Bourbon Chase 2011

This was the best event I've ever been a part of.

The Bourbon Chase is a 200 mile overnight relay race from Jim Beam to downtown Lexington. Along the way we pass Heaven Hill, Maker's Mark, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Woodford Reserve.

I was roped into doing this over a year ago by a bunch of people I only knew via twitter. During this last year leading up to the event I've visited them several times and was even a guest at a wedding between two of the runners, Dooch and Jess.

After meeting up with most of Team Shirlock at a Waffle House (it's a house not a home) we went to Patty's. Patty is the sister of a former team mate from 2 years ago. She's obviously a really cool lady because she offered her BEAUTIFUL 1864 farmhouse for us to stay pre and post race. She and her husband, Steve, even made us breakfast.

We picked up the rest of the team at the Louisville airport and headed to Jim Beam. I've never been to a distillery. It really is an impressive place. I think the neatest aspect is the barrel warehouses. These building are HUGE. Stories tall, hundreds of feet long, and tens of feet wide. They are just packed with barrels of bourbon. There really isn't much room to walk. All the barrels are in racks on their sides towering up and into the darkness.

Dooch started us off at 2:45 in the afternoon on Friday. From here we just kept running. Person after person and leg after leg. We were supposed to have 12 runners but we only had 10. Some of us ended up running 4 legs with others running the standard 3.

Two of my 4 were at night. Around 1:30 and 3:30. I pretty much hauled the mail on the 1:30 leg. Averaged a 7:27/mile pace. If darkness can be gorgeous this was. All of the runners are required to wear a reflective vest, a headlamp, and a red taillight. The run was a road that was miles of straight pavement with slight elevation gain. When i would look behind me there was an endless stream of tiny white bouncing lights and ahead of me blinking red lights. I don't know what was so interesting about this scene, maybe I was delirious from lack of sleep but several times I'd look at this and smile and laugh. The next leg at night was much more challenging. It was me, the darkness, and my breath in my headlamp. Well those things along with the 3 runners that past me. It was tough; all alone, long, sleepy, hoping i wasn't lost, hungry.

My last leg I almost don't want to mention. Only 4.2 miles but so difficult due to cramps I would have quit if I didn't have a teammate waiting on me to hand them the slap-bracelet. Yeah, we had a slap-bracelet and I know you're jealous.

The best 28 hours 29 minutes ever. Pictures do much better justice than my words.