Run It Fast®

We sometimes sign up for races that we know nothing about or other races whereby we’ve read dozens of race reports regarding what we might encounter during this or that adventure. Well, for some of you at least.  I don’t make a habit of reading race reports or writing them.

Don’t get me wrong, I wish I had more drive to document all of my races like many of you do.  I try to document the biggest ones, like the 2011 Vol State 500K, 2012 Vol State 500K, or my 42 Mini Race Reports from 2012.

Race reports don’t exist for first year events. So I often feel more pressure to write one after completing an event that was just held for the first time.

The Beyond Limits Ultra 100 Mile Race was held on March 16-17, 2013 at the Pathfinder Ranch near Mountain Center, California, which is just south of Palm Springs in the San Jacinto Mountains.  The race also had a 50 mile, marathon, 50k, and 24-hour options.

The beauty of this race, and perhaps curse for some, is that the 100 milers were gifted the use of a cabin for the weekend on the Pathfinder Ranch.  This made it easy to roll out of bed and onto the starting line.  BLU also provided a nice pre-race dinner the night before (did not arrive in time) and fully cooked breakfast in the diner the morning of the race.

The ranch also provided a campfire, cookout, ropes course, and canoeing (on the little man-made pond that we looped every lap) for family members that made the trek as well.

The race consisted of a 1.8 mile loop that was very flat for the most part. There was no tree cover on the course and this played a factor in the afternoon and early hours of the morning as I’ll go into detail shortly.

The race started at 8am after the legendary Ed ‘Jester’ Ettinghausen and Ryan Launder played the Star Spangled Banner on the trumpet.

All the races then started at the same time as we rubbed elbows for the last time as the field quickly spread out over the 1.8 mile loop. As the day passed on, the course became even more sparse as runners from the shorter races reached their finish lines and left us that dared the 100 to keep rounding that loop over and over.

I ran well early on. I did the first 10 miles in 1:37, reached a half marathon in 2:07 with the only disturbances being a quick stop to the cabin for the restroom.  I reached 20 miles in 3:15 and the marathon checkpoint after four hours and twenty minutes. I was running well but the weather was changing as the sun was starting to blaze and heat up really fast.

50k came and went in 5:14 and I continued to push hard but also realized that the sun was starting to bake me a bit, especially at the pace I was pushing. From the 50k mark to 37 I was still putting down solid splits but it was becoming a struggle and battle that made completing a 100 miles seem like a fictitious goal.

Around this time I started to feel like I had pushed too hard. My eyelids were spasming a bit, I was hot, and felt like I had to slow it down, way down, like go to the cabin and lay down for a small bit if my goal was to finish the 100 and not wimper down to a 50 mile or 24-hour finish. So that’s what I did. I went to the cabin where my family was finishing up ‘nap time’ and I took off my shoes, socks and laid across the kinder bed with my feet propped up over the footboard for the better part of an hour. It was good to see my family, recharge, and reenergize for the remaining 63 miles.

Once back out on the course I felt good but started back slow to let my body re-acclimate and not over-heat as the sun was on high and we had no where to hide (outside the cabins). I covered up as well as I could using my Bartlett Park Ultras hat that covered the side of my face and neck.  I began to run well as the sun started to show signs of hibernating behind the mountains to the west.

I knew my original goal of going sub 20 hours was over after laying down for an hour, but I started to run hard again as I kept checking the computer monitors to check my place and kept moving up spots as the moon came up and the cold with it.

At some point I hit 50 miles in 10:27 and then 60 miles in 12:44. At this point it was freaking frigid cold. Like it was 9 degrees when I ran the Yellowstone-Teton 100 and I wasn’t nearly as cold as I was during this point of the race. My body was running well as the temperature dropped but at some point I just started shivering….and shivering. It made it tough for me to run for whatever reason. I believe with no trees, nothing to absorb the cold, being near the desert that it just felt way colder than it actually was on the thermostat. It was actually probably in the high 30’s. It felt about -5 degrees.

For better or worse, the cabin seemed too tempting at this point. I wasn’t moving well and laying down would be worth it. There was a living room at the cabin that had a sofa. So I went in to lay on it for awhile, hoping that a quick cat nap would find me.  This was around mile 67.

So I laid across the 70’s print, floral sofa and rested although sleep never met my eyes. I knew the clock was ticking but I wasn’t eager to get back out in the cold and death march. Finally, after nearly two hours had passed I slid my shoes back on and went to the truck to find a hoodie to throw on top of what I already had on which included two tech shirts, arm sleeves, Northface pullover, and now a hoodie. I had put a pair of running tights over my shorts at some point during the night. Add to that two pairs of gloves and two knit hats.

I marched out the door and death marched, albeit at a respectable speed, with my head buried in my hoodie and my hands inside it. During my two hour hiatus I had fallen down the leaderboard like a meteor towards earth during dinosaur season.  That was ok! My goal was to finish this 100 and add another buckle to my collection.  I was able to quickly walk those early AM miles along with Mark Hellenthal who was aiming for like his 26th 100 miler (which he easily did).  Mark and I pushed each other (without running but with continuous forward motion). Mark’s a faster walker than I am so I had to run occasionally to catch back up with him.

Loop courses, of the 100 mile variety, have pros and cons naturally. One con is well…doing the same loop over and over or 55x in this instance.  The loop, as mentioned before, was flat for the most part and consisted of a dirt road/path. There was a 0.20 mile section that was paved, but you could run in the dirt next to the road if you opted to. I often ran on the asphalt as it was a nice variety from the rest of the loop that felt refreshing to the feet and was a bit faster.

At some point the sun crept over the mountains to the east and it warmed not only my spirit but my legs as I started to run really well once again.  Where was this the last few hours? Oh yeah shivering away like Jack holding on to a piece of wreckage from the Titanic in the frigid Atlantic Ocean. But that was then and this was now and I was running some of my best splits of the past 80 miles.

One reason I had picked it up was that I had done the math and calculated that at my then pace it would take me like 6 more hours for a 28:30ish finish. That was too far away and I was ready to put this race to bed. There is only two ways to do that, quit or run like you are being chased by a pink pony.

My family had also emerged from the cabin during this time and driven to breakfast and back. It was a boost seeing them and knowing that the end was near.

It took me 3 hours and 8 minutes to run the 10 miles from 80 to 90.  The last 10 miles of the race from 90 to 100 took 1 hour and 54 minutes.

I ran the last 5-7 miles trying to break the stupid number known as 26. I realized I’d easily do that with 2 miles left to go but continued to push hard, running with as much intensity as I had left at that point, to finish strong and with as little left in the tank as possible.

I came to the last 1/3 mile of the loop/race that went around the small pond. My family met me and my son ran with me for the last 100 yards as we crossed the finish line together. Mark and his bride-to-be had waited as well for me to finish which was very kind of them.

In summation: Race directors Stephanie Kundlin and Ken Rubeli did an amazing job putting on this first year event. Everything from the shirts, buckle, cabins, meals, and aid stations was first class.  I didn’t perform as well as I’d like, but I put down a lot of good miles.  I wasn’t totally prepared for how hot and sunny it got during the day or how frigid cold it got at night. I’ll be better prepared for both next time.  I’d highly recommend this race to anyone that is considering it in the future. It was a great weekend away from civilization.

BLU 100 Splits

• Half Marathon: 2:07
• Marathon: 4:20
• 50K: 5:14
• 50 Mile: 10:27
• 100K: 13:13
• Miles 1-10: 1:37
• Miles 11-20: 1:38
• Miles 21-30: 1:48
• Miles 31-40: 3:25
• Miles 41-50: 1:59
• Miles 51-60: 2:17
• Miles 61-70: 2:16
• Miles 71-80: 5:50
• Miles 81-90: 3:08
• Miles 91-100: 1:54
• Finishing Time: 25:52:22

Sidenote: I enjoyed all the conversations I had throughout this race with my fellow runners. It was also a pleasure to share the course with some true greats of the sport including Eric Clifton, The Jester, Dave James, Michael Miller, Brian Recore, John Wog, Anthony Culpepper, Stacey Costa, Alexander Scherz, Mark Hellenthal and others.

I also want to be sure to note that photographer Lynn Cao went above and beyond. She was out there as much if not more than most of the runners taking photographs throughout the day and night. She then posted the photos to her Facebook page for download free of charge. Check her out on Facebook HERE.

Here is the belt buckle that was awarded to finishers of the Beyond Limits Ultra 100 Miler that was held on March 16-17, 2013 in Mountain Center, California at the Pathfinder Ranch.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

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

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

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)

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)

Back in Black

The Black Diamond 40 Miler was without a doubt the best race I’ve had in my short running career.  Not only did I set a marathon PR and 50K PR, but I ended up getting 2^nd overall in my first race past the 50K mark.  An added bonus was that I got to do it in a hometown race with some of the best people I know.

I’ve titled this report Back in Black because this was really a comeback race for me…ok and because that’s one of my favorite pump-me-up songs of all time.  My last race was The Jackal Trail Marathon back on June 23^rd.  After battling a nasty case of plantar fasciitis for several months I really started feeling good again in September so I decided to start training with my RIF brother, Nathan Judd, who was training for the Stump Jump 50K and Lookout Mountain 50.  In addition to rebuilding my mileage, I really stepped up my strength training and by the end of October I was craving a race.  The Black Diamond 40 was exactly what I was looking for, a RIF race, local, low key, awesome people and a new milestone for me to reach.

Now the morning of the race, despite a nasty head cold, I felt like a caged lion.  Five months is a loooong time to go without racing by the way.  Well after some good socializing, the race began and almost immediately I had to talk myself into sticking to my game plan.  For those who don’t know me I am notorious for allowing my angst to take over when a race starts which more often than not results in me starting out too fast.  Ask my wife, Leah, she has some great stories.  So in light of this struggle of mine I was prepared to run 10 minutes and walk 2 minutes, run 10 and walk 2 and so on.  I figured I would stick to this strategy as long as I could because I wanted to make sure I paced myself and left something for the final 15 miles.  It was also my goal to finish in 7.5 to 8 hours.  When the race started I found a groove pretty quick.  When I reached the 10 minute mark every cell in my body wanted me to keep running but I stuck to my plan and started walking.  Not long after I started running again I saw Leah for the first of many times throughout the day. Allow me a moment to say that Leah did an incredible job crewing for me all day in addition to checking on, encouraging, and taking pictures of the rest of the field.  Thank you Lord for my amazing wife!

By mile 5, I wasn’t too far behind Brad Box, who was in the lead at that point, so I started to stretch my running time out since he was picking up the pace a bit.  Between miles 7 and 8 I finally caught up to Brad and we chatted for a bit while walking up a long hill.  My shoes at this point weren’t feeling quite right so I let Leah know I wanted to change shoes the next time I saw her.  A few minutes later I watched as Leah went into NASCAR Pit Crew mode whipping the car around the shoulder on my side of the road, jump out of the car, grab a lounge chair out of the trunk and set it up on the shoulder with my shoes next to it.  I sped up until I reached her to make sure I didn’t lose any ground with Brad, I sat down and she untied one shoe while I got the other, yanked my shoe off and put the new one on me.  I think it literally only took about 20 seconds total.

Those first steps in those fresh shoes felt like I was running on air so I instantly got a burst of energy.  It’s amazing how little things like that make such a big difference in a long race.  That quick stop also allowed me to see that Joshua Holmes was only about a minute behind me.  For some reason I felt like I didn’t need to let him catch up to me, which makes sense considering I’ve only run past the marathon distance one time and Josh has run 40 or more miles oh I don’t know a million!  Yeah that makes total sense. HA!  Anyways, it’s at this point that I really start to entertain the idea that I could actually win this race.  Mile 10, the first relay exchange spot, came and went.  From miles 11 to 15 Brad and I ran together quite a bit and I had the chance to get to know him better.  Great guy by the way.  Being a father of 4 ranging from 5 years old to 13, Brad was kind enough to share some good parenting advice with me.  As we were nearing mile 15, although I was very much enjoying Brad’s company, I was in full-on race mode so I was looking for an opportunity to make a move and at mile 15 I did.  According to my Garmin, I ran mile 15 in 8:22.  At this point, I’m running on pure adrenaline.  Okay maybe Roctane and oranges too, but the point is I was feeling good so I let loose.  Once I felt I had built a substantial lead I reinstituted my run 10 min./walk 2 min. strategy.  Of course Leah continued be an unbelievable support and before I knew it I had reached mile 19.34, the second relay exchange, basically the halfway point.  It was one of the highlights of the race for me because my mom, dad, sister, and nephew were waiting for me with a sign to support and encourage me.  With a huge smile on my face, I gave them all a quick hug and said, “I gotta keep moving I’m in the lead.”  Seeing my family and having so many people encourage me was so energizing.  Before heading on I crossed the street to Regean’s Supreme Muffler, which used to be owned and operated by Charlie Reagan, a great guy and super fast runner who was tragically taken from us over a year ago.  After that I headed on towards Humboldt.

By mile 22 I asked Leah to stick with me every 1 to 1.5 miles.  Although I was still in the lead and feeling good I knew I was likely start slowing down due to not knowing how my body was going to react when I passed the marathon distance.  It also really started to dawn on me at this point that I was on the verge of setting a PR for my marathon, which I ended up doing by 20 minutes!  Not long after that I started to get a little queasy which started to slow me down.  Leah informed me that Josh was about a quarter of a mile back but gaining.  Unfortunately my stomach continued to feel more and more unsettled, which meant walking more.  Having to walk more really got me to thinking more about the miles for the first time all day.  By mile 29 Josh finally caught up to me in Humboldt. We talked for a few minutes and when I told him about my stomach issues he was gracious enough to offer me some ginger capsules to help.  I was hesitant to take them because I didn’t know how my stomach would react to them.  Well about 5 to 10 min. later I started feeling worse so I asked Leah to see if she could get the ginger from Josh since at this point he was a minute or two ahead.  His offer still stood so the next time I saw Leah she gave me the capsules and they started working almost immediately.  So I picked the pace back up a little.  By this time we had made it to the third and final relay exchange at around mile 30.

Now I’m gonna be honest people my top three goals the last 10 miles was to avoid cramping up, puking and pooping my pants.  The body begins to react in unpredictable ways when you push it to new limits.  I’m happy to report I ended up achieving all those goals.  The ginger helped the later to and in order to keep my quads from cramping up I ended up taking 23 Hammer Endurolytes over the course of the whole race 12 of which I probably took in the last 10 miles.  When Josh asked Leah how I was doing and she told him about me being on the verge of cramping up he once again went above and beyond the call of good sportsmanship and gave Leah 2 potassium tablets to give me at around mile 35, which helped calm my left quad down allowing me to keep running.  So what does taking all that stuff do to a man you ask?  I was so bloated I felt like a running Santa Claus those last 5 miles.

At mile 38, after getting me one last refill of water and spoiling me all day, I asked Leah to go on ahead to the finish line to wait for me.  I gave it one last push and ran in the rest of the way.  Roughly 20 minutes later I finally saw the church where the race had started almost 6.5 hours earlier.  I picked up the pace and crossed the “finish line” a.k.a. Josh’s truck at 6:31:27, just 9 minutes behind Joshua Holmes, a seasoned ultra veteran!

As I was celebrating with my family and friends it really started to sink in what I had done.  It was very surreal.  Four months earlier I was only able to ride my bicycle and here I had just averaged a 9:39min/mi. pace for 40.5 miles!  What a comeback!

– Jonathan Harrison

More Photos of Jonathan Harrison at the Black Diamond 40 Miler

Inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler Official Results

Black Diamond 40 Miler Finisher’s Medal

[all photos submitted by J. Harrison]

The inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler + Relay took place on Black Friday – November 23, 2012 in Jackson, Tennessee.  The race took runners from Jackson to Milan to Humboldt and back to the finish in Jackson over the course of 40.50 miles.

Jonathan Harrison left the field two miles into the race and set a blistering pace as the rest of the field couldn’t keep up.  One of the more amazing things about Harrison’s run is that it was his first time to go beyond a 50K.  He even set a PR marathon split along the way.

He led the entire race until around mile 29 when Joshua Holmes caught up to him in Humboldt.  The two continued to push each other from Humboldt, down Windy City Road, back to the finish at All Saints Anglican Church.

Holmes finished in 6:22:48 with Harrison coming in a close second in 6:31:27.

Brad Box ran strong throughout the day and finished in third place with a time of 6:42:18.

On the women’s side the win went to Jennifer Whitley in 7:27:57 with Diane Bolton, like Harrison running for the first time beyond a 50K, coming in second place with a time of 7:37:19.

Mikki Trujillo, running her first 40 Miler, came in third place in 8:14:53.

Black Diamond 40 Miler Results

1. Joshua Holmes (Jackson, TN) – 6:22:48 (9:27/pace)
2. Jonathan Harrison (Henderson, TN) – 6:31:27 (9:39)
3. Brad Box (Jackson, TN) – 6:42:18 (9:56)
4. Danny Staggs (Livingston, TN) – 7:01:35 (10:24)
5. Anthony Ohrey (Henderson, TN) – 7:23:29 (10:57)
6. Jennifer Whitley (Murfreesboro, TN) – 7:27:57 (11:03) – 1st Female
7. Diane Bolton (Nashville, TN) – 7:37:19 (11:17)
8. James Krenis (Jackson, TN) – 8:07:53 (12:02)
9. Mike Youngblood (Shelbyville, TN) – 8:14:44 (12:13)
10. Mikki Trujillo (Cookeville, TN) – 8:14:53 (12:13)
11. Winston Trice (Hayes, VA) – 8:23:54 (12:26)
12. David Oglesby (Jackson, TN) – 8:53:03 (13:09)
13. Billy Cannon (Milan, TN) – 9:00:25 (13:20)
14. Heather Shoemaker (Alpharetta, GA) – 9:34:14 (14:10)
15. Scott Stader (Jackson, TN) – 9:34:14 (14:10)

Congrats to Harrison, Box, Staggs, Ohrey, Bolton, Trujillo, Trice, Oglesby, and Cannon who all set Personal Longs!

The Black Diamond Relay was competitive as the Just A Blur team anchored by a blistering final leg by Steven Reagan came from behind to beat the Diamond-Dolls by nearly six minutes.

Third place relay team went to -Y Racing which broke 6 hours as well.

Black Diamond 40 Miler Relay Results

1. Just A Blur (Steven Reagan, Marj Mitchell, Mark Finton, Michael Banks) – 5:36:09 (8:18/pace)
2. Diamond-Dolls (Kristen Doyle, Angie Box, Leanne Dibrell, Nick Butter) – 5:42:04 (8:26)
3. -Y Racing (Julie Montgomery, Lyndi Strange, Erin Gray, Melanie Kayal) – 5:51:14 (8:40)
4. Fit4@5  (David Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Scott Gatlin, Julanne Stone) – 6:11:14 (9:10)
5. Run It For Fun (Jim Warmbrod, Ed Woodside, Amy West, Zach Hagen) – 6:23:12 (9:27)
6. Thanksgiving Leftovers (Daniel Escue, Joey Kennedy) – 7:06:08 (10:31)

RIF #1 Joshua Holmes at Yellowstone-Teton 100

Yellowstone-Teton 100 Mile Race Report

So here is a breakdown of the 2012 Yellowstone-Teton 100 Miler:

Weapons: Hoka One One – Evo Tarmac (45 miles) and Hoka One One – Stinson B Combo Hybrid (55 miles)

Course: Point-to-Point – Starts in West Yellowstone, Montana and finishes in Driggs, Idaho.  The course winds through the town of West Yellowstone before heading down the Hwy 20 towards Idaho Falls. At mile 37 runners take a left off of the semi-busy highway onto Scenic Mesa Falls By-Way with a wide open view of the Grand Teton Mountain range for most of the way.  At mile 67.5 the course turns to gravel. The sun had just gone down as I found this part of the course. The road had some bumps and indentions that made it tough with a headlamp to see accurately.  It wasn’t bad but after being on paved road for the first 67 miles it took some time to adjust to.  The course returns to a nice asphalt road at mile 70.9 when we took a left onto Hwy 32.  The road was smooth and good running until hitting a gravel road again at mile 92.7 when we turned right onto N. 2000.  The gravel road during this part seemed packed better or else I just didn’t care at this point. At mile 97.5 we turned right on Hwy 33 towards Driggs and it was a straight shot to the Dreamchaser’s store in Driggs for the finish.  OVERALL – Fair and fast course even with extremely cold temps. No obstacles to worry about outside of highway traffic during the first 37 miles. There were a handful of decent climbs in the race from miles 8-10, 56-60, and around 80-87.

Elevation: 5,394 ft gain, 5,899 ft loss.  Minimum Elevation 5,316 ft Maximum Elevation 7,092 ft

Organization: The race was extremely well organized. Race director Lisa Smith-Batchen and her husband Jay did a great job of marking the course, making it easy to pick up bib/race packets whether it be in Driggs, Idaho at Dreamchasers or at the hotel in West Yellowstone, Montana at the pre-race meeting the night before the race.  The aid stations were good but not great. It didn’t matter too much as most of the runners had crews.  I wanted hot soup when it became dark and cold again but half of the aid stations didn’t have any or the soup was cold at the one aid station later in the race that had some.  The volunteers at the aid stations were great and made sure I was ok and if I needed anything. RD Lisa was amazing as she drove the course checking on us runners at several points. She was very positive and enthusiastic towards us which was worth a boost of energy.

Weather:  It was brutally cold for this Tennessee/SoCal boy. It was 9 degrees at the start. My handheld froze up 3 miles into the race and all of my hair was white with frost during the early miles.  I had to ditch the handheld and just drink water when I’d see my crew. The weather did gradually warm when the sun finally came up. Temps rose to the mid to high 40’s in the late afternoon which made for very comfortable running.  However when the sun went back down that evening temps dropped once again to the low teens with some cold spots dipping into single digits briefly. It was cold but once layered up it wasn’t that bad. I’m for sure a warm weather runner, but I enjoyed the challenge of running in the opposite extreme.

Food: Tangerines (10), Double Stuf Oreos (22), Vespa (4), Roctane (25), Cups of Soup (4), Cheesy Hamburger Bun (1), Boiled Potato (1), Gummy Bears (147)

Drink: Water and Nuun (Lemon Tea)

Handicaps: My crew…I joke. I injured/tore something in my knee around mile 30. By mile 42 it was very painful. I tried a knee strap, but it didn’t seem to help much. I knew I’d have to DNF or quit with 58 miles remaining unless something changed.  I felt like my knee was hanging on by a thread. I was at peace with the possibility of having to accept my first DNF and quit the race.  In a last ditch attempt I put on a tight knee compression sleeve and rolled it up and down to where there was a lot of pressure on the part of the knee that was hurting. I also changed my shoes at this point to hopefully change my landing spot a bit.  It wasn’t a magic or perfect fix but it did seem to make the pain more manageable.  The knee also seemed to heal or regenerate a bit when I’d walk in between my running. Sometime during this I sprained my right ankle. It was not a bad sprain and probably occurred from overcompensating from my left knee.  It eventually faded away.  Once I made it to mile 50 I started to feel like I would finish the race and eventually I did.  Since the race my knee has definitely felt like something is torn in it. I can walk with no pain but occasionally a certain step or going up a stair causes intense pain in the knee.

Crew: RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales graciously agreed to crew me for the Yellowstone-Teton 100. With aid stations at the race being sparse and far apart I thought it was vital to have a crew to help me perform at my best.  I had only used a crew twice before, both times during The Last Annual Vol State 500K.  Lisa was very nervous early on in the race. I tried to reassure her that she was doing a good job, to relax and enjoy the day. She relaxed as the day went on and quickly picked up on what I’d want or need when I’d come upon her on the course.  It was great to have her company throughout the race and weekend. She for sure helped me perform at a very high level for the #YT100.  I’m very thankful for her help.

Hardware: Beautiful finisher’s belt buckle that has a large ‘Y’ and ‘T’ separated with an engraved bison with the phrase ‘Running With the Buffaloes – 100 Miler’ beneath it on an arrowhead shaped buckle. One of the more beautiful buckle’s I’ve received to date.

I finished first in the 30-39 male age division and received a hand painted tile of snow capped mountains and trees by a local artist. My finishing time was 21:23:55.

Splits: Mary-4:20, 30-5:10, 50K-5:20, 40-7:14, 50-9:25, 60-11:38, 100k-12:06, 70-14:00, 80-16:30, 90-18:53 = 100mi-21:23:55

Summation: A wonderful 100 miler that I would do again.  Not many races of any distance will be more scenic.  Dreamchaser does a great job putting the race on and making sure all runners are as comfortable as possible for 100 miles.  It helps to be crewed here but with added water stops this year it’s very doable without a crew. Congrats to Lisa on putting on a truly great race.

– Joshua Holmes @bayou (October 6-7, 2012)

Yellowstone-Teton 100 Mile Website

[photos by: Lisa Gonzales, Lisa Smith-Batchen, and Joshua Holmes]

Marathoner/ultramarathoner Hideki ‘Kino’ Kinoshita has completed 112 marathons and ultramarathons to date.  He has completed them in 47 states and 4 continents.  23 of his 112 have been ultramarathons.

So Kino is well accomplished in having run races all over the globe. He has done all of his marathons since September 21, 2008. An amazing feat in such a short time.

His times for these races all show that he has an inner drive to not just finish them but to perform at a very high level, no matter the race or distance.

There are still races that Kino hasn’t run yet that he hopes to one day.

Here is a look at his ultramarathon wish list:

Vol State: A Tale of Regeneration and Falling Forward 1,657,920 Feet

The Intro

Every dreaded race report has more I’s than an optometrist’s office the day after a solar eclipse.   So I want to start this race report with ‘we‘.  We did it!  That we encompasses many people including family and friends that made sacrifices of varying levels to help me perform at a very high level over several days.

I must start with my wonderful wife and children who let me sacrifice my body and time for a second straight summer running/hobbling/crawling/walking along my beautiful home state of Tennessee.  They were in California for the week for my wife’s high school reunion and to visit family.  While far away, their sacrifice was close to my heart and my thoughts of them fueled me throughout as to make sure the time away from my family was not wasted or without direction.

My crew was amazing! I truly admire all the runners who do the race without a crew, but I’m very thankful to mine and what big of an asset they were to me during those days.  I can’t thank Mikki Trujillo enough for anchoring my crew and being with me throughout the entire journey. She was extremely mature, professional, and on top of everything I needed at all the right times.

She was joined throughout the race by several close friends who helped crew me through some of the toughest stretches and longest nights.  Jonathan Harrison helped for the second year in a row. He helped the first night as I marched towards my ambitious goal of reaching Lexington within the first 30 hours. We were able to do this in less than 23 hours thanks to the work Jonathan and Mikki did in taking care of me throughout that first night.

The next two nights Mikki was joined by my good friend and former Vol State 500K finisher Naresh Kumar.  Naresh wasn’t afraid to jump right in and help my feet feel better.  He was a great encourager and is one of my best running friends. The help he was able to provide during the next two nights was crucial as I survived some of the longer and tougher sections of the race.

Naresh was joined by college friends Kirk Catron and Scott Flowers on Saturday night as Mikki retreated to the hotel for rest. This was vital as a fresh crew is just as important as a fresh runner. Their company lifted my spirits and drove me through some very tough and painful miles.  I looked forward to each time I’d approach the crew vehicle to exchange stories with them and reminisce on yesteryears.  During this time I was very thankful for high school friend Jennifer Morrison driving to meet us shy of Columbia to help with laundry and truly keep us ‘fresh.’ I truly appreciate the sacrifices all of you made, and I will never forget them.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hate writing race reports.  I don’t believe I’ve written one since last year’s Vol State 500K race report.  It’s kind of like covering the Super Bowl then being asked to report on your local high school football team’s Jamboree victory.  That’s how I feel about writing race reports since the one I wrote after my first Vol State finish last year.  Don’t get me wrong, many people enjoy and love race reports. I just can’t really muster the energy to discuss a 26.2 mile race. “I ran really hard and then there was a turn and a water stop and I started to have a negative split until I hit that last water stop.”  It all seems mundane after 314 miles through Tennessee in crazy conditions with some of the most interesting mutants on the planet.

This race report won’t be as detailed as last year’s race report.  I had less time to take photos and take in everything.  I don’t want to bore everyone by repeating too much from last year anyway. If you want to read last year’s massive Vol State 500K race report then you can by clicking HERE (300+ photos, 11,000+ words).

The Last Annual Vol State 500K is a race that gets in your blood like a bad virus once you get on the ferry in Dorena Landing, Missouri, and it never leaves your system.  I dreamed of it for weeks after the race was over last year. I’d even be moving my legs in my sleep as if the race never ended. In some ways it never did.  Not many days passed since finishing last year that I didn’t think about the race.

So you might have thought it would be an automatic that I’d enter the race once again this year.  Not true! It’s a brutal race that taxes you in ways that you would never wish on your worst enemy.  I decided one week before the race this year to do it again.  I had it in the back of my brain for months before, but I was unwilling to commit to it.  I knew that if I did I’d be more aggressive than last year and take more chances.  Last year I finished in 8 days and 7 minutes. My goal for 2012 was to finish in the 6-day range and at best take two days off my time from last year.

I felt like if I could get it under 6 days that I’d have a chance at winning, but it was never my focus. I knew I could only control my performance and effort.  The race is too long to worry about your competition and what they are doing.  In the last 24-36 hours of the race you can start to think about placement if you’ve worked hard to put yourself in a good position at that point.

Not everyone will be able to finish this race.  You know it when you get on the ferry to start the race. The first year Laz said, “Look to the person on your left and right. Only one, maybe two of you will finish this race.”  I felt sorry for the person to my left and right.  I never have thought about not finishing Vol State. It requires too much effort. But then, I never think about the finish either.

I just focus on the next step. I break everything down into extremely small races within the race.

Vol State is a race where you are a hero if you are able to finish it. You are respected for just starting it.  If you are close to the leader in the last 72 miles then you might start to think about winning it or holding another runner off for placement. If you think too much about it early on then you will be the one knocked out of the race.

Day 1: Dorena Landing/Hickman, KY to Lexington, TN – Miles 1-92

Two nights before the race I booked my first planned stop/hotel room in Lexington at mile 92 of the race. I wasn’t going to stop or go down for sleep until reaching mile 92.  I had written out a loose yet aggressive plan that had me arriving in Lexington at 10:30am on Friday morning…27 hours after the start.

Due to good weather (mid 80’s) I was able to run well the first day and throughout the night at a nice pace.

Jonathan Harrison showed up around sunset to help Mikki crew me throughout the night and keep me strong. They worked exceptionally well as a team.

The last 10 miles from Parker’s Crossroads to Lexington was a bit slow and painful, but I pulled into Lexington at mile 92 at 6:16am. I had the lead at the 7:30am checkin on Friday as I started to rest and recover at the hotel. I didn’t care about the lead, but I was pleased to have reached Lexington so quickly. I knew it would enable me to sleep/be off my feet for a bit longer and put me back on the road ahead of schedule.

So I had the first 92 miles done in 22 hours and 59 minutes – roughly.

The stop at the hotel in Lexington was my first hotel of 2012 Vol State.  The hotel in Lexington last year was my third hotel of the race…to put it in perspective.

Eventual winner Daniel Fox said he thought I went too far to start. Maybe, maybe not! I did what felt good at the time. I actually regret not going further before going down for sleep. I only slept about 3 hours roughly when I did crash in Lexington. I was off my feet for about 6-7 hours if I remember correctly. It wasn’t easy to sleep….a trend that would continue til the end.

Day 2: Lexington, TN to Hohenwald, TN – Miles 92-140

The hotel I stayed at in Lexington was about 2 miles from where I stopped to come in for rest. So once we had the car packed up I thought I’d be moving on foot again in about 5 minutes. Well perhaps the odds were against my restart because it was standstill traffic for those 2 miles. It took about 45 min to get back to where I had stopped. Valuable time wasted sitting in a car. Finally, I was back on the road and started a slow walk from Lexington towards the river.

I wasn’t sure how far I’d make it after putting down 92 miles just a few hours ago. It was hot starting back. I can’t remember if I had on my ice hat or not. I just started plodding away. Soon I realized my crew was lost or perhaps had decided to quit and return to society as a normal human being. My bottle went dry, the miles became longer, until finally I got ahold of Mikki on the cellular phone. She had stopped at the Walgreens but upon getting back on 412 she went West instead of East.  She is originally from Colorado, perhaps she was trying to flee towards home. Eventually she found me, refilled my bottles, had a Subway sandwich for me to fuel up on, and I was quickly on my way again after a fast change of socks.

Shortly after I came up behind Jay Dobrowalski. We talked for a bit. Jay was strong and was pushing on. Soon after walking and talking with Jay I came upon Daniel Fox coming out of a little store where he had been refueling.  He wasn’t very talkative, but I persisted to talk for a bit knowing we’d likely not see each other again until afte the race was over.  You would have thought the sky was falling according to Dan. He talked about how horrible his day had been going, and that he didn’t know what he had left moving forward. He would go on to become King Dan. At this point though he was King Sandbagger but I knew that. I had done my research before the race. I knew he was a very strong runner and had done extremely well two years ago uncrewed. I knew he was being a sly Fox towards me and perhaps for good reason. He likely didn’t know a thing about me except that I had just put down 92 miles and had the lead after Day 1. I was feeling good though and was running at this time so I wished him luck and kept on.

My crew was waiting for me at mile 100. Jay and Dan were 500 yards or so behind me. I waited on them so we could get a ceremonial mile 100 photo together. I knew after this point the runners would really start to spread out, and I’d likely not see two other competitors at the same time again.  This turned out to be true.

I felt good after mile 100, and I ran well into Parsons. I saw fellow Run It Fast Club member Nathan Judd as he shouted at me from his car.  It’s always good to be shouted at or yelled at during this race even from people you don’t know.  It gives you a jolt, wakes you up, and makes you feel like someone is paying attention to what you are doing or, someone is about to shoot you.

I continued to move on towards the Tennessee River. My good friend and Vol State alumnus Naresh Kumar joined Mikki to help crew as I was nearing the river. When I finally made it to the river we all stopped for a photo before I crossed.  It’s always a significant milestone crossing that river the first time. It signals to me that the first part of the race is over….113 miles in the bag. Roughly 20 or 21 miles since I restarted back in Lexington.

The goal after the river becomes Linden which is at mile 125.  The miles from the river to Linden are very dark and lonely. It was after a bit before midnight, and it was just me and the road and an occasional bat that would fly towards my headlamp.

I don’t remember much about the march towards Linden. I do believe I was moving well and running a good bit. When I stopped around mile 126 on the east side of Linden I remember another car pulling up and stopping. The man got out to ask what we were doing. Naresh or Mikki explained to him about the race. His wife was waiting patiently in the car for him. He went on to give us religious pamphlets about the end of the world or perhaps the upcoming revival at his church. It must be pointed out that it was about 3 or 4am when this took place. Weird, odd…Vol State!

Upon leaving Linden it somehow gets even darker as you cross the low lying bridge that is like walking the long green mile before the big hills slap your hammys awake.  But unlike last year, it was dark, cooler, and I marched onward, upward, and downward into the abyss.

As I came to the fork in the road around mile 128 that turns into Old Coon Creek Road (412) I met Naresh and Mikki at the gas station there. They were waiting on me, and I was glad. My feet were hurting and a blister was rubbing me from having put down 128 miles in the past 43 hours or so. Naresh went to work on my feet and did a great job. I might have changed shoes. My feet were in a good bit of pain. However, I got right back on the road as quickly as possible. I knew I was going to Hohenwald and the quicker I got there, the quicker I could get off my feet and rest. However, I didn’t know how hard those miles would become or how deep I’d dig to cover them.

I also wasn’t expecting an injury to happen…at least how it did. I debate now whether to even mention it here in print.  But Vol State is about the highs and the lows. It’s a race where you can be flying high to have it all of a sudden end in the dumps….literally.  I guess it was around mile 133 when I asked Naresh for the wet wipes, a ziplock bag and about a 5 minute head start before they packed up and passed me.  That’s a code even the French could break. So I walked on up the road, turned my lamp off, and went for a squat there in the middle of the road. All went well until I stood up….I’m not sure what I did but I did something to the back of my knee. It was extremely uncomfortable and immediately turned my thoughts to whether I could finish the race with over 170 miles remaning.  The moral of the story is that even a supported runner shouldn’t take unsupported squats. The lesson was painful, but it was not forgotten the rest of the way.

So the back of the knee issue along with the bruised and blistered feet made the miles longer and kept Hohenwald a good distance away. I wanted to get to mile 144 in Hohenwald where the hotel was located. The miles were becoming very slow and painful. I was averaging 23 minute miles from mile 135-140.  The last two miles I was walking 40 feet then sitting in the middle of the road for 10 seconds before getting back up to walk 40 more feet….sit down, repeat.

I learned from last year that it’s often better to head to the ‘house’ and get rest than put down horrible, slow, painful miles. Go rest, recharge, and come back and do the miles faster and with less pain.  I didn’t make it to mile 144 like I wanted to. I told Naresh it was time to call it for then and go get some rest. So I went to the hotel in Hohenwald with 140 miles done. It was about 6:30am. I had the lead in the race, and I knew when I returned to the road I wouldn’t have it. I was exhausted, spent, and didn’t really see how I could get back up off the mattress and finish this race. I knew I would….I just knew it would be at a horrible pace and be very painful.

Day 3: Hohenwald, TN to Columbia, TN – Miles 140-175

I tried to sleep in Hohenwald. I was extremely exhausted and spent yet the sleep wouldn’t come. I was shivering from the muscle rub (Ben Gay) as the AC hit it and the shooting pains in my legs were a constant buzz that made it clear that sleep wouldn’t likely happen.

But it was time off my feet and often that is all mutants need.  Vol State started this year with 24 of us from all across the globe. All the starters drain everything from their bodies until they curl up on the road in a ball of exhaustion, then they get up off the asphalt after regenerating and continue their kamikaze march towards Castle Rock.  The strongest of the mutants make it to The Rock. Those that don’t make it to The Rock aren’t failed by their bodies, but their minds.

So I started back upon leaving the hotel only to be lambasted by a big rain storm. Mikki found me so I could sit in the car and hopefully wait for it to pass. It continued for 30 minutes until I decided I’d rather be back at the hotel to use the restroom and lay across the bed to wait it out.  I ran into Laz and Carl back at the hotel. They were checking in and they looked exhausted. It’s not easy to be in charge of an event of this magnitude. Laz and Carl do an amazing job of checking in on the runners over the course of 314 miles.  It was good to spend some time talking with them. They informed me that I was now in 5th place.

Finally, the rain eased up and I started back once again. Naresh and Mikki did a good job of making sure I was ready to hit the road for Columbia. The delay had cost me some valuable ‘awake’ time and energy, but it was smart to avoid the beat-down and misery of moving in that monsoon.

I put down maybe 5 miles, enough to get clear of the Hohenwald city limits, when the skies opened up once again. I was out in the open, exposed, no where to hide, but thankfully it was campaign season. I steped over into the ditch under the tree, grabbed a congressional campaign sign and held it over my head.  I thought for sure my crew would find me and give me an umbrella or something, but not this time.  So I just stood there in the ditch with my sign.

My crew finally returned with an umbrella. One that likely came with a Barbie Doll. It was better than nothing so I marched forward with my mini-brella.  I had a couple of good college friends, Kirk Catron and Scott Flowers, coming to help crew and relieve Mikki who was exhausted. She had been working her butt off and had needed sleep.

It was a beautiful sunset as the rain lifted. I was looking forward to seeing Kirk and Scott and appreciated them coming down to help (even though Kirk wouldn’t touch my feet). 😉  I’d meet them every 3-4 miles when I’d change socks and doctor my feet. It was a good mental break to talk to them about things not related to running. Naresh eventually caught up and joined them.  The miles from Hohenwald towards Columbia wer not easy. I just kept pushing forward and tried to minimize the time with my crew to keep a good pace.

My feet were aching and I was tired around mile 163 so I told Naresh I was going to sit in his car for a bit. I had hoped to fall asleep but I didn’t.  I’ve never slept in a car during Vol State. Uncrewed runners think there is some advantage for crewed runners sleeping in their crew car but I’ve yet to.  After about 20 minutes I returned to the road and towards Columbia.

The miles into Columbia were slow and painful. After the race, Kirk told me that he thought I was done and didn’t see how I’d be able to finish the race. I just needed a hotel and finally after almost 14 hours after leaving Hohenwald I reached Columbia at mile 175. It was roughly about 7am and at the day 3 call-in I had 175 miles and was in 4th place behind Dan (179), Paul (179), and Juli (177).

The ritual at the hotel is not a quick one. It’s an ice bath, followed by a shower, then a foot soak in Epsom Salt, followed by blister/foot care. It takes time and delays sleep or the possibility of it, but it seems to work for me (or either I’m just superstitious).

Day 4: Columbia, TN to Shelbyville, TN – Miles 175-221

I always joke that I have about 20 cheeseburgers a year and that 15 of those are during Vol State.  So after a couple hours of sleep and being off my feet a bit longer I started back on the road in west Columbia with a Cheeseburger and vanilla shake from Hardees (way better than McDonalds).  While running across all these small towns in Tennessee you usually have two choices for food: Hardees or Subway.  I had a couple of subs early on in the race but then went to cheeseburgers for the majority of it.

It was very hot starting back so I started walking to get loose and conserve resources in the heat.  It takes about 5 miles to get through Columbia. At about mile 180 Carl and Laz pulled in front of me, stopped, and got out to speak to me for a bit. I believe someone else might have been with them but it slips my mind now.  

I continued to walk until the turn at mile 184. At this point you are finally off 412 and on a country road that rolls up and down the countryside in between green yards with houses that were built some time ago. The fear on this road is running up on an old lady checking her mail or a wild dog running up on your leg.

The sun continued to beat down, and I returned to the walk from mile 184 – 189. This is some of the most beautiful part of the course during these miles. I just tried to play it smart and conserve until I saw the sun start to retreat just a bit. I was then able to run and walk in towards Lewisburg after crossing under I-65 (another semi-landmark – mental high-five).

I was feeling good coming into Lewisburg. I was going to go down for a nap at the hotel there regardless but upon nearly the square around mile 200 my crew told me that Juli was just a few hundred yards ahead. It energized me, not necessarily in a competitive way but in a way that there was race companionship ahead. So after 27 miles in 9 hours I headed to the hotel and went through the ritual and slept maybe 1-2 hours.

I started back at the square in Lewisburg and quickly made it through the town as I downed a couple of Hardees cheeseburgers.

The stretch from Lewisburg to Shelbyville is dark, lonely, and full of horse farms.  I ran well during this stretch and covered the distance through the night and early hours of the morning rather easily.  I could have kept on past Shelbyville to Wartrace but decided to hit the hotel in Shelbyville.  I had realized I was really strong for 26-28 mile stretches and with a couple hours of sleep I was able to do that distance again without pain while feeling good. It was right around the day 4 check in when I called in my distance at 221 miles which was good for third place behind Dan and Paul. Juli was fresh though and would pass me while I tried to sleep.

Day 5: Shelbyville, TN to Monteagle, TN – Miles 221-271

So when I hit the road again around noon (if memory serves) I was in 4th place behind Dan, Paul, and Juli. The sun was blazing as I left Shelbyville.  There are several rolling hills over the half marathon from Shelbyville to Wartrace.  I walked those hills and tried to hide under my ice-hat from the sun.  Fred Davis stopped his mini-van and got out to offer me some encouragement along the way. I was surprised to see him and learned he had dropped from the race. However, Fred didn’t offer me any directions or a map of any stores! 😉

I was slow entering and leaving Wartrace. I was trying to be patient with the sun, but I was ready to run.  Around mile 135 as I was changing socks a ladybug landed on my Zensah. I took it as a good luck sign to turn it on and motor towards Manchester so I did that.

Chris Estes, one of my great running friends, met my crew around mile 140 with a restock of Gu Roctane and hung around for a few miles to talk when I’d meet my crew.  Around this time I saw Juli about 1/2 a mile in front of me. It really helps out in this race when you have a target you can run towards. Someone or something that gives you that extra gear. Juli provided that and one of my more enjoyable parts of the entire race was catching up with her and talking with her for a couple of miles as we moved forward. Juli is a legend of the sport and won Vol State year before last. She was doing it this year uncrewed and she was in straight beat mode dominating the race.

I passed Juli as the sky started to darken from not just the sun going down but from a big rain cloud that had developed overhead. I was running well though so I ran it fast from around mile 142 to mile 150. It was raining hard at this point and my crew had already secured a room and ice. I could have kept going but decided to stick to my plan and dodge the rain. I had been really good for that 29 mile stretch. I planned to sleep for a couple of hours then advance towards Monteagle before attacking it.

Around midnight I took back to the road and made great time towards Monteagle. It was dark and I owned the road.  I knew Dan was far ahead and couldn’t be caught so I set my focus to finishing the race in second place.

I believe Manchester (mile 250) is where you can finally start to think about the finish line and strategize towards it. My goal was to finish in second.  When I started back at midnight I didn’t know where Juli or Paul were in the race. I knew we were all close to each other.

It didn’t matter though. I was going to push as hard and as fast as I could from Manchester to the finish. But first one has to get to Monteagle. My goal was to get there before the 7:30am Day 5 call-in. So I ran throughout the night with some walking mixed in naturally and at 7:30am I was at mile 271 which was a couple hundred yards up Monteagle (see pic below – mile 271).

At the Day 5 checkin the standings were Dan (303), Joshua (271), Juli (259), and Paul (250).

The Last 17 Hours: Monteagle, TN to Castle Rock, GA (The Rock) -Miles 271-314

Monteagle is a beast of a mountain to climb up in a car much less 271 miles until a 500K, but I always seem to do pretty well getting up it. I just put my head down and dig. The last two years I’ve had an umbrella with me to occupy myself and hands.  I was about half way up Monteagle when Mikki drove by blasting ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and telling me that I was in second place. It really energized me and gave me an extra boost….almost too much.

I say too much because instead of stopping in Monteagle I kept marching on past it and decided (with my crew) that I’d try to go all the way to the finish some 39 more miles away.  This came to a screeching halt when the sun came up and I had a McDonald’s burger and shake…..not Hardees. I immediately felt like crap and although my pace didn’t really slow, my spirit to continue at that point did as my stomach headed south of the Mason-Dixon line.  I needed a nap and to get off my feet before attacking. I wanted to be fresh to finish so I went to the hotel and went through the ritual. I think I might have even slept for about 90 minutes.

I had no clue where Juli and Paul were when I started back. I tried to text and make some calls to find out, but no one seemed to know. I figured Juli was close.

When I did start back it was about 98 degrees. One thermometer read 105. So I wore my ice-hat and walked these miles. The finish that once seemed nearby now seemed a 50K away…at a very slow pace.  I decided to walk in the intense sun and be patient. I’d be coming off the mountain, which is steep and intense, at about mile 295.  At that point the sun would be setting, the ground would be level, and I could run like I wanted to.  It all worked perfectly and I flew through Kimball and Jasper City to mile 300 and beyond.

Everything was going great. I was even ahead of my projected finishing time I had set two dozen miles ago when the nastiest storm I’ve ever witnessed came reigning down around mile 307. I had been flying and had 7 miles remaining in the race. I was so close and ready to finish when the rain got so bad I couldn’t see and debris from the trees (nuts, acorns, leaves, small branches) started hitting me in the head.  So I did the smart thing and got in the crew car.  The storm was nasty with the most intense lightning and rain I’ve witnessed. I kept thinking it had to be over soon but it was relentless.  The clock kept ticking as my body kept stiffening up.  My wife texted me to tell me that she had read on Facebook that Paul was about 10 miles behind and pressing on through the rain. Knowing that Paul was moving while I was sitting made it extremely tough to sit. I really wanted second place.

However, I continued to sit and play it smart. Even at this point I realized it was just a race and that I cared more about my wife and children than finishing in 2nd place.

After a long hour of sitting in the car the storm dissipated a bit.  It was still a good rain coming down but the lightning was more distant now. I decided I was going to go for it. I wasn’t happy for wasting 65 minutes in the car. I could have been finished by now. My body also wasn’t pleased as it was extremely stiff. I felt like the Tin Man in the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ I needed some oil.

I walked and started to jog from that point until I got to the turn at mile 308 that starts up Sand Mountain.  It’s a real mountain and very steep at some points. I had wanted to finish in 5 days 16 hours and change. I knew this wasn’t going to happen after losing 65 minutes, but I said screw it…

I started to run up Sand Mountain and run as hard and as focused as I ever have. I sprinted up the mountain as fast as I could. Faster than I could have even if I hadn’t already had put 308 miles on my legs in the prior five days. My crew met me about every 1/2 a mile with a bottle of water and I’d drink it and pour the rest on my head as the rain continued to come down.  I watched my pace get closer to what I needed to break into 5 days 16 hours. With each step I turned it up even more.

I could tell as it was unfolding that I was doing something epic. Something a bit Hollywood in the most un-Hollywood setting one could imagine.

I could feel Naresh and Mikki were well aware of how focused and driven I was running up that mountain. They were afraid to speak yet willing to do whatever it took to help push a body that was already beyond limits it could have ever imagined in the past.

The ground finally leveled out and I pounded 2 miles of rolling hills as I desperately attempted to reach the cornfields and eventually The Rock.  I made the left hand turn into the cornfields to find the ruts were slippery, muddy, and filled with water from the rain. I turned it up even more and ran through the puddles as I knew I was getting even closer to the finish. I checked my pace and it was exactly what I calculated I needed to reach my egotistical time goal.

Then I realized that the course was a big longer than expected. That my measurements since leaving Monteagle were probably off a bit with some zig-zagging and crew stops. There was no disappointment though. I just continued to run as hard as I could for the remaining distance left in the race.

When you come around that last bend of trees and hear the roar of Laz, Carl, your crew (Mikki and Naresh), and others you feel something so rare that you realize you will only ever feel it at Vol State upon finishing one of the most epic races in the world.

Laz said that my 55 minute 10K to finish up Sand Mountain might have been the fastest to date. I finished strong up it last year as well. There is something about being able to taste the finish that really enables me to dig deep and find an extra gear that wasn’t there before.

[2012 Vol State Podium: (l-r) 2-Joshua Holmes, 1-Daniel Fox, 3-Paul Lefelhocz]

My finishing time was 5 days 17 hours 4 minutes and 49 seconds.

I finished in 2nd place out of the 24 starters. 15 finished the race.

My crazy goal before the race started was to finish in 6 days. I beat that goal by 7 hours thanks to good fortune, an amazing crew, never wasting a single second, and being relentless. The time was 55 hours faster than my finishing time last year of 8 days and 4 minutes.

The Last Annual Vol State 500K is a race that can be an intense competition, but it’s a race of you against yourself. The ultimate detox from a fast moving world and life.

The best part is that everyone that does Vol State becomes part of a super closely knit family…the ultimate fraternity – for everyone knows what you have battled and overcome to finish it, no matter if you are the ‘King of the Road’ or Don Quixote (Marv Skagerberg) and his trusty sidekick/crew Sancho Panza (Stu Gleman) who finish the race against nearly insurmountable odds.

Big thank you to Laz and Carl for putting on an amazing race!

“Oh, the race started?”

Tidbits from my 2012 Vol State 500K:

• “In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism (usually otherwise human) who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities. Human mutants are considered to be of the subspecies Homo sapiens superior, an evolutionary progeny of Homo sapiens, and are considered the next stage in human evolution, though whether this is true or not is a subject of much debate.Unlike Marvel’s mutates which are characters who develop their powers only after exposure to outside stimuli or energies (such as Hulk, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and Absorbing Man), mutants are born with the genetic potential to possess their powers, although the powers typically manifest at puberty.” – Wikipedia (Mutant – Marvel Comics)Vol State is the greatest collection of mutants known to the world.
• My diet during the race consisted purely of Gu Roctane, tangerines, Vespa, Nuun, Hardees cheesburgers, milkshakes, a couple of smoothies, chocolate milk, Endurox, two Subway sandwiches/cookies, Gatorade, and fruit rope.
• The injury to the back of my knee near Hohenwald remained throughout the end of the race. I just ran through it and ignored it the best as I could. I’d put muscle rub on it when I’d go to hotel.
• I started the race in last place. When the race started and everyone left the ferry I was still in the portapotty.  It gave me a chance to talk with every runner as I passed them and spend time with them.
• My last 4 miles of the race were my fastest of the race – 9:27, 8:29, 8:16, 7:30
• I slept a total of 13 hours in 6 days.
• A dog followed me for about 9 miles in Wartrace. He would hide behind me when the bigger dogs would come after me.
• I was the only runner during the race to record more miles during the night than the day which resulted in the nickname ‘Creature of the Night’ (a KISS song reference) from RIF #5 Lisa Gonzales.
• Charlie Taylor claimed the night before the race at The Last Supper that he could take a dump while walking. Luckily I never witnessed this act.
• The most severe injury happened to my crew when Mikki thought she was stuck in a ditch. She got out to check and fell in a hole, spraining her ankle in the process.
• Jonathan Harrison is the only person to help crew me both years.
• The notes and well wishes that dozens of friends and Run It Fast members sent to Mikki to put up where I could see during the race/during crew stops meant so much and were so encouraging.
• All five people that helped crew me during this year’s race are in Run It Fast – The Club.
• I used my pepper spray probably three times on dogs.
• The race fee to run Vol State is $0.00
• No bling, medal, buckle, or souvenir mug is awarded for finishing the race.
• ‘Falling Forward’ is a phrase that was coined by the great Dallas Smith. Read his books if you ever get a chance.
• As Laz says, ‘You finish Vol State just far enough into Georgia so that you can piss on Alabama.’ (see photo below in gallery for demonstration)
• Anyone who finishes Vol State is worthy of the utmost respect. This year I’m extremely happy for two Vol State finishers: Shannon Burke and Marv Skagerberg along with all the first time finishers including Run It Fast members Sulaiman Seriki and Shannon.
• This one was for the late, great Angela Ivory.

If you were bored by this race report then you will really be bored by last year’s Vol State 500K race report.  You can read it by clicking HERE.

– joshua holmes (@bayou)

2012 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results