OTHTC TEAM: 2nd Overall

Lots of fun was had by all.  We ran some, we walked some.  Round and round.  Some of us went for an hour non-stop, others went for two hours non-stop and then some ran a number of laps.  I arrived at about 0700 and stayed all of the 24 hours.  Some of the members came and did their laps and left.  Others did some laps and came back later.  There was a great atmosphere all around the Burroughs track.  Teams had their sites with all sorts of decorations.  Some were simple, some not. We just had an OTHTC banner hanging, but others had palm trees with hammocks, while others brought their barbecues.

At night candles are lit all around the track.  It is a sight to be hold.  It takes your breath away and kind of chokes you up.  Pretty neat stuff.  Well, round and round we went right up to the end of the 24 hours.  Still left from our team, were myself, Lisa Bennett and Ron Prusia.  We all walked the last lap along with folks still there from all the teams participating.  I really enjoy this event and am looking forward to next year.  I would like the OTHTC to field a couple of teams.  One with folks really wanting to run hard, so we can beat them slow poke Marines.  The other team for those just wanting to come and enjoy the event and help out a GREAT cause.

 Here is the team and an estimate of the number of miles we each ran:

Carol Wolfe 10 1/4 miles

James Furnish 13 1/4 miles

Jo Kajiwara 7 1/2 miles

Eric Kajiwara 18 3/4 miles

Dan Frame 11 3/4 miles

Ron Prusia 17 3/4 miles

Lisa Bennett 10 3/4 miles

Vickey Prusia 6 miles

Tamara 2 miles

Mark McKinney 11 1/4 miles

Chris Rios 19 miles

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The Mt. Baldy Peaks Ultra 50k Trail Run
By Carol Wolfe

We spent an uncomfortable night prior to the race in the parking lot at the base of Mt.  Baldy, where Joy Lewis and I were repeatedly scolded by the other OTHTC members to "shut up and go to sleep" (lots of stories involving giggling, reading aloud by flashlight, and a hysterical few minutes with Joy's remote controlled fart machine!) We finally settled in for a few minutes sleep, only to be interrupted at midnight by some kids cruising through the parking lot with REALLY LOUD music blaring out of their open car windows.  After that, I basically laid there awake, desperately willing myself to fall asleep, which I finally did, precisely two minutes before the alarm went off at 5:00am.  Oh well, sleep is highly over-rated.

We began the run at 6:00 am, Chris Rios, Joy Lewis and myself.  We started early so we wouldn't keep everyone waiting for us all day at the aid stations/finish line.  I assume the scenery was spectacular, but we couldn't see any of it due to how dark it was.  We began the long, first climb up Mt.  Baldy Peaks, which was interrupted toward the top by my constantly asking "are we there yet?" (huff huff, puff puff).  Mt.  Baldy Peaks is one of those naughty mountains which constantly gives you the illusion that you're at the top, only when you crest what you think is the top you find yet another little knoll to climb.  Whew!  Who's in charge of providing oxygen!

At the top we were greeted with the customary barrage of obscenities by Baz, who provided us with water.  When I helplessly asked him if he'd fill my bottle for me (my hands were puffed up like sausage links and refused to open the lid of my bottle) he cheerily agreed, calling me a helpless #$%%'$# in the process.  What a guy!

The downhill part was fun, and we were expertly guided by a wonderful lady named Claudia who showed us the way.  Only downhill gets a little old after awhile (I'm never happy ... ) and those quads were a'screamin.  A couple of well stocked aid stations later, and we began the 2nd ascent up Mt.  Baldy.  The second time up wasn't so bad, or was I just numb?  It was shorter but much steeper, and we took plenty of breathers along the way.

A freaky weather front caused some excitement, especially with us desert dwellers who rarely get the opportunity to see anything other than the sun.  We actually ran down the mountain the second time straight through a storm cloud.  We knew from our earlier descent that if we stepped a foot or so in either direction off the trail that we'd hit the bottom of the mountain a lot faster than if we ran it, but our entrancement with the fog, which wrapped it's spooky fingers around the branches of the pine trees creating an eerily Halloweenish effect, took our minds off the potential danger.

No such thing as just ending a run, when you have the opportunity to add another mountain to it, so we dutifully slogged our way up Thunder Mountain, hunted in the thick fog for a marker pen tied to a piece of string at the top (we had to mark our bibs to prove we'd been there) then flailed downwards towards the finish line (quads beyond screaming now - they are suffering quietly in tortured agony).  At the finish line, we were greeted with warm soup, hearty congratulations, and a medal, to add to the Tyvek jackets they gave to all entrants.  A quick bathroom stop, then in the van for the seemingly endless ride home, where I spent the bulk of the time trying to convince myself that no, I WAS NOT going to throw up in Chris' van.

My heartfelt congratulations to all the Ridgecrest finishers!  What an amazing group of athletes!  The OTHTC comprised nearly 10% of the entrants and approximately 15% of the finishers in this amazingly difficult race.  My hat is off to Joe Oliver, James Furnish, Elaina, Barb, Rick, Randy, Eric, Mitch and Joy.  Most of these runners finished in well over two hours ahead of me, and Joe blistered the course in 8:16. (For perspective, the fastest male runner of the day finished in 5:39, the slowest in 14:30, and me in 12:3 1.) But regardless of our finishing times, I hope I can speak for everyone and say that we all felt like winners at the end of the day.  We conquered a super difficult trail, faced our demons, and emerged victorious in our own rights. (With the unfortunate exception of Chris Rios, who suffered greatly from altitude sickness and knee problems and pulled himself from the race after the first trip up & down the mountain).

See you there next year!