Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 09:26:44 -0400 From: Steve Pero Subject: Vermont 100...a dream comes true This past weekend a dream came true. A little over a year ago, I ran my 1st ultra, dropped at 35, returned to try again and finished the Vermont 50. I had such a wonderful time that I just knew the 100 had to be twice as much fun. 2 years ago my sister passed away at a young age of 38 from Cancer and after that my life was never the same. I was no longer going to put things off...if I wanted to do something, then I was going to do it. So when the thought came into my head to run the 100, I started thinking that now is the time because next year may not come...you never know. The weekend began with Stephen Peckiconis and I pulling into the driveway of Smoke Rise Farm and seeing the banner across exclaiming "WELCOME 100 MILERS". Immediately all the nervousness that I had felt in the coming weeks vanished. It was time to do what it is all ultrarunners dream of, the 100 mile trail run, and it is in my favorite state in my favorite time of year. What more could I ask for? Well, maybe that the humidity would go away...and it did during the night. Everything was getting set up for a perfect day in Vermont. Checking in that afternoon went well except for the weigh in, where I weighed 158...a few pounds heavier than usual. Preparing to run this race reminded me of preparing for battle. Supplies in bags, spread out evenly along the course. My plan of attack was to stick with what has been working for me all year, mainly using SUCCEED! Clip and electrolyte caps. Clip was to be used during the day, switching over to Amino for the nighttime for mental alertness, as Karl King suggested. So I was planning on carrying all the caps I needed in a film canister with cotton beneath them to prevent breakage. I would carry 24 pills to insure that I would have enough. I had no idea how long it was going to take me, but using the 2.5-3x equation said that I would be coming in between 20-24 hours based on my approx. 8 hour 50 I ran 6 weeks before. I would place in my drop bags, which were spread about 20 miles apart, a change of socks, 3 packs of Clip and one can of Ensure Plus as a calorie boost. At Camp 10 bear, I also had a change of shoes that I would wear just during that 20+ mile loop to give the feet a little break. With the sound of Chariots of Fire playing on a piano in the background,at 4 AM, We were off. Flashlights dancing on the trail. Looking for Sue Johnston unsuccessfully, who I had planned on starting with, and Stephen, Peg Ryan and Jeannie Gerstien by my side. This was my 1st time running in the dark with a light...awsome! I just kept looking behind at the lights in amazement. We are all going to try to run 100 miles! The early miles are all a blur of trying to hold back the pace on the downs and powerwalking all the ups, while it slowly got light out. Someone last week on the list said if you can't see over it...walk it. I remembered that and stuck to that plan all through the race, but being a strong climber, I was able to pass runners on every hill without trying. Then it happened...what I had been waiting for. In the distance I heard the galloping of a horse.I looked over and saw this beautiful animal glistening with sweat, breathing heavier than I. This was an athlete...this horse was running for the win. As time went on, the horses were very much like the runners. As more horses went by, they were getting less and less competitive and more interested in just finishing and stopping every now and then for some clover or grass or maybe a drink from a puddle in the trail. Then I met Ali for the 1st time...He was a beautiful, strong animal that wouldn't let me get by. His rider, a young woman, told me that after awhile the horses start to think that the runners are other horses and are racing them. So with the holds for the horses, I was able to get ahead of Ali and then He'd catch back up to me, etc...it helped the miles pass by. As the day wore on, I continued to pass runners, but it was now getting real hot...full sun blazing down, not a cloud in the sky. Jim "Gilly" Gilford, at one of the aid stations, took my bandana that I was dipping in the horse water buckets and filled it with ice and put it back around my neck. This along with ice in the hat helped me continue to push the pace. I was secretly hoping to catch up to Sue, who Dot Helling had told me earlier was up ahead, not behind as I had thought. It was getting tough in the heat though and even though the Clip and Caps (1 every hour) were keeping my energy level high, I wasn't able to eat anything. I had tried some Ensure at my 1st drop bag and got extremely nauseous, so no more of that. Then I tried a potato and gagged on that, next trying a PB&J...fugedaboudit! At one point (I think it was around 70 miles) I had just caught up to Rena Schumann at an aid station on the top of a hill during the Camp 10 Bear loop and she noticed me mixing my Clip and said "Hey, We're on the same diet"...I noticed Her getting some Coke, it looked good, so I tried some and immediately it came right back up in the road. No sickness or anything, just projectile void! I just said 'well not that part of the diet" and continued on down the hill where at the bottom was another aid station that the woman mentioned a hose. Looking over I saw the hose coiled on the ground. I had been dreaming of my pool during the last hot stretch and this was perfect. So Donny Allison pointed and sprayed me all over...that was the turning point of my run. I immediately felt refreshed ready to continue battling the heat. Next came Camp 10 Bear #2. I think the mileage is about 68 miles and there was a whole crew there waiting on me...and I had no crew! Stephen had dropped at CTB#1, so hung around to help me a bit. It was here that I was planning on picking up my light, a Hubbell clip on, and switching over to Amino, but I miscalculated because the Sun was still blazing in the sky. So I change back to my previous shoes and take a couple of ibuprofen for my quads, which were getting tighter by the mile, and Fred Pilon gives me a mental push by stating that I was now in 31st place and finishing in the top 25 is pretty special...so whadayathink I had in my head for the rest of the race? Ok, passed him, that's 30th...passed her that's 29th and so on. Just one little thought like that also kept my head in the race. But where's Sue? Obviously having a good run today... Now it's time for the really tough part. Darkness...Alone...I had no pacer because my friend Tom Hines, who was going to pace me, got injured so I just decided to go it alone, figuring I'd be running with or near Stephen, or Sue or someone...or something. Thinking back, this was the best part of the run, my favorite part. I really enjoyed the cooler night. It was really weird coming to an unmanned aid station on the side of the road in the middle of the woods. I was always expecting to have to shoo animals away from the food, but never saw any. Coming into the 85 mile med check point in the barn, I hopped on the scale and the guy informed me that I was down to 151 and would be smart to start to eat something, so I began to eat chicken soup whenever I came upon it. The next station was the 90 mile and it had soup, so I grabbed a cup, slurped it down and continued down the road passing Gail Ierardi, a local runner from the GIL's running team. She mentioned to me something about if I were a female She's give me a fight, but no go, I just continued on being pursued by someone I don't know that was keeping pace with me. Now was the moment I had been waiting for...the final aid station, 96 miles...4 miles to go! I had a really tough time on the trail leading into this station. It was all trail, twisty and turny and very dark, so not having a pacer to guide me, I just had to walk the whole thing so as not to turn an ankle or fall or something. As I entered the 96 mile station, Gilly ran up to me and asked what I wanted, I got some more soup, ate it on the trail to catch up to a couple of horses to have some company on the trail. I pushed up the trail and guess what! It was Ali again. And as I pushed up the trail one of the riders asked me if I wanted to pass, but I told her that I was happy to have the company. I told her that I was fantasizing being escorted by 2 beautiful woman on horseback to the finish. But then I heard voices, looked back and saw lights coming, so I asked to pass and when I did Ali tried to keep pace but his rider put a stop to that by leading him to a clover field. AT this time I had crested the hill, but still didn't know how far it was, so I turned out one of my lights and tried to run down the trail to stay ahead of my pursuers. Pete Stringer and his pacer were the pursuers and he told me after that He was chasing the light, but when He reached the horses thought it was just them and backed off. Soon I saw the lights of the barn and heard the cheers and with a battle cry crossed the finish line in 19:45, 23rd place. As I said earlier...this was a magical weekend. I made many more friends, as usual at these events. Scott Burgess and I had a lot of fun pounding down the beers the night before at the meal, where I met Ray Scannell and his wife Joan. Sue Johnston and her husband, Mike were always there. (I won't tell you what Sue had to eat at the awards dinner). I want to thank 1st Laura Farrell, who must not have slept all weekend. Laura, what a race! Next comes my crew who weren't supposed to be my crew...Don Allison, Karen Cormier, Jim Gilford, Ruth Kessler, Stephen Peckiconis and Fred Pilon...thanks guys! Just ultrarunners helping another get through this event...I will return the favor someday. And finally...I walked around all day long telling everyone the famous last words of all ultrarunners...NEVER AGAIN!...YOU PEOPLE ARE SICK!...Well, all I can say is seeya next year. Sue, tell Mike He should have bet me in my weakened state right after I finished...He could have had anything! Steve Pero Medford, Ma. peros@polaroid.com