Hellgate will always be a very special race. I wanted to run the race again but this was 2020. After months of everything being cancelled, it was hard to know if the race would even happen. Dr. Horton put out the applications before he heard back about the permits being secured. On the one hand, all our travel was cancelled so my long runs were very consistent this year. Ran 14-15 every weekend during the summer, and upped it to 20+ mile long runs in the mountains, usually a loop of a section of the Hellgate course plus the AT or some other trails, every weekend, and building up my back-to-back run to about 15 miles. On the other hand, it was hard to be mentally/emotionally invested in training for a race that may end up cancelled. I ran a lot of long runs alone for the first time when my running buddies succumbed to various injuries, illnesses, and schedule conflicts. I cautiously held out hope that the race would still happen and it would be a highlight in a difficult year.
To my delight, my application was accepted by the race committee. I continued to run many training runs on the course. I started to feel bad about all the downed trees I was reporting when I had only made it out for a few hours of trail work to help. My friend Helen decided she was going to run the race again as well and we ran several long training runs together when our schedules lined up.
A few days before the race, our governor announced he'd be implementing additional restrictions in light of the covid-19 pandemic. We all held our breaths for his announcement, and let out a huge sigh of relief when the midnight-5am curfew would not be implemented until Sunday night/Monday morning so the race could still go on.
 |
| Image credit: https://www.instagram.com/jimmie.rhoades/ |
Friday arrived and my friend Freda gave me a ride to camp. It was such a strange atmosphere this year. We had check-in, and then dinner was a boxed dinner to go. There were dozens of cars already there but I only saw a few people. Everyone was spread out eating in their cars, at outdoor picnic tables, or in the scattered tables in a few buildings that were open. We all wore masks in buildings (except eating & drinking) and spread out. Normally the prerace dinner packs everyone into Camp Bethel's lodge, with runners piling onto couches and chairs, surrounded by crew and volunteers. This year we were spread out, wearing masks, in a huge gym. Not everyone attended. It felt very different and a little sad, as grateful as I was that we were still having the event.
Most of the prerace meeting we discussed things we needed to do differently this year-have a mask or gaiter for aid stations, the start, and inside buildings, lots of individually packed food at aid stations, volunteers wearing gloves & masks, temperature check, not congregating in big groups, staggered start, etc. in addition to the normal information about the course and the people who make the race happen.
After the prerace meeting, I would normally hang around and chat nervously with other runners. This year was kind of weird, so while I did talk to people for about 15 minutes, after that people started to disappear. My friends who were driving me to the start weren't planning to arrive until closer to 11, so I took the opportunity to lie down with my eyes closed for an hour or two. I couldn't really sleep but I was hoping to fool my brain and body into thinking I was just getting up for another early morning run. Around 10:30 I started getting my race clothes on, chatting with a few other ladies who were around, second-guessing wardrobe choices. We knew it would be a warm year but we also knew that there was no crew access at Petite's this year, so whatever we wore at the start we would be carrying with us for the first 25 miles.
Missy and Mary arrived at the camp. I was so excited to have them (and later Tabitha) crewing me during the race. We had run together a lot over the spring and summer but in the fall we had just been eating together. Mary braided my hair, we found Helen, and we all headed to the start. I'm pretty sure I had packed enough food to fill in for a missing aid station for all runners if the need arose.
The normal festivities of singing "O Holy Night" and the national anthem were reserved for the first 25 runners, so we waited in the car at Natural Bridge until it was a few minutes out from our 12:21 start time. One last chance to grab a jacket and snap a picture and we headed over. When Dr. Horton called our names we came around the gate, and then at 12:21 we headed out. It was different to have a quieter start with only 25 people, but I kind of liked that most people were running a similar pace to me. I felt like I was going out a bit faster than I intended but I was excited about the race and the 40ish degree weather. The puddles had dried up quite a bit from the previous week so while we still got our feet wet, it was less and also not so cold. Before I knew it we were coming out to AS1 and heading up the road.
The climb up to Petite's Gap made me really appreciate the wave start. Every other year I've been in the last few runners, looking up at the stream of lights headed up the hill. That was still there, but for the first time, I got to look down and see lights following me up the mountain. What a cool view!
The weather was perfect as we ran. I felt great. Helen and I made it to the top of Petite's Gap about 12 minutes faster than we had the previous week on our training run, which was a boost of confidence. I felt strong. I spent the time talking with other runners, enjoying the night, marveling at the moon and the stars, and just being so grateful to be healthy enough to run and to have the opportunity to run an in-person race for the first time in 15 months.
Our little group of runners started to thin out on the grassy road and I found myself running longer sections alone. Climbing up Overstreet Creek road a bit later, I was kicking myself for never finishing my Hellgate master course info document I've had in the works for years now. How long is this climb? A mile? Two? I was hoping to arrive shortly after 6:00 and surprisingly did, somewhere around 6:10 or 6:15. I wasn't far off my fastest year and I was noticeably ahead of where I had been the last time I ran Hellgate. At Floyd's Field I saw my crew for the first time. It's such a gift to have friends willing to drive around the mountains all night long to support you running a race!
After Floyd's Field I didn't see another runner until the last bit before coming into Jennings Creek. That's how it would be the rest of the day-I'd see maybe a runner or two between each aid station. We had certainly accomplished our goal of spreading out runners more than normal. Also, normally this section down to Jennings Creek is mostly in the dark for me, but thanks to the delayed start, I got to run a fair bit of it in daylight. That was a welcome change. (Although, sad note-because it was daylight when I arrived I didn't get to see the inflatable unicorn lit up. Gotta get faster.)
Although I had brought music, I found myself not even wanting to listen to it. I just enjoyed being outside. Here I was in the middle of the race and it was still hard to believe we were actually running in person. So much of the year I really thought it would end up cancelled. In a weird way, I almost felt guilty that it didn't when so many other important events did get cancelled this year. But I was very grateful. Grateful to be in a race, grateful to have good weather, grateful that my foot was healed enough from last year's stress fracture to run, grateful for seeing so many friends at aid stations and on the course. The section from Jennings to Little Cove is my favorite section of the race, when I feel like I could run forever, and this year I just relished running and the whole experience there.
The day plodded along without a lot of remarkable events-I felt pretty good. I had an amazing crew. The aid station volunteers were wonderful and it was super convenient to have everything already in little baggies to go. The only real hiccup was a nasty stumble in the devil trail where I smashed a few toes hard. Otherwise I just kept running. I wasn't on my record pace, but I was running very well, only a few minutes off my fastest time. The miles were rolling by relatively easily. If I kept it up, had a banner day and never slowed down, I knew it was possible to break 17 hours, but that admittedly wasn't a super strong motivation, just a curiosity of whether I could ever do it. I really wanted to finish in 17:30 or less, but most of all, enjoy the day.
I came into Bearwallow around 11:45-a strong time for me-and my husband and kids were there. Such a great encouragement to see them out there!! I hope someday my kids will want to do a trail race with me. My crew was there too, and Tabitha joined me to run from there. Company! It was so nice to have conversation the rest of the race after a lot of miles without even being able to see another runner ahead of or behind me.
This section is usually where I start to feel tired, and this was no exception. Some of those climbs are short and steep. I was so glad for the training run where I realized that, to my surprise, this section is only about 6 miles. It feels so much longer on tired legs. But we just kept moving, and Tabitha kept talking to me, and sure enough, we eventually crossed over the ridge and headed down to the road to Bobblets.
At Bobblets Mary joined us too. I thoroughly enjoyed running with these ladies through the forever section. I was getting tired and it really did kind of feel like forever. It was starting to get warm (65ish and sunny), which wasn't the hottest it's been out there but exaggerated the tired feelings a bit. But even though I was getting tired and slowing down, I still felt strong. Nothing really hurt, and my legs felt pretty good. Just getting tired. This is the first time I've run this race that even in this forever section, I was feeling pretty confident that I was going to finish.
Rolling into Day Creek, I got to see Missy again. Last time! I really tried to enjoy the last climb up and the road down, remembering other reports of this being a victory lap of sorts. Around the gate, a mile done. Raised a glass to the Blackhorse Tavern as we passed by. Come around the corner to see the gate at the top and the parkway. Such a gift to be out there running and the day was just beautiful. Looking out over the mountains as we climbed and the first part of the descent-we live in such a gorgeous state.
The sun was setting on our way down from the parkway, so we still only had to run a few miles in the dark. Even though I had walked pretty much the entire last climb, I felt good enough to run the last few miles (with a few walking breaks and some encouragement from Mary and Tabitha). We turned the corner into the camp, ran what felt like another eight miles through the camp (I know it's really only a quarter mile or so), and finally, there was the finish line! Dr. Horton was there, my family was there, a few other people I knew-and I finished in 17:28. I was so tired and so excited! It felt good to finish with time to spare, not worried about cutoffs, and to beat my goal.
Every year I've managed to shave just a few minutes off. 17:45, then 17:40, then 17:34, now 17:28. Every year a PR. This year was pretty much perfect-the course was in fabulous shape. Dr. Horton had cleared every single downed tree we found. The water level was down. No ice. Temps above freezing the whole day. I even had more daylight with the late start. And my training had gone well-I didn't miss any long runs at all and had run 20+ every weekend since Labor Day. If I can't break 17 hours with everything going well, that may just be out of my league. But that's okay. This is a crazy hard race even with 18 hours. And I'm so grateful to be back out here running.
Thank you to Dr. Horton, for all the work he put in this year, which sounds like even more than a normal year. Thank you to Barry & Camp Bethel for all the work to host the race and make all the accommodations needed in a pandemic year. Thank you to the volunteers who kept the aid stations open for hours longer than other years, and who were so encouraging and helpful all day. Thank you to my training buddies and crew: Freda, Mary, Missy, Tabitha, and Helen for all the support and encouragement and miles shared. Thank you to my family for coming out to the aid station and to the finish-you will always be my favorite people to see at a race.
I'm so thankful for another chance to be part of this very special race. One more finish to get my eagle trophy. Here's to Hellgate 2021!
