H.U.R.T. Hawaii

2007 Plain 100 from Jim Masterson

I now have by second 100 miler under my belt.  My last 100 miler was the HURT100 in 2003.  After that run, I was a complete mess.  My hydration was non-existent, I didn't know what to do with electrolytes, and I never grasped the importance of eating.  Even though I finished the HURT100 in 2003, I was mentally and physically drained by the effort; I even had to go to the ER the next morning to receive 5 liters of fluid.  I contemplated never running another 100 miler again.

In May 2007, I was on a training run with Jeff Huff.  He mentions that he is going to do the Plain 100 in September.  (I had heard about this run previously from Don Fallis, but I dismissed it because I didn't want to suffer like I did back in 2003.)  Jeff was looking for someone to join him on the run because he said this run is better when you do it as a team.  I immediately thought to myself this would be a great opportunity to learn from one of the HURT legends and become an ultra-runner again.

The format of the Plain 100, for those who are not familiar, is an unsupported unmarked 110 mile course through the Central Cascade mountains. You get 1 drop bag at 60 miles.  This means everything you need to survive you must carry and you must also be able to read a map and not have any hesitation about drinking water from a mountain stream.  Runners must check in at Search and Rescue stations throughout the course to make sure that a bear or cougar hasn't eaten you along the way.

Saturday Training 9-15-07

Aloha Athletes !

Ready or not, it's time to get serious about your HURT 100 training, and to get you started out on the right trail shoe, we will be heading to one of the toughest training routes anywhere...Manoa to Jackass Ginger repeats. All you need to do is to grab your hydration pack or bottle packs filled with your favorite fluids, a few bars, gels or bloks and maybe a rain shell and head out to the end of Manoa Rd., just before it narrows, park, and get ready to head out by 6:00 am. You should have plenty of company, as this is a popular HURT training route. Since a round-trip is slightly short of 12 miles, plan on doing at least a couple of repeats. Be there, or be under-trained.  Don

Some Early Plain Results

Cheryl called me today with some early Plain 100 results. Unfortunately, she did not know who finished first. She did know that David Goggins finished second overall. Bev and Alan Anderson-Abbs finished together for third place. The big news was Jim Masterson finishing. Apparently he finished with Luis Escobar. Past two-time finisher Jeff Huff had a tough time with some nutritional issues and had to drop at 70 miles.

We'll have to stand by for the rest of the news and the race details.

PLAIN 100

I just spoke with Jim Masterson on the phone and he finished the PLAIN 110 in about 35 hours.  He is doing good.  I am not sure when he comes back but hope fully soon I cant wait to hear all about it.

Devon Webb

Windward Half Marathon Photos

Barbi and I took the dogs for a walk this morning and got to watch much of the Windward Half Marathon. It was a warm morning. Lots of familiar faces. I tried to take a few photos however I have a new camera so some are a bit blurry and others I missed altogether. Some notes. We saw Jozef out there, also Keith Moon, and Gary Marr. Of course the FleetFeet Sports people were there, Susan, George, and Julie. Julie was second woman overall!! David Carlsson was out and surprisingly back towards the back. I told Barbi he must be injured. Then we saw him again, he told us why. He had run the Hana Relays on Saturday--Solo. He ran 52 miles the day before and today was a just a back to back training run. Wow!

Ben Cavazos' wife Bev and her brother were out running as well. Bev told us Ben is planning a version of the HURT 100 in Kuwait. Bob Murphy had two of his HURT 100 pacers at the race, Jim and Gail.

The men's winner was fast--1:22 I think was the finishing time--Dave Eager. The women's winner was Rachel Ross. I don't have her times or others. Check with FleetFeet. I am sure they will have all the times.

 

Click here to see the photos.

Friday night lights

Just a short note to let everyone know that, because of what I feel was a poor performance by me in the last Triple Trek, I'm planning on doing two HURT loops starting Friday night at around 8PM.  My plan is to do a 6 hour first loop and 6:15-6:30 second loop.  I'm hoping some of the faster runners will get together and run the trails at the same time so they can clear the pigs off the trails!

Aloha, Rob Lahoe

Last Minute Reminder: Windward Half Marathon is Sunday, 9-8-07

This a last minute reminder that the Windward Half Marathon is Sunday. If you have not already signed up, here's some info I found:
September 9, 2007 Sunday
6:00AM Starts
WINDWARD HALF MARATHON RACE SERIES Run sponsored by Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii. HALF MARATHON:  Start: Kailua Intermediate School at S. Kainalu Dr., to Kailua Rd., to Aumoe Rd., to Mahealani Pl., to Kakahiaka St., to Wanaao Dr., counterclockwise around Keolu Dr., to Wanaao Dr., to Kakahiaka St., to Mahealani Pl., to Aumoe Rd., to Kailua Rd., to Kainalu Dr., to Kaiunui Dr., to Mokapu Blvd., to Old Mokapu Rd., to Kaimalino St., turnaround, to end at Kailua Intermediate School.  5K RUN:  Start: Kainalu Dr., to Kaha St., to Kainui Dr., to Kainalu Dr., to end at Kailua Intermediate School.  KEIKI 1MILE RUN:  Start: Kainalu Dr., to Kuukama St., to Kuuala St., to Kuupau St., to end at Kailua Intermediate School.  KEIKI 100YARD DASH:  Start/Finish within Kailua Intermediate School.  Contact:  Susan Friedl 255-7811

You could also check with Susan Redpath and the people at FleetFeet Sports in Kailua. 262.3278

Saturday Training 9-8-07

Aloha Athletes !

As a break from several weeks of nice, soft, Tantalus trails, it was suggested that we do something different like "The Garden". For those of you not familiar with "The Garden", we are referring to the beautiful Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden in lovely Kaneohe. If you're not familiar with the short-cut off Likelike, the easiest way to tell you how to get there is to go to the Burger King and head one block in the direction of the Pali Highway and then take a right (mauka) on Luluku St.  Follow Luluku to the end, which is the entrance to "The Garden". Park outside the gate. We will meet at 5:50 am and start at 6:00 am sharp.

The usual route will take us to the end of "The Garden"...around the fence...up past Koolau Golf Course...up Old Pali Rd...under Pali Hwy...and up to Pali Lookout, which is 9.6 miles roundtrip. 2-3 loops is the suggested dosage, but it's totally up to you. If you are short of time, one Garden roundtrip is 5 miles.

Be there or be under-trained.  Don

Grand Teton 100--When everything goes right does not mean it’s a breeze….

The Grand Teton 100:  Four laps of three sections, just around eight hours a lap, that’s 32 hours and it’s done. So what’s stopping you?

map and profile:  http://www.dreamchaserevents.com/gtr/gtr_maps.htm

course description:  http://www.dreamchaserevents.com/gtr/gtr_descriptions.htm

results: http://www.grandtetonraces.com/results.php?d=100

Well bud, looking up the 2780 feet of Fred’s Mountain I had an early idea, in fact I had more than an idea I had a justified dread of Fred’s – which would grow as the hours ticked by over the day and night—but that’s the story and it can wait.

Fred’s will become famous, even if Fred himself has fallen into obscurity.  Fred’s-- reaching up above 10 thousand feet, overlooking the rocky crags of the Grand Teton to the east and the long beautiful Teton Valley to the west.   Fred’s with an excuse for a four wheeler road that is covered in shaley rock and small boulders, where at its steepest points one looks for foot holds in the mass of loose sliding rock.  Fred’s where hyperventilation becomes the norm and just survival, Fred’s where at its easiest the distance to rise is one to one and at it’s worst damn near a hand hold climb.   You got the idea?  Climb Fred’s and near the top at over ten thousand feet you will get it one way or the other. 

If you want to taste Fred’s in Hawaii you have to go to the trails of Mauna Kea, where the Hawaiian goddesses of the White Mountain give Fred a bottle and put him to bed at night.   I climbed Fred’s four times and hurt, but I’d been up the Mauna Kea trail, and knew it could get so much worse--  but that did not make it any less painful.  Fred’s may be the Big Island Sister’s very small sibling, but it’s a mean ass climb none-the-less. 

You get to the top of Fred’s Mountain coughing and gagging and grab a bit to eat and drink and then look out over the astounding beauty of the place.  It is awesome in the most essential concept of the word.  The grand Teton is a giant out-thrust of rock that reaches 12 to 13 thousand feet and sits surrounded by lesser crags and peaks that run along a giant spine of granite. It is another one of those special places in our grand country.

But, a word to the wise--visit the top of Fred’s before the race when you can take some time to enjoy the views and let the beauty settle into your soul.  Buy a lift ticket and scope out the course from the top.  Get a feeling for place early on.  If you don’t you just won’t have the time or the mental aptitude to appreciate where you are, as you will either be so wacked out by the climb or too engrowsed in hesitantly looking down the steep you just came up--wondering how you are going to get down without jamming your knees all the way up and into your eye ball—to really enjoy the top of Fred’s.

So, it is slow and easy down, sliding and stumbling on the shale and rock that runs loose over the rough track, caution bells jangling in the back of your mind every time you slip, slide, or start to loose control.  It’s a back wrenching down and one that only the fittest can do at any pace—though many seem to feel obligated to push in the earliest loops. 

Triple Trek Results and Some Photos

(I added a few more photo's on Monday from PJ)

Yesterday's race was held under slightly damp conditions. OK, it was wet and muddy. Though the sun was out at the finish! I thought it might be a wet race when on Friday morning driving to work, it poured down rain so hard I could hardly see driving down the Pali Highway into Honolulu. I called Cheryl late Friday afternoon and she said while PJ and her were out marking the course, it dumped rain a few times on them. Friday night it rained hard enough in Kailua to wake me up twice. That's the pre-amble for what set up wet and muddy trails.

I guess all of this info is only for those who were not at the race. Those of us who ran it (or walked their dogs in it), knew all the really bad spots after the first 10 mile loop. On loops two and three, we could try to avoid the deep mud or just plunge on through. I had a change of socks and thought about changing them but why bother. My feet felt fine, other than wet and they would only get wet again 5 minutes after changing. It was a fun race. I ate lots of Strawberry Guavas on loops two and three. They are so good, I just love the combination of sweet and tart. Yum!!

Finally, I just want to say, congratulations to everyone who came out and ran all three loops. Great running by the top finishers on both the men's and women's side. For me, just being able to get out there and spend the time on trails was great. I am not able to run as much as a year ago, however I was still pleased with my own personal time. Thanks to Cheryl and Jim for manning the aid stations and to Race Directors, John and PJ!

Click here for the results.
Nick's wife, Pel took these photos. Thanks Pel! I added some from PJ too.