Running Uphill Forever

INFINITE HILLS & BEES
Run Faster

Oh good, bees.

A couple miles into the Chimney Tops portion of the race, there’s a swarm of bees in a gaping hole to the left side of the trail.

This is maybe 17 or so miles into the race, proper. Or so being the operative words.

At the Barkley Fall Classic, the course is modified every year.

And there’s no GPS allowed.

And there are off-trail sections.

But you know all this.

By my reckoning, we hit 16 actual miles at the beginning of the Chimney Tops’ 7.5 mile trail, and this is after 4,000ft of elevation gain and loss…so, the legs are warmed up quite nicely.

I sprinted uphill past the bees - probably yellow jackets; definitely angry.

It’s always surprising (and comforting) to find that in spite of the fatigue, the adrenaline rush is sufficient to at least get past the buzzing noises of the bees.

I’d already been stung a couple times during the North Bird Mountain portion of the run (miles 7 through 15), and I was not too keen on repeating the experience.

The problem with yellow jackets is they’ll hitch a ride on the back of your legs after you think you’ve outrun them. Then as your heart explodes from the uphill sprint and you resort to a brisk hiking pace, the hot sting comes.

So, yeah. There are bees in the woods. Who’d have known?

This was my third BFC start. I ran and completed the 50K for the first time in 2021 and was baptized in mud during the hours of rain we received that year.

In 2022 I barely made the cutoff at Tub Springs to have the privilege of a marathon finish. The 50K cutoff had long expired by the time I made it off the mountain. I had a little COVID trouble the week before that race which my ego wouldn’t let me not mention. 😂

This year, I was confident in a 50K finish if I could pace myself early. The 2023 course was heavily back-loaded with all of the off-trail, iconic sections coming after roughly 23 miles of park trails (which are themselves quite challenging).

I started the day with two friends, and our strategy to keep it slow and steady was out the window immediately for the first 6 miles. We stayed at a pretty good pace for those miles - about 30 people back from the front runners, and really, I think it served us well. That trail was sure to get clogged with the 400+ runners if we hadn't gone out at a fairly brisk pace.

At the first aid station we made a pact to cut back a bit as we began the switchbacks up Bird Mountain. That 1,000 ft climb is followed immediately by a 1,000 ft descent to the other side. Then a 1,000 ft climb, then some down, then some more up…you get the picture.

We dumped out on the jeep road. This is Quitter’s Road, if you’re familiar with the Big Barkley. And this proved to be a welcomed 3 or so mile jog down to the ranger station where we’d hit Chimney Tops.

I’ve done North Bird a few times (I live an hour away), and I far prefer the clockwise direction of this year’s loop. It let me recharge the batteries as we descended the jeep road. Running past the yellow gate, I saw a friend’s dad there and was energized more from seeing a familiar face - the family and spectators that come out make a huge difference for the morons running out there!

At this point, there were 48 people in front of me so we had done well to slow down a bit, but not too much through the Bird Mountain portion.

Chimney Tops was next, and it’s usually a drag for me. I don’t think I’d been to Frozen Head since last year’s BFC, so my last encounter with that stretch of trail was an absolute slog. But, the mental game is half the battle for me, and I set out with confidence and a steady, but not too tiring pace. I’m a middle of the pack kind of guy, and though I can endure a good bit, I am not a fast climber.

After the bee encounter, it was relatively uneventful. The guys I’d been running with had spread out, and I enjoyed a mostly solitary march to the firetower. During two extremely steep sections of trail, I was on the lookout for more bees because I usually have a run in with them, but none were around.

There was Coke at the pre-firetower aid station, and what a happy surprise that was! I’d actually thrown a Red Bull in my pack that I was saving till later…but as the day went by, I forgot to ever fish it out.

We climbed the last bit of jeep road to the firetower. At this point, we were 23 miles into the race. A bib punch at the top of the tower. A walk down to the edge of the powerline cut. I doused myself with some bug spray, put on some gloves, (and let me tell you what…I got some of those rose gardener’s gloves that come up practically to your elbow. They are great!) and then began the descent into the briars.

There were 52 people in front of me so a trail had been cleared. But it was still treacherous and I’m very grateful for the gloves. It was useful to hold on to the thorn bushes in many places (and became more useful still as the day went on).

Rat Jaw was pretty quick going down, and I was again mostly by myself. It took 50 minutes to get from Tub Springs to the prison, so the actual descent was probably only 35 minutes.

After climbing over the prison wall, I jogged and chatted with a Marius from Norway - it was good to hang out with him up until the start of the next sections of off-trail. Then he took off and I began the climb at a much slower pace. The next couple hours consisted of more powerline cuts through nasty terrain and steep climbs. It’s basically a mile straight up, a mile straight down, turn around and come back.

And then it started to rain.

My only regret of this year’s race was not bringing some crampons to put over my shoes during the rain. You’d think I’d have known better after 2021’s slip and slide. And I’m pretty sure that they were in the trunk of my car in the parking lot!

At any rate, I was mentally prepared for what was to come. Unlike in 2021 when I’d never even laid eyes on these sections of the course, I had done them two years in a row and done them in worse conditions the first time.

That did not make them easier, but I found that it did make them much more approachable. I knew they’d continue twice as long as I hoped it would and I wasn’t even looking for the top until I heard the voices of the rangers on the summit.

I also knew there were many bad spots where I’d probably have to stay in the thorn bushes just to keep from sliding 100 feet down the face of the mud cliff.

So, none of it rattled me when I got to and traversed all these parts.

Last year I hung out at the highway aid station for probably 15+ minutes: weary and biding my time. This year, I refueled and set off - retracing all those steps back to the prison and then up Rat Jaw.

This whole out and back portion was very hard. But, it was also filled with encouragement. The entire way, I was passing people going the other way. It started with the leaders when they passed me, but it continued well into my ascent of Rat Jaw.

Yes, people were still coming down as I went up Rat Jaw at maybe 5pm. The sweepers were the last two to slide down past me.

And wow. It was just as I remembered in 2021 - a complete slippery mess.

I’m thankful for just enough upper body strength because for almost every bit of the extremely steep climbs, I was pulling myself up using a downed power line that covered much of the blazed trail.

Even knowing what to expect, it’s hard not to hope for the end of Rat Jaw when you’re in the middle of it. But it just takes forever. Decision point with Laz was directly at the base of Rat Jaw. I was 9hr54min there. And 11:14 back at Tub Springs. Honestly, I was very pleased with that. I stayed moving the whole time, and never got overwhelmed.

I’d also dropped to 71st position at the base of Rat Jaw, and finished 70th.

Once I began the final descent down Old South Mac trail, I was already very pleased with the day. I knew I had a finish in the bag, and concentrated on wrapping up the last few easy miles as strong as possible without doing anything stupid. I had a little juice left and ran the whole way in, but that trail is very rocky and has roots everywhere. The first time in Frozen Head several years ago, I actually sprained my ankle real bad coming down this section.

But this descent was thankfully smooth. For the final obstacle, the course ran us through a waist deep stream that was very refreshing and had the added benefit of (maybe) washing off any lingering bits of poison ivy.

And then: the finish line.

What a difference. It was a night and day difference from last year’s marathon finish when I looked (and felt) like the walking dead.

I was ecstatic! After a brief chat with Steve Durbin at the finish line, I made my way to the car to douse myself again with some dish soap and water, and to change into clean clothes.

The actual best part of the Barkley Fall Classic was then to commence: an incredible ribeye steak sandwich courtesy of the Cattleman's Association!

I’ll be back next week with the regular spreadsheet content!

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