Rocky Raccoon 100
Huntsville, TX Garmin stats: 70.38@17:30 (part 1), 29.05@18:53 (part 2) (I didn't connect the charger in time so it shut off and I had to start it up again).
I knew this would be a harder race than Long Haul but was determined to hang in. Thanks to Marina for posting that she was doing this race, I checked the race website and saw they had some new openings, pretty lucky to get into a fairly popular race at the last minute. She reached out to a running group called Golden Triangle Runners who said we could stash our gear at their tent near the start/finish area. They had a pretty nice setup and were very helpful going above and beyond to two strangers.
Heavy rain rolled in earlier than originally planned meaning we had very little rain during the race but trails were soaked. Also, race morning had a long line of cars coming into the park. Fortunately for me, they delayed the start by 15 minutes.
My goals: I'm here to do an ultra, so get that first 50k out of the way, next, no matter what happens, start that third loop. It will be dark (unless I'm having a great race!) or at least dark very soon, embrace the nighttime, then get to mile 68 where I quit and then keep going. Try and make it to the start of loop 5 before the cutoff (7:15 am), and if possible, try and finish under 30 hours so I don't have to worry about Western States qualifying time at Georgia Death Race, but if not possible keep going and get under 32 hours to limit my DNF streak to 1.
I had some new gear for this race. Ultraspire waist light, very worth it, I bought extra batteries. Nice to only have one big battery to change. On the second brightest setting it was bright enough to use by itself, brightest was more than enough. Unfortunately I didn't carry a second spare when leaving the start/finish area so had to leave it on 3rd brightest to make sure I'd finish the loop, was still bright enough if the headlamp was also on.
Some Gear:
Trekking poles - this could have been a disaster since these are new to me but I ended up liking them and by the 5th loop I loved them. Used them for loops 3 through 5.
Extra warm clothes - didn't use all of them like the puffy vest, the long pants.
I did have a slightly heavier than usual rain poncho which I put on for part of the first loop when the drizzle get me feeling chilly. I had enough socks to change each loop but only did one sock change. It didn't matter bc they kept getting wet. Also had gaiters, but those didn't really keep out the mud but at leas kept out the twigs and pebbles.
Nathan Vapor Air 4L vest - pretty comfortable, used two soft sided bottles in front, did not use the bladder in back, kept that available to hold stuff.
Collapsible cup that I kept in a front pouch for cupless aid stations.
Course:
Race is 5 by 20 mile loops, so 6 hour average per loop to make the Western States cutoff, two more hours to get the buckle and break the DNF streak.
About 1100 feet elevation gain per loop, so pretty hilly compared to Florida, but "flat and fast" if used to mountains.
The Longhaul mud was big part of the DNF. I would not get away from the mud here.
Loop 1 5:05:19 (11:20:19) - foot in the door! This is where I learned the course. The first two miles were maybe the hardest ones of the course with the downhill sections having a small stream run through the middle so pick which side. Just outside the first aid station was the biggest water crossing, it was close to waist deep (maybe thigh deep) and fast moving and of course cold. Then you had to cross it again after hitting the aid station. After that was a long dirt road mostly ascending but not too harshly, pretty runnable. But, there was mud and water, some you could go around and some you couldn't.
Then I remember getting cold again as the drizzle continued. I pulled my rain poncho out and put it back on which helped warm me up, wore it for a while until the rain had mostly stopped.
Loop 2 5:22:58 (4:43:17) - not bad, feeling ok
Loop 3 6:23:00 (11:06:14) - dipping into reserves (timewise), but still safe, started with poles. After the first aid station, and then heading up the out and back dirt road, started to get dark. Started off with headlamp only then once it got darker switched on the waistlight. A few miles out from the last aid station of the loop I started following a man and a woman, the woman using trekking poles and then man chugging along behind her with no poles. They were going just a little bit faster than me but not so fast I couldn't keep up. Eventually I told them hope you don't mind me following, they said no problem. We got to the aid station and then I lost them, would catch up eventually about 4 miles later with 2 miles left in the loop.
Just after the aid station a woman who was being paced by a guy came up behind me, it took them a while but eventually they passed me. She was on her 4th loop. I said I wished I was on my 4th loop.
Made it to the end of the loop, the man took off when we were about 1/3 of a mile away. The pair were running the 100K, so this was the end for them. It reminded me a little of Oil Creek when I was following two women using poles until the end of the 2nd loop there (also at 62 miles), and in that case they finished their race (because they were dropping out).
I stopped by the Golden Triangle Runners tent and asked them how Marina was doing, they said she had dropped out after twisting her ankle. I think it got a bit swollen and the medic said to either drop out or wait for a doctor to check it out. She was killing it up until then.
Loop 4 6:48:00 (5:54:06) - kept it under 7! I think I can make the WS cutoff. A lot of this loop was a blur, but I remember the crew asked me if I had enough batteries, and I was like yup, sure thing! But, just a few minutes out, the battery on my waist light died. I had one extra battery on me, and since I had turned it on part of the way into the last loop, that meant it didn't last a full loop and this one would be slower. So, I clicked the brightness down one notch, it was still reasonably bright enough, just not the "deluxe" version I was hoping for. This new battery, at the lower brightness would last the full loop and the part of loop 5 that was still dark. These batteries weren't huge so should've just carried them all.
As I approached the first aid station and was about to wade through the water crossing, a young woman who looked pretty tough called out to me and said "Dude! use the logs". There were a few logs put together making a bridge which if you fell off of you'd get wet but probably not hurt. So, I took the advice, the poles helped for balance and I didn't get wet.
I finish the loop and see it's stil before 6:00 (5:54 am), I'm over an hour ahead of the cutoff to start loop 5 and I'm within striking range to make sub 30 hour Western States cutoff.
Loop 5 6:07:00 (12:01:53) - felt motivated, felt faster, wasted too much time starting loop 5, just after leaving I felt cold so stopped to add another layer, the temperature would drop a little more even after the sun came up but would eventually warm up enough I'd have to take off the extra layer.
At the last aid station (Dam Nation), volunteer lady told me I had 4 hours to finish, I said I was trying for the 30 hour finish, it was 10:15 am, so had 2 hours left to cover approximately 6 miles, so very doable but no time for mistakes or dawdling or sock changes. The first mile out of that aid station is one of the rootiest with lots of mud as well, but then it gets easier. On the second mile out of there, my music messed up on me and while trying to fix it saw the clock ticking away, no time for this forget about the music!
last 6 miles - 20:38, 17:53, 18:22, 17:12, 17:53, 17:06 - not really tearing up the course, but got the job done, glad the first mile out of the aid station wasn't the start of a trend, couldn't afford to turn that into a trend. The 20:38 actually included the stop at the aid station, officially I think the distance is 5.9 miles from aid station to finish, and also my garmin was measuring a little short due to trees and terrain so that gave me a little bit of an unknown cushion.
And just like that, couldn't believe it was over. It felt like this race started January 13th and just now finished today, February 14th
Although this wasn't anywhere near my fastest 100 mile race it was the first 100 mile race I've done with no pacing support so felt pretty good about that. Pressure is off now for GA Death Race, will try for the 23 hour cutoff but if I don't finish under that time and need the full 25 hours will still be able to enter the lottery.
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