YOURSTORIES

I’m a 5+ hour road marathoner so I was a bit worried when, after my husband registered us for this race, I learned that the time limit was just 8 hours. I had most recently completed the Terrapin Mountain “Marathon” (29.8 miles; 7:54) and Promise Land (50k+; 9:08). The race starts late for an ultra, and last year it was hot and humid so this race could be my first DNF. Fortunately, the weather was cool and rainy, perfect for running all day. The scenery was so beautiful that there were times when I had to stop and briefly admire the view. I had a little trouble accessing the Clip2 from the jacket I had tied around my waist, and I lost one packet somewhere on the trail, so any gains I had made as I tore down the hills were lost fumbling at the aid stations. But the volunteers were extremely helpful and the M&M’s much appreciated, a feeling I don’t share about the steep but short hills. But the 40 stream crossings kept my feet cool and the soft, muddy trails cushioned my footfalls, which no doubt contributed to my ability to not only make the time cutoffs, but to PR with a surprising 6:55. As if that weren’t enough to guarantee my return next year, they served vegetarian BBQ ribs at the post-race meal. The money raised from the event supports the local community, and the course consists of a series of trails on private property, which likely explains why we couldn’t find a course map online. I met some wonderful people, both runners and locals, and I went away feeling that it was an absolutely delightful day. Thanks to the Capon Valley Ruritan Club for a terrific experience!

We just wanted to thank you so much for putting together such a wonderful event! This is the first time we've participated in the
Capon 50K, and will definitely become a yearly event for us. Actually, this was my first Ultra (ok, well the first time I ran a distance
longer than 18 miles), and I cannot imagine a more beautiful or fun course!

We are including a link to our pictures (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ssxw4ae.iae0r2i&x=0&y=-pz8f1t&localeid=en_US),
so hopefully you can get a glimpse of the mud & the creeks! (feel free to share the pictures) It was amazingly fun to experience! We started looking forward to the 30 or so creek crossings to wash the mud from our shoes!

Thanks again, and we'll see you next year!

Here are some pictures I took along the way on Saturday: http://picasaweb.google.com/winapel/CaponValley50K02. Great job running this race. You even came up with great weather! I will recommend it to everyone interested in a WV run

I just wanted to let you know that I had a wonderful time and a lot of fun running the Capon Valley 50K. Everything was well done. The course
was beautiful, challenging, and had a lot of variety. All of the volunteers were so friendly and helpful I felt like I was family. The
aid stations had the best snacks and drinks.

I didn't mind the creek crossings at all. In fact, they added to the fun factor. I have to confess that near the end of the race, I just stood in the middle of one of the creeks for a few minutes because the cold water felt so good on my tired feet. Besides, there were just enough creeks to wash the mud off.

This was my first 50K and I don't expect any in the future to be as fantastic an experience as this one was. I hope to make this a yearly event for me for as long as I'm able to run. Thanks to all.

     I ran the 10th Anniversary Capon Valley 50k in West Virginia on May 10th, which was the first time I ran two ultras within the same month (two weeks apart). The decision to take part in the race was not a very thought out run, seeing as how I only found out about Capon Valley two weeks prior during the Promise Land 50k, and made the decision shortly after to run. I wasn’t really planning on killing myself over this run, I just wanted to have a little fun with some other runners, so I planned on taking it easy and relaxing, just going for the finish.
     The race was preceded by a 7 hour drive from North Carolina to West Virginia where I signed into the race and went to find a place to sleep for the night. I had recently bought a hammock, and asked the race volunteers if it would be alright if I set up the hammock across the starting line a few feet into the woods. Without much hesitation, they informed me that it would be a better idea to find a hotel, or at the very least sleep in my jeep, because Capon Valley has a very large bear population. Even though I was feeling pretty tough, I decided to take their advice and sleep in my jeep, saving the hammock for another time.
     I woke up about an hour and a half before the race began and got dressed. After being chaffed in the last 4 races, I decided that it might be time to retire my “lucky” running shorts, and try for something a little different. I also applied body glide liberally to certain areas that generally cause problems, hoping for the best this time around. Finally, I was trying out a new pair of trail shoes that were not gortex, which was a great idea as I later found out.
     I went into the building at the beginning of the race area where they were serving breakfast, and had one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a pretty long time. Some local women were cooking up a bunch of breakfast items, but I decided to limit myself to pancakes and juice. $1.50 brought me enough pancakes to fill me up, and a cup of orange juice to wash it down, both of which were very good. As I was eating, I noticed The Staz walking into the building, and he quickly joined me, drank my orange juice, and sat down. We talked a bit while waiting for the pre-race brief to start, and I was introduced to a bunch of runners who he knew but I hadn’t met yet. The Staz also told me that we were going to have to run through a bunch of streams that, due to the rain, would probably be pretty high. I figured that would just be part of the race, and it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, expected one or two crossings that I could jump over.
     During the pre-race brief, we learned a bit about the track, the aid stations, the bears, the rain that was causing all the streams to rise, and a few other things. Since this was the 10th anniversary of the race, the directors gave awards to the few runners who had run every Capon Valley since the beginning. There was also an announcement that the top 20 finishers would be entered into a raffle with two chances to win a weekend trip for two to Las Vegas, and the other 18 would receive other prizes. As interesting as this sounded, I was listening for my favorite part – the post-race chicken dinner for all runners. I figured that would be a much easier prize to win, and it would be very tasty too, so it stuck in my head throughout the race. Anyway, on to the race.
     We went outside to the starting line about 10 minutes prior to the start. The race directors prayed for safety for all the runners and the volunteers on the course, and then played the Star Spangled Banner. Both of these events made me very happy, and then we got ready to go. I don’t really remember them saying go, but everyone started running so I joined in the party. I decided to run with The Staz again this race and kept pace with him for a little while. The beginning of the track took us down the drive way, across a short bit of road, across someone’s lawn across a bridge, then turned into a driveway (All in the first mile or so) that started a long up hill to the first aid station. I found in the first mile of the track that The Staz did not share my “take it easy” mindset for this race as I quickly watched him put distance between us, so I figured I would just take it easy on my own. I did run for a little while with a woman named Kendra, who I found out was a lawyer, but not too much else because she quickly left me behind. During this leg I noticed that there was a runner ahead of me dressed in all black, who never seemed to get closer than 50 feet and never went out of my sight for long. I started thinking of him as the Man in Black, and found him to be quite an elusive character. During this leg of the run I also found out what The Staz meant by “stream crossings” as the trail went back and forth across the same streams over and over again, and were much too wide and deep for me to jump across. I went straight through, some of them up to my knees, soaking my feet, and making me thankful that I wasn’t wearing the gortex running shoes that held water. Eventually I came up to the first Aid Station at The Golemon Barn. I was very happy that the climb was finally over, and I refilled my water, ate and drank a little, and got a picture right before heading out.
     I quickly received a bit of disappointment when I found out that the climb was not over, and I started right back up hill, this time on a good bit of trail through the woods. We went up for a little bit, but eventually we spent a good amount of time coming back down our previous climb. While in the low grounds we were running next to a stream, so naturally we crossed it a few times before hitting a road that took us uphill again. About this time I finally caught up with the elusive Man in Black, who I found out was a firefighter out of Charlotte, NC, and he was running his first ultra. I ran with him for a while, enjoying the company of another runner, and together we made our way down to the river where a truck was waiting with some runners. I refilled my water bottle and went out fairly quickly after thanking the volunteers who drove the water out to us.
     Less than 20 steps away from the truck I almost lost my right shoe in a puddle of mud that was a lot deeper than I thought. I managed to keep it on and started up a very steep hill. On this hill I went ahead of the Man in Black, wishing him well, and continued up. Right before the top I was passed by two other runners. One of them was #1, and I found this interesting, because I was #156, the last number on the course. As the trail leveled out, they took off, and I shortly found the trail turning right to follow some power lines that were sizzling in the rain. I followed this trail for just shy of a mile, but stopped a few times to take pictures of the view. I also was caught by a Marine who was nice enough to take my picture, and then we ran together for a while. We ran together for a while, and I found out that he was running his second 50k race, but he had run several Marathons prior to this. While running with him, I found that the trail started to get extremely muddy, and I found myself stepping lightly at times. Right before coming into the third aid station there was a really wide creek where a volunteer was taking pictures. We splashed through the creek, made it up to the aid station, and I stopped to refill everything and the Marine kept on running, which was the last time I saw him. The volunteers here told me that I was currently in 23rd place, and I starting thinking that if I could pick up the pace a little bit, I might be able to make the top 20, so I took off trying catch other runners so that I could make the top 20.
     This section of the track started with a short flat trail that crossed a lot of wide creeks, but eventually started working up a gradual uphill. As we started uphill, I noticed a guy coming up behind me, and realized that my plan to catch other people wasn’t really working out like I planned. Either way, I worked my way up the hill and at the top I found a spectator sitting under an umbrella watching the runners go by. He was nice enough to photograph me with my camera as I went by, and then I thanked him and pushed on some more. The guy behind me was catching up pretty quickly, and as we came into a large grassy opening, he was close enough to talk for a moment and I noticed he was wearing a shirt that said Wawa on it. I ran off as fast as I could, and he stayed pretty much right behind me, until shortly after the field we came across a dirt road, then a sharp downhill turn on asphalt that led us into the next Aid Station. I wasn’t really expecting this one to be this close, but I was happy either way. I filled up on everything and watched the guy who I had been trying to escape run right by me. After eating a little bit, I thanked the volunteers and started off again.
     Despite my burning desire to catch everyone, this portion of the race can be known as the “everyone runs by Alan as fast as they can” portion on account of the actions of the other runners, although I did manage to catch the Wawa guy since he had to stop to tie his shoe. A short way into this lap I saw a large sign that said “KEEP OUT!” and also saw that the trail markers went right by that sign up to someone’s home. I figured all was well, and started down the marked trail where I found two gentlemen who informed me that the hill ahead was big, but it was all downhill from there. I thanked them, and started off up the hill. In the short time up this hill I was passed by no less than 7 people, and when the hill finally started to level off a little bit I picked up my pace again. I breathed a quick sigh of relief because I would be able to push on at a good pace and hold my position, and as I did this, another guy went flying by me. I figured this would be alright because the trail was starting to go back downhill on a road, and in the short time we were on the road until the next aid station, at least 3 people passed me. It took me forever to get through the Aid Station on account of my appreciation of Famous Amos’ cookies, but eventually I made it out and started down the hill again, but not before hearing a voice say that it was all downhill from there.
     Among other things at this aid station, I was told that we were somewhere between mile 18 and 19, and I noticed that I was somewhere around 3:30 as far as time goes. And with about 12 miles to go, I could feasibly finish the race in under 5:35, which was my fastest 50k time when I ran the Fat Ass 50k in December 2006. That, coupled with the knowledge that an officer I know recently ran a 50k in 5:40 and build up even more with a degrading comment made after Promise Land made me realize that my current plan to just relax and put only a little effort into the race wouldn’t do, and that, at a minimum, I would have to beat the officer’s time, as every enlisted person understands. At this time I decided to run as hard and smart as I possibly could in order to break 5:40. A bit of quick math in my head made me realize that I would have to average around 6 miles an hour for the next two hours in order to break that time. This would normally be an easy task, but after 19 miles it would be a little more difficult. Making the top 20 didn’t really matter much anymore, I just because obsessed with breaking that time. Knowing that I had 12 miles and 2 aid stations to go, I took off down the hill.
     This portion of the trail was largely single track, and even at my faster speed, I still watched a guy in an orange shirt go flying by me down the hill. As he passed I asked him if it was really all downhill till the end. He laughed a bit, then told me there were two more significant uphills – one more at the bottom of the hill we were on, and then another right after the next aid station, but once you pass the barn it was all downhill. I thanked him as he sped off, and then did my best to pick up my pace so that I could make up for the upcoming hills. I was passed one more time on the way down this hill buy a lady, and was almost caught again right before we went through another stream, and then started getting frustrated as I watched the time on my watch tick away. I kicked myself for spending so much time on aid stations and taking pictures, and pushed as hard as I could up the hill in front of me trying to make up the time. I passed the lady on the way up the hill and found that there was very little time spent before we started back downhill again. I found my second wind right around this point and took off flying down the hill. This was all some fairly technical single track so I was trying to be as careful as possible, and eventually I was able to see the orange guy ahead of me again. This built up my moral more than imaginable and I found some way to speed up again. Somewhere around this time I finally noticed that it stopped raining, so there wasn’t much to keep me cool anymore. I also found myself doing a lot of praying for my legs, knees, feet, ankles, and heart so that none of them would give out on me before I crossed the finish line. Right at the bottom of the hill there was a road crossing that required a crossing guard, and with a few words of encouragement from the volunteers sitting there, I crossed the road and found myself across the road onto a small wooded bridge where I finally passed the Orange Guy. The trail became extremely muddy again, but this was upstaged by the forceful vomit that went flying out of me, reminding me of the peanut butter and jelly that I had at the last aid station. Thankfully, it didn’t slow me down much, and I ran into the aid station a few moments later. On account of the time and vomit, I decided not to eat anything, and just had some soda and Gatorade as the volunteers filled my bottle. Right as I was leaving, I heard the orange guy say something to the effect of “I really hate this part.”
     Without any hesitation, this trail went straight uphill. I looked at my watch and noticed that it took me almost a full hour to get to that aid station. I put a lot of stock in what the orange guy had said about it being downhill from the barn, and figured I could make up for any lost time there. Since the rain stopped, I decided to remove my shirt in order to cool off that way, and that was very relieving. I climbed the hills as quickly as I could, and kept worrying because I didn’t recognize any of the trail I was on, not realizing that it wasn’t the trail I came out on. I found myself able to run up most of the hills in my desperate attempt to break 5:40, although I was still moving somewhat slow.   I made up a lot of time whenever the trail would slope downhill, but I almost panicked when I passed the power lines again. I figured I would have to follow them again, and the hills worried me until I noticed a small sign that said “Cross power lines.” I literally cheered with joy and took off to the other side. After the power lines, I started seeing more and more houses, hoping that every one would be the Golemon Barn that served as the final aid station. One of these houses had a blue International Scout out front, and for some reason, the picture of that truck stuck in my head until long after the race. When I finally saw the barn ahead, I was so happy to finally be there that I ran straight for it, not noticing that the trail went a little to the left, and I almost crashed into a fence as a result. I did end up going through the fence and made what must have been my shortest aid station stop ever. My bottle got filled, I took a cup of Gatorade, I thanked the volunteers, then took off as hard as I could hoping that orange guy was right about it being all downhill.
     Right as I was leaving, a volunteer yelled that it was 3.4 miles till the finish, and a quick glance at my watch told me that I had 35 minutes to break 5:40. I realized this meant I only had to run 10 minute miles, but I couldn’t help but remember my knee at Boulder, as well as every other race I’ve run where things went horrible out of nowhere. I did a lot of praying coming out of that aid station, and counted in God a lot as I ran as hard as I possibly could. I finally was able to start remember parts of the trail now because it was pretty much the same trail that we started on to get to the barn on the way out, minus the streams. Realizing that I was coming up on the end of the run, I decided it was time to pull out the secret weapon, and with a deep breath belted out the lyrics to “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. This song and a few others brought me up to the point where I could see the road in front of the finish line. I got really excited as I turned onto the road and crossed over the bridge that led into the woods at the beginning. A very short time later I found myself sprinting (the post-30-mile version that really isn’t all that fast at all) across whoever’s lawn it was in order to make it on time, and as I went back onto the road prior to the driveway I started singing “Not Without a Purpose” by Street Dogs as loud as I could. I happened to glance up and notice another runner who had finished running, and was now watching me attempt to sing. I momentarily stopped singing to smile, wave, and say hello to her, then started singing again as I turned onto the driveway that brought me back to the camp ground where the finish line was located. All along this final stretch I saw people lining up to cheer for the runners as they came through, and I heard them cheering all the way until I crossed the finish line.
     Right after crossing, a volunteer handed me a bottle of water, but nobody mentioned what the time was. I looked around trying to find the official time keeper, and when I found him, I all but begged him for my official time. He looked down at my number to find out who I was, and after checking the times, informed me that I had crossed the finish line in a personal record of 5 hours and 30 minutes. To say that I was happy would be an understatement, as I started jumping around the finish line in excitement. Not only had I beat my previous best 50k time of 5:35, more importantly, I beat the officer’s time of 5:40. Overall I placed 31st out of 156, but I really didn’t care much about that. I met up with The Staz at the finish line and found that he ran a 5:06 race, and after meeting up with my parents and my darling Sarah who came out to see the race, we went inside to eat the best chicken dinner I have ever had in my life.

Thank you for a great race! We don't do stories, but we always note our "TOP 5 MOMENTS." It was difficult to limit ourselves to 5 each! Such a beautiful place! We enjoyed our Saturday in West Ginny!

Carrie's Top 5 (6 hours 7 minutes)
1. "I'm liking how accepted walking is at these ultras!"
2. How similar running in wet shoes sounds shaking a box of TIC TACS
3. I was crossing a stream and a volunteer said I looked like I knew what I was doing!
4. Being adopted on the course by Jody and seeing that his family surprised him by showing up at the finish line.
5. Having an overall excellent 1st ultra with Mel and Laura

Melanie's Top 5 (6 hours 24 minutes)
1. "This is the best tasting Ensure I've ever had. That's on my Top 5 by the way."
2. The 20 plus stream crossings, a few times the water was up to my knees!
3. Running with Kevin O'Conner, who told me he only has 9 toes due to ultra running.
Our joke became could I finish my first ultra with all of my toes?
4. The volunteer at the last aid station told me I had moved up 11 spots since the last aid station, so I dropped the watermelon I was having
and took off for the finish line!
5. Feeling giddy as Laura, Carrie, and I posed with our 50K COMPLETION certificates.
Bonus: Singing "Bubbling Over"

Laura's Top 5 (6 hours 54 minutes)
1. Seeing Lynn's 3 horses running near her barn (aka Aid Station #1).
2. The Mountain man who helped me locate my drop bag as I stood there crying (Just a Momentary Lapse of Composure)
3. Taking those stream crossings like a big girl, not like the wus Claire said I was when we did this race in 1999!
4. Egg Custard Pie made by a sweet lady from West Ginny!
5. When I crossed the finish line, Carrie was in the shower line. For me! She had my "after race" essentials there, ready and waiting! Super nice!

Thank you and your volunteers so much for a beautiful, if wet, run on Saturday. The race lived up to everything I had read or heard about it. The only surprise I had was that the difficultly level was more challenging that I expected because of all the wonderful things I had read and heard. I guess that shows that ultra runners forget the hard if it is heavily out weighed by the really good. This run was all good from the friendly and helpful volunteers to gorgeous views, peaceful very run-able paths, cool feet healing stream crossings and the “not a better way to finish the race” barbeque dinner.

Thank you and all the race managers for taking time out of your schedule to pull this race together and providing a great gift to the ultra running community. .

I just checked out the website for results and read your comment about our emails concerning the creek levels. You know, going into the race I was concerned about the creeks since this was my first 50K and first trail run with water crossings. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed them! The entire experience wouldn't have been so memorable without the thick mud, rushing water crossings, steep hills (!) and beautiful scenery. What an awesome event! The volunteers were excited for each runner, even those of us in the very back. Keep up the good work and I'll be sure to spread the word around the Austin, Texas area about this gem of a trail race!

A long workday, a five hour drive, pitching your tent in the rain after midnight sounds like a great start to a weekend. Most of the people reading this would probably say the same. Personally, I picked the Capon Valley 50K just try someplace new and get the bad taste out of my mouth from the last race. The choice turned out to be a good one. At the pre-race instruction, Robin tells us that the course is well marked. She and her crew had flagged it on horseback. She says that we should almost be able to see from one flag to the next and if we get lost it is OUR fault. I had heard rumors of such things before, but had never seen this bigfootesk phenomenon. It turned out to be true, which was actually a good thing on this unique course. The race is run mostly on private land, so lots of turns and lots of turns NOT to take. There is 2 miles or less on asphalt at the start and finish. The course is run on some gravel roads, single tracks, grass fields, and many old, seldom used, woodland roads. Some places the course ran over woodland that didn’t look like a trail at all, a rare experience. Having no idea of the course profile, I asked a returning runner about the course. His input was that it is flat… for West Virginia. West Virginia is called the Mountain State. So lots of up and down, some steep, some long, but actually nothing long and steep. An accurate description of what I found as my feet discovered this new course. I was surprised that no one mentioned the stream crossings. If you don’t care for water, don’t run this race because these people like to cross creeks. As one runner asked at the excellent post-race meal, “Did anyone count all those stream crossings?” Another runner replied, “I lost count at 18 around halfway.” If the course ran along a stream instead of just crossing it, we mostly likely would crisscross it 6-10 times. We were also blessed to be splashing through these streams after a night of regular rain. So small mountain streams were now knee deep large streams. The rain that started over night continued off and on through most of the race, so an added gratuity was the mud. Personally, I was pleased to have a comfortable smooth race and to come away with a win in 3:55:55. Robin Kane and Karsten Brown took second and third in 4:24 and 4:26. The top female was Kendra Horgeer in 5:07 with Bridget Wildt and Tina Genay rounding out the top three in 5:20 and 5:24. By the way, the timing was done with a bedroom alarm clock. It was held up at the start as we walked up to the line after the national anthem. The guy just simply said, “I guess you can start running.” A simple timing method, but it works as good as any. I liked it. The camaraderie of runners at the post-race meal was great as usual. We talked of living cheap to afford our acceptable addiction and traded stories of races and the ones we would recommend. This race definitely fits that category. It has a unique course, especially since it runs over several of the locals’ private land. If you are new to trails or ultras and concerned of getting lost, this is your course to try the trails. If you get lost, it truly is your fault. The race is put on by members of the Capon Valley community, assisted by volunteers from the Capon Valley Ruritan Club (which lets them use the building and grounds) and the Capon Springs Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad. I was surprised to find they are all non-runners who do a great job. An excited community with the friendliness of West Virginia, they have a large group of volunteers with well-stocked and supported aid stations. You can camp at the start/finish for free and there are showers to go home clean. All of this makes Capon Valley 50K one of those little known races that really is a must do.

I do many running races, this is one of my favorites. I have a lot of good things to say when people ask me which one I like the most. Please keep improving on the same path you're on. I have nothing but kind and lovely things to say when asked. Thank You for a beautiful race.

Today's technology is amazing and sometimes makes me wish I was my sons age, 24 years young. Wrist watches with heart rates, GPS, altitudes, weather and such is incredible. The one I now wear only tells me heart rate. My average heart rate for Capon Valley race was 164. I have learned about Lactate threshold and followed my test results. My finish time says a lot about what I have learned. The watch I wear only tells me heart rate. My next one will tell a lot more. I'm looking foreward to wearing one with altitude. Until then I'll have to ask. What is Capons overall altitude gain? (editor's note -- course goes from about 175 feet at Club to about 2,000 feet at Hawk. CR) Thanks for a beautiful race and hope to see you next year.

My name is Dan Stasny and I wanted to commend you and all of your crew, helpers, cooks, and elves on a job done above and beyond the call of duty. It was truly an outstanding event. I also wanted to say "thank you" to the volunteer that tacked up the pie plate that read "we love and

support our troops"! Last month I returned from a 14 month overseas deployment and one of the things that helped me through the long hours was to daydream of all the wonderful ultras to be run when I came home. I would attempt to picture in my mind's eye the courses I had run and with whom I had run them with one of those courses being the Capon Valley 50K. As I ran in the race today I thought back over the past 14 months and a few times became a little emotional knowing that I was finally back in the green, lush mountains doing what I love and that those thousands of daydreams had finally found fruition. When I saw the pie plate it brought tears to my eyes and a welling in my throat. Here on this post in the middle of nowhere was an anynonomous message...a .50 cent Sharpie on a .05 cent pie plate that meant more to me than all the medals and awards they pinned on me as we ended our deployment. Thanks again, we'll see you next year ( I hope) for the 10th running!

Runner's Quotes: "We had an absolutely fantastic time ~ We have never run in such beautiful country ~ The most fun we've had in years ~ One of the most scenic runs I have ever run ~ Can't say enough about the volunteers, friendliness, cheerfulness and support ~ Congratulations to you and your staff on another great event¦ Course was spectacular ~ Aid stations were most excellent ~ Great trail marking ~ My favorite run ~ We'll be back every year.

Tallahassee Hillbillies: The Backyard Brawl
By Jeffery S. BryanMay 16, 2005

Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin' crude.

Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

Well the first thing you know ol' Jed's a millionaire,
Kinfolk said Jed move away from there
Said Florida is the place you ought to be
So he loaded up the Black F-150 truck and moved to Tallahassee.

Red Hills, that is.
Swimmin pools, politicos.

The Tallahassee Hillbillies!

Pitt vs. West Virginia. Panthers vs. Mountaineers. I bleed Panther Blue and Gold. Since the Pitt/Penn State matchup has gone into hiatus, there is nothing better than beating those hicks from Morgantown. How intense is this rivalry? Over the years even the stadium public address announcers have gotten in on the act. Several years ago, when the game was held in Pittsburgh, the stadium announcer stated over the loudspeakers: "Attention West Virginia Fans. Someone has left their lights on- will the owner of a tractor with the license plate E-I-E-I-O please go to the parking lot and turn your lights off." And do you believe, he actually got fired for that announcement.

A couple of months ago, Gordon Cherr inquired about my interest in going with him to West Virginia to run the Capon Valley 50K which is located in the Yellow Spring, West Virginia Greater Metropolitan Area. I was hesitant at first but with plenty of leave time to burn and stress to reduce, I decided that it sounded like a good idea. What better opportunity to dust off all my old West Virginia jokes from college and to run another ultra on mountain terrain?

I circled Saturday May 14, 2005 on my calendar. This was going to be my personal version of the Backyard Brawl. To paraphrase the wise sage, Terry Bradshaw, "If you are going to go into your neighbor's backyard then you better carry a big stick." I knew that meant that I would need to get myself into shape for this event. I had recently half-assed my way through a couple of ultras and knew that wasn't going to be the approach to take with this one. There was going to be some serious hills on this course and I wasn't going to let them make me "squeal like a pig".

Our trip got underway at O'Dark a.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2005. There was going to be some serious oil being burned as the trip is over 850 miles one way. We were going to be in need of millions of dollars just to get there and back. Where is Paris Hilton and her "Simple Life" when you actually need her?

Just because the 50K was in West Virginia, it didn't mean that we actually had to stay there. Our destination and base of operations was Winchester, Virginia. A small town about 15 miles across the line. We arrived in Winchester, approximately 15 hours after departure. What a breathtaking ride it is through the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.

Friday was spent doing the usual pre-race preparations. Locating the start of the race, hydrating, fueling, and trying to locate the nearest restroom. We also discovered that Winchester is proud of its heritage as some kind of center of the Apple universe. I'm not talking about Macs and I-Pods. This town has giant six foot tall painted apples all over the place. Some painted with farm scenery. Some painted with famous people such as Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. Even the mall was named after the apple.

Winchester also has a wonderful downtown outdoor walking mall in its Olde Town section. This mall spans several city blocks filled with eclectic art houses, the two Daily Grind Coffee Houses, the incredibly scenic Brewster's Pub, and Winchester's running store The Runner's Retreat. The Runner's Retreat is their version of Sportsbeat. It is locally owned by former elite runner Mark Stickley who ran for Virginia Tech in the early 80's. Mark proved to be a very gracious and entertaining host during our visit to his store. Upon hearing that we were from Tallahassee, he quickly asked if we knew Larry Greene and Herb Wills. I told him that I was a friend of Herb's and had only heard stories of Larry Greene. Mark shared with us how highly he thought of Herb and told us about their dual in the Metro Conference 10,000 meter championship (Mark actually won this race). He also told us a little about the experience of participating in the Olympic Trials Marathon of 1984 which Herb also attended.

Saturday morning came rather early. We had a 35 mile drive to make to the race start at Ruritan Park in Yellow Spring. When the directions include the language: "Cross the cement bridge, turn right on the River Road (just past the post office and general store) to the Ruritan Park on left" you know the place should not be that difficult of a place to locate. In fact, I was a bit surprised that the Tractor Store on the State Line was not even included as a landmark for which to watch!

The Capon Springs 50K course traverses the secluded mountain woods of Capon Springs and Farms. In consists of dirt roads, single track trails, grass fields, and more stream crossings than you wish to count. It has awe-inspiring views and the only known Hillbilly manned aide station.

The weather forecast was for temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's and it didn't fail to disappoint. Somehow, if Gordon and I decide to do the same ultra, hell like temperatures seem to be the norm. He could probably cause record highs in the Nome 50K in December!

Following the National Anthem and the release of the doves (homing pidgins in these parts), we were on our way down the road. The brutal hills came early and often. I was quickly joined on the road by Susie Kramer. Susie is a personal trainer from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania whose husband just happened to graduate from Pitt the same year as I. It was a real pleasure to have some great company for the start of the adventure.

The first aide station we reached was located in the race director's barn. I am totally serious. Leaving the barn, the trail became a single track meandering through some beautiful pines and slowing proceeding downhill towards the river. This section was only a little rocky by West Virginia standards and gently weaved back and forth across a stream. The trail bottomed out at the river which was 6.8 miles into the race.

Upon reaching the river, the trail made an abrupt left turn straight up. This section allowed us to use the wonderful hand/eye coordination for which runners are famous. The trail topped out at what can only be deemed a "shock and awe" experience. You came out of the woods on a powerline/firebreak where the trail disappeared completely from sight about six feet in front of you. The view in front was a huge mountain miles away with the firebreak running right up it. You couldn't help to think what was about to happen next. There was no way in hell that I was going to run up that thing! The trail we were on continued sharply downwards on loose shale and other strategically placed loose rocks. This is where Susie and I parted ways. Pennsylvania is definitely a better place than Florida to prepare oneself for this part of the course.

After safely descending the mountain, the trail proceeded to take you through more woods and fields. My race was cruising along pretty good through these middle miles. According to the race photographer and aide station workers, I was placed relatively high in the field. Nothing else really eventful was occurring from my perspective. However, the temperature was slowly creeping higher during this period. The open fields and unshaded dirt roads allowed the runners to fully appreciate this. It was during this segment of the race that I encountered the "Hillbilly" aide station. The course took us right through this poor family's front yard. They were decked out in their overalls and sitting in their rocking chairs on the front porch of a wooden house. Grandpa reminded me of Uncle Jessie from the Dukes of Hazzard and Dad resembled Ned Beatty. There is no telling what they thought of a bunch of people running this far on such a hot day. But bless their hearts. They had decided to do their part in helping with the event. They had Gatorade water coolers filled with ice water and coolers filled with bottles of Gatorade, Cokes, and Sprites. These were absolutely the coldest drinks that I received on the entire course. I'm sure that Grandpa would have offered up one of his Bud Lights if I had insisted. I thanked them for their hospitality and was on my way.

Somewhere between the 18.7 mile aide station and 24.4 mile aide station, destiny was about to occur. While with a group of five other runners, the evil spirit of former West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen caused us to be diverted off course. Our group took a 1 ½ mile sojourn straight up the wrong mountain. It was surely some kind of payback for Pitt's thrilling last minute win over the Mountaineers last fall. We got about two thirds of the way to the top before encountering some woman on a horse. No it was not Lady Godiva! Our group quickly formed into a mob tersely interrogating the woman as to if she had seen anybody else come this way. Being of absolutely no help, the group by majority vote deemed it best to head 1 ½ miles back down this mountain.

At the bottom, we quickly discovered the error of our ways and proceeded down the correct trail. Reaching the 24.4 mile aide station well over 2 hours after departing the last one, I was competitively done. My fluids had been depleted and I was in a state of mild dehydration. Enjoying the rest of the course and just finishing seemed to be the best options available. The course was so beautiful it was hard not to enjoy the rest of the day. Also, thoughts of the post race food didn't hurt to keep me moving down the trail.

Upon reaching the finish line, I was welcomed by Gordon. Unfortunately, his calf problem resurfaced after 18 miles and landed him on the buzzard wagon. I was really sorry to hear that he DNF'ed but his story about the trail-side medical treatment rendered by some fellow runner was hard not to find amusing.

Despite my extra mileage (free of charge of course), I must say that I am most pleased by the overall experience of this race. The scenery is wonderful. It is well organized, the beverages and food were plentiful, and the volunteers were friendly and made you feel right at home.

I took an extra day off from work today to recover from the race. I was able to get the lawn mowed before the spring shower came through midday. As I look out the window into my driveway, I really wonder whether a tractor would make a great second vehicle.

Well now its time to say good-bye to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You're all invited back again to this locality
To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality

Hillbilly that is. Set a spell. Take your shoes off. Y'all come back now, y'hear?

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Vowing that this would be my last ultra

Well....we asked for it!! It has been rumored that the course was a little short. Now with two added miles of hills, we're paying the price. As usual, I was asking myself "why am I doing this"? and as usual, vowing that this would be my last ultra...I'm sure the same thoughts that many of my fellow runners were having.

I was feeling the strain of the extra hills before I got to the third aid station. I'm usually pretty fresh up until the 5th, but, then again, my training was not up to par this year either....boy was that a mistake!

In spite of the new "tough" course, I still had those blissfull moments when I felt grateful to be a participant. Not everyone is able to trek through the beautiful West Virginia countryside like this.

Now that I'm home and recovered, I've decided that I won't give up ultras and this is one race that I will not miss. Next year I'll just train properly and go back and visit all those wonderful people who make this race so special.

C. Fondaco
NJ

Walker Williams feels more than the heat

I got off course, I paid dearly

My husband, Walker Williams, worried that he might not be able to complete this run, since he had not adequately trained for even a road marathon. I know my husband to be a mentally tough person. He does not give up easily in anything he wants to do. I also know that if I keep going, he also doesn't quit without a very good reason.

We both have done Capon before. It was 2003, when the course was short. I didn't remember the course being short, or heard anyone mention that it probably was short. We're back of the packers, so we don't usually hang around the front runners, especially when we were relatively new to the sport in 2003. But we do remember our amazingly fast times, along with numerous stream crossings, cool temperatures, and only two hills that were of any significance. So based on that, I told my husband that he could still finish without feeling totally wiped out.

The weather folks indicated that it'll probably be hotter day than Friday and Sunday. That got us a little worried. But what the heck. Summer's coming anyway.

It's Saturday morning, 4am, and we're leaving our home. I'm walking toward the car, and I notice that it's warm already. I'm glad to have packed cytomax, crystallized ginger, and other magical stuff that will keep us running/moving strong.

Walker asks me if I'll race or run today. I reply, "I plan to run." My friend, Monica Nop is running with us for the first few yards. Her friend, Keith, is running with us also. Keith has a problem with keeping his shorts from falling down. I'm laughing hysterically! I can't stop laughing! I'm laughing so hard that my stomach hurts!! Thank God he's getting way ahead of us now. If he heard me, or knew what I was laughing about, I hope he didn't take it personally. Later, Monica told me that, over the past several years, he lost a tremendous amount of weight. Good for you Keith. Very good for you.

I recognize the first aid station. I remember going by the power lines. That's about all. The rest was totally foreign to me. I wish I had paid more attention to Lynn's pre-race briefing. I do recall her telling us to FOLLOW THE RIBBONS, and READ THE PLATES. I went off course twice; both times, I followed the runners in front of me. The second time I got off course, I paid dearly. I was totally out of water full 30 minutes before reaching the aid station. I think I lost at least 30 minutes that time. The heat and the hills stirred up some negative thinking, so I was running with my head down, instead of looking for the next ribbon.

Let me back up. Before we got to aid 2, my husband had a spill, as he was running immediately behind me. A cut on his right arm was bleeding, so I tied his handkerchief around it to try to stop the bleeding. I stayed with him until we got to the aid station. He told me that the EMT folks took real good care of him there. He said that maybe they were more worried about him, noticing that he's probably eligible to collect social security.

It helped that I had been (and still am) practicing power-walking uphills. So I wasn't totally wasted after climbing, but my left toe was hurting badly on the downhills. I had my left shoe tied loosely, because my upper foot was hurting when I had the laces tied tighter. The number of ups and downs, along with the high temps and little breeze caused me (and others) to dig deeper this year at Capon Valley.

I'm not sure if we'll be back next year. It's not because we now don't like the race anymore. Like other ultrarunners, we love a good challenge. Capon Valley 50K is now a good challenge. HAT is still a good beginners course. We will be moving to Georgia this November to start a new life as entrepreneurs. May will not be one of our slower months, so the likelihood of us being able to run another Capon Valley is not very good. But we will have great memories of having done the easier and the more challenging Capon Valley. Lynn and I have not had much face time with one another, but I know so much about her that I feel as if she is one of my dearest friends. Walker and I were a part of the Tuscarora Trail stage race back in 2003, and to see the blue blazes of the TT brought back many great memories. I know that Lynn helped Joe Clapper when he did it alone a few years ago.

This was, indeed, a great experience. Good to have hills and heat this year, because I am going for my second 100-miler at Vermont on July 16-17, 2005.

Thanks Lynn! Thanks Kathy Malinowski!! Thanks to the retired Navy Aviation Mechanic Chief!!! Thanks to the wonderful woman who gave me ice at the very last aid station!!!! Thank you ALL very much.

Caroline E. Williams (nee, Caroline E. Leean-Stearns)

2003

RACE REPORT - Hamilton F. Tyler

I awakened on race day of the Capon Valley 50k (31 miles) on May 17, 2003 at 5:00 am, over an hour before my alarm was to go off. The race is held in the Capon Valley in West Virginia. The start is at Yellow Spring, West Virginia. I think I finally got to sleep at about 1:00 am because I was so keyed up for this race.

I had my standard breakfast of a banana, a bagel and a Powerbar. The weather was overcast, a slight drizzle and temperatures in the high 40s. It had been raining some that night and the past few days had been very wet. I headed down to the start which was scheduled for 8:00 am. As we assembled for the start, all of a sudden, instead of a gun or horn, there was a yell, "the course is open," and everyone took off. My time last year in this race was 4:38. I was shooting for sub-4:30 this year.

The first 2 miles are on roads with a couple of steep uphills. I ran at a reasonable pace, but did walk about 100 yards up the steepest uphill. I hit the first aid station at 2.9 miles in 23:13, including a stop to top off my water bottle. Because hydration was not going to be that big of an issue with the cool temperatures, I decided just to carry a plastic throwaway 17 oz. waterbottle.

Hitting the first stream crossing

The next section was long, a little over 6 miles. I ran some with a guy named Bill from Charleston, WV who was into adventure racing. We were making a pretty good pace. Just before the second aid station was the first of about 12 stream crossings.

I hit the second aid station at 9.3 miles in 1:16. I filled my water bottle quickly and bolted, wasting no time. I think it was during this section that I ran with another guy from West Virginia, Jason. We ran together for a mile or so until both he and Bill got away from me on a steep section. I was starting to breathe a little hard.

I think the power lines were in this section as well. The only pleasant thing about running the power lines was I got a pretty decent view, one of the few I got all day due to clouds. Other than that, the power lines were steep ups and steep downs. I walked a little of the really steep uphills. The downhills were so steep you really had to watch yourself and the wet shoes did not help any. I hit the third aid station which was around mile 13 in 1:46, close to an 8 minute pace which was well ahead of last year.

Racing into check point 5

I was now running more by feel than anything else. I started feeling a little better. I think I took a gel and a Succeed tablet right before the third aid station, so that probably helped. I ran with a group of 3 other guys for a few miles, including some particularly muddy sections. I hit the 4th aid station in 2:42 which is right around 20 miles. I think around there was the biggest climb which for most, including me, was a long hike uphill.

Once I got to the top I was rewarded with a nice long gradual downhill. I pulled away from the other 3 guys on the downhill, but knew they were not far behind. I felt good and started picking it up even more. There were more stream crossings and a tricky section with bad footing that was a climb out of the riverbed that was very slow.

I hit aid station 5 around 24 miles in 3:14. As I walked the next steep uphill, I could hear the 3 guys below me coming into the aid station and I started to run scared. I also pushed hard because it was only 4 miles or so to the last aid station and then it was mostly downhill on paved roads for the last 2.5 miles. I started to drag a little so I popped another gel and a Succeed tablet.

Sites on the finish line

I hit the last aid station at mile 28.5 in 3:48. I did not even stop and dropped my water bottle so I was not carrying anything. As I came out of the meadow and turned onto the road I caught a brief glimpse of Jason. I picked it up a little but never saw him again. The downhill was very fast and I could smell the finish line. I ran the last section in 18:22 for a finishing time of 4:06 and change.

I ended up 7th overall out of 164 finishers. 4:06 is a PR for me by 32 minutes. Only in an ultra can you better your PR by over half an hour. This was only my 4th 50k which also makes it a little easier to PR. At least 10 minutes of the improvement was gained by spending almost no time at the aid stations this year. I did not eat anything except gels on the run. It is also much quicker to fill a water bottle than a Camelback.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could run 4:06. The conditions were good for me with the low temperatures because I wilt in the heat. The course was very well marked although I talked to some people who had gone off course. Two runners were absolutely lost and not found until 6:00 p.m. A very good chicken dinner provided by the Yellow Spring Ruritans completed a great day. This is a great race. I highly recommend it, particularly to any first time ultra runners.

2002

By Steve Snyder #189 ("Part of the mid-herd slogging through the mud with a big ole wide West Virginia grin and a mouth full of peanut butter crackers")

Wet and wild, just the way Steve likes it

Old leather boots with nails driven down through the soles are what were needed at this year's Capon Valley 50K trail run over in Capon Springs, West Virginia..., and a pair of swimming goggles and a snorkel would have helped as well as the rain from the night before swelled the many many small creek crossings into wide deep chasms of whitewater. For inclement weather lovers, like I, it was a dream run in the kind of mud that burps and belches when one pulls a foot out of the hole it has quickly been thrown into. My shoes were gone most of the day, buried in mud or water or muddy water that at times was knee high or higher on my 6 foot 2 inch frame, and cold, cold like beer cooler water on my twitching heated muscles. It was not hard to enjoy the beauty of this eastern part of the State, the steep green hills wet with a light mist as the race went on across powerlines that snapped at the runners as they ran underneath, seams of water that bit at the bare legs, rocky slips to test the vertigo system and the groin muscles, inclines, declines, thoughts of delicious barbeque chicken waiting at the finish line. 179* runners is the last number I heard that started the run through the mud leaving sanity in the warmness of the Ruritan building.

Runners peaked ridges with open fields of hayweed and green grass and then ran through dark hollows thick with oak, maple and mock orange, moving ahead on the smiles of the support teams at the stocked aid stations. Aid station #4 had a reading of 47 degrees at noon on a recreational vehicle thermometer, so the support people were probably wishing for warmth also. This was the kind of race that builds character and kinship amongst participants and race support, the kind of race where men and women become mud and water on their way to terrific tasting chicken, the kind of race that makes one want to hug the race director Lynn Goleman because she knows how to make a 31 mile run safe and fun.

You bet I will be back next year, hollarin' and hootin', hoping it is mud and water again. Congratulations to all who competed this year in weather that makes this hillbilly writer/ultrarunner happy to be in the mountains.

* There were 179 registered runners, but only 161 starters.