Western States Crew Report

We were set to fly out on Tuesday morning (6/21) and half the battle of getting to a destination race is figuring out who will watch the kids, how we will get them there, packing, phone lists, insurances cards and other variables. We met Jason's mom on Monday and dropped off the older two kids. Ty was being watched for the first part of our trip by our daycare provider and later by my niece and mom. We dropped Ty off the night before at the daycare provider's since we would be leaving ridiculously early. With our bags all packed we went to sleep. Things looked good.

Or so we thought. At around midnight (fuzzy brain here), we received a called from daycare. Ty threw up and the policy is to keep kid's home for 24 hours. Normally, not a problem but we had a plane to catch in less than 6 hours. My mind was scrambling thinking of possible alternatives. My mom was out of town, maybe I could change my flight and Jason could go on without me. We told her we would call back in a few minutes.

I took a chance and called my niece figuring I would wake her up. I forget most of the world is not on my senior citizen schedule and doesn't go to bed at 9 every night. She was still up. In my sleep haze I think I told her I would buy her new jeans if she would watch Ty for me. She was an hour away and I told her I would get Ty and meet her. When I hung up Jason asked "Did you tell her you would buy her jeans?"...I was sleepy! :)

We picked up Ty, met Stephanie and headed back home. I was in need of some sleep so I went back to bed for 30 minutes before we left for the airport. We arrived within an hour and 45 minutes of departure. I automatically went in the Frontier line since we had flown that airline last week. As I was looking at the departures I didn't see Houston. Oh damn! I'm in the wrong line.

Once through Continental's check in, we headed to security. The line was longer than I have ever seen it at our small airport. I worried we wouldn't get through security in time to board the plane. As it turned out, we made it with not too much time to spare.

We landed in Houston after a very bumpy ride. Storms were all around us and in a 50 seat plane you can feel every one. Some people's low moment are during child birth or at the end of a long race. I dislike small planes and turbulence so I told myself I'm getting wine on the next plane!

We originally had an hour and a half layover which turned into a half hour due to the storms rerouting our plane which made our arrival an hour later. Time to sprint to the next plane. We became those crazy running people in the airport. We skipped the escalators to run the stairs and flew through the airport with no less than 60 seconds before they shut the door to our plane. Whew! We made it.

We met a friend and his wife for dinner that night in Reno. He was coming up on Saturday to help crew for Jason. It turns out 2 of our 3 crew from Michigan missed their flights in Grand Rapids due to a long security line. It turned out not to be that big of a deal for us in planning. Instead, we got them the next day and had lots of material to tease them about.

Since we were there a few days before the race we got to check out the surroundings and aid stations beforehand. We also ran up the mountain which was the same start that Jason would be making on Saturday. I think I have found my calling in running and it is mountains! There is something about them that truly speaks to me and makes me feel like I could run forever.

Me and my running love!

The night before the race, we turned in early. Jason was up by 3 and I rolled out of bed about 25 minutes before start. I had planned on getting up earlier but my alarm didn't go off.

Jason just before the start

The energy around the start line was buzzing. I love seeing the start of ultra's and this one was seemed even more surreal. We headed a little ways up from the start line to get pictures. One guy really got out front at the start line. Here he is below and a few seconds later you see the front runners.

The rabbit

The frontrunners

In my excitement to cheer on Jason I forgot to take a picture of him coming toward me so I snapped one of him from the back. Those are some nice calves!

Jason's backside!

With Jason off and running we had quite a few hours to fill before we would see him. Due to the snow, our first crew access was at Michigan Bluff which was at mile 55.7. We headed back to the room and lounged a bit. I told the guys "Let's stop talking and only Facebook each other" which only lasted 5 minutes.

Mark lounging

Our crew "support socks"

In Mark's boredom/hunger he decided to play short order cook for us. He cooked both Jeremiah and I some scrambled eggs. Then he said he was going to "experiment". I've learned not to encourage this behavior in the future.

It started out simply by looking for a fat to cook the eggs in since we forgot to purchase oil or butter. He thought strawberry flavored cream cheese might work. Turns out it just melted into vapors. He scrambled the eggs and added some wine...your guess is as good as mine. If not wine, why not a little coffee? Next came crumbled Cheetos, Doritos, salt, pepper and unless I'm blocking some other ingredient from my memory, I think that was it. They didn't taste as bad as I thought they would but I can't say I will let Mark cook "Leftover Surprise Eggs" anytime in the future.

Mark's eggs...his smile looks fake...I'm not sure he liked them as much as he claims

Afterwards to burn off those eggs we ran up the start line again. We didn't make it to the top since we had to check out of the hotel by 11. We made a few stops along the way and eventually made it to Foresthill Aid Station.

From there the plan was to have Mark & Michael take the shuttle down to Michigan's Bluff to wait for Jason. If he checked in there at 8:00 pm or later he could pick up a pacer. Mark would be the pacer and Michael would take the shuttle back to Foresthill.

Jeremiah and I waited at Foresthill and when Jason ran through there he would become his pacer until Highway 49 where I would pace Jason. While tracking Jason's progress online, he was doing really well. It looked like he would be coming into Michigan's Bluff well before 8:00 which meant Mark would not be able to pace him.

While waiting, I snapped pictures of other runners coming through. I got to see many of the women front runners coming through Foresthill. I talked to other crew members, talked Jeremiah's ear off and waited for Mark to text that Jason came through Michigan Bluff.

Jeremiah waiting...

We got the text. They said Jason looked great. He was lucid, smiling and running strong. He was well before 8 so the guys would take the shuttle back. Originally, at Michigan's Bluff we thought Jason would need his flashlight and headlamp but since he was so early I knew he wouldn't need either before getting to Foresthill where we would see him next. In case the guys didn't make it back I wanted to make sure he had some light so they gave him the headlamp.

The guys made it back in plenty of time so I went to aid station (we were parked pretty far away from it) to take pictures of Jason running in before they weighed him and did a medical check. He was still looking great. Happy, smiling and looking good!

Jason coming into Foresthill looking a hot mess!

Coming out of weigh in and on to the car

I ran with him from the aid station to our car. We chatted a bit about how the run was going. He said he felt fabulous, had a blister he wanted to pop and needed to change his clothes. I took some pictures of his feet, they looked pretty nasty but sadly we all wanted to look at them like the dorks we are.

Some beat up toes

Look at those sexy abs!

We hurriedly got him the supplies he needed, a change of clothes and his flashlight and he was off with Jeremiah as his pacer.

Leaving with his pacer, Jeremiah

I like to compare crewing to what I think it might be like to be a celebrity assistant. You're on call 24 hours, you get little sleep, you deal with all kinds of odd requests and you have to come up with some pretty creative solutions. Jason's shoes (besides the pair he was wearing) were really wet. The sun was going down so drying them outside wasn't an option. We had a little bit of time between aid stations so we decided to go in search of a laundromat to dry the shoes.

Dirty shirt!

We used the GPS to search for one. What did I do before this handy device? We arrived at Mrs. T's laundromat....I pity the fool who forgets the fabric softener!..ok, I digress. Maybe I'm the only one that envisioned that sign on the door in my head when we pulled up.

Mark with the laundry

Michael as the laundry supervisor

We dried both Jason's clothes and his shoes. We noticed a sign on the door that said "Doors automatically close at 8:45". It looked like there was a locking device and since we were there at 8:20 I said we should leave just before 8:45. The guys were worried the shoes wouldn't be completely dry, I was worried we would be locked in there instead of being able to crew. I voted for leaving before and they said "We will not be stuck in here. I'll throw a rock through the window".......Ummmm....or....OR ...we could leave before 8:45.

A sign made after my own children

The shoes were almost dry so we left before the locks could activate. We took the scenic mountain route which had lots of windy roads. I managed to get honked at and passed on the right when I didn't realize I should have gotten in the right lane to let people pass. A little ways down the road, I pulled off and let those behind me pass. I am a courteous, albeit, slow driver.

We got to the church parking lot and knew we had a little bit of time but sleep seemed to be out of the question. I was too wide awake so we decided to take the shuttle down. From the drop off point of the shuttle to the aid station it was approximately 1.25 miles. It was dark out so we had our lights and headlamps on. It's a cool sight to see a bunch of lights bouncing around when it's completely dark. The stars are so beautiful to look at from the mountains. It almost seems like there are a 100 times more stars in the sky.

When we got to GreenGate I felt a little sleepy so I laid down on my backpack on the hard rocks and dozed off. When I'm tired enough it doesn't matter where I am, I can sleep. I slept for about 30 minutes and waited for Jason and Jeremiah to come in.

Me at Greengate after my nap

I didn't bring the bigger camera but I wanted pictures so I asked Mark to take a few from my phone while I got whatever Jason needed. When Mark goes on trips he typically takes no less than a thousand pictures so I was confident he would complete his task.

I laid out every possible thing Jason might need. He told me he might need a change of clothes and shoes. I laid out the Bag Balm (for lube), batteries (to give him a fresh pair for his flashlight and headlamp), Slim Fast, Red Bull, S-Caps, alcohol wipes (for popping any blisters he might have), antibiotic cream (feet) and bandaids (still feet).

Jason and Jeremiah came in. It's go time! Jeremiah gave me an update on Jason. He said he was running well and felt good. He thought at this point that he was on pace to run sub 24. I asked Jason if he need clothes or shoes and he said no. He only needed batteries. I had the bag out and ready to go so I handed it to him.

Apparently I had the wrong because they weren't the right type of batteries. He needed lithium, not the common alkaline variety. He needed the Dom Perignon of batteries, or Cristal if I'm going to be even more current which I'm sure I'm not :) As I'm searching for the batteries, I notice Marks' not taking any pictures so I tell him to get on it. I searched one back pack and couldn't find them. I checked the second bag and I found them.

I notice Mark only took 1 picture. Mark! Take more pictures!!! Normally this guy is snapping away like the paparazzi and he's totally fading on me :) Batteries in, kiss Jason, and they're off!

The one usable picture Mark took :)

Time to walk 1.25 miles back to the shuttle. I looked at the pictures Mark took. Ok, he only took 4 and 2 are black. At least I got one good one! (Note to self: don't let Mark take critical pictures). We joked on the way back that we failed our celebrity. We had everything out but the lithium batteries. We walk 2.5 miles, lay out everything and didn't have the one thing he needed.

We headed to the next aid station, Highway 49, where i would be pacing Jason into the finish. Originally I thought it might be in the light of the day but he was cruising right along so I would need night running gear.

We got to the aid station with plenty of time to spare. It was 2:00 a.m. and getting cold. I layered up in 2 shirts and Jason's pants with my running gear on underneath. I figured I would take off the layers when I saw Jason coming in because it was too cold to stand around in my running skirt and short sleeves.

We had an estimate of when he would be coming in so we kept watch for the flashlights bobbing to see if it were them. Each time I was ready to take off the layers and pace Jason. I had one false alarm and took off the pants. I found out I might have a future in quick-changing :)

At 3:05 a.m. we saw them coming! Layers came off and I ran to the aid station to meet them. Jeremiah told me he was in a current low (not too shabby for mile 90!). He went over what I needed to get at the aid stations. Jason asked me if I were ok running technical trails at night and I said I got it! In all honesty, I had never run technical trails at night but I was not about to let that stop me.

We took off with only 6.5 miles to go! Jeremiah said I had a little less than 2 hours to get to the finish in under 24 hours and I was confident I could help Jason get there if he needed a little added encouragement.

It was my first time doing a little night trail running and it turns out I loved it! It was so much fun hopping over rocks and giving the trails your full concentration. I felt so focused and connected to nature at the same time. I did not know what I was missing out on!

Jason was running strong and I never had an issue with having to help him speed up. He preferred to lead so I stayed a few steps behind him. We passed a few people on the trails and Jason is always the gentleman. It doesn't matter if he's at the first aid station or the last, he is the nicest runner you will ever meet. He thanks the aid station workers and always says hello or gives words of encouragement to fellow runners.

Soon after that first aid station, we ran over No Hands Bridge which was beautiful. It was decked out in white lights and we joked this was our romantic date night! We continued running and on to Jason's last climb before meeting Jeremiah and Mark at Robie point which was about a mile from the finish.

The whole time we were on trails, Jason looked great! The second we hit the roads it was as if some of the air was sucked out of him. Roads are Jason's cryptonite! Luckily, we met Jeremiah and Mark and we were making him laugh into the finish.

Jason with his finisher's medal

When we got to the track there were people, lights and it was a proud moment knowing that Jason was going to finish but finish in under 24 hours. We ran around the track and watched him run in. I'm lucky enough to be able to share these moments with him but the reality is that he was the badass that just finished running 100 miles! I love being able to crew for him and watch him accomplish what he does. I know he went into the race not caring about times or even finishing but doing it because it is something he loves and it's wonderful to be a part of that! I will forever be his biggest fan and admire the way he runs the race!

My hero!