I had first heard about the Bandera 100Km from reading a race flyer that I received at Rocky Hill Ranch 25k in late April 2002. I was immediately interested. The 100km course would consist of two times around a 50km loop. A month later, I was invited to join RD Joe Prusaitis , his wife Joyce and some of their trail running buddies for a training run on the proposed course at Hill Country State Natural Area - HCSNA. This training run sold me on doing the inaugural Jan 2003 100km event. Last fall, I wrote an article for a Houston-Area Running Club Newsletter promoting the race... an invitation for folks to run in the Texas Hill Country versus the flat cement streets of Houston.
I visited HCSNA again the weekend before Thanksgiving to re-familiarize myself with the 50km loop. About 20 miles into the run, I tripped on a root and took a freak fall. My right hand took part of the impact of that fall, but did not seem to be seriously hurt. Two days later I went to see a doctor because the bruising was still spreading. X-Rays revealed a broken carpal bone and displaced/smashed knuckle. My right hand, wrist, and lower portion of arm were put in a splint for 3 weeks. The splint was removed just before Christmas.
As race day approached, the weather forecast was calling for overcast skies with moderate-to-heavy rain to arrive late Saturday afternoon and to continue through Sunday.
HCSNA is located about 45 miles northwest of San Antonio, and about 10 miles outside of the small cowboy town "Bandera" - the race's namesake. I started the 250mi drive from Houston-area to Bandera late on Friday morning, to guarantee arrival in the daylight. Arriving to HCSNA, I made the drive on dirt roads to the Group Lodge, an old house remaining from when the land had been a working ranch, which served as the Start /Finish area for the race.
A large tent had been set up adjacent to the Group Lodge . This tent would serve as a multi-purpose mess hall, in addition to shelter from the inclement weather, throughout the weekend. Delicious buffets of food for dinner, lunch and breakfast, were prepared for the runners and volunteers by chef and ultrarunner Sammy Voltaggio of the Austin area.
After doing two training runs at HCSNA, I decided that I would be happy with anything under 18 hours for the 100km event, but it would be nice to finish before 12 midnight (i.e. under 16.5 hours). I expected that the first 50km loop would require 7-8 hours, and the second 50km loop would require 9-10 hours.
The 100k race started promptly at 7:30am Saturday morning under overcast skies . The 50k runners also started at 7:30am. The start of the 25km race was 30minutes later at 8am. Just before the race start , one of the runners said she checked the radar before leaving her hotel room, and that the rain would arrive in the late morning, instead of late afternoon. Basically a large green blob was headed our way.
The 100km starts of with a climb up into one of the hilly and rugged sections of the park which circles around Cougar Canyon. With 50k and 100k runners together, the trail was somewhat crowded for the first 10miles. About 5 miles in to the race, the course drops down to a major intersection of trails where the first aid station was located. (See photo 3). This A/S was run by HCTR members Chuck Zeugner and his wife. From here the runners head northwest to Ice Cream Hill. It is in this section that runners new to HCSNA receive an introduction to the abrasive Sotol Cactus.
Around 10:00am a light mist of rain began to fall from the sky. Climbing up Ice Cream Hill I was passed by the first few 25k runners. After climbing and descending Ice Cream Hill, the runners enter a ~10mi section of the course that traverses through predominantly low-lying pasture land in the southern half of HCSNA. The fine mist of rain began turning these lowlands into mud fields. This transformation would only worsen as the day wore on, degrading the trail conditions.
The first sign of the mud was on trail "7" which crisscrosses over Bandera Creek several times before leading runners to "Bar-O", the location of Mickey Rollins' Aidstation #2. From here there is a brief respite from the lowlands on the "8" trails which follow a series of poles for a transmission line up over a hill. In this section the trail is strewn with lots of loose limestone rock that is sometimes hidden in tall grass. Tricky. My goal on the 2nd loop was to get through this section before nightfall.
At the base of this descent, the trail takes a sharp 90 degree turn to the left marked by a water storage tank and equestrian water trough. The runner is returned to the lowlands once more only a few miles from aidstation #3 which was run by Paul and Abbey Stone .
This section of HCSNA is called the "9"'s. It was in this section that I had fallen back in November. During the race I was especially cautious in this rooty section with my footing , and walked portions, to avoid tripping and possibly reinjuring my hand. The doctor had told me that it would take until early February for the bone to completely heal.
Leaving AS #3, runners wind through more low-lying trail and are returned to Mickey's aidstation at Bar-O. This is the 20mi mark of the course. About a mile out of Bar-O, I see RD Joe Prusaitis on his mountain bike, and snapped a photo of him (see photo 4) . Earlier that morning he had ridden his mountain bike up to the ridge that circles around cougar canyon to make sure runners did not miss a turn on the course.
After another mile or so, runners enter the rugged section of the course again to begin the first climb of the "three sister peaks". This is my favorite section of the course, especially traversing the saddle between two of the peaks. This section had been especially scenic during my visit in late November due to the fall foliage. Joe had taken some photos that weekend (which are posted to the HCTR Bandera webpage) which captured the splashes of fall color against the rugged hills.
After completing the three-sister's section, runners once again visit the Zeugners' aidstation. The final and fourth aidstation was run by members of North Texas Trail Running Club: Julie, Robert Tavernini, Letha Cruthirds and Mark Dick. Leaving this final aidstation, the runners enter "Hermits Trace" , with 2.3miles until the start/finish area. During this last section , there is a final steep rocky ascent and descent, with about a mile of dirt jeep road leading back to the group lodge.
The dirt road had become a mud road. The mud was like clay that stuck to my shoes, forcing me to lean forward. I felt like I was running in high-heel platform disco shoes from the 1970's . Where possible I would try to run in the high grass and weeds that paralleled the road.
My first 50k split was 6:33 which is a very respectable time for me on this course. I ran it comfortably and faster than my anticipated 7hr-8hr estimate. I expected that the second 50km loop would take 2-3 hours longer than the first loop, but the course conditions would worsen as the day progressed.
The volunteers at the start/finish aidstation did not seem prepared for runners, and the time keeper was not present.. (At the time the 25K/50K awards ceremony was taking place in the tent), The volunteers thought I was a 50k runner, and pointed me to the finish line and told me that this was the 100k aidstation. I explained that I was a 100k runner and I needed my drop bag. Once I located my drop bag, I removed 2 cans of High Protein Boost and the pre-prepared water bottle of Clip drink, thanked the volunteers and continued on. I walked until I finished off the Boost. A bystander offered to take the empty cans from me, and said that not many 100km-ers had yet started the second loop. Was this a good or bad sign? I did not know. Were most people stopping at the 50K point? Again, I did not know.
Had it not been that I was using the 100k as a "training-run-race" to prepare for WS100, I would have probably stopped after the first 50k loop (a little after 2pm) because the sky was starting to look dark blue and swollen to the west. (The RD gave this as an option... runners could stop after first 50k loop and be given credit as a 50km finisher.... runner would not be eligible for awards.. just like at Rocky Hill Ranch 50k/25k). As it turned out about 40% of the runners who started the 100km, opted to stop at the 50km point.
Starting the second loop, the trail seemed like a ghost town compared to how crowded it had been with runners on the first loop. Once again I climbed the first steep ascent of the 50k loop, and I was committed to finishing the second loop despite what challenges the weather might bring.
Yes, the runners were very spread out by the 2nd loop. I only saw a few people out on the course (besides the volunteers at the aidstations) . I passed one runner about 2 miles into the second loop. Reaching the first aidstation, I took a split. Although I was not hurting, the split provided some quantitative data regarding the state of my legs now versus the fresh legs that had started the race. I traversed the first 5 miles of the 2nd loop about 30 minutes slower than the first 5 miles of the first loop. The volunteers asked me if I was staying dry enough, and I told them yes, and that I was carrying a plastic rain poncho that I would put on if the rain became heavier. Onward Ho to Ice Cream Hill.
At the high point of the trail on Ice Cream hill, I stopped and looked back and looked forward... no runners in sight. I had anticipated that the second loop would find runners somewhat dispersed , but not to this extent. Where was everybody? (sort of like the British Airways commercial). Continuing down Ice Cream hill and back into the flats, the first downpour occurred around 5pm as I was crisscrossing Bandera Creek on the '7' trail. I stopped to put on the transparent yellow plastic Sunmart - variety rain poncho. I felt like a primary color wheel in action... maroon knit hat, blue shorts, blue fleece jacket, and yellow transparent rain poncho.
Arriving to Bar-O around 5:30pm, Carlos Ibarra helped me with my drop bags at Mickey's AidSt. From the drop bag, I fetched a can of Boost , a new water bottle full of Clip2, and my headlamp. There was no time to waste as daylight was now at a premium. The sun sets around 6:15p in January but with he overcast skies darkness would arrive earlier this particular day.
Entering the '8' trail I started the climb that led to - the transmission line poles. My goal was to get to the base of this hill before sunset. Then I spottted a runner in a yellow jacket some distance ahead of me . I almost caught up with him, but then he dissappeared. Reaching the base of the hill, I made the 90 degree left turn. I met my goal ! Back in the flats, I was again reunited with the mud. I managed to cover about another half mile before turning on my headlamp and retrieving the flashlight from my waist pack. But where were the promised glow sticks?
Arriving to Paul and Abby's aidstation, they explained they had just put out some glowsticks between their aidstation and the next aidstation. This was good news to hear. The mud was worsening. I was reduced to a slow stagger of a walk in some sections, and I found a new definition for "pity steps".
For the night section, I was armed with a Black Diamond white LED headlamp, a flashlight with 4 green LEDS, 3 different maps of the course/park and a compass. I was taking no chances. HCSNA has many trails and trail junctions, where there are ample opportunities to get off course and lost ( a lesson that I easily learned during my visit in November). Fortunately Joe and his crew had marked the course very well with ribbons and orange cones . For the night , there were glowsticks at major turns and junctions, with some glowsticks in between. There was only one place where I became confused and had to stop and get out the maps to find the trail. It was a placed where the trail jogged a distance when it crossed the park road. During the daylight it was easy to see where the trail picked up again on the other side of road, but night time was a different story. The beam of my flashlight did not have that range. It turned out that one runner, did not find where the trail picked up again and ended up running down the park road a ways.
I reached Mickey's AidSt at Bar-O just before 8:30pm. This was my last visit to his AidSt, and it marked ~51.5 miles. Despite being slowed down by the mud and darkness, the first 51.5 mile had taken me just under 13 hours to complete. This was still a respectable time for me on this course. Each section between aidstations was taking me about 30minutes longer to traverse that it had on the first loop.
Leaving Mickey's aid station, the course leaves the shelter of the trees and starts a slow climb leading into the rugged hilly sections again. I was looking forward to the hills, as they were an escape from the mud and I like hills in general. Without the shelter of the trees in the lowlands , I was more exposed to the wind and rain. The outside temperature seemed to be dropping. And I started feeling chilled. The poncho was keeping me dry, but the layers I had beneath the poncho were not providing ample heat retention. Not having adequate clothing for these weather conditions would be the major lesson learned from this race.
While traversing trail '1' (the super highway of the course), I felt like lying down on the trail and curling up in a ball to stay warm. I was beginning to develop a headache. This would turn out to be my lowest mental point during the race. I began grumbling to myself . I swore that after WS100, I would not do any more races that required me to run in the night especially in the cold. If I could not get the race done in the available daylight hours, then I had no business signing up for it. I was ranting and raving to myself that this had stopped being a training run, and had turned into a freezing walk in the dark in the middle of nowhere with bunnies and opossums occasionally darting across the trail just in front of me... at least they had fur coats. On the positive side, there was no need to worry about a Boogie Man hiding in the bushes, because even BoogieMen did not like to be out in this type of bad weather in the middle of nowhere. Finally I calmed down and told myself I was under some stress, and it was not a good time to be making permanent decisions. (Where are the trunk monkeys when you need them?) I stopped for a moment, turned my headlamp and flashlight off, to get a sense of the darkness. It was very dark. It was surreal . And it helped to calm me down.
The little critters in the brush turned out to be quite entertaining in this section. Some would hear me and immediately dash off in the opposite or perpendicular direction. However, an animal which chose to dart off in the same direction as I was traveling would cause a noise in the brush and then stop. Then I would catch up with it, and it would again be startled and dart off again. Each time this happened the noises from its movement in the brush became more frantic-sounding until it would finally change its course and scurry off in a different direction from my travel.
Reaching the glowstick which marked the right hand turn and the start of the climb to three sisters, I felt I was making some progress. The uphill walking and downhill run/walking generated ample body warmth throughout the Three Peaks section, despite the exposure to wind and rain. Crossing the Cougar Peak area I noticed the rain looked more like snow in my headlamp beam. Other runners would report seeing snow flurries on the course that night.
Descending the trail to the Zeugners' aidstation, there were 7 more miles remaining to the finish line. Although the volunteers invited me to enter canopy and stand by the warm stove, I declined. I wanted to keep moving . I had some ramen noodle soup, and then moved on.
Whenever I would spot a glowstick ahead, I felt more comfortable about running to the glowstick and not occasionally scanning the adjacent brush for a plastic ribbon. The glowsticks were again comfort sticks, as they had been during the night section of RDL100 for me. In one case I spotted a glowstick and started running... it seemed like it was taking a long time to reach the glowstick... then I realized it was a lamp on a pole in the distant equestrian camp where trail 6 comes out to the park road! That gave me a laugh. Sometimes you have to take humor where you can find it.
With about 6 miles remaining I looked at my watch, I noted the time and mentally gave up on trying to reach the finish before midnight. I concluded it would be impossible to do. I think that not being able to stay warm affected my mental state. As it would turn out, I probably could have broken 16 hours, if I had not given up on the goal.
At the end of trail '6', the course follows the park road for about 0.5 mile before jogging again through pasture land with a creek crossing. While traversing this road segment, I noticed light from the headlights of a vehicle approaching me from behind. The truck stopped when it reached me, with the side window rolled down.... inside the truck were Joyce, Sammy and an unkown third person. I could feel the warmth of the cab as it escaped via the open window. The conversation started with the obvious... it was cold and wet outside, it was slow-going through the mud sections but I was managing okay overall and I only had about 5 miles to go from this point. Joyce asked me about another 100km runner from Houston -area... and I told her that I had not seen him when looked for him just before race started. Then I resumed forward motion, and Joyce drove on down the road toward the group lodge.. I watched as the tail lights dissappeared into the darkness.
When the course departed the park road it entered a jeep road which for lack of better words was a bit of Mud Hell. More of that pesky mud . On the jeep road, I would have to stop and scrape the collection of mud off my shoes every so often only to have it return quickly. In an effort to get out of the mud, I tried walking in the grass and weeds adjacent to the trail. But it was so lumpy and uneven, I thought I might step unknowingly in a hole and fall down. All of this stopping for mud removal and slow walking was not generating adequate body warmth, and again I was struggling to stay warm. The headache was worsening, which scared me. I tried flapping my left arm up and down like a bird to generate some warmth. This helped a little bit. Any warmth was welcomed warmth.
Crossing a creek , the course transitions from the jeep road to a single track of mud and roots. I did not try much running through this section, because of the risk of tripping on a root in the darkness and mud. I knew once I reached the final aidstation, I would enter the rugged hilly trails of Hermits Trace and be spared from the mud until the final mile into the finish. Mark Dick on NTTR was there to greet me at AS 4 when I arrived. Letha was sleeping in one of the tents at the time. I told Mark my bib number and walked on through.
Leaving the last aidstation with less than 3 miles to finish line, I heard Mark tell Julie that another runner was arriving to aidstation. I did not realize someone was so close behind me. Who was this mystery runner? Suddenly I felt an adrenaline rush, and I was able to pick up my pace. I figured the runner was going to have to work if he or she wanted to pass me. In one section, I knew I was passing beneath what I call the "burning bush on the rocky hill" although I could not see it because of the darkness.
That final rocky ascent and descent at around mile mark 60 was a bit of madness in the darkness. Close enough to start smelling the proverbial barn door . In addition to all the loose rocks, the stationary rocks were slippery from the rain. I held onto whatever branches and weeds I could grab to descend one section of that sharp drop. There was a sense of adventure to it all in Hermit's Trace.
The last mile of muddy jeep road was another edition of Mud Hell, but knowing the finish was so close and that another runner was close behind me kept me motivated and made it seem less hellish. I really tried to run as much as I could in my disco-platform-trail shoes.. I was almost there.
The finish line was a welcomed sight. A car horn beeped repeatedly. After crossing the finish, I received a hug from RD Joe and a nice belt buckle . Joyce gave me my official finish time.
It turns out that I had almost caught up with a runner ahead of me.. He finished less than a minute before me (He was the same runner in the yellow jacket that I had spotted ahead of me in the late afternoon). I did not know he had been so close ahead..... but he said he had seen my flashlight on the big hill in Hermits Trace and knew I was close behind. Fellow HCTR member Mark Raymond finished a few minutes after me ; Mark had been the mystery runner at the last aidstation. Funny how you don't see anyone for a long time, and then in the last 3 miles these runners seem to pop out of nowhere. Just like what happened at RDl00.
I finished at 12:22am Sunday morning, missing my goal of finishing before midnight by 22minutes! My total time was 16:52, which was well within my basic goal of a sub-18hr finish. I said I would be happy with anything under 18 hours, and I was satisfied overall... mostly happy to get out of the weather and into some clean dry clothes.. (The splits I recorded with my watch are shown at end of webpage).
However there is a part of me that wishes I would not have given up on my sub- midnight goal... I had been working so hard during training runs since RDL100 on staying mentally strong when I get tired, and here at Bandera once again I fell culprit. The mud and cold had taken its toll on my mental state and my pace : the final 10miles had taken me just under 10 hours to complete. Whereas my first 50km split had been 6:33, the second 50km split was over 10hours !.. almost 4 hours longer.
I finished 3rd woman overall, which was unexpected. I received an award, an engraved pilsner beer glass. A woman from Alaska came in 1st. Nancy Halphin from Albuquerque, NM came in 2nd. There were about 50 runners to start the 100k, and 30 would finish. Many stopped after first 50km.. For the men Scott Eppelman finished 1st, Paul Frost 2nd, and Bill Gardner 3rd.... and Matt would set a blazing 50km course record).
After I finished there were several rounds of heavy showers throughout the night... The last finishers came in around 5:30 am Sunday morning... a long night in the rain for those runners and the volunteers. I stayed up for about 90 minutes after I finished....I visited with Sammy V in the kitchen for a while.. Then I was able to see fellow HCTR member Henry Hobbs cross the finish line. Then I slept on the floor of the group lodge for a few hours. Later Sunday morning , I had some breakfast and watched the start off the Dirty Duathlon. Then around 10:20am I started the drive back home to Sugar Land.
Thanks to Joe and Joyce for making this race possible. Thanks to Sammy for his wonderful cooking. And thanks to all the volunteers who manned the aidstations through the bad weather.
I strongly recommend this race to ots. The race has some challenge, some diverse scenery , it is well- organized , and the belt buckles are very nice. Joe and his HCTR club offer some fine hospitality. Finally Texas has its own 100km-- with some hills !
-Linda