2004 MMTR Race Report

Dave Bursler

Having only attempted JFK and Bull Run 50-mile races I knew going in MMTR
would be my biggest challenge to date at this distance.  I set a goal time
but with little knowledge of the course and not really aware of what a
“Horton mile” was knew it could change as the race progressed.

I woke up Saturday morning around 4:10 a.m. not feeling very well
physically or mentally.  My stomach had been giving me some problems the
previous 2 days and this day was no exception.  My first thought as I awoke
was why am I doing this to myself again?  Trying not to obsess on the
thought I kept getting dressed and preparing myself to run.  My mother, who
I brought along for emotional support, drove me to the high school where 4
or 5 busses were lined up to take the runners to the start.  We arrived
around 4:30 and there were already many people there ahead of us.  Most
were just hanging around their vehicles doing some last minute
preparations.  I decided to enter one of the busses and allow my mom to go
back to the hotel to get a little more sleep.  Even though my stomach was
bothering me I made myself eat and drink as I waited for the bus to begin
making it’s way to the start.

The busses left the high school at 5 a.m. sharp just as David Horton
promised the night before at the pre-race briefing.  It was about a 30 to
40 minute drive to the start.  I wasn’t thinking about that much of
anything other than why were we going in this direction?   When my mom and
I scouted out the course the night before we went in the other direction to
get to the visitor’s center.  I started to worry that maybe there was more
than one visitor’s center and now my mom was going to get lost.  I felt a
sense of relief as we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway and I started
recognizing places I had seen the day before.  We were headed to the same
place we just used a different route to get there.

The visitor’s center was already abuzz as we arrived.  The whole area was
lit up and many people were moving about.  Immediately as the bus doors
opened people started lining up in front of the bathrooms.  I moved through
the crowd of people just soaking in the atmosphere of the whole event.
There were so many great runners there, a virtual who’s who among
ultra-runners.  It was kind of strange because even though I was amongst
hundreds of people I somehow felt alone.  Then almost out of no where a
very nice lady came up to me and gave me a hug.  Do you know who I am she
asked?  Sure I knew.  She was Vicki Kendall.  She gave me a ride back to
Foresthill School from the finish line of Western States in June so I could
get my car.  I felt sad for her as she told me she wouldn’t be able to run
the race this year due to injury.  She is such an upbeat lady that even
though disappointed she still smiled and laughed and seemed genuinely
excited just to be part of the event in some way.  We parted ways as the
start of the race became imminent. David Horton made some announcements and
then introduced a special guest to sing the national anthem, Annette
Bednosky.  She has a beautiful voice and did an amazing job.

The runners lined up at the start line and David said go at 6:30 a.m. I had
no worries of how many miles the course actually was. I decided ahead of
time that I would be out there for 9 hours no matter if the course was 50
miles or 60 miles.  I would only use the mile markers as guides along the
way and only look at my watch occasionally to see how many hours I had
left.  I was never going to think about how many miles I had left.   I knew
the first several miles would be on asphalt so I took off pretty fast.  We
ran out for about one mile only to loop back around and head back towards
the start line and pass the spectators one more time.  As I went by there
was Vicki Kendall again calling my name and shouting words of
encouragement.  I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I ran by.  Her
support just gave me a lift emotionally and at a time when I really needed
it most.

Most people just ran by aid station #1 at 3.3 miles without stopping, as it
was cool at the start.  The temperature was probably in the high 40’s and
it was cloudy.  I wore long pants and a long shirt while most everyone else
was in a tank top and shorts.  I figured that if I got hot I could always
take it off since I had shorts and a tank top on underneath.  It was a
mountain run and the weather could be erratic so I wanted the warm clothes
just in case.

The course continued to follow a main road in town as we ran up and down
the rolling hills.  When we reached mile 5.7 we turned off the road and
started the first trail section of the course.  The course from here on out
would consist mainly of soft trail, dirt, and gravel roads.  It surprised
me in that I figured the difficulty would be in the footing not in the
climbs.  I found out later that the total ascent was ~10,000 feet over “50”
miles.  There were several small stream crossings and a spot or two where
trees had fallen across the trail.

I was running okay up to this point but there was no motivation and my
stomach was giving me some fits.  My run was going as I expected even with
those minor problems.  Somewhere around an hour and a half into the run
Nikki Kimball came blasting by me.  I acknowledged her as she ran by
navigating through one of the few difficult spots for footing.  Typically I
tiptoe through these spots worrying about tripping and falling on my face.
The good runners just go full speed seemingly without fear.

The advantage I had on the roads was now gone and once on the trail people
started going by me one by one.  I wasn’t at all concerned though because I
was doing my best and knew that in the end I would be where I wanted to be.
The course continued a path up and down the mountains, as it would do the
remainder of the day.  There are many climbs but two very significant
climbs come to mind.  I was in the company of 3 ladies, Annette Bednosky,
Luanne Park, and Darcy Piceu, as we approached the first around mile 20.
It was about a 2-mile climb on a dirt/gravel road.  I heard Luanne remark
as we started the climb that this would be a long climb.  I was a bit in
awe of being in the presence of these ladies especially Luanne; Western
States top 5 seemingly every year.  I just enjoyed the moment and tried not
to feel out of place.  I did my normal walk 60 seconds run 60 seconds
routine as the ladies ran the whole way up.  I truly believe that women are
physically and mentally tougher than men and that point is proven every
time I do an ultra event.
We made it to the top and were greeted with a nice 2-mile downhill on the
same kind of soft dirt/gravel surface.  Everyone, including me put it in
high gear, which made up for any lost time on the prior uphill section.

Dr. Horton told us in the pre-race briefing to double our time at mile
26.9, “the halfway point”, and that would be a good estimate of how we
would finish.  I would say on that statement alone that David knows the
actual distance of his course is 54 miles.

I looked at my watch one time up to this point around mile 21, which I made
in 3:08.  I didn’t take it too seriously though because who knew if it was
mile 21 or mile 24 or if it was mile 21 but there were 33 miles to go.  I
felt good that based on time alone I was at least one-third of the way
through the race. I wanted desperately to get to the halfway point where I
had a drop bag placed and figured my mom would be waiting.  My feet were
wet and I was concerned about blistering plus I wanted to ditch my waist
pack.  The straps were aggravating the stomach pain I was having and I
really didn’t need everything I was carrying.

I arrived and sure enough there was my mom waiting on the side of the road.
In the distance I could see Vicki Kendall cheering me and asking me if I
needed help.  I went into the race with the mindset I would have no support
but what a great feeling it was to be wrong.  My mom had dry socks waiting
for me and I quickly changed into them.  I left my waistpack in the car
after taking a couple of Succeed caps and an aspirin from a baggie in one
of the pockets.  I then headed back out on the trail never looking at my
watch to see what my halfway split was.

A major landmark for me in a 50 is the thirty-mile mark.  It’s when I start
testing myself to see how much I have left.  It’s when I know whether I’ll
finish strong or weak.  I thought about this as I made my way from mile 27
to mile 30.

I met up with Chris Palladino, a local Lynchburg guy, around mile 31.  We
stayed together for the next 12 miles.  He’s a schoolteacher and the
cross-country coach at the local high school and he’s also a very
accomplished roadrunner.  Not only that but he’s also a Philadelphia native
which is about 35 miles North of my home.  Needless to say we had much to
talk about.  I enjoyed listening to his stories about all the kids he’s
coached and how running has influenced their lives.  The time flew by as we
talked.  This was his first 50 so he allowed me to dictate the pace and
whether we should walk or run.  Most of the first couple miles were fairly
easy in comparison to what we just did so we ran most of the way.  Chris
had an elevation chart with him and he would occasionally give me a heads
up on what to expect.  The weather started to turn at this point also with
some misty like showers and it became very windy and cool.  I was prepared
with the warm clothing but I’m sure some suffered.

We started a 5-mile loop at mile 33, which from some reports is more like 7
miles.  Based on Chris’ pace chart if we wanted to stay on an 8:30 pace we
needed to do the loop in 55 minutes.  Once again I didn’t put too much
emphasis on how long it took me but it was nice to know to use as a
reference.  The first part of the loop was on a nice downhill on a dirt
trail.  We then made our way up some short inclines, some of which were
very rocky and even reminded me a bit of Massanutten.  Chris took off ahead
of me and ran a lot of the climbs at the start of the loop and I let him.
I am always thinking about what lies ahead and knew I could use the energy
for the finish.  It wasn’t long before I caught back up to Chris and this
time I told him to be careful as to how much energy he’s expending on the
inclines.  He agreed to stay with me for awhile and allow me to help him a
little.  The rest of the loop was the same kind of thing with some inclines
and descents.  Some of the descents were a little hazardous because there
were some rocky sections covered with leaves.   As we moved forward I saw a
lady headed towards me.  I noticed she had a VHTRC shirt on so I asked her
name.  She responded Sophie Speidel.  I recognized her name from results
and from the Virginia Happy Trails website.  It was nice seeing a face that
matches the name.  She told us we had about 20 minutes until we reached the
end of the loop, which was good to hear.   We finished the loop in 52
minutes on a good pace and I was feeling good.  Toward the end of the loop
we passed a guy that was walking a little sideways.  I slowed to see if he
was okay and asked if he wanted a gel.  I was hoping he was just mentally
discouraged and that the nourishment from the gel would help his physical
problems.  He was close to the aid station so I knew he would be okay and I
continued on.

Chris and I stopped for a moment at the aid station and when we did Mike
Brockmeier caught up with us.  The three of us ran the next few miles
together.  Mike and I talked about some of the 100-mile races we’ve done as
Chris listened in.  Miles 38 to 42 were more of the same short ups and
downs nothing really significant and the terrain remained soft trail.  Mike
warned us that there would be a significant up hill section starting around
mile 42 that lasts about 1.5 miles.  Indeed it was significant but once
again the footing was great.  I was a little tired so I decided I would
walk up for awhile before employing my walk run method.  As we started the
ascent Krissy Sybrowsky and Helen Cospolitch passed us.  The three guys,
including me, were content walking but the ladies were running and I
watched as Helen ran completely up with Krissy taking very few walking
breaks. I started my walk/run thing and Chris followed suit but Mike stayed
behind walking for a while longer.   When we made it to the top there was
an aid station to greet us and one of the volunteers said there was 4 miles
to the next aid station.  This was the only time I believed anyone the
entire race and turns out he was wrong.  Miles 43 through 47 went on
forever.  I did something I promised myself I wouldn’t do; I let it bother
me.  Instead of just enjoying myself I kept looking ahead for the next aid
station wondering where it could be.  Surely I’ve run 4 miles by now I kept
saying to myself.  I’m sure that 4-mile section was at least 6 to 7 miles.
The mental aspect was the only tough part through these miles. The course
was fairly easy at this point but kind of treacherous once again because of
the rocky trail covered by leaves.  I ran with Helen for a little while and
her company helped me refocus and overcome a down spot.  I passed her but
after hearing her resume figured it wouldn’t be long before she went by me.

I finally made it to the mile 47-aid station and Helen was not far behind.
We took off together and I heard the volunteer at the aid station say there
was 3.9 miles to the finish.  Something there just didn’t add up right.
It’s a 50-mile race and we’re at mile 47 but there’s 3.9 miles left?  Helen
commented that it took her an hour to finish at this point last year.  All
this bothered me a little but I felt okay and I remembered Mike Brockmeir
telling me that the last 3 miles were downhill.  I motivated myself by
remembering some things I told the young lady I paced at Western States.  I
told her to enjoy the scenery and enjoy the moment because she may never be
back.  Well that’s what I did the last 3 miles and I had fun and enjoyed
myself while maintaining a good pace.  I looked forward to the sign that
said 1 mile to go because David told us in the pre-race briefing this is
the only mile that is actually measured and it is 1 mile.   The last 3
miles of the course are downhill and mostly on wide soft trail so if the
energy is there you can use it here.  I had the energy and I ran a nice
easy pace.  I saw a bunch of  “regular” people climbing up as I descended
and they all smiled probably wondering what this scraggly looking guy is
doing out here.  It was nice to see people again though and I knew I was
getting close.  I reached the sign that said 1 mile and still not looking
at my watch sped up some.  I wondered how close I was to 9 hours but just
didn’t look.  I used the same method all day and wasn’t going to break away
from it now.  I trusted my ability and my planning and could feel in my
heart that I was going to achieve my goal.   The last ¾ of a mile are on an
asphalt road leading to the finish.  I could see people in the distance and
I just cruised along until reaching the finish line.  The first person I
saw before finishing was Vicki Kendall whose cheers gave me such a lift
during the entire race.  I then saw my mom cheering me before crossing the
line in 8:53 and having the privilege to shake David Horton’s hand.  I felt
very fortunate to be running with such an accomplished group of runners and
to achieve my goal on such a difficult course.

The one thing that made this whole day worth while to me was when I met
Chris Palladino’s wife at the post race awards ceremony.  She thanked me
for taking care of her husband and said I was a blessing from God.  It took
everything I had not to cry right in front of her.  At times I wonder why
I’m even alive and if I’m even worth the space on Earth and for this lady
to say this to me was very touching.

MMTR is a first class event run by a first class group of people.  The
pre-race and post race festivities were excellent and well organized.  The
course was difficult but very well marked with all the support in the
world.  I would recommend this race to first timers but you must know going
in finishing time should not be a factor.  If you have a certain time goal
you should attempt an easier 50-mile event.

Dave Bursler
Bear,  Delaware