The Ultimate Ultra

[indyfan31]

The Badwater Ultramarathon that is. I know there's not a lot of ultra runners here but 2 of my running buddies/co-workers entered and finished it last night and this morning. It takes a unique personality (among other things) to convince yourself you can do something like this, and a whole lot of courage and will power to actually finish the damn thing, and both of these guys have it.
As it turns out, an AP photographer caught a picture of my friend Gary on Monday morning soon after the race started..... Yahoo link (http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070724/483/e06ad2beeff64eecba3c63a2ca77b5f4)
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070724/capt.e06ad2beeff64eecba3c63a2ca77b5f4.aptopix_badw ater_ultramarathon__cacc101.jpg?x=380&y=205&sig=iNcMlyE66fwZXQyJvZUJpQ--
(He gave up on the flag somewhere before the 17 mile mark).

[SteveH]

The race finishes after 135 miles

:eek: :cool: :thumbup:

[indyfan31]

Yeah, 135 miles across Death Valley in July. What a lovely idea.:eek:
I've called him a couple of times ..... I think he's still sleeping. :D

[Methanolandbrats]

Yeah, 135 miles across Death Valley in July. What a lovely idea.:eek:
I've called him a couple of times ..... I think he's still sleeping. :D Only 40 miles of it are across Death Valley, so what's the big deal :D Seriously, the fact that you know TWO people who qualified for and finished it is amazing. I used to run trail 50 milers and did a couple 24 hour runs. Tell them to take a vacation and run the Minnesota Voyageur 50 mile next July. One of the toughest 50 milers in North America and also one of the most beautiful :thumbup:

[cameraman]

If you are going to do something...

The Wasatch 100.

http://homepage.mac.com/datkinso/.Pictures/profile.gif

Note each bar is 200' in elevation change.
Totals are 26,882' up and 26,131" down.


The Wasatch 100 is a point-to-point race that traverses the heart of the central Wasatch Mountains, one of the most beautiful ranges of the Rocky Mountains. The course begins in Kaysville, Utah, at East Mountain Wilderness Park running north to the Bonnevile Shoreline Trail to Fernwood Picnic Grounds, the foot of Frnacis Peak, and ascends nearly 5,000 feet in 5 miles to the ridge line. The trail then turns south and follows the crest of the Wasatch along Francis Peak Ridge, through Farmington Flats and Arthur's Fork, along Sessions Ridge, over City Creek Pass, Big Mountain Pass and Bald Mountain, through Parley's, Lamb's, and Millcreek Canyons, by Desolation Lake and along the Wasatch Crest trail, through Big Cottonwood and American Fork Canyons, and up to Pole Line Pass. After traversing along Mill Canyon Peak on the western side, the trail turns back north on its eastern side, down Pot Hollow Canyon, up to the Crest Road in Wasatch Mountain State Park, then drops down Lime Canyon slipping over to a snowshoe trail just before coming out on the Snake Creek road and the run to the finish at The Homestead in Midway, Utah.

[jonovision_man]

The Badwater Ultramarathon that is. I know there's not a lot of ultra runners here but 2 of my running buddies/co-workers entered and finished it last night and this morning. It takes a unique personality (among other things) to convince yourself you can do something like this, and a whole lot of courage and will power to actually finish the damn thing, and both of these guys have it.
As it turns out, an AP photographer caught a picture of my friend Gary on Monday morning soon after the race started..... Yahoo link (http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070724/483/e06ad2beeff64eecba3c63a2ca77b5f4)
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070724/capt.e06ad2beeff64eecba3c63a2ca77b5f4.aptopix_badw ater_ultramarathon__cacc101.jpg?x=380&y=205&sig=iNcMlyE66fwZXQyJvZUJpQ--
(He gave up on the flag somewhere before the 17 mile mark).

That's incredible... a HUGE congratulations on that, it's an enormous achievement.

I started running last winter, did a 1/2 marathon in Feb... I can't even really imagine a full marathon, let alone your achievement! :+

jono

[SteveH]

I started running last winter, did a 1/2 marathon in Feb... I can't even really imagine a full marathon, let alone your achievement! :+

jono

Ever hear of Ranulph Fiennes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranulph_Fiennes)? Look what he did four years ago at 59.


Despite suffering from a heart attack and undergoing a triple heart bypass operation just four months before, Fiennes joined Stroud again in 2003 to carry out the extraordinary feat of completing seven marathons in seven days on seven continents in the Land Rover 7x7x7 Challenge for the British Heart Foundation. Their route:

26th October - Race 1: Patagonia, South America
27th October - Race 2: Falkland Islands, "Antarctica"
28th October - Race 3: Sydney, Australia
29th October - Race 4: Singapore, Asia
30th October - Race 5: London, Europe
31st October - Race 6: Cairo, Africa
1st November - Race 7: New York, North America

HBO Real Sports (http://www.hbo.com/realsports/stories/2007/episode.124.s4.html) covered him this month. An incredible man. :thumbup:

[indyfan31]

That's pretty amazing Steve, I'd never heard of that.
Speaking of overachievers, after running this race Gary has to come back and prepare to put on our race, The Mt. Disappointment 50/50 (http://www.mtdisappointment50k.com) for which he is the Race Director. Then in September he runs the Angeles Crest 100 were I get to pace him for one of the nighttime sections.

[SteveH]

I find any type of distance* running very impressive.


* distance being anything more that running out to the mail box. ;)

Two bum knees and a messed up ankle, do not lend themselves to any kind of running at all.

More power to all of you that do this. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:

[jonovision_man]

How about this guy? :)

50 marathons in 50 days.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/ultraman.html

I love the part where he has pizza delivered during the race and shoves it down his throat while he's running... :eek:

jono

[SteveH]

How about this guy? :)



Yeah, how about that? Amazing person! Great story. :thumbup:

[skaven]

While not an ultra, this is the Ultimate Colorado Trail Run -

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e170/andyjung/map_maroon.med.gif

This is a 26 mile loop that is usually done as a 4-day backpacking trip. It loops around the scenic Maroon Bells and goes over four passes each over 12,000'.

The views are awesome and the elevation gain is a modest 7,500' total. My wife and I plan to run/ fast-hike this on Labor Day. As there are four stream crossings that might require us to take our shoes off and as we'll have to stop to filter water along the route, we are hoping to do the 26 miles in a leisurely 7 to 8 hours.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e170/andyjung/buckskinwestbasinpan.med.jpg

Lastly, my new sig... :thumbup:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e170/andyjung/banners2-1.jpg

[RHR_Fan]

I know reoracer (think she has a handle here) has run ultra races before too. She ran a 50-miler a few weeks ago. It was a 12-hour race and she ran 50.1 miles in just under the 12-hour time limit. She has also ran a couple of 50Ks.

I ran a half marathon in Spring '06. I should do another one next year.

~Nicole

[indyfan31]

Skaven, what city is that loop close to?
Speaking of Colorado, my wife and I going up there for the Boulder Marathon in late September, she's running the Half. I'm also looking for a place to buy a house in near future.

[Methanolandbrats]

I know reoracer (think she has a handle here) has run ultra races before too. She ran a 50-miler a few weeks ago. It was a 12-hour race and she ran 50.1 miles in just under the 12-hour time limit. She has also ran a couple of 50Ks.

I ran a half marathon in Spring '06. I should do another one next year.

~Nicole Do the Lake Geneva Half Marathon. One of the best around. :thumbup:

[oddlycalm]

Yeah, 135 miles across Death Valley in July. What a lovely idea.:eek: That's only part of the fun. After you're good and baked and bone tired you get to climb up more that 8360 feet to freeze your tail off on Mt. Whitney. Eek indeed.

oc

[skaven]

Skaven, what city is that loop close to?
Speaking of Colorado, my wife and I going up there for the Boulder Marathon in late September, she's running the Half. I'm also looking for a place to buy a house in near future.

First of all, I forgot to send congratulations to your friends for finishing the Bad Water Ultra - very cool. :thumbup:

The loop is outside of Aspen, so not so close to Boulder. It isn't a race, but we are training as if it were (ran/ hiked to the top of Buffalo Peak today - 12,777'). Regarding the Boulder Backroads Marathon, my wife ran the half and she says it is mostly flat on dirt roads. Shouldn't be too hard for you and your wife as I gather you are in pretty good shape, but try to get in a few days early to get used to the altutude even though you won't be super high up.

Lastly, real estate in Boulder proper is pretty expensive for out here, but shouldn't phase you coming from Cali. Let me know (pm) if you have any particular questions and I'll help if I can. :)

[indyfan31]

After seeing way too many tragic postings, and feeling somehow connected to the members on this board and other (most of whom I will never meet), I never thought I'd be posting something like this myself.

On Sunday August 18, my friend Gary Hilliard was involved in a motorcycle accident on his way to the last training run before the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run. It appears to have been a solo accident with no other vehicles involved. Having driven on that road (California Highway 2) many times my first guess is he probably ran over one of the dozens of rocks that tumble off the cliffs and on to the road surface on a daily basis.

In any case, he is currently recovering at County/USC Hospital. His condition is very serious with several internal injuries to his kidney and liver(he's already had one kidney removed), along with a cracked vertebra and a slight head injury. He is under heavy sedation and on a ventilator. However, doctors have stopped the internal bleeding and are starting to be optimistic about his recovery.

He's an extremely strong willed individual and one of the finest human beings I've ever met, I have no doubt that he'll pull through. I only ask that you keep him in and his wife Pam in your thoughts during the next few critical weeks.
http://www.mtdisappointment50k.com/images/gary_pam.jpg

[nrc]

Sorry to hear about that. Best wishes to Gary for a speedy recovery. :thumbup:

[oddlycalm]

Wow, sorry to hear about your friend's accident. He's a fit young guy with to notch medical care and no head injuries that you mentioned so there is good reason to be optimistic. Hope he recovers quickly.

oc

[skaven]

I hate to hear about these things, but I echo oddlycalm's sentiment that, as fit as Gary is, he should be able to recover faster and better than mere mortals/ non-ultra runners.

I separated my should mountain biking last week and had to call off our Labor Day loop, but my injuries are trivial compared to what your friend is going through. I wish him a speedy and complete recovery.

[indyfan31]

Well guys, I can't thank you enough for your well-wishes.
Within a few hours of removing the respirator and the sedatives, Gary woke up and recognized his wife and his next-door neighbor.

OC, if by "fit young man" you mean 52-year-old-tough-SOB, then you're absolutely correct. He lost a kidney, the fractured vertebrae will take a few months to heal, and right now morphine is his best friend. But we came to the conclusion that he's too stubborn to die, and we're pretty happy about that.

thanks again folks, you're good people. :thumbup:

[devilmaster]

happy to hear about your friend waking up. I'm sure he still has a way to go, but he's starting out well. :thumbup:

[Ankf00]

great news:thumbup: