Race Type

C&O Canal 100 Mile 2013 Race Report The inaugural run of the C&O Canal 100 Mile Run was held on April 27-28, 2013.  After many months of preparation and training, race morning was finally here. We arrived at Camp Manidokan, in Knoxville, Maryland a little after 6 am. We brought some tents and folding chairs so that we would have a “camp” to hang out at in case anyone wanted to stay here overnight on Saturday night while I was running.  Some runners actually slept over on Friday night, but I felt like I’d rather be in the comfort of my own bed on the night before the race, and just leave early to get to the starting line on time.  We live about an hour away from Knoxville, MD, so we left home at 5 am. For those that wanted to camp, you could drive your car up to the top of the hill, near the covered shelter that was acting as race headquarters.Those just parking were lined up by parking volunteers down by the road (Harpers Ferry Road). As soon as we arrived, I went over to the race HQ to sign my waiver and pick up my […]

Life has been very busy after the race(dance recital, vacation and me being lazy:-0) and I finally got to finish my race report. First off I want to thank my wife, children and family for supporting me the last 7 years through this running journey. This sport takes a lot of time and patience from everyone and my family is  always there for me.  I also want to say “thank you” to my Pagoda Pacer family (too many to name individually) for passing on their knowledge of this sport and for helping me get this far. Getting better in this sport comes from listening to a lot of things people said over the years and blending them into my own running. Thanks again to Beth Witkowski for helping crew with my wife through the good and the bad – you both are a great support crewing team! Thanks again to my Pacer David Lister for the last 2 years pacing me – a lot of good times out there and many more to come. Last I would like to thank race director Kevin Sayers, the VHTRC and all the volunteers for hosting a great event. Now to the long and hopefully not too boring race report;-) . ­ […]

Here is my race report from the Lake Martin 50 Mile Endurance Run: I spent the week prior to the race glued to weather.com in order to get an idea of what this race would have in store for us. Earlier in the week it called for thunderstorms on Friday with a clear day on Saturday but as the weekend drew closer the thunderstorms started creeping into Saturdays forecast as well. As of Friday night at the pre-race dinner, it was pretty set on thunderstorms throughout the morning until about 10 am and then clearing up the rest of the day. Well, 4 am came and it had yet to start its downpour. I got ready and finished packing and handed off all my bags to David who wanted to get them packed up in the car before the rain hit. So we get loaded up and on the road for the one hour trip from the hotel to the course. Practically as soon as we got in the car it started raining. Before we even made it out of the parking lot, the lightning started. Pretty much the entire drive to the course it was pouring. As we turned […]

Sep 15, 2014 I completed an Ironman 70.3 yesterday.  What an experience!  I got so much positive feedback from it that I thought I’d write a little bit about it for anyone who is truly interested. This story starts a few years ago, actually, when I decided to do my first triathlon.  To make a long story short, in that first triathlon I almost died during the swim, kicked ass on the bike, and then took two wrong turns in the run and was disqualified. That was an Olympic distance triathlon: 1 mile ocean swim followed by a 25 mile bike ride followed by a 6 mile run.  The Ironman 70.3 I did yesterday was more than double that. Also, until yesterday, I had never: swam more than 1 mile biked more than 42 miles ran more than 12 miles (without stopping) So yesterday, I swam 1.2 miles in the ocean, biked 56 miles, and ran a half marathon (13 miles).  Personal records as far as distance in all three disciplines. —– I had a tentative goal going in to the race.  I wanted to finish around 5 hours.  It was a very lofty goal, but my training was going […]

Like most big races, this one started weeks before while watching the weather forecasts quite religiously. Over the course of the weeks and days before race day the forecast changed quite drastically and with each slight change I got either excited or dismayed. Up until a few days out when it pretty much settled on a chance of rain during the day and thunderstorms all night. At least I knew what to prepare for …. and that was being quite wet. I began the packing process with the weather forecast in mind and felt it was better to be safe than sorry. I packed every pair of road shoes I owned with the justification being that IF it stopped raining for a bit I would have fresh shoes and socks to slip into. I was planning on doing the majority of the run in my Altra Intuitions but brought my Altra Torins for a change of pace during the run if I needed it. I also had my Altra Olympus in case my feet got REALLY bad. And then to round things out, I brought my Merrell Bare Access and Saucony Kinvaras as backup “just in case shoes”. I also […]

Race Date: January 17-18, 2015 Well this is way past due, but since this was such a momentous accomplishment for me, I thought I better write this up. Better late than never. I had tried to get into the 2014 Hawaii Ultra Running Team (HURT) 100 Trail Run, not really knowing much about it at the time, other than it was to be in Hawaii in January. I figured it would be a good way to get some vacation time in paradise while Washington DC was freezing. I didn’t get picked in the lottery that year, and after reading more about the race, I was somewhat relieved that I wasn’t selected. However, the next year, I decided to try for the lottery again, not seriously feeling that I would get selected. On the evening of the lottery selection, I had my iPad at the dinner table and was checking the progress of the lottery when I saw my name printed on the screen.  I thought, hmm, okay are those names of people that applied? Is there a glitch? After rubbing my eyes and double-checking, I turned to my wife and with no expression, said “I got selected for HURT”. I […]

My 9th HAT Run 50k – snow, mud, numb feet and sun at the finish. Definitely a challenging day. 2nd place 4:25:35 a little slower than last year but I think that had something to do with the miles of slippery mud;-) Very happy with my effort and definitely left it all out there like everyone else did! ‪#‎letsgohoka‬ ‪#‎hokaoneone‬

Well this is an extremely late “race report” on the Zion 100 mile run I did on April 10-11, 2015 in Virgin, Utah. In fact, it won’t be much of a race report. I just jotted down some quick notes after the race, and then captured the experience in a video that I put together with GoPro footage from Gilbert Gray, my wife Telly, and myself. Then added some photos taken by the same folks, plus Maggi Gray, Aaryn Riccadonna, and Photosynthetix. The race was quite a challenge, being hot during day, with very little shade, and very cold at night. There was lots of dry red dust getting kicked up by runners and passing cars, finding its way into our lungs. I was coughing up red dirt until several days after the event. Some of the race, particularly up on the slick rock on the mesas, was on mountain biking trails. Going up the Flying Monkey mesa, there was even a rope to climb up a very steep portion, or one could traverse a diagonal path up the cliff, as long as you didn’t lose your footing and plunge down the steep cliff on the side. It was nice […]

The Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 turned into a 38 mile training run this year. Something with the muscle or tendon in my lower left leg was not happy almost right after the start. It kept getting worse until it was to painful to run. That is what I really love about this sport. You put the time in in training and roll the dice. You just never can predict the day like life. The last 20 weeks I had over 1,300+ miles, close to 200,000 ft. of elevation gain and many friends were there along way. I thank you for the many miles and smiles. This sport is a big part of our family and it was amazing seeing a lot of you push through the pain. Great job to all who toed the line. Thanks Karen, Beth, Dave and Michael for being part of the crew. See you all on the trail soon 😉 ‪#‎letsgohoka‬ ‪#‎hokaoneone‬ ‪#‎trailtoes‬ ‪#‎succeedscaps‬ ‪#‎keepmovingforward‬

“The World’s Hardest 50K” …. this is what was promised by race director Sean “Run Bum” Blanton. These 4 words intrigued me. They called to me. They made me question if I had what it took to tackle such beast. And, of course, I now had to find out. I could start on the morning of the race itself, but as everyone who has ever tackled the seemingly impossible knows, the story starts LONG before that. I’ll take it back a good ways to the first of the year. To mark the new year I had run the Pistol 100 miler in Alcoa, TN. This was a race that was both amazing and yet not so amazing on many levels. It was amazing in that the race was absolutely top notch, with fantastic staff, aid and course. I achieved several PR’s at the race including 50k, 50 mile and my 100 mile. What made it not so amazing is the fact that I pushed myself past my breaking point. After reaching my 50 mile PR, I became slightly injured which led to me taking it easy which then led to my body attempting to shut down on me. But being […]

On Saturday, August 1st, I ran the Tralee 100K Ultra for the second time. Last year I had to pull out all the stops to beat the cut-off time, and ended up beating it by just 8 seconds, this year I was determined to go for a slightly less dramatic finish. The best laid plans of mice and men…. I arrived at the start line on Ballyard Hill nice and early, and had time to chat to the other runners and crews, and wish them well. It was a cool, dark morning, but dry and not too cold – perfect running conditions. Soon, the countdown started, and we were off. I had made a last-minute decision to carry a backpack, as my crew weren’t joining me until later on, and the pack started to annoy me from early on – must try to train more with it to get used to it. We headed down Ballyard hill, through the outskirts of Tralee, and then headed up the slight incline of Caherslee, before heading out the long road to Ardfert. I ran this section with a group of my Born To Run teammates, and it certainly shortened the road, as there […]

The Leadup: Seven weeks prior to this race I race the Laurel Highlands 70 Miler and that was a grueling 14.5 hours. That race left me with completely toasted, trembling legs and a seemingly perpetual recovery ahead. I learned about the Altra Coventry Woods 6 Hour from the store owner and Race Director Don Morrisson. I was at the store because I was having issues with my first pair of Hokas (Challenger ATR). The cheap insole wasn’t doing anything and toward the back of my arch was bruised because it kept landing on the giant rubber walls that surround your foot. It’s a strange shoe. Anway, Done gave me a pair of insoles for free and the shoes actually ended up working out for me. The Coventry 6-Hour sounded like an interesting race to follow Laurel Highlands and it would presumably keep me in race shape for my fall A-Race, Blues Cruise 50k. There was a 3-hour option, but whenever there are different lengths of races going on at the same event, the longer ones tend to me the more fun and competitive. For the seven weeks between races, I felt pretty beat up. I wasn’t fully recovered, but I […]

“I’m only running the 50!” I found myself saying that to a lot of people the last two weeks before the Virgil Crest 100/50/50k. I did the 100 in 2013, signed up for the 100 in 2014 and dropped at 50 miles (dnf the 100). So this year I decided I was only going to run the 50 mile race. It’s still a long distance but I need a break from triple digit racing this year…I think 😉 It’s a tough course that challenges me the whole race. There‘s fast runnable trails. The climbs on the alpine loop are steep up/down and can break you if you let them. If it rains…it always rains at some point…things can get intresting. Rain was not really an issue for the 50 this year ; -) The hundred milers had their share of rain. I finally got to run/talk with Cole Crosby(1st-8:10) and Silas Carey(2nd-8:24). Two fast runners from NY. Were all trying for the top spots but when your running with another runner in this sport you really have a nice time learning more about them and running. We all pushed each other and thanks for making me work hard for my […]

I had always wanted to run an Ultra.  I have been a runner for almost 30 years.  I worked a schedule that did not allow for regular training.  Over the years I would enter a race ever now and again.  Anywhere from 10 to 26 miles.  But the ultra always had its charm.  Finally I made the decision to run one in 2015.  A friend and I decided we would motivate each other toward this goal.  We chose to run the Blue Cruise 50k.  My work schedule changed and allowed me weekends off for regular long runs.  I met some very patient and knowledgeable ultra runners who always invited me along to train.  Even though these runners were far superior athletes.  I learned a lot from them and worked hard.  By race day I felt more prepared then I have ever been in the past.  I had logged half a dozen 20+ milers.  I learned one of the secrets in training from the seasoned trail vets, elevation.  I had logged over 60,000 feet of climbing in those months of training and it was the difference in my opinion. Race day came.  I wore my vest with one 20 ounce bottle.  I […]

This wasn’t my fastest 5K ever, but it was my 2nd fastest (22:21, official time)

Sunday, October 18, 2015 At Long Last Sixty five and sunny is what smacked my face when I got off the plane after a red-eye from Seattle to Cleveland. Is it really October? That was my initial question. Oftentimes Ohio is mid 40’s, snowing, or just plain out miserable. I couldn’t believe that this was going to be the weather that I was going to have for the duration of my stay in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I flew home to take on the 7th annual Oil Creek 100 in Titusville, PA. The course is known to be rocky, technical, and difficult overall. It boasts an impressive 17.6k feet of climbing during the duration of the race. Challenge accepted. I in an odd way enjoy technical courses, particularly if climbing is involved. Ever since moving to WA, my climbing technique has improved drastically. As odd as it may sound my mentality going into this race wasn’t that of a “a race,” but more of an experience. Trees and fall foliage are impressive this time of year in the Midwest. I have heard rumors how beautiful the course would be. This, along with proximity to family, is what brought me home. Before heading […]

I wasn’t planning on running this race, since I just did the Marine Corps Marathon the previous weekend, but Yuriko wanted to do the 5k, and so of course I had to run, too. And I couldn’t just do the 5K when there was a 10 mile option. After last Sunday’s marathon, I took the whole week off, and so this was my first time lacing up my Brooks since Washington. I felt more or less recovered and ready to go. The weather was nice and cool—mid 50s, overcast. I was planning on running 8 minute miles, which is a tad slower than my best 10k pace. Goal time was 1:20. I ate some toast with peanut butter when I woke up at 7 and drank a 5 Hour Energy. Walked Kima at 7:30; headed to the race with Yuriko at 8:00. The race, organized by the Pagoda Pacers (of which I’m a proud, new member) started right on time at 9:00am. (The 5k started at 9:10.) I had heard that the course was flat, but I guess I didn’t completely believe that, since the area surrounding Oley has a lot of rolling hills. But the rumor was true—a very […]

This past Saturday, November 7, 2015 was my 7th half marathon. After a couple 50K races and a few 50 mile or more attempts, I pretty much wrote off road racing for a couple reason, none of which I go into here. However; the difference for me is that this race was my first race, regardless of distance, since June 2014. We did the Palmetto 200 earlier this year, but that is a team event and we were far from racing. From June 2014 through the first couple months of 2015 I was dealing with small nagging injuries that kept my mileage to a minimum. After that, I spent most of the time working with Jenny, who just so happens to be my favorite yoga instructor, and Elise, our friend and owner of the gym we go to, to gain some flexibility back in my steel-plate hamstrings. After finally getting flexible enough to start working out and regularly running again, I set my eyes back on doing ultras by immediately signing up for the Blind Pig 100 in April 2016. Shortly after that, Jenny said she was considering running the Lexington Half Marathon on November 14th. My gears started turning […]

The Leadup After my first Boston Marathon, I took a week completely off. This is something I force myself to do. After that week I had exactly 6 weeks, including any kind of taper, to prepare for Cayuga 50. I use the FIRST method for road marathon training which is three key workouts, all pretty hard, and everything else is just recovery miles if any. I averaged only 35 miles a week and maybe 3.5-6 hours of running time each week. That’s far from what I need for a 50 mile race, especially one as tough as Cayuga. I was in killer shape, for sure, but it was 5 months before Boston since I had run for longer than 2:37. There’s a gear you just don’t have without regular runs of 3, 4 and 5+ hours. And believe me, I want to do well at Cayuga. It was my first REAL 50 mile race back in 2014 and I was unprepared and went out way too hard. I suffered a lot in the last 12 miles and finished in 9:22. Much worse than I am capable of, even then. Cayuga is the USATF 50 Mile Trail National Championship with decent prize money […]

Prologue This is my first race report of the year, but it wasn’t my first race of the year. I was just a little too busy in the spring to find the time to write about all the fun I had at the Chilly Cheeks 7 Mile Trail Run (which is so close to home I can see my house from one section of the course) or the Naked Bavarian Trail Marathon (shaving 31 minutes off my super-slow 2015 time) or the 7 Sisters Trail Race (which was was so steep, muddy, and rocky that it was pretty much entirely unrunnable–yet I still had a great time). I heard about Cayuga from my friend Michael Heimes, who ran the 50-mile race in 2014, loved the course, and was eager to return and outperform his earlier effort. I was interested because I knew the area well from my graduate school days in nearby Binghamton. I had hiked and swam in Treman and Buttermilk Falls State Parks, knew how “gorgeous/gorges” they were, and thought it would be great to run a race there. I also have friends in the area, whom I rarely see, and would love to reconnect with. The only problem […]

Why Pikes Peak For a long time, I’ve wanted to take a vacation in the Rockies. The Appalachians can’t really compare in terms of size and drama, and as a mountain lover, I knew I was long overdue for some real mountains. As I’ve gotten into trail running over the past few years, and started learning about many of the challenging events out west, my excitement to take a trip out there grew. I learned about the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon from Trail Runner magazine, and I thought the Ascent sounded like a first great “real mountain” race. The distance was only 13 miles, so I wouldn’t have to worry about a DNF, as I probably would have if I had tried to make my first high-altitude race an ultra. But even though the distance was mild, the course was pretty extreme: 7,700 feet of climbing up one of America’s most famous mountains, with a finish line above 14,000 feet. I had no idea what 14,000 feet would feel like. Hell, I had never really run much above 2,000 feet. When I registered for the event (which sells out quickly), I didn’t realize that the Marathon (held the following day) […]

This was my first 10k and first organized run after a couple years off. The location was fun. Right downtown at Waterfront so there was a great festival air with about 25 breweries representing plus other local stuff. For visitors, it’s in a kind of ‘touristy’ area close to Voodoo, Saturday Market, Food Carts, etc. Parking was kind of a pain but whatever. The race course goes up and over the Freemont Bridge which you cannot walk over normally. Since I drive on it daily it a treat to do it on foot. Once up in NoPo the course snakes around which was kind of annoying but I guess they have to get the distance in somehow. The dubstep didgeridoo duo over here was cool, but likely hipsters keeping the party going from the night prior and not associated with the event at all. The course ended over Hawthore Bridge for a quick downhill ending. The T shirt was actually wearable and I got like 2.5 beers worth of tickets. Why not an even 2 or 3?  I paced with a buddy at the beginning before leaving him behind so the time probably suffered a couple minutes. I’d do this one again. Terrapin […]

A 5-pack of runners from Reading, PA headed out to the western part of our state this summer to compete in the Laurel Highlands Ultras. Michael Heimes and Kyle Gery were registered for the main event–a 70.5 mile race along the entirety of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT)–while the rest of us (Matt Hottenstein, Steve Vida, and myself) were ready to attempt the more humble 50k. Both races are point-to-point and begin at the start of the LHHT in Ohiopyle, PA, by the waters of the raging Youghiougheny River. (Hottenstein told me how to pronounce that, but I can’t remember.) The 50k ends a bit north of the Seven Springs Ski Resort, while the 70-miler ends north of Johnstown, PA. There happened to be a Jehovah’s Witness convention going on in Johnstown, but Kyle was able to sweet talk the folks at the local EconoLodge into booking 2 rooms for us. (Steve wondered what the hotel housekeeping staff might have imagined we were up to: 5 guys, 2 rooms, multiple jars of Vaseline). Walking-distance from the EconoLodge was a Holiday Inn where the pre-race dinner and registration took place the evening before the race. The food was pretty good, […]

Finger Lakes 50’s! I signed up for this on January 1st as soon as it opened, knowing it has a reputation for selling out quick. It has a limited field entry for 250 runners and this is for the 25k, 50k, and 50 miler options. The race itself is popular and established, so it sold out in 3-1/2 hours. The plan when signing up was to do the 50k, but I also knew you could make the decision to move up to the 50 miler the day of, and during the race. The prelude: My spring races were the Naked Bavarian 20 miler (which went well) , The HAT50K ( which I rolled my ankle and had to drop @ 18miles) and my confidence builder race, the Dirty German 50K. DG was a downpour with lots of mud. Many runners dropped but I toughed it out to finish in 5:55. Way above my goal of sub 5 but the conditions didn’t help so it was a great mental victory just to finish. The course: This consists of 16.5 mile loops. 1 for 25, 2 for 50k and 3 for 50mile plus 1/2 mile baby loop. You go through single track, […]

3/31/2018 – Ran this Easter themed race with my dog Boone. He was extremely excited for it, and did a great job maintaining pace and not causing any problems. There were many dogs there, and the race director encourages a dog-friendly environment. The Lititz Fire Company offers a delicious omelette made to order before your eyes at the finish, which was the highlight for me AND Boone. He got his own! The course is fairly flat, with smooth, easy inclines in the first half as well as downhills for most of the second half. The final 1/4 mile is a little tricky. There are two tight turns before the finish in front of the fire hall, and walkers can become an issue. They start at the same time, but only go out for two miles, so some are occupying valuable racing lanes on the final sprint. I wish they had a divided finish to keep them to one side or the other. despite that minor complaint, I loved the run, and it was organized well. The longsleeve shirt was nice, and the Sauders eggs for awards were delicious!

Lucked out getting into this race on my first try! Had a big PR goal for this distance, and the course was a good one to go for it! Blossoms were out, and so were the big names on hand, including Meb, an Altra athlete I follow – Tyler McCandless from Easton, and Olympic Champion Joan Benoit Samuelson, who I met at the expo and raced shoulder to shoulder at mile 4. She was 30 seconds behind me at the finish! I thought the expo was one of the best I’ve ever seen, with a lot of great gear and fun interactive booths. The open floor plan was terrific for catching portions of different speakers throughout the day. Autograph sessions were awesome too. The race day was well organized, volunteers were excellent, and results were up quickly. My wife loved the tracking app, and said it was the best she’d ever used. I wish the photos were included in the rather high registration price, but what can you do. Their were some runners complaining about that there was no medal included (available for additional cost), and the cheap cotton shirts weren’t impressive (also available to upgrade $$$), but just running […]

Cup Noodles is the nectar of the gods. Admittedly, my taste buds may have been affected by the 50 miles run over the previous 10 hours. However, the McDonald’s bacon smokehouse burger was afforded no such transformation. Saturday, November 17th I toed the line for the Stone Mill 50 Miler and my longest run yet. My training had been great including Catherines 50k and Big Schloss 50k with VHTRC, Iron Mountain 30, and the CATs Pounding Creek Marathon. Pounding Creek turned out to be  whose muddy trails were the perfect training for SM50. As with most races, I set three goals going in: Primary Goal: Finish – always my primary goal for a distance PR Secondary Goal: Sub 10-hour finish – should be achievable on a good day Stretch Goal: Sub 9-hour – I figured this would take perfect run/perfect conditions   Clearly, these goals did not take into consideration the our first winter storm of the season and the trails were a crazy, muddy mess. My feet were wet within the first few miles and stayed that way the whole day. The first half was just about finding a comfortable pace and knocking out the miles. Before I knew […]

After a ton of training but low expectations in a stacked field, I finished in 4th place and had a great JFK 50 Mile Debut.

Hellgate 100K++ 12/14/19 “If there is no struggle, there is no progress” –Frederick Douglas Every year of the Hellgate 100K, prior to the race, registered runners are presented with race shirts, as is common in running races as a memorial or marketing piece for the event. The Hellgate shirts are not common though. They include snazzy, almost ridiculous colors that not many people would wear in public. On the front of the shirt, to capture the challenges that a race named “Hellgate” must present, is a logo of a person running through a fiery gate at the bottom of a flaming mountain. And there is always a quote underneath that logo along the lines of facing pain and overcoming obstacles. This year’s quote was that of Mr. Frederick Douglas. The Hellgate race is extremely challenging, and although I have not yet encountered any flaming gates of hell, every year’s race has been unique in the struggles that it presented to me and the other runners. As if a race that begins at 12:01 am on the second Saturday of December is not enough cause for concern and some question about the runners’ sanity levels, we also traverse mountains with over […]

After several years of gaining experience and cultivating endurance, 2020 sprouted an exciting crop of anticipated goals and experiences…until COVID-19 scorched the earth. I had an exciting running line-up scheduled this spring culminating in my first 100 miler: Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 (MMT100). I knew it would be hard, but I had been building up for a few years and I knew I would be ready. In a matter of weeks, all of those races were taken from me. While my life doesn’t revolve around running, endurance running has definitely become one of the structural pillars. It has become a constant; a piece of who I am that has carried me through some pretty high highs and a couple very low lows. Along with MMT100, the VHTRC Chocolate Bunny (a nighttime mountain marathon) was also cancelled. This would have been my second running of the Chocolate Bunny. The first was last year on 4/20/2019, the day after my niece (Norah) died from an infection. So, as we approached the one-year anniversary of Norah’s passing, I was not ready to entirely give up either of these runs and I decided to run my own 100 mile race on the anniversary weekend. […]