The Long Run

Western States 100

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Location:

FL,

Member Since:

Mar 20, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

PR's:

  • 1 mile : 5:43 (3/2017)
  • 5K : 18:34 (12/2011)
  • 5 mile : 32:03 (5/2010)
  • 10K : 39:29 (11/2013)
  • 11K: 46:47 (July 2008)
  • Half Marathon : 1:26:47 (11/2012)
  • Marathon : 3:06:34 (02/2010)
  • 50K Trail: 4:34 (01/2012)
  • 50 Mile: 8:34:48 (4/2012)
  • 100K: 11:06 (2/2012)
  • 100 Mile: 24:19:44 (1/2022)

Marathons:

  • Treasure Coast Marathon (FL) - 3:39:51, Mar 2021
  • Towpath Marathon (OH) - 3:35:26, Oct 2019
  • Jacksonville Marathon - 3:31:10, Dec 2018
  • NYC Marathon - 3:49:12, Nov 2017
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:27:00, Oct 2016
  • Utah Valley - Jun 2016
  • Marine Corps Marathon - 3:28:12, Oct 2015
  • Pocatello Marathon (ID) - 3:32:25, Sept 2015
  • Chasing The Unicorn (PA) - 3:31:20, Aug 2015
  • Run for The Red (Poconos) - 3:30:40, May 2015
  • Boston - 3:24:42, Apr 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:27:04, Jan 2015
  • Clearwater - 3:16:17, Jan 2014
  • Boston  - 3:27:00, Apr 2011
  • DesNews - 3:10:57, Jul 2010
  • Gasparilla  - 3:06:34, Feb 2010
  • Space Coast - 3:11:29, Nov 2009
  • Estes Park  (7500' and up) - 3:52:19, Jun 2009
  • Boston - 3:17:22, Apr 2009
  • Niagara Falls - 3:19:21, Oct 2008
  • San Diego RnR  - 3:24:18, Jun 2008
  • Jacksonville Marathon -3:21:24, Dec 2007
  • Chicago Marathon - 3:35:08, Oct 2007
  • Disney Marathon - 3:52:34, Jan 2007

 

 

 

 

Short-Term Running Goals:

 

  • Sub 40:00 10K
  • 2:59 Marathon
  • 1:25 Half Marathon
  • 18:30 5K

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Maintain my health and continuously seek to improve my fitness. Maybe someday get under 3:00 for marathon. More importantly, I'd like to figure out what my maximum ability is and reach that.

I'd also like to find the right balance in life and use running to enhance and improve myself.

 

Personal:

Dad of  three (welcome Charlotte Dani on 8/10/20) awesome kids and stepdad to three almost as awesome as my own kids.

I have a brown dog named Stella, and three cats - Catty, Tortie, and Esperanza.

  (old lines that were a little out of date but couldn't quite bring myself to removing them completely:) Also, have one wonderful brown dog named Sammy and just added a grey tiger cat (Catty) whose life started out rough but now has a better home.

I've recently started another blog so I can easily add lots of pictures and so other non-FRB users can leave comments:

Forward Progress!

 Also, for 2012 I started a blog to write down each day one thing that I am grateful for

Grateful Blog

 

Love living in Florida but love to travel and see the country and rest of the world.

 

Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 288.22
Brooks T7 Lifetime Miles: 202.78
Brooks ST5 Lifetime Miles: 403.91
GoMeb Speed3 Lifetime Miles: 483.77
Brooks Pure Flow Lifetime Miles: 160.60
Brooks Launch(lobster) Lifetime Miles: 782.98
GoMeb Razor Lifetime Miles: 468.00
Race: Western States 100 (100.2 Miles) 29:03:40, Place overall: 230
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
100.200.000.000.000.000.000.00100.20


Finished my first 100 mile race and first WS100 which I was lucky enough to get into on my first try.


I was behind the recommended pace to finish under 30 hours for most of the first half of the race but I stayed steady and finished 230 out of 277 finishers out of 388 starters on what might I have heard was the 4th hottest WS100 race so far.

Squaw Valley to Robinson Flats

 There were hints of light at the 5:00 am start and the beginning of the course (which was a dirt road up the ski area) was lined with lights.  The first aid station was in 3.5 miles and it would be a serious climb.  Recommended pace was to stay faster then a 24 minute pace which I did (17:33, 20:14, 18:24, and 20:03), the peak was about a half mile after the aid station, then it leveled off and started to go do down hill.  Just after the aid station it got really steep (almost hands and knees steep but not quite).  That first big hill had worried me when planning out this race since I have really no experience climbing up 2500' in 4 miles at the start of a 100 mile race which continues with up and down up and down for the rest of the race, so I was glad to have at least survived that.

Ok, 24.7 miles to go.  Next aid station, Lyon Ridge in 7 miles.  The recommended time to get there was by 7:40 am, I showed up at 7:45.   The little amount I was ahead at the escarpment had vanished.  When the course got "easier" my pace didn't pick up right away.  I'm not very good at running on very rocky stuff, in fact I'm pretty bad at it, but no doubt I did what I could.  The last three miles coming into Lyon Ridge aid station were in the 12:xx's so that at least kept me close.

Similar story with the section between Lyon Ridge and Red Star ridge, I arrived at the next aid station still behind the recommended pace but still well ahead of the cut off.  The weather was still pretty decent.  The low 50's from the start were long gone but it wasn't bad, although it was starting to turn warmer.

From Red Star Ridge to Duncan Canyon, I averaged a 15:30 pace which was a little bit better for me, but now I was 12 minutes behind the suggested 30 hour pace.  After the aid station, I continued descending into the canyon.  I knew it would be a hot and tough climb out of it but that I could do it.

There was a stream criss-crossing the descent and a much larger one at the bottom.  I would stop and soak my hat and let the water spill over me.  At the bigger water crossing I was up almost to my knees in water which felt great.  Kept on going and began to climb.  The climb seemed to take forever with miles in the 18's and 19's.

One of the BEST moments of the race was when I could first see the Robinson Flat aid station.  There was tape marking the way in and volunteers directing me in.  I knew that once I got here I would at least have the advantage of knowing the rest of the terrain since I had run all of it from Robinson Flat to the end during the training run (minus the actual river crossing).  And even more so, when I saw my family I completely welled up inside with emotion.  They were the biggest support crew there all dressed in bright green shirts cheering for me!!


 

They later told me I didn't look so good. I know I didn't feel so good either.  I was still 12 minutes behind the suggested pace, but at least I hadn't lost more ground, and from here on out I knew what I was in for as far as the trail goes.

Robinson Flat to Dusty Corners

 Between the next two aid stations I averaged 16:10 and 15:16.  After leaving Robinson Flat I had a fairly short climb of less than a mile, followed by some tough downhill which would give way to a relatively easy run on a fire road.  I also heard one noise I didn't want to hear for the rest of the race.  I could hear three warning blasts from the Robinson Flat aid station.  Starting at 30 minutes from the hard cut off the sound three horn blasts, then two blasts at 20 minutes, and one at 10 minutes as a warning to those who are getting close to the aid station to hurry up.  Fortunately I would not hear this sound again.

During the excitement for seeing my crew and getting onto familiar surroundings I had forgotten two things.  I forgot to switch garmins (as the one I was wearing was only good for another three hours or so) and forgot to grab the muscle milk I was going to drink for protein.  I wasn't planning on seeing them again until Michigan Bluffs at mile 55.  But, one piece of advice I had heard was to not let little problems worry you.  I would just run until the garmin died and then hopefully find someone running a good pace to tag along with and I would just eat more peanuts for the missing protein!


Dusty Corners to Michigan Bluffs

My crew said I didn't look so good at Robinson Flat (29.7), but looked a bit better at Dusty Corners (mile 38). 

I wasn't expecting to see them at Dusty Corners.  It's "only" 8 miles to run from Robinson Flat to Dusty Corner, but I think it is about a 30 mile drive over some pretty tight and twisty dirt roads.  They made it somehow.  It felt like a huge turning point.  I was now only 3 minutes behind the recommended 30 hour pace, I had a fresh garmin, downed a muscle milk and was able to see part of my crew again (they had split in two to get here).

From Dusty Corners to the Last Chance aid station I picked up even a little bit more time.  I was still 3 minutes behind the 30 hour pace, but this meant that I was also over an hour ahead of the absolute cut off time.

  At the Last Chance aid station (mile 43.8) the volunteers said I looked a lot better than many of the people who had come through earlier (but then I left the aid station without my camelback and had to turn back to get it, wasting 2-3 minutes).

At Devils Thumb (47.8) I was in 351st place, and that would be the last point where I was so far back. Heading down towards El Dorado Creek (mile 52.9) I looked across the canyon to the trees and they moved towards me and then back, then towards me again. Ok, don't look at the trees. On the march up to Michigan Bluff (mile 55.7) it felt like something was in my shoe on my left foot, I stopped a couple of times but couldn't find anything (it was the start of a big blister which fortunately didn't shut me down).

Michigan Bluffs to Foresthill

  When I reached the top of Michigan Bluff I saw my family for the third time. Jamie paced me and we had a blast running through the dark to Foresthill School at mile 62, even through the dreaded Volcano Canyon. All of the light faded a little bit after 9:00 but it the race felt a little easier and I felt like I could relax.  Jamie doesn't run trails very much but she navigated through the dark like a pro and kept up positive conversations the whole way.

As we approached the school at Foresthill, all the kids in my crew ran alongside me and Thomas said "Dad, were running with you so you don't hallucinate" or something like that.

Here is the "pacer hand off" where Jamie (2nd from the right) , passes pacer duty over to my brother Tim (far left), who will run with me for the next 16 miles to the Rucky Chucky River Crossing.

 

Foresthill to Rucky Chucky

  Switched pacers to my brother Tim at mile 62 who ran with me until we reached the river crossing at Rucky Chucky. We ran past aliens (decorations), Christmas decorations, and a guy throwing up.  We held a pretty steady pace.  This section was a lot easier to run in the day especially when it was on a day starting fresh.  However, for already having done 62 miles, it went pretty well.

Jim and Jamie met us at the river and Jim crossed with me, hand over hand holding onto the cable as the volunteers told us exactly where to step.

Rucky Chucky to Finish

 Jim ran me in the rest of the way. As it got light out again it didn't feel like I had just run for 24 hours but had entered into a new race.I felt good coming into the Auburn Lake Trails aid station (mile 85.2) and had just picked up the pace, but coming out of the aid station my legs felt sore and heavy for the first time. It scared me and I decided I shouldn't push so hard, just try and hang on.


We saw Tim and Jamie at No Hands Bridge (96.8), with Jamie ready to pace me but Jim was still going strong so decided to keep going to the end. The temperature climbed into the 90's as we climbed the last big ascent of the course. After passing Robie point people were congratulating me which made me nervous as I wasn't done yet. I started to push a little bit early then backed off until I was close to the track. The whole crew was there waiting for me as I took off into a sprint around the track to the finish line.

 

 

Wow, what an amazing adventure.   Predawn to morning, to afternoon, to evening, to night and back to morning again.  My legs held up, my stomach held up and my kidneys held up.  I remembered to have fun.  I had a ton of help along the way.  Somehow it all came together and I earned my finisher's belt buckle.

 

Brooks Cascadia Miles: 100.20
Comments
From JimF on Mon, Jul 08, 2013 at 16:47:42 from 98.222.218.178

Wow!! You are definitely my hero! I can't imagine running 100 miles in such tough conditions. I guess I am even more impressed by the fact that you train on pretty much flat land. Not sure how you prepared for this but this is an excellent result for your first 100miler plus one so prestigious. Great that the family was there to support you. I'm sure that made a big difference. Enjoy some time off for rest and to appreciate your accomplishment!

From Bret on Tue, Jul 09, 2013 at 12:50:16 from 96.45.118.12

Congratulations Mark - I was tracking you throughout the day and into the morning. Well done!

From jtshad on Tue, Jul 09, 2013 at 14:26:33 from 141.221.191.225

Congratulations! That is an amazing accomplishment. You have really put in the work and deserve to savor this one.

From Mark on Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 19:19:46 from 96.252.189.106

Thanks everyone! That was quite a race to remember and one that took a lot to get through. Maybe I'll try another one someday :)

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