It
was another trip with a big crew from Oklahoma with George Haney (his 3rd race
ever) Aaron O and Jordo (from Tulsa), Kasey Ng (my cousin), a healed ready to
run Kendal Repass, his wife Hali, my wife Kristin, my 9-year-old son Stihl, and
the course recorder holder Tom Brennan.
My fifth trip out to ABF Marathon to run over 8 mountains
see my favorite Aid Station that comes all the way from Texarkana, then to turn
around and run back over 8 mountains!
The race
director at the beginning has everyone raise there hand if they have gotten
lost before in this race and almost every person that has raced before has
gotten lost in previous years. We gather
for the race picture and Aaron says to me, “I forgot my watch and my
radio.” He still had his warm up clothes
on so I ask, “you still going to race?” And he said, “a Yeah.” So I said , “well get those clothes off he is
gonna start us right after this picture!”
So he started rushing around and my wife was running to the woods for a
last min bathroom break and she would miss the start so I yelled at Stihl to
run with Hali. Hali looked just as
relieved as Stihl because they both were counting on running with Kristin and
she wasn’t at the start! Later I come to find out she hit a 7-min mile to make
up for lost time.
Tom and I were in the front and a guy asked which one of you
has the Course Record. Before I could say “he’s not here today they say he is a
ghost and his name is Tom, and he starts in the back and then comes flying by
on the second half of the race and you never have time to see him.” Tom had said, “I have the Record and it is
for sure the slowest Marathon CR in the Nation.” The reason Tom stated this because the race
measured 7,000 feet of vertical gain and it is one rough single-track trail. This year was going to be a little more
difficult with the past storm leaving a mess of branches and trees across the
trails.
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| Wilson Klutts (Happen to be on the Trail) |
The temp
was perfect but it was a bit humid for the guy that sweats on the 20-degree lite
run in the winter but my hands freeze so I am pretty much a wimp I know but
love to run in the cold! So after a
couple miles it was Tom and I pretty far out front and I was trying to decide
what kind of time I wanted to chase after for the day! Tom had set some good guidelines for me on
this race years ago and the main one was not to look at your watch on the way
out! I looked at my watch the year I was
in the lead and I pushed myself into a big crash after the turn around so Tom
was pretty spot on! This would be my
game plan the complete way out only looking at my watch only to guess when I
needed to hit some fuel. I only talked
to Tom a couple times after we had hit the single-track southbound trip
out. I mentioned all the trees down,
pointed out some deer, and asked him, “Is this the 8th
mountain?” He replied, “yes.” And I thought,
FINALLY! We hit the forest road before
the turn around and ran together and talked about what time he thought we were
going to hit the turn around. Tom said, “my guess is a 2:15” I told him my
guess was a 2:15 and he said you can’t guess the same number and I told him I
had hit 2:15 3 out of the 4 previous years and I said if I had to pick another
number it would be a little slower than 2:15.
We hit the turn around at 2:17 grabbed some grub and headed back
out. And I said to Tom, “2:04 will get
your course record, looks like it will live another year!”
A surprising 3rd place
came onto the trail only trailing by 6 minutes. I told Tom he could lead and pull a little
while and we stopped for a potty stop and pull is what he did! We hit the first
mountain on the way back with an up temp pace and the flats between were the
same story. It took all I had for the
next 3 mountains to stay with Tom on the downhill sections as he blazes down
them faster than I have seen any other trail runner. We got into the Blaylock Creek aid station
(Mile 18) the race director! Thanks so Much STEVE! Saw I was gassed and Tom
also saw I was gassed so he broke out of the aid station pretty quick. I was down to one last gel so I snagged a big
piece of Cake and took off behind Tom.
He blasted across the creek and I ran up creek 20 yards and played
frogger across to keep my feet dry! This
was the first year I had ever had dry feet this far into the race!
We hit the steepest climb on the
way back next and Tom seemed to finally let off the kill it button and was I
ever glad! This would be my slowest pace
of the race but was still trying to regain composer. I love an out and back course when you say on
the way out I am going to run that when I get back to it, and I had already
made up my mind I was going to run the 13th mountain. Tom set a good hike pace in and I was still
running, so I made up some ground quickly that I had lost on the downhill
making a pass with my steady pace up the 13th. Didn’t really try to make a move, I thought
what is the point he will catch me if he is felling good and never know just
keep pushing is what I kept in my head.
I hit the next big climb, hiked hard seeing my wife at the top kept me
moving what I felt like fast. Slapped
her on the butt, and she smiled I didn’t say a word I just kept moving!
The last aid station (Little
Missouri River) I noticed Tom was not right behind me anymore, I got one last
big drink of water. Running the last
mountain always feels good, coming near bottom of the backside before the
single track ran out onto the road I saw blaze orange waist up to cap running! And I knew this was George Haney, he said
after the race, “I hadn’t seen anyone in a really long time and I hear the loud
noise coming down the mountain and then a huge hawler, and I didn’t need to
turn around I knew it was you.” This was
his 3rd race with World’s Highest Hill his first, man is he ever
tough, he and many other runners were doing the Fun Run almost 18 miles and
4,600 feet of elevation! Doesn’t the sound fun?
Looking at
my watch when I hit the road I knew I would have to run hard to get a PR on
this course so I picked up the pace which helped my peace of mind knowing a
legend and the course record holder wasn’t far behind me! Tom is one tough runner and his course is
going to stand for many years even if a fast marathon toes the line they are
going to have to work super hard to get his record!
I was surprisingly dehydrated from
sweating so much! Hard to think you can
do that in January but I was soaked from head to toe! So I got inside to the great cheering crowd
gathered around the fire!
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| Zoom in on the Snot! |
Always good times at ABF and plan
to go there for many years to come! You
will not find more beautiful country around these parts near Oklahoma or
Arkansas. Proud of my wife and cousin
and my son that wanted to go 17 miles but my wife turned him around at the 4
mile mark so he got 8 miles and 1,000 feet and he loved it! Go climb a mountain and you will not be sorry
you did when you get to the top you feel like you achieved so much and you will
see some of God’s beautiful creation that he created for you and me!
1st Place 4:29:40
1st Place 4:29:40
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