2015 Superior Sawtooth 100

It's billed as Rugged, Relentless, and Remote. It can break down and destroy even the seasoned 100 miler and the super fit.

This is one special race, but not just because of its billing listed above. It's because of the people involved. From the Race Directors, John and Cheri to the more than 200 volunteers. Many of whom have become friends. The lengths they go to put on a successful event you can't even imagine. Besides doing an absolutely wonderful job there are countless stories of aid workers going above and beyond each and every year. The way Wendi Baldwin and Karlene Apelt did for me last year. Not only did they help save my race, but they searched me out after to see if I made it to the finish. We've become friends and now stay in touch. Kevin Langdon is writing a book about the Superior 100.  Kevin probably has or could have a chapter in his upcoming book on these stories alone. So far the excerpts I've read are brilliant! Look for it in the near future.

Still being fairly new to this ultra stuff I haven't done many events other than RockSteady events. I new we had it good out there, but didn't realize just how good until my pacer(Bob) mentioned it. He was at the big show(Western States) this year pacing a friend. He said to me, "these aid stations are unbelievable. They are even better than WS."

 

                         (Keith and Kathy LaPlante parents of the famous Dan LaPlante)
John Storkamp puts so many personal touches on this race as well. From making a point to greet and speak with virtually every runner at the pre race meeting to personally congratulating runners at the finish while hanging the finishers medallion around our necks. Then he even followed up with Facebook congrats on my personal FaceBook page. Many, many thanks to John, Cheri, and all the volunteers.

This year was a struggle for me. Training was limited due to long time nagging knee issues. Every time I'd get back to back weeks with 50+ miles I'd be sidelined with swelling and pain. I also had a really rough Voyageur 50 where I was over an hour slower than 2014. A week before the Superior 100, after not being able to run but 4.5 miles over two weeks, I was seriously contemplating my first DNS.(did not start) As a last resort I dialed up my Orthopidic Surgeon in hopes that he could help. He'd giving me synvisc injections to alleviate the pain before, but I didn't know if he could fit me in on such short notice, or if they would work again. Last time I needed them was just before the Arrowhead 135. His office called me right back and got me in the same day. Dr. Lemker has been amazing to me. Thank you Doc! This was now the 2nd time he'd hooked me up on short notice. On a side note this is the 3rd round of these type of shots. Surgery is probably inevitable, but for now we are doing what we can to keep me running. The day after the shots I knew that I was back in the game. The pain was gone, but more importantly, so were the negative thoughts. 

Thursday I drove up to the pre race dinner and manditory meeting. I found some people I knew and sat with them. After the meeting I headed up near the finish area and slept in my truck dirtbag style. I brought a couple couch cushions to lay across my back seats. Then I threw my sleeping bag and a pillow on top. I was set up for a perfect nights sleep.

I set my alarm for 5am to give me an hour to get some coffee and get ready. Getting ready consisted of applying as much anti chaff lube to all my potential chaff spots as humanly possible while laying in the back seat of a truck and getting my run gear on. The hour flew by. Soon we were all loaded on the shuttle bus and headed back to the start. At the start I got to visit with quite a few people and we all wished each other good luck. This community is awesome. Just a couple years ago I was at my first ultra and didn't know anyone. Now it seems like I know or know of 1/2 the field. Lots of the same faces at all the local races. John gives his last set of instruction from his trademark stepladder and we are off.

This year the 1st leg changed a bit. Due to a land dispute the Superior Hiking Trail lost access to the first 4.5 miles of single track. Instead we used the adjacent bike path which turned out to be really nice. The views of the lake were supurb and you could actually look at them without having to worry about catching a toe on a root or rock.

After leaving the bike path we are in for a treat. We pass through a box culvert and onto the Superior Hiking Trail for the next 99 miles or so. That's 99 miles of the most gorgeous views, unbelievably rugged single track trail, and almost mythical remote Northern Minnesota woods. Now we are on a single track that follows the Splitrock rivers edge inland. I settle in somewhere near the last 1/3 of the pack not concerned about anything but getting to the next aid station and enjoying the trail. We soon pass the rocks for which the river is named. It's one heck of a sight to see.

It's hard to tell from the picture but these two gigantic rocks are just standing there at the rivers edge all alone as if chiseled out of the riverside over millions of years. Here we can see runners coming down on the opposite bank of the river. Soon we come to a bridge that has seen better days. It's got a lean to it and a cable attached to the top opposite the lean as if to prevent it from falling over. The sign also reads one person at a time. Because of this traffic backs up just a bit.

Soon we are 10 miles in and at the first aid station. Like last year Donald Clark is at the top of the spur trail greeting runners. I high five him as I head down to the aid station. At the aid station I see Wendi and Karlene. They wish me well and say they will see me at Silver Bay. I just hope I'm in better shape than when I met them last year. They are not only volenteering at two aid stations again this year, but both of them would be running the next morning as well. Wendy the 50 miler and Karlene the marathon. There are countless stories like that too!(Awesome Stuff)

The next section is another 10 miler or so. Last year I ran out of water here. On the way out of Split Rock I again high five Donald.(he has no idea who I am but he's at almost every race I run) Soon we run by John and Cheri Storkamp out taking pics and cheering runners. It don't take long and it starts to open up. There are a lot of beautiful overlooks in this section not of just the Lake Superior, but some looking inland from ridge line to ridge line. The trail seems to follow all these amazing cliffs that are hundreds of feet high. A lot of the trail thru here is ledge rock and very unforgiving. It's sharp and tears up the feet. I soon pass the section that I took a huge fall last year in which I ended up summer salting and landing upside down on top of my pack. Susan Donelly was right behind me at the time. This year she caught me a few miles further in after the cliff section. For those that run this race Susan needs no intoduction, but for those that don't, she was in route to completing her 15th Superior 100. She has over 200 ultras on her running resume'. She is also a personal trainer and life coach. I ran with her a little at Zumbro this spring as well. This year I end up running with her for a few miles as we headed to Beaver Bay. The first thing I notice is how soft her foot strike is compared to my thunderous steps. I use this opportunity to learn from one of the running greats. As we talk she freely gives me pointers to work on. She asks if I ever do ab work. I say not really. Then she goes on to explain that by engaging your core you can reduce the pounding in the knees. I start to immediately test the theory and work on it the rest of the race. Soon I find myself running alone and I must be getting behind on my hydration. I feel some cramping coming on. Pretty soon my left hamstring is almost completely locked up. This is what I love about these races! For me it's inevitable. It's not if something is going to go wrong. It's when is something going to go wrong. I lean against a tree as I try to get the charlie horse to go away. A couple people ask if I'm ok as they go by. I say I'm fine, but I'm thinking to myself this is aweful early in the game to be needing to deal with this. I immediately go for my S!Caps. I take 4 right off the bat and actually break one of them open in my mouth. I read somewhere that the actual tasting of salt can somehow trick the body. When you are cramping you'll try just about anything. Anyways, it worked. I probably should have started on the S!Caps before the cramping but for some reason I didn't. Now I start to work hard at getting more water in as well. Soon I get to the Beaver Bay aid station. As I come in I hear someone yell my name. I wave but couldn't figure out who it was until a little later. It was Jim Wilson whom I met at the Arrowhead 135 and had since run with at a couple different races. Usually I see him in his running glasses, but this time he had his everyday glasses on and I hadn't recognized him. I felt bad later after I figured it out. Anyways, I head to the tables and get some food and quickly refill my water. The next section isn't long but it has some good climbs.

It's about 5 miles to the next aid station. I use this time to slow down a bit and work at rehydrating so the cramping doesn't rear it's ugly head again. Now I'm taking salt every hour. I also start adding a gel every half hour. By the time I get into Silver Bay I am pretty much back on track. I am feeling pretty good and I get there about the same time as J.D. Coolidge. His Dad is also there supporting J.D. I'm in an on line run club with them and have become pretty good friends with his Dad. We were both in the Marine Corps. Here i see all kinds of people I know. I visit a little with Wendi, Karlene, Mike, and Janet. All runners I've met in the last couple years.

Photo credit: Bob Coolidge

J.D. and I leave Silver Bay together. I'm feeling pretty good. After a while on our way to the Bear and Bean overlooks I take a fall. As I go to step over a downed tree a stick pokes into the mesh of my shoe while the other end digs into the ground and I trip falling on my face. Not only that, but somehow this causes my calf to ball up into another charlie horse. This makes it sound like I broke my leg as I lay there grasping my calf. J.D. and a couple others stop to try and help. I laugh and try to apologize while I tell them it's just a cramp and I'll be fine. Soon we make the climb up toward the over looks. I am enjoying running with J.D. but he soon steps aside to take a leak. I take a quick video as I run by the overlooks. As I stop to take a picture I run into Kamie Nicholls. I'd met her and her husband up at Arrowhead the past two winters. I ask her if she would like me to take a photo of her with the lakes in the background. It's the least I could do after she had taken some really good photos of me up Arrowhead. We ended up running the rest of this section together. It was nice to have someone to visit with. It made the time fly by. As we got to the next aid station Bob is there with his big old bulldog Pearl. Bob asks, "Where is J.D.?" As soon as he does J.D. pops out of the woods. He was right behind me. At this point I was about as far back in the field as I would get. I was 183 out of about 220. I was feeling really good and I knew the overnight was my favorite part. 

As I get ready to leave Tettegouche I look to see if Kamie is ready to go. She gives me a sign as if to say 1 minute and she would be. So I wait for her. I was in no rush as I was well ahead of cut offs and my target. Kamie and I depart together. She had been having stomach problems and it was starting to really get to her. Sometime before dark she had to make another potty break. She said to leave her. I stopped to take a leak hoping she'd catch back up. I also stopped to take some photos as I came out on some awesome overlooks near Wolf Ridge Learning Center.

The sun was setting and the views were magnificent.

Soon I see Zach Pierce out in the middle of nowhere with his camera and a back pack. I stop to take another photo at one of the many gorgeous overlooks.

After I'd seen Zach I must have hooked up with J.D. again. I remember talking to him and we wondered if Zach had taken a short cut in or if he had hoofed it all the way from one of the aid stations. I found out later that it was the latter. Again, these volunteers rock! As darkness fell we began looking for the Co. Road 6 aid station. I knew from last year that we could see it from a long way off.(as we would parallel it up on top of a ridge high above the road) From there we could see the cars and the aid station also had some Christmas lights that were all lit up. We hooked up with another guy too as we made our way to the long descent down to Co. Road 6. Once we get there it's a good 1/4 mile in the ditch along the road. J.D. Tripped on the slanted surface right after a guy told us to watch our step. J.D. seemed to be alright. As I pass Kamie's Crew I tell them what I know about her. I could see the look of concern in their faces. I felt terrible for leaving her. Bob is at the aid station. While he isn't crewing me I still sure enjoy seeing him at the aid stations. Here I have my first drop bag. Now that the sun went down I deside to change into a dry shirt. The temps are suppose to drop to 39 degrees overnight. I have a thin long sleeve in my pack but I chose not to use it unless I need it. 

The next section was about 7 miles and J.D. and I head out together. I've moved up from 183 to 171. J.D. had some time split sheets he had gotten from somewhere online and he said we were on 30 hour pace. In my mind I knew I couldn't sustain that pace but I knew I felt phenomenal at this point. I was leading J.D. I was starting to pull away. I asked J.D. If he wanted to stick together. He didn't seem to care either way so I just went at a pace that felt good to me. Soon we were separated and on our own. Now I was starting to make up ground. From Co. Road 6 to Crosby Manitou I wasn't passed by anyone. As I got to the Findland spur trail I was looking for Christmas lights. I remember thinking last year how much work it must have been to string all the lights. This year there were non so the spur trail seemed much longer than I had remembered. Again Bob is there at the aid station. He hangs out with me as I get my resupply. I make it a quick one here and try to head out before I cool off. By now I'm starting to see lots of buffs, hats, long sleeve shirts, and even some puffer jackets. I'm still in my short sleeves and shorts. I just figure most of them must be from somewhere further south or it could be my own extra layer of insulation. I'm not exactly skin and bones. I've now moved up to 161. 

The next section I don't remember much as I just put my head down and tried to reel in the headlamps ahead of me. Now people had picked up pacers so I didn't know if I was passing runners paired up or runners with pacers. I wasn't sure when or where my pacers would show up, but the plan was in the morning sometime around 7am. I was ahead of where we figured I'd be in the morning. I was also not sure of what aid station was next. It ended up being Sonju Lake Road. In hindsight I should have had a list of aid stations and mileage chart with me. Sonju is a pretty remote aid station, but they do it up right. They have a fire and are cooking food on camp stoves. I avoid the trappings of the warm fire and try to get out of there before it has a chance to suck me in. 

The next section is about 5 miles and by the time I get there I had moved up 31 more spots to 130. I was starting to hope my wife or anyone else following along would wake up in the morning and see my race had picked up and I was moving up in the field. As I head up to the Crosby Manitou aid station my pacer(Bob Skenzich) walks out to meet me. It's 4 in the morning and Bob and Lindsey had seen that I was ahead of schedule so they came up in the middle of the night. I had to have been smiling ear to ear. Those guys are so good to me! 

Next we had probably the most difficult section ahead. It's about 10 miles but it is some grueling climbing down and then even worse going back up the other side of the river gorge. I just wish it were daytime because you could just tell the view had to be magnificent. In this section I started to feel rocks or mud in my shoes. I was also starting to chaff. We were still making good time tho. As it was beginning to get light out my chaffing was getting really bad. I started asking other runners if they had any lube as we'd pass. Finally we caught a runner I knew. It was Dan Laplante and his pacer Jorden. Dan was having trouble holding anything down, but he was still looking pretty good. They had some lube that helped with my chaffing issue. We got to sugar loaf still making up ground. We were now in 111th place.

The next section was only 6 miles, but it was a long 6 miles. In this section I was starting to feel the lack of sleep creeping up on me. I even saw what I thought was an aid station set up with tents and cars. As we got closer it soon becomes apparent it was only a hallucination and they vanish into thin air. We thought we were coming up to Temperence when in reality it was Cramer Road. We knew what the mileage was but we were off by an aid station. That played with my mental state just a little. At Cramer Road we had moved to 108. Here my next pacer Stu was there to meet us. I took a seat and had planned on tending to my quickly deteriorating feet, but my drop bag was at the next aid station. Stu offered me a pair of his extra socks that he had in the car. So I did end up tending to me feet. Unfortunately the damage had already been done. I cleaned my feet as best I could with baby wipes and popped a few blisters with my bib pin. Becky(Stu's wife) looked as if she was going to puke when she saw my feet. They had now been wet for almost 24 hour and did not look good.

Everyone bid us farewell and now just Stu and I headed off on the next 7 mile section.(Bob stayed behind) I don't remember much from this section as the lack of sleep was now getting to me in a big way. We must have still been moving good because I was still gaining ground. We got into the Temperence aid station(mile 85) in my best position of the race. We were now in 90th, but that was soon going to head in the other direction. My feet were now in major pain.

From Temperence to Sawbill it only 5.7 miles. However in elevation I believe it's the largest and highest climb of the entire race.

 This is another gorgous section where we go down one side of the river and then cross a bridge and head right back up the other side. Leaving the Temperence river bank we begin the long arduous climb up and over Carlton Peak. Once we get over it is pretty runnable all the way into Sawbill and this is where we started flying last year. This year however the climb seems to take forever. The peak just seems to look down upon us as if taunting us from above.

Finally we crest Carlton Peak and are headed down. We meet a runner who had sent his pacer ahead looking for trail markings. He thought he might be off course. We tried to assure him he was fine and he could just follow us. Soon his pacer passed us heading back for his runner. The run down to Sawbill wasn't as good as I hoped but it wasn't terrible either. This descent has a lot of elevated boardwalks and is a good running surface most of the way. We got into Sawbill and now our goal was to not need headlamps to finish. Last year we needed headlamps. We didn't stay long as now the end was almost within reach. We now had slipped to 114th. The Laplante's are working this aid station.(Dan's Parents) I let them know where I'd seen Dan and how he was doing. 

Sawbill to Oberg is just over 5 miles. This section is normally really muddy, but very runable. My feet were now thrashed. Every step was excruciatingly painful. At one point a monster blister must have popped because the sting almost bought me to a complete halt. I hoped the pain would soon go numb and start to fade. It finally did but it took a while. I ask Stu to do some math and try to give me a time that we'd get to the last aid station. I would have done it myself but math becomes next to impossible that far into a race with the lack of sleep. Stu says we'll be there at 4:30 on the button. It starts to feel like this section won't ever end. I start doubting Stu's math as I keep looking at my watch. We roll into the last aid station at exactly 4:30!! 

Here we are met by two young kids asking what I need.

I go to open my hydro pack to have it filled. These kids insist on taking it and fill it  as they instruct me to go fuel up at the tables. All race I had been doing my own refilling, but these guys would have none of that. They were going to do it on there own and wouldn't take no for an answer. As I walk up to the aid tables their Mom and Dad were working. Their Mom gave me a big hug! It was Beth Schoeder. I warned her she might not want to hug me as I was probably just a little ripe. I had met her at Curnow this year when I Volunteered. She was the aid station captain. We also ran voyageur and the Blue House 10k so over last few weeks so I'd seen them quite a bit. 

These guys were AWE-some!!

Quickly we are off.

I'm now moving pretty slow and my energy levels are way down. I start to worry that we may not make it before dark. Stu and I left our lights with the crew. I did have my back up in my pack, but it was still in the back of my mind. This final section should take me between 2 and 3 hours normally. Knowing how slow we were going I was thinking 3 would even be good. This was now the 9th time I'd done this section of trail. You'd think I'd know it like the back of my hand. For some reason this section is never how I remember. I forget complete sections and even feel as though the trail is going in the wrong direction. This does a number on my mental state. We finally get to the stairway to heaven. It's the 2nd to last big climb. I swear I'm going less than 1mph.

Stu tries a couple tricks to keep me moving up the climb.

He climbs ahead and gives me a point to hit before I can rest. I power through then have to stop. He leap frogs me and gets me another point. We repeat this until we make it to the top. At the top the view is our reward.

We tried to get a picture here last year but the Stu's camera wouldn't  work. Now we had only one more big climb to go. I was more worried about the next descent off the moose mountains ridge line than the climb itself. The downs were now killing my knee and my feet. As we reach the bottom Bob reappears. He ran in to meet us from the finish area. He brings headlamps just in case, but not only that he brings a big smile. We weren't expecting him. Now we have the whole team together and it's looking like we will make our goal of not needing headlamps. The last climb wasn't as bad as I remembered. Having poles really helped. I start questioning Bob about the trail ahead and how much further we had to go. We joked that he was forgetting how the trail was even though he had just run it. We start listening for the glorious sounds of the Poplar River. It lets you know you've made it to the final river crossing and subsequently the Ski Resort where the finish line is. Stu had been again predicting a finish time of 7:30. As we reach the pavement we have about 3/4 of a mile on pavement though the resort. As we run I keep asking if anyone is closing on us. Stu tells me we are fine and we keep running. At the last turn some dude sprints by. I could care less. We come down around the pool entering the finish chute. John Storkamp is standing there to greet me. He hands me my buckle after placing the finishers medallion around my neck and shaking my hand. 

We crossed the finish line at 7:30 it took 35hrs 30min and came in 125th place beating last years time by 35 minutes. 

What a journey. Thank you Stampeders!

No words can express my thanks to Stu and Bob. Without even asking, these guys they were there offering help. They came to me offering to pace. I am absolutely blessed to have the people in my life that I do. I don't know that I deserve it, but I am so incredibly grateful. Thank you Guys!

What's Next? The Arrowhead 135. Below is what I will be doing to get ready to toe the line at a 135 mile foot race in the dead of winter. Cheers My Friends! Dream big! There are no limits.

https://www.magisto.com/video/M0ANY1MJRSI0UxBhCzE?l=vsm&o=i&c=c

Becoming a 100 miler at the Superior Sawtooth 100

 From knee surgery to 100 miler with a little hard work, determination, and just plain old heart.

 The dream began even before I knew there was a race. I had read about this trail, the Superior Hiking Trail. It ran from Duluth, MN to the Border of Canada along the north shore of Lake Superior. At the time I wasn't even running yet. I wondered out loud to a coworker, "I wonder if anyone has ever run the whole trail?" He says to me, “why the hell would anyone want to?" Hahaha! To me that answer was easy, to see if it could be done.

Fast forward a couple years. I finally start running again after about a 23 year layoff. I ran, but only in spurts and not more than a few miles. This time it was different. My Cousin Amy challenged me to run 1000 miles in 2012. After a couple months it became a habit and I truly fell in love with running. I started signing up for races early in 2012. In 2012 I ran 2 marathons and one 1/2 marathon. Having something to train for and an online group of runners/support system was key for me sticking with it. Then, In 2013 I did 2 ultras(a 50k & a 75 miler) as well as 3 marathons. I had really caught the bug. Then in 2014 all my races on my schedule were there for one reason and one reason only, to help train/race my way to becoming a 100 mile ultra finisher. (Superior spring 50k, Grandmas marathon, Curnow trail marathon, and the Voyageur 50) Every race I did I used it as training for my ultimate goal, the Superior 100. I would carry my pack and supplies all spring and summer while training or racing whether I needed them or not. After Grandmas I trained almost exclusively on trails.

Having done the Superior Spring 50k the past 2 years, I knew the course was going to be difficult. I just didn't know how difficult. I had heard that to give yourself an idea how long it may take you take your Voyageur 50 mile time and triple it.(12:23x3) That gave me an estimated finish time of 37 hours. Knowing how bad I did at Voyageur I told myself my goal was 36 hours, but My Ultimate goal was just to finish. The race has a 38 hour cut off.

I headed up the shore Thursday the night before the race to attend the mandatory race briefing and pasta fundraiser. John Storkamp(the race director) who I had officially met once on the top of Carlton Peak, but had seen him many times, came up and talked to me. He asked if this was my first hundred miler.  I told him about being at Arrowhead with him this winter, my DNF, and just how unprepared I was for the extreme temps. We also talked about Tuscobia and why so many people dropped even though it wasn't cold. We talked about while they are both winter ultras they are completely different types of races. Not only is he an amazing runner, he directs some of the best ultras in our area. He really has his shit together. I thought it was cool that he took the time to come up to me and chat.

After the meeting my plan was to go park near Lutsen and sleep in the back of the van. I was hoping the Holiday gas station in Tofte would be open early enough that I could get my coffee and breakfast there in the morning. HUGE mistakes on both accounts!! I found out that holiday would not be open in the morning and the parking lot I chose, (Oberg aid station) didn't work out too well. Another van pulled in at 11pm and was making tons of noise. I got almost no sleep and my breakfast consisted of a Gatorade and a couple granola bars. My body needs coffee in the morning!

In the morning I headed to park at the finish area and catch a bus back to the starting area. On the bus I got to see Terry Eldeen. We went to school together and my only real memories of him were from us riding a school bus to track meets. That was well over 25 years ago. Kind of crazy how running has brought us back together after all these years. We chatted the whole ride. He ran this race last year and had to DNF at Tettegoche. He shared with me the mistakes he made and gave me some tips. He also ran the Tahoe trail 100 this summer and finished. So needless to say I was all ears while listening to his advice. Also on the Bus was JD Coolidge. We are in an online run club together called the Red Felt Running Club. I became friends with his Dad through the club. His Dad and I were both in the Marine Corps so we had a lot in common. JD also had 100 mile experience having finished the Zumbro 100 this spring and having just attempted Leadville less than a month ago. He was upset over having to DNF mainly because he forgot his headlamp after the half way point. He went back for it but because of that he would have never made the cut offs. I suggested he do Superior100 kind of as a way to get the monkey off his back. Luckily there were still slots open. Next year may be a different story. I quizzed him too about his races trying to learn what I could. I couldn’t believe when I heard he actually signed up. Now I worried that if he didn’t finish this he would really be take it hard.

Once we got to the starting area the Coffee was already brewing. One of the race sponsors is Pete's coffee. They make and roast an outstanding cup of Java. So I finally got my much needed coffee. The race starts at Gooseberry Falls State Park and Visitors center. It's a great place for a race start. It's got clean restrooms and plenty of parking. If you have never been there it's a gorgeous place to visit. It's got trails, camping, and some of the most picturesque waterfalls on the north shore. Here I meet up with Steve Sorenson, his wife Wenday, and some of his crew. The Sorenson family has a running group/club based out of my home town called the Sorenson Stampede. I got to be a part of this group thru Steve's brother Stu. They are all becoming family to me. I have done training runs with a lot of them over the summer.  Stu and Bob were going to pace me from mile 85 or so to the finish. They were a great fit because I have trained with them both and they were lucky enough to have seen me at my worst on a 22 miler we did less than a week after my 50K. I actually had to make them leave me behind I was having such a hard time that day. Bob was also going to be part of Steve's small army of a crew he had with him. Stu had to work Friday so he wasn’t going to come up until Saturday. 

I didn't have a crew so I was carrying a lot of extra gear in my pack. At first I only filled my two handhelds thinking I wouldn't need the hydro bladder. My pack had to weigh 25 pounds. The race started and my plan was to start near the back to prevent going out too fast. It was an absolutely perfect day for a run. The weather couldn't have been any better. The first leg of the trail is very runnable and we soon settled into our spots on the single track trail. Some of the vistas overlooking Lake Superior on this section are just unbelievable. Not much happens in this section. I listen to the other runners talking about where they are from. One lady behind me was coughing. She was from Alaska and she explained that she had bronchitis the week prior to the race. I felt bad for her having had bronchitis myself some years earlier. It's the sickest I'd ever been in my life. If she finished the race she is one tough lady. It was about 10 miles to the first aid station. I had only drunk about 30 ounces. We got to a spur trail and Donald(a guy I met up at Arrowhead) was directing traffic down the hill to split rock aid station.
I refill quickly, grab a gel and start the climb back up the spur trail.

Photo credit Todd Rowe

There is some beautiful scenery leaving split rock and heading for beaver bay. Yet another 10+ mile section. I got behind a guy I had read about and seen, but never had the chance to meet, Ruberto Morran. He usually does Tuscobia and Arrowhead. Not only that, but he has finished the Tuscobia150 and then turned around and done entire 150 miles again just for the hell of it. There is even a book written about him doing so. I introduced myself to him and we talk about the winter races. Ruberto was running in sandals he apparently made himself. This is one tough dude. His feet must be like leather. I run with him and some others for quite some time. Then he took off in pursuit of someone else. I soon run out of water. The climbs get more and more difficult the more dehydrated I become. Soon I am unable to eat as well. My mouth is completely dry. This is when my race began to unravel. I thought to myself, this can't be happening!! Not even 20 miles in and I already am thinking I will never make it. This is when Terry caught me. Terry even offered me some of his water. I decline not wanting to hamper his race. I ran with him the last couple miles to the aid station. Thankfully I make it to beaver bay aid station. I ate a bunch of fruit and now I know I need my hydro pack filled. After filling everything I head toward Silver Bay. 

This is another gorgeous section that starts out along the river and then you have a bunch of climbing. I'm trying my damnedest to catch back up with water and food. Every climb is a struggle. This section lasted forever to me. Finally I get to the silver bay aid station. I feel absolutely like shit! I lay down in the grass off to the side. Aid workers start swarming me. It's as if they were a Nascar pit crew. 1st one takes my handhelds and fill them with ice water. I am in dire straits. I give myself 15 minutes there to try and rehydrate. The next volunteer brings me a cold cloth to puts it on my head. She then comes back with ice water to soak it even more. I know I'm in serious trouble but I have lots of time before the cutoffs. They keep coming back trying to get me to eat. By this time my gut was waterlogged and I just couldn’t eat.  I wish I knew those girls names so I could thank them personally. They may have just saved my race. After about 15 minutes I get up to leave. The girl that gave me the towel asks, "are you sure you want to continue?" I say, "You better believe it." At that point I was using Terry's DNF point at Tettegoche as fuel to keep going at least that far. I didn't want him to think I was a wuss and couldn't make it at least as far as he did last year. So I pushed on figuring I could reevaluate once I got there.

The next section I am familiar with most of it. It's 9.9 miles of some pretty serious climbing and descending. I slow down here a bit and start really working on getting hydrated and catching up on my calories. Here I take my last 2 photos before my phone dies.

Finally I start to catch up on my hydration and am able to start moving a bit better. It's also in this section I learn that every time my energy level drops I need calories. I start taking a hammer gel about every 30 minutes. It's amazing just how well this worked for me. It was like a shot of pure adrenalin. Somewhere after Mt. Trudee the trail has a descent called the drain pipe. It's a straight drop down huge rocks that makes Jarrow's beach seem tame. At the bottom there is a lady taking photos of us all struggling down.

Photo credits to Kelly Doyle

As I make it to Tettegouche I hear my name with the cheering. It was Lindsey, Bob, and Holly.(the Stampeders) They decided to start crewing for me as well as Steve. Steve still had his wife, 2 pacers, and Ahnna, but these guys were going back and forth between both Steve and I. I did see Ahnna too at some point, but all my aid stations were kind of blurred together. These guys were unbelievable! They had a chair for me, they would bring me real food, and fill all my hydro stuff. They would take my garbage and even resupply my gels. This really helped me mentally. I started feeling completely optimistic about continuing.

The next section was 8.6 miles and had some more gorgeous trails along the baptism river. I wish I would have had my camera here. Some of the overlooks in the park are just unbelievable. Then it started getting dark so I stopped to break out my headlamp. It always takes a while for the eyes to adjust but once they did I was moving pretty good. I remember going by sawbill dome and picnic rock. Thru here I remember running along some huge cliffs with absolutely gorgeous overlooks. The final section ran high above and kind of paralleled Co. Rd. 6 along a ridge with another huge cliff. Then it's a long descent down to the road. Upon reaching the road you run about a quarter mile up to the aid station. Bob meets me just before I get there and catches me off guard. The whole crew was there again plus Ahnna. I took a chair and they brought me a plate of food. They already had my drop bag waiting for me. I changed into a dry shirt and put on dry socks and shoes. My shoes were muddy and a little wet. The dry shirt was so that I could stay warm as the temps started to drop a bit. As I put my dry shoes on Bob mentioned how new they looked. He asked if I was sure they were even broke in. His concern was soon a problem for my feet. It was getting late so I told those guys they should go catch some sleep.

After leaving it took a little while to warm up. After a minute or so I'm running again. Then I could feel my feet start to slip inside my shoes. At that point I couldn't do much so I just tried to forget about it. In this section I start tailing an older guy named Allen Holtz that I had seen at many other races. At one of the other races I heard him tell someone he had well over 100 marathons and ultras. He's got a big gray beard so he I easy to spot. Soon we come to trains of other racers that seem to be just walking. He powers on past. Because there were 5 or 6 to the train I wait not wanting to get passed back if we come to a climb. Then we get to a mud hole and the lead dude stops completely right in the middle of the trail.  I was already getting impatience as they were walking way slower than I wanted to be going. So quickly say on your left and push right through the middle of the mud hole. I quickly start chasing after the Mr. Holtz. After a while I come upon 2 guys stopped. One was puking. These guys were on the same bus as us riding to the start. I'm guessing they were brothers. I offered them water or anything else that I had, but they declined. The sick one was trying to get the other one to continue on without him. The younger one said that he would at least stay with him until they got to the aid station. It would be interesting to know if he ever made it. I've never had stomach issues in a race but I can imagine it would be tough to continue if you can't keep anything down. At the next aid station they had Christmas lights leading up a spur trail to the Finland Rec center. Once I come out of the woods it's still a 1/4 miles across open field to the aid station. I had a couple cups of chicken noodle soup here. They also had hot dogs but that just wasn’t appealing to me at the time.

We are now half way and I'm feeling really pretty good. Thru the night I'm not sure if I was passed hardly at all. I did pass quite a few people though. On the way to the next section I reel in the guy with the beard. I know if I keep him in sight I can probably learn a thing or two. By this time I'm getting pretty good at estimating my arrival time for the next aid station. Once I figure it out I just kind of shut my mind off and go. I keep an eye on my watch and am taking my gels every 1/2 hour. For some reason I don't really remember the next aid station but me and the old timer yoyo all the way to Crosby Manitou aid station. As I catch him heading into the aid station he's starting to limp. He seemed to be fading. We talk a bit as I go by. I remember this aid station well. They had music going, ladies dancing, and the most amazing cheese quesadillas EVER. They also had a fire going. I grabbed a plate of food and sat by the fire. The breaded guy was also at the fire. He covered up in a big old blanket. I thought damn, that would feel good, but it would be hard to get going again if I was that comfy.

After Crosby Manitou it was starting to get light out and I'm still following the old timer, but not for long as his limp started slowing him down. We make a decent down to the Manitou River and there was a guy sleeping on a rock right next to a big cliff. We try to be quiet as we go by so we don’t wake him. Once we get down to the river we have a climb from hell. It seems to be straight up and it goes on forever. After the monster climb the trail seems to go away from the lake and Southbound. This made me a little nervous since the race is supposed to always head north and along the lake, but it all worked out. I'm still feeling ok and seem to be reeling people in all the way to the next aid station.

Once I got to the Sugerloaf aid station I took a seat to tend to my feet that were really starting to hurt from what felt like monster blisters. Even though I didn’t have any clean socks or shoes to put on I could no longer go on ignoring the pain.  I pull out my folding knife to do a little operating. The skin was so thick it was hard to puncture with the knife even though it was pretty sharp. I was able to drain most of them however the knife did a number on my feet and left some pretty good sized open wounds. Then to make matters worse I rinsed them off and had to put my dirty ass shoes and socks back on. I quickly filled up my water and was back on the trail. After stopping it took a little while to get rolling again. The feet were killing me but after a few minutes they seem to numb up. As I get rolling I hear my name. It’s Bob! He decided to jump in and start pacing two stops earlier than was planned. That was cool. Apparently I missed them at the aid station because my pace was speeding up thru the night. I got there before they had anticipated. That didn’t stop Bob though. He just headed out on his own knowing that he could catch me after checking that I was already through that aid station. Once Bob was with me the miles started to fly by. We passed one guy that stepped aside for us and because his legs were wobbly he almost fell backward off a cliff. It totally scared the crap out of that dude. I don’t even remember the next aid station at Cramer Road. The aid stations started getting a bit closer together as we got toward the end of the race.

We ran with a kid from Duluth for a long time and between the 3 of us we talked the whole time. He was a teacher at one of the Duluth middle schools.

Once we got to Temperence aid station I can pretty much remember the rest of the race. At Temperence Stu was there with his whole family. Lindsey and Holly were there too. Stu was now crewing and would join us at the next aid station. I took my shirt off and poured two water bottles over my head here. I wanted to go for a swim something fierce, but I settled for just rinsing most of the sweat and salt off and quickly changed into a fresh shirt. My drop bag was here with a change of shoes as well, but now I was afraid to take my shoes off because of how bad of shape my feet were in. Bob and I were soon back on the trail. It goes down one side of the Temperence River toward the lake then crosses a bridge.

Photo credit to Kelly Doyle again

Then it goes up the other side of the river and we start what on paper is the largest and steepest climb of the race.  As we climb we finally think we are near the top and all of a sudden we see the actual mountain thru the trees. We hadn’t even begun to climb the rocks leading up to Carlton Peak. At this point we hook up with a guy named Shane. As we get to talking on the brutal climb he says that I look familiar. He asked if I did Tuscobia last year. I told him I had and then I got to thinking maybe he knew me from Arrowhead as well. I asked if he was there as well. He said that he was. Then I asked if he finished. As soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew the answer. I had read his race report from Arrowhead and I started laughing. I said you are the one that ate about 40 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches during the race. He did finish. Bob said that our race completely changed at this point. Shane took the lead on the descent down from Carlton Peak. I swear we were doing under 8 minute pace in this section. It’s mostly a slow down hill and a lot of the trail was an elevated boardwalk so it was very smooth sailing down to the Sawbill aid station. At Sawbill I decided to stay standing. We beat Stu and everyone to the aid station because we had picked the pace up so much. Once Stu got there we quickly headed back out to probably the muddiest section of the entire trail. Shane was still seated and tending to some major foot issues of his own. I was hoping he’d stay with us.

 

Again we would come to people pussy footing around the giant mud holes. I had told Bob earlier that when Stu joined us we were going to start just barreling thru the mud holes.

So I took the lead and we started flying by even 50 milers. As we would pass them they would cheer us on after seeing my ribbon and that I was a 100 miler. A few of them would say, “Shit if a 100 miler can run straight through these mud holes what the hell am I doing.” One lady even asked Stu and Bob if they were hundred milers. They said no we are his pacers as they were chasing after me. She yelled back to them that they sucked at their job because I was flying out in front of them. We all got a good laugh at that. It kind of fueled my fire and we were able to keep up the pace all the way to the last aid station. At Oberg aid station I decide to stay standing again. One of the aid workers came up to me and told me my dad has been at the finish line since 10am. Apparently when I told him to come watch me finish. I estimated my finish time between 2pm and 10pm. He read my text wrong and thought I said between 10am and 2pm. I laughed and just hoped he would still be there went I did get there. Lindsey and Holly told us that Steve had finished but he was in rough shape. They said the last section took him about 2hrs and 45 minutes. This spring if I remember right I did this section in around 2 hours. However I hadn’t already run 90 miles. That didn’t matter I had two goals now, run it in 2 hours and try to beat Steve’s time for that section.

 

As we head out, it is now my 5^th time doing this section. I’ve become pretty familiar with it. We are moving really good, far better than I had ever imagined. I figured it was going to be a struggle at the end, but we were running as fast or faster than almost the entire race. I knew we had two big climbs left. In the spring 50k I had dubbed the first one the stairway to heaven. It was always a struggle for me and seemed to go straight up and last forever. As we get to the top I think damn, that wasn’t nearly as hard as I remember. Stu tells me to stop at the top for a picture overlooking Lake Superior. It takes him a while to get his phone out and after trying twice we give up and start running. Soon I hear a voice yell Stu!!!! I turn around and it’s Cheri Dostal Ryba. I yell damn it!!! I wasn’t mad to see her, but I knew she was running the 50 and was hoping to beat her to the finish so we could see her finish her first 50 miler. She was doing awesome. We even hugged and she decided to run with us for a while since we were still moving good. It was cool to see a familiar face that late in the race. We visited for a while and I was even running up some hills. Then it was time for her to pass and she left us in the dark as the sun was starting to set. After she left I had to make my first bathroom break. I wandered quite a ways off the trail so nobody would have to see me. It took way longer than I wanted it to. It ain’t easy to squat after running 100 fricken miles. Once that was over we had some people to catch that had passed as we were stopped. One guy I was yo-yoing with all day. I was not going to let him beat me. He was puking on and off all day and his pacer was not being very nice to him. At this point he had parted ways with his pacer. As we passed him he we could hear him puking again. Now I was trying my damnedest to reel Cheri back in too as I knew the end was getting near. We passed a lot of people in this section. One guy with poles was stopped and in some serious pain. I told him he only had 2 miles to go and well over 2 hours to get there. You could tell just that those few words made him realize he was going to make it. It was like he hadn’t done the math. We were flying. I told Bob to listen for that river. Once we hear the river it’s just about over. I told them once we hit that road I want to be doing at least 10 min pace. Then we hear that wonderful sound of the Poplar River. We cross the bridge and pop out of the woods. I try to kick it down. I feel my glute about to cramp and have to dial it back a bit in the home stretch. I keep asking if anyone was out of the woods or closing on us. As someone else popped out we pick it up again. I tell them I don’t want anyone to catch us. Not even a 50 miler. As we come off the road to circle around the pool to the finish I can hear cheering. The PA announcer says here comes a 100 miler. The cheers get even louder. They announce my name and home town as I round the last turn. As I am about to cross the timing matt I do a little jump and I raise my hands to my head. I’m in shock a little.  I high five Stu and Bob.  I did it!! 103.3 miles. We did it!!! We joked that it’s more like 104 or 105 from having to go around all the downed trees. A finish volunteer puts the wood medal around my neck and instructs me where to go to get my buckle and sweatshirt.

 

I see my Dad. He’s still there. He says, “Ya made it eh Pal?”  I felt a little redemption now after he had to come pick me up from Arrowhead after the DNF. We all go find the cooler Lindsey and Holly so graciously filled with ice so we could all have an ice cold beer. We all sit around and tell our war stories about the race. Lindsey has Pizza waiting and shares with us all. It is the best pizza I may have ever eaten.

 

I can’t tell you just how thankful I am to the Stampeders. They made my race so enjoyable. They were just plain awesome!

 

After a hot shower and putting on dry clothes I was beat. Thankfully Stu had volunteered to drive me home. After running for 36 hours straight I was in no shape to drive and I sure didn’t feel like sleeping in my van again. I slept most of the way home. As we passed my house I saw that Christina and the girls had made a huge congratulations sign for me. I was in tears as I read it. We drop Stu off and I have to drive the 2 blocks home.

 

As I pull into the drive the tears are rolling. I just sit there for a minute to gather myself. Then I head into the house. Christina is waiting at the door for me. As I walk in I see the girls had more signs and streamers inside the house. I couldn’t have been more proud.

50 miles of Torture! Not every race goes as planned. The Voyageur 50 Mile Ultra.

Coming off my best finish of a race ever at the Curnow trail marathon 2 weeks prior

I felt really good coming into this race. I even was able to trick myself into thinking that

50 miles was not that far. 

The night before the race I headed into Carlton to pick up my race packet. Carlton was hoppin!

Carlton Days was just getting rolling and people were all gathering for the start of the

5K. For some reason I thought the 5K was on Saturday. I ran into my buddy Stu and

some of his family. Stu and his Daughter Jordyne were running the 5K as were some of his family.

I had Spaghetti on the stove at home cooking otherwise I would have stayed to watch

them run. They have been a huge source of  encouragement and even included me and my

 family in the Sorenson Stampede. They have an annual 5K in the middle of the winter with

family and friends. I quickly headed out before they closed the roads for the race.

I got home and carbed up with a huge plate of spaghetti with garlic bread.

I tried to go to bed at about 9pm but that just wasn't going to happen. I did finally fall

asleep around midnight. The alarm was set for 4:30 am.

I got up with an hour to have breakfast and get ready to go. I had my usual pre race

breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and a couple cups of coffee. At 5:30 it was already

warm and humid as I headed to the start. It took about 5 minutes to get to the Carlton High School

and check in. Then I found the other Sorenson Stampeders that were running as well.

We hung out and took some photos.

Then we all gathered for the race directors instructions.

He informed us that there was another race running at Spirit Mountain and that they marked

their course with the same color ribbon. It was an obstical race. He told us when we come to 

the cargo net at mile 24 just to go around it. We didn't need to go over it. Everyone got

a chuckle out of that. I ran into Steve Jurek(He works a Sappi too and yes he is related to Scott somehow) at the start as well. He has run the Voyageur something like 12 times.

Then we were off. I ran with Steve for the first three miles to the first aid station. He

gave me a lot of tips and told me about some of the other runners we saw that he knew.

We talked the whole way to the swinging bridge. It didn't take long before I knew

that the day was going to be a struggle because of the heat, humidity, and sun.

I ran almost all the way to the 3rd aid station except for the few short hills that everyone

else around me would walk too. I was drinking only water at this point and

easily finishing my hand held 20oz between each aid station. By this point the Sun

was out in full force and it had to be above 80 by 8am. I had to change my shirt

at this aid station due to the fact my pack was chaffing the hell out of my neck. I knew this might happen so I packed a shirt with a higher neck line just in case. 

I also put a cooling rag around my neck and wrist. When you wet them they are supposed to cool for hours. What a crock that was! All they did was make me look funny and chaffe some more. I ended up taking them off later.

After check point 3 we headed into the infamous power line section. This section is completely exposed to the sun for the most part. It also is some of the worst up and down climbs on the course.

It was here that my race began to unravel. Not only was I beginning to cramp, but my knee was just killing me on the down slopes.

As you can see by how gingerly I was making my descent. The look on my face says it all.

It's kind of comical considering I had just run this course two weeks prior, but I didn't remember this section to be nearly as difficult or as long. It seemed to go on forever. Finally it did come to an end. After the powerlines it's a nice up and down single track under the canopy until you finally make the climb up to the bike path and the fourth aid station. I finished my handheld and broke into my Gatorade while going thru the power lines.

This was me coming into the aide station. I topped off all my containers with water. I carry 2 20oz Gatorade in my pack. I drink  half of both then dilute them with water.

The next section starts off with a run down the bike path a little ways then quickly dives into the woods on a single track mostly downward toward Fondulac. In this section you go thru a lot of wash out sections from the flood in 2012. In those sections there is still a lot of downed trees and stumps to climb thru. So even tho it's downhill it's pretty slow moving. We also hit a section of the Superior Hiking Trail that Stu and I have trained on. On my way to the Fondulac aid station I start getting caught by other runners. With my legs are going into full revolt. I could do very little to hold the other runners off. When I would hear talking I'd do my best to keep them at bay. Soon I got to the Fondulac aid station. I quick grabbed some salty snacks and topped off my water.

On the way out of Fondulac we have the steepest climb on the course. It's so steep they have fixed ropes to pull yourself up from the creek bed floor to a ridge line up above. Soon after I reached the top I was passed by one of the best female  runners around.(April Cole) She not only won the Superior 100 in 2013 she came in 2nd overall. I knew she was back there from the start having seen her in the beginning of the race. Steve and I even talked about her being behind us in the beginning. We wondered if that was her race statigy or if we were just starting too fast. As she past me I figured it out. She was just running with her new husband and kind of guiding him along. Once off the ridgeline this next section is a long slow climb back up to Beck's road. It is on an old overgrown road. So it's mostly double track all the way to the aid station. At the beginning of the climb I caught one of the goatz from Iowa/Nebraska(Jenni) who I had met a couple days prior to the race. She did an early start and was cruzing right along. I tryed to give her some encouragement as we talked a bit. I quickly moved on up the hill and said I'd see her at the finish line. As I got close to the aid station the leaders started flying by on there trip back. It's always cool to see them come by on an out and back course. At the Beck's road aid station I started putting ice in my pack where a hydration pouch would normally go. 

After Beck's road it's about a mile for paved road to the top of Ely's peak/Spirit Mt area. This was basically a long walk for me with very little running, but I figured I'd make up some huge ground running down it on the way back. I started taking S!Caps on this section in hopes of getting the cramping to stop. By this time other runners were also starting to struggle with the heat and whatever else. John Storkamp passed me in this section heading the other way.(Superior race director and winning of the Curnow 2 weeks prior) Then we take a left onto some cross country ski trails and continue what seems to be more climbing. More or less rolling hills all the way to the last aid station before the turn around. Near the end of this section I see Steve Sorenson(Stu's brother) he's looking very good. He ask's me if there are any old guy's in front of him he could possibly catch. I laugh and said maybe one if you hustle.  At the skyline aid station Cheri was working. I met her a couple weeks before at the Curnow. It always fun to see familiar faces. 

After that aid station I was hoping to be recovered a bit and be able to make up ground going down Spirit Mountain to the zoo turn around, but it didn't work out so well. Even going downhill I was cramping. I reached the zoo in just under 5 1/2 hours. I was pleased with that because it felt more like 7. I passed a lot of people at the turn around because I just did my normal quick topping off and grabbed a bite to eat. Lots of people were sitting tending to there feet and what looked to be changing shoes. Most of those that I passed caught me back up and passed me by the end of the climb back up Spirit Mountain. That climb is totally exposed to the sun. Once I got back to the skyline aid station I pulled a zip lock baggie out of my gear. Cheri was kind enough to fill it for me with ice. I then tucked it in the band of my visor. This was my saving grace.

The ice rested on my neck and help get my body temp back under control. Once the ice would melt I would dump the cold water over my head. By that time I'd be to the next aid station for a refill. The aid workers got a kick out of this and even took pictures of me. 

After skyline it was going to be the long runable down slope that I hoped to make up time on. The cramps were still so bad it was a struggle just to do a run/walk combo. I'd run until the cramps would hit. Then I'd walk until they released only to try again. This went basically the rest of the race.

On the stretch between Beck's road and Fondulac I stopped in a creek to cool down. While I was standing in the water a girl with long braids caught up to me. She told me how she was trying to keep her feet completely dry the entire race because of blister problems during Curnow. I thought it felt so good to be standing in the water I would happily take a couple blisters. I figured she would catch back up and pass me but for some reason I never did see her again. A little while later I reached the last big creek crossing at the Fondulac aid station. Again I took a little extra time in the creek getting my whole body cooled off.

The climb from Fondulac back up was pretty uneventful. I was passed by maybe one or two other runners. At the next aid station another runner was ordering aid workers around and saying he needed a chair.(who does that?) I left quickly not wanting to hear or see his rediculousness. It was head down and back into the woods to the powerlines once again. I was passed by a few ladies and guys as well in the section. It had to be in the 90's by then. The sun was just zapping all my energy. I knew if I could just make it to the next aid station I would be able to make it to the finish for sure. I had my drop bag waiting for me at the aid station. I got there, grabbed my bag and sat on the road in the shade for a few minutes. I had a Moutain Dew in my drop bag with 2 more 24oz Gatorades. I sipped on the dew and switched out my Gatorades. I also did a little stretching while laying on the road. That felt so good. I got up filled my water and grabbed some snacks. As I did some Dude started to throw up on the side of the road. It was a violent throw up too. Not just once, but repeatedly. We all had uneasy looks on our faces. I took off as I thought of the Stand By Me blueberry pie eating contest😁

Knowing I only had a little more than 10 miles to go I started doing the math in my head. If I could just pick it up a little I had a chance of finishing in 12 hours. This is were Bob and I parted ways during Curnow. Unfortunately Now I was feeing just what he must have been going through at the time. I was running using the course marking as my incentive. I'd run through two then walk to one.  I used this technique all the way to the finish pretty much. Through the next 2 sections I yoyo'd with a few runners. 

I made it to the last aid station. There Jeff Leno(my Chiropractor that had worked on my knee) came up and talked to me. He was just out watching to see if he knew anyone. He wanted to know how the knee was doing. I told him it hurt but was manageable.Then he asked," are you still running the 100 in Sept?" I laughed and said he better ask me again in a couple weeks. 

Only 3 miles to go!! I was going to make it as long as I didn't break an ankle or something. That last 3 is so hard with tired legs. The terrain is very rocky, root infested, and hilly. 12 hours was slipping away no matter how much I pushed. 

By this point I didn't matter. I just changed the goal to under 12:30. As I broke out of the woods I was overjoyed at the fact I was going to do this. I rounded the last turn and ran down the street toward the high school. As the finish line came into view I could hear my name as the whole Sorenson crew had stayed around to see me finish. What an awesome group of people!

12:23 finish for my 1st 50 miler.

 

After a finisher group photo. We all congratulated each other and dispersed to our vehicles. I pulled a lawn chair out and cracked a beer right on my tailgate. Then my wife and kids showed up as I finished my 2nd beer. Finally the rain came so we packed right up and headed home.

Not the best race but I definitely learned a lot. I need to start out slower and eat more real food. A watch is a must. It will help with pace and eating on a set schedule. When it's hot I also need to get a jump on the S!Caps. But none the less it was a P.R. For 50 miles and it gives me something to shoot for next year.