The War is Over

...On my foot.
I was originally going to title this post "Mission Accomplished" but then it occurred to me readers might think I was unsuccessful in my endeavor...

Consider this a Public Service Announcement.  If I had known what was happening to my foot very early on, when I first noticed it, I could have taken care of it within a week.  Instead I fought this thing day in and day out for roughly 9 months.

I am referring to the Plantar Wart that took up residence on the ball of my left foot last February.  When I first noticed it I thought it was a callous.  It wasn't at all painful and just felt like a small, hard piece of skin.  A blister had been in the same spot just a month or two prior, so that just helped me rationalize the idea of a callous.  The ironic thing is that it was more than likely the blister that allowed the papilloma virus to enter my foot.

Young Plantar Warts

If you see something on your foot that resembles the picture above don't wait around to see what happens.  The easiest clue to figuring out if it is a Plantar Wart is if the fingerprint is altered in any way around it.  I would suggest hitting it right away with Compound W and duct tape.  For those that don't know, Plantar Warts are very similar to normal warts except that they grown inward because of the constant pressure on the foot.  Leave them alone and they can grow an awful long way.

By the time I got around to doing something about mine it was causing me pain after I would get done running.  I could flex my toes and feel it immediately.  Our resident Dr. froze it a few times and I continued with the freezing kit at home.  Eventually when it looked like it was going to surrender I started digging at it with an x-acto type blade.  I was able to dig in several millimeters with no pain and no bleeding.  Then I would fill the hole with Compound W and cover it with duct tape.  I did this everyday for 3 months straight.  At this point when I would run it felt like I had a hot coal on the ball of my foot.  The pain would come and go so it was difficult to figure out if I was beating it or not but if I let up on the assault it would gather itself up and keep burrowing into my foot.

PW (that was it's public name, privately I referred to it as something else) finally surrendered about two weeks ago and I shaved off the last of it.  I wanted to post something sooner but I feared it might not be gone all the way and I would just be pissing it off by writing about it.  

A few closing notes and words of advice, I most likely picked this bugger up when I was going to the gym.  I now shower with flip flops on.  I know a few people that have gotten rid of these in a matter of  a week or so because they attacked it right away.  Compound W and duct tape will kill the skin and cells around the area, don't be alarmed, just shave away the dead stuff and re-apply, it really works.

Grand Canyon R2R2R - Part Deux

This past spring I had the opportunity to run the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to rim with a group from the Larchmont Track Club. It was a magical and memorable run, and one that I knew I wanted to do again. Read original post. So when Jared Campbell called several months ago asking if I was interested in joining him for a fall R2R2R run there was only one answer, “consider me in!”

A fairly large group had expressed interest in the November 13th run. But, work, family and health considerations in the end left just four eager participants; myself, Jared, Karl Jarvis and Matt Zinkgraf. We met late the night before in the campground on the North Rim, Jared and I driving down from Salt Lake, Karl and Matt driving up from Flagstaff. The temperature as we crawled into our sleeping bags and tents was a chilly 19 degrees.

By our start time of 7:00 am the day had warmed to a balmy 30 degrees. One of the challenges in running the Grand Canyon is anticipating and managing the temperature change. While we all wanted to wear our tights, we knew that in several hours at the bottom of the canyon the temperature would be in the 60s.

The descent from the North Rim is spectacular. Starting in a ponderosa forest, one quickly drops into the top of Bright Angel Canyon with spectacular vistas of the South Rim. We made quick time down to Roaring Springs where we topped our water and stashed some clothes for the climb back to the North Rim. My favorite part of the rim-to-rim run is the section of trail between Roaring Springs and Phantom Ranch. For the most part you run along Bright Angle Creek, often on trail carved into the canyon wall. From Phantom Ranch we decided to go up to the South Rim via the South Kaibab Trail.

We made good time up the South Kaibab Trail with Jared in the lead, running all but the steepest sections. At Skull Point I opted to turn-around and begin the journey back to the North Rim. Karl and Jared proceeded up to the South Rim.

Once back in the bottom of the canyon I celebrated what might be the last 60+-degree day of the year for me by running with my shirt off. The sun felt good on my back!

The run from the bottom of the canyon back to the North Rim was like a time-lapse onset of winter. For about an hour I ran shirtless. Then, another hour with a short-sleeve shirt. Back at Roaring Springs I needed my long sleeved shirt. And by the time I reached the Rim I needed my gloves again.

As I waited for Jared and Karl in the car, wrapped in sleeping bag to stay warm, I knew that this was likely the last long run I would have on dirt until spring. ☹

Photos Courtesy of Jared Campbell

Watch Meltzer on NBC

It's not often that an Ultrarunner gets national TV coverage but this Sunday, November 14th, NBC will be airing coverage of Karl Meltzer running the Red Bull Human Express, running 2000+ miles on the Pony Express trail.  3pm ET/1pm MST, here along the Wasatch Front it will be on channel 5. More details at www.worldofadventuresports.com.

The show will also consist of the Red Bull Rampage in Southern Utah (xtreme Mtn Biking), Rallycross (5 drivers at a time in rally cars on a dirt circuit) and the Teton Gravity Research skiers doing cool stuff in Alaska.

Antelope Island 100k Race Report

All Photos by Greg Norrander. Go to his blog for more awesome pictures of the race.
















When I first heard there was going to be a 100k in November out on the island, I couldn't get it out of mind. I knew I probably shouldn't sign up for it. Who jumps from the 50k distance to a 100k without doing anything in between? My thoughts went back to this past spring when I ran my first 50k on the island and then ran my first marathon a month later. It worked out ok then, so I figured why not, I'll do it. The best way to get my feet wet is to just jump right in, so I signed up.

My training went very well leading into the race despite it maybe being a bit unorthodox for ultra running with my longest run only being 22 miles. The last time I ran more than 22 miles was the Logan Peak race at 28ish miles and that was back in June. But I felt fit and my mind and body felt right to run a good race.

The morning of the race I almost didn't make the starting line. I set my alarm the night before the race and went to bed. Somehow I set my time back an hour. So, when my clock said 3:30, it was actually 4:30 and I was still in bed. My wife happened to wake up and realized I was wasn't gone and woke me up. I jumped out of bed so fast and got dressed and grabbed all my gear, my breakfast shake and was out the door in less than 5 minutes.

I drove the 45 minutes to the island from Salt Lake City a bit stressed I wouldn't make packet pick up. I made it to the packet pickup just in time and had a few minutes to get everything in order before the race was started.

With it being dark, I couldn't really make too many folks out. The race plan was to not lead the first couple miles to get a feel for what paces everyone was willing to run and then adjust from there. I had an idea of what I wanted to do being somewhat familiar to the course, so with my plan in place all I had to do is start running.

Jim Skaggs (race director) sent us off and immediately an older gentleman, who I learned was named Davy Crocket, took the early lead going into the first climb. I settled in my own pace with Brian Beckstead.

As we crested up and over the first big hill, I found myself in the lead. My body felt good after the first couple miles and fell into its own rhythm rather quickly. I led the way up to the first aid station with Tim Long in tow who was running without a headlamp, he forgot it. After the first aid station a few of the other runners caught back up to me and we ran as a group down towards the Death Valley aid station. Davy retook the lead on the downhill section at this point and he was the first to arrive to the aid station.

I re-filled my bottle with water and followed Davy onto the beach . Getting to the beach we had to run through some fine sand that my shoes kicked up all over my legs and got down into my shoes a bit. I didn't wear my Dirty Girls and for a moment I regretted it. But there wasn't anything I could do about it now, so I just trudged onto the beach. I quickly caught back up with Davy and just followed him for a bit. It was rather hard to tell where to go. The beach had flags marking the course, but was hard to make out the next one due to it being dark still. At this point several other runners caught up to us and we ran as a group until we came up to a rocky part of the beach and we lost track of where the trail was supposed to go. We took a left when we should have taken a right and ran ourselves right into a bog with stinky, cold, wet mud. So much for dry feet.

We eventually made our way out of there and just ran along the beach the best we could until we found another flag and continued along the course.

The sun was starting to rise as we made our way off the beach and it was gorgeous. The terrain looked surreal and the colors of the sunrise made it feel like I was on mars or some other unearthly place. It may have been the best sunrise I have ever seen.

As we made our way south along a road, I looked ahead and saw the 1000 foot climb we had to do next. I was in the lead again and decided to push it a bit up the hill to find out who the players for the race were. I quickly was alone and would be for the next 50 miles.

I didn't push it too hard up the hill but ran where I could and that created the distance I was looking for. By the time I arrived to the North Sentry aid station I had a decent lead. I quickly filled my water bottle and continued down the other side of the island. As I ran south just before we headed east and down the hill, some antelope ran out in front of me for a bit along the trail then darted of into the distance.

I held back on this downhill section. I often times do this to recover and conserve energy instead of expending too much trying to run fast. I cruised along at 7:30 min pace until I reached the bottom. I half expected the others to catch me on this downhill section. At the bottom I looked back and could see them coming, but Tim and Brian were a fair distance behind me.

The next section of the course was really flat, 12 miles all the way back to the finish/start line. I put my body on autopilot and cruised at or around 8:00 mile pace. I could feel the other guys behind me so I kept the pressure on. As I ran along, I did worry a biy about the pace being too fast and that I would fade on the second lap but I decided just to roll with it. I really did feel comfortable and I just had to trust my body and my training.

Almost back to the start/finish line, I had climb a small hill. At the top there was a

big buffalo standing near a watering trough just to the right of the road. On the left hand side there was a fence. I stopped and really didn't see a good way around it, so I just walked slowly along the fence trying not to make eye contact with it. As I neared it, it quickly turned and fronted me and gave me a snort. I about crapped myself. But it held its ground as I continued to walk by. When I felt I was clear I hauled butt down to the start line area full of adrenaline.

I quickly restocked my supplies from my drop bag. As I was leaving the aid station, Brian was coming in with Tim not too far behind him. I told Brian good luck and started my second loop. I was now in un-charted territory for me. After 32 miles, every step will take me further than I have ran before. So I had no idea how my body was going to react. At this point, all I could do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other and eat and drink as much as I could.

As I made my way to the next aid station it became clear I was starting to distance myself from the rest of the field. I didn't try to pick it up at this point, I just kept running the same rhythm. I was starting to get some aches in the calves but nothing serious. My lungs felt great and my breathing was relaxed. As I ran down to the Death Valley aid station I realized for the first time that I had a good chance to win the race, if my body didn't have a meltdown of some sort. My mind felt fresh, excited, motivated and strong.

I made it to the Death Valley aid station (40 miles) at 12:02 pm, 6 hours into the race. I looked up and could see Brian making his way down the switch backs so I re-filled my bottle and headed out to the beach once more. This time being able to see the flags and not lose my way.

At this point I might have gotten just a bit excited. When I got down to the beach I pushed the pace a bit harder than I should have. The sand was very draining on the quads. Near the end of the beach section I had to stop for about 30 seconds to get them to calm down, they were just about to cramp up on me. I thought I just made a big mistake. I was also running out of water and had a few miles to go to the next aid station with a 1000 foot climb in the way. The next couple of miles would make or break my race and I knew it and there might be

nothing I could do about it.

So I just kept on running and ignored my screaming quads. Out of the blue there was Greg Norrander taking photos! Funny how he pops up like that. After being alone on the trail for so long, he actually energized me and put a bounce back into my step as I headed towards the climb.

One thing I love about a two lap course, is that I know exactly what's coming and it makes it easier to gage my efforts. I took a deep breath and started to work my up the hill. I knew I had to be careful with the climb. I decided it would be ok if I lost a little bit of ground here because I knew I could make up for it on the other side once it flattened out again. I just had to make it over in one piece. So I walked more of the hill than I normally would have liked. It ended up being a great decision because this was also the warmest part of the day and I could feel my heart rate getting higher as I climbed. If I would have pushed it too hard, it may have been the end of me.

I ate a gel, popped two SCaps and drank the last of my water about half way up the hill, my quads were burning now and they continued to twinge, not quite going into a full cramp as I climbed. I was really wishing there would have been a water station at the bottom of the hill.

As I neared the top, I took a look back and couldn't see anyone behind me. It was my race to win or lose.

I pushed my way up the last bit of hill and saw the Sentry Aid Station. It couldn't have come at a better time for me. I drank a couple cups of coke, downed a banana, 3 Scaps and a couple cups of water. That was my favorite aid station in the race. The view up there was awesome.

I didn't stay long knowing I may have lost a bit of ground on the climb. I ran down the hill, letting it go a bit more this time around and pushed 7 min miles down to mile 50. At the bottom of the hill I crossed 50 miles in 7:38. I was hoping to be a bit quicker, but I was pleased with my efforts so far. I knew I had a shot at breaking 9:30.

With 9 miles to go my parents and couple siblings found me on the trails and started to cheer and follow me along the last part of the race. It

was a big help. I got to the Nine Mile aid station and drank as much coke as I could. I couldn't muster the thought of another gel or anything else other than coke for the rest of the race. I should have forced myself to eat more gels though. Coke is good, but it isn't nearly as good as a gel and I would pay for it a bit later.

I ran to the next aid station where I was greeted with cheers from family members once again. Only 10k to go and I knew it was going miserable. I stayed a bit longer at this aid station drinking coke and downing a couple more Scaps. Chatted with everyone a bit and realized I started feeling worse the longer I stayed there. So I knew I had to get moving. I had been able to run out of every aid station, until now. I had to walk about 30 yards to get the legs working again.

I just kept moving along as quick as I could. I was still able to maintain the 8 min miles until the last few where I slowed down to 9 min miles. I had to stop and walk 3 times. Not keeping up with the gels the last 8 miles was really catching up to me now. I could tell my energy stores were all used up and I was close to running on empty.

I finally came to the last short, steep hill and cruised my way down the finish line. I was experiencing so many emotions as the finish line got closer, it was almost overwhelming. Satisfaction was the one that stood out the most, knowing all the work I had been doing was finally paying off. I bested my own expectations and ran an almost perfect race for me and happened to win the race at the same time.

I crossed the finish line in 9:28:37, 55 minutes in front of second place finisher Tim. I don't think things could have gone any better for me. It was the perfect course on a perfect day.

Bryce Canyon Link-up Trail Run

Back in June I was intrigued to learn about Craig Lloyd’s 39.2-mile Bryce Canyon Link-up run. Since I drive by Bryce National Park at least once a month on my way to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab for work, I knew this was a run I wanted to do.

I had originally planned to complete the run back in September. But a torn plantar fascia plus surgery for a torn rotator cuff put those plans on hold – until this past Sunday!

Keeping in my personal tradition of a lazy Sunday morning, I didn’t hit the Riggs Loop trailhead at Rainbow Point where the run begins until 9:30 am. At the trailhead the temperature was a chilly 38 degrees. A little too cool for my liking! The forecast called for cloudy with a high of 52. The cool weather, coupled with the fact that it rained heavily the day before and the sandy sections of the trail would likely be firm, had my spirits high that this was going to be a great run.

The Riggs Loop immediately drops off the rim through pine forests descending approximately 2000 feet to the Riggs Springs campground and then climbs back up to the rim where it intersects with the Under-the-Rim trail. As I got close to the intersection with the Under-the-Rim trail at 8 miles I made the decision to run back to the car (an easy half mile detour) to get the arm sling I have been wearing for the last six weeks after having rotator cuff surgery. I had hoped to run without the sling, but after about five miles I could feel a strain and pain at the point of the attachment. Rotator Cuff surgery was the most painful thing I have ever experienced and the recovery has been frustrating slow. There was no way I was going to take a chance on a setback.

I was happy to have the extra carrying capacity the combination sling/man purse provided. Into the sling I tucked an extra couple of gels, some yogurt covered cranberries, and my arm. My lazy ass shoulder was thrilled to no longer have to bear the weight of my arm.

The next 23 miles of the link-up follow the Under-the-Rim trail. For some reason I had expectations that I would be running along the bottom of the rim walls amongst brilliant red and orange cliffs, hoodoos, and fins. For the most part this trail meanders through unremarkable ponderosa forest, much of which has burned in recent years. There was a tremendous amount of fallen timber that left me thinking the trail should really be called the Over-the-Logs trail. While I had been averaging 11 minute miles on the Riggs Loop, my pace slowed considerably as this section required climbing over fallen trees, dancing from one side of the eroded trail to the other, and navigating through large washes scattered with loose rock. As I trekked across sections of rock and mud deposited by the previous day’s runoff I appreciated the landscape forming power of erosion on steroids.

After running along Yellow Creek I was looking forward to exiting the trees and climbing up to Bryce Point (31 miles) where I would again be on top of the rim and would get to enjoy the best views in the Park. Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point and Sunrise point did not disappoint. Absolutely magnificent views!! And, super fast trails that allowed me to once again pick-up the pace. From the top of the rim the final 6.5-mile leg of the Link-up is along the Lower Fairyland Loop where you run through and amongst magnificent rock formations. This is what I had imagined the Under-the-Rim trail would be like. The best part of the run had been saved for the last! The Bryce Canyon Link-up terminates at Fairyland Point. Total distance 39.2 is miles with approximately 15,000 vertical. Total running time 7:40.

Something Different

I want start this post by stating the fact that I love to run.  That is also why I have forced myself out of the running shoes and on to the bike this fall season.  It really boils down to this problem I have with physical activity and how I can become slightly OCD about it.  For whatever reason I can become so completely focused on continual improvement in one activity that I end up pushing my body to a breaking point (sometimes painful, but always frustrating), which is then followed by a rebuilding period.  I have a history with this issue and based on that experience, without a break, my chances of running myself straight into an injury seems very high.    So this year I made a resolution to heed some advice I received years ago and do something different.

For this fall season, that something different is Cyclocross.  It just so happens I have a few pieces of equipment laying around from my previous addiction, errr activity of choice – cycling.  Three bikes to be exact; one road, one mountain bike and a singlespeed cyclocross bike.  I started taking turns riding the road and mountain bike ever since pacing Nick Clark at Wasatch and had a great time re-discovering an old passion. Then one night I saw my lonely 'cross bike sitting in the corner begging to be ridden.  It wasn’t long after getting air in the tires that I decided I would race the following weekend.

Before I get to the racing let me give you a quick explanation of what cyclocross is.  The bike of preference looks like a road bike with knobby tires and while there are other subtle differences between road and 'cross bikes, they are minor.  Sometimes riders will put on flat bars instead drop bars (the kind that roll down) to get a wider hand position.  The reason a rider might want a wider hand position is because of the terrain the circuits cover, including but not limited to: gravel, dirt, grass, sand, concrete, asphalt and when it’s wet, mud.  The circuits also include sections that require the rider to dismount and run with the bike.  These sections could include some barriers, large logs or a steep uphill that the rider must negotiate on foot and almost every course has at least one or two dismount sections (some riders can bunny hop barriers and that is perfectly legal as well).  The length of the circuits vary, but generally take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to cover and the races are anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour long depending on the category.  The category I decided to ride is singlespeed, meaning I pick a single rear cog and a single front chainring and use it for that race.

Photo: Dave Iltis, Cycling Utah

Leading up to the first race (week two of the series) I had done a handful rides (5 or 6) and simply banked on my running fitness getting me through, besides, I had no expectations except having fun and catching up with a few old friends.  Well, once I was in the moment, standing on the start line it was a different story.  I took off with the other dozen or so racers heading for the first turn and I heard my chain making a weird noise.  I eased up and drifted to the rear of the group to investigate and lost several places.  Frustrated, I pushed hard to catch back up and the noise became louder.  Finally I got off to check it out and discovered the chain was off the jockey wheel in the chain tensioner.  This pattern repeated itself until device that holds tension on the chain came apart, rendering my bike useless.  I ran back to the car, fixed it and finished the race in 2nd to last place.  Despite the setback I was still smiling and my heart was pounding.

Photo: Dave Iltis, Cycling Utah

Before the following race the next weekend I fixed the chain tensioner by throwing it in the garbage and finding a suitable replacement.  I also managed to squeeze in a few more rides, giving my legs a chance to acclimate to the new stress I was forcing on them.  The next race went much better where I finished in 2nd place.  Surprisingly, I had more fun this time around and I'm sure it had something to do with actually being able to focus on riding rather than fixing my bike.  

I plan on doing a few more while I'm having fun and mixing up the riding with some occasional trail runs just to remind my legs what they'll be coming back to...

First Snow

I LOVE running in the mountains. I've been running the past few weeks, but mostly road and treadmill, and was completely re-energized today by my short trip up Neff's canyon. It's time to get on the trails again during the best time of the year. Here's a few photos to share the beauty I found.

Bear 100 - Crew Report

Shake n Bake!

The crew of every ultra runner needs an anthem. A rallying cry if you will. Words that have special insider meaning creating a camaraderie and bond that bring out the best performance in all.

For Darcie Gorman and crew at the Bear 100 – it was Shake n Bake!

But first some background. Several months ago I was invited by Darcie to help crew her on her first 100-mile attempt. “How lucky am I?” I thought, at the prospect of being a part of someone’s first 100. For those who have a run a 100 miler, there is always something magical, even mythical about the first time you go the distance. To be both a participant and voyeur in Darcie’s adventure, well let’s just say my answer to her invite was “count me in!”

Darcie is an Alabama girl, and as we planned for how we would best support her, it seemed fitting that our Team Gorman crewing efforts take on a NASCAR theme. Somewhere in the planning, perhaps influenced by testing a variety of energy based barley drinks, Team Gorman fell under the influence of one of our century’s greatest cinemagraphic accomplishments, Talladega Nights. Team Gorman soon consisted of our featured runner Darcie, crewed by Bobby Troy (her husband Troy) and Ricky Jay (myself), and paced the last 50 miles by Jeffry Buechler.

This crew report starts at Temple Fork Aid Station (mile 45) where Bobby Troy and I first caught up with Darcie. Darcie came into Temple Fork well ahead of our projected time. It was immediately clear that she had perhaps gone out a bit too fast, and had not been drinking adequately. We immediately determined that the focus of the next leg would be hydration and nutrition. While I was not planning on running with her, I thought it would be fun to run this leg and play the role of hydration taskmaster. The mostly uphill, 6.5 miles to Tony Grove flew by quickly as we chatted, drank and yes, finally peed!

At Tony Grove (mile 52), Jeffry assumed his pacing duties. Jeffry is one of those rare individuals who constitute the ideal pacer. An accomplished ultra-runner who with empathy and humility transfers his experience into foresight, prescriptive actions and encouragement. He flew out from Colorado at Darcie’s request to help her through the night. Wishing Darcie and Jeffry well, Bobby Troy and I raced off to Franklin Basin Aid Station (mile 61.5) to get ready to transition Darcie into night mode.

At Franklin Basin I witnessed a most inspirational nutritional experience. I was able to watch Dan Barnett consume almost 1000 calories in a single aid station stop. Simply amazing!! Pumpkin pie. Two cups of soup. Rice Crispy Treat. A Frapacino. And more… I have to believe Dan’s talent for putting down the calories contributed to his phenomenal sub 24-hour finish.

After being mentally fueled by watching Dan pack calories, I ran up the trail to watch runners come into the station. At about a mile out I was fortunate to run into Brian Kamm who let me run with him into to the Aid Station. I helped Brian get through the station and ran back out to meet Darcie. She looked great and was pleased to report that she had peed twice. Nice!

Next stop was Logan River Aid Station (69.5 miles). I’ve never experienced an aid station that had quite the energy as Logan River. It was a group of people from an LDS Ward and they were having fun! Singing songs written about the Bear 100. Serving Dutch oven rolls. And insisting that crew partake in some nourishment and fun. After scarfing a hot roll I ran up the trail to meet Brian. I had so enjoyed the run into the last aid station with him that I was hoping I could do it again. About a mile up the trail I met Brian and we ran into the aid station together. He looked strong and in good spirits. Another hot roll and I was out again, this time to meet Darcie. I met Darcie and Jeffry about a mile and half out. She was moving slowly on the downhill and indicated that her quads were a bit fried. I shared some encouraging words (Shake n Bake!), got instructions for what she wanted at the aid station and ran ahead, secretly concerned that the wheels might be starting to come off for her.

Bobby Troy and I got her turned, equipped her with the trekking poles she requested, and bid her and Jeffry off on the next leg. At Beaver Lodge Aid Station (76 miles) I thought it might be time for a little pick-me-upper, so I donned my Ricky Bobby costume and headed back out to meet Darcie and Jeffry. I think they enjoyed the diversion. Many thanks to the gentleman manning the radio at Beaver Lodge who had recently had rotator cuff surgery and had all sorts of useful tips and encouragement to aid in recovery.

Darcie was now pretty much walking. While her head was super strong – no lingering in aid stations, regular eating and drinking, positive outlook and confident about finishing – her legs were pretty much shot. I was concerned as I watched her navigate the stream crossing at Beaver Creek (85 miles) with some difficulty. Despite having not seen us for 10 miles and it being 26 degrees, she knew just what she wanted (glove warmers, Blocks with caffeine, an extra jacket) and was quickly on her way. I was impressed at how mentally alert and composed she was.

Darcie moved along well to Ranger Dip Aid Station (92 miles) where the transition was quick. You could tell she knew the finish was close and just wanted to get on with covering the final eight miles. Shortly after leaving Ranger Dip Jeffry excused himself for a pee and retuned wearing a tutu, which he would wear to the finish.

At the finish Troy went out to meet Darcie and Jeffry and run the final mile with them. Darcie ran across the finish having completed her first 100-miler in 26:45. She was the third place female. Shake n Bake! And, congratulations Brian and Dan for sub 24-hour finishes!

As Team Gorman drove back to SLC I reflected on what a great day I had just had. I had shared in Darcie’s accomplishment of completing her first 100. I had been able to spend time both on the trail and at aid stations with many of the runners, their families and friends for whom I have such respect. And, I had been able to be outside in beautiful country at a spectacular time of year. Thanks Darcie for inviting me to be a part of your adventure!

Photos courtesy of Troy Gorman

Two Wasatch Classics

After a long summer of running the usual training runs in the central Wasatch I decided this weekend to run/hike some of the more classic routes I tend to neglect. On Saturday my plan was to run up Cardiff Fork Canyon and then down Days fork. I ended up running up Cardiff Canyon from the Big Cottonwood Canyon side but when I reached the pass I decided to check out the trail up to Superior Peak. I have always wanted to hike Superior but honestly have always been a bit intimidated by the very steep exposed ridge to the summit. But I decided that today would be the day and after a hour of steep loose hiking I reached the summit. I was rewarded with probably the best view I ever had in the Wasatch. The trail was steep and loose but very safe as long as you moved slow and paid attention to all the loose rocks. It actually took me longer to get come down then it did to go up.

On Sunday Peter and I decided to run up to the Pfeifferhorn. We started fairly early to avoid any crowds and ran a short time in the dark sharing a single head lamp. The early start paid off as we only passed one person on the way up to Red Pine Lake. As we worked our way up a steep trail to Little Red Pine Lake the wind was gusting and blowing and added a sense of seriousness to the climbing. We were careful but efficient working our way across the long boulder field, Peter commented that the wind almost knocked him over a few times. Luckily the wind abated as we climbed the steep trail that would lead us to the thin exposed ridge to the final ascent gully. The sun was also shinning on us now and it was turning out to be a perfect morning.

As we got closer to the Pfeifferhorn, Peter said with a look of surprise “we're going to climb that!” it was exactly my thoughts when I first did the route 2 years prior. I assured Peter it wasn't that bad and that the route looked worse than it was, and that the narrow approach ridge would be more intimidating than the trail up to the summit. We picked a good route on the North side of the ridge and quickly made our way up to the summit. It was a little cold and windy so we only stayed a few minutes. The air was smokey so the view was somewhat limited but the smoke added its own beauty to the scenery. We had not seen a single person since the trail below Red Pine Lake and would not see anybody until we descended below the lake on the descent.

When we got back to Red Pine Lake we ran the single track trail all the way down to the parking lot, round trip time was 3.5 hours. The parking lot was full with cars and people. Peter and I both had smiles on our faces as a lady asked if we were finished already. Another great day in the Wasatch. Too see more photos go to Peter's Flickr link at the top of the blog page.

Wasatch 2010 by Peter

This was my ninth start of the Wasatch 100. Over the last 5 years I have had the goal of finishing and beating my previous time.

2005: 29:28, 54th,

2006: 27:40, 29th,

2007: 26:09, 14th,

2008: 25:15, 13th,

2009: 23:36, 15th,

2010: 23:05, 9th,

Incidentally my first 3 races I ran in 31:32, 32:35, and 28:52.

There is an advantage to competing with your last year's self. It is easy to get in the mind of your competitor, and you know exactly what you need to do to beat him. This year I had my work cut out for me. In 2009, I was intent on a sub 24 hour finish, and had focus and urgency to complete that goal. This year was complicated by injury, travel, coaching soccer, and a very busy work schedule.

As is tradition Fred Riemer drove me to the start with Kevin Shilling, though breaking with tradition “The Rocket” (Errol Jones) was not along. The start was chilly and the trail was damp with precipitation from the night. Dave Hunt pointed out several large puddles after the starting line to avoid in the mad initial dash. A wet foot at the start would be unpleasant. While there were few clouds above us to obscure the stars the mountains were capped in clouds. There was guarded optimism for good weather in how the runners were dressed. This was the start of my ambivalence, just not knowing what the best strategy would be. I started with a wind shirt, but needed to shed it not long after the start.

I was relieved to finally start running after much preparation and anticipation. As we started the climb there were some white patches on the ground in spots. In the dark it took me a minute to realize that it was snow. While there was never much, parts of the trail were frosted in a layer of fresh snow. About half way to Chin Scraper, I settled in behind David Larsen. We had a nice conversation and caught a couple of runners including Glen Merrill and Darcy Africa, but by Grobben’s Corner I knew that his pace was a faster than I cared for. Darcy Africa caught us around this point as well. Dave and Darcy continued on as I eased back, thinking about the long day ahead. I didn’t expect to see either of them until the Homestead.

The views heading into Francis Peak were spectacular. The clouds were beginning to clear; the sun was shooting beams of light making small parts of the valleys glow. Glen Merrill caught up to me around Francis Peak. I expressed my concern and hope that the day would stay cool. Glen assured me that the temperatures would remain cool, and added he was a weather man. That statement of absolute confidence in the conditions buoyed my hopes of a good day. Glen and I would see each other off and on until Lambs Canyon, and then not again until late in the night. I was lucky to get to run behind Glen and watch his efficient gait. This was his first 100 miler, but he looked like someone who knew exactly what he was doing, and I knew he would have a very strong race.

Between Francis Peak and Big Mountain aid station I kept my times fairly close to last year's splits. My legs felt good, though I occasionally got a hint of pain in my right calf. The thought of a residual injury from last Spring interfering and possibly ending the run was unsettling. Fortunately, it was’t the tip of the iceberg, but the typical noise of discomfort that is bound to occur in an ultra. Nonetheless, I wasn’t confident about anything, even though the miles were passing by with few troubles.

At Big Mountain, my weight was even. Jessica, Astrid, and Mats were there to meet me. I turned off the music, saying goodbye to Mumford and Sons, K’naan, the Clash, Jose Gonzalez, and Gomez. In two minutes I changed from carrying two bottles to a Nathan hydration pack, ate a few ginger snaps, said goodbye to my stellar crew and hit the trail with Chuck Konopa. I was going to go without a pacer from Big Mountain to Brighton, but two days before the race Chuck called my office and asked if I needed a pacer. Chuck entertained me pointing out all of the backcountry skiing spots, and was invaluable doing the math along the way calculating differences in splits and times we needed to make. It is amazing how quickly simple math skills go while running, so having an engineer-math whiz running by my side was wonderful. The temperatures along Alexander Ridge were about as favorable on a race day as I have experienced. The 70 ounces in my Nathan Pack was more than I needed for the entire section, but I was happy be ahead on fluid intake.

Before coming into Lambs Canyon Rich McDonald caught up me. We ran into the aid station together, which was nice because we had twice the cheers from our combined families. Rich was in and out of the aid station in a flash. After weighing in and being efficiently taken care of by my wife and two kids, I sat down for the first time and had a leisurely (six minutes) meal of pita bread and baba ganooj from Mazza’s. This was my attempt to get away from the sweet crap that is consumed all day long. I have never eaten baba ganooj on a trail run let alone during a race, but a few days before I thought that it sounded good. It should also be known that I have a history of losing my stomach contents after Lambs Canyon. Last year while I didn’t throw-up, I had to sit on top of bare-ass pass for a ten minutes to regain my composure. This year as I headed up the road, feeling good, I was cautious to keep my pace slow enough to allow at least a little digestion. Phil Lowry ran past me up the road, and Aaron Spurlock “hiked” past me about half way up the Lamb’s climb. When Aaron and his pacer approached us, we asked if he wanted to pass. “No you are fine, “ was the response. I pulled off the trail and he was gone in no time (walking). My dinner was still settling and I wasn’t about to challenge the logic of the stomach.

At the peak Chuck and I decided to run. In not too much time we caught Rich. By the road at Elbow Fork we had closed the gap with Aaron. This would be the story of the remainder of the race, slower climbs and fast downhill running.

At the Millcreek aid station Alan Watson, Jessica, Astrid and Mats greeted us. The headlamp came out, I changed socks and put on a long sleeved shirt. Again I stocked up on gingersnaps, and took a few more gels and some gum drops. While we were not fast in this section, we kept a respectable pace and stayed well ahead of the 39 year-old from 2009 that I was racing against. Phil and his son caught us at the Desolation Lake aid station. He quickly transitioned out of the aid station. I was interested in drinking a little broth and wanted to contemplate the climb. We caught Phil shortly before Red Lover’s Ridge, which was just around the point that I needed to turn on my headlamp. The ridge to Scott’s Pass is mostly runnable, and we shuffled along. From Scott’s Pass to Brighton is almost entirely runnable. Fred was waiting in his car at the Guardsman road. Once we arrived he drove down to get things ready at the lodge.

As we came up the road, Jay, Marge and Greg met us. Jay had on a shoulder immobilizer from his surgery just days before but looked to be in decent spirits. I was happy to see Jay, but would have preferred that he was in his Armani shirt at the front of the pack. Jay gave me the encouraging words that stuck in my head the rest of the night, “You are a fast finisher on the last part of the course.” With that Greg and I headed into the Brighton Lodge and made a fast transition with the aid of Fred and Alan. We spent 6 minutes in the lodge and were off into the cold night air.

Greg and I climbed to Catherine’s Pass and then Sunset Peak without any drama. I was tired though, and I wasn’t feeling “fast”. I could tell that I was losing time to my pace last year, and wondered if I was going to keep fading. The long decent to Ant Knolls was as usual, difficult. Greg tried to encourage me that he was going to try to float down the hills like I do. I started to try to roll through the rocks and keep some speed. Sure enough with a little encouragement and some faster turn over the blood was flowing to muscles happy to get some use and I was floating. “The Grunt” burst my bubble. I was no longer floating, but struggling to climb up the steep rutted trail.

While I lost some time into Ant Knolls and then to Pole Line, I was fueling well on gum drops and was adequately hydrated. As Greg and I climbed toward Point of Contention we could see some headlamps in the distance. I ran this section last year alone without seeing a single soul until the finish. Still I didn’t think that I would catch anyone, but as we got to Rock Springs with plenty of water and food we skipped the aid station and started to run for the dive and the plunge. We first encountered Erik and his pacer Ken Jensen. Greg and I were shocked to see Erik, but we were moving well and a long conversation was not in order. We motored down the deep dust towards the next challenge. At the bottom of the “Dive” I started my count of the seven climbs in “Irv’s Torture Chamber”. We caught Glen somewhere in here as well as Darcy, and finally Dave Larsen. The downhill running was fun and I genuinely was enjoying myself.

We hit Pot Bottom just before Dave Larsen. He transitioned quickly, while I downed a few noodles and broth which were heavenly. Near the top of the climb from Pot Bottom we caught Dave and walked with him until the the downhill. Greg and I paused to once more empty our bladders before the downhill. We quickly closed the distance on Dave and added a few minutes of cushion to a top 10 finish. To our surprise there was one more runner to catch and add some darkness between us for a ninth place finish. The switch backs at the bottom of the decent were the last challenge, but by now I could smell the barn. Just as I was feeling invincible I caught my toe on a root and ate some dirt. Greg and I quickly finished the twisty trail and then cruised the road and ran into the finish. Our time from Brighton was a respectable 6 hours and 11 minutes. Jessica, Astrid and Mats were waiting for us in sleeping bags at 4:05 AM on a cold morning. John Grobben gave me a handshake and a huge hug at the finish line. After a warm shower at the Homestead, I settled back into a sleeping bag to rest and cheer and watch the finishers come in. Amazingly Grobben was there to meet the finishers over the next 12 hours. (That is endurance).

Wasatch is a great event because of the people associated with the race, and I have been lucky to get to know many of the folks who run and support the race. I am blessed to run with the best group of guys (Christian, Greg, Jay, Erik, Rich, and Kevin). My family continues to be an integral supportive team before, during, and after the race. I couldn’t run it without them. Alan and Fred were invaluable crew at Brighton (6 minutes of pure efficiency). Of course many thanks to the race committee and all the volunteers for making this the day that I look forward to all year long.

PS

I have to mention the shoes. The Hokas kept my feet pretty happy all day. I posted my fastest time through Irv’s Torture Chamber--1 hour 17 minutes--5 minutes faster than Karl’s 2009 time. I was flying downhill, but I think it was more the gum drops that I was eating and having Greg pushing me than the shoes. The soft EVA foam of the Hokas did not survive the 100 mile race. The right shoe collapsed on the medial aspect. I hope Hoka takes returns, because I only got 130 miles out of this pair of shoes.