Six weeks after we completed New Jersey, we began preparing for our 6th and final state run of 2022 in Cotter, Arkansas. What a year it had been! We were not certain at the outset if planning 6 races in one year would be smart, but we were on a roll with the finish line in sight. We first scheduled White River Half in 2020, but COVID stole the show that year, and the following year I had knee surgery, so 2022 was finally the year we could get it done.

Selecting a race in Arkansas had not been without challenges. Arkansas abounds with hardcore ultras, but there are very few half marathons that meet our criteria. We chose White River Marathon for Kenya as a race that supports a worthy cause; in addition, the course is advertised as fast and flat and we thought the weather would be temperate! WRM has raised tens of thousands of dollars over the last 14 years for the village of Katito, Kenya, providing potable water wells, clothing and a host of other necessities, plus mother and child services working in conjunction with World Vision. In addition, WRM partners with Eco Sneakers to reuse, renew, and recycle running shoes. All of this is even more impressive when you consider that Cotter has a population of 970 with an average yearly income of $29,423. The race is very well supported by the local people of Cotter and the surrounding towns of Gassville and Mountain Home. It turned out to be one of the most organized races we have done.

Travel to Cotter, Arkansas wasn’t simple. The crew for this race was Melodie, Laurie and me. I had it easy, but both Laurie and Melodie had to fly into Phoenix first, then fly Allegiant out of Mesa the next morning, which added days to their travel. However, flying was not what was on our minds as we headed to the airport Thursday morning. Weather predictions for the weekend had steadily dropped over the last couple weeks and we were looking at temperatures 20 degrees colder than normal! Even for seasoned travelers and runners, this is not a happy state of affairs and caused us to cram our suitcases full of warm clothes.

The flight was relatively short, but once we arrived at the Springfield-Branson Airport, we had another 124 miles to go. The drive through the Missouri and Arkansas countryside showcased the fact that winter had indeed arrived. Most of the drive was in Missouri as Cotter is very close to the border.

We stopped in a little town called Winfield to grab a bite to eat. Despite its less than prepossessing appearance, Wingo’s Cafe provided a delicious lunch, much to our surprise. We found this to be the case throughout the little towns of northcentral Arkansas. Food was both inexpensive and tasty.

While searching for lodging for this trip, I discovered that Cotter’s claim to fame is White River fishing, reportedly some of the best trout and bass fishing in the country. What that meant is that fishing lodges abound, but there are very few AirBnB’s in the nearby area. We decided to stay in a hotel instead and reserved a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Mountain Home which was about 12 miles away from the race start. The room was cozy, but sufficient, once we figured out how to operate the heat so we didn’t either freeze or cook.

The temperature ruled much of our conversation throughout this trip. As we chatted about what to do for our sightseeing day, we were not hopeful of finding anything interesting enough to stand out in the bitter cold for hours. However, a website search pulled up a local attraction called Bull Shoals Caverns and Mountain Home Village 1890, a historic re-creation of an Ozark settlement. The Caverns boasted a steady temperature of 59, which at this point sounded positively balmy. Satisfied we had a plan for the next day, we grabbed dinner and settled in for the night.

As anyone who enjoys good coffee knows, hotel coffee doesn’t make the cut. Although Holiday Inn works hard to provide coffee and breakfast for their customers, we headed out in search of different fare. We found a charming little coffee shop called Cove Coffee and got our day started.

We returned to the hotel and worked for a couple hours as the cave tours didn’t start until later in the day and we were hopeful that it might warm up a little.

We headed over to Bull Shoals around 11:00 am and bought our tickets for a personalized cave tour; there were just the 3 of us and one very talkative, hillbilly guide: a name he called himself. While we were waiting for the tour to start, we toured the village, determined to experience what we could despite frozen fingers and toes. The village is a tribute to the hardy men and women who followed the trails into the Ozarks from the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. Most of the buildings were original structures that had been disassembled and moved to Bull Shoals where they are now preserved and cared for by the local Chamber of Commerce.

The wind finally drove us inside the gift shop where we met our guide for the cave tour. He directed us outside once more where we grabbed a couple photos of the start.

The tour started with a steep downhill descent to the entrance of the cave. We actually appreciated the exercise both down and up as it warmed us up.

The tour was 45 minutes long and we enjoyed every minute for multiple reasons. The caves were fascinating and our guide did a great job describing cave formations and sharing the colorful history. It is hard to wrap your mind around the fact that these caverns are estimated to be 350,000,000 years old. Almost every known formation found in caverns throughout the United States can be found in Bull Shoals Caverns. The caves have served many purposes throughout the years; early settlers used the caves as a refrigerator, Confederate soldiers used the cavern for harvesting saltpeter, and in the middle 1900’s, moonshiners utilized the cavern as a hideout for their stills during prohibition. It was opened to the public in 1958.

Next stop on the agenda was a late lunch at the Cotter Bridge Market, and then over to packet pickup to pickup our swag and get instructions for race day. We attempted to drive the area in order to check out the race course, but the map was sketchy so we gave up and decided to trust the race monitors to show us the way.

We had one more meal to squeeze in that day, so dinner ended up being very late. Laurie’s job was to pick out the restaurants and she did an awesome job with Brick Oven Pizza. It was definitely my favorite meal of the trip, including some forbidden desert pizza.

Saturday morning dawned a couple degrees warmer than we expected at 23, so for that we were grateful. We wolfed down our race breakfast of yogurt, granola and berries at 6:00 am and headed over to Cotter for a 7:00 am race start. We were allowed to stay in the Cotter High School cafeteria for the minutes before race start, for which we were very grateful. Standing around in 23 degrees with a bitter wind is not anyone’s idea of fun!

And we were off. The amazing thing is that eventually I quit worrying about the cold, all the extra stuff I was hauling, and just embraced the moment. After the first mile or two, the cold wasn’t nearly as intense, at which point I was desperately wishing I had not put on so many layers! Thanks to Melodie and Laurie, we have race course pictures. My hands were both cold and full of stuff, so pulling my phone out to take pictures didn’t happen. It was without doubt a winter scene, but there was beauty to be found and much to be grateful for.

And as per our favorite quote, “It will start, and it will end.” Melodie came flying across the finish line first, then yours truly, and shortly after, Laurie. All of us exceeded our expectations and were so grateful to finish with a smile, standing tall, and not completely frozen. It was simply too cold to stand around and take pictures, so we grabbed one shot and headed to the shuttles for Cotter High School.

We hung around for the Awards Ceremony and to take a few “warm” pictures. Both Melodie and I placed first in our age groups and got called to the podium to accept an additional medal. The director handed me a mike and quizzed me about why we were there. I think that’s what happens when you are 70 and the ranks are pretty thin. It was a bit embarrassing for someone who does not like the spotlight, but on the other hand, special to share and have everyone be so supportive. Both Melodie and I reflected later that as we hit mile 12, emotions were running high. It’s hard to articulate what it means to be at this place, at this time, and almost finished.

It is always special to travel with my daughter. She had to miss New Jersey because of COVID, so we were very happy she decided to join us. I was afraid she got the raw end of the deal trading Clinton, New Jersey for Cotter, Arkansas, but she didn’t complain!

Here’s a threesome selfie to finish it off.

Someone among us was very hungry post-race, so we passed up the usual shower first agenda, and headed out for lunch. We found a sandwich spot called 9th Street Grill which served great food, but was housed in a drafty renovated cabin. The kind waitress moved us over in front of a heater, and the meal was saved.

A conversation with hotel management when we arrived had promised us use of the hot tub in the adjoining hotel which was co-owned by Holiday Inn. We took them up on their offer and spent the next delightful 30 minutes soaking our tired muscles and warming up our cold bones. It was worth the effort to cross the street in the blustering wind!

We had one more meal to squeeze in and decided to try a local Mexican restaurant which everyone raved about. It was packed with people and large groups so service was a bit slow, but the chips and salsa hit the spot!

Next morning we checked out of our hotel, and hit the road for the 124 mile drive back to Springfield-Branson Airport. It was an uneventful drive and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to board the plane for Mesa. At Mesa, Scott picked us up and made a flying drive to drop Melodie off at Sky Harbor so she could get home early enough to prepare for a very busy week.

The bar was set pretty low for Arkansas, but I should never forget that these races always provide special moments. Hanging out with two of my best friends, pushing our limits, and learning something new always comes back roses, even if it is the week before Thanksgiving and the temperature is bitter cold. Every state leaves you with a special memory. For Arkansas, it was the friendly, kind, and helpful people. We received top notch customer service everywhere we went. People treated you like family. It was heartwarming. The world needs more kindness.

Next up, Washington, IA in April. We can see the finish line! Thanks to all who have come this far with us.