Cascade Crest 100: Confessions of a Pacer

When my friend Andrew Barclay said he wanted to run his first 100 mile ultra endurance run at Cascade Crest this year, I knew I wanted to support him in doing this.  Dave Scott, myself and Andrew drove down to Easton, Washington, a small town that appears to have closed down when the Interstate by-passed the town.

I read up on what to do as a pacer. In short, I had to be a good at lying. It also helps to know your runner and what works and what likely won't.  Figured I could do the lying part.

Confession 1: Pulling is Easier than Pushing.   When I met Andrew at the 111 km point on the race, at Lake Kachess Aid Station it was 5:30 am. Andrew was about an hour behind his planned 31.5 hour race (so on track for 32.5 hours).  As we set off down the single track I took the lead. I had no idea what speed to go, but started with a slow run to see if Andrew kept up. I soon learned that due to sore muscle in the leg, he could not run much on the flat. So we power hiked the flats and ran the down hill. Being ahead of Andrew, I hoped that I would "pull" him along. At times I got ahead by 20 or 30 metres, at other times I was right with him. On the smooth power hikes I was ahead a bit more.  For down hill or technical, I'd wait for Andrew before moving forward. This I hoped would motivate him to keep with me, or follow me through the technical sections and river crossings.

Waiting at Stampede Pass

Confession 2: Positive Attitude Wins the Race.   I focused on positive events to encourage Andrew.  As we passed other runners on the trail, I would tell Andrew how many we had passed. When we arrived at the aid stations, I would tell Andrew how far ahead of the "planned" schedule we were, and that we were making up time.  It would be easy to focus on negatives, like it's going to be a three hour climb to the next aid station, but that would not help.

Confession 3: Lying is a Necessary Skill for a Pacer.  The obvious is saying things like "you're doing well", "you look strong". But also other's like "the aid station isn't far (while I knew it was still 4 km away). As we climbed a forest service road, we could see the cut in the mountain way up above us. Andrew said "we're not going up there are we". I said "no, we're not" though I knew full well we were. No point having your runner focusing on a hard climb.

Crew hard at work.  Dave catching a nap before the night duties

Confession 4: Distraction Sometimes Helps.  I was part tour guide as we ran the last 50 kilometres. So as we hiked up a trail, I'd point out what I thought were interesting land formations and views (though in the clouds, we didn't have much view).  At times we'd talk and at other times I'd leave him to himself. I know for me I don't necessarily want to be social when I'm running and the solitude is good.  But I would check-in regularly and if I saw him starting to sink, talk to him, or break out one of the notes or videos from friends to encourage him on.

12:30 am at Hyak Aid Station - 54 miles into the race.

Confession 5: Eat and Drink.  Reminding Andrew to eat and drink was something I constantly did. Of all the pacer duties I think this is the most important. Get enough calories and water in but not going over what the system can handle.  But also, remind yourself as a pacer to eat and drink too. It was easy to not too. I was on fresh legs and feeling good - but like the runner, if I didn't fuel properly, I'd hit a wall at some point in the 50 km run.

Setting the pace on the long climb on forest service roads from Miracle Creek to No Name Ridge

Confession 6: Slow and Steady.   I know how I'd feel after 110 km. And going slow but steady is the best way to finish. This includes stops at aid stations to refuel.  I would count the minutes and remind Andrew every 2 minutes how long he had been in the aid station. I didn't push him out, but wanted him to know how long he was there. In each case he made the decision to leave, not me. Once he called "24 out" while I was still fuelling up. I wasn't worried - I knew I'd catch up to him.

Confession 7: Don't Correct a Positive Belief.  Andrew was focused on reaching French Cabin Aid Station because beyond that, except for one small up hill, it was all down hill. Actually it wasn't. There was a significant up hill and a lot of flat and small ups before we hit the final down hill to the last aid station. I didn't correct him.  It was worth it to see Andrew leave French Cabin with speed and energy, flying down the hill. On this leg I was behind and barely kept up with him. Until we hit the climb, then we went back to our pacer in front arrangement.

At the top of the first of five (actually there were seven) Cardiac Needles.

Confession 8: I Wished I was Running the Race.  I loved pacing and the volunteers and aid station crews were wonderful at making sure my needs were attended to as well. At practically every aid station they checked on me to make sure I had enough fuel and food too. But the experience of doing this with Andrew has made me want to run a 100 mile. So the plan is Fat Dog 120 next year.

Andrew finished 31 hours, 17 minutes - which is 1 hour and 13 minutes earlier than the pace he was on when he arrived at Lake Kachess.  Congratulations on a great race Andrew. And thank you to the organizers and volunteers that made the 2018 Cascade Crest Classic possible.