Red, White, and Blue for 26.2

(photo courtesy of Bobby Gill)

There was a certain superhero that made an appearance at the 34th Marine Corps Marathon. Each year, thousands of active duty US Marines come out to volunteer at the People's marathon. In order to show his gratitude for the service that these brave men and women have made to their country, he ran the entire 26.2 mile course with a flag in hand. On his front he wore a sign that simply read "Thank you Marines". Just a small thanks to our brave military. The Flash is a fictional superhero, but the men and women of the US military are real heros.


The Marathon:

The Marine Corps Marathon is attended by thousands of US Marines, and also many other active/former military. I knew carrying the American Flag meant alot of responsibility. I feared wearing the costume might seem like I was mocking the flag, so I made sure it was properly flying at all times. In the nation's capitol, anyone who dares carry the flag, better do so with respect. I had laid down some rules for running with it.

1. Stars must fly in the upper left corner.
2. Unless at a water stop, I will NOT be seen walking with the flag
3. Run at all times and show no sign of fatigue
4. Never let the flag touch the ground
5. Allow servicemen/women to salute the flag
6. Allow any military person to carry the flag if they ask
7. Keep the flag raised as high as possible, especially through crowded streets. It must be clearly visible at all times
8. Acknlowledge the fact that the run is about the Flag and troops, not the costume
9. If I cannot keep rules 1-8 intact, I should give the flag up to someone who can

At 8am the cannon blast roared, and I pushed through the crowded city streets. I had no intention of running fast. The first five miles were at 9:30 pace. Within the first hour several things became very obvious. It was going to be a very grueling run in the costume. It was much hotter than the '08 milkshake costume because my legs, head, and arms were covered. Temperatures exceeded the forcasted 58 degree high and climbed to 65 degrees. The second clear fact was that the flag, although only a few lbs, would be harder to carry than I thought. The final fact was that the flag was inspiring alot of people.

The reaction from the crowds was the same from Georgetown to the Iwo Jima memorial. Already lively folks would cheer upon seeing the costume, and cheer louder when I pointed to the flag. Runners came up beside me to get their photo taken with the Flash. On other occasions military runners requested to run a few moments with the flag, or beside it. It was an honor having these true heroes running with me. When seeing the flag, the Marines volunteering would stop, put their feet together and give a salute. Gripping and inspiring.

While it was easy to get caught up with all the attention, I wanted to be perfectly clear that I wanted the attention on the American flag and the Marines.

The rest of the marathon went on with the same enthusiasm. I'd gave a high five to the Georgetown bull dog, and shout outs to the high school bands. Although it became increasingly difficult throughout the marathon, I kept a smile on my face, and the flag held high. I was particularly touched around mile 11. I stopped to tie my shoe laces, so I asked a bystander to hold the American flag for me. Without hesitation he grabbed the flag and held it as high as he could. He held it with pride and dignity. I realized what an honor it was for him to have that one moment. I realized what an honor I had to carry the red, white, and blue for 26.2 miles.

By mile 23 I was starting to feel the effects of major deydration. I had been drinking 3-5 cups of water and poweraid at each stop. I ate sport beans and orange slices when possible, but still I was losing water weight at a rapid pace. The last two miles were a struggle, but I was determined to show no sign of fatigue. Afterall, would the real Flash get tired? The American flag must stay in strong hands. Up the final hill I pushed through to the finish.

Although time was not a consideration in this run, I did manage to finish in 3:58:55. It was considerably slower than the 3:29:45 I ran the previous year in the milkshake costume. My biceps and shoulders are sore from carrying the flag for almost four hours. A slight discomfort, and well worth it.

Thank you Marines. Semper Fidelis "Always Faithful"

Mauna Kea Revisited

Top to Bottom- Mauna Kea from Hilo Bay, the access road, and me getting winded at 13,000 ft and saying "why am I doing this?"

It's been two years since I summitted Hawaii's Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea literally translates as "White Mountain" , and I have had the priviledge of being there during the snow season. Yes, it snows in Hawaii. Located on the Big Island, Mauna Kea is the highest mountain in the Pacific, standing at 13,796 ft. It is a dormant shield volcano and from the ocean floor to the summit it is the tallest mountain in the world!

The reason why I did the ascent was simple. It's a beautiful place and very few people do the full round circuit hike. I began my morning at sea level and drove an hour and a half to the Mauna Kea visitors center. After only 45 minutes of acclimation I sign the waivers so I can begin my way up the mountain. Running at altitude can be tough, but running at altitude when you began your day at sea level can be just plain brutal.

The gravel road begins at 9,000 ft and winds up the mountain for 9 miles to 13,796 ft. After a few seconds of running, I realize the trail is too steep and I begin a long power hike to the summit. An hour went by, and I guessed I was a few thousand feet into the climb. That was until I passed the 10,000 ft marker a few minutes later. The thinner air was already making the climb seem longer. For a brief second, I had a hard time imagining doing this brutal ascent for nearly four thousand more feet. Flatlander from Virginia+altitude=lung busting effort

As I went further up the mountain the lack of oxygen was clearly slowing me down. I kept moving forward and kept putting one foot in front of the other. I was getting more adjusted to the altitude, but not fast enough to compensate. I passed 11,000 ft, then 12,000. Mauna Kea seemed like it just kept going up. I would get over one massive volcanic hill, and see more on the horizon. My surroundings started off as arrid desert, then slowly transitioned to fine red volcanic sand. I hiked through stinging light rain, sunshine, fog, and whipping winds. Finally, I came to a stretch where I could see the true summit. I saw that I had about a mile to go, but also a very steep climb. This last particular incline is so steep that its combination with the altitude has been known to frequently stall out cars.

As I crested the top I was welcomed by the sight of several space observatories. Mauna Kea has perhaps the clearest skies on the planet and air that has been purified by several thousand miles of ocean. Having never hiked significantly above 6,000 feet before, this felt like the longest nine miles I had ever hiked. However, I was not at the true summit. I ran down into the mountain's culdera, and climbed about 100 feet to the true summit and a small shrine to the fire goddess Pele. Above the clouds I could see the ocean from all 360 degrees. It was a sight straight from a dream. I took a short video, some photos, ate a little, and hurried to get out of the cold. The temperature was 87 degrees in Hilo, 77 at the start of the run, and a windy 37 at the summit.

The run down was so steep my feet felt like they were on fire. As the altitude decreased I could feel my lungs growing stronger and stronger. Soon I was back at the visitor's center to verify my return from the summit. Though it took me 2 hours and 35 minutes to reach the summit, it only took 1 hour and 25 minutes to get back and check back in with the ranger.

All in all, it was a rare, beautiful experience that I will never forget.

Healing and Recovering

It's been five days since MMT and the car accident. If the accident never happened, then I would have probably been running on monday. The only reason my legs would have been fresh enough to run monday is because I only "ran" 52 miles at MMT, and about 25 miles of that was slow walking. However, since the accident DID happen, I have only managed to walk minimally.

Monday and Tuesday were both painful and sleepless days. Monday I finally fell asleep at 6am. Yes, I was up all night and fell asleep the next morning. My legs felt like a five alarm fire and I squirmed around alot in my bed. By the time Tuesday rolled around my internal clock was way off due to having about six hours of total sleep since Friday. On Wednesday I started my first day of work at my new job.

It is now Friday evening. I just got back from the gym and did my first weight lifting workout in over a week. I did not do anything with the legs. My left leg feels perfect. It only suffered some minor abrasions, although I was picking broken glass out of it for several hours after the wreck. My right leg got the worst of it. As if the cuts from the airbag, windshield, and dashboard weren't enough, let's toss a fully grown man on top of it. It looks like Freddy Kreuger's face, and feels like Freddy slashed it with his claws. Almost all of the original layer of skin is gone, and the layers that were scraped off went pretty deep. Wednesday I took the bandages off for good, and the wound has started to scab over. Nice huh? The skin has grown very tight around the wound and has limited the flexibility of my leg. I am hoping that the scar tissue will have more elasticity and I can regain my full range of motion. Other than that there is still a little bit of swelling, although not nearly as much as earlier in the week.

As the days go by I will be able to assess a good starting point for running again. Until today, I have been walking with a noticeable limp. If I sit for a long period of time I have a harder time walking then if I have been up and about for a while. Once I'm on my feet things start to feel better quickly. That being said, it may be another week until I can walk normally. Perhaps after that I may start doing some light eliptical workouts, or swim when the pools open. Honestly, I think it will be two to three more weeks before I consider even a light jog. Thankfully with my new job and the return of some of my best friends Iwill be able to fill my new found time with plenty of fun.

MMT- Never a dull moment

My race:

A nice cool 5:00am start, in which I ran the first 2.4 road miles in 18 minutes to the Buzzard Rock trail head. I ran smooth and well paced for the first 24.7 miles arriving at Habron gap at 9:41am. I was being conservative for the remaining 77 miles, and felt in complete control. The weather was warm, but overcast and generally comortable until about 10am. A friend at an aid station told me that Bryon Powell had picked me for a top ten finish on his popular iRunFar blog. Flattering, but I am glad I didn't know that before the race, because my only goal was to finish.

After leaving Habron, it became very hot on the next long climb. Over the next four hours we would encounter very hot and humid temperatures. By mile 27 my body stopped sweating. I had noticed my bandana and arms were bone dry when they should have been soaked. Many runners ran with empty bottles, and I made sure to refill and soak in the streams. During the long 9.5 miles to Camp Roosevelt I felt nauseus, dizzy, and tired. On the decent down to the Stephen's trail I came across runner #130 (Martin) who was limping badly. He had rolled his ankle pretty good so I decided to stick with him for a bit and keep him company. We had a nice conversation, sometimes an expletive would pop up as he tripped over the rocks. We joked around, and when the trail became less rocky he told me to move on.

The 9.5 miles to Camp Roosevelt took over three hours. The day remained toasty, the horse flies were eating me alive, and I still felt like poop. Entering Gap Creek at mile 39.8 we ecountered our first thunderstorm. The rain brought a welcome cool down, and I had a great second wind on Kerns Mountain. The high point was short lived and I was feeling lousy again all the way to Bird Knob. It was weird how my legs felt fine. I had no blisters, feet felt good, and nothing was really hurting. However, my energy was gone and I couldn't take advantage of the fresh legs. I was drinking a lot, sweating again, and eating well. Apparently it was not enough and my body was not getting the needed energy from the food and liquids (including lots of salt).

The climb up Bird Knob was slow and frustrating. I was averaging two miles per hour, which was slow enough to endanger me at later cut-offs. At the top of Bird Knob the booming rumble of thunder and black blouds rolled closer. Within minutes I was being pelted by heavy rain, wind, and stinging hail. The lightning was getting kind of sketchy and the temperature was actually getting cold.


In a matter of minutes we went from 80's to 60's. The trails turned into streams that were several inches deep. The rain was cold, and my slow walk wasn't enough to stay warm. I had no dry/warm clothes for another 15 miles. The sun was getting lower and I was beginning to shiver from the cold alot. To think that five hours ago I was suffering major dehydration from the heat, and now I was close to hypothermic. At my slow and feeble pace it would take at least five hours to get to my next drop bag. I knew I would not make that long cold and wet. I dropped at 52 miles, and sat in a car for three hours until the aid station closed down.

The Accident: At 1:00am myself, volunteer Harry Smith, and runner Bill Wandel were making our way back to the Skyline Ranch. Harry was driving, it was raining on and off, and the roads were very slick. As we were coming down Fort Valley rd, just five miles from the ranch, our Jeep's right wheels slid off the road. Harry thinks his vision of the road may have been hindered by headlights from a car coming around the turn. With no shoulders on the road, the Jeep took a slanted dive towards a creek bed. We slammed head on with a tree at about 35-40mph. Harry yelled "hold on, we're gonna hit!".

I was half asleep, but fully awake during the seconds before impact. It was a loud crunch, and then everything was over. I had no idea if the jeep was going to flip, slide down to the creek bottom, or hit something. It was a relief to still be conscious, but I felt a burning sensation in my legs, and Bill Wandel(who was in the back seat) was now on my lap. I did not know if mylegs were cut, bruised, or perhaps broken.


The seconds before impact are the scariest, but the minute afterward is hectic when you're trying to figure out what your body looks like in a smoke filled vehicle. The Jeep had filled with powder from the airbags and the odor began to have a suffocating effect with the windows closed. I asked Bill if he was ok, and he said he couldn't move. I was forced to crawl out of the drivers side door, which was now pointing up towards the road. I was worried the Jeep would still flip, or slide down the embankment, but a large rock had been holding it in place. The same rock, however, also prevented us from opening the passenger side door to get to Bill.

After about five minutes we pulled Bill out of the car, and he seemed to be in shock. Bill leaned against the Jeep for ten minutes as we waited to flag down any passing cars. It was a surreal sight standing out in the rainy dark while our Jeep was sitting smashed off the side of the road. The headlights pointed aimlessly through the trees, and the horn sounded a continuous buzz.

Shortly after two women were able to call 911, but it was still about 25-30 minutes after the crash that the fire department and ambulance showed up. Bill was the first to get treated and was placed in the ambulance. EMT's tended to my abrasions and cuts, and brought Bill to the hospital for further review. Bill was not wearing his seat belt, and his head shattered the front windshield. He also hit the dashboard with tremendous force, thus causing some cracked ribs and other internal injuries. We are all hoping his wounds are minimal.

Back to MMT:

Men's race: Karl Meltzer won more than two hours ahead of second. Mike Mason had a ground breaking performance taking 3rd behind Glen Redpath, and Keith Knipling finished a tough day looking strong to take fourth. Todd Walker was having a great race, but got lost and told me he ended up running 105 miles instead. Potential contenders Bradley Mondgold and Jeremy Ramsey did not start due to sickness/injury. Darkhorse pick Nick Pedatella, whom I passed on the way to Habron Gap, dropped due to injury, as well as Karsten Brown.

Women's race: Amy Sproston took first, and challenged Sue Johnston's legendary course record pace early in the day . She was my pick to win, and I called it saying she would finish top ten overall. She finished 10th. Sheryl Wheeler came out of nowhere and made a late push during the night to take second. Robin Meagher held on for 3rd.

Today's MMT saw the greatest number of drops ever, due mostly to the extreme and unpredictable weather. Anybody who finished this race would be qualified to teach a course on toughness and fortitude. Congrats to all finishers. And last, but not least thanks to all the volunteers who spent days in the same rough conditions to help us out.

***Accident update 10:30am 5/18/09***
I heard from Harry Smith this morning, who was the driver in the accident. He said Bill Wandel should be getting out of the Winchester hospital today with minor injuries. Bill is feeling well and his spirits are good. I had a very restless night due to the burning pain in my right leg. I changed out the bandages and took some ibuprofin and fell asleep at 6am. I am feeling much better, but still a bit sleep deprived. Overall, I thank God that no one was seriously hurt. We're all very thankful.

MMT Training Run #2...Lost, and found

MMT 100 Training Academy is sponsored by VHTRC and Mr. Tom Corris

Today was supposed to be a 25 mile jaunt from Camp Roosevelt to Woodstock Tower. Once again I managed to get insanely lost. I am truly an idiot. I brought no turn sheet, never checked the map, and ran the course like it was the Ring and not MMT. I have had it so ingrained in my head that I must always follow orange(the Massanutten Trail blaze) that I will follow no other color.

Today we were supposed to run the MMT and then turn off on a blue blaze at mile 3.5. Well goofy Mike missed the turn and continued another 13.5 miles in the wrong direction! I went up the extremely steep Waterfall Mountain, an inappropriately tough climb on any day, and then proceeded on to the next mountain(Kerns). I had remembered someone telling me that Waterfall Mountain is not part of the MMT course. That's when I knew I was nowhere near where I should be, and that I must have missed a turn way long ago in a galaxy far, far away. The big problem was that with all the back tracking and miscellaneous wandering, I had logged over 17 miles with no food or water. The closest aid, would have been another 11 miles away, and I had no idea how to get there.

So I am stuck on some mountain, Crisman Hollow Road to be exact, freezing my butt off, and I am very lost. I wander up and down the roads and trails and yell for assistance. I see no people, and see no cars. I was getting very worried that I would have to hike 20+ more miles to get back, and risk getting caught in a cold rain shower at night. After about a half hour two hunters drive by. My face is so numb that my words come out all gibberish. After some puzzled looks, I rub my face and get it warm enough to spout out at least one coherent sentence. The guys couldn't offer a ride, but suggested going to the "ranger" station down the road. 15 minutes later another car passes. It is a father and son. The dad seems very hesitant to let me in, but finally offers a ride down to the "ranger" office. The office is closed and I am left off route 211, and the father and son drive off. They were obviously a little out of their comfort zone giving me a lift, but I appreciated it. I knew nobody from the club was going to pass anytime in the next few weeks.

Not too long I managed to get a lift from a nice Latino fellow. His idea was to take me to the New Market police dept and have them gimme a lift back to Woodstock where my car was. The municipal building was closed, and on top of that the nice Latino guy was driving with a suspended license. And to think he was helping me find a police officer? Finally we find an officer parked outside a 7-Eleven(save the jokes for later). However the New Market police cannot offer a ride outside their Jurisdiction. I have no money,no cell phone, and have no phone numbers memorized. Dispatch informs that no one from the VHTRC has reported missing a long haired Asian dude roaming the mountains. Wow? Did they really think it took me over five hours to run 8 miles. I can tell I was really missed ;-)....At long last a Shenandoah County officer agrees to meet the New Market officer at a Sheetz in Mount Jackson. What's with the rendezvous at all the gas stations? Every now and then I would hear over the police radio " we have individual in transit, and we are en route to the transfer location". Man oh man. I felt like Americas most wanted, kinda like Bonnie and Clyde...just with no Bonnie..and no actual crimes. Several looong hours later I arrive at Woodstock tower in my police escort. God knows what a klutz people think I am.

Icy 8 Hour Trail Run

We had about 70 runners at the first annual Icy 8 Hour trail run. It is called "Icy" because it is held in February, and because it was 26 degrees when we started. The course allows for runners to choose either a 4.7 or 8 miles loop, and you can combine loops at any time during the run. The course was rolling hills, fast, and a bit bumpy because of horse tracks. The only thing is that only completed laps count, thus you get no credit for partial laps. This would become a little tricky later in the day when I tried to figure how to maximize my mileage.

Upon starting I recognized a couple fast runners, and figured I could possibly finish well, if I played it smart. Francesca Conte and Russell Gill, both team Montrail runners added some fun to the mix, and my bud Justin Faul who is consistently a strong runner also seemed like a challenger. Mike Huff, a US Marine and fellow VHTRC member, had recently been running very well. Speedsters Scott Buttz and Thad Meyer were also key players. I also figured there would be a few sleepers who would have good races.

My game plan was to run only 4.7 mile loops. I had figured on a good day I could get in 11 loops for 51.7 miles. Pacing was good early on. I chatted it up a bit with a few friends on the first loop, which we ran at an easy effort. I ran right through the aid point at the end of the first loop which created a little separation early. I made sure to look as fresh as possible when I passed other speedy runners in hopes of gaining a little mental edge on them. Even if my overall pace was a 9 minute mile, I wanted them to think I was dropping sub 8's all day. I hit my marathon split at 3:45, and my 50k split in 4:39. I was not really focused on any other runners, because it was impossible to tell how far everyone had run until the end. Several folks were running really fast in the later hours of the race, but I found out they were on relay teams. Frannie Conte looked like the biggest contender since she was always flying when she passed me. It turned out that she stopped at 33.6 miles. Other than Frannie, there were a handful of other folks that still looked really strong.

At about mile 32, I started to slow down a lot, eventually dropping to a 10 minute mile. I knew I wanted to run at least 50 miles, so with two hours left I needed to redo my strategy. I had run 38.6 miles in six hours, so I chose to run one 8 mile loop and one 4.7 mile loop to bring my total to 50.3. I went out on the eight mile loop fast, and was back to running 8 minute miles, but bonked hard towards the end and finished the loop in 70 minutes. I now had fifty two minutes to complete my final 4.7 mile loop. At this time of the day the temperatures had risen to the upper sixties and was feeling quite warm. The ground which was frozen in the morning had become very muddy and slippery. Even with the slushy footing I made a final push to complete my last loop in 49 minutes. Total mileage was 50.3, and my 50 mile split was around 7:53.

A very personal highlight for me was having my parents at the race. They were able to see me come running through the check point after having run 45.6 miles, and then see me again when I finished. It was the first race that they got to see me actively running, and first race they saw me finish. At the awards presentation there were over 30 runners who completed a 50k or more. That is an incredible number, with a few first timers as well. The race director then gave out the awards for 3rd and 2nd place, both had tied for 44.6 miles, but the 2nd place went to the runner that completed it faster. I knew that my 50.3 miles had been good enough for first. The truth is, I had actually already won the race before I even went out on my last loop. Regardless, my parents got to see my first race, and had a chance to see my first ever 1st place finish. Pretty sweet and satisfying! In the end I reminded myself that much faster runners could have completed 55-60 miles, but on any given day who knows who will show up? I was just blessed that on this day, I was able to run just a little bit further. I also think that strategy was almost as important as speed in events like this.

On the whole, I recommend this race series. You get a nice technical shirt, good food, chip timing, and a pretty location at Lake Anna State park. I may have to hit up the 12 hour this fall, but think I will hold off on the 24 hour.