Colorado Supertramps

When I turned 40 in 2016, I ran across the Grand Canyon (R2R2R) to kick off my midlife crisis. 

Now with the half-century birthday looming later this year I wanted another adventure, and since Darien is 18 years old, strong, and fit I was happy he could join me this time. 

I’ve been trying to get into the Hardrock 100 run in Colorado since 2018, and it typically takes over a decade to get into this event via the lottery.  We decided to hike the course over 4 days, called Softrock, in the counterclockwise direction (Silverton, Sherman, Ouray, Telluride, Silverton).  The run alternates direction every year, so figured we should hike the harder direction (CCW) so when I eventually get into the event I’ll know what to expect. 

On Saturday July 4^th we flew to Denver, drove to Silverton, and enjoyed the US 250^th Independence Day festivities.  Silverton is at 2,840m (9,318 feet) above sea level to we spent the next day on Sunday trying to acclimatize to the elevation. 

Monday July 6 

At 8am we departed Silverton carrying our big packs and started hiking out of town towards the Kendall Mountain Ski Area.  After an easy 5km on rolling trails through the forest we crossed Arrastra Creek to start our first big climb.  With the low snow levels and minimal rain in the San Juan Mountains we were pleased to be able to rock hop all the river & creek crossings and keep our feet relatively dry. 

The first 1,200m climb up Little Giant was great, except we forgot that we were approaching 4,000m above sea level so we both almost had heart attacks near the top and had to slow down.  Our typical uphill pace on Grouse Mountain at home doesn’t translate well to 4km up high in the mountains. 

After cresting the mountain pass there was a steep, rocky, and technical 4km / 800m descent to Cunningham Gulch where we had a snack and filtered water before staring our next 800m climb up Green Mountain.  Luckily, we remembered to dial back the uphill effort to a more sustainable pace.  We then descended to Maggie Gulch in the heat of the day and hiked back uphill into the beautiful Pole Creek valley. 

The Pole Creek section is long and relatively flat with spectacular views in every direction.  In the fading light we hiked up the final climb of the day to Cataract Pole Pass at 3,800m, filtered water at Cataract Lake, and slowly descended 800m by headlamp to our campsite at Cataract Gulch (Sherman Aid station during the event).  By starting at 8am I thought day 1 would take us 12 hours, and we’d get into camp by 8pm with plenty of time to eat, relax, and get a good night sleep.  However, with our slower pace at high elevation, heavy packs, and many breaks to filter water (and make emergency coffee) we got to camp exhausted at 11:30pm, ate dinner and setup the tent before passing out. 

Day 1: 47km, 2,700m elevation gain, 15:30 elapsed time, 4,034m max elevation. 

Tuesday July 7 

After a restless sleep we had breakfast and packed up camp.  For the rest of the trip we had hotel rooms booked and didn’t want to carry our cheap tent and sleeping bags for the next 3 days.  We gave our gear to a hiker from Utah which significantly lightened the weight of our packs.  We started day 2 just after 8:30am with a small hike up to Cinnamon Pass Road where we met Jeff Browning marking the Hardrock course.  After a 5km mainly flat hike on a gravel road we reached Grizzly Gulch Trailhead and started the 1,200m hike up to Handies Peak which is the highest point on the Hardrock course at 4,285m (our first 14er at 14,058 feet above sea level).  

The first half of the ascent of Handies was great, but the weather turned cold with rain and wind so we put on rain jackets, pants, and waterproof gloves to stay warm as the temperature dropped to around 5 degrees.  As we approached the summit ridge the rain turned to hail in the roaring wind.  We discussed whether to find shelter to wait out the storm but it was so cold that we both agreed that it was better to keep moving to generate warmth.  Summitting Handies Peak in a storm gave us the full Hardrock experience, and luckily the hail, rain, and wind mainly stopped as we started the descent to Sloan Lake.  With lighter packs we were able to run most of the descent, in contrast to day 1 where we hiked every step from Silverton to Sherman. 

Our next climb was a small 250m ascent of American Grouse Pass then a great, long run down to Grouse Gulch and Animas Forks ghost town.  The mountain weather remained unpredictable with sun, clouds, intermittent rain, and constantly fluctuating conditions.  The next 8km included a 600m ascent to Engineer Pass on a gravel road.  

At the top of Engineer Pass at 3,800m we sat down, took pictures, and enjoyed a bag of candy before starting the 1,400m descent to Ouray.  The first 10km and 1,000m of the descent was quite runnable with amazing singletrack and beautiful mountain views in the early evening.  For the final hour we entered the rocky canyon with steep cliffs, narrow trail, and fantastic views in every direction.  As the sun was starting to set, we reached the Bear Creek trail crossing over the highway and ran the final 3km on the road, getting into Ouray just after sunset. 

Day 2: 43.5km, 2,170m elevation gain, 12:15 elapsed time, 4,285m max elevation. 

Wednesday July 8 

I realized near the end of our hike on Tuesday that the full 165km Hardrock route was too ambitious and aggressive despite our best efforts.  So instead of going out for another punishing day in the mountains we took a rest day in the mountain resort town of Telluride, enjoyed the views from the top of the gondola, sat in the hot tub, and drank beers on the balcony: a perfect rest day! 

Day 3: 0km, beers & hot tub  

Thursday July 9

One of the famous parts of the Hardrock course is Island Lake, and even though we weren’t going to finish the full loop I wanted us to hike up to Island Lake.  So, we drove towards Silverton to the South Mineral campground for a stunning loop route to Island Lake, Ice Lake, and Fuller Lake.  Island Lake is certainly the Instagram destination in the San Juans; we saw more people that day that the rest of the week combined.  

Day 4: 15km, 920m elevation gain, 4:45 elapsed time, 3,840m max elevation.

Friday July 10

The Hardrock 100 event began at 6am in Silverton so we got up early to cheer on the start.  Elite athletes including Courtney Dauwalter, Ludo Pommeret, and Tom Evans were racing, and a “who’s who” of ultra running royalty including 4-time Barkley finisher Jared Campbell and Lucy Bartholomew were spectating the start of the run.  There was even a large black bear about 15 feet up in a tree on the course about 300m from the start line. 

Before heading home we wanted to summit a couple more 14,000 foot mountains so we drove back towards Denver to the town of Fairplay, Colorado.  It was afternoon by the time we got to the Kite Lake Trailhead, but we had enough time to summit both Mount Cameron and Mount Lincoln, bringing our tally to three 14ers for the trip.  We saw a mountain goat in the alpine, hundreds of marmots and pikas, and 2 foxes on the drive back to the hotel for a great wildlife viewing day. 

Day 5: 13km, 925m elevating gain, 4:25 elapsed time, 4,346 max elevation (highest of the week) 

It was a great hiking trip with Darien.  After hiking & running almost 100km of the Hardrock course this week I have a good appreciation for the terrain, climbs, descents, and overall challenge of the course.  When I eventually get into the event through the lottery I’ll hopefully understand what’s required to complete the loop.  I’ve already told Darien that he must pace me over Handies Peak during the event! 

Cruel Jewel 2025: Deliverance in Northern Georgia

6pm Saturday, Steve:
 “Okay Darien, let’s go.  I’ve got 30km left and want to be done before midnight”

10:15pm, Darien:
“Dad, we’ll be done by 1am but not before midnight”

Steve:
“That wasn’t the deal Darien! That’s not the agreement!”

Darien <implied>:
Then run faster Dad

With a generous 48-hour race cutoff I didn’t have to finish by midnight, but arbitrarily wanted to be done Cruel Jewel in under 36 hours.  After 160km of mountain running with over 7,700m of elevation gain I found myself with 10km to go and 105 minutes until midnight.  10 min/km pace on technical mountain trails after 34 hours of running?? LFG!!

So we started running fast, 5 min/km pace on a technical downhill in the dark with multiple creek crossings.  Darien and I split 25:26 for 5km then we hit the final climb and kept running.  I’m sure my heartrate jumped from 160 to 190bpm as I gasped for air while running uphill.  The never-ending climb out of Fish Creek finally ended and we cruised the fire road into the final aid station to chug a litre of coke.

It was only then I realized we’d done it, we made up enough time and should finish before midnight.  It was 11:15pm and we had 4km to the finish on rolling roads and easy trails.  29 minutes later I collapsed after we crossed the finish line in 35:44.

187 runners started Cruel Jewel at noon on Friday May 16^th.  114 people would eventually finish, a 61% finish rate.  The weather was perfect on day 1, hot and dry, but we were in the trees most of the race and out of direct sunlight which was good.  Plus, after 13 days of pre-race acclimation in the sauna the heat was manageable.  I split just over 6 hours for the first marathon, much faster than planned but the early trails were relatively easy compared to what would come later. Christina, Darien, Camille, and Heather crewed me at 7 aid stations during the race which was amazing.

The middle section of the course called the Dragon's Spine is on the gnarly Duncan Ridge Trail (DRT), an overgrown mess of roots and rocks covered in miles of poison ivy.  I had never been on the course, but this section is notoriously terrible and slow, especially at night.  I got to the Dragon's Spine at sunset and committed to move as efficiently as possible all night, and minimize time at aid stations. I finally got through the DRT to see Christina at the Wolf Creek aid station around 2am.  Cruel Jewel is an out-and-back course, so I had to turn around and make my way back to where I started, going over the Dragon's Spine a second time.

A severe thunderstorm rolled in around sunrise while I was alone on the high ridgeline. The temperature dropped 15 degrees, and sideways rain hammered the course for an hour, turning all the trails into a muddy slip-and-slide.  I kept moving as fast and safe as possible, and luckily had a waterproof jacket to keep me relatively warm. 

After running 120km I would eventually pickup my pacers for the final 50km of the race.  Heather would join me for 10km, then Camille for 10km, then Darien for the final 30km.  Getting over the Dragon's Spine a second time, and descending to the Wilscot crew point was a major milestone.  There was food, coffee, dry socks, and family waiting for me.

Heather paced me up and down 3 mountains and kept my spirits high, then Camille got me running much faster than I wanted at the time in the blazing afternoon heat from Old Dial to Stanley Gap where I picked up Darien for the final 30km.  Cruel Jewel could be a great 100-mile out-and-back race, but it’s actually 104 miles and is called “Cruel” for a reason.  Before heading towards the finish runners do an extra 3km technical mountain descent losing 500m of elevation, then turn around and go back up that 3km, 500m climb to the main trail… very cruel indeed. 

I don’t care that I finished before the arbitrary midnight time.  I care that after 160km of running I was able to push myself to a new level with Darien for the final 10km to finish my 7^th hundred miler strong.  A lot went right during 6 months of training.  I was also training with Camille for the Vancouver half marathon, so ran on relatively flat roads twice a week.  My weekly volume was much lower than in the past with a focus on quality over quantity, around 85km per week instead of >115km in past years. I still did 50km long runs, and back-to-backs, including a 3-day 110km training camp weekend 5 weeks from race that started with a 50km overnighter on the Baden Powell trail.  I finished 32nd out of 187 runners to punch my Hardrock lottery ticket for the next 2 years. 

In the end this is a hobby, just a fun and silly sport that makes me happy.  I got to train in the beautiful North Vancouver mountains for 6 months, then race 170km in the stunning North Georgia mountains for over 35 hours, including having family pace me for the final 50km.  The blisters will heal, the big toenail will eventually grow back, but the Cruel Jewel finishers buckle and memories will last forever.

Grand Canyon R2R2R, Third Time's a Charm

The Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (R2R2R) route in the Grand Canyon is 68 km with 3,300m of elevation gain, from South Kaibab trailhead, crossing the Colorado River, then up to North Kaibab trailhead before returning back to the start.  I've run this twice before, once in 2016 when I was relatively new to mountain running, and once in 2019 with Marc.  In 2019 we had lots of fun, but I was terribly undertrained and not satisfied with my sufferfest performance.  My personal record (PR) was 12:55 from 2016.  In comparison, the FKT by Jim Walmsley is 5:55, and I always like to go under 2x the FKT in races and adventures.  That means 11:50 target for the R2R2R.

The weather forecast was perfect, cool and dry.  I scoped out the conditions the night before and there was snow and ice up high, so I carried spikes for the north rim.

I started just after 7am, and it was cold, but warmed up fast as I descended into the canyon.  The descent to the river is 10 km, and it’s tricky and really steep in parts.  My main goal was to be safe (no falls) but also to run strong and fast.  I made it down to the river in just over an hour feeling good.

Section 2 is the 15 km floor that gains 600m.  I ran as much as possible, ate and drank consistently, hiked the steep parts but ran everything I could.  Not a fast run, just fast enough to tick off the distance as efficiently as possible.  I don’t know how much time this section took, but I must have been moving pretty well.  I got to the North wall and started the 1,100m climb to the North rim.  I love climbing, and had my poles so got into a nice uphill rhythm.  There was lots of snow and ice at the top (2,500m above sea level) so the spikes came in handy. 

I got to the North rim (halfway point) in 5:10 elapsed which is crazy fast for me.  Since the second half is easier with the downhill floor I thought I might actually negative split the day.  

After about 3 minutes on the North rim I started the descent back down.  This was fine, just tricky and slippery, but I ran it safe and efficiently and my legs responded well.  I continued to eat and drink, and it warmed up as I approached the canyon floor.  The weather forecast was 19 degrees on the floor, but luckily I was in the shade for much of the day so that helped a lot.

I was excited to get to the floor, the 15 km section with 600m of downhill.  My legs felt great, and I was ready to run.  However, now I was 45 km into the day, and I just wasn’t moving as fast as I wanted.  In my mind I felt like I was running 6 min/km pace, but my watch kept saying 7 min/km pace.  Not bad, but I was starting to feel the fatigue from pushing for so long.  I eventually made it to the South end of the floor and fueled up well before the final climb.  I changed my shirt and got out extra gear as it was going to get cold and dark on the way up.  

I crossed the Colorado River with 8:55 elapsed, with 10 km and 1,400m ahead to finish.  I was convinced I could do this in 2 hours, finishing sub 11.  Figured that’s 5 km with 700m elevation gain per hour, 12 min/km pace, easy right?  I pushed and pushed all the way up, and after 1 hour I had covered 4.5 km of the 10 km total.  I didn’t give up, I ate and drank, cranked up heavy metal, and pushed the climb so damn hard to try to get in sub 11.  Nothing special about finishing under 11 hours, I just wanted to bury myself out there and get everything out of my legs and head.  I realized in the final km that I’d go over 11 hours, but was still on a great pace.  It was dark and snowing when I cracked the South rim in 11:03 with tears of joy. 

In the past 18 months I've been lucky to run both Western States and UTMB, and I ran both of those races really safe and conservative.  They’re bucket list races, and my family traveled internationally to watch and crew, so the last thing I wanted was a DNF.  This week in the Grand Canyon was completely different.  I was there to see what I could accomplish, and prove to myself that I can run hard for a long time, and be right on the edge of supernova, but stay on the good side.  I accomplished that in the Grand Canyon, and took almost 2 hours off my PR.  

The day was near perfect, the conditions were great, and 11:03 will be my PR for the R2R2R forever.  My legs hurt like hell today, but I couldn’t be happier. 

 

Western States Endurance Run

Saturday June 25, 2022

After waiting for 7 years to get into Western States, running 5 qualifying races, and training for 6.5 months I woke up at 2am, three hours before the race start.  The excitement and adrenaline of race day overwhelms any chance of falling back to sleep, and that’s okay.

We arrived at Olympic Valley at 4am with plenty of time to eat and drink, then relax before the start.  I lined up at 4:45am to get a good spot a few rows behind the pros as I wanted an efficient start up the Escarpment. 

At 5am with a shotgun blast we all started the long climb up the Escarpment.  I ran a few hundred metres just to get away from the masses then settled into a comfortable hiking pace.  As a strong mountain hiker I knew this first climb would be one of my strengths, but I wanted to keep an easy effort, eat, drink, and ensure a low heartrate.  This 800m climb was easier than expected, and I was disciplined to hike the entire way and not run.  I chatted with a few Canadians on the way up, then crested the escarpment in 52:01 in 126^th place and enjoyed the sunrise over Lake Tahoe. 

Then I ran into the high country for 7 more miles to Lyon Ridge aid station.  This was rocky, wet, tricky, and boggy terrain.  I’m sure the alpine views were spectacular, but I didn’t look up for hours to prevent a massive wipeout.  I ran within myself, let dozens of runners pass me, and didn’t even look at my watch.  This section was harder than expected, but since it was early and cool, I wanted to tick off the miles before the California sun started to cook everyone.  I rolled into Lyon Ridge with 2:34 elapsed in 197^th place.  Wow, 71 people flew by me from the top of the Escarpment to Lyon Ridge aid station.

From Lyon to Redstar was more of the same, fantastic alpine terrain but tricky and challenging to get into a comfortable running rhythm.  Same as before, I took it easy, ran how I wanted, and kept eating and drinking.  When the sun hit the course, it started to get hot, and I knew we were in for a good ol’ WSER scorcher, just like I wanted.  I arrived at Redstar Ridge at mile 15 and took time to eat and drink, fill my bottles with Roctane, apply sunscreen, then get back onto the course.

These early miles seemed to take a long time.  The first 30 miles of the course was totally new to me, and I was looking forward to eventually arriving at Robinson Flat and knowing the final 70 miles from training camp.  However, I wanted to both enjoy the high country alpine, and not do anything stupid.  So, I kept chugging along at my own safe pace, hiking the hills and running the downhills and flats until I finally got to Duncan Canyon at mile 24 where Damien and Charles were ready to crew.  In hindsight I could have gone faster during these first miles, but the maniacal focus on finishing the race and not doing anything stupid kept me in check all day and night. 

I made a mistake at Duncan Canyon aid station, leaving with 2 bottles full of Tailwind but not chugging a couple litres of water before heading back onto the course.  I was so excited to see my friends that I forgot about this important step.  It was getting very hot, and the next 6 miles to Robinson Flat would dehydrate me significantly.  I considered drinking directly from the rivers and creeks but decided against spinning the giardia roulette wheel and instead fully dunked myself in every water crossing to keep my core temperature down. 

After what seemed like forever, and with long-empty bottles I ran the final climb into Robinson Flat and yelled to Heather “I’m really dehydrated, I need water now!”.  It was great to see Heather, Christina, Darien, and Camille and they helped me restock food, drink, change my shoes and socks, and fill every compartment with ice (bandana, pack, hat, and arm sleeves). 

Let’s check in on how I’m doing with 24-hour pace.  Almost everyone that starts Western States wants to run sub-24 to get the coveted silver buckle.  Yet only approximately 50-100 people annually get that sub-24, with the heat being a big factor.  I knew I was physically ready to run sub-24 and had the splits by each aid station, but there were so many other variables that would heavily influence my finish time.  I left Robinson Flat aid station already 52 minutes behind 24-hour pace, due to my conservative run in the high country.  No regrets, just the reality that I was significantly behind my A-goal. 

The 13 miles from Robinson Flat to Last Chance are good running miles before you drop into Deadwood Canyon.  After leaving Robinson I hiked the climb then set off on the long downhill.  I was still dehydrated but starting to catch up by chugging an immense volume of water at every aid station.  My kidneys were getting a big workout, and hopefully could survive all the way to Auburn.  Whether it was the heat, or the >50km already on my legs, I had low energy running this downhill, and many runners passed me on this stretch of the course.  Even though I was moving slower than expected I did a good job taking care of myself, eating, drinking, and keeping up with my “ice everywhere” mantra to keep the core body temperature under control. 

Damien and Charles met me at Dusty Corners at mile 38.  I was in rough shape, really hungry, and both hot and cold at the same time (I’m serious, this was super weird).  I changed socks again to prevent blisters, covered most of skin with body glide then set off on the gradual downhill.

Last Chance is the final aid station before plummeting into Deadwood Canyon.  I rolled into Last Chance shivering cold, despite the 37-degree heat.  I didn’t know what was going on, but my body was punishing me physiologically for running over 43 miles in this heat.  The volunteers filled up my ice bandana and pack with ice, and I pleaded with them not to fill my arm sleeves as I was so cold.  One volunteer insisted he fill my arm sleeves with ice, and promised that in 5 minutes when I dropped into the blast furnace canyon I would be thankful.  Despite my shivering, I allowed them to fill me up with ice and push me off towards the canyons. 

After dropping into Deadwood Canyon the temperature rose another 5 degrees and all airflow stopped.  Luckily, I was covered in ice, so this helped me to not overheat.  I eventually arrived at the bridge at the bottom, drenched myself in cold water from the creek, and started the steep 600m climb up Devil’s Thumb.  At training camp in May I crushed this climb in 32 minutes but knew it would take much longer during the race.  It was so hot, and I passed many people on the ascent, including 3 people just lying on the side of the trail.  I got to the Devil’s Thumb aid station with mixed emotions.  I was happy to be through the steepest and hottest canyon of the day but the fact that I was only 48% of the way done the course weighed heavily on my mind.  Foresthill still seemed a long way. 

I changed socks again at Devil’s then dropped into El Dorado Canyon with a longer and more gradual 5-mile descent.  Somewhere during the descent, I passed through the 50-mile mark and was now finally closer to Auburn than to Olympic Valley.  25-time finisher Tim Twietmeyer was at the aid station at the bottom of the canyon, getting runners ice and water, and sending us quicky up the other side towards Michigan Bluff.  I ate a couple caffeinated gels as I knew this climb was going to be challenging.  Again, back in May I blasted this climb in 44 minutes, yet it only took me 59 minutes during the race which seemed pretty good.

I ran into Michigan Bluff at 7:40pm and was happy to see my crew even though I was 2 hours behind 24h pace.  Volcano Canyon between Michigan Bluff and Foresthill is my least favourite part of the course, it’s the last canyon, is not as deep, but is still tricky especially on tired legs.  And I knew I’d need my headlamp long before arriving in Foresthill.  My crew had to push me out of Michigan Bluff and get me moving down into Volcano Canyon.  Luckily the sun was going down and the temperature was dropping to a more manageable level. 

Coming out of Volcano Canyon by headlamp I arrived on the paved neighbourhood Bath Road and hiked up to Foresthill at 9:15pm where Darien was waiting for me.  We ran on the road and picked up Charles, Christina, Camille, and Damien along the way.  I said “hi” to Gordy Ainsleigh in the Foresthill aid station, got food and shuffled to my crew area where all I wanted to do was sit down for 5 minutes, eat my grilled cheese, chug a can of coke and reset my legs and brain.  I changed shoes and socks, then Damien, Darien and I set off towards Cal Street.  I said goodbye to Darien at the corner then with Damien began the long 16-mile descent towards the American River. 

Running with Damien provided a massive blast of energy.  I was planning on telling Damien not to speak to me, stay behind me keep quiet as I was in agony.  But we ended up chatting most of the time, and this helped so much.  The downhills were tough as my quads were wrecked, but I was hiking well on the climbs, and could run 8 min/km pace on the flats.  We rolled through Cal 1, Cal 2, and Cal 3 aid stations, eating drinking, laughing, and having fun throughout the night.  As I was sweating less at night, I had to cut down on my salt intake as I was bloated with water and couldn’t pee, just one of the seemingly dozens of vitals to continuously monitor. 

At 2:30am we arrived at the Rucky Chucky river crossing.  Christina, Heather, Darien and Camille were there to greet me, and I switched pacers from Damien to Charles.  After the hideous quad-busting stone steps down to the river Charles and I waded into the 12 degrees chilly waist-deep water by headlamp.  Luckily there were many fantastic volunteers to help us across safely.  After scrambling up the riverbank I changed shoes and socks and started hiking the gradual climb to Green Gate.  By this time, I knew there was no way I was finishing sub-24, but I was still feeling okay, especially on the uphills and flats.  I tried not to think about the long 22 miles to the finish line and kept pushing forward.

I found the trail from Green Gate to Auburn Lake Trails challenging… hard to get into a decent running rhythm in the dark and with constantly changing terrain.  Luckily, I knew the next stretch was really nice, flat and smooth California single track.  Once on the flat trail I returned to my 8 min/km running pace and kept pushing forward towards Quarry Road aid station at mile 90.

By this point I had started calculating my expected finish time, and specifically how much longer I needed to be out on this course before I could collapse on the track with my family and friends.  I was so focused on getting out of the Quarry Road aid station that I almost missed meeting 7-time Western States winner Scott Jurek and 2-time winner Hal Koerner.  As it was 6:30am and already getting warm Scott told us to get moving and finish before the heat really kicked in again. 

We ran along the fire road, then made the infamous left turn and started the long climb towards the Highway 49 crossing.  After crossing the highway, we continued the climb up to Cool Meadow, my favourite part of the course, and into Pointed Rocks aid station.  By this time, I was giving Charles my empty bottles and requesting that he fill them with water for me while I get food, then get us back running as quick as possible.  Scott’s words of advice were constantly in my mind, and I wanted to finish before 10am.

The long descent from Pointed Rocks to No Hands Bridge took forever, my quads were done, and I knew this last long trail downhill was going to be agonizingly painful.  But my other favourite part of the Western States course is the final climb from No Hands Bridge to Robie Point.  In my pre-race vision, I imagined arriving at the bridge at 4:30am and having to storm the final climb in order to finish sub-24.  Even though I was hours behind my A-goal I still wanted to bury myself on this 3-mile climb and leave it all on the course.  Charles and I ran up from the bridge with everything I had left in the tank.  We probably weren’t moving that fast, but I felt like Geoff Roes running away from Anton Krupicka in 2010. 

As we approached Robie Point I could see Damien, Christina, and Darien cheering at the top.  They joined us at mile 98.9 and we shuffled together downhill through the streets of Auburn towards Placer High School, talking, and laughing about the 7-year journey and how I was actually about to finish Western States!

We picked up Camille and Heather at the entrance to the track and the 7 of us ran the victory lap around the track.  I crossed the finish line in 28:10 in 192^nd place out of 383 starters.  At the awards ceremony I received my bronze buckle.  I write this blog 7 days after finishing and am still overwhelmed with complete happiness and joy with the 7-year journey to Olympic Valley, the 6.5 months of intense training, and the 28 hours and 10 minutes on the Western States course.  Now I’m a Western States finisher!

Video of my race preparation

Race recap video by Christina 

Training camp video by Bren 

  

Western States Training Camp

On December 4, 2021 my lottery ticket was picked to run the 2022 Western States Endurance Run.  After 5 years in the lottery, and with 16 tickets I had a 17% chance of being selected.  I was really excited and a little terrified about the next 6.5 months.  The original plan was to ski 120 days this winter, but that changed to focus on hundred-mile ultra training.  After three 100s I still have little idea how to properly train or race, so I immediately hired coach Kat Drew to get me to the start line in great shape, and to the finish line in under 30 hours.

On Memorial Day long weekend Bren and I went to California to run the final 70 miles of the course over 3 days.  I’ve read dozens of Western States blogs and watched countless videos on YouTube but running the course before race day will help with my confidence and course knowledge.

Day 1:  50km from Robinson Flat to Foresthill

After a bus ride to Robinson Flat we started a gradual climb, followed by a long runnable downhill.  The goal is to bank time when possible but also save my legs for all the running on the final third of the course.  After Last Chance we dropped into Deadwood Canyon with a very steep, rocky and technical descent.  I took it easy as I didn’t want to fall or blow up my quads.  We crossed the bridge at the bottom of the canyon and started the steep 600m climb up Devil's Thumb.  On race day I’ll hike this conservatively, but today I wanted to see what I had in my legs, so I pushed this climb and got to the top in 32 minutes, passing 30+ people during the climb.  Lots of fun in training, but not a great idea for race day.

Then we dropped into El Dorado Canyon, a more gradual 8km descent to the bottom, followed by a longer but less steep climb up to Michigan Bluff.  Again, I wanted to see what I could do so I pushed the climb and got to the top in 44 minutes. 

Took my time at Michigan Bluff to eat and drink before heading into the final canyon.  After leaving Michigan Bluff we were surprised with a relatively long climb before dropping into the technical descent of Volcano Canyon.  This canyon is not as big as the other two, but good to know not to underestimate it on race day.  The climb out of Volcano Canyon eventually merges with the paved Bath Road for the final ascent into Foresthill. 

Day 2:  30km from Foresthill to Rucky Chucky

Today is the famous Cal Street section of Western States, the long descent from Foresthill to the American River.  As this is a long runnable downhill it’s important that I get to Foresthill (mile 62) on race day feeling good.  As expected, the trail starts descending immediately after leaving Foresthill, gradual at first then becoming more steep.  We enjoyed the 15 rollers after Cal 1 and the Elevator Shaft descent into Cal 2 aid station. 

Leaving Cal 2 I felt ready to open it up and blast my downhill legs, something fun to do in training and not on race day.  We flew down the switchbacks passing a dozen people along the way.  The trail then pulls parallel with the American River and rolls for another 8km to Rucky Chucky.  This is hot and exposed, but all very runnable trail. 

Upon finally reaching the American River we left the course for a hike up to Drivers Flat.  On race day we will cross the river at Rucky Chucky and continue up to Green Gate on the other side.

Day 3:  35km from Green Gate to Auburn

Save your legs for the final 20 miles, that’s the advice you hear all the time in preparing for Western States as this section of trail is very runnable.  Instead of blasting specific sections like the past two days I decided to run smart today around 6:45 min/km pace.  Unlike Jim Walmsley in 2016 we made the left turn from Quarry Fire Road to the single-track climb up to Highway 49, then continued the long climb up to spectacular Cool Meadow and into Pointed Rocks aid station. 

After leaving the aid station we ran the final 2.7-mile trail descent of the course and over the famous No Hands Bridge at mile 96.5.  Then it’s the final long 2.4-mile climb of Western States.  I’ll be back here on June 26^th and may be pushing for a specific finish time so wanted to see if I could run the ascent to Robie Point.  I pushed hard, ran most of the climb, and passed a dozen people on the way up and into Auburn.  From mile 99 it’s a celebratory downhill run on road to the famous track at Placer High. 

Race day will be hotter, longer, and very different but it was a great experience to run 70 miles of the course.  I now understand the canyons, Cal Street, and how to run the final sections of Western States.  I’m still really excited but also a little terrified to return in 25 days, but after 7 years of dreaming about running this race I can’t wait to get started.

Bren created 3 great videos, one after each day of running:

Day 1 video

Day 2 video

Day 3 video