Bighorn 100 Race Report 2013

“Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream.”
― John Lennon

 I will make an effort to keep this report brief because, well, I have got a lot to do in the next couple of weeks!  That being said, this will not likely be too brief because it was such a rich experience.

On the way to Wyoming with Tawny and Ella

Last week I headed over to Dayton, Wyoming with my wife, dad, mom and the dogs for some relaxing and some running at the Bighorn Trail Run.  I was running the 100 mile, my mother was running the 50k, my dad was on pacing duty for me and my wife was set to crew.  I was really looking forward to this race for a number of reasons.  The Bighorn Mountains are beautiful and rugged, I knew a ton of people who would be there and was excited to chat and run with them, and because this was where I ran my first ultra in 2007.  That first 50 mile ultra changed my life in ways I could never have foreseen.  I have been fortunate enough to be able to return to the Bighorn races every year since and hope to continue that annual pilgrimage for some time.

We arrived in Sheridan on Thursday for pre-race check in and then headed over to the Foothills Campground in Dayton.  The Foothills Campground and adjacent park comprise the staging area and finish line for the Bighorn races.  It was like a family reunion.  Dogs and kids and runner folk from all across the country catching up on life and stories.  For me, the Foothills Campground and the culture that surrounds it for a few days every June is just as much a part of the experience as the actual races held around it.  Awesomeness.

Kris Q and I, setting fashion trends. 

I awoke Friday morning feeling well rested and relaxed.  Unlike many races that start at completely unreasonable hours before even farmers, chickens and donut makers are awake, the Bighorn 100 starts at a merciful 11A.M.  Plenty of time to sleep in, eat breakfast and take in the pre-race energy.   I had no excuses and was very much looking forward to a fun day on the trails.

The Bighorn 100 mile is an out and back course and so the race starts a few miles outside of Dayton for the sake of logistics.  Runners started arriving about an hour before the start.

The national anthem was sung and we were off.  My "plan" was to use the first big climb to warm up and then slowly reel in others throughout the day.  I managed to stick to that plan as we headed up toward Lower Sheep Creek but not without considerable effort.  My energy level and mental state were good but my lower half seemed to be working against me.  My hips were tight, legs felt heavy, and I had a shooting pain in my left foot every time I stepped down.  This all continued as I saw my crew for the first time at Dry Fork aid station at about mile 14.

Cruising into Dry Fork

My wife was there with a new pack and I barely slowed as I checked through somewhere between 15th or 20th place.  Over the  next ten or so rolling miles I was making a conscious effort to gain ground on some of the runners ahead of me.  I was making good time but slowly losing ground to everyone ahead of me and it still seemed like I was running through mud.  It was around mile 25 that I decided to stop worrying about what others were doing and concentrate on having a good time and running to my own strengths rather than set my pace based on others.

Some day I am going to learn that this is what I should be doing all the time.  As soon as I adjusted my mindset to focus on where I was and what I was doing, instead of worrying about others, things really started to come together.  By the time I reached the Footbridge aid station at 30 miles I was feeling strong and ready for the long and steady climb up to the turn around.  I pushed hard for the next few hours but was alone for almost the entire time.  A few miles from the top I started catching runners that had gone out much faster than I.  Game on.

Ready to go after a 48 mile warmup

My wife was again spot on at the turnaround and got me quickly set up with night gear.  I also picked up my dad here who would pace me back to Dry Fork.  I could tell he was excited to go because he took off like a rocket!  I was feeling really good at this point and figured "why not?"  Long story short, we crushed the next 34 miles.  I let my dad lead and the miles seemed to fly by whether we were cruising the downhills or grinding the uphills.  Nobody passed us but we passed quite a few others.  Being able to spend hours on the trail with my father on Father's Day weekend was a real treat and I was grateful to have him along.

Dry Fork Ridge seemed to come around again all too quickly.  My wife was once again waiting and ready to keep me moving.  I spent just a few minutes at the Dry Fork aid station swapping packs and socks before heading out into the very chilly dawn.  It was light enough that I didn't need a headlamp and I was looking forward to the sun coming around to warm things up a bit.

At this point I was in 5th place and was very determined to keep it that way.  I knew the next runner ahead was probably out of reach but had no idea who was behind me or how close they were so I pushed hard the last 17 miles into Dayton and ended up 5th overall in 21:10.  Not bad considering I hadn't done any specific training for this race.

Bighorn 100, DONE! Next?

 In the end I had a great race, got to spend some quality time with family and friends and just had a really fantastic time overall.  As with any long race, there were plenty of ups and downs, lessons were learned and toenails will be lost.  I won't mention everyone here who made it such a special weekend because, honestly, there are just too many to name!  You know who you are and thank all of you for making the Bighorn Wild and Scenic Trail Run such a big part of my life.  See y'all next year!

"SofterRock"

Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid. ~ Heinrich Heine

In less than a week I will toe the starting line at the Bighorn 100.  I am certainly excited for this and will be sure to share some thoughts on my experiences there, but this post is about another project.  After Bighorn I intend to take a lengthy three week rest before attempting "SofterRock". 

The idea is simple, complete the entire Hardrock 100 course in under 40 hours with no outside support.

Why?  Because the San Juan's are incredibly beautiful and because I don't need no stinkin' lottery to tell me whether or not I can run there!  To be fair, I did put my name into the Hardrock lottery this year and would probably be entered in the race if my name had been drawn.  However, not having been selected this year, I have decided to forego all the pomp and ceremony, aid stations and pampering.  Who needs chicken broth and rodeo queen-sized buckles anyway?  Besides, it's only a hundred miles of high altitude, bear ridden, remote wilderness. What could possibly go wrong?

Fortunately, upon hearing of my brilliant idea, Mike Evans was eager to join.  It's always more fun to have company along when things get sketchy, and with something like this there are sure to be some moments of questionable reason.  With the help of my dad we have cobbled together a "plan" of sorts that should provide a worthy adventure.  For the sake of definition I will outline my intentions and the conditions of SofterRock as follows:

Mike and I will start following the CCW route from Ouray at approximately 4am on July 8th, a few days before Hardrock to ensure that we will not be a nuisance to the race and/or racers.  I know, Silverton is the traditional start/finish of the race but for logistics sake it makes more sense to base out of the 4J+1+1 campground in Ouray.  I fully intend to complete every mile of the Hardrock course, just with an altered start/ finish point.  My dad will plan to meet us at Cunningham Gulch and Grouse Gulch, not for assistance of any sort, merely as a safety measure.

I plan to carry all supplies with me from the start.  No stashes, drop bags or  muling.  I am still working out how to carry that many calories without resorting to exclusively "race" food (i.e. gels, powders, etc.), so if anyone has suggestions for easily portable, palatable calories please feel free to share.  I will take a SteriPen for water and a whole lotta' S-Caps.

Well, thats the plan. If you don't hear from me by late July you can assume I have taken up permanent residence amongst the San Juan's, for better or worse.  And for those of you wondering why I have dubbed this event "SofterRock", it's mostly just because "Your Grandma's 5k Fun Run" was already taken.