PART 2: “This is Auburn Dam Overlook Medic calling Dispatch: I need an ambulance at ADO. Runner # 17 is down; just revived from being briefly passed out and low blood pressure. I need an ambulance now! Mr. Harper, can you hear me?” -Recounted by Lynette Harper who got to Jason first and summonsed the Medic
The first person who met me after getting clipped at 7:20 PM was the Auburn Dam Overlook Medic. Someone must had told him, “There is a guy who looks like he is dying…lol”
“Mr. Harper, do you know where you are?” I thought dude, I just got my A*#* handed to me by the Rio Del Lago 100 Miler; I am at mile 44 and I just missed the cut off by 20 min. Trying to hold back the explicit words bouncing around my head, I simply and kindly said, “Of course I know where I am.”
At the beginning of every Ultra, Medics check your weight and heart rate. They also check your blood pressure. Prior to the race mine was 134/80. Sitting down having just gotten clipped for missing the time frame, ADO Medic took my blood pressure to compare to my starting pressure. Not so bad, 120/76. I was slightly dizzy and had anything been left in me, the nausea would have continued. Only minutes before emerging from the canyon, I had hurled everything up.
Growing up my dad always said, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” Knowing what the right thing to do in the middle of an endurance run is not my strong point. But reflecting today have replayed the fast and out of control downward spiral. Hindsight vision is 20/20. Looking back, what would have happened had I arrived 20+ minutes earlier, cleared the Check Point and headed back down Cardiac Hill?
Once the chip had been pulled and the Medic had finished his initial once over, the phone rang. On the other end was Jimmy Dean Freeman. A partner of purpose, Jimmy and I see the world the same, “the fastest way out is to finish.” His calm demeanor was asking if I thought I could get to Rattlesnake Bar in 150 minutes. Essentially, run 15 minute miles sounded easy but down Cardiac Hill and a through a series of grinder hills, it didn’t seem feasible given the fact that everything was unsettled in my gut and my vision was blurred.
With a long pause and feeling like I was letting down Jimmy, my running buddy, Michelle and The Crew, The Pacers, I said, “they cut my chip.” Jimmy was bummed for me. He knows I like to fight. Standing within earshot, the Medic said, “You have no option. You have no timing chip. You are here until you are ready to go home.”
Within seconds of hanging up from Jimmy, I said to my wife, “I am nauseous.” Remembering the details was merky. She pieced it together for me on the drive home.
After I hung up the phone with Jimmy, I said to her, “Something is not right.” Lynette said as my face went white, I continued to talk, speaking in complete gibberish. Simultaneously, I rambled incoherently and fell forward. More of a rolling motion from the seated position, Lynette quickly grabbed my falling body and I landed face up. Everything went black for me. Oddly, my eyelids were half open with my pupils pinned. Lynette and Erika, Pacer #1, were on each side of me. Both of them held my head off the ground. Lynette said she was yelling at me, “Jason, Jason can you hear me.” When I didn’t respond, she shifted to the Medic.
“Get the Medic, Get the Medic, he is not OK.” When I awakened, Lynette was looking at my eyes that eerily had stayed slightly opened and rolled back into my head.
“This is Auburn Dam Overlook Medic calling Dispatch: I need an ambulance at ADO. Runner # 17 is down; just revived from being briefly passed out and low blood pressure. I need an ambulance now! Mr Harper, can you hear me?”
-Recounted by Lynette Harper during the 12-16 seconds unconsciousness
When we arrived, he informed us Ambulance and the EMT’s were in route.
As I laid there, the word ambulance and hospital seemed like overkill. I am fine and I should be running 15’s to Rattlesnake. Let me go home. In all my life, I have never been carted off in an ambulance for any reason. But now seeing how dangerous severe dehydration can be, I’m a little paused. I am able to sit here and read the medical report from the Emergency Room.
In route to the hospital my Blood Pressure was 100/64; Low. My O2 Saturation level was 80. This means my blood only has 80% oxygen in the blood. Not good. Halfway to the hospital, I felt a pretty good turn. One hundred ML of IV had dripped in. Within a few minutes the new O2 reading was low 90’s. Getting wheeled into the ER was sketchy.
They did a full blood plate and urine analysis revealed that there was considerable muscle deterioration. Normal kidney secretion output is 1. Mine were in the high 2’s. Dialysis is called for at 5. The remedy is hydration. Nearly 500 ml of salt water through IV can change everything.
The doctor gave me a choice. Stay the night for continued observation or go home.
Near midnight, I was headed home, exhausted, and left to mull over two lasting thoughts.
1. My friends were still running and I was not.
Even though my run was over, Stan who I had started my day running with and was shooting for the same 24 hour goal was still getting it done. Greg Bomhoff was seeking to defend his title (he broke his former winning time by more than an hour an won!), Ray Sanchez, Kenny McKee, and Gordy Ainsleigh were all still running and I was out. They were doing incredible and I still shared in the sweet taste of their success.
Life Lesson: Celebrate Others Regardless of Your Outcome!
2. What if I had headed out, down Cardiac Hill, and then passed out…
The fact that Cardiac is so steep, it would have been dark and the Medic’s Quad Runner could not have gotten to me. This would have been horrible. Add to it, Erika would have been without a cell, in the dark, deciding to leave me unconscious or take off back up Cardiac to get help.
Life Lesson: My Personal Pursuit Should Not Create High Risk Events For Others.
3. Sometimes, “discretion of others is better than personal valor.”
In life, go full tilt. But don’t be stupid. Honoring the Cut-Off Time, may have saved my life. It will take a while to wade through both thoughts.
Life Lesson: My dad was right, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”
4. Failure is not final.
Like playing two-square on the play ground, sometimes you got to demand a ‘do-over.’
Life Lesson: Assess. Adjust. Attack.
For those connected to Be Change |
Stan, Ray, and Ken: Thanks for representing Be Change so strong. Josh, your next!
Gordy, your subtle smile as you passed me at the top of Cardiac was one of the best moments of the day for me.
Greg, Wow! Honored to run in your circles and on your trails.. The best is yet to come for you and Go the Distance. Thank you for reaching my way last year.
To the Pacers: Stay in queue. I’m calling on you for the next one.
To the Crew: Thank you for being there. You got to see the highs and LOWS and you loved me through it.
Rhonda P: I didn’t have the words to explain the why, but you captured the essences of WHAT! Thank you for being with us.
Today, I reflect and I am sure to see the fog fade. Simply writing about it soothes my soul. In the mean time, Be the Change in the world you want to see.
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