Leadville 100 Part 2: He is a runnin'

[The Race Across the Sky ~ from a wife / crew member perspective. A continued recollection of a great adventure (part one can be found here).]

Although our alarm was set for a 2:20 wake up we were woken by the sound of Ryan's phone indicating he had a text.  Our friend Garett (also Ryan's "coach" throughout the years) was sending him his well wishes.  Only Garett would be up in the middle of the night when he doesn't have to be so he could send a few last minute words of advice!

I guess it's a good indication that the little mining town of Leadville explodes with people on Race weekend when the grocery store opened early (2:00am) and the hotel decided that their continental breakfast would be served 4 hours early, at 2:00am.... all to make sure the 700+ runners were well stocked and fed before the 4:00am start!  Thank you Leadville locals!

 After gearing up, and trying to get some food into his system Ryan was more than eager to get the show on the road!  I dropped off my excited (and a tad nervous) runner at the start and headed directly to the first aid station - May Queen.

Ryan snapped this shot from the start

Because of the location of this aid station it's difficult to park and I was very glad to be among the first to arrive since I got a great parking spot.  Now to hurry up and wait for Ryan.  He anticipated arriving into May Queen (mile 13.5) between 6:45 and 7:15am.  He was a bit ahead of schedule as he was in and out of May Queen at 6:40am.

May Queen, 13.5 down (86.5 to go)

 He was in great spirits, but his IT Band (The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee.) was hurting pretty badly - but he just kept a smile on his face and kept moving!  I quickly headed back to the car with a new found energy and excitement and drove to the next station.  The beauty of the mountainous surroundings took my breath away.  It was a phenomenal day! 

It's hard to explain the energy in the air among the racers' crew and spectators - it's electrifying. People from all over the country (and world) come to help their runner accomplish an amazing goal.  It's an incredibly supportive group of people, of which I'm proud to be a small part of!  

As I parked the car at Fish Hatchery I re-organized the gear to be sure Ryan would have everything he needed (sun screen, new hat, fresh iced water for his pack.... etc...)  I set up a table in a prime location and cheered for runners coming through the 23.5 mi mark).  

Ryan's parents and the girls were in a great spot to surprise Ryan too!  He was shocked to see them as he came off one trail towards the road into Fish Hatchery.  I too was excited to get some extra help as my crew mates, Jen and Mike Drolet also met up with us.   Ryan was still in great spirits and having fun as he continued to tick off the miles towards his 100 mile goal.  He came into Fish Hatchery right on schedule and had the added lift of seeing his girls!  His IT Band was still nagging him but he pushed through.

Ryan's mom snapped this pic at mile 23.

 

Making sure he had the right tunes for the next journey as Sarah stands by

With my new support we headed a few miles away and set up for Ryan to come through Half Moon (mi 28ish).  Our good friends Cody and Melody Payne joined the spectators with their two kids.  It was so great to have so many people giving up their time on a weekend to take a long drive to cheer for Ryan!  The Payne's sported a great motivational poster and much-appreciated energy!

Bubba had an ample supply of black licorice for the girls as they waited to cheer for their dad

Ryan coming into Half Moon along side an old Air Force co-worker from OH (who ended up finishing 2nd in his 60+ age group!!!)

Taking time to chat with his cheering section

Trying to stretch out the IT Band

Next up: destination Twin Lakes, a quaint little town outside of Leadville.  Jen and Mike were such great helpers and set up all of Ryan's gear while I ran over to the aid station to keep an eye out for Ryan.  Now, I can't even imagine moving/running for 100 miles at high altitude (10,000-13,000ft) but I do know that crewing and waiting for a runner is quite nerve racking!  As I watched a multitude of runners come through Twin Lakes I felt my first pang of worry as Ryan's goal time quickly came and went.  The minutes continued to tick by and still no Ryan.  Ugh, what was wrong?  Could he have gotten lost?  Hurt?  Finally, I spotted him coming down the hill to the aid station.  WHEW!!!  My heart raced as I ran towards him. 40 Miles down and 60 to go.

Twin Lakes aid station.  Mile 40 on the way out and 60 coming back

The IT Band was no longer just nagging him, it was prohibiting him from running or even moving quickly going down hill, which slowed him down tremendously.  However, he was still in good spirits and there was no sign of stopping!!  He continued through the station and to Jen and Mike where he got fresh Gatorade, new socks and more food.  

Jen and Mike waiting for our runner.  Mike sporting his Beer Glasses to put an extra smile on Ryan's face.  The mountains in the background the next adventure for Ryan - up and over Hope Pass

 With several river crossings and a huge climb up and over Hope Pass (the highest part of the race reaching upwards of 12,600ft!) we knew that it would take all that Ryan had to get to the turn around point at mile 50 but he was still in good spirits and moving towards his goal!  The amount of pride I possessed for my husband is overflowing at this point!

We packed up our gear and headed to Winfield for the turn around point.  The drive to Winfield proved to be a very long one.... it took us about an hour and a half to go about 3 miles due to the heavy traffic congestion, limited parking, and a portion of the road that was shared with the runners.  Thankfully we had lots of time and while we talked in the car we knew that Ryan was using every ounce of energy and strength to see us at Mile 50.   

The 50 mile mark is where many, many runners drop out of the race, but it is also the point in the race that runners can pick up a pacer!   From that point forward each runner is allowed to have someone run along side of them and help them by carrying gear, providing support, companionship, etc.....  Guillaume was Ryan's first pacer and we all eagerly waited for Ryan as he approached Winfield.


The race organizers have put cut off times for each aid station.  If a runner doesn't get to the station prior to the cut off time, they are eliminated from the race.  This sounds cruel, but it makes good sense.  The entire 100 miles must be completed in under 30 hours so the station cut off times are designed to keep the runners on track for a finish!   The cut off time for Winfield was 6:00pm.  As the time went by, 6:00 was fast approaching and there was still no sign of Ryan.  Guillaume, Jen, Mike, and I all kept faith and spread out along the route to keep an eye out for him.  It's hard to describe the nervous feeling that took over me at this point.  I was worried that he was OK, I was hoping that his dream wouldn't end here, I was praying that he made the cut-off and his race would continue.  The clock hit 5:52pm and still no sign of Ryan on the distant road.  Could he physically make it in time???????


To be continued.....