High Country Dreaming: Rainy Rocky

This past weekend marked my annual pilgrimage to Huntsville State Park to pace friends at the Rocky Raccoon 100. This year was very different than the past 2. For starters, the weather gods treated us to rain, lots of it. With the rain came mud, TONS of it. Mixed in with the cold temps at night, and this year’s RR100 was a tough one. Luckily for me I was surrounded by friends and had a blast, despite not sleeping for nearly 36 hours.

The plan was to arrive around noon, in time for Kelli to pace Liza for miles 60-80. I would then pick up Liza for miles 80-93, rest a bit, and pace another friend Eric for his last 20 miles. To make a long story short, both Liza and Eric had to drop out of the race before I was able to pace them (maybe they dropped to avoid me???). Lucky for me, there were several other friends in need of a pacer. I ended up catching up with Rachel, who had stumbled though mile 80, depleted of any energy. Her only reaction upon seeing us was to turn around and mutter, “only 20 miles to go”. Talk about tough!!! I ended up pacing Rachel (more like trying to keep up with her) the last 17+ miles, during which time she ate and drank absolutely nothing (save for a few ounces of Coke). Despite having no calories to keep her going, she finished in under 23 hours, quite a remarkable feat. Upon finishing, we waited under a heat lamp as more Rockhoppers came across the finish line. Jean rolled in about an hour after Rachel, followed by Larry “The Legend” Pearson, Tom (finishing his first 100), Amanda (finishing her first 100), and Elizabeth.We hung around the finish line, cheering runners as they finished. I love the energy and emotion of the finish line. You see smiles, tears, and everything in between. I enjoyed sharing in the excitement of others. After seeing our friends finish, we hopped in the car and made the 4 hour drive back to San Antonio, where a nap awaited.

Although my weekend didn’t turn out exactly as planned, I had a blast. Surrounded by friends, I was able to watch people dig deep, endure hours upon hours of wet feet and mud, rain and cold.I am constantly reminded that the human body can accomplish things we often think impossible, if only the human spirit is strong enough. We can do more than we think we can, pushing ourselves past the limits we once thought possible. Congratulations to everyone who persevered through the 2012 Rocky Raccoon 100.