On Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, the Marin Headlands played host to more than just a beautiful Northern California landscape known for great hiking and beautiful views. The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship 50-mile course brought in several of the top names in ultrarunning including Montrail athletes Dakota Jones, Geoff Roes, Ellie Greenwood and Joelle Vaught. Jones ran an incredible race that culminated in a second place finish (6:21:51) and, on the women’s side, Greenwood and Vaught ran impressive races that earned them second (7:07:24) and third place (7.40:46) respectively.

A 5 a.m. start turned into a beautiful day for racing with clear blue sky, sunshine, a cool breeze, ocean views, elite competition and great success for Team Montrail. Despite a few pains going into the race and a nagging hamstring in the second half, Greenwood finished second for the women with a time of 7 hours 7 minutes and 24 seconds. “It was disappointing not to have my usual finishing kick but I am more than happy with my time and placing. It was a great race to cap off a great year on the trails,” said Greenwood, who was making her North Face Endurance Challenge debut.

Teammate Vaught, who placed fourth last year, finished third with a time of 7 hours 40 minutes and 46 seconds. She recounted, “This race is one of my favorites with the tough climbs and amazing views. I am excited about my third place finish in such a strong field. It was certainly a great day with perfect weather, awesome trails and the best competition!

 
On the men’s side, Jones ended up second overall with a time of 6 hours 21 minutes 51 seconds. Jones and Mike Wolfe, who placed first, broke away from the group around mile 39. “It was an incredible race, the level of competition was so high,” said Jones. “Mike and I were so well matched, it was so intense for so long – it was a lot of fun.” Read more about his thoughts and reactions to the race on his blog. Jones stopped by the office on Monday to celebrate his second place finish and his 21st birthday with a slice of cake.

Roes, who placed second in the race the past two years, was hit with low energy at mile 25 so he slowed a bit to take in more calories and water but wasn’t able to get back in contention for the win. He ended up in fifth place with a time of 6 hours 46 minutes 18 seconds. “In the end it was a fun day of running and I made the best of not having as much pep in the second half of the race as I had hoped, but it was certainly disappointing to not have the opportunity to battle with the leaders to the very end,“ said Roes. Read more about his thoughts and experience during the race on his blog. Overall a great day of racing for Team Montrail and good way to finish up the 2011 season.
 
Women’s Results:
1. Anna Frost – 6:56:07
2. Ellie Greenwood – 7:07:24
3. Joelle Vaught – 7:40:46
4. Krissy Moehl – 7:47:01
5. Tyler Stewart – 8:00:52
Men’s Results:
1. Mike Wolfe – 6:19:04
2. Dakota Jones – 6:21:51
3. Adam Campbell – 6:34:35
4. Tim Olsen – 6:38:54
5. Geoff Roes – 6:46:18

Dakota Jones was runner up to Mike Wolfe at the 2011 The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships. In this interview iRunFar chats about how his race unfolded, what he did to prepare for the race, why he’ll race less frequently next year, and why Hardrock and UTMB will likely be on his 2012 schedule. Bonus guest appearance by the Dakota Jones Fan Club. Check it out here.

Ellie Greenwood ran to a strong second place at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships. Listen along as she talks about her race on Saturday, banging up her toe, taking a break from training, the highlights of her 2012 schedule, and whether she’s got a chance of breaking Ann Trason’s Western States course record.

Here’s some amazing footage from the race with Mike Wolfe, Dakota Jones battling it out to the end:

 
With Lithia Loop serving as the U.S. trail marathon championship for the third straight year, competitive runners again lined up to race the dirt roads and trails around the Ashland watershed, even if they were sometimes snow-covered. On an snowy/icy course Megan Lund-Lizotte was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 3:03:46. . Lund-Lizotte’s time is the race’s second-fastest ever, trailing only Susannah Beck’s 3:00:29 course record in the race’s inaugural year. Kremer, who has announced that she also will seek a berth on the 2012 U.S. Mountain Running Team, was second in 3:05:34. Bend’s Stephanie Howe was a competitive third in 3:09:27. More info here.
 
A quick interview with the Trail Marathon Champ:
 
What are your thoughts surrounding the race?
This is the first time running this race. I felt really strong for the most part and pleased I was able to execute my race strategy just as I had planned. I went out hard on the climb (first 10 miles) and was able to create a big enough gap that no one would be within striking distance the rest of the race… and that is exactly how it unfolded. Stevie Kremer (2nd women) ran 2 strides behind me for the first 5 miles and then I broke away and focused on increasing my lead for the rest of the race. Uphill running is my strength of all aspects of running so I knew if I could take a commanding lead on the ascent I would be able to win. This is my first national title so I’m pretty stoked!

Goals for this race?
My goal going into this race was to win and break the course record. I managed to win (and snag my first USA national title), however I was misinformed on the course record. The website states that it was 3:08:42 when in fact it’s actually 3:00::29. So, I thought I had broken it by almost 5 minutes, when in fact I was actually still 3 minutes away. I do think I could have been really close to breaking the real record had we not had blizzard conditions and an icy course.

How many people usually enter this particular race?
Around 150, this year was a record turnout of 192.

What were the weather conditions like?
Snowy/icy course for the majority of the ascent and pelting snow. However, the last 6 miles where dry and clear–great variety of tough conditions!

What food supplies did you use for fuel during the race?
I took about half of an Espresso Clif Shot at mile 16 and washed it down with some snow I scraped off the course (all my water spilled out of the cup I grabbed at the aid station so I had to get resourceful!).

Pre-race meal?
The night before I had smoked mozzarella & basil pasta for dinner…I don’t have a typical/superstitious meal…I just eat what sounds good! For breakfast before the race, I always have oatmeal mixed with some Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (need some fat for those longer races) and a strong cup of coffee. I actually ended up making my instant oatmeal with coffee because the hotel I was staying at forgot to set out hot water for tea (there were cups and tea bags everywhere but no water!), so I used coffee instead! Needless to say, I was super jittery after I ate, but maybe that was the extra jolt I needed to pull out the win!

Highlights from the race?
Firstly, the course was beautiful! Even though it snowed half of the race, the scenery was awesome! At about mile 18 I started feeling bad…not only was I physically tired, I was mentally stressed because I wasn’t sure how big my lead was and if the girl in 2nd was gaining on me. I just kept telling myself that I was only in control of my own race and that if I just kept running as fast as I could, that’s all I could ask of myself. I just kept telling myself how bad I wanted to win and that got me through the next two miles. Once I hit mile 22 I knew I was gonna win and promised myself no one was going to catch me. It’s always rewarding to experience something the way you had hoped it would come to fruition.

Shoe choice?
I am also (like Max) running in the Rogue Racer and wore that shoe in the race. It was the perfect option for this race because the conditions were snowy and icy the majority of the race. The shoes responded really well and I didn’t experience much slipping while running fast–good quality to have in a shoe when you’re racing on snow-covered frozen ground!

Learn more about Megan in the following interview, All in the Family (Megan Lund-Lizotte comes from a family of distance runners)

Andy Henshaw placed 1st and claimed the course record for the Defiance Ultra 50k. Point Defiance might be the finest park on Puget Sound — and one of the finest urban parks in all of America — and not just because there are so many fun things to do across its almost 700 green acres. The trees are so fantastic, you can feel like you’re all alone. You can be alone and commune with nature within city limits.

The park, originally a U.S. Army reserve that was never used and was given to Tacoma in 1888, sits on a two-mile, proboscis-shape peninsula that pokes out into Puget Sound and separates The Narrows from Dalco Passage. The singular thing about it is it remains mostly forested despite being in the heart of the biggest urban corridor in the Pacific Northwest, the almost continuous stretch of development between Everett and Olympia.
The course is approximately three 16.6 kilometer loops through old growth forest. Each loop will come by the start – finish. Course is mostly single track and typically dry mid october. Train for some HILLS but the course is 95% runable. On the course you will see sweeping views of the Puget Sound, run on soft trails beneath 500 year old giant cedars and firs in one of the top 20 urban parks in the United States. Course design is primarily by Mike Lynes with technical consulting by tony phillippi, both have logged many miles through the forest.
 
Winner of the Defiance Ultra 50k, Andy Henshaw:
 

When was your weakest/strongest moment?
To be honest, my weakest moment was before the race even began. I was a little worried about how my legs were going to feel since this was my first race coming off of the World 100k. However, once I started moving I felt strong and controlled. Due to repeating this Pt. Defiance park race numerous times, I knew where to push it. I definitely felt a sense of strength in knowing exactly where I was the entire time.

What was last year’s finishing time?
Last year I took 1st with a 3:40:12 time. My goal this year was simply to beat that time while keeping my splits even.

How far behind was the 2nd placer?
This year, 2nd place finished in 4:07:57.  He was approximately 30 minutes back! Oh what a great feeling.

When is your next race?
JFK 50 is my next race, and I’m hoping to break the course record.  There will be a lot of competition to drive the times way down!

Do you usually take a few days rest after a big race or do you tend to go for slow jogs to loosen up tired muscles?
After Worlds I took off a full week with no running.  After the Point Defiance race I felt pretty fatigue and pain free, so I managed to get in a nice run. I go by feel on when to run next and how far/fast.

What Montrail shoe did you wear?
I ran the race in the Rogue Racers.  Now that I look back, I have won every race in which I’ve worn them But really they are great shoes.. super light.

What endurance food supplies did you use? GU etc?
I used CLIF gels for this race. Mostly Citrus and Raspberry, but I did take one chocolate cherry at the end to kick on the afterburners.

Read more race stories on Andy’s Blog.

 
Yesterdays ‘Ultramaraton de los Andes’ 50 miler in Santiago, Chile has to be one of my most fun races of the year, which is really saying quite a lot given how much fun I have had this year. But with this being my prize from winning the Canadian Death Race in 2010, it being a real destination race and one to wrap up the racing year with, there was a lot less pressure than at most other races. It was great to be in Santiago with quite a few of the North American North Face athletes (TNF are the race organizers/ sponsors) but really with most of the field being Chilean or some other South American nationality there was not the usual expectation of who might win, who might beat who etc.

North Face did a great job of adopting me as the lone Montrail/ Mountain Hardwear athlete for the weekend so there were fun times even before the race with team meals, a group run with the local TNF store runners and they even picked me up from the swish W hotel at 3am to take me to the race start, just a 20-min drive from central Santiago.

Having spent most of the summer training for World 100km and then having followed that up with Run for the Toad (trails, but flat trails) I knew that I was unprepared for the over 4100m of climbing (plus same of descent) that this race would encompass, but hey ho – I’d done a few Sulphur hikes, a scramble up Rundle and a slow slog up Edith/ Cory pass in Banff in the few weeks prior to at least warn my quads that they were in for a beating.

With the race starting at 4am we had a good 2.5hrs in darkness. Just like at Western States I used both a headlamp and a handheld flashlight and was glad to have both. It’s always amazing how dark it is out on the trails even with fellow runners all with flashlights around. We had about 5km of flattish trail to start and then the first of the major climbs started with avengance. It was hands on the quads, try to look up, and keep on going. I was in a small group of men and knew I was lead female but was just focusing on the climb. It as actually over pretty soon, we crested the top and began a steep ‘a la Canadian Death Race’ descent. Sometimes it was definitely a case of just going for it and hoping you stayed upright on the shrubby grass and loose soil. Continue reading on Ellie’s blog, Trail Running Tales.

“Chile was an awesome race and I was glad to get Montrail in for the win at a TNF race Still in Chile, enjoying a little vacation time. Swore that Chile would be my last race of the year (need some rest) but we´ll see… “ —Ellie Greenwood

 
By Dakota Jones
The problem with winter running is that you have to make certain sacrifices. Are you willing to be frozen and miserable at first so that the majority of the run will be comfortable, or would you rather take a nice jacket at the beginning and roast? Consider snow and ice – they’re very slippery and made out of water, and thus have the potential to leave you both broken and wet in very little time. Even the days are shorter, meaning time management around running is that much more difficult. With all these problems, the prospect of winter running can seem daunting and unpleasant. But the outdoors are beautiful in winter, and they offer a perspective on the running and the natural environment that we often miss in trying to avoid the cold. If done right, running can be fun and comfortable even on the coldest days. Here are eight tips to get you outdoors when the snow starts flying.

1. Wear warm clothes, but not too warm. The unfortunate truth is that you’ll be most comfortable if you start a little cold. Yes, going outside in a light jacket when the temperature is below freezing seems appalling at best, but within fifteen minutes you’ll be warm and comfortable. Taking too much clothing at the beginning will leave you sweaty and uncomfortable, so sacrifice comfort at the beginning for performance later.
2. Shoes are also crucial to winter running success. Do away with little racing flats and embrace something larger, with bigger lugs. Lightweight shoes are often thin and transparent, meaning snow and ice can melt into your feet and make you miserable. Larger shoes are more resilient to outside conditions and grip much better on slick surfaces. For those real icy days, try YakTrax or Micro-Spikes.
3. Wear gloves. No matter how well-suited your outfit may be for winter running, you’ll be powerless without gloves. In cold weather the body sucks all of its heat into the core, and in doing so leaves the extremities without adequate circulation, meaning your hands just won’t work right. Also, cold hands hurt a lot, and then even more when they warm up (this also refers to other extremities – see rule #6). Make sure to wear adequately warm gloves that also provide a level of waterproofing so that snow or rain won’t render them useless.

Dress appropriately. | Photo Kevin Winzeler
4. Hats. Conventional wisdom says that we lose up to 80% of our body heat through our head, which is why you should know that conventional wisdom is oftentimes completely false. You don’t lose any more heat through your head than through anywhere else on your body, but you’re usually (hopefully?) wearing clothes in most other places. Wearing a hat keeps your ears and head warm and saves energy by preventing body heat from radiating off into the atmosphere. Try out a buff, which can serve as a hat, ear-warmer, neck-warmer, bandit-hat or any combination of these.
5. Don’t forget water! In cold temperatures people often forget to drink enough water. I can attest to this – last winter I ran thirty-three miles in five hours and drank less than one bottle. This left me dehydrated for days. While you don’t need as much water on a cold day as on a hot day, forgetting about water on a run is detrimental to success. Continue to use your top two racing principles: eat before you’re hungry and drink before you’re thirsty.
6. Dudes: pad that crotch! I cannot stress the importance of this rule. Sometimes you’ll go out for a run in the winter wearing just shorts, saying your legs can handle the cold. And you’d probably be right – your legs can handle the cold. But you might incur other casualties by wearing shorts that you may not have expected, if you know what I mean. Fortunately, most winter running tights come with this technology built in. But always make sure. Remember – it won’t hurt during the run. It’s the thaw that will have you reconsidering any future reproduction.
7. Run with other people. The fact is that sometimes running sucks. Maybe you’re tired from a long day at work or from the previous day’s workout. Maybe your screaming, sick children kept you up all night. No matter what the reason, cold weather has a way of sucking even that last remnant of running motivation out of you. So plan runs with partners. That way you’ll have someone to keep you honest in your training, as well as someone to complain to incessantly about the damn weather.
8. Run less. Everyone needs a break from running now and then. You have to maintain your psyche for running in order to continue training hard. My advice is to avoid spending all that psyche just to get out the door for mediocre runs in the winter, and save most of it for when the nice weather rolls back around. As in all things in life, your fitness needs its ups and downs – you cannot continue to gain fitness forever. Stop running, eat some cookies and most of all don’t worry about it. You’ll gain that fitness back in the spring and you’ll feel so much better than if you had used up all of your willpower grinding through the cold.
9. OutDry. If you don’t what this is yet – check it out.
10. Tip #10 comes from you. What have I missed? Leave a comment and share your wisdom.

 
These tips won’t make you enjoy running in the winter, but they will provide the tools that will allow you to do so. The enjoyment you’ll find in winter running will be from the running itself, just as you enjoy running in the summertime. By eliminating the discomfort of the cold you can focus on the act we all love so much: just moving efficiently from point A to point B. Running is still running, even in the winter.

This past weekend Montrail athletes Max King and Megan Lund-Lizotte raced as part of Team USA in the World Mountain Running Championships in Tirana, Albania. With temperatures reaching 95 degrees, all competitors were faced with an added challenge.

USA’s Kasie Enman and Max King pulled through the sweltering heat to take the gold. Congrats to Team USA men and women who both took 4th place overall. “In my nine years as team leader, I’ve never been more proud of our athletes than I am today,” said Richard Bolt, “Kasie and Max’s performances blew me away. They made winning a World Championship look easy.” Kasie Enman is the first senior woman from the U.S. to earn an individual gold medal. She led the senior women to a fourth place finish. Her time was 40:39 over the 8.59 kilometer course. She was followed by Montrail’s Megan Lund-Lizotte in 12th place with a time of 43:56 improving upon her 21st place finish in 2010. Continue reading here.

 
Max King’s thoughts upon the race:
“The weather was really hot, like 95 degrees, so I knew that would be an issue for many. The Ugandan team was there, and they are usually the team to beat. We all assumed that the heat wouldn’t affect them. I went into the race not thinking about a win, but figured top 10 would be realistic and top 5 would be great. I was really comfortable on the first lap, not pushing too hard, yet keeping pace with the Ugandans. I think I bounced around between 6th and 3rd through laps two and three. On the last lap, I was able to pick off all the Ugandans with the exception of one. I was in 2nd at the top of the last lap, but was a good 30 seconds behind the leader, from Uganda. I was flying down the final downhill when I noticed that there was a guy in front of me who stopped running and started to walk, and he wasn’t in good shape. I figured I was lapping him, had no idea he was the leader until I turned the final corner and saw the finish line tape was up. I made that final pass with 800m to go, and that runner never actually finished the race. The heat clearly got to him. I was surprised and extremely excited to cross the finish line in first place.”

2011 IAU 100k World Championships Results

In Winschoten, Netherlands Meghan Arbogast from Oregon lead the American women with a fifth place showing in 7:51:10. Annette Bednosky of North Carolina was the next US woman with a sixth place finish in 7:54:59. While Amy Sproston of Oregon had a rough start dealing with stomach issues but ended up sticking it out and placed eleventh in 8:10:11. Unfortunately, Ellie Greenwood had nausea and DNFed the race in warm, humid conditions. For the men Montrail’s Andy Henshaw took 3rd place overall with 6:44:35 time. More info can be found here.

 
Words from Amy Sproston:
“I had a rough day. I started out strong the first two laps, but then had stomach issues that forced me to make 6+ pit stops in laps 3 and 4. I took several imodium and my stomach calmed down by lap 5. Laps 5 and 6 weren’t fast for me–I think I was just deflated after falling way back in laps 3 and 4 and wasting so much time in porta-potties, but I moved back into 4th for the team by lap 6, as Pam and Carolyn were struggling with their own issues (stomach and knee). So, when I saw that Devon dropped at the start of lap 8, I was now our 3rd runner, and knowing that motivated me to move up being that 3 runners score for the team. I picked up my pace in laps 8 and 9, and ran one of my stronger laps on lap 10 moving from 17th to 11th place, and actually had the fastest split for women on lap 10. The US aid station crews kept yelling at me that a podium spot depended on me, which lit a bit of a fire.”

Andy Henshaw‘s comments on the race:
“The race started out really fast! I think the first person came through the 10k in about 35 minutes. So everybody just tried to keep their cool for the first few laps. After a while I began clicking off 38 minute lap really easily. At the 50k I was well within grasp of the American Record. Unfortunately, the sun came out and with it the heat. It reached 78 degrees with full sun exposure!!! During the final 50k I was dousing myself with sponges every 100 meters. On the last three laps my legs began cramping so badly I had to stop and stretch them every few minutes. I knew it wasn’t going to be a record day, but I still held on and placed 2nd for the team, 3rd overall. I’m ecstatic to be a part of the first American team to win a 100K World Championships as a team!”

Results:
Meghan Arboghast 2010 IAU 100 km WC – 5th –7:46:01
Andy Henshaw (2011 USA 100k Champion) – 3rd place overall – 6:44:35
Annette Bednosky – 6th female – 7:54:59
Amy Sproston – 11th female – 8:10:11
Ellie Greenwood – DNF
Team USA Men – GOLD
Team USA Women – SILVER

The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc takes place once a year in the Alps, across France, Italy and Switzerland. The distance is approximately 166 km, with a total elevation gain of around 9,400 m. Running in high altitude (>2500m) and difficult weather conditions (night, wind, cold, rain or snow) a runner requires very good training, adapted equipment and a real capacity of personal autonomy. And the runner’s run for the heart of it… there is no prize money awarded.

Karl Meltzer’s January 19, 2011 blog post has an interesting viewpoint, referring to the UTMB as a “World Championship”!

Now that you have a little background on this race, who will be representing Montrail?

Dakota Jones, 20 years old, has never raced UTMB before but placed 2nd at an equally or more challenging Hardrock 100 (post-race interview) earlier this summer.

Inside Trail‘s description of Dakota Jones: This one is wild. Card. He races and races well. Back in December 2010, he finished 4th in the Heras upset win in SF. He was 19, ran off the front for much of the race and simply ran-out of gas. About 6 weeks ago he finished 2nd at HR100. A month later he finished 17th at Sierre-Zinal. That’s post-modern art. The HR100 win might really reverberate here. He’s young, tough (2011 HR100-wise) and mountain fast. I can’t see him NOT near the front.

Geoff Roes only other trip to UTMB was last year, when the race was canceled early on due to weather. He did not take part in the last minute restart event that took place.

Inside Trail‘s description of Geoff Roes: Hard to believe this guy is a dark-horse; I’m sure some people think that’s out of line. But realistically, he just hasn’t been himself in 2011. Even recently he’s shared some of his concern about fatigue, about not recovering from bigger runs. Having said that, this might be the only guy (on a good one) who can go with and beat Kilian, especially late. Let’s not forget this guy’s closing speed. I think he’s healthy again and wants to RUN.

Meanwhile, the President of Mountain Hardwear Topher Gaylord was involved in the birth and growth of this race and has finished it six of the race’s eight years. His best finish at UTMB is second place, the best an American male has ever done at this race. Also from the work place Jason Hill, the US sales manager for Montrail will be racing the CCC, Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix (98 km +5,600 m).

Follow our Athletes on Twitter:
Dakota Jones Bib #1518
Geoff Roes Bib #1521
Topher Gaylord Bib #1575
Jason Hill Bib #5020
For up to the minute info on the front of the pack, follow Bryon Powell of irunfar.com who will be tweeting from twitter.com/irunfar.

GEAR:
Geoff Roes – Mountain Masochists and Mountain Hardwear‘s Way Too Cool Singlet, UltraRefuel shorts, and Fluid 6 pack
Dakota Jones: Rogue Racers and Mountain Hardwear‘s UltraRefuel Shorts, Way Too Cool Singlet, Ghost Whisperer Jacket, and Fluid 6 pack.

By David Horton

I always thought I would be a runner until I died. WRONG. One week after turning 60 years of age, I had my first injury in over 33 years of running… a torn medial meniscus in March of 2010. Surgery and rehab followed with the hope of returning to running, but it didn’t happen. Pain persisted and I later had a second knee surgery with rehab following in December of 2010. Before the second surgery, I had to get some exercise and since I already had a mountain bike, I gave that a shot. Miraculously, it didn’t hurt my knee to do the biking. Although my hopes were high for the success of the surgery, it didn’t allow me to return to running either… but I still could bike without pain. So I got hooked on biking and in November of 2010, with only a few months of experience, I made the commitment to participate in the 2011 Tour Divide.

The Tour Divide is a mountain-bike race that starts in Banff, Canada, and goes 2,700 miles through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, ending at the border of Mexico at Antelope Wells, NM. The Tour Divide has no entry fee, no awards, no aid, and no crew… you are self-sufficient. You can’t depend on anyone but yourself. The course consisted mostly of forest service roads, little-used gravel roads, some pavement, and single-track trails. I have never in my life seen more remote country than what we went through.

David Horton participating in the 2011 Tour Divide

Eighty-two runners started at 8:00 AM on June 10. It was a “go as you please” format. You could begin and stop whenever, and you could bike as much or as little as you wanted each day. I averaged between 15 and 16 hours per day with no days off. I had two days with around 50 miles, one of those because I had my bike in the shop for work. The other 50-mile day was after a day where I had three flats and finished in a pouring rain. I had to bike about 10 miles off course to get food and get my gear washed. Most days were usually around 100 to 110 miles with a high of 144 miles.

The most difficult aspect for me was the food issue. On an average day, I would pass through only one place to purchase food. I usually bought an extra sandwich to take with me (I should have bought 2 or 3 extra sandwiches in many cases). Several times my evening meal and breakfast consisted of 2 or 3 candy bars. One day I biked 50 miles before I saw a single vehicle or person. The next day, it was 26 miles before I saw anyone. Many times I thought there had to be a store or something in the next 4 to 8 hours, but nothing!

Unfortunately, I got lost several times. Most of the times, it was my fault… I guess it was my fault ALL of the time. The second day, I went off course for 12 miles until the road ended in a coal camp—missed a turn somewhere! I got off course a few other times as well but never that long again. I had a GPS, but it was not very good. The cue sheets were very good, once I learned how to use them. I would say that I biked between 60 and 70 total miles off course, with all of that being in the first half of the race.

I didn’t carry a tent, only a bivy sack, ground pad, and a sleeping bag. I stayed in hotels about half the time, and my other accommodations included two outhouses, under a grader, under a trailer, and in the ditch or on the side of the road many times. I preferred sleeping in a hotel because I could wake up and get started quicker, usually in 20 to 25 minutes versus 30 to 40 minutes when I camped out. I wore a Montrail t-shirt and cap, Pearl Izumi biking shorts, vest, gloves, and shoes. I used a Patagonia Torrentshell jacket for the cold mornings and rain. I used one pair of DryMax socks for each half of the trip. I didn’t carry a change of clothes because I didn’t have space to carry the extra gear. Several times I would go 3 or 4 days without ever taking my clothes off.

I got an average of 6 hours of sleep each night. You would have thought that I would be so exhausted that I would have slept well, not the case! I was always dreaming about biking or getting lost. I traveled a lot of extra miles in those dreams. Also, because I drank so much during the day, I usually had to get up at least twice each night to use the bathroom. I didn’t go far as the mosquitos would engulf me before I could get back into the bag… they were extremely bad.

I biked about half the time by myself. I found it difficult to find someone who liked my schedule. I began very early, usually 4:30 to 5:00 AM. I biked six days from the middle of Wyoming to Silverthorne, Colorado, and did not catch anyone and no one caught me… that was very lonely for me. However, I biked the last three days by myself and really enjoyed that time.

Before I left, I asked my wife if she thought I would finish. Physically yes… and if my bike held up, she thought I would make it. That was my major concern as well. My mechanical skills were very limited and my biking history was less than a year old. I purchased a Cannondale Flash Carbon 2 29er from Blackwater Bike Shop. It held up extremely well. I bent two hangers and only had three flats (all the same day) and no other problems. Scotty Curlee and Jason Willis had taught me as much as possible to deal with a variety of mechanical problems, luckily none of which ever happened. I still have lingering numbness in the palm and two smaller fingers on the left hand and all the fingertips on my right hand are still a little numb. I think my right hand numbness is because of mild frostbite and the numbness on the left hand is because of nerve damage. Hopefully, all of this will go away with time.

As a Christian, you hope and pray the things you do are pleasing and glorifying to God. I KNOW that God was in my Tour Divide race. How do I know? He answered my prayers many, many times. When I was out of food or water or I needed a place to sleep or I needed to know which way to go, I would pray and God answered me IMMEDIATELY. Once a guy on a motorcycle stopped and out of the blue asked me if I needed something to eat… angel in disguise? On one particularly bad day, I needed food desperately and there was nothing in sight. I saw some cars pulling into a campground, so I went after them. I asked if they had anything I could buy from them. They were having a church potluck, so they graciously offered me a plate, and boy was it good! It seemed I always had trouble when I DIDN’T pray for guidance or direction. And I knew for a fact that my family and MANY friends prayed for me every day.

One question that everyone asks me is how does this compare to the other long multi-day foot races that I have done (Appalachian Trail, Trans-AM, and Pacific Crest Trail). Physically, this was easier with one exception, my rear end. My legs got in shape, I adjusted well to the altitude, I adjusted to less sleep and getting up early. But my rear end NEVER adjusted to 15+plus hours of sitting on that small seat… in whatever position I could find.

The other question I get is, “What’s next”? When I first finished the Tour Divide, I said that it was a one-time adventure. Yet here it is a month later, and I’m already having thoughts of possibly doing it again next year. But I’m not getting much encouragement from my wife or my kids… NONE in fact! But I have to do something, don’t I??

Jornet and Greenwood Take the Win at Western States

The Montrail Ultra Cup 2010/11 season comes to a close after an epic 38th annual Western States Endurance Run (WS100), the final race in the series. Spectators saw the international field steal the show on an exciting Saturday in the Sierras. Montrail is proud to once again sponsor the 2011/12 Ultra Cup and announce the upcoming season’s race schedule.

Western States Endurance Run Race Recap

Spaniard Kilian Jornet (returning after a 3rd place finish last year) ran in front of the men’s field for the majority of the day, but finished a tight race with just a slight lead. Jornet beat out second place finisher Mike Wolfe by only four minutes finishing in 15 hours 34 minutes.

Montrail athlete Ellie Greenwood, a Scotland native now living in Canada, won the women’s race in her 100-mile debut with an impressive time of 17:55:00, the second fastest female time ever at this race. She made an incredible comeback after having a tough first half of the race, dealing with muscle cramping and stomach issues early on. She began to turn things around after picking up pacer Ryne Melcher at Foresthill, mile 60, where she was roughly 30 minutes behind the leader Tracey Garneau. By mile 78, the lead was down to 20 minutes, and Greenwood eventually dropped her pacer and passed both Garneau and Kami Semick by mile 95. Greenwood surged on for the last five miles to take the win.

“I was having a really terrible race for the first 50 miles or so,” said Ellie. “My hamstrings were seizing up, and my body wasn’t processing the water I was drinking, leading to stomach issues. My crew and the race volunteers are the reason I was able to pull through and keep running. Eventually things started to feel good and I knew I could make up some time.”

Notable WS100 results from Montrail athletes include: Shunsuke Okunomiya who finished 13th overall (16:56) in his first 100-miler and the first time racing outside of his native Japan; Amy Sproston, racing Western States for her first time, finished 8th in the female race with a time of 19:36. Other Montrail athletes finishing the race include Erik Skaden (18:45), Jill Perry (23:07), and Luanne Park (26:08).

Montrail Wraps Up the 2010/11 Ultra Cup Series and Announces the 2011/12 Schedule

The Montrail Ultra Cup culminates each year at Western States 100 and on Sunday after the race, the 2010/2011 Ultra Cup winners were announced. Dave Mackey and Meghan Arbogast were crowned Ultra Cup champions and each awarded a $5000 cash prize. Mackey, who won the Bandera 100k, the American River 50 and the Miwok 100k, had a strong day at Western States with an 8th place finish earning enough points to surpass second place series finisher Dan Olmstead. 50 year-old Meghan Arbogast had another impressive race at WS100 helping her earn the women’s Ultra Cup champion title for the second consecutive year. Tim Olson (3rd), Scott Jaime (4th) and Glen Redpath (5th) round out the men’s top five, while Amy Sproston (2nd), Pam Smith (3rd), Gretchen Brugman (4th) and Helen Cospolich (5th) make up the women’s top five.

The Montrail Ultra Cup is the country’s only nationwide ultrarunning point series. The series consists of 10 races in 7 states with a total cash purse of $16,000. The schedule for the 2011/2012 Montrail Ultra Cup can be seen below and found online, along with more details, at Ultracup.montrail.com.

2011/12 Ultra Cup Race Schedule
1. Waldo 100k – Willamette Pass, OR – August 20, 2011
2. Run Rabbit Run 50 – Steamboat Springs, CO – September 17, 2011
3. Vermont 50 – Brownsville, VT – September 25, 2011
4. JFK 50 – Hagerstown, MD – November 19, 2011
5. Bandera Trail Runs – Bandera, TX – January 7, 2012
6. Way Too Cool 50k – Cool, CA – March 10, 2012
7. American River 50 – Sacramento, CA – April 7, 2012
8. Leona Divide 50 – Lake Hughes, CA – April 28, 2012
9. Ice Age 50– La Grange, WI – May 12, 2012
10. Western States 100 – Squaw Valley, CA – June 23, 2012