By Robin Fry and Friends
As I ran away from Rock Point, with 191 miles done, I saw a
1960s era van-VW? probably…but possibly a
Dodge. It was hard to say for sure, as the thing was in the shade of
some tall trees. I had never seen a car parked on that side of the road,
indeed, I did not think there really was room for a car there, but I saw the
van in vivid detail. It was an interesting pale green with yellow trim. I ran a
few more steps and the van dissolved, leaving behind only the green and yellow
fluttering leaves which had formed it in my trail-weary mind. Similar illusions
had happened during the two previous nights, but now such a blatant appearance
of unreality, in broad, bright autumn daylight had me a tad concerned. When this was over, and I had finally slept
more than the one hour I’d had during this run, would I once again see things
“normally”?
The days of this run were all golden, following a raging
storm the night before we began. We ran through three days of pure sunshine,
with not one cloud following the first morning, and the brightest stars I had
seen since living in Idaho, in the shadow of the Teton Range. Autumnal colors were at their peak. In
short, so many factors were just perfect for this run. Perhaps that explained
the relative lack of distress I had felt since overcoming the sleepiness of the
first night, during the later stages of the first hundred. How can one be in a
hurry to end an adventure in such a wondrous setting? Well, it still does, occasionally, hurt like hell.
The Double MoE had grown from a carelessly
uttered thought, during one of many fine training runs in May. I was running
with Regis Shivers and his son…Regis Shivers.
“Hey, what do you guys think of doing a double Mo?”
(“What have I
done, I immediately thought”)
“Yeah, let’s do it!”,
said the Regises.
The field had grown to seven by the beginning of the week of
the event, but one runner, Don Baun, pulled out the night before. He had hoped to
fit this run in around his duties as cross-country coach at nearby Loudonville
High School. On the eve of the event he faced the realization of the very
difficult logistics of what he hoped to do, made even more imposing by the
sudden occurrence of a terrible migraine. Once the headache resolved, Don
appeared to run with most of us and probably covered over 60 miles. I expect he will appear for the next
running….if….
Frederick Davis III announced his desire to join us only a
few days before we began. He would be running with no crew, but we hoped he
could survive with the help of some aid
caches along the course. Some navigational difficulties hampered Fred on the first day and he withdrew, but stayed
around to enjoy the camaraderie. The course could have been better marked, but
unfortunately, time did not allow this to happen.
Regis Jr. had come
to face his longest run yet, just hours after learning of the sudden
death of a very good friend. Regis pulled out on Thursday, the first day, after
50 miles, when he decided he would return home to attend his friend’s funeral.
The elder Regis led at the half, which he reached in 24
hours 50 minutes. This placed him in
good positioning for an amazing 200-mile time. He would continue to press on at
a hard pace, through most of the second
day. Fatigue would set in soon after
dark and he would take an extended sleep break after 133 miles.
I began the second 100 about 2 hours behind Regis Sr. I had
run the last 30 miles of the first 100 with Jim Musselman, as he worked towards
his 12th 100-mile trail run of the year. We both fought off the
sandman as the miles began to pass more slowly. I seemed to be the more
snooze-prone, and Jim was amused at some of my hypnogogic mutterings. I recall commenting about what
at first appeared to be a giant parade type balloon floating overhead, until I
realized it was merely the clown-shaped space between the leaves of two very
tall trees which stood on opposite sides of the hilly, gravel road below Turkey
Ridge. One of the more amusing
instances was when I awoke to the sight of what appeared to be a large hawk
swooping toward me from the left side of the road. I then realized the illusion
was actually created by the beam from Jim’s flashlight which he had suddenly
pointed in my direction. Yes, we were
out there on the edge, for certain.
Jim and I arrived at the 100-mile mark in 26:10, at which
point Jim called an end to the adventure. I encouraged him to fly to Colorado
and duel with Jose’ Wilkie for “first to reach thirteen 100 mile trail runs in
one year honors”, but he declined.
Meanwhile, Jerry Bartram pressed on, doing the Double MoE as
a stage type run. He had run 57 miles on Thursday, and 43 miles on Friday. Jerry
had been so ecstatic after completing his first 100 mile trail run here in
June, sub-24 hours, that he had tattoo of the Mohican 100 logo etched into his
right shoulder area.On his third day of running here, he faced the reality that
the 84 hour cutoff would be unbeatable for him this year and withdrew with 107
miles. His attitude remained upbeat as he stayed on and encouraged the two
remaining runners, Regis Sr. and
myself.
I arrived at the Fire tower, mile 132, about 30 minutes
after Regis had returned to camp to sleep. I continued on, hoping to meet up
with two friends who had called my wife, Marcia, from the State Park camping
area. My task was made easier by the bright light from a newly acquired Bison Sportslight.
I kept my aid stops brief, for the most part, and was surprised at the relative
ease of the run at this point in comparison to past 2nd half efforts
at the Mohican 100. I ate very well, thanks to Marcia, and my children,
Mackenzie, Corey and Logan. The perfect weather helped to keep me free of the
nausea that has frequently plagued me.
Upon arriving at Hickory Ridge, mile 139.5, I went horizontal for about 20 minutes. My
calves were due a respite—the venous return was getting a little bit lazy; and
the metabolic furnace was ready for a good stoking. Ahhh, what a feast, stir-fried chicken, rice, potatoes, hot
coffee, and whatever under the bright
October constellations and a slice of lunar light. 11:00 PM folks, the park is
officially closed.
As I ran out the
gravel trail from Hickory Ridge, a car approached.The car contained my two
friends, Mark Bodamer and Jamie Hurley, now on their way home after failing to
find me on the trail. They had been running towards me on the course and only
left it for a few minutes. They wished
me well and headed back to the Cleve-opolis.
Now back to the Covered Bridge, under cover of the night,
and onto the gnarly waterfall loop—roots, rocks, and the sounds of night
birds. I made a brief stop where the
trail pops out at a parking area by the dam. I ran up a road section and looked
back to see a black vehicle pull behind my crew’s vehicles, and I thought it
was Jerry’s wife, Regina. I finished the waterfall loop without any major
disaster—just a few lacerations to the right hand in a little slip at the
bridge in the dark, my light out so as to be inconspicuous.
Now, on to the Bridle trail camp again, energy ebbing-but
151 miles behind me. Only two hours now until dawn and I was craving sunlight
to help keep the illusions on a tighter rein.
How many ways can a weary mind misinterpret clusters of fallen leaves—topped off with what appeared to be a
family of five small furry animals…very
cute, but how did they turned back into
piles of oak leaves and twigs? On on!
Back to Rock Point
again, mile 158 passed in 48 hours. One more trip around the Mohican Memorial
State Forest, and Mohican State Park, then hit the hilly roads back to camp. Truly,
I was digging this last day, a bright, pure blue ceiling framed by the hardwood
gold and evergreens. The heat rose a little, and water flowed through me.
I began to focus
more and more on the thought of 60 hours, two times around the Mohican
100-Mile, in two times its time limit. I was determined not to let this one get
away without a fight.
My daughter,
Mackenzie, ran with me after a last trip up the fire tower (where I looked out
over the forest and, more than ever before, felt like a part of it). I nibbled
a steak and egg bagel sandwich as we ran down a pleasant grade through the
pines.
“Only three more years and I’ll be
able to think like a tree, Mackenzie.” (My apologies to author Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It )
Back at the covered bridge again, through the picnic area, and my older son Corey came out
to run. We watched a Saturday morning bust as we left the state park campground
(alcoholic beverages prohibited-sorry folks, you’all goin’ to jail).
Hickory Ridge, now
11:00 AM under bright sunlight.
I need to keep on rolling because 60 hours is coming up fast now! Covered bridge, one last time. Back to the bridle trail camp and then into
the longest single section of the course, three crossings of Pine Run (merely a
trickle in spite of the torrents on Wednesday evening). Back at the old cemetery, sit for three
minutes, then on to Rock Point. At Rock
Point I find the Musselmans and the Bartrams having cold cuts by the trail. No
boloney for me now, thank you. All I want to eat is the last 10.7 miles of hilly, graveled road.
The 60s van had
me a bit unsettled-it dissolved before
I could determine ….VW or Dodge? Plymouth?
Greenbrier? Gone, whatever it
was, replaced by fall foliage.
The road passes somewhat slowly but there is no suffering,
just a longing to be done—and lie down. Corey joins me again for the last 5
miles. A few more short climbs, and the time marches past 59:30. Mohican Wilderness Campground lies below, at
a bend in the Mohican River. I catch a glimpse of our campsite—The Finish! Now a last one-fourth mile long, steep descent, followed by a short stretch of flat
road. Then, down a bank and into the
north end of Mohican Wilderness Campground, through the camp of a troop of
surprised boy scouts. One half mile more. I see the carsonite marker with the
Mohican 100 Mile Trail logo, and I pull it from the ground as I round the last
turn. The finish….13 minutes to spare before 60 big ones. AHHHH!!!!!!!! WHAT A TRIP!!!!!!
From Ute Musselman:
When Jim heard about
the Double MoE, he thought that nothing better could possibly top off his year
(11 100-mile finishes). It was
practically all he talked about since running Superior with Regis Shivers Jr
and he was very mentally prepared for the challenge. Unfortunately, Jim experienced severe blisters during the Angeles
Crest, run which were not completely healed (probably in part due to Arkansas
Traveler a week later). He was also
experiencing sharp, shooting pains in his feet. We were both very disappointed that he couldn't do the Double,
but I'm still very proud of him and his accomplishments this year!
I was relieved that the runners stayed together or paired
off throughout most of the run. This
meant that I would always have someone with me at the aid stops. Diana, Regina, and Marcia were
lifesavers. They gave me great
directions and I always had someone to follow if I needed to (I have an
incredible tendency to get lost). I had
met Diana Shivers before, but only briefly, and it was very nice to get to know
her better. During the night and early
morning hours, when Regis Sr pulled ahead of Jim and Robin, Marcia was my angel
(it was very cold, and I would bundle up and fall fast asleep).
After completing
100 miles Friday morning, Jim took it easy the rest of the day...his feet
looked pretty rough and I can only imagine how they must have felt.
On Saturday, Jim
was starting to forget how much pain he was in during the run and was thinking
maybe he could run some more and possibly finish the 200 -- a thought that
quickly vanished after he started walking around. We decided to go on a picnic instead. We chose the Rock Point aid stop, mostly because of its
seclusion, but also because we thought either Regis or Robin would be by sooner
or later. Jerry and Regina showed up a
little while after we got there; good company and a very pleasant
afternoon. Around 4:00 Robin came
through, about 10 miles away from the Double MoE.
I know Jim would
love to do this one again (you know, "200's, a new frontier in ultra
running"). As for me, I'll be
waiting at the aid stops, enjoying the scenery.
____________________________
From Diana Shivers:
My thoughts for the Double Moe were not good ones when it
was being discussed and then eventually planned. 200 miles in 4 days with not much
rest!!! NOT!! But being the "good
" wife and mom and dedicated support crew I thought I might as well do the
best I can and go along.
Preparing for it was not an organized thing (Since my heart
wasn't in it. ). We just kinda threw things together to go. One thing that I
wasn't going to do was crew for Regis Sr & Regis Jr. both. Did that for other races and that was tough.
But once again I did and it worked out for a while since they ran together
(until Jr dropped out at mile 50 ) All I know is that I'm glad the event
happened because actually everything
went pretty "dog-gone" smooth (as Reg would say ).
It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. All in all
it was a good 4 days with good friends. Our thanks to Robin & his family
for all the hard work they did to make it a success. Thanks also to JoelPeterson
& Don Baun for running with Reg to keep up his morale. My thanks to Josh
Peterson ( Joel' s son) for helping me crew & keeping me company.
____________________________
From Jerry Bartram:
My first
experiment in multiday running met with mixed results. Physically, I feel that
I did fairly well. Not as well,
perhaps, as I had thought, but okay. I
was still able to "run" on Saturday and had no lasting soreness,
other than a tender right ankle (wore the wrong shoes too long on
Thursday). My biggest problem was lack
of mental preparation.
Attempting to cover the Mohican 100 twice in less than 4
days required adjustments that I was not prepared for and simply did not make.
The Mohican 100 is not an easy course, even though Courtney Campbell made it
look that way in June. The enormity of
finishing that 100 miles and knowing that you are only half way is HUGE! Even though at that point I knew that I
didn't have time to finish, it was exhilarating, starting back out thinking
about running the course again and trying to figure out just how far I could
make it. I found that without the"hook"
of finishing, it rapidly became more work than fun and I withdrew
after only 107 miles.
The two runners that completed the Double Moe, Robin Fry and
Regis Shivers Sr., are to be congratulated.
They are very talented and dedicated runners with a tremendous amount of
desire and heart! Their accomplishment
borders on amazing even if all that you consider is the distance and terrain!
I am thoroughly
convinced that none of the six of us that started this adventure could have
done it without the excellent support that we shared! All our wives sacrificed sleep, food, comfort, and more so that
we could "chase our dreams".
I will forever cherish the memories and the experience of
this adventure and am grateful for all our support crews, as well as the
support and encouragement each runner shared.
I am especially thankful for the experience and the opportunity to make
new friends. One person, in particular,
took time out of his very busy schedule to come out and support us and run with
us, even though he could not participate in the event as he had planned. I really appreciated your help andcompanionship,
Don. Thanks a million! Maybe next year we'll both do a better
job!
I returned to the
forest, eight days later, to retrieve an aid cache from a “Park ‘n Pack”
campground. So much different now, I
thought, to enjoy the forest, at dusk, without having to run along.
It brought a sense of “closure”, in a way, to return the
supply box to the truck, thus leaving the forest free, for the most part, of
remnants of the run.
A gent came walking by and struck up a conversation. He
asked if I had been bow-hunting.
“No, I was just retrieving some supplies.”
“Oh….”
“From an event last week.”
“Oh, the run?”
I smiled, how did he know?
“I met a woman with three
teenagers, waiting for one of the runners”, said the gent.
“The youngest one is only 11.”
We continued to talk until well past dark, he with genuine
interest, and myself with wonderful enthusiasm.
It had been, indeed, a magical run with Mo ther Earth!
The Double MoE 200 Mile Run Loudonville,
Ohio October 14-17
2 laps, 100 mile loop, trails and country roads.
Finishers:
Robin Fry; 47
59 hrs 47min.
Regis Shivers; 50
73 hrs 27 min.
_____________________________
Jerry Bartram
107 Miles, stages Jim Musselman
100 Miles 26:10
Regis Shivers, 29
50 Miles
Frederick Davis III 38 Miles +?