Lightning, Rain, and 33.6 Miles at the Goose Bumps 24 Hour Run

Tim Mullican(MM7655)-I had a good weekend on Goose Island near LaCrosse, WI, at the Goose Bumps 6 & 24 hour run, despite heavy rain early Saturday morning that dumped somewhere between 4.5 to 5 inches of rain during a lightning pause that lasted almost 5 hours. No time was added at the end to make up for the lost time as this is just something you have to deal with during ultramarathons. I walked the first 2.68 mile loop with Gene Bruckert, who arrived just as the race was starting at 2 pm. I then ran/walked the next 3 loops before catching up to Gene again, took a short break and then ran/walked another 2 loops, before taking another short break, during which they closed the course due to lightning that continued until about 4 am. I climbed into the back of my Forester during the course closure and tried to get some sleep, but the flashes of lightning and thunder, along with the rain pounding on the roof of my car, kept me awake. I finally fell asleep sometime after 4 am, so didn’t hear that they had reopened the course. I woke up at about 6 am, saw runners on the course, got up, put on a pair of dry shoes, and resumed my run/walk routine. It spitted rain off and on both days, but it felt warm as long as I kept moving. It stayed a nearly constant 64 degrees throughout the night.
After the course reopened, I had to step over two trees that fell down across the course, so the course closure was well justified. I ended up officially with 33.6 miles, but forgot to start my watch until after the first loop, so only recorded 30.84 miles on my watch. I stayed for the post-race party and enjoyed a cheeseburger and cookies, along with a craft brew from the Pearl Street Brewery. No medal, but running is our reward.

photo and post credit Tim Mullican(MM7655)-