DON MEYER’S BADWATER 2001 STORY

 “I lived my Dream…”

December 1997- I
announced to our annual Christmas (Runner / Biker) Party that I would one day
competes in the Badwater 135. (I still don’t know where I first heard of BW.)
Early 1998 I called
Matt Frederick, Hi-Tec’s Race Director, and asked about entering. When
questioned about my credentials I proudly stated that I had recently qualified
for Boston Marathon as a 50 yr. old!!! I was stunned as Matt laughed and then
explained that Badwater was unlike anything I had ever done – to have a better
chance of being accepted I should first come out and crew for someone else (this
would serve to educate me as to what BW was all about).
January 2000 I
contacted Race Director Chris Kostman about crewing. Chris forwarded my request
to Denise (First Lady) Jones who, after an email interview, matched me with
Erika Gerhardt.
July 27, 2000 Erika
supported by her friend, Anna, her father, brother and yours truly began our
first “journey of self discovery” at BW.  Seventy seven hours and a seeming
lifetime of adventurers and misadventures later, Erika finished.  The main
thing
I learned was keep the crew rested.  At the outset I was determined to be
with
Erika every minute and support her totally, yet in doing so as the days wore on,
I degenerated into a cranky and obsessive zombie. On reflection, crewing beyond
the 60-hour cut-off requires more stamina than one could imagine. Despite some
trying moments on the Portal Road, Erika and I remain the closest of friends –
this was a great growing experience for me and impacts my life to this day. I
was greatly impressed by the kindness and caring shown by Ben and Denise Jones
toward all participants – both runners and crew. Additionally, I met and was
greatly inspired by Chris Moon and Rick Nawrocki. I was hooked and started
making plans for my 2001 attempt.
2001 I was accepted in
the first wave - probably due more to my crewing efforts than my running bio.
January 2001 – In the
fall of 2000 I had sent some old running shoes to Lisa Smith to help her charity
project in Morocco.  In January I emailed her and asked if she needed more
shoes. She said not at this time and then asked if I was doing BW. I answered
that I was and she said if I had any questions she would be glad to help me. 
I
started to email her regularly and she very kindly answered and advised me on
all questions. One thing led to another and I asked her if she would train me.
She accepted and under her guidance my race biography has made a quantum leap. I
started to think that maybe I did belong in the field. An extra blessing was
that Lisa and Jay became close personal friends.
The Race Plan – I knew
from prior experience that the crew was everything, so I built the dream crew.
Two were my closest friends for almost 30 years. Randy is my running equal. We
have covered over 6,000 miles together over the years. Billy is the hardest
working, least complaining, fix anything person I know.)  My daughter,
Adrienne,
and her fiancé, Russ, would be the second half of the crew package.  There
was
no question that Randy would call the shots. We had been together in many trying
situations over the years and the other crewmembers knew my confidence in his
judgment was complete.
July 21, 201 – We
arrived at Las Vegas. We rented two crew vehicles: a mini van and a Ford
Expedition. The mini van was ultimate choice for the support vehicle as the
air-conditioning worked in all situations.  On Sunday AM we shopped at Wal-
Mart
for 6 coolers, water spray bottle, ice and water, etc. Sunday PM we drove
course. I wanted the crew to know exactly where we were going. This was a mixed
blessing as I was pretty over powered at just how far 135 miles really is. We
arrived in Lone Pine and I had a conference with Denise Jones.  About 7 weeks
prior I had run the Old Dominion 100 and had developed tendonitis in my right
shin, which had proved endlessly painful.  Now in Lone Pine the shin still
hurt
with every step and was a constant source of stress as I worried about failure
due to lack of training. I hadn’t run a total of 50 miles since Old
Dominion. 
Denise suggested trying Aleve instead of the Advil, which I had been using with
no positive results. I tried one pill that night and woke up next AM with no
pain and no swelling. My tendonitis disappeared and was never a factor during or
after the race! Quite simply, Denise and Ben are very special / giving / loving
people. I am honored to say they are my friends. On the way out of Lone Pine
heading back to our room in Stovepipe Wells we came upon Marshal Ulrich starting
on leg two of his soon to be completed “quad”. I was very inspired by his
positive manner and obvious natural leadership skills. How many people on this
earth are capable of such a feat?  Of course, he was being supported by the
very
best crew, headed by my coach and friend, Lisa Smith-Batchen.
Monday – July 23 – We
worked on getting the vehicles ready / packed / sign posted on the side (“We are
all in God’s Hands”). Additionally, I donned my Sun Precautions sun suit and, as
a test, Randy and I went out in the sand dunes south of Stovepipe. We had a
blast jumping off the highest dunes. I was feeling so psyched up. Everything was
in its place and I was confident I had the very best crew.
July 24 – It was my
birthday and what a gift to go to the pre-meeting and mingle with so many
awesome people. To me, this is the essence of Badwater. Chris Moon, a double
amputee, injured while clearing land mines for charity, would be doing the
double again!!!  Rick Nawrocki, battling cancer for over 5 years and as late
as
February had looked worse than Tutankhamen’s mummy) was there feeling great and
ready to go! I left the meeting so happy to be there with my friends and family.
I was counting my many blessings.
July 25 – Race Day – I
had been assigned a 6:00 AM start. I was nervous as a cat but once we started I
just tried to stay with Marshall Ulrich, now starting his third lap! I was
worried about how I would fare in the heat, as I had done no specific heat
training. I had followed Lisa’s training to the letter and she had nothing
concerning a treadmill in a sauna, etc. My crew performed awesomely, keeping me
wet every ½ mile through the hottest part of day. My feet began to swell and we
cut toes out of several pair of shoes. This helped along with changing shoes
each time I felt bottoms of my feet start to get hot.  Staying with Marshall
was
a great experience. He was very encouraging and I began to really get into a
smooth rhythm of walking hills, jogging the down hills and levels.  The heat
was
manageable, though this year was probably 5 to 10 degrees cooler than last
year.  I felt in control all the way to Stovepipe Wells (41 miles), arriving
at
3:10 PM.  Per Lisa’s instructions, I took a 20-minute break. I got into the
swimming pool and became greatly refreshed. Then I started for the top of Townes
Pass, 18 mi. away. At his point Randy and Russ started to pace me and it was
great not having to think about anything other than forward motion.  We got
to
top of Townes about 9:00 PM and again I took a 20-minute break, sitting in a
comfortable folding chair. I got nauseated at about 11:30 PM but felt better
immediately after puking. I reached Panamint Springs a little after 1:00 AM (72
miles).  Per Lisa’s plan, I was to sleep here for one hour. I lay on a lawn
chair and was instantly asleep. After one hour, Adrienne and Russ tried to wake
me and were very disturbed as they thought I had died. They couldn’t wake me. I
just couldn’t get back into consciousness, so they let me sleep another 30
minutes. They were finally able to rouse me, though I was slightly delirious for
the first several miles climbing up to Father Crowley Point (80 miles). Adrienne
was now pacing me and I reflected on how fortunate I was to have her helping me.
The sunrise on the high plain heading toward Darwin was the most beautiful she
had ever seen. It was wonderful to be with her. I was strictly walking, but
walking strongly. I was happy. I was doing it!!!!  Randy and Billy arrived
back
at 8:00 AM. We were alternating crews so each could theoretically get 6 hours of
sleep. Randy was to pace me the rest of the way. As we now entered the plain
toward Lone Pine, every bit of progress seemed to take forever. However, I was
walking smoothly and my crew made it possible to make continuous forward motion.
It was not extremely hot and I continued to feel amazingly good.  My feet
were
slightly torn up, but ever since seeing a photo of David Horton’s feet, after
setting the record on the Long Trail across Vermont, I knew mine could get a lot
worse. In hindsight, I let my feet get too hot after Stovepipe going up Townes
Pass. The pavement stays super hot much longer than you would think and I didn’t
change my shoes often enough. At that point I got “hot spots” that would later
become huge blisters. With Randy’s and Billy’s loving care, I reached Lone Pine
at 6:40 PM. It dawned on me that I was making much better progress than I had
ever dreamed of. Now I began to think I could finish in 40 hours or less. It was
only 12 miles up the Portal Road and I had almost 4 hours to do it. What follows
is our gravest miscalculation of the race. I never gave the Portal Road a
thought. It’s a 4,600-foot elevation gain. Coupled with my depleted state would
give me a rude awakening. I did the first 6 miles smoothly in two hours. As I
neared the switchbacks, the wheels came off the cart. I began to get delirious.
Finally I degenerated to walking 50 feet and then sitting in a folding chair,
thoughtfully carried by Russ. Randy was extremely worried. Would I collapse?
What if he made me sleep for an hour or two, what then?  Additionally, he
knew I
was on the edge of becoming very cranky and that it wouldn’t take much to turn
me into a wild man. During this time Mark Henderson, from Texas, passed us and
offered to stay with me to the finish, hereby showing another great example of
BW spirit. He has the potential to win overall but had cooked his feet early on.
He was hours behind where he had planned to be and yet was kind enough to want
to slow down even more to help me finish. I thanked him for his kindness but
declined. My progress was so slow I wasn’t sure I would ever finish.
Fortunately, soon after, I puked and instantly felt much better. Randy was
worrying over me like a mother hen and thought I might be BS-ing about feeling
better, but I was and we walked smoothly to the finish. The finishing photo
shows all of us in our glory: Randy was bawling; Adrienne, Russ and Billy were
beaming with pride at our accomplishment. I looked just like the zombie I was.
Aftermath - I was sad
when we left Lone Pine Sat. AM.  I was leaving all my friends behind. Chris
Moon
was starting on second half of his double. Marshall Ulrich was heading back for
fourth lap of his quad.  For the next two weeks, I was kind of brain dead,
maybe
from the heat, and only was marginally functional at work. My legs felt fine
within a few days I guess due to all the walking.  My toes and feet were
pretty
torn up but then most ultra folk have ugly feet. Now, one month later I am
planning to return to race in 2002 and this time summit Whitney with my crew
from 2001. For me Badwater was more than a race or an adventure, it was a dream
– a dream that came true.
Don Meyer, age 54,
Baltimore, Md.