HELLGATE 100K

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2006

RICK GRAY

I have now completed my second Hellgate and my first Horton Slam.  I have to say that this has been an adventure, a Horton Adventure.  Hellgate completed my sixth Horton race (Masochist and Hellgate two times each).  I don’t believe that any of those races have ended up being normal.  I should have run Masochist three times; however, three years ago I broke my ankle in a 10k trail race six weeks out.  That should have been my sign to stay away from Horton, but I would have nothing of it.  Six Horton races later, the only thing that has changed, is that I now wear glasses to run on the trails.  I have really been taking my smart pills.

My wife, Tammy, and I arrived Friday night at Camp Bethel in time to claim a bunk, visit with friends and then eat dinner.  It was so nice to see everyone again and meet new friends like Jim Morrison from Canada.  He drove all the way, just to run Hellgate.  I think he is smarter than I am.  Tammy and I had a wonderful meal at Camp Bethel and then we had the pleasure to listen to David review his out of order notes on everything you needed or wanted to know about Hellgate.  I then found my bunk and relaxed for a couple of hours until time to get up and go have some fun.

Fun was just around the corner.  Fun was to be found in the state of COLD.  I thought I was dressed appropriately and I still think that I did.  I wore a beanie, two shirts, two pair of tights, gloves and one pair of socks and shoes.  I had a headlamp and a small hand held flashlight.  What else would a guy need?  I was prepared or so I thought.

I felt pretty good until after Headforemost Mountain and then I thought my hands were going to freeze.  I had packed a pack of hand warmers.  Doug Blackford and I had been running together the whole way and he helped me get the hand warmers out of my pack and open it up.  I thought there were two hand warmers in each pack, but there was only one.  A mistake had happened, but I guess I had made a mistake in not wearing wool mittens to begin with.  Anyway, Doug helped me get my one hand warmer going, but I could not put it in my glove and I could not get my hand back in my glove.  It was like my fingers went different directions and as you know; it is hard to put a glove on like that.  Emotionally I was losing it. 

I stayed as close to Doug as I could until Bearwallow gap.  I was hurting all over.  I had trouble putting one leg in front of the other.  I was cold and hungry.  I wanted to quit.  I cannot remember all who were at the aid station, but I do remember all of the volunteers and other runners encouraging me to get up.  I was crying, Tammy was crying, but she was not going to let me quit.  She knew that no matter how slow I went, I needed to finish this run.  She even went and rounded up Kurt Ziemann from Wisconsin, to help get me going.  She told me to read his shirt.  It said that all things were possible through Jesus Christ.  Kurt stayed with me for a few minutes and I kept putting one foot in front of the other.

I only knew that I had to finish this run.  I was not fast, but I kept going.  My day for speed was over.  Tammy was at the next aid stations to encourage me.  She had more faith in me than I had in myself.  As I made my way to aid station 8 and then aid station 9, I kept thinking of one of the things Tammy had told me.  I could not let her down.  I think she wanted the “Horton Slam Blanket” worse than I did. 

After aid station 9, I knew what was coming, three miles up, three plus down and I would eventually see the only accurate mile of the day.  I knew I could make it.  I looked at my watch when I left the last aid station.  I told everyone thank you and headed out after giving Tammy a kiss.  My legs could no longer run, other than a shuffle.  I walked the uphill in 50 minutes.  About half way up, David Snipes yelled back to me to keep going.  We left aid station 9 together, but he was already 1/3 of a mile in front of me.  I made it to the top and knew it was downhill from there.  I would soon be able to smell the barn.  I knew that there was no quitting now and that I would get in early enough to be counted as an official finisher.

I will learn from my mistakes and hopefully become a better trail runner.  When I crossed the finish line and received my traditional hug from Tammy and David, I knew that all of the pain I endured was worth it all.  Pain goes away.  Mistakes go away too, but my memories of all those people who supported me Saturday, make it all worth while.  Those memories will not go away.  I will have good days and I can be sure that I will have other bad days, but I learned that there will be always be someone there to support me.  My legs may fail me, but God, Tammy, David and friends will always support me.

David, Thank you for providing the opportunity for such an adventure.  Next year, please pray for things to be just a little warmer.