Smashing the Keys 100
The dude had never even been on an airplane.
In fact, if Weezy has ever been more than two states away from Georgia soil, I’ve never known
about it, so the fact that he was committed to running the Keys 100 in the tropical climate of
South Florida surprised me quite a bit.
I signed on early as his crew chief. I love the Florida Keys, and the Keys 100 race, and the idea
of rolling side-by-side with Weezy for an entertaining, sun-soaked 100-mile beatdown sounded
way too fun to pass up.
And it was.
Some Shenanigans
When asked to write this report, I didn’t know what all to include. I typically go into everything
surrounding a race to try to echo the experience and give readers the opportunity to live
vicariously through my race experience.
If I did this as crew chief and pacer, it would go far too deep into all the non-running related
activities that went down, and specific stories that may only seem special (or crazy) to those
select few of us that were lucky enough to be members of Team Weezle. However, so as to
not completely dismiss the pre-race silliness, if you know Weezy, and especially Weezy and I
together at a race, try to picture some of this:
1. Christian and Weezy yelping and hollerin’ at baggage claim in the tiny, one-gate Key
West airport like a couple of drunk rednecks (but not drunk) upon his arrival in the
sunshine state.
2. Weezy with a couple cocktails in him, walking the streets of Key West, yellin’ “hundred
miles, baby!”, along with a few profane insertions just to capture that much more
attention from the tourists on Duval Street.
3. Getting the opportunity to meet, and run a couple miles, with transcon runner, John Pyle,
as he rolled into Key Largo the day before the race.
4. Weezy (and our wives) ganging up on me, arguing like cats and dogs over the white
shoe polish I used to mark the crew vehicle. Apparently the wives, and Weezy, wanted
something a little more ‘dynamic’ and colorful, so I reluctantly went back to the store for
more colorful and dynamic markers to show off the Weezle crew vehicle.
Yea, see, if you’re a travelling ultrarunner, or crew person, you know how all this goes. So many
little twists and turns and situations that all add up into one great memorable experience.
But let’s get to Weezy’s race, ‘cuz it was one helluva race.
Key Largo
Race morning came early. With a 6:00 a.m. start, and a crew car to load and prep, we didn’t
waste any time flounderin’ around. I guess it’s here where I should apologize to the rest of the
guests at the Holiday Inn Key Largo for our typical, but annoyingly loud, redneck screaming as
we shook out the pre-race jitters together across the parking lot at 4:30 a.m.
Weezy looked ready. Jacked, but ready.
We snapped a few photos at the start, chatted up some old friends, and met some new ones,
and with the blink of an eye, and a few camera shutters, the 100-mile runners were off from mile
marker 100 in Key Largo, headed south, all the way to Key West, mile marker 0.
A Pleasant Morning
Runners were treated to a beautiful morning. Overcast skies, with a light wind at their backs,
and unusually cool temperatures for the Florida Keys. With so many people we knew out there
chasin’ down course records, we knew right away that race conditions were such that this could
easily happen.
Nothing of much consequence happened until around mile 13, when Sean O jumped in to run
with Weezy just as a Florida monsoon swept in.
It rained hard, man, but we still gave them about 5-7 mile stints of running in between aid stops.
Mike Morton and Tatyana Spencer were both running the race, chasing course records, and
we were dying to know how they were doing; therefore, after we’d attend to Weezy and Sean,
we’d drive up ahead quickly to find the two speedsters and see where they were. This was cool,
and amazing at the same time. They got so far ahead of the pack that by the 50K mark, that we
could no longer find enough time to drive ahead and still make it back to give Weezy aid.
Sean O, being the smart capable pacer that he is, had Weezy pretty much hitting perfect splits.
The duo had implemented a run/walk interval strategy that played smart, providing plenty of
recovery for both, and really helped to keep Weezy on schedule. Each time we pulled over to
administer aid, Weezy surprised me with how fresh he looked...
...except once :)
There was one section, when the sun came out in typical smack-down, Florida Keys style, and
coming off one of the many bridges, Sean rolled in ahead of Weezy warning us that the Weezle
needed some calories and had just experienced a pretty rough patch in the heat.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew exactly what that feels like down there. It’s suffocating.
Babette, my wife, jumped in with Weezy for handful of miles, and as another smart, walk/run
runner, she kept Weezy moving at a consistent, manageable pace.
The Seven Mile Bridge
Coming through 50 miles in 10 hours, Weezy was way ahead of schedule, and still looked great,
heading into the seven-mile bridge.
The seven-mile bridge is a big milestone in the Keys 100 race. The bridge appears at about
mile 54, and can be a challenge for both runners and pacers. There is very little shoulder on the
road, making it extremely dangerous, and crew vehicles are not allowed to stop to administer
any aid during this stretch.
It was a milestone for me because having barely been four weeks out of the hospital, I
wondered if I’d be able to run across this bridge with Weezy as I had planned.
We started across that bridge and I was amazed at the strong running Weezy was displaying.
We implemented a 5/1 strategy, covering each mile in 11 minutes, and crossing the bridge in a
speedy 1:17, passing 7 different runners, and making us both very excited.
Everyone in the crew took turns at this point, each jumping in for a variety of miles with the
Weezle, as darkness fell, making for even more productive temperatures, and the opportunity to
chew up some nighttime cooler miles.
Arguing Like a Couple o’ Rednecks
Weezy and I argue all the time. It’s what good friends do :)
I jumped back in to run with Weezy somewhere around mile 74, and by mile 75, we were
shocking the volunteers at the 75-mile check-in with all kinds of cussin’ and yellin’ at each other,
heard from hundreds of feet away, with Weezy not even stopping to get checked-in. I ran up
to the table, checked him in, grabbed some food, hoping to offer it as a peace offering, and
sprinted to catch up with him.
It ended up making him sick.
I will say this - as happens during most really long races, our discussions were all over the
board, with no holds barred on subject matter from race strategy, to friends, to other runners, to
the culture of the sport, to religion, to jobs, family, etc etc etc.
It’s these times that the bonds grow stronger. It’s not all sunshine and kittens, but neither is real
life, and there is no better way to cement a relationship than through real, true experiences with
another human being.
As we moved into 80+ plus miles, I knew that not only was Weezy going to finish strong, he was
going to do so in well under 24 hours.
Sub-24 at the Keys 100 is no joke.
Weezy was doing it.
Bringing It Home
If you’re surprised at the lack of dramatic play-by-play, with examples of Weezy falling apart
here and there, don’t be. He simply ran smart, kept positive spirits throughout, never even once
considered dropping (at least out loud), and soldiered on with a tenacity that was pretty powerful
to watch.
After the 90-mile mark, Weezy tired of pacers (read: got tired of me :), and opted to go at a few
lonely, dark miles by himself, as he crossed onto the highway of civilization.
With seven miles to go, Sean O jumped back in with the shirtless redneck, and together they
made their way through the strip-mall-infused section just before crossing the final bridge - the
bridge to Key West.
You A’int Gettin Off That Easy, Weezy
Oh no, you’re not.
Sure this year offered moderate temps, but you were going to get some beatdown, and it
sho’nuff came at the worst possible time.
With four miles to go, and 96 miles in, Weezy and Sean got hammered with an all-out torrential
hurricane-esque, sideways-blowin, all-out downpour.
Instantly, the Island was flooded.
In less than the one mile they had to go to get on the Island, they actually almost got lost - and I
promise, there is absolutely no way to get lost at the Keys 100.
But after collecting himself, then Weezy, Sean O had Weezy on the right side of the road, and
heading over the bridge onto the Island of Key West.
From here, it was just a casual, 3-mile boardwalk run along the water, down to the beach park
and a finish on the sand.
With one mile to go, I jumped out of the car to finish with Weezy, and together with Sean O,
the three of us kicked in some 7-ish minute miles, through dark puddles and torrential rain, all
the way to the beach, and Mikey M elton’s rain-storm destroyed finish area, that we almost
completely missed.
21 hours and change. 100-miles. Top 10 male. The Weezle.
Good job Weezy. All of us were, and still are, very proud of your accomplishment.