This is my first e-mail of the day! :-))
First, I want to thank all of my knights in shining amour and angels!
Darin and Carl found me pitifully crying on the trail and figured out a
make shift gurney because I didn't have enough strength to hold on to
them. I wanted to finish. Someone ran down to get Dr. Wortley. Along
came Tonya, Barb, Devon, J.R. and others that I don't recall their
names. I hope I have the opportunity to thank you all in person. I
know I'll see Dr. Wortley, Tonya and Darin at Hellgate. Everyone that
passed by gave me words of encouragement and offered their help. I've
been thanking Barb profusely for hanging with me and still finishing!
She is so incredible! She stayed with me in the ER and brought me
pizza. Just amazing. They all finished.
The story:
Barb and I left the aid station at mile 43 (according to Dr. Horton)
and I fast hiked up the hill and eventually saw Darin. Barb was
chatting with some others and so I hung with Darin for awhile. I knew
Barb would catch up with me. We had been running like this all day. In
the first half she drug my butt along. I was happily running along
chatting with Darin and I stepped on a stick and it punctured my right
shin. A tiny hole, not even 1/2 inch in length. Go figure. It did
not put a hole in my running pants either. Immediately I felt blood
gushing down my leg. I kept saying to Darin, man this thing is really
bleeding! Look at my shoe. I've done this before (had sticks jab me in
my lower legs) but never did I bleed like this. I got to the last aid
station and we all agreed I might get "best blood" but I had to finish
to get that and it really wasn't a "best blood" in the sense of falling
etc. So I didn't feel I would have earned it anyway. I was trying to
finish the race. Oh well. I did not fall which is so typical of me.
:-) And I knew I had to get down the mountain. Anyway I felt fine
except it was annoying that my sock and shoe were so wet! And I was
cold. I left the last aid station around 4:07 pm and felt fine. Then
everything went downhill fast. I got dizzy, nauseous, etc. And it kept
getting worse. I couldn't keep my balance. Finally I just collapsed.
(see the first paragraph for the rest or the events). Finally Dr.
Wortley was there and we went to the finish so he could check my vitals.
I was shaking too hard so he thought it best that I go to the ER. Barb
rode with us too. My hemoglobin was low but not to the point of needing
a blood transfusion. I checked myself out on Sunday morning against
doctor's orders. Thank you all for your care and concern. Trail
runners have a bond stronger than anything I've ever experienced. My
deepest gratitude to all of you in no particular order: Darin, Carl,
Devon, J.R., some other gentlemen, Tonya, Barb, Dr. Wortley, and the
others for all the help and encouragement. And these amazing runners
also finished within Dr. Horton's cut-off. They are amazing. Thank
you, thank you, thank you.


Vicki Kendall