One of the best kept secrets in ultra running has
been Sarah Tyne's Hot 2 Trot 8 Hr Run in Atlanta. It is a quality event that
keeps getting better. The hospitality is a constant factor, and the
race management is always good. This year's race was moved from the
familiar Roswell Municipal Park to a new cross-country trail at
Lakeside High School in Decatur that was built by "Coach Eddie"
for his cross-country team. The H2T has
developed a close following and has become one of my favorite races. What really
appeals to me is the fact that half of Sarah's field of 30 runners were good
looking women.
Until this year, John Sanders and I
were the only RFH regulars who laced up for this August event. This year, Ms
Excitement (Eliza Weston) and Brenton Floyd joined the party. As we all know,
any race with Eliza there sure does get exciting. There were many familiar names
and faces among the field of runners and volunteers; Rob Apple, Sally Brooking,
John Dove, Andrew Hackett, Herb Handcock, Ray the K, Scott Ludwig, Steve
Michaels, and Joe Pringle. Many of these folks will be joining us next weekend @
LV. It was ironic that the entire focus of the race conversations was LV.
However, they quickly switched to LB when Eliza, Jenna, and Jill came into
view.
I really like the 8 Hr run format. Quite simply, the 1st
6 Hrs do not count. All the fast locals put on a show and drop @ 50K. As the car
park begins to empty, the real race begins. For most of the early race, I had a
big smile on my face watching Ray the K trying to take on John Dove thinking he
could cruise to an easy win. When John dropped @ 50K, Alex Neeb and Tim Stroh
took charge and hammered the field for a race record of 50+ miles. This eclipsed
Rob Apple's 49+ record on the old paved course. The RFH (Eliza, John, and I)
posted a Harry Gant finish. (i.e. The # 33 Skoal Bandit ... 33 laps ... 37.25
miles). I don't remember what Brenton did. He is off in his own little
world.
Each year, I leave this race with a unique memory.
This year's memory is that of Coach Eddie. The good coach
really loves his job, and he has spent many hours crafting and building the 1.13
mile, double tracked, trail along the steep wooded hillside that borders the
school campus for his cross-country team. The morning of
the race, Coach Eddie hauled over a ton of sand to fill two low areas that were
muddy from recent rains just to make the surface ready for the race. He was a
proud as any one man that I have seen about hosting our race on his new course.
He joined in and ran along with us giving a running narrative of how he designed
and built the course. Coach Eddie said that, 'he really did not understand ultra
running and how anyone could run for 8 Hrs, but he wanted to be a part of it'.
As a show of appreciation for his hard work and hospitality, the field of 30
runners hammered out over 1,000 laps (1,200+ miles) on the new course just to
break it in.
The post-race pool party and cookout was a good ending to a
good day. The H2T was a good recovery run for me. My leg is solid and pain free
for next week's LV, and I am looking forward to seeing my H2T friends next week
for '1 MO RUN'.
