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2009 Running "Slasher" Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:53:00 +0000

"The what awards," you ask? The Slasher awards. Nope, you've never heard of the running Slasher awards, because I just dreamed them up last night in a sleep-deprived-semi-awake-baby patrol-comatose state of mind. But if there's one thing the ultrarunning world needs, it's Slasher awards. I know it's a bit late in 2010 at this point to be handing out awards for 2009, but it's high time the running world saw Slasher awards.

So what exactly is a Slasher award? I'm awarding Slasher awards to the top men's and women's runners of 2009 that I feel have exemplified the Slasher mindset. That is to say, they have excelled not only in the trail-running world but also found success in the oft-forgotten road running genre (i.e., trailrunner SLASH roadrunner). As a trail running bum (dare I say dirtbag?!?) myself, I feel it's very easy to live in a bubble and to ignore and shun our leaner, better-groomed, more meticulous, pavement pounding brethren. Likewise, road runners in general probably couldn't care less about what the bearded, smelly, muddy contingent is doing galivanting around in the mountains. Ah, but once in a blue moon (which incidentally happened this past December for anyone counting), there comes along a runner who truly bridges the gap. This rare runner is able to fly through negative splits while sucking down gels in a marathon with ease, and in the very same year can slosh around in the mountains slamming cheeseburgers with the best of them. This runner carries a proverbial white flag of peace as a constant beacon of running unity to all the world. So, in an effort to bridge the gap, spread the love, and further the path toward a running utopia, the Slasher awards have arrived. In the famous words of Mr. King, "Why can't we all just get along?" Thanks, Slashers, for being so awesome!

So without further ado, I'd like to announce the first ever Slasher award winners. While I'm certain I've overlooked some noteworthy runners, I've gathered the information at hand and am now happy to announce the 2009 Slasher Award Winners. I haven't made a ranked list. Rather, I'm just naming an outright winner and one honorable mention spot.

On the women's side, Kami Semick is undoubtedly the Slasher of the Year. Her incredible world class performances in 2009 both on road and off were absolutely unrivaled. With world championship victories on the road at both the IAU 50km World Championships in Gibraltar and the IAU 100km World Championships in Belgium, she showed the incredible footspeed and turnover of a true road runner. Meanwhile, she excelled on technical mountain trails throughout the year, clinching wins at uber-competitive Miwok 100km, American River 50 Mile, and the White River 50 Mile this year (not to mention a smoking fast 2:47 at Twin Cities Marathon...). Kami is a Slasher with a capital 'S,' and she pounds the traivement like no one else.

The honorable mention spot goes to Devon Crosby-Helms, who has also had an incredible Slasher year. From a stellar course record win at the fabled JFK 50 to a smoking 2:53 at Boston, Devon kept her jets blazing regardless of the surface this year. She also had a killer 4th place finish at the IAU 100km World Championships in Belgium.

On the men's side, the 2009 Slasher of the Year Award goes to Michael Wardian. The sheer volume and scary speed of his marathon running in 2009 are mind boggling, and he threw in a handful of impressive finishes on the trail this year too. With at least 10 road marathons in 2009, he posted a year's best 2:21 at Vermont City Marathon, and finished 3rd in the world at the IAU World 50K championships in Gibraltar and 6th at the IAU World Cup 100K championships in Belgium and won the Caumsett 50k in a scary 2:56. Meanwhile on the trail, he finished very strongly in the top 3 at the White River 50 mile and in the top 5 at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championship. Add to all that a crazy fast 2:34 marathon run at the Route 66 Marathon... while pushing his son in a stroller!

The men's honorable mention spot was a really tough call and I'm fudging a bit to include historical data pre-2009 (seeing as how this is the first year of the award and all...). I assure you this won't happen again in future years. That said, the honorable mention spot goes to Uli Steidl, who has had a pretty spectacular track record as a Slasher. This year he ran a blistering course record race at the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championship. Though I couldn't find any road results for 2009, I wouldn't be surprised if he slipped in a few fast performances under the radar. That said, Uli ran to victory 8 years straight at the Seattle Marathon and boasts a marathon PR of 2:13. (*edited added note: Uli did indeed slip in an amazing '09 road performance... a blazing 2:19:42 at the Dusseldorf Marathon!)

Congratulations to Kami and Michael (and Devon and Uli) on being the first ever Slashers of the Year! Keep up the great work, keep inspiring so many, keep spreading the love, and above all keep on slashing away!

All in a Winter's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:12:00 +0000

All in a Winter's Day from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.

If this ain't global warming, I don't know what is. I'm loving the sun, but it's just not normal!

Baby Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:13:00 +0000

Tomorrow I'm starting the journey of parenthood with my wife Kirsten and I figured I'd start a blog from the dad's perspective. If you're only interested in running and other outdoor stuff like that, not to worry- that stuff will still be on this SeeSamRun blog. But if you want to read about some adventures with twin girls, you can follow that journey here;

SeeSamParent blog

World Record, Seriously?

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:26:00 +0000

So this afternoon I broke a world record, I think. There was no fanfare, no media, no confetti, and rightfully so. This was perhaps the most trivial world record out there, and I doubt if it's even a real "record" per se (certainly won't find it anywhere on Guinness...). Gotta do something to brighten up the "most depressing day of the year" though, right? Also, there's that age old saying- "Nothing like breaking a world record to start the week off right." That said, here's the low down;

My wife wanted to go to the gym this afternoon, so I thought that sounded like a fun adventure to join. So I ran out and did some miles, then ran to the gym to meet her there at the designated time. So there I was, on a beautiful sunny 50 degree Seattle afternoon stuck inside a stuffy gym. Obviously I needed to do something exciting to compensate. So I remembered reading a link someone sent me a few months ago about this guy that broke a bunch of "world records." I use the quotes as I think it's debatable as to what exactly constitutes a world record. But I digress. I remember seeing that one of these trivial (in my opinion) records was the World Record for running a 1/2 mile on a treadmill with a 40 pound pack on (now see what I mean about trivial?). The mark was set at 2:51. I figured I could beat it. So the race was on. I unloaded my hydration pack, and filled it with 5 pound plates (8 of 'em), slapped on my pack and headed to the treadmill. I ran a 1/4 mile first to get the feel of the weight on my back, then pounded out a 1/2 mile in a blazing 2:49. Yep, that's right. You read it correctly. I shattered the world record by 2 seconds.

While I realize this is hard to believe, there was no media present, no clapping, and no fanfare after this momentous occasion. The only result was a few strange looks from other gym rats and a raw sore spot on my lower back. Ah well. Then I just ran a lot more miles (sans 40 lb. pack this time) til my wife was ready to go. My lonely moment of glory was over, and now I'm making chicken pot pie for dinner.

Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 04:05:00 +0000

Well, Haiti is certainly the hottest topic in the media right now, so I won't go on ad infinitum about the devastation there. I will share some of my own thoughts on this devastation though, and maybe hopefully point someone in a new direction to help. It is heartbreaking to see the vastness of the impact of this earthquake in such a small, already fragile country. I hope and pray that the many families affected are getting the aid they need right now as effectively and efficiently as is possible.

Seeing these images, I cannot help but be reminded of my time on the MS Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and I only wish I were able to help as directly as I could when tragedy struck the Gulf. Ha, I wish I could run around Haiti to show my support in lieu of running 51 marathons. Of course, my life was in a different place then, and while I can't go to Haiti and set up a relief operation like in Bay St. Louis, I hopefully can help in a small way by offering at least a little bit of direction. The many aid organizations active in Haiti now are working in high gear to triage the situation, and their greatest need is certainly financial. Secondly, the need is for skilled volunteers (specifically at this point the need is for medical help). I was thrilled to learn that my brother (an orthopedic surgeon) is headed to Haiti to help directly. Although helping directly would be incredible, I know that right now the best help I can be is to contribute financially what I can to the efforts already in place.

It's exciting to see the swell of support not only from our country but also from around the world. For example, I read that even the financially devastated African country of Liberia has donated $50,000 in aid. Amazing.

Another interesting connection for me between this devastation and the time I spent on the Gulf Coast leading aid efforts is the resiliency of the people. The Haitian people have had a strong influence on the culture of New Orleans, and it's wonderful to see the similarities. The stories of new communities banding together to help each other in Haiti are wonderful, and pictures of impromptu groups singing praise songs and banding together for support are amazing. Haiti will need help rebuilding for many years to come, and I only hope we are able to keep their people in our hearts and minds as the months pass, but the needs continue.

Here are a few great organizations working in Haiti if you're looking for some ideas;

GHESKIO- an aid organization that has been active in Haiti for a while helping in AIDs relief is now on the forefront of setting up shelter and care for those in need. You can donate to GHESKIO here. Learn more about their efforts in an msnbc article here.

Doctors Without Borders- another fantastic aid organization that is helping save lives directly through surgeries and medical care. Donate to their efforts/learn more here.

World Vision- yet another great international aid organization committed to a presence in Haiti for years to come. Learn more/donate to them here.

Please feel free to share any other organizations you may be aware of or other ideas/thoughts. Let's all do our part to help!

Christmas Eve Marathon(ish) Video

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Christmas Eve Marathon(ish) from Sam Thompson on Vimeo.

A quick running video with no actual running footage. Just a Christmas Eve celebration run with lots of good coffee with miles of running all over Seattle hidden in between stops.

The Fastest 6:03 Mile Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:27:00 +0000

I'm not terribly into making New Year's Resolutions, so I won't say that trying to incorporate a bit of speedwork into my training is my resolution. However, I am somewhat motivated to give it a whirl in the coming months just to see what happens. After talking with North Face teammate Kami Semick a few weeks ago I definitely realized that I probably won't be racing a whole lot faster without actually training faster. Interesting concept.

So today I decided I'd better get a baseline reading- find out what I can run a mile in on the track. I'm not sure when the last time I actually ran on a track might have been, but it's certainly been a while. Fortunately I do know where a high school is in the neighborhood, so I knew where to find one of those 1/4 mile running ovals. So I ran over there today, did my mile, and ran home. I was sure I'd be able to get under 6:00, but didn't imagine I'd be much under. I was sorely disappointed. My "official" time was 6:03, but I've decided that that time needs some adjustment. What better way to start the new year than with a list of excuses? Hence, I have compiled a brief list of lousy excuses (complete with corresponding time deductions) in order to calculate my actual adjusted mile time for today;

Lousy Excuse #1- I ran to the track, so already had tired legs when I arrived. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #2- A belly full of Swedish pancakes and coffee I had just consumed. (- :20 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #3- The cheese fondue I had last night was still heavy in my tummy. (- :10 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #4- It was really windy. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #5- It was warmer than it looked so I was overdressed for optimum performance. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #6- I was wearing trail shoes and not uber-fast racing flats. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #7- My mind was too focused on all the football bowl games going on today to pay any attention to the track. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #8- No iPod, so my eye of the tiger was absent minus Eye of the Tiger blasting. (- :05 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #9- Unaccustomed to the tight turns of a track, I felt intense pressure on my inside knee. (-:03 seconds)
Lousy Excuse #10- I'm a trail runner and never run so fast in the mountains. (no time deduction, just an excuse)

So if my calculations are correct, that brings my adjusted time to a 5:00 minute mile. Very respectable I'd say. Wow, I guess I'm not so desperately in need of speedwork after all. Yes, I'm very pleased with that.

Though I did run a mile on the track today, this is all a joke of course, and I am still motivated to try a bit of speedwork moving forward. We'll see how it goes. Happy New Year to you all! 2009 was a lot of fun, and I know 2010 will bring many exciting and fun adventures for us all!

TNF San Fran Endurance Challenge Race Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:10:00 +0000

I wrote this recap for the TNF race website, so I'll just link you there. I got some good insights and interviews with some of the top men's and women's finishers. Enjoy;

http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/highlights/2009/champ_review.html

TNF San Fran Endurance Challenge video

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Here's a short and sweet video I put together from some quick pre-race interviews.

Ultracentric 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:26:00 +0000

I don't suppose there's a whole lot to say about a race like this, but I'll try to recap it the best that I can. It was a .5 mile pancake flat paved loop and you just run round and round until the 24 hours is up- simple as that. I flew down to this race solo and it was a whirlwind of a trip, but it all went relatively smoothly, so that was great. The Prefontaine 'stache worked wonders, and will stick around for the remainder of the month in celebration of Movember to support men's health.

After getting in to Dallas Friday evening and having dinner with some friends in town there, I had a good night's sleep at the hotel. Then I was up and at it fairly early Saturday and off to the race for a 9am start time. I made many mistakes in my plans for this race, but I guess that's how we learn. After registering for the race and booking my trip and everything I learned that many things I had assumed were not in fact true. Because this had been the national championship race in previous years, I assumed it was again this year (whoops, the nat'l championship got moved to Ohio this year and happened about a month ago). Then a few weeks prior to the race I started hearing many words of warning from friends all over the place who warned me that this was not a good race, poorly run, etc. There are even groups in the Dallas area who were boycotting this race.... little did I know. Oh well, despite this onslaught of new information, I figured I'd be prepared to support myself from my car and how bad could a .5 mile loop possibly be?

So once at the race start, I got a prime parking spot right on the loop and set up the car as my personal aid station with all the food/clothes/hydration I would need for 24 hours. This worked great, although the aid station proper ended up being pretty well stocked throughout and the volunteers were extremely nice and supportive. So the air horn went off at 9am and we were off on the loop. There were a handful of 72 and 48 hour runners already going on the loop, and I recognized Amy Palmiero- Winters running strong and said hi to her- fun to see a familiar face. She is an incredible inspiration too, and seeing her out there trucking along so strong after 24 hours already was awesome. The weather was cool and overcast- perfect. The first loop was over before I knew it, then the first hour was over, and pretty soon the miles and the hours started piling on. In terms of specifics, there isn't much to say. I ran pretty steadily through the day on Saturday, and as night came I still felt pretty good. Somewhere in the night I noticed my lead was about 16 miles and I lost a good deal of motivation to push hard, but I kept trucking along, walking when I needed to and just keeping the loops going. Not having trained on pavement at all, I felt my body getting battered by the hard road, and this was not something I was used to. Another fun aspect of the .5 mile loop was that I was able to run with my phone for some loops when I felt like it, so I got encouraging words from my wife, my brother, and many friends throughout the day and late into the night from some brief phone calls and lots of text messages. The night was cold, but dry and I just kept putting on layers as needed. I brought 3 pairs of shoes along so that I could switch as needed, but ended up staying in my TNF Vozas throughout the entire race- no sock change or shoe change required at all. Sweet ride.

I hoped for a strong second wind when the sun rose around 6:30am, but it just didn't really happen. I kept plugging along, and then with about 1.5 hours to go I picked it back up and ran fairly strong for the remainder. Some friends from the area came out about an hour before the end too, and it was fun to chat with them a bit. I finished just a few minutes before the 24 hour mark and ended up with 115.6565 miles for the win. I had hoped to run significantly farther, but the pavement beat me up more than expected and like I said it was mentally tough to stay motivated without someone nipping at my heels or someone to chase. As soon as the race was over I knew I had to shift gears to "get to my flight" mode. I went straight to the car and closed down my mini aid station, got everything all packed up, put a warm sweatshirt on, threw away all my trash and was ready to roll at about 9:20. There was an incredible brunch spread prepared by the aid station volunteers so I indulged in a delightful plate full of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. I let the race director know that I had a flight to catch, but the awards dragged on for quite some time unfortunately. All the race participants were extremely friendly, and it was fun to meet some new folks there. After the awards, I was immediately on the road for a stress-filled drive to the airport. Long story short- I got there, returned my car, did a lot of stressful fast walking with a very funny looking pained stride, made my flight, had an uncomfortable 4 hour flight home, drove home, rested for the rest of the day, and slept 12 hours Sunday night. A whirlwind of a trip, but a fun one nonetheless. A few lessons learned- I'll do better research before blindly signing up for races in the future, and I'll be looking for a nice dirt trail course for my next 24 hour excursion. This trail guy just isn't used to so much pavement. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and support before/after/throughout! I'm excited for some serious calorie replenishment in a few days celebrating Thanksgiving. Happy early Thanksgiving- we all have so many many things to be thankful for!

Headed to the Big D

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:57:00 +0000

Well I'm jumping on a plane to Dallas today for a very quick trip. I'm running the Ultracentric 24 Hour race this weekend and it should be interesting. This is a .5 mile paved loop and you just run as many loops as you can for 24 hours. The fun begins Saturday morning at 9am, and ends Sunday at 9am. I've got my bag packed, a brand new pair of TNF Vozas for the outing, and a freshly cut moustache (in celebration of Movember and as my usual Prefontaine inspiration tribute). I'm ready to roll.

If friends come by (I used to live in Dallas), I'll have them Twitter some updates throughout the day, but I'm not promising any live updates. Hopefully a few will happen though- http://twitter.com/seesamrun . The race itself unfortunately doesn't provide any updates as far as I'm aware.

Alrighty, have a great weekend and I'm about to get loopy.

Carkeek 12 Hour 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:26:00 +0000

Wonderland Video

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Here's the cinematic triumph from our Wonderland Trail adventure. If you'd like more detail, read on to the post below this. Enjoy.

Wondrous Wonderland, Tribute to Dr. DT

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:23:00 +0000

I’ve heard glorious tales from the Wonderland Trail since coming to Seattle, and after climbing Rainier last year, circumnavigating the mountain at some point was an inevitable necessity. The Wonderland Trail is an approximately 93 mile trail that circles Rainier and offers indescribably glorious views pretty much throughout, and rewards you with something like 22,000 feet of climbing in the midst of the loop. So we threw together some quick plans, pulled out some maps, and set out on yet another mountain adventure. Brock Gavery, Miles Ohlrich, and I comprised our small, lean team of 3, and after some exciting car troubles before leaving Seattle, we eventually got on the road down to Rainier.

We headed first straight down to Longmire, which we would be hitting the next day at around the 60 mile mark. After a bit of waffling trying to figure out what to do with our minimal drop bags of food resupplies, bivies, etc., we ended up finding a nice tree in the woods and just tied them up, well out of reach of very short baby bears. We said goodbye to the bags and headed back out of the park for the long drive back up and around to Mowich Lake (about 2.5 hours). After getting a nice relaxing and delicious dinner in our bellies at an inn in the woods, we made it up to Mowich Lake right around nightfall. I recognized the roads approaching the area but couldn’t seem to figure out when I’d been out there before, then eventually realized this was right around the start of my first 50 miler some years ago (the Rainier to Ruston race), so that was a fun memory. At Mowich Lake, we threw up our tents and crashed for a very short nap. After a few hours sleep, we were up and at ‘em at 11:30pm. I found a crumpled train ticket in my pocket and remembered the fun day in the park and on the train with my family in D.C. last weekend and smiled remembering my brother’s 3 year old’s supreme joy as we rode the train. We broke camp, Brock brewed up countless batches of Caffe Vita’s deliciously dark Luna

coffee in the French press as we all gathered our gear and made last minute adjustments. Right at about 1am, we were on the trail cruising along nicely in the cool night. The sky was clear and awash with a sea of stars, and the start of our adventure began under an already glorious backdrop despite not being able to see Rainier just yet.

We got in some solid running miles in the dark, but the majority was fairly slow going as we were all still pretty fatigued after such a short nap. The nighttime always proves difficult mentally, and this section held true, but we pressed on. We had only one short section where we lost the trail in a large drainage basin and stumbled around for a while in the rocks before regaining the trail proper and moving along. We moved steadily and seemed to hold on to our goal pace of 3 miles an hour despite occasional stops, getting water, etc. The sun began to creep up over the mountains around us, the headlamps switched off, and our spirits rose as we soaked in the spectacular mountain backdrop surrounding us. Just as the sun popped out in earnest, we fittingly reached Sunrise Camp and stopped for a short eating break. It was a quick cruise from there down to White River, where we put in a little bonus mileage trying to find the trail, but ended up back on course and moving right along.

On the long climb up to Summerland, Brock was leading our small tribe of 3. With our heads down slogging up the climb, one moment I could see Brock trudging onward just ahead of me and suddenly I saw him turn abruptly and run back at me looking none too calm. A beautiful big black bear was paying us a close visit and wishing us a good morning. He was right on the trail munching some leaves, and boy was he stout. Fortunately he seemed more interested in a vegetarian diet for the day. After making lots of noise (which he didn’t seem to mind at all…), he ended up crossing to the other side of the trail and munching on a tasty new tree. We nervously went ahead right on past him at a now “safe” distance of perhaps 4 feet… I was at the back of the pack now and nervously kept glancing back and talking to the bear as we continued the climb to Summerland. The bear was content with his leaves though, and we made it to the top unscathed. We stopped for a short breather and regrouped. Then onward.

The stretch between Summerland and Indian Bar is one of the more spectacular sections of trail. It’s one of the higher sections of the trail, and the terrain is very open and has the feel of high alpine country (and has plenty of incredible Rainier views of course). There was a short climb out of Indian Bar, and then a really long, cruising section all the way down to Maple Creek where we made up some serious time and had a lot of fun. The trail got a bit rougher shortly after Maple Creek and the lengthy climb up to Mirror Lakes was somewhat mentally defeating after such a fast fun section. We eventually emerged at the top and went by Mirror Lakes with an unfortunately completely cloud-shrouded Rainier hidden somewhere behind. After a short piece of road, we began our last chunk of trail for the day down to Longmire. At this point we knew without a doubt we’d make it to the Lodge in time for dinner, which was a great feeling. The restaurant closed at 8pm, and we were well ahead of schedule, so visions of cold beer and hot food began dominating our thoughts. We were all hurting in different ways and in different places, and all ready for a relaxing break. As we got into Longmire, Miles graciously volunteered to go retrieve our food resupply bags from the woods, and Brock and I headed into Longmire. We all awkwardly took mini-showers in the sink and it felt good to clean up. After layering up with all the clothing we had, we headed into the restaurant for some refueling. Fortunately they allowed us in despite our stench and appearance. With all 3 heads bobbing throughout the meal and darting menacingly close to falling straight into our food from exhaustion, we slowly made our way through many plates of salad, pasta, lamb, bread, soup, cold beer, and blackberry cobbler. After reaching Longmire at about 5pm, after dinner we headed back for the woods and quickly bivied where we landed. We had a luxurious 4-5 hours of sleep and were up again at 12:30am. Packing up was quick and easy, though getting going without endless fresh pots of Vita was not so easy, but we were on the trail again about 1am.

We all tried munching some caffeine gum we had picked up at the gas station the day before, but it tasted pretty awful and didn’t seem to help too much. But we trudged on through the night and the miles clicked away slowly but surely. As we climbed out of the South Puyallup River valley, the sun came up again and our spirits improved quite a bit. This morning/night was considerably colder than the night before so we stayed layered up even a few hours into the morning. A few miles before Golden Lakes, we spotted another big black bear right near the trail, but far enough away that he wasn’t an issue- just fun to look at as he lumbered around the mountains. We met a friendly ranger at Golden Lakes and he assured us it was an easy and fast 6 or so miles down to the Mowich River before the 4 or so mile climb back up to Mowich Lake. With that, Brock led us on a breakneck charge down the mountain to the Mowich River and we blazed into there feeling excited about being so close to completing the loop. We had another quick breather there and then embarked on the climb back up to Mowich Lake. It was slow going, but we emerged back at the Mowich Lake Campground not too much later, and we were done. One incredible adventure on the Wonderland Trail, done in about 36 hours with a solid 7 or so hour break in Longmire included.

We couldn’t have asked for more glorious and perfect weather this weekend, and this is a truly pristine and incredible classic Pacific NW adventure trail- a definite must-do for anyone even remotely interested in it. Being in such a vast beautiful outdoor playground makes me feel small, humbled, and grateful for all that we have and the many blessings we take for granted each day. Brock and I had been talking about a Wonderland run for a while, and after the untimely and unfortunate death of ultrarunning legend Dr. Dave Terry last week, this gave us the impetus to head out for a tribute run. Brock ran the Wonderland with DT several years ago, and his encouraging words and motivation kept Brock going then. Although I never had the chance to officially meet DT, I have heard countless great stories about him over the years, and his impact on the sport of ultrarunning will long be remembered. This was an incredible adventure and it was a pleasure to honor Dave Terry in our own small way out on some glorious singletrack where he will be long be remembered. Rest in peace Dr. Dave- you will be missed.

...More pics/video to come.

Busy, busy, off to Rainier

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:36:00 +0000

My apologies for my lack of blogging of late- it's been a busy few weeks since Cascade Crest. I'll post more soon (next week), but the brief summary is that I attempted the Plain 100 2 weeks ago, then flew out to D.C. for the North Face Endurance Challenge. I had an amazing time out there running the half-marathon with my big brother. Today I'm headed down to Rainier for another fun trek. My buddy Brock and I are running/speed hiking the Wonderland Trail to circumnavigate the mountain this weekend. It's about 95 miles and should be absolutely spectacular and amazing. I'll take plenty of photos and video for a fun feature presentation documenting the event, so check back next week for sure. Happy trails to all!

3rd Time’s the Charm

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:03:00 +0000

This past weekend’s Cascade Crest 100 was a fantastic adventure and a weekend full of classic, beautiful Pac NW running in the Cascades. A huge thank you to Charlie Crissman and the army of amazing volunteers that worked incalculable hours putting on a flawless jaunt through the mountains for all of us crazies out there on the course.

Well, I went into this race feeling pretty good and with high expectations of a strong finish, hoping my 3^rd time out here would indeed be the charm. I’d say I succeeded in that regard on all counts. Sure, I didn’t run quite the time I was hoping for, but I had a wonderful time out there, saw some spectacular scenery, and couldn’t have asked for more. In ultrarunning, regardless of your preparation, when race day comes, you never know for sure what you’re going to get. Throughout the race, I felt generally ok all day long, but never reached the level of feeling great and really cruising strong. I kept the Prefontaine spirit alive once again, shaving a nice solid mustache the morning of the race. Reactions were mixed as always- ranging from friends who loved it, to strangers who were a little uneasy, to my wife who is definitely not a fan.

After catching up with some friends at the starting area on race morning, the gun went off right at 10am. I felt good, and couldn’t hold down Pre’s spirit, so I took off immediately at an unreasonable pace. I didn’t look back, so I’m not actually sure how fast I was going relative to everyone else, but it felt fast, it felt good, and I owed it to Pre. (I definitely got many comments post-race wondering if I’d gotten stung by a bee at the start or something though.) I heard foot steps behind me right around mile 3, and was really surprised to turn and see Phil Shaw beside me. This was his 7^th time to run this course and he has always been known to run very conservatively (aka, smart) the first half of the course, and then steadily pick people off as he cruised the last half. So seeing him going this fast this early was definitely a big surprise. We had a nice chat for a while going up Goat Peak, but he soon pulled away and that we be the last I’d see of him! Over the next sections, I met a few new folks, and also caught up with friend Rod Bien a bit, who ran a super strong race as well. Then I ran alone for the rest of the day, which actually suits me just fine. The weather was pretty ideal- overcast and cool, but not really rainy. Not being able to see the spectacular views made for less distractions too I suppose. However, my biggest mental distraction presented itself rather early on and didn’t cease until nightfall, and that was the wild mountain blueberries. They were everywhere, and I had to force myself not to just sit down in any given patch of berries and take a lengthy break of gobbling them down. I stayed strong though and managed to avoid the constant temptation. With everyone else running so fast, I came through Tacoma Pass a good bit ahead of schedule so I managed to miss my crew there, which was just fine, but I did miss giving my wife a kiss. I loaded up on food at the aid station and was off again. I just kept going fairly steadily, was happy to see my wife and crew at Stampede Pass, then moved on. Some of the aid stations seemed much farther apart during these sections than I remembered, but I eventually reached them. I was also picturing one upcoming aid station that I could vividly remember for many miles, but it never came. I’m not sure what race the aid station I was picturing was from, but it certainly wasn’t this one. I reloaded again at Olallie, was tempted by Scott McCoubrey and the SRC’s pirogues, then pushed on to explore the new reroute section. I was a bit apprehensive, knowing that this was exactly where I got so lost 2 years ago, but was sure it would be overly well marked since it was a totally new section. I was definitely correct on that. It was incredibly well marked, and it was a super fun new section. I love the cruising section right out of Olallie, and then we turned up and over to Snoqualmie Pass, where we then turned down a ski run that made for a nice gnarly steep descent down to the forest. This was followed by a short road section in to Hyak, where I could see the Christmas lights glowing. The reroute was really fun and I hope it sticks around. I know the section through the tunnel is much easier, but the miles of dark tunnel really creep me out whenever I go through it, so I was a big fan of the change.

It was great, as always to reach Hyak and see my wife, pacer, and friends. It was also really nice to finally reach Hyak with it still being light outside. After a shoe change, eating a lot, my first of many coffees to come in the night, grabbing my hydration pack, and BD poles, I was off on the road with Carl. Carl was raring to go and felt good. Brock joined us for the first stretch of road, jogging backwards and pumping us up bigtime as I walked briskly and stuffed sandwiches and cookies in my face. Once I was done eating, Brock headed back to Hyak and Carl and I settled into a nice quick pace cruising through the road section. The next dirt road climb up and down was fairly uneventful. My poles gave me great power and a nice partial rest to my legs on the long climb, and then the trip down was pretty quick. We stocked back up at the next aid station, and entered into the “Trail from Hell.” I actually really like this section, and we got to the other end at Mineral Creek eventually. Carl had a tough tumble and hurt his ankle pretty bad, but pushed on strong. We then began the long climb out of Mineral Creek, and soon someone (not sure who) ran by us going up the hill- really impressive push. We saw Kirsten and Carl’s girlfriend one more quick time after a short bit, then settled in for the long climb up to No Name. No Name was hopping as usual and they had an incredible system set up. They had a menu posted a ways out with a walkie talkie attached to it. You just radioed in whatever you wanted, and they had a delicious grilled ham and cheese ready to roll for me when we arrived. Awesome. We were pretty quick there, saw a few folks, then carried on to the cardiac needles. There are definitely some significant climbs in this section but it overall wasn’t nearly as bad as I remembered it. Carl motivated me by yelling “yop” several times at full force a la Dead Poets Society. I was amazed at how quickly we arrived at Thorpe Mt. With that aid station, you reach the aid station, then have to do a short up and back to the top of Thorpe. Carl and I both dropped our hydration packs while we did the out and back, which was a really nice short breather. Then we were off again, and I assured Carl it was all downhill basically from here (that’s how I remembered it…). Well of course between Thorpe and French Cabin we still found a couple fairly significant climbs, but soon enough the sun was rising and we were coming into French Cabin. Tim Stroh cruised past us like a gazelle and looked awesome. I ate quickly at this station, had some of the best bacon of my life, and we were back on our way. One more teeny climb, and we were for real on our way mostly downhill to the end (this time I was actually right, though Carl was rightfully reluctant to believe me). I love those last 12 miles and we smoked them pretty hard, which felt great. The views coming down were great, and before we knew it we rolled into Silver Creek. I warned Carl that I’d just be dropping my poles, my pack, my jacket, and then I just wanted to cruise really quick. I think he underestimated my quickness in the aid station though, as I was taking off down the trail while he was still trying to suck down some Mt. Dew. It didn’t take him long to catch me though. After getting lost on this last section also 2 years ago, with the course so well marked this year, it was very easy to stay on track and kind of fun to be on some more new territory for me this year these last miles. Once we hit the pavement, our legs weren’t too happy with how they felt, but we bounced back and cruised on strong to the end. 21:47 and good for 8th place this year. What a day. I was beat. Carl was beat. Kirsten was beat. But we were all happy. And I was so hopped up on caffeine I was certain I wouldn’t sleep for a week.

Time to bang out another 100

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Well, the time has come once again for another 100 miler. Tomorrow is the Cascade Crest 100- definitely one of my favorite races out there. The scenery is absolutely breathtakingly amazing, the course really challenging and fun, the volunteers and race organization, etc. is fantastic. This will be my 3rd run in as many years at Cascade Crest, and I'm really hoping the 3rd time's the charm. My first year I ran a really smart first half, and found myself with a healthy lead around mile 45. Then I ended up getting really lost in the mountains due to a mismarked turn, ended up spending about 45 minutes- 1 hour off course, and then once I finally got back on, I had to spend well over an hour in our car at the next aid station recovering from mild hypothermia. Fortunately Kirsten (my wife), eventually kicked me out of the car and made me keep going. My buddy Brock and I powered through eventually to the end and I ultimately managed to finish 7th.

Then last year I probably was a bit over-ambitious even toeing the starting line so soon after my CO Trail record attempt, but I love the course so much I just couldn't stay away. After severe cases of trench foot in both feet, my feet still weren't recovered for the race, and though I felt good for a while, the crippling pain in my feet caused me to call it a day at mile 80 at No Name Ridge. Again, my buddy Brock powered through with me from Hyak, and it was a tough call to stop, but also surprisingly easy given the circumstances.

So, enter this year. 3rd time's the charm, right? Haha, I hope so. I am just hoping to go out, run the very best I can, have a super fun time out there, and enjoy an amazing jaunt through the beautiful Cascades. This year Brock is battling injury, so he'll be out there supporting and cheering folks on (and even joining another friend for a 20 mile section), but another buddy of mine is flying in tonight from St. Louis to pace me from Hyak (the last 46 miles or so). Carl is a friend I met several years ago while doing the 51 marathons in 50 days adventure. Carl was incredibly supportive during that journey and ran a handful of the marathons with me. After joining me in Omaha (where he's from) for the marathon, he then wanted to attempt his first back to back double with me, so flew out again a little later and met up with us again. He cruised strong with me in Delaware and New Jersey, and it was awesome having his company and smiling face. He and his girlfriend Ashlee are flying in tonight, and Ashlee is going to join Kirsten as faithful crew support during the race. This'll be Carl's longest run ever, but I'm confident in him. He's been training really hard, doing lots of trail work, and longer mileage training runs. My slow poke night time pace should be a cake-walk for him!

Alrighty, well best of luck to everyone out there tomorrow, and above all enjoy the journey and have fun in the mountains! Can't wait to see everyone smiling at the finish line in Easton Sunday morning.

Hardrock Video

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Here's a quick video recap of my Hardrock race; big thanks to Kirsten and Kevin for their master video/photo skills! There's a longer written recap in the post below.

Hardrock Heaven

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:05:00 +0000

I’ve been focused on Hardrock and training specifically for it ever since I got the wonderful surprise that I made it in back in February. All these months of crazy miles, mountain climbing, very little sleep, etc. have been a whirlwind, but it’s been so fun having a singular focus. Now Hardrock is over and I’ve had a few days to reflect, and I can say without hesitation that Hardrock was everything I’d hoped it would be and more, and I literally cannot wait to be back again. The bug has bitten and I like the venom.

There’s something about the CO mountains that draws me in and makes me feel at home. I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is, but I think it’s everything all rolled into one- the thin air, the spectacular wildflowers, the gorgeous high tundra flora and fauna, the bear tracks, the glorious untouched beauty of God’s creation- maybe it really does just feel like I’m about as close to heaven as I can get here. So that draw to the mountains continues, perhaps stronger than ever after another amazing few weeks in the San Juans. After starting my journey right off the bat finishing up the last 75 miles of the CO Trail (Molas Pass to Durango), I rested well for about 5 days in Durango and Silverton with just a few short mountain runs thrown in. In retrospect, doing those miles certainly wasn’t the smartest thing to do the week of Hardrock, the hardest 100 mile race on the planet, but it was nonetheless what I needed to do. Finishing what I started put my mind at ease and made me fully at peace going into Hardrock.

I’ll spare the boring details of buildup to the race and just give a quick play by play. Wednesday- picked up friend and teammate Diane Van Deren (awesome NY Times cover article) in Durango, headed to Silverton. Registered, felt the race magic begin to build. Got the news my pacer bailed on me and wasn’t coming after all. Began to put out feelers in every direction for new pacer. Met Kevin from The North Face, he was awesome and totally on board to help Kirsten crew- sweet! Back to Durango to pick up Kirsten. Flight delayed by 3 hours, picked her up at 1:30AM. Slept. Back to Silverton for pre-race briefing at noon. The magic builds. Delicious dinner, gathering all my gear, resigned to having no pacer, ready to roll for my first HR100!

Friday, July 10 – I woke early, headed down to San Juan Grille for an amazing banana pancake breakfast and much coffee. (I’d been off caffeine for about a week to prep for HR, and that juice tasted so good.) Relaxed, checked in for race, and I was on the starting line before I knew it. Great to see teammates Diane and Helen Cospolich and wish everyone the best. Then we were off into the mountains. The first climb began promptly and I felt good, but not great. The get up and go I’d hoped for just wasn’t in my legs today and I knew it early on. This was I knew thanks to my CO Trail jaunt, and an unfortunate realization on the first climb. However, it also made the rest of the race perhaps even more fun. I was just going to go as fast as I could go and enjoy this time to the utmost. And enjoy it I did. Wow, what a day. I ran with Diana Finkel for a short time following the Cunningham Gulch aid station, but she pulled away and I would never see her again as she embarked on a tremendous race. I ran with a few other folks here and there, but for the most part was alone. It took me a while to get accustomed to the markers on the course, especially when the course would jut off what seemed to be a perfectly fine trail into the great unknown up and over the side of a mountain with no visible trail. I literally laughed out loud more times than I can remember as the trail twisted and turned through the San Juans. I got lost a few brief times between here and Sherman, but eventually got myself into there. On the descent into Sherman, Andy Jones-Wilkins passed me looking fresh as a daisy coming off his great WS100 run. He, too, went on to a stellar run here at HR. I fueled up well at Sherman and was on my way up and out. As I climbed, I looked at the time and realized there was a very real possibility of the clockwork afternoon thunderstorms coming in as I went up and over the biggest climb of the course (Handies Peak at over 14,000 ft). Indeed, as I climbed higher I saw the black clouds coming in, and the rain began. I slipped on my rain jacket, and was thankful to have it as the pouring rain quickly began large hail. I thought to myself, “this is just plain foolish” many times as I went up and over the bald peak of Handies, and was extremely grateful to be sprinting down the other side when I got there. I took a tumble on this descent and drew some nice blood from my hand, but nothing major. Soon, I came into Grouse Gulch. I ate, got bandaged up, and headed out. They asked if I had a pacer. My response- “nope, I’m flying solo this time!” The climb up Engineer’s was really nice and felt great. Coming out of the Engineer aid station, the descent through the canyon cliffs was breathtaking, spectacular, and maybe even a little scary at times.

I made it in to Ouray just as dark was coming in, and was met with a great surprise! Kirsten and Kevin had connected with Bruce here, and Bruce was game to pace me through the night. He was first on the waiting list to get in, and was really bummed not to be in the race, but he graciously stepped in the join me for the night section. Though I was mentally prepared for cruising through the night solo, it was a really great surprise to have Bruce’s company. We kept a nice steady pace up and over Virginius pass (which was definitely gnarly), then cruised down into Telluride. There were some very confused drunken townfolk on the street as we ran through town around 2am. I saw my amazing crew of Kirsten and Kevin one last time, refueled, and was soon back out for the next climb. As we climbed, I told Bruce that I didn’t think I had ever said this at mile 73 of a 100 miler before, but mentally I really felt like I was on the home stretch now. So, up we went on a climb that truly seemed to never end, but it eventually did of course, and we began scrambling down and into Chapman Gulch. I had an amazing breakfast burrito here, and then we were off as the sun was just coming up. The sun gave me new life and I started clicking away at a steady strong pace up and out of there. I looked back and saw that Bruce was no longer in sight and was a little uncertain how to proceed. We had fortunately talked about it though, and I figured it was alright for me to just keep going at my pace. So onward I went up and over Grant Swamp Pass. This seemingly vertical scree scramble to the top was a heart-stopping climb, but amazing as usual. Down into the lush valley below, and soon I was in at KT aid station. I could feel Roch Horton chasing me down and had been seeing his headlight right behind me since Telluride. With only 11 miles to go, I put my head down and powered through. As I got to the final pitch of the last climb, I noticed Ricky Denesik in front of me, which motivated me to keep my pace up and keep pushing on. I passed Ricky at the top, and then pushed on into Putnam. A few quick cookies and some Coke, and I was headed down for the final stretch. These last miles were a bit surreal, and I just kept cruising down the valley.

Crossing the final river, and then doing the last 2 or so mile traverse in to Silverton, I felt like I was floating. It’s probably safe to say that these were my fastest miles of the day. Coming in the final stretch down the streets of Silverton brought the end of a very long, spectacular journey to a very special finish. I kissed the rock, kissed my wife, and couldn’t have felt more at home. 31:03, not bad for my first trot out on the Hardrock course. I never had a low throughout the entire time, other than feeling a bit sleepy at night. It was a truly joy-filled, fun, and incredible experience, and I cannot wait to be back. I saw countless marmots throughout the day. They scurried about the mountain in and out of their holes, over and around the rocks, seemingly enjoying the wildflowers and sunshine. They were incredibly cute and just seemed to be so happy. I caught their spirit out there I think, and felt like a happy little marmot scurrying around through the mountains for a day. There are never any guarantees, but I look forward to being back at Hardrock sometime soon for another amazing time. Thank you thank you to Kirsten (my wife), Kevin for crewing, Bruce for jumping in to pace me, Dale and all the amazing Hardrock volunteers, and to everybody that was following along live and cheering throughout the day! See you on the trails soon.

Hardrock Time

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Well, the time has come! I'm pacer-less but am ok with that at this point and am feeling mentally and physically totally ready to roll. I've got an awesome crew and I know I'll be well taken care of. Follow live online tomorrow here;

http://www.hardrock100.com/

CO Trail Finally Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Hardrock is a-coming

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Since the 20th Century 100k, I’ve been tapering quite a bit for Hardrock. I was tempted last week into some fun Carkeek loops with friend Jonathan, but I don’t think I did too many. I was having so much fun though, I honestly lost count of my loops and have no idea how far I went. Ah well.

This weekend I went out and cheered at the inaugural RNR Seattle event. My wife did the half-marathon after getting a friend’s spot the day before (funny, last minute race entries run in the family I guess…), so I was her transportation and cheering section. She ran a great race and it was fun to be out there for the event and kind of be on the other side of things (i.e., not running). I bumped into multiple folks that wondered why I wasn’t running, but I was more than happy to skip the road and go home for some nice afternoon trail running.

I was also following along (along with the rest of the ultrarunning world apparently) with the WS100 updates and cheering everybody on from Seattle. It was an awesome day, and super fun to follow the updates. Congratulations to all who toed the starting line and laid it all out there this weekend. Congratulations especially to Hal and Anita who ran spectacular races! Also big congrats to friends Kobaraki from Japan, Krissy Moehl, Nikki Kimball, Sean Meissner, JB Benna, and others that I’m sure I’m forgetting. Congrats to teammates Leigh Schmitt and Mike Wardian too. Like I said, thanks to all of you for running great and giving me some fun entertainment all day Saturday!

I’m headed out to Durango, CO this Thursday to get acclimated to the CO elevation and get tuned up for Hardrock next week! I decided to start my CO trip by finishing something I started last year. You may recall that I made a speed record attempt on the CO Trail last summer and we ended up having to throw in the towel at Molas Pass (only about 70 miles from the end). Well, I’m going back. Not for a speed record attempt or anything- but just to finish what I started. On Thursday after I fly in to Durango, I’m going to hitchhike out to Molas Pass, and have a leisurely hike/run from there down to Durango over the next 2-3 days. I’m super excited to be back out in CO and back on the CO Trail, and I feel like I have unfinished business with that trail. Finishing those last miles will give me great satisfaction and put my mind even more at ease going into Hardrock. I know a 70 mile jaunt through the San Juans the week before the toughest 100 miler in the country isn’t most peoples’ idea of a “taper,” but this is what I’ve got to do, and I think it’ll all work out.

I’m packing up now and will report back after I finish my CO Trail adventure! Have a great week!

20th Century 100k and Beyond

noreply@blogger.com (Sam) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:51:00 +0000

I’ve definitely begun tapering for Hardrock at this point, but I guess tapering is all relative. After maxing at about a 250 mile week, I was itching for another long run, so I decided a few days prior to the race to do the 20th Century 100k last week. Because this is a very easy course as far as 100k trail races go, I figured it would be a great way to get in a solid long run mileage-wise without a ton of time on my feet (the best of both worlds!). I know hindsight’s 20/20, but I’m happy to say that my foresight for once matches my hindsight in this situation, so I’m really happy it all worked out well.

It’s kind of fun to sign up for a race at the last minute and to go into it with the total mindset of it being a training run. I felt zero pressure and had a really fun time all day long. Race day itself began with beautiful weather and nice cool temps. I rode out to the start with my friend Lindsay and we were definitely running a bit late. We parked at the finish in Carnation, WA and were fortunate enough to barely catch one of the RD’s leaving the parking lot as we arrived, so we bummed a ride to the start out in Easton, WA with him. Whew! The course itself is pretty straightforward. There’s an old rails to trails railroad grade (the John Wayne trail) that runs roughly East/West from somewhere around North Bend to somewhere else pretty far away (Vantage maybe?). Anyway, it goes a long way and it’s a very moderate grade, and basically feels like you’re running on pancake flat ground the whole time. The course essentially follows that from Easton west to Carnation. However, due to a tunnel closure through Snoqualmie Pass, there was a fortuitous reroute on the course this year up and around Snoqualmie Pass. This meant an additional 1,000 or so feet of climbing and a section of some of my favorite single track trail from the Cascade Crest 100 course. This section came somewhere around the 15-20 mile mark if I remember correctly, and was a very welcome change after a quick warmup on the railroad grade. I wasn’t sure who was registered for the race, but knew it was a fairly small crowd and sort of expected to be running alone for most of the day. However, I was pleasantly surprised to have company right from the start. A guy I hadn’t meant before (Shawn Bussert) hung right with me for quite a while. It was fun having him there to push the pace a bit and not let me slack off, and it was fun chatting with him a bit here and there too. He’s new to ultrarunning, and a great runner already, and this was his first go at the 100k distance. Needless to say, he ran a great race. We came into the 50k aid station (and halfway mark) right together at right about 4:30, and then pressed on down the railroad grade. Not too much to report other than I was really tempted to go off on many side trips to mix it up a bit (specifically, I wanted to turn off on the McClellan Butte trail for some nice single track and a fun summit, I wanted to join the folks we saw climbing for a quick up and down, I wanted to turn off and run a quick time up and down Mt. Si…), but I abstained and stayed on course. My pace stayed pretty steady and by mile 40 or so I was running alone and would be for the rest of the day. The last 6 or 8 miles seemed super long, but the finish line eventually came into sight, and a really fun 100k came to an end. The race directors (Michael Cartwright and Scott Krell) spare no effort in putting on a race and truly put on a tremendous event. The course was incredibly thoroughly marked, the aid stations well stocked, the volunteers amazing, the finish line extravaganza unmatched. I feasted on a fully loaded hot dog, and Scott’s wife made me a fresh strong cup of coffee (with the beans ground right there!). I don’t know that I’ve ever been to a race with delicious on demand espresso drinks available post-race- wow! This was a super fun day out on the trails, and I’m really glad I made the call to go out and do this one. A huge thanks to all the volunteers and to Michael and Scott!