Dark Side of the Moon: The Bigfoot 200

Bigfoot 200 did not care about the Tahoe 200. Three weeks of recovery passed and soon Peter had me putting in a solid three-week training block. This was different. Understanding my body after every effort was key, because I was recovering as I was building. Bigfoot 200 was typically known to be the hardest of the three triple crown races and I had seen the course several times. As a crew member and pacer, I learned a lot about the course. Little did I know I would be put up against an emotional roller coaster in what would be known as the “Dark Side of the Moon” Bigfoot.

Final Training Block 

In the final training block, my three-weeks consisted of chasing vertical gain. With purpose, I would go out in the dead of the afternoon to do my training efforts, putting myself up against exposed climbs with temperatures soaring over 90 degrees F. In my three biggest weeks of training, I put up over 10,000 ft of vertical gain coming in various grades. My legs were toast. Wisely, I cut some sessions back because I felt myself pushing my limit. Time flew and I found myself at Portland Airport on August 6th, heading towards Randle, Washington. 

Not Without Chaos 

The days flew by, but not without chaos. This time, I had the company of my friend Andrew Marvin, who was going to see what he could do at Bigfoot 200. His plan B was to switch his crew and pacers over to me if he dropped out. Due to fire concerns, the race almost got canceled altogether. Then, the “Dark Side of the Moon” out-and-back was created. We would do 50 miles from the finish line to Klickitat Aid and back. This would occur two times for the 200. This shortchanged the mileage, but made the course mentally tougher due to steeper grades and tough sections back-to-back. Still, we were grateful to even get started.

Toeing That Line 

Soon, on Friday, I was toeing that line at the high school. The pre-race shenanigans ended and we were off. The first 12 miles being road created a frenzy, but I calmed down and stuck to my pace. As I got to the first aid station, I teamed up with Andrew Marvin. Unfortunately, I would lose Andrew halfway into the section, shortly after the two of us were attacked by ground hornets. He said he would catch up. The climbs on this section featured downed trees the size of dinosaurs. Some had to be climbed under and some over. After I left the Twin Sisters aid station, I was headed back to the fork to get to Klickitat and saw Andrew. 

Plan B

Andrew had fallen and was going to reassess but most likely call his race and switch to Plan B. Ultimately, this was a smart move by a seasoned ultrarunner. As the sun started to set, the climbing never seemed to end. As I got closer to Klickitat, a mutual friend doing the race and headed back outbound to the finish line said I was about to get a pacer. Reaching Klickitat, I took my first 90 minute sleep, fueled, and picked up Jason Hanley as a pacer. Jason had finished Bigfoot 200 in 2023 and provided a calming presence as I took on Klickitat for the 2nd time in a row. 

ADVERTISEMENT

As the Sun Rose

As the sun rose, Jason and I talked about music cheerfully. Despite hurting from the back to backs, I was right where I wanted to be. As I was still peeing, I knew I was properly hydrated, but I needed to eat. Once Jason and I got to Twin Lakes, I scarfed down a plate of scrambled eggs and some other snacks. Now, I would pick up Christie Boss as a pacer. Christie Boss, a complete stranger to me, would be taking me back to the high school to finish out the first loop.  

Exhaustion Creeping Up

My miles with Christie ended up being some of my happiest miles. We joked, I made Arnold Terminator voices, and we hammered out the next marathon of miles. However, I could feel exhaustion creeping up on me as the sun was setting on Day 2. Climbing the trees back down was taking a toll on me and the road absolutely hurt. There was no bounce. By the time I got to the high school, I needed to lay down and eat something. While I was happy to be back, I could feel the pull of the high school keeping me around.

Act Fast

Now, I had to act fast. I laid down for 90 minutes, but only found myself able to sleep 30 minutes due to shooting pain in my left hip. I couldn’t regulate my body temperature, finding myself both sweating too much and in shivers. Chafing was starting to creep up on me. Friends and a handful of people I knew dropped the race at the high school, unable to deal with the thought of going back out one more time to do it all over again. It was like a brief respite from the Dark Side of the Moon. I had to move. Once I woke up, I was on a mission to get out. 

Halfway Done 

I sadly said goodbye to my friends, texted my girlfriend my love, and started moving out with my next stranger pacer, Heather Zamane. Halfway done as we got into the late hours of night 2. In the next chapter, we’ll talk about the 2nd half of the Bigfoot 200 and the days after the race. 

ADVERTISEMENT