The running and cheering of the Flannel Athletic Supporters

Troy Malinowski's report...

We had a nice turn out for the 1717th running of the LPTR Wednesday Night Black Loop Classic. Race times were slower than previous weeks due to the Double D Heatfest 2011 events and the Angela’s “Let’s run 5 Black loop Night run during the week”. 

Afterwards, the group mingled and enjoyed Robert’s Western States adventure. Of course, Mary spoke up to mention her 2001 experiences at Western ….along with 2002 races, 2004 events and the time she got a ride from her Grand Rapids, MI kindergarten classmate in Iowa. Also heard were talks of this weekend’s Dances with Dirt at Devil’s Lake. Good luck to these team members.

We then honored our newest LPTR member, Ashley Kumlien. During her Sticker acceptance speech, she reminded us of her GREAT accomplishment of running across the USA to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a disease her mother, Jill is stricken with. Ashley is in the planning stage of a 2013 “MS Run the US” RELAY and is looking for interested volunteers and runners.

After this, the group started separating as we planned to attend Joel Lammers softball game in Greendale. Joel had a late game (8:30 pm) this evening, which allowed us to run and also be at a game. Something Joel can’t accomplish. So, a group of seven Flannel athletic supporters ascended onto the Greendale Park.  Walking in front are Angela, her sister Julie and their adopted sister Brad wearing matching shirts with cut-off sleeves. Brad using the sleeves as leggings.

As we walked towards the stands, the Tennis court activity stopped and a pleasant comment was shouted (we won’t repeat at this time). This alerted the right outfielder currently playing to just stand and watch. He stared us down for a good minute or two. And at about this time, Joel made eye contact with us, we chuckled and Joel later stated he thought it was a bunch of “WILD Teenagers”

So, we took our seats and awaited the game, watching Joel and his team “loosened up”. THIRTY SIX MINUTES later, the game got started at 9:06 …… a fact that many of us could of done another Black Loop with Brad and Julie able to do Blue loop in that time.

“PLAY BALL!!” The game starts and out comes Brett, the pitcher for Joel’s team. And the game begins. Quick three up and three strike outs. The ball was being thrown with great speed. Something many in the group have never seen before. Between the inning, Joel instructed his team on the roster positions and came over for a drink of water, in passing he stated …. “This is why I don’t pitch any longer …….. We use to win in the early 2000’s before I started pitching”, but Brett was an amazing walk-on at the start of the season.

Now visualize the game …… THE SANDLOT ….a bunch of over-weight middle aged men thinking they know fast pitch softball. Let’s just say, Joel was the small guy on the team, total opposite of LPTR.  And sitting behind the backstop is HERCULES, the Bull Mastiff. Over the course of the game, he collected eight softballs and two tennis balls as when the balls went over the fence, no one but him was going to get it.

Joel’s team comes up to bat and gets a few hits, Joel gets up to bat and walks. His team scored a few runs until the third out and sides are changed.

Joel again takes left outfield. As the first batter is up, Angela says “Joel’s waving at us” in which we see Joel out there chasing and trying to catch fireflies like a seven year old girl. He did just happen to trip over a ball that got pass the shortstop and underhanded it to second in an unsuccessful attempt for an out.

Another quick top of the inning was seen. After three batters, Joel was up to bat. He hits many foul balls into the backstop and finally connects for another fielder’s choice. As he is running to first with all his might, he stumbles and just barely makes first safely. Kevin pipes up and says …”Joel’s one of our better runners, looking at him, we must not look good”.

After three innings, Joel’s team won by the eight run rule and the game was over.

We said our goodbyes and started our walk to the parking lot. And Hercules was parking something else in Center Field.

Not all roads lead to Burma…

Devils Lake 50 mile race report by Marcel Uttech...The race started like all races, nice speech, lots of people stretching, and even more people just standing around talking and laughing. I was at the Devils Lake ultramarathon race again this year, having done the 50k the year before I thought this year I would chase down the 50 miler. Besides, Ice Age 50 mi went so well for me I thought this would be a more grueling 50 miler to try-make sure it wasn’t just luck that got me through IA…

The weather was perfect up there for the start and there were hardly any bugs, (which was a blessing while walking in the woods!) The sunrise was beautiful to watch on the drive up from the West side of Madison. Krishna and his wife, Jose, Jodie and I all came up the morning of the race. We had a pretty good group of LPTR’s up there, although it seems that is the case at every race these days! Many of us started kind of far back in the pack, which I didn’t mind since it was gonna be a long day but some of the 50k ers were a little irritated when the trail became bottlenecked going into the woods and the walking began since no one was running…the course was pretty well marked, the prairie sections had some high foliage, and many trails were lined with thorns from berry bushes.  So if you wanted to pass and the person didn’t let you pass, you were gonna pay for it…

My race went pretty well the first half, I ran with people from our group mostly, finally ending up kind of on my own at mile 18 or so. It was at this point that the 50k ers headed back and those of us doing the 50 miler started the loop over again from Steinke. I noticed my Garmin was acting up a little, I went to wipe the sweat from my brow, heard a beep, saw it flash ‘lap 26’ meaning mile 26 but the reading on the watch was 25 something…figured it was close enough. I headed back up the bluffs, eagerly anticipating getting to my drop bag at mile 32 to refuel  as I was starting to run low on things…as far as I was concerned the bag was the finish line right now in my mind…so back up the bluffs I went, man are those brutal! At this time there were many hikers out and about, so I found myself saying “Runner on your left”  A LOT…not a big deal most of them were pretty cool about it. 

Once back up on top of the bluffs, I was once again looping my way around, taking in the sights and feeling pretty good. Came to aid station South Bluff Exchange…asked where the hell is the drop bags? Looking at my watch,  I was on mile 32 something…she says, “um,  this is mile 38.5. You should have already passed your drop bag.”

Of course, me being the delirious one running in the heat responds, “ that’s impossible…my watch says its only been like 32 miles or so…” because, naturally, the Garmin is the known keeper of all things mileage and time… Right? At which point she points to the sign posted  right NEXT to me which says ‘SOUTH BLUFF mile 38.5’ and says “ well that’s the sign they gave us so…” My mind is spinning…I hear a runner that came up say “guess your are farther along then you thought!”  So naturally my response to that is “well then I guess I should pick it up a little!” And I take off…still feeling like something is off, besides my watch.  I know my watch is off sometimes a mile or two, but 6? No way…well maybe? 

Of course I was just starting to feel better about it all when the same runner who made the comment comes up again behind me and says,” hey uh, lets talk…” turns out he has run this race like 6 years in a row, knows the course like the Head Goat and he tells me that he saw me come out at a T intersection, meaning I was behind him like 5 miles, then I passed him on the way to this last aid station. We start going over all the turns and aid stations, and I cant really even tell them all apart in my head at this point. We don’t really figure it out, we just keep running. Now in awkward silence (me, still thinking about it all cause this is bugging the sh*t out of me). The more I ponder this the more I know that somehow I got off track but cannot for the life of me figure out how. I was hitting an aid station every hour, I was always running on trails marked with pink flags…???

I get to the last aid station with 4.5 miles to go to the starting point (so before the ski hill) and decide I better get to the bottom of this. I explain to the lady there that I believe I am an hour ahead of schedule, and that I believe somehow I got off track…we decide to call up a race official. After I go over the map with him, I figure I must have taken a left at the 4 way and headed back up the east bluffs instead of going straight and back down around to Burma Rd ( which was the sight of the drop bags)…and would have also been the west bluffs. This loop is about 6 miles. At that point he asks me if I want him to shuttle me back there to run the loop. “ And then what ?” I ask….”oh, ya, there isn’t any aid out there anymore anyways…” I ask him if I can just run it in as a 50k although I was at mile 40…I said if I am being “DQ’ed from the 50mile then I’m sure as hell not running up that ski hill again” to which he said “sure go on in”. 

Marty at the finish of the 50 mile

So I go running in to the finish, and of course Jodie, Bruce and Krishna and Sam are all there thinking I am coming in from the 50 mile just BLAZING it! Hahaha Bruce’s eyes were so big, he was like, “Man I think you took second!” Meanwhile I am trying to explain what happened…very funny episode. So it turned out to be the longest 50k I have ever done. I was bummed I took a wrong turn but got over it sometime during the shower by the lakeJ. I stuck around and saw the rest of the LPTRs come in, Julie rocked it, and Annie did fantastic. Right behind her was Mike! I couldn’t believe how good he looked coming in! All smiles, practically dancing across the line. And then the one I was hoping to see cross that line, Marty KC coming in like a champion! 

It was great to stick around and bs with everyone, met some other runners, shared some thoughts on upcoming races… the post party that dances with dirt puts on is just awesome. So much food! Man the portabella  ‘shrooms were just fantastic! Just a helluva spread. So much fruit, I think I went up there like 5 times. We even got to see a member of the Village Peoples relay team propose to his significant other ( I assume?) right at the finish…so of course the dj throws on YMCA and they all come running in together…pretty wild, amidst the cheering  and applause and laughter…. So, to recap this race: After the blood and scrapes and bruises, once you get over that line, there is always laughter to follow.  

Gotta love the ultra races…anything can happen out there. Keep sharp people…

Run the Keweenaw 2011

Adam Sullivan's Race Report...Now THIS is what every Midwestern trail run should aspire to be.  This is the second year in a row that I have run this two day running festival and I will continue to come back for years to come.  The race starts with the 6k Mount Baldy Hill Climb on Saturday morning, followed by the 12k Vasque Trails Challenger on Saturday evening and finally the 25k Carl Olson Memorial Adventure Run on Sunday morning.

So first a little background on the event: The races are held in Copper Harbor, MI which is the farthest north you can go in the state.  The trail running festival used to be operated by Great Lakes Endurance but when they decided to “retire” the event some locals decided that this great event needed to live on.  The race has a very low-key grass roots feel to it with all the proceeds from the race being put back into the trail system there in Copper Harbor.  The 12k and 25k are run on the world famous mountain biking trails located in town.  And world class is not an exaggeration.  A few years ago the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) named the Copper Harbor trail system an “Epic” ride making it 1 of 50 in the WORLD.  So these trails are fun.

So we’ll start with the first race of the day:

The 6k Mount Baldy Summit Run

This is the first race of the weekend and the only one that is not based out of Copper Harbor.  This race starts 15 miles south in the town of Eagle Harbor.  The first half of the race is on double track that continuously narrows until it hits pure single track.  Like the name of the race, it’s up and up and up the whole way of the race.  Not too un-similar from the start of our black loop, just a lot longer and steeper.  Once you get to the top there are some great views of Lake Superior and Eagle Harbor but it was pretty windy so I didn’t linger.  There are no roads or cars at the top so to get back to the food (delicious granola from the Keweenaw Co-Op) you have to run back down the trails you just came up!  I’m not sure where overall I came in but it was an age group win for me so for my efforts I won a bottle of Thimbleberry Jam (it’s amazing).

The 12k Vasque Trails Challenge

Shortly after the hill climb finish it started to rain and continued to rain for the rest of the day so needless to say the race was a wet and muddy one.  This race is one loop on the Copper Harbor mountain biking trails, it’s not a full 12k but it’s somewhere between that and a 10k.  Either way it’s a fun race.  The first 4-5k is a pretty consistent climb to the top of a ridge along the Whoopidity Doo trail.  From there it’s pretty much either flat or down hill to really cruise to the finish.  I ran a great race and came in 1^st in my age group and about 10 minutes faster than last year.  After the race was another awards ceremony for age group awards and random grab bag items.  This time I wound up with one of those hippie hemp bracelets.  The RD is a very big proponent for having local artists or stores provide the prizes.  The bracelet was made by a local in Copper Harbor while the Thimbleberry Jam is huge in the UP.

After the race it was off for dinner and a beer at Zik’s then off to my campsite for a fire, some ice cream, and my tent.  I woke up a few times that night because of the rain so I knew the next day would be a wet one.

The 25k Carl Olson Memorial Adventure Run

While this is called an Adventure Run, it is in name only.  Evident the name for this race comes from a classic memorial race that had jumped around the peninsula over the past few years.  This race starts in town again and hits up the incredible single track almost immediately.  This route consists of two different loops that passes through the start/finish area at the halfway point.  There is an immediate steep climb when you head up the “Stairway to Heaven” trail.  This trail is a great one if you’re on a mountain bike and going down as it is almost made up of all bridges and walkways.  Running up is fun, but steep at times and hard!  So you run up and up and up until you get to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.  From here you cross over Rt 41 to hit up Whoopidity Doo again, this time running in the opposite direction.  At this point I was pretty much already hurting, I had run quite a bit harder on Saturday than I had last year and my legs were feeling it on this course.  Everything I had ran up on Saturday I now got to run down back into town at the just over halfway point.  From here we had the only flat section of the course where we ran north to loop around the Fort Wilkins State Park.  After looping the west campground you head south to loop around Lake Fanny Hooe and hook back up with the MTB trails.  This section is incredibly muddy, wet and filled with roots.  There is one monster climb that seems straight up (pretty close to the climbs on the Superior Hiking Trail).  All I could think while hiking up was that the people who ride their mountain bikes down are crazy!  From the top of the climb it’s about 6k left to go on the beautiful winding single track.  You finish running down the “Stairway to Heaven” which when wet with muddy shoes is scary to say the least.  While in perfect conditions you could hammer this down I took the safe option and was a bit timid on the wood bridges.  I cruised into the finish with a time a couple of minutes slower than last year which I pretty much expected after the races on Saturday which was again good enough for a 1^st place age group finish.   The age group win netted me an awesome print of a framed photograph of the trails from a local photographer.  Another awesome, local prize.

The race is finished up with a breakfast at Zik’s with some good greasy sausage, eggs, and fruit (not greasy) served up for all the runners and spectators/family.

Final Thoughts

I really cannot say enough about these races.  I am very biased though, I have some very strong emotional ties to the UP and Copper Harbor as I think that this part of the country has played a huge part of the person I am today.  It’s the first place I ever saw a bear (and probably the only time I’ll see one in a church) and it’s where I’ve spent countless summers swimming in the lake and taking the ferry to Isle Royale.  It’s probably the only place outside of the mountains that I right now would want to move to and never leave.  But I really do think that everyone needs to experience this awesome race experience and see an amazing part of the Midwest.  It’s not an Ultra but over the course of the two days you wind up putting around 30 miles on your legs so I’m feeling it for sure on Sunday night.

Plus, we were just told that the state just recently purchased a huge chunk of land north of Copper Harbor that includes 17 miles of Lake Superior shoreline.  The Copper Harbor Trails Club (which has 3 full time employees by the way) have over 30 miles of single track planned for this area and the thoughts of holding a Copper Harbor 50 or 100 miler are in the works.  So keep your eye out for that one.

I love the small feel of this race but I know it needs to grow more to continue to be sustainable.  And while I know that will mean no more age group awards I’d rather have the race to run at every summer.  

Afton 50k 2011

Race Report from Brad Birkholz...  This year’s Afton 50K was completely different. Apparently Minnesota’s governing bodies couldn’t come up with a budget plan and decided to shut down all the state parks, 2 days before the race. Well this was a bit of an issue considering Afton takes place in a state park. Luckily RD John Storkamp was able to arrange the event next door to the park at the Afton Alps ski hill. John and his great group of volunteers were able to get the course marked and the race set up for the Saturday event.

Because of the change, this year’s course was a  7 3/4 mile loop up, down and around a ski hill, done 4 times. Standing there looking up at the hill seeing the ribbons going straight up, I knew it was going to be a rough day.

After John’s description of the course and how we weren’t going to like him afterwards, we were off. So up we go. This was a short climb to one of the hill’s roads. Maybe  ¾ of a mile stretch. This was to be the only flat part of the course. Then up we go into some single track, coming out of the single track on to parts of the ski hill. Back into single track, climbing, descending, going into sections called, The Plummet, Man Handler and Larry’s Revenge. (These trails are used as mtn bike trails). Finally coming back out to the main ski hill. Again gong back up to the top and back down to the start finish. But surprise, that’s not the finish. We turn right and go back up the top of the hill, practically straight up. Then all the way down with a few more rocky switch backs to the start finish.

The first lap went well, just tried to take it easy because I knew there would be a lot of climbing. There was one section that turned into some smooth, gradual downhill single track, so I decided to pick it up a bit. A little ways into it I hit a root and went down. Of course, the smoothest part of the loop and I go down. One bloody knee and off I went. Got started again and I check my hands. Blood dripping off my left and what appears to be a stone stuck in my palm. Turned out to be a layer of skin, pulled it off and carried on.

Lap 2 was still just trying to keep steady. No causalities on this one. Don’t know what the deal was with lap 3. Came in after lap 2, got some stuff and just took off. Something kicked in and was able to pick up the pace, which was probably a good thing because of the issues to come in lap 4.

Now, Afton isn’t really known for being a tough course, but what it is known for is the heat and humidity. This is probably the fifth year I’ve been out there and every year it’s been hot. So all day I’m wondering when the cramping will start, lap 4 was that time. I had been taking 2 S-caps every hour from the start, probably 2 in less than an hour. Shortly into the last loop the cramping started. It sucked because the legs wanted to go but the cramping kept coming. This went on for the rest of the loop, good thing I had plenty of S-Caps. Probably took 3 in the last 3 miles. Managed to work through it though and finish strong on the last downhill with a time of 6:15:53, good for 27^th place out of 97 finishers. Not sure how many started, but I think it was somewhere around 168.

Congratulations to all who finished on such a tough day. Special congrats to John and his crew for pulling off a great race under the circumstances.

Official Results: http://www.aftontrailrun.com/images/stories/myphotos/2011_afton_trail_run_preliminary_50k_results_7-2-11.pdf

Keyes Peak 50k 2011

Jodie Taylor's Race Report...  The trip to Keyes Peak was a blast. It was time well spent with great people. The race itself was different than expected. I'm not an experienced Ultra runner, this was my 3rd race and from what I have learned and experienced over the past few months, this felt more like a road marathon.

We started the race with the marathoners and the pace was fast. It was easy to get sucked into the flow. Runners barely stopped at the aid stations. There were only water, electrolyte drinks and shot bloks at the aid stations, however the volunteers were super friendly and helpful. Jose was so hungry that one of the volunteers gave him his own stash of food! A lot of the marathoners I ran with said this was their first trail race. It was interesting to hear their point of view. Most of the race was run on ATV trails. The notorious 60 yard river crossing was cancelled due to the water level being too high from all of the rain the previous week. The river was moving very swiftly. The river guide said it was over his head, I commented that I'd probably get swept away, his answer was "yeah, you'd get swept away."

Thus, what was going to be a 50k loop, turned into an out and back race. We did have a small stream to cross, which on my way back, I decided to swim in it to get my river crossing in and to rinse off the mud from falling in a giant mud puddle. But somehow, I ended up not rinsing any of the mud off of me. It was a fast course due to few hills. I did win a bottle of home-made Wisconsin maple syrup, yummy! Todd won syrup and 8 ticks! We ate it for breakfast the next morning. Well, we made pancakes too. Sunday morning, Jose did all of the cooking for the group. We stayed in a beautiful cottage on Sea Lion Lake. And after the race, we all jumped in the cool water to refresh our legs. And after, after, we ate two dinners and birthday cake to celebrate Jose's and Todd's Birthdays!!!

 If you're a road runner and want to try a trail run, this is a gentle place to start. If you're an experienced trail runner and want a fast course, you'll get a fast time here. If you want amazing trails in the woods,…maybe next year if the river crossing is open you will find those trails on the other side, we don't know, since we didn't get to the other side.

Overall, the weekend was a blast! Thanks everyone (Marcel, Jose, Marty, Todd and Adam) for a great weekend!

Adam Sullivan's Race Report...

Dude where’s my single track?!?  This is pretty much what was running through my head for the first 13 miles of the Keyes Peak 50k.  That and “I’m running too fast” (more on this later).

The race was supposed to be a loop course with a chest deep river crossing at mile 23.  But when the sheriff’s department had to rescue a group our canoeing they told the RD no way.  So the course was changed to an out and back format.  85% of the course (if not more) was held on ATV dirt trails.  A good portion of the course was on sand which wasn’t much fun once the sun came out on the way back to the finish.  There were a few miles on large two lane gravel roads with I’d say a total of 3 miles maximum of single track.  There were no major climbs and the course was overall very runnable.  Probably perfect for one of you out there looking for a 50k PR.

Anyways on to my race and my lessons learned.  I started the race running with Todd which was fun to have some company on the first leg of the race.  He’d rattle off mile times (markers were placed every mile) and every time I would think “I need to slow down.”  Well I never did and I paid dearly for it.  The first half was uneventful and everything felt great aside from the horse flies.  I think we came in to the turnaround at 2:24ish so around a 9:30/mile pace.

We turned around and I kept up with Todd until we hit the small stream crossing in the short section of single track the race had.  I stopped quickly to splash some water on my face then kept moving.  I didn’t see Todd again until the finish.  I kept cruising along nicely feeling ok until the aid station with 11ish miles to go in the race.  I was running a lot slower than earlier but still feeling fine and moving well.  The same continued until I got to the 8 mile to go aid station.  It was here that I started to hurt pretty bad.  I made sure to have a GU while there then kept moving after sitting down for a little bit in their chair.  I left once I caught the smell of the dead rotting deer not 30 feet from the aid station.

From here we started the longest and most exposed section without aid of the race.  I shuffled out still feeling like crap and shortly after this station is when Jodie came flying by looking great.  Shortly after she passed by my legs finally came back to life and I was able to run again.  It was starting to get warmer and the last 2 (or 3) miles of this section are in the open in the sand.  This was very uncomfortable and I killed the rest of my water very quickly.  (I should note: I was running the whole race with my handheld bottle and had worked great up until this point.  I would literally run out of water as we would round the corner for each aid station.)  I ran out of water with about a mile left of this section and I was struggling pretty hard with my dehydrated state.  I didn’t run any of the section when I didn’t have water as I thought I would keel over if I did. 

I pulled into the last aid station with 3.5 miles left to go and got my bottle filled and promptly sat down in a chair.  I felt like hell and wanted at least time off my feet.  I pulled out a GU and was so repulsed by the thought of it that I stuffed it back in my pocket.  I finished off the whole bottle in my chair and got a refill before I headed out (I think this was a bad idea). 

Now this was the start of my death march.  I tried to run but kept feeling worse and worse.  Marcell caught up and passed me after about half a mile (he was looking great and moving fast) when I was feeling the most nauseous of the march.  Shortly after he kept going I had a few dry heaves thrown in just for good measure.  I contemplated walking back to the aid station to drop but figured that I might as well trudge back to the finish.  It took 50 minutes to go those 3 miles but I finally made it back.  This wasn’t a very large race so even with my 5:59 I took 3^rd in my age group which netted me a bottle of maple syrup.

In the end it was a great time, with great friends, an awesome little cabin, a tough race (my fault) and a very mediocre course.

Lessons learned?

·      *   Fearless leader Todd Egnarski is much faster than I am and a much better ultra runner.  Don’t run the first half of a race with him and think you’ll survive.

·      *   Eat more than just GU’s.  The past two races I’ve run were fully GU-supported and I couldn’t choke them down by the end of either one.  Get some real food or some shot bloks in me to supplement.

·      *   No matter how thirsty you are: don’t drink an entire 20oz of fluid at an aid station.  I’m fairly certain this is what caused my stomach issues.

·       *  After only my 3^rd ultra and first not on the Superior Hiking Trail, I’ve realized I still have a lot to learn about how to run.

·       *   And lastly, even a crappy race with a poor race plan can still be a great time with the LPTR crew.

Western States 100...(Part 2)

Robert Wehner's Race Report...
As mentioned in my pre-race report, I stood on the starting line of the WS100 with no idea of how far I would get, but was looking to have a weekend of adventure.  The WS100 lives up to it's reputation as the grand-daddy of 100 milers, with the organization and volunteers (and hype) to give all the runners everything they could need and more.  The course takes you into stunning wilderness, and there were times you just had to stop and take in the views.

The start features a 4+ mile climb to the high point of the course, and we had snow starting about 3 miles up; after that the trail was mostly snow covered for the next 12 miles.  The snow was pretty firm (postholing wasn't a problem), but the surface was very uneven, so it was hard to get into a decent running rythym.  There were also a number of icy hillside traverses, where a slip would mean a long slide down the mountain.  Near the end of this section, we had our first stream crossing; the water was flowing fast, cold, and deep!

Up to the mile 20 AS we had had mostly shade, but now the trail was more open, and the sun began beating down on us.  For me, a pattern started to emerge, where I found myself passing people on the uphill portions.  As for my foot, so far so good.  Even with the temps warming up, I was enjoying the drier air; a nice break from the typical WI humidity.  Rather than just relying on gels, water, and sports drink, I found myself being able to eat a variety of food at the aid stations (something I usually didn't do).

There was a long climb up to the mile 31 AS, and I arrived at the AS feeling good; weight was okay (your weight was checked at about a dozen spots along the course).  During the next section, I started to notice more of a problem with the downhill parts.  I still passed people going uphill, but pain in my right leg/foot was slowing me down on the downhills.  Thinking back on it, I had had trouble most of the race with stability/balance in my right foot, and this started to affect the tendons in my lower leg and ankle.  Everything else was still feeling pretty good, and I was happy with my overall pace.

This started to change after mile 43 though.  The next section went down into a deep canyon, and then climbed out up to Devil's Thumb.  I got slower and slower the further down the trail went, and was passed by many other runners.  The only bright spot now, was that I was still able to move uphill well; by the time I got to the Devil's Thumb AS, I had caught many of the runners who had passed me.  As the canyon portion of the course continued, so did this pattern; slow on the downhills, strong on the uphills.

Approaching the Forest Hill AS (mile 62) provided a boost, as Sally and Chloe met me there.  They had been able to check on my progress via the website, but this was their first chance to see how I looked after 15 hours on the trail.  It must have been okay, as they didn't seem to be too worried.  While I had started the day not sure how far I would get, at this point there was no doubt in my mind about continuing on.  I had a bite to eat, changed out my shirt, grabbed my head light, and headed back on out on the trail.  A half hour later, it was dark and the site-seeing stopped for the night.

The next few miles continued downward, so I continued to struggle a bit.  One new issue was that now everytime another runner passed me, there was also their pacer to let by; I seemed to be the only runner without one.  I have nothing against pacers, but after awhile, this started to get annoying.  We hit a section of trail that was more rolling, and I was able to get into a better running rythym, eventually getting by everyone that had passed me the last few miles.  One pacer even started pacing me, not realizing that I had passed his runner (who was behind him).  I waited a few seconds before I told him "I'm not your runner".

Even though I was having trouble with the rocky sections and downhills, overall I was happy with my progress.  Looking at my watch and doing the math, I felt if I could just keep going, I would be in between 6 or 7 in the morning (25-26 hours).  Before I knew it, I had arrived at the American River crossing (Rucky Chucky).  With the deep snowpack this year, they would be rafting runners across, and their set-up for this was impressive.  An AS on each side, and dozens of volunteers to help you get in and out of the raft.  I grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich and headed straight for the raft; had dinner while crossing the river!

 

After the river crossing, I had the first feelings of deep fatigue hit me.  It was 1.6 miles to the next AS, all uphill on a wide gravel road.  Not having a narrow single track to follow proved difficult, and I found myself weaving back and forth on the way up.  Having only about 20 miles to go kept my spirits up though, so I headed back onto the dark single track and was able to keep a steady pace going for the next few miles.

As I was approaching the mile 85 AS, I stumbled and felt the pain in my right foot/ankle shoot up.  There was a short downhill into the AS, and I could barely get down it.  This AS was a medical check point, so the first thing was the weigh-in; no problem there.  The volunteers asked what I needed, but the pain in my leg prevented me from being able to ask for anything.  At this point, I didn't know what was going to happen, or what I should do.  I was thinking about just walking out, when I decided to sit down and look at my leg.  The flexor tendons on the top of my ankle were inflamed, swollen, and sore to the touch.

When a volunteer asked again about getting me anything, I mentioned my leg problem, and she indicated that there was a PT and Doctor at this AS.  So I walked over to their area and mentioned the problem.  They had me sit down, put my legs up, and we started discussing options.  The plan was to have the PT do some massage on the tendons, and then try some taping for support.  While they were working on my leg, I felt light headed and queasy; I must have also started to go pale, because they realized something was happening to me.  My blood pressure was dropping, so they moved me over to a cot, elevated the legs, and wrapped me in blankets.

They ended up keeping me there for an hour, until my BP was back up and they were sure I could continue on.  I didn't feel too steady as I was leaving the AS, but I couldn't fathom dropping out at mile 85.  I also couldn't grasp how long it was going to take me to finish; I still thought I only had 4 hours or so to go.  As the next few miles went on though, it started to dawn on me how slowly I was moving.  Other runners were coming up on me, passing, and disappearing quickly.  I tried to figure out what my pace was, but could never come up with a number I felt was correct.  Was it 20 minute miles? Or was it 25-30 minute miles?  If it was taking me 30 minutes to cover a mile, then I didn't have enough time.

This uncertainty (and the pain in my leg) continued on hour after hour, and the mental strain started to become just as bad as the physical strain.  My pace was a slow, stilted walk, and the other runners and their pacers continued to come and go.  Even as I approached some of the final aid stations, I started to feel panic that I wasn't going to make the 30 hour cut-off.  How could I have put myself through this misery if I was going to come up short?  Finally, after reaching the second to last AS, the panic started to abate.  I had 1:50 left to cover the last 3.3 miles, and I was able to walk it in to the finish in 29:32.  It had taken me over 6 hours to cover those last 15 miles, and if I had known that while I was laying on the cot, I don't think I would have been able to continue.

I had always thought about the WS100 as a one-time race for me.  But I am thinking hard about wanting to give it another shot when I'm 100% trained and ready for a tough 100 miler.  Entry into the lottery for next year starts in November...

PS - The defending champion at Western was Geoff Roes.  Coming into this race, he had run (8) 100 milers and had won 8 times.  In his first race with me as an entrant, that steak ended (he DNFed).  Perhaps the LPTR can think of me as the guy who took Geoff Roes out.

 Sally and Chloe hiking the first section of the course

San Juan Solstice 50 Mile - 2011

Brad's Race Report...   So how do you follow up a tough Kettle 100?........You head out to Lake City, Colorado and do a 50 mile mountain run, that’s how. With 4 days of hiking and hanging out at the Mocha Mouse and Packer Saloon, that’s right the “Packer” Saloon. Not named after the Green Bay Packers but filled with Green Bay stuff since the owners are from the LaCrosse area. We were ready to hit the mountains.

Because of high snow levels, dangerous stream, now river crossings and miles of post-holing the race organizers were forced to alter the course.  We weren’t going to go up as high in altitude but we were going to get to do a lot of climbing no the less.  The start in Lake City at 8670 ft. topping out at 12,193 ft. at the highest peak.

The race got underway; at 5 a.m. with about a mile of road through town we hit the Waterdog trail and started the 4 mile climb to Vickers Ranch. Let the heavy breathing begin. The climb went well, the race was still pretty clumped together so I went up with plenty of company.  Coming down from Vickers is where it get it gets interesting, so soon in the race. I followed the obvious trail but a little ways into it, it didn’t seem right. My suspicions were correct when I saw about 20 people coming down the trail towards me.  Turned back down the trail and got back on track. Luckily it wasn’t a lot of time lost.

Going the correct way we got into some nice single track for maybe a ½ hour trucking along and again I’m stopped because a group of people are standing there and coming back up the trail. AGAIN we missed a marker someplace. Back up the hill and to the spot that we missed. Again only a few minutes lost. Just had to regroup and not push it to make up lost time. I can see missing a marker if you’re following one or two people but when you’re behind 20 people, how can you do that. Oh well.

Because of the reroute we had to hit a long road section. Some Hwy, gravel road and jeep road. Funny how the flattest section of a mountain run can be the hardest. Even though it was road we still had some incredible views. Running along a raging river and then running around Lake San Cristobal with a view of the mountains in the background. Pretty sweet. A bit more road and then finally back to single track and the longest climb of the day to over 12,100 ft.

Not sure but I think it was a 6 mile climb to the peak.  Still moving along well I finally reached the peak, 12,193 ft. This for me was a huge boost. Coming from Wisconsin and being able to run above tree line was a huge rush. You couldn’t slap the smile off my face. Feeling good and actually catching people I reached the mile 33 aid station.

Seven miles to the next aid. Was watching my time and realizing that a PR was definitely possible I ran everything I could. What I figured to take 1 1/2  to 2 hours took me about a 1hr 10 minutes. In this section there was another climb. The cool part of this climb was when on the way up Dakota Jones and Scott Jurek was coming down hooting and hollering. A couple of high fives and I had a “this is so frickin cool” moment.  Reached mile 40 feeling great.

From here there was just one more aid station, mile 46 and Vickers Ranch again. The climb to Vickers last year hurt, a lot, but not this year. This climb was short and was still catching people, some flat and then the start down to Vickers aid station.

Got in and out of there in a hurry because my time was way ahead of last year. It was now a 4 mile down and into town to the finish. There are some really steep parts to this decent so I had to use some caution even though I was amped up to finish. Finally coming out to the trees I could see Lake City below, but still seemed so far away. Finally to the bottom and into town, it was time for that final push to the finish.

Reaching the park and feeling strong, Dakota Jones was the MC and announced my name and mentioned this was my 3^rd finish and a mid-western to boot.  My finishing time of 12:22:57 was a bit better than my 13:33:09 of last year. UNBELIEVABLE!

If you EVER get a chance to get into the mountains, DO IT. It will be an experience you won’t soon forget. Lake City if one of the coolest, friendliest, cleanest places I’ve ever been to. I’m counting the days that I can go back.

Not to mention Julie also had a great race, knocking about 40 minutes off her time from last year, finishing in 13:10:31. Not bad for a couple of Skonies.

184 starters, 158 finishers

Brad 12:22:57 58^th place

Julie 13:10:31 82^nd place