World Class Endurance Runner
He threw it down textbook style! Went out hard, when it hurt-he sped up!
16:24 was the time. Way to go Halomatic! Carcinogen Chicken on me!
Anita Ortiz in her first 100 also put the hammer down, not far from a CR! Way to go Anita, now she just has to smoke everyong at the Speedgoat 50k in a few weeks!
I put my odds for Western on the previous post, but for some even more entertaining info, read on…..the Bighorn 100 was an adventure into the wilderness where sometimes it gets just a little scary!
The Bighorn 100 was another great win for me….that’s #25 in the 100 mile trail race “win category”. Nick Clark kept it close early, but in the end I was showered, sleeping and thinking about what “could have happened”….but didn’t. So here’s the story………..
Ever had a run-in with a moose? I can now say I have. It was funny the day before at the packet pick-up as I heard some other folks talking about how the leaders get to see all the wildlife. This race I was the leader. I saw all the wildlife, from big bucks, to big moose, even a skunk to perhaps throw some stink into my finish (that didn’t happen), but was close.
I was about a half mile from the turnaround point at the Porcupine Aid Station where I came upon old mama Bullwinkle. I stopped, she stopped. We both proceeded forward, when Bullwinkle started walking away from me towards the aid station, I also proceeded forward. She then started to run away from me. All I could think was “great”, she’s out of here. When I started moving again, she spun a 180, snorted and started charging at me from about 40 meters. I moved left behind a large tree, baiting her to pass me on the right. She was about 5 feet…yah 5 feet from me, I darted left behind the tree to protect myself. She turned around, charged at me again only to find that big tree in her way and a little 142 pound runner hiding behind. She was only 5 feet from me staring me in the face. We played cat and mouse 5 more time before she decided to head back up and away from me. I felt better now, hoping she was out of there. At this area on the jeep road there was about 75 meters to the next big tree where I could protect myself, in the direction of the aid station. It seemed she was gone as I could no longer see her in the woods about 50 meters away. I started running quite fast towards the aid station, she then came barreling out of the woods and started chasing me! As I was sprinting faster than Carl Lewis ever has, I turned around to see her snout only 5 feet from me and ready to pounce on top of me and possibly kill me. I dove like superman behind that first big tree. She kicked my right shin as well as my left hand. When I hit the ground, I bounced up quickly to hide behind the tree again, only to play cat and mouse 5-6 more times. Standing in front of a moose 7 feet tall is pretty scary from a distance of only 4-5 feet. I don’t recommend it! After a minute or two or her standing there debating whether I was worth more effort, she moved up and away into the woods again. This time I waited out of her sight a little longer than the first time. I finally went and she was never seen again. I was shaking at the aid station knowing I had to head back that way. Two younger guys went ahead to spook her, they did just that. For the next 20 miles I was shaking while running as I kept turning around thinking something was coming after me. Finally it was over. I survived a moose attack, won the race in record time, and now it’s a no-brainer when someone asks me a “wildlife story” when running in the wilderness. Lesson to be learned……nah, it was about time this happened, I’ve been running in the woods for 25 years!
Bighorn results here:
Now we can proceed to the Western States Odds!
A quick look at the Bighorn 100 this weekend:
This will be my second 100 of the year. Five weeks after a great win at the Massannutten 100 May 16th. If all goes well, (and it should) I feel pretty confident that I’ll have a decent run on the muddy cow trails. Odds on this one are tough, as only know three other guys in the field have a chance at challenging me for the overall win. So I’m gonna make it simple here and try to pick the order for the top 5.
I’m also gonna do the mighty Western States odds on Monday when I return, so check back after this weekend for that. There’s been alot of chatter at AJW’s blog about it, so go there for this weekend, then come back and see what I came up with……all off the cuff of course!
Bighorn 100:
1. Speedgoat Karl 7-2. After putting pressure on myself at Massannutten, why not do it again right? I feel good, no injury issues and running 100 miles is not that far after running the AT. I have the textbook in my back pocket too, in case I need to refer back to the basics :-).
2. John Anderson 5-1. If John puts down a good run, he could win and go under 20 hours. His performance at the Speedgoat 50k last year was good evidence he’ll be near the front. He excelled at technical terrain at the Speedgoat, and if he’s good in the mud, he’s next in line.
3. Harry Harcrow 7-1. This guy runs textbook and under the radar a bit. Good runs at Leadville and Bighorn shows he’s got talent. But he’s got some good talent in front of him to beat. 3rd no problem, but an hour or two back.
4. Phil Shaw 8-1. Another guy that has great talent and has run some solid 100 mile times. On another blog mentioned in the comments on my last post, shows he has 16 minute 5k speed…..that doesn’t matter here. He’ll run solid and could crack top 3 if he keeps that 5k speed at bay.
5. Sander Nelson 11-1. Sander ran great behind me at San Diego a few years back. If he throws down another good one, he’ll run under 22 hours.
The ladies race is very open with Ashley Nordell leading the way in my book. She, like Amy Sproston at Massannutten should run away……unless I missed someone……cuz’ I always miss someone!
Top 5 at Western:
1. Scott Jurek 3-1. He has to be the favorite, he’s won the thing 7 times. 2. Dave Mackey 7-2. Hot on Scott’s heels, and with unfinished business at Western he’s my pick to win….even though I have him second here. 3. Hal Koerner 4-1. He likes to go out quickly, and if he holds it, he’ll be right there at the Auburn track at 930pm. 4. Eric Grossman 5-1. I should probably give him some more love here. He’s been stellar all year and this is his chance to shine. Definately the best on the east coast. The darkhorse (sort of) to win it. 5. Erik Skaden 7-1. He’s proven he can run fast at Western, and although he hasn’t shown big stuff this spring, I’m sure he’s focused on being another darkhorse to win. The mens race is so tight it’s a tough call, but here’s another bunch of guys that will be in it at Robinson Flat…..at least. These are in the order I think they’ll finish.Jasper Halekas, Zach Miller, Kubaragi from Japan, Todd Braje, John Olsen (if he runs), Josh Brimhall, Graham Cooper, Dave James, Dan Olmstead, Brian Morrison, Hiroki Ishikawa, Lon Freeman, Marco Olmo (he wins the over 60 category too), Laval Benoit, Mike Wolfe, AJW, Chikara Omine.
I think top 22 is enough for now. The real odds come out Monday.
Western Women:
1. Nikki KImball 3-2. If she’s fit, she’s the one to beat. She rarely gets beaten, and all the girls behind her on this list have never beaten Nikki at Western. She may crack top 10 overall. 2. Krissy Moehl 4-1. Wouldn’t it be great if Krissy would be real competitive here. She’s got the talent, and could squeak in a win if Nikki doesn’t get to Auburn first. 3. Anita Ortiz 6-1. I almost missed her here. She certainly has the talent, but it’s her first 100. The girls behind her will mop her up if she has a bad day, but she’s tough as nails. The only thing holding her back is maybe the heat. She’ll be close early when it’s hilly. 4. Bev Abbs 7-1. Another girl right in the mix, she’s been running well, and now is her turn to show it off. 5. Jenn Shelton 8-1. She’s horrible in the mountains, (sorry Jenn), but if she hangs in there to Foresthill and is still going strong, she is easily the fastest girl once the trail gets smooth. I’ll have the shot glass loaded for her if she wins. 5. Jenny Capel 10-1. Another girl that is pretty quick, but has her hands full with the 4 in front of her. She’s the sleeper in this field. 6. Connie Gardner 11-1. She kills it at 24 hour races and on the roads. Same as Jenn though, if she hangs tough through Foresthill, she’ll be running to win. Prudence L’Heureux and Meghan Arboghast take the next two.Remember the real odds come out on Monday, I’m gonna need something to think about while I’m running from the Bears in the Bighorn Mountains this weekend.
I won’t be able to moderate comments while I’m in Wyoming, so register to see your comment. I’ll try Thursday but no promises on that.
Now go Run!
When I started Ultrarunning, I had two guys I wanted to race…..One was Eric Clifton. Eric was so fast I had to go test myself against him to see if I had what it takes to succeed in this silly sport. I beat Eric the first time I raced against him at the Crown King 50 mile….only to be beaten at the finish by Dennis Poolheco.
A few months ago I noticed a guy named Ben Hian had run a race in California. I don’t remember if he won, but he ran fast and it reminded me of my first ever 50 mile race at the Leona Divide 50 in 1999. I won that race edging out Tom Nielsen by a scant 1:25. I didn’t go there to race Tom. I went there to race Ben Hian. At the time this guy was the fastest and seemingly unstoppable. He didn’t have his best day and ended up 4th…….soon thereafter, Ben dropped off the radar and pursued other interests.
Well….he’s back!! 10 years later. He recently won the San Diego 100 in a tight race with guess who? Tom Nielsen. His time was 18:15. The record of 17:40 (mine) hung in there, but I think it’s time to pay attention to Ben as his form is returning. And we all know being 40 years old doesn’t mean squat in a 100 mile race. We don’t have to run fast, we just have to run all day. Congrats to an old (not age old) legend!!!! It’s great to see his return.
This past weekend I had the pleasure to run an aid station at mile 29 at the Squaw Peak 50 mile. I only saw a little carnage, nothing major, but entertaining to say the least. The race had it’s highest finish rate ever. 95% of the runners finished the tough course in perfect weather conditions. The only real carnage was Scott Mason’s vehicle. A dead limb about 15 feet long fell on Scott’s car the evening before while we were camping at the aid station. Good thing he had the “hard shell” tent.
The Speedgoat 50k is coming soon as we only have 26 days to register and 5+ weeks till the start. Registration is still open. If it would only stop snowing here!….yah, that’s right, snow on the peak again this morning. I’ve never seen Utah this green. It’s melting fast but expect to see some snow in Little Cloud Bowl on the final climb and descent. We still need some course marshalls to help keep runners on track. If anyone out there is interested in helping out, contact me at speedgoatkarl@gmail.com for more info. It is certainly an entertaining day!
The Bighorn 100 is coming June 19th, I’ll be looking for a good run there. I’ve been a little erratic in how I feel, I think I’ll blame it on the weather. The rain continues and the joints hurt a little every morning waking up to 50 degrees. It seems like early spring around here. The “boxers fracture” I recieved running 6 weeks ago is now healed, so my days off can now consist of a round of golf to prepare myself for the senior tour…….I better get on it. My legs feel recovered, but as usual it’s always a mystery on how the race will go when I stack alot of 100s together. Hopefully I can find that “autopilot” gear and just run it like the rest of em’. It may just take me 6 hours or so to warm up…….silly how it works that way.
If recovery from injury is an issue for anyone out there, consider getting those bikes and their parts from Hucknroll.com or Realcyclist.com. These guys have all high quality bike gear to keep you going when running is not the option.
Other gear reviews can be found at my user profile page at Backcountry.com. The leader in gear AND gear knowledge. If anyone needs any gear, check it out as every item has multiple reviews from people who actually use the gear. It’s pretty cool.
The next few weeks have me trying to figure out some odds for the Western States 100. We all know the field is sick there and will be one hell of a race to say the least. AJW has posted his poll, check this out. We’ll use his poll as the “mass voting”. I’ll do my “Speedgoat Odds” for this one, in a week or two. First I’ll do Bighorn. Not sure who the favorite is at Bighorn, the field is still growing. It’s amazing this field is not full. It is easily one of the nicest courses in town.
Now go run!
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