Energy Creates Energy

Phycho Psummer 50k

2011-10-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Curt Hassler (Mongo) runs his first trail race.

Chris Diehm, winner of his age group at Berryman, gets a taste of hot, hot weather and mud.

Diggin deep.

My start of my 2nd or 3rd lap. Still feeling good despite the heat.

Happiness.

This was one hot SOB.

I have seen people lose shoes in mud and I always wonder "how the hell does that happen? Why don't they tighten up their shoes?" On the first half of the first loop, I was that guy digging in the mud. One more experience to add to the list.

Free State 40 Mile

2011-05-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

I told Tracey the night before "I think I could take fourth if I do well". I called after the finish to tell her "fourth place". Ended up I was fifth but first in my age group. Great day. Trails were in fantastic shape, well marked. The course was a little short but I certainly wasn't complaining.

Happiness

Matt started the marathon with a plan to take it slow and had one of his best finishes ever. Good lesson here.

Matt, Casey, Carlos, Uncle Bob and Angela

Chris Nicely put another into the books

Casey placed well again in the marathon

Carlos preparing for our Kilimanjaro summit next month!

Amy and Angela finish with smiles

They think of everything at this race, even free breast exams by the Race Director.

2010 Bike MS - Bittersweet

2010-09-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

An older gentleman stood yelling at the end of a driveway "My nine year old Grandson has MS. Thank you for riding. My nine year old Grandson has MS. Thank you for riding. My nine year old......." I looked over at my brother Matt, our daughters pedaling away behind us. No more words necessary. To all the good people who participated - thank you and congratulations. For those who didn't, and are able, join us next year. It's more than a bike ride. It's life changing.

Team GENESYS thirty strong!

Our ubiquitous yellow jerseys

My Brother Matt and I sharing this experience with our daughters. 180 miles of sun, rain, laughter and hard work.

Early this season, Kaylan told me this would be her last year... at least for a while. I don't blame her. She is 15, dating, playing guitar, singing, ice skating and taking all advanced classes including two languages. I do understand, even though it hurts. I asked her to give it a shot and she did - three fold. The last three summers of training and touring have been a gift that money could never purchase. We are closer and she has a taste for the magic of endurance sport. What more can I ask? Now she is doing what all teenage daughters do - establishing a life of her own. My little girl is pulling away.

There is a little more to this story. After dropping the bomb on me, I learned that Carlos (her step grandfather and one of my dearest friends) was planning a summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro next June" I inocently asked Kaylan if she would like to join us. Always up for a challenge she agrees. I didn't explain then that there will be 16 weeks of trail hiking, running and conditioning together. We start in January. Tricked ya!

Last, thank you again to Ron Johnson. My personal bike mechanic and inspiration.

Grand Island Marathon 2010

2010-08-10T05:27:00.001-07:00

August first, after flying to Milwaukee and driving to Munising Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, we boarded the ferry the morning of the race.

Mike Gase and I arrived at the starting line 20-minutes after the gun fired for the marathon. Angela, Kathy, David and Matt all opted for the early start so they had miles behind them by this point. Sunrise on the island.

Mike in the first miles.

The views were spectacular.

Most of the course was two track, fire roads. For this reason, I won't likely run this race again.

Two sections of the race were on the beach. Looks nice but not all that runable.

Again, the views made it a worthwhile race to do at least once.

Me, dragging into the finish at 4:12.

Mike Gase at the finish line.

Our group.

The next day - me, my son Miles and his cousin Caden rented kayaks and toured Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior. Really cool.

Good trip.

The boys Spring Triathlon

2010-06-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is my current favorite photo. Me the spectator and my six year old son Ty the athlete. This is Ty's first triathlon.

Miles at the gun, starting his swim.

My son Miles and my brother Matt's son Caden. They started 10-seconds apart and this is them at the end of the swim. And no - neither had intentions of swimming, biking, running or finishing together. These are 11-year old, male, cousins - both at the top of their games in their respective sports. This was all about competition. Love it.

Their arms looked like rubber when they lifted out of the pool.

They stayed neck and neck through the bike.

Then came the run.

Meanwhile, Ty was all nerves and seriousness preparing for his event. Notice the aerodynamic swimming goggles.

Caden lost his breakfast in the first lap of the run and still went on to finish strong. That is when I was honestly and truly impressed with this young man. This is true grit and the making of greatness.

Miles had his share of pain too.

T-bone was an absolute stud.

Dimensions of pride at the finish line.

The bonds built of heat, sweat, pain, (vomit?) and tough competition are like no other. For life.

Life is good. Energy creates energy!

Ty time: 40:02. Place 19th of 38 8-year old boys. 100 yard swim, 3-mile bike, 1 mile run.

Miles time: 45:22. Place 12th of 32 boys 11 and 12 years old. 200 yard swim, 5-mile bike, 1.5 mile run.

2010 Western States Training Camp

2010-06-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

My third year at training camp. This trail is special - my first mountain 100.
You never forget your first kiss.

Unexpectedly met up with Greg Burger and Brian Pawley. Greg is running Western States this year and left me no reason to believe he won't finish with a silver buckle. Brian is a 2:29 marathoner....nuf said. This is Pucker Point - appropriately named. There is like a million foot drop behind us that a photo can never capture.

Greg on the move, coming down Devils Thumb

Water crossing

I ran two days and was totally spent. Might have a stress fracture. Greg and Brian ran all three - studs. I set out for Training Camp with a plan which was "if I'm strong and feel good afterward, I might attempt Leadville this year". I'm rethinking that plan. Taking a couple weeks off and getting back on the tandem with my Daughter Kaylan. Better plan.

Trail Hawk Marathon

2010-05-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

My toughest marathon to date. Mud and high water crossings. From left to right are Tim Hazlett, Me, Pete Leon, Scott Schaeuble, John Fralick and Chris Nicely. I think this is also the order of finishers in our group coincidentally.

This picture describes much of the run. There were some runable sections but not many.

John Fralick. Multiple marathoner and ultra runner.

Me and Tim at a water crossing.

Pete Leon. Welcome back Pete!

Scott Schaueble wonder what we signed him up for.

Chris Nicely, multiple road and trail marathoner.

Slick rock.

In front is me after offering to assist the guy in black. In the photo, he is temporarily paralyzed by cramping due to heat and the cold water hitting him. This is normally a very rocky technical section along the lakes edge. Saturday it was a technical rocky section in the lake. We heard word that another runner was injured by waves pushing knocking her into the rocks.

Well done Scott.

Hardest I ever worked for a 5:10 finish!

Tim and I took first and second place overall, nine minutes apart. We ran together until roughly mile 22 where I fell apart for a few miles. Tim never missed a beat. Luckily I managed to stay ahead of whomever was in third but never caught back up to Tim.

At the starting line I looked around and told Tim "you could win this today" Tim says "I'm just here to have fun, run with you and enjoy the day" I actually believed him for the first half of the run, before he brought the hammer down.

This is a stud.

Berryman 2010

2010-05-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Running of the Bulls

was our theme for 2010 Berryman marathon. We had four Spaniards attend.

Carlos Quesada, GENESYS Operations Manager, ran his second Berryman. His brothers Javi and Diego both flew in from Spain to run a photo finish.

Rosa, the beautiful Spanish rock climbing goddess came up injured at the starting line and didn't run. She vowed to return next year.

All but one improved their time and all of the first time marathoners finished strong. While having all this fun, we were setting examples for our kids as well.

John Kriegle ran his third Berryman. This was his best time yet in spite of reduced training due to the passing of his father.

Casey Yunger backed down from the 50-mile this year to crunch the marathon.

Scott Storie, Barnes Distribution, kisses his second Berryman medal after setting a personal record.

Pam Billings. Six months ago she was a recreational runner. One month ago she was a marathoner in training. Saturday Pam finished her second, tough, trail marathon in three weeks! She is a stud. Her son paced her for the last ten to finish together. What a great example you are Pam.

Angela Perry ran her second Berryman and third trail marathon. She PR'd again and now has confidence to challenge the six hour cut off at the Grand Island Trail Marathon in Michigan this August. This is her face when she saw the clock.

Matt got lost and took a few with him. They followed Matt because he's done this a few times. Big mistake.

Caden Perry, Matt's 10-year old son paced Matt for the last ten miles of the race. Matt told Caden "if you beat me to the finish line, I will give you my medal." So that's exactly what Caden did.

Notice who is wearing the medal.

Matt "Grizzly" Adams ran his first Berryman in just over six. He's in the club.

Mike Lux, after suffering an over-use injury, putting him in a boot a few weeks ago, managed a 6:09. This, even after being lead a few extra miles down the path by Matt. So technically, Mike skipped the marathon and ran an ultra.

Carlos knocked off about as many pounds as he did minutes from his last Berryman.

Chris Jaskiewicz, President - Valley Electric of Ohio, ran a very fast 4:17 first marathon while his lovely expecting wife looked on.

Brian Karns, Knauf Fiberglass, finished his first Berryman and immediately proclaimed "never again." A couple days later he said "maybe". See you next year Brian.

Donny Waldman, Ford Motor, ran his second Berryman with a sub seven personal record.

Dave Rose and Kathy Calvert both ran their 2nd Berryman. David really put the heat on me this year. The three of us will be running another in August. Rematch.

I took 4th overall and set a PR. I really, really wanted to finally break four hours at Berryman. My GPS was dead so I left it and ran without a watch. I pushed very hard and never had a low spot. As I crested the last hill, I said to myself "finally. I finally did it." I couldn't believe what I saw when the clock came into view..... 4:03. Three minutes better than my best Berryman but still over 4:00. More work to be done.

The morning started with thunder and lightning. I thought it would be canceled. By 6:00am it was drizzling and calm, nice. We all agreed that cool rain beats a hot day, any day. It was a great year. We all pushed ourselves beyond what we were a year ago. We all grew, got stronger, got closer. It's time to go recruit some more.

See you next year!

Miles Mountain Bike Marathon

2009-09-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Since the Berryman marathon / 50-mile back in April - Miles, my 10-year old stud of a son, has had a goal; Ride an entire marathon on a mountain bike. A REAL mountain bike marathon......Berryman! Since then, we trained together almost every weekend - he rides, I run. His conservative goal was a marathon over two days. Therefore, we set up a spike camp at the fifteen mile, Brazil Creek, camp ground. 5-miles into the ride though, he had his mind made up that it would be a one day finish. He did it. He's a stud.

He also enjoyed driving Dad's car but that's another story.....not for Mom to know.

Ozark Trail meets Berryman

There was some uphill walking involved. Always is when biking tough trails.

And even a little bit of downhill walking.

But mostly, super, hardcore, single track!

Two very handsome men.

Pedialyte does wonders for restoring electrolytes

My nasty old legs

Technical downhill

Priceless

Yes. He rode this......clean.

First injury. This one set him back a few minutes but didn't break him.

As mentioned above, our spike camp we set up in advance, just in case he needed to bail at the 15-mile mark. Pre-race dinner was Ramon Noodles and local grown green beans

Brazil Creek crossing. 15-miles down and 11.2 to go.

Yes Mom, we read every night in the tent.

Finish Line Rock! Goal completed! What a summer.

Wiped out in the back of my car like a bowl of mush. We enjoyed long talks about how resting is where muscle and strength is restored and built. Talks of what next, what is possible? Ten years old and everything worth while in this world is in his path and within his reach. This is my boy!

Kaylan's first Century

2009-08-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Kaylan and I rode Bike MS (160 miles) last year and we are signed up again. This year we set a goal to ride the century option (100 miles) on day one.

With this goal in mind, last weekend we signed up for a 70-mile tour that had a 100-mile option. It was a cool, beautiful morning. I mentioned to Kaylan "you know, the weather may not be this nice in four weeks, we could do our century today" I added "no pressure though honey, if you still want to live in our house and be part of our family, no pressure". Another rider overheard us. At the next aid station he chimed in and said "you really couldn't ask for a better day, no wind, perfect temperatures, great roads". Again, I remind her "no pressure".

A little farther down the road, both feeling great, a thought strikes me. I say "Kaylan, if we wait until Bike MS to do your century, you will be 14 years old. If we do it today, you will always be able to say you did your first century at 13 years old". No significant response. I think "don't pressure her. She will do it on her terms".

Then we are speeding down this sweet downhill and see a Y in the road. Some riders are turning left, some going straight, one turning around and a couple standing over a map. I look down and see, painted on the road, the words "70 mile turn left. 100 mile go straight". Just then I say "Kaylan, it's decision time. This is the"..... Before I can finish she says "100!" and off we go. We are now committed to riding 100 miles in a single day. Did I mention she is 13-years old?

We did it! We knocked the bugger off. Kaylan, dare I say, is as good a stoker as her mother when we knocked out big miles, back in the day. What a great day. What a great kid. Kaylan Rocks! I'm a lucky Dad.

6:30am. So nervous she can hardly stay asleep in the car.

Shivers

The start

Kaylan's view for 8-hours of riding

Lucky she doesn't have to look at this mug!

Side angle view

70 mile mark and still smiling

Aid station PB&J never tasted so good...Superfood!

Kaylan freaks when she catches Dad drinking a Coke and eating Cheetos. I told her "when you are 90-miles into anything human powered - anything goes".

Training ride pictures

I'm 44 - still the Dad. Kaylan is 13 - still the teenager. But when we are cranking, chained together, literally pedaling in tandem, down country roads, we are really good friends. This is fantastic father, daughter bonding time. We train for hours which means we talk for hours. We talk about everything in her life and mine. No topics are off limits and she doesn't have to look at me. We live the good life, a mile at a time.

Advice from a friend (putting 100 milers on hold)

2009-06-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Ron
I have now read this email - probably dozen times. You are very thoughtful, and helpful. This is obvious, but wise advice Ron. Many of life's lessons don't have to be learned through experience, the hard way. We only have to look around and listen to others who have lived more. I'm not a religious person but I almost feel as if calling you, the work you did for us and your timely advice are meant for me.

You are a good person Ron. Thank you.

Pat
Thanks for the note and good to hear that you found a "starter" bike for Miles. It won't last long before he will want an upgrade.

In reference to the 100 milers.....you have competitiveness that I haven't felt since sitting behind a steering wheel at over 150 mph as a young man.

At some point one has to weigh the competitiveness against the most important part of a person's life: the family. We both know that your wife is already a saint (so you're covered there) but the years with the kids are much too short. Wake-up one morning and they will be grown.

When I look back on my early life with my late father, I cherish the "one-on-one" time doing things that we enjoyed in common....fishing and working in the garage. No doubt he could have been doing bigger and better things. But he gave that time to me because he loved me more than those other things. IE Priceless.

Miles needs to learn to ride off-road and for that he needs to follow your rear wheel. He needs to hoop, howler, fall down, get dirty, laugh etc. He needs to see you do the same. A special trip (not that much different from the ride with the daughter) to a distant single track isn't beyond consideration. Northern Wisconsin has some sane single track. Even Kansas. I'll find something and forward it.

As for running....why not think quality as opposed to quantity? Other than the ego thing, what does a Leadville 100 provide that a quality marathon in southern Missouri can't? Other than massive amounts of risk and pain. Reward is all internal anyway. Find it elsewhere. I threw over 10 years of trophies in the dumpster.

Lance once said: "it's all about the bike." I disagree....it's all about balance. And besides Lance destroyed one family, marched through starlets like water and now has started to mess-up a second family. Where is your balance?

You're pedaling in the right direction. Don't stop!

Tailwinds. Ron

Ron
On my run Wednesday night, I came to the conclusion that it's just too much time to keep training for 100s with the kids activities and work. Also just don't feel like I'm getting good one on one time with Miles, my 10-year old. With Kaylan, we are starting training for MS bike so she's covered, but again, how to get in the hours of running to stay in 100 mile shape? So I give up on 100 mile races for a few years (months - who knows)

Miles showed an interest in mountain biking at Berryman. I'm running along Wednesday night thinking "me, Miles, in the woods together, both learning an endurance sport together?" Yesterday we cruised some garage sales and picked up a $30 mountain bike that was obviously never ridden but left outside. I suspect the reason it was hardly used was because the fork was installed backward and the rider's feet hit the tires when turning. After a couple hours working on it together, re installing the fork, replacing the seat, adjusting, cleaning etc. Miles and I went out to my favorite mountain biking (running) trail where he could ride and I could run.

Nirvana. Life is good.

Berryman 2009

2009-05-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

This was the third GENESYS running of the Berryman marathon and 50-mile trail race. GENESYS people give new meaning to the phrase "work hard - play hard". This year's course was more difficult than prior years due to a recent storms. These storms left over 70 big trees down on the trail as well as a whole lot of water. In spite of conditions, everyone finished and most returning marathoners bettered their time. This is an amazing group of people. A full trail marathon, on a tough course like Berryman, is no small feat. Yet look closely at all of the smiles in these pictures. The smiles say it all.

Pre-race. Nervous smiles. A cool morning following an overnight storm. The undeterred runners see a little more rain before the day is over. All agreed that rain is better than heat. These are "cup half full" people.

We had two more 50-mile bad asses this year. John Fralick and my Brother Matt both ran the entire 25 mile loop.. twice. So now the GENESYS 50-miler list includes Mike Gase, Pete Leon, Casey Yunger (2nd year) me and now Matt and John. Who's next?

Cheering every runner to the finish line are bell ringers Kaylan Perry (my daughter) and her cousin Madison (Matt's daughter)

The pictures to follow are roughly in order of finisher times. I regret that I missed Griffin Weyforth's finish (too fast). I didn't take my own photo but I can proudly say I finished 3rd overall! My best marathon effort ever.

Tim Hazlett, running friend and soccer Dad, finished his first trail marathon. Tim is a 3:27 road marathoner. His Berryman was 4:37 which supports my theory that you have to add an hour to your road time for a true trail marathon.

Don Fredericks (most improved) ran his third Berryman, bettering his time by over an hour with a 5:18. Don has suffered two broken backs and open heart surgery. He has been another of my hero's since I met him. A good person.

Pete Leon pulled off his fastest Berryman marathon yet at 5:19.

Randy Nuttall (Wolverine Fluid Power) previously a fast road-runner, pulled off his first trail marathon. And yes Randy - you did beat my first Berryman.

Dave Swift (Owens Corning) finishes with Brandon Vega. Dave's first with a very respectable time, and Brandon's second Berryman.

Belinda Roberts - Mother of our own Jonathon's Roberts, finished her second Berryman. Jonathon, who has run multiple marathons, didn't participate this year as he spent all his training time studying for his PE exam. He also sacrificed his Berryman to be in China for us. Thank you Jon. John Sr. Belinda's husband, has been training for months for his first 50-miler. His flight was canceled due to storms. Major Bummer.

Jake Hawthorne beats his parents 2007 marathon times by almost half!

Keith Davis (Owens Corning) and Jake finished together.

Angela Perry, Matt's wife, finishes just under 7-hours. She could do better but had knee issues. Angela is the strongest first year marathoner I have ever had the pleasure of training with. In spite of a rough race, she was planning her next race within an hour of finishing. I think she's converted. She's a stud.

Scott Story (Barnes Distribution) and Don Waldman (Ford Motor) finished together. Donny is my hero this year. He is a cancer survivor having endured very harsh treatment in the mid 90s. His cancer has been in remission but his lung capacity is diminished. Then, last fall, his numbers began to rise again. He and his Doctor agreed to marathon training as an alternative to a second round of more traditional cancer treatments. He didn't miss a single mile of training and his numbers haven't increased in the past 12-weeks. Think about that.

Donny also turned 56 years old Sunday!

John Kriegle (Compuware) finishes his second Berryman with a huge time improvement.

Happiness

My lovely wife Tracey finishes her second Berryman and third marathon. She improved her time and didn't get lost this year!

I'm so lucky.

Kris Dickerson and Matt Johnson finish together. This is Kris's first and Matt's second Berryman. Matt wins the award for most conservative training program.

Casey Yunger - third Berryman, second 50-miler and first to finish of the 50-mile GENESYS studs.

Matt Perry and John Fralick finishing their first of two 25-mile laps, looking strong.

Short break before going back out to finish the long run of their entire lives.

John Fralick's first 50-mile! Stud.

Deservedly Proud.

Matt Perry finishing 50-miles of rocks, roots, water and fallen trees. Budweiser in hand.

Matt's handsome son Caden.........

Matt's ugly dog.......

We were a smaller group in 2009 which stands to reason because we are a smaller company. In spite of a difficult year, this amazing group of athletes trained harder than ever and finished with attitude. Me and Donny.

My son Miles and Caden, Matt's son, try their hand at mountain biking the Berryman trail. Neither remained upright.

John brings his own person hot young chearleader.

Dave is whipped.

Randy looks like he could do it again......next year?

I missed photographing Griffin's finish. This was his second Berryman. He's ready to take on a 50 in 2010.

It's all about the the buckle, the medal, the running hardware, running bling.

Owens Corning is a better company for having these two guys as fit as they have been in thier entire lives.

You could run around in the woods with these beauty's if you sign up to run with us next year!

Me and the most beautiful trail marathoner I have ever met. Life and love is good.

For the finishers, you make up the less than one tenth of one percent of human beings who have gone the distance. For you 50 milers, you aren’t human beings at all. You are animals. And to think you guys did this together on a hilly, wet, rocky trail in a national forest. I sincerely hope each of you gained something special from the experience, not only the event but the whole experience. A marathon is not a single day. It is at the least a 16 week experience of discipline, work, cold, sunshine, wind, early mornings, soreness, snow, ice, sunsets outdoors and self awareness. At most, the experience can be life changing. As I like to say, we only get one shot at life and this is no dress rehearsal. Congratulations.

An invitation to all. 2010 training starts in seven months. Join us. Make the committment and we will help you get to the finish line.

Berryman is here! Race Day Checklist

2009-05-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Thursday pasta and pictures at our house:

All runners and family are invited to our house tomorrow night for a pasta dinner and group photo. We can discuss travel, camping, race, post race plans and compare notes. I will hand out GENESYS / Berryman custom running jerseys for all. I am also making up a race kit for you which I will also hand out Thursday. Each kit will include:

Napkins

Advil

S-caps

Vaseline

Band aids

If you can't make it by the house tomorrow (Thursday), I will bring the shirts and race kits to the race.

Camping Checklist:

Tent, sleeping bag, cot, pillow
Pee-bottle - I like to keep a throw away bottle in the tent so you don’t have to go outside at night if that makes sense.
Bug spray - Mosquitoes get restless in the evening.

Camp light / flashlight. I like headlamps.
Coffee - If you are a coffee drinker, you will need to plan accordingly. I use a little stove and a press. The Starbucks bottles are easy too.
Dinner - Friday, the night before. Think carb’s, healthy proteins and salt. Rice, pasta, soup, potatoes, etc. Not a lot of fruit or fiber if you are not accustomed to it.
Late night snacks - It’s good to sip water and even a little Gatorade or snacks at bed time to top off the tank.
Breakfast – Bring a light breakfast such as bagels, PBG, bananas all good. Eat a little extra salt, V8 is good.
Sweatshirt, pants for the evenings. Can get cool at night.
Camp clothing -Comfortable clothes for after the race. Crocs are nice.
Camp chair. Handy at the end of a marathon.
Water - The camp site is rustic and I can’t remember if there is water.

Race Day Check List
Suggest packing everything you plan to run in – in a separate bag. Shorts, socks, shoes, hat, bottles, gels, etc. It’s nice not to dig around at the last minute wondering what you have forgotten.
Don’t over dress. It will hopefully be cool in the morning and maybe even raining. Best to shiver for a few minutes and avoid carrying extra clothing the last 24 miles. I suggest dressing for 20° warmer than actual forecast temperatures. You will warm up fast and again, it's is expected to reach 85 degrees.

Blister care - If you get a hot spot on the back of your heals, duct tape them right away. They will have duct tape and Vaseline at aid stations. Wool socks - no cotton.

Electrolytes - If it’s hot, one to two electrolyte capsules every hour does wonders to stave off cramping and nausea. I will set you up. Aid stations will likely have them too. Gatorade only goes so far and is a lot of sugar.
Hydration - I suggest carrying one or even two water bottles if it’s hot. I like to keep pure water in one for pouring on my head and shoulders. You can refill at aid stations. They are approximately 5-miles apart. I don’t recommend the big 70 oz camel backs. Too much water and weight on your shoulders. They will have some sort of Gatorade, Succeed or PowerAde, but I go easy on those unless you are use to it. They will also have Coke / Mountain Dew which does wonders toward the end of the race.
Bug spray - Ticks, horse flies, etc. unless you run too fast for them to catch you.
Food - Bring a little to eat on the course if you plan on taking a long time. Only eat things you are accustomed to. The race is not the time to try new foods. They will have candy, fruit, cookies, PBJ, pretzels, etc. at aid stations but you may want to carry your own gels, Cliff bars, candy or Cliff cubes, whatever.

Poison Ivy prevention - for the ankles if you are susceptible.
Ipod - if you are hip
Sun protection – Sun screen and a visor or brimmed hat if you plan on being out there a long time. GENESYS will supply the high tech, light colored, running shirt.
Shorts - Wear running shorts you have run in before. Be careful of seams that will chafe.
Drop bags - There will be drop bag service at roughly the 16 or 18 mile mark. You put whatever you need in a bag and they will bring it out and back for you. Extra socks, shoes, food, shirt, hat, food, sun block, etc.

Run your pace!. You don’t want to go out too fast or get caught up in someone else’s pace. I promise, no matter how slow you start, there will be plenty of time at the end to use up your extra energy and then some.

Other Stuff:

Allow around 5.5 hours drive to Berryman. Directions on the website.
People who arrive first on Friday, please pay for and stake some extra camp sites. We can always double up if this doesn’t work out.

Also, it's tricky to find. I suggest finding the campground Friday night so you know.
If anyone has family or friends coming, please encourage them to take pictures. I also have an extra cowbell that needs some serious ringin.
You will likely be zonked at the end of the day Saturday. Hang around, drink a beer or two and make the trip home Sunday.

You may not sleep well Friday night. No big deal. They say, and I agree, that the night before - the night before is most important. Get a good night sleep Thursday.

Rain

Rain is no big deal. Honest. Just be prepared to run with wet feet. It won't be much worse than wet sweaty feet. I wouldn’t bother with changes of shoes during the race because you just get wet again. You may consider covering your feet with a light coat of Desitin to avoid rubbing / blisters. Good wool socks and trail shoes are still the best bet. They push water out and wick moisture. We run with wet feet all the time.

Since it is expected to be so warm, I wouldn't bother with rain gear. Once you are wet, you just keep going and realize it's actually a welcome relief from the heat.

I do suggest having rain gear and warm dry clothes for the end of the race. We have a tradition of cheering in every runner no matter how long they take. Noise makers are good too! And cameras. and, and, and.

Heat

Expected 85 degrees. This is another matter. Heat can be tough, early in the season, when you aren't acclimated. We are providing white shirts which helps. Sunscreen on the neck and arms is a good idea if you are planning on being out there a long time. A visor or light hat too. However, much of the running is under the tree canopy.

Electrolytes are most important. I'm bringing a little care package with S-caps. In hot weather two every hour does wonders. As I said last week, when your electrolytes get out of balance, everything goes to pot including your stomach. Take electrolytes. On a real hot day, Gatorade is not enough. Plus it's a lot of sugar. For more advice on heat, read last weeks blog.

Note from the Race Director

See ya saturday...make sure you take some jumping beans,there are trees down on the trail.

See you there!

5/9 Berryman Training Update (50 mile advice)

2009-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

TWO MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!!
2008 finish line - Pete Leon (50 miler), Rusty Brown, John Fralick (2009 50 miler?) Casey Yunger (50 miler) and Scott Schaeuble

Jonathan, Belinda (Mom) and John (Dad) at the finish 2008.

Some advice to a freind (John Roberts) contemplating running his first 50.

1. At some point soon, you have to say "I'm doing it" Otherwise, you are working against yourself mentally. If you say "I'll see how I feel after the first lap". It's highly unlikely you will head back out into those woods again. It's more mental than physical John - honest. Think about Rockin K. If you had signed up for the marathon with the attitude that you would decide after the first loop, there is just no way you would have headed back out on the course. If however you said, for weeks in advance, and again when you woke that morning, that you were doing 50 miles no matter what, you would have finished the first lap thinking "OK, half way there, still holding it together. Got to eat. Got to get in and out quick. Don't sit down, etc. etc."

2. The next thing is to know what it feels like to run on dead legs. This means April 25th / 26th, three weeks before Berryman, you do back to back long runs. Like a 20 on Saturday and a 20 on Sunday. The point is to start Sunday the 26th sore, tired and brain dead. You will have bad thoughts like "screw this" and "why?". Then, five, six, eight miles into the run you will start to think "wow, I didn't think I could bounce back like this". By the time you reach mile 15, you will be hurting but you will also say "look at me, whodathunk?" Here is the important part John; That Sunday morning, dead leg, feeling will be very similar to how you will feel at the end of Berryman lap No. 1. Sunday the 26th may be even worse because you will have stiffened up overnight. The beauty is, standing there at the beginning of the second loop, the dead leg feeling will be familiar and you will know from personal experience that you can push through it. And you will. You will leave your friends, family, the chairs, food and the starting line and you will head back out there because you will know that you can. That is what the back to back weekend, the Sunday morning, dead leg, feeling will gain you. It's valuable knowledge when your body is screaming at your to stop. The body will do what the mind wills it to do. But the mind has to be prepared and experienced.

So - you need to switch your entry from marathon to the 50 now so that they get that shiny new buckle ordered for you. Then at roughly 5:30pm on Saturday, May the 16th, 2009 you will be honored with the coveted buckle that says "I am one proud, bad-ass, 50-mile, tough course, ultra runner" I can't wait to see you at that finish line John.

Suggestions for race day and the the next two weeks
You asked about food. My suggestion on food is tied to heat. It can get hot at Berryman so you will really have to keep your electrolytes right. I suggest one to two S-caps every hour. Even three if it’s really hot. If your electrolytes get low, you stop processing water and it all goes to hell from there. Your water will start sloshing around in your stomach, you lose your appetite, get nauseous, your temp rises and then you’re just screwed. I would have a little bottle of chilled Pedialyte at the turn just in case. Pedialyte does wonders when you need to get your electrolytes back quickly. It’s at any Walgreens or Costco. The other thing, get your body accustomed to drinking lots of water now. This is so your kidneys get used to the workout. Otherwise they literally get sore, during the run, from processing so much fluid. It freaks you out.

If you have a chance to get out and run in the heat, or just be in the heat - sauna, steam, hot car, etc. I would. Hot runs early in the year are tough, so anything you can do to acclimate would be good. While running, I would carry an ice-water bottle and also a Heed or Succeed mix bottle to refill at aid stations. Use some of the ice water to dribble on the top of your head every so often. This really helps bring your core temperature down and feels great. Then you might consider a bandana that holds ice. You wear it around your neck and let it drip ice water down your back. Check this link Bandana On the same site you can also buy a hat with at little zippered pocket on top to hold ice. I would only suggest the hat if you really struggle with heat. I could loan you mine. I never use it. Let me know.

As for eating. Eat really well the next three weeks leading up to the race. Eat more complex carbs the week before. I’m not a believer in eating huge portions the week or the night before – just quality. The night before, a good dinner of carbs with some protein and then top of the tank at bedtime with more carbs but nothing really fibrous if you aren’t used to it. Even just a Gatorade at bedtime is good. I would eat a decent breakfast. Then a little more, a gel or a bar, right before the gun fires. Drink 20 to 30oz of water before you start as well. I would avoid any dairy on race day but then again I would avoid dairy any day.

Once you start running, the trick is to take in calories every half hour. Be fanatic about this part. Most people who DNF an ultra do so because their stomach fails them, not their legs or lungs. If you have an alarm on your watch, set it for every half hour. You won’t feel like eating later in the race so you have to keep fueling early, even if you don’t feel hungry. Your body’s natural defense, when stressed, will be to stop the appetite and subsequently shut down the body in order to stop whatever activity is stressing it. You kind of have to trick this defense mechanism. Always back up what you eat with more water. A Good plan is an S-cap and some calories, backed up with water, every half hour.

As you get toward the second half of the second lap, anything goes. Soda, candy, potato chips, cookies, whatever looks good - eat it. Simple sugar and caffeine at this point are like rocket fuel. Now is when nutrition goes out the window and you are just fueling. I never drink soda but I always finish races hopped up on Pepsi and Mountain Dew. IT’S AWESOME!

You might struggle with blood sugar. If, during the race, you get light headed, really groggy or kind of foggy, a Jolly Rancher between the cheek and gum does wonders. You might have a couple natural ginger candies with you as well in case you get nauseous. I can give you a couple if you remind me.

If you still get low on electrolytes after all this, you may move past nauseous and actually throw up. If you feel it coming on, just get it over with. Throw up, start over and things will get much, much better from there.

I never was a big fan of gels but I’m becoming a believer. They are handy, slow release carbs, without having to break them down in the stomach. By all means, don’t experiment the day before or on race day though. Eat only what you are used to eating. I can eat most anything, any time, but I have heard countless stories of people trying some new protein powder or something, on race day, and getting in all sorts of trouble.

You are ready. Worse that can happen (above) will set back an hour, maybe two. No matter how bad you may feel though, it always gets better. This I know for a fact and every ultra runner I know says the same thing. No matter how bad it might get, you just keep forward motion and it gets better. My first 50, Berryman, I had a friend pace me on the second lap. At thirty two miles I was literally looking for a place to pass out where I wouldn’t hit rocks or poison ivy. I was shuffling at best and really hurting. At forty miles my wife Tracey joined us and between 40 and 50 I dropped them both! This has been the case for many of my races. There is a mileage threshold, it moves higher and higher as you do more of these, where you go through hell. Like you can’t go one more mile and can’t even imagine the entire remaining distance. Then you just do it…..….and then it really does get better.

Yoga and running

2009-05-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

You might say I’m a trail running evangelist. I have helped dozens train and finish a full trail marathon. I have helped a few finish 50-milers. Two are really close to attempting the 100 mile distance! I’m also a wellness and nutrition evangelist but that’s another story. When I am recruiting new trail runners, I often hear “I can’t run because I have bad knees”. It is almost always untrue. Many have decent knees but bad stride and bad shoes. Pavement and sidewalks certainly don’t help the situation.

Stride, shoes and sidewalks aside, I firmly believe running can cause knee pain that can be avoided via yoga. In simple terms, running tends to overdevelop some of the big muscles. These big muscles overpower the less developed, smaller, muscles in a classic tug-of-war battle held at the knee joint. This is especially true for people previously inactive or people who do too much too fast. When this tug-of-war takes place, the alignment in the knee is altered. This is ok if it is done slowly. If not, it can cause inflammation. More running, more big tight muscles, more inflammation. Vicious cycle. So it’s not the knee, the knee just gets caught in the middle and feels the pain.

The stretching we do in Yoga helps these big muscles. The body is like a sling. Pull in one place and you feel it in another. Running can take it out of balance. Yoga can bring it back. The hamstrings, hips, calves, the I.T. band are all stretched, loosened and elongated so to loosen their hold on the poor knee. I believe Heidi Valenzuela (my instructor)http://www.yogaxoga.wordpress.com/ just may have helped add twenty plus years to my running career.

Free State Marathon

2009-05-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

My best marathon to date. In 2007 and 2008, I ran the 100k distance at Free State. My 100k stretch goal last year was 11-hours. Finished 11:01! This year I told Ben Holmes, the Race Director, I was scaling back to the marathon in hopes of being in better shape for the Berryman Marathon three weeks later. For two years I have been wanting to do Berryman under four hours. 07 was 4:10 and last year was 4:24. I know I can do better but I think I just haven't been recovered enough after the all out 100k efforts at Free State. It's just one of those races you can't run easy.

I explained this to Ben (the 4-hour Berryman goal) at which point he simply told me it was a lame excuse for not running the ultra. He had a specific name for me which had to do with the female anatomy. Thanks Ben. I have a name for you too.....male anatomy.

I started in the front of the pack and counted 13 runners ahead of me after about 6 miles when we looped back through the start finsih. I went back and forth between 12th and 13th for a while. The lead female, Suzie Scheer, didn't take too long to drop me. She's a stud. To my surprise, at roughly 14 miles, I caught up and passed her! I think she is the better runner but was having a rough time. This became the first race I ever beat the first place girl. I don't care what people say or think, this is a big deal. There are some tough, tough women trail runners out there. I suspect it will be a long time, if ever, that I beat the first place female in an ultra. They get tougher in the longer races.

So now I know there are a couple young, lean, gazelles in the pack ahead of me. I have no plans of catching the true studs but I think I can reel in some of these young guys. This is just how it played out. I climbed from 13th to 8th place with a 4:01 finish. I pushed hard and felt truly "on" for the entire distance. I was shooting for 4:15. Now I know I can do a sub four Berryman.

Free State is a great, great race. Ben Holmes does a superb job as do all the experienced ultra runners that support it. The trail is muddy, rocky, hilly, and there are water crossings. Awesome! Unfortunately for some of the 100k runners, the race was shut down due to lightning and tornadoes late in the afternoon. One guy had only three miles to finish. Bummer.

Matt and John's first true Ultra
Matt Perry and John Fralick both ran thier first 40-miler! Not an easy race for your first but they both pulled it off in good time, beating the tornadoes. John's time was actually faster than Casey and Pete's from last year.

Matt's finish. 9:15 on a goal of 9-hours.

Matt leaves a small part of himself on the trail.

John's poor feet!

Great race. If you haven't run it. Sign up early. They bring runners from all across the country and fill up fast.

Mud-babe.

Rockin K 50-mile and marathon

2009-04-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

Rockin K 50-mile and Marathon
John Robert (Jonathan's Dad) Matt Perry and I ran Rockin-K last Saturday. I was signed up for the 50-mile and decided, before I even started, to drop to the marathon. This was a tough race. It's open prairie, steep bluffs, sand and small canyons. The scenery is very diverse. The winds reached 60mph according to John's wife Belinda. We crossed water several times, once above the bottom of our shorts, depending on how tall you are. There were also beaver dam crossings which are wet and squishy. It was rough. I struggled the entire time. Matt and John both had very strong finishes. Very strong.

The following photos are complements of Belinda Roberts.

John cruising through prairie grasses.

John and his girls. All smiles. Strong proud finish.

Me, John and Matt.

I'll let you in on a secret only intended for the wold wide web......I think John is going to run the 50-mile at Berryman! After last Saturday, there is no question he can.

Matt's finish. He came in under six which was better than Pete and Casey last year. He has one more 40-mile race, Free State April 25th, and then its the 50-mile buckle for Matt. Almost there.

Take a minute to watch this short video. Whether you are training for a marathon, laid off from work, struggling with family issues, finances, etc. this may give you some perspective.

Don't forget to send me your shirt size by Thursday (tomorrow afternoon). We are putting our orders in the the Berryman jerseys.

Drumm & Berryman 3/15 Update

2009-03-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Drumm Run

Awesome! Great turn-out. Thank you so much to all who ran and volunteered.

The people of Unity were so impressed they asked us to host a September run. I'll keep you posted on that.

We generated over $20k for the children of Drumm farm.

I would love to hear your comments on the race. If you have suggestions or complaints, please send me a note so that we can improve next year. Thanks again.

Training Runs
So solly. I will be in China for the next two weekends. Pete Leon has offered to lead the long run this Sunday at 1:30. Take him up on it. His cell is 564-0452.

Guys / Girls
This is a great time to be out running. Everything is beginning to turn green and trees are starting to bud. The weather, although a little wet, is awesome for running. Play in the mud, get wet, enjoy.

Berryman 2009 It's on!

2009-01-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
It's time. Enough talk. Step up and sign up!

OK. Maybe you don't think you can run a trail marathon (26.2 miles) today. Today.... you may be right, but you can by May 16th. Even if you truly can't (medical condition) you could likely walk/hike it with some hard work (training). There are no shortcuts to running a marathon though. You have to put in the training miles.

Here is why this is a great opportunity. The Berryman hiking trail is a beautiful 25-mile loop in the Mark Twain National Forest. The run is well supported with aid stations every 4 to 5 miles. Aid stations provide water, Gatorade, cookies, pretzels, banana's, chips, sandwiches, candy, soda, first aid, etc. They will even arrange a ride out if you can’t finish (won't happen). In most marathons, the runners finish, they close down the aid stations and the walkers are left to fend and finish by themselves. This won't be the case at Berryman and I'll tell you why:

When they start the run, all the fast runners take off and that's the last you see of them until the beer and burger party at the campground / finish line. If you start your slow jogging or walking, you can literally take all day (three to four miles per hour) and cross the finish line (receive a shiny medal) 8, 10 up to 13-hours later. Because this is also a 50-miler (two loops) the aid stations will be manned for 13 hours to support all runners. You can run it or make it your all day nature hike and shuffle from one concession stand to another. Whatever you decide, you will be an official marathoner when it's over!

Most importantly, you will be in better shape in 2008 than you likely have been in years. You will strengthen your heart and lungs and probably lose weight. If the lifestyle you adopt during 16-weeks of training sticks, you will have a better quality of life as you age. If it doesn't, you can still tell the world "I finished a marathon". How cool is that?

Attached is a customized training schedule. Training technically starts January 26th. This is based on the understanding that you can run / walk three miles on the 26th. I suggest taking a couple long walks, jog or run a little between now and then.

If you are a GENESYS employee and sign up by the 26th, we will give you a custom made GENESYS tech running shirt for race day. We will also re-reimburse your entry fee in exchange for your photo with a medal around your neck (your medal).

Sign up
The Forestry Service has restricted the number of runners this year to avoid overuse of the trail. Subsequently, the SLUG's (St. Louis Ultrarunners Group) who host the race, are asking that we limit team GENESYS to 25 runners. Therefore, friends of GENESYS are on their own. On-line registration is first come, first serve. Sign up now! This race books earlier every year. Website is:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1669973&assetId=934C85DB-D98A-4754-A9C0-CA9CECEA5F34
Beginning of your Berryman Marathon Journey:
Here is the basic plan, derived from a guide called “The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer” available through Amazon. Order it. It's a great read. It takes you through every step and has lots of good storys you will definately relate to as you progress. It will help you to know that some of the tough times are normal. Everybody suffers. Again, there are no short cuts to a marathon. http://www.amazon.com/Non-Runners-Marathon-Trainer-David-Whitsett/dp/1570281823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230923398&sr=1-1
Training schedule - Download this Excel file and use it to track your progress. It is taken directly from the book. http://www.genesyscorp.net/JSPWebApp/Test/images/BerrymanMarathonTrainingLog2009.xls The plan is 16 weeks of training. Each week consists of three short runs and one long run. The first week’s long run is only 3-miles. Each week thereafter increases by 10%. That means the weekly mileage and the long run. Training peaks at 13 weeks and then there is a wonderful taper for the last three. At that point, you are ready. You will finish if you follow the plan.

There is amazing self discovery. You will need self discipline. You will have good weeks and bad weeks. You will have setbacks. You may have small injuries. Most overuse injuries happen to people training for their first marathon, not their 50th. The causes are usually:
1) pavement and sidewalks (they will break almost anyone down eventually
2) too much too soon. (stick to the schedule no matter how much you may want to run more on a great day)
3) stride and/or shoes. Stride means too long, heal striking, bad posture, bouncing. Shoes means shoes with over 300 or 400 miles on them or non-running shoes. This is a trail marathon. Train on trail in trail running shoes. More on shoes later. It’s the most popular question.

If you have setbacks, it’s no big deal. Try to get the long run in each week even if you have to move it by a few days. If you miss a short run here or there, no big deal. If you miss an entire week, or even two, due to illness etc. you can still get back on track. You will just have to alter your plan a little. A marathon is 90% mental and the other half is physical.

More on training. Again, Berryman is a marathon with a very lax cutoff (13-hours) because it is also a 50 mile race. Cutoff is a point in the race where you will be pulled if you are not keeping pace. You can walk the entire 26.2 miles and still finish and receive a medal. However, you should not expect to blow off the training and just tough it out on race day. We had a couple try and fake a marathon last year and they didn’t finish. YOUR WILL finish if you stick to the plan. If you don’t, Berryman will be one long miserable day. Worse, you will miss out on the REAL experience of a marathon and distance running. A marathon is not a single day event. The value begins with the 16 week commitment. It comes from the discipline and satisfaction of seeing progress, even some of the exhaustion and pain has a value. Race day is just the completion of the 16-week journey. And hopefully, if you are anything like most people I call running friends, race day of that first marathon will be the beginning of a wonderful journey. A journey of learning, improving, bettering your times and recruiting others to help them make the same amazing self discoveries.

Good luck.

Shoes
The most common question. Also the one I can't answer for you but I’ll try. There are as many types of trail shoes as there are people who run in them. Two schools of thought. Waterproof is the first. They won’t allow water in. This is total B.S. Every waterproof shoe I have seen has a big old hole in the top where you stick your foot in. Once that water gets in (and it will) it stays in. I like very breathable shoes with a good Marino wool sock. Once the water gets in (always does) it get squeezed right back out with every stride. I run through streams, puddles, slush, all the time. It’s no big deal.

I don’t recommend waterproof running shoes for any conditions. That narrows it down a little. So now you have breathable trail runners to consider. Go to Backwoods or Gary Gribbles and try a bunch on (assuming you don’t like my recommendation below). No high top models or shoes with springs or air bladders, etc. Stick to your basic trail shoes. Get something with some toe protection and go a little heavier, with cushioning, since your body will be shocked enough with all this new activity. Light shoes are for the veteran racers with lots of toughness mileage on them. That said, and assuming you don’t have weird feet problems like me, I like to recommend the Vasque shoes available at Redwing. Why Wasque at Redwing? Because we have a 15% discount through GENESYS, that’s why. It’s a great shoe, the right amount of cushioning, very popular and reasonably priced. Most important though, try them on. Go outside and run around the parking lot before you buy. If it feels good…do it.

Clothing
Layer in cold weather. Dress for running as you would dress for temperatures 20 degrees warmer than you would go for a walk. You will generate a lot of heat. It’s normal to start out being cold and then thankful (not carrying a bunch of extra clothing) 10 minutes into the run. Also, cotton kills. Don’t where cotton to run in. Also, I don’t recommend spandex or Batman costumes (Underarmour). Get good breathable layers. You don’t have to spend a lot. I like light, loose layers I can tie around my waist if necessary. I run in shorts down to 25 or 30 degrees. Again, no cotton sweat pants unless it is over an under-layer that wicks moisture.

As for shorts, running shorts from a running store are all pretty similar in function. Some are longer, some shorter. Doesn’t affect your run. Some have a little pocket. Some have a bunch of pockets. These can be nice. A definite for me is the little interior pocket that holds a car key. One last time….no cotton. Don’t run distance in cotton shorts.

Water
I like to carry hand held running water bottles. They have little straps that secure to your hands. Some people like Camelback bladders. I personally don't like the sloshing. Some stash water along their route. Most common method is to buy a waist back with a single or double water bottle holder. There are many to choose from.

Shopping for running gear. This is the site I use most.
http://http//www.zombierunner.com/store/

Food
What you eat when you run is far less than half the equation. What you eat between your runs (every day) matters most. We were once taught that carbs are the runners food. We know now that there are definitely bad carbs and unless you are a very active 17 years old, carbo loading seven days a week will be counter productive. White pasta, bread and rice are not good carbs. They are converted to sugar fast and then converted to fat. This results in highs and lows in mental and physical energy.

The best carbs are the kind that burn slow (low glycemic index). These are best derived from whole fruits and vegetables. A daily handful of raw nuts helps on many levels. Here is the plan that works for me. It's simple. Eat six to nine servings of plants daily in wide variety. Raw or less cooked is is best. This will leave little room for the not so great stuff (meats, starches, sugars, bad fats and dairy). This alone was the single most amazing discovery in improving my running, recovery, energy levels, attitude and alertness as well as general weight management.

Then back those plans up with lots of water. Half your weight in ounces, daily is the goal. Start and end every day with a 20 oz. glass of water and the rest should fall into place.

That's it. Long training runs, I like to eat a light breakfast and then take in some calories every 30 to 60 minutes. This varies widely from person to person. You will have to find what works for you. Just have some food on hand for your long runs. Bars and gels are great but I like real food. When you find something you like, use it on race day. Don't try new foods on race day. More on that down the road.

History of the GENESYS Berryman tradition:
GENESYS invests in its most valuable assets - people. The company provides free health care to employees and even supplies them fresh fruit and vegetables daily. In 2003 coworkers - James Herrmann, Scott Schoettley and I run our first marathon together in Chicago. I'll loosely refer to this as the first GENESYS Wellness Challenge. I was the slowest of the three. These guys are both older than me and, adding insult to injury, they are both ENGINEERS!, of all things. Needless to say, I was mentally scarred and never stopped running.

Since 2003, I challenged Employees, Customers and Suppliers to train and run marathons. Only two to four people typically accepted each year.

This changed on December 1st 2006 when I offered to pay the entry fee for any employee who finishes the Berryman "trail" marathon in the Mark Twain National Forest. This is 26.2 miles of single track dirt, mud, rocks and roots. We run up and down seven ridges, cross a river and jump fallen trees. We train for 16 weeks, running some 400 miles in heat, snow, ice, rain, mud and sleet. When it gets really bad, we even ran inside caves! There are some nice days in between.

On May 19th 2007, 21 hardcore GENESYS warriors toed the line and all finished proudly with medals. The ages ranged from twenty-something to sixty-something and all feel younger, healthier and deeply proud having finished. The group lost 215 pounds!
To read the story, and see photos, of the first Berryman marathon in 2007, go to this link: http://Web.genesyscorp.net/berryman

A Customer once asked me “What do you put in the water at that place?” I admit, we have slipped electrolytes in a time or two.

After having 21 people successfully finishing the 2007 marathon, I asked each to recruit one more. In 2008 we had 46 starters and 43 finishers! Three ran thier first 50 mile trail ultra marathon at Berryman! These were coworkers Casey Yunger and Pete Leon as well as colleague and good friend Mike Gase.

The attached photo blog takes you from winter training to the finish line. Scroll to the bottom and look closely at the peoples expressions. You will see pride, determination and the satisfaction of setting a tough goal and seeing it through. This is what makes GENESYS people different. This passion flows into everything we do. 22 of us also road the 160 Mile Bike MS to raise $11,000 to help find a cure for MS.

Many companies talk the talk about culture, team, family, engagement, wellness, etc. GENESYS people do more than talk – the walk the walk (or run the run!). GENESYS people are the greatest people in the world. Then again, I’m a little partial.

Go to my May 2008 blog entry to read the story and see the photos of Berryman 2008.

MS Bike with Kaylan

2008-09-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

I came home from work announcing "GENESYS is riding in MS Bike". I said to Tracey (wife) that we should dust off the old tandem. 160 miles should be easy compared to what she did in our touring days. Tracey wasn't sure due to kids schedules, marathon training, etc. Kaylan (daughter) said "What's MS Bike?" I told her it is a ride to raise money for curing Multiple Sclerosis. I gave her the website and off she went. Kaylan came back downstairs a while later announcing that she wanted to do it. Wow! I saw a hint of jealousy in Tracey .

I can't tell you what a turning point this day was for the relationship between a 43 year old father and a 12 year old daughter. Not that we had a bad relationship, it was actually pretty typical. Anyone with a pre-teen daughter would understand. Anyway, the preparation, the long talks on the bike, the moments sitting on a sidewalk in front of a quick trip or a Subway, were absolutely priceless. There is a lot to talk about when you have hours to spend in the saddle. The fact that she didn't have to look at me (on the back of the tandem) was actually helpful. We talked and talked and talked. This was the best.

First training ride. Mom's old jersey from around 1990.

Quick Trip moments. I'm not kidding. This made our summer.

Sitting in front of Kaylan's old school in Lone Jack

Park near the house.

Cool shades.

Tour day. Gary Michalek, Iron Man Triathlete and my best man, came to ride with us. He rode many tours with Tracey and I and had never met Kaylan. He is one of my favorite people in the world. So imagine the chemistry the three of us had riding the miles of Missouri back roads together.

Kaylan discovers the miracle of Hammer Gel and hot chocolate.

the guy behind Gary is Steve Beck. Steve has worked in our shop at GENESYS for over 10-years. I'm so proud of him for being out there. Notice his feet up on the shocks of his bike. Millwrights are tough.

Kaylan insisted on sticking her tongue out at every photographer. How childish.

Dinner at the end of day one. Priceless.

Morning of day two. The three amigo's are getting warmed up.

Steve and James

Nobody told Roder, until half way through the second day, he had been wearing his helmet backward.

This pace line is Steve Lucido, Brian Roder, James Herrman and Mike (Steve's freind). They beat us the first day but we put the hammer down on day two.

Then we crashed!!!

Here is how it happened. Kaylan couldn't stand the fact that James, Steve, Mike (Steve's Friend) and Brian beat us to the finish on day one. Day two, they got out before us, so we started behind. We hammered hard but didn't catch them by the 55-mile lunch break. As we were finishing lunch, they road in! Somehow, we had gotten ahead of them. Probably at one of the rest stops we chose to skip. Anyway, We are leaving and those guys throw away their half eaten lunches and jump on their bikes. They get ahead of us again. This is where me, Gary and Kaylan say "lets not pass too soon because it could make for a hard 30 miles if we do" We all agreed. However, they are just going too slow at this point and we see a huge downhill to make our move. Now it's on. Gary, coming off a recent ride from Canada to Mexico, is ready to open it up. We quickly loose sight of the GENESYS pace line and join another. Gary pulls ahead and we are cranking. Steve and the others are now little specs in the rear view mirror.

Then it happens. A bottle cage breaks from the tandem on a patch of rough road. We fall off the back of the pace line and Gary has no idea. Excited, I hit the breaks, jump off and tell Kaylan "hold the bike, I'll run back and get it". Problem is, Kaylan wasn't even unclipped yet. The tandem comes down on top of her. This is bad, she is bleeding, crying, leg is swelling. I feel like crap but I'm saying "you ok? come on honey, lets go!" We get it together and now we are moving pretty slow. She's banged up pretty bad.

Then we see Gary and start riding together again. Gary takes in the situation, sees Kaylan's tears, the blood running down from her knee and he starts to tell a story. The story is about Kerri Strug who at 13, in Atlanta, had a US Olympic team medal riding on her shoulders. She has two chances and twists her ankle bad at the first attempt. Gary describes how the camera was on Kerri's face as her famous coach yells Kerri YOU CAN DO THIS! The whole world watches. She takes off, nails it and then collapses. See the video below. She accepts the award, in a cast, in her coaches arms. It was the most powerful story I had ever experienced considering what Kaylan and I had been through in the months, days and moments leading to this point. While Gary was telling the story, I can feel Kaylan through the bike. She is getting stronger and stronger. She brought us back to full speed with the energy of that story being told by my best man. We pulled it off. We beat the GENESYS pace line that beat us the day before. Energy creates energy. I'm telling you man, it's true. http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFn47a_Ny0Y

This is the fast pace line that Gary pulled. You can see Kaylan, rider No. 1136, pre-crash.

Rounding the bend at the end of the second day.

Kaylan in the triage unit where Paramedics tend to her injuries.

Our GENESYS group. Brian Roder, Paul Schoneman, Brandon Vega, Steve Lucido, James Herrman, Molly Pruett, John Leffler, Matt Adams, Steve Beck, Al Martinac, Jean Cortier, Bryce Gum. the guy in the grey shorts, front and center, has a sister who was diagnosed with MS last year. Our group collected $11,000.

What a finish. What a weekend. What a summer. Life is good.

Leadville 100 (not)

2008-08-20T10:30:00.001-07:00

I went into this race feeling cocky. You see I had a few 100's under my belt. I figured I'd just knock another one out and round out my year. No problem.

This attitude earned me my first DNF (did not finish). Very humbling. I keep the race bib on my shelf where the buckle should be. With a thick black Sharpie, across the front of the bib, I wrote DNF, just to remind me of my cockiness.

In fairness to yours truly, the weather was pretty rough. The Pikes Peak Marathon was stopped the same day due to weather. We had lightning that seemed to hit the heels of your feet. This was the kind of electrical storm that makes the hairs stand up on your arms. I actually ran off-course for a while just to avoid running under power lines which buzzed like a nest of a million angry bees. We also had rain, sleet, hail, snow and wind. In between, there was beautiful mountain sunshine that lifted the spirits momentarily. Momentarily, literally……. then SMACK! you get hit again with the whole cycle of hail, rain, wind and sleet. Rough.

I also started with a sore throat and aches.....and my dog ate my homework.

Self portrait of a wet start. Cocky.

There was more road than I had expected. I very much prefer single track over road.

Climb to Hope pass. Single track.

High camp at Hope pass.

This is how they deliver gear to the high aid station.

Amazing views above tree line.

Prayer flags offer no help to the DNF'rs.

Me at Hope Pass. Silly SOB still has no idea he won't finish. Still cocky.

Down Hope pass.

Meadows at Twin Lakes

Back up again after the Winfield turn.

After going up and over Hope Pass twice, I arrive at the 65 mile aid station with little buffer to the dreaded cutoff. In all actuality, I could have made it. I had roughly 12-hours to do thirty of the easier miles of the race. I could have walked much of it in and still made it.

The funny part - backing up a bit. For the last twenty or so miles, I ran on and off with Allen. Allen is really cool guy from Kansas I had met previously at other races. Coming down Hope I managed to get ahead of Allen. I wasn’t sure Allen was going to make the cutoff. This got me thinking that his family would be at the next aid station if he didn’t get in under the wire. His family owned a car. This car was warm and would be going back to Leadville. Leadville is where my sleeping bag was. It was warm too. These are the wrong things to think about at mile 65 of a cold, wet, mountain 100.

So I grab some food and leave the aid station at 10:00pm. I start my long climb, eating. The sleet starts again. Then the lightning. Then the really loud thunder that booms simultaneously with the lighting. Then more.

Then I see this headlamp coming down the mountain, the wrong way. Then another headlamp, again coming down rather than going up the mountain. Then a third. I ask this third rain spattered headlamp "where are you is going". The headlamp gets closer. It looks directly into my headlamp and it says in this dejected, tired, strained but loud voice…….“F THIS!”. Only this headlamp didn’t actually say “F”. It said the whole bad word. The headlamp then abruptly took off down the mountain, chased by the lighting and thunder. At that moment it dawned on me with crystalline clarity “yeah, F this!” Only I didn’t think in the abbreviated sense either. I stood there for only a moment thinking “Why in the world didn't I think of that? That is the single best idea I have heard all year!” And, just like that, I turned around and followed that third headlamp down the mountain, back to the 65 mile aid station. I simply walked in to the aid station, held out my wrist and the nice lady deftly cut off my wrist band with a pair of children's scissors. She was good. She had been practicing this for hours. She had many more to do before the night was done.

A smiling DNF with Allen from Kansas. Misery loves company.

Photo of the same mountains we ran, the following morning.

When I got back to Leadville, I climbed into my warm sleeping bag convinced I had done the right thing in bailing. The next morning, I decided to hang out at the finish line. This is where I saw some very weary, yet familiar, looking souls finish the Leadville 100. All I could think then was “I was running with this guy or that girl last night. If he or she could do this, I could have”. There was one major difference between me and them. They did it. I didn’t. They have buckles and memories of hard earned finishes. I have my DNF to look at on my shelf.

I’m officially humbled. Have to go back.

Mark Kinkade's crash

2008-07-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

There are so many ways to take what life throws at you. This is Mark Kinkade. GENESYS Production Manager and two time Berryman finisher (last year’s fastest in our group). Mark was training, with his wife Roxann, for MS Bike and hit a guard rail at speed. 36 of us at GENESYS are training for the same 160 mile, two day, bike tour September 6th and 7th.

Safety awareness side note: Mark ran and rode by this thing many times while training. Just completely missed it this time. The worse is the broken hip which you can’t see in this lousy picture. The best is his attitude. Read his note to me below.

With lots of time to reflect, the biggest thing that has happened to me in all of this accident is how many doctors, nurses, occupational and physical therapists have told me that I should return to normal and how amazed they were for my tolerance for pain, strength and what good shape I am in and what a great attitude I had. Guess you could think their just saying that to help me heal with a positive attitude and maybe some did, but when person after person says the same thing you just gotta believe it. Although I always know the right answer about how important it is to be healthy, you have pushed me so much farther than I would have pushed myself. So thank you. Its good for GENESYS but equally good for me and may have saved me from permanent damage or worse.

Big Horn 100 Mile

2008-07-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

Had a lot to worry about prior to the start:
1. Seven feet of snow made upper aid stations inaccessible so they changed the course. They did a great job at the last minute and didn't sacrifice elevation. Some said the course was tougher but the finish times said otherwise.
2. Incredible lightning storms and hail in the mountains the three nights prior to the race.
3. Rattle snake sightings / warnings.
Bla, bla, bla. Planned for the worse and ended up with great weather, great conditions, great race.

Tony Clark 27:35:24 Wichita KS M 30

Me 28:04:57 Kansas City MO M 43

Kyle Amos 23:27:53 Olathe KS M 32 (Sub 24!!!!!)

I took 38th place of 146 starters and 100 finishers. 12th of 40 in the 40 to 49 age division. My time was 28 hours and 4 minutes. I was thinking I would be in the 33 hour range based on past results of people I know so I’m very happy with my finish. I finished only 29 minutes behind Tony Clark. Tony was the Berryman winner for the 50-mile!

Words, as usual, can’t describe the experience. We started at 11am. Overcast and a little rain - perfect. Night running was cool, clear, short, full moon, amazing. We kept dropping into canyons right along this raging river, then climb back up into the full moonlight where I could almost turn off my light. The climbs were very steep, snow wasn’t bad, some mud - wet feet (blistering), hot in the canyons the next day.

The only downer was the last five miles of flat road into town which seemed like 30 miles. Walked too much at that point. I had a little stomach distress but not bad at all compared to others. I forced myself to take one E-cap on the hour, some sort of food every half hour and toward the end 1 Advil on every even hour (every two hours). Can’t think of anything I would have done differently other than train more for the hills of course. When you live in Missouri, you are never really ready for mountains. Most of the people I was running against were from mountain states which again makes me very happy when I look at my finish time.

I met Scott Jurek, we stayed in the same hotel. He paced the second place guy. According to Kyle Amos, KC friend who took 10th place, you could hear Jurek from the next mountain with all of his hooting, hollering and carrying on. The guy is one tall, wiry ball of energy. Talked to him about nutrition a while. We read most of the same books including “The China Study”. We are on the same path. I told him I added a little wild game back in the diet, quoting findings in “The Omnivores Dilemma”, “In Defense of Food” and “The Omega Three Diet”. He said “I was raised hunting and fishing and do believe there is value” Basically agreed that plants, raw and variety most of the time is best. Wish I could have had more time with him.
Start
Snow
Sunset Sunrise

Kyle coming in and leaving

Aid Station Medical checkOn my way out

These bluffs glow in the full moon later

Runners (click to open) This race starts with a 17-mile climb.

Luckily, also ends with a 17-mile descent!

Ran with this lady Marti, 44, for much of the race.

Tony Clark

Canyons at roughly 10 and 90 miles

Top of the big climb we did twice. See the runners at the top.
Tornado damaged pines

Kyles finish line kick

Tony's finishMy finishProud Trail nerds
Winners

Jeff Browning 18:56:28 Bend OR 36

Ronda Sundermeier 25:10:59 Tigard OR 41

Sub 24 hour studs

Me, Kyle and Tony with our running bling.
This is one of many reasons I absolutely love this sport. I'm considered young at 43. The winners (best of the best) are 36 and 41 years old. I'm still learning and getting better. If this were basketball, soccer, etc. the young guys would wipe the floor with me. This guy ran the 50k, this is a tough mountain 50k. He is 81 years old. This is my hero, So cool.

Life is good.

Berryman Marathon / 50 Mile

2008-05-22T13:18:00.001-07:00

Congratulations GENESYS marathoners!

Be proud. You put in the miles and raised your cardiovascular fitness to a level enjoyed by a small minority.

There were many sunrises and sunsets on the trail. You didn't just see them, you participated, lived them first hand. You experienced the change of season rather than viewing it from behind glass. There were days you pushed through the cold, snow, wind, rain, mud. Some of you suffered injuries, sickness and other setbacks, yet you pushed on. You were disciplined and you deserve to be proud.

For four months, you showed true grit. On May 17th you became the athlete, no longer the spectator. You have a priceless life experience of pushing outside your comfort zone and discovering you can do more than once imagined. You are in the 1 percentile. Be proud, you deserve it.

TRAINING

Race Day

PRE RACE

IT'S ON!!!

FINISH LINE

POST RACE

Alsion Riley - Poor Alison put in all the training runs and deserved a medal. Four miles into the race she took a spill and cut her leg badly. She recieved multiple stitches on three layers. She is infection free and recovering.

RESULTS / FINISHES: (55 committed - 45 finishers)

50-Milers (3)

Casey Yunger , Pete Leon, Mike Gase

GENESYS Marathoners (23)
Andy Callender, Bryce Gum, Carlos Quesada, Brandon Vega, David Rose (fastest first Berryman), Duane Winterscheidt, Griffin Weyforth, John Fralick, Jonathon Roberts, Justin Vyrostek, Mark Kinkade, Matthew Johnson, Matthew Perry, Molly Pruett, Patrick Perry, Paul Schoneman, Rusty Brown, Scott Schaeuble, Sean Millar, Steve Lucido, Judy Phelan, Bob Hanson, Al Martinac (Ran Free State Marathon)

GENESYS Freinds and Family (16)
Bailey Williams, Belinda Roberts, Chris Nicely, Don Frederick, Jean Cortier, John Robert, John Kriegel, Kathy Calvert, Laura Lock, Robert Phelan, Tracey Perry, Gary Stang, Jason Mangosing, Mark Bauman, Laura Lock's Dad, Joe Twiley

DNF (Did not finish) (4)

Cheryl Wallace (18 miles and coming back)
Jim Johnson (knee gave out at 4 miles. Coming back)
Srikanth Doraiswamy (20 miles lackoftrainingitis)
Alison Riley (fall down go boom)

DNS (Did not start) (9)

Jason Scollin, John Miller, Kristin Schaeuble, Joseph Lucido, Blaine Whitworth, Brian Rose, Todd Hunter, Travis Vega, Jeff Schoneman

Note to Bob Miller

2008-05-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

OK Bob. Here’s my dorky analogy of life vs. ultra running you might expect.

You are 30 or 40 miles in and hurting real bad. The wheels are wobbling, you feel like you suffered a damn heart attack! No denying this is one of those familiar low spots in your great race. It’s hard to even imagine getting up and pushing onward. Lucky for you Bob because of course you know too well that this is where the mental toughness takes over. You intimately know this earned toughness you posses is learned on the trail but spills over into every aspect of your life. Experience taught you it is 90% mental and that the body will do what the mind wills it to do.

Time for the familiar mental toughness to take over once again my friend. Time to grind out those long difficult miles just as you have done in the past. This too shall pass. You will look back and say “it was tough but I was tougher”. You know the old ultra-running motto “It never always gets worse” right?

Lucky you, this race has forgiving cut-offs. The Michigan Bluff and Devils thumb canyons (open heart surgery) are behind you. The heat has subsided. You are standing on shaky legs in Foresthill and getting ready for the wonderful, cool, night time downhill running (recovery from surgery). Eat, drink, rest and soon you will turn your flashlight on and put this aid station behind you just like all the others. Lucky you are tough.

I’m heading out to the WS training camp the end of the month. You know which running shirt I will be wearing for three days. I’m sure I will be telling the Bob Miller story on the trail.

Take care my friend. Be tough, dig deep.

Bob Miller's Great Race

2008-05-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, when I first started running ultra’s, Mike Gase introduced me to a cool guy named Bob Miller. We had dinner one night and went to Bob’s house to watch ultra running videos, specifically the Western States 100 mile. Yeah, me and this dude watching movies of other people running! How sick is that?

Anyway, aside from being a professional tennis coach, Bob is fanatic about the Western States 100 and ultra running. He actually travels to California, at his own expense, every year, just to volunteer the race. They made him a Race Manager and awarded him this “Friend of the Trail” plaque last year. Cool guy. The kind of give-back to the sport type guy we admire.

After years of applying for one of two lottery entries into the WS100, Bob’s name was drawn. This was the chance of a lifetime (I think the race committee deservedly rigged it for him). Problem was, he had to qualify and was struggling to finish three acceptable 50-mile races or one 100 miler. This will make more sense as you read on. Please read on.

While intensely training and racing to qualify Bob blew out a knee, jumping a fence of all things. So, of all the people Bob knows in the ultra running community, who do you think he sends an email too? He said “Pat, if you qualify, you can have it”. What a gift. I can’t tell you what a gift this was. The race was one of the single greatest events in my life, thanks to Bob.

Bob was traveling a couple weeks ago and had chest pains. Long story short; he had damage to his heart so severe that they would not have operated had it not been for his fitness level from tennis, hockey and running. Part of his heart muscle had died and, at one of the blockage points, new arteries actually formed around the blockage serving as sort of a spontaneous bypass performed by his own body. This happens only in rare cases where the person is very physically active and fit. After much to do, Bob had quintuple bypass surgery. This explains why he was struggling to knock out a 100 miler. Think about this when the going gets tough at Berryman next Saturday right?

24-hours after his surgery, against doctors orders, Bob walked himself out of ICU. He is already up to three miles.

Here is the favor I am asking of you. Send him a note. The power of positive thinking, praise, support, is powerful. He may be tough enough that he doesn’t need it but please send him a note anyway. He’s an awesome guy.

His email address is rkm41@comcast.net

Thank you.

Free State 100k

2008-05-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

2nd place in the masters age Group!
Third overall KC Trail Nerd.
PR for a 100k, bettering last years finish by 2-hours 11-minutes!

I fought hard at the end in order to come in under 11-hours so I could claim "ten and change" but it was not to be. I ran to the finish yelling to Ben, the Race Director "whats the official time, WHATS THE OFFICIAL TIME!?" Ben responds so smugly with that (Mr. I'm so important because I have a clip board and a stop watch look of his).........

"Eleven - O' - one."

Damn!

My email to Race Director, Ben Holmes (good guy in spite of his finish line smugness)

Good job putting on the race man. Trail was in good shape, well marked, well stocked, good people, you posted the results quick, gave specific medals for each race, like the small bib’s, you furnished ultra support like potatoes, electrolytes, prunes?

I honestly can’t come up with a complaint or improvement suggestion for you. Good job. I plan on working an aid station again this summer by the way.

Rockin K 50 Mile

2008-04-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Sand, grass, fire, rocks, bluffs, high water crossing, hills..... Kansas aint flat Toto!

I went into this race with one objective, one single purpose..... beat Stewart Johnson. Beat him like a red headed stepchild. You see Stewart is a Hardrock finisher. That makes him a very worthy adversary.

It was a good plan too. I dogged him for the better part of the first lap. Stayed right on his heals slowing wearing him down. Then, getting close to the turn around, he slipped away. Some like to say "I let him go". Not the case, he dropped me like a bad habit. He was leaving the turn-around as I came in. He was all smiley and upbeat with a clean shirt you just want to rub dirt into. I was hurting. Spent too much time at the turn. He picked up 50-minutes on me in the second lap. Age and experience defeats newbie exuberance once again. I will fight another day. I'm coming after you Ricky Bobby - Stewart Johnson!

Pete Leon, pre-race. Looking younger and leaner than ever. Pete and Casey Yunger, two great friends I work with, both started running a few years ago. They each have multiple marathons and 50k's under their belts. They are training for their first 50-miler, Berryman, May 17.

Kansas sunrise

Hills

Rocks

Remains of a prairie fire

Bluffs - Stewart Johnson, taunting me, laughing at me!

High water crossings

Sand

Race Director - Phil Sheridan and his wife Stacy did a fantastic job (Stacy obviously does most the work). In spite of all their efforts, this was a tough one for me. I was really tempted to quit, after the first 25-mile lap, but unfortunately couldn't because there were just too many people there I knew. I couldn't possibly slither off without finishing what I started. I'm glad I did because the second lap actually got better for me. Peer pressure is good. Especially these kinds of people. Ultra-runners are just the coolest people.

Three Days of Syllamo

2008-03-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

This was my second year at Syllamo. I usually don't like to do the same run too many times because there are so many to discover, but Syllamo Arkansas is magic.

I had a great weekend although brutally tough. A tornado recently went through and they had 15” of snow the week before. This left for what seemed like hundreds of fallen trees in the path as wells as a lot of water run-off and water crossing. It was 30 miles Friday, 50 miles Saturday (16,000’ elevation change), and 14 miles Sunday. Although I trained less than last year, I ran much better. I finished with some good runners. These are guys that, in the past, would have eaten, changed and showered by the time I crossed the finish line on the 50-mile day. It was awesome. Feel great. No pains, blisters, issues, etc. Life is good.

This group of elite athletes, as well as the entire forest, fall eerily silent as Dave Wakefield (last years overall winner) sings the National Anthem. Goose bumps.

Falling in the river while trying to show off for Photographers. Smoooth.

Ran with the second place girl from Wyoming, named Corena. She ran the 50k and the 20k. Dropped me both days. Must have been something I said. Smoooth.

My campsite at the base of a big rock bluff
Me and Stewart Johnson – multiple 100 miler and Hard Rock 100 finisher Early morning start of the 50 mile in the dark. The little lights are all the headlamps coming up the hill
Sweet. I love finish lines. Ultra running is said to be very similar to hitting yourself in the head with a hammer. It feels really good when you stop.

It also doesn't take long before you start craving the next one. A sick, wonderful cycle.

Cool Photo - Pete Leon

2008-01-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

On the trail, Pete and I get into some deep conversations about life, family and inevitably faith. This picture captures it. Cold air, bright sunrise, fresh snow. Life.

Cascade Crest 100

2007-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

I finished 48th of 93 starters. 26 didn’t make the cut offs or pulled out voluntarily. My time was 29 hours 37 minutes. Even though this took almost three hours longer than Western States, I ran a much better race. Where WS-100 winning times range between 15 and 16 hours, Cascade Crest has only once been completed in under 20 with few ever coming in under 21 hours. Most of the runners were from Mountain states and Canada. Germany and Venezuela were also represented.

The race manual says “Cascade Crest has a reputation for being one of the toughest and most scenic 100s in the country”. They weren’t kidding! It was tough to the extreme and stunningly beautiful. The last 25 miles is the toughest. 95% of the race is up and down very steep rocky mountains with some nice old growth forest mixed in. There is a section so steep that you need ropes to come down it. There is also a 2.5 mile, abandoned railroad tunnel which was actually nice because it allowed me to get out of the cold rain for a time.

There is a magnificent chunk where we literally run the “crest” of the mountain. This is made up of giant rock faces offering outstanding views if it wasn’t for the rain clouds. There were few water crossings but it didn’t matter since it rained for much of the race anyway. Much of the trail was overgrown with heavy vegetation which managed to keep you wet even when it wasn’t raining. There is a chunk referred to as “the trail from hell” or “The evil forest” for good reason. This is a 6 mile embankment along the edge of a beautiful lake. There were dozens of huge fallen trees that you either climb over or crawl under while trying not to slide down the rocks into the lake. Did I mention is was also raining and wet? This little stretch hits you at around 80 miles and it takes two hours to get through! Rough.

I saw a black bear in a power line clearing which was kind of cool. A couple people were taken away in ambulances. They served homemade pirogis at two aid stations and they were awesome! I also had a wonderful avocado and potato wrap with lots of salt. Had no significant stomach problems or any problems for that matter. Just a couple blisters. Good race. Toughest thing, by far, I have ever done.

Start - Easton Firehouse 70-miles west of Seatle.Rick is 60 and still running 100s. Leatha is a fellow vegetarian and 18 time 100-miler. She is only a few years younger than Rick.

Along with my heavy duty belt buckle, I was given a finishers print. This is a linoleum stamp, hand carved and printed by Leah Jurek. Scott and Leah Jurek volunteer a great deal of time to this race. Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet them because he was racing in the Tour Du Mount-Blanc in France.

I got to run with Krissy Moehl for a few miles. She set the female course record at the Hard Rock 100 this year. Hard Rock is the baddest mother of them all. It has a 48 hour cut off. She was like poetry to watch and super nice. Also ran a 5 mile technical downhill, at roughly mile 90, with Hans Dieter Weisshaar from Germany. This was Hans’s 103rd 100 mile race and he is 67 years old! He went on to beat me by 5 minutes.

Ben Holmes, my pacer from Western States, and I started together. Unfortunately, he has been putting in so much time directing races and working that we wasn’t fully prepared for this race. He bailed at mile 60 after losing his equilibrium and falling down and catching himself in a ravine. Vicki, Ben’s wife, was an awesome crew person. At each accessible aid station she was right there the moment I popped out of the woods. She has done this so many times that she just knows what is needed. Awesome lady, very supportive. Ben is lucky.

I wasn’t sure what shape I would be in eight weeks after finishing Western States 100. I ran less weekly miles and did more strength training to prepare for the mountains. It paid off. I was much stronger on the climbs.

Life is good.

Western States 100

2007-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

I gave it my all. I ran (or at least started) with some of the best ultra runners in the US as well as Mexico, Canada, England, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Germany, France, Africa, Australia. I was the only runner from Missouri. I came in 151st place of 432 people entered. This put me in the 35th percentile. Very happy. Beat Dean Karnazes by 100 miles!

Ben Holmes, my pacer who accompanied me from mile 62 to the finish line, was a huge help during the night hours. He would continually slip just out of sight so at each turn his light would disappear making me psychologically want to push to get him back in view. He let me pass when I felt good on the down hills, which I discovered is my strength, and he kept nudging me on the climbs and flats when I was losing steam. At No-Hands Bridge, the 97-mile mark, I told Ben I didn’t want to finish over 27-hours. He made me run the last up hill stretch to ensure my request was fulfilled and it worked. Awesome pacer, good friend. Not many people can say this after going through a night like we did together. Many thanks to Bad Ben.
Many, many thanks to Bob Miller as well. Bob had the good luck of drawing an entry in the Western States lottery. Luck turned on him when he blew out a knee. He gave me the entry! What a gift. Bob loves this event so much that he made the trip from Michigan, the last four years, at his own expense, just to work as a volunteer Race Manager. This year, he was awarded the “Friend of the Trail” award by the race committee which I know he is very proud of. For the four hundred plus runners, there are in excess of 1,500 volunteers and Bob tops the list. I think he worked 40 or more hours from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. What a man.
Immediately after finishing I had blood drawn voluntarily to determine CPK levels. A CPK is a blood test that measures creatine phosphokinase (CPK), an enzyme found predominantly in the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle. When the total CPK level is substantially elevated, it usually indicates injury or stress to one or more of these areas. They use it to diagnose heart attack or the extent of muscle damage caused by trauma. An average persons CPK is 61 to 224. Mine was 25,200. 74 of 102 runners tested were under 25,000. The lowest was 1,900 and the highest was 119,600! This makes me pretty average I guess. Side note: From what I understand, if you were to hand my CPK report to a Doctor who didn’t know that I had just run a 100 miles, he or she would most likely conclude that I just suffered a heart attack. My sodium level was 136 which is normal. I guess the 20 or so electrolyte capsules I ingested did their job. I spoke to the Doctor running the study, who is also an ultra-runner and he said I should be healed enough to enter another 100 miler I’m considering in August. This is called Cascade Crest 100 and is significantly tougher than Western States. We’ll see.

Lessons Learned:
My only real mistake was eating. I didn’t take in enough calories going into the canyons and it cost me time even though the reports don’t really reflect it. I told Ben at Michigan Bluff “I left my silver buckle (sub 24-hour finish) on the climb up Devil’s Thumb”. By the time I reached the finish line, I retracted that statement. I just wasn’t fit enough to do this race in 24-hours, end of story.

Eating cost me time at night too. I stopped mixing my meal replacement powder in my bottle. Big mistake because the solid food, provided by the race, had no appeal whatsoever. I would get nauseous every time we pushed hard. This was compounded at aid stations. When you drive your legs for this many hours, the blood keeps pumping even after you stop. So upon entering the lighted aid stations, from the dark trail, I would stop and the blood would pool in my legs causing me to get light headed and even more nauseous. Well intentioned volunteers would be in my face trying to get me to eat and my brain just couldn’t deal with it. I would eat a little soup, grab some fruit, a piece of hard candy, take off and do well for only a short burst. Then would come another low where I would struggle to the next aid station only to repeat the process. If I had kept my meal replacement bottle full, I would have just kept sipping without having to digest the solid foods while running in this depleted condition. Lesson learned: Stick to the plan, that simple.

Only other lesson looking back is I could have trained harder for the up-hills. This is where I was passed the most. Overall though, I ran a good race and things came together nicely. No excuses, this was about the best this 42-year old man had to give on that day. Good race. I’m happy and proud of my finish.

My placing:
At the second aid station, after the biggest climb, mile 10.5, I was in 171st place - no problem. I was going out slow as planned. My own definition of running a smart race is to pass people more often than getting passed at the end of the race and it worked. At Eldorado Creek, the half way point, I was in the lowest place of the day 179th. I attribute some of my slowness to altitude in the high country which seemed to make me uncoordinated in this rough and very rocky section. A lot of stumbling and stubbed toes. Not a good excuse since everybody else dealt with the same conditions but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. It was in this stretch that I had my only fall of the race. Five minutes out of an aid station (can’t remember which one but it was getting warm) I fell and landed on both water bottles causing the tops to pop off. Subsequently lost all my water. This made for a long conservative stretch to the next aid station. Because I was sweating and not replacing fluid, I held back from peeing because I didn’t want my weight to drop too much when I got weighed by the medical people. When they did weigh me, I was down only two pounds. I stepped off the scale and immediately ran over to the weeds for much needed relief.

As stated above, I didn’t do much good in the canyons which is why I remained in 179th place to Foresthill which is mile 62. This is where I saw my CREW (Cranky Runner Endless Waiting) for the second time. My crew consisted of:

Ben Holmes (Bad Ben) http://www.psychowyco.com/ Race Director, 22-hour 100 miler, Inspiration, role model, Grandfather, friend to my family and the best pacer a person could ask for.
Tracey Perry - My extremely supportive, understanding, smokin hot trophy wife and most of all a terrific mother to our kids.
Angie Hilderbrand - Kid watcher, driver, photographer, shopper, navigator and the coolest mother in law on the planet.
Ty Perry (T-bone) - My three year old runnin buddy and aid station bell ringer.
Miles Perry – My eight year old best buddy, soccer star, future ultra runner and radical mountain biker.
Kaylan Perry – The sweetest 11-year old person in Aspire (top 5% gifted student program). Reads 1,000 pages a month!

Seeing my family, picking up Ben and heading into some very runnable down hills collectively made for a much needed boost. I think this is why many say the race really starts at Foresthill.

My best placing of the race was at the 90 mile mark where I was in 137th place! Unfortunately this is also where I took time to make myself puke and eat (in that order) which cost me ten places putting me back to 147th upon arriving at the 93.5 mile aid station. In the last 6.5 miles I was passed by 4 more runners, faded a little but still happy.

Summary:
This race was everything I hoped for and expected. It was the hardest, most exhilarating, brutal, spiritually touching occasion of my life. May sound like an exaggeration but it’s actually an understatement because I can’t come up with words that describe the total experience. The experience is much more than the 27 hours of running. It started when I ran my first four mile race several years ago. It was called the Trolley Run, held in Kansas City and I ran it with James Herrmann, a GENESYS co-worker and friend. James and I later decided to attempt the Chicago Marathon and talked Scott Schoettley, another coworker and skiing friend, into joining us. We could hardly imagine 26.2 miles at the time. I ended up being beat by these two OLDER ENGINEERS! That’s what really what started all this. I just couldn’t handle it.

After many marathons and ultras, I signed up for my first 100 miler scheduled for February of 2005. Unfortunately, I suffered a stress fracture in a 100k (63 mile) race called Bandera in the Texas hill country the month before. After three months of recovery, I took what I learned from that experience and started the training process over again. Ran more marathons and ultras with friends Mike Gase, Jim Schinker, Pete Leon, Casey Yunger, Phil Dean, John Fralick. I still had a hard time imagining running 100-miles but went ahead and ran my first (25 hours and 22 minutes) in February of 2007. This was a big confidence booster but I still struggled to wrap my head around running 100-miles through mountains and canyons in the heat. Nor could I mentally grasp the training regimen I put together which included 10 ultras, half a dozen marathons and many 30 to 40 mile weekends. This is the coolest thing about this sport, the discovery.

Discovering what your very own human body is capable of is where the magic is. Discovering at mile 45 that you feel invincible when just 10 miles back you thought you were going to die. Discovering over and over that no matter how bad it gets, it gets better again. Discovering over and over that you can do more and more if you keep pushing and be smart about it. What more is there to discover? What is the next goal? Sub 24-hour 100-miler? Absolutely. Knowing what I know now, I can already imagine it so it’s even closer than that first Chicago Marathon was.

Diet made a big difference:
Thanks to an Iron-Man, Ultra-Cyclist friend as well as my best man, Gary Michalek, I began reading several books on nutrition. Started a Vegan diet on May 1st 2005 for general health reasons and the hope it would improve my running. Learned, after more reading, about the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids and introduced limited amounts of wild game, fish and fish oil into my diet. With the additional guidance of Dr. David Black and close friend Stephanie Simkins http://simpwholenutrition.com/Home_Page.php, I greatly reduced grains and refined sugars while increasing raw whole foods, nuts and good old fashioned water. Even started eating chia seeds. The same chia that the chia pets are made of. What a whack job, granola boy, right? This diet brought huge, not entirely expected, improvement to my running staying power, recovery, sleep quality and overall feeling of alertness, energy and wellness. Don’t know if it’s right for everybody but it’s been big for me.

Interesting notes:
According to plan I passed a lot of people in the second half of the race. Of all the people who passed me though, most were women. This reinforces my belief that when the going gets really tough, the women just seem to have more grit than the men. Truth hurts.

My weight was never more than two pounds over or under my starting weight which was great. However, my left kidney was in pain for a few stretches which I think was due to processing so much liquid. Need to talk to Dr. Black about this.

I worked on the perfect playlist for my IPOD to get me through the race. Included a huge mix. I have really enjoyed listening to the White Stripes during my last few races. However, nothing sounded good in the arid, hot, mountains except for the Grateful Dead. Oh well, no complaints..

Why do it?
The attraction - trail running is the most basic, simple and primal form of moving and just being that I know. It makes me feel very human while at the same time animal in nature. It’s often very hard but rewarding at a deeply personal level. Everything becomes magnified while I’m pushing along the earthen trail and the feeling lasts well beyond the end of a run. I appreciate everything more. I appreciate people, things, pain, water, the sweat in my eye, my lungs, legs, shoes, a mosquito bite, everything. Connections with people become deeper and more meaningful whether these people are running with me or just in my thoughts. It simply can’t be explained unless experienced first hand. I know it otherwise just sounds like craziness but there are moments, cruising down a single ribbon of trail, under the canopy, when I just know I’m the luckiest man in the world. In these moments I often feel I have begun to discover a life secret that nobody else can begin to know. I like to tell Tracey that I’m trying to become my own hero.

Rocky Raccoon 100

2007-02-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

My first 100 miler. Pretty much as expected. Went out too fast and paid the price in the end, just like all my preparation taught me not to do. There were runners from all over the US as well as Norway, Sweden, Germany, Mexico and Canada. I ended up finishing in 25 hours 22 minutes which was 92nd place out of 242 runners. I'm very happy with my finish.

Race morning, I arrived at 4:45am. I went to use the campground rest room and this is what I saw above the stalls. Yes, thats a vulture, not a good omen. I think he was waiting for an ultra-runner to die.

Miles 65 to 75 were hard and then it actually got a little better, in terms of effort. I felt like I was holding a 7 minute pace but in reality, it was hardly a shuffle. I worked hard to avoid the dreaded "death march" by not permitting myself to walk unless climbing.

Later I did resort to a speed walking pace, off and on, only because I came to the realization it was probably faster than what my running pace had become. Got passed by three people between 60 and 80 miles. After that, I wasn't passed again and I passed a dozen or more. This was a mental boost considering my geriatric pace.

Here is a picture of my poor foot. Honestly, it didn't feel nearly as bad as it looks.

Can't even explain the satisfaction I felt on the plane ride home. I had a sense of peace that I can only compare to what people refer to as a religious experience.

Life is good.

Now that I've finally done it, my next goal is a sub 24 hour! (after Western States).

Bandara 100k

2007-01-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

This was my second Bandara 100k, 15 hours 35 minutes. Last year I ran it with a stress fracture that put me out for 8-weeks.
Was happy with my run. 33% finish. Of the 71 finishers, I was 24th. Half an hour better than last year and no broken bones!. The winner was 11-hours and the slowest was 22. This all probably sounds really slow for 62 miles, but it's pretty treacherous. The guy who puts it together has a goal to make it as tough as he possible can. he incorporates every hill he can find.

The weather was rough. Mud caked shoes felt like 10lbs weights. Temp dropped a lot at around my half way point and the rain and wind picked up for a while. A lot of people got stuck with just a short sleeve shirt, in the second loop, which I think was the reason so many dropped. Luckily, I picked up long sleeves and a light shell so I was in good shape. Fell twice coming down the rocks but nothing to show for it. It was actually a pretty cool experience.

Joe Prusaitis
The guy that puts the race together is a real Leader. Every person working the race was first class and the only common denominator I can deduce, other than being Texan's (impossible), was Joe's influence. At the aid station, where I had a drop bag, they would actually be waiting out font, yell my number forward and then someone would hand me my bag before I even entered the tent. Another person would grab my bottles from me and start filling them. Another would start firing questions: "want soup, need electrolytes, Vaseline, hammer gel, Heed, coke, etc. etc." They were above and beyond. One lady actually said "do you want my gloves?" She didn't say "do you need your gloves from your drop bag" she actually offered hers from her own hands!

At the finish, I think 10 people congratulated me. I'm not talking the perfunctory "take a number, congratulations, how bout this weather?" I mean they grabbed my hand, arm or shoulder, looked me in the eye and meant it. Then they would go about doing whatever they could do to help. Giving me soup, offering me a blanket, finding me a chair, helping me sit, help with my shoes, more food, etc. etc. etc. Unbelievable people. You haven't seen anything like it.

Ben Holmes
Ben, I haven't run one of your races yet but this guy Joe Prusaitis is a role model for any race organizer.

Dude Where's the Trail 50k

2006-11-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

Very strange. This is run by Lou Joline, the old guy in the yellow vest. Lou holds records around the country for ultras. He waits until the night before the race "adventure run" to tell the us where it starts and we don't get to see a map until then. The run was a bunch of trails and some road at the end, and its all connected together by "bushwhacking". You take the map a compass and (if your smart) a cell phone and then just go out and do your best to get through it. We added 4.5 miles getting lost in the woods. Longest 50k I've ever done. Ran with Ben Holmes "Kansas City ultra-running legend and 100-miler", Jacqueline Jackson #17 and Mike, a guy from Colorado that we dropped at around 10-miles.

Kansas City Bad Ass's.

Me, Jacky and Ben

Ben and I

Bush whacking scars. Ben calls it complementary leg exfoliation. Free with every finish.

Energy creates energy. This was my 50k birthday present to myself.