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Western States 100 Trail Description

Posted by on 29 May 2006, 2:57 pm Sticky post

For 2006 course onward

updated June 23, 2011

At the suggestion of OD, the one-eyed guy who has a stride that looks like he’s hopping over newts, I recently wrote a detailed description of the Western States Endurance Run course (beginning in 2006). If you’ve never run the race this might help you visualize the course. It is difficult to remember aid station to aid station, so a section by section account is what I’ve done.

  • High Country – start to Robinson Flat
  • New Trail – Robinson to Dusty
  • The Canyons – Dusty to Foresthill
  • Cal St – Foresthill to River
  • Finish – River to Auburn

WSER Course

High Country – start to Robinson Flat (29.7 miles)

Uphill for the first hour. Lots of walking. Only people who think there is a bank, sub 17 hour runners, and those who like to drop before or at the river run all of this first hour. After topping out there is a lot of downhill, some of it steep. Lots of stream crossings and gentle uphills. Great views. I try not to think about what place I’m in. Eat. Don’t get hungry. Relaxed running. Red Star Ridge is exposed and could have lots of snow. The heat will get turned on. Duncan Canyon has long gentle grades. Lots of burned trees so the sun will be on us! The climb to Robinson is not that steep but it takes a bit of time. Be patient. Your crew and tons of people await. Eat significant food (beans or sandwich for me) at Robinson.

French Meadows 2010 Snow Route: In 2010, a newer alternate snow route was used which bypassed Lyons Ridge and Red Star Ridge aid stations.  This took us down to a lower elevation and ran along French Meadows Reservoir on double track, gravel and paved roads, and some beautiful single-track on the Poppy Trail.  A brand new short trail which hadn’t seen much traffic took us back up to the Duncan Canyon aid station and rejoined the normal course at mile 23.8.

French Meadows 2010 Snow Route

French Meadows 2011 Snow Route: In 2011, because the road to Robinson Flat didn’t get plowed in time for the race, the same route used in 2010 will be followed down to Duncan Canyon.  From there, we’ll follow some paved road, dirt road, and trail to very close to the Millers Defeat Aid Station.  If we continued on the regular course from there we’d not have enough mileage so a short out and back towards Robinson Flat will be done.  Once we get back to Millers Defeat we will follow the regular route.

French Meadows 2011 Snow Route

New Trail – Robinson Flat to Dusty Corners (38.0 miles)

The trail from Robinson Flat to Dusty is on some brand new single track and some existing single-track that the horses have used for several years.

The Little Bald Mtn trail is a 4 mile trail that starts and ends at Robinson Flat. In 2002-2005 we went clockwise on this fairly new (4 year old) trail for 3 miles and then headed straight for Duncan Peak rd and down the road to the Little Bald Mtn aid station.

With the new course we take the Little Bald Mtn trail counter-clockwise uphill for 1 mile. This will be a great opportunity to eat/drink after leaving Robinson, unlike the previous years. Since this is north facing it is likely to have snow. After a mile we rejoin the section we’ve run from 2002-2005 but are going the other direction. The new trail is off to the right after a short ways (1/4-1/2 mile?).

The new trail is downhill with some switchbacks through open/burned out area. This south facing trail is exposed. It is easy going to Miller’s Defeat aid station which is on road N43. After Miller’s Defeat it is relatively easy terrain – mostly flat and downhill – until a steep downhill to Dusty Corners. There is no substantial uphill at all and you can run the whole thing. This has been used by the horses for several years and is a fairly well established trail. Not really single track in the Waldo sense of the word, but not a road.

This new route is 8.3 miles from Robinson whereas the old route down Cavanaugh Ridge was 13.4 miles.

The Canyons – Dusty Corners to Foresthill (62.0 miles)

The Canyons are the next section. Some, including me my first year, think of them as ending at Michigan Bluff. I think that is a mistake. Volcano Canyon is hot and real and shouldn’t be overlooked. This section is probably the most feared section of the race, and it can destroy you mentally and physically, but the racing really begins *after* the canyons. You can make up time on the downs, but I wouldn’t suggest going hard on the ups. If you really want to be competitive in the race you need to survive the canyons so you can run after them.

Leaving Dusty Corners (mile 38) you are on a gravel road for a couple of 100 yards before turning right onto the Pucker Point Trail. This trail is new to us as of 2002. The horses had been using it already. It is generally gentle downhill and flattish all the way to Last Chance. There are some open exposed areas where you will feel the sun, but there is a lot of shade, too. The reason for the name is that there is an awesome view of Screwauger Canyon off to the right. Great place to stop on a training run, but on race day just a quick glance will have to do. After a few easy miles you rejoin the gravel road and run easy terrain (with some short downs) to Last Chance Aid Station.

Last Chance is the dropping point into Deadwood Canyon (north fork of the middle fork of the American River). It is steep downhill to the swinging bridge. Lots of oak leaves covering the trail. Let ‘er rip if your quads can handle it. Once you cross the bridge at the bottom you soon come to a creek that is a must stop for dousing. It is also good to drink. There is no aid at the bottom of this canyon. Devil’s Thumb is next. A little less than 2 miles steep up and probably about 34-40 minutes up on race day. Jim King and Brian Purcell supposedly have run all of this on race day. Bili and I run it in training just for fun – I will not be doing that on race day!

From Devil’s Thumb to El Dorado Creek is 5 miles of some of the best downhill running on the course. After running along Deadwood Ridge for a mile or two, you pass the pump and the cemetery and drop into the canyon. Great views. The halfway point of the course is at Kaput Spring a.k.a. The Pipe. There is aid at the bottom of El Dorado. There are a couple of short flat/ups on this descent so don’t be discouraged, just cruise over them.

The climb to Michigan Bluff is not as steep as DT but it is longer. Probably take you between 42-50 minutes to climb on race day. The first part of the climb is steep so eat whatever you grabbed at the aid station so you can run the easier sections up higher. There is alot of shade on this climb as well, with more exposed sections up higher.

Michigan Bluff is loud and exciting. This is the only place I plan on sitting down. I refuel and get my quads ice massaged. After MB you are on a road with flats and some ups and downs and a longish uphill section after turning right onto Chicken Hawk road. It is one of those hills that you can either run or walk and will probably do both.

Eventually you turn left back onto trail and begin the descent into Volcano. Easy, gentle downhill at first. This turns to rocky, technical, hot descent to Volcano Creek. [In 2007 a lot of the rocks were taken out so it is now much smoother] Cross the creek, dousing of course, and then you begin up. This is walkable at first and then it becomes gentle and flat until it gets steep and rocky right before Bath Rd. This has been the hottest place on the whole course for me. An aid station is at the start of the pavement. Bath Rd is less than a mile of gentle uphill on pavement and about 1.5 miles to Foresthill Aid Station.

The toughest terrain is over. The racing is about to begin.

Cal St – to the River (78.0)

Note: I use the old names Cal 1, Cal 2, Cal 3 for the aid stations on this section.  Greg Soderlund, RD, has reminded me that the names were changed several years ago.  The modern names are Dardenelles, Peachstone, and Fords Bar.

The trail from Foresthill to the river is known as Cal St or the Cal Loop. Pre 1986, the course followed paved and gravel roads through Todd Valley and White Oak Flat. While it wasn’t trail, it was a fairly direct route down to the river. In 1986 Cal St replaced the old Todd Valley route. For veterans it seemed to take forever to get to the river via the new single-track trail compared to the old route. For all of us, it ain’t no big deal because we never ran on the old route (well, I did on a training run once…). But I will tell you that it isn’t the most direct route down to the river so prepare for about a 3 hour tour (OD likes to take 4-5 hours and soak up all the scenery, Ticer likes to dislocate his finger and still run 2:39!).

So why give a 16 mile section a description when the canyons section was 24 miles long? Well, it is probably the crux of the race. This is where the top runners emerge and the others fall way back. Ask most of the top ten veterans and they’ll agree that this is where the racing begins. If you’ve got legs, the terrain from here to the finish is easy. If you don’t, you’ll be wondering where the hell the river crossing is and you will get passed. Strap in.

After leaving the aid station and the school, you’ll run downhill on Main St with your pacer (and others if you want). Foresthill is loud and more crowded than Michigan Bluff. When you turn left on Cal St and get on the single track trail the noise goes away. It gets remote very quickly. The first part of Cal St is some great downhill. A little rocky and technical so you want quads, agility and no blisters. It is a quick 30 minutes or so with only a few short ups down to Cal 1 (Dardenelles). AJW told us he skipped this aid station last year. I don’t suggest doing that. However, I do suggest that if you plan on eating a gu or something from the aid station, wait 2-3 minutes after leaving the aid station because there is a walking uphill. After the walking hill it is a relatively flat smooth trail traversing the canyon. There are a couple more very short uphills but for the most part this is a running trail. After about 4 miles after Cal 1 you’ll hit the Elevator Shaft which is straight down. This is one steep downhill little bitch. I always question the trail builders at this point, but suffice it to say the trail was constructed by connecting existing trails/roads. If you are flying it is about 7 minutes to Cal-2 (Peachstone).

Cal 2 is more than half-way down to the river. You can generally count on running close to 10 minutes faster from here to the river than it took to get here from Foresthill. Right after the aid station it is steep downhill. Again, if you are going to eat a gu you could either do it at the aid station or wait 15-20 minutes until the next uphill. This downhill is a screamer. After the initial steeps, it becomes gentle and very fast with big long switchbacks. When you think you’re close to the river you’ll hit a dirt road and you will take a right and go up and away from the river! No kidding. It kinda sucks, but it gives you a chance to walk again and eat and drink. This is about a 6-7 minute hike at 3 hour pace. After the uphill you’ll be on a dirt road that goes down a minute or so to Cal 3 (Fords Bar). Probably the smallest aid station on the course so don’t expect much here. Very remote aid station. Just fill your bottles, get something to eat and leave.

Still more good downhill running after leaving Cal 3. Soon though, you’ll be on a beautiful single-track that follows the river bottom. Mostly good runnable trail with a few ups and some sandy sections. Work it. You’re getting close to 75 miles so you should almost smell the barn. You can see the river along this stretch and it looks inviting. It will feel awesome when you get to the crossing. With about 16 minutes to go you’ll hit a gravel road that you’ll follow to the crossing. Some short uphills that you’ll probably walk but good running into the aid station.

There are aid stations on both sides of the river. You get weighed on the near-side. I usually don’t fill bottles or eat anything on the near side. Your crew and new pacer will be waiting across the river.

Now you should smell the barn. Only 22 miles left!

River to Auburn – to the finish! (100.2)

OK, here is the home stretch. You only have 22 miles to go! That is *not* a long way. It is definitely the easiest running on the course. Lots of the trail is just traversing the canyon wall going in and out of the drainages while staying at the same altitude. You go down to river level twice with the second being No Hands Bridge where you cross it for the final time.

These last 4-5 hours you gotta just keep grinding. Always move forward. Don’t get passed. Stay on it mentally. Everybody is tired so you can forget about using that as an excuse to slow down. Tom Nielsen told me last year to run this as though there is somebody 3-4 minutes ahead that you can catch and somebody 3-4 minutes behind that is trying to catch you. It is probably true! There is also plenty of time for you to feel great and then not so great and back to great again. I try not to project how the rest of the race will go by how I’m feeling at the moment. If it is bad it will hopefully get better. If it is awesome then it is very possible it will get not so awesome so don’t be surprised if it does. Just deal with it and keep pushing onward. I think it is very important to discuss your plans for upcoming aid stations with your pacer before you get there. Usually my mental state is a little compromised so it is easy to forget things. If you tell your pacer, “I need vaseline, water and ice in my bottle, and want to get some soup and coke…” then he/she can make sure it all happens. Don’t try to change batteries in your lights – have new lights in your pack or drop bags and get a fresh one at 49 from your crew.

From the river crossing it is about 2 miles up to the Green Gate. Steeper down low and it eases off part way up. Some walk all of this, but I like to try to run a lot of this – I think because my first few years I sucked on Cal St and wanted to make up time, now that is how I run it. There is plenty of running after the climb so if you want to walk and regroup (eat, drink) you can make up all the time later. After Green Gate you follow easy terrain to ALT which is 5 miles away. There are a couple of creek crossings but nothing is very steep. There are 1/2 mile markers on this section of trail – the mileage is not accurate for our finish, they are about a mile off. ALT is a weigh station and hopefully will still be light for you (if you’re running 20 hours or faster). Leaving ALT you gotta little less than 5 miles of flattish terrain to Brown’s Bar. This is very runnable. You might walk a couple of the short gentle uphills, but nothing more than a minute. If you are good you can run the whole section.

Brown’s Bar is a crazy aid station. Maybe the best on the course. They play music very loud and they are drinking heavily. You can hear the aid station from a ways away. I’m usually all about soup and coke at this point, but Bili tells me they had great brownies last year.

Leaving Brown’s you gotta good technical downhill to the river bottom. One creek crossing and then a steep final section to the Quarry Rd near the river. The road section is short but it has some short hills. Keep moving. A mile or so passes before you begin the climb up to 49 crossing. This climb is quite rocky and rutted and is runnable if you have legs. I’ve usually walked most of it. I’d like to run most of it this year. There are some flat sections after the climb and a few more short ups before crossing highway 49.

49 is chaotic. I think it is not the best place to switch pacers if you are competing. I’ve switched pacers here twice and have forgotten my bottle once and forgotten to get soup the other. The pacers are busy switching numbers so they can’t concentrate on you. You get weighed which is also a distraction. Whatever you do, watch out for the cot here.  It might entice you to take a 90 minute break – don’t do it.   After leaving the aid station, you’ll have some gentle uphill followed by a little steeper uphill immediately. If you got good downhill legs, then save your strength for the upcoming downhill and walk this uphill. There is a shortcut trail to the right that would save you some time but then we’d have to call you [name deleted] and that isn’t a compliment. After the climb you go through the Meadow and Pointed Rocks. Easy flat followed by a long descent to No Hands Bridge. This downhill has some technical rutted sections so it is fun with 94 miles on your legs and in the dark. This is the last long downhill so let ‘er rip to the bridge.

There is usually some kind of big TV screen at No Hands. I could careless at that point, but your pacer might enjoy themselves. Get your last shot of coke and soup and cross the bridge. Even though there is a little more than 3 miles left lots can happen between here and the finish. Keep concentrating and pushing. I’ve passed somebody on the climb up to Robie that we couldn’t see at the bridge. Remember to run as though somebody is 3-4 minutes ahead and behind. How close was Ticer to Kerby in 2005 and he didn’t know it? A minute? Don’t let up until the finish. It is easy to make up 5 minutes on somebody here, especially if they are hurting or aren’t focused like you will be. Flat runnable road along the old railroad grade with a couple little dips where the old bed has collapsed. Eventually, you begin the real climb up the switchbacks. Easy uphill at first then it gets steeper. If you walk then walk hard. You’ll come to a fire road which means you’re almost to Robie Pt. Continue up the road to Robie and the pavement. It is very steep pavement for a little more than a 1/2 mile. You go by some homes that have WS parties. If you’re early enough they’ll be making a lot of noise. The road eventually flattens and you get one more small uphill before reaching the white bridge. From the bridge it is all downhill to the track. When you reach the track, hopefully it will feel like you are flying even if you’re running 8 minute pace. 250 meters on the track to the end.

You can now get off your legs. That’s it. Easy to grasp those sections mentally? Recap.

  • High Country – beautiful, easy running, eat, eat, eat
  • New Trail – a little up then 8 miles of down, eat, drink
  • The Canyons – fun beautiful terrain, drink, douse, stay cool
  • Cal St – the racing begins, show me the river
  • Finish – “only” 22 miles of runnable trail, push, focus

Hope that was helpful.

To Western States 100 Aid Station Page

Filed under Ultrarunning, Western States 100, WS Info.
8 Comments

10 Things Craig Probably Didn’t Say in His Interview

Posted by on 24 April 2012, 10:45 am

Guest Post by White Trash (Alan Abbs)

By now everyone knows that Craig is the RD in Waiting for Western States. Craig’s been so busy he didn’t even notice I slipped this in the blog queue only a few days after the announcement. Only the Board knows what was said in the interview, but here are 10 things I think Craig probably didn’t say to get the job.

10. I think Prepaid IVs would be a really good idea!
9. This whole tradition thing is overrated- Let’s just do a Friday night check in and start a couple hours later. Get your buckle at the finish line and we’re out of here!
8. We have to offer more prize money than any other race.
7. Instead of silver and bronze buckles, how about we go bronze and pewter?
6. No one will ever know how many we send through Granite Chief- Let’s raise the number of entries by a couple hundred.
5. Water and gel only for remote aid stations- if we can’t drive to it, runners shouldn’t expect full service.
4. I have prepared a 30 minute speech on my opinions on mandatory volunteerism. Here it goes…
3. I’m going to create a “Wet Western States” and “Show us your Western States” award. Cannonball off No Hands anyone?
2. Did you know I have a blog?

And finally…
1. I really need this job because I’m getting crushed in the Ten Year Bet!

Anything else you think Craig didn’t say?

Filed under Guest Posts, Humor, Race Directing, Top Ten Lists, Western States 100.
9 Comments

The Ten Years Dream

Posted by on 17 April 2012, 5:51 pm

The Western States 1000 Miles/Ten Days buckle has been a dream of many ultrarunners even before Doug Latimer got the first one in 1988.  When I started running WS in 2001 it seemed challenging but totally within my control to get one.  Train hard, run smart races, get to Auburn under your own power under 24 hours ten times and they’ll give you one at the awards ceremony.  29 more have been given out after Doug got the first one 24 years ago.

1000-Miles 10-Days Buckle

If you get ten finishes but not all are under 24 hours you can take a 1000 Miles buckle (that does not say Ten Days) or wait until you get ten sub 24-hour finishes and be awarded the Ten Days buckle.  An additional 32 runners have received the 1000 Miles buckle.

1000-Miles Buckle

Back in 2001 it wasn’t very difficult to get into the race. The odds of getting picked in the lottery were over 50%. It’s a different story today.  With over 1500 names in the lottery the last few years for the coveted 369 starter spots, the hardest part of getting a Ten Days buckle in the future may indeed be getting ten bib numbers.  Body willing, I expected to earn my Ten Days buckle in 2013 along with my friend AJW.  We, as you may recall, have a ten-year bet to settle – we’re both at eight finishes.  But that dream and that bet will have to be deferred until after I retire as RD.  Can I come back and do my last two in my 60s?  I expect that the mind will be willing and hopefully the body will be too. Can I figure out how to run while also being race director? Regardless, I guess I’ll start fresh in 2014 and try to get a Ten Years RD buckle in 2023. Only two of those have been given out and I got the inside track at the quest for the third. Maybe in 2025 I can be the first to get both a Ten Years finisher buckle and Ten Years RD buckle?

Dave Terry got his 1000-mile 10-day buckle in 2007

Here are the 30 runners who have earned 1000 Miles/Ten Days buckles.

2011 Kenneth Gregorich
2009 Kevin Sawchuk
2007 Rob Byrne
2007 David Terry
2005 Dean Karnazes
2005 Rick Simonsen
2002 Jussi Hamalainen
2002 Scott Mills
2001 Jim Scott
1999 Don Aycock
1999 Bill Davis
1999 Ray Scannell
1999 Joe Schlereth
1999 Dave Scott
1998 Ann Trason
1997 Alfred Bogenhuber
1997 Ian Maddieson
1997 Gordy Ainsleigh
1995 Gard Leighton
1995 Bernd Leupold
1995 Mike Pelechaty
1995 Dan Williams
1994 Bill Finkbeiner
1993 Dave Hudson
1992 Rae Clark
1991 Tim Twietmeyer
1990 Bjorg Austrheim-Smith
1990 Charles Savage
1989 Jim Pellon
1988 Doug Latimer

A few runners have even gone on to earn 2000 Miles buckles (Twiet, Gordy, Dan, and Mike).

There are five people in this year’s race going for their tenth finish: Jerry Bloom, Michael Huss, Bruce Labelle, Luanne Park, and WSER President John Trent. Only Bruce has nine finishes under 24 hours. Interestingly, he got his first silver buckle in 1982! That’s when I graduated from high school. It will be the longest span between buckles number one and ten. Good luck to Bruce and the others going for number ten.

It would be pretty cool if AJW deferred his dream to get ten so we could finish together like Ray Scannell and Bill Davis did in 1999. This picture is loaded with emotions. We could do the same, AJW. What do you think?

Friends Ray Scannell and Bill Davis finish their tenths together in 1999

Filed under Western States 100.
17 Comments

5h47m

Posted by on 2 March 2012, 2:53 pm

Five hours and forty seven minutes.  That’s how long registration for the eleventh Waldo 100K was open yesterday before filling at 160.  For comparison, the 2011 race filled in 34 days.  In 2009 and 2010 we filled a month or two before the August race.  From 2002-2008 we did not fill and started fewer than the 125 allowed by our permit.

Yesterday was an interesting day, and I found myself bouncing around between jubilant, reminiscent, puzzled, reflective, and probably several more moods that I can’t articulate right now.  Here’s how the day shook out from my perspective.

Beginning at about 6:30 am I started prepping for the opening. I double-checked the settings at UltraSignup, got the word out via social media, made some coffee, and sent an email to Asst RD Meghan telling her I think we’re ready.  Her flippant response didn’t surprise me, because, frankly, a queen doesn’t have to show deference to a lord and she seldom does: “Something happening today?”  Uh, yeah, your majesty, your little phone is about to squawk at you non-stop.

At 8:01 am the first email confirmation came in. Then the second, third, forth – all at 8:01am.  And they kept coming and coming.  There were 61 registered by 8:15am.  99 by 9:00 am.  The queen sends me a text: “Gonna fill by 10!”  I didn’t think so and I wrote back maybe 10 pm as I really expected the pace to drop off.  The pace of entries did slow and by 11:00 am (3 hours) we had 125 registered.  I tweeted that there were 35 spots left and then got on the bus and went to work (yes, I have flexible work hours).  That tweet got retweeted by Devon Crosby-Helms – who has a bazillion followers – and the rate starting picking up again.  Seemed like a bit of a frenzy at the end as the last spots were gobbled up.

From an RD’s perspective this is fantastic.  We know exactly how many people and what their sizes are six months before the race.  Makes it much easier to order supplies many months in advance, instead of waiting until close to the race, at which point there are many other details that need tending to. It makes you feel good because you have a product that is in demand.  Whether that demand is due to the growth of the sport as a whole or not, we take it as a sign of success.  That we must be doing some things right. But, the unfortunate consequence is that many people will not be able to run the race.  That is not a good feeling, and while we have left a little wiggle room, there are already many disappointed people.  Guess it’s probably good training for my next job.

Several times yesterday I found myself reflecting.  Remembering the early years when entries were delivered by the snail-mailman. We would go days and sometimes weeks without an entry.  When we’d finally get one we’d be so excited and I’d immediately tell Curt and Laurie who it was.  I also thought about how many years we didn’t even come close to selling out.  The first five years we averaged about 50 starters and we knew we had a good thing going.  “Where are the runners?” we often asked ourselves.  I thought about the first year when we did trail workout without chainsaws because we hadn’t gone through the certification process.

The first Waldo trail work party - Summer of 2002

2002 trail work party. Enjoying a cold one.

I thought about all the people who have been involved in making Waldo what it is.  Those who stuck with us when others expressed concern that the race was too labor intensive.  Nine aid stations, including three fully-stocked remote aid stations, for 50 runners?  “You gotta change the course and make it easier,” we were told on more than occasion by people we respect.  Of course, we didn’t listen.  Yesterday I got – like nOrm Klein often did -  emotional about all the volunteers who have been involved with Waldo.  Those who believed as we did that what we had going was good and worth keeping.  I often thought nOrm got it a little backwards at times when he would go on and on about the volunteers who had helped him.  I remember thinking at Sunmart 50 miler a long time ago when he was up crying at the pre-race meeting as he introduced a friend who had helped him for many years, “nOrm, the race is about us, the runners, not the volunteers.”  I still think the race is about the runners.  We put the race on for runners not so volunteers have something to do.  But, looking back at these ten years, it’s hard not to get a little emotional.  I think I get what was going on with nOrm those years ago.

If you want to take a stroll down memory lane, check out the history of Waldo 100K, from our website.  Below is an excerpt from the first year, 2002.

The inaugural event was not without incident. Thirty-seven bold solo runners showed up ready to test the course. At 3:30 a.m., the early starters were off. Craig attempted to radio the course marshals stationed along the way to the first aid station, but didn’t get a response. When two locals, Ken Sinclair and Bill Montgomery, both 5 a.m. relay runners, got to the Gold Lake aid station (#1), they informed race personnel that four runners had been sent off course! Familiar with the course, Bill and Ken educated the misinforming marshal so no one else would be led astray, but the damage to the first four was significant and resulted in DNFs.

Up near the Fuji Mountain aid station (#2), Craig encountered some (gasp!) hunters?!? Turns out it was opening day of deer hunting season. Fortunately, no one was shot at. It was also fortunate that Craig, having listened to his wife this time, decided not to give out an award to the first runner to finish the course wearing antlers.

Regardless of the reasons for filling up so quickly yesterday, I like what Greg Soderlund, my mentor told me yesterday, “The sport is in full stride and we’re lucky to be along for the ride.” Right you are, Greg.

Filed under Waldo 100K.
16 Comments

Zooming In and Zooming Out

Posted by on 15 February 2012, 5:20 pm

I wrote an article for a ski patrol newsletter recently.  It was specific to patrolling but I think the idea can be applied to ultrarunning, race directing, and life in general.  I’ve modified it slightly to make it appropriate for this blog.

In my previous life I used to be a rock climber. I enjoyed all kinds of climbing from bouldering, to multi-pitch cracks, to big walls, to sport climbing. Climbing, like most sports, requires attention. It is different from the other sports I’ve done or do in that it could consistently focus my attention without much effort on my part. Tie in, start climbing, and I could be right in the moment immediately, not thinking about what I was going to have for dinner or issues at work. This is generally a good thing as climbing is a serious activity that requires one to control emotions while also executing athletically, with potentially serious consequences for errors.

But, sometimes that focus can be a detriment. One of the mental techniques I used to employ, thanks to author and climber Dale Goddard, was the concept of zooming in and zooming out. When doing a difficult move that required complete concentration and focus I needed to zoom in, ignoring everything else. All of my attention would be focused on the tiny edges of rock my feet and hands were on. But spending all my energy executing single moves could have resulted in missing good rest opportunities or not knowing where I needed to clip the protection. Should I climb above the pro, clip, and then come back down and rest? This type of attention, while equally important, required zooming out, or changing the focal point of my lens to a perspective a little farther away from the tiny edges I was standing and holding onto. Finding that perfect combination of zooming in and zooming out is when I would climb my best and what I always strived for.

I pulled out this climbing reference last weekend at a senior patrol medical training session where the emphasis is on managing medical scenarios with multiple patients and/or distracting bystanders.  Not sure I did a good job articulating it, but I wanted to get the point across to the candidates that this technique could be used when leading multi-patient scenarios. Zooming in for their assessments, when listening to patients, or splinting a broken bone. Really paying attention and focusing. But they can’t stay zoomed in indefinitely as they have other things going on which also require their attention. Zooming out to make sure they have a plan for the whole scenario, and evaluating if it is working or not. Is the other patient crashing? Do all their helpers have a job, and are they working efficiently? I suggested that they needed to be able to zoom in and zoom out many times during their 20-minute scenario. It’s finding the right combination of the two that is the tricky part.

Can this same technique be applied to ultrarunning, either training or racing?  How about race directing?  Or life in general?  Are you good at plugging away at the day to day minutia without paying attention to the bigger picture?  Or perhaps you can’t zoom in and focus long enough to concentrate on the now?

What do you think?  Who’s zooming who? Or is that whom?  Should I leave this philosophical stuff to AJW?

Filed under Motivation.
7 Comments

Thankful

Posted by on 28 January 2012, 1:51 am

With the announcement this week that I will be the next race director of Western States 100 starting with the 2014 race, I’m feeling incredibly humbled, honored, anxious, excited, but most of all thankful.

Thankful for my wife of 25 years who is fully supportive of this big change in our lives.  She not only has put up with my obsession with Western States for 25 years, but she has also listened, counseled, and encouraged me in all my endeavors.  I’m sure there are several clichés I could use right now, but suffice to say I wouldn’t be here without her.  No doubt in my mind.

Thankful for all the people who made Waldo the special event that it has become.  To Curt Ringstad who was my co-RD for the first ten years and also the co-founder of the race.  To all the volunteers who believed in the event and stuck with us through the early years when we didn’t have many runners.  Nobody in their right mind would create an event with three remote hike-in aid stations.  1.5, 2.5 and 3.0 mile hike-ins to setup full service aid stations?  That’s crazy.  To all the runners who have come and run the race and made all our efforts worthwhile.  To the other Oregon Trail Series RDs who have been instrumental in the success of this event from day one.

Thankful for the Willamette Pass Ski Patrol and the Oregon Region of NSP.  To all the instructors who spent time teaching me skills in the specific disciplines the last 13 years.  To my fellow patrollers who I’ve learned so much from and who trusted me and believed in me to be their leader.

Thankful for my training group and Team Sunsweet.  I get just as much out of watching my training partners succeed as I do myself.  Maybe it’s because I’m old and can’t run fast [anymore].  When the book gets written, no doubt there will be a chapter on the Wednesday workouts, the Tuesday night hunts, and the weekend runs that always begin at my house at noon.  Oh, and the secret “Barkley Training” we’ve been doing lately.

Thankful for my family.  If we didn’t move to Cool or camp down in the canyon that hot June 1978 night the obsession might not have ever been born.  You can’t make up stories better than that.

Thankful for all my friends who make my life fun and fulfilling.

Thankful for the ultrarunning community.  To the readers of this blog.  To AJW for giving me something to write about all these years.  To all the guest posters and people who contributed to the conversation here.

Thankful for those who wrote letters or otherwise supported my candidacy for the job.  You know who you are.

Thankful for the opportunity to truly live my passion.  To the Western States board for trusting me to take the reins of this incredible event.  To the WS community that we are about to immerse ourselves in.  To current RD Greg Soderlund for creating a plan to ensure a smooth transition and for showing me the ropes.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I am thankful for Black Suede.  “It smells like chest hair and gold chains with just a touch of Aqua Velva.”  It’s the secret to interview success.

Black Suede

Filed under Western States 100.
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