Run It Fast®

42 Mini Race Reports: Joshua Holmes’ 2012 in Review

Here is a quick look at the 42 races I ran in 2012. That total is comprised of 32 ultras and marathons that averaged 50.50 miles and ten shorter races consisting of 10k’s, 5k’s, etc.

2012 Marathons and Ultras for Joshua Holmes

1. Walt Disney World Marathon (26.2) – 3:32:23 – One of my faster marathons. Great training with James Krenis leading up to this race to help him to reach his goal of running a sub-4 hour marathon. If you had to train for one marathon and really wanted a big, grand experience with a lots of sights and people then the WDW Marathon should be on your list.  – January 8, 2012

2. Maui Oceanfront Marathon (26.2) – 3:37:58 – I broke a couple of ribs surfing two days prior to this race. I could only take half breaths and rib cage/chest/arm became extremely painful the last 15 miles. Couldn’t lift arm afterwards without extreme pain in ribs. Always fun catching up with the speedy RIF #70 Chuck ‘Marathonjunkie’ Engle. Maui Oceanfront is a beautiful marathon with amazing views the last 18 miles along the coastline. – January 22, 2012

3. Jackson Jackass 50K (31.0) – 6:29:29 – A race I decided to put together to help a friend run his first 50K. I was nursing a broken rib so I was cautious throughout the race, yet still slipped and fell 10x on this very muddy and messy course from heavy rains the night before. A very challenging yet fun day. – February 4, 2012

4. Carl Touchstone Memorial 50 Miler (50.0) – 10:22:07 – This was a very muddy and wet course. Over 80 water crossings, most thigh high and extended for 20-30 feet at a time. A tough day with the conditions but solid performance considering the conditions. The joy from this one was helping RIF #3 Jonathan Bobbitt train for this race and successfully complete it.  I also enjoyed running part of the race with RIF #12 Kevin Leathers and RIF #24 Emily Conley.  – March 3, 2012

5. Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon (26.2) – 3:59:41 – Drove down to NOLA immediately after finishing the MS 50 Miler the night before. Big thanks to RIF #38 JD Favara for picking up my bib for this one.  I was horrible, sluggish and not very good for the first 18 miles. I was on a 4:15 pace to finish yet came alive the last 8 miles to slide under 4 hours. I enjoyed catching up with several RIF members from Jackson after the race including RIF #35 Todd Shadburn. – March 4, 2012

6. Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler (50.0) – 9:25:33 – A new 50mi PR after setting one the prior weekend down in Mississippi. I felt pretty good for most of this race. It was cold at the start yet bearable. I pushed hard at the end to go sub 9:30. It turned out to be a comfortable and beautiful day to run. It was good seeing my good friend RIF #2 Naresh Kumar before, during this race, and at our post-race meal at the po’chop place.  – March 10, 2012

7. Savage Gulf Trail Marathon (26.2) – 7:25:52 – An inaugural event that no one knew anything about. The most difficult and most beautiful marathon I’ve run to date. Lots of the course was un-runnable due to intense roots and boulders. A must do for the serious marathoner than is not afraid of a challenge. You will only PR at SG if it’s your first marathon ever. Met RIF #18 Rick Jarvis during the early miles of this one.  – March 17, 2012

8. Umstead 100 Miler (100.0) – 23:36:11 – This was another 100 PR for me, and I had the chance to share the course with good friends RIF #57 Trent Rosenbloom, Beth McCurdy, RIF #88 Hideki Kinoshita, RIF #92 Steven Lee, etc. I was strong for the first 50 then my legs started to fall apart a bit. I walked most of the last loop and was happy to finally have a sub-24 hour 100 mile finish. It concluded a crazy March of racing. – March 31, 2012

9. St. Jude Country Music Marathon (26.2) – 3:34:17 – I have historically ran very poorly at this event in the past. It was my only race scheduled for April and maybe that helped me some this time. I was coming off some minor injuries from Umstead but felt semi-healthy. This is the first race I ran in Hokas. A lot of people faded during this one due to the heat, but I stayed pretty strong throughout. Ran into RIF #63 John Hudson and RIF #35 Todd Shadburn shortly after finishing. RIF also had a large number of members show up for the pre-race photo. – April 29, 2012

10. 34th Annual Strolling Jim 40 Miler (41.2) – 7:34:43 – Another event I haven’t performed extremely well to date at. I was off to a good day as it was overcast and cool the first 15 miles to start this one. Then at my mile 15 drop bag I downed 3 Boosts and a couple of other things. At about that time the sun came out to play and my stomach was never the same. I spit up various things for most of the last 25 miles but pushed hard, especially the last 10 miles, to have a relatively strong finish. Always a great party after the race and I enjoyed spending time with several RIF members and friends. – May 5, 2012

11. Scenic City Trail Marathon (26.2) – 3:57:31 – I ran this race in 4:27:34 the previous year. So I went in wanting to go sub 4-hours as my goal. I pushed the pace early on the first loop and was able to keep it close to the first loop pace on the second loop. I was strong until the last 2 or 3 miles but being so close to sub-4 helped me push to finish under my goal. A great race put on by the Rock/Creek people. – May 19, 2012

12. Run Under the Stars RUTS (10 Hours) – 55 miles – My most miles put down at RUTS in my three years running this race. This is a great event and one of my favorites. It’s like a party within a race or a race within a party. About 20 Run It Fast – Club members ran this one and helped make it a blast. Enjoyed watching good friend RIF #151 Chris Estes put down 63 miles. – June 9, 2012

13. The Jackal Trail Marathon (26.2) – 4:32:32 – Another event that I put together that went off really well. It was a very hot mid-June day in West Tennessee that upped the degree of difficulty a bit. I felt good throughout, finishing third overall, and used it as heat training in case I decided to run The Last Annual Vol State 500K in July. – June 23, 2012
14. The Backass Jackal Trail Marathon (26.2) – 4:52:51 – I ran the previous day like it wasn’t the first of back to backs. I ran about 2 miles before the race as I was trying to set up water coolers and find Sulaiman before the start. My legs were tired from the prior day, but I was competitive as RIF #151 Chris Estes and I battled throughout the day for the win which he ended up with. Five of us finished this one after doing The Jackal Trail Marathon the day before.  – June 24, 2012

15. The Last Annual Vol State 500K (314.0) – 5:17:04:04 – An epic race that I did for the first time last year. I wanted to just finish the race in 2011, but this year I wanted to be competitive and see how well I could perform over this grueling slugfest that covers 314 miles on hot asphalt in Tennessee and touches several other states.  The weather was a chill 85 degrees the first day, and I decided to take advantage of it and see how many miles I could put down before finding rest. I recorded 93 miles in 23-hours before heading to the hotel where naturally I couldn’t really sleep.  During the next day I covered 49 very slow miles. To make a long story short I was in fourth place after four days and ended up with a mad fury of miles on the last day and sped up Sand Mountain to finish second place overall with a time of 5 days and 17 hours.  Special thanks to RIF #13 Mikki Trujillo, RIF #2 Naresh Kumar, RIF #183 Kirk Catron, and RIF #143 Scott Flowers for helping crew me for all or parts of this epic race.  – My Full Vol State 500K Race Report – July 12, 2012

16. Blister in the Sun Marathon (26.2) – 3:58:16 – A challenging race in Cookeville, TN that good friend Josh Hite has put on the last three years. It’s a 5-loop course on what is usually a very hot day. I was still recovering from Vol State but didn’t want to miss this one since I’d get to see many of my best marathon running friends.  I ran a bit better than I thought I would considering my Vol State rust. I originally thought I’d take it easy and run something over 4 hours. I got in a groove though among RIF #79 Dallas Smith,  RIF #196 Bill Baker, and RIF #186 Danny Staggs and pushed probably harder than I needed to but was honored to finish just a few seconds behind the great Dallas. – August 5, 2012

17. Pikes Peak Marathon (26.2) – 7:59:23 – For a West Tennessee boy from the flathills this turned out to be quite the challenge. I’m sure I was a bit dead-legged coming in but this turned out to be a really tough, dizzy, and staggering day for Cosmo.  The run starts at around 6,500 feet and goes up to 14,115 feet at the halfway point before gravity pulls you back down to the starting line to finish. I did pretty well the first 10 miles going up but then the altitude gave me a headache, made me a bit dizzy, and I started staggering like a drunk. If you trip to the left going up then you fall several thousand feet to your death. I took it easy as I didn’t feel right the miles leading up to the summit and for several miles on the way back down. I ran pretty well the last 4-5 miles. It was a beautiful climb and view from the top of Pikes Peak, but from a running perspective I did nothing that day that should be put into a time capsule. I did enjoy spending time with RIF #83 Brad Box who had a good race.  – August 19, 2012

18. Lean Horse 100 Miler (100.0) – 22:41:28 – Leanhorse happened to be just a week after Pikes Peak, but I felt pretty good going into it. This was my second time running this race so that was worth something. This race takes place in beautiful South Dakota.  I stayed at a hotel close to the convention center where the buses would depart from for the starting line at 5:30am. I mistimed walking over that morning and missed the buses. Luckily, I was able to hitch a ride with an older couple at the hotel next door that was going to the starting line 15 miles away to see their daughter start this one.  Leanhorse has the best running surface I’ve run on at any race. It’s a very finely crushed limestone/dirt mixture that is smooth and easy on the legs.  Being late to the starting line, I forgot to take a pre-race Roctane and a couple of other things. Luckily over the course of a 100 miles you have time to remember that and catch up without falling too far behind.  I ran well at Lean Horse for a majority of the race. My bottle went dry a couple of times during the hottest part of the day and my stomach got a bit upset, but a sweet woman from Canada and Lanier Greenhaw gave me some ginger during the race and it settled it down. My goal was to improve upon my 26:30 time from the year before and go sub-24 hours.  I tired over the last 20 miles but kept pushing and was able to finish LH with another new 100 mile PR of 22:42:28.  A great 100 I’d recommend to anyone looking for a new one or for a place to run his or her first 100.  – August 25, 2012

19. Tupelo Marathon (26.2) – 4:05:33 – Tupelo was the week after Lean Horse, but I had signed up for it months before and wanted to run it again and see many of my running friends.  Tupelo is a rolling course with some minor hills that starts at 5am in the morning, in the dark, before it gets too hot and humid. However, the heat never really came this year but it was extremely humid from the opening bell.  I felt like I struggled and had a mediocre first half but after a quick pit stop and reversing direction for the second half I ran well and passed many people.  I realized I was pushing too hard to go sub-4 during the last 5 miles or so. I finally realized I would likely miss sub-4 by a minute or two so I pulled back a bit and played it safe to finish.  I was still really drained and tired but enjoyed the food and fellowship after the race as a few others and myself waited at the finish line for everyone to finish. – September 2, 2012

20. Endure the Bear 50K (31.0) – 6:29:46 – This was a first year race that took place in Big Bear Lake, California, which is high up in the mountains in a very beautiful Gatlinburg-esque town.  I had no clue what to expect going in to this one. What’s new, right?  RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales met me at the start with some Roctane (since I was out), and we caught up for a bit before this one started. It was a straight up-hill climb for the first 5 miles or so then it had big hills up and down throughout the day. One of the more challenging 50K’s I’ve run. I was very tired at the end but pleased with my effort overall. – September 9, 2012

21. Big Sur Trail Marathon (26.2) – 4:07:02 – I gave RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales a ride up to this race since it would be way too risky and dangerous riding with her.  Big Sur was a beautiful marathon that took you up towards the heavens for the first 3 miles before dumping you amongst the big trees with sneak peaks of the blue Pacific Ocean from time to time.  I ran stronger and faster with nearly every mile and with the intense descent back down to the finish for the last 3 miles I blistered a couple of sub-7 minute miles to finish 10th overall and with a pretty fast time on a challenging trail marathon course. I also tweaked or did something to my left knee during those last couple of miles as well.  – September 29, 2012

22. Yellowstone-Teton 100 Miler (100.0) – 21:23:55 – This race was a lot of fun and amazing on several levels. It’s only the second race I’ve ever had a crew to help me out with. I was very thankful that RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales made the trip to Idaho/Montana to crew me for this one. She was really a great help outside of finding me a cheeseburger.  I have to admit it was a bit daunting at the start of this one. The race started in West Yellowstone at 6am. It was pitch black and 9 DEGREES. It was briefly overwhelming to be that cold, that dark, that early in the morning knowing I had 100 miles to run.  Three miles in my handheld was frozen solid. I ditched it and would only drink water when I’d see Lisa.  The sun finally did come up and the temperature did a bit as well.  It got up to about 46 during the warmest part of the day before dipping back down to the low teens once the sun hibernated again.  I was having a great day for about the first 30 miles then I tore something in my left knee that progressively got worse for the next 12 miles.  At about mile 42 it was so painful and uncomfortable that it was a struggle to walk much less run. I was about 98% sure I was going to drop when I decided to change shoes and put this compression sleeve around the knee. I then rolled the sleeve up and down until the pressure was so intense that I could barely feel anything.  The knee was still painful but with every step thereafter I was able to block it out more and more.  I then began to run more and walk less and thoughts of dropping started to recede from my mind with each mile I was able to click off.  I think the extreme cold helped once the sun went down. It was distracting and helped take my focus off my knee. I knew I likely could do serious damage to my knee and be out of commission for awhile, but I was on a PR pace and in the Top 10 for most of the day so as a stubborn ultramarathoner I kept ‘falling forward.’  I wasn’t fluid with my running over the last 60-70 miles, but I gave it everything I could.  I was able to finish with a new PR, a top 5 finish, and an age group win.  – October 6, 2012

23. Javelina Jundred 100K (62.0) – 16:33:34 – This was by far my worst race of the year and perhaps my life.  I signed up for the 100 miler yet had only been hiking since Yellowstone since my knee was still jacked up and on strike. I think my meniscus was torn.  So my first step of JJ was the first I had run in almost a month. I didn’t know how my knee would hold up or respond until landing that first time.  I found out it wasn’t 100%, but it was never a concern for me on this day as too many other things turned out to be more pressing and depressing.  My first loop and a half (roughly 21 miles) I was great and ran extremely well. Then when I hit my second drop bag on the second loop everything went south. Like south of Hades south!  I drank a couple of Boosts, had some food, and switched water bottles since my strap had broken on my main one.  I don’t know if it was the JJ water or food poisoning but over the next few hours I visited the porta-potty about 15x and in a not to be shielded from the intense sun kind of way.  From that mile 22 point for the next 5-6 miles I was in a bad place.  I felt like I was getting stabbed in my stomach to the point I couldn’t even walk. Someone or something was holding me hostage within my stomach and they weren’t exactly abiding by the constitution. All I could do was bend over to my toes and wait for it to subside a bit so I could slowly walk some more.  At one point there was no porta-potty for at least 3 miles and I needed one bad so I wandered off into the desert (no trees) and finally found a small incline that would have to suffice as a prop.  From there, which was pretty low, I didn’t think it could get any worse but it did.  A few minutes later I was on all 4’s between two cacti puking once then twice. Dozens of runners passed, some laughing, as I was just happy to still be alive.  The puking helped a little. I was able to walk slowly after that. All I wanted to do was get to the aid station at 28 for porta again and then walk the 2 miles back to headquarters at 30 and drop. So I’m walking slowly towards 28 when I scoot over slightly for a runner to pass when I suddenly feel this piercing, striking pain in my right thigh. I look down and this cactus ball had jumped off the cactus and stapled itself through my shorts with over 100 of it’s barbed needles.  I had no words. I tried to pull it off and it wouldn’t come off.  I then decided to run with it before deciding better that I needed to get it out or it might cause some sort of infection or be poisonous.  So i finally grabbed the bottom of my shorts and ripped them away from my skin as hard as I could and it violently came off leaving 60-80 needles still lodged in my skin. I stopped to take them out one by one as I was literally shaking my head in disbelief.  Finally, un-barbed, I began my march again.  The Garmin data would later tell me I put down a 48-minute mile during this stretch. My stomach was still a mess, ginger wasn’t helping, and I was trying to get back to mile 30 so I could drop and go back to the hotel.  I finally finished the loop and I was still sick yet for some odd reason, instead of heading to the car, I took that first step onto the third lap (walking) as I did slowly for the next six miles. Finally, I started to feel a bit better and ran pretty well from 36 to about mile 50.  That is when the sun started to set. I also realized that due to my stomach that I had not consumed any calories in hours.  That reason along with the tricky footing in the dark among the rocks made me start to reevaluate my goal.  I didn’t want to injure my knee worse, and I also knew I’d have a hard time catching up on calories.  I then decided to make it back around to the headquarters and take the 100K finish that is offered for finishing 4 loops and count my blessings that I was able to push through for 40 more miles and finish 100k after my intense brush with the dark side earlier during the race.  I felt pleased with my effort and what I had overcome on this day to accomplish a meager 100k. One that will never come close to the personal record books but that will never, ever be forgotten. – October 27, 2012

24. Catalina Eco Marathon (26.2) – 4:40:32 – This was a very beautiful race on Catalina Island. It’s a small island that takes 1-hour to get to from Los Angeles. If you can survive the ferry ride without losing your breakfast then that’s half the battle.  This was another race where we gained around 1,500 feet the first 4 miles before it leveled for some fun and scenic running. It was extremely windy throughout this one and it felt at times as if it was going to blow some of us off the cliffs.  I ran well until around mile 18 or 19 when I hit the Catalina Crush. I was already starting to be crushed before it, but the CC is a climb that can’t be run by us mortals. It’s extremely steep as you can only stare at the heavens as you walk up it.  I managed over the next 3 miles or so and then ran strong down the semi-technical trail for the last 3 miles back to the finish.  A must-do race if possible or within your budget. I’ll be back to this one at some point for sure.  I enjoyed meeting RIF #69 Nadia Ruiz Gonzales and Aaron Nowlin on the ferry over to Catalina. – November 10, 2012

25. Malibu International Marathon (26.2) – 4:21:15 – RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales picked me up and hauled my tired legs and body to the start line of this one in Malibu. The first 10-12 miles is inland and boring. My legs were bored and tired as well from the beating they took the day before at Catalina. But around mile 12 we reached the ocean and ran on the Pacific Coast Highway along the ocean all the way back to Zuma Beach in Malibu. It was beautiful, scenic, and I saw a couple of dolphins jumping in and out of the water as I was running. It’s flat with a handful of medium sized hills near the end. – November 11, 2012

26. Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon (26.2) – 3:49:30 – My favorite road marathon of the year and one of my all-time favorite races. I had to start with the early-starters due to a death in the family.  I missed out on some of the festivities having to do that but still had a lot of fun running this race on what turned out to be a cold November morning.  I was the first across the finish line (of the early starters 😉 ) Many more finished ahead of me from the regular field. This race is such a great homecoming of great runners and friends from across the South.. The post-race spread is worth the price of admission itself.  Big thanks to RIF #57 Trent Rosenbloom for all the hard work he puts into making this event great. Thanks to RIF #151 Chris Estes and RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales meeting me before the early start. – November 18, 2012

27. Black Diamond 40 Miler (40.5) – 6:22:48 – Another race I put together that went extremely well according to those that took part. RIF #65 Jonathan Harrison set a blistering pace for the first 30 miles as I couldn’t catch him. Then as we approached Humboldt I started to gain ground and passed him once we made it into the city. I felt good for the first 34 and PR’d 50K and other splits.  I ended up winning this race by about 9 minutes (and a new 40 mile PR). I had such fun watching several RIF club members set PL’s (personal longs) in knocking back 40 miles for the first time. – November 23, 2012

28. Death Valley Trail Marathon (26.2) – 3:57:02 – There was great weather this year for the Death Valley Marathon after the wind cancelled the official version last year. This race has a slow gradual climb up until about mile 12.5. From that point it drops from 5,300 ft down to sea level (0) at the finish.  It was all about the Quad City DJ’s on that intense downhill. I left everything on the course and ran it as if I didn’t have another marathon scheduled for the next day.  I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a challenging race with unique and powerful views along the way. – December 1, 2012

29. Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon (26.2) – 4:14:51 – Dead legs and just an overall cranky body from the Death Valley Trail Marathon the day before made for a miserable first 16 miles in Sin City. I ran into RIF #114 Rigoberto Tellez at mile 16 and seeing a fellow RIFer, that I was not expecting to see, among the masses picked up my spirits. We ran together and paced each other for the next four miles. I picked up the pace from there and finished with a decent overall finish. I had calculated around mile 15 I was on pace for a horrible 4:45 finish so I was pumped with how it ended up turning out. I also enjoyed meeting and talking to RIF #20 Laura Raeder before the start of the race. RNR did a great job fixing the problems with this race from the year before. – December 2, 2012

30. Lookout Mountain 50 Miler (50.0) – 10:24:06 – LM50 was my first 50 miler a couple of years prior. I had no clue what I was doing that day back in 2010. Luckily, I’ve raced a lot since then and learned a lot along the way. I was curious to see how much I had improved since that first time on Lookout.  I came in with tired legs and a couple of nagging things but overall I felt pretty good.  Two years ago I ran this race in 13:02:23.  I ran well for the first 25 miles and had a nice split, but from 28-38 something didn’t feel right. I was off and struggled through those miles. However, I was able to sew it back together, and I finished strong over the last twelve miles and was very pleased with my time, knocking almost 2 hours and 40 minutes off my 2010 time.  However, my favorite part of this race was getting to run it with several RIF members including RIF #57 Trent Rosenbloom and RIF #65 Jonathan Harrison and  seeing RIF #83 Brad Box, RIF #221 Karl Studtmann, RIF #166 Nathan Judd, and RIF #185 David Pharr complete their first 50 miler.  It was a great event, and I hope to be back again next year.- December 15, 2012

31. Trail of Fears (10 Hours) – 43.0 miles – A race I put together based on Laz’s Big Dog Backyard Ultra with a few tweaks and changes to it. The basis of the race being that runners have 60 minutes to complete a 4.3 mile trail loop. If they couldn’t then they were eliminated or if they didn’t toe the starting line for the restart of the race every hour they were eliminated as well until one runner remains standing.  The time was dropped by a minute after four loops/hours and eventually got down to 50 minutes for the last loop. I got in 10 loops/43 miles and was pleased with my effort. I could have done a bit more, but I wanted to take over as RD and cheer my friends along and enjoy the show.  A great day and event as I got to witness many friends and Run It Fast – Club members go further and beyond distances they had done before.  I was 85% sure it would be my last race of the year.  – December 22, 2012

32. Across The Years (24 Hours) – 100.8 miles in 19:49:39 – Well it turned out I had one more race in 2012 to run. I felt like I needed one more long tune up before the HURT 100 in January so I decided to drive over to Phoenix for the ATY 24.  A race I’d been eying for several years. I had wanted to do the 72-hour, but I knew I needed to play it safe and run the 24.  This is a great event where a lot of really cool runners show up to hang out and put down a lot of miles. I enjoyed running with RIF #66 Robert Boluyt and RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen. I put down some fast splits for the first 30 miles then struggled mightily from 30-40. Mostly it was just tired legs and a bit of fatigue. During this time, Vikena Yutz gave me some great advice that helped with my dead/tired legs the rest of the way.  For several miles from 30-40 I just hoped to get to 50 so I could call it a day, but I hit 50 and kept going. I was on a PR/sub-20 pace and I kept nailing my splits as I crept towards the century mark.  It helped drive me that I had never gone sub-20 hour before for a 100.  Long story short is that I had it timed perfectly to go sub-20. Then another runner reminded me for the math to work right I’d actually be going 100.8 miles.  So I pushed hard the last 10 miles to make up for that extra 0.8 and ended up hitting 100.0 in 19:39 and 100.8 where I stopped in 19:49:39.  I could have easily kept going or walked the last four hours and won the event (as it turned out), but I did well to keep my focus on the HURT 100 and not getting hurt at ATY. Another great event that I hope to be back at in 2013.  – December 29, 2012

I want to thank all the great people in the Run It Fast family, my friends, and especially my family for all of their support in helping make 2012 such a great success for me. Remember that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. The mind is stronger than the body. – joshua holmes

This is the buckle for the Across The Years 24/48/72 Hour endurance race that took place from December 29, 2012 to January 1, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona.

The race is held on a 1 mile loop and runners do as many laps as they can during their event. They can choose to run the 24, 48, or 72 hour race. Runners who hit 100 miles during the endurance run receive this very cool buckle.

Congratulations to RIF #1 Joshua Holmes who completed 100.8 miles in 19:49:35 and PRd by over 90 minutes! Woo!

Across The Years 2012/2013 Results

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes.  Follow him on Twitter @bayou]

Last Man Standing

This story actually begins a few weeks before the race.  When the race details for the Trail of Fears were announced on the Run It Fast Facebook page I got really excited…buuut then I saw the date.  NOOO!!!  My wife, Leah Harrison (RIF #64), and I planned to be in the Smoky Mountains to celebrate our 10 year anniversary that weekend, sooo I tried to not pay attention to the details and conversations about the race as they unfolded.  I really did try.  A week later I was texting with RD Joshua Holmes (RIF #1) about why I couldn’t make the race and I jokingly said, “I wonder if Leah would stay with me another 10 years if I cut our trip short?”  We had a good laugh about it and Josh later said, “If you had been able to run this one you would’ve been 1 of only 3 or 4 people to run all the RIF races this year (Jackass 50k, Jackal Trail Marathon, Black Diamond 40 Miler, Trail of Fears).  Talk about a dagger to the heart.

The next morning while getting ready for work I was recounting the conversation to Leah (not trying to change her mind about anything btw) and when I mentioned the part about being 1 of only 3 or 4 people to run all of the RIF races her face changed and said, “Maybe you can call the hotel and move the reservations up.  You have to run this race!”  BEST.  WIFE.  EVER.  It’s great being married to an ultrarunner who understands.

Obviously everything worked out, so fast forward to the race.  Having trained and run races on the Trail of Fears course was a definite advantage going in.  My strategy from the beginning was to complete each loop with 5-10 min. left before the start of the next loop.  I think the fastest I ever ran the loop was 39 min. in a training run, but I wanted to conserve my energy and not leave too much time between loops to get stiff.  I knew this would be important in the later stages of the race.  Another important component of this race was my crew chief/training partner, Nathan Judd (RIF #166).  Nathan drove me to the race, crewed for me every stop and was there to celebrate with me at the end.  We had discussed my fueling plan, strategy, etc.  He helped me stay the course and definitely played a big role in this victory.  Thanks bro!

The first loop was about finding a rhythm for my strategy.  It helped that on that first loop I fell in step with Kevin Leathers (RIF #12), an experienced, knowledgeable ultrarunner, who I had ran several loops with on the course back in February in the Jackass 50k.  Kevin and I had similar strategies and since we enjoy one other’s company we stuck together and went to work.  We found a good rhythm early on and after a few loops we started making mental time checkpoints along the trail.  It was like clockwork.  Leah showed up with our 2 boys after the 3^rd loop with definitely lifted my spirits.

I felt a very minor pain on the outside of my left knee for the first 4 loops.  I wasn’t worried about it but I didn’t want it to come back and bite me in the later stages of the race so I changed out of my Brooks Cascadia 7s into my Saucony Peregrines (the original) thinking that landing differently would make it stop.  After Nathan gave my knee a quick massage (we’re very comfortable in our masculinity) while I ate some warm homemade chicken noodle soup (refer to above comment about BEST. WIFE. EVER.) I took off again and immediately the pain started to disappear.  I wore my Peregrines for 2 loops and then switched back into my Cascadias for the extra cushioning.  It had worked.

After 10 strong, consistent loops my running partner for the day, Kevin, came over to say he was done.  He had met his goal.  He could’ve kept going but for him this race was a fun training day.  Stud.  He told me to stay steady and keep doing what I was doing.  I gave him a quick hug and then got ready for the next loop.  I later heard that he told someone I was the one to watch out for.  Thanks man!

Even though the time to complete each loop had been reduced to 55 min. or less by this point I didn’t change my strategy.  My plan was to keep coming in after 52 or 53 min. like I had been all day because I didn’t see the reasoning in speeding up until I had to.  It was making Nathan nervous though.  He told me I should probably speed up a little bit to be safe, but I told him I was feeling good and was confident I could keep coming in at the same time.  Seven of us started the 11^th loop and I just kept following my plan.  On this loop I had the pleasure of catching up with an old friend from Freed-Hardeman University, CrossFit phenom Brett Beckham (RIF #85).  We ran together for about 10 min. and had a good conversation.  What a performance outta that guy.  47.3 miles when he hadn’t run more than a half marathon in over 2 years.  Incredible!

When I completed the 12^th loop I had met my second to biggest goal of the day, passing the 50 mile mark.  My personal long before this race was 40.5 miles (Black Diamond 40 Miler) back on November 23^rd just one month earlier, so it felt great to reach the 50 milestone.

Now to be completely honest I really hadn’t thought much about winning during the race.  I wasn’t even really paying attention to who was left.  However, the beginning of loop 13 was different.  Immediately after the 13^th loop started, Jeff Fugate (RIF #17), who had passed his goal of 50 miles, took a few steps and said, “Good luck man.  I’m done.”  Now it was down to 3.  “Wow!” I thought to myself.  “I might actually win this thing.”  I still felt pretty strong.  I took note of who was left, Travis Redden and Rob Philip (RIF #212).  Both guys had run strong all day and were experienced ultrarunners.  If I’m not mistaken, I believe both had finished ahead of me every single previous loop at that point.  Nathan told me they had consistently come in near the front of the pack all day, finishing between 44 and 48 min., so I knew I had to stay focused.  Rob admitted to me that he was tired so I thought it was probably his last loop, but he still finished the loop a little ahead of me.  What a warrior!  Travis, on the other hand, was out of view ½ mile into the loop and continued pulling away the entire loop.  Nevertheless, I pushed that out of my mind and kept doing what I had been doing the all day.

The 3 of us started the 14^th loop, with 52 minutes on the clock so it was finally time to speed up.  I was a little tired and a little sore (obviously) but I didn’t doubt for a second that I could make it.  I passed Rob a little over a mile and a half in and keep moving.  I think I finished with a minute something left, but Rob didn’t make it back in time.  The Trail of Fears had claimed another victim, but not without a fight.  Travis had finished several minutes ahead of me, which surprised me a little since we were that deep into the race.  So now it was down to me and Travis, Method vs. Madness, as it had been coined.  51 minutes on the clock.  Before taking off Nathan and Leah asked me what my plan was so they would know what to expect and not get too nervous.  I told them, “I’m gonna be honest.  I’m only going to speed up just a little.  Expect me to come in with 30 to 60 seconds left on the clock.”  Nathan nervously said, “Ok man.  You know what you’re doing.”  Travis took off and left me again but I tried not to think about it.  Anytime the trail folded back on itself I noticed his headlamp swiveling towards me to see where I was.  I just kept running.  Once again I hit my checkpoints like clockwork.  I completed loop 15 with 40 seconds left…just like I had planned.  Nathan was just laughing.  Travis had finished with 3:46 left I believe.  BEAST!

Loop 16: Josh rolled the clock back to 50 min., I was back at the starting line, still confident, and then I heard Travis tell Josh he was finished.  He had some old injuries starting to flare up and he was afraid if he ran another loop he would tear something.  Per the rules, since Travis finished loop 15 ahead of me I had to complete this loop alone for the win.  I had a rush of adrenaline that started the second I heard Travis say he was done.  “This is it!” I thought, “Either way this is the last time I have to run this loop.” So when Josh said “Go!” I took off faster than any previously loop.  I heard Nathan and Leah yelling, cheering me on as I left.  I honestly at that point wasn’t sure which loop it was and I didn’t know how many miles I was at.  I knew I was at 60-something but I forced that out of my mind and kept moving.  I ran moderate inclines and hills that I had walked all day.  I had been praying on and off for the past 6 or 7 loops, but I prayed almost constantly the entire last loop.  I was asking God to guide my steps and to keep me safe and strong.  I wasn’t pushing as hard as I could, but I was pushing enough to finish with some cushion this time.  Near the end I started calculating the loops and miles and realized that I was about to finish my 16^th loop, 68.8 miles!  I finally saw Nathan standing on the path that was about 2 min. from the finish and I knew I had it.  I crossed the finish line with 1:05 making it my fastest loop of the day!  I couldn’t believe it!  It was finally over.  Nearly 11:00 p.m., 16 hours after the race started, I was the last man standing on the Trail of Fears.

With God’s help and an amazing crew I was able to accomplish my ultimate goal: Winning the Trail of Fears.  And to think I had only run my first marathon just over a year ago.  What made it even more special was that it was a race filled with so many great running friends I had made this year, fellow RIFers, just having fun in the coolest RIF race of the year.  The cherry on top was that Leah and Nathan were there to celebrate with me.

– Jonathan Harrison RIF #65 (December 22, 2012)

Jonathan Harrison Wins Inaugural Trail of Fears Elimination Race (Results)

Jonathan Harrison won the inaugural Trail of Fears: The Day After the End of the World Elimination Race late Saturday night after outdueling Illinois native Travis Redden in one of the most exciting race finishes of 2012.

Runners started with 60 minutes to finish the 4.3 mile trail loop. If runners didn’t make it back to the start/finish in that time then they were eliminated. The race restarted every hour. If runners tapped out or didn’t make it back to the start for the restart then they were eliminated as well.

After four hours, a minute was subtracted from the clock per hour until stabilizing at 55 min/loop. It remained at 55 min until lap 14 when it was reduced to 53 minutes then 51 minutes for lap 15 and 50 minutes for lap 16.

Third place went to Mississippi native Rob Philip after he was eliminated after 13 loops as he barely missed making it back to complete his 14th loop.

That left just Harrison and Redden for loop 15. Redden smoked the loop as he had done the last handful of loops coming in with 3:43 remaining on the 51-minute clock.  Harrison, perhaps the most cerebral runner of the day came in with just 40 seconds remaining.

It was then announced for lap 16 that the clock would be reduced by 1-minute down to just 50 minutes. As both runners headed back to the start line, Redden stated that he thought he was done and was going to call it after 15 amazing loops.  Since Travis had beat Jonathan on the prior lap then this meant that Jonathan had to complete the 16th loop in less than 50 minutes for the win while Travis waited at race headquarters along with everyone else.  If Jonathan failed to do it in less than 50 minutes then Travis would be the winner of the race and the coveted Mayan Calendar belt buckle.

So the clock started and Jonathan took off into the dark wilderness to try to win his first race of any distance ever. His personal long coming into the Trail of Fears was 40.5 miles a month before. If he finished loop 16 then he’d have run 68.8 miles for the day.

So everyone waited and made guesses on the outcome of the race as Jonathan ran with more adrenaline than he could probably harness. He controlled his own fate and the outcome of a very exciting day.

As you already know from the headline and intro, Jonathan Harrison dug deep and came across the finish line for the 16th time on the day with about 65 seconds remaning and the win.

His wife Leah and friend Nathan Judd were there to hug and congratulate him on his amazing day, personal long, and win.

Last Woman Standing went to Julie Montgomery with 8 loops (34.3 miles) which was a new personal long for her as well. Second place female was Jennifer Whitley (6 loops) and third place went to Alicia Eno (4 loops).

*= runners that completed 1 additional loop (4.3 miles) but not before the clock ran out, eliminating them from the race.

More info, photos, updates from the race can be found on the Trail Of Fears: The Day After the End of the World Facebook Page

RIF #190 John, RIF #159 Diane, and RIF #153 Justin

The year is almost over and WOW…Run It Fast – The Club members have done a LOT of racing! They have submitted 23,263.12 race miles thru November for 2012. They have almost raced their way around the world (and they probably have since not all members have submitted their points…ahem!)! Kind of mind boggling when you think about it but also very, very cool and inspiring.

RIF #194 Steve Hughes, a racing machine, has a seemingly insurmountable lead thru November with 2182.6 points! RIF #159 Diane Bolton is in 2nd place with 1616.51 points and RIF #190 John Kent Leighton is still in 3rd with 1437.98 points.

The Men’s Leaderboard is the same as the Overall Leaderboard for the first two spots with RIF #1 Joshua Holmes in 3rd (1405.9 points) to round out the top 3. Joshua is right on John’s heels in points so that could change by the end of the year!

Diane is leading the women and she is followed by new RIF – The Club member RIF #218 Carol Goslin in 2nd (1096.6)  and RIF #124 Michelle Walker in 3rd (696.7 points).

Not only are 3rd and 4th really close in points but so are 5th and 6th! One more month to go but anything can happen! Who will come out on top? Here are the complete standings through November 2012:

Top Ten Overall
1.   Steve Hughes – 2182.6  (RIF #194)
2.   Diane Bolton – 1616.51  (RIF #159)
3.   John Kent Leighton – 1437.98  (RIF #190)
4.   Joshua Holmes – 1405.9  (RIF #1)
5.   Hideki Kinoshita – 1101.4  (RIF #88)
6.   Carol Goslin – 1096.6  (RIF #218)
7.   Michelle Walker – 696.7  (RIF #124)
8.   Heather Shoemaker – 680.9  (RIF #44)
9.   Nadia Ruiz Gonzales – 561.5  (RIF #69)
10.   Scott Stader – 514.9  (RIF #40)
 
Men’s Leaderboard
1.   Steve Hughes – 2182.6  (RIF #194)
2.   John Kent Leighton – 1437.98  (RIF #190)
3.   Joshua Holmes – 1405.9  (RIF #1)
4.   Hideki Kinoshita – 1101.4  (RIF #88)
5.   Scott Stader – 514.9  (RIF #40)
6.   Alvin Lee – 460.2  (RIF #30)
7.   Danny Staggs – 440.9  (RIF #186)
8.   Nicholas Norfolk – 398.8  (RIF #116)
9.   Jason Howard – 379.9  (RIF #150)
10.   David Wingard – 365.4  (RIF #101)
11.   Rick Thiounn – 299.9  (RIF #111)
12.   Rick Jarvis – 296.8  (RIF #18)
13.   Daniel Escue – 290.25  (RIF #187)
14.   Mark Watson – 244.9  (RIF #173)
15.   Chris Estes – 226.2  (RIF #151)
16.   David Donald – 203.96  (RIF #54)
17.   Perry Ligon – 193  (RIF #146)
18.   Jonathan Bobbitt – 180.6  (RIF #3)
19.   Dennis Arriaga – 176.26  (RIF #140)
20.   Wade Anderson – 170.6  (RIF #22)
21.   Rodrigo Jiménez – 167.2  (RIF #203)
22.   Kevin Leathers – 143  (RIF #12)
23.   Trent Rosenbloom – 141.6  (RIF #57)
24.   David Pharr – 128.2  (RIF #185)
25.   Winston Trice – 126.4  (RIF #29)
26.   Greg Smith – 118.2  (RIF #168)
27.   Robin Robbins – 115.9  (RIF #33)
28.   Steven Reagan – 113.62  (RIF #157)
29.   Mark Sikkila – 113.4  (RIF #108)
30.   Kevin Ronayne – 106.3  (RIF #11)
31.   Josh Liggett – 102.52  (RIF #147)
32.   Nathan Bass – 97.9  (RIF #174)
33.   James Krenis – 83.6  (RIF #67)
34.   Naresh Kumar – 83.4  (RIF #2)
35.   John Hudson – 79.6  (RIF #63)
36.   Brian Wooldridge – 77.9  (RIF #141)
37.   Victor Fleitas – 71.12  (RIF #21)
38.   Scott Lochridge – 65.5  (RIF #32)
39.   Stewart Crouch – 64.8  (RIF #89)
40.   JD Leman – 39.3  (RIF #139)
41.   Scott Gatlin – 29.3  (RIF #80)
42.   Scott Gorski – 25.5  (RIF #107)
43.   Chris Nelson – 19.3  (RIF #135)
44.   Patrick Johnson – 10  (RIF #87)
 
Women’s Leaderboard
1.   Diane Bolton – 1616.51  (RIF #159)
2.   Carol Goslin – 1096.6  (RIF #218)
3.   Michelle Walker – 696.7  (RIF #124)
4.   Heather Shoemaker – 680.9  (RIF #44)
5.   Nadia Ruiz Gonzales – 561.5  (RIF #69)
6.   Lisa Gonzales – 514  (RIF #5)
7.   Shannon Burke – 498.93  (RIF #171)
8.   Laura Raeder – 491.1  (RIF #20)
9.   Mikki Trujillo – 461.9  (RIF #13)
10.   Emily Conley – 426.4  (RIF #24)
11.   Robin Mancinelli – 413.8  (RIF #134)
12.   Alicia Eno – 382.3  (RIF #126)
13.   Michelle Mitchell – 357.2  (RIF #133)
14.   Shannon McGinn – 333  (RIF #46)
15.   Leigh Marsh – 306.5  (RIF #192)
16.   Marlene Deem – 265  (RIF #189)
17.   Jennifer Whitley – 184.9  (RIF #160)
18.   Donna Pittman – 147.2  (RIF #181)
19.   Marj Mitchell – 136.7  (RIF #4)
20.   Christy Bowers – 121.5  (RIF #60)
21.   Daniela Obregon – 107.7  (RIF #49)
22.   Amber Goetz-Bouchard – 105.98  (RIF #15)
23.   Nicole Knutson – 104.8  (RIF #47)
24.   Lisa Edwards – 58  (RIF #122)
25.   Natalie Torres – 42.4  (RIF #72)
26.   Meredith Yox – 40.2  (RIF #128)
27.   Debra Jacildo – 17.39  (RIF #98)

Details on joining Run It Fast – The Club

[Extreme Racer points are rewarded per each racing mile completed. Example: marathon = 26.2 points, half marathon 13.1 points, etc.]

[photo from Diane Bolton]

Lookout Mountain 50 Miler begins at Covenant College on the top of Lookout Mountain. I began the race with two Run It Fasters, David Pharr and Joshua Holmes. David and I have been friends for a long time and have done several races together here recently. He is definitely becoming a very strong ultra runner. I also had a great crew seeing me off, including my lovely wife Melissa (who was holding our precious baby daughter Brooklyn, Jonathan Harrison (who helped me out A TON) throughout the day, and Leah Harrison (Jonathan’s wife).

We ran through the parking lot of the college and then went into the woods on the west side of the mountain. We ran along a single track with some nice bluffs that could end one’s life directly to our left. We could see a beautiful view of a valley for about thirty minutes on our left. What a great way to start the day!  We continued to run north and then came to the stairs marking Point Park which was directly above us. The trail then turned around to the north side of the mountain, and we could see Chattanooga on our left. This was a very fast section of trail. I knew ahead of time that I had to be careful here. I love going fast on the downhill, but I didn’t want to expend myself 6 miles into the race.

After this section, we came to a gravel road that went back in roughly the same direction we had just come, only it was going downhill. We weren’t on this road long before getting to Craven’s House, the first aid station at mile 8. David had pulled a little ahead of me before getting to the station. I could tell he was on a mission, and I did the smart thing and just let him go. Jonathan refilled my gels, Enduralytes, and got me some food as well as a change of shirt (into my sweet Run It Fast shirt).

I looked up to start running with David again, but he was gone. I didn’t see him again the rest of the day. We continued downhill. There really wasn’t a lot going on for this section of the trail. I just made my way down to the Nature Center area. I knew there was another aid station there at about 14 miles, but I also knew I wouldn’t see anyone I knew at that station. I ended up getting to the bottom of the mountain and running along a creek to my right. This was a very moderate section of trail and very flat. I then came to the station, refilled, and started the next section.

I knew I had a monster climb ahead of me from looking at the course profile. Sure enough, the trail started going up, up, up. Before I knew it, I was about halfway up the mountain. I actually said to somebody, “This isn’t quite as bad as I thought it was going to be.” I passed several people during this stretch. My spirits really started to lift as I realized how well I was doing with what was described as the hardest section of the course. Then the trail started to go down. And it kept going down. The pump fake! I ended up at the bottom of the mountain again! The only time you don’t want to go downhill is when you know you have to go back up. This was definitely that case. When I started the real ascent, it was definitely a difficult stretch. It was near the top of this section that I started to get nauseous for the first time. I took a ginger capsule, some more gel, and some enduralytes. Somehow I was able to hold it all down.

I heard several people say they had the same thoughts I had at the top of that hill. “If my legs are already this tired, how am I going to make it thirty more miles?” It was definitely a mental/physical game at that point, especially considering the start/finish was right after that climb as the 22.5 mile aid station. My crew met me there again. They had a lawn chair for me, and I sat down for a minute. Jonathan refilled everything, and Leah got me some food from the table. I just took a minute to recuperate. Melissa gave me a kiss, which was definitely a boost to the spirits. I changed socks and mentally prepared for the next stretch.

A Rock/Creek guy told me that, if I made it through the first part, I could definitely make it the rest of the way. He said there were a lot of ATV trails, so it wasn’t nearly as difficult.  Let me say this, while the trails weren’t as technical and weren’t quite as hilly as the first section, they were VERY hilly. It was not easy.  Still, I got out of the chair and started the remaining 27.5 miles.

This section started on the ATV trails and then switched to another single track after winding through the campus woods a little bit. This single track was really narrow and had some uneven footing making it difficult to move quickly. However, I had received a second wind and even called a couple of buddies (Alex Walker and Mitch Zlatovich) to tell them I was confident I was going to finish. Mitch didn’t answer, and he later told me (after calling me back later) that he thought I had called him to tell him I had dropped.

I came out of the woods to a section of power lines that went to my left. I ran with the lines for a while and made a mental note that they would be a marker on the way back. (Boy were they a marker). I went into the woods again on the other side of the lines, and I began a pretty long downhill towards the Lula Land Trust property. There wasn’t a whole lot going on in this stretch either, except that there was one creek crossing. The good thing was that this trail was definitely a moderate trail making it easy on the feet.

I crossed a road and then began a downhill with a large bluff just to my right. The trail went down to some picnic tables, and we crossed a bridge over Rock Creek. We headed through the woods, went up and down some decent climbs, and then the next aid station appeared after I heard some water. It felt like a really long way to this station from the previous one. It turned out this station was at mile 30, right beside Lula Falls. Also of note, it was shortly before the aid station that the race leader passed me heading back to the S/F.)

I texted Jonathan to tell him I was lost… Then I texted him to tell him I was actually at mile 30. I continued down a gravel road for a short bit, saw the monster falls to my left, and then looked up to see… a rope!? Who puts a trail so tough you have to use a rope at mile 30? And what’s worse, I had to climb down the stupid thing right before mile 42.5.  What could I do, though? I climbed.

At the top, the trail became very wide and comfortable, and I was greeted with probably the best view to my left from the whole day. I took a picture, but, as in most cases, the picture doesn’t compare to what it actually looked like. There is something about covering a lot of ground and gaining a lot of elevation to be rewarded with a secluded gift from God. I became a little emotional (as most people do when they are completely drained in a race). The road kept going up a long, slight upgrade slope, which I welcomed. It was not steep, but it was steep enough that I got to walk for a while. 2nd and 3rd place started to come by me at that point. They were at least 3-4 miles behind the leader. That guy was flying.

I began a downhill stretch and was greeted with a nice view of a river below again. The footing was pretty uneven, although comfortable due to the soft dirt. I was forced to walk by the river for a bit because of the footing. I eventually came out of the woods and took a right to run along a road up to the next aid station which was marked mile 34.

I was feeling a little bit queasy, but I knew I needed to try to eat something. My crew had me some soup, and I drank some of the broth. Surprisingly, it tasted great. I changed my shoes because I knew I was going to cross a creek in the next section. I would shortly be back at this same point (miles 34-38 were a loop). I wanted to make sure to have dry trail shoes if I could keep it that way. Because the soup went down so well, I figured I would use the opportunity to try to get some food on my stomach.

I grabbed some oranges and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Jonathan jumped in with me and ran with me for the rest of the race. We waved bye to our crew before heading into the woods. Right before going into the woods, while looking back at the crew, I became very nauseous and started to dry heave, forcing the unswallowed sandwich out of my mouth onto the ground. Jonathan looked at me concerned. I said, “Don’t worry, it was just the peanut butter and jelly.” I immediately turned and hurled. Without missing a beat, I said, “Don’t worry, it was just the peanut butter and jelly. I feel great!” Then we headed into the woods.

After puking, I got a major second wind. I honestly think I maintained about a 12 minute mile average through the next section, which, at that point in the race and with some of the climbs in that section, was definitely moving. I passed five people through that section. Jonathan told me my spirits were definitely better than most of the people he had seen at that point.

We came out of the woods to the 38 mile station again. I changed back into my trail shoes, grabbed my headlamp, made sure I had everything I needed, and started the 12 (I heard it was actually 11.5 miles) back to the start finish. I was definitely glad to have company at that point because 12 miles after 38 miles is still a really long way.

I won’t rehash the views explained earlier because they’re just in reverse, but it definitely lifted my spirits to have someone to talk to for the rest of the race. I thought I was going to be completely coming apart at that point, but honestly, I still felt pretty good. I was definitely moving pretty slowly, but I had no doubt I would make it to the end.

When we got to the 42.5 mile station at the falls, I sat down by the fire for a few minutes, drank some Mountain Dew, ate some candy, and gave myself a short mental break. Then we headed back into the woods which was definitely not very runnable. After being in the woods for just a short time, we were forced to turn on the headlamps. I was able to keep my bearings for the most part somehow, but it’s hard to describe much that goes on when it is dark all around.

We passed the creek again and did a large climb away from the water. I was definitely getting tired, but Jonathan kept telling me how well I was hiking the uphills. We pressed through this connector trail, and I waited to find the power lines again.  Finally, I saw the lights of the power lines ahead of me. I knew they were close… They were not. I probably saw those stupid lights for about an hour.  What is worse, it was an uphill climb almost the whole way. That was the most mentally taxing part of the day. I kept saying, “We have go to get out of here.” Jonathan kept telling me to hang in there. That would last about five minutes, and those stupid lights never got any closer. Repeat cycle. He gave me just the right amount of encouragement without overdoing it because, honestly, at that point, I was really just ready to be done. I had gotten some feedback from people estimating distance and time, too. They told me that, if I averaged a 15 minute mile to the end, I would probably still make it in under 12 hours. Finally, I made it out of the woods and followed the power lines for a bit and then went back into the woods on the other side. I really tried to push myself to go for the 12 hour mark. We hit the last ATV trail, and I started moving. I don’t know how fast I was going, but Jonathan said the last half mile actually made him tired. My watch turned over the 12 hour mark, so I backed off a bit on the pace. I could see some Christmas lights ahead, which outlined the chute to the finish. They started announcing my name, and I saw my crew and family cheering me on. When I crossed the line, I spiked my water bottles and yelled. I was completely exhausted but completely pumped at the same time.

I did miss the 12 hour mark by 2 minutes. (Note here. That was just a hopeful goal. My goal was to finish and enjoy the race. I met both goals, and I took pictures throughout the way, took nice breaks at aid stations, and did exactly what I needed to do. Even though I didn’t get under 12 hours, I am not disappointed at all. I did it exactly how I wanted to do it, and I would not change a thing about my race strategy).

A big thanks goes out to everyone who helped and supported me throughout the day. Melissa was a major trouper, taking care of Brooklyn for 12 hours and then doing so much to take care of her over the weekend while I was too tired to do a whole lot. Jonathan was a major support throughout the entire race (crewing me for 34 miles and then running with me and crewing at the same time for 16 miles). Leah also helped crew, was a great support, and came a long way to watch me run. Thank goodness she wasn’t hungry. My parents also fought the cold to get out there to watch me at the finish.  I also want to thank David Pharr and Joshua Holmes for hanging out at the finish to see me at the end. They both killed it and finished in close to 10.5 hours. All in all, it was an awesome experience. I enjoyed every bit of 10 hours of this race.  10 out of 12 isn’t bad. Haha. Run It Fast!

– Nathan Judd (RIF #166)

This is the medal for the Lookout Mountain 50 Mile Trail Race that was held on December 15, 2012 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Congratulations to RIF #166 Nathan Judd, RIF #185 David Pharr, and RIF #83 Brad Box who all did their first 50 Miler there! Here’s a photo of Nathan and David before the race with RIF #1 Joshua Holmes (who shaved 2.5 hours off his previous time there) and RIF #65 Jonathan Harrison (who crewed).

RIF Club Members rocked it! Congratulations everyone!

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by RIF #166 Nathan Judd – follow him on Twitter @Beukdeup]

Here are the finisher medals from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & Half Marathon (below) that took place on December 2, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Solid medal from the Rock ‘n’ Roll series that is a bit similar to last year’s version.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Marathon medal photo submitted by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes – Follow him on Twitter @bayou. Half Marathon medal photo submitted by Chris McCartney – Follow him on Twitter @mccartneycl12]

Here is the finisher’s medal from the Death Valley Trail Marathon that took place on December 1, 2012 in Death Valley, California.

A rather boring and simple medal, like all of the Enviro Sports events, but a spectacular and beautiful race.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes – Follow him on Twitter @bayou]

Malibu International Marathon – (Nov 11, 2012)

Malibu, California – MIM was my second marathon in my back to back marathon weekend. I was tired and my body was thrashed from the day before at the Catalina Eco Marathon (race report) where the big hills and drops had done a number on my legs.  The progress my left knee, which had been recovering from a torn meniscus, took several backwards the day before on the island.

Run It Fast member Lisa Gonzales (RIF #5) picked me up early at my house to make the hourish drive over to Malibu where we parked near the finish line at Zuma Beach. From there you hop a bus for about an hour to where the race starts inland.  Before the race I ran into Deo Jaravata, Nadia Ruiz Gonzales, and Yolanda Holder from the day before along with Maniac Rocky Morales and several other running friends.

I hate to complain or knock marathons, and this will be my only complaint about the Malibu Marathon, but the race was supposed to start at 8am and we didn’t end up starting til 8:30am because the RD’s made everyone wait for someone to arrive at the starting line for the race.  A delay of that length can throw off many runner’s nutrition, race plan, etc.  This race is big enough that it should have started on time.

Everyone shivered and waited hurdled together for the race to finally start and it finally did.

The first 10 miles take you from inland, through several turns around farmland, until you reach the Pacific Ocean at about mile 10. I struggled for those ten miles leading to up to the water. I was slugglish, tired, and my knee and feet were hurting from the day before at Catalina. But getting to where the water started was good mentally as nature’s beautiful scenery started to unfold in front of me with majestic mountains and hillside to my left and the endless ocean and beaches to my right. Somewhere around mile 15 a fellow runner pointed out dolphins jumping in the water to me.  It was a truly wonderful site to witness during the middle of a marathon.

I had good and bad stretches over the last 16 miles of this race. I became stronger on the uphills as there were several long uphills as the race got closer to the finish. I was able to keep running up them and past many other runners as they walked and fatigued. I’d then float and speed down the downhills and straightaways as I started to count all the targets I was knocking off. I met a sweet woman over the past 3 miles that pushed me as I pushed her as we were eager to get to the finish and put this one in our race journals.

The medal was great and instead of a finisher’s tech tee like at most races they gave everyone a Malibu International Marathon beach towel which was a nice touch. The finish area had two food trucks and a live band as runners relaxed on the beach, in the water, and at the finish to watch the remaining runners came in.

I waited for Lisa to come in (that’s Deo above not Lisa) and she did with a smile as she had hit her pre-race target. We ate some food from one of the food trucks and then made the trek back home.  I’m thankful for Lisa picking me up and dropping me off for this race. It wasn’t necessary on her part, but it made it easier on me having run and traveled to Catalina to race the day before.

• Medal: 8.5/10 (see here)
• Course: 7/10 (last 16 miles 9.5)
• Scenery: 8/10
• Support: 8/10
• Crowds: 5/10
• Price: 7/10
• OVERALL: 7.5/10

A beautiful race in one of the most beautiful places in the United States.

– Joshua Holmes (RIF #1)

You can follow Joshua on Twitter @bayou