So this summer has kinda been lackluster, hasn't it? Well, not totally, but most of those stereotypical summer experiences, events, tasks, trips, recreations and visits have either been postponed, cancelled or have gone to the less than exciting "virtual" stage. We shouldn't complain because it has become a must to pull out all the necessary procedures to stem the spread of COVID-19. The more we do now, the less we will have to deal with it long-term....or at least that's what we hope.
Work, luckily, returned to as normal as you can get it with all the craziness for the both of us. I even had one of those "what just happened" episodes take place. A patron at the library where I work parked her SUV in order to walk up and place items in our return slot. Watching from behind the front desk through our glass doors, as she got about halfway to the dropbox - I see her SUV start moving in reverse. My first thought was she had arrived with someone and they were just backing up to leave once she returns. That, unfortunately, was not the case.
Seconds later, the chasing woman arrives at the destruction and drops her head in defeat as her unsuccessful attempt to catch her disorderly, unmanned ride ends with a shattered rear window, crunched fender, a soon-to-be dented bank account and an undetermined span of embarrassment.
Funny, if only we could get this summer to stay in neutral - as long as we are on level ground, of course.
Other than working on general race speed the last few weeks & months, it has been relatively quite.
To make it happen, routes were changed, team adjustments took place, rules were upgraded, steps were eliminated and virtual options were offered. But most of all, additional safety procedures were instituted and upgraded by a thousand percent. With Ohio's statewide mandatory mask requirement issued the the day before we were to start, this year's version of The Buck Fifty would be an experience like no other. I, and the rest of my Traffic Panthers Van #1 teammates, would start us off on Friday, July 24th at 3:30 pm.
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| The Buck Fifty Start/Finish Line |
Before driving the 90 minutes south to meet up with my cohorts, I swung by the Huntington Bank in Delaware to make a deposit. As I insert cash into the ATM, I hear a crackling noise. Turning to my right I see members of the construction crew in the street fleeing in various directions as the backhoe they are working with hits a utility pole. The wires snap in half, creating a momentary white & blue fire in the sky. Frozen in disbelief, I'm not sure if I should throw it in reverse or stay sheltered under the bank ATM atrium. The gentleman in the SUV next to me in the deposit lane with the pneumatic tube, looks my way and says, "
What just happened?"
I give him a quick synopsis and breathe a sigh of relief as it looks like no one was injured. That brief release of tension reversed itself as I turn back toward the ATM and it's now blank screen. It took my money, then immediately lost power. I begrudgingly back out of the ATM lane, park my car and wander inside. Once there I'm greeted with a friendly "hello" and told there may be a wait as they have mysterious lost power.
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The Buck Fifty Leg #3, my first leg.
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Shaking my head in agreement, I then explain to them what I just witnessed, why they do not have power and the reason for having to come inside. We then wait 30 minutes for their system to reboot, then another 20 minutes for them to retrieve my hijacked ATM card and wad of cash. Luckily, it all checked out and a manual deposit was completed. As I drive away, I glance back to see the victimized utility pole snapped in half with the upper portion dangling & swaying in the breeze as it was still somewhat support by the wires that had not been compromised by the rogue, amber colored excavator.
Hoping this was not foreshadowing our weekend race result, we didn't start out on the right foot with Mark attempting to beat the world on leg one in the crazy mid afternoon heat. Upon finishing he was woozy, lightheaded and had to be helped back to the van. Forcing fluids & food into his system and sitting in front of the air conditioner on full blast, he slowly came back to reality. Asked what he had eaten up to that point, he only mentioned a bagel - IT WAS 4:15 IN THE AFTERNOON! We let him know how stupid this was and even more stupid was the fact he did nearly the same thing attempting to run the Nationwide Children's Columbus Marathon last fall. At the time he collapsed on mile 24 and went to the emergency room - he can be a dipsh*t sometimes.
It was funny, though, when we put Mark in the van. His phone was still attached to his arm blaring music as he was attempting to come back to life. About 15 minutes later as we are on the road, he starts rifling through the dashboard and side door pockets. Our driver, Mike, asks him what he's looking for and Mark mumbles, "I'm trying to find my phone." I reached up from behind and tap his shoulder, "Mark, the phone is still on your arm dude." Trying not to make light of his state of well being at the time, I smile broadly while holding back laughter and see Mike staring back at me from the rearview doing the same. Once he fully recovered, which wasn't long, Mark would not remember most of what took place after his first run. Though, he did find the phone thing quite hilarious.
My first leg (#3 overall) would be a modified version of itself due to COVID-19 restraints. Instead of it's regular 5.6 mile length, it would be a 3.6 mile jaunt starting at the Hopewell Mound National Park parking lot. I would turn left on Sulphur Lick, then a quick left onto Maple Grove for about three miles before taking a right onto County Road 550 and finishing at the Sun Valley Campground Shelter house.
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A mix of van #1 & van #2 at the first exchange at
Adena High School: Me, Mark
Gary, Sarah and Chris. |
Teammate Tom arrives from his nine mile leg two in a weary state, but not in the death-warmed-over state like Mark. I take off at 6:00 pm and pass two competitors in the first 300 meters, one them has already started walking- yeah, it was that hot. A motorcycle official rides by offering some water and I gladly accept as a rather long incline arrives about halfway through. On the decline on the other side I let my momentum carry me forward on up to CR 550 and make my way to the campground. A quick hand-off to Josh and my first run is an uneventful 3.6 miles in 25:45. In the ensuing exchanges, Josh hands off to Dave who then hands of to Teammate Gary and our van #2 at Adena High School. Van #2 heads into action and we now head off to Mike's house to rest up and return a few hours later to the grain mill in Kingston to take the hand-off from van #2 for our second round of legs.
At Mike's house we scarf down loads of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and coffee (not to mention my tradition of a beer between runs, this year it was a Great Lakes Brewing Eliot Ness Lager). While my teammates slept, I sat up for awhile chatting with Mike's wife Amy and their family about anything & everything. I eventually make it downstairs to relax for about 45 minutes, but couldn't sleep. I was keyed up and ready to go.
Once at the grain mill, we find our teammates awaiting the arrival of Chris. We exchange details about our runs and what we have experienced thus far while mingling among the hundreds of runners, friends and race volunteers. Before too long, through the Friday night darkness and glowing lights of the grain mill, Chris arrives and hands off to Mark - Van #1 is back in action, Van #2 heads out to recover.
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The Buck Fifty Leg #13, my second leg
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Once Mark arrives - in one piece this time - at Zane Trace High School, he hands of to Tom who has 3.1 miles to cover.
My second leg also had to be adjusted from the pre-COVID route. I would start at Waste Management's parking lot and turn left onto Chamber Drive, make a left on Hopetown Road, then a right onto Marietta Road, then a slight right onto Lick Run and finish at the Springfield Township Firehouse. This route, too, was all road. Normally it would be a pain in rear trek along the rugged trails of Great Seal State Park. And another adjustment took place here as one of the original routes had to be eliminated. As a result, I and teammate Josh (our #4 runner) would run this 4.7 mile route together.
As Josh and I are waiting for Tom, a couple of other guys eager to run are wondering where their teammate has gone. The faster dude on this elite team should have arrived by now, but before we know it Tom arrives first and Josh & I take off at 1:00 am. I'm a bit faster than Josh and pass a couple of groups of two as I make my way onto Marietta Road with my headlamp and security lights. Soon, though, I notice a headlamp and security lights headed toward me. A little confused, but I continue on as we pass each other like foot vessels in the quiet night.
I trek the rolling hills with ease, making sure to pay attention to the painted road markers and reflective
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The grain mill in Kingston, van transition
location #2.
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indicators of which direction I should be going. I arrive at the fire station ready to hand off, but I see no teammate Dave. I yell out our team number (26) a couple of times as I gasp for breath and drip with sweat in the humid night air. A race official even asks me if I'm at the right check point, thinking maybe I had taken a wrong turn. I annoying stated I was at the right location, then suddenly Dave appears apologizing for not being ready when I arrived. Apparently, I was a bit faster than they had thought and were late in making their way from the van. Anyway, I covered the 4.7 miles in 31:06.
Oh, and come to find out, the reason I was asked if I was at the right location by the official was due to the guy I passed going the opposite direction. He WAS the missing fast guy from the previous group. He had turned the wrong direction on the previous route and had to back track a few miles in order to find his teammates.
We trek to Walnut Creek Campground for van transition number three and await the arrival of Dave. There, we meet up with members of Van #2 who are weary eyed from having their short nap interrupted for their second round of legs. Mingling with a variety of teams and acquaintances, we see Dave's headlamp and lights arrive in the darkness to hand off to Gary. Van #2 heads off and we head back to Mike's place for a needed, much longer, nap.
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Saturday morning at Southeastern High School
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Upon arrival, we scarf on the remainder of the breakfast foods from intermission #1 (I also down my second post run beer), take some welcomed showers and crash. I get about 90 minutes of sleep before my mind moves back to running mode and I'm wide awake. As I move around, my teammates slowing awaken from the death-like state and we head out to Southeastern High School for van transition #4. Early Saturday morning was blanketed with a thick fog, so navigating the roads, driving or running, was a bit treacherous. Though, it did leave for some outstanding views. Thankfully, the folks at my alma mater had coffee at the ready and I was all to eager to quickly down two cups as we met back up with our van two family. The sun my have come up, but headlamps and body lights were still a must as sight distances were short & sporadic. Within moments, Chris arrives and hands of to Mark for our final trip through the gauntlet. We head out and Van #2 heads for another brief slumber.
At Shelly & Sands, Inc. Mark hands off to Tom who begins our venture though Scioto Trail State Forest. When this race takes place in April, the trails are quite clear, but here in midsummer they are overgrown and insects are in full force. This made off road navigation quite the adventure. As we arrived at our next check point to await the arrival of Tom, I'm keyed up and ready to go. I have warmed up and I'm hoping to tackle the giant hills ahead of me.
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The Buck Fifty Leg #23, my third leg
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My third and final route did not have to be adjusted. It would stay it's old, frustrating self. I would start at the Stoney Creek parking area trail head, turning right onto Stoney Creek Road, then turn right again onto North Ridge Road - a gravel covered roller coaster of Appalachian foothills covering 630 feet of elevation and finishing at the Fire Tower 5.26 miles later.
Luckily, I had the pleasure of running this route twice in the last few months - though - it only seemed to get better when I closed my eyes. When it came to about the time we were to expect Tom, I see a competitor who looked like he would be at about my level or better ready to roll. Wondering if I would be fighting him along the way, I try to cobble together some strategy. Suddenly, Tom arrives and I'm off at 8:45 am. About a minute later, I hear the cheers behind me indicating my competitor has taken off as well. My goal was to do all I could to make sure he didn't pass me.
Onto North Ridge Road I go and I let my recent experience on this leg be my advantage. Up and around, up again, around again and up some more as the never ending incline methodically rolls by. I pass two folks, but only give hand gestures as a greeting because the effort it would take to actually talk just wouldn't be worth it. I pass a motorcycle official who offers water, I take it but sip only a little and dump the rest down the back of my neck. The sun is in full force now and it is humid. Soon, I see competitors coming the opposite direction, this is a welcomed sign because it means I'm near the end as the next leg shares a portion of this route.
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The only shade available at Open Door Church,
next to a shipping container behind the
parking lot. It was freakin' hot.
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I have not seen or heard anyone behind me the entire time and pass another as I make my way to the top of the seemingly endless hill. Race volunteers, the finish chute and teammates come into view with Josh eagerly awaiting my arrival. We great each with an air five as I come to a stop on my final leg and he takes off. I've covered the 5.26 miles of incline in 38:46 and walk a bit to catch my breathe. A few moments later, the dude who took off just after I did arrives. I smirk to myself knowing I had successfully kept him behind and didn't allow him to gain on me.
After chatting with checkpoint volunteer Stacia, a childhood friend whose family I basically grew up with, for a few minutes, we head out to the next stop to await the arrival of Josh. As we and other teams linger around patiently expecting their teammate to appear out of the woods, I'm scarfing down twizzlers and a sports drink. Before long, a Chillicothe Police cruiser pulls up along the road next to the trail head. Everyone's curiosity spikes, but smiles ensue as a runner exits the car with sheepish grin. Apparently, this gentleman took a wrong turn on the trail and ran several miles in the wrong direction and upon being discovered by the officers they were kind enough to give him a ride back to his awaiting team.
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The 2020 Traffic Panthers (minus Mike) - medals and our finisher's box of Crispie Crème donuts. |
Soon Josh arrives and Dave takes off for our final stop. We pile up in the van for the last transition at Open Door Church. As we get there we realize we lucked out as it is now directly in the middle of the afternoon, it is 90 degrees and the humidity is at it's peak. We find our van #2 members relaxing in what little shade they can find. Fighting his way through the heat, Dave arrives and Gary takes off for the start of van #2's final trek. We head back to Mike's house and most of my teammates head to their homes to then meet back up at the event's start/finish line. I shower and head out to the finish and mingle with the crowd of Buck Fifty teams.
Waiting with my van #1 teammates, we are alerted via text that van #2 has had a rough go in the heat and we would be waiting a bit longer. When van #2 arrives they give details on the nastiness they had to endure, but luckily everyone is doing well. Before long, Chris arrives from our final leg and we cross the finish line together around 3:15 pm to end our nearly 24 hour Ross County adventure. We go our separate ways in order find real food and get some significant sleep. I drive the 90 minutes home in a zombie-like state revisiting the past 24 hours to keep my mind occupied.
When all was said and done, we had 54 teams take part. Not too shabby, though we did have 108 teams signed up when the race was supposed to take place in April before COVID reared it's ugly head. As a team, the Traffic Panthers finished
22nd with a time of 23:43:43. With all that took place, we were just 2:15 slower than last year when we placed 27th out of 78 teams. Yes, the heat played a major factor in how we finished but we can't complain - we were actually able to take part in a race that wasn't cancelled or postponed until the following year - which is what has happened to nearly all of them in 2020.
We now have 2021 to look forward to, but next year's version of the Traffic Panthers will look a little different. In the days following the race, this team of 40 plus - and near 40 - year-old's had a couple of members announce their retirement from Buck Fifty competition. So with that said, a big THANK YOU to the 2020 version: Mark, Tom, Josh, Dave, Mike, Gary, Patricia, Sarah, Chris, Dustin & Zach. We shall see what new faces will join us when we start the journey for a fifth consecutive year in the coming months.
It has been a weird year, to say the least, and there is no quick fix or answer to make everything okay again. We are all tired of it and COVID-19 doesn't seem to be regressing, so we need to continue to follow proper safety procedures - whether we like it or not. Suck it up - it isn't about you, it's about being human and not being selfish for once.
Grow up, wear a damn mask, stop making it worse...it has been a cruel summer for all of us....
Hot summer streets
And the pavements are burning
I sit around
Trying to smile but
The air is so heavy and dry
Strange voices are saying
(What did they say?)
Things I can't understand
It's too close for comfort
This heat has got
Right out of hand
It's a cruel, (cruel), cruel summer
(Leaving me) leaving me here on my own
It's a cruel, (it's a cruel), cruel summer
Now you're gone
The city is crowded
My friends are away
And I'm on my own
It's too hot to handle
So I got to get up and go
It's a cruel, (cruel), cruel summer
(Leaving me) leaving me here on my own
It's a cruel, (it's a cruel), cruel summer
Now you're gone
It's a cruel, (cruel), cruel summer
(Leaving me) leaving me here on my own
It's a cruel, (it's a cruel), cruel summer
Now you're gone
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The Shelly & Sands checkpoint Saturday morning
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Late night breakfast after leg 1.
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Kingston Grain Mill van transition
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Saturday morning on the road.
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Van #1 (minus Dave, who was running) at the last van transition: Josh, Mark, Mike Tom & I.
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Van #2, less than stellar nicknames
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Kingston Grain Mill van transition
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My tradition between each leg.
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Mark preparing for take off.
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Van #1 on the road - tired.
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Van #1 Driver Mike & navigator Tom
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Walnut Creek Campground van transition
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A grab bag of vans #1 & #2 at the Southeastern High School van transition
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Yours truly, sending Mark off.
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The Scioto River, Chillicothe.
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Van #2 - Dustin, Zach, Gary, Patricia, Chris & Sarah
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| Mark preparing to start us off |
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Van #1 - awake and traveling
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| Chillicothe, Friday night |
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Van #1, our anti-nicknames -Van #2 thinks they are funny.
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