Cactus Rose 100- Only those who risk going to far can possibly find out how far they can go- T.S. Eliot

Holly- toughest lady I know

Me the night before the race

I tried, I DNF'd, but that will not be the end of the story. I went on this adventure with my friends Holly and Tim. It was my first try at a "more difficult" 100 mile race. Not that running any 100 is easy, but I know which kind of 100's I can finish, and I wanted to challenge myself to something new. The idea of finishing this race scared and excited me. It drove me in training, it was something I had to do. My friends and I planned to run the entire race together. We had trained together and we had a vision of the 3 of us crossing the finish line together; holding hands, with our arms raised high in the air. That vision is still there, it will just have to wait for 2014 to happen. I was sad. It takes many, many training runs to get to the starting line of a 100. You dream of a race all year- and when you figure out on the course it's not going to happen, it's tough. So now I've started this race, I learned lessons I needed to learn and I am prepared for my next run at it. The dream is not lost.

Despite the disappointment of not getting to finish I had many things to be thankful for. My friends of course. I loved being with them all weekend. We laughed a lot, worked through some tough miles and made memories that we will treasure forever. The people of Texas were great, so welcoming. The runners in the race, the RD's, the finish line volunteers, they all were very supportive. It's a great community.

As far as the race- First off the course is awesome. I loved it and I miss it already! I can't wait to go back! I'm a cowgirl at heart and I love cowboy country! It is rugged, rough, and beautiful. The terrain is dry, sharp, various sized loose rocks. Parts of the course are run-able and parts are steep climbs and descents. On top of the climbs you can see breathtaking landscape for miles. The course had many huge Sotel patches. They were tall, grand and in full bloom. These plants had leaves with little teeth that cut you up. There was no way to avoid them, you just had to barrel through.

Close up picture of a Sotel. These plants were taller than us.

Camping at the start finish line is really easy. It only cost 10 bucks per car for the whole weekend. There was a nice wide open field to put up your tent.

My tent is the big one with awesome views of Hill country 

The race does not supply food or have any volunteers at aid stations. You drop your drop bags off at designated spots the night before then pick them up after you run the race. This was really easy and it only took about 30 minutes to drop off and pick up. The race supplied an unlimited amount of water and ice. It was about 5 miles between every aid station and every 25 miles you got back to the start/finish line. When you went back out you got to run the course the opposite of the last time.

Pre-race directions the night before

I barely ever eat any of the food at aid stations so bringing my own food was no big deal.  The aid stations always had a ton of ice with scoopers in it. The ice was clean. I get easily grossed out and I put the ice in my water bottle at every aid station. The race organizers did a great job at everything.

The race is described perfectly when it says on the website "We avoid anything flat to take you on all that is rugged and nasty".  The race director says everyone reads the website but does not believe the course is as tough as they describe. Believe it. In Ultrarunning Magazine Cactus Rose is rated tougher than Sawtooth. My girlfriend Holly has ran Sawtooth and she agrees with that statement. It is a beast, but it is not impossible. It kicked my butt but I will miss it every day until I get to go back. I will start this race again, and next time I will make it to that finish line.

Tim Kruse was the only one of our group that made it to the finish line. It was his first 100 mile race. He did a great job. At mile 50 Holly and I were pretty beat up and he looked like he had just started a 5 mile run. We were both so happy and proud of him. Holly went to High school with Tim and they just reconnected in the last year. They thought it was pretty funny that they used to work together in high school and now 20+ years later they are running a 100 mile race together.

My favorite Kale Salad- perfect for a travel cooler

Salad Ingredients-

• Large handful of raisins or cranberries
• 3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (cool before adding to salad)
• 1 pound Kale cleaned, drained and dried off well:                                                                                            I have a great CSA program with Troggs Hollow. They grew a variety of different kinds of Kale which was really fun to use. I've also made the salad with the curly Kale that is easy to find at stores. It is yummy either way!

Dressing ingredients-

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey (I was a little heavy on the honey)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

Use a knife to cut out the tough mid-rib of each Kale leaf and discard. Slice the leaves in to 1/4 inch wide slices. I like to stack the leaves together, roll up in a cigar shape, then slice into slivers. Put the kale slivers into a big bowl.

Whisk dressing ingredients together is a small bowl

Add the raisins, cooled toasted almonds and dressing to the kale. Mix up and put in a travel bowl. It held up for me for 1 week (then I ran out). Fresh Kale salad holds up really well in a cooler. I used this recipe on many of my summer road trips. You can add grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese on it if you would like. I did not use the cheese while traveling. When using a cooler I try and use as little cheese or milk products. They go bad much easier.

This tasted really good with a pesto potato salad or a yummy macaroni salad. I packed this is my cooler for my Mother/daughter road trip and Leadville 100 adventure

Leadville 100- We are gonna have a good day!

Selfie picture of Scott and I

“All mountain landscapes hold stories: the ones we read, the ones we dream, and the ones we create."
-from the Editor's Note, The Alpinist (April 1, 2010)
― Michael Kennedy

Check out these links to Leadville 100 pictures by Runnerpics: 

Link to pictures by runnerpics

Link to heartwarming video by runnerpics

The summer went by so quick! My son studied ballet at the American Ballet Theatre and I used his time away to spend quality time with my daughter on a mother daughter road trip spent camping and traveling. My last big adventure would be heading out to Leadville 100 with my good friend Scott Laudick. He is an amazing photographer that shoots trail running races around the country.  I was so excited to help him shoot this 100 mile ultra classic.

I packed us a big cooler of food for the road trip. I'm pretty good at this. I like to eat healthy and not spend a fortune on food while traveling.  I made my favorite Kale Salad (recipe is here). It holds up really well in a cooler and was a summer travel staple for me. I also made a pesto potato salad, spicy tuna salad with rye bread, cooked apples and I brought some beef sticks. We had enough food to last us for quite a few meals.

The road trip just flew by. Scott and I are both chatty and during our drive there was not a minute of silence. That added up to 15 hours of non stop talking and laughing. We solved the problems of the world and discovered we both laugh at the silliest things.

View from Winfield Aid Station

We arrived at our first photo scoping location- the Winfield Aid station and Hope Pass trail. We took a hike part way up the Hope Pass trail. It took us about 50 feet and the elevation effects hit us like a truck. Talking and breathing at the same time was no longer easy. This was when we quieted down for the first time. Silly as we are, we stopped and laughed at the fact that it took a mountain to get us to finally shut up. We are fit people and feeling the effects of elevation first hand gave me even more respect for this course.

We still had  many places to scope out so we decided not to hike to the top of Hope Pass. Hope Pass would be really busy on race day so it would be hard to get good pictures. We drove to our other planned locations. On a course full of beauty it was easy to find picturesque spots to photograph the runners.

After we had our race day plan in place we drove into Leadville. This is an adorable mountain town that I never wanted to leave. We met up with friends Shelley Cook, Alec Bath, Dave Zeisler and their families for dinner at a charming little restaurant Tennessee Pass. I had the goat cheese and spinach enchiladas which was delicious!  Shelley and Alec were so generous to invite us to crash in their hotel room (thank you!). So we had a nice dinner then headed back to the room to go to bed early and get a few hours of sleep before race day!

nice little tidbit: we stayed at the Leadville Super 8 and they had a sign up that breakfast would be served at 2:30 am . I love when businesses take care of there customers. Now if they could have just done something about the nearby barking dog...did anyone else hear that? 

Race morning we were up and at the starting line by 3 am. We were some of the first people to arrive. I watched as the streets quickly filled with runners and crew. I looked at them knowing this race is something they have been working at for months, or even years to be prepared to finish. There were people of all ages, sizes, male and females. Everyone looked peaceful, excited and thankful to be there. I know I was. 

Me on race morning trying to get my phone camera setting correct so I could get a picture of the race start. Pic by Scott of runnerpics

After the runners started we headed off to our picture spot. We wanted to be sure to get pictures of the leaders. So we set up our little camp for the day and waited. 

We sat there looking at the most gorgeous mountains trying to figure out where Hope pass trail was. There was a trail way up there above tree line that the runners would soon be following. We felt very small in this massive land. It was amazing to think the runners would be going up this mountain at mile 40 then turning around and coming right back. For me personally it looked like a nearly impossible challenge. Although at the same time being there, soaking in this pristine land I had a strong desire to run this race one day.  I sat there planning how I could prepare myself to accomplish this. I've been inspired by so many strong minded people that I  allowed myself to believe I can do this. So I decided to come back next year and camp with friends and family for a few weeks, maybe even a month before the race. This would help get me acclimated to the elavation. Then pace a friend, Craig Branaghan would be awesome if he will let me. This would give me a chance to learn more of the challenges that would face me at the race. Then 2015 come back and go for a Leadville 100 finish. My dream team will be having Holly & Royal crew, Tim pace me, and Scott from Runnerpics photographing. 

Helping Scott photograph the race was a 30 hour day of joy. I am in awe at the strength, determination perseverance of the runners I saw. There is a kindness and camaraderie in the ultra-running that brings warmth to my heart. Leadville 100 will be a day that will brings a smile to my face for years to come. This is "the good old days". 

Scott setting his camera up while we wait for the runners

My amazing view, watching strong runners for hours

This is heading into the Twin Lakes Aid Station

Tents set up on trail near Twin Lakes

Trail views

The tiny town of Twin Lakes had so many cars. The police directed traffic all day and cars were packed along the edge of the street for as far as you could see. I've never seen so many runners and crew.

Scott Jurek coming through Twin Lakes Aid station. Heard it was an amazing sight to see Hal Korner  & Scott bomb the downhill at Hope Pass just before this.

Ashley Arnold finishing 1st overall female at Leadville 100!

The pictures above are all the ones I took with my phone.

Be sure to check out all the great pictures and video that Scott Laudick of Runnerpics took. The bravery, fight and strength it took for these runners to run this race is captured and will surely bring tears of happiness to you. 

Black Hills 100k- Beware: this does include a mountain lion

photo by Royal Hartwig

Race morning my nerves were high. I was super excited to get to run the Black Hill trails. I have been wanting to try a mountain race with plenty of elevation change. (The 100k has a total elevation change of 21,662 =gain/loss.)  I've run Lean Horse 100 mile twice, it's nothing like Black Hills 100 but it's the same Race Directors, same general area of South Dakota.  It feels familiar/homey & there are plenty of great attractions for the family. So I decided I would make BH100k my first long distance mountain race. 

An injury I suffered in August of 2012 had me worried about my endurance. The injury forced me to take some time off  running but I didn't really manage the recovery well. I was stubborn...in denial...and kept trying to run before my body was fully healed. I would get a few weeks of training in, then I was injured again.  Because of that I had months of inconsistent training and an injury that would not go away. ( please learn from my mistake & don't do that, it wasn't fun). Finally I learned and I took the time needed to get fully healed. Then I built my mileage up slowly. This meant I was going in to Black Hills with only 7 weeks of consistent training & only 2 long runs (hmmm...still maybe not the brightest idea). But I was sure nothing hurt, my body was healthy, all I was lacking was training. I thought mentally I could get myself to the finish line. I didn't care how long it took, I had to finish. I love distance running and it had been way to long.

At the start line I was sick to my stomach from nerves. I felt like it was my first ultra. I was happy to see Joy and Julie (from Chicago area). They were so warm, positive and smiling. Everything they said helped calm me down. ...trail people are awesome!

My families feet before the race (Royal Hartwig, Tasha, and me). My shoes are the pretty turquoise and navy once on the top right. Be sure to look at my after picture

The race starts and finishes at Woodle Track and field. A really beautiful stadium. I took off nice and easy, chatting with everyone around me, my stomach settled quickly once I started running. I got on pace with a man from Texas that had finished Bighorn, Leadville and Western States. I figured he knew how to manage a mountain course and I enjoyed talking with him so I decided to stay at his pace. He was walking the longer climbs and running the downhills really easy. If I was leading I would have ran the downhills faster but I thought it's probably smart to go at this more conservative pace. We ran for quite a few miles together and had a great time.

Eventually my girlfriend Jessica Pendelton caught us. She is running the Gnarly Bandit series. I wanted to run with her so when she passed I stayed at her pace. She is an excellent climber. I had to work hard to keep pace with her on the uphills. Although I was feeling like I could run the downhills quicker. So I decided to go ahead on the downhills. It was no effort for me to run these & I wanted to take advantage of that. Once I would hit another climb Jessica and the group I was running around would start to catch me on the top. I needed to run these downhills quicker to stay the same pace as them. I felt like I was running at even effort on up and downs. I wanted to be sure I didn't wear myself out on the climbs. I had no idea how my endurance would hold up. Usually you can trust your training but I did not have a big base.

There were quite a few mountain stream crossing. They were rocky and the water was cold & crystal clear. They had ropes to hold onto as you crossed. The cool water felt great on my feet. I had extra shoes in case I wanted to change but my shoes dried quickly after the each crossing. I never felt the need to change shoes all day. I was wearing my Roclite 268's. 

I caught a man that I see at races all the time. He was running with one water bottle and had ran out of water and he was thirsty. With the blazing sun & dry South Dakota heat that was easy to do. It had happened to me earlier in the day and I downed many glasses of liquid once I got to the aid next station.  Since I was carrying 2 water bottles I gave him one of mine and ran with him and his friend for awhile. It was fun hearing their trail stories....did I mention...I love trail runners

Pictures don't capture the amazing views

I got to the Dalton Lake Aid Station and saw my husband. For the last 10 miles I had a headache and was feeling nauseous. I didn't want the nauseous to get out of control. This has been a problem for me at 100 mile races. Basically every race I run I'm trying to learn how to run a 100 mile race well & that means learning how to manage my stomach. So I decided to sit down and let it settle.  I ate some pasta salad, watermelon and a drank an ice cold 7-up.

After the race I realized the nauseous/headache was from being over 5,000 feet. Looking at the elevation chart, every time I was above 5,000 feet was when I was having problems.  I would start dropping back down I would start feeling normal again. 

When you leave Dalton Lake Aid Station your at mile 29 there is a 2 mile out then back. That out and back was tough. It was a uphill the entire way. Steep, loose rocks, hot, plus I was pretty sunburned. I'm not used to that mountain sun. It was challenging but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle, I was feeling positive. I was really happy with how I was doing. It felt really good to be running an ultra again.


I hit the turn around which according to my Garmin was close to 32 miles. Then it was downhill to Dalton Lake again. I was able to run quite a bit of that. A few sections were steep and it was causing a little twinge in my knee so I walked some. There was one point that I saved a runner going the wrong way. He was thankful. I had saved a runner on the way up as well in the same area. The course was marked correctly but it was a little confusing because of an arrow that was on a sign that was not a BH100 course marking.  

Dalton Lake headed back up to over 5,000 feet

I came back to Dalton Lake Aid station. Had some watermelon and 7-up... delicious!. I had watermelon at every aid station. That was the best! Plus ALL the aid stations had ice. AWESOME! I don't know how they lugged all that watermelon and ice out to these remote aid stations but I certainly appreciated that they did. Leaving the aid stations with a couple of bottles of cold ice water was a real treat in the hot mountain sun. Thank you RD's/volunteers for taking such good care of us!

On the climb out of Dalton Lake I felt pretty good but once again when I got above 5,000 feet... Heavy headache, nauseous and moving slow. I was struggling to run areas that were run-able. I was thinking about what Shelley Cook said to me before the race, "Michele, we both know running ultras is more mental than physical".  Okay, ...so I told myself don't mentally let yourself stop running.  I had decided before the race I would never stop giving full effort. But this part was challenging me. My legs were not trashed, I was just exhausted/sluggish. My head was a "squeezing" headache and my stomach was not good. I would try running and not make it very far. I started watching my garmin way to much. I would be moving along for what felt like a very long time and find out I had only went a quarter of a mile. "okay ...don't give up...remember full effort"

I was so happy to get to run these trails. It was a treat of a lifetime

When I got to the next aid station I sat down for quite a long time. I would guess 40 minutes. I wanted my head to stop pounding and my stomach to get back to normal.  For about a second- bad thoughts creeped into my head... It was going to be getting dark soon. I would only see my family at one more aid station. I didn't know if I would start moving so slow that I wouldn't be able to stay warm. Plus- I have to admit I was worried about the mountain lion. They mention them 3 times in the runners packet. Plus I had seen one (close up) while I was running Lean Horse 100 so I knew they were around. At LH100 I was with a pacer. Now I was going to be out during feeding time alone and in the dark... a little creepy

"push those negative thoughts out"-I decided I had sat down way to long. I needed to get moving. This long break now put me about 1 hour behind my goal finish time. I put on a long sleeve shirt and a hoodie and started the climb out of Elk Creek Aid Station. Once I was moving I was feeling much better. I realized I had to many clothes on. I took off the hoodie and tied it around my waist.

I got to an open meadow area with tall grass. I was thinking "this is probably where the mountain lion like to hang out". About that time I heard a soft "meow...meow..."  This was in the middle of the mountain range...It was not an area I would expect to see a stray cat. I don't know what baby mountain lions sound like but full grown ones do sound kind of like a house cat with a much deeper vocal cord. When I saw a mountain lion at Lean Horse I heard it first, it sounded like a purring growl. I doubt this was a baby mountain lion but it didn't help me from trying to stop thinking of them. (note: this is not the part of the story that includes a mountain lion)

We were blessed with a beautiful sunset on race day

I got to Bulldog and aid station captain extraordinaire Anna Ball was there. I knew I could still make it to the finish in my goal time but I was going to have to speed up the next 10 miles. I told Anna I couldn't remember what kind of climbs I'm going to have. I had ran all this earlier but that was a long time ago. Anna said, "There is a big climb out of here then a long undulating down hill to the next aid station. Then you'll have one more small climb after that but I don't quite remember what that ones like"  ...personally I think she chose not to tell me about that last climb because it was a doozy, good call on her part

So I left Bulldog with this great calming description in my head. I climbed without ever giving up. I got to the top and started running, one big long undulating down hill to the next aid station. I could do it. I just kept going. As I clicked off the miles I was starting to get really close to being able to hit my goal finish time again. I was feeling awesome. Once the altitude sickness went away I was running well again. If I felt confident enough to race I could have ran faster, but without having the mileage base I wasn't being aggressive. I was running at a pace that I felt I could keep forever, then taking short walking breaks here and there. Finishing was my goal and I did not want to miss a turn, get sick, or do anything that would jeopardize that.

I got to the Alkali Creek Aid station. I could do it. I could finish in my goal time. I had really made up a lot of time in that last section. I beat my husband to the aid station. Him and my daughter had set the alarm and took a nap, they didn't expect me this early so they were still sleeping. Royal (my husband) says now he should know better. This wasn't the first time I had done this to him at an ultra. He's watched as I've left an aid station looking like "death worn over... then come running through the next at an all time high. I didn't mind missing him, it gave me a little confidence boost to know I had came back so well...in my head I was all cool like "yeah, I beat them here". I can be a little dorky, I know...  Plus it helped me get in an out of the station faster. All day I had been hanging at the stations longer than I normally do because it was fun to talk with my family... Love my crew.... Royal and Tasha

I left the aid station and very quickly got to the last climb. Wowzie...It was a steep. I can't imagine how hard that was on the tender legs of the 100 mile runners. I finally got to the top and the downhill was just as tough.  I tried to run as much as I could but I wasn't managing it very well. The rocks were loose, it was steeper than what I normally run on.  I felt like I was braking every step, this hurt my right knee a little. Plus there were lots of big rocks that were grabbing my toes and trying to trip me and it would have been a long fall. I  wasn't experienced running on this kind of trail. I was doing the best I could. I knew I was going to have to start making up pace soon because I was again falling behind.

I eventually got to more a runnable area. I started running at a steady pace, something I could hold until the finish line. I thought this section was a little confusing. I did not get off course but I had to stop and think a few times to make sure I was going the right direction. There were places you could have made a wrong turn. It was marked correctly but I would have liked to see a few more confidence markers in this area. 

In this section you are running through meadows and woods. Every once in awhile you would be able to see the Sturgis Woodle track/finish line in the distance. That was pretty cool. I wasn't feeling overly anxious to finish. I was enjoying the fact that I could still run. I made it to town and got off the trail onto a paved path.

I was now super close to the finish line. It also looked like I was going to finish in my goal time. So after running through the mountains all day long I'm now running on a concrete city path. I can see the finish line... It was right there... Not even a quarter of a mile... When.....

"YIKES".... off to the left I see two glowing eyes staring at me.  I notice the color of the animal. It was a tawny gold color...oh no...was this a mountain lion? Then the animal laid down...hmmm... I stopped. What the heck am I supposed to do. I wasn't sure if it was a mountain lion but I didn't want to run by it and find out. It didn't seem like a deer would be standing in the grass, spot me and lay down. "let's see...think..." The path went along side a road. Maybe I could run the road to the stadium. I decided to turn around and go back to the road. This was maybe 1/2 mile. I certainly didn't want to just wait and see if in fact it was a mountain lion and it was going to come after me. I got back to the road when a male runner came along. I told him think I saw a mountain lion up ahead. He says, "Cool ! I saw 3 of them today, no worries...they like prey that is knee high or below". He just kept running along. So I followed. I let him get ahead of me. I stayed back to make sure he got by the area that the big cat was- then I went. I just looked straight ahead and prayed. I made it safely by and to the outside of the stadium.

There weren't any markers directing you to the correct entrance.  I saw someone and asked them which entrance to go in. It was the closest entrance, kind of obvious- but I just wanted to make sure I went to the right one. I got on the track and ran to the finish line. I felt really good. I was really happy with how well I ran and how good I felt at the finish line.

I could not have enjoyed that race more. I enjoyed talking with a bunch of awesome people. See amazing views. Travel for miles on the beautiful Black Hills trails. I love running long distance on amazing trails. A short run or hike is not enough for me. I love working my mind to manage my body, then I enjoy the tiredness I feel at the finish. I could not be more thankful to be able to run these races. I am so thankful to the race directors and volunteers for all the work that goes into these events. I'm also thankful for the people that were the pioneers of long distance running. If it wasn't for them I would have never realized this was possible. I feel so good about the day & I can't wait for my next race. That one, I plan to race hard!

Much love & happy trails~ Michele

Finishing was my award but I was happy to take home this buffalo skull for 3rd overall female

Got-er-done!

If it ain't rainin' It ain't training!!!

I thought my Inov-8 shoes looked awesome all decorated up with  MUDD and sweat! Only 23 miles of trail running could get them looking this good!

Thanks Tim Kruse & Carl Galdine for getting me through a few really tough miles. 

I had a great training run on the famous Ice Age trail in Wisconsin this weekend with my friends Tim & Carl.  We started from Emma Carlin parking lot, which is the turn around area for the Ice Age 50 mile race. It's a great place to start running because one direction you get some challenging hills and nice single track then you can go the other directions for some beautiful meadows. We were happy to have a hot & humid day with scattered rain storms. The trails were wet and muddy and the temperature was super hot & muggy! It was NOT an easy run, perfect for training!  We hit the meadows for the last 11 miles. We watched the rain clouds as they moved towards us, eventually soaking us down. My drenched friend Tim simply said, "if it ain't rainin" it ain't trainin"! Suddenly we were all laughing and loving the storm. We all helped one another and rocked out an awesome 23 mile training run! I wore my Trailroc 246's and they worked great on all the trail conditions!!! 

Earth Day 50k- April 22nd

Me giving Trey Robinson his first overall male trophy (He also won a free pair of Inov-8 shoes)



Race director (Me) giving Shelley Cook her first overall female trophy and a certificate for a free pair of Inov-8 shoes from Running Depot in Crystal Lake IL.



Husband and wife Relay team "K2" winner of 3rd Overall -Brian and Andrea Korte



"K2" relay team with their kids, and me



The smiling Arthur Sundry

Daniel and Beiyi, finishing Earth Day 50k after running and finishing the Double Chubb 50k the day before. Nice job on back to back 50ks!!!



The bright and sunny Carrie Tomlinson on relay team "Over the Hills and through the Woods"



Blair Piotrowski 1st time ultra finisher. Blair made 50k stickers for all the first timers!!!



Chris Boyack, from Colorado. He won a Inov-8 back pack for traveling the farthest to the race.



These guys are showing us how to run hills



Daniel Wilson from Colorado



Luis Miral

Mark Francis leading the pack, Mark ran 38 mile the day before. I'm looking forward to seeing him run Kettle 100!



Damian Nathaniel 3rd overall in 4:15:13 with John Kiser 2nd overall



Earth Day 50k finish line



Jeffery Lung and Damian Nathaniel

The hardworking timing crew, Andrea and Nick Pate 



Start/Finish line aid station



Alfredo Pedro



Beiyi Zheng from Colorado (She is Coyote Springs 100k female champion)



Chuck Schultz blazing the downhill

Cory Feign- recent finisher of Umstead 100 miler

Damian Nathaniel (2011 winner of Mohican 100) and Kamil Suran (2011 winner of Virginia Triple Iron Triathlon, and course record holder)



Jen Birkner and Edna Esposito



Jeremy Eldridge



John Kiser smiling all day long to finish 2nd overall Male in 4:13:45. He passed two people in the last couple miles of the race. Awesome performance!!!!

Karyn Weber- 2nd overall Female



Melissa Mims- 1st time ultra finisher



Mike Gasche plays the star spangle banner as everyone gathers to the starting line



Mike Johnson helping on the trails. Last July, just for the heck of it, Mike, Mark Francis and Steve Conn ran 100 miles on these same trails in under 30 hours.



Smiling faces at packet pick up

Ric and Mark Perry



Ric Nienstedt



Runnerman Dan!!!



The beautiful "Ultra Virgins"



The Epic Eric Harold 1st place AG with a smoking fast time of 5:21:26



1st overall Male and Female Trey Robinson and Shelley Cook. Shelley is training for Western States 100. Trey is her crew captain. This is a picture of her whole WS team, Matt Condron and David Zeisler.

Team "Gone fishing" 50k relay



Gregory Smith 4th AG 40-49









Jen Birkner 1st place AG 40-49

The "Machine" brings it home!!!





I'm giving Jeffery Lung his 1st place AG award and 4th overall with a time of 4:17:25