Sojourners Racing Team: Pony Express 100, 2015

2015 Pony Express 100

100 miles of Unknown and Uncertainty

WOW, where to start and what to include? This is such an epic event that entails so much. This is going to be long, but I just hope that it will accurately reflect all of my feelings and emotions.

I had actually registered to do this race last year. With the construction of our home I ended up dropping or deferred the St. George Marathon and this one, The Pony Express 100. With the house now complete, 2015 was the year to do this one.

I like to always ‘Be Prepared’- it comes from years of being a scout master. I always like to pre-run a course before I do it. I talk to everyone that I can and get as much information as possible. I then plan out as many details as possible in preparation for participating in the event.

For this one I wasn’t able to pre-run it. However, I did glean a lot of information from previous race reviews and from a few friends who have run it in the past. I used all of this ‘intel’ to build my plan. This included a detailed packing list for everything from clothing and shoes, to fueling and pacing. My pack list alone for the event was three pages long and I added items the last day as we were packing to leave.

My brother, Todd Eppley, had agreed to be my crew chief. He has always performed this function whether I am running a foot race or road racing motorcycles. I attribute much of my success to his support, encouragement and team leadership. He is a great cheerleader who you always want on your team. My wife, Lara, agreed to come out as part of the Crew also. She normally doesn’t enjoy most races as she doesn’t get to see me but for very small portions of them, understandably. This one she would be there the whole time and be an integral part of.

I spent Thursday afternoon packing up the final items. We loaded up the motorhome and when Todd showed up in his Durango we headed out for Lookout Pass. The section of dirt road between Five Mile pass and Faust was just brutal. In the motorhome it was just too much washboard. At times it shook so much that it ripped the steering wheel from my hands. We finally arrived at the campground and saw the green lights designating the start chute. It was an awesome sight out there in the desert.

I stopped at the tent and got checked in with Davy Crocket and the race personnel. The race was done in heats; I was assigned an 8am start time. Davy told me that I would be able to sleep in and have an easy morning before the start. That sounded great. I saw the trophy sculpture for the P.E. 50. It looked really cool. It put some strange thoughts into my head.

Todd, Lara and I got prepared for the morning. Lara made pancakes for dinner - these have become my new go-to food for the night before a race. They are mostly carbs and easy to digest; I am glad that Tal Pearce showed this to me. We cleaned up and went to bed. I actually slept pretty restfully.

I had set my alarm for 6:30 - I figured that was enough time to get all prepped. We loaded up the support vehicle with everything for the day and night. I’ll just say that I listened to the advice that ‘you can’t ever have too much’ and ‘what is good at mile 10 probably won’t be at mile 80’.

There was a little confusion and so I went and did another check-in at 7:30. I found out it wasn’t needed so I went back and did a weigh in for a starting data point. I was 130.5 at the start. This was with my hydo-pack on. I brought a scale and my glucose meter. Data, data, data. I got Todd and Lara to come over for the start; there were 10 runners there, including myself. I introduced myself to Mellissa Soper and her husband and said Hello to several others. I saw two guys with medical masks on. I thought that maybe they were sick and still running. A few minutes later I found that they were the Van Horn brothers. Having done this run several times before, they had brought the masks for the dust. They would wear them when a vehicle passed and kicked up dust. Smart and experienced guys!

Start line, all smiles for now

Davy gave the 2 minute warning. I was a little chilly but not too bad. I felt ready for whatever the day would bring. Then Davy did a short countdown and said ‘GO’. That was it, pretty low key. We were off, up the short start chute path to the road that we would be on for the next many hours. My self and 3 other guys joined in what I felt was an easy starting pace, it was Matt, his brother Pete and Stephen Massey.

After the first mile or so Matt had pulled ahead a bit, but he came back and told his brother to have a good day as he was heading off. I saw a ’50 mile’ bib on Matt, so I was happy that he wasn’t competing against me in the 100. The course has a nice downhill for the first four miles. It’s not super steep, just a nice decreasing grade. It was actually downhill for the first 14 miles; you only lose just over 1000 feet in that distance. Matt pulled a big lead on us all. We talked to Pete and learned some about him over the next few miles. I have huge respect for him even getting out doing any running let alone the Pony Express 50. He is amazing!

A long ways to go

Davy had warned everyone about the dust kicked up by non-runner’s cars on the dirt road. Fortunately, the whole day there was a slight breeze that would carry the dust to one side or the other. When I saw a vehicle coming fast I would just make sure that I moved to the upwind side of the road. During my entire run I only encountered a handful of vehicles that didn’t slow for me.

No slowing the runners

I ran with my video camera as a way to document my experience and to gather information for next time. I always enjoy meeting other runners on a course and telling them to ‘Smile’ for the camera. It’s just a way that I hope I can lift their spirits a bit.

The sun rose high enough by mile five to start warming us up. I hoped the day wouldn’t be too hot. The first miles were a little faster than I had planned - they just felt way easy though.

Distance	Split pace
1	7:43
2	7:51
3	8:03
4	8:18
5	8:14
6	8:03
7	8:09
8	8:12
9	8:06
10	8:27

Just before mile 10 I made a pit stop. I felt like I needed to relieve myself. Todd and Lara set up our ‘potty’. When I got there though, nothing was moving. I didn’t take the usual Imodium that I do for these long events. I figured that this one was so long that I better try and be somewhat regular. The whole rest of the day there was nothing except two bladder drainings. Anytime there is a special event, like a race or hunting or a long flight, my GI tract just shuts down.

I also took a gel and an Epic bar from the crew. I wore my hydration pack and tried to take water as I went along. Stephen had pulled ahead after my break. I caught back up to him a bit later. We ran together through the first ½ marathon. We completed it in 1:50:00.

Stephen and I

Stephen’s crew was worried about having enough fuel in the vehicle for the whole event. They told him that they were going to head back to town and refuel and then come back. His friend had purchased the vehicle just the day before. I told them to give some items to Todd and Lara, they could Crew him until his returned.

Somewhere around mile 14 I grabbed some Ucan. I was actually warm enough to be sweating a little. I also asked Todd to put my Hoka ATR shoes on ice. We had a small cooler with popsicles and dry ice. When I wanted to change shoes I would tell them and they would ‘ice’ them and the socks for the next stop. It is so sweet to change into dry cold socks and shoes - It makes the feet feel refreshed for a bit.

Flyin’ in the early miles

The shoe change and shirt removal pit stop took just under two minutes. In the whole scheme of things, it didn’t cost much time. My splits through 16 were:

11	8:19
12	8:12
13	8:21
14	8:26
15	8:41
16	8:14

I must have been cruisin’ if a two minute stop only drops miles 14 and 15 to a mid-eight pace. Next up was Simpson Springs. We leave the road here for a short diversion. There was a time check here. It is also where the 100 race will finish. This is officially mile 16.4; I completed it in 2:16:41. I had put a couple of minutes between myself and Stephen by this point.

In the next few miles my right knee started to hurt. My IT band was giving me issues. I have not had any problems with it for a couple of years. I can only guess that the different/slower pace and cadence had changed my stride somewhat and this irritated it. I got one of my knee straps from the Crew. I wore it for a few miles, but it just seemed to make it worse. I ended up removing it and just dealing with the pain. Over the next few miles I would pass a few people.

Fueling up and feeling great

The 20 miles mark passed in 2:44. I was feeling great and moving along. The road was so smooth. It was more like a paved road that had just been oiled and graveled.

At the next pit stop we did a health check. Weight was 128.5, with the hydration pack. The glucose meter gave an error reading so we just skipped it and got back to it. I took an Epic bar for fuel. Just down the road I asked the Crew to get some Tylenol ready for the next stop. I never take any pain meds so thought this might do the trick and stop my knee from hurting.

I did another camera log at mile 21.5. I had been going now for 3:04. At mile 23 the road actually has a bend, curve and drop in it. My knee was really hurting at this point.

I finished the first of 3.8 marathons in just over 3:35. That’s faster than my first marathon and 10 minutes slower than the Boston qualifying time for my age group.

17	8:08
18	8:09
19	8:10
20	8:08
21	8:16
22	9:03
23	8:43
24	8:22
25	8:23
26	8:56

I switched into my Saucony Peregrine shoes. I swapped back out of them really fast, after maybe 2 miles. They just didn’t have enough cushioning for rock protection.

Health check at mile 30; weight 125.00, glucose was 125.

My next video check-in was at mile 31.7; this was completed in 4:38. My stomach was starting to not feel right. Fueling always has been my weakest point.

At the Dugway Well check-point Davy was giving out popsicles. They were awesome. In fact, as I was coming up to this spot I was going to ask my Crew for one. It was awesome that Davy was there and handing them out. I passed this point in 4:48:17. A few miles before this I had passed Matt Van Horn. I was super worried that I was going way too fast as I still thought that he was doing the 50. I thought to myself, ‘you are going to die if you just passed him and he is doing the 50, how can you be feeling so good at this pace?’

Feeling great

Next up was the climb up Dugway Pass. The road winds and almost switch-backs up almost 1000 feet over the next four miles. My pace obviously slowed through this section.

27	8:20
28	8:30
29	8:10
30	8:19
31	8:15
32	8:42
33	8:00
34	9:56
35	9:54
36	11:41
37	13:39
38	12:41

Reaching the top of Dugway Pass

Just before mile 36 I got some Perpetuem from my Crew. It did not sit well. I vomited it up shortly thereafter. I saw another runner’s support car was up ahead; I stopped and asked for a paper towel to wipe my mouth. I wanted to look somewhat presentable for the next 60 miles. There is now a more gradual downhill through mile 50 at the Blackrock point.

I finished the first 40 miles in 5:48:48. Yeah, 60 miles more to go! At mile 45.5 I got some crackers and boiled potato from my Crew. My stomach was not doing well. I also swapped my shoes again. I went from the Skechers into my old blue Hoka Bondi’s. I would end up wearing these for the rest of the race. The Skechers are nice and soft, but the toe box is just a bit too tight. When I swapped shoes I also drained a blood blister from my left foot.

Health check at mile 45; weight 123.5

38	12:41
39	8:09
40	8:55
41	10:18
42	10:15
43	9:00
44	9:16
45	9:02

The next check-in point would be Black Rock. This is the finish for the 50 milers. I passed through there in 7:31:06.

Coming into Blackrock

I forgot to film my quick stop to check-in and grab a cold bottle of Coke. Somewhere back around mile 40 or so, Davy had driven up alongside and told me that Matt had dropped. I had found out that he was doing the 100 and not the 50 so I asked if he was dropping to the 50 distance. Davy told me No, he was out, out. This meant that I was now in first place; this would weigh on me and motivate me for the rest of the race. My calves had been cramping for the last few miles. This happens sometimes in the longer distance events. I would be on the razors edge the whole rest of the race. I would push right up to the edge of my pain threshold and do my best not to fall over the other side.

46	10:11
47	10:39
48	8:43
49	9:13
50	10:06

My mind got ‘runner’s brain’ pretty bad by now. I had a difficult time calculating things. I had been going for eight hours and was looking at another eight at least. At this point I knew I was in first place. I could hardly believe it. I started having delusions of winning my first 100 mile race. I thought that the turnaround point was at 68 miles.

The next real point of interest was the entrance to the Fish Springs Wildlife Refuge. It sure seemed crazy that there would be water and waterfowl this far out in the desert. I mostly saw alkaline white fields as far as I could see. Further in there were some areas of super tall cattails. This would be at 52 miles and 8:18 of time.

51	10:02
52	11:10

Health check at mile 52.6; weight 125.0, glucose 108.

My pace slowed a bit through the next few miles. It was a small climb up to the turnaround and after 50 miles I was feeling a bit tired. I put a shirt on in preparation for the temperature fall that was coming with the sun going down.

53	9:08
54	8:54
55	8:49
56	9:27
57	9:48
58	8:30

The actual turnaround point is at 58 miles. I was 8:41. I asked Todd and Lara to start a timer so that we could figure out how far 2^nd place was from me. Forty minutes later we saw the guy who we figured was in 2^nd place. This really blew my mind. I had seen him and he was much younger than me and looked strong. I was feeling down at this point. I wasn’t sure that I could hold a 40 minute lead for another 40 miles. Todd kept trying to explain that I really had an 80 minute lead. I kept arguing with him, I just couldn’t wrap my head around this. I guess that there just wasn’t enough blood getting to my head to do anything more than basic functions. I also decided to give my hydro-pack to the Crew. I was tired of carrying it. I figured that I could just have them stop at shorter intervals so that I could get liquids.

Crew chief checking on his machine

At 61 miles my stomach was really hurting. It felt like a knife was poking in the top of my stomach. There was a lot of pain just at the lower left of my rib cage. My calves were really cramping up and now something new - Now the inside of my thigh was cramping and having spasms. This was all uncharted territory. I had never gone further than 53 miles. I tried drinking some pickle juice. It had worked earlier in the day, but this time it just tasted gross and made me sicker to my stomach.

59	11:10
60	9:47
61	11:21
62	11:45
63	10:50
64	8:41

I had a few slow miles in that last section. My body was really starting to feel the distance and pounding.

Just past mile 64, at the road junction, I saw my good friend David Taylor and his son. They had come clear out here to pace me for a while. David is not only a friend, but also a competitor of mine. The running community is awesome like that. One weekend you are trying to run faster than a guy and the next you are out there helping him. David’s son hung with us for almost a mile. He then dropped back and I guess he walked the rest of the way. David just kept encouraging me. He also was able to do complex calculations about my pace, estimated finish time and how fast 2^nd place would need to run to catch up to me.

David giving me calculations

The guy is a math genius. He kept throwing out figures and numbers that my brain just couldn’t wrap around. I finally just asked him if I was running at a fast enough pace. I was quite the simpleton by now. David ran with me to the Black Rock checkpoint. This is basically 68 miles into the course. I did this in 10: 51. I thanked David for his help, grabbed a few supplies and kept moving.

65	8:59
66	10:16
67	10:24
68	10:54

The sun was now setting and there was just a nice sunset off in the distance. The next miles were lonely dark miles. I struggled to keep a running pace. I kept vomiting everything that I took in. This was my real low point. Even with my awesome crew it was just HARD. I really need to get this part of my fueling plan figured out for future races.

Around mile 74 I saw some vehicles coming toward me. In one of them there was the great Wan Ho Jerry Kou. He stopped when he recognized me. I walked over to his car and he gave me some encouraging words. I reached in and took his hand for a moment. I swear that I felt energy flow from him into me. I really needed it at that point. Just a few minutes later another great friend showed up. It was Derek Whitney. He was going to run the last 25 or so miles with me. Yeah, another needed psychological boost. We talked and agreed that it would be best if he drove back up the road to the top of Dugway Pass. He could park his truck there and we could come back and get it after the finish. Off he went to await my arrival. He would have to wait a long time.

68	10:54
69	11:52
70	14:53
71	14:08
72	11:51
73	9:53
74	12:21
75	19:40
76	14:21

Just a short time later, I had a total physical melt down. I smashed face first into the proverbial ‘Wall’. It all started with me vomiting. At first I was standing, but soon I was down on my hands and knees. Todd and Lara could just stand there and watch me. When they touched me, no matter where or how softly, it just hurt and made it worse. Then my legs started to spasm and cramp, so I laid out flat on the road as I continued to vomit sporadically. Mentally, I still wanted to get going, but my body didn’t want to cooperate. Lara and Todd were very concerned. They told me that I just needed to rest for a while. I was worried about 2^nd place catching up to me. I felt an urge and push to keep moving. It just wasn’t in the cards at this time. Todd and Lara got out the reclining camp chair and helped me climb into it. They brought out a blanket and hat to keep me warm. No matter what they did I just kept getting colder.

We had planned to bring some broth with us as one of my fuel options. Somehow it had been forgotten. It sure sounded good at this point. As I was so cold Todd and Lara convinced me to get into the truck. They cranked up the heat and turned on the seat heaters. Lara kept telling me that I needed salt. I kept arguing that I was OK and that I just needed to get going. At one point they told me that they were going to pull the plug and take me to the hospital. This got my attention. I told them that I wanted some ice. They got a cup and Lara would give me one piece at a time. She had to actually push it into my mouth as I was too weak to open it all the way. After a couple of pieces she sneakily put some salt on her fingertip and pushed it onto my tongue. It was disgusting. It also made me mad. I told her no salt, just ice. She kept sneaking more in as she was telling me that I needed it. In fact, if I didn’t take it they were going to pull me out of the race. Miles 78 and 79 were my worst of the race.

77	18:18
78	20:45
79	1:38:33

Lara received some divine guidance -she thought of boiling some water and the jerky that we had brought. Now this sounded like the broth and it sounded good. She and Todd got the stove going and soon I had some hot jerky water for me to drink. Unbeknownst to me, they had also added a bunch of salt to it. This was as the nectar of the gods. It tasted so good. I am sure that if I were to drink it now it just wouldn’t be the same. After a few cupfuls I was perking up. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of me. I was still worried about 2^nd place catching up. I was finally able to stand and was able to get them to agree to let me see if I could just make it to the top where Derek was waiting. As I got going I asked Todd how far ahead the 2^nd place had gotten. I knew I had been stopped for a while. He assured me that no one had passed while I was out of commission. Let me just say that I didn’t believe him. I had basically spent two hours stopped. How could I still be in the lead? I knew that the course record was very safe. I had blown that one.

Lara decided that she would walk along with me to make sure I was OK. I guess I was because she quit trying to keep up to me after just 20 yards or so. I was coming back! Todd had a strong green laser pointer that he would occasionally shine out in front of me. It was very distracting in a good way. It would catch my attention and I would stop focusing on the pain for a bit. It was a lot further to the top than we had thought. When I finally got there I apologized to Derek for having taken so long. He was gracious in saying that it was no big deal. He was there for me and whatever it took.

Todd, I and Derek reaching the summit

I wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be but Derek was there and it made it so much better. We headed down from the high point and made a little time. At the Dugway Well checkpoint I had completed 83 miles in 16:02. We now saw strange lights and such at intervals along the road. They would be these orange Halloween lights and fake cats and such. It was just surreal at his point.

80	15:44
81	12:03
82	12:24
83	12:30

Davy came by somewhere along here. He told me that 2^nd place was only 13 minutes behind. For the rest of the way I was running from him. His support vehicle was a small class C motorhome. I would see the headlights getting closer. I would get into a run as much as possible. I would make a few ‘pushes’ and would increase the gap. I would then have to walk for a long section and he would seem to gain on me.

Almost there!

Todd and Lara would not go far now. I would have them go no further than a mile each time. I kept drinking the jerky broth. It was da bomb. I even had them make more as we went along. Derek had an apple all cut and sliced. I usually like only sour granny smith apples. His was a honey crisp. It was great, not sour and not overly sweet. It went down well and gave me some energy. Derek and I kept moving and got through mile 95 in 18:45.

84	13:06
85	13:31
86	13:24
87	14:38
88	13:18
89	13:41
90	14:13
91	13:09
92	14:16
93	13:01
94	10:40
95	12:48

These were some pretty slow miles with a lot of walking or power hiking. We just kept moving. I told Derek that I wanted to at least have a respectable finish sprint. I wanted to push hard and have nothing left after crossing the line. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, concerned with how close 2^nd place was. Derek kept assuring me that they really weren’t catching us. For the last 10 miles or so his support vehicle kept turning off its lights. I had read some past race reports and seen that this was a tactic often used so that the person you are trying to catch really doesn’t know how close you are getting. I was so sure that this is what they were doing that several times I had Todd turn off the lights to his vehicle and wait to track how far back they were.

Those last 5 miles were brutal. I was pushing myself as hard as I could to try and stay ahead. I was on the razors edge the whole time. I kept apologizing to Derek for how slow I was going. He was great in that he was just supportive and constantly telling me how proud he was of me. I owe this man a lot.

I made it to mile 98.64 and finally lost all my cookies for the last time. It took me two minutes on my hands and knees to get over it. My throat was so sore from all of the acid. Once again Derek was there just encouraging me without being pushy. I told him that he was going to need to catch me after the finish line. I knew that I could make it to the line, but after that I would have nothing.

I finally got going again, especially after that long stop. I just had this huge fear of 2^nd place passing me five steps before the finish line. I was struggling to get above a slow jog. Finally I was able to get back to a decent pace. We were pushing along in the high to mid eights. Finally we came to the turn-off of the main road and could just see the glow form the tent at the finish line. Here the road becomes a true dirt road. It was very uneven and all rutted up. I dug really deep and started my finish sprint. It was about ¾ of a mile to the finish. I was running like some kind of scared prey animal trying to stay ahead of the pursuing carnivore. Derek was right there encouraging me and providing the light from his headlamp. I am proud to report that the pace for that last bit was a 7:19. How about that, after 99 miles, a sub 8 pace? It was my fastest mile of the whole run. I am always amazed at how much the mind holds back in reserve. I think that one of my strengths is the ability to suffer more than the next guy. No matter what the cost in pain I am willing to give it.

I crossed the line and stopped my watch, but I couldn’t stop myself. It took me quite a few paces to come to a stop. Fortunately Derek was there to grab me and hold me up.

Nothing left

Man that was killer. Davy was there to congratulate me and the photographer was there to start taking pictures of my pitiful frame. Todd came over and with Derek they directed me over to the tailgate of the truck. Derek picked me straight up and sat me on the end. Todd took my legs and lifted them up. I truly had no energy left. Davy brought me over the winner’s trophy. It felt so good to hold it on my chest. I would have loved to been able to heft it over my head in some kind of victory dance, but just having it was an amazing feeling. The photographer took a few great pictures of me lying prone with the trophy and my support crew right there also.

Horizontal podium

Davy then brought me the medal for the 2015 USTAF Utah state championship for the 100 mile distance.

96	12:25
97	10:33
98	15:08
99	14:20
100	7:19

My awesome watch hack had worked flawlessly. I had opened up a 310xt that I had and added a micro jack. I then added an external battery. This let it function for the whole 20 hours. In fact it should keep going for up to 40 hours.

Words just are inadequate to describe this experience. They are also inadequate to express my gratitude to my support Crew. To my wife, Thank You for letting me be the crazy old guy who accomplished things that he probably shouldn’t and tolerating my insanity. To my brother, Thank You so much for showing true brotherly love. You are always up for whatever crazy adventure I come up with. Thank you David Taylor, for being the competition who pushes me to the brink and yet is still willing to drive hours to get in some slow miles with me. Thank you Derek Whitney, for getting me through that last stretch of physical and mental darkness.

Brother from another mother

Last but not least, a big Thank You to all of the running community. Thank you for your encouragement and congratulations. I wish all of you to be able to run as Pheidippides, but without the bad ending!

That was not the end of this great experience. I finally felt good enough to get off the back of the truck. We walked into the enclosed trailer that was a part of the race crew. We all went in and sat on a soft cot while they warmed some water for some hot cocoa. As we were waiting the 2^nd place guy Philip Sicklinger came in. He and his crew soon joined us in the trailer. We congratulated him on a great run. I then thanked him for being my motivation to run so hard. I told him how much he had pushed me. I commented on them turning off the lights and how good of a psychological tool that was. His Crew then told me that they didn’t know anything about that. They were just turning off the lights so that they could see the amazing night sky. Let me just say that we all had a big laugh about that. We talked about the course and the event, in fact I would say that we all bonded somewhat. There is just something about doing hard things with others that will bring you together.

Phillip and I, former competitors

After about 45 minutes of warming up we sent Todd and Derek to go to the motorhome and get the water heater going. You see I had invited Philip and his crew to join us. Their motorhome had run out of water. I told them to just come with us and take a shower in ours. An hour before he had been my nemesis and now I would do anything to help him out. We eventually headed back to the start line area where we had left our motorhome. We actually got lost trying to find it. Thank goodness that Todd had his laser pointer and shined it out into the desert as a guiding beacon.

After Philip, Charlie and I got showered we all headed to bed. As we were climbing under the covers I asked Lara what time it was so I could get an idea of how long I could sleep. It was 06:30, Saturday morning. Holy Mackerel, we had been up and going for almost 24 straight hours. We slept for about 2 hours before all of the noise in the campground woke us up. Derek then loaded up his truck and headed home. Todd got in his vehicle and Lara and I in the motorhome, headed out. I must have looked pretty interesting as the driver of the motorhome. I just draped my upper body over the steering wheel and could only hold my head high enough to just see over it. I am sure that I looked like death warmed over.