As many of you know, Heidi and I are expecting our first child (June 17th). Here are a few pictures of the cute little thing as it develops either into a modern day Mozart or the next Yiannis Kouros.
New Bundle of Joy on the Way
Wild Idaho Endurance Runs
Without a break, it seemed, from last year’s event, we arrived back at Boiling Springs Campground for the 2nd annual Wild Idaho Endurance Runs. As well as continuing the 50 mile and 50 kilometer races, we added a truly monstrous 100 mile race, with over 31,000 ft of climb. The 100 miler started August 5th at 6 PM, with a cushy 40 hour cutoff. The 50 mile and 50 kilometer races started the following morning at 6 AM. Leading the 100 mile race was Wayne Rancourt of Boise, ID and Mike James of Billings, MT through mile 23. Rancourt took off after that, never looking back. He has done quite well at numerous events, and was the pre-race favorite for the win. Whenever he passed through the aid stations, many volunteers commented on how good he looked-which I found incredible considering the brutality of the course. He won in 27:41, with 2nd & 3rd finishing together several hours later. The 50 mile and 50 kilometer races looked to be quite exciting, with almost double our numbers from last year. Hugo Martinez of Caldwell, ID won the 50K in a time of 6:30:15, with Jeremy Humphrey of McCall, ID breaking the course record for the 50 mile by 100 minutes-9:37:21! He had no contest, despite international entrant Martin Chinchilla Gioia from Chile and last year’s winner Tony Huff being in the pack as well.
The course was hot and tough and proved to be a nemesis for all. with many people finishing the 50 mile in the 17 hour range, Wild Idaho has proved itself to be a worth opponent to all who dare challenge it. The extreme change in altitude as well as the hot August heat are taxing on everyone who wishes to tackle the course. If you are looking for the challenge that will suck you dry, this is the one. Come earn your Louisville Slugger next year!
Wild Idaho 100
As many of you know, the route for next year’s WIHMER is going to be located at a completely different venue. The start and finish will be at Brundage Mountain with a figure 8 + loop course through the Payette National Forest. It will not feature as much elevation as the previous 100 this last August, but the technicality and off-trail sections of the course will make the race just as tough as the old course. With 3 off-trail climbs to Bruin Mountain (twice) and Black Tip Mountain, the route will be a magnificent challenge for everyone. You can view the details below.
The remainder of 2011
As many of you know, I have finished the ultimate in extreme races this summer-The Badwater. But what now? I felt an empty spot in my life after the race was over, but a lovely new wife kept me quite occupied. But now I am on to bigger and better things. I have the Plain 100 this coming weekend, as well as my continuation of education at Northwest Nazarene University in pursuit of my Bachelor’s Degree in Music (emphasis on Music Theory). Wild Idaho was a big success this year, and leaves me in ambitions for next year. As you know, the route for the 100 miler is changing, and the preliminary route for it can be viewed below:
Videos and Photos
Well, here are some more videos from the race that you haven’t seen yet:
Badwater Ultramarathon
The last couple days have been a milestone for me. It didn’t dawn on me that I was there, ready to go, until I saw the “Sea Level” sign hanging up above Badwater Basin. The excitement in the air was tremendous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people smiling and laughing about doing something so insane J. Well, I got checked in, did my last minute pre-race rituals, and took the pictures at the basin. We all lined up for the start, and the countdown began. So many cameras! I felt like I was on TV. We all took off. I decided to pace behind boxing champ Ray Sanchez, who was doing about a 9:30 pace. This pace seemed so easy, and I wanted to run easy in anticipation of the hot weather on its way. We ran in the shade of the mountains for a bit, then the sun got high enough that we were without shade for the rest of the day. I maintained my pace, and enjoyed the surroundings. Death Valley is so amazing, and so pretty. I’ve never been anywhere quite like it. We ran past Mushroom Rock in about 2 hours. I was doing quite well. I decided to stick with Gatorade until I couldn’t stand it, and I would munch on grapes and cantaloupe during the hot portions. I figured this would keep my stomach happy and my calorie count up. My goal was to reach Furnace Creek in 2:50. I hit it right on the nose. I had a big bopper ice cream sandwich and was on my way.
After Furnace Creek, I picked up my dad as a pacer. He ran most of the next section to Stovepipe Wells with me. The temps were on the rise. It was already well over 100 degrees when we reached Furnace Creek, and the heat would be on the rise the rest of the day. Surprisingly, I hardly even noticed it was hot outside. I took it to be because of all my heat training, as well as my body gradually getting used to the slow and steady temperature increase as the day wore on. I had my crew fill up my Stay-Cool™ bandanas every 2 miles throughout this section. I was drinking a bottle of diluted Gatorade every mile. I started off with regular Gatorade, but I think the concentration was too strong and my salt was getting off balance (due to urination inactivity). Drinking the diluted mix worked great for me, and I stuck with it the whole race. I also have to mention The Chair. My dad got a fold up camping chair with a canopy attached and hooked up some PVC pipe with little sprayers attached. About 8 sprayers on you at once with ice water gave you goose bumps at 118◦F. His idea is patent pending and is sure to be a seller at hot weather races like this one.
I met many interesting individuals during the race. During the section to Stovepipe Wells, I met Lisa Smith-Batchen from Victor, ID (the only other Idaho contestant). She was wearing crocs after foot surgery and would wear them for the rest of the race. Ferg Hawke was out there too, so it was great to meet him also. Shortly before Stovepipe Wells, we passed this kid named Joey from Germany. He was doing terrible. He wasn’t carrying a water bottle and had only peed once since the start of the race. We tried to get him on track with essential hydration techniques so that he could hopefully make it to the finish (He did it, 43:22).
After Stovepipe Wells begins the long, long, long, long, long climb to Townes Pass. I was averaging 14 to 17 minute miles on this section. I would run from one reflector to another, then walk, then repeat. Oswaldo Lopez caught me on this section, and I would switch back and forth with him for a while. I noticed Michael Wardian’s crew vehicle catching up, and I could see him coming up the hill. I didn’t want him to pass me, so I put the hammer down a little bit. It worked (for a while). Fun competition! He caught up eventually, and I could tell the guy had been suffering in the heat. I
said some nice words and basically told him not to let me catch up, or else J. I reached Towne’s Pass around 9 PM.
A nice view into the valley, and I was off down the mountain. The moon was big and bright, and I was ready
to start the real race.
I flew down Towne’s Pass into the Panamint Valley, stopping every mile to walk and keep my legs from frying too
early. It was on this section I realized how far ahead of the pack I was. I probably only had 10-15 crew vehicles in front of me. I was excited, having the tough hot portion of the race out of the way and the inviting cool of the night ready to boost my performance. The descent went well, and I was well ahead of schedule. I couldn’t believe how good of a race I was having. My legs felt really good (like I hadn’t just run 60-70 miles) and my stomach, head, and mind were all in good shape. I got to Panamint Springs (72.3 miles) in 15:04, about 1:26 earlier than planned (that is, planned if I was having a really good day). I was a social butterfly with the time station personnel for a bit, then started running up Father Crowley.
This was a miserable section of the race for me, and the beginning of the tough part. It felt steeper than Townes Pass as my energy started to wane. I grew sleepy as I climbed to Father Crowley viewpoint. When I got there, I lay down
for about 20 minutes and tried to gather some strength back. When I got up I started hobbling along again. Jason Durand paced me for a while and kept the humor up. I felt better after the snooze but something unexpected happened-shivers and goose bumps. Was it getting cold out? Indeed, from the high the day previously (118◦F) the temperature had plummeted 66◦ to a cool 52◦F. Unbelievable. Well, there are two good ways to stay warm in cool weather-bundle up, or man up and run. You already know which one I chose. After Father Crowley we continued the slow but gradual ascent (about 1,000 ft over 10 miles) to the Darwin time station. I don’t really remember a lot from this section (probably because it was late and not much remembering was done) except I kept leapfrogging with Brian Recore. He had ambitions of finishing under 30 hours, which sounded almost possible, but I knew there would be a super tough finish and the lake section to take its toll on the body. He was good competition to keep me running through this late night portion of the race, which probably helped my finish time a lot. Mark Matayzik passed me too. He was doing about an 8 minute pace. I tried to keep up with him for a bit, but I was just a little too fatigued to pull it off at the time. After a while I could see some blinking lights off in the distance. It was the Darwin time station, and the start of the last official downhill section of the race. I pulled into the Darwin time station, 90 miles, in 20:41 (4:41 AM). 49 minutes ahead of schedule.
After I ran through the Darwin checkpoint my goal was to try and maintain 4 miles per hour to Lone Pine. The sun was rising, which helped me wake up even more and did its typical job of making me feel like a new man. I would run from one reflective post in the road to the next one, taking a walk break if I needed. Looking at my running pace, I was incredibly pleased to see that I would run 100 miles well under 24 hours. This meant I had run everything before me
faster than I had at the Cascade Lakes Relay (my 1st 150 miler) last summer. Awesome! I got to 100 miles in 23:21. Sha-bam! With only a Pocatello 50K left to go, I was now in gear to push hard to the finish.
Oh wow the lake section. It was long and boring. I had my watch on though, and knew exactly how far I had to Lone Pine. With the sun up though, it warmed up. I have to tell you, it was 100x hotter in Owens Valley than in Death Valley. Owens Valley means that you have run 100+ miles, run all night, are tired and exhausted, and the warm weather will seem much warmer than the day before. So even though our thermometer read at 82◦F, I was cooking. My crew did their job of soaking me with water and getting me ice bandanas. In Badwater, uncommon crewing is a common virtue.
4 miles an hour is my type of thing. They helped me with it immensely. I got excited the closer and closer we got to Lone Pine. The high Sierras were growing huge, jutting up above the valley more than 11,000 ft. I eventually dropped down to Owens River which signaled the longest mile to Hwy 395. Another crew had said something like, “It’s only 1 mile to the highway,” when in actuality it was 2.5 miles. Ugh. That way the toughest [mental] section of the course right there. I got there eventually, and turned right into Lone Pine. My dad got me some ice cream and I checked into the Lone Pine Time Station in 29:11. I lay down for 5 minutes and began the most awesome finish of any race.
Now, I have talked very little about my physical feelings during the race. But trust me, I was in some serious pain from 90 miles on. The climb to Father Crowley had many banked turns that put a lot of discomfort on my feet in some sensitive spots. I had a blister fixed once, but I figured if I could run with blisters then I should. So I did. Those blisters and hot spots hurt so bad on the way up to Whitney. My feet were extremely uncomfortable and I was getting blisters on the balls of my feet that were just excruciating. More pain, more fun. I had enough fun for a 1,000 person party. My feet also felt like they were going to break in half. The last climb was steep. I ran as much as I could. I pushed harder and harder. My pacers could barely keep up with me, and I was more than 120 miles into it. I was catching people on the climb and loving it. I love good competition, especially when it is in the late hour of the race. Some people knew I was coming and tried to hold me off. So much fun. When we got to the switchbacks, I tried to run them. Then I realized they were at a 10% grade. Wow! I kept hiking at my 17:50 pace. I finished the switchbacks and was now onto
the final portion of the climb.
Almost there. I was filled with such awe that I had come this far. I couldn’t believe it. Over four years since reading Dean’s first book. I was about to become an Official Finisher of the toughest footrace on the planet. I thought of my wife. I wanted to do well for her. I saw cars on the left hand side of the road. The cars are overflow parking for the Whitney portal. I started running, even though I was incredibly tired. My crew was there, cheering me on. We ran toward the finish. Wildman (Fred Willet) said “Last one to the finish has to buy the dinner!,” so I sprinted and Jon Kinzer raced me. The finish tape struck my chest and I let out my best war cry. After a good 30 seconds I was completely out of breath. I made it! An official Badwater Finisher, a veteran of the race. I sat at the finisher’s area and received It.
You already know what “It” is. I am now wearing It. 32:46:12. That number will stick with me for a long, long time.
17th place overall out of 82 in a field of international competitors. What a complete honor.
Looking back, I had a near-perfect race. Next time I will probably try some different shoes for blister control. Other than that, I was dialed-in. I ran an extremely consistent pace for the whole race, and never felt like I was completely out of energy. I took care of all my problems early on; taking that proactive effort helped me get a great finishing time. A HUGE thanks to Holly Finch and The Pulse Running & Fitness Shop for sponsoring me for the race, Heather Culig who was the Pearl iZumi rep who got me the awesome Pearl Float IV as well as the countless others who supported me financially to participate in this endeavor. Uber Kudos to my crew- Crew Chief Mike Blessing, Jon Kinzer, Keith Callaway, Jason Durand, and Fred “Wildman” Willet. They made it happen. We came, we saw, we conquered. I will return to Death
Valley, but I will do it in a few years when I (hopefully) have more time on my hands and can go for a Win. Thanks to
all for all your support in this dream of mine. I hope I have given you belief in your own dreams. May they happen for you too.
Badwater Acceptance
Recognized globally as “the world’s toughest foot race,” this legendary event pits approximately 90 of the world’s toughest athletes—runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers—against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The 34th anniversary edition will be held July 11-13, 2011.
On the way to Badwater, courtesy Muellerr.ch
I’m in! Now comes the hard part-paying for the thing. Hopefully the National Guard can come through on this one.
I’ve been longing for this for so many years now, ALL my efforts have been for one goal-to complete the Death Valley crossing. Starting my efforts in an attempt to honor one of my good friends that died while in the Corps, I now have the chance to go do this insane race and raise some money for the ARPKD/CHF Alliance. I was in such utter shock and disbelief when I got the acceptance e-mail that I almost lost control of my emotions. It truly is my day. We are going to keep raising money to find a cure for Heidi’s kidney disease-love you sweetie.
ATY 2010-revised
Looking back at my run, I can say I am very pleased. I had some setbacks that kept me from going on and taking 3rd, but for the mileage that I did I am quite satisfied.
My training for this run was very good. I did tons of track and pavement running to get my legs used to the flat terrain. I peaked at 98 miles 6 weeks before the event, and tapered nicely from there.
My plans to run 200 miles changed quickly as I realized how fast I would have to be in the 1st 24. Realistically, I should have planned on doin 180 instead. Davy Crockett did 115 miles or so in his run, then covered 72 miles the 2nd day. Even though he slept and blasted 27 miles in the last 6 hours, it still translated to an overall walking pace on day 2. There was a lot of this going on.
I went out very conservatively. I made a point to start walking early, doing my 1st one in the very 1st mile even. While I didn’t get one in every mile, I took so many that I lost count. Phil McCarthy (competing in the same 48 hour as me) didn’t look like he was walking at all. He hit the 50 mile mark in about 7:50, while I hit the same mark a little more than an hour later. I didn’t plan to catch him. Phil is an internationally ranked ultramarathoner, and has been to the Surgures 48 hour in France, an invitation only race. While I was way behind, things would change later on in the race though. Running conservatively really helped me stay strong the 2nd day and keep moving well during the 2nd night.
Continuing through the 1st night, I reached 100 miles in 22:21. I was rather exhausted at this point, so I laid down to sleep. I got back out onto the track at the 24 hour mark, just as the last day of participants was joining us. From here, my plan would be to push through every 10 miles and take a good break. I was eating and drinking consistently, and felt pretty good. I noticed Phil McCarthy was walking a lot more, and he didn’t look so hot. Apparently he suffered an injury and would not be able to keep running. I had a chance to move up in place. As the day wore on, however, my energy levels waned and my legs fell apart. At about 30 hours I felt like I was going to die. It was at the point that Jeff Hagen walked by and reminded me that “it never always gets worse. You will get a 2nd wind later.” He was so right. After a while, my energy levels picked back up, and I found myself running again.
I pushed hard to get to 130 before sunset. I had planned to sleep for 2 hours after this and push hard the rest of the night. I had a hard time sleeping though, so I got out of my sleeping bag and got back out onto the course. My new goal was 150 by 39:30 (12:30 AM). I pushed onward.
My legs started to hurt really bad again and I hit another bad low around 140 miles. I tried to keep going but doing so seemed counterintuitive. Heidi was walking with me at this point, and I convinced her to let me lay down and rest for a little bit. She had planned to wake me in 15 minutes, but I jolted awake after a 3 minute sleep. That was the best 3 minute nap I’ve ever had! I threw my shoes back on quickly and got moving again. It was at this point I noticed a naggin pain in my ankle. Tendonitis. Crap. I knew that I wanted to keep pushing to the end of the race, but doing so would probably put me out of training for a couple of months. I decided to compromise and stop at 150. That is a good distance at a 48 hour run, and was not far from where I was at. I ran 150 miles in 41:20:19, just a minute faster than my time at Cascade Lakes Relay. I went out the next morning and hobbled a couple more laps to try and get Alene Nitzky to push hard for 5th place. She got one more lap than I, finishing it with about 90 seconds to spare.
This was such a special race. The staff and volunteers were so helpful and generous, and the family feel was there. Martina Hausmann finished 2,000 miles on the course, only the 2nd person in the history of the race to do so. Ethan Pence, 13 years young, finished his 1st 100. Dan Baglione set a new 80 year old age record. I will come back to this race as much as I can, it definitely has earned its reputation that has stood for so long.
The End of Running Year 2010
Well, the year 2010 was my best ever. Since January:
- Ran 3 100 milers (Rocky Raccoon, Cascade Crest, Bear)
- PR’ed at Rocky Raccoon-21:21
- Did a 152 mile run at the Cascade Lakes Relay
- Directed my 1st race (Wild Idaho 50 Mile/Kilometer Endurance Run)
- Got good grades (Dean’s List at NNU)
- Crewed for Lorie Alexander at Badwater 135
- Didn’t take out any student loans (my benefits and scholarships paid it all)
- Promoted to Staff Sergeant
- Accepted into the All-guard Marathon Team
- Qualified for the Boston Marathon
- Got engaged to Heidi Peck
The Lord was good to me this year. Few people have ever had a life as good as I have it right now. The Bear race report will come this week.
Wild Idaho 50 Mile/Kilometer Endurance Run
August 7th, 2010 marked the 1st running of the Wild Idaho 50 Mile/Kilometer Endurance Run. I had racers starting at 6 AM in anticipation of many late finishes. With over 15,000 ft of climb in the 50 miler and 9,200 ft of climb in the 50K, I was expecting most people to finish in the late afternoon and well into the evening. My predictions were not too far off from the actual results. Mark Austin, 26, of Meridian Idaho took off from the start and didn’t seem to have much competition in the 50 Kilometer race. I was anticipating 1st place in the 50K to finish in the 5 to 6 hour range. He blasted through the course in a solid 6 hours, 14 minutes and didn’t seem too fatigued by the end of the race, which leaves me wondering what he was eating for breakfast. 2nd place was Mark Hutchinson, finishing in 6:47. Most finishers in the 50K did the run in the 9-10 hour range.
Contending for the win in the 50 mile was Tony Huff and Wil Wood, both natives of the Treasure Valley. Wood help the lead headed up to East Mountain but was overtaken by Huff’s experience in the later portions of the race. Huff won the race in a time of 11:17, with Wood taking 2nd honors in 11:37.
I created the event and held it in August to ensure maximum cruelty of the elements. Along with the long climbs and heat, the WIFMER is bound to be one of the toughest (if not the toughest) 50 milers in the nation. Most runners had a lot to say about the difficulty of the course. They also praised the volunteers and the support they got along the way. For a 1st time event and a high finishing rate (93%), the odds are that many will return to the race next year. If you were holding out-now is the time to consider testing yourself against the run. Thanks to all the support and sponsors for making the race possible!
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