Calling all recruits, those looking for adventure and anyone seeking a taste of
something different. Here's a challenge--an arena in which a runner can pit
strength, endurance, and wit against a worthy foe; thankfully in this case, in
a battle whose scars are mere scratches, dents and sore muscles.
In mid-April, those enlisting for this cause can join me and about 200 others
for the 8th Battle of the Bull Run Run in Manassas, Virginia. There they will
find 50 miles of forested, rolling terrain marked with paint blazes and ribbon
that just beg to be run. This is a course that one hopes to survive, not
conquer, but I promise rewards on par with the effort.
The trial of wills the runner must endure along the way pales in comparison to
those undergone by young men from both the North and South during the two
historical Civil War battles that took place on the fields adjacent to the BRR
trails and to which this event pays homage. But perhaps the runners who grace
this course gain fortitude from the memory of those more difficult struggles
resulting in more dire consequences. I know I usually do.
The entrant can register or enlist as a member of either the North or South
and last year 22 states and Canada were represented at the BRR.
Eight hours by car will get the Rochesterian to Manassas in time for the
pre-race feed and trail briefing. This pre race stuff takes place in a spartan
dining room/kitchen in the middle of Bull Run Park where all will be offered a
simple meal of pasta and sauce, meatballs, corn, lemonade and coffee. Near
this building are a couple of other simple wooden structures housing
"barracks" for overnight stays, bathrooms and showers that will
remain hot even after the last runner crosses the finish line. Those who act
quickly and so desire can reserve overnight space in the barracks before the
race.
It is an interesting group of people who show up for these ultra-type events.
They're perhaps best described as an eccentric, eclectic and gentle group of
people. I wonder if their kind nature is the result of the humbling hours
spent on trails during these races. Anyway, at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, April
15th, those entered will begin competing against the course and themselves,
striving to reach personal goals and to earn a coveted veteran pin with stars
representing each previous BRR finish.
The trail the race is run on parallels the Bull Run and Occoquan River. The
word "Occoquan" translated from the Doag Indian dialect means
"at the end of water". The Doag were the original inhabitants of
this valley. Early colonial settlers adhered to the English custom of naming
water courses by tidal characteristics. A broad tidal stream was called a
river and a small tidal stream a creek. The water channels above the tidal
level flowed in only one direction and were named rundles or runs.
The Bull Run-Occoquan stream valley was the site of the first major Civil War
battle, one fought over the defense of the Orange and Alexandria railroad
crossing. Here on a warm day in July, 1861, the two great armies of a divided
nation clashed on the fields overlooking Bull Run. Young volunteers in
colorful new uniforms gathered together from every part of the country,
thankful that they would not miss their only battle of what they thought would
be a very short war. But the pageantry was quickly lost in the smoke, din,
dirt and death of that day. On both sides soldiers were stunned by the
violence and death around them. At day's end 900 young men lay lifeless on
these fields. 10 hours of fighting was all it took to sweep away any notion
that the war would be short and clean.
A little more than a year later in August of 1862 these armies met again on
the plains of Manassas. Gone was the enthusiastic naivete of the previous
year. The contending forces were now made up of seasoned veterans who knew the
reality of this war; knew that this was far from the holiday outing or grand
adventure they thought it might be the previous year. The 2nd battle of
Manassas spanned three days, inflicted greater damage, killing 3400 and
brought the Confederacy to the height of it's power, opening the way for the
South's first invasion of the North. It would be another three years before
war's end.
Along with the ghosts of battles past the runners will negotiate this scenic
but difficult course. I guarantee that those embracing this challenge will
feel the "historical presence" on these trails. I've run this course
twice and each day was spent running and walking with some reflection on the
past and enjoying the full beauty of the Virginian spring. The trails wander
through forest blanketed with the previous autumn's leaves and with early
spring's wildflowers. No hill presents a significant climb at BRR but their
vast numbers exact a toll too often not appreciated until late in the race.
Patience is a very powerful attribute and friend on this course. At times the
ambling and mildly rolling hills can lull the runner into a false sense of
ease. Although stunningly beautiful there are sections of this course that
are primitive in the strictest sense with poor footing and lots of rocks to
hop around. There is always the possibility of encountering that odd large
downed tree requiring some climbing from the runner plus a few rock outcrops
and crevices to squeeze in and around. This course is not boring.
Thirteen hours are allowed for finishing the distance. Start and finish of
race is at Hemlock Overlook in Occoquan Park from which the course quickly
drops to Bull Run below and follows a narrow meandering path heading upstream
along the water. After about two miles runners will bunch up a bit at the
first water crossing at Pope's Head Creek. Soon after they will leave the
waterline for four miles of rolling hills and a couple of more stream
crossings.
It's impossible to predict year to year the level of the streams the runner
must cross. The water may be low enough for one to jump from steppingstone to
steppingstone keeping their feet dry and cozy. Or not. One high water year I
stepped off a stone midstream and found myself standing in over two foot of
the Run. Just another lesson presented while ultrarunning, on how or how not
to cross water and then how to run with wet heavy feet. I recall seeing
nature's color spreading out on both sides of the trail, with noisy geese and
lazy ducks in the creeks, with fisherman here and there not catching a thing
but seeming to enjoy themselves nonetheless. The beauty of the bluebells here
carpeting the forest floor can be almost breathtaking. Or is it the trail
running doing that?
At 18 miles or there about (ah the relaxed and simple aspect of ultrarunning:
Does it matter how far it was? 17, 18 or 19 miles?) the participants find
themselves back at the Overlook and race start. At that point the course again
descends to the Run, now heading downstream into the innumerable hills that
separated the camp at the Overlook and the infamous Do Loop. Here one should
pay close attention to trail markings, you do not want to Do this Loop more
than once. Many runners in past years veered off course and repeated miles 31
through 33.5 over again a little like a computer routine caught in a
"loop". Spring's beauty can still be seen and felt in the Do Loop,
that is if you are still in the mood for Nature. It's here that the rolling
hills the BRR is famous for are compressed into tighter climbs and drops for
over 2-1/2 miles. After the 15 hills in 'da Loop, at 33-1/2 miles the runner
is on his way home, along now familiar serpentine paths that brought him here.
After surviving the Loop, the miles back to Hemlock Overlook may seem longer
but when bluebells are again spotted the runner realizes that he is near
water, hopefully the Run and close to finish; and he is. At 49-1/2 miles the
Overlook presents one last, memorably steep ascent and then the oasis of camp
and finish, the end of a worthy struggle. A victory.
The finisher will be rewarded for his effort with the cheers of goodwill from
those waiting for him. Often tears of joy and relief accompany those
accolades. For at the day's end the cherished runner is home, back in the
embrace of those who understand the challenge he undertook. Hot showers with
Fels Naptha soap (in case of poison ivy), food and that finisher's pin await
him.
The finishing line isn't given; it's earned, and therein lies the beauty.
Simple things appeal to me. Tasks like ultrarunning, putting one foot in front
of the other getting where I have to go. I like simple stories and quotes,
ones I can remember, like "adversity introduces a man to himself"
and from Plato: "self-conquest is the greatest of all victories". I
like what Keith Pippin, an ultrarunner who contributes to the UltraRunning
magazine, says about this kind of running: "Each time you run you will
receive lessons. You have enrolled in the school of ultrarunning. You may
like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid. What you think makes
no difference; the lessons will be presented until learned. When you run
there are no mistakes, only lessons. The art and science of ultrarunning is a
process of trial and error and experimentation. The failed experiments are as
much a part of the process as the combination that ultimately works."
When I apply what Keith writes about running to real life, more of that life
makes sense. Come join me and run with philosophers. In a race such as BRR I'm
introduced to myself and I like the man I meet. And I always come away from
these events in a more philosophical mood. I'd like to share this experience
with you first hand. It's out there on trail that I find life easier to
understand, and keeping it simple helps me immensely, on the trail and in real
life. At times when it gets difficult, a person's only recourse is to call on
their spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic. Yes, on a
good day I can use what I've learned through ultrarunning in larger life,
understand that I and those around me react to the world in a relative manner,
in a way that may or my not be logical. That we all have been presented
challenges and respond to life as a function of those challenges, when we are
fresh and rested the world may look different than when we're tired and
weakened. Yes, lessons will be presented in life and what ultimately works
will be realized. Refreshment will come. I'm learning more and more to
appreciate that. And it's the hours spent inside my own head while running
long distances that have helped me get a bit of a handle on that.
So there is your invitation. Let's head south for a couple of days in the
middle of April. Let's go play in the woods, revel in the springtime, maybe
testify. Should you be interested please give me a call or write.
I'd like to close this invitation and share with you a couple of quotes I
like a lot.
"Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
and
"To achieve all that is possible, we must attempt the impossible - to be
as much as we can, we must dream of being more."
- Unknown
peace, John
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