Freight Train 100k

We set out on our journey early. Drive to Nashville TN, fly to Richmond VA, drive to Farmville VA. It was a long day, but with a 2+ hour layover in Atlanta we had plenty of time to fuel up with mashed potatoes, sandwiches and pizza. On to Richmond, arriving in just enough time to grab the rental car and make the 1.5 hour drive to Farmville to pick up our race packet. We get our first glimpse of the trail which looked perfect. AND at this moment I realize I forgot my gaiters to keep the rocks out of my shoes. Not a huge concern but would be a factor in the race the next day.

On to our hotel to unpack, a quick trip to Walmart for last minute supplies and settled on Applebee's for dinner. Another round of mashed potatoes and an unusual choice of a burger for me. Burgers are typically reserved for post-race but why not! We finally settle in for the night, make phone calls to our families and triple check our alarm clocks.

I slept well until about 3 a.m. and then the clock checking started. I got up prior to my 6 a.m. alarm and made my way to the lobby for some coffee. All the typical race morning rituals ensued. The biggest concern was clothing choice and temp/weather. It was cool, but temps were expected to be in the 40s. I settle on fleece shirt/pants with an additional long sleeve shirt. Neck gaiter, gloves, headband and ear warmer as accessories. I had more warm clothes packed in my drop bag at mile 40, which would be about the time it got dark. I felt like I was covered for the temp.

As we leave the hotel we are greeted with cool weather and wet surfaces. But the rain had stopped and the forecast looked clear for the remainder of the day. It was a short drive to the farmers market where the race started. We arrive around 7 a.m. and hang out in the car for a bit before we take our bags to the appropriate drop points, load up all of the gear we are carrying and make a last-minute bathroom break. We ask a random lady to take our picture and she asks where we are from, to which we reply KY. She stands there a minute and says, "you aren't from Paducah, KY are you?"! Why yes, we are. What a small world (#1).

When running long distances that seem hard to imagine possible, I try to break it down into small achievable chunks. Aid stations would be the focus. They were 4 - 8 miles apart and that distance was achievable. So, let's break it down by aid station.

Farmville - Start

The start of the race is very low key and relaxed. We make our way up the stairs next to the Farmers Market to the trail. We snap a few more pictures and text our friends. Mary replies that the trail looks very "pleasant", and we have a good laugh remembering our OKC adventure. The race director gives us some final tips and words of wisdom. Stay positive and keep moving. He tells us as we finish later in the evening, he will be able to see our headlamp about 3/4 of a mile out. He notes that anyone with a fear of heights should look forward and keep running when they get to High Bridge, which triggers a flurry of nerves and sparks a conversation about Tunnel Hill. As it turns out the lady next to us had run Tunnel Hill and commented on how well Steve Durbin did organizing the race. I was just so surprised that someone in VA would know about our little hidden gem. What a small world (#2).

The race director counts down and we are off. We run through town and across a main road where an officer has stopped traffic. He was very encouraging and told everyone how strong they looked. We told him to check on us later to see if that was still true. The trail heads out of town quickly and we have a little over 6 miles before the highly anticipated High Bridge.

Stacy and I settle in at a comfortable pace and just enjoy the scenery. Much to my surprise there were several barns along the trail, so I took the opportunity to snap some pictures for my barn collection. We encounter one other lady during this section, but most of the other runners were out ahead of us and quickly out of sight. As we are approaching High Bridge, we can see something in the middle of the trail. At first, I was thinking a photographer, but as we get closer realize it's just two dogs from a nearby house. They were friendly enough as we pass and make our way to the bridge. It did not disappoint. We stop to take a lot of pictures of the views. It was a very high bridge, but it did not trigger my fear of heights due to the high side rails.

As we exit the bridge we learn the name of the other runner, Rosemary. She was familiar with the trail and would point out several other landmarks along the way. She was from South Africa, currently living in North Carolina and told us about her experience running the Comrades Marathon (wow, just wow). There would be several more photo ops, including a short detour off the trail to grab a photo with the canon at Camp Paradise. We were noodling as Kyle would call it, but we were definitely taking it all in.

Rice (8.2)

Arriving at our first aid station, I didn't need anything at this point. I still had plenty of fuel and water. I was, however, getting hot. In fact, I had been hot for a while, but I stopped here and took the opportunity to change a few things. I had already removed my ear warmer, leaving my headband, but I could feel myself sweating which in turn was making me cold. I took my vest off and put it on a nearby bench while I went to the restroom. I removed my outer shirt, leaving the fleece long sleeve on. Put my vest back on and continued down the trail. I think this is the point where I got really quiet. I was battling all those negative thoughts in my head. I didn't feel great, I was still hot, I think I should quit, I feel dizzy, what if I can't make it, why am I so cold. And it went on, and on, and we kept moving.

Orchard Rd (13)

Arriving at Orchard Rd we begIto meet runners heading back towards Farmville. The front runners looked to be moving effortlessly and quickly. We cheer them on as they pass. I'm very happy to learn that the race is providing Tailwind and water at every aid station. This meant I would not have to mix my own Tailwind which was packed away in my drop bags. We quickly refill fluids and get instructions to continue to the end of the trail and return to them to get our bib marked with the golden marker. I'm still hot but decide I will address that on the return when we refill our packs from our drop bag. We continue to the end of the trail, meeting and cheering on the runners as they head back to the start.

Between Orchard Rd. and the end of the trail there were chicken barns. Very stinky chicken barns that remind us of home. As we pass by, we look left to see two hunters lurking. One was knelt down holding his riffle - both just staring towards the trail. It was rather alarming to say the least.

End of trail

Not too far from the turnaround, we see Rosemary again. She is headed back to Farmville, and this would be the last time we would see her for a while. We take a few moments to grab a picture at "end of trail" to document our arrival and make the turn to head back. It was quite the accomplishment in itself. 1 of 4 down if you were counting the out and backs. This would also be the first time to see who was behind us. As it would turn out, 4 men followed. The last man was rather interesting, dressed like Santa with something around his neck. I was intrigued but tried not to stare or make much of it (more on that later).

Orchard Rd (17)

We make our way back to Orchard Rd and as we arrive the two men working the aid station are very helpful. They mark our bibs with the golden marker. They refill our bottles. Very happy and encouraging we joke about how their post is almost over as the last of the runners make their way back to Farmville. One guy says it's beer thirty for him. We go to the nearby truck to retrieve our drop bag. For me, it's another wardrobe change. This time I remove the fleece shirt and put the tech long sleeve back on. My ear warmers still attached to my vest would continue on the journey. The headband I was wearing was soaked in sweat, so it went in the drop bag. The buff I had been wearing around my neck was now being used as a head covering. I was quite the sight but really needed to get settled in the right number of layers to control my body temp and sweating and alleviate the dizzy feeling I was experiencing. I hoped this would be it. (Looking back on my Coros data I can see my heart rate elevated up until this point, most likely caused by clothing).

Rice (22)

Arriving back in Rice, another bathroom break. Let's just talk about the available "pit toilets" along the trail. There were plenty, almost all strategically located near an aid station. And CLEAN! Thank you and kudos to those that maintain these facilities.

We were greeted by an elderly gentleman. Very kind and willing to help if he could. Stacy pointed out a treat she had tried that was delicious, Nutella on a tortilla shell. It sounded safe enough, so I grabbed a few to try. OMG! I'm obsessed and would spend the rest of the day looking for them at aid stations. We expressed our appreciation and made our way down the trail. My temperature issue seemed to resolve, I was feeling better, not as sweaty and cold at this point so things were looking up.

Once again, we find a very quiet trail ahead. I'm not sure about Stacy but I would guess this was somewhat of a low point for both of us. We just keep moving as we make our way back to High Bridge. My shoes had accumulated a lot of tiny rocks that would need to be addressed soon (remember, I forgot my gaiters). We encountered a half marathoner still on the course (and would later find out she got lost and completed 16+ miles). And as we approach the bridge we would see more and more people, not participating in the race, just out enjoying the trail and the bridge views. I set my eyes on a picnic table close to the bridge so I could sit down and clean out my shoes. I tell Stacy to continue down the trail and I would catchup. I take care of business and proceed to cross the bridge for the 2nd time. This time it was much busier. Two dads with their 4 boys running with so much energy. Some of them say hello, some smile, and others offer cheers. I catchup with Stacy who had Facetimed her family so her girls could see the bridge. We meet the lady on the horse walking her dog (yes horses are allowed on the trail so watch your step). It was just so good to see people and our moods were immediately boosted. Only a few more miles back to Farmville and we would be halfway. Energy was high.

Not long after exiting the bridge we meet two more horses, one decked out in purple. And then up ahead we see Santa, on a horse. We would follow the group of 4 horses for several miles until they finally stop long enough for us to catch them. I ask if I can take a picture of Santa and his reindeer horse. What a fun thing to see. We are really close to Farmville now and as we cross the busy street back into town, we snap a photo to document "halfway"!

Farmville - Halfway (30.4)

As we approach the start line, we see several people waving and cheering. One lady begins walking towards us saying come this way. And then she was says "it's not her". They were looking for the lost half marathoner. The race director is snapping pictures so I strike a pose for the camera.

We make our way down the steps to the Farmer's market where there was an aid station and our gear bags. I bend over and squat down to look through my bag and when I stand up I see stars. Nope, cannot do that so I go over to a bench to proceed to get everything I will need for the second half. I ditch my ear warmers and fleece shirt because I had more warm clothes in my drop bag at mile 40. I get all my headlamps and lights. I grab some more fuel to put in my pack, head to the aid station for water refills and grab some food before heading to the bathroom. Our pace was good, and at this point we are on track to finish around 16 hours.

As we are leave the aid station there are several 50k finishers coming in. Farmville is busy with spectators cheering on their friends and family. After a short break we try to get our run/walk cadence back, but it's a struggle. One man watching from the brewery told us we had to move faster than that. Another person passed us as we leave and it's one of the men that was behind us. He's moving at a good pace and quickly is out of our sight. We pass Santa on the horse again and make our way out of town. We begin to pass so many 50k runners heading to the finish and they were all cheering for us and telling us how awesome we were. We cheered them on as well.

I am fairly positive that we also saw the winner of the 100k prior to reaching Tuggle. He was still looking so strong and relaxed and finished in an astounding 8:56. This is also about the time that trail math started. It was late afternoon, the sun would be setting soon, the temps would be dropping, and I needed to get to mile 40 where I had more warm clothes. It was going to be close, but we keep pushing with that goal in mind. One of my biggest concerns was how I would handle transitioning to the dark/cold. I am not a night runner and it made me nervous. I was well aware what could happen if I got too cold after dark and I didn't want to mess up.

Tuggle (35.7)

Arriving in Tuggle we are still seeing a few 50k runners heading back to the start. Several ladies at the aid station are very helpful. They refilled our water and told us to be mindful of the temps and put on extra clothes soon. They are very encouraging and told us we were moving faster than 0 mph so things were going well. It was a short stop, and we continue down the trail. We continue to pass the front runners for the 100k heading to the finish line. One particular man had finished the 50k and run back to a road crossing between Tuggle and Prospect to meet his wife and pace her to the finish (she was 2nd female). I am a bit out in front of Stacy at this point so I can get to my warm clothes. As we get closer to Prospect there are homes along the trail sparkling with Christmas lights. I had run as long as I could without my headlamp and decide it was time to light up the trail.

Prospect Fire Station (39.5)

This aid station was at the local fire station. It requires us to run a bit off trail but had a place inside to rest and use a restroom if necessary. There are several volunteers ready to help. One of my biggest challenges is knowing what I need when asked at aid stations. They proceed to refill my water bottles as I find my drop bag and get my warm gear. I am not actually cold at this point, but I decide to put on my outer fleece and sock hat anyway. I knew that I should probably attempt some real food. Starting with pickle juice, followed by some hot broth and finally a cheese quesadilla (which I was not able to eat). Stacy arrives not long after me and gets her food and gear. She is struggling a bit and we had talked about how she was feeling for several miles. Her right side of her body "hated her". We had both taken Tylenol to try to combat the aches and pains. I had heard her sigh very loudly in the previous miles to which I asked what was wrong. She was frustrated with "being slow" and I told her to stop it, stay positive, and we were moving just fine. At this point we had no idea who was left behind us.

We finally get settled and head out of the aid station. 6 miles to the end of trail and the next aid station. Then back to Prospect where they would greet us again and send us on our final 10 miles. Sigh, we still had so far to go. Trail math continued. The goal was 3 mph now. 6 miles seems short and quick unless you are moving 3 mph and you are still coherent enough to do the math. I try not to focus on that and just keep moving. We continue to meet 100k runners heading to the finish. The last person we meet before Pamplin would tell us you are almost to the aid station and as it turns out it was Rosemary. Again, this is probably another darker moment of the race where you are questioning all of your life decisions. However, we both knew we were finishing this race regardless.

Pamplin End of trail (46.4)

As we approach the end of the trail I start seeing bright lights. I am hoping that means the aid station is close. As I get even closer, I see a small figure with a headlamp running towards me. It's a young boy, full of energy telling me the aid station is close. He gets the number off my bib and runs ahead to the aid station to let them know of my pending arrival. There were a lot of older volunteers at the stop, many huddled around a fire. A park ranger was awaiting the final runner to escort them back to the finish. I refilled water bottles but that was about it. We ask if we were their final runners and much to our surprise, they say no. We are shocked as we had not seen anyone behind us for miles. Not knowing if people had dropped, we still thought it was possible we were DFL. We thank the volunteers and make the turn back to the finish. 3 of 4 complete and again a small victory.

We both agree we need to stop at the restrooms we had passed shortly before the aid station. As I exit the restroom, I decide to put my headphones on and call Scott. I was greeted with a very happy voice. When he asked how I was doing my response was I feel fine but I'm ready to be done. I could not turn my mind off from doing the math - so many miles left and so much time. We end the conversation quickly as he encouraged me to keep moving. And we continue down the trail in anticipation to see if there were others behind us.

And then, in the distance, a light. I was like no way, Stacy there's someone coming. Not just one, but two. Santa man with something strange around his neck and one of the two final men that were walking. I don't know if I was more excited to not be last or just celebrating these two amazing people for still being out there with us. Once again, I had energy. We were closing in on 50 miles and Stacy would actually set a PR for that distance. I told her if she would push, she could PR and her response was "I am pushing". She had resolved to walk the remaining 10 miles. If she could walk 3 mph she would still beat the cutoff. Her phone had died at Farmville many hours before. I told her when she got to Prospect, she could call Kyle. It was motivation for her to get to the aid station.

Prospect Fire Station (52.7)

As we get back to Prospect we are welcomed by a young lady and her son. Stacy is struggling with her fuel causing nausea and needs some food that isn't sweet to keep her going. She decides to sit down in a chair for a bit. I give her my phone to call Kyle, but the conversation is quick. Keep going from Kyle and "Go Mom Go" from her daughters. The aid station has mashed potatoes and that sounded like a great non-sweet fuel. We both decide to eat some and let me tell you they were amazing. As I wait for her to regroup, I look up and see Rosemary exit the bathroom. She had been a good bit ahead of us but was also having a bit of a struggle. She was equally as happy to see us as we were her. We all share our struggles, a few laughs and gather ourselves to head to the finish. One of the best (and most ridiculous) things was when the aid station told us we had 9.5 miles to go instead of 10. It's ridiculous that it's only a half mile difference but the single digits to go sounded so much better. Rosemary leaves first and we are not far behind.

Stacy sticks to her plan to walk the remaining miles. I do a shuffle and walk/wait ahead of her. It doesn't take us long to catch and pass Rosemary. I do a lot of looking back to make sure I see lights. When I hear the leaves rustle, I turn around to make sure Stacy is still on the trail and not in the ditch. She assures me she's okay over and over, but she does say she's not able to walk a straight line and would never be able to pass a field sobriety test. At least we can still find humor in our misery. Up ahead, I begin to see lights of the upcoming aid station.

Tuggle (56.7)

Arriving in Tuggle seems like another small victory. So, so close to finishing this thing with less than 6 miles to go. As I near the aid station I see the official sign that tells me the distance to Farmville. I pause for a minute, step back and look at the sign which causes alarm to the volunteers. They start asking if I'm okay and tell me I'm not lost. Oh, I was completely fine but I just needed to see the official distance. As I approach the tent, I tell them I'm going to the bathroom while they fill my water bottles. I also let them know my partner will be arriving soon and that I'm concerned about her not making it out of the aid station. And I look towards the back of the tent and see a young man, covered in a warming sheet and sitting in front of a small heater. Oh, that doesn't look good, bless him. I proceed to the restroom and as I exit Stacy has arrived and is sitting on the picnic table. She is once again having some mashed potatoes and joking about not being able to walk a straight line. The young man in the chair tells the volunteers his wife just arrived in a car, and they help him get out of the chair to slowly walk to the parking lot. After a few steps he turns around and says he's officially dropping from the race. My heart hurt for him, less than 6 miles to go and he had to drop. After he walks away one of the ladies tells us how good we look, still smiling and moving good compared to some they have seen come through earlier. That makes us feel good.

Back to business as I look at Stacy and say let's go. We have to keep moving. And as she stands up, Rosemary arrives, stumbling a bit herself but resolved to keep going. Stacy and I chat as we exit the aid station. She tells me that I still look strong, and I need to leave her and go finish. I told her when we got to mile 60 or so I would keep going. I felt better knowing she was through the final aid station and that others were near to check on her if anything happened. I wasn't sure if I could start running again, but I started the shuffle/wait/turn around. And by mile 60, I could no longer see her headlamp behind me. I decided to crank up some music and finish the race. I slowly got a little quicker shuffle back. I looked forward to the double bridges I had seen earlier which meant 3 miles to go. And I also remember the race director could see my headlamp from 3/4 mile out. I continue to push forward and eventually start seeing lights, the bridge across the 4-lane and some mysterious red light which turned out to be the timer. If I could pick up the pace, I could get a time under 17 hours so that became my focus. As I get closer to the finish, I could not see anyone on or near the trail and I was like there's nobody here - nobody will see me finish this thing.

Farmville - Finish (62)

Finally, I'm close enough to see the Farmer's market, the finish line and a few people still remained. The race director and the young lady and her son from Prospect were cheering me on! Official time 16:55.

The race director presented me with my 100k ornament, and I told him my partner would be coming about 30 minutes behind me. But as we look up we can see a headlamp in the distance. Initially we think it's Stacy, but she would be arriving in 6 - 7 minutes. Perhaps she had a miraculous burst of energy, so I grab some food from the aid station and return to the trail to wait. The person coming was much too tall and as the figure approached the lady from Prospect aid station said, "it's baguette man"! What! Baguette man, who is that. You know, the guy dressed like Santa that was carrying a baguette around his neck to eat along the way. So that's what it was. Brandon was his name, and he was also carrying a lot of camera equipment and had filmed some pretty cool videos of the trail. Talk about amazing, Brandon went from couch to 100k in a year. You read that right!

With no lights in sight, I decide to gather our drop bags and move the car closer to the farmer's market. I didn't want Stacy to walk too far when she finished. It was already approaching 1 a.m. - which was insane. When Brandon finished, he said he passed both Stacy and Rosemary and they were moving fine towards the finish. And finally another light appeared. At first we think it's Rosemary because her husband was at the finish tracking her phone. But Stacy would eventually emerge into the streetlights as the next finisher. I told her she looked so strong. I also asked "ma'am have you been drinking"!? The race director chimes in with we can get an officer over right away to perform a field sobriety test. Stacy's official time 17:24.

We did it! We finished the darn thing. What a journey!

We see another light in the distance, which was Rosemary. And the final runner, Mike finished in 18:11.

We gather up one last drop bag and Stacy grabs a piece of cold pizza before we head to the car and back to the hotel. We never got a picture at the finish. I mean it was 1 a.m., we were slightly delirious and ready for bed.

Interesting race statistics:

28 male finishers

17 female finishers

Course records were set in 2019 and remain today

Stacy and I were 2 of the last 5 finishers. Truly what they call "back of the pack". And what a humbling and inspiring place to be. Thank you to everyone at the aid stations that stayed out entirely too late to support us. And to the race director whose goal is to see everyone finish.

As of the race finish, Stacy says "never again". For me, I'm pretty sure longer distances are in my future. Right now, I will enjoy an off season with plenty of strength work, walking and focusing on my health.