Fifteen of us stood in the 20’ x 40’ canvas tent and peered at the tree line 50 yards away in the dark. Thunder was the only sound louder than the driving rain on canvas. Lightening bolts struck the surrounding countryside with regularity. The tent was sagging with pools of water collecting on the roof, which was our only source of protection other than the cars. We used my umbrella in the tent to poke the ceiling up and repeatedly dump water from the roof in a cascade. The floor was mud to match everywhere for miles around. On the floor were remains of eleven aid stations, runner drop bags, trash bags, dirty wet supplies, chairs, tables and a grill.

The grill was still working. My husband Michael had completed the Grasslands Run 10 mile event for the fourth year, and then grilled hamburgers for eight hours. Scott Eppelman was standing by the clock using wet paper to record the race results as he had done for over thirteen hours. Pam Roberts dug through wet boxes organizing aid station supplies and offering continued care for four or five runners as she had all day. I stood at the tent opening willing the last 50 mile Grasslands runner to finish safely.

Our North Texas Trail Runner’s fourth annual Grasslands Run was a marvelous success under the most amazingly difficult conditions yet. More than 175 runners pre entered for the 10 mile, 25 mile and 50 mile events. The weather forecast went from bad to worse, to tornado watch. Still we had a dozen day of race entrants. The RaceReady running shirts for entering are very popular thanks to our sponsor IMPRIMIS. But, 2002 wasn’t about number of entrants, it was about the endurance required to show up. The thirty volunteers that showed up to make it happen bonded with the runners in the face of adversity. Everyone spoke of the shared hardship and feeling of accomplishment. United we stand, and on this day, in ankle deep mud and an occasional warm rain.

The GRASSLANDS Run is about completion not speed. We have the 10 mile run to introduce runners to trail. The step up to 25 miles is geared for marathon runners and Ultra distance training. But our premiere event is the 50, a great first time ultra. A well marked gentle rolling course with twenty aid stations creates the opportunity for completion. A 1/3 of the 50 mile finishers were first timers. As Sam Altstein from NY said “I was pure as the driven snow before this”. We have no DNFs at Grasslands, just runners that choose to accept a shorter distance finish. All finishers got a great RaceReady running cap with the run logo, and the first man and woman had WINNER embroidered on the back.

Carlos Ibarra managed the mud better than any other runner in the 50, though was no threat to Scott Eppelman’s course record of 6:25. On this day the second place tie of five runners told the real story. Everybody was in survival mode. The next runner in was Letha Cruthirds who didn’t even realize she was first woman. In the 25 mile event over a third of the field dropped down to the ten mile finish. It was just plain tough out there.

A trend began to appear when runners were reluctant to accept their new white finisher hat. I could not believe how everybody had muddy hands. What were they doing out there? The stories have unfolded as tales of sliding down the 20’ mud slope to cross “Royal Gorge”, and then rinsing in the creek. The next step was to fall hands first in the mud when attempting the climb out of the creek bed. There were shoes and socks in the finishline trash barrel.

Still, runners came in laughing and smiling with mud streaked grins. They told the volunteers how much fun they had and that they’d be back March 29, 2003. So with just a few of us left at 8PM, we welcomed Tony Mathison to his first 50 mile completion, as the final finisher in 2002. He came out of the rain, between lightening bolts, with two Texas riders on horses bedecked in glowsticks and found an aid station that still served hamburgers.

Congratulations to all our Grasslands participants, both runners and volunteers.

Suzi Cope RD