http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/sports/28ultra.html

The Bighorn 100 Endurance Run is in the books…In short, I ran 100 brutal miles, 17,000+ feet total elevation gain, 29 straight hours, burned 20,000 calories…all in the name of better bowhunting!!!

Bighorn Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run
Cam Hanes

Thanks goodness I am an ever-evolving hunter/athlete because I have a lot to learn!!!

This past Friday/Saturday it was finally “go time”. On June 19th at 11:00 a.m. I lined up to take on my first 100 mile ultramarathon, The Bighorn Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, and man, I was pumped. I won’t lie I was also really nervous. 100 miles is a LONG way to run in any conditions let alone the high elevation Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. I mean 100 miles! I couldn’t help to keep thinking of how far that was. From Eugene to Portland. I hate driving to Portland. Now I was going to run? And, unlike the drive I detested, this course is nasty tough. In fact at…
http://www.peak.com/peak100.php?ert_id=1, an adventure sports website, they list the Bighorn as the 4th toughest ultramarathon in the world. Perfect.

The Bighorn 100 is an out-and-back run consisting of 76 miles of single track trail, 16 miles of rugged double track jeep trail, and 8 miles of gravel road with approximately 17,500 feet of climb and 18,000 feet of descent. What this means is basically you are either running up, or running down. A fraction of the course is level. I will say, this race takes place in some beautiful country and is impeccably organized. This is my third year in a row competing in the Bighorn races and I can promise you I will be back.

In the race packet, the organizers mention to be prepared for about anything weather-wise and they were spot on. We ran in the baking sun, mid-80’s, through knee deep mud as well as at least a couple miles of post-holing through wet, shoe-soaking snow as the course climbed up and over 9,000-feet. It was biting cold up at the races 48 mile turnaround, in the 30’s for certain. With the wind howling, approaching midnight and beyond for most of the runners, combine to make the Porcupine Aid Station a real convenient spot for DNFers. That is the official notation on the race results for runners who quit. DNF.

I saw guys at Porcupine, tough guys obviously (I mean heck to get there they just ran 48 miles, the last 18 all up hill to the tune of a 4,500-foot gain) looking like they were on their death bed. Wrapped in blankets being attended to by medics it was at Porcupine that many called it a race. But that wasn’t the only place guys quit, at almost every aid station, even the most remote, there were runners sitting there having turned in their race bib. To get hauled out from the remote stations, it was going to have to be on horse, but it didn’t matter. They simply weren’t going to or couldn’t run another step. It might be hard to envision. It was for me. Before this race, I could never see myself quitting. But now, I have a new appreciation for just how far down you can go not only physically, but most importantly, mentally. I was thinking most of the guys quit because mentally it was too much. Granted, there were some that battled hypothermia and straight up exhaustion, but more than anything they lost the battle between their ears. On this note, I ran for a time with one old boy who was doing his 35th 100 mile ultra. I thought to myself as we ran through the mountains, someone that tough, there is no way he’s ever quit a race. So, I asked him and yup, he had to bail out of three 100s over the years. This has got to be one of the most intense events ever.

The point to all of this, simply, 100 mile runs are tough. Much tougher than I gave them credit for. I had in my head that I should be able to get in around 24 hours given this and that…referring to my baseless logic. In my head I figured…last year my 3rd place overall finish in the Bighorn 50 mile brought me in just under 9 hours. I thought, cool, double 9, add a little for fatigue and bingo, 24. Or, I ran the SOB 31-mile 50k with 7,000 feet of gain in right at 4 hours. I figured, I could bust 100 miles out in 24 hours just by staying steady. Nope. Mine is flawed math. There is a huge difference between running for 4 hours or even 9 hours and 24 or more. First of all, 9 hours was the longest I had ever run in my life, and I did it one time. Secondly, I suck at race strategy…hydrating and fueling myself over the long haul. I can run and do fairly well, if I don’t have to use any intelligence. I can run a regular 26.2 marathon like Boston, New York or Eugene, never think, barely drink and hammer it out. If I have to be smart, game over. Even in this race, I took off way too fast, after I had told myself a million times that was the one mistake I needed to avoid. I didn’t eat or drink the way I should have and after about 40 miles, I blew up. I recovered a bit at the turnaround, had some soup, put on my cold weather UA gear (beanie, gloves and jacket) and told myself I was going to go make up some time heading back down the hill to Footbridge at mile 66. Not so fast. For a couple hours I had a hard time even walking. I was sick, I was dehydrated, or maybe over-hydrated after drinking a ton at the turnaround. My hands were all swollen up, I was by myself and the lowest of lows was about 3:00 a.m. when I was trying to make it to down to the bottom of the canyon. I was hurting as bad as I had ever hurt, up to that time in my life. After that, I hurt worse.

Another little snippet in the Bighorn Race packet is this gem…

To ensure a sufficiently experienced and trained field of participants, each runner should be aware of the extremely rugged terrain and difficulty this course presents. This will increase the likelihood that the participants will be prepared to deal with a rugged course and unpredictable mountain weather to safely participate in the event. It is important for the participant to recognize the potential physical and mental stresses which may evolve from participation in this race. The runners may be subject to extreme temperatures of heat and cold, hypothermia, heat stroke, kidney failure, seizures, low blood sugar, disorientation, injury, falling rock or trees, wild animal or reptile attack, or even death from their participation in this event.

I thought this was a little good old fashioned hyperbole before I ran. It is not.

At the last minute I decided to take my oldest, Tanner, with me to Wyoming, figuring it would be nice to have him there to share with me a basking in glory moment or witness me go down in flames. Either way I figured it would be memorable. And, he is getting to be a pretty good photog after all these years so I figured he could get some pretty good pics of the event. Also, back there calling the Bighorn Mountains home for a couple days would be Bowhunter Magazine editor, Dwight Schuh, watching his daughter Emily run the 32 mile race (she did great BTW), long time bro Guy Eastman ran the 18 mile trail run and his girlfriend, Rinda, took on the 50k challenge (impressive), hardcore bowhunter Brian Zastoupil who ran his first ultra and kicked butt, fellow Oregon runners Jai Ralls and Dennis Gamroth, 100 milers, and Ken Furrow a freelance cameraman hired by Under Armour to document the experience. Also, I met and talked to probably a dozen guys, passionate hunters there running just because they read about the event in my previous blogs and wanted to ramp up their commitment to the sport of hunting. That is a beautiful thing! Good job guys. It was like a bowhunter reunion there in the Dayton Park.

Here is my Bighorn 100 timeline, what I was thinking and what I learned…

Friday, June 19th
11:00 a.m. — race begins, sunny skies, perfect running conditions. For the first hour or so I thought I was running smart but I was not. Too fast. Also, I was wearing a borrowed Camelback, which I had never run with. Dumb. It started rubbing immediately and didn’t stop for 29 hours. Yup, that rubbed some hide off on my low back.

1:30 p.m. – just topped out after a big 4,000 foot climb and now we are headed down the big drainage on the other side. I remember thinking that I am only 20 miles into this race and I don’t know if I will be able to finish. I hurt already and had 80 miles to go!

I decided that I wasn’t nearly as tough as I thought I was.

5:00 p.m. – mile 30, took six hours. Not too bad. Lots of pounding coming down and in places it was too steep to even run, but I actually started to feel better. I took in some calories in the form of about a half of a peanut butter and bacon sandwich Trace packed me up from home. I am back on pace. But truthfully, I shouldn’t have been thinking about time at all. A 100 mile run is not one against the clock for most, it is a race against your body and mind.

7:00 p.m. – again feeling like crap. Started the big 18 mile climb to the turnaround at Porcupine, mile 48. I screwed up and thought I would get to the 9,000-plus aid station sooner so I didn’t have any of my cold weather UA and no headlamp. I was good until about 10:00 p.m. then it was too dark to see and I was stumbling around in the dark timber, in the snow, falling about every third step. This was not helping my declining attitude. Also, I was freezing as the wind up top was whipping over the ridge. Finally, I got behind someone with a headlamp and rode them into the aid station.

11:00 p.m. – mile 48. The best part, I ate some soup, got my cold weather stuff on, got my feet bandaged up and headed back out. The aid station was like an infirmary. There were some hurting runners in there, but the staff was awesome. I had a nurse put some second skin type stuff on a couple of hot spots I developed from running for miles and miles in wet, muddy shoes. That made a big difference. I weighed in and checked out o.k. Lost some weight but not too much. Ken was there with the UA camera capturing all the action and sound bytes. Can’t wait to see it. I bombed out of there intent on making up some time.

Saturday, June 20th
2:00 a.m. – 15 hours of running is a new experience and so far not real enjoyable. It was at this time I was envious of those who had a pacer or a crew there supporting them. Some runners had a friend or family member run critical segments of the race with them. I was crewless and it right about now it sucked. I had a nice Eminem mix Tanner put together for me on my iPod and while his “me against the world” shtick motivates me most of the time, right now I was just feeling sorry for myself. There were times when I had a hard time even walking. Everything hurt. I had no energy. I planned on knocking out this 18 miles back to bottom quickly but now it seemed like I was loosing time. Yes, I was loosing the battle, but the war was not yet over.

6:00 a.m. – finally made it to mile 66. I weighed in, still down but o.k. and ate a pancake and sausage. 34 more miles to go and another brutal 17 mile climb up Dry Fork. There were parts of this that were nasty steep, but I never stopped. There is no way you could run it…power hiking is the only option. I hammered away and actually caught and passed some runners up near the Dry Fork aid station. I can safely say, this 6 hour climb was one of the longest of my life. It was unrelenting.

12:00 p.m. – topped out at mile 82. I was pretty pumped. Every ounce of me hurt but I tried to keep a smile on my face. Sean M. from Sisters gave me this tip. No matter how bad things are going smiling always helps. Gonna try it on my next tough hunt. Tanner was up here at 82 as was Ken with the camera and Dwight. Familiar faces were nice. I was at 25 hours now. My 24 hour goal was long gone, but I didn’t care in the least. I had readjusted and now, I was going to get in the 20’s. Even if it was 29 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds I would get it done. I had 5 hours to get the last 18 miles. Seemed doable enough, so long as my body held up. That was a problem. Now I was really dried out. I weighed in at 153, 10 pounds down from my official weigh in of 163 the day before. I needed to take in some fluids, which was a common theme for me during this race. I ate some watermelon, a PB&J, chatted with a few bowhunters, said hi to Dennis from Oregon who had been progressing right along with me for the past 12 hours or so then hit the road. Dwight did some coaching as I headed out…getting me pumped up for the last leg.

Here is what I do know, 18 miles, while compared to 82 is not much, is still a LONG way. But thankfully, I proved something else to myself….I am tougher than I thought I was.

3:10 p.m. – last aid station, mile 95. I came bombing off the hill and down 4,000-feet as best I could but that 13 miles hurt!!! My right Achilles was really acting up (something is seriously wrong with it as now that ankle is twice the size as my left…and I can’t walk). Speaking of my left, it felt like it had a bone sticking out the top of my foot, which I just pushed on and it felt “better”. I could be a doctor. My right knee had a catch, so if I stopped running I couldn’t hardly get started again. I kept thinking of the quote, I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Gotta push through the pain. I got to 95 and Tanner was there waiting for me, going to run the last 5 with his old man. That a boy.

I told him I couldn’t stop because of my knee and said we had an hour and fifty minutes to make it five miles. That just sounds weird. Normally, at home I could click off five miles in less than 30 minutes. Different time, different place. Off we went, running slowly, walking fast, just moving forward. Always. That is one thing I did the entire race and I have to thank Under Armour’s Anne Bonney….in an email before the race she advised…RFP – Relentless Forward Progress. I never stopped one time on the course, only to change shoes at the aid stations. Tanner and I joked around…after about two miles of our run together he said he was tired. He also said he was surprised how good of mood I was in. Looks can be deceiving.

4:20 p.m. – 100 miles in the books. Official time, 29 hours, 20 minutes. I am a 100 mile ultramarathoner!!! I earned my first 100 miler belt buckle and I am pumped for the future. New challenges, new tests, achieve dreams. I never in a million years thought I could run 100 miles in the mountains. No matter what happens in my life, the highs and lows, no one can ever take this from me. I feel like I did when I arrowed my first 6×6 bull.

On the flip side, the inner demon wants to steal a bit of my thunder. 27th place wasn’t where I dreamt to finish. But I know all too well adversity and shattered dreams are great teachers. You can either get to work and get better, or wallow. I remember finishing 29th in my first ever ultra (50k) back in 2005…from there I slowly chipped away and got better at the shorter ultras. Reaching new heights, achieving more and gaining confidence allowed me to get to this point here, which again, years from now I will look back and say, I remember my first 100. I learned a lot from that race.

You know bowhunting is the same way. 20 years ago, I wanted to kill big bulls, bucks, travel to Alaska and other exotic places and countries. The problem is, you can’t go from a rookie bowhunter to the success I longed for, and still work towards, in one giant leap. You earn your breaks, hone your skills, develop a talent and eventually your dreams are reality. So, even though lessons like I learned in the mountains of Wyoming this weekend are fresh and painful, they are necessary….I am thankful for every second I spent in the Bighorn Mountains.

Note: A good testament to just how difficult this race can be, even to seasoned ultramarathoners, only about 60% of the confirmed entrants finished the race and just 34 runners came in under 30 hours. If it is a test you’re after, look no further. Even though the pain is still very real from yesterday’s race and the thought of running is about as appealing as hitting my thumb with a hammer, next year, I will get smarter, train harder, listen to guys like Sean Meissner and Kyle Meintzer, the original ultra running bowhunter, in regard to diet and strategy and I will get in under 24….bring it on Bighorn!!! Now, I am headed out back to shoot my bow….that always soothes and feels good. Sorta like comfort food for bowhunters.

Just so there is no confusion let me start by saying this..there is not anything more important to me in this world than my family. Tracey, Tanner (happy 16th today son!), Truett and Taryn are my life. Period. I think about them and their well being every second of every day. Trace, I know you already know this but I wanted to put it here because I am aware you are a frequent (secret) visitor of my blog and I probably don’t say what I wrote above enough. I am good on email though so hit me up sometime ;-). Also, to anyone who cares…I will promise you, I couldn’t do what I do without the love and unwavering support of my family, especially my wife of 17 years and 5 days now. Trace you are a blessing.

“AND EVEN WHEN I WAS CLOSE TO DEFEAT, I ROSE TO MY FEET.”

…from the song Still D.R.E off the album Chronic 2001 by Dr. Dre

That being said, I want to share an email string with you that gives the #1 passion in my life purpose. For starters, let me say this. I am a bowhunter. More specifically it is in the mountains, with my bow, a loaded pack, sturdy boots and a full heart, chasing my dreams, where I feel most alive. As I have admitted many times, bowhunting has changed my life for the good. I think when something has a profound and powerful impact on someone, like bowhunting has had on me, there is a natural desire to share it.

For many, many years I have been motivated by something inside to share my passion for this sport, an obsession born in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon. I went into the mountains originally to prove something to myself. It was a wild place void of all the comforts I knew and like most, embraced. It was in the mountains, alone many times, that I found clarity I couldn’t find anywhere else. I have never known how to explain succinctly my journey of personal growth, but I have tried many, many times with thousands and thousands of words. Some of those words may have missed the mark, but many others hit home with some of you. To guys wanting to test themselves, get out of their comfort zone, achieve things they never thought possible, what I wrote struck a cord in a big way. For example, my book, Backcountry Bowhunting is now in its 5th printing after selling over 20,000 copies, making it one of the best selling bowhunting books of all-time. Amazing!

Arrowing a big bull or a big buck in the wilderness means so much more than punching a tag. Any success in the mountains is hard earned. In this day and age of instant gratification, backcountry bowhunting is the polar opposite. Killing a backcountry bull or buck is such a powerful experience after doing so, you, and your life, might never be the same. I have had tears of bowhunting frustration running down my face, mixing with beads of sweat, which together symbolized real, raw emotion that will stick with me until my dying day. Stories I have written over the years titled, “Dreamcatcher”, “Committed to the Wilderness”, “Heart & Soul”, “Memoirs from the Rimrock” and “Blood, Sweat & Bulls” capture this mindset. These stories from the mountains symbolize the emotional investment I’ve made in bowhunting. I’ve learned when you commit yourself to something fully, failure is devastating, and success….well success can define you, as it has me.

To others, my written experience and thoughts were too emotional I suppose? I wrote of fear, missing my family when in the mountains, self-doubt, failure and conversely, an all encompassing sense of accomplishment when successful and everything in between. I wrote of the journey…all of it. The joy of victory and the agony of defeat. All of this was too much “fluff” for some. Or maybe, simply, to some bowhunting doesn’t mean as much as it does to me. I relish the “test” some likely do not. There is nothing wrong with that. Regardless, not being embraced by some hurt at first. A writer shares their innermost feelings, puts them out there, and is judged on them. Being judged negatively is not enjoyable, but is part of the deal. I have learned to accept that. Thankfully, an overwhelming majority like what they read.

That being said, the absolute greatest feeling for me is not when I arrow a trophy animal, or run well in a tough endurance race, or achieve anything personally, but when someone else “gets it”. Meaning, when someone else has been inspired by my writings and then feels what I’ve felt in the mountains. An email like the one below, which I received recently from Chris Cohagan out of Wyoming, motivates me to keep writing, sharing what I know about a challenge I love.

If any of you have had an experience like Chris’, I couldn’t tell you how much it would mean to me if you’d share it. You can post here, or email me anytime about anything as it relates to the bowhunting lifestyle. My email is cam@cameronhanes.com.

Read on…

—– Original Message —–
From: Chris C
To: cam@cameronhanes.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 9:15 AM
Subject: Truly Inspirational!

Cam,

Two words…..AMAZINGLY INSPIRATIONAL!!!!!

That is the best way I can sum up what you have done for me over the past year and half. I hope this doesn’t turn in to a long drawn out boring email but I really just want to tell you how much you have changed the way I hunt and how I hunt year round.

Last January I ran across your book, Backcountry Bowhunting, A Guide to the Wild Side, in Sportsman’s Warehouse here in Casper WY. I had been very frustrated with how my past two hunting seasons had gone with the amount of people and the amount of pressure in the areas I hunt. I absolutely hate seeing a bunch of idiots out on 4 wheelers and in trucks “Bow Hunting”. It absolutely makes me sick to my stomach. So, needless to say, I bought your book and started reading it that night. From page 1 on I just got more and more pumped up and more and more excited. I finished the book the next night and told my wife, “It’s time to get serious again about working out and about shooting. We are doing everything we can to get in tip top shape. Nobody’s going to be in better physical or mental condition this year for our elk hunt.”

Now I’m going to be honest with you, the idea of running miles and miles wasn’t appealing to me at all. But a bunch of my buddies had been kicking around the idea of starting on P90X (I’m sure you’ve heard of it or seen it while catching a sweet infomercial before or after your crazy ass 2 a.m. runs). I jumped on that program and I have to tell you, I think Tony Horton is almost as insane as you, he just needs a bow. I shed 20lbs in three months and got in the best shape of my life. I started shooting my
bow every single day, I even tried in February to shoot in the downstairs den, but that only lasted for about 2 minutes, my wife just didn’t think it was the best idea (she doesn’t know I still shot down there when she was gone…shhhhh). So by June when the draw results were almost out, I thought, gosh I’m doing all of this work and I probably won’t have a tag to use. Well to my surprise, I did finally draw my area 16 Type 1 bull tag that I hadn’t drawn in about 6 years. I guess karma really does work.
So that day I knew what Cameron would do, Push Even Harder. So, I started running 2 miles every other day while still doing P90X, then after two weeks, I stepped it up to running the hills behind my house on top of everything else. I shot religiously and shot in some 3-D tournaments. I started scouting every weekend I could, hiking in the mountains I was going to hunt, and shooting and shooting and shooting. I read several chapters in your book again and again and again. Just staying as
motivated and driven as I could up until September’s opener.

I don’t want to keep dragging this out but to summarize, I hunted hard with my wife and my brother for a total of 8 days in the mountains, going back in the canyons and deep pockets where nobody in their right mind would go. But that’s where you come in to play. You gave me the “right mind” to push myself to go in those places, to push myself in to great physical “hunting shape” so that I could not only have a better hunt and experience, but I could also reward myself with an animal. I had never
shot a bull with my bow. With some awesomely difficult physical work, luck, and the grace of God, I was able to close the deal on a nice P&Y bull on a cold, drizzly evening. And to make all that much more special, my fantastic bride called the bull in for me! I was tired, I was cold, I was wet, but I was in the right state of mind and my body was in the right state physically to close the deal with a single, perfectly placed arrow into a gorgeous bull.

Attached are a couple of pictures of my bull. I want you to know Cameron that there is no way I could have accomplished this without your inspirational stories and your dedication to the sport of hunting. I’ve truly taken your teachings with me to the field and hope to continue to improve my own hunting strategies and preparations. I don’t think I will be able to ascend to the level you are, not many can or ever will, but you know, being even 1/2 as strong physically and mentally as you are is more than 95% of the other hunters we compete against. And I truly think our ancestors were successful because they had to be in shape, mentally and physically in order to survive. Well, in order for true sportsman and bowhunters to survive, we to have to be in the right state of mind and right state physically.

I’ve continued to push hard this spring in preparation for the upcoming season. Hopefully the WY Game and Fish computers are kind again this year to allocate me at least one license. If not, I’ve got some more country to now explore in some general hunting areas where no “sane” person would venture.

Keep up the great work and please continue to be “Amazingly Inspirational”. Good Luck to you in the Bighorn 100 and in the upcoming 2009 Hunting Season!

Sincerely,
Chris C.
WY

From:
“Cameron Hanes”
To: Chris C.
Date: 06/10/2009 11:04 PM
Subject: Re: Truly Inspirational!

Chris,
Man, I don’t know what to say. Yours is one of the best emails I have ever received. Not only because your experience, your story is what IT is all about to me, but because the entire thing is so darn well written. Nice work. You know, what you did — getting tired of the same ol’ hunting grid and lack of results, refocusing your efforts, taking your commitment to another level, working your tail off and getting it done on public land by arrowing a Pope & Young bull at the tail end of a long tough hunt, dude, that is every western bowhunters dream. I am so impressed by your success. Stories like yours motivate me more than you will ever know. It is me who is inspired, I promise you that.

Yes and you nailed it Chris…all that hard work, all the sacrifice paid off because you were ready, mentally and physically, to capitalize on one hard earned chance at a trophy bull. Without the solid base laid in the months prior I am not sure your success would have happened. Bowhunting justice was served brother…you earned that bull. And, that is the way it should be. Hey, so do you think there would be any chance I could share your email and photo on my website? The visitors would love it and be inspired, as I was. Let me know.

Good luck in the draw my friend. Please keep in touch, and again, thank you so very much for sharing your experience. Sincerely, Cam

Cameron R. Hanes
www.cameronhanes.com

From: Chris C.
To: Cameron Hanes
Subject: Re: Truly Inspirational!
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:09:10 -0600
Cameron,

First off, THANK YOU so much for responding. I really appreciate you taking the time to write back. It just shows yet again how genuine of a person you really are. Thank you!

Secondly, you may absolutely use this on your website! Man that bull and my hunt would have never come together without you, your bowhunting tactics and most of all your passion and drive for preparation. I don’t know that you will ever fully understand just how many dreams you have helped realize and how many more dreams you help create on a daily basis.

Cameron, it is an absolute pleasure speaking with you and I hope that we can share more success stories in the future. Please feel free to contact me any time and my sincerest gratitude to you for giving me a gift within myself I never thought I had. Again, good luck in the upcoming Bighorn
100 and please, Keep Up The Outstanding Work!

Chris C.