Month: November 2023

by Matt Brophy, Jason Karpinski, Steve Vida, Cody Harris, Brittni Harris, and Michelle Henry

MATT: This was my third trip to Oil Creek in as many years. In 2021, Steve Vida and I headed out there with our crews, as we attempted to complete our first 100-milers in what turned out to be a rainy mudfest. The following year, I went back as a pacer for Steve, as he gave it another go, and we were joined by Michelle Henry (Steve’s sister) and her niece (Steve’s daughter) who both ran the 50k. This year there were FOUR Pacers competing (Cody Harris, Jason Karpinski, and Curtis Musser in the 100-miler; Michelle Henry in the 100k), and several more playing supportive roles (Brittni Harris, Lisa Domeshek, Julia Hager, Sheri Golembiewski, Steve, and myself). How could we not have fun?

Let’s hear from Jason, first, the only one among the 4 Pacers competing with prior experience at a 100.

now that’s a power-nap

JASON: My experience at Oil Creek was drastically different than my first 100-miler at Eastern States last year. The most noticeable difference was that the course was far less technical with a lot less climbing. This made for a much quicker pace throughout the entire race–so much so, that I set a 9-hour PR in this distance.

The start of race day was far from smooth as I forgot my phone in the car, which was needed to show a picture of my ID in order to acquire my chip-timing anklet. Once I retrieved my phone, I forgot why it was needed until we began to walk to the start line from the school cafeteria at Titusville Middle School. Talk about panic! I immediately did an about-face and ran back in, where I heard many volunteers asking, “Are you bib #14?” With my timing chip secured, the race began promptly at 5:00AM.

Loop 1 began and we all broke into what we believed was a conservative pace along the bike path which led us into our first taste of the trails of Titusville. Every race begins with nervous energy in anticipation of what the race will become, and to me every early conversation feels like an icebreaker, whether or not you know the individual you are speaking to. This nervous energy was managed well as I did not feel as if my effort was over-extended. My shoes, Nike Zegamas, have a heel-cup with a hard plate which I never felt prior to race day. This plate began to dig into my left Achilles, and by the end of Loop 1 I had noticeable pain which caused uphill hiking to become difficult. This pain became an advantage as I realized I was able to jog uphill with less pain.

Loop 2 was much more of an adventure than Loop 1. With my Achilles becoming an issue, I pushed the pace through 47 miles. Then, all of a sudden a wave of tiredness washed over me. I held on for a bit before deciding to lie down on a trail-side bench. I put my feet on the back of the bench to alleviate the Achilles pain and set a timer for five minutes. When my timer rang, I looked up to see Cody trotting ever-so steadily down the trail followed closely by the third female runner at the time. [Editor’s note: Cody did NOT see Jason, and was later confused about how he got in front of him.] Immediately my timer was reset, and I slept for another five minutes. Once this 10-minute nap was complete, I proceeded down the trail and spent the next 9 miles stumbling and sleep-walking, until I reached a point at which I broke out of this zombie-like state: I opened my eyes and realized I was 10-15 feet off the trail. I told myself to snap out of it and push the next 10k back to the turnaround. This pep talk– or smack-me-in-my-face argument with myself–helped get me through to the next stage of the race.

Loop 3 was preceded by a change of shoes into my brand new off-the-shelf Altra Lone Peak 7s. Immediately I could feel the comfort difference. I knew the damage was done to my Achilles; however, I knew it would not get worse with the change of shoes. After a quick meal of grilled cheese, pizza, and noodles in chicken broth, washed down with a cup of Coke, I was off to complete the last large Loop. Sleepiness began to hit me as I rolled into the Petroleum Center aid station for the final time around mile 75. At this point I looked at Steve Vida and said, “I need you for the last 25!” I changed out of my wet clothes and into a dry shirt and rain jacket, and laid down on a cot until woken up by Steve at midnight as instructed. We began the final 25 miles by pushing the largest climb with a surge of energy in an attempt to drop the couple runners who left immediately after us. This effort worked, but potentially at the cost of too much energy expenditure. The next 16 miles became a battle of exhaustion vs. determination. I took three significant breaks which I can remember: 3 minutes sitting on moss-covered log; 5-8 minutes by the fire at Aid Station #3; and most memorable was the final 5 minute rest trail-side in a pile of wet leaves. Patiently, Steve waited each time in the cold rain until it was time for me to continue.

STEVE: I was pacing Jason through the middle of the night, and he was getting tired.  And by that I mean sleepy. He already napped at the aid station before we set out on this segment, but that was hours ago. Now I’m watching him drift side-to-side on the trail like someone sleepwalking. Finally he says that he’s going to lie down and sleep. I’m trying to process what this means – because I’m tired too. But there’s no time to object, he’s already lying down, telling me: “Oh, this is kinda damp”, and he’s OUT. 

I struggled for a minute, wondering if we were making a mistake. But I settled on the thought that this is what he needs most right now. Then I spent the next 10 minutes just staring into the woods, listening to the rain fall on us, and laughing to myself about how we got to such a crazy, sublime, and peaceful moment. Eventually I started to get cold, so I woke Jason, he bounced right up, and we continued – much refreshed.

JASON: The final nap seemed to unlock a level I was not aware I possessed. With about 8 miles to go, we came out of the woods and onto the flat section around the Drake Museum. I began to pick up the pace as I realized there was one runner potentially catchable and a possible sub-27 hour finish. Steve and I dropped to an 8:45 pace as we entered the school. I grabbed food while Steve filled my bottles and we continued to push this last 7-mile loop. We completed the loop in an hour and 35 minutes with a final mile of 9:33.

restrained, methodical, and oh so strong

BRITTNI: The Oil Creek 100 was unknown territory for me, and I knew it would be fundamentally different than any other race I had experienced. I’m not new to crewing–over the past 9 years, I have crewed Cody in dozens of races. However, prior to Oil Creek, his longest race had been 100k, and he had always managed to finish before sunset. I had never crewed him overnight, and I never had to worry about  him being on trail for 24 hours. 

Heading into race day we had a plan, a back up plan, a color coordinated fueling schedule, and several milk crates full of food, gels, coke, water, shoes, socks, anti-chafe, band-aids, backup packs, and hiking poles. I was ready to go and tackle whatever the day sent my way. I even wore my best overalls with all the pockets, and stuffed them full of extra gels and gummy bears, just in case. 

The race kicked off at 5 a.m., and I watched Cody, Jason, and Curtis trot off into the dark. Michelle was running the 100k, which started just an hour later, but I was too nervous that I would miss Cody at the next aid station to wait and see the start. So,  I immediately left for Petroleum Center, and then promptly waited a good 3 hours before he showed up.

CODY: Oil Creek started out similar to Worlds End 100k. I was not as nervous as I was in previous years. I used to feel nauseous and have trouble eating the morning of big races. This morning I had my 2 small breakfast burritos and a cup of hot tea (not my normal English breakfast tea because Brittni forgot to pack it).

I believe Brittni and I were the first Pagoda Pacers to the middle school; we prepared my pack, and I did some pre-race exercises. Soon enough I saw Curtis and Jason.  We exchanged “good morning,” and went about our preparations.  At 4:45 I headed into the middle school to hear the pre race information. There was not much for the race director to say, so we headed out to the start line. After a few pictures with Jason and Curtis, we waited for 5 a.m. and the start of the race.  

Loop1: From the start of the race, a group took off in front of me. It was a group of 5 or 6, which surprised me, because that was a pretty high percentage of a small field of competitors. I knew I should not go with them because their pace was not close to what I could do for 100 miles. So I settled into a comfortable pace which resulted in Jason, Curtis, and I running together for the first mile on an asphalt path. Soon we hit the single track trail. Jason led, with me next, then Curtis. Jason and I stayed in close proximity until we saw our crew for the first time, and I would not see Curtis again until brunch on Sunday.

I am not sure why, but over the first 14 miles my energy and enthusiasm was the lowest I had ever experienced at the start of a race. This state of mind could have been the result of a few things. It could have been the darkness. At Worlds End, it felt like the sunrise was instantaneous, whereas at Oil Creek, it felt like the darkness was never going to end. It could have been some fear because of what I was attempting, or it could have been the disappointment of knowing so many people were in front of me. I think it was a combination of all 3. Soon enough the sun did start to rise which lifted my spirits. Then came my first visit to Petroleum Center which got my head back into the race. At this point I was in 8th place. Brittni was ready with my stuff, and we made a quick exchange and I was back on the trail.  

The miles started to pass smoothly.  A female runner soon caught up to me, and this woman would do this for most of the first 100k. I would move quickly through an aid station and get a lead, then she would catch me a few miles later, but would not pass me. I did catch 1 person. It was clear to me that he had gone out too fast. After about a mile of him trying to run with me and at times messing up my flow by trying to pass me back, I pushed to create a gap that he could not overcome.

As I headed back to the middle school, I saw 3 of the leaders and they were nearly 2 miles ahead of me.

Loop 2: When I got to the end of the first loop, I realized I was hungry, despite the fact that I thought I had been eating a lot of gels and snacks. So I took a PB&J and some Fig Newtons from the aid station and headed out for loop 2.

I also realized my slow pace was not slow enough, and I would need to try to show more restraint on the next lap. I kept my attention on maintaining an easy pace, eating, and hydrating. At the water-only aid station, I nearly stepped on a 4-foot black snake. The young kids tracking bib numbers did not see it lying in the sun about 15 feet from them.

At about mile 58, I came across an individual from the lead pack at the start. I passed them, and said a simple “hello”  as I did not know what else to say because they were clearly hurting and their race was going awry. As I got close to the middle school, I saw Matt and in our conversation he mentioned that I passed Jason. This was a total surprise because I did not see Jason. For a brief moment I was very concerned that Jason may be missing.  Soon someone told me he was texting and he had stopped to take a nap on a bench, which I missed. At the end of loop 2, I was now 4th place.  

For the first time in a race I decided to change socks, and reapply bag balm to my feet. I kept the same shoes because they were dry and working for my feet.

BRITTNI: For me, crewing is a solo activity. It is incredibly boring and also exciting and nerve-wracking in the craziest way possible. The majority of my time is spent standing around staring into the woods, just waiting for Cody to pop out of the trees. Then he gets to the aid station, and it is a frantic scramble to switch  bottles, restock food, get him an extra layer, take the headlamp or give him the hiking poles. The scramble only takes a few minutes, and ends just as quickly as it started.  

However, the crewing at Oil Creek was different. It wasn’t just me staring into the woods waiting for my runner; it was a whole group of Pagoda Pacers supporting all of the runners. When I had a suspicion that Cody might not be eating enough, Steve and Matt were able to confirm it and urge him to eat more at the next aid station. When a runner would come into the aid station, one of us would refill the pack while the other one grabbed food from the tables. I was no longer a one woman army, but part of a team, and it felt wonderful.

CODY: I headed out for my 3rd and final 50k loop. Brittni warned me rain showers would arrive around 8pm, so I took my raincoat.  As I headed out the paved path to the trail, I came across another individual from the lead pack. I ran past him as he walked down the path. I was now in 3rd. Then, as I crossed a road, I heard a voice I knew shouting “Way to go!”  It was Jason heading in to finish lap 2.  It was great to see him, and see his enthusiasm.

From there I headed back out on the trail. Quickly the sun started to set, and I was back to running in the dark. Then, as Brittni had predicted, around 8pm the rain started to come down. I had to stop to put my raincoat on. As I was doing that, a headlamp started to catch up to me, but I started moving before it caught me. I think this was the woman that kept catching me after aid stations, and this would be the last time I saw her.

I finally reached mile 76 where I got to pick up Matt Brophy who would pace me to the finish. I arrived a little earlier than expected, which surprised Brittni and Matt.  While Brittni swapped out my bottles, Matt grabbed his gear, and without delay we were on the trail.  Matt and I talked a little bit during the climb out of the aid station, but I quickly fell back into my routine which does not include a lot of talking. The night started to get cold, and it continued to rain off and on. I found that while I was moving, I was warm, but I would start shivering if I stopped moving. So I had to keep going. The time sped by pretty quickly, but the miles were starting to wear on me and everything on my body started to hurt. I had picked up my hiking poles at the end of loop 2, and I was getting good use out of them for powering up climbs and support on the descents. I finished loop 3 and had completed 93 miles. So all I had left was the going home loop.

MATT: As I tried to squeeze in a few moments of shut-eye in the Harris-mobile, Brittni assured me Cody wouldn’t be arriving until 10 p.m. at the earliest. Moments later, I heard her yelling, “MATT! HE’S COMING! WAKE UP!” Luckily I had my running clothes on under my jeans and hoody, so I was able to strip down, chug a couple 5-Hour Energies, pop out of the car, throw on my pack, and join Cody on the trail.

“I just downed a couple 5-Hour Energies, so I should be good for 10 hours,” I told him. Apparently he and Brittni thought I was joking until they found the empty little bottles in the car later.

BRITTNI: The longest stretch that I was alone was between aid station 2 on lap 3, when Matt started to pace Cody, and the end of the race. I saw them again briefly when they came into aid station 4 to head out on the “going-home loop,” but then I was alone again. Everyone else was either on the trail pacing someone or getting some much needed rest. The alone time was a stark contrast from the rest of the race, when there were always a few Pagoda Pacers to chat with and pass the time. 

For a while I was standing at the middle school aid station drinking buckets of coffee and snacking on the gummy bears that had been riding around in my pockets all day, staring into the dark and looking for headlamps. But it wasn’t long before Lisa joined me, and suggested we do something more productive like go stand on the corner so we could stare at the darkness from a different angle, but ultimately see the incoming runners better.

CODY: The start of the “going-home loop” was more of the same. Matt and I worked our way to a bridge and the last big climb that Matt had been talking about since we left the aid station at mile 76. [“Wait til you see that hill,” Matt had said too many times. “It’s a real kick in the nuts!”] At this point Matt and I see 2 lights on the hill across the bridge. Matt immediately understood the lights had to be 2nd place, but I was in disbelief. We had been racing for 97 miles and I had not seen a 100 mile runner for over 30 miles (7+ hours). I told him they had to be out here for something else because in my mind we had been racing for 23 hours and there was no catching 2nd place. Everything switched when I heard the runner’s voice. It really was 2nd place! At that point, the race was on in my mind. We were climbing the hill, and I knew the runner was moving slower, but I did not want to be dumb and exhaust myself catching them, which sounds funny to say that knowing I had been running for 23 hours at that point and was already exhausted. So I kept a steady pace, eventually caught up, then passed the runner and pushed to try and create a gap.  Then, as I crested the hill, I forced myself to run, thinking the runner may try to catch me. So I ran for as long as I could before I needed to take a break and walk. From there, Matt and I headed back into the middle school and the finish line. At this point, most of the spectators had left or were resting up for their runner, but I was lucky enough to have Brittni and Lisa there to cheer me on. I finished 2nd in 23:29:22.

MATT: Cody was a total beast on that final hill as he moved into 2nd place and accelerated away from his demoralized competitor. I could barely keep up with him. I ran about 25 miles with him, total, and I’m pretty sure he ran the last 10 faster than the first 15. It was like he was getting stronger at the end as he smelled the barn (and a sub-24, 2nd place finish)!

BRITTNI: Eventually Matt and Cody rounded the corner, and crossed the finish line. I had never been more proud of him or more exhausted. I had also never been more grateful for the support and friendship of the ultra running community and more specifically, the Pagoda Pacers.

is this article too long for you to finish? that’s ok–michelle’s race was too long for her to finish. so, you know, she gets it.

MICHELLE: My story about OC 100 isn’t quite the same story of Cody and Jason. In fact, it ends with a DNF – my second. And that’s OK (or so I tell myself). Weeks later I’m still l unsure how I feel about it, which has had me back and forth on whether I’d be contributing to this fun race report. Last night at 6:30pm I told Matt I’d try to come up with something. I, in fact, did not come up with something. I honestly just didn’t want to think too much about it. At 7:50 this morning, I told Matt to go ahead with the write up he had from others because I felt like I didn’t have much to contribute. Well, my exact text was “OK. Sorry I just don’t know what to say…Hi, I went into 100k with 150 miles for the year. Shit a lot, made it to 38, called it a day. Will be back next year.” So, if you don’t want to know more, you can stop there. That’s it in a nutshell.

But if you want to know the why and a little bit more, you can keep reading. I’ve been trying to get someone to write a DNF story for the newsletter for the last 2 years (while I avoided writing my own last year) AND a story of the heart that gets at what it means to be a member of the Pagoda Pacers.

While I didn’t walk away with the finish, I did walk away with: 

1. Distance PR
2. A wonderful weekend with the most supportive and best people I know
3. A Pagoda Pacer experience that I have been wanting for a while 
4. The confidence in knowing that I can, and will, get this finish next year 

Why would I sign up for a 100k with so little experience and training? Well, I blame it on beer and my brother. I mean, obviously it seemed like a good idea at the time. In that moment I had plenty of time to put in the work to be ready to accomplish this new distance. Here’s the thing: Oil Creek boasts tremendously generous cut-off times for the 50K and 100K distances. So, with me being a slow runner, I knew that if I’m going to tackle 100K, this is the race to make that happen. Also, I’m familiar with the course after being on it the previous 2 years – 2021 seeing the first half as a pacer (at least as much as I could see in the dark with rain dumping on us) and completing the 50K last year. It only made sense to go back out there a 3^rd time with an increased distance goal. Plus, I already planned on being there since I was expecting to crew Jason for the 100-miler. 

Once Steve gave me the “It’ll all work out” when I was voicing my main concerns (read “excuses”) of (A) Can I make it 62 miles? (2) Can I do it within cutoff time? and (III) Who the hell is going to crew Jason now? I registered. 

As soon as I made it known that I was in, I secured my pacers/crew of my BFFs Lisa and Jules. They both pretty much told me they were taking on these roles, so I didn’t even have to ask which was perfect! And as an added bonus, I would have them there to celebrate with me at the finish line! I admit I had some reservations: Lisa is usually in bed by 9, so how would she handle the late night/no sleep crewing and pacing me the last 17 miles. Jules had been tackling knee issues as recently as 2 weeks prior to the race; can she go 14 miles with me overnight? Let me tell you, they both impressed and went above and beyond in their roles before, during, and after the race. In fact, I’m pretty sure they would have volunteered their stomachs–digesting my fuel for me–if it were possible, just to get me to the finish line. 

Race morning, all is well. We see the 100 mile runners (Jason, Cody, and Curtis) off at 5am, and now I’m nervously chatting in the cafeteria with Jules, Steve, and Sheri until it is my turn to start at 6. I spent the first hour or so of my run alone in the dark, singing to myself, making random noises and tapping my running poles together because any sound I heard was automatically a bear in my mind. Eventually the sun came up and I settled in to have a great time on this course that has become a favorite of mine, partly because it is beautiful and very runnable, but also due to the feelings of nostalgia it brings me thinking back on the experiences of the last 2 years we’ve been out here. 

I hit the first crew accessible AS and see Jules & Lisa at about 14 miles in (10:30am) and all is still good. I feel great, just saw all my favorite parts of this course, and now I get to see my BFFs and check on how our other runners are doing. It is shortly after this, maybe 5 miles out, that I had my first hint of GI issues – a first-time issue ever for me. After ducking behind trees quite a few times over the next 11 or so miles and taking in little food or drink, I get to a bridge and see Steve from a distance waiting for me. I tell him what’s going on, and he continues to encourage me by letting me know that I’m doing great, have plenty of time, and it’s still early enough to get food in me and still make this happen. I tell him to text Lisa to her know that I need to be sent out with a decent amount of TP for the second loop. 

I make it to the AS at the school to complete my first 50K loop at 12.5 hrs. This is about 30 min. behind what I was aiming for, but not bad considering the lack of training, all the unplanned nature stops, and the intake v. output of my body – ew. 

Anyway, while at the AS, I see Cody being tended to by Brittni. After taking time for a real potty break, footcare, ginger ale & ramen, and finding out the latest status of our other runners, I’m excited to head off and tackle the 2^nd loop starting with Jules and show her some fun things on course. We have a quick fly by with Jason on our way out of the AS as he is coming in. Unfortunately, more of my GI issues continue, this time with basically 0 fluid & food intake, the addition of rain and darkness upon us, and temps dropping. We make it 7ish miles to the next AS where I am able to take in some broth and strawberries…but who knows if that will keep in my stomach and I know I’ll burn through that quick and be back to feeling as bad as I felt coming into the AS. I go back and forth in my head, but ultimately make the call to end my race there. My body is feeling the effects of about 18-19 total miles of minimal intake, and I know it just isn’t a safe or wise decision for me to go further. 

Jules and I hop into the nice warm car back to the school to meet back up with Lisa. Along the way, even though I know I made the smart decision, I can’t help but feel like I let my friends down.

After meeting Lisa at the school, the 3 of us head back to the caboose for some giggles and snoozes in between text updates of the runners still out on course until it was time to head to the finish line to wait for the last of our runners to cross…which the 3 of us ding-dongs ended up missing….oops! 

In conclusion, I made it 38 miles, which is a distance PR for me. I’m proud of what I accomplished, but not satisfied with the outcome. Does that make sense? That’s OK, I’m going back for the finish next year. 

__________________________

Enough about all that–here’s the part that makes my heart happy and my favorite takeaway:

Over the past few years, I have heard tons of fun stories and seen many pictures of Pacers traveling in globs to participate in races outside of our general area. I have always thought to myself, man I really wish these sorts of travel race experiences still happened. Of course there are some that do happen, on a smaller scale, but in general it is not a regular occurrence. At least not one that I’m a part of.  

Turns out, my wish came true.

What started out as one Pacer signing up, turned into 2 and just kept snowballing and packing on more Pacers to join in on the weekend of fun as competitors, crew, and literal pacers.

The weeks leading up to the race were filled with group texts, post-WNR conversations, and get-togethers to offer words of encouragement, pump each other up, check in on how everyone was feeling, make sure everyone had what they needed, etc. This amped up the anticipation of the weekend and the feeling that we were now all in this together. 

The long hours each crew spent waiting on their own runner were made less daunting by the company and laughter of the other crews also waiting in anticipation for their runner to show up. Each crew was happy to jump in and help in any way needed, no matter which runner was in the chair, because ultimately each person there selflessly gave their time to help support and encourage each other in reaching a goal and THAT is what the best part of the weekend was about. 

In the end, it isn’t the DNF and the finishes or finish times that get talked about. It’s the memories of the time spent together, the support and camaraderie, the silly stories and experiences that get shared and live on. 

If you haven’t done something like this yet, I cannot recommend enough that you gather a bunch of running friends (BONUS if they’re Pagoda Pacers), pick a race, and make it happen. Hell, OC100 2024 is a great opportunity to pull this off. There are 4 distances to accommodate different abilities with generous cutoffs for 50K and 100K if you’re thinking of moving up in a distance but are worried about time. The aid stations are great and on par with Blues Cruise. Course is ridiculously well marked. AS are easy to navigate for crew. If you decide you want in on the adventure next year, I’ll see you there!

not everyone has time to write race reports

MATT: Just wanted to end with a shout-out and apology to Curtis. I didn’t give everyone much time to contribute to this article, and he wasn’t able to write down any reflections by the deadline. Maybe he’ll share something for next month?

But in case you’re wondering, Curtis, like Michelle, achieved an impressive distance PR (75+ miles), despite a DNF. He was moving well, far ahead of cut-offs, and then had to drop due to a respiratory issue. But he covered A LOT of ground out there, was in great spirits the next morning, and I’m betting he’ll be back.