I neglected to mention the Mother Road 100, Part 2 ultramarathon in western Oklahoma last weekend, which went from Elk City to the outskirts of El Reno on old Route 66.
More than 150 hardy souls participated. The overall winner was Tim Neckar, 47, of Houston, who finished the 100 miles in 17 hours, 13 minutes and 48 seconds. That was more than 30 minutes faster than the runner-up. Neckar averaged 10 1/2 minutes per mile, which is swift for an ultramarathon.
Kathy Youngren, 34, of Huntsville, Ala., won the women’s division in 20 hours, 57 minutes and 16 seconds.
Participants came from 34 states and at least one foreign country (Germany). The youngest participant was 20 years old, and the oldest was 78. For complete results, go here.
Emily was a pacer for about 13 miles for a participant from Tulsa, and she had an interesting experience:
Our path took us past Lucille’s Roadhouse in Weatherford, its inspiration near Hydro, into Hydro proper to an aid station at the edge of town, and out through a quiet, rural stretch of 66 between Hydro and Bridgeport. The inky sky was filled with glittering stars, and as we jogged through the darkness, a pack of coyotes began singing in a field next to the road. We couldn’t see them, but we could hear them — adults and pups, yipping and howling and yodeling their eerie song just a few yards away. There had to be at least a dozen of them, each voice distinct and wild and beautiful, cutting like machetes through the chilly night air. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced on 66 — or anywhere else, for that matter.
The first Mother Road 100 in 2006 went from Arcadia, Okla., to the southern outskirts of Tulsa. It’s rumored that the organizers are thinking about doing another 100-mile race in a couple of years on Route 66 in the eastern third of the state — likely from about Claremore to the Kansas state line.
UPDATE: The Wichita Falls Times Record in Texas has a story about a few local runners in the race.