Enoree Passage 40 Mile Trail Race

Wherein I celebrate my first anniversary of ultra running by going back to where it all began- a great little race called Enoree Passage 40 Mile Trail Race. As celebrations go, it was a blow out. As races go, not so much.

Part I:
Let's Get This Party Started! Charles and I wanted to do something special in honor of the race where we first met last year *. In the past, we've tried to get his two youngest (Devin and Alex) to come camp with us at key races, but it's never quite worked out. This time, however, Devin was able to make it, and it so happened that both of his older daughters (Paige and Lindsay) could also be there, along with Lindsay's husband Fletcher and their twin boys, Spencer and Logan. (Now, it's a party!)
So on Friday, Leopold and I drove down to the Brick House Camp Ground in Whitmire, SC in order to secure 2 side-by-side campsites. All week, I'd been dealing with flat tire issues, so it should not have surprised me when, as soon as we pulled in and were paying for the sites, Leopold comes up to me and says, "Mom, you better come hear this." I followed him over to my rear tire, only to hear the not-so-faint whisper of air whooshing out of my tire. "How have I offended ye, oh gods of Good Year?" I wondered.

I figured I'd call AAA the next day. There was (literally) nothing else to do, so Leopold and I set up camp, settled in, went for a little run, and goofed around until even the fascinating campfire fire no longer held our interest.

After a good night's sleep, Saturday greeted us with sunny, warm weather. I noticed it was about 5-10 degrees hotter than the day before. It felt great if you were in the shade, but I began sweating immediately in the open sun. [For those of you who need me to point this out- this is what's known as foreshadowing].

We eventually caught up with Terri Hayes and chatted about the course and how the race was coming together. I always look forward to seeing Terri -seeing Terri Hayes is how ultra runners know it's summer [again with the foreshadowing!]. Eventually, a few other people trickled in, including Denise Martin, volunteer extraordinnaire.

Jason Steinberg and Wendy Oates arrived while I was waiting for the AAA guy to arrive. They came down for a little run and to check out the course, but were not camping. The AAA guy got totally lost and Jason helped by giving him the GPS coordinates. Then the two of them were off, down the trail...

A bit later...Team Raffensperger/ Worley finally arrive! Yay!! Lindsay's twin sons Spencer and Logan are adorable and clearly they found Leopold irrisistable. It was a crack up to watch them interact with each other. Part puppy love, part Monte Python's Flying Circus.


It was just a joy to hang out and play ball with the boys and Devin (who is an amazing natural athlete). We were all just relaxed and happy to be outside. Every once in a while we'd see a fellow runner and catch up with them. It was nice to see Jimbo again (who I shared some trail time with last year as well) and to meet his friend Connie. Later, Fletcher cooked us all some amazing burgers and we all enjoyed another camp fire. It was one of the best camping experiences I've ever had. Had this trip ended there, I would have been perfectly happy**.






Part II: Pre-Race
We didn't have to get up too awfully early, as the race start was at 7:30 and we were literally just yards away from the starting line. As we got coffee, and readied ourselves, I grew excited as cars pulled in and I recognized old friends- Dan Hartley and fam, Jason Sullivan, Weezy, Mark Elson, Brian Guzik (The Guz), and a surprise visit by Scott and Greta.


Unannounced visit by Scott and Greta- sweet!

One of the best thing about these events is seeing all the people you've come to know over time. The sense of community among ultra runners is simply amazing. Absent is the sense of nervousness and foreboding that you fnd at most marathons- people here know the value of the run does not lie in your finishing time, but in your experience. In that sense, it's all good.

Part III: The Race
Enoree is a 20-mile out and back course. There's some moderate climbing, some moderately technical trails, but mainly it's flat and mainly runnable. It has a lot of unique features, and a cool lake at the turnaround point, too.

So, 7:30 approaches, and before I know it, we're all heading down the trail. I found myself running with Big Easy and the Library Lady for a few miles, but keeping Charles in sight. We had a few good laughs, and I was enjoying just being there as the memories of last year flooded back.
I had several nice moments where I remembered good times from the previous year- laughing with Sam and Big Easy about phantom race pains, talking with Jimbo about Magnum Track Club, running with Rebecca and Doug for the final miles. Good stuff.

After the initial few miles, I saw Scott and Greta- I didn't realize they were even out on the trail before this, but it was good to see them. That is, until Greta took a fall on the rocks. This is so what she did not need, with Massanutten 100 coming up. I stayed with her for a few minutes, watching as her knee swelled, and gave her some ibuprofen. They both told me to go on, so I did.

Just for a moment, I had a bad feeling. No people ahead of me...and no one behind me. Oh, dear god..please let me be able to stay on trail!! Getting lost is not the experience I want to have here today.

Luckily, I met up with Charles just a few minutes later. He was waiting patiently for my slow ass. Before I came up to him, though, I passed William and Kristin, another "ultra couple" who were running their longest distance to date. We all ended up running many miles together. They are a hoot.

About 10 miles in, I knew I was in for a bad day. My legs were hurting, I felt overly fatigued, and I was going through 40 ounces of water between aid stations and still felt thirsty. Turns out, this would be my theme song until mile 25, where it finally became intolerable and (wisely) we called it a day.

From what I gather, many others experienced this same phenomenon, including my friend Jimbo (who's awesome rendering of his predicament is seen here).

It took me a while to see that dehydration was the problem, but once I did, I was fine with calling it a day. But I will say that now that I've experienced this phenomenon twice in a row, I'm not exactly jumping at the opportunity for another hot weather race. In fact, Big Easy and I both concluded that the May 21 Foothills Trail attempt should be postponed until September.

In conclusion, the best thing about this race this year(unfortunately) was EVERYTHING but the race! And I'm perfectly happy with that. I can always redeem myself next year, but I could never replace all the valuable friendships I've gained through this sport. I don’t have to mention names, but you all know who you are. I would come out and support each and every one of you even if I could not run at all. I am extremely inspired by you guys. Every single one of you are doing something magnificent. As am I. How cool is that?

So, to all of you I say “THANK YOU” so much. If I could give each and every one of you a hug I would. I would say “lets hug it out, bitches.”





* Technically, I did not "meet" Charles at this race. We were formally introduced at the Outkasts Run. But we shared a great trail moment at Enoree last year. As we were running through the forest, I told Charles (then a total stranger) that I thought it seemed like there should be houses "on the left". Apparently, I told that to the ONE other person in the universe who was experiencing the same thing at the same time.

** Yep. More foreshadowing.

RACE REPORT: Long Cane 50 Mile

Multiple activities packed in to a 3-day weekend have this post reading more like a Holiday weekend review than a race report. However, when Charles suggested a side trip to a gem mine, I jumped at the chance to learn more about this rockhounding hobby of his.

Everyone knows I'm a lover of adventures big and small, so the prospect of 3 days filled with camping, cooking, gem mining, and a 50 Mile ultra trail race made me happier than Cheech & Chong on a Jamaican vacation.

Friday: The Adventure Begins
I headed down to Parson's Mountain Recreation Center in Abbeville, SC on Friday night, hoping to set up camp before dark. I almost made it, too, save for the need to hunt down some firewood*. Apparently, firewood for sale is one of those things you only see when you don't actually need it.

Figuring I had a better chance to find it nearer the campsite, I stopped at a convenience store with a kind of "Dukes of Hazzard" meets "Handy Mart" theme going on. I asked the nice guy behind the big wooden counter if they had firewood for sale, and was not surprised when he said no. But then he says he knows a guy about a 1/4 mile down the road that usually has firewood for sale. He picks up his phone and calls the guy! Then, he jumps over the big wooden counter and tells his assistant that he'll be right back- he's going to show me the way. Dang! People in South Carolina are niiiice!

So I follow this guy down the road thinking if things don't look right when we get there I'll just keep driving. Soon, convenience store guy pulls over in front of a trailer and bangs on the door. Eventually, "T. Rex" the firewood selling guy comes out, drunk as, well a guy named T. Rex on a Friday night, and loads my car up with primo firewood. No charge! Although he did ask me several tims if I were married.

I rolled into camp about 9:00 p.m, found a nice secluded campsite, set up camp and waited for Charles to arrive.

Saturday: Diamond Hill Mine
After sleeping in, we enjoyed a great breakfast cooked over the campfire. We headed out about 20 miles northeast to the town of Antreville, SC to Diamond Hill (Mine). The Diamond Hill, LLC owns the Diamond Hill quartz digging area and with prior permission, visitors are allowed to enter the Property and search/dig for rocks and crystals.

I had no idea what to expect. But after we arrived we got the lay of the land and spoke with a few people about where to look for gems. We just started looking around, and before we knew it, we were actually finding treasures. I can't explain the thrill of finding something bright and shiny. It's very fun and very addictive. I saw the attraction immediately!

Look at how much fun the kids are having playing in the dirt:

Certainly a day of gem mining wouldn't tire us out too much to run a mere 50 miles..

Sunday: Long Cane 50 57-Mile Race

From our campsite, we walked the 3/4 of a mile to the start of the race. I noticed the air was cool, the leaves were just starting to turn, the lake was beautiful in the morning mist, and some clouds dotted the sky creating patterns of light and shadow across the landscape. "Ah, yes," I thought, "a perfect day for trail running."

It was fabulous to see old friends again, even if only for a minute. I always look forward to the brief pre-race time just for this reason.

Hello's and hugs went out to the usual suspects: Jason R., Jason S., Dan Hartley, Chad Henderson, Byron Backer, Dave Pryor, Terry Foxworth, Denise Davis, Scott Hadukovich, Lester Farmer, and many, many more.

From Left: Denise Davis, Jason Sullivan, Dan Hartley, Jason Rogers

Charles and Chad Henderson

I was especially thrilled to be reunited with Jim Plant and Rebecca, who I ran with for the final miles at Enoree Passage. Meeting Greta Dobe for the first time was also a highlight of the day.

Scott Hodukavich and Greta Dobe

Soon enough, we were gathering for Terri's pre-race talk. Basically, the course consisted of two loops around the Long Cane Horse Trail, but runners had to extend the first loop with two crossings along a middle trail in the middle of the loop. The first 32 miles of the course were run in a figure-8 pattern by crossing the middle loop once before circling the top end of the loop and circling back to the start on the opposite trail.

However, Terri's instructions had my head swimming in visions of high school math problems (A is to B is to C as 4 is to...wtf?).

RD Terri Hayes giving instructions...

At 7:00 a.m. we were sent on our way.

The first memorable moment I had was seeing Jim Plant, who I had not seen since Enoree Passage. He greets me with, "I see you've been emracing your midlife crisis, Psyche." Hahahaha! What a great way to start the run!

Possibly my favorite moment, though came about 41/2 miles in. Suddenly the trail was not marked and you could clearly go left OR right. About 8 of us all stopped, gathered around and discussed the possibilities. Classic! I love this picture:

One thing that was unusual about this race is that I felt pretty bad for the first 30 miles. My legs were achy, and I felt like it just wasn't my day. On the other hand, Charleswas feeling great, and had this been a 50K, he would've burned up the course. Just when I had given up hope of things turning around, they did, though. I came out of it and actually felt pretty good. So, of course, right about that time, Charles started going downhill. It was an interesting experience and one that I think will repeat itself, in that we seem to be going through opposite stages, but the upside is that we bring the other one along when they aren't feeling good. It's kind of nice.

Many, many miles later it became apparent that the course was going to be way long. At long last, though, we emerged from the trail to see Terri and Jim Plant and two other volunteers waiting for us at the dark pavilion picnic table area. Terri cheered us on as we walked to the picnic table and sat down.

We finished a distance of roughly 57 miles or so in about 15 hours, even if the last 5-7 miles weren't much more than a power walk.

Thanks for another great race and great adventure, Terri.

See you on the Trails soon!

* Because if you, too, were camping for the Chattooga 50K you know what a drag it is to have wood that will not burn. Or matches that will not light. Or feet that will not stay on trail.