Ashley’s Big Horn Race Report

Bighorn 100- 2009

Pre-Race- Josh and I drove out to Wyoming the Saturday after our last day of teaching. We arrived in Dayton on Tuesday, with plenty of time to relax, see parts of the course, and visit with friends. It rained every day we were there, which I knew would make for a muddy course. Luckily, race day was predicted to have perfect weather.

Start to Dry Fork (mi. 13)A unique feature of Bighorn is the 11am start time. It allows for a good night’s sleep, but also a bit of waiting around race morning and warmer temperatures. I started out with my good friend Steve Kirk (race director of Three Days of Syllamo in Arkansas). We had similar time goals, and figured if all went well, we could run together. About a mile and a half into the race, I started to fall back from Steve. I was feeling horrible. I wasn’t sure if it was the time of day, heat, altitude, taper…. I couldn’t catch my breath, my legs felt wobbly, and I had the urge to take a nap. Not a good feeling only a few miles into a hundred. I was hoping it was just the steep climb out of Bighorn Canyon and I would settle into a rhythm once we hit more gradual terrain. Despite not feeling well, it was impossible not to appreciate and enjoy the amazing views. I caught back up to Steve and we came into Dry Fork aid station together at our goal time. I grabbed more gels and my I-Pod from Josh, and we were off.

Dry Fork to Footbridge (mi. 30) Leaving Dry Fork, you begin a long rolling descent all the way to Footbridge, with just enough climbs to keep you from completely despairing the return trip. There were beautiful wildflowers, meadows, stream crossings, and fabulous aid stations manned by wonderful volunteers (some had come into the aid stations on horseback or ATVs).  I started to feel better and really enjoyed the runable portions of this section. The last three miles into Footbridge, you descend what is called “The Wall”. It is a 3.5 mile descent that drops over 2,000 feet. In addition to the steep, technical decline, there were sections of thick, sticky mud. I had to laugh at myself when I took a step and ended up with mud up to my shin and my shoe stuck behind as I pulled my foot out. At Footbridge I traded my Nathan Krissy Vest for my hydration pack so I could stuff warm clothes and lights into the pockets. Then I was off for the long climb toward Porcupine.

Footbridge to Porcupine Ranger Station (turn around,  mi. 48) I left Footbridge with Tom, from Ogden, Utah. I really enjoyed his company and the miles up seemed to fly by. We hiked a lot, ran a little, and talked enough that my mind was not on the distance. Tom did the race the year before, and although it was the snow course, he knew the lower part of the climb. After following the river a while, we broke out into the alpine meadows again, which were my favorite parts of the course. We crossed numerous log footbridges, which I could tell might be a challenge later in the course on tired legs. Despite doing more hiking than running, we were beginning to pass some runners. I caught the first place woman, Gwen Scott, at about mile 44 and she was extremely sweet and encouraging. There was a crazy muddy section through an aspen grove that was solid mud and puddles for several hundred feet. There was really no good route- just plunge in. I lost a shoe AGAIN- guess I needed to tie my laces tighter. The course got more challenging towards the turn around with lots of mud, snow, and creek crossings. I started to see the leaders coming back, most in warm jackets. I was still in a T-shirt and realized it WAS cold out. Soon I had my lights out, and I’ll admit, the two miles leading to Porcupine by myself made me a little nervous. I was sure I was going to come face to face with a grizzly or moose. Apparently, Karl scared the moose away, so we were safe. Before I knew it, I was coming into the lights and warmth of the turn-around aid station, right on my goal time. Josh was there with warm food, clothing, and energetic pacing legs.

Turn Around-Finish- I can clump this whole second half together because the entire stretch sort of blurs together into one big struggle. A few miles past the turn around, fatigue hit me hard. I went from feeling amazing to completely spent in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t seem to keep my eyes open and the stumbling started. I don’t know how many times I fell the last 50 miles. Some were merely falls where I lost my balance and teetered over. Some were all out trips, face in the trail. We tried caffeine and dipping my face in the icy creeks. Nothing seemed to wake me up. Soon my legs too were also feeling the miles of mud and hard work. Josh did a fantastic job of keeping me moving.

The climb up from Footbridge was a very low point. I fell (going UPHILL) and did not want to get up. “20 second nap” I begged. Josh gave me ten seconds, told me it was twenty, and got me going. As the sun came up, some of my energy came back. Sunrise in the Bighorns has to be one of the most beautiful sights. I no longer felt like I was going to fall asleep on the trail, but I couldn’t seem to get that second wind I usually get towards the end of 100s. My stomach wouldn’t let me take anything. I gagged up succeed caps, threw up Coke, and never wanted to even see another gel.

When we reached Dry Fork, the 50k was just getting ready to start. We were almost two hours behind my goal time for that aid station, but by this point, I no longer cared about anything but getting to the finish. The thought of 18 more miles had me practically in tears, but the cheers from all the 50k runners was the most uplifting encouragement. I could barely force a smile, but I appreciated their cheering immensely. The miles seemed to drift by, and before I knew it, we were at the final climb deemed “The Haul.” Compared to the torturous “Wall” this one didn’t seem so bad. Josh took pictures as we descended through the meadow. I saw a moose, but luckily it had no interest in us. The long downhill was never ending and the temperatures were getting warm.  Another big trip reminded me my legs were spent, and I started to dread the final 5 miles of gravel road. Darcy had warned me before the race that it would feel long. We hit the road with another runner, Pete, who had been taking a break on the trail due to shot quads. He encouraged me to run with him. I did- for about one minute. After that, Josh had to give me mini goals to keep me going- “Just make it to that tree” “Run this corner.”  My new goal was to break 25 hours, so that was the incentive to keep me from walking everything. I started to calculate how much of a mile I would have to run to average 12 minute miles. Just keep going! Josh would tell me if I tried to get him to do the math. With two miles to go, people were handing out popsicles along the road. They never tasted so good! I had not eaten a thing for 13 miles and I knew that was not helping my lows. The Popsicle helped get me those last two miles. At last- the bridge to the park! I shuffled across the grass to the finish, and promptly crawled into the river. WOW! What a tough day.

Post Race- I loved how all the races finished at the park and everyone hung out together along the creek. The directors did a spectacular job with the run, and the post race event was no exception. After getting a personal menu, I got to order any breakfast food from the list- and as much as I wanted! Unfortunately, my stomach was nauseous the rest of the day. I ate a little, drank an Ultragen recovery drink (my legs were barely even sore the next day, this stuff works!), and thought about all the food I WISHED I felt like eating.

Overall, I had a fantastic time at this event. I loved seeing the area, meeting people, and partaking in such a unique run. I will definitely be back!

The GEAR-

Shoes- Pearl Izumi SyncroSeek- I can not believe I did not have ANY blisters after having my feet wet and muddy for over 24 hours. I never changed my shoes the whole race.

Packs- Nathan Krissy Vest and Nathan HP #008- perfect packs for this race since there are so few drop bags and we need to be able to carry quite a bit of gear. They were lightweight and fit better than any other hydration system I have tried in the past.

Handhelds- Nathan Thermal Quick Draw (whole race) and Quick Draw elite (1/2 race).

Clothing- Pearl Izumi jersey- never changed my shirt, though I doubt it will ever be white again. Shorts- Infinity Split- no chaffing, love the zipper pocket.