Wow! What an adventure!! The morning began with a quiet and cool ferry ride in the minutes right before dawn from Southport to Bald Head Island which is only reachable by boat. We gathered around the oldest lighthouse in my home state known as Old Baldy and the tiny mosquitoes were already waking up for what I’m sure they thought was a gift of a big breakfast😂. It was already 70° at 7am. I met some awesome ultra runners as we waited, chatted and even posed for a quick appearance on The Weather Channel (I’ll post a pic from the video of us out there in my stories). This adventure actually started way back in March when my younger brother Chris talked me into joining him in this race. My sister-in-law Kim was out there taking pics and got one of Chris and I before the start. I also got a quick pic with @chriskostman , the Badwater race director.

At 7:45am we took off. My brother and I ran along near the front for a bit, but after a mile I noticed my HR was running a bit high and I quickly figured out why. I looked at my pace and I was running around 9:30/mile which was above what I had planned especially for 32 miles and this heat. While talking with my brother, I had forgotten he likes to bank time at the beginning while I like to pace myself and not go out too fast. Quick adjustment and settled in. BHI is a beautiful island where there is no cars, only the occasional golf cart. There are times you feel like you’re on a tropical island. The movie Safe Haven was filmed over in Southport. Anyway, I digress. We ran along paved island roads for roughly 11 miles before veering into a thickly wooded area with a single track path cleared the day before by guys who were described as being a little over 5’ tall. So me being 6’ tall, I had to slow down and duck several times and climb over two different large trees (It’s a protected forest area so the couldn’t cut them). This scenic area lasted for a little over a mile and then I was at CP1 for the mile 12 check point. Kim refilled my water (Thank you @kimmmmartin1985 !) and my nephews helped me get my shoes changed out to my @topoathletic MTN Racers with my gaiters attached.

I left CP1 and headed for the 19.5 mile out and back portion of the race which is entirely on the sandy shoals between BHI and the historic Fort Fisher recreation area. I met some terrific runners out there. Running on sand is unique and challenging. Going up was a bit easier as the tide hadn’t come in yet so it was easier to stay on the packed sand. I stopped off at the 18 mile aid station, topped off my water bladder, grabbed some orange slices and headed on for CP3 at the 22 mile turnaround. When I arrived at that 22 mile station, they marked my bib and then I drank some coke with ice in my collapsible cup, grabbed some more orange slices, and slathered on some sunscreen as the sun was beating down on me with temps near 80° now. On the way back it was even more challenging as high tide was beginning forcing all runners to either run in the looser sand above the water line or attempt to stay on the bare remains of wetter sand which could be solidly packed on minute and then suddenly suck on your shoes the next. My feet got wet several times. My shoes dried quickly but did get caked with sand too. I ran/walked through leg cramps but I had my nutrition and hydration down as I felt great otherwise. I stopped at the midway station again at mile 26 and topped off water, grabbed oranges and thanked the wonderful volunteers before heading off again. I forgot to mention, but on the way up and back while in the Fort Fisher section of beach, there’s a vehicle access which draws a lot of surf fishermen. So we runners had the added challenge of ducking under fishing lines or running around the poles when the tide was high. 😂 There were also stretches where you would be completely alone except for the occasional bird. As I approached BHI beach area, sunbathers started clapping as I passed and congratulating me and other runners. Then as I topped the hill back on pavement near the end, I saw my wife and kids cheering me in!! They were a sight for sore eyes!! I love this race. Badwater Cape Fear lived up to the challenge I thought it would be and more!! Thank you Chris Kostman for a great event and thanks to my brother for still inviting me on crazy adventures!!