An act of kindness motivated me to enter the 2006 Rocky Raccoon. It was August 2005 and I was suffering the worst asthma attack in my life during the Cascade Crest Classic 100. When I dropped at Stampede Pass, Joe and Joyce Prusaitis immediately offered a ride and a place to sleep. This is how I met Joe and Joyce. I was a total stranger to them when they took me in. Just another ultrarunner who needed help. Joe and Joyce direct Rocky, so I figured it had to be a great race. It is.

What's so nice about Rocky? It's well organized, as well as any race I've entered. It's a great value. The race has a Chef and he knows what athletes like before, during, and after the race. The volunteers are savvy and motivated to help you finish your race. Rocky is well-attended with many familiar athletes every year. And there is the course: miles of soft, flat, pine needle -covered trails embraced by the mild Houston winter weather. Still not convinced? You'll probably get a PR if you finish.


As I boarded the plane to Houston with my world-class crew (wife Melinda and 13 year-old son Sam) I was visualizing a nice relaxed run. A series of business trips combined with a recent strep infection dictated a conservative race strategy, and I anticipated hours of easy running in cool weather with no pressure to meet a specific time goal. When I realized that our room number at the Huntsville Super 8 motel was identical to my race number, 123, I figured I was really going to enjoy myself.

At 6AM Saturday February 4th I started out at an easy jog with almost 250 other athletes. February 4th happens to be my crew chief's birthday, which I took as another nice omen, and an unselfish gesture on her part (to spend her birthday crewing me through a race). When I reached the first out-and-back section, around 3 miles, the dawn was breaking and I saw Jorge Pacheco for the first time. He had already separated from the lead pack and was totally focused and running very assertively.

As I finished my first 20-mile lap, I started having trouble breathing. Another asthma attack. Wow, I thought, it would be ironic if I dropped due to asthma, given why I am here in the first place.

During the 2nd lap I struggled to fill my lungs. They just wouldn't open up for me, and my heart rate rose. I relaxed, slowed down, used my inhaler. No improvement. Well, I thought, I can get pissed off and drop, or I can relax and get through it. If I can continue at a slow pace with a low-enough heart rate, I can still finish the race. Is the asthma getting worse? No, it's pretty bad but under control. OK, I'm going to have a slow time: I might as well enjoy myself.

Once I came to terms with my physical condition and verified that the asthma was stabilized, My mental outlook was better and I adjusted to the reality of my condition. Slowing down, I started looking around the forest. I began smiling and nodding to runners on the out-and-back-sections. I was glad for the opportunity to spend the day running in a nice forest on friendly trails.

I enjoyed some great performances. Jorge was unbelievable. He was totally focused. I saw him several times during the race and each time he looked exactly the same. His stride was perfect, his pace was consistent. He looked fresh. I was opening my drop bag at the Dam Road aid station when Jorge came through on his last lap. 7 miles to go. Everyone was excited because we knew he was having a special run. Before he left he thanked the volunteers.

Frank Probst, 62 years old, was tearing up the trail. Frank is an impressive sight. He is tall and he runs assertively. At 62 years, Frank finished 18th overall in under 19 hours.

I saw Connie Gardner and Sue Johnston each once. They both looked great. I didn't know that they spent most of the race within 15 minutes of each other until after my race was over. Dave Bursler was also having a great race. I saw him several times during the day. He was running real hard each time.

When I finished my third lap I realized, despite my struggles, at 60 miles I was still in contention for a 24-hour buckle. Mentally, however, I was tired of fighting the asthma. Darkness fell and I set off on my fourth lap with a pacer: Sam.

It was great running with our 13 year-old son. He was excited and clearly happy to be on the trail. We saw an armadillo cross the trail in front of us. Sam told me about some of the fun he and Melinda had that day. Four miles went by quickly and Sam met up with Melinda at the Highway aid station. I was on my own again and the next six miles were the hardest of the race for me.

At 70 miles, however, my lungs started opening up. I got stronger. The stars were bright in the sky. At this point I started to notice the sights and sounds of the enchanted forest.

The enchanted forest is a short looping trail that starts at mile 14 of the 20-mile lap. It is a special place, very relaxing. Soon the entire forest enchanted me. Birds called to each other in the darkness. The cold air was an elixir for my lungs. I absorbed the sights and sounds. The swampy section of the course, around mile 16 of each lap, became magical. The creeks, reeds, and reflective still waters made it a sensory feast.

As I came in to the 174 aid station, mile 77, I picked up my next pacer: Melinda. I thoroughly enjoyed running 3 miles back to the race headquarters with Melinda. Things were just getting better as the miles stacked up. I picked up the pace and Melinda followed. Before I knew it we were back at race headquarters. One more lap.

Before starting on my last lap, I checked the time and discussed my finish with Melinda. We were around 18 hours into the race. I had a little more than 6 hours for the last lap if I wanted a 24-hour buckle. I told Melinda that there was a slim chance I would make it. Too many things usually happen to me in the last 20 miles for me to be more confident of my finishing time.

My last lap was...enchanted. I started running right away and ran virtually all of the next 17 miles. As I reached each aid station I knew my chances of a sub-24 buckle were good and getting better. I got stronger. I started passing people. I passed around 20 runners. As I left the 174 aid station, mile 97, I realized I had a sub-24 buckle in the bag. I walked most of the last three miles because my feet were really starting to hurt at that point.

Meanwhile, Melinda had not given up hope that I would finish strongly. She felt I would finish between 23:30 and 24:30. She and Sam went into the heated tent at the finsh area and went to sleep. At 5:30 am they would get up and start watching for me.

I walked in to the finish area at 5:24 am. 100 miles in 23 hours and 24 minutes. My fourth lap took 5:33; my fifth lap took 5:24. Negative splits! I was real satisfied. Joe Prusaitis congratulated me warmly. As I walked over to Melinda and Sam they both opened their eyes, looked at me, looked at the race clock, looked back at me, and started smiling. Within 1/2 an hour I was lying in bed with ice on my knees eating ice cream.

Later Melinda told me about Jorge's finish. He missed the course record by around 30 seconds. The record, set by Eric Clifton, is the fastest time ever recorded for a 100 mile trail run, and Joe Prusaitis refers to it as a world record. Wow, what a cool day it turned out to be.