100 mile "before and after" self portraits.
I have told many people who have asked me why I chose to run 100 miles that everyone once in their lives should have their very own ROCKY story. I knew the Oil Creek 100 mile trail run would be mine. I had no idea just how close it would come to that. This was my first 100-mile ultra marathon. It was my impossible dream. I now know nothing is impossible.
Preparing for this adventure was four months of the most intense training of my life. I lost close to 40 pounds since June and I owe everything to my amazing running coach, Lisa Smith Batchen, who trained me to complete the race. I could not have done it without her. I followed her coaching and guidance to the letter and I will never forget what she has done for me.
I had traveled to beautiful Oil Creek State Park during my training for a 30-mile run. I knew how tough the course would be. It had 35,570-feet of elevation change. Race day brought new challenges that I did not expect -ankle deep mud, wet and slippery ground and dense fog that made it extremely difficult to see while running at night. There were also unexpected joys. The aid station volunteers were like family. I truly felt love for them. Soup had never tasted so good and encouraging smiles never felt so warm.
Photo courtesy of Charlie Houpt
During the race I always knew that my wife Jen and our friends Andrea, Shane and JT would be waiting for me at aid stations. The thought of seeing them kept me going. While running, I listened to my iPod when I needed to and kept coming back to the same voice. My 4-year-old daughter Emily encouraging me. “You can do it Daddy, I can believe in you, I know you can run 100 miles.” Her voice would drive me to an emotional edge. I knew I would not quit. I would not end without running one hundred miles, even if that meant having to finish the race on my own. It almost came to that. I arrived at one aid station at 85.3 miles with six minutes to spare before I was pulled from the race. I told my wife “This is probably not going to happen. Whatever happens, I am running 100 miles. I am not stopping.” My wife and crew never stopped believing in me but they were putting plans in motion for how and where I could complete my dream past the 32-hour cut off time. To complete the race I would need to run faster. I think it was around mile 87 I simply let everything go. I ran as hard and fast as I could and I was screaming, crying on the trail. I was happy. The happiest place and time of my life. God was with me on the trail, nothing would ever again sway my belief. Nothing would ever be the same. “Trust Me.” A voice beating in my heart and my head mixing in with the sweet sound of my daughter. I was whooping and hollering and screaming with joy and laughter.
I’ll take you back to the beginning. I decided to run 100 miles with one purpose. It was my desire to seek God and know Him again. Every training run, every mile was a step for me back into the relationship I let slip away. Those who know me best know that the most powerful words I have ever read are Jeremiah 29:13 “If you seek Me with all your heart and all your soul, then you will find Me.” Everything was about this … every moment, every step was a desire to live those words.
Photos of the race by Jeremy Lock can be found here: http://tiny.cc/VMQvq
7 comments:
We aid station volunteers felt love for you too. Thank you for sharing your journey with us! Katie -- AS 3
God certainly was hovering on the mountain during the races. I felt His presence too. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Your journey made me cry and I look forward to attempting my first 100 in the spring.
Great job, Tom! While I was inside the school in the shower, my wife watched you finish and I heard all about it. (I was only a few runners ahead of you) Don't ever think of yourself as last. As a fellow veteran 100 miler tells me often, look at who started: you were 48 of 84 starters...not last place, by a long shot. It was a brutal course and I know you are a changed man because of it...I know I am. I also completely get what you're talking about when you meet Him on the trails...I experienced similar things myself, especially through the night when the stars were out in abundance.
I love the plaque you got, by the way. My buckle is currently in my pocket at work...it hasn't left my side since I finished. :-)
Congratulations to you and thanks for sharing!
Nick
#75...finisher
Your story is amazing. I'm training for a half-marathon currently and it seemed like such a massive mountain. Now it feels like such a molehill in comparison. Thank you so very much for your inspiring story. God bless you.
Congratulations, Tom. And welcome to the 100-mile club! Your run took incredible guts and it was heart-warming for me (a married dad, like yourself) to read about how you found inspiration from your family, even though you were solo on the trails!
Thank you for sharing.
- Garett Graubins
Tom, what a moving post and an incredible journey. So glad you got to achieve your dream and we got to be there in spirit with you through it!
What a great story and an amazing accomplishment of human endurance. Thank you for sharing it Tom. It amazes me how anyone can accomplish anything that they truly set their mind and heart to do. All it takes is faith, determination, persistence, and a lot of help from those who love and support you. It was a pleasure to treat you 3 days before the race and hope that it helped you accomplish your amazing feat of endurance.
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