Ed Runs his 10th Challenge

I have run the Mt. Mitchell Challenge for the last three years, and turned around at the Marathon point last year due to the flu. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Ed who is 61 years old. This would be his 10th Challenge finish. Despite drastic weather Ed came thru and crossed the finish line for the 10th time. The Charlotte Observer did a little write up about him.

I can only hope that I will be as strong, and as determined as Ed is when I am in my 60’s. Go get em Ed!

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Mud Bath - Mt. Mitchell Challenge 40 Mile

My gloves were wet and my fingers curled in a semi clinched fist frozen. I had zero dexterity and my hands were useless at this point. It was 11:40am and I was standing on the summit of Mt. Mitchell atop the new deluxe tower. I stood on the summit for two seconds while sleet and light snow showered my wet body. I was numb from my mid thigh down to my pinky toe. The piercing wind made the low thirty’s temperatures feel as if I was standing on the Pastukov Rocks on Elbrus. As I ran back down the tower the volunteer informed me to get my race bib signed by the aid station crew as his marker malfunctioned at the summit. A 100 meters away was the aid station, I refilled my bottle and grabbed an orange slice and all I could think of was I needed to descend off of Mitchell and seek warmer ground.

Earlier that morning I rose at 5:45am from the Preacher room at the Red Rocker. Doug the owner had some granola and sliced pineapple and cantaloupe ready to go early in the morning. The Charlotte crew was all up at the Red Rocker; Ashley, DC, Bedford, Mason, and Ed. We all walked over to the start in a light rain. I had my houdini on with my sombrero. I was expecting intense heavy rain later in the day. The cut off was bumped up to 3.5 hours vs. 4 hours to the parkway due to the conditions on the mountain today. We were running right into the storm, and it was expected to rain all day and possibly snow at the summit. I knew I could meet the cut off and set a goal of being at the summit in 4 hours. After the first few miles I knew I wasn’t off to a great start. I slowed my pace thinking that I had a long day ahead of me and that I need to conserve my energy. I ran comfortably, and hiked up some steep sections.

I reached the parkway at 9:56am and was greeted with “you have 4 minutes to leave the aid station, the new cut off is 10am!” I was shocked to hear this and I had not realized how close I was to being turned around. I quickly filled up my bottle, put on my arm warmers directly above my rain jacket and scooted out of there. I later learned that over 50 runners were turned around who were only minutes behind me.

Apparently the park rangers and the Yancy County Fire and Rescue panicked due to fears of some runners encountering hypothermia problems and decided to turn runners around after 10am. They even cut the sweet runner Stu G!

As I descended off the mountain back down Commissary Ridge I was splashing water and mud all over the trail. Me and DC descended together at a good clip passing a few runners. Liz Bauer had passed us and I knew that when she was out of sight it would be close to impossible to catch up to her. At this point I was hiking uphill on a gravel road still not feeling my best. Moments went by and another aid station appeared where I refueled and began descending the asphalt that would ultimately take me back to the parkway. Me and Mohammed Shamji ran together on and off to the parkway where I saw Stu G patiently waiting for the last runner to come off Mitchell so he could continue sweeping. Stu, thanks for hanging in there in the freezing temps! I had a nice hot cup of tea with honey here which really lifted my spirits. My gloves were 100% soaked and I decided that I would be better off without them, so I took them off and wrong them a few times and put them in my pouch. Off I went and back on the trail. For the next mile or so I kept shuffling. I knew I would run this years time slower than 2007’s. Something happened here, I was 28 miles into the run, and endorphins began to over flow to my brain. I dug deep from within my inner chi and began to sing out load, and started running hard. I was skipping large rocks and slick boulders. Sometimes splashing intentionally in the semi frozen puddles of water and mud. My feet would numb up for a few minutes while doing this and I ran harder.

I kept sucking down water and fueled my body at each aid station. I kept descending and singing out load, and running hard, and passing a runner every 15 minutes, I felt great. Could I hold this pace for the next 10 or so miles? I was determined to do just that and kept pushing myself harder. At the next two aid stations I refueled quickly and didn’t spend more than one minute thanking the volunteers and scooting my way down the mountain. Finally I hit asphalt again and kept running hard, I wasn’t going to let up I wanted to finish strong. I began to pressure breath, a climbing technique that is used in high altitude mountaineering. I find it very usefully when your heart rate is pumping at its max, or very close to it. I caught up to Liz and we both made a small wrong turn forcing us to forge a small river to get back onto the main road. I kept pushing and finally turned right nearing Lake Tomahawk. I circled around the lake crossing the finish line in 7:44:45 and it was over.

It took me 4:40 minutes to get to the summit of Mitchell and 3:04 on the return. The weather played a major factor in this run and forced some runners off the mountain. "A dozen runners had to be driven down the mountain because of concerns with hypothermia" Jay Curwen (RD) said.

“These are the worst conditions we have seen in the history of the race,” race director Jay Curwen said. “When you have 50 mile per hour winds, temperatures in the high 30s, and snow at the summit, it makes a hard race that much harder. I haven't seen anyone cross the finish line who didn't look like they needed to be looked at for hypothermia.”

MdS Food Prep

Six weeks to go before I take off to Ourzazate, Morocco for the Marathon Des Sable (MdS). The MdS is a 7 day, 150+ mile (243km) endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco taking place March 29-April 4, 2009. The race organizers website is (http://www.darbaroud.com/). During the race, you can visit the website and send me an electronic message, which will then be printed out and delivered to my tent each night of the race.

There are six stages over the seven days, with the first three daily stages set around 20 miles each. The fourth stage is around 50 miles; the fifth stage is always a full marathon of 26.2 miles, and the sixth (and last) stage is from 9-12 miles.

The terrain at the MDS is not all giant sand dunes. In fact, most of the course is run over salt flats, dried up river beds, rocky desert plains, and ancient, dried up lakes. And, it is not uncommon for the course to wander through a remote desert village. The course is usually well marked and all competitors receive a "Road Book" which provides an official course description for each stage.

Temperatures can be extreme, with possible daytime highs reaching 125°F and night-time lows of 38°F. Additionally, the occasional sandstorm can add to the mix. Thus, competitors should be prepared for anything.

The race is entirly self sufficient with the exception of water and a tent over your head. This means I will be carrying all my food for the entire 7 days in my backpack, in addition to all my gear, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag.

Today I layed out some of the food I plan to take. In this photo of food there is just over 13 pounds of food with a total calorie output of 24,050 calories. The peanut butter and the macaroni and cheese both by Mountain House packed the highest calorie per gram ratio at 6 calories per gram for the peanut butter and 5 calories per gram for the mac and cheese. I plan to take the food out of its packaging and repack it in freezer zip lock bags. I dont plan to take a stove and gas with me on this adventure, and just hope to utlize the 125 degree sun to cook my food!

More on the MdS later....

HARDROCK 100

I'm in!! For those of you not aware of the Hardrock 100, its a Beast.

The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run is an ultramarathon 100.5 miles in length, with 33,000 feet (10,000 m) of climb at an average elevation of over 11,000 feet (3,400 m). The race is held on a loop course on dirt roads, dirt trails, and cross country in Southern Colorado's San Juan Range. The race is dedicated to the memory of the miners who settled in the area and who built the mining trails on which much of the race is run.

I am one of 140 runners accepted into this adventure with 206 on the waiting list. I'm pumped!

Mt. Mitchell Winter Ascent

Its the end of January, and it was time to go back up again to Mt. Mitchell. This time as a run/hike with a group from our local Charlotte Outdoor Adventure club. Me, John L, and David P started on the Mountains to Sea Trail at the junction of Hwy 80 and the Parkway. Memories of frozen fingers came into light from the new years run in the dark, and now I could see the trail during the day. It was amazing. We had planned to meet the rest of the group at the campgrounds around 12 noon. We casually ran down, and were there a little early.

Around 12:30 the entire group began the ascent up to the summit. Some of us had never been on Mitchell. For the first hour or so, the sun was beaming and we were actually hot. As we climbed up the temperatures droped and patches of ice and snow became more prevalent. Hiking up commissary ridge was challenging with large sheets of ice covering more than half of the trial. We were moving slow to ensure the entire group made it up to the top, and reached the summit at 3:05pm. The skies were again clear, and mostly calm, yet very cold.

We headed back down the icy trials of commissary ridge and made it back down to the cars just before dark. On the way down I met two climbers with heavy packs that planned to travel to Pico de Orizaba (18,490 feet) in Mexico later this year.

We ended this hike with a meal at Little Sienna at the bottom of Hwy 80.

Birthday Adventure Run 50k

I knew I had to go all out for a 30th birthday party run. Ice cream cake, party hats, and nice trails were in order. How many times do you turn 30? Work it!

A few of us had met at the Cracker Barrel for some blueberry pancakes before heading out to the start of the run. Along the drive up I dropped off ice cream cake, sun chips, and water to Lily and Patti. We all drove to the start, while they drove to the turn around point. Without them this run wouldnt be possible.

On the drive up from Charlotte we saw a few sprinkles, but not a drop of rain while on the trail. The starting line included old friends and new ones. Bottem Left to Right: Matt K, Annette B, David K, Kevin L, Dave P. Top Right to Left: John L, Jeff M, Melinda Y, Ashley F, Stu G, Elizabeth H, Jason H, Mohammed I, David P, and Charlie R! Everyone was so much fun. It was Ashley’s birthday in a few days, so a double birthday run was going on.

We started at Roper Hollow Road and ascended the gravel section for a few miles until it turned into dirt and kept going up. We kept on this dirt road for 10 miles until we reached South Mountains State Park. The views from higher above were clear and we could see the Black Mountains in the distance.

I was surprised to see Erik and Julie hiking from the opposite direction and snapping photos later on the trail. Thanks for joining us! I would rank Erik as a professional photographer, most notably the photos from our Safari in the Ngoro Ngoro crater in Tanzania.

We kept going up and down rolling hills while in the park until we reached the Upper Falls Loop, and then descended down to the parking lot. Me, Stu, and Charlie all reached the turn around at the same time at 2:55, we were making good time. I felt a little dehydrated so I tried to guzzle down as much water while I was there. Enjoying the highest calorie per ounce ice cream cake according to Maggie Moos in Charlotte; cotton candy ice cream cake with M&M's and Reese's Pieces all mixed in. It was probably not the best thing to eat after 16 miles, but it was good, mmmmm. I snacked on a few chips to get some salt in, filled up my bottles and turned back the same way I came down. This way however we climbed the steps up to the frozen waterfall. I’ve never seen the South Mountains waterfall frozen like that, truly an amazing sight. It was the icing on the cake!

My legs began to twitch a little and I knew I was dehydrated with only two bottles in hand. I began to conserve my energy and the water intake as I had another 15 miles to go with no where to fill up water. The views and conversation were exciting and that made the last half go by faster. It took me 6:55 to complete the 32 mile distance that had over 6,000 feet of elevation gain.

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday run. Thanks to all that came out and I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Lonnie and his wife who made the party hats wanted me to share his son’s website:

http://www.danieljohnmaxwellspranger.blogspot.com/ The hats made the run that much more memorable! Thanks Lonnie.

Birthday Warmup

Today was the coldest day of the year in Charlotte. I snuck out a little early to catch the last few hours of sunlinght for the day. I was itching to get a nice run in as I haven't done much this week. With 22% humidity, a high of 32 for the day, and sunny, it was cold and dry. I guzzled down a full liter of water before the run because I felt a little dehydrated and decided to run without any water.

I had on shorts, gloves, and I was testing out my new smartwool microweight long sleeve which I plan to use on the Marathon De Sable, and testing out the new Birthday Party Hats for the 50k next weekend.

I ran a frequent 11 mile out and back on a greenway in town. At the turn around I was at 43.5 minutes. At that time I felt great, the cold crisp air was refreshing. My mouth was dry, and my body wanted a little water. I kept pushing along and knew I would be running a PR today. I could tell the temperature outside was dropping as I saw large puddles more frozen on the way back. I got a few weird looks when people saw me in shorts. I ran back to the car in a 7:30 pace negative splitting the run and felts fabulous. I did suck down alot of sub freezing air which should condition my body for future cold runs. The temperature at the end of the run was 26 degrees.

Later today I will be celebrating an engagement of two friends who met on Kilimanjaro! This weekend is off to a great start.

2009 New Years Run

My watch read 11:57pm, me and Matt had 3 minutes left in 2008, and we were about to embark on a journey that lead us into 2009 and up Mt. Mitchell and back from Marion, NC. This trail run’s distance, terrain, and possible severe weather was certainly intimidating.

We would be on the Mountains to Sea trail all the way until we got up to Commissary Ridge where we would break away for just under 4 miles to the summit and back. The temperature was at freezing in Marion at the start, and it was only going to get colder, much colder. Matt dubbed this run as the Mt. Mitchell Challenge V 2.0. I even think it has a Hellgatish feel to it with the midnight winter start. After snapping a few photos we were off into the woods. It was dark, and after climbing we could see the lights of Marion and one side, and what appeared to be the lights of Old Fort on the other side. I followed Matt for the first few hours up to Woods Mountain, and then up and down several other peaks before reaching Hwy 80. Just follow the white dot.

I was wearing several layers as I expected it to get much colder as we climbed in elevation, and it did. We were probably in the low teens when we got past the Blue Ridge Parkway. I unzipped my vest to reach for some food and Hawaiian shaved ice was everywhere! My perspiration down below in Marion froze into shaved ice up above. My water bottle froze, and I wasn’t able to take in any water. Me and Matt were together for the most part until we reached the South Toe at the Black Mountain Campgrounds. It was here I went ahead and he filled up his bottles. A few miles later Matt flew by and passed me as I stumbled up the mountain sleep hiking. The lack of sleep was getting to me.

The florescent orange and red rays began to illuminate the mountains, and a new year was born. The colors were amazing. I was still however sleep hiking, and frozen with all my clothes on. I finally got to commissary ridge, and I knew I would be up on top of the Mitchell by 8:45am at this pace. I started to hike up what I thought was commissary ridge, but then noticed 15 minutes later I was just hiking up a dried up creek bed which resembled a trail. No problem, I knew I was very close to the trial, so I decided to bushwack to the left and try to hook up with the trial, no sense in hiking down and starting over again and losing time. I bushwacked thru a thin forest, so it was easy to navigate upward. It kept getting thicker, and the longer it took, the more worried I was going off trail. I reached the top of a false summit with an elevation of 6,650 feet on my altimeter when I glanced at the true summit at least a mile away. The new tower was visible from where I was. I was not happy with my decision. Should I run down and skip out on the summit because of this mistake? I was already behind Matt, and didn’t want to delay my return to Marion, I could not afford to spend another night out in the bitter cold with no sleep (Memories of Coyote Two Moon pop up here). I ran back down to the ridge and noticed where I made a mistake. At that point I made the decision to hike back up to the summit.

I reached the top of Mitchell at 9:50am, cold and hungry. I knew I was tight on time but decided to spend 8 minutes and pulled out a Turkey bagel. The view was the best I had seen it up there. Clear skies, and calm. It was windier at the campgrounds than it was at the summit which was a treat. It was probably in the single digest, so I was happy about not having too much wind.

I started my decent, and I ran down commissary ridge in 20 min, I wanted to make up as much time as I could. I filled up my bottles of water here, and continued to run down. I got turned around again where several new down trees littered the trail. This upset me because I had already gone off trail earlier, I couldn’t afford to lose more time, or add more mileage. Finally I reached the campgrounds at 12:00 noon. It was here that I knew I wouldn’t make it back before dark to Marion. I had another 6+ miles to go just to get to Hwy 80, and then another 14 miles to get to Marion, with plenty of elevation gain. I was sleep deprived, dehydrated, and exhausted at this point.

I decided to take the one mile shorter route, turn left at the road out of the campgrounds to Hwy 80 and then turn right up to the parkway which then intersects the Mountains to Sea trail. So I added a little bit of asphalt to the run. After shuffling for 2+ miles before reaching Hwy 80 I hitched a ride to the trail. The local thought I was insane running in the freezing cold, and gave me a 2.5 mile ride to the trailhead. I was determined to finish before dark.

I hiked up and ran down the last 14 miles and thought it would never end. I was happy to see Matt and Lilly at the end. It took me 17:20 to finish this 53 mile monster, and my altimeter clocked 13,060 feet of elevation gain. I was hammered.

The next day Matt made some sweet curry omelets which fueled day two of 2009. We decided to do a short loop on the Black Mountain Crest trail. We parked the batmobile at the Colberts Ridge trailhead, and ran north of Hwy 80. After a few miles we got a ride to what we thought was the trailhead up Woody Ridge, we finally found our way and began a steep ascent. The trail disappeared and I was bushwhacking again trying to find my way up to the summit of Horse Rock (6200 feet). It had snowed a few hours before we started, and the temperature dropped which turned the precipitation into light freezing rain. Finally after ducking and climbing up trees me and Matt made our way thru the slush to the summit. Where was the trail? I knew to follow the sound of the howling wind as it was almost always windier on the West side of the ridge. We found the trail, and headed South towards Colberts Ridge. After hiking up a few steep ascents we made it to the Colberts Ridge trails, and turned left descending to where we had parked our car. All in all it was a great day two with about 14 miles of running, hiking, climbing and bushwhacking.

8th Art Loeb Adventure Trail Run

The eighth running of the Art Loeb Adventure Trail Run was a success yesterday. Every year the ALTAR is ran on or around the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Running this rugged trail is a challenge in itself, but running it on the shortest day of the year, and winter weather only adds to the challenge.

This year, Matt and his family put together the lodge again at Camp Daniel Boone which makes for a comfortable start/finish. Spending time with the other runners is a special part of this adventure.

More runners were at the start of this years run compared to last year. The weather was unseasonably warm, with a high chance of rain later in the day. I wasn’t expecting any aid this year and prepared myself to go the entire distance with what I was carrying with me. Almost all of the elevation gain is in the first 18 miles of the trail.

After the first few miles I found myself running alone on the trail, enjoying the majestic sun shining down on hills. I was sweating, and drinking more water than anticipated. After climbing up and down several times, the massive climb up Pilot Mountain was upon me. I think this is the hardest section of this run. This is where David Horton and Jennifer Davis passed me. I met Jennifer and her husband the night before at the lodge and heard of her new AT female record, 57 day and 8 hours. We exchanged hellos and told them I would see them soon.

After crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway the Art Loeb shares the Mountains to Sea trail briefly. The climbing doesn’t stop, and we continue to ascend up high above onto Silvermine Bald. This is where I ran back into David Horton and Jennifer Davis. From here we crossed Black Balsam Bald Road which is where I was able to get a liter of water from Matt’s mother.

I immediately threw on my rain jacket and gloves kept trucking along. The wind on the balds must have been 60+ MPH. Some parts of the trail I could not run in a straight line. It was cold, light droplets of rain would freeze and pellet me in the face. Despite the rain and wind, the view was better than last years fog. After climbing up a few balds, the wind died down, and the sun came out again. In the distance, you could see Mt. Pisgah and a rainbow wrapped around it.

Conversations with David and Jennifer about her recent accomplishment made this section of the trail that much more enjoyable. We continued along a flooded trail and ran into Richard Lilly. Before reaching Cold Mountain, we turned left on the Art Loeb and headed back for the lodge. I finished this years run in 8:53, almost an hour and a half better than last year’s time!

Length: 30.1 miles
Location: Pisgah National Forest and Shining Rock Wilderness Area (NC, USA)
Trailheads: Davidson River Campground to Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp
Highest Point: Black Balsam Knob (6,214 ft)
Lowest Point: Davidson River
Elevation Gain: 8,720 feet

Top photo and middle photo taken by Matt Kirk
Bottom photo taken by Jennifer Davis

Thunder Road Marathon

In the midst of a collapsing economy, the mother of all ponzi schemes, and billions of dollars bailing out the banking and auto industries I decided to run the Charlotte Thunder Road Marathon. The world is changing rapidly, and the future is uncertain.

This would be my third time running this marathon which I have grown to enjoy. This year I would be pacing the 3:45 group of runners. We started in front of the Charlotte Convention Center and the thermometer read 32 degrees. It was chilly, but didn’t feel like it was freezing at the start. We were off and running and I tried to maintain an 8:35 pace from the start. After a few miles went by, a few runners began to ask if there was a 3:40 pacer. Sure, I said.

I crossed the half point in 1:51 which is just under the 8:35 pace I wanted to maintain, and I felt great. The sun was shining, and the day had warmed up nicely. Despite the cooler temperatures, my clothes were socked in sweat. It was mile 17 that I knew my pace would not hold. I crashed, and even slowed to a walk a few times. This was a clear sign of my physical condition. Later in the race I was motivated to see ultra buddies John Teed, and Bedford Boyce which gave me the energy to continue running hard the last two miles to finish in just under 4 hours.

I’ve certainly run better marathons, but it was a great day, and a great run!

South Mountains 50K

Matt Kirk and I have talked about a South Mountains 50k for the past few months now, and today we made it happen. Matt found a route from Hwy 64 to the park, so we decided to do an out and back each of us started from different ends of the run. We both met up at the visitor center around 10:20am. My car measured the temperature at that time to be 37 degrees, and I was cold. I brought some food with me because I knew Matt would be a little hungry from running the first leg of the run. We both ran back towards Matt’s car. About a 1/3 of the run is actually in the park, and the other 2/3rds are on a single toll road that leads to Hwy 64. As you exit the park, the toll road weaves in and out thru some amazing views. Mountain vistas like the Black Mountains can be seen here.

We both made it to Matt’s car in 3:10. I refilled up my water bottle and popped two larabars dipped in peanut butter and started my return to the visitor center. My return took a little longer with several speed hikes involved. I couldn’t take my time because the days were short and the park locked its gates at 6pm. I used this as mental pressure to run harder.

The trail was certainly not flat. My altimeter gave me a reading of 6,240 feet of net gain/loss. Its important to note however that it is barometrically calculated and there were low lying clouds which may have affected an accurate reading. On the final stretch I passed the Shinny Creek Campgrounds which brought back many memories of my childhood as we had camped here during my younger days several times. It was getting dark, and although I was carrying a headlamp, it was a race between me and darkness. Who would reach the car first? I sped up despite some slight cramping in my hamstring and beat darkness to the car, reaching the visitor center at 5:41pm. The entire 32 miles took me 7:12.

I cleaned up in the parking lot and drove past the main entrance exactly at 6pm where a park ranger was waiting for me to leave. It was pitch black at this point. This run will surly happen again!

Photo taken by Matt Kirk.

Ultracentric 48 Hr

Two weeks ago I was at the Ultracentric 48 hour race in TX. After running slowly all day, trying to conserve energy, I retreated to my car form the extreme cold and wind. I slept in the car for a few hours and tried to get back out but I was unprepared for the cold and the wind. I didn’t realize TX could be so cold. That plus poor conditioning forced me back into my car until the morning. The next day I ran for a few more hours and decided to stop running at 100k. Although it was a great experience for me, I wouldn’t attempt the Ultracentic again.

OBAMA

Senator Barak H. Obama won the historic election last night against John McCain.  It was only the day before that Barak visited UNCC at a rally in Charlotte, NC.  This is a great time in history and I am glad to have been able to witness it.  The photo below was taken on April 13, 2007 while Barak was visiting Charlotte for the first time at a breakfast function.

Dowd YMCA Half Marathon

Two years ago I ran the Dowd Y half, and I relived that same race again this year.  Motivated by racing buddies Greg and John I signed up the morning of the race.  I was surprised to see Sarah Almodovar from Asheville drive down for the half.  We exchanged hellos and talked about the new 24 hour race in NC at New Years.  The morning was chilly for Charlotte standards with temps in the upper thirties.  I felt good in the cold.

After running the first mile with Greg and John we all clocked a 7 min mile, and I decided to let them go while I enjoy this run.  The weather could not have been better.  I progressively slowed my pace throughout the run.  It has been a while since I have run a half marathon, and it felt good to run hard.  I finished by 2:25 slower than the last time I ran it two years ago.

After the run we all drove down to the Einstein Bagel and had breakfast.

Hwy 40 - Max Patch - Hot Springs 31 miles

We camped out the night before, and left the campground at 6:15am. Kemper volunteered to drive us down to Hwy 40. I miscalculated the time it would take to get to Hwy 40, that mixed in with not being able to find the right trailhead lead to an 8:07am start. I began hiking up Snowbird Mtn with Greg, and John. This was Johns first attempt at a 50k trail. We stuck together for the first few miles, and then Greg took off. This section of the AT resembled the Dow Jones index the last few days, steep ups and downs. When we reached an area that looked like the parking lot we didn’t see Greg. I had the key, and I knew he would want water. Me and John kept going for a while, and then decided to head back to the car, no Greg. John spent 10 min and then took off. I stayed back for another 10 min answering the call of nature. When I headed back towards Max Patch I took the Max Patch loop trail which was a mistake, and then the AT junctioned at the end of that trail. I decided to turn away from Hot Springs for a while so get to the summit of Max Patch as I have never been there, and head back.

The clouds reduced visibility to maybe 40 feet, so I didn’t hang out to see the views. It was in the 30’s at Max Patch and I was getting cold, so I quickly moved towards Hot Springs. After a few miles Greg startled me by tugging on the back of my pack. I thought to myself, How did he get behind me? He explained that he backtracked back to the car. We must have missed each other while I was on the loop trail. We both kept trucking along, hiking and running for a while. I gave Greg a bottle of water as I knew he might be short on fluids. After a few miles I decided to start running harder to try and catch up with John. I crossed the road into Hot Springs at 4:47pm, 8:40 minutes after we started in Hwy 40. Now I had to hike a mile into the campgrounds. I later found out John had finished 12 minutes before, which is amazing for a first time ultra runner, way to go John!

Looking Glass 30 miles

I left the house by 5:30am so that I could meet Charlie, Matt, Adam, and Brian at the bottom of the Art Loeb trailhead. I was running low on gas as I passed Hendersonville and no gas station had any gas left. As I parked my car I wondered if gas would arrive by the end of the day.

We all headed up the Art Loeb and Brian took the car up to the Black Balsam Balds (18 miles away) which is where we would refuel. He would start there and run down to the Davidson River Campgrounds (our start/finish). Adam quickly shot up the mountain, and shortly after Charlie was off in the distance. I ran and hiked up the steep sections at my own pace. The day was perfect and the foliage was colorful.

After our aid station I took a right on the Mountains to Sea Trail. I headed up that trail for a little over ten miles and then I decided to hit the asphalt on Blue Ridge Parkway. I had planned to run to hwy276 and hitch I ride back to my car, which is when I saw all the guys on the side of the road waving at me. We all dropped our ambitious goal of 43 miles at mile 30. After over 9,000 feet of gain and 30 miles I was done for the day. I was able to find gas and make it back home with my car.

I would like to come back and finish this one day!

Hinson Lake 24

I enjoyed my time last year at The Hinson Lake 24hr and I was looking forward to another great 24 hour run with Tom and his family. This would be another year that Hinson Lake was in the month of Ramadan. Also, a week prior to the race hurricane Ike hit the coast of Texas which has caused and continues to cause a gasoline shortage in the southeast and specifically in Western North Carolina. I was forced to wait 40 minutes in line to fill up my take Friday before the race. It was either that or not make it to Rockingham.

We started at 8am and I was running a 10 minute pace. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep that pace, but felt good starting off. After running the first loop I realized how muddy the second half of the trail was and knew that the more feet pounding that section of trail, the more sloppy it would get. It reminded me of the time I got stuck in the mud in our safari Land Cruiser in the middle of the Ngoro Ngoro crater. All up in it with the lions, water buffalo, and other exotic wild animals.

Hinson Lake is a 1.52 mile loop that circles Hinson Lake in Rockingham, NC. It was muggy and humid that morning. My shorts were drenched within a few loops. I started off running with Scott Brockmeier. We got lost in discussions of Russian adventures and I lost track of how many loops I had run. After about 10 loops I pulled back and let Scott go, he later went on to win the event running an amazing 79 loops totaling 120.58 miles!

After about 10 loops I took a little break and lied down, I was feeling a little tired. I grabbed a few salty potatoes and went on my way. I met many failure faces and a few new ultra runners. Along the way I ran into Laura who is always in the greatest of spirits. It was her birthday, and she was celebrating. I also ran into Lane who I met briefly at the Florida Keys 100, it was great to connect.

After a few more loops I began to feel hungry and sleepy. I usually don’t have these feelings, but I thought it might be due to the fasting of the last 23 days. I took a 15 minute nap and then drove off to a Wendy’s and grabbed a spicy chicken sandwich. I gobbled it up, it was great.

After my friends had learned of my side trip I quickly gained the trail name spicy chicken. I didn’t mind. At this point I was walking and running and talking to my new trail buddies. It took about 3 loops for the spicy chicken to settle in.

After 27 loops I talked myself out of the race. I sat down in my lawn chair and could feel a throbbing blister on my right foot. I had fun, but I was going to bail on the remainder of the run. I cheered a few runners and just sat in my chair for 45 minutes or so.

I was getting yelled at by this point and got up to walk a loop with Byron. I then decided to up the mileage to 50 for the day and was happy to finish with that. It took me 11:50 to wrap up Hinson Lake. Next year I plan to finish all 24 hours!

Mt. Rogers 5,729 ft (1746M)

This past weekend I made the trip to the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area for the first time. Most of this recreation area is in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. 78 miles of the Appalachian Trail runs thru the recreation area. Mt. Rogers is also the highest point in Virginia. The trail up to the summit is 4.5 miles one way. After running past the ponies reaching the summit I ran on the AT for a short spur of 3 miles.

The day was beautiful and abundant with sunshine. I ran back to the parking lot finishing well before my friends that had planned to hike at a fast pace. I decided to run down to the welcome center from the parking lot giving me a total mileage of just under 15 miles.

100 Fasting Miles in Ramadan

Today is the third day of the month fasting, the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the 9^th lunar month in the Islamic calendar. I always look forward to Ramadan because it is a month of self-restraint and is an amazing way to purify and clear you entire body. I always find my running stronger during and after a long fast. The fasting starts at sunrise and ends at sunset for 30 consecutive days.

This year I have committed to run 100 fasting miles. 60-30 minutes before the sun sets, at the time I am most dehydrated, and at the time when my stomach searches for empty calories. Running while in a state of fast is truly a challenge. Last year I ran a handful of miles which I thought were difficult. You really have to reach deep within to be able to run.

The Running of Laurel Valley

Claude Sinclair put’s on the Laurel Valley 35miler on the Foothills Trail. This race is 100% self supported, and is run in August intentionally so it can be hot as hell. This year fortunately the high never broke 90 degrees, it was at least 10 degrees cooler from last year.

I was running with Bedford, John T., Jim Musselman for most of the trail. I ended up finishing with Jim in 8:01:06. Great run!