2021 Desert Rats Stage Race- Stage One: A lesson in dehydration (Chapter 2 of 7)

The Gonzo

I rolled out of bed around 6am. I slept pretty good for being in a hotel room. I showered and got dressed and made my way over to the racer hotel for breakfast and check-in.

At the hotel waiting for the bus

The hotel was buzzing with activity. We were all cheery and ready to get this show on the road. I ordered a small coffee and some toast and made my way out to the busses which would take us to the starting line in Fruita, CO.

The bus ride was about 90 minutes or so. I made a few new friends while we all chatted about different races we had done and what excited us about Desert Rats. There were 35 athletes or so on the bus, so it was a great crew.

Chris and I on the bus

The bus finally pulled up the dusty road to the start of the Kokopelli Trail. Unglamorous, like a scene out of a movie, the desert loomed out in front of us with arms that wanted to suck us into nothingness. After some photos, another bathroom break and slathering on sunscreen, the 30+ racers and I wandered over to the starting line.

90 degrees at the start

The Family

“3-2-1”

That quickly we were off. Slowly jogging up the dirt road there were hoots and cheers from all of us excited the race was underway. I was apparently so excited that I didn’t start my GPS watch until 1.5 miles or so into the race. I was keeping a modest trot along side several other athletes as we turned right onto the single track trail.

Race Start

Just like that I found myself in front. I had not sped up, but many of the athletes decided to hike the hill I was slowly jogging up. I questioned whether I should hike as well, but since the stage was only 20 miles, I decided consistent movement was an okay strategy.

I was moving great, and I remembered the trails from the 50K I raced in April. The views were amazing, and I could see the Colorado River down below. I could tell the air temperature was starting to soar. It was close to 90 degrees at the start, and we were already pushing 100+ by the first aid station.

I stopped briefly at the first aid station and filled another 16oz bottle before heading up the next hill. I was way out in front by this time, so I decided to keep up the pressure and potentially win a stage.

After a few more miles, the heat really started to get to me. My head was not working well and like a bulldog, I just thought I would suffer and grit out the last 10-11 miles. I was drinking my usual bottle an hour of fluid, so I didn’t think twice about hydration.

Some Views of the Colorado River

There was a relentless steep climb out of the valley where I saw Chris and the film crew for the first time. I was suffering by this point. I could feel sweat dripping out of every pore as I climbed the mountain.

Grit it out Tim.

I hit the next aid station looking like a ragged dog. Still stubborn as heck, I stuck to my one bottle refill and headed out to keep going.

The next 10K was hell. I felt at times like I was hallucinating. I drained the 16 oz bottle and started drinking as much as I could from by reserve bladder. It still was not enough.

By mile 18, my legs were seizing up with cramps. My forward progress became a game of ¼ mile jog and ¼ mile walk.

The finish line finally came into view, and I hobbled the best I could with my cramping legs and beat up body to cross the finish line in first place.

I faked a smile and headed over to a chair under the shade structure where I collapsed in exhaustion. My legs were cramping, and I sat there and watched them twitch in front of me. At one point I went to stand up and fell over in pain as my quads and calves cramped all at once. I screamed in pain.

The medical staff was all over me at this point, forcing me to drink water and get fluids down. They gave me a cup to pee in and asked me to monitor the color and volume of my urine over the next several hours. I drank over a gallon and a half of water before I felt the urge to try and pee.

Heading over to the bathroom I was relieved to see an orange two ounces of fluid in the bottom of the cup. No black urine or blood was a positive sign that my kidneys were functioning.

It took four hours of constant hydration before I was peeing normal and clear. The medical staff pulled me aside to have a serious conversation with me about hydration. They told me that my normal hydration plan that I was used to would NOT work out here. To survive the week, I would have to adjust my plan in a huge way. When I asked them what the craziest thing they have seen in a race like this, the main medical director paused, looked right at me and said “I’ve done CPR on someone Tim. This is why we are having this talk with you.”

Point taken.

While I had won stage one, I put my body in a state that I was quite fortunate to recover from. Another athlete on the course that day was not so lucky and wound up needing an IV and a trip to the ER. His race was over.

Forcing out a smile in the finishing tent

I took some time to myself to really think through a Stage 2 Strategy. How would I survive an even hotter day and go twice as far? I was super anxious about it all. I decided at that point that I would not get hung up on leading the race and would be okay letting the lead go on stage two in order to survive and be stronger later in the week. While I had a 12-minute lead after stage one, that 12 minutes could be regained later in the race.

First place day one

We cheered everyone on as they finished the stage. Dinner consisted of curry and rice and we enjoyed the first awards and race briefing that evening. I headed off to bed to try and sleep in our four-person tent.