I'm back from the dead baby! 2013 TRT 100 Race Report

Pre-race with my love

“Just be prepared for anything when I get to mile 50”. That was what I said to Michaela after scrabbling my way to the top of Diamond Peak. It was mile 32, I still had 68 miles to go, it felt like it was about 120 degrees, and I was mentally defeated…time to throw in the towel and start thinking about what I’d say to my crew, friends, and family that had come up to support me. “I’m just not tough enough”, “I am not good at running in the heat”, “My knees really hurt”…one pathetic excuse after another. I death-marched the remaining 4 miles to the Tunnel Creek Aid Station, weighed in at 174 lbs (down 6 lbs from the start of the race), dejectedly threw myself into a chair in the Medical Tent, and wrapped an ice cold towel around my face to hide my shame. Was this the end of my 100 mile quest?

The Pre-Race Journey

After watching my wife gut her way out to a truly remarkable finish at the Western States 100 last year, I decided it was time to throw my hat in the ring and see if I had what it takes to complete a 100 mile race. I did not get into Western States (which is one of the most difficult races to receive entry due to its tradition and popularity), so I had to come up with a new gameplan. I ended up deciding to enter the Tahoe Rim Trail 100, which has many challenges (altitude between 7,000’ and 10,000’ for the whole race), and somewhere between 22k and 24k in elevation gain/loss. All of which make it an extremely difficult race, regardless of experience level.

Pre-race with my good friend Tina. It was her first 100 attempt also.

I signed up on January 1^st and dialed in a solid training schedule. Unfortunately it was derailed almost immediately due to an Achilles injury…which I got playing freaking video games (no, I’m not kidding). We got an Xbox and I was jumping around with Landon when I felt something pop. This injury caused me to back out of Way To Cool 50K, Lake Sonoma 50M, and Miwok 100K this year. It seemed like I was just playing “catch up” to my training all year, but as long as I kept TRT 100 as my main goal, I felt I could still have a successful year of running. I managed to get up to Tahoe for several long quality runs and by the time that race day rolled around, I felt like I was in great shape to get the job done.

The First 30 Miles

Race morning came and the starting gun went off before I knew it. The first 6 miles to the aid station includes a 4 mile steady uphill climb, and I soon found myself hiking with two of my good friends, Chris Perillo and Chaz Sheya. The miles ticked off as we kept to small talk…the trail dumps us into Marlette Lake and then there’s another climb up a fire road before hitting Hobart Aid Station…somewhere in this stretch I lost Chris and Chaz behind me but I just kept moving….it was probably an ominous sign that I was ahead of these two guys 6 miles into the race, as they are both

The trek up Marlette Peak

definitely faster runners than I am and I should have realized that I was moving too fast. Hobart Aid Station is a lively place, but I wasn’t interested in doddling so I swapped out some old GU wrappers for some new ones, slammed a couple of orange slices (one of my favorite aid station snacks) and hit the trail. The next 5 miles takes us up the ridge line to Marlette Peak, where we get to see the “Glimpse of Heaven” portion of the race…just views galore! I kept moving at a moderate pace that I felt comfortable with, taking a few moments to snap a picture or two as I went. Before I knew it I was at the Tunnel Creek Aid Station…this aid station is one of the largest, coolest aid stations in all of ultra running. The 100 mile runners hit this aid station 6 times, so there is plenty to do to keep them busy. Knowing what was about to come next, I had planned on grabbing my trekking poles at this point in the race, so I took a minute to fish them out of my drop bag before heading on.  I grabbed a few more orange slices, had a PB&J, chugged half a coke, and started off towards the Red House Loop.

The infamous Red House Loop is the “Taste of Hell” stretch of the course, where you drop down about 1,200’ on a 6 mile loop that you eventually have to climb back out of after passing by the Red House, which is an old building that gives the loop its name. I made good progress through the loop and was eventually caught and passed by Chaz once we hit the aid station around mile 14 (that was a relief as I should never have been ahead of him in the first place). During the climb out of the loop the heat started to make its presence felt. After completing the loop you head back to Tunnel Creek for some more goodies and we had to get our weight checked…I was 4 lbs down from my starting weight of 180lbs (which seemed very high to me)…while I wasn’t overly concerned about 4 lbs, I know I needed to keep hydrating or I could be in trouble later. I saw my buddy Stan here and asked him to send Michaela a message telling her about my weight and that I was feeling good.

The next 4 miles to the Bull Wheel Aid Station was a blur…long, slow, gradual uphills while constantly maneuvering around boulders…I just kept the feet moving, although I did start to notice some slight pain in my left knee…I was hoping that if I just  ignored the pain it would go away…because that usually works, right?

I topped off my bottles at Bull Wheel and started the 9 mile stretch to the Diamond Peak Lodge. This is the longest stretch of the race between aid stations, which begins with a 4 mile gradual climb and a screaming 5 mile descent into the lodge. Unfortunately for me the pain in my knee was making any descent a painful process and I had to hobble through much of that 5 mile stretch. As I emerged from the trail onto the road that takes us to the lodge I ran into my pal Jay Marsh, who I would be seeing an awful lot over the coming miles. He mentioned that he was feeling a little off his game as well, but was pushing through.

I closed into Diamond Peak Lodge and was first greeted by Landon who came running up to me for

Getting a nice escort into mile 30

a hug. I then saw Michaela, her Dad Skip, and our dear friends Kirk and Jenny with their baby son Tyler. Seeing all the familiar faces was a nice boost, but the heat of the day was starting to take its toll on me and I wandered over to the Diamond Peak Aid Station with Michaela in a bit of a loopy state. My entire stay at the mile 30 aid station is all a blur to me now…I just remember weighing in another 2 lbs down (6 lbs for the day), which caused some concern for the medical crew and Michaela, but they let me move along. I also remember drinking like 3 cups of an Ensure smoothie, which tasted great. I think Michaela tried to get me to eat something, but I can’t remember if I did. I saw some more of my friends including Stan, Daisie and Kuni (the beast who had just finished Hardrock 100), and several other folks that all yelled words of encouragement as I started my ascent.

The climb up Diamond Peak is about 600’ in the first mile and 1,200’ in the second mile…so yeah, it gets really steep. I had made this climb several times during my training and I could typically do it in around 45 minutes. On race day I started my climb right around noon, and the fact that there is basically no shade on that hill was not lost on me. The trip up the hill was one of the physically most difficult things I have ever done. I did my best to take it in stretches, where I’d stop and rest probably every 10-20 feet. I had some company as I went up this thing, as I ran into my friends Roxie and Gretchen (who were both jamming through the 50 mile race) and my buddy Rick who really helped me get to the top. I should mention that it was so hot and exposed that I feel like I almost passed out about 5 times going up. I eventually made it to the top of the hill, stumbled down to the Bull Wheel Aid Station, then made that call to Michaela. I was not doing well and I was ready to be done.

Tunnel Creek to the Start/Finish (Mile 36-50)

My Uncle Brad once said to me “the hardest distance to cover in a 100 mile race is the 5 inches between your ears”. Truer words were never spoken.

As I sat there in Tunnel Creek’s Med Tent, trying to eat pretzels while downing cup after cup of Gatorade (and one very well-timed Tylenol), I had a decision to make…do I keep going or not? When you are out there in the thick of things, the excuses come fast and furious and they all seem to be completely reasonable. The trick is finding a way to push those out of your mind and continue on. After spending 20 minutes at the aid station (I want to give a huge shout out to one of the Tunnel Creek workers, I’m sorry I forgot her name, but she literally saved my bacon at the race), I elected to push on to the next Aid Station to see if I could. I wasn’t hopeful, but I figured I could at least crawl my way to mile 50 and then make a decision.

Feeling great at the 50 mile mark!

But then a funny thing happened. Somewhere between Tunnel Creek and Hobart, I started feeling better. Like a lot better. I was pumping some music (Michaela makes fun of me, but sometimes a little “Mmmbop” will do wonders), and just blasting down the trail. It felt like my endorphins had kicked in, the pain in my knees subsided, and I had a smile on my face. By the time I hit the Hobart Aid Station I had passed several runners and I came into the aid station hooting and hollering. The volunteers started yelling back at me and everyone had a smile on their face, it was great. They said I looked fantastic and asked me how I was doing…to which I replied “I feel like a million freaking dollars!”. I snagged some grub at the aid station, re-loaded my water, and took off towards Snow Valley Peak (the highest point on the course at 9,800’). It was at this point that I decided I should call Michaela back to let her know of the change in my demeanor (as I apparently scared her so much in my previous call that she was already mentally preparing herself to run the whole 50 miles with me if she needed to). So I called her back and my exact words to her were “I’m back from the dead baby!”. Apparently that was all she could hear because my reception wasn’t great, but she had heard enough and knew that I was coming through in a different mental spot.

I made it up to Snow Valley Aid Station, said hello to the Boy Scouts (they run a great aid station), re-filled the water, and started the long descent to the start/finish line. The course map says that it is 7 miles, but in reality, it feels like it’s about 12 miles. The relentless downhill really wore on my quads, but I eventually made it down to Spooner Lake, where I could see the Finish Line activity (if only I was running the 50 mile race instead)!

As I made my approach I could hear plenty of hooting and hollering and before I knew it, there was Landon again running down to greet me! It was so great to see him, I gave him a kiss and we headed up to the Aid Station together. As I approached it seemed like everyone I knew was there and they were all screaming for me, it was awesome! I weighed in and was happy to hear that my weight

Austin and I ready for loop 2

was holding steady. I ate part of a subway sandwich, put on fresh socks and a shirt, swapped out my sunglasses  for my reading glasses (I’m too blind to see without them), and started talking to my pacer about how I was doing.

This is probably a good place to mention that my pacer for miles 50-80 was Austin Twietmeyer, a good friend of ours that works with Michaela at Fleet Feet.  Austin is a very experienced pacer who has paced people at both TRT and Western States. His Dad also happens to be Tim Twietmeyer, who is one of the all-time greats in Ultra Running (basically like the Michael Jordan of Ultra Running), so I knew Austin would be well-suited for the job. It was also nice to see Tim come out to support me at several of the aid stations, and he was even kind enough to not give me crap about my trekking poles (although he did have some playful jabs at me about the large amount of stuff I packed in my drop bags).

The Bear

After trying not to spend too much time at the aid station, Austin and I were finally ready to head back out on Loop 2. My first few steps as I left the aid station were so cool, as it was the furthest I’d ever gone in a race (my previous PR was 50 miles at AR50), and it was also the point of commitment where it sunk in that I was really doing this. About 2 minutes after we started our second loop we were caught by my buddy Jay and his pacer Jeff. The four of us started the long climb up towards Hobart together, passing the time with small talk. I wasn’t feeling much like running anything, so Jay and Jeff eventually hit a flat spot and started running slightly ahead. And then we heard it….”BEAR!!!”

Sunset near Hobart

There was a bear on the trail about 30 yards up ahead…a big bear! As there were four of us together, I wasn’t overly concerned about the bear, but I wanted it to move so we wouldn’t waste too much time. We started yelling, banging sticks together, and even barking like a dog. The bear wasn’t phased, it just stood there and stared at us. We looked for rocks, but couldn’t find any, so we started throwing sticks in its general direction. Jeff picked up a pine cone and lobbed it at the bear, where it came to a stop right in front of it. The bear picked up the pine cone in its mouth and crushed it, sort of like an “are you kidding me with a pine cone???” kind of moment. Then the bear starts walking towards us and we all start slowly retreating back down the trail. We continue to yell and start throwing larger sticks until one hits a tree and makes a loud enough noise that it makes the bear pause. And then from out of nowhere, I see Jeff screaming a war cry and charging down the trail right at the bear with a huge tree branch in his arms (it looked like he was about to joust with the bear). The bear finally conceded that we weren’t worth the effort and turned tail and ran. Way to go Jeff! My only regret from that experience was telling Austin to get his camera out a little too late, I would have loved a picture of that thing as it was so close to us.

Well the bear got my adrenaline pumping and we made it the remaining way to the Hobart Aid Station in no time. It was starting to get dark at this point so I grabbed a headlamp and we headed out to Tunnel Creek. As we crested the ridge line on Marlette Peak the sun was setting for the night and we were treated to one of the most beautiful sunsets I can remember, it was amazing. As we neared the Tunnel Creek Aid Station we could hear the music blasting…they were playing some great tunes and I said “we need some AC/DC”…within a minute that happened to be the next song on, it was cool. It was also awesome to see my friends Jamie and Gretchen at the aid station as they had just ran the 50 mile race and instead of going to rest (as any sane person would do), they were out helping the 100 mile runners!

Tunnel Creek to Diamond Peak (Miles 61 – 80)

Austin was a great pacer and he kept my mind preoccupied by talking about movies and other fun things. He was constantly telling me how impressed he was with my ability to climb (as we continue to pass people on the uphills) and he was very encouraging on the parts I couldn’t run. We made quick work of the Red House Loop the second time around (they had a Christmas themed aid station at night which was covered in Christmas lights and was very cool) and were back at Tunnel Creek in no time. Tim was there to give us a quick pep talk and get us back on the trail. I think I drank too much Ensure at this aid station, as I was burping it up for the next few miles. I also hit my second “low patch” during that last 9 mile stretch to Diamond Peak…I felt my energy waning and my stomach started to feel rumbly. I just told myself that I was getting close to seeing Michaela and that the end was near.

Somewhere during this stretch I gave myself a scare by twisting my ankle. My depth perception was a bit off with the headlamps and all the dust in the air and I missed a step coming off a rock. It was painful but I quickly shook it off, telling myself I’d come too far to let a little ankle roll derail me. I also started to notice the effects of some serious chaffing. While I’ll spare you the details, let me just say that when you chafe between your legs, it is EXTREMELY painful to keep moving.

As we got close I gave Austin the run down of everything I needed when we got to the aid station and he ran off into the darkness ahead of me to get things prepared for my arrival. When I showed up Michaela and my Dad were ready with what I needed. I did a quick check of the weight (still holding steady), had a great quesadilla, my Dad worked on my feet for a minute, I thanked Austin one last time and we were off again!

Diamond Peak to the Finish (Mile 80 – 100.4)

The first time up Diamond Peak was the “climb from hell” that took me 1:15 and almost killed me. The second time up Diamond Peak with Michaela took us 53 minutes and was pretty enjoyable considering I had 80 miles on my legs. I filled her in on my race, she updated me on all of our friends that were running. We stopped every so often to enjoy the view and we raced the sun to the top (we were at the Bull Wheel Aid Station before the sun was fully up so I consider that a “win” for us). Speaking of the sun, Michaela and I were treated to an amazing sunrise at the Bull Wheel Aid Station…it was completely pink and scattered really cool rays of pink light on the boulders as we ran…this course really brought the “beautiful”.

My new favorite family photo!

Michaela somehow managed to talk me into running the flats and the downs and she was also impressed with my ability to climb this late in the run. We continued to make good time heading into Tunnel Creek (for the final time) and she kept my spirits high. It was somewhere around this point in the race that I started to look at my watch and do the math that a Sub-30 hour finish was possible. That had been my secondary goal (apart from actually finishing the race), but I had thought that the heat had completely blown that for me. We decided that we’d keep moving as best we could (which was really running everything that was considered “runnable” and not boulder-hopping) and fast hike the climbs. My ankle was really bothering me on the downhill stuff, or really any time I tried to run on it, but I continued to take the pain and push it away, knowing it would all be over soon.

We finally made it to Snow Valley Aid Station and Michaela immediately asked the Boy Scouts for some of their well-known sorbet. I elected to pass on that and instead just filled up my bladder, got in a quick soak (as the sun was starting to beat on us again), and got back at it. Michaela quickly caught up to me, we did the math that we had exactly 2 hours to make it to the finish in under 30 hours and we got rolling. The first mile or so was not runnable at all, so it was mostly just some frustrated hiking where I watched the minutes tick off. We finally got to some good terrain and off we ran. I ran with everything I had left in me and Michaela continued to push me whenever I needed to stop for water or to catch my breath. She kept saying that “pain is temporary”, but after 95+ miles I felt like I had been in pain for days. I just didn’t want to come in at 30:01…so I just pounded away on that bum ankle and the shot legs.

We heard the finish line before we saw it. Sure it was still a mile away around the lake, but when I checked my watch and saw we had 30 minutes to spare I let out a sigh of relief. We rounded the lake, Landon ran up at us, we trotted across the finish line to some cheers from my family and friends ,and it was over. We covered the last 7 miles in the exact same amount of time as I had on the first lap (with 50 more miles on your legs, that is really good)… Total time for the race…29 hours, 47 minutes.

The Aftermath

Boy was that hard. My buddy Kirk asked me if it was as hard as I thought it would be. While I think it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I’m not sure if it was as hard as I thought. I definitely hit a low point after the first climb up Diamond Peak and I truthfully thought I was going to drop there. But after that, it was really all about pain management. My knees were extremely painful and tight, my left ankle hurt very badly, the chaffing really got to a point where nothing else mattered, and the heat just zapped my energy. My feet held up pretty well with all things considered…I had to stop and empty rocks out of my shoes on multiple occasions, I got some very bad “hot spots” that are now completely raw, and I had two massive blisters that basically took up the whole bottom of my feet. But I kept my toe nails, and even better, I didn’t have any “real” stomach issues all day (which was one of the main reasons why so many people dropped from the race).

Speaking of chaffing, a strategically placed buff (or bandana) will work wonders in getting you to the finish line!

The trekking poles were absolutely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I really think that they were a huge part of me finishing (and passing so many people on the uphills)…my buddy Tom nicknamed me “Stix” out there.

I drank more water and had more Salt-caps than at any point in my life. Due to the altitude, the dust, and the heat, I was taking 1 salt pill every hour and I had to completely refill my water bottle and 70oz bladder at every single aid station! I think that I ended up using the water bottle to douse myself more than I used it for drinking.

Austin and Michaela were both superb pacers and I can’t thank them enough for all that they did.

I had so much support from friends and family that I can’t name them all here, but I want to be sure to thank you all.

I was told to run the first 50 miles with my head and the second 50 with my heart. I think that I did!

My last observation…it was noticeably easier to keep moving when I was smiling. I made a point of hooting and hollering as I came into aid stations and I fed off of the excitement of others.  A positive attitude truly is contagious.

And here is my prize…