First and foremost what an amazing event. Major props to all involved most importantly Greg Soderlund, Tim Twietmeyer, Montrail and all of the amazing volunteers.
Many months back I threw my hat in the lottery on a whim, when my name got called I was excited but it was not till the pursuant months that I realized what a gift I had received. Thanks great coaching (Matt Hart) and a incredibly supportive wife this Florida boy came to tackle the Sierra's about as prepared and excited as possible. Trust me there was no shortage of Florida jokes all week (Chris aka "bridgeboy"). Please know in Jacksonville I am commonly referred to as that guy, you know the one doing hours of bridge repeats and skip intervals.......there are not a lot of those guys......
We arrived in Squaw Wed and were quickly in awe of the surrounding beauty. Thur we were fortunate enough to get our first glimpse into WS history as we attended the Flag raising ceremony, I actually choked back a bit, which is not surprising. My girls had a snowball fight in shorts, gotta love the irony.At the newcomers meeting we learned more about the "snow" year and I learned more about how difficult this race could really be. All of the advice was priceless.
Check-in Fri and the chance to see and meet a good portion of the Ultra elite which was humbling to say the least. I will say that each and every person I met was just as nice as you would expect them to be. A 10minute walk with Shannon F-G introduced me to everyone in Squaw including my beloved Zombie Runner Lundells. Flying Brian Robinson even rubbed my back for luck since this was my first lottery attempt and I got pulled. The "swag" was awesome and my blood pressure quite elevated at medical check... a little tense you ask. Pictures at the start line, good meal that evening and restless sleep till my 3am wake up call.
Raceday there we were nerves till the traditional countdown and we were off. Running then walking of course as we ascended 3.5 miles to the top. The beauty of the sunrise and accompanying gong playing was awesome. The climb gave you plenty of time to ask yourself what the hell you were really doing but the view made that thought disappear......after a nice long downhill we hit snow. The snow, mud and stream runoff accounted for the majority of the first 30+miles. Let's just say I had no idea how much snow there really would be and more importantly no idea how to run on it. Apparently, though, most others did as they flew by me with ease :) I gotta say though it was pretty freakin' fun. At mile 23 (Duncan Canyon) I gotta a huge hug from Jamie Donaldson and at Robinson flat a welcome first visit from my best friend and solo crew member Erin. Time for a shoe change and we were off again.....walking on the snow :(
I spent a good portion of the day running with Matt Lambert aka "lambchops". Talk about entertainment and education all in one. This guy is a local chiropractor with now 7 buckles to his credit, who did nothing but be supportive and smile. I also spent the majority of the day jockeying back and forth and laughing w/ Jamie D's runner Meredith Terranova. Of course I did not know this till after the race.
After the snow finally quit, running was pretty easy till the infamous canyons. As I chatted with another veteran right before the descent to the bottom of Devil's Thumb, he said very bluntly "Your race will either die or be saved in the canyons". Once again I got passed by multiple downhill bombers but managed to do some passing of my own up the Devil. The canyons were hot and relentless, the climb to Michigan Bluff eternal, finding my wife again at Michigan Bluff, priceless. I managed to stay fairly strong to the Foresthill aid stop and met my pacer Tery Sentinella on the road 1 mile prior. Boy was he keyed up and ready to go. We had never met before but he is an amazing runner and he travelled here just to help me. Oh my beloved Ultra community.This is where I was supposed to be feeling good and rested in order to take advantage of the next 38 miles. Hmmm, I felt tired and bloated and had little cushion on a 24 hour finish.
After some gentle encouragement we were on our way. Once nightfall hit our pace slowed and each aid station seemed farther and farther away. The climbs just kept coming as well. Just when you thought you were descending to the American River we climbed and climbed and climbed again. Thanks to Terry I just kept pressing on. We finally reached the American River and crossed quickly only to be startled at the other side by Erin. Just a few weeks out from knee surgery she joined us and a scorpion on the climb back out.....almost 2 miles for us, 2.5 for her. There is no harder job than crewing. Shuffling around for hours and meticulously getting things ready knowing your runner may smile at the site of you or whine and pass right through. CREW = Cranky Runner Endless Waiting for sure.
Miles 80-93.5 were basically a big mental test and push. After pressing to mile 90 I finally felt we had the cushion we needed to make it home. A few fist knocks were exchanged then we crossed into another treacherous rocky descent. My language was getting a bit free at this moment. Last stop for Erin was 93.5 where I chugged some broth and well needed Starbucks shots. In the irony that is the WS course it finishes with a long painful climb into Robie Point. The last mile or so felt OK then we descended toward the stadium, saw the lights and felt more than OK. I choked back a tear, made my way around the track and was warmly greeted by Tim Twietmeyer at the finish..... 23h30m45s and a Silver buckle.
A shower plus a couple of painful restless hours in the Comfort Inn then off to the awards. Lucky for me the "poison oak" somehow stayed away from my legs. The awards ceremony was first class once again and so enjoyed the well deserved standing ovation for Gordy Ansleigh the granddad of it all. At 63 Gordy made it all the way to No Hands Bridge, simply amazing. I was very excited to finally grasp that shiny coveted buckle then finally able to meet Matt face to face and thank him appropriately. We rode back to Squaw to see some very very proud little girls and I sucked back some well deserved beers.
This is one I will cherish forever my friends. The Ultra community is full of genuinely good people and Western States embodies everything that makes the community so strong. Erin and I live each day trying to give back but I guarantee we receive far more than we could ever give back.
Now it's off to Badwater to crew/pace my buddy Tony portera........life is good :)
Duncan Canyon via Glenn Tachiyama
Many months back I threw my hat in the lottery on a whim, when my name got called I was excited but it was not till the pursuant months that I realized what a gift I had received. Thanks great coaching (Matt Hart) and a incredibly supportive wife this Florida boy came to tackle the Sierra's about as prepared and excited as possible. Trust me there was no shortage of Florida jokes all week (Chris aka "bridgeboy"). Please know in Jacksonville I am commonly referred to as that guy, you know the one doing hours of bridge repeats and skip intervals.......there are not a lot of those guys......
We arrived in Squaw Wed and were quickly in awe of the surrounding beauty. Thur we were fortunate enough to get our first glimpse into WS history as we attended the Flag raising ceremony, I actually choked back a bit, which is not surprising. My girls had a snowball fight in shorts, gotta love the irony.At the newcomers meeting we learned more about the "snow" year and I learned more about how difficult this race could really be. All of the advice was priceless.
Check-in Fri and the chance to see and meet a good portion of the Ultra elite which was humbling to say the least. I will say that each and every person I met was just as nice as you would expect them to be. A 10minute walk with Shannon F-G introduced me to everyone in Squaw including my beloved Zombie Runner Lundells. Flying Brian Robinson even rubbed my back for luck since this was my first lottery attempt and I got pulled. The "swag" was awesome and my blood pressure quite elevated at medical check... a little tense you ask. Pictures at the start line, good meal that evening and restless sleep till my 3am wake up call.
Raceday there we were nerves till the traditional countdown and we were off. Running then walking of course as we ascended 3.5 miles to the top. The beauty of the sunrise and accompanying gong playing was awesome. The climb gave you plenty of time to ask yourself what the hell you were really doing but the view made that thought disappear......after a nice long downhill we hit snow. The snow, mud and stream runoff accounted for the majority of the first 30+miles. Let's just say I had no idea how much snow there really would be and more importantly no idea how to run on it. Apparently, though, most others did as they flew by me with ease :) I gotta say though it was pretty freakin' fun. At mile 23 (Duncan Canyon) I gotta a huge hug from Jamie Donaldson and at Robinson flat a welcome first visit from my best friend and solo crew member Erin. Time for a shoe change and we were off again.....walking on the snow :(
I spent a good portion of the day running with Matt Lambert aka "lambchops". Talk about entertainment and education all in one. This guy is a local chiropractor with now 7 buckles to his credit, who did nothing but be supportive and smile. I also spent the majority of the day jockeying back and forth and laughing w/ Jamie D's runner Meredith Terranova. Of course I did not know this till after the race.
After the snow finally quit, running was pretty easy till the infamous canyons. As I chatted with another veteran right before the descent to the bottom of Devil's Thumb, he said very bluntly "Your race will either die or be saved in the canyons". Once again I got passed by multiple downhill bombers but managed to do some passing of my own up the Devil. The canyons were hot and relentless, the climb to Michigan Bluff eternal, finding my wife again at Michigan Bluff, priceless. I managed to stay fairly strong to the Foresthill aid stop and met my pacer Tery Sentinella on the road 1 mile prior. Boy was he keyed up and ready to go. We had never met before but he is an amazing runner and he travelled here just to help me. Oh my beloved Ultra community.This is where I was supposed to be feeling good and rested in order to take advantage of the next 38 miles. Hmmm, I felt tired and bloated and had little cushion on a 24 hour finish.
After some gentle encouragement we were on our way. Once nightfall hit our pace slowed and each aid station seemed farther and farther away. The climbs just kept coming as well. Just when you thought you were descending to the American River we climbed and climbed and climbed again. Thanks to Terry I just kept pressing on. We finally reached the American River and crossed quickly only to be startled at the other side by Erin. Just a few weeks out from knee surgery she joined us and a scorpion on the climb back out.....almost 2 miles for us, 2.5 for her. There is no harder job than crewing. Shuffling around for hours and meticulously getting things ready knowing your runner may smile at the site of you or whine and pass right through. CREW = Cranky Runner Endless Waiting for sure.
Miles 80-93.5 were basically a big mental test and push. After pressing to mile 90 I finally felt we had the cushion we needed to make it home. A few fist knocks were exchanged then we crossed into another treacherous rocky descent. My language was getting a bit free at this moment. Last stop for Erin was 93.5 where I chugged some broth and well needed Starbucks shots. In the irony that is the WS course it finishes with a long painful climb into Robie Point. The last mile or so felt OK then we descended toward the stadium, saw the lights and felt more than OK. I choked back a tear, made my way around the track and was warmly greeted by Tim Twietmeyer at the finish..... 23h30m45s and a Silver buckle.
A shower plus a couple of painful restless hours in the Comfort Inn then off to the awards. Lucky for me the "poison oak" somehow stayed away from my legs. The awards ceremony was first class once again and so enjoyed the well deserved standing ovation for Gordy Ansleigh the granddad of it all. At 63 Gordy made it all the way to No Hands Bridge, simply amazing. I was very excited to finally grasp that shiny coveted buckle then finally able to meet Matt face to face and thank him appropriately. We rode back to Squaw to see some very very proud little girls and I sucked back some well deserved beers.
This is one I will cherish forever my friends. The Ultra community is full of genuinely good people and Western States embodies everything that makes the community so strong. Erin and I live each day trying to give back but I guarantee we receive far more than we could ever give back.
Now it's off to Badwater to crew/pace my buddy Tony portera........life is good :)
Duncan Canyon via Glenn Tachiyama
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