Prognosis: Good

I saw my foot doctor yesterday, and he was very happy with the progress over the last two weeks. Instead of a 4 inch wide area of tenderness with my tendonitis (Posterior Tibial Tendonitis), it is focused on a very small area, about an inch. He told me that means it's healing up very well, and that this tender area is focused on where I did the tear. I'm still going to have to live in the ankle brace for another 3-4 weeks, and he showed me how to tape the ankle for added support. It will help at Heartland, just 3 weeks away. I wanted to get his opinion on whether I needed to cancel the run, or go as planned. He told me if it hadn't improved much from two weeks ago, he would have advised against running it. He believes I will be fine. But I'll have to 'baby' it for awhile still, and I'll need to avoid rough and rocky trails for the time being, at least until it's healed enough to deal with the uneven side-to-side terrain of trails. Looks like more boring flat dirt and rolling dirt roads at least until Heartland.

At least I can still proceed with focusing on the 3 100's scheduled the next few months for my Fall of Pain Series: Heartland, Motherroad II and Javelina.

Pain In My Foot

It seems I have a sprain in my right foot, on the left side this time. I've had it for awhile now, I just didn't realize it. In fact, I had it while running Lean Horse a few weeks ago. Originally I thought it was Plantar Fasciitis, but it seemed a little higher up than usual. I wrapped my foot with tape for the run for plantar type issues. I was a bit alarmed when I took off the tape and saw it slightly swollen and some bruising, down along my big toe.

I finally got to see my podiatrist to take a look at it, and he was puzzled as to why I had it. I didn't feel a pop, hear a pop, or hit it on anything. He told me to wear a brace for two weeks 24/7 and see how it feels then. He allowed me to go back to normal running (good thing, as I was going to anyway) but take notice of any pain in that area. This is a little more serious than my other sprains of late, which are usually on the anterior (outward) side of my foot and are easily braced. This sprain could lead to fallen arches and surgery if the tendon does rupture away from the talus of my foot. Since I've been running on it for the past 3 weeks (albeit taped) I'm not overly concerned. The pain is also not a lot (a 2 on a 1 to 10 scale). He thinks I'll be okay in a few weeks. I already feel a lot better with the brace supporting it. I was going to run this past weekend, but I opted to let the foot heal up a bit and besides, I had a ton of shit to do around the house this weekend anyway that had a higher calling and larger pull on me. I was going to run today but it's raining and cool out, so I'll opt to run tomorrow when it's supposed to be back into the 70's and sunny again.

Lean Horse Came Up Skinny

Not an auspicious start to my fall slam. In fact, you can say it’s over.

“Over?! Did you say ‘over’?! Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” -– Animal House

Okay, I didn’t manage to finish Lean Horse, the first leg of my four 100 miler slam this year. I still have three to go. So it ain’t over yet.

I had a lofty goal of finishing in under 24 hours, but realistically was hoping for a finish under 28 hours. I haven’t done the kind of training of late needed to finish a 100 miler. Although Lean Horse is not an overly difficult 100, it’s still a 100 miles and, as I know all too well, anything can happen over the course of something like this. I was about to experience something new on the journey that I have never had to deal with before, but have heard about from a lot from other 100 milers: stomach bloating. Severe stomach distress. Dry heaves.

I drove up to Hot Springs SD early Friday morning and got there around 1 in the afternoon. Checked in and got my race packet, talked with Ulli Kamm and his wife Traudl, and met up with Pat standing in the doorway. So I went out and met his mom Mazie and Karen. They would meet me after the pre-race briefing and we would go out for dinner in town. Got to the hotel room and started sorting out stuff. Eventually I left for the briefing. Dropped off my four drop bags and talked to several people before going into the auditorium for the briefing: very low key and it was mostly a question and answer format. The RD Jerry mentioned that although cutoffs are published for the latter aid stations, he wasn’t going to enforce them too severely. “You guys came here to run so why should I stand in your way”. At the end, met up with Pat, Karen and Mazie and we did a brief tour of the first 16 miles of the course, which is in town and eventually along a rolling dirt road that takes us to the Mickelson Trail, a “rails to trails” trail which is very smooth and a gradual uphill.



Along the way we saw a wild turkey with her chicks. I hurried to get out of the car and snap a picture, and managed to get the chicks in mid-flight. After that we headed back to town and we picked up Pat’s brother Mike and we all went to the Mammoth Grille for dinner. Dinner was okay, and I got dropped off at my hotel to get ready for the next days’ run.

Got up early and did the usual pre-race stuff. It was a bit cool out, so I opted to layer: a short sleeve under a long sleeve shirt. I decided not to bring gloves or a warm hat, as I knew I would warm up quickly once started. Put on my regular ball cap, and was ready to roll. Filled up my two bottles with my energy drink, and stashed another bag of mix in my waist pack that should get me to the first drop bag at the Argyle Road aid station 16 miles in. Drove over to the race start and hung out and talked to various runners. Soon we were herded outside and behind the civic center building for the start. I tried to position myself towards the back so as to not get swept up in the early fury of the start.

Then we were off with the word “GO!” from Jerry. The first mile and change took us through town. I looked at my watch at various times and saw the pace was about 10:30. Not overly fast, but not slow either. It felt good so I kept it there for a while. We then made it onto a dirt road and the start of many rolling hills. I opted to walk the hills, as it afforded me the opportunity to take it easy early and not shoot my wad early. I was amazed though at the number of runner, most of them 50 milers, but there were a good number of 100 milers, who were running the hills. I thought to myself more power to them, as I’m going to run my race, and not theirs. I had written down splits for what I thought would be a sub-24 hour pace, and I hit the first aid station at Coldbrook at 4.1 miles in 42:39. This was right on the split I projected. So far so good. Not needing anything I breezed on through.


We soon came to a nice open meadow that connected us from the dirt road we were on to the Argyle Road that would take us to the Mickelson Trail ahead. Jerry had mentioned that there was one less aid station on the road, making the aid station distances around 4 miles, 10 miles, and 16 miles. At this point the road meandered through open country of farms and neighborhoods. It really reminded me a lot of Heartland, in that the road was a constant up and down of rolling hills, nothing steep and long, but without Heartland’s rocks and lack of trees.


I had projected a time to the next aid station of around 1:48. I hit it in 2:01, 10 miles into the run. I was okay with that, as it was starting to get warmer and I was walking more of the hills. I did take off my long sleeve shirt by this time. I got to the aid station and refilled both of my bottles, figuring an hour to the next one.

I was glad I scouted out the road with Pat and Karen the day before as I was able to get a better feel for this part of the course knowing where the end was. I was now in my run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute mode for nearly an hour. Unfortunately, the hills made it difficult to stick to it too rigorously, as I wanted to walk the hills, not run them. With each hill being completed, I would switch back to running and run for either 4 minutes or the next hill. This seemed to work out fine.

I reached the Argyle aid station, mile 15.7, in 3:06, just 6 minutes behind my split. I spent about 5 minutes here, changing into dry clothes, refilling bottles, refilling my pack, downing an Ensure, etc. until ready to go. It was getting hot by now. I didn’t have my ice hat or bandana until the next drop bag at the Pringle aid station 8 miles distant. I’d be okay until then. Bobby Keough was here helping out so he helped refill bottles for me.



I returned my drop bag and headed out onto the Mickelson. It was a gradual up and so I walked it a bit, then started running. The section between here and the next aid station at Lime Kiln Road was fairly rolling. I ran most of it, but was able to stick to the 4/1 plan easier here as the uphills were very slight. Got to Lime Kiln in 45 minutes, 12 minutes behind my splits. Still okay. Refilled my bottle and went out on my way to Pringle.

I got to Pringle in 4:42, still behind a bit, but feeling pretty good about my pace and hoping I would be able to keep this up, but I knew I was going to slow it down some as it was getting warmer out and the sun was unrelenting by now. Bobby was here to help me and I gave him my ice hat to fill up with ice. I probably spent about 5 minutes here changing stuff and refilling.



“A man drink like that and he don’t eat, he is going to DIE!” -– Blazing Saddles

The next few miles were pretty boring, as the trail was parallel to the main highway leading up to Hill City. I was running with another runner who asked me if I was doing the 50 miler or 100 miler. I said 100. He was doing the 50 and upon reaching the 25 mile mark, he jumped up in the air and came back at me as I cruised on through.

Soon the trail veered off to the left and into the farmland, and I found myself walking more and more due to the heat. I was feeling great but feeling the heat so I wanted to take it easy during the rest of the day.

“How about a Fresca?” -- Caddyshack

Got to the next aid station at Carroll Creek (mile 30) in 6:16, about 25 minutes behind. Bobby was here waiting for his runner Dennis Drey and I decided to sit down and get some ice cold beverages, refill the ice hat and bandana, and ate a sandwich. I think I was here about 10 minutes, so I decided it was time to head on out.

From here on, it was mostly a walk. I kept looking at my watch for the pace and I was hovering around 14:30 minute miles, so not too bad. It took me about an hour and a half to get to Custer and the next aid station, at mile 36. I was here about 10 minutes, getting my hat and bandana refilled with ice, sucked down a few ice cokes and refilled my bottles with mix. Got up and headed out through town.

“Am I going mad, or did the work ‘think’ escape your lips?” -– Princess Bride



The next 5 miles to the Mountain aid station was all walking, although I was able to keep up with a few runners ahead (who were jogging) and passed several people walking. I guess my forward progress is okay. I had been doing a lot of powerwalking on my training runs this year to try to improve my walking. I guess that was paying off. By the time I got to the Mountain aid station at mile 41, I was starting to feel a little off. Not sure what it was, so I sat down and downed a few ice cokes, had my hat and bandana refilled with ice. The aid station volunteer was really taken with my hat and bandana. The hat has a zipper compartment that allows you to add ice to it, so the ice stays in the hat and doesn’t fall out over your head. The bandana is a specially made item that is a bandana sewn together in half, with a chamois inside and little openings on either side to add ice. So again, the ice doesn’t fall out and stays inside. I decided to use one bottle of mix and one bottle of ice water at this point.



It was now 9:05 into the race, and I was hoping to be able to make the 50 mile turnaround in under 11 hours now. As we left, we had another mile or so of uphill, then a nice gradual downhill for several miles until the next aid station. As I was walking up to the top, I noticed Crazy Horse Monument to my right. Pretty cool sight. As my eyes were a little dry and fuzzy, I couldn’t make out the intricate details, but enough to see what it was. I also kept seeing helicopters flying back and forth overhead, which I found out later was a helicopter tour over the area.

“A Man’s got to know his limitations.” -– Dirty Harry

By now I realized I may be having some trouble. I couldn’t run much of the downhill, and my belly felt really full land bloated. I looked down and noticed it was a bit distended and sloshy. Shit! I have been electrolytes regularly every hour, and was peeing about once every 1.5 to 2 hours, so normal for me. I wasn’t sure what was going on here, but it was pissing me off as I couldn’t run much here. I’d run, but only for a minute or so and had to revert back to walking. So I resigned myself to walking for awhile. I was hoping I would feel better and be able to run more as the daytime sun started setting and it got a little cooler.

“I guess sometimes the past just catches up with you, whether you want it or not.” -– The Green Mile

I got to the next aid station at mile 47 in 10:38. I was really feeling bad by now, I saw Bobby and he offered me some ginger to try. I took it but it didn’t really help. I sat down for a bit and took in some ice coke. I asked the aid station people what mile it was and they said 45 miles. My GPS said 47.2. Shit! So I got up and left thinking it was going to take another 90 minutes to the turnaround (12 hours). To my surprise there was the last aid station in this direction just ahead. I looked at my GPS and it read 49.7. It was only 2.5 miles, not 4! I got here in 55 minutes, or 11:34 total running time.

“Wipe your face before you get up Dean.” -– The Green Mile

I sat down and was really feeling like shit. They offered me a Sprite and a cracker to help settle the stomach. I took them, and not long after I had the urge to vomit. I ran over to the side of the road and puked a ton of liquid out and some chunks of potato I had eaten at the Mountain aid station 2.5 hours earlier. Fuck! I wasn’t processing anything I was eating for at least 3 hours. No wonder I felt like shit. I was going on no calories and just burning my glycogen and fat stores. I sat here for about 23 minutes farting and hoping to feel better with each one, but it wasn’t, so I decided to try to go out and go to the turnaround ¾ mile down. I was hoping I might start feeling better and be able to finish this journey.

“Hey! Did somebody step on a duck?” -– Caddyshack

I got up among much cheering from the aid station folks (who were witnessing my condition) and walked out. I actually was feeling okay, but slow. Got to the turnaround and headed back, then I started getting sick again. More puking. I laid down on the trail for a minute or so hoping the cramping would stop. I even stepped off trail to take a dump. Still didn’t feel good. About 20 feet from the aid station, the cramps were unbearable and I started dry heaving. I don’t like dry heaves, as they really take all your energy away from you. I hunched over the fence for about a minute and decided this was it. This was as far as I can go.

My race was done.

“Percy fucked up, Hal. Pure and simple.
Is that your official position?
Don’t you think it should be?” -– The Green Mile

I finally got a ride out of there with one of the aid station volunteers with another runner who had also dropped. I got back to Hot Springs and my car, and spied the Dairy Queen next door. So I limped on inside in my smelly dirty clothes and ordered a large chocolate malt and a regular cheeseburger. Took them back to the hotel room just a block away and fell on the bed. Man, that malt and burger tasted so good! To my surprise, I kept it all down.

Pat called me not long after wanting to know where I was. I told them I was back at the hotel. They were waiting for me at the Mountain aid station on the return leg. He said they would be there shortly with beer. I got up and took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and waited. They arrived and we took our beers over to the picnic table by the river and talked about the days events, while watching runners come in for their finish.

So…..what went wrong? It took me awhile to figure this out, and I may be wrong, but I believe my problem was too much energy/calorie drinks per hour during the run. What a stupid mistake. This was something I’ve never done before, and knew better. I think the scenario was this: at the start I was drinking a bottle an hour while it was cool. This consisted of my energy/calorie drink mix, which I have used for over a year now, with no problems. Well, as it got warmer, I was drinking about 1.5 to 2 bottles an hour, all energy/calorie drink. My normal routine for hot runs is to alternate my mix with water. So I’d have one bottle of my energy/calorie mix and then I’d have a bottle of water, and I’d continue this routine until it got cooler and I was down to 1 bottle an hour and I’d either go with the energy mix or still alternate, depending on how things were going. I didn’t do that here. It was all energy mix. I did switch to water late in the race (at Mountain) but it was too late by then. All the stuff I had taken in was just sitting in my stomach and not getting processed. The body is an amazing thing. If it gets too much of something it just shuts off and waits to get rid of it via drastic means. All things being equal, this is the only logical explanation as it was something that I normally don’t do but I did. Other than that, at the end and afterward I was feeling alright: no aches, no soreness (except for the feet), no blisters. Just the stomach issues. Like they say, never do anything during the run unless you've trained for it on your training runs. Doh!

In any event, at least I got a good lesson in not what to do, and got in a nice 51 mile training run. I now have 6 weeks to get ready for Heartland, which should be enough time to work out the issues and get back in the swing of training.

One thing’s for sure: next year “I’ll be back” -– The Terminator

Off To South Dakota

I'll be heading out to South Dakota Friday morning to start my Fall Odyssey Slam with Lean Horse 100. I'm as trained as I'll ever be, so I hope it's enough. I did 40 minutes on the stairmonster Sunday afternoon after the Leadville Rainfest, and I did an easy hour on trails Tuesday, and about 35 minutes on trails and dirt roads Wednesday. Since it was in the 80's both days I wanted to get some acclimatization done before the weekend race, which looks to be in the low-80's as well. At least no rain, according to the latest forecasts for the area. I need to get a few last minute items from the store so I can throw them into my various drop bags for the race. Perhaps tonight I can actually watch some Olympics instead of packing things for the trip. Hopefully my race plan is good and I can get in a decent finish there.

Git 'Er Dunn!

It was a wet and wild weekend up in Leadville this past weekend: snow, thunderstorms, hail, rain, wind, rain, thunderstorms, hail, rain. Did I mention rain? Oh, it was also cold.

Vince Gerber and I went up to Leadville this year to help our good buddy Ron get a tenth finish in. Along with his crew: Norma, his wife, and Jan and Chris (loyal crew members for years) we all wanted and said one thing: “Dammit Ron! Get that big 1000 mile buckle!” In other words, ‘Git ‘er’dunn’.

This was one year I was hoping my weather forecast during the race would be wrong. Actually, I thought there would be snow at the start, and it was quite nice for the start of the race, where 452 hardy souls took off into the cold dark. From then on, it rained off and on all morning and into the afternoon. There were periods of breaking clouds and blue skies, and it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that it finally cleared up enough to make a favorable impression of all involved.

I got up to Leadville Thursday afternoon in time for the pasta dinner, but no Ron to be found. So I went ahead and got my dinner and ate, talking to some familiar faces (Larry Hall, Beth Simpson-Hall, Paul Schoenlaub, to name a few). Finally Ron, Norma, Chris and Jan show up and we have a nice conversation. I notice Ron is coughing a bit, remnants from a cold he caught a few weeks earlier. I was hoping it wouldn’t be a problem come race day.

We got back to the RV and found the digs I would be using for the weekend: a smallish tent. At least I would be dry. Ron was supposed to bring up his big family tent for Vince and I were to share. He forgot. So after a few beers and talking, it was time to get some sleep. Got in the tent and found myself fast asleep. I woke up around midnight feeling very cold. I awoke to find the tent door flapping in my face and my head partially stuck outside. Thankfully no rain. I discovered the zipper had failed and the door came apart. I tried to fasten it together with safety pins, but found that wouldn’t keep the rain out, so I decided to take all my stuff into my Pathfinder and sleep in the back. Ron would hear no end of this all weekend.


I got up around 5:30 and took a shower and noticed Jan was up so I decided to go to the RV and see what’s happening. Norma was up making breakfast but Ron was still asleep. Not for long as Norma set off the smoke alarm in the RV getting a pan ready for eggs. After breakfast Ron and I went over to the race check in for the runners medical baseline measurements and such. We ran into Scott Olmer while waiting in line. After Ron and Scott were done, Ron wanted to go back and get some sleep. I went over to Scott and Steph’s Café for breakfast with Scott. We then went driving around afterward, Scott in search of a new housing development in town. We ended up taking a tour of the old mining roads and abandoned mines before finding the new development on the south part of town, located near the town landfill.


Got to the pre-race talk with Scott. Couldn’t find Ron. We were sitting in front of Scott Snyder and John Hobbs. Scott Snyder just coming off a great Badwater run, and John is here for his 13th finish (unlucky 13?). After the talk, went back to Ron’s RV and waited for Vince to show up. He was stuck in traffic on I-70 towards the tunnel due to an accident and crappy weather. The weather here was improving, and sunny so Ron and I ate lunch outside on the picnic table waiting for Vince. Vince finally showed up (bringing the rain with him) and the fun began. Vince gave Norma some zucchini bread his wife Karen made, vowing Vince to let only Norma have any. We then went to Quincy’s for dinner. I had already made alternate means for housing, having begged Karen Pate and Pat Homelvig to allow me a place to stay for the night(s) ahead. I took solace in that I was much more warmer, and comfortable, than Vince in his little one-man tent he brought up.




Went over to Pat and Karen’s around 8:00 PM, Karen and I went over to Rosie’s for takeout waiting for Pat, then went back to the house. I got up around 2:30 and headed over to Ron and Norma’s at 3:00 AM, trying to get some positive vibes in Ron’s direction while he ate breakfast. So far, no rain. Ron, Vince and I walked to the starting line at 3:20. Saw lots of people and made the social rounds with everyone. Soon it was time to start the race, and with the blast of the shotgun, all 452 runners were off. Vince, Norma and I headed back to the trailer for breakfast.


Jan took off for the Fish Hatchery, and Norma left for Twin Lakes around 6:30. Vince and I hung around until 7:30 before heading over to Fish Hatchery to meet Ron, 24 miles into his journey. His estimated time of arrival here was 8:45. While we were waiting, Vince and I had fun calling all the runners going in by nicknames. “Way to go green Mohawk!”, “Looking good tank top!”, etc.. Scott Olmer runs by calling us the ‘Banana Boys’ with our yellow rain jackets on. Scott Snyder comes by, with his wife Katie next to him, and I yell out “Scott! You are looking like shit!” I later checked with Katie if he was okay with that, and she assured me he’d much rather hear stuff like that rather than ‘looking good’ comments. In fact, he actually looked quite good. It was now after 9:00 AM and we were a bit worried. We heard from Jan that Chris saw him at Mayqueen 13 miles in and he was muddy, some blood on his knee and a lost flashlight after a good tumble along the Boulevard 3 miles in to the run.


Vince and I keep our eyes out for Ron. We saw a guy coming in who had on the same shorts, jacket and ugly floppy hat Ron has and so go running up to him and find out: not Ron! Man, it’s daunting to realize there are people out there who look like Ron, much so in the same race! Finally, Ron shows up at around 9:30 AM. I take his empty bottles and Vince goes up to the aid station with him. I grab a rain poncho and some filled bottles and run up there to meet him. I put his bottles into his fanny pack and off he goes after a change of jackets.




Vince and I decided earlier that we would go to Treeline to meet Ron while Jan goes on to Twin Lakes. Vince remembers he left his jacket at the RV, but we dedide to get it after we see Ron at Treeline since it is such a short distance. I have never been here crewing for someone so I was happy to go and see all the runners go through this unofficial aid area, that through the years has become a crewing area and a tradition. After getting lucky and finding a close parking spot, we head up to Halfmoon Road and wait. Soon Ron comes flying by looking great (the break in the weather helped too) and declining any help. So we head back to the RV, get Vince’s jacket, and head on out to Twin Lakes.

We got there around 11:00, and Ron’s expected arrival time of around 12:45 gave us time to take it easy and relax a bit. Vince decided he was going to get his pacing clothes on so when he goes to Winfield to pick up Ron he’d be ready. I find Norma, Jan and Chris hanging out under a canopy they put up near the trailhead and over a picnic table. I’m hungry, so Jan cooks up some burgers for all of us. Now it’s wait time. Since Ron was late getting into Fish, I figured 1:30 PM was our window for his arrival. Well, when it came to 2:00 PM, we were a bit worried. Looking at my watch, I figured Ron’s chances of finishing in time were evaporating which each passing minute. Ron projected a 7.5 hour out to Winfield and back to Twin Lakes. With his slowness and the weather, I figured 8 hours minimum. That put Ron into Twin Lakes after the 9:45 PM cutoff. And the cutoff for coming into Twin Lakes at 2:30 PM was not far.

Ron showed up at around 2:20, so we hustled him through the aid station and to the crew area where we had food ready for him. Molly Barnes was there helping as well, and after Ron sat down to eat she told Ron to get up and take his burger with him. Ron got up without complaint and headed out, in what was probably the quickest rest break for Ron here, about 3 minutes.

Chris was anxious to go to Winfield after Ron left, and he and Vince left about 30 minutes later. I opted to stay behind at Twin Lakes and keep the crew company. While waiting, there was an obnoxious crew person on some other crew who'd yell out "Git 'er Dunn!" each time a runner came by. I wasn't annoyed with it but Jan and Norma were getting tired of hearing it constantly. Finally, Rickie Redland runs by and starts yelling "I'll get it done when I get it done!". At the time I didn't make the connection, but later it became apparent she was rather annoyed with this guy. Runners can get pretty cranky during these things. It did shut him up for some time, but then we had a chuckle when he started back up with it later in the evening. Matt and Anne Watts showed up that afternoon to watch the festivities and wait for their runner Beth Simpson to come in, and I had a nice chat with them while enjoying the now sunny weather. Turned out Beth dropped out at Winfield and Matt ended up pacing Davy Crockett to Fish Hatchery, where he had issues with the rain and cold and dropped as well. It wasn't a pretty sight for seasoned runners this year.

When Ron left Twin Lakes, the weather improved dramatically enough to allow us to see Hope Pass. It stayed fairly clear in that direction for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. Norma, Jan and I made a decision to tear down the canopy after 7:30, since if Ron did make it to Winfield in time, Chris would be back by then and we’d know whether or not to tear down. We finally made the decision around 7:30 PM to take it down. We were bummed but not surprised, since the weather took a toll on Ron’s breathing. Ron soon showed up around 8:30.


Bummed, we headed back to the RV and had some champagne and zucchini bread while watching Michael Phelps win his eighth gold medal. Ron was getting sleepy, so I decided to head over to Pat and Karen’s and Joann Beine arrived and we had a nice conversation till 10:00 PM. Got up early, took a shower and went over to the RV around 6:45 for breakfast. By 8:00 AM we headed over to the finish line to see the last runners come in. The last runner crossed the red carpet in 29:59:35 with much commotion and shouts of “GO! GO! GO!”

Vince, Ron and I went back to the RV and talked a bit, and I decided to head on back before traffic gets too heavy. It was a fun weekend, although bittersweet, but I know Ron will come back to get his 10th finish in. It may not be next year, but I’ll be there and ready whenever he decides to do it, whenever that may be.

Addendum To My Global Cooling Post Below

The photos were from a training run with Ron last year in prep for last year's run (which was an utter failure for both of us). Some other slacker, who will remain nameless, managed to ike out a finish by running over everyone's backs in the process. So much for "sportsmanship".

Looks Like Global Cooling in Leadville This Weekend

Well, I'll be heading up to Leadville shortly to help out a good friend, Ron Wright, get his tenth Leadville finish this weekend. I've known Ron for a good number of years, and have paced/crewed him there off and on the last 7 years. This year will be his third time at getting that elusive tenth finish. I feel confident, as does my other running buddy Vince Gerber (who also is on Ron's crew this year), that he will "get 'er done" this year. He's been training like a madman all year. The last few years his training suffered and consequently his attempts to finish came up short. But this year Ron is focused and determined to finish it this year. Barring any unforeseen calamity, I feel pretty good that he can get it this year.

As for the weekend's weather, well, so much for summer in the high country. A very potent system from Canada looks to rush south into our area by the end of today (Thursday) and bring with it a nice taste of Fall to the Rockies.

This last comment brings a chuckle, as it reminds me of the days long ago when I was a lowly 1st Lieutenant in the Air Force doing weather briefings at NORAD HQ in Colorado Springs. I was told by my bosses that we can't refer to systems coming down from Canada as "Canadian Lows" or "Cold Canadian Air". We had to refer to them as "Arctic systems" or "Arctic cold air" as to not offend the Canadian senior staff, who were many at NORAD. But since I don't work there anymore, I can call it what it is, "Cold Canadian air". Yeah baby! Reprimand me!

It is very likely that there may be snow falling up in Leadville for the start of the race (it starts at 4 AM Saturday). It won't be massive amounts, but it could very well be snowing. It won't be warm up there this weekend, and Ron says the cold doesn't bother him much more than crappy footing on trails. It looks to be a rainy/snowy mix on Saturday morning turning more rainy as the day wears on. It will be cold at night, dipping into the low-30's. If it clears out, it could get even colder. I'm glad I'm running it this year, as the cold really does a number on my breathing and would seriously impact a finish there for me (sorta like last year).


My pacing duties originally include me taking Ron from Mayqueen (mile 87) to the finish. Vince's plan is to take Ron from Winfield (50 miles) to Mayqueen. However, Vince's knee may play a factor in how much he might be able to pace. I may have to take Ron from Twin Lakes (mile 60) to Treeline or Fish Hatchery (mile 77), but it depends on how Ron's progress is and how Vince feels. Ron likes to have a pacer over the Fish Hatchery to Mayqueen segment, as that involves a rather nasty climb up to Sugarloaf Pass at 11K elevation that really takes it out on a lot of runners in the race as it is a big climb so late in the run. I also have Lean Horse the following weekend so I am not wanting to do a whole hell of a lot of running, but am willing to break up portions to get Ron motivated through his low spots in the race. I may have to forego Mayqueen and pick him up the last 5 miles at the Dam at Turquoise Lake. I can see me doing the Twin Lakes to Treeline segment if Ron is getting close to the tight cutoff at Halfmoon Aid (mile 69), then picking him back up at Fish Hatchery to Mayqueen and the last 5 miles. If Vince's knee is okay, then this is all a moot point. I would like to pace Ron on the Treeline to Fish Hatchery segment as this is all road and similar to what I'll be experiencing at Lean Horse the following weekend.



All in all, a pretty fluid schedule. I'm looking to have a ton of fun (it's always a blast crewing and pacing versus running the race anyway) and help a good friend in the process. Vince and I (and Ron's wife and crew) will do everything it takes to get Ron his number "10".