Crewing at the Angeles Crest 100

C.R.E.W. Cranky runner - endless waiting




I warned Annie before we departed for Islip Saddle, the 26 mile aid station, that our runner would likely be irritable but was a talented runner and we wouldn't have to wait too long for him. I was wrong on both counts.



Lambert Timmermans (LT) had faultered going up Mt. Baden-Powell and was reduced to a slow walk. He had been passed by over fifty runners while struggling with the mountain. Other runners reported LT was in trouble and that had taken twenty salt pills because he was suffereing from cramps. My concern went into high gear... taking one salt pill an hour is okay as long as it's followed by at least eight ounces of water. Taking twenty is a recipe for very serious medical problems... up to and including death. His cramping wasn't due to salt depletion but to dehydration - he didn't carry and drink sufficient quantities. When he appeared at Islip my first question was why did you take the pills, and I why didn't you stop at Little Jimmy Campground to restock your water bottles... LT looked at me with a blank expression and mumbled "I thought about stopping."


I grabbed him by the back of his shirt, explained that he needed a severe beating, and led him to the medical check point. "Only down two pounds," said the medical team - "good job!"

LT managed a coy smile "Yeah," I said - "you're only down two pounds because your kidneys shut down. I handed him a bottle of cytomax. "You ain't leaving this station until you drink three bottles and have to pee. He clarified that he hadn't taken twenty pills - maybe just twelve. He asked if we had anything with coffee so I gave him the monster drink I had packed for myself. It dissappeared in a few seconds. Annie and I filled three twenty ounce bottles and explained that the next aid station was only four miles away and he had better drain all three bottles before he arrived. LT was in better spirits when he left.


Kirk Fortini ran in while LT was departing.

Annie and I helped Kirk get prepared for the next leg. He seemed rested, cheerful, and asked a few questions about the next four miles. Up for a mile and then down to the road, then rolling up and down mostly down. Kirk left in good spirits.

When LT pulled into Eagles Roost he had followed my instructions and his bottles were empty, and he wore a broad grin. He had passed some people on the run, his kidneys had kicked in, and he was beginning to feel tip-top! We filled his Nathan and hand carry bottles with Cytomax rather than plain water. I explained that the next three miles would be along RT2 and he would turn onto a downhill singletrack that went into Cooper Canyon and from there a long and winding uphill singletrack to Cloudburst summit. We kept forcing fluids on him... "Don't carry any fluids into Cloudburst," was my last instruction... "and there's water at Buckthorn if you run low". LT took off. Annie and I waited for Kirk at Eagles Roost and upon arriving he remarked that the climb out of Islip had been brutal.... Kirk wasn't smiling. I gave him my last Monster coffee drink. We wouldn't see him again.


We loaded the SUV and headed down the road. We began passing people who had left Eagles Roost before LT and finally spotted him as he was about to turn into Buckthorn. Annie yelled out the window that he looked great. LT smiled and waved as he turned. Annie and I agreed that this was a different LT than the guy who we aided at Islip.

We waited at the top of Cloudburst summit, and although LT showed a little fatigue on the final uphill push, he was eating and drinking... he only stayed a little while. "What's next?" he asked as I escorted him down the road to the trail head. "About six or seven miles of gradual downhill - no uphill." LT turned down the trail and picked up his pace. This was the LT we had grown to know over the past months. He wasn't just running anymore he was racing. He had passed fifteen runners since leaving Islip. My only hope was he wouldn't burn himself out on the downhill.


I had always enjoyed the course between Cloudburst and Three Points - good footing and at a grade that didn't kill my quads. LT apparently liked it too. He passed about a dozen other runners on his way in. LT opted to repair his feet and change socks. He spent almost twenty minutes in the station - the dozen who he had passed on the way in departed before him, negating all of his downhill gains.... However, he passed those dozen and five more on the trail between Three Points and Mt. Hilyer, and another four between Hillyer and Chileo. LT had moved up to 79th.


Annie and I greeted him in Chileo where he met his first pacer. Beiyi had been worrying about her ability to pace. Don't think about it I explained. It's going to be dark and everyone will have to go slower. LT only spent twenty minutes refueling and getting ready for the night. I described what they should expect in the seven miles, including the technical descent and long climb up to shortcut. When he and Beiyi arrived he was beaming and couldn't stop raving about what Beiyi had helped him do. They passed another six runners. LT was now 73rd.
Beiyi handed LT off to Shelli Sexton for the long pull down to Westfork, up to Newcombs, and across to Chantry.

Instead of going to Chantry, Annie and I retired for the night, only stopping at the retaurant where Marisa was carb loading to wish her well. Upon arriving home we checked LT's progress one more time before hitting the sack. I rose early and went straight to the AC website. LT had cleared Sam Merrill and was running 64th. I knew most of the course from this point and was confident LT would be notching his first 100.


LT asked that I add the following: "I know it was after you (Annie and I) left, but since all three pacers were so terrific, you could add a Pre-Post Script mentioning that Shelli took me past another 6 runners and Marisa took me past 2 more and helped me stay in a holding pattern for the final miles. Beiyi, Shelli, and Marisa were terrific pacers and it was so enjoyable spending time on the trail with them! Every time we'd pass arunner, I'd say, "Sorry, she's just so brutal!"

Post Script: I have often counceled runners that they can't win a race in the first few miles but they can sure lose one... LT came close to proving my point. You can't drink too much at the start of an ultra and you would be hard pressed to go out too slow. I am overjoyed that LT recovered from his mistake and had a well deserved finish. I can guarantee if he does AC again next year he will shave at least three hours off this years time...