The Sahara Race..2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiSv2cZBY0s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQykvsw5l0E (bad language warning!)

If you would've told me 10 years ago, that I'd be running through a desert, let alone my 6th desert...I would have recommended a good psychiatrist...for us BOTH! But here I am looking back on it as fact. I finished the 2009 Sahara Race...150 mile, self-supported, 6 day run through the hottest desert on the planet!! My 2 teammates and I reunited again as Team Trifecta, with simply crossing the finish line as our main goal. We also hoped to have some fun along the way (since we are probably much better at that, than running). But lastly, we still wanted to perform as well as possible. As usual, my competitive spark at the opening gun, would quickly morph into a 5 alarm fire somewhere along the way, and 'fun' would fall further down on that list of priorities!!

This event would see 'the boys' come together in another amazing destination...for tent fills expletives, obnoxious behavior, pain and misery, and plenty of laughs mixed in. We had myself from the US...my 2 teammates Michael Hull and Pete Wilson from Australia...Peter Bocquet from Australia but living in Singapore...Erik de Hart another Aussie...and James Elson from the UK! This would be our 4th Racing the Planet race together...with the others being the Gobi in far western China, the Atacama in Chile, and our epic trip to Antarctica which might have been considered more of an ultra booze-fest, than an ultra marathon. We also had 3 new fellows in our tent...a rookie to these events from the US names Ken Shuart...another rookie from Scotland named Mick Campbell...and lastly an experienced runner from Lebanon named Ali Wehbi who was vying to win it all...things don't often go the way you plan in the desert!!!

Before the race, I hadn't paid much attention to the other teams who had signed up and would be racing along with us...and up to that point I had thought of them as just that...racing 'along with us'...not so much 'against' us!! But as we all met at the race check in, I felt my competitive juices start to flow...and found myself 'checking out' the other competitors and started to mull over our chances against these very physically fit looking people from all over the world. And the usual thoughts of 'am I ready for this', 'have I done enough training' started flying around in my head. But this time I could answer YES! I had been going quite hard for quite a while, and had come off one of my hardest races just a few months prior...so I was feeling quite optimistic about my current state of fitness. And after some chest pumping from Hully and Willo, I started to consider that we had a decent chance of placing well in the team division, and maybe even winning it..wow, did I just say that...well yeah, I figured why not.

This race had us going up against another 8 teams...and although the famous (in our own heads only) Team Trifecta was undefeated in our previous 2 races together (Gobi is where we all met, but didn't race together as a team there), we had raced against a grand total of ONE team in those 2 races!!! I know..pretty pathetic! But in our defense, in Atacama where we went up against the other team from Chile, they were MUCH more talented runners than us. And it was there that we learned the most important lesson of team ultra endurance sports...that being one great 'team' is much more important than being three great runners that are in a team!!! There's a huge difference and that difference was what we hoped to expose and take advantage of. In the Atacama Crossing, we beat the Chileans after they disbanded and we hoped that a simliar scenario would work in our favor here in the Sahara Race. And so with that knowledge under our belts, even though we faced faster runners, we knew that wasn't the most important factor, and once again, the Sahara race would prove that!!!

I think the race would see 4 other teams either dissolve, or members dropping out all together somewhere along the 150 miles (almost a quarter of the 200+ racers would drop), with temps reportedly reaching 120 degrees. We had one team that consisted of all 3 members being stronger runners than all three of us, but they discovered that being patient and staying together was much more difficult than beating us...and on day 3, they split up and the 2 faster guys left their slower mate behind and passed us...but only to see the slower one, reimerge and also pass us, and even finish ahead of one of his 'faster' EX teammates...quite a moment. So in case that sounded a bit hard to follow, basically if they had just stayed together as a team, they would have put some time on us, but even though they all finished ahead of us, they were no longer a team and so we continued to put time on the other teams and Team Trifecta was leading the team division!!

We had another tough team on our heels (they beat us outright in one day's stage)...Team Mixed bag from Singapore. They pushed us and pushed us and it was the thought of them breathing down our backs during the long stage of 55 miles, that changed one of my goals of having fun, to winning at all costs of pain and misery!!! My drive transformed me during the long day, and I'm afraid the 'whip' came out on my 2 teammates and I might have 'pushed' just a bit hard...and we came close..but not all the way...to having a moment or two of discord!! But to their credit, Hully and Willo put up with my obsessiveness and kept trucking along!! And maybe to my credit, I didn't quite go over the top, but rather right to the edge...and I think it proved to be successful...well, I know it did, because from the half way mark of the long day, we held them off from 30 minutes behind us...to pulling away and ending that stage over 2 hours ahead, and secured our team win. The last 10K got increasingly brutal, and even though I was feeling quite strong most of the day, by the time we reached to finish, along with Mike and Pete, we all were aching badly from head to tow and cussing at every step!!! "Where is the finish...it has to be over this dune...we've got to be getting there...this is bull shit...this is sure as hell longer than 10K" are a small smattering of things that could be heard coming from our mouths...but more under our breaths in hushed grunts, than yelling out loud. We didn't have the wind in our lungs or the strenth to waste getting angry at that point! We finally climbed one last steep sand dune, saw the finish line flags waving in the breeze. We breathed one massive sigh of blessed relief, and crossed arm in arm. It was quite a special and emotion moment...stumbing across that line and embracing each other, panting for breath...an emotionally and physically draining moment!! We had been through so much together...through 4 deserts, 3 continents, immeasurable pain...blister after blister...too many toe nails to count, strained muscles, self diagnosed 'snapped tendons' and 'broken legs'... But we never took ourselves too seriously and had tons of laughs...and a pretty damn good amount of alcohol along the way, and around the globe!!! And we had done it all with no more than a couple arguments...pretty damn good for 1,000 kilometers together. I'm not sure how many others could do the same thing...certainly not many!!

I look back on a number of moments through my quest to run through the hottest, coldest, highest, and driest deserts in the world, as being those 'moments' that you remember forever...small minutes of time, little spaces of 'being in that moment' amongst all the pain, when time itself seems to flow in slow motion, or comes to a standstill...where the air seems more fresh, colors more brilliant, where the mind overtakes the body and all your senses are firing on all cylinders...where the drug of choice is adrenaline and it flows fast and free inside your veins!! It's these moments when I found myself thinking "this is why I do this"!! I'll admit that 99% of the time, I DON'T feel that way and the majority of the time, I'm saying to myself "what in the hell am I thinking putting myself through this shit"! But those fleeting moments of clarity, really LIVING...many times in delirium...make it worth it!!! Hell, maybe I should just get my hands on some good drugs...it would save lots of pain, months of training, and probably a LOT of money...but somehow I don't think I'd feel like I'd earned it that way!!! I think that would be a short cut..cheating..and that the long and hard way is the only way to make it happen, well..the right way!!! You appreciate it so much more when it hurts like hell to get there!!

In this race, that moment came during the long day...I was actually feeling rather strong...and the boys had recovered from some lows...the sun was setting, the colors in the sky were beautiful, the air cooling down...and I realized at that moment, that it could very well be the last time we went through all this together!! We realized we had probably wrapped up the win, the pressure of the competition was waning, and we just had to grit it out to the finish. I decided that we should try and take one last picture before my battery died for good, and before the light faded away behind the sand!! I grabbed Hully and Willo and I held the camera out in front of us for a self-portrait and said "well guys, this is it...who knows what life has in store for us tomorrow on...so let's try and remember this moment forever, and capture it!" I'm not sure how much they were affected by it...I think they were...but I know I was, and I got a bit choked up!! The picture came back perfect (lowest pic above)...and I can almost still feel the warmth of the setting sun in our faces..and the miles we had traveled...and not just in this race, but in all the races, etched in our faces!! I know I have a few more lines in the edges of my eyes, and more gray hairs on the sides of my head, and probably a few less hairs on top of my head...but the little extra signs of aging have been well worth it...and let's face it, it's true, I have aged during this quest...but I feel like I've been so blessed, and that I've lived the lives of many people, been to places that few get to see, met people that few get to meet...certainly felt more pain than most, more desperation, and more dread...but surely more exhilaration, more achievement, and more accomplishment! Along this journey, I drank from many different waters...from rivers flowing near where our enemies hide...to water melted from high volcanos...and from underground oases...and even water from ice bergs at the bottom of the world...but amazingly, I still feel thirsty for more!!

(Michael Hull, Pete Wilson, and I won the team division. James Elson ran an amazingly strong race as usual and became the youngest person to complete the 4 Deserts series. Pete Bocquet could have easily won the "biggest heart" award and always trudges through to finish...he is a beast!!! Mick Campbell ran the race as if he had done 3 before it, and was a brick throughout! Ken teetered on the edge a couple of times, but hung in there, and ended up finishing really strong...very impressive!! Unfortunately Erik de Hart and Ali Wehbi both dropped out very early in the race, but cheered the rest of us on, and helped out quit a bit..I'm sure they'll be back)
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The North Face Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc (100 Miles)

Well, it's another race off the list, and another painfest logged into the books. The North Face Ultra du Mont Blanc proved to be the toughest thing I have done yet. And I can just hear the "oh sure, whatevers" now...since it seems that I say that just about every time I get back from a adventure. But since I do keep upping the anty on my races, and choosing harder and harder ones, then it all just makes sense I guess.

I had trained quite hard from this as many people on my FB updates might have noticed..from doing trail races throughout the summer...Old Gabe 50K in Montana (11,000 ft of elevation gain/loss), the Mohican 50 Mile trail race in OH (5,000 feet of elevation gain/loss) and the Rattlesnake 50K in WV (7,000 feet of gain/loss)..or the countless hours I spent pulling tires, or climbing hotel stairs, hours running on soft sand, or on stair masters, etc. And I had come off the 150 miler in Namibia in the spring, so I'm not really sure where the training actually "started", since it seems it hasn't really "stopped" anytime in the last couple of years. So I surely couldn't be accused of a lack of commitment for this one.

We had a long, tiring trip over to France, but I perked up as soon as we drove from Geneva to Chamonix. I'll never forget my first glimpse of the Alps in our bus ride. I looked out the widow and was amazed to see the snow capped mountains, and the spiked peaks just about everywhere I gazed. I got chills down my spine thinking that in a few days, I'd running up and down those beasts...and a mixture of excitement, fear, and doubt rushed through me..and the old thoughts of...have I done enough, did I train hard enough, long enough...came rushing into my head!!! By the time we arrived in Chamonix, I was as nervous before a race as I've ever been.

Well, onto the race....the race began at 6:30 PM Friday evening and although I had planned to rest and sleep some during the day before the start, I had too many things still to prepare, and honestly I was so damn scared about the race, I couldn't sleep even if I had tried!! The experience at the start of the race, was just behind my Hawaii Ironman finish, as the coolest thing I've ever experienced. The air was just electric... and seeing everyone lined up...all 2,300 of us, a massive amount of people for a 100 mile ultra...was just amazing!! As the gun went off, this incredible sort of Gladiator movie soundtrack music was blaring over the speakers, and as we ran through the quaint streets of Chamonix, everyone was lined up on both sides yelling and cheering...and people were hanging out of windows waving and screaming. I felt like we were an army of warriors that were heading out to brave the dangers of war, and that many of us wouldn't be coming back...and many wouldn't!! It was such an incredible experience and I must have had chills for the first 3 miles...absolutely amazing!!! If I could have just bottled that feeling, and kept it for future use...but I'll never forget it.

I wish that kind of exhilaration would have lasted the whole race, but of course I knew it wouldn't...and it didn't...unfortunately it slowly turned into a plodding nightmare of pain and misery!!! The first 50 miles actually went relatively smooth and steady, and even though the climbs and descents were BRUTAL, we powered up strong, and ran the descents easy (and I say we because my friend Alex was also running and we stuck together throughout, which in a race of this distance, is a small miracle itself). But despite the "easy" descents, believe me, nothing was easy about coming down steep terrain like that, and by the halfway mark, my quads were toast!! It took me about 16 hours to reach 50 miles, but then everything seemed to grind to a halt and go in slow motion. Every other checkpoint seemed to be coming slower and slower, and harder and harder...well, probably because we were actually going slower and slower!!! At some points, my legs were so sore from the descents, that I was actually able to climb up the mountains faster than I was able to go down them!!! Fortunately though, some of the most beautiful scenery was in the beginning, and I made a point to look around and appreciate the beauty of my surroundings before I knew what was to come...me staring down at my own two feet, just putting one foot in front of the other!! In the beginning, I kept thinking of how few people are lucky enough to see this part of the world...these amazing mountains..the snow capped peaks, the green valleys...the fresh cool mountain air...the snow melt streaming down the mountains...the peace and solitude. And then of course at other times I thought, how few people are stupid enough to sign up for this torture!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYGuGmK-6ic&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjVQh2YFOqk&feature=related

But another issue that came early on...was that I had developed the most horrid blisters on each of my heels, from making the steep climbs. And they actually weren't even blisters...but rather they seemed to have skipped the blister stage, and gone straight to the skin being just ripped right off my heels...and so I had 2 totally raw sores on my ankles that were absolute AGONY for just about every step. Looking back on it, I still can't believe I was able to plod on and on in that kind of pain!! And I think the only thing that took my mind off of it, was the pain in my ass!!!!! LITERALLY!! I had also developed the most insane chaffing on...well, no other way of saying this than to just say it...so my ass cheeks and "beyond"..if you know what I mean!!! I felt like someone overnight had jammed a piece of sandpaper down my shorts between my butt cheeks! Hell, I was so out of it over the TWO nights I ran through, that it might have been entirely possible. With every step I took, my ass was grinding away...OH MY GOD..talk about misery!!!! At each checkpoint, I would stagger into the rest area and right in full view of everyone, hike down my shorts and cram Hydropel (lubricant) down "there"!!! Gee, I wonder if that might have been the reason for some of the dirty looks from those lovely Frenchmen!!! I bet THAT ruined a few appetites!!! Or maybe the others just weren't happy because so many of THEM were quitting, and despite me walking bowlegged and limping for 70+ miles, this damn American with no manners, just wouldn't quit!!!

There were times when I thought to myself no human should ever voluntarily put themselves through this kind of pain and misery! There were many times when I was so exhausted and worn down, that I simply couldn't conceive of making it up the next hill in front of me. I remember at 3am (on the SECOND straight night), on probably the hardest climb of the race...with terrain so steep I was climbing using my legs AND arms to grab rocks and vegetation to pull myself up...and thinking to myself that this was the most insane thing EVER and what in the HELL was I doing here...I was in HELL actually. But the thought of quitting, knowing my mind set and that I'd have to come back the next year and try again, was just NOT an option. If the CIA wants to get the goods from the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, they should do away with the water-boarding and just sign some of those boys up for UTMB, and they'd be singin like birds before 50 miles!!!!

But believe it or not, there were fleeting moments...however rare...when I felt as alive as a person could feel...when I felt like I was doing something that so few do, or can do, or maybe are too smart to try to do...but it was a amazing feeling...like I was really and truly living life...breathing it in, feeling it raw, feeling it's wonder, it's pain..and at least trying things and experiencing things that so few people actually do. So many people live their 9-5 lives and ask me why I would want to do this...and unfortunately those people just wouldn't ever "get it". And of course I asked myself that question a million times, but deep down, and as much as I bitch and moan and complain about it...I know why I do it..I love the challenge and wondering IF I can do something, and it makes me want to go out and try it. And the feeling of accomplishment when it's done...and completed...THAT is a feeling that no money can buy!!!

So on and on it went, for the 2nd day and night, a lot more of the same...massive ups and downs...burning up during the day, cold at night...and hours passing...pain from this and that...sometimes more this, than that...wondering if my body would keep it up, or at least listen to my brain telling my legs to "keep on keepin on", well past any good sense...and a lot of thinking...and thinking...and more thinking...it's amazing how much you can think about in 42 hours...and then other times of not thinking at all...the body and brain going so numb that you're in a trance...a moving trance...and hallucinating...seeing things in the woods that weren't there...hearing things Alex said only to find he hadn't opened his mouth. I don't imagine LSD has anything on this!! And it was interesting to get to checkpoints and see people that looked to be much tougher than me, throwing in the towel. In a way, it gave me strength thinking that "that guy" is quitting but I'm still standing...but other times I'd think "holy shit, if he's done, what the hell am I thinking"..but then off I'd go...just gritting and bearing it. My buddy James from the UK was due to run also, but came down with an injury at the last minute, so he was nice enough to meet me at a number of aid stations and carry some of my carbo powder and gels, which helped out a lot and I owe a great thanks to James for that...thanks buddy!!!

Actually the scariest part was only about 6 miles from the finish...it was super hot and sunny and we had reached the top of the last brutal climb, and I was actually getting really dizzy and lightheaded and thought I was going to seriously pass out. I had run out of water on the climb and was having to literally shake my head to knock off the dizziness. I made it to the last checkpoint and told Alex that I thought I was going to pass out. I poured cold water on my head, and drank some, but nothing seemed to work. I was afraid to tell the race officials for fear they would make me stop and wait, or worse...stop me all together!! The thought of the race being out of MY control, and for me to have made it that far, and still maybe just pass out, was horrifying. I always said that I would NEVER quit on my own, unless I just passed out...and here it was actually happening...so I quickly said the hell with it...if I'm going to pass out, it's going to be running, not sitting at the aid station. So I filled up with water (or thought I did) and took off down the mountain. In my delirium of exhaustion, I thought I had filled up my camelbak with water, but apparently my rolled up jacket was pressing on the water compartment (all other times I had taken the jacket out so as to give room for the water to flow in) and so only about 5 ounces (one drink) went in, and I was too out of it to even notice..that is until I had left the aid station and was well away from it and then tried to take more than a sip and realized that I was out of water again, and still 2 hours to run...not good!!

But it's amazing what adrenaline will do to the body and before I knew it, Alex and I both were cruising down at a great pace. The closer we got down the mountain, the faster we went. When I reached "civilization" again, and the thought that FINALLY after 42 hours of virtually non-stop movement..being awake for well over 50 hours, I was going to finish!! As I got closer to the finish, the number of people cheering and the sound of the crowds increased, and so did my disbelief that it was actually almost over...oh my God, I have never wanted to see a finish line so bad in my life. and the thought of Chelsea waiting for me there, spurred me on even more. I ran the last few blocks with people lining the streets cheering, and the music playing, and my emotions were all over the board...thrilled, exhausted, delirious!!!!! I had done it...what a moment and at the very second I crossed...RELIEF... just relieved that the pain was over...well, it still isn't over as I gaze at my feet...but it was DONE!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLNJZeKM1nc&feature=related

I finished in 833 place out of just under 2,300 runners with over 900 people dropping out!!!! I was NOT one of them...YES!!!!

Namibia: Beyond Racing the Planet

It's been about a week since the Namibia Racing the Planet Ultra...and still with that amount of time gone by, the pain is still more fresh in my mind than I would prefer. And one look at my feet shows that they took quite a beating out there. When I landed back in DC after about 40 hours worth of traveling, they looked more like the feet of my 95 year old grandmother, than my own...but are slowly but surely coming along!! And the TV show The Biggest Loser has nothing on these races, as I lost a whopping 14lbs trudging through the desert of Namibia!! WOW

I was racing this event without my 2 Aussie teammates Michael Hull and Pete Wilson, and so even though I wanted to do as well as I could do, I also thought it might be the only time to experiment with some of my previous race plans...mainly the amount of calories I bring. That part of the plan, I had gone back and forth with a dozen or so times. At the very last minute after picking up my pack and it feeling like I had a family on my back, I decided to toss out a bunch of my gels and sports drink powder. BAD decision!!!!

Let me first say that the terrain in this race was over-the-top BRUTAL, with the 1st day having us go down the Namib version of our Grand Canyon and back up the other side. And let me add that it is the 2nd largest canyon in the world behind our Grand Canyon...and not much smaller. The check points are usually spaced out to ensure that we can refill our water...the only thing that the race gives us the entire week...but this 1st day proved to be tricky and for whatever reason, even though I NEVER run out of water...this particular day, under these tough conditions, I was caught without a single drink for 2:15. At one point, in the middle of the heat of the day, I had the chills and good bumps..a sure sign of heat exhaustion or worse. I managed to finish up and basically stagger across that day's finish line.

But the problem with me, is that I wanted to keep doing as well as I possibly could each day. The smart thing would have been to simply walk a day and recuperate..take it nice and slow and try to get back above my dehydration level...yes, the "smart" thing...but I'm not often accused of being smart..more often stubborn...pig headed, etc etc...so each day I pushed and pushed...not necessarily running fast..but when you feel like you're going to fall over just walking, any speed running is pushing it. In the last desert race I competed in, I felt as strong as an ox..energy to spare...excited, refreshed...this race it seemed, every mile was a struggle. I didn't necessarily go much slower, but rather just made myself continue...but the pain and misery of going and going when I wanted to just lay down and quit, was ROUGH...very rough!!

And I also was some serious rooky mistakes...let me summarize my 1st day of disasters. Well, 1st of all my wife Chelsea and I went over to Africa early and were lucky enough to go on a gorilla trek in Rwanda. It was an amazing experience but the food there was not exactly up to par and so living on french fries and coke for 3 days is not exactly the pre-race program most recommended before a 6 day, 150 mile, self supported race through the canyon, mountains, and desert of Namibia. So I didn't have a lot of rest going in, and felt like I had already lost a few lbs before the race even started. So anyway, 1 hour into the race, one of my trekking poles broke, then I after reaching the bottom of the canyon and running through a stream and sand, I decided that I'd better put on my sand gaiters (like snow gaiters for skiing that keeps out the snow..sand gaiters keep out the sand). The gaiters attach to the shoes with Velcro that I had a cobbler sow onto my trail running shoes. It was only after I sat on a rock, dumped the sand out of my shoes, and try to put the gaiters on, that I made the shocking realization that my idiot self had the WRONG Velcro side sowed on my shoes....the SAME one as on the gaiters and so they matched instead of being opposite and thus actually sticking!!! The word SHIIIIIIIT could then be heard, throughout the canyon as I yelled that upon realizing my brilliant move!!!! "This is perfect" I said to myself....show up at a race through sand withOUT the means to keep it out of my shoes!!! So anyway, no real time to ponder the "what ifs" and "if onlys"...just had to TRY and put that behind me and "keep on keepin on"...sand be damned!!!!!! That would prove to be easier said than done!!!!

So forward onward 2 more stages after the 1st day and it was more of the same...PAIN...EXHAUSTION...I just never had it. I ran relatively well though, despite my energy level and the 1st 3 days I still finished between 48th and 58th place...out of 214 starters...not bad actually, but the misery that it was causing was becoming quite a lot to endure!!! And once again, the terrain we had to cross, was so hard core, you would have to see it and experience it yourself to actually believe it. When I thought back to the fact that I had trained for this by running 7 "road marathons" on PAVEMENT...and FLAT...it was laughable...what the hell was i thinking!!!!! That gave me some good cardio, but did virtually NOTHING to prepare my legs for the climbs and descents, and rocks and sand of this race....CRAZY!!! So...we finish about 40K on day 3...got to bed about 8pm in the tent..and then for the long day...62 miles worth...we had to wake up at 2am, get in buses, and were driven 5 hours to the start. And of course I didn't sleep in the bus...so add sleep deprivation to all the fun, and the long day was already shaping up to be a doozy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUw9UxVnHkE

100K of running on 95% sand...wow...can I tell you how much that SUCKS!!!! No energy, not enough calories, low on sleep, and now I've got to run 62 miles in sand with a back pack that weight about 20lbs!!! LOVELY!!!!! The temperature as we were running directly into the sun into the 2nd stage was 109 degrees!!! I literally staggered into the check point, babbling incoherently until the race staff dumped some water on my head and I popped back into reality. As I sat on a seat and surveyed my surroundings, it felt like I had somehow left a race and woken up in a war zone. There were runners sprawled out everywhere...and dropping out left and right. Only 2 check points into a 10 check point stage day and people were calling it quits. I took about 10 minutes there and realized the atmosphere of giving up was WAY to prevalent there and quite contagious, and I didn't want it creeping into my body and infecting my brain as well!!! I had to get the hell out of there...whether I felt ready or not. I saw way to many people stronger than me, throwing in the towel. But if there's one thing I have learned in all my races, is that it's not about the strength of people's bodies..but rather what's in their head that matters in moments like this. I may not have the biggest and strongest legs, but I do have the mental strength when it counts. And at that moment, I had to really dig in and use some of the strength to get my ass up, and the hell out of there...moving onward in the right direction!!!

Well, this long day would go on and on and on. Under "normal" circumstances, it would probably have taken me about 13 hours to do a stage of this length, but with the difficult terrain, and my energy level, I ended up plodding along for over 25 hours!!! Wow!!! Walking up and down the sandy mountains, all night long, on and on and on, I had some of the lowest lows I've ever experienced in a race. I staggered and staggered and more than a few times wondered to myself, what in the hell am I doing here!!! This is ridiculous!! Nobody should ever voluntarily put themselves through this type of pain and misery. I don't know how many times I had to stop and dump the sand out of my shoes...and can't even explain what a pain in the ass it is to stop, try and sit down without everything cramping up, and go through the process of taking each shoe off,sometimes socks too!! Just the most simple of things becomes and incredible choor after hours and hours of marching. Through the darkest part of the night, we went over some of the toughest terrain and I couldn't believe we were having to negotiate mountain crossings in the delirious, exhausted state we were in. And when i say "we" for the 1st time in the entire week, I finally met up with a guy named Rob Bolton, who teamed up with me and we stuck together and forged on. We were both hearing things, and seeing things and it was quite a night as we continued on! We didn't chat a whole lot, but just knowing I was sharing the pain with someone who was feeling the same misery as I was, made it easier!! Each and every check point seemed like it was 5 miles further than we thought. What an excruciating existence we were living, trying to get from one to the next. We go over a climb and say "oh it HAS to be just up here" and then get there to find NOTHING..and repeated this disappointment countless times...oh my God. An aid station worker asked me what I needed and I said "a loaded f#@%* gun!!!!!" I just wanted to end the misery!!! I remember trying to imagine how wonderful it would feel when this was all behind me...but man, did it take what seemed like a lifetime....25 hours...are you kidding me!!!

So I finally stumbled to the finish of the long day and virtually collapsed into my tent floor...AHHHHHH!!! I knew then that I was going to make it and even though the thought of another 20-some miles through monster sand dunes the next day sounded like one of the craziest things I could ever imagine having to go through..I knew I could and WOULD do it at that point!!! Needless to say, this race was WAY harder than it was supposed to be and about 50 people dropped out along the way. And the ones that had made it so far, were very vocal in their feelings about what we were subjected to. For many, the thought of continuing on was proving to be too much and many were threatening to pull the plug on their own race...and amazingly for the 1st time ever, the race organizers actually dropped 10K of the "dune day" the next day. That was one of the most beautiful pieces of news I had ever heard. If I had had ANY liquid in my body at that point, I might have shed a tear..but a tear was still way to much water to waste and so I just silently rejoiced in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_RpLKR_k-0

So the next day started the dune day and I had drank water just about all night long so as to try and re-hydrate AGAIN!! And with the thought of doing a bit less mileage that day, and knowing it was the last difficult day since the last day was just a 10K sprint to the finish, I actually was feeling energized and really gave it a go!!! I moved pretty quickly up and down the massive sand dunes, and knowing that at any moment, the sight of the blue ocean was going to be over one of those dunes, only spurred me on even more. And then the moment finally came..after 6 days and miles and miles of brutal terrain, days and days of pain, I crested a monster sand dune and I caught my first glimpse of the ocean. WHAT A SIGHT!!!! I could almost imagine the cold water and feel the cool breeze. It was for this very experience that I had signed up for the race. The thought of going for miles and miles of sand and running into the ocean was something I had dreamt about...and finally it was within my reach. I actually sped up and finished in a dead sprint and it wasn't more than a few minutes before I had shed my clothes and was running down the beach, into the water!!! OH MY GOD...THE BEST!!!!! It was worth it....well, not totally, but pretty damn close!!! I floated in that ocean and tried to let the water wash away all the pain I had experienced...use it to clean all those negative thoughts from my soul...that long dark night was slowly but surely fading away!!! What an ending!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BM611PurDQ

As I mentioned, the last day was a quick 8K sprint along the beach and into the little town there on the Namibian coast and I made quick work of it and right to the cooler straight to the celebratory beer...AHHHH...nice and cold...hell, why not have another...ok, 3 more I believe..so what..I was dehydrated right!!!!!

And as I side note, I was awarded the "Spirit Award". It's an award they present at the finisher's banquet, to the competitor showing the most positive attitude and good cheer throughout the race. Wow, I think they may have mis-interpreted my incoherant babbling, for good cheer!!! Well, actually as much complaining as I just described, I did manage to put a brave face on my pain and always tried to be positive when I got to an aid station...thanked the volunteers...hell, I WAS happy to see them..who wouldn't be. They all worked quite hard as well, so even though I was hating life more often than not, I kept a smile on, and looks like it paid off!!! It was quite an honor to receive it... and that plate, along with the race medal, are just more "bling" to add to the wall!!!!!

Racing The Planet: Namibia

In just a couple of days, I'll be heading off for two once in a lifetime adventures. My wife Chelsea and I will be flying to Rwanda to go on a wild gorilla trek. These magnificent and endangered animals are something we have both wanted to see for a long time. With reports of their poaching and the de-forestation, who knows how long they might still be here. Since I was heading back to Africa for the 5th time for another ultra-distance race, Chelsea decided to join in the adventure, and planned our gorilla hike. After our hike is complete, she will fly home and I will head across the continent to the West African country of Namibia for my 2nd half of the trip.

And I am running a 150 mile, 6 stage, self-supported race in which the competitors must carry ALL of our gear (except water and a tent). My pack will start out weighing a bit over 20lbs, and it will surely be an huge challenge lugging that while climbing the highest sand dunes in the world. The Fish River Canyon is another major landscape feature to note, as it is the 2nd largest canyon in the world and one we will be climbing down and back up it...thousands of feet!! Namibia is a sparsely populated country that has a wide range of amazing landscapes and extremes in temperature. We have just been informed by the race course setters, that they are currently experiencing temps down to 30F degrees at night and up to 104F during the day.

You can follow my progress (or lack there of), check my bio for past races, and even email me encouraging words that will be delivered to our tents...all at: http://www.4deserts.com/beyond/namibia/

And one last note of thanks to my friends Ben Wilson and Tim Hurt for coming through and sponsoring me for this race. Ben runs a investment fund in the UK called Sure Investment and Tim is the head of the US division and they were nice enough to really hook me up!! Thanks guys!!!! I really appreciate it...and will try to not throw up on the nice company logo!!!lol

Below is a description provided by one of the race organizers:

RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009 gets underway in just two weeks with two hundred and fourteen (214) competitors from 38 countries expected to participate including a record number of past champions who will be vying for top places

(9 May 2009, Hong Kong) -- RacingThePlanet is set to stage its next endurance event in Namibia on 17 May 2009. Traversing some of the most spectacular dunes and stunning landscapes of the oldest desert in the world – the Namib Desert, RacingThePlanet’s six stage, seven day, 250 kilometer self-supported footrace, features a field of 214 from 38 countries. The event kicks off with a steep descent into the Fish River Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world, an area rich with local wildlife such as Mountain Zebra, Giraffe, Oryx, Steenbok, Springbok and even leopard. Competitors will make their way through the African bush traversing lunar landscapes and over some of the most demanding and challenging sand dunes in the world to finish at the Skeleton Coast in the charming town of Lüderitz.

Thanks to the unwavering support of the Namibia Tourism Board, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and other government agencies in Namibia, competitors will have access to some of the most remote and pristine areas in the country, and will be the first ever humans to have crossed parts of the landscape.

About RacingThePlanetRacingThePlanet® is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food; they are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams. RacingThePlanet is international; the events typically involve competitors from over 20 different countries who are able to mingle around the campfires and in their geographically mixed tents. Currently the events consist of the 4 Deserts, a series which encompasses the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Antarctica, and a fifth event which roves to a new location each year. Time Magazine recently ranked the 4 Deserts #2 on its list of the world’s top endurance competitions.

The Last Desert Race...Antarctica

As I sit in my hotel, safely back in Ushuaia, Argentina, I can hardly believe that my memories are real, rather than just a crazy, cold white fantasy that I´ve conjured up in the far corners of my imagination. Have I really just returned from Antarctica...what I had spent the last few years looking forward to, and striving for? I have another scroll through the memory card of my camera to make certain one last time, that it really all happened...and wow, it really did!What an amazing trip it was!

It was filled with such highs and lows, as they normally are. But this trip, the crests seemed even higher and the troughs even lower...and believe me, I mean that literally as well as figuratively. I arrived in Ushuaia a few days early to meet up with my good friends and Team Trifecta teammates Mike Hull and Pete Wilson of Australia. And after a few nights of toasting to our past adventures and boosting our egos, I couldn´t remember if we were actually here for a race, or rather one big party! But we were brought back down to earth hard, when given the news that a hole was discovered on our boat's hull. But after some moments of reflection, I realized the sinking feeling in my gut was better than the sinking of the ship...and with luck on our side, the ship was fixed a day later. After hearing horror stories of the Drake Passage, I was armed with enough medication to sedate a small army, but this was one of the most calm crossings our expedition leader had ever experienced (at least on the way over that is). We were also treated with a truly rare sighting in the middle of the Drake, of humpback whales who actually seemed to delight in our visit to their neighborhood...and gave us all quite a dancing show! But other than than, it was a crossing filled with anticipation, trepidation, excitement...the checking and re-checking of gear, and trying to get in the proper mind-set for what we were preparing to do. I was sitting in my bunk when I heard the call come over the loud speaker... that land had been spotted. My heart skipped a beat, and I raced to the deck. The cold air hit me hard, but I looked to the left through the misty clouds and there it was, these magnificent white peaks bursting out of the slate gray water! It was then that I realized it wasn´t just a beautiful place, but a scary one as well...and to run on it?. .are we lunatics!

Our first stop was Culverville Island, and as we boarded the zodiacs to take us to shore, my stomach was twisting with the uncertainties of running in snow, and deep snow at that. It was a cool day, but with the sun blazing down and reflecting off the snow, I was actually sweating profusely...but it only took one quick blast of the cold Antarctica wind to remind me where we were. And if not the wind, then a quick glance at the sparkling iceberg filled bay, was a spectacular reminder of just what an amazing spot we were standing on. And I would have to say that it´s the first time in a race that the crowd cheering, were penguins....amazing! Our team ran steady as we always do, but only covered a mere 11.56K in 2:42 time, due to the incredible snow fall.

We didn´t get to enjoy the accomplishment of one day behind us for very long though. They decided to make another stop the same day in order to make up for the lost day, when the ship was in repair. So it was off to bed for a few hours of rest and then the next stop was Neko Harbour, on the mainland continent. It was another stunning view with our ship anchored amongst huge icebergs, hundreds of penguins, and even a big Leopard Seal was in the grand stands for the event (although he didn´t show any of his nasty reputation and slept through the whole stage). It was another tough run through deep snow and our shoes were soaking wet by the time we finished another 13.6K in 3:50 time.

We awoke for the 3rd stage at Pertermann Island, and our lifetime concerns seemed to get a more narrow focus, and this morning´s one was hoping that our shoes had dried overnight. And once again, not much goes as planned, because we were expecting another day of mild temps and wet, melting snow...but were instead greeted by much more typical Antarctic weather with a cold wind, blowing snow, and temps dipping to 15C. This would be more of a long cold slog for Team Trifecta as we basically just put our heads down and plodded forward, lifting them only to watch the many Adelie Penguins who enjoyed sharing our course, or running along, or across, or over...whether waddling on their two feet, or pushing on their stomachs, I was starting to view these little funny creatures, dressed in their finest tuxedos, as the true endurance heroes of the land!! We ended up waddling ourselves for 16.9K in just over 4.5 hrs.

Our 4th stage would be run at Dorian Bay, a cove on the northwest side of Wiencke Island. This was to be another slog in very deep snow. But after walking around the course for about half the stage, Team Trifecta came to realize it might even be easier to run it, so we pulled up our sleeves and kicked up the pace..and the snow. We managed to only cover 12.7K in just over 2:30, but we were still pleased that we made the decision to speed up, and were actually able to do so in the conditions, which none of us had ever run in before.

As it turned out, that would be the last stage and the race would be called off early. It was due to a truly a brutal storm that halted all efforts to find a safe landing for a final race stage. After failing to reach Deception Island we sailed for Half Moon Bay, but with the ship being battered by ferocious winds and monster waves, there was simply no question of risking our lives in the zodiacs. I remember being on the lower front deck of the ship and literally holding onto the railing for dear life as freezing waves crashing against the ship, spraying in my face. Fortunately, I stumbled back into the shelter of the boat, and about 30 seconds later, a monster wave swept over the boat, and I only learned about it from the others watching from the captain´s bridge...WOW, what an adventure!

More than anything, my Team Trifecta friends Mike and Pete and I, came into this Last Desert Race knowing that it was much more than a running race. It was a lifetime adventure and whether we completed the full 250K distance or not, we were going to be satisfied for engaging the unknown, fighting elements that were almost primeval, and coming out the other end just as close friends as when we started. We experienced things that we had only imagined before. We saw places with our own eyes that we had only seen in pictures before. We met many new friends and made many new amazing memories. The only thing that we were wrong about, was that we would end the trip just as close friends as when we began...because instead, we´re even closer!!!

Antartica and the Last Desert Race

On Nov 24th, I'll be competing in www.RacingthePlanet.com 's "The Last Desert" race...a 6 stage, 150 mile foot race through the ice and snow of Antarctica. My Australian teammates and I, will be competing along side 24 others from a number of countries and varied backgrounds. After completing similar races through the Sahara Desert in Morocco, the Gobi Desert in China, and the Atacama Desert in Chile, this will be my 4th desert, and thus will have taken me to the driest, hottest, coldest, and windiest places on the planet..and tested my limits both physically and mentally.

We'll be boarding our ship in Ushuaia Argentina, and making the often harrowing, two day sail across the famous Drake Passage, which is home to some of the world's roughest ocean waters. When we're not hanging our heads over the side with sea sickness, we'll be anxiously scanning the gray horizon for our first glimpse of the amazing white continent!

Antarctica is classified as a desert because it's interior averages only about 50 mm of precipitation a year...less than the Sahara. The very little snow that falls there, stays there, because there's so little evaporation. But it frequently appears that blizzards are occurring because the ever present winds are picking up, and blowing around snow that has already fallen...so white-out conditions are common. Antarctica is the coldest and windiest continent with the lowest recorded temperature ever, at minus 128.6 degrees F!!

At this point, I'm used to the scorching heat of the "regular" deserts, but this cold is a whole new beast to wrap my mind around. It will surely be another great test of what we are able to grin and bear it...and trudge on through. It will require a lot of new gear that we aren't so familiar with, but which is vital in protecting us from the cold and wind. The folks at Mountain Hardwear have been nice enough to deck all three of us out from head to toe in the their latest gear, which is a HUGE help..and I want to thank them for that!! But once again, having my teammates along to lighten the darker moods will certainly boost our attitudes and hopefully make it another incredible experience. We had many moments of hilarity in our desert tents in the past, as we laughed at our shared pain and misery. I expect that "boat life" will be quite similar...but hopefully a bit cleaner!!

My teammates were just featured on the Australian Wide World of Sports and their TV spot is a great way to understand what it is we do, and why we choose to do it. Here is the link (might take a couple min. to load):
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/videoindex.aspx?videoid=545f0ddd-c604-4d74-aa35-1a79aaca780e&tab=1

And once again, it's a real pleasure to be raising money for my charity as well.... St. Jude's Children's Hospital. It's a very worthy charity and it gives me quite the motivation to think about what these kids are going through when I feel like quitting myself. But please don't feel the pressure to donate because I know these times are tough for everyone. But if you feel that you can afford a few extra dollars for a great cause, this is it: https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=24604&programId=401&eventId=4641

I have read many books about this far and forbidding landscape, and still can't quite believe I'm going to be experiencing it first hand. This land of such great explorers like Capt Cook who was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle...and Amundsen who was the first to the South Pole...and Scot who died coming back from there...and Shackleton's incredible survival story...all make this place seem like a fantasy world. In reading these stories, their brutal adventures came to life on the pages that I read growing up, in the warmth of my home. Most of us are "armchair adventurers", reading all about the farthest reaches of the planet, while sitting in our favorite chair in front of a gas fire that we can turn on with a simple push of a button!! It's tough to really imagine what these men must have felt while truly living these incredible, and many times brutal adventures...when we're enjoying such cushy lives. (but don't get me wrong...I'm not apposed to reclining chairs and roaring fires!!) But for me now, to actually go there and see some of what they saw, and feel some of the cold that they felt...it is beyond amazing!!!

You can read about the competitors, learn about our journey there, and follow the race at http://www.4deserts.com/thelastdesert/

Washington Post Article

During my running of the Atacama Crossing in Chile, a Washington Post reporter, Lauren Keane, came down and followed my progress and wrote a nice article in the Post. Here is the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/28/AR2008082801717.html?hpid=features1&hpv=national

Mountain Mashochist 50 Mile Trail Race...Nov 1, 2008

About Mountain Masochist Trail 50 Race:

“Lynchburg is the place for “real” mountain runners to be in October. But MMTR is not for everyone. If you are slow, as this reporter now is, the cutoff times are brutal. At my speed, you have pressure all day. Also, you need a sense of humor. If it bugs you that a course is longer than advertised, you don’t want to do MMTR.”
“Many people, this reporter included, repeatedly forget that the bottom line about MMTR is that it is tough. There are many uphills, not all steep but several are long and frustrating. The two trail sections are tough, technical, and beautiful. To finish MMTR is a significant accomplishment.”
“Masochists is a brutal reality check. If you are not prepared for it, David’s course will slap you around. Such a reality check is a very good thing. It’s just not always fun!”

– Anstr Davidson


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXq3ttvblCM

This past weekend, I completed the "painful" Mountain Masochist 50 Mile Trail Race...and what you read above is ALL TRUE...too bad I didn't read that until after I did it!! I think the name speaks for itself and you won't get any argument from me there!! It's widely regarded as one of the toughest 50 milers on the east coast and once again, no qualms with that claim as well.

I had just run the MCM the week before...and as I mentioned in the post before, fortunately I took it easy there. The MMTR had been full, but just at the last minute, some spots opened up and so I only got into it about 4 days before the race. I'm heading to Antarctica in a few weeks for another 150 mile stage race, and since I had gotten a bit lazy in the last couple of months, I thought it might be a good idea to kick it up a notch, and do some back to back long runs... so I decided to go for it.

The weather was once again perfect, although a bit chilly in at the 6:30 start. The 260 or so runners had to board buses at 5am in Lynchburg, Va in order to be transported to the start of the race. The gun went off and I was anxious to get moving in order to warm myself up since it was about 40 degrees and I was in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. I always warm up fast and run hot, so I deal with the cold early in the race because I know I'll warm up and don't want to have to shed clothes and carry them for miles and miles.

I carried my big Camelback which can last me for about 4 hours. So I never stopped at any aid stations for the 1st 4 hours or so and made steady progress. I wanted to run a smooth and steady race, and my only goals were to get a good workout, finish, and not injure myself and thus screw up my upcoming race that I had paid a small fortune to get into. I felt great up until about mile 31 when in a span of about 10 minutes, I went from feeling strong, to feeling like someone just poured concrete into my legs. This race has 9,200 feet of elevation gain and 7,000 feet of loss. After being in Leadville, Co., these hills didn't seem steep, but certainly were never-ending and finally after going up and down and up and down, I finally got to another up-hill and my legs just didn't want to move. From about 31 miles to near 40, I REALLY struggled and cycled through a number of different pains, coupled with having no energy...and once again I questioned my decision to ruin another perfectly good weekend by running a 50 mile race!!

After a few hours of gut checking, I managed to re-group and find some reserves of power, and kicked it back into gear for the remainder of the race. The last 5 miles or so, I really ramped it up passing about 15 or so people, and finished very strong. It's still amazing to me how the human body can come back from such lows and rebound while still being stressed, to feel strong again. But when you're at such lows, it's always hard to imagine feeling good without quitting... but quitting is never an option, so you just have to keep plugging along and remember that if it doesn't hurt, than it's not worth it!!

I finished in 10 hrs and 37 min and in 79th place out of about 260 people. After the finish, since the race was a point to point race, we all had to board the buses, and rode an hour and a half back to the hotel, and then I had to hop in my car and drive the 4 hours home...NOT FUN!! Although I still have swollen ankles from all the beating they took, I seem to be recovering and hopefully I didn't do any damage that might jepardize my Antarctic race!!

Marine Corp Marathon...Oct 26, 2008

The Marine Corp Marathon is a great "first-timer's" marathon, and even though I have done it a few times before, I keep coming back for more. Since I'm often flying to different marathons, I'd almost feel guilty for not running the one in my own back yard so to speak. I did have some motivation though because a friend of mine, David Kay, had recently made a full recovery from an agressive form of skin cancer. He had been a runner for a few years, but was stricken with this disease only recently. David had to go through a pretty agressive treatment including chemotheropy and had only just started running about 2 months before this race. It was quite inspirational to see him come back so fast and strong after being so sick. His wife Margaret is also a runner, and a fast one at that, with a PR of 3:20. The MCM was sort of his "coming back" party, and his wife was running with him, and I was honored that they included me to make up our trio!!!

Margaret and I were going to stay with David throughout, and even though we probably could have gone a bit faster, time wasn't our goal today...but rather just to finish and be together to celebrate being healthy again, and ALIVE...THAT was the goal!!! It was a perfect day to run...bright sunshine, nice temps, cool breeze...and TONS of spectators cheering everyone on. We had a great run and David enjoyed it (except maybe for the last 2 miles..but he had plenty of company there) and he finished in a very respectable 4:18!! Way to go David!!! (and as side note, he and Margaret went on the very next weekend to complete the NYC Marathon).... pretty HARDCORE and an amazing accomplishment for anyone to do 2 marathons in 2 weeks. But for someone who had been so sick so recently, it was incredible!!!!!

Dogfish Dash 10K..Sept. 15th, 2008

It's not often when I can run a race with my lovely wife Chelsea, who is smart enough not to run much more than a 5K..so when we heard about the little Dogfish Dash 5 and 10Ks in Rehobeth Beach DE, we decided to sign up together. Out neighbors and good friends in Ocean City, MD...Frank and Denise Meekins signed up as well at the last minute. Denise and Frank have both run half marathons before and I had done the Eagleman Half Ironman with Frank back in June.

Chelsea did the 5K and the rest of us did the 10k. It was a perfect day and I was excited to run a nice and slow, easy paced race with no stress, for a change. Everything started off easy enough and Frank, Denise, and I pretty much were at the back of the pack. But it's amazing that no matter what I enter, it turns into an extreme event. Only a few miles into the race, the course veered off onto a little trail through a wooded area, when all of a sudden we heard shouting and commotion coming from up ahead. We all rounded a bend and saw a group of runners screaming and yelling and swatting in their hair and clothing and all around. I thought to myself, what the hell are these people doing, because we couldn't really see anything. And then as we got closer, we first heard the buzzing and then saw these big insects flying around attacking everyone, now including us!!! They turned out to be huge hornets that were obviously irritated that our lovely race had invaded their hive and so the realization of this hit me right about the same time as i felt a serious sting right on my back!! OUCH..I think we all got stung, but that sure kicked up our speed ...and we swatted and BOLTED the rest of the way through the woods.

Fortunately none of us were allergic, and besides some serious welts on us and some stinging, we all survived with at least an interesting story to tell, since our performance brought us to pretty much last place. Of course I was happy to run with some friends, but after finishing the 10K and giving Chelsea a kiss, I decided that 6 miles just wasn't enough of a challenge, hornets or not....so I decided to just run the 20-some miles back to Ocean City!!! So at the end, THAT WAS one hell of a 10K!!!

Leadville 100 Mile Trail Race "Race Across the Sky"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW6E_EIErUI

I had been thinking about this race almost daily for 3 years now. It had grown to a full blown obsession since that day in August of 2005, when for the first time, I had given up on a race. I tried to tell myself that I hadn't actually quit, since I had made it to the 60 mile aid station with 2 minutes to spare, and knew I'd never make it that next 10 miles in time...well, that is after I spent 20 minutes throwing up and in the "john" doing the same out of the other end. I had actually taken off again though, in hopes for some miraculous recovery...but only about a mile of slow slogging, did I come to the shameful realization that I wasn't going to make it. THAT'S what I remember from that day...that sad and pitiful walk BACK to the aid station, where I took off my wrist band, and told the race officials I was DONE. I remember thinking to myself...had I really just uttered those words "I'm done"...could I have actually said that? They had seen many people say that that day, probably over 200 or so, and surely that didn't think I was a coward....but in my heart, I sure felt like one. Regardless of the fact that I WAS truly sick and had thrown up and jumped in the bushes for miles and miles, getting rid of my insides...and that I was probably lucky to have made it THAT far...but still I felt like a failure that day, and it was THAT thought that I have thought about, brooded over, hung my head in quiet self shame, for the last 3 years.

Well this year would be different!!! I had made a promise to myself that no matter how bad I felt, no matter how sick I was, no matter how much I hurt, or ached, or behind in time I was...I was NOT giving up unless they had to literally carry my off on a stretcher. Leadville though, had morphed into this almost mystical beast in my head. It was this monster that I thought about in my sleep and absolutely dreaded going through again. But this time, I had trained longer, harder, and smarter. I was as ready as I could be. I had improved my climbing skills and had much more confidence than before. Instead of thinking "how can I ever finish this" I was thinking..."how could I possibly quit this time....never!!!". My wife Chelsea has encouraged me too and has seemed to have more confidence in me finishing this time than I did. Sometimes she would seem so certain and act like it was a forgone conclusion, that I wasn't sure if she really felt that way, or just being a loving and supportive wife and just saying it to boost my once deflated confidence.

I went out to Leadville about 5 days early to acclimatize. I stayed with my friend Marshall Ulrich http://www.marshallulrich.com/ who is quite possibly the most hard-core man on the planet. I'm not sure hearing his laid back attitude helped me or made me more nervous. He was also running Leadville but showed little concern for the mountainous and grueling 100 miles...maybe because he's done it an INSANE dozen or so times before. Marshall lives at 10,400 feet and so I was positioned perfectly to not only rest and sleep there, but hike up through the mountains in his virtual backyard. We did an acclimatization hike together for a while one day, but he had to get back to meet someone, and so pointed me in the right direction to continue on. I had only planned for about an hour or so and didn't want to overdo it before the race, as I tend to do sometimes. Of course with the incredible mountain scenery beckoning me, and feeling energized with the fresh mountain air and the bright sunshine, I made the mistake of seeing and getting fixated on a summit up in the distance. Of course I knew that it was quite a bit further away than it looked, and would take me considerably more time to reach it...going much longer than planned, I simply told myself as long as I went slow, I'd be ok.


I ended up meeting a group of 3 others who were hiking to the top...Mt. James was the peak...and they seemed to have been a having a bit of trouble staying on the trail and so I actually felt as if I was in charge of our new group. And with me now encouraging them, I certainly couldn't decide NOT to go all the way...what kind of example would that be. So I ended up getting to the top about 3 hours after beginning the hike! I had one bottle of water and that was it, and I still had to make it down. At this point I just figured the quicker I made it down and rested, the better off I'd be. So I said goodbye to my new friends, hoping that they would send me the picture of me on the summit they took (they did) and I was off...running down the mountain and reaching Marshall's house an hour later.


So fast forward a few days later...my legs had JUST stopped aching from my not so smart, mini climb, and we were in Leadville...myself, Marshall, and my friend who flew from LA to crew me...Mike Artino. I had met Mike in the Marathon des Sable in Morocco and Mike is quite and endurance guy himself. He had suffered an Achilles injury about a year before and was just getting back into things and since I knew that Leadville was on his "list", I thought he might enjoy crewing me in Leadville.


As the days got closer and closer to the race, the weather reports got worse and worse...a massive cold front was heading our way and rain was coming with it. My level of anxiety continued to grow as the reports kept coming in. I'm a fair weather runner and sadly when it's going to rain..or in the winter in DC, I'll just choose to run on the treadmill rather than get wet or cold. I don't even own any rain gear (that is until the day before this race). So waking up at 2am race morning, and pulling the curtains open on the hotel room to see rain and about 30-some degrees, I had an overwhelming desire to skip out the back door and get the hell out of there. But of course I was there to run this thing...not run the opposite direction. So with Mike's encouraging words, I started to get myself ready...organizationally and mentally!!!


The 1st 50 I was very strong and steady and was feeling great about myself because I knew how much further I was compared to when I did it previously and so I knew I was doing well. I powered up the mts and was actually passing people and I've only been doing that in the last 6 months but still didn't think I'd be able to do it at Leadville. Of course on the steep downs, I was very cautious and didn't want to blow my quads out and so kept the brakes on and that's where a lot of people would pass me. But those Colorado runners are from another planet. I think about 90 of the 186 finishers were from CO. Either they were incredibly strong, or total idiots...not sure which one, but I wasn't going to get caught up in that and get knocked out of my plan, so I just watched them run on by. As far as I was concerned, I was the only person on the trail!!

Anyway, my very first down moment came at about 48 miles but once I hooked up with my pacers I came out of it and made a strong climb back over Hope Pass. Rich and Robin weren't supposed to meet me until mile 60, so I was pleasantly surprised but had been mentally ready to cross back over on my own...never-the-less, I was damn glad to see them. I had actually never even met them before this. They both live in CO and are quite the hard care duo themselves. Rich has finished the famous Hardrock 100 mile race in CO a number of times (which I believe is even harder than this!) and I think Robin has as well, but at the very least I know she has paced Rich at Hardrock for the last 50 miles. And 50 miles at Hardrock is probably even harder than some 100 milers. And I owe them a HUGE thanks!!!! They are the kind of people that will show up on 2 days notice, in horrible weather, to pace a total stranger (me) for 50 miles...just to help me out...how amazing is that!!!

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/users/frankfumich/47abf07a08326b7ee678598bab328260?index=32

The weather did amazingly break during the both my crossings of Hope Pass, which was great...of course the trails were a disaster...but it didn't take long for it to start raining again. My stomach was making some noise for most of the race, but I was determined NOT to start crapping until well past when I did last time. I made it to almost 70 miles when the flood gates finally opened and then I had a hard time getting my calories in, and then things started to get pretty tough, then really tough, and then well beyond tough. After about 80 miles, we had a 2 hour climb at about 1am and it was cold and raining and my clothes had been soaked for hrs....I was really having to grab my St. Christopher Medal and ask for strength!!!...and was asking myself "what the hell am I doing here...this is INSANE". I usually am such a wuss when it comes to being wet and having clothes to change in, but I was already so miserable and wet and knew that any change of gear would only be dry for a few minutes, I actually sucked it up and figured what would be the point. So I'm kind of proud of myself that I never changed a stitch of clothing the entire time...not shirt, socks, shoes, nada!!! And I never sat down once, never stopped at the aid stations for more than a couple minutes...some not even for a few seconds...just walked in, and said "588 IN and OUT".

Then the last 13.5 mile section I was totally done. All previously, I kept warm by just moving even though it was cold, but at that point I was starting to shiver and freeze, and EVERYTHING hurt. My feet were killing me, my quads were screaming, my ankle (pulled the same tendon at Atacama and did the same thing again) was killing me and swelling up, and the tank was just totally empty and it was took everything I had to keep moving. Don't get me wrong, I never considered NOT moving, but it was just so excruciating! I couldn't believe a human would voluntarily put themselves through so much pain. And it started to sleet again, and the wind was blowing right off the lake straight into our faces and I was literally biting shut my hood to protect my face....holy shit, it sucked!!! It was the longest 4 hrs ever...but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, of course with my buddy Mike Artino pushing and PUSHING me. I honestly don't know how long it would have taken me to finish if it weren't for Mike staying on me... and ON me. I think at one point I wanted to strangle him because he kept telling me to see if I could run..and I would try for about 30 seconds and then give up, back to my brisk walk. I wanted Mike to feel what I was going through, but of course he was doing his job, and an INCREDIBLE job he did. No pacer could ever really feel the pain, but he has been there plenty of times himself and he knew what I needed, and it wasn't a shoulder to cry on, it was whip to smack me in the ass to make me shut up and keep moving. I owe him a ton...THANKS Mike!!!...and I managed to break the 28 hr mark (27:54).

But I'm SOOOO relieved to have done it and although I'd never pick that kind of weather, now I'm glad that I overcame my worst fears as far as conditions and the race, and I DID IT!!! I think about 560 signed up, about 446 showed up, and only 186 finished....so I'm feeling damn lucky to be among the 186!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rattlesnake 50K, Charelston, WV July 12, 2008

On July 12th, I competed on my 2nd Rattlesnake 50K in WVA. This race has about 5,000 feet of elevation during it's 31 miles. My BIG race goal this summer is the Leadville 100 Trail race in Colorado, and in preparation for that, I decided to do this race. It's got 10 brutal climbs, which is exactly what I needed to get ready for Leadville. And the year I DNFed at Leadville, I also ran this race, and so I was anxious to compare both performances in hope of gathering some more confidence along the way...that is, as long as I was to do better as I expected...i wasn't going to entertain the idea of actually going slower this time!!!

I flew in the night before and stayed with the Tweel's, the parents of a good college buddy. It was great to see them, although time didn't permit much interaction as I had to prepare for the race, and try and get a decent night's sleep.

It was a hot day, about 90 degrees, but since most of the race is under the cover of the forest, it didn't seem so bad to me. I started out slow and steady and quickly got the the 1st climb...and was amazed that I was already passing people on the way to the top. I have never actually passed people before on steep inclines, and I was afraid that my performance at the Mohincan 50 miler might have been a fluke. But I've trained really hard on my climbs and I think it is finally paying off. I had remembered this race from 3 years ago and having the most brutal climbs, and it seemed to take more forever to reach their tops. This time, I was amazed that they didn't seem as long, nor did I have to bend over, almost hyperventilating, trying to catch my breath. I was good and steady and gaining confidence with each step.

It wasn't until about mile 20-some that my stomach started to feel a bit queasy, but I wasn't so worried about it since I knew it wasn't much longer and the fact that this was only a training run. I ended up finishing about 25 minutes faster than my previous attempt, and even though I had hoped to better it by a little larger margin, all and all, given that my stomach REALLY went south towards the end and I stopped drinking much, I was pretty happy with the results!!!

From the time i finished, it was only a couple of hours and I was already back on a plane to home. I was under a very tight schedule, since the very next morning I was flying out to Vegas where I was on the crew of a good friend of mine, Alex Nemet, who was running the famous Badwater Ultra, in Death Valley!!! Little did I know at as i sat on the plane with sore legs, that in about 2 days time, I would start what would add up to be about another 70 miles of running next to Alex!!! WOW!!