Beacon Rock 50K Race Report

With some trepidation, I signed up for this race as I was a bit nervous as I hadn't raced since Pine2Palm in September. With significant elevation gain (stated 7500ft) over the course of just 31miles, I knew this would suite me, as my strength is in climbing. I had no "game plan" for the race. I honestly just wanted to have a good time on the trails and see how the race unfolded.

The first few miles was working out the kinks and getting into a good rhythm on the gradual gravel road. As we hit the single track about 3.5 miles into the race I would alternate between running and power-hiking, depending on the steepness of the trail. I crested the summit of Hardy Mtn and begun the approx mile descent of steep, technical terrain (I'm surprised I didn't twist an ankle or fall) to the aid station.

I hit the first aid station in 4th place (mile 5.5), filling my water bottle with Nuun and grabbed a GU. The slight downhill (half gravel road/other half single-track) to the start of the climb up to the summit of Hamilton Mtn took longer than expected. I pushed it a little bit but not too much on this part, thinking I would gain on the 3 in front while we started the climb.

The climb to the summit of Hamilton Mtn was steep with numerous switchbacks. The views were spectacular. I power-hiked some and ran some. I knew I made up some lost time cause I could see Joe up ahead. I still didn't push too hard as I knew we would be going up this steep climb again. I repeated over and over to myself........"Conserve. Be patient. You'll make lost time on the 2nd loop." Even so, I was still a disappointed that I didn't catch Joe on the climb.


The next few miles to the aid station went by quickly. Just as I was entering the aid station I could see Joe off in the distance going around a bend in the road. I grabbed a few GUs, an S-cap and drank some Coke and took off.


If I wanted to make up lost time on the 3 guys in front, I knew I needed to push the downhills. So after leaving the aid station for the turnaround/halfway point in the race, I found a higher gear and took off. I caught Joe about 2.5 miles from the turnaround. We ran together all the way to the turnaround - pushing each other - but at a nice comfortable pace. The 2 other guys were ahead of us by 4 and 6 minutes.


Joe and I didn't stay for long. My pace was definitely slower going up the gravel road the 2nd time around. Once we hit the single-track climbing up to Hardy Mtn, I was walking more than running. Joe and I caught up to the 2nd place guy - Michael Wedemeyer. But Hozumi Nakai caught up to all of us......and was looking STRONG. We all 3 passed Michael pretty much at the same time...me leading. I pushed the pace a little and Hozumi and I gapped Joe and Michael. I continued the pace but Hozumi was right on my tail so I stepped aside to let him pass. He mentioned something like I didn't need to do that but he was moving way too fast and I was clearly slowing him down. Within a few minutes Hozumi had already gapped me. I quickened the pace down the other side of Hardy on the steep, technical section, thinking that Joe and Michael would catch me.....but they didn't. I rolled into the aid station (mile 20ish) and quickly exited with a few GUs in hand. Just as I was leaving the aid station, Joe was arriving. I yelled, "Let's go Joe!"..... he probably not hearing me.


I got to within about 100meters of Hozumi (he had to take a pee-break along-side the road) but that was as near as I would get to him. I was struggling a little on the single-track leading over to the climb up Hamilton Mtn. I had spotted a Cliff Bar at the previous aid station and started slowly taking bites from it. My stomach began to act up but I knew I needed the calories. As a made the sharp turn to begin the steep climb up Hamilton, Michael appeared out of nowhere behind me, clearly making up time on the way over to Hamilton! His presence actually startled me. Hozumi wasn't going to be caught, he was just too strong today. I knew that if I hammered and made it up to the top of Hamilton before Joe or Michael, my chances of reaching the finish before them were pretty good. The second time going up the mountain seemed longer and harder, but I was able to manage a "fair amount" of running considering the steepness and switchbacks. Once I hit the top, I took off and started bombing down to the last aid station at mile 27ish.


I barely stopped at this last aid station -- just enough time to fill the waterbottle. I then started hammering the last downhill section. With a cramp here (groin area) and a cramp there (right-side of abdomen), I was able to stroll into the finish at 4hrs 55mins. 3rd place overall. Hozumi kicked some serious you-know-what and finished in 4hrs 50mins - 2nd place.

Great course! Great volunteers! Great competition! Great race James! Happy to be back racing again. James Varner's Angels Staircase in mid-August looks pretty cool. I just may sign up for that remote and brutal course.


Thanks Joe for pushing me out there....even tho you probably didn't realize you were doing so. You had me running scared those last miles.

Time

Much time has passed since my last posting. I tend not to write when I'm injured, hence the hibernation. A month before the start of the HURT 100 I got injured. It was an exacerbation of my injury from Pine 2 Palm. What was supposed to be a 4-5 hour run turned into a 2 hour run with a 3 mile walk back to the car. I pretty much didn't run for about 4 months.

It would've been nice to have run HURT...and spend some time with my wife without the kids (the trip was supposed to have been a "delayed" 10-year anniversary trip). With a cancelled trip to Hawaii, I sunk my time and energy (and money) into a major remodel. (The "alternate" 10 year anniversary gift. In my mind, Christy got a great gift. She thinks so too.) With the help from family and friends (William, Jeremy and Joe), I finished the remodel in about 2 months. What a person can accomplish when one isn't training!!

Over the past few months I've put some consistent mileage on the legs. This past week was a big week - at least for me - which consisted of running 85 miles in 4 days and biking 45. I've never been a mega-mile person. Actually, this is the biggest training week I've ever had. So with some consistent mileage behind me, I figured I needed to see how "fit" I really am, so I signed up for the Beacon Rock 50k this Sunday. Looks to be a good course with some good elevation gain.

No matter what the outcome of the race is, I'm just happy to be back running again. I'm certain you will see a grin from ear to ear throughout the race.

Pine 2 Palm Race Report

I'm layed-up on the sofa, foot elevated, looking down at my swollen right ankle, writing this email. I'll spare you all the details of the race...just some highlights. This was my most challenging 100 miler thus far.


First off, I need to say thanks to Orval (father-in-law) and Angela (cousin's girlfriend) for supporting me during the race. I ask for them to stay up all night in wet/windy/cold conditions, and only to support me for a mere few minutes at a time. Angela then had to endure (all at night) a slow slog through the same conditions with a guy who was moaning and groaning (and cursing) for 12 hours. Words can't express my gratitude to the both of you for these sacrifices.


The first 60 miles went by relatively well. I was fueling and drinking properly and taking the necessary electrolyte caps on schedule. It was raining about 90% of the time, albeit the first few miles on the road out of Williams. I had my pace under control....not running the downhills too hard and walking most of the uphills. From miles 60-65, I noticed that my right ankle was a little painful attempting to run downhill....but the pain wasn't alarming. In addition, just around mile 60, my core body temperature dropped and I became cold. This was a result of climbing in elevation, the temperature dropped and the wind and rain increased in intensity. I was able to borrow a light weight shell from a generous volunteer at the 60 mile aid station but it only helped slightly. One mile from the 65 mile aid station, a woman whom I'd never met, stopped her car as I was hiking up the gravel road and offered a garbage bag to put over my upper body. I thanked her and my friend Trevor (we were running together at this stage in the race) made a make-shift coat - as my hands were worthless due to the cold.


I arrived at the 65 mile aid station - exposed on a ridge on Dutchman Peak - shivering violently and in about 5th place. The wind and rain were blowing from all directions. Orval and Angela were there waiting for me with reassurance and calming voices (it sure is nice to have a crew in such conditions). I was able to get dry clothes on with help of Angela and Orval as I huddled around a propane heater. I stayed here for about 15-20 minutes (maybe even longer)...making sure I got my core body temperature up. I tried to eat some food but was feeling pretty nauseous at this point.


This was the start of pacing duty for Angela. It sure was nice to have her with me during the last 35 miles. As she and I left the aid station, the pain in my right ankle was slowly increasing. As we neared the Glade Creek Aid Station at mile 78, I had been relegated to walking the past number of miles on much of the downhills and muster only running for 3-5 minutes on level stretches before needing to take a break from the pain. This is where my spirits took the first nose dive as I was passed by at least 10 runners. There was nothing I could do as this pain persisted throughout the rest of the race. I was afraid to take any pain medications to prevent any kidney issues later on in the race or after.


The climb up to Wagner Peak was another low point. The trail was steep. The temperature dropped. I became cold again. And yes, it was still spitting rain. I hadn't been able to eat much of anything since Glade Creek as nausea episodes would wax and wane. It was during this stretch that my emotions spilled out on the trail. It was at this moment that I thought I wouldn't finish. But getting to the short out and back section to the summit of Wagner Peak, my spirits lifted as I noticed that I hadn't lost much ground to some of the runners that blew passed me between Dutchman Peak (mile 65) and Glade Creek (mile 78).


The downhill from the top of Wagner Peak to the finish was slow and painful. I hiked all the way down to the Road 2060 Aid Station. I was then able to muster a fast hike on this gravel road with a few minutes of running. A last ditch effort was made of "running" about 75% of the last 4 miles to the finish. Again, cold and wet conditions as a torrential rain spell hit Angela and I. So much for a dry finish! I finished in 26hrs and change.


I want to thank all of the volunteers who came out for this inaugural race. The aid stations were well-manned and stocked. They anticipated what the runner needed. The course was well marked - except on a few sections the spacing of the ribbons was a little far.


Lastly, to my #1 fan-base, my family. The support they provide makes this all possible.

Mt St Helens Circumnav

Not sure how many times I've run the Loowit Trail around Mt St Helens. And I'm not sure why I like that trail so much. I think it is just the beauty of the area...but also the diversity for which the trail offers....all single track, steep climbs (not too long), boulder fields, stream crossings, a little route finding, etc. The trail is approximently 32+/-miles in length. My fastest time to date was 6hrs 10mins. This was a few years ago when I couldn't even fathom running much longer....but also it was before the rains from 2006 hit the Northwest and caused some massive slides in the area and a number of "detours" were developed to cross over some major washouts.
Nick was eager to take another stab at the trail. His first major ultra run was last summer with Joe Grant. It sounded like an epic run that lasted 10hrs with a significant amount of suffering. Luckily the run didn't dissuade him from running long again.

I picked Nick up at his house at 0330 and made quick time to the June Lake Trailhead. I'm grateful for Nick's flexibility in the early wakeup call. With 2 kids and a wife back at home, these days which have longer runs start rather early. Thanks buddy!

We started right at 0530. We ran into some campers that were already awake at June Lake. We made the ascent up to the trail that is the main route up to the summit in short order - about an hour.

It was rather pleasant out. There was a ever-so slight mist starting out but as we climbed the clouds started to part and got some glimpses of blue sky. As we made our way around the west side of the mountain, the clouds cleared. We came across a lone hiker who had started the day previous and was also doing the entire loop. We chatted for a few minutes. Soon after, we stopped 9 elk that were scrampering along. It was really neat to see.

The descent down to the Toutle River was nice. We stopped to take a few photos.



At the river, we stopped to fill up our water bottles and dropped a Nuun tablet. Just as we crossed the river, we came across a father and son. They were contemplating how they were going to get down to the river. The "trail" down to the river is rather steep and involves just a little down climbing. I told them that this was the worst of the stream crossings. Again, we chatted for about 2 minutes and we were on our way. I think we made it to the river in 2hrs 45mins.

The steep ascent up to the NW side of the mountain was a grinder. It reminded us of the ascent up to Bull Wheel at Tahoe 50/100....steep, sandy. Even tho our legs were a bit fresher than at Tahoe, it still was seemed steep.

We cruised the trail on the NW/N sides of the mountain. For some reason, this part of the trail always takes longer than what I would expect. Just lots of undulations in the trail as well as steep, rocky, short descents and a little meandering to follow the trail through the blast zone. We filled our bottles at a creek and proceeded to make it to Windy Pass, the high point of the route at 4885ft right at 5hrs. I was struggling a little bit at this point and had to take in a Clif Bar. For just having finished Tahoe 100 just two weeks ago, my legs were feeling pretty good. (Sorry for the 2 videos...my video making skills are, let's just say lacking.)

The run on the Plains of Abraham was great. We pushed the pace during this segment as the trail widens and feels more like a compacted, sandy road. We came across 2 mountain bikers and 4 hikers. I'd never seen more than 6 people at any given time on this trail before.

The last 6 miles to June Lake went by fast. However my left knee was throbbing making the downhills a little painful. We blazed past a few more hikers/climbers on their way up to June Lake. We touch the trailhead sign, making our circumnav of Mt St Helens in 6hrs 50mins. Not bad!

Nick, thanks for a great run!

Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Short Race Report

I'm going to spare every one all the details....just don't feel like taking the time to write a full report. It was a great course in a beautiful area. It was my first 100 (out of the 4 total) that actually went pretty well...all things considering (i.e. heat/altitude). I fueled and hydrated well.

The aid stations were fantastic - most noteably Tunnel Creek and Hobart. The volunteers were incredible!! Thanks to Erik Skaden for the positive words and getting my out of Diamond Peak (mile 80) quickly. You walking with me those few hundred meters out of the aid station got my head back in the race.

I finished 11th overall (10th male) in a time of 25hrs 5min. I'm grateful for my family to be there to support me. It was a pleasure running with my twin brother - Thad - the last 7+ miles. He met me at the last aid station - Snow Valley Peak. It was big a surprise seeing him up there since he and my Dad miscalculated when I was to come in at Diamond Peak. He definitely pushed me those last miles. I didn't walk more than a few minutes.

Most importantly, I'm ever so blessed to have a wife who supports me in these endeavors.

(at the finish)

P50 - An Adventure

Just now getting the time to sit down and write this report after thinking about the race. Sorry for the length.

The Pocatello 50 (or P50) I heard much about from my friend Trevor, who ran the inaugural race last year. What drew me to the course was its difficulty (i.e. hills) and how well organized it was. The steeper the course, the better I seem to do (albeit Wasatch Front 100...that is a different story altogether and my first 100miler). The moment registration opened I signed up for the race. Good thing I did. I believe it filled within 3 days.

My older brother and his family were coming back to the States for a number of weeks during the time of the race. I felt it would be a great experience for him to crew me at an ultra, in addition to spending some quality time with him. So we planned the road trip to Pocatello with his son - Lukas - and my son - Mason - in tow.

We left Thursday morning to break up the drive. First day was spent driving to Boise. It was my son's first long road trip where he would remember anything. He did experience a few 9 hour nausea-induced bus rides in remote Central Mexico a few years back but wasn't of the age to remember. However, it was memorable for a father who gets sick if there are more than a few successive bends in the road. Good thing for Dramamine. At any rate, we made quick time to Boise - 7 hours - after making stops to empty the bladder, eat, etc. It was my first time staying in Boise for any length of time. We ate at Mai Thai Restaurant in downtown Boise just blocks away from the Capitol. I was impressed by the quality of the food, the various options, atmosphere, and service. They even had ample vegetarian and vegan options....of which I opted for a vegan dish that was delicious.

We got up Friday morning and drove the 3+ hour drive to Pocatello. It took a little longer than expected due to some major road construction that funnelled the Interstate down to one lane going in each direction. Stimulus funds?? Geez, couldn't believe the length of the construction. It also was raining......A LOT!! The rain had me peering through the windshield, death-gripped to the steering wheel.

We were able to check into the hotel a little early and I started to get my things ready for the race. We then headed to the start/finish for packet pickup which was a short drive - 20minutes. We stayed for the race briefing and then immediately left afterwards to get a bite to eat as to get to bed at an early hour.

We left the hotel right at 5am to get to the start. Skies were cloudy. Temps were probably in the high 30s/low 40s. Luckily there was no rain. At the very last minute I decided to bring my beanie and wear my lightweight Mountain Hardware vest. As I was stepping to the starting line I saw Trev and said a quick "hi" and we were off.

The first part of the race followed the road we drove up to the starting line for a brief 1/2mile or so. We veered off to the left and got onto some single track. It immediately climbed and I settled into a nice walk/run pace up the hill. After the first climb, it was rolling single track with short, steep ups/downs that were all runnable. It then started to rain somewhere along this nice single track section. I settled into a nice pace behind Sean, Joelle with Trevor and AJW behind. Trevor and I caught up on running, family, etc. This small train of runners lasted for a number of miles before AJW and Sean took off. I rolled into the first aid station (mile 8ish) and grabbed a few gels, filled up my water bottle with Nuun. Trevor, Sean and AJW were about 2 minutes in front.

The trails was beginning to turn really muddy. Trevor had forewarned me that if it was wet out, the trails were going to be slick...and they were. Some sections was like running on ice. I don't know how many times I nearly fell.

I caught up to Trevor just before we headed up the off-trail portion of the race. As we climbed, both Trevor and I caught up to a number of people. The weather started to turn for the worse. The winds picked up and sleet/snow began to fall. It was foggy and having never run the course, I had know idea what the surrounding terrain was like and I didn't recall how many vertical feet we were going to have to climb. My hands were freezing at this point so I tucked my hands underneath my armpits trying to get them warmed up. I put on my beanie and placed my Nuun visor inside of my vest. I knew my body needed food but it would've been futile trying to open a gel/bar/etc so I sucked on my water bottle thinking the little electrolytes I gained from the Nuun would do something for my calorie/electrolyte depleted body.

The conditions reminded me of my many forays into the mountains. However, I had the necessary gear to keep the core of the body warm during those adventures. Today I was just wearing some simple running clothes.

As we crested the ridge that we were on, the snow/sleet made it difficult to see and was covering up the course markers. Winds were probably blowing between 40-45mph. I started to follow AJW and some other guy towards the right on this large open plateau of sorts, when off to my left I noticed some markers. I yelled out to both of them and they followed. The course now followed a ATV/jeep road. I tried to maintain the pace with AJW to help me get off this god-forsaken hill but just couldn't. Within a few minutes I was running by myself in terrain that I wasn't familiar with and in conditions that were deteriorating. I wondered how long we were going to be on this road before dropping elevation. I just started thinking "Keep it together. Keep it together. Look for the course markers. Head up. Look for the course markers." Squinting through the sleet/snow and high winds that were now coming straight at me, I saw 2 course flags off to my right. I stopped for a moment just to be sure. Yes! The flags! I followed them. This ATV/jeep road was now starting to drop some elevation....and fast. In a few minutes, I caught up to AJW, who was stopped and looked like he was trying to warm up his hands to open a few gel packets. I grunted something and continued down. Within 15 minutes it actually felt warm. AJW passed me.....as did Matt. WTF?! Matt?! He had taken a wrong turn just before the off-trail section.

At times the road was a nightmare....muddy, slick and little traction. I fell once, pretty hard onto my left side, while trying to open a ShotBloks (the first fuel since the first AS). The road continued, crossed a few streams and then hit single track. The city came into view and it actually wasn't raining. It was beautiful single track that any ultra runner would love. Then a steep, short downhill section put me at City Creek AS. Just as I was coming in, I saw Trevor leaving. Derek was waiting for me.....boy, it sure was nice to see a familiar face!

I was at the AS a little longer than I usually take but I wanted to be sure I had all the essential items with me. I grabbed my lightweight Marmot jacket, ditched my I-pod and handheld water bottle. I figured I'd need to keep my fingers warm as we were going up again into the weather. It was just too hard to maintain some warm fingers with having the handheld. I had Derek slightly open my Sharkies bag --- again, anticipating my fingers would not be functional once I got into colder weather. I ate a Luna Bar, took two Endurolytes and off I went.

The next couple miles meandered on some single track before hitting a small aid station that had water. I filled what I had drank of my one water bottle since seeing Derek and continued the climb. I thanked them for being there. One of the volunteers said, "Two miles to the top. Then 4miles down to the next aid station." My response joking was, "Piece of cake!"

Just beyond I saw Trevor tying his shoe. We continued on together and again chatted about life. We climbed higher and higher and soon we were again in the wind, snow/sleet. I put on my jacket....and WOW!! what a difference. Sure was nice to have this. At this point, there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. We caught up to Matt and crested another ridge and gained a ATV/jeep road. Matt and Trevor pushed the pace on the downhill that I couldn't match.

I eventually caught up to Trevor and ran together all the way till around mile 26 - at a remote aid station. Word at the aid station was that the race had been called and racers were stopping people at Mink Creek (mile 32). I grabbed one gel, filled up my water bottle with Nuun and took off. About 1/2 mile beyond I caught Matt. Then Trevor, Matt and I ran together for about a mile before Trevor and I pulled ahead of Matt and then Trevor eventually pulled ahead of me. At this time, there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground and as we descended to Mink Creek, rain began to fall and the snow started to melt. The trail was is in pretty bad shape - basically running in a small stream with the water temperature hovering just above freezing. You could say my feet were cold.

About 2 miles from Mink Creek some one came running up the trail and indeed confirmed that racers were being stopped at Mink Creek. I felt a sense of relief, but in all honestly, a little disappointed. I was looking forward to the next part of the race up and over Scout Mountain, but I knew, due to the conditions, that it was the right decision by the RD's.

Matt and another runner passed me about a mile from the "finish". As I rolled into the finish Derek was waiting for me. A tent was set up and people were mingling inside. I didn't stay for long...just wanted to get to the hotel, take a shower and rest now that the race had been stopped. I finished in 9th place with a time of 5hrs 50ish minutes.

A big thanks to the volunteers for being out in the elements and providing support for all participants. Thanks to the RDs for putting on a great race....and stopping it as well. Thanks to Derek for supporting me at the race. And a bigger thanks to my family for putting up with me and another adventure.

I'll be back next year....just hope the weather is bit nicer!

McDonald Forest 50K race report

I was looking forward to running this race for the first time. It suited me well....the abundance of steep hills. I had run the course with Will, Mike and Angela in mid-March, but come race day, I had forgotten just how steep the hills were -- especially after running the relatively flat Rumble. My fitness was on par for a successful race after PR'ing at all the races this year. I had a goal of running under 4:30.

The race started out pretty fast....at least for me. I was able to hang on till the first substantial hill before falling back into more of a sustainable pace and let 3 guys go. However, just as I hit the first steep hill, my legs just weren't turning over like they normally do. Not sure what was going on. I swapped places with Joe (a ultrarunner from Portland - nice meeting you bro!) on a number of occassions -- he catching me on the downhills, I catching him on the uphills.

The miles were passing by but my legs still were not "functioning" normal...especially on the long, gradual dirt/gravel roads. In addition to my lack of leg turnover, somewhere around mile 16, I started having severe abdominal cramps and bloating. This persisted till the mile 22ish aid station. I attributed this to having too many electrolytes and salt consumption (via S-caps) on board....I was miscalculating.....I was taking these supplements at each of the aid stations and on the trail. Big mistake! This definitely won't happen again! At this point, I was contemplating dropping from the race since I felt like s#*t.


At around mile 24ish, things started to turn around. The bloating/cramps dissipated and I caught 2 runners right beginning of the last, long steep trail before hitting the road that bombs down to the last aid station. My legs felt a little better so I really pushed it -- thinking that they or some one else would catch me on the downhills to the last aid station and onto the finish line. Just outside of the last aid station, I had to stop for a quick restroom break.


I made it down to the last aid station in 4th place - 5 minutes behind 3rd. At this point, I decided to try and hang on to 4th place. I quickly refilled my handheld with water and dropping a Nuun tablet.

The 3+ mile gravel road outside of the last aid station killed me. It just never seemed to end. My legs felt heavy. I walked for about a minute thinking that a different pace would help. My legs are accustomed to varied speeds on trails -- not that same for miles on end on these long, gravel roads.

Just as I reached the last 1.5miles to the finish, Brian Morrison caught me. Ugh! He was moving fast. "Great finish. Keep it up," I said as I let him pass. I was able to match his pace up the final hill before he put the gear into overdrive and was gone, bombing down the hill to the finish.

I cruised the last mile and finished in 4:31 and 5th overall. I was pleased with the result given what all transpired over the day. A friend I went to high school with - Jason Moyer - finished right behind me. Will finished in 4:54 - great race my friend - given the limited training you've done over the past month! Mike finished in 4:42 -- great race -- for having smoked the Eugene marathon in 2:42 (only in my dreams would I be able to run that fast) just 6 days prior!

A great race put on by the race directors. The course was well-marked and the aid stations were well-stocked. Thanks to all the volunteers. They were helpful and ready to meet your needs! Amazing!!