So, when I heard Chris was going to attempt the feat of biking and running to Tybee from Lake Lanier my first thought was, how can he train for this? The second thought was how much can I write a check for? About two or three months out Rick mentioned the idea of going to meet him to provide a vehicle escort. Fortunately, my wife immediately understood what was going on and that I was going to go, so she gave her blessing. She also asked a million questions….most I could not answer. Drew (my 5 year old) has been asking when we could go ask for money in return for working out. He gets it and I am pretty sure that like me he will be blessed with little athletic ability, but I think he will have heart in spades. I will just continue to warn him about the dangers of sloth that I gave myself for about 8 years in my early to late 30s.
I am fairly certain that everyone else I told about Chris’s plan made me tell them again what he was doing. The responses after realizing their ears did not deceive them were numerous. One can imagine, but it is safe to say they ran the spectrum from positive to incredulous. They also asked questions that I couldn’t and didn’t need to answer. The bottom line was because……
My only doubts were what support we could actually give if we didn’t have extra drivers, could I actually run for three hours if the opportunity presented itself and would Chris’s body support his heart and mind.
Over the next few weeks I did my best to stay out of it and just look for addition help. Unfortunately for Rick I still kept asking to have a coordination meeting. This really never happened, other than in snippets and some furious activity the night before and the day of.
The following takes place between 6:30pm July 8th and 9:10 am July 10th, starting with a call with Chris the night before (mentally insert 24 countdown):
I called Chris on my way home from the gym the night before the event. I wanted to let him know how proud I was of him and to see how he was feeling. At this time Chris told me the start time had changed from 7 to 8. The original time I think was 10. I thought it was a very good thing that he was going to start early. Rick and I had already discussed this and we were happy he would work into the heat and that the end (all going as planned) should be before it got too bad the next day. We talked for a short while and I knew he had it as long as his body didn’t shut down. We agreed that having baby wipes and a stool would be a good idea just in case there was a need for a 10-200 during the night. Rick and I had already talked about the staples we would need for ourselves. I was very excited when we got off the phone.
I had a lot to do for work on Friday before I could go to the store and the try for a short nap. All went well and I was shopping by early afternoon. At the store I bought the items I wanted to have and made sure to get extra on the off chance that Chris ran short or just wanted something different. Lots of water, lots of Gator Aide, almonds, sweet tarts, roast beef, cheese, zone bars and ice. When I got home I did a quick staging of gear and then laid down for about a hour. Ellen and Sadler got back in time for me to say goodbye and to give me their best for Chris.
Rick and I met up a little after 5 and started our way to Sandersville. We were both worried about the heat, but agreed that Chris wouldn’t stop unless his body shut down. Our concern at this point was how fast Chris was moving in the first four hours (80 miles). We also talked about IVs and hoped he had some or enough. When we heard he had two we started try to think of how we could get more. We came up blank. Rick had his GPS and we talked about how miserable it would be if we or someone else got him lost. We also joked (laughter to avoid tears) about how if Chris got hit by a car he might actually be relieved. About 30 minutes from Sandersville, Rick talked to Sheri and told us they were there and getting a bite. We should have left earlier, but there was nothing we could do. We arrived at the Zaxby’s just as the support truck was pulling out of the parking lot.
We took a bio break (we started pushing water in Savannah) and then got out on the road. We picked up a radio from Sheri and she sent us ahead to scout the proposed stopping point for the second run. As we past Chris and Brent(?) on the run, we were amazed at how good Chris looked. We went to a church just a little short of the point where Chris would need to stop and then started heading back to the caravan. In hind sight, I am not sure what we were doing I only remember that I thought it was going to be a long night. Chris still looked great as we returned. Sheri told us or Rick suggested that we go ahead and look at the next couple turns so back on the road we went. On the way up we saw a coyote and talked about an animal attack in much the same fashion as we had about a truck. After putting eyes on the next two turns we went to a convenience store for more Gator Aide and coffee. I think the clerk thought we were crazy when we asked to fill-up a pourable cooler. He did us no favors on the price, but we got out of there with plenty of coffee, the Gator Aide and some surprisingly tasty wasabi favored Doritos (it’s all about the diet). On the return rick correctly chastised my slow driving pace for about the third time in the past hour. We also saw a pretty big dog and had more laughs about how external factors might come in to play before all was said and done.
It had gotten dark at this point and we fell back in behind the caravan just a mile or two before what would be the stop for the run. It was then agreed that we would go to a gas station we had seen and set up for the transition. Chris charged in with a sloppy hug for each of us and downed some fluid and food. It was fun to see the new use of my IPod connection as an IV holder. Sheri suggested we lead on the next leg and before long we were all back on the road. It did not take long to realize that we didn’t know how to pace/draft a biker. It was extra fun getting OTJ training at night, on unfamiliar ground and with 3 bikers. The biggest scare of the night for me was when we cleared a car to pass and the next instant saw an oncoming vehicle. Close call, but all is well that ends well. Rick and I kept working at it and about the time the extra riders dropped off we had a pretty good system (in our minds). We agreed to some basic one word commands for speeding up and slowing down (pretty amazing stuff from the best UGA has to offer and the worst GT has to offer). Only once did Rick try to get me to slam on the breaks as Chris was gaining speed. Lesson learned - Always talk to the driver not the biker with your commands. I enjoyed honking off the one yard dog that seemed to be at all close on this leg.
When we got to Statesboro for the run transition, I knew Rick was going to run and Sheri agreed to drive my car so that I could attempt the run. It was cool seeing Cpl Williams get excited about the escort duties when he heard what Chris was doing. It went from these guys are idiots to they are idiots, but that on cat is a bad man. All seemed to be a breeze for Chris, until about 1:30 into the run. Few words and the pace kept changing gradually slower. By the way, I did remember the advice Chris told us that the ultra-marathoner had given him before the event. Before long Chris knew it was time to stop. WE NEED MORE FLUID! This stop was a little scary, but in the end the body just needed gas and oil. Cpl Williams is the second place bad man due to his ability to produce a “blanket” out of thin air. Finally, the extra food came in handy as Chris agreed that a salty almond or 8 might be good. About an hour later it was time to go.
The last leg was emotional for me for some reason, I hadn’t done anything. I knew Chris had it (although the first bio breaks scared me) and the first bump was seeing the sun start rising. That had to be great motivation. I almost cried when I realized that Chris would see Evan at the in-laws. I am not sure why, but I guess I was think about the mutual pride they would having in seeing each other near the end. Next came the overwhelming support from the Pooler and Garden City PDs. Freaking awesome! Then seeing the pure joy on Ellen’s smiling face and the little go Chris sign she made. I am very lucky. It was funny seeing John(?) joining Chris about 10 miles out. I didn’t know if he could keep up and as it turned out John(?) said he felt the same. This says a lot about Chris because Mike Caputo says John(?) is strong on the bike. Before I knew Chris had done it. I am still in awe of him and humbled that I was allowed to witness his crazy idea in action.
I wonder if he will do it again? I won’t, but for the first time ever I am thinking about looking at bikes and I will run a ½ or full marathon sooner rather than later.
Eddie Wilson
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