Skyline Challenge 50k

July 10th, 2010
Start time: 6:00am

The Skyline Challenge 50k is a 31.4 mile trail race held in Gore, VA. It's located very close to the Virginia/West Virginia border near Winchester, VA. This was the second running of the event, but in a different location than it's innaugural run.

Recap: I drove up to Gore, VA with my fellow Harrisonburg friend Natalie Kennedy the night before the race. We drove 2 hours through pouring rain, fog, and more pouring rain. It became clear that tommorow's race was going to be wet and muddy, but perhaps a bit cooler than the 100 degree temps we had the previous week.

After arriving at the Cove Campground in Gore we had the park attendants pull up the doppler radar, which showed a massive green blob of rain hovering over the area until morning. Being the tough, rugged, athletes we are, Natalie and I opted to book a room at the local Marriott instead. A few Marriott mess ups later, we found ourselves in a large luxury suite complete with flat screen HD tv's and two private rooms for just $80. Yeah, we were roughing it.

After perhaps the best pre-50k night's sleep ever, I woke up at 4am to a dark rainy morning. At 5:15am I grabbed my #5 bib and waited around for the start.

The Numbers: I have an uncanny way of finishing races very close to my bib number. This is all coincidence since my bib number, which is usually low, is based purely on an alphabetical system. Thus my last name Bailey usually ends up with a low bib. A guy like Sean Andrish, however, would have a low bib either way due to having a low seeding, and a last name that starts with A.

Anyway, with bib #5, I made my impromptu goal a top five finish. Was this a bit too optimistic just 5 weeks "recovered" from a 100 mile race? Read on to find out.

After a quick prayer the race started promptly at 6:02am and all 127 runners were off. With overcast skies, rain, and fog, it was still considerably dark out for a 6am start. I started off fairly conservative and felt no need to chase down the 10 or so runners ahead of me. However, about a half mile down the first road I caught up with the lead runners who were all surprisingly just standing around in bewilderment. Apparently, the frontrunners had missed a turn? A few moments later the remaining 120+ runners joined up with us, thus creating a mass of runners once again clumped together. As runners began to figure out the course markings, all the of lead runners found themselves behind the back of the pack runners. I went from being in the top 10 to virtually last place in a matter of seconds. Yowza! This was the most bizarre start to a race I have ever run.

For the next few minutes I picked my way past the back of the pack, the middle of the pack, and then closer to the front. I honestly tried to pass people as carefully as possible, and admittedly knew it must have looked weird for the last place runner to come frantically blasting through the field. Soon enough the craziness of the first mile passed, and I found myself with the obstacle of climbing several miles of steep, 18% grade, muddy trails. The footing was so slick that I literally had to grab branches and small shrubs to keep myself from sliding back down the mountain. I can't imagine what these climbs must have been like for the last place runners after hundreds of feet had already mushed up the surface.

After the mud there was some more climbing, less steep, much more runnable, and traction friendly. Once we hit the Tuscarora Trail is was go time! The trail was rocky, but not nearly like the debris fields that are the Massanutten trails. I made good time here and passed a few folks, ran by the fog blockaded overlooks, and made my way to the steep half mile powerline aid station (mile 9ish). This short out and back spur gave me the first view of the runners about 5 minutes ahead of me and the runners 5 minutes behind. I counted about six runners ahead, including elite female Eva Pastalkova, and ultra legend Courtney Campbell. Unfortunately, I didn't know if there were others even furthur ahead that had already gone through. At this point, I presumed I might have been somwhere between 10-15th place. I had no idea, and just decided to run my own pace and not worry about my placement. On my way out of aid station I saw my friend and local speedster Andrew Jenner just a minute or two back, and buddies Tom Syre and Joe Parker about 4 minutes back and gave them a quick shout out.

Once I got back to the main trail I was again back to some quick ridgeline running. Andrew Jenner caught up to me and followed me down some steep and slippery switchbacks down the mountain. There were about a half dozen blow downs that broke up any fast running and were a little tricky to navigate around. However, after the switchbacks ended it was a few miles a fast downhill followed by 8 miles of rolling roads. On the road section my buddy Andrew passed me and it seemed like he was really hitting a groove. I still managed to catch up to Eva Pastalkova and enjoyed sharing some good conversation with her until the course turn around at mile 17. Eva recently moved to Virginia, and has taken the east coast ultra community by storm. Knowing how strong of a runner she was, I was pretty content to just follow her lead and maintain the pace.

Just before the turn around, race director Brad Hinton, drove by and said me and Eva were the 5th and 6th place runners. Surely that wasn't correct? As we neared the turn around we still hadn't seen any other runners. I had expected to see the first runners well before then, but low and behold they were just minutes from the aid station when they passed us. This is the moment my competitive juices clicked and I shifted into a second gear. I pulled away from Eva at the turn around and pursued the leaders. The long road section, much of which was downhill before, was now going to be uphill on the way back. I resolved to just put my head down and keep moving forward.

Retracing the course wasn't really fun, but I got to see every other runner in the race, and gave shouts of encouragement whenever I could. The energy from seeing the other runners was enough to get me running all of the uphill back to those notoriously steep switchbacks that we came down 10 miles ago. On the way up the big climb back to the ridgeline I caught up with Courtney Campbell(which is a guy). Courtney was one of the most dominant utlrarunners in the country from 1995-2004, and it was really an honor to get a chance to chat with him for a bit as we headed up the switchbacks. Courtney semi-jokingly said he was "a shell of his former self", to which I replied "the shell of your former self is still ahead of me!". He's not as fast as he was in his prime, but at age 45 the guy can still fly. Once we hit the top of the climb and were back on ridgeline Courtney took off, and I was sure I wouldn't see him again. Still, I regrouped and pushed the pace, eventually catching up to and passing my friend Andrew who was going through a bit of a rough patch.

I kept the good tempo going and made my way back to the powerline section which was now fully visable without the fog. Man it looked way steeper than in the morning when you couln't see ALL the way to the aid station. Surprisingly, I had caught up to Courtney and when we left the final aid station together there was nobody in sight. Just before reaching the Tuscarora one last time we saw John Hayward moving quick, and he was only a few minutes behind us. This was enough motivation for me and Courtney to run some sub 7 minute miles in the last 4 downhill miles of the race and ensure our position, and his Master's win. As we neared the finish I asked if Courtney was ok with finishing together and he politely obliged. I will admit that I got a little worried that he was going to drop me near the end since he is such a fast downhill runner, and I'm still working on it.

That being said, we hit the last mile of flat road to the finish and casually jogged it in holding hands as we crossed the finish in a time of 5:16. It was very classy of Courtney to share a 3rd place overall finish with a much younger runner like myself, and he still won the Master's division. To be fair, in his prime, Courtney would have finished thirty to forty minutes ahead of me. John Hayward, who chased us most of the day had a terrific run and finished just six minutes behind us despite starting a few minutes late. First place had a time of 4:55, and second place was Brian Greeley in 5:08.

The Skyline Challenge 50k is a very good run. It is well organized and the post race atmosphere/food was terrific. There is a big lake you can swim in after the run, and plenty of space to camp. The course is tougher than it looks on paper, containing about 6,000 feet of vertical, technical trail, steep climbs, but also some quick road sections. The "thrify fifty" option costs only $20, and is well worth it to run this beautiful course. Thanks to James and Brad Hinton, Athletic Equation, and all the volunteers on a great event. I hope to be back soon!

Great job local runners and friends!

Andrew Jenner 5:33 6th overall
Joe Parker 5:44 11th overall
Tom Syre 6:29 top 25
Natalie Kennedy 8:13

Old Dominion 100

June 5th-6th, 2010.

The 32nd Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run began at 4am this past saturday morning at the Shenandoah Valley fairgrounds. 55 runners embarked on a day of 90 degree temps, high humidity, and swampy evening conditions. This event, years removed from the days of 100+ runners, seems to be regaining strength in the wake of "politics" and the increasingly popular Massanutten Mountain Trails. Sadly, in previous years there have been as few as 25 entrants to this race. Old Dominion is the 2nd oldest 100 mile foot race in the country and only the famed Western States 100 is older. Due to not getting into MMT this year, the rich history of Old Dominion, and being home turf, I decided in mid May to enter.

The first fifty miles of this race are fast. There are only a few major climbs, lots of road, and only a couple rolling hills. In a little over an hour I reached the top of Woodstock Gap, still very much in the dark, and followed by dozens of headlamps in the distance. We arrived at the first crew access point, mile 19.6, and I commented that the time was really flying by. I hit my marathon split in 4:10, and my 50k in 4:55. I spent most of the morning running with Abran Moore who was on his 3rd attempt after two DNF's at earning his coveted sterling silver buckle. Abran went on to run a very strong second half and finished in 20:12, finally earning his buckle! 5 hours 8 minutes into the run, I pulled into the Four Points aid station at mile 32.5. When I arrived, the drop bags had not arrived yet. Without a crew, I had no access to my gels, second water bottle, and s caps. This was the only time I can say I was concerned about logistics. Thankfully, an awesome volunteer let me borrow a water bottle and salt caps. During the morning I also ran back and fourth with Montrail runner, and eventual female winner (19:54), Sabrina Moran until she took off for good around mile 35.

All in all, the early miles went as expected. Things felt easy, runners were still social and upbeat, but that is to be expected before the miles strip it away. Despite muggy conditions early on, I maintained a pretty solid pace and wasn't too far out of reach of leaders Bobby Gill and David Ruttum through Four Points II, the 47.7 mile aid station. The time keepers said I was just 8 minutes back of Moran, and closing the gap on Brad Hinton. After crossing the 50 mile point of the race in a fairly relaxed time of 8:38 it was obvious that we were now entering the hottest, and most exposed part of the day. It was around a road climb at mile 52 where I caught and passed a struggling Hinton. Brad was last year's second place finisher, however, this was not one of his good days and he would drop at the next aid station. Meanwhile, sparse flagging over Moreland gap road caused me some confusion and I chose to run back a half mile on the course only to realize I was going the correct way. One bonus mile for the day.

Entering Edinburg Gap (mile 56) I was in 4th place and still feeling strong despite the conditions. I realistically wanted to make a run for a top 3, but knew the three folks ahead of me were all legit runners who could maintain their pace. I also had hopes for a sub 20 hour finish, which would require an 11 hour 22 minute second half over tougher terrain. As I changed socks, I noticed I was developing some problamatic blisters on my left foot, which may have been a result of wearing Brooks ST4 racing flats for 56 miles. I decided to swap into my half size larger Nike Pegasus, and wore them for the remainder of the race. The steep climb up the ATV trail was challenging yet went by quick. Ironically, it was the smooth downhill off the mountain that gave my feet the most issues as my beat up toes painfully hit the toebox on the downward grade. Hesitantly, I opted to walk sections of the downhill which I would have otherwise hammered hard. Through mile 60, I was still in 4th place overall, but the downhill walking provided opportunity for three runners to pass me, including my buddy Abran.

At the Little Fort aid station, mile 64.25, I was welcome by my old friends Mr. and Mrs. Pugh. Their son introduced me to ultras in 2004, and they have managed the Little Fort aid station at OD for over a decade. Little Fort may very well be the best aid station on the entire course, and it is where I decided to get my left foot patched up. Leaving Little Fort, I renewed my running,thankfully with less discomfort than before. It was just a short jog up the road to a sign that said "65 miles, go right, 93 miles, go left". I think at that moment it hit me just how rediculously far running 100 miles is. I had run 65 miles and still had 35 to go. During miles 65-75 I repeated a part of the morning road section and indulged in some fast trails leading into the 75 mile Elizabeth Furnace aid area.

Most people would agree that miles 75-86.5 are the toughest at Old Dominion. In short, I concur. Leaving mile 75 I started feeling queezy. Was it the hard pace through the first 100k? Was it the 30+ gels consumed? Who knows? All, I know is I couldn't stomach anything for the next 12 miles. Oddly enough, I managed to be very agressive up the notorious Sherman Gap climb and made it to the Veach East(mile 82) aid area in the waning minutes of daylight. From mile 82-86.5 I hit my lowest point. During the long climb out of Veach East I was running on fumes. I had now gone 3 hours without any calories, and my energy was completely gone. I took a few rest breaks up the mountain and got passed by two more non-bonking runners. I will admit that the 6.5 miles between mile 80 and 86.5 seemed like the longest I have ever run, or walked.

Leaving Veach Gap west, mile 86.5, my stomach starting coming around and I started laying down a few quick miles. Afterall, aside from sore hip flexors, my muscles still felt very good. The night section of the race felt surreal. The on and off rain throughout the evening made it feel like a sauna. With a headlamp on there was maybe 50-100 feet of visibility, and the fog was so dense you literally see the water vapor in the air. Lack of course flagging, perhaps a streamer every half mile, and the thick mist caused for more than a couple "oh crap, did I miss a turn?" moments. Though I lost a few minutes trying to figure out the intersections, I got lucky and came across Carter Weicking who thankfully was out remarking the course after we found out some locals were the culprits of the missing flagging.

At mile 93, I reached the top of Woodstock Gap for the last time. I could see the glow of the town lights below and it was a welcome site. I knew it was a mile of steep switchbacks down the mountain, and another couple miles of hilly country road, and three miles into the town of Woodstock. My stomach issues would linger for the remainder of the run, so I opted to just take it easy knowing that a silver buckle was now in the bag. From miles 80-100, I was only able to eat three gels, for a whopping 300 calories over the final 20 miles of the run. I made my way through empty town streets, the silence occasionally broken by the chirps of birds, or the grunts of local cows. Through the quiet night I patiently made my way back to the Shenandoah County fairgrounds,and completed the traditioned half mile lap around the horse track. I crossed the finish line at 1:52am with no spectators, no high fives, no fanfare, and no handshakes. I had run alone for nearly 50 miles of the race, and alone is how I finished. I made my way back to a friend's house for a shower, brushed my teeth, and hit the sack for a few hours of prescious sleep.

At 9am this morning we had our awards breakfast, and it was a great opportunity to share our great stories of the previous day's hardships, triumphs, and journeys. 100 mile races are a unique experience. You can never truly compare what your body and mind will go through in a 50k, or 50 miler with what takes place during 17-30 hours of constant forward motion. When I finished my first 100 miler in 2007 I could barely walk the few days after the event, and my legs and feet were swollen for days. This morning I woke up to find myself in amazingly good shape. There was obviously some minimal sorenss, but not much different than what I typically feal after a good effort at a 50k. My pre-race weight was 150 lbs, my post race weight was 146, thus a sign of good hydration and sodium managent during the day. I suffered only one small blister, one large blister on my big toe, and had a couple decent looking falls. Overall damage: not bad at all.

Thoughts on Old Dominion 100 as an event. I would classify race management as old school. Don't expect live updates, a slick website, or tons of race marketing. OD doesn't give out buckles for finishing under the cutoff like most 100 milers. However, if you do break 24 hours you will recieve one of the finest sterling silver buckles awarded at any ultra. That being said, they don't give out many buckles, and historically less than half the people who start the race will earn one. The race also boasts a drop out rate of nearly 50%. The OD course doesn't contain the rocky trails of MMT, the vertical climb of Grindstone, or the oxgyen deprivation of Leadville. It is truly 80% paved/dirt roads with about a dozen miles of gnarly trail, and a deceptive 14,000 feet of climb(the same as Leadville and Vermont). The course is significantly harder the second half, which leads to many folks going out too fast early and the June race date often results in very hot and humid conditions. For $135, which is cheaper than some 50 milers, I would recommend Old Dominion. The race itself and location are full of history,the volunteers amazing, and any Shenandoah area ultra runner should try experience this part of the valley.

-MB

What I Wear: Shoe Guide

New Balance 840 (11.6 oz) $85- These may have been my favorite trail shoe yet. Though listed at 11.6 ounces, they sure felt like they were closer to 10. These shoes had wonderful traction thanks to the cleat like design, and the low riding feel made me very confident running fast over rocky/uneven trails. I wore these when I wanted to bust out a fast 50k, or take on a challenging rock covered course. The range on this shoe had me PRing on the rocks of the Big Schloss 50k, to the roads and flat towpaths of the JFK 50. However, after 50 miles on the jagged Massanutten rocks, this shoe didn't quite provide enough protection (after 13 hours),and my feet started to hurt.The only other con is that the shoe started to lose its cushioning after "only" 7 ultramarathons and approx. 700 miles of training. Note: the 840 is no longer in production, otherwise I would keep wearing them.

New Balance MT100(7.8 oz) $75- Sorry,the picture wouldn't download. These shoes have been made famous by ultra stud/minimalists Kyle Skaggs and Tony Krupicka (crew-pitch-kuh). The shoe felt more cushioned, and more road friendly,than the previous NB 790. However, the shoe has retained a relatively agressive tread and a low to the ground feel. The lack of much of a tongue and racing flat design are intended to for efficient runners who want to go fast. Keep in mind that lack of weight means less rock protection. There are fewer overlays, and some people will find lateral transitions a bit sloshy. I wore this during a run on the rocky Massanutten mountain, and it did not grip well on the rocks. It was a bit sloppy for quick stride changes due to trail conditions. This will likely be a shoe people work up to running long in. For the right people, you could run 100 miles in it. I will personally be expecting this to function like a lighter shoe that performs like the 840 w/out the bulk. I hope to make this my go to 50k racer. Good for non rocky trails.


Brooks ASR 6(12.2 oz) $95- I had the priviledge of testing these for Brooks last spring. These are the trail version of the well like Adrenaline road shoe. Aside from more agressive treads, this still feels like a road shoe. I felt the heel was a bit clunky, and the shoe soaked up water way too much. It also felt a half size too big, and was not a good fit for narrow feet like mine. I would not recommend for very rocky trails. This would be an appropriate shoe for light trails and roads, but because of that why wouldn't I just opt to wear a lighter road shoe? For runners new to trails, these might just work.

Mizuno Wave Ascend 2 (12 ounces) $90- I put about 500 miles on these, including 21 straight hours during my run of the 71 mile Massanutten Trail Ring. This is a trail only shoe that does not feel good on roads, but is solid on everything else. The rock protection was great, and I only had one bad case of blisters during a 58+ mile run on a 90 degree day. Overall it drains well, can take a lot of rocky miles, but leave it at home for the street runs. This version has since been replaced the Ascend 3.

Montrail Mountain Masochist(10.8 oz) $90: This shoe is designed to take on conditions similar to the famed race. It's great for road to trail transitions, and will tackle some of the rougher stuff too. I actually dislike the design of the shoe. The tongue is too chunky, and the heel is far too high for a trail shoe. Although the heel cup was excellent at stabilizing, the thick heel made running on rocks very sketchy. This layout promotes a heel strike and off balance/ankle rolling feel. After cutting about a half inch off the heel, and pulling out the tongue padding(yes that sounds weird) the shoe was perfect. Note: too much stuffing in the tongue holds in water,thus making the shoe heavier. Cutting the heel and removing the padding allows for a more natural forefoot strike, and cuts several ounces off the weight. The gussetted tongue successfully kept debris out for the entirety of my last 50k trail run. During the same mountain 50k, the shoe felt solid all day. The only remainining issue was the heel cup cut up my heels on some of the steeper climbs. I had some pretty raw heels after the race that took a few days to heal (no pun intended).

Brooks Launch (9.3 oz) $90- haven't worn yet, but these will be my fast road shoes. I will use these for quick 10k tempo runs all the way to marathon, or even a non technical 50k/50 mile.

Nike MayFly (4.8 oz) $45- These feather weight shoes are designed for only 100k of use, but I have managed to go well beyond that. Like the Vibram 5 Fingers, people should build up the distance in these. Heavier runners will not do well with the non existent cushioning and zero support. At 155lbs, I can get away with it. I use this for indoor/outdoor track speed work, treadmills, and no more than 10 miles at a time on roads.

Brooks Racer ST4(8.6 oz) $85- This was my "go to" shoe for all things road. These are perfect for the marathon and shorter distances, but they were also just cushioned enough for me to run two 50 milers and one 50k trail run in them. Keep in mind that the 50 milers had very little rocky trail in them. I've put about 500 miles on these as well. Good for running fast, and running long.



Brooks Cascadia 5 (12oz) $90- a nice "green" upgrade of the award winning Scott Jurek designed trail shoe . This version has wider laces, and drains water more efficiently than other models. The liner also has a touch more cushion. The universal platform agian suites most feet and arch types. I put roughly 1,000 miles(and counting) on my Cascadia 3's. These shoes have run hundreds of miles through ice cold water, snow, sleet, mudd, rain, rocks, and whatever else you could throw at them. The Cascadia's are my shoe of choice for rocky 50k-100 mile events. Heck, they'll even feel good for a few hours on the roads if you like.

Brooks Ghost 2 (10.8 oz) $100- Good for very long road runs of marathon distance, or more. I would probably use these for non technical/road 50-100 milers, and 24 hour runs. They worked well for some track work outs, however they did feel a bit spungy, like there was too much cushion. A nice shoe for light and heavy framed runners with various arch types.

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.