The Old Goat Reporteth...
3rd
ANNUAL TUNXIS TRAIL RUN (TTR)
East
Hartland, CT JULY 3, 1998
The 3rd running of the annual TTR (MA-CT border south for 21.3 miles) was started on a perfect July day …sunny, low 80’s, and a slight breeze. Gunslinger’s Ed “Is He Ever Grumpy?”, Cemetery Man, “Flying Feet” PP, the Bandit, and myself (the Old Goat) would start out. As PP had recently done some tromping on this trail, he suggested that we avoid the last section (between the ski area and Rt. 44 - due to logging). He then suggested that we start at Rt. 20 and do the Rt. 20-to-the-border “out and back”. This would double our pleasure of doing 3.1 miles of perhaps the most rugged section of trail in CT. Oh joy!
Started out with me leading the downhill and the
rest of the pack complaining I was going too fast - so what else is new? Went “askew” a few times and started getting
comments from the peanut gallery that the run leader had the directional sense
of a compass with no hands ! Got done
with the downhill and started uphill and got complaints I was going too slowly,
so they passed me - so what else is new?
This though was actually a cunning plan on my part to get someone else
to lead. If I had led the whole way,
we’d still be out there bagging some serious bonus mileage (which, of
course though, would have pleased Cemetery Man - he of 50K at a Greylock Marathon
Training Run fame).
Pulled into the normal starting point (on the MA - CT) border to find Run Steveo “Dead Car, not Dead Eye” standing next to his car…the same car that, yes, wouldn’t start ! Since we decided that Steve couldn’t use his car while running, we’d leave the car there, go running, and get it later. Besides, if Steve can run, he doesn’t need his car to ! Turned around and headed back down the hill where I found that I’m not the only person who’s partial to bushwhacking. Up to the truck and sagged’em. Thank you Bandit for use of your truck - my 2-seater wouldn’t have made it (besides, the thought of one of those guys sitting in my lap while we drove back from the finish didn’t really appeal to me). They headed south along the trail and I drove to the next sag point where I got out, ran north until I met them and then ran south with them to the truck. Note that by doing this 5 times, I got in a good series of short, fast runs while allowing the endurance ponies to run to their heart’s content.
In the midst of all of this driving, running, sagging, etc., Steve wanted to drive back and try to jump his car. Steve gave it one more try and his car fired up without the jump.
Drove back to the next sag point but found out that, due to the aforementioned escapade, we missed the runners. Run director not doing his job…shoot him ! Continued to the Rt. 219 sag point where Steve and I started running north.
One more drive to the intended finish (at the ski area) and a short run up the hill to catch PP and Steve doing their best renditions of Downhill Racers. Chased ‘em back to the car where they said they had commitments coming up and would I drive them to Steve’s car back on 219? I told them to leave the water for the other runners who were behind them. They did. I did. When I got back, EA had finished.
He was prone on the ground, crawling near the road. I heard him saying, ‘…Water, water…’. But there was little to be found. It, according to him, appears that Steve and PP had left 3 jugs containing a total of 0.00003 oz. of water on our departure to Steve’s car. A bit of quick mouth-to-thermos resuscitation from jugs within the truck and EA was his old smiling self.
Only had to wait a few more minutes and Cemetery Man and Bandit came sprinting in. Cemetery Man looked like himself... the Bandit looked like, well…sort of brown. He had apparently done a 2 ½ with 1 ½ twists into a mud puddle only a hundred meters from the end. He got mostly 9.5’s for merit with a few 10’s for artistic impression.
This was PP’s and Cemetery Man’s 2nd annual TTR, and EA has persevered through all 3. I hope next year some more of you can make it. Looking forward to about 21.3 + miles over some rugged trails with good company. It promises to be again memorable.