Run It Fast®

The Run It Fast ‘Race Across the USA‘ relay continued to move eastward on Day 2 with the Suzy Michelson Team starting the day with a comfortable lead over the Jeffrey Price Team. But is that how the day ended? Who made it to Arizona and who didn’t? Who was the star performer of the day? All those answers await you below!

Day 2 saw 56 of the 60 runners put down a total of 596.0 miles. Amazingly that is 30 miles more than these four teams aggressively, on fresh legs, put down yesterday on Day 1. Every runner on the Charlie Taylor Team and Suzy Michelson Team once again put down miles today maintaining ‘perfect attendance’ of their team members over the first 48 hours of the race.

The Charlie Taylor Team’s Seth Crowe left the Crowe’s Nest late, last night for a run, only to return home, and leave it for four more runs today. Amidst cold temps and rain, Seth kept Crowe, Crowe, Crowe’ing his leggy-boat aggressively down the street. A throw-back Flintstonian who easily averaged more miles with his legs today than his beat-up Chevy pickup can garner coasting downhill with a full load.

A man on a mission with five runs of of 10.07, 10.31, 12.0, 3.0, and 2.01 for a total of 37.39 miles. Seth is the Race Across the USA Performance of the Day.

Kimberly Atkins impressed her team (SMT) and competition by walking 26.22 miles today in the brrr, brrr, bodiddley, frigid cold. An impressive feat for sure.

While Georgia native Heather McComb (JPT) knocked our her second consecutive 20+ mile day with 24.12 miles for a total of 44.14 miles over the first 2 days. Barry Reece (SMT) did the same as well with 22.0 miles (49.02/2 day total).

Other big mile stars from Day 2 included Chris Clemens (SMT) 25.55 mi, Randy Broadway (HST) 21.0 mi, and 8x Badwater 135 veteran, Karla Kent (JPT) 22.58 mi.

Day 2 Mileage Results of the Race Across the USA

• Suzy Michelson Team – 184.84 miles (12.32mi/runner)
• Jeffrey Price Team – 162.9 miles (10.86mi/runner)
• Charlie Taylor Team – 153.47 miles (10.23mi/runner)
• Hope Shull Team – 94.79 miles (6.32mi/runner)

RIF’s Race Across the USA Overall Standings (thru Day 2)

1. Suzy Michelson Team – 373.81 miles (186.91mi/day, 12.8% completed)
2. Jeffrey Price Team – 305.19 miles (152.60mi/day, 10.5% completed)
3. Charlie Taylor Team – 280.4 miles (140.20mi/day, 9.7% completed)
4. Hope Shull Team – 202.84 miles (101.42mi/day, 7.0% completed)

The Suzy Michelson Team kept unleashing big run after big run and made it to Needles, AZ before midday. They kept the pedal down with three team members going for 20+ miles and a total of seven in double digits. They gathered 184.84 miles on Day 2, almost matching their impressive Day 1 total of 188.97. The Suzy’s have now set their sight on making it to Flagstaff, AZ tomorrow. If the lactic acid in their legs and the high altitude getting to Flagstaff doesn’t slow them tomorrow then nothing might.

A member of another team was peddling a rumor around that Chris Clemens was trying to talk his team into a ‘quick’ detour north of Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon for a quick R2R2R out and back. Whether true or fake news, SMT captain Shane Tucker will use his school room laser focus and discipline to keep his team on track.

The Jeffrey Price Team was one of two teams to put down more miles on Day 2. JPT ended the day with 162.9 miles, which topped their Day 1 total by over 20 miles. They kept thinking they could see the SMT far in the distance, and it kept them a churning. However, that dry arid air, and desert landscape was likely creating a mirage that didn’t match reality, because they finished the day in a strong second place with 305.19 miles but a big 68.62 mile gulp behind the SMT.  They did increase their lead over the third place team by +9 miles.

Team Note: Aaron Braunstein has been placed on the Disabled List with a calf issue. His status is Day-to-Day.

The Charlie Taylor Team spent most of the day with bedazzled eyes after Seth Crowe put down his 5-run performance of 37.39 miles. But later in the afternoon, the team kicked into gear as every member once again put down miles including strong double digits from Steve Acciarito, Tiffani Glass, Jeremy Reed, Elva Matamoros, and Joshua Holmes. The team’s strength so far has been it’s consistency and snacks. Steve has taken it upon himself after his morning runs to make sure everyone’s nutrition is on point. He has dubbed himself the ‘Snack Coach.’ Say what you will but multiple cups of chocolate pudding has kept this team from boinking and also from putting down more miles than they need to this early. Luckily the team RV is always nearby as the desert is barren and mostly treeless during this stage of the race. They finished the day with 153.47 miles, a +26 mile jump over yesterday. This gives them a total of 280.4 miles solidly ahead of the HST and still within reach of the JPT.

That leaves the Hope Shull Team. Let’s just say the Cracker Barrel hangover is not a myth. The HST was sluggish from the start today. Some pundits worried HST would come out too aggressive today trying to chase down the other teams to try to erase the early deficit they amassed yesterday. By 10am, no one had that worry any more. By noon, team captain Marylou Corino said something that we can’t repeat here. But she theorized that if they stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel, in Needles, Arizona, that it would somehow reverse the curse, hangover, or whatever. She was probably just hungry. The team did bond over lunch, soothed some egos, and put down respectable miles in the afternoon. This included double digits from Ben Herron, Rachael Anderson, Randy Broadway, and Marylou. They only ran with 12 runners today and that for sure played a factor. They finished the day with 94.79 miles and are a good bit back of the pack, but there is thousands of miles of race to go. Their stated goal is to make it to Kingman, AZ tomorrow night.

Team Mileage Leader of the Day

• Suzy Michelson Team – Kimberly Atkins (26.22 mi)
• Jeffrey Price Team – Heather McComb (24.12 mi)
• Charlie Taylor Team – Seth Crowe (37.39 mi)
• Hope Shull Team – Randy Broadway (21.0 mi)

Top 10 Mega-Miles of the Day

1. Seth Crowe (CMT) – 37.39
2. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 26.22
3. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 25.55
4. Heather McComb (JPT) – 24.12
5. Karla Kent (JPT) – 22.58
6. Barry Reece (SMT) – 22.00
7. Randy Broadway (HST) – 21.0
8. Tom Orr (JPT) – 18.39
9. David Nichols (SMT) – 17.75
10. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 16.35

Top 10 Race Mile Leaders

1. Barry Reece  (SMT) – 49.2
2. Thomas Fowler  (SMT) – 46.2
3. Heather McComb (JPT) – 44.14
4. Chris Clemens (SMT) – 40.55
5. Seth Crowe (CTT) – 39.46
6. Karl Studtmann (JPT) – 36.62
7. Jeremy Reed (CTT) – 36.31
8. Kimberly Atkins (SMT) – 36.25
9. Alex Barrientos (SMT) – 35.33
10. Randy Broadway (HST) – 35.0

Daily Updates and Standings Archive

• Day 2: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – Showdown in the Desert 
• Day 1: Run It Fast’s Race Across the USA – And They Are Off…

Brentwood native Jason Loyd won The Sequoyah Marathon at Pinson Mounds State Park on November 25, 2018 with a new personal record time of 3:14:33. It was a fourteen minute PR for Loyd who had last set it at the same race in 2016.

A speedy three-some that included Jackson natives Karl Studtmann and Randy Broadway along with Loyd blurred around the 2.91 mile looped course for the first 10+ miles together as those in attendance enjoyed the smoke show as these men seemed as if they had been catapulted out of a jet from the rest of the field.

Loyd was on a rail, extremely consistent with his splits around 7:30’s as Stuntman and Broadway fell back off the strong pace. Broadway stayed close in second for several miles, with Studtmann falling back to third place, as Jason started to run off away with it eventually leaving Broadway behind by a good bit.

Studtmann then passed Broadway for second around mile eighteen. Karl put some substantial distance between him and Randy, as Randy, with the win out of sight, went into conservation mode for his 100K the following weekend in Kentucky. Karl took second place with a strong showing in 3:26:20 with Randy rounding out the men’s podium in 3:43:50.

It’s the first win for Loyd and would have been a BQ time if only the course was a BQ certified course.

Canadian Marylou Corino, running her third consecutive day of races after back to back 40 milers, was the female winner in 4:07:17. Corino completed four races over the three days and was the female winner, not only at The Sequoyah Marathon, but also at the Black Diamond 40 Miler and Double Black Diamond 40 Miler.

The Sequoyah Marathon female top three was rounded out by Heather Coon in 4:22:38 and sixteen-year old Morgan Seech running her marathon debut in 4:40:06.

The Sequoyah Marathon Results
1. Jason Loyd – 3:14:33
2. Karl Studtmann – 3:26:20
3. Randy Broadway – 3:43:50
4. Marylou Corino – 4:07:17 (1F)
5. Chris Clemens – 4:17:28
6. Heather Coon – 4:22:38 (2F)
7. Mike Samuelson – 4:36:27
8. Morgan Seech – 4:40:06 (3F)
9. Joseph Montgomery – 4:46:00
10. Kelly Oswald Paul – 5:09:38
11. Stefanie McKinney-Holliday – 5:30:10
12. Marj Mitchell – 5:49:16
13. Aaron Smith – 5:58:10
14. David Wingard – 6:30:23
15. Michelle Leigh Talbott – 6:40:49

The Sequoyah Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5K Results

Trail of Fears Race Report by 2nd place finisher Steve Troxel

To put this report in perspective, you ought to know a few things about me.

I’m 58 years old with 10 grandkids.
I’m relatively new to running – been consistent for about 6 years.
I’m very new to this ultra world – first ultra distance was 50 miles at RUTS last year.

I ran TOF last year and made it 10 loops for an 8th place finish. This year I knew I was in better condition and said I would be absolutely thrilled to make it to the final 5 or 6. I have such great respect for the group that showed up for this race.

The intriguing thing about ultra events is that you really don’t know how your body will respond. There are so many variables with nutrition, gut, and muscle fatigue/strain that it’s difficult, if not impossible to accurately predict a specific outcome – too many things can go wrong, and they usually do.

My plan from the beginning was to run super easy and meet new people. The first several loops were great as I talked a bunch and was usually one of the last to finish the loop. By loops four and five I noticed my quads were a lot more tired than they ought to be. This was not a good sign. I had just run a PR marathon (3:17:01) at St. Jude two weeks earlier and figured I wasn’t fully recovered. I kept with the plan and the loops just kept clicking off.

On loops eight and nine, I had to run a little faster so I could change into my tights and different socks. This transition went well and I felt prepared as darkness approached. Loop 10 we had 13 runners and this was the first loop we had to switch on our headlamps. By the start of loop 11 we were down to 7 runners, and as we took the picture to start the loop I actually teared up. As I looked at the group I was on the line with, I just felt so incredibly blessed.

Now a side bar. One of the issues with getting a little older is with night vision. My vision becomes more and more blurry as the lights begin to fade. I knew this was going to be a problem so I ordered a new headlamp and some handheld flashlights. Loop 11 was great! I felt I could see as well as in the daylight. But on loop 12 my lights began to dim. What the heck!!? The rest of the loops became a lighting headache.

No one dropped on loop 11. On loop 12, I ended up behind Francesca Muccini and we power walked much of the second half of the course. This is actually not a bad strategy. Francesca is a fast walker and, if you stay focused, you can almost walk as fast as you can run over much of the course. Plus, walking behind allowed me to get some help from her headlamp.

I changed batteries after loop 12 and thought I was good. All 7 runners started loop 13 and I, once again, fell in behind Francesca. However, she was doing a lot of power walking at the beginning of this loop and I started to get concerned. By the halfway point, I felt we were too far behind to continue this strategy so I said I had to press ahead. Francesca just missed the cutoff for loop 13. That left 6 for the start of loop 14.

No one dropped on loop 14 but my headlamp problems continued. The lamp/flashlight combination would work for a short time and then begin to dim. As the lights dimmed, I became tentative in my steps and fell hard on both the 14th and 15th loop.

All 6 runners started the 15th loop and I started behind Randy Broadway. When we came out of the first side branch, he stopped and said he was done. I gave him a big hug – I really like and respect Randy – and continued. I really just kept plodding along. My legs felt good and I wasn’t having any major stomach issues. I still have a ways to go with proper eating in these longer races but at least I wasn’t completely falling apart. But as I already said, my lighting was not good and I fell hard. Marylou sprinted in with just 1 second left on the clock and Stewart Crouch said he was done. That left 4 runners to start loop 16.

Loop 16 was exciting since it was going to set a course record. I continued to fight my headlamp issue. I found that if I turned it off for a while and just used the flashlight I could then turn it back on for a while. This was working but it was draining me mentally. After completing the 16th loop, I asked if anyone had a headlamp I could borrow.  William Pinson let me borrow Megan‘s. This allowed me to step to the line on the 17th loop. I was surprised that Marylou decided to drop. Three of us started loop 17.

Though the borrowed headlamp helped, I really needed something brighter. I was able to run but had to keep telling myself, “Get ready to fall, get ready to fall.” Midway through this loop I decided this was no longer safe. I felt ok, but just knew I was going to get hurt. Again, this is more a mental struggle than anything, and I was getting mentally worn out. I decided I was going to line up for loop 18 but if Joshua Holmes started running I was going to stop.

All three of us lined up for loop 18. Josh said go, I took several steps and, to my surprise, Josh stayed on the line and said, “Have a good run.” I quickly ran up to Whit Guthrie and let him know Josh was not continuing. I said that if he would help guide me with his headlamp we could call this the last lap and he would win. Turns out, he was very ready to be done and was glad for the plan. We made it through the loop without incident and Whit is a true champion!

In my limited experience, I have found that competing at the ultra level is both physical and mental. I was definitely prepared physically and would not change anything in my training. Mentally, I learned a bunch, as we probably do in every race we run. I will NEVER be in this situation with lighting again – this is an easy problem to fix. The mental lessons are something I will take with me into my next bunch of races, including 2019 TOF, and will make me stronger.

My parting note to older runners: You can do more than you think is possible!

My parting note to all runners: I lost my mom to cancer when she was 43 and then lost by baby sister to cancer when she was 43. NEVER forget that what we do is a wonderful gift. Be determined to truly live each day we are given!!

– Steve Troxel (2nd place finisher of the 2017 Trail of Fears)
December 16, 2017