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BIG SURPRISE IN THE MORNING

We woke up about 6:30 on Sunday morning, shivering again. The furnace went out sometime during the night when the batteries ran down and the propane tank we were using ran dry. Jim quickly went out to switch to the other propane tank and to start the generator. He came back inside and crawled right back into bed without a word.

I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep so I got up and turned on my computer. It's never a good idea for us to have that generator on when we're both asleep -- too big a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning since it's right below the bedroom and has never been properly vented; we have to keep the basement door open and it might accidentally close itself. 

Anyway, Cody was hungry and had cabin fever. He kept bugging me to let him out so around 7AM I bundled up to take him outside. I opened the door and couldn't believe my eyes:  the Crossroads aid station and everything in and around it was gone and Jim hadn't even mentioned it!!! 

In fact, he didn't even NOTICE it!

Vanished in the middle of the night . . .

Both facts amazed (and amused) me to no end -- first, that Jim was so sleepy he didn't realize all that stuff was gone and second, the fact that all that stuff was gone.

Incredible. We slept so soundly that neither of us heard ANYTHING during the night -- not the runners coming into and going out of the aid station for several more hours, not the tents coming down, not all of the equipment and supplies being packed up, not all of the vehicles leaving, NOTHING. Nada. There was a lot of stuff out there!

Remember, we were only about 75 feet away and our bedroom is on the front of the camper, the side closest to all that aid station activity. We wore the same earplugs we wear when we boondock at WalMart or Sam's Club in transit from here to there -- but we always hear some traffic noise and the inevitable parking lot sweeper.

How is it that we slept through what looked like a small town being dismantled and carted away in the middle of the night??? Talk about dead to the world . . .

Alone again

The bad news is that we were so out of it that someone could have stolen the camper from around us and we'd have slept through it!

The good news was that we didn't have to spend hours helping to dismantle the aid station -- this time we actually got to enjoy brunch and awards with the 100K runners at the Silver Sage Corral, a nice senior center in Bandera. We missed the pre-race dinner on Friday because we were busy helping set up our aid station. (Volunteers at Joe's races are invited to eat at these meals for free; I think runners have to pay extra for them.)

I'll be teasing Jim about his "sleepwalking" for a while to come! When he got up he didn't even believe me that everything was gone until he went outside the second time. He thought I was kidding. He came back in with a sheepish grin, just as surprised as I was.

Too funny!

IMPRESSIVE RESULTS

Despite (or maybe because of) the cold weather, there were high finish rates and some course record-setting times at Bandera this year. Click this link for full results.

The top two men in the 100K (Nick Clark and Chikara Omine) beat the previous course record, as did the top four women (Jill Perry, Aliza Lapierre, Pam Smith, and Annette Bednosky). The first man in the 50K (Josh Beckham) also broke the old course record.

Nick Clark with his 1st place 100K award

I don't know if more fast runners competed this year or if the excellent course conditions and cooler weather contributed to faster times -- maybe all three. It certainly helped that the course was dry. We've heard how sticky and slick the trail can get after it rains in the Hill Country State Natural Area. Cooler temperatures probably also prevented dehydration and other heat-related problems that could have plagued un-acclimated runners coming from farther north in the middle of the winter.

The generous time limit -- 24 hours for all three races -- certainly contributed to the high finish rates: 99% in the 25K, 96% in the 50K, and 75% in the 100K. Joe does everything an RD can reasonably do to help as many runners as possible to finish his races, and generous time limits are one important way he accomplishes that goal.

At Bandera he also allows what he calls "claim jumping." Runners entered in the 100K that choose to quit for any reason after the first 50K loop can get credit for a 50K finish but are listed separately after the runners who registered for and finished that race. They are not eligible for a 50K award. This year there were 35 claim jumpers. If those folks were considered DNFs the 100K finish rate would be lower than 75%. Note that Joe does not allow claim jumping at the Rocky Raccoon 50- and 100-mile race.

COOL AWARDS

I think Joe and Joyce come up with some of the best overall and age-group awards in ultra-dom -- Texas-crafted metal sculptures, many with a sense of humor.

I took this picture of some of the 100K awards as Joe worked on results before the awards ceremony began:

Some of the runners who had to leave early to catch planes had already picked theirs up so they aren't shown here. I didn't see any of the 50K or 25K awards; those ceremonies were held yesterday at the start/finish area at the natural area's lodge while we were busy working the Crossroads AS.

Metal bird sculptures on long stilts for the overall male and female winners

I also like the fact that Joe has matching awards for males and females, doesn't allow "double dipping," and recognizes older runners in the 60-69 and 70-and-over age groups. He goes only one deep in all of the age groups, from 17-and-under to 70+  but the awards are very nice. There are five overall male and female awards (any age) and three masters awards (50+, not 40+) in the Bandera races.

Unique elephant and grasshopper (?) sculptures

Runners who have completed at least 500 kilometers on the Bandera course (in any of the races or a combination of the three over the last eight years) received handsome embroidered fleece jackets. We were happy to see that our friend Marcy Beard earned one of those this year. Good job, Marcy!

A smaller salamander sculpture sits next to a handsome finisher's buckle.

All the 100K finishers received very attractive belt buckles as they crossed the finish line. You can see photos of the buckle and many of the other awards at this SmugMug link on the race website.

MORE LESSONS LEARNED

Every time we run or work a race, we learn some valuable lessons that we try to remember before running or volunteering there again. 

What we've decided about Bandera is that we had a good time overall and we'll most likely go back to run (Jim) and volunteer. The next time we'll set more limits on our availability, however, and be more assertive about getting the pre-race meal and a volunteer shirt, which are promised to all volunteers on the website.

We enjoyed the volunteers with whom we worked; Dinty and crew all worked long and hard to serve the runners well. The majority of the runners were gracious and we wanted to assist them even more than we were able to do because of a lack of (wo)manpower.

From what we observed at Crossroads in our first time at this race (a very limited view, we know), we don't believe that Joe and his core crew were adequately prepared for the large number of runners allowed to run the race this year -- at least at that aid station.

We were definitely under-staffed to handle the nearly 3,000 runner appearances through our aid station:

• We had to work very hard to get the aid station set up on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and could have used more heads and hands.
• We needed better aid station logistics, better signage to direct runners out of the tents each time they came through, and/or volunteers specifically dedicated to that job. Even on subsequent trips into Crossroads, many runners got confused where they were going next.
• We needed several folks helping with drop bags. The best we could do after getting them separated by race and in numerical order was to point the runners to the correct pile. Runners without crews had trouble finding their bags, especially after getting them out of order. They also had problems with the course roping that was in their way. The piles weren't lit very well after dark, either.
• There were very few volunteers left to work the night shift and those who were left were tired from working earlier in the day. From our perspective we not only needed more volunteers, a specific shift schedule was needed so folks like us didn't feel guilty when we finally called it quits after 12-14+ hours of work. That's entirely too long to expect most volunteers to work, including dedicated ones like us.

A veteran Crossroads volunteer who worked with us mentioned that Dinty, our AS captain, was considerably more stressed out this year than previously. We don't know all the reasons but three possible ones we observed were changes to the AS that he didn't expect, conflicting orders from various folks in the core management group, and a lack of volunteers assigned to handle the increase in runners. Dinty was very pleasant to work with, he put in very long hours, and we hope his efforts are appreciated by race management so he will come back again next year. We would be happy to work with him again.

Chocolate cake: one of the perks of volunteering at Crossroads!
Jim (front L), Linda (background), and Dinty

One more thing of note: it appears that Tejas Trails still relies to some extent on the volunteers to supply equipment and other items that make an aid station both functional and unique. That was a problem for us at Hardrock the two years Jim captained Cunningham AS. There we were in our camper, 2,000 miles from our house, and we simply didn't have extra tables and chairs and knives and pans and skillets and containers and lights and cook stoves and other things that we had to beg, borrow, or buy.

Especially in races like Bandera that are now professionally managed, it doesn't seem right that volunteers are expected to bring their own equipment or put any of their own money into the race.

Jim and I will continue to work races where both race management and runners show us that they value our services but we will be more assertive about what we will and will not do. We have no desire to be aid station captains at any race any more -- let alone direct a race! Bless all the folks who are willing to take on that much responsibility and hard work. We just can't do it any more.

BANDERA: "COWBOY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD"

The Hill Country State Natural Area is located several miles west of the small town of Bandera, which supposedly has "more dude ranches, champion rodeo cowboys, and old-time Texas honky-tonks per capita than most other places on the globe" (per the 2009-2010 Texas Tour & Meeting Guide, p. 44).

Bandera was first settled in 1853, when a lumber mill was built to harvest the large cypress trees along the Medina River. The next year a Mormon colony was established. The area also has one of the oldest Polish communities in the country.

In the 1870s the town was a staging area for large cattle drives through Bandera Pass and along the Western Trail to Montana and Kansas. That's when it earned its nickname, "Cowboy Capital of the World."

Bandera still tries to retain its image as an authentic Western town. It is surrounded by working and guest ranches. Rodeos are held at least twice weekly in the summer. The Frontier Times Museum features Old West relics, Western art and antiques, and Indian artifacts; it sponsors Western entertainers and chuck wagons. Refurbished saloons and restaurants serve up live music along with food and drinks. Stores sell Western boots, hats, belts, and other clothing and gear.

In addition to horseback riding, other popular recreational activities in the area include canoeing, kayaking, and tubing down the Medina River and fishing and water sports at Medina Lake. A second state natural area, Lost Maples, offers excellent wildlife viewing and autumn foliage.

On this trip in the middle of wet, then frigid, Janu-ugly weather, we didn't do any of that! Maybe next time . . .

You can contact the Bandera Convention and Visitors Bureau or do an internet search for details on attractions, historic sites, special events, tours, scenic drives, and other activities in the area.

NOW WHERE?

Today we're on our way to San Antonio, a relatively short drive of about 65 miles.

We considered staying at the natural area again tonight but changed our minds because we'd like the conveniences we'll have at the Fort Sam Houston family campground for the next eight days. We're also about out of propane and gasoline and it's not getting any warmer . . .

Two of the Bandera equestrian sweeps; that looks like a fun volunteer job!

We'd have to be out of the natural area early tomorrow morning anyway because of a four-day public hunt that's scheduled this week.

We decided to look at the Chapas Campground before leaving to determine if we'd ever want to stay there. It's also an equestrian campground but set up more for groups than individual camping. The price for a site in the equestrian campground without hookups where we stayed is $15/night. Sites near the lodge and at Chapas Campground with electricity and water available (but not at each site) are $25/night. Those sites are both in large fields.

We may stay at Chapas next time so we'll have electricity. There is also an aid station near it during the race. If we can camp there, I'll volunteer to work that location. Otherwise, we'll see if we can camp and work at Crossroads again.

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the Ultra Lab

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© 2010 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil