#72 - Michelle's Grand Ass Marathon 2009

DATE: September 6, 2009

LOCATION: Puyallup to Tacoma, Washington

In 2008, Michelle and Eric Barnes hosted a fat ass style marathon that I helped out with. This was the second year of the event. I was more than happy to help out again this year. I created the logo in 2008, and operated the web site, and also provided the bibs. This time I would do the same. But this year, Eric and Michelle decided to change the course.

I drove up on Saturday evening, and spent the night at the Barnes' house. They were very kind to allow me to stay at their place. This saved me from having to sleep in my car. The race started at 7am, and so I followed Eric down to the start line very early at 6am. Michelle and a few of her friends took an early start in order to finish sooner.

It was pouring down rain the whole night and so I was wondering if this was going to be a messy race. As the sun started to come up before the start, it was dry and so everyone's hopes were high. One thing you should know about this race is that the field is made up of mostly slower runners. This is fine, but it just means I was running in the front of the pack.

As the race started, I felt a little weird being in the front. In the first few miles (about 4-5 miles) I was running along with Shawna Wilskey and Arthur Martineau. After that they took off. I ran behind them for a little while. When I got to the half way aid station, they were just heading back out. I ran the first half in 1:43 (give or take a few minutes). The weather was pretty good at that point.

But the weather changed in the second half. With the new course it had big hill about mile 16. At that point I was still feeling pretty good, but it was starting to rain.

From about mile 18 on it was pouring, and I was slowing down. Everyone was told before the race that the course was long. It ended up being a little more than 27 miles. This meant my time was long. I ended up running a 4:07:04, this ended up putting me in third place and was actually a good time. For a marathon this was about a 3:59, given the hills and rain I was pretty happy with my time.

After changing my cloths and hanging out a while with the other runners I headed home. It was a fun time.

#71 - ET Midnight Marathon 2009

DATE: August 9, 2009

LOCATION: Rachel, Nevada

I came across this race online, and felt like it would be a lot of fun. I was already planning to travel to California for my Grandpa's 90th birthday in August, so I talked with my mom and aunt and we planned this race into the trip.

My mom and I flew to Las Vegas where we met my aunt who drove in from Orange County. We got a hotel in Las Vegas where we spent most of the afternoon and evening. The race starts at midnight in the middle of the desert and travels for 26.2 miles near Area 51 before finishing at Rachel, Nevada (a small town in the middle of nowhere). But from Las Vegas you are bused to the start (a 2-3 hour bus ride). So we had to arrive at the host hotel at 8pm and the buses left about 8:30pm. We were then bused to the starting line, which we arrived at about 11:30pm. Once there we were given glow sticks and go ready to run. Once the marathon started the half marathons were bused to the half way point where they started. My mom and aunt both did the half marathon.

The race is always held in the weekend closed to the full moon, and being in the middle of the desert allowed the moon to provide quite a bit of light. I brought a reflective vest and a headlamp, but really didn't need it. The race was a lot of fun, some people dressed in alien costumes and others brought a lot of glow in the dark clothing.

The first half of the race is all uphill. It starts about 4,500 feet and climbs to about 5,600 feet. Once I hit the high point (about mile 13), it downhill for about 8 miles before it levels out for the final 5 miles. The finish of the race is about 4,800 feet. So needless to say it was a challenging course.

Being my first race back I had no real goal in mind, I just wanted to have fun. I tried to get a good nap in so that I could say up all night, but I also drank a lot of caffeine in order to keep me awake. The first half was hard, but being the middle of the night, I could not see the challenge ahead of me, I just kept going. The race itself was pretty uneventful. Running in the dark in the middle of nowhere was pretty boring, but it was fun to see the other runners and the crazy costumes.

I finished the marathon in 3:57:21, which was less than 4 hours, so I was pretty happy. The race finished in a cafe called "Little A'Le'Inn". There they have a full breakfast and lots of alian merchandise for sale. I wasn't too hungry, but did enjoy some biscuits and gravy as well as some fruit.

They then bus you back to Las Vegas, and on the bus ride back I got to sleep. We then drove to southern California where I enjoyed some time with my family.

The whole experience of the race is a lot of fun!

#70 - Hagg Lake 50k 2009

DATE: February 21, 2009

LOCATION: Hagg Lake Park, near Gaston, Oregon

This was a tough race for me. I once again wanted to do the Hagg Lake 50k. They give a special award to anyone who runs it five times. This was my third time. I knew a number of my friends that were running it, so it was going to be fun to see them on the course. I woke up early and drove to Hagg Lake. The weather was perfect for that time of the year, and it was going to be a run with very little mud.

I check in and got by bib and got ready for the race. I was hoping to break five hours and enjoy the race. The course is two loops around the lake with a 3 mile out-and-back at the beginning. In the out-and-back I was running pretty good.

Once I got to the loop around the course, I got going pretty good. I enjoyed the trail and felt like things were going pretty well. I don't remember my exact times, but I remember this was going well. I did however remember thinking that I would have to have a good second half to break five hours.

In the second loop, my legs started to get really tired. It started about five miles into the second loop (mile 22 overall), I felt some cramping, so I walked at times. A few more miles later, I was cramping pretty bad, and watched as many of the runners were passing me. I remember running along the street at one point and felt my legs cramping really bad, and looked down and saw my calf tightening up really bad. I remember at that point thinking it was all about finishing for me.

As I crossed the finish line, I was happy to be done. I didn't stick around too long. In the week following that race, I was really some real tightness in my legs. On Saturday February 28, I went out for a 15 mile run, but had some pain in my lower back, so I cut the run short by two miles. After that run, I had some real bad pain in my sciatic nerve. After taking a few weeks off from running, I focused mainly on cycling as I was recovering from the sciatic pain. It would be 5.5 months before I would do another marathon. But I did take a four day 386 mile cycling trip down the Oregon Coast during that layoff.

#69 - Pier Park 6 hour 2009

DATE: February 7, 2009

LOCATION: Pier Park, Portland, Oregon

A few local Portland area Ultra marathoners decided to host this race. It was a 6 hour race in a park in North Portland. The park had a nice one mile trail loop. I had never been to this park before, and enjoyed the park.

I drove out to North Portland and found the park. It was nice to see some of the local ultra runners, not that many Maniacs came. The race was organized with very short notice. Anyway, I got my bib and got ready for the race. Since it was a 6 hour, the goal was not a specific time, but was a specific distance. My goal was to run at least 34 miles. This race was a trail race, so my speed would be slowed down. The last time I ran a trail 6 hour race was at Des Moines Creek 6 hour race in March 2008. In that race I ran 34.14 miles.

As the race started I was off and running pretty fast. I was hanging around the top 3-4 runners for most of the race. There were a few of my local running friends that decided to show up and do the 6 hours, so I was able to see them as I passed them.

After about five hours I was getting a little worn out. The one mile loop had about a 50-70 foot climb in the middle which became a lot harder towards the end of the race. I had just hit the 50k mark, and felt my energy slipping. I ended up running 36.36 miles and decided I didn't have enough time for one more loop with just 9 minutes left on the clock.

That distance was good for 7th place of about 20 runners, and I was glad to have done it. Sadly, that was the only time that race was run.

#68 - Yours Truly 50k (MAX edition) 2009

DATE: January 25, 2009

LOCATION: Gresham to Hillsboro, Oregon

Once again, I was wanting to run a fun and unique race for Yours Truly. Since this was an online compiling of run times, you have the option of running wherever you want on a specific date. Now the Maniacs have a rule that these "virtual" races don't count unless you meet the minimum runner count, but at this time they had no such rule.

In Portland we have a light rail line that runs across the city of Portland. It's

called the MAX, and it runs west to east and east to west. So I looked online and figured out that it would be a little more than 31 miles to run from one end to the other on the city streets. So I parked my car in Hillsboro at the start of the MAX line and took the train to the end in Gresham.

Once I got to Gresham I got ready to run. In the days leading up to this day, it was very cold and we had some snow in some areas. I didn't realize that Gresham had a good amount of snow. The combination of cold weather and snow on the ground made it hard to get going.

Since I live on the west side of Portland, I don't run on the east side much, so it was fun to see a new part of town. Once I got about 10 miles or so into the run, the snow was gone, but the cold weather was still hanging around.

The hardest part of the run was about mile 18-20, when I had a 750 foot climb and being a higher altitude the snow was about an inch thick which made it a challenge. Once I got to the part of town I know pretty well, the weather warmed up and it felt better, but I was totally tired and wanted to be done. This made the last 5-8 miles hard, and I was happy to get back to my car. Overall the 50k took me 5:25:17, which wasn't bad.

#67 - Seattle Marathon 2008

DATE: Sunday, November 30, 2008

LOCATION: Seattle, Washington

Day three of the first Turkey Triple. It was a lot of fun to see so many Maniacs that wanted to take on the three day challenge. I ran a triple in July, but there were only a few runners that did that one and the travel was a lot greater. This time is was really fun.

I woke up early in the morning and walked down to the Seattle Center from the hostel. It was a chilly morning, but dry. I enjoyed running into so many of my Maniac friends before the race. Once the race started, I felt pretty good. I started off running at a comfortable pace.

I really enjoy this race, and this was even more special because of the triple. I remember running over the floating bridge, and the fog was pretty thick, which made Lake Washington look really cool. One thing I love about the Seattle Marathon is that there are two out-and-back stretches, which means I get to see so many of my running friends. I know some runners don't like out-and-backs, but I don't mind them.

In the first half I ran a pretty speedy 1:43:43. I knew at this point, I was going to be slowing down, but still felt pretty good. I was happy the weather turned out to be quite comfortable.

The second half of the race, was slower, but give the big hill at about mile 19, I was expecting that. My second half time was 1:51:49 giving me a final chip time of 3:35:13. I was not expecting to run it that fast. Overall the experience was a huge success!

#66 - Ghost of Seattle Marathon 2008

DATE: Saturday, Novemeber 29, 2008

LOCATION: Seattle, Washington

Day two of the Trkey Triple was the Ghost of Seattle Marathon. After spending the night at a hostel in Seattle, I got up and drove to Lake Washington to run in the Ghost. I arrived early and had a chance to talk with other runners for a while.

The race was pretty uneventful. If was just another marathon. I took it pretty easy, not wanting to push too hard. It was good to see the other triple runners.

On Friday it was a trail race, this was a road race, so I had more speed. I enjoyed the day. The weather was perfect. I ended up running a pretty normal time for me. I ran that day in 3:46.

I hung out for many hours watching the other runners finish. I had taken this triple to Seattle by myself, so I was in no hurry to leave. Afterwards I went to the Seattle Marathon expo and got my packet and headed back to the hostel to get ready for the final leg.

#65 - Wishbone Run 2008

DATE: Friday, Novemeber 28, 2008

LOCATION: Gig Harbor, Washington

Marathon Maniac #116, Lauri "The Kid" Fauerbach Adams who lives on the east coast wanted to

run a triple, so she got Bill Barmore to host a marathon on "Black Friday". I was already planning to run a double in Seattle, and was very excited to do a triple.

I drove up to Gig Harbor on Friday after sleeping in my car on Thanksgiving night. It was great to see all my Maniac friends, many of us were doing the trople.

There is not too much to day about this race. It was very cool and a little rainy, and I took it nice and easy and enjoyed the trails with Nic Plemel and other Maniacs.

It was a challenging course and it took me 4:31, but given that the course was 27.4 miles I was happy and checked into a hostel and got ready for day two.

#64 - UltraCentric 24 hours 2008

DATE: November 15, 2008

LOCATION: McKinney, Texas

My friend Tim Lawson ran this race in 2007, but had some issues and only ran 79 miles in the race. This time he wanted to do better. So after having run a 24 hour race in March, I decided to joing him. The venue had changed (it moved from Grapevine to McKinney).

Tim and I flew to Dallas on Friday and checked into a hotel near McKinney.

We spend the night and got up early to take a bus from a local school to the park where the race was held. When we got there we got our bibs and go ready for the race.

In the months prior I didn't think I needed a ton of training, I thought that I could get by with amount of maarathons I had done. I did an overnight run a few weeks prior to help with training. I now realize that doing a race like this takes a lot of special training and a lot of time. I was not adequatly preparred for this race.

One thing everyone realized very early on was the fact that the one mile loop had a 75 foot clip towards the end. This caused problems later in the night.

When the race started it was nice and cool and sunny. It was the National Champioship 24 hour race that year and it was cool to see some world class runners like Scott Jurek. I started running pretty good. My splits were pretty good. I hit the marathon mark in about four hours. I hit the 50 mile marker in about 8:40 (give or take). I hit the 100k mark in record time of 11:06, and in the first 12 hours I had run 66 miles.

From there things went down hill. Once the sun set the weather got very cold. It dropped to about 25 degrees overnight, and I was feeling sick. Tim had already dropped out. And after 16:25 and 83.45 miles I decided it was smarter to drop. I found a spot and took a few hour nap. After that Tim and I watched as the race finished.

After the awards were handed out Tim and I returned to our hotel room and got some pizza and a good nights rest, before returning back to Portland.

#63 - Portland Marathon 2008

DATE: October 5, 2008

LOCATION: Portland, Oregon

This was my third Portland Marathon. I had just finished running 13

marathons in 12 weeks to get my seven stars with the Maniacs. I took a few weeks off from running marathons before doing this marathon. My friend Jon was suppose to do it with me, but had a nagging injury and decided not to run it.

I drove to downtown Portland early that morning, and didn't have too much trouble finding a place to park. The weather was pretty nice at the start, but the end would be a different situation. I had no real goal in mind, I thought a 3:30 marathon would be nice.

I started out and felt really great. I was running smooth and I thought I was running a little too fast, but decided to go with the flow as long as possible. On the out-and-back section it was great to see so many of my Maniac friends.

Upon coming to the half marathon point I had run 1:37:44. I thought I could easily run a 3:30 at that point. It started to rain and I was just hoping it would end soon. As I continued up and over the St John's Bridge and down through the east side of the river. I continued to run strong and felt great. It this point I was pushing to see if I would possibly break 3:20. Unfortunately the rain continued and you could not avoid being wet.

As I came down toward the finish I just missed 3:20. I finished in 3:20:20, but could not be happier given that my goal was to run a 3:30. After finishing I was wet and cold, so instead of hanging around and seeing the other Maniacs finish and walked back to my car and drove home. It was a great day!

#62 - Timberline Marathon 2008

DATE: September 13, 2008
LOCATION: Timberline Lodge to Timothy Lake, Mt Hood, Oregon

After 12 weeks and 13 races, I finally got my seven stars in the Marathon Maniacs, but not before completing the Timberline Marathon. I last ran this race in 2006, when it debuted. It was a small race and there were only three Maniacs at that race. I didn't make it out for the 2007 version, but in order to get my seven stars I needed to do this race.

The race starts at Timberline Lodge and runs down the Pacific Crest Trail to Timothy Lake. While this is a really cool race, sadly this was the last time the race will be run on this course. Following this race a section of the forest on the PCT was named a wilderness area and is not allowed to be used in a race. The race is a net downhill course and it wasn't as easy as you might think.

I drove to the start area, where I slept in my car. On race morning I had a chance to greet my other Maniac friends. It was cold and very windy at the start, but sunny. I ran a pretty good race, given that the race is a trail marathon. During this 12 week period of time I ran four trail marathons, two of which I ran in just under 4 hours and the other two I ran in just over 4 hours. This race was run in 4:04:01. I don't remember too much about the race, but I do remember having a good time. It was a race where I just enjoyed the run.

After finishing I had a chance to talk with my friends and then headed home. If felt good to get my seven stars. Will I get to eight or ten stars? Maybe, but it would take a huge financial commitment.

#61 - Skagit Flats Marathon 2008

DATE: Sunday, September 7, 2008
LOCATION: Burlington, Washington

This was a long trip for me. From Portland, Seattle is about a 3-3.5 hour drive. Burlington (Skagit Valley) is about an hour north of Seattle. I decided to do this race because it's race director is a Maniac (Terry Sentinella). I've been hold that it was a flat and fast course.

I drove up on Saturday evening. I slept in my car at a rest stop near Burlington and made the short drive to Burlington on Sunday morning. I arrived early and it was a very nice day. It was sunny and was suppose to be pretty warm. It was great to see some of my Maniac friends. I was looking forward to a good run, but didn't have any real goal in mind. I thought a 3:30 would be nice, and if all went well a 3:20.

The course is a pretty simple out and back on country roads. It started out pretty well. I don't remember any of my splits, but I remember running a fast race to start. I remember getting close to the half way point and thinking to myself that I was well on my way for a 3:20. I know I didn't run negative splits, but I do remember running pretty close to even splits. After the turn around, I thought to myself that I was able to slow down quite a bit and still break 3:30. I kept pushing and wanted to see how long I could keep up the pace.

Once I got really close to the finish I pushed hard to the finish. I ended up running a 3:18:35, which was and still is my third fastest marathon. I was so happy, but it was getting hot. I'm glad I had such a good run. They provided showers at the finish, so after taking a shower I drove home.

#60 - Michelle's Grande Ass Marathon 2008

DATE: Sunday, August 31, 2008
LOCATION: Puyallup to Tacoma, Washington

A few month prior I noticed that Michelle and Eric Barnes were hosting a marathon that went from Starbucks to Starbucks. Even though I don't drink coffee, I thought it would be fun to do something a little different. The web site that they had up was lacking a little. As I thought about the race, I designed a really cool logo, and told them that I could do a web site too. I ended up keeping track of the registration, I got the bibs and of course the web site and logo for the race.

I drove up the evening before and slept in my car. I arrived at a Starbucks in Puyallup early that morning. After we got everyone their stuff we started the race about 7am. Quick a few of the runners were on the slower side of things. So when I started out, I was in the front of the pack with a few other runners. We ran together for a few miles before I took the lead and kept going.

At one point (maybe 8 miles in) I was stopped when a train was crossing. Since the course was not closed I was stuck waiting for the train. As I ran in and out of each Starbucks aid station, I was being told that I was in the lead.

Coming up to the final few miles, I realized I was probably going to win the marathon. But I looked back and saw a fellow Maniac (Nic Plemel) starting to catch me. So I ran hard to avoid losing the lead. I ended up finishing in 3:37:09. I beat Nic by about 30-40 seconds. It was a very nice run.

After a little while, Eric drove us back to the start. I got in my car and drove home. It was a fun event.

#59 - Redmond Watershed Preserve Marathon 2008

DATE: August 24, 2008
LOCATION: Watershed Preserve, Redmond, Washington

I was on a mission to run 13 marathons/ultras in 12 weeks. When I was laying out the schedule I put a triple on my schedule, this meant that I was going to be running 14 races in 12 weeks, giving me a little wiggle room. The previous weekend I set out to run Where's Waldo, a 100k (62 miles) trail race with about 11,000 feet of climbing. It did not go well, I got altitude sickness and the 100+ degree temperatures didn't help. At mile 50, I decided I couldn't do the final climb and dropped out. This meant my wiggle room was gone. At this point I needed to run the next four weeks to get my seven stars.

This race was part of the Northwest Trail Series, I ran the Des Moines Creek 6 hour race in March (also part of the series). It was held at the Redmond Watershed Preserve, it was a marathon consisting of three trail loops around the Watershed Preserve. I arrived at the park early and weather was pretty good. I was looking forward to a good effort after the bad experience at Where's Waldo.

The course was not very technical and the loops had only mild hills. After the first loop I was feeling pretty good, I finished the 8.74 mile loop in 1:12:53. I continued on to the second loop and slowed a little as I was starting to get tired. In that loop I ran 1:18:25. In the final loop the rolling hills were getting to be a little tough. I had to walk a lot at times, I was probably still struggling after Waldo, but I ended up running that final loop in 1:34:18. That meant my final finish time was 4:05:36, which is pretty good for a trail marathon.

After finishing the race, I hung around for a little while before heading back to Portland. By the way, it started pouring down rain on the drive home. I'm just glad it didn't rain during the race.

#58 - Haulin Aspen Marathon 2008

DATE: Sunday, August 10, 2008
LOCATION: Bend, Oregon

In 2007 I ran my first double by doing the Crater Lake Marathon followed by Haulin Aspen Marathon. This year I decided to run just Haulin Aspen since I had Where's Waldo on my schedule the following weekend.

I drove out to Bend on Saturday evening, and ended up sleeping in my car at the parking lot of the hotel where runners were suppose to meet and take a bus to the start. Parking at the start area is very limited so they encouraged runners to take the bus to the start.

It was great to see some of my fellow Maniac friends. The race was very chilly at the start (in the 40's). I was hoping to have a good run. At this point I was having a huge boost in speed and felt that a sub-4 hour time was a possibility. Given the fact that it was a trail marathon and had a huge climb in the first half, a sub-4 is a really good time.

I don't remember too much about the actual running of the race, but I did finish with a sub-4. My finish time was 3:54:42. It was a great run! I hung around for a little while before heading home. It was my ninth race of thirteen to get seven stars.

#57 - Big Guy Marathon 2008

DATE: Monday, July 28, 2008
LOCATION: Newport, Oregon

On the Maniac bulletin board a fellow Maniac (Sara Wade) said she wanted to host a marathon in Newport on July 28th. She was from Illinois and wanted to run the Newport Marathon, but couldn't make it out in May, so she wanted to host it along with her family. I along with about seven other runners agreed to run the marathon, so she could count it as a race towards the 50 states club.

I drove out to Newport with my parents on Sunday afternoon. We spent the night at a campground just a few miles south of the start line. My mom dropped me off and I met the other runners. I was familiar with the course having run it just a few months before.

We headed off and I was feeling pretty good having run a 50 miler two days before. It was very low key they had a few people along the route with water for the runners. It felt like a training run.

I did notice that where the Newport Marathon turned around we kept going. I thought this was strange, but we ended up finishing a little short of where the Newport Marathon finished so it all worked out.

I ended up finishing third in the nine runner field with a time of 3:35. II was handed a finisher medal made my Sara's children. It was a very enjoyable run.

#56 - Mt Hood PCT 50 miler 2008

DATE: Saturday, July 26, 2008
LOCATION: Timothy Lake, near Mt Hood, Oregon

The Mt Hood PCT is one of the few races that I had done very year at that point. From 2005-2007 I ran the 50k, but in 2008, they did away with the 50k and only had a 50 miler, because they had so much of a demand for the 50 miler. So having already done two 50 milers and a 24 hour race, I decided to give this one a try.

I drove to Timothy Lake on Friday night where I had a camp site. I spent the night there and walked over to the start in the morning. After chatting with of my ultramarathon friends we took off. This was a very nice course it went up hill the first half to Timberline Lodge about a 5,000 climb and turned around and headed back to Timothy Lake.

The views were amazing and the aid stations very supportive. I REALLY enjoyed the course! I didn't realize how fast I could run it. My previous 50 mile trail run was Capitol Peak in April of that year, and it took more over 10 hours. This course was faster and I really pushed to run it as fast as I could. I don't remember what my time was at the turn around, but I finished in 8:44:33.

After finishing I cleaned myself up and headed back home. It was a very short turn around as I headed to Newport the following day for a marathon on Monday.

#55 - Crescent Forest Marathon 2008

DATE: July 19, 2008
LOCATION: Gig Harbor, Washington

This was race number 6 of the 13 I needed to get my seven star Maniac rank. It was a race hosted by Bill Barmore (fellow Maniac) down the street from his house. It was a trail marathon made up of four loops each about 6.5 miles long.

I drove up on Friday night and spent the night in my car before arriving in Gig Harbor about 45 minutes before the start of the race. It was great to see so many Maniacs. We started the race about 8am and the weather was perfect. I don't remember a ton about the race itself. But I do remember running pretty even splits and remember really enjoying the trail. I ran this same course a few months later as part of the Turkey Triple.

I finished in 3:55, which was pretty good for being a rail marathon. I finished 7th of 38 runners, and enjoyed some post race food at Bill's house before heading home.

#54 - Grey Rock 50k 2008

DATE: Saturday, July 12, 2008

LOCATION: near Tampico, Washington

Let me ask you a question, what is the hardest race you have ever done? For me it's two fold. The hardest race I have ever done is probably Where's Waldo 100k in 2008. In that race I made it 50 miles and dropped. It was north of 100 degrees and the altitude (6000-7000 ft) go to me and I was not feeling very well. But the hardest race I ever finished would be no doubt Grey Rock 50k. I was working on running 13 marathons/ultras in 12 weeks in order to become a seven star Maniac. It started at Pacific Crest in June 2008, and the following weekend I ran my first triple. But I was looking to keep going week after week, so I found the Grey Rock 50k near Yakima, Washington on July 12 and decided to give it a go.

I drove out to Yakima on Friday evening, and slept in my car at a rest stop in Yakima. It started at a campground west of Yakima, it wasn't that far, but was a lot of uphill driving and took close to two hours to get to the start. I arrived about 30-40 minutes before the start. It was sunny and cold in the high altitude.

The race is an out-and-back course on a VERY TECHINICAL trail. The first climb begins right away with a 1,800 foot climb. It was a tough climb and the huge rocks and very technical nature of the trail prevented me from being able to get into a groove. In these first four miles I averaged a 13:20 pace. Upton reaching the aid station it then dropped 1,800 feet over the next four miles. Despite the technical nature of the trail I was able to cruise at about a 8:45 pace. But trust me it wasn't over yet!

Upon reaching the second aid station I continued on with another huge climb to the turn around. This climb was a 1,900 foot climb and once again was very technical. I was running miles in the 14-16 minute range. Upon reaching the turn around, which was a very pretty meadow, I headed back down the hill to the previous aid station. That downhill stretch was not very fast mainly due to a massive rock field. When I say rock field, I mean a huge area with huge rocks everywhere it was quite a sight.

Once I got back to the aid station, the toughest part of the race was yet to come. That first climb was still to come going the other way. The 1,800 foot climb was brutal; I was dead tired and was really tired of the technical nature of the course. I ended running that four mile stretch with a lot of walking. It was basically a hike up the hill. I averaged a 19:00 pace in those four miles. But, I said the race started with a 1,800 foot climb in the first four miles, which means the race ended with a 1,800 foot downhill drop. This was nice I ended up averaging around a 9:00 pace in those last few miles. Once I came out at the finish I rest for quite a while before heading home.

What is that all translate to? I finished in 6:53:47, which wasn't horrible considering the huge climbs. My first half split was 3:24:39, which means my second half was 3:29:08. I took a lot less time at the aid stations in the second half, and also stopped to take more pictures in the first half. One thing I did enjoy about this race was the amazing views of Mt Rainer and Mt Adams.

Will I do it again? Maybe.

#53 - Rattlesnake Lake Marathon 2008

DATE: Sunday, July 6, 2008

LOCATION: Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, Washington

This race was organized by the Brian Pendleton and Monte (two fellow Maniacs). It was nice double out and back on some old railroad tracks. The weather was perfect, and it wasn't raining. There were tons of Maniacs and it was great to see the other triple runners.

I arrived early and chatted with the other runners. The first few miles went downhill to a turn around. It was then uphill to the starting area. I felt really great and my legs were not real sore. The second out and back was a lot longer and the out was all uphill, which I did a great job of running. At the turn around it was all downhill to the finish.

It was a great day, and I ended up running a 3:46:47. I chatted with the other Maniacs before heading home. My first triple was a huge success.

#52 - Fund Run for Breast Cancer 50k 2008

DATE: Saturday, July 5, 2008

LOCATION: Lake Youngs Watershed, Renton, Washington

Tony Covarrubias (a fellow Maniac) had been asked by other Maniacs to organize a marathon or ultra. It seems that he was interested in doing so, so he posed the question online, and everyone seemed to like the idea of doing it on July 5th, in between the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon and the Rattlesnake Lake Marathon. This provided the chance to do a triple. One of his family members was trying to raise money for a breast cancer walk, so he decided to call it the "Fund Run" and asked each runner to donate $20 towards her breast cancer fundraiser.

So I wanted to do something a little special, so I talked with Tony Phillippi and the other Main Maniacs, about allowing me permission to create a pink Marathon Maniacs singlet. They gave me permission (BTW, the Marathon Maniacs name and logo are registered trademarks), so I went to Target and got a pink singlet and bought some iron on transfers and printed the logo and ironed them on to the singlet.

I drove up to Seattle with my mom, aunt and grandma (they wanted to visit friends in Seattle). The race was taking place at Lake Youngs Watershed, where Pigtails does her January 50k. This means I was familiar with the course, it's a 9.6 mile loop three times with a short out-and-back.

It was very cool and there was a little rain in the forecast. When I arrived at the race, it was raining and I was ready run. There weren't that many runners there and most were doing the triple. I started out running good decided to hold off my pace and not start too fast. I ended up running a very fast time for a trail 50k. I ended up running a 4:42:48, which ended up being my second fastest 50k time. My family picked me up and we went back to the hotel where I prepared for the final leg of the triple.

#51 - Foot Traffic Flat Marathon 2008

DATE: Friday, July 4, 2008

LOCATION: Sauvie Island, Portland, Oregon

I don't know why, but it seems I have my fastest times, when I least expect it. This was an interesting race. I had just run, my worst ever marathon just a week and a half earlier in Sunriver. It was also the first marathon of my first triple. Two Maniacs organized two separate marathons in the Seattle area on July 5-6. I decided to take my marathoning to the next level by running three marathons in three days. I also was interested to see how the changes to the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon would go. In 2007, it was hot and they ran out of water, and medals, and it took me more than an hour to get off the island in all the traffic. This time they moved the start/finish of the race to easy traffic and promised a better experience.

I arrived early as normal and was looking forward to an enjoyable race. I wasn't looking to run fast, but just wanted to have an enjoyable time. The weather was great, it wasn't too hot and there were even some clouds to cool things off. When the race started I went out and felt pretty good. I knew I was going pretty fast, but felt like I would keep going as long as I felt good. When I got around the first half I knew this would be either a great race, or a huge disaster. I

can't remember what my first half split was, but I do remember thinking that I was going quite fast. In the second half, I just wanted to avoid disaster, and finish strong. I still felt great and kept running pretty fast. I remember passing quite a few other marathons and thought this was a great day. Around mile 20 (or so) I looked at my Garmin and realized I was going to run a sub 3:20. Coming up to mile 23 or 24, I was still running at an amazing pace, but I was starting to slow down. I thought to myself "I need to keep going, it's only a few more miles!"

As I came in toward the finish line I wondered if this was a PR. I couldn't remember what my exact PR time was, but I knew it had to be very close. I couldn't believe how fast I had run, I finished in 3:13:30 which was 13 seconds slower then my PR at Newport. I talked with a few of my other Maniac friends, and headed home to get ready for the trip up north. The organizers did a much better job, this time. The finish area was very well organized and getting off the island wasn't too bad. All in all a perfect day!

#50 - Pacific Crest Marathon 2008

DATE: June 28, 2008
LOCATION: Sunriver, Oregon

My first marathon was in Sunriver in 2005 and it has become a tradition for me (and my family) to return every year. So when I realized I could make it my 50th marathon, I jumped at the chance. My running buddy Jon Dotson, also came to Sunriver with his family, after I told him about how much I liked the race.

I arrived in Sunriver with my family a few days before the race, and was looking forward to not only my 50th marathon, but my 100th race. I didn’t think too much about the weather, but that would prove to be the biggest hurdle.

On race morning I walked to the start area from our rental house. It’s usually really chilly in the high desert at 7am, but this time is seemed to be pretty warm. At the start I realized it was almost 70 degrees, that was a sign of things to come. My buddy Jon wanted to run a 3:30, so that was also my goal. I started running pretty good, but realized after a few miles that the heat might be an issue. As I approached the 10 mile marker, I realized I was barely going to run a 1:45 half which meant a 3:30 was probably not going to happen. I finished the first half in 1:43, and was hoping for a sold second loop.

As the second half went on I was told the temperatures were in close to 90 degrees and I was feeling it. I slowed way down as the loop went on. When I got to about mile 19 or 20 I was starting to walk at times. When I got to mile 22, my stomach was not feeling good and I was walking a lot. Jon caught up to me as I was walking, and asked if I was okay. I told him I was not and he stuck with me. In the last few miles I was feeling sick and at one point had to stop and threw up the liquids that I had in my system. I ended up walking the last four miles and ended up finishing in 4:14:51. Which meant my second half was 2:32.

When I finish a marathon, there is a great feeling. When you run a really good time or struggle to finish you feel like the medal is even more deserved. That was the feeling I had after this one. I went back to the house and rested the rest of the day and felt so much better. It was by far the worst marathon, but at least I finished!

#49 - Green River Marathon 2008

DATE: June 7, 2008
LOCATION: Kent, Washington

As I looked at my race log I realized I was getting really close to 50 marathons. My first marathon was Pacific Crest in 2005, and I thought it would be fun to do my 50th at Pacific Crest. That meant I needed to add one more to my schedule. Steve Barrick (a fellow Maniac) puts together this race every year for free and I thought it would be fun.

I drove to Olympia and spent the night, then drove to Kent in the morning. I arrived early, and got ready for the race. It was a good group of runners, and with no half marathon, there were a lot of Maniacs. The weather was near perfect, it was cool and dry.

I had no real goal in mind, after running a PR at Newport the week before, I just wanted to have fun. As the race started I started off a little fast, but I didn’t think much about it. The course runs along the Green River and is pretty darn flat. I kept running and was amazed that I felt so good, and was running a very fast speed. As I kept going, but was wondering if I could keep it up.

The race ended in Aliki, Washington and as I got closer I realized I was going to break 3:20 for the second time in two weeks. I finished in 3:18:33, and I was so excited. I didn’t think I had it in me to run that fast. I got a ride back to the start with a few other Maniacs, and headed home.

#48 - Newport Marathon 2008

DATE: May 31, 2008

LOCATION: Newport, Oregon

I've been told many times that Newport is a great place to get a PR, but I never would have expected one. I mean this was my fifth week in a row of running a marathon or ultra. I was hoping to do well, but my thought was to run a 3:30 or so.

My mom wanted to join me on the trip. We stayed at a state campground about seven miles north of Newport. We grabbed a bit to eat in Newport after I had picked up my packet. We then set up camp and went to bed.

In the morning I woke up and got ready. My mom dropped me off at the finish area, and I rode the bus to the starting area, which was about 2 or 3 miles away. The weather was very nice, in the 50s and overcast.

I started out running fast. The first four miles were mostly all downhill, and I didn't hold back. In those first four miles I was averaging a 7:15 pace. At this point I was a little worried that I was starting too fast. But I felt so good. So I decided to keep pushing the pace.

So at mile four the race begins a 12 mile out and back section. At one hour I looked at my GPS watch and saw that I had run about 8.2 miles. I was shocked! So I decided to just keep pushing and seeing how long I could keep this up.

As I approached the half way point in the race, I was on pace for a half marathon PR. So in that next five miles I was posting miles between 7:20-7:25 miles. I hit the half marathon marker at 1:35:56. So at this point I thought if I run a 2 hour second half I'd do a 3:36, which wouldn't be too far of from my goal. But that would be a huge melt down.

So as I went ahead I still felt good and just keep pushing. I had slowed down a bit, I was now running mid to upper 7:20's. I began to cramp and little in my thighs, but I wanted to run strong through the turn around as there were many fans cheering runners on. I also knew that my energy was running low and that I needed a little boost. So I grabbed a vanilla GU from my belt and consumed it with some water in the turn around on the run. This seemed to give me the boost that I needed.

From that point forward I was running in the 7:20's. As I approached the 17 mile mark, I just kept pushing.

At the 20 mile mark, I looked down at my watch and noticed that I was averaging a 7:21 mile. At the half marathon marker I was averaging a 7:19 mile. I realized at this point I was going to run a huge PR.

About mile 22 or 23, Steve Yee ran up behind me. He made a comment about my fast running. I asked him, how it was going for him, and he told me he was struggling, but wanted to finish strong. At that point, I used him to push me, and he did the same with me.

I was slowing, running 7:30's. I was so happy and just kept pushing. I crossed the finish line and was so happy. I got my shirt and some food and was congratulated by all the Maniacs.
I spent some time in the finish area, talking with friends. I then meet up with my mom. We drove home.

#47 - Forest Park 50k 2008

DATE: May 25, 2008

LOCATION: Forest Park, Portland, Oregon

Forest Park is a great place to do trail training. For this reason I have run a lot at Forest Park and know the park and trails very well. In 2007, I did this race and tied my 50k PR. This time with my increased speed I was looking to breaking that PR. I was ready for it. Then on Saturday night it started pouring down rain. I knew that would keep me from a PR so I decided that I would run it and just have fun.

I drove to the park in the morning, and yes it was very wet. I saw a lot of Maniac friends. It was lightly raining the whole race. This made it hard and the mud made it even worse. I just wanted to have fun and finish in a decent time. At one point about 8-9 miles into the run, I slipped on a wet and slick bridge. But I was okay and just kept going. My time was a decent time of 5:30 (given the muddy conditions).

So many of the runners were from Seattle and didn't know the course that well. The markers the organizers use were moved by some peds and many got lost. But I managed to stay on course. It was a fun and a wonderful day.

#46 - Capitol City Marathon 2008

DATE: May 18, 2008
LOCATION: Olympia, Washington

This is a marathon that has a lot of rolling hills that makes it a challenge. It's also a race where they are very strict about not wearing headphones. Which often pushes me along in races. So I knew I had some challenges to overcome. My goals were to run well. This is only my second marathon of the year. I'd been running a lot of ultras, but very few marathons. I knew I would break 4 hours, but was looking at the 3:35-3:50 range.

I started out fast and thought that it was going to cause me some problems later. But I figured I would just keep going and see how long it would last. By the half way point I was running about a 7:40 minutes per mile average, which was a PR pace. So I kept pushing but slowed down to 8 minute miles. I ended up finishing with a time of 3:28, which blew me away. It was so unexcited, this was my third fasted at that time.

By the way, on the way up on Saturday I blew out one of my tires. It was destroyed. I didn't know how to change a tire so I made my way to a gas station and they helped me put the spare on and I drove the rest stop and got a little sleep and then ran the race. On Sunday after the race I found that Sears was the only place open on Sunday for a new tire. It all worked out, but was quite an experience.

#45 - McDonald Forest 50k 2008

DATE: May 10, 2008
LOCATION: McDonald Forest near Albany, Oregon

Once again, I took on another race from the Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series. This time it was the McDonald Forest 50k. With this race, I just wanted to finish. It's a 50k with 6,700 feet of climbing. It's by far the most difficult 50k in Oregon. I drove down in the morning, as it's only about one hour and 45 minute drive.

I started this race with a pack of runners and realized I maybe running a bit fast. I was running 8-9 minute miles for most of the first 9 miles and then the big climbs hit and I had to walk up the hills, but ran down the hills. It was so much fun. I enjoyed the roller coaster like downhills. Some of the views were amazing. A few of the aid stations had very cleaver themes which was fun.

I finished with a time of 5:32 which was faster than I was expecting. With the climbing I was amazed.

#44 - Capitol Peak 50 miler 2008

DATE: April 26, 2008

LOCATION: Capitol Peak State Forest near Olympia, Oregon

I left late Friday night and drove up to to the start of this race. I did manage to get lost on the way up, as the race started in a forest and I turned on the wrong road and found myself on a service road in the middle of thick forest. Luckily, I retraced my step and managed to get to the start area by dark. I slept in my car and woke up early for the 6am start.

The race was 50 miles with 7,000 feet of climbing. It was my first 50 miler on trails. I found it to be very difficult, but very fun. The big climb was between mile 15-20, and that was hard. But what seemed even harder was an out-and-back section about 8.6 miles long (each way) after the 26 mile section.

I finished in the afternoon, the weather was perfect. Sunny and mild and the views were great. When thinking about the difficulty of this race, I realized that it's likely the second most difficult 50 miler in the northwest (behind White River).

#43 - Peterson Ridge Rumble 60k 2008

DATE: April 13, 2008
LOCATION: Sisters, Oregon

In my desire to run most of the Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series I had to do the Peterson Ridge Rumble. It's a 60k that runs in the trails around Sisters, Oregon.

I left on Saturday evening and drove to Sisters and found the middle school where the race started and ended. I decided to sleep in my car in parking lot of the middle school. I was waken up at about 6am, when the early starters arrived. At that time I got up and got my packet and got ready for the race.

At the start of the race it was about 36°, but when I finished it was about 80°. So it was a hot day for April. At 8am, we started off. I had no real goal in mind. A 60k is an odd distance, more than a 50k, but less then a 50 miler. And this year, they had to cut the run short, so it was only 34 miles. I went in thinking of it like a 50k.

I started out fast. I didn't plan it, but I was running with the flow of the group. I knew the mileage at each of the aid stations, so when I got to the first aid station, I realized I was running fast. I felt good and decided to keep going strong.

Leading to the next aid station, I slowed down. It began to feel warmer. There was a little more climbing in this section, but it really wasn't that bad.

The "Grunt Loop" was cut short due to some snow closure in part of the trail. So I don't know how hard this one is normally, but the shortened 2.4 mile loop was a challenge. There was vertical climb for about a quarter of a mile. You are hiking up a rocky climb. It was very different, but fun as well. But besides that climb the rest was easy with a few patches of snow, which felt great.

I ran slower as the heat was becoming a bit much. At each aid station, I was taking a GU, which gave me energy to keep going. Leading into the final aid station, I ran slower than I thought. My biggest problem was that I was getting tired, and was exposed to the sun.
The final strength went by very fast. It was 4.1 miles long and I was able to do it in under 40 minutes. At the end you do 3/4 lap around the track and are done. I finished in a time of 5:29:51.

I chatted a little with some friends, took a shower at the middle school and drove home. It was smooth ride home, and enjoyed having had taken the shower. It was a very fun time, and enjoyed every minute of it.

#42 - Dizzy Daze 50k 2008

DATE: March 29, 2008
LOCATION: Green Lake, Seattle, Washington

After running the 24 hour race, I took a few weeks to recover. When I heard that Jonathan Bernard was going to organize a 50k at Green Lake around a 3 mile loop, I decided it was a great way to follow up the 24 hour race. I was looking at ways to cut cost, and decided to sleep in my car on the way up. I did this a few years back and decided this would be a good way shave a look cost. I drove upto a rest stop near Olympia and slept in car for the max 8 hours that they allow. After waking up I drove the remaining distance to Green Lake. I arrived at about 6:20am. I got my stuff and got ready for the 7am start.

The course was 10 laps around the 3.2 mile loop. In the first lap, I started out strong. I ran it in 27:52. I seemed to be in the front of the pack which kind of made me wonder if I was running to fast.

In the second loop, I ran even faster. The weather was great, and I was just enjoying the day. In some ways I figured this was just a marathon. I ran in 26:21. In lap three I ran a 27:23 on track for a 3:43 marathon which is average for me. Leading up to the half way point I ran 25:52 in lap 4, and 26:06 in lap five. This gave me a 2:13:33 first half. There was only one person in front of me. We finished the first half together, but he was still running strong. I knew I couldn't keep it up. So I let him run ahead.

In the second half, I just kept running strong. I was passing the other runners right and left. I was running between 27 and 30 minute loops. I ended up with a marathon split of 3:43:11. I ran the second half in 2:22:14. I ended up with a time of 4:35:47. I finished in second place to Jake Lin.

I stuck around for hours helping out with recording times, and helping the other runners. I left after Jonathan Bernard finished his 100k in 11:30. It was a fun day, and enjoyed it all.