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Badwater 135 2001 Report(CA): Shannon Farar-Griefer

I won't make this long as I don't have a choice because, slowly but surely it
is all coming back to me.
I started with the 6 am Badwater runners, as I was driving to the race to
experience a flat tire with my crew van, so what better thing to do but hitch
hike with my one handheld and knew that this was just one of my little
hurtles with the race.  Marshall Ullrich's crew picked me up and brought me
to the start.  Anne Langstaff offered to share until my crew fixed the flat,
I knew I could not stay with her, she is just way too fast, and i bummed
water from whoever i saw.  Soon my crew came and I felt a sense of security.
I had Denise Jones, Kari Marchant, my masseuse Michelle Gardner and I
couldn't ask for a better team, I will never forget them for their love and
support through this journey.

What a beautiful day, not as hot as expected, and I couldn't believe it, I
was finally here, after training for a year, sacraficing family obligations,
sauna training and the obsession with the race.  Jay Grobeson picked me up at
Furnace and slowed me down a bit, and his experience and company is a main
factor on my success with the race.  I felt so safe with him and knew he
would look out for my best interest.  I reached the finish in 51 hours, to
run through the tape with my family, and I coulnd't ask for more in my life
than this.  Although I had other plans, and I could only compare this to
giving birth to triplets, because this was the delivery of my first, and now
my second is to summit the mountain.  I wanted to participate in the post
race dinner and be a part of each event with the race, I felt we were all a
team, and my next attempt could wait a few hours. At 2 am Saturday, I started
my summit, and what an amazing sunrise this was, I will never forget it,
although I was hoping to be on the top with the sunrise, we caught it half
way up.  The summit was at 78 hours.  Coming down from the mountain, my body
finally felt the fatigue, as at this point I had less than 3 hours sleep
since the start of the race. I couldn't recognize my crew, and i started to
feel weak, and slipped on a rock, which I felt and was a concern. My family
was at the bottom of the mountain and I so badly needed to see their faces
and kiss my children, I felt safe again.  I just delivered my second, and my
third was about to happen, I just need a few hours of sleep and to be with my
family.  I went back to the hotel, I think I ate dinner, i can't remember yet
some of waht happened, I fell asleep with my son in my arms and woke up to
attempt the return.  My crew brought me back to the Portals where I left off,
and Badwater was my next destination.

I knew this would be more difficult as I was beyond fatigued, there was no
entertainment with the race and other runners, it was just me and my crew on
this fantastic journey. I had a bad stomach coming down the portals, not much
wanted to stay down, and my crew called for an IV, as I reached Keeler, the
IV came, but Dr Ben Jones thougth my crew needed it more than me, and I am
happy that I was able to do this without, as now I could eat and keep food
down, and just kept with the ultra shuffle.  The night time was hard for me,
i wanted to be home with my family, and I would have Kari call her husband
Phil to come run with me, who had been working all day, but he was there for
me with their son Richard, a 13 year old who has the desire to be the
youngest Badwater competitor, and i know he can do this, he was so amazing
with me, and i needed their bodies next to me so bad, again i felt safe.  I
never thought I would be so excited to see Panamint Springs, and all my other
little landmarks, but I had to chop this up into little goals. At Stovepipe I
found a phone booth and called my son and when I heard his voice i couldn't
stop crying, he told me to go on and he loved me and that I can do it.
Denise retaped my feet in the public gas station bathroom as I ate a burrito,
far cry from my Calabasas lifestyle, but so is lying on the middle of the
asphalt at 4 in the morning. As i left Stovepipe Wells, mile 250 or ?, I
don't know, the headwinds were so fierce with the heat blowing in my face, i
just broke down at this point, but the shuffle kept me moving, and the
icepacks on my right shin, kept the pain down to a mild ouch.   I had Chris
Moon, a double amputee, just ahead of me, and I knew he was feeling the same,
as he gave my crew words to give me to keep moving, he was my inspiration,
along with my charity and I know that the children that I run for are still
in pain, and today, I am
home trying to get my life back to normal, they are not, and they might not
ever, I can't quit or give up, I wouldn't want the children with cancer to
give up, so this kept me moving, and my crew was so commited, I still can't
beleive the love that they have given me, during these days.  As I turned the
corner to see the Badwater sign, this was the delivery of my third, and I
could not feel any emotion, with any of these triumpant finshes, as I feel I
had to detach myself from pain and this left me emotionless.  180 hours
later, I did it, I did the double with Badwater, I had the best crew, I never
thought a body and mind could do this, I proved myself wrong, I will always
have the greatest respect for the desert, for Jay, Denise and Ben Jones,Kari,
Phil, Ashley and Richard Marchant, Luke and Alexis, Scott, Michelle, and all
those who kept me moving, Chris Moon, Marshall Ullrich, Chris Kostman, Mary
Campilongo, Art Webb,Steve Silver, Blade and his elephant sandwich theory, my
family, and all of the Badwater runners, because we share a special bond.  I
don't know if this makes sense, I'm still a little wacked out, when I wake up
in the morning, I have to think am I making breakfast for my kids, or am I
running to Darwin???  Each day gets better, and the memories are coming back,
and fresher than ever, I just wanted to post this as I just want to share my
experience, and this race has changed my life, it was more of a journey for
me on personal growth, and it validates the beauty of the sport and the
camaraderie and just knowing how powerful we are as human beings.  My time
might not be, one to be admired, but I've never been about that, the
destination was almost sad for me, as I wanted to sit down before I reached
the finish, in a way I didn't want it to end.  The journey was the best, not
the finish, yeah...I say that now.

Love Shannon Farar-Griefer