Squaw Peak 50 Miler

Squaw Peak 50 Mile June 6, 2009

I was very excited for this race. Having 14,000 of uphill elevation and some very serious climbs. I saw it as a warm up for Wasatch. So I was prepared for a tough day. Little did I know I was in for a humbling experience. Here is a view of Provo and Utah lake looking west about mile 7 outside of the #2 aid station at Hope CG. I had sprained my ankle on the river trail at about mile 1 and was really not in the best of spirits. It was a real tough break and I was tempted to go back to the car and call it a day. But since I had come with Scott I had no keys and it would do me no good to sit and wait at the finish. So I went after it. It was quite painful for the next 10 miles and it never seemed to loosen up.

It was all single track trail and it was real tough to run the downhill. I took some vitamin I and stayed on it. Here is a view from Aid Station #3 at mile 15.6. There was a long downhill section here and it was very rocky, I struggled all the way to Aid station #5 at Mile 21. We then had a section of pavement up Hobblecreek Canyon and it was a gift for my ankle, I was able to run the pavement and loosen things up a bit. When we got to Lower River Aid station #6 at Mile 26.5. I was feeling pretty good and the ankle was not so tight and painful. I hammered the uphill knowing that I had to get to get to Aid station #8 before 2:30 pm to make the hard cut off.

At Aid station #7 at mile 29.5. I had a drop bag here and so I reloaded with my amino and GU and got on my way as quickly as I could. It was 12:15 and I had a hour and forty five minutes to make the 2:30 pm cutoff but it was only 4 miles away I knew I could make it with time to spare. I knew it would be a tough haul because the second half of the course is tougher than the first half and elevation would be an issue as we were going to be near 9800' for a while.

Right out of the aid station the trail got real tough, but it only lasted for about 3/4 of mile

I got to the Little Valley Aid Station at mile 33.5 at 1:45 45 minutes before the cutoff and I was feeling pretty good the ankle was sore but runable and I refilled my bottles and got on my way. Larry Emery was there and he was doing well also. I hooked up with another runner and we took out of there headed for the worst part of the course Windy Pass. We settled into a good pace and were moving along well. All of the sudden we came to a T in the trail and we had to go left or right. But there were no flags indicating which way we were to go. We had gotten off course, and now we had to back track and see where we went off. We headed back down everything we came up and according to Bobs GPS. It was a mile and half out of the way, so we turned a 7 mile section into a 10 mile section between aid stations. We got back to the trail and came up on the sweep crew, we were DFL (dead freaking last) they thought they had all the runners in front of them. We explained that we were stupid and got of course. I asked if they had any water to spare and got a little, I was down to 2 bottles and I knew I was going to need 3 to get over Windy. Bob and I kept plugging along and passed quite a few folks, some not doing so well others just like us cruising along. It seemed to take forever to get to the bottom of Windy Pass. Bob took a food break and I continued on knowing that he would catch me on the downhill side.

This photo shows Windy pass in the distance we followed the snow line up and around. It was a very difficult climb. One guy called it "puke hill" I didn't puke on the hill. I waited till later.

Here we are on the downhill side of Windy Pass headed for Aid Station #9 at mile 41 by the time I got there I was in pretty bad shape feeling sick and I knew I was dehydrated. Jim Skaggs was manning the station and had some ginger chews and I chewed on one got my bottles full and got out of there. I took some S-caps and drank a full bottle of water. I was feeling pretty good and I knew I needed some GU. So I rip out a GU and do the usual sip and run, then all of the sudden I am going to puke, and I do, all the water and GU and S-caps are now on the trail. I am in big trouble. Bob takes a S-cap and cracks it open and puts it on my tongue. That seems to help and so I go back to sipping water and take a couple more S-caps. We get going and I am feeling okay not good but okay. I slow some and let Bob go as he is much faster than I am on the downhill. I wish him luck and tell him I will see him at the finish. I go about another mile and I am feeling real bad again. I don't dare take any GU and I am out of S-caps. So I stop sit down and I take my last bottle of water and mix up some Amino, then take some small sips as I try to get going again. I remember that in our goodie bags they gave us some electrolyte strips, so I take a couple and I sip my Amino, take a couple Ibuprofen and after a mile or so. I am feeling normal again. But now I am out of water again and not sure where the aid station is. So I very conservatively run till I hear Troy! And Scotty K is at the aid station, so I run in as fast I can get my bottles full again and here I am leaving Aid Station #10 Mile 46.9 or 49.9 for me because of the scenic detour. I am feeling real good even though my eyes are closed in the photo. I am not terribly photogenic at this point in the day.

I made it to the finish running the last 3 or so miles feeling really pretty good. What an amazing change from where I was not too long ago.

Here I am at the finish explaining how Bob and I got 53 miles in
instead of the recommended 50. It was a very wild day, with many ups and downs. I am humbled by the experience and it really was a test as to whether I can even begin to think about tackling 100 miles. You find that little mistakes can be very costly. 3 extra miles cost me big. Had I not made that detour I beleive I would not have gotten sick and would have been done hours sooner.

Sapper Joe 50K

Sapper Joe 50K

Wow! What a wild course. First of all the Sapper Joe 50K is a trail run that is ran/run at the Camp Williams Army National Guard base south of Salt Lake. It is a very scenic and difficult course that we were told is about 70% runnable. I think that is being awfully generous. We started right out of the parade grounds and up a firebreak for the first 5 miles and we covered 1200' in elevation. Straight up and straight down. I fell twice and did the one cheek sneak down a rocky incline. Fun. Once I got my feet back under me and going again. I tippy toed the rest of the hill and got back in the game. The next 6 were a little more runnable with a little gravel road stretch that helped me regain my rhythm. A very scenic and pretty course. I expect to see lots of destroyed ground, being that we were running through the impact area and were told to not pickup any "shiny objects". All I saw were lots of oaks, and wild flowers. The profile lived up to its description there were many nasty ups with lots of loose rocks all over. I hooked up with my new best friend Tom and we ran the last 17 together and it was real nice to have him along for the ride. The last five miles was truly all downhill and the one totally runnable section of trail. This was a very well organized race, all the aid stations had ice cold water, tons to eat and the Guard guys were awesome. That was huge on a day like we had. My goal was to stay hydrated and not puke, and with the help of the Succeed Amino and S-Caps I was able to get it done without hitch. I felt great and stayed strong through the whole race. I know now that if I stay focused and drink like I did during this race I will be fine at SP50 in two weeks. One more step towards getting it done at Wasatch. There are pictures to follow once I get them.

Ogden Marathon

A quick Race report about the Ogden Marathon. I had hopes of a PR at Ogden and went out hard and ready to do just that. I was 1:51 at the half and felt real good till about 22 and then, I just didn't have the legs. I know my weakness was lack of speedwork and know what I need to do. That is the challenge I have as I train for the Wasatch 100 I have to balance the long and slow with the short and faster. So I have a plan in mind and we will see if I reap the benefits. Ogden is a great race and course. The weather was perfect and I am happy with a 4:02, I was 4:05 last year so improvement is improvement. I will post some photos as I get them.

Moab Half Marathon

The Moab Half marathon was my wife Kandi's first 1/2 marathon on the farthest she had run. She did awesome at 1:50:46. It was a great day and tons of fun. She had a bunch of ladies from the neighborhood run and everyone finished well. I was just along for the ride.

A picture of the runners/finishers! Troy, Kim, Tari, Cherie, Jenni, and my wife Kandi


















Great Job!

Salt Lake Marathon April 18, 2009

A little stroll through the Salt Lake Valley. This would be my friend Scott's first marathon and I volunteered to help him make it a successful finish. And that is exactly what we did. It was a great day for a run temps in the 40's at the start and nearly 70 at the finish. We had some friends with us, Keith Jensen was back in the run for his first marathon in 10 years and Scotty K was going for the Salt Lake double, he started at the finish at 2 am and ran to the start and was looking down the barrell of 52.4 miles and yes he got it done.

A few pictures of the event.

Keith, Scott and Troy feeling real good at mile 2

Scott Kunz 50 miles into a 52.4 mile day what an animal.

Just me, rocking along at mile 25

Liberty Park mile 23

At the finish line 4:12:18 not a bad first marathon. Great Job Scott!

Finisher Video Antelope Island 50 Miler

Finisher Video at the Antelope Island Buffalo run 50 Miler

Scott and I running into the finish. My first 50 mile run.

And this video illustrates what happens if you don't make Mr Electrolyte your friend. This shouldn't be part of your race plan. Watch, enjoy, and hopefully learn from my suffering.

Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Miler

Antelope Island Buffalo Run 50 Miler


All I can say is "whew"! That was a long run. Here are a few shots of my first 50 mile run.














Here I am on the Elephant Head Trail section of the run about mile 10 (notice the smile).








A little farther down the trail at about mile 21 (smile fading)












No smile, but feeling real good. Pretty day, nice course. Mile 26















Time to refuel at the Aid station Mile 27.4





















Mile 40. Just moving along.















Right here at about Mile 48, the wheels are still on, and I am still pushing to be done. Mr Electrolyte and I have not been close enough friends. Not too long after this shot I blow chunks. Electrolytes are your friends. Hows that for a learning experience?

I do however finish a very well organized 50 mile run at Antelope Island smack dab in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. Great weather great people. Specail thanks to Scott Kunz for the photos and pacing. I am forever indebted to you for your patience.

It was all I expected it to be and much more. I learned a lot and look forward to my next 50.