Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Fast Fun at the 2013 Oakland Marathon

The Oakland Running Festival, now in its 4th annual running, attracts over 9,000 people for its marathon, half marathon, and 5k races. It's already the second biggest Oakland city event of the year! When a spot opened up on my calendar for Sunday, I jumped at the chance to toe the line for a 3rd time at this race and see the hills and neighborhoods of Oakland and Berkeley, CA. I figured it would at the least be a chance to catch up with some friends and get a solid tempo day into the books.

(Runners take over Oakland, photo courtesy of Brent Ward)
It's a great course, and one with enough hills from mile 6-14 to give the San Francisco Marathon or Big Sur Marathon a run for the money in the "toughest California road marathon" contest. The hills are steep, in particular the descent from mile 13, which favors us trail rabbits. Given the short notice I didn't really have a plan, other than to go out at a fast aerobic pace (6:20 min/mile), slow it down for the hills, and assess my legs at mile 15. The same strategy had worked the first two times I ran the race (2:49 in 2010, and 2:55 in 2011), and had nabbed me two Masters wins thanks to their "no double-dipping roll down" policy that removes any Top 5 finisher from contention for Masters awards (otherwise Tony Torres, who placed 1st and 3rd with ~2:30 finish times would have also been the Masters winner the years I ran).

(Caitlin Smith and John Burton look AB-solutely fabulous)
(Penny MacPhail gets some love from Devon Yanko)
(Eric Lyman joins me at the start line)
(Mayor Jean Quan gets us rolling)
As I jogged up to the start, I found Devon Yanko, Caitlin Smith, and Penny MacPhail warming up and laughing together. They all looked incredibly fit and relaxed, and assured me this was not an "A" race for any of them. Devon and Caitlin were definitely capable of beating the 2:53 Women's course record, especially if they worked together, and I knew there were free tickets to Hawaii for winners (courtesy of sponsor Hawaiian Airlines), so I wasn't so sure. We shall see! There were plenty of other familiar faces in the start corral as well - Ethan Veneklasen was running a relay leg, last years winner Chris Mocko had recovered "enough" from a glute injury to give it a shot, John Burton was fit and out for fun, and former 100k world champion Shinji Nakadai (who won the 2010 IAU 100k World Championships with a 6:43...holy speedskates!) was in town as well. At 7:30am, the bikes lined up to lead us and we were off!

(Bike escorts were ready to roll...and had a challenging day!)
(And we're off!)
(Cutting through city center)
(Dashing by the Fox Theatre, photo courtesy of Brent Ward)
After a slight mix up with a cursing driver who refused to yield to the cops, we found ourselves on a new part of the course that cut through the city center, giving us a chance to loop back and see some of the other runners cross the starting line. There was a front pack of five at a 5:30 min/mile pace, and a second pack that included the top Women at a 6 min/mile pace, then the rest of us spreading out as we bid farewell to the famous Fox Theatre. I ran along with Ethan and a friend of his, catching up and thanking the early risers who came out to cheer us on.

(Plenty of runners in the front packs)
We cut through some cute neighborhoods and ran right town Telegraph Avenue, before climbing up to College Ave for a quick tour of a restaurant-rich section of town (mile 5). The locals were awesome, cheering us on with their coffee mugs in hand and clearly were ready to make cheering a big part of their day. At mile 6, the relay teams got fresh legs and the full marathoners tagged along to tear up the first of the big hills.

(Relay team Runner's Unchained on their way to a 2nd place finish, with Ethan keeping pace)
(College Ave all to ourselves!)
(Devon pulls away from second pack, throwing a San Anselmo gang sign in the process)
As we made our way through the quaint and charming enclaves of the Oakland hills, I had some deja vu moments as I saw the same people in the same chairs (using the same signs!) along the course. That's so cool they came out and made a day of it! Then again, it's not like they will be leaving their driveways anytime soon. ;-)  There were plenty of waving palms from local church groups, ringing in Palm Sunday with cheer and smiles. I ran along with Luke Bell from Australia, who had traveled to the US for work and managed to fit this race into a jam-packed four day vacation in the Bay Area. Luke was definitely holding back his pace, but was all smiles taking in the sights, and getting to know every runner along the way.

(Luke Bell enjoys the early miles)

(We had the bike trails to ourselves)

(More great cheering locals!)
The climbs kept coming...and coming...and Luke pulled away as we passed through Montclair (mile 10). We saw the Mormon Temple and headed downhill in a "be careful what you wish for" plunge (mile 11). I caught up with local runner Ramon De La Rosa who was running his first marathon. First marathon?!? That is one helluva debut and he still looked good. We hit the halfway point in about 1:27 in full cruising gear, and I bid Ramon farewell and leaned into the downhill.

(There's the Mormon temple, and that means lots of downhill coming!)

(Ramon gets a boost from the relay teams)
By the time we hit Fruitvale (mile 15), it felt like they had cleared the roads for a five person fun run. Awwwkward! Many of the drivers were non-too-pleased, and the Oakland Police Dept had their hands full. Fruitvale already has a loud and eclectic flavor to it, so I'm sure it was all in days work for the OPD. I picked out a runner about a minute ahead and set my pace to get him, if anything just for some camaraderie.

(No, really....there are lots of people in this race!)
Scott Reisdorf from Livermore, CA, turned out to be perfect company. He has run every one of the Oakland Marathons, and was quite confident we were on a 2:55-ish finish pace. We talked about all the little course changes over the years, and how we found the changes thoughtful for variety and safety, but resulting in a more challenging course over time. We chuckled at the Gummy Bear Cadillac, back yet again, and found a new tempo to the beats of the DJ's along International Boulevard. After a couple of miles, I picked up the pace again to get it back to 6:20 min/mile pace, and Scott (ever the pacemaker!) sensed I was pushing him a bit hard and wished me the best.

(Go, go Gummy Bears!)
(Scott Reisdorf is cruising fast!)
As we turned towards Jack London Square (mile 18), the Oakland road rage had gone full f'ing ballistic. The streets were full of cars, and nobody was listening to jack (london?). It was great! They had shit to do, man, I get that. If you didn't get the memo about road closures, a city marathon can seriously mess up your day. So I just ran between the cars, waving back to the drivers that were giving me the middle finger, and knew this was likely the part of the race I would be telling other runners for years. Right? Couldn't be more different than the trails!

(Running through live intersections...the full Oakland experience!)
(These ladies were awesome and everywhere)
As we got into West Oakland (mile 19), I was alone on the road and the whole experience just got surreal. The same two amazing ladies with "Kick Assfault" signs were appearing everywhere and cheering at the top of their lungs, and I was beginning to suspect teleportation. Then a DJ was spinning some insane dubstep from a Road Warrior-inspired off road vehicle that was spitting fire to the beat. SPITTING FIRE TO THE BEAT. I shit you not, it was seriously cool. Just when I thought I had seen it all, five minutes later I was heading down an industrial backroad with a row of tents for the homeless who are just waking up and giving me confused looks and flagging me down for change. The amalgamate of Oakland defies your boundaries not to be stretched. And by the way, it's still 10k to the finish. Run, Forrest, Run!

(Still not sure what the hell this was...but it was awesome!)
(More fire! More warped steel! Welcome to West Oakland)
(Some of the cheaper housing of Oakland)
(Threat Level Orange tears it up)
(Now THESE are Raiders fans!)
As we approached Lake Merritt (mile 23), I passed Rogelio Antonio and Juan de Oliva from Reno, NV, two friends who were definitely looking at a sub-3 hour finish at the pace they were going. We cruised by Fairyland, where Christi and I had taken the girls the day before, and a number of welcome locals and their dogs who made room for us on the bike path. I caught Chris Mocko and Caitlin Twain, both taking walk internals so as not to amplify "issues" they were both having. Only those two could walk in a sub-3 hour finish time. ;-)

(Taking a walk break)
(More music! Photo courtesy of Brent Ward)
A couple of brilliant volunteers had bells and whistles to pull us along the right turns of the route, making it easy to navigate the crowds along the park (nice work, guys!)! I crossed the footbridge, and ran it in for a 2:53:45, feeling good enough for a beer and snacks. (all results)

(Finish in sight!)
(Still smiling, with great volunteers)
(Oakland cheerleaders greet us at the finish, photo courtesy of Brent Ward)
At the awards ceremony, none of us had seen the times yet so we weren't sure of our places. All we knew was that Shinji Nakadai had won in 2:37:29, and Devon Yanko had beat the course record by minutes in winning the Women's race. I hung out with Penny MacPhail, most certainly the Women's Masters winner with her 3:16 finish, and we crossed our fingers for hearing our names for the ridiculously large Masters trophies. But in a confusing moment, the Masters winners were announced with times that were slower than ours. What? How can that be?!? We found out later that I was Top 5 Male - 6th overall, and since Devon had destroyed the Womens course record in 2:47:24, that made me #5 dude. Penny was the 4th Female, so both of us would be seeing checks but no trophies. The same rule that had garnered me a Masters trophy twice had now caught me in its web! That was worth a few rounds of humble laughter, I tell ya. But I remembered how it felt to get it when I wasn't really the first Master, and knew that Berkeley's Daniel Kono would be thrilled to get hardware for his worthy 3:05 finish time.

(Shinji Nakadai celebrates his win, photo courtesy of Brent Ward)
I walked back to my car, race-provided Coors Light in hand, chuckling that I was in good company with the number of people with open containers near Chinatown. Everyone is welcome in Oakland's unapologetically strange and diverse culture, and we all celebrate it in our own way, whether that's running or chilling in the sun. It's that magnetic pull that keeps me coming back for more, which I will certainly be doing again.


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Beast from Utah - Interview with Cody Moat, the USATF 50-Mile and Marathon Champion

When I hear "former college Steeplechase/Cross Country star is getting into ultras", my expectations are immediately off the charts. I think of Max King (who just won Way Too Cool 50k in a mind-boggling 3:08), Sage Canaday (USATF 100k Champion, who just won the Tarawera 100k), or Joe Gray (just won the Caumsett 50k USATF Championships in 2:56). Now I can add one more to that list - Fillmore, Utah's Cody Moat, who just won the USATF 50-Mile Trail Championship in course record fashion in his first ever ultra.
(Cody, just after winning the Spartan World Championship)
Cody Moat has been fast nearly all of his life. A high school Cross Country and Wrestling State Champion, he went on to Southern Utah University in the early 2000's to become a 4-time NCAA Div I conference champion in Cross Country, the indoor 5,000m, and outdoor 10,000m. After a 5-year hiatus from competitive running to have 4 (!) kids and begin his teaching and coaching career, Cody got back into competitive trail running through the Spartan obstacle racing series, and ended up winning the World Championship in two divisions and picking up a sponsorship from Team inov-8. He handily won the USATF Trail Marathon Championships in 2012 with a course record, and debuted in the ultra scene at the Nueces 50-miler to win his first ultra, and his first USATF ultra title. With so much success right out of the gate, I was excited to exchange e-mails with Cody and see what he's up to.
 
1. First, congratulations on your win/course record at the Nueces 50-miler and your USATF Championship! I know you are familiar with trail running, but was that your first ultra? Any lessons learned to share? 

Ya, that was my first official ultra marathon. I regularly do a 30-40 mile mt run on my own at 10,000 ft. every summer. I also won the Spartan Ultra Marathon which was only 27 miles but it took 7 hours because of the grueling obstacles. So in a way it’s not my first long run but technically its my first regular ultra marathon race. I learned that it’s a good idea to follow someone who knows what they are doing on your first Ultra. That’s what I did. I followed Jason Bryant for about 37 miles and then I knew I could make the distance and headed out after Paul Terranova. I also learned that it pays to have more experience coming into the aid stations. I was always the slowest of our leader pack coming out of each aid station.

(Cody sets a new course record at Nueces to win the USATF 50-Mile Championship)
 2. How did you find your way from the track to obstacle racing, and then to trail and ultra running? Was it a natural progression? 

Actually trail and ultra running came before obstacle racing. I spent several years running trails and mountains by myself because I love the outdoors. I lost a lot of good years that I should have been competing. I was running and was in great shape just not racing competitively. Then I got into trail racing and Obstacle racing at about the same time. I was burned out after college so I wouldn’t even run a 5 k for over 5 years. But now I’m back and wish I had never taken those 5 years off after college.

3. You have two boys and two girls, you are a full-time teacher, and a coach for wrestling and cross country. When in the world do you find time to train? What motivates you? 

It’s so hard to find the time to train and do it all. Actually this year I’m the head track coach as well. The truth is I run every morning at 5:00 a.m. with a head lamp. Sometimes I’ll do workouts at practice. And if I feel like I need more, I train in the evening after everything else is done. I need to quit something. The upcoming races motivate me but even more than that is being able to run the Mountain trails on a Saturday that I have off. I’d rather do that than just about anything.

(How sweet is this picture?)
 4. In you track days, what was your favorite event? Have you carried some of your track training into your off-road racing? What does a typical week of workouts look like for you? 

In track, my favorite event was the 3,000 meter Steeplechase. I liked it because it broke the monotony of the laps. But I actually like Cross Country best of all. I like the hills and the change. I did okay in college but I always felt like they didn’t have my event. I knew my event was a trail run from 13-50 miles. I learned a lot from Coach Eric Houle at Southern Utah University. I still do many of the same workouts that I did in college I’ve just adapted them to my situation which is on trails or doing obstacles. I really couldn’t give you a mileage per week. It seems to change all the time. I have great weeks with high mileage and then I have weeks where I have to run in the pool because of aches and pains and injuries. I take it one day at a time. But if I had a choice of a perfect week, it would be all done at high elevation on a mountain trail. I would do my speed, my tempo runs, and my long runs all on a trail. Very seldom do I get a week like that though.


5. How about race day nutrition/hydration…what do you like to use and what is your strategy? 

Sorry I’m so vague with this kind of stuff but every race varies a little. I always want to be hydrated and carbo-loaded but I don’t really have any particular method that I’m sold on. This is probably the area that I need the most work. For the Nueces trail race I used Gu and water when I was away from an aid station. At the aid stations I ate bananas, a piece of pbj sandwich, Pringles, and trail mix. I felt really strong the whole race, I never felt weak from a lack of calories like I have in other races or workouts. So whatever I did in Texas worked but there was no experience coming behind it.

When I run Marathons I usually don’t need much except for what they supply in aid stations but the 50 miler was a little different. So I guess I got lucky with my race day nutrition.

6. What is next on the race list/bucket list? Will we be seeing you at a 100-miler anytime soon? 

As far as trail races I’m looking at the Speed Goat 50k, maybe Pikes Peak. Also later in the summer another USATF trail championship (I think it’s 50K but not sure). I have at least 8 spartan obstacle races planned. Also I’m considering running at the World Marathon Championships and the World 50 Mile Championships. All of that is up in the air right now because it seems like all the races I want to do are close together. I do want to eventually do a 100 miler but probably not this year. I don’t know how I could fit it in.

Thanks, Cody! Have a great season and I hope to see you out there!

- SD

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Is Marathon Participation Peaking? Not Really, Says Running USA

The annual Running USA Marathon report is out for 2012, and at first glance, it appears that marathon participation was on the decline for the first time in over a decade. According to the study, the estimated number of U.S. marathon finishers declined from a record 518,000 in 2011 to 487,000 in 2012 (a 6% decrease), but like 2001, most of the decline can be attributed to a unique situation; in 2001, it was post-9/11 travel impacting fall marathons, and in 2012, the cancellation of the ING New York City Marathon, the world's largest marathon with more than 47,000 finishers or 9% of the 2011 overall finisher total.


If the sold-out NYC Marathon had been held, there is no doubt that the 2012 overall marathon finisher total would have exceeded the 2011 record of 518,000. In addition, overall, there was a 1.6% increase in finishers from the same 388 U.S. marathons for 2011 and 2012 (464,122 vs. 471,595); a slight percent increase (1%) from the same 367 marathons in 2010 and 2011 (495,135 vs. 500,206).

Some other interesting stats from the study (be sure to read the full study for more):

Gender and Age Group Breakdown








1980
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

Women  
11%
40%
40%
41%
41%
41%
41%
42%

Men
90%
60%
60%
59%
59%
59%
59%
58%

Masters (40 yrs+)
26%
46%
46%
45%
46%
46%
46%
46%

Open (20 to 39 yrs)
69%
52%
52%
53%
52%
52%
52%
52%

Juniors (under 20)
5%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%

                   

Female
Male







6-17 yrs
1%
1%







18-24 yrs
10%
7%







25-34 yrs
35%
26%







35-44 yrs
31%
31%







45-54 yrs
17%
23%







55-64 yrs
5%
10%







65+ yrs
1%
2%







                   
Median Age






      
1980
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
(Mean)
Males 
34
40
40
39
40
40
40
40
(39.8 yrs)
Females
31
35
36
35
35
35
35
35
(36.2 yrs)
Median Age Overall

38
38
38
36
37
37
37
(38.3 yrs)
                   
Median Times - U.S. Marathon Finishers
 







1980
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012

Males  
3:32:17
4:19:31
4:20:04
4:20:04
4:13:54
4:16:14
4:16:34
4:17:43

Females
4:03:39
4:49:57
4:49:48
4:43:31
4:41:29
4:42:10
4:42:15
4:42:58

 
Year Estimated U.S. Marathon Finisher Total
1976 25,000  
1980 143,000  
1990 224,000  
1995 293,000  
2000 353,000  
2004 386,000  
2005 395,000  
2006 410,000  
2007 412,000  
2008 425,000  
2009 467,000  
2010 507,000  
2011 518,000 (all-time high)
2012 487,000  

Monday, March 11, 2013

Why is falling so funny?

Somebody slips and falls, and you bust out laughing because you can't help yourself. Cruel? Maybe, but it also turns out that a good fall has the essential ingredients for laughter, says Associate Professor Peter McGraw of the University of Colorado Boulder.


Peter and his colleague Caleb Warren work at the Humor Research Lab (I know where I'm getting my PhD!) applying science to the world of humor. One theory of theirs, called the benign violation theory, proposes that something is funny if three conditions are met. First, ordinary life is somehow thrown off balance. Second, this violation is benign, meaning that no one gets hurt. Finally, these first two conditions must happen simultaneously. For example, a minor face plant on the trail is funny because it is (1) physically threatening AND (2) really quite harmless.

Another insight in their research is that "proximity is directly related to seriousness". If we see a stranger fall and break a finger, it's not funny, but if it's your best friend, it's hilarious. Similarly we wouldn't be able to laugh if a friend had a real-life tragedy, but when strangers do, it's all over YouTube and a candidate for the Darwin awards.That explains a lot!



So the next time you witness a world-class digger and bust out laughing, just tell them it's not your fault...science made you do it. Then post it on YouTube for the rest of us. ;-)

Props to Christie Aschwanden for the find!

And super kudos to Max King for his course record run at Way Too Cool 50k this weekend (3:08!), Meghan Arboghast on her win (4:06, outkicking Rory Bosio), and Gary Gellin on the Masters win (3:36, 6th overall). You guys ripped it up!

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Texas Showdown at the 2013 Nueces 50-Miler (USATF 50-Mile Trail Championships)

I’m going to hurt myself today. No doubt about it.

I had to confess the high probability of a few face plants as my feet brushed the rocky trail for the first time, just a few minutes before the start of the Nueces 50-Miler last Saturday. Even in the dark of the morning, the stark contrast of the rock-on-rock Texas hill country was ominous.  

Yup, going to stick to the sheets tonight for sure.

I was in good company, however, as 100+ of us huddled in the starter chute for this challenging 3-loop 50-miler in Camp Eagle, TX. Another 300 came along for 50k/25k/10k options, and would start soon after. The genius of Camp Eagle’s “bring your own sheets” policy was about to be revealed in all its scabby glory.

Race Director Joe Prusaitis and his merry band of Tejas Trails volunteers were our hosts for this fourth running of Nueces (2nd as the USATF Trail 50-Mile Championships), so there was no doubt it would be challenging, fun, and well-marked. Many of the runners were from local Texas towns, still shaking out Bandera or Rocky Raccoon just weeks earlier, and ready for more. Throw in some top contenders such as Jason Bryant (finished top 3 here the last two years), USATF Trail Marathon champion Cody Moat, Austin star Paul Terranova (who just won a slot to Western States with his 3rd place finish at the Bandera 100k), course record holder Michele Yates, Texas speedster Melanie Fryer, trail running power couple Brian and Amy Rusiecki, and more, it was going to be a showdown!


As the gun went off at 6am, I found a couple of folks with bright headlights to run next to (oops…I swear I packed a headlight) as we worked our way up the first climb. Turns out it was Jason Crockett from San Antonio and fellow inov-8 teammate Amy Rusiecki. Thanks, guys! We caught up and swapped stories, working our way to the top through the tricky switchbacks at a casual but swift pace. Amy and I ran through the list of top contenders, suspecting that the men’s race would likely come down to Jason Bryant (always a contender, and certainly for the Masters win now that he's 40), Paul Terranova (the local star, still fresh after Bandera), Brian Rusiecki (familiar with rocky running from his 7 wins at Mountain Masochist, Bull Run Run, etc. in 2012) another Team inov-8 member Cody Moat (running his first ultra, but wicked fast as proven from his win at the USATF Trail Marathon championships). For the women, Littleton, CO's Michele Yates was the favorite (just won Bandera, holds course record at Nueces), with Melanie Fryer, Pam Smith from Salem, OR, and Amy all capable of fast times on technical courses. A fast crew all around! As the sun peeked over the hill, I thanked my well-lit friends and picked up the pace.

(Yup, that is actually a trail)
(The morning sun burns down the morning mist)
I was feeling fresh, enjoying the lightness of a stride that is eight pounds leaner thanks to training during funemployment. The trails were technical for about five miles, and then crested the hill and turned to bedrock-lined roads that were much more runnable. I ran along with Californian-turned-Texan Willem Van Dam, who was pleased to be the young guy in the 50-54 age group this year, and he gave me some great tips on running these rocky trails - shorten that stride, stay upright, and never take your eyes off the trail. The hilltop view was amazing, with the expanse of Texas reaching to the horizon in every direction, and the cloudless sky warming quickly with the sunrise.

(Welcome, sun!)
(Gorgeous sunrise...what a great day!)
I caught a few runners as we peeled off the hilltop and hit some single track, and it didn’t take long to hear the first yelp of a fallen runner somewhere among the mesquite- and cactus-lined trails. It sounded like a bad one, but quite honestly, none of us could figure out where she was. In the hill country, everything sounds nearby and looks impossibly far away. We let the volunteers know at the next aid station (mile 9.5), and they already had someone on the way!

(This trail goes on forever!)
(Heads down is the correct posture! Turns out it was this runner who fell, and she toughed it out for 22 more miles with what remained of her left knee)
The terrain was super fun on the next stretch, running along the stone river bed and crossing a footbridge that bucked harder than a bull if you didn't time your steps correctly. The variety of trails was delightful - technical climbs, weaving single track, dry flat creek beds, fire roads, and more. Most of the time it felt like I was the only one out there so I was thrilled to catch up to Eric Loffland from Athens, GA, and tackle the "fence climb" together before refueling at the Texas aid station (mile 14). One more descent, a few rock hops across the river, and one last crazy suspension bridge to finish lap #1!

(Rugged and beautiful)

(Single track was super fun!)
I completed the first 16.67-mile loop in 2:18, putting me roughly in 10th place. I knew I had lost a few minutes from the dark, but I was still a solid 10-15 minutes off the pace leaders. Paul Terranova had led through lap #1 with four others within range (Jason Bryant, David Brown, Cody Moat, Brian Rusiecki), and Michele Yates was out front for the women's race not too far off the men. Time to pick it up! Super volunteer Olga Varlamova got me rolling quickly, and I charged up into the hills with Sydney Pitt from Austin, TX, and Houston's Olli Havvikko. We were still moving fast enough to run the uphills, so we traded off the lead over the next few miles and stayed on the hydration.

(Gravity feels good)
A javelina (or boar?) cut through the bushes a few yards away from me as I crested the hill, and scared the bejezus out of me. Those guys move fast! I reached for my camera to get a shot and instantly regretted taking my eyes off the trail, tumbling helplessly into the rocks. The stones were merciless as they dug into my elbows, wrist, fingers and shoulder, deep enough to bruise, and with little ability to "roll with it" and absorb the impact. I took a few moments to catch my breath and took inventory from the fall...not too bad, actually. I suspect every runner out here would have this much blood just as table stakes. Note to self - maybe no pictures on this section, javelina or not!

(So that's what a javelina is!)
(I loved this section where dead branches reached towards the 30 foot river wall)
I got through the next two aid stations easily (mile 21 and 26), pleased that my energy level was holding up nicely. There was plenty of company on this loop too as the 50k and 25k runners made their way through the course. One of them said I was in 8th place and that a couple of runners were less than a minute ahead, so I picked up the pace as we hit the dry river beds. It was warming up now, probably high 50's/low 60's, which mysteriously released butterflies all over the trails. Laughter was also plentiful as the kids at the Camp took to the zip lines, river swimming, fishing, and bouncing on the bridges. Wonderful!

(Running the river bed)
Just as I set into a fast tempo, I caught a toe and was airborne again, realizing I was about to fall right off one of the big steps in the river bed. Don't you love those moments when you are in the air, Wyle E Coyote style, tumbling in slow motion to your inevitable crash? I had just enough time to pick a spot NOT to land, and twisted my body hard to avoid the thorny cactus and crash into the best-of-two-evils sandstone. Ow. Once I got my breath back, I realized I once again had a lucky fall...little surface damage, but my back was jacked up and going into spasms. Crap. I knew I was only a few miles from the end of the second loop (mile 32), so I brushed myself off and walked/jogged it in to assess.

(Uh, oh....)
(Tackling the springy footbridge)
Olga was there to size me up, saying it was clear I was hurting, but happy to see I was smiling and still moving. Lap #2 came in a 2:27, so I hadn't lost much time, but given the intermittent back spasms that could steal my breath away in a moment, this was a different race now. It only seemed to lock up when I had to catch my balance (which is a lot on this course), but I felt like I could still run the flatter stuff at an easy pace. This day was so beautiful...a gift, really...it would be a shame to stop. Success in ultras is often about how you overcome these mishaps, more so than finish place. So I popped some Aleve, let Olga know I was just going to hike it and get 'er done, and started walking the third loop.

Up front, Paul Terranova had come in first on the second lap, with Cody Banks, Jason Bryant, and Brian Rusiecki in hot pursuit. Jason had some swelling issues, but was still hanging with the leaders and toughing it out. I was stoked to hear that Cody was still in the mix - this was his first ultra! That guy is tough.

My ego took a few punches as a handful of folks passed me on my walk, all looking strong going into their third loop. Sydney Pitt was still running up hills, as was 54-year-old Charles Corfield from Boulder, CO, who was putting up a phenomenal pace so far (he runs 100 miles/week, it turns out). My head sank as Jorge Cardenas went by and I saw the M40-44 number on his back...a top Masters finish was certainly out of reach now. But I still had to focus on that finisher medal, so I kept at it.

The Aleve kicked in around mile 39, and I felt good enough to run an 8:30 min/mile pace along the flat and downhill sections. I kept coming close to Charles, amazed at his uphill pace even as both his arms were dripping blood from a fall on the first lap, but he would drop me at every climb. That dude is killing it! As we hit the last aid station (mile 47), he took one last look at me and exploded down the trail faster than a javelina. Well played, Charles, well played.

(A happy finisher brings it home)
(High five!)
I finished up in 8:03 for 16th place, and was surprised to find out I still got 3rd in my age group behind Jason Bryant and Jorge Cardenas. See? It pays to stick to it! I had just missed the Top 10 USATF by one slot, but didn't feel bad knowing that Charles had definitely earned it. Within minutes, I had a long neck beer in my hand, my feet were up, and we were cheering on the other runners.

(Code Moat brings home the win, photo courtesy of Running USA)
Cody Moat had broken away from the leaders in the last five miles to take the win and set a new course record, and Michele Yates squeezed a few more minutes out of her previous CR to score another win and get 4th overall. Jason Bryant braved through his swelling issues to take 3rd and set a new Masters CR, so he was pleased. Everyone said the race was challenging and fun, but you had to stick to your guns.

Top Results (all results):

Men
1. Cody Moat               6:26.03  Course Record
2. Paul Terranova          6:32.10
3. Jason Bryant             6:46.09  1st Master - Masters Course Record
4. Brian Ruseicki           6:55.22
5. Brandon Ostrander   7:08.46

Women
1. Michele Yates           6:53.25  Course Record
2. Melanie Fryar           7:31.58
3. Pam Smith                7:39.19
4. Sydney Pitt               7:53.16

1st Female Master - Anabel Pearson 9:16.31

(RD Joe Prusaitis gets a hug from volunteer Olga)
(Well deserved beers at the finish...recognize the woman in the middle? She's the one who fell!)
(Great shwag and a couple of medals cap off the day)
Everything about this race was so new, so different, yet had all the pleasures we can expect from a well run ultra. It was quite an adventure! My soul was beaming. My thanks to Joe, Tejas Trails, and all the great volunteers for putting on a spectacular race. I highly recommend it!