Menu Close

Month: March 2016

Pickled Feet 100

logo

Pickled Feet 48/24/12/6 hour run is held at Eagle Island State Park, near Boise, Idaho.  It is a wonderful event put on my Emily Berriochoa. They also provide a 100-mile option.  Last weekend I ran 100 miles at 4mph challenge and I really didn’t consider running this event just one week later, but my recovery went well, the Idaho weather forecast improved, and at the last moment, I decided to head for Idaho and run. If successful, I could accomplish two 100-mile finishes with just five days of rest in between them.  I have accomplished that one other time, back in 2013, running 107.7 miles for 5th place at North Coast 24-hour, and then the next Friday running Salt Flats 100, finishing in 8th with 23:29.  So, I knew it could be done.  Could I do it again?

4mph Challenge

logo

I ran in a very unique race, the 4mph Challenge.  The race runs along the shoreline of Whiskeytown Lake in northern California.  For this race you must maintain at least a 4 m.p.h. (15-minute mile) for each six-mile segment. If you don’t finish the six miles in 90 minutes, you are out. Once you finish the segment you wait for the clock until 90 minutes and off you go again for the next segment. The winner is the person who goes the furthest without timing out or quitting.

Years ago, I read the intriguing, but gruesome 1979 novel by Stephen King entitled “The Longest Walk.”  The story is similar to Hunger Games.  Teenage boys participate in an annual walking contest and must keep their pace above 4 m.p.h. You are given only three warnings if you slow, and then bam, shot dead. The winner is the last one standing and they get nice awards.  As I read it, I realized Stephen King doesn’t run.  4 m.p.h is fast.  He should have chosen 2 m.p.h. to make it more realistic.  I was interested to see what I could do with 4 m.p.h.

Run around the Onaqui Mountains – 48 miles

IMG_0249 (1024x708) (640x443)

I guess I have a strange obsession with running around mountains and mountain ranges.  Most people like to bag mountains by climbing to the top.  I like to bag mountains by running around them.  This Saturday I bagged another mountain range, the Onaqui Mountains in the west desert of Utah.  These mountains lie south of the Stansbury Mountains (Deseret Peak) and north of the Pony Express Trail.

This loopy obsession began on May 2004 when I ran around the mountain behind my home, Lake Mountain, a loop of about 32 miles.  That felt like an amazing accomplishment at that time.  Since then I’ve probably run around it nearly 15 times.   After that, for many of my solo adventure runs, I’ve chosen to run around a mountain or an entire mountain range.  My entire list is at the bottom of this article.

Remote run in San Rafael Swell

IMG_0238 (817x651) (640x510)

The San Rafael Swell is about 2,000 square miles of public land in Central Utah that is known for its scenic sandstone formations, deep canyons, and expansive panoramas.  The entire area has been lifted up and turned, leaving an angled reef displaying amazing rock formations, domes of sandstone, and rugged ridgelines. The area is harsh in the summer and is often overlooked to visit except for off-road vehicle enthusiasts and horseback riders.

A Wilderness Study Area has been established in the Swell and this has been somewhat successful in keeping the ATVs out of pristine canyon areas and high plateaus, leaving areas of solitude.   I was interested in exploring the Sids Mountain Wilderness Study area, a very remote area in what is known as the Little Grand Canyon of Utah.  Late winter is an ideal time to run in the area because of the spring-like temperatures, some flowing water and lingering snow patches.