Western States The Time has Come.

Well the time is almost here. As I write this I am in Squaw Valley with the crew and we are one day away from the race. I feel that I have done all that I can do to get ready for the race but still have a great deal of nerves. A few weeks back Shannon and I came to Auburn to do a series of race sponsored training runs. It was really fun but a wake up call for what this race is going to be. And let me tell you, it is not a walk in the park. This race will be my biggest test to date, not only with the self imposed weight I have given to it but because of the share difficult nature of the race. I have always struggled in the high heat and with long downhill running. And that is something that this race has in spades. But, back to the training runs.

The Start Line (getting real LOL)

The commemorative plaque 

So early Friday morning on the 27th of last month Shannon and I loaded up and headed to Sacramento for a three day running camp on the Western States course. For Shannon this would be just a chance to tune up, but for me this would be the first time that I would see any of the course. Needless to say I was super jazzed up. And with the early flights and time change we landed in Sacramento at about 9 am. So we headed straight to Auburn and this little place I read about on Yelp Katrina’s Kitchen. You know your man Stormy has to find the best places to eat. Otherwise what is the point of traveling. It was a small cash only little place. But let me tell you it is worth the trip. A great start to the weekend.

The art at the Sacramento Airport

Third Breakfast of Champions 

Next we headed over to the Auburn Running Company to check it out. This place was awesome, if for nothing else just because of the Western States swag. Trophies from the race, all kinds of awesome photos and signatures, and just a mecca of California trail running. And the working the store were open and friendly, and as a bonus an endless stream of awesome runners who had just made it into town for the training runs were making their way through. Shannon pointed out Sage Canaday (up and coming ultrarunning superstar), and struck up a conversation. Sage is one of the favorites for the race and got in on a golden ticket (meaning he won a big race for automatic entry for the race). But if meeting him was not a thrill enough Shannon about lost his mind when Sage asked him for any advice that Shannon might have on the course. This is the kind of sport we are in folks, there just isn't this social gap between regular runners and elites like you see in other sports. Everyone want to help you and is more than willing to get advice if you have it.

Some important stuff in the window of this running store

Sage winning his golden ticket race

Well after all of this running history and royalty, I was ready to run, so we headed to the hotel to check in. Upon arriving we got devastating news. I messed the reservations up and booked Shannon and I in a king room, so one bed and two runners. And with three different weddings going on in the hotel that weekend it looked like we would be sharing a bed for the training camp. I tried to sweet talk the very nice lady TJ who was working the desk. But there was not a lot she could do. And since i am not one of those people who like to freak out at the desk workers for no reasons, especially if it was my mistake. So we joked around with her for while and finally said it is what it is and headed to the room. The room was nice other than the lack of two beds and we started unpacking. Just about the time we got unpacked the phone in the room started ringing. Shannon answered and it was TJ at the desk. She had a cancellation and had a double bed room for us. I mean we literally were in the room for 5 minutes, it is amazing how stuff just always seems to work out when you stay calm. I took it as a good sign for the weekend. And we also got a new friend out of the deal with TJ at the desk.

View from the run

I got my running clothes on and Shannon decided that he would skip this run and take the opportunity to do some work and get some supplies by checking out some local grocery stores. So he dropped me at the Robie Point Fire Break Trails and planned on meeting me back there in a while. My plan was to run down to No Hands Bridge and a little past to get 8 miles in total. I knew it was not going to be too fast as it was hot and I did not have any water. My plan was to carry my bottle with me and fill it up if I got the chance, but no water was to be found. The run was awesome and I promise you guys that the spectacular nature of what I was getting to do was not lost on me. Now more than ever I was ready to see what Western States would hold. Standing on that bridge and seeing the sign saying Squaw Valley was 97 miles behind me and Auburn was 4 miles ahead was pretty epic (and I hate using that word).

The no hands bridge sign.

The training weekend was set up like this. On Saturday we would meet at Foresthill Elementary School and be bused to Robinson Flats. From there we would run the 32 miles back to Forest Hill though the toughest part of the course known as “the canyons”. On Sunday we would meet again at Foresthill and run from there to a spot two miles up the hill from the Rucky Chucky river crossing about 18 miles of running and then we would be bused back to Foresthill. For Monday we would meet at the finish of the race at Placer High School and be bused to a spot about two miles up from Green Gate to run into the finish. About 20 miles for that day. So not an easy weekend. But a great opportunity to see a lot of the course.

No doubt the first day was designed to be a punch in the gut. This would be the part of the course that will make or break any runner’s race. This year’s race would be hot and the canyons would magnify this. We got on the bus full of excitement and before we knew it was were getting off at Robinson Flats and in a fairly unorganized fashion headed out on the snow covered trail. Pretty quick we crested the peak just past Robinson Flats and headed down and the snow was gone to be replaced by heat. The run from this point was very flat with a slight downhill. So I instantly made the mistake of going out way too fast. Like 7:30 miles fast. And all this running my butt off and skipping aid stations led me to missing a turn and running 3 miles off course. When I got back on track I was only motivated to run faster. So I hit the first canyon hard and pushed up Devil’s Thumb way too fast trying to run too far up the climbs. I felt like I was having a great day, but underestimating the hot dry weather badly. Now I was starting to feel it but I tried to keep it up. Here we are on a training run and I was trying to win the race, stupid move. By the time I pasted the next canyon and headed up to Michigan Bluff I was struggling a lot. Now it was on to Foresthill which included another smaller canyon and some climbing that should have been runnable. But I was blown up and paying for all the early bravado. And it became a death march with some bad cramping. I learned a valuable lesson for race day and it  did not feel good. I crossed the finishing line for the day at Foresthill and found Shannon waiting for me. I made it about three feet past the finish before my calves locked up. I was toast and we had two days to go. Now it was time to try and recover for tomorrow. I knew we needed to get some calories down but I was way too overheated to eat then. I would have to cool down for a while before I could get anything down. By the time we got back to Auburn I was feeling a little better and we found some good eats for dinner. We hit the sack early, trying to maximize recovery for a better showing Sunday.

Before day one looking fresh faced and bright eyed, I was not motivated to take a photo after.

On Sunday I had a better plan. I was going to head out with Shannon and try and keep a more controlled pace. Also my plan was to hit the aid stations hard, and keep eating and drinking all day. This part of the course would be much easier. So I hoped this combination would make for a better day. And for the most part it did. I was moving really well and enjoying the amazing scenery of the course. Before I knew it I was at the river crossing. Now is the time when I will remind everyone who is reading this to listen to pre run instructions, because I was ready to get this run over with so after hitting the aid station I made my way down to the river to find everyone just sitting around in the river cooling off. I pushed my way across (which was not easy in the fast moving chest deep water) only to find no markings on the other side. So I yelled back asking which way to go. Only to be told that we were going up the road to take a bus back. Not crossing the river today. So I got to wade back across the river, and totally soaked make my way up to the finish for the day. Despite that blunder, the day finished well and I felt much better. Even good enough to have two veggie burgers at the finish line before getting on the bus and heading back to the car. I got changed and waited for Shannon to make it back to the car. A little while later a bus showed up with Shannon and he told me a wonderful story that made me wish I had hung around the finish line. I guess Shannon was almost done for the day when a lizard jumped out of the bushes and on to the trail. This made him jump back and right then his legs locked up and he fell into a nearby ditch. It just so happened that all of this happened right in front of Western States 5 time winner and 25 time sub-24 hour finisher Tim Twietmeyer. I bet it was an incredible sight. I can’t believe I missed it but that is what you get for leaving the finish early. In the end both of us had a much better day and both Shannon and I felt like eating much more than the day before. So besides all the food at the finish we stopped by In and Out Burger for fries and shakes before we got back to the hotel. And after we got cleaned up we hit some little Chinese restaurant for even more food and then just for good measure before we went back to the room we stopped at the grocery store. And there I got a big piece of carrot cake. Somewhere in all of that I met my demise.

After Day Two, feeling much better

Around 12 in the morning I woke up with the urgent need to vomit. And this continued for several hours. Finally I left the room for the 24 hour CVS down the street and got some supplies. Needless to say I got very little sleep that night but eventually my stomach settled down and for sure everything had exited. By the morning I was feeling slightly better, so we hit the breakfast buffet at the hotel. I was of course very hungry at this point and ate way too much. Still feeling ok I got ready for the run and we headed to the high school. All seemed to be going ok until we got on the hot bus and headed down the twisty roads to the start for the day. By the time we got to the start I realized that headed out that day might be a mistake. I made it a few steps down the road with Shannon before it was clear that he was feeling much better than me. So I told him that this was not happening. He was nice enough to walk me back to the start and headed out for his run. I hoped his day would be better than mine.  I talked with the volunteer who was running the training camp and told him that I was not feeling well. He asked me what I wanted to do and I told him that I was not doing good but I hated to miss this chance to run the course. He suggested that I head out with the sweepers and see if it got any better down the trail. I thought this was super cool of them. And the sweepers and I took off down the trail. They were awesome. I mean really the best, their attitude was just what I needed.

Before the last Day

For the first bit I was not sure about it, but then I started feeling better. So I picked up the pace and took off for a while. But at mile 4.5 disaster struck and I lost all of my breakfast. So I walked a little and then finally just sat down on the side of the trail. Soon the sweepers picked me back up and were super cool about it. They kept reminding me that this was a training run and not to worry about it. Just be happy that this was not happening race day. As we got close to the 7 mile mark they called for a car and that was it for my day. I wish I could have done more but they were right it was just a training run. And being able to get back to quality running and finishing my total training plan was more important than finishing that day. So I came back to the finish and soon was joined by Shannon. He had made it much farther than I but at mile 12 he found himself plenty dehydrated and called it. Not the day we were hoping for, but when we got back to the hotel we at least would get a quality home cooked meal as TJ’s mom had agreed to cook us a meal for the week. Some of the best Indian food I have had in awhile and Shannon agreed.

The awesome sweepers

So all in all we had to find the best way to look at this training weekend. I took it just like McMurtry, this was the kind of kick in the ass I needed. I had it in my head that anything less than a 24 hour finish would be a failure at Western. But that is just not the case. This course is not a gimme. It is difficult and to just reach the finish will be a big win. I needed to realize that before the day of the race. So coming to this training camp was just what I needed. I think Shannon felt the same way. And I did make some changes to my training plan for the last few weeks to focus on more hills and heat.

Unnecessary Throwback photo from Shannon's Birthday in Eureka Springs Maybe 2011?

Fast forward to today. It is the day before the race. I have been in Squaw Valley all week with my crew. And at 5 am tomorrow I head off into the dark to face the challenges of the Western States course. I can only do this because I will not be facing it alone. Not only will I have all my great crew members, but I have all the wonderful people who have been a part of this six year journey that has lead me here. All those miles from that first day I stepped out of my house in Glenpool to run to Arby’s to the 3 miles I ran at the local pub run last night have lead here. And I finished those miles because of the people who helped me along the way. I talked about some of these people in my 2010 recap post a few weeks back, but I carry these people with me always. People like my mother who does not only embody everything I hope and wish to be as a runner. But also who I strive to be as a person. It is only with strength like her’s and her unending resolve that I know no course can break me. She in part has helped me to realize that the point of my running is not to become a better person. We are who we are, it is in these endeavors that we have the chance to remind ourselves of who we really are. That there is an endless well within you and no matter how deep you reach into it, if you believe you can find the strength you seek. She is the pillar that holds my house up and the reason for everything that I am. She will be with me on every step of the course.

My mother Jenifer with her new pup (the dog is now 1000 lbs)

I will also carry the memories of my late father Logan. His life was a struggle but his heart was good. And I hope his unending love for others will be with me as well on this journey. I carry a token of him with me always and it will be with me for each step on the trail.

My sister and my dad Clint will be in my heart too. I know that they don't understand all of these crazy things that I do. And the truth is I don't always understand it either. But, I think of them on every run and hope they are proud of the things I do.

My Sister Nicona

My dad Clint

Now before I lose it let’s talk about my crew. I decided to name my crew Team Coyote. I feel that the Foolish Coyote is my spirit animal. Never satisfied and always searching, I have just always had a deep connection with the ideology of that symbol. So it was only natural that it be the name of my team. Also as I have a deep superstition for wearing anything associated with a race before the finish it gave me a logo for our crew shirts. For each of my crew I have also selected a spirit animal base on their personalities.

The Logo Sarah Made

A photo of the crew Ame took

First is my crew chief for this race and my life. My wife Brynna. She is the Stubborn Buffalo. Her steady state and unwavering concern about me keeps me in line. She refuses to bend to crazy whims and keeps me on track. Even if we have disagreements about what track I should be on. Having her there means I don't have to worry about making decisions. I can focus on running. Also, if you are familiar with Native American folklore you would be aware of a deep connection between the coyote and the buffalo. It is only a bonus that as a Colorado grad she loves buffaloes anyways.

Coyote and Buffalo

In human form. LOL

Next is the Belligerent Badger Wes. He will take over driving duties. Western States is a point to point race over 100 miles of trail. But the roads that lead to the trail crossings are much further apart. You need someone you trust to handle the twisting crazy mountain roads in the dark, after being up for 30+ hours. There is no one that I would trust more than Wes. Wes has always been a great friend, and the first to stick his hand up for any crazy adventure. Not only needed for his driving skills, Wes brings great energy to the group. We are very luck he was able to come along.

The Badger

From many years ago

The Trailblazing Hare Jeff is next on my list. One of my oldest (and oldest) running friends. I have shared trails with Jeff for almost as long as I have been running. He will be first of my pacers. Taking me from Foresthill to the Green Gate. In his almost 18 miles of pacing he will get to experience some of the hottest trails and then cross a freezing cold river before hiking up a 2 mile climb only to get to sit in a car the rest of the night. I don't know why he agreed to this, but I will be forever grateful he did. This is not the first time Jeff has paced me and the last time we had a very successful race. So looking for that again. Jeff has completed several 100 mile races, so he understands what is involved. I am actually very lucky in that all of my crew (with the exception of Brynna who we are still working on) have completed 100 mile races.

The Hare

That is Jeff on the far left.

Philip has the nickname Pip, but we needed a spirit animal, so he is the Flying Turtle. Pip has long had a connection to turtles so this was a natural choice. I also think that it fits him well. Turtles are often considered slow, but you get them in the right environment and they can fly. Philip has come a long way in his running and I have been there for a lot of it. And for that I am grateful. In fact there is no runner that I have shared more miles with than Pip. I knew the day I got selected that he would be here. Philip will take me from the Green Gate to the Highway 49 crossing. Just under 14 miles. But I will need his help to keep the pace up so late in the race.

I am sure this is how Pip felt with me harassing him all of his last race

After the Broken Arrow Sky Race

This is Pip taking a photo of his food from Katrina's Cafe

At Highway 49 Sarah the Dancing Horse will be taking over. Sarah has an amazing energy and her everyday excitement is what I will need for that last 6.7 miles of the race. I will need to keep moving and keep my mind together. Sarah is the perfect choice to help me do this. Sarah is a fantastic runner. And if we could keep her off her horse (we can't) I am sure she could be winning some of these big events. Her natural talent for running is something to see, and will be a great motivator for me late in the race.

The Dancing Horse

Before Sarah's first 100

Well that is the crew. With a team like that how could I fail. The truth is I can't. Even if it is not in the cards for me to round that track in Auburn, with friends like this willing to come out and share this experience with me, I feel like a winner. The race really doesn't matter and the buckle doesn't matter. These people matter. Yesterday was the opening ceremony of the race. This takes place at the highest point on the course. A 4 mile hike from the start line. They asked for a volunteer to walk the group up carrying the American Flag. I stuck my hand up and amazingly was given the honor. The ceremony was beautiful and I was blown away that I got to take part. The stories and thoughts shared on that mountain will be in my mind tomorrow. Also, a thought my mother shared. Here was the descendant of a 5’2” Mexican immigrant standing on the top of the world holding that American Flag, such a journey should not be taken lightly. So I ask all of you readers, as you make your journey, take some time and look around. You are blessed to be where you are right now. Riding a crest of a wave that started years before you. And the best you could ever hope for is to keep that momentum into the future. Thank you all, and Go Run.   

The Crew in Auburn

Ready to Race

Brew to Brew

Come my friends and let me tell you about a little running adventure aptly named Brew to Brew. B2B is a long running race (over 20 years) put on by the Kansas City Track Club. They are a great group of runners out of some town (can't seem to remember exactly which one). The event is most commonly run as a relay, where a team splits up the duties of making a trek on foot from Boulevard Brewery in KC to Free State Brewery in Lawrence. Well that is the idea, really the run goes from The Roasterie (an awesome coffee shop right next to Boulevard) to a brew pub in Lawrence near Free State. But, all of that is beside the point. The event is awesome and even better, if you are dumb enough you can tackle the entire 45 miles solo. And you are in luck for this blog, because I am dumb as hell. So you know I ran it, and the mad man of NWA (Northwest Arkansas) Shannon was with me. So let me tell you about this great running event, that despite selling out almost every year for the 20+ years of its existence I had never heard of.

Nice Logo, it is now a little different but I still like it

A place to visit for sure

Don't worry we went here too.

First there is the issue of Kansas City being like 4 hours away, and I would need to get there. You know me, I like to take a group with me wherever I go. But the weekend of the race was getting very close to the wedding so Brynna decided that she better not make the journey. In steps the Executive Club, even though they were not running I was able to convince Wes and Pip to make the trip over. This was good for two reasons. First, they are awesome and second this being a point-to-point race I really didn't have a plan to get back to my car. I am sure that since Shannon and Jody would be there they would have helped me out, but my crew meant that I didn't have anything to worry about. To take his generosity over the top, Wes not only agreed to come to this race that he was not running but also offered up his car and driving for the trip. Total Win! So after our Saturday morning run and of course a solid brunch, the three stooges loaded up in Wes' Subaru and we headed to KC. The plan was to meet Shannon and Jody at packet pickup near the start line. Now the trip down was pretty uneventful but I did have something weighting on my mind. See the original plan was to just crash with Shannon and Jody who being much better planners than I already had secured a hotel room. But now we had too many people for one room and as I soon learned the opening game of the Kansas City Royals was this same weekend. So there were not really any rooms to be had. So a was pretty nervous about what we would do come bed time. But I was not going to get too spun up, things usually work out in the end. So off to KC we went and before too long and without much drama we pulled up in front of The Roasterie.

Where most plans are hatched

Now going in, I didn't really know what The Roasterie was. I just assumed it was some kind of coffee shop, but as we came up on the spot I was blown away. The store has a full size WWII era plane in the roof, looking like it was about to take off. The place was massive. And I guess calling it a coffee shop is a misnomer as they process and package their own beans there as well. So walking in a was pretty jazzed up, the inside of the building was not left out on the over the top treatment for this place either. They kept the aeronautical theme going and pulled it off really well. In the back of the shop they had a whole room set up for packet pick-up for the race. Now most weird races like this that I have been to, don't really do that much in way of race bags. You usually just get your number (maybe a timing chip) and are told where to be for the race start. Not this race, not only did they have printed instructions for the crew complete with maps, but all kinds of cool bonus swag for running, including some of that coffee I was talking about (which I knew Brynna would enjoy) and a pint glass. In addition, they had all kinds of jackets, shirts, hats, and whatnots with the race logo on it. So before I left I grabbed a nice Nike running jacket with the race logo embroidered in the front. I really like the jacket and the logo so it has become a pretty regular part of my wardrobe. Plus, I had to be happy with it as Pip bought the running vest I was wanting.

I mean how cool is that?

When Shannon got to the spot I think he and Jody were a little surprised to see Wes and Pip with me. In all the running around and last minute planning I guess I never really bothered to tell them that I was bringing a bunch of people. And right away I could see the concern on their faces. They knew the hotel situation and were also worried about how we would find spots for everyone to sleep. We talked for a little while and Shannon got his packet, then we decided we could not solve these concerning issues without beer, so we made our way over to the Boulevard Tap Room. Before you get to the Tap Room there is a gift shop out front. We were instantly distracted by this and started shopping around, until someone came out of the Tap Room and said it was last call. So we rushed the bar and got a round before we missed out. We tried a couple of cool beers that were only available in the tap room (I think) and after wrapping up there went back to the gift shop. There we found some cool shirts and I got some treats for my pups, some barley dog snacks that I kind of got as a goof but the dogs went crazy for. Even dogs love beer. So it was getting late (really only 5pm) and we still needed to find some food so before we headed to the outskirts of town where the hotel was I talked everyone into checking out a cool little spot that I found a few years back when I came to KC for the Hospital Hill half marathon. It is called Westside Local, and they have a cool atmosphere and really good food and beer selections. I was particularly interested in a veggie burger that they are known and my enthusiasm got everyone else on board. So we headed that way. We were able to get in as we kind of beat the dinner rush and everyone ordered food and drinks. After a while of waiting for our food, and crushing an appetizer, the server came with some very bad news. They were out of the veggie patties so no burger for me. I was a little perplexed by this, as it was very early in the evening to already be 86ing food. But they were nice about it and I just ordered something else. When it came time to check out they ended up not even charging me for the food and I thought that was a classy move in their part. So needless to say all was forgiven. Everyone seemed to enjoy the place and it is in a cool part of town. A lot of neat little houses that have been redone. I would highly recommend checking out this area of Kansas City. Well with the beer and food handled it was time to face the music and figure out what we were going to do about the sleeping situation.

Westside Local

So the room that Jody and Shannon got was in the nearby town of Overland Park, KS. I figured we would just roll up there (as it was a little outside of Kansas City) and be able to grab an extra room at their hotel. But, oh boy, I was wrong. They did not have anything available and when we got into their room it was pretty clear that the 5 of us were not going to be able to reasonably share one room. So I hit the internet and found one lone suite even further out of town. So without giving it a chance to disappear I booked the room and we all headed over there to see what that situation looked like. It was a nice big suite and the guy at the desk was super helpful but also only a single bed. I guess like every kids sporting event in the universe was also going on for that weekend, the hotel was just buzzing with kids in matching shirts and talking a million miles an hour. But in a last minute save they brought us a blow up mattress that was really nice and Wes said it looked good enough for him, so we called it a success and headed to Sam’s Club for last minute supplies. I was into the walking around Sam’s Club and grabbing snacks and whatnot. Plus, they had my favorite Cottonelle flushable wipes. You can only get the big box of them at Sam’s Club so I grab them. I don’t mean to overstate it, but I am pretty sure that finding these wipes a few years ago changed my life, LOL. Despite my excitement it was getting late and Shannon was ready to crash so we decided to pack it in with a plan that I would be to their hotel in the morning and Shannon and I would ride in his car to the start line. Then Jody would catch a ride with Wes and Pip later after they got sleep and breakfast and all that good stuff. So finally a very long day came to an end.

The massive air bed they brought Wes

Sam's Club for the Win!

Well I guess we should talk about the race at some point. Now this race is a point to point as I said and Shannon had run it several years back, describing it as almost all road with a very short gravel section. At the start line it looked like there would be some pretty serious competition. I was not really planning on doing anything big at the race, but having just won the very cool and low key race in Stillwater OK the Land Run 50k I was unsure how it might go. But standing at the starting line with a former Badwater winner and a really solid looking sponsored runner from Colorado I felt the pressure was off. There is no way I was doing anything big for this race. So Shannon and I did our normal not taking anything seriously and jacking around at the start and before we knew it the gun went off and we raced into the dark of the morning with two or three runners taking a big lead right out of the gate. I love running at night and early in the race we crossed a big bridge over the Kansas river, it was awesome and really peaceful. Well of me anyways, I don’t think Shannon enjoyed it that much. On the other side we had to descend some steep stairs and then run under the bridge. As I headed for that area I was kind of wishing that I had some kind of light, but then I saw an unbelievable site. A line of volunteers with flashlights signaling our way. I would soon find that volunteers were something this race had in spades and let me tell you, it made all the difference. This could have been a fairly mundane race, as it was mostly just following highways, but the volunteers really went all out and took this race over the top for me.

Race Course

Finish of the Land Run 50k. I know the sign says 100 but that was for the bikes

This dude at the Finish of the Land Run was awesome, flipped out for every runner and rider.

As for the race I was completely lied to about the amount of gravel. Large sections of the beginning of the race were on the levy of the river, which was packed gravel. This would not have been much of an issue, but the shoe choice was not ideal for this terrain. Shannon and I ran together for a little while, but our paces on this day were not meshing up well. Also, there was the slight issue that I really overhydrated for the race so in the first 6 miles I must have stopped at least a dozen times to pee. So when all was said and done, by the time I hit the first crew aid station at mile 10 I was running by myself and really had no idea where I was in the field. But, I did get to meet some cool other runners on the course. For a while I ran next to a young lady named Jaclyn Long and we talked about gross running stuff. It turns out she would go on to win the race on the female side of things. I knew she looked strong when I saw her. At that aid station I got to see Pip and Wes, they looked to be having a much better time than me, LOL. But it is always up lifting to see familiar faces on the course. I blew through the aid station and let them know that Shannon should be right behind me. Just past the aid station I saw the former Badwater winner talking on his phone and slowly walking back to the aid station, not a good sign. I asked him if everything was ok, but he said that he was having some medical issues and dropping out of the race. What a bummer, with the way he took off he surely would have had a great day on the course. Hopefully everything worked out. As the race was a point to point style event I found quickly that I was not going to see many people on the course so it was going to get pretty lonely. Luckily there were plenty of interesting sites along the way to entertain me.

Besides all the volunteers and getting to see Jody, Wes, and Pip every now and again, which made for excitement. Other wonders revealed themselves on the journey. As anyone who spends any amount of time running down the side of the road can attest to, you are going to see your fair share of dead animals. That is nothing new, but as I was crossing a bridge I saw a very large bird on the side of the road. It was laying in such a way that I could not possibly still be alive, but it looked very strange. As I go closer I realized that it was a pheasant. But this was a big nice looking pheasant that did not look like it might if say, it had been hit by a car. Seemed to be in good shape, only when I got right up on it did I see that it was a fully mounted taxidermy pheasant. It must have fallen off someone’s truck or something but clearly a strange site for the side of the road. Later I was coming up a long slow climb that we would turn at the top of. I could see a group of volunteers at the intersection waiting to guide runners. So I was plugging along towards the intersection when suddenly I felt my foot get pushed forward from behind. I immediately thought, oh man I am getting hit by a car, but that was not the case. It turns out a very large dog had run up behind me and was trying to bite at my shoe. It scared the crap out of me. But with some hollering the dog ran off back home and I started to try and get my heart rate back down. At the top of the hill I told the volunteers that they might want to watch out as there was a dog that just took a snap at me. One of them looked at me and said, “yeah we saw that” so I was like “oh, well I guess I will be going then” it was a pretty strange interaction but did not really deter from the race.

This was not the bird clearly, but you get the idea. 

At this point I was heading down a long road and running low on water and food. I had been doing a really good job on this race of staying on top of my nutrition but I realized that I had not seen the crew in a while. Times like that always make me nervous, because even though there was almost nowhere to get off course when you are out there by yourself for a long time and you haven’t seen your people you start to question if you are on the right track. Just then as if they had heard me Wes’ car came flying down the road. I would later find out that they went back to KC to get Shannon’s car and move it to the finish line. What a pro move by the crew, these guys are the best. So at the next aid station I was able to get more food from them and settle into the last half of the race. Coming into one of the aid stations one of the workers took my bottle to fill it and said that the leaders were only about 5 minutes ahead of me. Which I didn’t think much of as five minutes is an eternity when you are running. I was looking at the table they had set up while he was filling my bottle and a lady behind the table was making peanut butter and jelly tortillas. She asked me if I wanted anything, and I asked if I could have the big tortilla that she just spread peanut butter all over. I think this caught her a little off guard as she was in making mode. So she had to think about it for a minute and then was like, of course. But, she still didn’t really know what I was asking so it told her to just roll up what she had. She was like, “the whole thing?” Which I nodded in the affirmative to. Man did it really hit the spot and worked well as a handheld for moving on down the road.

 

Some of the awesome volunteers from the race. 

Further down the road, about 10 miles from the finish I was on a series of rolling gravel roads when I noticed a guy way up ahead of me with a SUV not too far in front of him. I thought this was a little weird, he would go for a while and about the time he would get up to the SUV it would take off again. I didn’t think much of it, but thought it was a little lame if that was his crew and they were giving him assistance. But as I caught up to him the SUV just drove on. I would later find it was a course marshal. Just as I was about to catch up to the shirtless guy he turned and spit on me. I guess he was rocking out on his headphones and did not hear me coming. I think I scared the crap out of him and he was super apologetic. Turns out that it was the guy from Colorado and the heat and wind were making it a tough day for him. We only talked for a moment, mostly about how he wished he had worn road shoes and I was wishing I had worn trail shoes. Then I was off again, I knew that I had little chance of catching whoever was in front of me, but at least it gave me something to work for.

How my crew preps for my arrival into an aid station.

I came up to the next to last aid station and Wes, Jody, and Pip were all jumping around and excited to see me, or at least excited that this day would be done soon. I just motored right through the aid station with Pip even running my bottle back up to me. I was in a grove and wanted to keep it going. At the last aid station, you run up to the top of this levy. Here I did the same thing, with only 5 more miles to go I was ready to get this thing in the bag. I stopped for just a second so Jody could bring me my bottle and then I was off into the wind. At this point the levy skirts this big open field and the wind was howling. I had to pull my hat down just to keep from losing it. With all the pain in my legs I felt like I was barely moving, and my Garmin would later reveal that these were some of my slowest miles. I also kind of lost some motivation, as I could see way in front of me and had no sign of the leaders. But I did my best to stay in it and in the last few miles I was given a little bit of a break from the wind and was able to start moving better again. About 1 mile from the finish I heard someone coming up from behind me, and moving really fast. Man that was a bummer to get past right at the finish after all that work, but as he came up he started yelling, “don’t worry man I am a relay runner”. That was cool of him, and turns out he was part of the winning team. So I kept my head down and pushed to the finish.

And then there it was, after 5 hours and 55 minutes I was crossing the finish line. The 45 miles was done and all I could muster when Pip ran up to me was, “how far were the leaders in front of me?” He looked at me weird and said, “dude you won the race”. That didn’t make sense to me, the aid station guy clearly said that the leaders were in front of me, but turns out that I broke the tape. I was pretty stoked about it, and I guess my team’s strategy of not letting me know that I was in the lead worked. I was pushing so hard to catch the non-existent leaders that I ended up winning by 30 minutes. After me the young guy from Colorado came in and we talked about his race. Turns out this was by far the longest race that he had ever run, and he did awesome. Then after that look who came down the trail but good ole Shannon for third. What a great day, and after Shannon came in we made or way to the after party to find some quality brews before the long drive back home.

Coming into the finish

Top three

Look at that sneaky guy

This was the place that held the after party. Really nice.

I almost didn’t tell you guys this story because I hate to seem like I am bragging. But let me tell you this run and the success that I had on it had very little to do with me. As always the first shout out goes to Shannon, because as always I would not have even known about this race if it had not been for him. Then Wes, Pip, and Jody took amazing care of me and knew just what I needed to have a great finish. Then my wife Brynna for always letting me run off on the weekend, despite me always being gone during the week for work, to do these crazy events. The race and the volunteers were amazing and kept me on track, and kept the cars off me. And of course Runner’s World Tulsa for giving me the gear and support for run this race. I also want to shout out to the Land Run 50k the week before. That race was awesome as well and really picked up my confidence before this run. Guys, weekends like this are great, but it helps that the weekend would have been great no matter what place I came in at. I encourage everyone to look up this race, and make a team for next year. Seems like the relay team would be the way to go for less running and more drinking, LOL. I am just saying if you come out to this event you are going to have a great time. And if you spend a weekend somewhere with friends who love to run like you do it will make for memories that you want to hold onto. Most of these running groups, this is what it is really about, jamming people in a hotel room, packing small dive restaurants, and just cutting loose doing what we love. You have heard this line a thousand times from me, but get on board with a running group. The people are what make our sport what it is, because lord knows it is not the running. LOL.

This was the cool local running spot that sponsored the race. Ad Astra Running in Lawrence  

I know that was a long one, but thanks for sticking it out. Now get your butt away from this computer and Go Run Tulsa. See you next time for more stupid running adventures. 

Closing Thoughts