An epic race deserves an epic race report.
Journey Run Or. . .
The Last Annual Heart of the South is a 355 or 400 mile footrace on unmarked open roads. It’s completely self supported (no crew) so runners are solely responsible for getting themselves to the finish. To up the degree of difficulty, the actual course is not provided to runners until the night before. This style of race is typically known as a journey run, however that’s always seemed like a misnomer to me considering how little actual running is involved. I think of it more as Hobo Racing. After all, what is a person with a pack moving from town to town accepting handouts from perfect strangers but a hobo? And after a couple days, the hobo definitely smells better.
Goals and Objectives
I took a different approach to goal setting for HOTS. Instead of picking a time goal (aka 5 days), I went with process goals instead.
- Stay safe
- Enjoy the journey
- Move steadily
The format (regardless of what you choose to call it) requires a relentless focus on safety given the inherent dangers of the open roads. Putting this first made sure it was always at the forefront of my mind. The second goal was to keep from completely burying myself and allow me to move sustainably. In reality, this ended up being a performance enhancer for me throughout the race as feeling good = moving good. Once the first two goals were achieved, I wanted to be making steady progress to the rock. I would take whatever time I needed to address issues, however I wouldn’t take more downtime than necessary. In hindsight, this was an amazingly effective framework for me to attack this adventure.
The Last Supper Almost Was
We boarded the buses at Castle Rock on Wednesday morning, which took us to the start or Savannah, GA this year. Once dropped off at the hotel, we found out who our roommate for the night was going to be. They try to pair up newbies with vets and I pulled the vet of all vets (John Clarke). Bonus points as he’s also an Eagles fan so we quickly bonded over that. The email with the course GPX hit our inboxes as we got on the buses to head to dinner. I immediately struggled to get the files (yes, multiple) loaded to my phone (Gaia GPS app) and watch (Garmin Fenix 7). There was also supposed to be a KML file for Google Maps, which was not included. I was going to use this to search for resupply options so my anxiety and stress levels are now spiking through the roof . I’m a diehard planner and here I am literally unable to plan. Oh and apparently we have to figure out how to use public transportation to get across Atlanta. I barely ate anything at dinner and I started considering not even getting on the bus the next morning. This all just seemed so impossible. What am I even doing here?!?!
But ever so slowly I started to figure stuff out. A quick Google search showed the route through Atlanta on MARTA was rather straightforward (blue train -> red train -> #10 bus). Then Mike belated sent the KML file and link in Google Maps as we were leaving dinner. Another runner mentioned his strategy was to plan out stops a day at a time and it only took a couple minutes for me to have the first resupply options planned out. Whew. OK, maybe I do have this.
Pro Tip: No matter what navigation method you use (graphics on phones typically make it easier) make sure you have an audio notification set up for when (not if) you go off course. I easily missed 10-15 turns over the course of the race, however my Garmin would chirp at me after a couple hundred feet so I never lost much time.
Day 1 – 36 Miles (36 Total)
The 400 mile runners were dropped off on the South Carolina/Georgia border and began at 7:30am while the rest of us were back on the bus for the start of the 355, which was at a different SC/GA border. It took 90 minutes to drive there so we didn’t start until after 9am. I was happy to trade the 90 minutes for 46 fewer miles. It was 17 miles on route 301 before we joined the main course in Sylvania so I just loaded the primary 221 mile GPX file on my watch to start.
It was hot when we started and within the first hour I was already tactically only running the shaded sections of the course. I’ve been able to run through the hottest parts of day 1 in the past, but I had to shut down all thoughts of running by early afternoon. I had started out at my sustainable all day pace of 14 minutes/mile (+40% to my normal long run pace), however this moved up into the 17-18 minute range as I was just walking. This was my primary strategy of dealing with the elevated temperatures, which you can’t fight (heat is undefeated). It’s all about surviving the day and conserving resources so you can knock out quick miles overnight once things cool off.
There were decent sized resupply deserts on the run into Atlanta with many options 27-28 miles apart. Late in the first day, I ran low on fluids and had to ration before getting to the next town. I grabbed more fluids at that stop, however again had to conserve fluids on the next stretch. I hadn’t gotten my core temperature completely back to baseline though before getting back onto the road so drank more than I had planned during the first couple miles. Neither of these were major issues, however I was now properly scared straight. I ended up carrying an extra 30-40oz of fluids with me at all times and never came close to running out for the rest of the race. Pack weight should be minimized, however there are some things you just shouldn’t skimp on.
Night 1 – 47 Miles (83 Total)
It didn’t start cooling off until after 8pm and I took it easy for another hour as I didn’t want to start getting after it until my body was completely reset. But then it was game on! The one good thing about not having many (or any) stores open overnight is that there’s nothing to stop you from knocking out mile after mile. There was one gas station open along this stretch and I found Crystal hanging out at a table as I walked in. I’m typically pretty quick in these stores (5-10 minutes) and we headed out together. We tried to run together for a couple miles and it was nice to have someone to chat with, but we had different running and walking paces and different cadences on switching between them. The funny thing though is that our average pace was almost identical as we were mostly in sight of each other until the next morning. Sometimes I would be ahead, then she would pass me. We’d give each other some encouragement and then keep doing our own thing. Back, forth, and then back again.
Day 2 – 31 Miles (114 Total)
Crystal was planning a longer stop to get some sleep so I moved ahead at the morning check-in. I would see no other runners the rest of the race.
Day 2 is when I started to dial in my cooling strategies. I would arrive into the first available store and grab a Snickers ice cream bar plus a cold drink to quickly chug. I would accumulate whatever calories and fluids I needed for the next stretch and then chill in the AC or outside in the shade until my core temperature got back to baseline. Between staying on top of my hydration (fool me once. OK, twice) and taking a very easy pace out in the sun, this typically didn’t take more than 10-15 minutes. I also took 2 hours completely stationary at The Barksdale store (mile 104) from 2-4:30pm as it was a long 17 miles stretch into the next town (Milledgeville) and it would have been unsafe to attempt this during the hottest part of the day. This store was going to be closed for virtually all of the remaining runners, however I heard an angel station popped up here so most of them avoided what would have been a 29 mile desert.
Today is when I started doing some math on potential arrival times to MARTA. I would have to kill myself to get there Saturday night in time to cross Atlanta before it shut down so instead all I had to do were some easy 70 mile days (vs. 83 on day 1) to get there when it opened on Sunday morning. Spoiler: I never came close to hitting those daily mileage totals.
Night 2 – 31 Miles (145 Total)
This was a weird night. It never seemed to cool off so while I was able to run a bit here and there, I ended up walking a lot more than any other night. Thankfully my race goals (see above) had no daily mileage targets so “only” doing 31 miles was not discouraging. I ended up stopping to sleep three separate times for a total of 90-120 minutes. While I was able to get some shuteye each time and felt better afterwards, none of them were what I would classify as high quality sleep experiences. I decided to change up my sleep strategy going forward and do longer, but fewer breaks.
Day 3 – 21 Miles (166 Total)
I thought the heat was bad on days 1 and 2. I really did. I assumed it couldn’t get worse, but it hit me even harder on day 3 and I had to add periodic rest breaks in between towns to my heat mitigation toolkit. I would go anywhere from 2-4 miles and then find a shaded place off the road to sit for 10-20 minutes. Removing my pack and shirt would help cool me off and then it was another push until I felt like I was almost overheating.
I got lucky and arrived at Madison (mile 162) right at 3pm where there were a bunch of hotels. I took the opportunity to sleep for 3 hours during the hottest part of the day, which contributed to only getting in 21 miles. At this point though, it was about surviving the day and getting to the night without being cooked (literally). Pretty much any mileage total was a bonus since I didn’t have any targets, which kept me mentally solid.
Night 3 – 36 Miles (202 Total)
I moved much better once it got dark compared to the prior night. Pretty much all my moving miles was in the 14-15 minute range. I decided to stop to sleep in Social Circle (mile 183) about 2am. I found a nice rocking chair a half block off the route and sacked out for 90 minutes. I felt good after an hour but gave myself another 30 minutes because why not? I wasn’t in any rush and goal #2 (have fun) would be better achieved with a little more rest.
Day 4 – 19 Miles (221 Total)
Despite it being my lowest 12 hour mileage total, this ended up being a great stretch for me. I hit Atlanta right at 2pm or about 8 hours after what I thought would have been a couple easy days (Haha. I’m an idiot.). I got on my first train and reached the central hub without any issues. I was confused which stop to get off the second train to get the #10 bus, however eventually found a couple MARTA associates out providing help. I’m guessing they were there training as part of the upcoming World Cup games because they were a little challenged to find the route as well. Eventually they figured it out for me then walked me over to the train. I took it to my stop then found another pair of MARTA associates to help me find the #10 bus. “Oh, there’s no 10 bus here.” Sigh. They go through the same process and finally determine there is one downstairs and walk me over to the area.
The bus was loading as I arrived and 2 minutes later I was on my way. A quick run up a highway and the first stop is about 4 blocks from the waypoint I need to start my last GPX file. I debated getting off and doing the walk just in case this was the closest it came, but decided to press my luck (no whammy!). The bus made a right on the road I wanted, turned around at the mall, and I kid you not stopped exactly on the dot. Score one for patience!
I walked a half mile to the first hotel and went in for a room. Of course it was just a bunch of $180 suites, but I was far to exhausted to price shop so paid the rate and headed to my room for a 3 hour nap. Well, apparently I forgot to set my alarm so I slept from 3:45pm to 8pm missing the 84 hour check-in. I grabbed my phone to see a text from Mike. My bad. Got my check-in done, then hit the road. The benefit of oversleeping (you know, besides the extra sleep) was that I just missed a nasty thunderstorm that ripped through the area. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
Night 4 – 34 Miles (255 Total)
My trip north of Atlanta started with a couple hours of light rain. Outside of 15 minutes a mile before MARTA, this was the only rain I experienced during my entire time on the HOTS course. While the heat over the first 4 days was absolutely brutal, I think I prefer it to lots of rain. Rain just complicates everything especially when you’re relying on electronics to navigate and search for resupply options. And the less we say about chaffing issues, the better for everyone.
Hobo Racing requires flexibility and adaptability above any other skill. The curveball thrown during this section was a last minute reroute off the highway through downtown Marietta. Mike sent the email out earlier with clear directions, however I got through the town before the updated GPX files could be sent. No big deal. I loved this section of the course so it was a clear upgrade in my opinion.
Even though I got extra sleep during the day, I decided I needed a bit more to make it through the night. I had just passed a Day Use rest area with what looked like an open restroom when I stopped in the middle of the road. This would be a perfect spot to sack out, but I wasn’t all that tired yet. I waffled for a minute then turned around and went back as this was probably better than anything else I’d find. I set up in the handicapped stall and stayed for 90 very restless minutes where I woke up every 3-5 minutes. It was better than nothing I guess, but far from ideal.
Day 5 – 29 Miles (284 Total)
I didn’t take any long breaks during the day and instead just grinded out the miles. I would take some breaks and rest in the shade every couple miles when necessary. At this point, I knew I had a decent lead on Crystal who was in second place behind me, but I wasn’t feeling overly competitive. Not trying to sound like a broken record, but I was truly in survival mode and just trying to get to my next store so I could grab a snickers ice cream bar and cool off a bit. The temperatures were supposedly cooler than the first four, but you could have fooled me. Felt just as hot.
Every afternoon I would stop ingesting calories between towns during the hottest part of the day (3-6pm). I’ve found my body doesn’t process them well while getting in as much fluids as I need so have decided that it’s better to be fully hydrated than partially hydrated with some calories. I did a great job with my nutrition all other parts of the day (minimum 50 calories/mile) and so was fine to let it slide for a couple hours. A lot of times it’s not about what’s optimal, rather what’s the least bad choice.
Night 5 – 32 Miles (316 Total)
About 9pm, I made the mistake of searching for lodging options in Dalton which was 11 miles away. There were a bunch available with the first a couple blocks off course at mile 299. The problem is that as soon as I made the decision, all my brain could think about was crawling into a nice soft bed. I was like a 5 year old – “but I want it now!”. Those 3 hours were the longest of the entire trip. They were painfully slow with every mile seemingly taking longer than the last. But eventually all bad things must come to an end and I got to my bed. At 3am, I was up and on the road with 55 miles left to the rock. Twenty hours or 11pm seemed like a good estimate so fingers crossed I could be done before the calendar day was out.
Day 6 – 31 Miles (347 Total)
I started the day off on fire. I was absolutely flying along dropping my first 12 minute splits of the race. I was able to maintain running past 8am, which is when I had normally been switching back over to walking. This led me to adjusting my finishing math to possibly some time before dark. Yeah, well that lasted until 9am when I noticed I was pushing too hard. Like way too hard. Like what the heck am I doing too hard? I downshifted my effort (finally) and then suffered through my final day of excessive heat. There was this 3 mile straight section in Chattanooga that took forever subjectively. I was stopping every 3/4 of a mile to rest in the shade. I’m barely moving at 2mph with all the rest breaks. Funnily, there’s a pretty massive climb just outside of town, however I moved up it much faster than the flat streets because it was in the shade.
Night 6 – 8 Miles (355 Total)
I turned off the causeway and texted Carl. Then like a minute later him and Laz pull up beside me in a car. This is the first time I’ve seen someone associated with the race (runner or support) since I chatted with Laz and Sandra back on day 3. We spoke for a minute then I made my final turn on pavement before the GPX track ended. From here on out, I was navigating by directions that were texted to me by Carl a couple hours before. Turn left when the trail splits. Pass the tri-state marker. Grind up long, steepish hill. Turn right under large arch. Left at highway. Go through gate marked “no trespassing” which took me to. . .
Carl’s Insanity – Who Knows?
I had heard from other runners that the last section was so difficult that they weren’t even planning on attempting it at night. So I started thinking of this as “Carl’s Insanity” as a way to mentally frame what I was about to encounter. If I thought it was going to be harder than it actually was, then I wouldn’t get so down when reality slapped me upside my head. Well, it turns out my definitely of insanity is much more tame than Carl’s because it was way harder than I expected. The route was fairly well marked and there were reflective ribbons included which made it easy to see where I was going. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was easier to navigate at night. But the terrain. I could spend another thousand words describing how hard the terrain was and still not come close. The first part lulled me into thinking it wasn’t going to be too bad. Then the knee high brush turned into waist high brush. Which then turned into shoulder high brush. With prickers and thorns added in. Not to mention the random vines that kept threatening to cause a face plant. This was a challenging slog, but it was all flattish to rolling terrain. Merely the warmup.
At one point as my legs are getting shredded, I noticed a blackberry on the bush. I picked it and as I was about to eat it, I stopped. Was I really in the right state of mind to determine whether random wild berries were edible? No, no I was not. So I dropped it to the ground and continued on my way. Safety first, people.
And then I started climbing. Not on a trail, just straight up the mountain. And when I say straight up, I’m not talking hands on knees straight up. I’m talking hands and knees on ground straight up. I was grabbing whatever trees I could find to help pull myself up the slopes. Oh, and I’m doing all this in road shoes with zero traction thank you very much. I was grinding along pretty good, but eventually I started having to take short little breaks. And then I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while. I had turned my Garmin off a while back so didn’t have my nutrition alarm (mile laps) to keep me up to speed on calories. It was a good thing that I didn’t have my GPS on though as if I had known how long it was going to be (or how slow I was moving), it would likely have sent me into a mental spiral. Instead I was able to move along in a semi-flow state. Get to that ribbon. Stop at that stump. Oh, that’s a cool rock formation. ARGHHH, don’t slide back down the hill!!! Walk along that downed log. I was looking forward to reaching the crack because it would be easier than what I was crawling through. Finally, I reached it and was up without too much fuss. I had mistakenly thought the finish was right there, but no. A little more climbing remained before reaching the flat short (felt long) dirt road that took me to the finish. I was completely thrashed at this point and could barely shuffle forward hoping the course didn’t turn back into the woods (I would have curled up into a ball beside the trail in this eventuality) (Note to Carl: I dare you to add this next year).
I spent a nice bit of time at the Rock talking with Laz, Carl, and Sandra. My prize for winning was being the first runner to sit in the clean throne/thrown. Apologies to the runners behind me. Carl then drove me down to a hotel where I was able to sleep in a clean bed for a gloriously long time with the AC on full blast.
Final Thoughts
I consider this race to be the pinnacle of my ultra career. It was far and away the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted, yet I felt fully in control from start to finish (well, almost finish). Mistakes were obviously made, but they were minor and periodic. I was able to diagnose pending issues early on while they were modest and take action to mitigate them. I’m shocked that excluding the second night, I was able to consistently move along at a 14-15 minute pace for each of the subsequent nights. Mentally, I struggled for only that short 11 mile section on night 5 and honestly struggle is a bit harsh as the low wasn’t that low. I learned better sleep strategies out past 60 hours, which I’ll definitely utilize on future adventures.
Overall, just my perfect race. Thank you to all the race organizers for providing me this opportunity to test myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this race to anyone looking for the adventure of a lifetime. Just make sure you get your heat training in ahead of time.
