San Diego 100 - Pacer report

I wasn't sure whether or not to do a post about the San Diego 100. One, because it was Jan's race, not mine. But mostly, because Jan has already written an AWESOME race report. Check it out:

Jan's San Diego 100 Race Report

But after telling the story of the race multiple times, I finally decided I should write it down.

PREPARING

Jan had a chance to run the San Diego 100, an ultramarathon in the mountains east of San Diego. I was able to use my frequent flyer miles to get to San Diego and afterwards to SFO to visit my family - so I went along to pace Jan for the last 50 miles of the race.

I am always amazed how long it takes to get ready for an ultra. I don't mean the obvious - training. But also studying the course maps, deciding what to bring, and figuring out what to put in the drop bags for each aid station (food, electrolytes, clothes, lights, batteries, etc.).

Jan studied the detailed course breakdown on the SD 100 website, including distance and elevation gain/loss between aid stations and cutoff times. She came up with estimated arrival times for each aid station, which was our main plan. Her schedule also allowed us to figure out which aid stations to leave drop bags at and what to put in each of them.

I found that the SD 100 website includes Garmin routes for the course. Perfect! The course has multiple loop sections and "following" the course and elevation chart on the Garmin Connect Player was much more clear than trying to understand all the multi-colored arrows on the topographical maps.

San Diego 100 course (Garmin data from SD 100 website)
http://connect.garmin.com/player/34598704
1. In the map image on the Garmin site, select the "Terrain" box
2. Press the "Play" button

CREWING

The race start is at 5700 feet. Jan and I needed some warm clothes and borrowed the coolest vests from her brother. At 5700' at 6am, it was COLD!

Jan, Ryan, Julie (photo by Ryan Gillia)

After seeing Jan, Ryan, and Ryan's friend, Rachel, off at the start, I was able to catch a ride with Alan, Rachel's boyfriend. Alan and I would drive to each aid station, park the car, lug all the stuff to the aid station, wait for the runners to get there, then refill their hydration packs, get them sunscreen, food, different clothes, etc.

I also tried to rest and stay off my feet, so that I'd still have energy by the time I was supposed to start pacing, somewhere around 8-9pm. Thanks to Alan, I managed to catch a couple of naps in the morning, which was a huge help.

Jan at mile 23

After Jan, Ryan, and Rachel got through the mile 23 aid station (Penny Pines) around 1pm, the next aid station that was accessible to crews was mile 44 (Pioneer Mail). Rob, another of Ryan's and Rachel's friends, showed up, so Alan, Rob, and I spent the afternoon hanging out at Pioneer Mail.

Rob and Alan at Pioneer Mail

The stage with the biggest climb was just before mile 44. Many of the runners came into the Pioneer Mail aid station shaking their heads, cursing.

Elevation map from SD 100 website

Ryan and Rachel got to Pioneer Mail around 6:15pm. Jan had been expecting to get there at 5:45pm, but wasn't there yet. Alan had to leave to meet Ryan and Rachel at the next aid station, so Rob and I stayed and waited for Jan. As it started getting later and darker, I was getting more worried. I kept checking with the aid station staff to see if they knew what time Jan left the previous aid station, but all they could tell me was that she hadn't dropped yet.

I was so glad when Jan finally arrived at Pioneer Mail (mile 44). Even though she had just finished a super-tough section and was behind schedule, she was still smiling. Amazing! She even had a plan already figured out. Pacers aren't allowed to start until mile 51. But since it was already 8:15pm and there was no way she'd make the 9pm cutoff at mile 51, Jan asked me to run with her to the next aid station. She'd break 50 miles and I'd get a chance to run! I was already excited to see that Jan still had a positive attitude! And now I was really excited to get out on the trails!

I threw all my stuff at Rob to take to the next aid station and grabbed my flashlights. Rob also generously lent his fleece jacket to Jan, since the darkness was causing it to get cold.


PACING

Jan and I took off on the trail. It was just after sunset and the views across the mountain desert were amazing.

About 30 minutes in, we came across another runner, "T". She was panicky - she complained about double-vision and not seeing enough course markers to know if she was on the right trail. We calmed her down somewhat and T asked whether she could continue with us. Jan and I definitely agreed that she shouldn't be out on the course alone and the three of us continued towards the mile 51 aid station (Sunrise) together.

As we continued, it became more evident that T was really struggling. She still complained about her vision and was literally leaning on me for every step. And she was still a little panicky. Jan and I tried to keep her talking. I gave her Gatorade/water and Clif bar (2 of her 3 water bottles had been empty). Her hands were very cold, she was shivering, and her speech was slurred. At this point, I gave her my vest and tried to call the aid station staff. I wanted to get advice to see if there was anything else I should be doing for T, but I also didn't want to scare her more.

I called Alan, who was already three aid stations ahead, and asked him to relay a message to the Sunrise aid station and have someone call me. Unfortunately, cell reception was spotty and they weren't able to reach me.

Jan, T, and I finally made it to Sunrise (mile 51) about midnight - 4 hours after we left Pioneer Mail (mile 44). We got T to the aid station staff, who put blankets around her, got her warm soup, and put her next to a heat lamp. Luckily, there was a volunteer EMT there and he did a GREAT job of calming T down.

We also had to get Jan warmed up. Because the pace was so slow helping T, it caused Jan to get really cold. We got Jan a blanket, soup, and put her next to the campfire.

Thankfully, Rob had waited for us at Sunrise. He still had all of my stuff in his car and he drove us back to our car at the race start. In addition to loaning Jan his jacket, this was the second time he saved us.


SUMMARY

So, at the end of the (very long) day, I got more practice getting organized for an ultra, I had a fun day hanging out with Alan and Rob amidst some amazing scenery, and I got to spend a few hours on the trail at night.

I was also impressed with Jan's determination:
- She accomplished her first goal: getting to the starting line on-time
- She didn't let a setback of a tough stage get her down
- She kept giving positive motivation to a fellow ultrarunner, despite being cold and tired herself
- And she completed 50 miles

In retrospect, Jan and I should have done a more thorough initial assessment of T and then taken her to the nearest aid station (which was back to Pioneer Mail), rather than agreeing to let her come with us to Sunrise. I thought T was just scared and would be better once she calmed down. I truly didn't expect that someone in so much trouble would be out on the trail.