Hardrock 100 2009 Putnam to the finish

Mile 94.5 to mile 100.4
Arrived 4:02 am – Kissed the rock 46:02:24
2:26 from Putnam (3:41 total in aid stations)

I knew the Bear Creek (Silverton) trail would be gnarly, having covered it 2 years ago in this direction and also in the other direction last year in the daylight. I knew I was moving slowly, but that my feet weren’t as trashed as 2 years ago. The trail contours along moving in and out of drainages and avalanche chutes; the latter bring with them large boulder fields. There is even a short stretch where you have to navigate thorough a stream of sorts, ducking between tree trunks and branches while dancing on wet rocks. Another interesting thing that I noticed, and others noticed as well, was how there was a sign marking a start of some measurement (I was assuming maybe a ‘1 mile’ sign about a mile later but didn’t see one.)

Since I shuffled through Putnam aid station, I had been hearing voices (or thought I was hallucinating them) for a while until, a couple of miles later, I finally saw a light up ahead. Eventually I caught up to Olga and her pacer/fiancé Larry. I hadn’t seen Olga since she outclimbed me going up Handies (I don’t even remember seeing her descending into American Basin) I asked how she was doing and she said ‘sleep walking’ I said ‘you have to get to the rock and give it a kiss’ she said ‘I am dreaming about it now’ to which I replied ‘you have to do it for real and Dale has to see you do it!’ I knew she would make it and Larry wouldn’t let her stop. I pressed on and told her I would see her at the finish. I didn’t realize until later that she and Larry were 2 of the lights I had seen ascending the final climb; they later said that they saw lightning strike a course marker and turn it into a ‘tootsie roll’ According to the results page, they left the aid station only 5 minutes before I strolled through…and it took me probably 2 miles to catch them, if not more – so much for sleep walking!

I saw another light ahead of me and recognized Rickie Redland, who I hadn’t seen since Pole creek a day and a half before. She asked if I wanted to pass and I said no. I saw her pacer and it was John McManus. Shortly after I caught up to them they made a wrong turn and I corrected them (it seemed there was a good reason I didn’t pass them.)

After another interval that seemed interminably long, the sound of rushing water finally started to get louder, as well as the sound of traffic on 550 and voila, we were at the Mineral Creek crossing. Rick and Liz Hodges were there, just getting ready to cross. I waited for them and Rickie and John then took my turn, since it looked like to rope had gotten a little loose. Of course, the water was deeper now and flowing faster, making an even greater dependence on the fixed rope. We all made it across and started going toward the road when Olga and Larry showed up on the other side. As we were waddling our way through the muck, Liz lost her balance and ended up sitting down (involuntarily) in the muck. I tried my hardest not to laugh and helped her back to her feet. At least we were on the final stretch. We all crossed 550 and started up Nute’s chute, all of us tiptoeing a bit - apparently we were all similarly afflicted with tender and beat-up feet. John led the way, followed by Rickie, he kept getting farther and farther ahead, then Liz and Rick and me. Eventually Liz told me to pass, so I did, staying behind Rickie the rest of the way in.

We were all a happy bunch, Liz congratulating all of us on finishing again; I reminded her that we still had to get to the High School in Silverton and kiss the rock.

Eventually we made the left turn onto the shrine road, only then did it started feeling like we had it ‘in the bag’.

As the road widened out a bit, we all drifted apart, spread out more or less abreast of each other. My periferal vision was getting a bit fuzzy at that point and I started hallucinating that Rickie was running into me, and I almost fell into the ditch on the left side of the road. I apologized to her for jumping around so much. Eventually, Rick and Liz got slightly ahead of me. I was watching their silhouettes in front of me when I swear it looked like Rick had somebody on his shoulders and that person was shining a light back towards me. I shook my head, removed my clear glasses and rubbed my eyes. Eventually I realized that the light, which was just above Rick’s head, was the light from the shrine of the mines! Wow, that was weird; I told Rickie about having a hallucination in that exact spot two years earlier, coming in with Margaret Heaphy. And just like two years ago, there was actually somebody IN the shrine, probably doing maintenance. Right around this time I saw a light coming up fast behind us and was surprised to see Bob Combs! I think he and I had the idea of us all kissing the rock at the same time (and now that I think of it, it may have sounded neat – Robert, Bob, Rick and Rickie all at the same time!) Just then we made the turn onto the trail down the hill into town. As we were on the trail I looked at my watch, noticed that we had about 2 minutes to break 46 hours and said “you know, if we hurry up, we might break 46 hours…” We all sort of felt each others desire to get the race over with and kiss the rock; unfortunately, our simultaneous finish didn’t happen. We all started shuffling down the hill, making the final left turn toward the gym. If felt good to actually move along at faster than a walking pace (the pain just sort of left temporarily while we focussed on finishing.) Bob had managed to move the fastest, almost breaking 46 hours (he missed by about 30 seconds) then Rickie made the turn. I waited for her to kiss the rock then made my way down the ‘tunnel’ of flagpoles that Rodger Wrublik had installed a few days ago (with the state and country flags that normally wave on the perimeter of the track at Nardini Manor during Across The Years) and kissed the rock, amazingly the third time I have done so. Then I got out of the way for Rick Hodges so he could have his turn (which was good to see since he didn’t finish last year.) Dale put the finishers medal over my head (which was a little difficult trying to clear my headlamp) I shook his hand and told him ‘Thank You’ for everything. I immediately sat down on the curb in front of the gym, glad to be done. Somebody asked if I wouldn’t be more comfortable in a folding chair but I kindly declined their offer; I was rollling from side to side massaging my glutes. I don’t know if was the same person or not, but somebody asked if I wanted anything from the grill; I knew Andrea was cooking, and had already confirmed that she would have veggie burgers at the end, so I asked for one. It even had cheese on it. I was surprised at how warm the weather was it was at the end, sitting in front of the gym on the cold concrete; usually I would be shivering. I took off my balaclava and gloves and heard Bob talking to Dale about his encounter with the lightning near-miss; he said the lightning struck so closely that he was knocked over, presumably by the concussion. He said that he was telling me he was O.K. after it happened (I remember a light shining up at me) but I told him that I couldn’t hear anything with the wind howling.

I asked Rebecca if Blake had any Desitin and she said that this year he went with Hydropel instead. I decided my feet could last a few more blocks to the Avon, so didn’t bother with taking my shoes off. I did grab my finish line drop bag, but didn’t need anything out of it, fortunately.

I finished my veggie burger and a slice of pumpkin pie, what a delightful experience. I thanked Andrea for keeping her ‘kitchen’ open for all of us slow folks and left the gym. –-The walk back to the hotel through the empty early-morning streets of Silverton was totally surreal. I saw what looked like a person sitting on the side of the street, I was going to wave and say hello until I was right next to...a motorcycle parked on the side of the road. I shook my head, glad that there wasn't much traffic to contend with.

I had finished Hardrock again, in a PR time (in spite of Mother Nature’s best efforts to slow me down) and had enough time to take a real shower and a nap before the awards breakfast – Wow!