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Arkansas Traveller 100 2000 Report: Dale Perry

I've been wanting to do this race for the last 4 years, but something
always got in the way, schedule-wise.  This year, I finally got
to experience the hospitality of the Arkansas Traveller.  I was
a bit sad to hear that this would be Charley and Lou Peyton's
last time as RD's here.  They put on quite a show, but looks like
it will continue in the good hands of Stan and Chrissy Ferguson.
Charley and Lou put on a real class act, and I felt fortunate
to be able to experience it before they handed over the reigns to
a new set of RD's.

After having just come from an unsuccessful finish at this year's
Leadville, I wanted to finish the year with another try at
finishing a 100 miler (and get the proverbial qualifier out of the
way for next year's Western States).  There is no comparison
between the two events other than the fact they both consist of
100 miles of terrain.  A lot of friends were telling me I should
be able to do sub-24 here.  I just wanted to have a good time,
enjoy the course, enjoy the people running it as well as those
running in it, and avoid chasing cutoffs.  I gave myself a
window of opportunity of somewhere between 26 and 28 hours.  I
would be very happy with that.  Considering my dismal attempt at
Leadville this year with a sub-25, I didn't want to go through
that misery again here.  I was going to have fun dammit (if one
can have fun at one of these here shindigs).

I was immediately greeted at the door during Friday morning's
checkin with life size cutouts of Bill and Hillary wearing the
"official" AT straw hats.  I knew that this race was going to be
a hoot, and that the folks down here don't take themselves too
seriously.  Checked in, weighed in, got my race number, and
vamoosed back to the motel for some lunch and relaxation before
the afternoon's talk and pre-race chowdown.  Met some old friends
at the meal, and made some new one's.

Picked up my friend Dave Giger from St Louis at the airport.  He
had volunteered to crew me here, so I eagerly accepted his
generous offer of assistance.  He had also ran in the race
before several times, so knew the course and the crew points.

Got to the race start about 5:00 AM Saturday with the sound of
bagpipes from the Camp Quachita lodge, followed soon by the sound
of cows and squealing pigs.  I was just hoping that I wouldn't
have to squeal like one later in the night, as I had heard that
the woods along the course are dark and creepy.  Again, Bill and
Hillary were there at the runner checkin, so I guess we all got
the presidential sendoff, as it were.

The weather turned out to be very ideal, at least for me:  cool,
dry, and a bit breezy.  It was about 41 degrees at the start, so
I peeled off my running pants and opted for just the shorts to
start off with.  We ambled out way down the road to the start
when Charley rang the cow bell.  At 6 AM sharp the gun went off
and we were off.  Not like a herd of turtles, but more like a
morass of confused sheep.  As we were heading up the hill, some
of the later arrivals were still making their way down to the
start.

The first few miles were on pavement and uphill, so I took the
advice of many who have ran it and walked.  Soon we turned off
onto a fairly smooth dirt road with short, smallish uphills.  I
walked every damn hill, wanting to feel good later in the run, as
I knew this race was going to pick my pockets with all the hills.
Got to the first aid station at 6 miles and ambled on to the next
one 3 miles further to the start of the Quachita trail, the only
"real" trail section of the race.  The trail reminded me of many
midwestern trail runs I've done, but Quivering Quads came to mind
pretty quickly as I made my way through the canopy of leaf covered
trail.  Made for tricky footing as the rocks and roots were hard
to see.

Got to the next aid station midway through and was warned that
the trail was a pretty good uphill for five miles.  The first time
an aid station person got it right.  Not that I was complaining,
as I was having fun chatting it up with many friends along the
way, and meeting new ones in the process.  It was here that I
first encountered Cynthia and Todd Heady from Kentucky, as we
would pretty much play cat and mouse from here to Lake Winona
on the return leg.

Got to Lake Sylvia in really good time, 5 minutes under a 24 hour
pace!  I wasn't really running that hard, and just was having a
good time out there.  Still wasn't really concerned about the pace,
and if the 24 hour happened, great.  But I wasn't going to let it
dictate my run today.  Met Dave, swapped bottles and Gu, and took
off.  The next 6 miles were pretty much uphill (some runnable
sections of flats and smallish downhills) and walked a lot of it.
Met anew friend Rich Maloof from Indy, and we soon were joined by
Tim Walsh of Albuquerque.  After a few miles of pavement, we turned
off onto a rough and rutted dirt road with nummerous rocks and
water puddles.  The torrential rains we had Thursday night filled
the road with a lot of puddles.  It was along this section that I
stubbed my right big toe on a rock.  The same toe I stumbled on
at Leadville that would spell my doom there.  Fortunately, I had
part of my toenail removed after the Leadville run.  Unfortunately,
the part I stubbed was the side I still had a nail on.  I knew that
this was going to cause some problems later, but for in the meantime,
it seemed okay.  Maybe it would be okay.

Got to the next aid station and snarfed down some incredible pumpkin
pie.  Grabbed a sandwich and made on down (up) the road to the next
aid station.  We were joined by Molly Barnes from Leadville, and
we had a good time making fun of her.  She was wanting to do a sub-24
here, and I was hoping she would get it.  Unfortunately, she ended up
with a 24:07 time.  Ouch!  So close.  Still, a great job nonetheless,
and nothing to be ashamed off.  After the next aid station at the
Electonic Tower, we lost sight of her.

The next section was on an unimproved jeep road, but it really felt
more like a trail.  Leaf covered and rocky, this was going to be a
bear at night coming back.  Hit the Hash House Harriers station,
ate more, and ambled on down a steep road to Lake Winona and 31
miles.  Still on track for a sub-24 hour time.  Nice to know,
but we'll see later on how it goes if I want to press it on
and go for it.

Met up with fellow SLUG James Mercer about a mile from Winona,
and we would end up running together to the Turnaround.  The
road was fairly smooth, mostly up, some downs, and got to the
next aid station Pigtrail.  I was expecting to hear the sounds
of squealing pigs, but only the friendly voices of yet another
superior aid station crew.  Grabbed a sandwich and got out of
there.  We finally got to the Dropoff aid station, aka Club
Flamingo, and yelled out on my approach: "I want a Lei!!"  Got
a Lei from a friendly lass, and James and I got out picture
taken.  Returned my quick Lei back to the straw-skirted damsel
for the next easy Leied runner coming down the road.  James
got some hot treat (beans and rice?) and gobbled down some
sandwiches and cookies, and made our way up the road to Smith
Mountain station.  It was here we met up with Jose Wilke and
later Hans-Dieter Weisshaar (doing his 18th 100 miler this year!).
We later lost Jose after Smith Mountain.

The Smith Mountain section was a combo of trail and dirt road.
The road sections had these obnoxious berms running the width
of the road, varying in height from 1 foot to three feet.  One
of the runners we were with at the time (part of Team Texas and
doing his 15th AT) said they were speed bumps for trucks without
brakes.  After a mile or so of these, we were again on a soft,
leaf-covered trail.  James mentioned the view to our left as we
were obviously on top of the world (at least in Arkansas terms)
with a fantastic view of the terrain below.  By this time, the
sun was starting to come out at last (mid-afternoon) and
starting to warm up a bit.  Got to the BM aid station and saw
a table of various spirits lined up neatly for one to imbibe in
if desired.  I declined, and took some potatoe soup instead.
Too bad it so was hot, as I had to dump it to save the buds on
tonque.

Got to Powerline (mile 49) in just under 11 hours, still under
24 hour pace!!  Weighed in ten pounds heavier (no surprise since
I was experiencing edema in my hands and undoubtedly my feet since
mile 20.  Changed into another shirt, hat, and grabbed a light.
As I approached Dave, I heard him cry out "Hey Dale!  Move your
fat ass!!"  I came back with some snappy retort like "At least
my ass isn't as wide as yours".  James wife, Vicki, who was
crewing him thought that Dave was being to harsh on me.  But
that was Dave.  Just being an asshole.  Actually Dave and I have
a history of being like this for years, and it's just part of the
game.  I didn't care, and he was just being supportive in his own
different way.

James went on ahead, and Dave walked with me up the road a bit.
Here the road was fairly smooth and undulating.  Enough that
you'd walk a bit, then followed by a nice downhill run.
I then took off and caught up with James, and we soon saw the
leader, Joe Hildebrand, closely followed ny Scott Eppelman.
Not long after, Janice Anderson was moving down the road.  We
hit 50 miles in 11:04.  Got to the next aid station, Jose's Bar
and Grill, sat down and had myself a wonderful chicken fajita.
The boys here were watching a game on the TV, and one of the
aid crew asked if we wanted to hear any scores.  He asked me if
I wanted to know about OU-Texas, and said sure.  I went to OU.
OU 63, Texas 14!  We both slapped hands and screamed Boomer Sooner.
I normally don't get too wrapped up in such things, but with 55 miles
under my feet and a chair under my ass, I was a bit giddy.

The road to the Turnaround was more of the same:  up and down
and fairly smooth.  Both James and I came to the conclusion
here that this is what we liked about the Traveller:  just as
soon as you were getting tired of one terrrain, it changes and
gives you a bit of a break.  But the hills were incessant, but
short.  We were starting to get a bit tired by this time, and my
feet were starting to hurt more.  My toe was starting to complain
at this time, and I was slowing a bit.  We got to the turnaround
a bit after 7 PM.  I changed into warmer clothes, got my LED light,
worried about my foot and whether or not I should change shoes.
I figured my toes had a nice sized blister under the nail and I
didn't want to risk not being able to get my shoe back on, so opted
to leave my shoes on.  Did some stretching, and finally took off
into the night.  James had already left me here, and would later
finish in 25:44.  The section back to Powerline I was with the
Heady's the whole way.  Boy did it get dark.  Even though we had
a decent moon out, the forest canopy prevented much of the moonlight
from lighting the road.

Finally got into Powerline 3 hours later (about 25 hour pace now)
and weighed in one last time.  Gained another two pounds.  Ate some
soup, changed into a warmer hat, and bid farewell to Dave as I went
off into the night.  This was going to be a llong stretch without
his help (about 6 hours), so I had to make sure I had everything I
needed.  By this time, my feet were really pissed and hurting.

This was the low point in the race for me.  But I usually get into
a sort of a depression at about 70 miles or so at any 100 miler.  I
knew it would pass, so resigned myself to a walk up Smith Mountain
and down the other side.  The berms were really annoying here, as I
could barely get up some of them.  About a mile from the Smith aid
station, the route takes a sharp right turn down a grassy, unimproved
road.  I didn't see any markers, flour, glow sticks to alert me of the
turn, and ended up going down the road 1/4 mile until it basically
got really rough.  Didn't remember this before , so I walked back up
the road to see where there might be a turnoff.  Looked down the right
path, but didn't see any glowsticks or markers.  Went back down the
road again, thinking I missed a turnoff further down.  Didn't see one,
so went back up and decided to try the right way.  About 100 yards
later I saw a ribbon, so I knew I was on the right path.  Soon after,
I saw tons of markers telling me to turn right again to the aid station
1/2 mile down the road.

The two miles between Smith Mountain Aid and Club Flamingo were
the longest two miles in my life.  I was getting dizzy, and knew
I needed some solid food.  Sat down at the Dropoff for about ten
minutes, ate, ate, and ate.  Soon I felt great and got up and left.

I was with John Hargrove and Patrick Stewart at this point, and
felt good enough to start running again.  I soon left them behind
me and got to Pigtrail.  Ate some more, and had a nice downhill
road, smooth and easy all the way to Winona.  Met Dave about 1/4
mile ahead of the aid station.  I sat down again and ate some soup
and part of a muffin.  I was avoiding the next section, which was
a steep uphill (funny how the hills get bigger and steeper later
in these races).  Finally decided to get off my ass and get it over.
It was a slow 2.5 mile climb to the 212 aid station, and the
section I was dreading all night: 4 miles of leaf-covered road and
uphill.  Actually made good time here, as I was running some of the
sections and got to the Electronic Towere station a bit after 7 AM.

The sunrise had wakened me up a bit and I felt a bit better.  My
toe finally stopped hurting after the 212 aid station (the blister
finally popped on it's own accord), but my feet and legs were
still sore and achy.  Got to the next aid station and asked if there
was any pie left, and they yes.  I grabbed a piece and walked out.
I was met by a very friendly aid station volunteer to make sure I
turned onto the right road.  She walked with me a bit and warned me
about not listening to any drunk hunters who may be ahead.  Apparently,
they took some of the course markers and changed the course to go in
a different direction.  Some of the earlier runners I guess fell for
it and ended up going further than planned.  I said I would stay
straight on the road.  I later saw a road turn off to the right, and
saw some markers up on the road.  I guess this was the point were
the hunters were having some fun with tired runners.  Fice miles
to the end.  I was ready.

After what seemed like an eternity on the road, and what seemed like
3 miles later, I saw a mile marker for 97 miles.  97 miles!!!  Hell.
It took me 1/2 hours to go 2 miles??  I looked at my watch, and my
hopes of finishing in around 27 hours was fading.  Soon I hit the
98 mile marker, then pavement.  I knew I was close now.  Got to mile
99, and soon met up with Dave.  We walked it in together.  This was
mostly down, but I didn't feel like running on pavement right now.
Then it was a pretty steep up hill for 3/4 mile to the finish at
Camp Quachita.

As I made my last turn in the race, I was greeted with music and a
child's voice saying "Congratulations on finishing the Millenium
Travller!".  No finish banner, I stopped when someone said "your
done now".  I asked the timer what my official time was:  27:57:53.
Got it done within my original time goal of 26 to 28 hours.

Got inside the lodge and saw Molly sitting by the fire.  Met some
other friends:  Mel Nowlin who looked like he was on a 22 hour finish
out of Turnaround, finished just 20 minutes ahead of me.  Didn't see
James, but Dave told me later he was laying out by the fire.

What a great experience, and a great run!  I had heard that the aid
at this race was superior.  And it was!!  Charley and Lou put on a
great event, and I highly recommend it to anyone:  the first timer
as well as the old timer.  People later asked me what I thought of the
race and how it compared to Leadville.  Hard to say.  Leadville is
tough, but so it this.  I guess so is ANY 100 miler when you get right
down to it.  The races are so different, it's hard to compare.  I
would have to say this was an easier run, not because of the hills,
but because of the lack of altitude and the great aid station
support and the volunteers running the show.  You basically had
an aid station every 3 to 5 miles, whereas at Leadville, most
aid is 9 miles apart.

The hills were incessant, and so were the rocks.  That is the
character of this race.

Anyone who wants to do a great 100 miler, this is the one.  You
really don't need a crew here or pacers, but they do make it
easier for you if you decided to go that way.

Hope that Stan and Chrissy keep the tradition going and make it
even better in the years to come.

Dale