A fellow Maniac from California sent out an email to all the Maniacs planning to run H-M with an idea for a “Daring Double” – to run a second race on the other side of Kentucky later the same day. I thought it sounded crazy, so I sent the email to Todd figuring he’d laugh. He thought it sounded like fun, if we could find a driver. Since the second run would put us about a 12 hour drive from home with very tired bodies, he had a good point. We recruited Dave as our driver. Since he was running a 50 mile race the week prior, so this seemed like an ideal recovery period for him; unfortunately, Dave’s feet blistered in the 50 miler to the point of putting him on crutches and out of work. With uncertainty about our driver, we asked another running pal, Matt, to drive us. Dave’s feet healed well enough for him to make the trip, but significantly limited his mobility. I can’t thank Matt and Dave enough for their sacrifices – each taking time away from work and family to support us. We left the Richmond area at lunch time on Friday for our drive to West Virginia. Along the way, we got to see the natural beauty of Western Virginia and West Virginia and we also got to see some of the poverty.
We rolled into town just as the pasta dinner was getting started and had a chance to eat prior to a skit that they put on to tell the history of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. The skit is fun and funny – with two characters dressed in period clothing with appropriate weapons telling the story. The hospitality in the pasta dinner, the show, and all our interactions made it easy to see why the marathon is popular. The people in the area aren’t runners, but they definitely appreciate having us in town. The race starts in Goode, Kentucky and finishes in Williamson, West Virginia – I doubt if you could live in either town and NOT be fully aware of the race. First, the towns are barely separate, they sort of run together each on one side of the river that separates the two states; additionally, there just isn’t that much of either town that would not be impacted by a few hundred runners on a Saturday morning. Granting that the runners were disruptive to the typical day, I compare the response I heard from locals here to what I heard from people in Charlotte, NC. In Charlotte, there was chatter in the paper and on the street questioning the street closures and inconvenience of the race. I’m much happier to leave my race / hotel / restaurant dollars in WV/KY where they made me feel like a guest, not an inconvenience.
After the pasta dinner, we posed for some pictures with the stars of the skit. They were the leaders of our teams. Each runner is assigned to either the Hatfield or McCoy team. I was a Hatfield and Todd was a McCoy. The teams compete for the fastest overall time. We got back to the hotel, 30 minutes outside of town in Logan, WV in time for an early bed time. We chose to stay outside of town based on past hotel reports of variable accommodations – it also helped when we added rooms. I slept well but not great. I was nervous in the days leading up to the trip, I think because of the double. My nervousness left, but I didn’t feel like I got a good deep sleep.
On race day, I was up early enough to follow my morning bathroom routine (thank goodness). We arrived at the start line plenty early after our 30 minute drive. We passed the sign on the highway that flashed a message welcoming runners to the “Expoo” and “26k marathon” race … like I said, not exactly a running community.
Because the race starts about 1 ½ miles from where it finishes, the organizers provide a shuttle service. We were amused that they use “Short School Busses” to shuttle runners. We joked about the short busses and the lead sponsor of the race: Food City. The sky was cloudy and looked like we could see rain at any time or it might hold off all day. The course includes a difficult hill from mile 4 to 7 ¼ - I held an easy pace going up the hill then opened up coming down. As we ran along, there were a number of historical markers that described events in the feud. When I got close to the half-way mark, the valley echoed with a loud boom. I thought perhaps the Hatfield-McCoy show included cannon firing. Within 10 minutes, the sky opened up and I realized that loud noise was thunder. I ran up on a woman who was re-entering the course after a potty break – she explained that since the birth of her child, she was trained to use the bedpan when the nurse turned on the faucet … and so, she had the sudden urge to relieve herself. You’ve got to love the candor of a runner in a marathon. We got absolutely drenched.
The course was full of water stops, at least every mile we found a table with locals. What they don’t know about running was disguised by their genuine hospitality. I passed by a house with about a dozen people on the porch – for each person who approached, they asked “Where are you from?” – I replied “Virginia” – they shouted back “Yeah Virginia” for a course with not a ton of fans out, they certainly do a nice job of cheering.
After winding through the hills, the half marathoners finish in the town of Matewan. The course is a little odd since it had almost no course marshals. The approach to Matewan seemed complicated. I chatted with a guy who had run this course a number of times, so I just followed him through the twists and turns. It was marked, but still a little confusing. As I left the town, I ran up behind a guy named Jerry that I met at the Blue Ridge Marathon in Roanoke in the spring. Jerry is over 60 and runs most weekends in the spring and fall. Jerry wears a shirt that says “Running won’t kill you. You’ll pass out first.” – it’s a funny line and most people comment on it. Jerry’s good to talk with – but he was having a tough day.
The showers came and went throughout the day. When we moved onto a dirt road, the rain filled the holes to create a minefield of puddles and mud. The real challenge is to keep your balance and pay attention to stay on your feet. It’s exhausting physically and mentally. The more tired I got the slower my pace. As we moved back onto roads, I heard a car come up behind me and it just hovered right behind me. I looked back to see a Sherriff – I knew I wasn’t the end of the runners, but it sure felt like it. That was a kick in the pants and helped me pick up the pace. I ran through the last mile as the rain returned yet again. High fives for the two guys who put on the skit as Hatfield and McCoy. I heard a loud call of “Snuggie Bear” as I was approaching the finish – it’s great to travel with friends.
I grabbed some food and we all met up to get back on the road. I had in mind getting a shower before travelling. I knew our schedule was tight, but I really thought I’d be able to get cleaned up. We decided to just get moving – the showers weren’t close to the finish and seemed like it would take us a while to find them.
Matt drove us out of town and we stopped for gas / food after not too long. I changed clothes in the bathroom. It was good to finally get my wet clothes off.
Our plan was to drive across the state of Kentucky, just about 7 hours. I thought it would be easy to fall asleep for a while, but I just couldn’t get relaxed. We watched a movie and cat napped, but otherwise, it was just a long day.
We arrived at the horse track in Paducah, Kentucky for part two of our “Bold Adventure” – the Run Under the Stars is a 10 hour endurance run. The run started at 8 PM (CT) which is just 12 hours after the H-M marathon started. We had almost two hours to get settled for the longer run. Todd and I started out together – both of us stiff and groaning. We both settled into a groove after that first lap. The track is ½ mile with a mat to track our laps. We ran in one direction for two hours, and then reversed direction. I ran for almost all of the first two hours covering about 12 miles in the first 2 hours. I felt pretty good about my progress, but I was losing steam. As we changed direction, I started to need more walking laps. I had the need to stop to use the bathroom – I headed over to the facilities – a urinal and regular toilet. Normally, this bathroom would accommodate two people; however a kid was in there with the damn door locked. I seriously needed to pee and used the outside wall – not pretty, especially in the heat, but it did the job. I was glad that kid wasn’t in there when I returned to drop a log. After about mile 15, I really had trouble running. My knee was telling me my running time was over. To “count” this run we needed to get at least 50k (just over 31 miles). I struggled through the implications of quitting – I was ready to let myself down, but not quite ready to let down Matt, Dave, and Todd. This was my “bottom” and I hit it hard – I didn’t want to be in Kentucky, I didn’t want to run, I didn’t want to do any of this anymore. As tired as I was, it took me a while, but I did the math in my head and figured I could walk the remainder of the night and finish the 31 miles. I didn’t exactly get a spring in my step – but I knew I’d finish. Matt came out and walked two laps with me – that was a real bright spot. I don’t remember what we talked about, but I do remember that I felt better about the work in front of me after we talked. He helped me try to run, but it just wasn’t working, so I continued to walk.
They brought in pizza, they had ice cream, soup, fruit, and all sorts of goodies. The volunteers were a great help getting whatever we requested.
I don’t normally run with an iPod, but I brought it just in case. I had a mix of music and podcasts. Each irritated me after some time, so it was good to have a selection. I found the more grumpy I got with myself, the more I talked with other people.
I chatted with one gal wearing her Marathon Maniac gear. I offered the obligatory “Looking Good” when she seemed to need a pick me up. She responded “I don’t feel so good” – then I really showed my age – she must have been in her late 20s – I quoted Saturday Night Live from the 80s with “It’s much better to LOOK good than to FEEL good, you know what I’m saying?” – she looked at me like I was toxic.
In the middle of the night, I was walking along; chatting with Gary Cantrell, he was recovering from knee surgery and was using Paducah as a test out for an ultra the following week. Gary has run an ultra every year for something like 30 years or more. He seemed to know everyone and was happy to chat for long periods with those nearby. He asked a very busty young woman how she was doing and she replied “I’d be doing a lot better if I didn’t have such big boobies to move around”. It was definitely an interesting experience. The whole group had such prolonged, shared misery that it gave us an odd, shared community.
I was ready to finish with 32 miles by my count. When I stopped and asked, the guy told me he’d have an update in 10 minutes. It was taking me about 10 minutes to walk a lap, so I did two more and ended up with 33 miles for the night. I stopped at 9 hours, so that’s technically 3 2/3 miles per hour – basically a slow walk. The Garmin ran out of battery after about 31 miles, it’s nice to know I can outlast my Forerunner.
We packed up our camping supplies and hit the road. We stopped at Waffle House for breakfast – I’ve never enjoyed a meal more. It was great to share stories with Dave, Matt, and Todd. I know I wouldn’t have done it without them.
Hatfield-McCoy Marathon
Time: 4:10:55
Course: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36805878
Run Under the Stars (the first 31 miles on the Garmin)
Total Mileage: 33 miles
Time: about 9 hours
Course: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36805867
