Subject: Mt. Rushmore long version Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 15:08:28 -0700 From: "Schmidt, Paul" Mt. Rushmore 100, 2001 Continuing my quest to experience some new 100's, I flew into Rapid City in route to the Mt. Rushmore 100. Accompany me was my training pal, Richard Hayes, and my wife, Kathleen. We went into Rapid City to get some supplies for the race, to eat lunch, and then we went back to the Regional Airport to pickup Monica Scholz. It would be Monica's 11th one hundred this year, my fifth, and Richard had recently completed Western States. This race has a very bad reputation of runners being lost for hours, so our plan was to try and stay together to try and avoid getting lost on the course. Monica had run this race last year without any course finding difficulties. She would serve as our guide. We drove over to the race meeting, which was held at the Old Nemo Firehouse, at mile 62 of the race. The meeting was very brief with a small turnout. We were told that we would mostly run on the Centennial Trail (#89) with a 9-mile diversion up and back to the Mt. Rushmore Monument. Additionally, it was stated, that when we saw yellow, green, and red ribbons grouped together that it represented and critical turn point. Monica and Richard left some drop bags, while I would depend on Kathleen to provide me with supplies along the course. The pre-race meal supplied by the race management was some fried chicken, potato salad, and soft drinks. We passed on the food and went south on highway #385 to our hotel in Custer. Along the way, Richard and I tried to find some of the turn-offs for the aid stations that Kathleen would access off #385. We checked into the Buffalo Best Western in Custer, it was clean, quite, and only ten minutes from the start. Kathleen and I got a bite to eat at the adjacent restaurant and we all hit the sack about 8:30 pm. The Start Our wake-up call came at 2:45 am and we were soon up and taking care of business. We left for the start at 3:30 and checked in at a parking lot in Custer State Park. There were several races all starting at the same time. There was a 14-mile run to the Mt. Rushmore Monument, a 50K, a 50M, and the 100M. We ran through a campground and began climbing in the dark. Within a mile Monica began experiencing some back pain. We stopped and she stretched, while Richard slowed to a walk waiting for us. We caught back with Richard who then began leading the way in the dark The course took us through some wooded areas with lots of tall pines and birch trees. There wasn't much undergrowth so you could see through the woods for 50 yards in every direction. We were running near a group of girls from a high school cross-country team from Fulton Tennessee. They were on a 10-day trip visiting and running through a bunch of historic sites. Every few minutes they would shout out a team cheer! Their enthusiasm was refreshing and fun to be around. We reached the 1st aid station (6+ miles) and refilled with water and Gatorade. The next section continued through the woods crossing a road several times. We didn't have any problems finding our way as trail was marked well in this section. We caught our first glimpse of the monument at daybreak from an adjacent hilltop. It was breathtaking! We then went downhill on single track trail and next hiked uphill through dense brush toward the monument. Once near the monument, we went on a walking trail (with interpretive signs) that connected to a long wooden stairway going toward the Artist's Studio. This is an aid station and a mandatory picture stop. We posed individually and in groups. At this station, they had only water, Gatorade, and trail mix. Early On We back tracked down the steps from the monument and went on the Presidential Trail. This trail went along a creek with large granite rock formations on the other side of the creek. It was very peaceful and maybe the most beautiful trail of the race. At the Big Pine station we went back on to the Centennial trail, it rolled up and down a little while following a stream and crossing some RR tracks and going under HWY 16. The next section contains about 3 miles of climbing on a rocky trail. It reminded me of the climb up Bird Knob at the MMT100. We proceeded down to the Dakota Point aid station in a close pack of about eight runners. It was getting warm, maybe 85 degrees. My wife, Kathleen, met us here and she had a great surprise for me, a chocolate milkshake. I drank it so fast that I got brain freeze! Naomi, the RD's wife, was at this aid station, and she gave us hand-drawn maps of the next section. We followed a flume trail along Sheridan Lake. It was full of folks in boats, fishing, water-skiing, and just hanging out. We then split with the 50K runners going up over a ridge and then along a narrow trail ledge trail, through a short tunnel to an unmanned turnaround point that was noted by a few ribbons and a U-shaped arrow painted on the ground. We returned on this trail back to the place where we had split from the 50K runners and ran over a dam at the end of the lake. It was wide open here and hot. Richard and I were together, while Monica pressed on ahead. We stopped and walked a little to drink, eat and enjoy the view of the lake. Richard was beginning to experience some leg cramps from the heat. On the far side there were several people having great time swimming in the lake. Man did that look like a more sensible idea than what we were doing. We reached the Dakota Point aid station (33.8 M) about a mile past the dam. After leaving this aid station we realized that the water that we were given tasted terrible. It tasted like the worst hose water that I have ever experienced. I named it "Skunky Water." We drank it; it was the only choice considering it was a hot and humid day. Yuck! The Dilemma Begins Getting to the 40-mile aid station, Brush Creek, was confusing and hot. The course now goes through some grassland. It was wide open, hot and hard to find the trail. At one point, we came right up to a barbwire fence. There was a pair of ribbons on the fence, but no others in sight. After some trial and error by our little group, we determined that we should go through the fence. Go figure? The trail then went through some very thick grass areas that made it difficult to run without tripping. Richard, had lingered a little at the previous aid station, trying to get caught-up on fluids and was nowhere in sight. I learned later that he had gotten lost at the fence area for a while. Once into the Brush Creek aid station it became apparent that we were in for a long day. No race officials were present which meant no drop bags and no food. Fortunately, our faithful crews, including my wife Kathleen, had jumped in to take care of the runners. We learned that the RD dropped some water and Gatorade here for the runners, but no volunteers showed up to run the show. Our crews rose to the occasion and provided ice, food, and drinks. This was to be the first indication of future ominous situations. Kathleen told me the next day that a member of the race board asked her not to help the runners because they were trying make Larry Simonson , the RD, look bad and did not want anyone to finish the race! My wife told her in no uncertain terms to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. As long as we were out there in 90+-degree temperature trying to complete this race; she would do whatever was needed to help any runner out on the course. O.K., so now we knew what we had to deal with. There was some politics going on between the race committee people. Shame on them, for putting the runners at risk for their self-serving goal! The Pack I left this aid station a little behind a pack of 6 runners that included Monica. Richard was now nowhere in sight! I went down a few 100 yards on a grass covered road and encountered all of the runners who had left before me coming back up to me. They missed the right turn on to a single-track trail. It was marked with a single pair of twelve-inch red and yellow ribbons tied to a stick on the ground. Our little pack included the three top women, Molly, Barbara, and Monica, Barb's new husband Mario (running the 50M) me, and two other guys that had been in 3rd and 4th places before they got lost. Now we were just a group of runners out there trying to survive. We worked together to find the course markings and just tried to keep moving ahead. We changed positions a few times, but it was only based on our personnel strengths and weakness, where some ran faster downhill, while others climbed more efficiently. We were still running in the grasslands, it was wide open and hot. Somewhere in this section Monica and I went ahead of all but one runner in our pack. It wasn't a conscious effort; I just think that the heat affected us a little less. Maybe, some early conservative running and keeping well hydrated was paying off. Getting Lost We entered into a nice wooded section and I stopped to remove a rock from my shoe as Monica went ahead. The course was now on a fire road and seemed easy to follow. I continued down the road up over a ridge and then down a long hill. Something wasn't right! I should have caught Monica by now! I reluctantly admitted that I was lost and turned back up the hill. On the top of the hill I spotted two ribbons tied about 15 feet up in a tree marking the turn on to a single track trail that I had missed. I placed a long stick across the direction that I had gone hoping others would avoid getting lost in this area and set off to catch Monica. I lost about 30 minutes and knew that it wouldn't be wise to try and make it up too quickly in the heat of the day. I got into the Rapid City aid station (45M) and was greeted by Kathleen. She was worried because Monica had told her I was right behind her and I showed up about 20 minutes later. Again there was little here in the way of food. I filled my bottles, had a few orange slices, a bottle of OJ from Kathleen and headed out. The next section was uphill which helped me on my quest to catch my pal Monica. I knew that she would stay conservative on the up hills in the heat of the day. I worked the hill but didn't want to catch up with Monica only to crash and burn. I got an update on Monica from a couple of mountain bikers and determined that I was closing the gap between us. The course had a lot twists and turns where we crossed a dirt road several times ran 50 feet and then crossed over again. Finally, the trail turned away from the dirt road! A mountain biker told me that the woman in the red shirt (Monica) was 1.5 minutes ahead. I started singing my best rendition of "Hold on I'm Coming" as I finally caught up with Monica. She had slowed in an effort to let me catch up, but she was concerned that it took me almost 8 miles to do so. We passed the second place runner just before the aid station. It was Brett he wasn't taking any salt and was feeling sick to his stomach. We stopped and ask him if we could help, he just said no thanks. He looked fried; if he stopped at 50 miles he would be the first finisher. It was very tempting, but somehow he kept going! Halfway Home We reached the Deer Creek (50M) feeling pretty good because we were back on track running together (unfortunately without Richard). Kathleen was happy to see us come in together and provided us with aid and TLC. We now began traveling parallel to HWY 385 and then made a sharp right turn through a gate on a gravel road that cut a diagonal to the Pilot Knob station. We filled our bottles got some food from Kathleen and headed out quickly. After sipping on our water, we quickly realized that the aid station worker was the same guy from Brush Creek with the "Skunky Water." Yuck again, 6.5 miles with only bad tasting water. Getting Lost in the Dark Naomi was at the next aid station (Boxelder Road) with her pickup truck serving as a traveling aid station. They had water, Powerade, and fried chicken? It was near dark, we talked about borrowing a flashlight, but we decided against it after learning that the Nemo station (where Kathleen was with our lights) was only 3.2 miles away. We left this station on a dirt road and then went on a single-track trail that crossed a paved road a few times. We crossed the road following a Centennial Trail marker; there was a single pair of red and yellow ribbons at the trailhead. We continued up a steep and rocky trail but did not see any trail blazes or ribbons. Going around a downed tree we saw our first Centennial Trail marker on the trail, although it was partially hidden from our view by the base of the tree. We continued up the hill but did not find any race ribbons or trail markers for about 20 minutes. We went back down the hill to the original marker by the downed tree. It had an arrow on it pointing up the hill. Back up we went, near the top we found a single marker on a tree. On the top of the hill there were a few ribbons that led us away from the hill on to a dirt road. By now, we realized that we should have made a left turn and run along the paved road at the bottom of the hill. This would have brought us to the Nemo station (62M) in less than a quarter mile. It soon got real dark real quick. I took out my trusty key-chain type single LED light from my pocket and we proceed down the road. We jogged or walked at a slow pace for safety. The course then took a left turn on to a single-track trail. It switched back steeply downhill. We were slipping and sliding our way down trying not to get injured. We reached Dalton Lake (67.7M) and told them of our mishap. We asked the radio operator to try and contact the RD and ask what we should do. Larry had been gone from the race for several hours trying to find a runner who was lost early in the day and then looking for us. We asked to borrow a light to get us to the next station and we were told that they did not have one to share. I then asked them to try and contact Kathleen and to have her come with our lights. They did so and she was on her way from Nemo. We decided that instead of hanging around and getting cold that we would walk an out and back on the road to make up the distance that we had missed earlier. Alec, the son of the radio operator, kept us company leading the way with his flashlight? About 45 minutes later Kathleen and Richard arrived with our gear. Richard had gotten lost several times, for several miles, he got way behind in hydration and called it a day. We changed our shirts, grabbed our lights, and finally got out of the station. The next section was about 7 miles away and we were moving slowly. Kathleen and Richard met us at this station (Wonderland Cave). There weren't any race people at the station only some crew/families and one radio guy. They were all chipping in and sharing supplies to help out the runners. We left this "station" carrying three bottles because Naomi had warned us earlier that she would not make to the next aid station at Veteran's Peak Road. We would go from Elk Creek (79M) to Alkali Creek (91M) without aid. During this long section, in the middle of the night, Monica began to feel the impact of the previous 10 one-hundred mile races she had completed this year. Not to mention the 16 she completed in 2000. We stopped and Monica took a nap right on the trail. I sat down and was treated to meteor shower in the sky. Very cool! We soon got up and started moving. Monica led the way; this seemed to make it easier for her to stay awake. Soon a new day had dawned and we finally reached Alkali Creek. In a measure of cruel and unusual punishment; this station is actually the end of the race, but you must first climb over one more hill run down to a turnaround point 4.5 miles away and then retrace your steps. Kathleen and Richard met us at Alkali Creek, gave us some aid and sent us on our way. After descending from the climb, our crew met us again to provide us with aid. There would not be any one at the Fort Meade station, what else was new? We reached a parking lot at Fort Meade went through a gate touched a post in the lot and turned around. There wasn't any real indication of where to turn, but Monica remembered someone taking numbers in the lot last year, so that was our spot. For the first time in many hours, we met up with other runners on the course. We weren't runners racing each other, just fellow survivors of a poorly organized race! Paul, from Colorado, in first place, passed us on his way back to the finish. We exchanged high-fives. Brett, who looked completely toasted at mile 49 was not far behind us. It is always amazing how some folks can return from the dead! After the turnaround, Monica could smell the barn and we began to run pretty quickly on any flats and downhills. Richard had joined us and shared some water when we ran out due to the lack of aid. After cresting the final climb we descended quickly to finish hand-and-hand. Larry, Naomi, Kathleen, and a few crewmembers greeted us as this dam thing was finally over. Every finisher received a belt buckle with Mt Rushmore depicted on it and a ring made of Black Hills gold (very nice!). I got mine in Kathleen's size. She earned it, without her help most of us (nine I think) may have not finished! Summary This is a beautiful area with some great trails and views. It was very poorly marked (very few ribbons and no glow lights) the aid stations were pathetic to non-existent. Drop bags were not delivered! And it can be HOT!! Do not attempt to run this race without an experienced crew. Driving from station to the next was easy for crew and the directions provided were excellent. I believe that only a small portion of the blame for the problems of this race are the RD's responsibility, although the buck stops there! It appeared that the race board was doing their best to sabotage the race to try and pressure Larry out. His wife, Naomi, tried her best to pickup the pieces, but there was too much to be fixed during the event. Hopefully, these folks will get their act together one of these days. When and if this happens, the Mt. Rushmore 100 could be one of the premier 100 milers around. Although, this race has been held for six years, I believe that they may have already missed the cutoff. Next stop Cascade Crest Classic 100!