Marji Gesick – 2023 Support Crew/SAG Edition - By Caylene Holmes

All the athletes who attempt/complete the Marji Gesick are remarkable. The people who support these athletes are equally impressive. A lot goes into being a support crew member, and I often wonder if people know what it’s like. I have never considered posting anything like this, but this was the most complex and detailed SAG I have ever done.

Support Crew/SAG Experience

• 2017
• TRI-State 200
• Waterloo Gravel 107
• Mohican Trippple
• 2018
• RAIN (Ride Across Indiana)
• ODRAM (One Day Ride Across Michigan)
• 2019
• Michigan Coast-to-Coast
• 2020
• CrusherEX – (One Stop at L’ance)
• 2 Local MTB 100-mile Rides
• 2021
• Marji Gesick (100-Mile MTB)
• 2023
• Marji Gesick (100-Mile Run)

With all the above experiences, I know how my husband likes his stops and what to do. When he asks me to be somewhere with items, I know that it is crucial that I am there waiting for him. On my very first SAG with the Tri-State 200, I was not at the first stop. I had plugged the wrong stop in on the map and was not where everyone was expecting me to be when everyone was expecting me to be there. This caused them to wait for me to get there, delaying their progress substantially. I never have done that again! Often, I think that people might perceive me as antisocial in these situations. However, I know that if I’m not where I told him I would be, there is a possibility that I will miss him, and he will be without critical supplies. We did have one mishap on the 2021 Marji where we did not scout the stops, and I was parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot and unable to get to him due to a route/elevation difference. We learned our lesson with that one!

This is my 2023 Marji Gesick Experience:

Wednesday 9/13:

I was up at 6:45 a.m. for the 8-hour drive to the campground to start this crazy adventure. Went to bed at 10:36 p.m.

Thursday 9/14:

Woke up at 7:38 a.m., worked for about an hour, and then we were off to scout our SAG stops. We started at the start line and drove around to every stop that my husband had initially planned all the way through to the finish. While we did this, I took notes as to what he expected he would want so that I could have it ready as well as where I needed to be with said items if not at the truck. There were several locations that I had to pin in maps as the original locations mapped out weren’t quite right, or there wasn’t a safe place for me to park and wait. We had 15 SAG stops, not counting start and finish lines. After scouting all the stops, we decided not to have me go to the first stop due to a lack of cell service, so we had 14 total stops. After all the notes were completed and I had all my stops plotted out on the map, we headed back to the campground. I worked for several hours there and relaxed until bedtime because tomorrow was…Go time! I decided to take extra melatonin to fall asleep early and get great sleep because we were about to be up for a while! Went to bed at 9:30 p.m.

Friday 9/15:

Woke up at 2:38 a.m. due to a wind storm. The wind was blowing hard, relentlessly shaking and banging our awning. I heard this through earplugs, and my husband slept through it like nothing was happening. I knew how important it was for him to get good sleep and I wanted him to be well rested before he ran for hours, so I climbed out of bed and went outside and put the awning up. This is usually a two-person job, but I managed to get it done with a little struggle which resulted in hurting my hand.

Pic of the awning:

With a hurting hand and all the excitement going on, I was awake. I played on my phone in bed and eventually got up and had breakfast while I waited for my husband to crawl out of bed. When he gets up, we get ready and head to the start line. See his blog for his race day perspective: Marji Gesick Run. I didn’t realize that the bike start was only a half mile, and I was heading to the end of the bike portion to let Chris Marquardt know that I was heading to the other side of the start line to get a photo of my husband running through the start. The next thing I knew, my husband was the first bike through the finish, barreling at me so he could hop off and start running. He did start running away with his helmet on when Josh began to yell “helmet” at him. Suddenly, the helmet is off and rolling at me like a bowling ball, and he’s off… (Total Time: 00:00:00)

Before he started the race, I told him I would take as many photos as possible when he was running up to the stops and that I wanted to get a picture of his watch at every stop. Then, after seeing him, I would take a few minutes to upload all the photos and a mini update to Facebook. I wanted to ensure he had enough pictures and information from each stop to help him write his blog about the run later.
Since we skipped going to the first original planned stop, I just sat at the start line, waiting for him to return, as this was our new first SAG stop. 

Stop 1 - Now, one thing I will say was a blessing on this adventure was that I could track him fairly consistently. This first section, however, was a little rough since there was no cell service, so I couldn’t track him until he got closer. I collected his requested items and met him at our predetermined spot. He was looking good! I updated Facebook, and I was off to the next stop. (02:50:33)

Stop 2 – He was looking good still. He told me he had fallen but didn’t look to beat up. I was parked next to the trail, so I ensured he had what he wanted/needed to refuel and get back out there. (05:29:17)

Stop 3 – He looked a little rough. He had fallen an additional two times, and had given himself some bonus miles. His spirits did seem to brighten when he saw the whole gang at this stop. He had some dried blood on his knee but didn’t seem concerned. He refueled and got back out there. (08:17:41)

Stop 4 – So, this stop was essentially at the campground. It was misting and cold out there, and I had to walk to where he would be crossing, about a 5-minute walk from the camper. Although I could track him, I didn’t want to miss him if it wasn’t working correctly, so I walked over to where he wanted me to be and sat in the chair with my umbrella, waiting for him. He then called me, told me that his watch wasn’t charging correctly, and asked me to bring a different cord from the camper. So off I went, walking back to the camper. I left everything there so he could sit, just in case he made it before I returned. I got the requested items and heading back. Josh and Sarah walked with me so they could see him, too. When he arrived, he refueled, and Josh, Sarah, and I cleaned up his knee the best we could, and he was off. By this time, MANY people were cheering him on on Facebook. (11:21:40)

Stop 5 – At this stop, he informed me that he was tired and looked particularly worn out. He informed me that he had walked most of this section and was thinking about maybe taking a small nap at some point to help with his fatigue. I told him to do whatever he needed to do to finish. He thought the Jackson Park stop would be a good place to nap but wanted to wait and reassess the situation when he arrived. (14:08:50)

Stop 6 – Due to how he looked at the previous stop and the fact that he mentioned possibly taking a nap, I started looking around this area to see if there was a quiet, dark spot where we could stop. I did find one right around the corner (within walking distance) from this stop. When he showed up, he had told me that he had gotten sick and that he didn’t want to sit or anything. He just wanted to get to Jackson Park. I told him I found a place and pointed it out, and he said no, he wanted to at least get to Jackson Park before stopping and then got back to it. He had 5 miles to Jackson Park. I decided that because he had gotten sick that I would be nice and get him some mouth wash from a gas station so he didn't have to finish his run with that grossness in his mouth. (15:45:33)

Saturday 9/16

Stop 7 – At 1:14 a.m., he strolled into Jackson Park. To say he looked rough would be an understatement. He had decided to take a little nap to recover a little bit so that he could finish the race in the morning. He asked if I would be able to take a nap...Keep in mind that I have been awake for 22 hours and 36 minutes at this point. I told him that I would do my best. Little did I know that this would be a MASSIVE challenge. (17:12:58) By the time I fell “asleep,” it was 2:15 a.m. I felt every time my husband moved around in the truck bed. As other races came in, their support teams were cheering them on and helping them refuel so they could keep going. It was 3:53 a.m. when I felt my husband moving around again, and when I looked into the truck bed, I saw that he was getting up and getting ready to get out. I hopped out of the truck to ensure he was okay and see what was happening. Apparently, he had gotten enough rest to get back at it and asked me if I was okay to drive to the next stop. My watch showed I had gotten 1 hour and 28 minutes of sleep, so a little cat nap, if you will. I told him that I would be fine and that I would stop and get myself some energy drinks to help me stay alert. At 4:21 a.m., he was off again.

Stop 8 – When he arrived, I asked him how he was doing, and he responded, “I’m alive.” I suppose that is definitely better than being dead, lol. Got him refueled, and he was off again. (23:55:46)

Stop 9 – This stop was a little interesting. When he got to this stop, he informed me that he really, really wanted Little Caesars pizza at the next stop…if it was possible. If not, if I could get him something like a hot ham and cheese sub at Subway, that would be fine, too. Anyone who knows my husband knows that pizza is not something that he requests…ever. I googled it and found that Little Caesars didn’t open until 11 a.m., and it was 10:30 a.m. I told him I would wait around and get him pizza, and it would be at his next stop. He seemed very excited to hear that news. He changed into his “Do Epic Shit” socks and was on his way. I thought the socks were extremely fitting for the occasion. (26:12:34)

Stop Pizza  –I got online and ordered 2 large pizzas and a crazy bread right as Little Caesars opened. 20 minutes later, I picked up the pizza and went to the next stop.

Stop 10 –  Jackson Park 2. This stop had me absolutely panicking. Yes, I managed to get the requested pizza and was ready to wait where he told me only…I couldn’t. We have a LARGE truck, so it is extremely hard to find parking that the truck would fit into, and Jackson Park was utterly packed. So, here I am, driving around town trying to find a parking stop, and I just couldn’t. So I pulled up the map and saw a parking lot on the opposite side of where I was supposed to be parked. As I drove there, I saw a spot to park right by an area taped off for the race. I parked there and pulled up his map, and it appeared that he would run by this spot (not even 100 feet away from the truck)…but what if that is wrong? What if that is not where he comes through, and it’s somewhere else…TOTAL PANIC MODE. So I hopped out of the truck and walked around to where all the people were standing, and I asked this lady if this is where the runners come through, and she looked at me like I was stupid…as there are only cyclists coming through at the moment. I told her that my husband was running 100 miles, and she said, "Oh yeah, I think I saw one go by earlier. But, I’m not sure.” So I walked back to the truck and waited. Freaking out that A. I’m not where I said I would be, and B. I would have to call my husband and tell him there was a change of plans. I decided to wait to call and eat some breadsticks and pizza. I saw a runner pass right in front of me…I went to the website to check and see if the person passed the checkpoint, and BOOM, there it was! My husband will pass right in front of me. I relaxed substantially, but I still had to call him. My watch decided that it had had enough and needed to be charged, so I pulled my charger out, plugged it in, and then it jumped out of my hand and landed right into the tiny cup of butter garlic dip. UGH! I get it out, clean it off the best I can (it still smells like the dip), and charge my watch. Well, that’s enough dip for the day. I tracked my husband and saw that he just added some additional bonus miles to his run, so I thought now was as good a time as any to call him and tell him of the change. Gave him a call, and he sounded a little worried that he wouldn’t be able to find me and that it would be a long walk to the truck. I told him I would be right by the trail as he came by and would direct him. Needless to say, when he came through, I was able to get him, and the relief on his face when he saw how close the truck was was priceless. He sat down, ate pizza, refilled everything, and went back out. (29:32:07)

Stop 11 – At this stop, my husband hit 100 miles! I am so proud of him. He is pushing through like a champ, and while the race is 107 miles, he’s not that close to the finish. Stupid bonus miles. I don’t care what anyone says. Bonus miles are not good, lol. Got him a battery pack for his watch, fueled up, and on his way. (31:43:30)

Stop 12 – Super quick stop. I grabbed the battery pack, and he kept going…he looked, meh. (32:48:34)

Stop 13 – What the hell…where did he come from…he just snuck up on me out of nowhere. I scrambled to get everything organized for him. Got him organized and situated and on his way. The one time I get sucked into Facebook Reels, instead of stalking him on the tracker, he sneaks up on me. This was the only stop I wasn’t fully prepared for him. But I pulled it together and got him on his way without delay. (33:25:36)

Driving to Stop 14 - (I would like to preface this by saying after spinning off the road after hitting a patch of black ice and getting rear-ended, I have massive anxiety when driving in some situations…this is one of those situations.) So stops 11-13 were on what they call Suicide Bowl, and when I tell you there were people and vehicles everywhere…that is probably an understatement. Anywho, I roll my window down, put the mirrors in, and start driving down this road with vehicles parked on both sides and people, kids, runners, cyclists, and vehicles moving all around me. I’m going at a snail's pace. I don’t want to hurt anyone or mess up the truck by getting into an accident, in turn, preventing me from getting to the next stop. As I come around this corner, a cyclist stops off the front driver's side of the truck and then yells at me to stop. So, of course, I stop, and suddenly, a cyclist comes flying like a bat out of hell down a hill and across the road…I could have killed him…probably not cause I was going like 3 mph…but still, I could have hurt him. So, my snail’s pace becomes even slower, if that’s possible, which it is. I’m pretty sure the speedometer said 0, and I was inching down the road. So I get down the road a little farther, and there are vehicles lined up one right after another parked on the left side of the road, and there is a red truck stopped in the middle of the road in front of me and isn’t moving, so I stop. Again, I have a large truck and don’t want to hit anyone. So the woman finally moves up as a woman next to my truck yells that there is a parking spot right there. So, she comes up and parks, and I start inching forward. Children and people are walking all around when suddenly…I’m getting screamed at. There are two older women “directing traffic,” if that’s what you want to call it. They were flailing their arms like the wacky waving inflatable tube man and screaming at me, telling me to “hurry up” and “drive faster.” I’m sorry, are you going to pay the bills and deal with the lawsuits if I hit someone because you told me to do those things?!? I think not… So my inching snail's pace moved to about 5 mph, which I honestly believe just pissed the women off even more because the flailing got crazier, and the screaming got louder. So I endured the screaming, flailing, and crazy-eyed looks I received from them and drove right along. Once I passed them, I saw a gentleman in his truck going in the opposite direction; his window was down, and he was laughing out loud. I told him he better be careful because they would yell at him next, and he laughed harder. In all my years of dealing with cyclists, runners, and support crews, I have found most of them quite pleasant, but those ladies were a bit extreme if you ask me.

Truck to maneuver:

Stop 14 – This is it…the last SAG stop before the finish! So the hubby came in, ate another slice of pizza, downed an energy drink, and was off for the last two miles of the course…next stop, the finish line! (37:17:07)

Finish Line – This was it…here we are, waiting at the finish line, and suddenly, I hear the announcer yelling that a 100-mile runner is coming in after being out there for 37 hours. She pumped the crowd up, and everyone screamed and clapped for him as he crossed the finish line. It’s now 9:54 p.m., and he is crossing that finish line. The excitement, joy, and exhaustion on his face were epic. He got his finisher tokens, went and put his green dot on the board, saw Josh cross the finish line for the 100-mile MTB, and then, sadly, had to walk about a half mile back to the truck. (37:53:12)

We made it back to the camper, and he went to take a shower…he left his phone in the camper, and I was beginning to worry about him because he had been gone a good hot minute. I went out to see how he was doing and he was hobbling back to the camper. He ate some more pizza and then laid down for bed.

Sunday 9/17

It’s 12:01 a.m., and I am finally going to bed… I have been awake (minus my cat nap) for 43 hours and 55 minutes. I am exhausted and ready to sleep for a month. But I don’t. I wake up at 9:05 a.m. thinking my husband is in the bathroom. I lay there waiting only to realize I’m not hearing any noise…so I think he’s in the back of the camper. I get up and look, and his bike is back there, but he is not, so I look for his location, and he’s out in the middle of nowhere (on the trail.) I poked my head out of the camper, and Stacy was standing there, and my question to her was, “Where the hell is my husband?” She informs me that Rod lost his watch on the trail, and Chris went there to help him find it. So, even after running/ walking for almost 38 hours, he went out there and tried to help his friend find his missing watch. (Rod did get his watch back.)

How Do I Do It?

I had a friend ask me around hour 40 when I get to sleep and how I can do it, and my answer was this. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that my husband is successful in his goal of completing this run. If that means I don’t get to sleep, then I don’t get to sleep. Me, how I was doing, and my sleep was the last thing on my mind. My main concern was ensuring that my husband had the love and support he needed to be successful. Also, I did NOT want to do this again. Many (including myself) would call my husband psycho, crazy, or a bit much. But he’s my psycho and my crazy. I try to help support him as much as I can.

I see above that I seem to have failed him in 2022, but there was only one ride (Marji) that I didn’t support, and I don’t remember why I couldn’t go. He comes up with big plans and dreams, and I’m along for the ride. What did I do other than drive to the stops and wait? I stalked him OFTEN like almost the entire time except when those Facebook reels sucked me in. I did a little crocheting. I posted every stop to Facebook with pictures and made sure I reacted to (hopefully) every comment and responded if there were questions. What will the next big adventure be? I’m not sure, but I do know that the hubby has already booked the campsite for Marji 2024 (MTB not Running…he says he’s not a runner anymore, lol)