For New Year’s this year, I had the opportunity to do
something I don’t do often enough – crew for others running a race. I was looking forward to NOT racing and doing
what I could to help 8 runners from GA meet their goals at Across The Years 72
hour race in Glendale, AZ. I’d also be
doing my best to support Perry. For a 3
day race with so many runners, the crew needs crew.
A bit about the race…I first heard of ATY from Kena and was
in awe to read that she ran 209 miles.
But she was very modest and said that she knew she could do more. The course is a 1.05mi loop at Camelback
Ranch, a mix of pavement and dirt that was actually quite hard and
unforgiving. In addition to the 72-hr
race, 24- and 48-hour races would start each day at 9am. The weather forecast this year sounded near
perfect – 50s/60s during the days and 30s in the evenings, almost no chance of
rain. Cold, but tolerable – at least
that’s what I initially thought.
The plan on Friday was to shop for supplies, check in, set up
camp, and sleep! I had the pleasure of
meeting the famous Ray the K and immediately had a conversation about PRs and
American Records. The man is an
encyclopedia, computer and living legend.
Between the race venue and the host hotel, Kena, Perry and Willy kept
running into people they knew. The race
promotes a family-type atmosphere that is unlike any other race I’d been a part
of. At the breakfast buffet Saturday
morning, a fellow-racer warned me Kena will get cranky 2.5 days into the race –
really, only family could say something like that. :-) At the race start, I saw a guy in a jester
outfit who I recognized from SD100 – turns out everybody knows Ed! He stands out. :-)
He was one of the most gracious and appreciative racers I’ve ever met.
A few minutes before 9am, the racers started lining up. There were a few last minute announcements
and then go! A few people took off right
away. Um…it’s a long day (or days?) to
start off fast, but everyone is different!
It was time for the crew to settle in and “hurry up and wait.” I went for a run at a nearby park - love the saguaro catci! Runners didn’t need much early on – the
biggest concern was getting electricity to our tent area. Perry had an elaborate set up with a laptop
to track our runners, charge iPhones and iPads and light up the tent like a
Christmas tree at night. We also had
numerous battery powered devices to ensure we were the most noticeable
(obnoxious?) tent area. The only drawback was getting the van close
enough to the tent so that the extension cord would stretch. Thankfully wally-world was close and a few
hundred feet of cord later, we had power!
Our crew area evolved over 3 days – every few hours, we added more
tarps, lights, heaters, sleeping bags, food (thanks Hoa!), beer and even crew members. Tom showed up and surprised everyone. Other friends from AZ came out too – our tent
area was definitely THE place to be, for many reasons, but maybe most notably
because of the help fellow crew-member Ryan provided in terms of adjustments to
our racers, the massage table (thanks Angela!), and the PODIUM PANTS (shhh!!!). Between visitors stopping by and our racers
politely requesting food, drinks, clothing items, etc…it was a struggle to keep
the area and especially the table clean and orderly. It seems like it should be a boring 3 days
with lots of downtime, but there was always something to do – buy more cords,
buy more lights, buy more tarps, run to McDonald’s for McRibs and In ‘n Out for
animal-style burgers…
So rather than go day-by-day, I’d like to highlight the
accomplishments of each of the runners, in no particular order.
Phillip – 160.621miles. I had seen Phillip at numerous GUTS races, but
hadn’t formally met him or his wife Rhonda before ATY. Phillip has completed numerous 24hr and 100mi
races before, but a multi-day event was a new beast altogether – he had a big
mileage goal, positive attitude, and his wife Rhonda racing herself and
cheering him on. I walked with Phillip
on a few late night laps – it was tough to hear him struggling. How can a (nearly) pancake flat race in nice
temps beat someone up so badly? The
enormity of what he was attempting was hitting him and he was concerned about
Rhonda. I listened and encouraged him as
best I could and also was fortunate to spend quite a few laps with Rhonda. Being able to share how she was overcoming
obstacles and pushing on was awesome and motivating. He reached a point where each lap was a
mileage PR, re-adjusted his goals, maintained a positive and determined
attitude – seeing Phillip and Rhonda cross the finish line hand in hand was one
of the highlights of the race!
Rhonda – 100.782 miles. She’s my hero.
She’s usually supporting Phillip but has done a few times lap races
before, although admittedly doesn’t train.
She wanted to do 100 miles and nothing was going to stop her. She completed 40 miles the first day! One the 2nd and 3rd
days, I ended up being the “mean” crew member – when she wanted to stop at the
comfy, cozy tent, I said “no” and made her do one more lap. We started walking together and
bargaining. Two more laps and you can
stop for coffee, 2 more laps and you can sit for 2 minutes…by the time fewer
than 10 laps remained, she didn’t want to stop – she knew she was going to
reach her goal of 100 miles. She made
this amazing transition during the race of breaking down each day into laps,
each lap into milestones, setting small goals and embracing that she was
capable of such an incredible achievement.
Leigh – 123.878 miles. She’s tough and always up for a new challenge. An experienced hiker, cyclist and ironman
finisher, a multi-day running event was new territory though. She had a goal and a plan for reaching that
goal and started off strong.
Unfortunately, as it often the case, things don’t go as planned. Like the tough competitor she is, she
re-adjusted goals, didn’t complain and gutted out a tough last 2 days. The crew teased her that she was the
quietest, most low-maintenance racer – we kept missing her laps because she
would sneak by.
Josh – 56.69 miles. Leigh’s husband is primarily a cyclist and I’m not
sure his cycling friends knew what he had signed up for and if they did,
probably thought he was crazy. But he’s
open to new adventures and was great at supporting and encouraging Leigh and
everyone else. The crud / flu claimed
him early on, but re-adjusting goals (there’s a theme here!) he and Leigh got a
hotel room for the next few nights and graciously shared the warm room and
shower with the crew. Everybody was
appreciative of having a clean-smelling crew!
Willy “Natureboy” – 164.82 miles. This was Willy’s second year competing
in ATY. He’d completed a 500mi race
earlier in the year, so what’s a few hundred more miles in a couple of
days? Somehow Willy escaped me being the
“mean” crew member – he would stop, I would get him blankets, McRibs, let him
sleep… At the risk of ruining his reputation for being mean, he was a guardian
angel to numerous racers on the course – whenever someone needed company or
motivation on a few laps, running or walking, he was there.
Ed – 200.514 miles. I didn’t get to hang out with Ed until after the
race. But it was always nice to be able
to cheer on a GA runner and he always appreciated the cheers and support. He had such a positive attitude and
perspective and I look forward to seeing him on trails in the future.
Joe – 329.64 miles. I
don’t really need to say anything else.
It’s difficult to comprehend that number. Especially given impressive distances he
covered in 24 hour races in the previous weeks leading up to the race. We had numerous friends in common but didn’t
meet until the morning of the race. He’s
humble, down to earth, and just likes to run (and keep running). For someone to cover that many miles, he was
pretty-low key and self-sufficient, taking advantage of race food, and stopping
by our tent occasionally for iPod charging, naps and morale boosts. He did a good job of shutting off his brain
and listening to what Perry and Ray told him (when to sleep, how long to sleep,
etc…) and staying in continual forward motion.
When he broke the record at 324 miles, we were careful to tell him it
was the record-setting lap, NOT the last lap.
Afterall, Ray reminded him it’s a 72-hour race, not a 70 hour race. Another highlight for me was watching him
complete the last few laps with Ray – legend and one in the making.
Kena – 254.054 miles.
Again, I don’t really need to say much else – that number speaks for
itself and is equally difficult for me to comprehend. She set a high mileage goal before the race
and everybody had complete confidence in her.
She is one of the most positive, encouraging people I know. She made me promise that I would still like
her if / when she got crabby at night. I
don’t know how one keeps moving continuously for 3 days straight and doesn’t
have minor breakdowns. She doesn’t let
other people quit in races she’s volunteering at or in charge of and that kind
of determination was going to get her through 72 hours with record-setting
mileage. Each time there was a low,
Perry or Willy or Ray or Ed or one of the other ATY runners would know what to
say and she’d be back running, smiling and focused. And she had positive words of encouragement
for everyone on the course, especially her closest competitor Charlotte. Seeing the 2 of them race against each other
for 3 days and then push each other to achieve personal bests was the ultimate
display of sportsmanship. It was a struggle at
times – and it could seem that friendship and competitiveness and the desire to
win were at odds. But it worked out
beautifully. Charlotte set a Canadian
record, Kena set the course (and American? or world?) record and they couldn’t have done
it without motivating each other the last few hours. A week after the race, I asked for a race
report. Kena’s response was “I wouldn’t
know what to say except that I felt more loved than ever and I am forever
grateful for all of the support that I had.
Thank you!!!” Another legend in the
making.
I can’t wrap this up without a few words about Perry. His MacGuyver skills made sure we could land
planes at night, if need be, in addition to staying warm and dry. But more
importantly, he understands the logistics of multi-day racing, the stress the
runners are under, and what to tell them about food, sleep and competitors to
keep them motivated and moving forward.
And he’s able to do this while remaining (relatively) coherent on 4
hours of sleep in 3 days. He could still
read – the same couldn’t be said for some of the ultrarunners… ;-)
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of
ATY2012 – it was amazing to witness all 8 runners from GA setting personal
mileage bests, including 2 course records.
Will there be a next year? As a
crew – definitely! Records were made to
be broken and I’d like to see a few more fall. :-)
