NicoleTwo Team NEO athletes signed up for Badwater Cape Fear, the first event in a series of ultraruns put on by AdventureCORPS. As I hadn’t met one of these athletes in person yet and I want to keep learning about the ultrarunning scene, I bought a plane ticket to North Carolina.
Thursday afternoon Rodney picked me up in Raleigh as he made his way down from Canada, and we continued on to Wilmington for dinner (Mission BBQ) before getting on the ferry in Southport. The ferry would take us to our weekend location of Bald Head Island. Once on the island there was no plan to leave until Monday morning!
We got on the 7pm ferry and Sandra, another runner whom we will be helping this spring and summer, and her sister picked us up in a big golf cart. There are only certain vehicles allowed on the island, so much of the transport is by golf carts of various sizes.
They brought us to the rental house for the weekend, which was, I’ll just say, quite nice! All rooms had their own bathroom, and it was a large, 3-story home with a roof top deck. It looked on par with a lot of the other houses at this vacation destination! We got settled in and relaxed a bit before bed by watching McFarland, USA.
Friday was the day before the race and athlete check-in the afternoon. There wasn’t much to do today so I did a good amount of work and got in a 5 mile run, including a couple miles on the beach, before picking up Jonathan from the ferry.
Mid-afternoon I drove one of the golf carts from the house (there were 4 to choose from) to the ferry port to get him to the athlete check-in. He wasn’t staying on the island so needed some transportation, and I wanted to chat with him in person finally! I sort of knew where I was going from my run earlier. We got him checked in for the race at the Bald Head Island Conservancy and then eventually found our way to the small grocery store so he could get some snacks and some extra food for the morning. We went back to the “mansion” so he could meet Rodney and Sandra (they are both Cape Fear veterans) and boil some eggs for the morning. We just sat around and chatted, and then I gave him a ride back to the ferry so he could get back to his hotel and call it a day. Back at the house dinner was being prepared so the runners could eat and then try to get good rest before the big day.
Ultrarunners, as a whole, are pretty relaxed and chill. And pretty much prepared for what they need. So while I was ready and willing to help wherever needed, I didn’t have to do a whole lot.
Saturday: Race Day
Sandra rides to the start with her family and I drove Rodney to the start at ‘Old Baldy’ Lighthouse. It was a bit of a muggy morning – there was a reasonable chance for rain and the bugs were thick! Jon was already there as he was on the 6am ferry from Southport. I took a pack from him to get to his wife (she got in late so would be on another ferry) and got her cell number. Rodney and Jon knew their plans. They had tested nutrition and pacing on training runs. Their goal was to execute and enjoy the day.
The vibe had energy but was relaxed. These runners knew it was going to be a long day. There was quite a bit of swatting for all the bugs. Lots of group photos taken, I ran into Linda Quirk of Runwell.com. I’d met her about 5 years ago in Colorado Springs and did the Incline with her and her coach, Bob Seebohar. She had a good number of Runwell athletes out there, and she was volunteering at the conservancy checkpoint aid station.
The race director, Chris Kostman, made a few announcements, got the runners lined up, took photos, played the national anthem, and with a countdown from the clock on his phone, the race started on time at 7:45am.
The first 13 miles were all around the roads of the island so I’d have the chance to see everyone a few times. After they cleared the first mile or so, I headed back to the house to grab some coffee. They’d be by the intersection near the house at mile 5, so I went down to cheer when I thought the crew would be by. Sure enough, Sandra came by with her smile, then Jon, who was doing well holding a conservative pace, and then Rodney. Everyone was on track.
I went back to the house for a little bit, and then headed to mile 13, where the runners would be entering the beach. I hung out there to make sure everyone came through, and they did, and were still on pace and looking good. Most runners were happy to finally get to the beach (this is the trademark of this event) but the beach is definitely the most variable surface in terms of running conditions. Tide changes and wind make the terrain varied over the course of the day. Their route was to run about 9 miles on the beach to Ft. Fisher, then turn around and come back to the conservancy (a little bit of beach relief with the paved road) and then either finish the 50k or head back out the same way they came, back to Ft. Fisher and back for the 50 miles (really 51.4).
After making sure all three got out on the beach just fine, I rode a bike (the rental house had about 10 cruiser bikes to use, along with the 4 golf carts!) back to the house, and got a cart to go pick up Jon’s wife. As we drove back to the conservancy, where she would be meeting more of Jon’s family, I gave her his pack and a briefing of what’s going on and that he seemed to be doing well.
Back to the house for a little bit, then back to the conservancy checkpoint on foot (the start of my run) to see Sandra and Jon come in at the 50k point. They both came in, took care of a few things, knew what they wanted (which is always a good sign that they are feeling reasonably well) and headed back out. I had a little bit of time before Rodney’s estimated return, so I went for a run around the island. I finished the afternoon with 8 miles running. It was gorgeous – the marshes, the big old oak trees with spanish moss, and best of all, sea level and pretty darn flat! I ended at the house, grabbed a bike, and pedaled to the checkpoint hoping I didn’t miss Rodney.
Turns out I didn’t, and around 3:15pm he came in and made the call to stop with the 50k. The race director gives these runners flexibility to do this. You sign up for either distance at the same price, and can make a “real time” race day call to shorten or lengthen. So if your body isn’t feeling it and it makes sense to stop at 50k but you signed up for 50 miles, you just run under the finish banner and tell them that, and get your 50k medal. It’s excellent when athletes can listen to their bodies and know when to call it. This is not the final event for him this year, so best to stay healthy to keep training than risk an injury and be forced to take quite a bit of time off.
He was otherwise feeling good, felt his plan had gone well, so it was a good day out there for him. I pedaled back to the house and got a golf cart, then took him back to the house so he could get cleaned up (I was ready for a shower, too!) and then we drove back to the conservancy to wait for Sandra and Jon to finish. Sandra came in at 10:01 and Jonathan at 10:55.
As the runners made their way in, the smiles and relief was evident. For some, this was just another 50(k or mi) for some, a huge first-time accomplishment. One of the things I love about coaching is to see the emotion of each athlete as they approach and come across the finish line. They realize they just did something massive. They set their mind to something and got it done. Even if it didn’t go quite as expected, they dealt with the challenges that were presented, and made it.
They also made new friends along the way, and I love overhearing all the conversation – “yeah, I ran with him for a bit and we talked about this, then I ran with them for a bit and chatted about that…” Another reason why I love endurance sports: everyone shares the adventure, all while facing their own individual challenges.
I’ll be back at the other Badwater races, crewing for Rodney and Sandra in May as they run Salton Sea as team Starch Mouth (long story of the name, but it comes from me…) and then we’ll be crewing Sandra as she tackles the epic Badwater 135 in July.
Nicole
