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Colorado County has been home to many extraordinary citizens who have done and achieved many unprecedented feats. The accomplishments from current-day residents or from those who called these towns home in their youth have left an impressive history amongst the small towns of Texas. In terms of athletic feats, there may be few in the county’s history that can boast the caliber of accomplishment that one Columbus woman secured at the turn of the new year. Katy Bell is a long-time marathon runner who had already done incredible things in the sport before signing herself up for the SnowDrop Ultra, a beast unlike anything she had done prior. The registered nurse, who celebrates her 50th birthday in the coming months, took on the 100-mile race that allows contestants up to 55 hours to complete. Through muddy terrain and a pain that developed early on, Kathy Bell battled on and accomplished what many would fail by finishing the race with plenty of time to spare.
The SnowDrop Ultra is a fundraiser run with a clear goal for its participants. All the proceeds go towards supporting pediatric cancer research and scholarships for survivors. Photos of those living with cancer or passed on due to the disease are used to motivate the runners and remind them of their reason for running. While a good cause was strong motivation for Bell, raising over $1000 for the event, her pride as a runner was also a source for motivation to finish any challenge in front of her.
Her preparation for this race started long before her actual training to prime herself for the imposing challenge. Rather, it began many years ago when she first took running to this level at her first marathon. What started out as just casual running to stay fit after the birth of her daughter turned into a desire to test her limits after a few years. She realized just how far her limits reached after finishing her first several marathons and often finishing well ahead of other runners of her age group. She decided to take her talents to the next level by hiring a running coach to help her prepare for a tryout to participate in the famous Boston Marathon. She qualified after just one year of training with the coach. Unfortunately, she would never get the chance to run at that marathon as the rise of the COVID pandemic in 2020 as well as the restrictions in 2021 prevented her from being able to participate. With no Boston Marathon to compete in, Bell searched for another challenge to test herself. This is when Bell catches wind of the SnowDrop Ultra, a Sugar Land-adjacent, multi-terrain beast that challenges even the most skilled runners.
The preparation for this race was intensive and grueling. Only one with as much grit as Bell would be able to handle the schedule required to stay primed for the event. While still dealing with a relatively young child, Bell signed up for coaching with a different trainer group and went on to have 5-6 months of extreme training. Because of her work schedule limitations, her days started as early as 3 am to give her an opportunity to run the many miles she clocked in nearly daily. She finished each week averaging somewhere between 30 and 60 miles per week to try to simulate the 100 miles she would have to attack in one sitting.
It was time for everything she had been preparing for to culminate into the big event. On Dec. 30 at 7 am., the runners convened to take on the daunting challenge. Bell began her run with great momentum, finding the pace she had worked on for months during her training regimen. Everything was going to plan for the twotime Boston marathon qualifier. However, it did not take long for Bell to deal with her first bout of adversity. At around mile six, a noticeable pain flared up in her right knee despite never having a prior history of knee pain while running. The terrain had become uneven due to heavy rain and caused added stress to the runners’ extremities. Not one to quit after setbacks, Bell trudged on through pain and swelling as the increased pressure on her knee accumulated as the race went on. Tylenol provided by the on-site medical tent allowed for some relief as Bell continued to battle, but there was no way to completely mask the pain as she continued to finish the final 94 miles in her challenge.
“I got to finish this. I’m going to have to finish it,” Bell said of her mindset following the setback.
Will powered Bell forward as she got back into a rhythm despite the additional di fficult ies. Bell’s day did not end until 2 am the following morning when she took a several hour break to get some sleep and recover her damaged knee after completing 70 miles. After a brief rest in her car, Bell returned to the course to power through the remainder of the 100-mile challenge. With the support of her husband, the medical tent and a knee brace, Bell kept moving with jogging and swift walking to keep pace through the increasing pain.
All the emotions of the past few days culminated into Bell’s final lap of the race. After running, jogging and walking for over 30 hours, she rang the ceremonial bell to mark a runner’s final lap and finished the race side-by-side with her young daughter to show her the importance of physical activity and grit to accomplish one’s goals. Her own words adequately sum up Bell’s overall feelings after completing the daunting task.
“It was a crazy experience,” Bell said, “It makes you feel like you can get through anything in life.”
Two weeks of rest immediately followed Bell’s final lap at the Snow-Drop Ultra to recover from the physical toll of such a demanding run. However, two weeks was just enough for Bell to get right back into her routine with a choice to make on her next goal. Maybe she will finally compete in the Boston Marathon next. Maybe she will do another Ultra race. Whatever she eventually decides, she will enter it knowing she has what it takes to battle and surpass her own limits.
