2012 Pony Express 100 Race Report

The Pony Express 100 Mile Endurance Run has been on my list since meeting Davy Crockett and this year was the year. My wife and I awoke at 3:00AM and loaded the truck with all the necessary gear (as this is a self-supported event), and we headed towards Faust Utah. We arrived just in time to see the early start group heading out of the start chute, and I walked to the sign-in tent, picked up my race-bag, and headed back to the warmth of the truck. At 0550, Davy called out for the runners to report to the start, and the handful of us starting at 0600 formed a gaggle at the start chute and Davy briefed us on the last minute details, and then counted down for the start.

As I left the start I locked into my pace and held it despite the easy grade and classic "group enthusiasm" at the beginning of a race. My epic fail at the Wasatch 100 was fresh in my mind so I disciplined myself to stay within my planned envelope. One runner named Darren (running his first 100) hung with me until Government Creek where he pulled ahead. I learned later he DNF'd on this one, but I'm sure he'll be back to try again. The morning air was cool, but I soon warmed up and had to peel off my windbreaker. I kept the gloves and hat on until Simpson Springs (16.4 miles) where I peeled off all my cool-weather gear and headed out for the looooong trip across the valley to the next mountain range and "Dugway Pass".

As I passed through mile 25 I began to notice a previous injury in my right foot surfacing again, and by mile 30 it was back in full swing. Every step shot a stabbing pain up through my right leg, so I figured from this point on it was going to be all about pain management. I adjusted my gate, pace, stance, and whatever else I could figure out to adjust to try to mitigate the pain. By the time I started the climb up to Dugway Pass (mile 37.5), I was already falling behind my planned pace, and a variety of muscles in my right leg and lower back were feeling the effects of my adjustments to compensate for the foot pain. I arrived at the pass, checked in and took a minute to sit on the tail-gate of the truck to eat and drink.

The long downhill after the pass proved quite painful, but at least I made better time than on the climb up so I felt more optimistic about things simply because of the progress. During this section, I leap-frogged with a runner named Suzanne who also was running her first 100. Her step-dad was crewing her and was easily stopping two to three times as often as I was. I couldn't help but wonder how far ahead of me she'd be if she only stopped as often as I did... The other thing that gave me some significant optimism during this portion of the course was that I'd had no stomach problems and had stayed pretty much perfect on my nutrition and hydration. I honestly felt great other than the leg pain... and as long as the pain was just pain (and not weakness, and the potential of injury), it was manageable.

I reached Blackrock station feeling a little hammered, but still mentally good so I took advantage of the facilities and the free grilled goodies (the chicken was super-good). I headed out again and within a half-mile, Suzanne had caught up with me. She asked if she could hang with me until her because her knee was starting to hurt. I talked her through the pain management concept, and told her to adjust her pace as needed to accommodate the pain. Her husband and a friend traded out crew duties with her step-dad, and so she had someone to hang with and I pulled ahead. As I got closer to Fish Springs (Mile 58.2), I was getting better at pulling inside my head and letting the pain just flow through so I started making decent time again. I left Fish Springs after a quick bite of food and started the return trip to Blackrock station. Suzanne was headed into Fish Springs as I headed out, but that was the last I saw of her, as she also DNF'd. Sad to see a first-timer DNF on a 100, but hopefully she'll be back to try again. I made good time on the return, and very much enjoyed the cooler air of the night. I rolled into Blackrock (mile 67.9), again availed myself of the facilities, ate some soup, and some Argentinian sausage and then changed socks. I headed out into the night, ready to finish of the last 50K of the course. I actually felt good (other than the pain), and so kept the pressure on to keep my pace within my original envelope. As the night wore on, I struggled to keep the pace up just due to fatigue, but fortunately this is precisely when my pacer, Dan Eastman arrived. Dan has paced me several times in the past, and has just the right amount of ridicule in his voice to make sure I don't wimp out. As soon as he arrived, my pace picked up and we made great time despite my body's protests. We crested Dugway Pass (mile 78.9) and headed down the other side to the return trip across the loooooong, straight, uphill road to the next mountain range. It was along this road that the magic of GI issues crept up. Fortunately, it was not the upper GI issues that trashed me at Wasatch, but it was the lower GI issues that made me extremely glad we'd brought along the "Porta-Loo". Yeah, Ultra-running is sooooo glamorous! Just prior to Dawn, my wife picked up my pacer and drove him back to his vehicle, and I was on my own to reel in the last nine miles. At this point, my right foot had become partially numb, but the ankle was now feeling the effects of nearly 70 miles of adjusted gait, and so it was on fire. Still, no "malfunction" was happening, so I kept pressing; running for 1/2 mile, walking for a 1/10 mile, and repeating over and over. By the time my wife met back up with me, I had just over two miles remaining. I started the 1.2 mile climb up the foothills with enthusiasm in running mode, and quickly reverted to survival mode and power hiked the steeper sections, only running when the grade lessened. As I approached the last 1/4 mile to the turn down to the finish, Ken Maughan, who had started at 5AM and just finished drove past me and cheered me on, so I decided I could somehow run the remainder. I ran to the turn-off to the corral, and looking down the rocky road I could see the finish so I sucked it up and ran hard.

As I ran through the finish

I was welcomed by my awesome wife who'd stayed awake to crew me, as well as Dennis Ahern

(he'd finished about 40 minutes earlier and stayed around to welcome me in), and of course Davy Crockett was there to hand me my official belt buckle!

Every 100 is a tough challenge, each with it’s own character and appeal. I loved the stark landscapes, the contrasts between alkali desert and waterfowl refuge, and the cool fall weather. The Pony Express 100 is definitely a classic, and will remain on my list of repeaters.