What doesnt kill you, Only makes you stronger!

It was amazing to watch the endurance exhibited under such severe circumstances. The ability to keep functioning well, with a smile and cheery disposition intact, in fluid motion, never missing a beat, hour after hour, never stopping, never slowing, treating it more like play than work. I was impressed. And that was the volunteers. Temps at the start line were 11 degrees and 8 degrees in the low lying areas. Thankfully, no rain, and minimal wind. Its the first time I have ever seen as much clothes on the runners as on the volunteers at the start line. There was very little skin showing, lots of head wraps, double gloves, long tights... layers and layers of clothing.

The Bandera races all start at the same time, on 3 different parts of the same course, creating a gap from the beginning. This allows the 564 runners some freedom to deal with the crowding of only the race group they are in. 148 started the 100km, 174 in the 50km, and 237 in the 25km. The 100km is a 50km loop that is repeated twice. The 50km runs pretty much the same course as the 100km, except that the 50km start is 5 miles behind the 100km start. The 25km starts 2 miles behind the 50km and then skips the entire back side loop, effectively jumping to the front of the line, and finishing well in front of both 50km and 100km runners. Also, the 50km turns off 5 miles in front of the 100km so that there is really very little overflow. It took years to work this puzzle out, and now it runs pretty smooth.

In the 100km, the quartet of Nick Clark, Chikara Omine, Dan Vega, and Steven Moore started fast. So did the female quartet of Jill Perry, Aliza Lapierre, Pam Smith, and Annette Bednosky. This course is not much for altitude, but makes up for that with attitude. It is mostly about the rocks, short steep climbs, rocks, ledges, rocks, and more rocks. The course starts easy enough for about a mile, and then slams into The Big Nasty, a rock chute going strait up. This chute leads to Sky Island, where they run around the perimeter for a view of the entire park before dropping off the other side for the only bush-whacking section that is simply rugged. This descent is the longest on the course, twisting tightly down between trees and scrub for a merry roller-coaster. An easy jeep road follows for a mile then Ice Cream Hill which sports a trio of gullies leading to the strait up fence-line climb. The rocks on the descent off Ice Cream Hill wears the hide of many mountain bikers who thought they could ride it. Lots of Sotol everywhere, poking holes in the skin and cutting tiny slices as well. Its not too bad really, until you hit the shower afterwards. At Nachos, the course backs off and allows for miles of easy running, thru Chapas, and back through the field to CrossRoads. Then, its a 5 mile loop out and back, and only The Sisters in-between. Then the next 5 miles has only Lucky Peak to climb over going into Last Chance. The next 5 miles is the real kicker, with Cairn's and Boyles, so when they finish one loop, many decide it is enough. 37 runners took the 50km option, refusing to run this section again. With the Montrail Ultra Cup offering multiple incentives, the leaders chased Wester States slots, ultra cup points, and course records. With one eye on each other and the other on the rocks, a few of them found themselves on the ground. It was interesting to watch them alternate attacking and conserving through the early morning freeze, then as they warmed up, and during the 2nd loop when the rocks and the distance continued to collect its toll. Many of the 111 finishers coming in between midnight and 7:15 AM had tears in their eyes, and when I hugged them, they held on a bit longer than usual. They stayed in the finish tent for hours afterwards, drinking hot cocoa and beer while they told their tales to anybody who would listen. Nick rolled in at 9:16:57 for a new course record. Chikara soon after in 9:19:43, then Dan in 9:26:50, and Steven in 9:58:49. It wasn't long before the pack of fast ladies followed suite. Jill and Aliza sprinted home, crossing the line side by side. We had to wait for the computer to sort it out, and was surprised to see that the computer had them tied as well at 10:33:18. Pam came in soon after in 10:36:25, and then Annette in 10:44:37. The top 2 men and top 4 women all beat the previous course record. It was quite a show and a lot of fun to watch these talented athletes battle the course and each other, followed by an additional 140 phenomenal people, with 111 collecting a Bandera buckle.

The 50km win and course record was taken down by Josh Beckham in 3:55:18, followed by Paul Terranova in 4:14:31, and Sean Lewis in 4:19:31. The women's side of the 50km was won by Meredith Terranova in 5:04:54, followed by Jean Herbert 5:10:14 and Maria Ladd 5:10:25, who were running together. The 50km race started on a wide flat jeep road that quickly arrived at Cairn's Climb & Boyles Bump. The hills continued unabated for a few more miles through The Big Nasty, Sky Island, and Ice Cream Hill. After Nachos, they had some free and easy running for mile thru Chapas into CrossRoads. back to the hills with The Sisters, and then the final stretch, which saves the best for last, going over Lucky Peak and then past the Last Chance Saloon before the 171 finishers crossed the mat.

The 25km was won easily by Robert Michell in 1:52:31. 2nd was taken by 16 year old Joshua Gordon in 2:13:44. 3rd and 4th were won by Jason Mittman 2:14:13 and Gerald Fincken 2:14:54. The women's 25km was won by Jennifer McRae in 2:26:21, followed by Amanda McIntosh 2:32:17, and Kristi Darby 2:35:14. This 25km was foot for foot the most difficult of the three events. Being the shortest of the three, I made sure to use all the nastiest hills and less flat and easy running. It started with Lucky, ended with Lucky, and had most of the other climbs as well. The route has evolved into this over the years, so the old course record will take some doing to knock down again. Another complexity of this course is that it starts on a single-track. All in all, only 2 of the 237 starters failed to finish.

Frigid cold temps in Texas have an additional demon that you might not feel in the higher elevations: high humidity. High humidity adds a bite to the 8 degrees that had a lot of us struggling to cope. While laying out course, riding an ATV, erecting metal tent poles, and a variety of other simple processes, we had to adapt. We had 100+ volunteers going all day and all night, catching an hour of sleep when they could, and then going back out onto the course. I was humbled to see all the selfless giving and efforts that went on unchecked under the harsh conditions. We form a bond when we run distance with another, but the bonds are stronger when under adverse conditions, so the bond this weekend extended beyond the runners, including the volunteers to such a degree that felt very very warm.