A Wedding, A Run Round Hood, & A TRR Stage 3 Race Report!

Sorry for the interlude there, I attended a wedding on Sat night, that of none other than my Primal Quest Utah teammate Aimee Dunn! Big congrats to Aimee and Layne, and thanks so much for having us, twas a great evening in a beautiful setting!


Then after work on Monday I drove to Mt. Hood, Oregon with Montrail teammate Ryne Melcher, arriving around 1am. Five hours later we were packing up camp and donning our running gear. We joined a group who were organized by Columbia to do a circumnavigation of Mt. Hood, a 40m / 65km journey. At 8pm that night we turned around and drove home, arriving here at 4am. I'm still wiping the sleep outta my eyes! Here are just two quick pics and a full recap will follow eventually, as it was quite simply an INCREDIBLE day of playing out in the mountains!



BUT FOR NOW, ONTO THE RACE REPORT!!

Stage 3: Leadville - Nova Guides
Distance: 24 miles / 39 km
Climbing: 2930 feet
Descending: 3833 feet
Low/High Elevation: 9200/10945

(Side note, after stage two we found ourselves in second place in the G.C.((general classification))for the open mixed category)

As was becoming the theme, the mornings were bitterly cold. We had slight rains the day before but certainly nothing worth complaining about..."DAMN T.R. let it rain on us out there!"...and the first hour of the day was always the toughest. If not for my bladder controlling my being I would surely have lay in the tent an hour longer. I'm pretty sure Tamsin and I were some of the final people each day to finally step into our actual running gear and embrace the chill of the morning.

As was always the case, the race started on time and to the second! We were off and running up the main street of Leadville where we would eventually follow the highway out of town for a few kms. After about twenty minutes we veered onto the trails that would lead us through our longest distance day and all the way to Nova Guides.


Each stage's start was the same for Tamsin and I, it felt like it took us forever to get our breathing under control and to fall into a rhythm. During the first two stages we were running amongst the same group as we allowed our bodies to accept what our minds were telling them to do. On this stage however it just seemed like we were going out a bit slower...or was everyone else just leading it out faster on stage three?

Sticking To The Race Plan

Taz and I had a lengthy discussion as we watched most of our 'regular running pals' run on ahead of us. I was wearing my GPS and our pace was not faltering, this was the longest stage in the entire race, and the sun was now shining bright above us and it appeared that it could once again play a role in the race today. As it turned out, I would later learn that Keri Nelson of the lead open-mixed team had bolted to the front of the pack right from the start of the day! She lead the ENTIRE RACE for the first 5km, and the reciprocal effect of this was that the entire pack we getting strung out early. Me to Tamsin,

"I'm sure we're good right now. Let's just keep doing what we've been doing over the first two stages. I promise you if we just stick to our race plan we'll make out just fine again today!"

Those words were repeated numerous times in the first ninety minutes of the race as we watched many of our immediate competitors disappear into the forest ahead of us.

The first aid station was just 8.5km/5.2m into the stage, and up until that point Tamsin's stomach was bugging her and she could not get any food down. I wasn't feeling great myself but after downing a bit of watermelon and some fluids we both started to come around. That coupled with being able to peer a full km down the road to our right and see clearly that the teams we were so worried about were only 'just up ahead' allowed our confidence to return. We threw on the tow rope, put our heads down, and got to work on what lay ahead!

Within an hour we had caught back up to and passed many of the 'regulars' we'd been seeing throughout the first two stages and we knew we were once again racing smart. We eventually caught up to and positioned ourselves right behind Kami and Nikki and went about getting to know our new acquaintances that much better.

Start Slow-Finish Strong!

Although we found ourselves right where we wanted to be, the third place open mixed team had made a move early and had been out of sight for over an hour. As mentioned, we knew Keri and Jason of the lead mixed team would have to falter on their own for us to catch them, so we simply focused on sustaining position and keeping those now behind us, behind us for good. The highlight of the day for me was when Tamsin asked me what I thought about the third place team being gone from sight for so long. I paused and thought about our pace, their pace, and how the first few days had unfolded.

"I'm willing to bet they're less than two minutes ahead of us right now Tamsin."

Not twenty seconds later we came into an open section of trail with one switchback off in the distance. We just saw Peter and Julie of Team Nike/Gore-Tex exiting on the opposite side and I timed it off at being 1m45s. All was good, we were now 14m/22.5km in, there was still over 10m/16km to the finish, and we were feeling strong.

We blew through the aid station at Cooper Ski Area and since Kami and Nikki were chasing their own 'ghosts' of Devon and Caitlin we all started pushing on the descent down to CP3. It felt great to lock into a groove and follow their lead over this terrain and I knew we were making time on our competitors up ahead. About thirty minutes later, and as if we were all racing in teams of four co-ed, we converged. Kami and Nikki shot to the front and we eventually followed suit. There was but 6m/10k to the finish of stage three, and for the first time all day we were all within sight of each other. Game On!

We just managed a slight enough gap on Peter and Julie before hitting the final aid station with but 4m/6.5k to the line. Realizing this we limited our stop to about five seconds and pushed hard to stay out of sight before they arrived. Just one mile later we departed the nicest extended single track running we had yet seen in our three days of racing and we plopped down onto a painfully flat fire road that would take us to the end of the longest run on sentence in the 09 version of Trans Rockies, err longest stage in the 09 version of TR!

The world 100k road champ Kami Semick with teammate Nikki Kimball, were locked into a three mile sprint finish verses the 4th place world 100k finisher Devon Crosby-Helms and her partner Caitlin Smith. Tamsin and I fell just off pace and simply ensured we were going to make up time on our closest competitors.

You're In First! No We Are In Second...

With but a single mile to the finish of stage three, Bryon Powell of iRunFar came running towards us, video camera in hand.

"Nice work Gary, you guys are the first place open-mixed team!"

"No we're second, but thanks Bryon!"

"NO YOU'RE FIRST. The lead team dropped out at the second aid station!"

I had no idea of the circumstances and simply assumed they had blown up or been overcome by injury. Either way the excitement of now leading this race got the best of me and with Tamsin on tow I very literally started sprinting for the line!

"Gaaarrrry, slooow the hellll doownn!!"

"Sorry Tamsin. WOOOOOO WHOOOOOO!!"

"SLOW DOWN BEFORE YOU KILL ME!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying. Sorry, I have absolutely no control over myself right now!"

We ended up crossing the line a minute behind Kami and Nikki who were a minute behind Devon and Caitlin, but most importantly we'd gained another three minutes over the third place...no second place team since we were now in FIRST PLACE, WOOOOO WHOOOOO!!!


The only damper that was put on our celebration was when we later learned exactly what had transpired up ahead. Keri had a death in the family just a few days before the race began. Unfortunately for all, because she truly was/is an inspiring and incredibly talented runner, she made the tough call to head home and be with her family. I briefly spoke of this later in the evening and I meant what I said. I sincerely hope she decides to return to the race again in 2010 because along with her partner Jason they were shining examples of what elite runners can accomplish over such challenging terrain!


Back at camp that night Tamsin and I had our own, albeit much more insignificant troubles to deal with. I didn't mention this in the stage two report because I ran out of time before heading to work, but 'The Nose Bleed Kid Tamsin' was now having serious issues with the elevation. I won't post the pic of Tamsin herself because I think she'd kill me, but here's a visual reference as to how severe we're talking about, and in all honesty this pales in comparison to a few of the pics I have. The medic was actually in shock and said he'd never seen anything like it. It was truly like someone had turned on a faucet and forgotten about it for fifteen full minutes. I kept telling her it was no big deal, but in all honesty, now that it was happening on the second straight day it was totally freaking me out. If she happened to get one during a stage we'd drop right off the map while simply waiting for it to stop gushing! We did our best to pretend it simply wasn't happening and that there wasn't an apparent liter of blood on the grass, on back to back days already! If we didn't talk about it then it couldn't be serious!!

GR

Tran Rockies Day 2, Hope Pass @12600 FT!

I awoke at the crack of dawn and headed back to the campers village to grab Tamsin for breakfast. She was still asleep, she had slept like a rock the night before and didn't even notice that I'd disappeared sometime in the night. Apparently she'd even done the "zip...zip...zip" bathroom exit of someone trying their hardest not to awaken anyone else by just ripping open a tent zipper a 2am.

Over breakfast you could see the lack of sleep plastered on people's faces. I would guess that half of the campers tossed and turned on the first evening. I was grateful for my decision to limit my losses and sleep under the stars.

After a shuttle ride to the start we were ready to tackle the 12,600 foot Hope Pass!

Stage 2: Vicksburg - Twin Lakes
Distance: 10 miles / 16 km
Climbing: 3098 feet
Descending: 3570 feet
Low/High Elevation: 9203/12538

This would be our shortest stage of the six days at just over 16km, however we were about to crest our highest elevation point and with that came just the slightest bit of trepidation.

At 8:30 we were off. There was a flat entry of about two miles until we started our march up and over the pass. Again Tamsin and I found our own groove and didn't worry about what was happening ahead of or behind us. After about fifteen minutes the trail dropped from a fire road to single track, and the true race began.


We clicked on the tow rope right away and went about a very strong power hike mixed in with running when the terrain allowed. The great part about easing our way into the run was that we were now passing teams the whole way up. Eventually we found ourselves situated with Kami and Nikki again, while Anita Ortiz and Prudence L'Heureux traded spots with us throughout the climb. Overall women's leaders Devon Crosby-Helms and Caitlin Smith were just back from our pack, and overall open mixed leaders Keri and Jason could be seen in a flash of red about four switchbacks and five minutes ahead of all of us.

Heading into this stage our greatest concern was our breathing at elevation. When the gun went off we both felt weary and struggled to find a rhythm but eventually settled in. My only real 'scare' of the day came at about 11,500 feet when I felt the onset of a head ache from being light headed. Thankfully this only lasted five minutes and I'd forgotten about it once we could see our high point up in the distance.

(Thomas and Monica Miller atop Hope Pass, thanks for letting me use your pics Thomas!)

We pushed hard for the saddle, took all of three seconds to try to enjoy the incredible vantage point, and then went about bombing down the opposite side of the mountain. As the trail filtered us into double and then single track our pecking order found it so that Nikki was off the front showing us all how it's done. To my pure enjoyment Tamsin quickly established herself as the second fastest descender within the group and by the time we found ourselves upon the flats with just two miles to go we even had a slight gap on the other teams.

Tamsin and I lead it out over this terrain and it wasn't until I tried my absolute best to take a wrong turn...and quickly got lassoed back on trail via our tow rope, that Nikki and Kami overtook us. Everyone then kicked it up a notch, knowing every second can count in a stage race, and we passed through the finisher's arch in a time of 1h55m16s.


If I'm not mistaken Keri and Jason had taken another eight or nine minutes out of us, but conversely we had gained seventeen minutes on the then second place open mixed team, and five minutes on the team we would eventually be battling it out with. It was another successful day, and once again we knew we'd left lots in the tank for the remainder of the race. I had but one thought as we crossed the line though...was Aaron Heidt able to recover from his seizing diaphragm the day before.

WELL, long story short on their behalf. The answer was YES, he recovered, there were no breathing issues, and they ran strong...HOWEVER Aaron quite literally bailed hard, kissed a big rock, tore his face open, nearly broke a tooth in half and needed a root canal to fix it all after the fact...BUT THEY HAD WON THE OVERALL STAGE! I couldn't have been more excited and while he sat in a van with a bloody cloth over his face awaiting a trip to the dentist I banged on the windows and cheered him on like I was the paparazzi!

(you can see the blood on Heidts face as he's closing in on the stage win!)

After cheering in a bunch more teams we caught the shuttle back to the campers village to go about our daily recovery duties. Eat-Shower-Massage-Rest, then head for dinner and devour the wonderful food prepared by the TR caterers, watch awards, get break down of following days stage, be entertained by live performance, and cap it off with a slide show and video recap of what an incredible day of running we'd just experienced...all I remember thinking was,

'I could get used to this in a hurry!!'

Day two was in the books, and Taz and I could already see on other peoples faces and legs that we had instituted and followed a very good race plan up until this point in time.

GR

T.R. Report, Stage 1

It's taken me far too long to get to this because in all honesty I know I simply can not do justice to what an incredible experience this truly was. I'm not even sure where to start. To simply recap our daily run would be an injustice, and to attempt to do so would take the entire night and not a single soul outside of my own parents would actually make their way through the thing.

The build up to Trans Rockies was in itself an interesting process. Originally Aaron Heidt of team 'Two Joes' and I were supposed to race together, but in a 72hr span and due to numerous circumstances I went from doing the race with Aaron, to not doing the race at all, to doing the race with Tamsin Anstey. Aaron went from me, to Simon Driver, and finally to Adam Campbell. I know in the end we'd both agree that it worked out for the best as Aaron and Adam were an incredible combo, and Tamsin and I could not have asked for more out of this event.

Tamsin, Aaron and I drove down together, taking nearly 24 full hours to do so!

As we crossed over from Wyoming into Colorado we started climbing from sea level on up...and up...and up. By the time we stopped in Leadville for some groc we had driven over an 11,000 foot pass and were now at over 10,000 feet. As I stepped out of the car I was noticeably light headed, struggling to breath, somewhat moody, and my mind seemed as cloudy as a spring day in Vancouver. I needed assistance to accomplish the most menial of tasks and my pre conceived notion that I'd be fine at elevation was quickly shattered. This was only accentuated an hour later when the three of us set up camp, ran 5km, and nearly puked. It honestly felt like someone had duct taped over my mouth, poked a pin hole in the middle, and wished me good luck. Towards the end of the run Aaron and I kicked it up a notch. After four hundred meters I was confident that had I continued an additional four hundred at that speed I surely would have blacked out. What the hell had I signed myself up for!!

Sat August 22nd, the day before the big race. Aaron, Adam, Tamsin and I all headed out for another run. Tamsin and I worked on our tow rope set up and A&A ran on ahead. By the end of the 8km run I noticed an improvement in my breathing verses the previous day, but we were lower in elevation now and I was still having issues. As Tamsin and I lay in the tent that night we were overwhelmed with insecurities about our fitness level and what lay ahead.

"We have to race smart because if we go out too hard we'll suffer the consequences for the rest of the week!"

"I guess top five would be nice at this point."

"If we're out of top three and have no shot at it we should try to shoot for a single stage win."

"I want my mommy!"

DAY 1: Buena Vista - Railroad Bridge
Distance: 20 miles/32 km
Climbing: 2721 feet
Descending: 2398 feet
Low/High Elevation: 7919/9329

Tamsin and I promised each other that we'd race smart and stay conservative over the first few days. My only other stage racing experience was the 2008 B.C. Bike Race (another must do race). My then partner Todd Nowack and I went out far too hard from the start and I paid for it in a big way, with daily reminders of how little my body was recovering in between the successive stages. If I learned anything from that event, it's that rarely can you win a lengthy stage race on the first day, but you can most certainly loose it on the first day!

As the race started Taz and I settled into a groove which kept us towards the front of the second pack. The sun was shining bright and I could see early on that it would take its toll on the ill prepared before the end of the stage. Eventually we found ourselves running behind Kami Semick and Nikki Kimball, two of the most experienced and accomplished runners in the entire race. We figured this was a great place for us to settle into. Little did we know that this would end up being the theme for the entire week for us!

Tamsin ran track for Jacksonville in Florida. She has proven to me time and time again that she does not feel heat, nor need much in the way of fluids. She is basically a camel without the unsightly hump. I however was feeling it in a big way, but I kept reminding myself that it was nothing compared to what I had experienced down at WS just eight weeks prior. I made sure to stay on top of my fluids and thermolytes and tried my best to ignore comments from my teammate such as,

"IS IT HOT OUT HERE?"

"REALLY?"

"ARE YOU SURE"

"WOW I LOVE THIS TEMPERATURE!"

I could see runners around us starting to falter and with about 11km to go we finally decided to pull out the tow rope. We were under the impression that the lead open mixed team was within a few minutes of us and that we were running in second, but then we passed two other co-ed teams and I realized that we really had no idea of what was going on up ahead.


The terrain which consisted of mainly fire roads, and included some incredible vantage points, eventually spit us out onto a flat road with about 5km to go. After we passed through a few cool tunnels, literally and figuratively, we put our heads down and pushed for the line, catching a few more teams in the process...and I enjoyed passing all but one of them...

I looked up ahead and noticed Aaron and Adam. I fully thought that they had come out on a cool down run to see how we were doing, but it quickly became apparent that this was as far from their current reality as could be possible. In the days leading up to the race we all noticed how dehydrated we seemed to be. The elevation demanded a higher fluid intake, of which we all obliged without issue, however, Aaron had drank virtually nothing but water for three straight days and in the process he had all but flushed his body of his electrolyte stores. His diaphragm had seized up on him and he could hardly breath. They were still walking towards the finish line! I knew going in that they were one of the top teams there, and Aaron had trained harder than anyone and spent time at elevation. I actually cursed out loud when I realized the gravity of what had occurred. Their shot at an overall win was already gone and having dropped over 30min to third place it looked like their shot at an overall podium finish was shot as well!

When Tamsin and I did cross the line I was surprised to learn that we were in third having thought there to be only one team ahead, of which we made sure to keep in view all day long. The team who finished second was just ahead of us and we were confident that the 2.5min we had sacrificed to them on the first day would not be an issue, but first had come in fifteen minutes up on us! And they just happened to be lead by the 08 open mixed female winner Keri Nelson, who along with her teammate Jason Wolfe had shown themselves to be on another level.

At the awards that night I was surprised to see the quality of the prizing. If you made the daily podium you walked away with swag worth between 100-200 dollars!


Tamsin and I both agreed that it was a perfect first day for us. We felt like we stayed fresh throughout, did not tap into our reserves, were recovering well, and were ready and excited to do the same again on stage two!


That night a brisk wind blew through the campers village. The tents seemed to flap incessantly and I knew most were struggling to sleep. From my experiences at BCBR and having faced sleep issues there I realized the obvious necessity of a good nights rest. At 11pm I made the call. I knew I'd toss and turn all night otherwise. I grabbed my sleeping mat, bag, pillow and headlamp, and crawled out of the tent. I went in search of an area out of the wind where I might be able to actually get some recovery sleep. Just a few hundred meters away from the freight train like flapping of a 150 tents, I found solace. A picnic table, sheltered in the trees, and completely devoid of noise save two crickets. I was asleep within minutes. Stage two would be upon us in a few hours time.

GR

Trans Rockies Road Trip (Pre-Race)

As told through a few pics...

(The Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run, one of the absolute best events I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of!)

(Sunset in Billings Montana on 1st night of our trip down, drive time was over 24hr!!)

(Our first 'real meal' since we left North Van over 36hr prior...umm, portions were a little on the large side!)

(Of which I certainly did not complain!)

(Arriving in Colorado and getting our first taste of the elevation. We drove over 11,000 ft!!)

(Camping at over 10,000 and seriously contemplating what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. A short 5k run nearly killed all three of us!)

(The un-paid mascots of the TRR check in process)

(About half of 'the crew' of people who headed down from the Vancouver region to compete in the 09 edition of Trans Rockies)

(The official check-in process, and finally getting to put faces to the great people behind the scenes at Trans Rockies Run)

(The hours about sum up the attitude of the town)

(Best support person ever! Jeff Delany's custom ride while supporting his niece Megan and sister Bitsy of Delany's Coffee House)

Stories of the run to follow shortly:)

GR

Golden Ears Adv Run-TR Report on Wed!

Quickie, great week capped off by 25k mtn run w.Tamsin today. Just shy of 200m/320k of running in the last two weeks, my biggest 14 day span ever!

Today, Golden Ears mountain run, cold-wet-windy but we totally lucked out with some intermittent views as the clouds blew over-through us. First time trying out my new Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket...long story short, it saved me today, LOVE IT and amazed at how well it breaths for such a warm piece!

PICS:







GR

Getting To The Race Report

OK, OK, I've been trying to sit my ass down and get this race report out, but you know me, I'm typically way too long winded and I know most of you can never make it to the end of my official race reports anyways!

Truth be told I am actually feeling really good this week and since I'll be attending my great friend and former Primal Quest Utah teammate Aimme Dunn's Wedding next weekend, I've decided to push through and log another solid week of running.

Trans Rockies was truly an incredible experience and I want to do it some justice in my write up...don't worry I won't drag it on too much...at least not by my definition of those words:)

In the meantime, here's dancing baby to distract you from my current tardiness:



GR

We Won!!

Quickly, as we're on our way out to the awards banquet right now...WE WON the open mixed category, Tamsin and I are 2009 Trans Rockies Champions, and with that comes $3500 USD! Time to get the beers flowing...more to come in a few days but if I had to do a quick cap right now I'd say this was an INCREDIBLE week of running and that I absolutely fell in love with this organization and running terrain! Colorado has been amazing and Trans Rockies is one dialed in race...stories to follow.

GR

Colorado Racing, Trans Rockies Is Here!!

Wow, I simply can not believe we're into the back half of August already and that Trans Rockies is just days away! I really do feel like I've had one of the best years of my life so far and it just keeps getting better and better!

Tonight I'm off to see 'Silversun Pickups' at The Commodore (I had this song stuck in my head for the majority of Western States), this past Sat I had the pleasure of checking out 'Kings Of Leon' at G.M. Place, (Big thanks to Bryan Tasaka of The MOMAR for making this happen!) and on Sunday morning I found yet another reason to do 'The Dance Of Joy' (anyone else remember this?), I learned of my accepted entrance into the famed 100 miler known as H.U.R.T. Hawaii...yes, I'm finally off to Hawaii for the first time in my life!! That's not till mid January though so back to the task at hand...

Wed night Tamsin and I head to Vernon B.C. to meet up with fellow Montrail team runner Aaron Heidt, and then on Thursday morning we hit the open road for The American Rockies!!

Trans Rockies starts on Sunday morning and goes for six straight days, here's the deets:

This year from August 23-28, up to 150 teams of two will take on the Colorado Rockies for a running experience like no other. During the six days of the GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run, runners from all over the world will run, eat and live together as they cover 113 miles of spectacular scenery, fully supported by a dedicated and professional Event Team who will look after all aspects of their food, accommodations and on-course support.

The GORE-TEX™ TransRockies Run course runs from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isabel National Forests. The course includes a mix of singletrack and forest road with nearly 25,000 feet of elevation gain, reaching altitudes of over 12,500 ft.

I CAN'T WAIT!!

Follow along online, we're team Montrail-NSA:
-The Trans Rockies website
-My Twitter updates
-Trans Rockies Twitter updates

GR

Check Out My Article In Get Out There Mag

The latest edition of Get Out There Magazine is now available online and they were nice enough to let me write an article about Vancouver Island's 47km Juan De Fuca Trail, check it out, pages 38-39.

GR

Comments On 'Tour Divide' Race Site R Not Mine!

I just had to take a quick second to say that apparently there is another Gary Robbins out there who is at least somewhat involved in the endurance world. I recently received an e-mail from the co-race director of the epic bike journey that is known as The 'Tour Divide', which is basically a self supported 4400km mountain bike journey from Banff to New Mexico!!

This 'alternate G.R.' and I have very differing opinions on the subjects he posted on, pardon me for saying so, but some of his comments were truly ridiculous and I just want to be sure that I am not associated with these whatsoever!

Oh and in case you were wondering, yeah this race has most certainly be added to my ever growing 'To Do' list!

GR

Ossa Mountain Recon Mission

I realize that I haven't really 'written' much over the last little bit and I guess that's cause I've been too busy trying to enjoy this incredible summer we've had here on The West Coast! Having experienced virtually no rain fall since early to mid May, B.C. was on the verge of seeing its entire trail network closed off to the public, due to the escalating wildfire problems. As of last week they were investing three million dollars a day just trying to keep the problem at bay! With this in mind, I prayed for some rain to fall...it just happened to do so over the weekend.

My Trans Rockies racing partner Tamsin and I headed up to Squamish last night to get an early start this morning at a peak named 'Ossa Mountain'. Conveniently enough you can camp just 2.5km from the trail head, for free! After a quick stop at a friends place to watch UFC 101, we set up camp late and called it a night.

The weather today actually cooperated for the most part, granting us a ceiling of about 5,000 feet. Unfortunately we were hoping to get to 7500 feet and in the end we were forced to turn back before before we even hit the final ridgeline to the summit. Starting from sea level however still left us with a solid day out in the mountains and some worked legs once it was all said and done. Thirty kms of tough terrain and seven and a half hours will do that I guess.

Funny story is that while Tamsin was flipping through my 'Scrambles In South Western B.C. Book' she looked at me and asked,

"So, did you purposely choose the mountain with the largest total elevation gain in the entire book?!"

Of which I had no idea! (Upon referencing the books it's actually only the second largest total climb without a necessary overnight hut stay)

"Umm, no. Guess I just got lucky with that!"

The highlight of the day was while hanging out at a small glacier we heard a massive rock slide coming down from above...and by highlight I mean totally freaked out adrenaline rush! We were nowhere near the 'danger zone' and I think it sounded far worse than it actually was, but either way, you end up feeling very small and insignificant during moments like that. Which is actually a very good thing to be reminded of from time to time!

I guess since Trans is just thirteen days away that puts us into the 'taper time' again...and I was just starting to find my groove post Western States. Oh well, time to bottle up some energy and save it for The Rockies of Colorado...I CAN'T WAIT! I've never been and it promises to be an incredible ten day journey from door-door, six of which we will be running our asses off! Which I guess means Roxy will get a well deserved break from all the mileage as of late:)



GR

Stormy ALL CALL OUT For Vollies & Pacers

The Stormy 50 and 100 miler happens this weekend, and unfortunately, as is the case most years, they are desperate for volunteers to help make this race happen. Personally I'll be stuck at work till 7pm on Friday and back in again at 9:30am on Sat, so I figure the least I can do is throw this out there and hope that one or two people might be able to step up and help out for a few hours. If you might be free to do so please drop me a line and I'll get you into contact with R.D. Wendy Montgomery. There are also numerous runners who are hoping to link up with a pacer for the race. Again, if you might be able to help out, please lemme know and I'll get you into contact with a few of the ladies looking for assistance.

Rumor has it that recent 'Sinister Seven' winner Chris GT Downie is gonna be shooting for the 100m course record of 17h39m. I honestly think that Stormy is runnable in under 16hr, especially given that the start time has now been bumped back to 10am instead of the previous time of noon. Getting an additional 2hr of daylight will be a huge benefit to runners, and if I were fortunate enough to be racing it this year that's what I'd be shooting for. Instead, I'll be heading to Colorado in just a few more weeks time to tackle the Trans Rockies with teammate Tamsin Anstey. CAN'T WAIT!!

BEST OF LUCK TO ALL STORMY RUNNERS THIS WEEKEND, I wish I could be there with ya!

GR

A Little David Lee Roth...

GR

Howe Sound Crest Trail (V3.0)

It's been a crazy-awesome week, yes I just said that, crazy-awesome! Starting with last Wednesday's Sahale Peak adventure run, I was able to follow up by running the absolutely gorgeous Howe Sound Crest Trail on Sunday, then I took off to Manning Park B.C. for two fun filled days of mountain running on Tues and Wed this week, just getting back a few short hours ago. In the last eight days I've managed to string together some of the most beautiful runs to be had within a 4hr radius of North Vancouver. There's still plenty more out there, but all in all it's be a great week!

Here's a quick photo tour of The Howe Sound Crest Trail. It's a point to point 30-35km mountain run. My GPS says 30km, some books say 35km, either way it's a fun filled day of tough mountain running. The quick cap is that it has over 6,000 feet of climbing and 9,000 feet of descent. You can also add a bit o climbing to that if you scramble up 'The West Lion', which is of course a must do on the route! I ran the trail with my Trans Rockies teammate Tamsin Anstey and my Montrail-Mountain Hardwear teammate Ryne Melcher. We were fortunate enough to cross paths with six friends from North Van who were also out out enjoying the perfect July day...with temps up into the mid 30's!

More to come on Manning Park in the next few days. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the shots from The HSCT.




Oh, and here's a quick 20sec vid of my trip to the U.S. yesterday as well...





GR

Sahale Peak Video

Recapping the great mtn run that was Sahale Peak. Crossing paths with a deer, a hoary marmot or two, a family of mountain goats with a baby in tow, a grouse, and then traversing a glacier, while also managing to squeeze in a view or two along the way. It's a beautiful and highly recommended area to check out!



Funny side story, I'm on my way back down the mountain, feeling like I'm in heaven and effortlessly flying through the panoramic scenery when I pass a young couple hiking up,

"GARY ROBBINS!!"

"Huh? Did you just say my name?"

Keep in mind that I'm in a new area that I've never visited before about 350km from my doorstep. Turns out I was looking at a guy by the name of Jove Graham, who's name I recognize from a few ultra runs in the last few years including Diez Vista and Orcas Island, but we'd never officially met. Jove said he saw a runner bombing down the mountain and knew it could only be a handful of people...my Montrail gear might have tipped him off as well. We had a great ten minute chat before departing ways. Gotta love the tight knit fabric of the ultra running scene!

GR

Rad Lightning Storm

We just had an epic lightning storm in North Van tonight. I've seen bigger but never in this area. It's rare that we get anything and even as I type this it still echoes off in the distance! As long as we don't get any back country forest fires started it will go down as a cool night.

Sahale Peak Pics

Got outta town today, drove South into The North Cascade Mountains of Washington and ran/scrambled to the top of Sahale Peak. It was truly a perfect day and an epic run!
5100 feet of elevation gain, with a class 4-5 scramble to the summit of just under 9,000 feet. 14m / 23km return in 3h19m...and eight hours of driving...but sooo worth it!!



GR

Continuing The Punishment

As if I didn`t struggle enough to recover from the thrashing that was Western States, I ended up racing what I would consider to be Canada`s toughest 50k trail race just two weeks after the fact. This `double` has been pulled off by many a B.C. ultra runner, and most have fared very well with this two week time line. Me however, I really struggled to get back to good after WS. My quads had never been torched like that before and just a few days before the race I thought there was simply no way I could knock down a 50k with close close to 9,000 feet of descent involved!

The Knee Knacker is a lottery set up though, and after being shut out in 08 there was simply no way I could forgo the race in 09. My race was a bit backwards for me though as I felt great on the climbs and terrible on the descents. I ended up focusing all of my energy into the numerous lengthy ascents, and basically tippy toed down each successive fall line.
(I should mention that this is heading into the half way aid station, and pretty much the only pavement on the entire course with it being 99% singletrack!)

At 2h15m my legs locked up solid and I was left wondering what the hell I was thinking by attempting a race while my body was still so disgusted with me. Thankfully my Carbo-Pro 1200 and Thermolytes kept me going and held the cramps at bay for the remainder of the course.

I was fortunate enough to be running around someone I had met through adventure racing. Chad Ulansky and I spent the better part of the race together and as he crested the final large climb in the race, about 300 meters ahead of me, and with under 25min to the finish line, I verbally told myself that I had to suck it up and push hard. I managed to sneak past Chad and snag 4th overall in a time of 5h22m. I am VERY HAPPY with that result, all things considered!

In the end Montrail runners won both the men`s and women`s races with Aaron Heidt ripping the course a new a-hole and breaking the long standing course record by almost three full minutes to pull in with a time of 4h39m. Ellie Greenwood ran the fourth fastest women`s race of all time to snag her own victory in 5h35m!

It was a great day to be out on what I consider to be many of my favorite local trails. Good times were had by all, both literally and figuratively as many runners had very impressive P.R.`s CONGRATS to EVERYONE who was a part of the race this year, it`s a huge accomplishment to even attempt to do a race of this magnitude!

The round up banquet was fun, topped off by a marriage proposal...and acceptance, congrats to Bill and Jess!

Personally I can`t wait to hopefully squeeze my way into both the WS and KK lotteries so that I can do it all over again next summer!!

Thanks to all involved with The Knee Knacker, you put on an incredible event, time and time again!

Full Results Here
GR

The Long Overdue Western States Report

Here it is, finally, my 2009 Tour De France race report...err, umm, oh yeah, Western States race report...has it really been almost two weeks already!

The Drive Down took us almost two full days, including one stop in ummm, I can't even remember where we spent the first night? Somewhere south of Portland. We smuggled Melcher into the hotel room to save on the additional $3 charge for a third person, which would of course be added to the post race beer fund!

Second night was spent in Reno, "The Biggest Little City In The World", mainly due to cheap accommodation. Something about this place just made my skin crawl though. Must have been the people becoming one with the of slot machines, while chain smoking indoors, for hours and hours on end. I swear I passed the same lady on my way to bed that night and again in the exact same position nine hours later as we checked out!

We arrived in Squaw Valley on the Thursday and myself, Luke, and Ryne decided to head up the ski hill 'escarpment' to check out the terrain. I had not been at an elevation over 8,000 feet in quite a few years and was amazed at how great I felt. (topped out at almost 9,000 feet) I scrambled up a small rock outcrop and spent a meditative like thirty minutes alone on top. Luke has not spent any real time at elevation and I effectively dropped one of my pacers during a warm up run. Luckily Luke would not have to worry about elevation as he was to pace me from Greengate. In the end he wouldn't really have to worry about running either...

The temps in Squaw were nothing shocking at all, however the apparent forecast was basically calling for it to warm by the hour until the 5am start time on Saturday, and the last report I heard was 106F at the start and upwards of 115+F in the canyons! Just one week prior the highs were just 85F! Looked like they had timed it 'perfectly' yet again! The day before the race just happened to be my Dad's B.Day, and being the incredibly selfless person that he is he did not mention it to a soul and actually thought I'd be too busy planning for my race to remember the momentus occasion. He is getting old after all...probably only has about 30 or 40 of these things left in him! We surprised him with a choc cake, b.day card, and brand new pair of Montrail Streaks...now he was really ready to crew for the big event!!


I was absolutely amazed that I managed a few hours of sleep the night before the race and I awoke fairly refreshed at 2:15am. I immediately started pumping food into myself and somehow downed three large bowls of quinoa and a few bananas before we departed for the race start at 3:30am. The race was to start at 5am and at 4:55am I was still sitting in the bathroom.

"ROBBINS, LET'S GO, THE DAMN RACE IS GONNA START WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!!"

"Hold on already, it's either here or on the course!"

I ran outta the building to see the official race clock counting down from just 2m32s. Still lotsa time to spare! It gave me little to no time to actually get nervous and I screamed as loud as I could with about thirty seconds to go. Six months of specific training and almost a year of dreaming about Western States were about to come to be put to the test...

"GO"

I intended to approach the initial climb with a high-med pace, trying not to push myself too hard, yet hoping to keep the overall lead pack within sight. After about two minutes I found myself somewhere around 15th place...but then I saw Scott Jurek heading straight back towards me!!

"WRONG WAY"

"WHAT!" Followed by a laugh...at least it wasn't me making the wrong turn this time! There were about twenty of us who had followed and we now found ourselves picking our way back through the main pack. The joke would later be that Scott intentionally took us a few minutes off course so as to help protect his course record from a few years back:)

As we approached the top of the climb it filtered us into a steep non-runnable hiking pitch. I didn't really care where I sat in terms of overall placement at that point in time so I stopped for a few seconds to take it all in. I swivelled around so as to take in the full effect of what was transpiring beneath. There were over 400 runners strewn out on the twisting trail below, and a blazing sun was just cresting the horizon behind us. We were already over 8,000 feet up and the vantage point was laced with a jagged skyline of the surrounding mountains. The massive Lake Tahoe glistened in the orange hue that was devouring the peaks behind it. It was an incredible sight, and for me at least, images like this stand alone as the definition of why I love the sport so much. I threw my arms up and let out a short but loud scream of joy before turning back around and fully focusing on the task ahead...only 97 more miles to go...

I crested the 'escarpment' in 47min and was somewhere around 9th overall. The trail then proceeded to twist its way along the ridgeline as it continually lost elevation for about eight miles. I live on singletrack. I live for singletrack. It is all I know, it is everything I know. I run virtually nothing else, so although surprising to me at the time, maybe it shouldn't have been. I was running my personal pace on this terrain. My 'I'm only 5 miles into a 100 miler' pace, yet I was catching and passing the runners in front of me, and no one was coming along for the ride. In an effort to ensure that I was running my race and not trying to chase any of the top guys in front of me I refused any split times as I hit the aid stations along the way. I ran the next few hours completely solo, but I was quite alright with it. The 'high country' trails were absolutely incredible and I spent more time taking in the scenery around me then I did looking at the actual terrain in front of me.

I have only run one other 100 miler. I did quite well with it on all fronts except having to take bathroom breaks. In my one previous experience with the 100m distance I ended up having 16 bowel movements on course...sorry to include those details but unfortunately they are pertinent, it was basically one an hour for the entire race! I was very happy when I managed to hit the 2hr mark of WS feeling great and without issue, this was already 30min longer than I had made it in my first 100m race. At 2h20m however, it happened. I hoped it was a one off and tried not to think about it. That did nothing to help though and yet again I found myself being able to time out the miles almost perfectly between my bathroom breaks. Every hour, on the hour...again. In hindsight, I think I have simply tried too hard to load food the morning of the race, a lesson learned so that hopefully I won't have to deal with it again in the future.

Eventually at the Duncan Canyon aid station someone threw a split at me as I was approaching.

"You Are In Fourth Place. Scott Jurek Is Three Minutes Ahead!"

"I thought I was in 5th...did you just say SCOTT JUREK!!" (the seven time undefeated champ who was returning after a few years hiatus)

What do you do when you catch up to Scott Jurek in Western States?? It's the equivalent of catching Lance Armstrong in The Tour.

"Oh hi Lance. Me, I'm Gary Robbins, nice to meet you to! Would you mind signing my jersey for me? Oh I guess you're right, probably better to wait till after this stage finishes. Ok then, have fun with your team Astana, I'll be just up ahead if you're looking for me."

I didn't want to have that conversation this early in the race and it was obvious to me that I could ease off a bit and conserve some more energy. I brought it back a notch and was happy to get the next split at closer to six minutes.

I think I freaked out my crew a bit when I saw them for the first time at 'Robinson Flat' (Mile 29.7) and I was in 4th place just a few minutes back of Jurek. I wasn't worried about trying to catch the leaders and I spent the necessary time in transition getting food into me and ensuring I was fully stocked for the next 26 miles until I saw them again. My food allergies leave me with very few items I can utilize at aid stations, outside of fruit, so I end up carrying a few extra supplies and hitting up all the drop bag locations. I started to leave transition, then realized that I'd forgotten the most important thing...a hug from my Dad! He'd never seen me race before and had flown out from Newfoundland to join me for the entire experience. I could certainly spare four additional seconds to show him how much it meant to have him along...and then I was off and running again.

I wasn't even up the first hill after Robinson before I spotted two runners coming up behind. No use running solo if I can pair off with a few guys. I quickly met Jasper Halekas and Leigh Schmitt, and we all proceeded into the next descent together. We were all very aware of the fact that the race had yet to even begin and openly joked about how statistically there was very little chance that the three of us would arrive in Auburn still in the top ten together. I was enjoying running with these guys, leading through the descent and feeling strong...then it happened, my damn insides needed out again. I pulled off to the side of the trail for my fifth time in five hours. By the time I got back onto the trail Jasper and Leigh were long gone. I fell into my own solo rhythm again and just tried to continue at a smart pace.

Shortly after this the top ranked Japanese runner Tsuyoshi Kaburagi started to close in on me. I knew of this guy from his result at The North Face 50m Championships in San Fran last December. He finished 3rd overall, but more impressive to me was that I had been told that he was closing in fast on the top two guys, Carpenter and Steidl, and basically ran out of race course. Anyone who can close a gap on those two trail legends is a pretty talented and smart runner...and even more impressive still is that the dude is forty years old! In my personal pre-race picks I had slotted Kaburagi into fourth overall. I recognized and approached him the day before the race to wish him luck, but he speaks absolutely zero English. My pacer/crew Luke and Emily had lived in Japan for an extended period and I sent Luke up to him to wish him luck in his native tongue. I told Luke that if I were fortunate enough to find myself around him during the race I'd most certainly pace off of him for as long as was smart. It was once again nice to have someone to run with, even if we could not share in any conversation.

Kaburagi and I hit the next few aid stations in sync, and I ran with him for over an hour and a half, even when I was once again forced into taking my sixth 'trail break'. I silently tried to sneak off but he heard me duck into the bushes, peered over his shoulder to confirm, and then put in a push to gap me. I was sick of loosing runners due to my stomach issues and I put in a push myself to catch back up. Thankfully we were into a lengthy descent and I managed to do so without a major effort. We hit 'Miller's Defeat', 'Dusty Corners', 'Last Chance', and 'Deadwood Canyon' together, even catching and passing Scott Jurek along the way. I briefly spoke with Scott and he said that he felt his fitness was there but his heart was not fully into it due to personal reasons. I could tell at that moment that his day was done and figured he'd be hitting the sidelines within a few aid stations. It's always unfortunate to see such a great competitor fall to the wayside and I sincerely hope he decides to tackle WS at least one more time.

The Canyons, Where The Race Begins...

In the climb up to 'Devil's Thumb' Kaburagi put five minutes into me, but on the descent back down into 'El Dorado Creek' I took back three of those back to sit just two minutes behind him. I spent a few minutes at this aid station topping up on food and fluids, and joking with the volunteers. Up until this point, which was mile 52.9 I had felt strong and was liking where I had positioned myself. In a conversation with fellow Montrail runner, and two time runner up, Erik Skaden two days before the race began, I listened intently to his suggestions and offerings on how to properly tackle the WS course. What I took away most was his belief that carrying an extra bottle, just to cool yourself off with, was pertinent to success in the heat. I was racing with two handheld bottles and a backpack carrying 1.5LT of fluids. One bottle had been used exclusively for pouring over my head as I ran, and I dipped my hat into every single stain of water that I could locate during the run. I even stuffed my shorts full of ice at one point...but thaaat lasted all of ten seconds before I emptied them out again! I felt there was little else I could have done during the race itself to prevent my system from crumbling under the pressure of the ever climbing mercury.

The seven switchback 2,000 foot climb from 'El Dorado' to 'Michigan Bluff' was where I finally started to feel the heat beating down on me. I continued to douse myself in water every time there was a break in the canopy that exposed my body to the fireball above, but my energy seemed to be waning by the second. Eventually Kevin Sullivan caught and passed me and I would hit the aid station just behind Jez Bragg and Zach Miller.


In less than three miles I had gone from upbeat and strong to being completely unable to even fake a sense of joy at seeing my crew again. I was starting to truly suffer for the first time all day and it showed in my terrible transition time of seven full minutes! I departed in eighth place, yet was feeling somewhat better after my lengthy break. It would be 7.5 miles before I would see and finally get to run with my first pacer and good friend Ryne Melcher.


The website lost my time for this section but I hit 'Bath Road' in 9th and happy to have someone to run with me for the rest of the course. However, for the very first time in an ultra run, I was dealing with blisters on my feet! I had no idea why or how this was happening at the time, but in hindsight my feet were quite wet from all the water I continually poured over my head, and the fine sand/dirt from the course was starting to get into my socks. I have dealt with blisters through expedition adventure racing though and through my own personal experience I have had greater success ignoring them until the pain subsides, generally about 20min, verses paying attention to them and 'making them feel special'. I decided I would not speak of them to my crew or my pacer. To admit they were there would only validate the pain and hence make them hurt even more. As scheduled, 20min and I virtually forgot about them.

When we hit 'Foresthill' at mile 62/km 100 I had already taken nine bathroom breaks. I once again had a lengthy stop. I hated how much time I was throwing away by doing this but my socks needed changing and I had to concentrate on keeping my food and fluids up. I could see three blood blisters on my toes while changing my socks but no one on my crew noticed so the conversation was not initiated. I was passed by Erik Skaden to sit in 10th and Ryne and I set off to conquer the final 38 miles of the course together...only 60km left to go!

In the next 16 miles/25km the trail drops 2500 feet until you hit the 'Rucky Chucky' river crossing. My blisters were killing me and at one point I looked down to see four very distinct patches of blood on my shoes. To make matters worse the heat was finally getting the better of me and although I was able to run to each sequential aid station, Dardanelles-Peachstone-Ford's Bar, I was forced to spend far too much time at each of them concentrating upon my food and fluids. I was consuming while on the run, but as I hit each of these aid stations I was doing so while having trouble stabilizing myself. I would enter an aid station, telling Melcher that I was dizzy and needed him to keep an eye on me. We'd chat up the volleys and crack some jokes. They'd eventually say they were going to have to kick me out if I did not get moving, and I would take mental stock as to if I was currently coordinated enough to successfully put one foot in front of the other. We repeated this for the entire 16 miles with the one high point being that we caught and passed Dave Mackey! I've never met the guy personally but I truly felt for him as we passed because as much as I was suffering at that point in time, Dave seemed to be in a whole other world. We knew he'd be dropping before the finish line. Another of the pre race favorites was effectively done!

As we approached the river I shoulder checked to see a few runner's catching me. Andy Jones-Wilkens (AJW) and Eric Grossman both hit the water along with me. I turned to Andy, since he is a consistent top ten finisher like no other, and said,

"I Was Wondering When You'd Show Up!"
(Photo credit, Glenn Tachiyama)

I had fully anticipated that hitting the water would rejuvinate me. I envisioned my legs getting a second life after the lactic acid was flushed back into my core, and thought my body would cool several degrees in a matter of minutes...I could not have been more wrong!

As I exited the water just a few hundred meters later I struggled to walk straight. I could practically feel my own eyeballs straining to find my equilibrium. My stomach felt like it was going to shoot out of my mouth and my legs were all of a sudden the most foreign part of my own body. I made it to a chair...and sat down for the very first time in an ultra run.

I'm not sure how long I sat there for, at least five minutes, maybe ten. I could still talk and joke with people just fine, but my body was a mess. I was struggling with what I already knew...my race was over.

Ryne knows my running as well as anyone and he kept insisting that I would recover from this and still be able to close out strong like I so often can. I had only dropped a few spots and in reality if my legs would come back to life I could still take a shot at top ten...but I knew otherwise. I had not felt my body shut down like this before. It was a two mile uphill hike to the next aid station at 'Greengate'. My Dad was there, and I needed to see him. It took an eternity to get there, but at least I was still moving.
(Photo credit, Glenn Tachiyama)

And So Begins The Western States Death March...

At Greengate I got a big hug from my Dad again, and there were other running friends there cheering people on as well, Matt Hart and Devon Crosby-Helms to name a few. I had spent the last two miles in a mental turmoil the likes of which I have not faced before in an ultra run. My legs were shot. I knew they were not going to allow me to run another step. There was still over 20m/30km to go until the finish line. Guys were dropping like flies and the list of DNF's was a who's who within the sport. I had originally set out to try and nail a top five finish. Top ten was my secondary goal. I hadn't really thought beyond that. I knew where my fitness was and felt I would be there without question. I was now in a very different situation than what I had prepared myself for mentally heading into Western. What was my 'third tier' goal? To finish the damn race I thought to myself! I glanced at my watch. I had taken 14.5hr to cover 130km...I still had 9.5hr to cover the final 30km and claim a highly coveted 'sub 24hr' Western States Silver Belt Buckle. My legs worked, not by my standard definition but they were still allowing me to propel my body forward. My stomach had shut down and I could not get any food into me. I wanted nothing more than to lay down and pass out. I legitimately thought I might puke if I continued to move. It was almost eight o'clock at night and it was still 100 f'in degrees outside. I wanted OUT of the damn heat more than anything...but my legs still worked. There was absolutely zero legitimate reasons to quit at this point. I put a mix of P.B. and Jam into a cup, strapped on my Princeton Tec Apex headlamp, grabbed my second pacer and best bud Luke Laga...and proceeded to walk backwards down the first descent out of the transition...my quads would not allow me to even attempt to walk it forwards...but I was moving dammit...and I had a full 9.5hr to cover that last 32km to the finish line.

It was everything I had in me to even sustain the necessary 4km an hour to make the 24hr cut off. My initial math told me I needed 5km and hour, a very typical hiking pace. Thankfully I was wrong on my math cause I just could not hold 5km an hour at that point in time. I felt EVERY SINGLE step, every last one of them. There was not a single footprint made by me in the final twenty miles that I did not suffer through.

As the night darkened around us Luke and I traded some of our favorite stories we had accumulated together over the years. From our time in Honduras as Dive Masters, to him surprising me at my first ever 50km ultra here in B.C. in 2005, to me helping him and Emily conquer their first every adventure race while dressed up as The Incredibles, to my pacing Luke at his first ever 100 miler, the Kettle Moraine in 2008, there was no shortage of favorite tales to tell and the time evaporated nicely.

Consistent time checks told me that as long as we kept doing what we were doing, I'd make it to the Place High School Track to claim a belt buckle. Then it happened, I stopped to take a pee break.

"LUKE!!!"

"HOLY CRAP, Your Urine Is COPPER Color!"

It wasn't dehydration, it was my kidneys shutting down on me. I had learned of this through Ryne Melcher in 2008 when he was forced to drop out of a 100 miler for the same reason. Yeah I could fight the pain I felt in every inch of my body right then and there, but if internal organs were shutting down I couldn't risk my own long term health for a simple finish line. It was the first time all day that I thought I might not finish the race.

"Luke, that means my kidneys are shutting down!"

He didn't know what to say. So I followed up with,

"Ok, we need to start pumping just water into my system. We'll judge it on my next pee break."

and with that the slowest hike of my life continued. The last thing I wanted was a DNF. I have never DNF'ed an ultra and my only racing DNF's are based around medical inabilities to continue after bike crashes (contused quad, hematoma on groin) or critical gear failure (kayak issues). In fact I've finished two 'Sea To Summit' adventure races where I split my leg open for necessary stitches with half a race to go, checking into the hospital after crossing the finish line. I can deal with the pain, but the mental struggle of wondering what was going on internally was killing me.

"I'VE GOTTA PEE!!"

"Ok, I'm here, go ahead."

Yup, just one more job a good pacer has to perform, analyzing his runner's urine!

"It...looks...bet-ter...right?"

"Umm, suuure. It was most certainly less of a copper color than the last one...I think."

"Ok, that's good. That's good. Let's just keep doing what we're doing!"

Eventually I did end up taking semi-regular pee breaks and although minimal, the improvements in discoloration were enough to convince us that we could continue on with our hike from hell.

The only other recluse from the torture that was walking came in the form of the WS aid stations. On more than one occasion I was left wondering if I was hallucinating, only to confirm that Luke was seeing the same thing I was. From patio lights strung out hundreds of meters deep into what appeared to be an open forest, to blaring music, to guys wearing red dresses, and even a whole crew of people singing 'O Canada' at one point, it was all a bit surreal at times! This, combined with Luke's company, the desire to get a stupid belt buckle, and the knowledge that my Dad had flown all this way to see what my 'racing' was all about, were all the kept me going. It's a funny thing though, and kinda literally, if you can keep a light hearted attitude, fake a smile from time to time, lie to yourself about how you truly are feeling, and try to find some humor in the grand scheme of it all, the pain will never win out. Call it what you will, mind over matter, a refusal to quit, or simply ensuring that no matter how bad it may seem, no matter how far the chips may have fallen off the table, you never loose your ability to smile, to laugh, and to keep it all in perspective...this is after all, a self imposed journey of suffering.

Throughout all of this I was still keeping my thoughts and conversations exclusive to actually thinking about the finish line. I was not allowed that luxury just yet. That all changed when we hit Highway 49, at 93.5 miles/150.5km. Another hug from my Father, the look of pride in his eyes as he watched me hobble step by step over the final distance of this course, the knowledge that in just 5.4 more miles I'd get to walk hand in hand with him for just over one mile to The Place High School Track and the end of my self imposed torture. This combined with the fact that I had positioned myself with just over 3.5hr to accomplish this goal had finally allowed me to accept there were no other options now, I was going to get myself a Silver Belt Buckle!!

Getting the body to move again after a ten minute eating break at Hwy 49 was no easy task. My blisters had awoken with a fury as they tried one last time to halt my forward progress and I hobbled out of the flood lit aid station and back into night lit only by my Apex headlamp. The trail after Hwy 49 drops away for over three miles until hitting 'No Hands Bridge' at 96.8m/156km. The downhills were what hurt the most and this section would end up being the most painful of the entire day. I had to walk backwards, sideways and every which way but forward. I kinda walked like a super slow motion Tasmanian Devil...and with 1/10 the energy and 1/100th the excitement!

The End Is In Sight!

From 'No Hands Bridge' to the finish was only 4km, mostly flat with one 'decent at that point in the race' climb. The uphills were my 'strength' at this point. I could actually hold a slightly faster than completely stationary pace, albeit while feeling my heal blisters with each and every step. I used the adrenaline from this pain to pump through this section so as to end my misery as quickly as was possible. At 'Robie Point' with but 2km to the finish line we were all reunited again. Ryne Melcher, my Montrail teammate, bestest training partner, and incredible friend out of North Vancouver. Luke Laga, who had now hiked through the night with me for almost eight hours without running a single step. He who had flown out from Wisconsin on his own his own dime just to be a part of it all, and to help ensure success for me along the way. And of course my Dad, who was initially concerned he would not be able to keep up with me for the final few hundred meters around the finishing track, were all hand in hand. The pavement hurt, but no more or less than everything else I had dealt with over the last 20+ miles to get here.

We could see the track, the lights, the crowds...we were about to put to rest what would be one of my greatest personal triumphs. I did not, for a single second, contemplate dropping out...and now I was here, fulfilling my initial goal from a full year prior. I had qualified for WS by flying to Wisconsin in November, I held practically singular focus towards the race for over six months, managed to piece together one of the greatest and most selfless crews a guy could ever dream of, and as a group, we were about to collect a singular belt buckle for one individual. I am forever indebted to each of them for helping me to achieve this solitary objective.

I had dreamed of how I would cross the line at WS for months on end, mentally envisioning how it would all go down, where I would be in the overall pack, and how I would celebrate once I rounded the track at Placer High. This was NOT how I had envisioned my finishing of the 2009 Western States 100 miler...it was, in all honesty, far better than I could have ever could have imagined. I was done. By every possible definition of that word, in every single language upon this planet. I was done. WE had reached our collective goal. Mission accomplished.





GR

And The Princeton Tec Apex Winner Is...

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, and to all for the overwhelming support throughout my Western States experience! I apologize that my race report has not yet been written or posted but my Dad is only here until Tues night...and in all honesty, I'd much rather be spending time with him right now then sitting in front of a computer blogging! The recap is already written in my head and will be posted by mid next week for sure. Thanks for your patience:)

GR