-running. I’ve experienced low points in races before, but never to the extreme I did that day.

As we continued on across the mountain, the views were stunning. It was evening now, I believe in the 6’oclock hour, and we were getting close to our next aid station, Bullet Creek. As we headed down the mountain on some great trails with great views, we came across Nathan Judd, official Thunder Rock cameraman, getting some great GoPro footage of the beautiful views. Nathan and I both knew who each other were but never officially met so I stopped and Bill and I both exchanged pleasantries with Nathan before continuing on. Before we arrived at the Bullet Creek aid station we met some more runners and were joined by a young helicopter pilot named Nate who Bill had ran with prior in the race. The three of us came into and left the Bullet Creek aid station together around 7pm, about 32miles into the race. I was able to eat a little bit more at this aid station. Along with oranges, I downed a few pickles and potatoes. As we left the aid station onto another small forest service road section, I looked back and enjoyed the beautiful view of bullet creek and a small waterfall running just beside the aid station.

Bill, Nate, and I hammered on. We were able to enjoy about 3 incredible miles on some beautiful single track that I absolutely loved. Leading the group, the three of us walked the inclines and ran the flats and downhills. I can’t describe how much fun I was having at this point. I really enjoyed running with these two guys and was feeling 100% physically and mentally. At around mile 36-37 we came out of the single track trail and onto a wide forest road (Starr Mtn. Rd.). This would run for 3 miles before coming out onto Highway 315. I looked at my watch, it was 8pm. I told my crew I would be at the next crew area (mile 41) around 8:30-9pm. This was an important stop for me because I was going to be picking up my first pacer Josh Cole, and I didn’t want to be late and keep my crew waiting. Since the road was flat and dirt and I was able to push my pace. I looked behind me and saw Bill and Nate slowing down a bit. I stopped because I really didn’t want to leave them. Bill told me I was looking great and to keep on going that he was going to pull back a bit. I wanted to wait for them so bad but I knew I had to get to my crew. Feeling like a total hack I continued on until I couldn’t see Bill or Nate behind me anymore.

Starr Mountain Road

Feeling back to normal on Starr Mtn Rd.

As frustrated as I was for leaving my two new buddies behind, I was frustrated more by the time ticking away. I knew Josh was waiting on me so I had to get to the crew station by 9pm, no later. I continued on down Starr Mountain Road as the sun was setting. I had my headlamp in my bag but didn’t want to fool with pulling it out. The dusk sky still gave me plenty of light to see. I was still feeling great and enjoyed this easy section as the night was slowly approaching. I took my phone out a few times to snap some quick pics. As I ran down the road, a creek flowed beside it. This was such a peaceful section for me. I was feeling great, running good, was in a nice enjoyable area, and about to pick up my pacer. I came to the end of the service road and hopped onto Highway 315 for a short sprint down to the crew station.

Headlamp on. Ready for the night.

Coming into the mile 41 crew station was one of the most incredible parts of the race. This is not an official aid station with volunteers, but just a stop for runners with crews and the first part of the race where pacers are allowed to join runners. As I came close to where the crews are I could see people lined up on both sides of the road. Everyone began to clap and cheer me on when I came by. It was such an encouraging boost to hear all the support from everyone’s crews. I frantically looked around until I saw Carmen and my dad. They directed me towards the car where they had a chair for me. I sat down real quick and began to tell them about my low point and how I recovered. I asked them to stop and get me some Tums to have the next time I saw them. Mom had some Rolaids she was able to give me. I changed shirts again, emptied some rocks and debris from my shoes and refilled my water and nutrition. I apologized to Josh and my family for being late. Josh was already in 100% pacer mode. He began to ask me when the last time I ate was, how much salt I was in taking, and so forth. I was currently taking 2 salt tabs every hour on the hour. I am an extremely heavy sweater and Josh told me that wasn’t enough and had me pop 5 right then and there. I also ate another gel and threw another PB&J sandwich in my pack. I threw my headlamp on and before Josh and I headed out I told my parents about Bill. I said there will be 2 guys coming in soon, one named Bill wearing a blue shirt. I said he doesn’t have any crew and he helped me at my lowest point in the race, wait for him and give him anything he needs. It was right around 9pm and Josh and I headed out on our way.

Josh and I heading out.

With 9 hours ran, 41 miles down, headlamps on, Josh and I began the longest section of road miles on the course. I believe the runner’s guide said somewhere around 13+ miles of forest service roads and rutted out single lane. The plan was for Josh to run with me all the way to Reliance (mile 63) and to get there around 2:00am. The next aid station, Manning Cabin, was just 3 miles away. As we headed out on the road I began to crash again. “Not again” I remember thinking to myself. Fortunately I had Josh with me though. I tried to fight it as much as I could, but I kept slowing down forcing us to hike a large bit of this section. It was obvious I was beginning to struggle and Josh knew it. He stayed on me about eating having me chew on my jerky sticks when I could. Just when I felt we were beginning to make some better progress, we ran past a side road with course markers that looked as if they were pointing runners out from that side road. We both stopped and wondered if we had made a wrong turn and were supposed to come out from that road. Up ahead we could see the headlamp of another runner so we continued on following them. About a quarter mile later just as we passed the runner we were following, another runner comes running towards us. “I missed the aid station, I have to go back.” He told us. Josh and I both looked puzzled and thought of the markers we passed just down the road. We must’ve missed it as well so we turned around headed back to the side road. This little mistake depleted what little moral I was holding onto. As we made the turn onto the side road there were 2 good size uphill climbs. We climbed one then made another wrong turn before running into the other runner who stopped to ask a local where the aid station was. Of course it was up the tallest hill. The 3 of us climbed to the top where we could see the lights of aid station. Whew, that was a relief. It was a tiny mistake that added an extra mile or so and a little bit of elevation. We got to the aid station and informed them that apparently the course markings to get there were easily missed. A few of the volunteers even mentioned they thought that would happen. Oh well, we made it and what a good aid station it was. Manning Cabin was the best yet. With lights strung up and music playing, Manning Cabin aid station was hosting a Hawaiian theme. They had pizza, all kinds of fruit, bacon, sandwiches, pickles... You name it, they had it. Josh made sure I ate as much as I could. As I was grabbing food I heard “Hey Nick!” I turned to see it was Bill. Apparently he had taken the correct path and made it to the aid station before us. Bill wasn’t looking to good though and was sitting in a chair with ice on his knee. He told me he wasn’t doing too well and I could tell in his face that his race was over. Josh, being a nurse practitioner, took a look at Bill’s knee and talked to him for a bit. I thanked Bill again for everything he did for me earlier and he wished me luck for the rest of the race, even offering the rest of his Tums to me saying he wasn’t going to be needing them. We departed with a fist bump and my heart was heavy as Josh and I pulled out of the aid station.

Roads, roads, and more roads.

 The next 7 miles are the most blurriest in my mind. Josh and I followed the course on the gravel service roads all the way to the next aid station at mile 50, Coker Falls. I had begun to crash pretty hard again. Since this was a road section and I had Josh with me, I was able to just zone out and focus on feeling better. I remember not wanting to eat but forcing a sandwich down when Josh told me to. I remember not wanting to drink but chugging water and PowerAde when Josh told me to. I remember sections where I barely said a word but Josh continued to talk and laugh to keep my spirits up. This continued on for what seemed like forever. We passed a few other runners here and there and I can even recall Josh helping another runner who was struggling by giving him a handful of salt tablets to take. At several times I thought to myself how miserable this must be for him. Josh had made an hour long trip up to Reliance after working a full day to have to wait with my family for about an hour till I made it to them, then, drag my miserable butt through crummy forest service roads in the middle of the night for hours and hours… did I mention we had only really met just once before the race? I have no idea what possessed him to want to do all this for me but I am forever grateful for him.

Scorpions all over the roads.

I can’t remember exactly when, but all Josh’s effort to get me to eat and drink paid off and like a light switch I went from low to high again. We both noticed it right away as I went from not saying a word to chatting it up. Before I knew it we were rolling into the Coker Falls aid station, mile 50. I believe it was somewhere between 11pm and midnight. The easiest terrain of the course was over, and the most technical was about to begin. Josh made sure I ate enough at the aid station and the volunteers warned us of the technical trails ahead. I think both Josh and I were looking forward to some single track trails despite how technical it was going to be. We left the aid station and jumped onto the John Muir trail.

The John Muir trail is about a 10 mile stretch that runs alongside the Hiwassee River. I was feeling good again and was happy to be back on the trails. The volunteers weren’t lying, it was technical. Roots, rocks, ridges, climbing, you name it John Muir had it. Despite the terrain it felt as if we were making decent time. The bullfrogs were croaking all the way along the river and we joked about them throughout the night. We passed a few runners during this stretch as well as some volunteers just out on the trails checking on racers. The sound of the Hiwassee running beside us was so pleasant and I so wished I was able to see this area in daylight. I tried to pick up the pace the best I could on the flat sections and one time Josh said to me, “You know you’re ridge-running right?” I looked off to my left shining my headlamp towards a black nothingness. I had failed to realize that we were on a narrow trail with a shoulder drop off next to us and I was just bouncing over rocks like it was nothing. I slowed down. As we continued along the ridgeline, we could tell there was a clearing with a decent view beside us. We turned both our headlamps off to see if any stars were visible in the night sky. Total utter blackness. It was as if my eyes were closed. No moon or stars tonight. Oh well, it was still a pretty amazing feeling.

We arrived at the next aid station, the Powerhouse, around 2:00am. I had planned on getting to Reliance (mile 63) around 2:00am but was just now getting to the Powerhouse. I realized that my crash earlier on the roads had put me way behind my predicted pace. All I could do was make the best of it. We were greeted at the Powerhouse aid station by familiar faces. Nathan Holland and his family were running this aid station along with some other incredibly talented local runners. Josh and Nathan are good friends and I could tell Josh was glad to see his buddies out here. The Holland’s aid station did not disappoint. The best food of the race was eaten right here. Mini tacos, bacon, bacon wrapped pickles, fruit, etc. It was delicious! I think Josh and I could have ended right then and there and just hung out the rest of the night. We chowed down, said our goodbyes and were on our way. We had 7 miles to Reliance and that’s where Josh was going to relinquish his pacer duties for the night.

After some easy trail miles where I was able to hammer down a bit and a few more road miles we arrived into sleepy Reliance right around 3:30am, an hour and a half behind my planned schedule. We found my tired family waiting beside their car for me. I swapped shirts again and Josh helped make sure I had enough supplies to last me the next section, a 10 mile stretch to the next aid station. I decided to carry a third water bottle in my pack this time, something I should have been doing all race. I thanked Josh for all he did for me and told him not to fall asleep on his drive back home. I told Carmen and my parents that this next section would probably take me close to 6 hours and not to expect me until 9am at the next crew stop. I stopped by the Reliance aid station tent to refill and grab some solid food before heading out into the darkness alone.

Checking out the buffet at the Reliance aid station before heading back out.

Another creek crossing.

I had 10 miles of good trails to go before hitting the next aid station at Deep Gap. If there was one section of the race that I felt defined who I am it was this one. Leading up to the race I was really concerned with this long 10 mile stretch. I knew it was going to be in the middle of the night, I knew I was going to be alone after just running with a pacer, I knew it involved one of the steepest climbs of the race, and it was all just past the furthest I’ve ever ran before. Despite all that, I headed out on my own, crossed a decent sized creek, and just fell into rhythm.

I passed 6 runners, not including pacers during this stretch. I felt like I was moving effortlessly. I would look at the time on my watch expecting to start getting sleepy or drowsy at any moment but tiredness never came. I ran through dense forest and into grassy open fields. As the trail began to climb up the mountain I could feel the breeze begin to blow. In one large field surrounded by overgrowth and tall grass, I turned my headlamp off and took a few seconds just standing out there in complete darkness. I used this section for a lot of self-reflection. I thought of how far I had come in the past year. I thought of my family and friends and all the support I am blessed with. I was completely alone out there yet I didn’t feel like I was. I continued along and the next thing I knew the darkness was beginning to fade away to the daylight. I came upon a sign in the middle of the trail with a blinking little red light on it. It read, “Congratulations, you are just 1 mile away from the Deep Gap aid station”. I’ll be there in no time I thought.

Well, that 1 mile was all uphill. Knowing that this was the last of the large ascents helped make the journey up a little bit easier. As I moved forward the sun began to creep and I turned my headlamp off. I kept checking the elevation on my watch to see how close I was. Up and up I went until I could begin to hear the generator churning at the Deep Gap aid station just above me. As I neared the top of the climb (or so I thought) I made my way into the aid station manned by the volunteers for the Pistol Ultra Races out in Alcoa, TN. These guys knew how to run a great aid station and I was greeted warmly and offered everything under the sun. They even had pancakes! I would pass 3 more runners at the Deep Gap aid station, unfortunately one was my friend David.

I was still feeling really good and as I was looking over the buffet of food when I heard my name “Hey, it’s Nick!” I looked over to see my buddy David Pharr sitting in a chair with one shoe off. Another runner was wrapped in a space blanket sitting beside him and a third runner was laid out on a stretcher surrounded by medics. I felt like I was in a war scene. I asked David “What are you doing here? You are supposed to be way ahead of me. How are you feeling?” he gave me a big thumbs down. I sat down in the empty chair beside him and asked what was going on. The poor guy’s foot was completely wrecked. It looked so painful. I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said if I saw his wife to tell her he was there and about his feet. We wished each other good luck, I refilled all my bottles, and I pushed on. Deep Gap aid station wasn’t the top of the mountain just yet, I still had about 600 more feet of climbing to go. As I climbed I took the time to say a prayer for David. He played a vital role in my preparation for Thunder Rock and it killed me to see him done.

The sun rising through the trees.

I neared the top with the sun beginning to shine and the breeze beginning to blow. It was 7am and I took out my phone to see if I had a cell signal. I did! I shot Carmen a quick text, “Good morning!” I had 8 miles to go till I saw my crew again and picked up my next pacer, Kenny.

Morning is here!

The next 8 miles were mainly on a forest service road that seemed to circle around and around the mountain headed down. Unlike the other service roads in the race, this one ran more like a trail with lots of overgrowth on it and I really enjoyed it. Near the bottom and close to the road crossing which would take me to the next crew and aid station was a ¼ mile miserable bushwhacking section. This section was not a trail but a “path” cut through the woods. The terrain was uneven, muddy, small and painful. I cut through this area mostly on a slope and my already tender feet could feel the skin pull and stretch as my feet remained mostly angled. It hurt so bad. Finally I popped out of this mess out onto a real trail again that led me downhill just a bit further until it came out right onto Highway 64.

Views as I came down and around the mountain.

Lots of overgrowth on the service road. Can you spot the trail?

The trail spit runners our right across the street from the Thunder Rock campground which would be the next crew and aid station, mile 83. I checked for traffic and ran across one lane. I was about to cross the second lane when I saw a large tractor trailer truck coming towards me. I paused for a moment then said screw it and sprinted across the road. There was a volunteer across the street waiting on runners and began to cheer as I ran across the road. “You’re the first person brave enough to dart out in front of a truck.” He said. I told him I had a race to finish and couldn’t wait on any trucks. Lol. I came across the bridge near the TVA facility that ran across the Ocoee River. I could see crew members standing at the end of the bridge looking on and I began to see my family. I could see my brother Micah and his girlfriend Paige snapping photos so I gave them a couple flex poses. I ran into the crew area and asked where the car was. Mom ran ahead of me showing me to it. I sat down on the curb to change out my socks and empty debris from my shoes and I noticed my crew size had tripled since last time. Along with Carmen, my parents and my friend/pacer Kenny Gordon were my brother and his girlfriend as well as my sister-in-law Cheryl and brother-in-law Joe with my 18 month old niece Zoe. I changed shirts for the last time, put on some dry socks, ate some more bacon at the aid station, thanked everyone for being there and headed out with Kenny. Just 17 miles to go!

Coming across the Ocoee.

Kenny playing photographer behind me.

Kenny is a great friend of mine who actually got me into running 4 years ago after he completed his first half-marathon. He was going to run the next 10 miles with me then dip out for me to finish the final 7 miles on my own. Being my first hundred mile race, none of us had any idea what shape I would be in 83 miles in. I think Kenny was kind of taken back by how good of shape I was in. Expecting a walking zombie to push for 10 miles, the two of us knocked out the next section like any other training run we would have ran together. We joked about the things we always do and laughed and had a great the time the entire way. This was critical I think because once again I was able to zone out and just enjoy being out on the trails with a friend instead of remembering how many miles I’ve ran.

Restroom now!

After 7 miles we came into the next aid station at the Ocoee Whitewater Center. I think it was somewhere around 10:30am and my stomach was beginning to remind me of all the gels and jerky I’ve been eating the past day. Running across the beautiful bridge at the center, I saw my family once again on the other side. I shouted, “I know there is a bathroom here, where is it?!” My brother ran and showed me where to go. While I was washing my hands my brother popped his head in to make sure I was alright. I told him I was just enjoying washing my hands for the first time in a day. Outside the whitewater center was Nathan Judd doing his cameraman work again. We stopped and talked for just a quick second before I found Kenny and we began the next 3 mile stretch.

As we ran alongside the Ocoee River, the rapids were flowing and rafters were barreling down the river. It was so awesome to watch. Kenny and I made it to the next stop for crew just a short 3 miles away. The trail dumped us out at an area for rafters and kayakers to enter the Ocoee and we traveled up a steep road for about ¼ mile to where my crew was waiting one last time. At this section my in-laws had left but my run crazy cousin Beth and her son Bennett were there to cheer me on. My brother had showed up in his running gear and asked if I needed him for the final stretch. I told him thanks but I was feeling great and I was going to finish this thing on my own. I thanked Kenny for the enjoyable miles and he told me he’d be waiting to see me at the finish. I got a high-five from my cousin, a hug from my mom, and a kiss from my amazing wife before jumping back on the trail for the final stretch.

Kenny and I making it up our last climb.

The last section was made up of mainly mountain bike trails. After another mile of straight climbing I reached the next and final aid station, Boyd Gap. I was so excited to know how close I was to finishing that I joked around with the volunteers at Boyd Gap for a moment. They all told me I was looking great and the next few miles should be a breeze. I topped off my bottles and began to leave when I saw a runner hunched over with his pacer standing beside him looking concerned. The racer was an older gentleman and Kenny and I had been leap-frogging him and his pacer back-and-forth since the Whitewater Center. He didn’t look to good.  The guy told me he hadn’t been able to keep any food down since mile 31. We encouraged each other and then I darted back off onto the trail.

The trails from here until about a mile out from the finish were easily runnable, unfortunately running wasn’t coming easy. Although I felt better at 95 miles into the race than I did back at 20, the beating I had been putting on my body for the past 23 hours was taking its toll. My feet felt like I was running barefoot on gravel since around mile 75 and my right hip flexor had been progressively getting worse. I ran as long as I could then I would walk, run as long as I could again then walk. I looked at my watch right as the hour hit noon. 24 hours I had been out there. I knew I didn’t have much further to go. I pulled out my cell phone to check my GPS location. I was getting close to Highway 64 again. I knew once I crossed over to the other side of 64 I was just a short stretch to the finish. A short brutal stretch I would find out.

It was nearing 1pm Saturday afternoon when I crossed under Highway 64. The trail I was on disappeared and I was lead onto the 2^nd stretch of bushwhacking. Once again the uneven terrain was absolute misery on my battered feet. The course markings lead me towards one final decent creek crossing. When I got to the other side of the creek, I realized the bank was pretty high. The race director had attached a rope hanging off the edge so you could pull yourself up and out of the creek. After running 99 miles I had to stand there for a moment and draw a little energy to grab that rope and pull myself up. Once out of the water, I continued bushwhacking a tad bit longer then reached a service road. The service road came to an intersection. Left was flat, right was flat, behind me was flat but the course markings pointed straight, and straight was right up another hill. I looked ahead and saw another runner making his way up the climb. I grit down, put my hands on my knees and began what I hoped would be my final ascent. I looked up and saw the runner ahead of me at the top. He turned around and looked at me confused as if he didn’t know where to go. He pointed towards his left as if asking if that was the right way. I threw my hands up in the air and shrugged thinking to myself “Dude I’m 200 yard behind you, how should I know?” When I reached the top there was nowhere to go but left. I guess the poor guy was just tired and out of it.

The final descent to the finish.

The last and final quarter mile of the race zigzagged down the service road. I was listening to hear when the runner ahead of me crossed the finish line so I knew how close I would be. I heard him cross and at that moment I knew the next Thunder Rock 100 finisher was going to be me. As I came down the final stretch I saw the finish line. It was gorgeous! I came down off the hill and made my final push. I crossed the finish line after 25 hours, 14 minutes, and 17 seconds. Carmen was waiting at the end and she threw her arms around my stinky sweaty self for a hug. I heard Randy Whorton, the race director, announce my name and he came over and gave me the most sincere congratulations I think I’ve ever received. You could see in his face he was proud of this race and of the people who challenged it. I thanked him for the opportunity to run and for all the time and effort it took in preparing such an event. He told me to go see my family and rest and they would bring my finisher’s buckle to me. My buckle! I had completely forgotten about it. The thing I was chasing for so long was the thing least on my mind at the end. My family was there and had set up a chair for me along with all my gear. I sat down and noticed one of my best friends, Viral, was there. I began to take my shoes and socks off to see the carnage. We were all pretty surprised to see that my feet didn’t look too bad at all. Over 100 miles traveled, several river and creek crossings, pouring rain, and I had maybe 1 or 2 blisters.

Crossing the finish.

Hugging the wife.

After taking a breather, I made my way over to one of the tents where they had a grill going. I grabbed a burger, some chips and some Coke and sat bat down for a few minutes. I told my family a few stories and I asked them what all they’ve been doing. After a little while and cheering on some more finishers we packed up and headed to the cars. Mom and dad were leaving the race to go directly to Maryville, TN to help my younger sister move out of her college dorm. I thanked everyone for all they did for me, said goodbyes to Kenny, Viral, my parents, and my brother and then Carmen and I headed back for the long drive home. Carmen drove so I could go look at my phone. It had completely blown up with texts and Facebook messages over the past day. The amount of support from my friends and family was incredibly humbling.

Swollen 100 mile feet.

I would later learn that only 40% of runners would finish Thunder Rock this year. I am extremely proud and thankful to say that I finished such a brutal race that claimed 60% of its starters. Without a doubt, I would have increased that drop rate if not for the help of Bill Ford from Oklahoma, who stopped to help a runner he saw struggling; Josh Cole, who gave up so much of his precious time and energy to help get me through the toughest night of my life for nothing in return; Kenny Gordon who flew in from working out of town, on his birthday no less, to come and help me get through some of the final miles; my parents, who were awake for close to 48 hours as they crewed their son; David Pharr, who helped train with me leading up to Thunder Rock and was full of ultra-information and advice; and my beautiful amazing wife Carmen, who wanted nothing more than for me to NOT run 100 miles, yet stood by and supported me 101% as I embarked on this adventure. Thanks to all the volunteers, crews, runners, and supporters that made Thunder Rock 100 such an amazing experience for me and everyone else.

I was asked several times during the race if I would ever do this again and I would always respond with a resounding “NO!”, “one and done” I would tell them. We all know you can’t ask those kinds of questions during an event though. As the days go by the soreness begins to fade. The pain I remember enduring doesn’t seem so bad anymore and I can’t stop relieving all the enjoyment I experienced. Each work day that passes I long more and more to be back out in the wilderness. The thought of not running another 100 mile race seems more absurd than signing up for one again. I’m not sure what the future holds just yet, but as far as Thunder Rock goes I’ll be back one way or another next year; if not as a runner then as volunteer or crew to payback the generosity I was given this year.

Thunder Rock 100 buckle

101 Miles traveled - 18,711 feet of elevation gain

Finish Time: 25:14:17

Overall Place: 18th