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Training on a Oh, the Things
Busv SEhedule I Know
53 Leadville
by Ann Trason by Joe Uhan 55 Lean Horse
12 . i.:....ri,: l',:1.- ,. t.,'::j., :': 17 --i.;:'.; ,l'i.;i!i 58 Silverheels
How to Avoid Attack ofthe
the Dreaded DNF Turkev Dementors
55 Speedgoat
by lan Sharman by Qary Dudney 5l Skyline
'13 :- r li..:i:: i:i:l-': t8 ';' : 1:.= :.: 52 Twisted Branch i:-
='..
r,:, l.i I *i :
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54 Waldo
Patience and Plannins A Race for the Ages
by Etlie Creenwood by Cary Cantrell 66 HURL Elkhorn
14 r:tt-:i:ti;i-:ii: INTERNA'TIONAL SEE}dH
New Trends Usins
wnot. Fooir
- for.
uttralife & 58 Ultraru_nning
News trom
the Ultrarunner 73 ONE STEP BEYOND Around the Clobe
by Sarah lbszyk Unsung Heroes
by Dean Karnazes
69 IUA rook World
Championships
74 THI
ULTRA VIRCiN
ON THE COVER: Runners enter Coins lt Alone. or
the Trout Creek aid station
DoinE lt Tosether?
(mite 79) at Silverheets l0O in
Fairptay, CoLorado, as a meteor
by Atisha Pirkins
shower dazzles overhead. 76 THE RCCKET N?ANTS
lO Jeff cenoval
Do Your Homework
by Errol "Rocket" Jones
 recirctiEs
INTJ TOOX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
r-:: -:-<i :;iar:'s rook in Qatar was domi-
:;::j. i--:-= B:ijrhvromen's team, ledby Ellie
l:=::sr,:,i- :iis 1-ear the American women
;i-r- '3:ri':- \\-l:rs&oten, The Netherlands.
-:: :.. Ca=ie !{errons overall victory in 7
:-ri-::; ]:rruies (iust 8 minutes offofAnn
-- -.:rg-s'randing record), the American
=s:*.s
---'--: s scoring was rounded out with Sarah
i;:: -- :c'.r',h place and the ageless Meghan
-a.::.:.=1i sealirrg the win with a strong rTth
:.=--:. -. :e.{merican men ran a gutsy race in
3,1:=;1:'rg last year's gold (without Max IGng
::i ;:-r. and placed fourth. Read more about
-r.e
!ft- 6n
")'
6JRAI{D SLAM OF ULTRARUNNING
r;:er Bucklin, age 39 of Conrad, Montana,
:-:-:ieied the Grand Siam in 94 hours and
-i :=rxutes, an average of just over z3 and a
:i;- hours at Western States, Vermont,
-
;3j:i11e and Wasatch. Twelve other intrepid
this
=-ourance athletes compieted the slam
:--r1rr1€r. Bucklin said: "Witnessing my nine-
-.'rar-old daughter experience the races was
=: biggest highlight for me. She was inspired
:-; \ikki Kimball at Western States, and she
iirsthand that anything is possible. Each
':.nc
::'lnrired miles exposed me to amazing people
-a:rd stories that still resonate. Before the
-<unrmer began I loved running, now it is
quch more than that, it is a part ofwho I am."
TyLer Bucklin cruising around mite 6.
",::::*:l:;
= benefit ofBen has been established, and dona-
RUN RABBIT RUN
Jason Schlarb won the highly contested
Run Rabbit Run roo miler in Steamboat
Springs, Colorado, in a dominating 18 hours
and 5 minutes, over an hour ahead ofsecond
place finisher Bob Shebest. In the women's
:ace. Emrna Roca of Spain won in zr hous 4z
18 minutes ahead of Emily Richards.
=i:ruies,
Sr:.la;b and Roca each won $rz,ooo inprize
acneri (p1us another $r,ooo to Roca for the
r,-r:>:-I's premium), with cash awards going
r:;.r deep for both genders in the event that
se:-: -::e prize raoney standard for the sport of
6 ULTRA] NOVEIIBER 2OI5
ultrarunning. Look for the full race report in
the December issue of Ul,traRunning.
RECORD SET AT SPARTATHLON
On September z9 at Spartathlon, Katalin
"Kati" Nagy, age 36, set a new women's record
and placed fourth overall in z5 hours and 7
minutes. Fe11ow Floridian Alyson Venti, age
33, finished second (ninth overall)
in z6 hours
5o minutes, also faster than the previous
course record. Nagy, formerly a Hungarian
National and now an American citizen, has
been on a roll over the past year, with a win
at the z4-hour World Championships in Italy
where she covered anarnaztng r5r.9 mi1es.
She also won the most recent Burning River
and Desert Solstice roo milers. Rumor has it
that the Western States roo is on her bucket
1ist. Florian Reus of Germany was the overall
winner in z3 hours 17 minutes. The first
American men's finisher was Bob Hearn,
age 50, in a solid z9 hours and 35 minutes
for z8'h overa11. There were r74 finishers of
the iconic r53-mile race.
i
ANOTHER MAJOR FKT ON THE AT
On September 24 alits Southern terminus
in Georgia, Heather'Anish" Anderson set a
record for a self,supported thm-hike of the
2,185 Appalachian Trail in 54 days 7 hours and
48 minutes. Anderson's effort not only bested
the previous women's standard by over three
weeks (Liz Thomas' completed the trail in zorr
in roughly 8o days), but Anderson also eclipsed
the overali record held by Matt Kirk of 58 days
9 hours and 4o minutes. Such per{ormance
is nothing new for Anderson, who also holds
the overall selfsupported record for the Pacific
Crest Trail, which she set in zor3. Anderson, a
Washington State resident, started nearly every
day before dawn and hiked until after dark in
setting the AT record.
MOEHL SETS TAHOE RIM TRAIL FKT
Elite ultrarunner I(rissy Moehl set the
supported FI(T for the r65-miie Tahoe Rim
Trail on September 3o when she cruised into
Big Meadow after circumnavigating the Lake
in a clockwise direction. The previous record
was set one year prior by Amber Monforte of
Reno, Nevada, in 49 hours and 17 minutes.
The overali supported record is held by
I(ilian |ornet (38 hours and J2 minutes in
zoog), which bested Tim Twietmeyer's long-
standing 45 hours and 38 minute previous
record.
Moehi, 37 and from Boulder, Colorado,
has won over 5o ultramarathons in her career,
inciuding UTMB and Hardrock.
US SKYRUNNER SERIES
The US Skyrunner Series' culminating
race, the Flagstaff Sky Race 55k, was hotly
contested and won by Dan I(raft (5 hours
49 minutes) and Ashley Erba (5 hours 47
minutes). The overall series was won by )osh
Arthur and Sarah Woerner, who each took
home $3.ooo in series prize money.
IN MEMORIAM
Long-time ultrarunner Fred Brooks, age
62, died in a car accident on September 13
after completing the Wasatch Front roo-mile
race. Brooks lived in Sacramento and was a
prominent member of the Northern Caiifornia
ultrarunning community. He completed 54
ultras, beginning with the Sulphur Springs
5ok in Ontario, Canada, in 1995. Brooks went
on to win the grueling Superior roo-mi1e race
in Lutsen, MN, in 1998 at the age of 45. The
following year he completed Western States
roo tn zz hours and zo minutes. In zooo at
age 47 Brooks cruised the Way Too Cool 5ok
in 3 hours and 59 minutes.
Brooks took a hiatus from ultrarunning
in zooT untii turning age 6o in zorl-
completing 13 ultras since June zor3. Brooks'
last ultra was this September at Wasatch,
which he completed in z8 hours and 35
minutes, first in his age group.
Wally Hesseltine comments: "Fred always
seemed to me very talented and naturally fit,
which was combined with grit and determi-
nation. He was a great father and very close to
his son. He had cluite a gregarious personality,
a strong sense of humor and was fun to be
around. We have iost a real fine character."
Brooks is survived by his son Ben, age rz,
and Ben's mother and ultrarunner, Al1y
Condon. A fund in honor ofFred and for the
tions can be made at gofundme.com/6u4ce8kp.
Fred and his son Ben during a recent trip to Hawa
[O Courtesy Brooks ia* .,
 ---'-- L AsftAnn

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l, r{r\ --.1.5oN

you well in your races. Take advantage of the time
you have. Those days and weeks when you have
extra time are perfect for your long runs and even
back-to-back hard runs. During the busy work
weeks, cut back on the mileage and intensity, but
keep up with core and stability work, as well as
stretching. Find ways to cross-train.
Plan ahead what you'11 do every singte day.
When I knew I was in for a 1ong, busy day, the first
thing I did was to think of some training I could
do before I got home. I knew that once I walked
in the door and sat down, it would be oh so easy
to teil myseif I was tired and training could wait.
Instead, no matter how tired I was, I told myself:
every 1ittle bit he1ps. It's those 1itt1e things that add
up to uitra success.
Use your meal or break tirne to get a few
miles in cr tc make a quick trip tE th€ gym. If
you can't get out of the building, bring a yoga mat
and a few sma11 weights or other items to work. If
your building has stairs, walk or run some laps at
the end of your shift. Initialiy your colleagues will
think you're eccentric and w-onder what you're up
to, but they will be impressed when you tell them
you're training for ultras-ask them to remind
you to do your training every day.
lf yeu tive within a runnable distance, run
to or from work. Hit a gym. Get colleagues to
join you on a walk. Get a couple miles belore or
after work. On your long days, be very specific
and quality oriented. When I had a bloclt of days
Ann Trason (Left) and Kathy D'Onofrio-Wood with more time on my hands, I knew it was a good
going stride-for-stride in I 989. [o scott schneider]
time to fit in long or hard runs. But, I also knew
that it was the perfect time to catch up on sleep
DEAR ANN, and to let my body recover lrom the stresses of
I'm a nurse and work rz- to r4-hour night shifts. everyday life. Remember, improvements in fitness
Depending on my schedule and how exhausted I come during the recovery from training. Lack of
feel from working nights, I'm able to train a lot adecluate recovery can lead to the long-term fatigue
some weeks, and almost not at all in other weeks. of overtraining syndrome.
Any advice for those of us who can't adhere to a Ee creative, Top runners always lind ways
traditional training p1an, and whose weekly mileage to get the job done. In the days before treadmills,
must often vary dramaticaliyl when the weather was too bad to go outside Emil
Zatopek, the famous Czech runner who in r95z
-Nate won Olympic gold in the 5,ooo, ro,ooo and the
Coach fack Daniels has a quote
that every runner should take to
heart: "always try to achieve the
greatest possible benefit from
the least amount of training
rather than getting the greatest
possible benefit from the hardest
training possible." Sometimes I
would have the luxury ofenough
time in the day to get my desired
mileage. But when I was tight on
time, I made sure every workout
counted.
What's so magical about a
seven-day week anywayl Most
training schedules are based
on what fits someone working
a traditional 8-to-5 job. When I
was setting uP a training Plan
for myself, I would build it
around what I needed to accom-
plish next, whether that was a
long run, speed work, race-spe-
cific work or getting plenty of
rest. When life got busy I didn't
see any need to follow a tradi-
tional weekly schedule. So Nate,
here's another one of Ann's little
secrets: make your week fit your
schedule, not your schedule fit
your weekl $
Ann Trason is a t4-time women's
champion at Western States
rca, andholds Worl.d Records
at the 5o-mile (5:4o:$ in ry9t),
tooK (7:oo:47, 199il, tz-Hour
(y miles qtz yards, ry9t) and
rco-mi.le (q:47:42, t99t). Ann
coaches middle school cross
country and supports others'
ultr ar unning a chi ev em ents
by race directing, coaching,
v olunt e er ing, p a cing an d

DEAR NATE,
Know you're not alone. fust because you have
a rz-hour shift does not mean you cannot be a
successful ultrarunner. I have clients and friends
riho are nurses, firefighters, frequent business
irar-e1ers, parents of young children, students
r.r i;h heavy course loads, folks in areas with winter
blLrzzatds and others who cannot fit a traditional
:rainir.rg schedule into their busy 1ives.
Think of your long days as part of yaur ultra
training. They give you mental toughness and an
aoiiit-'- to spend time on your feet that will serve
marathon, threw wet laundry into his bathtub and crewing at ultras
ran in place for hours. That should be an inspi- througlrout
ration for us all to find a way to get the job done. the Western
Ifyou don't have the block of time needed to go us.
{or arun, a lew minutes here and there throughout
the day can be enough to do something produc-
tive. Push-ups, bird dogs, leg lifts, crunches, side
planks, dips. Select a few basic exercises you can
do whenever you have a few minutes free.
It's easy to get discouraged when life gets in the
way and the weekly mileage wouldn't even count
as an u1tra. In his book Daniels' Running Formula,

'lo ULTRA- NOVEMBER 2015

How f*
:' .!\ 5-ARk{AN
€wwaffiffi ffi&w ffiwwm#wM
At some point in life, almost all of us
har.e to deal with not completing a race. The
ierm "DNF" (Did Not Finish) is a dirtyword
in ultrarunning. Logging a DNF can lead to
months of soul-searching. So it's important
to think through what factors can lead to
this failure, and how they can be avoided.
These fal1 into two categories: physical and
mental issues. They can be further classified
as avoidable and unavoidable problems.
AVOIDABLE PHYSICAL CAUSES OF DNFs
These are the kind ofissues that occur
from bad planning, training or race manage-
ment. Some common ones include over-
heating, freezing (hypothermia), bonking,
trashed 1egs, uncontrollable vomiting,
excessive chaffing and altitude sickness.
Each ofthese has a different cause, but by
being arvare olthe possibilities and risks ofa
soecific race, it's possible to practice and train
ior them. Some of them fail into the unavoid-
abie caiegory ifthe training and race strategy
are rl eli iested and thought out, but they can
r.'ralll be dealt with through methodical and
specii-ic race preparation trai n ing.
12 ULTRA]
..: C3V
-..'. NOVEIMBER 2OI5
'When
certain issues have occurred in the
past, it's essential to think through a plan
for how to deal with the first signs of these
things going wrong. It's much easier to do
this in advance than to have to ad lib on race
day. For example, if cold is an issue for you,
make sure you have warm clothing with your
crew or in a drop bag in case temperatures
are colder than anticipated or fa11 precipi-
tously at night. Adaptability and
problem solving are key ultra
skills, but much of this can be
done in advance. Learn from
the experience ofother runners
as well as from your own races.
UNAVOIDABLE PHYSICAL
CAUSES OF DNFs
Sometimes things are comPletelY
out ofyour control, such as a rock
becoming dislodged from above and
hitting you. Traumatic injuries tend to
fit into this category, but the chances
of even the most serious of these
happening can be minimized by being
aware ofyour surroundings and potential
risk factors. For example, don't run
too fast down a technical mountain'
side in the dark. Stay within some
degree of a comfort zone for as long
as possible through an ultra. Even the
fastest elites can't afford to hammer it in the
first half of an ultra.
AVOIDABLE MENTAL CAUSES OF DNFs
This is probably the most significant
category that causes DNFs. It includes
choosing to race too hard early on, getting too
locused on a particular finish timeiplace and
choosing to give up because things haven't
gone roo%o according to p1an. Ultimately,
things don't go well for every second of a
race. What matters is how you adapt and deal
with these inevitable 1ow points.
Having the mental strength to persevere
is virtually the definition of what it takes to
be an ultrarunner. This can be improved
through hard, focused training and racing
over long periods of time. Here are a few
simple tricks that help:
Choose races that mean something to you,
so that when it gets difficult , you really want
to push on.
Work out in advance why the race is
important to you, and have several real1y good
reasons why you'll stick it out through the
low points. Some examples include telling
yourself that you've worked hard and don't
ffiffiffi
want that effort to go to waste, or that it took
a lottery to get into the race, so it may take a
long time to get a second chance.
Whenever negative thoughts creep
in, have positive ones to take their p1ace.
Examples include reminding yourself that
you're still moving forward even if it hurts,
or that you'll learn a lot more from finishing
a bad race than stopping.
UNAVOIDABLE MENTAL CAUSES
OF DNFs
There's not much in this category other
than emergencies like finding out mid-race
that your family has been eaten by bears.
Mental race issues should generally be avoid-
ab1e, although this article doesn't pretend to
delve into mental illnesses, which could lead
to genuine unavoidable DNFs.
WHEN YOU SHOULD DNF
Despite all the best preparations in the
world, sometimes things will still go horribly
wrong. The main aim is to prepare physically
and mentally to deal with whatever is thrown
at you. However, in cases of severe physical
illness or injury, it doesn't make sense to
push through and end up in the hospital.
'Work
out in advance how you'l1 decide if stop-
ping would be the sensible medical option,
since this is a harder decision to make when
exhausted. It can also be easy to convince
yourself that a minor issue is enough to DNF
ifthings are getting difficult, or the race isn't
playing out how you intended. But that fa1ls
in the category of avoidable mental causes
of DNFs. -$
Ian Sharman is an ultrarunning coach
with USATF and. NASM certifications
and is sponsored.by Altra, Julbo, Clif Bar
and others. Some of his career highlights
include setting the record for the Grand
Slarn of ultrarunning, winning the Leadville
Trail rco o"nd. six consecutive top-lo
finishes at Western States rco. His
rco-mile PR is the fastest
trail tin'te run in Nort'h.
Annertca: D:44.
 {t
ULTRACOACH J?
& Ultru-Life Balonce
-a
Prur#trffiffiffi ffired ffSsrereisegi
How to prepare for your first tOO miler
BY ELLIE CREENWOOD
The finat Leadvitte finisher under the 30-hour cutoff, Bit[ Staht, cheered on by the
crowd as he covers the [ast steps of the race. [O MajicPhotos/Mark Mccastin]
The roo-mile distance holds a huge ailure
for many an ultrarunner. Whilst I'm not saying
that 5ok or 50 miles are easy distances, without
a doubt, covering roo miles is rightly stil1 seen
as the uitimate chalienge for many ultrarun-
ners. A roo-mile race is a huge mental and
physical challenge, and is not something that
can be easily achieved and simply ticked off a
bucket list-it requires significant dedication
and preparation.
My initial advice to coaching clients who
want to run their first roo miler is to think
about it seriously before committing. I give
my clients an indication of the training that is
involved to reach the finish line successfully:
how many long runs would be idea1, what
sort ofback-to-back runs would be in a typical
scheduie and approximate minimal weekly
run volume. It is all too easy to see inspiring
photos of Rory Bosio crushing UTMB, or
Ian Sharman seemingly cruising to another
Leadville win, without really thinking about
the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
There is nothing wrong with realizing that
maybe the training involved is too much for
you, and deciding to delay running a roo
miler for now.
But ifyou are truly keen on tackling roo
miles, then I suggest that you build up a solid
background of shorter distance ultras first.
There is good reason that Western States
requires runners to have completed at least
one rook race before they can enter the lottery,
and why UTMB requires entrants to earn
clualifying points. Yes, this is in part because
those races are in very high demand, but it
is also because the organizers want entrants
to be as prepared as possible, both physically
and menta11y, to reach the finish line, and
that preparatioh comes through experience.
So whilst roo miles might be your ultimate
goal, test yourself over some 5o-mi1e courses
A 100-mi[e race is not
sornething that can
be easity achieved
and simply ticked off a
bucket tist-it requires
significant dedication
and preparation.
first-you'll get invaluable experience on
pacing, fueiing, gear and mental toughness.
We can all read countless articles and listen to
hours ofpodcasts, but nothing beats personal
first-hand experience. Plus, all those races
are vital extra training miles for your legs.
After you've run a shorter ultra and you're
ready to tackle a roo, it is important to choose
a race that really motivates you and that you
can prepare for adequately. Run Rabbit Run
might appeai to you, but given it is athigh alti
tude, it may not be the best choice ifyou live
and train at sea level. It's not to say that you
can't run that race, but the roo-mile distance
is already challenging enoughl Maybe a race
like Rocky Raccoon might work better for
you to gain experience and maximize your
chances of success (i.e. reaching the finish
linel) before adding the extra challenge of
elevation. Conversely, ifyou are lucky enough
to live in the mountains and can regtilarly
access steep climbs and descents and that is
the sort of running you enjoy, then UTMB
could be suitable for your first roo miler. Yes,
it is a long, tough race, but there is no point
in choosing a pancake-flat course that is in
theory faster and "easier" ifthat is not the
sort ofterrain you train on.
Karl Meltzer might claim that "roo miles
is not that far," but I think we all know that
in reality, it is a very long way to travel on
our own two feet. I definitely believe that
it is a goal that is well worth training for,
but it is also a huge commitment. The
more planning and time you take to get to
that goal, the more likely you are to have
an enjoyable and sriccessful experience. As
Sean Meissner's gutsy 43-hour finish (he'd
been aiming for 3o hours) at UTMB this year
shows, manythings can go physicallywrong
on race day even for the most experienced
and best prepared runners, but ifyou are
rooolo mentally committed to making it to
that finish 1ine, then tough times can be
overco*e.4
Ellie Greenwood, ran her first ever ultra on
January 1, 2oo4, at a Fat Ass 5ok event in
Yancower, BC. She was immediately hooked
on trail and ultrarunning, and has nlnnaged
to rnake it to the finish line of over 5o ultras
and m.arathons to date. Supportedby several
sponsors including Salomon ond Clif Bar,
Ellie balances her own training and racing
with. coaching runners of all abilities online
for Sharman tlltra. Ellie's racinghighlights
include a course record
win at'Western States
in zotz, afirstplace
finish at South
Africa's Comrades
89k andwinningthe
IAU World rcok
Championships
in zot4.
NOVEMBER 2OI5 ULTRARUNNING.COM 15
 h
.J Nutrition

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Real Food Round-Up

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BY SARAH KOSZYK, MA, RDN

Fuehng is essential for all athletes in order
:: .'-istain energy levels, prevent bonking and
::.:nize performance. Where an athlete gets
-rrese energy sources is based on personal
choice. Lately, a hot trend among ultrarun-
:-ers and sports nutritlon companies has been
:sing whole foods or "real" foods to fue1. For
nstance, CLIF offers the Organic Energy
Food 1ine. The products use pureed whole
:oods like sweet potatoes; bananas, mangoes
and even pizza. Olher companies, like Epic,
use r,ho1e foods such as fruit and real meat
:o make their protein bars. A few challenges
mar arise rvhen using whole foods. One chal-
ienge is not knowing how many grams of
carbs, proteins and fats you are ingesting in
a serving without having a nutritional 1abe1
to te11 you. How many carbs does a banana
have? The amount varies depending on the
size. Another challenge can be the amount
offiber found in certain whole foods. Fiber
can cause gastric upset during a race. Finding
National Team, uses whole foods rather than
straight sugar in longer races to incorporate
healthier, more balanced options for energy.
Yanko feels real foods keep things fresh
and interesting. Eilie Greenwood, Salomon
Athlete and online coach at Sharman U1tra,
also uses real foods during longer ultras
over ro hours. Greenwood feels that having
Frazier recornmends
choosing white foods
versus urhoLe-wheat
versions for Less fiber
s0 yOur body doesn't
have to work as hard to
digest the food whiLe
\/nr r aro rt
yuuu-'-lT'1ll$,
t
seeds to distract and entertain himself (he
gradually cracks them open as he runs)'
Greenwood prefers high caloric foods that
have less volume, so you carry less on the run
and have less for your stomach to digest. Try
nuts, dried fruit or food that lits the tempera-
ture, like fruit in the summer and chocoiate
in the winter. \anko enioys dates as uell as
baby food pouches like sweet potato purees.
You can make your own or buy them.
Yanko suggests oniy using perishable
items if you have a crew that can keep them
at a safe temperature. If you are relying on
drop bags, make sure the food wili wlth-
stand the jostling. Greenwood advises that
ifyou're going to an international race, you
should make sure you can bring the food
through customs. Frazier likes using food
that doesn't need a cooler or utensils for easier
consumption. You can make your own food
packets and put them in your hydration vest
or drop bags.
The bottom line is, eat and drink what

real foods that are lower in fiber may be

beneficiai.
Matt Frazier, ultrarunner and author
of No MeaL Athlete, recommends choosing
r..'hite foods versus whole-wheat versions
for less flber so your body doesn't have to
q ork as hard to digest the food while you
are running. He enjoys white pita filled with
lummus after about 5o mi1es. Frazier is a fan
of boiled potatoes dipped in sa1t, which many
aid stations now carry, so you can actually
iaste the sait with your tongue and 1et your
bodl'determine how much you need.
Wh.v use *.ho1e foodsl Devon Yanko, chef,
ultrarunner and member of the USATF took
works for you. Ifyou enjoy variety, try a
mixture of processed and real foods. The
something more substantial in the stomach choice is yours. Whatever you decide, stay
can help it feel good. Greenwood feels that fueled and energized and finish strong.
having some real food can be more appealing
and keep a runner on track when it comes to Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN, is a Bay Area-
taste and flavor. b ased Registered Dietitian sp ecializing in
Frazier, Greenwood and Yanko emphasize sports nutrition and weight n'La.nagenxent.
that you should practice eating your whole Sarah h as h elp ed hun dreds of endurance
food choices during your training. Do not try athletes properly fuel for their events from
anything new on race day. Make sure you like ultrarunning, lronntan, triaLhlons and more
the food and your body can easily digest it. Connect with her at Sarahl(oszyk.com
Your whole food options are nearly endless.
Frazier likes sucking on salted sunflower

14 ULTRA--.- CCIl NOVEI\,4BER 2OI5

""i:!G
 E rhen and Now
Oh,tlr,e Ye#se## ff'ffimffiffi#
3: r;AN
When I began this column
rs'o ,vears ago, the intent was to
bring the historic roots ofultras
io Loday's newesI ultrarunning
readers. Driven by the value
of sustainability, the notion
n'as to help new runners avoid
re-inventing the wheel: to learn
ihe lessons without having
io experience, first-hand, the
painful mistakes that befe1l our
predecessors.
So when the opportunity
arose to speak to the cross
country team at my alma mater,
University of Wisconsin at Eau
Claire, my emotions were similar
to what they would have been
if I'd been toeing a roo-miler
starting line: equal parts grati-
tude, excitement and terror.
What would I say? The same
sporls medicine blather) Another
heretical diatribe on diet or (over)
training) Even I tire of my own
roice, eventually.
Head coach Dan Schwamberger,
a passionate, genius coach who,
in a short half,decade, has turned
an also-ran Division III program
into a national powerhouse,
e-mailed some logistics: I'd be
speaking in the main lecture
ha11 of the athletic building.
ULTRAIUNNING,COI.,l NOVEIV]BER2O15
The mere mention of the room
number elicited memories of
countless kinesiology lectures
and team functions, including
the very first cross country
meeting in the fal1 of ry97.
I then reaTized whom I
wanted to talk to: myself.
What would I tell myself, that
slow, socially awkward, insecure-
but- de sperate-to -fit-in freshman,
if he were sitting in those lecture
chairs, todayl
I've learned a lot of tough
lessons since that first day, and
perhaps no more than what I've
learned from the past half-decade
ofultrarunning: the extremes of
which have served as a crucible
from which the richest lessons
have emerged. But what I've
also realized is these lessons
apply not only to ultras, but to
all running-even a half,hour's
sprint around an autumn cross
country course.
On the Friday before Labor
Day, I teamed up with my former
teammate, ultrarunner Ryan
Aschbrenner. We made our way
through the thick, humid air of
late-summer Wisconsin, into
the deep (un-air-conditioned)
recesses of McPhee Hall. I
was glad to have him there.
Aschbrenner, who took second
at last year's |FK 5o, has changed
little since we were teammates:
a smart, rock-steady competitor
and teammate.
Standing before 5o-p1us
young runners, my nerves and
self-doubts shielded by a sizable
slab ofsterling silverbuckle, I
spoke of the lessons learned:
what I believed as a young
runner, compared to what ultra-
running has taught me over the
past half-decade:
DIVERSIFY TRAINING
Then: "To get faster, I need to
run long and fast."
Nor,v: Sustainable, peak
performance comes from diver-
sified training, utilizing renew-
able training resources such as
strength, mobility and efficiency
work to maximize every mile run.
And don't forget to strengthen
between the ears. As my college
coach, marathon guru Sean
Hartnett, says, "The brain is
the most important muscle" in
running. Train the brain.
TRUE FITNESS IS HOLISTIC
Then: "As long as I get my run
in, it doesn't matter what I do the
rest of the day."
lVor,v: True fitness is holistic
health, including adequate rest
and recovery, nutrition and stress
management: be it school, work,
family or relationships.
BE HERE NOW
Then: "If7 train like a top-five
varsity runner, someday I'11be one."
Noxr: Recognize and accept
your current abilities, and train
sustainably where you are, today,
in order to progress to the next
leve1. Avoid comparing yourself to
others (or to a past or future ideal).
BE POSITIVE
Then: "I have no control how
I feel and perform on race day."
Now: Peak performance
starts and ends with attitude
and belief. Even short distance
races will have peaks and va1leys,
but positive thinking-and a
relentless belief in success-can
overcome pain and fatigue, and
create energy and strength.
BE A GREAT TEAMMATE
Then: "I'rn new, so I have
nothing to offer," or, "IfI help that
person, they may take my spot."
lVor.v: While we're wired for
selfishness to meet needs, we're
also wired to be helpers. Helping
others enhances self-efficacy.
The more we build others, the
stronger we become.
HAVE GRATITUDE AND FUN
Then: "1 am only happy if I
run fast."
Alor.u: Running, like 1ife, is a
long and often difficult iourney.
Happiest are those who practice
gratitude and find joy in the little
moments along the way.
The following day, after the
varsity-alumni cross country
race, a pair of young women
approached me ercitedly, saying,
"'We used your ideas and they
workedl" I smiled and nodded,
approvingiy. But deep down, my
satisfaction comes the notion that
the best way to truly learn some-
thing, yourselL is by teaching
somebody else. 4
Joe lJhan is a physical therapist,
coach and ultrarunner who
lives in Eugene, Oregon. Joe
was the bronze medalist aL
the zotz USATF tooKTrail
Chan+pionships, an d fin|shed 9'h
overall at the zotz Western States
1AO.
 -RACEEK
ffi Runni-ngwise
Ammmtr& eff#ffmm
Xkw&w3ffi ffiffimresffi#effffitr#
BY CARY DUDNEY
It's a iong-standing tradition in the United
States that during November, turkeys get the
short end of the stick. However, not long ago,
I found out to my horror that, birdbrains or
not, turkeys can sometimes get the upper
hand.
I was out for a long run all by myself on a
baclcwoods jeep road when I spotted a flock
ofturkeys escaping up a slope into the trees
ahead of me. "Oh, neat," I thought, "a little
nature show to iazzup mY run."
I sped up a bit to get a closer look.
Suddenly, three ofthe birds peeled offthe
back ofthe flock, wheeled onto the road,
and ran straight at me in formation, one out
ahead and the other two on its flanks. They
looked like a wing of Messerschmitts.
"Sil1y birds," I thought as I imagined them
skidding to a stop and tripping over each
other in their panic to get away as soon as I
raised my arms and yelled at them.
To have the maximum effect, I waited
until they were close, and then I raised my
arms and yelled.
Not only did they not stop, it didn't even
faze them. They zoomed right uP and
surrounded me. And these were not
the plump, squat, neatly Plucked, 'i
frozen, headless turkeys that
I was accustomed to. These
wild turkey dementors
were tall and rangy, buff
and cut tom turkeys with
flaming red wattles and
bristled feathers sticking out
oftheir chests. I read death
in their large, crazed eyes.
They gobbled angrily and
pecked at my face with
their huge beaks.
I frantically warded
them olfby swinging
the water bottle
I was carrying
at their heads.
I tried screaming
at them, but
that just seemed to make them angrier. I
plunged into the brush next to the road, but
they came right in after me. I leapt back on
the road, thinking I might sprint away. They
were right behind me in a flash.
In vain, I looked around to see if someone
was nearby who might rescue me, but the
road was a leafy, empty tunnel as far as I
could see. I imagined the turkeys wearing
me down until I couldn't flail with my arms
anymore, and they would move in to finish
the job, or maybe take me captive and extract
revenge for decades ofThanksgivings. I could
see the headlines: "Very Handsome Man
|oins Wild Turkey Flock."
Before it came to that, though, I found I
could work my way down the road by trot-
ting along and swinging my bottle at them
at the same time. They stuck to me like
glue, but I finally reached a gate at the end
ofthe road. I stepped through the gate and
they stopped. They didn't like the looks of
the narrow opening. They stood there for a
moment. Then some silent judgment
seemed to pass among them and
they turned and zoomed off, sti1l
in formation.
Not week later, I happened
a
to read letter to the editor ofa
a
running magazine describing
how a single turkey had chased
three runners off a traii. And
shortly after that, I was at a
trail race when I happened to
overhear two runners talking
about their own brushes with
wild turkeys.
I've always suspected that
cats are actually super smart, but that
long ago they got together and decided
to piay dumb so they wouldn't have to
be in charge and they could iust sleep
all day in the sun. Now I'm wondering
if turkeys aren't getting together and
planning something... maybe some
fowl play.4
Gary Dud,ney has completed well over one
hundred ultras, including z8 rco-m.ilers. He's
published nunlerous articles on running in
Runner's World, Running Times, Trail
Runner, American Fitness, Walkabour, and
Marathon & Beyond. His UR column often
serves as a guide for new ultrarunners and
also explores thelore and.legends ofthe sport.
NOVEMBER 2OI5 ] ULTRARUNNINC.CCV 17
 View From the Open Road

A Race for the Ages

: : -r:,' rrr.o the chute to alvait
-. - >i. rt, Ed Dodd and Dave
-::eci past. Ed Dodd was the
- . :f rjle most erciting zqhour
: r- :'r.es ever held. rvhen he came
. . L ,l " r2-horrr nr;rr'1.. {laginc
: : --:1: lLpset-s in Amencan u.ltramn-
. . He is also thc co-authol of the
..' . rathonu'tg,
the Next Challenge .
,:ri iaunched the modern era of
::rng. Ec1 rvas seeking to compiete
-r in his fifih consecutir-e decade,
: that had onlv been achleveci b)
one per-son, Rav Kr-o1eu,icz. Dar,e Obell<evich
once finishccl a roo rniler in 14:5L. and has
completed 39 Nevr,Yorl< Crtl'marathons and
ro Cornrades laces.
As I u,atched the tu,o iecends of ultrarun-
ning head out for another 1ap, Nick N'larshail
and Al Prarvda lrotted by'. Nlck \,larshall has
llnished a Loo miler in r4:rr and has run r46
miles in a z4-hour race. He u.rote the lanred
Ultraclistance Summarr dur:ing a time u'het't
everl ultlamaratlron hcid in the US could be
compiled into a single boohlet. .A1 Pralr,da
\vas one of thc pioneering multi-da)' stars of
near'1v 4o vears ago. r,ith a u z4-mi1e 48-hour
among his manr, credjts.
This race rvas drfferent. and not onll ioy
the format, u,hich sau, 6o difierent staris.
as e\iery rllnner began at a time ihe'ir age
in l.rours before the finisl, . It n,as dilfelent
irecausc ofthe field. in ulrich over halfthe
runners \\rele filore than 6o l,cars o1d. An
astor-rnding z6 nurners rvere in their:ro-q and
8os. This was :1 race fi11ed u,ith the legends
of t1-re past: r3-hour" roo-m.ilers, 5oo- and
6oo-mile 6-da1'runners. sr-tb 3-hour 5ol( ancl
sub 5 3 o 5 o -n-ii1ers, tr.'ar-iscont j n ental runners,
:

f.'

''dl,-:f,r :1 .,9t1.,,, ii

i
::.s
L*&4),

t ".& ffi
"ffi
& ffi*
w
ffi

F r
w

*xK

' .F-,
 W e.' ; '?-Sli:.,
{;*tc4gr!' "**
l'#&,I
FKT runners from a time before the acronym
FKT had even been coined.
This would be the greatest assemblage of
American ultrarunning talent ever to meet
in a singie event... Only it was Jo years too
Iate. The hair (if any) was now white, the
faces lined and seamed. The prodigious ski11s
eroded by time. Only the hearts of cham-
pions continued to beat strong. And it was
not only the greatest athletes who were on
hand-race directors, founders of some of
the US's most iconic footraces and even the
lounder of rJltraRunni,ngwere there. Tru1y,
this was Ultrarunning's Field of Dreams.
This was a race where racing took a
back seat. Oh, it was there: S4-year-o1d
Dan Baglione took advantage of having
the first start, and held the lead for rr.5
hours, before giving way to 8r-year-o1d
Ed Demoney. Demoney was eventually
displaced by 77-year-old Don "UltraDon"
Winkley. Winkley held on until he stopped,
after reaching his goal of an American age
group record for 48 hours, and sti11 held the
lead in absentia for many more hours before
,41
the ultimate winner, |oe alife of its own. So many of the heroes of the
l1:. Fejes, finaliy passed him. past had been left behind, as the cumulative
r:::r, Individual achieve- wear and tear of the years had forced them
ments were made, to the sidelines, and the relentless opponent
l' like UitraDon's record, of time had pushed the time limits beyond
and Lee Ann Cohen's their reach.
Canadian roo-mi1e The word about ARFTA had sPread
record. Most of the through some secret o1d-guys network, and
achievements, however,
i"'t'
were career landmarks.
' At the end of the race, three
more people had ioined the five consecutive
decades of roo-mile race finishes ciub: foe
Schieffer, Ed Demoney and Ed Dodd.
But what the race was really about on this
magicai weekend was the stories: from before
the Internet, not recorded for posterity in
biogs and race reports, from the memories
of ultrarunners who were there to see the
modern sport come to life. These are ultra-
runners who remember when the entire
year's ultra results fit on a couple of sheets
ofpaper. Runners who saw the birth oftrail
running, and multi-day racing. Runners
who had learned how to do ultramarathons
from scratch, when there were no coaches,
no advice columns and no veterans to show
the way. And, oh, the stories they had to
tell. Stories ofadventures, and experiments
gone wrong. Tales of races in times long past. OPPSITE: Legendary runners Ann Trason and David
Accounts ofcourage, daring and achievement. Horton share some mites together. lO Ke th Kn ptinSl
Anecdotes of errors, miscalculations and fool-
TOP: DemonstratinB the spirit of the race, Doyle
hardy dares... and the legends ofthose who
Carpenter and Dennis Herr catch up during a mea(
are already gone.
break. [6) Karen Tuett]
A11 too soon, the finish time ro11ed around.
The tearful reunions were replaced by sad ABOVE: Open-toe Hokas for the relenttess hours
farewells. The unique format gave the event lO Ke th Kn pUngl
NOVEI\,4BER 20I5 I ULTRARUNN NG.C'"' 'I9
 Yiew From the Open Road

- ,: ::-'.-. ri.r:ners it presented a chance to

:-*'.: _.:i:: glorious careers the way that
=- :-:'- .3reers should be finished. One
-.. - ,: :: :r: .ast ultra; one last time around
-:- :.:-'. slrrounded bv o1d friends, doing
::-= -:,::. ,::ev had 1oi'ed best.
-::-::rnes g e do not knor,l- that some-
S
--:r:= i-a-< special until it has passed. Our
-=::r= ri aiietes tends to slip arvay unno-
.-:=t. l,:;:.:s: race is run xith us unaware
-,:-:- --:::a x-j" be ro rrore tomorro$'s. But
:- --:= L:1. :c,l:ie {oe s el'€rtone knew that
:-^:.-" :::8.- 1 :'a. ha-o-oeninq. Despite
-:= :=:-:l-.-=11: aei, x a\'e- I14 Of the f 63
:-::-:: -:=-.; -: I -j::-: OI lnofe. On thiS
-i. :: -:-a :,::-:al,;, ;'t a,r rranted tO giVe
-- - --: 4'

:-.'. - --''.:-1 -.'. :.' ..;+a i.'-...'..,;,1.311 1)A.AAO

-.:i-- :.a;, -,t\r.'.1:J ,.;: --,= -,:a.is-rrea mile irL
:-: - - - :-. "-t: i:1^: ;: -:;; :':t.,1i Oi 3A m.iles,
-- __"::.- ;,: _:_i --ir:g;.;'. : :;,:.iar';cafs, And
).*;, ;,:.;,; :irx:,'!,t:t.r - ^'.' it 1\OrZ ihAn jO
a_-

.j.--1 --)-;, ,.t't;';=- t.:--;;'-t,;: -:,;ii.rg io those

-"--.-,- ---< :.. ;i,e ;.a-i ,; sa-;-r,;;r,! ihai r*nning

;;'.;.1 ;r.2 i1i5

735.

Race Dire.rc' .az;oins the fun and

spends some tim€ wrrt:r;ends, incLuding
LorraRichevMia-3e.. €-. -.-. -. -'

A Race for the Ages 37 John Anderson,66, TN 122 8O Gary Canirell.6l, TN 101 123 Stephen Durr,48, VA 77
38 Patrick McHenry,54, NY 122 8l Ben Benjamin.60, NC 101 124 Karen Riddle,62, TX 75
I,f aichester, TN ,/ September 4 39 Keith Kniplinq,39, VA 122 A2 Lynne Evans,57, NC 101 125 Sandy Staggs,47, TN 75
\. 1,1- /l Various 40
41
Holley Lange,70, C0
Tom Possert,52, AL
121
121
83
84
John Leighton,54,
Wayne McComb.51, GA
OH 101
101
126
127
Deano Montreuil,47, GA
Janette Maas.56, GA
7a
61
Norman Yarger,76, lL 101
:,:121lon gain/lossi
rcp
FLat I The
n a park near Nashville.
course is a one mile paved
42 120 85 Terrica Durbin,48, TN 128 Mike Samuelson,50, TN 67
43 William Allen,54, MD 12O 85 Lanier Greenhaw,44, A,L 101 129 Kristen Trujillo,44, NC 65
1 Joe Fejes,49, GA 200 44 Shar Hendrick,48, AL 12O A7 Flora Krivak-Tetley,34, NH 101 130 Ryan Sheridan,35, OH 64
2 Edward Masuoka,63, MD 180 45 Bill Schultz,63, PA 119 88 Edwin Demoney,81, VA 100 131 Carl Laniak,34,5C 64
3 Sergio Bianchini,74, TN 176 46 Rosemary Evans,61, KY 118 89 N4arvin Skagerberg, TT, Tx 100 132 Joseph Smith,70, TN 63
4 Bill Heldenbrand,69, SD 17O 47 Francesca Carmichael,55, WA 118 90 Ron Perkins,76, cA 100 133 Jd Pollard,3o, TN 63
5 Richard Westbrook,68, GA 166 48 Colin Heath,53, GA 118 91 Joyce Yarger,72, lL 100 134 lvlichael N4ccumber,57, MD 62
6 Jeff Collins,61, CA 166 49 Sherry N4eador,49, AL 111 92 Lou Peyton,71, AR 100 135 Sioux Johnston,49, VT 57
7 Charles Thomsen,64, FL 164 50 Fred Pilon,69, MA 116 93 Larry Robbins,71, GA 100 136 Keith Dunn,55, VA 55
8 Liz Bauer,56, GA 164 51 Chris Battaglia,5a, ON 116 94 Jeffrey Vieyra,68, CA 100 137 Thomas Anderson,39, TN 55
9 Don Winkley,77, TX 162 52 Ann Trason,55, CA 115 95 Dennis Herr,58, VA 100 138 Gary Griffin,65, FL 5l
]O Brad Compton,6l, lN 162 53 Kelley Wells,41, SC 115 96 Dan Williams,56, CA 100 139 Richard lnnamorato,56, NY 50
11 Ray Krolewicz,60, SC 159 54 Claud€ Hicks Jr.,55, VA 112 97 Janice O"Grady,66, CO 100 140 Robert Perez,56, TX 50
12 Jim Barnes,77, AL 156 55 Stuart Gleman, TO, NC 108 98 Chris Scott,55, VT 100 141 Tom O"Connell,64, CO 50
13 Lorna l,4iclrael,57, FL 155 56 Pete lreland,75, AR 'lO7 99 Rich Limacher,55, lL 100 142 Tamara Smiih,59, OH 50
14 Matt lilahoney,50, FL 152 57 Daniel Dalton,49, [,iO 1O7 1OO Lee Anne Cohen,61, ON 100 143 Dave Combs, 57, CA 50
15 Doyle Carpenter,75, TN 151 58 Kay Scott,45, TX 107 101 Don Preston,60, AR 100 144 He.ther Whiteside,55, AL 50
16 Dewayne Satterfield,5l, AL 151 59 Stanley Duobinis,54, N4D '106 102 Molly Sheridan,58, Nv loo 14s Ben Yancey,42, TN 50
17 Karen Jackson,45, SC 150 60 Jeff Deaton,45, TN 106 103 Sal Coll.54, TN 100 146 Chrlsty Moore,41, TN 50
18 Del Scharffenberg, T0, OR 146 61 Christian Griffith,45, GA 105 104 Jesse Riley,52, AR 'too 147 Danny Hartley,58, lN 48
19 David Wingard,65, SC 145 62 Harry Strohm, TO, l,4S 105 l05 Danny Staggs,5l, TN too 144 Joe Chriest,61, PA 43
20 Al Prawda,68, NY 141 63 Daniel Wells,58, KY 105 106 Donna Bays,50, TN 100 149 Lori Bufka,53, FL 34
21 Lion Caldwell,54, Ntvl 139 64 Catherine Quaintance,39, NC 105 107 Kimberly Boner,47, OH 100 150 David Horton,55, VA 33
22 Joyce Ong,65, VA 138 65 Joe Salwan,61, OH 104 108 Todd Moore,45, TN 100 151 Alex Lilorton,65, SC 30
23 Kent Holder,76, WA 137 66 Joe Ninke,45, FL 103 109 Dee Reynolds,43, TN 100 152 Gordon Cherr,66, NC 2e
24 Sue Scholl,42, TN 137 67 Chris Exline,59, NC 1O2 110 Scotty Winston,38, TN 100 153 Will Hooper,25, TN 27
25 Joe Luqiano,72, NC 135 58 Cheryl Lager,50, VA 102 1'11 David Griffith,36, NC 100 154 Nelson Armstrong 11,41, TN 23
25 Steve Durbin,60, TN 135 69 Robert Andrulis,47, AZ 1O2 112 Nathan Dewall,35, KY 100 155 Shauna Pieruccini,23, PA 23
27 Nick N4arshall,67, PA 134 10 Paul Fillmore,46, NC 102 113 Mary Cates,35, TN loo 156 Shannon Burke,40, lN 1c-

28 Tom Corris,62, VA 132 71 Tosh,a Fillmore,46, NC 1O2 114 John Nevels,29, AL 100 157 Bruce Labelle,60, CA 14
29 Margaret Schlundt,62, MD 132 72 Case Cantrell,33, TN 102 115 Bill Dodd,54, lA 95 158 Charlie laylor,56, TN lc
30 Karen Heath,56, GA 131 73 Dan Baqlione,84, CA 101 116 Anstr Davidson, TO, VA 90 159 Sharon Zelinski,50, ON
=
31 Marsl,a White,58, FL 130 74 Eugene Bruckert, EO, lL 1Ol 111 Pastalkova,63, VA
EYa 90 150 Bill Haecker,45,TX :
72 Edwin Furiaw,57, CO 129 75 Frederick Davis lll,57, OH 101 118 John Price,60, VA 90 151 The Burrito,z, TN :
33 Jay Finkle,52, VA 129 76 Steve Watson,55, ON 101 119 M'chelle Regn,52, Hl a5 162 Earlene Cantrell, 82, TN
34 Ed Dodd,59, NJ 124 77 Bill Andrews,53, NV 101 120 David Obelkevich, Tl, NY a2 163 Elizabeth tvlontgomery, 34. VA
35 Joe Schieffer,54, CA 125 78 Charles Moman,53, lN 'lO1
121 Anita Finkle,49, VA 81
36 Gary Knlpling,7l, VA 122 79 Leonard i\rartin,52. TN 101 122 Karsten Solheim,78, AZ 7A 'See page jc ::- ,-

20 ULTRARUNNING.COI.l NOVEI\,4BER 2OI5

 BY DONALD BURACLIO
. ->. t ^ --3the
-:-- = r- PldLl
--.--.' :-. ), ) r the high-tech
::;'
-
:;::::'. -:...3,er,'ong-time
-.' =' -' l r', ::- a::esl that lighting
:.:--: ::. -aS :CranCed at a fairly
'a- z'iz: : : :-especially over the
- ^: ^^--)^-
-and with
3::- l:s: -:'^-_.e;r. the quantity
='- --z -.. : -,,^il^Ll
i,a raD,e options
co-: - -:s ;c exoand.
O-. :,eri,.e,,v this year
io:-ses on t,,,,,o r,^ronderful new
de,.e corr:enrs in the lighting
ir3-51r.r; rew players entering
rhe spa.e vrlth unique and
hlgh:y iunctional products,
ancj rhe increasing qualiiy
and value of lighrs on the
lower ends of the pricing
spectrum. While it's still
possible to spend $200
on a high-end headlamp
(and we'll give you a
few options for doing
so), it's almost equally
i
:r, inrportant to have a
1.,;., small, inexpensive,
; dependable backup
:ii available in the event
that something goes
wror':g with your
primary system
during a long night.
We'll cover both
ends ofthe range,
and a bunch of
stuff in between.
THE NEWCOMERS
Perhaps the
most surprising
new player in this
review is UltrAspire,
a company previously
ltnown for its ultrarunner-in-
spired hydration systems,
and which is now carving
out a distinctive space in the
lighting arena. This fa11 they are
introducing two waist-mounted belt
lights: the Lumen t7o (t889 including
batteries, $roo) , and the Lumen 6ao
(z6tg, StSo) I$. The main advantage of
rvaist-mounted lights is that they provide
improved depth perception by casting
longer shadows over rocks or other
obstacles in the trail-which can be the
difference between cruising down gnarly
trails and tripping and crashing in the
late stages of a roo miler.
While other companies have offered
waist-mounted products in the past, and
some resourceful ultrarunners have
stretched headlamp bands to position
headiamps at waist 1evel, neither of these
options provides the sheer brightness
and quality of light as do UltrAspire's
new lamps. 6oo lumens can llght up
the trail almost like it's high noon, and
the wide-ang1e LED bulb provides strong
visibility across the periphery.
Both of these belts are legit running
packs, made from the same large-ho1ed,
breathable micro-fiber polyester mesh
that is used in UltrAspire's race vests.
The shape is slightly conical (narrower
on top, wider on the bottom) to improve
comfort and stability around the waist,
and they have dual-sided adjustability
that accommodates waist sizes from 26"
to 42". A small side cargo pocket on each
a11ows you to easily stash sma11 essentials
within reach. Lil<e other UltrAspire waist
packs, the fastening system eliminates
the front waist buckle-which in this
case is not only a comfort feature, but a
practical necessity because the lamp is
positioned where a buckie would be. On
both models. silicone
grlpplng
rings on
the lamp
a1low
for r8o
degrees
ofvertical
d i re ction a1
rotation, and keep the
angle secure in
place after you set it.
The lamp housing is
aircraft grade aluminum
that is water-, dust- and impact-resistant,
with a tempered glass lens for clarity.
Aside from the brightness 1eve1s,
there are a few other distinctlons
between the Lumen r7o and Lumen
6oo belts. The 6oo uses a rechargeable
lithium ion battery, while the r7o oper-
ates on alkaline batteries or separately
purchased rechargeabie AAA batteries.
The 6oo includes a large ztppered
compartment across the back, while the
r7o does not. Also, the 6oo is a complete
component of UltrAspire's Molecular
Belt System (MBS), which means it can
be mixed and matched with any of the
compani 's r.t aist hyd ration sys le m s-
for example, you can pair the lamp belt
in front with a water bottle carrier in
the back to meet both your hydration
and lighting needs. Note that this onlr
applies to MBS rear componenls in the
upcoming zo16 product line; earlier
models hare buckle systems LhaL aren t
compatible. The Lumen r7o is a stand-
alone piece that is not a component of
the MBS system. Both of the Lumen
belts were available as of September
2or5 in stores and online.
The next new player to the headlamp
scene is Nathan, another compam-
famous for its hydration products, which
first made inroads to the lighting fieJc
last year with two Zephyr Fire hanc
torches. This fa11 they're introducing
two headiarnp models, the Flalo Fire {9og
$;:oJ ffi and Nebula Fire {gag, $lS) O.
The company took a "by runners, for runners"
approach to design, and incorporated state-of
rhe-art lech features to improre convenience
and functionality specifically for running.
For convenience, both of these lamps
utilize RunWave technology that a1lows you
to cycle through lighting modes simpiy by
rvaving your hand in front ofa sensor. This
will be a major advantage in winter months,
when it's sometimes challenging to operate
sma11 headlamp buttons with thickly gloved
fingers. For functionality, and most impor-
tantly, safety on the roads, Nathan's lamps
both feature an auto-strobe setting that
senses changes in ambient light-such
as that caused by an oncoming car-and
automaticaliy activates a strobe light that is
more easily visible to drivers (and because the
Nathan crew are complete runner geeks, the
strobe flashes in Morse code to spe1l R-U-N).
When the car passes, the strobe stops and the
lamp returns to its previous setting.
While these two technologies are quite
promising. they do create some unique
quirks in using the lamps. In our testing, we
found it hard to adjust the position or angle of
the lamp without accidentally activating the
Run Wave feature and cycllng into a different
lighting mode. And the auto-strobe feature
can sometimes be triggered by light reflected
from the lamp itself-for
example, bourcing off the
face of your watch when
tilted toward you, or off
the ground when you
bend down to
adjust your socks
or shoes. The
Nathan team is
actively working on
and adjusting the sensor
mechanism to minimize
these issues, and they are
Iikely to be less prominent on
final production models than on the pre-pro-
duction models we tested for this review.
Both the Nebula and Halo Fire use a
combination of spot and flood light LEDs
lor central and peripheral lighting, and boLh
operate on rechargeable battery systems.
The Halo is the more powerful of the pair,
topping out at 288 lumens. The Nebula has
a max brightness of r9z lumens, but can also
be paired with a crossover kit (so1d separately)
thal allows it to be mounted on a body clip
(race vest or waist pack) or the handlebars
of a bike. Each of the lamps was available
in stores and online as o[september 2ot5.
A third outfit making increasing move-
ment into the trail running space is Light
& Motion, a company based in Monterey
County, CA, which has built a reputation
as the class ofthe field for bicycle lighting
systems. The company worked with the late
Chad Denning, a long-time ultrarunner and
Light & Motion ambassador, to create
a lamp that was ideal
for trail running
through the night.
The result was
S,,.
the Salira:5* EX, K.
5499, $r8c) $,;i!,,
a comfortable and highly versatile recharge-
able lamp that provides 25o lumens at its
brightest setting, with sma1l side iights for
increased visibility and safety on roadways.
The beam of the Solite is a combination spot/
flood that focuses brightness centrally but
provides plenty of peripheral illumination
flor trail use
The Solite z5o EX is a modular system &
that separates the battery compartment
from the lamp housing, allowing multiple
setups aside from using lt as a traditional
headlamp. It comes with attachment systems
for mounting the 1lght on a pack strap, bicycle
helmet or bike handlebars. It can also be
used as a free-standing multi-directional
light in a camp situation. If you're looking
for one lighting option for a wide variety of
outdoor excursions, it's hard to beat this one,
although the battery life on the high setting
is the lowest in this review group.
VALUE-BASED BRIGHTN ESS
More power for less money. It's a
great concept, right? That's exactlY
nhat's happening on the bottom end of
the price iJnge, and it's thanl<s to those
technological advances we mentioned. As
high-end lighting systems become increas'
ingly advanced, the specs that yqu formerly
would pay top do11ar for are now available for
'n"ffii f : a-ll,1,li.1*:i"'Jli;"", ror ultra.
runners, providing cheap and lightweight
insurance to baiI oul o[a problem situation
if your main lamp unexpectedly goes dead.
Any of the lamps below provide more than
enough brightness to navigate the trail (more
cautiously, perhaps), and are light enough
that you'il barely notite them in yourpack.
Leading the way in this capacity is the
Black Diamoad l** fu8g, $:5j ii,ti, which
provides 8o lumens of light that will burn
{or zoo hours. It's also rather
feature-rich for the price point"
with dimming capa-
bility, strobe function,
red light mode and
a locking feature to prevent
battery drain. The housing is fu1ly
waterproof, and the function interface is
completely buttonless, relying instead on
touch and swipe movements that enable
easier use with glored fingers. but also take
some practice to get the hang of. You simply
won't find a smaller. lighter lamp that's
capable ofguiding your trail run.
Coming in at an even lower price point
is the Petzl Tikkina {55g, $t*},$i, a long-
time standby of
. the company's
E product line that
@ lrequently gets
overlooked among
Petzl's more high-profiie products (more on
them later). The Til<kina matches the lon's
8o lumens of output, but requires one more
AAA battery and weighs in more tlnan 4o7o
heavier than the lon. It provides a nice wide
flood beam with two brightness settings.
and burns lor tzo hours on the high setting.
The most versatile of the low-budget
models comes from Princeton Tec, whose
Sync {E3g, $;*J ,-#-i sits at a higher price
point but offers a variety of beam settings
including flood, spot or a combination of the
two. Settings are adjusted by a dial
on the side ofthe housing,
which also takes some
getting used to, but it's
relatively easy to use
with gloves. The maximijm
'r:15;1!j
:'-a;,
i+j'
;iM
output of the Sync is 9o lumens, and the
dual beam shines for 6o meters and lasts 75
hours on the high setting. It also has a lorn'
light setting and a red'mode, aird is powered
by 3 AAA batteries.
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
Obviously we're leaving a number of
prominent lamps out of this review, primarilv
because they remain largely unchanged
since our last headlamp review in May zor4.
However, herels a quick rundown of those
lamps-many of which provide outstandins
performance-as weli as a previera'of some
new models in the pipeline for zo16.
 '@ ,E
ff@
ffi'=*J*, il)
Petzl retains its when you're shopping. The new battery is burn time, the alka- '::,":,:

status as the most techno- named the ACCU NAO, has a z6oomAh Ii ne option is recom mended.
- - =, :- . in the head- capacity (compared to 23oo in the previous Aside from the battery distinction, both
":r'anced company
. : : ::-=:,i=:. i\ ith 1ts remarkable reactive model), and has "NAO" printed in orange on of these Remix lamps have identical feature
:--- -:-= =:::no1og,v that adjusts the bright- the external she11. sets and operate via a single push-button
..- -- If you want something that's slightly on the top ofthe housing. They occupy a
: = anp h responseto ambientlight
-.' =-. =: s',rring optimal light production lighter and iess expensive than the NAO, nice middle ground between super-va1ue
Petzl's alkaline standard t'4Yf. {t759, fuae) and super-powerful lighting options on the
- -. -=::' eificiency during use. Their best
.:- lamp ra,'ith reactive lighting tech- ffi oflers z8o lumens of brightness that can market.
:-, -. rire rechargeable Xikka RXF itt5g, be manually adjusted between spot and flood Finally, one major player that has received
;: rvhich provides up to 2r5 lumens mode with the simple flip of a diffraction very 1itt1e mention here is Black Diamond,
-: lieht from a dual beam and burns plate. It runs on 3 AA batteries and wili give which in addition to the aforementioned
'rc"-- lor ai least ro hours on you 50 hours on the high setting before lon model produces the best headlamp
needing replacement. option lor road running in the dark: the
,t.
-
,-PJ '" lflfil,.'"'"'"1?,,,
for maximum brightness in
In the medium ranges ofbrightness and
value. Princeton Tec offers two models that
lightweight, rechargeable Sprinter {ta5g,
.$Sol l$t, which combines e a t3o-lumen
a rechargeable headlamP, Petzi are remarkably similar with the exception [ront flood light with
of battery function. Tha Remix Plus (t589, a blinking red
-:=rs tire NAA $SVg, $rS5J @. This lamp
:=:=-'. ed a significant lumen boost this year, $-loj lffi runs on 4 AAA batteries in a rear LED in the rear
i --:r a rnore powerful battery that nearly compartment, and the Remix R.echargeable for ideal visi-
' - ;-.,es both the brightness and battery 1ife. {r-::g, $So) i@tops off with a micro USB cab1e.
bility and safety.
Its maximum brightness The alkaline Plus model has a slight advan- Thel'v,tzz from Black
*I-,, is 575 lumens, a nd the tage in brightness, 165 lumens to r55, and a Diamond HQ is that
'1:ii{;! I 1\AU will l;urn
NAO Wlll for dL
UUI Il tul aL significant galn in burn time, with 6o hours the company's longstanding SPot,
{l"E least 6 hours on the on the hlgh flood setting as compared to rz Cosmo and Gizmo lamps are all set to get
J high setting, and lar hours in the Rechargeable. Like other lamps significant lacelilts for Spring zor6. with
longer on lower settings. in our testing (see table), the battery housing increased lumens and upgraded features
If you own the first generatlon NAO, is set up to accept either a plug-in recharge- across the board. Look for one or all of
, ou don't need to buy a whole new lamp to able lithium cel1. or AAA alkaline ce1ls. For those products to be tested separately for a
;:srade to the brighter and more eflicient training and everyday use, rechargeables website review at UltraRunning.com in the
:::o,1e1; simply purchase a replacement battery ,." *rih more economical. They also tend near future.
::om Petzl ($62), and your new battery can be to perform better in cold In the meantime, pick one of the
-u:sed in the previous model NAO to deliver weather. However. when options above thatrs best fqr you, and
:i:e improved.pelforrnance. Unfortunately:, you are away fiom gear up for those dark winter morn-
dre new model battery isn't very well'distin- a recharge source ,].**re1*aU ings that are right around the
guished from its predecessol, so look closely or require loager aorner,..4

Running Lfght Revi*w at ia,&&an*e

Nalhdn-.'.,
:its:;;itr;tirg ,lllio rife. I r
:, . lSqr ,, ' ...7.5H0iirs .'1r.. .U58ieqlarl{eabiB

Nathan Nebula Fire 575 9og 192 4.25 Hours i USB recharqeable

Black Diamond' I
i:.'!P!:ir!tql. "',l :S80 ',,',.: tOsq ,' 130 6 Hours USB rechargeable

Black Diamond
!on sr5 48s 200 liocrs : 2 ,.AA or recharqeabr€
a:-:i \rlire

Petzl r'il ..r -MYO:] .:..:l ,it'r. -15]00...r,,,.:: :r:,rr r:

,l.,: :rl75gi.,.
:r.. ..
r.
50. ilours. :,:,,. ;,. 3. AA.or.iaehargeable

Hours :
, n85 187q 6.5 USB rechalgeabie
Petzl NAO
,.. :-
Petzl :.',,..r.5100:r ..r'1,:.r.,:. ',1 ,.t!sg'.,1r
: . 1:r ig 1,1sr115, : :, .., r.U:B:ieetiartjeatte
i-:liTikkii RXPI::lr: ,:

a 120 Hours : 3 AAA or rechargeabl.

Pelzl Tikkina rS20l 85s

Priflcetoi Tec '''t,: t:':5yn!:ttr.i...:ll.: .i ,i:,i ,i .130 , :.i,, : ::, ..ii.:.:. ,,,.i,:,.,1.f3q ,,,:i'
:.r 't:.aa a.. ;.,,.?f flqurs tdnir,,.:it.J AAAr.Or reharqeable
:

Pi'inceton Tec Remix Plus S5o lsSg :a a 50 Hours (flood) r 4 AAA or rechargeab :
!....'.
..,i a. ' ,'tilJsl, reEhargeable
Pri*ceto:! lec Re0ix Reehaft*alE
.!e9r,
:
:155q.i. rr-l
,i,r.,,,:,',o,,.1
::
i,, l2 ,ltorlrs ,(ltq.qcl,

I 4 Hours :
,ir:

IJSB rechargeabiE
-jght & l'1otion Solite 250 Ex s180 1499

UltrAspire L$fieo.170,.:,:.
rl: , :. ,tl :..:lt i,1889::,r 0.il.0uiq,,:i l,r:i,'t:3. {{A:or re.charge*k
t]00t: f

i I

: -. a-.- Lumen 6C0 !180

I

40rq 8 l.iours r UsB Iechargea: :

 1& Keys f,o Ruce Dire1.*mg
:::e : 'ecting isn't rocket science. lt's mostly grunt work and taking care of a lot of picky details. lt's not easy to write about race directing
- :::er:eral sense, since there is so much variability in ultras. Some are run point-to-point on rugged trails in remote mountains; others are
*-: s e short loops in a local park. Some have hundreds of runners and unwieldy logistics; others have a couple dozen folks out having fun
:-: r,-aiever the size, terrain and venue, there are a few things that every race director should do.

Mark the ccurse [ike nohody in the race has ever

C :mmunicate clearly and
:aref u Ity what the course
ivill be like and what
rne race wil,t provide.
R.;rners are pretty
a-prir e. Be clear in
;',:a: rhe course is, where the aid
i-?:rons are and what they will
:::,;de. Ideally, aid would be no
:o:e ihan 5-6 miles apart, but
l
:ier course logistics don't a1low
it r:,r --nis. If your aid stations are
? -:-iz
mjles apart. emphasize
ih
lll =a: iact so that nobody is caught
ilna\\-are. Every runner in the
fl race o\\-ns more than one water
':o,:ile or has a hydration pack;
.risi make sure they know that
--nei-'11 need to use it.
Every race should have a basic
s-ebsite, which should contain
a course map with the
ion profile and locations of aid
siations, the start time and loca-
don and other essential details.
&1
&&
F,r
seen it before, In my view, route finding shouldn't
be a material part of any runner's focus. The course
should be marked so that it's always obvious which
way to go.
Most courses use surveyor tape for course marking. Hang
two or three ribbons at each intersection, and a confidence
ribbon every mile or so. Use a color not found in
nature. Hot pink is the most popular
choice-but about 5%o of the popu-
lation is red-green colorblind.
For these folks, it is difficult
to discern red/pink colors from ,
the greens found in nature.
Coiorblind runners tell me
lhat striped ribbon is their best
choice for course marking. Rolls 'i+
ofstriped surveyor tape are available
online at about the same cost as the solid
colored ribbon.
But even that might not be enough. The best runner in
my local area (I'm reluctant to mention his name-let's just say
eleva-
his initials are "Bob Shebest") is famous for getting off-course. In talking to him about
why this is, he said that when he is running fast down a technical trail, he is so focused
on his footing that he doesn't notice ribbons hung at head height. In recognition of
this, many races are now using 8'/, by rr-inch signs with big arrows pointing the way,
stapling this to a z-foot garden stake and pounding the stake into the ground at the turn
This way the sign is at the 1eve1 that a runner's eyes are when they are focusing on the traii.
These signs are almost impossible to miss.

D\\
fry
:.*
-s;::rj,iai;E:.:;a:i::r :
Some might say that this is overki11, that runners should pay better attention. But Bob
Shebest wins about halfthe races he enters, and the last thing any race director wants is for
the story of the race to be that the leader missed a turn, and so somebody else won.

Always deliver at l,east as

-much as y6u pr&mise. It's
simple: do what you say you're

1
going to do. This is the key to
der-eloping a good reputation as
a race director. We've all been at
races w-here the aid stations run
out of food midway through the
pack, where the course isn't well
marked or where there are only
extra large shirts left at the end.
Er-en the last-p1ace runner should
hare basic foods (PBls, bananas,
chips) available, and every race
should overstock water. This
u.i1l mean that you'1l have some
leftor-ers; lind a 1oca1 food bank
to gire these to.
Pay Ettenti$n to detai{s. I(eep
copious notes so that you don't
have to reinvent the wheel
every year. Find out what each
aid station used, and how much
was left over. If someone missed
a turn, find out where and make sure
that it is marked in an obvious and
unambiguous fashion next time.
Race directing a larger ultra is a lot
like running roo miles: you know things
will go wrong, you just don't ltnow when
or what. By paying close attention to
detail, you'1l minimize the chances that
what goes wrong will be something major.
Be patieftt and eneouraging
witlr new uttrarunners" Every
year there are thousands ofnerr-
ultrarunners. For many, the firsi
real contact they have with our
sport is with a race director. Like
- any newbie, lhey are anxious. nerrous
and often not very well informed. Thev'-
call with rookie cluestions, or barrage
you with emails about shoe choices. Be
patient with them, help mentor ther:.
encourage them to be open to the art c:
the possible. A few will check the bca
and move on, but many will embrace t:.
challenge and become regulars.

ULTRA]J\i\ING,CONi NOVEN,4BER2OI5
 Permits, waivers, i.lsurance and developing a safety plan, In most cases, you'll need a permit to conduct
an event in a park, a National Forest or on other public lands. Since ultras can cover long distances, you might end uP
needing several permits if the course traverses multiple jurisdictions. This should be done well in advance of the race.
Mosipark offiiials are reasonably cooperative or even encouraging-recreation, after all, is often part oftheir charter.
A few will be more difficult to deal with and have a set of rules and regulations that must be met. And a very few
will be downright prickly and antagonistic-like that clown at the end of the Appalachian Trail that
Scott |urek ran into. Should you find yourself dealing with the latter, I suggest you consider moving
your event to another location. Even ifyou get a permit, the rules,
stipulations and pernicious oversight you'll likely face will be a
complete buzzklTl for the race. Spread the ethos.
Every race shouid require each runner to sign a waiver that Our sport is sti1l smal1
absolves the race director, volunteers, park officials and sponsors from enough that races tend to
blame should something go wrong. You can find lots of good examples of take on the personality
waivers from established races. of the race director.
you'l1 also want liability insurante. This is not very expensive and is available through Here's your chance
RRCA or USATF. to make your mark. At Lake Sonoma,
Have a plan in place to deal with emergencies. You'1l need to be able to communicate we have only three rules: be nice, no
with the aid stations. In many places, cell phones work fine. In others you might need HAM littering and have fun. Even though it
radios. Most places have an amateur radio club in the vicinity, and they usually like to do this is an intensely competitive event with
sort ofthing. Fortunately, serious medical problems are pretty rare in ultras: most issues are dozens of top-tier runners, we work hard
limited to rir"p"s and cuts from falls, simple exhaustion, nausea and the occasional rolled to keep it a friendly, we're-a11-in-this-to-
ank1e. But you would be well served to have a medically trained volunteer (MD, RN or EMT) gether kind of race. That's the kind of
at the finish line to deal with any issues that might arise. They are mostiy there for triage, atmosphere I was taught to appreciate
and needn't necessarily provide treatment unless the nearest hospital is a very long distance way back in the last millennium when
away. Aid station captains should know where the I started running ultras, and the kind
nearest emergency room is, or where to transport
any runner having a problem. Larger races
should contact loca1 first responders (fire
#;
:,,.. as;i*,'s
*
that I want to endure.

department, sheriff, search and rescue)

to provide them with a course map and
make them aware of the event. Telling
them there's a runner down near the
10
Warm Springs Aid Station won't be very Have fun, S/hether you're directing a

usefui if they don't know where that is.
Detegate as much as You can. If
Recruit conscientious and reli-
abte volunteers. If you're going to put
on a race. one o[the l<eys to success is
convincing your friends to help. Idea11y,
many of your key volunteers will be experi-
enced ultrarunners. But runners' spouses
are often even better. You can also get a 1ot
done with scout troops, high school track
teams and volunteer organizations like
Kiwanis. It doesn't take a 1ot ofknowledge
to make a PBJ or fill
water bottles. It does,
however, take experience to know how to
race as a way to give something back to
the sport or as a way to earn a living, it's
highly unlikely you're going to get rich
doing it. Putting together a good race
is a way of providing joy to others (OK,
black toenails and sore quads, too, but
focus on the 1oy). Relish the experience
and what you've created. of
John Medinger has been intolved in race
organization for most of his adult life.
He was involved i.n the formation of the
San Francisco Marathon in ry77 and
the San Francisco Half Marathon in
ry82, started the Quad Dipsea in ry8j
and, was its race director for jo years. He

there's one mistal<e thal most novice
race directors make, it's trying to do
too much. You might get away with that
for a sma1l race, but it's wearying. For
larger events, you need to learn to dele-
gate. Appoint managers and entrust
them with a specific responsibility-an
aid station, course marking, volunteer
recruitment. Tell them what you want
them to do, even how you want it done,
and then trust them to do it. A race
director for a large event needs to be
an executive-your job is to manage
the managers. There is iust too much
to do to try to do it all yourself.
deal with a struggling runner. has been on the Board, ofTrustees ofthe
You'll want a captain at each aid sLation. Western States rco since ry9t and is the
a finish line coordinator and someone founder and race director ofthe Lake
responsible for timing and results. If Sonoma 5o.
you're serving food at the finish 1ine, you'li
need someone for that, too.
You'll need course marking peoPle
before the race and sweeps following the
last runner. And, at the end ofthe race,
you'l1 need some help cleaning up. Bigger
and more complicated events should have
a volunteer coordinator-someone besides
the race director who is in charge of
recruiting, training and communicating
with the volunteers.

NOVEI\,1BER 20,l5 I ULTRARUN:r \G.Cl


;'.t ; rnillton people would
. r .: t:koutofultrarunning
-l ;+ A
-.-. -.-:: edit. A ma1'orwayrace
'-^i^- --.^., ---^
:- ;airbringnewrunners
- -:s
--,, -:,: sport, and give our
r : r ;lrnnersahigherqualitY
- - )) consta ntlY imProving
-. . '--.-:rzational asPects ofthe
. . -= ..rDerience.
.:r he past several years
-
:-. ,::g in special operations, i
,. = :rad the honor of working
':.
I -,:: some of the most highly
-:-',d and prolessional mili-
.--. "Lrces in the world. As a
I
;:-. .11 operal ions communitY,
-' - :roid five truths ciose to our
..--'..: r) Humans are more
" ^ r'rant than hardware: z)
28 U LTRA: f.rlirG.COl',1
,ffiffi W@Wffi5ffiffi ffiedeffiffiE
Quality is better than quantity;
3) Special operations forces (SOF)
cannot be mass produced; 4) SOF
cannot be created after emergen-
cies occur: 5) Most special oPera-
tions require non-SOF assistance.
I don't think these truths aPPIY
exclusiveiy lo SOF or military
personnel. In lact. they can
heJp race directors improve everY
aspect oftheir events. Following
are the five truths adapted for
ultra race directors. who Lru.ly
are the backbone o[our sporl.
hi r.i i'fi illi:$ i:tle
i*ri: thef] llii r#ujt',*r{i {*f ''}r*il{
" " "People-not (quiP-
ment-make the critical dffirence.
The right people.highly trained and
workrngas a team. will accomPlish
the mission with the equiPment
auailable. On the other h,and, the
best equipment [or race course] in
I NOVEMBER 20]5
the world cenkat compensate for
a lack of the right people." *US
Special Operati.ons Com.mand.
You, the race director. volunteer.
runner or sponsor, are what
makes the race special. Anyone
can put on a race in a given loca-
tion iI they are willing to put
in the effort and money, but it
is the people that diflerentiate
great races from average races.
Focus yorr eflorts on the human
elements and you can put on a
great race anywhere.
+'i {11* !r'n ;i,!alil - and contingencies. Practice lhe
. I arge corPorations
have taken o\er many mara-
thons and attempted to crowd
the maximum number of people
on a course, and there are signs
of the same thing happening
inithin the ultra community.
Some races have learned this
lessor Lhe hard war. Gror.ring loo
big can destrol the experience for
everyone. Gror,v thoughtfully and
be able to support that growth.
:::E::l :';i=ir::,:::;=. ]f yotl
have
true passion for your work, you
want each race to be special.
AlN,ays strive to make yourself
and your race the very best in
its niche. If you don't have that
passion, please save the runners
from a half-hearted event and
find another endeavor. I(eeP
in mind persor:al integrity and
dependabilit,v are not negotiable.
Ifyou want to put on ro races a
year, that is great. Te1l runners
ahead of time exact1,v, in detail,
what to expect lrom each event.
And then meet, or exceed, their
expectations. If you are not
providing anything and your
course is brutal, no problem, just
letthemLnou uPfront.
' : ,! ':
r:i.:lt;..i:..'. Any race
=,;: =iff,iitc*
director will te11 you that a
successful race happens because
of the months or years of plan-
ning prior to the actual event.
You may have the idea for a
great race now. LruI race Planning
generally s[arts at least one Year
prior to the race date. Foilow the
plan, practice and perform format.
Create a plan. Have a "red team"
poke holes in your plan (red
teams are groups that evaluate
your plan from the persPec-
tive of the enemy). ln the case
ofa race, the red team should
think of everything that could
go wrong on race day. Create
contingencies for everything
that is even remotely possibie.
Then "red team" your contingen-
cies. Briefeveryone on the Plan
parls ofthe plan you can. Ensure
everyone knows to Perform the
plan you pracliced. This waY. in
the absence ofother instructions.
everyone is moving in the same
direction when things go wrong.
-iq,r
,"!--' .1 .:". "
.:(';' :.'r.. A greal race
requires the three race pillars io
stand strong: the runners, the
volunteers/staff and the sPon-
sors. It is very like1y that some
ofyour most effective volunteers.
staff and/or sponsors will not
be runners. Your goal should
be to bring them in, educate
them about the sport, and as
our elite SOF units are fotrC
of saying, "1et them touch the
magic" by experiencing wha
makes this special grouP c:
people worth supporting. Buiic
a mission slatement tor loLt-
event that clearly articulate.
your vision and passion, anri
share it broadly. Ultrarunnine
is an amazing sport that some
people iust want to be a Par" :
even ifthey can't run at all. ar::
you have the ability to ensl-ir:
'be..
they experience the verY
the sport has to ofler r.r hen t '
attend your events. .$
Zane Holscher is a race direc. .
and t4-year Air Force pilot r.'
ov er 2, o o a comb at Jlight ho",',
various special oPerations d:r. -
supporting the Navy SEALs.
Army Special Forces, Air Fa:-.
Special Tactics and olher t'. ..
sp e ci al op erati ot'LS unit s.
 DIRECTINC

'ru-)
ffi ,fi"r. , '5'
"'-r'+.=,il". s'.' i* H*;3 +;T ''?c '!' fl -'llT
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-1.-*: .,=,h- L *+*t*-;EXh,#
BY CHRIS McWATTERS

You may have read the recent

article from |oe Prusaitis about
how he and his wife, |oyce, passed
their "baby," aka Tejas Trails, on
to a new guy. We1l, I'm that "new
guy" and I want you to know
about some plans of mine to
honor these two amazing people
with a special party for their trail
running company, their lriends
and family who sacrificed with
them and this sport that we a1l
love so much. But first, a brief
story about what 1ed my wife
Krissy and me to accluire Teias
Trails earlier this year.
I once heard someone say
something very simple, yet
very profound, after they made
it through an experience that
almost killed them out in the
wi1d. They called it a "near-iife"
experience. I love that and have
hung onto it. I want to see and
help as many people as possible
have "near-1ife" experiences at gave to foe, and then bought back
our ultrarunning events. from him a few months ago (yes,
When )oe and |oyce asked this alone proves |oe is smarter
us to consider taking over their than I am). That initial exchange
company as they iooked toward a ofthis race is the whole reason I
well-deserved retirement, we were got to know Joe and |oyce, their
rea11y honored, and really humbled. farnlTy, and their friends in the
I have been a camp director, first p1ace. The event was ca11ed
race director and ofiroad race- the Nueces Trail Run. But we
course designer for pretty much renamed it, and now it's oflicialiy
my entire adulthood. But, as called "The l&J Race and Trail
much as I(rissy and I "get" race Running Reunion."
directing, we are really all about I'd like to invite you to come to
putting people in situations Camp Eagle in Rocksprings, TX,
where they might have transfor- next Septemb er 23 to 25, zo16
mative life experiences. That's to play with us on some of the
why we are so thankful to be a most beautiful landscape and
full-time trail running race direc- trails this region has to offer, and
tors now. And that's why we made to say "thanks" to ioe and |oyce
Tejas Trails' new tagline "more and all their volunteers, family
than just trail running..." and friends who have made Teias
One of our first tasks was Trails what it is. Please join us at
to think of a way to properly the |&J Race and Trail Running
say "thank you" to |oe and Joyce Reunion next fal1.
for allowing us this privilege. In the meantime, keep
Even though they aren't going enjoying those miles. There's
anywhere for a long time, we a 1ot oflife to get out ofeach of
want to give them a ceiebration them. And there are probably a
with family and friends. We are 1otofpeople out there who would
renaming one of our nine races appreciate you helping them to
their first nearJife experience!
JrcI w AilD GT N6E D€T?*IL, frT
to honor |oe and |oyce.
There was no better choice for Grab some details, register, #,&*q tfrtww.T€7**#3t-',cat'
this event than the race I started and reserve lodging at tejastrails.
years ago at Camp Eagle, then com/jandi..{t

NOVEMBER 2OI5 ULTRARUNNING 5]

'C'/
 :--= =E.AK 100K
//////////

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two years 1ater, that plan came to fruition in
the form of August's inaugural Castle Peak
rooK-a race t-hat found enormous success
in iLs firsl year by nearly every measure.
The course covers 62.5 miles of trail,
gains over rr,ooo feet ofelevation and travels
some of the most historic and scenic trails
in the Truckee area. The point-to-point route
includes a summit of Castle Peak and a tech-
nical traverse of the Palisades between Mt,
Disney and Mt. Linioln before descending
to the finish in Donner Memorial State Park.
It is already considered by many to be one o[
lhe toughest rooks in lhe country.
Tluckee ultrarunner and coach Peter Fain
designed the course and co-directed the race
with Helen Pelster.
Race day came in unusually chi1ly for
August, with highs in the upper 5os and
sl rong wi nds.
"I was glad that we had included a wind
jacket or space blanket and a hat as part of
the required gear," noted co-Race Director
Fain. "Atnoon, Lheweather station at the top
of Castle Peak read 44 degrees, with 35 MPH
steady winds, making it feel like 37 degrees."
In the men's race, Ryan Weibel of South
Lake Tahoe led the race lor the-first z6 mi1es,
before face lves of Ashland, OR, took over
sometime before.the rnile3l aid station at
Castle Pass. l"ves would go on to take the
overa lI win in a time of ro:53:r6, with Weibel
finishing second in 11144:57.
The race for the remaining men's podium
spot came down to the final miles when Chaz
Sheya o[ Sacramento began closing in
liuckee s Chrls L.lovcl.
" I l<new he was right there. and we were
kind ofgoing fbr the sneak attack," said Sheya,
smiling, after the finish. "Then lmy paceris
dogl Foscoe caught wind oFChris and took
ollbarking."
Once alerted by Foscoe to the close
competition, Cloyd's pacer encouraged hi.m
to a strong [inish, where he snagged third
in rz:42:zr.just two minutes ahead of Sheya.
In the women's tace, Roxanne Woodhouse
ofS/eaverville led from start to finish in a
time of 13:oz:5o. The fight flor the next two
spots was much closer, with Nu Ma of San
Lorenzo finiqhing second in t3'.52'u, and
Reno's Miriam Smith taking thirdinr4oz:t7.
Upon crossing the 1ine, Woodhouse
immediately looked at RD Fain and, pointing
her finger in his {ace, declared emphatically,
"Great race!"
That sentiment seemed to sum up the
leeiings of most of the runners.
Weibel described the course as
"Tncredible! But so tough!"
He and Woodhouse were in agreement
that the [irst io mi]es were super"fasl. bur
lhere were severa] sections thai you simpl,v
had to accept were not runnable.
Primary among these was the Palisades.
It appears this highly technicai section,
which required the use of hands and a lot
of comfort with exposure, could turn out to
be the defining feature of the Castle Peak t
rooK, There were additional course marshals
statjoned there for safety, as well as fixed
ropes, which runners could use as hand-
rails. This unique traverse will lilcely draw
. mountain runners from near and far to this
Truckee race in future editions.
The event had a zo-hour time limit,
attesting to the difficulty of the course.
The race's final two finishers came across
the line together in r9:j9:28, after a long
day that was both immensely challenging
and immenseiy rewarding. One of these
two, Ruth Centry. was running for charity
in honor ofa friend fighting cancer. After
meeting challenges early in the race, and
contemplating dropping atmile 47, Gentry
took inspiration from her [riend for whom
she was running, and from the support of
her pacer l(aycee and fe11ow DFL finisher,
Scott Bowden.
'After I finished, the race director, Helen
Pelster, asked me how my friend was doing,
and I must have cried in her arms for a good
five minutes. She does nol even know me. but
on she held me tight. This race may have been
lor crazy people (mysell included). but I am
so glad I did it!" Gentry said ofher experience.
Family also seemed to be a big part of
rhe day, from Angela Costamanga. Truckee
mother of four, whose longest previous run
prior to race day had been only 5ok, and
who was paced in by her husband and met
at the line by her children, to ]amie Frink
who was paced through the Palisades by her
r4-year-old son Calr in.
A strong sense of community iras shared
by most who were involved in the event, lrom
ricers. Lo flriends and fami1y, to volunLeers.
arid it was present even from the early plan-
ning stages.
"We started [nearly a year ago] meeting
most Wednesdays with a very dedicated iittie
group of volunteers," said RD Heien Pelster
of the immense effort that the run commitiet
put into the event. "Each team member hai
responsibility for a cruclal aspect of the
race. Sean Flanagan: aid stations. Lesler-
 . :-.,aal' .oordination. Dan
: : .:: r.1l1g. Diane Fredet'ic: all
ilrrtrii.rlrirlr&li:::1r{liitri::r,.
.

. .. aaoi.
D [;.,r a .o rrcr.riled
' ' -.-- i oirr-rteers. such as Mlke
.. r:- iLr Arnrna RD. and TRT
I : : RD George Rr,rlz, among
:::.
The hnor,vledge and love
. the event shon'ed
'-.c,'.rqht to
"--: rblems fbr a first-time event,
, : ,1. rrg colnlrellts of the runners.
: -:=:s of iis lirst year: is any in.di-
. L..,,e Peak rool( u'ii1 be around t .:
. ::la :O COme.
,c-:, Ii3
- .:i1 e date for next year"s Castle
. \:tgust 27,2016..f
- r:::r, Nye. Donner Party l\,4ountain Runners
- : - c3T. running the ridge towards Mt. Judah
-:' -ake and Truckee seen in the background.
!O Sccit eok s FhotograPl"\Jl

-l ar rln Rlce with pacer ln tow. io Greg ilat(ea

:: ,3ir.."1
1,
11 *-l
-.,*+x&
:ll
.. :, . :....

_:.. -, i. l:1.-J
::.'i,a-1 l''1 l-i
i..,,
llti Dan Ndylor,25, CA 2r Ncrcas .uq.ton 37 NV 15:46:44 ., i . rl ri lll: :llli :.ri. ,-,]:i
3B Thomas lvlcCoin,49, CA
luBUSt 29 7 i3:l0:51 23 Derrin Rlce 39, NV 1 5:57:36 l:r'j: .lirli,r'li:fr:.i. ia.,l
a 13126:45 24 Neit! Natraj,52, CA 15:58:ll
9 l3:36:09 25 Jason R dd e,34, NV 16:0 0:3 2 1r. :ita::.:.ijrrarr .:::i i-r.r
:. ::: aaai.etlf oocleet Thecolrsels 10 13t44:54 26 smael lv4acias,48, CA 16112157 42 Bill Matthews,6l, CA
: :: : : -:lali:ta pcittroo(morntarntlSl 13.44:55 !l :. r -1'r::,,' a tt..,..
: : : .: : : :: !s: !r th substant :l cl mb ng 11

2B
',r.:!
KeisuIe Nishimoto 37. CA 11:1O:57 i.:,. l.l l
: :: :: :.:csecl scrarrb ng. Average 44 Roland Blais,49, NV
-:..i,r\e r!ffnr ts Casiie Pe:k
,.,:,,,.11' 29 Stephen Scheer.48, CA 1 1,24:24
14t14'.23 30 Paul Sweenev,49, CA 1'lt2O:21 illi:lta :a a:,i.rirt:arrii. i::i. I
o ". "o 9, 14
: . :_:.:l l:1.. i:l 31 John [y'eyer,44, CA 17145t22 46 Chris Giuntoli,53, CA
t6 14'.43:25 Jesse !'Villley,33, CA 17t46.36
.:::.:.31 CR 10:53:16 John Hoenigman,50, CA l7:48:03 47 Scott Bowden,40. CA
. .- ... a-. 12, CA 11'.44'.51 18 15:17:22 34 Steve Martelli,47, CA 18r03:59
:-' : a ... 29, CA 12'.42'.21 19 15:42t43 35 Javier Castellar, 48, CA 18:18:49
a--':s:iet..5l CA 12t44:23 2A 15:42.23 .lnr:i::. ili:i!ili :j: ar:i

34 U LTRA NOVENiBER 2OI5

 :l

r:l
l:

li

Runners descending the sketchy Beadwaters Ridge

platform, downed some chicken broth and

r,vas off.
The descent from Lone Peak was the
hardest part ofthe race. I tried to 1et gravitr
take me down, but feeling delirious ani
running on the loose football-sized rock
slates was a sprained ankle waiting to happe:
so I tool< the descent s1ow. Luckily, the s1a,'.
gave way to looser dlrt and I was able to r'.'r
and siide down the bottom portion of tl -
mountain. I r'vorked my way along the Hi::
Highu,ay and Cow Flats before running tt,
my buddy Michael. We chatted abor-rt ,,:
morning and he kept me moving and pos,- .
as we hugged a couple more steep c1i:: ,.
and rolling hil1s through the final aid ,sta -
The last few miles rvere challenging. tr
my knees spent, my calf muscles start : =
RunFost!
Lverythlng else in these mounlcins oce;L Peak ascent, I used amixture ofspeed r . -
and dou,nhi11 surges to get me throu::
JUITIE 18, 2015 finish line chute. The final three mile . :
some of the most beautiful rolling h- .
run. and I soaked up the beauty ofr, .
t08K ,,.., 50K ,,, 25K stretch. Finishing strong to the sc
t7r+o0' 7$aa' 3500' music and cheers, I feit extremeh-9r.1 :
be outside doing what I love r,r' ith s..::
friends in one of the most gorgec-:..
ofthe countr1. l he experience r'
humb1ing... and the branded e1h:-,:.
er's medal wasn't too shabbv eitl:.: l

3E ULTRA] NOVEN4 BER 2OI 5

 177 Robert Wood,40, MT 9t8:07 271 Patrich Cook, 28, CO '1:0-::
84
The Rut 85
Katie French,33, [,17
Jonah Brown,24, t\,17
7:41:03
7:42i47 r?o
,," MatthewN4acLachlan, 9:20:00
272 David Batchelder,4T, IVT 11'.O2it
3 g Sky. MT // September 5 86 Nick Truax,34, MT 7i45i37 38, AB 273 ErikaFrounfelker,3S,lvlT 11:02:a:
cA
L // 30k A7 Evan Namkung,33, CA 7t45'.47 179
180
Michael Stricklan,32, cA 9:2O'.O4 274
275
Jameson Rienick,46,
Christopherlvlarth,44,MT
11:06:3:
11:o9:15
=s.
i,,r.or pa n: to ooo reel
l' l rs'oLrse is a I
ue mou lld r
88
A9
Casey Eason,40, lD
Rhea Blach,43, h,lT
7t46:15
7:47125 181
Marty Cooke,44, ID
Chelsey Miller,31, MT
9i21iO4
9i21i25 Ruben Dominguez,43, MT 11:11:04
'.' ..r1 rar, J'gFrocl,/d'oollt'alc mb.anddesce't' 182 Susan Kramer,50, Az 277 Steve Sage,45, MT l1l1:15
90 Eric Bendick,35, N4T 7:49.O1
-' :,20(eo'roge.'nFs.rne-ea' ot.heL,gha p nete'ra.' 91 Doug Wadle,42, N4T 7t5Oi26 183 Nicholas Pino,38, NlYl 9i22i11 214 Emity Fried,30, CO 11111.22
,. r- e T dd e t.i.o ot I he co-r,e lcavi-g rhe b.g nr ng
92 Ron Braselton,34, CO 7i51:14 184 Jenniler Murdock,24, CO 9i22:13 279 Noah Alpern,33, CA 11i11i29
:-c erd for the more runnable sirg e ttack trails lower 2AO Scott Patch,47, N4T
:' :he mouniain. 93 Andrew L4ayer,25, MT 7151:39 185 Kevin Smith,33, MT 9t22:51 11:13:3':

94 Dan Stone,28, l'47 7i53:27 186 Meyumi Allen,42, MT 241 Ben Miller,32, Wl 1115:34

Franco Col16,36, lT 5i16i59 95 Nicholas Flores,25, WY 187 Spencer Naar,29, CA 9:24.O2 242 Jeff Dudar,36, CA 11:16i43

96 Robert Trnavsky,29, KS 188 Patrick Kamman,28, MT 9i26141 283 Kailee carnes,27, ldT 11,16145
cristof er Clemente Mora,
29, ES 97 Josh Gimpelson,36, MT 7t55,44 189 Tad Stichman,38, MT 9i27iOO
254 Mariska
MacKenzie- 11.,c.12
98 190 Scott Hoeksema,37, MT 9:27ill Heyboer,45, N4T
3 Matt Shryock,28, AK 5i29:OO Rebecca Ulizio,39, MT 7'.57,O6
CO
99 7i57il4 191 Taylor Busch,34, GA 9i27i22 285 Carey Cuprisin,44, 11:20:19
4 Matthias Messner,34, CO 5:38:43 Nick lvlagel, 34, CA
5 Edward Farley,25, MT 5:39:36 100 Jim Murphy,44, MT 7i57i16 192 Randy Shoemaker,5l, CA 9i27t31 Natatie
245 33, Wagenbrenner, fl.2?.ol
5 Max King,35, FR 5:43:40 101 Michael Burke,34, lD 7i57 i35 193 Bevin Feutrier,37, MT MT

7 Luke Nelson,34, lD 5:47151 102 Axel Yount,26, lvlT 7159i34 194 Jay Layman,56, CO 9i3Oi49 287 Alexis Hanks,25, CO li:25:38
8 Allan Spangler,28, UT 5:53:12 103 Brian Suttle,37, f'47 8:01:36 195 Richard Petty,27, MD 9t3Ot54 288 Christopher l'4or1n,36, MA 11i27114

9 Gabe Mccowan,25, Az 5:54:31 104 Brian Polen,35, oH 8:01:35 196 Vern Eastley,43, ID 9:31i22 289 *aig lvlacHolz,4l, MT 11i28127

10 Kyle Barrett,27, UT 5157t29 105 Shawn Bearden,43, lD 8:03:38 197 Kevin N4cAllister,30, t\47 9:31:51 290 Chris Pdcourek,45, lL 11i29149

1l David Glennon,34, CO 5t59t40 106 Skdnder Spies,30, lvlT 8:04:09 198 Derek Schutz,25, AB 9:33:36 291 Donnie Pinqaro,47, FL 11:29:50

12 Chris Price,34, CA 5:59:56 107 Ben Hoiness,24, MT 8tO4t23 199 Ligia Madrigal,42, CR 9:33:59 292 'lodd Pingaro,39, CA 11i29156

13 Jesse Carnes,30, t\,4T 5:01:09 108 Mark Toth,41, AB 8:04:36 2OO Christina Gray,4l, OR 9:35:28 293 Paul Bassette,57, VA 1l:3010
14 Kiefer Hahn,42, NC 6io4i28 109 Emily Linton,40, MT 8:06:04 201 Brianna Baker,25, IIT 294 Mariela Botella,49, TX 1'l:31:28

15 Jeff Krar,43, CA 510:55 110 Tyler Johnson,3O, f,4O 8:08:41 202 Allisa Linfield,26, CO 9:37146 295 Dave Gilmer,4l, MT 11:32:o8

16 Joshua Korn,34, UI 6117:22 111 N4att Attebury,34, lD 8:10:26 203 Scott Allen,44, NC 9:3a17 295 Adam Pratt,40, lL 11:33:54
112 Daniel Karczynski,30, CO 204 Sara Hooker,27, MT 9:41:01 297 Jeffrey Howlett,36, MA 11:35:59
17 Peter Mamrol,22, AK 6i17139 8111i22
298 Brian Wilkinson,37, lvA 11:36:59
18 Matt Palilla,33, OR 6,19:42 113 Robert Hellgren,36, PA 8:11:39 205 N.4ark Parish,33, CO 9t42i37
l9 Nick Littman,28, MT 6i21io1 114 Andrew Gisler,29, Co 8J1:40 206 Julianne layl0r,26, CA 9:43toz 299 Curt Bowman,43, oK 11:37:OB

115 Justin Klebe,42, 813:57 207 Matt Lewis,41, f,4T 3OO Lars Johnson,42, lD 11:37:39
20 N4att Rock,35, t\4T 6,21:25 lvlT

21 EmelieForsberq,2S,leseY 6i25:44 116 Weston Paul,33, MT 8:16i24 208 Stefanie Sample,31, MT 9t44tAO 301 Siefanie Bernosky,33, TX 11:39t0
22 Jeff Rome,25, lvlT 6i25:52 117 Peter TayLor,37, MT 8:18:03 209 Lance Waltjen,38, OR 302 Lisa Cox,47, BC 1l:41:23

23 Justin Barth,25, MT 6i29t36 11a Andy Lefriec,32, WA 8:1810 210 Hayden Janssen,36, N4T 9t45i44 303 Steve Ton,47, Tx 11i4zto6

24 Erik Schulte,25, CA 6:30:00 119 Corey Bronstein,52, NJ 81 8:26 211 Stephen Lodmell,53, N4T 9148145 304 Steven Koenes,30, MT 1li42i29
12O Colleen Powers,3l, NV 212 Melissa Mincic,35, CO 9:54:24 305 Andy Collins,3l, CO 11:46i43
25 Hillary Allen,27, C0 5;30:16 8:18:31
306 John Elsen,33, MT 11t41
26 Phil Rock,35, WA 6i34i25 121 N4att Gillis,40, lD 8l 8:58 2'13 Alejandro Nietzen,42, CR 9:51:31 t11

27 Brian Tolbert,34, UT 5:34:38 122 Kyle Dietz,29, lA 8i2Oi24 214 Luke Wendt,45, OH 9i52142 307 Dan Elsen,35, lL 11:47:11

123 Nathan Halko,33, CO 8:20:57 215 Jonathan Kulisch,29, DE 9'.52i43 308 Steve Schumacher,4S, MT 11i48i54
2A Scott Traer,34, t\4A 6:38:39
309 Catherine Gaqne,43, GA
29 Caleb Ambrose,31, WA 6i39i14 124 Matthew Elam,23, LilA 8'.22i57 216 Allen Johnson,27, MT 9:53:07
30 Alan Adams,35, lvlT 6:39:51 125 Donnie Surdoval,27, NY 8:23:01 217 David E. Jackson,37, lN 310 sofia Loomis,40, CA l l;51;43
126 Becky Bates,53, BC 218 Troy Howe,42, UT 9i56:44 311 Beau Talley,53, AL 11152146
31 Ben Dhiman,23, MT 6i41io5
312 Hilton Turnbull,46, WA 11:54i17
32 Martina Valmassoi,25, lT 6t41t42 127 Chris Jensen,38, lD 8:2 5;03 219 Chris Kumm,30, CO 9t56t43
128 Tim Hamill,38, MN 8:25t52 220 Kimberly Christen,29, lD 9:57:10 313 Sachiko Kotani,38, JP 12:01:23
33 Jed Brown,32, CO 6:42t31
'129 Mike Ehredt, 54, lD 314 Danny Todd,29, WA 12105.54
34 Erik Johnson,39, AK 6:44,02 8126t41 221 Paul Stewart,38, TX lO:01:14

IVT 130 Wesley 5avill,25, CA 8127,11 222 Scott MaclntYre,38, CA lO:01:32 315 Henry Bickerstaff,6l, OK 12tO6:34
35 Noah Ronczkowski,34, 5:44:19
35 Kristina Pattison,35, [4T 6144155 '13'l Katie Desplint€r,32, CA g:27i27 223 Jordan Whitlock, 27, V A 1O:01:38

37 Tim Patterson,37, lvlT 6:45t58 132 Hidenori Fukuda,36, JP 8t27,5O 224 Chatles Ersland, 37, [47 1Ot02i56

38 Aidan Cooper,24, NJ 6:49103 133 Payton Gardner,37, NM 8i28t2O 225 Daniel Ersland,34, MT 1Otozt56

39 Anna Mae flynn,29, UT 6:51tO1 134 Thad Jones,44, lD 8:29136 225 Beth Daniel,31, NC 10:05:25 ELE\'ATIOilIAND
40 Brian N4oody,30, AZ 6:52tO4 135 Margot Watters,49, lD 8:30:32 227 Amy Courville,49, MT lO:05:34 SURFACE INFO
41 Andrejs Galenieks,30, CA 6t52t2A 135 Scott Gold,28, lL 8:36:33 228 Paul Swanson,35, WA 1O:05:46
42 Greq Norrander,45, tJT 6:52t33 ,,7 Peter HeYboer, 229 Douq Cassaro,30, VA 1Otol:17
b,*r 4< So, what does that little
,., James
35, MT
8:36:41
230 Warren Dudar,33, SK lOl l:07
43 Johannes Middleton,28, N4T 6:55:44 symbol mean) The first number is
44 Spencer Plumb,33, lD 6i57,47 138 Kam Kidrick,39, t\4T 8:3718 231 Renate Bush,50, MT 1Oi12i36

45 John Ricardi,29, WA 7'.OO'.14 139 Jenniler Kunzman,27, MT 8t37t2o 232 Erika Peterman,4O, MT 10,14'.45 the elevation profile, the second is
46 Franz Van Der Groen,31, cA 7:oo:49 140 Casey Giddings,37, N4T 8:37:33 233 Bryan Jacobson,40, MN 1O116:21
the quality ofthe surface. Both are
-- Milton Zhinin Barreto, 141 Jack Wilkinson,32, MO 8:38:16 234 Swan Swanson,49, MT 1O:1810
47 5.il:i;r'"
"" "" 7:05:33
142 David Sullivan,29, CO 8;39:38 235 Corey Dixon,41, TX 10:19:33 on a l-5 scale, with 5 being the most
143 Caleb Efta,25, CO 8i42t14 235 Norel Swanson,36, MT lol9:38
4A Babak Rastgoufard,42, MT 7:06:39 d iffi cu I t.
49 Christopher Kiel,29, Co 7:09:OO 144 Rene Dorantes,39, CA 8t42i16 ?37 Emily gay,22, CA 1O:23:11

50 Jake Hanson,33, MT 7io9.32 145 Elizabeth steen,34, WA 8t46143 238 Scott Brown,34, NE 1O124146

"'"' 239 Geno Bassette,50, MT 1Oi25:41 ELEVATION PROFILE

51 Meaghen Brown,2?, NM 7tA9t45 -145
;i"il;x-" " "" Breton,
- - Marco Sanchez 8t47io1
240 Greg Wingo,37, AL 10i26:04
52 Mike Telling,46, MT 7:11:03
147 Armand Barnils,24, ES 241 lan Vaughn,28, WA 1Oi28i56
r Flat or nearly flat
53 Micah Bostrom,26, MT 7111i37 8:49:18
z Rolling; total climb up to 50'
54 Tyler Courville, 19, MT 7:1'l:38 148 Sara Distin,35, CO 8:49i51 242 Scott Pankratz,45, [47 1O:3119

55 Ted Romero,34, Co 7112'.37 149 Patrick Walker,3O, CO 8:49:53 243 Russell Lafontaine,41, l'47 10:33:14
'10:33r37
per mile (2,500' in 50 miles)
56 Dan Campbell,37, MT 7i13:41 150 Mark Munro,46, N4T 8:5115 244 Emily Downinq,24, MT
57 Lucas Tamaqna-Darr,30, CA 7i14126 151 Chris Corona,27, lvlT 8:51:51 245 Kevin Goldberg,25, NY 1O:34:33 ! Hilly; total climb between
58 Laura Tabor,27, CO 7t16:51 152 Christopher Perejda,32, CO 8:52:00 246 Steve Tanio, 54, OK lO:34:36 50'-150' per mile
59 Miles Knotek,20, MT 718:15 153 Ted tv{orrison,35, NiT 8154157 -la--| Alison Fornev-6orman, 10:37:01 (2,500'-7,500' in 50 miles)
60 Tyson Roth,33, MT 7i19'.O6 154 Lauren Mcvey,24, CO 8:55t12 43, rrrN
51 Jonathan Hockett,28, MT 7t21i35 155 Rachel Depuy,37, CO 8:5518 248 Eugene Gignac,59, PA 10:38:29 4 Very hilly; total cllmb between
.I50'"250'
62 Joshua Ricardi,33, WA 7t22io2 156 Katy"Robin Garton,36, MT 8:55J8 249 N,latthew SinoPoli,46, PA 1O:38:30 per mile
63 Nick Hendrickson,24, UT 7t22to4 157 Toby Ballard,43, MT 8i56i42 250 Amelia llagen-Dillon, 29, MT 1O:39:09
(7,500'-.12,500' in 50 miles)
64 Douglas Daniel,28, NC 7t23to4 158 Dalton Berry,37, lvlT 8,56t47 251 Michael Barrett,44, MA 1O139i27

65 Yannick Letailleur,29, AB 7'.25i4O 159 Andrew AIthauser,39, N4T 8i57iO4 252 Sten Anderson,34, MT 1O:40:20 5 Mountainous; total climb
66 Loic Letailleur,32, BC 7t25,41 160 Jill Johnson,37, MT 8:57:08 253 Andrew Milne,32, NY 1Oi4Ot24
more than 250' per mile
67 Tomas Dumbrovsky,44, lvlT 7126i26 161 Peter Harned,42, MT 8157t29 254 Jill Forseth,47, WA 1O:43:39
68 Adam Jensen,35, AK 7,26:47 162 Travis lv,oney,35, NY 8:58:45 255 Brad Borst,52, WA 1O:43:38
69 Jakub Galczynski,28, WY 7i26i53 163 Weston Petty,23, MT 9:00:43 256 Vanessa Witte,32, CO 1A:43t52 SURFACE
7O Thomas Wagner,36, AT 7t27'.43 154 Ryan Ayres,42, IVT 9:01:51 257 Eric Grace,46, lD 1Oi44i13
r Paved or very smooth
7'1 Matthew ly'adsen,33, CO 7i27i52 '165 N,legan Dehaan,29, klT 9tO1:56 258 Justin Short,42, MT 1O:45i1l
72 Matt Edwards,38, MI 7i3ot21 155 Jb Yonce,68, MT 9:0]:56 259 Clarke Babcock,29, CO 1O145:52 z Mostly groomed trail
71 Kaitlin MacDonald,27, MT 7:32:53 167 Lindsey Gardner,37, Nlvt 9tO3rA4 260 Audrey Kranz,36, UT 10:47t34
or dirt roads
74 Vincent Juarez,29, CA 7:33:00 168 Matthew Predick,29, OH 9:03:58 261 Allen Darilek,42, Tx 1Oi47138
169 Ashley Courvi116,21, MT 262 Nicholas Wickes,42, MT 1O:51:39 3 Trail or dirt road with some
75 John Hart,48, l'4T 7i33i41 9tO4:11
76 Joshua Richards,30, MT 7,34i59 170 Matt Hershey,36, FL 9:O4i26 253 Matt Pugh,29, [47 1O:51:52 rocks, roots and/or ruts
77 John Fiore,53, MT 7i35i28 171 Julia Lewis,49, co 9:A*43 264 Kelly Wll3on,47, MT 1O:92:2$
78 Anya Gue,28, N4T 1i38i21 172 Whitney Bretz,22, N4T 9:07:38 265 Jefty Manter,34, lD 1O152:32 4 lrarl or drrt roao wlln
79 Ryan Fell,28, MT 7:39126 173 Patrick Lupton,42, N4T 9toa:24 266 5tephwolfe,42,Ml 10i53:?1 substantial rocks, roots
80 Adam Harris,28, BC i7l Dimmrtt Gnam, 267 Kevin Traver,27, lD I 0:5718
and/or ruts
7:39112
,,* Alyson
30 WA
giA937
268 CErly Urb6n,30, MT 1O:59:56
81 c{ayton Bouchard,42, PA 7t4o:1o
A2 Martin Criminale,51, WA 7t4oi22 175 Steve Lathrop,41, CA 913:48 259 Rick Hoaglin,44, MT 11:01:03 ! Very rough trail
83 Travis Brown,25, AB 7:40.33 175 Justin Grigg,40, MT 270 Sophie 0'Bri€n, ?3, MT 11:O1t45

NOVEI\,,18ER2015 ULTRA;
 I/////////CASCADE CREST i:.'

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BY ETHAN NEWBTRRY

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iT WAS DURiNG THE SOAI(ING WET AND Since I started running uitramar-
athons, I knew I wanted to run
?eezing cold descent off of l(eechelus Ridge ar 2, a.7.t:t., roo mi1es. The Problem is that
my mind never believed I cou1d.
on a sioppy, exposed eight-mile downhill maze of fire
Attempting to travel such a long
roads that the first signs of hypothermia surfaced. My ways by foot in a single go blows
my mind. I am by no means fast,
core temperature was dropping last and my limbs were
I do not have some superhuman
becoming numb flesh, more like popsicles than skin, ability to process lactic acid better
than anyone else, nor do I consider
muscle and bone. I couldn't form sentences. My legs myself a superior athletic sPec-
$-ere stiffening. My pace was crawling. My pacer-my imen (I have one glorious ab and
I rea11y li1te naps).
s'onderful wife, I(im-started to ask simple questions But if something is impossible,
then I figure that I might as well
like, "how are your handsl" to which I would rep1y, "fine."
try it.
Alter the fifth or sixth time she asked the question, we I found myself looking through
lists of potential roo-mile races. I
both knew I was lying. My hands and arms had started
had heard whispers ofa Northwest
shaking uncontrollably, but for some reason, my mouth roo thai showcased some of
the most epic ridgelines in the
kept telling her they were "fine." It was as if my coherent, cascades, miles of wonderful
present rnind was stuck in a meat-she11 and I couldn't admit Pacific Crest Trail and technical
sections lovingly called "he11."
g-hat ir-as rea11y happening. Over an hour went by before I also found out I grew uP 3o
minutes from the start and linish
I was finally able to change my answer to, "bad." And by
1ine. The trails I was going to run
then hypothermia had fu1ly set in. were in my childhood backyard.
42 ULTRARUNN NG,COI'] NOVEIVBER20]5
It was meant to be: the Cascade
Crest Classic roo was the Perfect
first roo-miler for me.
As Rich White, the race director,
delivered his pre-race speech, I
found myself scrambling out
of the crowd to find respite in
a Porl--A-PotLy. Having a Panic
attack moments before Your first
roo isn't awesome. ExPeriencing it
inside ofa shit-1aden plastic cocoon
doesn't make it anY better. Br-ri
there I was, counting mY breaths
moments before I embarked ol
the epic journey.
As we counted down to the sta:-
I remembered why I was there. .
was about to do something I ner'.:
thought possible. Hor.t amaz.: -
would it be if I actualiy got it dc: -
I let the smile carrl me out c- -
starting corral, under the his--- -
wooden starting arch anr . -
towards the first climb of ti = -r'
The Iirst 40 or so mlles \'.: -- .-
smoother than I could've il:.- :.r
Than'l<s to a tip flrom ot-, : -.
pacers, Cary Robbins-tl' : -'- ---
 What had been described as "a fun climb
down from one trail to another below that can
be done without ropes" appeared to be more
along the lines of "a cliff with trees." Two of
us stood at the top and gazed straight down
between limbs and stumps, questioning if
this was even 1ega1. I imagine during daylight.
this would be a fun joke, but there, in the
now pouring rain at ro:3o p.m., it was a bit
more... daunting.
Soon after ow Cliffianger reenactment,
we approached the behemoth concrete
gateway into the heart of the mountain. Our
headlamps pierced the ink within the whale's
gaping mouth, but 1itt1e was to be seen other
than dripping wal1s and the concrete arched
ceiling high above. The tunnel can take some
runners z5 minutes to complete. It can take
others neariy four times that long-especialiy
ifthey get turned around. I'm happy to say
Attey Vause from Vancouver, BC running in her fi rst I 0O-mi te race. [o Gtenn Tach]vamal I was on the former end of that spectrum
and emerged to the cheers of my crew and a
finisher in zor4's race-I took the front half next five miles I would not only encounter the Christmas themed aid station at Hyak.
of the course very slowly. I threw all of my infamous "ropes section," but also the tunnel: I quickly chugged some hot soup, donned
projected arrival times out the window and a 2.3-mi1e long abandoned train tunnel that some light rain layers for the impending
just kept everything smooth and patient. drives straight through a mountain. Things midnight storm, picked up my first pacer,
As the sun disappeared and the fuIl wereabouttogetinteresting' I(m, and headed back out into the night with
moon began to peek out between cracks in Knowing what was ahead of me, Gary's a newfound energy. What I didn't know was
the clouds, I began to absorb just how far face was both welcoming and worried. He that as soon as I left, the biggest summer
I had travelled and basked in the incred- instantly assessed that I was at risk ofhypo- storm in Northwest history would move into
ible moment of accomplishment. This was thermia and convinced an awesome volunteer the region and wreak its havoc.
quickly overtaken by loneliness and mental to 1et me warm up in her SUV. I distinctly Gary guided me towards the beginning
weakness as darkness swallowed the forest remember his optimism about getting me of The Trail From Heil-a six-mile section
and the gorgeous section ofPCT I had just back out on the course and thinking, "this of"trail" along the high cliffs above Lake
climbed. It never ceases to amaze me iust guy is frigging nuts!" For the next 35 minutes, I(achess. I had seen this section during a
how quickly things can change in an ultra. I thought my race was over. daylight recon mission weeks earlier and
When I greeted my crew at Oiallie But, once warmed, my body seemed to hadn't siept well since. Now that I was
Meadowsatmile 47,they couldseeintheir awaken as fresh as when I set off. I was deliriously navigating the mileage at 4 a.rn.
headlamps that I was not in the happiest of coherent, eating potatoes and amped to tackle in crappy ice-rain, it seemed surreal. How
states. While I was moving so1id1y, my mental arguably the toughest sections of the course could I be this far into this race and stil1 have
outlook had started to deteriorate. Over the ahead. Perhaps this race wasn't over after alll strength to climb over these roots, rocks and

20 Robert Lalus,41, NH 47 CA
Bradley Schmiit,35, 75 Ken Ward,58, OR 29t44:25
Cascade Crest 21 Greg Snyders,34, DC
24t48i44
24t52:23 48 AK
N4artti Lindeke,47,
28'.04155
28:11i11 76 Dennis Gamroth,44, OR 29144125
Easton, WA // August 29 22 Tim Stroh,53, WA 24154144 49 Chris Brower,55,BC 2815:00 77 Chad Wamack,44, TN 29i51i56
James Gifford,53, WA 50 Allen Hadtey,58, CO 78 Doslree Marek,32, oR
L *,a. /,/ too Mites 23
24
25:1Ot2O
Robert Bondurant,42, WA 25t22t33 51 John Schmid,33, CA
2815:OO
28i22i2o 7q
2915?112
Jenniler Maccormack, 3OtA7iZ2
ELevation gain: zr,ooo feei I This course is a c ockwise loop
25 Maxim Kazitov,40, WA 25:27i11 52 Terry Gardiner,55, WA 28i26i21 '' 44,WA
with highlights including io miles on the PCT, running
oftal trees
26 Shawn Wallich,52, BC 25:33:33 53 Steve Collins,44, CO 28i27:O9 80 Seth Wolpin,43, WA 3ot12i27
through the 2.J-mi e Snoqualmie Tunnel, ots
and tough trails. Contai n 15% lfai and 2s% dil toad. 27 Jenny Capel,42, NV 29:36:A'l 54 N.4att Query,38, WA 28i28i12 8'! Mary Loqan,33, co 3014:49
28 Nikolay Anikevich,32, WA 25t4OiO5 55 GretchenWalla,36,WA 26129139 82 JulleCasssta,54,wA 301916
1 Jesse Lang,31, WA 18:23:56 29 Brian N'lorrison,35, WA 25i45i45 56 John Lacroix,33, CO 28:35:17 83 Gary williams,47, AB 3O:25i32
2 Yassine Diboun,37, OR 19i15i23 30 lvlikio Miyazoe,39, JPN 25:59i32 57 Ethan Newberry,34, CA 28:44:36 84 Matthew Watts,58, CO 30:31:54
3 Alissa St Laurent,3l, AB 19t25t56 31 Brlanna Tidd,25,'fX 26tO4i2A 58 Rick Gaston,43, CA 28t46148 85 Ather Haleem,34, WA 30;32:35
4 Pierre Loic Deraqne,46, FR 19:33:05 32 BillTidd,52,NA 26,04:20 59 Alley V6use,30, BC 28147:12 86 Gary Eggleston,51, WA 3O:56i1
5 Oliver Utting,42, BC 20:5811 33 Emily Halnon,30, OR 25:31151 60 Vickl Romanin,54, BC 2a:52:09 R7 Gen.la.Kacey"McKnlght, 3O:58:21
6 Greg Lackey,25, CO 21i21i54 34 Van Phan,44, WA 26i34119 61 Jean-Michel Fouard,41, WA 28t56:44 -' 39, WA
7 Branden Bollweg,29, CA 21,53i39 35 Jack Carey,33, LA 26i43,49 52 Dan Sears,45, WA 28i57t43 88 Karen Kinq,58, WA 31rol9
I Marta Fisher,40, OR 21:55:51 35 Peter Agbay,40, [4A 26t441O9 53 Nlichael Agbay,42, lvlA 29iO6iO4 89 Natalle glms,41, TN 31115:57
9 Arthur [4artineau,48, WA 22i2Oi2O 37 Trevor Griffith,38, WA 26i5O:33 64 Karl Jensen,55, BC 29:08;OO 90 Glen Mangiantini,5T, WA 31:'18:30
10 Gordon Freeman,30, OR 22t38:47 38 JtsclynGrcsnhill,38,6A 27:A4tOz 65 Brian Tomas,55, CO 29:O9tO7 91 Scoti Lesieur,43, WA 31:20:57
11 Jason Hynd,40, Hl 22i44i34 39 ChristopherSca.pitti,43,DE 27iO7:37 55 Paul Grove,37, WA 29115i15 92 John Budge,32, NY 31:22:42
12 Alex Fyfe, 37, A C 22:47157 40 Mike Hearn,38, AB 27:17:01 57 John Liebeskind,54, OR 29i18i32 93 Brandon Lott,42, WA 31:28:51
13 shawn McTaggart,38, AK 23t47tZA 41 Yvonne Naughton,38, WA 27119:23 69 Jeremy Hinshaw,40, AK 29i23134 94 KellyWdznlekl,29,WA 31:30:20
14 Ken Wolters,45, OR 24i12:O4 FrankSchnekenburger, 27..19..44
z2 55, 69 Kent Yinger,52, CA 29132:42 95 Andrew Norton.59. WA 3l:33:4O
15 Dave Small,45, BC 24:23:47
*' oR 70 Lori Herron,55, BC 29t38:17 95 Chihpinq Fu,49, CA 3l:33:40
15 Katie Robinron,37, CO 24:28:2A 43 Ryan Paavola,3l, VA 27i33i27 71 l\4att Newton,42, WA 29i391O9 97 Daniel Kuhlmann,32, WA 31:45:3O
17 Dave Latourette,53, WA 24128134 44 Alex Schiewe,35, WA 27i3A:21 72 Steven Kness,57, WA 29:4OtO4 98 Ray Siegrist,56, wA 31:45:30
18 Bill Dittman,27, Az 24i28t36 45 Sunaad Nataraju,29, CA 27t52i29 73 Suzle Spangler,44, MD 29:44',45 99 Hideko Opperman,4T,wA 3l:45:30
19 Dan Perkins.45. WA 24:31iOO 45 N4ark N4oromisalo,47, CA 28io2t52 74 BJ Haeck,45, CA 29:42t22 5.1 Ddgl ic .'ii

NOVEMBER 2015 ULTRAPU!r 'r3.ll 13


Rick Gaston stitt cruising at the end of a Iong race loGtennTachivamal
lrisi I was well beyond the farthest I had
ere: traveled by foot.
Less than two hours later, we reached
\lrqeral Creek Aid at mile 7.The cold had
reiurned and began to consume my body. I
took advantage of every dry layer I had and
hoped they'd get my body temp back up by
:hi time I reached the first of the Cardiac
\eedles.
The seven-mile, 3,ooo-foot climb from
\linerai Creek to No Name Ridge, mile
8o. was abysmal. Despite the rising sun
Find yours at sportlegs.com and these fine retailers:
PERFORMANCE'
BICYCLE
44 ULTRAAUNN]NG,COIY ] NOVE]VBER 2OI5
casting a soft glow through the rain, my
muscles began to fail me in the cold' My
heat-acclimJted SoCal blood made me weak
in this traditional Northwest blast' But Gary
wouldn't 1et me quit. My mind wouldn't let
me quit.
The angels at No Name Aid Station
had been braving the squall for hours in a
makeshift tent. Frigid runners who sought
to escape the elements surrounded a bucket
of boiling potatoes. Gary began shoving
semi-warm tater tots into my incoherent
-L5RP"f,F.,,l.,F95^
1.866.rEGBURN (534-2875)
CASCADE CREST
mouth. Then watermelon. Then potatoes.
Before stepping back out into the storm, the
aid station captain made sure to remind
me there was no turning back. Once I
committed to leaving No Name, the only
option was to navigate through the legendary
Cirdiac Needles-a series of short and excru-
ciatingly steep peaks-to finish. There was
no dropping, no escape. Panic flooded over
me as doubt and fear began to tell me this
was impossible.
Wrapped in five iackets and three pairs
ofpanti,-I reiuctantly moved back out. Each
shirp peak in the Needies took insane
amounts of effort to climb but got me one
step closer to that damn buckle. When I
summited the highest peak ofthe course, Mt'
Thorpe, at mile 85, I was overwhelmed by
emotion and broke down on my hiking poles'
I couldn't believe my body, as utterly broken
as it was, still made forward progress-no
matter how slow.
When my legs would al1ow it, I galloped
down the trail for 5o feet or so. When I felt
like I couldn't continue, Gary would pu1l out
his Cascade Crest buckle from the previous
year and let me hold it. Piece by piece, we
connected the final, brutaliy technical miles
to push me into the last aid station at mile
or two and
96. Wtren I arrived I shed a layer
pi.L"d rrp my crew, and we deliriously made
orr. *"yilong the dirt roads to the finish'
I can't claim to remember much of the
final four miles of the 2or5 Cascade Crest
roo. I've been told that Gary lied to me about
the location of the finish line in an attempt
to get me to move faster. I've been told I
stopped to take my pants off. I've been told
I made a series of ugly-cry faces along with
copious whimpering.
What I do remember is clawing mY way
along the Easton train tracks to make that
final right-hand turn towards the infamous
hand-cirved wooden arch. I remember being
so overwhelmed with emotion that I could
barely thank Rich for putting on such an
incredible race. I remember sobbing when
my mother came over to congratulate
me after staying up all night following
her youngest son through the Cascade
Mountains.
And I vividly remember grasping my ver)'
first roo-mile buckle. Something I consid-
ered a distant impossibility had somehor
.With
manifested itself into reality. the help
of my wife, Gary and an incredible cres-'
I had traveled roo miles through historic
conditions with one of the lowest finishine
percentages in the race's history. The impos-
ilbt" t rd just become possibie. Now please
excuse me, I have a celebratory beer (or foul
to consume before picking my next roo' 4
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BY CARY DUDNEY

The name "Eastern States" certainly invites
comparison of this roo-mi1e, summertime, wilder-
ness trail run to California's classic Western States
trail run, though the organizers at Eastern States
didn't play up the connection much.
But if their intention was to create a counter-
part to Western States in the East by offering a
well-organized, well-supported roo miler that both
challenged runners and delighted them with the
stunning natural beauty of the "PA Wi1ds" region
ofPennsylvania, they succeeded in spades.
Prerace info announced-or warned-that "only
the hardiest of runners will complete thjs clrcum-
navigation of Pine Creek." Indeed, a starting field
of r54 was whittled down to just 57 finishers for a
37%" finish rate, roughly haif of the typical finish
rate at Western States-and this despite Eastern
having a generous 36-hour time limlt to Western's
3o-hour 1imit.
There is no doubt that Eastern States is the
tougher of the two races. Western has its share of
rough, technical, rock-strewn trail, but the rugged
trails in the wilderness area ofcentral PA are partic-
ularly tricky and inhospitable. Narrow, cambered
and covered in shifting, loose, moss-covered rock.
the trails require a full body workout to negotiate.
and they often hang over the edge ofa steep drop
into a stream or ravine. You run at your peri1. and
even walking requires considerable effort.
The amount of elevation gain and loss at
Eastern is comparable to that at Western, but the
similarity stops there. Trails charge directlv and up
and down the steep siopes of the hi11s at Eastenr
States, often with nary a switchback in sight. So
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while the magnitude of the climbs at Eastern never the image that comes to mind when you're trudging
Eastern States lO0 reaches the iwesome proportions of the climbs straighiup the umpteenth steep ciimb in the heai
Ji
=:-_-.,-=-
trA // August 15
up to Devil's Thumb or to Michigan B1uff, they the second afternoon ofthe race and needing to
L t.t'.// too Mites
aie brutally steep, slow and punishing. They are throw up to keep going, but a week after the race,
le.=,:. =_:::.coo+feet This course is one loop, mostly
I

also relentlessly scattered throughout the entire wh.n yoi'." startlng to recover and your hard-earned
sr=+-< e:i'rocks, roots, stream crossings, iunnels
:l:t..:i_:_cn and motnta.n l"urel ltfeaLures sceni' length ofthe single-loop course, so forget about a buckle is sitting on your shelf, that yeilow smiley face
r.: =i i:':. uails in Pelnsylvalia ,ncluding nultiole
.:: :r:-t:..irirmbsarodescenLs. NoL[orbegin"err. relatively easy last z5 miles like you get at Western' starts to seem a 1ittle more appropriate.
And Pennsylvania brings the heat, with temps in Starters at Western States can figure that for
' u;cnael Wardian,41, VA
every three runners, only two ofthem are 1ike1y to
21121127
2 -jay Lemos,25, NJ 24i18:O6 the mid-8os, so laboring up and down the steep
: =sJtomu Bessho,37, NJ 24i37.42
slopes is hot, slow business, although there are finish. It's time to take up the challenge of Eastern
4 (athle€n Cusick,40, FL 24:57i43
(3iih VA 26'39i2O loti of streams (called "runs" here) where you can States, where only one ofthe three runners is likely
: Knipling,39,
5 David Walker,34, PA 27'.OBi49
douse your hat or soak Your head. to make it. -$
- Bienden Linqg,32, MD 27111i46
3 Robin watkins,31, DC 27:3O:2O The PA Wilds scenery is spectacular and diverts
9 Corey Paquette,26, ON 27139i39
your attention somewhat from the flailing the
:C gob Ayers Jr., 55, VT 27,52t39
'i Keith Levasseur,37, MD 28t18:27 torr.r" is giving you. The trails pass through
12 Guillermo AYala,41, NJ 28t26:24 hardwood foresls of maple, box elder, oak, ash
13 Drew Quigley,26, MA 2919:53
14 Scott Slater,37, CT 29:21119 and hickory with a scattering of aspens and pine
1= RandY Yasenchak,55, PA 29:3115 thrown in. Deer leap through the trees around
16 Jennifer Brunet,44, NJ
you and rattlesnakes go slithering offthe trail
29:41131
i7 Eill Tryon,42, PA 29i51:O2 'angrily
l8 Zak Wietuns,35, ME 3Ol5:59 shaking their tails. There are streams and
19 Martin Rouillard,44, QC 30:19:32 httje waterfallJeverywhere, carpets of moss, wild-
20 Pall Jesse,33, CA 3Ol9:35
21 Todd Valesky,44. PA 30143126 flowers and acres offerns under the forest canopy'
22 Jonathan Bolha,33, OH 30;5713
At night you hear things crashing through the
23 John Rodrigue,51, ME 31t15i22
24 Rich Flint,54, FL 31:3111 lrrrsil-possibly bears-and the morning light
25 Jeff Calvert,50, PA 31:36:06
comes up to a chorus ofbirdsong, although one tire-
25 Jim Goundry,35, NJ 31,42:22
27 Antti Jussila,39, NY 31:45:OO some biid loudly repeated the word "REET!" about
28 Joe Wrobleski,51, ME 31:58:04 a thousand times in the minute it took me to pass
29 Tom [4orton,38, N4A 32io5t45
30 Lee conner,42, OH 32:11iAz by. I wanted to teach it the words "meet" and "greet"
31 Eliyahu Scheiman,37, NJ 32128127 to possibly give it a 1eg up in the corporate world'
32 Shawn Hawk,50, OH 32:3810
33 Christopher AgbaY,38, MA 32:39:OB A slew of experienced race directors from
34 Christopher FeY,37, NY 32:3911 around Pennsylvania ioined forces to create the
35 Daniel Young,55, PA 331317
35 Dave Herring,44, VA 3313:55 Eastern States roo, now in its second year' Their
37 Tim Shealer,42, PA 33:3017 combined talents were evident in the website
38 Jim Treece,46, LlD 33:32:OO
info, the run up to the race, the prerace meal, the
39 Robert Froehlich,36, MA 33:4319
40 Anatoly Ross,51, ON 33:58:54 volunteers, the great support during the race, the
41 Jeff Zenger,22, lN 34:15:33
excellent and extensive course markings and the
42 stacy Kotsko, 34, WV 34:20'.19
43 David Wise,44, NJ 34:20'.43 welcome at the finish 1ine, which were all first
44 Lisa Johnston,50, MD 34:39:40
class. The bountiful swag measured up weli to
45 Philip Wesilake,43, PA 34139141
-- Aarvn Mclnnes- what one receives at Western States.
a6 iilJiii,'.i!, oru 34:4110
ai, Eastern States has a relaxed,1oca1 race feel to
47 Breni Lewis,44, PA 34i42io7
48 Thomas Tarka,41, PA 34t54t47 it in contrast to the enormous hoopla you get at
49 SuzannaSmith-Horn,48,VT 34:54:50 Western. There is also no struggle to get through a
50 Thomas Chobot,60, PA 34156t2O
51 Valentina Chumak,49, ON 35:00:34 iottery to get into the race. Ifyou qualily by having
52 Robert Gusztaw,57, PA 35iO4122 run a 50 miler within the time 1i.mits, you can
53 Joe Peternel,25, ON 35:07:40
54 Samwachsman,4S,PA 35,24t39 sign up and run.
55 Matthew Pedersen,25, CT 35:30:30 The logo for the host facility, the Happy Acres
56 GarY Dudney,52, CA 35:54:05
Resort, is i very innocuous basebali-capped, ye1low
57 Nelson Hernandez,59, NC 35:55:55
Sff Pag? JgJo'\t / smiley face with skinny arms and 1egs. It's not exactly

46 ULTRAT-\i\TNG.COM I NOVEIVBER20I5
 fl lu
;LN
!
t'r
(:
rl'I
]:T I

r;-'_]
I rt
F- l.l
t--.- )l
L;).. -':
TOP LEFT: The finaI finisher Netson
Hernandez of Greensboro, NC entering
SkytoP. [O Tania Lezak]

TOP RIGHT: Mike Wardian Leaving

Skytop in first ptace and heading LifeStraw"
toward a new course record Fers*n*l Water iliitei"
[6) Tan a Lezak]
BELOW: Stacy Kotsko of Fairmont, WV
teaving Skytop. loTanra Lezakl

f'

STRENGTH & HONOR

NOVEN4BER.2O'I5 ULTRA
 ////////// TAMALPA HEADLANDS
e

^".rt)::*'":l;';:"t',""ii.T:1"J
16 lohn Medingerl

::ji to Stinson Beach. Smyth, who was

-:o-t off winning the USATF roK Mountain
- -ampionship in Bend, OR, seemed poised
:: iepeat as National Cha mpion.
But on one of the long switchbacks
r,ri,vn to Stinson, Smyth missed a turn, at
r-Lrich point W'acker, who was just a few
behind, took the 1ead. Wacker, who
=inutes
a?s runner-up to Smyth at the recent rol(
\fountain Championship race and second
:rera11 at the Pikes Peak Ascent and the
\Iount Washington Road Race, was deter-
to not end up runner-up yet again. He
=ined
:owered up the legendary Steep Ravine climb
and had a six-minute lead on Smyth by the
rime they went through Cardiac aid station
-fte second time.
Wacker flew down the final switchbacks
into a cheering crowd at Santos Meadows,

516:37 111 JurianYounsbrood,s5,cA 6'.22'.53 168 MattFrench,42,cA 7126i47

Tamalpa Head[andS Il53 j.lll ?lll"ojj.,.o
Tim Larsen,43, CA 5:19:55 112 Tyson Underwood,28, CA 6:23i35 169 Jim Ruppert,53, CA 7,27:06
MuirBeach,CAl/August29 54 JamesBuchan,29,Tx 5tzoi57 ti3 Blakesuzuki,53,cA 6i24tog 170 MatthewGuthaus,39,cA 7i27148

* +3. // s]k 55 Kristyn Kadala,23, CA 5:22:18 t14 Guf Gufler,43, CA 6:24.25 171 Kristin simonson,36, CA 7127:49

Erevarionsain:T,3ooreettAsingh.rmpcoureeonsome Z? Eli,?5*1"?i'#.'f ':;'.1i ll? li}:,lli}"T.,:ffi,ii'fi 2;ii:i3 [: 3iJ:iTJiili#.?i.^ i:il:,Zz

liMa.in'smosticonictrailsincLudingDipsea,coastal":nd
la Lr"i**i"rt^,zs,cl
Miwokwithamixofbigclimbs/descentsardrolllngterrarn'
E:24131 117 GregNacco,55,cA 6.25t22 174 Jon[4iller,35,ca 7:31:01
;; i;il;i;;;;an,31,cA 5:25:03 118 AdamLovrovich,32,cA 6:26:03 175 MaileThompson,2g,cA 7:34:35
1 Andy Wacker,26, CO 3:37:20 60 Claire Bernard,24, CA 5t27:49 119 Denise Barchas,38, CA 6t26:36 176 Luisa Cheung,43, CA 7:35:51
2 P.trick Smyth,29, UT 3:4518 61 Ralph conzales,51, CA 5:28:50 12O John Brooks, 53, CA 6:32i25 177 Carl Jacob,62, CA 7137'.48
3 Davjd Roche,27, CA 3:4618 62 Greg Bargo,32, FL 5:30:37 121 Kent Dozier,40, CA 6,32i26 178 Charles Savage,57, CA 7:38:19
4 Mario Mendoza,29, OR 3:50:09 63 Aylwin Villanueva.2T, CA 5;31:02 122 Chuck Amital,55, CA 6:32:46 179 Robert Halpenny,65, CA 7139:13
5 Jared Bassett,25, OR 3:5313 64 Paul Miller,44, CA 5:31;25 123 Carina Fryer,47, CA 6:33;23 18O CC Lee,50, CA 7:40:56
6 Daniel N4etzger,21, CA 3:53:32 55 Jason Reed,36, CA 5:3'l:37 124 Breese White,67, CA 6:33:52 '181 Theodore Watrous,45, CA 7,42iO3
7 BenjaminSten,24,CA 4to1i1g 66 ParkerMitchell,lS,WA 5:31:41 125 TingdongChen,4l,CA 5:35:51 182 ErikaFrench-Arnold,32,CA 7:43:34
B Chris Vizcaino,27, CA 4:O1i24 67 Erika Lindland,33, CA 5:33:48 126 MollY Fitzpatrick,39, CA 6:38iO1 183 Patrick Murphy,31, VA 7i49i11
9 paddy O"Leary,27, CA 4:03134 68 Charles Klinger,23, CA 5:3711 127 Noriko BazeleY,55, CA 5:38:48 184 Amanda Kirkpatrlck,32, C0 7:49:11
10 yew Ferrara,28, CA 4:1OiO4 69 Dan Lee,37, CA 5:37:35 128 George Rehmet,48, CA 6,42:25 1a5 Keith Lubliner,54, CA 7i5O'.52
1j Ben Koss,35, CA 4:13:17 70 Makiko Yamashita,40. CA 5137:47 129 Samantlla Rose,31, CA 6:42:38 186 Patti Kozlovsky,53, CA 7:5311
t2 Galen Burrell,35, CA 4:15:35 71 Sean coodsell,43, CA 5i37i54 13O Cheri Winter,42, CA 6145:45 187 Lisa Wright,54, CA 7:53:40
6.45i48 '188 JuanitaRush,45,CA
]3 NathanYanko,33,CA 4i25i16 72 WilliamDai,45,CA 5:38:04 13'l BethLang,4T,CA 7:5510
14 Xaviour Walker,34, MD 4127i32 73 Morian Buckley,37, CA 5i4ot46 ... Denise Fleminq-Williams, 189 Steve Jaber,53, CA 7'.55156
15 N4ark N4cManus,4t, CA 4i27..54 74 Nico Ratto,34, CA 5i43i12 '"' 53, Cn l9O Ellen Crouse,61, CA 7"57151
16 RickeyRussell,30,CA 4i27155 75 SteveRowbury,4T,CA 5:44tO1 133 ScottLucyk,36,BC 6i46i18 191 LijianLiu,4l,CA 7:59:55
17 ThomasParker,35,CA 4i28:31 76 DanHang.37,CA 5,47146 134 MaryBernsen,33,CA 6146:23 192 DaveEwart,43,CA 8:04:11
18 George Torgun,38, CA 4t2gioo 77 Hal Rosenberg,44, CA 5:49:15 135 John Edgar,56, MA 6:48:03 193 lrina Dmitrenko,37, PA 8:05:37
i9 Jeanpommier,5l,CA 4i2gi24 1A LornaThomson,50,CA 5;49152 136 MichaelKarpowicz,32,CA 6:48:58 194 JenniferZakroff,4l,CA 8:05:37
20 Caiflin Smith,34, A
C 4:30144 79 Je.ry Dischler, 42, CA 5:50:06 137 Errol Jones, 65, CA 6:50:58 195 N4alcolm Fearon, 52, CA 8:07:35
zt Edward Randolph,45, CA 4t3l:52 80 Brenda Blinn,48, CA 5:50:37 138 Ann O'Hara,50, CA 6;51:06 196 Kat Powell,64, CA 8ll:28
22 WiI Christian,32, VA 4t32i4g 81 Jason Winter,47, CA 5:51:39 139 Parrish Placencia,39, CA 6t52132 197 Bob Borck,48, CA 8:11i49
23 Jeff Ball,26, TX 4:33:07 82 Yury Kiritlov,29, CA 5:52:15 ,,^ Mdtthew Mestemacher, a.a).11 198 Changming Shih,59, CA 8J2:36
24 Emily Harrison,29, AZ 4:3511 83 Joe wehrheim,43, CA 5t52i4g '*' 36, CA 199 Pen Perez,47, CA 812:55
25 Matt N4itler,26, TX 4:41t14 84 Edgar Arvizu,39, CA 5:54:47 141 Luis Pena,44, CA 6:52143 2OO Jennifer Crick,48, CA Al5:40
26 LonFreeman,40,CA 4i43:21 85 JamesN4orris,55,CA 5:55:02 '142 StevenPatt,55,CA 6:55:43 201 AnnetteMensonides,45.CA 8',16i45
27 N,{arkRichtman,50,CA 4i47135 96 MeghanSmith.33,CA 5;55:05 143 AndyXiang,33,CA 6:57i48 202 GeorgeForman,69,CA 819:06
28 LindsayTollefson,30,CA 4'.4A.2A A7 Francoiscrenier,33,CA 5:55:13 144 NicholasLourme,25,CA 6:58:59 2O3 TracyDonovan,5l,CA 8i26:27
29 StevenGodfrey,40,CA 4t52121 88 JonDeStPaer,42,CA 5:55:20 145 VeronicaRunyan,54,CA 6159i29 2O4 Botiszaldet,44,CA 8:25:51
30 Andrew Lie,41, CA 4i54i43 89 Jan Sears,47, CA 5i56154 146 Satish Kasula,31, CA 7io2t23 2O5 Ken Crouse,59, CA 8:34:48
31 Joseph Hayes,33, CA 4t55t5? 90 N4ichal Janacek,39, CA 5:57:09 147 Lorena Van Rein,45, CA 7:05:09 206 Alina Thaxton,37, CA 8:35:39
32 Nate Bowen,39, CA 4i56t17 91 Bradley Fenner,5l, CA 5:57:31 '148 Jonathan Strack,35, CA 7:O5t42 207 Jaclyn Applegate,29, CA 8:38:29
33 Levi Webb,33, CA 4t58.t43 92 John Lundy,52, CA 5:57:38 149 Julie Ungerleidet,4T,CA 7:06:55 2OB David Lent,52, CA 8144i52
34 CraigSteinmaus,53,CA 5:00:36 93 JacobSweatland,32,CA 6:01:0g 15O Leigh-AnnWendlioq,4T,CA 7$9144 2O9 LeylaWilliams,44,CA 8:52:06
35 lracie Akerhielm,32, Tx 5:OO:59 94 Claire Blaney,40, CA 6:0617 151 Ram Subbaraman,34, CA 7,11157 21O Nancy Heard,50, CA 9:O2i42
36 Brendan Donohoe,4l, CA 5:0213 95 cary Wang,47, CA 6:06127 152 Teresa Walsh,55, CA 1:12t16 )r Loree Bruckmann'Harmon, 9,16t32
37 Jamison Smith,36, CA 5i}2t48 96 Jerome Lourme,54, CA 6iogi24 153 N4arc Klemencic,57, CA 7112:45 51, CA

38 Jamie Staples,30, CA 5:0314 97 Kevin Penner, 17, CA 6:09:53 154 Jim Magill,68, CA 7.13:46 212 Dimitrios Sklavopoulos, 919:38
39 Edward Breen,33, CA 5:0815 98 John Zerbe,47, CA 6:10:19 155 Helen Wu,37, CA 7t14t25 ''' 70,CA
40 Dario Zea,39, CA 5:08:35 99 Francesca Au,29, CA 611:34 155 Edd Ligsay,55, CA 7t14:29 213 Mike Webb,66, CA 9:21103
4t cregory Pace,37, CA 5:0915 lOO Allison Harvey,46, CA 6:12i54 '157 Jacob N4assler,34, CA 7i15to9 214 Kirk McMorris,52, CA 9:43:05
42 Brian Purcell,43, CA 5lO:02 lol Chris Garcia,52, CA 615:03 158 Norman Woods,39, CA 7t5:33 215 Jessica Strack,34, CA 9144:44
43 SpenserTalkington,'l5,CA 5lol7 1O2 JenyS,42,CA 615:20 159 HansSchmid,T5,CA 7:l6i2o 216 JenniferJimenez,42,CA 9i44io4
44 Karl Schmidt,21, CA 5:10;38 103 Mark l4cmahon,50, CA 6:16i19 160 Janeth Badaracco,45, CA 7t17:18 217 Debra Hanschar,59, CA 9144:37
45 Daniel Shore,45, CA 511:33 104 Andy Rochon,41, CA 6:16i22 161 Karen Ruddy,40, CA 7:18:02 2'18 James Sewell,57, CA 9t44138
46 Angela Tieri,31, CA 5i1?i24 105 Kuni Yamagata,52, CA 518:13 162 Doug Bailey,53, CA 7:18iO4 2'19 Scott Hansen.60, CA 9:54:42
47 Jonathan Bretan,32, CA 513;24 106 Joshua Mehlman,40, CA 618:56 163 Jesse Jimenez,42, CA 7i18i17 220 Rainbow Underhill,43, CA 10:04:32
48 AlanReynolds,5l,CA 514;05 107 JohnOnate,4'l,CA 6:20:03 164 BradWilliams,43,CA 7i2ot22 -SeepagzJgia.i.-,
49 Mara Snipes,40, CA 514:11 1O8 Emi Yasaka,38, CA 6:20:55 165 Kai wang,43, CA 7t21i54
50 Richard Snipes,40, cA 5i14i12 1O9 Tawny Barin,29, CA 6122:01 165 Patty shijo,55, CA 7i23t21
51 Duncan Seay,49, CA 516:31 110 Bobby N4asullo,44, CA 6i22:o6 167 Paul Grimes,40, CA 7126118

NOVEIVBER20]5 I ULTRAR!\\ : at'.' 19

 On the women's side, favorite Megan technical downhill to Stinson Beach, Smith
;". -r::-:= -,:,. \aiional Championship title the race with some nagging made her move on the field and gained a
-r, : :-:-=a:::: ! )'.3;'.2a, over four minutes Roche came intoand under the pressure of five-minute advantage over
Harrison' But
-,'.i i ,ttt.t't prior course record health issues
and climb she did'
-..-- -.i
-.-=:-
school. She was a few minutes Harrison can ciimb-,
::*= =:i=::ook home $r,ooo inPtize medicalrecent Olympic marathon trials qual- saining bacL Lhree minutes on Smith on the
--; rr'ith a $soo course record behind inrnn Itl.b back up to Cardiac aid station'
Smith at Rodeo Beach when she
:'::-': !::-"-i came in second, running the ifier Caitlin Va11ey' Smith in rhe final runnable strelch to lhe
; :' :-.-:.. dr:re ever for the event, 3:45:8' decided to stop. At Tennessee
and finish, Smith used her 1eg speed and smooth
;' by Roche in (the had a ro-second lead on Emily Harrison'
---= -. -l-.-,os'ed 3:46:18 running style to widen her 1ead, claiming the-
to round out the podi'um' third-place Lindsay Tollefson was only two time of
-- -:--: --. -:si iime) minuies behind her. As in the men's race' USATF\aiional Champion title in a
1.1-:-::-::id Bassett came in at 3:5o:o9 and tiile /.'.1o'.a4, the lifth lastest vromen's time erer
: :: :: =i Daniel Metzgerran3:533z.lnrhe a fight for the National Championship
o., Lh. lorrr.. Harrison [o]lowed r'r ith a lime
::-=:: rras a new overall course record' was under waY.
.::: of 4:15.tt (ninth best time ever) and Tollefson
record book was recast with At the zo-mile mark, Smith still had less
=.-'- '' = a;-iime came in third in
than a minute's iead on Harrison' But on the 4'.48'.2o.
.-:r :=;"- :cp-r, timeS. For the age grouP awards, TamalPa
Club runner Mark Richtman knocked z4
minutes offl the 6o-69 age group course
record with his 4:47:35. Local high scho,oler
Spenser Talkington iewrote the record
for
the under-r9 age group with a time of 5:ro:r7'
ir-r1p" rti.tt""t-la rri Snipes ( 5 14 :r r) took
:

home ihe Masters National Champion title'

,, dia to.rt .orch and West Val1ey Track Club
member Mark McMantts (4:27:54)'
A11 in all, it was a great day where
it was
exci.ting to see a new generation of ultrarun-
ning speedsters leading the sport to new
1"r"i of .o-petition and performance.' A
huge thanks tt all of our sponsors' Tamalpa
Ruirning Cub and each and every volunte^er
who haJhelped keep this event thriving for
,o y.rir. We loolt forward to continuing
-rrry
the tradition. $
Nathan Yanko bringing it home lolohn Medlngerl

5O ULTRAl .lii[] iiG.COi'i I NOVEIVBER 2015

 The October zor5 issue of 9 Grant Maughan,51 30:02:37 32 Hiroyuki Nishimura,45 36:50:05 56 Keith Straw,60 4)t14:,a
--..raRunning contained the 10 Mark Matyazic,51 30:45:51 33 Charlie Scott,58 35:56:11 57 David Clark,44 4O:2614C
Jared Fetteroll,25 34 Lorie Alexander,56 37:00:05
j orving incomplete results. We
11

12 Pam Reed,54
30:5817
31124134 35 Greg Pressler,4T 37i16:59
58 9tacey $hand,35
59 Kimberlie Budzik,55
40:39t2'
41:29:A9
13 t\4osi Smith, 33 32:3515 35 Russ Reinbolt,50 37'.26tOB 60 Bob Becker,70
:-: sorry about these gaffles and 14 EdEttinghausen,52 32t42i17 37 Kazuyoshi Saito,47 37.29:52 6l James Ehasz,62
41i3O:?'.
41',34:41
.:preciate your understanding t5 Craig Wheeler, 53 33:OO:37 38 Federico Sanchez,45 37:45i42 62 Yoshiko Jo,50 41:57:1C
16 Byron Roca,23 3313:32 39 Bradford Lombardi,46 37i49t33 63 Marshall Ulrich,54 42t3Oi5O
.:rd support. 17 l\4arcusBerggren,40 33:29:53 40 Stevel\4aliszewski,43 37:57i27 64 Nathan Ferraro,25 42142123
18 Scott Newton,45 33:50:27 41 Kimani Long,41 38:20:39 65 Gerald Tabios,45 42152iO9
3adwater 19 Ray Sanchez,43 33:57i14 42 Andrea Kooiman,40 3B:25:3O 66 Antonetle Prather,45 42:54:32
2A Jill Ande.sen,38 3*A4:14 43 Anthony Portera,44 38:3915 67 Joaquin Candel,45 42:55123
l:ath Valtey, CA,//.luly 28 21 CamiloN,lartinez,34 34i24:23 44 Noora Alidind,53 38:51:51 58 Charanjit Dhaliwal,43 43:16:05
L z.t tt 135 Mites 22 Otto Lam,41 34:45:33
StarshineBlacktord,3g 34:58:24
45 Joshua Talley,43
46 Michelle Wesi,43
38:59:05
38:59:05
59 Padraig Mullins,33
70 J9di Weiss,45
43:18i28
43:37:51
' Pete Kostelnick,2T 23i27i1o 24 Rodrioo Pereira - ---
- Reinaldo 47 Priscd Vis.51 39:10:34 71 Comila Maria Matte,36 44:3g116
2 Oswaldo Lopez,43 25i28i32 ;;-s;;;;,36 35:13:41
48 Harvey Sweetland Lewis,39 39,12,22 72 Karla Kent.52 44t44.12
3 lilick Thwaites, 41 26:23:10 JoshuaHolmes,3T 35:52:30 49 John Wog,35 39:23:OO 73 Brednna Conell,22 44i58'.21
Nikki Wynd,43 2& Ricarda Bethke, 51 35:53:?1 50 Dale Couqot,49 39123i47 74 EmilyRyan,40 45:26t46
- 27.23:27
5 Dave Krupski,33 28rO9J9 27 Thomas Podell,35 3613:43 51 Dan Brenden,64 39:43i?4 75 Norma Bastidas,4T 45:44:15
a Luigi Dessy,37 28124i37 2A David Ross,47 3518:40 52 Glenn Sutton,41 39:52:17 76 Eric Gelber,48 46,11i42
- Michael Jimenez,41 28:51:59 29 JaySmithberger,46 36i19:2O 53 Tony Clark,37 39:531t 77 Bonnie gusch,57 46;32:58
3 Jovica Spajic,28 29i09:O2 30 Phil Nimmo,51 36:2015 54 Rudolph Geoffroy,44 39:55:30 7B ShannonFarar-cr],efe(,54 46:37i32
31 DannV Westerqaard, 56 36:39:17 55 Jason Romero,45 39:59:59 79 John Radich,61 46141:05

Burning River 50 26 Kyle Strnad,33, OH 1OJ1:30 55 Chihoon Lee,72, OH 11i49:3O 85 Eric Ho1mberg,38, NY 12:41:30
Witloughby Hitls, OH // )uly 25
27 Jeffrey Briggs,3l, OH 1OJ1:30 5'7 Mo1'ca Fletcher,38, PA ll:52:3O 86 N4atthewSchneider,35,NY 12:41;30
28 (ristio Woodard.47, AH 1Ol4:3O 58 Allison Brown,41, lN 11:53:30 a7 David Giuliano,27, SC . 12:42:30
a :,E- /l 50 tu1ites 29
30
John Kenftedy,48, OH
Amy Patrick-Melin,51, OH
10:15:30 59
60
Brittany Beutel,40, OH
Taylor Sowers,26, OH
11;55:30 88 Chase Mohr,32, OH 12i42i3o
1Ol8:30 1l:56:30 89 Avery Labelle,28, OH 12i45:3O
1 Jeff Schuler,34, OH 7:21:30 31 Kyle Robinson,37, OH 10:23:30 -.
61 GeoroeanneTaohizadeh.
1l:s6;30
90 Ryan Vitale,27, lN 12i46,3O
2 E'issa Ballas,35, lL 7:30:30 32 Jay Williams,57, OH 'lO:23:30 a"i. b";r*-""' 91 Anthony Deluca,36, PA 12:56;30
3 Jonathan Hastings,4O, OH 7:33:30 33 Lee Ann Werner, 46, OH $:243A 52 Dana Campbell,50, TN 11:58:30 Eliza Cabana,39, OH 13:01;30
4 Tetsuo Kuyama,40, JPN 7144:30 34 Lora Liu,32" NY 10:26:30 53 Reuben Perkins,33, OH 1'1:58:30 93 Eileen Chiaoq,42, Ml 131O5:3O
5 Richard Chorbak,38, NJ 8:05:30 35 Karen Harvey,39, ON IO:34:30 54 Shane Krenn,20, OH 12:OO:30 94 Laura Bell,55, OH 13:07;30
6 Thomas Oktdvec,4l, OH 8:12:30 36 Keith Bandi,40, OH 10:41:30 65 Tauya Yarina,39, OH 12:06:30 95 Douqlas Bell,57, OH 13:07:30
7 Howard Nippert,50, VA 8:18:30 37 Tommy McNear,38, OH lO:47:30 55 Ben Vance,34, OH 12:05:30 96 Peggy Wise,52, FL 13:O7:3O
I Dylan Garritano,22, OH 8:26:30 38 Kenny Young,35, KY 10:57:30 57 Austin McDonough,27, OH l2:07:30 97 Krystal Reihle,29, FL '13:O9:3O
g Zach Bloss,32, OH 8;50:30 39 Eric Paulson,45, TX 11:09:30 58 Rick Carek,45, OH 12lO:30 98 John Warner,34, OH 1311:30
lO Amandd Lindsey,35, OH 9:05:30 40 Erica Ferrell,37, MD 11:1Or3O 69 Bert Hackenberg,43, OH l2:lO:30 g9 Ldurie Perduyn,45, OH 1311;30
ll James Van Orman,45, OH 912:30 41 Tyler Emley,42, IN 11:11:30 70 N4ark Warner,62, OH 12lO:30 100 Scott Mccray,57, PA 13:13:30
12 Geoff Guthrie,26, OH 9:17i3O 42 Kerwyn Jones, 52, OH 11:14:30 71 Jenny lurak,30, PA '|2JO:3O 101 Chris Melin,51, OH 1315:30
13 Keith Grimes,56, CO 9t22i3o 43 Kirsten Dicherson,34, OH ll:16:30 72 Steve Pierce,49, OH 12lO:30 142 Megan Catanese,35, OHi3:'15:3O
14 Jim N4ann,47, OB 9t22i3o 44 Rhonda Cantrcll,45,0H 11:21:30 73 Gary Klubnik, TO, OH 12:13:30 103 Rick Obryan,34, KY 13J9:30
15 Alec Bath,45, lL 9i24t31 45 Patrick Milligan,5l, NY 11:22:30 74 Jason Tomlinson,39, OH 1218:30 104 Shane Lawson,45, KY 13:19:30
16 Keith Lubbers,37, OH 9i27i3o 46 Brent Tisch,48, OH 11i26:3O 75 Chris Baldwin,30, OH 1218:30 105 [.4ichaelFeichter,41,OH 13t22i3o
17 Steohanie Kurrz,35,OH 9:32:30 47 Syrvia Gleason,55, OH ll:27:30 76 OH
Bill Stiles,50, 12:19:30 to5 Jeffrey Kraska,33, NY
13:29:O0
l8 Joshua Clemence,23, OH 9:34:30 48 Joshua N4iller,40, OH 11:30:30 77 lvlichael Fisher,45,OH 12i27:3O 107 John Kinnick,38, OH 13:29:OO
19 Masatoshi Nukui,43,OH 9:35:30 49 Sarah lrask,31, 0H l1:33:3O 78 Pam Rickard,53, VA 12:28:30 108 DominickRubertino,5T,OH 13:47:OO
20 OH
Taylor Singleton,33, 9:46:30 50 Rebecca Johnson,51,0H 11:33:30 79 Josh Myers,18, PA 12:33:30 109 Marjor ie Ruber tino, 55. OH 13:4 7:OO
21 Chris Riccardi,50,OH 9:53:30 51 CatherinePinkston,3O,0H 11:34:30 80 Candy Sikes,29, OH 121363A 110 Derek Rodstrom,44, OH 14:08:30
22 Matt Monsman,38, OH 9:54:30 52 Caih,in UptoB,37, lN 11:37:30 81 Christian N4aier,44, OH 12t37i3o 111 Marissa Kenny,37, Olt 14:27*A
23 Peter Daw,32, OH 9:55:30 53 Daniel Bade,29, OH ll:38:30 82 Barbara Kosinski,44, AH 1Zt373A 112 Martin Cronin,42, N4O 14t3413O
24 DaYid Guerra, 46, OH 9:59:30 54 Anthony Balasco,64, OH 11:38:30 83 Joshua Mooney,27, OH 12:39:30 113 Karen Austin,36, MO 14134:30
25 Cassie Koitke.32. Wl 10lO:30 55 Tom Bauer,64, OH 11i44:3O 84 Woodson Crenshaw,34, OH l2:40:30 114 Chris Smith.58. MO 15:O3:3O

Mohican 20 Andrew Summers,3O 26,04'.54 44 Ernest Wong,43 29:31,45 68 lain Hughes,52 3O:41:4o

Loudonville, OH // Ju4e 2O
21 Kili Price,28 26iA751 45 Jay Blackburn,35 29i34:31 69 Keith Straw,50 30;41:40
22 Jade Mil,s,35 26i35:4O 46 Joe Mcquade,41 29i36:29 70 Cindylee lorres,55 3ji42i54
L +,1" // too Mites 23 Adam Leclaire,34 26i37:18 47 Mary Jdne Baila\,42 29137at5 7l Daniel Winkle,33 30;5215
24 Carolynn I'J6uta,33 27147:13 4A Joshua Witte,43 29t41i2o 72 Joseph Gaitten,51 30;5410
1 Michael Owen,26 17:59:15 25 Jeffrey Bowden,4l 27io7t17 49 BenjaminBlumenstein,32 29:45:00 73 Larry England,52 30:54J0
2 Nate Polaske,33 18:39:05 26 John Mcbreen,49 27i24:3O 50 David Kieu,39 29:47tO1 74 Darah Robbins,3S 31:O4i42
3 Nicholas Kopp,23 20:08:53 27 Richard Kell,44 27:40:59 51 Dan N4illigan,39 29t48:45 75 Sarah Mikalauskas,3S 3119:33
4 Harland Peelle,41 21:45:12 28 David Corfman,52 27:42125 52 Tim Westaway,60 29i57.28 75 Elijah Slate,38 31:19134
5 Jay Smithberger,45 22iO2:52 zv ureqorv trapp,52 27t42i25 53 Roy Heger,60 3O:OO:45 77 Ray Bovaird,4a 31J9:47
6 David Huss,31 22:16i17 3O John Bertram,52 27154:39 54 David Krekeler,56 30:01:53 78 Kathleen Hoffman,2T 31i22:45
7 Trevor Garretson,40 22'.42i42 31 Noe J. Dominguez,45 28t25i}g 55 Mictlellegichsel,41 3AiA4:27 79 Jerod Thornton,34 31:25:52
8 Troy Allen,3o 23i12i22 32 Steven Smith,42 28t25iOA 56 Timothy Boqqs,53 3O117i27 80 Mike Heider,55 31:27:50
9 James Heun,56 23i49:A9 33 John Klees,52 28i26:52 51 Krkic Predrag,60 3Ol7:28 8t Motrika Earles,42 31:3OJ3
10 David Emch,33 23:53:OB 34 Michelle e llery,48 2B:35J8 58 Dave Essinger,40 3OJ9;59 82 He,en 6aren,50 31;30:21
11 Gabe Rainwater,2T 24,25i34 35 David Cordas,46 28148:21 59 Keeler North,35 3Oi2O:27 83 Crystal 8arton,40 31:36i45
12 Brandon Petelin,33 24i45:31 35 Shawn Hawk,50 28:58:59 60 Daniel Sievert,25 30:2111 84 Tim Gorichanaz,25 31:41i49
13 Lee Conner,42 24i52124 37 Tim Edwards,3S 29i11i28 61 John Moore.50 30:30:32 85 Iaraschweitzer,40 31i43121
'14 Bob Jasinski,46 24t52.25 38 Mark Sukie,47 29:11i28 62 Daniel Haight,39 30:30:34 85 N4ike Stephenson,41 31:47141
15 Steve Pierce,48 25i1Ai13 39 Keith Kohler,43 29:14i52 63 Alex Nemet,40 30:30:41 87 Wally Hesseltine, Tl 31;51:25
16 Paul Dott,32 25i37:O6 40 AmyFrank-Hensley,46 29:15t34 64 George Blust,45 30:35:56 88 Ronald Ross,57 31:54:00
17 Aaron Pugh,24 25137124 4l Ben Hawes,29 2gil6:39 55 ChrisCunningham,41 30:39:01
18 Samuel Stelsel,30 25i42159 42 Nick Hansen,37 29,17.36 66 Blue,34
Madelyn 3A:39;29
19 €iin grady, 43 76rA0*:7 43 Mike Smith, 57 29i21i54 67 JamesDavidson,52 3O:4114O

White Riryer SCI 256 Perry Clawson, 54, WA

257 Josh Schmitt,42, WA
13:28:58
13:35:23
264 Mark Thompson,45, WA
265 Jenny Low,3l, WA
13;50:12
13:50:12
272 CatlaDamror,30,WA 14:AO:39
Crystal Mountain, WA // ]Uly 25 ,,. J TessaSilva-Mathews,
z, ' a:47:2'
258 Ken Tanner,39, WA 13:35:23 766 Amy Johnson,31, WA 13:52:0? 49 CA
L +8",r1Sfi frtiles 239 Iami Langstraat,40, WA
260 Kyle Duque,33, WA
13:35i23
13:35:23
Nicole Lonq, 4'1,
26A Karey Mozer,39,
WA
WA
13,52iA7
13;52iO7
274 lricaFinch,39, WA
275 Ross Comer,46, WA
1.4ie:1i
14.18:19
253 Jackie Frederick.53, WA 1324i41 261 Eric Davis,45, WA 13:44t44 269 l\4onte Pascual,55, WA 13:57i42 276 Taryn 6raham,35, lqA 14:,e:')
254 Lisa Switzer,51, WA 13i24i43 262 Shannon Ford,35, MD 13t46ij5 270 f.4ichael Covey,38, WA '13:5919
255 James Clawson,25, WA 263 Debra Brooks,43, OR 13i48:43 271 Mark Lahaie,55, WA 13i59:46
 ," .:1;1 ..::rli,:=
ra
-l-
t
'rr+F: ai : -: :i:i :::::a ::l:::
:

A Gnarty New Race in Alaska

:' u,i-,rj qAARj

Before the storm hit, Tom Moran

contends with a long climb en route to
the Chena Dome shelter cabin nearly
halfway through the race. L6) Erlc Troverl

"The conditions race daY took

me by surprise," said Harrington,
who ran nearly two-thirds of
the course before backtracking
to help those still exPosed at a
higher elevation. 'And I think
many of the comPetitors were
caught off-guard as well."
Most of them were battered bY
blowing rain and wind until theY
reached a remote cabin at mile
3o, the fourth of six checkPoints.
Some dropped out there, neces-
sitating a lengthy 4-wheeler ride
to the nearest paved road' Others
soldiered on, only to be Pummeled
again by the storm after a cruel
climb from miles 4z-45. Five
miies later, though, finishers were
rewarded with a soak at Chena
Hot Springs Resort.
The terrain in the inaugural Despite all the turmoil,
Angel Creek 5o-mi1er Provided Harrington and others are looking
plenty of challenge. Then a forward to zo16. "ManY of the
lengthy storm made it even racers were alreadY talking about
harder. next year immediatelY after the
"Racers had to contend with
race," Harrington said. "fThat's]
1ow clouds resulting in Poor something you don't usuallY hear
visibiiity, driving rain and cool at many ultras, particularlY one
temperatures, producing ideal with such challenging weather
hypothermia weather," race
conditions race day."
director Drew Harrington said. Visit www. angelcreek5o'org
He added that conditions were for more information. o$
as bad as he's seen in a decade
ofexploring the area.
Nevertheless, 16 of 25
entrants persevered. The slowest Anget Creek 50
spent nearly 16 hours on a Fairbanks, AK // .JutY l8
dynamic course that featured 4 3,:. // 5o Mites
tundra marked by cairns, cruiser Elevalion ga:n: l3.ooo feet I A poinFto Point ' ourse of
boreal lor;st and tunola lrai,c lhrough lne Chera R've'
trail amid a boreal forest, a rock- Recreailon Area to the Chena Hot Springs Resort.

strewn road and a boggY secLion

1 N,latias Saari,44 8:58:40
used in winter by sled dogs-not 2 Sam Hereid,27 10:05:54
to mention about r3,ooo feet of 3 chris Garber-Slaqht,39 1o:53:49

vertical gain. The AC 5o loins 4 Melissa Lewis,45 11111,02

5 Jered Williams,30 11:42139

the Resurrection Pass Ultras as 6 Teri Buck,sz 11i55:49

A1aska's only non-winter foot race 7 Marty Lindeke,4T 11:55:50

I Tom l\4oran,39 11:57:58
longer than 5ok. 9 sean Randle,4l 12118i12

Only the frontrunners had 10 Steve Taylor,38 12:28i54

11 Katie Strong,33 13:05:46
descended the technical and tree- 12 Brian Flemming,3T 13146:48
less Chena Dome alPine section 13 Yoshihiro Nishiyama,44 14t1:58
14 Sean Decasas,30 1418:34
when the storm hit about five 15 Kazden lkehara,26 14:42157
hours into the event. '16 Tony Covarrubias,54 15:48:01
' See Page j9 for beY

52 ULTRAaJNN NG.COI'4 | NOVEN/BER 2015

 B,
riCES
T- Leodville
:i:: :i! :t:t:lil:i r'i-. :j li : :r,.:r,r
:
:r :-:riji -:_i-y
Commitments Kept at l-eadvitte
:. :ACH ADAMS
The morning was crisp but
not co1d. The extremely dry
Colorado air had a lingering
smoky smell from the haze
that had drifted in courtesy of
the ongoing California wild-
fires. As my crew (my wife
Candi and best buddies Eric
Steele and Ryan Schwatken)
and I walked along the main
street of Leadville toward the
starting line, I expected more:
more people, more noise, more
hoopla, more... something. At
that point, the starting line was
honestly much more subdued
than I had anticipated, especially
after attending the final pre-race
meeting the day before.
Friday afternoon, at the Lake
County High School gym, the
pre-race briefi ng had the hai r on
my neck standing on end! Two
ofthe featured speakers were Dr.
|ohn, the medical director, who
was giving out great last minute
advice in a funny and enter-
taining way, and race founder
TOP: lan Sharman roughly 65 mites lnto the race pushing I(en Chlouber, who has the
toward his second LeadviLte victory. lo Josh Arthurl
ability to motivate a large crowd
BOTTOI\4: An emotionatfinish for Heather Ekstrom.
with just a few words. According
lO MajicPhotos/Nlark McCast nl to this old cowboy (who has
finished Leadville roo more than ro times).
"You are better than you think you are and
can do more than you think you can do." At
the end of the meeting, I fully beiieved him.
I took his oath and repeated out loud, "I
committo NoT QUIT."
At 3'.zo a.m. I realized we were actually
quite ear1y, and soon the area near 6th and
Harrison began to fill up with runners,
crews and spectators. The closer we got to
the start, the more it began to resemble the
chaotic scene I had envisioned. There were
now several hundred people crowded around
the start line, and it was fil1ed with as much
btzzing energy as the transmission lines
hanging over the Powerline trai1.
V/hen the mythical shotgun was fired
at exactly 4 a:n:r., nearly 65o runners left
Leadville and headed west toward the moun-
tains iike pioneers forging headlong into a
struggle against nature and their own weak-
ness, seeking their fortunes. In this case, that
fortune would be a Leadvilie roo finisher's
medal and shiny new belt buckle. When the
gun was fired again precisely 3o hours after
the start, less than halfofthe starters would
have covered the ful1 distance in the allotted
time. i was determined to be one of those
finishers.
The early parts ofthe race flewby. The
distance melted away and quickly dissipated
behind me. Before I knew it, I had rounded
Turquoise Lake, the sun had come up and I
was at the May Queen aid station. This aid
station, and every other aid station on the
course, had everything you could ask for: food
of all kinds, drinks and large numbers of
people cheering and willing to do anything
to heip me. or an) other runner passing
through.
From there, we headed into the first
climb up Sugarloaf Mountain and the
almost uncontrollably fast descent down
Powerline. The aid stations and my crew
continued to care for me expertly, and before
I knew it, I was coming into the aid station
at Twin Lakes at mile 4o. Up to that point, I
had only suffered a minimal amount, but I
was about to go into the hardest zo miies of
the course-the round trip over Hope Pass.
After an eternity, I made it up Hope Pass.
down to Winfield, back up the pass and back
into Twin Lakes, and about 45 minutes ahead
ofthe cutoff.
A11 night and into the morning, rn'ith
the help of my expert crew and pacers. I
continued to battle extreme fatigue and
exhaustion, which was exacerbated by the
extreme altitude, and stayed ahead of the
NOVE|V]BER2015 ,rrOOOUi.,r. rrt tt.. 5J
 \i.
T. Leadville

.- :,:.-.:iotl I came into could

- ::r- :trr-rast. jr-rsi as they were for
: -.,.rr:lers. Shambllng uP to the
:. ,-. .,-ia Porverline, I wondered
..:,r lelt to not onlY get to the
the last zo miles to the
%
':..t:i.#
-:r'.:
-..r':: ,rred, I hept putting one foot $a8:ir$
: .lrer and kept trudging on.

,
: '--.rs. mlnutes and miles ticked

-.oser and closer to that finish- r.,

rt
.= Suangely, I didn't fu11Y believe n#:'.'li:*

=:,-;a11y make it until we

made the
:. ,:p 6':' Street. My beautiful wife
r-j-5est friends RYan Schwatken
- S,ee1e escorted me uP the hi11, and
. '. e lollowed the red carpet under the
' :'r arch. our hands interlocked and
-,::r in triumph. Crossing the finish
- -:cir i1le Trail roo with my wife and
-. .','rl1 definitely go down as one of the
,,--n-iorable finish line erperiences of

:acras from Peru comptetes the race with tess

* mlnutes to spare. lO MalicPhotos/Mark lvlccasl nl

i€*..:, rmff
#iffim';#ffiE-
ffi"egaster fetr h*ffk 2*3,6
9S# H&alea's hy $)ea*reafuer 3$ s*
fi* re**iv* ymt;r fsl**
Ecasr Ulfrra h*odee
F*md Wmww tuffiwmffi&ffi & qru*}ifly f*r y*ul-
?S* &€x$* S*ries
ffiaxaklcE

54 ULTRAJ NOVET\4BER 2OI5

-eadville Trail 83
a4
Megan Sweeney,34, CO
Rod Bolls,40, CO
25134t13
25:39:31
r71 lvlaryClaire[4cGovern, re."7.1q
"'29,CO
-.-=,lle,Co // AuEUst22 Benjamin Dickason, 26, CO 25i4O:55 174 Dan Rieland, 48, lviT 28:38:29
L +,a // roo Mites 86
87
Molly Zurn,44, NV
Franck Heuze,49, FRA
25:42:55
25:5115
175 Javier Vilchis,39, TX
176 Brian Hronik,38, CO
28:38:30
28i41to7
iE - :- gain: r8,r68 feet ] An out-and'back course in the
88 Peter Newton,34, CO 25:57:30 177 Ezta Velez, 37, CO 28t41i19
:: :=:3 Rockleswiththelowestpointat g,2oofeetand
89 Jaime Azuaje,28, CO 25:58:46 178 li4att Bartz,40, Wl 28:41123
rE - -:st point at Hope Pass (r2,60o feet). The majorlty
i :
_ ':':st trails with some mountain roads. 90 Johan Persson,47, SWE 25:59i13 179 David Zangerle,45, IA 28i41i41
91 Collin Bantle,23, CO 26:03:08 180 Matt Curley,48, lL 28i42126
" lan Sharman,34, OR 16i33i54 92 Rick Gregory,40, CO 26:05:56 181 Joseph Legat,49, NV 28:42:49
2 Kyle Pietdri,28, C0 18J6:04 Ken Niemimaa,44, CAN 26tO7tO3 182 Kendall Combs,35, NH 28:43t11
-- -Jan Carlos Saqastume, 94 Trent Wester,3'1, NM 26i13,36 183 Stephen N4einhardt,36, CO 28:43:21
43, GTM Brian Fisher,49, CO 26.15tO2 184 Tom Curran,40, CO 28:44i4O
4 CO
Chuck Radford,44,18:4318 96 Wade Jarvis, 53, CAN 26i17i54 185 Nikolas Hawks,37, CA 28i45'.46
t Michael Hewitt,45, CO 19i28i32 97 Todd Scott,51, MI 26:2Ot58 186 WilliamLofts,4l,CO 28:46:51
a Elizabeth Howard,43, TX 19:34:09 98 Dan Thurnhoffer,23, CO 26125i47 187 Hollis Baugh,46, CO 28i46i54
- Daniel Verdi,33, CO 19:36:09 99 Ryan Case,34, CO 26t28t37 '188 Ted Gruener,45, MO 28i47i24
3 Marvin Sandoval,37, CO 19i44i58 100 Keith Grimes,56, CO 26i29111 189 Chris Calimano,34, NY 28:5019
; Kara Henry,30, CO 19:54:08 101 Brandon Salisbury, 32, CO 26t3ot34 'l9O Ray Churgovich,49, CO 28:51:35
'+ Joel Anderson,33, CO 2O:09:33 102 Walter Barrera,34, DC 26i3oi54 191 Kirk Hetherington, 33, CO 28:51:42
" David Teirney,36, CO 2oi23i43 103 Kelly Agnew,42, UT 26i31:O7 192 lvlark Parish,33, CO 28:51:56
'2 Brian Rusiecki,36, MA 20:3119 'to4 Bree Lambert,47, CA 26:32:01 193 Frank Carfaro,45, NJ 28:52:38
-3 Jay Jump,34, CO 20:32:55 105 Laura Eakin,33, CO 26:34i48 194 Sean t\4enke,46, Hl 28i52143
',4 custavo Reyes,36, ARG 2O:50:32 106 N.,tichael Bielik,36, NY 26:45:14 195 David Heller,46, CO 28:53:06
:5 Jeason N4urphy,35, CO 21t18143 107 Alan Smith,46, CO 26:45,30 196 James Tevault,42, AZ 28:53:24
:6 Amos Desjardins,34, VA 21:26:04 108 R. Sean Churchill,49, Wl 26145i5O ]97 Dan Connors,42, CO 28:53:38
:7 Kerry Matticks,49, CO 21i29i37 r09 Andrew Labbe,40, CO 26:47t19 'l98 Andrew Bainbldqe,22,CO 28i54iOE
i8 Kyle Young,29, CO 21:37:03 110 Timothy Deer,51, WV 26:44t31 199 Monica Obsitos,28, CO 24t54i52
,'9 Bob Sweeney,48, C0 21i44:58 111 LeAnne Evans,33, CO 26:52:31 2OO Hannah Taylor,36, CO 28:55:O'l
20 Pete Broomhall,37, CA 21,49116 112 Susie Howery,45, CO 26154:10 201 Steven Donchey,52, FL 28155i12
21 Jon Kinner,35, CO 21:53:00 113 Amy Rusiecki,36, t\.,|A 26158i45
22 Adrian Stanciu,46, CO 21t54141 114 Trey Barnes,31, CO 27to2:5o Y]tll"lKerschbaum,
zoz JJ, LU
za..ssizs
23 Wesley sandoval,38, CO 22:13:29 115 Andrew Miller,46, CO 27iO3:19 203 lL
Rachel Ballard,50, 28i56:17
24 Rodrigo Jimenez,39, CO 22i19i34 115 Bruce Dailey,44, ME 27to5t43 204 Mark Junkans,43, Tx 28:57i14 260 Sheryl Mawn,50, CO 29:24i15
25 Lucas Crespin,3l, CO 22121i53 117 Alden Short,39, CO 27,O7i59 205 Don Reichelt,29,CO 28:58:43 261 Cliff simpson,48, NC 29i24i23
26 Danielle Hilson,27, CO 22:28ioo '118
DeDe Gibbs,51, Wl 27.12i59 206 Eric Hebert,42,IVT 28:58:53 262 N4arc Reich,30, CO 29:25i2O
27 Ryan Herzog,35, CO 22:35:45 Sara Duval,37, CT 27i18i28 207 David Benhammou,3l, Wl 29i59:O4 263 Eric Hess,45, CO 29:25i48
2A zachKinq,29,CO 22i36148 120 Nolan Foltz,43, CO 27i18149 208 Heather Ekstrom,25, NC 28:5918 264 Jim Franklin,49, CO 29t26t18
29 Jeff Marshall,32, CO 22:49t38 121 N4atthew Bitters,23, CO 27:18i55 209 Emily Luhrs,25, CO 28:59:29 265 t\ilichael Welk,42, CO 29i26i34
30 Woody Anderson,40, CO 23:05:58 122 Ken Long,37, Ml 27:19:20 210 Jennifer Kraxner,37, CO 29:O1i52 Stephen Chambers,
31 Jamie Kilcoyne,45, CO 23i14t44 Jerome Deaven,5l, t\41 266 29:26:42
123 27:20121 211 Joe Kraxner,37, CO 29:Ol:53 55, LU
32 Sabina Parigian,25, Co 23115:44 124 Orlin Hopper,44, CO 27:21:26 212 GeradNalezny,52,CO 29,02:02 267 Dallas Tate,28, OR 29i26i57
33 George zack,45, CO 23i23i49 125 Russel Nichols,42, OR 27t22:33 213 Shawn Talbott,48, UT 29i12i36 264 Nathan Larson,48, CO 29:27:OO
34 lylichael Prentice,29, - 23i23t54 126 Jordan Wight,33, CO 27t23152 214 l,4onica Brown,37, CA 29:4259 269 William Gane,40, IL 29t27:14
35 Charles Kelly,38, CO 23:25:OO 127 Jamie Reichler,45, CO 27:25i26 215 [,lichelle Balentine,46, CO 29rO3:38 270 Timothy Gore,48, CO 29:27i17
36 James Kaminski,33, CO 23126iO3 124 David Carner,49, Co 27i26i17 215 Jeffrey Strickland,26, Co 29:03:38 271 Jamen Nelson,3l, UT 29i27151
37 Katrin Silva,45, NM 23:34:39 129 Will Fisher, 44, CO 27:27102 217 Jennifer Bartel,33, WY 29:O4i12 272 Jared Conlin,34, CO 29t28t18
38 L4ax Fulton,38, C0 23:34:53 130 Nathan Holland,31, TN 27i28i1o 218 Ashley Daily,28, CT 29:05:06 273 Amy Rasor,36, AZ 29i28:22
39 Dan Lingerlield,42, CO 23:35:01 131 Mark Pribramsky,46, CO 27:28130 219 John Barnett,58, CO 29:O5i17 274 Raymond Baldwin, 52, MD 29:24:47
40 Patrick Sweeney,36, CA 23i38i26 132 Chelsey Russeli,34, CO 27t31:Ol 220 Kristopher Pruitt,30, CA 29io5i52 275 Ryan Batterman,29, N[,] 29129:28
41 Benjamin Atkins,42, CA 23i39i59 133 John Mccabe,43, Cr 27:39:21 221 Rob Belz,50, N4N 29:O7iO4 276 Mark Perkins,62, CO 29129:32
42 Danny Bundrock,36, CO 23:43:33 Junko Kazukawa,52, CO 27:4ot39 222 Timothy Schatdein, 47, CO 29:07iO4 277 Timothy Boggs,53, OH 29i29:57
43 N4yles Fennon,36, NY 23i46:49 135 Jack Davis,38, ZAF 27:45:42 223 Stephan Hicks,36, GA Galligan,
44 t\.'licah lYlorgan,3l, CO 23i49i22 Eric Pence,49, CO 27:46i46
29:07:15
274 Chr'6topher Zg,3O,3+
136 224 Brian O'Toole,51, TX 29.07:32
45 Tom Perry,50, UT 23i52:15 137 Aaron Pierson,39, CO 27i46:51
Darren Christiansen, 279 Sean Nossaman,33, CO 29:3Ot44
46 N4arc Staley,39, CO 23t53i12 138 Michael English,48, CO 27i47i2O
,2q
"' 44,rX 2q.o/.\a
280 Thomas N4ullins,4'1, TX 29:3113
47 Becki Lynn Lassley,37, CO 23:56:35 139 David Herne,44, Russia 27151:03 226 Shana LeNeYeu,45, CO 29'.O8t27 241 Zach Adams,38, KS 29i31:19
48 Nate Decker,37, Hl 23:58:38 140 Chris Wright,43, CO 27i53:19 227 ErikWahlstrom,42,WA 29108,48 242 Eric strand,55, MO 29:31t24
49 Shad Mika,39, CO 24:OO:58 141 Ben Dicke,35, NY 27.54107 228 Daniel Barron,20, CO 29:08:51 243 Will Huskie,55, CO 29131:25
50 JP Giblin,2l, CO 24.o2i3o Adam Mayer,36, NJ 229 Corbin Freeman,28, TX 244 Natalie Kaufman Stamp, 29:31144
142 27i56,1O 29lO:05
51 Jerry Davis,42, CO 24io4t28 143 Joshua Bowen,27, CO 27:56i46 23O KatyAnderson,3S,AUS 29:lO:2O 41, SD
52 Mildred Haans,43, BEL 24:11:46 144 William Friedl,26, Az 27i57i15 23l John Heineman,30, lA 29i1O:34 285 Jeff Driscoll,43,CO 29:32:12
53 Ben Lloyd,44, NY 24:13i58 145 Richard Kabanuck,3l, FL 27i57i16 232 James Hall,51, PA 29i1oi43 286 CO
Sheila Huss,39, 2913?:56
54 Jeremy Bradford,37, Co 24i18i32 145 David Clark,44, CO 27:57:39 233 Francis Pardo,33, DC 29:1'l:03 287 Eric Thorne,43,PA 29:33:OB
55 Ryan Krol,30, Co 24:21:44 147 Christy Lindh,32, CO 27i54i16 234 Ron DeLozier,37, OH 29i11i49 288 Gregory Lowe,51, N4A 29:3316
56 Ryan Palmison,30, N4A 24126i54 AA David Moll,50, CO 28;OO:58 235 Jason Mason,34, lA 29J1:50 289 Luis Pauka,49,CO 29:33:38
57 Erik Raivo,31, MN 24i28i59 149 Alma Obregon,31, ESP 28iO6:24 236 Stephen Szoradi,46, CO 29112:01 290 Jean DeMoss,43, CO 29i34t22
58 Adam Burnett,42, CAN 24i29i12 150 Jonathan Bennett,45, Ml Z8:12i42 237 Crcg Sandoval,40, CO 29:12133 291 Jarred Young,40, KS 29134t34
59 Jon Hastings,40, OH 24i29.4O 151 Paula Moore,40, CO 28i12t52 238 CO
Anna Griffis,30, 29:14:19 292 Angie Hodge,35, NE 29:34i39
60 Matthew Curtis,39, CO 24:31;03 152 Neil Feldman,45, lvlA 28:14i41 239 CO
Douglas Leary,52, 29t14i37 293 Laurie Nakauchi,45, CO 29:34i57
6l Aaron Smith,28, CO 24t34112 Jose Manuel Domenech Zgt16:j4 240 CO
Mike Leighton,28, 29:14i52 294 YukiNegoro,54,NJ 29i35:27
153
62 Aaron Wieczorek,32, VA 24t351O1 ternan0ez, Jv, L>H 241 TeniPfeil,49,CO 29i15to4 295 Tony Brown,54, NC 29:36i24
63 Richard Biddle,32, CO 24:3513 154 Davis Gaul,28, Co 2818:03 242 Kurt Wilson,35, NC 29i16i12 296 David McKernan,39, CO 29t36t37
64 Diego Garcia,35, CHI 24i36i29 155 Julidn Hall,40, GBR 28t18i19 243 Chuck Stone,52, CO 29i16i22 297 Chad Davis,33, CO 29i37i15
65 Bard Hovenga,27, NY 24:37iO7 156 Cristobal Forno,33, CHL 28:20:22 244 Barbara Stoll,53, TX Z9il6:36 298 Jason Pardue,40, VA 29:38:05
66 Rachel Ragona,32, CA 24i4O;O6 157 Terry Boyd,48, CO 28121i2O 245 Andrew Spirito,27, N4A 29:16t58 299 Mike Vergara,38, TX 29:3815
67 Anabel Pearson,45, Tx 24:41:55 158 Garrett Gibbons,37, CO 28:21:34 246 [4atthew Menacher,38, ll 29117104 300 Timothy Smith,47, MN 29;38:33
6A Alexander Scherz,42, CHE 24141:57 159 Jonathan Gear,44, CO 28:23105 247 PaulSakiewicz,49,CO 29i17i31 301 Debbie Burry,53, CO 29:38:53
69 Andrew Reiff,42, CO 24i42i19 Lesley Jones Cortright, 2aiz3:25 248 Charles Bybee,53, CO 2918:00 3O2 Dane LeBlanc,57, MA 29t39:A4
160
70 Tyler Bucklin,39, MT 24i45i24 249 Scott Snyder,50, CO 29118:07 3O3 Jordan DeRose,38, MO 29t4OtO6
71 Trevor Emery,44, CO 24:48,O1 161 Scott Willson,50, KS 28:27iO7 250 Jeff Stowell,53, UT 29:19iO3 3O4 Sean Cook,43, CO ?9i4O,55
72 Wesley Hunt,32, AR 24i49:43 162 Jeffrey Stukuls,45, TX 28:27:25 251 John Seaman,28, TX 29t191O5 3O5 Eric Morgan,49, CO 29:41:?7
73 Andrew Gzybowski,33, CO 24i52i11 163 Kimberly Jacobs,39, CO 28:27:54 252 Gretchen 5huey,45. MD 29:19i5O 306 Kristen Bailey,35, CO ?9t44:53
74 Sean t\4ullett,47, GA 24i55i39 164 WilliamCorley,53,FL 28:29iO5 253 Karen Bonnett,59, CA 29124:06 307 Rui Pedras,56, PER 29146,55
75 Jean Beaumont,50, NZL 24:57i15 165 Magnus Lund,43, SWE 28:30i20 3OB F. Scott Bauer,48, TX
^- - Nikola Grafnetterova. 29.4913')
76 Jason West,43, AUS 24i57i34 165 Ashley Truan,32, Ml 28:30:52 2s4 2;;i "'""'"'"' "'-', 2e:2o:37 309 Ddvid W. Jackson,50, MS 29:51:34
77 Sean Bowman,39, CA 24i59:27 157 Joseph Deighan,44, t\41 28i34i19 255 Katie Eshleman,40,PA 29.21t1O 310 Joshua Holmes,37, CA 29156t19
7A Cory Leppert,40, CO 25:00:36 158 FL
[.,latthew Reedy,41, 28:34i35 256 CAN
Travis Bilou,33, 29t21121 311 Mark Kromeich,44, UT 291311',8
79 Chor Kin Law,38, HKG 25iO2:41 169 Gina Chupka,38. CO 28i35:42 257 Lee Dougherty,55,lL 29:21i37 312 Bill Stahl,55, CO 29.57,5r
BO Gabriel [4artinez,23, CO 25:Oei24 170 Ed Marshall,47, SC 28:36:25 258 James Danahey,20, CO 29i23t35 313 Erhan Bedestani,34, CO 3Ol8:24
81 Laura Hronik,36, CO 25:22i41 171 Craig Norquist,48, AZ 28i36:45 259 Huw Edwards,34, CO 29:23:54 <r_f..:1.. --i'
AZ Donnacha Cassidy,26, KY 25i31i46 172 Chris laconis,44, CO 28t37io5

NOVEMBER 2OI5 ULTRA: : a:, 5s

 B.
l- L",se tlai*e':'' ."::"'

Misery Loves ComPanY

:. ::.Sa_RiCHTE

-: ;:r :-ot a pretty sighf . I was walking

a:-:- :- =1- pacer in pain. My right calf was
::.*. :-a rnd mobility was 1i.mited. My left
,:- :---: .ite lt was about to rip open from
-----:=::-.ating so much for my calf' I was
;:.r-:S javers and layers of clothes, as if it
;{::: ::e middle of }anuary, not the middle
,i-1----€ust. And I had one hand down my
::::-:- ss-itching between holding one of
---i r--r:t cheeks to the side and holding my
:r-::-:ood away from my rubbing thighs to
:=-="e mvself from the brutality of chafing.
-:-., ri'as one of the benefits of it being pitch
:-.r< outside: my pacer couldn't see what I
;r:. doing.

Iwas shivering badtY.

Forarnornent, leven
ihought I was going to
barf and poop myself at
the sarne time.

It was just Past 3 a.m. and I knew the

finish had to be close, but it never seemed
to show any signs ofit. But once the end
rvas ful1y in sight, I took a few running
steps. Within a couple of seconds, all of my
discomforts dissolved awaY.
How had I gotten to that pointl I had been
"I need blanket," I said. I was shivering
a of running anymore. I was even debating
running so well all day..'
bad1y. For a moment, I even thought I was teiling my pacer that I was going to 1ie down
Back at mile 85, I was 16 hours and 3o
going to barf and poop myself at the same for a (uick nap on the trai1. But I knew he
minutes into the race. My best day of running
wasn't going 1et me.
ever. And that's when things went south for time.
My right calf started to throb, and I knew At the final aid station, I sat on a cooler
me. Mile 85-9o was a bad stretch. My mind
that it was going to lock up any second. That and munched down a bunch of chips, only
became my worst enemy.
was my only motivation to get up. I told a wishing it was a full mea1.
As my pacer and I walked our way into the
crewmember about it. It was in such pain that I iusl wanted to get it over with. We death
mile 9o aid station, I felt woozy and tingly.
"1'm gonna pass out." I told one of my crew. when he barely moved his thumb across my marched on through the cold together. I was
calf, I winced and blared in pain. Eventually I doing my best to temporarily ease the chafing
i felrmy head drop. Then immediate black-
ness. I don't remember any details at all, but got up. It was excruciating and I was limping situ;ion, but there was only so much I could
at best. do. I was miserable.
I remember I felt euphoric.
My crew came uP with the idea for me the finish appeared and the end
S1owly,
Then I remember hearing, "|oey, you have
to sit in their car with the heat on and with was in my reach. I just had to circle back
to get upl"
heated seat. around a high school track to be done. I
I opened my eyes and I was lYing on mY a
I needed it. After sitting in there for five finished in zr hours and ro minutes for
side on the ground. I was picked up and
carried to a bench in front of a small fire pit' minutes, it brought me back to life but I knew fifth place.

I s'as out of it. My mind was gone and I just
stared into the fire.
I was olfered Coke, Mountain Dew, broth,
a spoonful ofpeanut butter, pretzels with
peanut butter. I tried all ofit'
the last ro miles were going to be the worst.
I didn't want to go back out there.
My mind wasn't in the right frame to
continue. I tried to view the final segment
as a hike in the woods, as I had no intentions
Ifit weren't for my crew, I would still be
lying in the dirt, or I would have quit. My
misery needed their company and they saved
my race. -$

56 ULTRA.TJ\\r\G.coN1 L NOVEN,'1BER 20,]5

Lean Horse 25 sD
Laura Raeder,41, 27146t49 16 Andy Fett,32, SD 9i27125
26 lckert,54,5D
Peter 28119i48 17 Jennifer Anderson, 45, SD 9t42io1
:-=iet.SD // AuEUslz2 27 Andrew Obrien,44,VA 28t2oi49 18 Anita Fromm,44, CO 9',5Oi44
L zs. // na & 50 Mites, 28 Jordan Schmidt,2l, N4N
29 Jeremy Deuter,41, SD
28t24io8
28:26t52
19
20
Margaret Opaiz,29, tlT
Katie Barket.33, WY
9i58:33
9:59:28
50k 30 Yen Nguyen,53, Tx 28:44i44 21 Dave N4artin,47, WY 9i59i31
:..::on gain: roo mile -5,887 feet; 5o mile 2,659 feet; 3'l Peter Bennett,40, Tx 28:44:44 22 Erica Mertens.35, SD 10:11:Og
::{'.ToofeetiThecourselsanout'and-backprimari y 32 John Schauman,42, NY 28:48131 23 Nita Jardee,49, SD 10:28:28
--.- r:
ihe Ceorge 5. l\4ickelson Trai1, which is mo*ly {lat 33 Christian Kubik,52, NY 28i5O117 24 Joel l'{ilbrandt,58, NV 1O:28i57
r: some gent e hills. The running surface is crushed 34 John Derby,43, KS 28:58J7 25 George Nelsen,60, VA 1O137i28
-as:one and gravel. 35 Robert Denney,44, FL 28:5817 26 Randy Kropp,5l, SD 10:3812
!OO MILES 35 sherri Twedt,51, NV 29:o1:3'l 27 Charity Larson,40, CO 10:38;43
6 Austin Freeburq,31, NE 5:08:49
'
37 Juli Aistars,56, lL 29:08:58 28 Loren Janke,52, SD 1O142t18
7 David Fielder,54, MB 5J7:38
Mary Flaws,48, Wl 1813:05 38 KummiKa,41,CO 29io9toz 29 Jim Grundy,43, SK 1Oi49:45
2 Kyle Blasch,44, lD 8 Michael Moravec,35, NE 5i24'.41
18:55:'13 39 David Shannon,57, MN 29,O9:O5 30 Rick Tellez,41, CO 10:59:35
9 Sharleen Stevens,32, SD 5i44i41
: Gregory Desautel,49, SD 19lO:02 40 Erin Stoll,32, CO 29i11i22 3'l Steven Holehan,50, TX 11:09:23
j Candice McMackin,42, [48 21:05:36 4l Bob Mercil,75, CO 29:30:53 32 Betsy Kapilofi,55, NM 11:47:22
10 Justin Johns,32, TX 5t49i41
Joey schrichte,28, WY
'11 Jamie Baldwin,38, SD 5i52:19
; 21:10144 42 Thomas Startz,19, ND 29i34t29 33 John Lesteberg,31, ND 12i19118
6 l4atthew Randle,42, NE 21i12111 43 Sebastian 5tartz,19, ND 29i34:29 34 Tom Gladielter,64, UT 1zi3ot24 12 Shari Walls,28, CA 5:5710
7 Erik Glover,35, NY 21i17122 44 Bobby Keogh,65, NM 29:35:22 35 Donna Creditor,54, WY 13;05:53
13 Kate Reed,3i, wA 6:17i2e
g John Oster,50, CO 22:34i26 36 Loree Hoag,49, CO 13:25:15
14 Jennifer Tackley,51, MB 6J8:45
9 Christi Haswell,39, WY 22:38:30 50 Mtlrs 37 Gina Marie Bernard,46, MN 13:2810
15 Rebecca Perreault,2E, SD 5:31:40
10 Mellssa Budd,45, MB 1 N4ichael Borst,22, Wl '16 Deb Lind,52, MN 6:34:27
22:49:Oz 6:03:33 38 Christopher Vitek,53, MN l3:39:2O
11 Cale Genenbacher,2S, TN 23116117 2 Joel Phipps,35, WY 6t45i39 39 Bob Schug,46, lt4N 13:39t22 17 Sheila Coffey,47, MN 6:38:22
i2 Jaret Seiberg,46, N4D 23:51i46 3 Kyle Gulseth,35, MN 7'.12t25 40 Nancy Baue..54, SD 13:44:26 19 Terry Colfey,54, MN 6138126
13 Steven Sjolund,64, N4N 25:40:33 4 Eric Ferree,37, PA 7i12,34 4l Joan Rose,58, ND '13:54:51 19 Mary Ritz,60, WY 6i41io9
14 Shanan Redinqer,40, lA 25146:58 5 Tim Fryer,36, tvlN 7i32i42 42 Blll Squier,73, NC 14:08:08 20 Brian Scozzaro,39, ND 6146i51
15 Wdlly Hesseliine, T2, CA 26|04:05 6 Troy Brooks,38, SD 8i28i17 43 Selly Squier,73, NC 14:08:Og
21 Mary McDowell,60, WY 6t54i?1
16 Blair Anderson,52, SK 26109,06 7 Justin Walker,35, OK 8:33:58 44 Carsla Leigh,54, CA 14:11:31
22 Scott N,lccinnis,54, MN 7;08:05
17 John Taylor,53, MN 26t2oi22 8 K€lcy Brunner,25,5D 8:36J6 45 Alan Rickel,55, SD 14i51i37
23 Michelle Clark,45, SD 7:45:03
18 Robert Bowman,52, MO 26i34,17 9 Mark Dangerfield,65, AZ 8i42i2o 24 Deborah Madanayake,52, MN 7r48:O9
19 Allan Holtz, 65, MN 27112,10 ]O Brad Whitson,51, N4B 8t44iOB 50K 25 Jeffrey Vleyra,58, CA 8:O1:50
20 Wayne Depew,51, CO 27i18i57 11 Scott Rassbach,44, MN 8:48:01 1 Adam Doe,27, MN 3:3911 26 Larry Ressler,59, ND 8:25:30
21 Bridqet Ortman,40, SD 27121119 12 Sarah scozza.o,36, ND 8i48;38 2 Laren Roderick,34, SD 3t44',14 27 Bob Whay,57, SD 8:53:59
22 Nancy lshizawa,50, CA 27i26:23 13 Janet Hausken,50, MN 8149i24 3 Scott Lorenz.49, CO 4:49:44 28 Dianna Keogh,59, NM 9:47:31
23 Stephanie Astell,52, WA 27:46:40 14 Mark Martinsen,5l, MN 9'.14i58 4 Jeff Bollman,47, MT 5:00:36 29 Eugene Bruckert, SO, lL 9i47136
24 Lucca Criminale,48, WA 27146t45 15 David Johnson.55. TN 9,26'.34 5 lan Blasch,44, lD 5io2t52 " See p age j g fot key

FOOTAIID B$DYORTfiffi,

TApE$, BLrST[il rfiT$,

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ffi#etrffiffi v ffiTft,AILT,ES.Cllrl Your Trailtoes.com

flfrE- -rrrER-coRE
-
lOTo discount tode is:
SooHag (fo help raise
money for breast CA fr)
EVILD'E-PY
The Tire-TrainerrM helps
me build the power I need
to lay waste to volcanos,
mountains, and technical
trails that running alone
cannot.
John Taylor
3X Spartan Ultra Beast
5X FyA Survival Competitor
#'l Battle Frog Extreme Collector sard #6

NOVEI\,,IBER2OI5 ULTRAPU}.\ \:::

 B.
a- Silvetheels,too.'
Running in the Fsotsteps of Sitveyheels
:' :;-- OVERBY
-Ir-= gaihered around a campfire on
::-,-; e-;eoing in the historic mining town
-: :-:-lav, Colorado, and listened to Race
l-::-ri -Sherpa" )ohn LaCroix laying out
;-. :-,sion for the inaugural running of the
S- ;=::reels roo. He had communicated the
a.-'''. irequently via email in the previous
:r=:--- so try this time we were all pretty well
.-.r-. *hat we had gotten ourselves into' The
:-:l:-.2. stats for the course were roz miles
..r--:: :;.6oo feet of gain and equal loss at an
.;::2ge elevation ofrr,ooo feet.
T ocated just a short distance to the east
-r- :re Continental Divide from Leadville,
Fa:rpia,v is a great launching off point,to
:::itring some spectacular areas of the
q:ir. Mountains. With inspiring views of
:-=h peaks as a backdrop, RD LaCroix gave
ie:ails on what to expect the following day
*-':n a trademark deadpan humor and heart-
-;t: concern that his runners be safe and have
a oood time.
dd=+r,r
!,l.mfi=t
I LEFT: Scott [,4cintosh f rom Park City, UT, near mite ]0
il
tl
:l
58 U LTRA- i:,CCV NOVE]\IBER 2OI5
He also recounted some history of the
mining town, and the legend of Silverheels
from which the race and nearby mountain got
their names. According to the story, she was
a dance ha1l girl in the nearby mining camp
of Buckskin |oe. She wore a mask to conceal
her face and silver shoes while dancing' She
made good money off the miners and subse-
quently used it for medicine and doctors to
help the camp during a smallpox epidemic'
After the epidemic waned, she supposediy
disappeared and was never seen again.
This was an inaugural event, but as with
the other races in the newly formed Human
Potential Running Series, the race planning,
resources, course marking and volunteer
support were top notch. In short, we ate (and
arint<; lit<e kings out on the course. LaCroix
had a lofty goal ofattracting 5o runners to
this challenging first year mountain roo' A
few weeks out from the race there were 56
registrants, with an eventual 47 toeing the
aL*
line at the start. Six of us were in the midst
of attempting to complete the Transcendence
Series-with Silverheels the longest distance
out of all five of Human Potential's races for
the season.
The start came at 4 a.fi1. on Saturday
morning, August 8. Sunrise found us having
climbed to the first of several high points on
the course, with stunning views of alpine
valleys and 14,ooo-foot peaks in the nearby
Mosquito Range. An out-and-back spur
took us around ihe flanks of Mt. Silverheels,
where there was an o1d iron mine boring
into the side of a ridge. Only rr miles into
the course we had ascended to its highest
point-a fact that was not lost on most of us
is we descended for many steep, rocky miles
and realized we wouid be facing this climb
the next morning around mile 85.
The terrain was as varied and challenging
as it was beautiful. The out-and-back course
took us on rolling single-track and rugged
jeep roads through forests, fields of wild-
flo*"tt, across streams and up several steep
climbs ending above the tree line. Miles 4o to
5o found us on two of the
biggest climbs of
it duy as we made two out-and-back round
" up to the Continental Divide at r2,ooo
trips
feei. The views once again were spectacular
and the opportunity to see lots offellow
runners ,rd gir" encouragement and high-
fives was welcome, as was the awesome food,
the enthusiasm ofthe volunteers and even
craft beer on offer at the course's two central
aid stations, which we passed through several
times before flnally heading back towards
town around mile 75.
it was difficult to exit the Tarryall aid
station for the last time Saturday night'
Behind us was an aid station fu11 of warm
friends and volunteers who had worked
hard maintaining a fun party atmosphere as
runners came and went throughout the day'
It had been a thoroughly enjoyable rook day
so far on the trails, but ahead 1ay many dark
and cold miles through the night to a distant
finish iine. Yes, it was early August, but we
were more than ro,ooo feet above sea 1eve1 in
with Cotorado l4ers as the beautifuI backdrop'
lO leff Genoval
OPPOSITE, TOP: Christopher Harrington in his first
'lOO getting the royat treatment from votunteer
Catherine Green at the 5O-mile aid station named
Sel.kirk (Jurassic Park theme). [o ]efl Genoval
OPPOSITE, BOTTOM:Brett Overby (race report
author) just after grabbing his card from the course
high point on Hoosier Ridge Lo leff Genoval
 !-.,:iji:ti'r"r.:!r:ill: li il t ]:

. Cclorado Rockies under clear r]

// August 8
: :':-no bahn,v summer t-right FairpLay. CO t!

.. \\'e had been very 1uck,v all

ji r:..,.1'...' lt.iii .{lir.:r, t:

, . .', rth excellent $,eather. \\,hich

Elevaton ga n: r7,60o+feet Thlslsanoutand back
coursc that sends runners to abandoned go d m nes afd
]:

. time of year in the moun- over a h gh mountain ridge tlv ce on s ng eirack tralls
and ATV 'oads { th an average e evat on of r r.ooo feet.
]li

:i

:,s can quickly'turn hairy r,vith j:

t::

. -or-mation of violent thunder- I Patrlck Stewart,30, CO 21t12too

Brandt Ketterer,31, CO
: :ms. As night fe1l, u,,e found 2
C"ristopf e- Harilqton,
25:25'.OO .

3
, -.e1ves under a canopy of stars 3r co "A.nt.OO
:iii
.L the Mi1k,v \XraI strctched out 4 ca.te. Williams,57, UT 26:15:00
iif
5 Jeff Kasal,39, CO 27'.19'.Oa
, ,,\ e and lightning flashes from 6 Eric Deshaies,4l, OC 28:06:00 i'

- .:ant thunderstorms. 7 John Higgs,50, CO 2A'.22'.OO

Brooks Williams,32, CO 28t28tAO
In the end, 33 of us perse- 9 Brendan Adams,40, CO 28:48:00
--:ed through the night and 10
t1
Scott Viq,40, CO
Ezekie Ha.t,31, CA
28t54:AO
28:56:00
-. :ntuall,v made it to the finish 12 A an Sherman,44, MD 29:08:00
:re in torvn. Patrick Steu,art of t3 Andrew Bainbridge,22, CO 29,4O|OO
14 Benoit Letourneau,48, oN 29:53:00
-r.-ghlands Ranch. CO, finished t5 Joshua Anderson,3o, co 3o:38:00
:: a blazing zr'.r2 to take lirst 16 Brett Overby,43, CO 3l:02:o0
Mark Marzen,28, CO 3l:39:00
:-ace on his birthday. Ar-ttumn 17
:t lririlri t!i.:?. 1,1, c; li:i3:ao
-.leib of Colorado Springs non 19 Steve Bremner,60, CO 32121,04
in 3r:58-it 20 Enrique Maidonado, 47, co 32126,40
:re rvomen's race
21 Joel Mariin,35, CO 32:50:00
.r asher first roo-miie and her 22 Allen Darilek,42, TX 32:51:00
rrst ,vear running ultrasl It was 23 David Cunningham,54, CO 32:56:00
:!:i ra,iiilri ii.reir, i.l, a:|j 33:Oi;(C
.. tabr-r1or.rs event and a day that ll.i*ri4llt!""rer,:l,l* :l:3f:lrl
.ion't ever be forgotten b,v those 26 Clyde Weller,5l, CO 34:12'.Oa
27 Antonio Pizano,37, CO 34:31:00
. ro particrpaled. I Ichallengirrg. 2A Scott Mcintosh,43, UT 34:33:00
.cenic rnountain ultras are ,vour 2' i:Ii:i 6r.v.. lfi, aC li,::jC:aa
Tetsuro Ogata,33, CO 34:47,4O
-hing, I highly recommend 3l Filip Boelen,38, CO 35:47:00
.Lgning up lor the second annual 32 William Nee,36, CO 35:47:00
,jnid./ii.:;eilralr,4?,Co j7:0;:lN
:ace in zor6l .* 5cr p,.rur;9jor Lry

*@i,#
.*.....

NOVE\,1BER 2C]5 IJLTRA

 --ARACES
+
Cornpleting the Circle
3 "' BRIAN WYATT, RD

This year marked the 34'h annual running
,ithe S$ine 5ok. As one of many who
-ompleted Skyiine as their first 5ok, it was
: great honor to continue the long-standing
=adition ofthls
East Bay classic as the new
?ace Director. It was equally exciting to launch
ire new Scena Performance Trail Run Series
riith such an iconic and well-supported event.
Skyline 5ok serves as a nexus for the
confluence of veteran ultrarunners, first-time
;ck runners and a growing group ofyoung
speedsters. This resulted in a steady stream
offinishers throughout the day. Runners
rl€re more than happy to stick around the
post-race festivities and share their stories
over 1ocal craft beer, Farm to Table BBQ and
good company. With landscapes varying
from redwood-laden single-track to speed
inducing fire roads, the course has something
for everyone. The endless stream of smiling
faces crossing the finish line suggested that
each person truiy got what they came for.
Every year brings a multitude of amazing
stories, and this year was no exception. The
front of the race was dominated by a trio of
speedy runners, all ofwhom finished under
the modern course record. Chris Vizcaino,
Ryan Neeiy and Rod Farvard linished two At the end of the day, we were reminded
minutes apart, in that order. In the women's that we truly do have a special and wonderful
race, Kimberly O'Donnell ran a solid race to community. Thanks to all those who came
take the win, Devon Yanko recovered from outl See you next year! -f
an early race fa1l to finish second and Amy
Phillips made a strong showing as third
woman. Todd Glieden finished six months to
the day after a heart attack, the iong enduring
Bill Dodson finished yet another 5ok at age
8o, the indefatigable |ean Pommier chased
the latest crew ofspeedsters to another last
finish and Dusty Bottoms Trail Runners
redefined the notion ofteam support with
a crew of around z5 runners and more team
spirit than a squad ofcollege cheerleaders.
Our amazing volunteers worked tirelessly
to support the runners, cutting bananas,
filling water bottles or doing whatever
task a sweaty runner needed to get them
on their way. Our sponsors, Transports,
Guayaki and One Bar provided gilt certifi-
cates, awards, energy drinks and bars {br all,
while Fieldwork Brewing Company provided
award-winning IPA at the finish. And what
East Bay running event would be complete
without a visit from Errol "Rocket" Jones? The Rocket greets Bit[ Dodson at the finish.
He must have caught wind ofthe vegan soup. lre) loe McCtaddiel

37 Robert Raymond,50, CA 5t2O:46 80 Renjie Tang,42, CA 124 Keith Lubliner,54, CA 7:05:48

SkyUne 5O 38 Jay Hsu,26, CA 5:20:55 81 Jody Braninbury,47, CA
6;15:30
6t17:57 125 Emmett Rahl,44, CA 7:O6tO7
Castro Valtey, CA // August 8 39 Andrey Verendeev,32, DC 5i21io4 82 Phil Penna,55, CA 6,18i22 126 Jenniter Redding,41, CA 7to6t21

\ 3,2" // s?k 40 Emi Yasaka,38, CA 5:21:33

41 Joseph swenson,60, CA 5:25:49
83
84
Rod Tilson,51, CA
Robert Serpa,59, CA
518;36
618:38
127 Chad Johnson,42, CA
l28 Charles Savage,67, CA
7:06:21
1:OAiO4
Elevation gain:4,750 feet I This is a big loop course 42 Greg Patterson,45, CA 5:25i57 85 Julie Nye,52, CA 6l9Ja 129 Joseph Jacobs,48, CA 7:08:53
thai includes a little road, plenty offire trail and a few
43 Jamie Michael,39, CA 5:2618 86 Shari Raymond,50, CA 5:20:33 130 Lari Leathers,47, CA 7116t21
wonderful sections of single-track.
44 N4eqan Chenq,34, CA 5127t28 87 Dan Newman,46, CA 6:21:30 131 lsidalia Disalvi,46, CA 7tl9:O7
'1 Chris Vizcaino,27, CA 3126:12 45 N4ichael Schwartz,37, CA 5:27:38 88 John Rodriguez,55, CA 6i21:53 'f32 Karin Hollerbach,49. C,A 7i22:O6
2 Ryan Neely,26, CA 3i27112 46 Erin Vancellette,40, CA 5i29144 89 Ryan Salladay,24, CA 6:24,11 133 John Swisegood,42, CA 7i22:5O
3 Rod Farvard,19, CA 3:2815 47 Renah Seay,38, C,A 5:32:50 90 Shane Jones, 37, CA 5:25:38 134 Brandon Mccarty,37, CA 7:22:53
4 Rickey Russell,30, CA 3:56:43 48 Tom Riley,54, CA 5:33:20 91 Tom Wilhelm, O, CA 6i27t23 135 Sabrina Okada,51, CA 7:26146
5 Jean Pommier,51, CA 3t59i22 49 Shaun Woody,37, CA 5:35:06 92 Steven Patt,65, CA 6iZ8t2O 135 Todd Wong,45, CA 7t28to5
6 Kimberly O'Donnell,25, CA 4:0515 50 Tim Ruffino.52, CA 5:37;33 93 Tammy Perez,47, CA 6:29t22 137 Katherine Decarlo,39, CA 7:30:48
7 Kevin Swisher,41, CA 4i1ot29
51 DeniseFleminq-Williams, b..37..44
94 Hilda Ba.ry,36, CA 6:29132 l38 Bob Borck,48, CA 7i34i45
8 Lance Doherty,38, CA 415:33 95 Hans Schmid,75, CA 5:32:00 139 Danyelle Gonzalez,37, CA 7:35J5
9 Sasha Waring,34, CA 4i16i25 52 Peter Totaan,41, CA 5:37i44 96 Debbie Heard,38, CA 6.34i32 14O Alicia Hillstrom,29, CA 7:35;34
10 Larry Neumann,50, CA 4:2otl7 53 Sean Belling,30, CA 5:38:02 97 Luisa Cheung,43, CA 6t34145 141 Jeffrey Rowe,41, CA 7:35:55
1l Devon Yanko,33, CA 4i22:24 54 Hannes Vogel,62, CA 5i4O:52 98 Uwe Hollerbach,52, CA 5:35:31 142 Agnes Sheldon,50, CA 7:41:27
12 Paul Broyer,29, CA 4:29i28 55 Michael Tooker,30, CA 5:41121 99 Kyounq Martin,0, CA 6.38:06 143 Arnold Ramos,64, CA 7i44iA6
13 Jeremy Johnson,34, CA 4,30:43 56 Chris Garcia,52, CA 5t42137 '1OO Todd Glieden,48, CA 6:39J8 144 Noah Veneklasen,3T, CA 7:44i56
14 Yasushi Saito,48, CA 4,31:29 57 Adam Blum,51, CA 5:43:05 101 Daren Short,51, CA 6139t21 145 Amer Elbandak,45, CA 7145i52
15 John Schweyen,58, CA 4i34:O6 58 Gary Saxton,55, CA 5:43:59 102 Richard Prestia,43, CA 6:41iO9 146 Kat Powell,54, CA 7i5ot12
16 Dan Burke,56, CA 4.35.26 59 Drew Coughlin,50, CA 5t44t59 103 Heather Nilsson,32, CA 6i41i14 147 Jacob Lyhne,40, CA 7:51t14
17 Amy Phillips,42, CA 4:3613 60 TonyJankowski,62,CA 5:45:08 lO4 MinChae,59.cA 6i44i24 148 MollyJones,34,cA 7:5210
18 OIeg Khryashchev,50, CA 4:41:Og 61 Lisa Danylchuk,35, CA 5:47i49 105 Walter Robinson,56, CA 6i45147 149 Jessica Grigsby,37. CA 7:52i43
19 Stanley Peng, 43, A 4i46i34
C 62 Dan Boyle,51, CA 5:50:17 105 Jeff Le,32, CA 6i48i26 l5O Robert Root,56, CA 7i57:43
20 Bjorn Flatt,41, CA 4:51;OB 63 Louis Arquie,60, CA 5:50:2'! 107 Ken Reicher.51, CA 6148i27 151 Ana Rowe,35, CA 7i57i44
21 Lucas Shuman,38, CA 4t52io4 64 Christopher Sheehy,34. CA 5:5O:47 108 Dorian Momsen,41, CA 6:50:45 152 Pattv Boyle Pinto,55, CA 7:58;O5
22 Kenley Gaffke, O, CA 4i5?t11 65 Andy Likuski,38, CA 5:51:02 109 Edmundo Vitocruz,48, CA 5:5113 153 Llnda Robinson,65, CA 8:0710
23 Joe Kelso,39, CA 4i52i12 66 Pinesh Roy,43, CA 5:52:01 110 Scoti Noack,48. CA 5i52:38 154 Eileen Francisco,43, CA 8:13:56
24 Calvin Wong,34, CA 4:52i34 57 Chris Bailey,5l, CA 5:53J5 111 Richard Roth,6l. CA 6i52:59 155 Cathy Crisp,54, CA 816:03
25 Kowsik Guruswamy,44, CA 4i57i22 68 Matt N.liceli,48, CA 5:58:06 112 Ramona Vogi,52, CA 6:5411 156 Sheldon Wong,57, CA 8:32:38
26 William Dai,45, CA 4t58i14 69 Tony Verdon,35, CA 5:58:24 113 Gary Hayward,5l, CA 5:58:40 157 Iiffany Bradley,36, CA 8:32:51
27 Laura Pryor,28, CA 5:03:45 70 Noah schwartz,39, IL 6iOOi26 114 Lizelle Festejo,34, CA 5:59:31 158 Eric Wu,31, CA 8t36:?4
28 John Gienq,35, CA 5:1Oi27 71 William Fong,5l, CA 5:0116 115 Carl Jacob,52, CA TiOO:21 159 Richard Dominguez.58, CA 8:43:44
29 Jason Reed,36, CA 5lll9 72 Stan Hughes,55, CA 6:02:24 115 Clement Choy,58, CA 7:00:30 160 Tony Nguyen,42, CA 8:54:46
30 Tony Lee,5l, CA 5:14.43 73 Lieven Vandenhoucke,4T, CA 6:0418 '117 Emily Yu,37, CA 7:0213 161 Cindy Forni,37, CA 9:04:19
31 Nick Capraro,50, CA 5:1515 74 Peter Brostowicz,4l, CA 6:09:32 118 Loren Lewis,43, CA 7:OZi47 162 Melissa Ownby,40, CA 9:o4:2c
32 Rida chow,32, CA 515:23 75 Michael Sweeney,60, CA 5lO:40 119 Diane Kaio,59, CA 7:03:07 163 Jack Tipple 111,67. CA 9:38:44
33 Verity Breen, O, CA 515:55 76 ltao Tsai,43, CA 610:41 120 Bill Dodson, SO, CA 'lio4i14 164 Jerome Hicks,54, CA 1OJ4:37
34 Ray Weng,41, CA 5:18:32 77 Nate Dunn,35, CA 510:48 '121 Batenburg,55,
CIay Van CA 7:04:31 'Set
35 Roy calimlim, 37, CA 5t9:34 78 Jim N4aqill,68, CA 611:51 122 Roxanne Ashkenasy,42, CA 7;05:26 pa:t:o :-.::
36 Donato Polignone,47, CA 5:20:05 79 Megan Montgomery,29, CA 6:14106 123 PhilliD Bossant.50. CA 7:05:27

NOVEI\,4BER2015 I ULTRA- . . . .. . .
 \3.
T Tvisted Branch took
Humbled by a Yvuisted Bramsh
The thimble shape of the
Pieiades constellation, hinting
of winter to come, hung low in
the eastern sky. With headlamps
blazing under a softly illumi-
nated archway, anxious runners
u,ished upon those stars for the
energy to face what 1ay ahead.
Then they set offby the glow of
a super moon hanging in the
predawn darkened woods.
Many had established this
I datewith the trail long ago..
dreaming, longing and even
dreading its arrival. Now, they
rvould creep into this day step
I Jacqueline Palmer,27, DE
br step and uitimately, no matter
I 7
n'hat the outcome, see it from
I 38 Helene strutko,36. PA
beginning to end. Over the hours
I and through the changing light
I 11
I anci condrtions of the day, they
rr'ould cover the entire Bristol
Hiils section of the Finger Lakes
Trai1. part of the main Finger
Lakes Trail, and a newly created
spur. ihe Trlad Trail, leading to
62 ULTRA] ].V NOVEMBER 2OI5
the race finish, complete with some grapevines heavy with fruit, silos hinted of those who had
fires, food and beverage and a tiny stretch ofabandoned rail- once sought to tame this land-
massage on the shores of I(euka road and more rocks and roots scape and ultimately 1ost.
Lake. than any would soon wish to Along the way, the sky went
Hopes ran high as runners revisit. Weathered barns and through its fu11 complement of
waited for nature to awaken and
join the revelry. Twisted Branch l00k 20 Nathan Huckle,39, NY
21 Vishal Gupta,36, NY
15147iO4
15t47111
Naples, NY,/ August 29 22 Janine Gusztaw,49, PA
Dew hung heavy in the 15.47:48
meadows early on, a haze that $- s,z" ff laak 23 Brandon Stafford,32, NY
24 Rob Feissner,39, NY
16:09:36
16,25t44
Thls is a point-
r.tould eraporate uith the ricing
Elevation galn/ oss: ro,ooo feet/rr,ooo feet I 25 Denis 5treltsov,39, NJ 16i28156
ro-poi1 'a(e o. s ng e 'rac\. logg .g oaos. g'oo-ed a l,
26 Amby. Hinton,33, PA 15:35:24
or, steam o"os, aoonoo_eo d''t roads a- o 'ougnJ,
sun. The miles would ultimately r oads,
27 Vince Rucci,38, OH 16153:29
',e_lesro'. olparecroao.R:nnerspa.t. oughth ""
test the limits of all. The race (oLnlies, .o^-. a-oc.os.l'ld'(ere-r.oad,. 28 Tommy Hayward,38, NY 17t12'.54
29 Vagn Steen,58, OH 17i16i15
parsed out elevation, technical 30 Jeff Smith,43, [4D 17t18i26
1 Daven Oskvig,38, NY 11i45i34
31 Chris Washburn,53, NY
trails, a bit ofroad and even a 2 Scotie Jacobs,40, NY l2:08:03
17126iO4
32 Laura R€kkerth,28, NY 17:36:56
corn[ield to 1<eep one guessing 3 David Hedges, 17, lL 12125t11
33 Lori Johnson,51, PA 17:4113
4 Jamie Hobbs,41, NY 12:4O112
what was just over the next hill 5
34 Dan Studt,44, NY 17i41t47
l3:1O:18
35 Mark Conley,49, Rl 17i41i59
and around the next bend. It felt, 6 John McAlister,4l, ON 13:35:23
36 L4att Bertrand,30, NY 17:42:52
Seth Almekinder,44, NY 13i36124
37 chris O'Brien,37, NY
and was, remote. Yet as soon as I Kendra Chamberlain,23, NY 13:6913
17t43i15
17:43:38
the trail had flogged the last 9 Augusto Gamero,35,0C 14:O9:42
39 Adam Raszewski,34, NY 17:53:03
reserves ofenergy and hope, aid 1O Jefi [rerritt,31, PA 14'.24:1O
40 l\4atihew Kornaker,3l, NY 17:53:05
Sean Lemke,27, OH 14.28:39
41 Mark Valites,36, NY 17154107
would suddenly appear. 12 Tyler Rindock,33, PA 14,35136
42 Raymond Russell,44, NY 17i55i32
j3 Katie Derusso,30, NY 14'.44t45
The day became one of those 43 [,4atthew Prineas,5O, l\4D 18:02:09
14 Mike Mertsock,32, NY 14:44132
44 Christa Petryszyn,33, OH
sunny, warm late summer 15 Daniel Ostrander,38, NY 14151i49
45 Sean Storie,32, NY
18142t16
18tO4'.46
gems with spectacular vistas 15 Wookie Kim,28, lvlD 15:07i52
46 Angela Capece,31, NJ 1B:08:49
17 Jeremy Lyons,28, N4D 15:07:53
47 Leah Christensen,4S, NJ 18:09:48
and fields ofgoldenrod kissed 18 Todd Baum,57, NY 15J8:45
by the sun. It also peppered in l9 Gwvn Monnat,38, NY 15:25i19 'See giot keY
Page
 OPPOSITE: Rob Felssner from Rochests.'.
[O Ron Heerke.s ]r /thea:cendaclrecr . a ::

BELOW: Women's winner and flfth ove':

. predawn with early shades of pinlr Maybe that's u,hat should be taken from
Jackie Patmer. at the fln :-
. --
':lrrp1e, r,ariations of blue throughout the this race, that all u,ere humbled: those r.r,ho
[O Ron :]eerkens ]r./iheasce.d.otlect 'r: a: -
- . :o and finally inky-b1ack darkness
dr-rsl< raced, organized, volunteered. crelr,ed. paced
.:- a haunting orange moon rising. What and observed. They were humbled to see BOTTOM: Chris O'Brien takes a mom€-
:le expected was ]ust hor," challenging lt the eflorls people uould go to ir L''r irrg lo to show some love to one of his Iittlest far:
..Lld lO Rcn Heerkens lr./theas.endccllecr !e a: -
be, how, many u.ould chase cutoffs. reach their goa1s. They rvere humbled to see
.:ri1e the caring race director struggled those u''ho would so freell-gir.e of their time.
.ee people drop, that realit,v proved just They were humbled to observe the conga
-,i difficult the course rea11y rvas. The lines of cars, families, friends and pacers
,r air balloon rising at dusk over the lake provldlng the push needed to go on. The,v
..erled to perfectly symbolize the hopes were humbled b,v seifless acts of he1p, trail
. -at once carried runners. In many cases, magic, the scenery, the rvildflos'ers, b,v the
. - les drifting nou, to stars. and remaining trail itself and by a race director making a
-. :istant dream. foray into this wild u,orld of ultras. And t}'rat
The signs ofsuccess for a race are ifpeople experience of being humbled ensure-c that
' consider returning and horv they speak
i1 this is a race that *,111 go or'r. ..4
the experience. Whether the runner was
..Lccessful or not. the overu'helming response
.:, Tn'isted Branch rvas positive: to the trai1,
r the race and even to the challenge. This
' telling for first-time race director, Scott
\1agee, who rvorked tirelessl,v for three years
.ou,ard this day. Quite slmply, he w'anted
rthers to experience the beauty and the chal-
-enge of this trail, one of the best and most
.cenic in the region. Humb1,v, he would defer
an\,attention and accolades to the army of
r olunteers that helped carry this to fruition.

H Ihe lee Aue Trull 50 is are oi Arnerirc's rlcssit ullram0rt:lh0ns, ruR eve.v veur siil(e l9B?
in Wisroriiin'i hccutiIui 5ou]trern Keltie irlorrine lorest. 5il-rnile. 50k CI;d Hulf Muruthon disinnres.

NOVEMBER 2OI5 ULTRA

 \i.
-r- Woldo
:
:
:j
BY MECHAN ARBOGAST, CO.RD
With its rich history, beautiful single-
lrack, exemplary volunteers and o1d-school
iee1. Waldo rool( was again a big hit. Due to
its popularity last year, we went to the lotter,v
:\.stem for the first time. Not only did we
:rare competitive runners from around the
..,.urtr,y as well as lapan and Mexico, entrants
rcluded the father of ultrarunning, Gordy
rr:rs1eigh, and Matt Twietmeyer, son of the
-,-r-:rnous Tim Twietmeyer (who ioined in as
i.i::t s pacer). Happily for me, Craig Thornley
-:::re back as co-RD. and the race went off
'. rrout a hitch.
.1, -t a.m. the early starters, those rvho felt
.,,-. reeded two extra hours to earn their
:-., :i finishing at 9 p.m., were off. At 5
: :r ::e competltive field left, up the first
:--:::-^, :r a ski road, disappearing into the
::.:-.. l1:e illen's race ended up being very
:, .. ,::r.:iLqh the ear1.v mi1es. Favorite Gary
C.---:-. :r;s :iqi'rth'packed in u,ith R1,an Matz,
R',::, \:- .e: and Trler Green for the first big
.
64 U LTRA NOVEIV]BER 2OI5
summit of Mt. Fuji. On the u,'omen's side,
Larisa Dannis led the charge, followed by
55-year-o1d badass Luanne Park and Leslie
Semler.
By mile zo, the four men u'ere stil1
together, but Kaiser began to pull away. At
rn1\e 32, the Charlton aid station, things rvere
starting to get rea1. I(aiser continued to lool<
strong, putting some time on Green and
Matz, but Ge1lin conceded to some painful
feet and dropped. Meanwhile Dannis was
stil1 comfortably leading the women, while
Park and Semler maintained their positions.
After cruising the next five miies of
perhaps the flattest part of the race, the
athletes began the long grind up and over the
Twins saddle-the second gradual and relent-
less climb. At the Twins aid station, I(aiser's
lead over Green was 13 minutes, and over
3o minutes on the new third-place runner,
Adam Lint. At mile 5o, the base of the hardest
climb up to Maiden Pea1t, the top three men
maintained their positions. While I(aiser and
Green maintained first and second into the
final AS. Adam Lint was in a battle for third
with Nathan Stroh and Bryan Bhark.
Dannis continued to stretch her lead over
Park and Semler, smiling hel way through
the race. Semler was gradually closing the
gap on Par1t, and by the last aid station was
a mere [ive minule- back.
If runners saved any juice for the last
seven miles, they were in for a treat: mostly
downhil1, soft, shaded single-track, with a
little lakeside running for added aesthetic
appreciation. I(aiser put the hammer dorvn
and linished in 9:r8:37, r6 minutes ahead of
Green in 9.,2:46. The next three men fought
hard for third position, n,ith Sttoh crossing
the line in ro:14:r5, followed closely by Bhark
in lr.::6:44, and Lint in ro:19:28.
Dannis glided across the finish line in
ro.43145. just outside the last aid station, word
came that a runner was down with a broker-r
.
g
t
1
collarbone. Turns out it was Luanne Park, who,
of course, insisted on continuing. Semler
passed her shortiy to finish in second, as Park
walked/jogged the last seven mi1es, in what
had to be some serious pain, for third place.
In our extra-credit categories, The Found
Waldo award-for the man and woman
who finish the race and are also the first
to summit Mt Fuli, where one can first see
Waldo Lake-went to Kaiser and Dannis. The
Wet Waldo, which goes to the fastest runner
who submerges in the most of the six named
lakes-Charlton, Found, Maiden, North
Rosary, Middle Rosary and Lower Rosary-
went to local favorite Co lones. The Show
Us Your Waldo went to Mark Wright, who
showed his Waldo by waiking on his hands
for the Maiden Peak AS lolks after running
5o miles.
I thank all the runners and volunteers
who participated in thls year's race. Whldo
is organized to provide a quality ultramar- .W'illamette
athon experience, support the
Pass Ski Patrol and other worthy service
organizations, and steward the Pacific Crest
Trail and other trails in the Willamette and
Deschutes \aLional Forests. -t'
oPPOSITE: leff Peterman summiting llt. Fuji.
lO Gary Wangl
ABOVE LEFT: Ninth overall and first woman
Larisa Dannis at Charlton Lake.
lO Michaet Lebow tzlLongrun Plcturesl
ABOVE RIGHT: Ryan Kaiser cruising in f or the
win with his pacer.
LO Gary Breedtove/Longrun Picturesl

Mark lvlcdermott,53, OR 45 Jodie Wood,38, CA 14i29:52 Jared Friesen,33, WA 15:57:57

Watdo 1a
19 Travis Liles,36, OR
12'.12i32
12'.15'.44 47 Co Jones,42, OR 14:30:45 74 N,lichaelChristiansen,5'l,OR 15:5814
Oakridge, OR // August 22 20 Harrison Fluman,30, UT 12:24121 48 Tom Atkins,45, OR 14:33:56 75 Allison Pieja,33, CA 16iOAi57
76 Jim Dole,51, OR
4 *,3- l/rcak 21
22
J.J. Howard,43, OR
Nathan Wallace,37, OR
12:33i44
12i4OiO2
,^
4e SebastianDuesterhoeft,
i;::;'"" 14:36:12
16:01:56
77 KatieChristianson,44,OR 16:05:07
Elevatlon gain: r,ooo feet I This is a challenging loop- John Toepke,36, OR 12:4013 50 Edwin tYliller,17, OR 14145.46 7A Johanna Blanchard,3l, OR 16:05:05
_.a cli-bs up several rourtai.s'rcl rding.
rype corrse
24 Greg Houser,46, OR 12141:21 51 l,like Sheehy,43, lL 14159t15 79 Yoshinori Nakagawa,35, JPN'16:08:48
lu.;. fle Twrls a, o Maide- Peal,. I he route s ro'tly Saulius Eidukas,48, OR 80 StefanieBernosky,33,Tx
Leslie Semler,34, MN 12i44i27 52 l5lOJO 16t'l1io1
sing e-track trails with some fairly remote sections and
26 Joe Blanchard,34, OR 12i44i29 53 Whitney Chamberlain,33, CA 15lor11 81 Lori Barekman,54, CA 1613;36
has many incredible views ofpristine Waldo Lake. lt is
27 l/atthew Twietmeyet, 25, C A 12i58:2O 54 Jonathan Bittner,31, OR 1511:24 82 Meredith Johnson,33, CA 16:19,56
not a beginneFleve ultra.
2A Willem Van Dam,52, CA 13:11:16 55 Shawn Donley,45, OR 15t17:4O 83 Dave Turner,53, WA 16:19:57
1 Ryan Kaiser,36, OR 918:37 Luaflne Park,55, CA 13115i59 56 Bruce Knowlion,64, OR 15:21t42 84 Elizabeth Gonzalez, 38,TX 15:38:29
2 Tyler Green,31, OR 9i32:46 30 N4ichael Taylor,43, OR l3:2315 57 Michael Tooker,30, CA 15i25i25 85 David Elsbernd,61, OR 16:45:53
3 Nathan Stroh,43, OR 1ol4l5 31 Ryan Peel,36, NV 13:23:49 58 [,{ichael Nguyen,35, WA 15:26134 86 Paula Jones,42, OR 17iO7:14

4 Bryan Bhark,30, MA 10:16144 32 Bryan Reichert,45, OR 13:2a:38 59 Brian Dannen,37, OR 15132t24 a7 Gordy Ainsleigh,68, CA 17:08:33
5 Adam Lint,32, PA 1Ol9:28 33 Jeff Boggess,35, OR 13:29:54 50 Jed Flodinq,38, OR 15:35:37 88 Lori Jensen, 51, OR 17:12:31
J0nnifer Castillo,3l, OR 61 Mike Burke,65, OR 15i38i24 89 N4ark Wright,50, OR 17124:38
5 Robert Hendrickson,3S, OR 1O:26:22 13:35:35
7 Ron Gutierrez,48, CA 10:38:02 35 Jack Hsueh,40, CA 13:38:03 62 Brian Janecek,38, OR 15,45:20 90 Jason Espalin,35, TX 17:29:44
8 Ryan N4atz,28, WA 10:39:55 36 Emily Nemeth,39, OR 13:51:23 53 John Arledqe,45, CA 15:45:35 91 Chris Hogan,45, OR 17:31i17

9 Larisa oannis,28, CA 10:43:35 37 Kevin Karr,41, OR 13:59:25 54 Octavio Ocampo,38, MEX 15:46:35 Jeff Hsu,38, OR 17t5O:34
10 Alberto Rossi,33, CO 1oi49115 38 Brian Vanderheiden, 45, Cf 14:O2iA3 65 Erin Chavin,43, CA 15i46148 Steven Greuel,59, CA l8:01:34
11 Wes Thurman,43, CO 11110:46 Laura Richard, 45, C A 14tA9:22 66 Pedro l,4artinez,29, CA 15:46:44 94 Rita Van Doren,49, OR l8io3:45
12 Brian Miller,39, CA 1118:05 40 Gregory Shumavon, 40, OR 14io6i25 67 Joe Schwarte,51, OR 15:47iO7 95 Nicole Walter,47, OR 18:54J4
13 Evan Kimber,38, CO 11:20;05 41 OR
N4atthew N4cclain,34, 14:O6i25 68 Roger Curtis,54, CA 15:49:33 96 Dwight Brown,54, CA 19:2Zt5A
14 N4att Wilson,53, PA 11t23i26 42 Kyle Rodemacher,40, TX 14:09:31 69 Dana Duvivier,42, OR 15i511O4 97 David Cox,55, OR 21127'.01
15 Scott Dakof,31, CA 11,47t27 Justin Rosas,33, OR 14:09:31 70 Dave lsbell,55, OR 15:5'l:15
See page jg :a' ,..,
15 Brian Frankle,37, OR 121O1i29 44 Moises Lucero,35, OR 1415:53 71 Wade Blomgren,54, CA 15:51:21
17 Gary Geist,49, OR 12:10:30 45 David Li,31, CA 14i24i53 72 Robert Hodge,55, OR 15t57147

NOVEMBER 2OI5 ULTRARU\\ I..:,::

 s.
T HSTRL Hkharn

The Heat ls On
l.'- -' ' ,'.:.Irti1' 27, five days before race day, time of ro:25:33. By the time Reed reached the other tough HURL women and finished
:'.':-=_ -.:::perature in Helena, MT, was 63 the top of the third of six major climbs, at as the HURL Elkhorn 5o-mi1e female cham-
:::--: ;r---:. c.45 of an inch of rain. Saturday, r6 miles, he had a lead he wouid not relin- pion (fifth overali) with a time of rr:o8:45.
:- -:----i - -. race day, the high temperature in quish. Second-p1ace finisher Chase Parnell )enny Pierce, the zor3 women's champion,
,- =--=:.. l.IT. t-as 97 degrees, with only a few kept within striking distance all day. Reed finished second (ro'1'overall) with a time
:- : .---'clor-rds interrupting Montana's big built up a r3-minute lead by 3o miles. Parneil o{ tz'.3t zt. Melissa Merrl11 made her move
.r, ---: summer temperatures, much like slowly whittled that down to six minutes beginning at mile 3o, the most difficult part
:-= ::,lle of the HURL Elkhorn courses, when he crossed the finish line at io:3r:29. of the course, moving up from r8th overall to
:i : r-1 up. down, up, down with very little
.
fustin Shobe had to put the hammer down rzth overall to earn the third place female with
----- : :--m-een. The weather gods have been over the last 2.5 miles, which includes the atime of n:53:44.
-=- . .-ld to us over the past few years. It was last climb of the course. to finish third overall In the 5ok, Ian Engerbretson and Micah
-
-: . natter
- of time before our runners had with a time o{ t:oz'.32. Bostrom had separated themselves from the
- - :::= sizziing temperatures to go along with Christi Richard, a recent transplant from rest of the fleld by mile rz. The two runners
--: .=1. challenging terrain. Minnesota now residing in Missoula, estab- checked out of the r6-mi1e and zr.5-mile
:-:-;\ Reed was this year's HURL Elkhorn lished herself as the women's leader by mile aid stations at the same time. Engerbretson
:: -:::ile male champion, finishing with a 16. From there, Richard padded her lead over finally gained some separation on the big
climb up Moose Creek and held the lead the
rest of the way. His winning time was 6:1832.
Bostrom held on for second male finisher
and third overall with a time of 6:25:53. Brian
Flansburg fought offsevere 1eg cramps over
the last seven miles of the course to finish
third maie (fourth overall) with a time of
6:43.44.
Ashley Arnold ran away with the women's
5ok right from the start. The biggest cluestion
of the day was whether or not Arnold would
be the outright winner. At one point, she was
ro minutes behind. By the last checkpoint,

t,;

-,:=F= LEFT TO RIGHT:

50k champs, lan Engerbretson and Ashtey Arnold.
[O Chartie Sperry]

50 -mite f in ishers Eric and Jen Hebert. [o chartie spetry]

50-m ite winner Andy Reed. [o chart e sperry]

Tammie Engebrecht on her way to her loth

consecutive H URL Etkhorn 5oK finlsh. lo charlle sperryl

66 U LTRA- NOVEN/BER 2OI5

 19 N4T
Piper Platte,35, 1416:48 7 Terry Schwengler,5l, CAN 7'.O5i26 38 Tim Devries,45, l,4T 9:01:02
HURL Eikhorn 20 ['lT
Fran Zelenitz,41, 14:25i47 8 Kevin Corbally,43, N4T 7:O9i24 39 Brandon Veth,23, MT 9iO1:25
Endurance Runs 21 lD
David Scott,38, 14:33:16 q D.rcy_N4cKinley Lester, l.,AgiL
40 JP Walters,39, MT 9:02:5a
22 NY
Noah Fredenberg,2l, 14133i17 ' 24.M1 41 Adam Mcmahon,31, MT 9:08:5i
-=-ena. MT,, August I 10 MT 42 Claudia Bickel,53. N4T
23 MT
Khalid Miah,41, 14i52116 Daniel Hunter,34, 7:12i45 9t2ot32
L +,s. // 50 Mites 24 FL
Eileen Czabaranek,3O, 14:58:58 11
'12
OR
Daniel Roper,32,
Wl
7:22148 43 Gary Emler,53, CA
44 Luke Casey,33, MT
9i21i54
:,::ion gain: 50 miles - r3,ooo feet; 5ok - z,loo feet I 25 Andy Holmes,47, lD 15io4i47 Samuel N4icka,22, 7125i39 9:34149
a
u::: rithls coutse ls very technical single-tlack trail and 25 Eric Hebert,42, MT 15:05:04 13 Nick Graham,42,N4N 7:27iO5 45 Tracy Kneisler,46, NM 9:37:15
:- -':rve jeep road and no pavement. This is primarily a 27 Jen Hebert,36, MT 15;06:04 14 N4ike Zimmerman,37, CAN 7:29i14 46 Wesley White,45, MT 9:43109
--:ie. backcourtly run through the Elkhorn Mountains 2B Claudia Lee,35, GA 15:08:36 15 Chelsey Frank,39, MT 7i43:35 47 David Dutton,58, WA 9:5319
: ': .ocks, forests, meadows, a historic ghost towr and 29 Joanne Guppy,51, ALB 15:09:48 '15 Ryan Lundin,33, MT 7;50:51 48 Pat Clay,34, MI 9i57:23
::-eiery, a mountair lake, and co d, clear creeks lo 3O ThomasStrathmann,2S,MT 1515:28 -- lsabelShinnick-Gordon,
1? 2:";f ' '" "" ""' 7:5615e
49 Chris Briske,57, N4I lo:00:52
;: ::: through. 31 lan Hutcheson,59, CAN 15:23:Ol 50 Ariana Mcelrath,25, i4I 10:0215
50 MILES 32 Ben Leber,51, OR 15:24:05 18 Bind Peters,33, hlT A.OBiAZ 51 Tammie Engebrecht,5l, MT 10:06:03
' Andy Reed,44, ALB 10:25:33 33 N/ike Talia,34, MT 15:2818 19 Robert Pudner,28, [4T 8i17t22 52 Bill Johnston,62, MT 10:07:28
2 Chase Parnell,30, N4T 10131129 34 JackieZimmerman,36,CAN 15:32:31 20 Mikael Olson,32, OR 8t19,42 53 Bob Johnson,58, MT 10:18:34
3 Justin Shobe,29, WA 11tO2:32 35 Andrew Cupino,33, N4T 15:34i23 21 Adrienne Tauses,34, OR 8:20:53 54 Jon N4iller,53, lD 1O:25i22
35 Joseph Brezovic,34, CA 22 James Reilly,37, MT 8:21:05 55 Nathan Longhurst, l5, WA 1O:32:23
Milton zhinin-Barreto, il:07:01 15:34:23
-z 34, N.4T 37 Brian Sweet,43, WA 15157i44 Blair Speed,30, MT 8:29:04 56 Larry Longhurst,45, WA 10:32126
: Christi Richards,27, MT 1l:08:46 38 Scott Blum,49, N4T 16:05:38 24 Robert Goodwyn.29, MT 8:29;05 57 Rich Desimone,63, lvlT 1Oi42'.11

39 Matt Ellwein,34, klT Joanne Schmidt,45, CAN 58 Nathan Paden,47, TX 1O,46i36

5 Jake Milligan,32, MT 11:53:51 15;21:05 8;30:33
59 Drew Walker,56, SC
? Tim Arrington,35, lD 12115:49 40 William Rideg,49, tvlT 16121i39 26 Connor Couqhlin,22, lD 8:37t32 10:50:57
3 Nicholas Flores,25, WY 12i16.51 41 Quincie Albrecht, 46, tr'lT 16:21:39 27 Dylan Graves,23, MT 8i42io3 60 J.D. Coolidqe,40, MN 10:58:24
42 Niki Marancik,43, MT 28 Joan Klostreich,42, FL 51 Carolina Davies,29, MT 10:59108
9 Daniel De souza,21, N4T 12',30'.47 16i22.41 8t44to7
52 Collette Haney,49, AZ
'O Jenny Pierce,32, l\4T 12:31i21 43 Marty Cooke,44, lD 16i52i42 29 Megan Wight,29, MT 8t44io7 l1:O0:25
il Charles Corfield,57, CO 12i47i59 3o Heaiher Kopczuk,38, MT 8:45124 53 George Burgin,48. lvlT 11:06:33
:2 Melissa Merrill,35, lD 12t53:44 50K 3'1 Andre Mehan,42, MT 8:50:05 64 Charles Steele,59, N'tT 11i14i44
i3 Nick Truax,34, MT 12:56:46 1 lD
lan Engerbretson,24, 6i18i32 32 Dustin Hancock,32, MN 8:55:09 55 William Wood,53, MT 11i15,46

14 Eric Ashley,37, NJ 13:08:09 2 Ashley Arnold,28,CO 6i22i27 Jeffrey Johnson, 33, MT g:55:30 66 Seth Elsheimer,63, FL 1215:01
15 John Hallsten,58, MT 13:33:55 3 Micah Bostrom,25,MT 6t25i53 1A Carolyn Blasch,38, MI 8:57;04 67 Brian Losi,42, lvlT 12:38:31
16 Marta Fisher,40, OR '13:34:09 4 ID
Brian Flansburq,45, 6t43:44 Mary Anderson,23, MT 8;59J7 68 Ned Rozell,52, AK 12:39t43
17 Bryan Johnson,39, MT 13t54t45 5 Jon Ballard,43, MT 6t57:59 35 Axel Yount,26, MT 8:5919 59 Cindy Carlson,42, CA 12'.44:21

18 Hayden Janssen,35, lvlT '!3:55:43 6 olden Phatt,38, N4T 7io2t58 x7 Cody Custis,32, MT 8t59i4o ' See page I for keY

2.5 miles from the finish, she was only four minutes out
of the overall lead. Although unable to close any further,
Arnold took the women's title with a ttm.e of 6'.zz:27,
good for second overa1l. She covered the second half
ofthe course faster than any other 5ok runner. Darcy
Mcl(inley-Lester and Chelsey Frank each ran a steady
pace to take second and third place females with times
o{ 7 :o 9:z 4 and 7 :43:35 respectivelY.
Congratuiations to Iohn Hailsten and Fran Zelenitz for
keeping their records of completing all (rr) HURL Elkhorn
also
5o-mi1e runs going for another year. Congratulations
to Tammie Engebrecht, who suffered through numerous
bouts of HURLing to keep her record of completing all
(ro) HURL Elkhorn 5oI( runs.
With no pavement, lots of vertical, remote and
technical trails we challenge you to experience the real li:.r .i,i r

Montana... leave civilization behind. -$

NOVEI\,1BER 2OI5 L ULTRAPI]N' : OJ

 zf,e
. --: -:':1. Q+
j' rqr lA\{PBELL
uTL3
On warm Chamonix evening,
a and Xav'ier Thevenard were
:.JCO runners assembled for the
rj= edition of the Ultra Trail du
\Iont Blanc. There are usually
many who run the first five
miles to Les Houches at a sprint,
and this year was no
rion. Hitting the front was Erik
Clavery, followed by a lead pack
that included the Spanish trio
of Liris Alberto Hernando, Tofoi
Castanyer and Miguei Heras.
U LTRA T1 '. \ '\
ltrternationalscene
'Sage Canaday, Julien Chorier
running within themselves in a
second pack. followed by a very
comfortable looking Ryan Sa ndes.
Canaday stumbled and required
stitches a nd eventually pulled out,
excep- Sandes was having an offday and
Chorier dropped much later.
Thevenard and the three
Spaniards conLinued as a lead
group and pushed the pace.
By the time they arrived at
Courmayeur (78k) there was good
breathing space between them
and then fiflth-place American
Seth Swanson. Thevenard was
out first from Courmayeur to
head up the next big ciimb
to Refuge Bonatti. Swanson
pushed hard. and with Castanyer
and Heras dropping, he found
himselflin a solid third place. By
the time they reached Teies Aux
Vents (r59k), Thevenard had a
56-minute lead over a battling
Hernando. who was only meters
ahead of Swanson. Tt lool<ed
TOP: Nathalie Mauctair digging deep
at UTlVlB, l@ a. Ca-pbelrl
LEFT: David Laney cruisinB at UTMB.
fO lal Ca-poelll
: - C I'/ NOVEI\,4 BER 20]5
like Swanson was going to take
second, but a fast moving David
Laney made up a ton of time on
the final downhill section into
Chamonix. The speeding Laney
ran out oftrail to catch Hernando.
Swanson finished z8 seconds
behind Laney.
The women's race looked to
be a fantastic contest: Nuria Picas,
Caroline Chaverot, Stephanie
Howe, Uxue Fraile Azpeitia.
Fernanda Maciel. Francesca
Canepa, Darcy Africa and
Nathalie Mauclair. But the heat
and brutal course conditions took
their toll. Picas and Canepa were
fi rst to drop. Chaverot led the race
and was tracked by a dogged
Mauclair. But Chaverot, in her
debut roo miler, was having her
own issues and eventually had to
drop. This left the door wide open
for a tough and resilient Nathalie
Mauclair to consolidate her race
and reach Chamonix for a well
deserved win.
Her lead over second-
place Fraile was 74 minutes.
Switzerla nd's Den ise Zimmerman
passed Spanrard Srlvra lngueros
to take the final podium spot.
Africa finished as top America n
in fifth, and Howe in eighth.
BEHIND THE
CAMERAATUTMB
UTMB is a monster of a
course covering three countries
in its r7ok. It sta rts in Chamonix,
France. heads j nto Italy and then
Switzerland before crossing the
border once again to return
to France and the screaming
crowds lining the Chamonix
streets. Chamonix gets all the
plaudits, but Courmayeur in
Italy plays an important role in
UTMB. It's a pleasant mountain
town in the Aosta Valley at the
base of Mont Blanc. It's also the
start for CCC and is the first
ma jor place on the UTMB course
where runners can pick up a
drop bag and take on substan-
tral trrel.
The UTMB start time is 6
p.m., and by the time the elite
runners reach Courmayeur at
78k it's around z:43 a.rn. The
aid station is in the large Sports
Center. Food, drink and the
all-important drop bags are laid
out awaiting the runners. The
station stays open until r p.m.
the next day. and the volunteers
wilibe in for a long night and day.
The ca{6 in the aid station
is doing a roaring trade selling
espressos and beer. There are
some late-night revelers,.';iots
o[ media. and the elite runners'
crews. I heir prt stop Is nol too
dilferent from that of a Formula
l team. and justlike in Fr, there
are d iffering processes.
There is an air ofanticipation.
Everyone has been waiting for a
long time. and we are ali high
on espressos.
Then. cheering an nounces
the arrival of the lead group.
There are four runners. and
each oftheir crews is ready for
action. The runners head into
the building and are guided
up two flights of stairs. Their
sweat is dripping. It's a mild
night out there. and they have
been moving at a good pace.
The iRunFar crew has already
recorded and snapped the arrivai.
Other media and photographers
charge around the airy hall to

..e each of the four runners
.:rd their crews, taking photos,
--rning and trying to find out
.:rr snippets ofinfo and observe
r r*'they feel and what they are
..:ing and drinking.
Practiced crews replace water
- ::t1es and load up with new gels
- :ri1e the runner cluickly drinks
.rd whilst also looking out
eats,
-ie corner of their eye at the
:,her three runners. Thevenard
-s first to start to leave and there
-s a sudden rush ofactivity from
,he others. Each ofthem doesn't
lant to lose seconds or minutes,
'lr,rt they are also acutely aware
:hat they must take on vital fue1,
rtherwise their race could end.
It's a fine line.
Quickly, the four are gone
and the crews are packing up.
They must head to the next aid
station. It's been less than five
minutes of frantic activity, and
rve all return to a sense ofcalm
and anticipation until the next
arrival.
IUA lOOk World Championships
Wtuw&WWffiffi&
ffiW &tuw ffiwmffi
BY MATT FLAHERTY
WINSCHOTEN,
THE NETHERLANDS
I'm 89 kilometers into
the zor5 iAU rool( World
.Winschoten,
Championships ln
the Netherlands, working
through panopiy of aches and
a useful in terms of race strategy;
pains. My calves and hamstrings
hare been occasionally cramping
for nearly 5ok, but my feet feel the
worst. Especially in this moment,
running over what the course
description ca11s "pavers"-tech-
nically bricks, which make up a
healthy minority of Lhe running
surface. Most of the pavers aren't
too bad, but the ones that have
been around a while are smaller
and worn with more space
between them. They feel like
cobblestones.
:t
o'
h/laintai n Performance
ccc
North America's Zach Mil1er
until the Final Mile!"
dominated the field to win in
a time of n:53:12, 13 minutes
ahead of fe11ow American Tim
Tollefson. Taking the third spot
u,as France's Nicolas Martin, ro
minutes later.
New Zealand's Ruth Charlotte
Croft totally destroyed the
rvomen's field and all but seven
of the men, coming in eighth
oterall in t2:j45). American
Magdalena Boulet took second
piace in a time of r4:oz:47 over an E
hour 1ater. Third and final place rE
was Spain's Laia Canes, rvho was H
4z minutes after Boulet. S %--'\
lE
***1S1k - *,r**M* ,_ SDUfts
Hfdrfifiro ur!r
''.; Ptll
1 Zach N4iller l1:53:32
2 Tim Tollefson 12,O6i56
3 Nicolas Martin 12:16147
rt, ...
.,:,:,i'.,j.1 t]
:a,:fiit
1 Ruth CharlotteCroft 12154i53
2 tl4agdalena Boulet 141O2t47
3 Laia Canes 14t43:O7
I glance to my left at the one
place on the rok loop course
where you can briefly see other
runners maybe a kilometer
behind. This quick flash of
information isn't particularly
mostly I'm just curious. I'm
surprised to catch a glimpse of
Camille Herron striding power-
fu11y, commandingly leading the
women's race. She can't be more
than a few minutes behind me.
Despite late-race stomach
issues, Herron has the race
locked up by this point, and the
r& tattwtnd
women's team would similarly
top the podium. Team USAs
three-person total of zz:39:15- tallwindnutrition.com
aggregate time, not a point total
like cross countrv-from Herron
NOVE\,4BER 2OI5 ULTRA
 II/// 1I}A lOOK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
--;:o8:35), Sarah Bard (4'h,7a9o\ and
;-:eran Meghan Arbogast (r7'h, 8:oz:or)
;'i -:d besl second-place Sweden by an impres-
-r= rr minutes.
Biroyed bi knowledge of Herron s-remark-
aiie race in progress, I ready myselffor the
inal loop. |ust a 1ap ago, the French suPport
'"=* ."ri very animaied, yetling encourage-
nlent to one oitheir runners as I passed him,
:nd I infer that we must be in a tight race lor
:he podium. I think I'm in third place for
-team USA, the final scoring position, and
I ask for an update on the standings when I
-
c(rme to the team aid station.
ifr"y ilff -",1'w" ."rr't fir. dZachBitter!"
It is quickly apparent he must have dropped. I
I simple, unornamented proving ground. Some
* Justine Morrison, Caroiyn 5mith, and Camitte Herron'
I about myself. As loi ourwomen. their perfor-
I mance was extraordinary which renders me
70 ULTRA- :''. \G Ov NOVEI,4BER 20]5
found out later that Bitter had an unfortunate
;i.rgr; ;;;il,, ttt.i.t a.a in breathing prob-
lemi and a hospital visit. But at this point,
there is nothing to do but ciose as well as I can.
Our team isn't haring the race we did
last year-when we topped the podium in
Qatar, led by Max King's individual victory
and American Record-but we are fighting.
Losing Bitter is a blow, but teammate Chikara
Omine, rallying from muscle cramps of his
own. comes up to my shoulder with 6k to go.
I let him know the news about Bitter and thaL
*. rr. rrrring in the second and third team
positions behind Joe Binder. Encouraging
Lne another, we work together through the
final aid station.
I manage to close just a bit qrricker over
the final 4k, passing an Australian runner
to [inish in z4 h place in 7:or:o8. Binder is
iust ahead in zr" place with a 6:58:o4, while
Omine rounds out our tight r-l spread
-with
a z6'h-p1ace 7ioztr4. We're lacking a front'
runner, but the conventional cross country
wisdom oIhaving a smal] pack split pays ofl
we linish 4'r place as a team in zr:or:26. Eight
teams had faster first runners but lacked our
depth. We even had reserves, if needed, in ]im
Walmsley (28'h,7:o5l9) and Nick Accardo
g4'1 .7:t3.zz).
It wasn't a particular\ pretty perfor-
mance, but 1 was proud of our men's team for
running gritty races, making the most ofwhat
TOP LEFT: The men s team (L ro R) Tim Yanacheck
(team manage0, Matt Ftaherty, Joe Binder, lim
WaLmstey. Zach Birrer, Chikara Omine. and Nick
Accardo. lo Matt FLahertyl
TOP RIGHT:The women s team (L to R) Lin Gentting
(team manage0, Sarah Bard, Meghan Arbogast,
rO Var F.a-e' ,1
LEFT: A focused Matt Ftaherty strides down the road
for team USA. loGuido GaLtenkampl
we had. It's easy to be tough and run strong
when you're in front or having a great day' It's
a lot tougher to maximize your performance
on sub-par days, buried in the pack.
This is where the team aspect ofthe race
really came into p1ay. When you're ready to
chicken out on yourself,, accept a relaxation
in pace or even a DNF, the team leeps you
going. They need you and you need them.
Fersonally, I further needed redemption in
this race after a DNF at last year's rooK World
Championships due to injury' I missed six
months of,trai ning this winler and spring.
but I was rounding into iust good enough
lorm to iustify toeing the ]ine.
I was optimisticallyhoping for a finishing
time around 6:45:oo, but by the fourth rok
loop, it was apparent that my body wasn't
ready lor that time. And so bega n roughly five
hours of mental gym nastics. breaking down
Lhe race and even each Iap into componenLs to
be tackled one at a time. I kept telling myself
that if I could make it to the 6k aid station
of each 1ap. the rest of the lap would pretty
much run ilselL
All distance runners deal with this to some
extent-struggling io convince oneself to
push, to ho1d"o"n luit a bit longer-but espe-
cially ultrarunners. Anytime you race, it is
a given. And running a course as simple as
a looped rook road race leaves no room for
scenic traii or mountain escapism. There is
only pure, unbridled .orrrp"iitiorl against
otheirunners (and in this case other teams),
against the clock, and-as ever-against
yourself. roo kilometers of road make for a
may think it boring, but I submit this is a
*o.thy endeavor fi, any runner. I know I
walked away har ing learned someth ing more
impressed, proud and only wanting more. .$
 Specialty (ultra,) Rtttttting
T:er ,.ar ultrarunntng is a simple sport So where do you get all ofthis stuff, and
,Sto reg
other ultrarunners or learn 1oca1 trail knowl-
:t,: con:plicated people. Nowhere is that find cool new products) And where do you edge (they all have maps too-that you can
buy or that they will make for you on the
=c:e erident than with the typical ultra-
get expertise and local knowledge) There's
:-;::er s gear. only one best place-your 1oca1 specialty back ofa napkin).
I ock no farther than the trunk ofan running store that caters to ultrarunners. The following is our list of great ultra-
1=-rr-xrlner's car, and you will find bag Only there will you find like-minded people running-focused specialty stores in North
::rc.:- :rag (or pile and pile) of all manner who know the sport and what you need. And America (the highlighted ones support us
,ri-- rtor any condition-hot, cold, rainy, since the best part of ultrarunning is its by contributing content or by advertising
a:ed even perfect weather. community, there's no better place to meet their store or races).
=:in=

AL 256 650.7063
= ----:=, S:lrrs 2722 Cart T lones Dr SE Ste 82 Huntsv Lle
:,_s- r Walton BLvd Ste 2 BensonvllIe AR 419.464.1866
---;rg Company 2212 S
4730 E ndian Schoot Rd Sie 125 Phoen x l\l 602.368.5330
:_.-:.S l3n 6505 N t6rh St Phoenix /\Z 6A2.211.4333
r-"ningCompany 530.823.2002
--:--- 833 Lincoln Way Auburn CA

1,=== -: S-,rnmii 3l2NManSt Bishop CA 160.812.1156

: - : a. : es:ment-Campbell Sore lB75 S Bascom Ave Ste 240 Campbell CA 40B.Bqq.57B3

l0l W tvcKnight Way Ste C Grass VaIiey CA fia,n4.4422
-=l-.: -'g Running Company 333 Center Street Heatdsbr rg CA 65A.il4.9433
San F amis(o Running Company 247 Shoreline Hwy Unit BI Milt Vattey CA 415.450.7031
' . :l1DTq 6014 Coliege Ave 0akland CA 5r0.655.4809
-
Zrnbie Runner 429 5 California Ave Pato Alto CA 650.325.2048
: :=:i Sports Sacramento 23| I St Sacramento CA s16.442.3690
--
!:::: Basement-Bryant St. Store 1590 Bryant St San Francisco CA 4t5.575.3000

!:-:s 3asement-Presid o Store 610 lilason St Saf Francisco CA 4t5.4370100

!.=-.a Barbara Running ll0 Anacapa St Santa Barbara CA B05.B9S.BB02

i::':s Basement-Sunnyvale Store ll77 Kern ,Ave Sunnyvale CA 408.732 0300

q25.941 6100
!::'-s Basement WaLnut Creek Store lBBl Ygnacio Valley Rd WaLnut Creek CA

:: -.rer Runn ng Company (RSG) 2775 Peart St Bou[der CO ill.qs2.0511

q0423.d16
, ::lcal Runner Breckenridge 301 N Nlaln St. Breckenridge CO

-:-"cendence Run & Hike 5BO Highway 133 Carbondate CO 970.704.0q09

i-',lner's Roost 7978 W Alameda Ave Unit A Lakewood CO 303.qsl.lB5l
-:,ider Running Company (RSG) Bll6 W BowLes Ave LittIeton CO 811992.A511
,:,'omeiers 590 Danbury Rd Ridgef eld CT 203.438.5056
izrdanna Running & Walking 504 W lvlain 5i Boise D 419.464.1866
Sru's ldaho Running Company l75B W State St Bo se D 208.344.6644
-1e Pulse Running & Fiiness Shop 520 S Mer dian Rd STE 60 Meridian ID 208.884.8907
Running Fit I23 E Liberty St Ann Arbor MI 734.769.5016
TC Runn ng Company 6405 City West Pkwy Ste 84 Eden Pralrie l\/N 952944.1386
Llitt City Running 4ll E Hennepin Ave MlnneapoLis IVN d2.2A2.AAB2
ileet Feet Sports 3Bl3 Mexlco Rd Saint CharLes N/0 855 588.2786
Missourl Running Co. U20 Kingsway Dr. #103 Cape Girardeau Nt0 573.803.|93
Tread LightLy 104 E Broadway Ste I letena MT 4A6.442.6255
The Uttra Running Company 1027 Providence Rd Charlotte NC 980.231.6624
Red Rock Running Company 120 S Green VaLLey Pkwy Ste 144 Henderson NV 102.496.4118
Red Rock Running Company 7350 W Cheyenne Ave Ste l0l Las Vegas NV 1A2.496.4118
klipse Running 3438 Lakeside Dr Reno NV 115 821.2216

Kinetic Running 89 Bridge St. Piattsburgh NY 518324.4186

irontrunner 1344 W Lane Ave Columbus OH 614.486.0301

Rogue Runners l5l E Main St Ashland OR 805.899.8802

-leer Feet Sports 1320 NW Galveston Ave Bend OR 541 389.t60t
;ootZone 0f Bend 842 NW WaLL Si Bend OR 541 3173568
rJgene Runn ng Company ll6 0akway Ctr Eugene OR 541.344.6399
,;abulous 902 Hayden Blvd Elizabeth PA 412.384.5830
rriladelphia Runner l60l Sansom St Philadelphla PA 541.344.6399
lcck,/Creek 301 lVanufacturers Rd Chattanooga TN 423.643.2565
i':akaway Running 2109 lVadlson Av." Memphis TN 9U.122.8191
San Anionro Running Company 7ll S. St Mary's San Antonio TX 5r2.q83.0771

S-.:.crge Runnrng Center 2736 Red CLlffs Dr Ste 2 Saint George UT 435.628.1166

S:i: .ake Ciiy Running Company 2454S1AAE Satt Lake City UT 8U.4849144
l':u:: ?inning ll59 B Crozet Ave Crozet VA fi42A5.4452
:i==: reei Sporis 9ll E Pine St Seattle 206329.1466
S:,,:' -rlls Running Shop 3139 W Governrnent Way Ste B Seattte 2A6.9415866
!Lranararhon Running Store lB Berndines Way Buckingham United Kingdom 0044 0)280 820692

72 ULTRAA!\\ING-COI',] NOVEI\,4BER2OI5
 _iALIFE
4 One Step Beyond
Unswrrlry Heroes
3Y DEAN KARNAZES
Race Director par excel.tance Tropical John Medinger, with his truty better half,
uitrarunner and co-race director Lisa Henson. lo Dav d Gordonl
Every time we sign up to run
an ultramarathon, we have a race
director to thank. These are the
men and women who work tire-
1ess1y behind the scenes to make
sure that all the elements neces-
sary to make the race happen
are in place. Their work begins
weil before the starting gun goes
off and lasts well after the final
finisher crosses the line.
Race directing is largely
a thankless job. Rareiy do
we cross the finish line and
say, "Wow, that RD really did
a fantastic job." More often, we
complain about the course not
being marked properly, the aid
stations lacking the particular
flavor of GU2O we prefer, the
trail being inadecluately groomed,
many RDs and I can attest to
this firsthand. While they may
play it cool and collected, that's
largely a front they put up. inside,
they're stressing over every last
detail. And few ofthese people
make thelr living this wa,v. They
typically have a day job that puts
food on the table. Race directing
is just a side vocation.
And it's a rime-consuming
one at that. According to a
recent study b,v the Active
Network published on Endurance
Sportswire. upto zo%o of an RD's
time can be consumed simply
trying to sta)'on top ofthe endless
list of administrative tasks before,
durlng and after the event.
Making malters worse, most of
what race directors hear after an
event is gn"rmbles and complaints
from us competitors. So I've got
the temperature being too hot, or
too cold, etc... Gripe after gripe
is typically lobbed the RD's way , ln his fascinating new book
about every imaginable malfea-
sance, major and minor. - H7w Bad D0 Y1u Want lt?, caacn
Which begs the question: why
would anyone want to be a race
directorl
The answer is simple: they
do it for the money. HA! That's
another negative factor about the
job: the pay is miserabie and the
hours are 1ong.
So what's the real reason
someone decides to step into
this demanding line of workl
Passion. Pure and simple. RDs
are passionate people who care wueloprBss'
deeply about creating a mean-
ingful experience for all ofus
participants. I am friends with
NOVEMBER
a lresh idea: let's change all that.
Next time you run an ultramara-
thon, send the RD a positive note
about something you actually
enjoyed during the race. Even
if you've never written an RD
before, take the time to scribe a
cluick note thanking him or her
for putting on the event. It may
not seem like much, but to these
unsung heroes ofour sport, it
means the worid. -$
Dean Karnazes lives and runs
just nortLt. of
tlr.e Gold.en
Gate Bridge.
GrBat athletic performances
spring from the mind,
not the body.
Matt Fitzgerald examines more
than a dozen pivotal races to
discover the surprising ways
elite athletes strengtfren
their mBntal toughness. Their
powerful strategies will help
you flex your mental fitness
and uncover your full potential.
ll,$*ll,tn:**l
2OI5 ULTRARL' 75
---:--..4 The Ultra Virgin
Goilrrg ltAloner
ot Doirrlg ltTog*ther?
3. I-]SqA PTRKINS
i=ding up to my first ultra next April,
'i=:= rs a deep cluestion brewing in my
..r::::E brain: should I run alone or with
ii:csi Should I train alone or hire a coach)
D: I .ro -lone woif" or find a packl
In ihe beginning, when I was first
:-;o=iag a"runner," I was sure that I would
-er--i run rvith someone. I like the quiet, the
and not having to fight someone for
=eace
:.=cc. Bui as many runners know, over time
:-::rcing can become monotonous, so you
,;ci ior company to help lighten the 1oad. You
i:i a running partner or a group and pass
.::e miles with conversation. That's all weli
;:i good, but there are times when you need
:c be alone in your head as well. You need to
-r::he
trails solo.
I am excited to announce that not only was
I recently cleared to run trails again (after an
rruie sprain sidelined me), but I also dragged
rocreone else along to try to get her hooked
on nature as we1l. Don't get me wrong-I love
:-Lrnning the trails alone, but I wanted to share
t
I'
H e{r
71 ULTRAAI\N]\C.COM NOVEMBER20]5
my love and get someone else excited at the
possibilities that 1ie beyond the road's edge.
I met Alyssa (my running partner) at a
trail course in Lakeville, MN, called Ritter
Park. It is nothing loo crazy or too long, so I
knew it would be the perfect place for her to
get her feet wet and get hooked. She was hesi
tant, but I knew (having been in her position
not too long ago) that if she felt the fear and
did it anyways, she would love it.
Alyssa and I fight pace a lot. She is a
selfdescribed erratic runner and I tend to
keep a fairly even pace, so when I told her that
trail running needed to be done slower (not
to mention that it was technicaily my off day),
I knew she would still take off in her typical
speedy rabbit lashion.
I kept reminding her to slow down. We
talked, took in the sights, and tried to match
pace. She tried to pretend she wasn't loving
it, but by the end I could teli she finally knew
what I knew: trails are something different...
something special. We stood there in our
i .r1i'
morning dew soaked shoes and basked in the
sun that was sneaking through the trees. We
smiled at each other, knowing that these two
one-time road runners had been converted.
We didn't have to say a word... the trails
had done the talking for us.4
Alisha Perkins is mom of two girls and
wife of Glen Perkins, All-Star closerfor
the Minnesota Twins. She strives to live
a simple ltfe in a crazy world. In zotz she
d.is c ov er e d, r unning an d found.
hervoice. She started ablog
about running, her battle with
anxiety and exercise goodi.es
in general. She will be
chronicling her pro cess of
"crossing over" to runher F"l
first ultra in these pages
over the next seueral issues.
For more about,Alisha.
visit alish ap erkins. c om.
:
::
::
4 The Rocket Rants

:
-

=
DoYoruwffiffiffiwww&
-
.==
, . . ' .: :,: ihat you humanly can to get another example-a race director is in the take it anymore and give you your entry fee
== - .:=::-. :efore you take on the course. process ofconcluding a long and comprehen- back.
:.
: -: -.' -:.:-rcipatedinaverypopular5ok, sive pre-race spiel to the assembied masses, Too often, runners are showing up for
- .: t-.: c.rId expect, the usual accolades, and just before releasing the group he or she ultra events with sketchy knowledge about
':r

.,.,-::'..: :u<1 a few complaints came rolling
r . ..: ::-= fact. One guy emailed that he'd
r .. :: '-., lor the race 24 hours after the
=-l . l-,..:ng,rr*,i'," ,r..1".r ,fr" morni,rg.
: .r, :,. ;arne to the realization that he'd had
: .,, r - r-E date, he decided to make the best
.: = '..r\' sobering awakening and he ran
: :---::se anyway, unassisted.
- .::-ar-rded him for his determination: he
:. =; it r-ip and made lemonade out of his
..::'. -:--. \I-hat I took issue with was his inquiry
: - -: a potential partial refund because he d
::--..ed the official start. I thought I'd heard
-.'=:-;tiring. Now I think I have. Come on
:- ',r'.. . it u'as his mistake.
'ii.e all make mistakes. I have no problems
',','-.:-
thai. I've even been late for the start of a
:=:= a time or two myself (although not a fu1l
:... late!). The only person that i had issues
:r-:rh or questioned was myseif.
\11-rant today is not about this tone-deaf
-e-lnd request. It's about the mindset. Here's
asks: 'Are there any questionsl"
A few hands go up in the air and someone
chimes in with the first ciuestion, prompting
everyone else to wait with baited breath to
hear the clueries and the subsequent answers.
It may be something that we need to know
but failed to ask. But what we real1y want is
to get out of there so that we can get on with
the getting on.
But now everyone is roped into sitting
and listening to some boring question, like
"what should I do if I can't pick up a pacer at
the aid station when I need one)"
Rea11y... that's the question that you're
having us a1l wait for!
None of us mind sitting through intel-
ligent, thought provoking questions being
posed and answered. But don't take up our
limited and precious time left before lift off
with nonsense just because you want to hear
yourselfspeak, draw attention to yourself
or agaln
yo,, JiJ"'i
do your
homework.
Do your
homework
first. Have I stressed
that point enoughl
what they're about to embark upon. Okay,
so you've gone to lhe [JltraRunning calendar
and selected the 5o miler or roo that you're
interested in, you've gone to UltraSignup and
formally registered. You're doing what you
think is the necessary training, and you've
read some of the information on the race's
website-but did you devour it alll
That section that you glossed over could
cost you your race: but what's worse for us,
the question that you're begging to have
answered was covered by the website.
At every roo-mile pre-race briefing that
I've attended over the years, there's almost
always someone who comes up with a query
that makes me want to strangle them. As
I've gotten o1der, I've become a little more
intolerant of some things than I used to be,
but I've always been annoyed by these antics.
For those ofyou who show up a day late
for a race, get lost on the course because you
don't know what signs to follow, don't har,e
a drop bag at a particular site, didn't arrange
for a ticket for that all-important bus ride back
to the start or whatever your particular issue
may be: a1i that I can say is that ifyou'd done
the right thing, you might not have had that
hiccup and we wouldn't have had to entertain
yorrr f.,r* pm. Ultrarunning is a big girls and
i

Go online and soak up boys sport. Management has an obligation to I

all of the available informa-
tlon concernlng tne now,
when, rvhere and what
about the race. Consult
with your [riends who have
run the event. Then, ifyou
have pertinent questions
that can't or haven't been
answered by the race's
website. feel lree to
interrogate the RD
and oi his staff to
d@k your heart's content.
or'unti] they can't
its participants, but ultimately this is about
being as selfreiiant as one can be, doing the
necessary research and then sucking up the
rest and trying to get it done. 4
Errol "Rocket" Jones is a reteran ultrarunner
of j4 years. having participated in over zoo
ultras daliwgback to t9&. Jones cornpleted.
ultrarunning's Grsnd. Slam in ry98 and
is a j-time finisher of Badwater-the first
Afr ican - Am er ican t o acco mpl i sh those feats.
He is alsa Co-Race Director
af the Bear rco a.nd the
Qaad Dipsea,, ond sertes :

as indantured servatxt at
a * the Miwok qnd Lake
Sonoma ultrai.

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