I hadn’t raced an ultra for over a year. My training block for this race started way back in the spring. I had no other races planned before so I had a lot of time to build my fitness for this race. Training went about as good as it could have. I was very consistent for many months with basically 1 speed session a week, one tempo and one long run. With that I sprinkled in a variety of other runs which were generally easier. About two months out I really started to add in vert. I knew my fitness was good but needed to get much more specific with my training. I would often run fairly steep routes to really focus on the adaptations needed for climbing well and descending fast without as much fatigue. Another element I really focused on was running midday and often when it was over 100 degrees. These weren’t long runs but enough to really get me used to running every run in the scorching heat which I became comfortable dealing with.

This was my third time racing the 50ish mile race. The previous two times I had run it I had amazing races and felt that I had “nailed” what was needed to be successful at this course and this distance. I had won it twice before and this would be my third attempt. So with training done I tried to remember what my mindset was like and how I had approached the race previously. My overarching strategy was to keep everything super simple. By that I tried to use as little gear as possible and only use Maurten gels and water. I feel running is a very simple action that often gets overcomplicated with gear much like any sport or activity. At the start line I saw people with poles, packs, lights, hr straps, vests, cell phones, etc. For me I tried to strip all that away. I realized I was the only person at the start going shirtless while utilizing a Naked running band and a single 750ml soft flask. I did have a drop bag with my gels in it at the Tunnel Creek aid station as to keep what I was carrying to a minimum. My thought was that it was supposed to be 100 degrees in Carson City that day so if I could do everything possible to keep my self cool, even at the beginning it would help. Also, carrying as little as possible kept the process easier to manage.

I slept in the parking lot the night before which is pretty sweet but it was actually warm and I had trouble falling asleep. Then at 330 in the morning cars started rolling in for the 100miler that started at 5am which also woke me up earlier than I had hoped. Anyway, I ate some eggs and peanut butter toast before toeing the line. The gun went off and I immediately jumped to the front and almost instantly started to put a gap on the field. I really was not pushing too hard but just felt really good. I looked at my heart rate and I was surprised to see it was quite low for my pace. My strategy was to push the first climb to the summit fairly hard but to keep my heart rate under a threshold of 150bpm. I felt I had trained specifically for steep long climbs so I was never deterred by the 4k ft of climbing right at the start.

I reached the top of the first climb with a pretty solid lead. I’d guess 15 minutes ahead of 2nd?… I knew this would be a great way to start the race and as it got hot later in the day I would just need to keep moving at a consistent pace. I continued to push all the way to Tunnel Creek Aid station at mile 18. It was starting to warm up but not bad. I hit Tunnel Creek and immediately refilled my water bottle, took 2 S caps, got sunscreen sprayed on my back all while chatting with my friend Kaycee. I took off and about a 1/2 mile out realized I didn’t get my drop bag with my gels for the next 20 miles. Shit! I immediately felt depressed. Turning back was not an option.

I’m proud that I was able to adapt in the moment. I decided that I could be flexible and take the gels they were providing on course even though I had never had them or trained with them. The honey stinger gels were just as I suspected. They didn’t sit in my stomach as good at the Maurten gels I had been eating and was used to. After consuming these alternative gels my stomach would not feel the same the rest of the day. I had a slight twinge of nausea from there on out. I luckily never got sick and they did keep me fueled for the next few hours until I could get back to Tunnel Creek for my drop bag at mile 35. The descent down into Diamond Peak AS was long, dusty and windy. I knew what to expect and my strategy was to not push hard here. It could be easy as it is fun to go fast downhill but I knew my quads would pay the price. Plus, the climb out of the Diamond Peak AS was steep AF, exposed and long. I needed to have energy and be well hydrated for this section. I loaded up my ice bandana as it was getting really hot at Diamond Peak now. It was so loaded that it bounced heavily as I started running/hiking. As I started hiking like a man possessed the ice melted very quickly. I tried to zone out for this very hard section with some good music and before I knew it I was at the top. phew.

The run back to the Hobart aid station was pretty uneventful except for passing about a hundred runners going the other direction. They were almost all super uplifting as I went by and I tried to return the energetic comments and cheer as much as possible. It did get a bit tiring going by so many people when I just wanted to flow down the trail but I knew that would mostly end when I hit Hobart. At Hobart I drank as much water as I could and reloaded the ice bandana. I knew the next Aid station was almost 10mi out. I was now entering the final 17mile run back into Carson City where it would be about 100 degrees. I was starting hurt all over. My back was tired, my climbing legs were gone, I was hot and my stomach was unsettled.

As I started this final stretch I definitely didn’t have the vigor I ran with up to this point. I went from “push, push, push” to solely maintain this and keep moving. This was kind of my plan all along. As long as I could move okay I could run the downhill at a good enough pace. This is what I did. Just kept running and never walked. I wasn’t “fast” but I was crusing along. My stomach was holding up good enough and I was keeping cool enough. My feet, joints, etc. were all getting pretty sore but I just tried to shut out the pain and I’d tell myself that I had come this far and am in the lead so walking or slowing down simply was not an option. I really was getting tired of running at this point so it was getting hard to not walk.

“What milage do you have?”, a 50k runner asked as I came up behind her. I said “52”. “Oh shit, I’m sorry” she said. I just smiled and laughed as I passed her. As I neared the finish and was moving even slower into the 100 degree weather I still was looking back over my shoulder just to make sure 2nd place wasn’t creeping up on me. Little did I know I had a 50ish minute lead. I came across the finish line to cheering family and race director/friend George Ruiz. I was happy to be done but felt awful as my temperature felt like it skyrocketed for about 10 minutes. I had some water, collected my awards and called it a wrap. I was happy with this performance and relieved that as a 45 years old I could still throw down a decent effort.