Tuesday, January 31, 2012

2012 Mad City 50K!

Mark your race calendar now for the 2012 Mad City 50K road race on Saturday, March 31, 2012.  Start time is a leisurely 9:00 a.m.  Seven-hour time limit.

This 50-kilometer ultramarathon will be held on the US national championship course in Madison, Wisconsin.  Five loops of 10K each around Lake Wingra and through the world-famous University of Wisconsin Arboretum.

Ordinarily, we would be hosting the 100K national championship, but this year  there will be no national championship 100K road race due to a scheduling conflict with the World Championship race in Italy in April.  Go USA!

More details and online registration are now available through the Mad City 100K website, www.madcity100k.com <http://www.madcity100k.com>  .  Check it out and sign up soon.

Approval of our request is expected soon for this race to be the Wisconsin USATF State championship 50K in both the Open and Masters categories.

Don't feel like running the full 50K solo distance this year?  The popular Mad City 50K, 5-person relay event is available.  See the Mad City race website for details and online registration.

Hope to see you soon.


Tim (Timo) Yanacheck
Race Director
Daytime phone: (608) 259-2311

Sunday, January 22, 2012

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

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 96th 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:


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

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

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Big win at Bandera!

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!!!!!!!

   







Friday, January 6, 2012

Bandera 100k Buzzzzzzz......

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

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!!!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Peanut Island 6, 12 and 24-hour run


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.