Riding through the fire.

The story of the OD 100: June 10,2023.

It does seem appropriate that the culmination of the greento100 journey, Jaime and Khaleesi would ride through a fire on the top of the mountain. 

Every detail of this ride weekend was expertly orchestrated. I should clarify: not that I expertly orchestrated it- that is way above my skillset. It was orchestrated by the one who can orchestrate temperatures, thunderstorms, and fires.

I have to thank my official mentor for most of this journey Lynne Gilbert who along with Kate Lawrence (who has helped me many times with ideas and amazing organizational suggestions and great conversation sharing some training rides) were incredibly helpful in dialing in my prep for this ride. I hate prep and I hate packing, it’s the thing I think I’m weakest and it seems to take so much effort and focus for me to do, I put it off. With their advice, the prep work really paid off! When Iva and I arrived at ride camp we had everything done and settled in a few hours including check-in and vet-in. We found ourselves sitting in our chairs, sipping sparkling waters, admiring the horse eating in her pen and talking about how nice it feels to be so far ahead of the game. Everything had a particular calm about it for this ride- even down to the fact that I had zero truck or trailer trouble (which every other ride this year has had something go wrong).

As for the details way beyond my pay grade: the weather was in our favor with highs predicted 78-81 degrees, the low for the ride start was 48 (cooler than I like, but great for K) and the low over night during the ride was in the 50s. Humidity was low as we’ve been in a dry spell, that means trails were dry and no mud to contend with. These details were good for us, but most good things come with a flip side. Dry trails also mean all of the dirt roads were relentlessly hard and concussive, and even more, the dry meant a forest fire had started on the mountain the early morning before the 55 mile ride on Friday. The amazing OD staff (lead by Diane Connolly) rerouted the second loop of the trail after the ride began and before any riders got to that section. That meant they were able to pull marking on the old trail as much as they could without going into the fire itself- and mark with great clarity the new trail that we were assured was “almost” exactly the same distance. 

This also I found fascinating that the fire was in the place where there was already an alternate trail ready to go. In fact, when the AERC national championship ride was held at the Old Dominion a few years back this was the section they rerouted for the trail that year. They did not have to figure out a reroute, only to go make the changes. So in fact, we ended up riding the same trail they used for the National Championship ride.

The reroute took out what was in my opinion the worst climb of the day, that happens in the worst heat of the day as well. It’s a segment of trail I’ve done in the 55 mile rides I’ve completed in years past and it’s my least favorite segment. I always get off and walk because the climb is so steep and relentless my horse is never going any faster than I can walk and so it makes sense to save her the effort of also carrying me while I could walk. It never seems to end and when the worst of it is over and you feel like you’ve gotten somewhere, you realize you are still climbing just less steep. Then when you begin to descend it’s steep and lots of loose rocks, so my horse slips a bunch on the footing. Last year I got back off and ran down the mountain on foot so we could make up some time and go faster than I would be safe riding it.

The new route still had to go over the mountain, so it didn’t save us elevation, but it had a different way to do the climb that I thought was a better route for the up side… The problem with the reroute is it left us all with 7 miles of downhill gravel road that was dry as bone, slippery with loose gravel and concussive without a break. The route apparently weeded out a fair amount of riders on the Friday 55 with lameness issues at the Laurel Run vet check and we were all cautioned to take it easy on that deceptive stretch of road. The last half of it was pretty steep downhill as well which was particularly difficult to get much speed if you didn’t want to risk injury. 

I thought for my own horse, I’d take the gravel road over the climb from hell any day of the week, but was surprised to hear every single other rider say the reroute made for a harder segment and they were not happy about the news though everyone knows you can’t argue with a forest fire. The general consensus was the ride this year was particularly tough due to this issue. 

Regardless, this was all out of my control from the weather to the fire, so I went to bed early (since we had everything so well dialed in) and didn’t sleep hardly at all.

By the time 4am came around it was down to that cold 48 degrees and I really did not want to get out of my sleeping bag cocoon. I made the decisions to sleep in my riding pants because it made getting up just a little easier and was glad I did. Mike worked on the coffee, Iva took care of the horse including getting her for a light walk around camp as I got myself ready to go. 

The day began with high drama as right before 5am we had a stampede of loose horses thundering through camp- unfortunately some of them with their temporary fencing behind them which makes for terrified horses everywhere. I am glad K was walking with Iva instead of in her pen, however that also held some dangers as loose horses terrified and in flight do not make good decisions and could certain get Iva and K caught up in a mess. 

I found Iva nearby slightly entangled with a loose horse, but K was calm and Iva was ok. She is about as cool as any cucumber I’ve known, but I think her adrenaline had shot up as I took the lead rope from her and began to intervene in Khaleesi’s attention— asking her to focus on me, trust me that all was going to be well, and she could relax and let go of the crazy stuff that was now just calming down as people began to get their hands on the wild horses around camp.

We were checked in with Henry (the man in charge of all time) by about 5:25 and walking back and forth on the dirt road getting focused and prepared for the 5:30am start. There were 13 horses and 1 mule that would cross the start line as the sun was just coming up, 10 of which would cross the finish line sometime the following morning.

Our first loop to Bird Haven 1 was uneventful and I had hoped to do the segment in 2 1/2 hours. We came through the meadow to the in timer at 7:55 am with a ride time of 2 hours 25 minutes. By 8am we had crossed the pulse window easily at 52BPM and were vetting through with no trouble and a recovery pulse of 48. The morning was cool which really helps a dark muscular horse. My crew took care of everything and got us out on the second segment at 8:40 not to see me again until we reached the Bucktail check at 4:09pm. Laurel Run check lies in between and no crew is allowed there the first time so we would be on our own the next 7 hours or so.

This was the rerouted second loop, and the only time I went (briefly) off trail. This was one thing I really wanted to try to improve as it seems at almost every ride I miss something. It really costed us at Big South Fork where it is possible we MIGHT have finished had I not added 6 miles in the wee dark hours following the wrong colored lights at a trail crossing. This time instead of it costing us, it might have paid off because after I passed a turn, realized within maybe a tenth of a mile there were no ribbons and an intersection with no direction at all we had missed something… when I went back I saw the turn (there was a camper parked near there off in the woods that had distracted K. I missed the turn because she was so focused on the distraction I had gotten focused on helping her move past it, when actually turning was what we should have done…) I began to head up the correct trail again and came quickly upon Nancy Sluys and her fabulous mule Danny and from that connection, we didn’t part ways until the finish line.

I had prayed for a few favors for this weekend. One of which was favorable weather including no thunder storms, the other was a buddy to ride with so we would not be in the back alone, spending all those miles of hard trail in the wilderness never seeing another soul. I was prepared to do this ride in any weather, and I am always prepared to ride alone, but having both of those prayers answered was a grace I am thankful for.

Nancy manages and runs the Iron Mountain ride and has completed the OD I believe about five times in her career. She has both come in top 10 and come in turtle (the coveted last place) over those years. On this ride she was purposely taking the long, slow journey to use up the clock as a resource with a mule she felt likely could do the ride, but he wasn’t as conditioned as she might like. She was going to take good care of him and not push him more than his tough mule system could thrive. Doing our first 100 with a mule was fitting somehow, certainly it was divinely appointed because that mule ate every blade of grass he found out there, and the frequent stop for a quick bite encouraged K to eat a ton along the way; and his determination to walk EVERY SINLE HILL NO MATTER HOW SMALL THE INCLINE saved our strength and got us through each vet check with flying colors. I think it was mule magic that gifted us such a strong finish for this first 100 completion for us.

It was true the last 7 miles of hard packed pounding dirt road of this segment was concerning. We trotted when we could and took care not to pound too hard too long—  but also not walk it all which would take forever. When the road got steep, probably about 4 miles to Laurel Run I dismounted, loosed my saddle slightly, rolled up the stirrups and committed to jog the final section in myself. I hike and jog with K all the time so this is familiar territory, however I ended up on foot longer than I’d have chosen if I realized it. I took on a downhill jog of 6-8mph which I hoped would save the pounding on her legs not adding my weight to hers. The ride photographer Becky Pearman (who is amazing in every way) caught us in the last 1/2 mile to the vet check jogging in together which is fun because I now have a photo memory of that- which turned out to be the only part of the ride I did on foot.

I jogged all the way to the in timer at Laurel Run at 12:18pm. This is one of the two toughest trail loops now in the bag. We traversed the distance in just under 3 hours and 40 minutes (just what the distance was I’m not sure, I was told the reroute trail was the same distance as the original route- 16.5. My Strava record suggests it was a little over 19. I know these things have variable accuracy- and I am certain I did not go more than 1/4 mile of trail. Regardless we made it!). We pulled tack and were pulsed in up the hill 4 minutes later at 44BPM, sound with all ‘A’ scores, pulse recovers to 48 and an out time of 1:07pm.

Nancy and I left Laurel Run together to take on the big gravel road we had just descended toward my favorite loop of the day. This is the ride to Bucktail and thanks to the awesome drag rider program that Duane manages I’ve already ridden it twice and knew what to expect. Being a favorite doesn’t make it easy. It begins with a four-mile relentless climb in the sun and heat of the day. Then we head into my favorite scenery of the ride- beautiful grass trails and single track through pretty woods. There are no serious climbs after the gravel road, but there are plenty of rocks.

It’s a bit deceptive because the grass trails look so inviting and ready to take a carefree trot or even canter through, but the trails are embedded with rocks that are easy to trip over or land wrong on if you aren’t taking care. The loop is listed at 14.5 miles- the shortest yet of the day- but it still took us 3 hours (and 2 minutes) to get through it. Thankfully a bonus perk to riding with Nancy is she sings some of her original songs about endurance riding! We actually spent some of this loop singing to each other to pass the time.

We arrived together at Bucktail glad to see Mike and Iva waiting for us at the in-timer at 4:09pm; within 2 minutes we’d pulled tack at the water troughs and pulsed in the heat of the day with minimal sponging at 64BPM with a recovery of 60. The Bucktail trot out lanes have landmines of rocks and debris in them and K and I both found ourselves tripping out and in! The vet said she saw some potential off steps but she was thinking it was the surface not an injury- that proved true but gave Iva the job of butt massage through that hold to ensure she wasn’t getting tight. Everything else was good to go and we headed to the truck where my crew had set up everything for us for the 40 minute hold.

This was the first vet check that K began to prefer browsing for grass over her prepared food. Iva had to massage in between K walking casually up and down the lane looking for her favorite spots to graze. Bucktail isn’t the most friendly for grazing being more of circular drive than a field. Still she was actively eating and seemed happy with the plan so we allowed her to make the call for herself. I found snacks myself- preferring pretzel chips and a homemade cream cheese dip along with a sourdough pizza pocket with sausage and mushrooms.

We were ready to go at our out time though I thought I’d lost Nancy and Danny and almost considered leaving without them (only because I couldn’t actually find them). Turns out they hadn’t pulsed quite as quick as K due to Danny dragging Nancy to the water trough and drinking for about two minutes straight upon arrival. We ended up waiting at the out timer until both horses were released (5:01 for me and 5:07 for them) and we headed into the next segment which included the horrible horrible trail that we’d ridden in deep discouragement in April at the No Frills 55… the trail that had turned my mind right then and there never to attempt the Old Dominion 100 because I never wanted to set hoof on that trail ever again…

We were headed there now: the longest distance of the day (almost 24 miles) until we saw our crew again at Big 92, but broken up in between with what is called a “gate and go” as well as a “hospitality stop”. The first part clocked on my GPS recorder at 7.9 miles and was mostly open forest roads, but with that hoof crunching quartz rock that you cannot move much on. It is terrible for footing and slows everything down. It also had over 1,000 feet of elevation gain and brought us to the “gate and go” called Waites Run at probably just after 6:30pm (I didn’t attend to my electronics right away at this check and I’m doing backward math for this estimate). 

At the gate and go you enter the checkpoint and you get an “in” time only when you come down to pulse of 64. This is the “gate” of the gate and go. As soon as a vet calls your pulse time the “hold” clock begins and you must wait 10 minutes, allow your horse to eat and drink, then you’re back on the trail again. There is no crew here, it’s a brief pause for the vet staff to be sure everyone is still doing well and make sure everyone is ok on trail. Though there is no crew they make you a freshly grilled made to order hamburger (with cheese if you want!) and I ate one! There is cold water (was so refreshing!), and they offer your horse a small variety of snacks including carrots, and will hold your horse so you can take a potty break.

Out of the 4 of us that entered together coming in at a trot since the terrain allowed it, I checked in immediately at 72BPM. After about 30 seconds another check had us at 68… then a third check in about the same time or less had us down to 64 and we were the first to pulse down and get an out time. The team that had caught up to us on the trail and spent the last couple miles riding along came down next, but Danny was hanging high. In this case they quickly made the call to pull off the tack (saddle and pads) and get some cool water on him which helped, but it cost maybe 7 minutes or so to get his temp and heart rate to drop. Danny seemed to hang in the 70s but once he dropped tack and got some cool water he dropped like a stone into the 50s. 

This was when I had a decision to make, and now looking back it wasn’t really a decision, but in the moment I did weight my options. I had the first out time and I could leave alone and get back on trail asap. I could go out with the next rider who was just a minute or two behind me… or I could wait the 7 or so extra minutes and stick with Nancy and Danny. It didn’t take me long to weigh the possibilities and I made the call for good that we had partnered with the mule team, and we were now in this together. We would wait. It wasn’t simply magnanimity that drove this call. I believed that they were the right partners for us for this ride. So K got a few extra carrots and I ate my whole burger and we let the out timer know to just hold on, we’d get out of there when the mule was good and ready!

I think we trotted out just around 6:53pm with the blessing of the vet who watched us go (that’s the “go” part of the gate and go, our departure is like a trot out so the vet has to see we are sound but they do it as we are leaving- calling you back if there is an issue), it’s like an abbreviated vet check. 

Now came the infamous Old Mailpath Trail which is the section I consider the most horrible. We had just climbed 1,000 feet in the first 7-8 miles, and the next section added on another 1,800 feet- all of it on unfriendly technical terrain. The “mail trail” as it’s endearingly referred to is not actually that bad if it were that climb alone; but after you’ve had about enough of it, then you exit the rocky climb for the demoralizing Tuscarora-Three Ponds Trail which is more of a rocky mess of climb heading over the top of the mountain and starting down, which is no faster because the rocks and terrible footing. Finally you come to the turn off to Little Schloss Road, which isn’t really a road at all… and for us it was now dark enough to turn on a headlamp, and the rocky chunks of “gravel off road” road were tough to push through in the gathering darkness. Khaleesi would get a little speed going and then trip or slip or hit a rock and with the intelligence she possessed would suggest strongly that we should continue to walk. Danny was always incredibly sure footed, but he was never in much of a rush to get anywhere, so he picked his way through it all beautifully but not with incredible speed. 

It was in this gathering darkness and the demoralizing slow as molasses pace we had been going practically since leaving the Waites Run Gate and Go that I was beginning to panic. The estimate to get to the hospitality stop was supposed to be around 12 miles and in the end my GPS showed 14 (I realize the GPS are not all accurate but it can be frustrating when you’re getting worried as the hour is getting late, the mileage is adding up and still… you are not there yet…). The horses were feeling the drag and becoming hard to motivate. This is when the voice was coming out of the darkness why did you wait at the gate and go? You should have taken that few minutes and gotten ahead… you should have gone with the other rider… This mule is determined not to finish this ride, all he wants to do is walk and eat! How do you know you can trust Nancy- she seems confident it’s all just fine, but she could be fooling herself! What if she’s wrong… You know you are never going to do this 100 mile distance! You should have gotten an Arab that runs over the mountains and rocks like it doesn’t care if it lives or dies instead of this horse that refuses to do anything she deems “unsafe”… You guys will never make the cut of for Big 92. You’re going home in a trailer. 

I told myself to quit it. This is NOT how I live. Even if we didn’t finish I decided to do it with our friends and that was more important, remember? Remember what matters? Not completing a ride and achieving a goal! What really matters is all in the how we do things. What really matters is the who that’s around us, not the goals we want to achieve. I told the voice in the darkness to go away because it didn’t matter now, I had made my choice, and I was with the mule for better or worse.

And that’s when a pair of riders from behind came up on us like a freight train.

They had realized how behind they’d gotten and close to the cut off times, and were attempting to make up some time. The sound of horses scrambling furiously through the rocky road and lights coming brighter had our animals on high alert. Khaleesi was in a slight panic not sure what was happening, but certain she didn’t want to die there on the mountain so she picked up her pace. Danny was slightly less panicked, but he was getting motivated and adrenaline was kicking in like a drug. The pair from behind began to push (inadvertently) on our demoralized mounts and they began to decide they maybe could start to pick up the pace. We stayed ahead of the riders for a bit, but they were overtaking us and eventually asked to pass. Which of course we said certainly.

This woke something up in our horses (I’m not sure if they wanted to keep up with the other steeds that passed, or if they didn’t want to meet whatever had them running through in such a panic!) regardless they began to pick their way at a much faster rate through the dark rough trail-road and we scrambled along behind the fast moving pair, I for one, was glad to be moving again and then prayed no one would break a leg on the loose rocks as Khaleesi occasionally tripped slightly or slid but never enough to fall or cause injury.

This went on what felt like endlessly. I’m sure it was like 6 hours…. (Ok maybe it was 15 minutes?) …past my mileage estimate and at that point I had no idea when we would find the hospitality spot which had a cut off time of 10pm. Finally we saw lights ahead and we pulled into Little Sluice Hospitality stop at 9:50pm. Nancy was pleased- we have 10 minutes to spare!

This did not encourage me. 

I did not want to do this ride on 10 minutes to spare. That felt a LOT too close for comfort!

A hospitality stop on an endurance ride has no minimum hold time. You get to see a human; they check your number and report that you are ok (or if you are not ok!). They have cold water (what a treat) and water, snacks and carrots for the horses. They’ll hold your horse while you pee (also a treat) and you can relax there as long as you wish. For me, that as long as I wished, was as fast as we could get a drink, take a pee, and get back on the road. 

In my mind we were now racing the clock, or admitting defeat. The final stretch into Big 92 was 4 miles and we had a cut off of arriving there and being pulsed in by 10:45pm. Looking back, doing 4 miles on a clear dirt road, mostly downhill and having almost an hour to do it was not exactly pushing the clock, however I was feeling the pressure of the ticking hand of missing the upcoming cut offs and I basically made the call for “us” that this was a quick stop and off we go! 

Nancy was graceful (I learned today Nancy means grace… how apt…) and she humored me as I rushed her onward and we left before the riders that had passed us- getting quickly back on the trail by 9:55pm. 

This next four miles Khaleesi and I drove a relentless pace with occasional waiting for Danny who decided a slight incline is technically uphill and oh yeah right he doesn’t trot uphill. Once in a while he would grab a bite of grass, but I think he realized Jaime was starting to come a tad unglued and maybe he wouldn’t push his luck on the salad bar just then. Mules are smart you know. As the miles began to pass by at a faster pace, I began to relax… but not fully. We were eventually passed by the other riders who we’d leap frogged at the hospitality stop but we still made great time on the 4 miles in 32 minutes to pull into Big 92 where my crew was waiting with arms open wide at 10:28pm (now 17 minutes to spare, so the gap was widening a tad). We were now at mile 70.

I walked K to the truck in order to pull tack and that took a few minutes since the truck was not close to the in timer or the vet. By the time we walked back over to the vet, looking back I think it was more time wasted than I’d have preferred. [I think in the future if we couldn’t get closer with the truck, I’d have my crew bring a bucket and sponge to the front area and I’d drop tack there, like we did at Bucktail.] With a 6 minute lag which was the longest all day from in timer to pulse time, and the furious pace we’d come through in the last 7 miles or so, the patient pulse taker held on as she gradually dropped (K was closer to 68 when we first arrived then dropped to 60).  Straight to the vet who read us at 64, and after a jog out and back recovered to 60. That was all acceptable, however Dr. Bob (who has known us for many years) thought her gut sounds were quieter than he would like and at this stop our card was held for a recheck before we left. 

Back at the truck, Iva now had the job of allowing K to eat everything and anything in sight, which she did, preferring mostly grasses and weeds to her prepared food, though she did eat some of that as well, and some hay, carrots, and an apple.

This was my grumpy pants vet check. I told my patient crew that I was worried about the cut off times, and how close we were getting to bumping up against them. The slow pace we had been stuck in for, lets face it, all told like 30 miles in the last two segments, was wearing on me and I felt like we had no chance make the finish line. I was grateful we were getting to go out again, because even if I only made it to the second Laurel Run and then got pulled for missing the cut off, at least that would be almost 80 miles and I would have seen the entire course for the next time I try this thing again… because it was is a question of when we finish this ride, not if. And at that point I was about certain it was not going to be that attempt. 

I tried to be gracious to them and all they did for me. I think I said thank you 50 times although it was because my black little heart did not feel thankful at all right then so I was overcompensating (I WAS thankful for them of course just not the position I thought I’d put myself in to not finish this thing which when you’re also on lack of sleep you also feel like your crew came all the way out here to support you the least you could do is get the thing done so they could feel like they came for some purpose, not throw it away by making dumb decisions that cost time when you maybe should be taking the advice of everyone who says RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE… all of this is nonsense, but it was the low point so I just had to get through it) Mike had heated up some of his amazing famous home made mac and cheese, and I could only eat two bites. I felt terribly ungracious all around. I was getting queasy from the stress.

The only rule I’d made for myself was not to ride a slave to the cut off times. Not to be anxious, but do my best and accept what came. Now that the composite shoe hit the road, I was completely stressed and anxious over the cut off times! This was exactly what I wanted to avoid, and here I was caught in the trap. 

And yet. 

There was a call from deep in my heart that at the end of the time at Big 92 that over-rode everything. It came from the remembering that truly I never doubted that I made the right call. We were in it with the mule team, and I knew it was right. It was like being tied to the mast when the sirens were singing. There was not a question that I was doing exactly what I was meant to do, but the crazed part of me still fought against the restraints I had put in place myself. Thankfully, somehow I did get a hold of myself. I took K over to the vet for a recheck on her gut sounds and sure enough they were back to good and we were given back the rider card with blessing to continue. We got the mare saddled, electrolyted and walked over to see Nancy and Danny just finishing getting ready for their out time which was a few minutes behind mine. 

As she was doing a final check of tack I asked her: Nancy… do you really think we can finish this thing?

Not a question. She replied

Like, not a question we can’t… or like not a question we can? I really wasn’t sure I understood because it seemed to me also to be certain… certain for failure at this point…

Oh, we can finish, and we’re going to. Trust me. We’ve got this.

And with that it was settled. And I believed her. We had 30 miles to go through the night and we were going to finish this thing. And with that I had peace again. And with that peace we rode out accompanied by the drag rider coordinator, Duane Martin, to do the fastest segment in the ride. 

We left Big 92 around 11:21pm and arrived 8 miles later at the second Laurel Run checkpoint at 12:32am, 70 minutes later (roughly 7mph average). The in-timer is at the bottom of the hill, walk up half way to drop tack, and then without a sponge of water – seeing Danny and his crew going straight to vet- we followed suit and immediately walked up the rest of the hill to the pulse and vet. That (much of it being walking) took 4 minutes to get a pulse of 56 after a fast pace and uphill climb to be checked in. Her gut sounds were fine (considering we didn’t eat much on the road race to get here that somewhat surprised me) but this was her first line up of ‘B’ grades for gait, impulsion and attitude. Well, Laurel Run is famous for having a rocky down then uphill trot out, and we’d just run a pretty fast 8 miles, so, I think that’s fair. She was less than enthusiastic and who could blame her now at mile 78.3 having left camp 18 hours ago. Otherwise her score card shows all A’s and she was cleared to go.

We had now bought a few more minutes and were pulsed in a solid 24 minutes before the cut off. I not only had peace, but felt hope. Regardless we were cleared to Bird Haven, and no matter what happened I would make it to mile 94. And no matter what, that would be the farthest and longest we had ever ridden, surpassing the miles of Big South Fork. Even if something kept us from the finish, I was seeing new limits of the farthest we’ve gone.

Everyone says that the last 30 miles of the OD 100 are “all downhill back to camp” but that is a lie. Danny knows the difference between downhill and uphill, I promise you that. Because that mule can be trotting along at 8mph and as soon as the angle changes enough to tip the scale he puts on the brakes (watch yourself because this could be a trainwreck) and he goes into mule walk. And I can say we mule-walked a lot of the terrain between Laurel Run 2 and Bird Haven 2.

But even the determination of that mule not to trot uphill did not surpass the experience of riding through the fire that was to come in this segment.

Before we left Laurel Run, Diane the ride manager pulled us aside to explain what we were going to find on this segment. The forest fire that had demanded the reroute of the first loop into Laurel Run that morning had continued to burn without significant control from the fire fighting efforts and there was word that it had come upon the fire break that evening. The fire break was at the road we would be traveling home. 

She had sent Pete up in the truck to find out the extent of the problem and they confirmed that the fire had come to the break, but it had not crossed it. We were going to find about a quarter mile of very thick smoke, and we would see embers, possibly some burning, but it had not crossed the road and we should be safe to pass. I have to admit I was somehow not surprised.

Of course the 100 mile ride I would finally complete would include riding through a forest fire. 

Of course.

We were ready to go, last two riders heading back onto trail, with an out time of 1:06am. We had until 4:30am to be pulsed down at our last checkpoint (which is the same as our first one that morning). We had 3 1/2 hours to traverse the almost 14 miles to Bird Haven and Nancy was pleased because that was loads of time. 

The two things that concerned the fringes of my mind did not include the fire. 

First, I have ridden this segment in previous 55 mile rides, and I remember it is NOT all downhill, and it is NOT all smooth sailing road. I remember thinking this segment of trail was deceptively long-feeling when I’d ridden it before. I knew we would be ending the segment with a fair amount of downhill gravel road, which would otherwise be a strength of ours (we can safely and well balanced trot some good downhill) but at mile 90 it was a dangerous risk with tired muscles; the potential for tightening up or a slip-fall meant a place we’d normally make up time seemed like it would be costly instead.

Second, even if the cut off time into Bird Haven was 4:30, that meant an out time of like 4:50 which meant the last 6 miles would have to be done in 40 minutes… which… was not ideal in my opinion. 

Regardless, we had made up significant time in the cool of the evening. Everyone had promised me that the hardest parts of the ride were before Big 92 and once you turned out of that checkpoint the horses KNEW they were headed home, and it’s cooler overnight, and the magic kicks in. They begin to gain speed at get faster and more powerful with hope of returning to the trailer, the call of “home away from home” gets stronger as the night wears on. This was not a lie. This is exactly what happened.

Considering how much even slight uphill grade lay before us, we walked a whole lot more of the next segment than made me comfortable, but I wasn’t nearly as perturbed about it. At this point we were on a track and it was going to end somewhere.

I had wondered about the fire section- I had wondered how the equines would react. I had wondered if I would need to convince K to keep going with the smoke? Would she be concerned? Nervous? How would I get her through?

When we finally did come to the increasing smoke, eventually enough to burn our eyes and throats, it had come on so gradually that the animals didn’t seem to have any fear or worries. I felt bad they had to walk through this but in truth it was pretty clear until we were quite close, and then when we did clear it, it was again clear air. I had imagined there would be glowing embers near the road, but I was surprised to see fires burning not far from us as we continued past. I wasn’t afraid, but I was paying attention. We had to walk all of that though it was terrain that the mule would have probably trotted so it was kind of a bummer to have to walk more than already we would need to! We weren’t willing to increase their need for more oxygen while the air was thick, and so calmly we walked.

This segment did feel long (have I written that about all of them??), we wished the road would finally end, and then when it did we had rocks that slowed us down, then a final climb, and then the single track in the woods that I knew would lead us to that downhill gravel road. Still, after all that, we’d have another forest road section that would take us to another dirt road that would after many turns, pop us out to an asphalt road crossing… that was the sweetest part of the ride because once you cross the road where they lay the sand so those with metal shoes will have some traction… that is when you know you’re less than a mile from Bird Haven and you begin to taste the hammock and going to sleep for just a while before the awards banquet where someone will confirm that indeed you and your horse finished and thus win the amazing prize of… a buckle that no one else will probably ever really understand what it represents.

The horses know too. And in crossing that road they were on fire and racing each other to get along the twists and turns that lead to the stream crossing that leads to the pasture that leads to the in-time and your waiting crew!

That stretch we covered in just about 2 1/2 hours which was really not bad at all, and landed us at Bird Haven 2 at 3:37am, directly to pulse with a 60BPM at 3:40am giving us an out time of 4am. This was ideal because I have done the last 6 miles in around 45 minutes in past years for other rides, so 90 minutes is double that… as long as we didn’t end up with trouble at the finish line it seemed certain now we were going all the way. 

This hold is only 20 minutes and they don’t require removing the tack, so we did not. I freshened up my water and used the portapotty, changed my socks and shoes (which I’d also done at Bucktail), it’s amazing what fresh socks and shoes can do! I also added a neck gaiter as the chill was beginning to set in, we gave the mare her electrolytes and in no time we were headed back into the meadow this time down the lighted runway heading home. Back to camp.

The last loop both Khaleesi and I were truly getting impatient and Danny knew it! Mules never get impatient I think, they are the most committed and steadfast creatures on the planet. He stopped to takes bites of grass… what felt like every 3 steps but I’m certain I’m exaggerating (I had been up 24 hours now so my estimation is unreliable)… and still he refused to trot up even the slightest incline. 

I had told my crew we technically could get back in 45 minutes but we weren’t in a hurry so maybe more like an hour was likely. As the last 6 miles wore on, and Khaleesi promised in typical mare fashion that if Danny paused in mid-trot for a bite of grass one more time she was going to stick her nose right up his mule butt and push him back into motion. At this hour we were slightly less amiable to the stop and start pace that kept giving us whiplash and the drag rider who was not intentionally pushing us, but also riding along behind- would create a small equine pile up behind Danny when he’d stop abruptly and K would end up almost touching his rear and then threatening mortal damage to the horse behind her who was having the same three-equine pile up experience. It would almost be funny were it not after 4am.

Khaleesi had had about enough and was determined to find a moment to pass and take the lead herself, but the mule was way ahead of that trick and he cut her off at every pass- even when I tried to think ahead in my human brain and set her up to take him. We were both just so ready to get this thing tied up at this point we would be glad to let him snack his way wandering back if he would only allow us to trot on along. He would not allow it. I’m sure I’m exaggerating – but my brain was not totally reliable at that hour to have the patience and grace I would on a normal ride in the daylight. At this point I was not actually worried we wouldn’t finish in time, I was simply tired, and had to pee again! So the dragging out of the clock felt more excruciating as I dreamed of the portapotties back in camp!

I remember thinking these two are set and determined to come in as close to 5:30 as we possibly can. I think she must have a bet out there she can time it to cross the finish at 5:29! Do we HAVE to come in right at the last minute? I wondered.

Iva later told me that she never once doubted we would make this ride to the end. She said when she saw us come into Bucktail, she saw Khaleesi and how strong she looked and she said she knew. We were going to do this. That is until she and Mike were waiting with Nancy and Danny’s crew at the finish line… and 5am came… then 5:05 came… and then the other riders who were still out came in… and 5:10 came and went… still no sign of us. She said that was the moment she began to doubt… when 5:15 came and went she began to worry something went wrong. 

Then the ding of the alarm went off that warns the possibly sleeping finish line staff that riders are on approach. Iva said there was such a cheer when that alarm sounded as those waiting to see the very last of the riders felt huge relief. When our headlamps and glow sticks came into sight they called us in: come on! You guys got this! Go Go Go!

When we’d finally come out onto the dirt road Khaleesi took her shot to pass the mule and broke into a fast trot. She was in the last mile of her first 100 mile completion and she was ready to fly. I was torn between the fact that we actually were going to be cutting this thing a bit close in the end, I really needed to pee, and not wanting to have a pulled muscle or trip on a rock so close to the end. So I let her go, but not at top speed – I blocked the canter entirely (too risky now). As we came into the camp we slowed just enough to encourage Danny to come alongside and we headed into the lighted finish line together, ready to cross as close to a tie as we could manage.

We crossed the line at 5:19:21am. Eleven minutes on the clock. 

We had finally done it. We rode 100 miles. 

Now if it was to become official we needed to pass the vet check. There had already been one finish line pull that morning, so it is real. I handed the horse this time to Mike who walked Khaleesi slowly toward the vetting area where we would pull her tack and get her ready to do the final vet inspection. Iva waited for the rider card to be written on by the finish timer and I got lost somewhere in between unsure exactly what I was supposed to do. I think that was the point I began to cry as I walked to catch up with Mike and K ahead. They looked so perfect walking together with the dim pink light of sunrise coming up before them.

Khaleesi dove for the water trough and tanked up with a big drink. We pulled off her saddle and switched to a halter now that the ride was over. Gut sounds had been a question miles back so I wanted her to grab some grass while we slowly wandered over to the vet. I didn’t want to be in a hurry, and decided not to sponge her because it was chilly in the early morning and she didn’t feel hot even after that last fast push to the finish line. I wanted her to have a chance to get her gut sounds going, but I didn’t want to wait long enough to risk muscles getting stiff and have her look lame due to a cramp.

With a slow hand grazing walk to the vet tent she pulsed at 60 with a return to 60 after her trot out. She was completed with all ‘A’ scores, excellent gut sounds, completely sound and even an ‘A’ for attitude.

I had weighed her on the big scale before the ride and she came in a whopping (even for her) 1130 pounds. As we left the vet tent I remembered to stop at the scale again to see if she had lost any weight in that 24 hour extreme feat she had just pulled off. She had lost a mere 50 pounds to come in at 1080. I did not weigh myself… either time! She is at her heaviest of her life right now as she usually weighs in when I bring her to events around the 1000 pound range. She certainly has more flesh than I would like, but she is also covered in muscle and incredibly strong. I look at her and see a mountain climbing beast of the East, my “Athena” athlete. No, she’s not typical in any way, but I’m ridiculously pleased with the depth of what she brought to this ride. 

Maybe the true hero of the ride story is actually Danny the mule and his human of grace, Nancy. I know we helped each other through, there were times when K took the lead and pushed the process forward when the mule on his own might have made camp and sat at the salad bar (slight exaggeration) and we had great fun on some of the open dirt roads racing each other playing canter ahead leap frog in the warm afternoon. However I am certain I would not have pushed the clock to the limits that Nancy and Danny were willing to. She never wavered from the certainty that we were going to finish this ride, and do it with the poise and patience worthy of a mule. If I were alone, or if I’d gone ahead to ride with someone else who had pushed a slightly faster pace- I don’t know what would have happened. 

Possibly we would have finished 10 minutes sooner (there was a large gap between the first few riders in, then the rest came in I believe between 5:00-5:20. Finishing 10 minutes sooner does not seem worth the panic and rush to me looking back. Possibly I would have had a more tired horse who used up more of her reserve strength and could have been more likely to pull a muscle or trip and injure herself. Perhaps I’d have had a horse less enthusiastic about eating and drinking and could have gotten into metabolic issues. Perhaps… perhaps… perhaps… and all I know is we hitched our wagon to the mule and at least once contrary to my “better” judgement stuck to that commitment and I think it served me more than it did them. That mule’s commitment to taking care of himself gave the space for K to do the same, and from what I observed after the finish line, I have seen her more sore and exhausted from 55 mile rides in past years than I saw after finishing this very tough 100. 

Also I feel surprisingly good the day after. I was stiff and sore after the finish line, but after a good epsom salt soak and a good night’s sleep, by Monday afternoon, I was out walking the dogs on our wooded trail reflecting on how little long term physical effects the ride has had on me. I feel a bit like I’ve done a hard work out, but I’ve also felt worse after finishing certain 55 mile rides as well. 

I attribute this to the way in which we rode each segment allowing the horses to set the pace and not pushing them beyond what they were willing to give (yes we sometimes asked, but we didn’t force). Left to my own devices, or possibly riding someone else’s ride, I can see myself using up more of Khaleesi’s reserves. I would have pushed her, especially on places we had clear terrain, and more trotting especially up the hills would have demanded more from her tank of reserve strength. What is stunning to see now is just how great she came through her first 100 and how strong and powerful a horse is really in there.

I have gotten to the place where we can ride some solid 50 mile distances and not have any sign of back soreness. After this ride there is some back sensitivity, and I don’t like that. However I was aware that at every check, when I went to put the pads and saddle back on her, she never protested or tried to dance around or maneuver out of the saddle going back on. Also every time I climbed on a stool, truck or water trough she always came up to me and stood still to mount. I do believe the saddle is dialed in really well- I think if anything it’s the form of my riding as I get more tired. I continually reminded myself to loosen my joints and stay flexible, and as the night wore on I know I wasn’t perfect, but I was riding with awareness and continued relaxation. I also noticed there was more soreness on her L than R sides, and without question I have more tension in my left side. I’m working on that personally but it’s a fact right now. 

Aside from that sensitivity where I sat for all those hours, her legs are good, I don’t have any rubs or scrapes or scratches of any kind. The sidepull worked fantastic and I was able to leave it on the entire ride only loosening the under jaw strap to give her more freedom in the jaw to eat in the vet holds. Not a rub or chafe from it.

She was also able to lay down, roll and get back up right after the ride. I have come through rides before she was so exhausted I saw her consider going down and then decide better of it, I think it’s because she was so tired or sore then she probably wasn’t sure she could get back up! That was after last year’s OD 55 actually. That ride took the most out of her I’d seen in a while. Here we were a year later finishing the 100 mile ride in the same place and seeing a much stronger horse at the end.

And so we end the story of green to 100 at ride camp. The journey took 9 years, so it seemed fitting in the end we were given 9^th place. Not only did she make it through, but she came through thriving in strength. She finished her first 100 in the top 10 which is a bonus for me. True, we only had to finish in this case to be in that group, however there were many people who for various reasons didn’t come to the start of this challenging ride, and then there were 14 who crossed the start and for various reasons not all finished, so I will honor the spirit of the top 10 finish for this powerful horse.

I am incredibly pleased with how we did this, and grateful for anyone who stuck with this story to the end- this blog post which is unusually long, but also our story that began in 2014 with an unremarkable feral little filly who was born on the mountain, on the land, in the herd, and who eventually was taken home by a horse crazy woman who wondered… if it were possible… to finish 100 miles in a day… with this new partner of mine. The queen of the horse people, the mare who agreed to become my partner.

Ireland’s Khaleesi