Chris Hearne

I approached this race with considerable apprehension after hearing all of the horror stories about last year’s “ mudathon.” I studied the forecast daily, hoping for a dry spell which never came. I reviewed the suggestions on the HCTR discussion group and decided to carry a putty knife for the race.

Race day was overcast and misty with temperature in the low 50s, perfect for a marathon. Only a few dozen runners showed up. Apparently there were quite a few DNS due to the concerns about the mud. The first 5 miles was wonderful. The trail was packed sand with rare puddles of water. Visibility was hampered by the fog. On a sunny day I suspect there would have been nice views of the Colorado river valley. The next stretch was where most of the mud was, but there were only a couple of areas where I had to stop and scrape my shoes. The “ blue stem” area was a total mud bog. Fortunately the mud was so saturated that it didn’t suck your shoes off. The putty knife turned out to be the perfect ploy. After the mud bog we ran a couple of miles in a beautiful pasture where the footing was excellent and you could see where your competition was. Back through the mud bog and into the deep woods we went. The trail in the woods was slick but not too sticky. There was a final ascent up an SAS ( steep as s!!!) jeep trail then a mile or so of firm sand trail to the finish.

The course consisted of 2 loops. The trails were well marked and the aid stations were well placed and staffed by great people. I carried a water bottle but it was not necessary. I had the pleasure of running the second lap with Doug Gimenez. We solved a lot of the world’s problems. That’s the nice thing about trail running as opposed to road marathoning. It’s a whole different attitude. That being said I felt pretty strong at mile 20 and ran ahead to make sure I placed in the old fart’s division.

In summary the mud was not that bad. The venue is outstanding and it is a true trail RUN. No offense Joe but Bandera was a HIKE. The course is well shaded and open and would make for a pleasant summertime run. Many thanks to Mickey and the volunteers. And I’m really glad that the faster old farts slept in.