H.U.R.T. Hawaii

Western States Race Report

My race report follows.  Warning - It is long. 

Western States 2009 – Unexplored Resilience

Western States 2009 was epic.  Not because I had the race of my life (I didn’t) and not because I reached some higher consciousness (just a little confusion and inability to think); but because I went to new places with my mind and my body.  Places to which I had been fortunate enough not to visit previously.  As I write this, I am still digesting those places as well as evaluating my strengths / weaknesses that reared up over my 28 + hour journey.

I really cannot describe the phenomenon that is Western States.  The lead-up to Saturday morning is exhilarating, nerve wracking, and fantastic.  The buzz is electric – even the animals felt the energy of Squaw Valley.  Thursday morning, all four of the HURT runners and their respective crews hiked the 2,040 foot climb to the Escarpment for the flag planting ceremony at Emigrant Pass. 

The gathering was very nice, especially Cheryl sharing memories of Ed Fishman and his contribution to HURT and ultrarunning.   The afternoon was spent relaxing and going over gear, drop bags, and race plans.  We shared a great dinner and got a good night’s sleep. 

Friday was a series of weigh-ins, medical checks, goodie-gathering, drop bag depositing, and pre-race meetings.  It was an early dinner and early to bed for me.  Unfortunately, sleep wouldn’t come until about one hour prior to the alarm ringing to wake me!  I felt somewhat rested and very anxious to get going.  After checking in, we went to the start line and before I knew it, we were counting down the seconds to the start. 

The gun went off and 399 runners headed up the climb to the Escarpment.  I jogged until I felt my heart rate rising, and then walked the steep stuff.  The temperature was in the 50’s and I knew I should enjoy it while I could.  The forecasts were for blazing hot both days, so I knew that heart rate and body temperature both needed to be kept low and moderate or there would be trouble later.

Women's Winner, Anita Ortiz and another article

Here is a nice article on the Women's Western States 100 winner, Anita Ortiz. This is from the Vail Daily.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20090628/SPORTS/906289981/1063

Here is another article from TrailRunningSoul.com
http://tinyurl.com/lhzmbt

Congratulations to W.S. Runners!

Congratulations to our Hawaii H.U.R.T. runners. We can't wait to hear the stories that go with these results.

Gil Loomis: 27:33
Marian Yasuda: 28:19
Ernest Tay: 28:33
Stephanie Jenkins had to drop. From what I have heard, she went up there and started the race knowing she had some on going injuries but still toed the line. Courageous and strong effort.

Results were at times challenging for some of us to get yesterday though others seemed to be able to track the runners easily. I am not sure the e-mail worked very well. I only got three e-mails on Stephanie and all three were exactly the same.

Come out to the Kaena Point Firecracker Race next Saturday and welcome the runners back. I am sure there will be some great stories to tell.

Full results can be seen here.

Western States 100 results

Does anyone have any information on the results of this year's Western States 100?  I signed up on their webcast for e-mails but never received anything about the race or the Hawaii runners.  Their webcast site didn't work at all this weekend.  Bummer.

Aloha,

Ed B.

Kettle Moraine--Judy's Race Report

After reading Rex and Bob's great race reports, I didn't think I had much to contribute, but I've been getting pressure to put some thoughts down.   It took me a while, but here it goes.

 

About the time of HURT 100 in January, Bob and Rex told me about their plans to run Kettle Moraine and they asked me to join them.

Take two flights to Omaha from Washington state, drive eight hours to run a race in Wisconsin???   Hummm.......these boys are a blast and it would be surely be a great time and a memorable experience.   It would be the easiest 100 I've attempted in my short time as a 100 mile runner (not that running a 100 miles is every easy). I could run it without a pacer and spare my sweet Rob the duty of joining me.......OK, I'm there

 

I spent a great night on Thursday at the Murphy home, complete with a fabulous meal cooked by Darcy.   We left the next morning at 6AM for our journey.  The eight hours drive through the flat countryside flew by  Those of you have had the pleasure of spending time with Bob and Rex together will understand.  I fondly remembered the hours training with them on the HURT trails and the laughs that made the pain go away.

 

Kettle Moraine, Bob Murphy's Tall Tale, I mean Race Report

Judy looked so strong and I knew she would have a great run.  She kept saying that she may decide to run with us, but I kept telling her to take off and that I would stay with Rex.  She ran her fastest 100 ever – super!  

Rex was awesome – honest!  He was upbeat and maintained a positive attitude throughout the whole run.  I knew he would finish his first 100M in the beginning and I never doubted him throughout the whole darn thing.  He had that HURT toughness about him.  He really did have that look in his eyes (located above his huge lip).  Our strategy was to go out slow and save something for the second half.  I led for the first 25 miles because we didn’t want Rex to go out to fast.  I’m very good at running slow.  At mile 25, it was time to turn that wild gypsy stallion loose and let him run.  And run he did.  Rex led for the next 40 miles and thank goodness for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  He was in control and managed the run.  With me running behind him, Rex remained focused and maybe little nervous.  Rex also met some new friends in the forest that made time go by, but made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Kettle Moraine Race Report by Rex Vlcek

There I was wrestling the ferocious Dogbear to the ground; “save yourself” I told Bob, if I don’t catch up with you, tell them that I would have finished this time.  Ok it wasn’t quite like that.  But, as we were working our way toward the Rice Lake 81.5mile turn around, before the lip incident, three runners moving swiftly toward us through the blackened, evil sumac ridden single track forest, cautioned us to “beware of the Dogbear back there.”  Now those of you who know Murphy know that the only thing worse than a bear on the trail would be a dog.  The fact that a Dogbear might be just ahead lurking in that hideous forest was the first real threat to a 100 mile finish.

“You think I should pick up a stick” panted my fearless leader desperately trying to disguise the terror in his voice that now has risen several octaves.

“No” I barked in my best macho I’d protect you voice.

“You think there’s such a thing as a Dogbear” he asked?

“I don’t know but I don’t think a stick will help” I replied.  “Lets just keep moving”  I sure wish Judy was here I thought to myself.

Our pace quickened and after the Strawberry Moon of June peeked out for the first time that evening from behind the clouds that had covered the skies all day, we shook it off and both of us acted like we knew those guys were just funning with us hayseeds from Nebraska.

Blue Canyon Trail Race 50K Santa Barbara, CA

Brutally tough!! But oh so much fun. We climbed and climbed and climbed. I remember on the last real climb up to 3000 ft I thought I was lost and then a 50 mile guy passed me by and I said thanks I thought I was lost and he said onI think on  this course when in doubt go UP:) Which seemed to be the case. The views were amazing, the people spectacular and the aid stations were packed with goodies and great volunteers. My only complaint was that my drop bag wasn’t at the turnaround but I survived. I took about 50 photos. I met lots of cool people. Plus I got some great training for AC 100 (and a bit of Poison Oak). Thanks everyone who hepled me along the way. Up next, Holcomb Valley 33 Miler June 14th.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 06/06/2009
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 10:02:00.00
• Calories: 5518
• Distance: 34 miles
• Average Pace: 17:41.95/mile
• Max Pace: 7:03.53/mile
• Ascent: 9,957 ft

Descent: 9,880 ft

Congratulations to Rex, Judy, and Bob

We got word this morning from Wisconsin that Rex Vlcek, Judy Carluccio, and Bob Murphy have all finished the Kettle Moraine 100 mile run. John Salmonson talked with him for about 15 minutes.

Rex finished with Bob at his side in 27:51! The poison sumac got to him and his lip is about 4 times normal size. I am not sure why his lip was so close to the poison sumac??? I am sure there is a story there.

Rex says he’s happy, but will never do this again. We've all said that before! Of course I am not sure if Rex meant, running a 100 mile race or running the Kettle Moraine 100 mile race or running a 100 mile race with Murphy at his side. We will have to wait to get clarification from Rex.

We are all anticipating a full race report including details of their road trip and photos.

Great job everyone!!

HURT Runners in NYC

The Sri Chinmoy 6 and 10 day races are underway in Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens.  HURT regular Frederick Davis III is in the 10 day event and Wave Spofford from the Big Island is in the 6 day.

There are some outstanding runners there from around the world along with many followers of the late Sri Chinmoy.  Pam Reed of Badwater fame is running to break the current women's record of 510 miles. 

Yiannis Kourous holds the current men's record at 639+ miles set en route to 1000. 

The event is 6 days instead of 7 to recognize the Sabbath.

Whoever runs the farthest wins.

Link is here:  http://www.srichinmoyraces.org/us/ultras/6-10-day-race/6-10-day-race-2009/results_2009/

The park is where Yiannis Kourous twice set world records for 24 hours (since improved by him to 188+) and Ann Trason once won the American 24 hour championships with 143 miles, beating all of the men.  New Yorker Al Prawda made the Guiness Book by completing a 70 mile run, backwards.  (I barely beat him going frontwards.)  The 1964 world's fair was held in the park and the iconic geosphere is still there.  Shea Stadium and the Tennis Center are nearby.

I used to run a lot of races on the one mile loop and the Sri's followers put on a well supported event.  Even so, Wave has crew in Stephanie Amick, a canoe racer from Captain Cook who has crewed several island perimter runs, a Badwater double and Trans Australia.  So he will be well cared for.

This particular form of torture (or 'enhance running') was popular in the late 1800's and events were well attended with daily press updates.  Most were held indoors on dirt tracks and winners could collect thousands of dollars.  The arenas were filled with smoke and there was heavy wagering as well which meant a runner might have his water supply tampered with or be hit by an object from the stands.  Medical aid meant ailing runners legs would be bled or hung with leeches to purge the 'bad blood'.  Many wore fancy silk shirts and carried silver-topped walking sticks.  I hate to imagine the shoes.

It was 100 years before someone eclipsed John Rowell's 6 day record or even went over 600 miles after the event was revived in the 1980's.

My friend Ed Dodd wrote a book about these runs many years ago.  It was excerpted in Rich Benyo's magazine bits of which you can find on the internet though the book is out of print.  There were other varients of endurance running all with big (at that time) money at stake.  These included point to point runs such as the length of Great Britain from John O' Groats to Lands End which some still do today.  My personal favorite required the runner to complete one mile during each hour for 1000 hours.

The Trans-Am races were held in the 1920's and runners also had to compete in local races along the way to generate money and publicity.  So after running in from the previous town they might have to compete in a 6 or 10 mile all out run against local competition and then continue across the country the next day.  Honaunau's Kawika Spaulding completed a modern Trans-Am run in the mid 90's when the event enjoyed a brief revival, though without the local events.

Let's send Fred and Wave the aloha.  If I get email updates from Stephanie I'll post in comments.

Frank MacMillan