The Franklins 200

The Franklins 200 | Ultra #035

Originally posted on my Facebook notes on 2019-02-17.

Pre-race

With the thought of a 200 miler in my brain I had purposefully tested my limits by running back-to-back 100 milers in December. You can refer back to my double race report on that , but everything went very well and I knew my fitness was there and ready. All that was left was about a month and a half of tune up training and getting mentally prepared for a 200 mile journey. Since there is very little vertical gain to be had in the immediate Houston area. I capitalized on the opportunity for some training during our family Christmas vacation in California to see my wife’s side of the family. Firstly sleep deprivation. With four kids we’ve found driving out to California not only more affordable but easier than flying with all the car seats and changing of planes, etc. We’ve become accustomed to it, but it is 30 hours of driving without stopping anywhere for the night. I do the driving while my wife deals with the kids and we stopped basically only for meals, bathroom breaks, and stretches. During the trip out I continued my current #runStreak I was on by getting in small sort runs every stop and managed to run in 4 different states.

Once in Santa Barbara, CA visiting my wife’s side of the family I took full advantage of the SB trail system. The place is located right on the ocean, but has 3,000 ft mountains right there, full of singletrack. I ran every day, getting full vert sessions every day, just loving the trails. Climbing mountains to get the views over the Pacific Ocean. This training week turned out to be very vital in getting in a ton of climbing and also a lot of mileage. I was very happy for this.

My TeamTROT teammates. The 5 of us
all running the 200 miler.

Back home in Sugar Land, TX there was now 4 weeks left till the big race. The Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) seasons was about to begin in late January with Running the Rose. I took advantage of this and signed up for the 108 km distance. Since this was 10 days out from the race I thought it was the perfect opportunity for my peak long run per say. I had signed up and was pumped to get this in as my final hard long effort. Building up to this I did a couple treadmill vert sessions each week (which I’ve never done before). Once at Running the Rose out in Tyler, Texas I arrived there ready and anxious to race. With this being my last hard effort and also a great vert day I put down a hard effort and felt great. This lead to a great day where I managed to come away with the victory, and also lowered the course record. The best part of this was having 3 daughters run in with me across the finish line.

The Friday before race week was a rush of adrenaline finishing off the work week and realizing I was about to embark on the biggest journey of my life. Monday had arrived and I left for El Paso, kissing my family goodbye and heading west on this adventure. Getting there late Monday night for dinner was nice and relaxing. I awoke Tuesday and did a bunch of work remotely on my computer in the morning which helped kill the time. As soon as lunch came around I headed out with my parents who were here visiting in transit on their vacation. After eating, I got really excited since the packet pickup was now open and I headed out to the Franklin Mountains State Park. I drove up to the park sign and got out to enjoy the view and took a quick picture. The day was perfect out, sunny, warm, barely any wind. I arrived at the start/finish tent and met Robert Goyen right away. He looked busy and yet quite ready to get the party started. We chatted for a bit, then I wandered out to the volunteer table and signed in: Bib#7. I had a couple hours till the pre-race meal & meeting so at this point I drove up to the very end of the park and went for a little walk enjoying the scenery. After a little bit of relaxing up there on the hills I grabbed my GoPro and took it for a little test run on a short 2 mile run (I had been on a #runStreak for the past 156 days). By the time this minimal exercise short run was done the race meeting was nearly here. I drove my vehicle back down towards the end of the park where the start/finish was and wandered over to meet the rest of the runners, crew, and volunteers alike. The meeting was mandatory for all the 200km & 200mi runners and so there was about about 50 people (+ crew and others). Got to mingle with my 4 other #TeamTROT teammates (Luis Murillo, Matt Zmolek, Jessica Pekari, and Dena Carr) who were running the race and we discussed our anxiety, but mainly questioned Jessica, since she is the queen of 200s based on her 2018 resume of winning the women’s Triple Crown of 200s (4th overall, ultrasignup results). The Team was ready!

I also got to meet in person my #rabbitELITEtrail teammate Sean Nakamura, and his wife Runny-Legs. And of course meeting the one and only Mr.15, John Kelly, Endurance Athlete, was a big highlight since he is very well known in the ultrarunning community since completing a certain race. The food was great and I enjoyed pasta and salad as Robert race director took over and gave the pre-race meeting. Course layout and description was given along with all the details of the aid stations, sleep stations, and volunteers assisting throughout the race. Once the race speel was given and most of the food was eaten the crowd of runners started to disperse. I hung out for a bit with my TROT teammates as we discussed our excitement and just general catching up. Headed back to the hotel just after sunrise and was aiming for a really good night sleep. The work was done, the race was here, nothing left to do but get at it. The biggest adventure of my life was about to start.

Race Morning

2019-02-06 Pre-race briefing by RD Rob Goyen instructing us
on the new directions due to the weather

03:00 my first of 3 alarms went off and I was awake instantly. I changed into my gear I had laid out, packed the remaining items, and headed to my car by 03:30. As I wandered out of the hotel room the rain was obvious, and I immediately thought “well this is weird”. The park is only 10 min drive away so I was there in no time. I had to be there BEFORE 04:00 to catch the shuttle to the start line. We were parking at the start/finish of the large loop, however the start of the race consisted of a one time 13mi section where they shuttled you or were dropped off there. Since my car was my solo crew vehicle and had most all my gear in it, I was parking it at the start/finish for the duration of the race and catching the shuttle.

After parking and getting my stuff situated in my vehicle I walked over to the tent start/finish and went to figure out where the shuttle was picking us up. The rain continued to drip drip drip down outside. Here I was about 03:45 with a handful of runners there in the tent and Race Director Robert was on the phone and I could tell right away the initial 13mi point-to-point start section was going to be cancelled due to the rain for safety reasons. since the start of the race was now at the start/finish of the loop I was just passing my time as the rest of the runners slowly made their way to the current location for the new modified alternate 13 mi start loop. As you might imagine the RD was busy on the phone and trying to get all the new logistics aligned and trying to deflect all the questions till the meeting. 04:50 rolls around finally and it was time for the actual pre-race brief. The meeting started as Rob explained the logistics and route of the new start mini 13mi loop. Also at this time there was still runners arriving back from the original start. A little bit of chaos to start the race because 200 mi in the Franklin Mountains wasn’t enough to begin with….

Start

2019-02-06 Rainy race start | Photo: taken from Jaime Aparicio
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05:00 cold, dark, and rainy it was there on that Wednesday morning, as the timing volunteer yelled out “1 minute!”. At this point Rob called everyone out of the tent to the official start line, which was the edge of a campsite, where the trail peered out into the soggy darkness. The time was here, our journey was about to begin. For myself and many of the other 34 souls on the start line this was a journey into unknown personal limits. And yet I couldn’t wait, it was finally here! We were off as the volunteer counted down the final few seconds. The trail begins immediately as singletrack and winds its way up a small climb that instantly and makes everyone go into a natural line. I was near the front portion of the pack but not exactly sure where I’d settle in. Once we got about 2 miles in there was a decent spread starting to occur in the groups of runners. I found myself up near the front as I was following Sean at this point. Since he is a stellar 7-time 200mi finisher I thought to myself if I could hang with him for awhile I might know what is a decent pace to start out an ultramarathon of this distance. By about mile 5 I looked back and realized it was just myself and Sean , as we were chasing the leader who was not too far off in front of us, as we followed the weaving headlamp leading the way through the lower area of the Franklins State Park. At mile 6 or so we looped back around by the start/finish tent and then headed up toward the peak of Franklin Mountain. This was the “flat” easy section of the course and still not even halfway done the mini “warm up loop”. After the tent was a very short section of the park road that was a steady climb on some pavement, about 0.5mi worth, until the next trailhead started. Sean was moving very efficiently and let him go ahead of me at this point as I just tried to keep a steady power hike. By the time we got to the end of the road the first place runner was there taking a bio break on the side. Once he started moving again he caught up to me in no time, and I realized who it was, Mr.15, John Kelly, a quite famous ultrarunner for anyone in the know of the ultra community the past few years. From the chaotic start I didn’t know where he was at the beginning but obviously he was the front runner right off the get go, setting the pace. As we made our way up the trail this is one of the most treacherous sections as it is the start of the scree field at the base of the mountain. I figured John might blow back by me and jump ahead and set the pace again, but instead he settled in and we started some small talk as we kept the power hiking pace. Soon we caught back up to Sean who wasn’t that far off and the 3 of us were climbing the remainder of the scree together slow and steady. he initial climb up to Mundy’s Gap is 1.3 mi or so is a slow grind as it’s all straight up. We got up to a sort of fork in the trail and took a right turn. I thought this didn’t exactly look right (recalling from the route in the November Franklins Mountains 50km Sky Race). However I didn’t fully voice my questionable thought at this point. We climbed all the way up to the ridge which was about 0.4mi higher and never saw a blue flag or ribbon on that part. Once we reached the spine of the ridge I knew we were in the wrong. It was brutal windy up there,the wind was cutting through us. Since we did not know exactly where the trail joined back up, and I thought I knew where we went wrong, we headed back down the same side we came up, backtracking that 0.4mi. Once we got close to that junction we started seeing a couple other headlamps making their way up the climb. The 3 of us got back to the original sport where we should of went left and noticed the ribbons were there, just whipping so badly in the wind and in the darkness all 3 of us missed them. At the turn we adjusted back on the course and I saw Jessica (TROT teammate) there. I briefly said hi and we continued on back upwards again. Nothing like a bonus climb to start out a 200mi race, but luckily it was less than a mile and only a couple hundred feet. Back on track now we got around the ridge where we were just once standing on and around to Mundy’s Gap, which is where the next phase of the climb to actual summit begins. A full 1.78mi climb with 1,258 ft of gain, average of 13% grade winding up the mountain (https://www.strava.com/segments/15192969). After the Mundy’s Gap aid station I stuck behind John and followed him up the grind – he is a stellar climber! Apparently the race he is known for has some climbing in it or something. Sean slightly dropped back on this climb. Only a few hundred feet after the Mundy’s Gap aid station we passed the first runner who overtook the lead after the 3 of us went for our bonus ridge climb earlier. And with that John was back in the lead with me sticking right behind him. At this point I thought to myself this is kind of stupid trying to hang with John, but I also knew this was his first 200mi event as well. My style of racing is based on perceived effort, rarely ever looking at the clock (my Garmin watch) for guidance. This ultra would be no different, so I decided to run with John while I could. Once we got to the peak it was a cloudy morning albeit slightly light out at this point. We briskly got over to the radio tower where the bracelet box was. John bent over and opened up the tackle box and grabbed us each a bracelet. How cool is that, a Barkley finisher was passing me a summit bracelet here at the Franklins! He sealed the box back up, and we headed down. 1.78mi back down to Mundy’s was a fun ride. I stayed behind John again and we sailed down weaving back and forth on the natural switchbacks of the trail. It was a pretty big adrenaline high at this point since we got to pass a majority of the field who were now on their way up the summit climb and this out and back section allowed for a lot of trail high fives and cheers. It was pretty cool feeling, although I know most of them were cheering John on (I’m not in denial about that). Back at Mundy’s we were directed back towards the way we originally came up for the return trip back down the mountain. Shortly after we were met by Anthony, the TROT photographer, who snapped an awesome shot of John and I running side by side on the wider trail chatting away.

2019-02-06 Coming down from the first summit climb. Trevor Meding (L) & John Kelly (R) about 11 miles complete | Photo: Stasulli Photography / Trail Racing Over Texas

At this point I can’t recall if we were chatting about our kids and family or if this was the point he was starting to tell me some tales of Frozen Head and his other ultra adventures. One of the other things I recall as we bombed down the last section of the return trip was John mentioned how I “sounded a lot like Gary” at times with my Canadian accent which apparently came across fairly obviously to him. I chuckled at that and again was kind of star struck. Back all the way to the scree section near the bottom of the mountain, John was still just flying, light on his feet and bounding around the rocks with minimal effort. I enjoyed keeping pace with him and concentrating no more than 10 ft in front of me, as you could not afford to miss a step without some costly dental consequences or a severe bloody fall. On that bottom scree section we did pass a couple of the Murillo’s who where there hanging out to catch a glimpse of Luis (TROT teammate). They gave me some words of encouragement as we passed by. We emerged onto the pavement again at the bottom of the trailhead and had to backtrack that 0.5mi to the start/finish tent to complete this modified 13mi mini start warm up loop. We arrived back there and checked in with our bib check. I couldn’t tell if Rob was surprised or what to see me running with John. Again it was kind of a boost for me to come running in with him at this point, even if I did have 189mi more to go.

The Big Loops Begin

(https://www.strava.com/segments/19850700)

Franklins 200 big loop map | source: trailraciingovertexas.com

I popped into the tent quick for some aid. I devoured some oranges and a couple swigs of Gatorade and coke. I stopped for only just over 1 minute (0:01:08 total) and to my surprise I had already lost about 30 seconds to John who barely grabbed anything at this aid stop. I knew he would be efficient but dang, I wasn’t expecting that quick of stop. I did not let it rattle me though and chased John out onto the full big loop now. I darted out quickly and tried to stay in pace again. I caught up to him and hung behind over the first few ridge climbs. We got to the Pavilion and swung right over towards Shaffer Shuffle (https://www.strava.com/segments/11518927). This section is a short gnarly section in which John showed me his true climbing abilities again. This time I decided not to push my own pace and just let John drift ahead on the steep uphill grind. Little did it I know it would be a long time before I’d see Mr.15 again. So there I was about 14-15mi into the race and I was now running solo. The sun was a nice distance above the horizon now and the weather was warming up nicely from the morning cloudiness we experienced at the start. I kept a decent pace and started settling in for the long haul. After coming back around to the Pavilion there is a very short out & back up to the actual aid at the Pavilion before coming back into the canyon of the Lower Sunset trail. Here I met John coming back down as I was headed up to the aid check in. We exchanged kudo’s and I could see he was moving well determined to keep pace. It was about 4mi back to the start/finish tent which was mile 9 out of 38 on this big loop. This time I took my time here changing some clothes, I exchanged my pack and got my Nathan bladder setup as I figured the more water the better now coming into the warmth of the day. I set off on the big climb that lay ahead (https://www.strava.com/segments/19881984) and the remainder of the loop that would take us around the entire mountains.

2019-02-06 Summit of Franklin Mountain | Photo: Stasulli Photography / Trail Racing Over Texas

I set up on the long slow grind up to the summit feeling good and trying to maintain decent pace, or what I thought was decent for this distance of a race. For anyone who doesn’t know me, I run on perceived effort and so that means I nearly always start off fast and slow down as I go, all while keeping the same intensity. I got up to Mundy’s Gap efficiently and the aid volunteer there was cheering saying “Go Get Em”. I took this as a good sign that John must not be super far ahead…yet. Sure enough after about 20 minutes more of climbing I saw John coming down the singletrack barreling at me. The out & back climb was a long grind and enabled us to gauge where each other were. I wasn’t super far back as I was nearly at the top to claim my second summit band, however I was losing ground slowly. At the top of the peak I was met by Anthony Stasulli (TROT photographer | STASULLIphoto) where he snapped a couple great pictures as I crested the peak to claim my next summit band. I chatted briefly with Anthony as I started to walk back down. He wished me luck and I headed off downhill on the long immense grind all the way off the mountain dropping down onto the East side of the Franklins (https://www.strava.com/segments/19302867). This section is all downhill grade of nearly 4mi and is a quad buster if you are not ready for it. I put it in “cruise control” and got to the bottom in what I thought was decent controlled time. I passed about 3-4 runners who were behind not that far since they were on the ascent themselves in pursuit of their summit bracelets. Down, down, down….it was nice to get to the flats at the bottom and give the leg muscles a change. The trail was a decently flat and fast section from here all the way to the Bowen Ranch aid station. The was also little coverage from the mountain and so there was no shade from the day’s heating sun at this point. This part would turn out to be the hottest portion of the race, as today there was little to no wind, and a nice high 60s.

Greeted by some nice volunteers (Lisa Decker) at Bowen they informed me that John was about 15-20 mins ahead, which I figured was about right, based on where I’d seen him from the summit climb. Then as I was downing some more calories and snacks the volunteers mentioned they weren't even supposed to be there yet as Rob had guesstimated about 14:00 to open this aid station. Well John Kelly blew through this point at about 12:20 or so as he was definitely pushing the pace. As I pondered this I realized I was moving fairly quickly as well, again just running off my own perceived effort, and consciously thought I better take it easy here in the heat of the day. Thanked the volunteers and I packed up and headed off back into the desert like trails of this section. From here the long road of East Aid station winding around the northern tip of the Franklins, bordering New Mexico, all the way over to the West Aid on the other side is a grueling seemingly never ending zig zag in and out of the canyons at the foot of the mountains (https://www.strava.com/segments/19302936). The section of the trail is mostly runable, however it is definitely a net uphill section until you crest the final ridge where you can spot the West aid in the distance.

2019-02-06 Finishing off loop 1 |
Photo: Dr. Jaime Aparicio, TROT Medical Director). 

Another quick chat with the amazing volunteers at West Aid as I refilled some fluids and ate more calories. I was not eating much solid food yet, but consuming my calories in fluid form constantly. The next section was another long 7mi net uphill grind (https://www.strava.com/segments/19302901) all the way back to the Pavilion and then another 2mi back to the start/finish tent. I knew this part specifically from the Franklins Mountain Trail Race here in November I did. You can literally see the Pavilion from miles away, and if you focus on it, it never appears to be getting any closer, even though you are progressing along the western base of the Franklin Mountains. I recalled this and tried not to look too far off in the distance. After finally passing the Pavilion and headed back to the tent this portion was 2-way traffic as it was also the same 2mi start of the big loop. Therefore, again, once I got close to the tent I was able to see John coming at me heading back out on his second loop, as I was just about back to the start/finish aid stop. I was approximately 29 minutes back at this point and in 3rd place, only couple mins back of 2nd. The first 4 runners (I believe) all came in this point under 12 hours, which was the 50.2mi check point (25% done). This is very fast for the technicality out here in the Franklins, but I felt good and in control of my effort still.es I was surprised at the elapsed time, but I did not give any weight to it yet, I was more worried about just keeping steady and hoping to keep John within a reasonable distance.

Loop 2

I took a normal break after loop 1, lasting 0:19:13 where I changed my shirts and buffs to ensure I had dry gear on before heading out into what would soon be the night conditions. I believe I left the aid tent here in 2nd place since I arrived only minutes behind the runner. I took off hoping to finish the mini loop (the first 9 miles) before full darkness set in. This was not case, but I got close and was able to grab my extra headlamps and coat for the remainder of the loop heading back out from the start/finish aid heading for the summit for the third time now. I climbed this grind in typical fashion and saw John again on his descent where I could tell he had gained on me overall since the first time we passed last loop. I did not let this deter me as I knew I was only just over ¼ into the full distance at this point. The wind picked up a lot once the sun went down. It went from a nice calm sunny day to a gusty and wind chilled filled night. I was moving decent still at this point so no real issues of warmth arose except when I slowed for a walk break when the wind was directly into me. The wind at the very summit was extremely brisk though, and later I found that the water at Mundy’s Gap aid was freezing at night as temps dipped to sub-freezing with the wind chill.

As I approached the Bowen Aid on the east side, where the second sleep station was, I made the decision to push on since I was feeling good and get my loop complete before contemplating any sleep/rest. This turned out to be a good call. The very end of the West grind to the Pavilion it was around 03:00 and right in the middle of the night. I had not felt tired, relatively speaking, before this point, but then I started feeling little tiny microsleeps creeping in as I was trying to get to that Pavilion aid with light in the distance you could see for 6 miles out tempting and teasing the runners. Once there I refocused for the last 2 miles into the start/finish aid where I stopped and took my first “planned” sleep break. I arrived at 04:08 and aimed for a 30 minute power nap to recharge. I came claimed a cot, and this is when the medical lead whispered to me, “you caught him”. At first I didn’t know what he was referring to but as he pointed over to the next cot I realized John Kelly was there napping as well. So there I was 89 miles into the race and, at least, temporarily tied again with Mr.15. I laid down trying to get as comfy as possible pulling all sorts of the blankets over me to try and keep the warmth in. I spent a few minutes shivering and shaking before i was finally able to give in. I am not exactly sure how long it took to doze off, but after my 30 minutes the volunteers woke me right as I had requested. To my amazement my legs felt less achy almost immediately upon waking and once the fog of sleepiness wore off I started to down some warm food. Again I walked over to my car aid station adjacent to the tent, changed into warm dry stuff and kept the calories going in. Overall I had stopped for 1:08:14 here, which included my 30 minutes of actual lying down. Just over 24 hours in now, and I was about half way: 89 miles down, 113 miles to go.

Loop 3

2019-02-07 sunrise in the Franklin Mountains

With the warmth within me from some fresh soup and good warm coffee, I headed back out on course to complete the first mini 9 mile loop section in the before the sun rose. By the time I had gotten back to my car, which was also the start/finish area, it was about 08:00 and the sun was rising fast and the wind was dying down which definitely helped lift my spirits. I restocked my gear again, dropped off my headlamps for recharging for the next loop. I was leaving this station and Rob was there of course, cheering on everyone, and came over and said I was doing great. An extra little motivator which was nice to hear. I recall Rob telling me I was about 25 minutes back from John at this point again. I headed back out on loop 3 and was not super far past Mundy’s Gap climbing up and here John and I intersected paths again. He had put a little more space on me from the previous loop, but I was happy to know he was within sight so to speak at this point of the race.

I continued onto the summit, my 4th, and somewhere right around here mile 101 or 102 (the elusive halfway point!). I crested the top of Franklin Mountain again. It was a little breezier today, compared to yesterday in the daylight hours, but that allowed for a nice view from the top, finally. I look to the South/East and starred into Mexico, glaring North I was able to see the remainder of the course ahead but also the view into New Mexico beyond, and of course looking back East from the summit was a view of Texas.

After grabbing my summit band, and signing the book for summit confirmation, I pressed on. The last part of loop 3 I don’t recall anything exciting at all occurring. Although when I came into the next aid stations, both Bowen and the West Aid, I was given a boost by the volunteers telling me I still looked good and that they mentioned John kept asking about how far back I was. Pretty cool to think I sort of might have had John running scared at this point. But again I tried to ground myself in reality since there was a ton of mileage to cover yet. Nearing the Pavilion again on the long uphill grade section I had passed a couple runners (looping some of the 200mi or 200km people) and was just power hiking up. I got out my phone and called my wife (Katie) at this point and we had a quick FaceTime chat with the sunset framing the background. This was another great little morale boost that got me through the finish of loop 3. I had come in right around 17:00 which was 36 hours elapsed and just over 126 mi done…76 mi to go.

Loop 4

My goal heading out onto this loop was to try and get another 12 hr-ish time, where I would arrive in the very early morning and then grab a nap again. As I left the start/finish on that mini loop heading into the sunset I realized that I was getting drowsy already. So by the time I got around to the end of that initial 9 miles I decided I better lay down and recharge before pushing on.

2019-02-07 Getting some rest in | Photo: Stasulli Photography / Trail Racing Over Texas

I laid down attempting to get warm, and finally after nodding off got some nice rest. I opted for 90 minutes rest, however, after about 1 hour I naturally awoke and decided to get up since that is what my body was telling me at this point.

I bundled up warm again and ensured I had extra backup for lights as I was heading out into a full night of running. The wind had picked up yet again and so I took an extra layer. However it turned out to be slightly warmer (relatively speaking) compared to night 1. Loop 4 was a boring type loop where I just tried to click off the miles. It was on the way down from the summit out and back climb where the clock ticked over officially into day 3 (Feb. 8th), a total of more than 43 hours had now elapsed. At this point I felt fairly fresh considering, and so around the eastern side of the Franklins I went. I was overtaken by Thure, a Greenland runner whom had been slowly gaining on me the past loop and half. After getting to Bowen Ranch aid station in 3rd, just behind Thure, I devoured a bunch of grilled cheese and quesadillas cooked to perfection by the volunteers who took great care of me. This was the only other sleep station besides the opposite side back at the start/finish area. I pressed on hoping to finish up before sunrise and get a nap in post loop. The 2nd place runner, Thure (Greenland), decided to rest here briefly. I left here again in solo 2nd place.

The loneliness and solo miles I think started to take their toll on me. After passing through the West Aid I had that last 9 miles to go before the cot was calling my name. Halfway down this section I was moving a lot slower in the early hours, and I was gazing to my left over at the Franklin Mountains. Here I noticed something weird, a small drone hovering above me. As the sun was creeping over the stretched horizon I wondered why this drone was here. I kept running trying to focus on getting to that cot for some rest. But every time I would focus on the trails my mind would drift back to the drone and I’d try to figure out why it was out there following me, never getting closer, never getting further away, at like 05:00 on the now 3rd day of the race. I stopped for a bio break thinking the drone would continue on or change perspective, but it stayed in the exact same spot. The same thing occurred when I stopped briefly to put my jacket away and tighten my shoes. At this point I figured that maybe for some reason, Anthony (the official TROT photographer) was testing out some of his new technology toys as he was probably just waking up for the day. As these thoughts lingered in my mind I kept moving faster to maintain a good focal point for the drone, or at least I thought. You know the sort of way one always runs into the finish line, no matter how much pain you are in. The morning sun was now starting to get ever closer to coming to cresting the horizon. I had the 2mi grind up to the Pavilion, and the remaining 2 miles back to the start/finish left. On this long uphill push I started to notice a bunch of kids’ juice boxes laying on the trails. They were scattered every 100 feet or so. But then inevitably they would disappear once I got up to them to inspect. Clearly my mind was starting to play tricks on me, so I looked up, but the drone was still there hovering in the same perspective. I continued on knowing I needed rest, but then I saw rocks looking like anything but rocks. There was a couple dead ducks with their heads snapped, the kind of ones you’d see a hunting dog pick up on those duck hunting trips. I also saw one distinct shark that was finned with a big toothy smile, like one might see in those awful Japanese fishing markets. But again every time I got close enough to inspect closer, I would realize it was just a rock. About ¾ of a mile before the pavilion there was a viewing platform on the side of the trail. This appeared just like the glass viewing platform you’d see on those Grand Canyon viewing trails and such. The weirdest thing was that I saw, clear as could be, about 4 people on there staring out taking in the views. They did not much pay attention to me at all. Then as I got closer to this platform it just kind of faded away. I knew I was definitely hallucinating at this point and need to get back to the start/finish safely. I glanced up and all of a sudden there were not 1 but 3 drones fixed above me in that peculiar position. I knew for sure know there was no drone at all and that my mind that been seeing this all along but it was not there. Forward I marched and made it to the start/finish loop just after 07:00, 50 hours now elapsed, 164 miles done, 38 miles to go. In that last 2 miles there was an extreme pain in the landing pad (i.e. ball) of my left foot. I tried to ignore it, but it was a sharp pin-like pain. It kept me awake and focused to make it to the tent.

"Here I was about 160 mi into the race, my left foot now jacked up, I was hallucinating badly, and needed rest."

I got settled in a cot and was 3rd in line for foot care, as the medical director was taking care of couple other runners with similar foot situations I got some calories in and tried to get warm in the meantime. I was starting to drift off when….BAM!….felt the sharp pin go into the blister that was forming on the bottom of my foot. Jaime worked on my left foot as I lay there. A couple more pricks later and a bunch of Trail Tape I was all fixed up and ready in his opinion. I said I needed the rest and instructed volunteers to wake me in 1 hour if I hadn’t gotten up yet.

2019-02-08 Fixing my feet done by Dr. Jaime Aparicio (TROT Medical Director). He saved my feet doing an awesome patch job here that lasted for the remaining 38 miles | Photo: Gerry Meding

Loop 5

As I awoke I don’t recall what time it was exactly, around 08:30 I’m estimating, but I had to force myself up as I knew the first few steps would hurt, and unsure how the left foot would feel, let alone last. The few steps from the cot over to the snack/aid table was very painful, but necessary. The pressure of my body weight helped push out the remaining fluid from that blister that was forming which felt oddly good and terrible all at once. I downed another grilled cheese (or two) and got my gear in order. They told me I was in 3rd place and that 2nd, a strong runner from Greenland, had not left all that long before me for his final loop. John Kelly was just over hour and half lead at this point I was told. So off I went back into the daylight now and started my 9 mile mini loop. This was a slow grind adjusting to the new tape job on my left foot but after a couple miles it felt oddly…really good! I was able to run again, not just hobble along. Once I circled back to the start/finish tent it was basically noon: 55 hours elapsed now. Nothing more than a mere trail marathon lied ahead of me and my goal of completing my first 200 miler.

2019-02-08 Signing the summit for the final time

I took off from the aid station for the long climb ahead gunning for my 6th and final summit of Franklin Mountain. Near the peak of the climb I saw Thure coming down, and based on that I was about 0.5mi in back of him, still in 3rd place. I thought I might be able to press hard on the downhill portion that was coming and make a run a 2nd. After getting my rainbow summit band and signing the notebook with an extra #FUROB note for him, I turned around and headed downhill with purpose. Although my mind had purpose my body was unable to perform how I needed it to in order to catch Thure. I pressed the best I could down that 4 miles to the bottom of the Mountain but I could just feel it was my slowest descent yet. I continued forward with everything I had to Bowen hoping for good news in terms of where they would be, but arriving there I learned he was starting to gap me even more. So now with like 18 miles (~30 km) to go I was about 45 minutes – 1 hour back by the volunteers account. I now concentrated on just pushing the best I could to the finish not so much worried about where the 2 were in front of me. I knew it was nearly impossible to catch John, and very unlikely to catch Thure at this point. I also had no idea where 4th place was behind me (which turned out to be Jessica, but i did not know at the time) so I did not want to let up and give up a podium spot either.

The long grind from the Bowen Ranch to West Aid seemed to take forever this last loop, and my new goal was to make it there before the sun went down. I nearly did. I got to the final crest of the last ridge where normally you’d be able to see the West Aid however darkness was shading it at this point. From here I ran the ~1 mile snaking down and around. The sun was now gone behind the horizon. And just like that the wind had picked up again, this time with more purpose than any of the other evenings. It seemed mother nature did not want to make this finish easy on me. I grabbed a couple more layers out of my drop bag here at this location and decided to go with 4 shirts and a wind jacket on top, my spare pair of pants on bottom, and gloves and a hat for warmth. This turned out to be a great call, as I headed South back towards the start/finish with only about 9 miles left I knew this would be a long hike/jog/walk. I tried to run and pushed the best I could. The wind, ever increasing it seemed as I got closer and closer. The wind was so strong by the time I got in sight of the pavilion I was slowed to a leaning forward hike to try and cut into the oncoming wind. There were gusts upwards of 30-50 mph for sure. Then I winded around the last peak and headed that 2 mile grind up to the pavilion for the last time. Of course it seemed like I was dead into a headwind again, it seemed like every direction I was facing those last miles. I got up to the pavilion where the wind was at its worst and howling upwards, I’m guessing, of around 60 mph gusts. I was leaning 20-30% sideways to brace myself as I was hiking up and over the last few ridges. These last 2 miles seemed as slow as they were with my foot pain, although now my pace was slowed due to the immense wind mother nature was testing us with. I came over the last ridge and saw the flickering light of the start/finish tent. What a glorious site!

I came down the final technical rocky terrain to the finish and I could tell there were people out there cheering me in, however I could not hear anything due to the wind whipping in my ears. I crossed the edge of that campsite, aka the finish, and immediately gave Rob a hug as he was the first person there waiting to greet me. I can’t recall what I said exactly but I thanked him for letting me test myself. He told me how proud he was to see me finish and helped me ensure my watch had stopped properly. Then I was presented my buckle, which is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. A fully customized Elevation Culture wooden buckle. Each runner had their own characters written on it and so they were truly one of a kind. I sat there and glared at it for a moment, before we posed for a couple photos.

2019-02-08 Finished! 3rd overall 64:24:45. Pictured here with RD Rob Goyen | Photo: Stasulli Photography / Trail Racing Over Texas

Personalized Elevation Culture 200mi finishers buckle. The coolest running award I have earned to date!

Final Thoughts

The Franklins was an awesome and humbling and extremely unique experience. Yes it hurt, yes it was lonely since I ran the last 187 miles all alone, and yes it was hard being away from my family since they were unable to make this trip. But you know what, I would not trade this life experience for anything. I set out to test my own personal human potential and see what it was like to run longer than 24 hours. I got that and more. Looking back now more than a week later, I feel that those hours (days) out there running were exactly what i was meant to be doing at this point in my life. 3 Years ago I did not know what ultrarunning was, and now I have completed my 35th ultramarathon and my first 200mi run.

2019-02-08 Finished showing off my buckle before I devoured a bunch of aid station food | Photo: Stasulli Photography / Trail Racing Over Texas

After completing the run late Friday night I was able to get a decent night sleep, relatively speaking once i took the time to relax and try and slow my mind down and convince it that I no longer needed to move. I awoke the next morning fairly early and headed to breakfast. My parents were still in El Paso to see me finish the race and so I headed out with them for breakfast and one last visit and recap of the race. After a good fill of food again, I headed back out to Franklin Mountains State Park to see the happenings and say hi to the crew and hopefully see some of my teammates progress. I got out there to hang out, and it forced me onto my feet. This was a good thing as I moved around and keep the blood flowing in my legs. I hobbled around, drank some coffee, ate a few snacks and chatted with some of the other 200km finishers and crew that were there hanging out. John Kelly came back to the start/finish as well this morning to say hi and chat with the community. I spent a few minutes catching up with him on his take of the race and congratulated him on his victory.

After hanging out for the remainder of the morning I seeked out Rob and thank him immensely for the race and his organization and execution. I knew he was still sleep deprived and had another 36 hours of finishers to stroll in yet. And with that I had to take off for the long solo 10 hour drive home to Sugar Land and get back to my family to celebrate before work on Monday.

2019-02-09 Post-race photo. Trevor Meding (L) 3rd overall, 64:24:45, #ultrarunningdad | John Kelly (R) 1st overall, 60:53:12 @randomforestrunner . This was the first 200 miler for both of us |  Photo: unknown

Data

• 3rd overall | 64 hours 24 minutes 45 seconds | 202.3 miles | 50,000 ft gained
• x6 Franklin Mountain summits
• 187 miles run solo
• ~2 hours 30 minutes of sleep in my race

The official race results are on Ultrasignup.

My full Strava activity data: https://www.strava.com/activities/2133574274 (disclaimer: slightly low mileage and slightly low vertical gain/loss).

Franklins 200 elevation profile as charted out by STRAVA data.

During the race i was using advantage of the nearly full cell coverage to keep my wife and kids updated throughout the 2.5 days of running. The race itself only had 3 bid checkpoints where times were recorded and so it was hard for people for to follow closely. So pre-race I built a spreadsheet for my wife and was updating it via iPhone shared notes as I proceeded. This way she was able to see when i typed in the times and it filled in the spreadsheet I had pre-built for her.

Excel spreadsheet split chart I built for my wife and kids to follow along. It worked great during this race since the cell coverage is quite good over the Franklin Mountains.

The 200 mi had 38 entrants: 35 started (3 Did Not Start). Of the starters a total 24 runers finished and got their buckle, and 11 Did Not Finish. #TeamTROT had 5 people in the race who all finished and achieved their buckles. Great job team (Jessica, Luis, Matt, Dena) proud of you all!

Gear Used

• Shirts: Lots: rabbit many (few long sleeves, couple t-shirts), TeamTROT jersey • Shorts: rabbit ELITE team shorts (loop 1), Smooth Operator (for last 4 loops) • Shoes: Altra Running TIMP 1.5 -- straight out of the box, best shoes ever! • Jackets: Under Armour light weight jacket, Altra Running Wasatach jacket, rabbit Get Vested, Salomon Running jacket • Pants: Columbia Sportswear run pants • Headwear: BOCO Gear, rabbit, BUFF • Sunglasses: Goodr, Oakley • Gloves: BOCO Gear • Watch: Garmin Fenix 3 HR • Hydration Vest: Nathan Grit 7L Race Hydration Vest (electric blue) • Headlamps: Nathan (Halo Fire x2 | Nebula Fire x1) • Calf Sleeves: Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves (Lego print) • Nutrition: Tailwind Nutrition, Hammer Nutrition

Thank You

A big shout out to my supporters this season:

Photo: Stasulli Photography / Trail Racing Over Texas

Trail Racing Over Texas for selecting me onto #TeamTROT. The support and encouragement is greatly appreciated.

 rabbit for selecting me to the #rabbitELITEtrail team | #runinrabbit #borntorunfree | http://rabbit.refr.cc/trevormeding (10% off referral code) | They make the best running clothing around! I wore the smooth operators (https://www.runinrabbit.com/collections/mens-bottoms/products/smooth-operator-irongate) bottoms for nearly the entire race. This was a huge reason i was chafe free on all those miles.

 Nathan | #werunwithyou #RunStronger #RunLonger | Nathan makes the best hydration gear around. They support TeamTROT and help allow us to pursue our running goals.

Victory Sportdesign | #VictorySportdesign #GreatestGearBagEver | Makers of the best gear bags | Victory also sponsored the Franklins200 race awards.

Trail Toes | Kept me chafe-free and pain-free for all 202.3mi. A huge relief to not have to worry about chaffing on a race of this distance.

Altra Running | #altrarunning #embracethespace | Supporters of TeamTROT

Race Reports From Others - check them out.

John Kelly (1st overall | M1) - race report. He also wrote a blog for Ultimate Direction.

Erin Good (8th overall | F2) - race report.

Edward Sousa (7th overall | M6) - race report.