Day 4,465-6 —Lost in an Alligator Marsh During a 100-Mile Race in Florida—

 

The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part I

       I left early on Thursday for the Saturday morning race. I spent Thursday night camping in Georgia after driving 11 hours, and left early Friday to make it to Vero Beach at 2 p.m. When I got there, no one from the race was there yet, so the lady at the front desk knew there was a race but didn’t have much information. I just wanted to set up my tent so I'd have one less thing to do later, but the location was currently being used by young kids taking part in camp. I figured I would go find some lunch and come back after 4 p.m. I wasn’t hungry even though I hadn’t eaten much. I went to a Jamaican place that advertised vegan options, and once there, I found an almost empty, touristy restaurant decorated like Jamaica. I ordered the fried plantains with ginger juice and ate slowly as I started looking over the race routes. I wish I had known how close the ocean was because that’s where I would have gone instead of sitting in a restaurant; I could have been collecting seashells to give to my kids!

        The information meeting wasn’t until 6 p.m., but I made it back to the Octobase a little before 5 p.m. and started the long process of setting up my tent. I first set up on top of an anthill and then moved it a few more times before deciding the best spot. Most people were close to the aid station, which was on a stage. I liked that there was shade there, but I wanted a spot where I could be on my own, and hopefully not too far from my car. I left for the information meeting early to get my packet. I brought a bag of chips and ate them as I watched people walking around. There were so many people there! I didn’t realize how big the race was going to be. He said that 160 people signed up for the race. The RD banged on the table to get everyone’s attention, and then the meeting began.

        There was a lot of joking and going over worst-case scenarios to start. I was mainly worried about the 20-mile section without aid, but I was happy to learn that both the 2nd and 3rd arms would have ice and water. During the 2nd arm, they talked about a section where a bridge is covered in moss, and the advice was to try to shimmy over it like ice. They also mentioned arm 6 as a potential scary place to spend any time. They advised not going in there alone under any circumstances. Once we got to arm 7, the 20-mile section, I asked if there was anywhere I could wait during that section, and he looked at me and just said, "No." He then went on to talk about a famous runner who had just run at Badwater and then the Vero Beach. He gloated that she said this race was the harder of the two, but then he told me that if I was in trouble, I could give him a call at any time and he would help me out.

        I walked back to camp, took a shower, and tried to go to sleep. I couldn’t find his number, so I figured I would ask him in the morning. I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into, nor what was going to happen tomorrow, but at this point I had invested so much time and money in doing this race that there was no backing out now, but every part of me thought about how nice it would be to not have to race for whatever reason. The heat advisory came out, saying the heat index was 110 and that no one should be outside on Saturday or Sunday. This race wasn’t built for solo runners, but that was part of the challenge. Before, I was more excited about the challenge, but that night before bed, I was just exhausted from the drive down and ready to pack up and head back home. I was hoping to meet some friendly faces, but although people were nice, I hadn’t had a conversation with one person since I got there. I was impressed with the bathrooms, which made me think about the RDs' repeated warnings about not pooping in front of someone’s yard during the race?! I just kept wondering how much of a problem this had been in the past, but I didn’t ask. Little did I know how much I should have been paying attention during the talk about the creepy section! Also, that the pooping in the yard stuff would keep coming up. 

The Vero Beach Octopus 100 Part II

    The wind woke me up at 2 the night before the race. I was watching my tent sway back and forth, remembering last year's race that toppled tents and knocked over all my coolers. Just as I thought the wind was getting bad, it settled back down, but I figured I would see a mess of tents and coverings in the morning. When I opened my flap in the morning, I was happy to see that I was wrong. Also, I was glad both my coolers hadn’t spilled and were doing fine. I felt like I needed to get dressed before I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and put on my contacts, which meant I would be partially undressing again when I put on Vaseline all over my body, but I had the time. It was only a little after 4, and I was done trying to stay asleep. I kept hearing people walking around and cars driving by, so I got up.

        There were two bathrooms with showers in the back by the amphitheater and two more bathrooms that included urinals on the opposite side in a standalone building. All the bathrooms were clean, smelled nice, and were by far some of the best bathrooms I have ever had access to during a race. Also, I rarely had to wait long. I was slowly drinking LMNT hydration that I had premixed and ate six muffins. I found the race director to get his number, then went back to my tent to put on bug spray and sunscreen, and make sure I had Vaseline wherever my skin gets irritated.

        It didn’t seem long until I heard him say ten minutes and then five. I was walking over and was surprised to see how big the crowd had gotten. There was hardly an empty spot. Everywhere I looked, I saw a different tent or covering. I couldn’t remember how many people were doing the 100, but I figured more than half of the people there now would be gone in the next six hours.

        In the final moments, one of the RDs said that we should pay attention to the signs more than to the route! I didn’t hear him say it then, but I heard it when I played back the video. It seems so backward to what I am used to, but every race and state are different, and I made the mistake of assuming I understood how ultra races worked and that the GPX file is always the most accurate form of directions for any race. Then the other RD reminded us again to not poop in front of someone’s front yard! He said it would be an immediate cause of disqualification, and I just didn’t know what to think about why he kept mentioning that. I couldn’t remember a single other race where the RD has had to comment on this subject. However, most of my races were on trails, but I have done several that were close to residential housing; both Michigan races come to mind. I was carrying what I thought would be enough water. It was a little over two liters. One in my hydration bladder and one more in my bottles. The first arm was a little over 16 miles. I figured I would be fine going that distance with only the water I had brought. Sure, the heat index was 110, but it was the first section of the race. I have frequently gone 10-plus miles without stopping for hydration. I made sure to drink plenty before the race started, and I was carrying enough, or so I thought.

Start time: 6:00 a.m.

Weather: Low 90s-100s, wind 2.7  mi/h, Humidity 91%

Arm 1: The Awakening

Arm Distance: 16.7 Miles

Terrain: Pavement, dirt trail, beach

        We started right before the sun was out. The sunrise wasn’t supposed to be until 6:30. I figured there was enough light to leave my headlamp at camp. I moved towards the front of the pack before we started because there was a single-file section up a bridge, and I didn’t want to be stuck in the back during that part. Even though fewer than 30 people were doing the 100, the first arm was overflowing with participants. All the races started at the same time, so the first arm combined almost all the other races and ended up with over 150 people. I immediately started drinking water once we made it to the beach. At first I was loving seeing the sunrise on the ocean. I couldn’t stop taking pictures! It was the coolest thing I have ever witnessed in a race! Then running in the sand started to become less glamorous. I felt like I was carrying so much weight, and after we ran 4 miles on the beach, I was done with it. It was high tide so the sand was wet and I had to keep swerving and running up and down the dunes. There were only a few people ahead of me, and I was running at under a ten-minute mile, which was much faster than I had planned.

        I kept drinking water, but so far my hydration pack didn’t seem to get that much lighter. After more than 6 miles of running on the beach, I was finally turning off the beach, and I couldn’t be happier. If I never ran on the beach again, that would be a travesty, but I could handle never running an ultra there again. The sand is not fun to run in! When I turned off the beach, I immediately saw a water fountain, and I wondered if I should stop. It was reassuring to know that water fountains were out there, but I still felt like I had enough water. The thing about hydration bladders is you never know exactly how much water you’re carrying until you’re out.

        I was running on a sidewalk now, back the same way I came, so the beach part was over, and it meant I should be opening up and going fast, but this is when I realized that I was almost out of water. I had none left in my bladder and only about 500 mL left in my front water bottles. I started walking and letting other runners pass me. I wasn’t super tired, but I had at least 6 miles back to the Octobase, and it was getting hot, and I only had enough liquid for a swallow every half mile or so. I was so mad at myself! How did I let this happen? I started the day by drinking water; why was I so thirsty?! 

        I figured it was a combination of me going too fast, having less than I thought I did, and getting used to such a long section without water. I felt good enough to run slow, but as soon as I felt myself pushing myself hard at all, I went back to walking. With about 2 miles left, I turned left into a trail section and took a few more pictures. I kept reminding myself to distract myself with pictures, so I loved this section of the trail. It wasn’t long, but there were some glimpses of the marshland. When we exited the area, I was shocked to see a bathroom and a water fountain! It was only a little over a mile back to the Octobase, but it was still awesome to not have to make it there dying of thirst, so I drank plenty of the warm water and sat for a minute as I repeatedly filled up one of my water bottles and emptied it.

        When I was back on the bridge, running, I had less than a mile left and heard a few other runners talking. I made some comments, but I still hadn’t had much of a conversation with anyone. This time, the other runners were still passing me as they headed back to the Octobase. I heard someone say they were speeding up to make it back by the three-hour mark. Having finished the first 12 miles in under two hours, it should have been no problem to make it the next 4 in an hour, especially because that was the easy part, but at the rate I was going, I was going to barely make it. I was already mapping out my plan to get back and get a bag of ice. The RD mentioned so many times that they would have so much ice for us, so I was just looking forward to using the ice in my cooler, my ice band-aid, and for my water. I pushed myself so hard to make it back, but I was hoping arm 2 would be an improvement. When I asked an aid worker for a bag of ice, she looked at me like I was being unreasonable, left, and came back and asked if I was done running. I was like, no, I just started! She eventually gave me a bag of ice, but I also learned it would not be as easy as I thought to get ice during this race, and that wasn’t just bad news, but it could be the reason I don’t finish the race. I started wondering whether I would need to stop at a gas station to buy ice.

Total Distance: 16.7 miles

Race Pace: 10 minutes and 46 seconds

Lap Time: 3:00:00

Total Time: 3 hours

Finishing Time: 9 a.m.  

Arm 2: Arachnophobia

Time of Day: 9 a.m.

Arm Distance: 14.5 Miles

Terrain: Road, Trail, water crossing, island 

        It couldn’t be any worse compared to the run I just finished, running out of water and everything and all that beach section! It was 14 and a half miles, so over a half marathon, but this is one of the arms that he promised there would be ice and comfort! So I was just happy that was in the future. The route started out differently, heading onto another trail with sand and marshland. Then I got to the section where the RD described it as one you had to “shimmy” because the moss across the bridge was as slippery as ice. When I first saw it, I both knew it was it and didn’t think the description of a bridge was accurate. It was a big pipe. There was moss, and there was what looked like a wooden frame for a bridge halfway to the ground. I looked for another way, then stepped forward and immediately slipped and fell into the water!

        I got mud all over my arm, and my phone had gone underwater. I got back on the pipe and made it to the other side as soon as I could grab onto the tree branches in the middle. I was fine. The next section didn’t seem like trails but grassland. There was mud, sand, and tall grass. One part we started walking through blackwater up to our knees. The ground felt muddy, and I didn’t like not knowing how deep each section was when I put my foot down. Right past that section is the turnaround, so it wasn't that important to the route, but it added a lot of difficulty to the arm.

        I am only around 6 miles into this arm, and I am already out of water again! I wasn’t sure when the kayak rides to the island would be, but I felt like it should be close, and I figured that had to be the part with water and ice. Before getting there, I was miserable, so annoyed that I was running in this 100-plus-degree temperature without water. I debated giving up. Why not? Who cared about this besides me anywhere?

        Once I got to the water and saw the ice, I was blown away. I had my ice bandana filled and my entire hydration bladder, so I could drink the coldest water while trying to finish my entire bladder before making it back so I could fill up again. I sat there on the kayak asking the person paddling how much distance they thought I would lose not running over the water. Whatever the distance is, it couldn’t be much because we were only floating five minutes at the most. I made it to the island and went left. That’s the way that other people who landed before me went, but plenty of people went the other way. It seemed longer than a mile, but there was coverage, and it was nice to have plenty of water and more not that far away.

        Once back on the kayak, I tried to drink the rest of my water and enjoy the ice. I filled up on everything before heading back to Octobase. The best part of this loop was the popsicle! All of a sudden, there was a sign promising popsicles this way, and I ran to the end of a pier and got a popsicle! It was a magical moment. That popsicle hit like a thousand cups of ice-cold Gatorade. When I made it back to the pipe that posed as a bridge, I crossed without falling. I was in much better spirits heading back to my tent, where I planned to change shoes and drink as much hydration as possible. The race wasn’t over yet, but I felt like I had made it through some of the toughest parts, and I was still moving forward, so I was starting to smile again. I was thinking that I should go to 7/11 and get a Slurpee.

Total Distance: 31.2 miles 

Lap Pace: 16 minutes and 36 seconds 

Race Pace: 13 minutes and 29 seconds

Lap Time: 4:00:50

Total Time: 7 hours 50 seconds 

Arm 3: Gates of Hell

Time of Day: 1 p.m.

Arm Distance: 10.3 Miles

Terrain: Scrub, sand Trail

        Once I realized we were passing the 7/11, I went inside and looked for the slurpee machine. I didn’t realize it was 7/11! So one of the workers told everyone that we could all get a free slurpee. When I asked her if I could get a large, she just said, “unlimited.” I was shocked because they had all the small sizes out, and the one other time I went, they made me get a small. Now, I was in an amazing mood heading out on the side of a busy road, and then we turned right. It was what looked like a random lot of land. There wasn’t a lot of coverage, and there was sand, rocks, and dirt. Overall, it was the heat that made this part not ideal. We were supposed to go around three times and then head back to the Octobase.

        It was hot, but I started realizing how much I was getting through the hotter part of the day. On the other end of the loop, there was another ice-and-comfort section! This was perfect placement because it allowed me to get water and ice three times over a 2-mile loop. One of the aid workers just dumped cold water on my neck, and I dunked my hat and neck covering. Here I was in the afternoon, working on miles 32-42, yet instead of the mud and black water to trek through, I got a free Slurpee and enough ice and water to cool me down.

        At this point I have drunk maybe 16 liters of fluids. I am estimating, but it was as much as I could, plus I had more of the prepared stuff every time I made it back to the Octobase, but I had not peed one time since we started. So while part of me thought I was doing well with hydration, I also knew I was still just playing catch-up, and not until the sun went down would I truly be safe enough to worry less. The third time I came through the loop, the guy at the aid station said the next loop would be easy. I wasn’t sure I could believe him, but he said we were doing the Jungle Trail, that it was flat, and that it had a lot of cover. He was being genuine and encouraging. I don’t know why I had any doubts. Now, I was powering back to the Octobase, looking forward to the next stretch! I went from wanting to give up. Thinking that there is no way that I am going to finish this one to a place where it looked more than likely I would finish. According to this guy, I had made it through the toughest part, and after I did this next section, the sun would be going down.

Total Distance: 41.5 miles

Lap Pace: 18 minutes and 55 seconds

Race Pace: 14 minutes and 49 seconds

Lap Time: 3:15:00

Total Time: 10 hours and 15 minutes

Arm 4: Jumanji

Time of Day: 4 p.m.

Arm Distance: 9.3 Miles

Terrain: Paved trail, Jungle Trail, sidewalk

        The first two arms were long and difficult. The third arm wasn’t long, but it was miserable being in the sun with so little coverage. This arm wasn’t long, and it wasn’t hot. It was a pretty basic there and back where we did some sidewalk and then did what is called the Jungle Trail, which can easily be driven on and isn’t exactly a trail, but it does have a lot of coverage. That was one crazy thing about this section. I was running past one boat club after another, but not a single access point where the public could reach the beach. Instead, it was all just private clubs. I saw the guy taking pictures and realized he had been everywhere and took a lot of pictures. I made up a little time; I was going a little faster, and when I made it back, it was nice to finally be officially halfway through this race. Also, it was almost 7 p.m. when I finished, so I had to put on my headlamp. This was also the section where they said to not use your light on the beach because it bothers the sea turtles. I was super excited to possibly see a turtle, but I wasn’t as excited about running more on the beach. At least it would be dark soon, and then I would have nothing to worry about! Or that’s what I thought.  

Total Distance: 50.8 miles

Lap Pace: 15 minutes and 3 seconds

Race Pace: 14 minutes and 51 seconds

Lap Time: 2:20:00

Total Time: 12 hours and 35 minutes

Arm 5: The Blair Beach Project

Time of Day: 6:35 p.m.

Arm Distance: 11.6 Miles

Terrain: Beach, sand, sidewalk, Jungle Trail 

        I filled up my water again and made sure I had drunk plenty before I left the Octobase. It wasn’t dark yet, but I knew it was getting there, so I had someone put my lightest headlamp in the back of the vest. I didn’t think I would need that much water since the sun was going down, but I was fully topped off. Because I had spent too long at the aid station, I changed some of my clothes. I was on my second pair of shoes, and I still hadn’t listened to music or had any caffeine yet. Before I left, I looked at the route on my phone to double-check the general directions.

        It looked like we were heading back to the beach as we did on the first arm. This time, instead of turning right, we were going to turn left, then take that to the sidewalk and the Jungle Trail, and follow that back to the road that the Octobase is off of, so not that many turns; pretty simple. I was curious whether I would see the sign to turn onto the beach this time, but I didn’t. The beach was packed, and I couldn’t see that many other runners. All the other races were completed except for some 50-mile and 100K runners. When I got close to the beach, I saw a couple running a little ahead of me, and then a random guy asked me, “Where did you run from?”

        I was struggling to process the question, so I just responded, “We're doing a 100-mile run today.” The guy backed off, and I heard him telling someone else what I had told him not too long after. I was looking for the sign. I couldn’t find it, so I checked the Gai app on my phone to make sure I was going the right way. I passed that couple not too far after that, and then I was by myself scanning for big sea turtles. I was trying everything I could to will the sea turtles onto the beach, but I didn’t see any. I saw plenty of the areas designated for their eggs, but as much as I scanned the beach and the horizon, I didn’t see them. Then a guy on a motorbike flew by.

        In surprise, I went, “Whoa!” He was driving what looked like a scooter with huge wheels. I kept thinking this had to be breaking some kind of local beach ordinance. He was ruining the otherwise peaceful sound of the waves. To his credit, when he came back, he kept his distance, slowed down, and waved hello to me. I thought that was nice of him, and I realized I was just suddenly dealing with a lot of anger, so I didn’t want to give it too much credit. I was tired and hungry, just a little over halfway done with this race, and all I wanted to see was a sea turtle! But the Sea turtles decided they had better things to do. Soon, I turned off onto the beach and headed back along the Jungle Trail to the Octobase. I spent my time looking for a water fountain or a bathroom because I thought this arm was close to the 20-mile arm I was supposed to do later. I thought I saw some people who were ahead of doing the 20-mile section, but I couldn’t be sure. In the next section, I would break my caffeine fast and listen to music for the first time during the race!

Total Distance: 62.4 miles

Lap Pace: 16 minutes and 33 seconds

Race Pace: 15 minutes and 10 seconds

Lap Time:  3 hours and 12 minutes

Total Time: 15 hours and 47 minutes

Arm 6: Overlook Hotel

Time of Day: 9:47 p.m.

Arm Distance: 9.8 Miles

Terrain: Trail, sidewalk, lakeside trail

        I was in such a good mood when I started out. I accidentally drank Mountain Dew at the aid station but didn’t care because I could finally drink caffeine! I downed one of the Celsius energy drinks I brought for the race. I connected my headphones for the first time and started listening to loud music. I put on my extra bright headlamp and ditched the uncomfortable one I used for the last arm.

        It is an odd part of the race to be in when you have run over 60 miles, but you’re only a little more than half done. I had already had such a long day, but here I was trying to sprint again. I ran into a guy who was still working on the 50 on the way out and encouraged him. I was suddenly making friends everywhere I went, and people were talking to me. I saw a guy heading the opposite direction, and he looked spooked.

        “There is no tracking box for your bib that I could find!” That’s the first thing he told me. I wasn’t sure why this bothered him so much. I had run plenty of races without boxes. I was trying to make sure the boxes registered my bib when I ran past, but I wasn’t constantly thinking about each one for the arms; this guy looked frazzled, and I listened to him and kept going. I had just drunk caffeine, and this guy was at least 10 miles ahead of me. I needed to move!

        I was now running on the sidewalk and feeling amazing. The sun was down, and I felt like I could breathe again. I kept going and then ran into another runner who was with a few people. She shouted something at me as I passed her. Something about a handwritten sign. I appreciated people trying to help me navigate, but I had the route on my phone. How lost could I get? I knew this was the creepy/scary section that they had mentioned not going in alone before, but that advice wasn’t for me, was it? I would be fine going it alone, right?

        It wasn’t too far until I saw the handwritten sign. It looked like it said go forward, but it had a slight turn, so I thought maybe I was supposed to turn left. I looked at the route on my phone, and it said that I was supposed to do a loop here, but I couldn’t see the sign for the turn. I was supposed to go right, not left, too, so this sign seemed so confusing. I started walking and headed back. A loop can start at two parts, so I guessed maybe I needed to go down a little and turn. I followed the app and found what looked like the spot. I also started seeing signs from the race, but they were faced the other way, so I figured I must be entering this loop backward. I looked at the route on my phone, and I was supposed to go straight and then turn and follow a coast and then turn somewhere and run back the other way on a beachfront property. They called the arm the “Overlook Hotel,” a reference to the Shining that I should have gotten, but I wasn’t thinking about horror movies, so I assumed that was the name.

        When I first saw it, it looked like a parking garage. There were all these concrete structures covered with graffiti. I don’t know if I thought they were creepy, but they were something. I saw I was supposed to turn again, but when I followed the trail, it led me to a different section, so I took out my phone and tried to find the next path. I thought I was just going out into the grass, but there was a path. It led to a scarecrow that was in the middle of a wooded area. I am not sure who it was supposed to scare away. It took me by a fence with a huge "No Trespassing" sign posted.

        Normally, I wouldn’t continue, but the race director said it was normal for this race. That we should expect the course to take us to places that are normally out of bounds. They had gotten all this special permission to do the race, so I reluctantly passed this section and began to find my way to the first turn. I kept hearing what sounded like a train close by, and I saw another big sign, “BEWARE TOXIC DUMPING.”

        So now I have seen a sign about toxic waste dumping, as well as a general "beware" sign. I couldn’t wait to get this section of the course over with. I was still trying to be in a good mood, but I turned my music off and walked more than ran because I was afraid I was going to miss another turn. I noticed on my map that I was going to turn right and run down the beach back the way I came, so I kept looking for the turn. I didn’t see an official-looking turn or trail, so I figured it might be through the woods like it has been in the past. Right around where my phone told me to turn, I saw some grass flattened out, so it looked like there was a little path there, so I turned.

        The first part I saw was thick brush that clearly no one had gone through, but I was sure I just had to make it through, and I would be back on the other side like we had so many other times before. I was also frustrated with this race at this point. Why couldn’t the directions be more clear!?! I cannot believe they’re having us go in this area in the dark?!

        I just wanted to push on and get it over with, which I realize now was a huge mistake. I looked at my phone again, which was hard because the brush was so thick, but now it was telling me to turn again. I looked ahead and saw black water. I realized I was in some sort of marsh, but it looked like if I just made it through this area I would be back on dry land, so I stepped in the water, grabbed a tree, and pulled myself to the other side. I figured that sucked, but it was over now. Once I got my bearings on the other side, it was just telling me that I now needed to go to the left into the water where there wasn’t any land close by.

        I kept trying to follow the Gai app on my phone, but it just told me to go in the water. I went over several more water crossings, but each time I made it to the other side, all I saw was more water around me and my phone telling me I actually needed to get into what looked like deeper water. Every time I made it to the other side, I got my phone out and looked to see I was going the right way, but each time it started telling me to go in a different direction. My hands were so wet that the screen kept changing; it was hard to get it back to the navigation area. I was literally stuck by the tree branches, and now I noticed alligator icons in the water on the app. I was just so upset and wanted to give up. I looked to see if I could go back the way I came, but now I wasn’t sure what direction that was. I screamed in frustration. I think I just screamed a curse word, or words, or phrases. I am not sure what I said. I just remember thinking about if other runners could possibly be close by. Maybe they would hear me? I wondered what I should do. I could try to sit on the little dry spot I was on, but if there were alligators close by, wasn’t that a bad idea? What was I going to do if something attacked me? I had seen people wrestle alligators at state fairs before, but they always had something to tie their mouths shut, and the alligators were small. I imagined a big “GIVE UP” button appearing out of nowhere and banging on it relentlessly! So what if I have to come back to Florida! I am done with this race, and I want to give up!!! Where am I? Why am I running in alligator- and toxic-waste-infested water?! I got some more energy and looked at my phone again, but the “buy now” prompt kept taking over the screen, and then I heard what sounded like a train or a car far off in the distance, but I couldn't pinpoint the direction I heard it, so I went that way. I had to cross more water, and more than once I kidded myself thinking I saw real land, but I didn’t. I had that sound, which was encouraging, and then I saw a race bib caught by some of the trees.

        For a moment, I wondered if someone else had gotten lost in there, but I soon realized it was my bib, and I felt great! I was going back the way I came! I kept heading that direction now with more confidence, and then I saw it! Grass! Actual grass! Now, I was back the way I had come. I had made it out, and I was alive!

        Part of me wanted to keep looking for the turn, but at the same time I was exhausted and spooked, so I used the breadcrumb feature on my Garmin watch to follow my trail back and go directly back to Octobase. I didn’t know what happened and how I had gotten so lost, but I figured that if I turned around, I could be disqualified. At the same time, I knew that I did over the distance I was required, so maybe I could just not say anything?! But what if other runners did the same thing I did? I needed to tell someone and tell the race director. Going past the scarecrow again and the abandoned concrete structures barely phased me.

        The first runner I met, I told her not to go into the wooded area. She was so kind and told me she wished she had been able to go with me because she was a solo runner too. This is such a strange detail to remember, but she told me that someone had given her a large Coke and a piece of pizza, which she ate, and they put her to sleep. She said that she would just go straight and turn around and not go into that area. This turned out to be pretty much what I was supposed to do, but I didn’t find out about that until later. I was still scared heading back to the Octobase. I was planning to tell him what happened, and if he decided to disqualify me, so be it, but that was so crazy, and my main concern was for other people trying to run in that same area.

Total Distance: 72.2

Lap Pace: 20 minutes and 36 seconds

Race Pace: 15 minutes and 54 seconds

Lap Time: 3 hours and 22 minutes

Total Time: 19 hours and 9 minutes

Arm 7: Elm Street

Time of Day: 1:09 a.m.

Arm Distance: 20.2 Miles

Terrain: sidewalk

        When I made it back to the Octobase, my bib was held onto my shorts by just one safety pin. One of the first things I said when I passed under the banner was, “I need more safety pins.”

        I then launched into the whole story about what happened to me, and one of the first things he asked me was my watch time. I was about 74 miles on my watch, which was 2 miles over the expected distance, which meant I was almost exactly at the distance I was supposed to be. He said that people would normally be disqualified only if they were trying to cheat. I was clearly not trying to cheat. He said the cops had shown up and told another runner he couldn't be back there by the hotel, so they had to make a last-minute course correction. So the route changed, and I would have been better off following the signs. In the end, we were supposed to go down and turn around, so what was once a scary, dangerous loop became a relatively tame out-and-back with a short loop.

        The photographer I talked to more when I got back was super nice. He told me that I had gotten the full “Octopus” experience by seeing the hotel. They kept calling it a hotel, but when I looked it up later, I found out the history of the complex was a little more complex. It went back and forth between a hotel and an apartment complex, with locals trying to prevent its construction, which led to delays and its becoming the abandoned project it is today. One of the interesting things I found out was that there was an ordinance that prevented any structure from being taller than three stories, so that’s why it didn’t look like a hotel but a series of parking garages. I sat for a while and got more safety pins. In the end, I felt like I had bonded more with people from the race, even though I was mad that they hadn't communicated better about the route change. They were just a couple of guys who loved running and were doing their best. They were good guys. Not perfect, but they had tried to communicate the change the best they could by changing the signs. I also noticed when I was working on the video that the RD said to follow the signs over the gpx file. This still seems like counterintuitive advice, but now I understand why he was saying that.

        If I were going to need to call for help with water, it would be during this arm. The RD confirmed I just had two more arms to go, and I said yes, filled up, drank as much liquid as my stomach could hold, and then headed out for the 20-mile arm.

        Just think 20 miles is just six miles short of a marathon. It was 1:30 a.m., and I was going out to run 20 miles while carrying over 3 liters of water. You would think this was a daunting prospect, but I was still angry/energized/amped. I was yelling at cars as I left. I waved at one car that was swerving into the bike lane, and they just waved back at me. If I were closer to where they swerved, they would have hit me, but to this Florida driver, my concern for personal safety was just funny.

        I was now in the boring part, and I began to see and pass a couple of other groups of runners as I continued. There were also more than a few people that passed me going the other way. I was only going 11-12 minute miles, but compared to most people at this point in the race, that was very fast. I remember I made it out over 80 miles, and I asked a guy how far to the turnaround, and he said he wasn’t going to lie to me. He said that it was about a mile and a half past the bridge, and the bridge wasn’t for a bit. I was taking a drink of water every half mile, and later I would drink every quarter mile. My goal was not to drink any from my hand flask until I was within 5 miles of the Octobase; that would mean I would drink roughly 2 liters over the first 15 miles and then 1 liter after that. It wasn’t a ton of water, but it was a decent amount, and even though I was going fast, there was finally a breeze, and the sun wasn’t bearing down at me.

        As I got closer to the turnaround, I started hearing people yelling curses at me and some of the other runners. It was these oversized trucks going 100 miles an hour, screaming insults at people running. If they had slowed down and gotten out of their trucks, there would have been little stopping me from getting into a physical altercation. I was so enraged! What is wrong with people!? You’re out at 3 in the morning hurling insults at people doing a 100-mile foot race?! I imagined that they were overweight guys with short haircuts and Ray-Ban sunglasses who had spent the whole night drinking and doing drugs and now were still awake and looking for something else to do.

        “You want to just get in our trucks and drive real fast and yell insults at people?”

        “Dude, that’s exactly what I was thinking!”

        When I caught up to another runner who was pacing some of the other runners, he was from Florida and told me how much he disliked the drivers in the area. He said he had been dealing with the same thing and that he used to ride a bike but had to stop because the drivers were so dangerous. Besides the dangerous drivers, the other thing that struck me as dangerous was the lack of public access to water, a bathroom, or the beach. We were right next to beachfront property, but you would never know it because private clubs blocked the view. There must be enough private clubs in this area for every millionaire in this country to have at least one spot reserved just in case they were in the mood to spend a weekend on the beach.

        While all this sudden anger might appear irrational, I find that a lot of times during a race, it is right around this point that I get super angry and am not really sure whether it is more me or the world that has changed. Once I was within five miles, I was just happy that I wasn’t out of water yet. I actually had to speed up drinking water, or I wasn’t going to finish all my water by the time I made it back. I kept looking at my watch and at the sun. I realized I'd miscalculated because I hadn’t brought my extra headlamp battery, and my light was already starting to dim. Still, I just kept thinking the sun was going to be up soon and I wanted to be back to Octobase with only 8 miles left to go when that happened, and I was going to do it!

        I was crossing the bridge around 5:40, and I crossed the start/finish section just a few minutes before the 24-hour mark. I wasn’t going to be able to finish under 25 hours, but I could still finish around 26 hours, which will mean I will miss the hottest parts of the day! I didn’t rest long before I headed back out. One of the RDs asked me how I managed the 20 miles without stopping, and I just chuckled and tried to come up with the word “carefully.”  

Total Distance: 92.4

Lap Pace: 14 minutes and 24 seconds 

Race Pace: 15 minutes and 35 seconds 

Lap Time: 4:51:00 

Total Time: 24 hours 

Arm 8: The Eighth Seal

Time of Day: 6 a.m.

Arm Distance: 8 Miles

Terrain: Sidewalk, Jungle Trail

        Somebody asked how many miles the last arm was while I was standing at the aid station after finishing the 7th Arm. I said 8 because that’s what it said in the race guide, and I had written all the distances down in the notes app on my phone, so I wouldn’t have to keep trying to remember during the race.

        “Actually it is 7 and a half,” chimed in the race director. I knew I had remembered correctly, but he was the race director, so maybe something changed. I was also happy to learn that I actually had a tiny bit less to do! It was only a half mile, but it put a huge smile on my face. I said that was great news! And I happily told every other runner who was about to start the lap, and they had the same reaction. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but I did 7 today, and it was whatever. 7 isn’t that big of a deal. It is closer to 5 than 10, but 8 is the opposite. 8 is somehow basically 10 miles.

        My hydration bladder was half full, and I headed down the ramp, then along the gravel road by my tent, and finally out of the parking lot. I recorded a short video and started running. I needed to do at least 15-minute miles to finish under 26 hours, which didn’t seem that bad. I had realistically run a lot faster than my watch said, but I took long breaks after each return to the Octobase. My watch has my idle time total at 2:50:55, while my idle time on the 100-mile race I did before this one was 1:08:52. I wasn’t trying to take forever at the Octobase. Still, I found that 20 minutes would pass before I had time to drink enough water and cool down, and then I would be trying to get ready to go out again. At most races, there are aid people pushing you to keep going by getting everything you need to do before you keep running done quickly. This time, I had all my own stuff to distract me, and even the simplest things, like changing clothes, just took longer.

        I passed the bridge and was running down this wide dirt road by the water. I saw the residents of the area go by on their routine walk. I passed a guy who made some comment about the loop we have to do at the end, but when I got down to the end, there was no loop like they said there was on the GPS file. Instead of going in a circle, I just ran around the box that registered that I had been there and kept going. I realized that must be the area that cut the arm from 8 miles to 7.5 miles. I was now smiling and laughing, realizing that I was going to for sure make it under 26 hours! I kept going and only took a moment to walk to record a short video. I ran into the finish line ecstatic that I was finally finishing this thing! I sat down afterward and had a great conversation with both race directors and the photographer. They even let me record a brief interview with them. I didn’t have the best framing, but I like the idea, and I want to keep trying to record interviews with each race director. They’re such cool people! They make me want to put on my own STL 100-mile race! I have thought a lot about it already, and I would love to figure out how to do a 100-mile loop course around St. Louis using a lot of the existing trail systems. I need to confirm whether this is possible first. I know 50 wouldn’t be hard to create a route for, but I don’t know if I can find 100; it would be so cool if I could.

Total Distance: 100.4 (officially) watch Distance 102.28

Lap Pace: 12 minutes and 22 seconds 

Race Pace: 15:19/mi

Lap Time: 1:38:56

Total Time: 25 hours and 38 minutes 

After the Race

        The guy who finished shortly after me, I talked to him for a while, and we took showers around the same time. I had to wait a few minutes to take a shower. There were two showers, and we were both waiting for them. I can't stress enough how amazing it was to be able to take a shower in a private space that had both water pressure and cold and hot water.

        Then I slowly walked to my tent, and I was bolstered, actually, to start tearing down my tent. A guy and his wife, who were close to me, helped me get things ready to move to my car, and they weren’t the only people to offer to help me! It was the help I needed when I needed it, and it was so reassuring. The guy and I were talking for a minute, and he was super nice. He said that he ate only meat or some kind of diet like that, which I thought was crazy, but he said he didn’t use the bathroom once during the race, which seems unhealthy, but what a time saver! And I never want to tell other people what to eat, but I encourage them to listen to their bodies.

        This was working out perfectly! I was leaving the Octobase still in a good mood and not that sleepy! I drank another high-caffeine drink and headed out to find a Burger King. I went to one that told me they wouldn’t start making lunch until 10:30, which was at 10:18. It didn’t seem that wild in concept, but Burger King's whole thing was that they weren’t like McDonald's, which had these cutoffs. I had ordered an Impossible Whopper for breakfast in states all over the Midwest, so I just found it perplexing that they would enforce this policy. I left confused and headed towards home. All I wanted was to drive around 4 hours to make the drive home on Monday a lot easier.

        The next BK I stopped at did serve me, but it was after 10:30, so I don’t know if they had the same policy. The drive back started well. There was this one section I had driven almost 200 miles on that went so smoothly on the way there, so I was hoping I could at least make it through that section. I was doing fine for a while, but then the tropical storm that missed us during the race, when I would have liked a little rain, was coming down now. It was so bad I had to pull my car over twice. Eventually it stopped raining, and I could see again, but by the third time this happened I decided I had driven all I could for one day and found a Holiday Inn Express, which seemed like an exotic award compared to all the recent camping I had done. I turned on the TV and found a Pickleball tournament taking place in St. Louis! St. Louis was playing a team from New York, if I remember right, and then I woke up 12 hours later.

        I was able to run and leave by 5 a.m., then make it home by 8:30 p.m. that night. The drive down was miserable and anxiety-inducing. The drive back was almost fun. I tried to get the best possible gas mileage I could and listened to music. Finally, my leg wasn’t bothering me, so I didn’t have that to worry about, and the race was over, so I didn’t have to stress about hydration. I could drive and sing along to the songs I had planned to listen to while running.