Jim and I have enjoyed challenging ourselves running either faster at
shorter distances, or longer at very long distances that people
say they don't even like to drive! We were astounded the first time we
reached our own personal records for speed or distance, and then it
became more routine for us -- but still enjoyable for us and an
increasing challenge as we got older.
Many people are astounded that Jim and I have run or walked 100 miles
in a footrace, yet the explosion in ultra-distance running and walking
in the 21st Century proves that many people can do this if they
put their minds to it and train adequately.
Race humor at The Endless Mile
Even though Jim and I can't run any more, Jim is still capable at age
72 of walking a hundred miles in a 48- or 72-hour event. He loves the
challenge and is willing to put in the work to achieve his goals. I'm
no longer interested in doing long distances, and just try to stay fit.
Last year the Covid pandemic put the kabosh on many road and trail
races but Jim was still able to participate in several with
modifications. This year's race schedule was more full around the
country, as restrictions were eased a bit.
Participants' tents near the creek on the ARFTA course
Jim trains year-round in our relatively mild climate in Peachtree
City, Georgia, so he's pretty much ready for any ultra-distance races he
decides to walk. He prefers dry, mild weather for his races, although that
doesn't always work out so well. It's hard to find everything he'd like
in one race.
For 2021, he chose three fixed-time running/walking events. In May he
participated in Three Days at the Fair in New Jersey for the first time,
then in the fall he repeated walks at ARFTA (A Race for the Ages) in
Tennessee and The Endless Mile in Alabama for the fourth time each.
THREE DAYS AT THE FAIR
Jim waffled about driving up to New Jersey for this race until it was
time to go -- or stay home -- because of the strong possibility of cold
weather and rain. Rain is not fun for three days during a long event,
sleeping under a canopy or in his truck, even when it's warm.
He decided it was a go, and on Saturday, May 8 he headed north for
the two-day drive to the race site at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in
Augusta, New Jersey.
A variety of races from six hours to six days long were held on a
one-mile certified paved and gravel loop. Jim signed up for the 72-hour
event, with a goal of reaching 100 miles.
Jim slept the first night in transit in his truck and reached the
race site on Sunday afternoon. He set up his canopy along the course
(orange dot on map above). He was tired from driving and slept poorly
both nights. He was cold and neither the truck nor lounge chair under
the canopy provided good sleeping surfaces. That affected his
body, his mood, and his race.
He began his event on Monday morning at 9am. Someone got this shot at
the start and posted it on Facebook. Jim is in the blue rain jacket at
lower right:
Because of the rain Jim took only a few photos along the course. Here
are two:
By 26 miles into the race Jim had blisters and a sore back. He
withdrew from the race, got some sleep, and drove bacl mostly through the
night to avoid traffic and construction.
Although he didn't earn a 100-mile buckle, he still received this
nice entrant's sun shirt:
He arrived home after lunch on Tuesday, discouraged but not defeated.
He knew why he didn't do well. In addition to the long
drive, lack of sleep, and rain, his longest training walk
had been only 22 miles, which contributed to
the blisters. He resolved to do better before ARFTA.
A RACE FOR THE AGES (ARFTA)
This is one of Gary Cantrell's unique signature races and it's
designed for Olde Pharts like us, aging runners who have gotten so slow
that it's hard or impossible to make the time cut-offs in a 100-mile or
other fixed-distance ultramarathon. Some of the older geezers are still
able to run, some not. It's an ideal event for former runners who do all
or mostly walking now, to still be able to reach 100 miles.
How do they do that? Relentless forward motion over two or three days
or more, with enough downtime
to eat, rest, and get a little sleep if they want.
Jim taking a rest break at his
canopy; he's right off the course and in the shade.
The "ages" part of the race = how old you are. Participants
get as many hours in the race as their age in years. The event ends at a
certain time (usually 9AM on Labor Day Monday). Each entrant begins at a
different time and day, based on their age.
Jim was 73 a month before the race this year, so he got 73 hours to
compete. He started 73 hours before the finish time. Runners/walkers
older than that began before him.
Jim's friend Doyle Carpenter,
age 82, was one of several 80+ year old participants.
Jim was 70 when he first ran ARFTA in 2018. He got 106 miles in 70
hours that year. He reached the same distance the next year with 71
hours to walk, and 113 miles last year at age 72.
His goal this time was at least 100 miles in 73 hours. Each year
gives participants another hour to run or walk, but it gets increasingly
more difficult as they get older. Still, it's amazing how many miles the
over-80 participants can rack up!
Three tough geezers in their 70s, I
think (Jim in middle)
This event is usually held Labor Day weekend in Fred Deadman Park in
Manchester, TN but it was a week later this year to avoid a conflict
with a large music event in the small town. The oldest participant,
Donald Jans, age 89, began on Wednesday, September 8. Jim began the next day at 11am.
This is a map of the slightly rolling course through the park:
All of the course is paved. I added the blue dot at the bottom to
show where Jim sets up his canopy each year in the shade, close to Doyle:
It's a 3+ hour drive from our house to the race site. Jim got there
the afternoon before his race began so he could get the tent spot he
wanted in the shade, right next to the course and parking. He got a
Subway sandwich for two meals, since he couldn't get official race food
until after his start time the next morning.
Participants could set up their tents/canopies well before their
start times but had to wait until an hour before their official time to
check in and get their timing chip and other race swag:
Here's a picture taken by a friend of Jim right before he started
above the timing area:
Jim holding an umbrella, one type
of "sunscreen"
that's useful
if you're just walking
Participants were livestreamed on the internet as they walked or ran
slightly downhill from the timing mat to the timing canopy. It was a lot
of fun to watch for Jim when he came by.
Jim carried his cell phone as he walked, and we talked or texted each
other
several times every day. He gave me a heads-up when he'd be approaching
the camera so I could be watching. There was a lag of about two minutes
when he'd say he was coming around the corner until I could see him go
around the corner behind the "finish" sign.
This live stream shot I took from my computer was at 23 miles. Jim is
holding his hands in a heart sign. When he reached his tent he took
his first long break but kept going off and on throughout the first night.
After it gets dark is a good time to rack up more miles
when it's cooler and more quiet, but the body clock naturally says
SLEEP! Caffeine helps the runners stay awake.
I wasn't able to access the live stream again until Jim
reached 59 miles. He accumulated 50 miles in 24 hours, which was ahead
of his goal of 40 miles. He rested for several hours in the heat of the
afternoon on Friday -- it was mid-80s F. and sunny -- and
reached 62 miles a little after it got dark.
Live stream shot of Jim at 61
miles; look at that big smile for me!
Since he was ahead of schedule, he slept a little more that night.
After 46 hours (Saturday morning), he had 82 miles and plenty more time
to go. He rested for several hours while it the pavement was hot in the
afternoon, then got back out after eating some supper and reached 91
miles before 8PM his time (Central Time Zone).
Here's a live stream shot I took of him at 88 miles:
Still smiling at 88 miles!
Jim reached his minimum goal of 100 miles at 11PM Central, the slept
most of the rest of the night. He got back out on the course early in
the morning and did another ten miles, stopping at 110 miles.
Almost done at 110 miles on
Sunday morning
Sometime during that last ten miles he packed up all his equipment
and supplies so he could leave soon after turning in his timing chip and
collecting his finisher's buckle. He added that to his ARFTA buckle
collection at home:
As you can see from his picture at the end of the race, he was happy
with exceeding his minimum goal and not dealing with blisters or the
dreaded "lean" that occurred in only 26 miles at Three Days at the Fair in May. He trained
longer and harder -- and got better rest -- so he could
succeed this time, and he recovered relatively quickly afterwards.
Here's the part of the ARFTA results page that shows how Jim
placed -- 31st out of 80 participants, with 110 total miles. That's just
walking, no running.
Four men in the 80+ category got 100 miles or more. Donald Jans, the
oldest at 89, reached 115 miles. I'm sure he'll be back again next year
at age 90! Jim's buddy Doyle Carpenter, 82, reached 144 miles.
You can see all the 2021 ARFTA results at
this link.
THE ENDLESS MILE
Since he was well-trained in mid-September, Jim decided to walk the
Endless Mile 48-hour event for the fourth time in a row, too, planning
again to reach 100 miles but in less time. He had about five weeks to
rest a bit, then continue to train for it. He's hoping someday they'll
add a 72-hour option because that allows him more time to rest when his
goal is 100 miles.
I like the one-mile Endless loop much better than the convoluted
"loop" at ARFTA. Both courses are on asphalt, but Veteran's Park in
Alabaster, AL is so much more scenic than the park where ARFTA is held.
However, Jim never knows as many of the participants at Endless Mile and
since it's held in late October, the weather can be quite chilly at night.
I took this picture of one of the
pretty ponds in 2018.
View across another pond to one
of the best dogs parks we've ever seen in all of our RV travels
Around and around they go; the public also has
access to the multi-use path during the race.
Jim drove to the race in central Alabama on Thursday, October 21.
It's about the same distance as ARFTA from our house, 3+ hours. He got
there mid-afternoon and had plenty of time to set up his canopy between
his truck and the course:
He camped next to his ARFTA friend, Doyle Carpenter, again. Both of
them slept in their trucks overnight because it was raining and only in
the 50s F.
Endless Mile has race options of 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours, with the
direction changing every six hours to make things more interesting.
Unfortunately, this race has no live online timing system or live stream
videos, so I had to rely on Jim to let me know how he was doing.
The 48-hour event started on Friday morning. We talked/texted several
times during the day. After ten hours, he had 27 miles and was a
little ahead of schedule. He took only short breaks during that time.
The weather was good the first day and he was still having fun the last
we talked that evening.
The view from Jim's chair during
a rest break
I talked with Jim on
the phone mid-morning and mid-evening on Saturday. On our last
conversation he was up to 75 miles with more than 13 hours to go and
figuring out how many hours he could rest during the night and still get
100 miles. At that point he was feeling very tired and was having
problems with blisters.
He decided to stop at 77 miles and get some sleep. When
he woke up he wasn't motivated enough to keep going, so he slept some
more, packed up after daylight, and came back home.
I don't know if it would have made any difference if I
was there or not. Since we don't have a camper any more, I've been
staying home with the dogs when Jim goes to races. He probably just had
accumulated fatigue from ARFTA five weeks earlier, and he wasn't as
excited about doing this event as ARFTA.
Jim doesn't know if he will do another 48-hour event
again, but he's still interested in three- and six-day events where he
can get more rest.
Next entry: photos from fall and winter hikes at Sweetwater
Creek State Park
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Casey-Girl, Holly-Holly, & Dapper Don
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© 2021 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil