Since Liza now would not be running Western States, we had agreed to pace/crew another runner, Bryon Powell. Bryon is a seasoned ultra runner with some very impressive times under his belt, including a sub 20 hour finish at Western States. We would need to attend the pre-race briefing for crew and pacers held in Squaw Valley near the start of the race. Knowing we had limited time to run that morning, Chris and I dropped Liza off at the pool and headed back to Spooner Lake, where I had run 2 days prior and had seen the 2 bears. I wanted to Chris to get a small taste of snow and to see Marlette Lake, meaning we would need to hustle to cover the 8+ mile round trip and make it back in time to leave for Squaw Valley.
The first mile (same as first bit of Tahoe Rim Trail 100 course) is on a relatively flat dirt road, which gives way to a beautiful singletrack climb that meanders through aspen groves to Marlette Lake. Chris and I power hiked all the way up to the lake, snapped a few photos, and turned around to head back to the car. We were both excited to run the 4 miles of (mostly) downhill singletrack back to the car, and we each picked up the pace as we settled into a nice running groove. Chris was right on my heels the first mile, but I soon noticed that he had dropped back a bit, eventually out of sight. No big deal, I thought, he was ust taking it easy so he wouldn’t injure his back further. I would wait for him at the junction of the trail and road. I reached the road and waited a minute, then another, and another. Getting worried, I headed back up the trail and saw Chris trotting down, his face twisted in a look of pain. He had managed to find the only rock on the trail (this was no Bandera) and landed on it wrong, sending shock waves through his body and wrenching his back and hip. It was a struggle for him just to jog back to the car.
On the ride back to the hotel to pick up Liza, Chris informed me that he wouldn’t be able to make the trip to Squaw and was likely out for pacing Bryon the next day at Western States. He had really done a number on his back. Now I was faced with the possibility of having to pace Bryon 38 miles to finish Western States. Ouch!
Liza and I made the 1 hour drive to Squaw Valley for the briefing (less informative than I had hoped), star-gazing at all the big name runners in the crowd. After the briefing we met Bryon and loaded his gear into my car. We were crammed in to begin with, but now we were bursting at the seams with the addition of 2 bags, a cooler, and assorted other gear. We met Bryon’s girlfriend and parents, then went to dinner (pizza again) and talked over crewing and pacing specifics. Satisfied that we were thoroughly confused, Liza and I headed back to Tahoe, where we found Chris on the floor doing back exercises and watching VH1. Guess he had a busy day.
Day 17 (Western States)
Due to all the snow in the Sierras, the course for this year’s Western States 100 had to be altered a bit. In addition, there would be no crew access until mile 55 at Michigan Bluff. Since runners could pick up pacers at Foresthill Aid Station at mile 62 (and it wouldn’t have been feasible for us to be at Michigan Bluff and then get to Foresthill, we headed straight to Foresthill from our hotel, meaning we could bypass the start and sleep in a bit.
We arrived at Foresthill to a packed street lined with spectators, crews, and pacers. We knew the leaders would be through shortly, and it was fun to see them fly by. When we thought Bryon was getting near, Chris ran back to find him and get a status update for what he would need us to have ready. Bryon was running well and decided he wasn’t going to need a pacer until he crossed the river (mile 79). Good, I wasn’t really too excited about the prospect of running a hard 38 miles only 2 days after running 37+. After giving Bryon what he needed to keep moving, we headed to the next crew-accessible aid station, Green Gate (mile 81). Getting to Green Gate was no easy task. First, we had to park in a church lot and take a shuttle van (with all of Bryon’s stuff) to the top of a road. Then, we hiked a steep mile down to the aid station (keep ion mind Liza was wearing a walking boot). We set up shop there, and then Chris and I jogged another steep 2 miles down to the river, where we would meet Bryon and again assess his needs. On the way down, we saw the top 4 female runners cruise up the hill, each running seemingly effortlessly despite having already run 80 miles. When Bryon emerged from the river, he informed us that he was feeling so good he might not take a pacer until the last crew-accessible aid station at mile 93.5 (Hwy 49 Crossing). The 3 of us made our way up to Green Gate, where Liza was waiting with everything Bryon would need. After a few minutes, he headed off down the trail, moving well. We packed up our stuff, hiked the mile uphill, and waited for the shuttle to return.
From the shuttle parking lot, we had to drive to another parking lot and catch yet another shuttle to the Hwy 49 Crossing aid station. Here we saw the top 4 women pass through. To get an idea of just what happened to them over then next 6 miles, you really need to read Kami Semick’s (2nd place female) blog. Well worth the read, as it involves an angry bear on the trail.
http://kamisemick.blogspot.com/2011/06/western-states-bearish-ending.html
Anyway, we knew Bryon wouldn’t be too far behind the lead females, so we gathered all of the gear he might need and waited. He came through quickly, picked me up to pace him, and we were off into the woods. The trail climbed quickly in the cool night air on dirt singletrack. Bryon was in a zone and running well, so I just tried to hang back and let him do his thing. The highlight of this section was most definitely crossing No Hands Bridge at mile 96. We could hear the river and cars below us, but it wasn’t until we turned the corner and dipped down to the bridge that I could see the aid station. The bridge was lit up with Christmas lights, music blaring as runners crossed the American River below. This was one of my top moments from any race I have ever been a part of. I got chills, and it wasn’t even my race! We meandered along for another couple miles, then climbed up to Robie Point where Chris was waiting to meet us (runners can have unlimited “pacers” for the last mile of the race). We ran through the quiet streets of Auburn, silence broken only by the occasional “way to go” from a passing car. As soon as we hit the track, Bryon found one last burst of speed and took off, while Chris and I stopped and waked across the field to see him finish. 19:24, a PR and good enough for 31st place overall. What a great race for Bryon.
Liza was waiting for us in the stands, and we waited around and watched several other runners finish. My favorite finish (that I witnessed) was that of Todd Braje. Todd crushed the course record at the Rocky Raccoon 50 Miler this year and was primed to have a great Western States. As things sometimes happen, he had issues and was forced to walk most of the last 38 miles. Here was an elite runner walking it in like most of us common folks do. He couldn’t even run across the finish line. The grit and determination he showed by finishing really impressed me. I wish more top level runners would follow his lead.
After a couple hours spent milling around the field, we hopped in the car and headed for Sacramento, checked into a hotel, and headed to bed. I was exhausted. So were Liza and Chris. Crewing at Western States is not easy. It involves a lot of driving and hiking, and an ample amount of time sitting in the hot sun. I can only imagine what running the race is like. Maybe I will find out one of these years J
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