#128- The Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run!

So, where do I begin on this crazy adventure called the Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run? Well, I think I have to start last year. This was a race I really wanted to run last year, but I was dating a great guy and a popular figure in the running world at the time and we were spending a lot of time together, running, traveling and having a blast, so I really just couldn't find the time to train or the money to do it, but after seeing everyone's race photos and that glorious buckle, I knew this was a race I had to do someday.

I was turned on to the Yeti Trail Runners in 2014 when I was in Atlanta for Christmas and heard of this low key race called the Yeti Spaghetti. I caught a ride with an old friend of my sister's (who was doing it too) out to Sweetwater Creek (thanks Javiar!) for the most fun I had had running trails ever! It was more of a party than a race. I had so much fun, I came back for 2015! Anything the Yeti Trail Runners were doing, if I could get there, I was in! Such a nice and fun group of people.

In November just before Thanksgiving, my boyfriend (completely out nowhere) broke things off with me. I was absolutely gutted and confused as we were on top of our romantic relationship, great friends who never had so much as a disagreement. This hit me hard on many levels.

The next day I read on Facebook that Jason Green was opening registration for the Yeti 100 on Thanksgiving Morning. I had already done two 100 mile races and they always had a way of healing my soul. Maybe it was the hours of "me" time for self reflection or the strength (both physically and emotionally) it took to do a 100 miles. Each one always reminded me that I am stronger than I think I am and I can do (and get through) hard things. I decided I NEEDED to do this! So with Jason Green's help, I got registered (Thanks Jason)!

Two days later, photos surfaced on social media of my then boyfriend already in Tampa with another woman. I fell apart. I was so humiliated! I thought I could never show my face in the running community again (our relationship was pretty public).  I was just crushed and life was looking very bleak. I needed something to look forward to because at that point, living with the pain and humiliation just didn't seem like something I could do. I was just so sad. I had already been through some pretty heart wrenching emotional terrorism with someone a couple years before, which I left me with nothing inside to navigate this situation. I was lost.  

Unfortunately, as much as I tried to look forward, the darkness took over. On December 8th, I drank a bottle of wine and wrapped a belt around my neck and attempted to take my own life. I look back now and think how stupid and selfish that was, but in that moment, I just couldn't take the pain and humiliation and that seemed like the only way out.

In the hospital, one of the doctors asked me, "Do you have anything to look forward to that you could focus on?" The only thing that came to mind was seeing my dog Zoe and getting that cool Yeti 100 belt buckle in 10 months! I know this seems crazy, but that was the only thing I could think of that gave me hope. That crazy shiny belt buckle with the unicorn, rainbow, train and Yeti was the one thing I had at that time to look forward to. It was something.

The next 6 months were hard. I didn't feel like running, I had been running slower and thus had lost any speed (or motivation) I had 2 years ago to qualify for Boston (thank God I already had another BQ for 2017). On top of that, I started putting on weight like crazy. I had not been this much of a mess since after 9/11 when I lived in New York City, but slowly with help, little by little, I found (and am still finding) my way back.

Fast forward to September 29th! I dropped some weight, got my love of running back and I was surrounded by two of my best friends (Rob and Stacy) in Virginia, who gave up their time and expense to come crew and pace me at the Yeti 100!!!

Rob and I flew from Salt Lake City to Charlotte on Wednesday night and got a room (with an airport shuttle) near the airport so we could get some sleep. Stacy arrived from Denver at 7:00AM the next morning and we had the hotel shuttle take us back to the airport where we picked up our rental car and headed back to the room to assemble my drop bag (that had to be dropped off that evening at the pre-race meeting).    

Stacy, Rob and I all "inked" up and ready to hit the road to Damascus! 

It was a three hour drive to Damascus. The pre-race meeting was not until 7:00PM, so we took our time getting there. We stopped for supplies (i.e snacks), stopped at the Harley Davidson shop, and had some lunch before we arrived.

Stacy and I found a couple of unicorns to ride on!

Rob found the perfect hat!

This little kitten was hiding in the bushes at the rest stop along the way!

Found this in the Harley Davidson store and thought this would be a good mantra in those dark hours on the course! LOL!

Before my 1st 100 mile race, a friend took me for steak the night before. I sat well and now it is a tradition. I had steak for lunch! 

Before the race even opened, Creeper Trail Cottages were already sold out for the weekend. Buddy Albro recommended I call the Hikers Inn . They too were all booked up except for the small Airstream trailer they had behind the house. I grabbed it!

Stacy and I in the Airstream! It was so cute!

The town of Damascus rolled out the red caboose!

Coolest camper ever!!

The local shops welcomed us!

Before the pre-race meeting, we met my Maniac friend Aaron and his pacer Stephanie for dinner at the Damascus Old Mill Restaurant and Pub. The weather was nice so we got a table outside and talked about race strategy, what to wear, etc.

Nice View at the Damascus Old Mill Restaurant and Pub.

After dinner we all headed over to the pre-race meeting. It was held in the auditorium of The Old Rock School. Built in 1923, it is now used as apartments. The Auditorium is used for community events.

Outside the meeting there was a trailer outside where you dropped your drop bag that would go to the Damascus aid station (the only place you could have a drop bag). As we walked in, we were greeted with the music of a local bluegrass band, setting the tone for the land we were about to run on. It was a nice touch.

A local Bluegrass band plays during the packet pick up and pre-race meeting.

There was a lot of excitement in the air as we saw friends and got ready for RD Jason Green to take the stage for instructions.

The Old Rock School was filling up with runners and crew!

Volunteers working hard! Yay volunteers!

Jason gives the COOLEST swag! Winners and the DFL finisher got these custom skateboard decks!

Word Shelly, word!

RD, Jason Green and I 

So excited to see Nadia! This girl worked her butt off and was getting ready to run her first 100!! Whoo Hoo!

Stacy, Rob and I showing off our bibs! The pacer bibs were AWESOME!!

Your bib came in an actual record sleeve! One side had a take off on the Smith's "Meat Is Murder" album cover and the other side was a take off on the Sex Pistols "Nevermind The Bollocks" cover. While we all got the same cover, the records inside were different. I got "Eddie Fisher's Greatest Hits". There were also a couple of hidden gold records. Runners getting those would receive a free entry to any Yeti Trail Runners races!

We also got a cool t-shirt and trucker hat!

Best sticker EVER!! LOL!!

Aaron, Stacy and I having fun!

Awesome to see my Memphis friend, Kaci!

We went to the balcony for a better view and a seat as we waited for our fearless leader to address us.

When Jason took the stage, his advise was short and sweet. It is impossible to get lost and have a great time were the takeaways. The thanked us all for coming to his hometown and that was it. If you wanted in depth instructions, you had better be sure you read what he sent out weeks before.

Jason Green addressing the crowd.

After the meeting, we headed back to the Airstream and got my gear out and ready.

My bib and the cool pacer bib!

Jason hand wrote a note on the back of every bib. Very cool!

Flat Angie ready to Rock n' Roll!

We were given Yeti pillow cases to have Yeti dreams on!

Stacy made all these signs for me!! I didn't see them until the race. Seeing them all together in this picture still makes me cry. I love you Stacy! ❤

The race started at Whitetop about a 45 minute drive from where we were staying. We had a car, so I didn't want the extra expense of taking the shuttle, so Aaron came to our camper at 5:30 AM and we were off.

I thought it would be much colder up at the start, but it was not bad. When we got there, I sat in the car and thought about what I had been through to get here and how extremely important it was for me to finish and I got a little emotional. I closed my eyes and tried to get one more power nap in before hitting the bathroom one more time. Before we knew it Jason gave us another short and sweet pep talk and we were off!

Stacy, Rob and I just before the start.

Stacy gave me this cool sticker to wear!

It's time!

Jason giving one more pep talk!

Getting ready to go!

The course is an out and back and out again (a little over 33 miles each way). Starting in Whitetop, VA (the second-largest mountain in the State of Virginia), we descended close to 3,000 feet to the small town of Abington, VA, where we would turn around and head back up that same 3,000 feet.

The secret with all courses with substantial downhill sections, is not to go out too fast. 33 miles is a long way and those that shred their legs going down generally don't have legs left to go back up. Those who do make it back up, are way too shot for the last 33 miles. Living in Utah, I am used to downhill running and pretty much know how to run it smart, so I took my sweet time going down that first pass.

Such a beautiful place to run!

Green Cove was about 3.4 miles in and the first place to find a bathroom that wasn't a tree. LOL.

The Virginia Creeper trail is BEAUTIFUL!! The trail was well maintained and easy to run on, but running any trail in the Fall has it's risks. As the leaves fall, they cover not only the trail, but all the rocks and roots on it. About 8 miles in, I was talking with a group of ladies as we ran, when I saw some jagged black rocks popping out from between the leaves and just as I tried to warn them, SPLAT! I tripped on one of those suckers and went down hard on my left knee. I picked the dirt and rocks out of my hand, but my knee was bleeding and it hurt like hell! 

The ladies running with me picked me up and I walked a little. My bell was rung, but I was NOT going out this early! I just needed to get to the first aid station at Taylor Valley (around mile 11) where Stacy and Rob could help me. Stacy had the best crew kit EVER, so I knew she would be able to get me fixed up quick.    

Trail porn! LOL!

So cool and scary! I thought Boo Radley might walk out of there!

Rob and Stacy keeping themselves entertained while waiting for me.

Flashers on the trail!

There were 141 trestle crossings in this race. I loved every one of them!

If you follow this sign, you won't get lost!

Almost to Taylor Valley! (Photo Credit: Glenn Tachiyama)

When I got to the Taylor Valley aid station, Stacy and Rob were ready for me! I grabbed a unicorn cookie from the aid station and stat down so Stacy could clean out and bandage my knee. Like a NASCAR pit crew, I was bandaged and out of there! Next aid station was in Damascus at around mile 18.

What else would you eat at the Yeti 100?

More bridges!

Rob and Stacy took a trip to Tennessee!

What!??

Coming into Damascus!

I'm here!

My Ninja Turtle crew KICKS ASS!

Let's talk about the Damascus aid station. If the plan was to get runners in and out of there fast, they are doing it all wrong. I could have stayed there ALL NIGHT! Jarian Rich was there PUMPING THE JAMS with his purple tutu and beard full of glitter and there were dancing unicorns every where! It was AWESOME!!

I had rented one of the Show Sherpa tents there, which gave my crew parking right there and a place to rest right at the aid station. This would prove to be invaluable in the later miles.

I didn't want to leave this aid station!!

Jarian is AWESOME!!

Dancing Unicorns!!

Angie out!

The next aid station was in Alvrado at around mile 25. This part of the course was a little harder because the course pretty much flattens out and the lovely shade we had in the first 18 miles was gone. The course was still beautiful, but it started getting warm here.

Not a lot of shade here.

I made it to the infamous Fireball vending Pepsi machine, but there was none there! 😢

Cows!

More bridges!

I made it to the Alvarado aid station still on pace. I was feeling great and the Alvarado aid station  was fun and like all the aid stations, the volunteers were AMAZING!

I felt magical at Alvarado!

I did not spend much time there. The final aid station was in Abingdon at 33.5 mile (about 9 miles away) and I just wanted to start my 2nd leg of this race!

Trail selfie!

Really cool bridge!

Right before we hit the Abingdon aid station, Jason Green was out there cheering on every runner as they came through. I joked with him about putting that special rock out just for me to trip on. LOL

Stacy found a real unicorn! 😀

Coming into Abingdon!

My crew is ready!

I left Abingdon and was now on leg 2 back up to Whitetop! This is where I would know if I ran smart, as now I had to climb 33.5 miles uphill!

I saw Stacy and Rob at Watauga Trestle at around mile 37.5 and asked them if they could find a McDonalds. I NEVER eat McDonalds, but for some reason a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke sounded really good and since my crew is the BEST, when I got back to Alvarado at mile 42, they had it all waiting for me!

Rob and Stacy cheered and played  music at Watauga Trestle!

My crew RULES!!

Cold Coke? Don't mind if I do!

Heading back to Damascus! (Photo Credit: Glenn Tachiyama)

This is just the best sign EVER!

About 3 miles before I hit Damascus again, I started to feel really tired. Like sleepy tired. I wasn't even dark yet, so this was troublesome. Rob was going to pace me from Damascus to Whitetop (about 18 miles), so I knew having company would help, but by the time I made it into Damascus, I felt like the walking dead.

When I got there Stacy had me go lay down on the cot in my Show Sherpa tent, while she grabbed me some food. My drop bag was laid out with my dry clothes and a change of shoes. I closed my eyes for the few minutes she was gone. I pulled my shoes off first thing and, while my feet were throbbing, it felt so good to have those shoes off for a few minutes. 

When she came back, I ate some food while she helped me get dressed and 10 minutes after I rolled in there, Rob and I headed out, only now I felt like a new person. I was ready to take on the night!

Stacy and Rob just before Rob and I headed out!

Now that Jarian put lights in his beard, I really wanted to stay!

Now I have to sing the praises of my BFF Rob. This guy has been my rock through thick and thin! He is new to running and the longest he has ever run was 13.1 miles. When he said he would help me at the Yeti 100 I wasn't sure how far he would be able to pace me, but I really wanted him to be there. If it were not for him I would not be here at all. Man, did he rise to the occasion! Not only did he run that 18 miles uphill with me, he made sure I stayed on pace. He was not playing around and took his role very seriously. When I asked him to hold a ziplock bag of Good N Plenty for a few seconds while I got something out of my pack, he was afraid to do it as he didn't want me to get in trouble (no sherpas)! LOL!

The last few miles up to Whitetop, I was walking a lot, but Rob told me that he didn't care how tired I was, I had to run over every bridge. That was a doable deal. I started getting sleepy and cold. It was 11 miles from Taylor Valley to Whitetop and I just wanted some warm soup and a chair for 3 minutes! I was literally dreaming about it. You can imagine the mental hit I took, when we got there and was told they had run out of hot food. I started to cry, but Rob gave me a big warm hug and told me it would be OK.

Stacy was up to pace me on my entire last 33.5 miles to the finish! I was still on pace, but the sleepiness was slowing me down. When we made it back to Taylor Valley (at mile 77.5), we got some ramen noodles (mana from heaven) and I saw that they were brewing some coffee! I needed something to help me wake up, so we waited an extra couple of minutes for it to finish brewing. At first sip, it was warm and wonderful, but it was really strong and a few minutes after drinking it, I had a really bad stomach ache. This was not good. When you get a stomach ache, you don't want to eat. If you want to continue, you have to eat! 

Stacy did her best to keep me awake and eating, but I had to stop 3 times to lay down and close my eyes (two times on benches and once in the middle of a bridge), as I was falling asleep while running! She was good though, she only allowed me 3 minutes and that was it, but that 3 minutes would get me through another few miles!

I looked forward to the Damascus aid station because Stacy told me that I had plenty of time and if I kept moving I could lay down on my cot for 15 minutes! 15 minutes is like 8 hours in ultra time! I looked so forward to getting my warm coat, dry socks and a dry bra and shirt on, but we got there early and Rob was taking a well deserved nap in the Airstream. When I asked for my drop bag that was left for such an occasion, I found out that it accidentally ended up in the car on my last pass through Damascus. I lost my shit. I had a full on meltdown of heaving sobs combined with thinking my ankle was swollen (it was sore but not swollen) and my socks were wet (DryMax socks are awesome, so they were totally dry). 

Stacy told me to lay down as Rob was on his way. I laid down for 10 minutes and shut my eyes. After 10 minutes, Stacy told me to suck it up and we went into the cabin (aid station) for something warm to drink before heading out. The aid station workers were soooooo great! They listened to me bawl and reassured  me that I had plenty of time to finish and not to worry. Thank you everyone for being so patient with me during my meltdown! 

We were losing time, so Stacy pushed me back out onto the trail. I was still crying when we saw Rob. He felt sooooo bad. We quickly went back into the tent and I was able to quickly get my warm, dry clothes on. I felt so much better. Rob again gave me a big hug and apologized for the millionth time and Stacy and I were off again.

As the sun came up, I got a second wind. While still really sleepy, I was able to run in longer stretches. I learned during my 1st 100, if you can make it through the night, you can finish!  

The sun is always a welcome sight!

Tired and cold, but still going!

This little kitty  was spotted in locations all over the trail! She needs her own buckle!

When Stacy and I got to the Alvarado aid station for the last time (just under mile 92), we stripped off our coats and warm stuff and made our way to the finish at Abingdon!

Getting the rocks out of our shoes at mile 94!

While it is so great to be in those final miles, it's hard to remember how slow you are moving. When Stacy said "Angie, we have 3 miles left!" In my head I am thinking we will be done in 25-30 minutes, but no. Stacy would inform me that we would be done within the hour! An hour to go 3 miles? No freaking way!!! It didn't take that long, but it was close!

As I got close, I thought about how this race saved me. How the thought of getting that buckle in my darkest hour gave me hope and here I was, just minutes from holding it in my hands. I got very emotional. Stacy ran ahead to make sure she got a picture of my finish. Then I heard the cheering and a moment later there was Jason waiting for me at the finish with a big hug! 

Jason welcoming me and my emotions to the finish with a big hug!

Jason giving me that very special buckle!

I was overcome with emotion, but so happy!

Jason and I showing off that buckle!

I could not have asked for a better crew. I am forever grateful for their love and friendship.They earned this buckle as much as I did. 

Finally holding this buckle was surreal and WONDERFUL!!

I wanted to hang out at the finish to see the last runners come in, but I was so tired I just wanted a shower and a nap. We headed back to the Airstream, I got a shower and Aaron (who ran under 20 hours and was 7th overall) brought me over his compression boots to use. Man, they felt good! After 30 minutes in them, I was ready to sleep.

30 minutes in these things and I was ready for a nap!

After a couple hours of sleep, we got up and headed over to the after party at the Damascus aid station. It was a little cold, so we left and decided to get some food before going back, but my stomach was still not feeling good, so I couldn't eat my dinner and we went back to the Airstream to sleep as we had to start our drive back to Charlotte at 2:00AM.

Yeti Angie at the after party!

At 2:00AM we were on the road and on our way to the airport. We dropped off the rental car and I could barley walk, so we found a wheelchair and the nice folks at the airport wheeled me around like a senior citizen. It was AWESOME! I got a GREAT seat on the plane too!

They see me rollin', they Hatin'.

I cannot say enough great things about this race. If there is one thing the Yeti Trail Runners know how to do, it is make a race fun. Through all my depression, I am so glad I was here to experience this! What a rush! It really proved to me that no matter how bad things seem and no matter how dark life gets, things do get better and if you stick it out and run all the bridges, you will not only find forgiveness, you too can get your own shiny buckle, whatever that may be. 

HUGE THANK YOU to Jason Green and my FABULOUS crew Stacy and Rob. Without you, I may have finished, but it would not have been as much fun. I love you guys so much! 

Runner amnesia has already set in, because I can't wait to run again next year, if I can get in!!

Things do get better. Ask for help. 

National Suicide Hotline: (800) 273-8255