imogene - 9/10/11 - burke drinks the koolaid! part three

burke didnt eat too much..but i enjoyed the pasta while burke ate my brownies...lol. it was nice to see some familiar faces..Ron and Glen from Phoenix! the pre-race meeting was just as comical as last year and the slide show brought some gasps from the crowd. experiencing this for a second time was fun as i could see all of the newbies gettin all worried and pale..as to say "what the hell did i get myself into??" but not burke..he looked calm, cool and collected. i think that he was having some fun with it too as whenpeople would ask if he had ever done the ace efore he would say..welll sort of..and just snicker. and then he would defer their questions too me...the seasoned vet...lol...for this race...having finished it makes you just that...a seasoned veteran.  after getting our fill and hearing all over the tales and pre race deails we headed out. oh wait how can i foret...the weather report...one of the best gaaspers of the night...you see when we did the packet pick up there was a lady sitting there updating the current forecast at the summit and it was causing quite a stir as the whieoard was showing freezing temps with high wind gusts and a 70% chance of snow.perect whiteout conditions for the race and something else just to make it a little more fun, a little more epic if you will. that is the one thing that i really love about this race...while it is only 17.1 miles and has a little bit of a climb..the weather is the big x factor that you never know what you are going to get....sort of an element of surprise.
ok..getting back to the post meeting..burke and i walked around town for a bit and loked at somemore of the old buildins and then even stopped for an iced coffee for dessert..it was mcdonald's but it hit the spot.

the morning of the race came in an instant, no sooner after we had settled in for the night. a quick peek ouside showed signs of possible bd weather as he clouds were jusst packed in overhead and boy was it cold!after getting ready burke and I made our way out to Main Stret aand the staarting line area..after a few photos and some well wishing b burke and i found our spots in the growd and disappearred from each others sight. in the crow i was able to see another great friend of mine from the Mountain Milers of PRESCOTT...STEVE - O!! Steve and i became close friends in prescott as we aare both crazy runners and i have alot of respect for all that he has accomplished!
when the gun sounded it was 50 degrees and only 10 mile per hour wind gusts in town..not too bad...and with that we were off!i was cruising along having fun..not going too fast, and not going too slow...but yet slow enough to take it all in once aain. i annot stop from getting goosebumps when thinking about the course even when i am typing this......it iß haven. before i knew it I was making my way from lower bird camp to the upper bird camp area...a section of the course that burke had not seen yet. i kept thinking to myself and hoping and praying thatthat burke would be ok and would be able to make the cutoffs. i know that he had the heart to get it donne.just then i felt a sudden drop in temperature as my finers sarted to go numb...i had taken my gloves off shortly after the sart of the race as i had warmed up quickly and didnt want to end up overheating. as i started the final climb to the summit...1800 feet in a short 2 mile period, i was shivering like crazy and i could not feel my fingers anymore. slowly i climbed, one foot in front of the other untilfinally reaching the top...where is was flurrying , 30 degrees and there were 40 mph wind gusts. i literally had to have someone unzzip my coat pockes just so i could get my gloves out and put on. i drank a ton of soup...stripped down to my iRun t.shirt...because i promised my friend Mark Cosmos a picture in the shirt at the summit and then i got dressed in a hury and took off down the sttp downhill section of the race. i was liteally flying in my hokas! god i love those shoes! and then...efore i knew it i waas crossing the finish line in a respectable 4 hours and 3 minutes...about an hour faster than the previous year.. 40 minues aser actually i think. i was happy! i quickly grabbed my finisher's pin and retreated to a porta potty and then over to the finish line goodies for a snack. i then went back over to the finish line area and had a blast watching people come in across the finish...i was happy to see Steve, Glen and Ron all make it and then thins sarted to slowly turn to a feeling more of hope and praying as i so wanted burke to make it. i honestly had no clue where he was and how he was doing. we had each aken our phones with us...but coverage on the Pass is spotty t best.i sent burke a message to let him know i was done aand to check in on him...t fist i didnt et an answer...time was quickly pasing and still no word or sign of him.i prayed harder and harder to help burke make and and just then i got a message that burke had reahed the ssummit...had missd the cutoff but was allowed to continue. i was glad to hear from him, yet sad to hear that he had mised the cutoff and confused that he had been allowed to continue...i wasnt sure if that meant hat he was still officially in the race or not. no matter..he was good and that was all that matered..and he he been to the mountain top..something so special that it will change your life forever. about an hour later i got another message that burke was in pain and having issues and he wasnt sure how far he was from the next aid stion...i knew that he had to be close to the archway aid station whcih wwas around mile  13. so this meant that he was still about an hour or so awy from the finish line at a minimum...the only problem was that the final cuttoff was looming and the final bus backto ouay was etting ready to leave. i didnt know what else to do but to take the buse back to town 50 minutes there and 50 minutes ack to the finish area via my car. had i not done so we would have had to try to find a ride because there was no taxi service between the to towns.. and so i hopeed on the bus and left burke a message. i felt so bad. i wanted to be able to see him crossing the fiish. i nwanted to get a picture of him to commemerate this eepic journey..but it was all that i could do. i felt even worse when it started to rain as we drove back on the bus. when we got about 10 minutes outside of ouray i finally got  a message from burke..he had made it...it was after the final cutoff time..but he had made it! i was so proud! after get to my r I flew back to Teluride and picked up the conquering hero and  we started back to the hotel. burke was smiling ear to ear again. his firstnwordsnwere... " thank you so much Mark..next year i will make the cutoffs." i was so proud of him and i knew that he too had asted the koolaid and liked it! i gave burke my finisher's pin because no mater what the clock said...burke had finished! i look forward to doing it again with burke next year...he is now a seasoned vet too! i wonder who else we can share it with next year....hmmmm....any tackes???

imogene - 9/10/11 - burke drinks the koolaid! part two

burke and I really didnt know each other too well outside of racing so the trip was a nice chance to get to know each other, to share war stories and to take in the amazing scenery around us. as we drove along i told burke tales of how a beaver had fell a tree in the road on my last trip to imogene and the joint effort that it took for some of us drivers to get it off of the road, minutes later we passed through that area without incident. i also told him of the motorcycle driver that had layed his bike over at a scenic pulloff and myself and a few others had to help him up, again moments later was arrived at that location and had no similar occurances - thank god. at that site however burke got his first look at the mountains that we would be playing in shortly...he looked nervous, yet so excited! He was like a kid at a candy store that knew he already had to go to the dentist later that day.after taking some photos we continued on to ouray and checked into our hotel. Burke was eager to get a look at the town so we unpacked our things and then walked around a bit. It felt so good to be back in ouray...I love that town!the backdrop is so amazing, the old buildings the mountains surrounding the town, the crisp smell of fall in the air...it is a little slice of heaven tucked away from the rest of the world. Burke was amazed as well, he had been here many years ago and remembered the hot springs and not much else so it was like he was discovering it again for the first time.after grabbing so Mexican food for supper we packed it up for the night and eagerly awaited the breaking dawn of the next day so that we could begin our walk-thru. as the morning came so to did the clouds as they blanketed the sky and kept the cold crisp air in place for us. after showing burke where the starting line was - by the Antler hotel, we head done Main Street and started our trip. before we evn got to the end of main street we came across a doe and two fawn grazing in the front yard of one of the houses. burke and i both love nature so the cameras popped out and our photo journals began. after a few minutes of following them from house to house we continued around toward the Million Dollar Highway. immediately the course popped back into my head like a had just run it yesterday...even turn, every structure, every waterfall. i could feel the goosebumps covering my entire body as the excitement and lve for this rac and course came rushing back into  my body. after rounding the huge bend on the highway we made our way over to box canyon...which is just spectacular. burke immediately fell in love with it..he was expressing his lov for the beauty that he was seeing and snapping photos left and right. i couldnt help but to smile and chuckle as i had been the same exact way last year and just getting to see it in him made it all the more special. all of this and we hadnt evn gone a mile yet...i knew that he would be suffering from scensory overload before the day was through. after leaving the box canyon area we made our way to the old powder shed..just an amazing structure! after going aound the backside of the shed we started our climb up onto the frest service road and back into the mountains. i told burke to let me know when we had gone fa enough for the day as we still have to retrace our steps back to town and i didnt want to wear him out for the raçe the next day.  we continued on and easily made it back to the first aid station of the race, as denoted by the people that were out there setting things up. burke and I continued to talk and share tales as we slowly climbed the rolling sections etwen miles 2 and 3. we continued onward and stopped at each waterfall and rock formation, snapping pictures along the way so many in fact that burke's camera filled up before we reached mile 4. burke was smiling ear to ear and bubbling with excitement..he was so happy that he had finally made it to the ce that he had wanted to do. he was also hapy that we had decided to do the walk thru as he wasnt sure exactly how the elevation would affect him and he was sure how much he would be able to run as he was woried a bit about the cutoff times. miles 4 through 6 really gave burke a good idea of some of the steep climbs and some of the very runnable areas...they also gave him an idea of just how high we were going and how high we had already climbed as he both got a look at just how small and far off Ouray now was and also he was able to get his first look head on with what he had yet to face....Imogene Pass and the road to get to it.steeper and steeper we climbed as we made our way past ynakee boy basin and to the lower bird camp. burke loved the old foreman houses and mining area. we also got a kick out of the small motorcycle gang that was afraid to venture back in to the mountains behind the lower bird camp as they didnt want to tresspass and get into trouble..while in the meantime hear come little ol burke and myself as we go jogging right past them into the forbidden zone. this point on in the race begins the major four wheel drive portion of the race in that other than by foot you arent getting in or out of this section if you dont have one. also by this point in the race we are now just about even with the tree line and huge vast mountains surround us in every direction...one side in particular is a huge rock slide area...it is so beautiful!yet it is so technical as well. it was at this point that i noticed burke begin to slow down a bit. i could tell tht he waned to go on, nor only for imself as he was having a blast but for me as well, as he stted that he didnt wnt to let me down on the walk through as he knew i loved the mounains and would hve just coupntinued on throughout the rest of the course if i so desired...but i told him i was just so happy to et a chnce to share this with him that he would never let me down in anyway..especially since this was for him and his benefit. at tht point about 7 miles into tht walk through, we turned around and strted our way back...just as it strted to rain, it was as if the heavans knew tht we were on a mission and that it had waited just long enough for us to complete it. along the way back into town we talked some more, saw some more new sights that we had missed on the way up and took a ton more photos along the way. by the way, all of the photos from this trip can be seen on my facebook page. after geting sck into town we had lunch at the mexican restausnt again and then went back to the hotel to et thins around for the next day and then got eady to go to the packet pickup and pasta dinner-race breifing. stay tuned for part three for the rest of the story...

imogene - 9/10/11 - burke drinks the koolaid! part one

Last year I got my first taste of the Imogene Pass Run and I knew that this was one race I would need to do year in and year out. In other words, I had drank the Koolaid and it tasted good! It was an experience that I will need forget and I think that alot of my friends will need forget either because I kept talking about how amazing it was. In the year that passed since its last running I tried to convince alot of those same friends into taking a sip this year but the takers were not making themselves visible..all exceptf for one that is....Burke Painter. Burke, a good friend of Phil and Karen Davis, had spoken with me breifly at Tuesday night track and at other events, such as my first dance at the 2010 Javelina 100. I had always heard great and amazing stories of him and his accomplishments, both in running and in biking so I was glad to discover his interest in the race. As it turns out Burke had actually signed up for the race many times in the past but for one reason or another had been unable to make it to the starting line. This year however Burke had his mind set on making it there and so our little adventure was born!

I had told Burke that in the previous year I had driven up two days before the race so that I could have the day before the race to do a partial walkthru of the course so that I could get an idea for exactly what I had gotten myself into and that I was greatful that I had because it not only helped me out in knowing the course but it also helped me to enjoy the beauty of the amazing country that I would be running in at a much more relaxed pace and take plenty of photos along the WY...something I wouldn't have take to do during the race. Burke and I agreed that this would be the best course of action for our trip as well. And so, on Thursday, september 8 burke and i headed out early in the morning for the start of our journey

triple threat weekend minus one????

last year i had been able to partake in the triple threat weekend over the Memorial day weekend which consisted of the CHINO VALLEY 10K, the Jerome Hill Climb and the Saugaro National Park 8 miler...this year however...coming off  of the Lean Horse 100 I wasnt sure if I was going to be in any shape to run all three races...well as it turns out I was but the 8 miler had sold out so i would miss my chance at tit again this year.

Disappointed in myself for missing out on signing up in time didnt stop me from enjoying the two other races however I guarantee you that.

first up was the CV 10k which meant that i got to head up north to see my friends in the Mountain Milers (Dan, Julie, Ken, Rob, and Steve-O, just to name a few). It also meant that I got to hang out with my buddy Billy Gebhart as this wekend is one of his traditions as well. The race is a nice small town street race that consists of a one mile stretch followed by a 4 mile square and a return trip to the start/finish area on the previously run one mile stretch. the race is deceivingly tough as it has a downhill start which makes most runners (including myself) go out way too fast. the race then turns evil as there are some nice rolling portions around mile 2.5 and then just turns into a nice wicked long drawn out climb through mile 5 and into the finish. It is realy fun and one that i love to do over and over again. ;this year, despite just coming off of the 100 miler I was able to PR in the race, PR overall in all of my past 10 k efforts and win my age group! I can't wait to do it again next year!

The next day brought along race number two - another one of my favorite races....the Jerome Hill Climb! This ace is 4.6 miles of beautiful hell! I love it! Again I get to run this race with all of my Mountain Miler friends and all of those from the valley to as this is an ARR sponsored race. This year my friend Pat Reichart missed out on the ace due to an injury...she was greatly missed. This race, as I said is beautiful yet it is HELL. The scenery provides the beauty as we run through the town of Jerome, past a ghost town/mine and then up, up, up to the finish line atop of Jerome's Hill. Despite all of the though mountain races that I have done...this little 4.6 miler provides a really challenge each year as you try to go as fast as you can up this beast just so you can walk back down when you are done. This is my kind of ace as I love to climb and it actually sort of levels the playing field as I can actually bat some of my super fast street racing friends to the top or at least give then a run for their money! I was still a bit jacked up from my first sub 24 at Lean horse and the 10k PR the day before but I was still a bit tired too and to make matters worse I was late getting started in the race as I was the last one in the bathroom line since I had helped out with registration and got delayed in walking down to the starting line. After making are of business I started the race a few minutes after the gun went off and I immediately stared to tear up the first climb up into town. I quickly caught up to the rear of the pack and started to weave my way in an out of the cattle traffic jam. Yelling hello to many familiar aces along the way the first hill came to a close as I rounded my way through town and to the registration/parking area. After this quick little break from the first climb...climb number two and the power climb portion of the race began...this was a brutal little climb that covered about 1/4 to 1/2 mile and was fairly steep. This was then followed by the last climb which zi-zagged its way up out of town and into the canyon walls and cactus blooms - he beautiful part of the race...although you don't really notice it during the race. Finally after working my way to the top and crossing with yet another race PR for the
weekend I relaxed a bit and watched some of my friends cross the finish line as well. Shortly thereafter I began the walk/job back down to the parking area..this time making sure to take in the beauty of the surroundings.

august quick race recap

the beginning of August started with an apartment hunt and a return to work after the two week trip to Alaska.

august 13th - the first ever Mt. Sneffells Marathon - Ouray, Colorado - I love ouray.... I love colorado!!! this was a tough little marathon in between the towns of Ridgeway and Ouray (an out and back).  it was  a nice mountain trail run will lots of rolling hills and a few semi-steep climbs. it was slow but yet fast. it was good to be back in the elevation (8,000 ft) and it was good to see the flopping 'fro of Nathan Coury coming at me as he was doing the half marathon which started at the full marathon,s turnaround point. then, moments after crossing the finish line and getting my medal I climbed into my car and drove straight back to Phoenix (9 hr drive).

august 14th - ARR summer series race #5- the final race of the summer seriesand one of my favorites- south mountain 5k - that is right...i drove straight back from Colorado just to run in a 5k!

August 19th -drive back to Colorado!!!!!

August 20th - 40 miles of pacing duties at the Leadville 100 for my brother Michael Miller - what an honor! Thank you Mike - it was something that I will cherish forever!

august 27th - Leanhorse 100 - South Dakota on the Mickleson Trail- after pacing near 11,200 ft just the weekend before this race I was ready for this flat and fast course at about 5,500 ft. This was a fun trip with Lori Hickernell, Jay Danek, and Deb Bliss. Thank god for the final 6 miles of hills because they allowed me to snap out of my flat sickness and squeak out my first sub24 hr race.


August 20th - pacing duties at LEADVILLE for my brother Michael Miller - 40 miles in Heaven with Mike...what an honor! Thank you Mike!

july quick recap...

July was an eventful month for me...
the month started off with a return trip to Tulsa for the 2nd Annual TATUR Midnight Madness 50 miler. there were to things that I wanted to come out of this race...the first being an evening of the score with Billy Gebhart's brother Brian who had beat me by 8 lousy minutes in the previous year's race, and second I hoped to see Billy to be succesful in completing the race this year as, not for a lack of effort, he was unable to finish last year. as it turned out it would be a bittersweet day as i was able to totally spank billy's brother by over two hours (YEEHAW!!!!!!) but once again Billy feel short of finishing the race. it was truely amazing however to see the efort that he was putting into the race. I come se that he wanted it so bad. Hell I wanted it so bad for him too. but it wasnt meant to be on this day but i earned a whole new level of respect for Billy as he left nothing out there and had nothing to regret in the end. thank you for continuing to inspire me Billy! and as far as brian and I...well it was decided that we would have our tie bre aker at the first Anual Pumpkin Holler 100 to be held later in the year by TATUR.
July 4th - ARR Summer Series Race #3 - 4 on the 4th - after a flight back to Arizona on the 3rd a slow four miler was run on Inpendence Day.
July 9th - a trip to Holbrook for the Buckets of Blood 1/2 marathon... i entered this race just because of the name and because i thought that it would be neatto have a shirt that said it too. I was right...it was awesome and the race was fun too as it was trail run and it had rained the night before so the course was a bit muddy and more fun!

July 10th - the next day brought with it a trip down to Tucson for a favorite of mine...the Ev1 runs with the rosters race at the Old Tucson Studios Park. the rolling hills of this race adds a tough challenge to the fun aspect of the race as it starts at 5am and you get to run as the sunrises in the desert.

7/16 - flight to Vancouver
7/17 through 7/24 - 20th Anniversary cruise with Tammy to Alaska
7/24 through 7/27 - stay in Anchorage
7/27 through 7/30 - stay in Cordova, Alaska

7/30  - Alaska King Salmon Marathon - amazing flat and fast run (except the last 6 miles were uphill) past glaciers and the wilderness of the frozen frontier land. it was amazing but it also marked the end of the trip and my marriage as Tammy and I were set to seperate upon our return to the states. Thank you for 20 years Tammy.

june quick recap...

since it is now october when i am writing this i just wanted to highlight the races that i ran this month in an attempt to get caught back up.
June 5th - San Diego Rock N roll marathon

June 11th - Run the Caldera marathon - Los Alamos, New Mexico - absolutly beautiful!

June 12th - ARR sumer series race #2 - 5k

June 17th - Bighorn 100 - Dayton, Wyoming - flooded starting area, course changes due to snow and closed roads, freezing weather overnight, mud and raging water, mud, mud, amazi ng scenery, 18 miles of downhil near the finish, 60 miles without my orthotics, shoe sucking mud and an absolute desire to do it again!
June 25th - seattle rock n roll marathon




June

Rocky Mountain Double Marathon - 5-30-2011

Rocky Mountain Double Marathon – a very brief recap - (sorry just a short one for this race)

The course for the half marathon, marathon, and double marathon all start at the Lincoln Monument Rest Area off I-80 in the mountains between Laramie and Cheyenne. How do you know that you are at the right place, well, to start there is a 48 foot tall monument there that was erected in honor of President Lincoln. You can’t miss it – the thing is huge! I posted some photos of it on my facebook account. The course is briefly described as an out-and-back through the roads of Medicine Bow National Forest, starting at an elevation of 8,700 ft. and dropping to 8,000 ft. at the lowest point of the marathon and double marathon course. In my case, I had signed up for the double marathon run so I got to run the full marathon course twice (two out-and-backs), covering 52.4 miles total. One neat fact is that the Wyoming Marathon is the oldest marathon in the state and the Rocky Mountain Double Marathon is the oldest ultra marathon in the Rocky Mountain region.

I knew that I was in for an interesting day as the weather was, at best, misty, windy, and in the low 30's at the start. Oh yeah, and there was a little bit of fog. Well, actually the fog was dense enough that at different points in the race I literally lost track of runners 15 yards ahead of me. By the return trip from the turn around however, the countryside became more visible, and breath-taking at times. The bits in the forest were nice and quiet, and there were lots of interesting rock formations to look at in the Vedauwoo section of the course.

The course itself was mostly packed dirt/gravel roads, which quickly turned to mud on this day. There were also about 7-8 miles of pavement from miles 7-11 and 15-19 which proved to be extremely windy sections of the course as they ran on a frontage road boarding the interstate – it seemed as if I was running into headwinds both ways. Additionally, while the course appeared easy on paper, having run it I would highly suggest that anyone deciding to do so, should really respect this course as it is not a flat course - especially since the last 5 miles of each out-and-back are pretty much uphill – with the last mile alone including 2 significant hills – and yes, you finish on an uphill.
Another fun challenge was the fact that there were probably 10 cattle guard crossings that got very slick as the rain, fog and mud seemed to turn the metal grates into mini sheets of ice.

This is a simple, old school race. No chip timing, no expo, just a few people in a trailer that love to put on this race as they enjoyed running it long ago and now hope to pass on the adventure to so many more for years to come. The race director is clear: they promise nothing and they deliver. This marathon (or double) is NOT for a first time runner or anyone looking for a P.R., but is definitely on my list as one of my favorites and I will run it again.

Jemez Mountain Trail Run – 50 mile race recap - May 21, 2011

Course Description - Single track trails and dirt roads in and around Los Alamos, NM in the scenic Jemez Mountains. The 50 mile course will run through the wild and scenic Valles Caldera National Preserve.

My adventure started on Thursday night with a nice 8 hour drive from Phoenix to Los Alamos, New Mexico. The climb out of the Valley of the Sun immediately led to much, much cooler temperatures in the elevations of Flagstaff and my journey along I40 East into New Mexico. Dark ominous clouds seemed to build along side of me as I continued driving into the night. Soon they would pass me once and for all as I was forced to pull over at a rest area for the night as the darkness and solitude of the road had drained me.

As the sun broke free from the darkness in the wide open Albuquerque sky I awoke fresh and invigorated, well, I woke up anyways. Immediately I noticed that the dark ominous clouds had decided to rest for the night around me as well and they had brought there friends along for the ride as well. Things did not look good weather wise for the race the next day.

As I finished my drive into Los Alamos rain drops started to fall and it showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. But just as I thought that, the rain ended and the clouds started to push off toward the mountains. It was as if they just wanted to say hello and tease me for a bit. Well it had worked as I had already began to think of how the creeks would be running, the fresh mud I would have to tromp through, and the snow, Lord no, tell me I didn’t just say or think of the S word! Yes I always think of the worst that could happen first in races such as this because that way I can be prepared for anything, well atleast I thought that I could be prepared for anything, but all of that was about to change as race time drew nearer.

As I awaited the chance to check into my hotel I did some last minute shopping at Smith’s Grocery Store and then walked around town for a bit. I found a unique department store called CB Fox which doubled as the runner’s store as well, took some photos of some funky buildings and just tried to adjust to the elevation a bit. After awhile I drove out to the Posse Shack, the starting area for the race, and did a little pre-race review of the surroundings.

The fresh, cold, damp air filled my lungs as I stared down my opponent, the mountains that were to be my playground on the next day. My eyes locked in on some snow on the peaks and I just knew that I would somehow, someway end up near that area. I was scanning everything that I could, trying to take mental pictures of every up and down that I could see. It was so beautiful. It was so amazing. It was so overwhelming.

Before I knew it, it was time to head back into town and check into the hotel. I unpacked all of my things and got everything in order and set to go. Shortly thereafter I walked over to the Crossroads Bible Church and waited in line as the race crew finished up getting everything ready for the packet pickup and pasta dinner.

I always feel out of place at events like this as I see all of these super athletes that show up with all of their fancy gear and their sculpted and finely chiseled bodies. I know that I am not in their class, no where near it for that matter, but so what. I am having fun and some how, some way, I am getting it done. It isn’t always pretty, ok, so it is never pretty…and it isn’t always fast, ok, so it is never fast but it is working and I am getting ever so slowly closer toward working on my goal of completing a Half Marathon, a Full Marathon, a 50K, a 50 Miler, and a 100 Miler in every state. Yes I know not every state has a 100 miler…yet…but I can hope that maybe someday they will…and when that day comes I WILL BE THERE!!!

Yes, just like my friend Giri in the races, I sometimes get off track a bit as I write up these adventures and for that I apologize and say, deal with it, because it will happen again sooner or later….

In getting back to this adventure, I got all signed in and picked up my goodie bag, bib and shirt and then immediately found my way over to the dinner room. I appreciated the fact that the race had asked the runners to try to bring their own plates and silverware if possible as the church had donated all of the food to the runners at no cost to the race organizers so that more of the proceeds from the entry fees could go to the local organizations in need, such as the Los Alamos High School Cross Country and Track Teams, the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and even for two scholarships funds that benefit the LAHS students. Needless to say I had remembered to buy a Tupperware bowl and was able to have it filled up so that I could take my leftovers back to the hotel for a meal after the race the next day! Always planning!!! Wooohooo!!! Hey…it was a small bowl!

After eating and chatting with some fellow excited and nervous runners and listening to the race director’s welcome and brief briefing, I excused myself for the night and headed back to the hotel. After getting all taped up (KT TAPE – plug for a future sponsor??????) and drinking the last of my SUGAR FREE VANILLA ICED COFFEE (from McDonald’s – another shameless plug for a future sponsor???) I got ready for bed. I just laid there for what seemed to be forever, constantly thinking about the race, telling myself not to go out too fast, telling myself not to ever give up, telling myself that this was not going to be the day that I would get my first DNF in 174 races, telling myself to relax and to go to sleep. Before I knew it, the alarm roared in the background and demanded that I jumped to attention and answer its call. It was time to get a move on. It was time to test myself once again. It was time.

As I pulled into the parking lot near the Posse Shack I immediately felt the nerves kick in as my pre-race stomach reared its ugly head once again and I immediately had to head over to the port-a-johns. Yes I am nervous and I would never tell you any different, but to be honest I think that it is also sort of a sign of respect that I have for the challenges that lay ahead of me that causes this to happen – and I think that it is a good thing as it helps to keep me grounded and it also helps to keep me from having to stop for a potty break to early on in a race (haha)!

After taking care of business, I checked in at the starter’s table and then headed back over to my car for my things. I had planned on starting the race (about 17 miles worth) in my new New Balance 814s that I bought from my friend Mark Cosmas’ new running store – appropriately called iRun, but at the last minute my old friends (a pair of Saucony AT shoes with 600+ miles on them) called out to me and asked for one more run in the woods. I could not deny them their last wish and so I made the switch, saving the NB814s for another day (of which there will be many).

As I toed the line with 189 other runners, my old friends thanked me for trusting in them and my new Zane Grey 50 Mile Finisher’s Fleece kept my old bones warm in the cold and crisp morning mountain air. Before I knew it the whistle had sounded and we were off. The adventure had begun.

Leg 1 – Start to Mitchell Trail Head (Miles 0 to 4.9) – Distance 4.9 miles – Elevation Gain 907 feet; Elevation Loss 734 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 7,553 feet)

As I had stated, the start of the race was held at the Sherriff’s Posse Shack at 5 AM and it was cold. But you soon forget about how early it is or how cold it is as soon as you get started. The sound of 190 runners stomping through the dusty paths alongside the horse corrals was deafening as we headed away from the starting line. I had brought my voice recorder along on this run instead of my camera as I knew that this would be more of a technical run than a normal trail run. As someone had stated at the pasta dinner and I was soon about to find out, this race was like running the toughest trail race you can remember blindfolded. In other words, it was deemed as being Zane Grey on steroids, as this was the toughest race that I had run to this point (Race Director Joe Galope is da man!!!!). Would this be the case? Only time would tell.

As I was in the middle of the pack to start I was immediately incrusted in a layer of dust. It got so bad so fast that I could feel the grit on my teeth in a matter of seconds. Luckily within a matter of minutes we had cleared the stable area and began our journey back into the woods. I immediately began to notice the elevation difference as I started to travel along the wooded paths. As we weaved in an out of trees and rolled up and down over little bumpy hills of what I like to refer to as being the outer woods, because you aren’t really deep into the woods yet, even though you technically are, the first two miles seemed to really fly by fast as the human land train of runners motored on.

After the first two miles however the path really narrowed to more of a single track and the train really began to slow down, atleast the bunch in front of me. I quickly found myself stuck behind 5 or 6 people that seemed more interested in talking than climbing. It never fails and it always irks me something fierce. As I have explained before and most of you know, I am not fast, especially on the flats for some reason. But the hills, most specifically the climbs are a strong point for me and I hate wasting the chance to make up some ground or to build a little bit of a cushion when I can. This was one of those opportunities and it was on the verge of being wasted. But not this time, as I was not about to let it slip away on me if I could help it. So I bided my time and I picked my spot and then made my move as a wide turn on a switchback allowed me to sneak by all of them at once and immediately begin to pull away and started picking up time once again. Before I knew it I found myself deep into the woods, far off of the beaten path and at the end of the first leg of my journey.

Leg 2 – Mitchell Trail Head to Guaje Ridge (Miles 4.9 to 7.1) – Distance 2.2 miles – Elevation Gain 1540 feet; Elevation Loss 170 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 8,852 feet)

After quickly refilling my water bottle and grabbing a few chips to munch on I began my next leg of the adventure with the reading of a sign along the side of the path that stated merely “Welcome to Mitc”HELL”” and as I would soon find out….Hell was a very appropriate portrayal for this leg of the race as it seemed as if Satan himself had designed this part of the course. Mud from the recent rains had turned the path into a rutfest which intensified the strain on my leg muscles as the mud caked my shoes and made them feel 10 lbs heavier.

In addition to the mud the mountain path’s incline grade increased drastically and almost instantaneously. I must admit though, it was fun and it was beautiful! I wish that I could have taken my camera along with me too, much I was worried about the 2 cut off times (especially after almost missing the last cutoff time at Zane Grey). We were literally going back and forth on switchbacks up the side of a mountain. We have to climb over downed trees and run through sawed up trees. I can’t say it enough, it was beautiful. It reminded me a lot of the Zane Grey course (the obstacles) and the Imogene course (the climb) all mixed into one. As I remember it, the best way to describe it was that it was like we were an enormous colony of ants and we were all zig-zagging up this hill on this single track trail. I could look up or down and all I could see was the same things for what seemed like miles – tiny specks of people moving in a line one right after another. It was an awesome sight to see.

Out here I didn’t feel like the outsider in a room full of superstars. I was in my element. I was having fun and so I marched onward and upward.

Leg 3 – Guaje Ridge to Caballo Base (Miles 7.1 to 10.1) – Distance 3.0 miles – Elevation Gain 835 feet; Elevation Loss 1050 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 8,640 feet)

Upon reaching the Guaje Ridge Aid Station at the end of Leg 2 and topping my bottle off once again I started back out on my journey. As stated before, this leg of the course was 3 miles long and it would take me to what was billed as one of the toughest spots of the course, the Caballo Base and its immediate climb to the mountain top thereafter. I was excited about the upcoming challenge, but that was yet to come. In the meantime I would myself in the middle of the old saying…”what goes up, must come down” as the previous leg’s climb quickly became an afterthought as a sudden and step downhill frolic was presented before us. I could immediately feel the switch in the muscle group of my legs and body being used as I bulldozed my way down the path into a canyon basin. I remember doing quite a few Superman - “I believe I can fly” – imitation along the way down the hill, but somehow I managed to catch myself each time. And each time thereafter I can remember trying to remind myself to slow down, or to be more careful, or even to remember to respect the course and to not get too out of control or even too cocky. Then there were times that I remember being thankful that there had been, what seemed to be strategically placed, a tree that you could either run into to stop yourself or to grab a hold of and swing around to make a quick turn on a switchback in order to keep you from running off the wrong side of the mountain’s downhill. It was exhilarating and dangerous at the same time. It provided me with that rush that can only be best described as a moment of pure rapture or ecstasy if you will. By the time that I reached the bottom of that hill I was so out of breath, the veins in my head were pounding, and my face cheeks hurt from having laughed so much from the fun I was having. I swear that if anyone heard me as I was coming down that hill they would have wondered what the hell was wrong with me. Yeah, yeah, I know, people wonder that already…

My little scamper was then followed by a brief run alongside of a creek and a few tiny creek crossings. And then, out of nowhere, I found myself stopped in my tracks standing at the base of about an 8 to10 foot waterfall and I immediately said to myself, “Ok, just how am I suppose..” and that is when I saw this Rot Iron (rebar) Ladder that was bolted into the rocks on the side of the waterfall wall. I immediately started laughing. This was so frick’in cool. I had never had to climb up a ladder in the middle of a mountain run before. I swear that I must have looked like the Cheshire cat with the huge shitty grin that I was sporting. It was so much fun that had I not been in a race I would have loved to do it again just for the heck of it (there is always next year).

As I then continued on in the 3 mile section I started to remember about the upcoming Caballo Mountain fun that I was about to embark on as the evil and sadistic course director, a man after my own heart, had started to but out little signs strapped to the trees to let you know that you only had about a mile to go until the pain and suffering would begin. It was awesome! It was a tough course. I was only about 9 miles in and I was already tired and feeling it. This is what I pay for and I was sure that I was going to get my money’s worth and then some on this day.

Leg 4 – Caballo Base to Caballo Top (Miles 10.1 to 12.1) – Distance 2.0 miles – Elevation Gain 1771 feet; Elevation Loss 45 Feet – No Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 10,480 feet)

After having gone through Mitc”Hell” and the Superman Flight School Academy,  I found myself at the Base of the Caballo Mountain section of the course. This was the one area of the course that I had read about and feared, but yet looked forward to so much. What is wrong with that statement?

As I knew that there would be no aid station at the top of the mountain, I chugged the rest of what I had and then refilled it to the brim, ate a few orange slices and grabbed a handful of chips for a quick snack. As I started out I heard the reminder that the downhill runners had the right away and an ominous “good luck”. And with that I told myself, “Ok, here we go, Caballo Mountain, 1816 feet up, 1816 feet down. 2 miles each way.”

As I immediately found out climbing Caballo Mountain was all that they advertised and more! It was tough and that was just the first ¼ mile. Atleast for me it was tough anyways, because it was at this point in time that I was able to see just how far behind the leader I was as I was passed by flash of light and then a residual breeze that followed shortly thereafter. I was stunned. Here I was, just 10 ¼ miles into the race and here was the leader, already 3 ¾ miles already of me! (By the way…Flash’s name was Nick Clark of Fort Collins, Colorado and he finished in an amazing time of 8 hours 7 minutes and 45 seconds, a mere 1 ½ in front of the second place finisher). While deflating I knew that in my own right I was hanging in there!

Over the next few minutes I was passed by the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place runners as they were making their return trip down from the mountain top. Granted they were not moving quite as fast as Flash was, but they were still booking along at a pretty nice clip. As I stepped out of their way on the narrow path I made sure to cheer them on in their efforts. I must say that it did make it hard to get going once again but that is just one motivation to try to get faster and stronger as you go.

Note to self, and to anyone else that might find themselves in a situation such as this….when you step off of the path behind a fallen tree make sure that you completely clear the log when you start back out again, because the shin does not appreciate being forced to try to go through such a log….

As I continued my slow climb to the top of the mountain, I was passed by more and more runners on their way back down the mountain, but I am proud to say that I was never passed by anyone coming up the mountain from behind me on their way to the top. Hey, it is a little victory in my cap, but I will take it! Besides, that is something that I can say that I have in common with the race winner….lol.

Leg 5 – Caballo Top to Caballo Base (Miles 12.1 to 14.2) – Distance 2.1 miles – Elevation Gain 45 feet; Elevation Loss 1771 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 8,640 feet)

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity I made it to the top of the mountain and there waiting for me (and the other runners of course) was a decent group of race supporters and a photographer. After rounding the tree, which signified actually making it to the top, I yelled out my bib number to the checkers and immediately began my trip back to the base.

As I ran back down the mountain I began to notice a bit of a trend as I could see the look of pain and agony on the faces of the climbers coming up at me and I immediately wondered if I too, just minutes ago had been the bearer of such a mask. The simple answer to that is yes, there is no doubting it but I knew that for most they were not enjoying it as much as I had. I must say that I was having fun seeing those looks as well now that I was on the opposite end of the pain spectrum. Sorry, but atleast I am being honest. I love brutal courses!

Before I knew it I had made it back down to the base, but not before seeing my first glimpse of the leaders of the 50K race that had made their way over to the mountain and were making their trek up and down the mountain as well.

Leg 6 – Caballo Base to

Pipeline Road

(Miles 14.2 to 17.0) – Distance 2.8 miles – Elevation Gain 1,169 feet; Elevation Loss 222 Feet – Full Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 9,580 feet)

Again after filling up, I immediately headed out on the next leg of the course as I knew that I needed to make it through the next 2.8 miles before the 11:30am cutoff time for 50 mile runners arrived. I also knew that if I arrived there after 11am I would be encouraged to switch over to the 50k race and I didn’t want that to happen because to me that would be just like getting a DNF (atleast in my heart anyways) because I wouldn’t be finishing the race I set out to start.

As I continued on I munched on a few fig newtons and chewed up some gummi worms in an effort to get a little bit of sugar in my system. Once again I found myself climbing across the side of a mountain. There were little bits of rolling sections but for the most part it was uphill for the majority of the 2.8 miles. No rest for the wicked and so I rolled on.

Leg

7 –Pipeline Road

to Valle Grande (Miles 17.0 to 21.0) – Distance 4.0 miles – Elevation Gain 49 feet; Elevation Loss 1,009 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 8,640 feet)

I was amazed at how fast I actually went through the previous 2.8 miles as it seemed like a lot less to be honest, but I think that I was just so amped up after having conquered the mountain portion of the course that I used that to propel me right into the aid station.

As soon as I arrived at the full aid station I immediately asked for the time and was amazed to hear that it was only 10 AM. Some how, some way I had managed to build up an hour and a half cushion. I was so thrilled but I knew that I still had such a long way to go yet and so I grabbed my drop bag, which had been grabbed for me as soon as I entered the station, pulled out all of the supplies that I figured I would need until the next drop bag station and moved on.

I did decide that I would give Tammy a quick call in order to update everyone on my progress. That call was extremely short lived however as I came suddenly upon a sign which read “ski carefully or you will lose your lift tickets.” I was puzzled at first and then I saw the meaning behind the sign, a 600 + foot drop straight over the edge of a mountain side which was made out of nothing but loose gravel and shale. My jaw literally dropped as I stood there just staring down. I remember saying, “Yeah right” as I literally didn’t know what to do and how to proceed. Of course I knew the answer. I had to run and slide and pray for the best. And so I did. Well, I don’t think you could actually call it running as I initially ran over the edge but then gravity kicked in and did the rest as I literally was pulled down the hill and I ended up dropping down to my butt and allowed myself to slide. I actually found myself switching my slide from side to side as if I was actually skiing and it seemed to help.

Just as I reached about half way down the slide area I managed to grab ahold of a pine tree to slow myself down a bit and I was actually able to take a quick glance back up toward the top and that is when I saw two others standing there with their mouths agape and looks of disbelief shined out from their bugged out eyes. I knew exactly how they felt. It was so intense. It was so extreme. It was like nothing I had ever experienced or even expected. I loved it and knew that it would be fun to do again, just not anytime too soon. Give it five minutes or so anyways….

Throwing caution to the wind I continued on down the rock slide area and before I knew it I was standing as the bottom and letting out a huge sigh of relief. That had been so unexpected and such a rush. I was so glad that I had been allowed to experience such a thrill.

Immediately after finishing the drop zone I found myself on a jeep track/dirt road that opened up into a clearing and a beautiful meadow land presented itself in front of me. The scene was so breathtaking. The road just seemed to run forever off into the distance. There were a few small lakes in the basin of the meadow and some trees running up over the mountainside. It was just like a painting out of a Thomas Kincaid Gallery.

As I snaked my way along the dirt road I found myself lost inside the painting. From a distance I started to see a white dot in the midst of all of the greenery. Slowly it started to take form and I could tell that it was the next limited aid station as the miles quickly vanished beneath my feet. Soon I found myself coming upon an oasis in the middle of nowhere and with it came the end of the beautiful brushstrokes as a new and very different canvas was about to be presented to me to run and play on.

Leg 8 –Valle Grande to Pajarito Canyon (Miles 21.0 to 28.7) – Distance 7.7 miles – Elevation Gain 1,598 feet; Elevation Loss 2,444 Feet – Full Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 7,780 feet)

Next up, 7.7 miles, the longest leg of the course and this was to be no picture perfect painting. There would be no dirt road and no peaceful jaunt in the meadows in store for me from this point forward. Instead, upon leaving the aid station we were instructed to cut our way across the grasslands and to follow the flags in the field as this first section of the course would have no set path for us to follow.

The marsh, as I came to call it, was my worst nightmare as I hate running through grassy areas and this was even worse as it was more like running on top of and through mounds of dried straw all the while we were slowly making our way uphill toward a tree-lined area that was to act as the entrance to another mountainous zone. To make it even worse my legs were now starting to remind me of all of the downhill that I had put them through as I tried to tromp the best that I could through this marshy mess. In total there was about a mile and a half of the crap and I wasn’t the only one that seemed to be enjoying it oh so much as the field soon filled with other “runners”…actually it looked like a scene out of the movie “The Night of the Living Dead” as the zombies stomped and staggered through the graveyard, I mean the grassy marshland.

Finally I set foot into the trees and began climbing in the mountains once again. Then, all of a sudden, the trees disappeared without warning and I found myself standing in front of a field of boulders that stretched out and up the side of the mountain. As I would later learn this was what is called a scree field. Boulder upon boulder upon boulder layed there and in the midst of them orange flags and streamers were sticking up out of the madness and maze of jagged rocks. The path was clearly presented however it looked ten times easier then it was. I immediately thought of Lori Hickernell as she loves boulder hopping…well I think that even she would have been in awe of this site. I was huffing and puffing and hoping and teetering back and forth. As I would come to find out, the path that was laid out wasn’t that easy to follow and I quickly learned that so long as I progressed in the general direction of the path I would be alright, or so I thought. I ended up back tracking a few times before I finally said the hell with it and just fixed my eyes on what I saw to be the highest point on the mountain and just started heading in that direction. Somehow, someway it worked and I found myself near one of the summit areas as I had basically zig-zagged across and up the scree field.

Then, just as I began to celebrate the mini accomplishment I noticed that another lovely grassy marsh awaited me. I thought my legs were dead before, well now they were beyond dead, so dead in fact that I immediately fell as I stupidly attempted to try to run and it was so funny because I got it on tape as I was about to record a little rant about another crappy grassy area. This time I immediately thought of Sandra Fontaine as she once told me to have a mantra like “relentless forward progress” so I brushed myself off and continued to progress my way up the hill. It was horrible, but it was awesome. It was horribly awesome!

It was at that point that I noticed to runners going over the top of another section of the mountain of to the right of me. It was obvious that they were about to get seriously lost so I yelled out to them and saved them. As it turns out they were two fellow Arizonans and in the end ended up beating me by about 25 to 30 minutes.

After reaching the crest, which came at about 10,000 feet, I found myself staring down at another scree field, and yes I said looking down at. As I would come to find out however it was a hell of a lot easier to scramble down a scree field then it was to try to climb my way up one. I was amazed to find myself leaping and jumping from rock to rock with more confidence and agility then I expected. I was able to channel my inner dare devil as I scurried my way to the bottom in the blink of an eye. I was actually proud of myself…another little accomplishment for myself as I normally am overly cautious on the downhills.

Next up was a run through what I can only describe as the floor of the forest, it was a welcome change for a bit, but I knew that a major uphill had to be coming soon because this was too good to last for too long. I also knew that I had to be close to the end of the 7.7 or 7.8 miles for this leg of the trip, or so I hoped, because not only did it feel like it but I was almost out of water.

As I continued along I came across a two plank wooden bridge and I immediately thought of Monique Coady and her love for such bridges. This one would have really been in her top ten favorites as this “bridge” crossed a gully which was only about 20 feet deep however the bridge was only held together by a few L shaped braces here and there. It was enough to give me a good chuckle and take my mind off of how tired I was as this leg of the run seemed to be tougher than all of Zane Grey’s 50 miles, but boy was it fun! Just then I rolled into the Full Aid Station. What a welcome site.

Leg 9 – Pajarito Canyon to Townsite Lift (Miles 28.7 to 32.6) – Distance 3.9 miles – Elevation Gain 1,281 feet; Elevation Loss 54 Feet – Full Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 8,980 feet)

After taking a quick break to refill my water bottle and to eat a few snacks I prepared myself to venture onward. As I headed out of the aid station I had failed to look at just how long this leg was however I knew that I had about 7 or 8 miles over the next two legs to cover in order to make it to the final cutoff point. In addition I had failed to look to see what the elevation gain and loss was for this leg. In all of the prior legs I had made certain to look at the distance and elevation signs that the race crew had placed there for us at the exit of each stage - in this case I had not.

This leg of the course started with a bit of a downhill, which actually surprised me as I knew that I had another massive climb coming shortly, only I couldn’t remember whether or not it was before or after the last cut off point. Shortly thereafter I did come across a little bit of an incline as I entered into what I called “the valley of the burned down trees”. There were downed trees and burned trees that were still standing. In between it all was a tiny path that was to lead me through all of the destruction and there was a lot of it. While it was sad to think that everything that had once grown here had been destroyed it was still beautiful in its own right. To see new growth starting to bloom beneath the charred remains of another tree was a sign of rebirth and hope for the future. I immediately thought of how, someday soon another runner would come flying through here and be shaded by this young sapling and the once charred remains would be here no more. It would be as if it had never happened. Then as I came over the top of a tiny crest I got a breathtaking view of the mountains across the way. They were spectacular. They seemed miles away and they were covered with snow. I knew that somehow I was going to end up on top of them, I just knew it.

Leg 10 –Townsite Lift to Ski Lodge (Miles 32.6 to 36.2) – Distance 3.6 miles – Elevation Gain 1,409 feet; Elevation Loss 1,173 Feet – Full Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 9,220 feet)

It was 2:30 pm when I reached the Townsite Lift Aid Station, which meant that I now had 2:30 hours to go the next 3.6 miles and make my way out of the next aid station as the cutoff at the Pajarito Ski Area was set for 5:00 PM. It was now all or nothing time and it was now mega-mountain climbing time as I was about to find out. Another important rule was that any runner leaving the ski area after 4:00 pm would be required to carry a light, which is what I planned to do anyways as I knew that I would not be finishing before it got dark.

This aid station immediately reminded me of Lori Hickernell as this was the beer stop on the course as they had bottles available for the runners. Drinkers with a running problem….silly people.

As the name of the aid station denoted the start of this leg was located at a ski lift pickup spot at the bottom of a huge ski slope. As I started my way out of the aid station I tried to convince the crew to turn on the lift as I knew that a trip up the slope was in my near future, but they just wouldn’t do it.  One of the workers did say they would do it for $100.00 but when I asked if they would take an IOU or a check they laughed and said “NO.”

Whew, this was insane! I was literally zig-zagging back and forth and upward in between to ski slopes. So in other words I was in the wooded area in between the slopes, you know, the place that no one usually every goes in. Boy was it steep! I was huffing and puffing and plowing my way toward the top. There were a bunch of false summits and obstacles along the way (downed trees and rocks). It was fun! And I just knew that these sick bastards were going to make me run/climb clear to the top and then just run right back down one of the slopes and I was actually looking forward to it, they were my kind of people and I hoped that they wouldn’t let me down. Somehow I knew that they wouldn’t.

It was slow and go and I was so glad that I had a bit of a cushion going into this last leg before the cutoff. Onward and upward. Once I finally reached the top of the mountain I came across a set of TV Towers and I immediately thought of my friend Giridar (Giri) Gajapathy as he always loves to take me on runs to neat and crazy places and there always seems to be a set of TV Towers at the summit. Giri would have loved this!

When I made it to the top of the mountain area I thought it was appropriate that the name of the ski run was called “Muy Loco”. I thought that I had to be close to the aid station when I reached the summit, but had I actually thought about it more, a ski lodge is never at the top of a mountain, it is usually at the bottom of the slopes…duh! Such was the case here…as it was no where to be seen. There was some patches of snow present there however! BRRRRRR!!!! It was cold and windy on top of that mountain.

As I came across a ski patrol area I looked to see if there was possibly a restroom open…but there wasn’t. Oh well. Moving on we had to run across the top of a ridge road over to another ski patrol area and then all of a sudden you come across a sign that says “Oops…” and then the trail flags disappear down over the side of the mountain, but it wasn’t down a ski slope area that I expected. No, this was much worse, but so much better as this was a rock slide area and it was steep. Did I mention that I loved the sickness of the race director’s awesomeness! “Oops…”???? You gotta love that!

I kept thinking to myself that this sure was a long 3.6 miles…a very long 3.6 miles. After a few more downhill sections of rocks and trees we broke out into the open at the top of another ski slope area and just as I had predicted…it was now time to run straight down to the bottom of a ski slope area. My God it was steep and it looked as if it would never end. I actually could not believe how long it took to get to the bottom of the slope, however given how tired my legs were I was just happy to still be moving at this point and in reality gravity was actually working against be as it wanted to pull me down the hill so much faster then my body would allow at that given point in time and since I knew that I still had about 14 miles to go after this I had to conserve something for the rest of the race so I didn’t allow myself to give in to the gravity. Maybe next time I will just let it all go and fly down that slope like I truly wanted to.

Leg 11 – Ski Lodge to Pipeline (Miles 36.2 to 39.1) – Distance 2.9 miles – Elevation Gain 644 feet; Elevation Loss 244 Feet – Full Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 9,580 feet)

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! I made it to the final cutoff station with an hour to spare! The first thing that I did to celebrate was to make my way into the lodge for a potty break! I was so thankful that they had the lodge open for us!

After literally sitting there for about 5 minutes with my legs a quivering, I got back up and ready to go. As soon as I got back out onto the deck of the lodge and started refilling my bottle I couldn’t believe how many people were sitting there and calling it a day. This turned out to be one of the biggest breaking points in the race for so many of the runners. I knew what everyone had been through and could understand and respect their decision but it was time for me to continue on. As I did I could not believe the round of applause that I got, not only from the race staff but from the retiring runners as well. I appreciated it but had mixed feelings about it as well as I didn’t want to appear to happy or excited and sort of rub it in so instead I just turned my head back and nodded in a sign of thanks, acknowledgement and appreciation.

This next leg of the race would take me back around to the

Pipeline Road

once again and after that last extreme leg the mild climb and loss of this leg was very, very welcome. Since I had made it through the final cut off and now faced no more restrictions in regard to finishing I decided to do a recovery fast walk during this leg; however I didn’t want to take it too slow and risk starting to cramp up or ruin what was to this point a decent race time for me.

Leg 12 – Pipeline to Guaje Ridge (Miles 39.1 to 42.8) – Distance 3.7 miles – Elevation Gain 316 feet; Elevation Loss 1,048 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 8,852 feet)

The 2.9 miles was in fact slow and go, but it was well worth it as I knew that I would have a lot of downhill yet to come and for as tired as my legs were I appreciated the little break that I had given myself. Case in point, this leg of the race did have another 300 feet of gain, but there was also another 1,000 feet of loss and I really didn’t know how steep it was going to be and how rough it was going to be on my legs. Granted I had run this section of the race earlier, but it was in reverse and much, much earlier and on a set of much, much fresher legs.

As I started out I felt as if they had put the entire incline at the start of this leg as I found myself a climbing once again. This portion of the leg was steep, steep jeep trail and I honestly did not recall it from earlier on in the race, but I was sure not going to forget about it now as I quickly found myself power marching up this road. It was painful but it was a good pain. It is times like this in my races that I think back in my life to a few short years ago and I remember everything that I had to go through to get to where I am today and everyone that helped to get me to this point as well. It always gets me through, just as it did once again.

After finally reaching the top of the climb which actually only encompassed a short portion of the total 3.7 miles I found myself with a long steady and slow decline and I figured that it would continue like this for the rest of the leg. Boy was I wrong as after coming around a bend I found yet another steep, steep climb. I must say that constant switching back and forth from the climbs to drops in this race added so much to the overall challenge.

After the last climb of the leg I slowly cruised through the last mile or so of the leg which was a lot of downhill. It wasn’t too steep which was appreciated and it was winding so it wasn’t just a straight boring path to help lull me to sleep, which at this point in the race would have been very possible.

Leg 13 – Guaje Ridge to Rendija Canyon (Miles 42.8 to 48.1) – Distance 5.3 miles – Elevation Gain 36 feet; Elevation Loss 1,792 Feet – Limited Aid Station (located at the end of the leg at 7,080 feet)

After arriving at the Guaje Ridge limited aid station I began the second longest leg of the race, but I knew that after I was finished with this one I would only have one more leg to go and it was only 1.8 miles. I could do this! There was no stopping me now! It was all downhill from here? Well, you hear that one a lot in races and it usually is a pretty mean joke, but atleast for this leg of the race it was pretty damn true as there was only 36 feet of gain and almost 1,800 feet of loss, and this leg of the race was true to its advertising. And to be honest, at this point in the race I would have preferred it to be the reverse because my quads were hurting!

As I continued down the leg of loss, if you will, I began to race the sun as it began to quickly work its way behind me and toward the backside of the hills and mountain tops that were now behind me. I was able to see bits and pieces of the town in front of me but yet it seemed so, so far away and a bit higher then I was for this point in the race. Could it be that there would be one last climb left in the race still yet to come? I honestly hoped so. But for now I continued on in the winding path of gentle downhill which sort of reminded me of parts of the Javelina Jundred course and some of the rocky downhill sections on the 15 mile loops. Then I quickly found myself thinking of the Mesquite Canyon Challenge and the goat trail and the canyon portions as I found myself working my way down into a deep canyon basin in the middle of a woody section. It was so cool!

Another thing that I quickly found myself thinking about was the hotspot that was forming on the bottom of my one foot…but I guess that is what happens in a 50 mile race when you don’t change your shoes – but atleast it took this long to start heating up.

Leg 14 –  Rendija Canyon to Finish (Miles 48.1 to 50.0) – Distance 1.9 miles – Elevation Gain 426 feet; Elevation Loss 206 Feet – No Aid Station

After reaching the bottom of the canyon I finally made my way into the “Last Chance Saloon” aka the final aid station of the race. Whiskey shots were plentiful to all that had made it this far – although I did not and could not partake. I did however refill my water bottles and exited the saloon. I had 1.9 miles left to go and I was ready to get done. The sun was just about gone now and I put my headlamp on just for good measures even though it was still light enough out.

The small climb leaving the aid station felt a million times larger than it actually was and I got pissed off when I got passed my an older guy who was cutting the course short by going off the path and blazing his own trail.

When I got to about a mile to go I could see the freeway leading back up into the Posse Shack area and the hill that took you back there however my path would not take me out onto the freeway as I had to take the backway into the finish line area.

The closer I got to the finish line area the darker it got so finally I turned my headlamp on and made my way slowly toward the finish. The path quickly narrowed and turned into a stair/rock climb, a very steep stair/rock climb. Each step seemed higher then the next, a lot of which was the fact that I was tired and my legs were dead. Finally I made my way to the top of the “stair” and I found myself at the back of the corral area at the rear of the Posse Shack. After slowly but quickly making my way around to the front of the Posse Shack I crossed the finish line! Whew! This was brutal and well worth it. This one pushed me to my limits and left me wanting to do it again and again. I will get that pint glass for 50,000 feet of cumulative climb… for now…Total elevation gain 12,011 feet; Total elevation loss 12,011 feet

Zane Grey 50 Mile Endurance Run - race report - April 16th, 2011

Zane Grey 50 Mile Endurance Run

As the name states, this event is not just billed as a 50 mile run or even as a 50 mile trail run, it is promoted as the toughest, roughest and most beautiful 50 mile trail run in the country, a true test of one’s endurance. On April 16, 2011 I was scheduled to put myself to the test. Come along to see if I had what it took to make the grade or if the Highline trail from Pine to Christopher Creek would be too stiff of a challenge for this daydream believer.

On the afternoon of Friday, April 17^th, I hopped in my car, made a quick pit stop at McDonald’s for what else, a Sugar-Free Vanilla Iced Coffee of course, and began my journey north of the valley up to beautiful Payson, Arizona and the scenic Tonto National Forest by the Mongollon Rim, the sight of this weekend’s examination classroom, if you will. To say I wasn’t nervous would be a lie. I was, there is no denying that. Since running my first trail run a little more than a year ago I had heard tales of just how hard this Zane Grey race was suppose to be. When people spoke its name it seemed as if it was done with a certain amount of reverence. It was put right up there with the likes of Badwater and Leadville, just to name a few. It was a race of epic proportions and it was ready to push me to my limits and beyond if I would let it.

One nice thing that I had going for me in this my first attempt at conquering this latest beast was that I would not be alone as a bunch of my friends (Lori Hickernell, Manoj Nagalla, and Jay Danek, just to name a few) would be putting themselves to the test for the first time as well. In addition, we would be joined by a bunch of other trail-tested seasoned veterans (some of which who had passed the test many times in the past and some of which who had not but were brave enough to try it once again). The respect and admiration that I have for these runners, such as Honey Albright, Dan Brenden, Jody Chase, Boone Ebel, Justin Lutick and Paulette Zillmer, (again just to name a few) goes without saying. Finally, I knew that I would have a few friends out on the course to greet me at the aid stations, such as Nick & Jamil Coury, Traci Danek, Frank and Cat Cuda, and many, many others, as I hoped to keep ahead of the cutoffs along the way.

In the weeks leading up to this day, Lori, Manoj and I had made plans on staying at the Best Western in Payson the night before the race so that we could go to the packet pick up and pasta dinner and then, since this was a point-to-point race, take a car up to the finish line area so that us tired warriors would have a ride home after what we hoped would be a triumphant victory for us all. As I arrived up to Payson and got checked in, Lori made her way up north shortly thereafter and we met up at the 260/87 intersection to make the drive out to the finish line area. Along the way out to the 260 Trailhead I got my first glimpse of the Rim Country up close for the first time as the road traveled somewhat parallel along the path that we would be taking toward the finish line. It was simply spectacular. I was in awe as the thought that I would soon be back in the forest traversing through this mountain wilderness that was surrounding me. In a ride that seemed to take forever (an ominous sign of things to come) we passed the road into the Fish Hatchery and headed toward Christopher Creek and the Two Sixty Trailhead finish line area – a.k.a. God’s Country! I kept telling myself – I just want to finish…I just want to finish. Sure I had dreamed of finishing in about 15 or 16 hours, but the truth was, so long as I made it out of the last aid station in time I didn’t care about what my actual finishing time ended up to be.

Finally after making it to the finish line area, Lori and I walked around a bit and immediately took notice that the wooden sign denoted that the start of the trail was actually 51 miles away and since we knew that we would be traveling from the beginning to the end of the Highline Trail, our 50 mile run just got a bit longer. Sure it was only a mile, but that is a big difference in a race like this especially given the tight cut off times and the terrain -and this didn’t even factor in the chance of getting lost, or falling, or any run in with elk or bears or snakes – all of which we really, really hoped to avoid if at all possible.

As we got into Lori’s car and started back into town I told myself once again – I just want to finish – but this time it was followed by a deep and extended sigh as if I had just realized that in just a few short hours I was about to either keep my 165 race streak of no DNFs alive or fail miserably and let myself and everyone else down. Had I bitten of more then I could chew? Probably - but only time would tell now. I was prepared to go down in flames if it was meant to be but I knew that it wouldn’t be for a lack of trying. I knew that my biggest enemy was going to be those blasted cutoff times – the nightmare for the slow runners like me. This would truly be a test of heart and determination against the clock.

After arriving at the packet pickup at Tiny’s Restaurant we met up with Manoj and got all of the formalities out of the way - getting the bib, shirt and goodie bag. The shirt was very nice! After the 3 minute process we all headed back outside and started to meet and greet the familiar faces that were starting to gather around. Stories of nerves running rampant, prior year’s successes and failures, and tales of what to expect were flowing freely all about. As everyone continued to talk for a bit, Manoj and I headed across the tiny parking lot to the “Run, Hike, and Bike” shop to see if there were any last minute supplies that just couldn’t live without, but to our surprise the store had closed for the day. A sign on the door mentioned something about needing some time off due to having been really busy in the past few days. Boy did they pick the wrong day to close early as others joined us in disbelief outside the locked door of the shop. Having been turned away we headed back over to Lori to see what was up. As it turns out Lori was the only one of us who had pre-paid for the Pasta Dinner so we all decided that we would all see what everyone else was doing and tag along or just stick around here for supper. Just then Jay and Traci Danek mentioned that they would be heading over to an Italian Restaurant called Gerardos Italian Bistro as they had heard that it was amazing….so we invited ourselves along. We actually headed over early and got a table for eight! This surprised the greeter a bit as we didn’t have a reservation, even though the place seemed to be empty when we got there. But Lori seemed to be sweating bullets in hoping that everyone would come on over once we were seated as the place seemed to fill up in a heartbeat as if this was the only restaurant in town. Sure enough the table quickly filled as we were joined by Jay, Traci, Deb Bliss, Tony Keely and Jason Hoy (the last two whom we had met outside the packet pickup area and inducted them into our little clan of crazies!).

After a great “what we hoped wouldn’t be our last” supper, we headed out for the night. As it turns out Tony was staying at the same hotel as Lori, Manoj and myself so we all made plans to meet up at 3:30 am by Lori’s car to head out to the starting line. Manoj and I then headed to our room and did our final check of our drop bags – well, I actually did the final check of mine and Manoj had to put his together from the start as he had just thrown everything into one big bag before leaving from home. Just like his running, the natural athlete was doing this at a feverish pace, organized chaos at its best! One additional thing that I needed to do, since we only had the hotel room for one night, was to get a bag ready to put into Manoj’s car which included everything else (other than our drop bags) that I had brought up for the night so that we would have the hotel room cleared out prior to leaving for the day. In doing this we almost had the first disaster of the race occur as I threw my car keys and wallet into the bag – which would have really made for an interesting situation as my car was parked at the finish line and we would have had no keys…. Manoj and I got a little bit of a laugh out of that which I think we both needed at that point. Having diverted this disaster it was time for bed.

2:30 AM came extremely early as I, thanks to nervous energy and a grizzly bear in the room (just kidding Manoj!), couldn’t sleep that much – that and the cheese from the baked ziti at the restaurant didn’t seem to be a good choice after all. Time quickly passed and Manoj got up around 3 AM and before we knew it, it was 3:30 AM and time to roll. Tony (the only Irish guy in the world named “Tony” by the way…) met us outside and we all headed over to Lori’s vehicle and hit the road. As we started to roll I made one final check to make certain that I had my car keys and then I regaled Lori and Tony with the story – to which a grand chuckle was had by all.

It actually took a little more than a half an hour to get to the starting line from the hotel so we were glad that we had headed out when we did. Upon arrival we all immediately checked in and got our drop bags to their proper locations and then quickly all ended up back over in the car as it was freezing out! I knew I should have brought my gloves!!! As time quickly rolled down toward the 5 AM start of the race we all slowly ventured our way back out of the van and over toward the starting line. Yep it was still freezing! I could see my breath. I could see everyone’s breath! It was actually pretty cool to see it all just hovering there in the sea of light from the headlamps as I waited my turn in the porta-potty line…it reminded me of the pea soup thick fog from the Rouge Orleans 126.2 miler….ah the memories! Oh yeah, just as a plug…come on everyone and join me there next year as the race will be held at the beginning of February!!! Sorry…had to do that.

Since starting my blog for my longer races I had bought a tiny digital recorder that I had planned on using in this race, but alas that was not meant to be, especially in this race. It would have been nice to have a blow by blow account of what the course threw at me but I made the choice at the start to forego trying it this time and I am glad that I did. That being said, here is what I can remember…I am hoping that I didn’t subconsciously block out part of the nightmare that was called Zane Grey.

Pre-race meeting –

Out of 160+ runners to register for the race, only 128 brave souls (for whatever reason) toed the line for the start and the pre-race meeting.

"Be safe. Use some common sense. Have fun. GO!" – as stated by Joe Galope, Race Director. Little did we know it, but this was to be the only short and sweet occurrence to happen during the rest of the day.

And with that we were off…

Leg 1 – 8 Miles to Camp Geronimo (Cutoff time: 7:30 am – 2 ½ hours after start – Miles 0 through 8)

Like warriors charging off to ravage a village in the middle of the night we roared into the darkness ready to triumph over anything that got into our way – which in this case was an immediate climb that started mere moments after disappearing into the woods. It was amazing to see all of the head lights cutting a zig-zag path up into the evil shadows of the forest and the mountain that it protected. As I immediately started to fall into my old routine of trying to calculate what I needed to do to beat the first cut off time, I began to notice that the stream of head lights in front of me was starting to spread out quite a bit and some were really starting to pull away from the pack. This was expected as I knew that the elites would soon be totally gone from site, as is usually, ok…always the case. But what I didn’t expect was that this spacing out would really start to happen so close to the group that I was behind as a huge gap had opened up in between us and the next closest group out in front of us. What I mean by this was that the runners directly in front of me had really slowed down on the climb and they really didn’t seem to care or realize that they were holding things up as they gabbed away and took their time. It was REALLY frustrating. Part of the problem was that we had gotten to a single track portion of the climb and there was little to no room to get around them. This was killing me as climbing is one of my only strong points in a race such as this and I was boxed in behind 5 people with no passing zone in sight. My hopes were to be able to build up an early cushion on the cutoff times in case something were to happen later on in the races, but that was quickly being thrown out the window. We were going so slow that I even had the chance to quickly answer a text from Pat Reichart that had said “Run Mark Run” with a one word response of “Climb”. Then all of a sudden we came to a little clearing and I was able to scoot around the entire bunch and take off into a power climb up the side of the mountain. I let out a little “Wooohoo” as I began to put a bit of distance in between me and them and continue on into the darkness. It wasn’t long until I had started to close the gap in between myself and the rest of the runners that had pulled away significantly just minutes ago.

I was clipping along at a nice place when the sun first started coming out. It was so amazing to see the forest and the rim country come to life as the beams of light seemed to shove away the darkness like a wave of water rolling onto the shore and invading the beach. In the wake of invasion the dawn had painted a new life onto the day and restored the heartbeat of the nature that we were intruding upon. It really didn’t seem to mind as its warmth blanketed and welcomed us. It was breathtaking.

Shortly after the dawn of the new day, I was greeted by another welcome site as Lori had finally made her way free of the pack that was once in front of her and had caught up to me somewhere between mile 3 to 5. Put us together on the flats and I will be left eating her dust in no time, but this course was the perfect opportunity for me to “run” with her for a bit as I love to power climb the hills. Luckily there were a lot more inclines then declines at this point in the race (even though the course map doesn’t show this) so I was able to stay on her tail right into the first aid station and we were able to build up about a 40 minute cushion on the cutoff times as we arrived at Camp Geronimo at about 6:50 AM. Oh yeah, and I mustn’t forget to add that I made certain to step into the creek just before entering the aid station, which made Lori a bit giddy…

Leg 2 – 9 Miles to Washington Park (Cutoff time: 10 am – 5 hours after start – Miles 8 through 17)

Upon our arrival into the Camp Geronimo Aid Station I, wet shoe and all, managed to get what I needed in a hurry and was ready to roll, but Lori needed a few minutes to grab her food (bag of watermelon) and supplies, so I started a slow walk up out of the aid station and kept a move on. A few feet up the trail though I had to stop and get some rocks out of my soggy shoes, so by the time that I got set to roll again Lori had found her way out of the aid station and was as ready to go once again.

The next 3 miles had a nice steady and steep 1200 ft overall increase in elevation. It was brutal. Lori and I pushed each other on the ups and downs and made a good team. I appreciate all of the help and encouragement that Lori gives me, not only in races but at track practices as well. I am no where close to being in her league. I know that and don’t have a problem with it. It is funny because I know she gets mad at me sometimes because she knows I can do so much more at times except for the fact that I don’t always push myself like I could…but I am getting there…slowly but surely I am getting there. As we continued to run we were joined by the true trail legend Jody Chase. I always get excited about the opportunity to even run on the same course as the legends, so this was an honor for me. Jody is very personable and always full of great tales to share. In this instance we were amazed to see that she was running with a broken hand. Lori had heard that she was hurting and that it possibly was a hamstring, but nope it was her hand.

Things were going great as the 3 of us rolled along, but that all changed when I had to make a pit stop to go to the bathroom. I thought I had only taken a few seconds but that short period of time was just enough for Lori and Jody to disappear on me and as it would turn out I would never see either of them during the race again. Not to make any excuses, but part of the reason for their disappearance was the change in the course to a steady downhill section of about 200 feet over the next two miles and I am a little more cautious and in turn slower on the downhill sections as I always think that I am going to get out of control and end up falling and hurting myself, especially in cases like this when there are tons of loose rocks to trip over. This is something that I am working on and becoming more comfortable with. Another issue that I am having trouble with is getting a good pair of wide trail running shoes. I have some old Saucony and some New Balance trail shoes but they don’t have the best traction and they really don’t have a wide enough toe box. So if I get a good pair of wide shoes that fit and more confidence in my downhill running…look out Lori!!! Lol.

In getting back to the race, without my running partners I could tell that my pace had slowed a bit, but I was still booking along at a nice pace whenever possible. The course was hard to follow in some spots as I had a hard time seeing/spotting flags at points – but I can’t complain about that as I didn’t get out there to help tag the course because I was off having fun at other races. I will say though that overall everyone did one hell of a job getting the course ready for us and that it was greatly appreciated!!!!!

As I continued to progress toward the Washington Park Aid Station I was excited as I remembered that Nick, Jamil and Traci would be there waiting to help when I got in. But before I would get there I got my first taste of the Manzanita trees and the wonderful picky maze that they provided for us to run through. It never fails that if there is something that I could run into and cut myself up I will, and this day was to be no different as I seemed to punch my way through the maze. 

Before I knew it I was pulling into the aid station and just in time too as I was just about out of water. I had known that as I progressed into the race I would need to start carrying more water with me and until this point I had only carried two small 16 oz palm bottles but had planned to switch to two larger 32 oz hand held bottles from this point forward. I must add that the crews had things very well organized to the point that when a runner would come into an aid station their number would be reported to another person in charge of the drop bags and that person would quickly grab your bag for you and help get you everything that you needed. In this case Traci Danek grabbed my bag for me and helped me to do my bottle switch out without much of a delay as I was then able to route through the rest of my drop bag and grab what I needed. I had made sure to put some extra salt caps and some gu packs and shot bloks in each bag as well as some goodies like Ritz Bits crackers and some gummy worms and licorice for a little energy burst. And speaking of energy bursts I did put one energy shot in each bag to grab when I felt like I might need it. This was one of those times.

Nick and Jamil had put out a nice spread of some oranges and bananas for the runners. The oranges were a nice little treat for me! As it turns out I was in my own little world as I prepared to rush out of the aid station as my 40 minute buffer had decreased to a 29 minute buffer. In doing so I failed to recognize one of my friends from Tucson Renee Webb. So to you, sorry I missed you! One excuse that I will say is that I am so use to seeing you with Dallas that I didn’t recognize you by yourself. I don’t mean that to sound bad, instead I think that it just goes to show how the two of you are meant to be together and will have a great future ahead of you in the years to come! I am so glad that you two are getting married – you two are meant to be together! Congrats!!!!! Dallas is a lucky man!

Leg 3 – 8 Miles to Hell’s Gate Canyon (Cutoff time: Noon – 7 hours after start – Miles 17 through 25*)

As I headed out of the aid station at 9:30 AM,  I think that I recall that the Race Director was sitting there snapping photos just before we had a creek crossing…if that was you Joe…sorry I didn’t recognize you, as I had just said I was in my own little world. I did recognize Megan Powers from ARR and the Valley though as she has so much fun taking photos at the different events and she caught me with my secret weapon…a bag of Jalapeño flavored Ritz Bitz crackers…and snapped a fun photo of me along the way.

The fun was quickly put on the back burner for a bit as the course immediately began to climb about 500ft over the next mile to mile and a half. The climb was very tough as it seemed to traverse up the side of a mountain and the temperature began to rise the further I went as well.

After topping the mountain or at least this point of it, I realized just what it meant to be on the trail to Hell’s Gate Canyon as the scenery immediately changed to more of a dark and desolate one. I felt as if I was on my way to Mordor – from the Lord of the Rings movies. Dead and burned up trees lined both sides of the path. Dried grass that was as slick as ice lined the way, hiding many jagged rocks and ankle twisters. Luckily I had been warned of these hidden treasures by my great friend Shayna Elizabeth so I was ready for them. This part of the course reminded me a lot of the 15K Gaspin’ in the Aspens in Flagstaff – another fun run through the slick grass, rocks and fallen pine cones (those are slippery little devils!).

The next part of this leg of the race was a series of climbs and plunges and both seemed to be completely covered in rocks and ruts. It was brutal and it was very laborious. Running in the ruts upheld was interesting to say the least. It was at this point in the race that I fell for the first time and yes, somehow I fell uphill. I landed flush on top of a boulder and knocked the wind out of myself. The first thing that I thought of was damn there go the ribs again. Luckily I just jarred them something fierce as I had avoided a direct blow to them. After getting up and shaking off the dust and the embarrassment I continued on…a bit slower but forward progress nonetheless!

Shortly after getting going once again was when I met up with fellow runner, Antoinette Vaughan. Well, she and the gentleman that she was running with actually met up with me as they came up from behind and powered right up alongside me and then right on by me on the downhill. They made it look so easy! Shortly thereafter when the trail switched back uphill once again I was right back on her tail! The only thing was that I had no clue who she was. I mean she looked so familiar but I just couldn’t place her. Then, out of the blue she said to me, “you’re Mark aren’t you?” I said, “yep”, because well I am…lol. Then she added, “I Antoinette Vaughan and we are Facebook friends and I have admired you from afar.” I was shocked, first off from hearing that, and second because I had admired her from afar too as she has accomplished so much herself as well. I admire her and she inspires me. To say this gave me a little bit of a pick me up to be able to run along side and behind (in most cases) someone such as her is just a great feeling! Toni it was great to meet you and I hope to see you out on the trails again soon. Oh yeah…good luck at KONA!!!!!!!!!

The Hell’s Gate Canyon aid station seemed to take forever to get to and I had damn near run out of water once again even though the station actually came about a mile and a half early. You see, the aid station was suppose to be at Mile 25, but it was actually at Mile 23.5 or so as I was told by the aid station crew. This did not bode well for me as even though I had arrived at the cutoff point early, about 25 minutes before Noon I had actually lost a few more minutes on my buffer and had I had to have gone that extra mile and a half like I should have (to mile 25) I would have really cut into my buffer quiet a bit more. What this also meant was that I would have to go an extra 1 ½ miles to the Fish Hatchery Aid Station on my two bottles of water. Had I known this would be the case I would have grabbed a 3^rd bottle back at the Washington Park Aid Station to have with me because going about 10 miles in the heat of the day is a lot harder then only going 8, especially if you run out of water.

Leg 4 – 8 Miles to Fish Hatchery (Cutoff time 3 pm – 10 hours after start– Miles 25* through 33)

As I started out of the Hell’s Gate Canyon Aid Station I could see Antoinette and her friend off in the distance in front of me, she was going strong on the downhill and it would stay this way from there on out, no matter how hard I tried I just could not catch back up to her. I got close a few times, but that was about it. This leg of the course brought with it some more of the lovely Manzanita Trees…..lovely to look at but not much fun to run a maze through!!!! Painful beauty….sounds like a good name for a female professional wrestler…nope…that is what I renamed the trees! Painful beauty! There might have been a few more choice words mixed in there as well, but we won’t go there quite yet.

After the maze ended came a rough 500 foot climb and drop off over a 2 ½ mile period. Rocks were everywhere. I don’t know how many I kicked and tripped over but my feet were really starting to hurt badly. And my ankles, wow, I don’t know how many times I kicked up a rock that seemed to act like a heat-seeking missile that took aim straight for the inside on my ankles just right above the top of my shoe cushioning. It literally felt like a knife blade ripping across the skin of my ankle. Wow did that hurt. Did I mention that there were bleep, bleep, bleep, bleeping rocks (and a few choice words to go along with them) – hey I warned you! At the end of the hill, which was covered in rocks, once again, I fell and boy did I ever fall hard. This time however it was going down hill. I swear that I smacked the ground so hard that it echoed. I kid you not! This one hurt bad, I landed right on my left knee and lower leg. I could feel that it was cut open and it was throbbing. I laid there for a second and just wanted to scream out but just then I heard a voice from across the canyon yell out, “Mark are you ok?” I wasn’t, but I made my way to my feet and yelled out, “yep, I’m good.” It was then that I noticed that it was Antoinette and the gentleman that was running with her (a special thank you for checking on me, I appreciated that). I honestly didn’t know I was that close to them, but that would soon all change as I was limping bad as I got going once again.

As I have said before, forward motion is still forward progress; however at this point in time I had my first feeling as if I might not be able to make it. This feeling was short lived as I saw a tent off in the distance just across a little ridge. “Thank you Lord!” I said as I looked to the heavens and released a big sigh of relief. Things were going to be ok after all! But as I arrived at the tent I was shocked to find out that these were just spotters on the course and that their news for me was that I was only about 3 ½ miles away from the See Canyon aid station. Immediately a feeling of despair came over me as I couldn’t believe that I had that far to go yet as it seemed as if I had already gone almost 10 miles. My leg started to immediately throb once again as if to poke a little more fun at me and insult me a little bit as well. Nonetheless I moved on. I moved on without even knowing how much time I had left to go that 3 ½ miles. I honestly didn’t care. I knew that if I were going to miss the cutoff so be it, but I wasn’t going to just give up. I don’t have an ounce of give up in me, atleast not anymore.

As I continued to move away from the spotters I began to push myself harder and harder. I wasn’t going fast by any means but I was going. As I kept going I noticed the smell of fish in the air. I knew that I was close! Next up came a few creek crossings and some switchbacks with some little climbs. Then, as I came upon a clearing I saw a gate that led into a small area of buildings. At first I wasn’t sure which way to go as I didn’t see any ribbons inside of the gate, and I immediately started to head towards that building, which I assumed was the Hatchery. But for what ever reason I got a feeling that I needed to stop and turn around. It was if someone or something was helping to get me back on course and I listened and I am glad that I did because as I turned around a sudden gust of wind lifted up a ribbon off of a treat branch in the distance and waved to me as if to say…”Hello dummy…come this a way!”

After getting back on track I was surprised to see that I had a little bit of a ways to go to the aid station yet. But somehow I made it. As I pulled into the next to last aid station it was 18 minutes until 3 PM. Time and my cushion were still slipping away on me. 11 miles to go in 3 hours and 48 minutes – I didn’t think I was going to make it. This feeling was even more compounded as one of my best friends pulled into the aid station as I was ready to pull out. I was shocked to see Manoj Nagalla just coming into the aid station, especially after me. I knew that things had to be going terribly wrong for him as I had honestly thought that he must have passed me a long, long time ago when I stopped for the bathroom break. Manoj had run out of water and was badly dehydrated and cramping. He tried to put on a good face like everything was going to be alright, but his face told me the truth. I asked him if he wanted me to wait on him and he said no, go ahead I will catch up. I felt bad and wanted to stay but I just couldn’t because I knew if I sat down at that point I too would stiffen up and then that would be all she wrote for me as well. In asking him again and getting the same response I headed out – the crewman told me as I left that spotters we at Mile 40 so I would know just how far I was when I got to them.

Leg 5 – 11 Miles to See Canyon (Cutoff time 6:30 pm – 13 ½ hours after start)

Shortly after leaving the aid station I got a rude wake up call as I fell for the third time. No it wasn’t on the downhill. No it wasn’t on an uphill. It wasn’t even on a flat zone. Where then do you ask? Well, let me tell you. I fell into the damn creek!!! I was pissed off! You see, there was this single log bridge crossing that needed to be done and two steps onto the log my legs just laughed at me quivered and then buckled in a show of revolt. Backwards I went right down into the water. I landed right on my ass and fell backwards so that I was literally lying down in the water. I am so lucky that I didn’t crack my head open as it hit the water as well. I think that I scared the crap out of some people who were in that same general area. One gentleman with a black dog came back to see if I was ok (which I appreciated!). Just at that moment I hopped up out of the freezing cold water and was really, really pissed as I realized that my phone, camera, and digital recorder were in my back pack (fanny pack) which was completely submerged in the creek for who knows how long. I couldn’t believe it! I had just replaced my old phone with this new one and now I was going to have to replace another one! GEESH!!!!! One thing that I didn’t expect was that this cold bath was one of the best things that could have happened to me as it woke me up and got me going again at a better pace.

Another thing that really got me going was seeing Manoj come up behind me. At first I was embarrassed as I just knew that he must have seen my clumsy butt fall off the log but I made a joke about it and took all of the pressure off of myself (atleast in my eyes). But by his reaction I don’t think that he saw it. My thoughts of my embarrassment quickly left as I saw that he was still in rough shape. Manoj asked if I had any salt tablets, which I did so I gave him a couple and some shot bloks as well. Manoj sat down and immediately took the pills and said that he was cramping bad but hoped that the salt tabs would kick in in just a few minutes and that then he was gonna go for it as hard as he could so that he could make it to the next and final aid station before his legs gave out on him. Again he told me to go ahead and that he would get a move on in just a few. Reluctantly I agreed as I had seen him run that Javelina Jundred like a mad man! He was amazing and I knew that he had it in him to finish if he could. So I got going once again. Just then my phone rang out denoting that I had a message. I was shocked. My phone was still working!!! Hot damn my pack was water proof!!!!! Not a drop of water made it into the pack and everything was spared.

The next three miles took us up and up and up and up and up to the highest elevations of the entire race. There were so many face summits on these climbs and I honestly could not run up the sides of these mountains. There were downed trees that literally took everything I had left in me to get over. This was brutal. I secretly loved it but I was just so tired and worn out that I just felt like I wanted to be done. I didn’t say that I wanted to quit. I just wanted to be done. I hoped and prayed that I had it in me to make it to the final cutoff but I honestly didn’t think I was gonna make it because I just could not see how I was going to make up any time that I was losing as I battled up this damn mountain side which climbed nearly 800 feet in elevation but probably close to 2000-2500 ft overall if you count up all of the actually climbs in this section. It was so tiring…so, so tiring. I actually messaged Tammy and told her that I didn’t think that I was going to make it. I was dead tired and just didn’t think that I would be able to maintain a good enough pace to make the cutoff.

During part of this climb I actually came across the spotters that I had been told about – or so I thought I had, as they actually were not the spotters I was told about. This couple was actually standing at the Mile 36 area and they got a kick out of the fact that the aid station workers had forgotten about them so many times through out the day. The couple actually didn’t know if another set of spotters were actually out at the Mile 40 point or not so I didn’t know whether or not I would see anyone else or not. They did make certain to tell me to enjoy the climb and snickered as I headed out. I appreciated that as I knew that it was about to get worse before it got better and boy did it ever.

After peaking out near the 6900 ft mark I started to rapidly drop down into a canyon area that bottomed out at about 6,350 ft I thought for sure that I had to be getting close to the See Canyon Aid station as the name stated I expected the aid station to be down in a canyon. Little did I know but I hadn’t even made it to Mile 38 yet. At this point I started coming up on a runner, which reminded me that I had yet to see Manoj come flying by me like I expected him to do. I wasn’t sure who the lady was but she had a KISS shirt on so she was ok by me! Laura Nagy was also within sight and the 3 of us ran in a tight pack changing the lead position on and off for a good little while. Just then we came across the spotters I couldn’t believe that we had only made it to Mile 40 as it had seemed like we had been running forever. They then told us that we were actually at Mile 41 ½ so we were a little further than I expected them to tell us, but still not quite far enough… The next bit of news that they gave us was that we only had 32 minutes to make it that next 2 ½ miles – this meant that we somehow had to make 12 minute and 48 second per mile paces. I felt so defeated. There was just no way. 

Just then I got a text response from Tammy saying “You can do it. SI4S!!!” and so I did. Some how some way I kicked it up a notch and took over the lead of our pack of 3 for good clear into the aid station. It was just what I needed and it was just enough. Just enough indeed as I topped the last hill of the mountain (at least on this side of the canyon) and saw the final aid station down on the road below. I kicked it up a notch and started flying down that hill. I began yelling, “Here we come Frank! Here we come!” as I knew that Frank Cuda would be waiting there for us (he had actually sent me a FB message earlier in the week to let me know that he would see me there). Just then a lady yelled out, “Move your asses you’ve got 1 minute left to go! Go, go, go!!!” I was so sure that I was going to wipeout going down that hill but somehow I didn’t. As soon as I made it down onto the street they checked me in and announced that we had less then a minute to get out of the station. I flew over toward the table and Frank stood there with his hands out as if to say chuck me your bottles and I think that I actually did. Frank filled them like a man on a mission and I quickly grabbed a few chips to eat. One of the advantages that I had given to myself was the fact that I had carried a headlamp with me from the start of the race so I didn’t have to take a bit of time to dig through my bag and find one now. As soon as Frank got my bottles filled and capped he congratulated me and said, “no worries, we got you, we got you!” and with that I was off. I took off toward the exit area and said, “72 out” and the moment I did, I heard them repeat what I had just said and then add, “Ok that is it. 72 is the last one!” I was so relieved that I had made it and so thankful to Frank for all of his help. I could not have made it without him! THANKS FRANK!!!!!! Just then however as I felt so good I realized that Manoj had not come through. So that put a damper on things.

Leg 6 – 7 Miles to Finish (Cutoff time: None – so long as you made it out of See Canyon in time)

Having made it out of the final cutoff zone with only 5 seconds to spare my streak of races without a DNF was somehow still intact. I know that it will eventually come to an end and I will accept it when it does. I won’t like it, but I will accept it. This also meant that I now had as long as it would take to get to the finish! I did recall that the website had mentioned that they expected the last runner to cross the finish at about 9 PM, which meant about 2 ½ hours. As we took out of the cleared area and started on the last leg, Laura Nagy congratulated me on my kick at the end. I told her that I sure as hell didn’t know where it came from but I am glad that it did. Laura then took off and our pack of 3 was down to 2. I knew that we would be losing the sun quickly and really wanted to get as far as I could before it got dark but I honestly had nothing left at that point as I had used up everything that I had to get in and out of that last aid station. In addition to not having anything left we had a nice climb up out of the canyon we had just dropped down into. That was just pure torture but it hurt so good!

Quickly the moon started to rise and the sun started to drop and it got dark fast in the woods. Soon enough we had our headlamps on and we were walking in the dark. As we continued on in our climb I noticed that a runner, or atleast someone that I thought was a runner, came up behind me. I thought that it was someone who had made it through the aid station but had stopped for a potty break or a rest and then had started back up again and had quickly caught up to me. I thought that it would only be fair for me to move aside and let this person through as I hate holding anyone up, so I told the runner that if she wanted to pass me, just to let me know. To my surprise it was the course sweeper, Scout. I never caught Scout’s last name but she was awesome. She even joked that if I wanted to lay down and take a nap I could…lol Even though that sounded good I honestly felt bad for her for having to go so slow behind me as I really had nothing left and was not to keen on falling in the dark and not being able to make it to the finish line after everything that I had been through.

Scout kept me talking and that passed the time as we traversed through the darkness. She knew that course like the back of her hand and helped to make certain that I stayed on track as it got tough to see some of the ribbons in the dark. Scout and I exchanged stories about races and racers, weight loss and healthy living. I really enjoyed it and owe her a ton of thanks! I hope that she does in fact try this race next year – I know that she will do it without a problem. Thanks for putting up with this slow poke Scout!!!

As we made it into the finish line area I thank Scout once again and then let out a huge roaring “WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!” I had made it! I was spent as this was the hardest race that I had ever done, but I had made it and was already thinking about how I might do things differently next year. Yes I will be back again for another go at it next year!!! I was glad to see Manoj, Lori and Tony there waiting on me. I apologized and said that I hoped that they hadn’t had to wait too long…

LIFE IS GOOD!