This was my 9th attempt at the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile race in Huntville State Park. I have accumulated seven successful finishes and was hoping to add an eighth toward my 1000 mile jacket. This year was special - as a 60 year old I was allowed a pacer for the entire 100 miles (in lieu of following me around with an ambulance). I trained and planned carefully - ran two tough, hilly 50 milers in the summer and fall of '09 and two extremely cold weather 50k's in December and January. I tapered carefully, lined up my pacers, organized and labeled my gear and now I was ready.

The Rocky Raccoon 100 consists of five 20 mile loops through the beautiful forest in HSP. Each year at Rocky I put up a big tent and spread out and organize my gear so that if I need to change clothes or find a food item after finishing a loop I can do that quickly. I guess I tend to over pack and take way too much stuff but I was a Boy Scout and "Be Prepared" has always been my motto. I arrived at the park with a carload of camping gear and I don't know how many labeled bags containing "gloves", "tops", "medical" etc. The first thing I found out upon arriving was that the park decided at the last minute not to allow us to put up tents this year. Apparently this privilege has been abused in the past with runners camping overnight in the start/finish area and not paying the camping fees. For a while my head spun - what am I going to do with all my stuff? I don't have a single drop bag big enough and if I did I'd never be able to find anything in it! I decided to bring it all back in the morning and try to find a convenient tree to organize it under. I'd just have to change in front of God, the Race Director and everybody! Oh well! My first pacer Shannon Smith and his sister Cindy Davis met me at the race packet pickup and dinner. Cindy had the perfect solution.

Cindy, Shannon and I were joined by my wife Kat at the Walker County Storm Shelter where we were to have dinner together at the race banquet. I have not seen such a mob at an ultramarathon race since Sunmart! The packet pickup line was all the way out the door! The Race Director Joe Prusaitis announced that the 750 runner limit for the 100 mile and 50 mile combined had nearly been met. 370 runners from all over the country and several overseas countries had signed up for the 100. None of us wanted to stand in the dinner line so we found an Italian restaurant in Huntsville and had a nice dinner before going to our hotel room. It was a bit cosey with 4 in one room but we were all asleep by 9:30pm. At 3:30am we were up getting ready. Again I was having to deal with this pile of gear. I got dressed and loaded everything back in the car and by 5:00am we were checking in at the starting line. I decided to carry my cell phone with me the entire distance as well as my bottle, electrolytes, Cliff Shot Bocks (food supplement) and flask of maple syrup. I piled all my gear under a tree that I could get to easily from the Start/Finish tirnaround. Joe sounded the "Start" and we were off on our first 20 mile loop.

The temperature was about 38 but it was clear under a starry sky at 6:00am. It had rained heavily in the park the last two days and we knew from the trail briefing that we would encounter lots of mud. After about 40 minutes, it was light enough to actually see this mud. We dodged the worst of it, but negotiating around giant mud holes was definately slowing us down. Shannon was fun company. He loves to sing country "gold" and I love to sing old songs my grandfather sang to me - stuff from WWI or before. We had a blast talking and singing and we stayed on schedule. 4.5 hours were planned for this loop. About midway, I got a text message from Cindy. She had "set up" my gear! Interesting!

I could not wait to get back to Start/Finish to see what Cindy had done and when we rollled in at 10:30am I was impressed! Cindy had used trees to hang up privacy panels from my tent to make a changing booth. The booth had a cot and chair and all my gear was carefully arranged in it. Outside, my tent was spread out as a ground cloth and chairs with a camp light set on it. It was just perfect! My second pacer Jeff Holzaepfel met me for the 20-40 mile loop. I took too much time to admire Cindy's handiwork and get changed. It was almost 11:00am when I started my 2nd loop. This photo of Houston runner Susan Bell was taken at the start. I ran with Susan on and off throughout the race.

The second loop warmed up into the mid 50's under a cloudless sky. I had planned to run this one as close to 4.5 hours as I could but I began to feel the hills and obstacles more as we progressed. Still I felt so exhilirated and Jeff was very interesting to talk to - a commercial jet pilot and Ironman with all kinds of stories. It was a loop full of stories and it ended about 4:00pm. This photo was taken at the beginning of the second loop when it was still cold.

My third pacer, Sema Beavers (see photo below), called me several times from I-45 while caught in a massive traffic jam. I proposed that she should meet me 3 miles into the third loop (mile 43). We knew we would go into the dark together so Sema was prepared with a light. I had envisioned the third loop as the toughest. I also knew Sema could get me through it. She had paced me at Rocky several times before. Sema nearly disappeared in a mud hole in the dark while I was on the phone with my next pacer Liz. The dark, the roots, and the mud were definately slowing us down. I was hoping for a 5 hour loop but it stretched to nearly 6. Every tough challenge Sema encounters makes her more determined. That determination helped me keep up as the fatigue increased and the aches nagged at my legs and feet. The 6 mile "wilderness" loop, starting and ending at the Dam Road Aid Staion, was by far the worst part of each 20 mile loop mentally. Passing this challenge was getting over the "hump" of the race - miles 46-52. I passed the 50 mile halfway mark with Sema about 6:20pm (12:20 on the race clock).

The aid stations and volunteers were awesome! I fumbled with my Cliff Shot Block at the Dam Road and dropped it in the mud. A lady volunteer gleefully picked it up and wiped it off on her obviously well used apron. She handed it back to me and I ate it! A little sandy but no biggie.

During the evening I kept in touch with my 60-100 mile pacer Liz Tulloch. Sema dropped off at mile 57 and had a terrfying 1 mile run to her car thinking she heard some animal stalking her all the way. Finally she panicked and literally ran out in front of a car to stop it and then jumped in without asking to beg a ride! Yes those woods can be scary at night!

Meeting Liz was a wonderful feeling - a feeling like I knew that I knew I could finish. The worst of the race (nightime hours) was actually still ahead of me but Liz has a way of instilling confidence and calm. Liz was going to pace me all 40 miles to the finish line. Her first act was to remove my shoes and socks, wash my feet and rub them and my sore ankles and calves with lavender oil. When I stood up I felt fresh!!! I recall it was nearly 10:00pm when we left to run the 4th loop.

It was close to midnight when Liz and I reached the Dam Road Aid Station (mile 66) where I kept a drop bag. It felt bitter cold as that aid station was in a "cold hole" in the park. I put on an extra warm fleese top. I dreaded the next "wilderness" loop that included that stretch that the man some years ago died on, and I knew he was still there to pace someone - my pacer Tracy saw him twice when we ran by there a couple years ago. It was also where Penny felt the "wet nose" and where Susan heard the "big growl". All that aside I was exhausted and it would take nearly two hours to return to Dam Road. Somewhere out there we met Jeanette. She was becoming hypothermic. I recognized the symptoms of low blood sugar and I gave her my fleese and fed her some of my maple syrup. She recovered enough to keep up with us and finish the loop where she dropped from the race. It was the "Night of the Living Dead"! Liz kept me running the downhills and we passed so many walking slowly or shuffling along. The coyotes howled at the half moon as we passed the wee hours. Liz was pulling me along by running ahead just trying to keep me running. I was tired beyond description and I did not want to run at all - I was literally falling asleep on my feet. I asked her to stay close to me and keep talking. Several times she took my hand and we ran hand in hand. I was so afraid of falling on the roots. I fell once in the daylight and hurt my hand. Another fall could end my race.

Liz was an incredible pacer. She ran that fine line of motivating me versus exasperating me so well. As soon as she saw that I had all I could take she backed off. We finished the 4th loop and started the last about 4:30am. By now we both realized that we would finish close to 29 hours - two hours slower than the plan but we would finish. After the Dam Road (mile 86) it began to dawn. Now I could see the trail and began to feel new strength for the day. Liz kept me running the downhills even up to mile 97. Liz was motivating other runners as well and we were collecting a following. At the fabulous Park Road Aid Station at Mile 95 maintained by my running club (where they had the best food and even a scented candle in the porta pottie), we were joined by Cathy Sotelo. Cathy literally had to catch us as we were pushing hard toward the finish line. It was so awesome to see Cathy! The last 4 miles turned into a celebration with friends and I sprinted the finish at 29:12:15! Afterward, Liz and Cathy packed up all my mess and I headed home. I had to stop and take an hour nap at a CVS parking lot on Beltway 8. I took another hour nap when I got home and then it was off (slowly) to the Super Bowl party at my daughter's house. What a weekend!!!

Bob Botto