Journey from Leadville - Byrne - September 12, 2012

A summary of the miles 50 - 60 of the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run - 2012 (this is taking longer than I thought!)

Our crew was ready for us at Winfield, as they were the entire day. We were both required to weigh in. I don't remember what Rick's weight was but I don't think he had lost any significant weight. I stepped on the scale - 191 lbs. Holy mackerel! My weigh in on Thursday night was 203.6 lbs and I would venture a guess that I probably put on some additional weight on Friday before the race. Part of me didn't care that I had lost the weight, it meant that I had 12 lbs less to take back up over Hope Pass! On the other hand I knew this was not good. I was frustrated because I felt like I had been diligently eating calories and drinking more water, gatorade, enduromax, and coke then I thought my body needed. I'm not sure what my crew was thinking but I'm sure they were seriously concerned. The race volunteers were equally concerned and they may have been justified in making me wait around awhile but I appreciate the judgment that they exercised.

John Byrne and Kim Greder on the way back from Winfield - mile 52

I've heard it numerous times that the volunteers will do everything in their power to get you back on the trail and see you - it is 100% true. They cared about my health but they also cared about me finishing. I am not privy to what they told my crew but they insisted that I drink and eat a significant amount before leaving the aid station. I ate another teaspoon of salt, drank 16 oz of water, a couple of cokes and a few other things I don't remember - bananas? The night sweats continued on and I was still feeling shortness of breath. I laid down while my crew worked on my feet - I think they took some tape off my feet and gave me a fresh shirt and pair of socks. I did not want a new hat or sunglasses. I wanted to get going but they weren't letting me go until I had eaten and drank a little more - which I begrudgingly did.

I'm not sure when Rick left with his pacer Gordon Staley - it may have been when I went back into the tent. I'm glad they went. Rick was ready, he was feeling strong, and there was no reason for him to wait for me. I visited the port a john to change into a new pair of slider shorts and vaseline my body again and I left Winfield with Kim. At the time I didn't know that the crew was semi-depressed over my weight loss and outward physical appearance. I looked so much weaker than just 4 hours earlier and I had a more difficult 50 miles ahead of me. In some ways more difficult because it was the second 50 miles but in some ways it is mentally easier because I was on my way back and I didn't have to climb the front side of Hope Pass which, in my opinion, is the hardest part of the race.

Kim was nothing short of amazing. As we were leaving Winfield, she reiterated that for the next 3.75 miles the key objectives were to refuel my body and get my breathing back. Running was a secondary goal and if necessary, we would walk the entire 3.75 miles before meeting Scott Passman to continue up Hope Pass. I knew she was right. I needed nutrition despite feeling bloated in my stomach and I agreed that I would take it before reaching Scott. I did delay her requests on a number of occasions but made good on my promises. Except for the first 3/4 mile or so out of Winfield which was very 'up hill' the rest of the trail was up and down with a fair amount of 'down'. I wanted so badly to run it but my breathing was still very difficult. I was also trying to negotiate the trade-off between giving up time now to be stronger for the steep incline up Hope Pass or making good time on this stretch at the risk of struggling up Hope Pass. I opted for the former so we did walk much more than I had wanted to and I concentrated primarily on trying to get oxygen in my lungs and force nutrition down my throat. We came across another bonus less than 1 mile into this segment when we caught up to Gordon!

Gordon started off with Rick but Rick was feeling so good he went ahead of Gordon. We had told our pacers from the very beginning - "If we are feeling good enough to move faster than you are, we love you but we are leaving you." We subscribe to the philosophy of "One man left behind!" I was glad to see Gordon and he stayed with Kim and I for a few more miles. Technically we violated the "one pacer only" rule but in the middle of the mountains nobody really knows and honestly nobody cares :o) Leadville has rules but I appreciate the fact that they don't let the rules get in the way of common sense and manage the rules in a way that maximizes its runners the chance to be successful. By the time we met up with Scott, I was actually feeling more fueled and I'm not sure the breathing was much better but there was a slight improvement. Doug Himmelman had made the 1/4 mile climb to meet us there too - it is always awesome to see more people!

Scott was ready to go and so was I. Kim made me bend over and take 10 deep breaths before we left. We began on the steepest climb of the day. I knew this was coming and I was mentally geared up for it. It wasn't easy and I don't feel like I was moving fast but I was moving and as we made our way up Hope Pass we started passing others - a very good sign that I wasn't struggling anymore. Just the opposite was occurring on the front side of Hope Pass, I was continually being passed by others. It was depressing and made me feel like I was getting worse. Everyone on the course is so great though, encouraging each other, regardless of whether they are passing or being passed. One time as I was passing a water bottle back to Scott, the exchange went awry and Scott had to climb down a steep gulley to retrieve it. I felt bad about it but I wasn't going to get it! He was able to catch back up to me within 5 minutes or so.

I had not seen my friend Christian Robbins during this race. As a former Leadman and previous sub 24 hour finisher of the race (twice), he was one of my measuring sticks that I was going to keep tabs on. I had learned at mile 30 that he had been behind me to that point. I figured he would pass me going up Hope Pass (since everyone else was!) but that didn't happen. As I was leaving Winfield I thought for sure I'd see him soon. When I didn't see him I figured that we had missed each other at the half way point and that he was not far in tow. After climbing for some time, I passed him on his descent. I felt bad for him because I know he wanted to be much further along. Given his location at the time, his chances of finishing were not looking promising. We exchanged an embrace and he told me I was doing a great job and to stay strong. Again it dawned on me how lucky I was to be where I was at. Christian, without question, is a superior runner to me and has proven it multiple times, yet he did not finish Leadville in 2012. It was a very humbling moment.

After we made it through the trees we could see further up the mountain and we were able to locate Rick and his pacer, Jay Gates. They were easy to spot because they were both wearing red shirts. They were way ahead of us, I would estimate 20-30 minutes. As climbing was Rick's strength throughout the race, the distance continued to increase between us. I was really happy that he was doing so well and thought that I might be able to catch back up with him if I could just get to the top!

As we were climbing the air started cooling off, the sun hid behind the clouds and the mountains and it even spit rain for a brief time. I could tell that others around me were getting colder but I welcomed the cooler weather. I was still sweating more than normal and had hoped the rain would pick up.

As we approached the upper half of the mountain I did begin to feel better. Part of my feeling better might have been mental - knowing that I was getting close to completing my 2nd climb up Hope Pass and looking forward to a long descent down the front side of Hope Pass.

Finally we reached the top! Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! I looked over the mountain and didn't see Rick and Jay anymore - they were well on their way down. Later on Rick told me they had made good time on the way down from Hope Pass. After a short celebration, Scott and I began to make our way down. We started running when and where we could. The path was narrow and steep and there were people in front of us so it was difficult to pass people. I was also happy to be able to catch my breath some more and feel the relief or pressure off my quads from climbing so I was okay descending at a quick walk - it was only a quarter mile until the Hopeless Pass aid station.

Quickly I began to feel more energy and more motivation. As we came into the Hopeless Pass aid station I grabbed a cup of ramen noodle soup with a scoop of potatoes in it, a couple of cokes, a teaspoon of salt, and some fruit. I found my guardian angel volunteer and said, "I bet I look a lot better than the last time you saw me!". She agreed. I gave her a big hug and thanked her profusely for forcing salt into my body - she knew what I needed at a time when I didn't. Jeff Friedman caught up with us at this station - I was glad to see him again.

Upon leaving the aid station I had said to Scott that I wanted to run but thought we should let the food digest for a few minutes. During this time Jeff and his pacers passed us. At first I wanted to wait 5 minutes but after a few minutes I said that I was ready. My stomach wasn't completely settled - it never is during this race - but the time seemed right. We began to take off and I was beginning to feel a surge of positive energy and strength that I hadn't felt in 30 miles. Scott encouraged me to go at whatever pace I felt comfortable with and he would keep up. We started FLYING down the mountain - I am not kidding! It was a controlled, very fast pace. We were passing people left and right and these people were moving quickly too. For a brief period of time the breathing didn't seem to be an issue anymore - oh how I wish it would have been that way for the rest of the race! It was unbelievable how long we were running at such a fast pace - doesn't this mountain ever end? This is probably why it seemed to take forever to climb up the front side of the mountain.

I felt very satisfied when we reached the base of the mountain. We had made up great time and honestly I was surprised that we had not caught up with Rick and Jay. I figured they had done well coming down the mountain but I thought for sure we would have caught up to them. We had a couple miles across the meadow and the shallow creek before reaching Twin Lakes and did a good job of running/walking this stretch. Scott would count off 50 or 100 paces with his right leg and then we'd walk for a bit. The cold water from the creek felt great - I was still feeling a little warm even though the temperature was dropping.

John Byrne and Scott Passman - Mile 60 outside of Twin Lakes

As we approached Twin Lakes I kept looking for Rick and Jay and wanted to try to catch up with them. We ran into Twin Lakes very strong and the expression on our crew's eyes was 'priceless'! I yelled, "I'm back!" and was feeling on top of the world. I learned at that time that Rick and Jay had just arrived a couple minutes before us. Given how strong Rick looked and how horrible I looked at Winfield, the crew rightfully thought that I would be way behind. Thanks to the crew and my pacers Kim, Gordon, and Scott, I was able to rebound and was back on track. Our arrival at Twin Lakes was about 7:30 pm, 90 minutes behind the plan but still in good shape.

It was not going to get dark for a couple hours but it was time to get prepared for night time. I was still hot so I didn't want running pants. I changed out of my wet shoes, put on a new shirt and fueled up a bit. I ate another teaspoon of salt and had a little food and beverage. John Lawler was going to pace me and Melissa Dawson was going to pace Rick. Jeff Friedman and his pacer also arrived shortly thereafter and we saw him some on the next section. I was not ready to put on any warmer clothes yet asked John to carry a jacket, hat, and gloves for me. John, John, Rick, and Melissa left Twin Lakes together feeling really good!

Until my next post, have a great day! DIG DEEP!