The Bandera 100K is held the first weekend in January. A great way to start the new year. This is the 3rd year for the race, held about 1 hour outside of San Antonio. The RD is Joe Prusaitis, a great guy and a very good ultra runner. His goal is for people to finish, have fun, and to come back. I think he is succeeding. The 100K had about 75 entrants, the 50 K about 125, and the 25 K about 150. So a big crowd for the start....we all started together.

Joe is a Hard Rock veteran, so he likes hard courses, and he tries to make this course as hard as possible. Even though it is held in Texas, it is in the Hill Country, and yes, there are hills.. And there are lots of cactus.....and you cannot run the course without coming in contact with a fair amount of it. He recommends wearing tights/wind pants to protect from the cactus. I have done that the past 2 years, but this year, since it was supposed to be warm, I went with the shorts and figured I would see how tough I was.

The 100K course is 2 loops of the 50K track. And it is tough...lots of rocks, and some short, but steep climbs. The group of about 250 runners started together at 7:30. About 40 degrees, and very foggy. A nice, easy start of about 1 mile to get the blood flowing, and then a couple of tough, very rocky climbs. All single track trail, with the cactus on each side just waiting to throw a barb into your leg. It is about 5 miles to the first aid station, and it is a very scenic start...lots of ups and downs, rocks, cactus. It was very foggy, so the rocks were slippery and you couldn't really enjoy the views, but this start definitely lets you know you are in an ultra, and it won't be an easy one..

First aid station at about 5.5 mile, get a coke, and then continue for another 5.5 miles to aid station #2. This section is fairly flat, though fields, and if it is not muddy, you can go pretty quick. The first year of the race it was raining the entire time, and this section was slow...mud and straw made bricks on your shoes. This year it was dry, so I could actually run. I was looking forward to the next station, since some of my old NTTR trail running friends were leading this station...Paul and Abby Stone. Great people, good runners, and it was good to reconnect and BS for a couple of minutes. Then on for the next, 6 mile section to the Cross Roads station at about mile 17.

I made it to cross roads, where I had left a drop bag. Had a coke, chugged an ensure, left my pack at the station and took just 1 bottle, since I would be coming back in 4.5 miles..about 1 hour I figured. So I headed out for what I thought would be a short 4.5 mile loop that would bring me right back to the same cross roads aid station. From that point,after having done the loop, it was about 5.5 miles to the next station...Last Chance, where a bunch of friends were running the aid station. Then it would be another 5 miles...tough ones...to the start/finish tent, where I would turn around and do it all again!

About 5 minutes out of Cross roads station, I got a bad feeling. I know I was supposed to do a 4.5 mile loop that brought me back to the same station, but it sure did not seem right. But I was following a person out of the station, so it seemed o.k. But there were also 25 K runners on the same section, and I started to wonder if I was off course. I turned around and started heading back. I saw a runner with the same color bib that I had. I asked him if this was the right way out of the Cross Roads station to do the loop, and he said yes. So I turned around and continued on my way.

Bad move!

I was going for about 25 minutes or so....did not see anyone. Going up a tough climb...walking all the way. All of a sudden Scott Eppleman passes me on the hill. Uh Oh! I am in trouble. No way that I am ahead of Scotty. Son of a gun. I screwed up coming out of that Cross Roads aid station and I went the wrong way. I missed the loop. Ouch!

Now my choice is to turn around and head back...about ½ hour. Or just go to the next station, tell them what had happened, go on to the start finish tent, and then just do 2 loops the next time I was at Cross Roads. The heck with turning around...I will just do 2 loops on the return visit.

So I motored into the Last Chance station where my NTTR buddies were. They freaked....Wow Bill, you are in 2nd place...Scotty is only about 7 minutes ahead of you. That St Louis running must be something! Well, I am not a Rosie Ruiz, so I told them how directionally challenged I was, that I needed to do 2 loops the next time and headed out. Only 1 water bottle and it was getting warm......about 70 degrees or so. The section took about 1 hour 20 minutes...some tough sledding. I made it to the start finish station....told the RD about my screw up. Took some ribbing about not following directions, Changed shirts, got an ensure, ate a PB & J, and headed back to do it all again...plus 1 extra 4.5 mile loop!

The second loop is always tougher. I am trying to figure out my time, but Know I need to add at least an hour for the loop I missed. The first 5 miles are tough...tougher now than at the start of the race. It is hot, I am climbing rocks and scratching cactus. And I do not have a lot of water...still only the 1 bottle, plus I filled up my empty ensure bottle for 8 extra ounces. I do a fair amount of walking, and my stomach is starting to not feel so good. Dopey me...I have been drinking Gatorade, and I know that is a big no-no for me. I do not know why, but I am smart on the nutrition stuff during a 100 miler, but during a 100K or 50 milers, I often times get stupid, cocky, etc. and do not follow my normal routine. Well, the punky stomach continues, Tums do not help although I am chewing them regularly. I am not moving very fast, but I am vertical and moving forward. And I know that every race has low points, and that this will eventually pass. My stomach goes, get rid of that Gatorade, and after a couple of minutes I AM BACK. I motor towards the next aid station.. Go through some small ups and downs, cross a creek, come to a fork, follow the ribbons, cross a road that I do not remember, climb a hill that I do not remember, get to another road, and then the trail ends. What?? I retrace my steps back down the hill. Nope, this is right...I did not miss anything. So I go back up the hill, get to the road. Boy, this is screwed up. The trail makes no sense. So I go back down the hill, and am now ticked off. I already screwed up the loop, now I am off trail and wasting even more time. I am hot, I am low on water since I have only the one bottle, and I cannot figure out what the heck is going on with the ribbons. I sure do not remember this problem the first time through here.

I find another runner. I tell him my problem. He thinks I am nuts. He goes up the hill, then about 10 minutes I hear him coming back, cursing. We mess around for about another 15 minutes, retracing steps and finally figure out where to go. About 45 minutes or so down the tubes. Turns our some jerks screwed with the course.....moved ribbons, etc. A lot of people got messed up until the RD went back and fixed it, and a fair number of pretty solid runners decided to bail after that confusion.

Well, I got back on the trail, and slowly made it into the next station. See friends. Tell them no, I am not in 4th place...I missed the loop and have to do it twice the next go round. Then I am off to Cross Roads station at mile 44 for me (should be 48) I get to the station about 6PM., get my pack, get some lights, get a l;ong sleeve shirt, and pick up a pacer. A guy who had run his first ever trail run earlier that morning in the 25 K, had finished 6th, and wanted to do more. He asked if I wanted company, and why not...keep me from getting lost. Turns out this guy..William...is a triathlete. Had never run trails before, and it was fun for me. I was not really excited to havae a pacer....I was not in a good mood after being lost and missing the loop the first time, and I was not in a very sociable mood. But it was great!!.....I had the chance to see the trail experience at night through fresh eyes. Glow sticks were new to him. Going slower at night so you do not kill yourself was new to him (quick learner after he took a header) . This guy was in very good shape, and he kept us moving at a good clip the first loop. Made the 4.5 mile journey in about 1:10. Then I reminded him that we needed to do the loop again> Boy, that stunk. It was dark, the loop had some good climbs, and by now you just sort of want it to be over. We finished the loop the 2nd time in about 1:15, so not too bad. Had a fajita, coke, and then 10 miles to go, and 5 miles to the next station.

We moved o.k. the first 3 miles. The last 1 ½ miles are tough. Climbs and steep descents on some good rocks. We made it to Last Chance station, and it was a party. All of the NTTR crew were there. Scott Eppleman was drinking beer and smoking a cigar after winning in 9 hours something. I saw some old friends, chugged a beer with them (but no Tequila shot), and after about 15 minutes of catching up decided to get on with it and finish.

Boy, that beer was the best tasting one I ever had. And those last 5 miles took forever. Note to self...do not drink beer until the race is over. It sure sapped the motivation from me. Those last 5 miles took about 1 hour 40 minutes, but I finally finished with my pacer in tow. (By now, he had decided that he wished he had not done the extra loop.....he was starting to hurt!!)

So I finished the race despite messing up directions....once my fault, and once some trail vandals.

It is a great race. Well organized, good feed the night before, good aid stations manned by ultra veterans, and Joe and Joyce are top notch RD's. And it is a tough course....all single track and jeep road with not an inch of pavement. A great way to start the new year.

It has been in existence for 3 years, and I have finished the 100K all 3. Going for a 4th straight!! See you on the trails

Bill Nictakis