Reach the Beach Relay, 09/27/02-09/28/02

This past weekend 6 local runners competed in the Ultra Distance division of the Reach the Beach Relay. The 6-man team ran the 201 mile distance from Bretton Woods Ski Area to Hampton Beach in 24 hours even, an average pace of 7:12 per mile, finishing 2nd in the Ultra Distance Division and 18th overall. The team members were David Smith and Chris Blanchette from Rochester, Don Foley from Pembroke, John Tuttle and Dan Poliquin from Alton, and Craig Stephan from Madbury. The two drivers were James Smith and Don Yeaton.

The adventure began Friday morning at 8:30 AM when the 6 team members and 2 drivers met at David Smith’s house to load the cars. In preparation, we had bought 24 cans of coke, 24 bottles of water, 48 bottles of Gatorade, pop tarts, peanut butter and jelly, cereal bars, fig newtons, and other foods. As we loaded the vans with the coolers and the many bags of clothing and dozens of pairs of shoes, it looked as though we were going to be away for weeks.

We left Rochester around 9:15 and arrived at Bretton Woods in time for our team photo and our 1:00 PM starting time. The relay started really well with John Tuttle running the best time of the day for any team on the first leg, a 4.1 mile run to the mountain summit and back. The original first leg was 3.1 miles, but due to construction at the ski resort, the race took a different trail and the 200 mile relay became 201 miles. Soon after the start, the rain began. Leg 3 took us through Crawford notch, where the rains picked up and the winds intensified as they were channeled through the notch. During the night, there were periods of heavy rains, but by 4:00 AM the rains had stopped and the roads began to dry out. The weather made for a comfortable run, and we had very little need for water along the course. In the morning when the sun came out, the temperatures went up greatly and we were faced with summertime conditions.

With the cloudy, rainy night, we had very little light to help us find our way. The rules of the race stipulated that from 6PM to 6AM each runner had to wear a reflective vest, use a flashlight, and wear 2 blinking lights, one in front and one in back As we ran through the night on the roads of New Hampshire, we saw one blinking light after another. Because we started running at 1:00 PM, many slower teams that started earlier in the day were ahead of us. By the time nightfall came, we were in a position to begin passing many of these teams who had started 30 minutes to 5 hours ahead of us. I started one 7.4 mile leg at 2:30 AM and relied mostly on the light from the sky and houselights that residents had left on for the runners. It was so peaceful to be out running in the middle of the night in a steady rainstorm. On each leg throughout the night, we passed an average of 5 teams. I’d look ahead about ¼ mile and see a “rabbit” with the red blinking light and a few minutes later, I’d say “good work” as I passed. The people were all out having a great time, and the challenge of catching them always inspired us to run faster. As I went by, some people had a few words for me, while others were too exhausted and remained silent. On one leg, a lady jokingly said with the least bit of windedness, “You are surely going way too fast.” By the time that we reached Hampton Beach, our team had gone by around 120 teams.

During the race, people wore many different outfits while running. Some wore heavy tights and a long sleeved shirt and a coat, while some wore a singlet and shorts during the same leg. One guy from Buffalo wore tights on a leg where I wore a singlet. Being from Buffalo, I figured that he’d be used to the colder temperatures.

Throughout the day and night, each runner had to run in every 6th leg and could rest only for only 3 to 4 hours before the next leg. We all got very little sleep and had to keep eating to be energized for the legs to come. Some of us got a few winks of sleep between legs. Everyone in the Sudiemobile, David Smith’s mothers van, was aided to a nice nap by the Spongebob Squarepants pillow. James took full advantage if his day away from school to catch up on some sleep during the night. Don, our intrepid driver, and John Tuttle were co-winnners of the Rochester Runners Owl Award for staying up all night. Both men called on the help from some form of caffeine or another, but we have no official drug testing for this award.

With the rains throughout the day and night, we all had plenty of drenched laundry. The smelly socks, shorts, and shirts began to pile up and the air began to get a bit ripe. We had a few shorts lying around the vans to allow them to dry for our next leg. The worst-smelling vehicle award went to the green van. The 4 guys in that van had the strongest odor of a mixture of Bengay, B.O., and wet laundry. The Bengay, although a nicer smell than the other odors, was not strong enough to overpower them. Don Yeaton gets the noseplug award for surviving the day in that van.

Throughout the day and night, we kept seeing the same support vans from dozens of other teams. The Toxic Avengers were with us for a bit, but they fell off the pace. The back of one team’s van had a very revealing and motivating picture. Chris was keeping his pace up as he was trying to stay within eyesight of that image. Now we all know another reason why Chris runs.

A few months ago, the 3 amigos of Strafford County (David Smith, Chris Blanchette, and Craig Stephan) were at the North Hampton Old Home Days 5K and we met a guy named Joe who was going to be at the Reach the Beach relay. We saw him and his “Sole Train” van at the start and several times during the race. His tem finished about 30 minutes behind us. Their van had a large inflatable shark strapped to the roof. I guess that was the closest animal they could find to a sole.

The first place team in the Ultra Distance division was a group of 6 young cadets from West Point. These army guys started at 1:30 PM, and we held them off until near Epsom, somewhere near 125 miles into the relay. We all were very proud that accomplishment, as we were able to hold our own against some very formidable competition.

Down the stretch, after some of us had already run 4 hard legs through the hills, we were all getting tired, but we kept going. Don Foley had never run a race longer than a half marathon, and after his third leg running through Meredith in a torrential downpour, he added blisters to his already long list of pains. He was able to suffer through the ordeal and finish his 6th leg with a 9:00 mile pace in Rye and Hampton. This was the best exhibition of determination of the day. With his last leg being so good, David Smith turned in a 7:00 mile to finish the race within seconds of the team’s 24 hour goal.

Throughout the day, we all got increasingly tired. John’s quads and my calfs were sore, Dan Poliquin’s IT band became inflamed, and Don Foley was sore (too many muscles to list here). Don Yeaton had chafing, but no bleeding, on his hands from driving so long. Chris and Dave were undoubtedly sore, but they remained quiet and just kept plugging along. If we made a list of every teammate’s sore muscles, we could have probably listed most all of them.

Some of the legs were really difficult with hundreds of feet of climbing, others are flat with considerable downhills. Some of the race was held in cool rainy conditions and some took place in the hot sun. When we eventually reached the beach, each runner averaged about 33 miles over the 24 hour event. The race ended at sunny Hampton Beach State Park with live music and a hearty pasta dinner for all the runners. By 1:00 PM, the temperatures had reached the high 70’s at the beach. Too bad we were all too tired to enjoy ourselves. I came home a showered and fell asleep in the matter of minutes. I’m ready for next year’s relay.

This event runs through dozens of towns, lasts up to 33 hours for some teams, and has about 1700 participants. The course was very well marked and the volunteers were out at all hours of the day and night. A few of the transitions were located at churches or schools that were left open for people to sleep or get food and socialize. The stops served as fundraisers for local girl scouts troops who took donations in exchange for homemade food and soup. Each transition area had a few people directing traffic and others taking down the team’s numbers as they came in. Overall this race was one of the best run events that I have ever participated in. It comes close to, if not exceeds, the complexity of organizing an event like a major marathon. I’d recommend the relay for anyone who enjoys team events and wants to have a great time with friends. Consider the Ultra Distance to be like running the Lake Winnipesaukee Relay 3 times in one day. It might just be 3 times more fun. Do we have any volunteers for next year’s race? I know of a couple of women who are already looking for teammates. I myself plan to go back for more fun next year.

-Craig Stephan