At about 20 miles with Jon Olsen right behind me, and Lake Tahoe in the distance. Shirtless action photo courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama. Fanny pack recommendation courtesy of Nathan Yanko.

The Tahoe Rim 100.  I had been signed up for this race since early morning of January 1, minutes after the race registration opened.  Tahoe was my goal race for mid-2010 and I was interested in seeing what kind of improvement I could achieve on the course where I ran my first 100 mile race (2009).  I knew that I would run a better race in 2010 as I was stronger physically and more experienced/smarter at the distance than in 2009, but there were two unknowns in my head which made me unsure of what time I could actually pull off if I ran to the limit and my body performed well on the day; my fitness level, and the new section of course which was adding somewhere around 1750′ of steep climbing per 50 mile loop.

Fitness had me worried early in the year post-HURT 100 as my body was wrecked for several months after running that race.  I finally rebounded in April with some good training following with 100k and 50 mile races in May.  The good training continued into June-July and my body was ready to toe the start line at Tahoe and perform to the finish.  Thus I was relieved that fitness/health was not an issue come race day (outside of the thoughts that all of us have with regards to “if I just had one more good day/weekend/week of running…”).  The open question however was what would the big, steep climb up and over Diamond Peak at miles 30 and 80 do to the times this year?..

Pre-race I thought the guys to look out for would be Erik Skaden, Jon Olsen, Bob Shebest, Thomas Crawford, and Victor Ballesteros.  Plus I assumed there would be some other unknowns ready to pull off a great race and surprise everyone which I guess is the role that I played at TRT100 in 2009.  At Friday check-in we heard that Skaden was out which was big news as he was defending champ for the last two years and was probably the best at trucking through the mid-day heat.  The news really blew the race open for everyone.

I knew that Jon Olsen would have some of the best leg speed, but he mentioned he was short on the training and climbing that he felt he needed to truly challenge at the front and would be running pretty conservative the first 50, with the goal of finishing sub-24.  Victor was coming off of Western States three weeks prior but is so talented I definitely thought he would be making his move later in the race if his legs felt good after the first 50.  Thus Jon and Victor were my picks for guys that could surge late since they would run conservative early, and potentially pick off anyone that was fading.

Bob Shebest and Thomas Crawford were much more unknowns but for different reasons.  I knew Bob would have the most all-around fitness at the start line and would be capable of a fast time with course knowledge of running sub-23hrs in 2009, but that he could potentially go out too hard at an unsustainable pace. Thomas was an unknown because he was definitely the fastest guy on paper and had just set the Leona Divide 50 mile CR earlier in the year.  This was his first 100 miler however which really matters at the distance as it is so unique (in my opinion).  That being said my goal on the day was to set myself up for a strong second 50 miles, and hopefully run well enough to finish top 3 and run at or around the 20:50 that I ran in 2009 (since the course had 3500′+ of additional climbing in 2010).  However there was always the possibility that I could crash as anything can happen in 100 miles.. which proves to be both the beauty and the brutality of the distance.

Tahoe Rim 100 elevation profile - 50 mile loop. The hundred milers do it twice.

The start. Photo courtesy of Michael Cook and via Bob Shebest's blog. Sweet night photo Michael!

Race Start to Mile 30: “Deliberate, steady pacing”

The 100 miler kicks off at 5am and per usual there was a ton of energy at and around the start line.  There were a lot of hellos, and it was fun to see the nervous anticipation on the faces of some friends who would be attempting their first 100 as I remembered it well from TRT100 a year earlier.  I felt really calm, and spent the last minute pre-race staring up at the millions(?) of stars visible in the dark Tahoe sky.  From the start I set a comfortable pace and was joined by Jon Olsen and Thomas Crawford.  It was fun catching up with Jon, and chatting with Thomas who I had not yet met but of course was a super cool guy.  I was waiting to see if anyone would shoot ahead or pass us as we were cruising, and sure enough within the first couple miles we were passed by three guys looking to go harder than I was ready to this early.  Thomas continued with us for about the first 14 miles and we shared some laughs about how we got into the sport and what we did with our time outside of running.  Thomas has a pretty great “first ultra” story so ask him sometime if you ever get the chance.  Sometime around Tunnel Creek (~mile 11) Thomas went ahead though I could still see him for most of the Red House loop (miles ~11-18).

Thomas Crawford climbing up to ~mile 20. Photo courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama.

Jon and I ran together for most of the first 27 miles which was a blast.  Jon’s motivation in 2009 helped with having that transfer over into 2010, and it was fun to share some laughs and discuss our plans on the day as well as potential race schedules for the rest of the year.  Half-way through Red House we were wondering when we would be seeing some of the runners ahead of us as we were running together tied for 5th, but some of the guys in the early first 3 were probably going out to hard.  Sure enough on the climb out of Red House we caught two of them, exchanged some motivation with the guys on the climb, and then moved into a tie for third by the time we got back to the Tunnel Creek aid station at mile ~17.5.

Jon Olsen at the start of the climb up Diamond Peak. Photo courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama.

For the next 8-9 miles we ran steady on the constantly rolling Tahoe Rim Trail until we finally hit the flagging the signaled the turn onto the new section of trail which was around a 4 mile descent down to the base of Diamond Peak at mile 30.  At this point Jon moved ahead and was soon out of sight as he was running the downs really well.  I didn’t want to push the descents too hard too early so I cruised and was waiting/expecting to have some combo of Bob, Victor, Joe Palubeski, and any other guys running well to catch me on the descent.  I didn’t see anyone else on this section of trail and I cruised into Diamond Peak ready to refuel as this was the first easily-accessible crew access point and my crew would be ready.  It was good to see buddies Randy Katz and Joel Lanz and we quickly exchanged Gel-bot tops (freshly loaded with gel) as well as some gels to stash in the pockets.  It was a quick stop but I threw down some extra calories as I knew the big Diamond Peak climb was ahead.

Miles 30-50: “Fuel for the hunt”

A couple weekend trips prior to the race allowed me to see and run the Diamond Peak climb several times (however with near-fresh legs), but it was still an unknown what the 1700′+ climb/hike up Diamond Peak would add time-wise as the latter 2/3 of the climb is at a grade that is not runnable (and the footing is basically sand).  From mile 30 I ran and hiked the first third of the climb, which in training I had run all of.  The heat was really starting to show especially since most all of the climb is completely exposed.  On the hike of the latter 2/3 I could see that Jon Olsen was a couple minutes ahead, and that Bob Shebest was not far back from me and was hiking really strong.  Bob caught me by the top of the climb and we ran together for a few minutes catching up on the race standings.  He seemed a little surprised when I told him there were 3 guys ahead and I hadn’t seen the front two runners for hours.  Bob quickly shot off heading back towards Tunnel Creek (mile 35) and at the pace he was moving I figured he would probably catch Jon in a couple of miles if Jon was still cruising.  I settled in, thinking about nutrition and hydration and what I would need to do to in the next 65 miles to hopefully move up from 5th place and make a charge for a top three finish.  I wasn’t worried however as it was still very early, there was still A TON of climbing, and the guys ahead seemed to be showing their cards earlier than I wanted to.

The runnable first 1/3 up Diamond Peak. Photo courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama.

In the 15 miles from Tunnel Creek to the 50 mile start/finish aid station there are two significant climbs, one of which peaks out above 9k’ in elevation which is the highest mark on the course.  There is then a long 7+ mile downhill back to the start/finish.  I used this time to really focus on the trail and do my best to memorize the climbs, as I knew I would need to hustle and run most during miles 85-100 if I wanted to make a strong push and put up a good time.  I also really tried to fuel and hydrate as much as possible as miles 50-56 were the toughest for me in 2009 due to lack of adequate hydration during the heat of the day.  I knew that staying hydrated early would allow me to make up a lot of time vs. last year during miles 50-56.  I cruised into the aid station at mile 50 in 9:04 hours, running in 5th place.  The splits into mile 50 for the top 5 were: 1. Thomas Crawford 8:43 –  2. Jon Olsen 8:53 — 3. Chris Knorzer 8:54 — 4. Bob Shebest 9:01 — 5. Brett Rivers 9:04.

Coming into the mile 50 aid station feeling great. Photo courtesy of George Ruiz.

Miles 50-80: “Let’s go hunting”

The 50 mile aid station was kind of a blur as there was so much going on, but I quickly found my crew, weighed in, had my blood pressure taken for a study that friends Zach Landman and Geri Ottaviano were conducting for medical research, and then refueled.  Bob told me post race that he heard me coming into 50 as he was leaving 50 and was a little frustrated I was still so close.  I didn’t know he was there, but my crew told me that Chris Knorzer had been in the aid station for 10 minutes already and was still sitting down and looking a little rough.  I wished him best of luck in my head hoping that he could continue on as it looked like he had run the first 50 at a pretty strong pace.  I picked up my training partner Joel Lanz who was gracious enough to be my TRT safety runner for the second 50 miles (only 2 days after he and some of our buddies did 30+ miles running the Grand Canyon of the Tuolummne) and we headed out of mile 50 at 9:07 now in 4th place.

Reloading at mile 50. Photo courtesy of George Ruiz.

As I mentioned, in 2009 miles 50-56 were the toughest for me as I ran out of water within the first two miles and pretty much had to hike/shuffle my way to Hobart aid station at mile 56.  This year I was more prepared and threw on an ultralight hydration pack (a demo from Hydrapak, thanks guys!) for the next 10 miles so that I would have access to ~30oz of additional water on my back in addition to the one handheld Gel-bot I kept with me all race.  This strategy/learning worked out really well and I made up a lot of time vs 2009 (and even had a little bit of spare water to dump on my head in the mid-day heat).

Joel and I caught up on the race and he filled me in on where the leaders were at as well as what was going on behind me.  I asked if Victor, Joe, or anyone else was on my tail and would be chasing me down, but was really surprised and bummed to hear that both Victor and Joe had made a wrong turn at the top of Diamond Peak and were out of the mix at the front, and that Joe was dealing with food poisoning and may have already dropped.  It was unfortunate news as I was really pulling for both guys to have a good race.

Heading out of mile 50 with Joel. Photo courtesy of Scott Dunlap.

At Hobart Aid Station at mile 56 I saw Jon Olsen who was busy refueling but seemed a little down.  We quickly shared some words of encouragement and then Joel and I continued on to Tunnel Creek and the Red House loop now in 3rd place. Halfway through Red House we got our first glimpse of Bob who looked to be a couple minutes ahead.  Over the next several miles we steadily reeled in Bob who was running a little stiff.  We caught him basically at the base of the climbing out of Red House loop and chatted together for minute before taking off.  I really tried to hustle the climbs out of Red House as I wanted to put as much quick distance on Bob as possible.  I knew he was going through a rough spot, but since he is such an experienced endurance athlete I knew he could harness everything again.

From Tunnel Creek to the Opher Creek turnoff  ~8 miles later we again cruised the rolling trails of the TRT, moving well on the climbs, and looking over our shoulders every once in a while to see if Bob or anyone else was making a charge.  We continued doing the same on the ~4 mile descent down to Diamond Peak (miles 76-80) and mentally this was somewhat of a low point as the section seemed long and I still didn’t want to push the downhills here as I needed legs for the three major climbs ahead and the big descent down to the finish.

Miles 80-93: “Running scared.. aka getting hunted!”

We cruised into mile 80 and I instantly saw Larissa.  “Dang” I thought in my head, “I guess it wasn’t her day, I hope she is ok.”  At the aid station we didn’t really have a chance to chat as I was focused on refueling as much as possible and grabbing gear for the hard push to the finish.  Skaden was there which was awesome and he and Randy let me know I was an hour back from Thomas (I figured I was at least 45 back unless he had really blown up).  I threw down a bunch of calories, Joel grabbed our headlamps for the night, and we were off.

As we were leaving the aid station we heard “runner coming in” and instantly my race mentality changed.  Every expletive ran through my head as Joel and I started making our way up Diamond Peak.  After turning a corner we could see it was Bob and his pacer Michael Cook right behind us, about a minute back. My mind took over and we started running the first 1/3 of Diamond Peak including the lower sections that I had hiked the first time through.  I told Joel I wanted to get out of Bob’s line of sight asap and we pushed the climb HARD including the hike of the latter 2/3.  We lost site of Bob who was further below and has soon as we crested Diamond Peak and hit the TRT we were off like madmen, as if the climb we just completed was an anthill.

Bob Shebest at mile 30.5 shortly before passing me the first time. This is also where at mile 80 I began running scared as hell that Bob was hunting me. Photo courtesy of Glenn Tachiyama.

The 3 miles back to Tunnel Creek are at a slight downhill grade and we pushed them hard, hoping to put distance on Bob and stay out of his sites.  We blew through Tunnel Creek aid station at mile 85 with nothing more than a water refill and 1/2 a cup of chicken soup while waiting the couple seconds to get my water bottle back.  15 miles to go and Bob was on my heels.  The next 8 miles had two major climbs but it was the section that I really tried to focus on and memorize during the first 50 mile loop.  Joel and I continued running like madmen, hiking when we had to, but continuing to move fast.  Joel kept remarking “I can’t believe how fast you are moving” which was motivating to hear, but also somewhat true as I was somewhat surprised as well.  I told Joel pre-race to get me to run scared during the late part of the race as I knew I would have some in the tank, but Bob did that for me by pretty much pulling up to us at mile 80.

We again blew through Hobart at mile 90, just a quick water refill and I threw down a gel.  I had started feeling some cramping in my legs the prior couple of miles so I upped the salt tabs as well, hoping that it was not too late.  We kept a strong pace while I mentally focused on relaxing my body out of cramping including some in-pace stretching on the sections of the climb up to Snow Valley Peak that we had to hike.  The weekly early-morning yoga classes were truly showing their worth in several ways during this section as I focused on a hard pace while mentally relaxing the body, all while running scared at elevation up above 8000′.  It is hard to describe everything that was converging mentally and physically, but if you’ve been there you know it.

Miles 93-100: “I have a chance to break 20hrs!” (was really 19hrs)

We hit the Snow Valley Peak aid station at mile 93 and it was great to get motivation right when I needed it from the Boy Scout troop who does a great job manning the aid station all race.  One last cup of chicken soup broth, a last water top-off, and then we were off.  Joel kept an eye out behind us but we hadn’t seen any headlamps or official sights of Bob since the climb up Diamond Peak, and at the rate we were moving I absolutely knew no one could pass us if they were not already on our heels, and even then it would be tough for them.  I was ready to crush the last 7 miles to the finish, and felt invincible if anyone tried to make a charge behind me.

I took a quick look at my watch and tried to do some math: 5am start, 10:53pm at Snow Valley, ~7 miles to go… Holy crap I have a chance to break 20 hours! Well, I really had a chance to break 19 hours, but the math brain was a little fuzzy and I didn’t lose a step while we hammered down Snow Valley Peak, headlamps glaring into the abyss.  Hammered is what we did.  I laid it all out on this section and pushed it harder than I knew possible.  Every ounce of energy that I had saved earlier in the day I was letting out now.  I was still running scared, but I felt 2nd was locked up and no one could pass me, otherwise I would counter even harder.  What I wanted now was sub 20hrs (really sub 19hrs) and I wanted it bad.  Turn after turn we kept it up.  There were a few times when I could hear Joel fading further back, only to catch up again, probably knowing that he would “get the business” from all of us for a quite a while if I managed to pull away from him 90+ miles into the race.  We didn’t even pause running past the Spooner Summit aid station 1.7 miles from the finish.  With about a 1/2 mile to go Joel got really excited and I just tried to stay calm, as I had still not mentioned to him that we had a chance to break 20 (Joel knew we had a chance to break what was really 19, but neither of us were going to jinx it).  I ended up running the last 7+ miles from Snow Valley Peak aid station to the finish in 60 minutes flat, which was about 7 minutes faster than anyone else on the day.

A few seconds after 18 hours 53 minutes I let out a yell as I read the clock and could see that I would be breaking 19 hours, not 20 hours.  I crossed in 18:53.37, good enough for 2nd place and what was the third fastest time ever on the course (although a modified course from the 18:59 that Skaden and Wolf ran in ’08).  I hugged everyone that was there and then collapsed into a chair.  My body was done, I had left it all out on the trail.  I couldn’t believe I had just broke 19hrs and ran about 2 hours faster than I did in 2009.  That was the year-over-year improvement that I was looking for.

Re: the new section of course: (Opher Creek to Diamond Peak to Bull Wheel)

Going into the race I thought the new section of course would dramatically add time and difficulty to the course, possibly up to an extra 45 minutes.  What I didn’t take into account was that the descent down to Diamond Peak actually saves time, and while the Diamond Peak climb is a bear, it wasn’t the beast that I thought it would be, especially at mile 80.  Overall in my opinion from having run both courses, I think the new course is about 10 minutes or so faster per 50 mile loop for the front-runners vs. the old course.  For mid-back of pack runners the new course definitely adds time though, depending on abilities and pace.  No matter what I think Thomas’ amazing 17:49 would beat out Jasper’s 18:16 if weighted (just my honest opinion, sorry Jasper!).  I really like the added climbing of the new course, and if/when I am fortunate enough to run TRT again I want to improve on that 4+ miles downhill to Diamond Peak.

Congrats and Thanks:

Congrats to everyone who ran the 100 mile, 50 mile, and 50k.  A huge congrats to Thomas Crawford on CRUSHING his first 100 mile in course-record fashion in 17:49, simply amazing.  First hundred, no course preview, no pacer, hopefully people take notice as in my opinion this is going to be a very underrated achievement for 2010 racing.  Also a huge congrats and thank you to my buddy Bob Shebest for breaking 20hrs in 19:57, nearly 3 hours faster than in 2009, you really pulled it all together vs your struggles last year, way to go.  And thanks for scaring the hell out of me at mile 80, it was the reason I was able to push it hard the last 20, beyond what I thought I could achieve.  Jon Olsen way to cross Tahoe off your list!  I look forward to seeing your results later this year and into 2011.  Mark Tanaka way to get over your elevation apprehension and take 10 hours off your TRT100 time you sandbagger hahha!  BIG congrats to everyone who conquered their first 100 milers (!) especailly friends Kathleen Egan (28:44), Preston McCaskill (29:25), Eric Wilson (31:19), and David Wronski (33:19 – in crazyass vibrams).  That is a tough course, enjoy the achievement.

Thank you to the race organizers especially David Cotter, George Ruiz, and all of the volunteers.  The race is well staffed and it would not be possible with all of the volunteers who donate their time so that a bunch of nutty people can run obscene miles on the mountains above Tahoe.  Thanks to Joel Lanz for 50 miles of motivation, hopefully I can return the favor for you at a 100 miler in 2011 (or late 2010!).  “Crew chief” Randy Katz, thanks for getting me in and out of the crewed aid stations, I also hope to return the favor when you go after a 100 Erik Skaden, your help and talk at mile 80 was a big motivator, a big thanks, and I also hope to return the favor.  Thank you Larissa, know that you motivated me at mile 80 and I pulled some strength from seeing you.  Zach Landman and Geri Ottaviano thanks a ton for the motivation all day and for lending a shoulder post-race so that I could get to a car.  Ken Brunt thanks for organizing the housing for the weekend.  Glenn Tachiyama thanks for the sweet photos!  And thanks to all of my friends who were out on the course running or pacing.

There are a lot of long-overdue Thank You’s to people that were not at the race but helped to get there and across the finish line.  Nathan Yanko, Devon Crosby-Helms, and the “Thursday morning ninjas” thanks for the miles of laughs, smack talk, and motivation.  Jim Vernon and The Endurables thanks for the great training runs.  Florencia Gascon-Amyx, Gary Wang, and Tamalpa Ultra Racing thanks for organizing a great PA-USATF ultra team and supporting ultra running.  Kate Clemens Yoga thanks for the great Tuesday morning classes at Planet Granite, you have no idea how much they help.  Nina de Leon, thank you for the great body work, hurting me in a good way, and leaving marks.  Lauren Hansen at Chinese Medicine Works for the great acupuncture.  Charles Lantz at the TRX Training Center thanks for the fantastic workouts, and Kim Klinedinst and everyone at TRX/Fitness Anywhere, it is the perfect workout and training device for runners and endurance athletes. Michael Comerford and all of my co-workers at Zynga thanks for covering me for the long weekend and not picking on me too much when I was walking funny the following Tuesday.  To my parents, family, and friends, a heartfelt thank you for all of your support and understanding while I pursue something I am passionate about.

Full 2010 results found HERE and Splits HERE

Race Website found HERE

Bob Shebest’s recap found HERE

Gretchen Brugman’s recap found HERE

Mark Tanaka’s recap found HERE

Scott Dunlap’s 50k recap found HERE

-Brett

Running from the punishment of Jemez (there was still more to be had after this photo)

“Tahoe training.. Tahoe training..” This was my mantra with each breath as I simply tried to zen-out. I was about 7 hours into the Jemez Mountains 50 Mile in Los Alamos, New Mexico and the course was absolutely kicking my butt. All I could do was think of why I was out there in the first place, as my big summer race was a major part of the reason I was continuing to truck along through the mental low points that Jemez delivered in spades.

Going into the Jemez 50 I knew it was going to be a tough one and that is what I was looking for, even if it was just 3 weeks after running the Miwok 100k.  On paper Jemez offers over 12,000′ of climbing and 3 peaks up above 10,000′, however what it really provides is a beautifully brutal course with frustrating false-summit climbs and punishing descents.  There were several moments when I couldn’t help but laugh at myself as I was getting eatin up by the course, but growing stronger in the long-term with every step.

This wont cover the small details of Jemez, but know that it is a beautiful course and a fantastic and well organized race.  It left me with a great sense of personal accomplishment, some funny stories to tell to friends and family afterward, but most of all a desire to get back on the course and run it again (and try to get punished less).  For a great race report check out Nick Clark’s recap of his win at Jemez this year.

Personally I learn more about myself as well as about racing ultras from the races that I don’t do well in per my personal pre-race goals or once the paper results are posted.  Jemez was such a race for me along with Where’s Waldo ’09.   These are races that would have made for easy DNF’s, but instead I got myself out of what I started (even if I had to walk for 25+ miles like at Waldo) and because of that I learned a tremendous amount about myself and am able to continue to draw from the adversity of experiences and turn them into positives.

On to post-Jemez…

With my big May races completed I’ve spent June, and early July gearing up for the Tahoe Rim 100.  I am of course super excited for the opportunity to run my second hundred of the year and also to be back at Tahoe Rim as it is a beautiful and challenging mountain course and was the first 100 that I ran (2009).  Hundreds are no small undertaking, and I feel fortunate to even have the opportunity to embark on the adventure of running 100 miles through the mountains, pushing myself to the brink, and experiencing the gut-check feeling of truly seeing what I am made of.  This fuels me.

Hundreds for me are a continual mental chess match, but one that I am playing both against my mind as well as the race course.  I smiled and enjoyed my way through Tahoe last year, and I huffed and at many times cursed my way through HURT this year.  Tahoe gave me the knowledge that I could complete a 100 in good shape, and HURT gave me lasting confidence that I can run through low lows and fight back against both my mind and an epically technical course.  One hundred miles is a long distance and anything can happen in the time that it takes to run from start to finish.  Strengths are tested and weakness is exposed for everyone, however the mentally strong can push through.  The physically strong toe the start line at the front, and the mentally strong cross the finish no matter if they ran at the front, back, or somewhere in between.  I know that lows will show at Tahoe this year, and I want the tougher course to throw what it has against me, as in the end I know that if I run smart I will give myself the opportunity to say checkmate to both my mind and the trail.

-Brett

Coming across the Quicksilver 50 mile finish line with Geri

Let me just say that, for me personally, 2010 has packed a life’s worth of emotional highs and lows into less than 6 months. . .and I haven’t even run Western States yet.  After running strong early in the year with my first ultra win at the Avalon 50 Mile on Catalina Island in January, I pretty much took 3 months off of training to focus on my medical boards exam (with a wet struggle of a 50K at Way Too Cool thrown in there.) On top of that, some medical tests suggested that an inherited heart condition would prevent me from running competitively anymore (which I fortunately found out not to be true, 6 agonizing weeks later).

With Western States planned as my swan song, I dedicated myself to training for at least 3 more months.  And so leading up to the Quicksilver 50 Mile, I was actually more concerned that the time I had taken off from training would force me to bonk pacing Nathan Yanko the previous week at Miwok (4th overall) than I was about running my own race the next week.  Nathan rocked Miwok, and I felt strong, so it almost felt like Quicksilver just popped into view.

With cooler than normal temperatures and clear skies,  race day looked to be a blast. Carpooling down with my girlfriend and best crew chief ever, Geri Ottaviano, and friends and training buddies, Larissa Polischuk and Rick Gaston, was a blast.  With a quick description of what to do in case a forest fire spontaneously occurs (“go to the nearest aid station; it may be behind you”),  the RD set us off.  I started pretty conservatively, and noticed Josh Brimhall and Sean Lang take 1,2 positions in the 50 miler.  Within minutes, I was running alone and actually felt pretty slow. Whereas the week before, the climbs felt easy and just glided by, I now felt more aware of each ascent and they felt like they were just lasting longer.  However, having the coolest crew, I was fortunate to see Geri & Rick Gaston at the first said station around 6 as they had hiked in.  We exchanged Gel-bots in a breeze, and I was off.

The beautiful Quicksilver course, looking down on the Dam aid station. Photo courtesy of Rick Gaston

The next ten miles were mostly climbing up and around the dam, and I started to feel much better.  Maybe it was the new Gel-bot, maybe it was getting cheers from Geri again (she hiked into the mile 10/19/23 dam overlook aid station) – probably both.  At around mile 23, I was feeling awesome.  I never spent more than a few seconds at each aid station, and was able to catch Sean Lang to move into second on the ~1500 foot climb up the dam the final time.   I was pretty content and surprised with this position, knowing that Josh Brimhall likely had the race secured in 1st and Troy Howard and Rob Evans could not be far behind and would likely close hard to the finish.  Along the short and steep ups and downs toward the start/finish area (mile 31), I caught Josh and moved into first.

Somewhere around mile 37 still working to get to the turnaround for the return trip home

Crossing through the start/finish area was a huge boost as my family had made the trip down from Berkeley, decked out in home-made tie-dye to root me on and get the gist of crewing from Geri (they’re going to help at States.)  The energy surge soon faded during what they call the “roller coaster” up to mile 36.  Short, steep climbs and drops just destroyed my legs, and pretty soon I was hiking most of the climbs.  Even worse, I saw Josh peek over the top of the previous climb just as I was starting on the next.  Talk about running scared!  This slow pace pretty much continued up through the final climb and turn-around at mile 41 where I doused my head off with a bucket of water, and bolted down the mountain, finally relieved at some extended downhill running (my favorite.)

When I saw Josh on the turnaround, he was barely a few minutes behind and had gained considerably since the lap through the start/finish, but after talking to him after the race I found out that my dumb grin running downhill had convinced him to take a few minutes at the aid station to cool off and fuel up for the run home.  Even more worrisome, I soon crossed paths with Rob Evans and Troy Howard who were literally running like gazelles up the path I had mostly hiked. They looked strong and determined, and I felt everything but that.

Running with Geri the last ~7 was a blast

Coming across Geri and fam-crew at mile 44, they could tell I didn’t look to well. Geri offered, half jokingly I think, “You want me to run with you for a bit, just to get you going a little?” My response, “Can you run the rest?” She obliged and with her shoes still untied, we were off.  We were able to keep a solid pace through the rollercoasters, and before we knew it, we were on the final descent to the finish.  Running with Geri toward my cheering family for the win was an ultra-dream come true.  And at the finish the legendary Quicksilver BBQ lived up to every ounce of its reputation as we sat around catching up with old friends, and made some new ones over delicious food and a very refreshing beer.

Full results can be found at Ultrasignup.com

-Zach

My family and awesome crew!

Celbrating post-race with buddy Rick Gaston

With Larissa, Rick, and Geri at the finish

Slapping 5 with buddy Gary Robbins while crossing the finish of the Miwok 100k. Photo courtesy of Jim Vernon

Miwok.  Home trails.  A stacked field.  Friends running, pacing, spectating.  I was really looking forward to running the Miwok 100k but it always seemed like a date far out on the calendar.  That is until April finally came to a close and we woke up way too early on May 1 to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, ready to hit the trails of the Marin Headlands and Mount Tam.

Without wanting to sounds over-dramatic, I was somewhat worried leading up to the race.  It had taken a lot longer to truly recover from the HURT100, and as much as I tried to put it aside I was definitely not all there for Way Too Cool 50k or the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile (they turned into additional learning experiences).  However about three weeks prior to Miwok everything finally came together and my body suddenly felt good, really good.  I had a solid final week and a half of hard runs, and then a good taper for another week and a half with shorter runs but pushing the pace.  Come race day I was ready.  I wanted to run a smart race, and if I had a good day I wanted to run sub 9:15 which I felt was a good round number time goal to personally shoot for.

Miwok starts off with about a 1/4 mile of sandy beach.  I settled in with an upper-mid group, not surprised to see that the front runners were already pushing hard, ready to keep that pace for the next 8-9 hours.  The two short out-and-backs during the first 5 miles provided a good opportunity to see who was hammering up front, as well as say quick hellos while passing friends also running.  I know these trails like the back of my hand so I really was just focusing on settling into a comfortable pace that I could hold for most of the race, including running pretty much all of the climbs up to the end.

At the top of Rodeo Valley Trail, the first big climb, my training partner Devon caught me and we ran together for a few minutes chatting until she pulled away pushing the downs a little harder than I wanted to early.  On the next couple rolling climbs I formed into a group with buddies Joe Palubeski (bitter rival!) and Thomas Reiss.  Joe too pulled away, and Thomas and I ran together for pretty much the next 25 miles.  I had a blast chatting with Thomas for so long, and together we knocked out the climb up Deer Park to Pantoll (not so bad when you can run it with a friend).

At the Randall Aid Station turnaround (mile 35.6) I was feeling good and knew that I had plenty left for the climb back up to Bolinas Aid Station.  Since it was the first big climb post-50k I hoped that I could also begin catching some of the runners who may have pushed it a little too hard too early.  Knowing the climb and having my calories dialed in made the climb back to Bolinas fine, and at the aid station I quickly refilled with help from aid station volunteer and ultra legend Scott Jurek who shared some good words of motivation.  At Bolinas I was also excited to pick up my buddy and pacer Will Gotthardt for the final 20 miles back to the finish, especially since I knew Will would provide great late-race motivation and since we hadn’t shared any miles for what seemed like way too long.

Over the next 20 miles Will and I cruised along sharing stories, laughing, and setting our sites on the runners ahead.  I ran conservative in the early going and used that to my advantage to pick off another 7 or so runners in the last 20 miles, including several buddies (sorry guys, but I’m sure you’ll return the favor soon enough, hahha).  Those 20 miles back to the finish were a blast.  At the gradual climb out of the Highway 1 aid station I knew that there would be several guys who would be able to see me on the long, winding, and exposed Miwok Fireroad trail.  I did my best to put the hammer down on this section to visually pull away from the guys that were chasing me, all of whom I knew were strong runners.  The plan worked and we also bombed down the steep descent of Fox to hopefully add some more distance and also try to gain on anyone that may be ahead of me as I knew the final climbs out of Tennessee Valley were next.

I am fortunate that I get to run with such great runners... and absolute clowns. Nathan Yanko and Zach Landman (pacer) coming to the finish of the Miwok 100k

A goal of mine going into the race was to run the climbs after Tennessee Valley, namely all of Old Springs, and the 95% of Wolfback that I feel is worth running in a long race.  Heading up Old Springs I told Will to give me a shout if any mountain bikers came bombing down as I put my hat brim low so that I couldn’t see the ascent ahead of me.  I physically knew I could run the climbs, I just did not want to see too far ahead to mentally psych myself out.  Will kept up the motivation and I was really pumped at how well we banged out the final climbs.

The final descent down Coastal to the Start/Finish at Rodeo Beach seemed longer than I had remembered, but was a fun one and I really enjoyed the last mile+ laughing with Will all the way to the finish.  I let out a few whoops while crossing the finish in 9:14.22 (just under my goal!) and shared congratulations with friends who had already finished or were out supporting.  So many friendly faces it was great.

My friends I am fortunate enough to train with all had great races as well. Nathan finished 4th overall in 8:32, Bob was 9:23, Joel was 9:25 (first 100k), Devon was 2nd female in 9:36, Rick was 10:38 (PR), Brian was 10:43, and JB was 10:48.  My friends and house guests up from SoCal for the weekend Dom G. and Katie D. came through in 9:21 and 13:23 respectively.  Way to go everyone as well as to all runners at the 2010 Miwok 100k.  Congrats to Anton Krupicka. (8:02) and Kami Semick (9:10) on the wins!

A special thank you to RD Tia Bodington as well as all of the volunteers who make the race possible.  I was a volunteer in ’09 so I know firsthand the long day (weekend) required to make the race possible.  A huge thanks to Will G. for pacing me the last 20 miles, it was a blast, I appreciate the tangents, and laughs.

Full results can be found HERE

Nathan did a cool, short post-race interview with Bryon from irunfar.com HERE

Hopefully the lottery gods will allow me to be back in 2011

-Brett

Hanging out and celebrating with buddies Joel Lanz and Dominic Grossman post-race

Ron Rogowski briefly being paced by his son who was asking (and proving for a moment) "Dad am I faster than you?"

Tamalpa Ultra Runners Suzanna Bon, Florencia Gascon-Amyx, and Larissa Polischuk having a laugh pre-race

Dominic Grossman heading up to the Nimbus aid station at mile 18

Eventual Womens winner Tracy Garneau heading up to the Nimbus aid station at mile 18

2009 Montrail Ultra Cup Champ Victor Ballesteros heading up to Nimbus aid station at mile 18

Rod Bien heading into Rattlesnake aid station at mile 42

2009 Ultrarunner of the Year Geoff Roes breaking the tape to win the 2010 American River 50 Mile

My full photo set from the 2010 AR50 can be found HERE

The American River 50 Mile site can be found HERE

-Brett

Pre-race laughs with some of the usual suspects, Larissa, Devon, Nathan, and me. Photo by Kevin Luu

The Lake Sonoma 50 Mile.  On Saturday, March 27 Larissa and I headed north of San Francisco for a relaxing trip up to the wine country.  Relaxing of course being John Medinger’s Lake Sonoma 50 Mile, a friendly course with 10,500′ of climbing.  We arrived to the start at around 5:45am and hung out with Nathan, Devon, Joel, Kevin, Thierry, and other friends from San Francisco.  Joe Palubeski and I of course entertained one another with some pre-race smack talk as well.

The race kicked off at 6:40am with a whistle by Medinger and quickly Hal Koerner, Bob Shebest, Jady Palko, and other guys shot out to push the pace in the early going.  I settled in and began chatting with Joel Lanz and Joe. We eventually caught up with Nathan Yanko, Devon Crosby-Helms, and Jonathan Gunderson, and together we ran as a big group for about the first 6 miles.  Nathan seemed to instantly shoot out from the group at about the 6 mile mark, and then the group continued on till the Warm Springs aid station at mile 12.  After Warm Springs some of the good climbs started and Joel quickly added some distance.  It was Joel’s first 50 miler and he definitely ran a smart race by keeping it conservative in the early going, leading to a great overall time.

Lining up at the start

The course does not have any climbs that are absolute killers, but the course is never flat, and you are basically always climbing or descending.  The course is an evenly-split out and back and there are about 7 stream crossings that you go through in each 25 mile section.  Some of the crossings are small, and probably would not be there during a dry year, while others are up to your thighs and can take a little more work to get out of when the water level is high.  The trail is primarily beautiful rolling single-track winding around the Warm Springs Arm of the lake.

Course Map for the Lake Sonoma 50

Some runners sliding their way to one of the first stream crossings

Joe and I basically ran within earshot of one another for the next 25 miles.  We were laughing for most of it, especially at the turn-around where Suzanna Bon was cheering us on as well as when we passed a few runners on the return who were aware of the bet that Joe and I had riding on the 2010 season.  Joe was about 20 yards behind me when we passed Larissa and I instantly heard laughter as Joe later told me that Larissa had said “beat my boyfriend” as they passed. Uhh huhh… I see how it is.

Thierry and Larissa running through a stream crossing

I felt like I was running a decent race per my ‘ok’ fitness level leading up to LS50.  I knew that it would not be my best, but definitely not my worst.  It has seemed to take me longer than normal to recover from my long runs (and races such as WTC) ever since the HURT100 in January, and I’ve been dealing with small, flukey injuries right when I start having a good week.  At Sonoma I had about 38 miles of good running, but from about 37-47 I allowed myself to mentally check-out and slowed my pace during that time.  Joe continued on and put on a gap beginning at around mile 37, and I ran solo for the next 10 miles.

Cruising on a section of trail with Joe not too far behind

At about mile 47 I suddenly heard a runner behind me.  “Holy crap” I thought, “I got lazy and am about to start getting passed by a stream of runners right before the finish.”  The runner was my buddy David La Duc and we ran together for about the next mile.  Suddenly at mile 48 everything kicked back in and just like getting scared at mile 88 of HURT, I dug down to hold my spot to the finish.  I ran the last two miles hard, in fact they were probably my fastest two miles of the day (or seemed like it).  I crossed the finish line in 8:14.15, good enough for 7th overall on the day.  YES I finished 2.34 back from Joe, so after 81 miles of racing, I am ahead by the slimmest of margins, 2.08, and we are tied 1-1 in races.  Fortunately next up is Miwok back on my home turf.  Hopefully I can manage a good race there, though as of writing this it has taken me a good 10+ days to recover from Sonoma.  Still, I am pleased with Sonoma all things considered and it should have me on the right step leading up to my big focus 100 milers this summer.

Hal won overall and set a new course record in 7:08.20.  It will be exciting to see if someone can run sub-7 here in the next couple years.  Nathan ran a 7:24.15, also under the prior course record, and Bob Shebest rounded out the top 3 in 7:40.45.  Devon set a new women’s course record in 8:26.53, including a “detour” which gave her some bonus miles.  Karen Spore followed 2nd in 8:41.51, and Darla Askew rounded out the top 3 women in 9:06.29.  Larissa and Kevin ran a 10:18, each knocking a big chunk of minutes off of their times from the North Face 50 last December (also with about 10,500′ of climbing), Larissa improving by about 30 mins and Kevin by about 20.

Devon crossing the finish to win the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile

I really enjoyed the race and I think that it will become a staple in my race schedule moving forward.  It is challenging and tough, but not punishing.  I know that I can run the course much better, and hopefully I can knock off a good chunk of time in 2011.  The post-race spread is fantastic and (no surprise) I had a great time chatting with friends for a while post race.  Also, the great thing about Lake Sonoma 50 is that you are in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma wine country.  On Sunday Larissa, Devon, Nathan, and I stopped in at a few wineries.  Nothing like stretching your calves and quads while in a tasting room

A big thank you to all of the volunteers out at the race that made it possible, as well as to John Medinger, Lisa Henson, and Suzanna Bon (and anyone else I am missing) for organizing such a fun race on a fantastic course.  I’ll see you all next year.

Thanks Kevin Luu for all the photos.

Race details can be found on Ultrasignup

Devon’s race recap can be found HERE

Nathan’s race recap can be found HERE

Bob Shebest’s recap can be found HERE

-Brett

Hanging out with Nathan and Brett after the 2009 Lake Sonoma 50. I'm pretty sure Brett was too scared to race us that day.

OK!  The “Evil Empire” (Brett) has won the first round at Way Too Cool. I will admit he looked pretty studly running with his pretty little blue shirt, and was probably turning all the girls heads.  (and) I will admit that he beat me by 5 minutes at Cool.  At the finish he looked like he could run another 100 miles – so I went to bed Saturday night after the race thinking – How can I level the playing field so that I am not stuck wearing a banana costume?  The last thing I want to do is to tell the world that I am Brett Rivers’ B$%tch at the end of the season because of some crazy bet!

I thought maybe I could “Nancy Kerrigan” him (but where do you find a guy with a tire iron for hire these days?).  I thought I could “convince” Larissa to let the air out of his tires the night before a race, but I realized that wouldn’t work as Larissa seems to be racing more than Brett and they are probably running the same races.  Maybe I could get Nathan to take Brett on a backcountry run and leave him out in the woods, but Brett would probably go “Survivorman” and find his way back. Then my wife suggested that I just train harder!… What is she is crazy!

Thats when I realized – Brett is — what 15 yrs old??? and I am 43 (which means I am really more like 60 because I teach and work with kids!) In reality 16 yrs separate us – and I figure its fair that Brett should give me 3 minutes of time for every year that separates us! In the 100 milers it should be at least 20 minutes.

If you are reading this and are confused, Brett and I have a small bet riding on the 2010 racing season since we are doing so many races together – WTC, LS 50, Miwok 100k , TRT100, Pine to Palm 100, and probably more. Whoever loses on time has to dress up in a costume and crew at a race for the winner.  Overall time of the 5+ races wins.  So what do you think?  Let me know your comments – and remember – Brett has been acting ” a little” cocky lately, and we will all get a good laugh at Brett’s expense while he is stuck wearing a banana costume crewing for me!

-Joe

Running in the Headlands during the Headlands Hundred

Hanging out post-WTC50k with Zach, Steve Vaught, Joelle Vaught (womens winner!), and Joe Palubeski

The Way Too Cool 50k, my first race since HURT.  I had a good two months between the races, but I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be in terms of training going in to Cool.  It took me quite some time to recover from HURT (dang you Nathan for seeming to have a rapid recovery).  Still, I was excited for Cool as I would get to see some new trails, see some friends, get a strong run in leading up to the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile on March 27, and generally experience the season kick-off and party that is WTC50k.  Oh, and one other thing, I wanted to kick Joe Palubeski’s butt..

See.. this post is less about Cool, and more about the fact that Joe and I have nearly identical ultra racing plans this year: 1.WTC50K, 2. Lake Sonoma 50M, 3. Miwok 100K, 4. Tahoe Rim 100M, 5. Pine To Palm 100M, and probably another race or two towards the end of the year.  Due to Joe clearly stalking my racing schedule (likely), thinking it would be a chance to hang out (unlikely), what better to do than talk some smack leading up to all these races and put a little wager on the line once the 2010 races wrap up?  I’m not sure who instigated the bet, but I am pretty sure that Joe, being the “funny” old man that he is, definitely started the rivalry based on all of the “hysterical” comments he has been dropping at my expense over the last couple months.  At least Joe and our friends have been laughing. 

The bet is being refined as we speak, but the basic plan is that we will take the total minutes from our races this year, add in some sort of minor factor to take Joe’s age into consideration (lets call this the dinosaur factor), possibly allow for some “style” and “zinger” bonus points throughout the year (as judged by our friends), and thus a champion will be crowned.  And what spoils does the victor claim?.. the loser will crew for the winner at a race of the winner’s choosing, all the while the loser will be dressed in an uncomfortable, semi-self-deprecating costume.  I would gladly do this same bet with Nathan, Zach, and Joel, but uh well umm, that might prove to be a lot of crewing by me in a banana suit.

Back to Cool.  Leor raced great again, followed by Max King in second, and Geoff Roes in third unfortunately due to a wrong turn while running in the lead.  In my opinion though the stand-out performance of the day was by the Masters winner Gary Gellin.  Gary absolutely tore it up in what was only his second ultra, running 4th overall behind three amazing runners (and he wasn’t a distant fourth).  It was a blast running for a short section with Womens winner Joelle Vaught who also ran a fantastic race and won WTC for the second time.  Bev Anderson-Abbs was the Womens Masters winner and was second woman overall.  Yes, the post-race frog cupcakes were fantastic.

Way Too Delicous Frog Cupcakes

I felt like I ran pretty well for about 27 miles.  I didn’t quite have my nutrition dialed in right and the wheels seemed to come off for the last couple miles, especially the last two which I ran pretty dizzy.  It was crazy being able to see the finish line, not quite sure if I would make it there.  Fortunately I only dropped one place in the last couple miles (Michael Cook literally flew by me out of nowhere with about a mile and a half to go, way to finish strong Mike).  Still, I had a blast running WTC especially with all of the mud and higher-than-normal stream crossings, I somehow finished second in the age group behind Leor (way behind), and I definitely plan on trying to come back in 2011 depending on my race lottery luck.

Coming across the finish line. Photo courtesy of Geri Ottaviano

Next up.. Lake Sonoma 50 Mile on March 27.  There is a large group of us descending upon Lake Sonoma which should make it a fun one.  Plus we will be smack in the heart of the Sonoma wine country so I’m pretty sure we will have plenty of excuses to taste some vino come Saturday night and Sunday.  My legs are pretty trashed and I have not had a comfortable run since WTC, but hopefully I’ll be good to go come Saturday morning and can have a fun day of cruising around the lake (a stride ahead of Joe).

I’ll have Joe’s take on Way Too Cool added in the next day or two, it should be good for a laugh.

The Way Too Cool 50K site and 2010 results can be found HERE

Leor’s recap can be found HERE

Gary Gellin’s recap can be found on Mark Tanaka’s site HERE and Tanaka’s recap is HERE

Jeff Roes’ recap can be found HERE

Rod Bien’s recap can be found HERE

Rick Gaston’s recap can be found HERE

Run well,

-Brett

Coming into the Jackass Ginger aid station. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

The H.U.R.T. Trail 100 Mile.  Whew, where to begin.

In early August, 2009 I headed out to a Tiki Bar in Oakland with my buddies Nathan Yanko and Rick Gaston.  We were meeting up with the usual odd collection of local ultra runners (all of us odd) to celebrate finishes of summer 100’s and the Headlands Hundred the weekend prior.  Several of us at the bar were hoping to find out if our applications were accepted for the HURT 100, checking daily to see if the accepted runners list had been posted.   Mark Gilligan finally showed up after a drink or two, and in typical Mark fashion instantly brought the energy.  “I have good news and I have bad news” Mark yelled to everyone as he walked in, “the good news is that we got into HURT!”  We all yelled back excitedly and then Mark followed with the bad news.  “The bad news is that we actually have to run HURT!”

Fast forward to January 16, 2010.  It is shortly before 6 a.m. in Hawaii.  We are in Manoa Valley, ready to head up into the mountains that are ominously dark above us.  Some fast runners are at the front; Gary Robbins, Nathan Yanko, Dan Barger, Tracy Garneau, Darcy Africa, Bob Africa, as well as others that I did not recognize.  Up at the front Mark Gilligan continued to entertain us with jokes while several of us wished one another best of luck.  Finally at 6am the race kicked off and a line of headlamps began to illuminate their way up and out of the Nature Center in Manoa, with about 107 starters hopeful of their chances on the day.

The HURT 100 Course Map

The HURT course consists of five laps of a 20 mile loop, each with just under 5,000′ of ascent and equal descent.  Each segment is marked with unique colored flags; white for the first 7.3 miles to the first aid station at Paradise Park.  Green for 5.4 mile segment from Paradise Park to Jackass Ginger (aka Nuuanu), and Orange for the 7.3 mile return from Jackass Ginger back to the Nature Center at Manoa.  A few of us shot out from the start, trying not to get stuck behind a line of runners heading up the technical and rooty section out of Manoa.  Somehow (not to my liking) I was in the lead when we made it to the top of the first climb and began a short runnable decent.   About 10 minutes in we came to a tree that had fallen across the trail.  I paused to step over it, missed my footing on the narrow singletrack, and basically fell my way over the tree.  I was holding a small headlamp in my hand at the time and in the middle of the fall it hit the tree, opened up, and 1-2 batteries fell out.

I stepped aside trying to get the headlamp working while Dan Barger and Gary Robbins passed.  I realized I was without light on unbelievably technical trail and instantly hopped back in line behind Dan and Gary and just in front of Tracy Garneau.  I ran for a few minutes in the dark, with a little bit of borrowed light from the headlamps of the runners around me.  I was pissed at myself for making such a dumb mistake so early into such a tough race, as battery-powered light is needed to see for roughly the first hour (not much light makes it through the thick canopy until the sun is well into the sky).

I struck up a conversation with Tracy and shortly into it I mentioned how mad I was at myself for making such a dumb mistake losing my light 10 minutes into the race.  “Oh no” Tracy replied in a worried tone,  “I have an extra headlamp in the top of my pack, grab it and use it.”  We paused for second while Tracy pulled out her spare headlamp and handed it to me.  As we began running again I thanked her for her unbelievable kindness, told her to use anything she needed out of  any of my well-stocked drop bags (including batteries!), and said that she was going to have really good race karma on the day as she was saving my race during the first hour.  We continued running together for a couple miles and besides experiencing her kindness first-hand I also learned how cool she is as a runner and person (no surprise).  After a couple miles Darcy Africa came blazing by and I wished Tracy luck as she took off to match Darcy.

The rooty HURT 100 trail

Around this time Gary Robbins was still right in front of me and we quickly began chatting about the race and trail running in our local areas (Vancouver, CAN for Gary and San Francisco, CA for me).  We had one another cracking up, gave some yells to past HURT winner Mike Sweeney as we ran by as Mike was playing guitar on the trail, and descended into the Paradise Park aid station in around 1:22.  I gave Tracy back her headlamp as she, Darcy, and Dan headed out about a minute in front of us.

Nathan caught up to us around this time and Gary, Nathan, and I headed out of the aid station together, laughing and cracking jokes on one another.  At one point I was the second in the line of the three of us and remarked that I was “glad I could be the center of this oreo cookie of shit-talk.”  Apparently all of the trash-talk had Gary and Nathan feeling good about themselves as they ended up running really well   In all honesty though Nathan and I have a lot of fun just about every mile we run, and Gary seems to run the same way, so being there with those two guys for a couple miles was some of the most fun I have had running.

On the climb out of Paradise Park it was fun passing runners who were heading down.  When we passed Larissa I gave her a “hey beautiful!” yell and she jokingly responded asking why the three of us were “getting chicked by two girls already.”  I’m pretty sure she was pulling for the women   My “hey beautiful” comment also gave Gary and Nathan a little more material as rumors quickly began to fly that Larissa was grabbing asses (not mine) as she went by.  Larissa is still not denying the rumors.  Thanks guys.

Coming into Jackass Ginger aid station. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

We caught up to Tracy, Darcy, and Dan as we got back to Paua Flats, a very rooted section.  It was here that I decided to dial back the pace from the front runners.  I began having flashbacks of my run at the Wheres Waldo 100k last year when I went out beyond my pace, thrashed my legs, and bonked hard.  Now at HURT, I was only about 10 miles in and already I was seeing how technical and difficult the next 90 miles would be.  Furthermore, at the first aid station Gary mentioned that we were about 10 minutes ahead of Geoff Roes’ pace when he set the course record in 20:28.  I remarked that I wasn’t sure what was more concerning to me… that we were that far ahead of Roes’ CR pace, or that I was keeping pace with someone who took the time to print out and keep track of Roes’ splits in the first place!  All of this in my head had me feeling like if I kept it up it would be a personal recipe for disaster, and my goal was still simply to finish HURT with a stretch goal of sub-25 hours since the course was in “good shape”.

The decent into and climb back out of Jackass Ginger was tough but my favorite section of the course on the day.  I headed out of Jackass behind Paul Hopwood (winner in ’08) and Bob Africa and ran with Bob for a bit while we headed back towards Manoa.  It was fun running with Bob who is a super nice guy, chatting and hearing about his and Darcy’s racing over the last couple years.

I caught up to Darcy about a mile from Manoa and we continued to trade places throughout the second loop with Darcy gaining on the descents and me on the climbs.  I made a quick stop after the first loop to refuel, and then started back on the rooty climb out of Manoa.  At the top of the climb I caught and re-passed Paul, and then continued my way on to Paradise Park.  The section from Manoa to Paradise Park (the first 7.3 miles of each loop) was the toughest for me all race and I felt slow on this section each loop.

Larissa heading down to Paradise Park. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

Gary, Nathan, and Tracy were spread out by a couple minutes each but all were heading up as I was descending down.  I gave big yells for each as they all were looking like they were going to have great runs.  I was back in 5^th, with Dan Barger about a minute ahead and Darcy right behind me.   We stayed that way most of the second loop.

After two loops (40 miles) I took a few minutes to get in some solid food, mix up an Amazing Grass and coconut water for extra hydration and nutrients, and reloaded the Gel-Bot and Soft-flask with gel.  I also grabbed a headlamp as I figured I would need it towards the end of the 3^rd loop.   A big thanks to Jeffrey Rogers for his help during my time at the aid station.

I hit my mental lows during the first segment of the 3^rd loop.  It was hot, everything hurt, and for some reason I felt like I had more things going wrong than right.  I also kept clipping my toes on the roots (which are relentless) and my feet were absolutely killing me.  However, I came across some familiar faces right when I needed it.  Mark Gilligan and some other runners were coming back on Paua flats to complete their second loop while I was headed out on my third, and just like at the Tahoe Rim 100 and other times, Mark’s energy and motivation recharged me.

Devon (pacer, front) and Nathan heading into Jackass Ginger. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

It was still hard as hell of course, but mentally I picked it back up for the rest of the third loop.  I gave Gary a laughably big yell while he was heading up from Paradise Park, partly to pass along some of the energy but also because he was absolutely killing it AND was looking like he was still in great condition and running comfortably.  Nathan followed a few minutes back, as did Tracy, and I gave big yells for both as well.  Coming out of Jackass Ginger I caught back up with Dan Barger and we ran together chatting for a couple miles which was fun and helped pass the time.  It was really great running with someone who has completed so many races and has had such an amazing trail running career (and is still crushing it).

After mile 60 I took my longest break, probably about 8-10 minutes, so that I could get my heels taped up (for some reason I developed blisters on them which is not common for me), change socks and shoes, refuel and reload the Gel-Bot, and grab an additional light as it was now completely dark.

I was slow on the 4^th lap.  It was my first in the dark, and even though I spend a lot of time running trail via headlamp due to long work hours, I was not completely prepared for even how much more complex and technical the HURT trails would be in the dark. About ¾ through the 4^th lap I caught up with Larissa who was finishing up her 3rd lap.  We hiked a climb for a bit and she vented some frustration over a bad ankle sprain back at mile 30.  She got it taped up at 40 and against the recommendation of the PT there she headed back out   Even though she was moving slower than she liked she had a new focus of finishing at least the 100k (67 miles at HURT).  After a few minutes we reached a runnable section so I gave her a kiss, told her she was doing great and how proud I was, and continued on to finish up the loop.

Heading into Jackass Ginger either at mile 73 or 93. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

I again reloaded at mile 80, put in fresh batteries into my headlamp, and headed back out for the last 20 miles of HURT.  A big thank you to Stan Jensen at miles 20, 60, and especially 80 for his help and motivation.  As I was leaving mile 80 I heard that Gary Robbins was leaving Jackass Ginger (~mile 93) and would have a geat shot at the new course record.  I was partly motivated but mostly in awe at hearing that.  Gary was freakin flyin!

I felt slow again on the Manoa-to-Paradise Park section (miles 80-87).  I quickly refilled my Gel-Bot with water and gel one last time and then took off, trying to get some distance in before I came across whoever happened to be closest behind me.  To my surprise (and dismay at the time) Paul Hopwood came cruising down in what I estimated at being about 10 minutes behind me.  Paul looked good but I was stunned as the last time I saw him I thought I had 30+ minutes on him.

I was pissed at myself and instantly went into total “being chased” mode.  I tapped something I didn’t know I had and just started running and running hard.  I was running scared but made quick work (in my mind) of miles 87-93, hoping to put some distance back on Paul, or at least still keep a small cushion in case it came down to a quad-hammering decent back to the finish.  I spent pretty much no time at Jackass Ginger (mile 93) and quickly headed back out for the last section of the race back to the finish at Manoa.  As I headed up I finally caught site of Paul and estimated that I had put at least 20-25 minutes between us again.  I had a little relief but still kept running hard in case something unforeseen would occur.

Kiss the sign and you are done.

I could not help but run with absolute joy for the last couple miles.  Holy shit I thought to myself, I hurt like hell, stink, and am covered in dirt and salt, but am running half naked through the jungle forests of Hawaii while having a blast and am about to finish the HURT 100, probably as the 3^rd place male behind my buddies Gary and Nathan!  I was stoked.  Once I drew near to the aid station and saw the lights I let out some yells.  Larissa, Nathan, Devon, Kristen, Gary, and other friends old and new were all at the finish.  I kissed the HURT 100 sign “Aole makou e ho’ohikiwale kela / We wouldn’t want it to be easy.”

Completed.  Pau. Done.  The HURT 100 was officially in the books for me at 24 hours 40 minutes.  I somehow managed 3^rd male and 4^th place overall behind 3 amazing runners and somehow ahead of more great runners, adventurers, friends.

A tremendous thank you to all of the HURT 100 volunteers.  The aid and assistance at all of the aid stations was top notch, especially for a runner without a crew.  To John, Jeff, PJ, and all of the Hawaii Ultra Running Team, a huge thank you for an amazing and extremely challenging race.  Jeff, thanks for the fruit by the foot at the awards banquet, I will try not to “come up short” next time!  Also thank you to all of the runners who toed the line on Saturday, whether you finished or not,  as all of you were so kind and motivating throughout the race.

To Gary (20:12) and Tracy (24:06), a HUGE congratulations on both of you setting new course records.  Canada/BC absolutely kicked ass, way to go.  Nathan (22:30), you rocked it buddy, I am not surprised, but wow!  Larissa, your motivation inspired me even further, 2^nd female in the 100k on a busted ankle, “that’s LP.”

Yes.  HURT hurt, but it was a great adventure with great people.

Mahalo, -Brett

The HURT website can be found HERE

Full results can be found HERE

Great photos of the race by Peter Daspit are HERE

My various HURT and Hawaii photos are HERE

I somehow made it into a HURT Slideshow on RunnersWorld.com that can be found HERE

Ready Gary Robbins recap of setting the new CR HERE

Devon Crosby-Helms adventure of pacing Nathan Yanko for the last 40 miles can be found HERE

Kristen, Nathan, and Devon - Team Yanko pre-race

Pre-race with el equipo De León

Tracy Garneau (Female CR) heading across the stream to Jackass Ginger aid station. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

Larissa and runners heading into Jackass Ginger aid station. Photo courtesy of Peter Daspit

me, Nathan (2nd), and Gary (1st) post race once I crossed the finish.

Celebrating at the banquet with "Mr. Inspiration" and friend Ken Michal

At the awards banquet - the top 3 men and women

Celebrating with super-volunteer Cindy Goh

Heading into Avalon on Catalina Island

The Avalon Benefit 50 Mile on Catalina Island, one of the nation’s oldest 50 milers, bills itself as “one of the country’s most challenging and scenic 50-milers. No cars, no smog, just great terrain, incredible views, fascinating historical sites, a well-organized race, nice people, great food . . . and even an occasional buffalo sighting.”

After spending most of this winter churning out Yasso 800s, mile repeats, and tempo runs  to improve my marathon time at the California International Marathon (2hrs, 50 mins), the Avalon 50 sounded like the perfect antidote to my trail withdrawal.  My legs ached for softer surfaces, and life just didn’t seem quite as complete without that Thursday morning 4am buzzer, signaling another weekly Marin Headlands run with a fun, and ever-expanding group of trail-running champs (yes – the other regulars had all notched wins last season (Stinson Beach, JFK, Headlands 100, Muir Beach 50K, Rodeo Beach 50k + many more.)  Although I only had a month to train, I squeezed in a few trail-heavy 100+ mile weeks and felt fresh heading into race weekend.  Plus, even if I was to bonk miles in, the weekend was going to be fun since my dad had offered to join me and experience this ultra-running community I keep going on about.

High-fiving a fellow runner, photo courtesy of Spectrum Sports

Blessed by warm temperature and clear skies, the 5am start on the Catalina coast was quite comfortable.  The RD counted us down, and we were off. Evan Kimber, looking to improve upon his victorious time of 6:56 the previous year shot out at the start.  Hot on his tail was previous runner-up, Fabrice Hardel, who I had heard felt confident in his preparation and was looking to challenge him for the win this year.  Early-on, I kept my distance and just tried to soak in everything around me.  Running along the ridges of Catalina Island with nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore and the lights of Los Angeles in the distance was so relaxing.  I stayed in a rhythm but was not interested in pushing the pace from the start and I don’t  think I even glanced at my watch until after mile 10.

Early in the race I was most focused on congratulating and rooting on all the early-bird starters that had started before the official 5am start in order to finish by the 5pm cut-off.  Hal Winton, co-RD of the Angeles Crest 100, and personal inspiration was running his gazzilionth Avalon 50 at 78 years old, starting at 11pm (the night before!) in order to finish by the cut-off. And he was only one of so many inspiring people that I came across that morning!  From first-timers to those running their 25^th or more race, I soon realized that this run was about far more than a race, but rather about our running community.

I still find it hard to describe – maybe it was the months away from the Ultra community? Maybe it was getting to spend the weekend with my dad on a father-son road trip? (who was a great runner and will be once again once he fully recovers from a spinal fusion surgery that sidelined him last fall.) Whatever  it was, I completely forgot about the race, and just soaked in the beauty of the island as well as all of the cool people that I was fortunate enough to meet along the way – that is, until I found myself 100 yards back from the leader at mile 18   After an incredible sunrise over Los Angeles, I finally checked out my pace on the Garmin: 7:07/mi – ooh, this could be bad later on.

The great aid station and volunteers at mile 38. Photo courtesy of Spectrum Sports - www.spectrumsports.net

After the initial brutal climb over the first 4 miles, the race rolls along a ridge until mile 20 at which there is a 1000 foot climb and descent to Two Harbors on the opposite side of Catalina.  Catching up with the current leader, I was still feeling pretty good and decided to see if I could create a little space before we began our journey back (although it takes a different course back – similar to a figure eight.)  The descent into Two Harbors is simply breathtaking and makes the quad-pounding descent much more bearable.  Upon reaching the bottom, I recalled a veteran’s (and previous winner of the race) advice from the night before.  With an aid station at Two Harbors and a mile out-and-back to the along the isthmus before the return home, you can drop your water bottle and pick up some time while it’s refueled.   That I did, and with two sub 6 minute miles out-and-back, I was able to increase my lead to nearly ¾ of a mile.

With the climb out of Two Harbors, the heat and my lack of long runs in my training was starting to catch up with me.  Although I clocked the first 25 in a few minutes more than 3 hours, and the marathon in 3:12, I soon slowed as the return route back to Avalon was a mixture of steady climbs and short descents through the canyons of the interior of Catalina Island.  Having never led an ultra for any significant length of time, I had the impending feeling of being snatched at any minute by Evan or Fabrice, as they had looked quite strong when I had passed them.  Either way, I finally found myself at the mile 43 aid station – one final  climb up to the ridge, and one quad-killing skydive back down to the Ocean away from my first win.

Evan, me, and Ruperto - top 3 on the day

Getting through these last miles consisted mainly of two thoughts, “Ocean” and “Running on Love” – (one of my favorite running quotes, by Brett Rivers when asked why he felt so great at 8,000 feet, 80 degree heat, and 80 something miles in to his great 100 mile debut and 3^rd place finish at Tahoe Rim 100 last summer). Well, needless to say – it worked; I crossed the finish line “running on love” in 6:30:25 and I believe my official time of hitting the ocean water was 6:30:29. In case you have ever wondered, Petzl Headlamps DO work after a dive in the Pacific, although you may need to blow-dry for extended periods of time.  The verdict is still out on the heart rate monitor. Either way, it was worth it.

Evan Kimber followed for 2nd place in 6:54.01 and Ruperto Romero rounded out the top 3 in 7:09.36.  Maria Petzold won for the women in 7:52.55.

As a Catalina-newbie, and big fan of the Avalon Benefit 50 Mile I encourage everyone to venture out for the race. It is living history of the sport of ultrarunning, and the town of Avalon truly opens up for the runners.  From the first finisher before noon until the last around 7pm, you can hear applause and cheers erupting from the many restaurants, stores, and people lining the streets of downtown Avalon.  The true spirit of the ultra-running community is as strong as ever, and I’m confident that you’ll leave feeling the same way as I did – a big smile, and sore quads.

-Zach

Coming to the finish for my first victory!

Instantly from the finish line to the ocean

Celebrating with my Dad post-finish

This race has buffalo.. Buffalo! Photo courtesy of Spectrum Sports - www.spectrumsports.net