Our friend Hawaiian Shirt Ray wanted to share another race story with us.  Thanks Ray!

I would like the thank Alec Muthig, Josh Fuller, Nate, Josh Artery, Ted, the entire Twin Mountain Trudge Crew who stayed late into the night until I was safe and Search & Rescue.  Without all of your help my Epic adventure could have had a very sad ending.

The 2011 Twin Mountain Trudge Turns Epic

Epic is the term that mountain climbers use when they talk about a climb that went wrong.  The party got lost, gear was dropped, days being snowbound in a tent, destroyed camps, or even death.  This year’s Twin Mountain Trudge turned into an epic day for me and all involved in the race.  Just like on a good climbing day, everything starts out fine and then slowly the situation begins to deteriorate.  Some epic tales have a good ending while others do not.  When things start to go bad and the situation begins to become dire, will you be ready to survive?

I am writing about my epic Twin Mountain Trudge because I want to share my experience with you so you can also be prepared for when things turn epic.  I am very experienced in mountaineering, back country adventures, and ultra racing.  Through the years I have never had any of my adventures turn epic, but I am always prepared just in case they do.  And I sure did not think that the Twin Mountain Trudge would have turned into my first Epic adventure.  Take for instance that I always carry a full first-aid kit with me when I hike.  I have been lucky and in over 15 years of hiking in the Colorado Rockies and elsewhere I have never used it.  Does that mean that I should stop taking it?  Of course not.

The Twin Mountain Trudge (aka The Trudge)

This was my second year running the Twin Mountain Trudge.  The Trudge has an 11 mile race and a 22 mile race which is two of the 11 mile laps.  Here is a quote from Alec Muthig’s email about this year’s race:  “The conditions this year could very well prove to be the worst we’ve seen for this race…I NEED to stress that this is an “adventure” event and not a typical trail run.  You need to try to be self sufficient.  We will have a minimal aid station on the course, but you should carry enough for a long, tough outing.  My guess is that the fastest single loop will be around 2.5 hours, with the others being out for over 5 hours…yes, for the single loop.  Please be prepared to be out that long and please plan on emergency situations.  If you get injured it will be quite a bit of time before we can get in a pull you out on a sled.  Will you be able to not go hypothermic in the time it takes us to get to you?  While only 11-12 miles, this truly a backcountry adventure.  Please be prepared.”

This is a serious adventure event and should not be taken lightly.  It is in Wyoming in the middle of winter through tough and challenging terrain.  This year I once again signed up for the 22 mile race and I know firsthand from last year’s race that Alec is 100 percent serious about the conditions and the need to be properly prepared.  This year my preparedness was put to the test…Read More to find out how.

In the past week I have received an email from two different races promoting their new VIP sections, Publix Georgia Marathon (formerly the ING Georgia Marathon) and the P.F. Chang’s Rock N’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon.  At first I thought this was a good way for races to increase revenue, but then I began to think is it really necessary?  Aren’t we all runners and deserve the same amenities on race day?  Everyone runs the same distance and endures the same amount of pain after a race.  That’s what makes runners such a tightly connected group.  Why would a race want to break up the comradery of runners?  Why wouldn’t the race just improve its overall experience for all runners and attract more participants rather than charge more for a more comfortable race?  Maybe it’s because the race logistically sucks.  Read my race recap of the 2009 ING Georgia Marathon to see what I mean.  I know I’d probably be willing to pay for the VIP at this race, but that doesn’t make it right.

Here’s what you really get for the $75 VIP charge:

• Express Packet Pick-up Line at the Expo: This race requires everyone to go to the Expo to pick up their race number.  Why?  Because they want you to buy products from the vendor booths they charge to be there.  If they would just mail race numbers instead of forcing runners to attend the Expo, then there wouldn’t be a need for express packet pick-up.
• Reserved Race Day Parking Next to Centennial Olympic Park: If you read my race recap, I was late being dropped off to the race because of the traffic.  Then after the race I had to walk a mile back to my ride’s car because that was the closest he was able to park.  However, I don’t blame the race organizers on this, more so Atlanta’s horrible mass transit system.  There is a subway station at the start/finish which should alleviate traffic, but the problem is that the subway stations are not very convenient to where most people live and are coming from.
• Private Restrooms: I would pay good money for this; however, shouldn’t the race organizers already have enough restrooms available?  All it takes is ordering more port-a-lets.  Its easy to estimate how many people will need to use the restroom, it’s exactly the same as the number of participants.
• Private Gear Check: The gear check before was just a tent to put bags under.  Anyone could have taken your bag or stuff so the rule of thumb here is to not bring anything you don’t want possibly stolen.  So unless you are carrying your sweaty socks and underwear in a Gucci bag then this isn’t necessary.
• Pre-race Continental Breakfast: Who eats right before they run a race?  I guess you could show up to the race 3 hours early, but then you wouldn’t need the reserved VIP race day parking space…
• Free Post Race Massages: Wasn’t this always free?  Race organizers don’t even pay for this service, massage therapist do it for free to promote their business.  Just contact more massage therapist in the area so there isn’t a long wait.
• Post Race Buffet: Isn’t Publix the headlining sponsor?  Shouldn’t this be free anyway?
• Printable Results Available Immediately Post Race: How about automating posting results online so I can view my results on my smartphone?  I’ve seen smaller races have results and print them out within minutes of finishing.  The finishing times are all automated, so where’s the race organizers digital follow through?
• Access to dedicated VIP Area located in the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce near the Finish Line: Is this some sort of club that politicians hang out at or something?

The P.F. Chang’s Rock N’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon call their VIP area “The Zone.”  It gives you private transport to the start line, private parking area, fluid replacement drink, sunscreen, body glide, safety pins, and free gloves.  Really, they don’t provide safety pins for your race bib unless you are very important?  I guess everyone carrying their race bib as they run aren’t VI.  Why not just give them a scarlet letter to hold onto as well?

Overall I can’t blame these race organizers for trying to increase revenue; race organizers would operate at a huge financial loss if they actually paid the thousands of people who volunteer to help execute the event.  In this economy major sponsors are spending less money on event marketing and people are less willing to pay high race fees.  However, more people have begun running because of the poor economy.  Therefore, the solve of lost revenue from race organizers shouldn’t be VIP treatment at higher prices, it should be to increase volume of participants with better amenities and a lower prices.  I understand that there are capacity constraints because roads can only hold so many runners, but race organizers could spread out the operating time of the race; it’s not like they are paying race volunteers by the hour.  With more start waves, spread farther apart, it would also alleviate having to provide adequate amenities for 50,000 people all at one time, thus overall race experience would improve.

I understand that race organizers need to make money, but I don’t think it should be at the expense of improving their race.  Increase the pie, not your slice of runners.

The Death Race could be one of the most difficult adventure races known to man (or woman).  The tagline of this race is, ‘You May Die.’  Yeah, that sounds pretty gnarly.  But what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right?  Well signing the three word race waiver that states, “I might die” may make you second guess that statement.  The race is 24 hours of physical and psychological challenges full of barbed wire, sharp rocks, mental tasks, and carrying things for no particular reason.  There are no ground rules so you can’t train for this race, just be ready to kill yourself.  It’s like any race though, 95% mental right?  Well, probably more like 110% mental; and I realize that giving anything more than 100% is mathematically impossible…

Race Director Joe DeSena says, “…failure always comes when there’s a lack of commitment.”  Joe knows about hard work and commitment.  He’s from Howard Beach, Queens where he parlayed a pool cleaning business into a job on Wall Street.  Who knew they had pools in downtown Manhattan?  From that job Joe made a small fortune and bought a 400-acre spread in the Green Mountains.  There he has established a securities trading concern, a wedding retreat, and yoga studio.  This smart businessman even bought the local trading post, why let someone else make money on the increased visitors you attracted to this small town?  When Joe isn’t busy building a small town empire he runs Ironman triathlons which include desert crossings, river safaris, and ice treks.  Joe wanted to create a race that separates the tough from the mentally tough.  He even discourages participants during the race, telling them to just quit.  Sounds like a combination of my fraternity hell week, Ranger school experience, and my “nothing was ever good enough” father.  Sign me up!

Here’s a race recap, so you can expect the unexpected.  From 8-12 on a Friday night you take your bike and mandatory gear up 1800 feet to get instructions and make your game plan, then go back down the hill to try to sleep from 12-330, race starts at 4:00 AM.  First you crawl uphill in a ditch under barbed wire until you get to a bunch of 1 foot tree stumps.  You have to find the stump with your number on it.  The task is to dig the tree stump out of the ground with the roots using an axe or any other equipment you may have.  If you don’t do this in 2 hours, you’re already out of the race.  Thanks for trying.  Once you get the stump out of the ground you have to carry the stump, along with your other gear, back down the barbed wire ditch.  You then grab your bike and other equipment and crawl down another barbed wire ditch leading to a rocky river.  You walk about a mile or two down the river, filled with only jagged rocks on the bottom, until you come to a man with a single match (not waterproof).  Take the match, turn around, go back upstream, and up the ditch you just came from, still carrying all of your equipment and the stump.  You are led to a pile of 20 large logs where you must quarter split every log.  Some logs can take up to 30-40 minutes to split.  Make 6 of the splits small because you will be taking 6 logs, along with your bike, gear, stump, and match with you.  You go for about a mile where you can drop the logs before climbing up a steep mountain.  At the top of the mountain you have to memorize 10 names.  Turn around and go back down the mountain to recite the names, if you mess up guess where you are going back up to.  Once passing this task you get into another barbed wire ditch and crawl to a foot bridge with Legos on it.  You must memorize the Lego structure and colors and go back down the ditch.  You come to a pond where there is a bag of Legos for you to recreate the Legos formation you just saw.  You then travel back down to the rocky river, but this time you make a right and go upstream to a flame and torch in the middle of the river.  You must then search for a hidden chicken egg in the forest.  You must find some wood and make a fire to boil water (hope you still have that match) to cook the egg then eat it (I’m allergic to eggs, otherwise I’d do this race).  After completing this task you go over a hill where your bike tires are and ride to the finish.  Of course not before adding 20% of your body weight worth of rocks to you.  Try balancing that.  Sound easy?  Then you must be confident like Donald Trump.  DT’s gone broke multiple times you know.

Or if you want to see what you are really made of then sign up.  Still not sure if you can handle it?  Check out this video that shows some sections of the course.  Still not sure?  Try it anyway, don’t worry, you may die.

I know SeriousRunning.com is all about trail running but sometimes extreme endurance sports bring out stories and causes that need to be talked about; and Project Athena Foundation is one of those.  I met founder Robyn Benincasa at a running store event a while back, along with her associate in the Project Athena Foundation, Victoria Seahorn who is also the founder of the XTERRA Colorado Trail Race Series.  There’s your trail running connection die hards.  They are currently promoting their newest event in Virginia Beach on November 20th, the AKALI Project Athena Racing Series.

Why run this event?  Because helping others is better than any runner’s high you’ve ever gotten.  As a two-time cancer survivor, Norfolk resident Sara Jones became an Athena last year.  She is now fighting for a third time, a personal battle with terminal metastatic breast cancer; this event is to raise awareness and funds for Sara and the rest of the Project Athena Foundation.

It was just three years ago that Robyn Benincasa and four friends brought a dream to reality by creating the Project Athena Foundation.  All of these women were serious athletes and all had faced medical setbacks in their lives.  Through sport and through the support of one another, they were able to regain active lifestyles.  The non-profit organization provides a “goddess” network to help women not just survive medical setbacks, but to strive for more and unleash the athlete within themselves.  Since 2008, 30 women have received Athenaships, or grants, to participate in some awesome events.  Sara Jones who had to retire from her job as a Norfolk area firefighter, was an Athenaship recipient last year and participated in the 155-Kilometer Coastal Challenge rain forest expedition run in Costa Rica.  Sounds like some gnarly trail running to me.

The event will be held on November 20th at First Landing State Park in Virgina Beach, Virginia.  The unique recreational series offers a variety of run/walk/adventure activities for all skill levels and age groups.  They will have a 15K God/Goddess Race, 6K Athena Team Trek, and Merrell Mini Athena & Mini Zues Kidz Challenge.  There is a 20% discount on all registration fees for military and their dependents, the registration code is PAFmilitary (case sensitive).  I was in the Army so I can tell you, impersonating military personnel is a serious offense.  Registration is $45 per adult and $25 per child.  Race day registration is $55 per adult and $35 for children so register now!

Run this event on November 20th in the Virginia Beach area, meet some amazing people who have overcome obstacles to achieve great things, and help others that are less fortunate than yourself.  Sounds like a beautiful Saturday morning run to me!

I’ve been training for the Augusta Half Marathon for the past several weeks and been wishing for some variety on my long runs.  Low and behold, on the day before the sold-out Frogtown Trail Challenge I was fortunate enough to get a friend of a friend’s number.  Perfect! A 10 mile trail run should be nice on my bones… or so I thought.  I had trail run before, been tossed around on a mountain bike, and even had a few marathons under my belt, but I never ran a race quite like the Frogtown Trail Challenge.

It was a cool, dewy fall morning and ideal weather for the race.  The race was capped at 600 entrants (for both the 4-mile and 10-mile events), a manageable sized crowd, but despite this event being called a “challenge” rather than a “race” I knew I was certainly among many serious runners when we got into our corrals.  After a quick prayer–the event benefited World Children’s Center and Christian Runners–the race started and into the woods we sped.  Very quickly we encountered the first stream crossing and hill scramble.  No one really slowed down, including myself, this trail running stuff is extreme!

Then I saw signs saying “Fear the Hill.”  Ugh, we hadn’t even run two miles yet and everyone had slowed to a crawl, literally, up a nearly vertical cliff.  After the hill I made up some time and got to the three-mile mark around 29 minutes. Right on track, I thought. I had hoped to run at least a 10-minute/mile pace.  Suddenly a guy in an ATV rides by saying something about a cargo net.  A cargo net?  Yup.  We had to scale a cargo net that was draped over a large fallen tree in the trail.  This race was crazy and I had only gone three miles!

And it got even crazier–around the half-way point we had to run about a mile through a creek.  The creek was twisty and rocky in places and I had to duck underneath several low branches or logs. I made the mistake of passing another runner by skipping a turn and cutting through the creek bed, but then I found myself too far from the next runner in front of me.  The water was murky and choppy which made it hard to pick a good line.  It was also hard to spot any deep spots. I got tripped up in one or two deep spots and though I was able to catch myself with my hands, I still got soaked up to my chest.  I was happy to be out of the water and next time I’ll be sure to follow someone and let them find the bad spots for me.  Some people were smart enough to change their shoes after the creek run, but I ran the next 4-5 miles with squishy shoes full of sand.

The rest of the race had more hills and tons of logs a foot or higher to leap over.  Overall the Frogtown trail race course was technical yet flowed well; this race puts Muddy Buddy to shame.  The “obstacles” at Frogtown seemed sporadically placed but natural giving the course its good flow.  This race really demanded a lot of physical and mental energy.  Its easy to mentally tune out on road runs, but not paying attention during a race like this could lead to a serious disaster. Somehow two days later my back is still sore from running at Frogtown, I used muscles like I never have before in other races.  The soreness is worth it though, especially for finishing among the Top 10 Females!  See you next year at Frogtown!

Well, not really a race.  It’s actually kind of cooler than a race.  On October 10th at 830 am the NYC Barefoot Run will begin on Governor’s Island running the largest ever official barefoot and minimalist shoe race in NYC.  Will there be more barefoot and minimalist running races coming to a town near you?  Who knows?  This race is a “Run Your Distance” event where everyone starts together and each individual decides when they want to stop.  The NYC Barefoot Run wants to promote healthy, safe, and fun running, not crazy “break your knees down so you can’t run anymore” running.  The course is just a 2.1 mile loop that runners can run as many times they want.  It’s a really unique idea, a run that is geared precisely for fun and health.  Awards and T-shirts are for suckers.  We’re all winners in this race.

Terra Plana and VivoBarefoot are sponsoring the event.  Galahad Clack, owner of Terra Plana and creator of Vivobarefoot states, “This is a growing community of people who are questioning conventions and are passionate about rediscovering the right way to run.  We are proud to support a weekend of events based around education and building the movement.”  VivoBarefoot is on the forefront (or foot) of the minimalist movement, I reviewed their Vivobarefoot  EVO and really loved them.  Terra Plana is innovative and have been working on minimalist running shoes for a while now.  I also personally learned minimalist running techniques from Lee Saxby at Outdoor Retailer this year.  A perfect company to partner with for this event, especially since their only retail store in the United States is in NYC.

This event is, “a weekend of educational, social, and athletic happenings to support the growing recognition that going barefoot, or as close to it as possible, is the healthiest way to be.”  There is going to be a lot of notable attendees to help educate runners about the barefoot movement such as Daniel Lieberman, the Harvard professor who found that barefoot running was healthier than traditional running, validating the ideas in the book Born to Run.  Barefoot Ted, the larger than life barefoot runner who some consider to be the grandfather of barefoot running will be there, along with many other very notable barefoot runners.

So if you are new to barefoot running (I would wear minimalist shoes on the streets of NYC) or just want to learn more about the movement, this is a great event to attend.  You only have to run is 2.1 miles!  If you don’t live in the NYC area, then maybe a barefoot/minimalist race will come to an area near you soon.  Maybe that’s the new movement…

After the successful inaugural run last year, XTERRA Colorado series is back again, starting on October 9th at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.  Cheyenne state park is Colorado’s newest state park nestled in the mountains overlooking Colorado Springs in the countryside that inspired the song, “America the Beautiful.”  The event will feature a marathon, half marathon, and 5K trail race distance.  The marathon is two loops of the half marathon course so make sure you bring your mental toughness to run past the half marathon finish line for another lap.  XTERRA Colorado labels this event as both challenging and rewarding.  The event sold out last year and is on pace to hit the 300 participant limit again, so register soon for the epic race.  Online registration closes on October 6th, after that prices increase $10 for race day entries.  The marathon entry is currently $65, half-marathon $45, and the 5K is $25.  All participants get a technical race t-shirt, finisher’s medal, food to replenish, entry into swag raffle, and the swag gained from knowing they completed the XTERRA Colorado Marathon of Trail Races!

Race director Victoria Seahorn started the XTERRA Colorado race series in honor of her late best friend, Lindsey Gabe, who passed away from breast cancer in 2005 at age 60.  Victoria and Lindsey ran many races and began their training together.  Victoria has run 29 marathons and countless half and short distance races.  At Lindsey’s wake Victoria stood up and announced she was going to put on a race, to honor Lindsey.  That is when Victoria set out to organize the inaugural ING Atlanta Marathon which was the 2nd largest inaugural marathon and half marathon combo of all time, with 15,000 participants toeing the start line!  Now Victoria has set out to honor her best friend again by hosting a trail race where Gabe passed away, in Colorado Springs, with the 2nd Annual XTERRA Colorado Marathon of Trail Races.  Victoria is a true, genuine, caring person who embodies everything it means to be a runner.

So come out and run this great event, challenge yourself, accomplish your goals, enjoy the scenery, and honor the runners that have run before us with a marathon of a trail race in Colorado Springs.

This weekend marks the end of the XTERRA trail run season with the Trail Running National Championship in Bend, Oregon.  This Saturday, September 18th at 9 am the elite trail runners from every part of the nation will meet in Bend, which was named “America’s Best Trail Running Town” by Outside Magazine, to see who is the fastest trail runner in the nation is.  The trail race is a “Xduro” half-marathon course that runs through the Deschutes National Forest.

More than 500 trail runners will descend on Bend this weekend including champions from each XTERRA trail race series region who get a free entry to the XTERRA Nationals.  Saturday they’ll get a chance to compete against trail runners more their speed (pun intended) like 2-time defending champion Max King.  Don’t fret if you’re not the fastest in your region, they have a 5K and 10K race for the mortals too.  The race course weaves from downtown Bend to pristine forest trails and then along scenic Deschutes River trail.  It entails a lot of switchbacks on sandy, rocky, and dirt-strewn single and double track.

This should be an awesome event to attend even if you aren’t running.  Race prizes range from $1,000 for 1st to $200 for 5th so you know a lot of great trail runners are going to be there.  Good luck trail runners!

USA Today posted an article yesterday titled, “Runners get down and dirty for a thrill in Extreme Races” where it discussed the rise of less traditional running races.  The article mentions obstacle-course-themed mud runs, adventure runs through the woods and across rivers with only using GPS, and mountain runs, but while most of these races are done on trails, it never specifically mentions trail running.  We at SeriousRunning.com agree, trail running is a category sport all of its own.  However, any running on trails can be considered trail running, but when you throw in mud slides, GPS navigation, or multiple race vehicles, we categorize them as “adventure races” here on SeriousRunning.com’s race listings.

Vonda Wright, assistant professor in orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Sports Medicine and author of Fitness after 40, says in the article, “Overuse injuries can happen when people just run, run, run.  Our bodies, our muscles in particular, have muscle memory, and the best way to challenge them without getting stuck in an overuse rut is to mix it up.”  That’s the same with trail running.  There has been a strong movement for runners to get off of the roads and into other activities, whether it be triathlons, adventure races, or trail running because they now understand the medical benefits of changing their exercise routines.

But adventure races have also caught on because they are fun and can be done by people are not necessarily athletic.  When the Warrior Dash came through town a month or two ago I had friends that I didn’t know ever exercised say they were going to participate.  One friend even went out to buy a bike at Target just for the event!  If you’ve ever wanted to try an adventure race here are some cool ones to check out:

Columbia Muddy Buddy:  Two teams traverse over a 6-7 mile course and 5 obstacles.  At the start of the race on team      member runs while the other will ride the bike.  Once the bike rider reaches the first obstacle they drop the back, complete the obstacle and begin running to the next one.  Once the runner reaches the first obstacle they must complete it, then pick up the bike and ride it to the next obstacle.  You and your partner leap frog like that until the end of the race where you will have to crawl through the famous mud pit and cross the finish line together.  A fun race that anyone can do, with events being held all across the country.

Stair Climbing or Vertical Running:  You’ll need to go to a big city to run a vertical running event.  These events are run in downtown buildings in which runners run up 30-50 flights of stairs.  They are a great work out for your quads and if you aren’t a big runner you can always walk up the stairs.  Runners are sent up the building in 10 second intervals to allow for spacing so passing can be difficult.  The view at the finish line is usually pretty sweet though!

Fell Running:  These races are mountain running with a twist, racers are required to navigate themselves and must bring survival gear.  I consider mountain running and trail running to be interchangeable because both are about running on trails over varying terrain, but fell running takes mountain and trail running to a new level by not having a specific race course.  Runners must use a map to navigate the route they want to take to the finish and checkpoints.  Fell Running is more popular in the UK than the US, but who knows, it may grow here.

Hash Running:  There are Hash Clubs all across the United States.  Hash running involves chasing after the Hare who leaves directional signs of where the route is to go, sometimes pointing in more than one direction, and everyone runs to the finish.  There is drinking involved so make sure you are 21.  More information on Hash Running.

Non Trail Races with a Twist:  Lastly there are races that add a twist for some extra fun.  Like the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC hosted by students from NC State.  In this race runners must run 2 miles to the local Krispy Kreme donut shop, eat a dozen donuts, and then race back 2 miles.  If that isn’t extreme I don’t know what is.  Another extreme challenge I’ve tried is running naked.  Butts A’ Runnin’ Race Enterprises (the race director’s last name is actually Butts) puts on a race series every year held at different nudist resorts around the Southeast.  These races are a blast!  Runners may run fully clothed or completely naked.  I opted for completely naked except for running shoes and socks.  Read more about my experience running naked.

Try some of these new races and have a blast!

Ultra runner Hawaiian Shirt Ray shared his experiences with us about the Leadville Trail 100 Training Camp about a month ago and now he’s here to tell us about his race.  Check out his awesome website helping ordinary people do extraordinary things.

Raising the Bar

Its Hawaiian Shirt Ray again and I am “fresh” off running the Leadville Trail 100 for a third year in a row.  I would like to share my experience running the race, but I am not going to bore you with a play-by-play of running aid station to aid station. I would like to share my experiences during the race and my previous races and hopefully be able to inspire you to dig deep when you are in a race and things are not going as planned, and help you realize; as Ken Chlouber (President of the Leadville Trail 100) says, “you are better than you think you are and can do more than you think you can.”  For me this was my third time running Leadville Trail 100 and I decided to raise the bar a bit higher than just to finish in under the 30 hour cutoff; I set my goal to run the Leadville Trail 100 in under 25 hours!

The Leadville Trail 100 is Bigger than Just Me

This race is bigger than just me.  It is a combination of all my friends and family who helped me get to the starting line.  This includes all the outings I missed because of a racing or training, having my friends take care of my great dog Simon and them have to rearrange their schedules around me. I think you get the point; training and racing takes a toll on our loved ones and without their understanding and constant support it would make it impossible for me to run the Leadville Trail 100.  So when I am running the race I keep this in mind.  If I quit I am failing all of those who helped me get to the starting line.  Sure, if I quit my friends would tell me that they were proud of how far I gone, and say something to the effect of “I would never be able to do what you have done”, blah, blah, blah; but for me the reality is that I failed all of them.

My Great Crew

My attempt at running the Leadville trail 100 in under 25 hours would have been impossible without my great crew. Being part of the crew is not an easy thing.  There is a lot of waiting around, planning, and preparation. For my first Leadville Trail 100 in 2008, it rained, hailed, sleeted, and snowed for 28 of the 30 hours of the race.  Talk about being miserable for the crew. For the third year in a row my sister Laura was my crew chief and a pacer.  After last year she looked me in the eyes and said that she will never do this again.  The next day she said she was sorry and would do it again.  For the crew it is just like running an ultra; it is a long day, none stop, and exhausting.  As a runner we cross the finish line and say “never again”.   Then the pain goes away and we sign up for our next event.  It is pretty much the same for the crews.
Also in my crew was Rick Mann.  He crewed with my sister for the entire race and was always upbeat and positive when I came through the aid stations.  My other pacers were Lina Kelso: paced from Winfield to Twin Lakes (miles 50 to 60.5), David Besnette: paced from Twin Lakes to the Fish Hatchery (miles 60.5 to 76.5), and Neeraj Engineer: paced from the Fish Hatchery around Turquoise Lake (miles 76.5 to about 93).

Talking with my sister after the race she told me how nervous my crew was not to let me down, and that they hoped that they would really be able to help me with my goal.  She also told me about how excited they were to be part of the Leadville Trail 100.  Hearing this made me feel good because here are my friends sacrificing their weekend for my goal.  My hat is off to everyone on my crew, thank you so much!

My Goal of 100 miles in less than 25 Hours

The Leadville Trail 100 has a 30 hour cut off to finish and all the runners who finish in less than 30 hours receives an “Under 30 Hours” belt buckle.  For those runners who can finish the race in less than 25 hours, they receive a much larger “Under 25 Hours” belt buckle.  Well, after running the race for the last two years I wanted the big buckle.  You should know that my times for the last two years were: 29 hours 44 minutes 6 seconds, and 29 hour 12 minutes 26 seconds.  So I had to shave a mere 4 plus hours off my best time.

There is usually around a 55 percent attrition rate which means when you are at the start of the race looking at all the other runners; more than half of them will never see the finish line.  If you do not have the mindset that you are not going to be one of “them,” you will become one of “them.”  Standing at the starting line of the Leadville Trail 100 you must know that you are going to do whatever it takes to keep moving and get across the finish line.  You have to be prepared to dig deeper than ever before and keep my mantra of “you gotta keep moving,” running through your head.  I knew I was not going to be one of “them.”  I trained hard, had the best season of my life, and I was going to put it all out on the line to get that “Under 25 Hours” buckle!

Digging Deeper than I ever Have Before

To accomplish my sub 25 hour goal I had planned all my splits between aid stations which put me across the finish line in 24 hours 55 minutes.  This really did not leave me any breathing room, but it was the reality of getting the big buckle.  I have trained on the course many times this year and I was secretly hoping that I would actually run a bit faster than my splits and start “banking” some time.  I’m not talking a lot, but just a few minutes here and there.  The splits made the race different than my last two finishes since before my goal was to just finish.  In my previous two finishes there would be sections of “why bother running this, I have 30 hours.”  Well I did not have that luxury this year and I had to run sections of the race that I never have run in the past.

My splits kept me honest and made me start digging deep early in the race.  By the time I made it to the 50 mile turn-around at Winfield I had 20 minutes in the bank.  I left Winfield feeling pretty good about where I was at time-wise and the three mile stretch to the Sheep Gulch Trailhead went good.  Then I started the climb back up and over Hope Pass and my legs had nothing in them.  I hit my lowest point of my race climbing back up over Hope Pass and it took everything I had to make it to the Hopeless aid station on the other side of Hope Pass.  I sat at the aid station while Lina tried her best to get me moving again.  I had to regroup and get some food in me.  It was so hard for me to stand up and leave that aid station and I had to dig deep to keep moving.  Once I started headed downhill my legs loosened up and I was able to run again and I was on fire all the way back to Twin Lakes.

Unfortunately the time I had in the bank was now down to two minutes.  My secret desire of banking time and not having to push from aid station to aid station was gone.  If I wanted that buckle I would have to push through to the next aid station, and then the next and the next.  I kept pushing and digging deep and when I finally got to the May Queen Aid Station (the final aid station) at mile 86.5 I had 3 hours 4 minutes and 4 seconds to get to the finish line in less than 25 hours.  Here is the kicker, the last two years through this 13.5 mile section my times were: 4 hours 1 minute, and 3 hours 42 minutes.

I left the May Queen Aid Station running.  I mean running!  Neeraj was pacing me and could not believe the effort I was giving especially after running 86.5 miles.  I knew that I had to give it all I had; I mean EVERYTHING!  I ran that last 13.5 miles faster than I ever have before.  I did it in 3 hours 10 minutes.  Do the math, I did not make sub 25 hours.

The Finish was in Sight

I pushed that last section so hard and left nothing on the trail.  I even dropped my pacer when with about 25 minutes left I picked up the pace.  It hurt so bad to be running that last section into town which is all up hill.  I could see the finish line when 25 hours expired, but I kept running all the way in.  I was going to give it my all and I did!  Although I missed my goal words can’t describe how great I feel about my 25 hour 7 minute 29 second finish.  I can’t look back at any part of the race and say “if only I pushed harder”.  I pushed the entire race.  I guess the point of all off this is that in life if you are true to yourself and give whatever goal you are working toward your all, I mean really your all, everything; although you may walk away short you can still stand tall and be proud of what you have accomplished.  You must also learn and grow from your experience and become a better person for it.