2012 US Ski Mountaineering Championships

Start of 2012 US Champs

 With winter being absent in most of the western US, I think there was a lot of uncertainty going into this years US Ski Mountaineering Championships. Training, for me at least, was very challenging due to the limited snowpack. For many of the racers it would also be the first race of the year, which also added to the unknown. This year's race had a larger field than last year, and certainly a deeper field both on the men's and women's side of the race. Not only were there a lot of fast looking folks lined up at the start there was a bunch more super light race gear and speed suits than I have seen at a US race. At that point I knew for sure it was going to be a barnburner!

Going Anaerobic!

 In typical fashion the first few minutes after the start were spent getting deeply anaerobic, but the pace did relax (slightly) as the field started break up a little. I found myself in third, about 200 feet behind Marshal and Scott Simmons who were setting a blistering pace out front. By the time we hit the 1st transition I had moved up on Marshal a little but Scott was skiing out of the transition zone as I came in. He had a 30-40 second lead. The first descent was pretty rocky at the top, but skied relatively well. Bryan Wickenhauser caught me in the descent as I was skiing a little timidly. I pulled into the transition right behind him, Scott again was just finishing his transition and skinning away.  The next climb I pushed hard to try to gain in Scott and put some ground on Wick and Marshal, but I don't think I accomplished much of either. The second descent was a bit dicey at top, but like the previous was very skiable as we got further down. Scott had already left the transition when I got there, he was hammering! I pulled out of the transition just ahead of Wick and there was a good size group of racers finishing the descent as I started skinning towards the gondola. Yet, even pushing at red line I wasn't gaining on Scott. I worked on fueling a bit, hitting the First Endurance Slurry that worked so well during ultra racing this past summer.

Digging Hard Near Corbet's Cabin

 When I hit the boot pack I found the extra gear I had been trying to get all day, I finally started to make up some ground on Scott and actually caught up to him as we topped out. I tried to stay close as we traversed Pepi's bench, but again he pulled away a little. As we worked our way around under Corbet's I gained just slightly hoping to get to the boot transition at the same time. Scott left the boot transition a second or two ahead but I was able to reel him in, he graciously let me pass and I set to work at building a little bit of a lead. Seeing my dad, wife and best friend James at the top of the booter added a bit of pep to my tired legs, I left the top transition about a minute or so ahead of Scott.  The long decent down from the top was surprisingly skiable, but took its toll on my weak ski legs. The lack of snow has been ok for uphill training but I haven't had any race pace downhill skiing yet this season. Scott caught me at the bottom and we skied into the transition together. I hit a solid transition and pulled out just ahead of Scott. I knew this was the last chance to get ahead so I fully buried myself in the deep recesses of the pain cave to pull away from Scott, when I hit the top of the last climb I had about a minute lead. I charged down the final descent hoping to not get caught. 2:38:58 after the start of the race I crossed the finish as the 2012 US Ski Mountaineering Champion. Elation is probably what best describes how I felt.

So Happy to be Finished!

 The entire race I battled with Scott, he raced so very well and I can't help but feel so humbled that in the end I was able to sneak away for the win.

2012 US Champions-Sari Anderson and myself

There were so many strong racers in the field, including a handful of new faces. My LaSportiva Teammate Sari Anderson also had a stellar race to claim the women's National Title, and I have to point out an impressive performance by Jason Dorais for 3rd place, who even after having skin issues on the first climb came back to capture the last podium spot. One more racer I have to point out is young gun Micah Thatcher, who at 15 years old finished in under 4 hours with only 1 day of skinning prior to the race, look out for him charging to the top in the next few years. Finally here's a nod to my friend Toph White for sticking to it even when it got tough, strong work buddy!

Future Superstar Micah Thatcher

Men's Podium- Left to Right- Scott Simmons 2nd, Myself, Jason Dorais 3rd.

 As always Forest Dramis and his incredible crew of volunteers put on a solid race. Thanks! Also thanks to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for providing us the chance to invade the mountain for a day, to OR and the other race sponsors for helping make it all happen. I need to thank La Sportiva for making such incredible gear, it truly gives an edge over the rest. Last but definitely not least thanks to my mom and dad, beautiful wife, and my daughters Chloe and Brynlee for supporting me through all the training and simply believing in me.

Full Results Here: http://jacksonrandoneerace.blogspot.com/

Awesome video from the race!

Gear: La Sportiva RSR ski and binding
 La Sportiva Stratos boot
 La Sportiva Race Suit
 La Sportiva pomoca race skins
 Camp Speed Helmet
 First Endurance EFS, EFS Liquid Shot, and Ultragen.
 Patagonia capilene base layer.

Breaking Radio Silence

Pickin' Pumpkins for Haloween

I have to admit that this blog post is long overdue. I really haven't posted anything in the several months. I have sat down several times to start writing it, but have then either felt completely uninspired to write anything, not had time to write about all that has happened, or have let the ADD take over and spent time blog-stalking, catching up on twitter, or mindlessly surfing in search of the end of the Internet. To be honest I just didn't feel like writing, I needed to check out for a while.

 2011 was an incredible year for me. I had an incredible Ski Mountaineering season with a 3rd at the US Championships, 4th at Grand Targhee Skimo Classic, and 4th at Bridger Bowl Skin to Win. The 3rd at the champs earned me a spot on the US Skimo Team and I had the chance to go to Italy for the World Championships where I placed 19th in the teams race with Pete Swenson, 42 in the individual race and 32 in the sprint. I came back to win the Wasatch Powderkeg two weeks later.

Skimo Racing in Italy

 After an awesome skimo season I switched gears and started the run season. I won the Menan Butte Challenge to start the season off, then spent a long weekend in Zion at the Vitamin D camp. I chased that with a solid 6th at the Pocatello 50 and then a summer of focused training that took me up the Tooth of Time in New Mexico countless times, up Pikes Peak, had a ton of fun shooting a video for ultraspire and a enjoyed long weekend at Hardrock pacing Matt Hart.

Hitting the TH after Running the Grand Teton

 As my fitness started to get solid I headed to Utah for the OR retailer and threw down at the Uphill Challenge (3rd) then the next day battled for a 3rd at the very competitive Jupiter Peak Steeplechase. The next weekend I defended my title at El Vaquero Loco, then two weeks later attempted to break the car to car record in the Grand Teton. I came up short but put down a very solid 3:33:00 overall time. I tapered over the next couple weeks and went into the Wasatch 100 as fit as ever. I had an epic race ( in a good way) and finished 2nd, only being bettered by my good friend Fast Evan Honeyfield. Two weeks later I was honored to pace UltraRunning legend Roch Horton at the Bear 100, which was a heck of a good time. Nearing the end of the season Ty Draney and I took advantage of racing fitness and headed out to do the Great Salmon Run. That final run took a lot out of me and I was admittedly broken, both physically and emotionally, after our 52 hour sojourn in the Frank Church Wilderness area. Since then I haven't really written on the blog. I was tired, I was broken down after an incredible year of training and racing. I needed to get off the radar for a while and digest what had happened over the summer and reflect on how incredibly lucky I am to be able to do the things I do.

 Ironically, though I was pretty down for a while, most of October actually. Maybe it was due to not having any specific training goals, there was also some big uncertainty with employment and some tough financial times as well. I spent a significant amount of time reflecting and trying to plan for the future. I didn't "train" in October or the first week or so of November. I did get out and run some but mostly just to be out, no specific workouts. I also roller skied a fair bit and tried to get on skis a few times. As the middle of November rolled around I started to train for skimo season, mostly just volume but also a few intensity workouts.

 My family and the Draney clan headed down to St George to celebrate thanksgiving with Bryce Thatcher and his family. It was a good excuse to get out and run some good dirt, play by the pool and warm up a little before the long Idaho winter. We enjoyed an awesome thanksgiving day run with Bryce and his boys up Signal Mountain, then we completely stuffed ourselves. The next day we took our families to Zion and spent the day hiking the trade routes of Angel's Landing and The Narrows. The next day Ty and I set out to run the Zion Traverse (and break the FKT) which went well for about 20 miles until Ty started to have some hip pain which evolved into a significant hitch in his stride. We pulled the plug at the grotto, and brought both of our running seasons to a close (for real this time). 

Family Picture After Climbing Angel's Landing

After thanksgiving I tried to focus hard on skimo training, but December has been so warm and dry in Idaho that staying motivated to ski has been very difficult. I have been pretty stubborn though and I think my skimo fitness is finally coming around, good thing to as the US champs are just over a week away! With the US champs on the horizon and a few other big skimo races not to far off I have already started to shift focus to the upcoming run year. I am very excited about the upcoming season so far my schedule is looking like this:
-Chuckanut 50k
-Pocatello 50 or San Diego 100
-San Juan Solstice ( if P50)
-Pacing at Hardrock
-El Vaquero Loco
-UTMB (lottery dependent)
-Wasatch 100 (lottery dependent)
-Bear 100 (if I don't get into UTMB or Wasatch)

Smiling...Even Though the Snow is Aweful

I will likely throw in a few other shorter races as tune-ups and like always the entire schedule is slightly subject to change. I entered into the Hardrock Lottery, but wasn't drawn, and I had given thought to the Grand Slam but wasn't keen on coughing up the cash for the Western States Lottery (sometime I'll write my thoughts in that). I also plan on sending as much time as possible running in the Tetons and am going to take another stab at the Grand sometime late summer.

 One last thing, for those of you still reading, I am incredibly excited and humbled to announce a change in sponsorship for this upcoming season. I have been invited to be a member of the Patagonia Ultra-running Team. As a youth I dreamed of being a mountaineer in the pages of a Patagonia catalog, and it is quite literally a dream come try to represent this incredible company (and everything they stand for) for this upcoming run season.  I have to say it is so awesome to actually be living my one of my dreams!  With that I am off to a New Years Party, hopefully next week I will have time to post a summary of the last year, also I have been approached about having some guest posts on the blog, so there may be some varied content coming your way.  Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

The EPIC Great Salmon Run

To simply say that the Great Salmon Run was difficult would be the same as saying that a category 5 hurricane feels breezy.  I am writing a couple of different reports on this trip and I think the combination of the reports will get closer to painting the entire picture from various angles, here I'm mostly just going to write what comes to mind as I chronologically illustrate what went down.

As I said in my previous blog post I have been looking forward to running down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River for quite some time.  When the time finally came to leave my house on Thursday afternoon, I felt a little nervous.  This trip had a lot of "unknowns" and all I could do was hope they would all come together without too much difficulty.  Ty Draney, Handsome Matt Irving, and I made the drive to Stanley on Thursday, ate at The Bridge in Stanley and headed to the Boundary Creek Put-in.  The campground was all torn up so we drove right to the launch area, hopped out of the truck and quickly changed into running clothes to try to catch some of the fleeting light.  Handsome Matt had come to try to document the beginning and end of the trip and we wanted to make his efforts worthwhile.  The light was pretty flat, so we went back to the truck, threw our sleeping bags on the ground and spent some time covering logistics and making sure we all had an idea of the route. We then went out and got a few more pics before heading to bed.

Me running early..fast! Photo Ty Draney

We woke around 6:00 am and finally got out of our bags about 6:45.  It was pretty cold (weather showed it was 25 in Stanley) and Ty and I got antsy to get moving.  We planned on taking some more pics but a huge day pushed us out before the light got very good (sorry Matt).  The first miles felt pretty good, we were fresh, the trail was dusty but smooth.  All in all things went really well all morning.  It did seem that it was taking longer to get to the mile notes I had put on the map, but they correlated to river miles and not trail miles, we figured we were covering extra mileage but not sure how much.

We bummed cokes off of some very friendly rafters that were putting in at Indian Creek (river mile 28) and got moving again. We cruised in to the Middle Fork Lodge around 2:00 pm and headed in to thank them for supporting us and Save Our Wild Salmon.  It took a bit to find the workers, but they were friendly and supportive.  After the Lodge it got really hot, both Ty and I were drinking a 16oz bottle every 20 minutes or so, and we felt like we were still getting behind.  This slowed our progress some, and it soon became evident that we were not going to make it to the Flying B in time for dinner.  Headlamps came on around mile 53, and we pressed on shooting for Camas Creek (60) to sleep.

Ty cruising some awesome Middle Fork singletrack Photo Luke Nelson

We got to Camas about 10:00 and found a small group of 3 rafters who had just gone to bed.  Irwin, one of the rafters, introduced us to his friends, let us sit by the fire and even gave us some hotdogs and muffins.  It was awesome.  We were able to dry our socks over the fire, eat the best hot dog I had ever had and sleep about 5 hours on the soft sand.  I have to mention here that our "bivy" consisted of Patagonia Ultralight down hoodies, and Speedwork tights.  I had thrown in a SOS reflective blanket just in case which was nice to lay on adding a little warmth.  We got up just after 3:00 am and before 3:30 we were moving again.

The next 8 miles went relatively quickly and we rolled into the Flying B just after 5:00 am.  Some of the ranch hands were up getting things ready to take out a hunting group, we hoped we could join them for breakfast. Turns out on most mornings they serve breakfast at 7:00 but today it was 6:00 for the hunting group.  We both sprung for the buffet ($20) and waited the 40 minutes for food.  While the hunters talked about what we were doing we proceeded to stuff 6-7000 calories of bacon, hash browns, fried eggs, and tang into our hungry bodies.  At 7:30 we headed back out on the trail. We had been out 24 hours and only covered half of our distance.

Ty near the end of the Middle Fork Trail Photo Luke Nelson

Because of our massive food consumption it tool a while to be able to run again, but when we could we both felt really good.  10 miles later we left the Middle Fork and began to climb into the Bighorn Crags.  Within a half mile the whole trip began to start a downward spiral.  We took a turn into Waterfall Creek and after 15 or so minutes it vanished.  We searched around, scoured the map for clues, hiked up a ridge, saw what we thought was the trail, and bushwhacked down and across to it. We followed it for a while and it to disappeared, more bushwhacking, staring at the map, followed by bushwhacking, a faint hint of trail, bushwhacking, bloody shins, desperation, and suddenly a trail.  We debated which way to take it and after some deliberation we followed it back to the north.  It led us to within a half mile or so of where we went wrong.  We spent 5 hours off trail to get back nearly where we started.  Back on track we tried to make good time to the Crags, so we could meet Handsome Matt for pictures before losing the light.

Terrace Lakes looking back towards the Middle Fork.  Photo Luke Nelson

The Crags themselves are one of the most amazing places I have ever been, but it was hard to enjoy them with how worked we felt, and how much we still had to cover.  We pushed through the lakes, and found no sign of Matt.  It tuns out he left an hour before we got there...oh how different it would have been if we had met him!

Running in the Bighorn Crags. Photo Ty Draney

We kept pressing forward now with darkness settling in for a second time during the trip, our bodies ached, but we knew it would be too cold to hunker down near the lakes at nearly 9000'.  We had to keep moving.  Just as the sun set we heard an amazing sonnet of an elk bugling quite near to where we were, we joked that he was cheering us on, but now I think he was trying to warn us...

Darkness settles in over Mt. Mcguire (?) Photo Luke Nelson

The trail down Clear Creek from Mirror Lake was rough, very rough.  It looked to be a relatively low angle trail following the creek. I even had been told it was a "great trail".  Just after negotiating a weird section of trail we saw a sign pointing to Panther Creek.  I felt relieved, that was our final destination so we were going in the right direction.  The trail continued to deteriorate, but we kept moving.  Soon the trail would be ok, then vanish. We would bushwhack around, cross the creek, and then find something resembling a trail again.  This went on for hours.  After losing the trail for the millionth time around 1:00 am, Ty said he needed to lay down to sleep for a little bit, to try to recharge.  We went back up the trail to get out of the cold by the creek, put on our Ultralight Down coats and Tights and laid down.  Then we heard thunder.

39 hours of being on the move, we lay down to take a break and it starts to rain, luckily the Forest Service Maps are huge, we both took one, spread it out over us and laid under the map during the downpour.  Ty dosed off for about 40 minutes but woke up to me shivering under my map and survival blanket, time to move again.  The next couple hours were some of the most desperate times I have ever had in the mountains, the trail was essentially non-existent and seemed to continuously be crossing the creek.  At one point we searched for 20 minutes without being able to make forward progress.  We had to hunker down until daylight.

The canyon walls were tight, no flat area.  Ty found a log and we propped up our feet against it, put all of our clothes on and wrapped the SOS blanket over our shoulders.  Waiting out the 2 hours until daylight.  We didn't get much rest at this point. About every 20 minutes we would have to change our position either because we were shivering too much or because our bodies hurt too much. This cycle lasted most of those two hours until daylight. To make it worse, we were not sure where we were, we felt very lost and were pretty much exhausted.  When it got to the point that we could hardly handle to discomfort any longer, it started to get light (and very very cold).  With light on our side we were able to make better route-finding (all bushwhacking at this point) and made ok time down canyon.  Every once and a while a small section of trail would appear, but then quickly disappear.

5 hours of travel later, we heard a yell.  I immediately asked Ty if he heard it too, as we had both been having some visual hallucinations during the night, he did and we scoured the area for signs of life.  After a few minutes we saw him, HANDSOME MATT! He had started up from the truck with food figuring we were out.  He had been moving for about an hour, and he affirmed we were in the right area but he hadn't been able to find the trail either.  We devoured the bananas and apples he had brought up (even though we still had a few gels left) and continued the tedious process of bushwhacking our way down.  It seemed easier though now that we knew we were going the right direction and that we were going to get out without requiring some type of rescue.

At 11:20 am, we had finally reached the end of our journey. We had been out for 51 hours an 50 minutes, ran 130+ miles, and climbed nearly 20,000 feet. It is still way to soon to fully wrap my head around this trip and all that happened out there.  It will take weeks, months or maybe even years for me to fully process it.  I will be posting a full gear and nutrition report later this week or next, as well as look forward to a post from Ty, on the La Sportiva Mountain Running Blog, and a few other places.  We have raised about $1000 so far for Save Our Wild Salmon, it is no too late to donate to them, they are really passionate about what they do and really are making a difference.

A very special thanks needs to go to Patagonia for making the kind of gear that make this trip possible. I am quite certain I would not be writing these words if it wasn't for their quality gear.  Also La Sportiva, they make an incredible shoe that can perform under all conditions and keep my feet as intact as possible.  I need to thank my wonderful family, particularly my wife, Tanae, this trip was tough on them, and they were doing a lot in the background to make sure we would get home if something went wrong.  Finally, thanks Ty, that was a big one and you didn't kill me for coming up with the idea, and you kept me motivated and moving the whole time. THANKS!

The Great Salmon Run

A few summers ago I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the entire summer working as a whitewater guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon.  It was not my first time on the river, as the Middle Fork had been my first wilderness multi-day river trip just prior to my 18th birthday.  When the opportunity to spend an entire summer on the Middle Fork came about I took it without hesitation. One visit to the Middle Fork left me yearning to return to it’s awe-inspiring clutches.  

Me rowing Tanae down the Middle Fork in 2006

There are very few places on this planet that can compare to the wildness of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, through which the Middle Fork of the Salmon River flows.  The natural and pristine immaculately preserved, throughout most of the river there is hardly noticeable traces of mankind's heavy hand.  Without fail, at the end of our six day trips down the river our guests would express their experience with phrases like “trip of a lifetime” or “time of my life”.  I would thank them with a smile, knowing inside that it was my life and I would be able to repeat the voyage in just over a days time.  When I finished work for that summer I teared up as I drove home knowing I wouldn’t be back for a season.  I knew I would still be able to go back, at some point.  Humans are not the only frequent visitors to the Middle Fork as it serves as the return route for salmon.  It’s headwaters are spawning grounds that are thousands of years old.  Yet, unlike myself there are many things that threaten the ability of Wild Salmon to return to the Middle Fork, including many hydroelectric projects on the Lower Snake River, into which the Middle Fork eventually flows.  

Ty "the ace" Draney is as good of company one can find for this kind of trip

For a couple of years now I have tried, unsuccessfully, to win the lottery for a permit to float the Middle Fork of the Salmon.  It has been quite depressing every year to be turned down, knowing that my return to paradise is delayed.  Wild Salmon are in the same situation, trying to return, but inhibited by obstacles outside of their control.  During a run with a friend a little over a year ago an idea was hatched, to “run” the Middle Fork.  Not to run it in a fifteen foot raft but to run the trail that follows the river for over seventy miles.  After a year a planning and logistics the stars have aligned for Ty Draney and I to “run” the Middle Fork.  There have been obstacles along the way but we will not be deterred, in the same way we hope to draw more awareness to the issues facing Wild Salmon so that they to may “run” freely in the Middle Fork and it’s headwaters once again. 

Sweet Logo Save Our Salmon Designed for the Run

We have partnered with Save Our Wild Salmon to help raise awareness for what they do.  Please visit their website at this link: http://bit.ly/sos_greatsalmonrun2011   

We are planning on carrying a spot messenger so you can follow along here:  http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0G1xIJHOXiHO2q8H0RqWYUrYVdiYfb89J  

This is probably the first time I have set out to run where there is a higher cause then my somewhat selfish pursuits.  Hopefully it will just be the beginning.  Special thanks in advance to Patagonia for really stepping up to make this happen, also thanks to Ultraspire and First Endurance without these companies quality products this type of adventure would not be nearly as comfortable or really even possible.  

Wasatch 100 2011- The Perfect Day

Getting Ready to Run

A good friend of mine has told me several times that someday you will have the perfect 100 mile race, then you will spend the rest of your running career trying to have it again.  Well this past Friday, I had the perfect 100 mile race. Before I go into the details of the day I need to thank the very important people who supported me through the race.  First my amazing wife Tanae, she puts up with me training everyday, and makes lots of sacrifices for my running...thank you sweetheart! I also need to thank my dad, Steve Nelson, for being my crew chief for all 3 hundred's I have done. He does such an awesome job at getting me taken care of and moving, couldn't do it without you dad! My mom gets a special thanks this year for watching our daughters (Brynlee and Chloe) while I spent the day in the mountains.  Finally, a huge thanks goes out to Ty Draney, who happens to be the best pacer on the planet.  Ty knows how to keep me racing smart and when the time comes he knows how to get me moving. Thanks Ty!

Ok, now for the race report.  I had several goals going into this race, or any hundred for that matter.  Number one goal is to finish, two is to have fun.  In addition to those goals I wanted to run controlled to Brighton (75 miles) so I would have some race left, and I wanted to break 20 hours. I am pleased to report that I met all of those goals!   I will write a short section on gear and nutrition at the end, including a recipe for the EFS slurry that I raced on all day and as far as the report it seems logical to me to break the race into 6 sections, so here we go:

Section 1-Start (0) to Francis Peak (18)

The weather at the start was perfect for running, and as the 5:00 got close I gathered near the front with Karl, Evan, Jared, Timmy and several other familiar faces.  From the gun I found myself running with Jared and Karl out front.  We stayed together until Karl stopped to adjust his ipod and in the shuffle I found myself in front.  We had been running at a very comfortable pace, all listening to music.  I kind of zoned out and before I realized it I was alone.  I told myself going in to the race that no matter what I would run my race, it was easy to do by myself, no pressure to hang on.  I cruised up the climb and was surprised not to have anyone in sight when I crested chinscraper.  I just kept cruising and jamming to my music until high on the ridge before Francis Peak.  The wind up there got pretty intense, I shut off my music since I couldn't hear it anyway.  Once out of the wind I cranked the tunes and about 500 meters before the aid station Timmy Parr caught me and passed moving quick.  I rolled into the aid station swapped out fuel bottles, topped the water and pulled out behind Timmy as Evan rolled in.

Section 2- Francis to Big Mountain (38)

The next section was one of my favorite from the race.  I felt really good, didn't get lost on the very overgrown trail before Bountiful B, and just after Bountiful B Evan caught me and we ran together for quite a while.  A while after Sessions lift off we caught Timmy and the three of ran together into Swallow Rocks.  It was starting to get hot here and I was having to ration water just a bit to make sure I didn't run dry for long.  The folks at Swallow Rocks were great, they had popsicles!! While they filled my bottle I enjoyed half of a popsicle, and then took the other half for the road.  Evan and I ran together for another 5-10 minutes then he pulled away on a climb I chose to walk.  It would be the last time I would see him all day.  I continued to run my race, cruising along until I rolled into Big Mountain.  I was greeted by Bryon Powell of IRunFar followed immediately by my dad. I was glad to see the crew at the aid station, I swapped fuel again, filled up on water, stuffed ice under my hat, got a hug from Brynlee and headed out.

An awesome hug from Brynlee at Big Mountain

Section 3- Big Mountain to Lambs (54)

Last year this is the section that started a very rapid decline for me.  I was a bit gun-shy of how it might go and given that the heat was starting to get to me I opted to slow down a little to keep things together.  I methodically worked my way along the ridge trying to move smooth with out trashing my quads on the long descent down Alexander Ridge.  Karl caught and passed me just before the Alexander Aid Station, and he was flying.  I was super excited to see Karl moving so well especially considering his recent back trouble and flu.  He was still in the aid station when I got there, but left before I did.  I spent a few minutes there drinking as much water as I could trying to drop my core temp a bit.  I left the aid station after 11 glasses of water and had to move slow for a few minutes while my body absorbed it.  I took a minute at the spring to dunk my hat, shirt and pack, in hopes of staying cool through the "oven". As I came back to the trail I spotted Troy Howard coming quick.  I was feeling pretty good and hammered up the trail trying to get a bit more of a cushion before Lamb's.  I pulled into Lamb's still feeling really good, I was hot but not in the hole.  I took a few minutes in the aid station to eat a peach (amazing!) and my crew dumped ice in pack to try to cool me off a bit.  I walked out of the aid station accompanied by super star pacer Ty Draney, and spent a minute or so eating another popsicle.

Ty "the ace" Draney getting ready to pace

Hydrating at Lamb's

Section 4 Lambs to Millcreek (62)

Troy had passed me while I was eating the peach at Lamb's, but Ty and I caught him on the road when he stopped to answer an urgent call of nature.  Overall still feeling well we powerhiked/ran the ascent and then I heeded to Ty's advice for the descent to MillCreek: "Run it just like a bullrider one leg on each side and head in the middle" he elaborated that it meant something like run it just fast enough you  aren't braking and trashing your quads or overstriding and doing the same.  I felt like we were able to move really well and before long we were doing the Millcreek 5k of road to the aid station.  I was amazed that I felt ok running much of the road, with only occasional powerhiking.

Ty and I meeting my dad at Millcreek

Section 5 Millcreek to Brighton (76)

Once again my crew were rockstars, and in just a few minutes fuel bottles were swapped, water filled and popsicle in hand I walked out of the aid station super happy to be out on the trails.  Ty kept me moving well up the climb to dog lake and through another "bullrider" descent.  We caught a glimpse of Karl just before Desolation lake and came into the Deso aid station just behind him.  At this point I had a small glass of soup and one of coke.  Ty went for the spicy squid jerky, which just the thought of made me a bit queasy.  I continued to stick to the plan of running my race and staying in control of the pace.  About a mile before Scotts Pass we caught Karl, and continued on moving well along the rolling ridge-top terrain.  We made quick work of the aid station and really cruised pretty much the whole descent to Brighton.  At this point I was feeling great, so happy to be running well and not anywhere close to the suffering that I was doing in the same place the year before.

Coming into Brighton 

A Hug From Brynlee at Brighton to keep a smile on my face!

Section 6- Brighton to the Finish.

I was ecstatic to be at Brighton well before dark, my crew tuned me up in the parking lot outside of the chalet and when things were all set I went in weighed in, had another glass of coke and soup and headed out with Ty just a few steps behind me. Before my first 100 mile race, the Bear 100, Roch Horton told me the race doesn't start until mile 75, as we left Brighton I looked at my dad asked where Evan was.  He replied that he head left 34 minutes ago, I said ok and then said well I hope he is ready to race, because I am chasing him.  With that I headed up the trail determined to at least shorten his lead.   We had to turn headlamps on just a few hundred feet before cresting Catherine's Pass (it was amazing to see that section in the twilight!).  Internally I was amazed with how good I still felt, I hoped it would continue.  Ty and I just rolled along through Ant Knoll and beyond.  I just kept cruising as fast as my legs would go, there were sections that I had to slow a bit because of the rough, torn up trail, but for the most part the miles just kept ticking by.  I kept an eye on my watch knowing that the sub 20 goal was within reach, but was going to be tough.  At Pot Bottom, mile 93 I had two glasses of coke, and left with 1:19 left to break 20 hours.  At that point I decided to run every step of the 1 mile climb out of the aid station and to push the pace as fast as I could down to the finish.  Again there was some very technical descending that forced a slightly slower pace, but all in all I moved well.  I hit the road at 19:46:26, I knew I could break 20 hours, but I forced myself to move as quick as I could to get to the finish.  I crossed the line in 19:52:41, the last mile was a 6:15! My parents were there to see me finish as well as Tanae and many other dear friends.  I was so overwhelmed with all the emotion of the day...I felt so great!

Elation at the Finish Line

Overall the 2011 Wasatch 100 was an amazing expereince for me.  I met all of the goals I had going into the race, had a wonderful day in the mountains, in good company, and with great support.  I need to also thank La Sportiva, Ultraspire and First Endurance for their wonderful support in my training and racing.  Without their wonderful equipment/fuel I would not have had the same amazing day in the mountains.

My Dad and I at the Finish 

Evan Honeyfield and I at the Finish-yeah Idaho!

Gear:

Shoes: La Sportiva Fireblade

Pack: Ultraspire Spry (first 76 miles) and Surge (final 24)

Socks: Defeet trail 19

Shorts: Patagonia Long Haulers

Shirt: Patagonia Airflow Sleeveless

Headlamp: Black Diamond Icon

Fuel:

EFS Slurry: In a 10oz flask mix 3 oz EFS liquid shot, 1/3 scoop EFS then top with water.  For the very first and last flask I also added 1 scoop pre-race (a la holy hand grenade) Over the day I consumed about 11 of the 10oz flasks.  Apart from the popsicles, peach, coke and a few cups of soup no other fuel was consumed.  I carried 2 10 oz flasks at a time as well as 17 oz of plain water.

Ultragen: I ALWAYS consume ultragen after a race and at Wasatch I had 3 bottles.  I also had the chance to share Ultragen with a lot of runners and their pacers througout the day as they finished, which I thought was awesome.  I know their recovery will be better for having used it.

The Grand Teton and El Vaquero Loco

I have been absent from writing here for a bit.  A couple of weeks ago I ran up the Grand Teton.  I was trying to crack Bryce Thatcher's 28 year old record, I wasn't able to do so, but did come closer than anyone (as far as I have been able to verify) since Creighton King 29 years ago.  I wrote about it here and here.

Also I have been working on but haven't finished a report on this year's El Vaquero Loco 50k.  I was able to defend my 4 year winning streak and had a wonderful day out in the mountains of Wyoming.  A post will show up in a week or so (self-imposed deadline).

Thanks for coming by!

A trip to SLC to visit the hurt locker and Outdoor Retailer

This past weekend I had the chance to head to Salt Lake to help Ultraspire launch their new killer lineup of hydration products for running. Par for the course I tried to squeeze as very much as possible in a short amount of time, mostly to make sure I got my "money's worth". I came home completely exhausted, but very, very happy. I had a couple of great race results, some solid runs with great friends, and the Ultraspire launch was super successful. So you can get the idea of the whirlwind that was my trip, here is a play-by-play of how it went down.

Wednesday
7:00 pm- Left Cimmaron New Mexico to drive just outside of Colorado Springs and spend the night sleeping in my truck at the rest area. Arrived at 11:30.

Thursday-
5:00 am-wake up, drive 30 minutes to airport, realized as I was walking into airport at 5:45 that flight leaves at 6:00. Mad dash through the airport, special escort through security, was "that guy" as I got on the flight and they shut the door at 6:02.

7:45 am- flight lands at 7:45, spent next 15 minutes trying to hitch a ride to salt palace, end up taking shuttle.

9:00 am- finally get through the lines to get into OR, head to Ultraspire booth. The final products look so solid, can't wait for the general public to get their hands on what Bryce and the crew have put together. Spend next few hours at the Ultraspire booth or wandering around the show.

4:30 pm- meet and greet at Patagonia footwear, had a great time hanging out with Ty, Bronco, Clark and Krissy of the Patagonia UltraRunning team.

7:00 pm- Ty, Bronco, and I head up mill creek for a run, good "easy" pace for 8 miles, stop at sushi then take Bronco back to his sketchy hotel, drive back up to the McDermott house,in bed around 11:30.

Friday
8:00 am leave the McDermott house and head for OR. Spend an hour at Ultraspire then head over to watch Ty on the treadmill during uphill challenge. He ties Nicolas Mermoud at 1.53 miles in 15 minutes at 15% grade.

10:30 am- rest of morning spent wandering and watching heats at Uphill Challenge.

1:15 pm- change and start warming up for my turn at the uphill challenge, it's hot outside. Stoked about the new pair of LaSportiva Vertical K's that I am wearing.

2:00 pm- start of Uphill Challenge against Zach Miller. We both go out hard, I hang on for the win, set the bar at 1.74. It was really tough, spent 35 minutes cooling down.

4:00 pm- watch final heat of Uphill Challenge, I was still leading when it started, but both Matt Byrne and Ricky Gates surpass me with 1.79 and 1.78 respectively. 4th finished at 1.64.

6:00 pm- meet at Ultraspire booth to go to dinner with the whole Ultraspire crew. Ty gives Gary Robbins a piggyback partway. We have a great dinner at Thai Lotus, eat a ton of food and have a ton of laughs.

11:15 pm- back at McDermott's for some sleep.

Saturday
6:00 am- wake up and head to Park City for Jupiter Peak Steeplechase, last of the La Sportiva Mountain Cup series. Legs feeling a sluggish from the previous day effort.

8:00 am- race start, lead group goes out hot, try to run within myself for the ascent. Get chased by moose just before the final climb, lose a minute or two. Hit the top in 4th, run hard all the way down, pass one runner as he misses a corner, run scared to finish in 3rd. Body. Is. Wrecked.

11:30 am-races awards, then back to SLC for shower and lunch.

1:00 pm- back at show, hanging out at Ultraspire booth.

6:00 pm- Big group of runners head up Millcreek for the annual Boxing Bear Running Club night run. Did desolation lake loop, 13ish miles. Finish in time to go to Molcasalsa for amazing burritos.

12:00 midnight- head back to McDermott's to sleep.

Sunday
7:00 am- up and headed downtown so Ty can get on the road back home.

9:00 am- meet Krissy and head to OR. Spend morning wandering around with Rock, Catherine, and Krissy.

3:00 pm- Ultraspire booth teardown, all hands on deck took the booth down in just under an hour. Krissy and I head above to the Marriott lobby to wait for shuttle to airport.

6:00 pm- dinner at the airport, Krissy and I head to our flights just before 8. I sleep the entire flight.

9:00 pm- in truck in Colorado springs, three and a half hour drive back to New Mexico. Had to stop 45 minutes before home to take a 20 minute power nap, because was getting sleepy behind the wheel.

1:30 am- head hits the pillow, hard time sleeping because body hurts.

Turns out it was an awesome weekend. I had some very solid races, training has been paying off. For the first time I felt like I could hang with the top level runners, and not just hang on, but actually race them. I have a hard time believing that some the things I have been able to do are real, not just a fairytale. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunities to get me where I am, particularly the support from Tanae and the girls. Focus is now turning in the El Vaquero Loco 50k this weekend, a top secret project in two weeks, and the Wasatch 100 in 4. Beyond that there are some other big runs and projects Ty Draney and I are working on, more updates to come....

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