The Hill Country State Natural Area has become one of my favorite places to run ever since going there for a weekend of fun with Joe, Joyce and some of the other Hill Country Trail Runners in September of 2002. After taking nearly 19 hours last year to slog my way through the cold, rain and muck to the finish, I was looking forward to coming back and improving on my performance. I had also gone down to the park a couple of months ago to help Joe complete the new 4a trail of Cairns Climb.

As I had done last year, I volunteered to help mark the course. I did this not only to know where I would be going when I got stupid later in the run, but also because I enjoy the quiet, rugged beauty of these hills. After cramming our pick-ups with all the gear that we could, Joe and I stopped in at Einstein’s bagels for a quick breakfast bagel. Joyce joined us to say “goodbye”. Joe and I then took off in the misty morning. Along the way we tried out the radios that Joe had gotten from Mike Riggs. This was a great way to stay in touch without using a cell phone. As we caravanned down the Henley Loop off of Highway 290, I plugged Tom Petty into the CD player. It seemed like more than a coincidence that when we hit the big drop on that road that plunges down into the Blanco Valley “Freefallin’” was blasting inside my truck.

As we neared our destination, the weather seemed to get better and better. We arrived under blue skies at Bandera only a few minutes after our projected ETA of noon (The park was closed until then because of a scheduled deer hunt . We drove down to the Lodge where Linda Hurd was already waiting on us as were Ann and Weldon Glockzin. Mark Raymond and David Berdis both arrived shortly after we did. Joe divided the course up among us and we set off to mark the trails. We had a scant 4-5 hours before dark to get it done. Linda and I started at the same spot. She was to mark the “inside loop” featuring the Three Sisters. Joe sent me out to mark from Bar-O, down trail #7 through Bandera Creek up to the site for the Nachos Aid Station, up Trail #1 to 1A, through the Sotol to Ice Cream Hill, down to the valley and back up to the West Twin, down to the saddle and then back to the Lodge. Whew! I had 8 tricky miles to cover. I took a bag of 200+ pre-tied clothespins and my Camelbak and started hiking. We had 700+ clothespins tied to reflective ribbon which my daughter Sallie and I had worked on the previous weekend. We ended up using all of them. It was a beautiful day and it got pretty warm. It was nice to have some quiet time on the trail with the sun shining while I marked the trail and thought about how I would run/walk each section. Joe had armed us with radios so we were able to visit with each other occasionally. When I got to Trail 1A, I was amazed at how much the Sotol had grown. There was one section that was difficult to mark because there was nothing to clip the clothespins to EXCEPT Sotol. As I trudged through the thick garden of slashers, I was grateful that I had worn jeans. It was then that I decided that I would take Joe up on his offer to borrow a pair of REI wind pants for the run.

As I started to climb higher, I remembered one reason why I love this park so much....the quiet. It is amazing how still it can be out there with only the sounds of nature breaking the reverie. It seems rare that even a plane passes overhead. Sure when you get to the higher points, you can see the dust cloud created by the county trucks as they drive into the park to work on the roads. But even with that sight, the quiet remains.

It is also funny how something as simple as walking a course backwards can change your perspective. I was clipping ribbons and hiking along wondering if I was on the right trail. It just didn’t look as familiar as I thought it would. After a long march up a hill, I suddenly realized that I was already atop the saddle of Ice Cream Hill. As I looked around from that high vantage point, I got a new understanding of the layout of the whole course. It helps when you are that high in elevation to see the ribbons of trail as they cris-cross below you. As I headed DOWN Ice Cream Hill (which was a another new perspective), it was 4:45 p.m. and there was at least a 5-10 degree temperature drop as Ice Cream Hill blocked the sun. At this point I was chatting with Joe on the radio. He wanted to figure out the range so we spoke for a bit as I plunged down the hill into the lowlands. By the time I got out of that section and back to Trail #1, Joe came pedaling up on Berdis’ mountain bike (Joe’s had a flat so he grabbed Dave’s and kept going). He sets up some arrows as he had been doing all over the course. I head on up the next hill knowing that I have far to go and only about an hour of light left. I tried to speed up now and soon hit the spot where the course intersects below the Three Sisters. This is where last year’s Aid Station #1 was located. The territory seems more familiar now and I hike up the hill. This is a long incline, but there aren’t many deviations off the trail so it is easy to mark. The light is really starting to go now. I radioed in to the Lodge and asked for someone to start there and meet me halfway as I am running out of clothespins (and light!). Mark Raymond heads out to meet me. As I get near the saddle of the West Twin, I get confused about where the trail goes. There is not enough light to figure it out, so I radio in to Joe who tells me to skip it. There is more marking that has to be done on this part of the trail because of the intersection. I headed down the trail toward the Lodge and just as I hang my last marker, I hear voices. It is Mark and Celeste Wallz coming out to meet me. As it turns out they come only about 3/4 mile from the Lodge before we hook up. Celeste is from Dallas and has come down to Bandera to meet friends from NTTR who she only knows via e-mail. We head back to the Lodge chatting amiably in the growing darkness and chill.

Everyone is back at the Lodge by 7 p.m. and the course is pretty well-marked except for a couple of short segments and the pesky intersections. We share various food that we have all brought. Kathy Raymond’s Tortellini Soup was the best of the lot. We visit for a couple of hours then I shower and go to bed.

We are at it again by 7:45. Celeste is off for a run while Mark, Joe, Dave and I head out armed with flags, arrows and ribbons to mark the rest of the course and the tricky intersections. The day starts cool and we mark the hell out of the intersection near the start of the race; near West Twin and near the beginning of the “inside loop”. By 10:30 or 11:00 it is getting warm. By 11:30 Joe realizes that he needs to get back to the Lodge to handle the incoming supplies, etc. It is at this point that I tell him that I need to get off my feet pretty soon. 7+ miles on Thursday and we have just about gone that far on Friday as well. My feet are telling me that they need a break before Saturday. Joe sends the three of us down to Bar-O to mark the split for the 25K and 50K. We also have to go mark another intersection across the park road on Trail #8. It is 12:30 before we are done.

Fortunately Weldon shows up with his pick-up and we catch a much needed ride to the Lodge. I stuff my face with a double-decker Turkey Sandwich, guacamole and a side order of pasta. I figure I will start working on my drop bags when Joe nabs me: “Here are Wes’ keys. Can you go down to Crossroads and help him set up the aid station and then take him down to Chapas and set up that aid station, too?” Fortunately Weldon volunteers to help. I grab a gatorade and a water (might as well hydrate while I work) and we head out. We help Wes finish setting up Crossroads, then head down to Chapas and do the same. By the time we get back to the Lodge the place is buzzing. Sammy is in full gear in the kitchen; Mark Lindsey is working the outside fires; Joyce is all over the place trying to deal with new arrivals, etc. I pitch in and unload Linda Rust’s minivan and a few other vehicles. I direct folks as best I can where stuff goes without really knowing myself. Janice K. and Phyl are working with Sammy in the kitchen. By 3:45 or so I start to “hide” from Joe who is still moving at nearly light speed trying to get everything done. I want to help, but I’ve got to get off my feet for a bit. I head into the “boys dorm room” and sit on the bed. I work on my drop bags/bins and after a while things start to come together. It has helped to be down on the course early to know when the temp will change and when it will be dark.

My neck and shoulders are in knots. I had already gone to see Richard McCormick for chiro on Monday AND Wednesday. Nonetheless I am still tight as I can be. I beg Janice for a massage and to my delight she works on me for 20-30 minutes. When she is done the knots are still there, but I feel much better. I take a shower and get ready for dinner at 6. The place is really crowded now. I wander out to the tent and see all of my fellow HCTR members, Bill P., Matt, Liam and Lee, Rebecca, the Heynens et al. There is excitement in the air as runners pick up their packets and mill around. I just happen to be standing at the head of the buffet line when Sammy crashes the serving tops together to ring the “dinner bell.” The penne pasta salad primevera, spaghetti and bread are most welcome. I eat and then give up my seat. The line is out the tent and we haul picnic tables in to try to accommodate the crowd. Joe is trying to get his notes together for the pre-race briefing at the end of the meal. I grab some maps for him to use and he asks me to help out with the talk. We showed everyone the ribbons, the flags and the signs. There weren’t many questions and the crowd soon broke up.

I made my final decisions on my drop bags and ended up with an entire tub of gear and clothes for Crossroads Aid Station which we will hit at miles 16, 22, 47 and 53. I decided to take it myself because I was so embarrassed at how big it was. After Mark Lindsey got his stuff together, we took our “bags” down there and dropped them off. I got to bed by 10 and slept pretty well.

The house started stirring and Sammy was cooking by 6 so I got up and got dressed. Instead of a bagel and a piece of fruit for breakfast, I volunteer to check the breakfast tacos that Sammy is whipping up for the Aid Station volunteers. They passed the test with flying colors from my perspective. I wore too much clothing, but it was cold outside. I wore the new long-sleeved Polartech Race Ready shirt with my yellow singlet on top. I wore my Race Ready shorts with the green wind pants Joe had loaned me on top of the shorts. I had my new balaclava from REI, Montrail hat and Dry-Fit gloves with hand warmers for the start. I stayed inside chatting with Matt and others. No need to get cold before I had to. I finally went outside about 7:20 for the 7:30 start. All races were to start at the same time this year. I wished my fellow runners well and looked for a place in the pack to start from. I was initially too close to the front and eventually moved to the back of the throng.

The race started right on time and I watched as the 25Kers and the “fast” people took off. I jogged a little just to warm up. I wasn’t with any of my buddies, just in the pack shuffling along. Before I knew it we were at the first split and headed for the first “nasty” climb. The whole pack slowed down and hiked up the hill. I passed people on the climb until we got back to the flat portion. I kept running to stay warm until the next section which was downhill. My immediate instinct was to take off with reckless abandon. But it was just too congested to do that. I reigned myself in and kept a steady pace. Then we got to the more open down hill segment before the saddle of the West Twin. I scooted by some 25Kers and made the intersection. I hiked up the Twin and enjoyed the great view and the morning sun. This hilltop peninsula provides great vistas of much of the park. But like most high points in Bandera, you also have to watch your footing. As the end of the ridge comes around, I know that the down hill bushwhack is just ahead. I scoot to the right past a group of runners and beat them to the drop-off. I jump down and try to take advantage of the grade. There are still a number of runners around and I pass Gayla Harris after the first downhill. I am anxious to take advantage of the down hill and run a bit faster. I bounce down into the dry creek bed and then up the next sharp climb. I am making my way past runners now. The nice down hill before the next main intersection beckons and I surrender to the siren song of the down hill blast. I nudge past other runners and plunge down as fast as I can. This is the early fun part of the course. Up and down I go until I hit the intersection off of #5 to Trail #1 that leads to Ice Cream Hill. I walk for a bit and take a drink and an e-cap. I start to shuffle again knowing the next big climb is coming up soon.

I hike past Rebecca Watkins as we start up Ice Cream and confirm for her where we are. The hike up isn’t too bad, mostly because I know what waits on the other side. I stop briefly at the top and look back over the park. I catch my breath and move eagerly ahead. There is a bitching slide of a downhill coming up and I’m anxious to give it a try. Sarah Brown from NTTR is about 1/3 of the way down with her shoe off and asks about Rebecca. I tell her that she is close behind me and check with Sarah who says she is okay. I plunge down, slipping past a couple of 25Kers and reveling in the technical slope that I have just made it down. Right at the very bottom before the next climb, I found myself down on one knee, but bounce back up and keep going. Just a slight bruise on one knee and some extra dirt on Joe’s wind pants and off I go. I am determined now to stay in front of the 25K folks that I have been weaving in and out of for the last mile or two. I know that the big patch of Sotol is coming up and that Nachos is not far away. I check my watch and realize that I am going WAY too fast. My goal was to try to do the first 31 miles at a 15 minute per mile pace. Right now I am cruising along at just under a 12 minute pace. Part of it is just motion to stay warm. Part of it is just the excitement of running this first part of the course which always seems to move quickly for me. I whip through the field of Sotol without a mark. I also realize as I near Nachos that my single bottle is still mostly full. I see Celeste taking pictures as I hit the flat portion of #7 just before the Aid Station. I had told her that this would be a good place to catch some bloodied legs as runners exited the Sotol field. I can hear loud Tejano music blaring and soon pull into Nachos.

I refill my bottle and say hello to Mariella Botella from Houston who will be pacing Shan later in the run. Mariella has on a name tag that labels her as “Nacho Cheese.” I don’t stick around and quickly head on up the short hill on this section. I serpentine my way through this portion of #7 and then cross the road down into Bandera Creek. I start to walk a little now to slow my overall pace. Brice Remaley comes motoring up as I am walking out of the creek and headed up to Bar-O. As usual Brice already has his shirt off and is running bare-chested in what to me is still coolish weather. We speak briefly, but Brice seems to be on a mission so I don’t try to follow him. I start to run again as Bar-O is in sight. This is where the course splits. The 25K splits to the left and heads for the “inside loop”. The 50 and 100K runners head right to Trail #8. Robert Heynen captains a water stop at this split that is for the 25Kers. He and Doug G. are out there directing traffic. As I approach them I pointed goofily in all directions and ran crazily as if I don’t have a clue where to go. Robert (knowingly) said: “I’d like to see you do that on the second loop.” I laughed and waved as I passed by.

Mark Raymond and I were now running together as we headed up Trail #8. I pulled over to pee and re-tie my shoes and lost Mark. As I started running again, I had further evidence that I was still going too quick.....I caught up and passed Letha Cruthirds. “Okay, Henry” went my internal dialogue, “Now you KNOW you aren’t going at this at the right pace.” Mark Raymond and I joined up again. I hadn’t marked this part of the course so I wasn’t as familiar with the distances, but before I knew it we were at the section of road just before the Chapas Aid Station.

Paul Stone and Max Roycroft tended to my every need on both loops at this stop on the course. My stomach had been bothering me for awhile so when we arrived, I passed on refilling my bottle with the aid station gatorade and went with my own bottle of gatorade in my drop bag---Fierce Grape. Max filled my bottle up with ice as I ditched both the Tyvek jacket which was tied around my waist and Joe’s wind pants. I didn’t feel like eating so I guzzled an Ensure. Mark and I struck out together again. This is my least favorite section of the course. It is (mostly) flat and (to me) pretty boring. My muscles are already starting to get tired so I pick up my e-cap intake. I know I haven’t been drinking enough so I try to make myself take in more fluid. I struggle through this next segment and am glad when we hit the open meadow because I know that Crossroads Aid Station is near. I am not feeling good at this point. I am starting to cramp up and my stomach feels crummy. The crack crew at Crossroads finds my drop bag. Doug is there and asks if I need any help. Shan’s tub is right next to my huge bin so I use hers as a stool as I fish through my stuff looking for something to resuscitate me. I do a quick patch of some beginning blisters and try to drink a bit. I linger a bit and Shan arrives just as I am getting ready to go. The only things I take out of my bag besides meds are a pair of cheap Sunmart sunglasses and a Harvest Bar.

I trudge out munching on the bar and trying to talk myself out of quitting at 50K. Mark Lindsey comes by as I am walking along and says “Tag! You’re it.” I laugh and tell him that I’ll catch him at mile 54. I get to the other side of the park road to start the inside loop and am surprised to see that Mark L. has not put much distance between us. I catch up with him as we hit Trail #1. We run together a bit and it turns out that Mark is struggling also. Before I know it, we are hiking up the first of the Three Sisters. At this point having Mark alongside is a huge boost. I play the “energy vampire” and feed off of him as we shuffle along. Despite the climbs and the growing warmth of the day, it seems like we are back on Trail #6 and headed for Crossroads again in a short time. As we cross the park road and go down into the meadow before the Aid Station, I thank Mark for running that portion of the course with me and to my surprise he suggests that we finish the loop together. That sounds good to me. I’m still struggling, but he has given me an energy boost.

At Crossroads I drink an Ensure and put more “Fierce Grape” in my hand bottle. By the time I am ready to go from Crossroads, Shan has caught up with me and Mark Raymond has come back (or waited) to me. Gabe takes off from Crossroads as I get there. He seems to be having a great first 100K. The two Marks, Shan and I take off together from the Aid Station. My muscles still are just on the verge of cramping out on me, but it helps tremendously to have pals to run with. It seems the whole loop we have all been within a few minutes of each other, including Rick G. (The fastest transition man in the West), Dave Berdis, Rebecca Watkins and Gabe. I’m popping e-caps like M&Ms now as I am desperate to stave off the cramps. We quickly cover the first flat miles of this section which are shady and cool and soon hit “Mt. Everest” a/k/a Lucky Peak on 3A. All four of us are still together as we scale this first beast. We carefully negotiate the down hill on the other side. The slope is getting me jazzed and I pick up my pace as we go down and then motor down Trail #3 toward Last Chance. Shan hangs with me and Mark Raymond is close behind. I”ve selfishly forgotten about Mark Lindsey, but know that he will understand.

Shan and I pull into Last Chance Aid Station and Mark R. is on our heels. Captain Dinty Moore tends to us, but there is not much I want here right now. I want to get this loop finished and try to figure out how I’m going to do another one. I know I need a break, but not here, not now. I get some ice in my bottle, wash down some bananas with some Coke and I’m ready to go. I start out with Shan and Mark quickly catches up. I’m walking this first quarter mile because I know what lays ahead on Trail 4A...Cairns Climb. We make the turn off the trail and start the hike. I think this is the toughest hill on the course because it just seems to go up forever. We hike and hike and still have more hill to cover. About 3/4 of the way up, we see Louis and another horse rider. Not enough oxygen in the lungs to say much more than “howdy”. We reach the top and indulge in a quick look at the views. Then we are off again. We circle the beast, say hello to the “pirate” at the turn (this is a rock that we set up when we marked the trail that has an uncanny resemblance to a cackling bucanner) and dance through the cairns to the drop-off. I make Mark and Shan stop so I can patch another blister before we plunge down. They start ahead and I’m happy again. Going down hill on a trail that I helped build gives me a needed lift. Shan lets me go by as I am picking up speed. I catch Mark at the bottom where we wait briefly for Shan. We head out on Trail #4 knowing that there is just one more climb and then down the slope to the Lodge. Off we go together. I REALLY want to get this loop finished and try to cobble myself back together. We finally circle the ridge and start the descent down 4B. Mark and I are digging the down hill and boogey down it as quick as we can. We reach a spot near the bottom that is in the shade. We wait there for Shan who is having a tougher time on the down slopes because of her quads. We had decided at the top of 4 that we would finish the loop together. Then we spot her coming down the last slope. We all catch our breath and head for the Lodge. We shuffle togther and then hit the field within sight of the start/finish. We hear the cheers as we run three abreast in a perfect line. To my amazement we come in at exactly 6:50.

That loop is nearly 40 minutes faster than I had initially projected. No wonder my legs are groaning! Of course the weather has been fantastic, albeit now a little warm. The trails are in great shape. I consider that I have “banked” myself plenty of slack time on the second loop. To say the aid I got at the halfway point was great would be a huge understatement. I am tended to and pampered like a rock star! Tammy from SPI smuggled a Ziegenbok into my drop bin (which I saved for the end). She also filled my bottle with ice and loaded my bottle of Gatorade in it. Janice K. and Terry Champion dug through my bin for me while I tried to tape my skin back onto my feet. Mike Riggs had joked at Arkansas that I could do minor surgery with all the stuff in my drop bags and that is what I did on this transition. While I cobbled my toes back on my feet, Joyce snatched the avocado I had in my hand and peeled and sliced it for me. Meanwhile Michele Harper offered me some sunscreen which she slathered on my arms and shoulders. I had already dropped the long-sleeved shirt back at Crossroads so I was feeling the bright sun. I gobbled down the avocado while trying to figure out what else I needed to do or take. Janice restocked my e-cap pouch while I downed 2/3 of a bottle of my gatorade to try to get fluids back into me. I also badly needed a potty stop. I dashed over to the Port-O-Potty and took care of that. By the time I returned Mark R. and Berdis were both ready to go. I told them to go ahead. Despite being ahead of schedule, I pulled out my spare light and a long-sleeved shirt. I was concerned that with my muscles not cooperating that I might not make it to Chapas by the time it was dark and/or cold. Michele said that she was headed over there to meet up with Brice and offered to take them there for me. I couldn’t pass up the chance to lighten my load. Michele offered to stay at Nachos until I got there even though Brice had to be at least 20-30 minutes ahead of me. The last thing I did was to fix my fresh bandana into a “do-rag” and had Joyce pour water all over my head and shoulders. I walked out with a cup of Coke for the second loop. Once I had come in to the start/finish, I forgot all about quitting at 50K. Mark Lindsey did retire at 50K because of his heel pain.

I walked for a bit to let all the stuff that I had thrown into my stomach settle a bit. The transition had taken me somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. Not as fast as I would have liked, but still faster than last year’s full half hour. I caught up with Berdis as we started the ascent of the West Twin for the second time. As we hiked up it, I saw Rebecca Watkins headed down at the bottom of it on the other side, a good 5-10 minutes ahead. She had come in behind me at the transition, but obviously had done a better job on getting back out again. Dave said Mark was just ahead. I stayed behind Dave for a bit and then moved past him as we headed down the other side into the down hill. I felt much better than two hours earlier. My legs felt fine and my energy was good. I was still able to run so I continued to take advantage of the down slopes. Ice Cream Hill again wasn’t too bad of a hike. The top of the trail at Ice Cream Hill is actually the saddle between the true Ice Cream Hill and another big bump to the north. The view from this spot is always worth a moment’s pause. Looking back you can see other runners on both #1 and Trail #6. Although much is made of the climb up to this point, and it is fairly steep, it isn’t as rugged or steep or long as some of the ones later in the course. So I stop and enjoy the quiet for a moment before moving on. I drop down to the steep slope on the other side and slide my way down a bit more tentatively than on the first loop. I hadn’t bothered with pants for the second loop so I motored through the Sotol after Ice Cream Hill as quickly as I could. I was surprised at how quickly I had made it to Nachos the second time. Indeed looking at my watch the pace was obviously slower than the first loop, but was respectable for the amount that I had walked to start the second loop. Gabe was at Nachos when I got there and he still seemed to be doing well, although I figured he was slowing down since he had finished the first loop nearly 10 minutes ahead of me. Michele was there with my stuff and told me that Brice was about 30 minutes ahead (WOW!) and that Mark was only a minute or two ahead of me. Sarah Brown was right behind me, but I didn’t see Rebecca. I didn’t stay at Nachos long and took off again.

I bounced down into Bandera Creek and shuffled along at a pretty steady plod. Somewhere between Nachos and Chapas, I caught up with Mark. We ran the last couple of miles into Chapas with Berdis close behind. 42 miles down and 20 to go. Chapas was a beehive of activity on this loop as we arrive right at 5:30 p.m. Those guys had been hard at work on the stove. They had black beans and rice (which I passed on), spaghetti (which I ate gratefully), soup and sandwiches. We got in well before dark, but it was already getting cooler. I went into the change tent and switched to tights and my half-zip long sleeve Polartech top. Berdis did not have any extra clothes at Chapas so I loaned him my HCTR capilene shirt to get him to Crossroads where he had his bag. Shan came in and had a serious blister problem. Doug nabbed a pin off my bag to pop it for her. Rebecca came in behind us and was having trouble with all the down hills. I refilled my bottle with another Fierce Grape, got out my big light and grabbed an Ensure. Mark and I walked out with Gabe just ahead of us.

Mark is still looking strong even though he has had a struggle of it himself all day. He had little sleep on Friday because of allergies and awoke with a headache. He seems to have adapted well and run a very good tactical race, staying within himself. Despite refueling at Chapas, my energy is ebbing. After a half mile or so, I send Mark on because I need to stop and tend to a critical chafing problem. Berdis passes me as I crouch behind a tree. I know that Shan has picked up her pacer, Mariella at Nachos and I can hear them as voices carry over this flat section. I saddle up determined to stay ahead of them at least until Crossroads. But this is my least favorite section. I catch up with Berdis on an uphill and visit for a minute. I stride ahead and soon catch up with Gabe. I have been holding off on keeping my light on even though the sun set some time ago. I finally turn it on, but Gabe keeps running without light. I’m not that brave as there are a number of hidden rocks on this section. I pull ahead of Gabe and near Trail #2C where the trail crosses the main road into the park before dropping down into the meadows which lead to Crossroads. Doug is parked there as I shuffle by. He says he is bringing Shan some bigger shoes. “Ahh” I think to myself, “if she stops to change shoes, I should easily get to Crossroads ahead of her”. It is amazing what you use for motivation after being on the trail for over 11 hours. I ease back a little as I drop down into the lowlands. Suddenly there are lights behind me. I shuffle on occasionally turning off my light to feel the darkness. It is flat and smooth here. Soon Shan and Mariella are on top of me. “I thought you were changing shoes.” I said feebly as Shan passes. “Oh no. I just told Doug to bring them to Crossroads.” Dang! I shuffle along with them and we are soon dropping down into the dry creek bed just before the Aid Station.

As we approach Crossroads, my eyes are dazzled by the sight. The place is rocking! It is lit up like Chuy’s on a Saturday night with streams of lights glowing and music blasting. As I come in at 7:12 p.m., I am swept into the tent into a chair and my drop “trunk” is set in front of me. Wow! What service Bill and Karen Gardner and the S.A. Club offers! I take a cup of soup and rummage through my box of stuff. I decide to switch to my Camelbak for this 6 mile stretch to free up my hands and for a change of pace. I have it pre-loaded so it doesn’t take me too long to make the switch. I am still feeling low on power and I’m trying to hold off on popping the Red Bull as long as I can, so I decide to take my Walkman along. I had forgotten to take it with me from Powerline after 68 miles of the Arkansas Traveler 100 and regretted not having the power of music to energize me. I am still a bit slow at this stop and I am pretty sure that Mark and Shan have both started on the next section. Gabe is still at Crossroads as I head out.

The Walkman was a great idea in theory. However, I am violating one of the cardinal rules of ultraracing; i.e., don’t try something new in a race that you haven’t done in training. I never train with a Walkman which becomes sadly apparent soon after I get started. The Walkman is not a sports version so if I put it in my back pocket of my RaceReady shorts it sounds terrible. That’s fine, I’ll just hold it in my free hand. I crank it on and soon The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” has me dashing down the trail “Out here in the fields...(crashing guitars)....I get my back into my living”. Man, I am gliding down the trail now. This is great. I was cold when I stepped out of the tent at Crossroads, but now I am cooking. I head up the trail to cross over the park road to the inside loop. The problem is that the music is inspiring me to run faster than the current state of my muscles or lungs will permit without adverse consequences. And the headphone cable keeps getting tangled in my Camelbak hose every time I take a drink. Oops, I have to pee. That means I have to put the Walkman down out of harm’s way; pull the earpiece off and proceed. Then I have to plug it back in and get situated again. This is not good. I fart around with it time and time again. What energy it is providing me is soon spent in the frustration of dealing with the mechanics. I start walking now as I try to sort myself out. The music is nice and gives me comfort, but soon it just isn’t worth the trouble. Lesson learned.

On the positive side of the chart, the sky is fantastic! I stop and look up as I begin my ascent of the first of the Three Sisters. The moon is not yet up and you can see galaxies of stars. The sky is so clear that nebulae and distant galaxies are plainly visible. It is quite a sight. I stop at the summit of each of the Three Sisters to gaze upward. Those who run a second loop (and even those who don’t) have a more euphemistic name for these three bumps----The Three Bitches. They are all steep climbs. The first is the longest which then drops down steeply through Sotol. The erosion has washed some of the down slopes into short drop off gullies. Footing is tricky when you try to run these. At night I just try to stay upright, but some spots you are better off not fighting gravity and just running them. The second climb seems like the shortest and more gradual. The descent afterwards also seems more gentle and forgiving. As I top each one I see two lights moving behind me which motivates me to stay ahead of these two runners. When I reach the third summit, I have to make some equipment adjustments and a quick potty stop. By the time I’m done, the two lights are on the incline moving up toward me. I decide to wait and see who these two runners are. As the one green light and one white light head up the hill toward me, I soon see that my eyes and mind have deceived me. The two runners are really one----Gabe Ayson. Gabe has on his primo 7 LED green headlamp and had a small white handheld. We commiserate for a moment at this peak. We are at approximately 50 miles and both of us are mostly walking. I suggest finishing the loop together (or maybe it was just to hike to Crossroads. I’m not really sure). Gabe agrees and off we go. Neither of us is moving real fast, but we both want to finish by midnight. Gabe lets me set the pace and I crank up my Power Walk. We have covered most of the big bumps on this inside loop and although there are a few rollers left, it is pretty easy hiking from here. After we hit the short series of bumps at the intersection of #6 and #5A, we are buoyed by the sight of Crossroads in the distance. With all the lights blazing, it is a lighthouse of anticipated refuge for a couple of weary dirt sailors. We get a little jog going to cross the road. I am struck by the change in temperature as we drop down into the field. You can feel the cold wall of air as you come down from the road and head toward the Aid Station.

We are both whisked into the tent by the crew there. I pass on the seat next to the heater and move away from the warmth. I made the mistake last year of lingering near the seductive warmth of a big fire last year and lost a lot of my core heat when I started again. I drop the Camelbak and the Walkman and go back to my single bottle in the belt. I drink and Ensure; chase it with soup and Coke. Robert, Diana, Doug and Janice are all here and tend to Gabe and me. I just want to get going. 53 miles down and only 9 left. Again I know what lies ahead and am anxious to get there sooner rather than later. I walk out with a Red Bull, still desperate to invigorate myself. I drink about half of it before pitching it in the last trash box out of the Station.

I feel stoked for the final push (good old Red Bull). I have also decided to try and finish with Gabe. I’m not likely to break 16 hours, but we can just about walk in from here and make it before midnight. We talk about this as we stride ahead. Gabe comments that we should be able to walk it in “no problem”. I’m still concerned about Cairns Climb and the last bump before the finish. I push the pace on the first section as it is flat and easy. This forces Gabe to break into a trot now and then to keep up. Hell, I walked the last 25 miles of this loop last year in the pouring rain and cold. I’ve got my walking pace DOWN, Bro’! Whenever I make a potty stop or stop to tie a shoe, Gabe presses on to get a lead on me. We cover two miles quickly and make the turn to start the climb on Trail #3A. As we clear the trees of the low section, we can finally see the bright moon that has arisen. We only admire it briefly as we have a ridge to hike. I’m still pushing us to cover the flats as fast as we can, because here come the hills. We climb and dip and now and are headed up “Mt. Everest” a/k/a Lucky Peak. I urge Gabe to just to keep his head down on the immediate trail which is easy to do on this part at night. We grunt and groan and I tell Gabe to hang on because we will take a break at the top. We make it pretty easily and stop for a drink and another quick glance at the big moon. Here comes the tricky part....the descent. We scooch down carefully. Gravity pulls me to run this a little, but I also want to try to show Gabe the easiest way down so I reign it in a bit and we are soon running along the ridge before one more climb. We scramble up the last short steep climb and then head down. We are soon on the flat section of #3 nearing Dinty’s Last Chance Saloon. I’m starting to get a faint whiff of the barn now, but I don’t want to lose my edge yet.

We pull into Dinty and Larkin’s night spot and there is a small greeting committee. Robert and Diana Heynen are there as are Doug and Janice. Apparently Shan isn’t too far ahead of us at this point. We take a couple of pictures and Doug makes some crack that I can’t even remember now. All I remember is feinting that I was going to put him in a headlock for saying whatever it was that he said. I think it was something like “just a little less than a Bastrop loop left, fellas”. There ain’t nothing like Cairns Climb around Bastrop other than the Aqua Water Tower. We laugh. I don’t want to linger here. I get some ice in my bottle and a swig of Coke and I want to GO. I walk out slowly and wait for Gabe to catch up. “We’ve got it now.” I say to him. We make the right turn to head up Cairns Climb. Up we go and it is a the definition of “trudging” now. Gabe urges me to go on that he’ll be fine. I know he will, but to me it is more fun to be with someone who is doing their first 100K than trying to shave a few minutes off my eventual time. I’m not really going much faster than him and my secondary goal of finishing in less than 16 hours is close, but not possible. Whether I finished in 16:05 or 16:20 just doesn’t seem to matter as much as running in with a guy I met at Austin Fit who has been a pal ever since I started down the distance running path in late 2000. We spent a couple of years in AF in the Yellow Group and both gravitated at about the same time to Hill Country Trail Runners. Maybe it was selfish on my part, but it was more fun for ME to think about finishing with a first-timer at an event that I love.

We wind our way around the Cairns and make the down drop to get back to #4. “Only one more big hill” I call back to Gabe as we keep moving. We climb Boyles Bump which really isn’t too bad when you can’t see how steep the climb is. As we run along the ridge near the top, I check my watch. It is now 11:30 so a sub 16 hour finish is gone. But we should get in before midnight. We both are walking pretty steadily now and soon we are hitting the nice down hill that feeds down to the last bit of flat trail to the Lodge. “Let’s save a little because we have to finish running” I urge Gabe. No argument from him just an “Okay”. We hit the flat at the bottom of Boyles and I’m getting excited. We are done! “Let’s go” I say and break into what can only be called a running shuffle by a panel of fellow ultrarunners. “Where’s the gate?” Gabe asks shortly after we get started. I think he is ready to be done. “Coming up.” I reply. Thankfully I’m right because there it is and we are in the field with the finish in sight. I can here the whoop as we are spotted by someone. Car headlights are on and Joe is there urging us to run to through the finish to the lights. I glance at the clock..... 16:21. We made it with 9 minutes to spare. Makes me glad that I pushed the pace after Crossroads so that we could make it in time.

After handing us our buckles and a quick photo of Gabe and me by Janice, Joe pushes us into the finish tent. What a sight! There’s Mark, Shan, Berdis and Rick G. all huddled around in the warmth of the tent. Robert, Diana and Doug, our stalwart group of cheerleaders are there as well. Shan and Rick have finished about 15 minutes ahead of us. Mark and Dave have both cracked the 16 hour mark at 15:33 and 15:45. The beer that Tammy put in my drop “tub” is now cold. I change clothes in the change area and drink some of the beer. Joyce hands me a hot cup of soup which is good because I am finally hungry. We all visit for a bit and congratulate each other. Janice gives me a hug and says “you stink, Henry.” “I’m sure I do” is my lame reply. After a few minutes I decide to go grab a shower and try to get some sleep.

The Red Bull keeps me up, but I manage to get a couple of hours before the house stirs again at 6 a.m. I get up about 6:30 or so and soon find myself with a new job. I have finally made the cut and am Sammy’s assistant in the kitchen! Brice comes in and goes out to help me set up the food warmers. It has gotten cold during the night, but I am still stoked from finishing before midnight. Back to the kitchen with me and Sammy soon has me toasting up tortillas for the breakfast tacos. Linda Hurd is green with envy as I share the range with Slammin’ Sam. Mark Raymond comes in and Sammy soon has him cooking waffles on the antique waffle iron. Sammy is cooking eggs like a wild man as folks wander in and out of the kitchen. Brice and I dash out and fire up the sterno in the tent. Some duathloners show up at 8:00 to register and I try to direct them to the table, but no one is there yet. Back to the kitchen with Sammy. Now Sam has me cooking the eggs while Linda tries her hand at Tortilla Toasting. Sammy and I haul the food out to the tent at 8:45 and keep it coming until we are out of eggs, out of waffles and out of coffee. There is a huge crowd for breakfast. Some appear not to be 100Kers, but duathloners. Indeed Ruth England goes out to ask some of them how they were feeling after their 62 mile run. Not surprisingly she got a few perplexed looks until she advised them that breakfast was for the 100K runners. Fortunately I rolled myself a couple of breakfast tacos in the kitchen early on or I would not have eaten. The kitchen is soon closed. Around 9:30 Joe has the award presentations for the 100K and there are drawings for some drop bags and Hammer Gel.

The duathlon starts at 10:00. Joe grabs me and we go down to Crossroads Aid Station. Bill and Karen Gardner are enjoying breakfast after a long day and night. We break down the tent and start to take down Wes Monteith’s stuff which Joe used for the Aid Station. Wes shows up and we get it all bagged and loaded in his car. A couple of cyclists whizz by on the Du course while we’re there. Joe and I then head down to Chapas to make sure it has been cleaned up. Things look pretty good there and we just pick up some stray trash. We take down a couple of signs and then head over to Nachos for a quick look. Joe sends me out on #7 to take down the markers on the section that loops around back to the road. It is a short section, but it feels good to stretch my legs a little. He meets me on the other side and we head back to the Lodge. By now a lot of the Du folks are done. Joe and I get help from Ruth and Steve S. on take down of parts of the course which is a big help. We send Robert Heynen and Linda Hurd out to take the trail down on the Ice Cream Hill section and on the West Twin which takes a while and is also a big help. Joe dashes off to do something else and then he and Joyce go to take down the inside loop. Diana and I start to take down some of the back section and are to do from Shade Tree to Crossroads. Diana starts her section, but then a runner comes along who is looking for a lost kid Duer and volunteers to pull the glowsticks and markers down. I head south and gather ribbons, glowsticks and trash, but find that soon after Shade Tree, someone has already cleaned the trail. I confirm this later when I leave and stop at Crossroads and walk up it and find that the trail has already been cleared. I coordinate the loading of a couple of trucks (Mark Lindsey and Robert H.) with all the stuff that Joe and Joyce want hauled back to Austin. These guys take so much that I only end up with one ice chest to take back in my little red truck. It is now almost 4:00 p.m. and I said I was going to leave at 2:00. Joe and Joyce are still out on the inside loop working to clear it and a few side trails. I head to Crossroads and double check the site and the trail in each direction to see that the markers have been taken down and the glowsticks removed. It all looks fine so I start to head out after leaving a note at Joe’s truck as to what I know that has been done. What a weekend! I felt bad leaving with stuff not yet done, but I figure that I got to go while I can still stay awake. The drive home is surprisingly easy and another Bandera weekend is in the books.

For me, personally this year’s Bandera weekend was a huge success. I was able to spend as much time at Bandera as I humanly could. I got to mark the course and help with course set up so that I could learn more about the whole process. I had the privilege of hanging out with friends, new and old. I had a chance to run with or see almost all of the people I trained with in 2003, like Shan, the Marks brothers (Raymond and Lindsey), Tom Watson, Rebecca, Jim B., Doug G., Robert H. and M., Diana, Duane, Liam, Marie, Janice et al. I got to finish the 100K with my friend, Gabe as he completed his first one.....and I knocked 2 ½ hours off my previous year’s time! I take pride in being a “double buckler”.

But more than that, I am amazed at how Joe and Joyce are able to pull this off and make it better each year. Joe is right that it does take ALL of the volunteers to make this the event that it has become. He is also correct in that it will only be as good each year as long as there are good volunteers each year. Sammy V. is indispensable as the Master of the Kitchen Domain. But even Sammy couldn’t do it all without Mark Lindsey and Kelly Galloway tending to the fires on the patio or Phyl slicing and dicing in the kitchen. Janice K. was everywhere helping with everything from the kitchen to shirt distribution to aid station volunteer to massage therapist. And the Prusaitis clan of Ryan, Sam, Erica et al pitched in to do whatever Mom/Joyce or Dad/Joe asked. Kyle and Terry Sheldon doing the timing until the wee hours of the morning were likewise critical to the success of the race. Mark Raymond, Dave Berdis and Linda Hurd showed up on Thursday; marked the course and proceeded to help out wherever or whenever it was needed. Heck Celeste Walz showed up from Dallas on Thursday evening just to meet some of the NTTR folks and she ended up helping all weekend! All of the Aid Station Captains from Dinty Moore to Bill Gardner to Paul Stone to Robert Heynen AND their volunteers from the Tornados from Houston to the S.A. RR Club to Joyce's angels at the start/finish were all vital to the success of the event. There is no way to name all the crucial volunteers without leaving someone out. It was quite a treat to be behind-the-scenes for so much of it, to see how it all worked and at the same time, to be a participant in the event as well. While it was a true “ultra” event weekend for me, I enjoyed every second of it. This is not an event that seems like “work”. There is an undeniable magic about the Bandera event. The joy, dedication and passion that is infused in it by Joyce and Joe make it truly a pleasure for me to be a small part of each year. It is unquestionably the kind of event that makes you WANT to be involved even more. But I can’t stand not to run it, too, so I’ll see you all on the trail in 2005.

Henry Hobbs