Plain 100 –Determination!

by Deb McInally

I spent most of the winter training for Raid the North Extreme which is a 6 day, 500km, non-stop Adventure race in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia. Our team raced for 5 days (that’s 126 hours) on 12 hours of sleep and ended up not finishing (DNF’ing). After all the time spent training, the gear, the money spent, and all the logistics that were involved, I was left feeling flat and devastated. I wanted some redemption. I wanted something long, tough, and epic. I immediately thought about the PLAIN 100! Plain is one of the most epic 100 milers in the country with an unmarked course, no aid stations, and no pacers. You are expected to carry your own food, fetch water from streams and rivers, climb 24,000ft of cumulative elevation, and race in 95+ temperatures.

However, I had two issues. 1) I never ran a 100 miler and 2) I did not know the course. I would not have time to pre run the course and didn’t feel comfortable running it without proper preparation. So, I talked my good friend and adventure racing partner, Michelle, into running Plain with me. Michelle ran Plain back in 2007 and was the 3rd woman to ever finish, not only did she know the course she smoked the course in 31:55.

The race started at 5am on Saturday. Michelle set a strong pace from the beginning. We ran all the flats and downhill’s, and powered walked all the climbs. By early afternoon we came to the first Search and Rescue point, stated our number, and continued on track. We decided to put on our music for the long slog on the paved road and this is where we made our first navigation error. We missed the hairpin turn onto FS road 112. We continued to shuffle down the road hitting FS road 111, then a little farther a sign that said, “One Lane Bridge,” Oh crap! We missed our turn! We looked at each other, turned around, and without saying a word, started power walking back uphill to FS road 112. Admittedly, I was pretty bummed. I thought to myself, “Not another DNF!”

If making that mistake wasn’t enough, we immediately made another mistake. After entering the cul de sac on FS Road 112, we went directly onto Hunter’s trail even though the instructions specifically stated “Do not take Hunter’s Trail!” We were so frustrated and flustered from our first error, that we didn’t double check the instructions. Not realizing our error, we filled our bladders at the river, and started climbing up Hunter’s trail. We both had our music on and after a few minutes I asked Michelle, “Is this the big climb?” She started to explain that we are supposed to go down a dusty climb and wind around a sharp bend before beginning the long climb. Something didn’t add up. She double checked the instructions and realized that we were supposed to turn LEFT in the cul de sac vs. right, and that we are (once again) on the wrong trail!

We were both totally frustrated and demoralized having lost quite a bit of time due to both errors. I wanted to finish this race more than anything. I did not want a DNF, and I especially did not want a DNF due to navigation errors. I smacked my trekking poles against the ground in pure frustration thinking, “please….not a repeat of Raid the North Extreme”.

We found the correct trail and started the long climb up to Tyee Ridge. I knew going into the race that Michelle had a bad chest cold, and sleeping in the back of the truck the night before didn’t help. Even though she didn’t say as much, I knew that Michelle was doing this race for me. As such, I knew I might be running solo at some point and was mentally prepared if it came to that. Michelle struggled up the ridge and her chest cold got worse. ¾ of the way up the climb, she was so congested that she couldn’t even speak. Her voice was gone, and she didn’t feel well. For me, loop 2 was questionable at this point. At the summit, we decided that I should take off to make the cut-off time, and I knew that I would be pushing it. Between our navigation errors, the struggle up Tyee Ridge, dusk quickly approaching and never having run the course before, I wasn’t sure if it was possible. Crap!

Once the decision was made for us to split, I took off running into the dusk. I kept thinking to myself, “you are going to blow up”, but I was so determined to finish this race, that I gave it everything I had. I passed 9 people and thought, “Okay I have made up the time we lost (1:40) so I should be able to make it to the first cut-off time.” (Note - I was excited to pass people because I knew that I had made up time, not because of placing. This race was notabout placing for me. This race was about finishing.) I was almost done with the first loop when three racers passed me (Van, Pat, & Tracy). I was thankful because it showed that I had to continue at a steady, fast pace if I was going to make the cut-off.

At the end of loop 1, I ran to my truck, grabbed my Adventure Racing backpack (which was actually too big for a 100 miler) and stuffed it with warm clothing and gear for the next 20 hours. I knew I didn’t need all that gear, but from my past racing experiences, I knew that anything could happen in the mountains. Being solo, I needed to be prepared. I had no way of communicating with the race directors, so I packed for safety in case I got lost or injured in the middle of the night. I started loop 2 at 1:15 am hoping for the best. To officially finish, I had 15 hours and 45 minutes to complete loop 2.

After downing a piece of pizza, I took off running, and within 10 minutes I lost the trail! I ran back up the trail and saw a racer, (Van) and hollered, “I think I missed the trail!” She said, “No, the trail sign is posted on the tree, just cross the road.” Oh! I was so relieved. I ran back down and found the trail and ran throughout the night solo. This was my favorite part of the race.

During the 2 nd loop, I made one more navigational error. I crossed road 62. I spent some time on the other side of the road looking for tracks and then I heard Tom’s voice in the back of my head from the race briefing the night before, “…If you cross road 62, you are going the wrong way. Backtrack a few hundred feet and you will find the trail.” I backtracked, looked at the map, and saw that the trail actually did take a hard right, so I continued up to Pond Camp Trail.

I arrived at FR 6210 a little after sunrise. I was so thankful to see Tom, Chris, and some of the other volunteers waiting there. My first question to them was, “Do you think I have enough time to finish?” Tom & Chris said, “Yes, if you keep up the pace you’re going at…you can DO IT!” I looked at them and searched for reassurance.

I started the climb up to Pond Camp trail, and after about 15 minutes, I saw another racer (Erik). I asked, “Do you think we have enough time to finish?” He replied, “I am going to give it my best shot!” I continued past him and finally came to my next turn, Mad River. I was thankful for two reasons 1) because I was out of water and 2) that the trails had signs! My goal was to get to Alder Ridge and run as fast as I could down to Lower Chiwawa. I knew if I hit Lower Chiwawa by 2pm (without injuries) I would be able to finish. But, as I ran down Alder Ridge, I found myself stopping to grab food out of my pack, to splash water on my face from the streams, to put on Chap Stick, to fix my hat, etc. I was justifying reasons to stop every few seconds. From my adventure racing experience, I knew that little stops here and there add up, and that you must keep moving. Once I realized what I was doing, I was determined not to stop again until I reached Lower Chiwawa.

The heat was absolutely unbearable. Not only that, but I was slightly hallucinating, (Ex. I thought I saw paved roads in the distance, I thought I heard running water, I thought I saw people and cars, etc). I constantly looked at my watch and tried to add numbers in my head. “Can I finish on time?” This race was becoming a mental nightmare for me. I kept running the numbers in my head over and over and over.

It was about 1:15pm (18 hours after leaving Michelle) and I had 4 hours to finish. I popped out of Alder Ridge trail and thought, “Oh Crap!” because I thought I was going to pop out at Lower Chiwawa. I started to panic. I cannot have another DNF after my experience at Raid the North Extreme. As I looked at my notes and map, it said, “…cross this road, pop into this trail, and run this road for 2 miles.” My heart sunk because I realized that I had a lot farther to go than I had originally thought. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a “woot woot!” and looked up to see three racers (Van, Pat, & Erik) who had been on my tail the entire time without my knowing. Thank God! It was such a relief to connect up with these guys for the last part of the run. I followed them into the trail, and over the next 12 miles, we stuck together. It was so hot that we splashed water over our heads at every water source, praying that the race would end soon. All of a sudden, we rounded a turn, and there were all of the volunteers shouting and clapping for us. The four of us ran down the last section of the road into the Deep Creek Campground holding hands in victory. We had FINISHED the Plain 100 in 35:11! (48 minutes to spare)

I would like to thank Van, Erik, and Pat for their assistance and company during the race. I don’t think I would have finished Plain without you guys!

Below is a short blog about our DNF at Raid the North Extreme.

http://debsholisticnutrition.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/mt-dorval-day-5-the-importance-of-sleep/

DOUBLE WA?

by Van Phan

Plain was not even on my radar this year. But it was on my bucket list. I was focused on Cascade Crest since I had a streak going. I had finished it in the last 4 years and was shooting for the 5-year buckle. When I returned from crewing my pal Jess Mullen at Badwater, I joined 2 more buddies Pat and Tracey on a Plain training run. By the time we were finished, they practically had me signed up even though they knew it was only two weeks after CC. But the Plain course sucked me in. It was beautiful! I knew then that I would go for it.

My training leading up to CC and Plain was not as ideal as I wanted it to be. As an Orthopedic Surgery Physician Assistant, I work long days in addition to call duties. I don’t have time to run during the week and log all miles on the weekends. My weekly mileage ranged from no miles to a high of 50 miles, which included White River 50. My intense CC and Plain training runs prior to White River resulted in a dismal 12+ hour PW. Pat, Tracey, and I went for our last training run on the first half of the Plain course three weeks before CC. It was a real eye opener and confirmed the rumors of its toughness. My worries intensified.

Finally, Cascade came. I did not run at all after that last Plain training run. In reality, I didn’t have time anyway. It turned out to be a hot race, and my time of 28:28 was 2 hours slower than my average. But I was happy with my performance despite a lot of dust and asthma in the last 30 miles. I was thrilled to cross that finish line and received my 5-year silver buckle from Charlie Crissman. His race crew and volunteers were the best! Other than a few blisters and inflamed lungs, I recovered well from my efforts.

Fast forward two weeks later. Pat, Tracey, and I arrived in Plain and checked out a road section in the last 12 miles. We stopped by the Plain Hardware store and picked up our post Plain finisher’s sweatshirts (the race does not have a race shirt). We went to the mandatory pre-race meeting and dinner. As I looked around the room at the other racers, it was hard for me to believe that only half of us would finish based on historical results. The overall finishing rate from 1997 to 2010 was 22.6% with the last 5 years averaging 44%. Everyone looked so strong and prepared. I spoke with Tim Stroh (the Godfather of Plain who had 5 previous finishes), and he told me that this was probably going to be the hottest Plain yet. Great. I had just suffered through a hot Cascade. My goal, however, was just to finish. I figured it would take Pat, Tracey, and I (we were planning on staying together the whole time) 34+ hours to finish. I was worried that taking on Plain would end my streak of finishing every 100 miler that I started. But a good friend of mine asked how can I chase my dreams if I’m afraid of failure?

Race morning came quickly. A comfortable cool start sent almost all the runners ahead of us. We hung back, vowing not to take it out too fast. Plus, we wanted the dust to settle since the whole course was going to be a dusty mess, and I needed to keep my asthma from being a problem early in the race. Carrying enough food for 58+ miles and getting water from the streams added to the adventure (no aid stations and no markers). My shoulders were killing me by the finish. We were able to make all the correct turns. I had a very rough patch on the hardest climb up Tyee Ridge at mile 34ish. I didn’t drink enough or take enough salt despite all the lessons I’ve learned. As soon as we topped out, I started cramping and was slowed to a brisk walk on the downhill. I had not urinated in over 3 hours. I promptly corrected that and was off and running again in 5 miles. Pat and Tracey stuck with me through this. We were hoping to make it back to Deep Creek by 19 hours to have a cushion finishing the second half but arrived at 20 hours, still 2 hours ahead of the cutoff. It’s hard to imagine being able to finish the second loop in 14 hours if one arrived at Deep Creek in 22 hours. We quickly reloaded our food.

Unfortunately, Tracey decided she couldn’t go on any further after we had covered another 3 miles. She was not able to eat enough to keep her calories up, and her tendonitis was slowing her down. She knew we needed to push it hard to finish before the 36 hour cut off and did not want to jeopardize our chances of finishing. Pat would have nothing to do with it, but she eventually convinced us to get going. The next 14 hours were stressful and brutal. We made it to the next check point at mile 78ish at Chickamin Tie an hour before the cutoff. Chris and Tom (my two favorite RDs ever) were there to cheer us on. We had 9 hours to finish the last 30 miles or so with temps rapidly rising (weekend temps were in the upper 90s). We were entering trails that we had not trained on and a couples times feared we were lost. Fortunately, we hooked up with Eric Barnes, who was attempting to finish it after 2 previous DNFs. Not long after, we hooked up with Deb McInally, who chose Plain as her first 100! Deb was running with her friend Michelle Maislen, who had finished it before but had to stop because she started the race sick. Amazingly, Deb was still running strong despite getting on the wrong trail and losing 2 hours at about the 33 mile mark. All four of us ran the last 12 miles together and finished in 35:11. We were hot, stinky, exhausted, but estactic! Congratulations to Adam Lint for winning his first Plain attempt, Tim Stroh for finishing his 6 th, and Christi Masi for taking first female and making us girls proud. Good job to all runners who made it to the starting line (25) and to those who held on to the finish (11)-I’m proud to belong to this exclusive group!

After picking up my Plain 100 Finisher Rock, I struggled to get into the car for the long ride home. My husband said, “What are you doing? That’s not our car!” In my Plain brain state, I had gotten into the wrong vehicle. Now, every time I do something silly or idiotic, he says, “Must be Plain brain.”