Table Rock to Montreat - 39 Miles

Table Rock to Montreat is a run from the summit of Table Rock that follows the Mountain to Sea Trail to the Black Mountain Campgrounds and then is run down to the city of Montreat. Planned and organized by Adam Hill, a friend, and an unltramarathoner. Many thanks to the volunteers that helped with the aid station and with the entire logistics of putting on a long distance point to point run.

After meandering our way thru the gravel roads that lead to Table Rock, we all unloaded our gear and started packing essentials for the night and everything we needed for the next morning.

Nine runners and a few volunteers all hiked up to the summit of Table Rock (3,680 feet). It was a perfect night, the stars were bright. After seeing a shooting star, and Brown Mountain light up a few times I shut my eyes and passed out around midnight. We woke up at 5:30am, gathered everything, and at 6am started running back down the mountain. Our cars were along the way which is where I dropped off my sleeping bag and pad. We continued along the Mountains to Sea trail (MST). It would be 11 miles before we would reach our first aid station.

The views along the ridge off of Table Rock in the morning made me feel like I was out West. As the sun started to rise, and faint red glow was painted along the horizon. We headlamped it for the first hour. I wasn’t expecting it to be so hot before the sun came up, I remember being drenched in sweat as we passed Chimney Gap and the sun wasn’t even up yet! Approaching Shortoff Mountain (2,880 feet) I couldn't help but notice how much of the forest had burned. The trail blazes and the trail itself was also burned, making the route difficult to find at times. My legs, and arms were black with char all over my body. We descended steeply down Shortoff and climbed towards Pinnacle were the green forest came back to life. We climbed 1,200 feet in less than a mile to reach the top of Pinnacle (2,400 feet). Atlast the first aid station! I needed some calories and certainly needed to fill up my bottles.

After refueling, me and Marc descended down the Overmountain Victory trail for a short while, then turned left on a gravel road. It was here I kept telling myself that this would be a long day, and not to push myself too hard. I alternated the running with some brisk hiking, it was becoming very hot. I then passed Dobson Knob (3,440 feet) and then Bald Knob (3,495 feet), kept going up and down. I was rationing my water as I knew I still had to pound out a few miles. I had been running alone for the past 2 hours at this point. When I reached a set of train tracks I made the mistake of turning as I remember seeing a sign to the left. This was a mistake. I ran and hiked down the train tracks for half a mile in the exposed sun. I realized there must be something wrong and decided to take a water break and sit down in the shade and pull out my map. I could hear and see the river, and I made it out in the map. I decided at this point to start bushwhacking back to the trail. I had already lost too much precious time, and I needed to get to the next aid as I didn’t have much water left. I picked up to sticks and used them to cut thru some of the vegetation while trying to cross. I crossed the river, again getting my feet wet. Then crossed a nasty swamp and climbed up some steep section which is where I heard voices. I started to yell out and sure enough it was Rob. I started whacking more vegetation trying to get closer to his voice. I made it back to the trail, but now out of water and exhausted. I took a sip of water from Rob and kept moving, we still had another mile and half to the next aid. After crossing a 5 lane highway (221) I finally reached the second aid station. I drank a cold coke which never tasted so good. Ate a cheese sandwich and took my socks and shoes off. I had another pair of socks I would put on. At this point I was ready to drop out of the run. After taking a 15 minute break, Rob talked me into getting back on the trail. We had run 26 miles at this point, well if you factor all the bushwhacking, maybe 27, and the next section would be another 13 miles, much of it uphill. I was up for the challenge, re-laced my shoes and pushed on.

We walked passed Grassy Knob (1,800 feet) pulled the map out a few times to find out way up to Woods Mountain (3,646 feet). We turned left and ridge hiked after passing Woods and alternated with the running and fast hiking. It was here we met Marc again on the trail and kept moving as a group of three now. Then just a mile before John a volunteer met us out on the trail with Gatorade. Wow, I was relieved. I had been practicing Sip Control Management for the past 3 hours. This was a strict policy of one sip every 12 minutes. If I took in more than that, I would go dry and suffer miserably with the heat. So when I saw the cold blue Gatorade that John brought out and he was giving it out to us, I guzzled down when I had and refilled my bottle of water. He told us we had 30 min, which also psyched me out, so we kept pushing. I ran to the end until I got to the BRP and Hwy 80. I was beat up, dehydrated, but very happy I had gone this far. The temperatures must have been in the 90’s and going for 40 miles and climbing no less than 8,000 feet was a difficult task for me to do. All runners dropped out at this point.

Mount Olympus, West Peak 7,965 feet and Mt. Baker 10,790 feet.

This mountain has a very long approach. 44 miles round trip. While this would be manageable running with two water bottles in hand, it’s an entirely different experience with a 60lb Arct’yrex Bora 95 pack! Day 1: The first day was flat and cloudy with some rain mixed into the hike. From that point on until I got back to the parking lot 4 days later my cloths never dried. We spent the first night at Lewis Meadows, set up camp, cooked dinner, and prepared for the next days hike which is where the elevation started taking place. I dropped some food and dry cloths at Lewis Meadows and lightened my load by a few pounds. Day 2: The next day we hiked up to Glacier Meadows following the Hoh river which is where most people end their journey. It was there I met the white mountain goat. I also found weird bones left on the trail, not sure what kind of animal it was (photo). I knew we didn’t have much time as we were planning on getting up at 3am for an alpine start at an attempt to summit the West Peak of Mt. Olympus. I can see why not too many people attempt this climb, the approach is extremely long and tiring if you are carrying all the necessary gear for a safe climb. Along the way we met an Italian team and a San Francisco based team. The Italians didn’t seem to have all the necessary gear for the climb, but appeared to know what they were getting themselves into. They had rope, but no harnesses, which can be scary while traversing over ice bridges and crevasses. They explained that they were used to glacier and snow travel as they lived above 6,000 feet in Northern Italy. Giovanni and Paula were their names.
Day 3: We got up at 3am, and ate breakfast and began gather our gear (crampons, anchors, harnesses, rope, etc.) We hiked up the moraine and down the moraine in complete darkness by way of our headlamps. The sun began to come up while we were on the blue glacier. This glacier is one of a kind and is filled with small crevasses with blue ice frozen over and is almost never covered in snow. You literally are walking on ice that is tens of thousands of years old and is distinctly blue. After crossing the Blue Glacier we continued up to the Snow Dome at 6,600 feet. Moving towards the left we entered an area called the keyhole and turned around the summit. It was there we ended up on rock and not glacier. We rock climbed to the summit, and reached it at 9:40am PST Tuesday.

As we headed back down the snow conditions were much different after a few hours of sun light. The snow was mushier and now less safe to travel. I lead our rope team on the decent. This can be a tricky job. If an ice bridge weakens after the sun heats it up and thus makes it unstable, I will be the one to take the fall. Good glacier knowledge and glacier travel technique is certainly something you need to know at this point. I made it back to Glacier Meadows camp at 1pm. We all gathered our gear, repacked our bags and continued down to the Ranger Station another 10 more miles down. We pitched the tent near the Hoh river hoping it wouldn’t rain and that the breeze would carry the mosquitoes away.

Day 4: We repacked everything, and hiked another 9 miles out to the cars. My legs were trashed at the end of this climb. Too much hiking with a heavy pack left my muscles and my joints felling it. We still had another mountain to climb.

Our gear was wet, we were all exhausted and we decided to take a rest day, and quickly changed our minds on climbing Mt. Rainier and used our back up option, Mt. Baker via the Easton Glacier. I had done Mt. Baker a year ago with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington. Last year I climbed it via the Coleman Deming Glacier. We headed north and crossed the Olympic Peninsula via a ferry to Oak Harbor, Washington. We spent the night in the Auld Holland Inn (http://www.auldhollandinn.com/) which I recommend if your looking for a good deal in that part of Washington. There we washed cloths, lets our gear dry, and planned for our summit bid on Mt. Baker. The plan was to climb Mt. Baker in 24 hours. This is a lofty goal alone, but to do it after a 4 day climb up Mt. Olympus was a bit of a stretch.

Day 1, 3pm: Because we had planned to do this in one day our load was light. We carried enough food and gear only for a night and the next day. Approaching Mt. Baker from the North we hiked in 2.5 miles and set up camp on the base of the glacier. It was there we spent 1.5 hours digging and building a platform on the ice for our tent. 10 feet away there was a crevasses. I believe we were safe however because we were very close to the rocks. We pitched the tent, began cooking dinner, and watched the sun go down. I have attached a video of my friend Tito giving a pre-climb report.

Day 2, 3am: We woke up, made some oatmeal, and gathered our gear and were roped up and climbing by 4am. The ascent up Mt. Baker started off easy, but quickly became steep. We reached a 40% grade which is fairly steep for me. Your crampons have to be able to dig deep into the hardened snow and you must trust them to hold you and your entire loads weight. We reached the summit at 10:20 am PST for a beautiful morning. The weather could not have been better. We stayed at the summit for 40 minutes and then began our decent. Again, I took the lead descending. We were descending about 2.5 to 3 times faster than our ascent. By this time we were all feeling the fatigue in our system, but kept moving along. We would be traversing around crevasses and ice bridges. Finally we made it back to camp at 2pm. I knew that I would not make it out of there in 24 hours, I still needed to pack up all my gear, and hike down a very steep 2.5 miles out. I was back at the car at 4:20, 25:20 minutes to summit Mt. Baker and back. Last year it took me 3 days to reach the summit and get back, so Id say it’s a bit of an improvement.

It certainly is good to be back on land, and back in Carolina trail country.

Mt. Baker Summit

I reached the summit at 10:20am PST Friday.
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Mt. Baker Ascent

After using our one contingency day to dry our wet gear we realized that Mt. Rainier was no longer an option. Mt. Baker is our next adventure, and we plan on climbing it between now and very late Friday via the Coleman Glacier route. We are departing from the trailhead at 3.30 PM PST.

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Mt. Olympus Update

No cell phone reception. All 4 charlotte based climbers have returned safely. I reached the summit of Mt. Olympus at 9:40am on Tuesday PST.
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Twofer Climb - Pre Report: Mt. Olympus & Mt. Rainier

Objective: Climb Mt. Olympus (7,965 ft) and then Mt. Rainier (14,411 ft) in six days.

Yes, there is more to Mohammed than just running. I really enjoyed climbing Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier last year, and I’ll be back again this week with a small group from Charlotte. We will attempt to summit both peaks in one week with travel from and back to Charlotte.
Both of these peaks will require glacier travel and that means crampons and good rope-work must be put into play. I will be updating my blog live from the summit of both mountains (pending good cell phone reception).

Laurel Valley 35

Runners from Hell put on the Laurel Valley 35miler. This race is 100% self supported. It’s you and nature, no aid stations, no mile markers, and no finishers medal. Besides the small entry fee to get into this run you have to earn your status as a runner, an initiation. All the rookies are forced to be sweeps and make sure every runner makes it to the finish line as there is no road access to the trail during the entire run. This was my first year.

I was shocked to find that the temperatures in Charlotte the week prior to the race had gone above 100 degrees. At night the temperature was in the high 80’s low 90’s, and extremely humid. The weather in Morocco was much milder and dryer. There was 12 people running sweep, and although I thought that was plenty.

For the majority of the race I enjoyed the company of Doug Dawkins. I also ran with Marc Castleberry and Lisa Arnold, two other sweeps for the majority of the run. Had I realized this 35 mile section of the foothills trail had so many streams I would not have taken my 100oz bladder. With the weather being as hot and humid as it was, carrying more water than less was the wise thing to do however.

Moving at a slower pace gave me the chance to enjoy the beauty of this area. I also soaked my entire body 3 times in the larger rivers, trying to cool my core body temperature.

Ill certainly be back to run this again next year!

Tangier to Cabo Negro, Morocco - 77k

I woke up an hour late, and laced up my running shoes, and headed out the door at 4am. I wanted to run a few hours in the dark as I knew at this time there would be less traffic than the insanity of mid day traffic in Tangier and Tetoun. I would also be avoding the deadly heat for a few hours. Abdul Azziz, my mobile aid station was following me along the way. We had pizza, watermelon, 10 liters of water, imitation Gatorade, two bottles of ensure, boiled potatoes, 6 gels, and 4 packs of cliff blocks for fuel.

New energy came out of me when the sun rose an hour and half later. It was here that the elevation began to kick in. It was only 2 weeks prior I had finished the Grandfather Mountain marathon. This run was equivalent to two Grandfathers in terms of elevation gain, and 4 miles short of 2 marathons. The heat was unbearable in Tetoun. Running in the dry heat with the sun beating down on my body was difficult at times. Shade was nowhere to be found. Twice I sat in the car with Abdul Azziz in the car for 10 min just to shade my body from the scorching sun. Both times I contemplated abandoning my idea of running from Tangier to Cabo Negro. If I didn’t finish this run now, and decided to drop, I would have to come back again next year to do another run I kept telling myself. I kept on going. I reached Cabo Negro in 9:27 (11:51 pace). I surely thought I would do this run in much longer time considering that my legs were still a little trashed from Toubkal 3 days prior, and the sun ravishing my body.

I built a small reputation for myself in North Morocco, the crazy American that ran longer than anyone they knew. Some of them promised to run with me next year!

Jabel Toubkal 13,671 feet

Morocco is always an adventure. Every year I discover a new village, and meet new people while I am in Northwest Africa. The very same mountains that inspired me to get out and become more active and learn how to run in the hills were paid homage. Jebel (mountain in Arabic) Toubkal, the highest of the Atlas stands at 13,671 feet. I reached the summit of Toubkal on Tuesday July 24th at 8:45am. I remember the summit being cold, and very windy. Windshield temperatures were freezing which was cooler than expected up there.

My journey started on Monday when me and my cousin Ra’fat started a seven hour drive down to the Berber village of Imlil. We started in Tangier Morocco, the gateway to Africa from Europe. In route we passed Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakesh. Driving conditions were good as the new highway that was built in the last few years now went all the way to Marrakesh.

When we reached the town of Imlil we parked the car and attempted to find the trailhead. We didn’t hire a guide because I knew there would be many people attempting the summit and we would be able to follow people we met on the trail. The first half an hour we got lost a few times, but then we go on the right track and headed up the trail. The town of Armoud was especially nice. Here you can visit a village that has about 180 households with no road access. The only way in is by foot or by mule. Further along the trail I visited the mystical shrine of Sidi Chamharouch. Here only Muslims are allowed to enter and view the shrine. By this time, Ra’fat was feeling the heat and the effects of hiking for 4 hours on the Moroccan trail. This was his first time ever attempting a hike. The pack I was carrying had approximately 50 lbs. and I offered to carry all of his weight. A few Berber villagers offered to carry his pack on their mules, but being a trooper, he declined and wanted to carry his own weight.

Darkness was quickly approaching and we still had another hour of hiking until we reached the base camp of the French Alpine Refuge (10,686 feet). We headlamped it until we reached our base camp where we found a warm bed, food, and a group of 50 other climbers. We were the last two to reach camp that night. I was impressed with Ra’fats accomplishment so far. After dinner, I explained to him that we would need to get very early start so we can beat the heat on the way down. The next morning after hiking for 20 minutes, Ra’fat decided to stop as exhaustion took its toll on his body. He hiked back down to camp and rested as I continued to push on for the summit. I took off at this point and was passing several hikers along the way. Some rock scrambling was required in certain area’s. Much of this area reminded me of Kilimanjaro. The scree was a bit annoying on the way up, and was very dangerous on the way down.

After reaching the summit, I stood on top of North Africa and admired the view for 10 minutes. It was here that the high winds stopped blowing for 2 or 3 minutes. Complete calmness, and then back full force. The wind was so strong that I had to crouch down a little for fear of flying off the face of Toubkal. An hour and forty five minutes later I was back at base camp. I hired a mule and his owner Ibrahim to carry my cousin Ra’fat down the mountain, and also carry my heave pack down as I wanted to save my joints for my run that I would attempt 3 days later.

We made it back to our car, and drove to Jama elFna in Marrakesh for dinner, and continued all the way back to Tangier arriving at something like 3am on Wednesday.

Grandfather Mountain Marathon

365 runners crossed the finish line at this years Grandfather Mountain Marathon. This point to point asphalt marathon starts in Boone, NC and finishes at the Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain, NC. According to my AXN500 we experienced a 2,570 feet of net gain over the 26.2 miles. That not an easy task while trying to maintain a marathon pace. I finished in 4:03:55.

The weather was perfect for July and thankfully not too hot. The race was well organized, but I do have to mention that the aid stations were fairly basic with just H2O and some Gatorade. Some fruit would have been nice.

After taking the first shuttle back, we discovered that we had to take yet another shuttle (2 miles away from the car). We didn’t have the patients to wait for the second shuttle and decided to walk, adding on an extra two miles for the day.

Midnight Marathon - Dupont

The weather was perfect for running. Not too hot, not cold, just right. We were 9, and we set off to run a marathon at midnight on trail. A fine trail I will add. We traced the DuPont Marathon course which I have run now 4 times, all midnight marathons! I don’t even know what that place looks like during the day. I hear its really beautiful. Every time I run this marathon its on a full moon at midnight.

The clouds covered the moon at the start and we head lamped it. Running at night was refreshing this time of the year as it gets very hot and humid during the day in North Carolina. It was 70 degrees at the start, dark and calm, and it felt great. We started at 12:01am. After running for an hour and a half you could see the clouds moving in slow motion and get bits and pieces of a large full round moon.

On the DuPont marathon course you run an old unmaintaned airstrip. It was here that I saw a full large moon that was crisp in the mountain night. I could feel myself drawing energy from this majestic sight and I ran harder.

We finished the run and drove back to Charlotte just as the sun came up.

Cold Mountain

The hike up to Cold Mountain started in the beautiful area known as the black balsam balds off of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the Art Leob trail.

The Black Balsam area includes some of the most spectacular mountain balds in the Southern Appalachians, including Black Balsam Knob, Sam Knob, and Tennent Mountain. These treeless mountaintops draw people from all over due to their sweeping views and alpine-like appearance.

After hiking past the balds and thru Ivestor Gap, we reached Shining Rock. Named for the white quartzite rock that forms its summit, Shining Rock stands at 5,940 feet. Shining Rock Ledge, which forms the backbone of the area, boasts five peaks over 6,000 feet, the highest being Cold Mountain at 6,030 ft.

From Shining Rock we headed towards Cold Mountain. As we approached, the trail turned more technical and more overgrown. Climbing up Cold Mountain was certainly not easy to do. Although it was cooler at the top, it surely was not cold this day. After 9 mile of hiking we reached the summit of Cold Mountain and enjoyed lunch and headed back the same way.

The day turned out to be a beautiful day in the woods.

New York City Marathon

I'm in.

37,869 people ran the NYC marathon last year and finished. To run this race you must have a qualifying time (just over 3 hours for my age group) or enter into a lottery and be selected. Over 98,000 people applied for the lottery. Running a 7:15 min/mile pace for 26.2 miles is out of the question for now, and I'm glad the lottery worked out the second time around for me.

Roan Mountain Marathon

As we drove up the steep road to Carvers Gap my windshield wipers couldn’t move fast enough to clear the rain pouring. We parked the cars and were off on the trail by 7:15am. The rain kept coming, and then it rained in intervals for the next 8 miles. We were off to highway 19E where we were meeting a group of 30 hikers from Charlotte. From Carvers Gap to 19E is 13 miles and round trip would be the first annual Roan Mountain Marathon!

This hike is planned around the Rhododendron blooming season. Although they bloomed early this year, the pink shrub was out and about. The view from Round Bald to Janes Bald was especially pink as the Rhododendron had bloomed all along the mountain. The word Rhododendron is derived from the Greek words: rhodos, "rose", and dendron, "tree.” This is an alpine shrub and usually survives in higher elevations.

The trail was muddy and slick. Some sections of the single track was very technical. While raining and going downhill it became a little dangerous to run. I made it to 19E in 2:51 minutes and met with our group of hikers that were planning on hiking back up to Carvers Gap. I had a bottle of Ensure and Gatorade Rain stashed at 19E. After refueling I headed back up with the group the same trail I just ran down, this time mostly uphill. We hiked up to Hump Mountain and saw the largest long horn cattle I have ever seen. They must have weighed atleast 3,000 lbs each. There were a dozen of them casually chewing grass and just lying around. At this point I decided to get moving again and went for a slow pace run and passed the group.

I didn’t realize how steep some of the sections of this trail were coming down until I headed right back up. Going up to the Grassy Ridge Bald (6,189 feet) which ended up being the highest point of this run/hike was so steep I was forced to a sluggish hiking pace. This section of the trail is a little over a mile and climbs 1800 feet. The view from the top of Grassy Ridge is worth the effort. The sun broke out and the clouds cleared. I slowed my pace here to enjoy the amazing views. Finally I reached Carvers Gap my original starting point, cleaned up a bit and drove home.


Click on map below to enlarge.

Mt. Sterling

This past Sunday me and a group of friends drove up to the Northeast side of the Smokey Mountains for a quick ascent of Mt. Sterling. The rhododendron had blossomed early and was plentiful.

The weather was great (a little warm) and the views were amazing at the summit. We ended the day with a dip into Midnight Hole, a swimming area near the end of the trail. There were too many people there as the weather was perfect for a swim.

Just before reaching the parking lot we spotted a timber rattler snake, a rare find.

Mt. Mitchell Ascent

This past Sunday I got back into the woods on the hills again after MMT. We hiked up the usual route from the Black Mountain Campgrounds up towards Commissary Ridge and to the summit and back. Me and Greg enjoyed a hot cup of chocolate and coffee. The weather was windy at the top with a temperature of 58 degrees. With the wind however it felt more like 40. Mt. Mitchell is the coldest and windiest place in the entire South.

Along the hike we found a Red Newt. It was the first time I saw this tiny creature. We ascended at a fast pace, from the campgrounds to the top in 1:52. Technically we are not allowed to go to the summit, that was to the parking lot.

We did get briefed on the new watch tower the park is building. The structure is now framed up and expected to be completed by September of 2007. The old tower was torn down about 10 months ago.

MMT 75.9

“Why do you keep punishing yourself by trying to run 100 miles?”

Over the past year I have had the question lobbed at me from family and friends of all circles. I even ask myself that question usually around mile 30 during a run. Why am I doing this to myself? So many runners I meet on the trial, at races, or on longer hikes are just ordinary people with an extraordinary drive, passion, and commitment. Very few runners are actually trying to win a race, or break a record, but rather they are seeking the incredible personal accomplishment of finishing. I have yet to finish a 100 miles.

The formal definition of an ultramarathon is any race on an open course that exceeds 26 miles, 385 yards, the official distance of a marathon. Most ultras fall in the range of 31 to 100 miles, but some are considerably longer than that.

Massanutten is known to be one of the toughest on the east coast. The total gain is more than 19,500 feet (I only climbed 16,700). To put that into prospective for my sedentary friends, that’s like climbing Aconcagua (the highest peak in the Western hemisphere) in one day. It takes anywhere from 17-22 days to climb Aconcagua as a fit mountaineer. If anyone is interested in that, let me know, as I plan on climbing it one day!

The run started at 5:00am on Saturday in the dark. 5 or so miles into the run the sun came up while on top of Buzzard Rock. Fast forward another 50 miles I was on my way back from Bird Knob (aid station #9 - 53.1) and the sun was coming down. With a headlamp illuminating the trail, I began running downhill. At this point my body is fatigued and tired, but my confidence and motivation was high. After reaching the hwy 211 aid station the second time for the day (aid station #10 - mile 58.2) I decided to change my running shoes. I took 2 Advil, ate 3 turkey sandwiches, 2 handfuls of cheddar cheese potato chips (they were so good!) and some boiled potatoes with salt. I put on a new pair of socks, re-tapped areas of concern on my feet, and I was out of the aid station within 11 min. I was on my way to Gap Creek (aid station #11 - mile 64.9) for the next 6.8 miles.

Alone in the dark with a headlamp ascending, I found it impossible to avoid the muddy sections of the trail. My fresh pair of shoes were soaked in mud and my feet were wet again. I made it to Gap Creek at 11:56pm. I ate some more food, took 2 Advil, and refilled my water. It was 2.8 mile to Moreland Gap (aid station #12 - mile 67.7). This is one of the shorter sections, but still very muddy. I remember stomping in mud half way up my shins above my gaiters. This is where I had hot chicken quesadillas! The next section was a long 8.2 miles to Edinburg Gap.

This is the infamous Short Mountain that everyone had talked about. It is a very rocky tail, and some sections with no trail but large boulders to skip on. This would normally be something I would enjoy doing, but it was 1:40am when I left Moreland Gap. I was tired, had just run 67.7 miles, very sleepy, and alone in the dark, cold, windy Short Mountain. It rained on and off. My eyes would shut for a few seconds as I briskly walked on the trail. I began to see weird objects that I knew could not be real, like a basket of fruit on a boulder in the distance. As I got closer I could see that it was just another boulder. This is about the time my left foot twisted between two rocks. It wasn’t a slight roll of the ankle, but a nasty twist that I knew would ultimately results in some serious pain soon to come. I knew that if I kept moving I could keep the ankle from swelling immediately and possibly finish the race. My pace had slowed considerably. Soon I was passed by 4 runners, then a group of 2. I realized that having someone with me in the middle of the night would have been a good idea, and possibly prevented the sloppy form of running which eventually caused the injury. I kept shuffling where I could and walking some sections. Finally I started descending; I thought I was close to the next aid station. A half a mile of downhill lead to some more climbing. Was my mind playing tricks on my again? I was very sleepy, so I decided to lay down and take a fast nap. 10 min later headlamps flashed into my face and I got up again and kept moving. I did this another two times, took two quick naps, then got back up and kept moving. The sun began to come up and day light broke at around 5:20am. This did give me some energy, but not enough to overcome the pain of a throbbing ankle. I took another nap. Finally, I hobbled over to the Edinburg Gap aid station (#13 - mile 75.9) and decided to drop out of the race. I reached Edinburg Gap at 6:06am, and I had been running for the past 25:06. The cutoff time to complete the total run is 36 hours. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned 16,678 calories.

There will be many more races to come, and I am already planning my next 100 mile run. I am very pleased with 75.9 miles, and will have my day with a 100. I have never seen a course that is so well marked. I managed to stay on the trail while sleep walking. The aid stations were well stocked with food, and pain killers. I want to thank DC a friend that was my support crew, whom without would have made this run much harder. I also want to thank all the volunteers for supporting this run and making it a great event.

Photo by: Anstr Davidson

Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run

I will be running the MMT100 starting Saturday May 19th at 5:00am EST. You can get live updates by visiting the mainpage: http://www.vhtrc.org/mmt/update.htm

The MMT is a challenging 100 mile trail ultra over a demanding, rocky course in the Massanutten Mountains of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The course includes short but rugged mountain climbs that total over 19,500 feet. While the May date usually avoids Virginia's brutal summer weather, we have had rain and violent storms in prior years. The event is noted for its well-stocked, friendly aid stations and good course marking. The starting field is limited to 150 runners.

Course Summary: The MMT 100 starts just below the Massanutten Mountain's northeastern ridge, which overlooks the south fork of the Shenandoah River. After running the eastern Massanutten Trail and connecting trails, the MMT 100 crosses the Crisman Hollow Road and ascends the Jawbone Gap Trail to the Massanutten Trail on Kerns Mountain. The course then crosses the Crisman Hollow Road again, going down Waterfall Mountain to the Massanutten Mountain Connector Trail to Route 211. At that point there is an out and back on the Massanutten South trail that goes near Bird Knob. Upon returning to US 211, runners then take the Massanutten Connector Trail to Gap Creek, up Jawbone Gap again, and eventually up the western Massanutten Trail before returning to the Skyline Ranch Resort.

32 Miles on Art Leob - 71 Mike Bike Ride

The weekend started with a 4am alarm clock buzzer. The night before I packed all my gear, and prepared myself for a 32 mile trail run, and a 70 mile bike ride the next day. I met up with Tito and Jim at 5am, and racked up the bikes on the car and took off. We were on the trail by 8am. We started the run at the Big East Fork trailhead which has a 4,000 climb in 4 miles. Then we hung a left on the Art Leob and took it all the way to the Davidson River Campgrounds. I finished in 8 ½ hours. My strategy was to conserve some energy for the next days bike ride, and this was not just any old ride.

That night we camped out in the Davidson River Campgrounds. We had a small campfire going, and the night became cold. A bit tired from the run, I decided to sleep early.

The next morning we had breakfast in Brevard at Julies. These calories would be very much needed for the next hours to come. I met with eight other cyclists that all were experienced. I just bought me bike last month, and have ridden around the neighborhood a few time, nothing more. I knew that this ride would be difficult for me, but I never expected what was about to come.

Within the first 20 minutes, I was riding in the back of the pack. We were heading north on 276 from the campgrounds. It was uphill for the next 14 miles, and the grade was fairly steep. Just before reaching the parkway I felt like my legs were about to explode. I kept pumping. The group was waiting for me at the intersection of 276 and parkway, they knew this was my first ride and cheered me on.

I downed a gel, slammed some water, and got right back on the bike. This next section was all downhill. What a reward, after climbing like an animal I was rewarded with a fast downhill. I reached speeds exceeding 40 miles per hour, which might not seem to be a lot, but it was fast. We then hung a left on 215 which was another big climb, just as big as the first one. I just focused on pumping my legs, and thinking about the downhill getting ready to come. Every corner I turned I thought for sure the parkway would be there and I would find a bunch of riders waiting for me. For five miles I kept thinking I’m right there, I was going crazy. My muscles in my legs were trashed from the run the previous day, and all the climbing thus far. The thought of turning around started to surface. If I turned around now, I would have to climb more than if I just kept going. Finally, after 19 miles on 215 I reached the parkway. What a relief. I knew that the parkway would be rolling hills. When I got onto the parkway, I had a small climb, which followed an awesome downhill. This is were I started coasting at around 45 miles per hour. I found myself in the middle of a Harley Davidson crew of motorcyclist as I matched their pace going downhill. One of the riders leaned over and said your going 34 miles per hour and was amazed at how someone on a road bike was going as fast as he was. I was amazed. The parkway was up and down, and then finally 276 appeared again, and I took that down all the way to the campgrounds. Elevation gain was 6,000 feet, and exact mileage was 71.45 Miles.

This bike ride was a challenge.

Crowders 50k

Crowders 50k
Gastonia, NC
April 21, 2007

The morning was cool and a little windy, and the forecast was predicting the weather to be clear and warming up to 76 degrees. I was preparing myself to run the crowders 50k, which is roughly 31 miles. 26 runners walked up to the start, a line drawn in the gravel trail by race director Ray Krolowitz. The race started at 8:41am and we began running uphill on the gravel road, or the tower trail, up to the summit of crowders mountain. After reaching the summit, approximately a mile and half of pure uphill running/speed hiking, you start to descend a set of never ending wood block stairs, over 300 of them. The backside trail made out of gravel becomes very steep here and you find yourself running very fast downhill. After a quarter mile or so you hang a sharp left onto the crowders trail. We had an aid station here equipped with grapes, bananas, water, ice, and gu. The crowders trail is fairly rocky and technical and stretched all the way to a road which you cross and continue until you get to the main ranger station parking lot. This is the turn around point for each loop, and thus far about 5 miles of trail. We reached the summit of Crowders Mountain 6 times during this race, which is approx 6,000 feet of evlevation gain.

After my first loop I realized that the day was already getting hot for me as my shirt and shorts were already drenched in sweat. I decided to considerably slow my second loop so that I would be able to finish my third loop just as fast as the second. Pacing yourself on these longer runs is crucial, and I still struggle implementing this concept into my running.

I finished this run in 15th place which was 6:50:56. 4 runners DNF, and 2 DNS. That’s 37 min faster than the Mt. Mitchell Challenge which is 40 miles up the highest peak on the east coast. I believe with the heat the crowders 50k is more difficult than the Mt. Mitchell Challenge. The thermometer in my car read 82 degrees.

I saw some familiar faces on the trail and met some new ultra runners. The race was very well set up and the volunteers did a great job with helping out the runners, many thanks to all of them!

Mt. Mitchell Ascent

Today we hiked up Mt. Mitchell despite iffy weather reports. We ascended via the Black Mountain Camp Grounds, 12 miles round trip, 3,700 feet of gain. This is my 13th Black Mountain summit. I know the trail very well, but every time it looks different when I’m there.

We started the hike with warmer than expected temperatures. After the first 2 miles freezing rain the size of tic-tacs began to fall, and I heard a few cracks of thunder (video below). The ice was pelting my head and my body. We kept hiking on.

Photos and Video

More rain fell and more wind began to blow. Up commissary ridge I stopped avoiding the large puddles of slush (slurpy like liquid mixed with small round ice pellets, just like the ones you can get at the gas station).

At the summit the temperature was right at freezing, and the wind chill was closer to 25 degrees. This photo was taken at the summit. The photo from left to right, Mohammed, David, Jim, and Mike. The view was minimal as the clouds had consumed the sky.

We ran the whole way down the mountain. Snow began to fall heavier than at the top as a weather system was moving in. As usual, I took a swim in the freezing waters of the South Toe river at the end of the hike.

Racefest Half Marathon

I decided to run the Charlotte Racefest half marathon 3 days ago. Why? a friend was running it, and the weather was forecasted to be cool and a little windy. I’m warm natured, and my body heats up fast. Having cooler weather makes a big difference for me in my running.

I started the half marathon in the middle of the pack. I clocked a 7:12 first mile. I passed tons of people. I thought to myself that I was going out too fast. But I had not tested my legs at this speed since I have been running longer distances with the 40-50 mile runs. Plus, I had run 75 miles at the Umstead Ultra marathon only two weeks ago. Would my lungs, heart and legs be able to support a 7:12 pace for 13.1 miles?

I ran my first half marathon ever on 3.11.06 in 1:59:29. Prior to that I had run a few 5k’s for fun, but never considered myself a runner. That was a year ago. My experience as a runner is short, but I have learned a lot in the past year. Running has also changed me as an individual.

By mile 2 I approached my friend Greg (middle in photo), who has run several races with me in the past year. It is people like him that inspire me to run faster, harder, and longer.

At mile 6, I remember looking at my watch and seeing my time as 43:30 exactly. That is a 7:15 pace. I managed to keep my pace for the first 6 miles. I still felt solid, and knew that I would be running my PR today.

I was passing people consistently up until mile 11, which is when I noticed two people creeping up on me. As mile 12 came into sight, I kicked it up a notch, and finished with a full sprint.

I set a PR and finished in 1:36:20. A few minutes after finishing, and after a few glasses of water I felt strong and knew I could keep running for another 13.1 if I had to.

The run was set up well, and the volunteers did a great job!

After the run we grabbed a bit to eat at Bob Philson’s Deli “Roast Beef & Rye.” A nice turkey and roast beef sandwich hit the spot.

Barak Obama

Barak Obama visited Charlotte, NC for the first time Friday April 13. I had the honor to meet the Senator of Illinois and presidential candidate for 2008.

Barak is just as dynamic in person as he is on television!

He even looks like an ultra runner!

Linville Gorge

Linville Gorge is a beautiful part of the mountains in North Carolina. Today we hiked down into the gorge, and up to Table Rock via the Conley Cove Trail. Snow was a special treat in April. The temperature was 19 degrees at 10am in the parking lot. This was the first time I really moved my legs after Umstead.

The gorge can be a tricky place to hike. You hike down and then back up. It reminds me of the Grand Canyon (on a smaller scale). Many people hike down and don’t realize how difficult it is to hike back up.
Some photos of today’s hike can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/midlibi/4707LinvileGorge

75 miles only

The time was 5:55am. I was decked out in my running cloths at the start line. Friends and families of runners were huddled in and giving their last words of encouragements as all the runners began to line up. It was pitch black dark, and the temperature was in the mid 50's. The high for the day was expected to be 75 degrees and I was on my way to starting my first 100 mile run.

It was at this time I began to reminisce about my journey to this point. Last year, in mid March I promised myself I would run my first half marathon. I ran it in 1:59:29, beating my 2 hour goal by seconds. I wasn't a runner and I ran 13.1 miles, I was ecstatic. Never in my wildest imagination would have I thought I would be attempting a 100 mile run a year later.

Between last March and the Umstead I ran several half marathons, 8 marathons, two 40 mile runs, climbed Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Kilimanjaro. That's a lot. In the months prior to Umstead I ran an average of 192 miles a month. I put some serious training into this run. I wanted to finish, and I wanted it bad.

The race director shot the gun indicating the start and all the runners took off. Running long distance requires a strategy, you can’t go all out. This is difficult to do as I later learned in the run.

I'm a competitive guy, and sometimes that comes back to bite you. I wanted to finish in 24 hours. After all, this was considered to be one of the easier ultra marathons around, right? 8 loops, 12.5 miles each loop, and about 8,000 feet of elevation gain over the entire course. The park trails were mostly finely crushed gravel and not very technical at all (not rooty, rocky, leafy, etc).

I finished the first lap in 2:07, and I knew I had gone out too fast. I needed to adjust my pace. After finishing lap 4 (50 miles) I was 9:30 hours into the race. A little early for my 10 hour goal. I felt good a this point, and remember being excited that I had passed the 50 mile portion of the run. Many runners chose to stop running at mile 50. Umstead gives you the option of just running 50 if your not feeling up to it. I decided to keep pressing on.

Around the middle of my 5th loop is when I started to really feel nausea. I was taking electrolyte supplements every hour, and guzzling bottle of water at every water stop, 4 bottle per loop. This was not enough however to my body from dehydrating. I finished my fifth loop, and knew that I was not in the best of health at this point. I told myself that I only had 3 loops to go. I could literally walk this race and finish within the 30 hour cutoff time. Nausea had kicked in really bad at the start of the 6th loop. I want able to get water back into my system. I started walking a lot at this point. I could feel my muscles cramping really bad.

I walked into the finish of the 6th loop, 75 miles and decided that today wasn’t my day. I will be back for another 100 soon however. It took me 17 hours to finish 75 miles.