2000 Holiday
Lake 50K
by Jim Bath
As
a first time ultra runner, Holiday Lake 50K will be forever in my mind. After a few days, I have found myself
reliving the whole race.
My
desire to run the race goes back a few years of crewing Amy Thompson and Eric Bath,
our daughter and son. The whole
experience of ultras is probably the influence of Andy, Amy's husband, who was
mentored by Dr. Horton.
I
began training 2 1/2 months ago and included 1 1/2 weeks of cross-country skiing in January when snow prevented me from running on the roads.
On
Friday, my wife, Sharon, and I left Pennsylvania and drove thorough snow,
sleet, ice, and rain. Ironically, now
that I think about it, our driving time was the same as the 7 1/2 hour cut-off
time. A bad omen?
I
was looking forward to running and felt like I could compete the 32 mi. in
respectable time for me. One concern,
however, was the fact that my longest run was 16 mi. even though I had averaged
30-40 mi. per week.
Starting
the race, I was aware of doing too much too soon, so I ran at a safe pace for
me. The beginning of the end of my
strategy was at 16 mi. when I felt my hips and knees tighten. By the turn, I was ready to pick up the pace
and cut my time down. Before AS5 my
body began to talk back to me. My knees and hips had something else in
mind. I knew I would finish, but the
pace was too slow. AS6 seemed to have
disappeared. I finally arrived and
Sharon suggested 2 aspirin.
I
planned to submerge in the creek and spent a few minutes in the ice water
before someone threatened to pass me again.
Between AS6 and 7, I kept looking back because I felt like I was
dragging the Aid Station table behind me.
When I came out of the woods at the next station I knew I was in trouble
when my crew (Sharon) was getting in the car to drive off. I guess she was going to call 911 or maybe
she thought more positively and figured I was up toward the front by now. I was glad I left a pair of shoes in the car
co the dogs would have my fresh scent.
After
leaving AS8, I realized I had 55 min. to run 3 1/2 mi. That meant I had to run faster than I had
run the last 12 mi. per min. Before
reaching the Aid Station, I passed Faye and Judith, but shortly, Judith flew by
me like she was jet-propelled. I don't
know what she ate, but I didn't find anything like that at the table. As I approached the end of the lake, I
looked at my watch and it was 1:48. the
boost I needed came when someone on the dock yelled, "Keep going, you can
do it!" It was like "Chariots of Fire" without the music. In the woods, I lost sight of the ribbons
and thought David had already sent the clean-up crew out. I never thought I would be fighting to
finish in 7 1/2 hours, but at this point I was glad to finish.
On
the lighter side:
1.
I saw someone slip and do a barrel roll in the mud without
missing a step.
2.
As I crossed the creek on the first leg, I heard, "Sir,
can you help me?" There was Faye stranded on the tree unable to reach the
bank. Of course I helped her off.
3.
Since my friend back home finds delight in calling me
Forrest Gump, it probably explains why I can't get "Run, Forrest
Run!" out of my head.
Now
for my post-race thoughts:
I
hope there is another Holiday Lake race because I want to improve my time. Not that I would threaten the course record,
but I would like to finish before they start serving lunch. Yes, Eric, it was one the hardest things I
have ever done.
I
am thankful for my wife, Sharon, for hanging in there for the day. Thank you Amy, Andy, Eric, and David for the
inspiration to run. Thank you God, for
my health and the opportunity to run.
Jim Bath