'Sleep monster' catches up to Barger in 200-mile attempt

The first known attempt at a "double Western States" endurance run was met with triple-digit heat, charging bears and the unavoidable "sleep monster." Auburn resident Dan Barger, who turns 55 on Saturday, made the attempt at completing a 200-mile ultra run along the Western States Endurance Trail on Friday morning. Battling myriad obstacles with 15-20 crew members to help monitor, hydrate and refuel, Barger completed better than 60% of his goal before deciding to shut it down around the 125-mile mark near Duncan Canyon. "What an experience," said Barger on Sunday afternoon, about 22 hours after calling it quits. "At that point, I just said that I'll leave this for another day. It's unfinished business." Western States Race Director Craig Thornley said he had an unplanned visit with Barger when he reached Lyon Ridge on his return trip – about 110 miles in. "I thought it was an incredible effort," said Thornley, who adamantly discourages running the WSER trail solo. "This experience probably taught him a lot. He's been running 100-milers for a long time, but this was going into a different space for him because of the sleep deprivation. I think that surprised him." Beginning the trek at 5 a.m. Friday from LeFebvre Stadium at Placer High School, Barger became the third person this year to start the course in reverse, joining Auburn's Rob Myers and Tahoe City's Adam Kimble. Barger's first challenge was dealing with a free-flowing middle fork of the American River. Taking time to acclimate his body to the cold river temperature, Barger swam across and continued on toward Foresthill, where he encountered a furry fright. "I got charged by a bear," Barger said. Around Dardanelles Creek, Barger turned around a bend and spooked what he thought to be a young 400-pound brown bear, who instinctively charged forward. "I was screaming at him to stop," Barger said. "It was very vivid. His front paws flapping, eyes looked scared, snarling, growling. About 10 feet before he got to me, he bailed off trail to my left. Of course, that got my adrenaline going." Barger was happy to come out unscathed and receive a decent breeze while elevating more than 2,000 feet in triple-digit midday heat from El Dorado to Devil's Thumb. "When you're going up against that west-facing slope between 2 and 5 p.m., the sun just cooks your noodle," Barger said. Around Mile 70 at Robinson Flat is when doubt began creeping into Barger's thoughts. In a normal WSER race, the 30 miles between the Squaw Valley starting point and Robinson Flat are easier to deal with for fresh runners. But in reverse, going uphill and after already logging 70 miles, Barger said it was a different story. "I started getting the sleep monster," he said. "It was a product of my feet not doing what I told them to do. I started to kick more rocks. I wanted to put my foot here, but it went slightly left, even though I was just walking. I thought to myself, 'I think we're done.' " Barger decided to get some sleep at Red Star Ridge around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, about 85 miles in. He woke up around 6 a.m. feeling like he could continue. He finished the first 100 miles in Squaw Valley around 11:30 a.m. and turned around for the improbable trip back to Auburn. "He was definitely struggling mentally with whether he was gonna make it to Auburn," said Thornley. "It wasn't so much 'I'll see you back in Auburn,' but more of 'I hope to see you in Auburn.' " Barger fought fatigue and the sleep monster from Red Star to the Duncan Canyon aid station before finally deciding to end his journey at 125 miles around 6 p.m. Saturday. "It was like being a walking bobblehead," said Barger, describing the onset of sleep deprivation. "Your eyeballs are darting back and forth every nanosecond to determine where your feet are going. One thing just led to another." Barger said it was an empowering feeling to see his progress throughout the course. If the situation is right, he plans to re-attempt the 200 again in the cooler month of October with a more efficient gameplan. "The primary thing would be to self-initiate a sleep time and location," Barger said. "Mentally turning my mind off so my eyes are not going a million places every microsecond. "I have a few more tools in my tool box for next time."