Prairie Spirit 100 race report

 Our 5th staight year of the Post Oak Double in Tulsa worked out well as a 50k last long run about three weeks out from Prairie Spirit. Unfortunately, it seemed things got in the way after that and the BW and I didn't get much in the way of quality runs after. Well, that's never stopped us before, so it's off to see the wizard. We stopped to pick up Brett (Brett and the BW were doing the 50M) mid morning on Friday for the drive down and only made it a few blocks until the mandatory stop at Chick-Fil-A. With the important stuff out of the way, it was uneventful down to Ottawa. With the short trip, we were actually able to just hang out some at the motel before the meal/packet pickup and got a chance to visit with Christy and Jeff as they were only a few rooms down. We had a good meal, chatted with Adam, Eric, Justin, Warren and other various Epic Ultra crew, and connected with Kelvin and Jess for a visit (Kelvin, a TATUR, was also running the 100) and headed back to the room to finish up the last minute stuff. In case you're wondering, Brett says he doesn't snore. Brett lies. But in his defense he did stop around midnight.

A 4:45 wakeup and we're off to the start line. Temps were in the 40s and only a light breeze so I went with shorts and long sleeve shirt as the day looked good. The 100 milers take off for a short 2 mile out and back and it starts sleeting big time. Whaaaaaa? Didn't see that in my weather forecast. This worries me as my coat is 51.25 miles away and I won't see any crew before then. Luckily it stops pretty quickly and the first several miles are rather enjoyable as I'm able to hang with TATURS Roman, Kathy, John and a few others. We roll into Princeton (mile 9.5) and only stay long enough to get a bottle filled. I did meet Crystal Lutgen for the first time who was doing a fine job helping the runners. The merry band of runners had kind of broken apart at this point, so it was back to my normal solo race up to the next aid station at Richmond (16 miles). It's another grab and go stop that lasts less than a minute and off to Garnett. Up until this point the wind hadn't really been an issue, but the couple of miles leading into Garnett had brutal headwind coming straight down the trail. I hit the Garnett train station (about 25 miles) in really good shape but stopped long enough to grease up. Side note - Russell, Arnold, Polly and everyone at Garnett are awesome. They put a lot of time in running aid stations.

 

  At this point, my crew/pacer Spoon was on his way from IA to meet me at the turnaround. As an added bonus a couple of days before I found out The Carrot would also be making the journey to help out. From our previous talks I think they were surprised that I got to Garnett as soon as I did, but they would still have plenty of time to beat me to Iola.

Although I was still moving decent, when I'm over 30 miles the "newness" of the race is pretty much wearing off and I was glad I was getting close to Welda (33.5). As I come around the corner to drop into the aid station, I'm sure the look on my face was priceless. Standing out in the middle was The Sh!t!!! Apparently people were good at keeping a secret from me, as I had no clue Richelle and the girls were coming. I told Richelle later that she pretty much saved my race. You cannot underestimate how getting a surprise like that cheers you up. Not only that, but she hooked me up with a full Orange Mud bottle of Coke and ice and some sour watermelon candy (My favorite from Ourey). Once more a pretty short stop and on my way. The trip to Colony (41.25) was uneventful and once again there were my new crew to see what I needed. Yes, I'll have more sour watermelon please. My watch had died, but about .25 out of the aid station I picked up the trail mile markers so I could still judge mileage. About mile 50 I check my watch and was pretty surprised to note that I had just hit my best 50 mile time. This kept me going the next 1.25 to get in Iola and the turnaround. Even my 51.25 check in time was better than my best 50 mile race.

 

  I met up with the whole crew here and got a bite to eat, greased my feet and popped a blister. Seems like here may have been the point that I could really feel some chaffing coming on even though I am not shy about "lubing up". I cannot stress enough how awesome my friends are or thank them enough for all their help. Richelle will touch your feet when they're nasty and every one of them were right there asking what I needed and getting it for me. Hopefully I said thanks several times. Good decision or not I took 10 minutes and laid on the ground with my feet up in the chair to try and get some blood flow back the other way and take a little load of my feet. 

 

Larry & I took off on the return trip, which unfortunately for those guys would basically be an overnight hike as my left hip was getting pretty tired. We had a lot of good conversation and improper inside jokes going as we made it back to Colony and almost the 100k (61.25). At this point it takes a bit to get moving again as it seems any stop however short tends to lock you up. Apparently Larry hasn't had enough of Sluggo pace and he stays on for the next section. The weather stayed in the 40s I think, but this section was really cold with the wind (numerous people mentioned that they didn't plan enough for that). Windbreaker with a hood and my OM beanie did the trick though. The moon was pretty bright and we didn't even use our headlamps through the night. It actually makes it easier (when there's nothing to trip on). I think somewhere in this section is when I started slowing pretty substantially, but still came in to Welda (69) doing fairly well and still with an awesome crew. Gary was on deck for the next couple of sections and we headed out. A lot of talk about all the cool stuff our friends had done, Ultra lies and what was coming up that we would be stupid enough to enter got us into Garnett (77.5 miles). A little longer stop to do more feet lube and we are headed on our way through town. If you don't think pacing is just as hard as doing the race (and more trying), then you've never paced a 100 miler. Gary, I love ya. Sorry you had to listen to me.

GARY: Sooo...you wanna run just a little?
RON: NO.
A few seconds go by and then shuffle...shuffle....trot.....(for all of 30 seconds or so I imagine)...back to hiking. For somebody fresh, I'm sure this pace is tough to bear :)

I had actually managed to stay pretty focused and awake to this point, but about 5:30am or so and only around a mile out from Richmond (86.5), I could not keep my eyes open. Weaving, jerking from almost falling asleep and knowing I needed to stop and pop a couple of blisters. I stumble into a chair, get my socks off and ask Richelle if she can help me pop a blister. She says "Uhhh...there aren't any blisters". Get my foot pulled up to get a better look at the ball of my foot and shit, that's not what I wanted to see. Basically I think the big blisters I had on the balls of both feet actually popped. So now all that loose skin from the blisters just basically pushed up in a pile. Well, looks like I'll keep going - blisters aren't a race stopper. As an added bonus, nothing is fixing the chaffing. Larry jumps back in here and we actually are able to pick up the pace slightly (sunrise is AWESOME). A little idle conversation while I mostly stare at my feet and we arrive at Princeton (93 miles). We make a conscience decision that I won't sit at all and try to just get in and out. This is the first time I've seen the BW and Brett since 6am Saturday, but they came out to cheer me on after getting a little bit of sleep from their successful completion of the 50. Larry is going to bring it home with me and it seems like I'm still maybe gaining a little on pace. About 2-2.5 miles out of Princeton I stop to ditch my jacket and stuff and realize.......hey......if I keep moving good.......I can.........GET BACK TO THE HOTEL ROOM AND TAKE A SHOWER before we have to checkout!!!!!!!! I can't make a PR, but man, I can SHOWER. The last 5 miles become important to my shower time. A big motivator was the BW, Brett, Christy, Jeff, Richelle and the girls following along and catching us at every mile cross road to yell encouragement for the last few miles. A couple of more miles in and we've actually passed people. Hey.....I can easily break 29 hours (and shower). A slight decent into town for the last 1.25 or so and......hey......I can break 28:50 (and shower). We hit the last straight away and see everyone again less than .5 from the finish line and......hey......I can break 28:45. I'm not sure what our pace was up that last incline, but it was pretty fair for a little fat boy with blisters on his feet and mondo chaffing. The timer stops at 28:44:12.....and I get to take a shower....

 

 

I like when the RD personally hands you the buckle, and Eric was right there to get a pic with me. I'm sad I didn't get Richelle in the finish line pics (Mile 90 Photography rules by the way), but the one with Sluggo, Spoon & The Carrot (sounds like a Dr Suess book) will always make me smile and remember the great time and what all those friends did to help me out.

Rick and Mile 90 Photography RULE

A great race made possible by the BW and friends that I'm pretty sure I don't deserve. Larry, Gary & Richelle (and girls) - love you guys. You were the key to my success! I have to give a couple of shouts as well:
The BW - LOVE YOU! Way to stay tough and get that 50 mile buckle!
Brett - Way to hammer down on that 50! Great race.
Kelvin - Excellent work on crushing your 100M PR!
Lana - Awesome first 50! This is only the beginning.
Christy - Ummm...Hell yea. 1st woman and course record! Well, I'm just going to go out and see what happens...
John - Sorry your first 100 didn't go to plan. You'll be back and get that buckle.
Roman & Kathy - You guys are flat out awesome. Regardless of outcome, it's always great to see you.

Ok, I'm over budget on words, but yes, I got that shower. Trying to rush around after a 100 and enjoy the stinging water on your chaffing is not all it's cracked up to be. The BW said "Are you alright?" several times as I grunted and groaned. Everybody got together to eat at Applebees before we left town and I wanted some Siracha Shrimp! Took one drink of a diet coke and knew it was going to be a long day. Got a whiff of something and almost got sick, so my Applebees post race consisted of hobbling out to the car only to wake up to everyone coming out the door and laughing at me...

Maybe next time on that shrimp.

When The Clock Runs Out, All You Have Are Photographs And Memories

Wasn’t that race in June? Why yes, yes it was. Since you’re probably thinking the statute of limitations has run out for a race several months ago, how about we call this a Western States experience report instead of a race report?

I fully intended to write a race report after we got back – no, really! As much as it was an awesome experience, the self-inflicted disappointment I leveled on myself pretty much kept my heart out of sharing and putting the other bookend on it. That and not really wanting to hear another round of “pep talks”. We’re an odd lot. I more than appreciate anybody who actually shows enough care to comment and offer encouragement even though in reality they could care less about running. When it comes down to it though, when you’ve been 100 miles (pick your distance) and you don’t make 100 another time, “XX miles is good” or “I don’t drive that far” doesn’t really make you feel better. That’s not from an egotistical angle, it’s simply that you’ve been there before and fully expect to do it again. Yea yea yea – what’s your point and why the change of heart? I don’t normally buy any race photos, but last month I got an email from the company that did the pics with a 20% coupon attached. Maybe I should just go out and take a look. Looking at the pic of me coming up one of the climbs and all the mountains in the background kind of made it sink in. That was a pretty &#*&ing outstanding thing to do! Add in all our friends that got into the lottery this year and the fact that I have diarrhea mouth because I get so excited talking about WS, and here we are.

Get in that lottery – you won’t be disappointed.

The BW and I decided since we were making such a big trip we should go early and spend some time just hanging out in the Tahoe area. Wouldn’t you know it, there just happened to be a race the Sunday before. Bobbie went big with the 50k, but I stuck with the half. Pretty much the perfect last training run.

For most of the week, we knocked around Lake Tahoe, took a cruise with my mom and dad and generally just enjoyed hanging around the area. Not wanting to hike the escarpment right before the race, but still wanting to do it, we decided to give it a go on Tuesday. Our route didn’t end up exactly like race day, but we came pretty close. Part way up we met another guy that was doing the race and also a horse rider who had done the Tevis Cup. It made for nice conversation to the top where we took in some great views. An attempt was also made to drive the course so the BW could get familiar with the aid station route. Handy tip – don’ just plug stuff in the Garmin, get real driving directions. Otherwise you may end up on a ½ lane trail to nowhere and need to retrace 30 miles…

 



If you didn’t know the race started in Squaw Valley, you wouldn’t even know anything was going on. It wasn’t until Wednesday or Thursday that there was any indication of an event of ultra-proportions there on the weekend. When the activities and panel discussion started on Thursday, that all changed. All of the sudden Squaw became a bustling hub of activity.  The discussion had a number of elite ultra runners available for a Q&A. In the immortal words of Nick Clark, “It’s stops sucking when you hit the finish line”. Packet pickup was run like it was those people’s full time job. No wandering lines or confusion, just BAM! You’re weighed, you’re tagged, get your pic taken and then get a ton of goodies from people dedicated to each item. After PP I was headed back to drop my stuff off at the room when I happened to see Anne Trason sitting under a tent off to the side with her dogs. I went over and gave the pups some love and Anne introduced herself. I just smiled. From what I’ve gathered reading, she doesn’t like the fuss made over her and avoids the spotlight to a great degree. It killed me, but I held back even asking to take a pic with her because I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. What I did do was have the opportunity to sit one on one with ANNE TRASON (sorry Anne) and talk about dogs, Nebraska, uhhh, yea, and Western States. You can’t put a price on that. It was probably the highlight of the whole trip. During the pre-race meeting on Friday, the man himself, Gordy, was giving free back adjustments to runners in attendance. Not every day you go to Western States AND get a back adjustment from the man that started it all.

No shortage of swag

The BW & I with Nick Clark - "It stops sucking at the finish line"

Megan Arbogast. I don't care if I seem like a tourist...I'm having a good time meeting these people!

Joe Uhan. If he had a Midwest fan club, I'd be in it. Ultrarunner, sports medicine and some of the best articles around on various performance and running related issues. Pretty good dude as well...

Shannon McFarland & I under the start banner on Friday. Neither one of us looking at the camera. I had a better pic, but this one shows the friendship. Me looking like I'm coming up with some bullshit line and Shannon saying "Whatever bro". Shannon had a great run and brought home the buckle.

 

Race morning, to use the cliché, was “electric”. To get ahead of the narrative, this lasted the entire race and after the finish to the buckle ceremony. The feeling I got was that everyone involved knew the history and how important it was to the legacy of the race to treat it and the runners special. There was no half-assing, no sitting in the chair letting runners fill their own bottles and appreciation shown for every finisher after the race. On the way to the start, an Orange Mud Ambassador stopped me to take a picture since I had my Orange Mud double on. Now Bobbie & I are Ambassadors, so that was actually a pretty neat deal. The Orange Mud gear and my Hokas never let me down <advert over>.

"Team Ruhs" - Spoon (aka Larry), the BW, Sluggo, Barb (mom) and John (dad). It would take a whole report to say what these guys did for me. Let's just say I'm very grateful for the family and friends I have.

Our buddy Dave Cockman from NC. Not only did Dave finish WS, he completed the Grand Slam.

Start of the race. The crowd was pumped. Electric, if you will :)

 

The only solid number I had was a time in mind to make that first 2500ft climb up the escarpment. Doing the climb on Tuesday made me feel pretty decent about hitting that number and surprisingly I made it to the top 10 minutes quicker without feeling like I had overdone it. These two pics are from our Tuesday version, but show coming part way up and then again at the top where you start the high country section.

 









It was a dry year without much snow, so I think the trail was really pretty good. A fair amount of it through the next two aid stations was a mix of dirt single track and the way it looks in the pic above. The uphills in this section actually looked like a little stream - you would be going up the rocks and the water was running down. I arrived at Lyon Ridge (10.5) and felt pretty decent. Early aid stations are eat and run, so barely had any time there before climbing out and continuing on my way. The next 6 miles into  Red Star Ridge also went pretty well, or so I thought. When I came into Red Star I noticed that I was getting pretty close to cutoff times. Once again, in and out in about a minute - no time to spare. You know how when you're somewhere cool like way up in the mountains, you take a bazillion pictures because it looks so awesome only to look at them later and they all look the same? Even if I had had the time to take a couple of pics, it would never do the view at this race any justice. Here's the part where you think I'm going to lie and say just being there was enough because it was so beautiful. NO. Not only no, but hell no....but it was *almost* enough. Getting close to Duncan Canyon was when the reality set in that I was slowing down far too much. You want to know what one of the worst sounds during the race was? An air horn. At twenty minutes before cut they blow it and then again at 10 minutes. Here I am in the trees with no line of site on the aid station and not sure how far in I am. Hhhhoooooonnnnk. 20 minutes to cutoff.  Time drags on, no aid station. Hhhhoooooonnnnk. 10 minutes to cutoff. Things are looking BAD. All of the sudden the trees part and there I am at Duncan Canyon (23.8) with EIGHT MINUTES to get out. This is one of those times you notice how absolutely top notch the people there are. As I'm coming in, two people are meeting me to get my bottles and give me some ice. Another guys says come over and get some food. I say no time, so he takes my order and goes over to the aid table to get it for me while yet another person has his eye on the watch and says "Get him out of here". As soon as my bottles are filled, I'm walking out with three people talking in my ear and handing me food. Survived by the skin of my teeth to give it one more try. The 6 or so miles to Robinson Flat was like the green mile. You know the end is coming and not really much to be done about it. Seeing a couple of safety runners really drove home the point that my day was probably going to be over. Even this far off the pace, I actually passed 4 or 5 people leading into Robinson. With somewhere around a mile (maybe) to Robinson,  I saw Spoon coming down the trail to do the walk of shame with me. A little bit later the BW also showed up and we came into Robinson and my Western States experience was over.

Ya still gotta smile, right? What an experience!

Good shot of the JDP tutu...a man honors his bet!

This is what you do when your runner is missing the cutoff. Spoon doing his best Ish imitation.

 

We all got back to the car and headed to Forest Hill hoping we would get to see Kaci come through. I'll be honest on this one - it sucked being at that aid station and watching runners come by. Luckily, it didn't suck enough to let it bring me down. In talking with Miguel, we learned that Kaci was having some issues of her own, but staying strong. That really didn't compute. Kaci kicks ass. Period. Standing around soaking up the atmosphere when of all people, we see Chris Hall. He just decided to head to CA on his own with the pups to support the GOATz. Kaci makes her appearance and we just try to hoop it up as much is possible to give her that little boost to keep doing what she does so well.

Kaci and pacer Miguel - Heading out to "Gitter Dun" from mile 62

 

Spoon, the BW, Chris and I all headed down to Auburn to see the finishers. We got to see Rob Krar come in with the second fastest and only 2nd sub 15 hr run for the win and waited tensely while listening to reports of Kaci battling back and forth in the top ten women. When she came into the field, the announcer even said the Piiiiixxxxxxxxiiieee Ninja like he was announcing an MMA fight. It was pretty awesome being on the track to give her a high five on her way to a 6th place women's finish.  Talking to Kaci after the race, something really became clear. Even people you think never have issues have struggles as well. Hearing her say "I never wanted to quit so many times in my life" and then have a 6th place finish at WS shows the drive and determination of this great lady.

Great finish Pixie Ninja - we love ya.

 

So, this Western States adventure comes to a close. We went back to the track to see our friends get their buckles. What a ceremony. It's pretty cool to see all these finishers come through and get their buckles. Some hobbling, some on just getting there as they had literally just minutes to spare. It was eye opening to see how many come in at the wire. They would have people line up by hours to come and get the buckles and when they called 29 hrs, there were still tons of people. Finish times of 29:30, 29:40....still several people. I believe the last guy had less than a minute or two before cutoff.

 

Would I do it again? Only one answer to that. It may take a year or two to get a qualifier to work out right, but as they say - Hells Yeah I want to go back.

Once again I have to thank my beautiful wifey for letting me have the opportunity to go and be crew chief. And to my mom & dad and Spoon, you guys are the best!

 

Sometimes all you get are memories and photographs



 

How To Tell You're Cool (CA or bust)

First off - a huge shout to The Sh!t and Bones. Watch after 'em Shelby as they drop some hoof onto Big Horn 100 this weekend. Let's see those buckles!

Joshua - You will terrorize Black Hills. Let's both get some next weekend!

Hard to believe, but on occasion someone has said to me "You're pretty damn cool" or "You inspire me". After momentary scrutiny to judge for sarcasm, my reply is usually this:
The coolest thing about me is my friends.

There you have it. How to tell you’re cool. Since I’ve set the standard of all coolness to be directly related to one’s friends, I’ll say this right now. I am about the coolest mofo in existence. Not wanting to leave people out, I wasn’t going to do this as all of my friends are equally important but I have to mention a few people specifically on this Western States journey (Yes, I already fawned over the BW and my mom in other posts).

Scott aka Scooter aka Ish aka Sleeping Goat aka Pappa Goat
The BW & I would still be running alone on the paved part of Cunningham if it wasn’t for you. Your devotion and love of the group is a big part of its success.  Pacing me for my first 100 will go down as one of my favorite experiences of all time. Your continued support and friendship means a lot.  Love ya like a brother.

Hammer & The Big Sexy (Annie & Jeff)
You guys are always there – training, 100 mile pacing, road trips and support. But mostly you’re there for us during other times too and that means the most. A big reason I’m cool.

The Sh!t (Richelle)
Well, you’re the sh!t. You and the kids go out of your way to come over and train with us, slow down so I have someone to talk to honestly about runners, training styles and expectations or just laugh about dumb stuff.  You’ll crush Big Horn and we will be there to see you conquer Ouray.

Spoon (Larry)
Can’t thank you enough for making the trip to CA.  Hard to imagine that a few miles on the trail start friendships that you wouldn’t want to do without whether we’re flashing buckles or hanging out. I hope it’s a grand adventure for us. And you’re wearing the damn tube top….

Jeep (Bill)
Doesn’t seem like a race unless you’re travelling with Team Ruhs. Ups and downs in life or running, but you’re pushing me up hills and I know you’d do anything for us. We’ll miss ya out there, but proud to have you as a friend. You want to do it the easy way, or the Western States way?

Shannon “Do Work Son” McFarland
I was only half kidding when I posted one time that I was going to tape a picture of you to my water bottle for WS. You work hard and when I’m feeling tired at the race I’ll think “Shannon wouldn’t quit”. You embody trail spirit whether racing or running aid stations. We’re glad we’ve gotten to know you.

Scott Marble (sans nickname)
In a short time you’ve dove headfirst into the GOATz  and your contribution has made the group get better and better. Thanks for your time getting me squared away on some issues, your generosity and being a friend. Looking forward to more adventures with you in the future.

Alright alright - Group hug over.

Wow.  We’re leaving for CA Saturday morning. As usual I’m not close to packed, but it will be interesting to watch the TSA scan my carry on that will be 100% running gear. A nice slow ½ marathon (Burton Creek) planned for Sunday in CA and a few days with the BW before making the final prep for WS with my mom, dad and Spoon.

I know some “real runners” may be put-off by the joking and tutu wearing (Not to worry JDP – more on that to come).  Why does he bother? He’s not serious about it. Why go if you don’t have a chance at winning? He doesn’t respect the race.  For the sensitive readers, cover your ears. To these types I say PISS OFF (PG version).  Scott Jurek barrel rolled through his 3rd consecutive WS win. Don’t think for a minute I want that buckle any less than anybody else and maybe I’ll end up wanting it more than some.

I won’t be defined by my finishing spot, but hopefully I’ll be defined by my heart.

As some of our friends say – It just got real.
CA or bust.
Cool mofo out...

Prairie Spirit 100 - No blizzard, twice the buckle.

Late update - Somewhere along the course, I dropped my BD Icon headlamp. Not only did one of the Epic Brigade secure it, but Eric & Justin packaged it up and sent it back to me. That's pretty top notch racer care right there....

"The park service is going to close the race." Last year's Prairie Spirit 100 couldn't have been more different from this year. (Read about it HERE - a post by our good buddy TZ). A great tale to tell for sure, but one problem. No bling. No sparkle. No 100 mile buckle. I know, I know - do it for yourself, it's the journey that matters. But when Eric Steele says he'll give everyone from last year the 2013 "Blizzard Buckle" if they finish this years race, it's time to head for KS again.

We had quite the crew this year. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 GOATz and known associates, with several going for their first 50 mile race or 100 mile finish. One thing I was really looking forward to was a chance to meet David Horton. We had a chance to visit with him at packet pickup and also listen to his motivating presentation at the meal. One thing that brought a smile to my face was when David was out on the course riding around during the race, he would yell "Go GOATz!!" every time he saw me.



Lindsy (crew extraordinaire), Amanda, Bill, David Horton, me and the BW

 

Partial group at the supper on Friday.

Back: Rick, me, Bill, Larry, Scott, Morgan & Troy

Front: Amanda, JDP, Rachel, BW & Lindsy

 

We're all just a cartoon of ourselves - 100 milers before the start.

Me, Paul, BW, Amanda, Bill & Kristina (MN Snowmen Rick & Wayne & our OK pal K2 not shown)

 

The weather was absolutely outstanding for the beginning of the race and I settled into a nice trot with Wayne and babbled ultrarunner lies and general nonsense until we hit the first aid station at 9.5. I cut Wayne loose there and spent the few miles until the next aid station feeling pretty comfortable. To my surprise I caught up to Bill, Amanda & the BW at Richmond and we paired up - Amanda & the BW and Bill & myself. The girls led it into Garnett by a little, but Bill & I were feeling pretty frisky and rolled into the train depot aid station with smiles and enough to do a little "lawnmower" for the cameras. A boost here by the fact that Annie, Jeff, Lindsy, Richelle and the kiddos all came out to see us!

 

 



 

 

The trip to the next aid station at Welda (Trail Nerds) went without incident and we were once again greeted by the travelling crew to bring a little fun to the race. A short fuel up and we were on the road to Colony. Last year it was in this stretch where the weather really changed - cotton ball sized snow and sleet that came down like a summer shower. Bill & I hit the turnaround in decent time and rallied with outstanding crew girl Lindsy and were able to pick up our pacer, Kickass (aka AnnieLadashaLori). Now all we had to do was hit everything in reverse. The trip back to Colony (mile 61.xx) found us pretty close to the return cutoff times. I signed up for the race, read the rules and agreed to it all, but I'm still a little confused on the middle cutoffs for the return trip. Seems they are a little short compared to what you could realistically finish the race in. In any case, Colony was the start of  "beat the clock" and come in under the grace period. During this stretch we caught back up to Amanda and the BW, who had Lindsy out with them. We powered on to see about making that next cut. Our arrival to Welda (69 roughly) saw us on the edge of grace. We were told we could still go on, but 15 minutes exactly was the grace at the next aid station.It's great to have advocates out there as well. Ken TZ Childress kept putting in the good word just so people knew there wasn't a doubt we were going on and going to make 100. Kickass towed us out of there and we found out a little later that Amanda had picked up Richelle as a pacer and the BW decided discretion was the better part of valor and stayed put as the next cut would have been very difficult. She beats herself up, but I'm proud of my wifey. I love her no matter what and am never disappointed in her.

 

Kickass, Bill & I finally start seeing the lights at the edge of Garnett (77) and think we're home free. About 4 turns later it becomes apparent that this is going to be REALLY close. Look at my watch and it's ten after. We gotta go......we gotta go now! We drop the hammer and are running about an 8 min pace to get to the aid station in time. I yell our numbers as we're coming in. One minute to spare!

Amanda and Richelle also made it in so one more down and still in the game.

 

So, what about that pacer? It seems like I short change Annie a bit, but she was OUTSTANDING. Really, it comes down to a number of inappropriate comments, maybe a fart, inside jokes and carb depleted laughing that comes with being up and on your feet for that long. Rest assumed, Kickass is AWESOME and she got us through that chunk of the race.

 

Unfortunately for The Big Sexy (aka Sexy, Jeff), the fun had about run out when he picked us up at Garnett for the final run in. 4:30am and Bill & I were really starting to feel tired. At the unmanned water stop between Garnett and Richmond, Bill sat down and I think would have been asleep in 30 seconds, but Sexy barked out the command and we were on our way again. Shortly after that I thought we were about .5 from the next aid station and busted into my imitation of moving to get there. Bill & Sexy catch back up with the WTH? look and I said I just had to run my own race and get there. Uhhh...that's good...but it's about 1.5 miles. Oh man, that let the wind out of the sails. Luckily for us, the sun was coming up and it totally makes a world of difference in your mental outlook. Still just under the grace period we push on to the next and final aid station. Just out of Richmond, my left hip really starts to bother me to the point of almost hobbling. Bill is moving better so I tell Sexy to get up there and make sure Bill beats the cut. This would be Bill's first 100 finish and there's no way I'm going to stand in his way for that. Like a fine wingman, Sexy will have none of that and stays with me and Bill just ahead. Sad thing for Sexy is this is where he has to listen to my sniveling some. Not vocal, just head down staring at my shoes, grunting and groaning. I do my best imitation of jogging and what do you know - we get to the final aid station less than a minute before the actual (no grace) cutoff! TZ and Dana were there handing out food and offering encouragement along with the BW and crew wonder Linds. A very short break and we're off. Now last year the course was 102.5, so I thought we had 9.5 miles left even though everyone is saying 7.xx. Sexy gets busy on gathering intel and yes, indeed, we only have 7.xx miles left!!! That might not sound like much, but that is HUGE at the end of a 100. So after all the barely making cutoff, we have 3 hours to get in. Bill's feet were really hurting, and seeing as how we had more than ample time, we basically had a victory lap from there on in. A couple of miles outside the last aid station Amanda & Richelle caught up and we all hoofed it in for the "W". Making this infinitely more enjoyable was the GOAT travelling road show that met us at a number of intersections and cheered us in.

 

And what about that pacer? Again, we could not have done it without Sexy. Considering he was trying to pace two people at different rates, keep them awake and motivate them to stay on top of things, he went above and beyond. Annie & Jeff - I love you guys. Thanks for being in our corner and making this a success!

 

And finally, the finish! It was awesome to finish with my right hand man Bill in his first 100 finish along with Amanda's first as well. This is what it's all about to me.

 



Amanda, Eric Steele (RD), me and Bill at the finish

 

The bonus "Blizzard Buckle" along with the 2014 finisher buckle

 



POST: Sorry my report is so narrow in scope. There were also great runs by a ton of GOATz in the 50 mile including firsts for JDP, Rachel, Morgan and Bones (Did I forget anyone?) and solid runs by Scott, Troy, Joshua, Mindy, Larry & Shannon. Wayne, Rick and K2 (huge PR) all beat us to the finish in the 100, and we found out Paul & Kristina dropped at 77. Thankfully Kristina caught some problems early and totally pulled out of some potentially serious issues. I hate to leave out so many friends, but this post is long enough as it is. We absolutely couldn't have done it with the selflessness of crew woman Linds, and pacers Kickass, Sexy & the Shit (Richelle).

 

A special shout to Gary Davis who also finished his first 100 at Potawatomi today! (4/6)

 

In the end, I'll let these pictures speak for themselves. We've had some great times with this group. These aren't merely people I run with (behind), these are friends. Friends that are there for you and share in the pain and the glory. Not afraid to act goofy, shed a tear or give you a hug.

 

 

 

 

The BW - Roll With Me

Normally you'd see a post race report, but for the Prairie Spirit 100, I think we need a pre-race report of sorts.



All of you know The Beautiful Wifey, the BW. Aka Bobbie. Mrs Ruhs.

I know, I know. How did I get so lucky? The BW & I have been doing races together for somewhere around 7 years. You know that one person you can't live your life without? Yea, that's her. Absolutely the love of my life. All the standard clichés apply - soul mate, best friend, lover, nickname honey. We laugh at stupid things and do what people would call stupid things.

 

The BW is also running the 100 at Prairie Spirit after having a rough year last year. Broken wrist and torn knee, and long stretches of not running. In the middle of this she's been my biggest supporter for the massive undertaking I have called Western States. Well, she wasn't all the excited at first, right honey?

 

 

More than anything, I want to see her have a successful 100. Make no mistake, she's tougher and a better runner and has the desire to see this through since she thinks 100 miles during the MS challenge on a treadmill in 24:18 somehow doesn't qualify as running 100 miles.

 

I'm supposed to write her a song sometime. I can come up with 2 line stupid things almost at will, but any love lyrics seem to start as roses are red, violets are blue and stop at that. So what does everybody in the movies do? Steal a song and station themselves under the bedroom window after throwing rocks at it to wake their love up.

 

So maybe I didn't write this. So maybe it's not what you'd think of as a love song. It does however kind of sum up how I feel about the BW. No matter what it is, I want to do it with her. If you know me or my style of music, you'll simply nod your head and think yeah, that's Ron.

 

Honey, I love you! You will do great at Prairie Spirit!

Roll With Me - Call To Glory (Click that link to listen to the song)

 

First time I saw your face,

My whole world changed for sure,
My bleeding aching heart won't hurt me anymore.
Nice to meet you,
I'll never leave your side.
You're my everything,
The apple of my eye.

 

Roll with me today,

We'll conquer everything that get's in our way.
Roll with me today,
We'll start together and that's where we'll stay.

 

So many places to go,

So many things I want to teach so you can know.
I can't believe a guy like me finally won,
At the game of life and I hit 21!

Roll with me today.
I'd give anything if you'd make some time for me.
Roll with me today.
We rock together,
so roll with me today!

As the pages turn on the calendar and the clock ticks on the wall,
One thing I can guarantee is that I'll be there through it all.
When the demons of life surround you,
Just turn around and see,
The One protecting you is me!

 

 

Speaking of farming - Post Oak Challenge 50k/Marathon double training

Seems like it's been a long time, but our first "training" race of the year finally arrived. The Post Oak Challenge 50k/Marathon double outside of Tulsa, OK. Three years ago this was our first "real" trail run and first double. As I like to tell people, we were woefully unprepared for the rocks and hills on this course and decided we weren't going back. Best laid plans right? So for the 4th year in a row of doing the race we decided to get some GOATz involved and planned on meeting some friends from MN at the lodge as well.

Post Oak is really nice. Seven miles outside of downtown Tulsa, but buried in the hills and trees so it looks like you're really out in the sticks. You roll out of your room and you're on the starting line. Add in a challenging course, great race crew and the fact that our TATUR bros are in charge of 2 aid stations really seal the deal on this one. A definite recommendation.

Friday night was almost as fun as racing. I'll be honest. I love these people. What an awesome group to spend time with. Some things might not be fit for republishing, but these are just random snippits from the two evenings:
Making Mai Tai's for random volunteers and racers along with Dr Pepper and rum for the race director, thus acquiring the official title of "Mai Tai Guy" during the next 2 days.
Learning the fine art of jacking with your competition via the Davis Way.
Explaining how Sexy uses the segue "Speaking of farming".

  The crew in the common area of our lodge
Jeff, Annie, Richelle, me, The BW & Gary

Day one is "K" day. 10k, 25k, 50k.  It's nice to eat in the lodge and then get to hang out with

everyone in the entry way before heading out to the start.

Shannon, me and Henry - Two lottery winners with the Western States vet (Henry)
Shannon took 3rd overall in the 50k and 2nd overall in the Marathon.

 

Capital Strider + The GOATz on Saturday morning

I might not be fast, but I can eat a TATUR breakfast burrito with the best of them

 

Until I have a pic with me and a WS buckle, this may stay as my favorite race picture. Our buddy Rick from MN hamming it up on the climb up Holmes Peak. The top has a great view of downtown Tulsa

 

A GOATz fest in the 50k.
Sexy, Kickass and The Sh!t bring home the Age Group hardware

 

Not to be out done, my "training" run scored the "Most Enduring" award for the 50k as last official cutoff finisher (less early start people). Not that it's a contest, but my award is bigger.

 

 



Sunday was "Imperial" day. 1/4, 1/2 and full marathon. Didn't come close to getting the enduring award this time, but could have shaved off a few minutes if I didn't have to rap with multiple race directors and the entire TATUR crew. Um, and maybe a jello shot and beer. Trekked about 24 miles of the marathon with a lady named Kathryn from OK and showed her how to do the lawnmower across the finish line - mission complete for the double.

Day two of GOATz Age Group domination
Jeff, Annie and Richelle again! No photo documentation but Gary also scored a 2nd place

 

Overall, a nice little 57 miles of WS training with a Garmin reported roughly 7500ft of change on each 25k loop and a few days with some of my favorite people.

Speaking of farming.