Hoover Dominates

For a couple of weeks there was talk of a smack down. Ken, the trail zombie, was predicting a win against Coach Kathy in a hundred miler - the Mother Road 100, part 2. I like Ken. He was actually the first person I met and talked to in the Tulsa Running Club. It was December of 2005 at the Marvelite run. After the run we had pizza, and I asked Ken if I could sit down and eat next to him. We got to talking, and I found out Ken had run a hundred mile race. I thought that was pretty amazing. My longest run at the time was four or five miles. I left that running club event thinking Ken was the nicest guy - very friendly and encouraging. I didn't see Ken again for probably six months - sometime after I started running with RunnersWorld. But since then, I have grown to appreciate Ken more and more and to value our friendship. But there is a point where you have to lay friendship aside. No way was I going to let him beat Kathy. It just wasn't going to happen.

I first heard of the Mother Road 100, part 2 when Kathy suggested I enter. But, when I asked my wife what she thought about it, she made it clear in no uncertain terms that she did not at all approve of me running a 100 mile race, but she didn't have a problem with me pacing someone or helping at an aid station. So, I told Kathy and Brian and Ken that I would be glad to pace for whoever needed me. I was really hoping Kathy would ask me, but I sorta figured she would have people beating down the doors wanting to pace for her.

As it turned out, Kathy only had three pacers lined up, Glenn, Roman, and me. Then Glenn got sick and had to back out. And then my wife's uncle died and I had to be at a funeral parlor in St. Louis at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon. So, it was decided that I would pace first. I would go as far as the TATUR aid station, and if Kathy made it there by 1 a.m., I would go on to Geary with her.

At 5:15 p.m. Roman and Candice dropped me off at mile 38 to start running with Kathy. She had been in immense pain because of a pinched nerve that was affecting her shoulder, but other than that she looked okay. The early miles were pretty uneventful. About 7 p.m., Kathy had to take her first potty break. As she squatted by the road, I gazed up in the heavens and looked at stars. I said, "Oh, look. There is Cassiopeia!" Kathy shot back, "You mean, there's Kathy o pee a!" That sort of started an evening of silliness and singing and loads and loads of fun! I was having such a good time, that the time just seemed to fly by.

A couple of aid stations were at the end of little out-and-back spurs off the main road. When we got to those, we saw Ken and his pacers, and we were slowly gaining on him. I think it was about mile sixty that Kathy and I finally overtook Ken. As we approached, I remember I was singing, "every day it's a gettin' closer, going faster than a roller coaster..."

One of the things that sort of tickled me happened at the TATUR aid station at about mile 72. Kathy and I had been talking about various things, but one subject was the idea of being kind to and saying encouraging things to our spouses. Kathy is always so encouraging to us runners, and I try to be encouraging too, but when we get home, sometimes it is easy to take our mates for granted, and for some reason the encouraging words stop. So, I am going to try to be more encouraging to my wife, and I think Kathy is going to work on that with Brian. Anyway, the thing that tickled me was that when we got to the TATUR aid station Brian and Kathy hugged and kissed each other like they were newlyweds! I thought that was cool! I know it energized Kathy for the next stretch of road.

We arrived at the TATUR aid station at about 12:50 and were out of there before 1 a.m. That meant that I had time to do the next leg to Geary, which was about mile 78. So, after 40 delightful miles (and 9 hours), I finally turned Kathy over to Ed sometime around 2:15, somewhat saddened by the fact that I couldn't be there to the end, but confident that I was leaving Kathy in capable hands. Ed eventually handed her off to Roman, and he took her in to the finish line. Kathy finished in 22:48:26, which is a PR by at least and hour and a half. Also, she was the second place woman. And she totally dominated Ken in this race! Woohoo!!!

I really have to thank the rest of the team. Roman and Candice did a superb job of crewing, and on top of that Roman finished by pacing Kathy to the finish. I haven't heard how Ed's leg of the race went, but I expect that with his personality, he must have really energized Kathy. Also, thanks go to Bobby and Susan and Dana. Although they were not really crewing for Kathy, they were a great encouragement.