Run It Fast®

Happy October! Autumn, my favorite season, is now in full swing and this is one of the best racing months of the year. The Extreme Racer competition is getting very exciting and there are only 3 months left in the year. However, this time of year hosts some of the best races in the world of running.

Continuing to lead the way on the male leaderboard and set the standard for all things awesome is RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen with 2,584.8 points. Next is RIF #1 Joshua Holmes with 1,205.3 points. Not far behind Joshua in third place is RIF #270 George Southgate with 999.53 points.

On the female leaderboard, RIF #159 Diane Bolton holds the lead with 1,083.96 points and is closely followed by RIF #323 Jennifer Hatcher with 935.2 points. RIF #287 Carol Earles is in third place with 768.4 points.

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 2584.8 (RIF #121)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1205.3 (RIF #1)
3. Diane Bolton – 1083.96 (RIF #159)
4. George Southgate – 999.53 (RIF#279)
5. John Kent Leighton – 985.1 (RIF #190)
6. Jennifer Hatcher – 935.2 (RIF #323)
7. Carol Earles – 768.4 (RIF #287)
8. Heather Zeigler – 692.8 (RIF #246)
9. Hideki Kinoshita – 673.2 (RIF #88)
10. Shane Tucker – 637.16 (RIF #337)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 2584.8 (RIF #121)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1205.3 (RIF #1)
3. George Southgate – 999.53 (RIF #279)
4. John Kent Leighton – 985.1 (RIF #190)
5. Shane Tucker – 768.16 (RIF #337)
6. Hideki Kinoshita – 673.2 (RIF #88)
7. Bill Wells – 568.1 (RIF #327)
8. Denis McCarthy – 533.32 (RIF #263)
9. Jeff Le – 516.6 (RIF #248)
10. Danny Staggs – 468.7 (RIF #186)
11. Jeff Liu – 454.4 (RIF #275)
12. Rob Distante – 255.8 (RIF #259)
13. Ben Pennington – 207.6 (RIF #315)
14. Bill Baker – 160.6 (RIF #196)
15. Arland Blanton – 160.3 (RIF #290)
16. Eric Waterman – 133.33 (RIF #289)
17. Eric Spencer – 121.23 (RIF #320)
18. Jeff Van Demark – 111.5 (RIF #322)
19. Nathan Bass – 106.8 (RIF #174)
20. Stephen Griffin – 88.9 (RIF #48)
21. Robin Robbins – 85.6 (RIF #33)
22. Alex Barrientos – 41.7 (RIF #258)
23. Dennis Arriaga – 39.3 (RIF #140)
24. Brennan Thompson – 37.4 (RIF #274)
25. Jason Scott – 26.2 (RIF #265)
26. Steven Reagan – 16.2 (RIF #157)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Diane Bolton – 1083.96 (RIF #159)
2. Jennifer Hatcher – 935.2 (RIF #323)
3. Carol Earles – 768.4 (RIF #287)
4. Heather Zeigler – 692.8 (RIF #246)
5. Robin Mancinelli – 555.6 (RIF #134)
6. Suzanne Michelson – 545.6 (RIF #280)
7. Belinda Young – 532.5 (RIF #358)
8. Kim Crowe – 340.8 (RIF #245)
9. Donna England – 339.9 (RIF #277)
10. Christy Scott – 326.2 (RIF #231)
11. Amanda Staggs – 288.8 (RIF #210)
12. Alicia Eno – 272 (RIF #126)
13. Julia Beavers – 233.1 (RIF #339)
14. Marj Mitchell – 218.7 (RIF #4)
15. Christy Bowers – 210.57 (RIF #60)
16. Tiffani Glass – 172.9 (RIF #328)
17. Amber Goetz-Bouchard – 172.8 (RIF #15)
18. Sue Stephens-Wright – 133.99 (RIF #321)
19. Shannon Miller – 127.1 (RIF #338)
20. Michelle Lenahan – 114.8 (RIF #283)
21. Kristen Love – 26.2 (RIF #238)
22. Lisa Gonzales – 22.5 (RIF #5)
23. Natalie Torres – 13.1 (RIF #72)
24. Deb Palmer-Distante – 13.1 (RIF #351)

The points are all so close together, and there are plenty of great races coming up where you can get in your extra race miles. Everyone just be sure to play it safe, and have fun!

The winner of the random drawing this month is RIF #186 Danny Staggs!

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

Extreme Racer is open to members of Run It Fast – The Club. You can read more about and join The Club HERE.

Meet RIF #319 Yolanda Holder, the “Walking Diva.” Power walker and Guinness World Record holder, Yolanda uses her unique form of racing to highlight the benefits of exercise. In the beginning, Yolanda was a race walker. Unlike power walking, it is judged for technique and form. She combined the two types of walking to create her own style of power walking. When asked about her definition of power walking, Yolanda replied, “Basically, power walking is your own style of walking. Pumping your arms as you walk creates more speed and power. There is no right or wrong way to power walk. It is an individual process.”

Yolanda’s first full marathon was the Portland Marathon in 1998. She chose the race because it was walker-friendly. In 1999, she completed several additional marathons and numerous 5k, 10k and half-marathons. To commemorate her 50th birthday, Yolanda wanted to complete 50 marathons. That year she not only reached her goal, but surpassed it. She finished 65 marathons in 52 weeks.

In 2009, Yolanda finished 77 marathons. At the end of that year, she researched Guinness Book of World Records to see what the record was for “Most Mileage Daily for 365 Days.” She learned the record was 100 marathons set in 2002 by an Italian. Yolanda decided to set out to break that record.

In 2010, she power walked 93 consecutive marathons on her quest and topped the Italian record with 106 marathons. By 2012, she beat her own record by competing in 120 marathons. Yolanda reached this milestone at the 26.2-mile Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Las Vegas. When talking about participating in marathons and ultra marathons, Yolanda says, “I do it for the bling, my health is an added benefit.”

On September 2, 2013, Yolanda’s mother passed away of complications related to diabetes. She had already lost her father from the same disease. In honor of her mom, Yolanda was inspired to create an Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes. During that year, she walked 521 Miles in 15 days from Corona to Oakland and raised funds for American Diabetes Association.

Promoting the benefits of walking 30 minutes a day is very important to Yolanda. “I’m passionate about walking for health and hope to continue to inspire and motivate people of all ages to get out and get fit by doing whatever physical activity they chose,” she says. Yolanda states the benefits of those 30 minutes of physical activity includes lowering cholesterol, decreasing the chances of heart disease, and fighting obesity.

She says, “The hardest part of exercising is getting up to do it.”

Yolanda has a distinctive competitive style. She does not wear “walking” shoes. Her favorite brand of shoes is Skechers. She always wears skirts. She was racing in tennis skirts before running skirts became popular. Running skirts have many features, including pockets for gel packs and a music player, as well as compression shorts underneath. She always wears a hat. Different styles are worn by this diva, including caps and fedoras. In addition, she always sports hoop earrings and designer sunglasses.”I wear shades because I am cool like that! Who says you can’t look good while you exercise?” she asks.

Yolanda uses several techniques for mentally preparing for marathons and ultra marathons. She meditates about reaching the finish line and encourages herself by saying positive statements like, “I will do my best and I will have conquered all those miles when I am done.” At mile 23, when she is tired and enduring the pain of blisters, she convinces herself that she is having fun and she smiles. Visualizing the finish line and the medal around her neck also provides a great deal of encouragement.

Yolanda laughs as she tells of one of the pep songs she sometimes sings in her head during a race. “Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don’t you wish your girlfriend was a marathoner like me?” She states that participating in long races are very spiritual experiences. “Talking to God for six hours gives you a lot of time to come up with multiple solutions to your problems” she shares. By the time Yolanda reaches the finish line, most of the other runners have already finished and there are only a few watchers left. When she hears those people cheering, she knows it’s for her.

She has been married to her husband for 31 years and is mother of two grown children. Her children share her drive to succeed. Son R.J. is a double major college graduate and daughter Tiffany is a missionary She has traveled all over the US to compete. As a member of Marathon Maniacs and the Legends of 100, Yolanda has competed at various races, including the New York and Boston Marathons.

Some of her latest accomplishments include competing in Anchorage, Alaska at the Six Days at the Dome, where she placed in the top three women and eleventh overall by power walking 400 miles. Yolanda also completed 311 miles in 10 days in the Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes Death Challenge from Corona to Las Vegas to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. Yolanda has completed 485 marathons in the last six years. By the end of this year, she wants to pass another milestone: finish 500 lifetime marathons.

Yolanda was honored to be chosen as one of the core team runners for the Race Across the USA event. She shares the race’s goals of raising awareness about childhood fitness as the run from coast-to-coast, beginning in January 2015. Even though she has been previously traveled to all 12 states that the race is passing through, she is looking forward to the whole journey which includes camping. She anticipates the opportunity to show how walking can improve overall health. Showing others how fitness can be fun is definitely one of her top priorities.

“You never know where walking will lead you, said Yolanda” There is a lot of truth in that statement. Just look at the Walking Diva. You can learn more about the Race Across the USA at http://raceacrossusa.org.

By ELISIA OWENS MUMFORD

Finally, the last summer month has passed, and we can begin to look forward to cooler temperatures. It has been an awesome summer of racing and I’m proud to see that Run It Fast members haven’t let the heat get in the way of their racing and training. But there are still a few months left in the year, and still a lot of really good races to participate in, like the Tunnel Hill 100 miler and 50 miler, the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon and RIF’s own Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond 40 milers.

It has been such an enjoyment to see the miles entered for the Extreme Racer competition, and be able to cheer everyone on from a distance. Not much has changed for the male leaders. RIF #121 Ed Ettinghausen is in the lead with 2584.8 points. RIF #1 Joshua Holmes is in second with 1205.3 points. RIF #279 George Southgate is in third place with 948.67 points.

For the females, there has been a bit of a shake-up. RIF #159 Diane Bolton has snatched the lead with 930.87 points. RIF #323 Jennifer Hatcher is not far behind with 804.2 points. RIF #287 Carol Earles has entered the top 3 at third place with 685.4 points.

The Extreme Racer standings through August are posted below.

Extreme Racer Top 10 Leaderboard:

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 2584.8 (RIF#121)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1205.3 (RIF #1)
3. George Southgate – 948.67 (RIF #279)
4. Diane Bolton – 930.87 (RIF #159)
5. John Kent Leighton – 861.1 (RIF #190)
6. Jennifer Hatcher – 804.2 (RIF #323)
7. Carol Earles – 685.4 (RIF #287)
8. Hideki Kinoshita – 647 (RIF #88)
9. Shane Tucker – 637.16 (RIF #337)
10. Heather Zeigler – 574.9 (RIF #246)

Extreme Racer Male Leaderboard

1. Ed Ettinghausen – 2584.8 (RIF #121)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1205.3 (RIF #1)
3. George Southgate – 948.67 (RIF #279)
4. John Kent Leighton – 861.1 (RIF #190)
5. Hideki Kinoshita – 647 (RIF #88)
6. Shane Tucker – 637.16 (RIF #337)
7. Bill Wells – 541.9 (RIF #327)
8. Denis McCarthy – 533.32 (RIF #263)
9. Jeff Le – 516.6 (RIF #248)
10. Jeff Liu – 545.4 (RIF #275)
11. Danny Staggs – 391.5 (RIF #186)
12. Rob Distante – 255.8 (RIF #259)
13. Ben Pennington – 207.6 (RIF #315)
14. Bill Baker – 160.6 (RIF #196)
15. Arland Blanton – 134.1 (RIF #290)
16. Eric Waterman – 133.33 (RIF #219)
17. Eric Spencer – 121.23 (RIF #320)
18. Nathan Bass – 106.8 (RIF #174)
19. Stephen Griffin – 88.9 (RIF #48)
20. Jeff Van Demark – 82.2 (RIF #322)
21. Robin Robbins – 59.8 (RIF #33)
22. Alex Barrientos – 41.7 (RIF #258)
23. Dennis Arriaga – 39.3 (RIF #140)
24. Brennan Thompson – 27.4 (RIF #274)
25. Jason Scott – 26.2 (RIF #265)
26. Steven Reagan – 16.2 (RIF #157)

Extreme Racer Female Leaderboard

1. Diane Bolton – 930.87 (RIF #159)
2. Jennifer Hatcher – 804.2 (RIF #323)
3. Carol Earles – 685.4 (RIF #287)
4. Heather Zeigler – 574.9 (RIF #246)
5. Robin Mancinelli –  555.6 (RIF #134)
6. Suzanne Michelson – 496.2 (RIF #280)
7. Belinda Young – 403.3 (RIF #358)
8. Christy Scott – 326.2 (RIF #231)
9. Donna England – 287.5 (RIF #277)
10. Alicia Eno – 263.9 (RIF #126)
11. Kim Crowe – 255.8 (RIF #245)
12. Julia Beavers – 213.8 (RIF #339)
13. Christy Bowers – 210.57 (RIF #60)
14. Marj Mitchell – 203.2 (RIF #4)
15. Amanda Staggs – 191.3 (RIF #210)
16. Amber Goetz-Bouchard – 172.8 (RIF #15)
17. Tiffani Glass – 139.4 (RIF #328)
18. Sue Stephens-Wright – 133.99 (RIF #321)
19. Michelle Lenahan – 114.8 (RIF #283
20. Shannon Miller – 111.6 (RIF #338)
21. Kristen Love – 26.2 (RIF #238)
22. Lisa Gonzales – 22.5 (RIF #5)
23. Natalie Torres – 13.1 (RIF #72)

Our leaders are neck-and-neck and knowing this bunch of people, anything can happen.

The winner of the drawing this month is RIF #4 Marj Mitchell.

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

Learn more about RIF’s Extreme Racer!

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 17 responses this week. Good luck to everyone and Run It Fast!

To join Run It Fast – The Club then click HERE to read more details.

Here is a massive indexed state-by-state library of all of the marathon, half-marathon, and ultramarathon medals (and more) we’ve received over the past four years.

Enjoy and be sure to Tweet us your medals @runitfast on Twitter or email them in to us.

United States

RIF #101 David Wingard, from Greenville, South Carolina, is the winner of the Run It Fast Club’s – 2013 Extreme Racer.

David accumulated 1,928.3 points for 2013. Run It Fast – Club members earn 1 point for every 1 race mile from races they complete during the year. So David ran races totaling 1,928.3 miles for the year. He averaged 160.7 race miles per month in becoming ‘Extreme Racer of the Year.’

It was a very close race for the top spot as runner-up RIF #190 John Leighton finished the year with 1,910.9 points, less than 18 points behind David.  RIF #1 Joshua Holmes finished in third place with 1,834.7 points.

RIF #159 Diane Bolton, who let Extreme Racer, for most of the year ended up in 4th place and the female with the most ER points for 2013. Other women to finish in the Top 10 Overall included RIF #218 Carol Goslin, RIF #287 Carol Earles, and RIF #261 Kerri Haskins.

Top Ten 2013 Extreme Racer Finishers Leaderboard
1.  David Wingard – 1928.3 (RIF #101)
2.  John Kent Leighton – 1910.9 (RIF #190)
3.  Joshua Holmes – 1834.7 (RIF #1)
4.  Diane Bolton – 1783.45 (RIF #159)
5.  George Southgate – 1524.04 (RIF #279)
6.  Carol Goslin – 1388.8 (RIF #218)
7.  Carol Earles – 1284.19 (RIF #287)
8.  Denis McCarthy – 1117.3625 (RIF #263)
9.  Kerri Haskins – 1026.5 (RIF #261)
10.  Rob Distante – 992.73 (RIF #259)

Here is a look at all of the Run It Fast men who submitted points in 2013. Congrats to all who submitted points and especially those that broke 1,000 points for the year. (John Leighton – 2nd overall – pictured above)

Men’s Final 2013 Extreme Racer Leaderboard
1.  David Wingard – 1928.3 (RIF #101)
2.  John Kent Leighton – 1910.9 (RIF #190)
3.  Joshua Holmes – 1834.7 (RIF #1)
4.  George Southgate – 1524.04 (RIF #279)
5.  Denis McCarthy – 1117.3625 (RIF #263)
6.  Rob Distante – 992.73 (RIF #259)
7.  Danny Staggs – 758.3 (RIF #186)
8.  Hideki Kinoshita – 727.4 (RIF #88)
9.  Jeff Le – 682.16 (RIF #248)
10.  Eric Waterman – 509.481 (RIF #289)
11.  Houston Wolf – 400.9 (RIF #254)
12.  Nicholas Norfolk – 361.31 (RIF #116)
13.  Arland Blanton – 345.81 (RIF #290)
14.  Billy Cannon – 306.8 (RIF #169)
15.  Nathan Bass – 306.5 (RIF #174)
16.  Anthony Ohrey – 293.6 (RIF #27)
17.  Kevin Brandon – 265.7 (RIF #214)
18.  Steven Reagan – 261.65 (RIF #157)
19.  Mark Ogletree – 234.9 (RIF #247)
20.  Jeff Liu – 231 (RIF #275)
21.  Mark Watson – 194 (RIF #173)
22.  Dennis Arriaga – 181.3 (RIF #140)
23.  Jason Scott – 176.5 (RIF #265)
24.  Robin Robbins – 165.8 (RIF #33)
25.  Rodrigo Jiménez – 158.32 (RIF #203)
26.  Josh Liggett – 142.5 (RIF #147)
27.  James Krenis – 126.8 (RIF #67)
28.  Winston Trice – 126 (RIF #29)
29.  Stephen Griffin – 112.05 (RIF #48)
30.  Kevin Ronayne – 108.4 (RIF #11)
31.  Bill Baker – 106 (RIF #196)
32.  Nikiah Nudell – 94.8 (RIF #234)
33.  Charles Carmen – 89.63 (RIF #255)
34.  Rick Thiounn – 79.5 (RIF #111)
35.  Neil Dryland – 57.2 (RIF #252)
36.  Naresh Kumar – 50 (RIF #2)
37.  Stewart Crouch – 29.3 (RIF #89)
38.  Brian Wooldridge – 26.2 (RIF #141)
39.  Chris Haynes – 26.2 (RIF #223)
40.  Brennan Thompson – 25.5 (RIF #274)
41.  Daniel Escue – 22.4 (RIF #187)
42.  Austin Coates – 22.4 (RIF #241)
43.  Al Edwards – 13.1 (RIF #291)

Congrats to all of the women who took part in Extreme Racer for 2013. Here is a look at all of the women who submitted races for points for the year. Congrats to Diane Bolton (pictured above), Carol Goslin, and Carol Earles for making the top 3.

Women’s Final 2013 Extreme Racer Leaderboard

10.  Katrina Mumaw – 519.53 (RIF #268)
11.  Christy Scott – 512.3 (RIF #231)
12.  Robin Mancinelli – 480.8 (RIF #134)
13.  Donna England – 390.5 (RIF #277)
14.  Alicia Eno – 332.8 (RIF #126)
15.  Amanda Staggs – 327.2 (RIF #210)
16.  Lisa Gonzales – 319.26 (RIF #5)
17.  Michelle Mitchell – 312.6 (RIF #133)
18.  Sandy Staggs – 274 (RIF #220)
19.  Beth Hosick – 268.57 (RIF #219)
20.  Marj Mitchell – 264.1 (RIF #4)
21.  Heather Shoemaker – 261.8 (RIF #44)
22.  Shannon Burke – 236.8 (RIF #171)
23.  Christy Bowers – 231.02 (RIF #60)
24.  Michelle Lenahan – 192.08 (RIF #283)
25.  Donna Pittman – 188.9 (RIF #181)
26.  Jennifer Wood – 183.4 (RIF #243)
27.  Melanie Casey – 144 (RIF #202)
28.  Jennifer Whitley – 82 (RIF #160)
29.  Natalie Torres – 81.7 (RIF #72)
30.  Leigh Marsh – 61.7 (RIF #192)
31.  Jill Hassen – 57.2 (RIF #242)
32.  Marlene Deem – 52.4 (RIF #189)
33.  Debra Jacildo – 28.3 (RIF #98)
34.  Trisha Leonard – 26.2 (RIF #144)
35.  Martine Kincade – 26.2 (RIF #260)

Here’s a summary of the submitted races:

And George Southgate was the random drawing winner.

Extreme Racer is open to all members of Run It Fast – The Club. The Club is comprised of very driven runners of all levels from all over the world. Click the link below for more information or to join.

Mount Wilson Summit Run – Sierra Madre, California
January 30, 2014

The stresses of life and letdowns from others can often beat us up and tear us down in our day to day life.

On Thursday I needed an escape. I needed a mountain to pound  against and wrestle with until my body was beat down and my head was clear.

I’ve been trying to maximize and find all the beautiful, wonderful, and amazing places to train and run in and near Los Angeles over the past few months.

So a couple of nights ago I was searching maps and googling different searches and found Mount Wilson. Every review I read about it talked about how serious a ‘hike’ it was and one reviewer described the climb as ‘hell on earth.’ Well after reading that I found myself at the base of Mount Wilson less than 10 hours later. It was about a 40 minute drive from Hollywood.

I knew the climb up to the summit of Mt. Wilson was roughly a 4,500-5,000 foot gain over the course of give or take 7 miles.

By the time I parked it was already 2:15pm which didn’t leave too much daylight to run/hike up to the top and run back down. The day was already void of sun as it was extremely overcast, foggy, and full of dark clouds. I knew I’d have to Run It Fast® up and back down to beat the dark on what was an unfamiliar trail.

Running Up Mount Wilson

I started up the trail and immediately saw a guest book/log and wrote out ‘Joshua Ho…’ before the pen dried out. I had on a hydration vest with two bottles and hoped it wasn’t a prelude to my own hydration fate up on the mountain.

Half a mile into the trail, I saw the last human I’d see over the next 3+ hours. I’d love to tell you the views were beautiful the higher I climbed, but I couldn’t see anything after 1,000 feet of climb up the mountain (see below).

The climb up Wilson was no joke. I was able to run portions of it the first 3.5 miles and fast hike the other parts. After about 3.5 miles it became even more steep as the thick fog and dark clouds started to circle around me. I had my first thoughts of not being to get back down before it was dark and the rains set in.

The temperatures started to drop and the misty rain started to come down faster 4 miles in. I was running in a cut-off shirt and started to think that it might get too wet and cold before I reached the summit. As I mentioned earlier, no humans were anywhere to be found, especially this high up on the trail. I debated turning back as my hamstrings and back were starting to ache. However, I kept marching forward and feeling more and more liberated and free the higher I escaped into the clouds. I wasn’t done battling the mountain, and I’d regret not finishing if I turned back prematurely.

The 5th mile up the mountain had over 900 feet of gain and seemed to go on forever. I could never see too far ahead due to lack of visibility, but the trail before me, where I was watching every single step I planted, was beautiful and rich with character.

The next two miles averaged about 600 feet of climb per mile, but almost felt relatively flat after that 5th mile. About 6 miles up the trail I hit a rough jeep road that I made pretty good time on. The last 1.3ish miles to the summit were on this road.

The first half of the climb up Mt. Wilson was a serious climb, but most runners/hikers in decent shape can do it. The last half (after the first 3 miles) gets very krunk. It’s technical, very steep, and desolate in nature. I’m sure most days there is a bit more, or at least some, traffic on the trail higher up towards the observatory, but there was none when I went up it. I kept wondering what wildlife hid behind the next turn or behind the fog, but all I came across were a few squirrels and birds.

The Summit of Mount Wilson

It took me 2:03:11 to reach the top of Mount Wilson. The distance from where I started at my car to the top was clocked at 7.3 miles. The total climb per Strava was listed just a hair above 5,000 feet to a point of 5,665 of elevation.

The top, as I had read elsewhere, was in fact anti-climatic. It was a welcome sight as I knew that the climbing was over and that I’d be running a lot faster back down the mountain trail to civilization. However the summit of Mount Wilson, it’s just a bunch of roads at the top, along with the observatory which was rather small, and not a single example of life.

Running Down Mount Wilson

The trip back down the mountain was a lot faster than the way up and therefore not worthy as of many words. It was a fast down that was at times too fast. Some of the more technical parts leave 2-3 inches to plant your foot or down the mountain to your death you go. So it was important to pay attention to every step and slow down and walk through some very tight passes.

The steep run down was refreshing and fast! I started to feel it in my quads half way down as they were starting to grow sore. The miles back down the mountain clicked off so much faster than the ones up it.

The flight down had of course 5,000 feet of descent and took 1:20:30.

Mount Wilson Run Details

Total Mount Wilson 14.7 mile run had 5,088 feet of climb and 5,088 feet of descent and took 3:20:41.

Mt Wilson Mile By Mile Ascent/Descent, Pace
Mile 1: +729 -70, 14:53
Mile 2: +686 -49, 15:47
Mile 3: +513 -42, 15:05
Mile 4: +718 -42, 18:42
Mile 5: +995 – 41, 21:40
Mile 6: +687 0, 18:51
Mile 7: +546 0, 17:01
Mile 8: +53 -404, 13:11
Mile 9: 0 -533, 9:56
Mile 10: 0 -952, 12:33
Mile 11: 0 -801, 10:24
Mile 12: +97 -480, 10:25
Mile 13: 0 -655, 9:50
Mile 14: +88 -683, 10:11
Mile 14.7: 0, -392, 5:07

It was a great run. I’m glad I decided on a whim to go do it. I felt cleansed, alive, and detoxed after it was over. I couldn’t help but feel alive in the rain and Los Angeles rush hour traffic as I slowly drove back home in much the same fashion as I had made my way to the top of Mt. Wilson.

I’d recommend this trail to anyone. It takes a big effort to make it all of the way to the top and back, but it’s still worth the drive and time even if you just want to do a handful of miles instead of the whole enchilada.

– joshua holmes (RIF #1)

PS: You can park in front of the small park on E Mira Monta Ave for free and walk up or start up Mount Wilson Trail Road right next to it.

Last January, we presented Hope Shull with a membership to Run It Fast – The Club at the Race for Hope 5K in Henderson, Tennessee.

The 5K was held to honor Hope as she had terminal cancer with just a few weeks to live. She died shortly after the race was held.

Hope was a personal friend to myself and many other of the early members of Run It Fast. I ran several of my very first 5K races with Hope and her good friend Marj Mitchell in West Tennessee.

I wrote Hope a letter to be presented to her at the Race for Hope 5K last January that Marj read to her at the race.  The letter included a permanent membership to Run It Fast along with a few other words that included the creation of an award in her honor –  ‘The Hope Award.’

January 12, 2012

Hope,

I’m amiss that I can’t be at the race today.  I’m in Los Angeles, but you are on my mind as you often are.

I asked Marj if it would be ok ,and she thought it would be, so I want to proudly announce you as the newest member of Run It Fast – The Club.

You will always be RIF #225, a special number to me as 25 has always been one of my two most favorite numbers.  You will always be a part of the club no matter what transpires from this day forward between any of us.

I’ve always wanted you to be a part of the club because you embody EVERYTHING that Run It Fast was created to become. Run It Fast is a club full of members that have this deep down desire to overcome obstacles in life and limitations that most others let hold them back or down. Run It Fast members don’t let their situation or hardship in life dictate their life for them.

Instead they go out and conquer life by digging deep to train hard, run races, and forge friendships along the way that inspire others to do things that perhaps they didn’t think were possible either.

Also, I want to announce that starting this year, at the end of the year, the Run It Fast – Club will annually give one member the honor of being named the Hope Shull Inspirational Runner of the Year!

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the example you’ve set for me not only with running but with life.  I’ll never forget sharing the car ride back to the start of the Labor Day 5 Miler with you a couple of years ago. That was a beautiful day and a lot of fun.

With my utmost love, respect and admiration, 

Joshua Holmes

Run It Fast ® (RIF #1)

I’m proud and honored to announce that the ‘2013 Hope Shull Inspirational Runner Award’ goes to RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales from Alta Loma, California.

Lisa has inspired all of us with her bravery, courage, and tough inner fortitude in battling cancer over the last few months while never losing faith and being extremely positive and supportive of every member of Run It Fast, as she recovered from surgery and continues to go through chemotherapy.

Lisa insisted upon crewing me at the EC 100 just two weeks after her surgery. She has yet to deliver me a good cheeseburger during a 100 miler when crewing me, but she did a great job that day crewing me to a Top 5 finish.

She has been vital to the growth of Run It Fast over the last two years and has a true passion and desire for the club to become the best.

She is one of the toughest people I know. I draw inspiration from her, not only during my races, but in life in general. My worst days are nowhere near what she has gone through and survived in the past year.

Lisa gives ‘Hope’ to hundreds of runners in the running community across the globe every day!

I’m very proud of Lisa and honored that she is the 2013 recipient of ‘The Hope Shull Inspirational Runner Award.’

This is the medal for the Dallas Icicle Marathon & Half Marathon that took place on December 8, 2013 in and around Dallas, Texas.

This was an impromptu “race” that took place following the cancellation of the Dallas Marathon because of Icepocolypse 2013. The North Texas Runners even had bibs and medals. Nothing stops runners…not even ice! Congratulations to everyone who braved the weather to get their run in.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photo submitted by RIF #60 Christy Bowers – follow her on Twitter @run2bake]

Run It Fast – Club on Strava Club Leaderboard from the week ending October 13, 2013

Here is a look at how Run It Fast – Club members stacked up against each other on our Strava club page:

Total Distance:
1. John Leighton – 68.4
2. Al Edwards – 56.7
3. David Pharr – 48.0

Total Running Time:
1. John Leighton – 13hr15min
2.Wade Anderson – 7hr48min
3. Jen Metcalf – 7hr18min

Fastest Pace
1. Al Edwards – 7:44
2. Natalie Torres – 7:49
3. Alex Barrientos – 8:11

Longest Run
1. John Leighton – 50.2 mi
2. Wade Anderson – 20.6 mi
3. Stewart Crouch – 17.8 mi

Most Elevation Gain:
1. Wade Anderson – 5,118 ft
2. Joshua Holmes – 4,464 ft
3. John Leighton – 3,261 ft

If you are a Run It Fast – Club member then join our club on Strava (free) and see where you compare week to week: http://www.strava.com/clubs/run-it-fast-the-club

Join Run It Fast – The Club HERE