23 hours 23 minutes and 22 seconds
This was me posting to the Yeti Trail Runners Facebook Group 18 months before becoming a Yeti.
Honest question from a mildly noob trail runner and a definite noob to the yeti family… So, ya’ll just seem crazy. Very much a “good” crazy. But that being the case, what is the glue that makes Yeti Trail Runners a group? For example there’s obviously the East Coast Trail Runners (geographical), then TAUR, etc. But the YTR group seems to be centered around the Yeti 100, which makes sense, BUT there are no other groups (that I know of) as “into it” and brought together by a single race. Is it something specific about the Yeti 100 that ya’ll just LOVE? Really I ask this question out of a desire to understand and also as a sign of respect. I love it. I want to get there. Help me understand, hahaha. Thanks.
Jared Wilson posing a question to the Yeti Trail Runners Facebook Group
Maybe I bit off more than I could chew or maybe not… well probably.
Less than a year later I found myself registered for the Yeti 100 Mile Endurance Run. I remember registering and reflecting on some of the responses to my posed question (which I still didn’t understand).
“The glue that holds the Yetis together is the desire to see everyone be successful in a race! Everyone, not just the elites/front of the pack but the middle pack all the way to DFL is cheered, encouraged, and pushed to be the best that they can be and never give up!! …it also helps to have an odd sense of humor and love for Fireball!!”
Training Block and Speed Bumps
I intended to go into the Yeti 100 with a more focused training regimen. I knew more about this course than I did about the Chattanooga 100 so I planned for it. I knew (obviously) that it was 100 miles but I also knew that it was a fast course with less than 3,000 feet elevation gain over the whole course (it actually has net loss since the overall elevation decent is greater than the gain) and that the course was not technical at all. Yes yes, before everyone yells at me and throws shoes, lots of people manage to fall and they get these awesome gashes and permanently implanted stone… but, I’m not going to be needing my Speedgoats.
With that understanding, I added a new goal…
A Sub-24-Hour Finish
There are many milestones in ultra running… Your first 50k, 50m, 100m, 24-hour race, etc. One popular one is to attempt to cross 100 miles in under 24 hours. This means you would need to average under a 14-minute and 24-second minute/mile pace with stops. A difficult feat.
I added much more track work to my training plan than I had in previous races. I didn’t just need to keep moving, I needed to maintain a decent pace for the entire distance. One of my favorite workouts was the Yasso 800 track workout.
However, as all training plans seem to have, I hit a couple of speed bumps. At around the time when I was hitting a fitness level wanted to be at we bought our first house, moved into the new house, flew out of state to attend my sister’s wedding, then Jamie flew out of state to visit her sister and their family. So there goes a month+ of training. I was concerned to say the least. I was able to get back into a rhythm after returning, but it was so close to the race that I struggled to get a good block of training back in. I was thankful, as always, for my good friends and pacers and my wonderful wife who encouraged me the whole way.
The Great Smoky Mountain Training Run
As part of my 100 mile training plans, I typically like to get at least one 40+ mile run in. The specifics can be dependent on what’s available time and race-wise. This time we decided to celebrate James’ (my friend and pacer) birthday! We celebrated with an epic 43 mile run through The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
We were so blessed with a beautiful day to enjoy a serious testament of how GREAT God is. Multiple times throughout the run we were just awe-struck by the beauty of everything around us.
No matter how much I was complaining and hurting by the end, it was a day filled with memories that I’ll carry for a lifetime.
Yeti 100 LETSGOOOOOO!
“We’re all just a collection of misfits who like to run and don’t take ourselves too seriously. Basically like the Breakfast Club and Jason is the principal that put us all together.”
For this race, Jamie and I had the opportunity to leave the kids at home with my in-laws while we went up to the small town of Damascus, Virginia to run the Yeti. It was great, one of the first times Jamie and I got to go out of town multiple days alone (even though I ran for a whole day!). On the way up to the race, we actually stopped at Tsali Notch Vineyard and had a GREAT time. We both love muscadine wine so we were enjoying what they had to offer. Well, Jamie was…I didn’t try any… I’m so weird about any alcohol on race week.
Packet pick-up was the day before the race. It was everything I thought it would be… and more. I knew these Yetis were crazy… but wow. It was held at Wolf Hills Brewing Co. which was a great little brewery with what looked like great beer, but as you know, I didn’t try any, bleh. But everyone around me was drinking! It was epic. So. Let’s talk swag. If you know me, you know I love great swag: stickers, comfy shirts, beer glasses. The Yeti 100 had some of the best swag I’ve ever seen!! Stickers, shirts, a sweatshirt, a custom hat, and even a skateboard deck! There was a massive blow-up Yeti… WhAt?!
After hanging out for some time at the packet pickup Jamie and I retired to our loft in Bristol, Tennessee. Now. I would not suggest staying in downtown Bristol if you can help it.
- There’s a very good chance there will be some LOUD music the night before your race. It’s already difficult enough to sleep, let alone do it with the bumpin’ beats across the street.
- The drive to the start is a lot longer than I thought it would be, which means you get even less sleep.
- I’m more of a cabin in the woods guy than a loft in the city guy (this one is personal to me).
We took this loft because a lot places were already booked and we didn’t have many options. It was a great loft though and had everything in it we needed.
The drive to the start went fine. The last ~5 miles were very slow, lots of sharp turns, and had no cell service! Make sure you download offline Google Maps before you venture out there! The drop-off is definitely a “Kiss and Go”, I barely had enough time to gather all of my pack items before they were signaling for my wife to keep on moving. It’s just the nature of the beast where the start is, there were maybe 10 parking spots in total.
The Course
The start of the race is at the southern terminus of the Virginia Creeper Trail. The course covers three lengths of the Virginia Creeper Trail (VCT). The VCT is a 34.3-mile rail-to-trails course, traversing through two counties from Abingdon, Virginia, through Damascus, and ending just past Whitetop Station in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The start is at the Whitetop Station, it runs down to the opposite end into Abingdon, back to the top at Whitetop Station, and then finishes back down at the end in Abingdon. So: down, back up, down, end.
Being an old railway it really is straight… Jason yells at all of us at the start stating that if we made a turn… we are off course. So consider it a pretty “straight” course with a net decline in elevation. The length from Whitetop Station to Abingdon is net-negative elevation gain and then going from Abingdon to Whitetop Station is net-positive elevation gain, but because you run from Whitetop Station to Abingdon twice the overall is net-negative.
The Start
As mentioned in the Course Description the start is at Whitetop Station which looks like an old but well-maintained train station.
It was cold. We all waited around as other runners were dropped off, well most of us waited in the porta-potty line! Jason Green (the Race Director) gave us all the “typical” Yeti pre-race announcements: Don’t make a turn. Be careful not to trip. Enjoy every minute of it!
As I learned more about these Yetis, Jason really seems to be the glue, or at least some of the glue, that holds the Yetis together.
Jason Green took the small town where he grew up and turned it into a mecca for trail runners new and old. It became a family when everyone showed up and made it one of the biggest parties in the country. For one weekend every year during the Yeti 100 it’s like a big family reunion. Everyone comes together to love the hills and suffer a little better together.
But it goes beyond that, this group loves everyone that joins.
#notacult but definitely family.
The Race
I started off the race moving good and fast. The first 20 miles are basically downhill so I was moving way faster than I should have been for a 100 miler. This was a lot of the folks’ advice: “Don’t shoot off too fast at the start, you’ll blow your quads!”. For the first 20 miles, I averaged around 10:30 minute/miles, including aid station stops. While this is definitely faster than anticipated, I don’t think it wrecked my race, but actually allowed me to bank time and crush my goals.
One very neat aspect about this race is that on the VCT there are 47 trestle bridges!! So over the course of the race, you cross 141 bridges! I think that’s really neat and adds to the character of the race
The memories along the way are part of the reason we chase these crazy dreams. We meet people, see places, and experience things. I ran with countless people. I remember one guy specifically who had these crazy stories about other 100 mile finishes and DNFs he had, including snowy races and more. The aid stations and the volunteers were beyond helpful. There was your standard race food, snacks, and fuel. I remember one specific aid station, Alvarado, had some of the best decorations! It went with my personality pretty well… So thank you all for the laughs and smiles.
Another “classic Yeti” thing is that around mile 25 (don’t hold me to that distance) on the first leg of your journey there is an old beaten-down soda vending machine… This machine is an icon in the Yeti community. As I was running up on it there was a guy who stopped and was looking all around at it, then I saw him reach down into the machine like he was getting out a drink! Guess what he was getting….. Planted mini fireball drinks, and he got the last one! He was so stoked! He offered it to me, but I was a strong pass on that. We chatted for a bit after that. It was these types of interactions that made this race. The people and the experiences. It seems and sounds so silly but those three minutes were hilarious.
While the people are what made the race, the scenery pushed it over the top. This is not one of those scenic “looking off a mountain” races, and I knew that. What I didn’t know is just how much this course would remind me of my childhood hometown, Kempton, PA. The small rural town, rolling farmland, railways, and beautiful greenery. It took me back to a time and a place I miss and look fondly on.
The first turnaround at Abingdon (so mile 33ish) was the first time I really got to see Jamie for any amount of time. It was so great. I was feeling excellent, the weather was clear, and seeing her beautiful smile went right through me! We walked together a bit, she gave me this huge container of leftover pasta and meatballs which I devoured. I also crushed a few salted potatoes. She was so happy and encouraging, it just was contagious. I honestly didn’t want to leave haha. I knew what I had to do, but I thought it would have been nice to sit down for a picnic there! But alas, I left and kept moving, but now with a bit more positivity and love sending me off. I love her so much.
Just like at the Chattanooga 100 I had James and Josh crew me for the Yeti 100. James picked up the pacing somewhere between mile 40-50, I don’t remember exactly when it was. James and Josh rode together to the area and they actually JUST made it to the aid station in time to meet me and start running. James had a slice of pizza in his hand that he was scarfing down. I kept moving and he caught up a couple of minutes later. We had a great time running together. I told him some more about my experiences throughout the day and he was so impressed by the time I was making. I knew I was moving well and making good time, but I also knew I was about to slow down!
The climb up to Whitetop Station to hit my second turnaround was brutal. It wasn’t a ton of elevation gain but it was consistently up. Additionally, it was just starting to really hit night and the temperatures were lowing substantially. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see my crew before it got really cold. I was in my shorts, sweaty shirt, and my pack. I was SHIVERING. James kept me positive and moving. Once I finally met up with my crew I got my warm gear on but it was just not.cutting.it. I was shivering and really struggling. I stood by the fire at the aid station for a couple of minutes but was still cold to the core. I had running tights to put on, but I didn’t want to take my shoes and shorts off. It just sounded miserable and SO cold. So James actually lent me his warm running pants and he put on jeans! Thank you so much James. I actually am not sure I would have been able to finish in those shorts.
After James paced for about ~25 miles Josh picked up the remainder. He was a great pacer keeping me focused on the most important items: “When was the last time you ate anything”, “Keep moving, let’s run to that light pole”, “Ok, let’s run for 1 minute and walk for 1 minute”. All of these were the precise things I needed at that time. I remember one funny case where we were running at mile 90/94 and we could see this light post in the distance so he said “Ok, let’s run to that light, and then we can walk some”. So we started running, or really shuffling forward. We kept going and kept going… and kept going and this light post just never got closer. Apparently we were on such a straight portion, it was so late (5:00 AM-ish), and we were so delusional that we thought it was so much closer than it was! It ended up being miserably funny because we’d shuffle along for awhile and I’d say “I swear Josh we have not gotten any closer!” hahaha. These are the situations that are “funny” after 22-23 hours of running.
The Finish
After 23 hours, 23 minutes, and 22 seconds I got to cross that finish line and get a big ole bear hug from the Yeti Leader himself, Jason Green.
The glue is definitely Jason Green! He is the heart and soul of the Yeti races. And he gives the best finish line hugs.
I gave Jamie a big big big hug and then also my crew and we all celebrated that I beat my goal of sub-24 hours in the cold for about 3 minutes (it was too cold and I was dead)!
Post-Race Party and Fun!
If you weren’t already convinced to come to Damascus to run the Yeti 100 and collect your Jason Green hug then the post-race adventures will convince you! Jamie and I both got a couple hours of rest but that evening we got to attend the post-race party back at the Wolf Hills Brewing Co. where the packet pickup was. I FINALLY had some of their great beer and we hung around and just relaxed. It was great.
We also had the next day to ourselves in which we explored the surrounding town together. We enjoyed each other’s company and the ability to just be together. We got to do a good bit considering my debilitated state… we got to:
- Wolf Hills Coffee and Tumbling Creek Cider Company for a cider and coffee, both of which we loved.
- Brunch at White Birch, soooo yummy! (see the pictures)
- Wine tasting at Abingdon Vineyards. The weather was perfect.
- Dinner at the Lumac Rooftop Bar.
- Last but not least, we took a stroll (walking) down the Virginia Creeper Trails (with slight bouts of PTSD, just kidding).
Giving Thanks
Every ultra effort inspires a level of gratitude and thanksgiving. You are thankful for the time to go out and run, for the body that allows you to accomplish such massive feats, for the people that support you and help you, for the people you meet along the way, the experience you have while exploring outer limits, for all the people it took to make the event happen, and so so much more. I am thankful for all of these things. I am most thankful to God for blessing me with these people, experiences, time, ability, and grace.
My ultra life has been a wild ride and I look forward to whatever is next.
RunSignal – UltraJared – Chattanooga100 – GodHeals – JehovahRapha – NotAllPainIsSignificant
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/6016022863/laps
Garmin: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/7550436317