JFK 50-Mile Ultra Marathon, Boonsboro-to-Williamsport, MD, 20 November 2004

Dear Reston Running Club members,

How do we begin to say "thank you" for your wonderful support at the JFK 50 miler this weekend? Joe and I have been talking non-stop about how amazed we were by your kindness. I contacted Anna on the Wednesday (I think) before JFK in a panic about race support. Joe and I were coming up from North Carolina with no crew. This was our first 50 miler and I had realized that it's a long way to go with no chance to change shoes, clothes or have your own food if needed. Anna responded to my questions and quickly offered the help of Reston Running Club's handlers.

Joe and I shamelessly accepted the offer and may be the newest RRC members (Thursday before JFK!). She found us both crew for the race and got us in touch with Helen for singlets. Friday night after 7 pm, we came running into the pasta dinner and were given a lovely welcome and lots of information and advice. The next morning, we met up with our crew at the high school.   Stephen & Carianne were in charge of me (in addition to their other runners) and Moshe added Joe to his runners. Joe and I thought it was pretty funny when Helen and others insisted that we get into the RRC pictures, but in hindsight we know this is just another example of how generous and welcoming the club's members are.

The race: Well, Joe and I both turn out to be very poor estimators of our finishing time and created extra work for our handlers. Through behind-the-scenes-magic that we can't figure out, we were both passed to new crew in order to accommodate our paces. At Weaverton, Carianne filled up my water bottles while Stephen helped me change my shoes. I was then offered soup and lots of good wishes. Through all the water stops, I was cheered on my RRC crew, it was so nice! In fact, people even knew my name and knew Joe's!

At mile 30, Mark and Angela waved me down to let me know that they were my new crew. A few miles later, Moshe came running up to let me know I'd been handed up again. (I'm still baffled how the handlers communicate all this info to one another). He had my race bag and wanted to know what I needed. A few more visits from Moshe.

Deedee (sorry I don't know how to spell your name!) and Loretta, who had cheered for me at multiple aid stations, came running up behind me as I was walking along between mile 34 and 38. I had just bribed myself with a little walk break for no particular reason other than mental fatigue. They cheerfully ran with me all the way to the next aid station at the road. This visit really helped my spirits and also kept me moving much faster in this section. At the road, Moshe ran with me for a mile or so, encouraging me along the way. In fact, Moshe did everything possible short of carrying me the last 8 miles. He cheered me on, he told me how far I had to go, he told me it was ok to be tired, he ran and got my jacket from his car and chased me down to give it to me. (Chasing me down is the wrong word here, but I know because of traffic he did have a tricky time doing this.) As soon as I crossed the finish, he was there to lead me into the gym.

I was immediately given a lovely massage. Another person showed up and delivered my shower bag (how did he know I was off the course"??! Amazing.) Another person came to tell me that Joe was still running and doing fine.

Helen was exceedingly, beyond the call of duty generous with helping me get into the shower. I won't go into detail, but let me just say that any person who offers to remove the shoes of someone who has just run 50 miles is an extraordinary individual in my opinion. Helen got me back to the gym where I enjoyed hearing stories from other runners and crew as they returned.

Joe and I received much encouragement from Anna and others to swing by Reston the next morning for the pancake breakfast and were very sorry to not make it.

Please accept this note as a huge thank you to the RRC members for creating a running club culture that cares about the members and is so generous and thanks to the many RRC crew that helped me and Joe without hesitation, even though we'd never met before.

We are touched by your kindness.

Happy Holidays,

Nancy Pullen and Joe Seufert
Cary, North Carolina