Swanton Pacific 100

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Karen Sweaney sweaney@lightspeed.net
Hi all!  Just got back from the Swanton Pacific 100, and even though I didn’t win, show for best condition, or even finish at a respectable time, I thought some folks might be interested to hear how it went at the back of the back.

My husband and I arrived at base camp at about 12:30 on Friday afternoon and set up camp.  I was signed up to participate in the study that Sue Garlinghouse is doing so I made my way over there to see what I needed to do.  I have always only guessed at Montoya’s weight and so was pleased to finally get the opportunity to weigh her accurately.  She was 942 pounds – a respectable weight, I thought.  I also was able to get a height measurement as well.  I had done it before but it was nice to get a second measurement that coincided with my own.  She measured 15.1½ - but since she had Easyboots on I would call it 15.1.  And, if we’re really going for accuracy, I should deduct another ½ for her shoes, which would put her at 15.½.  Barney also drew three vials of blood – something he would do three more times before the ride was over.

I rode about half a mile of the trail’s finish that afternoon and then came back to camp on a different trail.  Montoya felt good and seemed eager to get started.  I went to the ride meeting with everyone else and then came back to the trailer and went to bed.  I was worried that I might not sleep.  Although I had done two other hundreds on Montoya this year, I didn’t think that either one of them was as difficult as this one was going to be.   I did sleep though and even woke up before the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m.  

I left my husband sleeping and headed for the start just before 5:30 a.m.  Montoya felt great and even walked the first half-mile of the start.  I knew that we had a big hill coming up and I wanted her warmed up and relaxed before we started climbing.  The start of the ride was like any other for me.  I am a “back-of-the-pack” rider and rode with the same attitude as always.  I rode alone for a while and then with a few different riders.  The trail was very technical in places and had some difficult climbs.  It wasn’t until Gary Fend caught up with me that the ride really began to take shape.

I had been thinking about riding all day and all night by myself, in last place, and was thinking that it was going to get awfully lonely.  When Gary caught up, his mare, Katrina, and Montoya, fell into a good rhythm.  The two mares did so well together; we just decided to keep going at the same pace. 

It was a struggle to make it to vet check 1 (34 miles) by the 11:00 a.m. cut off.  We squeaked through in time and were pleased to hear that they had extended the cutoffs at each check by ½ hour.  This was turning out to be a tough trail.  Gary and I both vetted through fine and headed out together.  We rode the rest of the day that way – vetting through fine and leaving together.  We let the horses graze every so often down the trail, we stopped and watered at every creek trickle and we walked the steep hills.

I don’t know if Gary felt the same way, but I was really glad that he and Katrina were with Montoya and I when it got dark.  Because it was DARK!!!!  The trail was filled with switchbacks, sharp turns, steep downhills, and so on.  In the clearings, the moonlight lit up everything.  But beneath the canopy of the trees, it was pitch black.  Sometimes I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or not.  At the first really dark spot on the trail, I started to panic.  We had come under some trees and I couldn’t tell which way the trail went and I knew that we were close to the edge.  I just hollered back to Gary that I couldn’t go on and I think I might have started to hyperventilate a little.  It was too narrow for Gary to pass and I don’t think that he wanted to anyway!  Montoya solved the dilemma by jerking the reins from me and walking down the trail.  It was then that I decided to just trust her and let her do the driving.

After a while, I knew I didn’t have to worry.  When she could see, she walked out big.  When she was unsure, she would slow down and drop her nose a little and edge forward slowly.  When she really couldn’t see, she just stopped.  Gary or I would then turn on a flashlight (we decided not to use any glow bars since Montoya was leading so well) and figure out where the trail went.

At the last vet check, I breathed a deep sigh because we only had 8 miles left.  The horses both looked good and I knew we were going to make it.  We headed out on trail that was familiar to me as it had been part of the trail for the Castle Rock 50.  And then we went up, and up, and up, and up.  It seemed as though we climbed for hours.  And then of course, we had to come back down.  During that long downhill, I finally hit the wall.  I found myself hallucinating (how embarrassing!!) and thinking that this night would never be over.  At the bottom of the hill, I had to get off because I had motion sickness.  Gary was very gentlemanly about my disgraceful behavior and politely refrained from calling me a wus!

The most embarrassing was yet to come!

As we finally walked into camp, at 4:40 a.m. Sunday morning, my husband was waiting with a horse blanket.  In a voice that was barely audible I asked him to help me off.  When my feet hit the ground, I wobbled unsteadily and then started bawling.  I was so exhausted and relieved to be finished.  My husband trotted my Montoya out and tried to get her on the scale to be weighed.  Without my help though, she just couldn’t figure out what he wanted her to do.  I continued to sit a chair snuffling and wiping at the tears.  My husband reminded me that I “had to finish this thing.”  I managed to stand up so that I could reassure Montoya while Barney drew the last three vials of blood.

We did all the usual things one does at the finish of a ride.  Once Montoya was resting comfortably, my husband I tumbled into bed and slept fitfully for about three hours.  We made it to breakfast and through the awards ceremony.  As the sun started to fill the meadow where we were camped, I started to feel better and warm up.  Some riders looked well rested, others looked wearier.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like to finish a ride near the front.  Those riders always look perky and clean.  I also wonder what they think when they look at those of us who finish last.

No rider does a ride completely alone.  A lot of people helped me finish Swanton:
My husband – his crewing was phenomenal.
Gary Fend was a great riding partner.
Kathy Garner let me borrow her horse trailer.
Marci Cunningham is a great training partner.
It was Jim Mitchell’s idea that I do Swanton.

Swanton is definitely not easy.  But it sure is beautiful.

Karen Sweaney & Montoya DSA