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Reaching for 100 100-mile Finishes

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When I attempted to run my first 100-miler at The Bear in 2004, I ran quite a few miles near the 100-mile legend, Hans-Dieter Weisshaar from Germany who was at that time 64 years old.  That race was Han’s 66th 100-mile finish.  Hans was indeed a legend.  That year in 2004, he finished 13 of them.  He started running 100s at the age of 58.  When I DNFed the race, and was given a ride to the finish line, I was able to watch Hans finish in 32:54 to a chorus of cheers. I was in awe.

I had failed to finish my first 100 mile race and believed that I was in way over my head at age 46.  Here was a man 20 years older than me, finishing 100-milers every month.   If I could only just finish one!  I did get that first finish, a few months later and was hooked on running 100-milers.

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Quad Squaw Peak

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Somehow years ago I got into my head that it was cool to run repeats of high peaks.  I do recall probably in 2004, seeing a guy run up and down Mount Timpanogos twice in a day. I was very impressed.  But he only went up to the saddle and back twice, not the summit. I convinced myself that this was not quite right, that you needed to go from trailhead to summit and back, then repeat.

My crazy repeats started on Timpanogos, first two, then three, then four, and finally five summits on August 18-19, 2006.  I’m still waiting for someone to break that record, or even tie it, but it still stands nearly ten years later.  It seems like every month I meet someone and the conversation starts, “Are you the guy who…”  I think, “oh no, here it comes again.”   I get embarrassed and reply, “Yes, I’m that guy.”

I like repeats because they are on a consistent trail. You return to your car every few hours to resupply and continue on.  It also is a tough mental exercise that seems to help develop mental strength to continue on in races when I face trials.

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Salt Flats 100

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I went to run the Salt Flats 100 for the fifth time near Wendover, UT.  I enjoy the course because it has fast sections, fun climbs, and challenging mud flats.  In most years, the weather has been a factor with at least passing thunder storms.  This year the salt flats were under several inches of rain and yes, the weather became a major factor during the race.

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Golden Spike Adventure Run – 51 miles

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The first transcontinental railroad was completed near the Great Salt Lake in Utah, at Promontory Summit, on May 10, 1869. It was the main line railroad across the country until around 1904 when a new line was cut across the Great Salt Lake and bypassed Promontory.  The original historic route continued to be used for passenger traffic for many more years.  In 1942 the tracks were abandoned as the rails were needed to support the war effort during World War II.  Today in this remote area, the railway grade is still clearly visible and runnable.  I had always wanted to run on this historic railroad bed.  I finally made the trip and ended up running about 32 miles on it.

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Pickled Feet 100

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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?

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4mph Challenge

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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.

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Run around the Onaqui Mountains – 48 miles

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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.

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Remote run in San Rafael Swell

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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.

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Cathedral Valley Loop – 47 miles

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Cathedral Valley is one of the great remote areas of Utah that receives very few visitors.  In 1945 the first superintendent of what was then Capitol Reef National Monument, christened this area of fantastically eroded cliffs, sandstone monoliths and panoramic views, as Cathedral Valley. To him, the scene seemed downright Gothic. Compared to the more popular Waterpocket Fold area to the south in Capitol Reef National Park, not many people choose to make this trip.  It usually requires a high-clearance vehicle and at times a 4WD vehicle.

During most of the year, a 64-mile loop (including a paved-highway connector) can be driven to view this spectacular area.  Last year (2015) I made a brief visit to Cathedral Valley and recorded this video.  This year, I decided that I would try to run the entire loop.  Instead of running the highway to connect the ends of the road, I would use a remote 4WD road (0146) to complete the loop.  This would make a loop of about 43 miles, most of it on fast maintained dirt road.  Surely no one had ever attempted this before and I would discover another epic long run.  With some sight-seeing detours along the way, my run would be 47.2 miles.

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Jackpot 100

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I ran Jackpot 100 held at Cornerstone Park near Las Vegas, in Henderson, Nevada.  I had never run this race before and looked forward to running in warmer temperatures away from the long, cold winter in Utah.  This race is a loop-format race on a 2.38-mile course through the park.  Various races are held concurrently, 48-hour, 24-hour, 100-mile, 12-hour, six-hour, and marathon.  I chose to run the 100-miler.

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Coldwater Rumble 100

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I again ran Coldwater Rumble 100 in Goodyear Arizona, near Phoenix, put on by Aravaipa Running, the same group that puts on Across the Years, Javalina Jundred (100), and others.  Last year I ran this race and finished in 29 hours.  I went away humbled, knowing that I didn’t run well, and thought I wouldn’t return to this race.  But I did return and was determined to do better.

Coldwater Rumble provides races of various lengths: 4 miles, 20K, 20 miles, 52K, 52 miles, and 100 miles.  They all start on the same day with staggered start times.  About 400 runners would be on the course that is laid out on various desert trails in Estrella Mountain Regional Park.  You could clearly tell which race a runner was in by the color and number on their race bib.

The venue for the race is Estrella Mountain Regional Park, nearly 20,000 acres of beautiful Sonoran Desert set aside to be used by hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.  On this weekend, the runners took over the trails.

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2015 – A Year in Review

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2015 was a good running year for me.  For the past few years I have been slowed from continued consequences of the massive tibia stress fracture that I experienced in 2012. Opening 2015, I still was having some issues but as the year progressed, stability in that leg area returned and I worried less about it.  I still fear running faster than 7-minute pace, which seems to cause tears in the area so I’ve retired from face-pace running at short distances (5K, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, and even 50K).

With consistent training and long races I experienced a record year for me in miles, with 4,564 miles, far more than my previous best of 3,943 in 2011, one of my best years.  With new responsibilities at work in 2015, I found it more difficult to find time and motivation to do a lot of mid-week training and instead concentrated on very long Saturday runs, always taking off Sundays.  I probably averaged running less than three days a week.  I added many power-walks from the train station to work and back several times a week.

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