Story
Run number 2 of 5 for the Tough Tarmac Challenge today. I new it would be nice to get the longest course out of the way early, and if I had time before work, also knock off the Lakefront Loop. This was only second time on the Fly-In. I was expecting 13.1 miles of mundane backroads but it turned out to be much more interesting.
A mile into the run I passed the Etna Volunteer Fire Department, and watched casually as trainees practiced forcing their way into a junk vehicle by smashing if with an axe or hammer. As I continued on up Wood Road I forgot about it when my mind shifted to other random stuff, like when I passed that rustic geodesic dome house and it’s 26 acres. I tried to convince Hayley we should buy it when the place went on the market in the spring but she wasn’t sold on the idea.
Fast forward to mile 4, just before Neimi Road crossed Hanshaw. I saw a young couple standing on the side of Neimi. From a distance it looked like they were photographic flowers or something. When I got up close my heart jumped when I realized what they were looking at. I white sedan was flipped on its side off the road and down a 10-foot embankment, with the driver’s side all the way on the ground. No one else was around, so my first reaction was that it had happened moments earlier and someone was trapped in the car, possibly with serious injuries. Either that, or these two were out for a walk and find it there after it crashed the night before. The car was far enough down the slope you couldn’t seeing off the road if driving by. Perhaps it was already time for those firefighter trainees to see some real life extraction action.
I asked them if everyone was okay and if there was anyone else in the car. Due to a language barrier I wasn’t able to get any straight answers so I pulled out my phone and prepared to call 9-1-1 and hoped that emergency services were operational while so many computer systems were down. That’s when another older woman jogged over and told me help was already on the way. Turns out she saw the crash, checked on the passengers, and called 9-1-1 from her own car that was parked safely a little further down the road. In my panic I thought her car was just parked with no one in it. She explained that the couple were the only passengers and were not hurt. I continued asking all three of them questions about injuries until I was convinced everyone was okay. I lost several minutes while stopped with the clock running but it doesn’t matter.
The older woman and I agreed there was no reason for me to hang around since I didn’t witness the crash, so I continued on with the next 9 miles. On the way back through, a sheriff’s car and a tow truck were on the scene, so I just continued on with my run.
Oh yeah, the run. It warmed up a bit by late morning but he heat wasn’t miserable now that I’ve been acclimating for the past two months. It was a mistake though not to carry any gels — I could feel my energy level waning. The final three miles were mildly sloggy, but I was still 15 minutes faster than my only other run here, near the end of the 100k Challenge. No time now for the Lakefront Loop until after work.