Run 208 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Many told us we were crazy. Many asked us, “Why would you do that?”

In life there are two types of men; men of action and men of inaction. In F3 we strive to be men of action. Men who make an impact on others around us, High Impact Men #HIM. What do #HIM do to sharpen their swords? They do hard stuff. Things that will test them and grown them physically, mentally, and spiritually. Things that will prepare them to stare adversity in the face knowing they have the strength to not back down. If a #HIM trains long enough and hard enough, he becomes #CoopStrong; infused with infectious strength of spirit and a manifestation of perseverance. We were running to forge within ourselves the highly desired #CoopStrong trait.

The #HIM on the ENC Crossbones team dedicated their run to Nelson Cooper, Papa Smurf, our first Nantan.

This is how it went down…

The PAX met at various times in various locations to begin their trip, but there was a convergence at the Chick-Fil-A in Cary. The PAX ordered lunch using their F3 names. The lady taking our order was confused at first but the guy calling out our names played along and called out for Mr. Stake… T-Bone Stake.

From here we had a smooth trip filled with 2nd F to West Jefferson where we picked up our race packets and ate a pre-race dinner. During the drive the PAX in Van 1 discussed sharing snacks during the trip. They were all relieved to know plenty of food was packed and were educated on how beneficial hotdogs between legs were for recovery. Some in the van were excited to taste the explosion from these propane grill cooked hotdogs between the legs.

From West Jefferson, we drove to Grayson State Park in VA where the race would start the next day. We found our camp sites and began setting up tents. A few guys thought they were Paul Bunyan and chopped down trees to use for the fire. Once tents were pitched, the fire was lit, and lizards were drained, the PAX had a pre-race meeting to go over rules of the race, strategy, and the notebooks created by our Logistics Q, T-Bone.

Once the meeting was done, we all headed to bed. Rambo decided he wanted to sleep on the picnic table. He actually slept on the wooden picnic table. He claimed it was comfortable, but I just think he just wanted a story to tell. There was plenty of room in the tents and Rambo did look a little surprised the next morning when he realized there was even an extra air mat he could have slept on. Gazelle requested a sleeping partner on his air mattress, it helps keep the mattress firm. He was shot down by Cousin IT and Stretch before Trevor agreed to join him. Gazelle had second thoughts when Peaches wanted to sleep with his rancid feet beside his face.

The next morning the PAX woke up early filled with anticipation for what was about to come. It was still dark and the fire was rekindled to help cut the chill in the air. The camp was packed quickly and Van 1 headed to the start of the race. Van 2 would have to wait until the first four runners completed their legs before running. They decided they would go ahead and drive to the transition zone to make sure they did not miss their start. This was a wise move as cell service was spotty the entire race.

Each of the #HIM wrote their own description of the legs they ran. There were 36 legs and a lot happened during this 31 hour period of time.

Leg 1 – T-Bone
3.9 miles Easy Leg. I was glad to have this 3.9 miler as my first leg. I didn’t say much to the other guys, but I had concerns as to whether or not I could make it through all of the legs of this race. Starting off with a 3.9 mile “Easy” leg was a great way to start off. I was excited to kick this thing off and lined up on the right side of the chute at the starting line, not thinking that I had to run on the left side of the road. After the race started, I moved over to the left side before I ever got out of the chute and I was in 2nd place when the van passed me. There’s always adrenaline flowing at the race, but here I was in second place with a team of 15 people behind me, which increased the adrenaline even more. My goal had now become to maintain as much roadway as possible between them and me. The grade was downhill, but not too steep and I fell into the “zone”. I wasn’t really paying attention to my pace, I was just giving it all that I had without exhausting myself. I got “chicked” around mile 1 ….an ultra runner, I believe….she was cruising! I got chicked again around mile 3.4, but I picked up the pace and fell in behind her. The end result was a 7:44 average pace, which is a PR for me. I was tired at the end, but it was a great feeling to get a strong start and set the bar for the next legs!

Leg 2 – Stretch
My main goal was to not start off to fast and burn myself out. Started through the beautiful Grayson highland park and was mostly downhill which helped with the pace off the start. With the transition to gravel even the downhill seemed challenging downhill to make sure I didn’t turn an ankle or slide off the road. The climb started and I kept telling myself a combination of coop strong and “it’s just like the parking deck”…well it felt like the climb never ended, gravel felt like it was giving out from under me, and my heart felt like it was going to give out. My goal was to catch as many runners as possible which ended up being 7. Was able to maintain a 7:36 pace and felt good about the start and scared about the next run which is longer and harder.

Leg 3 – Cousin IT
I was excited and nervous to get started on my first leg (3 – Moderate). T-Bone got us off to a great start and after riding through what Stretch was running we weren’t sure when he would arrive. All of a sudden, Stretch and another runner were sprinting into the EZ. I was there, but the other guy was not. I took off, not wanting him to catch me once he made exchange. The run started off nicely down an ole’ mountain road, then… I had a steady 1 1/4 mile climb up a gravel switchback hill. Once down the hill, I realized I was back on the flat land. I didn’t see anyone till about 4.2 into the course. I happened to glance back and dude flew right by shortly after.

Leg 4 – Gazelle
I knew there would be a large hill near the end of this leg, so I started out at a fast pace to try and keep my average below 8 minutes a mile. A 7 min mile for the first and I was feeling good. I was able to keep a sub 8 pace for a few miles, and pass a guy wearing a marathon shirt. I later learned this was called dicking someone since I am a guy. If I were a girl it would be called chicking someone. My first dick was a nice boost for the ego. Once I hit the mountain of a hill my pace slowed to a 9.5 minute crawl. And then it happened, 2.5 miles out I was dicked by a dude (almost as embarrassing as it sounds). The hill seemed to go on forever and once I reached the top I prayed the rest would be downhill. It was for a while, and there was a breeze, and I was in the shade. I praised God for the relief and was able to finish the last mile strong and earning a 7:58 pace for all 6.9 miles.

Leg 5 – Eagle Eye
Leg 5 is like a pleasant evening out where your date suddenly slaps you for no reason other than the person doesn’t want to be designated as “easy”. The rolling hills and run through town are nice enough and then you get hit with a tough climb for the last mile. Make up time at the beginning so that you don’t fall too far off pace at the end.

Leg 6 – Rambo
It started with a hill and it soon became clear to me that I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. About 400m after the gravel road began I planted my foot wrong and twisted my ankle this was about mile 2.9 so that left the rest of the 6.7 with a bum ankle. I can honestly say that I’m not planning on doing it next year.
Rambo later told the PAX he spilled merlot at mile 4 on this leg. Since Gazelle was Q he tried to take credit, but Rambo did not think this should count.

Leg 7 – Peaches
Started off on an easy uphill. Feeling good so I decided to push the pace. Reached the crest of the hill feeling the Rocky music narrating my leg. After seeing another hill I felt the onset of my leg. Two more steep hills with one slight downhill breeze and I came crawling to the end of my leg. Only 2.3 miles…

Leg 8 – Free Bird
“Blaze” – 1.2 miles a cowboy passed me and said, “slow”. What a way to start. 2 miles in I hit a hidden valley ranch and hay fields took over the landscape. The heat waves off the hay field waved into my face as I gasped for air at 1:30pm 90 degrees. As I approached the last mile I heard a rooster crow. That spurred me on. I thought about all the people doing an 8-10.5 miler and I felt better. I did walk on my first leg; my lungs were hot.

Leg 9 – JAG
I really wasn’t surprised with any crazy hills or anything, but each leg was incredibly enjoyable. For a leg-by-leg breakdown I guess I would say that I was just happy to be running my fist leg after waiting for several hours.

Leg 10– T-Bone
5.5 miles Easy Leg. It was HOT and I had a headache while waiting for JAG to finish up Leg 9. I was drinking tons of water because I thought I might be dehydrated and then remembered I didn’t have any coffee that morning and was likely caffeine deprived. Some Nuun Energy resolved that issue and by the time JAG arrived, I was ready to roll. Another Easy Leg but shade was limited and the asphalt was hot. I had to stop several times along the way to stretch my hamstrings and glutes. I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into. At times I began to question whether or not I could finish the upcoming legs which were Hard legs, but I knew that was a mental trap and I forced myself to focus on the task at hand, walking when necessary, pushing it when I could, and staying focused. I began to develop some blisters on my left foot and became aware of how much room there was in the toebox of my Hokas. This continued to plague my mind and tax my mental game throughout the leg. There was a really steep ascent just prior to the Exchange Zone. I could barely lift my legs let alone run. I reached the top, had the EZ in sight, and opened up as fast as I could. Average pace….10:35

Before this leg started T-Bone stuck a water bottle in his running belt and spun it to his backside. The song “I like Big Butts” ran through my head as I watched the bottle bounce as he took off running. #AuntJemima

Leg 11 – Stretch
I was very nervous about this leg, started out very flat but was in the heat of the day for 8.4 miles. Got to enjoy some views of the river, even got to see people relaxing on tubes going down the river. Even some paddle boarders. Knowing that I had a severe uphill climb ahead I was reconsidering my decision. Tried to stay hydrated but felt like it was never enough before the climb. After my first 2.5 miles was a constant incline of 2.5 on gravel again and I kept telling myself to keep my feet moving and to at least kept a slow run… pace was at first sub 7 to as high as 10:26 on the climb. I kept telling myself that this was just like the Sasquatch and I survived that. Once I crested the hill I took advantage of the downhill and picked up the pace… another steady hill for the last couple miles nearly killed me as well as crossing a major highway where I played frogger and nearly got hit. I truly have never pushed myself that hard and it officially became my greatest challenge ahead of the Sasquatch. I finished by telling myself my next leg is all downhill. Glad that my hardest leg is done.

Leg 12 – Cousin IT
My time was coming again soon for my next leg (12 – Hard). I thought the first was hard, what would this one be like? It was some nice steady climbing up paved hills mostly on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fairly straight with only a turn at the beginning and a few at the end. The street was narrow so Support Vans were not allowed. I was passing an overlook and noticed a truck was not getting over. I raised my hands at them and some onlooker said “yay, people are crazy around here.” Not sure if she was talking about people running or the drivers. I was glad to make it past another guy running up the hill. The EZ signs were like an Oasis in the Desert. I saw flat ground and pushed to get there, only to realize the EZ was at the top of a hill. This is where I first found out that the Support Van would be as far to the other side of the parking lot then where I walked.

Apparently The HOFF was spotted at this EZ by our PAX and was trying to get a group of F3 men together to do 20 burpees. He was denied the satisfaction of a single burpee partner as he did 20 on his own. WHO’S MOTIVATED!?!?!

Leg 13 – Gazelle
This leg was fun! It was rated as very hard but was easier in my opinion than the first leg I ran with was only had a hard rating. I think it felt easier because the temperature was cooler and the inclines weren’t as steep. I was able to dick 14 people (I just like saying that.) and no one passed me. Going downhill I was really able to take huge strides and felt like I way flying. My confidence was built back up and I was feeling MOTIVATED! WHO’s MOTIVATED!?!?!?! I finished the 9.1 mile leg at a 8:03 minute pace. Bring on the next two legs!

Following this leg, Van went inactive and had a few hours before anyone had to run. They made a quick stop at Subway where a strong EH to check out F3 was put on the cashier. After eating we took off out of the parking lot with the tailgate wide open. Stretch alerted T-Bone by yelling, “Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!” T-Bone quickly jumped a curb to get the van onto the median avoiding disaster. Miraculously nothing fell out of the back.

Leg 14 – Eagle Eye
As I was waiting around for Gazelle to make the hand off to me for this leg T-Bone called Freebird to say van 1 was at the site but he didn’t see us. After a few minutes of looking around Freebird realized that we were waiting at the wrong exchange zone. Panic set in when Freebird announced, “Boys, we have a serious problem.” Because this is a family site I’ll edit the discussion that took place in our van as we sped down the road trying to beat Gazelle to the correct exchange point. It went something like: “Oh darn it, T-Bone is going to kick our backsides in a rough manner.” We made it just in time. I don’t remember much about the actual course. I know I ran fast fueled by adrenaline and hearing T-Bone’s dad voice in my head.

Leg 15 – Rambo
By far my favorite leg of the entire race! It has very scenic views especially since I started right before sun set. The worst part about this leg is the NASCAR banking on some of the curbs.

Leg 16 – Peaches
After being disappointed with my pace on the first leg, I told Eagle Eye and JAG I was going to try for a PR on this run. 3.2 miles downhill for 2.7 of it. When I took off everything felt great and I was flying down a gravel road through the woods with tunnel vision from the headlamp. Every crackle and pop off in the woods gave me more reason to keep running. It was perfect. I got to the bottom of the hill and had a .7 mile run through a small little town and came flying into hand off to Free Bird.

Leg 17 – Free Bird
“Dangerous” – My first night run started out in a commercial shopping center in a small town around 9:45pm. It was all highway with uneven ground. The local High School football game let out at 9:50pm and cars would not give an inch at 60mph. I was worried about my life because the cars were flying. The cops directing traffic gave me the last directions on my final .5 miles. Not an enjoyable run in the dark. Nothing exciting, nothing interesting, except some intoxicated football fans yelling profanity while they sped by me.

Leg 18 – JAG
My second leg was a cool night run once I found the turn marked by the sign that had been taken.

Leg 19– T-Bone
5.9 mile Hard Leg. This was my first leg in the dark and I was pumped. Stretch rolled me out and my legs didn’t hurt as much as the previous leg. I treated my blisters and switched to my Asics. It was 15 degrees cooler than my afternoon run and it even seemed chilly walking around prior to the start. My concern on this leg was the number of turns and the fact that some signs were missing on the prior leg and whether or not the same would be true on this leg. It was rated as a Hard leg, but mainly due to distance and duration of the descent. I was looking forward to it, especially after having such a great run on Leg 1. JAG came blazing in and I was off. This leg WAS hard, but I continued to push through. A couple of speed demons flew past me in the night, one sounding like a coyote descending upon me. When I arrived at the next EZ, I told the guys it was the hardest thing I had ever done. Little did I know what my next leg had in store. Average pace….8:55

Leg 20 – Stretch
“The Bear” with what I thought was my hardest run behind me and the challenge set for the group to try to average a 9 min pace I felt I had to take huge advantage of the downhill easy 4.5 mile run. I was able to rest my legs while laying on the sleeping bag behind some Porta johns but the sound of people running in, cars, and constant activity kept me awake the entire time. Started out run after just hearing the Asheville runner come in with a 5:12 pace and felt motivated. Well my downhill turned into a pretty flat 4 mile run… during the midnight run you heat every sound. It’s completely dark at times other than vans driving by and other runners that I was passing like a boss. About 2 miles in I decide it would be smart to make sure I check the sides to ensure the crazy squealing sounds are just some crazy bird. Well that’s when I saw the widespread eyes reflect from my headlamp about 50 yards away in a field. It was me and this huge thing, with big blue eyes. My worst fears of a bear attack become more real when the large object came charging at me as I picked up my pace to make a sprint, well at the last moment I realized it was just a horse and Mr. Ed just wanted to see why some crazy guy was running during the night. With the adrenaline pumping I crushed out my best run of the night. Still equally as exhausting as I tried to give it everything I had each time. 1 more to go, I’ve got this in the bag.

Leg 21 – Cousin IT
Night was falling and so my toughest leg was up (20 – Very Hard). Wasn’t really excited about the night run and the difficulty of the leg. Started off fairly close to another runner and thought I would let them lead the way through the dark. About 5 minutes in I noticed my Apple Watch had a low battery, thought maybe I could make it through. I told myself not to look at it as often to save the battery. Then, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a guy sitting on a dirtbike. It’s near midnight and the guy was just sitting on it at the end of his driveway, I say hey and trek on. I caught a few people and then started the treacherous 1 mile up hill climb. One guy did pass me, but that’s ok. My goal was too not walk, but soon I realized I could speed walk as quick as my run. That I did, I passed a few more people while I was speed walking. I finally saw the top of the hill and 2 girls off in the distance. My goal was to catch them and zoom down the hill. I did that making them part of the 8 total people I passed. I flew down the hill to Gazelle waiting his 2.6 mile sprint. Exchanges has been good up to this point. I was trying to slap the bracelet on hoping that would slow me down, but the bracelet went forward with me. Needless to say, he picked it up and off he went. Though very hard, this was probably the most enjoying. The running at night was cool and passing 8 people was more rewarding than my mile splits. Come to find out many had made the comment that this was actually a tougher leg then the Mountain Goat legs.

The Asheville team passed us at this EZ. They are sick by the way. They lost to Charlotte by 10 seconds and both Asheville and Charlotte had a 5:45 per mile pace. After their exchange occurred, they yelled that they had 35 seconds to get loaded in the van and make it to the next EZ.

Leg 22 – Gazelle
This was my only night run and the air was cool. The run was 2.6 miles slightly downhill. I knew this run was going to be fast. I told the guys they better get to the next EZ quick because I was coming in hot. During the entire run I was able to get my legs fully extended with each stride. This allowed the built in underwear in my shorts to rub my crotch with each step creating a raw spot next to my boy makers. PRed the first mile – 5:45. Avg 6:11 pace for the whole thing. It was fun after it was completed but not during the run because I was putting full effort in the entire 15 minutes.

During Van 1’s drive to the next transition zone they noticed a race sign was missing. They noticed because they drove a mile off the course due to the missing sign. Being the nice guys we are, we drove back to the EZ yelling out the window at each runner that the sign was missing.

When we made it to the transition zone, Gazelle set up his air mattress and Cousin IT joined him for some down time. It was relaxing as we gazed at the stars… until the air hole came unplugged. Little to no sleep was had at this stop but the next time our van went inactive we were able to rinse and repeat without an unplugged air hole. Giving us a chance to have 2 hours of sleep (the only sleep of the race), and opening up an opportunity for a fellow racer to try and pee right beside our heads.

Leg 23 – Eagle Eye
This leg was an endless series of hills on a highway in the middle of the night after I had slept for 10 minutes in a grocery store parking lot. It was about as fun as it sounds. At least it wasn’t hot.

Leg 24 – Rambo
This is a straight forward leg and if you are healthy at this point of the race you can make good time.

Leg 25 – Peaches
4.3 miles of what felt like all uphill. My knee was hurting out the gate but after a minute of prayer it felt great. There was a small rushing creek along the road for most of the way, which was cool to listen to. Still in the cool of the night, I could see my breath in the air. This was a fun run.

Leg 26 – Free Bird
“The Mist” – The mist fell at 4:00am into the hollow. It started foggy and a calm fell over me. The first hill climbed opened up into a large valley and the stars opened up in a few sections of the sky. I battled a competitor downhill and we pushed each other. The run ended with a bridge over a nice running creak. It was so quiet on that last mile. It was serene on this run and I got into the runner’s zone. This night run was awesome and I have never had such a peaceful 4.4 miles. On the last climb it was very steep and took everything to climb, but a good war yell helped to break the silence.

Somewhere around here a fellow BRR racer was left by his team. Van 2 graciously agreed to drive him to the next stop. This hitch-hiker was later able to dick T-Bone and thank him for his teammates’ generosity.

Leg 27 – JAG
My 9.1 was an awesome early morning run through foggy mountain mist. I kept chasing down blinking lights in the distance, and must have put at least 8 behind me.

Leg 28 – T-Bone
8 mile Hard Leg. I was dreading this leg the entire race. I rested in the van but never slept. Unfortunately, I really didn’t plan my food intake between this and the previous leg, so I wasn’t fueled properly. Definitely not an excuse, just a lesson learned. By this time of the morning it had gotten quite foggy and the air was heavy, saturating my shirt. This leg was rated Hard due to the distance and ascent. My goal was to finish with an average pace of 12 mins. I honestly had no idea if that was realistic or not, but I figured if I could pull it off it wouldn’t diminish our average team pace too drastically. I got off to a decent start, running fast on the small descents and trying to maintain pace on the long, steady ascents. Through mile 6 I was at a 11 min pace, but the grade increased significantly. I was physically and mentally exhausted at this point, but I knew the team was counting on me. I knew I was going to have to walk the steep ascent and if I could maintain a 15 min pace, my average for the leg would be around 12. At the last mile I had to stop a couple of times and stretch. My legs felt like lead. I could barely lift them, let alone run. I kept hoping to see the EZ but it never seemed to come. Finally I crested a hill and there it was in all its glory….a yellow EZ sign and it was downhill from me! Somehow, somewhere, I managed to find the strength to run from there on in. This was no doubt the greatest physical and mental challenge that I’ve ever experienced. The end results…..11:42 pace. At this point I could have cared less about the race. I was worn down and felt physically sick. However, that feeling soon disappeared after I ate a couple of PB&J sandwiches and felt a sense of relief that I was done and a sense of accomplishment in completing all 4 legs which I had been assigned. They weren’t the hardest legs by any stretch, but they pushed me exactly where I needed to be pushed.

Leg 29 – Stretch
“Just don’t get Chicked”
We’ve made it, This is the last leg. I’ve had about an hour of sleep behind me and just hydrated, ate some more, forced myself to use the bathroom again. Always seem to have a little nervousness prior to a race. PRP helped. I just want to survive but also knew I could post another good time. If T-bone can finish his hellish 8 mile finishing run then I can knock this out. Almost hoped that T-bone would wait till 7:30 am to finish so that I wouldn’t be required to wear the lamp, vest and blinkers. Not that aerodynamics really matters at this point. He strolls in at 7:27 and I’ve got 3-4 people in my sights to pass. I catch up with a couple pretty quick and find Mr. Brady from Charlotte F3. He informs me he wants to do a 7:30 pace and I tell him that I would stick with him but seriously doubt I can’t hang to long. We pass a couple other runners on a couple large hills but convince him to go on without me stating I’ll catch him on the downhills. Well it didn’t happen and he would stretch out a 100 yard gap on me only to start walking. Thinking he was waiting for me almost made me mad and I gave him a thumbs up as I came closer for him to start running again. He soon asks if my van has passed already and says he is shot and needs water and sugar. I wave down the next van which happened to be an F3 van from a different area. He gets water and food while I run on to finish the run. He sticks with the girl behind me for another .5 mile before saying he’s done and has to walk. Me and the chick proceed to race to the finish the last 2 miles and I hear her quick feet approaching the last mile behind me. We make small talk as she drafts behind my huge rear end about how hard the race is, how that river is pretty, what great views…in my head I’m thinking “okay chick stop talking to me I passed you earlier and you are not passing me back.” Haha. I kick it in high gear for the last .25 mile to try to break her spirit only to find that my exchange zone is still 50 yards farther and feeling my chest about to explode I make it to Cousin IT before the chick realizes she could have caught me at the end. On the way to the next EZ I see Mr. Brady still coming up the road not quitting on his team. I’m done, spent, but at the same time an awesome feeling of accomplishment overcomes me. Holy cow, how did my body just do that. Average pace for 27.4 miles 7:49, 1.5 hours of sleep and tons of memories. Finally walking to the car after my run, my knee finally hurts. I had been praying about it holding up the entire weekend. Let’s just pray everybody else can finish strong, COOPSTONG!

Leg 30 – Cousin IT
The next leg was a guess of wearing vests, lights, etc due to the time (4.4 – Easy). Stretch just missed the cutoff and had to wear it, so I was clear. He came in with another runner and we both took-off. The other runner sounded like he was coming out of the blocks and wasn’t about to be passed. I never did see him and didn’t think I would see anyone on this course. I passed one guy and thought this was it for the relay. I then approached and past another. Thought about talking smack and telling them both that’s what they get for wearing white after Labor Day. According to my watch I was running some under 7 minute miles and would finish with an average of 7:30. Only to find out, it was somehow near 8:11 pace. I was happy to be done and knew that I passed 2 others on the course.

Leg 31 – Gazelle
This was my Mountain Goat leg, where I would climb 140 stories over 6.6 miles. The first mile was flat allowing me to get a 7:45 mile in before hitting a 5.5-mile mountain goat climb. I kept telling myself it was my last leg so I could push hard. During the steepest climb I was just over a 10 minute pace. About half way up the mountain I started wondering what would happen if I just laid down in the road and waited for someone to run or drive by me. Despite going slow, I was able to pass 6 runners and was only passed by 1. As I came up the last hill and heard the crowd cheering I picked my pace up and finished #CoopStrong (9:32 pace). Surprisingly, I felt really good and was kind of sad I didn’t have another leg to run. I was done. 25.3 miles over a two-day period at an average 8:11 pace with only two hours of sleep. It was time to rest and cheer on the rest of the team.
Total for all of my legs: I passed 21 people, was passed twice, and never got “chicked”.

Leg 32 – Eagle Eye
The first half of this leg felt like dropping in on a half pipe with your skateboard. I spent the first 5 or 6 miles bombing down the side of a mountain on a gravel road. Along the way Turkey Leg, from the Charlotte F3 group, came sprinting by me. As a veteran of this patch he slowed down to warn me about the course. By the end of the mountain your legs are burning and feel like rubber. Then there is a long stretch of flat road in the sun before the exchange zone. These points were not in the course description. And boy was he right. I was stumbling by the time I hit the road. At least my legs were numb so I no longer felt the fire in my shins and quads. A van of generous women slowed down to give me a bottle of water on the home stretch and I was able to limp it in.

Leg 33 – Rambo
There is no easy way to say this but climbing up the Mountain is hell and the decent is also hell. My knee went completely out about 1.5 miles into the 5.3 miles but I somehow managed to kick into the “Final 500” and push through and save the other members of my team from having to endure this hell on earth! You may now refer to me as “Rambo THE MOUNTAIN GOAT!”

Leg 34 – Peaches
This run sucked. Heat of the day and I couldn’t buy some shade. 2 miles of basically flat ground to start. Just enough of a decline to tighten up my shins. Make one left turn and had some rolling hills. I was dying by the finish line. I’m glad this was not too long.

Leg 35 – Free Bird
“2 miles of climb” – This climb was crazy hard. Very steep and I did not walk until a mile into the run. I then devised a plan to walk about 200 yards, and then run 200 yards and switch back. I was hurting about 1.6 miles in when “The Hoff” drove by and said, “You got this buddy.” And I sped up a little. At the top, a lady in another van asked if I wanted some water splashed on me, and I said yes, she threw ice cold water on me and I gasped for air. At the top, you hit the Blue Ridge Parkway and the overviews are awesome. Only downside was heavy traffic with tourist drivers. Good test of fitness and mental toughness. My toughest run of the entire relay.

Leg 36 – JAG
My last leg was about a mile up and then all down hill, and I was just trying to hurry to meet everyone at the finish line.

We were done! As a group we persevered and every single PAX completed all of the legs assigned to them #CoopStrong. This was an accomplishment we were unsure we would achieve. Our goal was to finish the race by 5:00pm on Saturday and we were done just after 3:00pm; almost a full two hours early! Our average mile pace as a team was 9:04. Not bad for the terrain we were running on. Everyone said they had an amazing time and agreed they would love to do it again. Well, Rambo told us we would need to wait a couple of days before asking him.