2015 Arrowhead 135 Winter Ultra

All my life I've strived to make my family proud. Nothing has given me more pleasure than being able to inspire others thru my adventures. I am just a chubby kid with a bum wheel that had a dream. If I can do it, anyone can......

Where do I begin? I guess I have to begin by saying if I would have never had a dream or believed I could accomplish the goal it would have never happened. #DreamBig #BelieveToAchieve #ThereAreNoLimits

Against a lot of odds last year having just started exploring ultra running I somehow got into the Arrowhead 135. I wasn't even officially qualified having never run a 100 mile race. Registration itself was even long past closed. Some how the man holding the strings made the decision to let me in. Yes, I FAILED, but it may have set in motion a determination like no other. I had a whole year to figure out how to accomplish my goal. Not a day went by that I was not haunted by my failure. 

In that year I set forth on a journey. I had a lot of work to do. Reading Scott Jurek's book I came up with a plan to race my way to the Superior 100(my 1st 100 miler) and then on to the Arrowhead 135. I chose to do it that way because I have a hard time making the time for the long training runs. I feel guilty being away from my girls so long and so often. Without the support of an amazing wife I could have never done any of this! Thank you Babe for all that you do.

So, after the Arrowhead DNF in 2014 I signed up for and ran the Superior Spring 50k, Grandma's Marathon, Curnow trail Marathon, Voyageur 50, and the Superior Sawtooth 100. I used the races as my long training runs for the most part. I also trained mostly off road and did a lot of exploring of Jay Cooke and the Superior Hiking Trail from Carlton to Two Harbors. After recovering from Sawtooth I started pulling my bike trailer that I had Gerryrigged to pull with my harness instead of a bike. While runnin I'd load it with the mandatory gear and some extra weight. During deer season I even knocked out a 50k on the treadmill. The Arrowhead 135 is unsupported and requires you to carry or pull certain gear for survival or self rescue along with all your water, food, and clothing to last 2 1/2 days in the woods where it can get down to -50 degrees at the end of January. December and January weren't very good months for training. The lack of snow had the trails in absolutely terrible condition. I spent way more time on the treadmill than I like. I think I only got 3 or 4 actual sled pull runs once we did finally get enough snow.

This year my cousin Todd decided to come up from South Carolina. He seemed intreaged  at the concept of a 135 mile race in the dead of winter. I was glad to have him, but I had to explain to him that it's an unsupported race. Meaning he couldn't offer any help what so ever. I even made him read the rules. I was a little worried that he'd get bored so I asked him to sign up to volunteer. I figured it would help pass the time. Secretly I new he would love it and hoped this would rub off on him and he'd start doing this stuff. 

We got to International Falls(one of the coldest cities in the lower 48) the day before the race for gear check and the pre-race meeting. We stayed in the same little hotel I stayed in last year. What a difference a year makes. The temps were 50 to 70 degrees warmer depending what you went by. This year I was smart. I brought earplugs for sleeping in the hotel. I actually got a full nights sleep.

At 6:50am we headed to the start line. After a quick check in I found a spot near the back of the pack. I had a game plan but it was a very loose one. My only goal was to finish and also not to lead the race in the first 5 miles like last year. After the command was given to release the hounds things stayed single file for a while. The trail was not to bad considering we had a fresh 4 inches of powder snow overnight. Soon I was passed by John Storkamp. Knowing I could learn a thing or two from him I locked in behind him. Anyone that runs around here knows him. He is the race director of all the Superior ultra races, the Zumbro ultra races, and is one outstanding runner in his own right having won multiple Arrowheads. He also won the Curnow this year and two weeks later took 6th at the Voyageur 50. So to make a long story short I had no business running with him.:-) We got to talking about how fast his Spring races filled and I told him I tried getting in but the website kicked me out. The race sold out in hours. I also told him how cool it was that he was answering emails right back of people that were having trouble. My buddy Stu was having trouble and John emailed him right back.  It's a testament to the quality of the operation he runs. As we chatted he made me a deal. He said that if I finished the 135miles or if he DNF'd he'd get me into the sold out race.  I said, "Shit, it's a done deal!" I knew he wouldn't be DNF'ing. This was going to be his 10th time finishing. I wouldn't have taken him up on that one anyway. That left me only one option. I had to finish! The 1st leg went good except for the fact I ran out of water AGAIN. With 10 miles to go to the check point I was eating snow as a substitute. I arrived at Gateway earlier this year but within minutes of last years time. However last year I was in 8th place. This year I was in 19th. That goes to show you the how the quality of the field is growing every single year. This year for example I read that the top 3 finishers of the Badwater 135 were here. 

Knowing I needed to rehydrate I took the time to have my soaking wet clothes dried. The AWE-some volunteers at gateway will take runners clothes and put them in a drier for you. I drank 2 Gatorades and also bought 2 for the trail. I also bought a huge helping of home made made mac&cheese and a big old cup of coffee. Before departing I filled both my hydro pack and my 2 one liters insulated bottles. It's a fine line we walk between having enough and keeping the weight down in our sled. I also bought a 20oz Mt Dew. Which tasted like the nectar of the Gods later that night. 

I left Gateway after a hour and 23 minutes.

By now darkness had fallen. I stayed a little longer than planned, but was able to rehydrate and was feeling really good. I absolutely love running at night. This may have been my best section of the race. I passed a lot of people  thru the night. I also came up on the co-race directors of the Tuscobia Winter Ultra, Chris and Helen Scotch. I was content just tailing them knowing that they too are much better runners than me. They finished 9th and 10th here last year and I think I read that Helen set the Voyageur 50 mile course record at one time. Helen was leading Chris with me following close behind. Soon we came down to a little bridge crossing a small creek. As Chris headed up the hill after the bridge his tow rope broke on his sled. I guess because of the upslope he couldn't feel that he had lost it. Luckily I was right there to let him know. We got a good chuckle out of it later thinking how it would feel to look back and realize your sled was gone and not knowing where or when you lost it. Both Chris & Helen must have stopped for a bit to get him rehooked. I kept motoring and realing other runners in. This section is very hilly and tough going, but I felt good throughout. Just before dawn I got to Elephant Lake. The section leading into the check point actually crosses Elephant lake. It don't seem far on a map, but in reality it seems to go on forever. You don't see the light of the resort until you are almost there.

My plan was to get in and out quickly of Melgorges. However, once you start to get warm and comfortable the plan quickly changes. As soon as I take a seat the lovely volunteers are bringing me hot soup and a sandwich. I had been day dreaming of these sandwiches for many hours having read rave reviews on them in other race reports. Here too I was able to have my wet clothes dried. Again, I did it more out of an excuse to stay longer than necessity. As I had extra stuff in my sled. As I waited for my gear the couch seemed to suck me in. Soon my eyes were closed. I am unsure how much sleep I got, but I must have slept at least a half hour continuously. Then I got a hot cup of coffee. Over 2 hours had passed. I listened to other runners as we all sat around contemplating heading back out. It's a great opportunity to learn from veteran racers. I try to soak it all in. I realize I needed to get back out on the trail. The next section was a long one. I filled all my water containers and grabbed my measly drop bag of grub. All I had was a box of nutty bars and some peanuts. Both of which I was already sick of.

After hooking up to my sled Todd popped out of the Suburban to see me off. I asked him which way to the trail as he had been sitting there watching runners come and go for 2 hours.  He thought I was supposed to go back the way I came. That just didn't make sence to me. So I unhooked and went back into the cabin again to ask. Todd had seen racers heading that way probably because the had rented cabins. As soon I I got back on the trail the hills began again with a vengeance. After a few hours alone on the trail I came to a big hill and Kamie was at the top snapping photos while she waited for her husband Mike.

Photo credit to Kamie Slegers Nicholls

I remembered them from last year. I gave her husband Mike some of my extra hand warmers after I DNF'd as he was going to continue despite the brutal cold. It was nice to see and talk to someone  as the trail had gone eerily quiet.

Photo credit Kamie Slegers Nicholls

I was even beginning to think nobody was left behind me. I thought everyone must have given up because the trail conditions just kept getting worse. The further east we went the more snow they had gotten. The trail was like running on sugar. After seeing Todd at Melgorges I told him it might be a good idea if he stayed away for a while and maybe go get a room somewhere. I also told him that under no circumstance should he let me quit and get in the  Suburban. There was only one way I was coming off that course and it was via the finish line. 

After motoring all day night fell. After a couple hours of darkness I came to a shelter where other racers and volunteers had made a fire. I pulled in to grab a bite to eat and warm my feet that had been wet since the start. A skier was cooking an MRE looking thing on the fire. I was licking my chops out of jealousy. After a quick 5 I was movin again. As the second midnight neared I started looking for the next check point. I kept seeing red blinking lights thru the trees as the trail snaked up and down through the woods. After a while I realized they were from some sort of cell towers. Finally I came to a Surley sign. The final check point had to be close! I'm now using all my senses trying to find the aid station in the pitch black. Every turn I stop and listen. I smell to see if i can smell the camp fire. I look thru trees hoping to see light or the outline of a tent, something, anything that would tell me I had made it. I keep moving. Still more Surley signs saying I'm close. Now I'm just getting mad. It's as if the signs are mocking me. It seems like an hour since I saw the first sign. Finally I come around a corner and cheering erupts. Now I'm happy. I've made to ski pulk the final check point. One of the race sponsors Surley Bicycles has a teepee set up with a wood stove inside to heat water for coffee and such.

It's also a warm place to change into dry clothes. At first I sit on the ground at the fire they have going outside even tho I was offered a chair. I put my feet as close to the fire as I can. Soon I feel the wetness of the ground and decide to take the chair after all. After a few minutes I hear Todd's  voice. I turn around and look. He's standing there with my Uncle Lloyd. They are surprised to see that I beat them there. They ask how I'm doing. I still feel remarkable well. Todd says ,"how come you don't have poles?" Jokingly I say,"I don't need no stinking poles." I refill my water and get the best cup of coffee ever which I added 2 scoops of cocoa to. It was so good I go back and get another right away. They also have cookies. Thinking the last section would be slow and cold I put on dry clothes and ski bibs as I readied myself for departure. I asked the mileage to the finish and made some guesses as to how long this last section should take. 25 miles to the end. Anyone can do 25 miles. Before departing I make sure to thank the awesome Surley guys by shaking their hands. These guys are amazing! Not only are they outstanding volunteers, but they have some of the best beards I have ever seen! I have some major #BeardEnvy going on.

Off I went. As soon as I hit the trail I realize I made a huge mistake with the ski bibs. I stop and change back into what I had been wearing the whole time. Back to running tights and wind pants. Only one major climb left but it was a doozy. They call it wakemup hill. At the top I see Chris sitting in a shelter just chillin. I guessed he was waiting for Helen so they could maybe finish together again like last year. Soon I see one of the longest down hills yet. I get in my sled and ride it to the bottom. Somehow I am able to maneuver the corner at the bottom. Now it's a long flat 20 some odd miles left to go. All I needed to do was keep moving forward. I pass a couple people bivvied on the side of the trail. It is hard to get used to seeing people on the side of the trail sleeping. It is as if it's against the laws of nature. Soon I to found myself slowing to a crawl. I hadn't eaten since ski pulk. Now my lower back was beginning to hurt something fierce. I was regretting my not needing poles comment BIG TIME!! I would stop and bend over to stretch out my back. As I'd bend over the lack of sleep was catching up to me. After bending over I would awake finding myself standing still in the middle of a spuce swamp. Finally after doing this a few times I find a spot to pull over and sleep. Instead of taking the time to pull my sleeping bag out I decide to put a winter jacket on and just lay on top of my gear. I look at my watch to see what time it was and then pull my face mask up over my face and close my eyes. Soon I wake to cold feet as they have been soaking wet for 2 days so it don't take long. I may have only been down 15 minutes but I have to get moving again to regain feeling in my toes. After only about a half hour it's happening again. I find myself bent over and asleep standing up in the middle of the trail. This time I don't waste time looking for a good spot. I take my sled to the deep snow off the trail and pack down an area to sleep yet again. This time I must have slept longer because my wet feet were even colder. This put a little scare into me but not too much. I get moving again as it begins to get light again. I have been running thru 3 sunrises now. My mind is starting to play tricks on me. I am doing my best to follow along on the map, but nothing seems to be making sense. I have myself convinced I just crossed hwy 77 and only have 1.5 miles to go. So I start running as fast as my body will allow. Soon a half hour passes. I had been running longer then it should have taken to get to where I thought the casino was. I'm searching thru the tree tops despritely looking for the roof tops of the casino. Then up ahead I see what looks like a SUV on the side of the trail. As I run toward it a snowmobile comes around the corner and stops next to me. I ask him how much farther? He say,"10 miles." My jaw drops!! I am still able to find humor and laugh at him. He asked,"how far did you think it was?" I reply by saying, "2 miles." I look at my watch and recalculate my finish time. It still gets me in 2 hours better than my worse case time I figured at Ski Pulk. I still think there may be a SUV up ahead. Finally when I get there I realize it's just a couple spruce trees clumped together. I try to pick up the pace just to get it over with. Soon I see John Bertrum closing in on me. John helped convince me to pull out last year. I find myself able to hold him off for a while, but he is relentless. I study the sky line trying to figure how close I am to the last road crossing. The trail just keeps going and my mind starts to just gives up as the road just doesn't seem to come. I sit down on my gear to take a break as John finally closes the gap. I tell him I give up. I just need a little break. He disappears up around a corner. I get back up and trudge on. Now my lower back is getting  unbearable. I seem to slow even more. I do the math again in my head. I have to be near the road. The snowmobile comes back around the corner and stops. I hold up 2 fingers as if to ask if it's only 2 miles to go. The guy on the snowmobile signals that it's 5. It just isn't making sense. Again I do the math to what I think my pace is. I should still be able to get in by noon. 7 hours ahead of the cut off. Now the wheels start to come off. Every time I look back I have someone closing on me. I realize I haven't eaten since leaving Ski Pulk. No wonder my brain isn't working. I had food left but the thought of it made me sick. I'd been eating the same thing for 2 1/2 days and was sick of it. As I reach the finally road crossing I'm passed by 3 guys. Now every 1/4 mile I have to stop and stretch my back. Soon I'm met by 2 runners that had already finished and cleaned up. One of which tied for second place I was later told. They start asking me questions about what I thought of the course and video my response. I tell them I have a whole new respect for the course and the people that do this every year.  I told them this was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. They inform me I only have a few hundred yards to go. Finally I climb the last hill.

I stop at the top to stretch one last time. Then I proceed to run thru the finish line to the cheers of about 5 people.

2 of which were with me. We take a few pics and the race official whisks me off to do a gear check. 

As we ride up the elevator I tell my cousin I think one and done may be good enough for this one.

Good things come to those that dare to dream. 

After a shower and quick 3 hour nap I realize we had time to go to the finish to see the last racer come in. I was surprised I was getting around so well. We even took the stairs.

I finally get to sport my Arrowhead jacket that I bought last year. Having not finished I refused to wear it until completing the race.

(#FindingShackleton) The Shackleton award is giving to the last racer to finish.(usually) Quite a few people had gathered at the finish awaiting the arrival of the last racer Jim Wilson. We were all cheering "Wilson" for him as he came in. He was the final racer to finish, but didn't end up getting the award for being out on the course they longest. They also take in to account the time you spend in aid stations. 

We high fived him. You could tell he knew he just accomplished a monumental task.

Then it was off to devour the biggest steak I could find. 

All that was left to do was celebrate!

By the second one of these I was already hashing a plan to return. I knew I could do better😜 See you next year Ken!

Thank you so much to all the wonderful

People that make this race happen. You are amazing folks. 

Yet another failed attempt at the Arrowhead 135

The good, the bad, and the ugly of making an attempt at 135 miles on foot in what is known as one of the coldest places in the lower 48 in the dead of winter.

Don't get me wrong, to fail at this really isn't to fail at all. Just making an attempt at an ultra alone is pretty note worthy. Then throw in the fact that it's an attempt at 135 freaking miles in the dead of winter while pulling a sled filled with 42 lbs of survival gear, food, and water. Hopefully you begin to understand my point. Please don't feel sorry for me. I made it 105 miles and because of my mistakes I was unable to complete my goal. While it is not easy for me mentally, I am completely alright with that. I came away from this with some valuable lessons learned.

Just because it's named the icebox of the nation it does not always mean it's going to be cold. This year it was a rather warm, in the mid to high 20's, throughout most of the race. This in fact brought on a whole different set of challenges. The trail conditions were absolutely atrocious. The snow was loose, uneven, and just would not pack at all. It was almost comical to think, if someone was watching, it would be easy for them to mistake us for drunken sailors walking home to the barracks after last call at the local bar. Every line we would try would quickly turn to shit only to move left or right and find the exact same shitty conditions. It was easy to see from the get go that every mile was going to be hard fought. Aparently they had not gotten very much snow or cold this year leading up to the race. The trail had not even seen any grooming yet as a result. The trail was snow covered but there were sections with lots of undergrowth still sticking up through the surface.

Trail conditions and lack of cold aside, none of us are out there hoping this will be easy. In actuality most of us want it to be as difficult as possible knowing that this is what will make the journey that much more memorable and worth while. This year because of the warm weather, and like every long race I've run, I ended up getting rid of a bunch of stuff at the last minute that I knew I wouldn't need. I got rid of my snow pants, extra tights, extra hats, extra gloves. I also made a last minute decision to not take my hydro pack. This meant I would have to go back to my sled every time I needed a drink. That may have been the worst decision of all of them. This also meant I would not have any water with me. I had the not so brilliant idea to use V8 fusion veggie/fruit juice as my soul means of hydrating. It has 100 calories per 8 oz serving and my thought was the calories would give me energy and I wouldn't have to depend on solid food as much. I tested this theory a bit in training but not enough to use it in a race of this magnitude. I should have know better too, but did it anyway. This led to some pretty severe dehydration. Now looking back and reading up on the subject I've been able to learn from this. The combo of having to go back to my sled to drink and the fact that I was drinking juice vs water is what lead to my eventual demise.

RACE START to CHECK POINT 1 Mile 35 (The Gateway Store)

The race starts off from Kerry Park in International Falls, MN. Racers are required to check in just before the start of the race in the lobby of the hockey rink. Most of us get there just before the start of the race. There is no point in standing outside in the cold any longer than we have to. The race start is pretty low key and it's a sea of red blinking lights. 

https://youtu.be/7vsRzFSYtx8 Racers Are You Ready? The Arrowhead 135 Start Line.

I find some familiar faces and we all wish each other a good journey as the bikes are already being sent on there way. Two minutes later the 2 skiers are sent off as well. Finally 56 or so of us runners gather at the start line and Ken(the race director),"says release the hounds!!" I find a spot not too far back from the front and make an attempt to trail John Storkamp again like I did last year, but it is soon very aparent John is on a mission. He is not only making his 11th attempt at this race, but it is also his 100th race of a marathon or longer. It was easy to see he was going to make an attempt at going after the win yet again. He's won this race multiple times. He was flying right off the bat!! Anyways, I settle in thinking I would run at an easy pace all the way to the turn which is 9-10 miles out. I visit with a couple other runners, one of them being Rob who was in hot pursuit of Storkamp, they eventually pass by. It didn't take long and I was pretty much alone. As soon as I made the turn at the 1st shelter I new we were in for one hell of a battle.  

The trail had gone from bad to worse. Now any plan I had was vertually thrown out the window. Every single step was going to be hard fought. It was easy to see this was going to be a low finish rate year unlike last year when I got my first finish. From mile 10-20 I was pretty much alone. Along side the trail are a few deer stands. 

I also came across a pretty gruesome seen that showed that not only were deer around, but plenty of wolves too.

https://youtu.be/NoXZouqfWWM

^^Warning a little graphic video of a deer kill at the edge of the trail^^

 At mile 19 we cross the only major road of the race. I had hoped that this would bring better trail knowing that it isn't as swampy once you cross the hwy. Unfortunately it was not any better. In this section somewhere I got passed by a group of three runners(Kirk, Randy, and Jason) as I was passing two runners myself. The two I was passing were having troubles with one of the downhills. I jumped on my sled and flew by them laughing, as I did, "I say look out below, ya got to work smarter not harder!" Of the three that over took me I knew 2 of them. Jason passed me with 1 mile to go last year. Randy, I met in the parking lot of my hotel the night before the race. I later found out that Kirk took 2nd place at The Tuscobia 160 two weeks earlier. We all chatted a bit as they went by. These three seemed to be working together as they slowly separated from me. They were also in good spirits and seemed to be having fun.  I would see them a few more times at the next two check points.(all three went on to finish in the top 10 this year) I got into the 1st check point out of liquid yet again, but in much better shape than the past two years. It had already gotten dark by the time I got there. Given the condition of the trail I was only 15 minutes behind my time from the previous 2 years. I made my way into the store after checking in with the race officials outside. I pulled up a chair near the trio I just mentioned. They were joined by Sue Lucas. Last years female winner on foot and current course record holder. She was also the outright winner at the Tuscobia 150 the year I ran the 75 miler. I met her that year out on the trail in the middle of the night as we were headed into the final check point. This year she was making an attempt at doing the race on bike. She had already decided to pull the plug before we arrived. Now she was just hanging out chatting with incoming runners. There were plenty of other casualties here as well. You could tell by the look on their faces that they were done. They had that deer in the headlights look to them. It's similar to a thousand yard stare.  A look I know all too well having been in that exact same position 2 years ago when it was -26 degrees at the start. I quickly make my way to the cash register and purchase some fresh home made Goulash along with some Gatorade. I jokingly ask the girls behind the counter, "Is this the place where we sign up for our massage?"  The girl working burst out laughing and said back, "boy if it is I'm signing up too."  That got everyone within earshot laughing. One of the ladies said, "that's pretty good that you still have a sense of humor even after running 35 miles." How could I not? I'm out doing what I love. I headed back to my seat to finish my scrumptious goulash and rehydrate as much as possible. Then I changed into dry clothes including fresh socks.(even though my shoes are soaking wet) After 46 minutes I was headed back out onto the dark lonely trail. 

CHECK POINT 1 TO CHECK POINT 2 (MEL GEORGE RESORT) MILE 70

Upon leaving check point one I pass a lot of runners coming in the opposite direction on the spur trail into the store. I try to give them all a little encouragement as we pass.  Most do the same back to me. One even gives me a high five! I wish I knew who that was...  As I turn onto the main trail I encounter a runner making a pit stop. I ask how he's doing and he replied almost too chipper that he was doing great. He had a maple leaf on his pack so I assumed he was from Canada. I continued on as he apparently was waiting to pee. The next 27 miles or so I was alone with my thoughts. Already I was going to some dark mental places inside my mind. The negative thoughts would creep up and it was as if I was in a mental battle for my life. Physically I was doing fine at this point, but mentally I was struggling. In this sport any negative thoughts can lead to your eventual demise. I managed to do pretty well by countering my thoughts with a little self accessment. I kept coming back to the fact that I was not injured so there was no way in hell I was going to allow myself to give up and quit. At mile 57 I pulled into a trail side shelter to finally give my snowshoes a try. I was sick and tired of sinking into the trail with every push off. Another runner and one of the snowmobile volunteers were there as well. The other runner had been in his snowshoes almost the entire race. He was cooking a meal on the smoldering fire that the volunteer must have made. The volunteer was fast asleep just across the trail next to his machine in his bivvy sack. He was sawing some serious logs. It was hard not to laugh at each one of his snorts. After quickly putting my snowshoes on I was back on the trail. I couldn't believe how slippery it was in the snowshoes even though they have crampons on the bottom. I actually fell going down the 1st hill to a creek crossing. Soon however, I got used to them and began to kick myself for not putting them on much earlier. Now I had about 13 miles to the next check point. I kept going over in my head what time I should be able to get there.(Trail math) You never want to rely on trail math. I knew it would be close, but I was going to make an attempt to get there before the sun came up. Knowing I made it there last year just before sunup had me thinking I must have really shaved some time at the first check point. Especially considering the trail conditions. I found it strange how familiar the trail seemed as I got closer and closer to Elephant Lake. Having only been though this section once it was as it every land mark would trigger a memory from the year prior. I soon found myself heading down the boat landing and making my way out onto the lake. As I got further out onto the lake I was surprised nobody was behind me. It's supposed to be a mile across the lake but it sure seems like closer to two. Being exposed to the wind out on the lake I started to catch a serious chill. The fact that I was soaked didn't help matters much either. Finally I rounded the point and have the resort in my sights. It feels good to be back in civilization after spending the entire night virtually alone. As I make my way up the stairs to the cabin to check in I still have my snowshoes on. I had now gone further than I ever have in a pair a snowshoes. As I take them off I grab my drop bag from the porch. The volunteers greet me as I walk through the front door. They take my bib number and point me to a very comfy looking chair right by the door. Within minutes they are offering me hot soup, a world famous grilled cheese sandwich, and hot apple cider. The soup went down good, but I was already beginning to having trouble getting the grill cheese down. I was again very dehydrated and could not swallow the sandwich. As I sat there I worked on getting my wet clothes off and changing into something warm and dry. People kept coming and going through the front door which made it virtually impossible to warm up. I put everything I had with me on in an attempt to warm up. Finally I decided just to move even though I had one of the most comfy chairs in the place. Moving helped tremendously. After getting warmed up the volunteers took my wet stuff off to another cabin and put it in a dryer. I figured I'd lay down for a hour or so and try to catch a few z's. Instead of being smart and heading up to the warm loft filled with beds, I was worried I would get to comfy and not want to wake up. So I laid down on the kitchen floor next to the entrance to the bathroom and closed my eyes. After a while Ken(the race director) came in and told me, "you know there are beds upstairs?" I just kind of laughed and told him I didn't want to get so comfortable that I wouldn't want to leave. After waking up I worked on consolidating all my food and packed up my clothes making sure I had one dry set of stuff to change into if something went wrong out on the trail. It was now about 2 hours longer than I wanted to be there, but I was ready to start my journey to the finish line.

CHECK POINT 2 TO THE FINAL CHECK POINT (SKI PULK) mile 111

Leaving the resort I was now feeling absolutely perfect. The sun was up and it looked to be a beautiful day ahead. I chose to leave without my snowshoes on knowing a shelter was just 3 short miles away. I figured if the trail was still as bad I'd stop there and put them back on. The trail never really did improve, but because wearing the snowshoes caused my socks and pants legs to get wet and eventually turned into ice balls I chose to push on without them. Next year I will have gaiters that will hopefully prevent that problem. This is when the major hills begin.

https://youtu.be/lq6-0YunZro Mile 75-80 as the hills start coming one right after the other.

It took me a couple hours to figure out that I was now well over half way. During the day I caught up to John Bertum. He too passed me toward the end last year as well. Seeing him I knew I was doing well. He has finished quite a few times and even posted some really good times over the years. Somehow we got separated after spending a little time together near a logging area. 

The logging road was the best trail we had seen the entire race. One of the loggers offered me a ride but I told him I'd race him instead seeing how overloaded his truck was. He laid on the horn and I took off running up the road. He caught me but ran into break problems and had to stop to fix a hung up break. I laughed and passed him like he was standing still.(because he was) 

https://youtu.be/xzxLKM_nHgw Video of me chasing the logging truck

Unfortunately our trails soon separated and I was back on the loose snowmobile trail. It began to snow at this point and the tracks were starting to disappear. The trail made a couple turns and soon I could only see one set of tracks. I could tell it was a kick sled and that I must be gaining on him. Pretty soon I did catch him. It was Lindsay Gauld. I told him I was starting to worry we were off course because I only saw his tracks. However it must have just been that enough snow had fallen to cover all the other tracks. But soon we hit a steep hill and you could see all the deep foot prints from the poor bikers pushing their heavily loaded bikes up the hill. After passing Lindsay my day started to unravel. It was still daylight but I was starting to have trouble keeping food or drink down. Everything I put in would come right back up. I also passed Carla Goulart in this section as the hills just seem to get more and more arduous. Carla is from Brazil and is an amazing athlete. She was on her 4th attempt at finishing. She went on to be the first women finisher this year and tied with Lindsey for 11th over all. Soon night fell and my fueling just kept getting worse. I kept making attempts to eat by changing what I was eating in a hopes that something would agree with me and actually stay down. Nothing was working. The hills continued to be unrelenting. The juice I was drinking was kind of red so every time it would come back up it looked as though I was vomitting up blood all over the white snow. Finally I climbed a hill and could see someone standing in the middle of the trail. It was Todd.(One of the snowmobile volunteers) He was standing out front of a trail shelter. He asked how I was doing. I told him my situation and said I was going to stay there and bivvy in hopes that the throwing up would pass. He seemed to think that was a good plan too. I went around the back side of the shelter and set up my sleeping area. After crawling into my bag I was fast asleep, but not for long. After maybe 10 minutes I woke to a horrible coughing jag which led to more puking. After about an hour of this and very little sleep I packed back up and had no choice but to press on. Then after a few more hours of unrelenting hills and more puking I could feel the fight coming out of me. What should have been a simple task of 4-5 more miles became the ultimate obstical in my mind. The hardest thing for me in the world at that moment was admitting defeat. I could hear Todd coming back through on his snow machine. I was done. My will was broken and my race was over.......105 miles was all I had in me that day....

The next morning with tears in my eyes I called home to check in with my wife. I told her not to ever let me do this race again. Only to wake 4 hours later with a plan to come back next year and fight even harder. I could not believe it was over and I wasn't even sore. I had no hobble and climbing stairs was no trouble. Some how my body has either adapted to this torture or I just didn't have a chance to give it my all. I am humbled that Ken allows me to race. Failing makes it hard to feel worthy of the spot he has given me the past 3 years.

The next morning I find some solace while getting words of encouragement at breakfast from the man with the most attempts. John comes over and mentions that he's still got me beat. He has 3 DNF's and it is good to see he is human as he hobbles back to his seat. With his 11 attempts, 3 or 4 wins, and all his finishes in the top 10, the Dude is a Rockstar to me. Yet at the same time so very gracious and approachable. As are most of these people that do this stuff. It's probably why I love it so much.

Many, many thanks to Ken, Jackie, and all the amazing volunteers.

Below is a little video of some of the training I put in. My miles were not as many as they should have been, but with my knees I take what I can get. Almost every mile since the Superior 100 was pulling a sled or trailer. In just a few days I go in for experimental stem cell procedures on my knees. One can only pray that it works and I am able to get back to running by fall.

https://youtu.be/9PU5RtiR2Cg Arrowhead Training (Chasing Arrowhead)

Until next time Dream Big my friends. There are no limits to what you can achieve if you believe....

Our biggest limitations are mental. Once you convince yourself it can be done you are 80% of the way there. Good luck! Go big!