journey here to there
XAIPETE NIKΩMEN
A Here to There, LLC event
UPDATES FOR 2010
Concerning Showers and How to Find My House - 01-15-10
Hey all,
Two good questions that might be of interest to many of you - first was about
nearby places to shower, second on specifics in finding my place.
1. The Lakeview RV park is at the junction of I-25 and Hwy. 152 (18-20 miles
from my place). Showers are something like $5.00. Bring your own towel and
toiletries, or you can buy them from the convenience store at the RV park. They
are open early, but close at 6:00 p.m.
Last year a couple of runners brought a solar shower they filled at my tap and
had ready by their return from the race. It's a cheap option and figuring you'll
be done fairly early in the day, the outside temp. could be quite mild (close to
60 is the expected). There are plenty of places here where you could hang the
shower to have it ready for you when you finish.
2. My house is the one that has all the Ghost Town signs! After you come through
Hillsboro, you'll leave the village by crossing a bridge. We're about 3/10 mile
from the bridge (5/10 from the heart of the village)...and first house on the
left. There's a huge New Mexico Sports Authority sign on the front of the cabin.
I'm looking forward to seeing a good number of you today. Everyone be safe on
the road. As you approach our place, especially if it's late in the day - a
black bull has been hanging out around our place - he's completely black, so
drive a little slower and keep your eyes out...such critters make nasty dents in
vehicles and drivers.
Cheers! susan
GT Course Conditions - 01-14-10
Hey all,
Matt just returned from marking the course. Here's his report:
Conditions are good on FS 157 through Stone Hut. After that you'll start to hit
patches of snow and/or mud. These are those spots where the sun doesn't hit and
the deep canyons. He says it's particularly tricky at the deep bend on the back
and at the bottom of the first really big hill (between Stone Hut and the spur).
That area is always colder than the rest of the route - even in the summer
there's a noticeable temp. change - deep canyon = little sun.
He says all the creek crossings on the road are dry up to the N. Percha - which
is low.
It tried to snow or hail on him while he was out there. He could see
precipitation to the east on Caballo Lake (at the junction of I-25 and Hwy.
157). There may be more snow tonight.
Thing is...snow at night usually melts off by mid-morning the next day...with
the exception of those deep places hidden from the sun. I am guessing there'll
be some snow on the spur as it's a colder deeper place.
And that's the latest from out on the route.
We'll see some of you tomorrow. Everyone travel safely. susan
Answers to 2 Good Questions - 01-13-10
Hey all,
Both questions involve hygiene.
1. There will be 7 portopotties at my place. No others along the route. It is
alright to visit nature when nature calls, but be discreet - nothing visible on
a trail or road. There will be T.P. available at Stone Hut, Hilltop, and Vista
Stations. They will also have a decent number of old grocery bags. If you ask
for T.P., also ask for a grocery bag so you can return your used tissue in the
bag - ready for placing in the larger trash bags at each station. LEAVE NO PAPER
OR WIPES IN THE FOREST!!! Maree Westland of the Enchanted Villa B&B has donated
a little bundle of three wipes for each packet. You can even use one for
cleaning your hands before reaching into the pretzel jar!
2. The changing "room" is an area in one corner of the cabin. We simply build
some temporary walls with moveable panels and hang a curtain across the opening.
There's a chair and lighting in the dressing area. There is no water. If you
want to freshen up after the race and before changing into clean clothes - I
recommend using either the wipes in your packet (if they're still available) or
bringing some baby wipes with you. They make for a decent bird-bath sort of
clean-up. I carried them with me in the Arctic and used them frequently in lieu
of dunking myself in the glacial-melt-full rivers.
That's it for now. Travel safely, susan
Behind the Scenes - 01-13-10
What a morning!
1. The event tents have shown up 2 days early and is now actually 1 very large
tent instead of 2 put together.
2. I've spent the morning making the first parts of the moussaka for Friday
night. The guest list has been shrinking with some runner-related injuries.
So...it's not too late...the food is in abundance! Let me know if you want to
join us. It's on the house!
3. This afternoon I'll prep the cabin and sort aid station supplies.
4. I learned this morning that the finish line structure I have been talking
about for months was thrown-out and forgotten about. So...we're designing a new
finish line. I think you'll be amused by it - I hope so anyway. I'd like to have
something more than me and Joan hollering, "Over here." (Actually Joan doesn't
holler so much as I sheepishly admit I do.)
5. It's supposed to rain between now and tomorrow evening. So creek-water-levels
will be what we can get you tomorrow or Friday. I'd prefer after the rain, but
if the course is marked tomorrow, then that's when the report will come from.
That's it. We're really close now. I know some of you are already beginning to
travel. Be safe and arrive ready to run! (after some fun first, of course)
Cheers! susan
Concerning camping and potluck - 01-12-10
Hey all,
Sorry to be brief and somewhat outline-ish, but I'm in over-drive at the moment
and need to get things out while I can keep them all straight.
Matt and I just spent that last of the daylight measuring possible locations for
the huge event tents. It looks like they're going to have to plunk down right in
the middle of the property - the lack of overhanging branches, proximity to the
kitchen, and with 100 ft. each of a couple of extension cords we can actually
have the coffee urns and the lights functioning.
So, this little party has added such an adventure to my other duties. Here are
the things I need to ask that you keep in mind:
******1. Those bringing food for the potluck - please try to get it here as
early as possible in the day on Sat. (or Fri. if you're here early). Please take
your food to the kitchen in the cabin - one of the terrific kitchen crew
volunteers will receive it from you and get it prepped for the tables.
2. If you are tent-camping, you need to be here before 4:30 or you'll have to
wait until after the potluck to set up your tent. It will be quite dark by then.
3. There will be no packet pickup going on during the Q&A (4:30-5:30pm) on Sat.
I will have from 5:30 to 6pm to register late-afternoon arrivals who want to
attend the potluck. There will be a brief time after the potluck for the really
late arrivals to get their stuff. If you arrive while the potluck is still in
full swing, please just be patient and I'll get to you as soon as I can.
4. We have a whole bunch of door prizes and several special things to present at
the potluck. This year I'll be giving out door prizes while you're eating. The
special presentations will come after you're done (maybe while you're munching
on some of the several kinds of cookies your fellow runners are providing). We
don't want the potluck lasting too late into the night.
********5. It is especially important for the aid station volunteers to attend
the Q&A. Runners are welcome as well. This meeting will be held in the studio so
that the kitchen crew and Matt can continue setting up the potluck.
That's it for now. Things are actually sailing along...
soon! susan
Bits and more bits - 01-12-10
Hey all,
Several things whip through my feeble mind at this point and if I don't write
them down and send them, they'll be gone by the time you get here:
1. On the course map...the large unmarked dot above the forest trail spur is
Hilltop Station. There will be a big sign marking that station, but I forgot to
write in the name when I drew the map. Doh!
2. As to the pasta potluck tent fee...it's $12.00/person 8 yrs. and older.
You'll buy your tickets into the potluck when you pickup your packet. If you
can, please bring the exact amount. I will not have the means to take credit or
debit cards, and you'll save me a bunch of running around by not needing change
back. Of course, if you forget, I'm trying hard not to and will make at least
one trip to the bank between now and then to have some sort of cash drawer.
3. Please hang onto your ticket - it's not only your admission into the big
tents, it's also your door prize number. We have some amazing door prizes and
you won't want to miss out. You must be present to win.
4. We've touched on this already - gear drop bags should come with you to packet
pickup.
5. Race starts at 6a.m. - no late or early starts.
Time cutoffs: 11:45a.m. on the first pass at Vista Station, 12:25p.m. at Cave
Creek turnaround, and 4:10p.m. at Junction Station.
Race ends, course closes, and we all get to enjoy Matt's burgers and Marge's
beans at 6:00p.m.
No exceptions to the times - they are set as though in stone.
6. Weather - looking really good. It's so warm today I've shed my normal winter
fleece layer. We're talking shirtsleeves.
7. Please remember to let me know if you're not going to be here.
Finally, I know some of you are already traveling or will be shortly. Be safe,
stay healthy, and I'll see you when you get here. Very very soon! susan
Answers to Runners' Questions - 01-11-10
Hey all...
It's a morning for really good questions from various runners. The answers are
worth sharing with everyone:
1. Concerning food and locations of the aid stations -
* For the station locations and names, please check the website "Map and Route
Info."
* About food:
All locations will have water - that includes the top of the trail spur.
All main stations will have Gatorade...these are Junction, Stone Hut, Hilltop
and Vista.
All main stations will have boiled potato pcs. w/option of salt.
Junction station is passed 6.3 miles into the race and just before the last 6.3
miles. They will have more food in the afternoon than in the morning pass.
Experience has proven they just don't serve much early in the day. There will be
bananas and probably bagels in the morning. In the afternoon there will be
makings for PBJ sandwiches, pretzels, and bananas. There will probably be some
Peppermint Patties.
The three other stations will have all the same as Junction plus trail mix,
gummy bears, m&Ms. Someone suggested fresh melon chunks - sounded good to me -
so those will be at one or two stations. Cookies leftover from the pasta potluck
will be at the stations. There will be slices of apples at probably two of the
stations - most likely Stone Hut and Vista - but I've not made the final
inventories yet. Definitely Peppermint Patties at these three stations.
These three stations also have gear drop bags - bags you provide with your stuff
and bring to me on Sat. so they can be taken to the aid stations when the
volunteers head out. MAtt loads the truck on Sat. night as he's gone by 4:30am
on Sun...so please do not bring gear drops on Sun. They will not get to the
stations.
Cave Creek is going to be manned by the Scouts and their leader. They are
backpacking in for a few miles. They will have water, possibly Gatorade and
pretzels, but it is the turnaround and fairly close to Vista Station, so these
guys are not going to carry in full station foods. Fill up at Vista coming
and/or going.
----------------------
2. What is the latest possible time to pickup your packet?
* By 8:30pm on Sat. night. Registration is all day on Fri. and until 4:30 pm on
Sat. when we break for a Q&A with runners and volunteers, then the pasta
potluck/party. I will be able to hold one last registration session after the
pasta party, but we need to have the property settling down no later than 8:30
because of the number of people camping here.
* Packet pickup is much more than actually collecting your packet - it's signing
your liability waiver and getting that much needed bib number/bib.
* This is also the time to bring your gear drop bags. Once Matt loads those for
Vista station - that's it. There's no way to get any late-arrivals out to the
stations. All station volunteers leave before the race even starts. Please have
your bags organized when you come for your packet.
------------
That's it for now. Weather is still looking good:
Fri. Sunny, Low 27, High 51
Sat. Partly Cloudy, Low 28, High 52
Sun. Partly Cloudy, Low, 29, High 56
I'll have a creek water-level report for you on Wed. or Thurs. after we've
marked the course up to the N. Percha.
It's getting close! susan
Words of Encouragement - 01-09-2010
Hey all,
Matt and I just returned from a whirlwind day of shopping for GT in Las Cruces.
The first fridge is now full, the freezer on top is full, the second fridge is
starting to fill, that top freezer is full, and the big chest freezer is
starting to get that way. If you were to step into the cabin or the studio you'd
definitely see signs of GT everywhere!
Word came in
yesterday that the
finishers' awards (handmade in Hatch) are ready to be picked up. More stuff has
arrived for your packets...they're gonna be heavy this year!
In the meantime...I've rec'd more than one email voicing cases of nervous
excitement, and sometimes just nervousness. Some feel well-trained, others feel
less-well-trained. Some are coming back from illness and injury. More than one
is wondering if he or she is up for the challenge.
It's time for words of encouragement. Some of you are coming just for a run.
That's fine, though personally, I feel like you will miss out a bit...not quite
catching the spirit of the Ghost Town. Others will come to every social
function, eat every meal, and soak it up. Each to your own. One thing for sure -
you will all run and many will do a good bit of walking.
Thing is...the landscape should inspire. Those of you who will attend the pasta
potluck will hear words in ancient Greek meant to encourage you forth. They are
words in tribute to a warrior of legend.
Come Sunday morning you will gather in the dark and the cold. Then you will head
up the road 6.3 miles where you'll turn to the north and head up FS 157. Hills
will rise up to meet you. If you are lucky you may spot wild turkeys, elk or
deer. Most likely you'll see cattle grazing along the way. Sometimes large birds
of prey cry out from above, especially near the spur trail.
The distance will be 38.5 miles...not quite a marathon and a half. Everyone has
his own way to face the distance. I like to think of it as just over 20 miles
out to Cave Creek, and then everything after that is on the way back to the
finish line and it's less than the 20! If you've conquered the marathon distance
before...when you get to 26.2 you can tell yourself that it's less than a half
marathon to the finish.
You'll conquer hills and cold and aches and rocks and creeks. Most importantly
you conquer something inside you - whether it be fear or doubt or simply the
challenge.
Joan Nashelsky and Julie Aster and I will be at the finish line cheering you in.
It's worth getting there on your own power. Even if you've done so much more in
your running career, it's still a good thing to finish. It is what we all hope
for you.
So now you should concentrate on hydrating and packing and re-packing and
resting every now and then. I won't attempt to tell you how to taper or train,
but I will tell you to relax. You face a weekend that should provide you lots of
fun, new and old friends, some great scenery, much food, and many - but not too
many - miles. They are definitely conquerable.
There is more than one among you who has never gone 26.2 let alone 38.5. And
there are many among you who run 100 miles routinely, several times/year. There
will be surprise PRs, and surprising showdowns. In '09 there were two fights to
the finish that ended in a 5 sec. split - one at the very front of the pack for
1st and 2nd place and one much further back and yet no less exciting.
I look forward to each of you running toward us as we cheer you in. Focus on
your finish and I'll see you when you get there!
All the best, susan
Quick Update - 01-08-2010
Hey all,
Weather:
Thin blanket of snow this morning...26 deg. at the moment. 10-day forecast -
possibly more snow
next Friday, but
mostly sunny and mid-50s on the 16th and partly cloudy and mid-50s on the 17th.
Expect cold nights, warmer days. Zero precip. for race weekend's Sat. and Sun.
.............
Volunteers:
I appreciate those of you who have surfaced this week with the offers from your
teenagers to work as volunteers. Unfortunately, the volunteer crew is full and
assignments were made some weeks ago.
I am grateful for the offers...perhaps at a future GT with a little more advance
notice on their interest in volunteering. Please keep in mind that I do need a
solid ratio of adults to teens among the volunteers.
The finish line area is not the place for your teens or younger kids to hang out
all day on race day.
.............
Packet Pickup:
Please remember the two basics - 1. no proxies; 2. you must pickup your packet
and bib number and sign your liability waiver before the close of business on
Saturday the 16th.
.............
Behind the Scenes:
I baked 6 batches of banana bread
yesterday (in addition
to the three already done), and made enough pasta casserole for 50 people the
day before. Sunday is enchilada-making day. So, the freezer is filling.
Packets are also filling. The last items for the packets are scheduled to arrive
today. The eight
$50.00 gift certificates have arrived from Fleet Feet Albq. - they are for the 8
award winners. I hope to pick up the finishers awards this weekend.
............
One week from
today a number of you
will be here already! How fun! susan
Course Marking, Parking, Spectators - 06 Jan. 2010
It's Wednesday
morning (for those of you who lose track of emails, updates and/or time) and
once again I was wide awake before there was even a trickle of light through the
window. Of course I was thinking about race weekend.
Things are going smoothly, though my days are jam-full of GT duties. Yesterday I
fielded 8 calls in the first 2 hours of my day and then I ran off (not literally
- I actually drove the 75 miles) to Las Cruces for another whirlwind day of
shopping for GT essentials. I managed to hit Sam's Club, WalMart, Office Depot,
and Toucan market (something of a smaller Trader Joe's) as well as a visit to
Dr. Bobby my chiropractor for some neck, back and foot work. Home to unload all
the goodies (thus testing the neck, back and feet) before sitting down to a late
supper with Matt.
The cabin is filling with piles of stuff. The shirts are counted, folded, and
stacked on a table in the studio. Packets are half-filled...waiting for more
boxes to arrive via UPS.
In the meantime there have been questions about the weather...ah, yes, the
weather. I can guarantee there will be some - now we're all hoping it will be of
the good variety. We're supposed to have a cold windy next couple of days, but
there's no mention of snow or rain. The snow in the Black Range is in the
highest or deep-darkest places. Looks lovely against the blue mtns. from a
distance, but I'm thinking you won't be running through anything substantial.
Matt will take all of next week off from work to help me prep the property and
mark the route. He'll also be hand-forming all those burgers for the post-race
bbq and running lots of last minute errands.
Anyway, back to the route - we'll be marking it on Thursday. I don't think I've
discussed course marking in any previous emails so I'll get right to it:
1. We don't use ribbons or tape because it's way too time-consuming to get back
into all the places we'd need to in order to clean it all up after the race.
Remember, it's just me and Matt - and he has a real job and has to go back to
work the Tues. after GT.
2. We do use big painted plywood signs to mark the aid station locations, the
start/finish area (you won't be able to miss my place), hwy. caution signs, and
such.
3. On the north side of the Percha there will be some smaller wooden signs with
arrows to point you in the right direction wherever you might be tempted to head
off up the wrong set of ruts. I've painted GT 38.5 or something similar on them
so that you can tell if someone's switched the arrows around. IF the letters and
numbers are upside down, right them...and then follow the arrow. We try to tie
these signs to things like trees so that big animals can't knock them over -
causing great confusion - and pranksters who might be wandering the woods can't
send you down the wrong path.
4. In addition to the signs...to help you focus and actually see the signs...we
drop bright orange traffic cones. Now these cones will first be seen around our
little plum tree. Matt planted it. It's survived several summers and a some
major strong winds, so we don't want you driving in to camp and plough right
over it. On the GT course...cones will be placed to both draw attention to signs
that you shouldn't miss - or you might miss a turn or station - and they also
mark the way to go:
* If you see a cone on one side of a potential path, and see another down the
way beyond that path (on the same one you're already on)...follow those cones
like cookie crumbs. No bird is going to carry them off as happened to poor
Hansel and Gretel, so our cone-crumbs should work just fine.
** If you see two or three cones across the mouth of a potential path - they are
blocking it! DO NOT go between the cones. Yes, we all like to be individuals and
find our own way in life...but on the route we are going to be conformists and
stick with the trail.
*** Finally, I spoke with cowgirl Laurie yesterday...and she, Joe and a couple
of other riders insisted on being here. So we will have the roving Sheriff's
Posse on horseback. They keep an eye out for those of you who are thinking way
too independently and wandering off between cones and ignoring signs. They have
saddlebags - so should you need to discard trash or a piece of
gear/clothing...they're capable of receiving whatever it is you want to give
them and getting it back to the finish line late in the day.
So...if you're here on Fri. or Sat. and have the interest and time...you will be
able to find the course and follow it for the most part. I do recommend staying
on this side of the Percha as things get more tricky on the north side and no
one will know you're out there. We don't want you lost before the race has even
started! Matt and Ed and the Scouts will be marking the miles between the Percha
and Cave Creek as they go in very early on race day.
-----------
Race morning - only those camping here will have parking on the property.
Everyone else: if you are staying in the village of Hillsboro - you may want to
walk to my place (1/2 mile at most).
There will be more of the infamous traffic cones directly across the street from
my place. Please do not move them and park there. They are purposely placed to
make sure there's plenty of room for any traffic to safely pass without
interference from the race all while trying to protect runners coming into the
finish area.
You can park along the hwy...just make sure you are not blocking any driveways
and that all four of your vehicle's tires are outside the line at the edge of
the road. The neighbors, other drivers, and the hwy. department would have cause
to complain if you happen to actually be parked on the hwy.
If you are staying in TorC, you may want to ask at the front desk of your
accommodations about other GT'ers staying there and set up a carpool. If someone
reminds me, we can even bring this up at the info. Q&A session or at the pasta
party - though the party is a party and we don't want to do too much business
there. Keep an eye out for other runner-looking people at your motel. Believe
me, if they look like runners, they're probably not locals or tourists and
you're safe to approach them.
I highly recommend scouting for parking places on Fri. or Sat. There is a very
small dirt area just past the bridge as you come toward us from Hillsboro. It's
less than 3/10 from my place and can accommodate probably 2-3 small vehicles. Be
aware of the drop into the creek bed and large boulders. ;-}
You can park on the easements in the village - again please be sensitive to the
property owners, especially business owners. There are no parking meters,
parking lots, or even parking signs...but the local business owners are
territorial and view the easements near or in front of their businesses as
belonging to their customers (such as those may be).
For your families and supporters - they should park the furthest away from the
start/finish line. The race starts at 6a.m. There's a great parking area near
the old bridge 1.5 miles west of my place...just before the curves start. These
are the curves between me and Kingston - not the curves into Hillsboro from the
east. Lots of curves, what can I say? Anyway, there's room for a great number of
vehicles there. I recommend that location for catching sight of you in your
early and your late miles.
After that, there are several wide turnouts along Hwy. 152 that they may want to
check out and utilize. Again, they should also be pulled completely off the
pavement. Safety for all is important - include random traffic passing by.
If any of your people want to head up FS 157...they need to preferably get in
there before 7a.m. It will not be good for any runners to have a bunch of
supporters driving through them at dusk. No family or friend traffic should slow
any runner's progress. There is one camping area designated as family/support
parking. That is as far as any vehicles (other than official volunteers) should
go. If your people drive beyond that and are seen...you will be DQd and asked to
leave the race. This is for everyone's safety, including your family/friends.
The road starts off quite innocently...but it doesn't stay that way.
The parking restriction has been questioned many times and other than safety -
you are running into a national forest and a wilderness area. The Gila is one of
those rare places that you can enter and hear no sound of man. If we have a
steady flow of spectator vehicles on the route, that element is lost. A broken
down vehicle could stop the race. There is simply too much risk of injury to
volunteers and runners to have a stream of vehicles up and down the road. It's
up to you to see that your family and friends are informed of the
parking/driving restrictions.
-----------------
That's it for now. I'm cooking for GT today. If you have questions - they are
best sent by email...unfortunately, by this stage in race prep I don't have a
lot of time for visiting by phone.
Next week - weather reports and creek-crossing reports.
Cheers! susan
Things You Might Want to Bring with You - 30 Dec. '09
Hey all,
Just in case you're starting to think about what to bring with you (besides your
casserole or loaves of bread and dozens of cookies!), here's a list of items
that runners in years past have appreciated having with them or have sorely
missed:
1. Layers and options for those layers - it could be shorts weather, it could be
snowing.
2. Gloves, hat, visor
3. Sunglasses
4. Contact lens fluid and/or Visine
5. lip balm
6. headlamp or small flashlight - even if you don't want to run with one, you
might need it in the potties should you choose to use one of those after dark or
before sunrise
7. Bandaids
8. extra socks for a gear drop bag somewhere along the route - if the N. Percha
is high, and even more significantly - wide at the point of crossing, you could
end up with wet feet - a change of socks at Hilltop on the second pass could
make the rest of your run a lot more pleasant
9. pocket camera
If the GT alumni (runners and volunteers) have other suggestions - send them to
me and I'll include them in a future update.
ciao! susan
2010 Ghost Town Race-weekend Schedule
Fri., Jan. 15 - Packet pickup* 9:00a.m. - 4:30p.m.
Sometime in the morning – the portojohns and the tents/equipment arrive
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. I’ll be cooking for the Greek meal…you may still be able to collect your packet
but the cooking comes first
6:00 p.m. to ? – we eat and toast the ancient Greeks! Matt will recite a short passage in ancient Greek
Sat., Jan. 16 – Packet pickup* continues from 9:00a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Q&A session for any runners and volunteers interested
5:30 – 5:50 p.m the Hellenic dancers perform
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Pasta potluck**, toward the end of the meal the dancers will perform again and invite you to
join them in a dance or two (good way to limber up after travel)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. (maybe slightly longer) - somewhere in all these festivities Matt will recite a short passage
from Homer’s “The Odyssey” – this will be in ancient Greek and a different passage from
Friday night’s recitation – both should stir the blood and give connection to those of old
It’s in this hour that some special stuff (in addition to Matt and his Homer) like door prizes and other fun stuff.
We’ll close with last minute questions/clarifications and head off to bed for a few hours before rising early to face
race day.
Sun., Jan. 17 – RACE DAY!!!
4:00 a.m. – Matt and I are up and loading the truck for the adventurous drive to Vista Station. He usually leaves
no later than 4:30 a.m. as it’s a lengthy and challenging drive. Ed Heller will ride with Matt. The Scouts
will follow in their vehicle behind them.
4:30 a.m. – The front cabin is open. Light pre-race-suitable foods on the table and assorted hot beverages.
Here are important facts on pre-race activities:
· The front door of the cabin will be manned by Julie Aster.
· You should enter the cabin by the back door. Do not force Julie to function as a
bouncer, dropping you to the ground! She’s small but mighty and very enthusiastic!
· Once you enter the back door, you will check in with Joan Nashelsky. Failure to do
so means you’re disqualified at the start. Give Joan your correct bib number. She’s
very good at this job…do not even think about trying to tell me Joan forgot to check you off. Remember – I’ll be up at 4a.m. You don’t want a grumpy Susan.
· PLEASE – no more than 10 people in the cabin at once. It is a very small bldg. and
which quickly becomes deafeningly loud and chaotic with too many people in it.
Check in with Joan, get some food or drink, leave your finish line bag if you have
one.
· If you want to – leave your keys in the container we’ll have available. If you are
driving a rental, please remember what your keys look like. ;-} Yes, it’s happened.
· Once you’ve checked in, gotten food, left your bag and keys, please exit the cabin
via the front door. It might be good to smile and greet Julie as you go. We don’t want a grumpy Julie either!
5:30 a.m. – All volunteers going to aid stations (other than the scouts and Ed Heller who will have already gone)
need to gather at the west drive. You’ll see stacks of boxes and cartons of food. These are aid station
supplies. Gear drop bags will also be there. I mark each stack with the name of the station. Please wait
for me if you have any questions as to what you’re supposed to take. Find me before loading your
vehicles. Yes, it has happened that one volunteer just thought all stations got the same and within an hour
or two of the race’s start, word came back to me that the station closest to the Percha had no food. It
will be dark…you will have time…breathe, ask, then load your vehicles.
5:45 a.m. – Aid station volunteers head off into the dark.
5:55 a.m. – We start counting down. I usually do a loud voice-sweep through the back property to wake any
runners who have somehow managed to slumber through the commotion of pre-race activities. Same
with the portojohns. No, you don’t get to delay the start of the race because you suddenly remembered
that one more visit to the johns is a good idea.
6:00a.m. – the whistle blows. This is by my watch. You are welcome to coordinate your watches to mine the
day before. My watch rules the day. There is one among you whom I love and enjoy and he knows this,
but every year we have the same discussion – the race did not start late or early – it started at 6 a.m. by
my watch – I cannot help it if his watch is wrong. Besides, you are all clocked on the same stopwatches
- we even have two for backup.
11:45a.m. – the first cutoff is at Vista Station on your first pass through there. Traditionally it is in this stretch
that people choose to drop. Only once has someone timed-out at Cave Creek.
12:25p.m. – the second cutoff is at Cave Creek. The Scouts will be there without a vehicle. If you do not make
it to them on time, please be prepared to turn around and walk out with them to Vista Station where
you’ll wait until Matt and Ed close the station and drive you out to the finish.
If I’ve measured correctly in past years (we measure by truck odometer, handheld GPS, and some
uncommon sense) and if my math is right (I’ve always been good in math) Vista Station and Cave Creek
are approximately about and depending on where you place your feet as you run – 2 miles apart
4:10p.m. – the final cutoff is at Junction Station. This is 6.3 miles or so from the finish line. These last miles are all
on pavement, all downhill, and will be in some traffic.
6:00p.m. – the race is over and the post-race bbq begins.
Mon. Jan. 18 – somewhere around 9a.m. I will have a freshly-cooked breakfast for anyone interested. Then Matt and I will
go back up the route to take down signs, the portojohns and tents/equipment will be collected, I’ll start rooting
through the lost and found items, seeing what unopened foods can go to the food bank, and generally
dismantling Ghost Town until I start working on it again sometime in the spring.
* Packet pickup is mandatory. It must be completed before the close of the day on Sat. Jan. 16. No exceptions. There’s simply too much going on pre-race to deal with last minute liability waivers, shirt sizes, etc. No proxies – you have to sign your own waiver…your spouse and/or your best running buddy cannot sign for you.
** Pasta potluck – tent-rental share is $12.00/person. I’m Catholic and even the Catholic Church recognizes lack of culpability for children until the age of 7. To that end…kids 7 and under have no tent-rental sharing duties…they get to come in and enjoy for free.
Still on the potluck – we’re anticipating about 150 people. So far 20 runners and volunteers have stepped up with offers of casseroles, meatloaves, bread, cookies and salads. We’re looking good on cookies, but only two people are bringing salads. I am not trying to pick on any one group…but for the GT vegetarians…bringing a salad or a cold dish casserole would be an excellent way of seeing that there is enough for all regardless of dietary restrictions. Let me know if you are willing to contribute to the food and what you’ve got a fancy to fix.
Update on Meals, Potluck, camping - 29 Dec. '09
Hi all,
Less than 3 weeks to go and there's a lot of ground to cover - so to speak. This
email is going to confirm who's coming to the Fri. night Greek meal, what you
should bring to the pre-race Sat. night pasta meal, and Mon. morning breakfast.
The bit about the pasta meal requires your participation - so please respond -
you'll be helping me out more than you know.
There is also the list (for confirmation) of those scheduled to camp on the
property. If you don't see your name and plan on pitching a tent or sleeping in
some vehicle, let me know. Thanks!
1. The Friday night Greek meal - here's the list of those who've said they're
coming. If you anticipate being here but don't see your name...let me know!
Also, if you are on the list but aren't actually coming to that particular meal
- let me know!
Nashelsky - party of 2
Laura Falsone
Tim Bauer
Jan Tarr & Julie Aster
Jean-Jacques D'Aquin
Nick Clark - party of 2 adults, 1 son
Vince Antunez
Peter Farmer & Margery Mark
Jennifer Dicus
Clifton Trujillo - possibly party of 2
Chris Lundberg and Lori
2. The Saturday night pasta meal. This is a potluck, which means people need to
bring something to share. There will be a fee for the tent rental as that was an
unexpected "extra" because we are now quite the collection of people and have
out-grown the local cafes and the Community Center. The tents will have heaters,
chafing dishes, lots of tables and chairs.
I am getting 5 vegetarian lasagnas from the Arrey Cafe. I'll also be making as
many of another hearty pasta casserole (with meat) as I can before needing to
start other foods for the finish line. Ben Wood and his staff of kitchen
volunteers will be cooking in the cabin on Sat. - plain pasta tossed with olive
oil and served with the option of garlic and/or sauteed veggies.
Of course I'll be filling in on whatever else we need...so your responses are
important to me! Please help out so that we don't have lots of waste but at the
same time have enough for everyone.
Robert Andrulis has volunteered a large olive oil.
Tim Bauer is making a pasta casserole.
This is what I'm looking for from the rest of you:
* pasta casseroles (if I know ahead I can have chafing dishes to keep them warm)
* cold pasta salads
* other salads
* loaves of french bread or rolls
* cookies - lots of cookies - these will be dessert
So...you see, there are options. If you're not a gourmet chef and are timid
about your culinary skills...bring cookies or bread from the store. You can even
pack such items in your luggage if you're flying in.
I grew up with potlucks and the beauty is that I never saw one where there
wasn't enough for everyone if everyone made a contribution. Think generously. If
there are 6 in your party, think food for that many doubled. This should be fun.
Who knows...maybe you are not only talented runners and happy people, but you
have great skill in the kitchen.
As for those who abstain from meats...this is your opportunity to see that there
is an abundance of vegetarian-friendly food!!!
So...the thing to do now is figure out what you'll bring to the party and then
let me know. If I feel like we're reaching the limit on loaves of bread but have
no salads or cookies, I'll get the word out to those of you still trying to
decide.
I'm looking forward to your responses!
3. Monday morning breakfast - this is for anyone wanting to eat before heading
on down the road. Not-so-surprisingly I'm usually moving a little slower the
morning-after and so this meal is ready around 9a.m. Last year I did
frittatas...with fresh fruit, bagels, banana bread, and whatever else looks good
available.
All I need is an idea of who thinks they might be here.
4. Camping on the property - here's the list - if you're planning on it but your
name isn't here...let me know!
Adrian Wagner - vehicle
Jan Tarr and Julie Aster - Fri. night only - car or two person tent
Tony Stafford - borrowed tent, 1 vehicle
Tim Bauer - borrowed tent, 1 vehicle
Dianna and Bobby Keogh - truck
Louis Telles - van
Heather R. and Mike Courtney - tent, 1 vehicle (which we'll park out so you have
easy out)
Kari Fraser and Chris Gerber - 2 tents, 1 vehicle
Chris Lundberg - tent, 1 vehicle
Jody Chase - Suburban
Vince Antunez - tent, 1 truck
4 scouts plus 3 adults - assorted tents, 2 vehicles
Mer Otis - vehicle
Jean Jacques
D'Aquin - vehicle
Jim Weddell - vehicle (tent?)
Andy Jones-Wilkins - borrowed tent, 1 vehicle
---------------------
Behind the Scenes...
Matt and I got home late last night - ahead of the snow. It's been coming down
steadily now since before 7a.m. Holiday travel went well, but the homecoming has
proven challenging. Apparently there was a severe cold snap while we were away
and the well pump has frozen. We have no water of any sort on the entire
property. Pray for a thaw!
It looks like the shirts have arrived but were delivered to someone in the
village. I'm looking forward to warming up the old truck and hauling the many
boxes back here before they are soaked with snow!
--------------------
I'm here now. You're all very quiet. Don't leave your questions to the day
before you travel...race week is pretty busy for me and I wouldn't want to have
you arriving without answers.
Later this week...race weekend schedule, something on how the course will be
marked, and whatever else surfaces.
I will have weather and creek water-level reports by middle of race week.
----------------
Don't forget to let me know what you're bringing to the pasta potluck!!!
Cheers! susan (575)895-3383
UPDATE
27 December 2009
Hey all,
Matt, daughter Hannah, and I had a great week in the Outer Banks of NC. We
returned to Durham
today - Matt and I fly
to Albuquerque
tomorrow - and I'll be
hard at work by Tues. morning. This is the first internet I've had since leaving
home, and I can't do any website work until I'm home and using my own laptop,
but I've a minute to catch you up on what's what...it's important to me since my
nighttime dreams are dominated by Ghost Town...your names drifting through my
slumbering mind causing me to wake with worry, "Oh mercy...don't forget to do
this...or take care of that..." and "what if...??"
* My emails were sprinkled with news of shipments on their way: the shirts are
scheduled to arrive
tomorrow or Tues.
* Bib numbers and some door prizes are scheduled to arrive
tomorrow. (I hope it's
good weather at home!)
* Sadly for me (and I know for some of you others when you learn) - Charter
Member Mike Melton has had to drop. He's both a runner and a race director from
FL. Mike brought a group of 4 other Floridians with him in '06. 2010 would have
been his first return to GT since that inaugural year. He will be missed.
* Equally sad for me and others - two-time top female finisher (always top five
overall) Elise Boeh has had to drop. Elise set a course record for the ladies in
2007, and then bested her former performance with a new record in '08. She
wasn't able to be here in '09, and will be missed in 2010 as well. Hopefully
we'll see her back in 2011...she's hinting at it anyway.
* Please look for an update on Tues. or Wed. concerning the pre-race pasta meal.
It's time for me to organize the food and since this is going to be a potluck
it's going to mean your participation. More to follow...
* I hope to have the weekend schedule for you in that email as well. After all,
we're just 3 weeks away from race weekend as of
today! More to
follow...
---------------------------
* Behind the scenes...I'll be prepping instructions for the station teams. Those
will go out to team members. If you've had a change of plans - please let me
know. If reassignments are going to happen...sooner is better than later.
* If you are registered to run but have had a change of circumstances or desire
and aren't going to be here...remember...it's good to let the RD know!
* The kitchen remodel is nearly done for now - Matt is going to finish painting
walls and ceiling on Tues. We won't have time to tile the floor before you all
arrive, so it'll still be the old scruffy vinyl square tiles...at least all
those feet won't hurt it in any way! All we need now is for the contractor's
guys to get back to Hillsboro to install the second oven. Can you believe it?
it's going to be like a real kitchen!
----------------------------
Bit more History -
A few of you mentioned that you enjoyed the history lesson on Hillsboro, a madam
and her girls, and other bits of local lore. I forgot to mention a couple of
important bits that go with the stories:
Hillsboro used to be the county seat. Truth or Consequences (I may have
mentioned already was named Hot Springs at the time) wasn't much to speak of.
Well, floods and fire took their toll on Hillsboro in the early 1900s. A
movement down in Hot Springs to claim the county seat was initiated and passed
in a vote. It might seem like a small matter, but Hillsboro never recovered from
the blow.
The Victorian courthouse that stood just below cemetery hill and that once
housed the accused in the famous murder trial, was nationally known. Images of
it had appeared in newspapers and magazines back east. After Hillsboro's
decline, the courthouse was sold to a citizen who turned around and sold the
brick for salvage. Sadly, the beautiful building was reduced to ruins and worse
yet, the brick wasn't worth re-using. The ruins still stand. It suffers from
time to time at the hands of vandals who steal things like the bars from the
old windows.
In the meantime...to add insult to injury, saintly Sadie Orchard's stagecoach -
the one that connected Kingston to Hillsboro to Lake Valley - ended up in
Lincoln County. I've yet to get that story, but it just sort of breaks one's
heart.
I thought that was the ultimate symbol of decline of the village...until Boots
(yes, he was a resident of Hillsboro for years) got to talking to me one day
when I was out for some miles. He related various pieces of local history and
was quite aggressively emotional when speaking of the feud between TorC and
Hillsboro. I stood and listened, prompting him from time to time with a
well-placed question. The source of his fury: Sadie Orchard died as so many
working ladies did back then - pretty much penniless. She does not lie on the
hill among the babies and the miners her girls fought to save. Instead, and no
one seems to quite know how it happened, someone with no respect for the village
or its history (this according to Boots), took her body and laid her to rest
(though he felt it would be to her unease) in the cemetery in Truth or
Consequences where "she never did even live!"
They voted away the county seat, they destroyed the courthouse, and then they
stole our madam. There will be no peace.
And so goes the local lore according to one named Boots.
---------------------------------
That's it for now. Race weekend is always in my thoughts now. Don't be bashful
with your questions and concerns. Remember to look for more updates this week.
Cheers! susan (575)895-3383
Update on Rules
and some history - 16 Dec '09
Hi, all,
Let's take care of business first. I don't want to appear cranky - always "going
on" about the rules - but the rules are the rules and without them all is lost!
Today's rule requiring re-iteration:
Packet Pickup and Registration - You must sign your liability waiver and pick up
your packet and your bib number no later than immediately after the pasta meal.
By 8pm on Sat. night those camping here are beginning to settle down into their
tents and vehicles, I have to prep the cabin for the next morning's activities,
and with a 4am wake-up for me and Matt...I need to be done with registrations no
later than 8pm on Sat. night.
If you have not completed check-in by 8pm, you will be considered a "no show"
and your place will either be given away or simply taken off the roster. The
first of the rosters leaves with Matt and his crew at 4:30 am on Sunday...I am
sticking with this rule...no changes at any hour on Sunday morning.
If you can't get here by 8pm on Saturday night then you aren't going to run on
Sunday. It's a very simple rule.
Remember the others:
* No dogs at my place or on the route
* No pacers unless they are registered runners
* No family, friends or supporters except at the designated area on FS 157 or
where they wish along 152 - this includes these same people rolling along slowly
in cars on the route
* You must meet the cutoffs at the specified aid stations
* No early starts, no late starts, no late finishes - you have from 6am to 6pm
to cover the course on your own two feet, that's it
* No leaving the course without checking with an aid station volunteer or with
the staff at the finish line
* You must pick up your packet by 8pm on Sat. night
* No bandits, no bandits, no bandits - this means no one who is not registered
is allowed to walk or run or bike or skate or roller blade or ride on horseback
or move in any other fashion alongside you or just for fun by themselves on the
route during race hours
Infraction of any of the rules means an automatic DQ for the runner - you will
be asked to leave immediately - you will be done with Ghost Town forever
The rules are the rules. We are all better off for them. We are all happier if
they are respected and maintained. I like being happy, don't you?
---------------------
Now for the fun stuff:
A few of you have mentioned interest in old places. Welcome to Hillsboro! Mining
- gold and silver - was what caused Hillsboro and the surrounding areas to
flourish in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Lake Valley (about 20 min. down Hwy.
27 - you know, the one to that bar at Nutt) was home to the second largest
silver strike in the USA. It stands a true ghost town now...it may even be
possible to visit while you're here. Kingston - 8 or 9 miles up the road (again
depending on the signage) was also a booming silver-town. There was a time in
Kingston when there were so many people living there and coming in from the
surrounding hills that it could take hours to move down the one street - less
than half a mile in distance. There are still a good number of the old buildings
there. Same in Hillsboro, but Hillsboro: here was the gold.
Directly opposite my place if you look carefully up the hill and slightly to the
left you will see some of the remains of the old support system for moving
water, rocks and hopefully nuggets down from the higher country. Almost at the
road, just beyond the fence and a stand of trees, are what's left of the walls
of the old assay office. Every now and then Matt and I turn up a hand-forged
nail on our property. All this area was home to miners' shanties. Throughout
Hillsboro you'll see ruins of old adobes, some Victorian homes, and up on the
hill (sort of below the cemetery but not under like in "under" if you know what
I mean?)are the remains of what was once a very celebrated court house and jail.
In the early 1900s there was a very famous murder trial held here. It stemmed
from the Lincoln County wars. The man on trail was a well-known rancher. The
victims were another man and his 10 yr. old son - their bodies have never been
found. The court house was featured in the national press for both its
architecture and the trial. From what we've learned - one side of the street
through Hillsboro was lined with armed men in support of the rancher, and the
other side lined with ones who wanted him hanged. The contractor whose team
installed my new cupboards spoke of the trial - apparently his great-grandfather
(or great-great- I can't remember which as I was concentrating on the kitchen
project at the time) was the defense attorney. To this day, according the
contractor, the victims' descendents despise the defense atty's relatives...and
so it goes in the west. Something of the Hatfield and McCoy's without the
shotguns being pulled out in these modern times.
But getting back to the old adobe ruins in the heart of town. Hillsboro was
widely known for its brothels during those mining days. The local madame who had
houses from Lake Valley to Hillsboro to Kingston was Sadie Orchard. She also ran
the stage coach line. An older fellow - "Boots" - who lived here when I first
moved up this way would speak of Sadie with reverence. According to Boots,
"Sadie's girls were saints. When the great flu epidemic hit and all the miners'
living in those shanties were suffering so, those girls went out to nurse them
at their own risk. They couldn't stand that the babies and little kids dying (so
many every day) were just being put in boxes in the ground...so they shredded
their petticoats to line the boxes for the babies." If you wander the cemetery
you may notice areas with very small unmarked graves. There's a good chance
that's where the babies lie wrapped in the remnants of Sadie's girls'
petticoats.
Personally, I love wandering through cemeteries - reading old markers and
gravestones. I find them peaceful. I don't go up on the hill very often - if
it's too warm the place could be full of rattlesnakes. But this time of year, if
you've got the inclination, there shouldn't be any snakes and you'll just be
wandering through graves of those who dug the hills and panned the creeks hoping
for that big strike. Some have markers, most don't, but the times I've been up
there, I still felt a sense of who they were.
And so, of course, this brings me to our route's ghost: P. Luis. You'll run past
his grave twice. It sits about 5 miles into FS 157, just after a cattleguard and
slightly before the turn for the Forest Trail spur. P. Luis was a miner and
homesteader...as a matter of fact, he's buried at the edge of his land. He was
shot dead for failure to pay a small gambling debt. The card game was held at
the old log cabin (you'll see it just before you cross the N. Percha). They used
to play a lot of cards there, sold liquor too. Directly opposite the cabin, on
the creek side of the road, there's a somewhat rectangular rock that is full of
uniformly-sized holes. When the miners would get drunk they'd challenge each
other to drilling contents - all hand-drills, nothing mechanized. That rock
stands as testiment to "fun in the 1880s."
There are other graves in the forest, but they're hard to see. Some we've heard
of but not been able to find. Cooter told me that there's a whole family buried
in those last couple of miles to Cave Creek. Apparently their family gravesite
used to be surrounded by a split-rail fence, but winds have knocked trees down
and they in turn have taken the fence. The graves are no longer easy to spot.
Cooter didn't know who the family was, or how many, he just knew they were
there.
You won't see the grave, but there's one that's appeared in the last year or so.
We think he's a fella from TorC, and he's buried up one of the canyons. I asked
someone at the USFS office about the grave - expressing my surprise that it was
allowed - maybe I could be buried in the Gila too? (Well, when the time comes -
hopefully no time soon!) The reply, "It's not allowed, but once it happens, we
don't disturb those already at rest." Gives me something to think about, eh?
So there was gold in these hills, silver too. Many died trying to get some for
themselves, many profitted by offering services those who were digging and
panning needed. Almost all have faded away. There are still open mines, there
are many closed ones. You'll be running to one when you head up the spur. Mark
Brenwall will be at the low-end of the spur to help you get started, Tom Myers
will greet you at the top. Along the way, if you look to the north, you'll see a
natural stone arch. It's only recently that I've spotted the large cave below
and to the right of the arch.
Same guy at the USFS told me about the cave...it's nearly hidden by a large
stand of vegetation. He also told me it's now gated so that vandals and such
can't get in there.
Me, I wouldn't go messing around in a cave or a mine or with any of the old
stuff one might find out there. The Gila is full of graves...and where there are
graves, there are the ghosts of those who gambled and lost.
-----------------
Finally, I am still having difficulty with the website. All was working well,
but then the electricity in the entire area was cut yesterday so the co-op could
do some work and it's messed everything up again. So, if I am slow to get lists
updated or bios published...please know I'm working on it. No one has
complained, thank you, but I felt you should know I'm giving it all I've got to
get straightened out.
We're a month away from race weekend's Sat.!!! See you afore long, susan
Aid Station Food and Fri. night supper - 12-14-09
Hey all,
I rec'd a question
yesterday concerning
food at the aid stations. My gratitude to the author of the question for his
patience...Matt and I spackled holes and cracks in the kitchen ceiling and walls
yesterday and I sort
of ignored the computer. We begin priming the surfaces
today!
Anyway...as to the aid stations and food there...
Staples at the big stations:
water (in gallon jugs...if you want to carry water with you, bring a hydration
system we can refill)
Gatorade (larger bottles - not individual ones for you to take)
PBJ fixins
pretzels
boiled potatoe pieces
salt packs (like the kind you get at a fast food joint)
bananas
apples (sectioned)
V-8 juices (small indiv'l cans) at two stations
M&Ms
gummi bears
peppermint patties (my favorite - refreshing in the mouth, soothing for the
stomach)
trail mix
mix of little candy bars (like the Halloween bags of asst'd bars) - last year it
was Twix, Snickers, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way
The Junction Station is the first and the last station. At the early morning
pass there will be water, Gatorade, bagels, and bananas. Over the years I've
found not much food is eaten this early in the race. For the second pass - 6.3
miles from your finish - there will be more food, but prob. not everything
provided at the other stations. Again, people are now focused on finishing and
don't take as much time to stop and eat.
Remember...you can send your own food/beverage/gel supplies ahead in your gear
drop bags to Stone Hut, Hilltop, and Vista stations. If you really want a
pepperoni stick...send one ahead. I supply the items most people will eat...if
you like your peanutbutter on oreos...send a baggie of oreos. (I have provided
Oreos in the past and only 2-3 people took any.)
If you have something you think everyone will want, let me know. I do consider
all suggestions, but this isn't a promise, k?!?
Sodas - too many flavors, too many options (diet, non-diet, caffein, non-caffein,
etc.) - you supply your own soda throughout the weekend. Bring it with you as
there's no place to stock up on soda in Hillsboro.
Requested foods: beer (can't do this for legal issues), hard-boiled eggs (can't
do these for sanitary and temperature control issues), turkey and cheese
sandwich (again...no temperature control and not really practical for the
numbers we have).
At the finish line:
homemade chicken enchiladas
crocks of homemade sweet potato/onion soup - one crock with meat, one veggie
only
homemade banana bread
homemade cornbread
homemade healthy egg salad (made with olive oil, garlic and curry - not mayo!)
fruit
sweets
paydays - those salted peanuts make a good recovery bar
whatever else I have on hand that will set easy on your stomachs and help you
revive
You should find sufficient food in a wide-enough variety that you won't go
hungry nor will you have to break any dietary habits you adhere to. There will
be plenty for carnivores and vegetarians alike!
-----------------------
That's it for aid station menus. Now for the Fri. night supper. It's going to be
Greek night. I need a fairly accurate headcount so I have plenty for everyone.
Right now the menu includes a Greek chicken stew, moussaka (an eggplant dish),
sides of yogurt and olives, some kind of bread, some kind of salad, some kind of
dessert, prob. something more but I've not come up with it yet.
Here are the people who've let me know they'll be joining us:
Laura Falsone
Jim Burke
Joan and Marcus Nashelsky
Tim Bauer
Jan Tarr and Julie Aster (I think? because you're camping on the property Fri.
night?)
If you plan on being at the table on Friday night (supper is at 6p.m.) please
let me know - sooner is better than later. Thanks!
---------------
If you have not turned in your bio and would like to - this includes the
waitlisters - please send it to me asap so I can get them published on the
website before leaving for Christmas.
Here are the questions:
1. Name, age, location, occupation
2. Brief running history
3. Something you're willing to share others might not know about you
4. Shoes you'll run the GT in
5. Favorite book (or quote or both)
----------------
Weather...we had snow...a couple of times since Thanksgiving. It's gone now in
for the most part, though some remains in the highest points of the Black Range
and in those deep recesses of the mtns. that are seldom touched by the sun. It
is cold at night, but we hit the low-60s by noon
yesterday. Winds have
been a bit stronger than I enjoy.
--------------
That's it for now. Keep those questions coming...they help me remember what
needs sharing or explaining. Please remember that I'll be gone from Dec. 19 to
28 - no laptop/internet while away. It's good...a rest before returning to full
GT activity!
Just over a month to go!!! susan (575)895-3383
--------------------------------------------------
UPDATE and Behind the Scenes - 12-10-09
Hi all,
It's getting to be that time of year where I suddenly wake up at 2 or 3 a.m.
with "don't forget to tell them" thoughts running through my mind. The "them" is
you, the subject always has something to do with Ghost Town.
So it's time for something of an UPDATE. This one is about some of the quirks
coming to Hillsboro presents.
Things to learn from me or discover in an unfortunate way when you've arrived:
1. The closest gas station to Hillsboro is 18-20 miles away. It's at the
junction of I-25 and Hwy. 152 at the Lakeview RV park. There is no gas station
in Hillsboro or Kingston, and I do not have a gas pump on the property ;-}
2. If you are coming from I-10 west of us...you may want to exit at Deming. You
can purchase gas and supplies there. Then head as though you are going to Silver
City until reaching the turn (to the right or east) for Hwy. 26. Travel on the
2-lane 26 until you see the sign for Hwy. 27 and Hillsboro. If you miss the Left
turn onto 27 (can't go right or you'll end up in the open desert) you will see
just beyond it a bar (as in a place to buy a drink) that marks Nutt.
This route (Deming to 26 to 27) is what we call the "short cut." It will save
you a good bit of time from going all the way into Las Cruces on I-10 and then
up I-25 and back over on Hwy. 152.
Hwy. 27 will bring you right into Hillsboro, past the first station, take a left
onto 152 at the Welcome to Hillsboro sign. My place is about 6/10 of a mile from
there.
3. Cell phones do not work well in Hillsboro, Kingston, the Black Range, or the
Gila. If you are coming into Hillsboro on 152 after I-25...you will most likely
lose coverage once you've entered the curves. You will recognize the
curves...they are as described. They are also in the hills. Some people are able
to randomly grab some coverage on their cell phones when they stand across the
road from my place - this is all up to the heavens and your luck. There is
somewhat better cell phone reception on cemetery hill.
If you don't mind standing among the dead to converse with your loved ones, turn
off of 152 at that Welcome to Hillsboro sign, go past the fire station, bearing
to the left at the fork, and then around one more bend at the top of the hill.
The graveyard is on your right. Good luck.
The BarberShop motel does not have phones in the rooms. You will still not have
cell coverage there. But you are closer to the cemetery. ;-}
4. A runner who came for the hike in October commented that it's probably
adventure enough for most of you just to get to Hillsboro. The Gila will be that
much more. Please keep in mind that the Gila Hiking Center (which is my little
shop) caters to hikers, cyclists, outdoor enthusiasts, but will be closed for
GT. There will be no place closer than Lakeview RV at the junction of I25 and
152 to get snacks, batteries, motor oil, etc.
In years past there have been two cafes open at different times. The BarberShop
cafe is now closed...at least for the winter. The Gen'l Store is a cafe and not
really a store. It is open most days from 8a.m. to 3p.m. Thus my offer for
supper on Fri. night for early arrivals. Next closest food is either the Arrey
Cafe in Arrey (30-35 min. drive) or Truth or Consequences (40-45 min. drive).
5. Bottom line...bring with you what you need. The closest WalMart is in TorC,
next closes 75 miles away in Las Cruces.
----------
BEHIND THE SCENES:
*Buddy has spent the last hour barking at the cows and horses pasturing in the
hills across the road from us. There may well be cows along the route...keep an
eye out and give them some space. I've never been charged or chased, but then I
keep a respectful distance. If you are driving too quickly for the road (curves
and such) and hit livestock...you will wreck your car, tick off the rancher, and
owe him the value of the animal. It is open range here...figure the cattle have
the right-of-way.
*The electricians came yesterday to work on the kitchen. They were here until
after 8p.m. They came out of El Paso and their boss would rather pay them
overtime than have them have to drive up here again.
*The cupboards are unloaded but not in place yet. I'm looking forward to getting
into the new kitchen and cooking for GT!!!
*You may have noticed that I said the distance from Hillsboro from I25 is 18-20
miles. It really depends on which hwy. sign you look at - they are within 20 or
30 ft. of each other, but give a 2 mile variance. Things are a little relaxed
around here. Get ready!
*Boxes continue to pile up in the
studio. The shirts have been ordered and will arrive just after I'm back from
the Christmas trip. Other "stuff" is ready and waiting for your packets.
It's starting to look a lot like Ghost Town, everywhere I loo-ook! (that could
be put to the music of a Christmas song..you can figure it out...)
Have a holly jolly day wherever you are! susan
Answers to Question about Pace 12-09-09
Hi all,
There was a good response to the question on calculating pace based on previous
marathon-but-no-ultra experience. It dawned on me that with the entire group
mailing list split into two groups so that my box can handle all that needs
doing, and the fact that some (or maybe all of you) replied to me and possibly
not the group...there's a good chance I might be the only one reading the
responses.
They merit being read by everyone. There are quite a few first-time ultrarunners
in GT for 2010. And I think it's interesting even for those of you with many
ultras under your feet to see how people approach this question.
The variety of answers reminded me as to why I don't ever recommend shoe-type
for the running the GT. In the end, some stuff just has to be sorted out as it
happens or "take your best guess!"
I will be posting these answers and the original question to the Updates page of
the website.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Speaking of the website...if you visit any time soon, you may catch that there's
a new home page. Mercy me, what a Fri. thru Mon. I had with the laptop, website,
and internet provider. My service was becoming quite spotty, so the IP had me
change some settings on Fri. Sat. I couldn't update the website - it wouldn't
publish. An hour on the phone Sat. night with the site host staff concluded with
the cheery young man on the other end of the phone saying, "Well, I'm not really
tech staff...they've all gone home for the day...so you'll have to get back to
us on Monday."
Monday between the IP and the site-host I was on the phone for 5 hours. The host
guy had me pushing all kinds of buttons and tabs which resulted in the complete
loss of the website in my site-bldg. software. I was caught in a nightmare. To
top it all off, they had me downloading FTP software and files...which was too
much for my IP...and my service was put into a "mandatory slow-down" so slow
that I couldn't open email.
I got a little cranky and my IP guy (who happened to be India) apologized and
reinstated my normal internet speed.
Matt came home from work on Mon. to find me nearly curled into the fetal
position muttering things like, "I'm supposed to be a writer and a hiking
guide...what have I done to my life?!?" He kindly took me out for dinner.
I spent
yesterday working out
some kinks in the whole thing, rebuilding the structure of the website and
having to quickly create a new home page. Ah...such it is.
Today we are getting the new
kitchen cupboards, sink, lights, and countertop installed. This weekend we
paint! Life is definitely improving!!!
Anyway...here are the answers to the question on pace: enjoy!!!
----------
I don't know who all may have responded yet but a 15 minute mile is WAY too slow
a prediction for this runner. The 38.5 is more akin to running a 50-mile from
my perspective. My PR time for the GT is just about the exact same average pace
as is my 50-mile PR and is 15 to 20 seconds per mile slower than my 50K PR time.
The GT is a little harder course than either my 50-mile or 50K PR times.
My GT PR is about 4 minutes per mile slower than my road marathon PR but the GT
course is WAY, WAY harder than my marathon PR course, which was at Ogden,
UT...mostly downhill.
If this runner is doing consistent 3 hour road marathons then I'd say a 9 - 10
minute average pace or faster is very reasonable.
Brian (Pilgrim)
------------
Throw your marathon information/pace ideas/etc. out the window.
An Ultra is NOTHING like a road marathon- and with this being your first, forget
about "mile pace" as well - you get there when you get there. Your first goal
should be to finish. Yes, finish. Though it seems like your 6.5 hours is a
reasonable time guess. You have to take into consideration - have your 30+
mile runs been done on the roads or trails? That will be a big indicator of your
pace; If you train mostly on roads, you will be in for a treat!
It would be better to concentrate on your race day nutrition and length of time
on your feet in your training runs.
(Laura Barrett)
----------
S,
Depending on the elevation that he is from and the type of terrain he trains on
he should be able to do it in 6.5. The key challenge is the thigh burner when
running downhill on asphalt the last 6 miles. That stretch seems to take its
toll more so than other portions of the course. J
(John Harrington)
-----------
Hi Susan
In response to the new ultra runner, I would make a couple of comments.
I am one who has made the transition from marathons to ultras.
One major difference is that marathons don't typically climb mountains (except
for
Pike's Peak, of course). Climbing the hills requires more energy than
a typical marathoner might appreciate. Having said that, Ghost Town is a
challenging course
but not wildly difficult. Furthermore, most of us can eat a bagel or two and
run 26 miles.
Running 38 miles requires most people to eat and that will likely slow you down.
That final 12 miles takes more energy than you might think. In the range of 40
miles,
you are depleting the last of the glycogen reserves that marathoners rely on.
To me, the greatest danger for marathoners transitioning to ultras is
impatience. In the first half of
any ultra, from 50K to 100 miles, you should always be comfortable. The year
that I won Ghost Town,
our time in the first 6 miles up to the forest road was 55 minutes. That will
seem really slow
for a marathoner, but is typical for ultras. I think 15 minute miles on the GT
course is slow,
but I would suggest that a pace between 9 minute miles and 13 minute miles will
be quite
typical for a beginning ultra runner. Don't be alarmed if your pace varies
dramatically with the terrain.
Ed (Heller)
--------------
My two cents - since this is a first attempt at this distance, worry less about
time and just go out and have a good time. Predicting time on a trail race is
futile, because there are too many other things in addition to distance that
factor in. Terrain and surface are a couple that come to mind - maybe the actual
elevation of the race (higher in New Mexico than where I am in Texas) - weather
- nutrition. If you focus too much on a specific time - you might not run a
smart race - might push too hard - and might sustain some type of injury or
possibly not finish. Don't get too caught up in time - go out and run within
yourself and enjoy the distance and the ups and downs of endurance running (and
the bragging rights of finishing!).
Brian (Hill)
-----------------
i don't know if this answer will help, so i'll send it to you first...
my first ultra was at jemez. high elevation near los alomos in NM. a 50K took
me more than 9 hours!! my second ultra was on the pacific crest trail in
Oregon. i finshed 50 miles in about the same time!! i think i was shooting for
the same 6 hourish time for GT until i realized that GT may be a lot like jemez,
and if that's the case, i'm thinking i won't finish until the 9 - 10 hour range.
of course, i'm not gong to have run a couple of 30+ milers in, and i'm
recovering from an injury... i'm just running high weekly mileage, so the first
timer may be much more fit and better prepaired than me!!
(Amy Monsivais)
-----------
Susan,
My quick sysnopsis and personal times for comparison for you to pass along.
My marathon PR is 3:06 and my GhostTown PR is 6:06. They were 3 months apart
and when I was in the best condition I've ever been in. My 50 mile PR is 8:05 -
3 years earlier, but close condition-wise.
The biggest change in the time between a marathon an GhostTown is not distance,
but 1) ultra racing at altitude (I'm a flatlander), 2) off-road vs. pavement,
and 3) amount and steepness of climbs and descents.
A conservative rule of thumb would be to double your marathon time.
Also, due to the length and steepness of the hills, a 10 minute average pace may
vary from 7:30 to 12:00+ over the terrain of the race.
-Marty Duchow
-------------
Susan-
Tell him he should have no problem w/his expected pace. The hills may take it
out of his legs some, but not to the point of 15 min. miles! I haven't run a
marathon in under 3 hrs. for over 12 years, and I ran GT in 6 1/2 hrs.. I never
went further than about 22 miles for my longest runs, either. Sounds like he's
ready!
Elise
----------------------------
Please share my response if you think it's helpful.
Ultras are an art not a science. You will never know till you get out there. If
you have 30+ mile runs under you then you should finish this race. Hell, I won't
have run anything over 20. Make adjustments to your pace based on the altitude,
weather, and topography. For instance, if you are running 30 miles on roads in
Boca Raton Florida, then I would not expect that will transfer mile for mile at
Ghost Town.
I ran Ghost Town last year in 6:56 and was probably in shape to run a 3:40 road
marathon...but I hate road marathons...in fact I think they are the scourge of
the earth. I have also found that I feel better after 26 miles than I do after
5. I've run numerous 50 mile races. The altitude gain and loss seems to be the
biggest factor on pace.
In this race, the first 6 miles are on road with maybe a slight uphill tendency.
You will be able to run very fast over the first section. You pace here will be
faster than the rest of the race. From there you go on to a wide well groomed
dirt road for the rest of the race (save a short single track section and the
road on the way back). There is some gain and loss, but the climbs are not
terribly long. Maintaining 9 min pace is not something I am able or even try to
do on the climbs but I do fly on the downhills.
I say to tear it up and see how it goes. See you there.
Jason C. Bousliman, Esq.
-------------------------
please pass this answer onto the person who asked the question below:
The answer to his question is unclear and can only be gained by experience.
He needs to know his body and immediately recognize when he's starting to bonk
and to slow the pace down.
Conventional wisdom would suggest perhaps his goal pace is too fast, but then
again, CW may not apply to him for the reason he states (it's "only" 38 miles
and not 50+).
Paul Grimm
Gear Drops, Discarded Gear, and Bib Numbers - 01 Dec. 2009
Hi, all,
This morning brought me a great question via email - can you leave flashlights
and headlamps at STation #1 or 2?
Yes, definitely.
There are two systems for gear and extra clothing:
1. Gear drops - items you want waiting for you down the route. You choose, you
provide, and you bring whatever you want to me on Friday or Saturday of race
weekend. Your items should be in a waterproof small bag (gallon ziplocs are
perfect). Once you're here, there will be sharpies available to mark your bag(s)
with your bib number or tags to tie onto the items.
PLEASE DO NOT bring gear drop bags that are the equivalent of a large backpack
or duffel bag. The volunteers have to lug all the bags out to their stations and
we don't want injured backs. Space in vehicles for gear drops is also an issue.
Remember - there are 100 of you - yours is not the only gear bag going out to a
station.
You are allowed to send bags to Stone Hut, Hilltop, and Vista stations. The
first two you'll pass through twice, Vista also twice but it's very close to the
turn-around. If you're sending something to each station - you'll need three
separate bags.
Grocery sacks/bags are alright, but items can fall out of them, should my
best-weather dance fail - rain can get into these bags, and they can be
cumbersome to get into if you've knotted them shut. Ziplogs or small bags like
fanny packs or sackpacks are great!
* Think about what you send ahead in gear drop bags. Here are some common items:
- pair of socks
- medicines
- contact lens fluid
- visine
- favorite snack
- gels (I do not provide gels, S Caps, Gu, or anything else similar, at the
stations - too many options for me to keep up with everyone's individual tastes)
- change of shoes
- favorite beverage not available at the aid stations (stations have water,
gatorade, and V-8 juice)
- chap stick
- body glide (there is vaseline at each station)
- in years past some runners have sent whole changes of clothes - not any more,
it's simply too much and you should think "light"
- you get the idea, I can't think of everything you might want or need...but I
highly recommend lean toward the "need" rather than the "want"
Bags go out to the stations before the race begins...we are very busy on Sun.
before the race...if you have gear drop bags...bring them with you when you come
for your packet and bib number.
Bags are allowed to be waiting for you at the finish line. There will be a
changing area in the cabin so you can get into dry warm clothes. Bring these
bags with you on race day, or lock them in your car if it's parked within easy
distance. You are responsible for placing your finish line bag where you can
find it. There will be a place in the cabin for leaving car keys so you don't
have to carry them with you while you run.
2. Discarded gear - this is stuff you have with you that you decide you no
longer want to carry or wear. All volunteers will be able to receive your
discarded items. It is your responsibility to assist the volunteer by giving
your correct bib number and seeing that the volunteer either bags your item(s)
or tags them.
If you just toss your stuff on the ground at an aid station, it will be picked
up but we won't know who it belongs to.
* All gear drops and discarded gear is returned to the finish line when that
particular station closes. If you toss stuff into a bush because you are running
all out to finish fast and aren't near a station, it will be your responsibility
to retrieve such stuff yourself.
* If you send out too much stuff or discard too much as you go, and then you
finish early and don't want to wait for your items...well...unclaimed gear and
clothing goes into Lost and Found. If it's unclaimed within the following 12
months - we have a door prize for the next event!!!
* MOST IMPORTANT: memorize the correct bib number. You may laugh or think me
ridiculous for mentioning such a thing, but every year without fail I either
receive a message from an aid station that # so-n-so is missing from the field
but somehow we have 2 #such-n-such, or we get items back at the finish line that
are tagged with a number but the runner with that number has no idea who the
items belong to. It's one number - it's your ID for the event - make it yours
and don't take someone else's!!!
* You don't want to be the one - you know - when Joan turns to me in the cabin
and says, "We have two #so-n-so," and I say, "There's always one!" as I roll my
eyes and then seek you out to have you practice your number for me several times
before the race begins. I am really busy between 4 and 6 a.m. on race day.
Stopping to help you memorize a 2-3 digit number makes me cranky. You won't like
me if I'm cranky. Let's not go there.
* Remember - if you give the wrong bib number and we think you are missing and I
have to come out looking for you, or worse yet - we have to call Search and
Rescue or the Sheriff's office - either I, or the S&R team, or the sheriff and
his deputies, or all of us will be yelling at you when all you want to do is
finish the race and we won't stop yelling.
A Bit of GT History:
It was 2006 - our first year - the simplest route - from the south end of Hwy.
27, straight up (well up and over the hills) to Hillsboro to Hwy. 152, a left
turn and 8-9 miles on Hwy. 152 to Kingston. I was worried about traffic and
about running-related injuries, but I didn't think we'd lose someone.
There were very few rules that year. The rules have grown from incidents. I
remember clearly the major rule - don't leave the course without checking out
via an aid station or volunteer. Very simple. Two people did drop out because of
bad blisters, but they checked out at an aid station and all systems were proved
to work just fine. No alarms.
Until somewhere along the day word came back to me that a runner was missing. We
knew which one, so I went back down the route checking at aid stations to try
and figure out the last point at which he'd been seen. How could we lose him
right off a paved road?!?
An hour went by, still no runner. The alert went out to all volunteers. Everyone
kept an eye out. I was almost to the point of calling the sheriff when word came
in - the runner had been found.
He'd left the route to go to his accommodations in the village to change shoes.
He bonked. Stone- cold passed-out for 2 hours in his room. No one had seen him
go in or out of the bldg. but one of the staff at his accommodations had finally
knocked on his door and rousted him.
Besides causing a mild furor at race headquarters, worse was that he'd brought a
young daughter with him and she was in full tears and near-hysteria by the time
he was found. He did not finish the event, nor has he ever returned - both of
his own choosing. I still shiver to think, "What if it had been more than a
bonk? What if it had been a true medical-emergency?"
Now there are more rules. Some people think they are silly rules. There are
those who argue the rules...they never win their arguments. The rules are the
rules. They have all grown from incidents.
One of the rules - know your bib number. Every year...there is always one.
* You will mark your drop bags with your bib number. You will see that a
volunteer tags or bags your discarded items with your bib number. You will check
through each aid station with your bib number. It's a rule - you have to check
in at each station (coming and going) with your bib number. Be kind to your RD.
Obey the rules, know your bib number, use it as it's supposed to be used, and I
will be cheering you in and ready to hug you at the finish line.
I love my runners. Don't be the one...
That is enough for today. I am tired, and I am sure you must be.
Good news...the sun is out, the temperatures quite mild, the snow is melting. We
needed the precipitation - even for the desert it's been way too dry. Do not
worry about the weather. It is completely out of our hands (though I will dance
my dance, I promise). Race week Matt and I will begin marking the course. I'll
be able to tell you better then current conditions along the route. Only once
has there been small patches of snow and/or ice randomly along the route. You'll
have an idea of what to expect before you get here!
Have a happy rest of the day.
susan (575)895-3383
------------------------------------------------------
Concerning Daylight, Headlamps, and Reflective Clothing - 30 Nov. 2009
The following questions were sent by a
runner new to Ghost Town. They seem to be of a nature that might be helpful to
most, so I'm sending the answers to everyone.
*I believe the run begins at 6am. Obviously it'll be dark until probably 8am?
The run does begin at 6 a.m. You should have pretty good daylight by 7 a.m...here's
what we've got for
today:
Civil Twilight: 6:26 AM MST
Sunrise: 6:53 AM MST
Sunset: 5:03 PM MST
Civil Twilight: 5:30 PM MST
I don't know what phase the moon will be on race weekend, but the bigger the
moon, the brighter the path. We are just about 21 days from the winter solstice
right now, and on the 17th of January we will be just about 21 days from the
winter solstice...so I'm figuring the amount of daylight to be pretty much the
same on race day as it is
today.
* No problem with a head lamp, but do you recommend hand held lighting, as well?
Hand-held or head lamp is up to you. I do recommend some form of mobile lighting
for that first hour. Same for the last hour if you anticipate a finish between
11 and 12 hours. When it gets dark here, it gets really dark. There are no
street lamps between my place and the Gila.
* What about reflective vest, etc? Are these needed while we travel on the
highway during the dark of early morning?
I also recommend some form of reflective clothing or tape on your clothing. Most
likely there will be little traffic in the early morning, but ya never know.
There is a higher likelihood of traffic throughout the day and even into the
evening.
There will be specifics about parking for you and for your family/friends closer
to race weekend. The biggest thing is that everyone be sensitive to the hazard
vehicles present to all the runners and even to the volunteers. Be respectful of
the road, the public, my neighbors, and each other. There are many locations
where your supporters can park to cheer you on and still be safe in their
location.
Thank you to the author of the questions...the clock continues to tick...and,
btw, it's still snowing!!!
HISTORY,
UPDATES, GHOST TOWN STUFF - 30 NOV. 2009
Hey all,
I hope you enjoyed a peaceful and safe Thanksgiving. We made it home late
yesterday afternoon just as a major storm was rolling in. This morning - snow,
snow and more snow. My world is looking quite like Christmas. Before I am
flooded with emails about the weather in January: I have no idea what the
weather will be. I will do my dance and pray for the heavens to be merciful on
us all. Then I will send you weather updates a week or two before the event and
keep you posted from there. The snow we had last night and this morning is
already beginning to melt. It is not the norm for us to have an abundance of the
white stuff, but wherever you are in this world one thing is guaranteed - there
is always weather of one sort or another.
We're six weeks from race week...not so very much time from the race director's
perspective. Now seems like a good time to give you a brief (for me, those of
you who know me can stop laughing) rundown on what to expect in the next few
weeks:
* email updates on race rules, schedules, procedures, etc. - these will be noted
as GT UPDATES or GHOST TOWN UPDATES in the subject line
* emails with fun info. on what's happening behind the scenes (like snow for the
day or another delivery of huge boxes full of fun stuff for you)- these will be
noted as "BEHIND THE SCENES AT GT 2010" in the subject line
* emails notes as GT HISTORY - since it's our 5th running of GT, it seems
appropriate to let people in on some of what's happened in previous years -
these may be fun, unusual, or stories of some of the challenges that have
"popped up" race week
* REQUEST FOR INFO. emails are important - please reply to them - they help me
plan the food, schedule meetings, organize the property for those who are
camping, etc. If you don't respond and something is not to your liking that
could have been taken care of before you got here...no complaints. An example -
the runner who never gives me a shirt size but expects me to know what size to
order for him or her. I am not clairvoyant nor do I anticipate becoming so
between now and Jan. If I ask for info. it is because such info. is needed...I
don't pester you just to torment you. I'm not mean!
So, now you have an idea of what may arrive in your email box. If you don't want
to read the history or don't care about how the event develops behind the scenes
- please just delete that email. Heck, you can delete them all and check the
website "Updates" page which will have relevant info. posted on it same as it
arrives in your box.
Do not delete those emails marked "REQUEST FOR INFO" as they are important and
need your reply.
Every now and then I will combine important update info. with some history or
behind the scenes info. I will do my best to give you the important stuff first
so that if you've not got time or interest in reading the rest you can skip the
back-half of the email.
Now...are you thoroughly confused? I hope not. This should be fun. Ghost Town is
meant to be anxiety-free. You should feel a part of things long before you
arrive and are surprised that I don't recognize you even when we've swapped
numerous emails but I've never seen your face before. Be kind to your RD...I try
to know your age, something from your bio if you've sent it, where you're from,
how fast you run, and how many are in your party...but there are more of you
than ever before and I am older so my brain is jammed with more details and
another year's input of all kinds of nonsense.
Here are some basics to keep in mind:
* Any and all questions are welcome. I do my best to answer them all...sometimes
to the asker only, sometimes to the entire group if the answer will be helpful
to everyone.
* I do not make your shoe selections for you. If you want to have an idea of
what others are running in - check out the "Who's Running" page - I already
asked everyone to say what shoes they'll run in for this very reason.
* In years past I tried to respond to every email about anything. It's harder
for me to do with the numbers we've grown to. Please know that I read every one
of them and if you ask a question, you'll receive an answer. When I ask
questions (like - are you planning on the pasta meal) I prob. won't be able to
acknowledge every reply, but I will get your name on the list for whatever it is
I'm forming a list!
* Matt and I will be gone from Dec. 19 until late on Dec. 28. I will not be
traveling with a laptop, so any questions arriving during that time will have to
wait until I am home again. You should enjoy the peace and quiet while I'm
away...
A BIT OF HISTORY:
2006 was the first running of Ghost Town. As with any new event, I was
completely crazed trying to get everything ready. Stress...yes, not anxiety-free
for me. Then on Dec. 22 I rec'd word via phone that my father had died. The
services were set for Dec. 26 and 27 in South Bend, IN. Not only was it a sad
time, but Christmas Eve was spent in a motel in Albq. so Christmas Day could be
spent on planes. We returned home Dec. 31.
The 2006 Ghost Town gave me a focus between that last week of '05 and the next
few weeks. When I first conceived the idea of holding the race, my
ever-supportive Matt wondered if we'd even get a dozen runners. 38 took the
line.
I'm happy to say that Matt is still with me and a faithful volunteer in spite of
my wild ideas and adventures. Tom Myers is the other volunteer who has been with
GT since the beginning. You'll meet him at the top of the forest trail spur.
He's a retired John Deere engineer who with his wife Marge built their plane
which he pilots.
There's a group of runners I refer to with great affection as the "Magnificent
Seven." They have been here every year without exception. You will learn more
about them at the pasta meal. Their presences are requested at that meal - yes,
you know who you are and you need to be there or you will ruin one of my
surprises.
And there are others who ran the first year and returning to run the fifth:
Boomer Lafferty was 13 in 2006. He is the GT's youngest finisher so far. He ran
again in '09 and finished well-ahead of his '06 time. He'll be back in 2010 -
still the youngest member of the field, but a competitor to be recognized. He is
currently a student at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell.
Karen Preissler from MD was here in '06 with her mother and sister as support.
She's returning in 2010 with her husband Anthony who will also be running his
first Ghost Town.
Johnny Henderson from NM and Mike Melton from FL were also here in '06 and are
returning for their second Ghost Town runs.
Without the brave few dozens of that first year we'd never have made it to our
hearty field for 2010. The ones who ran in '06 ran on pavement...from just shy
of the bar at Nutt to Kingston. One of those who has been here every year asked
back then, "Why are we starting in the middle of nowhere?"
Well...the original course was from the junction of Hwy. 26 and 27 (just next to
the bar at Nutt) to the campground just shy of Kingston. The distance - 38.5
miles. Then somewhere along the way in the preparations for that '06 run someone
suggested a different location for the finish line. I was hesitant but promises
of finish line support and festivities were made. I'd already advertised the
distance, so with the move of the finish line came the move of the start.
A "Behind the Scenes" moment: sadly, those who'd made great promises for the
finish line didn't follow through and the night before the race I was told that
pretty much all offers were nil. The finish line didn't amount to much, but I
was there with stopwatch and funny little awards in hand. Surprisingly to me,
people wanted to come back in spite of such snafoos. I listened to or read all
their post-race comments and the hunt began for an off-road route that would
take them into the Gila but begin and end at my place. That's what they asked
for and I, with MAtt's help, did our best to see that it happened.
And now you know something of why the distance and how the race has evolved.
There'll be more to come...
After all, it's our 5th running...something special to celebrate!
Let me have your questions, voice your concerns, and be prepared to answer one
or two more "Info. Request" emails...and I'll see you in just over six weeks!
The clock is ticking...
Safe and happy running in the in-between!
susan
(575)895-3383
-----------------------------------
OFFICIAL GHOST TOWN NEWS - 19 NOV. 2009
Good morning, Ghost Towners!
We're one week from Thanksgiving and I am grateful for each of you. The 2010
Ghost Town is coming together. It looks like 2010 is going to be a great year
for GT.
I think I've already mentioned that 2010 is the 5th running of Ghost Town, the
400th anniversary of the founding of Santa Fe, and the 2,500th anniversary of
the battle of Marathon. To that end, I'm blending several traditions to
celebrate it all:
* In addition to the food, the door prizes, the special recognitions...the
pre-race pasta meal on Sat. night will include live entertainment. No, not just
me being a bit goofy...but Matt is preparing (in ancient Greek)a brief
recitation from Homer. Even if that's not your language of choice, it's
beautiful to the ear and inspirational to the heart. And I've been talking with
one of the organizers of a Hellenic dance company. I hope you're not going to be
bashful but rumor has it they may be inviting those who are willing to join them
for a dance or two.
* The pasta meal itself...it's morphed once more. I am a little stubborn when it
comes to being over-regulated. To that end I have read and read the rules. Guess
what? Potlucks are exempt! Most of you are traveling a good distance to be
here...don't panic...I do not expect you to bring a pan of lasagna. The tents
are going to cost a bit, so there will be a set-donation against the cost of the
tents, but the food...the Arrey Cafe will provide the lasagna (both meat and
veggie), Ben Wood (who is related to two GT runners) has volunteered to cook the
spaghetti. To make sure we are holding a potluck, you'll be asked to bring
either bread or rolls, or cookies, or a small bottle of olive oil. I may ask
specifically according to where you live...just to make sure we have some
balance. Those traveling by plane should not bring olive oil as it could leak or
explode in your luggage and ruin your clothes! There'll be more on this party
later, but please be assured that if you can't bring anything you won't be
turned away.
* The awards. I usually keep these secret until the finish line, but I'm happy
to say that this year for the finishers awards I am following the ancient Greek
tradition of giving runners something from local vegetation. You see, in
millenia past, competitive runners would have been given a wreath or branch from
some local flora like the olive tree or the laurel (bush? tree?). There aren't a
lot of olive trees in NM and I couldn't afford to import branches for
everyone...so I thought long and hard and decided that when in NM do as New
Mexicans do...all finishers will receive chile ristras from Hatch. They are
going to be made with untreated chiles so that you can actually use the chiles
in your food throughout the year or as long as they last! It's not exactly going
green since the chiles will be red...but they come from just down the road and
are completely consumable as well as traditional.
* Place awards - we have 8 of these: first place male and female finishers, the
Marty Duchow award for the first finisher who lives under 1,000 ft., the MLK
award for the one who finishes in the place equal to the date - this year 18th
place, the Jeff Johnston award for the most improved time for a returning '09
alum, the oldest finisher to beat the clock, the Bill Halm award for the Double
Masters winner, and the Mamaw Ruby award. This last one is new. My Mamaw always
gave us a dollar for every year we were old on our birthdays. She's long gone
now, but still remembered. In her honor, the one who finishes in the place
equivalent to my age will receive the award. IT's definitely for someone in the
second half of the pack!
* The place awards themselves will again be in keeping with something
traditional. I thought and thought about this...and decided that once more they
needed to be something associated with New Mexico. I did some searching around
and am happy to announce that I found a source for some lovely large chunky
pieces of polished turquoise. I'm making 8 turquoise, coral, copper bead and
silver necklaces. Now, these won't be frilly girlie little things...they're
strong...even tribal leaders sported such in their day!
* Our sponsors have been generous and boxes of give-aways are piling up in the
studio. You will need to bring your own plastic gear drop bags...no more
drawstring plastic bags from RunnersWorld for packets...we've gone more green
with imprinted tote bags similar to those sold at WalMart. The bags will have
all kinds of cool stuff - more than just event shirts!
* Please remember packets and bib numbers are to be picked up on Fri. or Sat. of
race weekend.
Matt and I are going to be gone next week for the holiday. I'm sure some of you
are sitting on questions...don't be bashful...but please be patient...I'm not
taking a laptop with me while we're away. There will be more updates in the
coming weeks. Your questions help me to be aware of what needs sharing or
explaining.
Many blessings for a safe and happy Thanksgiving! susan (575)895-3393
This event is sponsored by Here to There, LLC which organizes and promotes walks, treks and runs of varying lengths in beautiful places.
XAIPETE NIKΩMEN (c)2005 Here to There, LLC