Here is an article I wrote that appeared in the Second Wind Running Club newsletter about the Swampstomper trail run, near Memphis, Tennessee, on January 15, 2011. The snow faded, and the corn and bean fields gave way to cotton and rice as a group of Second Wind runners headed south, through Missouri and Arkansas before crossing the Mississippi into Memphis. They were headed to Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park in Millington, Tennessee, to run in the annual Swamptomper, a 25K/50K trail race held on Sunday, January 15.
The twelve of us had reserved two of the park’s five rustic cabins. Perched on the shore of a pretty lake, they were shouting distance across the water from the race course turnaround aid station. Packet pickup was at the start-finish, the Mississippi River Group Camp Lodge, which the race FAQs notes “is not hidden by a Romulan cloaking device.” This is another way of saying that without a GPS, it can be difficult to find. The race director gave runners the option to switch races up until packet pickup, providing the flexibility needed for many of us during the winter months when training might not have gone as hoped. Most of us ran the 25K, which started at 8:30 am, and a few ran the 50K, which started an hour earlier.
Ellen Erhardt, Chris Bryon, and Don Frichtl had left Friday to soak up some local culture. Tony Suttle, Lindsay Spangler, and I drove up the next day to find our cabins empty. Where was everyone? We were admiring the colorful sunset reflected in the water when Bill and Becky Dey pulled up. They told us that their getting lost on the way down resulted in the sighting of a white buffalo at a safari park. No lie. We lit a fire in fireplace and commenced lounging. Eventually the text messages from the other group started coming in. They had been joined by former Second Winders Tim Gill and Karin Gibbs, from Louisiana, and Brian Kuhn and Jen Burton. The first message, from Don, began: “Dinkin beer on Beale….” [sic] followed by several others, including another that read “Listdn to walkin in Walkn n Memphis!” [sic] It dawned on us cabin-dwellers that the communal homemade spaghetti dinner we had planned might not happen until quite late. And didn’t we have a race tomorrow?
The revelers did come home to roost, and a yummy meal ensued, complete with lamb and goat meatballs, followed by the pièce de résistance: King Cake, brought by Karin and Tim. This traditional Louisiana cake, associated with the Epiphany, resembles a giant cinnamon roll with sugary icing and colorful sprinkles. Hidden inside is a tiny plastic baby. Custom dictates that the lucky person who winds up with the piece containing the baby is charged with supplying the cake for the next year. Poker-faced Brian surprised everyone when the plastic baby came shooting from his mouth when least expected.
Race day: Sunday morning. The start-finish line was literally a crack in the road.It was a brisk 35 degrees, but it was pretty dry with tiny patches of snow in only the shadiest spots. Some of us wore shorts and were quite comfortable once we got going. “Unlike last year,” said Tony, “we were blessed by almost perfect conditions.”
Six of the group ran Swampstomper last January in conditions that lived up to the race’s name. “Knee deep puddles,” recalled Lindsay, “sloshing in water for 16 miles.” The course followed the road a very short distance before plunging down a steep ravine into heavy woods. The well-maintained, single-track course followed ridges and bottoms. Most of it was flat with a handful of steep climbs, the steepest of which was ascended by stairs. Dead leaves littered the ground and clung to the trees, but there were also patches of bright green water horsetail in low-lying areas.
Numerous wooden bridges were covered with chicken wire for traction. Flood-prone areas were evident, and as I ran I realized just how lucky we were to not be fording the streams that were mere trickles on this day. There were a few stretches where cypress knees popped up from the ground, which could have dire consequences if you fell, but the main hazards were tree roots. I never saw the Mississippi River, which we were running along, perhaps because it was hidden by the bluffs we were running between.
The 25K course went out about 3.5 relatively easy miles before starting a 3-mile loop that was more challenging, followed by another 3 easy miles to the turnaround, where you could see our cabins. Then it was back to where we came from, but skipping the loop. The 50K runners did the entire course twice. This layout allowed runners to greet each other as they met running in opposite directions. (That’s how I learned that Don shed his shirt. He was the only shirtless person I saw.) The two aid stations and their staff were outstanding.Most of us 25K runners ran well, and big smiles were everywhere. After receiving finisher medals and clay medallions, runners were treated to grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, accoutrements, and a warm fire burning in a barrel. But it wasn’t over for everyone. Most of the 50Kers were still on the course.
It was too cold to hang out post run, so we returned to our cabins, which I mentioned were near the turnaround aid station. This gave us 25Kers the opportunity to yell words of encouragement across the water to our 50K comrades, who would have about 9.5 miles to go. Some of us drove back to the finish line to cheer them as they came in.
That night brought us to Beale Street, where we enjoyed its famous nightlife, with live music in every bar. (One band noticed that were clumped together and asked us where we were from. It turned out their bass player was from Bloomington, Illinois!) We also enjoyed the camaraderie with some fellow runners from Evansville, Indiana. We recognized each other by our new Swampstomper shirts.
Linsday summed it up succinctly: “Good food, good company, good trails!”
Note: The 2012 Swampstomper will be on January 15 and start at Poplar Tree Lake instead of the Mississippi River Group Camp Lodge. Race registration will open at 6 am on September 16, 2011.
