The Background
A few days before the Bandera 100k, Tejas Trails announced the race would be moved to Camp Eagle. This changed the travel plans from going with family and staying at the Flying L Ranch to going alone and staying hostel-style at Camp Eagle.
I drove up Friday and arrived by the afternoon. Luckily, the road to camp was smooth; it was a covered in rocks and shook the car last time. The hostel room was nice: bunk bed, shower, restroom, and heat. This was good, as it was cold.
A runner friend, Jon, saw me and said hi before the start. He was not running this year, but I later saw him at an aid station.
I forgot my pack, so I had to carry stuff in the pockets of my hoodie and shorts.
The Race
I felt a little weak early in the race, so I hiked anything uphill. Many people passed me. The first section the the Windmill aid station has one big climb at the end.
The second section, 6 miles, contains 7 or 8 big climbs, and is what makes Bandera Eagle tougher than the regular course. Early on in this section, I rebounded for a bit and was running well. At one point, a deer leaped over an 8 foot fence, hitting its hind legs. It was able to land and run off.
Then the hills beat me up. I got behind on calories as well. By the time I reached the Windmill aid again, 10+ miles in, I knew my A goal of 17 hours was not to be.
I decided to take care of myself as best I could so I could finish the race. Switching to powerhiking, I still strove to compete. After about 13 miles, the trails got less tough, and I was able to move reasonably well to reach Mi Casa aid station.
The next section headed toward Zip Line has about a mile of smooth trail before another climb.
Right after leaving Zip Line, there was another climb, before the trail became more manageable. At some point, I chatted with a runner named Lesley from the Dallas area. I reached Party Barn aid.
The last section has no big climbs, but a lot of maddening switchbacks before the last couple of miles smooth out. After running by the river, I reached the start.
I was still in relatively good shape, but I knew I was looking at 18 or 19 hours at least for the finish. I focused on making it through the first 13 miles of the loop and getting to the easier back half.
Both times I left the Windmill aid station, I shivered for a bit. But I warmed up by moving fairly quickly.
Hiking in the night, I said to myself, "Okay, you are not sleepy. You are not cold. You can move. If you have to do this for 2 extra hours, it is okay."
At one point, a runner I greatly respect, Nancy, said to me, "You are a fast hiker!" That alone made the race worth it.
At some point, I tripped and twisted my ankle. Luckily, I was okay.
I kept competing, chasing headlamps, trying to avoid being passed. This kept my head in the race. However, a lot of the trail that seemed relatively fast the first loop was tough in the night with tired legs.
In the last section, the switchbacks seemed like they would never end. But eventually they did. A runner was not too far behind, and I avoided getting passed as I made it to the finish in 20:18.
Reflections
If I want to do better at Bandera, I need to do some Stairmaster. While my lack of hill training would have hurt some on the regular course, it really hurt at Camp Eagle. Since every year there will be a chance the race will move, I need Stairmaster training. Plus, this season I had less of a build up than in 2024, so a bigger training block would be good.
While I did not get the Western States qualifier, I was still very happy with race. Bandera is the race closest to my heart, and I finished despite difficult circumstances. I have now started Bandera 100k 9 times and finished 5 times, bringing the finishing rate to above .500. Finishing two years back-to-back felt good.
Thanks to God, Chris McWatters, Tejas Trails, the volunteers, Terri, James, Paloma, Cesar, Luke, and Jamie, and all my family and friends for the support!
