"Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop.” ~ LC

Jul 10
29

Tahoe Rim Trail 100-Mile

After reading Packman’s incredible TRT100 race report I’m feeling less then motivated to write a detailed report of my own but I’ve given it a try… here it is broken down into stages from aid station to aid station

Pre-Race
We completed the race package pick-up, medical check-in, drop bag drop-off, and race brief on Friday afternoon in Carson City after doing a little scout of the safety runner check-in aid stations that morning. There were two stations for safety runners to check-in, the 50-Mile aid station of the race by Spooner Lake and the aid station at the Diamond Peak Ski Resort which we would hit at 30 and 80 miles. We spent the rest of Friday afternoon and evening relaxing at my parents place which was about 45 minutes from the race start.

Krista drove Packman and I out to Spooner Lake early Saturday morning dropping us off about 40-45 minutes before the race start. I was feeling a little nervous but nothing that wasn’t expected. As we were walking down to the start I noticed a familiar face walking in front of us, Scott Dunlap, so just had to say “Hi”.

We both decided to take the run to the first aid station, Hobart, really easy and thought we should run it together and then let things play out as they would.

Start to Hobart – Brothers

We felt the heat right away, it was already getting warm at 5am, and the effects of the elevation hit us on the very first climb, we were breathing hard even on the gentle ascents. We were able to fall into a nice pace through this section though, running or power-hiking the ascents, cruising the descent towards Marlette Lake and then following the trail along the edge of the lake before continuing up towards the Hobart aid station. We stuck together most of the way to Hobart spending the time chatting with each other and the other runners but a little ways before Hobart there was an outhouse and as soon as I saw it I knew I’d have to pay it a visit so I let Packman know I’d be stopping. We wished each other a good run and said our goodbyes as we both knew this would probably be the last time we saw each other until the finish. After my pit stop I continued on to Hobart solo and completed the majority of my first lap that way.

Hobart to Tunnel Creek – Cruise control
This next section had some of the most incredible vistas of the course the most spectacular of which was a view of Marlette Lake with Lake Tahoe in the background – stunning! Just after leaving Hobart you were climbing up to a vista point and then crossed a small patch of snow before getting into what I thought were some of the best trails on the course. At the race briefing they described the course as mostly single track trail and while I’d agree that it was single track in that it was not accommodating for two people running abreast there is a world of difference between the single track in Nevada and the single track we run on in British Columbia. The TRT course was very runnable, the track was fairly wide without many roots or rocks sticky up and most was wonderfully soft. Of course to truly take advantage of the course it would help to be acclimatized to the heat and elevation… Between Hobart and Tunnel Creek I had my first experience with the long descents that I would later come to dread.

Tunnel Creek/Red House Loop – Stay relaxed
As I came into Tunnel Creek I was instantly impressed with the size and scope of the aid station. It was big and extremely organized and fun – such great volunteers! I didn’t stick around long though, just long enough to grab another bag of Shot Blocs from my drop bag and have my Nathan refilled then it was time to head down the Red House Loop. The RH Loop started with a dusty and steep descent and then wound around on single track and some dirt roads before heading straight back up that initial descent. The climb out was when I really started to notice the heat and it was still fairly early, I kept telling myself to relax and not worry about it, just keep on the hydration and all would be well.

Tunnel Creek to Bull Wheel – Feeling good
Coming back into Tunnel Creek from the RH Loop was the first time I would get weighed that day, we had got our initial weights recorded on a wristband during check-in, I was down 4 pounds and received instructions to try to keep it right there. I figured I’d keep with my plan for a drink every 15 minutes and see how that would work. From Tunnel Creek there was a long section to get to Diamond Peak with a small aid station, Bull Wheel, just a short ways from Tunnel Creek so that we could top up our fluids. I don’t remember much about this section.

Bull Wheel to Diamond Peak – That was fun
The crew at Bull Wheel had a small table set up with some treats, they had lots of water available, and they had some tunes going – once again I was feeling impressed with just how organized and fun the aid stations were. From Bull Wheel I continued along the back side of Diamond Peak heading towards what the Race Director described as the most technical section of the course – the long descent to the 30-Mile Diamond Peak Ski Resort aid station. While I didn’t find it notably technical compared to what we consider technical here I did have a ton of fun running down the trail into Diamond Peak. I knew I was close to the aid station when I saw Krista running towards me as I came up a small climb to the paved section that would take us down to the ski resort.

Diamond Peak to Bull Wheel – F! me!
My whole family were waiting for me at Diamond Peak – my parents, Tori and Krista – it was wonderful. After checking in with the aid station crew I took a short break here to change my shoes, socks, get a fresh hat, a cold soaked Buff to drape over my head and some more Shot Blocs to chew on. Krista came with me as I left the station and stayed with me for 3/4 of the climb to Bull Wheel. This climb sucked ass! I was supposed to get weighed again here but the scale had malfunctioned while the runner in front of me was getting weighed so the Doc took a good look at me and asked how I was feeling and made sure I was drinking and eating before letting me continue.

Bull Wheel to Tunnel Creek – Okay, rolling again…
I was feeling pretty cooked after the climb up but after a short stop at Bull Wheel to grab some treats my legs started rolling again and I was able to cruise through this section really well and got back into Tunnel Creek feeling good. I got weighed again here though and was now down 7 pounds. The Doc got on me about drinking more, wrote my weight down on my bracelet, warned me that I couldn’t get any lighter and told me that I’d get weighed again at Snow Valley Peak and I’d better get it back up.

Tunnel Creek to Hobart – Keep it steady
I cruised through this section as well keeping it steady and relaxed. After the Docs warning I made a point to up my hydration and started taking a drink about every 7.5 minutes. I arrived at Hobart feeling good and stayed long enough to fuel up with some of the treats and get the Nathan refilled.

Hobart to Snow Valley Peak – Wow!
As I left Hobart they said it was a climb all the way up to Snow Valley Peak and they were not kidding. It was a long climb up to the Boy Scout manned aid station with only a few short sections of flats or downs. By this point I was power-hiking pretty much all the ascents but I was still cruising the downs and flats. This was another section of incredible vistas and the view from the aid station was beautiful. The Boy Scouts at the aid station were doing their homework and called out every runner by name as they came into the station and were very attentive to any and every need. I did get weighed again here and had my weight back up by 3 pounds and was back into the ’safe’ zone.

Snow Valley Peak to Spooner Trail Head – WTF!
I’m not sure how I forgot about the Spooner Trail Head aid station but I did… I left Snow Valley Peak thinking that the 50-Mile mark was my next stop. The descent off Snow Valley Peak was long, very long, and very runnable. I flew down this section and had a huge smile on my face – it was felt great to be running fast this close to 50-miles. The descent just kept on going though and at one point I got into a mood thinking WTF! when is this going to end, where is that damn 50-Mile mark?!? I wanted to get to the 50-Mile aid station in under 12 hours and then I ran into the Spooner Trail Head aid station - F! me – I felt crushed. I didn’t remember there was another aid station between Snow Valley and the 50-Mile mark and it had felt so long to get there.

Spooner Trail Head to 50 Mile – Lets get this done
I grabbed a couple cups of fluid here and a bite of something to eat and then moved on. Slowly at first, this was my first real mental battle of the day, and after taking a look at the watch and seeing that I might be able to salvage a sub 12 hour I called myself a few nasty names, kicked my self in the ass and got moving. It was during this short section between the Spooner Trail Head and the 50-Mile mark that I first felt the IT start to tighten on my left leg although I didn’t pay it much attention at the time.

50 Mile to Hobart – RFP
Coming into the 50-Mile aid station I didn’t see either Krista or Tori and started to feel a little defeated but then as I was heading towards the medical check-in Tori ran up with a big smile on her face (what a wonderful sight!) and let me know that Krista was still out on the course with Packman and that he was not feeling too well. Krista got back just as I got done with the med check, my weight, pulse and blood pressure were all good. The girls took care of me! They were full of TLC; a cold wash clothe, a fresh shirt, shoes, socks, some Traumeel on my calves and around my knees, a plate of food, and some drinks. I was now feeling pretty good, the quick visit with Tori and Krista was a super boost. I headed out for my second loop of the course feeling wonderful and with Krista coming along I had some company for the first few miles. As we chatted Krista let me know that Packman was having a rough day, feeling sick, not able to hold much down and was hoping that I’d catch up to him – I wasn’t too sure about that. After Krista turned back I kept the pace steady, power-hiking the hills and cruising, as best I could, the downs and flats. My mantra for this section was “Relentless Forward Progress” and other than the pit stop I had to take at the outhouse by Marlette Lake I kept with it all the way to Hobart.

Hobart to Tunnel Creek #2 – Bro!
As I neared Hobart I could see a couple of runners seated in the aid station and one of them started looking more and more familiar as I got closer – Packman! He was bundled up in one of the volunteers jackets and wasn’t looking super. I was excited, and worried, to see him and hoped that he’d be able to go on. We chatted some as I took advantage of the aid station and got some food and a refuel for the Nathan and he was up to pushing on so we left Hobart together. The climb out of Hobart was a solid power-hike and then on the other side we were able to fall into a slow cruise with both of us not feeling too bad. It felt great to be running with my Bro!

Tunnel Creek/Red House Loop #2 – Holy bugs Batman!
We got into Tunnel Creek with high spirits both of us chatty and having fun. The aid station was in full swing, runners in all sorts of states, volunteers running around to help us all and the Docs making sure we were all okay. Another weigh-in and my weight was holding steady. We stayed in Tunnel Creek only a short while before heading down for our second foray on the Red House Loop and we didn’t get too far into the loop before we had to lamp up. That second descent into the loop, in the dark, was not much fun – it was dusty and buggy and still pretty hot in the valley. We were able to ‘run’ down the hill though and then made our way around and out of the loop. The climb out was a killer and it was then that I started to take notice of my quads and my left IT tightening up. We took some time at Tunnel Creek after the RH Loop to shake out our shoes and take in some extra food. I was just starting to feel pretty comfortable in the chair when Packman got told it was time to go.

Tunnel Creek to Bull Wheel #2 – This is starting to hurt
Somewhere in this section is when my left IT really kicked it up a notch. I wasn’t too happy with it and figured I would just push through it. That worked for awhile but by the time we reached Bull Wheel I knew I didn’t have much run left in me and didn’t want to hold Packman up so let him know I was feeling fucked. He was in the same boat, the long descents had wreaked havoc on both of us.

Bull Wheel to Diamond Peak #2 – The Death March
Death March describes this section perfectly and I couldn’t imagine having to do it solo – that would have been horrible. We talked and weighed our options; drop at 80-Miles or push on to the finish – this conversation would continue on and off throughout this section. When we weren’t taking about that or swearing we were ghastly quiet – the quietest we have ever been during a run. Not sure why but I also started feeling nauseous during the descent and had a few moments where I had to stop and dry heave.

I lead going down to Diamond Peak and it was slow going, between the quads and the IT even the smallest drop was a bitch to get over. Any big drop had me groaning, whimpering or swearing – it was not much fun. The last few hundred metres to the parking lot by the ski resort were the worst for me. I was seriously hoping that Krista would be at the car and we could just hop in and go home – I was feeling like complete shit. Unfortunately she wasn’t so we continued up to the lodge and quietly checked in with the aid station manger to let him know we were both done. Krista was right there to look after us, got us to the car, woke Tori, grabbed all our gear and then drove us home.

Post-race
As Packman said in his race post “It’s funny how your body just shuts down as soon as you allow it to.”

The ride home was a quiet, painful affair. Me with my eyes closed attempting to find a comfortable sitting position and trying to ignore the pain I was in – I was unsuccessful.

In his post about the TRT100 Packman very clearly listed out some of the lessons learned and the main one I take away from that list is Lesson #3– Practice on terrain similar to the terrain you are racing.

…and yes… I’m F’n going back too!