The 2021 Rim to River 100 Mile Endurance Run Race Report

By Caleb Bowen

Part I

Leading Up to Rim to River 2021

You know, they say you can never recreate anything as good as it was after it’s been done the first time. The feelings of excitement jolting down your fingertips, the rush of adrenaline that warms your chest, and the sense of bewilderment are all entangled with the first times you do something truly special. We try to recreate the exact same feelings that are conjured up in our soul and most of time they fail to bring us the same pleasure as the first. However, occasionally, the second time ends up being even better than the first. And that is what happened at this year’s Rim to River 100 for me.

This story starts right where last year’s left off, sitting at home, quarantined due to being a primary contact for COVID-19, and not being able to run due to the injuries sustained in the first Rim to River 100. I couldn’t run, unable to leave the house, and I was literally going insane. I tried to go out for short runs and would come back in just a few minutes limping with pain in my hip flexor and calf. Without being able to run, the only thing I could do was plan, write up training, and make goals. And so, I wrote. I detailed everything I wanted to accomplish in my running for the year of 2021 which included: break 4 hours for a 50k trail race, break 2:34 in the marathon, break 6 hours in the Highland Sky 40 mile race, place top three in all of my races that I run, win the Kanawha Trace 50k, and ultimately win the 2021 Rim to River 100. After I put the pen down after writing that last one, I knew that the last one was going to be the most difficult. It’s never easy winning a 100 mile race. Never. But it is another thing to come back the following year and do it again. I knew the competition was going to be better, everyone was going to be more experienced this go around, and there would be added pressure on me to win. Was it obtainable? I thought so, but I knew I needed to train better, have a better plan going in, and gain a bit more mental strength.

So, train I did. It took about a month and a half to really get started running without pain, but I eventually healed, and I was able to start the ascent. Fortunate for me, I have the best training partner in the world in HollyAnn Swann. She had similar goals as me (redemption tour…aka wreak havoc on the trail running/triathlon worlds) so we were able to feed off each other, push each other, and put together a solid 10 months of training and racing to get ready for the 2021 Rim to River 100. There were days I would feel rough, and she would hammer me into the ground (tears would nearly be shed but she thrives off of my pain, so I guess it’s worth it). Other days I would be pushing her push through dehydration and near heat exhaustion so that she could be stronger/tougher/meaner on race day. And it worked! Between the both of us we came into Rim to River with about 5,000 miles on our legs, 9 race wins/2 runner ups, 6 course records, new personal records in the 50k (3:57:41) Marathon (2:32:27) 50 mile (6:55:07), and most importantly, battle hardened legs and minds ready to roll.

As I reflect on the training we did; I believe we did as well as we could have done. Could I have run more miles, got longer long runs in, and done more weight training? Sure. But overall, I felt like I was in pretty good shape going in to it and that’s what matters. However, what I think I did particularly well this year was picking the crew. Last year I had a fantastic crew and I credit them entirely for getting me to the finish line. Daniel Crow/Chris Swann did an awesome job as crew chiefs, and I couldn’t have had better pacers in Daniel Green and Alex Minor. The first issue that arose was that Daniel Green signed up for the race. So, he went from the biggest help to me to becoming competitor #1 (which you’ll find later in this saga that proved to be the case 100%). Alex was also out because he had to pace the Marshall Marathon which is run on the same weekend. To make matters worse, Daniel Crow, a first-year resident, had to work. This leaves me back at the drawing board asking myself who am I going to get to help me get to the finish line this year? Fortunately, I was able to figure it out well ahead of time. Chris volunteered to be both mine and HollyAnn’s Crew Chief and this proved to be huge! We also had HollyAnn’s pacer, Brandon Perry, as a reserve crew up until his pacing duties start just in case we get separated. With the crew taken care of, it was time to recruit the best pacers I could find.

I needed trail warriors, runners who are both mentally and physically tough and I couldn’t think of anyone better than J.R. Luyster and Lucas Warner. These guys are legends on the West Virginia trail scene. With J.R. I had a pacer with experience of Rim to River as he finished 5th in last year’s race. He was one of the guys I was watching out for last year so I knew he would be a great guy to have pacing me. Then with Lucas I had someone who I’ve looked up to ever since I got started into trail running. Watching him win the Highland Sky 40 miler and the Frozen Sasquatch 50k multiple times is impressive enough but when you truly get to know him, you find that he is the humblest yet most interesting man alive; a fun competitor but an even better friend. With these two guys I knew I had the best of the best and was extremely lucky to have them in my corner.

Going into the race I tried not to pay attention to who all was signed up. I didn’t really need to as I knew Daniel Green was going to be the guy. He’s one of my good friends and has had a heck of a year training and racing wise. He opened up in his first ultra-race with a win at the Nashville Running Company’s Dark Sky 50 miler and then crushed the Run Wild 20 Miler at Barboursville Park with a win (where I finished 2nd). Training wise, he was absolutely crushing it. He was getting up into the 100-120 miles per week range and was running workouts with my cross country guys every so often. The dude was fit. And I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure if I was fit enough to beat him. Going by the numbers of training, he was much fitter than me. But once again, HollyAnn being the best training partner got me to realize that spending time looking at what other people are doing doesn’t help you one bit. Control what you can control and run your race. While difficult, I started to believe her (I knew she was right but it’s still hard not to compare yourself). At the end of the day, I was excited to race Dan. If I was able to beat him, fantastic! If he beat me, well, the dude is a fit mother trucker and is one that is going to continue to run some great races in the future so there is 100% no shame in getting beat by him. All I knew is that it was going to be one heck of a race and I hoped to push him as hard as I could and see what we could do.

Part II

The Race

The gun goes off at 6:00 am and 200 meters in we are all alone going up the first of many hills. To my left is HollyAnn and to my right is Dan. We take the right hand turn onto the Froghopper trail and it’s just like we are running on a training run out at Beech Fork or Barboursville Park. We are joking, talking, and just having a good time. Through coaching/running with HollyAnn, I know she loves to lead so I position myself right off her shoulder and me and Dan share the space behind. She loves to see what is coming and I love to just focus on the shoes of the person ahead so this is perfect for me. All three of us have very good lights, with HA and myself having the power of the sun in our Kogalla lights and Dan had a pretty bright one as well so the whole trail was lit as we zipped around those early miles.

Eventually we hear footsteps behind, and we introduce ourselves to our new companion Brendan who says that he is also making a return to R2R for redemption after a drop in last year’s race. A few miles later we have another join our group, Dirk, an experienced trail runner from the DC area, so we are running 5 strong going through the 10 mile marker as we start to head down off of the mountain towards Arbuckle Creek. Nearing the creek crossing we start to split up some going down the steep descent with Dan leading and myself in second. I didn’t want all of us to be bunched up together and put pressure on each other as we navigate the crossing, so this was perfect. I manage to get across with dry shoes (something that did NOT happen last year and ultimately wrecked my feet) and I caught back up to Dan as we started to go up through the old Brooklyn ruins and up to the Rend trail.

Thurmond to Kaymoor Miners Trail (Miles 17-35)

From this point on, it was just me and Dan. We went through various conversations as we made our way onto historic Thurmond Bridge and were running a pretty fast clip although I didn’t know it as I never checked my watch. We get to the Aid Station at the end of the bridge, turn around, and continue running back to the Rend trail as neither of us really needed anything. Halfway across the bridge we get to see HollyAnn smiling in 3rd place and both Dan and I cheer her on and give her a high five as we pass. She is looking smooth and running effortlessly so I can already tell it’s going to be a good day for her. She thrives in the cold, and even though the sun had now risen, it was still in the high 20’s to low 30’s. Cold enough for the water in my handheld to freeze as we ran down the Rend trail as we headed down to Southside Brooklyn Trail. This is always a fun section as we are able to see the order of the runners and to see how everyone is looking. Most look fresh and spry still but there are some that have started to realize that this is indeed a very long race, and the fun has only just begun.

After navigating the slightly technical downhill we pop out onto the Southside Brooklyn Trail, and this is by far my favorite section of the race. The trail is an old railroad bed with lines still present throughout the six-mile section. With remnants of old mining towns to your left and the roar of the New River to your right, it is like running back in time. I absolutely love this section. At this point Dan and I discuss several various topics such as how our cross country team is doing, how well Sydney (his girlfriend/my current athlete) was progressing and how she just ran 5:01 in a 1600 meter time trial, and we planned our first real Aid Station stop. Dan was going to fill up his tailwind and possibly loosen his shoes but other than that, he was going to roll out of the aid station. I was going to fill up my handheld (which still had about half of the bottle left) and try to eat some real food as the honey stinger wafers/gels I had were starting to get old. It still felt like we were just out for an everyday training run. Actually, it felt slower. It felt like we were both purposely holding back as we ran between 7:30-7:40 pace. Last year, this was the section I started to let it rip, running low 7’s. Being a bit wiser and much more cautious I chose to stay relaxed and wait. I wanted it to feel easy as we were only one fourth of the way through the day. So relaxed we ran up into the Cunard Aid Station, mile 27.

Sure enough, Dan was not messing around when he said he was going to roll through the Aid Station. He was already running up the hill as I filled my handheld, threw away my trash, and grabbed two small pb&j sandwiches. As he got out of sight, I started to run up the hill while trying to chew the pb&j. After the first switchback I passed Josh Keck who offered encouragement and was filming with his gopro. Although I knew he was “Team Green” his encouragement really helped and slowly but surely, I started to gain on Dan. By the time we were about ¾ of the way up the hill, I had caught back up. We turned onto the Kaymoor Trail and for the first time of the day, I was warm enough start taking off the gloves and arm sleeves. I put the arm sleeves in my vest but come to find out that I lost one (funny enough, HollyAnn picked it up and gave it to me later). It was at this point that I could start to feel the mileage. I still felt like we were holding back but I did notice some of the fatigue that was setting in. But for a long race like this one, we were both feeling pretty good, and we kept rolling through the Kaymoor Trail. This is another beautiful section of the course. The New River Gorge is absolutely beautiful and Kaymoor shows off the best of the gorge. Between the waterfalls, the bright red and orange leaves on the trees, and the opposing ridge that showed off the “Endless Wall” and the old Nuttallburg mine, this place is spectacular. As I was trying to soak in all of the beauty, we finally stumble upon my dear old friend, The Kaymoor Miners Trail Hill.

You see, hills are one of my strengths. I love going up hills. I can power up a hill far better than I can bomb a downhill. But this hill is different. I credit my hip flexor muscle strain to running up this hill in last year’s race. I could tell I strained it as soon as I got to the top. So, in the back of my mind I wanted to play it safer this year but if there was the chance I could make Dan uncomfortable going up this hill then I was going to try. While I didn’t feel like I pushed that hard going up, I did end up going faster than I did last year up the hill and I got some separation on Dan. It didn’t last long though as he caught back up soon after we started making our way to Long Point.

Long Point to Anstead (Miles 38 to 50)

Once again, we pass Josh Keck at the top of the Butcher’s Branch/Long Pont trail intersection, and he was stoked to see us. Honestly, every time I saw Keck, I got really excited. We run to the overlook, grab our Kelly-green key chains, and then make our way to the Aid Station while running around families and dog walkers. We arrive at the Aid Station (Mile 38), and I definitely needed some water. I didn’t screw on the handheld lid very well when I left Cunard so almost half of it spilled out before I noticed what was wrong. Fortunately, it was just now getting warm so I didn’t need to drink as much but still that could be a very costly mistake in this type of race. I decide to take my time getting more food as Dan starts running down the trail. I grab a few pickles and gummy bears and I take the time to eat them as I watch Dan get out of sight. Even the Aid Station director was getting a little antsy as he asked, “Caleb, you need to go! Dan is leaving you!” I just responded, “It’s a long race” with a little smirk as I grabbed two more pickles for the road and then with a “See you here in a bit!” I was off on the trail.

You may be wondering, why weren’t you worried about Dan leaving you? Up to this point it seems like the whole day I was worried about him leaving me so why the sudden change? Well, to be honest I was worried that this could be the time he opened it up and left me. But it was also at this time that I realized that I can only control myself. Dan’s going to run the best he can with the strategy that fits him, and I must run the best strategy that fits me. It’s funny how it took 38 miles to get to this point but hey better late than never. In the back of my mind, I knew that this was a good place to relax and just focus on running on the roots/rocks and getting down to the bottom of Fayette Station without falling or turning an ankle bad. And that’s what I did. I ran this section as controlled as I could (8-8:30 pace) while also getting more nutrition and hydration in. And I think it worked as I was feeling better throughout this section as the miles piled on even though Dan kept around a minute on me once I got to Fayette Station Road. Once on the road, I was able to open it up a hair but mainly kept everything controlled as I rolled into the Fayette Station Aid Station (Mile 43).

Let me tell you, there is nothing more electrifying at any race than the Fayette Station Aid Station. You come off the hill, see the massive New River Gorge Bridge, and immediately you see throngs of people cheering for you. It has a vibe that just can’t be put into words, but it makes me emotional just thinking about the amount of people at Fayette Station that cheered me on as I can into the tent. Of course, Craig from Range Finder’s Coffee had two cups of the best cold brew I’ve ever had waiting for me and had early 2000’s pop music playing both of which got me really jazzed up. The whole Waterstone Sports crew were out there in full force working the aid station and they just went over and beyond with everything. They had the best food (the rice protein balls were amazing) best coffee, most encouraging vibes, and overall, they made me feel like I was part of the Fayetteville community. It’s hard to explain but I do feel like I’ve been adopted by the town of Fayetteville over the course of the past year as I’ve visited numerous times and I make sure to hit all my favorite spots each time I come: Freefolk Brewing, Ace Bike Farm, and WaterStone Sports/Range Finders. I could still hear them cheering over the roar of the river as I crossed Fayette Station Bridge and making my way towards Anstead.

Once again, I was able to reign Dan in going up the road hill and caught him shortly before we started on the Hawks Nest Connector trail. After catching up with him, I learned he had started cramping and took the hill fairly easy trying to work things out. So, we chilled running the Hawks Nest Connector trail and just talked some more. I could tell he was starting to feel the mileage but overall, he was in pretty good spirits. Likewise, I was surprised with how good I felt. Last year, this trail hurt me. I had never run it before, and it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. On paper it looks easy as it is a net downhill but in reality, there are a bunch of small climbs, a few creek crossings, and sections of skinny trails where only one person can run at a time with drop-offs an inch to your left. This year it just felt so much easier, and I credit the fact that I was running with Dan as we didn’t focus on negatives but rather just talked things out and kept our mind from running. Before we knew it, we were rolling down the last descent that pops out on the Mill Creek Trail right at the bottom of the Hawks Nest State Park.

It was here that I knew I had to make a move. I was feeling pretty good, but I figured Dan would blow through this aid station just like he had all of the rest and I needed to put some form of gap on him so that at the very least we could run together going out of the aid station rather than me trying to catch up going down back to Fayette Station. At this point you have two miles to the turnaround and all of it is a fairly gradual and steady incline on a crushed gravel path. Super runnable but it’s about a 250-foot climb in two miles.

Knowing my strength is going uphill and knowing that his strength is bombing downhills, it was now or never to make a good hard move on him. Without saying anything, I pulled out a Honey Stinger wafer, took a bite, and then made a gradual surge up the hill. It felt controlled but I just put a little bit more push in each step and tried to lengthen my stride just a hair (you don’t want to overstride but the longer the stride/faster the cadence the faster you surge will be). And before I knew it, I was alone. I kept up the surge as I slowly worked on the wafer I was eating. I finished the wafer shortly before the Mill Creek Falls and from then on, I kept picking up the pace all the way into the aid station making it to the 50-mile marker at 7 hours and 16 minutes. With the small 20ish second gap I had, I wanted to get in, change shirts, refill my handheld, get some more gels/wafers, pick up my pacer and get out. And that’s essentially what I did. Crew Chief Chris had everything ready, and I was able to make the turnaround stop a little less than 2 minutes long. On the way out I said hello to the members of the Women’s Cross Country team that came to cheer us on, picked up J.R. Luyster to pace me, and off we went down the hill.

Anstead to Cunard (Miles 50-79)

I met J.R. back in 2020 during the Frozen Sasquatch 50k. I was finishing the first loop behind Lucas Warner coming down the hill and suddenly, a guy I had never seen before barreled down and passed me going into the halfway aid station. I was in shock as me and Lucas were ahead of all of the 25k runners, and we didn’t expect anyone in either 25k nor 50k to be even close. This prompted me to skip the aid station at the start/finish line to get ahead and ultimately finishing in 2nd in 4:04:33 which would have been a course record had it not been for Lucas breaking 4 hours that day. J.R. finished in 4:22:39 which is still one of the best times on that course to this day.

Going into this race, I told both pacers that they needed to think of a lot of things to talk about as we ran because that is what keeps me going. J.R. did just that. I learned all about his family, his college career, and his running plans. It was so awesome getting to know him throughout the day and before we knew it, we were already back in Fayette Station. Once we arrived at the tent, I noticed that the crowd had grown and the atmosphere was even more electrifying. I had family, my women’s cross-country team, and what seemed like the whole Fayetteville community giving me love (although I know they were just cheering on the current leader). It still felt so special, and it gave me the rush of adrenaline I needed to power up Fayette Station hill. We left the aid station restocked on gels and rice protein balls which I waited to eat until we got back onto the trail because I wanted to run up the road section of the hill. Once we hit the trail, I had to stop and walk as I ate. It was at this point that I hit my first low as I believe my body was going through a transition of running out of carbohydrates and turning to fat. This is called “hitting the wall” in marathons and in ultra’s you may go through this several times depending on how well you fuel. We slowly made our way to the top running one of the slowest miles of the day because of all the walking I had to do. But, once I got to the top and started running again, my body started to feel better, and we picked it up going to the Long Point Aid Station (Mile 63). It was in this section that I passed a multitude of runners and I tried as hard as I could to cheer all of them on. I even passed my dad, but he told me not to stop as he knew it was a close race still.

We leave Long Point and make our way onto the Butcher’s Branch trail going towards the Arrowhead Trail section. Passing Jeffrey Kimrey, a local Fayetteville legend, was one of the highlights of this section and he always gets me pumped up. We get onto the Arrowhead trails and for some reason, these trails always wear on me. I think it’s because they are mountain biking trails with constant turns and short little ups and downs but my goodness it felt like it never would end. J.R. really helped me get through this section as I was noticing my pace climb into the 10’s. I felt like I was slowing down and really didn’t think I could pick up the pace anymore. I knew I still had a lot left in the tank, but the legs weren’t responding like I thought they should. Finally, we pop out at the Arrowhead Aid station, and I had to use the restroom pretty bad, so I go straight for the porta potty as J.R. went to refill my handheld. I head over to the table and am a little disappointed at the selection of food as I was craving some mashed potatoes or ramen. As I’m grabbing two tater tots, I hear the cowbell start ringing behind me. Sure enough, it was Dan…The legend had finally emerged. I had a feeling he would run the Arrowhead Section faster than me, but I won’t lie it was somewhat of a shock to see him again. My soul was crushed. I thought I had broken him for good and this was obviously not the case. He makes his way to the table; I give him a fist bump and Race Director Laura Baker asks him how he’s feeling. “Oh, I feel great! Like a MILLION BUCKS! Ready to roll!” Did I say that my soul was crushed earlier? No, this was the moment my soul felt like it got ran over by a semi. I immediately tell J.R. we are rolling out and for the next two miles, I contemplate what is going to happen next.

I was 100% certain that at any moment, Dan was going to fly by and pass me. What was I going to do? I was feeling rough, didn’t refuel like I wanted, and if he caught us, I felt like I would not have had any response to go with him. This was the lowest low of the day. I even told J.R. to not let me get too down once Dan passes us as I knew I still had a great shot to run faster than last year (I didn’t know how far ahead I really was on that goal). J.R. brushed this off and told me that none of that that matters, as were running fast and that I was “looking good”. Didn’t feel like I looked good but as the miles progressed on Kaymoor, I started to climb out of the hole I had dug myself into. I ate another wafer, drank some more water, and started to look around at the beauty again. This time on the trail the sun was starting to set behind the mountains and my goodness it was so pretty. We started talking more about college running and how he had roomed with Marshall’s Soccer Coach Chris Grassie which led to some wild stories about him in college. These funny stories got my mind off the negative and just enjoying running again. We finally popped onto Cunard Road and rolled down the hill into the Cunard Aid Station

Cunard to Finish (Miles 79 to 100)

I met up with Chris and Lucas, restocked on gels/wafers/extra water bottle for the vest, put the big Kogalla light battery in my best, put my long sleeve back on, and said hello to Evan, one of my runners on the cross-country team. As I was getting ready to head onto the trail, Dan comes into the Aid Station about two to three minutes behind me. This was my cue to leave as I knew he wouldn’t spend much time at the aid station. So, me and Lucas take off onto the Southside Brooklyn Trail as the orange glow hovered around the mountains of the gorge. It was starting to get dark, but we didn’t have to turn our lights on until around mile 83. During this time, I was on a mission to run as fast I could to get to the Erskine Aid Station at mile 85.5. It felt like we were moving and to be honest, we were running only marginally slower than me and Dan did on the way out. As we ran, we talked about fruit trees that Lucas had planted, making sauerkraut and apple butter, and all sorts of random conversations just to keep the negativity at bay. We run into the Erskine Aid Station, get what we need and get out (with a short stop at the porta potty as my stomach was still not 100% happy with me). As I was leaving the porta potty, I thought I had heard commotion back at the aid station but to be honest, I didn’t care. I was just concerned about running hard and getting across Arbuckle Creek.

Once we arrived at Arbuckle, I was able to get across mostly unscathed as Lucas went out of his way to help me across.

We immediately start pushing up the hill. Arbuckle hill might be the hardest on the course because it’s at mile 86-87, its over 350 feet up, and it’s steep and rocky. I ran up the whole thing except for the last 15 feet or so to get my breath and to take a drink before getting the legs back running. The next few miles are a particularly slow section as you continue to climb another 500+ feet on the most technical part of the trail but we ran as much of it as we could because we knew that Dan wasn’t far behind. Lucas continued to do an amazing job at keeping me occupied on conversation by throwing in stories about castrating pigs and other off the wall things that completely captivated my brain. Before we knew it, we were heading down to the service road that would take us to the last aid station, Concho Rim Overlook at mile 93.5. As I was just starting to get somewhat comfortable with my lead heading down the switchbacks, I see a light right above us and I hear a voice call out, “HEYYYY BOWEN!” And of course, I knew exactly who that was. This dude would not die! I thought that running up Arbuckle/the other big hills in that section would break him, but it clearly didn’t. This is a testament to how tough Dan is because not only was this his first 100-mile race, but he was also running without a pacer. What he is doing is absolutely amazing. But this is a race and I needed to find a way to keep pushing in order to win this thing.

Once we left the trail and started onto the forest road Lucas and I made our plans for the last aid station. We knew we couldn’t spend much time at all because of how close Dan was so I was going to fill my cup up with mashed potatoes and broth while Lucas filled up my handheld and we were going to eat and drink as we walked out of the Aid Station. We come off the hill into the aid station and there was Dan’s mom cheering us on and rattling her cowbell. I let her know that her son wasn’t far behind and was looking good and then headed to the tent. We quickly got what we needed and as we were walking out, Dan was coming off the hill. I slurped as much of the broth and potatoes as I could and then we started running down the Concho trail. Surprisingly, I was able to run almost all of this trail as it is one of the most technical sections on the course. We pass Bryant at the trailhead and tell him that we have a race on our hands and then make our way around the lake and up the hill.

Last year I had to walk almost all the last hills. I was fully depleted, legs weren’t working, and had little energy to pick my legs up. Fortunately for me last year, I was ahead by over two hours, so it didn’t matter much. This year, I had a fire inside of me. I had one thing on my mind and that was making it to the finish line. Running 100 miles and racing 100 miles are totally different things and it is quite amazing what your body can do when it’s put up against a wall like it is in a race. We ran up every hill in those last 7.5 miles. Not crazy fast but the legs were running and that’s all that mattered. All but one of the miles were sub-10. It felt like it took forever but we finally got off the Froghopper trail onto the road. It wasn’t until this point when I finally felt comfortable with the idea that I was going to win. I kept thinking the whole time on the trail that Dan’s light was going to pop up behind and pass us. But once I got on the road, I knew I had something left in the tank for a sprint to the finish. I surprisingly picked up the pace going down the hill (running around 8 minutes for the last mile).

And it was at this moment that the emotions finally hit me. I tried to thank Lucas for taking the time out of his busy schedule to help a friend, but I got a bit choked up while trying to get it out. A fist bump would have to do. We round the final turn, and the finish line is finally in sight, and it feels like I’m sprinting. I cross the finish line in 15:36 and the emotions overwhelm me as I fall to my knees and let it soak in. I won! Not just any race but the 2nd Annual Rim to River 100 in what I think is the most competitive race I had ever been apart of. It didn’t seem real! Was I a bit dramatic there at the finish line? Sure, but to me it was worth it. The sense of pride that came with winning in a race where I had to battle a stud for the whole 100 miles was just beaming out of me. And the sense of pride that I had a friend like Dan that is so tough that he comes out in his first 100 and absolutely crushes it. Shortly after I finished, we see Dan and Sydney’s lights coming down the hill. We cheer them on as he finishes his first 100 miler in 15:52! What an awesome race for the two Huntington boys.

Both Dan and I take a seat by the fire with blankets wrapped around us and beers in hand as we wait for HollyAnn to finish. We were told by her pacer BP that she had left Concho not too long after we had finished so we couldn’t wait to cheer her on to the finish. Knowing how much she had to overcome to be here, I was so ecstatic to see her crushing it like she was doing. Last year she hurt her knee at mile 47 and had to power hike the rest of the race. It took her almost three months to start training again and for most, they wouldn’t have signed up for this race after experiencing something so traumatic. But HollyAnn is a different breed, one that the word “toughness” doesn’t even begin to describe.

While we wait, race director Bryant Baker comes over and gives us the most special award that an ultra-runner can get, the Golden Belt Buckle. We had earned this belt buckle, running up and down the gorge, 100 miles, close to 11,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, and in a battle to the end. There are moments in life that you mentally lock in your head and both this and last year’s belt buckle presentation hold a special place in my heart. Shortly after 3rd place finisher, Darrell Dorsey finished in 18:31:48, we see two lights coming down off of the hill. We knew it had to be HollyAnn and Chris. We start cheering and yelling for her to break 19 as at the time she was at 18:55. She comes through the finish line smiling as she crushes the course record in 19 hours and 27 seconds! What an awesome day for the Huntington crew!

Post Race

We stop by the Concho Aid Station on our way back to the Airbnb so that way we can thank the aid station workers and to get the beer that we promised to come back for. I stepped out of the car and looked up at an amazing nighttime sky. It was so clear that I was able to see the Milky Way (something that is more difficult in the Fall). We hobble down to the aid station, and we get to see Ryan Ramsby refueling before he set off to break 24 hours (he ended up running 22:16 for 13th place!). We leave and head back to the Airbnb for a brief night of sleep as my dad was on track to finish around 7:30 am. However, what we didn’t know at the time was that his vision was worsening as the night went on as he was experiencing corneal edema which deteriorated his vision to the point that he couldn’t see anything but a white haze. He ended up walking the last 7.5 miles in over three hours but if you know my dad, quitting is never an option. Races are a rite of passage and by God’s Will dad was going to make it even if he had to crawl to get there. Some people may think that I’m a tough runner. I appreciate the sentiment, but I will quickly tell you that dad is a tough runner. He epitomizes everything it means to be tough, to be gritty, to figure out a way or die trying. Some may think that is silly to have that attitude for a race, but I believe God gave us races to find the true meaning of ourselves and for dad, he get’s to display his God given gift of mental vigor and grit. Mom is pretty adamant that the 2021 Rim to River was his last 100-mile race (she wasn’t a fan of him going temporarily blind) but I know dad’s got a lot more left in the tank. We’ll figure out this issue and it’ll make breaking 24 hours even more special when he does it.

100 mile races are special. They challenge you in ways that most never get to experience. No matter how fast or how slow you run, the feeling of crossing the finish line in a 100 miler is something that is hard to recreate. Feelings of joy, feelings of pride, feelings of love, and many more overwhelm you. That’s why we do it. That is why we sign up for more and more crazy races less than two weeks after we finish. We are always trying to recreate that feeling of accomplishment or to find new heights to crest.

The human body is able to handle so much, and the human spirit even more so.

I offer congratulations to everyone that competed in the 2021 Rim to River 100. It was an awesome day but yet had its own challenges as well. To everyone that finished, wear that belt buckle with pride! You earned that and no one can take it away from you. To dad and HollyAnn, I am so stinkin proud of you. You overcame so much to run what you did. HollyAnn, the sky is the limit. It’s so rewarding being a part of your journey and if I can continue to play a role in helping you accomplish your goals, I will always be there! Olympic trials in the marathon, Western States, you name it, it is yours.

To my crew, you guys were amazing. I could not have done it without you. From Chris having everything ready exactly the way I needed it to the hours of conversations had on the trail with J.R. and Lucas. You guys got me to the finish line and I’ll be there in a heart beat to return the favor if you need a pacer/crew. To Bryant, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to run a race that truly encapsulates the West Virginian spirit. Rim to River is wild, wonderful, gritty, and beautiful. Thank you for blessing me with this race as it’s changed my life and made me part of the Fayetteville community. I am forever grateful for you. And lastly, to Dan, you are one tough dude. Being your coach for five years was a blessing in itself, but to watch you fall in love with ultra-running and to absolutely crush your 100 debut it just so special. I wouldn’t have wanted to share 100 miles with anyone else. The sky is the limit for you, and I can’t wait to watch you destroy those West Coast fools out at the Black Canyon 100k. We are going to have many more races where I hope to push you the same way you pushed me. Miles of Trials Baby.

So, what’s next for the old Bowenator? Well, surprisingly enough, I recovered decently well from the race. Due to this, I thought about going for one of my all-time goals that I have for my running career. I want to race Western States eventually. With only one ticket in the lottery, I have decided to go out to the Bandera 100k to try to win a Golden Ticket. Do I have much of a shot? Probably not, but I think the experience of racing that type of race will hopefully set me up for future races that maybe one day I can make a run for the top two spots and get one. All I know is that I’m going to go for it and see what happens. Other than that, I have my team’s indoor and outdoor track seasons throughout the winter/spring, so I won’t be racing much until late spring and Summer. I’d love to do Highland Sky 40 miler, maybe a Summer 100, and then possibly go for a marathon PR and try to break 2:30 in the Fall. Rim to River holds a special place in my heart and has become my favorite race that I’ve run. If it’s alright with Bryant and the rest of the Fayetteville family, I would like to come back and run it one last time and see if me and Dan can break 15 hours. We must hold true to our promise to make sure that a West Virginian wins it. I can’t promise that it’ll be me, but I can promise that I’ll give it my 100% and give her hell the West Virginian way.