Kodiak 100 2017 Race Report

"I just want to lay down beside the trail, and take a nap"

Having had an odd stomach ache for the last 5 miles, I pulled off to the side of the trail, down a short dusty ravine. My stomach promptly lost most of the water and gels I had consumed for the past 2 hours. I was having exercise and heat induced vomiting at 8,500 feet elevation going up Sugarloaf Mountain at mile 23, the most intense vomiting so far at any race. I could not keep anything down, although I had been hiking very slowly up Sugarloaf Mountain, allowing other runners to pass me up. Now I wondered if I would be able to go on up the mountain. Was this altitude sickness, which would require descending quickly? I did multi system checks, including math calculations to see if my mind still worked. I checked for significant edema, tachycardia, tachypnea, lightheadedness, and other GI symptoms, but these checks all turned out negative. I decided I would continue up the mountain, which would peak out at 10,000 ft--higher than I had ever run before in a race.

Kodiak 100 is a race that goes along the mountains around Big Bear Lake in California. I used to live in Southern California, so I was excited to run on the areas that I hiked when I was young.
The evening before I picked up my bib and headed back to my room to get some sleep. Before I went to sleep though, I checked my drop bags. TSA had left a card saying they inspected my suitcase containing my drop bags. One of my drop bags had double the gels and snacks, and one bag had no gels and snacks! TSA had mixed up my drop bag contents! Wow--I was glad I double checked the bags.

On the next morning, Friday, I dropped off my 6 drop bags and picked up my Spot tracker. At 9:00 am, we were off. The weather forecast called for sunny skies with highs up to around 80 F, and a high UV index above 10! I planned to wear sunglasses during the daylight hours, and a shade hat as well.
Since this was my 9th 100 miler to start, I have learned that since each race is vastly different, I don't set a time goal. That way, I do my best and just try to finish as well as possible. I had no altitude training and no heat training before this race. I had never been on these particular trails. I arrived in Big Bear 2 days before the start of the race.

Mile 0-5 (Grandview)
The race starts out on pavement and heads up on double track to Grandview A/S. I was careful to not run fast, and walk every time my heart rate crept into the 160s. I made sure to consume 300 calories per hour and to drink enough.

Mile 5-12 (Skyline)
From Grandview, nice single track descends down a ridge and joins up with double track which heads  up to Skyline. I was feeling ok, and tried to be in the shade as much as possible. when I stopped to take a gel, I made sure to stop in the shade.

Mile 12-15 (Bear Mountain)
From Skyline, I ate a few snacks, but I got some abdominal muscle cramps and had to slow down a bit on the single track downhill all the way to Bear Mountain. This A/S is situated on the road between Bear Mountain Ski area (which I have skied at before), and the Big Bear Zoo (which I visited the next week). There were quite a few spectators there at the A/S, and it was nice to see the people there.

Mile 15-20 (Sugarloaf)
From Bear Mountain to Sugarloaf A/S, the route has a lot of paved roads and some dirt roads as well. I was feeling ok to mile 20, having reached it in 4:30 elapsed time, which was 2:30 ahead of the first cutoff. I did sit down and eat quite a bit.

Mile 20-31 (Sugarloaf)
From mile 20, the route goes up dirt roads to the Sugarloaf Mt trailhead and climbs 2500 ft up to just shy of 10,000 ft. At mile 23, I had vomited and was suffering quite a bit. I had only packed 54 oz of water for miles 20-31, and I wondered if that was enough. Some of the dusty single track up was very steep, and with many runners passing me up, I was getting discouraged. Having lost quite a few ingested calories, I took it very slow. I did however reach the top, and sat down on a big rock and relaxed for 5 minutes. It would have been nice if there was water at the top, but there wasn't. I would ration my water for the descent and go low calorie for awhile. On the descent I picked up speed and got a second wind so to speak. I passed a few runners up and gained some speed down to the mile 31 checkpoint. 8:45 had passed since I started the race, and it was 5:45 pm. The worst of the heat of the day had passed, but I had hoped to reach this point by 3:30-4:30 pm! I was still 2:15 ahead of the cutoff though, so I had a little cushion. I would just have to pick up some speed now that I would hit the rolling sections. I ate some,  decided to rely more on A/S food that gels, and planned to continue on with the race.

Mile 31-38 (Burns Canyon)
The route from Sugarloaf A/S to Burns Canyon was one of my favorites. Maybe it was Deadman's ridge with all of the rocks to run on, or the relief that the evening breeze gave, or the beautiful sunset. I was moving quite well in this section and passed a few more runners.

Mile 38-42.5 (The Dump)
I put on my headlamp and meandered into the night. The route took me along dirt roads and paved roads.

Mile 42.5-50 (Holcomb Valley)
Quite a bit of dirt double track followed up hills and down hills with nice views of Big Bear lake. I ran with another runner along this section, as he was trying to save his headlamp batteries, and instead ran in my light instead. The aid station at Holcomb Valley was nice and I headed on in the night. At mile 50, it had taken me 14:30 to go that far.

Mile 50-55 (Hanna Flats)
From Holcomb Valley to Hanna Flats, the course goes primarily on double track dirt roads. Few ribbons or arrows were visible and often I wondered if I was on the correct route. Occasionally, I would see headlamps of runners ahead of me. The route went up and down hills. It was cold in the ravines and warm on the ridges. There wasn't much wind. Within 1/2 mile of Hanna Flats, I ran into quite a few runners who had taken a wrong turn and had come back to the correct route. I reached the aid station and had some soup, and other tasty items. They even had a bathroom there.

Mile 55-64 (Green Valley) Upon leaving Hanna Flats, the single track winds around several hillsides with very, very few ribbons. I didn't see any arrows though, so I kept on ahead, although several times I wondered if I should head back to the aid station to confirm I was on the right trail. Finally I reached Green Valley, mile 64. At Green Valley, the aid station folks told me some runners had taken a wrong turn just down the road and had come back to get directions. I was told which way the trail went, and it was confirmed with arrows.

Mild 64-69 (Snow Valley)
I followed the arrows and ribbons carefully and head up a hill above Snow Valley. Yet I got a text message from my family saying I was off course! I started to second guess myself, but checked again and sure enough there were lots of ribbons on this trail. I continued on to Snow Valley where the 50K runners would start later that morning. I grabbed some warm food, changed into lighter clothes and left.

Mile 69-79 (Champion)
The section from Snow Valley to Champion was my favorite section. The trail heads to the top of Siberia Canyon and descends steeply on switchbacks to the bottom where there is a creek. An aid station volunteer was in a sleeping bag and had water for us there. From here the single track heads up but less steep than the descent. Along the entire Siberia Canyon there were loads and loads of annoying gnats that tried to get into my eyes. I was swatting them continuously with both hands. I really liked the trail though and didn't mind the many scratches I got from thorny bushes along the way. Within 1/8 mile from Champion, a boy and a girl ran up to me cheering me on and asked if I wanted refills or oatmeal. I was amazed. Upon reaching the aid station, I sat down, and a whole cup o'noodles was brought to me. A/S volunteers went the extra mile and helped put things in my pack, filled up my bottles, encouraged me and sent me off quickly. Wow!

Mile 79-85 (Grandview)
The heat of the day was now building, except this day was going to be hotter than the day before. The sun was intense again and I sought out shady parts of the trail to run on. Finally I reached Grandview,  although at this point I was hiking more than running. I ate a little and took off down the trail.

Mile 85-87.5 (Aspen Glen)
From Grandview to Aspen Glen, the descent is fairly steep. I ran as much as I could but the heat was rough. At Aspen Glen I sat awhile and ate quite a bit of food. I asked carefully which way to head back up to Grandview, since I heard the signs were confusing going up.

Mile 87.5-90.5 (Grandview)
At the junction just up the trail I stopped and waited for another runner to catch up. I then asked her which way we were supposed to go, and I followed her to the left. I had seen other runners apparently going the wrong way up the other way, so that was confusing. The trail going back up was longer than the other trail. I reached Grandview and ate some more.

Mile 90.5-96 (Skyline)
This section form Grandview to Skyline was very difficult for two reasons. First, the intense sun and heat were exhausting me to no end. In spots, the heat index in the sun was likely around 90. I was hiking very slowly now, and was getting very, very sleepy in the mid afternoon, having been awake about 33 hours at this point. I wanted to go to the side of the trail and have a little nap. I resisted the urge though because I had no pacer to wake me up, and I was afraid heat exhaustion or worse would give me troubles so much that I couldn't finish. Would I have to drop out at mile 96 or before? I had only gone 1 1/2 miles since Grandview, and I was seemingly making now progress while hoards of runners were passing me up. If Sugarloaf Mt ascent at mile 23 was the first wall, then at mile 92-95, I was at the second wall, and this was much worse. At one point, I sat on a log and ate a gel with water. Somebody's pacer who passed me up here reminded me not to sit too long, and asked if I was ok. Thankfully, I reached the Skyline A/S 1 mile before I had anticipated I would reach it. This gave me a dose of energy. I didn't fuel anymore here, being worried that I would get stomach cramps on the final descent to the finish.

Mile 96-100 (Finish)
From Skyline to the Finish, I met Jonathan and his pacer. His pacer was pushing not only Jonathan but also the rest of us runners along the way to run and finish this race. I appreciated the encouragement. On the descent, Jonathan asked me if I wanted to finish together. I agreed and had a good time running down that hill to the finish, at a full sprint at the finish. After 32 hours and 39 minutes, Kodiak 100 had been conquered. I ended up 47th place out of 102 starters. Only 64 % of the starters finished, and I was glad to be one of them.

I am thankful for the amazing volunteers at the aid stations, the people who marked the course, the race director, Matt Smith, for all of the friendly runners out there, and for my family who believed I could conquer this Kodiak bear of a course.

Overall, I really enjoyed running this race. I never got lost even once. The aid stations never ran out of supplies. The aid station volunteers were helpful. The climbs were modest but not over the top. The altitude really wasn't that bad even though the average was above 7000' ft. The hot days will be there year after year, but this is the southwest in Summer. It was nice that it never rained and there was minimal mud. The temps never got below about 40 F. The 9 o'clock start was nice in that I could sleep in the night before and it wasn't very hot to start out the course.

What went well:

1. The tune-up races and runs prior to this race: Badger 100, Bighorn 100, M2B marathon, Tillamook Burn 50k

2. I kept the summer mileage up higher than in prior years, and the legs had no problem with the climbs or descents

3. I tapered effectively

4. No underlying injuries

What I could have done differently:

1. Altitude training, although it isn't real feasible where I live on the coast
2. Heat training, although it didn't seem to help me much at Bighorn (because it was cool this year, haha).
3. I should have had 72 oz fluids from miles 20-31, rather than 54 oz.

One way to look at performance is the placement. For each of my 100 milers, I have either been in the mid pack or back of the pack, which is mediocre as races are concerned. Given my marathon and half marathon times, one would think I would be faster at ultras.
Yet I have finished all of the last 7--100 milers that I have run over the past 2 years. Statistically, given the finishing rates of Badger 100, Zion 100, Bighorn 100, Lost Soul 100 in 2016, and Badger 100, Bighorn 100, and Kodiak 100 in 2017, the chance that a runner (like me) would just finish each and all of these races is only 2.5 %. That means, there was a 97.5% chance that I would not finish at least one of these races. This brings up several questions.
1. Why have I been able to beat the odds to finish 7--100 milers in a row if my performance on each of these races is mediocre?
2. Why does it matter if I finish nearly all of the 100s I start?
3. Why aren't my 100 mile times getting faster?

The questions get progressively harder to answer for me.
For the first question, factors that have helped me to finish are experience, baseline fitness, determination, but above all--I really like being out on the trails with nature for hours and hours, even by myself.
For the second question, I imagine it matters that I finish because I don't want to let down myself and others, enjoy the challenge, and know that I will regret it if I stop.
For the third question, I have no idea. Yet it doesn't really matter to me because these long races are so much fun with the challenge and everything. I choose more and more challenging courses--pushing the elevation limits, heat limits, mud limits, and time limits.
If I want to place high, I will focus on distances at races from 5K to marathons because I have some speed going for me. I run ultras because they are fun out in nature, not for prizes or to be in the top %.

Bighorn100 2017 Race Report

"Embrace the mud, or the mud will keep you from the finish."

The cool cloudy weather with trace rain expected made prospects for a fast time at Bighorn100 promising this year. I was excited about this race.
On Thursday before the race, I got my bib and dropped off my three soft sided drop bags and then headed with my family to Ole's for a nice dinner of spaghetti.
At 8am on race day--Friday, I gathered with my running friends for the day at Scott Park in Dayton for the race briefing and then was shuttled off to the start where I waited for an hour by the Tongue River.
It was a cool start with temps in the 60s with cloudy skies.

Miles 0-30
At 10am, the national anthem was played and we were off. Running at a 9:30 min/mile pace for the first mile was easy on the flat gravel road. Upon entering the Tongue River Trailhead single track, the trail gradually climbed up to Lower Sheep Aid Station at 3.5 miles where I refilled water and had a gel. The trail then headed steeper up to Upper Sheep Aid Station, and I was hiking at a comfortable pace in the cool weather. At Upper Sheep Aid Station, I took another gel, and a few items at the aid station, filled water, and took off, alternating running and hiking the gradual ascent to 8000' before running down at a 8 min/mile pace down to DryFork aid station. At DryFork, it had only taken me 3 hours 5 minutes to reach that point, a full 7 minutes faster than last year. After 7 minutes at the aid station, I proceeded down the trail, running at a good clip. The rolling hills between DryFork and Footbridge were nice allowing alternating running and hiking. Stopping briefly at Cow Camp aid, Stock Tank water supply, and Bear Camp aid for food and water, I felt great. Descending the 3.5 miles down the wall to Footbridge was slow going due to the steep narrow single track with many rocks and turns. Yet, I checked my watch at Footbridge and only 6 hours 48 minutes had gone by for the 30 miles of this tough course, a full 12 minutes faster than last year. I took 12 minutes to refuel and grabbed a light running long-sleeve shirt, running jacket and rain jacket as a little rain was expected.

Miles 30-48
Upon leaving Footbridge, drizzle turned into light rain. The 3 miles of single track to Cathedral Rock was muddier than I had remembered and had more hills than I had remembered. I hiked as much as I rain. At Cathedral Rock aid, a volunteer mentioned that the trail is going to get really muddy, but saw my Altra Lone Peak shoes and mentioned that they have great traction. I agreed and said, "they have never let me down."
With the rain, the muddy sections were muddier, causing me to slide sideways and frontward and backward. Even the normally dry single track was becoming slippery and non-negotiable. We had to navigate around the majority of the muddy trail in order to make any safe progress, meaning hiking on the grass next to the trail or navigating between the bushes by the trail. At this point flexibility and balance attributes were as important as strength and fitness. I gagged, vomited and stopped to catch my breath.
Spring March aid at mile 40 was a welcome site, and I was happy to see vegan soup and other delicious foods. Other runners were also mentioning that the front runners had not come through yet, and that we normally saw them by this point. The front runners crossed my path just after leaving Spring March (their mile 55), muttering about the terrible muddy trail conditions. I felt a little better now, knowing that the conditions were even tough on the fastest runners. The rain was heavier and heavier.
The muddy trail was getting worse and worse, with my Lone Peaks feeling like road shoes. I would slip one way, and then slip another way altogether. I would see a runner in front of me slipping and sliding in a dancing-like fashion, as if walking on an ice rink. At times it was almost comical; at other times, it was downright discouraging.
How would I ever finish this run, as I could not even hike fast? At Elk Camp at mile 43.5, the word from volunteers was that the next 2 miles were steep and terribly muddy. How could things get any worse though? The only tactic was to find the least muddy section of trail (usually on one side or other of the mud field.) I grabbed onto bushes and trees to keep my balance as my legs plunged into the mud pits. At one point, both of the legs were stuck in the mud up to my knees, my flashlight was covered with mud, and my hands were covered with mud. Finally I reached Jaws at mile 48, the turnaround point at 14 hours 14 minutes. It had taken me over 7 hours to negotiate 18 miles up the little Bighorn River Drainage arriving at 9000 ft. elevation. Upon reaching the aid station, I found my drop bag, and sat down on a chair. I munched on a quesadilla, drank some broth and shivered. A nice volunteer offered me a blanket which I readily took and warmed up before changing into a dry shirt, jacket, hat, fleece face mask and gloves. My headlamp was not working well so I ditched it, only having my flashlight now. I didn't seriously consider dropping at this point because I had dry clothes now, and I thought maybe the downhill would be easier in the mud.

Miles 48-66
After 40 minutes at Jaws aid, I trudged on. The rain showers continued and the muddy trail was actually worse on the way down as there had been more foot traffic since I came up. I passed quite a few runners on the way down. I encouraged them as much as I could while trying not to fall in the mud myself. At times I tried to tell other runners where the least muddy path was. I slipped, fell, and seemingly danced in the mud at times as I struggled to keep my balance. The muddy trails continued through Elk Camp, Spring Marsh, and Cathedral Rock down to Footbridge at mile 66. At Footbridge, it had taken me 21 hours and 21 minutes. The volunteer there said I didn't look so good. She rephrased that saying I didn't look terrible, but I looked a little pale. I quickly said that I just need to eat some food. After eating grapes, cheezits, potatoes, and M&Ms, I saw that I had spent 29 minutes there and had to get going. I was now 2 hours 10 minutes ahead of the cutoff times. I would be chasing the cutoff times all of the way, if I continued. The rain had stopped though.

Miles 66-83
The trail going up the Wall was really muddy, but it slowed me to a decent pace so that the ascent didn't seem bad at all compared to last year. I only had to stop a couple times to catch my breath. At Bear Camp aid, I sat down, ate a gel and other food before taking off for Stock Tank. The trail continued quite muddy all of the way to Stock Tank before drying up a bit going towards Cow Camp. By this time, I was getting really sleepy and hiked relatively slowly. I rain the downhills as much as I could but the ascent up to DryFork was excessively slow as I apparently hadn't fueled enough and was bonking. At DryFork, I had been on my feet for 28 hours 8 minutes and after an 11 minute aid stope, I was only 41 minutes ahead of the cutoff. This was going to be close. I didn't consider dropping though because I wasn't really that sore, and I figured I could run most of the downhills.

Miles 83-100
The climb up to 8000' was tough and I hiked slowly up and power-hiked down to Upper Sheep aid station.  At Upper Sheep aid station I was 40 minutes ahead of the cutoff, and quickly took a gel. After vomiting what I just ingested, I ate potatoes instead and I felt so much better. Now I had enough energy to actually hike fast up the Haul and then run most of the way down to Lower Sheep aid. At Lower Sheep I was feeling quite well, and proceeded on. I was a little surprised at the rolling fashion of the trail to Tongue River TrailHead, as I expected it to be mostly downhill and longer than I had remembered. I reached the aid station mile 95 at 32 hours 11 minutes, and with a 4 minute stop, was only 15 minutes ahead of the cutoff. The volunteers there looked as tired as I was but were so very helpful with having fresh fruit and other food, and providing directions towards the finish. The last 5 miles would mostly entail power hiking at 15-16 min/mile pace. At mile 96, I texted my family letting them know I would be there soon. At mile 98, a happy boy brought me and others a popsicle. At mile 99, two excited girls did a cheer for each runner coming by, and I tipped my hat to them.
At mile 99.5, I saw the bridge and road and started to run. I went back to hiking a few times though as I was tired. As I reached to park and everyone was cheering, I couldn't help it and dashed ahead and sprinted the last stretch to the finish. After 33 hours 38 minutes, I had finished the 2017 Bighorn 100! Of my seven 100 mile finishes, this was my slowest, being just 22 minutes ahead of the final cutoff. Yet, I will probably value this finish the most of all--because I worked the hardest for it, physically, mentally, and emotionally. 328 runners checked into DryFork at mile 13, and only 175 runners finished which means nearly one-half of the starters DNF. This years average finish time was 2 hours slower than 2016. I heard opinions on the trail that this year's Bighorn had the worst mud in its history. It was certainly worse than the mud at Zion100 in 2016 when they closed it down early. It will be a trail run to remember for years to come.

During each tough 100 miles, I seem to doubt whether I will ever run another 100 mile race. At the end when I finish though, I contemplate the day and decide to hold off on making any judgment about that until another day, because somehow, the job got done. Maybe it was the helpful volunteers, the friendly runners on the course, the encouragement from family and friends, or my determination.

Finally, I usually like to discuss what went well and what things I could have done better.

What went well:

1. The build-up of races in the Spring with Badger100 in March (11 minutes slower than my 100 miler PR), Tillamook Burn50k in April (18 minute 50K PR), and Mountains2Beach Marathon in May (21 minute Marathon PR and BQ with 3:09 finish time). I felt rested enough for Bighorn and race fatigue was not a significant factor.

2. The hill training was adequate and the hills seemed easier than in 2016 despite the mud, maybe because of the slower pace

3. The heat training in the month before the race probably helped my VO2max enough to make the altitude not seem so pronounced as I didn't get any altitude training in, other than 2 ski days in February at Mt Hood Meadows

4. The even effort pace during this race helped me to keep my pace up during the second half of the race.

5. My drop bags had enough dry warm clothes

6. My negotiation of the mud was good, as I was familiar with the course.

What I could have done better:

1. The biggest factor in not achieving my time potential of 100s continues to be calorie intake. Looking at top ultra runners, Scott Jurek commonly took in 300 calories an hour, while Jim Walmsley takes in nearly 500 calories an hour. I read that people can only take in 200-250 calories an hour without GI upset tough, so maybe top ultra runners have especially accommodating GI tracts. I have mostly been doing low-calorie intake trail runs focusing on fat-burning.Yet it appears that I would have done better had I trained some times with high calorie intake to fine tune exactly how much I could ingest safely so I could run fast for the duration of the run. GU gels with water work well for me so I should use those more on training runs.

2. I was down to one light source at times, and had no back up in the early morning, so I should have thought this through more. Thankfully, my last light never went out although it dimmed some.

3. I should have used some sunscreen the second day when it got sunny, as the reflection off of the white rocks caused a mild sunburn.

4. I should not have taken in the gel with caffeine in it the second morning, as it made me very sleepy after I took it. I just don't take caffeine well, and almost always avoid it. You know what they say, "never experiment with something on race day."

Badger Mountain Challenge 100 2017 Race Report

"No, I will press on, even if its just so I can run in that culvert two more times."

"It seems so irrational and unusual, but special and intriguing at the same time."

At mile 36, I became aware that my knee was hurting and was likely a tendinitis flare up. Every steep uphill climb and downhill climb it felt worse so that I even had to hike the downhills that were supposed to be fast. Was it because I had run a fast speed workout the week before? Was it that I had averaged only 30 miles per week for the last 4 months leading up to this race? I knew it wasn't the shoes because I was wearing relatively new low-drop Altra Olympus 2.0 shoes. I was in one of the most remote parts of the course between Orchard and Jacobs road aid station. Up to this point, my times were on target for a sub-24 hour finish. Now I was contemplating stopping at 50 miles and calling it a day. It was decision time.

The Thursday night before the race, they had a nice supper with Pizza, salad, and cookies. I loaded up on two plates of salad and cookies, and talked with a running friend, John. It's always nice to see familiar faces and to feel at home in the running community. The race director gave out some helpful tips for the runners, and had an opportunity for people to ask questions, and such. That evening I checked the weather forecast--rain on Friday.

Friday morning, it was raining as expected, and was cold. At 7am I started off with the 100 miler and 50 miler runners going up and down Badger, then up and down Candy, and then on 4 miles of road to mile 10 at Jacobs' road A/S. The pace was solid--just under 10 min/mile. After Jacob's road, the path winds around vineyards and has multiple short and steep hills--reminds me of the hills at Lost Soul 100. On this day, however the rain continued and made muddy slopes of these hills. This was shoe-sucking mud. It reminded me of the mud at Zion 100 and Bighorn 100. It was very slippery, making me glad I was wearing the better traction 2.0 rather than 1.5 Altra Olympus shoes.

When I arrived at McBee Parking, I was 15 minutes ahead of schedule at 3:15 elapsed time, and feeling great. After a quick stop I climbed up McBee ridge with ease, ran to Chandler Butte and then back down to mild 30: McBee Parking A/S at 5:57 elapsed time, 3 minutes ahead of schedule. At the 50K mark I was at about 6 hours 10 minutes, right on schedule.

At mile 36 now, everything changed. With a sore knee, how could I finish when I couldn't even run without pain? When I walked, it felt ok, but when I ran, it was a different story. I decided to give it some time until the 50 mile point before I decided to stop there or continue on. Maybe the knee would get better eventually, like at Zion 100...

From mile 36 on, I had to walk more than run. Thankfully, I am can walk fast for miles and miles if needed. At mile 47, just 3 miles from the turnaround point, the knee pain just continued. This wasn't fun any longer. If I stopped at 50 miles, which would be around 10 hours, I would place fairly well, have a 50 miler PR (since I haven't run one yet), and not have to walk most of the last 50 miles.
As I summited Badger Mountain at mile 48. I thought about how I would tell the volunteers and RD that I would stop at 50 miles. I thought about what I would say when they asked me, "Are you sure?" I know I would say, "No, I am not sure." Sometimes the best thing to do is to just keep moving. I remembered how much I enjoyed running through the endless dark culvert West of Candy Mountain, singing songs in there and hearing the echoes from the culvert walls. "No I will press on, even if its just so I can run in that culvert two more times." As I descended Badger Mountain at mile 49, I was running again, my knee didn't hurt (maybe because adrenaline was taking over. Upon arriving at mile 50, I went straight to the food tables and got my drop bag. It was 5:05 pm, just 10 hours 5 minutes since I began the run. In 2015, my 50 mile time was 10:45, and in 2016--it was 10:30. It would have been a great 50 mile time for me, but I didn't care. I had signed up for the 100 miler, and I had to finish the job--if at all possible. Fueling had gone well up to this point, leaving me full of energy.

From miles 57 to 64, my outlook went from positive to doubtful quickly. Stomach issues took off 30 minutes of time in the next 7 miles. Gatorade has always worked well for me, but that was the only recent addition to my intake for the last 50 miles. So I had to resort to water and salty foods. I opted for delicious potato soup and potato chips at the next aid stations. My time was slowing down now and I started to question myself whether I had made to right choice to continue. I reasoned that If I can just make it up to McBee ridge, I would be able to "see the finish". Upon reaching McBee parking mile 68.5 at 10:58 pm, I swallowed the fact that I was 1.5 hours behind my schedule for  sub-24 hr finish.

Despite reports that there wasn't much wind or rain on McBee ridge, I knew from the past 2 years that McBee ridge always has 20-50 miles winds and at night the wind chill is enough to send the runner into hypothermia quickly. On went the ski mittens, ski jacket and wind shell. Upon the reaching McBee Ridge, the wind was howling at 30 miles per hour with a temp in the 30s around midnight. The wind chill must have been around 10F--maybe colder than my recent Mt Hood skiing outing. If I was able run much, I would have been ok. Since I had to walk most of the time, I had to just think of every way to cover up any exposed skin. At Chandler Butte, they had really nice heaters and soup. I only stopped for 7 minutes before heading back into the windstorm. Running on McBee Ridge at night with so many other runners is one of the most amazing things experienced. You see the lights of Tri-Cities, while you realize other crazy people are out there in the 30 mph wind with wind chill close to zero, on a mission to complete a run. It seems so irrational and unusual, but special and intriguing at the same time.

After descending the ridge to McBee parking mile 80, it was 3:16 am, a full 2:16 behind my schedule. After a quick food stop for a quesadilla, banana, etc. I headed back out into the night. From here on out I was on cruise mode--power hiking. I reached the 89 mile mark at Jacobs Road A/S at 6:09 am, stopping only to refill the water and to grab a couple of quick snacks. The sun would be up soon, and the finish.

On Jacobs road I ate a raspberry newton, and this gave me an extra dose of energy. I sang inspiring songs through the culvert, hiked fast up, up, up Candy Mountain, ran all the way down Candy mountain cheering the 50k runners who had just started, and kept running, running, running to the base of Badger Mountain, I ran past the West Badger Aid station at mile 96.5, and continued to cheer the 50k runners coming down Badger Mountain. On the final descent, hundreds of 15K runners were coming up the same path as I was running down. Just like last year, I got to encourage them while they seemed to be inspired by a 100 miler running to the finish. After 25 hours and 36 minutes of running, 100 miles was finished. This year would make three Badger Mountain 100 finishes in a row.

I am so thankful to the race director for putting on such a great race, to all of the volunteers who were out in the elements for hours and hours providing all kinds of food for us and giving us encouragement, and keeping us warm. I am also thankful to the other runners on the course for the encouragement and inspiration.

Lost Soul 100 2016 Race Report

"Look over there," a runner ahead of me said at mile 1 as he pointed towards a hill where a herd of mule deer were running in the cool early morning. The early morning was cool but dry. The first mile came in at 7:22 min/mile pace with a sub-6:00 min/mile pace on a 1/2 mile downhill road section. As I passed many runners up on that section, coming into the top 15 runners of 200 starters in the 100 milers and 100 km runners, I overheard some runners saying, "He won't be able to keep that pace up the whole way." They and I both knew it, but it was so easy to cruise in the early miles and keep the heart rate down on the downhills regardless of pace.

The Wednesday night before the 100 mile race, I dreamed that I fell asleep during the ultra marathon many times, waking up each time realizing I had lost time, but feeling content knowing that I could now pass slower runners up. I kept falling asleep though so this never happened.

On Thursday morning, I took a flight into Calgary, AB. After picking up a rental car, I drove the 2+ hour route south towards Fort McLeod and then East to Lethbridge. Upon heading South from Calgary, a torrential thunderstorm came with lots of hail and temps down to 6 Celsius. That was cold! I stopped for a subway sandwich on my way to Lethbridge, and checked into Lethbridge Lodge around 6 pm. I then picked up my packet at Runners Soul and then went to Osho Sushi restaurant for Yakisoba and rice, which was really tasty.

The alarm went off at 6:00 am, and I ate bananas and bagels for breakfast.
The next step was to decide which shoes to wear. I had planned on wearing my Altra Lone Peaks but when I put them on the cushioning felt gone from the trauma they took at Bighorn in June. I put on the barely worn Altra Olympus shoes with the comfy feel and decided to take my chances with the narrow single track which increased the ankle injury/fall risk.

At 7:10 am, I dropped off my 3 drop bags, and at 7:30 am, I went to the pre-race briefing.

Lost Soul 100, would be my sixth 100 mile start, and I hoped to finish a slam here after finishing Badger100, Zion100, and Bighorn100 earlier this year. Yet I would have to do it without a crew, without a pacer, and without knowing anyone on the course.

At 7:55 am, the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada" was sung, which was the first time I had ever heard the song at a race. It really is a great patriotic song, and I enjoyed it.

At 8:00 am on Friday morning, we started off.

Image by Mark Virginillo

After settling into a sustainable pace, I enjoyed the 4 mile first leg which loops around the South hills,  and has some flat sections near the end before climbing up back to headquarters. Those first 4 miles only took about 44 minutes, kind of a fast start. I grabbed and quickly ate some bananas and potatoes, dropped my light jacket, and took off towards Softball Valley. This leg 2 is a good 5 mile section that goes under a long, long train bridge that frequently has trains going over it.

This section then goes up and over some hills and along some coulees. Just as I saw softball valley in the distance and looked at my watch, I saw I still had 1 mile to go to the aid station. I wasn't surprised then to see the trail head up steeply onto a hill before cruising down again to Softball Valley aid station. Here I refilled the bottles, ate bananas, potatoes and pretzels and took off towards Pavan, pronounced (Puh-'von). The next section, leg 3, is 6 miles and was the toughest section for me each time because it is hill after hill after hill. There were lots of small cactus plants on the side of the trail, such that I was afraid I would step on one with the narrow single-track, especially in the dark during the second and third loops. 

The heat really started to intensify in the coulees where it felt up to 80F. Thankfully it was cooler on the ridges with some wind, but the intense sun didn't help. I struggled to maintain hydration, but kept on top of it fairly well. At Mile 15 or 16 came Pavan aid station, and I was happy to see Sushi rice and seaweed after being on the course for 3 hours. Wow, that was really tasty, too. I also ate bananas and took off. Leg 4 is a 10 mile section heading straight up into the North Hills and along a nice plateau before descending into a flat section. Some nice landowner supplied us with water bottles on a fold up table 3 miles into this section. More hills then came. 

One great thing Lost Soul Ultra does is to name many of the hills with signs, such as Curly Hill, Moe Hill, and Larry Hill. It also puts difficulty ratings on many hills, like black diamond, blue square, and green circle, just like ski slopes. Its the little things like this that bring smiles to Ultrarunners and that keep us going.

At Mile 21 comes a super steep downhill with no traction, which was sketchy with my Olympus shoes. The only water crossing then came with several relatively stable logs to cross with. Along this section by Old Man River, I saw and heard migrating Canada Geese, belted kingfishers and many songbirds. Black-billed magpies flew across the valley occasionally. A few clouds danced across the sky bringing sporadic relief from the intense heat of the midday. At this point, my legs were getting tired and I was ready for a break so I started alternating speed hiking and running.

At Mile 26, I arrived back at Pavan, eating more rice, bananas, and pretzels. I was expecting a mostly flat leg 5 from the map with 4 miles in this section, but there were two really steep hills early on. I caught up to a runner who said, "Oh, I remember this hill!" She had run this race before, and remember this infamous section. I came across another runner named Hiro who was running really well. I gave him some encouragement and he went on ahead. The heat was intense now in the early to  mid afternoon. One final hill came a mile later before Softball Valley. At Softball valley, I fueled at mile 30 and proceeded on towards probably the easiest section, leg 6 heading back towards the HQ aid station. The final climb up HQ is quite steep but there is ground netting to help with traction, and at the top, there is a paved path toward the aid stations that you can see.

It was 3:20 pm when I arrived at mile 34 at the HQ aid station, or 7:20 elapsed time. I was a little behind schedule to get a sub-24 hour finish, but I was doing my best which was all I can expect. I ate bananas and potatoes and took off. On loop 2 leg 1, only the 100 miler runners were on this section as the 100km runners didn't have to run this leg. The trail thus thinned out quite a bit, with only a couple of runners seen on this section. I cruised back to HQ A/S and then to Softball Valley A/S. The next 2 legs from miles 43-59 would be the most difficult legs of the course for me. 

From Softball Valley to Pavan, the relentless hills really took a toll on me after a long hot day. I would have to hydrate better and eat more so that I could make it to the finish. It was about 7:30 pm when I made it to Pavan, mile 49, just about to the halfway point. At mile 50 I would have been on my feet for 12 hours, so a sub-24 hour finish was out the window. Upon arriving at the Pavan aid station, I just stood there. A volunteer comes up to me and says, "you look like a lost soul." I said, "yeah, well, at least I fit in well here", with a smile on my face. He asked me if I had a pacer or a crew to which I said, "no." His jaw dropped and said "well, the aid station volunteers will help me throughout the night." I said, "Yes, I will need the help a lot." I sat down, and he brought me some broth, rice with quinoa. After finishing that I ate some bananas and changed into warmer clothes and took potatoes with me as I took off with only 7 minutes spent at the aid station. One volunteer there said as I took off, "Its a good thing you didn't stay very long here." I didn't know exactly why he said that to me, but I agreed with him and said, "Yes, I just need to keep walking." I turned on my headlamp and came across a group of 8 children with glow sticks who quickly ran behind a bush beside the trail. I smelled the fish and acted like nothing was going on. The kids yelled and screamed and I acted scared to which they laughed and giggled. As they talked amongst themselves, I politely told them there was another runner coming soon, which was true.

As I climbed up several hills it was just in time to see more deer and the sunset.

The wind really started to pick up on the ridges, and I was glad for my long sleeve shirt, light jacket, and beenie. In the dark, the narrow single track with the ever present trail-side cactus significantly slowed down the pace, and I hiked more than I ran. A few shrews raced across the trail. More flats came. Then came the super steep slick downhill section, but this time in the dark!

"Snap" is what I heard as I fell to the ground and slid a few feet down the slope. The rest of the way down I scooted down the slope to the bottom to assess the damage. "Whew" I thought as I realized i just sprained my pinkie finger that was more tight than painful. I slow down again and hiked over the water crossing before gaining more momentum towards Pavan A/S at mile 59. I came into the A/S more chipper I am guessing. The volunteer who had said I looked like a lost soul before, had a smile and saw a revived runner, albeit with an undeclared sprained pinkie finger. More broth, bananas and rice would be taken with much gratitude, and I took off in the dark again at about 11 pm. 

The next section was great as I had my second wind and cruised through the dark up over steep hills, down coulees, through valleys, and towards the Softball Valley aid station. I was kind of emotional as I realized this would be my last of four 100 milers this year, and that I needed to enjoy every mile of it. The approach into Softball valley in the dark was cool with glow sticks and orange pylons showing to way to the aid station with a half moon overhead. For fun I turned off my headlamp, running on the grass in the dark to see if I could sneak up upon the people at the aid station. Here I had some broth, potatoes and bananas. It was about 12:30 am. At about 2:00 am, it had taken me 18 hours to travel 67 miles. I now had 17 hours to do the last 34 miles. Now the question was, "how fast could I make it back that last loop. The first loop took me 7:20; the second 10:40, so I didn't know if the third loop would take me 14:00 via extrapolation, or even more. 

The consistent hydration and nutrition along with the cooler temperatures of the night started slowly, slowly to give energy back into me. Leg 1 back to HQ A/S was faster the third loop than the second loop. The third wind had begun. I only hoped it would last a while. I didn't last more than 4 miles, but I keep moving anyway. Leg 2 from HQ to Softball Valley was faster the third loop than the second loop. I enjoyed turning off my headlamp again as I ran under streetlamps and the half moon coming into the A/S. 21 hours had elapsed, it was now about 5:00 am at mile 77. It was mile 97 though for the 100 mile leader who came into the aid station at the same time as me. He and his pacer commented that the runner up was 30 minutes behind, but they didn't stay very long. 

I fueled and took off, realizing that I looked forward to the hills more than flats now. The hills were actually easier than the flats, even the steep hills. 

More deer greeted me in the hills. At the top of curly hill, I saw the sunrise. I kept stopping to get a better picture, because it was so amazing.

At mile 83, I ran across more runners returning to the finish at their mile 93. I was inspired by them to keep running, many of whom said leg 4 was the toughest because of the 10 mile distance between aid stations. 

I kept moving. This was the time when illusions, not hallucinations would surface. I saw a black bear in a gully which didn't move and turned out to be a culvert. I saw many people in brown clothes standing on the trail watching the runners go by, that turned out the be rock cairns. I saw a few snakes which turned out to be roots in the path. I did see one live garter snake later that morning, but no rattlesnakes. 

Upon reaching the super steep downhill at mile 89, I gingerly scooted down the hill, sliding a little but not risking another, and potentially more dangerous injury. The water crossing came, followed by flats and Pavan A/S at mile 93. The few short step hills along the next section, leg 5, brought with it intense wind up to 40 mph, along with sand/small rocks blowing in my face. The heat was again building up. As expected the 50km leaders who started at 7 am that morning were catching up to me. I saw that they hiked the steep uphills just like me but a little faster, but they could run really fast on the flats while I power hiked and ran occasionally. I caught my fourth wind upon reaching Softball Valley AS at mile 97, stopping for less than a minute to fill a bottle and take a few potatoes with me to eat while I power hiked towards the finish.

I encouraged a few more 50km runners that passed me and I power hiked as fast as a 16 min/mile pace the last 4 miles, which were mostly flat. My feet were really sore now and the flats were again harder than the hills. 

I really looked forward to the last hill now. I practically ran up the last steep hill in a sprint, and sprinted that last path to the finish, trying to make it in under 29 hours, and it was.

Image by Mark Virginillo

At the finish at just before 1 pm, Hiro was there to congratulate me on the finish, and I congratulated him as well. 

The 2016 slam was done--and how fitting it was to complete it at Lost Soul which has Softball Valley Aid Station, at which I ran into 6 times.

At the Sunday awards breakfast line I looked at the boulder and rock awards for the fastest runners overall and age group awards. I seriously said to a runner behind me, "I am glad I am not getting an award because I have to fly on an airplane back home today." I didn't get a response from him but I shrugged it off. The joke was on me though because they announced that they were giving awards to the top 5 in each age group. "Uh-oh" I thought, because I think I was 5th place in 18-39 age group for the 100 miler. I still hoped I didn't get a 200 pound boulder. Maybe I would get a tiny rock. Nope--it was a 26 pound rock that I would pack in a suitcase back to the States.

The finisher tile

For days before this last race, I kept asking myself why I run these 100 mile races and endure so much discomfort. During the first loop of this race I realized the answer.

"Do not worry about those trying to catch up to you or those who are ahead. Rather stay focused on the path ahead and enjoy the journey. Encourage each other. Step aside when faster runners want to pass. It's only a race or competition for those who run it for that. For those who run fast or slow for the adventure, it is simply a journey to be enjoyed, and each is one-of-a-kind."

Bighorn100 2016 Race Report

Rattlesnake, thunderstorm, heat, cold, and sore toes

"Rattlesnake", several runners ahead of me said at mile 6 as they halted in their tracks. A group of about 10 runners halted for about a minute as a rattlesnake rattled at us and slithered off into the brush beside the dusty trail head up towards Upper Sheep A/S. I saw a part of the snake in the brush when I finally ran by it, hoping that it would not lunge towards me. I said to another runner, "we can cross rattlesnake off our checklist now." He said, "Is this bingo or something?" in agreement, and laughed.

The day had already started out on an interesting note, promising additional adventures for the day. At 9am Friday, race instructions were given at Scott Park in Dayton to each of the approximately 285-300 runners who were to start the race. I said goodbye to my wife and kids and was shuttled off to the start on Tongue River Rd. I found a cool spot on a bridge over the river there and settled in for the 1 hour wait.

At about 10:50 am, the national anthem was sung. At almost 11 am, I came up to the starting line, situated towards the back so I would not start out too fast. I was happy to see my wife and kids there for the send-off.

At 11am, I took off with the rest of the runners with temps starting around 75 under sunny skies. I gradually passed up quite a few runners at my easy pace passing the tongue river trailhead and lower sheep. I carried 3 water bottles--1 handheld and 2 in my front pack. I was determined not to get dehydrated.

This year, from lower sheep to upper sheep from miles 3.5 to 8.5, the ascent seemed much easier, probably from a combination of being in better shape and from being further back in the pack. I didn't have to stop at all going up, but tripped once of twice when I passed runners up. Upon reaching Upper Sheep A/S at mile 8.5, I ate a little and headed up towards DryFork A/S. My elapsed time arriving at DryFork A/S (mile 13.4) was 3:12 and I was in 121st place. I felt like I performed well on that section, and was 28 minutes ahead of my time from last year. I only needed 5 minutes at this aid station and I was off towards Footbridge as the temps had climbed to the 80s. From DryFork to Footbridge, the terrain is lots of ups and downs with elevation largely between 6,000 and 7,500 ft, not including the drop to Footbridge which is bottoms out between 4,000 and 5,000 ft. I was able to run the flats and downhills and powerhike the uphills. I had no difficulty hydrating or eating and was feeling confident as I descended into Footbridge at mile 30 with an elapsed time of 7:00, 125th place which was right on track, a full 3 hours ahead of the cut-off and 59 minutes ahead of last years split time. Here I ate bananas, potatoes, crackers and such. I packed a jacket for the cold night weather as well as a hat and gloves and headlamp.
From Footbridge I started with a mix of running and power-hiking to cathedral rock.
Leaving cathedral rock (mile 33.5), it was still light out and I had no idea what the next few hours would bring.

At mile 34, I learned what a 20% chance of thunderstorms can mean in the Bighorn Mountains. It means lightning, thunder, and rain. Thankfully I had packed a light rain jacket which I hastily put on as drops of rain came down. After hiking in the rain for 5 minutes, I realized I left my waist pack with my phone and other belongings back there, but checked again and realized I was wearing it but I was wearing it behind rather than in front. Whew--close call. I again resumed running and power hiking up to Spring Marsh mile 40, feeling good. The darkness was coming and I put on my headlamp. From Spring Marsh I started up but I started to feel the elevation above 7,000 ft for the first time on this HC climb. From Spring March to Elk Camp I for the first time experienced dry heaving around mile 42. I did multisystem checks to make sure this was just sporadic and not a systemic problem and everything check out, so I just slowed down the pace a bit and proceeded twards Elk Camp (mile 43.5). At Elk Camp I ate some noodles with broth and crackers and started to climb up above 9200 ft elevation. On this section I had to stop multiple times to sit down and catch my breath. Other runners would pass me up and ask if I was ok. I would say, "Yes, I am ok, I just need to stop to catch my breath." To one person I also said, "I live at the beach", and the runner chuckled. I was expecting this though so I kept up the courage. I was happy to arrive at Jaws (mile 48) at 13:49 elapsed time, a full 1:46 faster than last years split time and 4:11 ahead of the cutoff. I spent 27 minutes at the aid station and used the restroom. I ate soup, quesadillas, and crackers. There were several runners laying flat on cots, apparently exhausted. When I arrived at Jaws I was in 150/251 place, and upon leaving I was in 127/207 place, telling the toll that the HC climb had taken upon the runners.

It was 1:16 am when I left Jaws and started to long descent down to Footbridge. The mud was there but was not as bad as last year. I was able to run most of the downhills, didn't have to stop at all and never felt the utter exhaustion like I had felt last year. I passed a few runners from Jaws to Footbridge mile 66 and arrived there at 6:29 am, 19:29 elasped time and 4:31 ahead of the cutoff.

I ate some food, put on sunscreen, took off my jacket, changed my hat and headed up "The Wall". This is a steep, steep climb up from Footbridge. I was able to powerhike fairly well and only had to stop a few times near the top. My GPS watch was malfunctioning though, giving me inaccurate data and at one point I thought I had bypassed Bear Camp Aid Station Mile 70, because my GPS said I had gone 5 miles since Footbridge. I actually backtracked 1/4 mile until I met up with 2 other runners. I asked them if they had come across Bear Camp yet, and they said, "no it should be just up ahead." I realized that it was getting late in the run and mental fatigue and confusion can settle in quickly. From Bear Camp to DryFork, it was getting really hot and the frequent ups and downs at high elevation made me powerhike more than run, but I maintained hydration. The final ascent to DryFork is grueling and I stopped a couple of times to catch my breath as the temps were reaching the upper 80s. I reached DryFork A/S at 26:37 elapsed time and needed only 13 minutes to refuel and put on suscreen. I was 3:10 ahead of the cutoff, and it was mosly downhill from here.

I left Dryfork (mile 82) cheerful in the bright sunny day that promised a high temperature of near 100 in Dayton at the finish. I power hiked more than ran the rest of the way all the way to the finish. Along this section, I would refill my bottles with GuBrew, Heed or water and soon after the liquids would feel warm or hot. It was almost impossible to keep the bottles cool. I realized my body could get overheated easily as well, so in order to prevent heat exhaustion or worse, I would keep my effort slow and cruise to the finish. The one climb I had not anticipated was the one coming back from Upper Sheep A/S. It is very steep and I had to stop like 10 times to catch my breath.

On the back side there was about 5 miles of downhill, but my toes and foot were beat up from the repeated banging against the rocky trails which festered toe blisters and subungual blood blisters. The bottoms of my feet were very sore as well. So I ran as much as I could and then hiked some as well.

At Lower Sheep A/S (mile 92.5) many runners were taking lots of time resting there and hydrating. I refilled a bottle which became hot liquids soon after, and kept on power hiking. Parts of the trails from here to Tongue River Road mile 96ish felt like the upper 90s, near 100 F. I power hiked the last 4 miles at a fast 16 min/mile pace passing many limping runners up. Along the road the last 4 miles, there were many encouraging spectators, a volunteer driving down the road handing out cups of ice to us, and even an aid station with fruit and cold treats.

As I headed towards the finish, I was cheered on by my wife and at the finish, a volunteer put a wet towel around my neck and gave me a finisher blanket.

I reached the finish (mile 101.5) with a time of 31:25, a full 2:35 ahead of the cutoff. This was good enough for 121st place--the exact place I was in when I reached DryFork at mile 13.4! Out of approximately 285-300 starters, I was more than happy for my 121st place overall, and only about 170 runners finished. Although altitude and heat training could be given me a faster time, it was nice to know that with my fitness, I could still finish way before the cutoff using just the training I enjoy most--out in nature, close to home.

The awards breakfast is Sunday morning and featured pancakes and orange juice before the awards ceremony. At the awards ceremony, each 100 mile finisher is announced by their city/state/name/finisher time in order from fastest to slowest. I received my buckle and finisher jacket. In addition, the top male and females in each age group, etc. are announced. The Rusty Spur awards are also given out for sub-24 hour finishers. 

Summary of what went well:
1. Even effort pacing: first half 14.5 hours, second half 17 hours
2. Optimal hydration and nutrition
3. Problem solving on the fly--managing thunderstorms, GI distress, heat, GPS failure
4. Altra Lone Peak 2.5 shoes
5. Fitness, from multiple long runs (including Badger 100 and Zion 100) and hill training this past year
6. Practicing running in mud on OCT and Cape Lookout SP
7. Knowing the trail from last year helped out quite a bit
8. The volunteers and race setup were top notch
9. The drop bags were well organized and were at important points along the way.

Summary of how I could run faster next time:
1. Continued hill and technical running over time
2. Altitude training
3. Heat training
4. Have a pacer

So what's next?
This year I decided to run four 100 milers, Badger 100, Zion 100, and Bighorn 100 are in the books; only Lost Soul 100 remains for this year.

Zion 100 2016 Race Report

Motto: The ability to finish a 100 mile race is based first upon training and preparation, secondarily upon the ability to problem solve on the go, and ultimately upon the desire to complete the goal.

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

Zion 100

The training and preparation:

As this was the second of four 100 milers planned this year, the bulk of the running mileage in training would be on trails. Additionally, since this race would be run just 2 weeks after my first 100 miler of the year: Badger Mountain Challenge, I would need to incorporate big runs 2 weeks apart. This included two 40 miler training runs 2 weeks apart in Dec/Jan, and two 50 miler training runs 2 weeks apart in Jan/Feb. After successfully finishing Badger Mountain Challenge 100 miler in 25 hours 25 minutes, I would run only a total of 18 miles between Badger and Zion.

I planned to have 4 drop bags for Zion, 1 small one at Dalton Wash miles 15 and 30, and a small duffle bag at Goosebump miles 35, 47 and 68, Graton Mesa miles 53 and 62, and Virgin Desert miles 76, 81, 87 and 94. These would include Tailwind, Clif Shot Bloks, long sleeve shirts, warm jackets, extra shoes, etc.

Sebastien would be the pacer for me from miles 53-100, which would bring a confidence boost.

Problem Solving:

The race for me turned out to be all about problem solving on the go, with issues arising that I had never expected and at times I doubted whether the problems would go on forever and stop me in my tracks or if they would somehow go away.

The trails consisted of single track and double track. The total elevation gain is stated to be just over 10,000 ft, yet the actual gain is greater due to multiple rolling hills, ruts, and rocks that had to be ran over. On top of the mesas, were 8 foot tall boulders called slickrock that had white painted dots signifying the path to maneuver over. These boulders kept the running to a minimum and made getting into a rhythm difficult. The mesas also included the highest altitude of the course topping out around 5,500 ft which is not very high, but still limits the running speed.
Three major climbs of the race included Flying Monkey Trail with one rope on a steep section, Cemetery to Grafton Mesa, and the biggest climb being Goosebump which actually has ropes to grab onto.

The weather was cool and cloudy most of Friday, but rainshowers with cold wind came Friday evening and continued into the night and the next morning. When the rain hit, it turned the clay running surface into Gumbo--a sticky slimy muddy surface that makes the runner slow down quite a bit. The week before the race, the RD sent out an email saying that anyone who wanted to not start the race for safety reasons could get a deferment until next year. Runners would be at their own risk. Also, if the trail got too muddy, the RD would shorten the course down as low as 84 miles to preserve the trails integrity and for safety reasons while allowing the runners a Finish and still have a WS qualifying race. Since I had experienced the famous mud at Bighorn last year and on the Oregon Coast Trail last April, I felt confident the mud wouldn't alter the race for me. I pressed on and flew into Las Vegas on Thursday, and met Sebastien before heading over to Virgin, UT to sign in.

Miles 1-13: Start--Flying Monkey Trail--Dalton Wash A/S:
It is 5:00 am and it is dark out. 300 100M and 100KM runners including myself are sitting around barrels with fires inside to keep warm. We will talk with one another, think about the race to start in 1 hour, and look around at the other runners there. A few runners have cloth wraps around their face to block out the famous dust from their face.
At 6:00 am, we all take off with our headlamps and our packs. The long grueling route began. My plan was to stay midpack for the first half of the run and see how I felt later on. After running for two or three miles, we ascended Flying Monkey trail's singletrack which included a steep section with a rope. The steepness of this trail was moderate requiring hiking. Once I reached the A/S I refilled hydration bottles and proceeded upon onto the mesa. I was running relatively slowly and felt the elevation up at 5000 ft. We had to maneuver over boulders and around multiple turns before returning to the A/S. The descent from Flying Monkey was difficult because of all of the rock which pounded the feet. I let faster runners pass me up without hesitation as I knew it would be a long day. Just before we got to Dalton Wash A/S there was a creek that could be crossed on the rocks safely, yet my left foot slipped and got immersed in water.

Miles 13-30: Dalton Wash A/S--Guacamole A/S--Guacamole Mesa--Guacamole A/S--Dalton Wash A/S: The trail starts out at a decent climb on single track until it reaches a dirt road that is good for running on. Yet GI issues began that would continue for 10 miles, slowing down progress drastically. I went from midpack to near back of the pack by mile 23. Furthermore the slickrock boulders on Guacamole mesa slowed progress and continued to pound my feet. I wondered how long I could ever get back to a decent pace. Finally at mile 25, I made the decision to switch from Tailwind to water and Heed for the duration of the run which turned out to be the way to fix the GI issues. It was at the descent from Guacamole A/S that I got back into a respectable running pace and began passing people who passed me on the Mesa. It began to rain on this section and the light rain shell was put on before continuing on. At the last mile of single track before Dalton Wash A/S, I caught up to some people very slowly hiking up that hill, and rather than passing them up immediately, I just followed them up to the top before zooming passed them on the downhill. At Dalton Wash A/S it was nice to see Sebastien who encouraged me and who would meet me up at Grafton Mesa that evening. The A/S had PB&J sandwiches which tasted really good.

Miles 30-35: Dalton Wash A/S--Goosebump A/S: The trail first heads out on a paved road which crosses Hwy 9 before heading out towards Gooseberry Mesa and Goosebump climb. I continued to work my way back towards the midpack and hit Goosbump climb feeling energized. I hiked steadily and slowly, used the ropes on those sections, and only stopped 3-4 times near the top to catch my breath. At Goosebump A/S, I ate Quesadillas, bananas, and potatoes. I was 3 hours ahead of the cutoff.

Miles 35-47: Goosebump A/S--Gooseberry Mesa A/S x 2--Goosebump A/S: I set out from the A/S with right knee pain which was probably a combination of residual fatigue from the 100 miler 2 weeks before, and from the hard uneven surfaces of this run. Therefore I walked slowly for the next 6 miles letting many people pass me up. I found a way to hike that was the most comfortable. I only got off course once for 0.2 miles with one other person, but we easily found the trail again. The slick rock boulders were everywhere up there and the progress would have been slow anyway. It was nice that there was Gooseberry Mesa AS up there 1 mile apart at miles 40 and 41, which allowed me to eat bananas and potatoes both times and get back some calories. At about mile 41, I found I could run again pain free and passed many people up who just passed me up, encouraging them along the way. I found a large group of runners (5-10) who weren't sure where the trail went, but I was able to encourage them and confidently say it was this way. I continued to run until I was back at Goosebump A/S at which time is was raining heavily with a cold, cold wind. Many of us runners where huddled under tents eating food and getting warm. At the first sign of lighter rain, I dashed out with a dry shirt, gloves, and rain shell. I was 3 1/4 hours ahead of the cut-off.

Miles 47-53: Goosebump A/S--Grafton Mesa A/S: This section was fast and relatively flat allowing lots of running with hiking breaks. By mile 50, I had been on my feet for 13 hours 10 minutes. It was on this section that I met Kevin which was encouraging. He was moving along really well. About 1 mile from Grafton Mesa, I hit a dirt road that had become Gumbo mud. Yet I found the dry parts of the road and ran swiftly to Grafton to meet Sebastien there. I had hit my "second wind".

Miles 53-62: Grafton Mesa A/S--Cemetery A/S--Grafton Mesa A/S: After eating potatoes and quesadillas, I took off with a few potatoes in hand. I must have been running well because I almost inhaled a potato, coughing off and on for the next mile, happily of course. Darkness of the night came and headlamps came on. This section was like a maze with twisting turning trails, slickrock boulders, cactus to not step on, and headlamps that at one instance seemed ahead of us, and the next instant seemed behind us. We passed up a few runners on this section and met many runners ascending from Cemetary. After a quick fueling stop at Cemetery we hiked back up the last big climb of the route, greeting many people and encouraging each other. The twisting turning trail the last 2 miles heading back to Grafton was a little tricky to find the path, and Sebastien was really good at finding the trail markers. We came into Grafton Mesa A/S, refueled and took off.

Miles 62-68: Grafton Mesa A/S--Goosebump A/S: This section was solid as we hiked mostly and ran a little. We encountered heavy rain and cold wind that made me wonder how long this was going to last. I remember two runners dashing passed me as if they were running a half-marathon. After reaching the A/S, there were many runners warming up and refueling. I saw Keven again who had been running well the last sections and who had confidence. I changed into a warmer jacket and gloves and hoped it wouldn't rain all night. It was about 1 am when we arrived at Goosebump A/S, a full 4.5 hours ahead of the cut-off.

Miles 68-76: Goosebump A/S--Virgin Desert A/S: Sebastien and I took off down the steep Goosebump trail in the dark, this time not using the ropes, and descended well to the flatter section where we could run/hike again. We passed several people up here, one of whom was limping safely. About 2 miles out of Virgin Desert A/S we joined runners completing the Red loop before arriving at the Virgin Desert A/S. At the A/S I ate potatoes and quesadillas. I realized my right knee froze up again and I could only hike. Running was not an option at this point. I remember though that the last time this happened at mile 35, it took me 5-6 miles before I could run again, so this might happen again.

Miles 76-81: Virgin Desert A/S--Red loop--Virgin Desert A/S: I hiked ever so slowly on this section on an undulating terrain which included maneuvering through muddy ascents and descents in steady rain. Only one or two runners passed me up on this section, which kind of bewildered me. After hiking for 4 miles, I found the knee pain was gone and I could power hike now, and I determined to finish the race power hiking. At mile 81, I had been moving for 23 hours 30 minutes. As I was hitting my "third wind", I excitedly handed the volunteer there my red circle and asked for my white circle for the white loop. The volunteer said, "Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news?" I hesitated for 7 seconds before saying "the good news" because I only wanted good news at this point. The volunteer just said, "Well--The RD has called the race because of the muddy trails. There have been some injuries, and the trails are getting too muddy to run on." I stood there in shock for 30 seconds or so. They said all runners were to proceed to Highway 9, run along the highway and up Kolob Terrace Rd to the finish. All runners who made it back to the finish on foot would be granted a finishing time and WS qualifier. After refueling some, I felt a little sad that I couldn't get in 100 miles on this day, but realized that I would get rest sooner which was nice. Furthermore, I knew I would have been able to finish 100 miles before the cutoff time anyway.

Miles 81-89: Virgin Desert A/S--Finish: This section was on a now-muddy road for 3 miles to highway 9. Highway 9 was about 3 miles in length and was paved. On an up Kolob Terrace Road we went, seeing one runner dash past us on the uphill. I marvelled how he could run so fast this late in the race. At the finish area, the last 0.2 miles was on the muddiest trail I had seen all day and night. I dashed across the finish line at 25 hours 56 minutes. I then proceeded to thank Sebastien for running with me all night and picked out a personalized belt buckle that meant something special to me.

 

 

On the Sunday after the race, I went to the Zion NP entrance and hiked Watchman Trail and Pa'rus Trail. What an amazing trip! Bighorn 100 is next, I am ready.

 



 

Badger Mountain Challenge 100 2016 Race Report

"In a 100 mile race, familiarity with the trails gives a huge confidence boost."

After running and finishing this race in 2015, I was excited to start the year off with this 100 miler. Not only did I know the trails well, my good friend Sebastien would pace me the last 50 miles.

The weather report would call for cooler weather this year, with comforting clouds and no risk of a sunburn. More people signed up this year with approximately 70-80 signed up. Only 26 of those would finish. Would I be one of those 26 finishers? If not, I would be one of the 2/3 of those signed up who either didn't start, didn't finish or stopped at 50 miles. The odds were against me. The only thing going for me was my past experience, Sebastien who would pace me, and my desire to finish.

At 7 am, the 100 milers and 50 milers started together in cold weather. All day and all night I would wear long sleaves, gloves, hat, and windbreaker. Ok, shorts were fine too.
Each 50 mile loop would entail about 7500 ft elevation gain and would each require 2 more miles and 1 more Red Mt. ascent compared with the 2015 course.

The course starts up Badger Mountain with nice single track, with most runners alternating hiking/running the uphill. I started in the middle and passed many people and many people passed me, but on the downhill, I zoomed past many again. This year I would have quick aid station stops, planning ahead of time exactly what I needed so there was no delay. I would use GuBrew that was provided because I had tried it before and it worked ok.
After running down Badger Mountain the course goes along the highway a short distance in Goose Gap and head up Candy Mountain. I met a nice runner named Guy and we talked a little and I let him go ahead. After Candy Mountain, I met Kandice who Sebastien paced last year and is a fast runner and we leap frogged along the course until the Red Mountain ascent where she went on ahead as she was at a faster pace for the 50 miler course. She also redirected me 2 times when I didn't see the ribbon which was helpful. New to me, the course heads along the back side of Red Mountain with switchbacks and tumbleweeds to a road below before climbing sharply back up Red and then plummeting to Sunset Aid station. I ate a banana, filled the bottles, and ran down Sunset Road towards McBee Parking.

Even though the course was 2 miles longer this year, I still arrived sooner at McBee parking which gave me confidence. Maybe it was the cooler weather, maybe it was my training. It was about 10:40 when I arrived there and I quickly refueled and headed up McBee Ridge. McBee gains about 1400 feet in 1 mile. This year for some reason, there were fewer people ascending McBee with me. I guessed it was because I was no longer smack dab in the middle of the pack, but actually ahead of the middle. The views were amazing and I enjoyed talking with a few of the runners going up about the views and other stuff. At the top, I was feeling a little tired so I took it easy for a few minutes on my way to Chandler Butte at about mile 25. I was happy to see the leaders coming towards me on Chandler Butte and they encouraged me as I cheered them on. I wasn't racing them so it was just nice to see them doing well. After Chandler Butte, my pace picked up some and I passed a few runners up on this section and down to McBee parking. The aid station volunteers were great like last year, I just had less time with them this year because I hurried through aid stations.

After McBee parking, I saw a 50 miler runner going the wrong direction away from the course so I redirected him for which he was thankful. That's one thing about ultras that is so amazing. There is time to be friendly, to talk, to encourage and to inspire.
The course then goes up and down sandy trails through coulees and vineyards, with many short and steep parts.
At Jacobs Road I was able to run the whole segment to the culvert before ascending gradually up to Candy. Last year I crossed paths with Gabe on the North side of Candy, and this year it happened on the South side, and I was definitely ahead of my pace from 2015. After going up Badger, I zoomed down the other side to meet Sebastien who would pace me. 50 miles and 10:30 on the clock. 21:30 left to make it before cutoff time.

I grabbed my lights and some food, and we headed out for the last 50 miles. I was feeling great--I was looking forward to the slower pace at night though. I would walk/run uphills and flats and try to run as much of the downhills as my stomach would allow, which got more difficult as the night wore on.
The first hiccup was dropping my gloves at Badger aid station and having to backtrack 5 minutes to find the gloves before resuming the course. I told the volunteers now I wouldn't get hypothermia. I was now "the glove guy" according to the aid station personnel there. I didn't find that I was "the glove guy" until I returned at mile 97, when I responded, "I didn't get hypothermia, see!" I liked it that they remembered me, and they were amused that I remembered them.

Over the next 50 miles, Sebastien and I would pass up more runners than passed us, although it happened gradually. This year, the winds weren't quite as strong, and it didn't rain much but overall it was colder, especially at night. At McBee parking, one of the leaders Nathan who just descended McBeee advised me to wear a face mask if I had one, and thankfully I did and wore it for hours and hours. On McBee Ridge, the wind chill must have been in the teens with real temps in the mid 30s. The fingers felt numb at times even in gloves. I was wearing 2 long sleeve shirts, a down jacket and a windbreaker. Yet running shorts were in order. Runners get this because we burn so much heat with our legs but not much with our chest/arms, so that explains the need for more upper body clothing.

As the miles went on and on I would just will myself from aid station to aid station, hitting a wall right before the next aid station due to depleted energy stores. I would eat real food again and have more energy until the next aid station, and so on. Sebastien was great to run with as he would stay focused about finishing and we would talk occasionally but didn't have to talk all the time, which was nice and peaceful for me.

As many ultrarunners have said before, the sunrise brings energy to the runner, especially if the end is in sight. Even when moving meant hiking some flats as fast as possible--at a 14 or 15 min/mile pace, the early morning was inviting and the finish was in sight.

Foods that went over well were potatoes, potato soup, Quesadillas, bananas. The flagging was great all night long. 

As we summited Candy Mountain for the last time, we checked our watches to see that soon we would cross paths with the 50K and then the 15K runners. We did see many fresh runners and we encouraged each other. The descent from Badger Mtn was incredible because we had less than 1 mile to go and there were myriads of 15K runners heading up the Mtn. It was inspiring to see so many people heading out for the run and everyone was encouraging as Sebastien and I sprinted to the finish.

It was 25 hours and 25 minutes since I started the morning before. This was a full 2 hours and 17 minutes faster than my time in 2015 on a course with 4 more miles and 2 more Red Mtn. ascents. 

What went well?
1. Strong training weeks with mileage peaking over 100 miles in one week
2. Lots of hill running, on rocking logging roads mimicking the course
3. Accurate drop bag planning with cold weather clothes
4. Having a pacer made the second half faster than if I were running alone
5. Better hydration and fueling
6. Quicker passes through aid stations

What could I have done to run even faster?
1. More fueling
2. More years of experience
3. More core body training/cross training

Badger Mountain Challenge 100 is a race a highly recommend to anyone who like ultras for many reasons:
--Nicest runners
--Nicest volunteers
--Great organization
--Great food
--The open scenery makes it easy to see where the runner is going which gives confidence
--The few drops make it easier to find what you need in that drop bag