Michael Holmes (left) and Mike Hennessey at the Great Lakes Relay
It was a three-day, 270-mile relay race, from just west of Tawas and Lake Huron to Empire and the shores of Lake Michigan.

If the distance wasn't grueling enough, runners started at six each morning knowing remote roads and trails, sand, ruts and even stream crossings awaited them. The Great Lakes Relay course took (or kept) runners far from civilization in the northern Lower Peninsula. Daunting to be sure.

Now, run the relay blind - I mean literally, without vision. That's what Michael Holmes, 48, did July 15-17, with the help of guide runner Mike Hennessey. Holmes is a B-1 blind athlete, one completely blind, making out only shadows or silhouettes and requiring a guide runner for all running.

"It's a fantastic race. It was a great run," enthused the long-time runner. He and Hennessey were part of Wolfpack II, a team sponsored by Runnin' Gear, one of 70 in the relay. This was Holmes' first attempt at the GLR, but Hennessey reckons he's run "close to 12; I've lost count," he said.

They ran, like all 700 participants, two legs a day. Legs ranged from 5K to 10K, totaling just over 25 miles in three days.

"I think they (his teammates) picked easy legs for me," said Holmes.

"They gave us well-developed dirt roads and seasonal roads," said Hennessey. "Occasionally all they had were two tracks."

The two used what Holmes calls the "finger technique" to run. The guide runner forms a circle with his thumb and forefinger; the blind runner hooks his baby and ring fingers in the circle. They then coordinate strides, arm movements, etc.

Holmes prefers this technique to a tether and other methods. It gives him a greater feel for turns and prevents the guide runner from "pulling" him, which can lead to disqualification in races. The two Michaels have run together about five years, so the finger technique has become routine.

To prepare for the relay, the pair ran trails near Hennessey's home. They practiced running single-file, needed if the trails became too narrow for side-to-side running, "but we didn't need it," both said afterward with relief.

Holmes couldn't say enough about Hennessey. "Mike did a great job guiding me. He took the bad parts of our routes and let me have the good ones. We didn't fall once."

"Sometimes I took the deep sand (on the trails) and he ran on packed sand," conceded Hennessey. "All in all, we did very well."

"Friday," Holmes recounted, "was pretty easy. We were ready to go. On one of the hills I did ask, 'When is this going to end?'

"Day two was the toughest," he continued. "We woke up and thought, 'Aw, darn.'" He knew this day included his longest leg, a 10K, plus it was hot and humid. "We heard thunder Saturday, but there was no rain. 'If it's going to rain, let it rain now,' I said. But it never rained."

Sunday "was still humid, but not as hot in the morning. We ran in the morning. My legs didn't want to move, but we were running shorter distances. I was glad we didn't have to run in Empire later that afternoon. It got hot!

"A lot of people got lost, but we didn't," Holmes added.

"We made a few wrong turns, but only for a few minutes," said Hennessey. "Some runners got lost for hours."

Wolfpack II, like other teams, spent the nights in motels (in Atlanta Thursday and Friday, and in Grayling Saturday). Cars and vans dropped off and picked up runners from their legs. They brought water, sports drinks and gels, plus "sweet and salt foods." Holmes, according to Hennessey, "didn't eat much during the day - but boy, did he eat at night!"

Holmes loved the teamwork and camaraderie that are part of the Great Lakes Relay. "The team was helpful," he said. "They asked what I needed and were supportive. I loved the support that was out there, even from the other teams."

Hennessey enjoyed watching others react when he and Holmes ran by. "They'd come by and talk to him. The first day, the others said, 'What are you guys doing out here?' By the third day he was just one of the guys."

Meeting his goals also pleased Holmes. It was satisfying "to get to your destination where you knew your teammates were waiting." Often, he ran faster than he'd planned.

The one thing that wasn't so pleasant was the wake-up call. "We had to get up at 4:45 each morning," Holmes groaned. "We had to be out there, ready to run, before 6 a.m."

Holmes, who has completed six marathons and more than 100 other races since starting running 25 years ago, enjoyed the GLR. "It's a good endurance race and you've got to be in shape for it. It's hard, but I'd love to run it again," he said.

Ron Marinucci can be reached at ron_marinucci@comcast.net. MR