2011 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run: Part 2

The alarm went off at 3:15 am. It was time to wake up, down a cup of coffee, and get Josh to the starting line in Squaw Valley.

It was a brisk 32 degrees on the drive from Truckee to Squaw Valley. The temperature was expected to rise some 60 degrees over the course of the day. Temperature swings like that don’t even happen in Texas!

When there are only 400 or so competitors, there really isn’t a lot of pre-event drama. With little fanfare, the race started at 5:00 am with the sound of a shotgun blast. The start is a bit anti-climactic. The runners actually run for about 50 to 100 m, then they immediately start up the mountain – power hiking for most of it. It’s a long day, and this isn’t the time to use up all your resources – because you will pay for it later in the day.

It was going to be a long wait before I would catch Josh at the first crew access aid station at mile 55.7.

I drove back to our hotel in Truckee to grab some breakfast. I sat around watching the updates stream in on the WS100 website. Fortunately, the online mobile updates kept me abreast of Josh’s pace early in the day. After the update came in from mile 23.5 at Duncan Canyon, I knew the day was going well. Josh was about 25 minutes ahead of his game plan. By this point, he had probably “survived” most of the snow on the course.

It was time to get into the car and drive down to Auburn, then make the turn towards the Foresthill aid station. I arrived there early enough to watch the first 5 runners fly through the aid station – with the winner being on a 15:30ish pace. Wow.

The only way that crews had access to Michigan Bluff at mile 55.7 was to take a shuttle. The shuttle bus – a full-size yellow school bus - traversed switchbacks heading down to Michigan Bluff. Now that was an adventure, a school bus snaking down the hill on a dirt road that was barely wide enough for one vehicle.

Josh rolled in to Michigan Bluff at around 5:30 pm. If he stayed on his game plan from here, he would finish well under his goal time of 24 hours. In reality, he was closer to a 22:30 projected time. But with events like the WS100, all the best laid plans can change in a heartbeat.

I hopped on the shuttle and headed back to Forest Hill where I caught up with David Walker, a UCSB graduate that was going to pace Josh from mile 62 to mile 80. Most runners will make good use of pacers to help get them through the night. At about 7:00 pm, lo and behold, Josh comes pounding into Forest Hill. I took a quick look at his feet, taped them up, gave him some dry clothes (after a hot, sweaty day of running in and out of the canyons), and he headed back out onto the trail with David at his side.

The next task was to head back to Auburn and then out towards Cool. A few miles past Cool, you pick up your next mini-van shuttle at a chapel. The shuttle drops you off at what appears to be the middle of nowhere, turns around and heads back. It’s amazing just how dark it gets out there! You must then take a 1.25 mile hike down a steep incline to get to the Green Gate aid station at mile 79.8. With headlamp on, I headed down the bumpy, dusty dirt road. Within the first 5 minutes of the descent, I somehow managed to turn my right ankle – twice. Now the crew chief was in pain, but not to the point of limping. I headed down the hill and waited for Josh’s arrival.

At 11:00 pm, he arrived at Green Gate. He was still very coherent and looking good. His feet were doing well since the re-taping. He was still on pace for a 22:30-ish day. After running 18 miles, David decided that he wanted to pace Josh later in the race as well. We both headed back to the shuttle pick-up. All was quiet out there, and the stars in the evening sky were amazing – considering there was absolutely no ambient light to affect the view.

We immediately headed back to the next aid station: the Hwy 49 aid station at mile 93.5. We drove back to Cool and picked up the next mini-van shuttle. Josh would have to run 14 miles solo in the dark, which I knew would be a big challenge given that he had already been out on the course so long. I also knew that if he made it to Hwy 49, and was still on pace, there was no way that he wouldn’t break 24 hours. Of course, I didn’t tell him that and I dared not speak it. Sometimes, the ultra-running gods hear stuff like that and throw a wrench into the game plan.

At about 2:25 am, Josh came rolling into the Hwy 49 aid station. It was easy to tell that the running and lack of sleep was taking its toll. I stood there with him for a moment, put a hand on his shoulder, and reminded him to simply stay focused on the task to the best of his ability. David would pace him through the last few miles, and the silver belt buckle would be his at last. He nodded and they headed off down the road. I headed back to the car, and drove back to Placer High School where the finish line was located.

After arriving at Placer High School, I met with his father, Jim. Jim had been on Josh’s crew back in 2002. He knew how important this race was to Josh, and knew the impact of that silver belt buckle. At shortly after 4:00 am, Josh appeared with David running next to him. He entered the high school track for a short 200m run to the finish. The reality of what he had accomplished was finally starting to sink in. I don’t think I have seen anyone quite so happy at the finish line. Finish time: 23:09. Mission accomplished. Josh brought his “A” game with a time that was 51 minutes faster than his goal and only 1:24 slower than his best time - but on a far tougher WS100 course. Epic, indeed.

Josh was featured in the article “Century mark: Marysville native Kennedy runs 100 mile race” after the event concluded. There was one significant error in the article – Josh did in fact complete the 2002 event!

Postscript: There is a great sense of accomplishment when you assist an athlete in their injury recovery, or when you mentor them to perform at the level necessary to attain their goals. I certainly feel the joy in their successes and the sting of their defeats.

Although athletes come to me for guidance, support and mentoring, what they don’t realize is that the growth contained in the experience is two-sided. Not only does the athlete grow through the process, but I do as well. Every time I crew an event, or set up a training plan, or a treatment plan, I am provided with a golden opportunity to experience my own personal growth. But this extends far beyond learning. I have had the opportunity to meet and work with some great athletes (of all levels, and in many sports) that are genuine amazing people. Josh certainly falls into that category. If you are lucky, you might even develop a few great friendships along the way.

Congratulations to Josh on a fine athletic performance and personal accomplishment.

Photo credits: abesselink

Video credits: allanbesselink