"Tallest" mountain attempt

Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano is the worlds "tallest" mountain... not highest, but tallest. When measured from the base, Everest is 8848 meters, and Mauna Kea is over 10,000 meters... of course Mauna Kea is only 13,796' in actual altitude, while Everest is 29,035'. Because I was spending the week on Hawaii as part of a vacation with my wife, I decided to do a Sea-level to the "tallest" mountain's summit run (42 miles, and 13,796' in altitude gain) one of the days we were on the island. We randomly chose Tuesday the 24th of Sept as the date, as it fit in with all the other activities we were doing. The weather had been really nice since we arrived on Friday, so I figured there was no particular day that would be better than any other. Monday night, we drove the route and I placed "drop bags" in little stashes every 5 miles or so with water and snacks. I woke up Tuesday morning, suited up, and my wife dropped me at the beach pavilion in Hilo (probably 6' above sea-level), and I started my run.

The clock on my phone read 3:00 am, and I punched the 'start' button on my Garmin 405 as I departed. The town was quiet as I ran up the dimply lit roads to the first drop bag, where I refilled my hand bottle and Nathan pack and continued up. Despite it being uphill, I was averaging 12:00 min miles and feeling great.

At the 10 mile drop bag, I realized I was in need of some biological relief, and so as I left there I began looking for an opportune place to wander into the jungle. I found a nice, lower-growth area and stomped several yards into the growth. Continuing up the road, the sunlight began to filter through the clouds...

yes, clouds... this was not in the plan. The first droplets of water started hitting me at the 15 mile drop bag, and quickly became "insistent". I was soaked by 20 miles. At 20 miles I started searching for my drop bag, and after several minutes I realized that someone must have needed it more than I did, so I hunkered down and started heading for the next stop. I was starting to lose the "fun" part of my fun-run at this point, and at mile 25, the wind really started kicking in. I refilled and refueled, and started back running. At this point I was into the run 6 hours and 34 minutes, so not exactly speedy. As the temperature continued to decrease, I started kicking harder to generate heat. I was making good time heading into the next drop bag at mile 31, until the cold-cramps started. I'd slow down to accommodate the muscle cramp, and then the shaking would start... not ideal.

I reached the 31 mile mark in 7:38... and I was WORKED! At the 31 mile drop bag, as soon as I stopped to grab the bag, the shaking started and I realized movement would be the best medicine, as I was now only 3.8 miles from the "warmth" of the Mauna Kea visitor's center. I grabbed the PB&Honey sandwich and started moving again. This is where the climb gets REALLY steep, so moving fast became increasingly difficult, and I started cramping again which put into the infamous "Frankenstein walk". As cars of tourists passed me on their way up to the visitor's center (or back), I must have been a wonderful comic relief from their rainy drive. I slowed to a crawl, fighting the shakes and the cramps, while trying to continue forward momentum... I was actually starting to get concerned that I'd go into full hypothermia before getting to the visitor's center. The rain and wind became so heavy at this point that I could only see 100' or so in front of me, so as I heard a car approaching, I'd hobble to the guard-rail and wait for them to pass, then continue my awkward gait until I heard the next car. I finally dragged my sorry butt into the visitor's center at 11:58, almost exactly 9 hours after starting. The last 3.8 miles took me 1:22. Not my finest hour. As I entered the visitor's center, it was full of tourists, and I asked attendant at the front desk if she could retrieve the bag I'd left the day before... then I took my drop bag and sat in the back row of the mini-theater they'd set up to show the educational videos about the mountain. As soon as I sat down, what little heat I was generating from moving dissipated, and I started to shake uncontrollably... what I sight for the tourists! One of the workers at the center came over and asked if I'd like his coat, which I gladly accepted. Then he suggested some hot water, which I again accepted... oops... still shaking, I promptly spilled all over his coat, the floor, and myself. I set what was left down on the floor, and realized that the wet clothing I was wearing was not helping matters. I noted they were selling souvenir sweatshirts, so I quickly bought one, stripped off my shirt, and put it on... HEAVEN! The lack of moisture on my chest and back immediately started things moving the right direction. Two cups of hot water later, and a visit to the men's room "hand dryer" to minimize the moisture in my shorts, and I started to be able to sit without random convulsions.

One of the tourists who was there when I walked in, came up and asked where I'd run from. I said Hilo, and his expression went blank... he asked how far that was, and I said "the longest 34 miles of my life". He asked several questions about the run, and ultra-marathons in general, and shaking his head, turned and left for his drive to the summit. I chose not to drive to the summit, but returned to our rental house, and its ocean-view hot-tub for some true recovery! Sadly, no Fastest Known Time for me this trip. However, I will be back to complete the run in a couple years... it's too good to let go. I've posted the attempt in http://fastestknowntime.proboards.com/, and so we should see some "real" ultra folks hitting this soon. Happy Running!