iRunFar Race Report

Dakota Jones won the 2012 Transvulcania Ultramarathon in an upset over favorite Kilian Jornet. In the men’s race, practically the whole field led at the first checkpoint, the little village of Los Canarios on the southern end of La Palma. In reality, Dakota Jones came first through that initial checkpoint, setting the stage for what would be a world-class performance. In the rest of the race, Dakota was either the leader or within spitting distance of him. Continue reading.

 
In the following interview, he discusses how his race played out against Kilian and Andy Symonds, what happened with Kilian fainting after the race, what he thinks of the European race hype now that he’s been the center of attention, and whether he plans to alter his season’s racing schedule to compete in the Skyrunner World Series. Read the Interview Transcript here.

I don’t usually write race reports that delve into the actual events of a race, primarily because that’s what everyone else does and I think that’s boring. But this time I think the story of the race itself is exciting enough to tell. So bear with me.

The race started at the beach with enough energy to power Denver International Airport for at least three days. I did my best to lay low and immediately got swept up by the announcer, Depa, who asked me to say a few words en espanol (buenos dias, La Palma!) Then the race started and we all ran up the hill like it was the state cross country meet, elbowing and shoving each other to get ahead. I ended up at front and managed to stay there all the way….well, to the end actually, but that’s not the point. The course goes up and over a high point at 2000 meters, then runs along the crest of the island before launching up again to the top of the caldera at 2400 meters. And when I say caldera, I mean volcano. Like, magma and holes into the earth and great hellfire spewing forth from the mountainside. And while maybe we didn’t see any of those things on our run, we still saw some pretty cool stuff. The course was absolutely incredible, taking us along the spine of the island and over the top of its highest point, El Roque de Los Muchachos, which teeters ominously on the edge of a sheer cliff of….volcanic rock probably. From there you can see basically the entire island, as well as several other islands, lots of water, two or three towns and apparently a lot of stars, judging by the giant telescopes and whatnot. In short, the course was really cool.

I ran in front with Kilian all the way over the top of the caldera and then most of the way back down. From the Roque at about 50km, the course descends more than 7000 feet until your shoes are basically in the ocean. If you haven’t run 7000 feet downhill lately, there’s no need – I can tell you what it’s like. It’s like, hard. You know what I mean? It kind of hurts. But me and K-dog powered down the damn thing, slipping and sliding and cutting a tight switchback here and there because that’s what you do in Europe, and eventually we reached an aid station. Sweet, fill up on water. Good to go. But I looked back and who did I see charging in behind us but Andy Symonds – I didn’t even know this guy. What’s his deal? Apparently his deal is downhillin’, if I may, and he immediately launched ahead like somebody was chasing him, which makes sense because suddenly somebody was chasing him – Kilian. I guess captain ski-mo can’t stand the idea of running behind anyone English and so he took off into the distance as well. I was left alone, feeling used and unwanted.

In retrospect, those guys must have burned themselves out in a fit of enthusiasm. I just kept plodding along at my own pace, down down down to the ocean which just didn’t seem to be getting any closer, and all of a sudden they came back into view. Then, in a move that I didn’t trust whatsoever, Kilian dropped off of Andy’s pace and let me catch up, then stepped aside to let me pass. I asked if he was okay and was chagrined to learn that, “yes, yes” he was okay. I kept running downhill and soon realized I was catching Andy too. When I finally passed him he said, “second wind?” and I said, “Well, according to Plato’s theory of forms, if ultrarunning were to represent the perfect form of insanity ….” and so on in that vein until he became so sick of my late-race lunacy that I believe he leapt into the ocean for a reprieve. But somehow we still came into the final aid station, Tazacorte, together.

By the way, my intention in italicizing all the Spanish words is for the people reading this to say it with a certain Spanish flair, as if you’re the beautiful Spanish woman in the soap opera wearing the red dress who is denouncing your husband for cheating on her with….Tazacorte. So flip your hair around and kind of lisp the “z”.

Tazacorte had all the energy of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. I don’t know if the people of La Palma love running or if they just love yelling, but they are really effective at combining the two for Transvulcania, and being a part of that is really fun. From Tazacorte we ran up a mostly flat road for nearly a mile before turning onto a cobblestone path and climbing the final thousand feet up to the finish. We were down at sea level and in a depression in the land that held the heat and humidity still and calm, baking us like very tired little muffins. To my surprise I managed to pull ahead of Andy on the road and then, even more incredible, put time on him on the climb. My legs were so tired that I hardly tried to run the final climb, but my hiking legs managed to be strong enough to get to the top of the hill with Andy still out of sight. And the rest was a blur – the final road, my police escort, and the generally increasing size and volume of the crowds until, at the actual finish line, drenched in sweat, exhausted and utterly done for, I broke the tape and walked into the waiting arms of the crowd.

Written by Amy Sproston

I’m not really sure how to put the 2012 IAU 100k World Championships experience into words. I’m still not sure that it actually happened. The month leading up to it had been trying, and had you told me at any point during that period what the final result would be, I would have laughed.

Lap 1: Meghan and I started off together, as planned, and lap 1 passed quickly (more so than intended) and fairly effortlessly. I felt good, Meghan felt good, life was good. My biggest fear going in was that I would have to make frequent bathroom stops, which would have caused me to break off from Meghan and just waste a lot of time, in general. An important lesson learned last year was that it’s hard to make forward progress when you’re squatting alongside the road with your shorts (huggers, in this case) around your ankles. I had taken one Imodium 30 minutes before the start, and it seemed to work. I didn’t need to dash into the bushes, nor did Meghan, and we were able to pace off each other as planned. The pace was quicker than intended (7:08/mile average for first 20K; we had intended closer to 7:15-20/mile) but was still conversational. Continue reading Amy’s IAU Ultramarathon Race Report.

iRunFar: Good evening from Italy. It’s about 9 pm local time here, and we’re at the finish line of the 2012 IAU 100k World Championships. I’m standing next to some very fast women right now. This is Team USA who just took gold as a team and finished (from left to right): first (Amy Sproston), fifth (Pam Smith), and fourth (Meghan Arbogast). Ladies, how the heck are you doing?

Team USA: YAAYYY! WHOOO WHOOOO! Excited!

iRF: Well, that’s the right answer. Probably shouldn’t say you’re upset with any of those performances.

Amy Sproston: A little bit shocked.

iRF: Shocked and happy?

Full interview here.

There has been some nice press on the race, and here are links to:
Runner’s World, Running Times, USATF, IAU, ClifBar, and the Daily Review Atlas (hometown paper).

Back in January I got over to Kauai for a little vacation and had the opportunity to run the 22 mile Kalulau Trail on Kauai’s Na Pali Coast. It was incredible. Check out the video. Another one of those “bucket list” trails that every trail runner has to do.

Kalulau Trail – Kauai's Na Pali Coast

I was really surprised to see Dakota rounding the same switchback I was on with 100m to go coming up the South Kaibab trail. I shouldn’t have been, but I was. Dakota and I ran the exact same time for our recent Double Crossing of the Grand Canyon, but we ended up at the same spot taking very different paths.
About two weeks ago we were asked to do a Mtn Hardwear/Montrail photo-shoot at the Grand Canyon. (the shots we got are pretty incredible by the way) Then the hamster wheels in my brain started to turn and I got to thinking that if I spent an extra day I might be able to pull off a Double Crossing. Then, well, I might as well see if the current record holder wanted to run it with me and sure enough, of course Dakota can’t turn down an epic run like that, so it was set, we would come in a day early, run the Double Crossing and then do two days of photos.

Heading up N. Kaibab

Neither of us were coming in with expectations of making a record run just coming off a weekend of 50miles of racing, Dakota at Lake Sonoma, and a 10mi road race 40mile Petersen Ridge double for me. Both of us were tired so we just wanted to have a good run. Of course with any true competitor, the fact that there is a record out there to be had isn’t far from the mind. And of course, the expectation from everyone in the Ultra community after seeing it go up on the Montrail blog was that there would be an attempt at the record. So, I’ll go on official record and say that “It was neither a record attempt or non-record attempt”. How’s that for vagueness. Allow me to explain.

The End

I arrived into PHX at 8:30pm Sunday evening. Picked Dakota up at baggage claim and took out of town with our rental car up toward the Ditch. A stop at Safeway, several attempts at nailing an Elk at high speeds, a cruise through Flag and we were at the Holiday Inn Express in Tusayan at 2am. Three hours sleep and we were back up at 5:30 heading to the South Kaibab Trailhead with the photographers for an impromptu session as we were sent down the trail.

S. Kaibab Trail

We started at 6:30am and with weather reports calling for record heat we knew we were in for a hot one. One of the main reasons the location was chosen for this shoot is for a yet to be disclosed technology being introduced by Mtn Hardwear later this year. Let’s just say that the record heat that we experienced gave us an opportunity to thoroughly test this new technology. With our slightly later than desired start time we would eventually hit temperatures of 95 – 100 degrees in the Canyon.

Dakota, being the young buck he is, charged off down the switchbacks that plunge you down the first steps of the canyon walls. I tried to keep pace while taking in new sights that were simply amazing and nab a few photos along the way. We hit Phantom Ranch (the bottom at 6.5 miles) at 53 min. We cruised easily in the still early morning temps that were starting to warm in the rising sun but very comfortable. Up through Phantom Ranch, up the box canyon on the North Kaibab Trail, and up toward the North Rim.

Bright Angel Canyon on N Kaibab

I was under the impression that the much longer North Kaibab Trail (14.5 miles) was an even grade all the way out. Man, I was wrong. It winds along the Bright Angel Canyon bottom for about 10 miles up to Roaring Springs where it then begins the big ascent to the North Rim. Both of us were still running comfortably and taking our time as we began the ascent. The heat became more intense as we climbed from the rising sun and Dakota started to feel the fatigue from the past week more than I was. After a couple stops, a chat with some park rangers, and a few photos we hit the rim at 3:36, 14min later than Dakota’s record last fall.

I have to admit to my mindset coming up North Kaibab was a little smug. I wanted to keep the pace easy and stick with Dakota because it was nice to run with someone and share the experience but I figured we would reach the North Rim just after the record split then, feeling good, I could make a solid run back to the South and finish with a great time regardless of whether I was a few minutes over or under the record. So with Dakota’s approval I split down the North Kaibab as he was trying to get his legs back under him. I made good time to Roaring Springs feeling good, charged the next 10 long miles to Phantom ranch in just over an hour at 61 min. The long hot canyon wore on me though and although I was doing well on hydration, nutrition and didn’t feel overly fatigued, I was certainly tired after running 5 ½ hrs. I don’t do that very often, so I was actually pretty surprised how good I was still feeling at this point, and happy to survive a difficult and now hot, 5 ½ hrs.

At Phantom Ranch I figured the record was now out of reach, ok, I’m cool with that, I can still get pretty close to 7hrs. Well, then I started up South Kaibab. Holy Crap that rim is a long way up. My plan of attack was to jog the “flatter” sections and hike the other stuff. Now it really started to get hot though. Although I shouldn’t have been, I was a bit worried about how Dakota was handling the heat since he’d been pretty worked at the top of the North Rim. I was handling myself pretty well, making steady progress to the top and still getting in some jogging about 2 miles from the top when I ran out of water. Not good, but hey, I only have two miles to go. No problem. Until it was. That’s when it hit, fatigue, a little dizziness, shakes. Now I wasn’t moving any more. I took a seat to regroup before moving on. Ate a very dry granola bar that felt somewhat like I would imagine eating dirt would feel like. I saw Tim, (Mtn Hardwear creative director, “you’re Fired”) Richardson perched above me waiting to get a shot of me rounding his switchback. Would have looked amazing had I actually been moving my feet. I took a break with him while I suffered for a bit then made the final stagger up to the finish.

Rounding my final switchback with 100m to go is where I catch a glimpse of another runner coming up the switchback below me. Holy crap, he made it back up and we’re finishing at the same time. I couldn’t believe it. What a way to finish. We grasped hands in an sardonic display of camaraderie between runners and ran past our photographers that made the trek back out to watch us finish (and hopefully get the record for a great story). They left 7 voicemails or texts between Dakota and I trying to figure out if they got there too late and we had already finished and were back lounging by the pool at the hotel. HA, that didn’t happen. We finished in 7:39. Short of the record, but an epic day none-the-less and an awesome coincidental finish for us making it that much cooler. Dakota had a rough patch in the middle, then one of his best runs up South Kaibab he’s ever had. I’ll let you read more about that on his blog. I felt great throughout the run until the last couple miles and then blew apart spectacularly.
Did I mention it was HOT.

Swiftwicks Post Run

This is the first time I’ve really had a chance to run with Dakota. Running is kind of like the quote from Fight Club, “you never really know someone until you fight (run with) them.” He’s awesome to run with. Comfortable to run alone in silence and enjoy the environment, but someone you can have a good conversation with that doesn’t always revolve around running too. We carried a good balance.
I went through 11 Hammer Gels, 1 Hammer Bar, a granola bar, about 12-15 electrolyte caps, and over 200 oz of water. The products we were able to test from Mtn Hardwear were actually pretty amazing. Both Dakota and I had had a chance to test the new technology in a heated controlled environment earlier in the year but this real world test blew away our expectations and any doubts that we had about it. The stuff just works.

Post Run Meal: Meatloaf and Chocolate Milk

Two days of awesome photo-shooting in an absolutely stunning landscape followed our Double Crossing. Long days of shooting from 5:30am to 7pm really wear on you after a hard 40 milers by the way. Not a lot of sleep. It’s not the glamorous lifestyle you think of when you think photo-shoot. It’s some hard work for us and even harder for the photography crew. The crew that Tim put together of Dave Clifford, Eric, and Seth were incredible and the product that comes out will attest to one of the most productive photo-shoots I’ve been on. Everyone worked hard and we had a great time. As an athlete and the subject, you always kind of wonder how other athletes are to work with. Snobby, demanding, cool, rad, I don’t know. I just try to make sure I’m real, inject a little humor into a long day, and hopefully the photogs have as good a time working with us as we do with them.

The Crew

Whooo, that’s a long one. Hopefully you’ve made it this far.

If you’re interested in what’s next: I’m considering a Steeplechase in two weeks. Not sure if I’m crazy, stupid, or both. Then it’s on to Spain for the Skyrunning Federation Seminar and the Zegama Trail Marathon with many of the best mountain runners and ultra runners in the world. Should be really tough.

Monday April 23, Max King and Dakota Jones hope to break Dakota’s R2R2R Grand Canyon, AZ record of 6h53min38s. “The rim to rim to rim, double crossing, out-n-back, or simply r2r2r is a substantial overnight hike for most people, who must already possess a level of fitness the average American will likely never attain. To run the r2r2r in a day takes the adventure to a new level, a goal that has been plunked into most trail runners’ bucket lists.” Continue reading Nov 2011 article featuring Dakota’s first record on Inside Trail Racing

 
Background via Fastest Known Time Pro Boards:

 
Cureton held the R2R2R record for 25 years at 7h51m23s, set in an actual race on 11/9/1981 (S to N to S Kaibab trails). Races have long been banned in the National Parks. The record was finally bested on 11/10/2006 by Kyle Skaggs, 7h37m. Kyle had to run a little extra due to a bridge being out. A year later (11/10/2007) Dave Mackey ran 6h59m56s. Mackey reported being held up for several minutes on his ascent back up the South Kaibab by a mule train. Mackey’s record held for about 4 years before being broken by Dakota Jones who ran 6h53m38s on Nov. 5, 2011.

 
Dakota Jones reported on his Blog as follows:

 
1.) Nobody goes into it rested. Everybody just runs the Grand Canyon as a training run, or in between races, or when getting back into shape. Nobody trains and tapers specifically for the Grand Canyon.
2.) You’re going to blow up on the ascent back to the South Rim. Stop deluding yourself – it’s going to happen. You can’t avoid it. However, I will stick my neck out and say that a fit and rested runner who finds the Canyon in good condition could significantly lower the time. My prediction is that within five years the men’s record will be under six hours. Go ahead – call me out on that. It will happen.” Jones also reported the following splits: River(49m), North Rim(3h22m), River(5h12m), South Rim(6h53m38s). Read the full Nov 2011 Grand Canyon report here.

250 runners entered this year’s Lake Sonoma 50. In muddy conditions with 12+ ‘stream’ crossings (some waist deep!) Dakota Jones and Joelle Vaught conquered all. Dakota placed 1st with a Course Record by 50 minutes, 6h17min. Joelle Vaught also placed 1st female with a Course Record time of 7h52m. While Erik Skaden and VP of Montrail, Topher Gaylord both took 17th place.

 

Via iRunfar

 

On Saturday, seven men broke Hal Koerner’s course record at the Lake Sonoma 50 Mile; however, only one owns the new course record – Montrail’s Dakota Jones. Not only did Dakota set a new course record by more than 50 minutes, he won by nearly 20 minutes in a time of 6:17:27. In the interview, Dakota discusses his race, his transition to working with a coach, and what he’ll be focusing on in the next couple months… among many topics.

 
Joelle Vaught led from start to finish, seemingly smiling the entire way. She reported slowing late in the race, but that didn’t stop her from taking more than half an hour off the course record in finishing in 7:52:44 (Old record: Devon Crosby-Helms ’10 8:26:53). She ran away from an amazingly talented field of women’s ultrarunners and bested Devon Crosby-Helms’ course record by more than half an hour at the 2012 Lake Sonoma 50 Mile. She shares how her race played out, her ill-advised race nutrition plan, and what races she might be running this season.

Montrail Shoes: Dakota – Rogue Racers, Joelle – Masochists

Canadian Ellie Greenwood repeated as women’s champ, besting her 2011 time by seven minutes. Greenwood decimated the field, beating all other women by more than an hour and finishing fifth overall! She clocked in at 6:18:29 while second place winner, Jenny Hitchings crossed the line with a time of 7:21:24. Read her post race report where she shares 10 thoughts on her second-straight American River 50 Mile win.

Lets not forget Erik Skaden who placed 8th overall with a time of 6h27m and Sean Meissner, 12th overall 6h42m. Full race results here.

The American River 50 Mile Endurance Run has become the second largest 50 miler in the United States. The race attracts both veterans and novices alike. Whether you are attempting your first 50 miler, seeking a personal record and or dreaming of a qualifier for the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, this race is for you! Music, motivational quote signs, superb aid stations and encouraging volunteers will inspire you all the way to Auburn. At the finish line, you will be awarded your one of a kind finisher’s jacket as you enjoy the post race festivities and barbeque at Joe’s Café.

 
Montrail Athlete’s competing:

 
Ellie Greenwood – Talk Ultra Podcast: Interview
Erik Skaden – Trail Runner Nation Podcast: Training secrets
Sean Meissner – Nugget News Article: Peterson Ridge Rumble will be bigger than ever, April 14th in Sean’s backyard.

2011 Blog Post | A Runner’s First Ultra, the AR50
The temperature was in the mid 40′s during the start of the race. There was frost on the grass as the sun came up and the river had this beautiful and eerie low fog hovering just above. The first part of the race up until Beale’s Point which is about Mile 27 is along a bike path. For the most part, it looks like that (to the right) but there are more runners (pic was taken the day before) and some awesome river views that pop up between the trees as well as some beautiful meadows that happened to be covered in frost that morning (click the pics for larger versions). Continue Reading.

Follow the LIVE WEBCAST here.

 
The 2012 running team consists of the top trail runners and ultrarunners from across North America. With nearly the entire athlete roster returning and a packed 2012 racing schedule, the team is looking to build on the successes of the 2011 season.

In 2011, Montrail athletes had several notable wins and achievements including:

• Ultrarunning Magazine’s Ultrarunner of the Year, Ellie Greenwood
• The Rim to Rim to Rim record at the Grand Canyon, Dakota Jones
• Twelve first places finishes and two second place finishes in 18 total started races including three course records, Max King
• Five major first place finishes with two course records at Chuckanut 50 miler and DRTE 100, Geoff Roes
• Three consecutive wins – Way Too Cool 50k, Silver State 50/50 and Pocatello 50, Joelle Vaught
• Three consecutive wins – Belmonte 25k, Bull Run 50 Miler and Bear Mountain 50 Miler, Annette Bednosky

For the 2012 season there are 17 athletes on the roster, competing in a total of 100 races in 23 states and 10 countries. Top runners King, Roes, Jones, Greenwood and Megan Lizotte are back and, along with the rest of the Montrail Team, are ready to dominate the race-packed 2012 season. Highlights already in the books for 2012 include King and Lizotte starting the year at the Olympic Marathon Trials (King with a new PR), Roes with a first place finish in the foot race of the Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska and first (with a course record) and third place finishes by Greenwood and Vaught in the Chuckanut 50k.

 
Follow the results as Team Montrail travels the world from the Canary Islands in Spain for the Transvulcania Marathon (Jones & Roes), to France for the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (Greenwood & Gary Robbins), to Durban South Africa for the Comrades Marathon (Greenwood & Amy Sproston), to Katowice, Poland for the IAU World 24 Hour Championships (Ryne Melcher) and to Malaysia for the Kinabalu Mountain Race (King).

The racing doesn’t just take place overseas, Montrail athletes will race across the U.S. in the Ultra Cup Series – Lake Sonoma 50 and Leona Divide in California, the Ice Age 50 in Wisconsin and then back to California for the Western States 100.  In early April, Jones is going for a speed record of the Zion Traverse, King is racing the Speedgoat 50k this summer in Utah, and Vaught, Greenwood, King & Roes are racing the Ultra Race of Champions in Virginia and the TNF Endurance Challenge 50 Miler at the end of the year just to name a few.

In addition to the packed race schedule this season, Team Montrail will be working in collaboration with Mountain Hardwear product designers to develop a new race kit for seasons ahead. Having some of the best trail runners in the county share their needs and test new products and technologies results in feedback that is invaluable to new product development.

2012 Team Montrail

Amy Sproston – Portland, OR
Annette Bednosky – Jefferson, NC
Dakota Jones – Ft. Collins, CO
Ellie Greenwood – Banff, AB
Erik Skaden – Sacramento, CA
Gary Robbins – Vancouver, BC
Geoff Roes – Nederland, CO
Jill Perry – Manlius, NY
Joelle Vaught – Boise, ID
Luanne Park – Redding, CA
Luis Escobar – Santa Maria, CA
Matt Hart – Salt Lake City, UT
Max King – Bend, OR
Megan Lizotte – Basalt, CO
Ryan Burch – Ft. Collins, CO
Ryne Melcher – Vancouver, BC
Sean Meissner – Sisters, OR