Old Dominion 100--Ride Report (long)

[Roberta Jo Lieberman <fineprint@erols.com>]

(if you just want the results, they are at the end)
Old Dominion: the 25th running

It had humor: I didnıt know it at the time, but the man flat on the ground in the vetting 
area at Liberty Hall at 3 a.m. was rider Bob Walsh. Veterinarian Art  King was standing 
over him saying, ³What should we do?² They shined a flashlight in his face to check his 
pupils. Bob later reported that he saw Art through the white light and thought, ³So this is 
it?ı Then he heard someone say that maybe Don Kiefer should give him mouth to mouth 
resuscitation. Thatıs when he decided to wake up real fast!

It had heartbreak: Jeanne Waldronıs TF Red Rambo, two-time winner of the OD, didnıt 
even make it into camp: the horse got to running around the pasture and came up lame the 
day before the ride. And Debi Gordon made it only to the second vet check (40 miles 
out) on her mare Saizhara. Debi said sheıd been kicked in the right hind the week before 
and may have gone off on her left front as a result. Jeanne and Debi were expected to 
engage in a spirited duel for the lead.

And in the end, it had history: First-to-finish Linda Crandell continued a family legacy of 
OD success. She won the ride back in 1980 on Diamond T. Her son John Crandell III, 
has won the OD four times -- with back to back wins on Magic Aquarius (1983-84) and 
Hybrid Vigor (1997-98).  And dad John Crandell Jr. won it in 1990 on GT Grisha. 

We arrived in Front Royal on Wednesday in hopes of securing a good campsite (150 
horses were expected). Setting up camp with the ³Maryland contingent²  -- Bob Walsh, 
Joanne Sowa, Nancy Smart and Pat Taylor -- we were a stoneıs throw from the ride 
office. My riding buddy Barb Thomas had flown in from her new home in California to 
manage the 50 and we awaited the arrival of her friend Kim Fuess, who was coming in 
to ride the 50 on Brenda Bairdıs mare, Sharona.

On Thursday, Kim Fuess met her horse, and Brenda, Kim and I went for a little ride. 
Halfway up the hill toward Skyline Drive, Brenda casually asked Kim if sheıd like to try 
the 100....Much discussion ensued, and by the time we got back to camp, Kim was 
enrolled! 

The big topic of conversation all week was the weather. Days of watching the Weather 
Channel proved futile as each day brought a new set of conditions. As if on cue, at 10 
minutes to five on ride day, the skies opened and a huge cloudburst hit the 49 riders 
attempting to warm up for the 100. I took refuge under the shed row of the quadrangle 
with Winkie Mackay-Smith, where weıd planned to start out about 10 minutes after the 
official strart. Thanks to that strategy, we barely got wet, because the rain stopped as 
suddenly as it began about 5:10.

So off we went...on an adventure that would last nearly 24 hours.

Loop 1 -- 24.5 miles. Pleasant and uneventful with some breathtaking sunrise scenes 
along the fields and river. The crossing at McCoyıs Ford was smooth as we followed 
instructions to ³keep the jugs downstream.²  Winkieıs horse, AM Mr. Gypsy, looked 
strong and ready for the long run.
Loop 2 -- 15.8 miles -- trouble struck. Having debated whether to wear front-leg 
protection, I decided to wait and not risk rubbing from the boots. Miss Fine struck an old 
splint and it became big, soft and mushy.  Although it didnıt make her lame, I debated 
the wisdom of continuing. I decided to ride on gently and see how she was at Hickory 
Lane (53.4 miles).
Loop 3 -- 13.1 miles -- a storm brewed as we traveled the rocky Duncan Hollow loop at 
the far end of the valley. But the air cooled and the entire complexion of the day started to 
shift. The only mishap came when I dismounted to briefly and promptly augured into the 
ground, scraping my right knee and hand. I sheepishly remounted. My horse came in 
looking and feeling great. With all vital signs strong and a sound trot-out, I began to 
think we just might make it around.
Loop 4 --16.6 miles -- this seemed like the longest stretch of the day. In the heat of the 
day, climbing up rock-strewn Opeechee and down, then through Edinburg Gap and on 
to Taskerıs Gap and an endless procession of rocks. But we were beginning to pick up 
steam here and cruised into the fourth vet check, Pitlick/Bernstein, at 70 miles, in 
remarkably good shape. My horse was bright-eyed and bushy tailed, although my right 
ankle was starting to collapse. Helen Stacy gave me her ankle elastic and Richard 
Maxwell reminded me to take some arnica. Bolstered, we rambled on the next 9.7 miles 
into Picket Springs as darkness descended upon the valley. We arrived there about 9 
p.m. and quickly vetted through. But Earle Baxter was just leaving and I was reluctant to 
go over Shermanıs Gap alone in the dark. So I waited for some company and rode out 
with Rich Maxwell and Pat Taylor. We were treated to a magnificant blood-red moon 
rising over the lights of Front Royal. 
The cool weather made the infamous climb bearable, but the 2,000-foot drop on the other 
side seemed just as long (2,000 feet) as ever. We finally came out on the road back into 
McCoyıs Ford. Barb Thomas was there with smiling face, took my horse from me and 
vetted her right through. I changed into some bigger, dry boots in hopes of keeping my 
ankle and foot together a little longer.
Crossing the Shenandoah River for the second time, we had just 12 miles to go. Coming 
out of Liberty Hall, the last vet check at 96 miles, I hooked up with Lori Stewart riding a 
beautiful chestnut gelding, Rocket, she bred out of a Tevis winner by Wazirs Kahraty. I 
learned a lot about the Tevis trail and its special challenges. We crossed the finish line at 
4:40 a.m.and vetted through.
I never saw such a crowd at this hour, when the last few stragglers are usually coming 
in. There was a veritable traffic jam of fresh horses in the last hour of the ride. Many 
competitors commented that the trail seemed especially slow today. ³Time got away on 
us,² said Rich Maxwell. Many folks attributed to the slow time to the morning humidity 
and the afternoon and evening mud. Indeed, at the ride briefing, John Crandell III had 
advised us to be especially conservative in the morning, when humidity was deceptively 
high. ³It might feel cool to you, but it is hard work for your horse.² Many riders took 
this to heart, but they had a real chance to pick up the pace when the storm came through 
during what would have normally been the hottest part of the day. 
Another theory on the slow times was that riders were pacing a conservative ride in 
hopes of finishing. Many horses who went slow in the beginning finished strongly, 
prompting Art King to say in the vet check at 95 miles, ³Gosh, a lot of these horses 
really look good.²
The treatment vets, Nancy Loving and Amy Worrell, didnıt have much to do...as Amy 
put it: ³We were busy, but not doing things that would draw crowds.² 
Even with 15 veterinarians, the staff was hard-pressed to keep everyone moving through 
the vet checks. Jeanne Waldron jumped in to help. Head vet Julie Bullock did a terrific 
job keeping the vet staff together. 
Kim Fuess had a great ride on Sharona, and made it all the way into McCoyıs Ford (88 
miles) before she ran out of time, as did many of the starters this year.
I was especially proud of fellow Marylander Bucky Spicer, riding her very first 100-mile 
endurance ride. Bucky is a long-time competitive trail rider in the ECTRA region and just 
decided to go for it. She rode a very steady ride and finished about 10 minutes before 
five, just under the limit. She stayed up the rest of the night to take care of her horse, 
Cayuga Vartan. I think Bucky proves that desire and determination are really the keys to 
success in our sport.
And speaking of Maryland, for a state with no sanctioned endurance rides, we did pretty 
well, finishing all but two of our entries. Linda Crandell of West River was first to 
finish, and other completers included Pat Taylor, Bob Walsh and Joanne Sowa. 
The awards ceremony on Sunday was, to say the least, memorable. Anybody else want 
to take a crack at that one (so to speak)??

OLD DOMINION 100-MILE RIDE June 13, 1998
49 starters, 25 finishers    Times are unofficial from my scribbled notes but give you a 
sense of how long it took and how bunched the horses were

Linda Crandell   LR Forgeym     Old Dominion Trophy   17:52
Dana Reeder   Wyle-A-Way Iris   17:56
Rita Swift   Cass   17:56
Brenda Baird  Shabazzy Flagstaff   17:56
Darolyn Butler   Albanet   BEST CONDITION   17:56
Lynne Gilbert   GM Chagall   17:56
Marilyn Horstmyer    Too Much Fire   18:31
Winkie Mackay-Smith   Al-Marah Mr. Gypsy  18:34
Katherine Shank    MAS Shanghaisbeau  19:15
Jane Ressler    EZDıs Challenger   19:15

Earle Baxter   Catch Me if you Can    20:06
Mike Cottenden   Traverston Cob    20:32
Johanna Blackmore   Gold Medal Stacato    20:37
Susan Ashenfelter   Isaac Newton   20:37
Cameron Holzer   Bronze Star   JUNIOR!!!  20:42
Vickie Holzer   Cassels Marcos  20:42
Pat Taylor   Shamıs Ameer  20:42
Rich Maxwell   Aris Dusty Shadow  20:42
Bob Walsh  Sakmor Houdini  20:46
Joanne Sowa   Curundu Aries  20:46
Lori Stewart   Karahtyıs Rocket Man  20:46
Bobbie Lieberman   Fine Print   20:46
Gail Fiebelman   Obyssion  20:51
Bucky Spicer  Cayuga Vartan  20:52
Myra Fleming  Pecan  20:53

OD Footnotes:
* Winkie Mackay-Smith was riding in her 14th Old Dominion. She won the very first 
OD back in 1974 riding Blackberry Jam. She won it again in 1978 on Silver. She 
finished top ten this year on a first-time 100-mile horse bred by Al-Marah Arabians.
* The last three winners of the OD rode it Cavalry  (solo). No Cavalry horses finished 
this year.
* The record for the OD is held by Jeanne Waldron -- TF Red Rambo in 11:57 in 
1993.The slowest winning time on the present course is held by John Crandell II in 1984 
in 20:49.
* Linda Crandellıs horse is a homebred -- sired by her stallion Bold Soldier out of (I 
think) a Rushcreek mare
* Other multiple winners of the OD include Matthew Mackay-Smith (1975, 1976 and 
1995) and Brian Weaver (1982 and 1985).