by Bob Schniedwind

So there we were, two seasoned marathoners heading to Holliday Lake for our first ultra race. We would be joined there later by a third friend who was also a first-timer. The three of us - myself, Judy Urwin and Roger Galbraith - were running from Virginia Beach for Final Kick Sports, and none of us knew just what to expect. We all talked big about "well it's only 5 miles past a marathon," and "we'll go slow so the hills shouldn't be that bad," and "it'll just be a fun run so there's no real pressure," but I'm not really sure any of us really believed what we were saying. As we got close to Holliday Lake, Judy made sure I was paying attention to the rolling hills. She and Roger had come up a few weekends before and had run part of the course, so they at least knew partially what to expect. I only commented "Hills? What hills?." Judy wasn't buying it.

As we entered the 4H campground, I was quite impressed with the setting. Despite the fact that it was still a few weeks from Spring and the trees were rather bare and gray, it was still a beautiful sight. I was both excited and nervous. Upon checking in we were warmly greeted by our very gracious host, Dr. David Horton, who quickly recognized Judy's name and proclaimed "First entry!". Looking around at the dozen or so runners who were already in the building I wasn't quite sure what he meant until he finally explained that Judy was the first entry that he had received in the mail. We picked up our very nice race T-shirt and our race "packet". I was quite amused at the "miniature" race numbers we were issued. Roughly 3 inches by 4 inches, they were obviously trimmed from some other recycled race numbers. As it turns out, they worked quite well during the race since they didn't take up much space, but David - could we raise the entry fee a little to cover cooler race numbers??. This one won't look very impressive on my wall! Name tags for each of the runners was a nice touch, however, and helped us all get to know each other quickly.

The pre race dinner was plentiful and delicious - well done 4H staff! As we sat at the table afterwards waiting for the race brief, I couldn't help but feel as though I was among an incredibly unique group of athletes. Most of the runners were veterans of much longer ultras, 50 miles and up, and I was quite awed. At the same time however I felt at home, because all of us in that room shared a love for long distance running which most of us probably couldn't explain adequately to a non-runner. It was the same feeling I get before any long race, and it was pretty special. We shared our table with two extremes of experience. On the one hand was John Price who, by his own count, has run some 55-60 marathons, and 75 ultras. At the other end was Keith the lawyer (sorry Keith, I don't remember your last name) who had only been running for about eight months and who's only two previous races were the Army 10-miler and the Marine Corps Marathon! I'm guessing the Western States race will be next on Keith's agenda.

Our host and master of ceremonies for the race brief was, of course, David Horton. A more entertaining, engaging or witty race director I've never met, and he did a great job of putting us all at ease and reminding us that we were, above all else, here to have fun. Among the things we quickly learned (or at least those of us who had not run the year before soon learned) was that there was a good reason for the ++ that followed the 50K on the race brochure. It seems that in Horton miles, a 50K is a little over 32 miles vice 31 (funny guy that Horton...). No big deal to veteran ultra runners, but one more reason to worry for us 26.2 types. To top off the evening we all got to play summer camp again and retreat to the bunkrooms (boys and girls in different buildings thank you very much). I can't remember the last time I went to bed at 9:15, but I had no problem falling asleep.

Our wake up call Saturday morning at 5:30 was a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by a "famous" recording star. I couldn't quite place the voice, but I'm pretty sure it was a defective recording... We were pleasantly surprised race morning by the weather - no rain (at the start anyway) and not too cold - a good shorts day. As we headed off for our first loop around the lake trail I tried to imagine how it would have been the year before in the dark using flashlights. No thanks! And David certainly wasn't kidding when he told us it was a single lane trail. My Final Kick Sports teammates and I stayed together for about the first 5 miles, running very slowly and conservatively as planned, and then Judy and Roger started slowly pulling away (which was fine with me since they are both faster). The miles ticked away pleasantly and uneventfully for me through the first three aid stations as I was very much enjoying the run, and I felt great. It got pretty interesting from aid station four to the turn-around with those 18-inch wide trails around the lake, not to mention the impressive hills, but I felt good at the halfway mark (16 miles? 16.5 miles??) and since I had seen the loop once, I was pretty confident about the repeat leg. I have to agree with David that the second loop is more difficult, especially from the turn-around back to the fourth aid station (I didn't remember the hills being this steep coming down them...), but I felt strong and actually started picking it up in spots hoping for a negative split. The rain which, naturally, eventually did fall made the trails and roads muddy and pretty slick in places, but otherwise wasn't a real problem. In case you were wondering, I took the tree option both times at the second creek. It was a pretty good strategy the first leg (I followed two other guys) but almost proved disastrous on the second leg as I fell off the tree on the way over! Fortunately I was at the end - on the dry side - and didn't break, bruise or sprain anything. I think I'll just get wet next time. Of special note is Roger's wife, Maria, who managed to greet Team Final Kick at every aid station to help give us goodies and encouragement. In addition to the wonderful volunteers at each of these oasis, it was great to see Maria's friendly face each time!

I ended up catching up with Roger at around mile 29 - only because his knees were really bothering him - but there would be no catching Judy, who ended up finishing third among the women (great job Judy!). I really felt strong at the end and pushed it hard the last 1/4 mile (have to look good for the finish line crowd...). What a tremendous feeling crossing that line! My legs and feet were sore, I was tired and just a little nauseous, but I was also exhilarated. I got my negative split by 4 minutes, and finished in 5:39:38. No threat to the course record, but a very satisfying achievement for me!

I can't say enough about the tremendous job Dr. Horton and all his volunteers did putting on this race. You all made a wonderful impression on this first-timer, and I'll be back! In fact, I'm even entertaining thoughts of a REAL ultra in the future (that's how all of you veterans got hooked, isn't it??!!). Thank you for a great race and an unforgettable experience. If anyone asks me for a 50K recommendation, I won't hesitate to recommend the Holliday Lake 50K++ (^:

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