SHANNON FARAR-GRIEFER’S BADWATER 2001 DOUBLE STORY

     I won't make this long as I don't have a choice

because, slowly but surely it is all coming back to me. I started with the 6 AM
Badwater runners. As I was driving to the race, the crew van had a flat tire.
The only thing I could do then was to hitch hike with my one hand-held bottle. I
knew that this was just one of my little hurtles with the race.  Marshall
Ulrich's crew picked me up and brought me to the start.  Anne Langstaff
offered
to share her crew with me until my crew fixed the flat. I knew I could not stay
with her. She is just way too fast. I bummed water from whomever I saw.  Soon
my
crew came and I felt a sense of security.  I had Denise Jones, Kari Marchant,
my
masseuse Michelle Gardner. I couldn't ask for a better team. My family including
my husband, Alan, my two boys, Maurice and Ben, my mother, Jackie, and my
sister, Beth, arrived for the mid-performance. I will never forget them for
their love and support through this journey.
     What a beautiful day, not as hot as expected, and I
couldn't believe it, I
was finally here, after training for a year, sacrificing family obligations,
sauna training and the obsession with the race.  Jay Grobeson picked me up at
Furnace Creek (17 miles) and slowed me down a bit. His experience and company
were main factors for my success with the race.  I felt so safe with him. I
knew
he would look out for my best interest.  I reached the finish at the Portals
(135 miles) in 51:41:47. To run through the tape with my family, I couldn't ask
for more in my life than this. I could only compare this to giving birth to
triplets. I had other plans. This was the delivery of my first (born) my second
(delivery) is to summit the mountain. Between these times, I wanted to
participate in the post-race dinner and be a part of this event of the race. I
felt we were all a team. My next attempt could wait a few hours. At 2 AM
Saturday, I started my summit quest. What an amazing sunrise happened. I will
never forget it. Although I was hoping to be on the top at the time of the
sunrise, we caught it half way up. The summit of Whitney (146 miles) was reached
in 78:30. Coming down from the mountain, my body finally felt the fatigue. At
this point I had less than 3 hours sleep since the start of the race. I couldn't
recognize my crew. I started to feel weak and I slipped on a rock. This was a
concern, I felt. My family was at the bottom of the mountain. I so badly needed
to see their faces and kiss my family. I felt safe again.  I had just
delivered
my second (born) and my third (delivery) was about to happen. I just needed to
be with my family and have a few hours of sleep. I went back to the hotel. I
think I ate dinner, but I can't remember if I did. I fell asleep with my son Ben
in my arms. I awakened to attempt the return.  My crew took me back to the
Portals (146 + 13 miles), where I left off the day before. Badwater was my next
destination (third delivery) at 292 rounded off to 300 miles.
 
     I knew this would be more difficult as I was
beyond
fatigue. There was no entertainment with the race and other runners. It was just
I and my crew on this fantastic journey. I had bad stomach problems coming down
from the Portals. Not much
wanted to stay down. By the time I reached Keeler (146 + 36 miles), my crew
called for an IV. The IV solutions arrived. Dr Ben Jones thought my crew needed
it more than I did. I was happy that I was able to do this without IV’s. I could
eat and keep food down. I just kept with the ultra shuffle.  The nighttime
was
hard for me. I wanted to be home with my family; however I had Kari call her
husband, Phil, to come run with me. He had left the racecourse and had been
working all day in Bishop. He drove to the course with his son, Richard, a
13-year old, who has the desire to be the youngest Badwater competitor in the
future. I know he can do this. He was so amazing with me. I needed their bodies
next to me so badly. I began to feel safe.
     I never thought I would be so excited to see Panamint
Springs (146 + 74 miles) the next day. I had all my other landmarks, but I had
to chop this up into little goals. At Stovepipe Wells Village (146 + 95 miles),
I found a phone booth and called my son, Maurice. When I heard his voice, I
couldn't stop crying. He told me to go on, that he loved me, and that I can do
it. Denise re-taped my feet in the public gas station bathroom as I ate a
burrito. A far cry from my Calabasas lifestyle, but so is lying on the middle of
the asphalt at 4 AM.
     As I left Stovepipe Wells, the headwinds were fierce
with the heat blowing into my face. I just broke down at this point, but the
shuffle kept me moving. The icepacks on my right shin kept the pain down to a
mild ouch. I had Chris Moon, a double amputee, just ahead of me. He was doing
his second double, this time with a new prosthesis. I knew he was feeling the
same. He gave my crew words to give me to keep moving. He was my inspiration
along with my charity. I know that the children for whom I run are still in
pain. [Today as I write this, I am home trying to get my life back to normal,
they are not, and they might not]. I can't quit or give up. I wouldn't want the
children with cancer to give up, so this kept me moving. My crew was so
committed. I still can't believe the love that they have given me during these
days. 
     As I turned the corner to see the Badwater sign, this
was the delivery of my third (born). I could not feel any emotion. Although I
was told it was a triumphant finish, I felt as if I had to detach myself from
the pain. This left me emotionless. It was 180:15:15-hours later. I had done
it.
I did the “double” with Badwater. I had the best crew. I never thought the body
and mind could do this. I proved myself wrong. I will always have the greatest
respect for the desert, for Jay, Denise and Ben Jones, Kari, Phil, Ashley and
Richard Marchant, Luke and Alexis, Scott, Michelle, George Velasco and June, and
all those who kept me moving, Chris Moon, Marshall Ulrich, Chris Kostman, Mary
Campilongo, Art Webb, Steve Silver, Blade and his elephant sandwich theory, my
family, and all of the Badwater runners, because we share a special bond.  I
don't know if this makes sense, but I'm still a little whacked out. When I wake
up in the morning, I have to think, “Am I making breakfast for my kids, or am I
running to Darwin?”  Each day gets better. The memories are coming back and
are
fresher than ever. I just wanted to post this, as I want to share my experience.
This race has changed my life. It was more of a journey for me on personal
growth. It validates the beauty of the sport and the camaraderie and just
knowing how powerful we are as human beings.  My time might not be one to be
admired, but I've never been about that. The destination was almost sad for me,
as I wanted to sit down before I reached the finish. In a way I didn't want it
to end. The journey was the best, not the finish; yeah ... I say that now.
Love,
Shannon Farar-Griefer
PS: I would like to include in recognize BankcardUSA.com
for their support and Slim-Fast for providing me with the proper fuel to get me
through the 300 miles and New Balance for putting the perfect shoes on my feet
to keep me moving.
SHANNON’S TIME SCHEDULE
Stage I: “Delivery of triplet #1”
From start of Race at Badwater 135 miles to Whitney Portals
=          51:47:00 = total time to
date
Stage II: “Delivery of triplet #2”
The top of Mt. Whitney including downtime before and after
climb and time up and down the Whitney trail; 11 miles up and 11 miles down the
trail =
Downtime before climb =
16:43:00 =   
             &nbs
p;             &n
bsp;             
 68:47:00 = total time to date
(end of downtime #1)
135 + 11 to top at 146th mile in 09:47:00
=             &nb
sp;             &
nbsp;            78:30:00 =
total time to date
146 miles + 11 miles down = 157 miles in 5:30:00
=             &nb
sp;             
84:00:00 = total time to date (end of
downtime #2)
Downtime after climb = 18:17:00
Total downtime for Stage II = 35:00:00
Stage III: “Delivery of triplet #3”
Start at Whitney Portals at 157th
mile             
             &nbs
p;             &n
bsp;        102:17:00 = total
time to date
and back to Badwater at 292nd mile
Start at Portals at 157th mile at 102:17:00
Arrive at Badwater at 292 miles (=300 miles rounded off as
per Richard Benyo)

             &nbs
p;             &n
bsp;             
             &nbs
p;             &n
bsp;             
             
         180:15:00 = total time

             &nbs
p;             &n
bsp;             
             &nbs
p;             &n
bsp;             
             &nbs
p;    
7 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes