Lapham Peak Trail Runners

We came, we saw, we ran in circles...

2012-01-22T21:05:00.001-06:00

Melinda and Mary

Race Report from Mary Gorski...

We came, we saw, we ran in circles.

And then the next day we came, we saw and ran in even more circles!

This was the fourth year of the IceBreaker Indoor Marathon at Milwaukee’s Pettit Center. The Pettit is home to one of the country’s Olympic speed skating training facilities and features a running track around the speed skating oval. In 2009 the main event was the only event – a marathon on the running track. 96 laps for 26.2 miles.

Then organizers decided that if some is good, more must be better, and a half marathon was added. Following the Disney Marathon tradition, a “Goofy-like” category called the “Gold Medal Challenge” was included. Forty runners would be given the “opportunity” to run both the half (on Saturday) and the full marathon on Sunday. I signed up for the marathon, but through a bit of accident and misunderstanding I ended up in the Gold Medal Challenge the first year it was offered. A bit compulsive, I continue to do the duo events.

Now, instead of 96 laps, I and 39 others do about 143 laps for a total of 39.3 miles over the weekend. Some overachievers even toss in a 5K on Friday night. The full IceBreaker weekend now includes two half marathons, a 5K, a marathon relay and the marathon.

I just wanted to be an achiever, not an OVERachiever, so I stayed with the Gold Medal Challenge, sans the 5K.

Joining me in the Gold Medal Challenge this year were several members of our Lapham Peak Trail Runner group, including Melinda Pedersen, Steve Poulter, Hans Wegesser and Troy Malinowski, along with other running buddies such as Kris Hinrichs. Kris was doing her 96^th marathon – nice coincidence that she had to do 96 laps to finish it. And no, I didn’t figure that out myself – Kris did somewhere on one of those loops and shared the news with me. Darn nice news to share.

On Saturday it seemed that the LPTRs were segregated: Melinda and I ran in the 7 a.m. race and Troy, Steve and Hans did the 9:30 event. Most of us re-grouped in the evening at the annual LPTR holiday party at Lapham Peak. The next day’s marathon kept us well-behaved. I had just a single beer and Melinda had one rum-spiked cider. We didn’t keep on eye on the boys too well but they were probably doing the same. Probably.

Carbs were plenty, as was everything else. José’s tamales were guaranteed (by José) to give me the “propulsion” that I needed to push through the next day’s run. My apologies to those running behind me this morning but I have to say, José was right on the mark.

In the half marathon we all seemed to take it easy, trying to be prudent with a marathon coming up the next day. This morning we toed the line unsure of what might happen in the laps ahead. Melinda and Hans noted calves that had tightened the day before. I’d been nursing a cranky knee that was taped as tight as 40 pounds of sausage in a 20 pound casing. The knee was on my laundry list of excuses in case I didn’t make the full 96 laps. “My knee hurts, I had been sick, I broke a nail…”

Wah, wah, wah… But in the end our little group of LPTR Gold Medal Challenge runners completed our double-duty weekend. Five out of 39 GMC runners were LPTRs. If there was another one of you in the mix, let me know and I will apologize many times over.

Now, to answer some of the questions that IceBreaker runners hear each year:

Does it get monotonous running all those loops? Are you tempted to slit your wrists out of complete boredom?

For me, it really doesn’t get monotonous until the last miles of the marathon. Runners are constantly cheered by friends, volunteers and even the ice skaters. Speaking of which, it is just f-ing cool to watch those speed skaters striding out. Runners have front seats to watch some of the best skaters in the country do their stuff, some of whom will go on to world competition, including the Olympics. And if their art in motion doesn’t distract you, their snug-fitting skin suits just might.

Is the track brutal on your legs, knees, ankles or other things with which you use to ambulate yourself?

It depends with whom you speak. Personally, I don’t think that I feel any more beat up from the Pettit Center runs than I would after a road marathon. I’m very tired, and a bit sore, but I looked it up on the internet and it seems that these are appropriate responses to two days of running on any surface.

Some have said that their hips bug them after from making the turns. Some have said that their calves seem more strained. That’s not my experience. I have a cranky knee but it was cranky since the beginning of the year. It actually held up much better on the track than I expected.

What is the weather like? Perfect and predictable. No wind. Temps in the 50s. Cold for spectators but excellent for runners. No need to check a weather report pre-race.

And finally, bathroom possibilities? A couple of porta-potties are on each end of the oval. You just have to remember which direction you came from when you finish business. The only wrong turn I ever made on the oval was when I made a potty stop and got spun around post-pee. It was like making a wrong turn onto a one-way street.

Congrats to the repeat winners of the Gold Medal Challenge: Mac McCulley and Mary Flaws. Results for all the races can be found at:

http://67.23.19.61/system/files/5509/original/Marathon_Gold_Medal.pdf?1327264245

The Li’l Mister has a few photos up at:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.280935501968481.69016.100001561009274&type=3&l=aab77fcdcc

And Bill Flaws will have a full weekend’s worth of pics at www.runningintheusa.com

Steve, Melinda and Hans

Melinda (Where's Jax?!?!)

Hans and Troy

Big win at Bandera!

2012-01-17T22:26:00.000-06:00

photo from EnduranceBuzz.com

LPTRunner Cassie Scallon started 2012 just like she finished 2011 - With a BIG win!!

The sequel to her late November win at JFK found her headed to Texas for the Bandera 100k. The race served as the USATF 100k National Championship for 2012, and Cassie came up big again - winning the race and claiming the National 100k title!

See her post-race print AND video interviews here at irunfar.

Her success has also earned her a spot on the Salomon Racing Team! See the rest of the team here. (Seems like I have heard of that Kilian Jornet guy from somewhere...hmmmm...)

I shot a few questions off to Cassie about Bandera and here is what she had to say...

Did you know what your lead was along the way (was Sean able to keep you updated?) such that you could actually “enjoy” the last 8-10 with a pretty comfortable lead - Or were you running scared to the end? I took the lead at about 1/2 way and was able to hear updates from Sean at several aid stations, though there were some stations without crew access. I didn't know who all had dropped, and Sean was giving me an idea of who was right behind me. I was never running scared--I was just letting the race play out. I didn't have a plan to win, and once in the lead I maintained that anything could happen, so I just pushed myself comfortably along. Of course I wanted to stay in the lead, but sometimes things hurt and doubt crept in. I enjoyed the finish of this race more than most others. I guess I'm getting used to ultras and the normal ups, downs and exhaustion that go with running that long. It also helped that Sean was right there waiting for me!

LPTRunner Dave Dehart represented the United States at the 2002 World 100k Championships in Taiwan - When and Where will the World Championships be held for the 100k this time around? Well, I'm not officially on the national 100k team yet - The team will be announced on the 25th. If I am chosen, I'll be heading to Seregno/Brianza, Italy (Northern Italy) which is awesome because it's not too far from where I lived after college, so I'll get to visit friends and catch up.

Seeing your success at multiple distances this year, what distance and terrain is your strongest, or at least gives you the most confidence? 50k? 50 miles? 100k? You excelled at JFK which has significant flat sections, but also did well at Glacial and Bandera – both of which are technical... Preference? It seems like longer is better for me and I'm really excited for my first 100 miler this year! I said I'd never try a 100 until I'm 30, and I'll turn 30 in March! I really like a variety of terrain. If a race is too long of any one thing--uphill, rocky, flat, grass...it gets monotonous. But when there are sections it's easy to break the race into mentally manageable parts.

Can't wait to see what's next - What's on the schedule? Here's a little about some of my plans this year. Take note, it's a heavy schedule and lots could change...

March: Rim to Rim to Rim Grand Canyon

April : Salomon's Advanced Week in Greece

-Peterson Ridge Rumble (Sean's race in central OR)

-World 100k in Italy

May: Ice Age

-possibly TNF Australia

June: Western States

July: Kilian's Klassik in France

August: TransRockies in Colorado

September: possibly Run Rabbit Run in Colorado

October: Les Templiers in France

December: possibly TNF San Francisco

Can't wait to see her year unfold - It's going to be fun to watch!! Go Cassie!!!!!!!

Bandera 100k Buzzzzzzz......

2012-01-06T20:33:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is the Bandera 100k in Texas. The race will serve as the USTF 100k national Championships and LPTRunner Cassie Scallon is getting a lot of pre-race buzz after breaking out in a big way with a win at JFK late in 2011.

See some pre-race previews here:

http://www.irunfar.com/2012/01/bandera-100k-preview.html

http://karlmeltzer.com/2012/01/speedgoat-odds-bandera-100k/

You can follow the progress live on the irunfar twitter feed here:
http://twitter.com/iRunFar

I will try to keep an eye on it and update to the LPTR Facebook page as the race unfolds...
Good Luck Cassie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Numbers don't lie... LPTR 2011

2012-01-06T09:43:00.002-06:00

Numbers Don’t Lie...

· The Lapham Peak Trail Runners had 43 group members complete at least one ultra-distance race this year. That number is up 11 from last year.

· The total number of Ultra-distance race miles covered was 8,343 – Up 290 from last year.

· Julie Treder led the LPTR’s in total miles raced with an AMAZING 974 miles!!!!!

· Julie and Brad combined to account for 21% of the total group ultra-distance miles raced.

· Cassie Scallon had the biggest jump in ultra-distance miles raced with an additional 234 miles more than she did in 2010.

· Kevin Grabowski had the biggest DROP in ultra-distance miles raced with 305 FEWER than in 2010.

· LPTR rookies completing their first ultra-distance events in 2011 were led in total-ultra-distance-race miles by Jose Villegas, with 233 (He edged fellow rookie Jody Taylor by TWO miles).

· LPTR’s competed well, taking the overall men’s or women’s titles at 9 events in 2011. Cassie Scallon led the way with 4 ultra wins (In two of those races she beat all the boys as well!!*)

* And speaking of Boys Vs. Girls…

Women accounted for 32.5% of the LPTR “population”, but logged 42% of the ultra-distance miles raced (2 of the top 3 and 6 of the top 10)... I didn’t even try to count up the” Men vs. Women” DNF totals – Sawtooth alone would tell the story…

Them LPTR chicks is TOUGH!

Congrats all on a great 2011 - Looking forward to even more success in 2012 - Let’s crack the 10,000 mile barrier!!!

The Peanut Island 6, 12 and 24-hour run

2012-01-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

Mary Gorski's Race Report:

Legos and champagne at midnight; watching fireworks with friends. A good way to celebrate the new year. It also made for a nice break in the midst of a 24-hour run.

This was the second year of the Peanut Island 6, 12 and 24-hour run on tiny Peanut Island, just off the Palm Beach coast. It was also the second year that the Li'l Mister and I were there, along with a few of our friends. Put together by Bob Becker and the crew from Ultra Sports Running Events (which includes his wife, Suzanne, the chief chef for the race), Peanut Island invites runners to cover as many 1.2+ loops around the island as either they can, or choose to.

I generally fell into the "I choose to" camp.

Most of us have a variety of goals when we go into a race. An ultimate goal, a realistic goal and a "well, at least I think I can do this" goal. Every once in awhile we slip a bit further in the bag of goals, finding a goal mid-race that we never before considered.

In the end, my friend Nikki and I decided that it was all for Anna." Anna" is Anna Vitalis, a graduate student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She was looking for volunteers to take part in a cognitive performance study. Along with several others, Nikki and I agreed to be guinea pigs. It meant that every 10 miles or so –– every eight loops –– we would have to stop for a brief cognitive test.

Not wanting to tax our cognitive skills too much, Anna and her staff counted the loops for us, telling us when we were coming up on eight, 16, 24, etc. Some of us had more "etc." than others.

This made for a nice little break in the routine. It gave me something to look forward to. "Two more laps and I sit and take the test." It also became an opportunity to change shoes, get a dry shirt or do other small chores.

By evening, it also became a nice break for a nap.

Last year I went to Peanut Island with an injury that limited my running but I was darn happy to get in a 100K before calling it a day. When I signed up this year I thought "Surely, with my running legs coming back to me, I could crank out a few more miles. Perhaps even 100. Thus an "ultimate" ultra goal was born. But then a nasty cold a few days earlier left me with just a whisper of a voice and a lung-full of loogies. I believe in sharing, so gave the bug to my husband as well. Susan Donnelly received the same gift for Christmas. Snot was a very popular this year.

I did a short run the day before Peanut Island and confirmed that a few goal adjustments were in order. My voice was coming back but my lungs were taking their time. I kept thinking of the Mucinex commercial where the Loogie family takes up residence. I think a loogie family reunion was going on in my chest. Everyone together for the holidays!

Waah, waah, woe is me. But why whine when the weather is gorgeous (sunny, temps up to the 80s) and the view is fantastic? Just about every step of the trail (paved trail -- individually laid bricks, right Nikki?) had an ocean view. We saw a school of paddle boarders out for a lesson. A school of fish (perhaps having lessons as well?). There were New Year's revelers enjoying the day (and night). Pelicans and other Florida birds. Flowers and greenery that have long since gone into hibernation in my home state of Wisconsin.

So my goal was adjusted to simply taking as many of Anna's cognitive tests as I could. After my fourth, I realized that I needed a nap and settled down for a long one. Some might have called it going to bed, but I had no formal bed available so will call it a nap. I woke in time to make part of a lap to the outcropping where we celebrated the new year with race staff and other friends. Susan and Oliver handed out Lego party favors from their recent trip to the Lego Museum. Several champagne bottles were opened and shared. Darrell brought bourbon as well. We sang, and then oohed and ahhed at the Palm Beach fireworks.

The group broke up and Nikki and I did our best to help. We offered to carry back the champagne bottles. Concerned about hydration (the beautiful 80-degree temps did leave me a bit dehydrated the day before) we decided to finish the champagne as well.

And a couple of loops later we took another round of cognitive tests. Nikki thought that we should be sure to let Anna know of the added variable to our cognitive equation.

"I think that I am drunk," Nikki told Anna. I admitted that I might be a bit tipsy myself. Poor Anna, she didn't factor this into her study. But to be honest, I think it was after our New Year's revelry that I was most cognitive. Or at least I thought so. Doesn't one have the most profound thoughts after a beverage or two?

Another test down and another nap. I woke to see the sunrise and joined Nikki once again for a few loops around the island. "It's all about Anna, we have to take a couple of more tests for Anna."

And so we plodded on fueled by the most splendid egg and cheese sandwiches from the Becker kitchen. I must add this to our Tamarack Aid Station at the Kettle Moraine 100.

I've read that eggs make for great brain food, so these would surely help my cognitive tests. Or so I decided as I ate my third egg sandwich. Any nausea I may have had the day before was long gone.

As dawn turned to morning Nikki and I looked at our watches. We realized that we had to keep moving a bit more prodigiously if we were going to be able to fit in another one of Anna's tests. "It's all about Anna, it's all about Anna..." we chanted as we made those final loops.

I got to Anna with 20 minutes to spare and took my final test. Six sets of eight loops. About 60 miles. Not my original goal for the race, but a nice effort nonetheless. The loogies were well under control. I thought that I'd wander over to the Li'l Mister, Jennifer and Darrell and celebrate the end of another 24-hour event.

And then Mike Melton handed me a flag. "Place this wherever you finish on the course."

"What? I'm done. I've met my goal. I got to Anna in time to take another test!"

"But the 24 hours aren't up yet. Run!"

And like a docile little puppy I took my flag and for the first time in hours I RAN. Why my legs would NOT do this earlier was beyond me. Had I known that they would have responded to Mike's command instead of my own I would have asked him to give them a good talking to the night before. Away I ran, catching up to Nikki, who was finishing up her last loop prior to taking Anna's test. And then we found our fellow traveler, Bonnie. We came across the finish line together. Three friends celebrating another new year.

I looked at my watch. DANG, I still had five minutes. So off I went again, still running and still carrying my flag. And I kept running until that horn blew. Then I planted my flag and jogged back to the finish.

I think that's a good omen for the new year. I ended 2011 at a slow walk and started 2012 with a joyful run.

AND, I squeezed in that last test for Anna.

Happy New Year indeed.

Before I end this self-aborbed babble about my Peanut Island run, a quick note about the winner. Stephanie Miller not only broke the women's course record, she broke THE course record with 117+ miles and won the 24-hour race outright. Darn nice job there Stephanie. Darn nice efforts by all those who broke the 100-mile mark.

Looking for a good way to celebrate the new year? Peanut Island in 2012! Hope to be there again.

Improptu Hellgate 100K?!?!

2011-12-20T08:43:00.000-06:00

Brad Birkholz's Race Report...

To crew or not to Crew?

That wasn’t the question I was asking myself for this year’s Hellgate. I had every intention on crewing instead of running it, even up to the point when we arrived. But, after driving around with Horton, helping mark some of the trail, coming back to Camp Bethal and soaking up the atmosphere, I got sucked in. When it was time to go to packet pick up I decided to run instead of crew. Why not, was already signed up. What was I thinking? I hadn’t run hardly anything since my dismal performance at Glacial. Now it’s not like I just got off the couch and ran 100K+, I’ve been working out, a lot actually, just not running wise. Just decided to take it as it comes and see what happens.

Well because I didn’t plan on running I didn’t have all the gear needed to run this thing. Unfortunately Cassie got sick on the way down and wasn’t able to run. Because of this I was able to get some gels and S-caps from her. Sean had a pack that I could use because he was using Cassie’s and Marcel had a pair of shorts for me to use. Just needed to find a short sleeve shirt. No one had a shirt so my InStep long sleeve tech shirt got customized with a pair of scissors. Had everything else needed and I was set to run.

Because of my last minute decision, eating dinner, race meeting and getting the gear I needed there wasn’t much time to chill out and lay down before the 12:01 a.m. start. Standing there in the dark waiting to go I was going over the course in my head, this was my 6^th time at Hellgate with 3 finishes so I knew what was to come and was getting antsy to get going.

From the start to aid station 1 was all runnable. Didn’t even use my head lamp because there were so many people through here didn’t need to use it. Got through the infamous stream crossing at mile 3 to the road and the long climb to aid station 2. All systems were a go through here even my stomach, by the time I got there my stomach was growling and needed food.

The sections during the wee hours of the morning went well. It got cold at times in the higher elevations and was able to turn off my light with the full moon. From the start to just before aid station 5 I was going back and forth with Marcel and PT, who I know from Arkansas. It was just before 5 that I caught up to Marcel again. He was taking in the Hellgate experience by taking pictures along the trail, didn’t see him again till the finish line.

With each aid station came more food. My stomach was working overtime and I was starving by the time I got to the next stop. With each aid station also came my drive to finish, not once did I feel like stopping. Other than my legs getting sore I felt stronger as the race progressed. Got to aid station 7 feeling great, this is the make or break point for me. If I can hit 7 feeling good I know that I’m going to finish. Talked with Jody, who was crewing for us, had a hamburger and left.

From aid station 5 all the way to the finish I must have passed at least 20 people, which was great motivation to drive harder. Got to the last aid station in great shape, was ready to crank it up the 3 mile up and the 3 mile down to the finish. Don’t know where it comes from but the last 3 miles was practically a sprint. Passed 5 people in the last 3 miles, even more motivation to push harder. Got back to Camp Bethal and collapsed at the finish with the effort I had just put out.

All I can do is shake my head at what I’d just done. In 4 finishes 16:02:19 was my 2^nd best time. Just jumping into a 100K is not advisable, but I was able to pull it off. Not to beat a dead horse here but when they say that Hellgate is a special race, it really is. I’ve put myself through more crap in the race than any other I can think of. Twisted ankles, cuts, bruises, ice, snow, cold, warm, shoes falling apart, water freezing, frozen hands, knee tendonitis and a dislocated shoulder and I keep coming back. Why do I keep going back? Because it’s Hellgate, that’s why.

My Time at Hellgate: Joe Jameson's 100K Race Report

2011-12-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

Joe Jameson is the Race Director of the Marquette Trail 50 - His Hellgate race report mentions a lot of the LPTR's that were down for the race...

As I toed the line at midnight I felt a blend of giddiness, fear, and dread. A really strong inner voice was giving me the old “Joe, what did you get yourself into?” Did I really belong with all these fast people? I had been thinking about Hellgate 100k since my first ultramarathon in 2007. On some ultra forum I read snippets of a race in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with a cult following, with a race director with his own cult following -- a gifted runner in his own right – but with a blend of sadism which can be seen in the names of two of the races he started: Mountain Masochist and Hellgate. What other race has a midnight start (he says it is so everyone – even the top runners—have to run the same amount in the dark), crazy climbs and descents, knee deep water crossings when a bridge is handy, some of the nastiest rocky single-track covered with a foot of leaves, and … well, you get the idea! When I asked my brother, who lives in DC, about the area of western Virginia, he replied to the effect: “those are some real rednecks down there -- are you sure you know what you are doing?” Midnight start? Possible snow and ice? Wet feet the whole time? Winter temps? Crazed RD? Bring it on! What is more kick-ass than that?

The good news is I thought my training was solid. No major injuries for 6 months and steady 50-80 mile weeks with a number of races from a Turkey Trot 5 mile to two 50 mile ultras, the last being Door County 50, 7 weeks before, all on road. If I have a strong point it is my climbing so why not use my training and my strengths to tackle a really tough course in a race with maniacal following?

Unfortunately my legs had been feeling really “dead” for the last few weeks. With Hellgate looming I knew I needed to rest more so I only ran two times the last week before the race. By race day I was feeling pretty well rested and up to the challenge, though sort of scared shitless.

Since the weather is always iffy flying out of Marquette I felt obliged to arrive a day early. I flew into Richmond, pleased with myself until I realized later there is a direct flight from Chicago to Roanoke. The great news is I took a detour on the way and saw the home of Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the cotton gin. I stayed in some cheap motel off exit 150 and ate at Cracker Barrel, a restaurant/knickknack store with decent food but unfortunately no alcohol – bit of a letdown there. Oh well, back to my motel room with an eye on the Weather Channel, the weather looked like it was going to be outstanding but the recent rains meant the rivers/creeks/gullies would be full of runoff.

Friday morning I arrived at Camp Bethel and met up with a group from Wisconsin that had arrived the night before. They were led by Robert Wehner (veteran of several Hellgates – and a RD of several ultras in Wisconsin), also with Marcel (and crew/wife or girlfriend Jodie), Sean (and girlfriend Cassie Scallon –an excellent runner coming off a spectacular win at JFK. Cassie got a GI bug on the drive to Virginia and didn’t start the race.), and Brad B, a veteran of the race as well. We took a walk for an hour or so on the trail and Robert gave me his take on the course and a description of the legs. Spent the evening hours at bib pick-up where my low-grade anxiety ratcheted up when I realized I was given bib #137. It seems Dr. Horton seeds the racers based on past performance and his perception of how you will do in the race. Many runners feel their race is successful if they “beat” their seed number! And so now I’m seeded 137 out of 140 runners! Oh well, doesn’t mean a thing, he probably didn’t know where to put me. Still I was a little miffed ….. but also a little concerned – maybe he is right?

Met a few other runners who are Race Directors themselves (as am I). Hmmmm…. Is Hellgate the race that Race Directors run?

After a family-style meal of lasagna, spaghetti, bread, salad, vegetables, and cupcakes we had an orientation meeting where Dr. Horton gave last minute instructions and embarrassed a few people. All in good fun! He also introduced Clark Zealand, a very fast guy, who has taken over RD of Mountain Masochist the last few years. Now we had a couple of hours to get our stuff ready for the race. Robert, the designated boss of our dorm room, enforced a no lights on rule from 8:30pm to 10pm during which I think a few runners actually slept but most of us just rested with our eyes closed. I might have dozed a few minutes. Then it was lights on and a scramble to put on my tights and make sure my hydration system was full and drop bags ready.

Caravan to the start in multiple cars/vans/trucks driving up Highway 81. Weird experience on a near deserted interstate. Finally pulled off to the start with 15 minutes to start. It was cold just standing around but some were wearing shorts. Probably about 30 degrees or so. I wore some clear glasses – afraid of “Hellgate eyes” (frozen corneas) that had occurred to racers in the past (in colder and windier races). With a few minutes to go we had a prayer by Dr. Horton, then the Star-Spangled Banner, then the Canadian anthem (Oh Canada?). Now the start.

The pace was fast from the beginning. I was probably about a third of the way back and people were running much faster than I expected and what I’ve experienced in other ultras. I kept up, but didn’t pass anyone, just kind of holding steady. We went up and down a few little 20 second climbs or so. I passed a few people that were breathing pretty hard for the first few miles of an ultra – they needed to slow down. Through the creek crossing that was knee deep, with a pretty fast current, and quite rocky and hard to keep my balance. A few people partly fell in the water – didn’t want to do that! Then through the aid station and the REAL start of the race – the climb to Petite’s Gap. All uphill. There were a couple of switchbacks that you could see the head lights behind and below you. Above was the moon and I turned my lights off. Also up high, way up high, those aren’t stars but headlights of the leaders WAY above up and traversing the ridge. This was walk/run. Probably one third fast hiking and two thirds trotting. Passed a handful of runners on this section and the race began to really spread out.

After Petite’s Gap we crossed the parkway and descended on a slightly rocky single-track which changed into a two track. More single-track and some off-camber technical trail followed. Perfect. Eventually another major climb (1500 feet or so) up to Camping Gap, and the third aid station. The next leg to Headforemost Mountain was billed at the longest, highest, and coldest, and lived up to all three of those superlatives. A lot of climbing, single-track, and gravel road. Luckily, I had my ipod nano with me and jammed to Steely Dan, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren, and the Who. I ran a lot of this alone in the woods; but on the climb to Headforemost Mountain I passed a few more runners. Came into the aid station and loaded up on more gels and had a couple of cookies. My stomach was still Ok, and I wasn’t too tired yet. This was about the one third mark.

The elevation profile shows the next section to Jenning’s Creek as mostly downhill but it isn’t necessarily a cakewalk. There was some significant up and some sketchy single-track followed by a long downhill that was really starting to tweak my knee. Sometimes it would hurt quite a bit, then become quiescent. Jenning’s Creak volunteers cook breakfast but I was feeling good and didn’t even stop at the aid station. I had plenty of fluids, and some gels, and was feeling pretty good for the long climbs ahead to Little Cove Mountain which was a little past halfway.

Imagine my surprise when I cruised into the Little Cove Mountain Aid station to find only about 5 people lounging around a fire. The time was exactly 7 hours, and my body was starting to really feel the effects of the race. I felt like I should be about done but still had 31 miles to go. Sitting around the fire I found Dr. Horton who asked how I was doing. I told him I was pretty shot but still had a little fight in me. That’s when he told me I was in 11th place, and I couldn’t believe it! Still I was barely hanging in there. I knew I couldn’t go any faster and he told me that I just needed to maintain my effort and some runners in front of me might falter. Top ten was within my grasp!

With that motivation I cruised out of the aid station to start a really long (8 mile) nasty section which started on a pretty nice fire road but quickly deteriorated into a single-track with plenty of steep uphills, rocks, and off-camber trail. There is a section with shin-deep leaves and rocks. Some parts, even level, were essentially unrunnable for hundreds of yards because of all the rocks hidden on the trail under the leaves. Tight switchbacks led up and downhill, some in better shape than others. This was a pretty slow section due to terrain, and eventually it emptied out onto another fire road with a decent (hike) climb to Bearwallow Gap.

At the Bearwallow Gap aid station I made the only serious mistake of the race. I changed my hydration pack and neglected to take out my patellar knee brace out of the old pack. I really needed the brace after that and started to have more and more knee pain for the next 23 miles. I was now at about 43 miles. I left my lights at the aid station. I had a full hydration pack and some gels but my stomach was getting queasy. I wasn’t able to take in my desired 300 calories/hour that was my goal. Probably only able to take in 100-150 calories/hour for the rest of the race. The next section didn’t have lots of climbing but had a lot of single-track which ran in and out of the ridgeline. There were many small gullies and creekcrossings which were full of water from the recent rains. Sometimes I could hop over the water, but more often was forced to splash right through a number of times. My knee was hurting so I pulled the waist string out of my tights and wrapped it tightly around my lower patella and tied it and that seemed to help but it kept slipping down and I had to stop and retie it often. I was still able to run most of this section. In the last two sections I passed one or two runners. I felt faint and woozy at times. A couple of times I almost vomited. Bobblet’s Gap was the next aid station.

After Bobblet’s Gap is 8 miles to Day’s Creek. This starts with about a 2 or 3 mile downhill which was hard on my knee but I was able to run at a pretty good clip. Then it was a sharp right turn into the nasty single-track again. (Some runners missed this turn but it was easy to see.) This trail was up, and down requiring some serious hiking. At one point it actually went up a creek bed and I had to jump from bank to bank. I thought I was making decent time when Helen Lavin came screaming by me. She was running a lot more of the hills than I was. Two things I remember about her other than she was going much faster: she had some sort of a long-sleeved parka or coat on which I thought would be really hot (I was sweating at this point in a long sleeved technical shirt with the sleeves pushed up; and she said “hi Joe” but I don’t think she knows who I am – maybe she said “how’s it going”? In any case in my sorry mental state I spent sometime perseverating about that. Did she say “hi Joe”? or did she say something completely different? Just at the end of the section, as we ran into Day’s Creek, I was passed by the same guy that passed me, like, 15 miles ago. Turns out he made about a 15 minute wrong turn on an earlier section and was now making up for lost time.

After Day’s Creek I knew I could finish OK the last 6 miles. The climb out I walked the whole thing and got to the top in about 41 minutes. The run down to Camp Bethel was slow partly due to my knee and partly because my legs were trashed. I was passed by Micah Jackson just as we were onto the gravel road. I did the last section in, I think, about 70 minutes. Horton gave me a big hug and I was surprised to finish in (just) under 13 hours.

Aftermath: Now, 9 days later, my legs are just getting back to normal. My quads are still slightly sore. My knee is better but still tweaky. Overall, I recovered pretty well, and I’m back to 6-8 mile days. I loved this race and will do it again if my body lets me. The weather was perfect this year. I’m sure it would be a lot harder with the snow and ice of previous years.

Joe Jameson

High Water Huff 50K

2011-12-18T08:15:00.000-06:00

Mary Gorski's Race Report:

WHAT: The HUFF 50K, Chain O Lakes State Park, Northern, Indiana, December 17, 2011

Wading waist-deep in freezing water with snow falling all around me.

It wasn't quite what I expected to be doing the week before Christmas. But there were warning signs in the days before that would have clued me in had I paid just a little bit of attention.

First, there was the weather report. As usual, a few days before leaving for the HUFF 50K in northern Indiana, I looked at the weather forecast of neighboring cities. Fort Wayne, Goshen and other locales all reported pleasant temps for a late December run in the Midwest; highs in the mid-30s. And until the day before the race, no precipitation was even predicted. Finally, the HUFF –– with a reputation for brutal weather –– will finally make a change not only to new course at Chain O Lakes State Park, but to a kinder, gentler new weather system as well.

Alas, if I had only paid attention to the red warning banner than ran across the weather page. In my mind I saw red and thought of Christmas. The weather page is in a holiday theme. I love the holidays. Isn't that pretty? Now what were those predicted temperatures...

Had I read what was in the Red for Warning banner I would have noticed words like "FLOOD DANGER," and "GET TO HIGHER GROUND IF NEEDED." If I would have read the pre-race email a bit more carefully, I would have taken more seriously the caution about standing water on the road into the packet pick-up location. This was the only standing water that my friend and travel partner Kathryn Dunn and I noticed since we made a wrong turn or two and got to Chain O Lakes park in the dark. We didn't see the standing water in the woods until we were actually standing in it the next day.

What you don't see might not hurt you, but it certainly can freeze your tootsies off the next day!

HUFF was filled with surprises. One of them came two minutes before the start when the race director said something about 50K runners doing TWO loops. TWO? The HUFF had always been a three-loop course. While the race site had changed I and many others thought that the loop number never would. It was the same distance but somehow two 15.5-mile loops seemed much more daunting than three 10+ mile loops. There was a shorter 10-mile race, a race that was billed as a ONE LOOP race, but their loop was different than the 50K loop. We quickly put this together in the seconds before the race started and I took comfort in the fact that I wasn't the only one discombobulated by the change in loop number.

What if you needed something from your drop bag at 10 miles instead of 15.5? Well, what if you needed it at seven? Muddle on.

Note the first three letters of the word I just typed: MUDdle. How apropos! Where there is flooding there is water. Where there is land recovering from flooding there is mud. I have never slip-slided through so much mud. Grey mud, brown mud and even black mud. Chocolate mousse-like mud. Toxic-sludge like mud (with sparkling flecks of green to give it a festive holiday look). And just plain shoe-sucking, ankle-wrenching, impossible-to-run-in MUD.

That was about half to two-thirds of the slightly hilly course (through a beautiful forest, with light snow falling all about). The other sections? Some where very runnable -- for MOMENTS AT A TIME!

And then there was the standing water. I knew that we would be running NEAR the lakes of Chain O Lakes park but I had no idea that we would actually be running THROUGH them.

My first encounter with standing water was about five miles into the course. There was a slight gully with a stream about two-feet deep. Some opted to try to get across it on a log. I'm too clumsy. I figured that having part of me wet would be better than having all of me wet if I fell. And so I walked through the water. Frozen feet but just for a couple of minutes.

"I can do this! It's not so bad," I thought to myself.

Shortly after we reconnected with the 10-mile runners who told us of several thigh-to-waist high water crossings they had already encountered. "Glad I'm not doing THAT course," I said to myself. "A 15.5-mile loop sounds good to me!"

And then we had our own aquatic fun.

The first couple of flooded sections could be avoided by going through the muddy woods on either side. But with about four miles to go on the loop there were some long stretches that forced runners to do their Polar Bear Plunge a couple of weeks early. The longest was a slow, cold slog to the other side. I thought of Shelly Winters and the Poseidon Adventure. I wonder how cold that water was that she swam through in the upturned ship to save her fellow passengers.

And then I stared to fantasize about being in an ultra-hot Bikram yoga room.

My mind quickly wanders when the blood flees from it to try to reheat my lower extremities.

I came to the end of the first loop chilled but not frozen. I thought that I would trade out my vest for a full jacket and perhaps grab my camera for a few photos of the course. But when I got in the tent that had our drop bags I learned that all bags had been moved from the right side of the tent to the left side. I'm sure that there was a reason, but I decided that I didn't want to take the time to figure out what it was or where my bag ended up. Off I went to loop two.

At first, the running was good. I rewarmed and was optimistic. I knew what to expect this time and knew that I could muddle through it since I survived the first loop. But then I hit the mud, mud that had been churned by the feet of several hundred runners. Loop one was sloppy, loop two was indescribable. I have never gone through such long stretches of slip-sliding mud. As my arm flew in the air for balance I thought of John Travolta rocking away on his Urban Cowboy bronco -- Kathryn and I had caught the last part of the movie before we fell asleep the night before. Little did we know that it was good prep for the balance moves we would need the next day.

And then there was the water. "Heck, I made it through the first time, no need for detours; I am going to just wade right through and take the most direct route."

This worked well for the first few crossings but then I got to the last and longest passage. "I can do this! I did it before!!" I silently cheered in my head.

Midway through I turned into a frozen, hyperventilating, crying idiot, panicked that I'd never make it to the other side. "Freezing to death is supposed to be a calm way to die! I'm not calm! I'm going to die and I'm not calm!!!!" replaced the perky little "I can do this" self-speak.

Oh my.

But I did get to the other side, as did the two men who were right ahead of me and surely heard my emotional melt-down. Once I regained a little composure I caught up to them and apologized for sounding like a such a blubbering fool.

"I was feeling the same," said one of them. "Couldn't look at you or I would have lost it too."

"The two women I was running with dropped after the first loop because they couldn't re-group after that crossing," said the other.

And then a guy -- wet head to toe -- came by us and said: "At least you didn't fall in!"

Oh my.

The snow showers came to an end, and so too did the second loop. Manny -- a fellow runner from Wisconsin -- saw me at the finish and came out of his warm van to give me a hug. I held on for a bit not just because I was happy to see Manny but because the body heat felt so good. He was just what the doctor ordered.

HUFF was well-marked, and fun in that "Oh my God I can't believe that I survived it" sort of way. Kathryn and I both finished with little more than a couple of bruises and some mud-encrusted shoes and clothes (I haven't had the guts to open my race bag yet). And for me, it was great to reconnect with so many friends: Fabiano and Danieli (the last time we saw each other was a year previous on sunny Peanut Island in Florida), Bruce, Lynn, Susan, Manny (and his warm bear-hug body) and a bunch of others whose names will pop into my head as soon as I post this.

Happy holidays, and remember -- those red banners at the top of the weather page aren't just for holiday decoration. Sometimes they actually have pertinent information inside.

Hellgate 100K

2011-12-15T09:41:00.002-06:00

LPTR's at Hellgate!

Marcel Uttech's Race Report:

Many people talked about how ‘special’ this race was… after awhile I already knew that I wanted to run it. The course sounded so challenging and scenic! After listening to Robert talk about his experiences there and going over some race reports from previous years, I was sold.

I knew I would have to train seriously for this one, not just because it was a 100k but more so because of some of the other aspects that make it so different than other races. Like the 12:01 am start- that throws ya off a bit! Of course you are up pretty much the whole day beforehand since you are at the camp, and there are other people there too, and practically everyone is talking about the race or previous ones or training and the energy around the place is electric!

The drive down was slightly cramped but a lot of fun. Temps were in the 40’s as Robert fired up his van, and then Cassie and Sean, Brad, Jodie and I piled in and headed east to Virginia. The drive took us about 14.5 hrs…we took turns driving and the time went by as we sailed through Illinois…Ohio…Indiana…Kentucky…West Virginia…ah, hello Virginia and your awesome mountains!

I had trained some with Robert for this race, and was glad that I did because many times our conversation would drift to Hellgate and I would learn a little more….I was a bit nervous and coming off of a dnf at Glacial I was pretty determined to get through this one, come hell or high water! And yes, both came.

The weather was perfect down there, we arrived to Camp Bethel and Robert kind of gave us the rundown of the place. Neat out buildings, with all kinds of landscaping around utilizing the creeks and natural spring fed pond to create scenic little waterfalls and guided little streams under decorative bridges…The main building where we stayed was simple and wide open inside the main part of it with rooms along the sides for sleeping which contained bunks. Showers were right there, and access to a fridge and micro (and yes, coffee makers!)

Friday morning Robert took us up the final section of the race which was a good climb up the side of the mountain. Took us about 45 minutes to walk it, Brad, Jodie and I took a little longer as we were taking pics. It was nice to get out in the woods and exercise a little, felt great!

After we returned to the camp Horton arrived. He was just as I remembered in the video that Jim Blanchard loaned me, where Horton runs the PCT from Mexico to Canada…full of energy, mind going a million miles an hour, always moving…nice to meet him. Brad and Robert went along with him to finish marking the trail and to help out doing whatever else needed doing.

More and more people began arriving as the day wore on, leading to many exciting conversations and a growing feeling of anticipation for the race. Cassie wound up sick the night before the race. She had flu like systems, and it made her so miserable that she had to drop from the race.

As the race drew nearer it was getting harder to find stuff to do…having the start at midnight really threw you off. I found myself pacing, then sitting, then pacing. It was mental torture! Should have brought a book…at least the dinner broke things up. The pre race dinner was set up home cooking style in a large room where everyone got to sit at these round tables. There was like 6 or so to a table, and they had pasta dishes and salad. I sat with Paul, the RD from the Ozark race and some others that had done Hellgate before and so dinner conversation was all about races, Hellgate, and of course poison oak.

Horton held a pre race meeting to discuss the race, and introduced some key helpers in the race (such as Robert!) so you started to get a feel for the history…he would call out the number of finishes and then those who had them would have to stand up. He would also make small talk of past mistakes people had made, and then make them stand up to…it was all good fun.

When it was time to go Jodie drove us (and Joe from Michigan) to the start. The full moon was already rising, which was wonderful to have running through the night!

Some gal sang the Canadian Anthem, and then we all sang the American National Anthem followed by a prayer led by Horton. And then it was GO time.

This race has A LOT of climbing. Miles of climbs. It was wonderful having the moonlight because we could shut our headlamps off while walking up the gravel roads. Gave the eyes a nice break! I remember by mile 15 my hamstrings were already starting to get sore, and I was thinking man this is going to be a long day lol! It was awesome to be up close to the top of a mountain and then look back down the switchbacks and see all the headlights bobbing their way up…just surreal.

We came to the first creek-not so bad. I heard someone say “this is the creek before the creek” and I thought oh, it must get worse. They had had a lot of rain down there so there were plenty of spots where water was running across the trail that had made its way down the mountain. In fact there were spots where the water was coming right out of the mountain! Very cool. Until you were running in it and your feet were soaked ha-ha

When we came to the creek Horton had mentioned it was up to about my knees, rushing along pretty good. I was about half way across when I saw the photographer sitting on the bank in the dark and that was quite a startle! Made my way across and squished up the other side; long climb to dry out and then some more single track. There was a single track section in here that had a ton of leaves and I found out soon enough that the Altra Instincts have less than desirable traction on such surfaces. I was sliding all over the place through there, once I almost slid right off the trail and down the mountainside so mental note for next time!

Seeing Jodie at the aid stations was a good boost. She crewed for everyone in our group, and found her way from aid station to aid station all night. It is always nice having someone you know helping out there! Plus I always got to ask how everyone else was doing, since I was last in our group coming through after Brad got ahead of me. I still cannot believe he decided to go ahead with the race with no training for 2 months and rocked it! WTF?!

Throughout the race I talked with a few people who were finishing up the Beast Series…had one guy (SNIPER) who pointed out Telluride Mountain as we were climbing up a mountain beside it. Always cool to talk with local runners too, who fill ya in on all the history of the trail and ‘what those guys are doing with the dogs’ that kept passing me while they were going up the trail in their hunting trucks. The aid stations were great, manned by students from Horton’s classes. They were encouraging and as helpful as they could be. At aid station 4 I heard of people dropping already. All I could think about was my dnf at Glacial. Seriously, it haunted me every time I thought about how hard things were getting or how much this or that is starting to hurt or how much farther can this climb possibly go on? I mean the mountain is only so tall right? Ha-ha There was no way I was not finishing this race….

Through aid station 6 I felt ok, which was around 30-40 miles. Soon after this however I started to get bad inflammation in my feet and ankles, and things were kind of at a real low. I struggled through the next section, running with Drew, a guy from Richmond who I got to know pretty well while running the next few hours. At aid station 7 I knew I needed something. I argued with myself about taking Ibuprophen for a few hours...as I look at it as a crutch. Finally I just made the decision that nothing else is going to take the inflammation down, nothing in your pack, nothing in your supplements, nothing else you got on ya. I asked Jodie to see if she could find me some at aid station 8. She did, and after briefly talking with the medic there he said it was ok since I was hydrating well and had no cramping issues. After taking it and about 3 miles or so down the trail, I could almost feel the swelling go down and I was back in business! Still hurt but at least I wasn’t hobbling along!

The rest of the race was pretty smooth sailing…there are sections of this race where you swear it’s just been forever, and then there are sections that are so scenic that I wanted them to last forever. The view of the mountains was just awe inspiring, and reminds me why we trail runners do what we do! At night the lights from the cities in the valleys was amazing, the sun coming up was such a welcome sight, the brilliantly green moss on the rocks and some tree bases was neat to see- so much tied into this race. I can see why everyone calls it a special

event...

Climbing the last hill, you already have a smile (at least I did, I believe the guy behind me was cursing) as you know the end is in reach. I remember getting to the point where I realized that I was going to finish, in less than 17 hours. Talk about ecstatic!

My Garmin watch helped me to get through the longer parts since the mileage was always longer than what the course said or the people at the aid stations would say. It lasted until mile 64- the last hill. I couldn’t believe it when the ‘low battery’ alarm went off! “Stay with me!” I said aloud, this is it! Then it faded to a dull blank screen… Alas, technology will never have the guts that ultra runners do…crossing that finish line and shaking Horton’s hand was a real treat to my memory.

I am so glad that I was able to be a part of Hellgate 2011, and now I understand why Robert keeps on coming back to this one.

Mmmmm... Ensure....

Brad, Marcell, and Robert

(Editior's Note: Joseph Jameson, Friend of the LPTR family and Race Director at the Marquette Trail 50 finished 8th overall! WTG Joe!!)

Tuscobia Winter Ultra

2011-12-01T08:48:00.000-06:00

Midwest ultra-runners Helen Lavin and Chris Scotch have stepped in to save the Tuscobia Winter Ultra after it had been briefly cancelled due to some personal complications that came up for the previous race director.

The Mid-December event features options for 150 miles, 75 miles or 50k along snowmobile trails between Park Falls and Rice Lake, WI. Race rules mirror those for the legendary Arrowhead Ultra - This is a no frills, minimal support, tough-as-nails affair for hardy winter souls!

Great to see individuals from within the Ultra community stepping up to keep an event alive! With all the combined experience from Helen and Chris, you know it will be a very well run race. Check out the details here at the event site:

www.tuscobia.wordpress.com

So far only ONE WISCONSINITE IS REGISTERED!!?!? Represent!!!!

New Years Eve 50K FA at the Nordic...

2011-11-27T21:37:00.000-06:00

LPTRunner, Tom Bunk, has announced he will be hosting a 50K FA event on New Years Eve. The start is scheduled for 7:30AM, Saturday, December 31st. Plan to meet at the Nordic trail-head in La Grange, WI (Same starting point as the Ice-Age 50 and Kettle 100).

Hope to see lots of people out there - Should be a great way to close out 2011!

How to Baste a Turkey...

2011-11-23T13:17:00.001-06:00

Dehart sure knows how to baste a turkey...

JFK - UPDATE!!! LPTR CASSIE SCALLON WINS JFK!!!!!!

2011-11-19T12:53:00.001-06:00

Cassie wins the 49th running of the JFK 50 mile in the third fastest time in race history !!! Her time was right around 6:31!!!!!! WOW!!!! Meghan Arborgast is 2nd...

Summary from irunfar:

On the women’s side, Cassie Scallon, unknown to many, ran away fromMeghan Arbogast when they hit the trail section only 3.6 miles into the race and never looked back. Scallon won JFK in the third fastest women’s time in race history – 6:31:37. Arbogast fell as far as 7 minutes back before closing late in the race. She finished in 6:35, the fourth fastest women’s time on the course. Arbogast broke the women’s 50+ course record by over 85 minutes and bested the 40+ record by 7 minutes. Elissa Ballas was third in 7:01.

Zach Bitter finishes 6th overall in a field that featured two runners under the 17 year-old course record. David Riddel outlasts Wardian for the win in 5:40:45, breaking Eric Clifton's record by over 6 minutes!

The Big Cheese at JFK?!

2011-11-17T08:45:00.001-06:00

The JFK 50 mile will be run this weekend out in Washington DC and is closing in on its 50th year. Every year, fast times are cranked out on the tow-pathes along the canal. While technically a trail run, this one runs more like a road race with minimal elevation gain.

The size of the field is a factor as well as over 1000 participants typically toe the line. The buzz around the event attracts high profile Ultra runners and DEEP fields. This year's competition should be no different and Wisconsin should be well represented.

Our very own LPTRunner, Cassie Scallon, is turning some heads with her stellar performances this year and iRunFar's preview of the race lists her as one to watch...

"Cassie Scallon is one of the field’s dark horses. More or less unknown, she’s run seven ultras in the past year and a half and has consistently placed near the front of the women’s field, including three wins. Of note are Scallon’s 7:45 at last year’s Glacial Trail 50 mile and 4:15 50k last month, also at Glacial Trail. She’s never run JFK, but her beau and iRunFar Coach Sean Meissner has run JFK (6:34 in ’07) and has surely provided her with adequate insight."

Being a dark-horse is perfect - Cassie is flying under the radar a little and it will be fun to watch her give notice! Go Cassie!!!!!

Wisconsin should have an impact in the men's race as well as Zach Bitter (who claims he will be earning his LPTR sticker this summer!?) will take the USA's fastest 50 mile time this year and throw down with some of the sports biggest and baddest. iRunFar lists him as a dark horse as well...

"Even more exciting is the biggest dark horse in the field, 25-year-old Zach Bitter posted the fastest American 50 mile time of the year with a 5:26:22 at the Fall Classic less than a month ago. Bitter has only two other ultra finishes, both sub-6:10 50 mile efforts at the past two The North Face Endurance Challenge races in Madison, Wisconsin."

Read the full previews here at iRunFar:

http://www.irunfar.com/2011/11/jfk-50-mile-womens-preview.html

http://www.irunfar.com/2011/11/jfk-50-mile-mens-preview.html

GOOD LUCK CASSIE AND ZACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rails to Trails Marathon

2011-11-09T09:28:00.000-06:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Ron Bero:

Rails to Trails Marathon. Norwalk, WI, Nov 6, 2011. 3 LPTR’s ran this race this past Sunday. Ron Bero, Dave Neitzel & Loraine Bunk ran it.

I know – it’s only a marathon. Doesn’t really belong on the blog. On the other hand – this is LPTR. LP Trail R remember. And technically, the Elroy Sparta TRAIL is a Trail. Established in 1965 it is the first of it’s kind to be designated a National Recreation Trail.

This was going to be an adventure. Mr. Grabowski was going to bring his Gypsy Camper to the Norwalk Town Park and set up camp. The Bero’s were to stay at the posh Kickapoo Valley Ranch, 30 minutes away. A rendezvous was to occur at Wild Cat State Park, located between La Farge and Norwalk. The Grabowski’s did not make the trip leaving the Bero’s to spend the day shopping for bonnet’s, quilts, bakery and (thankfully) cheese and furniture at various Amish Farms located on Hwy D between Cashton and La Farge.

Right, forgot, this is a running blog. The Rails to Trails marathon is great ! it starts Sunday at 9:00 except it’s really 10:00 since it’s the day after we fall back. It runs on a flat crushed sandstone (maybe limestone except it’s brown) rail bed. It actually is fairly curvy and it goes through a ¾ mile tunnel that 100 (or 38 mile fun run) mile runners have an advantage in since you can’t see ANYTHING (if you are 50 and your eye sight is going). i.e., this marathon is MUCH better than the trail breaker.

I highly recommend this race since, after all, it’s only a marathon and you can be done in 3 and a half or so hours. – oh, it’s 1.5 out and back then 11.5 out and back so you can have a Frank Marino concert for the run back to the barn (except it’s not a barn, it’s a park and there are lots of friendly people there barbequing chicken parts and serving beer).

I’ll be back next year and I hope we can fill up the Kickapoo Valley Ranch (I would NOT recommend camping in the park – you need quarters for the showers – just try to visualize showers that take quarters – you’ll get the idea).

Tom Bunk has some pictures on his Face Book page.

Ron and Lorraine

How Engaging!!

2011-11-03T23:28:00.001-05:00

Typically this blog concentrates on race reports, gear reviews and all things Ultra-Running...but we are excited to take a moment away to announce...
AN ENGAGEMENT!

LPTRunners Julie Treder and Sam Librizzi announced their great news at Wednesday's group run to cheers from all! We are really happy for them both and wish them all the best!

Congratulations!

Fall 50 - Door County: Bruce Udell's Report

2011-11-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

I headed into this year’s race with optimism for a PR despite a torn and aggravated right hamstring. I felt in good shape coming off of Ironman and a 3 hour marathon at Lakefront. My concerns were whether or not my hamstring would hold up and my lack of training in the last 3 weeks. I had tried a 4 mile run a week before the race and felt the hamstring pull 3 miles into it. I would be racing on 21 miles total training for the 3 weeks prior to the event.

3 days before the race I found out that my plans for a room the night before fell through. Luckily Tracy Neupert from APG came through with a place for me to stay. Thursday I taped my hamstring with Kinesio tape and went for a short easy run. The pull felt ok but the other side of the hamstring that I didn’t tape ached. Friday I shaved the back of my legs and taped my whole right hamstring plus part of the left as that also was sore.

Tracy and I made it to the bus for the ride up at 5:30 am with few seats left. Christine Crawford had saved me a seat so that we could talk about how we both shouldn’t be doing the race. We arrived with about 25 minutes until the start, just enough time without getting too cold as I debated over short or long sleeves. The weather was close to ideal with temperatures (I believe) in the 40s so I stuck with the long sleeves.

The race began with one guy sprinting out followed by Stuart Kolb and John Storkamp with a woman in fourth place. A few of us settled into a very comfortable 7:30-7:45 pace and over the next few miles I was surrounded by familiar faces and the conversations began. Two hot topics being how long the leader and lead woman would last. Seeing the tape on my legs they asked about my hamstrings, I lied and said they felt okay when I was really questioning the light aches in them. After several miles we had a pack of 4 left including Kurt Rompot (with his wife in the “mobile aid station”), Nic Giebler and Dave Niblack(a newcomer with a 2:50 marathon).

At the second aid station I pulled away as they took longer to refuel and started gaining on Alisha, the lead female. I could sense inexperience as she sped up every time people cheered us on and again as she saw my shadow approaching. I ran with her for a couple of miles and found out she ran last year in about 7:40 and was trying to bank some time (bad idea I thought as she faded behind me). The other 3 guys soon caught up to me and we stayed close until mile 25. We hit 25 miles at 3:13 and I figured if I could just maintain an 8-8:30 minute pace the second half I would easily PR.

In the next few miles the others started pulling away as my pace slowed and I started to realize an 8 minute pace wasn’t going to last. At mile 35 I caught up to John walking but after a couple of miles he caught a second wind and passed me as I entered a dark place where the miles began to really hurt. Surprisingly my hamstrings were ok but my calves were twitching with cramps, both my Achilles were aching, the right knee was sore (probably due to bad form induced from trying to compensate for the hurt hamstring) and bones in my feet were throbbing with each step. Lesson learned: don’t ever wear marathon racing flats for a 50 miler.

It was at this point I started questioning why I was putting myself through this as my legs were screaming to stop. I know I have hurt in past 50 mile races but this seemed worse (even though it probably wasn’t and is one of the reasons for recording this). I have suffered in past Ironman races and walked put not like the pain I was feeling now, every step hurt. I thought I was in 2^nd place for Master’s (forgetting that Kurt is in his 40s so I was really in 3rd) and couldn’t let up. I figured if I could just maintain 9 minute miles I was unlikely to get caught by anyone from behind. However I gave in to the pain and allowed myself to walk 20 seconds each mile. Unfortunately between that and the pain in every step I was only producing 10 minute miles. I did find out after the race that a couple of the guys in front of me walked for 1 minute each of the last 10 miles so then I didn’t feel so bad.

I continued this for the next 5 miles until aid station #8 (mile 42) where I saw runners behind me and knew it was up to me as to where I would finish. I picked up the pace slightly and gave up walking but it wasn’t long before I heard voices and was passed by Alisha with a pacer. At least she wasn’t in my divisionJ. My legs felt a little better now and I was now running 9:30 miles but couldn’t let up as Kevin drove by and told me there were 2 guys 150 yards behind me.

I ran through the last aid station knowing I had enough fuel for the last 4 miles but again I heard voices coming from behind. This is where I realized that racing 50 miles is a lot tougher than running 50 miles. If I was to place today it was up to me to earn or lose that spot. I literally told myself to dig deep and picked up the pace. I had the energy and my legs felt good enough to run faster but my feet ached with each step and my calves had spasms shooting through them, I was afraid a cramp would shut me down.

Holding back enough to avoid the cramps I had picked it up to an 8:30 pace and after a couple of miles I looked back to see that I had put a couple hundred yards between me and the other 2 runners (turned out one was a pacer). I kept the pace up but then felt a strain in my groin and eased off a bit to avoid another potential debilitating pull or cramp. With a mile to go I realized an 8:00 would keep me under 7 hours but after a half mile at that pace the constant spasms were like knives sticking in my calves and I figured I would rather run across the finish than crawl. I reduced my stride to a no push off fast leg swing and finished in 7:00:54.

I stuck around several hours for the great post race party to find out how everyone else did and to hear their stories or maybe it was for the beer to soothe my aching legs. Either way it was a blast and a great finish to my 2011 season. Now for some long over due recovery before I start training for my first Birkebeiner.

100 Mile Double Door County Fall 50...

2011-10-31T21:04:00.000-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Aaron Schneider...

I grew up in Sturgeon Bay, the county seat of Door County. Living in Milwaukee now I still consider the roads and trails in Door County has my home course… all of it! I love it up there. To me there is not a bad season to enjoy a trip up there, but obviously Fall is one of the best times to visit the Peninsula. Naturally I fell in love with Door County’s Fall 50; a relay event that offer a solo 50 miler that starts before the waves of relay teams.

All runners start at the far northern end of the Peninsula in Gills Rock and follow the Green Bay shoreline all the way to the end of the fifty mile course in Sturgeon Bay. From an ultra run perspective this event is filled with more energy than any other 50 miler I’ve seen. Just a few miles into the race and your already greeted by honking cars of relay runners heading for the start of the their event… all of which are probably trying to figure out why someone would voluntary run the whole course by themselves. Once your out into the think of the course you find the same conversations you’ll find at any other ultra: about what have you run lately, what injuries are you recovering from, etc. But you’ll also hear everyone talking about the amazing scenery, and how often it changes along the course. From majestic views of the water to cliffs covered with fall color, and the interesting character of each of the small towns we pass through. Most of the runners have been up to Door County before and lots of them are attempting their first Fall 50. It’s always great for me to hear what the folks from out of town are saying about the place I grew up. Its fun for me to share some of the stories I know from over the years of living in Door County.

Unless you’re in the top 5% of the 50 mile race you’ll likely be caught by relay runners during the journey down the Peninsula. The energy they bring with as they are blowing by you is actually not as distracting as you might think. Many are very encouraging (and sometimes amazed) of the 50 mile solo runners. Plus most of the relay teams are themed and add a little entertainment to the day. The race director is focused on getting all of the runners off the course before dark, because the course uses county road the entire way; the vehicle traffic can make for dangerous condition after dark for large groups of runners. Thankfully the course is fast. The hills are all in the first half of the race and in general are fairly forgiving. The one thing the trail runners need to be ready for is that the entire course is on paved surfaces. It’s a different challenge that I personal like to keep doing from time to time.

Aid for the event is good. Each of the exchange zones for the relay serves as an aid station. All are quicker, in and out types of stations with the essentials and friendly volunteers. Because runners are allowed to have a support vehicle anytime, anywhere on the course many of the runners that have access to a crew for the day will load up a cooler of there personal goodies and just use as needed. This is a great course for family and friends to follow you; since your not darting in and out of a forest.

Coming into the 2011 event I had competed two Fall 50’s already.

I love this event so much that I decided to do it twice in the same weekend. Well, there is a little background to that idea. One, it was something that came up a year earlier as I was sitting in the post race tent joking with friends about ultra-distance running. “You know some day someone is going to double up this event and run 100 miles” I said. My friends didn’t think it was an idea that was out the realm of possibilities, but I also don’t think they thought I’d be the one to do it first. Second, in 2011 I had two DNF’s at the 100 mile distance. Knowing that I had put in the needed training and was, as I feel, only hindered by illness and high temps; I was still looking for a 100 mile race for 2011. Finishing a 100 miles had become a bit of a monkey on my back. I had learned so much for each of my DNFs and I was anxious to get back out there and try again, but I didn’t need to fly half way around the country to do my next event. Really, I had wanted to double up the Fall 50 for about a year, but my original plan of finishing the Superior Sawtooth 100 and taking it easy at the Fall 50 was already out the window. Thus, it was time to kick the planning for the “Fall 100” into high gear. I have family up in the area and they already know what I need for the Fall 50 course. What I really needed was someone to crew for me during the night. I wanted to run the extra 50 miles prior to the start of the Fall 50. One thing I’ve learned from my pervious attempts and from what I’ve learned from follow runners that have finished the 100 mile distance is that it’s okay to set your self up for success. Each of my pervious attempts at the 100 distance had been unaided. Something I took pride in, but ultimately I was jealous of those that had crew with them when the going got tough. So, this time I was going to need a crew, I was going to use my home course and I was going to use the energy of all the other runners out there that day. I really felt I had a good plan. The only thing was that I had to talk someone into staying up all night. This past summer I was lucky to have connected with a new running buddy, Ashley Kumlien. She had become a well accomplished ultra distance runner over the past two and half years (including a run across the US). After crewing for her at the North Face 50 miler I told her of my idea, and without any convincing she was in. I don’t know if she had more confidence in me than I did, or if she secretly just wanted to see what it was like to be out there all night long, as she is already planning her first 100 run for early 2012. Regardless, we make a great team! And to sweeten the deal Ashley also signed up for the Fall 50. Thus we’d be able to run the second leg of my 100 miles together. Who gets a pacer for 50 miles!?!?!?!?!?!?! Yeah! I know! Lucky guy!!

I didn’t want this thing to be a simple show up and mutter my way through 100 road miles. I still wanted to challenge myself and my crew. We had a good plan and I not only knew we’d finish the journey together, I wanted us to have a finishing time that we could be proud of. So I did the math. Since I was putting together my own race for the first 50 miles, I got to pick the starting time. I decided to go with 8:00pm the night before the start of the Fall 50. And the goal time would be 22 hours for the full 100 miles. We would set out from right at the finish line of the Fall 50 and run to the start line in Gills Rock.

The run started out in Sunset Park with just Ashley and my parents and there were a few guys hanging around the finish area setting up stuff for tomorrow’s post race events. After a few quick pictures, it was 8:00pm on the dot and I was off. Into the dark night. My parents headed home and rested, as they would have to meet Ashley and me in Gills Rock at 6:30am the next morning. The roads were fairly quiet that night. For the most part it was just me, Ashley in the SAG vehicle, and a clear starry sky. No moon light though, still the stars made up for the darkness and not being able to see the fall colors we were running past.

Ashley kept track of my progress and made sure I was still hitting my scheduled times. She would go out between four and six miles ahead of me. As I’d arrive she’d already have the mini-aid station on wheels ready. The pace was quick and I wanted to keep going, but since I was ahead of my times Ashley was smart to advise me to eat more and get of my feet for a minute or two. A plan that would prove very beneficial later in the run.

Later in the night after the bars had closed it become completely quiet on the streets. All we saw were the local sheriff portal cars checking on us. By this time the local radio station had also heard of my run up the Peninsula during the middle of the night. Ashley was updating me on the awesome music the radio station was playing and how they thought we were totally insane for running out there all night long.

I reached Gills Rock and the start of the Fall 50 in 9hrs, 45mins (5:45am). Not quite was fast as I thought I might go, but perfect for what I still had head of me. There was about an hour before Ashley and I would have to make our way to the starting line. So after finding some dry clothes, I did what any good ultra distance runner would do at this point… I napped. A good 30 minutes actually. When my eyes opened there was just the hint of sunrise. Was I ready? Only one way to find out; put on a pair of running shoes and stand on my legs. Honestly I was surprised how good they felt. Perhaps it was the adrenaline or something, but I couldn’t wait to get going. I think I was actually too excited to get to the starting line. Ashley was still in the process of putting together her stuff to start her 50 mile run on no sleep. Some of this was a blur as my parents had arrived and we were updating them on what we would need first. I’m pretty sure Ashley and I were the last to make the group of about 100 runners that were doing the Fall 50. We exchanged a couple quick hellos with two of my running friends, Christine Crawford and Amanda Musacchio, and than we were off. I was almost surprised how fresh I felt. Perhaps it was the nap, or the dry clean clothes or just the excitement that this was all just happening but I was in really good spirits.

To me it felt like we were off to a good pace, but I’m sure Ashley was wishing we could pick it up a bit. This was her first Fall 50 experience and this fast course was made for her. She had put in lots of road miles over the past two years and I know was inching to improve on her 7hr,59min fifty mile PR. I am grateful and lucky that she choose to stay with me that day. Miles 50 to 70 seemed to click off fairly quickly. But once we hit a long stretch in Peninsula State Park where we got separated from our crew vehicle things got a little interesting. I was used to seeing them every four miles at this point. It would be a very long 7 miles from the entrance to the park to the exit. We had planned to see them once during that stretch, but didn’t. Thankfully Ashley had her phone with her and coordinated our crew to meet us near the exit of the State Park. At this point I was really spent. It would take me a good 10 minutes to recover. One thing new during this run was the Advocare Protein shakes that Ashley was making me drink. I had taken protein during my other ultra events, but not to this level. They were small doses at each stop, but none more important than the one at the exit of the State Park. With that break and the new fuel in my belly I was out on the course again. It was to the point that I just wanted to keep moving forward. I had started to lose time from the pace I wanted to keep. So the more moving forward I did, even if it was walking, the better I felt in my head (although at this point, my legs were starting to ask for longer breaks).

My pace slowed but we were still making good progress toward the finish. I just wanted to get this down to a 10 mile run. In my mind I was breaking up the race into smaller parts. But this was also the point in the race that the last of the relay teams had caught and passed me. Now there were only a few solo 50 mile runners out there and Ashley and I. No more cheering from the relay teams. With 12 to go we did the math and figured I’d have to average 9min miles to come in at a finishing time of 22 hours. This was also the point when my feet finally started to win the battle with my brain and heart. As much as I wanted to suppress the pain in my feet; it was no good. My feet were winning. Ashley tried desperately to keep me focused on the run and not on the pain. I was just trying to get to the 10 mile to go marker, I had lost the big picture. I had accepting that I wasn’t going to make it to the finish by 22 hours, and I had figured that there wasn’t going to be anyone expecting me to finish (although I knew I would; I just told everyone I’d be there much sooner than I was actually going to be there).

I made it to mile 90. Now I was just focused on running. Forcing myself to pick a point in the distance and run to it. I could tell it had become a very long day for Ashley at this point. Our patience for each other had grown a little thin, but we still found time to make fun of each other. And I gave Ashley plenty of material. Seeing how my feet were so sore, I adopted a new running form. Boy, was that thing pretty (and tough on my quads). I’m not sure of all the jokes told in the last few miles but I do remember I was glad I was around good friends. With four miles left my friend Phil who was in the relay came and found us on the course. This lifted my spirits quiet a bit. I guess Ashley was right, I did have more left in the tank. I found a new, quicker pace for a few miles. Being that I was now a good 20 minute behind the pace I wanted it had started to get dark. I was doing everything I could to finish before it was completely dark, and I was doing everything I could to keep from having to put that darn reflective vest on (thankfully Ashley was wearing hers). Besides now in the distance about a mile away I could see street lights, we had made it the edge of Sturgeon Bay!

The finish line area can be a bit crowded so we had my parents go ahead for the last few miles and meet us at the finish line. We had no idea how many people would still be left from the relay, but since the post race tent is basically the best post race party I’ve ever seen; I guess I figured they’d have a hard time finding parking in that area.

We were now within ear-shot of the PA system at the finish line. Although the official time limit had pasted (max of 6pm, or 11hrs for the Fall 50), there was still a clock running and there was still hundreds of people hanging around the finish. Being that it’s my hometown and with all the added attention of hearing about this guy running 100 miles on the Fall 50 course; I think the excitement grew over the duration of the day and lots of folks were excited to see me finish. A van with flashing lights from the radio station came and escorted me in from the last half mile, the race director made an announcement that we were reaching the finish line, and crowds of people came out to see this unique event come to it’s finish. I came down the finishing shoot to cheers deserving more of someone that had set the course recorded or something. I couldn’t believe the number of people there to see the finish. It was a dream achieved, and a moment that inspired many.

Grand total: 22hrs,28mins. It wouldn’t have been the same without the amazing support of Ashley and my parents. And I am grateful they were there at the finish along with two of my other closest friends. Usually these ultra distance events are in far off remote places. Quiet events, you know. And that was something I enjoyed about them. But this day a lot of people go to share in the joy of completely 100 miles. In a way they were all part of the successful journey.

What next? I don’t know exactly but it’s going to be hard to top this. Right now I need another adventure and wheels are already turning in my head. Who’s coming with me?? J

Editor's Note: Link to Off the Couch Blog Article:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/132519783.html

Link to Door County Pulse Article:

http://www.ppulse.com/Articles-c-2011-10-24-99460.114136-Aaron-Schneider-Doubles-Down-in-Century-Pursuit.html

Door County Fall 50

2011-10-30T06:46:00.000-05:00

LPTRunner Christine Crawford's race report...

Sean Ryan, the RD for the Fall 50 owed me a free entry for winning the event a few years ago. I tried to make good on it in 2009 and 2010 but wasn’t able to run due to health reasons. I decided to cash in this year since my husband wanted to get away for a weekend in Door County, it worked out well.

I packed 2 small drop bags that I never used. The aid stations were sufficient. The bus ride to the start was filled with lots of chatter, mostly Bruce and I! We discussed the fact that his training wasn’t as strong as he would like it to have been and that I shouldn’t be on the bus to the start.

The solo runners started at 7am sharp! This was my fourth running of the Fall 50. I let lots of girls run ahead of me without giving chase. I was of the mindset that I was not racing this event so I found a gear and locked in. At this point, I still hadn't run more than 15 consecutive miles without taking walk breaks and haven’t run any pavement.

That translated into sore quads at mile 18 which is where Kevin Grabowski and his family saw me first. They were up visiting his grandma. Kevin asked if I was feeling good (as Alison and the girls cheered me on) and I said from the waist up I felt great but that I already had sore quads and I wasn't hammering the speed and I was running on the soft shoulder so how could this be? He laughed and said it was because I had zero training for this kind of event. He said keep moving and he'd find me later.

Two miles later I made up my mind I was dropping because now my calves hurt. However, I didn't have plans to meet Scott until mile 36. Shoot. So I started walking for a few seconds then would shuffle. Ouch! I've never had dead, sore legs this soon! Well I made it to the marathon mark in 3:44. Not bad I thought but wished my legs would cooperate. I was in the zone and missed the next rest stop. I had hardly enough water and no gels but I didn't want either of them anyway. In the mean time I passed 2 girls. I maintained my walking and running pace and completed a 4:25 50K. Based on my fitness level, I was pleasantly surprised.

Around that time I happened upon Kevin and the girls as they were walking the dog. I stopped and walked with them. The girls said they could run faster and I agreed. I told Kevin that mentally and fitness-wise I felt great but my leg muscles hurt so bad that I was done. I asked him to call Scott to tell Scott I was early pulling into mile 36 and could he come and get me because I was dropping. I had no idea how I was going to run another 5 miles so instead I walked until I saw a girl up ahead so I ran to her then walked with her so I wasn't alone.

Turns out it was last year’s winner and she was throwing up. She didn't look good but had a crew. I was going to hang with her but she convinced me to try and jog so I did. I made it to the rest stop and Scott just drove up. He asked what was wrong so I told him my legs were dead and it hurt to run. He said "just muscle pain?” I said yes. He said "I think you should finish what you started". He said walk and move forward. I agreed to walk/jog another 4 miles to get to mile 40 because that sounded like a nice round number to drop at. He told me he'd check on me at mile 38 and pick me up at mile 40. Well he stuck with the first promise but he wasn't at mile 40! Wise-guy! He was at mile 42 aid station. He gave me some coke and pushed me out of there.

I saw Kevin one last time at mile 45 aid station. Kevin knew I'd claw my way to the finish so he showed up to congratulate me and snap a photo. Five miles to the finish but nothing left in the legs so I walked the next mile then decided to suck it up and get this thing over with so I could enjoy the rest of the day with my husband. Scott road by my side for a mile then drove to the finish. I completed the Fall 50 in 7:33. Not bad! Well that's about it. Now my legs are toast! We came back later for the awards and the party. I still think this is a top notch event so give it a try.

Wild Duluth 100K – 2011

2011-10-25T21:08:00.000-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Julie Treder:

This was my third year of going back to Wild Duluth. The trail and race just keeps calling me back. This year, though, there were new eyes and new legs from the LPTR crew to join in the fun – Sam, Angela, and Tony.

Duluth is a beautiful city… and this race helps you to witness the sights of the town at its best – from above. The 100K starts at 6AM, so the runners get to experience a few of the early miles in the dark. Luckily, a good chunk of those early miles are either on pavement or going uphill. Helps to lessen the danger of taking a tumble… speaking from experience.

Heading uphill, you get these awesome views of the city… all lit up. Run a little longer and you get another awesome view… sunrise. You can’t beat that!! This year, not only were we welcoming the sun to view its rise… we were welcoming it to gets it warmth. It was a pretty chilly start, so any extra warmth we could get, we wanted!

Julie and Sam

The aid stations are phenomenal at this race… and they are manned by the same crew THE WHOLE RACE. These people are just wonderful. Here I was complaining about how cold I was at the start of the race… but I’m moving. The aid station volunteers were helping us runners out, never complaining a bit. They served lots of delicious food (so I heard from Sam!) and offered out much support.

Being an out-n-back course, we got to see not only the return of all the 100Kers… we also got to see the 50K runners coming at us. What a great way to pass the time, cheering on all the racers.

The race is all on the Superior Hiking Trail, so that means it is TECHNICAL. There are rocks, there are roots, there are bridges, there is mud… all to keep you on your toes (if you’re lucky!!). There were lots of leaves on the ground for the race, making things a bit tougher… but also helping to buffer the fall, when you went down. (Notice how I said “when” and not “if”…)

I keep coming back to this race because of the great job the race directors do (thanks to the Holaks!!), the wonderful volunteers, the very familiar faces from some of the other races I’ve been fortunate enough to do (it felt like a VoyageurQuest reunion!), the amazing views of Duluth in both the daytime and the nighttime, the beautiful scenes as you look out at Lake Superior, and the amazing Superior Hiking Trail that you can never take for granted. If you want a well-run race during a great time of the year… put Wild Duluth on your calendar next year!!

Angela

Tony Cesario

Breaking up is hard to do...

2011-10-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

LPTRunner Marcel Uttech's Glacial 50 Mile Race Report...

You never see it coming, or maybe you do but you don’t acknowledge it for what it is-the beginning of the end. I was at Glacial 50 mile and had no reason to think that I would be unable to finish. I was actually really confident although my weekly mileage had dropped to around 15 miles a week for the past 2 -3 weeks. Big mistake I guess...and then I ran a 10k the weekend before and really strained myself good-had bad shin splints for like 3 days, tore up my hip flexors a bit too. 10ks hurt, I needed to get back to ultras…
The thought comes to mind, "You can’t fake a 50".

In all reality, I should have dropped down to the 50k. I was running this like a 50k, hitting the turnaround at like 4:44...pretty fast for me. My hip flexor on my right leg started talking at mile 21, and that should have been the writing on the wall to slow it down some. Not sure if that would made any difference or not, but at around mile 25 the IT band was joining in on the conversation, getting more and more irritated the longer I ran.

I was down to a hobble at mile 28 for all the down hills, and then by mile 31 I was hurting no matter what. I kept thinking back to this race last year, where I severely sprained my ankle at mile 4.5 and then ran the rest of the race and REALLY did a number on both legs. My right ankle took almost 8 months to recover from, and it is still not 100%. I ended up with bruscittis (spelling?) on my left lower leg right behind the achilles tendon, which became so inflamed I couldn’t even walk on it...hours of PT afterwards, rehabbing that thing back to be able to run...hours of pool walking, soaking, icing, etc. So all this is going through my head while the other part of my brain is trying to talk me into going on, finishing no matter what...even if I have to f@#$ng crawl in...

Saw Brad shortly before the turnaround. “Come get me,” he says…with a knowing smile…I thought about that, and realize there is no way I am getting anyone. I was shocked to come up on him at mile 27 or so, as he tells me he is dropping. He is thoroughly bummed, and I could see the strained look that I am sure I was wearing later. He says this is the first 50 mile he is unable to finish…I thought a lot about that over the next few miles.

I knew I couldn’t make the cut off anymore by mile 37. I was averaging 22 min miles with 13 to go. I thought about Hellgate, and how much I wanted to do that race. I thought about running in general, and how much an IT band issue can screw that up...I knew how the whole IT band works, the more inflamed it gets the more damage you are doing. I called it. Glacial and I were breaking up…

I came over the hill to the aid stations at mile 37 and Julie Treder was standing there, I did the motion of one slitting their own throat...she frowned, me too. I explained my situation, feeling guilty the whole time like I was cheating on a midterm… As I told the person checking in the runners that I was dropping, it was almost surreal...I was still undecided! Oh man my stubborness is unbelievable! I saw Marty and Jodie there, both looked beat down. I told Jodie all she had to do was average 20 min miles and she was home. She nodded, already knowing that she was going back out. Marty looked like he just wanted this thing to be done! Ha ha oh man we all know that feeling!

So off they went, and I plopped down on the grass. I was angry with myself for not going on, going through all the ‘what ifs’...still contemplating going back out...even though I KNEW it would have done me a lot more harm. I was injured, plain and simple. You see, what bothers me the most is the not knowing...well how MUCH harm? Would I still have healed up in time for Hellgate? I don't know...and I never will. I don't even know if I will even get accepted INTO Hellgate. That's the love of this game, you just never know what is going to happen out there, or when, or sometimes even why. It is truly the great unknown out on the trails.

I went for a run Thursday in the rain, doing a slow black loop to feel everything out at Lapham...no IT pain, hip flexor a little sore. Overall it felt great. Glacial, we will be seeing you again next year. I learned some valuable lessons at this race. “Training is SO key”…and “Don’t get comfortable, cause that’s when things get uncomfortable…”

Congrats to all the finishers out there this year, this is a hard course in its own right. That's what brings me back...tough love.
-Marcel

Reflections on my first 50K – Glacial Trail 2011

2011-10-15T06:58:00.000-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Joseph Fitzgibbon...

As Sarah and I were driving up to Sunday’s race, we experienced a little bit of déjà vu. Sarah started reminding me about the time I ran the Green Bay ½ marathon in 2009. The similarities were more than I had realized.

· Then: Driving to a race on a clear, comfortably cool spring pre-dawn morning.

o Now: Driving to a race on a clear, comfortably cool fall pre-dawn morning.

· Then: Headed north on hwy 151 going to Green Bay.

o Now: Headed north on hwy 151 going to Greenbush.

· Then: Ready to run 13 miles, the longest race of my life.

o Now: Ready to run 31 miles, the longest race of my life!

Three years ago a good friend challenged me to run the Green Bay marathon with him. At the time, I was running on a treadmill a few times a week. I remember commenting that, “running 26 miles would be insane”. So after much persistence and given the provision that I could run half the marathon, I accepted.

Flash forward, and here I am on my way to run almost 2 ½ times that distance….with hills….and rocks, and roots and more rocks. Wow!

So here’s the race report:

We got to the Greenbush fire station just in time to hear the last of the pre-race instructions for the 50 mile race, and to see the 50-milers set off into the wilderness of the northern Kettles. That left me an hour to pin on my race number, eat a banana, drink the last of my coffee and think about the day to come. The hour passed quickly, and before I know it I am standing at the start line next to Joel and Cobbie. Not wanting to think about how hard this might be, I comment to Cobbie, “31 miles until my next beer.” Cobbie’s reply, “Next beer, so your first beer was….” And with that, we are off.

The first 7 miles to the Hwy 67 aid station are a breeze. The temps are cool, the pace is manageable, the forest is full of fall colors, and the trail is full of rocks. I fell once, about 25 minutes into the race (tripped on a downed branch). Fortunately, the fall came on an uphill at low speed with a soft landing. I am back on my feet in seconds. No blood, nothing hurts. Great! Got that out of the way!

With 102 runners on a narrow trail, I figure I would have a better chance of running my own pace if I get through the first aid station quickly. Sarah is already at the hwy 67 aid station when I arrive. A few words of encouragement, a refill of my bottles, and I am back out on the trail.

From the Hwy 67 aid station to Butler Lake is 6.3 miles. This part of the race passes pretty uneventfully. I got into a pretty good rhythm and really just enjoyed the beauty of the trail. One nice thing about this race course; there is some variety in the terrain and running surface. Sure, it is mostly single-track through hardwoods where there are a lot if hills and rocks. There are also some nice pine sections with a soft carpet of needles, and the occasional open section where you can feel the warmth of the sun. As I am taking it all in, I feel grateful the challenges that have been thrown my way….never would have had this experience on the treadmill.

I arrive at Butler Lake ahead of Sarah. Still feeling fine, I fill my water bottles and decide to see how quickly I can do the 4.4 miles out and back to Butler Lake. Less than a minute after I leave the aid station, I start to see the front runners coming back down the trail. I think, “Should be seeing Joel any minute now.” And just then he passes by, looking strong and somewhere around 8^th position.

When I get back to Butler Lake, Sarah is there waiting for me. She fills my bottles, and helps me rifle through my drop bag. I get a dry pair of socks and a dry shirt, some more salt tabs, a kiss for good luck, and I am on my way back to Hwy 67.

This is the point in the race where I started to feel fatigued. It kind of crept up on me. Around mile 22, I caught myself checking my watch more often. I was still running up hill and down but it started to feel harder. I figure, this is normal. Most of my long runs have been about 20 miles, so I am moving into the uncharted territory.

Arriving at the last aid station was the highlight of the race. Jeff Mallach calls out “Welcome Back!” My wife tells me I am looking fresh and roughly on pace for a 6-hour finish. Angela hands me a popsicle – WOW that was good! I think to myself, this is about as good as I could expect to feel at this point in the race. Linger a while taking in the moment, and then I am off for the final push.

The last 7 miles were fantastic. My quads were starting to get tired, so I took more caution on the downhills. Still running most of the terrain, I get right back into a rhythm. That’s when I did it, my fantastic rookie mistake! I pass the bathrooms at the Greenbush Loop Trails, and all of a sudden the trail gets much wider, flatter, softer and full of very leisurely hikers. I turn around looking for a yellow blaze….and it is PINK! (To the RD’s credit, the trail was very well marked. When I got back to the missed turn, the marking was right there.) No big deal, I get back on the Ice Age trail very intent on not missing the blue connector trail to Greenbush.

A short while later I arrive at the finish line. Sarah is there to give me a high five, a hug, and a “way to go!” So I finished in 6:16, which was 51^st of 102 starters – right dead in the middle of the pack.

A few minutes later I take full advantage of the post race amenities, including a through hosing off in front of the fire station, a bowl of chili and one of the best tasting beers I have ever had. I would have liked to stay for a while longer to see the 50-milers come in, but we promised the girls we would go pick pumpkins in the afternoon.

On the ride home, I declare that 50K is my new favorite race distance. Sarah’s reply….sounds like déjà vu.

Thanks to my friends at LPTR for the encouragement, advice, and the weekly runs that make training so much fun. Thanks to Angela for the popcycle, Jeff for the warm welcome, and thanks to Steve for getting me off the treadmill. Thanks Mona and Greg, and especially to Sarah for all the support and giving me time to train. Can’t wait for the Ice Age 50K!

Raining Gold: Glacial 50 Mile...

2011-10-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Jodie Taylor...

Another Ultra weekend! Pure comedy the whole ride up till the moment I fell asleep. The boys (Marcel, Jose, Marty and Kevin) had me constantly laughing all through dinner until it was bedtime. If you had recently read Marty’s race report, please note: we weren’t all sharing one bed with Marcel hogging the covers. I just wanted to clarify in case there was any misinterpretation…hahahaha! Luckily for all of us, Jose curbed his snoring.

4:00am all of the phone alarms are going off in the room! 2 dual core processor motorolas and a few iphones and ipads; there were lots of commotion and milling around. It’s funny to see boys be very particular about what they are wearing, however it is understandable since you want to be as comfortable as possible for 50 miles, no matter how short or long it takes you.

Um…Robert wasn’t kidding when he said it was going to be dark. I brought my headlamp but had decided beforehand to use my flashlight. I will definitely use my headlamp next year! As usual, I was in the bathroom right before the start, but made it out on time. I started running with the group, but immediately slowed down because I promised myself this time I’d run my own race. When I run with people, I end up running their pace instead of my own. I don’t even know what my “pace” is. This is my first year of ultras, thus I’m still learning and am all over the place with times. And sometimes life gets in the way and fun runs get put on the side burner, but NOT the back burner.

So I kept telling myself, “Jodie, today your run will be slow and steady.” I wanted to be able to still jog after mile 40. I crashed at mile 40 during Sawtooth. So my goal this time was to still be able to jog beyond 40 miles. Time was not my main concern, except to finish on time.

I kept repeating to myself “slow and steady” don’t get caught up in someone else’s pace. I do find that the first half people are definitely racing, jostling for position. I go up hills slowly but down them fast, if they are relatively safe. And I always find people wanting to pass me up the hill but then they are slower down the hill, so the sling shot begins. Some people don’t care and laugh about it with me, others I can sense they get annoyed. But during the last quarter I find everyone encouraging each other, even if they are still racing to pass you, they are super supportive; because we all go through that mental struggle at some point in time.

I prefer point to point races or 1 big loop, however out and back isn’t so bad. As I was getting closer to the halfway point, I was wondering when I was going to see Kevin. He did have #1 pinned to him and we did confirm at dinner that you have to finish as the number given to you. Thanks to Christine he was receiving #1. Lucky for me, I got 54! Lo and behold, there was Kevin, the first runner on his way back! Then I saw Christine, then I saw Craig, then I saw Brad, then I saw Marcel, then I saw Jose! Seeing everyone gave me a huge energy boost. Then, as I was taking a picture, this lady comes running into focus and yells to me “3rd woman!” My response is, “great job!” Meanwhile, I’m thinking, “why is she yelling to me that she’s 3rd woman? Is it like Kevin and his 1st male mug?” Oh duh Jodie, she’s telling me that I’m the 3rd woman so far. What?! That’s ridiculous! I started close to last because I was running out of the bathroom when everyone was lined up and I don’t remember passing that many people. So now I’m thinking, wow, I’m actually making good time. I could finish this race a couple of hours before the cut off time…NOT!

I saw Marty at the halfway point. He did not look like he was feeling well. I lingered for a little bit, then wished him well and got back on my way. I was still feeling pretty good and enjoying myself. Got to the next aid station to fill up on pickles…yummy! Here comes Marty out of nowhere! Wow Marty, way to kick it up a notch again! So we set off together, just like Sawtooth. He was a little out of it for a bit and we were doing the math figuring out what time we needed to get to the next aid station. We convinced ourselves we could do it. Soon Marty was getting his second wind, and my wind was fizzling out. I strained the popliteus muscle (the one behind the knee) prior to the race but figured I’d be fine. Yes, I like to self-diagnose and pretend like I know all of the muscles in the body. Anyway, now my calf feels like a rock! Not a muscle cramp that comes and goes with a little potassium kick. Just a solid rock! I guess I was compensating for the muscle strain behind the knee and now I was paying for it. I told Marty if he gets his second wind, not to wait for me and I really meant it. So he kept going as I slowed down. We were getting close to the next aid station and over the hill I see Marcel limping…OH NO! We hobble into the aid station together and he’s making the decision to DNF. I know it was an extremely hard decision to make, because he’s not a quitter. But there’s a fine line between when it’s OK to push through the pain and when it’s Not ok to push through the pain. And he doesn’t have the luxury of going to work the next day and sitting at a desk to rest, his work is physical labor, so he needs to make smart decisions.

So now I’m thinking, I should drop too. But Marcel says, “Jodie all you have to do are 20 min. miles and you’ll finish on time, keep going.” So I gulp down some Code Red Mountain Dew, look at Marty and say “Let’s go.” Marty gives me, “the look” and then we set off back onto the trail. We start doing the math again, I dislike word problems very much, but we figured we could make it to the last aid station in an hour and a half. Code Red was kicking in and I was jogging and jogging, ignoring the rock in my calf. But soon the caffeine kick wore off and I was falling behind again. Marty with his second wind kept going, which I’m glad he listened to me.

This is when I start talking to myself…a lot…and out loud. I’m also starting to see a lot snakes and I thought I heard a wooly mammoth…and now I’m thinking, oh my gosh, did my dream come true? Did I run into a parallel universe and now I’m running in the northern kettle when the wooly mammoths are living? Yes, I did dream that I was in a parallel universe running glacial…prior to this race. Ok maybe it was a cow. But where were the cows? I don’t know. I didn’t think I was that delirious yet.

I finally get to the last aid station only 10 min after the time Marty and I had slated. Yay! More familiar faces, Krishna, Ty and Angela! At this point I have 2 hours and 10 min left to make the cut off time and I’m thinking I’m not going to make it. But Angela tells me, “you look great! You’ll make it!”

Off I go again, now with more voices in my head, Marcel “20 min miles, 20 min miles”, Marty “we can do this!” and Angela “you look great! You’ll make it!” So for the next 7 miles these thoughts rotated in my mind constantly along with, me talking to myself “Jodie, it’s ok if you don’t finish; NO it’s not! You’ve come this far, you can’t stop now! But it’s ok if I finish past the cut off time; No it’s not! You can’t make everyone wait for you even longer!” It’s amazing how you can easily talk yourself in and out of something.

But I keep going and now I’m all, 20 min miles, 20 min miles, wait…have I gone a mile? I don’t have a fancy Garmin watch. My watch only tells me the time…I think I’ve gone a mile in 20 min. Wait…I think I need to do another equation because I think I have to be faster than 20 miles now. Well, whatever math I did, I guesstimated I’d finish 10 min. before the cut off time.

But the pain and fatigue have set it in and now I’m eating my words, like I often do. I once commented that race walkers look really funny. Uh…what am I doing…race walking…wait no, I’m eating my words…hahaha! Yup! Race walking never felt better!

A few more people catch up to me with stories to help me pass the time and offer encouragement as they went on their way.

Finally, the last 2 miles!!! Now I’m back to jogging! I finally see the road with cones. Never have I been so excited to run on the road. Here I am eating more of my words. I tell people “Oh I don’t like road running, I quit the road” and at that moment in time, I was loving the road!

The finish line is in sight, I start running…well, I felt like I was running but probably looked like a turtle trying to run. Yay! I made it! And I finished 12 min sooner than I had guesstimated! Ha! It was so great to see everyone at the finish line! I wasn’t looking for a PR or special time, I knew I wasn’t fully prepared for this race, I just wanted to have fun and finish on time. Um…and next time I need to find better feathers. I can’t believe I picked up such scraggily feathers and put them in my braids! I clearly wasn’t paying attention!

I can honestly say, the first 25 miles I felt awesome. I met some nice people along the way. The trail was beautiful. It truly was “raining gold” as Marcel described. Thank you Robert for laying down the gold carpet, not only did we receive better than red carpet treatment from Robert, but we also received excellent attention at the aid stations from the volunteers. It’s super uplifting to see familiar faces at aid stations helping us out, Jeff, Julie, Lorraine, Krishna, Ty, Angela, I know I’m missing names…sorry! But thank you to everyone!

I can’t wait for the next race!

Do the Ultra Shuffle: Glacial 50 Mile

2011-10-13T06:33:00.002-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Marty Kanter-Cronin...

I’m slow, empirically speaking. No, really I am. I am not even a speed bump on Kevin Grabowski’s butt when it comes to 50 mile race times. When I can measure the differences between me and the winner in HOURS, face it. I am slow. Now before you start arguing with me, trying to state any extenuating circumstances, age, experience, trying to bolster my ego, blah blah blah, let me just say that numbers are cold hard facts. Last time I looked there was no place in the race results for excuses.

In a 50 mile race, I want to be at the middle average line, say less than 10 hours (course dependent). I think I can do that. On paper, extrapolating out times based on past results at other distances, I should be able to run faster. Unfortunately for me races are never run on paper; the desire to do something and the ability to do it are quite different things. And it’s not that I want to beat more runners, it’s about suffering less. More efficient equates to faster times, but more importantly for me less pain and more fun. I love trail running, and I know that I am going to suffer in a 50 miler, but after about 10 hours I’ve had about enough thank you very much.

And really I just want to get done before Joel and Ron drink all the Hamms.

OK, so the Glacial 50 mile race. I don’t need to tell you about the course, most of you have run it, volunteered it, and trained on it. It’s beautiful, simply. The race organizers and volunteers: Robert, et al: the best, simply.

My Glacial race. I actually love the fact that I am not that good at the 50 mile distance, I have so much room for improvement. Christine once said to me “I don’t think anything slower than a 12 minute mile is running”, and she’s right. Slower than that is walking, or shuffling. So at Glacial it was run run run run until I hit about 25 miles and then it was run walk shuffle curse run shuffle walk kinda run shuffle trip curse finally more running more cursing more shuffling.

I do ultra’s, but right now I don’t always do ultra running. Sometimes I do the ultra shuffle, with a side of ultra cursing.

And yet I still do them, because I love them. So while it was a great day for a trail run (walk shuffle), I was feeling dead-legged from doing my first four 50 mile races in 90 days (the definition of insanity: doing something over and over expecting different results). My mental attitude and self talk was negative all day (as Marcel once told me: “hey you signed up for it”).

I nearly dropped out of Glacial three times, but someone always kept me going. The first time, an aid station worker more or less TOLD me to get back on the trail. This was at mile 21. Then again at mile 25, the turn around, I thought of dropping. This time I pulled myself back into it. Then at mile 29.5, Jodie T was my savior. She pulled me out of the AS.

At mile 36.7, Marcel was dropping, having issues with an IT, and it was my turn to get Jodie going. I could tell she really wanted to be was done. Peer groups can spur us into all kinds of actions. A teeter totter of mental states and small things can push us up or down; make us quit or go on.

Those of us who have run with Julie Treder know her trademark laugh. She seems to laugh off the pain, push it all, discomfort, ego right off with a healthy dose of humor. I thought of that attitude at this stage, mostly because Julie was there at the Butler Aid station, trying to get me going. It worked (thank you Julie!), I got out, dragging Jodie with me.

I tried for a while to keep Julie’s humor in the situation. After a while I lost it so instead I found anger. I cursed. I decided to get really really MAD. From mile 36.7 to 43, I ran 12.5 minute miles, running and not shuffling almost all of it.

Arriving at mile 43, Hwy 67, I was gassed. Angela and Krishna were there, as well as Pat Gorman. I told Pat I was trying to break 11 hours when I saw him at an earlier AS, and here at Hwy 67, he told me: “you better get going if you are gonna break that 11”. I said I think I have to give up that plan. He said that was a good idea. Angela and Krishna were great, taking care of me, giving me Code Red Mountain Dew and some shade. Angela put a bag of ice in my hat and told me to keep it there. I did, and for an hour as I ran, the ice melted and ran down my back (thank you Krishna and Angela!).

Somewhere in that next 7 miles, though the shuffling cursing walking and running, I realized I still had a shot at a PR. I ran 11:16:26 at Marquette back in August, and while 11 hours was out of the question 11 hours and small change was not. When I got to the point of where I had about 2.5 miles left, I looked at my watch (which I rarely wear, for a reason) and I figured a 12.5 minute pace would get me there.

At that magical point of ONE mile left, I had 10 minutes (needless to say the ultra cursing took on a new dimension). Joel once said to me “you gotta hang your hat on something” so I dug in deep, and managed a 9 minute and change last mile getting a PR by about 35 seconds (11:15:51), depending on where Robert has me crossing the finish line.

They say it takes a village to raise a child (or an idiot), and I doubt I would be successful in any respect without my running “village” the whole LPTR gang.

And extra thanks to the following people (in no order), for making my shuffle a success.

- Jodie T. Girl, we keep doing these things and doing them together. Thanks again for being my partner for much of the day, leap frogging and spurring each other into action. I would not have finished without your help.

- Angela. For advice, for being there. Knowing you were waiting for me made the difference at times. I hate to disappoint people. I admire your toughness, and tried to find some of it though-out the day.

- Aid Station workers. Jeff M at the first stop. Julie T. For taking care of me at Butler Lake AS twice, both in and out. Krishna, who tried to get me out of the Ultra-Death-Stare by chatting me up. The guy I don’t know, who pushed me back out at mile 21.

- Kevin G. - K-man, it was great to be with you, riding up together, sharing a room with you, Jose, Jodie and Marcel (you gotta stop hogging the covers though).

Where I lacked in running elegance I made up for with a lack of speed. It weren’t pretty, and it sure weren’t fast. Sometimes doing it when it’s hard and it hurts is what defines our character (or the edges of our sanity). To succeed when we shouldn’t; to persist when we have every reason to quit.

OY! Get this: the Glacial Course is now both my 50K and 50 mile PR. Go figure. I look forward to seeing it again next year.

Rocks, Heat and the Glacial 50

2011-10-12T07:41:00.000-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Troy Malinowski!...

To paraphrase Rocky Dennis, “Three things I hate in life are “Rocks, Heat and the Glacial 50”.

ROCKS!!!! Do I need to say more? My toes are feeling the pain, only no post-race surgery this time as the Dance with Dirt event removed the nails. But within nine miles of Glacial, I could have sworn I dislocated something in my foot, as each step throbbed.

By the time I reached Butler Lake, the pain was affecting my mind, as I came up to the aid station, I filled up on water and saw Ron’s daughter. Having just been passed by Cassie on her return trip, I said “Hi, Cassie” (to Emma Grace, remember mind wasn’t there as usual) as she looked at me glazed eyed ……. “Oh, I’m sorry Emily” …….. I mean Nancy Grace (oh, wait I didn’t say that to EmmaGrace, that’s what I said as I kicked that rock at Mile 7 …. Sorry for the cursing, but then how the heck is she still on DWTS???) ……. And then upset, she stated firmly “It’s EmmaGrace, but I like your gloves”.

So, I refreshed and took off again, but the heat was starting to rise. After making the turn and running back to Butler lake, I was delighted to get ice in my hydration pack and have EmmaGrace shout “You are still rocking those pink gloves” What motivation!! I ran strong through the prairie, but after kicking the rock at Mile 21 / 41, my toes couldn’t take it anymore, as I had to stop and put all my weight onto my left foot while standing on my right foot to try to “adjust” the bones back into place. While the ice from Butler Lake was great, the heat was taking its toll. I made my way back into Green Bush slowly.

So, we have mentioned the rocks and heat. The last thing I (and my toes) hate is the Glacial 50. This race has my number. My Polish heritage just doesn’t work for this race. And while others say “Glacial is my favorite race”, these are the ones running on ugly “pillow” shoes. The past two years, this race has chewed me up and spit me out. I have not been this sore in years.

So, these are the things I hate in life; not the usual race report from me, so let’s add some positive to it. Three things I love in life are Rocks, Heat and the Glacial 50.

The rocks on the course remind us on how fragile we are, how we must stay focused in life and realize in victory, some falls, stumbles and pain must be felt. The heat slows us down to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. The sun shining, the colorful leaves, snakes sunning themselves along the Ice Age trail and just how long these rocks have live on that trail before I came along to disturb them.

The Glacial 50 simply because of the course and the technical-ness. This brings us to realize just how strong we are and how we can be stronger. And the volunteers; they rock more than the course. And like all of Robert’s races “EVERYTHING” that could be asked for. Well marked course, great aid stations and like someone mentioned at the finish “How does Robert stay thin, with cooking like this?”

Glacial Trail 50: Pre-Race Interview with the RD, Robert Wehner

2011-10-05T13:01:00.000-05:00

LPTR Steve Poulter's Pre-Race interview with Glacial 50 RD and fellow LPTR, Robert Wehner...

As an LPTR special reporter, I was able to snag a few minutes of busy Race Director Robert Wehner’s time today to chat about the approaching Glacial 50 this Sunday, October 9. Robert is busy with final preparations but was kind enough to humor me with some history and commentary on the race. (Note that I furiously took notes and therefore had to summarize Roberts comments and add some narrative).

Robert running the John Dick 50k, one of
three races he is currently the RD for...

SP: How did you get involved with the Glacial Trail 50, did you run it before you became RD? How did you become RD?

RW: I started running ultras in 2002, and the Glacial 50K was my second ultra (5:40:52). I ran that again in 2003 (5:04:21), then moved up to the 50 miler in 2004 (8^th overall, 9:18:39). At the time Tom Bunk was the RD and was looking for someone to take over. I ran the 50 mile again in 2005 (5^th overall, 8:37:00) and became the RD starting in 2006. This is my 6^th year as RD.

SP: This is the 25^th year of the race. Is there any history of the race that is of interest? Any plans for anything new this year?

RW: When the race started, it was a 100K that went down to Hwy H. Sometime in the 90’s the 100K died out, I don’t know the full story, but it might have been due to the longer cutoff, it started and ended in the dark, and might have been hard to get volunteers. Back in 1999/2000 there was only the 50K. Tom was RD from 2001-2005 and added the 50mile. The fire station is obviously newer, and hasn’t always been the exact start/finish of the race.

We created a different finisher award this year for the 25^th anniversary, it’s a ceramic medallion that is a little unique. Tom or a previous RD started the tradition of the race sweatshirt for the runners, and at the time cycled through about 6 colors. Last year I switched to a different style sweatshirt to open up the color options, it seemed to be popular so that is back in a different color this year.

SP: The course is relatively technical due to the rocky trail. Any advice for first timers or those transitioning from the 50K to the 50M this year? Any general feelings about how low key the race is and if you intend to keep it that way?

RW: People have always commented on the technical nature (rocky/rooty) of the Ice Age Trail in the area. One time a runner sent me an email complaining and said they wouldn’t be back. I didn’t respond. Every race and trail has its own character, there are plenty out there if people don’t like this trail. I really like the rustic, low key, wilderness, fewer and farther apart aid station aspect of the race. I intend to keep it this way. The 50 mile race starts at 6:00 am and runners will need a light. We have a drop box at the Hwy 67 AS (mile 7) for headlights and jackets, so you don’t have to take them on to Butler Lake AS (mile 13.3).

SP: You commented on the Aid Stations (AS), they are somewhat farther apart compared to some of the other local ultras (IAT50, NFEC), any advice for the runners to prepare for those gaps (hydration packs, double bottles, etc.)?

RW: The last year I ran the race, I was at about 5 miles in and running with another guy. He asked where the aid station was and he didn’t have any bottles. The guy was not prepared, he didn’t read the course description or know anything about the location of the aid stations. My advice is to read the course description and know where the aid is located. The forecast this year looks nice, it will be sunny and 70 and you will be sweating a lot. We will have Hammer products (Heed), Hammer gels, ice available, and lots of other food available.

SP: The AS volunteers are great, are there any long-standing volunteers that keep coming back year after year that make the AS special for the runners?

RW: (*editor’s note: I lost names in this conversation, sorry about that…) Kristine Hinrichs and John run the Butler Lake AS, New Fane AS is run by some folks* who live close and have repeated, HWY67 has always been a mix because of location and that it is an all-day AS since its first / last. Jeff Mallach will run it in the in am this year, Angela Barbera will run it in the pm.

SP: Anybody talking to you this year about favorites or coming with the intent to take home a win this year?

RW: I don’t really get into or have time to study the entrants and make projections on the front runners. I do try to give the #1 race number to a previous year’s winner if they come back.

SP: I see there are 58 people signed up for the 50 miler and 104 signed up for the 50K. Any final comments on the registration process or your expectations on final count?

RW: Registration is growing, especially since NFEC moved their race to September. Race day registration is available. Historically, we have set a 200 runner limit but never hit it. It’s funny, I get emails as early as June asking if the race is full. I expect about 170 runners this year. You can switch races before the race starts, but not once it starts. All volunteer slots are full so I won’t need to send out a last minute call for help.

Birkie Trail Marathon

2011-09-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

Race Report from LPTRunner Joe Fitzgibbon: 9/24/11 – Birkie Trail Marathon -http://www.birkie.com/page/show/110428-birkie-trail-run-and-trek

So…a little background. Ever since I got back into running, I’ve been kind of intrigued with the idea of spending my birthday running my age. Don’t get me wrong, beer, parties, cake & ice-cream, birthday gifts, a few birthday brews – these are all great things. But if you really enjoy running, some time out in the woods reflecting on the years that have past and striding out a bunch of miles seems like a great way to mark the occasion. 2 of my daughters turned 6 on September 24^th. So with a healthy level of transference and some creative math, I decided to run the Birkie marathon on their birthday. Following the same logic and with some even more creative math, my wife Sarah signed up for the half marathon trek.

The Birkie marathon is now in its second year. It is a point to point race from Hayward to Cable, through the Chequamegon National forest. This is the same trail that carries 11,000 skiers on the Great American Berkabiner race every February. So you can imagine the setting; a 20 foot wide trail through tall forestation. It is groomed, freshly mowed and runs like a very hilly golf course. Fast!

Enough background, here is the report.

The alarm goes off at 4:55. Sarah and I get up and manage to eat breakfast and get out of the cabin without wakening any of the kids or Grandma and Grandpa. We drive through winding gravel roads until we get to the Telemark resort just outside of Cable. Arriving at the resort, we follow the smell of charcoal and roasting pigs to the finish line where we find some great race volunteers cheerfully handing out race bibs and drop bags. By 7:00 I am on a bus to the marathon starting line, and Sarah will soon be on her way to the start of the half.

The starting line of the marathon is very low key. There is no timing matt, no blow up archway, no advertising and few spectators. There are 81 runners, a start line, a race director with a bullhorn and a path that leads into the forest. Perfect!

At 8:00 the race director counts down the start and we are off into the woods.

Now, I’ve heard the advice that in preparing for a race you should have an optimistic goal and a secondary, more realistic goal. That way you have something to fall back on if the race doesn’t go your way. I think that is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. I am a firm believer in keeping things simple. 1 goal and you either meet it or you don’t. Anything more complicated than that, and I am bound to lose track. So my goal in this race; catch up to Sarah a few miles before the finish and pace her through the last miles of her first half marathon.

The first 20 miles of the race breezed by pretty easily. The hilly terrain and the constant turning of the trail prevent you from seeing very far ahead. After the first two miles, I could never see more than a couple people ahead or behind me for very long stretches. So it started to feel a lot like a Saturday morning run at Lapham Peak. I did the math ahead of time knew that I needed to maintain 10 minute miles if I was going to meet up with Sarah later in the race. As I passed the mile markers and touched the “split” button on my watch, I was pleasantly surprised to see mid 9s over and over.

At mile 23 I finally saw Sarah up ahead. I was gradually catching up to her when she looked back and spotted me. She stopped on the trail and started walking my way. So naturally I call out, “Keep going! This is your race!”

I’ll spare you the details of the last 3 miles. Mostly husband and wife stuff, trying to remember all the crazy things we experienced having twins 6 years earlier, while striding through those last few miles. At the finish line we spot the whole family; my parents, Sarah’s parents and our 4 energetic daughters.

The Birkie race volunteers really know how to put on the post race party. A few minutes later we are refueling with BBQ sandwiches and Angry Minnow Oktoberfest beer. We head back to the cabin for some cake & ice-cream, presents and a couple of birthday brews (again, transference).

Happy Birthday Kate and Norah!

North Face 50 MILE - Ashley Kumlien's Race Report!

2011-09-29T10:23:00.000-05:00

LPTRunner Ashely Kumlien CRUSHED the NF 50 mile! Here's her report as copied from her blog... You can keep up with her posts on her personal site as listed on the sidebar for LPTR member blogs...

September 19th, 2011

I’m not exactly sure where to start writing this blog. I know I should write it right now, while the feelings and emotions from this weekend’s 50-mile race are still fresh. Plus, I have a crazy busy week planned ahead with two out-of-state speaking events for MS and another 50-mile race in Colorado in 7 days, but…where to start?

This is probably difficult for me to get out because the race was a completely surreal experience. I simply cannot explain why my body allowed me to run the time that I did. Compared to my 50-mile races in 2009, my personal challenge of finishing in under 9 hours was a lofty goal. My running buddy, Aaron Schneider, and I were speaking on Thursday about the game plan for Saturday’s race; he committed to crewing the race for me, so we had to coordinate what I expected from the race with how he was going to help me at the aid stations along the way. The brief pause he produced after I told him I wanted to break 9 hours said it all; we had been running together since June so he knows my pace and capabilities. We both knew that breaking 9 hours would be a big accomplishment for me, but he was in.

Saturday morning at 2:50am I woke up before my alarm went off feeling well rested and ready to run. In packing my race bag the night before, I reminded myself not to over think things. Fifty miles; I could run fifty miles. I had done it before, I could do it again. “Just stick to what you know. Stick with what works” I kept telling myself. Fifty miles in 9 hours, shaving 39 minutes off my current personal record. I felt ready.

Driving out to the course I felt excited. I had been excited all week, and tried to focus on staying calm. I’m notorious for hitting the early miles hard and paying for it later. Aaron has experienced this as we logged 20-mile training runs where I would jump around the trails like an idiot playing “Running Ninja” while singing, and then would pay for it later as Aaron kicked my butt and chuckled at me for the last 10-miles, “Where’d the Ninja go?” he would tease. Hitting the early miles hard in a 50-mile race is suicide.

Meeting Aaron at the Ottawa Lake parking lot we went over everything one more time, played the weekend theme song, and then headed to the start just a squeak before 5am. Dean Karnazes, the Ultramarathon Man, set the group off just after a show of hands reveling that half the field was new to this experience. New 50-mile racers can be dangerous; by being new to the distance, usually excitement an cause them to go out too fast not respecting the length of the race. I had to remember to run my pace despite what the other runners did. The countdown started…3…2…1….GO!

50 miles to go.

The first aid station was a nice 6.6 miles into the course. Following the glow sticks that lead the way I reminded myself to take it easy. Other runners were out of the gate faster then I knew I should be running, so the real challenge was keeping my pace no matter what went on around me. Aaron had charted out my pace/time in order break 9 hours, and as I glanced down at my watch entering Aid Station #1 I knew I had gone out too fast, coming in 45 minutes ahead of my schedule arrival. “Well, so much for taking your time. Did you even walk the hills at all?” Aaron asked as he shook his head. I just grinned from ear to ear. “Sorry, I tried I think. I’ll slow down, I promise,” I replied. It was dark and cool so it was easy to run faster. The threat of the Running Ninja emerging was something we both knew was very possible. Slow down or you will lose it at the end; was the message we both knew I needed to take seriously.

43.3 miles to go.

For the next 4.5 miles I took it slower. I still wanted to keep a good pace but didn’t want to over do it. I hiked the hills strong and fast, and let me legs do their thing on the flat trail.

Coming into Aid Station #2 I was still early, but had slowed it up. Aaron got me all set to go for my next section, gave me a high-five, and sent me on my way. For the next 10 miles I’d be going at it alone in terms of support; the next Aid Station the crew could access wasn’t until 21.2 miles. I barely heard Aaron call out as I entered the woods, “Oh Ashley, you’re 8th female!”

38.8 miles to go.

As the sky started to lighten up, I tucked away my headlamp early. The sooner I could just enjoy the natural state of the trail, the better. The air was cool and the morning was perfect. We couldn’t have requested better weather to run an ultramarathon. Just as I was getting into my rhythm, runners started blowing past me like I was standing still. We were literally only in the first quarter of the race & these runners were hitting it like the finish was just around the corner. Again, I had to tell myself to keep my own pace. It’s so, so difficult to not pick up the speed when runners are flying by, especially when I already know I went out quick. “I will catch them later,” I had to repeat to myself, “It’s way too early to go.”

Besides being passed ever so often, I was on the trail all by myself, which is something that has rarely happened to me at the beginning of an ultra. For one reason or another I usually end up near another runner, or a pack, and stay pace with them to chat for a bit. This morning it was just me and the trail. It was beautiful. I smiled and spread my arms out wide as I kicked up the dirt behind me. There are no better moments then ones like this running out in the woods, race or not. My breath was deep and my heart was happy as I absorbed every sensation I could. In these moments I don’t have to be anything else except a part of the trail. It’s hard to top that feeling.

During sunrise I emerged from the woods into an open meadow. I let my left hand brush the yellow flowers reaching into the path, as I ran and glanced over to the sun. The cool morning and rising sun allowed for just a contrast in weather to leave a light fog hovering over the tall grass. “It’s a beautiful morning! Ooooooh ooooooh” I sang out loudly.

Picture from Aaron's Blackberry

In the meadow I picked up the pace. Mentally I had split the race into quarters pre-deciding that if I felt good at 15-miles I would pick the pace up just a notch. Just before the 16.5-mile Aid Station (#3) I passed three more women on the trail. If Aaron’s counting was correct, I had moved myself up into 5th place for the female division. I barely noticed though as I heard the distant calling of the Aid Station cow bells. Food was all I could think about, no matter what place I was in.

I did a side-shuffle shimmy into the Aid Station to show off my number and gained a few laughs. “What do ya need Ash?” the volunteers asked. “I don’t know! I don’t know! I’m freaking out, how much farther is it?!?!?” I joked. They laughed some more as I smiled, chugged some Coca-cola, burped out loud, and then jumped in the air before leaving. So far the runners I had experienced were taking this race with their serious-shorts on a little too tight, and to me, 16.5-miles in was way too early to be serious.

Coincidentally I also took two salt tablet pills from two women sitting in the Aid Station looking a little defeated. I couldn’t be sure, but I believe they were part of the group of runners that flew by me earlier in the race. It didn’t dawn on me until later when I came into Aid Station #4, but that put me in 3rd place.

33.5 miles to go.

I apparently was having just a little bit too much fun during the next 4.7 miles because some where along the way I got lost. I felt I had been running long enough to be at the next Aid Station, and there were absolutely no trail markings, but I also didn’t want to go back. Luckily I found my way without putting on too many extra miles and shrugged the experience off quickly. I told the Aid Station volunteers about getting lost, as I didn’t want it to be disqualified for going off course, but they informed me that I was still okay to run if I wanted to keep going. My choices were to dwell on the extra miles and ruin the day, or let it go and have some fun. I chose to have some fun and made conversation as I hovered over the food. Aaron came up behind me and turned me around quickly, “Ashley, you’re in 3rd place, take the food and go! You aren’t just running this thing anymore, you’re racing it! Get out of here!” I took my hands and placed them on his shoulders while shaking him, “Oh my gosh, Aaron! What are we going to do?!?!” I joked. But he pushed me to the trail and pointed to the girl who had just passed me while I was kidding around, “Go get her Ashley! She’s in your place!”

28.8 miles to go.

I headed down the trail and picked up the pace again. I had passed a good amount of runners that were burning out along the way, but the possibility of actually placing in this race took hold and my competitive spirit emerged. As I passed the girl in front of me, she held on and made friendly conversation. I chatted for a few miles, but then decided to get going. Though she was very nice and I knew I should continue to be friendly, I wanted to secure 3rd place; not to mention the fact that talking can really waste valuable energy. I waved her good luck as I started to pull away. She was strong but was wasting a lot of energy running uphill. I have an advantage that I know of during an ultramarathon; I can hike a hill just as fast (if not faster) than most runners can run. I was hiking and she was running, yet my hiking saved my legs a whole lot of energy and I started to widen the gap between us during each incline.

The section I was running was a out-and-back trail where I could see the race leaders and their distance ahead of me. I didn’t actually believe how well I was doing until I was able to view the leaders coming back from the turn around. I glanced at my watch both times as I saw 1st & 2nd place females coming down the trail. The leading female had a good 25 minute lead on me, but 2nd place was in striking distance with only a 10 minute lead. As she passed me on the trail her head was down and her face was contorted. She was in pain and I wanted to catch her.

Coming into Aid Station #5 I had the joy of seeing a few friends from the Lapham Peak Trail Running group I am a part of. They had just completed their own 6-mile run & stuck around to see me come through. Melinda ran to her car to get me more salt tablets as Jose’s dog licked my face. Aaron was there too, ready in his running gear to join me on the trail as a Pacer for the next 7-miles. “Hey, we heard you were running fast! How’s it going? You’re in 3rd place, right?”Jose asked. “Yeah, it’s going great so far,” I smiled. But Aaron tugged on my shirt and we headed down the trail as the 4th place female entered the Aid Station. I needed to keep my lead on her and increase the gap. I wouldn’t feel this fantastic forever, and Aaron and I both knew that.

21.8 miles to go.

I took the lead spot on the trail with Aaron pushing the pace from behind. I always feel faster if I’m in front and can see the trail. We found a rhythm quickly and Aaron started chatting away. Again, I didn’t want to waste valuable energy by talking, and Aaron and I have become very good at running with together so he knew how to take over the conversation with little feedback on my end.

Just before Aid Station #5 my hamstring and glut muscles started to let me know how they felt about the pace. They weren’t screaming by any means; this was more of a faint whisper that was the prelude to the screaming session that would inevitably happen. The whispers from my muscles were more than bearable; it was the thoughts of what was ahead I had to prepare myself for. As I gave Aaron an update of my condition, he gave me valuable advice that I would later repeat to myself until I reached the finish line.

You started this, and now you will have to finish it.

You set the pace. You chose this. There is no way you can let up now.

When the hills bite, you bite back. From this point on, nothing is going to feel good.

Go get 2nd place.

The run to Aid Station #6, which was also the “back” portion of that out-and-back section; it was increasingly difficult, but fun and energizing. I enjoyed having Aaron with me, and it was awesome to see all the runners that were hitting the 50-mile course. It’s so serious in front. I got more smiles from the middle and back of the pack then I had experienced all day from the other runners I had seen. I waved and smiled and enjoyed all their colorful crazy outfits. “Oh, so that’s where all the happy people are,” I said to Aaron. He responded by reminding me I was holding a pace faster then I even realized. “Ashley, you keep this pace and you are definitely breaking 9 hours.”

Into Aid Station #6 Aaron had me lay down on my back and hug my knees as he got my fuel pack restocked and my carb/protein shake ready. I sucked down the shake, popped 2 Advil, took two more salt tablets, and headed toward the food table. As I got down on my knees and had the volunteer open the spout for ice cold water to pour over my head, the 4th place female passed me and took my spot. Aaron pulled me up, “Ash, ya gotta get going!” I sighed as I brushed the grass off my knees and outfit, “Aaron, the ground made my clothes all dirty!” He rolled his eyes as I jokingly asked for my mascara, and I took off to regain my spot.

14.6 miles to go.

For a boost I grabbed Aaron’s iPod which he set to Dance Mix. Though I usually go without music, at this point in the race the beat can be great to keep your feet moving fast. It didn’t take long before I caught up to and passed the 3rd place female again. With the brief few minutes Aaron and I took in the Aid Station I already knew the time was well spent. I felt refreshed and knew I had the fuel in me that would keep me going to the finish. The other female didn’t take much time, if she stopped at all. Once I passed her I knew she wouldn’t be passing me again; my pace was too strong and I could feel that she was holding on with everything she had.

I set my sights on the 2nd place as a spectator yelled to me that she was only a minute ahead. 2nd place; who would have thought that was even possible for me today? Not me, that’s for sure. But here I was chasing it down and close enough to grab it. A few more miles in I spotted her and tried to assess her stride. I had a few options. I could stay behind her, not letting her know I was this close, or I could pass and go as hard as I could to create a gap. She didn’t look strong, but she didn’t look weak either. I decided to go for it.

As I inched closer and closer to her, I also started to notice other runners on the trail. At this point, the 50-mile racers were meeting up with the 50K racers, the marathon racers, and the marathon relay racers. The course was littered with other runners now. We were just 10-miles to the finish.

Just at the top of a hill I passed the female and positioned myself in 2nd place. The glory of the spot was short lived as she saw me pass, looked at my bib color, and realized she had just lost her spot. She re-energized and took off down the trail at a pace faster than I could hold. I knew we had 10-miles left so I hoped she would wear herself out and I would catch her again. Turns out she had more in the tank then I could have thought. I didn’t see her again until the finish, and after assessing the race results, I realized my pass on her lit a fire in her big enough for her to almost catch first.

I spent a brief reprieve at Aid Station #7 as I sipped on water and swore to myself under my breath. My stomach was shot so I couldn’t eat anything, I started feeling a pang of nausea I wanted to avoid, my muscles were screaming now, and my energy levels were low. The real battle had begun and the true test now was to see if I could dig deep to hold my pace and my 3rd place spot to the finish. When there is nothing left, you find out what kind of runner you really are.

9.7 miles to go.

To our advantage the last 5 miles of the race course is fairly flat. I just had to muck through a few more Kettle Moraine’s before I was hitting the open fields with whatever I had left. I kept my gaze forward and started using the runners in the other races as new goals I would set for myself. As I passed by a runner, I would pick a new one to track down.

I also focused on the ground and told myself it was there to propel me forward. Each step I imagined receiving energy from the dirt allowing my feet as little time as possible on the earth. I picked the spot on the trail with the least amount of debris and tried to run as clean and smooth as possible. As I crossed an open field and rounded a group of trees, I heard a crazy person yelling my name. Aaron had run down the trail 100 yards to encourage me to keep pace and clear through the upcoming Aid Station. “You’re almost done, Ashley. Go get it! You have 3.7 miles left. You can do this! You can do this!” Aaron yelled. I dumped water on my face and down my neck as I swore some more. “Okay, okay. I can do it! Okay. I’m gone,” I muttered.

3.7 miles to go.

I would love to paint a beautiful picture of a strong and glorious finish, but that it was not. Threads; I was hanging on by threads. Teansy, tiny, little threads that went something to the tune of, “If I can hold on and place third, Dean Karnazes gives me a medal on stage.” My calves felt more fatigued then I believe I have ever experienced. My quadriceps muscles were tore to pieces, so much so, I was shocked I was still standing, nonetheless even running. My hamstrings were barely functional. I imagined the 4th place female gaining on me, and I hurled myself forward just to hold my spot. The pain was excruciating.

In the final mile I glanced at my watch to realize I might actually be able to break a 8-hour finishing time. As I cleared the woods onto the road I pulled out every possible ounce of energy I had left. I used my arms to pump, hoping my legs would follow. A sharp right turn into the Ottawa Lake Parking area, and I continued turning my legs over with what they would give me until I saw the big red North Face Endurance Challenge arch that marked the finish. I could hear the music and the crowd but all I could think about was the relief from all the pain…if I could just get there.

As I crossed under the arch I did the one thing I had wanted to do for the last 9 miles; I collapsed to the ground and started to dry heave. Thankfully there was nothing in my stomach or I would have made a mess of the finishing area. Aaron was by my side quickly to pick me up with the help of a medic. I literally could not use or control my legs, so they carried my weight as I stumbled to the medical tent.

0 miles to go.

Once I was laying down on a cot I was back to my happy self. With a blanket over my body to keep off the chill and a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips opened by my side, I tried to assess what just happened.

I broke 8-hours in a 50-mile race with an official time of 7 hours 59 minutes 9 seconds. I placed 3rd in the Female division. I took 19th place overall. Dean Karnazes would be giving me a medal on stage. I started to cry. The results were more than I ever could have dreamed of. The experience was more then I ever could have hoped for. “How is this even possible?” I kept asking myself over and over. I felt like the whole day was just a dream, but one that I was living wide awake. The tears were still coming as Aaron entered the tent.

He just looked at me, gave me a high-five, and started laughing, “Dude, you broke 8-hours. Holy S#*!.”

Me in the medical tent post-finish
Receiving my medal from Dean Karnazes

2011 Ironman - Bruce Udell's Race Report

2011-09-29T00:08:00.000-05:00

Bruce Udell's IronMan race report...

Several people have been asking for this and it is also meant as a recap of my day for all who contributed to the Children's Dyslexia Center of Madison - So here it is. It's kind of long, but, so was the race. It is written with several different audiences in mind, so bear with it...

Prelude

My fourth Ironman quest began when I entered a new age group for the race and my two running partners from work, Erik Beaver and Dave Nowotny, as well as my high school/college buddy Robin Tran (in Colorado) all decided to make their first attempts at the race. My previous IM races had all involved little training and less than ideal weather (89-93 degrees or 56 degrees and rain). My first race in 2003 (13:32 finishing time) was on 3 weeks notice (thanks to a free entry from a race sponsor) with a long training bike ride of 50 miles. In 2004 (12:58) I got a 7 week notice and a long ride in of 80 miles. For 2006 I entered the race through the normal process and did one bike ride over 100 miles prior to the race, finishing IM in 11:36 in the cold and rain. While I had trained much more significantly in 2006 I knew my biking could still use a lot of work and that I could be faster. For 2011 I also was asked to be an ambassador and fund raiser for the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Madison which added a new dimension and goals to my race preparation.

My training had a set back in early May of 2011when I got some tearing in my right hamstring during a track workout. Luckily I was still able to run at slower paces and ran the Ice Age 50k a few days later placing first for Masters. I was glad I could still run because three years earlier I badly tore my left hamstring and was out for six weeks. It took two years to heal where I could run strong but I still suffer with cramping issues.

Living in a small rural town (Columbus) limits my access to training groups and workout partners, especially for the required long bike rides. Luckily I was able to coordinate several longer workouts with Erik and Dave and some training groups in Madison. Not only were the longer workouts more bearable with friends but they also provided motivation for the times when you needed a push to get out the door. I was worried my training would suffer during a June two week family vacation to the Grand Canyon. Fortunately I was able to borrow a bike from Robin when we stopped in Colorado and got a few rides in up the Colorado National Monument.

After completing the Door County ½ Ironman in July and months of buildup training I started my endurance workouts with back to back days riding 107 miles on the Ironman course as part of a training weekend with Endurance Nation. Each ride was followed by a 6 mile run. The 3^rd day we ran the IM course for 13 miles. The following weekend was the annual Headhunters Hell Brick. We rode 116 miles (with pro Heather Gullnick) and ran 6.2 miles. My biggest workout was a 7 hour day the next week (4 weeks out from IM), riding three IM loops with Erik for 126 miles and a 7 mile run. Following this workout I stopped by an Amy’s Play Group (APG) party where I picked up a jersey to wear for the race (which worked great – no chaffing). My weekend rides were supplemented by occasional bikes to work (26 miles each way).

I was only swimming about 3 times a week and not as intensely as I had for my last IM but I did have Jerry Lourigan from Headhunters analyze my stroke to look for improvements. Running was limited with my strained hamstring but I did run a marathon and two ½ marathons in early summer. I found that my muscles warmed up on the bike and I could run well after long bike rides however my long runs were limited to a 16 and 18 miler. It was running too hard on training runs that hampered my recovery as I restrained my hamstring a couple of times.

We finally reached the start of a 3 week taper leading up to IM. I reduced the mileage and effort each week but still put in some 3-5 hour days. Race week I got a fast test ride in on carbon aero wheels midweek but took the rest of the week easy. The day before the race Robin and I went for an 8 mile ride and did some strides to loosen the legs up. Unfortunately the rest of the day was spent getting our bikes and gear to the IM site, running to 2 different family functions and shopping for last minute items. Too much stress and time on the feet for the day before IM.

Race Day

My race day was hampered by a series of small failures most of which caused more anxiety and stress than anything but were distracting from my race day focus. I woke up at 4:15 had some oatmeal and peanut butter & honey toast for breakfast. Grabbed my frozen Gatorade and Gu bottles and headed to Madison about 4:45 though a heavy fog. Several minutes down the road Robin exclaimed “we have to go back, I forgot my timing chip!” “What?!” “How could you forget that?” “What was the one thing I told you to do race morning?” I had even checked his ankle at home to be sure he had it on but he was wearing calf sleeves rolled down over his ankle so I couldn’t see if it was there. I answered “we can’t go back now that will put us 20 minutes behind and parking will be that much harder.” While he kept insisting we turn around I assured him he could get a replacement chip at the swim start table.

The street parking was nearly filled at 5:15 when we got there. I parked and Robin headed off to get a new chip, which turned out to be no problem. I loaded my bottles on my bike and dropped my run bottles off in my transition bag. I had brought a pump since everyone was worried about finding one that morning. Robin’s family was to meet us to pick it up but I decided to run it back to the car (good choice since we couldn’t find them, but it took time). Met up with Robin and Erik at the entrance to the convention center along with the APG contingent to put on our wetsuits. At about 6:15 we started heading towards the water. I had Erik zip me up since in practice he always had everything tucked in well where I didn’t get chafing from turning my head to breathe. We separated as we entered the water and I headed to the other side of the ski ramp. I planned on starting about 10 people back with a goal time of 1:15 however I found there was more room than usual and settled into a large void with only several people in front of me. I expected it to fill in but it looked like everyone that came in after me stayed to (or only could get as far as) the right of the ski jump.

The cannon went off without warning and we were under way. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of jostling, elbowing and kicking that I had experienced in previous IMs. I was able to draft off other swimmers and had very little problems at the corners where it slowed down. I checked my first lap and had a time of 37 minutes, right on target. However, I noticed the field had thinned out on the second lap and I had trouble finding people to draft off as I was swimming on the inside of the marker buoys since I breathe on my right side. As I neared the first corner on the second lap I took on elbow in the forehead but continued on. At the next corner I sighted and took a wave in the face along with a mouth full of water. I took a couple side strokes to cough out the water and then resumed the front crawl. That was the only time I had to slow up other than the first corner the whole swim.

I had noticed the back of my legs felt tight but kept blocking it out of my mind until I was about 150 yards from the last turn. As I was swimming my arm hit another swimmer which sent a jolt through my body much like stubbing your toe at mile 28 of a long run. This sudden stop sent my hamstrings into a cramp. I had gotten them swimming in a pool before but always thought it had to do with pushing off the wall. I slowed my stroke and had to stop kicking in fear they would lock up and I’d be looking for a kayak to grab onto. I let my legs relax and sink because every time I tried to kick I could feel the cramps starting up. I continued with a slow stoke to the finish coming out later than I planned. Worse yet I knew that if my hamstrings had cramped on the swim they weren’t likely to last on the run.

LEG	DISTANCE	PACE	RANK	DIV.POS.
TOTAL SWIM	2.4 mi. (1:21:05)	2:08/100m	1370	158

Transition 1

Unfortunately I came out of the water with dozens of others and had to search for an available stripper to take off my wetsuit. As I jogged up the helix I folded my wetsuit just as I had written in my prerace plan. I entered the transition bag room and ran right to my bag with a blue t-shirt hanging out of the top for identification. I tried to run into the changing room but it was so crowded I came to a slow walk and searched for a seat. I quickly grabbed out what I needed and stuffed my swim gear in. As I exited the center I paused long enough to get some sun screen slapped on my shoulders and neck. I grabbed my bike and jogged barefoot to the end of the transition behind the dozens of other athletes trying to exit. I tried to lean my bike against a post near the bike exit but it slipped down. A volunteer picked it up and held it for me as I slipped my socks and bike shoes on. I got out a couple minutes slower than I hoped for due to the congestion. I was already about 6 minutes behind my plan overall.

T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE

7:07

Bike

I headed down John Nolen Drive and hit the no pass zone. As I entered the tunnel under the road I saw a biker laying on the ground being assisted by 2 police officers, not a good start for that athlete. As I continued through the Coliseum parking lot I heard my CO2 cartridges clinking. I felt under my seat where I had taped my tire repair kit and felt it falling out. I had meant to check it in the morning after it had sat in the hot sun all Saturday afternoon. I figured I could put them into my bento box with my energy bars. That is when I realized the next small failure. In my morning haste I forgot to load my bars and gel shots, 600 calories of my nutrition plan – they were with my running flasks in my run transition bag. I still had my Perpeteum, Gu, and Perform but had planned on some solids to keep my stomach in check. Not a big deal but certainly unneeded stress and now I would have to do what I had told the others not to do, rely on the aid stations for Powerbars. Since I had plenty of room in my Bento Box I tore my whole tire kit out from under my seat only to find that my tire wrench was already missing. Now if I had a flat I was in trouble. More stress. I decided not worry about any of that and tried to get my mind back on the race.

The first several miles I took easy but it was a constant flow of bikers that I was mostly passing. I then picked it up to a comfortable but harder pace and started passing a lot more bikers. The corners were difficult as I wanted to fly through them but was hampered by the slower riders. To further complicate matters it seemed like there was a motorcycle race marshal in site of me for over half of the first 40 miles. I knew there were too many bikers to enforce the no drafting rule but I did see them write someone up for riding over the center line for a quarter mile.

We reached the Mount Horeb aid station but I was unable to find a Powerbar as I flew by. Over the entire course I was only able to get 2 pieces of Powerbars at aid stations, not half of what I’d hoped for. Leaving Mt Horeb I picked it up a notch but still felt I rode at a comfortable pace. Now we started hitting the rolling hills. I took it easy going up them but maximized my speed going down. It all felt relatively easy as I had ridden the course a dozen times in training and was comfortable with every hill and turn, even the cracks in the road.

As I started the second loop I noticed the wind had picked up and felt the resistance as we headed towards Mt Horeb for a second time. By now the bikers had spread out and I was able to maximize my speed on most corners. When we hit Garfield Road I noticed the next bikers were over 100 yards in front of me. I knew this would allow me to take the 2 fast turns at top speed. I hit the first curve at 36 mph and the second at 39 mph being just cautious enough to be able to maneuver if I needed to at the last second. I felt strong but didn’t want to risk blowing up with leg cramps like I had in previous years. At the top of one of the major hills I saw my favorite sign on the course: “So you did a marathon…how cute.”

After going through the crowds in Verona I started back towards Madison. The last 15 miles I played leap frog with 2 women bikers. Every hill we came to they charged up it while I took it at an easier steady pace. When we got to the flats I would pass them until the next hill. I passed them again with about 5 miles to go and with no major hills left I never saw them again (on the bike). I finished the Bike in 5:52, faster than my goal, and was back on target.

LEG

DISTANCE

PACE

RANK

DIV.POS.

BIKE SPLIT 1: 54 mi	54 mi (2:47:32)	19.34 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 2: 94 mi	40 mi (2:15:38)	17.69 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi	18 mi (47:59)	22.51 mi/h
TOTAL BIKE	112 mi (5:51:09)	19.14 mi/h	508	65

Transition 2

I hit the second transition on the run, saying sorry as I bumped by people in the bag room. Slipped on my running shoes as a volunteer stuffed my bike helmet and shoes into the bag and I was off. I got 10 yards away and realized I was still wearing my sweat band I use on the bike and not my running cap. I ran back just before the volunteer tied my bag shut and he found my cap (which also still had my Garmin watch in it for pacing). I ran outside and stopped long enough to use a porta potty (my only time the whole race). I still managed to get out of the transition in under 3 minutes.

T2: BIKE-TO-RUN

2:57

Run

I was carrying my Garmin waiting for it to get satellite reception before I put it on. The Garmin would allow me to pace myself so that I didn’t go out too fast which is easy to do coming off the bike. However this was the next failure as I cursed it for 3 miles as it didn’t lock into the satellites for 25 minutes! Talk about stress. Luckily I ran smart at about an 8:20 pace for those miles. I was feeling good running about an 8:00 pace but was shocked at about mile 5 when one of the women I played tag with near the end of the bike cruised by me at a 7:30 pace. (After the race I looked her # up and saw that she “died” several miles later and I had passed her up again for good). I was bewildered again a half mile later when I ran by Blake Becker, a local pro athlete, walking. Of course he was on his second lap to my first. I continued on through the aid stations filling my flasks as needed on the run. As I came back past Camp Randall at about mile 11 both my hamstrings suddenly went into cramps. I tried to keep moving but after 100 yards the cramps got so bad I had to stop in the middle of the road. I was bent over holding the backs of my legs for 5 minutes waiting for the muscles to relax. A couple runners offered me salt tablets and one driver offered me a ride, I said “not a chance.” Finally I was able to start running again but knew that my racing was done. Not sure if salt or fluids would help I started walking the aid stations to eat pretzels and drink Pepsi and Perform. Physically and energy wise I felt great, I wanted to run hard but every time I got near an 8 minute pace I could feel the muscles starting to cramp and would have to cut way back. As I ran past everyone walking up Bascom Hill on my second lap I must have pushed it too hard. As soon as I reached the top my hamstrings locked up again stopping me for another 3 minutes. Once they relaxed I headed down the other side trying to hold back to avoid another cramping session. With a few miles to go I was feeling strong and started running through the aid stations again, knowing I had enough fluids on my running belt to get me to the finish. As I rounded the last corner there was one runner in front of me and I turned it on (this was still a race). I felt a twinge in my hamstrings and feared I would be reduced to a stumble across the finish line. But my hamstrings held up and I flew by the other runner with 20 yards to go. My run was still decent but was not close to the 3:30 marathon I know I’m capable of in Ironman or my IM PR of 3:41 in 2006.

LEG

DISTANCE

PACE

RANK

DIV.POS.

RUN SPLIT 1: 8.9 mi	8.9 mi (1:10:56)	7:58/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 13.2 mi	4.3 mi (44:42)	10:23/mi
RUN SPLIT 3: 21.95 mi	8.75 mi (1:23:49)	9:34/mi
RUN SPLIT 4: 26.2 mi	4.25 mi (38:42)	9:06/mi
TOTAL RUN	26.2 mi (3:58:09)	9:05/mi	237	19

I was grabbed by a catcher after crossing the finishing line and told her I needed to keep moving or my legs would cramp. She walked me around the finish line area for 15 minutes while other volunteers brought me water and chicken broth. I said I really wanted food but she said I would have to leave the finish area for that. Finally I spotted my family and told her I would go with them. I scarfed down 3 pieces of pizza and then checked on how Robin (who was in front of Erik) was doing on the computer. There was no update on him for the last 4 mile section so I headed for a massage. My brother Alan asked at the sign up how long my massage would last. Since there was no wait at the time they said as long as he wants, Alan said he’d be back tomorrow to get me. Actually my massage therapist said she would work on me as long as there were other therapists available, she being the teacher of the volunteers, there in training, could do that. Not only did I get a great massage (since she was the teacher) but it lasted for over an hour. In fact by the time it was done, Robin had finished, eaten/recovered and gotten his massage, done before mine. After more pizza I went in search of Erik who had taken up residence in the Medical Tent finishing 10 minutes behind Robin in 12:31. He was released shortly after recovering from a dizzy spell and we waited for Dave who came in at 15:32.

I capped off the evening with my brother Ken who had volunteered at the Headhunter aid station on the run with my son Jacob. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ken had stepped up, taking my role as the late shift captain and had gotten me a few leftover Powergels for future races. After a quick beer we called it a night as it was after midnight and the race had ended.

Afterwards I realized that I didn’t spend enough time focusing on my own race, spending too much time making sure others had a successful race, although I enjoyed guiding them and seeing them make it to the finish line. While my 11:20 finish time was not as fast as I hoped for I was happy with it as it was still an Ironman PR. I finished 237^th out of 2811 (top 10%) and 19^th out of 327 (top 6%) in my age group.

Special thanks to my family for putting up with the long hours of training and to everyone that came out to cheer us on. The APG support was great and Chris Peters was everywhere. Also thank you to everyone that contributed to the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Madison. With the help of fundraising done by my father I raised over $2500 to help children overcome their learning disabilities and lead normal lives.

Bruce Udell

BIB	AGE	STATE/COUNTRY	PROFESSION
2238	45	Columbus WI USA	Miscellaneous

SWIM	BIKE	RUN	OVERALL	RANK	DIV.POS.
1:21:05	5:51:09	3:58:09	11:20:27	237	19

LEG	DISTANCE	PACE	RANK	DIV.POS.
TOTAL SWIM	2.4 mi. (1:21:05)	2:08/100m	1370	158

BIKE SPLIT 1: 54 mi	54 mi (2:47:32)	19.34 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 2: 94 mi	40 mi (2:15:38)	17.69 mi/h
BIKE SPLIT 3: 112 mi	18 mi (47:59)	22.51 mi/h
TOTAL BIKE	112 mi (5:51:09)	19.14 mi/h	508	65

RUN SPLIT 1: 8.9 mi	8.9 mi (1:10:56)	7:58/mi
RUN SPLIT 2: 13.2 mi	4.3 mi (44:42)	10:23/mi
RUN SPLIT 3: 21.95 mi	8.75 mi (1:23:49)	9:34/mi
RUN SPLIT 4: 26.2 mi	4.25 mi (38:42)	9:06/mi
TOTAL RUN	26.2 mi (3:58:09)	9:05/mi	237	19

TRANSITION				TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE				7:07
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN				2:57

North vs. South - F.A. Battle of the Century...

2011-09-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night's LPTR run on September 28th will be the First Annual F.A. North vs. South All-Star Showdown. The inaugural version will be called "The Battle of the Century" as a nod to the honorary Captains, Dave Dehart and Ron Bero, who are both celebrating their 50th birthdays - Watch as two half centuries collide!

The format will be a 10k time trial with 5 runners counting for each team (5 x 10k = 50K... lazy man's team ultra format?!) This should give us plenty of time for post race "refreshments"... Show-up for the Show-down!