Our Favorite Things // Big’s Backyard // Winter Training

DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022

$8 U.S./$10 CAN

LIVE LONG. ®
 Laz shares a candid moment with
Terumichi Morishita after his race

CONTENTS
suddenly and unexpectedly came
to a heartbreaking end at Big’s
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 / JA N UA RY 2 0 2 2 Backyard. HOWIE STERN

4 Moving Forward 15 Tricks of the Trade Features 63 Faces of Ultrarunning

FROM ALL OF US, WINTER MULTI-SPORT HOW TO GET FIT IN THE
THANK YOU. RACING 24 OUR FAVORITE THINGS OFF SEASON
6 News & Notes 32 Voice of the Sport 64 One Step Beyond
Golden Tickets at Javelina, Fast TIMING IS EVERYTHING 1000 MILES DOWN UNDER
Times at Tunnel Hill 100, UTMB Ultrageek What started as a race across
World Series Events, Records 16 Ultrarunning Science Australia turned into a repetitive
at Sri Chinmoy, Grand Trail des THINK LIKE A RESEARCHER Ultraraces 5k loop on an Army base. Dean
Templiers Champs, In Memoriam In his final column, Matt Laye offers Karnazes tells the story of his
38 BIG DOG’S BACKYARD adventure for a great cause.
tips on how to improve our ability
ULTRA // TENNESSEE
to learn as we conduct our own 68 Running Down Under
Ultracoach research. 44 WARRIORS ULTRA WINTER MINDSET
9 From the Coach 18 Pete’s Perspective // NEW YORK
69 Sarah’s Stories
PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE & GOALS FOR THE YEAR 48 HENNEPIN 100 RUN LONG DURING COLD
CONFIDENCE AHEAD // ILLINOIS MONTHS
10 Koop’s Corner 19 Ultra Doc 56 SAWATCH 50/50 70 I Am an Ultrarunner
THREE PRINCIPLES OF KNEES: UNDERSTANDING // COLORADO LORI LEONARD
CREATING A LONG-RANGE RISKS & OVERCOMING
PLAN INJURY
13 Ultra Life Balance 22 Running On Earth
Ultralife
MARK YOUR RACE ADAPTATION OVER FEAR 62 Reese’s Pieces
ON THE COVER: Terumichi
CALENDAR THANKS FOR A GREAT RUN
23 View From the Open Road Morishita and Harvey Lewis
14 Movin’ On Up MISERY goad each other on by
sprinting as if it were a 5k
GEAR UP FOR WINTER after 73-plus hours into Big’s
TRAINING Backyard. HOWIE STERN

UltraRunning (ISSN 0744-3609), Volume 41, Issue 6. ©2021 by UltraRunning, all rights reserved. UltraRunning is a trademark of UltraRunning Media Group, LLC. ©2020 UltraRunning Media Group, LLC. UltraRunning is published 9 times a year by UltraRunning,
P.O. Box 6509, Bend, OR 97708. Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION Rates for one year (9 issues): US $3999 per year automatic renewal/$4999 manual renewal; CAN/Mexico $7499/$8499 per year (US funds);
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by any person engaging in ultrarunning or relying upon content contained herein.
 MOVING FORWARD

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UltraRunning was originally created
for ultrarunners, by ultrarunners. Over
40 years later, it remains exactly that –
inspired by you, our readers. The survey
we conducted in September included over
1,000 subscribers and gave us a glimpse of
just who you (our readers) are.
GENDER:
27% female
72% male
Less than 1% non-binary
AGE:
31% age 50-59
26% age 40-49
18% age 60-69
14% age 30-39
9% age 70+
2% age 19-29
LENGTH OF TIME RUNNING ULTRAS
32% 11+ years
28% 1-5 years
27% 6-10 years
9% have not run an ultra
4% have been running ultras less
than a year
As you can see, many of our readers
have been participating in this sport for a
significant amount of time, but we have
a number of subscribers who are still
working toward their goal of becoming an
ultrarunner.
After all of these years, we wouldn’t
be where we are today without you. As an
independently published magazine, we
work hard to provide content from profes-
sional coaches, elite athletes, veterans of the
sport, medical experts and those who offer
PUBLISHER
Karl Hoagland
a unique perspective. More than ever, we’re karlh@ultrarunning.com
able to give you a glimpse into races in each EDITOR
corner of the country by offering images Amy Clark
amyc@ultrarunning.com
and race reports that tell a story, along with
the final results including each finisher’s CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Donald Buraglio
name, age and finish time. Those are the
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT
stories that keep us inspired, motivated and AND OPERATIONS MANAGER
excited for the year ahead. Cory Smith
In this issue, both Matt Laye and Cory ART DIRECTOR
Reese sign off with their final columns on Carly Koerner
pages 16 and 62. We are so grateful to both COPY EDITOR
Matt and Cory for providing such promi- Hayley Pollack
nent voices in our magazine. With compel- SOCIAL MEDIA
ling research subjects from Matt, and Courtney Drewsen
Cory’s humorous and often times touching EDITORS EMERITUS
Peter Gagarin, Fred Pilon, Stan Wagon,
stories, they’ve both been an integral part of Don Allison, Tia Bodington,
UR over the last several years. Karl Hoagland
This final issue of 2021 also includes COLUMNISTS
Our Favorite Things – a holiday gift guide Lucy Bartholomew, Donald Buraglio,
for ultrarunners – as well as our annual Meghan Canfield, Gary Cantrell,
12-month Training Calendar to help you Gary Dudney, Clare Gallagher, Ellie
Greenwood, Erika Hoagland, Dr. Tracy
track your running in 2022. It’s the best way Høeg, Dean Karnazes, Jason Koop,
to visualize your training month-by-month, Pete Kostelnick, Jeff Kozak, Matt Laye,
and we hope it inspires you to run long. Travis Macy, John Medinger, Sean
So, thank you. Thank you for your Meissner, Cory Reese, Amy Rusiecki,
Ian Sharman, Sarah Lavender Smith,
support and love over the years. Thank Meredith Terranova, John Trent,
you for sharing the gritty details of each Tim Tollefson, Coree Woltering
race and adventure. Thank you for all of CONTRIBUTORS
the wonderful letters that let us know you Todd Aydelotte, Kelsey Banaszynksi,
care. It’s because of you that we can keep Drew Dinan, Caleb Efta, Jackie Beth
this small yet mighty magazine coming to McCartney, Jeffrey Stern
your mailbox each month. And it’s because CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Paul Nelson, Gary Wang, Let’s Wander
of you that our subscriber numbers have Photography, Joe McCladdie, Luis
reached an all-time high. Escobar, Paul Encarcion, Geoff Baker
From all of us at UltraRunning, we wish Photography, Keith Facchino, Mile 90
you the dirtiest year ahead with as many Photography, Glenn Tachiyama, Matt
miles and smiles as your body can handle. Trappe, Scott Rokis, Howie Stern
Keep Moving, PHOTOGRAPHERS
Armando Diaz, Scott Millar, Beth Price,
Rob Steger, Jenny Thorsen, Vincent
Zacha-Herthel
PRINTING AND CIRCULATION
Publication Printers, Denver, CO

SUBMISSIONS Articles, race reports and results, humor and photos should be submitted via email to
amyc@ultrarunning.com. Unsolicited material is welcome, and will be used as space permits. Photo
submissions are very welcome. Photographs should be available in high-resolution files (at least 1Mb,
over 3Mb is better). Please label each photograph with: name of race/runners’ names/photographer’s
name. Photos that depict effort, emotion, particularly unusual or difficult terrain or scenic courses, are
especially welcome. Of course, the runners are the most important feature of an ultra, so remember to
include them in scenic pictures, too! See ultrarunning.com for more examples of race reports.
NEWS & NOTES

Golden Tickets
at Javelina
Securing a lead early in
the race, Ohio’s Arlen Glick
finished first overall in 13:14:51,
closing in on Patrick Reagan’s
course record of 13:01:14.
Glick’s is the third-fastest time
on the course, with Reagan
also holding the second-fastest
time. Ryan Montgomery
blazed in with a time of
13:33:52, finishing in second.
Cole Watson was 16 minutes
back in third, with a time of
13:49:33.
On the women’s side,
Camille Herron finished
behind Watson, nabbing first
female in 14:03:23, the course
record and fourth overall. The
previous course record was
14:52:06 set by Devon Yanko
in 2015. In second, Brittany
Peterson finished with a time
of 15:47:23 and eighth overall.
Tessa Chesser was third in
16:25:05 and tenth overall.
Glick, Montgomery, Herron
and Chesser all received
Golden Tickets to Western
States in June, as this was
Javelina’s first year as a Golden
Ticket race. Peterson had
already secured a spot with
her fourth-place finish at this
year’s Western States.

Fast Times at Tunnel

Hill 100
Stefanie Flippin led for
most of the Tunnel Hill
100, cruising to a win with a
commanding finish in 14:04,
beating her previous time by
over 1 hour and 50 minutes.
This was her second time
prevailing as female champ
on the flat and fast course.
Mandie Holmes came in
second in 16:50, and April Woo
finished in third in 17:05.
On the men’s side, Zach
Bitter and Taggart VanEtten
were out to break some records,
but Phil Young came away as
the 2021 champ in 12:44. Bitter
finished second in 12:47. Jacob
Moss finished just behind in
third in 12:54.
Camille Herron and Alren Glick
celebrate their first-place finishes
at Javelina Jundred.
HOWIE STERN
UTMB World Series
Events
The UTMB World Series
added seven new events across
the globe, including the
Western States Endurance Run,
La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra
Trail by UTMB, TransLantau
by UTMB, Trail 100 Andorra
by UTMB, Trail du Saint-
Jacques by UTMB and inau-
gural events –Nice Côte d’Azur
by UTMB and Puerto Vallarta
Mexico by UTMB. These races
have all been added to the
series which will debut in 2022
and include a total of 15 events.
The races are the first step
for runners to begin their
journey to the UTMB World
Series Finals in Chamonix
in August, and are the only
events where runners can
earn “Running Stones” for the
UTMB lottery for entry in the
2023 race and beyond.
Records at Sri Chinmoy
Seven runners from seven
countries began Sri Chinmoy
Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile
Race in Jamaica, Queens, New
York on Sept. 5. With just 52
days to complete the distance,
Andrea Marcato was the top
finisher in 42 days, 17 hours,

6 UltraRunning.com

38 minutes and 38 seconds –
the third-fastest time ever in
this event and 18 hours faster
than his 2020 finish. Harita
Davies was the first woman
and fourth overall, finishing
in 50 days, 13 hours and 23
minutes, beating her previous
record by 20 hours and 11
minutes.
Runners in this event need
to average 59.6 miles per day
to reach the 3,100 miles in 52
days. The course consists of a
.5488-mile loop that surrounds
a sports field, playground and
high school, and is only open
between 6 a.m. and 12 a.m.
each day.
John Godinet racing in
Croft and Albon Colorado.
SCOTT MILLAR
Win Grand Trail des
Templiers
With 12,100 feet of eleva-
Maryland’s John Godinet,
tion gain, the 50-mile Grand
64, lost a six-year battle
Trail des Templiers takes
with ALS in May. He was a
place in Millan, France, and
notable fixture in the local
includes a combination of
ultrarunning community,
large and single-track trails.
having helped many local
Britain’s Jonathan Albon won
runners with their first sip
in 6:32:19, just 7 minutes
of “ultra Kool-Aid.” John will
ahead of second-place finisher
always be remembered for his
Sébastien Spehler.
sunny disposition, sometimes
Ruth Croft prevailed as
inappropriate but always
the women’s champ in 7:51:19,
entertaining banter and his
over Gemma Arenas who
ability to lift the spirits of those
finished second in 8:10:38.
around him, regardless of
circumstance. He sustained
this positive attitude for the
In Memoriam duration of his battle with ALS,
Martyn Greaves, 65,
worrying more about those
passed away in July. Greaves
around him than himself. He
finished 35 100-milers in the
even regaled one caregiver with
US including the Grand Slam
a rendition of "Don't Cry for
of Ultrarunning, as well as
Me Argentina," just a couple
another 40 100-milers in the
of days before his death. John
UK. “Greaves also ran parkrun
cheated death at Elizabeth's
293 times and volunteered
Furnace 50K a number of years
on 408 occasions, including
ago, getting swept away in
several times at the junior
floodwaters at what is usually
event, even though he did not
a small rivulet. He managed
have any children. An injury to
to grab hold of a log (while
his knee in later life led him to
underwater) and clawed his
give up his long distance adven-
way above water.
tures and focus on parkrun, an
event he competed in with the
same vigour with which he had
once approached much grander
adventures.” – parkrun.org.uk
December 2021 // January 2022 7
Take the Guesswork
out of Training.

Fast tempo or slow long run? Training for an ultra marathon can be
confusing. That’s why we teamed up with one of the most respected
coaches in endurance sports to provide you with 12 trail-tested training
plans designed specifically for ultrarunners. From 50k to 100 miles, each
distance comes with options from beginner to advanced levels, along with
customizable start dates and detailed run descriptions.
Whether you have eyes on the podium or are just aiming to finish, these
plans will help you reach your goals and eliminate those wasted workouts.
UltraRunning.com
Download your free training plan at UltraRunning.com.
Available only to UR subscribers.
ULTRACOACH FROM THE COACH
Patience, Discipline & Confidence
BY IAN SHARMAN
As a coach, I’ve found three
words that provide a useful,
practical mantra for distance
running: patience, discipline
and confidence. Ultra success
involves putting in the work
day-by-day for a payoff that
could be months or years away,
with the patience, discipline
and confidence to stick to an
adaptable plan and not panic.
Here’s how it applies throughout
training and on race day.
PATIENCE
Ultrarunning is the definition
of a sport where delayed gratifi-
cation pays off. Building fitness
and experience over years leads
to incremental gains and there’s
no shortcut to running well – it
always takes work.
However, the practical
benefit of thinking of the word
“patience” during a race is in
the ability to hold back in the
early stages. Start lines buzz
with adrenaline and testos-
terone, coaxing a large portion
of runners to start too aggres-
sively. Thinking about this just
seconds before the gun goes off
can help, but also being patient
in the first half of a race can
significantly improve finish
times.
Almost all runners have
a positive split in an ultra
(running the second half
slower than the first), but the
closer these two times are, the
better the finish time. For
example, in the 2021 Leadville
Trail 100, the first five male
runners were close to course
record pace at the halfway mark
and were spread out by less
than 15 minutes before turning
around. Yet, at the finish, the
top five runners were spread
out by 2 hours and 32 minutes.
That’s a big discrepancy in
splits for the second half, but is
typical of runners at all levels
in all races. A good second half
makes all the difference, but a
good first half matters a lot less.
DISCIPLINE be justified by recent training. and gave herself 15 minutes
No runner goes out and However, confidence in this to see if that would work. It
loves each and every run. sense means having a good got her back on track and cost
Getting out the door on days idea from training and previous maybe 10 seconds in total
with lower motivation requires races about what does and without causing undue stress
a discipline that toughens the doesn’t work, then using that to because of the confidence from
body and mind for racing. avoid mistakes or panicking. experiencing the same situa-
In the context of race day, That means not worrying tion many times before.
discipline means sticking to about having a bad patch rela- Confidence based on prac-
plans that are practiced and tively early in a race and instead, tice and experience helps navi-
dialed in through training, identifying the warning signs gate through low patches that
such as nutrition and hydration and adjusting on the fly. One of are inevitable in ultras. It helps
choices, plus taking these on my runners had this problem maintain a positive mindset
through the day even when in a recent road marathon and the motivation to fix the
your appetite wanes. Problem- where she started struggling issue and keep everything on
solving is clearly a big part of at mile 10. Doing a self-diag- target for a great race.
that too, but the discipline to nostic test gave her a checklist
keep trying is a huge skill. of things that could be wrong,
IAN SHARMAN is the head coach at
Discipline also applies to including anything from sore
Sharman Ultra and a podcast host. He
pacing. Reacting to runners calves to running too hard to has over 50 wins from 200 marathons
who go past you up (or down) lack of calories. She didn’t get and ultras, including four Leadville Trail
a hill or run straight through anxious but instead, slowed 100 wins and nine consecutive top 10s
at Western States.
an aid station is very natural. marginally, assessed a gel
Competitive juices flow on race would probably fix the problem
day, but the discipline to stick
to your own tactics and pacing
makes a better second half
much more likely. Sometimes
just 15-30 seconds per mile
above a sustainable effort for
a given distance can feel easy
for a long time. Yet, discipline
applies in terms of listening
to the signals your body gives
you and using pacing experi-
ence from previous long runs
and races. In a long ultra, a
simple rule is that if the effort
level feels like it might be too
fast, then it is and it’s better
to slow down or add in some
power-hiking.
The discipline to push hard
and not settle for second best
when everything hurts also
makes a big difference. It’s not
about how fit you are if you only
hit 50% of your potential on race
day – 90% of the maximum
potential of a lower level of
fitness is better, but also no
reason not to aim for both great
fitness and great execution.
CONFIDENCE
Overconfidence is an issue if
it means overestimating fitness,
and most of us tend to have
that “A” goal that may not quite
December 2021 // January 2022 9
ULTRACOACH KOOP’S CORNER

Three Principles of Creating

a Long-Range Plan
BY JASON KOOP

When I look back at a year’s Figuring out the demands to the event because it is so (if you want more informa-
worth of training and racing of an event is a very large part specific to the race in question. tion on block-style training,
for any athlete, inevitably, one of what I do as a coach. The You can extend this thinking simply Google “Koop block
common theme emerges. analysis starts from the very to many other areas such as training” and you will find a
The athletes who reaped the high-level cardiovascular phys- workout intensity, surface, host of articles on the topic).
most success during the year iology that is specific to the environmental conditions It is important to visit all the
were also the athletes that event and extends all the way and the average grades of the various intensities, because
planned out their training down to the surface character- course. Most runners who go over the course of months,
9-12 months in advance. This out and recon a course in the athletes will reach a point of
does not mean that they laid weeks leading up to an event diminishing returns for any
out every single last mile, are applying this principle one adaptation. The various
but these athletes at least To evoke a correctly. They are training intensities build on each other
had a high-level overview of common phrase specifically for the grades, throughout the year, allowing
aspects like how their mileage surface and environmental the athlete to achieve better
would ramp up, when to do from another one conditions they will face on fitness. I once had a colleague
intensity and when to incor- of my coaching race day. ask me why it was important
porate more vertical in their In contrast, I have my to train at various intensities
training. I have always found
colleagues, “The
athletes do the least specific if the event in question had
that if you get the general notes don’t have aspects of training as far a very low intensity—say, a
f low right, the details tend to to be perfect if away from the event as they 30-hour Leadville finish. To
take care of themselves. To can logistically manage. him, it made all the sense in
evoke a common phrase from
you figure out Again, using Hardrock as the world to train at that very
another one of my coaching how to arrange an example, I cannot think low, but specific intensity for
colleagues, “The notes don’t the entire of anything less specific or as long as possible during
have to be perfect if you figure inconsequential in that race the entire course of training.
out how to arrange the entire symphony.” than a runner’s velocity at The f law in this logic is that
symphony.” This planning VO2 max. In other words, a your physiology is connected
process is so important that Hardrocker’s pace at VO2 max and there are improvements
I easily spend 25% more is likely the least important to be made at the relatively
istics of the trails or roads, the
time communicating with factor in the whole scheme easy aerobic pace, which can
distance between aid stations,
athletes during the months of success. But it is still be achieved only by raising
the environmental conditions
of December, January and important to develop (as you’ll an athlete’s maximum
and how one copes with the
February as races fill the calen- see in Principle 2). Being the sustainable intensity (lactate
stress of eating and drinking.
dars, and I can help athletes least important should not be threshold) and maximum
Even though the practical
plan out their year ahead. The confused with being unim- aerobic capacity (VO2 max).
applications might be overly
question then becomes, how portant! This is why, from a To illustrate this concept, I’ve
broad or extremely narrow, the
should you arrange training practical standpoint, many of pointed out some of the lab
principle is the same: if an
for your season? Should you my Hardrockers do f lat, fast, data we have collected from
aspect is highly specific to the
start out with speed work or high-intensity running very elite and amateur ultrarun-
event, develop it closer to the
volume? What about vertical? early in the training season. ners throughout the years.
event.
Regardless of the athlete, I One of the common themes
A classic example of this
leverage three consistent prin- PRINCIPLE 2: we find in ultrarunners we
can be seen in connection
ciples when designing year- At some point during the test just as we start coaching
with the Hardrock 100.
long plans for athletes. You season, incorporate each of them is that their sustainable
Hardrock is very specific in
can use these too, regardless of these three critical workouts: intensity is very, very close
that hardly anyone actually
your experience, goals or race. Steady State Run, Tempo Run to their maximum intensity.
runs the uphill portions of
and Running Intervals. In other words, their lactate
the race. Even the fastest
PRINCIPLE 1: With nearly all of my threshold intensity is nearly
“runners” hike the majority
Develop things that are athletes, I use block-style identical to their VO2 max
of the uphill and then run
most specific to the event training to organize intensity. intensity. Sometimes this
the descents. Therefore,
closest to that event, and This means that during any difference is as little as 3%.
applying Principle 1, I have
develop the things least specific training phase, they Practically speaking, this
my athletes do the majority
specific furthest away. are focusing in on the same means that only a handful of
of their hiking training in
intensity for weeks at a time seconds per mile separates
the several weeks leading up

10 UltraRunning.com

RATE OF
PERCEIVED
EXERTION (RPE)
Recovery Run
4 or 5
(RR)
Endurance Run
5 or 6
(ER)
Steady State Run
(SSR) 7 to 8
Tempo Run
(TR) 8 or 9
Running Intervals
9 to 10
(RI)
the pace they can maintain
for long periods of time
(hours) from the pace they
can handle for only a few
minutes. Normally, as a coach,
I would do a backf lip if I got
this result from my athletes;
I’d love it if their sustainable
intensity were as close as
possible to their maximum
intensity. That is a much-cov-
eted outcome of the training.
It would be a huge win from
a training perspective if you
could sustain 80-90% of
your VO2 max like some elite
marathoners can for up to two
hours. However, where do
you go from there? Certainly,
your sustainable pace cannot
exceed your maximum pace.
When we see this situation
in our physiology lab, the
training protocol becomes
quite simple: the athlete needs
to first raise VO2 max and
then work on lactate threshold
and other lower intensities.
This will give the athlete a
little room between VO2 max
and other intensities before he
TRAINING TABLE
TOTAL
TYPICAL TIME-AT-
INTERVAL TIME INTENSITY
NA 20-60 min
30 min -
NA
6+ hrs
20 - 60 30 min -
min 2 hrs
8 - 20 30 - 75 min
min total
12 - 24 min
1 - 3 min
total
or she goes back and works on
other aspects of physiology.
Targeting different intensi-
ties throughout the year allows
you to make measurable gains
in each area, and each time
you get stronger in one area,
you also gain the tools to make
further improvements in the
other areas.
The workouts that I use
are illustrated in the table
above. They are ordered from
least intense to most intense.
For purposes of designing
the long-range plan, you are
only determining where the
blocks of Endurance Run,
Steady State Run Tempo Run
and Running Intervals are
positioned.
PRINCIPLE 3:
Work strengths closer
to the race and weaknesses
further away.
Most runners are aware of
their natural strengths and
weaknesses. We come to these
realizations during group runs
and races; anytime you run
FREQUENCY
WORK : REST TYPICAL WORKOUT PER WEEK
NA 40-min RR 2-3
NA 2-hr ER 2-6
2-hr ER with 2 x 30 min SSR, 5-min
5 - 8:1 2 -4
recovery between intervals
2-hr ER with 3 x 12 min TR, 6-min recovery
2:1 2-3
between intervals
90-min ER with 6 x 3 min RI, 3-min
1:1 2-3
recovery between intervals
with a companion, you get climbing as close to the event
an immediate barometer. If as possible. This principle is
you are passing people on the far more applicable for elite
climbs and getting dropped on athletes who will generally win
the technical descents, then races that are closely aligned
your strength is climbing and with their strengths. For other
runners, the focus should be
on improving your weaknesses
as far out from the race as
If you are passing possible.
people on the
climbs and PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
These three principles
getting dropped come together on a single
on the technical coded spreadsheet like the
descents, then example on the following page.
It was designed for an athlete
your strength training for the Western
is climbing and States 100 using Lake Sonoma
50 as a tune-up race. This
your weakness format is the arrangement of
is technical the symphony that I call the
running. “Long-Range Plan.” It contains
the week-to-week details of
how volume increases and
decreases, the specific inten-
your weakness is technical
sity that the block will focus
running. Therefore, according
on, as well as an overlay of
to Principle 3, you should try
other strategic interventions
to improve your technical
like working on nutritional
running as far away from your
planning or a heat acclimation.
key event as possible, and your
December 2021 // January 2022 11
 SAMPLE PLAN
I built this long-range
plan using the three prin-
ciples mentioned above. Month February March April May June
First, start at the end and

Western States Training Camp

do the most specific things
last. For this athlete, that
meant the highest volume

Western States 100

Lake Sonoma 50
as well as a sauna protocol Race Name
close to the goal race. Next, I
planned out the least specific
things first which were high
intensity running intervals. Race Priority

A
Finally, I filled in the rest of
the calendar with a logical
amount of Tempo Runs. Low volume, Build volume Highest volume,
Phase Goal High intensity and long runs lowest instesity
Although this example is
only five months long, you Recovery
can easily adapt it if you have Endurance Runs
longer to train, or if you have Steady State Runs
multiple races you are trying Temp Run
to peak for. If you are formu-
Running Intervals
lating your own long-range
plan, you can use whatever Taper
format you wish. You can
use a spreadsheet, calendar, Don’t get antsy on Race nutrition
Notes This will be the hardest Sauna
the volume, that strategies during
notebook or whatever you are training phase protocol
will come later all long runs
comfortable with that will
help you get the f low right.
So, if you are getting your Planning Steps Plan this second Plan this last Plan this first
calendar in order for the
year, take some time and lay

out your training to your goal

event. You don’t have to have
the specifics ironed out, but
the general framework will go
a long way in ensuring that
your 2022 is the best year
yet.

JASON KOOP is the head ultrarunning

coach for CTS and author of Training
Essentials for Ultrarunning. He coaches
ultrarunners of all abilities and is the
coach for many of today’s top ultramar-
athon athletes. He can be reached at
jasonkoop@trainright.com and
@jasonkoop (Twitter and Instagram).

12 UltraRunning.com
ULTRACOACH ULTRA LIFE BALANCE
Mark Your Race Calendar
BY ELLIE GREENWOOD
How is another year
drawing to a close so soon? It
feels like we’ve been living in
a time warp over the last 18
months, with the traditional
annual markers missing. It
throws me for a loop
when anyone
asks
me the
date. But
the world
is gradually
getting back
to something
resembling
normal, and it’s
exciting to think
that we should be sitting
down and planning out a race
calendar for next year.
Do you even need to sit
down and plan a race calendar?
– for most of us, running is
No, not necessarily, but it’s
worth mulling things over
before deciding that you’ll
sign up for races “whenever.”
If you want to run any of the
big ticket races like UTMB or
Leadville, you should know the
lottery dates. If you hope to put
your name into the hat for a
2023 race that requires a qual-
ifier (WSER, Hardrock), you’ll
need to look at which 2022 race
will work for you. Yes, there are
always races that you can sign
up for a week in advance (and
maybe those low-key races are
more appealing anyway) but
you still need to consider your
training. How far in advance
should you get more struc-
tured in your
running to be
ready for race
day?
When
considering
your racing
calendar,
first,
factor
in your
non-run-
ning commit-
ments. Do you have
a work conference? Is your
best friend getting married?
Is your partner eager to take
a non-running vacation and
can only get certain dates off?
These non-running consid-
erations should take priority
a hobby and if something
clashes with a race, we can do
the race another year. Don’t
just consider potential clashes
with race day itself, but also
consider peak training – do
you really want to be training
for your first 100-miler when
you’re also likely to be applying
for a new job? This probably
isn’t ideal, so you might want
to pick a different 100-miler at
a more suitable time of year.
Also, factor in training the pandemic. Yes, you might
weather. I have a Canadian have rollover entries and want
athlete who’s racing Costa to take advantage of those, but
Rica’s Coastal Challenge in no one should try to cram two
February, but he’s more than years of racing into one year.
happy to put in lots of treadmill
miles to prepare (it’ll be too
cold to run outside much of
the time). Or, if you live in The world
Phoenix, AZ, picking an early
September 100-miler can be
is gradually
brutal – July and August will getting back
be peak training months when to something
the heat is most extreme. Of
course, it’s possible to work resembling
around these things but always normal, and it’s
consider training enjoyment exciting to think
when picking races. Kaci
Licktieg has the mental tenacity that we should be
to do repeats on small hills sitting down and
near her Nebraska home as
she prepares for races like the
planning out a
High Lonesome 100, but if race calendar for
that sounds miserable to next year.
you, maybe put moun-
tain races on hold or
budget the time
and money to Only consider running rollover
have a couple races from 2020-2021 in 2022
“training camp” if it makes sense. Like many
weekends somewhere things, racing was put on hold
hillier prior to the race. during the pandemic. But be
Overall, if you have your eye on smart and ease back into things.
a big race, make sure that the You shouldn’t sprint an ultra
date works in terms of training, nor should you sprint to try and
and consider your ability to catch up on completing races
access suitable terrain or make on your bucket list – there are
do with what you have. likely many more years left in
Depending on your favorite your running legs.
race distance, you might have
multiple “A” races each year,
ELLIE GREENWOOD is an online coach at
but the longer duration races
sharmanultra.com. She is the current
you enjoy, the fewer you should Western States course record holder,
tackle (especially if you want two-time IAU World 100k champ and
to do your best at each or are has also won Comrades Marathon in
routinely at the back of the South Africa. A Scot turned Canadian,
Ellie lives and trains on the trails and
pack and can’t afford to be
tarmac of North Vancouver, BC.
anything less than fresh on
race day). If you previously ran
mostly 50ks and 50-milers that
allowed you to do numerous
races each year, but you’ve
transitioned to 100 miles (or
longer), then you likely want
just a couple of big races each
year.
Finally, don’t try to catch
up on “missed” races due to
December 2021 // January 2022 13
ULTRACOACH MOVIN’ ON UP

Gear Up for Winter Training

BY MEGHAN CANFIELD

Ultramarathon training in great idea – not only will you usually desirable. On really rivers or decreasing snow levels.
the winter months brings on need extra calories on colder nasty days, waterproof rain Icy surfaces are one condition
different challenges that can days, the extra storage space for pants can keep the discomfort that will flat out cause me to
deter the bravest of runners. clothing is convenient. of cold to a minimum. Again, stay indoors and catch up on
Having lived in Oregon for Speaking of calories, be since you may be out longer neglected chores. I’ve had too
most of my life, I am often aware that on really cold days than when you’re training for many banana peel moments
asked, “Do you run in the rain?” (below freezing) liquids can a marathon, it would be wise and they hurt more than
to which I respond, “If I didn’t freeze. One solution is to wear to find rain pants that are easy just my pride. Hypothermia
run in the rain, I wouldn’t be
a runner.” So, the question
is, how does one manage all
the elements of winter while
maintaining a good base and
preparing for the spring and
summer ultras?
Much of it comes down
to having appropriate gear.
Starting from the top, several
options for head gear are a
must. If it is a little chilly but
dry, a buff will suffice to keep
my ears warm. A few degrees
colder and I’ll reach for a
beanie. If it is raining but not
too cold, a hat with a brim or a
visor suffice, but cold rain defi-
nitely means donning a beanie
and a brimmed hat.
For the upper body, layering
is ideal for winter months.
There are many fabric options
in thickness, breathability and
warmth, and it’s important
to find something that takes
a hydration pack inside your to manage with the changes is also no joke and a reason
into account how warm your
jacket and keep the tube as throughout the day. Zippers at to have those extra layers, a
personal furnace will get. I
close to your body as possible. the bottom that open the legs space blanket and a cell phone.
tend to get cold easily and can
Solid calories are a good option, enough to take them on and Frostbite can be career-ending
be found wearing two tech-
since being cold might prevent off without removing shoes is a while missing one day to one
nical, long-sleeve shirts and
you from drinking chilly great feature. week of training will not affect
a wind breaker or rain jacket.
liquids. Even gels can take For your feet, socks with your fitness across the years of
With all-day running, you may
on a Tootsie Roll consistency, some wool can keep toes from your ultrarunning life.
find yourself going between
making them harder to get getting too cold even when Our sport is not for the faint
hot and cold periods, so layers
down the hatch. they’re wet. There are also of heart, and training in tough
should be interchangble. A
For your hands, gloves and/ Gore-Tex shoes on the market climates will only add to your
lightweight, breathable water-
or mittens are a must. Numb that can keep your feet warm inner armor.
proof jacket is a must. Getting
hands make it very difficult to and dry much better than tradi-
rained on while also sweating
open gel packets. When it is tional shoe material.
can lead to clammy coldness MEGHAN CANFIELD and her farm animals
both cold and raining, water- The most important thing
and hypothermia, so breathable live in Corvallis, OR, where she works
proof mittens over gloves is a to consider when it comes to as a virtual coach at coachmeghan.
fabric is essential. Get used to
great combination. Gloves don’t ultramarathon training in cold com. She’s a four-time Olympic
tying extra clothing around
have to be expensive – cheap winter months is safety. Be Marathon Trials qualifier and has 10
your waist or wearing a pack to top-10 finishes at Western States.
ones from the department sure to check the weather fore-
stuff it in, but don’t abandoned
store are usually adequate, and cast for the day – hour by hour
it – in ultrarunning there will
when you lose one it won’t be – and plan to adjust your goals if
still be long training sessions,
catastrophic. a major system is coming. You
and your core temperature is
From the waist down, tights, can change your route to avoid
likely to fluctuate multiple
capris or running pants are sudden swells in creeks and
times. Wearing a pack is a

14 UltraRunning.com
ULTRACOACH TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Winter Multi-Sport Racing
BY SEAN MEISSNER
Before diving head-first
into the wonderful world of
ultrarunning, I was seriously
involved in winter multi-sport
racing in the small mountain
communities of Moran/
Jackson, WY, and Steamboat
Springs, CO. In the summer,
endurance athletes played
in the mountains and in the
winter, we played in the snow,
albeit with lots more gear.
After my first real “moun-
tain running” season in 1997
while living in Grand Teton
National Park, I moved to the
town of Jackson for the winter.
It was there that I bought my
first pair of heavy backcountry
skis (touring skis are skinny
with scales and metal edges)
and snowshoes. I ski-toured a
lot that winter with my buddy
Jon through tamer parts of the
Teton backcountry. We would
ski uphill, getting in a good
aerobic effort, then do a mix
of skiing and falling our way
back down. I also used those
same backcountry touring skis
during daily lunch workouts
on a golf course next to my
work that was groomed for
skiing. Later that winter, Jon
and I heard about the Pole
Pedal Paddle – Jackson’s
winter multi-sport endurance
race – and decided we should
have a two-person team. We
held our own on the first three
disciplines which included
downhill, skate skiing and
biking, then got crushed by the
kayaks in the river and were
basically hanging out with the
other rafters, most who had
filled their boats with friends
and lots of beer.
A couple of years later, I was
living in Steamboat and heard
all about the Steamboat Winter
Pentathlon. That first winter, I
downhill skied a lot (one of the
perks of being a ticket office
supervisor), played on my
snowshoes and cross-country
skied just enough to make sure
I could do it for the “Penty” (as
it was known), still on those
heavy backcountry skis. The
atmosphere for the Steamboat
Pentathlon was quite a bit
more serious than Jackson’s
PPP, and despite my down-
hill-skiing-heavy training, I was
inspired to push far beyond my
fitness level. The race started
with a 1/3-mile uphill sprint to
We held our
own on the first
three disciplines
which included
downhill, skate
skiing and biking,
then got crushed
by the kayaks in
the river and were
basically hanging
out with the other
rafters, most who
had filled their
boats with friends
and lots of beer.
our waiting downhill skis (Le
Mans-style) and then the real
racing began: downhill ski, 8k
skate ski, 5k snowshoe, 15-mile
mountain bike and 5-mile run.
It was hard and I kind of got
my butt kicked, but just like in
Jackson, it was awesome and I
was very inspired to train harder.
The next summer I met
Katherine, who quickly became
a good buddy and training
partner. She was the local
expert at all things endurance,
including being a pro moun-
tain biker, elite mountain
runner and snowshoer. We
pushed each other that fall
and winter, and were excited
to race others in our respective
genders as well as each other.
After the race began, I was a bit
ahead of her after the downhill
ski and transitioned faster to
the skate ski, but she easily
whizzed by me on skate skis
(probably when I was laying on
the ground). About half-way
through the bike, I was pretty
shocked to see her just ahead
and within minutes, my then-
12-year-old Bridgestone bike
flew by her brand new tita-
nium bike. That fueled me for
the rest of the race, as I knew if
I was beating Katherine, I was
racing well. The rest of my ride
and my whole run went great,
catching a few more guys along
the way. I was super stoked
with my top-10 finish in this
very competitive race.
The next winter, I was back
living in Jackson, but didn’t
participate in Jackson’s PPP.
By then, I had heard about the
granddaddy of winter multi-
sport racing: the Mt. Taylor
Winter Quadrathlon which
starts in downtown Grants,
NM, with the first half going
uphill, topping out on Mt.
Taylor’s 11,000-foot summit
via road biking, running, cross
country skiing and snow-
shoeing; then participants tag
the top, turn around and race
back down doing the same
sports but in reverse order.
Training for this event was
a blast, riding my rollers on
Jackson’s 30-degree days, snow-
shoeing up and down Snow
King Ski Hill, skate skiing at
the Nordic center and running
in between everything.
Katherine was at the Quad,
but I knew this was her big
winter race so I figured she’d
crush me, along with all of the
women, too.
Biking uphill at the Quad
is unlike most other multi-
sport races since drafting was
legal. Because I was bike-fit, I
got into a decent paceline and
blazed up to the summit. My
race continued with a strong
run, and I was still ahead of
Katherine. Then, about 50 feet
into the uphill cross-country
ski, I realized I made a huge
tactical error – I chose my
heavy backcountry touring
skis instead of my lightweight
skate skis, and got crushed
by Katherine’s laughter as
she blew past me. By the time
I hit the snowshoe section,
my legs were heavy and not
looking forward to the slog
up to the peak. Shortly after, I
saw Katherine flying down
in first, with a woman just a
few minutes behind her, and
that gave me a bit of a boost.
As I topped out, I took a few
moments to admire the view,
then started my fun descent
back to town catching a few
people on the way. Despite a
pretty big crash on my skis, I
enjoyed the ride back, where
those hours spent on my rollers
finally paid off. Katherine was
happily disappointed, as the
woman caught her and went on
to win.
If you want to participate in
just one winter multi-sport race,
this is the king of them all. As
an added bonus, if you complete
the Mt. Taylor 50K in September
and the Mt. Taylor Quad in
February of the following year,
you get a really cool award for
completing “the double.”
When winter days are short,
snowy and cold, and you’re
looking for a challenging,
gear-intensive adventure, check
out your regional race calendar
to find the nearest winter multi-
sport race. Sure, they’re great
cross-training for your spring
and summer ultra calendar, but
more importantly, they’re super
fun. Just remember to choose
your skis wisely.
SEAN MEISSNER has been coaching
runners of all ages and abilities, and
distances and terrain since 2002. He
is the founder of the Peterson Ridge
Rumble and has over 250 ultra and
marathon finishes. Sean coaches
through Sharman Ultra, and works
and plays, mostly with his dogs, in the
mountains surrounding Fruita, CO.
December 2021 // January 2022 15
ULTRAGEEK ULTRARUNNING SCIENCE
Think Like a Researcher
BY MATT LAYE 
When I was asked to start
writing this column in 2015, I
had just started as an assistant
professor at The College of
Idaho after moving from the
Bay Area. I had just injured
myself and was struggling to
regain the peak running form
I achieved a few years before.
Since then, I’ve gotten married,
had one kid (our second is due
around the time this goes to
print), been promoted to asso-
ciate professor and awarded
tenure, started coaching and
am still injured with some
non-repairable cartilage
damage. Ultrarunning’s popu-
larity has soared with more
races and podcasts than ever.
I’ve also been lucky enough
to write about 60 articles
for UltraRunning Magazine,
a constant resource in the
ultrarunning community for
decades. I have covered how
to improve your ultrarunning
with heat adaptation, altitude
exposure, cooling strategies,
utilization of various supple-
ments and strength training.
I’ve written about injury rates,
gender differences, GI issues,
genetics, NSAIDs, the micro-
biome, special psychological
traits of ultrarunners, various
training metrics and how
we adapt to exercise. While
researchers are turning out
sports papers at an ever-
increasing rate, it feels like
the time is appropriate for a
new voice and new perspective
on all the endurance-related
science, and so this will be
my last “regular” Science of
Ultrarunning article.   untrained individuals to other,
Covering a single topic
around nutrition or physiology
seems insufficient for my last
column. A broader perspec-
tive seems appropriate. Last
month, I wrote about the
different types of studies and
the benefits and drawbacks to
each. This month, I will extend
that topic a little and discuss
some tips for reading and
16 UltraRunning.com
interpreting any science topic,
ultrarunning-related or other-
wise. After all, as a teacher my
goal is to improve your ability
to learn, not just teach you the
latest facts.
As covered last month, each
study design has numerous
trade-offs. But once a design
is selected, nearly every aspect
of a research project requires
some type of compromise,
often balancing the validity
(or rigor) and applicability of
a given research approach
(1). A common example is
when researchers conduct a
training study. The researchers
could supervise each training
session over a 12-week period
to ensure that all the training
is completed as prescribed
or researchers might design
the study to allow subjects to
self-report their training, which
would be far less burdensome
on researcher’s time, but also
introduce some potential
inaccuracies about whether
the training was completed
as intended. Another
important decision is who the
subject population is. Often,
researchers will use untrained
individuals to test a new exer-
cise intervention because an
untrained individual has a lot
more capacity to improve than
a trained individual and very
likely, this intervention won’t
work on well-trained individ-
uals who are already close to
maximizing their potential.
Therefore, it’s best to exercise
caution in extrapolating from
studies that show effects in
better trained populations.
Caution is also warranted in
extrapolating from studies
done in men and applied to
women, younger individuals
applied to older or those with
some underlying metabolic
disease applied to healthier
individuals. It’s possible the
findings may extrapolate, but
they should be replicated to
feel confident about a broader
applicability.
Whenever critically exam-
ining a research study, “bias”
and “confounders” are two
terms that everyone should
be familiar with (5). Bias is
the preconceived notion that
researchers may have about the
results influenced externally
Statistics can
be intimidating
and I’m not
going to pretend
I can teach you
statistics in three
sentences, but
I’ll try to help
you from making
a few common
mistakes.
or internally. Sometimes the
potential for bias is clear, as in
the case of industry funding
or ties, whereas other times
it is less clear, such as when
scientists undertake a research
project with “pet” hypotheses
or ideas that we already accept
as true or need published to
advance our careers. So, a little
healthy skepticism without
outright cynicism is important
in considering potential
sources of biases. Likewise,
confounders are known or
unknown factors that may
influence how our intervention
of independent variables affects
“supplement X” have a 0.1%
our dependent variable (as an
example, think of training as
the independent variable and
performance as the dependent
variable). A well-designed study
attempts to control for or mini-
mize any other factors which
may contribute to the outcome
of the study. The list of things
that might “confound” or
influence a study is long; age,
gender, training status, loca-
tion, injury history, genetics,
body composition, years of
training, psychological make-
up, nutrition, etc. It’s impos-
sible to control for all those
things, so we must always ask
ourselves, “Could something
we didn’t measure contribute
to the result of this study?” Be
skeptical, but not cynical, and
recognize that your own bias
may make it easier to be skep-
tical about papers that don’t
conform to your world view
and less skeptical about papers
that do agree with how you see
the world.
Even if a study is done
perfectly, there is potential
for misinterpretation of the
results based on the statis-
tical analysis. The statistics
influence whether we believe
the results, and whether
we should invest the time
or energy in each training
technique, supplement, shoe
or any other intervention.
Statistics can be intimidating
and I’m not going to pretend
I can teach you statistics in
three sentences, but I’ll try
to help you from making a
few common mistakes. One
mistake is conflating relative
risk/risk, ratio/odd ratio
and absolute risk (3). As an
example, you may read that by
taking “supplement X” your
relative risk for an injury is
only 12.5% of the placebo group
not taking that supplement.
Sounds impressive—an 87.5%
reduction. But when you look
at the data closer, those taking
risk of injury and those taking
the placebo have a 0.8% risk
of injury. Your absolute risk of
injury reduction with a supple-
ment is then 0.7%, which
sounds a lot less impressive
than the relative risk reduction
of 87.5%. Compare that to
another study in which those
taking “supplement Y” are only
75% as likely to get injured and
thus, there is a 25% reduction
in relative risk, but the absolute
reduction goes from a 60%
injury rate in the placebo group
to 45% in the “supplement
Y” group. That’s an absolute
risk reduction of 15%. So,
while “supplement X” might
have an impressive sounding
reduction in relative risk of
87.5%, “supplement Y” and
its 15% reduction in absolute
risk is a much more intriguing
intervention despite only a 25%
relative risk reduction. The
takeaway: look at both the rela-
tive risk and absolute risk.  what works for them, but that’s
Another common mistake
is to equate statistical signifi-
cance with clinical meaningful-
ness (2). Even if you are a little
familiar with scientific papers,
you probably have seen the “p
< 0.05” indicating a statistical
significance, which essen-
tially means that the result is
unlikely to have occurred by
chance but tells you nothing
about the magnitude of the
change. For example, a statis-
tically significant increase in
VO2 max is great, but if that
increase is only 3% then it’s
unlikely to lead to any perfor-
mance improvements. It’s
better to pay attention to the
effect size (or Cohen’s d value)
that indicates the magnitude of
a change; often categorized as
small, moderate or large (some-
what arbitrarily, though). Lastly,
pay attention to the variation
in each outcome. Researchers
will report group averages and
differences between group
averages, but those averages
can mask the variation of
response between individuals.
In reality, a given intervention
may have some non-responders
or negative responders even
for interventions that are well
accepted to work. Therefore,
it’s important to know how
much individual variation in a
given study there was because
that might explain why such
an intervention does not work
for you (or your athletes) even
though the science says it
should. Averages, statistical
significance and effect size
can hide the fact that even the
best evidence for a population
doesn’t work for everyone. 
Lastly, it is important to
remember that a single study
does not make scientific truth.
With more studies, some find-
ings are reversed, and others
have consensus built around
them as the gradual arch is
toward truth (4). The scientific
literature will always be behind
the coaches and the burden of
proof is higher and rightfully so,
if we are to make broad recom-
mendations. Individuals can
move quicker and learn about
not science and it’s okay as each
approach has value. And that
might be the takeaway from
the 60-plus articles I’ve written
in this space. An individual’s
experience can be the basis for
a scientific hypothesis, and a
scientific study can be the basis
for an individual's self-experi-
ment. Keep reading the science
and keep experimenting. 
MATT LAYE is an Assistant Professor
in Health and Human Performance
at The College of Idaho. When he is
not teaching he is coaching athletes
for Sharman Ultra, plotting the next
experiment or running. You can follow
him on Twitter @mjlaye
References 
1. Bishop D, Burnett A, Farrow D,
Gabbett T, Newton R. Sports-Science
Roundtable: Does Sports-Science
Research Influence Practice? Int J Sports
Physiol Perform 1: 161–168, 2006.
2. Johnson SL, Stone WJ, Bunn JA, Lyons
TS, Navalta JW. New Author Guidelines
in Statistical Reporting: Embracing
an Era Beyond p < .05. [Online]. Int J
Exerc Sci 13: 1–5, 2020. /pmc/articles/
PMC7523905/ [1 Sep. 2021].
3. Monaghan TF, Rahman SN, Agudelo
CW, Wein AJ, Lazar JM, Everaert
K, Dmochowski RR. Foundational
Statistical Principles in Medical
Research: A Tutorial on Odds Ratios,
Relative Risk, Absolute Risk, and
Number Needed to Treat. Int J Environ
Res Public Health 18, 2021.
4. Shiffrin RM, Börner K, Stigler SM.
Scientific progress despite irreproduc-
ibility: A seeming paradox. Proc Natl
Acad Sci 115: 2632–2639, 2018.
5. SJ K. Confounding: Linking Evidence
to Practice. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 51:
412–413, 2021.
December 2021 // January 2022 17
ULTRAGEEK PETE’S PERSPECTIVE

Goals for the Year Ahead

BY PETE KOSTELNICK

Just like that, a new year efforts and race day

is upon us. Hopefully, for the elements falling
first time since leaving 2019, outside our control
we have a full year of certainty in ultrarunning,
to look forward to in both it’s easy to become
running and everyday life. complacent. These
We’ve been going with the flow goals are so uncer-
that 2021 has offered us with tain that it can’t be
race date changes and limited what drives us to
travel options, so we might put in the training.
even feel like taking an extra If you’re someone
breather this winter. But the like me who likes
world never stops circling the to run certain races
sun, so we also have to be ready every year, chal-
for what that next orbit will lenge yourself not to
look like in 2022. beat your previous
Ever since I started running time, but to enjoy
ultramarathons in 2011, I only the experience in a
like to think about specific different way from
goals within the year. I may previous years. For
set goals that require multiple example, fly into

years to achieve, but I work
myself back from them to
determine, what it is that I can
do this year to reach the end goal.
Then I try to forget about the
end goal. For example, in 2011
one of my goals was to run the
Western States 100. Each year,
from 2011 to 2015, I would run
a qualifier for Western States,
but I never really thought about
Western States until I actually
got selected to run it. I got
excited about each random race
qualifier, location and cabin
rental I would get to experience.
I also thought the same way
about running across America.
In 2011, I decided I wanted to
run across the USA, but in 2013
all I thought about was running
across my home state of Iowa to
get that initial experience of life
on the road. That was all that
really mattered to me.
For experienced ultrarun-
ners, the most overrated goals
are goals based on time. I say
this not to diminish the satis-
faction of achieving a personal
best, but I’ve found that
focusing too much on time can
quickly lead to some form of
burnout. It’s one thing to have
a 10k, half marathon or mara-
thon time to motivate you, but
with such limited simulated
a different airport,
stay in a different
town or have a
different crew join
The best staying
power in
ultrarunning
is accepting
disappointment
in finish times
while savoring your
finish place, or
simply the fact you
prevailed to finish.
you. Make each year count as
a unique experience that you’ll
always remember, regardless of
the race outcome.
For inexperienced ultra-
runners looking to take on
their first ultramarathon or
first ultra distance, I think
the most overrated goal is one
based on time (wait, aren’t
you repeating yourself, Pete?).
Even though I’m only 34 years
old, I feel like I can recall a
time decades ago when I met a
fellow runner who had expec-
tations that didn’t meet the
course or distance. The best
staying power in ultrarunning
is accepting disappointment
in finish times while savoring
your finish place, or simply the
fact you prevailed to finish. A
classic example is asking any
runner who shows up to a
100-mile ultramarathon when
they hope to finish. Then, go
ask any runner at the start of a
marathon how fast they hope to
run their marathon. At the end
of the day, the 100-mile runner
will rarely meet their goal and
on average, finish 20-50% of
their goal (or not be able to
finish), while the marathon
runner will either achieve their
goal or add 0-10% on top of it.
It’s important to also realize
times when your goals should
change, and how that should
impact the races or adventures
you take on. Ultrarunning
should be a fun endeavor we all
participate in, and if recurring
goals seem to sit out there as
obstacles, maybe they aren’t
worth it this year. Or maybe
they aren’t that important to you
after all. While I personally like
ROB STEGER
to think that I should always
tackle a goal as soon as possible
or otherwise life will eventually
get in the way, I’ve also realized
that sometimes it’s best to cut
my losses and let myself reset
when something seems like a
stretch for the year ahead.
The best advice I can offer
to anyone on running goals is
to stick true to what is most
important to you. It’s virtually
impossible to be excited about a
goal that anyone but you thinks
is worthwhile. If you’re not
excited about your goals, even
if they line up with everyone
else’s, you won’t reach them.
But if you’ve found a race or
adventure that means the world
to you, don’t be afraid to jump
in the deep end and make it
happen in 2022.
PETE KOSTELNICK is a numbers guy from
northeast Ohio who finds balance
as a HOKA and Squirrel’s Nut Butter
athlete, and specializes in races of over
100 miles, and occasionally finds time
to cross continents on foot. He is also
a coach with the Chaski Endurance
Collective.

18 UltraRunning.com
ULTRAGEEK ULTRA DOC
Knees: Understanding Risks and
Overcoming Injury
BY TRACY BETH HØEG, MD, PHD
In any given year, it is
estimated that approximately 1
out of every 4 active ultramar-
athon runners will suffer from
knee pain or a knee-related
injury (Hoffman, 2104). What
most people don’t know is
that running, more often
and in further distances, has
been found (in a number
of studies) to prevent knee
injuries (Satterthwaite, 1999;
Wen, 1998; van Gent, 2007).
How can we make sense of
this paradox? An important
paradigm in sports medicine
reveals that exposing your
joints and tendons to a sudden,
heavier than usual load puts
them at risk of injury. However,
the better we prepare joints
and tendons for the load
through consistent training,
the more injury-resistant they
will become.
Running injuries to the
knee may include (especially
in older runners) arthritis
(typically osteoarthritis),
iliotibial (IT) band syndrome,
patellofemoral pain (or pain
from improper tracking of the
knee cap), tendonitis of the
quadriceps or patellar tendon at
the front of the knee, meniscus
tears (with or without a Baker’s
cyst at the back of the knee) or
more rarely, traumatic injuries
to the medial, lateral collateral
ligaments or anterior or poste-
rior cruciate ligaments.
When considering this
daunting list, it is important
to keep in mind that running
itself is not expected to cause
these injuries, assuming
proper training (including
avoidance of increasing
mileage or speed too quickly
along with a well-rounded
strength training program).
One important myth to dispel
is that running causes arthritis
or is otherwise bad for the
knees. Arthritis of the knee
has not been consistently
found to be more common in
runners than non-runners.
In fact, a recent systematic
review (Gutsell, 2019) found
that runners are not more at
risk of knee arthritis and are
less likely to develop painful
arthritis of the knee or knee
pain than non-runners. Risk
factors for arthritis of the knee
include increasing age, obesity,
previous knee injuries (specif-
ically those that result in insta-
bility), previous surgery, joint
asymmetry and with some
physical labor (such as with
frequent knee bending/squat-
ting or heavy lifting) (Sharma,
2021; Persson, 2018). A recent
study (Khan, 2021) demon-
strated that although going on
a run may lead to changes in
Running is not
in and of itself
harmful for the
knees. In fact, it
is likely better for
the knees than
being sedentary.
the cartilage of the knee, the
cartilage quickly recovers and
adapts to regular running. In
other words, at least for most
people, running is not in and
of itself harmful for the knees.
In fact, it is likely better for the
knees than being sedentary.
Tendon injuries to the
knee are most often due to
overuse. In other words, if the
load placed on the tendon is
more than it can tolerate, it
can develop micro tears. How
can one avoid and/or recover
from tendon injuries? Focused
strength training that doesn’t
overload but properly and
gradually strengthens the
muscle attached to the tendon
will improve the blood flow
and eventually strengthen the
tendon, making it more resis-
tant. The best physical therapy
for tendon injuries involves a
gradual increase of strength of
the attached muscle and does
not put too much focus on
stretching, which may be coun-
terproductive. This also goes
for the IT band, a type of long
tendon attached to the tensor
fascia latae and hip abduc-
tors. Similarly, good physical
therapy with strength training
is the best known treatment
for pain due to osteoarthritis
of the knee (Sharma, 2021)
predominantly because it helps
stabilize the joint.
In practical terms, if your
knee is hurting, what is the
best way to find the cause
of the pain? My recommen-
dation would be to make an
appointment with a physician
or trusted practitioner for a
physical exam. An orthopedic,
sports medicine or physical
medicine and rehabilitation
(PM&R) physical (as well as
many physician assistants,
chiropractors, physical ther-
apists, etc.) will be able to
determine the injury by the
location of pain and symptoms.
Arthritis pain tends to occur
with weight-bearing activities,
whereas tendon injuries warm
up when you start running
only to become painful again
later in the run. A meniscus
tear can cause sudden sharp
pain in certain positions when
torn, and a torn ligament can
cause instability in the knee
joint. The IT band causes a
classic pain pattern in the
lateral lower knee.
A runner’s X-ray may
show arthritis but many folks
without any symptoms will
have a degree of arthritis, so
depending on one’s symp-
toms and how severe it is, it
may not be something to
worry about. Some degree
of arthritis is expected with
aging and doesn’t necessarily
become painful. Whether or
not arthritis it a cause of pain
depends on body type, joints
and how severe the arthritis
becomes.
How useful are MRIs? Their
use is more limited than most
people think and can often be
misleading. One particularly
eye-opening study (Horga,
2020) found that if you order
a knee MRI on adults without
any knee pain, 97% will have
at least one abnormality. In
this study, 30% had evidence
of a meniscus tear, 62% some
evidence of arthritis (or carti-
lage damage), 46% of knees
had tendon abnormalities and
38% had ligament abnormali-
ties. This is important to keep
in mind because if you have
knee pain and you get an MRI
without much examination or
guidance from a doctor, you
are likely to identify at least
one problem on the MRI and
it may have nothing to do with
your pain. Not everything
that looks abnormal will hurt
or cause problems, so it is
important to have a health care
practitioner whom you trust.
When I have an athlete send
me their MRI without further
description of their symptoms,
I need to explain that their
symptoms and physical exam
are much more important
than the images. If the patient
has an X-ray and I can use
an ultrasound, it is rare that I
find an MRI of the knee to be
necessary.
So far, exercise has been
found to be the best treatment
for osteoarthritis of the knee.
The effective types of exercise
may include strength-based
December 2021 // January 2022 19
stability of the joint, balance
and aerobic exercise (Sharma,
2021) followed by weight loss
for those who are overweight.
Steroid injections are often
used, but their use is controver-
sial. While corticosteroid injec-
tions can provide temporary
relief (a few weeks) for arthritis
and meniscus tears and other
cartilage defects, they don’t
work as long as strength
training would and, according
to multiple studies including
one in the Journal of the
American Medical Association
(McAlindon, 2017), appear
to cause increased cartilage
loss compared with placebo.
In terms of knee tendonitis,
the use of corticosteroids can
provide temporary relief but
increase the risk of tendon
rupture (Schwartz, 2015) and
high-quality studies for its
use, especially long-term, are
lacking. Another common
knee injection – hyaluronic
acid – provides relief for some
people with knee arthritis but
is not consistently backed by
research.
Medications for knee pain
include topical non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs, such as Voltaren),
which are backed by good
evidence. NSAIDS by mouth
(such as ibuprofen) can provide
good relief if taken occasion-
ally, but should not be taken
regularly long term due to risk
of kidney problems. In one
study of young adults (Nelson,
2019), taking a full daily dose
seven days or more per month
over six months was associated
with increased risk of acute
and chronic kidney disease.
Lower doses were not found
to be dangerous, however,
one large study (Bally, 2017)
found taking any dose of oral
NSAIDs over one week, month
or year was associated with
an increased risk of having a
heart attack. Use of NSAIDs
during ultramarathon races is
believed to increase the risk of
kidney injury due to muscle
breakdown during the race and
a reduced ability of the kidneys
to clear the muscle breakdown
20 UltraRunning.com
products, but studies exam-
ining this outcome are
limited (Hodgson, 2017).
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) may
be less effective for pain control
but it does not have the same
risk of kidney injury (although
one should not exceed the
recommended daily dose limit
of around 3,000mg due to the
possibility of liver damage).
Using 1000mg (daily) of
curcumin (turmeric extract)
may be a safer substitute for
NSAIDs and has been found
to be approximately equivalent
to NSAIDs for treatment
of knee pain (Daily, 2016).
Acupuncture and particularly,
electro acupuncture, has also
been found to be effective in
treatment for pain due to osteo-
arthritis of the knee, and may
be a good treatment modality
instead of medications for pain
control (Tu, 2021).
Beyond the treatments
mentioned above, there is
increasing evidence for the use
of orthobiologics (sometimes
called regenerative treatments)
for numerous painful knee
conditions. These treatments
include prolotherapy, platelet
rich plasma (PRP), autologous
(from your own body) stem
cells (such as bone marrow
aspirate concentrate (BMAC))
and extracorporeal shockwave
therapy. All of these treatments
are backed by randomized
control trials for various knee
conditions and are believed to
work by stimulating the body’s
own healing processes due to
their anti-inflammatory effects.
Dextrose prolotherapy and
platelet rich plasma (PRP) have
numerous randomized control
trials demonstrating their
efficacy in treating knee pain
due to arthritis and tendonitis.
The use of autologous stem
cells (most often through bone
marrow aspirate concentrate
injection) is a more recent and
thus more experimental treat-
ment, but its use was recently
backed by a systematic review
in the British Journal of Sports
Medicine of 14 randomized
controlled trials (RCTs) for
treatment of knee arthritis
and was found to result in The knee is a complex struc-
decreased pain and improve- ture, but the most common
ment in knee appearance causes of pain can normally
on imaging (Wiggers, 2021). be readily identified and also
Extracorporeal shockwave have very effective treatments.
therapy is yet another regener- For most people who have pain
ative option that is backed by lasting more than a few weeks,
multiple randomized studies getting a proper diagnosis,
for knee soft tissue pain (Liao, in most circumstances, is
2018) and knee osteoarthritis the most crucial step toward
(Chen, 2020). recovery.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE KNEE PAIN:
1. If your knee hurts when you are doing a particular
activity, stop doing that activity but stay active in
other ways that are not painful with a plan to
gradually resume the painful activity later.
2. See someone you trust for a diagnosis if the pain
does not go away in a matter of weeks (or less,
depending on severity).
3. Remember that running is not “bad for the
knee,” per se. But if you have developed an injury
(tendonitis, meniscus tear, cartilage damage or
effusion (water on the knee)) that gets worse with
running, give your injury the time it needs to heal.
4. Just because you have been found to have arthritis,
a meniscus tear or cartilage damage on X-ray or
MRI does not mean it is hurting you or will cause
you problems the rest of your life. Abnormalities
on imaging are often “red herrings” and it may
take partnering with a good physician/practitioner
to figure out what is causing your knee pain.
5. Almost all knee injuries can heal without surgery.
There are some exceptions to this (severe osteoar-
thritis and certain types of ACL, meniscus tears
and traumatic fractures, for example, may require
surgery), but for most injuries, focused strength
training, resting of the injured tissue so it is not
overused and can recover, weight loss if indicated
and, for many problems, regenerative treatments
can stimulate the healing of non-healing or slow-
healing tissue.
6. There is no “one size fits all” for knee pain and,
in my practice, I use all of the above treatments
mentioned in this article at different times and
for different problems. I don’t always get it right
the first time. Remember physicians can make
mistakes, and questioning your practitioner or
seeking a second opinion when you don’t feel right
about your diagnosis or treatment may be one of
the best things you can do for your health.
TRACY BETH HØEG, MD, PHD practices
Sports, Spine and Regenerative
Medicine in Northern California. She
is affiliated with the University of
California-Davis and has a passion
for ultramarathon and regenerative
medicine research. She is a Danish-
American double citizen, married to
Rasmus Hoeg, MD, and they have four
children. Tracy has run for the US Trail
Ultramarathon Team and the Danish
Long Distance Mountain Running Team.
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L, Helin-Salmivaara A, Garbe E et al.
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B. Extracorporeal Shock Wave
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of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin
for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint
Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-
Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. J
Med Food. 2016 Aug;19(8):717-29
Gutsell, Philip C MD; Plonka, Catherine
MD. Does running increase the risk of
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bmjsem-2015-000093
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Study. PLoS One. 2014;9(1):e83867.
Published 2014 Jan 8. doi:10.1371/journal.
pone.0083867
Horga, L.M., Hirschmann, A.C., Henckel,
J. et al. Prevalence of abnormal find-
ings in 230 knees of asymptomatic
adults using 3.0 T MRI. Skeletal Radiol
49, 1099–1107 (2020). https://doi.
org/10.1007/s00256-020-03394-z
Khan MCM, O’Donovan J, Charlton
JM, Roy JS, Hunt MA, Esculier JF. The
Influence of Running on Lower Limb
Cartilage: A Systematic Review and
Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2021 Sep 3
trials. BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
2018;19(1):278. Published 2018 Aug 2.
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LL, Du YZ, Yu XG, Hu H, Liu ZS, Jia
CS, Wang LQ, Zhao JJ, Wang J, Wang
T, Wang Y, Wang TQ, Zhang N, Zou
X, Wang Y, Shao JK, Liu CZ. Efficacy of
Intensive Acupuncture Versus Sham
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Randomized Controlled Trial. Arthritis
Rheumatol. 2021 Mar;73(3):448-458.
doi: 10.1002/art.41584. Epub 2021 Jan 15.
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McAlindon TE, LaValley MP, Harvey
WF, et al. Effect of Intra-articular
Triamcinolone vs Saline on Knee
Cartilage Volume and Pain in Patients
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December 2021 // January 2022 21

ULTRAGEEK RUNNING ON EARTH
Adaptation Over Fear
BY CLARE GALLAGHER
This summer, instead of
dreading forest fire season, I
tried to roll with the punches. I
made plans. I adapted my plans
when the AQI was horrible.
But I tried to not avoid making
plans in fear of bad air quality.
In a way, that would be surren-
dering to pollution.
One weekend in mid-July, I
was backpacking with friends
on the Colorado Trail. We woke
up one morning to a sky of gray,
gross haze. Without cell service
or an air quality testing device,
we guessed the AQI was over
120. Any level over 100 is
considered unhealthy for sensi-
tive groups and any level over
150 is considered unhealthy for
all people.
All we could do was
continue as planned. The
smoke put a damper on the
mood and on our lungs – we
coughed through our final
20-mile day – but we tried to
stay optimistic. At least no fires
were close.
I still felt sad. Two of the
friends I was with had young
kids. Their children and all
children today will know
forest fire season intimately. I
thought about when I camped
as a little girl in Colorado. Not
once do I recall experiencing
bad air quality. I only knew
blue skies dotted with snow-
white cumulus clouds.
Forest fire season is
becoming a way of life for
people in the American West
and beyond. Air pollution
settled over New York City near
the end of July this summer
causing AQI levels above 150.
Philadelphia, Washington
DC, Pittsburgh and Toronto
endured poor air quality as
well. The cause was particu-
late matter from forest fires
burning in the West.
When I got home from the
backpacking trip, I vowed to
not let my frustration with
the lack of comprehensive
climate policy squash future
22 UltraRunning.com
adventures. Sure, if there is
a fire or flood directly in the
way, I will adjust and cancel
plans when necessary. But I
want to keep making plans
as if the AQI will be below
50. Otherwise, I fear that
I want to avoid a
doom and gloom
attitude. Heck, we
have decades of
adventures and
life left to live.
acquiescing to a polluted world
with frustratingly slow-moving
elected officials will make me
feel perpetually down. I want
to avoid a doom and gloom atti-
tude. Heck, we have decades of
adventures and life left to live.
I am not arguing to ignore
climate change impacts and
climate policies completely. I
am holding space to be opti-
mistic about the progress we
will make as a country and a
world to limit global warming
to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We must
believe we will get there.
If we continue to vote
for elected officials who are
committed to climate policy,
we will eventually transition to
a renewable energy economy. As we embark on a new year with air quality policies at your
Although limiting warming and enter the depths of winter state capitol.
to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as running, I hope we all can Keep running.
recommended by the run with our chins up. Sure,
International Panel on Climate we might have some nasty
CLARE GALLAGHER is an ultrarunner
Change, won’t immediately winter air pollution, especially and environmental advocate living in
stop forest fires, it will curb in places that experience Boulder, Colorado. After studying the
the number of days we see inversions like Salt Lake City, impacts of climate change on coral
extreme forest fire risk and but there are positive ways to reefs at Princeton, she transitioned to
could help us avoid crossing combat this: running long in the mountains.
an irreversible threshold that Sign up for Running Up
References
climate scientists warn about For Air if you live in Utah,
(1). Limiting global warming Colorado or Montana. Consider IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The
could allow our world to adjust starting your own RUFA in Physical Science Basis. Contribution of
Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment
to a new, hopefully more stable your hometown. Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
and predictable normal when Donate to a local air quality Climate Change. Masson-Delmotte, V., et
it comes to extreme events like organization. al. Cambridge University Press. In Press.
forest fires, unhealthy air pollu- Call your local elected offi-
tion and flooding. cials and ask what is happening
ULTRAGEEK VIEW FROM THE OPEN ROAD
Misery
BY GARY CANTRELL
“Why is it that everything
you enjoy doing seems to
involve an extended period of
misery?”
At first, the question really
made no sense. What misery?
Sure, it was about 110-degree
heat index and we hadn’t
slept in 36 hours. I couldn’t
remember for sure when we
had our last real meal. My feet
were a couple of pain balloons
and the muscles in my legs
were just moving because
they had forgotten how to stop.
There was some discomfort.
But misery?
Misery had to be some-
thing worse than this. It was
hot. But, you know how it
is, heat just slows you down.
Being hot was not misery. I
had fluids. Sure, it was hot
water. But, when you are
thirsty, hot water tastes just
Every now
and then, take
stock and it is
surprising how
much has been
whittled away.
fine. There was a long way left
to go, but I knew where the
end was. And we learn tricks
to deal with a finish that is too
far away. Don’t think about
it. Just live in the moment
and keep moving. Every now
and then, take stock and it
is surprising how much has
been whittled away. Sore feet?
It could be a lot worse. I didn’t
have any blisters. However
bad my legs felt, they were
moving. And we learn even-
tually that as long as we keep
telling them to go, they will go.
Most important though,
I was where I wanted to be,
doing what I wanted to do. If
it involved some discomfort,
that was okay.
Redefining misery—isn’t
that what ultra is all about?
We are, by nature, creatures of
comfort. Millenia of being too
hot or too cold; never having
enough to eat; having no
choice but to keep moving to
stay alive. Discomfort defined
the lives of our ancestors. We
evolved to seek relief from that
discomfort. But, somehow,
success in that quest did not
make our lives better.
Now it is possible to never
be too hot or too cold. To
always have a full belly. We
can get by without walking
any further than the refrig-
erator. But, has that brought
happiness? No. A life of
comfort is lacking the most
important ingredient: the
quest. We didn’t evolve to
live in perpetual comfort.
We evolved to seek. We are
missing the quest. What
We can hook them
impedes our search for the
quest is the acclimation to
comfort. Too hot? We think
for you.
that is misery. Miss a meal?
We think that is misery. And
the worst part is, we cannot
even enjoy the comfort. If you
are always comfortable, it is
not special.
So, there, is perhaps the
greatest gift of running ultras:
redefining misery. Learning ea t m e.
that a little discomfort is a
small price to pay for the
things that we see and the
places we go; experiencing
the joy that can be found in
pushing outside the comfort
zone and discovering how far
beyond our vision that our There are a ridiculous number of people
limits actually lie.
Misery? Misery is a life
running trails these days. We know how
without discomfort. to get them to bite.
GARY CANTRELL has spent over 50 Give us a shout for all your
years as a runner, race director and
writer, and is currently the race marketing needs.
director for the Barkley Marathons
415/819-2908
and Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra.
thebrandelement.com
December 2021 // January 2022 23
 u r F a v o r it e T hi n gs
O BY DONALD BURAGLIO

It’s that time of year.

Whether it’s for the
ultrarunner in your life or a
gift for yourself, the team at
UltraRunning has once again
pulled together their favorite
gear for the holiday
(and racing) season.

24 UltraRunning.com
Fd & Sulements Real food advocates should love
TRAIL BUTTER products, all-natural
For more efficient performance
during intense efforts and enhanced
energy food alternatives that provide recovery afterward, Branch Chain
balanced, slow-burning energy from Amino Acids (BCAAs) have shown
unprocessed, whole food ingredients. positive results for endurance athletes.
For newcomers, we recommend the GNARLY NUTRITION’S BCAA
POWDER ($41 for a 30-serving tub) is
best taken prior to training, but can
also be used as a recovery drink. It
mixes in water and comes in four
flavors, one of which is caffeinated.
BCAAs are unique in that they are
oxidized in the muscles for fuel,
Let’s start with the basics: Taking helping to
care of your hydration. TAILWIND delay muscle
NUTRITION ENDURANCE FUEL breakdown
($30 for a 12-pack of single servings) during
is available in a new Matcha flavor, exercise and
which tastes very similar to the Green stimulating
Tea Buzz flavor it replaced. Each muscle repair
serving has 100 calories plus sodium, for faster
BIG SQUEEZE VARIETY 6-PACK
potassium, magnesium and calcium recovery
($39), consisting of two packs of
to speed fuel absorption and replace after activity.
each of the company’s three primary
the minerals you end up sweating out. Gnarly’s
flavors. Our favorite is the Dark
Like all of their Endurance Fuel mixes, powder
Chocolate and Coffee, which has a
this flavor dissolves in water quickly formulation
15mg caffeine kick with a rich choco-
and completely, ensuring that you has a higher
late and nutty flavor. These packs have
won’t leave clumped up powder at the dose of BCAAs per serving than
a large twist-top closure that is easy
bottom of your flask. capsules and a mild taste that isn’t
to eat from, and allows you to carry
overpowering. All four flavors are
multiple servings in a single reusable
SPRING ENERGY has long been vegan and gluten-free to be compatible
container, decreasing packaging waste.
one of our favorite race nutrition with anyone’s dietary preferences.
companies and they now have two
If you’re
high-calorie drink mixes that are Success with joint supplements
hankering for
quite unique. We prefer the PINA is largely anecdotal, but we’ve found
some sugary
COLADA ENERGY AND HYDRATION good results with UTZY’S JOINT
comfort food
ENDURANCE DRINK HEALTH BUNDLE ($100). Three
on the trail,
MIX ($20 for a separate formulations provide a
READYWISE
4-pack), which multi-dimensional approach to joint
TRAIL TREATS
uses a gentle, comfort and support, including
COOKIE
infrared drying Chondroitin Sulfate, Glucosamine
DOUGH ($6
technology that Sulfate, Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen
per pack or $33
maintains the and a blend of homeopathic ingredi-
for 6-pack) are
nutritional value ents. Their ingredients are processed
dehydrated
and natural color to consist of small molecules, which
little nuggets
of all-organic leads to more efficient absorption and
of goodness
ingredients for higher affinity to cartilaginous tissues.
that taste
a stable shelf Utzy uses branded ingredients from
delicious while
life without a company called Bioiberica, who
providing a
the use of has conducted multiple blind clinical
calorie-dense
preservatives. trials that show the effectiveness of
energy boost. The taste is a close
Each serving their formulations and the importance
approximation of real dough, and we
has 240 calories of real food and also of the small molecule
found these treats to be a delicacy on
contains prebiotics to help offset the approach.
multi-day hikes as well as a nice pick-
release of toxins in your gut during
me-up on long trail runs. They are
extended aerobic activity. The mix
almost perfectly preserved (a shelf life
dissolves with light shaking and has a
of 15 years) and retain their texture in
slightly sweet taste. This same mix is
extreme heat or cold. The nuggets are
available in a Passionfruit Date flavor
fairly small and come in a resealable
that has an almost identical nutritional
bag so you can munch on as many as
profile aside from 20 fewer calories
you want before tucking the pouch
per serving.
into your pack for future use.

December 2021 // January 2022 25

Tech & Gear
GPS watches become more
advanced and more stylish each year,
as evidenced by the GARMIN VENU
2 ($400), a significant update to an
already impressive device. The new
AMOLED display has
crisp definition
and is easy
to read in
direct
sunlight,
with
Gorilla
Glass 3
to make
sure it’ll
never get
damaged.
Most of
the advanced
sensors (such
as HR and pulse oximeter), health
metrics and sports profiles have been
adopted from Garmin’s higher-end
sports watches, and the user interface
has been updated for more intuitive
use. You have full smartwatch func-
tionality such as call/text notifications,
social media updates, music storage
and controls, calendar reminders and
Garmin Pay. You’re not sacrificing
battery life too significantly, as the
Venu 2 has 8 hours of GPS life while
playing music and 22 hours of GPS
without music. This watch comes in
two size options, with the Venu 2S
having a 5mm smaller diameter.
Running completely unencum-
bered is wonderful, but for anyone
who needs to stay connected to kids or
work, carrying a phone is a must. In
these situations, waist belts decrease
bouncing much better than pockets
or arm bands, and the CAMELBAK
ULTRA BELT ($55) is one of the most
comfortable and functional belts we’ve
tested. The front zipper compartment
can accommodate plus-sized phones,
and has a water resistant barrier to
decrease sweat perfusion. A 17-oz
Quick Stow flask lies horizontally in
the back pocket,
but on shorter
runs we leave
this pocket
empty and
the belt
becomes
almost
unnotice-
able. The 3D
mesh fabric
26 UltraRunning.com
allows air flow to prevent heat buildup
and rests comfortably against bare
skin. Multiple stretch pouches on
either side provide options for small
item storage; the one we appreciate the
most is a clip to keep your key secure.
KAHTOOLA is best known for
their winter traction devices, but they
also have great products for those of
us who aren’t crossing a glacier or
grinding through snowpack. Most
notably, they have a number of gaiter
options for endurance sports. The
INSTAGAITER LOW ($40) is the
lightest and lowest profile option in
the lineup and is durable and breath-
able enough for use throughout the
year. The stretch-woven shell easily
deflects small
rocks and trail
debris while
blocking sand
and water
intrusion,
and a
drawcord closure keeps the top
opening secure. A pliable polyure-
thane instep strap keeps the gaiter
tight around the shoe and is thin
enough to integrate with our outsole
lugs without being palpable underfoot.
We found these gaiters equally func-
tional in dry, rocky conditions as well
as damp, muddy terrain.
NATHAN
saw a signifi-
cant expansion
of its product line in
2021. Earlier this year, they
debuted a line of apparel
and this fall they’re entering
the eyewear category. Their
ADVENTURE POLARIZED
GLASSES ($50) have a
lightweight flexible ther-
moplastic TR90 frame
that is impact and
heat-resistant with
grippy TPE inserts
on the nose and
temple to ensure the
glasses stay put. The
lenses have nice clarity
and are built with injection-molded
polycarbonate, which means the
polarization is embedded in the lens
as opposed to a scratchable film on
top. The Adventure model comes
only in black, but there are two other
models (Summit or Sunrise) that offer
different color options and slightly
different frame shapes.
For visual clarity at night, our
favorite item this year is the waist-
mounted ULTRASPIRE LUMEN 800
ULTRA 2.0 ($200), which we put to
use during multiple, all-night outings.
It provides outstanding brightness
in a wide, consistent beam, with
simple operation through a single
control button that is easy to manage
with gloved hands without the heat
build-up that sometimes comes with
other super-bright lamps. The 3D
lighting technology creates improved
depth perception, and a SteadyBeam
burn mechanism ensures that the
lamp does not dim over time until the
battery is very low, which helps offset
eye fatigue. The light rides comfort-
ably on a conical comfort mesh waist-
band with a limited stretch elastic belt
and fatigue-free buckle that fastens
and unclips easily, which is useful
when you’re sleep-deprived. It runs off
of rechargeable batteries as
well as an external
power pack if you
need consecutive
nights of use.
We’re always
excited to see
updates to best-
sellers and the ULTRASPIRE
ZYGOS 5.0 ($175) makes a handful
of nice improvements to one of our
favorite 100-mile vests. The harness
uses so-thin-it’s-transparent UltrAcool
Light Mesh and redesigned harness
pockets provide eight options for
small to medium-size item storage.
Most noticeable is a new MaxO2 Form
closure system that allows full lung
expansion but cinches the load against
the body with a single pull. The main

back
compartment has been reinforced
at stress points with XT ripstop
fabric and has a removable insulated
sleeve for the 2L fluid reservoir. Like
previous Zygos packs, the 5.0 version
has a comfortable wrap-around fit and
very light feel for its cargo capacity. It
comes in three sizes to help match
your ideal fit.
Aarel
We were already huge fans of
merino wool apparel, particularly in
cold weather, but the TRACKSMITH
OFF ROADS LONG SLEEVE ($98)
manages to
further improve the feel and func-
tion of this material in a way that
perfectly suits hard, cold weather
efforts. The Off Roads (also available
in a short sleeve option) combines
merino wool with naturally
sourced Tencel fibers made
from wood pulp. Tencel
adds softness, durability and
enhanced moisture-wicking
to the already impressive
thermoregulatory, insulative and
anti-microbial properties of merino
wool. The combination of these two
materials results in a single layer that
is dynamic to accommodate changes
in climate from base to summit, or
in variable fall temperatures. It’s also
odor resistant for multiple days on
the trail. The long sleeve version has
a relaxed fit, dropped tail hem for
improved coverage, thumb holes for
tucking under gloves when needed,
and is available in three classically
styled, dual-color options.
percentage of recycled coffee grounds.
This fabric was initially used in a
Cargo capacity has been reimag-
lightweight hooded jacket and this fall,
ined with the HOKA SG TRAIL
the SWISH VEST ($90) is a warmer
SHORTS ($68), which combine a
weather option that uses the same
secure zipper pocket across the back-
material construction. In addition
side with a pouch that is large enough
to being responsibly sourced, coffee
to accommodate a lightweight jacket,
grounds are hydrophobic to wick
hat or pair of gloves with ease. An
moisture effectively and are naturally
elastic bungee system on the front
odor resistant. The
hips help anchor cargo
lightweight fabric
closer to the body and
of the swish vest is
decrease bouncing.
waterproof, and
The bungee system
the entire piece
will even secure a
compresses down
small soft flask
into a vertical
(up to 200ml)
zip pocket for
if you want to
storage that’s
carry fluids
about the size
in the
of an orange.
pouch
space.
The
main
panels
of the
shorts consist of a
four-way stretch woven nylon/
elastene blend, over a thin, mois-
ture-wicking brief liner. Inseam
length of the SG Trail shorts is 5”
for men and 3” for women.
One of the most innovative
apparel blends we’ve seen over the
past couple of years was RABBIT’S
eco-ELEMENTS, a bio-based poly-
ester blend that incorporates a high
December 2021 // January 2022 27
Aarel
Another environmentally
friendly material is found in the
HEADSWEATS ECO MULTISPORT
REVERSIBLE FLEECE BEANIE ($22),
which has an interior lining of 100%
Repreve recycled polyester made
primarily from discarded plastic
bottles. The Repreve surface has a

remarkably soft feel – so much that

we use it exclusively as the inner
layer, even though the beanie is
officially reversible – and wicks
moisture off of your head effectively.
This beanie fits comfortably over your
ears, dries quickly when not in use
and doesn’t shrink in the wash.

Keeping hands warm is a top

priority throughout the cold and wet
months, and the versatility of the
Winter insulation isn’t something
to mess around with – especially after
a long run. The ARC’TERYX AGRIUM
HOODY ($400) uses highly efficient
down insulation with a warmth to
weight ratio that made us feel like we
had on a windbreaker but with the
glove/mitten combo
coziness and comfort of a snowsuit.
is a great option for
And Arc’teryx continues to seek ways
unpredictable winter
to make their gear sustainable in
days. Oiselle’s BAD
both material and manufacturing.
WEATHER GLOVES
The outer shell is colored using a
($44) offer a snug
dope-dyed process that uses minimal
fit with a soft fleece
resources by adding pigment at the
Polartec PowerStretch
polymer level which saves water and
lining. An optional
reduces C02 emissions. We also like
weather resistant
the fact that Arc’teryx products are
polyester shell covers
made at a Fair Trade Certified facility
fingers to protect
with the goal to transition 80% of
them from wind, rain
their products to fair trade certifica-
and snow, and can be
tion by 2025.
tucked into the glove’s
cuff when not in use.
We found they gave us
perfect protection on
cold, foggy days when
we needed to bundle
up before getting out
the door for a long run.

28 UltraRunning.com
Miscellaneous
STATEMENTS OF OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION OF
ULTRARUNNING MAGAZINE REQUIRED BY
ACT OF OCTOBER 23, 1962: SECTION 4369,
TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE
1. Publication Title: UltraRunning
The most unusual product in our For those who
wh can’t leave home 2. Publication Number: 6 6 5 – 4 7 0

guide is the LITE RECYCLED SELK'BAG
($129), a wearable sleeping bag made
with 100% post-consumer recycled
fabrics, insulation and zippers. It comes
without a mug in their hands, UR has 3. Filing Date: October 15, 2021
4. Issue Frequency: monthly except bimonthly
created our very own ULTRARUNNING Dec/January, May/June and Sept/October
MAGAZINE CAMPER MUG ($22). 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 9
Designed to hold 12 ounces of coffee, tea 6. Annual Subscription Price: $39

in four colors, including a
rainforest print inspired
by the Patagonian jungle.
The company’s love of
the planet is genuine,
evidenced by member-
ship in 1% for the
or your favorite 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of
Publication: UltraRunning Media Group, LLC, P.O.
beverage, Box 6509, Bend, OR 97708
this 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters
or General Business Office of Publisher: Karl
Hoagland, P.O. Box 6509, Bend, OR 97708
9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses
of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Karl
Hoagland & Amy Clark, P.O. Box 6509, Bend,
OR 97708

Planet as well as the 10. Owner: Ultrarunning Media Group, LLC, Karl
Hoagland, P.O. Box 6509, Bend, OR 97708 and
Climate Action Cory Smith, P.O. Box 6509, Bend, OR 97708
Corps. If you 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and Other
Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or
have to spend More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or
a prolonged Other Securities: None
12. The purpose, function and nonprofit status
amount of time of this organization and the exempt status for
on your feet federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed
During Preceding 12 Months
during cold double wall 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Dec
nights (think stainless steel mug ensures that hot 21/Jan 22
crewing duties drinks will stay hot and cold drinks 15. EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION,
AVERAGE NO. COPIES EACH ISSUE DURING
or all-night aid station will stay cold using a vacuum PRECEDING 12 MONTHS, NO. COPIES OF
SINGLE ISSUE, PUBLISHED NEAREST TO
volunteering) a Selk’bag insulation. A clear lid keeps any FILING DATE
is one of the best ways to splashing or spilling at bay when
A. TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES 10400* 10601**
keep warm. It’s a bodacious you’re in the car or sitting by the (Net Press Run)
bundle of fashion and finish line cheering on your B. PAID CIRCULATION
7605 7794
function, in an eye-catching fellow ultrarunners. (1) Mailed Print Subscriptions
wrapper that’s sure to (3) Paid Distribution Outside 2435 2452
attract comments and Mails Including Sales
Through Dealers And
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C. TOTAL PAID AND/OR 10040 10246

REQUESTED CIRCULATION

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260 265
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H. TOTAL 10400 10601

I. PERCENT PAID 97% 97.3%

16. ELECTRONIC COPY CIRCULATION

A. PAID ELECTRONIC COPIES 563* 475**

B. Total Paid Print Copies (Line

15c) + Paid Electronic Copies 10,621 10,721
(Line 16a)

C. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) 10,931 11001

+ Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)

D. Percent Paid (Both Print & 97% 97.4%

Electronic Copies) (16b divided
by 16c X 100)

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for

a Requester Publication is required and will be
printed in the Dec 2021 issue of this publication
*
Average No. Copies Each Issue During
Preceding 12 Months
**
Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published
Nearest to Filing

December 2021 // January 2022 29

30 UltraRunning.com
WORLD’S FIRST GRAPHENE FOAM
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Graphene foam. The TRAILFLY ULTRA G 300 MAX, defying the
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December 2021 // January 2022 31
 voice of the sport
Timing is
Everything
BY JOHN TRENT
Looking back now, Rachel Spaulding realizes
that over the past few years, there have
been brief conversational moments, chance
occurrences during races and the sheer
centrifugal force of a pandemic—all of which
have altered the course of her life.
At 26, Spaulding’s life
has never been better. Her
victory at the Old Dominion
100-miler in June – the
fourth-fastest women’s time
ever since the race started in
1979 – pinpoints the fact that
her relatively brief ultra career
is one we all need to watch.
During the pandemic, she met
someone and fell in love. And,
through some reflection, she’s
come to terms with many of
the challenges she faced as
a collegiate swimmer—from
being bullied by teammates
to the profound anxieties she
felt as she constantly pushed
herself to achieve perfection
whenever she was in the pool.
For Spaulding, the past year
and a half of uncertainty has
offered her an athletic rebirth
and a lot more.
“I just want everyone to
know how impactful running
has been for me,” she says, and
adds, “How running for me
has been all about climbing a
mountain and then getting to
the top, and at the top wishing
everybody could have what I
have up there. I wish I could
give it to everyone – share it
with all people, so they can
feel as good as I do right now.”
She’s not necessarily talking
about winning or running fast
times, but rather, given her
own experiences, something
deeply personal.
OPPOSITE: Rachel tackles
the early miles at the Broken
Arrow Sky Race 52K.
JESSE ELLIS
And to think, if not for a
couple of chance encounters,
Spaulding might not have ever
tried climbing a mountain in
the first place.
CHANCE ENCOUNTER
NUMBER ONE occurred
not long after Spaulding had
graduated from York College
in Pennsylvania and enrolled
at Lynchburg (Virginia)
University in 2019 to pursue
her master’s degree in public
health. By this time, she
was still dealing with some
of the adverse impacts of
her collegiate swim career.
Swimming had been her sport
through middle and high
school growing up in York,
but it also brought with it a
terrible weight of internalized
expectations.
Her first year of college,
Spaulding competed for
West Chester University in
Pennsylvania.
“I just really struggled,” she
says. “I was very obsessive
about food and exercise. I was
sidelined for a bit my freshman
year with a concussion. There
were days I struggled to just
get out of bed and get to class.”
She ended up not swimming
during her sophomore year, “It
just wasn’t good for my mental
health. I just felt lost during
that time.” She switched
schools after her sophomore
year, transferring to York and for
a time, living with her parents.
She excelled at York, helping
the Spartans set 10 school
records and becoming an
All-Capital Athletic Conference
performer in freestyle and
individual medley events.
Yet during her senior year,
Spaulding, who always has
held herself to a punctual and
disciplined early-to-bed, early-
to-rise standard, had to endure
harassment and bullying from
some of her teammates.
“Mean girl stuff was really
the bottom line,” she says. “I
missed a lot of class and was
really depressed. It was hard for
me to handle — to avoid any
type of hole I was going to dig
myself into.”
In graduate school at
Lynchburg, she served as a
graduate assistant swim coach
and also turned to an activity
she had experimented with
in college: running. She had
“dabbled” enough to have actu-
ally finished a 50k during the
summer before her senior year
at York.
“I have a very addictive person-
ality,” she says, “and that was prob-
ably behind some of it. Running
made me feel really good.”
Then, purely by chance, she
happened to run into Dr. David
Horton. For 43 years, Horton
has been a professor of health
sciences at Liberty University,
also located in Lynchburg.
He held the FKT for the
Appalachian Trail for many
years and has won two of the
toughest races on the planet
– Hardrock and the Barkley
Marathons. He is a man of
enchanting contrasts who can
speak in moving terms about
the value of trail running in
one’s life, and then pivot just as
quickly to a blunt assessment
of a person’s inability to cover
that same hallowed ground as
fast as they should.
“Horton was like this
mystical creature that I’d
read about in all these books,”
Spaulding says. “When I told
him I was a runner and that I’d
done marathons, he said, ‘Well,
you’re not a real runner until
you’ve run a 50-miler.’”
“And you know what? After I
met David Horton, 15 minutes
later I was signing up for my
first 50-miler in 2019.”
A few months later, in August
2019, Spaulding ran – and won –
her first 50-miler, Iron Mountain,
in Damascus, Virginia.
CHANCE ENCOUNTER
NUMBER TWO happened at
a 50k race in North Carolina
on Oct. 3, 2020, at the
Pilot Mountain to Hanging
Mountain ultra, held with many
public health protocols in place
in the midst of the pandemic.
Spaulding would go on to
“When I told him
I was a runner
and that I’d done
marathons, he
said, ‘Well, you’re
not a real runner
until you’ve run a
50-miler.’”
win the race. But that’s not
the most important thing that
happened that day. She met a
tall young man name Logan
Lemcke who had a memorable
way of cocking his head to one
side, as if he were relishing the
moment near the finish.
The pandemic had proven
challenging for both Spaulding
and Lemcke. Spaulding was
taking a full load of graduate
courses, working several
part-time jobs, assisting with
the Lynchburg swim team, “a
balancing act of me standing
on my head and holding all
of these things I was doing
together,” while also training
on the trails at an increasingly
high level. Lemcke hadn’t been
a runner before. He turned to
running for the first time, like
many other Americans, during
the pandemic.
December 2021 //
November
January 2022
2021 33

TOP: Rachel smiles at Broken
Arrow Sky Race 52K where
she placed 10th female.
SCOTT ROKIS
BOTTOM: Rachel shows off her
race bling and engagement ring
with Logan by her side.
RACHEL SPAULDING
34 UltraRunning.com
“In a lot of ways, I felt like
I was at my breaking point,
but I really think that time
during the pandemic made me
stronger,” Spaulding says. “I
felt that I was building toward
something important—that
I might be okay at this crazy
new sport I’d discovered. And
I think that running during
the pandemic changed Logan,
too. He signed up for a 50k
because he was feeling that he
was becoming the best version
of himself. When we met at this
small 50k in North Carolina, we
found we were both happy with
ourselves. It was just so perfect.”
They were soon meeting for
runs, with Lemcke immedi-
ately showing a good-natured
patience as Spaulding, who
loves to tell stories, would talk
about her three favorite things:
planning to go run, running
and then planning her next run.
“If it hadn’t been for running
and Logan starting to run, and
then signing up for that 50k in
North Carolina, I don’t know
if I would have ever met him,”
Spaulding says. “When I say
this sport has changed my life,
it really has.”
THERE WERE NO CHANCE
MEETINGS and nothing left to
chance, when Spaulding won
Old Dominion in June. She and
Logan, on Horton’s advice, had
spent a long weekend in May
running and scouting the Old
Dominion course in Woodstock
and Fort Valley, Virginia.
Scouting Old Dominion
and then racing it so flawlessly
in June, finishing in 19:43 in
fourth-place overall, was more
about understanding her own
internal mind games.
“I’m competitive and I
definitely want to win, but I
would say I’m competitive with
myself more than anything
else,” she says. “It’s always you
vs. you whenever you run 100
miles. It doesn’t matter what
other people in the race are
doing. I focus on what Rachel
as an athlete can control. It’s
such a contrast to when I was
swimming and 95% of the
time, I was defeated before I
even got into the water. Now,
whenever I’m in an ultra, I feel
like I’m finding my way and
I’m making it.”
Not only is she making
it and finding her own path,
but mindfully, intentionally
helping others do the same:
from serving as a cross country
coach at Roanoke Catholic
School to assisting with the
Hollis University swim team
in Roanoke to coaching and
advising other runners from
her area as they take the plunge
into ultras.
“I think it’s so important to
help encourage other runners,
to give back so they can find
their own path in our sport,”
she says.
There was one point during
Old Dominion, however,
during a low, with Logan
pacing her during the intermi-
nable climb out of Elizabeth
Furnace after mile 74 over
Sherman Gap, where the
demons almost got Spaulding.
She was tired. By her standard,
she was complaining a lot.
“Are you going to break up
with me?” Spaulding suddenly
asked Logan.
Logan didn’t pause, “I’m not
going to break up with you. In
fact, I’m going to marry you.”
Logan’s comment didn’t really
register. Soon, before the sun
had gone down, they were up
and over Old Dominion’s most
notorious climb. Without even
realizing it, she was at the top of
the mountain, a high point that
spoke to her growth as a person
and an athlete. Spaulding was
about to find a second wind and
speed to the finish.
She was so exhausted after-
ward that all she wanted to do was
get to the car and lie down. But
during Old Dominion’s pancake
breakfast for all race finishers, it is
custom that the country’s second-
oldest trail 100-miler honors its
men’s and women’s champions
by having them address those in
attendance.
“I thought I’d get to do
two words and maybe cry,”
Spaulding says.
Once she had finished
speaking, Logan, true to his
“There’s no way
I would be as
appreciative of
everything that
happened if the
timing hadn’t been
what it had been
and everything
happened as it did.”
word on Sherman Gap climb,
asked Spaulding to marry him.
“It just happened,” Spaulding
says. “Logan wanted to make
sure I had spoken to all the
finishers first, and as we were
leaving it was, ‘Oh my gosh,
what are you doing?’ I was
surprised for sure. But it was
perfect. This sport brought us
together and Old Dominion
is going to be special forever
because of it.”
A brief conversational
moment here, a chance
encounter there and the chal-
lenge of a pandemic that has,
without question, altered the
direction of millions of lives.
Rachel Spaulding has a
lot of great running ahead
of her. But don’t think, as
she continues to make her
ascension in the sport, that she
doesn’t already know how hard
it has been to reach this point
in her life, which will include
a wedding to Logan in May
and his attempt to finish Old
Dominion in June.
“There’s no way I would be
as appreciative of everything
that happened if the timing
hadn’t been what it had been
and everything happened as
it did,” she says. “It’s kind of
weird. But running really has
saved me.”
JOHN TRENT has been involved in
ultrarunning as a journalist, runner,
volunteer and run organizer since 1987.
A two-time Nevada Sportswriter of
the Year, he lives in Reno with his ultra-
running family, wife Jill and daughters,
Annie and Katie.
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D R Y M A X S P O R T S . C O M
MIDWEST BIG DOG’S BACKYARD ULTRA // TENNESSEE

The World
Watches
as Records
Fal
l BY JEFFREY STERN
 BIG DOG’S
BACKYARD ULTRA
BELL BUCKLE, TN
// OCTOBER 16
4,2* // 2,2 BACKYARD
Elevation gain:
Approximately 500
feet per yard
A 4.16667-mile trail course
during the day alternates
to a road course at night.
Runners must finish the
loop before the hour is up,
when they begin a new
loop. The race continues
until only one runner is
able to complete a loop.

Harvey Lewis studies the

clock as Laz counts off the
seconds to the bell and
“Happy Time! Each loop
is easier than the one
before it!” HOWIE STERN

December 2021 // January 2022 39

MIDWEST BIG DOG’S BACKYARD ULTRA // TENNESSEE
The  anticipated
international
fan fair was
a bit subdued with some travel
restrictions for this year’s Big’s
Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle,
Tennessee, but there was
still plenty of excitement as a
previous, two-time, second-place
finisher, a.k.a. the assist to the
winner, Harvey Lewis set a new
record of 85 laps or 354 miles.
Lewis was assisted by Missouri’s
Chris Roberts who completed
84 laps (350 miles). Although
the initial entrant’s list boasted
a field of 60 runners from
20-plus countries, the pandemic
travel restrictions limited the
field to 35. It was still a stout
field, featuring former Big’s
champions Courtney Dauwalter
and Maggie Guterl, as well as
Katie Rice from New Zealand,
Chris Murphy from Australia,
a handful of Canadian athletes
and Mike Wardian.
40 UltraRunning.com
“It’s really fascinating the
way that these things go
because there’s so much ebb
and flow when you get into
the deep yards and people
BELOW: Terumichi Morishita was a true warrior to the end.
He tripped on his final loop and with a temporary loss of
consciousness, lost track of time and came in over the limit by just
30 seconds on the record, tying the 81st hour. HOWIE STERN
have gone a long way,” said the
brainchild of the event and host,
Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell.
“You’ll go through spells where
first one person is ascendant
and someone else looks like
they're on their last legs, and
then they switch places. It’s
really something different in
ultramarathons where they
spread way out because the
field never gets to spread out
(in a Backyard event). So, as
people go through their highs
and lows, first you think
they’re the next one out and
one person looks like they’re
going to win. And a little while
later, it’s all switched up and
someone else is hanging on
by a thread. You have people
at different times, everyone

looks like they’ll win, it just
goes on and on, hour after hour, “You know when you feel the
waiting to see who will break
next. Sudden death overtime,
every hour.”
At the 72-hour mark, Big’s
headed into the unknown
with only three runners still
standing: Lewis, Roberts
and Japan’s Terumichi “Mori”
Morishita. In the history of the ready to give up. It’s a lot easier
emerging last person standing
race format, just two events
have previously hit the illus-
trious fourth day.
Morishita looked like the
strongest runner of the triad,
but a fall on lap 81 in the woods processes: the pain, being
stunned him. He had trouble
figuring out the time on his
watch and missed the cutoff by
less than a minute.
Back at the start/finish,
Morishita, in obvious mental
anguish for his misstep, wept
in peace while everyone stayed
back and gave him space in that
LEFT: The start of the second
yard, when everyone was
fresh and their hopes and
dreams still rosy and vibrant.
HOWIE STERN
ABOVE: Kevin Schmidt,
Courtney Dauwalter’s
husband, busy at work
during a sock change 12
hours into the event.
HOWIE STERN
incredibly painful moment. “It
was a terrible thing, but it was
so emotional.” Laz continued,
tears in your eyes and that
lump in your throat, and if
someone talks to you you’re not
going to be able to answer?” Laz
retreated around the tent to stay
composed himself.
“The whole camp felt the
emotion because he wasn’t
to deal with when people
decide it’s time to quit,” he
surmised.
“Somewhere during that
fourth day, you see them
go through all the normal
beaten down, getting slower
and slower and becoming more
impaired. It’s like they push
through a pain barrier. There’s
some kind of wall out there and
they come out the other side
and then on the fourth day, you
see people doing crazy stuff.
They’re running like they could
run forever.”
For those watching the lives-
tream, it certainly seemed like
they would.
Maggie Guterl, who ran 250
miles to win the 2019 Big’s
championship, pulled the
plug at mile 175 with her good
friend Dauwalter, and was back
home on her couch in Durango
There’s some kind
of wall out there
and they come out
the other side ... on
the fourth day, you
see people doing
crazy stuff.
in time to watch Lewis clinch
the new record.
“It was definitely his time
and I was so happy for him. I
wasn’t surprised at the distance
they put up. I had a feeling it
would go into the 80s, if not
longer,” she said.
“I think the 100-hour/yard
mark can go, you’ve just got to
get the right people and then
they have to hang in there,” Laz
added.
After two assists, he’s paid
his dues and Laz, for one, is
glad Lewis set the record and
claimed his first title. “He
came and put it all together this
year and he wasn’t going to be
denied. In the end, he was the
only one who didn’t make a
mistake or have a mental let-
down. It was something to see.”
Roberts, of Kirkwood,
Missouri, gave the record assist
to Harvey Lewis mere months
after securing a Golden Ticket
and second-place finish behind
Steve Slaby with 233.33 miles at
the Capital Backyard Ultra in
May. His first visit to Big’s and
the longest run of his life, was
unfortunately hampered by an
unexpected right knee injury
that persisted for the final 100
miles.
For Roberts, the 8-plus
hours of a rough go in the third
night forced him into an ineffi-
cient skip-hop style of running
that took a huge toll on his
energy. He thought he would
get timed out on the daytime
trail course but was able to turn
a corner.
“Something magically
happened with my leg after I
fell a couple times on the trail,
and it didn’t hurt quite as bad.
So, I turned on the crazy and
started running at full tilt to
make it in before the cutoff.
Then I was able to go on for
another 12 hours,” Roberts
said rather matter-of-factly. Yet
still, he noted, “This was the
longest amount of time that I
December 2021 // January 2022 41
 MIDWEST BIG DOG’S BACKYARD ULTRA // TENNESSEE

RIGHT: Harvey and Chris,

now alone, set off into the
uncharted waters of a new
record as they enter the
82nd hour. HOWIE STERN

ELEVATION &
SURFACE
4, 4 So, what does
that little symbol mean?
The first number is the
elevation profile, the
second is the quality of
the surface. Both are
on a 1 – 5 scale, with 5
being the most difficult.
had to struggle for a significant of doing because it’s definitely really want to be that 80-yard
ELEVATION PROFILE amount of time with my body.” pure willpower.” guy, though? Pushing through
1 Flat or nearly flat “That expectation that I Although she doesn’t plan that pain barrier is good on the
2 Rolling; total climb wasn’t going to make it, that on running a last person other side, but there’s a lot of
up to 50' per mile I was going to time out, and standing race in 2022, Guterl pain before you get there.”
(2,500’ in 50 then being able to switch gears remains positive and echoed
miles)
and end up overcoming was Laz’s prediction, “The body can
3 Hilly; total climb
between 50'-150'
pretty emotionally powerful for handle the distance and I think Big's Backyard
me. That was a lot to process. it can go to 100 hours/yards Ultra
per mile (2,500'–
7,500' in 50 miles)
And then also, I had to accept one day.” She added, “It’s fun Bell Buckle, TN // October 16
4 Very hilly; total the fact that I had to keep to be a guinea pig.” 2,2* // BACKYARD
climb between going now,” he said. 2023 is the next planned 1 Harvey Lewis, 45, OH 354.1695
150'-250' per mile Roberts also revealed his World Championship in Bell 2 Chris Roberts, 35, MO 350.0028
motivation this year was simply Buckle, and Laz expects the 3 Terumichi Morishita, 41, JPN 333.336
(7,500'–12,500' in 4 Jon Noll, 36, WI 258.3354
50 miles) to “explore more fatigue” and field to be overflowing with 5 Piotr Chadovich, 43, WA 250.002
5 Mountainous; total is excited at the opportunity to talent that has two more years 6 Yukinori Yoshida, 52, JPN 225.0018
7 Steve Slaby, 40, ME 220.8351
climb more than represent the American team to gain experience refining the 8 Eric Deshaies, 48, QC 208.335
250' per mile in the satellite championship tactical knowledge required to 9 Jason Bigonia, 44, ME 208.335
10 Jacob Conrad, 36, OH 179.1681
format, pitting countries succeed in a potentially never- 11 Courtney Dauwalter, 36, CO 175.0014
SURFACE against each other with dozens ending race; human willpower 12 Maggie Guterl, 41, CO 175.0014
13 Chris Murphy, 37, AUS 170.8347
1 Paved or very of courses being run simulta- continues to prove unlimited 14 Dave Proctor, 40, AB 166.668
smooth neously around the world in banks of potential. In such 15 Mathieu Weiner, 54, PA 158.3346
2 Mostly groomed 16 Vincent Barrientos, 40, CA 158.3346
2022. Lewis will likely be right a young, prospering subdis- 17 Michael Wardian, 46, VA 150.0012
trail or dirt roads by his side for perhaps another cipline of racing within the 18 Gavin Woody, 44, WA 150.0012
3 Trail or dirt road record-breaking go. already growing ultrarunning 19 Mark Beggs, 46, AL 150.0012
20 Hisayuki Tateno, 50, JPN 137.5011
with some rocks, “To go out and run 354 miles world, he only anticipates great- 21 Morten Klingenberg, 36, DEN 129.1677
roots and/or ruts like Harvey did and you don’t ness, “When you have the fully 22 Haim Malki, 44, ISR 129.1677
4 Trail or dirt road 23 Matthew Shepard, 34, AB 129.1677
even know how far you have stocked World Championship 24 Fanny Jean, 41, BEL 129.1677
with substantial
to go at 350, for all he knows in 2023, it’s going to be some- 25 Shawn Webber, 47, FL 129.1677
rocks, roots and/ 26 Ron Wireman, 40, TN 125.001
he’d have to go 450,” Laz said thing to see.” 27 Jennifer Russo, 55, OH 125.001
or ruts
5 Very rough trail
of his highlights from the “There's lots of winners 28 Stephanie Simpson, 35, QC 120.8343
29 Chris Boyle, 42, MO 120.8343
longest Big’s event to date. “It’s at the Backyard Ultra,” he 30 Gabe Rainwater, 33, OH 112.5009
inspiring to see them out there continued. “Everyone who 31 Katie Wright, 34, NZL 112.5009
32 Sarah Moore, 34, MI 108.3342
and what humans are capable goes the furthest they’ve ever 33 Andres Villagran, 37, ECU 87.5007
been is their own hero. Do you 34 Terri Biloski, 45, ON 37.5003
Go Big’s or Go Home:
An interview with Harvey Lewis fresh off his win and
record-setting performance at Big’s Backyard Ultra
BY DREW DINAN
Congratulations on your
win at Big’s and for setting
the Backyard record running
an incredible 354 miles in
85 hours. We know this has
been a dream of yours. First
off, how is your recovery
going?
Right now, it's kind of
interesting. I broke the fourth
metacarpal in my hand after
falling on the trail on day four.
Fortunately, it was a clean
break and I don’t need surgery.
Did the injury affect your
running over the final loops?
I believe the second to final
loop on the trail I had a feeling
I did something to it based on
how hard I fell on the rocks. I
didn’t feel anything major; if I
did, I channeled it out.  between races. FANS and
How long did it take to
catch up on sleep after the
race?
Well, I'll say on the sleep, it
kind of changed my orientation.
I don't know if I'll ever be the
same, actually (laughs). Going
off such little sleep in the race
made me feel like I could operate
off less sleep. We got back to
Cincinnati at 11 p.m. and I went
for a run to keep my streak going.
Then I was at the ER until 3
a.m. for my hand. Then I ran to
work at 7 a.m. and started my
teaching day. But then I was
like wait, I need more sleep.
Sleep is so important to your
mental and physical recovery.
What’s your running
streak at?
My current streak is around
two years, which is not super
long. Some people have streaks
of 20, even 40 years. I had it
up to almost five years right
before the 24-hour World
Championship in 2019, but I
hurt my Achilles at the end of
the race and had to take five
days off.
You’ve had a jam-packed
and impressive racing year.
In the last four months
you’ve won Badwater 135
and Fans 24-Hour, and
finished second at Superior
100. How did you feel going
into Big’s? Any fatigue from
racing so much?
I've run seven ultras this year
and finished on the podium
in all of them. But to win
Badwater and Big’s in the same
year is beyond my wildest
dreams. That was something
I really sought after. But going
into Big’s I wasn’t sure. I really
pushed myself this year. I didn’t
have a lot of time to recover
Superior 100 were only 13 days
apart. And then I had five weeks
to go from the Superior to Big’s.
This year’s field was
stacked with past winners
and amazing athletes. What
was your plan and strategy to
outlast such amazing runners,
and did your prior experience
at Big’s help you prepare?
After I finished Badwater I
had to have a little down period
and then started building back
the pyramid. I incorporated two
races specifically for Big’s: the
24-hour race (which ended up
being shortened to 19 hours due to
weather) was on the road and fits
half the criteria—the nighttime
road loops. And Superior fits the
other half of the criteria—the
daytime trail loops.
But I’ve learned at Big’s that
it’s all about how you deal with
the adversity that's thrown
at you. There are so many
different elements. You can't
just be a really fast trail runner;
you can't just be a really fast
road runner; and you can't be
just a really good multi-day
runner. You have to be all three
and deal with so many things
like the heat and cold, and
sleep deprivation. There are all
kinds of things you have to deal
with. I tried to prepare myself
for all of them.
Who did you see as your
biggest competition?
I saw everyone as major
competition. That's the truth
because the majority of people
coming to that race are coming
because they believe they can
win. So, I didn't look at it as
any one person necessarily. I
looked at it as everybody was
incredible and formidable.
At any point did you
have any real thoughts of
quitting?
I had periods where I was
in dark moments a couple of
times, but not towards the end
of the race. Once I got past the
third night, something struck
me and it was like I was not
going to stop. But earlier on,
somewhere around mile 170, I
was just having a difficult time
in my mind. You know, you're
just going through so many
miles and you just have a diffi-
cult period.
What mental tricks did
you use to get through those
lows?
I have mantras that I say
to myself. But also, what was
really incredible this year was
when I was having that low
point around mile 170 and I
tried to imagine running to
and from work like I do every
day. It actually worked. I just
matched my normal routine
to the race and that worked
exceptionally well. That was
the big one.
One other thing, and I'll
share a secret—I will at times
think about the people in my
life. I had the note cards from
students that were great, but
at times on the course I’d
imagine myself running with
one of my friends. I have a
couple of very good friends in
developing countries who live
in very difficult conditions.
So doing a race, or running a
lap, or whatever it may be, is
really easy compared to like my
friend, David Murray. He's in
Haiti right now. He's explained
to me the difficult life chal-
lenges they face—like their
president was assassinated, and
the storms and earthquakes.
It’s daunting, but he has such
a positive attitude. So I think
about friends of mine living
in difficult circumstances and
how they shine through them.
Running is just so easy rela-
tively to that sort of thing.
Describe the last yard. Did
you know you won before
you finished the loop?
I didn’t know until I finished,
but I kind of suspected it
because when I turned around,
I didn't see Chris. I normally
would have seen him within
like five minutes. The lap before
I was halfway through before
I saw him and he was lagging
behind. But then he ran really
fast and he passed me in the
second half of the loop. So when
I didn’t see him I felt like that
could be the case. But I wasn’t
100% sure. You’re just so tired
and you don’t want to make any
mistakes. You just assume you
have to keep going on forever.
You prepare to go on forever.
Are you planning to go
back to Big’s again next
year?
Well, yeah, absolutely. I'm
really foolish. I'm gonna go
back for sure!
December 2021 // January 2022 43
EAST COAST THE WARRIORS ULTRARUN // NEW YORK

The
Warriors
UltraRun
An Urban Chase in NYC
BY TODD AYDELOTTE, RD
 THE WARRIORS
ULTRARUN
NEW YORK, NY //
AUGUST 28
1,1* // 28 MILES
Elevation gain:
Minimal
An overnight, underground
28-mile course on the
streets of New York City.
Runners dressed as gang
members pass iconic
sights from the movie The
Warriors as they race to the
finish at Coney Island.

Runners gather at The

Conclave at 1 a.m. in the
Bronx, NY. ARMANDO
“OUTTHERE” DIAZ

December 2021 // January 2022 45

EAST COAST THE WARRIORS ULTRARUN // NEW YORK

LEFT: Brandon Jackson (left), ABOVE: Michelle

a member of the 2021 Elite
Team, ran the entire distance
while wearing a giant 70s
afro, and carrying a bat.
ARMANDO “OUTTHERE” DIAZ
Goldberg (center), shown
here with the Warriors
Elite team, went on to win
fastest female, at 3:50.
ARMANDO “OUTTHERE” DIAZ

At 1 a.m., over 90 ultrarun-
ners converged on an aban-
doned lot in the South Bronx,
the starting line for one of the
world’s most unusual, under-
ground ultraruns, the third
annual The Warriors UltraRun
in New York City. Dressed as
Baseball Furies, Gramercy
Riffs, Boppers, Lizzies or any
of the fictional street gangs
appearing in Walter Hill’s
iconic 1979 cult classic, The
Warriors, where a gang from
Coney Island is framed for a
murder and must run all the
way home while being chased
by hundreds of rival gangs.
After hanging a 200-watt
Bluetooth speaker on a fence,
I climbed on a stepladder and
stood above the Warriors Elite
Team—seven top ultrarunners
who were about to make history.
As the audio from the Conclave
scene blared, “Can You Dig it?”
I raised my arms like Cyrus
and the gangs of runners went
wild, cheering, jostling for
position as their headlamps lit
up the scene. Moments later,
we hear a gunshot in the movie
– and I toppled backward off the
ladder, recreating Cyrus’s death
scene as bedlam breaks out and
the Elite Team takes off down
Broadway with the full field in
pursuit.
The Warriors UltraRun
comes in at just over 28 miles,
and recreates the escape
route from the movie, taking
runners from the foot of Van
Cortland Park in the Bronx, the
fictional site of the Conclave, to
the Boardwalk on Coney Island,
where athletes finish at dawn
the next morning.
We’re trying to bring this
movie to life, and to do that
we actually created an entirely
new format that has never been
attempted in ultrarunning – an
urban chase, where a lead
team has to stick together,
running at a single pace as they
attempt to outrun hordes of
gang members chasing them
through the streets of NYC in
the dead of night.
Members of The Warriors
UltraRun Elite Team included
Dave Maloney and Ramon
Bermo, who both won the event
in 2019, as well as a number of
well-known East Coast runners,
including Keron Alleyne and
Brandon Jackson from Black
We created an
entirely new format
that has never
been attempted in
ultrarunning — an
urban chase.
Men Run, Thom Lessner,
Brian McGregor and Michelle
Goldberg, the only female
member of the 2021 Elite Team.
Bermo served as the first-ever
War Chief and was in charge
of the Elite Team, which was
given a 10-minute head start
from the Conclave.
However, Cory Fleming
and Chris Crowley had other
ideas, and set off on a blis-
tering sub-7-minute pace from
Conclave, which helped them
overtake the Elite Team as they
approached the Riverside Park
area in New York City.
“On the start line, I hadn’t
decided whether to ‘race’ or just
enjoy a late-night jog through
NYC,” said Cory Fleming, who
ran alongside Chris Crowley
for much of the night, before
going on to win the event in
3:11. “But the event was so cool
and so unique that when I saw

46 UltraRunning.com
 Second Edition
Chris set off at a strong pace,

TRAINING
my adrenaline got the better of
me and I decided to join him.”
The top male finishers

ESSENTIALS
were Cory Fleming (first) in
3:11, Chris Crowley (second) in
3:12 and Keron Alleyne (third)
in 3:49. The top females were
Michelle Goldberg (first) in
3:50, Mirna Campbell (second)
in 4:44 and Alex Kolod and FOR

ULTRARUNNING
Lindsay Turley (tied) in 4:54.
“This event was just wild,
unlike any other race I have
done before,” said Michelle
Goldberg, the top female

JASON KOOP
finisher. “People all along the
way from the Bronx to the

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boardwalk of Coney Island

were cheering and shouting
to us, ‘Hey Warriors, come
out and play!’ It’s one thing
to run an ultramarathon, but
to run an ultra dressed as a
Warrior through the urban
jungle of New York City in the
dark of night, with a hundred
other people chasing after you
– wow! I can dig it. I’m already
looking forward to 2022.”

The Warriors
Ultra-Run
New York, NY // August 28
1,1* // 28 MILES
1 Cory Fleming 3:11
2 Chris Crowley 3:12
Kumi Redpath dressed 3 Keron Alleyne 3:49 ABOVE: Chris Crowley (left) and
as a Bopper. ARMANDO 4 Michelle Goldberg 3:50
Cory Fleming passed The Elite
“OUTTHERE” DIAZ 5 Mirna Campbell 4:44
6 Alex Kolod 4:54 Team and went on to win the race.
6 Lindsay Turley 4:54 ARMANDO “OUTTHERE” DIAZ
*
See page 42 for key

December 2021 // January 2022 47

MIDWEST THE HENNEPIN HUNDRED // ILLINOIS

It Takes
a Village BY JACKIE BETH MCCARTNEY
 THE HENNEPIN
HUNDRED
STERLING, IL //
OCTOBER 2
1,2* // 100 MILES,
50 MILES, 50K
Elevation gain:
Minimal
A point-to-point race along
the 104-mile Hennepin
Canal State Trail. The
surface is 70% chip-and-
seal pavement and 30% dirt
or crushed gravel.

Cory Reese shows he

can master getting both
feet off the ground in the
middle of a 100-mile race.
JENNY THORSEN

December 2021 // January 2022 49

MIDWEST THE HENNEPIN HUNDRED // ILLINOIS

I woke up alone
in the hotel room
on race day and
asked myself, “Why
am I running 100
miles without a
crew or pacers?”

ABOVE: Runners parallel

the canal that is part of the
Hennepin 100 course.
JENNY THORSEN

RIGHT: Christopher
Demere (left), and Dean
Bertram enjoy some time
together on the trail.
JENNY THORSEN
Hennepin is a point-to-point
race, so I asked (begged) total
strangers in a Facebook group
for a ride to the start line.
Shana and Steve made that
happen; thank goodness for
new ultra friends.
The Hennepin 100 is a fast
and flat course, following the
Hennepin Canal from Sterling,
Illinois, to Colona, Illinois. The
entire route is wide and scenic,
consisting of dirt, gravel and
asphalt. Even with 550 runners
at the start, there is no conges-
tion. Settling into a steady pace,
I pondered my goals: sub-24,
personal best or finish before
the 30-hour cutoff.
There are 20 aid stations
and the first one comes quickly.
I skipped it and focused on
getting to my first drop bag.
For the 100-mile, racers can
have four drop bags, accessible
six times, making this a great
race to run self-supported. I
carried enough nutrition to get
ABOVE: Annette Florczak
is all smiles before her
100-mile finish.
JENNY THORSEN
me from bag to bag, with quick
hydration refills as needed.
It was unusually warm,
with temperatures reaching
the low 80s. While the course
reminded me of flat Kansas, it
also reminded me of the canals
in Florida, and I expected to
see an alligator sunning along
the banks. I stayed away from
the edge, just in case. The race
progressed, and the leapfrog-
ging was a great distraction.
At the mile 32 aid station,
I restocked and started the
out-and-back section, antici-
pating that the miles would
be mentally challenging. The
turnaround marks the halfway
point, where runners can pick
up pacers. I began to feel alone
and questioned my life choices.
Reaching mile 68, I hit the
end of the out-and-back as well
as the party of the year with
music, lights, laughter and so
much food. The course had
taken a toll on my quads and I
stretched them on a tent pole.
Suddenly, an angel volunteer
appeared. “Massage?” he asked.
I nodded and he produced a
massage gun to use on my
quads. Mental note: bring
massage gun to races.
I sat a couple minutes at
mile 74 and admired Gordon
the dog sitting next to me. I
realized how few people are
around during the dark hours
and told myself to get moving.
Sitting wasn’t the best choice.
Arriving at mile 88, with
less than a half marathon left,
I heard my name. Wait, what? I
recognized Lisa, then Lindsey
and Maddie. Was I halluci-
nating? Nope, my friends had
driven from Kansas to be there.
I uttered a few expletives in
disbelief and ugly cried, but
they reassured me I wasn’t
hallucinating. Lindsey offered
to pace and I shouted, “Chop-
chop, Lindsey, time to go!”
At mile 94, I quickly refu-
eled and out we went with less
than 10k left. During the last
December 2021 // January 2022 51
 MIDWEST THE HENNEPIN HUNDRED // ILLINOIS

miles I struggled, grumbled

and whined, but soon heard
the finish line. There’s a sign:
“Colona, IL, where the people
run 100 miles to get here.”
Suddenly, I saw it. Hennepin
100 has a rock star finish line
complete with chute, personal
record bell, an enormous
American flag and the best
part – the Colona fire station
with cots and showers for all.
The pandemic may have
delayed the race for a year,
but it was worth the wait.
Volunteers are knowledgeable,
always smiling and eager to
assist. Aid stations are well-
stocked, with drool-worthy
food including pastries, pizza,
pulled pork, soup and tacos.
Crossing the finish line, I
could see RD Michele Hartwig
of Ornery Mule Racing (OMR)

ABOVE: A well-earned 100-

mile buckle on the worn
feet of a weary finisher.
JENNY THORSEN

BELOW: Franara “Paige”

Radtke and her pacer
Ann Scholl celebrate
a 100-mile finish.
JENNY THORSEN

52 UltraRunning.com
shop our
holiday gift boxeast
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. 5
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December 2021 // January 2022 53
MIDWEST THE HENNEPIN HUNDRED // ILLINOIS

LEFT: Jessica Garcia

takes it all in after
her 100-mile finish.
JENNY THORSEN

smiling and greeting finishers. 17 Chavet Hills, 39, CO 21:11:03 65 Eric Doulder, 43, TX 25:27:49 113 Brian Dennison, 43, IL 28:51:35
18 Brandon Mathews, 45, MN 21:11:03 66 Matthew Suggs, 31, IL 25:28:54 114 Ashten Hayes, 33, IA 28:51:49
She handed me the goods – the 19 Rob Wilkins, 40, IL 21:26:42 67 Mike Murphy, 42, IL 25:31:03 115 Cole Grigg, 42, AK 28:54:24
buckle is gorgeous, but that 20 Matt Wycklendt, 34, WI 21:32:32 68 Meg Anthony, 46, WI 25:32:55 116 Lauro Perez, 46, IL 29:07:59
21 Nich Panice, 39 21:36:21 69 Jackie McCartney, 42, KS 25:36:19 117 Lara Gonzalez, 46, NY 29:11:26
flannel, wow. I rang the bell 22 Jason Koperny, 46, IL 21:45:25 70 Sergio Palomera, 37, IL 25:37:16 118 Daria Podejko, 49, IL 29:11:27
(a new personal record) and 23 Tony Rajkowski, 44, MN 21:45:50 71 Lori Fromlak, 41, PA 25:47:40 119 Shannon Redden, 44, IL 29:12:05
24 Henry Howard, 52, IN 21:49:30 72 Frank Evans, 59, MO 25:47:53 120 Robert Scott, 67, CT 29:20:50
hobbled to the fire station for a 25 Rich Luers, 39, IL 21:51:48 73 Peter Caldecourt, 53, WI 25:48:11 121 Barb Knight, 55, IL 29:22:34
hot shower. I recalled the OMR 26 Arnold Lim, 51, WI 21:55:15 74 Spencer Swearingen, 43, IL 25:53:37 122 Sonny Lui, 41, IL 29:23:48
27 Chad Brower, 50, SD 22:02:54 75 Richard Nave, 55, MI 25:54:43 123 Adwait Samant, 49, CA 29:26:52
motto: Kindness, community 28 Kara Burg, 38, IA 22:07:09 76 Annette Florczak, 47, MA 26:04:14 124 David Kung, 49, CA 29:27:26
and ordinary people doing 29 Julia Stodola, 40, MN 22:14:50 77 Trey Hicks, 50, GA 26:06:18 125 Jeff Reynolds, 44, IL 29:37:17
30 Matthew O’Brien, 28, IL 22:16:05 78 Randy Kreill, 59, OH 26:19:26 126 Elizabeth Lara, 46, WI 29:37:40
extraordinary things. Is there a 127 Amanda Carmon, 50, LA 29:38:28
31 Monica Devreese, 48, CA 22:16:44 79 Teri Hart, 60, WI 26:32:22
more accurate description of the 32 Brandon Gittelman, 31, CO 22:28:04 80 Caroline Hatlevig, 41, WI 26:32:22 128 Stephanie Foreman, 36, MI 29:45:19
ultra community? I think not. 33 Amy Wendling, 39, MI 22:31:33 81 Brett Stallings, 40, IN 26:33:34 129 Missy Harken, 48, AR 29:45:53
34 Pearce Durst, 37, IL 22:32:34 82 John Fuhrmann, 63, IL 26:35:32 130 Irene Kok, 51, IL 29:46:05
35 Jacob Wittman, 31, WA 22:35:31 83 Jennifer Heller, 45, IL 26:38:09 131 Stephanie Duvall, 47, IL 29:48:50
36 Jim Macaluso, 40, IL 22:37:49 84 Franara Radtke, 48, WI 26:39:46 132 Sheena Hauf, 40, MT 29:49:50
37 Deanna Odell, 54, CA 22:41:39 85 Mark Burgard, 44, WI 26:39:52 133 Anna Bluma, 43, WI 29:50:13
38 Joshua Holmes, 43 22:42:38 86 William O'Ryan, 42, OH 26:45:23 134 Bob Pilmer, 63, IL 29:51:15
39 Bobby Duby, 44, IL 22:44:38 87 Larry Guttman, 35, KY 26:56:25 135 Tom Harland, 52, MO 29:51:30
The Hennepin 40
41
Monica Rice, 53, IL
John Koenig, 52, IN
22:57:09
23:02:51
88
89
Thomas Yenne, 44, IL
Donna Jasper, 52, IL
27:09:23
27:11:36
136
137
Dorothy Dean, 60, OH
Dennis Wilson, 63, NE
30:30:20
31:00:02
Hundred 42
43
Diana Angel, 39, IL
Derek Frank, 46, IA
23:04:58
23:05:33
90
91
Tim Steele, 59, CA
Nolan Southfield, 46, IL
27:17:01
27:23:03
138 William Sprouse, 52, KS 32:01:00
Sterling, IL // October 2 50 MILES
44 Chad McCartney, 41, WI 23:15:24 92 Kathryn Stoker, 54, CT 27:23:05
1,2* // 100 MILES, 45 Gregory Marshall, 32, IN 23:16:51 93 Katrina Riippa, 42, WA 27:29:03 1 Taggart Vanetten, 25, IL 5:32:32
50 MILES, 50K 46 Brook Wheeler, 50, MN 23:24:10 94 Jessica Garcia, 35, WI 27:32:45 2 Phil Young, 35, IA 6:17:53
47 Andy Carlson, 38, SD 23:27:34 95 Cory Mclean, 44, TX 27:42:39 3 Paul Campion, 24, IL 7:41:30
100 MILES 48 Jason Hensley, 35, CA 23:28:33 96 Zachary Kraus, 45, IL 27:52:19 4 Lisa Fritz, 37, TX 8:16:59
1 Scott Traer, 40, MA 13:54:00 49 Chad Wolf, 32, OH 23:28:46 97 Scott Struck, 55, MI 27:55:06 5 Lily Medina, 40, IL 8:33:48
2 Brian Marshburn, 42, NC 16:03:39 50 Ryan Litwiller, 38, MI 23:30:04 98 Jeff Brown, 39, IL 28:07:15 6 Lot Serebour, 37, IL 8:36:00
3 Jill Wojta, 39, WI 16:04:35 51 Sean Kenney, 48, NE 23:34:47 99 Jeremy Anderson, 47, WI 28:08:01 7 Autum Shurbert-Hetzel, 23, MN 8:40:07
4 Jordan Camastro, 38, AZ 17:38:57 52 Chris Egan, 49, TX 23:40:43 100 William Phillips, 52, NE 28:08:15 8 McKenzie Buck, 25, MN 8:40:59
5 Nicholas Hanson, 39, MI 17:44:38 53 Lyle Block, 40, IL 23:46:52 101 Josh Wentzell, 34, PA 28:09:02 9 Mindaugas Juodeikis, 49, IL 8:40:59
6 Samantha Stimac, 27, WI 18:01:55 54 Brett Garrett, 38, IL 23:48:05 102 Cory Reese, 43, UT 28:13:12 10 Leah Young, 43, IL 9:17:27
7 Lindsay Phenix, 30, CA 19:29:01 55 Billy Volchko, 31, IL 24:06:25 103 Abby McCarthy, 41, NY 28:13:14 11 Tiffany Thurlby, 40, IL 9:22:34
8 Neil Nicholson, 41, IL 19:52:06 56 Jean Sabater, 37, IL 24:17:32 104 Jeane Stebleton, 51, MI 28:14:05 12 Becky Rea, 34, IA 9:33:20
9 Shawn Platz, 30, IL 19:54:38 57 Angie Frazier, 48, IN 24:22:00 105 Annette Mensonides, 51, CA 28:14:12 13 Jennifer Scheele, 45, IL 9:35:56
10 Nathan Jurowski, 41, WI 19:58:17 58 Scott Baldwin, 40, PA 24:25:15 106 Jason Mullenbach, 48, MN 28:17:05 14 Thom Bateman, 53, IL 9:41:50
11 Jacob Klaustermeier, 40, IL 20:04:55 59 Kelli Coleman, 34, VA 24:25:48 107 John Buzansky, 59, PA 28:20:22 15 James Kuhn, 41, IL 9:44:16
12 Dan Carney, 37, IN 20:23:11 60 Kim Hooper-Stanley, 59, CT 24:27:31 108 Gerald Stock, 53, IL 28:25:27 16 Brookelyn Eazelle, 41, IL 9:50:40
13 Nicole Diedrick, 41, WI 20:33:28 61 Valerie Thompson, 52, IA 24:45:13 109 Melissa Meyer, 36, IL 28:34:29 17 Tori Christie, 47, IA 9:54:36
14 Rocky Seymour, 49, MN 20:34:04 62 Jackie Campbell, 51, PA 24:47:11 110 Sandra Wimer, 50, IL 28:34:29 18 Raquel Gamez, 47, IL 10:02:25
15 Logan Mueller, 29, OH 20:49:42 63 Bonnie Busch, 63, IA 25:12:03 111 Bradley Koback, 34, CA 28:46:53 19 Steph Pendegraft, 46, AR 10:10:03
16 Christine Heckler, 41, MI 21:01:12 64 Stephen Ball, 60, MI 25:15:58 112 Nathan Turner, 41, NC 28:50:58 20 Sam Welch, 23, IL 10:10:51

54 UltraRunning.com
21 Conner Welch, 23, IA 10:10:51 61 Albrey Traman, 36, IL 13:58:39 29 Christian Randle, 53, IL 6:08:02 69 Angela Nwanze, 54, TX 8:05:22
22 Aaron Kramer, 43, IL 10:14:09 62 Linda Williams, 64, MN 14:16:29 30 Jay Eiteljorge, 47, IN 6:10:49 70 Witty Wittnebel, 38, IA 8:08:26
23 Kimberly Spark, 44, IA 10:18:23 63 Betrina Stitt, 39, MI 14:18:30 31 Megan Veldkamp, 41, WI 6:11:12 71 William Grudzinski, 52, IA 8:10:15
24 Matthew Childers, 41, IL 10:25:25 64 Ron Larson, 69, WI 14:24:48 32 David Christensen, 61, IL 6:13:28 72 Michele Grudzinski, 47, IA 8:10:16
25 Laurie Giumento, 45, IL 10:29:59 65 Jim Loui, 46 14:24:49 33 Tirzah Renkes, 42, IL 6:15:26 73 Greg Fisher, 37, OH 8:20:53
26 Mo Curry, 28, IL 10:35:21 66 Duncan Falconer, 53, IL 14:31:47 34 Bob Leverton, 48, IL 6:17:47 74 Marilyn Pacana, 45, IL 8:25:00
27 Russ Molter, 39, IL 10:44:48 67 Joseph Hupp, 64, IL 14:42:07 35 Angela Byrne, 29, IL 6:21:27 75 Lance Pacana, 51, IL 8:25:02
28 Amanda Wilson, 32, NE 10:48:00 68 Joe Roche, 65, OH 15:30:00 36 Jeremy Schuler, 32, IL 6:30:34 76 Richard Pye, 62, IL 8:29:55
29 Dean Bertram, 43, MN 10:54:55 69 Catherine Bundy, 37, OH 15:34:26 37 Peter Naylor, 41, IL 6:31:08 77 Katherine Miller, 52, IL 8:31:47
30 Kristy Amerson, 49, WI 10:55:29 70 Keith Gartrell, 52, TX 15:34:26 38 Kirk Tate, 37, IL 6:31:08 78 Merl Sage, 51, IL 8:42:50
31 Dan Stephany, 52, WI 10:55:29 39 Michael Pierce, 59, IL 6:39:17 79 Michelle Kilty, 40, IL 8:43:56
32 Alexa Lingg, 25, IN 11:14:39 50K 40 Eric Butcher, 49, IN 6:41:38 80 Janis Duffy, 49, IA 8:51:20
33 Sheri Giese, 48, IA 11:14:45 1 Patrick Riley, 48, IA 3:41:16 41 Patrick Rowles, 48, IN 6:41:38 81 Sarah Farebrother, 51, IA 8:51:20
34 Lauren Ramski, 29, IL 11:18:53 2 Chris White, 47, IN 4:14:25 42 Matthew Brantley, 40, IL 6:47:06 82 Kate Karacay, 46, IA 8:51:20
35 Ken Hannah, 47, IL 11:27:03 3 Gabe Pedraza, 24, IL 4:26:42 43 Kayla Heimerman, 36, IL 6:56:56 83 Lisa Wilson, 52, IA 8:51:20
36 Joy Carr, 44, WI 11:28:18 4 Joanna White, 45, IN 4:32:32 44 William Fraedrich, 57, IL 6:57:15 84 Jacqueline Christen, 43, IL 8:56:00
37 Shilo Titus, 46, WI 11:28:18 5 Jarod Brown, 45, WI 4:38:40 45 William Schroeder, 50, IL 7:05:38 85 Tyler Scheidt, 24, NE 9:37:09
38 Amy Riley, 49, IL 11:30:38 6 Nate Kramp, 32, IL 4:43:18 46 Mary Callis, 40, IL 7:18:57 86 Brandon Wilson, 28, NE 9:37:09
39 Kimberly Skipworth, 50, KY 11:44:23 7 Michael Rieker, 46, IL 4:47:33 47 Chad Wilson, 49, OH 7:18:57 87 James Klein, 58, IL 9:39:20
40 Liz Tullis, 52, KY 11:46:30 8 Inga Maurer, 37 4:48:42 48 Jason Madl, 44, IL 7:20:47 88 Chris Gramling, 56, IL 9:39:26
41 Linda Lopez, 54, IL 11:51:44 9 Luke Hall, 26, IL 4:55:35 49 Sally Gill, 47, IL 7:25:03 89 Nicholas Boaz, 33, IL 9:53:20
42 Janelle Denny, 51, IL 11:53:25 10 Cameran Richardson, 42, IN 4:58:13 50 Jairan Duke, 46, FL 7:30:03 90 Christine Davis, 69, IL 9:58:03
43 Kimberly Reed, 42 12:01:17 11 Zach Newman, 36, WI 5:04:08 51 Mark Pierce, 57, KS 7:36:21 91 Kari Benning, 39, IL 10:03:27
44 Terry Knull, 53, IL 12:05:58 12 Maria Decremer, 50, WI 5:04:10 52 Sarah Bland, 37, IL 7:39:30 92 Erin Cobb, 46, IL 10:03:37
45 Marcos Gonzales, 37, IL 12:14:26 13 Holly Murphy, 39, WI 5:05:13 53 Rosalind Sydnor, 36, IL 7:39:30 93 Shauna Oyler, 47, IA 10:03:37
46 Jill Dring, 43, WI 12:35:01 14 Katie O'Connor, 43, IL 5:07:03 54 Stephanie Baker, 47, OH 7:43:21 94 Meredith Marley, 34, IL 11:03:23
47 Oscar Delgado, 46, IL 12:35:35 15 Jaime Lawrence, 44, IL 5:07:04 55 Parris Silvis, 42, IL 7:45:04 95 Brenda Hennessey, 44, IL 11:32:31
48 Don Myers, 50, IA 12:46:49 16 Christopher Heimerman, 42, IL 5:14:41 56 Nicolas Waldron, 34, IL 7:45:04 96 Kala Steiner, IN 11:33:04
49 Andrea Kappler, 32, MD 12:55:49 17 Sandra Voltarel, 53, IL 5:30:03 57 John Sites, 70, IN 7:46:32 97 Ryan Steiner, 40, IN 11:33:07
50 Carol Byrd, 64, OH 13:04:42 18 Patty Ruback, 47, IL 5:33:42 58 Anna Korb, 29, WI 7:48:43 98 Cheryl Heinz, 50, IL 11:37:34
51 Sara Swanson, 50, IA 13:10:14 19 Zach Dinkle, 32, WI 5:33:47 59 Jim Korb, 66, WI 7:48:54 99 Duane Grigg, 70, MO 12:10:33
52 Brett Bishop, 31, MO 13:17:46 20 Amy Masternak, 53, MI 5:38:45 60 Elizabeth Anderson, 49, IL 7:49:27 100 Sarah Horr, 50, IL 12:23:16
53 Michael Haviland, 79, GA 13:18:05 21 Jon Valuck, 34, IL 5:47:51 61 Michal Parzuch, 29, IL 7:49:43 101 Allison Kopp, 42, IL 12:23:16
54 Adam Wolfe, 41, FL 13:18:16 22 Heather Bucholtz, 35, WI 5:48:07 62 Mercedes Parzuch, 28, IL 7:49:43 102 Lori McFate, 50, IA 12:23:22
55 Kevin Kane, 72, IL 13:34:01 23 Natalie Klocke, 33, IL 5:48:41 63 Nicole Garrett, 39, MO 7:53:06 *
See page 42 for key
56 Lori Larson, 58, MN 13:37:01 24 Julie Morgan, 40, IL 5:59:23 64 Tana Deyoung, 51, IA 7:56:10
57 Mark Traxler, 65, WI 13:41:02 25 Lindsay Bice, 39, WI 6:00:57 65 Sheli Glover, 50, KS 8:00:44
58 Kathy Taylor, 53, IL 13:41:26 26 Matt Lenz, 37, IL 6:02:00 66 Brittany Michels, 35, IL 8:03:39
59 Felicia White, 35, IL 13:41:27 27 Don Montgomery, 52, IL 6:02:00 67 Cherie Newton, 53, IL 8:03:39
60 Travis Traman, 34, IL 13:58:38 28 Brett Weisensel, 44, WI 6:06:37 68 Mary Newell, 71, CT 8:05:22
THE WEST SAWATCH 50/50 // COLORADO

SHOWDOWN
IN THE SAWATCH
BY KELSEY BANASZYNSKI, RD AND CALEB EFTA, RD
 SAWATCH ASCENT
NATHROP, CO //
SEPTEMBER 26
3.3* // 50K
Elevation gain:
7,000 feet
This lollipop-style course
has a high point of 13,150
feet and a low of 8,150 feet,
and runners traverse 22
miles of single track, 4.5
miles of pavement and 6.5
miles of gravel or dirt roads.

WEST LINE WINDER

BUENA VISTA, CO //
SEPTEMBER 25
3.3* // 50K
Elevation gain:
4,000 feet
This fast and flowing loop
course has a high point of
9,500 feet and a low of
7,900 feet. The trail twists,
rolls an climbs between
the valley floor and
nearby foothills.

Courtney Dauwalter
makes her way toward
the Skyline Aid Station
(13,150 ft.) in the
Sawatch Ascent 50K.
JORDAN CHAPELL | MILE
90 PHOTOGRAPHY

December 2021 // January 2022 57

THE WEST SAWATCH 50/50 // COLORADO
On the last weekend
in September,
more than 300 runners and volunteers
convened in Buena Vista, Colorado, for
the inaugural West Line Winder and
Sawatch Ascent 50Ks. The West Line
Winder started Saturday in the heart of
town and proved to be a fast and rolling
race, winding along the Arkansas River to
the eastern hills of Fourmile and gaining
4,000 feet along the way.
The following morning, on the oppo-
site side of the valley, the Sawatch Ascent
took runners on a high-alpine vert fest
that punished both the lungs and quads
over every mile. Runners ascended from
the valley f loor to 13,150 feet, just beneath
the peak of Mt. Antero, gaining 7,000 feet
in all.
The combined challenge—dubbed
the Sawatch 50/50—offers a unique test
of skills and endurance, while show-
casing the two extremes of the Sawatch
landscape: sun-blasted, high desert and
towering, rugged mountains.
As Saturday morning dawned on the
West Line Winder, 103 runners milled
about eagerly awaiting the starting bell.
The field was a beautiful cross-section of
58 UltraRunning.com
the running community, with legends,
beginners and locals alike geared up to
take on the blissful yet unrelenting single-
track loop.
The men’s and women’s fields ran
extremely tight for most of the race until
Courtney Dauwalter dropped the hammer
and won outright in 4:34:04. Brian
Condon took the men’s win in 4:50:47. In
a moment of true ultrarunning spirit, the
last runner, Paul Omar, crossed the line 11
minutes after the cutoff to a massive crowd
and thunderous applause. It was his very
first ultra.
The next morning, the action shifted
to the Sawatch Ascent at the base of
Mt. Princeton. As the alpenglow slowly
crept up the Sawatch Range, 76 runners
embarked on their 33-mile journey. The
heart of the race is the classic loop up
Browns and down Little Browns Canyons,
which runners reach via the Colorado
Trail. With the aspens turning gold, a light
dusting of snow and the bluest of bluebird
skies, it was a perfect fall day for suffering.
The race was closely fought, with all six
podium finishers reaching the Skyline aid
LEFT: Runners leave the start line
at the base of Mt. Princeton for the
inaugural Sawatch Ascent 50K.
KRISTI MAYO | MILE 90 PHOTOGRAPHY

BELOW LEFT: Jacob Mueller (left)

and Mishea Mueller (right) lead
a group across the saddle of
Mt. Antero in the Sawatch Ascent.
JORDAN CHAPELL | MILE 90 PHOTOGRAPHY

BELOW RIGHT: Courtney Dauwalter

on the first day of the Sawatch 50/50
during the West Line Winder 50K.
KRISTI MAYO | MILE 90 PHOTOGRAPHY

December 2021 // January 2022 59

THE WEST SAWATCH 50/50 // COLORADO

RIGHT: Patrick Kavanagh

leads runners along the
flat and fast West Line
Winder course.
JORDAN CHAPELL | MILE 90
PHOTOGRAPHY

Sawatch Ascent
Nathrop, CO // September 26
3,3* // 50K
1 Courtney Dauwalter, 36, CO 5:29:46
2 Benjamin Hearon, 23, CT 5:37:36
3 Allison Baca, 31, CO 5:53:02
4 Sara Kadlec, 37, CO 5:53:32
5 Ted Schultz, 31, CO 6:04:52
6 Patrick McGlade, 33, CO 6:13:17
7 Christopher McBride, 51, CO 6:21:04
8 Anthony Oldani, 24, CO 6:42:43
9 Chad Trammell, 37, AK 6:47:30
10 Matthew Bitters, 29, CO 6:58:54
11 Kevin Cannaday, 42, CO 6:59:28
12 Kaitlyn Yonke, 32, CO 7:04:24
13 Mishea Mueller, 30, CO 7:07:46
14 Matthew Bender, 30, CO 7:10:06
15 Ryan Charter, 32, CO 7:15:09
16 Ryan Kiewiet, 30, AZ 7:17:07
17 Jacob Mueller, 29, CO 7:20:15
18 Zach Feickert, 31, CO 7:21:30
19 Terry Kriss, 28, CO 7:24:17
20 Kelly Addington, 35, CO 7:24:43
21 Dafydd Spencer, 33, CO 7:26:32
22 Ross Kiewiet, 31, AZ 7:27:41
23 Jason Morgan, 46, CO 7:30:07 station (the race’s high point)
24 Stefan Sampaleanu, 26, IL 7:32:55
within 9 minutes of each other.
25
26
Julie Powell, 43, CO
Ray Nypaver, 33, CO
7:33:10
7:36:13 Courtney Dauwalter once again Modularly
27 Helen Cospolich, 44, CO 7:41:07 led in the final stretch, winning
28
29
Ivan Schwendt, 50, CO
David Morehouse, 17, CO
7:41:45
7:44:48 outright in 5:29:46. Benjamin
organized,
30
31
Matthew Hadley, 26, KS
Scott Flatlip, 35, MT
7:47:48
7:50:32
Hearon took the men's field everything
32 Liz Weiss, 36, CO 7:53:49 in 5:37:36. In a moment of
33 Ben Coffman, 29, CO 7:54:48 excitement, Alison Baca edged in its place.
34 Kelly Teeselink, 34, AZ 8:00:02
35 Nathan Wendel, 26, CO 8:02:48 out Sara Kadlec by a mere 30
36 Diane Bergstedt, 31, CO 8:05:09 seconds to finish in 5:53:02
37 Stephen Wissing, 45, NM 8:13:20
38 Suzanne Ehler, 38, CO 8:14:13
(third overall, second female)
39 Bret Naber, 43, CO 8:14:25 with Kadlec coming in at 5:53:32
40 Patrick Kavanagh, 31, AZ 8:15:30
41 Nate Pham, 25, UT 8:19:15
(fourth overall, third female).
42 Laura Saracho, 33, CO 8:24:25 True to its mountain spirit, the
43 Jehoshua Logan, 35, CO 8:28:29 race delivered an appropriate
44 RJ Boyle, 31, CO 8:28:50
45 Seth Yoder, 26, OH 8:32:15 amount of carnage with only 68
46 Laura Wyse, 31, CO 8:33:10 runners finishing under cutoffs.
47 Jim Skelding, 51, TX 8:43:26
48
49
Olga King, 51, CO
George Coogan, CO
8:52:54
8:58:01
Of the 20 runners who
attempted the Sawatch 50/50,
The best
50
51
Thomas Bull, 27, CO
Kendra Miller, 37, CO
8:58:47
8:59:28 15 finished (one after cutoff). gear bag
52 Adam Solon, 38, CO 9:05:02 Courtney Dauwalter and Chad
53 Stephen Jozefczyk, 43, CO 9:10:28
Trammell took home the wins
to use
54 Garrett Dickson, 31, CO 9:10:30
55
56
Neil Kindt, 30, CO
Kristina Sargent, 33, CO
9:11:47
9:25:52
in 10:03:50 and 12:01:22 respec- as an
tively, earning guaranteed entry
57
58
Toby Manuel, 38, CO
John Wright, 44, CO
9:34:49
9:40:43 into High Lonesome 100. Ultra
59
60
61
Joseph Zell, 43, CO
Paige Wendel, 26, CO
Ty McAllister, 28, TX
9:46:26
9:47:22
9:59:42
Drop Bag.
62 Nathan Paxton, 24, CO 10:04:26
63
64
65
66
67
Eric Sheffey, 27, CO
Kelsea MacIlroy, 38, CO
Brennan Johnson, 32, CO
Wanvipa Ruangpradit, 45, CO
Janetta Iwanicki, 39, CO
10:04:28
10:18:48
10:24:47
10:36:35
10:38:09
VICTORY BAGS
www.VICTORYSPORTDESIGN.com
68 Samuel Ziv, 35, CO 10:39:25
*
See page 42 for key

60 UltraRunning.com
 LEFT: Kevin Aguimatang
follows the historic path
of the Midland Railway
during the early miles of
the West Line Winder
50K course. KRISTI MAYO
| MILE 90 PHOTOGRAPHY

40 Matt Agnew, 29, CO 7:14:35

41 Dawn Bodin, 30, CO 7:15:29
42 Gus Meuli, 37, CO 7:17:35
43 Katharine Evans, 28, CO 7:19:01
44 Linsey Joyce, 39, CO 7:20:19
45 Jared Thompson, 38, CO 7:20:36
46 Erin Flanders, 33, CO 7:23:44
47 Jordan Hirro, 28, CO 7:23:48
48 Adam Fraser, 29, CO 7:25:58
49 Austin Sehnert, 23, CO 7:26:24
50 Travis Atwood, 38, CO 7:35:06
51 Hunter Boyle, 28, CO 7:38:45
52 Tessa Dawson, 36, CO 7:40:22
53 Jennifer Wescott, 46, CO 7:40:25
54 Scott Wescott, 46, CO 7:42:47
55 Jonathan Eisen, 34, CO 7:44:08
West Line Winder 56
57
Courtney Boyle, 40, CO
Ben Coon, 45, CO
7:44:41
7:45:00
Buena Vista, CO // September 25 58 Bradley West, 29, CO 7:45:50
3,3* // 50K 59 Ronald Terry, 46, CO 7:51:16
60 Rusty Taylor, 37, CO 7:58:00
1 Courtney Dauwalter, 36, CO 4:34:04 61 Amanda Buchholtz, 33, CO 7:59:47
2 Brian Condon, 35, CO 4:50:47 62 Andrea Park, 35, CO 8:00:34
3 Matthew Bitters, 29, CO 5:03:28 63 Audrey Hambright, 33, KS 8:03:03
4 Chad Trammell, 37, AK 5:13:52 64 Matthew Zwang, 33, CO 8:03:16
5 Whitney Barrett, 40, NM 5:18:02 65 Milam Horak, 29, CO 8:06:19
6 Kevin Kaucher, 39, CO 5:18:04 66 Megan Nelson, 31, CO 8:07:17
7 Cessair McKinney, 22, CO 5:33:22 67 Victoria Anaya-Tubbs, 28, CO 8:07:20
8 Julie Powell, 42, CO 5:36:03 68 Adrian Horner, 45, CO 8:09:34
9 Ross Kiewiet, 31, AZ 5:44:55 69 Anna Klochak, 32, CO 8:11:51
10 Patrick Kavanagh, 31, AZ 5:45:18 70 Wade Kao, 47, TX 8:12:18
11 Ryan Kiewiet, 29, AZ 5:50:54 71 Nathan Andrew, 31, UT 8:13:21
12 Mark Ehler, 31, VT 5:52:10 72 April Corey, 30, CO 8:14:38
13 Matthew Hadley, 26, MO 5:56:11 73 Brady Jadin, 33, CO 8:20:32
14 Helen Cospolich, 44, CO 6:00:06 74 Emily Roberts, 35, CO 8:26:17
15 Stephen Wissing, 45, NM 6:04:35 75 Caitlin Finn, 36, CO 8:26:19
16 Jason Regan, 37, CO 6:05:36 76 Liz Hunt, 47, CO 8:37:03
17 Reall Regan, 36, CO 6:05:39 77 Sarabeth Keating, 42, CO 8:37:51
18 Ryan Charter, 32, CO 6:05:43 78 Amber Surls, 38, CO 8:39:40
19 Scott Flatlip, 35, MT 6:12:37 79 Marissa Taylor, 32, KS 8:41:17
20 Ivan Schwendt, 50, CO 6:12:54 80 Rebecca Walker, 43, CO 8:44:59
21 Kevin Schmidt, 37, CO 6:16:47 81 Claire McCabe, 52, CO 8:47:05
22 Colin Johnson, 33, CO 6:26:22 82 Heidi Lewis, 36, MD 8:52:22
23 Laura Cortez, 27, CO 6:29:48 83 Lynn Malie, 42, CO 8:52:28
24 Victor Fallon, 33, CO 6:29:50 84 Charlotte Babcock, 42, CO 8:55:01
25 Bret Naber, 43, CO 6:34:25 85 Dennis Paprocki, 50, CO 8:55:03
26 Colette Boulet, 18, AZ 6:39:08 86 Lesley Patrick, 44, CO 8:57:03
27 Katie Kent, 41, CO 6:39:33 87 Michael Abeyta, 37, CO 9:02:59
28 Ben Keefe, 42, MO 6:44:28 88 Laura McCrain, 42, CO 9:08:00
29 Matthew Chavez, 37, CO 6:54:34 89 Gracie Cole, 38, CO 9:16:06
30 Ron Nies, 54, CO 6:58:55 90 Cherie McCafferty, 54, CO 9:18:59
31 Jacob Huot, 36, CO 6:59:22 91 Elijah Slate, 44, TX 9:21:31
32 Analisa Colglazier, 40, NE 7:00:05 92 Michael Glueck, 42, CO 9:21:47
33 Matthew Risinger, 23, CO 7:03:12 93 Brian Turek, 38, TX 9:39:09
34 Miranda Williamson, 38, CO 7:10:06 94 Avery Lewis, 34, TX 9:39:11
35 Tommy Grace, 23, CO 7:11:15 95 Sam Denton, 25, CO 9:39:53
36 Arturo Lopez, 36, CO 7:11:48 96 Jared McGowan, 30, CO 9:40:19
37 Daniel Polski, 44, CO 7:12:59 97 Kevin Aguimatang, 44, NM 9:48:55
38 Rachel Polski, 40, CO 7:13:02 98 Roger Brooks, 41, TX 10:44:46
39 Julia Veseth, 31, CO 7:13:36 *
See page 42 for key

December 2021 // January 2022 61

ULTRALIFE REESE’S PIECES

Thanks for a Great Run

BY CORY REESE

I don’t know how to start cruel irony of ultramarathon to large. I just can’t bring with the volunteers and
this article. So, I suppose I’ll running: when you arrive at an myself to throw it away though, tell them “thanks.”
just start by saying that I don’t aid station fully stocked with because it serves as a reminder 3. Running and training
know how to start this article. the best junk food money can of the first time I made that are not the top priority.
I am incredibly fortunate buy, your stomach is often too painful journey into the No belt buckle is worth
to have had the opportunity upset to be interested in eating world that exists beyond 26.2. sacrificing relationships
to write a monthly column for any of it. (Somewhere way, way back with your family and
UltraRunning Magazine each I am infinitely grateful in the closet, there is also a loved ones.
month for six years now. Six for all the amazing things body-hugging unitard designed 4. Your race results, pace,
years! that have come into my life with the face of a kitten that finish times and DNFs
It all started when I got a as a result of the fact that I I wore for a mile during do not define who you are.
call from Lisa Henson. run ultramarathons. I’ve met Badwater because I don’t know 5. You are capable of more
“Hi Cory, this is Lisa from incredible people and made how to resist a double-dog than you know.
UltraRunning Magazine. We’ve
been reading your blog, and
we like your writing style. We
wondered if you’d be interested
in writing an article for the
magazine.”
“Sure,” I said. “Is there a
certain topic you’d like me to
write about?”
Lisa said, “Actually, yes. We
wondered if you would write
an article about how you use
Hostess products to fuel your
training runs.”
There was an awkwardly
long silence while I processed
Lisa’s request. Finally, I said,
“Just to be clear, you’d like for
me to write an article for your
magazine about Twinkies?”
And thus began my six-year
love affair with UltraRunning
Magazine.
Over that time, I’ve watched
the magazine evolve and
grow, just like our sport has incredible friends. I’ve felt the dare.) But I digress. 6. If you find yourself
continued to evolve and grow. sense of accomplishment that What I’m trying to get at mid-race, in need of
Each year, more and more comes from achieving some- is that, after writing for this a quick burst of calo-
people have become interested thing you’ve worked so hard awesome magazine for six rie-dense energy, take
in experiencing the peculiar for. But one of the most notice- years, I think it’s time to pass it from me: go with the
world that exists beyond 26.2 able things ultrarunning has the torch. It’s hard to say this, Twinkies.
miles. They come to find out brought into my life is the stuff because I have loved being able Thanks for a great run my
that what exists are more in my closet. If it weren’t for all to give voice to the quirky side friends. I hope our trails cross
blisters and less toenails. More the race shirts, pairs of Injinji of running, but I think it’s time again soon.
chaffing and less ability to coax socks and running jackets I to hear some new voices.
your legs out of the car after a own, my closet would be bare. If you don’t mind, allow me
CORY REESE is the author of the books
race. Among the shirts hanging to pass on some final words Nowhere Near First, Into the Furnace and
Each year, more and more in my closet, there is a red shirt of wisdom gleaned over the Stronger Than the Dark. He uses running
people are discovering the glory with black letters that spell out span of time since that Red to help balance out a well-developed
of ultramarathon aid stations, “Red Mountain 50k.” The shirt Mountain 50k shirt actually fit: sweet tooth. When he’s not running,
replete with Swedish Fish, fits snug around my stomach 1. Ultrarunning should be Cory stays busy as a husband, father and
potato chips, cookies, Coke, and looks like I bought it at fun! If it’s not, you’re medical social worker. His adventures
can be found out fastcory.com.
quesadillas and an unlimited Baby Gap. I got it 10 years ago, doing it wrong.
supply of M&Ms. Each year, before my reluctant transition 2. Before leaving each aid
those same people discover the from medium-sized shirts station, make eye contact

62 UltraRunning.com
ULTRALIFE FACES OF ULTRARUNNING
How to Get Fit in the Off Season
BY RYAN MONTGOMERY
I imagine many of us have
been in the situation where
our doctor, physical therapist
or a Google search told us
to not run for a few days or
week in order to recover. Not
running and taking a break is
usually smart after hard race
performances or hard training
blocks, but what about during
the winter? Between shoveling,
shivering and scraping ice off
of one’s windshield, winter
living is tough and exhausting.
A few years ago, I decided
to train smarter by depriori-
tizing long-distance running
during the winter months and
focusing on speed, strength
and winter sports. The effect
has been profound in my
training, and my overall
appreciation for the sport of
ultrarunning has flourished.
Between cross-training, vari-
ability in training and mental
health, experts and athletes
alike seems to agree.
WINTER CROSS TRAINING
When we think about cross
training during the winter
months, there is a lot we can
learn from our European friends
on the other side of the pond.
If you look at some of the
top ultrarunning athletes
in Europe including Kilian
Jornet, François D’Haene and
Ida Nilsson, we find them
spending many hours skiing
each week – and we aren’t
talking about resort-style
skiing. You can often find
D’Haene Nordic skiing (cross-
country skiing) 3-4 hours in a
single day. Ida Nilsson can be
tracked ski touring (skimo),
clocking 10k feet in vertical
gain or more, in one workout.
Even American trail
runner Hillary Allen takes
on this winter cross-training
approach. Allen says that her
training is all about balance
and consistency during the
winter months. “I like to ski,
cycle, lift weights and do other
things besides running. This
way, I’m able to stay motivated
to run again when it’s time
to train hard. I do run in the
winter, but it’s usually shorter,
and I try to work on speed in
the winter, and efficiency and
running economy.”
From the ultrarunning
pros to the weekend warriors,
ultrarunners across the globe
leverage winter sports to
Ultrarunners
across the globe
leverage winter
sports to increase
aerobic fitness,
build strength and,
most importantly,
have fun.
increase aerobic fitness, build
strength and, most impor-
tantly, have fun. Put on those
ski boots or gym shoes and get
outside.
PERIODIZATION IN
TRAINING
We cannot address winter
cross-training without acknowl-
edging the value and period-
ization in training. For those
unfamiliar with the term, peri-
odization involves adjusting
variables during workouts to
improve performance – usually
the ratio between intensity
and volume – during a
training block. The changing
of variables during weekly
training programs constantly
challenges the body, leading to
improved fitness results.
I will be the first to recog-
nize the fact that it takes
years (and years) to develop
the self-awareness of how
your body best responds to
stress and workout fatigue.
Therefore, for the athletes
whom I coach, I always include
layers of periodization into
training, especially during the
winter months. Winter is the
perfect time to build, recover
and to build again without the
distraction of summertime
races, which can interrupt the
building process.
Periodization in the winter
allows you to focus on the little
things, such as strength, speed
and mobility, that contribute to
the overall fitness foundation
that’s needed as we get closer
to spring or summer racing
season.
KEEP YOUR MENTAL
HEALTH FRONT & CENTER
Doing anything for too
long can lead to burnout and
fatigue. This is especially true
for ultrarunners.
As an ultrarunner myself, I
know it may seem counter-
intuitive to advocate, apparently,
against ultrarunning. However,
I believe there is a massive
mental health benefit from
winter cross-training for ultra-
runners that have the means
and opportunity. I have run 3-4
hours in snowstorms, in the
dark (a lot) and in negative-
degree temperatures. It is
tough on your body and mind.
Based on my conversations
with other athletes, I have found
that it is always best to provide
VINCENT ZACHA-HERTHEL
variability in training plans
during winter months, permit-
ting flexibility for cross-training
and taking on new challenges.
Professional runner Ruth Croft
mentioned that during the
winter months, she focused
on cross-country events (5-10k
races). Croft said that running
races shorter in distance
gave her “the chance to work
on… speed. It was a change in
training structure/sessions, and
also meant that I did not have
to log hours out in unfavorable
conditions, like I would if I was
training for an ultra.”
Change up your training
this winter. Perhaps you will
gain a new appreciation for a
new past-time or winter sport.
Perhaps you will run more – or
less. Experiment with your
training this winter. Our
minds and bodies will thank
us, making us more passionate,
healthy ultrarunners in the
long term.
RYAN MONTGOMERY was born and
raised in the misty, forested Pacific
Northwest. Now living in Park City,
Utah, Ryan runs professionally for Altra
and enjoys the 100-mile distance. As
a gay, queer athlete, he is passionate
about creating a community for LGBTQ
athletes and driving diversity aware-
ness in the sport of ultra-trail running.
December 2021 // January 2022 63
ULTRALIFE ONE STEP BEYOND
1000 Miles Down Under
BY DEAN KARNAZES
Shan Riggs’ 5K run was
abruptly interrupted by the
sight of an enormous lizard
scurrying up a nearby tree, a
creature unlike anything he’d
seen in Connecticut. It was as
long as a park bench, muscular
and thick – like a football
with elongated black claws
and a reptilian dragonhead.
But before he could process
the situation, his attention
was promptly diverted by the
rustling of leaves to his left, as
something large and substan-
tial came crashing through the
gum forest and was heading
directly toward him. As he
swung his head to see what
it could be, a terrifying were-
wolf-like creature emerged
from the thick foliage – a feral
dog the size of a lion and as
cunning as a leopard – and
savagely sprinted toward him
at top speed. Frozen in his
tracks, he prepared for the
mauling, knowing an attack
was imminent. It was then that
he noticed the dead kangaroo
dangling from the beast’s
mouth. It was at this precise
juncture that Shan realized,
with absolute certainty, that he
was no longer in Connecticut.
Where the hell was he? To
answer that question, we need
to dial back the clock several
months to a Zoom call with
legendary Australian ultra-
runner and adventurer, Pat
Farmer. On the fuzzy computer
screen, Pat explained to Shan
and three other American
athletes (Katie Visco, Samantha
Pruitt and myself) that he
was organizing a relay-style
run across Australia, from
the West Coast to the Eastern-
most point of the island
continent, where a four-person
team from America would
compete against a four-person
Aussie team. The COVID
situation was under control in
Australia, he explained, and
we’d be pleasantly surprised
once we arrived. A former
64 UltraRunning.com
politician, Pat was persuasive
and convincing. I remained
a bit skeptical, but when he
explained the race would
be a benefit for ReachOut
Australia—an organization
that provides critical mental
health services for youth and
young adults—I decided to
sign on.
Shortly after the American
team committed, we got a
message from Pat. Because
of COVID restrictions, the
race could no longer take
place entirely across Australia.
Instead, it would be confined
to the Australian state of New
South Wales. We would now
start at the inland bush town
a game-changer. Flash lock- Pat went on to explain that
of Broken Hill and still finish
downs were put into action and we could no longer run from
at the Eastern most point of
strict limits were placed on the Broken Hill to Byron Bay.
Australia, Byron Bay. We would
number of people allowed into Instead, he informed us, the
cover 100 miles a day for 10
the country. There were reports entire race would be conducted
of thousands of Australian within the Singleton Military
citizens being denied admis- Base in a safe isolation bubble
Frozen in his sion because of incoming that would be supported by
tracks, he prepared traveler limits imposed by the the Australian Army. The base
government. was quite large, he added, and
for the mauling, I called Pat to address my the Australian Army would
knowing an attack concerns. He assured me that design 10 separate 5k routes
was imminent. we had been granted “above for us to follow. The format
the cap” exceptions to enter would be that each runner
the country and were not would cover the 5k carrying the
taking the place of Australian message stick and then pass it
days, passing an Aboriginal
nationals looking to return to the next runner. Every team
message stick between us as
home. I wanted further assur- member would do this eight
the Indigenous Australians
ance. We arranged for a call times each day until a total
had done in past years, and
with government officials who of 25 individual miles were
stop at ancient tribal locations
reiterated Pat’s explanation and completed for a total of 100
and townships along the route
explained that our fundraiser, team miles, equaling 1,000
to show our respect and meet
1000 Miles to Light, was the miles at the completion of 10
with the local people. The event
one and only sporting event days of running. Remember
would be coined, “1000 Miles
permitted within the entire how I said everything seemed
to Light,” as symbolically, we
country. No pressure there. so buttoned up? Now they
would be crawling out of the
Over the course of our quar- seemed entirely unbuttoned.
COVID darkness toward the
antine in Sydney, the COVID And we still had a week of hotel
light, and we’d quite literally
situation in Australia deteri- quarantine to go.
finish at a light – the Byron Bay
orated and the numbers got Finally, the quarantine
Lighthouse – covering 1,000
progressively worse. Midway was complete and we were
miles on foot.
through our two-week stint, we transported to the Singleton
Everything seemed so
got a message from Pat saying Military Base where we met the
buttoned up in a neat little
we needed to talk. Such pref- Australian team. They looked
package. We smiled in delight.
aces are never a good sign. His well-rested and fit. We looked
However, behind the scenes, all
first words on the group Zoom haggard and disheveled, like
hell had broken loose. A new
call were, “I’ll get right to it.” we’d been wandering around
delta variant of COVID had
Again, not a welcomed intro. Burning Man. We were to
spread to Australia and it was
 ®

WESTERN STATES
100-MILE ENDURANCE RUN
49TH ANNUAL RUN: JUNE 25 - 26, 2022 • PRESENTED BY:

Before he ever speaks, Dylan Bowman always
makes sure to listen – attentively, carefully,
UHVSHFWIXOO\ɔ˃UVW
And then, after hearing what is said, when
Dylan does speak, the entire sport of ultra
running takes note of what he is about to say.
This is just one of the many reasons why the
Western States Endurance Run was pleased to
welcome Dylan as our newest member of our
board in September.
Dylan’s athletic resume dates back more than a
decade. It includes international and domestic
victories at some of our sport’s most challenging
HYHQWVLQFOXGLQJWRS˃QLVKHVDW:HVWHUQ6WDWHV
But more than that, Dylan, as a respected voice
of reason in advocacy of the rights of all
athletes, has supplied the connective and
communicative tissue a sport needs if it is to
continue to grow and to be welcoming of all
runners.
:HOFRPHWRWKHERDUG'\ODQ:HɗUHH[FLWHGWR
KDYH\RXZLWKXV

www.WSER.org Race Director: Craig Thornley, RD@WSER.org

stay in military barracks on
the base with a communal
bathroom and central mess
hall and at 7 p.m. sharp each
day, there would a mandatory
all-hands meeting (known
as “prayer”). At prayer, the
Army officer explained that we
would receive three meals a
day brought in by a contractor.
You get what you are served, he
instructed us, no exceptions.
Shan looked distraught. “Can
we just get more?” he inquired.
After all, we would be burning
thousands of extra calories a
day. The answer was unambig-
uous, “No.”
The first day of racing
degraded into a full-blown
catastrophe. The start was set
to commence at 6 a.m. sharp.
(Did I mention everything in
the military is sharp?) We were
to board the bus leaving for
the starting line at 5:30 a.m.,
sharp. At precisely 5:15 a.m., a
military staffer parades down
the hallway of the barracks
bellowing, “15 minutes!”
When the clock struck
6 a.m., a runner from the
Australian team, Deirdre
Hopkins, and American
66 UltraRunning.com
runner Sam Pruitt took
off. They were carrying the
Aboriginal message sticks
as originally intended. Away
they disappeared into the
distance, kangaroos bounding
alongside them (kangaroos
were everywhere). We were
told by the Australian Army
personnel that the course was
relatively flat. (They’d driven it
in their Humvee and none of
them were runners.) Deirdre
finished the 5k loop first. She
looked winded and her time
was slower than anticipated.
“That course is not flat.”
Sam Pruitt came in some
time later. “The course is
not groomed,” she lamented,
handing me the message stick.
I took off and not 50 meters
down the route, I got my foot
stuck under a tree root and
crashed to the dirt. Something
was wrong. My legs were
already heavy and I was in a
mental fog. I stood up and
dusted myself off, but I was
seeing stars and had a metallic
taste in my mouth. I groveled
through the first lap. One
down, 79 to go.
COURTESY DEAN KARNAZES
The relay continued as would go out. Someone rang
temperatures rose. Lunch a bell when they spotted an
arrived which included meat incoming runner. The format
sandwiches on white bread is remorseless, something of a
with a thin slice of cheese and a cruel permutation on last man
wilted piece of lettuce. We were standing. Yes, the last man
introduced to Vegemite, which standing format is grueling,
tastes like thick soy sauce, and but at least you have certainty.
we greedily smeared little Each new loop starts at the top
packets on the soggy bread to of the hour. Here, the relay-
add more flavor. style racing imposes its own
Runners would come schedule on you. Between legs,
in, exchange the message you’re afforded time for almost
stick, and other runners complete relaxation. Almost.
And just when you’ve settled
in and begun to unwind, that
damn bell rings and up you
go. Relaxation is a tease and
recovery is never complete.
The next morning, I am
throwing up coffee. Then water.
At one point I feel as though
I am going to die because
my entire body is rebelling
against me. That’s when I tell
myself that it can’t possibly get
any worse. And thankfully it
doesn’t get any worse. Slowly
I start to improve. Not signifi-
cantly, but enough to grunt
through day two. By now, the
Australians are thoroughly
kicking our butts, but at least
the event is still on.
Once I found my sea legs,
my running steadied. I aimed
COURTESY DEAN KARNAZES
to find the fastest consistent
pace I could sustain without
imploding. The difference
between my pace on day five
and day six is one second.
After crossing the midway
point, every runner seemed to
find his or her groove. Morale
at the barracks noticeably
improved, too. The Army
started treating us like humans
instead of new recruits. Some
of the Army members were
musicians and entertained us
at night to help ease the strain
of the daily pounding. And
they also started periodically
running with us, sharing a
loop or two throughout the day.
In between, they would tire-
lessly cheer each runner in at
the end of their leg (mind you,
this happened 64 times a day,
as there were eight runners
each running a total of eight
loops per day). But the Army
cheer squad was indefatigable
and their enthusiasm lifted
everybody’s spirits.
Pat Farmer had envi-
sioned this event as a race,
something of a rebirth of the
fabled Sydney to Melbourne
Ultramarathon in which an
Australian potato farmer, Cliff
Young, surprisingly won the
race at 61 years old, wearing
work boots. Perhaps it could
be a competitive race, but this
was not the year for competing
against each other, this was a
time to come together. COVID
had torn the world apart and
left us isolated and alone, 1000
Miles to Light became a show
of collective unity rather than a
cutthroat competition.
In fairness to the Australian
runners, their overall team
performance far bested the
Americans. They handedly
won the race with an impres-
sive show of athleticism and
stamina. Justin McDonald had
the fastest segment, though
American Shan Riggs had
the lowest cumulative time
over the 10 days of running.
Personally, I never fully
adapted to the relay-style
format. The total distance we
covered each day was not huge
(25 miles per day for 10 days
straight) but running those
25 miles in sporadic 5k incre-
ments over the course of many
hours—rather than continu-
ously—proved more disruptive
than I’d anticipated. Loitering
around in the elements
between bouts of running was
stressful and draining. Even
after returning home, I had
nightmares of the bell ringing
and would jump to my feet in a
cold sweat frantically looking to
lace up my shoes.
Still, the communal expe-
rience was unique and unpar-
alleled with anything I’d ever
done in the past. There were
moments of confusion inter-
mixed with episodes of elation,
and contradiction was rife as
the conundrum of our purpose
was called into question daily.
However, as a group we silently
conformed to a coda of support
and mutual respect as the days
wore on, cheering each other
during the highs and scraping
each other off the ground
during the lows. It might have
been intended as a race, but in
the end, it became something
more—something grander.
The effort raised over $65,000
for ReachOut Australia, and we
had more than 2,500 virtual
runners join us along the way.
As I boarded my flight back to
the US, the growing COVID
numbers in Australia domi-
nated the news headlines. Yet,
in the midst of a worsening
situation, 1000 Miles to Light
offered a glimmer of hope. And
that is something the world
could use a little more of.
DEAN KARNAZES is a 12x finisher of
Western States. His newest book is
A Runner’s High.
December 2021 // January 2022 67
ULTRALIFE RUNNING DOWN UNDER
Winter Mindset
BY LUCY BARTHOLOMEW
Before talking about winter,
I want to mention that I am
an Australian who has lived
her life avoiding the cold by
continent-hopping, chasing dry,
warm and sunny trails where
I can roam around rocking a
sports bra, sunscreen, sunnies
and seeking shade. This is my
ideal.
However, I am also writing
this from day 250 of lockdown
including two winters that, for
the summer-chaser in me, have
been tough and challenging
but also wet and wonderful.
And I’ve decided it all comes
down to mindset.
Winter looks different
everywhere and it can offer
a chance to switch sneakers
for skis and shorts for snow
As athletes, we
take rest days
but how about
a restful season
where the
training is light,
the motivation
ebbs and flows,
and rebuilding
takes place over
a period of time.
pants to continue to train in an
alternative way that still fires
up the cardiovascular system
and gives you the “running
gains” without the relentless
pounding.
It can also offer a break—
like a real break. The type
where you cozy up on the
couch, tuck into those books
you have been meaning to read
all summer but instead, found
yourself high in the mountains.
As athletes, we take rest days,
but how about a restful season
where the training is light, the
motivation ebbs and flows, and
68 UltraRunning.com
6WDUWZLWK
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rebuilding takes place over a
period of time when, like bears,
6WDUWZLWK
6WDUWZLWK
we choose to hibernate.
Neither approach is wrong
or right. Here in Australia,
WKH2ULJLQDO
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there is little snow and it
certainly isn’t in my radius. For ä°¡ÍÛ³¬³É‹Ã–ۋɝ
me, winter is wet, dark and
cold. My approach these last –Û¡‹ä°‹–á
two winters has been different äۋÉÞÃ旡Éä
since there are certainly no
races happening or possibilities ÞĊ¡‹äÛ¡Þ³Þä‹Éä
to put a bib on and rage, so
instead, winter came with
؋ä¡É䡝ųØÛÍĉ¡É
grace and self-love. ¬æ‹Û‹Éä¡¡äÍËÞä
I looked a lot at my vocabu-

lary around running. Do I want
to run, do I have to run, do I
need to run? I wasn’t surprised
No More Nipple Chafing
that I felt like running during
the two opportunities I had
GUARANTEED!
to leave my home (grocery www.nipeaze.com
shopping and exercise). I
wanted to see, smell and hear
anything other than my dad,
dog and four walls. It was a
blessing everyday even when
I was getting dressed into my The
mOUnTaiNBACK 50
running gear from underneath
my bed sheets, even when,
for the first few kilometers, I
couldn’t feel my feet since they Your Relentless!
were numb from the cold. Did I 2022 – Chad Ricklefs
Race
get back into my pajamas after The most beautiful
returning home and boil the Destination!
kettle for hot chocolate and a ultra road course
piece of banana bread? You bet I’ve run
I did. in the US!
Be graceful with how you – Nikki Kimball
approach winter. You can keep
blazing up the mountains or
splashing in the valleys if you
desire, but also allow for the 50 forest miles
ebb and flow of motivation and 1+ mi elev gain
listen to that voice inside of 1 amazing day
your head: you get to do this if
you want to.
Photo: James Riccardo
LUCY BARTHOLOMEW is an Australian
who travels to follow the sun and fuels
her life with plants. After running her
10.23.2022
first 100k at 15 years old, she has been
hooked on the sport, the community
and smiling through the challenges. tusseymountainback.com
Just for the
hill of it.®
ULTRALIFE SARAH’S STORIES
Run Long During Cold Months
BY SARAH LAVENDER SMITH
There came a day in
early 2020 when I wondered
if, perhaps, I had taken this
winter running thing too far.
My eyelashes froze into icy
triangles, and my lips numbed
as they touched the frigid crust
of fabric wrapped around my
neck. Hoary frost settled like
old-man whiskers on my cheeks.
My chilled fingers could barely
grasp the jacket zipper.
A progressively fierce
snowstorm had blown in while
I ran laps on a dirt forest road
close to my home in Telluride,
Colorado, and my eyes strained
to follow snowmobile tracks
through swirling snowflakes. I
slowly jogged and took hiking
breaks through ankle-deep
powder on the steep three
miles up, then ran fast on the
three miles back down, a total
of four times.
Under my layers, the
working muscles and organs
in my legs and chest generated
heat like a furnace that kept
my core and lower body warm
enough to run fluidly. After
BETH PRICE
doggedly working my way up to
around 11,000 feet of elevation,
I flew back down the road,
grateful the metal spikes on
my shoes prevented me from
slipping on ice.
When we moved to Colorado
year-round in 2019, I tried
downhill skis, Nordic skis and
lightweight snowshoes, all with
mixed success. I decided not
to let some snow interrupt my
running routine—I would adapt.
I trained well enough that
winter to win the 12-hour
division of the Running Up
for Air ultra on a snow-covered
peak near Salt Lake City, and
the following winter, I ran
enough during snowy months
to race the 100-mile Coldwater
Rumble in Arizona last January.
Trail running is virtually
impossible when deep snow
reduces your steps to post-
holing, and it’s risky due to
avalanche danger and the diffi-
culty of navigation. But you can
log high-quality runs on hard-
packed snow over plowed roads.
Here are some tips to stay safe
and relatively comfortable
when traversing white tarmac:
Get traction. Slipping on
ice is one of winter running’s
biggest risks. Investing in
traction that straps onto your
shoes is an easy, effective way
to prevent a fall. My favorite are talk in full sentences. If you
Kahtoola’s EXOspikes, because
their spikes are effective but
minimal enough that you can
run with them on melted-out,
snow-free patches.
Dress in layers. Remember,
if you’re comfortable when
you start your run, you’ll feel
too hot in about a mile, so
don’t over-dress. I recommend
running tights, a long-sleeve,
wool base layer and a medi-
um-weight jacket with venti-
lation. If it’s extra cold, add
a fleece pullover under your
jacket which can tie around
your waist if it gets too warm.
Wear a beanie on your head
and a buff or other type of layer running outside due to the
around your neck that you can
pull up to warm your cheeks
and lips. Wear thick gloves and
bring hand warmers to slip
inside. Ski goggles work well
in lieu of sunglasses for stormy, temperatures climb to the
low-light conditions and added
warmth on your face.
Don’t neglect hydration. You
will be breathing hard and
sweating under your layers in
extra-dry cold air, so you need to
replace fluids as you run. Avoid
using a reservoir in a hydra-
tion pack during winter runs,
because liquid in the long tube
can freeze. Instead, carry soft-
f lask bottles in a pack and fill “Colorado Mountain Running & Living”
them with hot water, so the water
will be warm when you drink.
Keep the intensity of effort
relatively low. Breathing hard
in very cold, dry air can lead
to exercise-induced broncho-
spasm, similar to regular
asthma, in which the dried-out
airways of your lungs trigger
an inflammatory response,
causing the airways to narrow
and produce mucus. This, in
turn, can cause shortness
of breath, coughing and
wheezing. In short, wintertime
conditions can be hard on
your respiratory system. To
moderate the risk, run at a
slower, easier pace that allows
you to breathe deeply and to
want to do high-intensity speed
intervals, then head inside for a
treadmill workout.
Beware of the “umbles.”
The mumbles (slow, slurred
speech), stumbles (stiffness
and loss of muscle control),
grumbles (unusual grumpi-
ness or change in behavior)
and fumbles (loss of dexterity)
are warning signs of hypo-
thermia. If you notice yourself
or your running partner acting
“umbly,” it’s time to get back to
your car and turn on the heater
or go inside, ASAP.
Don’t go to extremes. If
you feel truly uncomfortable
cold or snow flurries and feel
your extremities going numb,
then go inside to warm up and
workout. Or wait until midday
when the sun is overhead and
teens or higher. But if it’s a
sunny 15 degrees and you’re
itching to run rather than ski,
strap on spikes, layer up and go
for it.
SARAH LAVENDER SMITH is the author
of The Trail Runner’s Companion: A
Step-by-Step Guide to Trail Running
and Racing, from 5Ks to Ultras.
She publishes a newsletter called
at sarahrunning.substack.com.
December 2021 // January 2022 69
ULTRALIFE I AM AN ULTRARUNNER

Lori Leonard
BY ERIKA HOAGLAND

Age: 60
Where do you live
currently? Dannebrog,
Nebraska 
Where did you grow
up? Mostly around Nebraska 
Occupation? Press break oper-
ator at a combine factory 
Family (kids, spouse, pets)?
Two daughters, Kaci and Jamie,
my husband, Chris, the most
patient person I know, and a
few kitties 
# of ultras run: 24
Have you always been a
runner? No, I took up running
in 1999 when I quit smoking. 
It looks like you and your
daughter, Kaci Lickteig,
started running ultras
around the same time. Did
you inspire each other to
start? Kaci is the one that got

me into ultras. She knows I am
game for almost anything.
What inspired you to run
your first 100-mile race? The
last Black Hills 50-miler I ran,
I felt fantastic. After, I told Kaci
I wanted to try a 100k. She
came back saying, “Hey, why
don’t you sign up for Kettle
Moraine 100. If you need to,
you can stop at the 100k point.”
But knowing she was going to
pace me from the 100k on, I
knew I wasn’t going to stop at
that point. She can talk me into
a lot of things. But if she had
confidence in me finishing, I
was going to give it all I had.
After all, she is my coach.
What is the most rewarding
thing for you about running
long distances? The sense of
accomplishment, both physi-
cally and mentally
Where do you do most of
your training? On gravel roads
around Dannebrog  that. I do talk to God a lot also.  subject in school? I really
What has been your most
challenging race experi-
ence? Probably running the
Vets run, a 20-mile trail race
in Schubert, Nebraska, shortly
after my dad passed away. He
was a Korean War veteran, so
I ran it and continue to run it
70 UltraRunning.com
MILE 90 PHOTOGRAPHY
in his honor. That was a very It’s wonderful that you are Where is your favorite
emotional race for me.  able to share ultrarunning vacation spot? That would be
What do you consider to be with Kaci. What has been the Black Hills. We go to the
your biggest strength as a your most memorable run Sturgis motorcycle rally every
runner? Staying positive and together? My first 100-miler, year. We both have bikes. The
looking for the positive in any Kettle Moraine 100, when she Black Hills 100 is in June also.
situation. And trying to stay paced me. I was having a tough I try not to miss it. 
focused on finishing the race.  time and she got me to the Who do you go to for advice?
What helps you get to the finish line.  That would be Kaci or her
finish line of a race when What race is on your bucket training partner/pacer, Miguel
you’re not having your best list? Western States, of course. When was the last time you
day? I try to think about things Plus, Rocky Raccoon and felt truly excited? This year
Kaci has said before when Bandera.  when I ran the Black Hills 100.
having a tough run. Or I think What is one of your passions I had always run the 50 and was
about how Kaci might handle other than running? My unsure if I could do the 100. 
the situation herself. I can husband and I enjoy metal What do you wish you would
hear her saying, “Suck it up detecting.  do more often? Spend more
buttercup!” Plus a few more like What was your favorite time with family. 
Do you cross train or do didn’t have a favorite subject in
ERIKA HOAGLAND, an Oregon native
anything to try to prevent school. I did love PE, though.  now living in Marin County, CA, is a
injuries? I usually take at least What is the best book former assistant editor of UltraRunning
one day off a week and a lot of you’ve read in the past Magazine and a physical therapist.
times two days off. I stretch year? I am not much of a She currently spends most of her time
and do core strengthening exer- reader. But I do love reading chasing around a future ultrarunner,
cises when I have time.  my UltraRunning Magazine. her four-year-old daughter. Erika
has run over 50 ultras and favors the
100-mile distance.