Mountain Mist 50k : White Out

The 16th annual running of the Mountain Mist 50k typified the weather of the past month in northeastern Alabama.  Snow fell on Christmas day for the first time in 100 years.  Dink Taylor, RD and owner of a certain specialty running store in Huntsville, noted that his kids had missed 12 days of school this winter due to inclement weather, another first.  So, it should have been no surprise to find snow falling when we stepped off the plane Thursday night, yeah right.   

In 2004 Ian Torrence and I traveled to my grandmothers house in nearby Decatur to help Dink ring in a new era at the biggest trail ultra in the south.  Ian came out of the event with a new course record while I bowed out at 20 miles after ripping my ankle a number of times on the unbelievably rugged course.   After years of regretting that drop I decided it was time for Carly and I to head back.

Saturday morning started off uneventful as we made our way to Huntsville, a 45 minute drive from Decatur.  Somewhere amidst checking the iphone GPS and my last sips of coffee I heard Carly exclaim, "I forgot my shoes!"  Now, there are many things you can do without on race day, shoes are not one of them, sorry Chris McDougall. After rallying our Decatur contingent (thanks Ron) and maneuvering around cars stranded by weary winter drivers on the ridges of Monte Sano we made it to the start. Leaving Carly at the car to wait for her Adidas Tempos I headed to the line seconds after the shotgun blast. I made my way down the icy road to the first section of single-track, I had no idea how hard it would be for Carly begin her adventure.
After the throng of runners (some 300 strong) made their way down the trail, Carly was fitted up and ready to follow.  Unfortunately her delay kept her from following suit and in her haste she jumped down a trail that marked the completion on the race.  Some 15 minutes later, and a good climb, she regained her course and began the painstaking process of passing some 220 participants.

Meanwhile I settled in behind 2009 Mountain Mist champ David Riddle and Stump Jump champ Josh Wheeler.  The pace was feverish but welcomed considering the 20 degree temps and firm ground.  From what I could remember of the trail, the addition of snow had helped to fill in rocks and packed down leaves that had previously hidden the pitfalls of my last visit.  By mile 9, only an hour into the event I knew we were flying and I was way out of my comfort zone.  I settled back a ways and felt good, ultimately I wish I had know how hard it would be to pick my way through the blanketed course and find motivation for a less than optimally trained body.

Time moved along well as I awaited the two major climbs of the race, they arrive at mile 24 and 28.  They are storied in the history of the event for defeating runners just when the distance gets tough, and they do.  Waterline was a frozen waterfall that reminded me of sections of the Promised Land 50k, eh Horty?  Onwards I approached the final climb and Josh cam back into sight.  He was reeling from the fast pace with David and a deficit of calories but he had a ways to go to hang on with me.   Approaching the finish I thought back on my targeted sub 4 time. My solo endeavor, coupled with a hunt and peck style of course finding (and did I mention rocks) really thwarted that as well as any vigor for a strong ending.  4:06 wouldn't be that bad of a time, even for the conditions, but after hearing about a 3:42 from David Riddle I was left looking for words to describe such an effort.  Good luck to him as he gets ready for a shot at the 100k Champs in Madison.  

Carly made her way back to finish in the ladies top 10, just over 6 hours.  Had she not been dealt such circumstances top 5 was not far from her reach on this hard scrabble route.  In the end, 274 runners completed the race - the most ever. 

Monte Sano State Park

Settling in at mile 6, if you look close you can see..... Georgia. 

Waterline, this is no joke. Add an inch of ice and snow to the 2011 edition

The clock tells the tale, no sub 4 today but now I know what it takes.

Tom, Dink and I marvel at the day, course and winning time.

Check out this awesome video from Marcus Farris


Mountain Mist 50k, 2011 from Marcus Farris on Vimeo.

Eugene Marathon Registration Day

It's coming back around again, and if you want in on 2010 prices this is your weekend.   Just a few rules to follow when you stop by Rogue Valley Runners this Saturday (10am-7pm) and Sunday (11am- 5pm). 

• People can bring in their registration on Sat or Sun, Jan 15-16

• $10 off the full and half marathon, $5 off the 5k

• Cash or check accepted (make checks payable to Eugene Marathon)

• Giveaways to the first 20 people who sign up

Here's the form.

One of the top 10 new marathons and now with the classic finish on Hayward Field.  Don't miss this exclusive offer and get started on your training today!

Another Run on the Rogue

Two of our faithful RVR employees are teaming up with Momentum River Expeditions to host a 3-day raft-supported trail run on the famous Wild and Scenic Rogue River and its tributaries.

Join Erik Skaggs, Jenn Shelton, and Leland Fulton for the weekend of May 20th-22nd and put in nearly 70 miles on these beautiful and remote trails.  This could provide a nice training opportunity for those of you fortunate enough to make the cut for Western States.  

For more information about the trip check out the link on the Momentum website or contact Leland at fultonl@students.sou.edu.

A Little Varnish for 2010

And so it was.....

We'll be back on the Rogue Jan. 22nd this year

We headed south in early 2010, ditto for 2011.

Up north in Bellingham and always stunting.

Methuselah?

Neil Olsen on his way to Jacksonville with a pear of followers.

Never seen a pic like this from Western, 7 miles of road?

The one and only John P.

Getting it done, sub 24.

Another S.O.B. record!

These packs traveled the PCT in record time. 

Almost 80 and still gets the gals.

A man from Southern Oregon set the 24 hour barefoot record!

CDR, biggest ultra in North America.

Always a ham!

A bunch of bachelors! 

I believe this is why there was no time left for dancing. 

Found the worlds smallest North Face Store in Peru.

Not many of these were given out in 2010.

Captured; Skaggs with a water bottle on the Lithia Loop course.

It's hard managing these employees.

Some Serious Accomplishments

 

Just a small collection of awards from the past 4 ultra parties.   

Along with the fantastic skit many of you have viewed, a number of significant achievements were recognized on the evening of the ultra party.  Some I have chosen to leave out because, well, you have to be there to fully comprehend the madness.  


Gold Toe- Mel Bailey ( for completing all ten running's of the  Hagg Lake 50k )

Mel receiving her 10 year plaque

Mr Obscurity - Ben Benjamin ( running the most obscure 100 milers of 2010 )

Mr Boring - Erik Skaggs ( usually pertains to clothing choices, no hospital visits lets him take this one )

Too Damaged to Party - Eric Poole ( and to have kids too )

Longest Way - Tia Boddington ( Traveled to Morocco for the Marathon des Sables )

Bloodiest S.O.B. - Aaron Brian ( That's why they invented nip guards )

I've run everywhere - Shahid Ali ( 10 plus ultras in 2010 )

Under the Radar - Carly Koerner ( sub 24 at Western States )

Breakout award - Carly Koerner ( Western States 2010, literally not figuratively )

Pretty big inside joke, but relevant either way.

Gold Toe - Jenn Shelton ( fastest 10 miler in a monokini, also literally not figuratively ) 

Pacer of the Year - Jenn Shelton

Dead on Arrival - Neil Olsen ( Dutchman AS at Pine to Palm )

Fastest Family Woman - Dana DuVivier

Fastest Family Man - Neil Olsen

Gold Toe - Erik Skaggs

Biggest Asterisk of the Year - Erik Skaggs ( Flagline 50k ??? )

I wasn't at the finish with everyone but I think this is what it looked like.

Training Log - J.C. Callans

Traveling Beer Mile Trophy - Hal Koerner ( Still undefeated! )

Most Focus Beer Miler - Brad Noyz ( check the video )

Worst Judgment - Heidi Paine

Worst Blister - Annie Crispino-Taylor

Gold Toe - Timothy Olson

The Big Toe Award

Longest 100 Streak - Ben Benjamin

Gold Toe - Karolina Wyszynska  ( Skyline 50k, for wins people )

Running during Ramadan - Shahid Ali

Credit Card - Hal Koerner ( nuff said )

Didn't Get lost - Erin Keller

WTF award - Timothy Olson ( victories everywhere )

Virgin S.O.B. - Mike Sotos

Gold Toe - Hal Koerner

Injury of the Year - Darcy Kleiman 

Additionally, there were many awards that centered around the first annual running of the Pine to Palm 100 Mile Endurance Run.   Likewise, there is video of this circulating on youtube as well, however this announcement is more to let you know that registration is open for the 2011 event.  Yes, we will be running it again so ultrasignup.

This is the guy you'll be chasing!

Ultra ROAST 2010

It's supposed to be a party, which it is, but it's quite apparent the evening has morphed into a roast for some.

I was not alone this year, as JC will attest (that's JC Callans - not the big JC)  but this piece will prove that there's less respect when you don't win Western States.

Just to clarify, in the video Rob is trying to convince me (Erik Skaggs, not Kyle) that he is worthy enough to pace me at WS 2011.   Tambien, Erik is trying to convince me not to fire him after alluding to my Forrest Gump likeness in parts of South America and the number of photos of me that adorn the store.  
   





Now there were a number of worthy awards this year and I hope this keeps you entertained until they are listed.  

Doing the Leg Work

Alright, alright, alright.   Here we are, San Francisco, CA for The North Face Enducance Challenge Championships.  If you are reading this blog on Friday then you are way too geeked out on the ultrarunning scene, and there are a lot of you. None however has dropped in more than Bryon Powell over at irunfar.com.

He'll be tracking the race tomorrow as media liason for the TNF and more than likely a number of other running companies. He's done some great pre-race interviews over on his website so check that out as well.  Ashland is respresented WELL at this years race and it is going to be arguably the most competitive ultra (male/female) on US soil ever.

I ran on the course a couple of times this week and it's not as fast as previous years, but there have been a few changes or reroutes that may make up for lost time.   There's considerable mud out there and a high probability for rain tonight and tomorrow.  the pack should stay bunched for 20 miles and then it's anybodies guess. HA!

I however, have been laying low, in the city by the bay - thank you John Denver, trying my best to ignore the hype surrounding the event.  An OR photoshoot for The North Face on Tuesday was followed up by an amazing trip to the House of Air in the Presidio.  Some acrobatics with the TNF action sports team, had the owner of the place (a former TNF product manager) exclaiming, " these guys don't have to follow the rules," We followed with a sprightly game of dodge ball in which the endurance runner was able to show off some of his skills.

take it easy on the plantar.

Only for the big boys and girls.

Yesterday I headed over to San Leadro, the North Faces world headquarters for an athlete summit of the design variety.   I was joined by fellow teammates Jez Bragg, Lizzy Hawker and new addition Rory Bosio.  We looked at the Spring and Fall 2012 lines and I must say this company has come a long way in 4 years.  After which, I am now gonna taking a page from wikileaks, I was privy to a showing of an 8.5 oz branded trail shoe that will keep me grinning all of 2011.

So now we wait until the alarm rings at 3am tomorrow morning. Off to the headlands and another amazing race, can we wait another 24 to see who the champs are?

Still the man to beat, Uli Steidl

Lost and Found

So it's times like these when I think some good can actually come of this blog.

A dog, if you could call him that, has gone missing in the greater Ashland area.  Last seen in the high hills above Tolman Creek Rd,  Ribbit (you may be wondering who would ever name their dog that - it becomes even more wondrous when you're shouting it out at the top of you lungs like a giant frog) was keeping an eye on the mountain house this past Tuesday.  Known to stray from his keepers;

he is not known to be a runner so it is quite strange that he would have gone that far.  Thus I am asking the RVR community to keep an eye out for him.  You may hear his howl or yowl over and over again much like you would at any awards ceremony or in any retail store during business hours.

If you are going to go looking for him and need to call out his name remember who his owner is,  know that he only responds to his name in a shriek shrill and to something affectionate like "ribby roo."  If that doesn't work, use any obnoxious Adam Sandler voice to suit.

More likely seen with a bandana.

He is known to love eggnog, gingerbread cookies and his mama.  


Contact us on the blog or at the store 541-201-0014.

Lithia Loop Results

1	King	Max	2:41:24	30
2	Mendoza	Mario	2:47:04	24
3	Tribbia	John	2:47:55	28
4	Mitchell	Brad	2:52:17	40
5	Rozendaal	Alan	2:53:34	40
6	Schupp	Andrew	2:55:32	30
7	Olson	Tim	2:55:32	27
8	Christoff	Peter	2:57:27	28
9	Diboun	Yassine	2:58:42	32
10	Olsen	Neil	2:59:31	43
11	Dunham	Dave	3:03:25	46
12	McMillan	Greg	3:03:57	41
13	Lewthold	John	3:04:52	42
14	Osterhaus	Eron	3:05:20	35
15	Curran	Paul	3:06:42	35
16	Van Orden	Tim	3:08:03	42
17	Dunlap	Scott	3:09:00	41
18	Browning	Jeff	3:09:56	39
19	McClure	Chris	3:11:03	31
20	Merrifield	Lawrence	3:14:31	42
21	Couillard	John	3:16:20	29
22	Emerson	William	3:17:01	46
23	Coury	Jamil	3:17:20	25
24	Caba	Katie	3:23:12	39
25	Caba	Jeff	3:23:15	40
26	Wirtz	Joel	3:24:24	36
27	Coury	Nick	3:25:40	23
28	Hecht	Grey	3:27:07	38
29	Crosby-Helms	Devon	3:28:36	28
30	Boulanger	Guy	3:28:57	49
31	Schranz	Eric	3:29:31	35
32	Farr	Leonard	3:29:45	46
33	Clark	Joseph	3:30:34	49
34	May	Richard	3:31:32	43
35	Morris	Karalee	3:32:10	32
36	Woodhouse	Roxanne	3:33:17	47
37	Ragsdale	Todd	3:33:47	41
38	Shweisguth	Melissa	3:34:07	36
39	Daut	Stephen	3:34:32	37
40	Glatt	Nicolas	3:35:37	27
41	Park	Luanne	3:35:42	50
42	Stringer	Michael	3:40:09	36
43	Ahern	Kelly	3:43:03	26
44	Arvizo	Jamie	3:43:11	32
45	Fralich	CB	3:45:58	38
46	Gwaltney	Ryan	3:46:59	34
47	Town	David	3:49:42	32
48	McDonald	Mike	3:51:42	31
49	Kirby	Stephen	3:52:23	55
50	Hendrickson	Rob	3:52:30	33
51	Flattley	Isaac	3:53:02	36
52	Abraham	Larry	3:54:16	60
53	Black	Steve	3:54:18	37
54	Raber	Laura	3:54:34	32
55	Jordan	David	3:55:50	40
56	Hacker	Becky	3:56:00	43
57	O'Dell	Krista	3:56:44	29
58	Jacobs	James	3:58:50	43
59	Taylor	Tom	3:59:13	31
60	Bolz	Darrin	4:00:37	43
61	Wedin	Colleen	4:00:45	40
62	Cooper	Lance	4:01:14	35
63	Harris	Victor	4:02:37	53
64	Duffy	Rebecca	4:03:44	28
65	Ross	Mike	4:03:54	27
66	Whelden	Bradley	4:05:07	33
67	Marre	Adam	4:05:08	32
68	Hazel	Felicia	4:05:57	47
69	Swanson	Marcus	4:07:15	53
70	Shanks	Douglas	4:07:17	44
71	Marks	Joshua	4:07:47	35
72	Barness	Desiree	4:07:55	28
73	Robbins	Allison	4:07:59	31
74	Bywater	David	4:08:24	38
75	McCallum	Bailey	4:08:42	32
76	Gray	Alton	4:08:58	47
77	McKee	Shawn	4:09:10	29
78	Meyer	Elena	4:10:37	47
79	Plummer	Meredith	4:10:57	39
80	Jack	Jeff	4:11:01	33
81	Lai	Lip	4:12:49	49
82	Ries	Phoenix	4:12:51	49
83	Bruce	Megan	4:13:18	37
84	Mock	Larry	4:13:51	50
85	Zosel	Kristin	4:14:06	36
86	McBride	William	4:14:33	28
87	Semanski	Derek	4:14:38	38
88	Godwin	Steve	4:16:26	47
89	Hearn	Christian	4;17:51	48
90	Ahle	Thomas	4:19:15	61
91	Dunlap	Lawrence	4:19:46	68
92	Jackson	Chris	4:20:49	39
93	Schaefer	John	4:21:53	28
94	Richmond	Mike	4:23:39	52
95	Kirkendall	Kali	4:25:10	28
96	Boe	Jennifer	4:25:41	48
97	Oliphant	James	4:25:58	47
98	White	David	4:26:08	66
99	Hanselman-Gree	Erika	4:26:25	39
100	Magin	Richard	4:26:34	64
101	Crispino-Taylor	Anne	4:26:37	53
102	Truitt	Stacie	4:28:34	35
103	Callans	Jen	4:30:31	38
104	Dean	Lisa	4:30:54	40
105	Sherbow	Mark	4:32:47	51
106	Lotts	John	4:33:16	47
107	Thompson	Kimberly	4:33:37	37
108	Brown	Shawn	4:35:20	36
109	Mason	Gabriel	4:35:46	34
110	Ure	Tina	4:35:58	51
111	Dungan	Chuck	4:36:13	39
112	Hecker	Sherry	4:36:56	39
113	Lowry	Mathew	4:38:16	35
114	Lori	Beth	4:38:32	49
115	Barnett	Crissy	4:40:16	54
116	Ryan	Matthew	4:42:00	36
117	Africa	Michele	4:42:11	38
118	McLaughlin	Paul	4:43:38	46
119	Jensen	Kristina	4:43:40	38
120	Fadness	Julie	4:44:16	50
121	Kremer	Gina	4:45:21	30
122	Harris	Brian	4:45:58	56
123	Kluge	John	4:48:25	51
124	Leutzinger	Richard	4:48:49	71
125	Hennessey	Carolyn	4:50:03	44
126	Bournias	Nickie	4:50:11	34
127	Brown	Rachael	4:50:12	41
128	Wewerka	Ben	4:50:32	34
129	Fox	Eric	4:51:21	43
130	Arnold	Randy	4:51:49	47
131	Wiesen	Josh	4:52:15	29
132	Gettman	Andrew	4:53:22	30
133	King	Kara	4:53:52	34
134	Lacouture	Brain	4:54:40	31
135	Bieg	James	4:55:30	62
136	Chung	Mina	4:57:37	41
137	Krivak-Tetley	Flora	4:57:39	30
138	Beck	Lyle	5:00:20	40
139	McClain	Laura	5:02:54	44
140	Kovtunovich	Marilyn	5:03:31	64
141	Mosley	Sharon	5:03:34	48
142	Dempsey	Pattie	5:05:54	50
143	Bodington	Tia	5:06:23	54
144	McLaughlin	Stefanie	5:08:55	44
145	Landon	Brooke	5:09:59	30
146	Lopez	Harvey	5:11:02	48
147	Proulx	Jeffrey	5:12:30	42
148	Johnson	Kimberly	5:12:31	28
149	Eagles	Breanne	5:12:46	31
150	Ali	Shahid	5:12:46	25
151	Mauldin	Bruce	5:15:51	63
152	Hinzmann	Chris	5:18:13	51
153	Enser	Sabrina	5:18:46	29
154	Davalon	Tatiana	5:21:53	46
155	DeLuca	MaryEllen	5:22:05	52
156	Sniffen	Carl	5:22:06	58
157	Thompson	Marco	5:23:02	19
158	Wood	George	5:29:21	46
159	Noyes	Monique	5:30:02	35
160	Hyland	Michael	5:31:12	50
161	Reckard	Rob	5:31:58	39
162	Perry	Bess	5:33:45	28
163	Chang	Victor	5:33:48	41
164	Cowdery	Bob	5:34:12	66
165	Enser	Andy	5:37:39	30
166	Benjamin	Ben	5:38:59	63
167	Newell	Matt	5:47:39	34
168	Thaler	Steve	5:48:10	39
169	Fish	Peter	5:48:45	74
170	Pascoal	Bart	6:02:23	39
171	Emerson	Joseph	6:20:00	67

Me thinks this is the way it was played out.  I'll be going over a few results and some more notations and results boards but will update as necessary. 

Once again a big thank you to Montrail, USATF, The Peerless, Chozu, Starbucks (yes that Starbucks,) Basement Ink, Renee and Russ Rickert, Timothy Olson Massage, Eric Dinger, Maya Nereburg , Krista Olson, Mercy Ray, Daniel Hough, Kelly Lange, Sara Vaile, The Stemples, Erik Skaggs, Leland Fulton, Pete Walstrom, Brian Devore, Mel Bailey, Eric Poole, Carissa Gullikson, Tim Turk, Rob Cain, Matt Thomas, John Price, Melissa Shweisguth, Holly for sticking to the store, Chris Rennaker, Darcy Kleiman, Richard Bolt and the countless others I'm forgetting. 

Lithia Loop Trail Marathon

Ashland, Oregon, November 1, 2010 – Entries have begun to pour in for the 3^rd annual Lithia Loop Trail Marathon. For the second straight year this race doubles as the USATF Trail Marathon Championship with 6,000 dollars in prize money to be awarded to the top 5 open male and female competitors as well as the top 3 male and female masters finishers.  

The race is run on a mixture of trail and dirt road with 2 miles of pavement that sends as well as welcomes runners through beautiful Lithia Park located in downtown Ashland, Oregon.   There are 6 fully stocked aid stations along a course that climbs over 4,000ft and descends as much to the finish.  

Previous champions Max King (pictured above) and Jeff Caba are returning from Bend, Oregon to take a shot at the prize money.  King is coming off a 2:15:34 showing at the Baltimore Marathon and looks to take down another USATF Trail Championship banner to add to his string of victories in 2010.  

Returning contestants include John Tribbia from Boulder, Colorado, Yassine Diboun and Andrew Schupp from Portland, Oregon as well as 100k National Champion Timothy Olson from Ashland, Oregon.  

Greg McMillan returns as Masters Champion from 2009 but will be running from the start to elude Tim Van Orden and Dave Dunham from New England.   Richard Bolt from Portland leads a group of Oregonians ready to keep the medals in house.  

Fresh off her 6:28:44 at the USATF 50 Mile Championship at the Tussey Mountainback 50, Devon Crosby-Helms returns to gain the top spot that eluded her here last year as does Katie Caba from Bend, runner up in 2008.  

What: Lithia Loop Trail Marathon

Where: Ashland, Oregon

Who: 200 entries as of 11/1/10

When: November 6^th, 2010 8 am 

Ok, there's your press release for 2010.  I'm ecstatic when I say we have over 200 entrants so far and the course is on par for another fast finish.  It will be fast you know, and then you'll all be sad that it's over and you have to wait until next year.    

So that you don't feel too bad, Russ and Renee Rickert will be catering once again at the finish, their beautiful burritos and soup.   A big thank you to Montrail for leading the sponsoring this year as well as Chozu and the Peerless. Please patronize these sponsors as they help make all of this possible.   

I ran/walked the course today under sunny skies and 60-70 degree temps. It looks as though a mild front will be moving through Friday into Saturday with a small chance of precipitation but you all know that it does not rain on Lithia Loop Saturday.    

Registration/Packet Pick-Up is at  RVR on Friday, can't wait to see all of you!   

 

If it isn't Down Under

It's pretty far down and under.

The 3rd annual running of the Ultra Marathon De Los Andes took place Saturday October 16th in the foothills east of Santiago, Chile. The 50 mile distance was added to the 10k, 20k, 50k line up just last year   and American Leigh Schmidt won in just under 9 hours. It was apparent from that time and the caliber of runner that he is this wasn't going to be a cake walk.  There were a few Americans that ended up running this rendition of the ultimate distance and their story became filled with talk of night running, giant climbs, rocky terrain, and big time elevation.

The race began at 2 am on Saturday morning but we weren't sure there was going the be a start as we searched the streets and subdivisions of Santiago for the staging area.   We caravan'd with fellow Oregonian Sean Meissner and TNF athlete Sebastien Chaigneau wondering if they were just as nervous as we were leaving our fate to these drivers that were just about as familiar with the area as we were.  Eventually we made it, 15 minutes to sign in, grab bibs, fill water bottles, grab a space blanket and whistle, hit the bathroom, and smile for picture requests.

So we were off, heading through the jumbo arches complete with Trinitron Screen looping video of various races across the globe.  As we made our way through the first half mile, a band of runners decided to stray from the pace car and the smooth streets of La Dehesa to jump through a boarded, gated entrance to what seemed to be a park.  It was quite comical watching dozens of runners trying to squeeze through a grafitti laced barrier in an attempt to find the trail, meanwhile the driver up the road kept shouting "ven aca!" (come right here.) I continued down the dark road for a few more steps before making my way onto a double track trail that slowly began to ascend into the deserted surroundings.


I was trailed and quickly passed by a runner that I certainly didn't recognize but that I was sure was running of above his comfort zone.  It's easier in the US to know which runners are going out on pure adrenaline and those that are legitimate contenders for the distance, but on this day I knew it wasn't Sebastien and I should probably follow for a little while.   As the climb sputtered and spat so too did my companion and I decide it was time to push on through.  The course was adorned with copious TNF flagging and proved to be one of the best marked courses I have ever run, however running through that many ours of night it was sorely needed.  

I made my way up through the frosty air to what was to be our first summit and then back down near the start to complete a 20k loop that was probably a little too fast but the footing was nice and the anticipation of the foreign course lured me on.   Further on, I began to calm down and settled in to a nice pace as the course traversed the arid countryside, however it wasn't long until I found myself at checkpoint 3, some 31km into the race looking for my only drop bag.   Filling up on GU was imperative for the remainder of the event, having no idea of the effort that was going to be needed over the next 20km.

The next section of the race followed an old mine road that began to rise through the palisades that were beginning to glow in the night sky, not because of the impending dawn but rather due to the lingering snow that marked our arrival at elevation.   I could see now that I chase pack was following closely and I was doing my best to distance myself on the arduous climb.  I knew I had an eight or nine thousand foot summit summit on the horizon and I had to remind myself of my last long run with Erik nine or so days ago.  We had run from town to the Mt A outcroppings and beyond and this would be no different.  The headlamps faded for a while but as the road turned rocky and snowy my pursuers closed in.   Check point 5 was just below an alpine chute to a saddle with vistas of Santiago and the Andes.  It would prove to be one of the most spectacular sunrises ever as the suns rays suffused with the gasses of the industrious metropolis below to cast a glow over the ominous Andes we had just seemed to defeat. 

 

Below the summit I could see Sebastien and Gustavo closing fast and I knew that the rocky terrain would put this Mt Blanc podium finisher on top of me quickly. What I didn't know is that Gustavo would pass both of us on the plush tundra just before the trail plunged another one to two thousand feet.  From here the trail was something remeniscent of Zane Grey and I watch the two runners that I had alluded for 5 hours vanish over the under the coming miles.  

As I ran for the final 19km I tried to remind myself that I was running strong all day and that although we had a long way down perhaps a few climbs still remained, I could catch up. With 6km to go they came back into view and I cowered in the shadows of the trail to not alert my competitors of my presence.  As the road opened up at 4km and dove down into the finish I was spotted, some 15 seconds back.  One last push and I was on the ground, my wary feet that had survived some of the nastiest trail in the western hemisphere succombed to ball bearing pebbles as my place was sealed.

7:32 minutes and I was done!  Less than 3 minutes separated the two winners and myself, the closest ultra finish ever for this traveled runner.  

Sebastien and I congratulate one another.

It was certainly a race!

Meanwhile another race was developing high above the cloud of the city. Carly, running in her first race abroad (not including Cananda) began to carve out her spot amongst the ultra runners in Chile. Worried about her placing, she had to ask the throngs of runners that began passing her as the elevation ascended, what race are you doing? As many replied that they were indeed in the 50km that merged with the 80km a sigh of relief cemented her standing as the 2nd place female and caused her feet to stride a little easier on the descent to the finish. A time of 11:03 was rewarded with a number of hours in the shade of night but as the morning wore on she found reserves to push through the atmospheric suns heat. At the awards ceremony which concluded over an hour after her finish she was still the latest female to concluded her day. 2nd place and in the money!

We all agreed it was one of the best events we have been to. From the course, to the volunteers, the fish line infrastructure, to the people running in all the events.  It fulfilled a once in a lifetime experience, but I can't wait to go back again sometime soon.

Carly just below the 9,000ft summit, 2600 meters?

Does that check read 100,000 dollars?

Another podium finish, for reals. 

Sebastien, Sean, Carly, Trinidad, and myself enjoy the Santiago sun and festivities.

Yes, my lifetime miles have taken me around the world, almost twice.

The Chileans favored the beard and adopted my title as the American Forrest Gump, hopefully that's the last word on that.