Notes
More later but obviously Doug was a beast. His splits from 60 - 74 - 12:57, 12:42, 13:20, 13:05, 15:10,15:08, 12:40, 13:27, 16:44, 12:51, 14:37, 13:39, 13:13, 13:31, and the last .47 in 6:37. Amazing consistency.
After 2013 I knew I wanted to do this again because the entire experience is so cool. The overall vibe at the camp, running the trail at night, watching a person push themselves the way these guys do, it’s really hard to describe unless you’ve witnessed it. After some confusion getting to the middle of nowhere at night, I arrived at Camp Tevya around 7:30pm. I had no idea when Doug would come in but figured it would be somewhere between 9:30-10:30pm but I was nervous he would come in early and I would miss my chance to run with him. Get to the camp, find Cremer, met Wrigs, and get the generally update on everyone. Doug looks great, the others are doing well, etc. Chit chat for a while and realize it is starting to get colder. Put on an extra fleece coat, pull over pants, ski hat, and warmer gloves along with a blanket to wait it out in comfort. Just before 9pm Doug shows up barking orders about what he wants for his pit stop, and then continues on to do his little loop before getting his gear. He is all business. I strip down, start to get my GPS signal, and get ready to take off. It occurs to me that I haven’t run more than 8 miles in 4 months. We take off and Doug is running a pace that feels very fast. How the fuck has he been running for 12 hours but he comes out of the gate like this. We immediately start debriefing about the day, the weather, how things are going, the rain, the new part of the trail that eliminates the road, the part of the course that no longer requires you to jump the guard rail, etc. The trail doesn’t seem as rooty this year, it feels dry, and the trail is not muddy at all. We just plug away but Doug is amazingly focused. I am trying to talk to him about anything and we cover a ton of territory. Everyone few minutes Doug will say “ok. I need to walk”. Or ok, “let’s run”. He is locked in. He stops at the middle aid station and he tells me about his fueling routine. Soup, drinking, etc. He is very mindful of his calorie intake and seems very lucid. We mostly just focused on the next goal. The rail section. The root section. The technical section up and over the only hill on the course. Pumpkin bridge, The Tunnel. Doug would often make these little goals for himself, “Ok. Let’s run until we pass that next headlamp up ahead”. Over and over again. He was great about getting in and out aid stations quickly, not walking for long, and completely locked in to the Dos and Donts of what was ahead. Then the text messages from L Train started coming. Lots of math. “Wait, are you with him now?” and then we get the call. Lots of “You are fucking awesome” to Doug AND “Scorps – don’t fuck this up” to me. This was a fun little exchange around 10:30pm and happened just before we hit the aid station at the backend of the course. Doug grabs some pickles and a cup of pickle juice, fuels up, and we are back at it. No wasting time and that was a big focus for both of us. The return trip was much quieter. Less talking but more focus on the next thing and it finally dawned on me how important the little goals were for Doug so that became the focus. Next head lamp. Walk the downhill. Watch the roots. Lots of math. “Our goal to get to the other side was 2 hours but we made it in 1:40. Ok. That will give us some cushion” Over and over. We see Michelle up ahead and we stop quickly, get some hugs, and continue on. She sticks out because she has this light up vest and these weird things that also light up her hands so she really stood out. My major mistake as a pacer was the fact that I was more focused on getting Doug in and out of the halfway aid station rather than focusing on the check list of calories, drink, etc. He didn’t drink enough and by the time I mention it we are long gone. Fuck. During this entire time it doesn’t seem like we walk for more than 2 minutes which is unreal. The other thing that was amazing to me was the fact that neither one of us fall. Not 1 time. This is a miracle considering in 2013 I fell no less than 179,218 times. Cremer is my witness. I do almost go down 1x but recover nicely. Now Doug is very focused on running once we hit the camp. He never said it but there was a certain “Fuck you. I’m not walking” tone to his voice. Very determined. He also started rattling off his list. Ibuprofen. Muscle Milk. Coconut Water. Gatorade. Ask Richard if he has hotdog for me. “A hotdog? Really?”. Yes. I need a bun too. Very definitive and he knew what he wanted. Almost like he rehearsed it with himself. Doug finishes his little loop and I start debriefing Cremer. I talk about his fueling (good), my F up at the last aid station, his need for goals. The headlamp thing. ETC. Cremer flipped a switch as well and got very locked In and I could tell he was taking mental notes about his leg. The mission was on. Then he and Doug take off. I can’t even describe how strong he was. There were times early on when I wondered how I would keep up with him and if I could sustain the pace. You have to realize that these 13 minute paces including walking at a 20 min pace (+/-) so that the overall running pace would have to compensate for that. I really have no words for what I witnessed of for the Ghost Train experience in general. Selfishly, I needed this experience and thanks to Doug for letting me help out.