Greetings!

Well, for me, Badwater 2001 turned into an expensive training run. Although I had high hopes for this year’s run, it was just not to be. I felt really good up to about the 39-mile point, and then I started feeling BAD. I figured I would just rest and cool down a bit and then keep going. I got out of the pool and threw up and got really bad cramps in my calves. I tried to replace the fluids but they just came back up. I saw Dr. Jones in front of the store and told him I was not feeling too well. I drank, among other things, a can of tomato juice, in an effort to replace lost sodium. This resulted in a spectacular regurgitation in glorious Technicolor (a technobarf!). This was preceded by a megabarf in the back of the store. I walked very slowly up the road: Unlike my minor sick spells at Western States, I was utterly drained of energy, and was walking at about a 1 mile an hour pace. I would go about a half-mile, get into the van, cool down and drink, then take ten steps and throw it all back up again. After a few hours and about 2 miles of progress (And what seemed like a few gallons of liquid), I decided to bail out. My intention was to complete Badwater while incurring only minor damage, as I have Leadville in only 3 weeks. I knew that if I kept going, I would either collapse outright or, even if I recovered somewhat, would probably wreck my chances of completing Leadville and Wasatch, two races I must complete in order to finish the Grandslam. I am very disappointed, but not at all discouraged: If I wanted a sure bet, I would be running 10K’s, not Badwater. If I have not already moved overseas at this point next year, I will most certainly return to try again. At any rate, I DID manage to live up to my reputation!

Curt [USMC Major William Curt Maples]- aka “The famous Gutpuker from Texas”