BRR in the Time of Covid

BRR in the Time of Covid

Another year, another BRR… Most of you reading this have participated in the granddaddy of all relay races at least once (I mean, if you haven’t are you even truly considered F3?). Once a glorious tradition among the PAX of South CLT, in recent years this CSAUP has dwindled in popularity.  In part this is likely due to burnout as the “core” PAX of most teams had run it 3-4 times.  Other PAX have moved on to different goals (Boston Marathon, Ultra’s, Orange Theory Splat Points, underwater basket weaving world records). One team, however, continues to run strong as a geriatric derby horse desperately working to avoid the glue factory.  Up ‘N Over may not be the fastest team at BRR, we certainly aren’t the best looking, but by god we have staying power!

As the glorious contender entered its 7th (8th?) year, something was a little… different.  The team was coming off its first year “sub-30” and seemed to have a solid core of  strong runners looking to return to Grayson Highlands to achieve even greater mediocrity.  Sure there were questions, would Turkey Leg ever admit he was actually “on the team?”  Would Joker realize his dream of a celibacy pledge?  Would Udder figure out that midriff baring shirts are intended for late 90s Brittany Spears only, never ever for beer loving weekend warrior dads with a penchant for profuse perspiration???  We would find answers for these and more!

Then the great equalizer of 2020 flipped the game board and our well laid plans were scattered asunder like so many checkers.  Covid pushes Boston marathon to September, and there goes our itinerant substitute Turkey Leg.  City of Charlotte creates a thinly veiled excuse to poach the greatest Chief off Staff the energy sector has ever known prompting Joker to succumb to his Plantar Fascia.  Sprockets stood fast on the fact there is only one time during the show during which we dance, and bowed out after his rookie year.  Thus 9 became 6 and the annual dance continued.

You see, Up ‘N Over has a time honored recruitment tradition as injury or burnout has had us replacing 1-3 team members every year.  Thus the hype machine was un-crated and off we went.  We had an early success in replacing the speed of Sprockets with an equally spry but younger rookie known as GrassHopper.  Then Alf stepped out of the shadows of retirement to assume “some short legs,” which prompts many altitude reference jokes.  Finally, in the 11th hour, in our time of need, the greatest BRR veteran of them all, the great Slim Fast himself stepped into the ring to anchor the team and we were 9 again!

During the same time as our media blitzkreig, COVID-19 was ravaging the nation one news report at a time.  Races were dropping like flies as race directors succumbed to the pressures of local governments, relatively reasonable fear of become “cluster” events, and a healthy dose of celebrity fear mongering.  We all watched for e-mails from the great Ken of Blue Ridge Endurance, but the crazy man kept up with the craziness and soldiered on.  Throughout the summer we received update of shifting legs, reducing the field, health guidances and general safety precautions, but the race soldiered on.  Voodoo kept the team focused on our goals and held numerous calls so we were all in the loop and comfortable with the dynamics.  We settled on a 3 van format, committed to pre-race quarantine and accepted we would have to wear masks/gaiters around other runners on and off the course.

The race weekend was, actually, much like race weekends from years before.  Granted, only 56 teams on the course made it feel smaller, but somehow more intimate as well.  F3 showed up incredibly well, probably half the teams sported the moniker.  The fast guys still passed us like we were standing still.  Udder still lost what few marbles he possesses shortly after the sun dipped below the range.  The biggest change was the shortened, or missing, legs as we were forbidden from running on the blue ridge parkway.  11, 12, 35 and 36 were all impacted, with 35 being completely eradicated as a result.  We had to shuttle runners between a couple of EZs as a result and several runners had significantly shortened mileage.

As the dust settled at the end of the race, we had completed the trip from Grayson Higlands to Asheville yet again.  We had come together as a team.  We had survived torrential downpours, hellish climbs, malfunctioning equipment, and toxic fumes unleashed upon unwitting team mates.  This race was special, it was a once in a lifetime experience.  For YHC it was such an important event, to have something even a little normal in this time of significant change and uncertainty.  We answered the call of the mountain yet again, and again we emerged the stronger for it.  This CSAUP will continue to be a fixture on my fall calendar, until Up ‘N Over ceases to exist, or they kick my annoying posterior out once and for all.

I’ve included an assortment of discordant observations below, and encourage my fellow UNOs to sound off in the comments below with their own observations and thoughts:

-Rookie BRR participant Grasshopper CRUSHED the gnarly 6 spot which includes the indomitable “Nipple” climb on leg 33 AND the 10.5 mile climb around the base of grandfather. His runs included over 3k of climb, the most of the relay, and ran those legs well enough to be in the top 5 finishers of the weekend on each.

-Hoover continues to impress with his ability to carry his Yeti-like frame around the mountains with remarkable strength and consistency.  It was remarked more than once, if he was of similar frame and size of the 115 pound youngsters who set course records out there, he would beat them handily with his fearsome abilities.

-Alf performed incredibly well, despite not having much time to train up as he committed to the race less than a month out.  He ran all but one of his legs sub 8:00/mile (and the one he missed the mark on was 8:01/mile).  Yes he had “only” 14 miles in the 7 spot, but every mile on BRR is hard fought and this was a job very well done.

-Slim Fast is not only an incredible runner, but an encyclopedia of BRR.  He knows the course like the back of his well traveled hand and shared that knowledge freely throughout the race.  It was an awesome experience to have him part of the 2020 vintage of UNO

-VooDoo continues to impress as he took his running abilities to the next level to dominate the challenging 4 spot, including leg 31 which is, in my opinion, the gnarliest leg on BRR.

-For the first time in 5 runnings of BRR, rain was a MAJOR factor in the race.  At times the rain was limiting visibility to just a few feet.  Blinkies shorted out, shoes were full of moisture, showers were not even considered.  Overnight runs are usually a nightmare of tired and exhausted runners shuffling about in the inky blackness past surly dogs and scary abandoned buildings.  This year, the lonesomeness was exacerbated by few runners on the course and the INSANE AMOUNT OF WATER EVERYWHERE…. rough

-The Trail of Tears may not look too bad on paper, only ~300 feet of climb on a 9 mile run, but good lord it challenged YHC.  After 2 miles of descent the climb was unrelenting for over 6 miles of constant low grade hill.  The darkness makes the hills feel eternal and you’re left with just your internal narrative to keep you from losing your grip.  Having run 31, 33, grandfather and several other “named” routes on the course, I firmly support the notoriety of this storied leg.

-For YHC, the BRR was even more important this year than in years past.  For various reasons which we’ll not get into during this ‘blast, I really needed to get away from life for a while.  For 20+ hours, I was able to turn off everything else and focus on the run, on my teammates, on the spirit of competition and wonder.  I am so incredibly grateful for those hours, and for the men who supported me through them.  BRR is the best worst experience of my year every year and I highly recommend it to the veterans and uninitiated alike.  As they say “all other races are just a warmup.”