Western States Recap

Two runners and a pacer the day before the start.

The start was a blur as the runners took off at what appeated to be a brisk walk. They only had a few miles of climbing before they reached the first aid station.





Nikki rocked the course again, winning her second WS in the past three years. I got the opportunity to chat with her after her first win and she really is down to earth.








My brother after 30 miles and one hot canyon. His feet were soaked from the snow fields and his shirt soaked with sweat. The crew packed him in snow and filled him full of fluid before sending him out.









Rene was disappointed to here my brother drop from the race at mile 50 after the second brutely hot canyon. Only 56 % of the runners made it all the way to Auburn. Rene was able to pace a friend of my brothers. They headed out at 10 pm in a moonless sky.











Only 9 miles left from the Hwy 49 aid station. The heat was already building. Just a note: hot chocolate and instant coffee makes a concoction that taste much like battery acid (but did manage to wake me up a bit).











Rene finishing her pacing duties and crossing the line in Auburn, CA. 38 miles in a little over 12 hours with major one river crossing (by raft). Rene's runner finished in just over 29 hours. The times for this years race seemed to be slower than the past two years, whish can be attributed to the 100 degree temps.






She finished with Dirty Feet!

Bummer

Finally back to the realm of the computer. So much has happened and I have been a bit overwhelmed. First off my Brother was unable to complete his 100 mile run over the weekend. Also, Cellarrat nodded off on the side of the road just long enough for someone to snatch his bike. After a bit of hoofing it and some help from friends he made it back to Denver. Need to take a trip to downtown and buy that man many beers!

All for now

Support Role time

It is time to head off to the Tahoe region of California to support my brother in his effort to complete the Western States 100 mile endurance run for the third time. Rene is excited to be able to join us and pace him for the last 38 miles. I will just be crewing this year, which means leapfrogging the runners in order to keep them motivated and properly fueled. I will try and run/hike with them from Rucky Chucky to Greengate and from Robie Point to the Finish. I will post some pictures here when I return. I wish my brother and Cellarrat great adventures in the coming days/weeks.

When you are 99 miles into a 100-mile running race, your brain is not the same brain you started with." - Paul Huddle


Here is a picture of the new kit. This is before the Winter Park race while I still look fresh. A weekend off the bike but will try and get in a run or two. Next up for me is the Firecracker 50 on the 4th of July.



This is how we roll in the summer. The tandem has a kid stoker kit mounted on it and I just put the front rack on to carry our stuff. Notice the old KUSR sticker on the bag, the ISU campus radio station that was a main stay for alternative music in a sea of BAD 80's rock.


Far Off the Track"
"If you're heading out there
I'll give you a tip
It's wild and it's far
And you're in for a trip.
For just when you think
It couldn't get rougher
The path goes crooked
And the going gets tougher.
But once you've traveled
This far off the track
You won't settle for less
And there's no going back."
-- Patrick O'Leary

Off!

WP #2

Twenty two miles of pure suffering fun! Managed only 13 out of the 15 finishers. I had a great ride but have to realize that my descending skills are holding me back. Something to work on, it was my first real race on the Waltworks. I need to get use to riding rigid and letting th 29er wheels roll over more.

Now for a little down time as I prepare for my support role at WS100. It seems there is someone who is going to try and convince me to pace the last 38 miles for them, I will be avoiding that person.

Week in Review

Had a great week of riding and recovering.

Did my first Wednesday night Denver West ride and got totally whooped! Those boys put the hammer down on a little climb and that was it for me. Ended up chasing for 5+ miles with the main group just a blur ahead, met up with a guy named Chris and rode the rest together. I didn't feel to bad considering I rode early that morning and it was only 102 degrees out. I am planning on making it a weekly suffer fest.

Hope that Cellarat has a great GDR!

Finally picked up my new kit from my new team.

Heading to mountains again this weekend to inflict much pain on the body.

Quote

Something to think about.

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."
- T.S. Eliot

Quote

Something to think about.

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."
- T.S. Eliot

Alpine Training

Spent the weekend training at elevation with SC. A couple of nice mellow rides with plenty of hanging out time. Great weekend!

Sorry for the short post, more later.

No transition for me..................

Normally at this point in the season I am making a quick transition to running in order to pace my Brother the last 38 miles of Western States. This year is different and I can say it is kinda nice. I do enjoy the mid-year break from cycling and the challenges running 12 hours at night bring, but staying on the bike and keeping some form are going to be good going into July. The last few years July has been a recovery month as I ramp up for the Fall. 38 miles tends to take a lot out of my legs, considering I only would run the month of June and last years longest run was no more that 1.25 hours. This year Rene is taking the reins as I help in the crewing aspect. The only thing that worries me is that Rene will start wanting to run 50 and 100 mile runs. That would mean 2 endurance athletes in the house vying for the limited amount of free time.

Did my first Crit of the year, it was fast and fun but I had a stupid mechanical which caused my wheel to come asckew and the tire to rub on my frame. It irked me a tad. Rode to the crit, raced and rode home which turned out to be a great day of riding. I might work a couple more crits in for a little redemption in July.

We have altered out plans for the summer which has been good for riding but we are missing out on heading my daughters birth place, Ausin (Texas). The family was looking forward to cruising the streets on the tandem, swimming at the springs, and eating loads of tex-mex. At least there is tex-mex in the mountains!

All for now, work to be done.