What a Course
There are two mountain systems in Arkansas. The Ozarks stretch from its northeastmost point just south of St. Louis in Missouri, southwest across northern Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. Arkansas's other mountains are the Ouachita Mountains, which run from central Arkansas southwest into Oklahoma. They provided a great challenge to athletes at LOViT.
Eldredge and Glavin descend a hill on one of the first and final stretches of the LOViT course that is off a trail and on asphalt just after the start and before the finish.
Athletes were allowed to have "safety runners" join them on the course beginning at the 57.5-mile mark. The runners could give aid and call for help if racers needed it during the grueling challenge but weren't supposed to pace the racers or act as "mules", carrying the racer's gear or food.
The course was brutally tough. Located between Hot Springs and Mt. Ida in the Ouachita National Forest, 90% of it was a single-track trail, wide enough for just one person most of the time. While the track weaved thru the wilderness, it occasionally opened up to gravel, paved pathways, or roads for short stretches.
The course's total elevation change is about 34,000 feet over its 100 miles. The inclines and declines were constant at many points. One hill at the Charlton Recreation Area seemed to soar from the base to nearly the top of one's view at what felt like a 75-degree angle.
There were many creek crossings, some with concrete bridges, most without. Once it started raining and even flurrying, the rocks on the trail, not in creeks, became very slippery and dangerous. Runners often walked across creeks, choosing to prioritize health and safety over any time savings. Water in one creek was so high, it poured over the concrete bridge, forcing athletes to jump in the truck bed of a volunteer, who drove participants safely across.
Eldredge and Glavin climb a hill on one of the first and final stretches of the LOViT course that is off a trail and on asphalt just after the start and before the finish, just behind one of the staffers, placing directional tape down.
Training #2
While he'd run and completed the 107-mile Ozark Trail run that had been thrown together with some friends, and his longest organized official race he'd completed at 50 miles, the day of the race Eldredge said he wasn't sure how he'd feel finishing an official, organized 100-miler. He said "I can't really tell you what that's going to be like yet because I haven't done it in an organized fashion. That (the Ozark Trail 107-mile run) three years ago was just a cool experience to go out with some old friends and new friends and just do it and they helped me. Without them, I would have never made it."
The guys entered the event with five, 4-hour training runs/hikes under their belts, hoping they'd gotten comfortable with running at a slower pace and hiking the hills for very long stretches. While training had gone about as well as expected, Glavin discussed the actual race, the other things that went into it, and where his head was at now that race day was upon him. "I hadn't given a lot of thought, just to the day and the weekend until recently. I mean, training is training. We're just running. We're so busy with other stuff. It's not like we have a lot of time to sit and think about the actual race. But I know for me the last week or two, (I've had) a lot of nerves, and I think (my thoughts and energy have) been focused around just getting here, and being organized, and the logistic part of it. I'm a little bit of an OCD planner, so...it's been kind of up and down as far as confidence for the race."
School Support
Asked about the feedback they've gotten from people at school about attempting to run a 100-mile challenge, Eldredge said, "I've had several students and staff reach out. We had an event at school this past week, and I had three or four parents (say) 'Hey, you getting ready to do that 100-mile thing again?', and so they know it's out there and they have been very supportive of us.
Glavin added, "All the kids in class, for the last week or two, 'Hey, are you still doing that? Is that coming up? Good luck! You're crazy.' Yeah, all that stuff that goes with it. So sure, I think the kids will be excited to hear how it goes on (when they get back to school) Monday."
"...I know this winter, a lot of my kids have been trying to compare their mileage with me. And when they were ahead of me at the beginning of the winter, they were giving me the business about it. But yeah, I've had the upper hand on them for a little bit now, since my training really picked up.," Glavin said.
There are mixed reviews or responses from people who heard the pair were doing this. One common response was that they were crazy. Glavin's reply, "...people who don't run, everybody thinks we're crazy no matter the distance...I think a lot of people are just excited, excited for me. They think it's crazy but they also think it's cool."
Eldredge and Glavin were two of 52 to sign up for the 100-miler, while 46 started the race, which began at 5:00 p.m. Friday.
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