Trail Runner Issue 26

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NO.26 CONTENTS FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

DEPARTMENTS 04) 06) 16) 38) 54)

EDITOR’S NOTE LETTERS TAKE YOUR MARK GALLERY RUN AMOK

08) MAKING TRACKS: Chicks rule in the inaugural Javelina Jundred; Q&A with University of Colorado cross-country coach Mark Wetmore; Americans rise to European challenge.

PERFORMANCE 12) TRAINING: BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST. Part I: Base building.

20) TRAIL Rx: Skin cancer: how to diagnose, treat, and not get it.

22) ASK THE COACH: Running on ice and snow; training for a 50K; treadmill tips.

23) TRAIL TIPS: Get the kick when you need it with speed workouts.

40) TRAIL TESTED: Liquid Solutions. 8 new backpack hydration systems for all your running. PLUS: Dual-light headlamps face off: Petzl MYO 3 versus Black Diamond Gemini.

FEATURES 28) Sounds of Silence Patti Haskins lives to run trails, from quick jaunts in Yosemite Valley to the 225-mile John Muir Trail in a single push. She knows all about challenge because she confronts it every day as a person who lives in a world without sound.

BY GREGORY CROUCH PHOTOS BY COREY RICH

34) Spirit World Running Costa Rica’s mysterious Arenal Volcano, two adventurous souls encounter the mountain’s cantankerous spirit, and appease it with some strong medicine of their own.

BY BRIDGET CROCKER PHOTOS BY GREG VON DOERSTEN

COVER: DEAN KARNAZES BEASTING ON A TRAIL NEAR SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA. PHOTOGRAPHED BY TONY DI ZINNO. RIGHT: DARLENE LARSON AND JOSH BRIMHALL RUN BLISSFULLY IN RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA NEAR LAS VEGAS. PHOTOGRAPHED EXCLUSIVELY FOR TRAIL RUNNER BY DAVID CLIFFORD.

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GREAT ESCAPES: SURE BETS—THE TRAILS JUST OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS WILL SURPRISE YOU WITH THEIR BEAUTY AND WILDNESS. PLUS: 3 MORE WARM SOUTHWEST GETAWAYS.

p.004 EditorNote.26 1/7/04 4:09 PM Page 4

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITORIAL PUBLISHER DUANE RALEIGH

draleigh@bigstonepub.com EDITOR MICHAEL BENGE mbenge@bigstonepub.com

Game On

SENIOR EDITOR ALISON OSIUS

aosius@bigstonepub.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR GARETT GRAUBINS

LACE UP, THE TROPHY SERIES RACES ARE COMING

ggraubins@bigstonepub.com PHOTO EDITOR DAVID CLIFFORD

dclifford@bigstonepub.com

FACE IT. YOU ARE A COMPETITOR.

CREATIVE ART DIRECTOR MARSHALL MCKINNEY

mmckinney@bigstonepub.com ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR BONNIE HOFTO

bhofto@bigstonepub.com PRODUCTION MANAGER QUENT WILLIAMS

qwilliams@bigstonepub.com ADVERTISING SALES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER LISA RALEIGH

lraleigh@bigstonepub.com ADVERTISING MANAGER JOANNE KNEAFSEY

DUANE RALEIGH, PUBLISHER

on your part. After your race Trail Runner will automatically enter you in the Trophy Series and award you points based on the race distance (one mile earns one point) and whether you finished in the top three slots. Complete a 10-mile race, for example, and you’ll earn 10 Trophy Series points. Place in the top three, for example, and your points multiply based on your finishing position.

The Trophy Series goes from March 1 through September 30 and you can enter as many races as you like—the more the merrier; points accumulate from race to race. After September 30, Trail Runner will tally the points and compute two groups of winners, one for marathon and shorter races and another for ultras, those races longer than marathons.

Within each division we’ll also announce age-group winners, so if you’re under 30, relax, you won’t have to compete against those mutant graybeards.

Winning is its own reward, but a little schwag never hurts. So, besides the prestige of being proclaimed “the baddest trail runners in America,” the 20 top finishers can also claim a trunk full of gear from 15 series sponsors (see page 48 for sponsors list). In addition, all Trophy Series participants will be eligible for our raffle-prize drawing. If that isn’t incentive enough, sign up a friend for a race or two, and train together. Just be sure and tell him how out-of-sorts you are, how your dawgs are sore, but what the heck, “Let’ s just lace up and see what happens.” After all, trail running is about taking it slow and listening to the birds chirp.

—DUANE RALEIGH

4 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

jkneafsey@bigstonepub.com CLASSIFIED SALES EXECUTIVE LISEN GUSTAFSON

lgustafson@bigstonepub.com CIRCULATION CIRCULATION DIRECTOR PAULA STEPP pstepp@bigstonepub.com SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER LINDSAY BROWN

lbrown@bigstonepub.com RETAIL SALES MANAGER ROWAN FRYER

rfryer@bigstonepub.com ACCOUNTING MARK KITTAY CPA accounting@bigstonepub.com BIG STONE PUBLISHING 1101 Village Road UL-4D, Carbondale, CO 81623 OFFICE: 970-704-1442 FAX: 970-963-4965 www.trailrunnermag.com WARNING! The activities described in Trail Runner carry a significant risk of personal injury or death. DO NOT participate in these activities unless you are an expert, have sought or obtained qualified professional instruction or guidance, are knowledgeable about the risks involved, and are willing to assume personal responsibility for all risks associated with these activities. TRAIL RUNNER MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, OF ANY KIND REGARDING THE CONTENTS OF THIS MAGAZINE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY REGARDING THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. Trail Runner further disclaims any responsibility for injuries or death incurred by any person engaging in these activities. Use the information contained in this magazine at your own risk, and do not depend on the information contained in this magazine for personal safety or for determining whether to attempt any climb, route or activity described herein.

The views herein are those of the writers and advertisers; they do not necessarily reflect the views of Trail Runner’s ownership.

•Manuscripts, photographs and correspondence are welcome. Unsolicited materials should be accompanied by return postage. Trail Runner is not responsible for unsolicited materials.

•Please allow up to 10 weeks for the first issue after subscribing or a change of address (to expect continuous service).

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. © Copyright 2004 by Big Stone Publishing Ltd.

DAVID CLIFFORD

You run to win. Y ou can deny it, but the blatant fact that you run gives you away.

After all, you could walk those dusty, rutted trails, boulder -strewn hillsides and daisy carpeted valleys ... yet you run.

Some days your competition is simply your wristwatch and its infernal beeping and perfect memory. Other days your foe is your unsuspecting (so you think) running partner, whom you casually inform that you’re “gonna take it easy today , knee’s kinda sore, let’s just cruise.” Then, to really complete the smokscreen you mention something about how trail running “is really about listening to the birds chirp and the brooks babble.”

But cellophane couldn’t be more transparent—you feel strong and have been plotting this victory since the last time you two ran, and you stumbled, gasping and side-clutching back to the car dead last. Today, you pledge, as you trot out of the parking lot feigning a mild gimp or cough, will be different. T oday you will make your best friend eat your dust, and it will feel great.

Being competitive isn’t a bad thing, and it isn’ t your fault. W e are genetically hotwired to constantly improve—our species demands it. Without that instinct we’d be shuffling down trails and, instead of reading about how to “Build the Perfect Running Beast,” as you find in this issue on page 12, we’d be reading “Walk this way: Y our guide to plodding through life.”

Fortunately, our veins flow with competitive juices. It is in this evolutionary spirit that Trail Runner proudly announces our new TROPHY SERIES, a schedule of 180-plus races that spans the nation from coast to coast and reaches north to include our Canadian friends. In the world of trail running, the Trophy Series is unprecedented in its number of sanctioned races and is open to everyone—there’s likely a race or several near you.

Here’s how it works: Compete in and finish any Trail Runner Trophy Series race (see race schedule page 48). That’s it

ADVENTURE EDITOR STEFANI JACKENTHAL

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LETTERS THE LONG AND THE SHORT

zine, and don’ t go online to read magazines. It’s more fun to have in hand and share with other trail runners!

LAST DECEMBER I BECAME MOTIVATED

to begin running by a magazine article.

I couldn’ t run a mile that first day , January 1, 2003. In my first year of running—at 36 and out of shape—I ran over 500 miles, which is way more than I ever figured I’d do.

I eventually ran a 5K, 10K, 15K, half marathon and just finished training for the Dallas Marathon. But I have learned longer distance running is not me— about an hour or an hour and a half about three times a week is great. Every once in a while I enjoy a 20 miler , but it’s for the company of the group to break up running alone.

I will never run an ultra or break someone’s long-distance record. I just love the quiet, peace and solitude of the trails. I love the scenery shots in Trail Runner, and the people stories. I wish it had more of it, but I’m not into the 50K and longer stuff.

KAT PLOURDE GILLETTE, WY

NOTES FROM THE NORTH JUST RECEIVED my issue and devoured

it. As always the magazine is full of interesting articles and tips. I have a question. Understandably , you naturally will focus the majority of your information on the U.S., but will future issues provide more information on runs in Canada?

By the way , in reference to your Broken Records article [No. 25], I’d like to mention another trail that has not been run in its entirety , yet: the Bruce Trail (see www .brucetrail.org) in Ontario, Canada, stretches 800 kilometers from Ontario’ s T obermory in the Bruce Peninsula to Niagara Falls. It has varied terrain, with some road (paved/gravel), and no fee other than getting there.

JOHN NORTHROP FORT SMITH, AR

A MAG IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO ON THE NET GREAT ARTICLE on the T rail Challenge

winner on your website. But you should have run the full story in the magazine instead of online. Putting that little memo at the bottom of page 8 in issue No. 25 was easy to miss. I enjoy getting your maga-

GARY CAMBRIDGE ILDERTON, ONTARIO EDITORS’ RESPONSE: Indeed, we won’t forget about you trail runners up north.

Please see the article on the Yeti Snowshoe Series in British Columbia in this issue (page 16), and also the announcement of our 2004 Trail Runner Trophy Series (page 48), which includes a gob of Canadian races.

CONTRIBUTORS BRIDGET CROCKER authored this issue’s feature, “Spirit World,” a tale of her and her compadres’ adventurous run around Volcan Arenal, an active and slightly capricious volcanic mountain in Costa Rica.

Please turn to page 34 for her story.

Crocker, 33, is no stranger to adventure. Starting at age 15, she guided backpacking trips for her family’s outfitting business in the northern Rockies. She morphed into a river guide by age 19, and shot down cascades in Zambia, Ethiopia, Peru, the Philippines, Chile and Costa Rica.

Crocker has been running trails for most of her life. “Trail running for me is like meditating,” says Crocker. “When I’m running, I’m closer to creation and feel connected to the ‘real world.’” Crocker, who calls herself a “closet anthropologist,” also loves surfing and kayaking as much as trail running.

Now a freelance outdoor travel writer and guide based in California, she is working on a collection of tales about her experiences guiding the world’s wildest rivers.

PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO MICHAEL BENGE AT MBENGE@BIGSTONEPUB.COM. ALL LETTERS ARE SUBJECT TO EDITING FOR CLARITY, CONTENT AND/OR SPACE.

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MAKING TRACKS INAUGURAL ULTRA Q&A: CROSS COUNTRY COACH BY THE NUMBERS

an exhausted Poolheco stared in amazement as Ehret arrived just as he was departing. After exchanging places with Poolheco over the next 10 miles, Ehret passed him for good and went on to win by 27 minutes.

Following her victory , Ehret said, “I confess it felt awesome to beat the boys, especially since some of them are my heroes.”

Please see www.trailrunnermag.com for coverage of other races.

OVERHEARD “Dubya needs to get off the roads and run the trails with us.”

—BRIAN MCNEILL, a 45-year-old Republican trail runner from Frederick, Maryland, upon learning that President Bush has been experiencing knee pain.

WOMEN HUMBLE THE MEN IN ARIZONA GUY TIME: STEPHANIE EHRET ENJOYS THE EARLY MILES OF THE JAVELINA JUNDRED 100.

IN THE WORLD OF RUNNING, women win races as rarely as the Arizona desert sees snowstorms. When it does happen, it is usually a result of a small or shallow race field. That was not the case at the inaugural Javelina Jundred (pronounced “Hav-a-leena Hundred”) 100-mile race in the Phoenix desert on November 8 and 9. T o begin with, this was a large field; 159 trail runners toed the starting line, making it one of the biggest first-time 100-milers ever . Plus, the talent pool ran deep, with headliners like southwestern speedster Dennis Poolheco, 42, of nearby Glendale, and Karl Meltzer of Salt Lake City, Utah, multiple winner of the Hardrock and W asatch Front 100 Milers.

But the large, talented field did not discourage the female competitors at the Javelina.

Four out of the top six finishers were women, and, more impressively, a woman won the race outright. The winner , Stephanie Ehret, 40, of Boulder , Colorado, cherished the trail-running rarity: “At the starting line I would have said my chances [of winning outright] were the same as winning the lotto jackpot.”

Ehret and the other top female finishers ran the smarter race. A moderate early pace allowed them to conserve energy through the day’ s 80-degree heat, which victimized many runners, including Meltzer. While Poolheco clicked off the day-time miles in business-like fashion, Ehret smiled through the aid stations, even joking with some of the race volunteers. Later, when the sun set and the full moon rose, Ehret and the other slower starters were poised to quicken the pace.

The race was on. Ehret, who had trailed Poolheco by as much as 45 minutes, gained ground at a steady pace. Finally , at the mile 75 aid station, she caught him; 8 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

—SCOTT LANGFORD, Assistant Race Director of The Trail Run, a 10-mile race outside of Shreveport, Louisiana. The race takes place during the rainy season and features a plunge into waist-deep water.

“Traveling through the frozen Alaska wilderness with only the illumination from the northern lights or the moon, you are aware of how isolated you are. The nearest espresso stand is at least a day’s travel away.”

—RITA WADE, Race Director for the Little Su 50K and Susitna 100-Mile Race Across Frozen Alaska, held in mid-February in Big Lake, Alaska.

“I was hoping to find somebody who would understand if I disappeared for a three-hour run. Scott could relate and that has made all the difference in the world.”

—DEB LIVINGSTON, 28, from Vernon, Connecticut, and winner of New England’s “Grand Tree” trail-running title, when asked how she met her husband, Scott, a runner himself. Deb and Scott will spend this Valentine’s Day snowshoeing around an Appalachian Mountain Club hut in Maine.

DAVID CLIFFORD

Desert Divas Dominate

“We have a saying here: ‘The colder, the wetter, the better.’”

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MAKING TRACKS

(Q&A)

MARK WETMORE

ALL SMILES: KRISSY AND BRANDON SYBROWSKY AND TOPHER GAYLORD BEFORE THE RACE.

Succés! Successo! Erfolg!

AMERICANS REIGN IN EUROPE

ASK ANY EUROPEAN what they think of Americans and the responses vary between

Mona Lisa-gawking tourists, backpacking college students and Oktoberfest beer guzzlers. Within a span of two weeks last August, American trail runners went a long way toward changing those perceptions.

On August 24, Team USA stood at the top of the winners’ podium at the 15th annual Challenge Stellina in Susa, Italy . This world mountain-running competition race commemorates a World War II battle waged on a nearby mountain. At this year’ s race, the Americans, led by Paul Low of Amherst, Massachusetts (5th, 1:21:06) and Simon Gutierrez of Alamosa, Colorado (6th, 1:21:09), defeated the traditional European powers on the 15.45-kilometer course for the first time. The two Y anks’ times were the fastest ever by Americans on the Stellina course.

Following the victory , Gutierrez said, “I think that the Italians and other Europeans were shocked that a U.S. team beat them on their home course. They seem to respect what we did and will prepare for next year’ s World Trophy in Italy with the U.S.A. in mind.”

Just a few weeks after the Challenge Stellina, a different group of Americans stormed the French and Italian Alps in the first-ever The North Face Ultra T rail Tour du Mont Blanc. The race circumnavigated Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe(15,860 feet).

In total, runners covered 150 kilometers (93 miles) and 25,000 feet of elevation change.

Despite the intense heat that baked Europe all summer , freezing weather , rain and hail dominated the day , causing some elite runners to drop out. T opher Gaylord, an American runner described it as “the total opposite extreme of the hot canyons of the Western States [100].”

After the first 50 kilometers, Gaylord joined with fellow American and seasoned trail runner Brandon Sybrowsky. From there, the two pushed each other to the finish line in Chamonix, France, in 22 hours 12 minutes. Their finish placed them second, behind a Nepalese Sherpa. “It was more about enduring the elements than worrying about our place,” says Gaylord. “Finishing second was icing on the cake.”

In the women’s race, the U.S. enjoyed even greater success, as Krissy Sybrowsky conquered the demanding course and cruel elements three hours faster than her closest female counterpart.

—GARETT GRAUBINS

10 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

“CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING isn’t done on a prepared surface,” says Mark Wetmore, head coach of the men and women’s University of Colorado Buffaloes cross-country teams, two of the top programs in the country . “In Boulder , Colorado, we have the opportunity to train on an extensive network of trails.”

Then, with a contemptuous smirk, Wetmore adds, “Sure, it would be easier for me to stand in the middle of a track and take splits, but trail running is more valuable to what my run ners are trying to accomplish.”

In his 11 years of coaching the “Buffs,” W etmore has accomplished tons. He is the only NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I coach who has captured men’s and women’s individual and men’s and women’s team championships at the same school. His athletes have enjoyed podium finishes at the W orld CrossCountry Championships, and have competed in the Olympic Games.

Wetmore’s training philosophy is a mix of high mileage, track training and trail running. Favorite trail workouts include a brutal 1200-foot climb in the nearby Flatiron mountain range and the rolling trails at a local farm.

Trail Runner chatted with W etmore in the midst of the 2003 cross-country season. Although he quickly asserts that he’s “not an expert” on trail running, Wetmore clearly knows as much about building speed and endurance with offroad training as anyone in the country .

COACH WETMORE: TRAIL ADVOCATE.

KIM GAYLORD (TOP); JON HATCH/BOULDER DAILY CAMERA (BOTTOM)

ÜBER CROSS-COUNTRY COACH, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

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MAKING TRACKS TR: How does running on trails figure into your teams’ preparations?

MW: The biggest emphasis on trail running is during June and July, when the runners are building up their miles before racing season. That’s a good time for them to find scenic, singletrack trails in the mountains, where they’ll get an intense, aerobic workout without having to move incredibly fast.

When practices begin in late summer, the risks of trying to run five-minute miles for the guys—sixes for the girls —are too great on rocky trails. But we’ll still go to the mountains and train on dirt roads because a beautiful setting distracts from the pain.

TR: What’s a typical fast-paced workout on a flat, smooth trail?

MW: Ten to 12 three-minute blocks of hard running, separated by a few minutes of rest, is a challenging workout.

Most of the really demanding speedwork is done on a track or a carefully measured course, but there are a number of runs we do on trails that are good for putting in a sustained effort.

TR: Would too much trail work make your runners slow?

MW: Well, you’re not going to get the same neuromuscular stimulation that you’d get running on a track. On the other hand, the aerobic load of trail running is huge. The guys that race in the mountains are aerobic monsters.

But it doesn’t translate to a 20-minute race on rolling hills, where the guys are doing 4:40 miles. You just can’t prepare for that at 11,000 feet, on scree.

DAVID CLIFFORD

TR: What about training at altitude?

MW: Despite the fact that we’ve had good results here at CU, I’m not a huge advocate of altitude. In fact, if I could train our runners at sea level, I’d do it.

But for your readers, I’d guess it all depends on what you’re training for. If you’re going to run and race in the mountains, then you should train on the highest, hardest trails you can find.

The training should always be specific to the goal.

TR: Have your runners ever attempted a classic mountain-running record?

MW: Not often. But last summer we did go to Mount Elbert [at 14,433 feet, the highest peak in Colorado] and ran to the summit from the parking lot, which is approximately 4.5 miles with over 4000 feet of climbing. I told one of the rangers it would take my guys about an hour and 10 minutes to reach the top.

BUFF RUNNING: A BEAUTIFUL SETTING DISTRACTS FROM THE PAIN.

The ranger said it was impossible— that it would be about half the fastest known time. Jorge Torres [2002 NCAA cross-country champion] and Dathan Ritzenhein [2003 NCAA cross-country champion] did it in, I think, one hour and 12 minutes.

TR: Do you have any advice for parents of young cross-country stars, or high-school runners who aspire to an elite program?

MW: The emphasis should be on having fun with your running. I like to see kids do a season of cross country and a season of track, but also play another sport, or have interests outside of running. I get real nervous about a recruit if the parents have a database on their home computer devoted to the kid’s results. The parents should attend like half of the home meets, no more. Keep the emphasis on praise and encouragement; the results will take care of themselves. —MARK ELLER

BY THE NUMBERS 30 PERCENTAGE OF U.S. SNOWSHOERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 24.

10 TRAIL RACES CALLED “FAT ASS.” HELD IN DECEMBER OR JANUARY AS A WAY TO ENCOURAGE RUNNERS TO SHED SOME HOLIDAY-SEASON POUNDS, “FAT ASS” RACES ARE A TRADITION.

2 HOURS OF NON-STOP RUNNING REQUIRED FOR RONALD MCDONALD (ESTIMATED WEIGHT: 180 POUNDS) TO BURN OFF ONE MCDONALD’S QUARTER POUNDER EXTRA VALUE® MEAL (1560 CALORIES).

8 TOENAILS BELONGING TO LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA-BASED TRAIL RUNNER BILL RAMSEY, WHO, LIKE OTHER RUNNERS (OR THEIR SPOUSES), GREW TIRED OF UNSIGHTLY BLACK TOENAILS AND HAD THEM PERMANENTLY REMOVED.

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 11

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TRAINING improves the various “weapons” in a runner’s arsenal.

The best approach is to break your training schedule into separate periods that focus on base-building, and hill, speed, strength and mental training, respectively. Dividing your training and racing calendar into phases puts the focus on the right workouts at the right time of year . And, by the end of the full cycle, you’ll have become the “Perfect Beast”—well, almost.

Where should your training cycle begin? At the base, of course.

BASE TRAINING DEFINED YOU MAY HAVE HEARD of “base train-

Building the Perfect Beast

BREAK YOUR TRAINING DOWN INTO ITS MOST ELEMENTARY FORM BY DAVE HANNON IT SUCKS. SOME TRAIL RUNNERS HA VE IT ALL —uphill power, speed on the flats and endless endurance. But don’ t be discouraged by the seemingly effortless running of your mutant cohorts. W ell-rounded runners are not born that way . You too can become a stronger trail runner with a planned and focused effort—one that

BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST IS A FOCUSED TRAINING REGIMEN DESIGNED TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE TRAIL-RUNNING MONSTER STEP BY STEP. PART I FEB | MAR): THIS ISSUE, BASE BUILDING PART II (JUN | JULY): HILLS PART III (AUG | SEPT): SPEED PART IV (OCT | NOV): STRENGTH PART V (DEC | JAN ‘05): PSYCHOLOGY

ing,” but might not understand what it means. Base training is the period during which a runner incrementally increases mileage, running at a lower intensity than during other periods.

This kind of work builds general fitness and strong aerobic capacity , while also granting the body a rest from more difficult, anaerobic training like hills and intervals. A strong layer of base mileage works as a launching pad for more intense and specific training phases like strength and speed training.

“For me, base training is going back to the basics,” says top-ranked trail runner Leigh Schmitt of Conway , Massachusetts. “It means doing mileage at a slower pace. No frills and no speed work. Just basic running, listening to my body and getting my wind back.”

Schmitt says his base training typically occurs after a big race (like the 2003 V ermont 100 Mile Endurance Run, where he finished second) or during a lull in the racing season. As he learns to respond to his body’ s needs better and matures as a runner , Schmitt’s base and recovery periods grow shorter, allowing him to increase the intensity of his training.

For the 2003 winner of the New England “Grand T ree” trail-running title, Debbie Livingston, base training usually lands in the late winter and early spring.

“My favorite target races are in May and June,” says Livingston. “My base ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY COLLINS

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©SALOMON SA. All rights reserved. Any reproductions, partial or in full are prohibited. Photographer : Stephan Repke

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THE BEAST: BASE BUILDING training is usually two months before those races and after a month of decreased running. I usually hike and snowshoe more during that layoff period.”

TRAINING

“When I used to run on the roads more, my base mileage workouts were anywhere from 30 to 50 miles per week for several weeks,” says Schmitt.

“However, I rarely run on the roads IT’S A TRAINING LOG anymore, so now I base my training on NOT THE BIBLE time. I aim to run about an hour at a HOW DO YOU KNOW the correct baseslow pace roughly five times per week period mileage? It’ s a balancing act; for several weeks during a base period. you want enough mileage to build fitI don’ t push the uphills or the downness, but not so much that your body hills too hard.” breaks down. The Livingston says right base mileage she averages 45 to will depend on sever55 miles per week al factors, including: during her base periBase training is about building previous training and od at an average of confidence and general condiability, planned race nine- to 10-minute tioning and NOT about running distances and terrain miles on trails. “My yourself into the ground. and length of the racbody just does not ing season. For like more than that,” Be patient. Leg speed and example, a typical she says, adding that turnover will suffer during college cross-country base training, but will come back hills are OK, as long runner racing very as they are taken at even stronger in later phases of fast 8K races may the right intensity. “I training. consider base mileage know my body Tracking mileage is fine, but anywhere from 30 to well. I look for signs don’t obsess about a certain 70 miles per week for of breakdown and one or two months in number of miles during base traindecrease mileage or the summer as a base ing. Set goals while running more add alternate activion feel than on numbers. Crossfor harder training ties like mountain train when it feels right. and racing in the biking. I also tend to fall. But an ultramaincrease mileage in Increasing mileage is easier on rathoner planning more of a wave than trails, grass or in a swimming much longer races a straight incline, so pool. Some experts suggest will build to much the increases come increasing mileage no more than 10 higher mileages at a when it feels right— percent per week. slower pace over a not so much on a longer period of time. strict schedule.”

Gradually increase the use of Your base mileage Running with hill training, both in the length should feel comfortother runners makes and steepness of the hills and the able and not overly mileage increases intensity with which you run them. taxing, requiring only much more manageminimal recovery able, assuming the between workouts. “Doubling” or runother runners are in the same training ning two shorter runs a day is a good phase and run a similar pace. The method of gradually increasing mileage base-training phase is also a good while minimizing risk of injury o r chance to run with friends or training burnout. Doubles also encourage more partners that may run faster or slower frequent stretching—ideally , twice a in other phases. day. Finding the right base mileage is a Keep in mind that leg speed will suftrial-and-error process. Every runner’ s fer during the base-building period and body (and personal schedule) will dicracing during this phase can produce tate the level of mileage he or she sub-par results. This will be especially can comfortably withstand. Focus on evident in races requiring anaerobic increasing strength and endurance work (steep uphills or shorter disand listen to your body for signs of tances). But have faith that later trainoverdoing it. ing phases will bring back your leg Don’t make the mistake of obsessing turnover and max heart rate, and the about daily mileage, which may force base work allows you to push harder you to run when you shouldn’ t. and complete (Continued on page 44)

BASE INSTINCTS

1

2 3

4 5

p.016-17 takemark.16 1/5/04 12:19 PM Page 16

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Simply Abominable

YETI RACE SERIES REFLECTS GROWTH IN SNOWSHOEING BY ELINOR FISH

Y HUMANOID said to live in the Himalayas. This definition proved useful as I and my fellow snowshoers were confronted by a tall man-like beast covered from head-to-toe in white shaggy hair . But, we weren’t in the Himalayas. Instead, it was British Columbia’ s (BC) Coast Mountains. As it turned out, this “yeti” was merely the playful Y eti Snowshoe Races Series’ mascot.

“The Yeti Snowshoe Races are all about getting out, being fit and having fun. There is a serious side to it though; we do have regulars who are competitive,” explains Marc Cooney, race director and series founder.

The six-event series runs from January to April and is split between three coastal races at Mount Seymour, Mount Washington and Cypress Mountain ski resorts, and two interior races at Sun Peaks and Silver Star ski resorts. Whistler/Blackcomb, located two hours north of V ancouver along the scenic Sea to Sky Highway , is home to the series’ grand finale on April 4, where the overall Y eti Champion is crowned.

Each race location offers 5K and 10K courses with sections of groomed trails, packed single track and untracked powder fields. A vid snowshoe racer Dave Cressman appreciates the courses’ unpredictability: “The Y eti throws you a lot of

BY MOST ACCOUNTS, A YETI IS A MYSTERIOUS HAIR

ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLIE LINCOLN

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p.016-17 takemark.16 1/5/04 12:20 PM Page 17

TAKE YOUR MARK curve balls; it makes for a great sense of adventure. There are sections where you speed along fast groomed tracks but then suddenly you’re bouncing through deep powder in the woods.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Y eti

snowshoeing led them to found the Canadian Snowshoe Athletic Association (CSAA). The association’s ultimate goal is to have snowshoeing included in the 2010 Winter Olympics, scheduled for nearby V ancouver. “Snowshoeing is a

There’s Snow Place Like Home

❄

EVEN IF YOU DON’T LIVE NORTH OF THE BORDER, THERE ARE PLENTY OF SNOWSHOEING OPTIONS. CHECK OUT THESE U.S. SERIES:

[ONE] NIKE ACG U.S. NATIONAL SNOWSHOE CHAMPIONSHIPS SERIES: Nine regional

qualifiers culminating in the Nike ACG U.S. National Snowshoe Championships in Olympic Valley, California. www.snowshoeracing.com/events.htm [TWO] WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ATHLETIC CLUB SNOWSHOE SERIES: 14-event regional series taking place throughout New England. www.runwmac.com [THREE] THE MIDWESTERN SNOWSHOE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: Extensive multi-event series in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Contact Dar Vollrath at wisport@badger.tds.net [FOUR] BEAVER CREEK SNOWSHOE SERIES: A series at the Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, Colorado. Includes the North American Snowshoe Championships. www.bcsnowshoe.com [FIVE] NEW YORK EMPIRE STATE WINTER GAMES SNOWSHOE CHAMPIONSHIPS: A series of short- and longer-distance qualifiers throughout New York State ending with the State Snowshoe Championships. www.snowshoeracing.com [SIX] ALASKAN SNOWSHOE SERIES: Multi-event series takes place in the greater Anchorage, Alaska, region. Contact Julie Udchachon at udchachon@ak.net.

series has doubled from three races with 50 participants each to six races with more than 100 participants each.

Cooney attributes the sport’s increasing popularity to the fact that “snowshoeing is excellent cross training for athletes in any sport, and folks need something to train for .” Cressman, an avid cyclist, adventure racer and ultrarunner , describes snowshoeing as his only winter passion: “Physically, it ties together everything else I do. The leg strength I’ve developed from cycling is especially beneficial for lifting snowshoes through deep snow.”

In the Y eti’s debut year , most participants were experienced runners looking for something to do during long, cold winter months. By 2002 the field had diversified to include parents toting children in backpacks and youth giving the oldtimers a run for their money.

Technological advancements allow modern-day snowshoers to run efficiently on sleek, lightweight designs made from plastic, aluminium and carbon fiber. What was once a slow mode of transportation has become a fast-paced athletic pursuit. In fact, the 2002 Outdoor Industry Association and Trends Recreation Participation Study reported that U.S. participation in snowshoeing grew close to 93% from 1998, bringing the total number of participants to almost 6 million.

Cooney and Cressman’ s passion for

part of Canada’ s heritage; what better place to show off this new sport to the rest of the world?” beams Cooney . The pair are working closely with the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) and other national organizations to present a united case to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

If you haven’t yet given snowshoe running a whirl, let the Y eti Snowshoe Race Series be your excuse to begin training— even if a hairy beast will be breathing down your neck. ◆

THIS COULD GET HAIRY COURSE DESCRIPTION: Snow-covered trails, ski runs, frozen lakes and fresh powder fields of British Columbia, Canada. Choose from a 5K or 10K race at each of the series’ events.

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RACE DATES:

• February 7—Silver Star • February 14—Mt. Seymour • March 6—Sun Peaks • March 20—Cypress Mountain • April 4—Whistler/Blackcomb (Series Championship)

ENTRY FEE: $30(CDN) per race

INFO: www.theyeti.ca

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p.018-19 Faces.26 1/7/04 3:27 PM Page 18

FACES

RECYCLED: GRAHAM IN HIS HOMEMADE SANDALS IN THE 2003 ZANE GREY HIGHLINE 50 MILER.

Back to Nature

PRIMITIVE RUNNER DISCOVERED IN UTAH BY BIANCA DUMAS but not in the sense of old-school legends of the sport like Bill Rodgers or Steve Prefontaine. Graham trains like the ancient foot messengers of southwestern Native American tribes, running in homemade sandals and living off the land.

It’s Graham’s penchant for primitive skills that sets him apart in the running crowd.

He makes jerky out of coyote and raccoon, flint knaps spear points and arrowheads and rubs two sticks together to make fire. He runs in sandals made of discarded tires or rawhide and yucca fibers. On long runs, Graham shuns manufactured energy bars and gels in favor of pinole and chia seeds. And on runs that keep him out overnight—or for several nights—Graham builds primitive shelters or sleeps under a simple cloth tarp.

DAN PATITUCCI

MATT GRAHAM IS WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL A TRADITIONAL RUNNER,

p.018-19 Faces.26 1/12/04 4:10 PM Page 19

FACES

Considering Graham’s natural lifestyle, it’s hard to believe that he grew up in the cities of Southern California. It was a move at the age of 18 to a town near Sequoia National Park that set the stage for Graham’ s outdoor passions. He got introduced to the outdoors through climbing, but became hooked on running because it allowed him to see much more of the landscape. Then, by honoring an odd promise to himself, he turned into an ultra-runner.

ning days and gradually increased to 40 to 50 daily miles. He completed the distance of over 1600 miles, all the way from the Mexican border to Said, California, in 58 days.

Since he doesn’t own a car, Graham has run only a few official races. But his results have proven his strength: he finished third at the 1999 Tucson Marathon with a time of 2:41, and placed in the top 25 percent of the field in the tough 2003 Zane Grey Highline 50-Mile Trail Race. A

It’s Graham’s penchant for PRIMITIVE SKILLS that sets him apart in the running crowd.

He makes JERKY OUT OF COYOTE AND RACCOON, flint knaps spear points and arrowheads and RUBS TWO STICKS TOGETHER TO MAKE FIRE.

‘

“One summer I decided I wasn’ t going to set foot in a vehicle,” says Graham, who was by then both passionate about distance running and protecting the environment. “I ran everywhere. It was a challenge when friends wanted me to run eight miles to a party, but I kept the goal all summer .” As a volunteer on the search-and-rescue squad, Graham even ran to some of the rescues.

In the summer , he’ s an instructor for Boulder Outdoor Survival School and a guide for a llama pack-trip company called Red Rock ’N Llamas, both located near Graham’ s “home” of Boulder in southern Utah. Graham, however, has no permanent residence. During the summer his jobs allow him to live on the trail.

When his summer work season is over , he concocts extended walking or running trips. In November 2001, for example, he left Boulder, Utah, to walk to an educational primitive-skills gathering called Wintercount in Maricopa, Arizona. He put in about 470 miles on the trip.

In 1995, Graham put his traditional living skills to the test on the California section of the Pacific Crest T rail. His goal: run the entire California section of the trail. This meant following the John Muir T rail except where it departs to climb Mount Whitney and in the Devil’ s Postpile area. He started the trek with a five-foot piece of cloth for shelter, a bivy sack, a water filter , a bag of chia seeds and another of sunflower seeds. Once he reached the High Sierra, he had extra food and a down sleeping bag mailed to him. Graham started with 25-mile-run-

year ago, Graham found himself unexpectedly in another race. It began as he was working as a cook at an equestrian race. “We were at the trailhead cooking for the riders, and I thought, ‘W ell, the place they’re going sounds really nice.’ So I asked the race official if I could run the race the next day ,” says Graham. “He kind of laughed about it.”

Graham, however, didn’ t give anyone time to laugh for long. W earing his tire sandals, he ran the 55-mile race in 6:57, finishing fourth, behind only three horses. The race official awarded Graham a silver medallion the next day , and said, “Now I know how Geronimo did it.”

Although he keeps quietly to himself, Graham’s unorthodox running style has attracted attention. He’ s been featured in the L.A. Times and in Trekking, a book published by Outside magazine.

Graham is the kind of guy who is unaffected by the attention. Says Josh Bernstein, Graham’ s longtime friend and president of Boulder Outdoor Survival School, “Matt is definitely our strongest instructor physically. He’s also fairly oblivious to that fact, which shows his humility.”

Graham will actually brag about one thing—that at only 29 years old, he’ s slowed down a bit. But this is not due to a lack of fitness. He’ s stopping to smell the roses, literally, and eat the rose hips, too. “When I run nowadays, if I see something interesting I might stop and look at it,” he says. “I collect wild greens along the way. I spend less time running and more time just being there.” ◆

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p.020-21 TrailRX.26 1/5/04 12:27 PM Page 20

Overexposed EVERY TIME YOU HIT THE TRAIL YOU INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF DEVELOPING SKIN CANCER. A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR SUNLOVING RUNNERS. BY ROB LOUGHRAN I SAT, SWEATING LIKE A SIOUX SHAMAN DURING A PURIFICATION RITUAL, my sweaty palms pressed flat on a glittering metal clipboard. Two wire leads snaked around me and into a transformer that powered the medical wood-burning tool the good doctor was wielding behind my back. Doc had just cauterized all but one of the skin cancers on my back. The unmistakable smell of cooking flesh filled the room.

“Are you okay, Rob?” asked my doctor.

My rate of perspiration had apparently been upgraded from sweaty shaman to Albert Brooks in Broadcast News.

The doctor’s assistant fumbled with and dropped a pair of tweezers. She retrieved them and said, “Call me Grace.”

“Call me,” I said, breathing through my mouth and not too deeply , “Robert Burns.”

One million Americans a year develop basal-cell carcinoma, the most prevalent—and least deadly—type of skin cancer; 95 percent of all basal-cell carcinoma is caused by overexposure to solar radiation. Simple sunlight—the key to life on this planet—is the culprit. Obviously, we trail runners are a high-risk group due to the amount of time we spend under that golden globe.

TREATMENT IS READILY AVAILABLE Basal-cell carcinoma is treatable, but not trivial. The damage from exposure to the sun cannot be reversed, and even one basal carcinoma anywhere (ears, back, legs) increases the likelihood of skin cancer elsewhere. Although basal cell is rarely lifethreatening, resign yourself to the fact that you’ll be visiting the doctor for a checkup every six months for the rest of your life.

When your dermatologist or physician discovers a basal carcinoma, you have several choices. Cryosurgery is quick and commonplace. In this procedure, the tumor is 20 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

sprayed with liquid nitrogen and dies from frostbite. It’ s a weird sensation— not too painful. Blisters form over the treated spots and, in about two weeks, drop off in the shower.

Electrosurgery (also known as curettage or electrodessication) is another option, and is what I chose for the carcinomas on my back. After a local anesthetic is administered, the tumor is scraped from the skin and an electrical needle burns away a buffer zone of healthy skin around the area. This process is more itchy than painful, and leaves little, white, coin-shaped scars.

Excisional surgery (also known as “cut the little S.O.B. off”) is used on most facial tumors to avoid the scars of electrosurgery. The entire tumor is sliced off, again with a safety margin of normal skin, and closed with stitches.

Radiation therapy (x-ray beams) and microscopically controlled surgery (Mohs surgery) are other techniques, but electro-cryo-excisional surgeries are usually sufficient. The procedure that bothered me the most wasn’ t surgery; it was the preliminary biopsies. Here you get a shot of local anesthesia and they cut a hole out of the skin tumor and send it to the lab.

For a couple of weeks these little buggers oozed and seeped and annoyed the hell out of me. I asked the doctor why . He explained that they won’ t heal because they are malignant, abnormal cells.

A rarer but equally treatable skin cancer is squamous-cell carcinoma. The causes of and treatments for squamouscell carcinoma are precisely the same as for basal cell. Squamous-cell carcinoma differs from basal cell in that it can also occur on mucous membranes, particularly the lips. It, too, has been known to spread to vital organs, causing the unpleasant side effect known as death.

RIXT CLIFFORD

TRAILRx

p.020-21 TrailRX.26 1/5/04 12:28 PM Page 21

TRAIL RX DIAGNOSIS: QUICK & SIMPLE Self-diagnosis of basal- and squamouscell cancer is simple, and when you find either early, removal is quick, easy and effective. Look for these five deviations on every inch of your skin that has been exposed to the sun:

• A persistent reddish patch that itches without discomfort, particularly on legs, arms, shoulders and chest.

• An open sore that persists for three or more weeks. If the sore bleeds, oozes or crusts, it’s probably a basal-cell tumor.

• A smooth, indented growth with a rolled border. This “Certs” is certainly a carcinoma.

• A white or yellow scar-like area is a lesslikely candidate, but can indicate the beginning of a more aggressive tumor.

• A shiny bump. Although usually pink, red or white, the bump can be black or brown and could be confused with a mole.

FROM BAD TO WORSE The real bad boy is melanoma. It is lifethreatening, and occurrences of this type of cancer are increasing. If you were born in 1930 your chances of developing melanoma were 1 in 1500. For a child born in 1998, the lifetime risk is 1 in 87.

This type of cancer spreads readily and rapidly to vital organs. Locate any persistent blemish or mole and pay attention to these warning signs: ASYMMETRY. Melanomas aren’t round, they are irregularly shaped.

BORDER. They have poorly defined borders.

COLOR. They appear red, white, blue or mot-

CANCER:

(WHAT'S IN A NAME?) An informative definition is offered by health writer Maureen B. Keene: “Cancer is caused by carcinogens or cancer-causing substances.

Carcinogens can be viruses, chemicals or radiant energy. Very few cancers are inherited. Most are caused by carcinogens in the environment or by an interaction of carcinogens with a genetic inclination.

This means that most cancers are preventable.

“A cell becomes cancerous in two stages. The first stage is called initiation, which is produced by exposing cells to a cancer-causing agent or initiator. This exposure somehow changes the cell, making it more likely to become cancerous.

The effect of an initiator is permanent; nothing can be done to reverse it.

“The second stage is promotion. A promoter causes an initiated cell to develop into a tumor but will not cause tumor development by itself.

Fortunately, the effects of a promoter on the cell are reversible. In order for a cancer to form, both initiation and promotion must take place.”* Promotion includes, but isn't limited to: smoking, excess drinking and poor diet. Improvements in any of these factors seem to have an effect on retard-

tled shades of black brown, and tan.

DIAMETER. They’re big; look for anything bigger than the diameter of a #2 pencil.

ELEVATION. They aren’t flat like basal-cell carcinoma. They may rise above the surrounding skin.

Melanoma is treatable and curable.

In Queensland, Australia, the world’ s first comprehensive public education program has resulted in a decrease in the death rate from melanoma.

Treatment is the same as for basal cell; it can be excised surgically , or burned or frozen off, when diagnosed and treated in time.

SKIN CANCER BEATS THE ALTERNATIVE If you have any of the warning signs—and if you are fair -skinned, athletic and approaching 40, you probably do—see a doctor. If you’re reading Trail Runner, you probably spend a good percentage of your leisure hours outdoors, which puts you at risk.

Remember, if you hadn’ t spent most of your life in healthful outdoor activities, you might have heart disease now .

Then you wouldn’ t be worried about bumps and lumps and nodules—you’d be worried about obesity , deadly heart attacks and debilitating strokes. A little perspective never hurts.

Rob Loughran lives in Windsor, California, and religiously uses an SPF 30. His novel High Steaks won the 2002 Salvo Press New Mystery Award. ing the development of cancer. Evidence indicates that the number and severity of sunburns a person experiences before the age of 18 are the prime, irreversible initiators of skin cancer.

The Skin Cancer Institute (Box 561, New York, NY 10156) recommends a lifelong implementation of the following practices to lower your risk of all types of skin cancer:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

DO NOT SUNBATHE. AVOID UNNECESSARY SUN EXPOSURE, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN 10 A.M. AND 3 P.M. IF YOU MUST BE IN THE SUN, USE SUNSCREENS RATED SPF 15 OR HIGHER. APPLY LIBERALLY, UNIFORMLY AND FREQUENTLY. WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, BROAD BRIMMED HATS AND SUNGLASSES WHEN EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT. AVOID ARTIFICIAL TANNING DEVICES. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN GOOD SUN PROTECTION HABITS AT AN EARLY AGE: THE DAMAGE THAT LEADS TO ADULT SKIN CANCER STARTS IN CHILDHOOD. EXAMINE YOUR SKIN COMPLETELY AND REGULARLY.

* From Juicing for Good Health, by Maureen B. Keene, Simon & Schuster, NY, NY, 1992, p.33.

p.022 ask the coach.26 1/6/04 11:17 AM Page 22

ASK THE COACH

BY THERESE IKNOIAN the distance). Runners who run 100-mile races may get in a single 30-miler in training. It follows that a 50K should be possible with no more than a 2- or 2 1/2hour longest training run.”

Daniels suggests that running four to five days a week is plenty . On weekdays, go for 30- to 60-minute runs. Then, on three or four training weekends, Daniels also recommends “bunched” runs: Do about four hours total of running over three runs with one being longer than the others. “In some ways this will take the same toll on your body as a much longer single run, but with less stress than the longer run,” he explains. We won’t expect to see you on the winner’s podium, but do expect you to have a great time.

SPINNING MY WHEELS?

ICE, ICE BABY IN THE WINTER, I AM SOMETIMES FORCED TO RUN ON SNOWMOBILE TRAILS, BUT DON’T FEEL STABLE. ARE THERE ANY SHOES OR SPECIAL SPIKES SUITED FOR SUCH SNOWY AND ICY CONDITIONS? —BOB MATHES, WOLFEBORO, NEW HAMPSHIRE

at the bother and expense of shoe attachments, and relish the crunch of snow under running shoes. But if you frequent icy trails, these devices are worth considering. There are basically three types: one with spiked blades like climbing crampons (Kahtoola KTS, www.kahtoola.com), another with coiled steel on a lacework of thin rubber straps underfoot (Yaktrax Pro, www.yaktrax.com) and one with golf-cleatlike tips in a stretchy rubber sole that you pull over the shoe (STABILicers, www.stabilicers.com). The Kahtoolas are overkill for most runners unless you’re doing more hiking than running or traversing glaciers. The Y aktrax and ST ABILicers come recommended by running compadres but, like studded snow tires, aren’ t very smooth on asphalt, dirt or rocks.

A new wintertime running product is the Ice Bug shoe from Sweden, which has steel spikes embedded in the outsole (see Trail Tested, No. 24). Since it’s a full-blown shoe, it costs about quadruple that of the above attachments.

Then there’s the old-timers’ method: inserting screws in the soles of your shoes to make your own cleats. Cheaper, and you can throw the shoe away when winter’ s over.

There’s a great tutorial at www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm.

SOME PURISTS POOH-POOH

SOMETIMES I JUST CAN’T GET OUTSIDE TO RUN. THEN I’M STUCK ON THE TREADMILL. DOES TREADMILL RUNNING OFFER THE SAME BENEFITS AS DIRT? —JOSIE HENKE, PORTLAND, OREGON

and a great training partner. The biggest difference is there is no wind resistance, which means you will be exerting less energy at the same speeds. One method to equate treadmill and ground speeds is to add incline (only 1 to 2 percent) so you use more energy at any given speed. For distance or ultra runners, there is a tedium factor on a treadmill that can be superb mental training too.

On the treadmill, you are not able to train your response to constant changes in the surface encountered on the trails.

So be sure to get out on the dirt and rocks enough to keep you nimble, well-balanced and mentally sharp. ◆

TREADMILLS CAN BE YOUR FRIEND

I’D LIKE TO STEP UP TO A TRAIL MARATHON OR 50K RACE, BUT TRAINING FOR SUCH DISTANCES SEEMS SO TIME CONSUMING. LEVEL WITH ME: HOW MUCH TRAINING IS NECESSARY TO FINISH WITHOUT HURTING MYSELF? —JOE GIBBS, DALLAS, TEXAS MANY RUNNERS CAN EMPATHIZE with your question. W e turned to Jack Daniels, PhD, coach of Olympians, professor of exercise science and cross-country coach at State University of New York, and author of Daniels’ Running Formula. Daniels has said that he thinks runners run too long on long runs: “Most people would agree that they could complete a 10K with nothing longer than regular runs of two miles at a time (a third of 22 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

Trail Runner would like to hear your burning questions on training, medicine, gear and technique for the trails (send to coach@bigstonepub.com). If we use your question in an upcoming issue, you will receive a GoLite C-Thru™ Lite-Weight Zip Top. GoLite’s patented C-Thru™ apparel is a high-performance base layer that will keep you dry and comfortable. The Lite-Weight Zip Top features flat-seam construction with superior stitch count for comfort, fit, and style. Info: golite.com, 888-5-GOLITE

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p.023 trail Tips.26 1/7/04 12:44 PM Page 23

TRAIL TIPS

SPEED TRAINING

Full Speed Ahead PREPARE TO KICK WHEN IT COUNTS BY JEFF PURTON of your body, and help you to run faster. Mix it in with your trail runs and you’ll have controlled breathing and form under the most desperate conditions—exactly what you’ll need down the final stretch in any trail race.

SPEED TRAINING WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO PUSH THE LIMITS

JEREMY COLLINS

FIND A VENUE. The obvious place for a speed-training workout is a local track. If you can’t access one nearby, find a close approximation such as a long stretch of gravel or a loop around a nearby subdivision.

The goal of speed training is to attain fast, consistent leg turnover, so finding a level, divot-free surface is key.

CALL A FRIEND. Misery loves company, but more importantly it helps with consistency. Alone, you may be tempted to go out of the blocks too fast; training with partners facilitates following a structured workout. Plus, it’s easier to motivate when somebody else is running beside you.

HIT IT. Break the workout down to

quarter- to half-mile intervals. Since these intervals are relatively short, you can concentrate on getting good turnover and smooth strides.

After each interval, take half the distance or longer to recover while jogging. Allow yourself to recover enough to allow an equally strong effort on your next interval.

CHECK YOUR PACE. For workouts, use a pace that is about 10 to 20 seconds per mile

faster than your target 5K pace. The goal is to develop form, technique and poise under strain.

Throughout your speed workouts, pay attention to your stride and listen to your body. Your goal should be to maintain smooth, fluid leg movement even when your body is pushed to new cardiovascular frontiers. ◆

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DARLENE LARSON AND JOSH BRIMHALL ROLL THROUGH RED ROCK CANYON OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS.

Sure Bets BELIEVE IT OR NOT, LAS VEGAS HAS SOME OF THE BEST TRAIL RUNS IN THE SOUTHWEST AS WE CRESTED THE TOP OF THE WHITE ROCK/LA MADRE SPRINGS LOOP TRAIL, we couldn’t see the city’s skyline on the horizon, only the haze hovering over the valley.

But we could each feel the nefarious presence of Las V egas, both in our annihilated legs and tarnished heads.

Las Vegas is a weird place, one best experienced in very small doses. Stay longer than 48 hours and you risk mental and physical ruin. T rying to make time for exercise in Vegas can be like trying to squeeze an ounce of common sense out of a cactus.

Until this run, my trip had included walking endless miles on tradeshow floors, observing the antics of Blue Man Group, a multi-sensory experience featuring three bald, blue-skinned performers, and sampling infused martinis at Round Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. So I felt fortunate to free myself from the excesses of Sin City and restore my soul at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

“Red Rocks,” as it is known by locals, is a 20-minute drive west of the Las Vegas Strip, but a world away from the capital of greed, self-indulgence and all-night lunacy . The 197,000-acre desert park has more than 40 miles of trails on 19 linkable routes, an assortment of native wildlife—wild burros, mountain lions, mustangs and bighorn 24 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

BY BRIAN METZLER

sheep—and many remnants from the region’s previous inhabitants, including petroglyphs, pictographs and limestone roasting pits.

Our mid-morning run was supposed to include a group of at least four . But one friend who was in town on business bailed early the night before, while another left a garbled message on my cell phone at 1:43 a.m. to say something about how she and her business colleagues were just finishing up post-dinner drinks. Or was it post-dinner drinks and a lap dance? The only thing that was clear was that she wasn’t going to meet us for the run.

I was glad to have tracked down Jason Smith, not only because he’ s a deft trail runner, but also because he’s a pro when it comes to rallying in the face of imminent self-demise. Without his hard-charging pace and wayward conversation, I certainly would have struggled through this 6.5-mile gut-buster on the White Rock/La Madre Springs Loop.

Starting from the upper White Rock parking lot near the north end of the loop, we ventured south on singletrack, dropping down a canyon strewn with cacti, Joshua trees and occasional desert wildflowers. As our tight legs struggled to maintain a consistent stride, we bantered about work, night life and current events.

At times I felt about as grizzled as the

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GREAT ESCAPES weather-worn rock faces that lay about us. By the time we reached the Willow Springs Picnic Area, our muscles had warmed and our conversation had turned to trail running and adventures of the coming summer.

Unfortunately for me, Jason was able to shed the V egas-induced malaise quicker than I and was more nimble as we climbed the 900-foot rise on the backside of White Rock Mountain. But, he, too, was feeling the pain near the top and slowed enough on occasion for me to catch up. Finally, after what seemed like an endless climb, we reached the 6000foot saddle of the mountain’ s northern ridge and began a mile-long descent back to our rental car.

While Vegas is a melting pot of every cultural and ethnic background on the planet, it’s not exactly awash with fitness fanatics. Still, for a trail runner there are great options within 30 to 45 minutes of

SURE BET: RUNNING VEGAS the Strip, a.k.a. Las Vegas Boulevard.

On my first day in V egas, I had ventured to a portion of the HumboldtToiyabe National Forest about 25 miles northwest of the city. The forest is the largest in the U.S. outside of Alaska, and ranges from arid desert conditions in the lower foothills to the lush alpine environment of 11,920foot Mount Charleston 20 miles to the west. The South Loop T rail is a strenuous and sometimes steep 8.2-mile excursion that leads to Charleston’ s lofty summit, which is also known as Cathedral Peak. It’ s a rugged jaunt, runable to the top between April and December. During the winter months, the trail is buried in snow .

About 10 miles to the east of the city is Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the Nevada/Arizona boarder . The park boasts many good running trails, not to mention hot springs, petroglyphs and vol-

canic canyons. Here, the landscape more closely resembles the terrain at Red Rocks, although the scenery is as unique —the nearby Hoover Dam looms huge.

If you’re not lucky enough to have a rental car and are stuck in town, your best bet is to get up early—or stay up late—and run down the Strip, between Sahara Avenue and Four Seasons Drive, just before sunrise. You’ll get a glimpse of the underbelly of V egas, with the multitude of people stumbling home at the wee hours of the morning.

It’s estimated that more than $1 billion is poured into the coffers of Las Vegas casinos, restaurants and hotels every single day . Even if your visit is short, you’re bound to contribute to some of that, likely more than you expect. But if you plan ahead, the best money you can spend in Vegas is the $5 parking fee at Red Rocks. You’ll feel like you hit the jackpot ◆

BIG CLIMBS AND DESERT CRUISES AWAIT VEGAS-AREA TRAIL RUNNERS.

TRAILHEAD: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA GETTING THERE: Located in the southern tip of Nevada, Las Vegas is about 275 miles east of Los Angeles and 415 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Las Vegas’ McCarran International Aiport is served by several major airlines. If you plan on running trails, rent a car. Most casino hotels don’t charge to park overnight.

RUNNING INFORMATION: Red Rocks is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (www.redrockcanyon.blm.gov; 702-515-5000). Information about Lake Mead can be found at www.nps.gov/lame/home.html or by calling 702-293-8907. The best running resource for the Las Vegas area is the website of the Las Vegas Running Team (www.lasvegasrunningteam.com), which has an updated local race calendar and announcements of weekly training runs. NikeTown Las Vegas (adjacent to Caesar’s Palace, 3500 Las Vegas Boulevard, 702-650-8888) also offers 3- and 5-mile training runs every Wednesday at 5 p.m. The best running specialty store in town is Village Runner (8221 W. Charleston, 702-255-7601).

ACCOMMODATIONS: The best bet is to stay in one of the big casino hotels clustered on or near the Strip. They’re convenient to all of the major attractions and also boast the best restaurants.

Depending on the time of year, you’ll likely pay $150 per night. If you want to do it on the cheap, there are plenty of convenient options, including Super 8 Motel (4350 Koval Lane, 800-800-8000) and the Hampton Inn (4975 S. Industrial Road, 702-948-8100). Camping is also available in and around Red Rocks. Visit www.lvchamber.com or call 702-735-1616 for more details.

WEATHER: Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert, which means it can be very hot and dry, especially in the summer. The best time to run is between October and November (average high 66 to 81) and March and April (highs 69 to 78). It does rain in Las Vegas, but only January and February average more than one-half inch of precipitation.

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DAVID CLIFFORD

FOOD AND DRINK: Aside from New York City, no other city in North America has as many world-class restaurants as Las Vegas. Try sushi at Shintaro at the Bellagio (702-693-7223), Caribbean fare at rumjungle inside Mandalay Bay (877-632-5300) and Emeril’s at the MGM Grand (702-891-7374). Looking for nightlife? Start at the Hard Rock Hotel (702-693-5000), work your way over to the Strip and then loop back to Hard Rock between 1 and 3 a.m. when the place really begins to jump.

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FLEE THE FREEZE: SOUTHWESTERN GETAWAYS

GREAT ESCAPES

BRYCE CANYON N.P., UTAH THE DIRT: Millions of years of geological forces and erosion created the wonder that is Bryce Canyon. Located on the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah, the park consists of a series of colorful, horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters sprinkled with slot canyons, windows, fins, mazes, pinnacles and spires called “hoodoos.”

The best trail run is the 23-mile Under-the-Rim Trail, which drops from the rim of the plateau into pine forests between Bryce Point and Rainbow Point. The upper reaches of the trail feature incredible views of Utah, Nevada and Arizona. WHEN TO GO: April through October offers the most agreeable weather, with pleasant temps night and day.

Unlike other parts of the Southwest, Bryce does feel the icy brunt of winter. LODGING AND INFO: Located inside the park, Bryce Canyon Lodge (www.amfac.com) offers beds closest to the trails, but is only open from April 1 through October 31. Contact the park at 435-834-5322 or visit www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm. If that fails, try the nearby town of Panguitch.

IT’S EASY TO GET LOST IN THE SOUTHWEST’S SCENIC SPLENDOR.

SEDONA, ARIZONA THE DIRT: This central Arizona paradise offers limitless miles of singletrack desert trails, slickrock routes weaving through redrock splendor and a quaint town. The area’s Native Americans considered the red rocks sacred, reserved for only chiefs and medicine men. Today, hearty trail runners can hit these trails. Make sure you run the 21-mile House Mountain Trail. It begins as a fast, rolling singletrack before turning steep with tons of gnarly obstacles, including prickly pear cactus, lava fields and melon-sized boulders. Other not-to-miss singletracks include the horse trails of 9845 Road, near the community of Elmersville. WHEN TO GO: Don’t go during the high tourist season.

Instead, visit in April, May and October, when the temperatures range between the mid-70s and low-80s during the day.

LODGING AND INFO: Contact the Sedona Chamber of Commerce at 800-288-7336 or www.sedonachamber.com. There are many lodging options and camping areas, but book early.

DAVID CLIFFORD

JOSHUA TREE N.P., CALIFORNIA THE DIRT: “J-Tree” is a million-acre jewel just three hours east of Los Angeles.

Although it’s a rock-climbing Mecca, many trail runners frequent the epic routes carved among the breathtaking rock formations.

One of the best trails is Boy Scout, a 16-mile singletrack that runs along the surreal Wonderland of Rocks, offering enormous vistas of the high-desert landscape. J-Tree encompasses two distinct desert ecosystems: the hot Colorado Desert on the chollaspeckled eastern part of the park, and the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the west, where the park’s namesake trees flourish.

WHEN TO GO: Anytime from October through April. Beginning in late February, the white blossoms of the Joshua trees are visible for two months. Avoid a summer visit— unless you’re a camel and don’t mind the heat. LODGING AND INFO: The wacky town of Twentynine Palms on the north side of the park is your best bet if you’re not camping in the park. The hamlet of Indio has options, too. Contact park headquarters at 760-3675500 or visit www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm.

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Patti Haskins lives to run trails, from quick jaunts in Yosemite Valley to the 225-mile John Muir Trail in a single push. You may have never heard of this hardcore trail runner, and she has certainly never heard you. In fact, she has never heard a sound in her life.

By Gregory Crouch PHOTOGRAPHS BY COREY RICH LAST AUGUST, TOTING A TARP, a light sleeping bag, a jacket, some spare socks and $12 worth of food, Patti Haskins headed out on the John Muir Trail (JMT), which goes all the way from Yosemite Valley to the summit of 14,494-foot Mount Whitney .

The JMT features 11 major mountain passes and more than 50,000 feet of elevation gain. Haskins figured she could run the entire 225-mile distance in six or seven days. Backpackers typically take three weeks. But Haskins is used to facing tough daily challenges—she is deaf.

Haskins’ first four days on the trail went well, even if she was hungry and her feet hurt.

She ran 30 to 40 miles a day , most of them above 10,000 feet. Craggy peaks stood against a pellucid sky . The trail cut through the heart of the Sierra high country, winding through coniferous forests, around tarns and lakes and across dozens of streams, and climbing above treeline over each of the many passes only to drop back into the forest on the far side. Her food stash would have barely filled a lunchbox—apples, a jar of peanut butter , six sourdough rolls and some ClifBars—but she figured it would be enough. And besides, it was all she could afford.

“It was so beautiful, so simple, such an easy life,” says Haskins (through an interpreter as is the case with all her quotes in this article). “I just got up in the morning, took a drink of water and ate something, pulled on my shoes and took off running down the trail.”

But foul weather moved in on the fifth day. Patti Haskins woke up at 5:30 a.m. and ran more than 30 miles. All day , the weather became increasingly ominous. Clouds wrapped the peaks.

Blisters sprouted on her feet.

HASKINS, A 32-YEAR OLD, tomato-pole woman with dancing eyes, shoulder-length brown hair and a lean, honest face who spends most of her time in Y osemite, is one of the most passionate and hardcore trail runners anywhere. In the spring and summer when the days are long, she runs about 100 miles a week.

After the time change in the fall, she “cuts back” to 50 or 60. But Haskins experiences the trails and life in a way different from most of us, because she cannot hear.

Haskins grew up in western Pennsylvania, and doesn’t know why she was born deaf. “My mom always told me that God said it was special for me to be deaf,” says Haskins. She attended a deaf school, and started running on the track team in junior high. She dominated. “The hearing teams were so sad to see me again in high school,” she says. “I ran the 3000 meters and I was always in first place.”

“Patti not being able to hear or speak does not stop her from doing anything,” says her friend, the accomplished ultrarunner Catra Corbett-McNeely. “She just deals, and I think she sees things that the rest of us don’t.” Haskins attended Gallaudet University for the Deaf in W ashington, D.C. She came west to

STAIRMASTER: PATTIE HASKINS IS USED TO HARD DAILY CHALLENGES

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work on a trail crew in the Yosemite backcountry during the summer of 1992 and fell in love with mountain running and the California high country . In 1996, she graduated from Gallaudet with a bio-chemistry degree and moved west. Y osemite has been the center of her universe ever since. Haskins worked in the Y osemite medical clinic and day-care center for four years. In the off-seasons she traveled to experience different cultures and broaden her running horizons, journeying twice to both Europe and India, and visiting Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Patagonia.

In November of 2002, Haskins took a job teaching at a deaf elementary school in New Mexico, and stayed for a full school year , but she missed the Sierras and her California friends. In the spring of 2003, Haskins returned to Y osemite. She had paid off her truck loan while in New Mexico and since her return, hasn’ t felt the need to work. She exists on the absolute minimum, hanging out with friends and going for long runs. “I’ve tried to leave this place, but I always come back,” says Haskins. “This is my first home.”

HASKINS MET A GROUP OF DRENCHED BACKPACKERS

at the base of Forester Pass, a 13,180-foot obstacle guarding the gates of the Whitney region. The backpackers warned of tough conditions ahead. Haskins tried to get through the pass, but rivers of water fell from the sky .

After two miles, Haskins turned around and descended to Tyndall Campground. She spotted an empty bear box where backpackers normally secure their food. “And, hey, I fit!” she says. “I didn’ t have a choice. It was dry , and I had to sleep somewhere, so I changed my clothes and crawled inside.”

Haskins ate the last of her food. Rain pelted her metal coffin all through the night, but Haskins heard nothing and slept well. “I can feel strong vibrations,” she says, “but other than that, I have never heard a sound in my whole life.

“In the morning it was still raining, my food was gone and I didn’ t know what else to do, so I just kept going.”

With her supplies cut so thin, sitting still was not an option. Haskins ran over Forester Pass, right into the brunt of the storm. A hard, cold rain beat down and cobblestone footing shredded her feet. Clouds cut visibility to 50 feet. She didn’ t even have a storm jacket—hers had been stolen the month before. Beyond the pass she pressed on through the foul weather . Discomfort became cold agony. She ate no food for 31 miles. “My stomach was so empty,” she says. “I felt like throwing up every step.”

Haskins wobbled into a campground near Guitar Lake at HOME, SWEET HOME: (TOP) HASKINS POUNDS OUT SOME MILES IN HER the end of the day.

BACK YARD—YOSEMITE VALLEY. SIGNS OF THE TIMES: (BOTTOM) HASKINS Robert Burroughs and Earl Cryer , two freelance AND HER FRIENDS HAVE WORKED OUT VARIOUS “PIGEON” SIGN LANGUAGES. photojournalists from San Diego, were at Guitar Lake that day. It was windy and rainy and they’d been on the trail were amazed. We travel light, but she had next to no gear .” for 16 days. A troop of Boy Scouts clomped into camp and Haskins sat between the two men and communicated with set up tents. “The whole place was socked in,” says Cryer . gestures and hand-written notes. “She had gnarly blisters,” “We were hunkered down under our tarp, brewing and cooksays Cryer. “Red and raw and bleeding, so we looked after her ing and passing the time, when this woman suddenly came feet and gave her some hot food.” running out of the storm. She was suffering, totally soaked, One of the Boy Scouts saw the threesome trying to comso we waved her over and she joined us under the tarp. W e municate. He had a deaf brother and started “talking” with 30 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

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blasted downhill for the Whitney Portal trailhead.

That evening, they shared a huge meal in the small town of Lone Pine.

HASKINS

Patti in sign language. Conversation flourished in the remote camp.

The storm broke overnight, and the sky cleared. The next morning, Haskins, Cryer and Burroughs pressed on to the summit of Mount Whitney . “It was cold,” says Haskins, “but very beautiful. All those mountains. The wind was strong, with 50mile-per-hour gusts. I could hardly stand up, but it felt so good to be on Mount Whitney after the long run! And I was so happy to be with those guys. They were so nice.”

The trio spent the few obligatory minutes on top and then

HITCHHIKED

BACK

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YOSEMITE.

Deafness does provide a unique advantage to someone who spends a lot of time in Camp 4, Y osemite’s walk-in campground that is usually packed with noisy, night-owl climbers from dozens of different countries. “No problem for me,” says Haskins. “I just close my eyes and good night. I don’ t hear any of it.

I sleep so well.”

Last spring, Ammon McNeely , an accomplished trail runner and rock climber , shared a Camp 4 site with Haskins. She rustled out of her sleeping bag and puttered around camp, waking him before dawn. He looked over; she was filling a water bottle. It was 5:30 a.m. “Patti, what are you doing?” asked McNeely .

McNeely doesn’t know true sign language, but in the past few years, with much patience and practice, he and Haskins have developed a rudimentary sign language of gestures, carefully spoken words and lip reading, nods and smiles. Remarkably , Haskins seems to have a different pigeon sign language with each one of her hearing friends.

“I’m broke, so I’m going running,” motioned Haskins as she turned to run out of camp.

McNeeley didn’t think he’d understood properly. It didn’t make sense. Why would she need to go running because she didn’ t have any money? He went back to sleep.

Haskins returned a few hours later , beaming her enormous smile. “And she had this big wad of cash in her hand,” says McNeeley . “She’d gone out and entered a 5K race, and that was the purse for first place.”

Haskins’s fistful of prize money didn’ t last through the summer , however . She earned her food money for the JMT run by collecting around 250 cans and bottles from campsites and garbage cans, and trading them for $12 at the Y osemite recycling center.

In 2001, Corbett-McNeely , who is married to Ammon McNeely and has completed more than 20 100-milers, met Haskins at the Western States 100.

The ultra-running community is small, and Corbett-McNeely was surprised to see a woman she didn’t know , especially at such a prestigious and grueling event. It was Haskins’ first hundred, and she finished the race, considered one of the world’s toughest, in 29 hours. In the two years since, Corbett-McNeely and Haskins have become close friends.

Corbett-McNeely lives in the Bay Area, but spends a lot of time in the Sierras. She and Haskins often go for long mountain runs together. “It was weird when we first started,” says Corbett-McNeely. “When Patti was in front she was always turning around to look at me and I was, like, ‘Patti, watch where you’re going!’”

“But, Catra, I’m deaf,” motioned Haskins. “If something happens to you, I won’t hear.”

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KEEP IT SIMPLE: HASKINS LIVES A FUGAL LIFE, “CANNING” AT TIMES TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

Says Corbett-McNeely. “Patti doesn’ t do a lot of races. She just loves being out in nature, taking long runs.”

A FAMOUS TRAIL RINGS CHILE’S TORRES DEL PAINE, a range

of ice-crusted granite obelisks in Patagonia, at the far southern end of the American continents. The Paine circuit is more than 65 miles in circumference, with zillions of ups and downs, swamps, streams and cobblefields to negotiate, and it’s

from the Patagonian ice cap. Haskins pulled on the exposed roots of gnarled trees to haul herself to the windswept pass. It started to rain, and she soaked through to the skin. “There was nobody up there, no backpackers, nobody . I was so worried,” she says.

Horizontal snow soon replaced the rain. Steel-gray clouds whipped overhead. The whining howl of the Patagonian wind, one of earth’ s most ferocious, made no impression on Patti.

Haskins tried to get through the pass, but rivers of water fell from the sky. After two miles, Haskins turned around and descended to Tyndall Campground. She spotted an empty bear box where backpackers normally secure their food. “And, hey, I fit!” she says. “I didn’t have a choice. It was dry, and I had to sleep somewhere, so I changed my clothes and crawled inside.” exposed to the same storms that torture Cape Horn with some of the most extreme weather on the planet. Most trekkers take six to eight days to make the circumnavigation. Haskins decided to run the loop in a single day. She left camp at 5 a.m. The crux of the circuit comes about 15 miles out, at a 4200-foot pass above Ventisquero Grey, a massive glacier sweeping down 32 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

“But I’ll always remember the feeling of my hood flapping against my ears,” says Haskins. “I was so cold. I wondered if I should just go back.”

But she pressed on. At 2 a.m., with mud caking her legs from toes to kneecaps and 21 hours after setting out, Haskins trotted back into camp in complete darkness.

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MUIR METTLE: HASKINS ENJOYING “CONVERSATION” AT GUITAR LAKE ON HER JMT ADVENTURE.

IT TOOK MONTHS TO EXTRACT THIS STORY. Haskins lives out of a pickup and only sporadically checks her email. Nor can she receive telephone calls. And it’ s challenging to interact with a deaf person on levels deeper than smiles and nods. Thoughts spin out much faster than notes can be passed across a tabletop.

After two long, frustrating sessions of pseudo-interviewing, I read Seeing Voices: A Journey into the World of the Deaf, by Oliver Sacks. Most people say they’d rather be deaf than blind but, writes Sacks, “To be born deaf is infinitely more serious than to be born blind. A congenitally deaf person runs the risk of not acquiring language.” Sacks adds, “It is only through language that we enter fully into our human estate and culture. If we cannot do this we will be bizarrely disabled and cut off.” Sign language is the natural language of the deaf, and although it expresses itself spatially and visually rather than aurally , it is every bit the equal of speech.

Sacks’ book brought me to the realization that English was Patti Haskins’ second language. American Sign Language (ASL) is her native “tongue” and would be a much better vehicle for communication. I arranged for an ASL interpreter , Nanette Oswald, to meet us in the courtyard of the Y osemite Lodge.

I arrived late. Afternoon light slanted through the yellow leaves of autumn as I hurried into the courtyard. The vertiginous granite of Y osemite reared beyond. A breeze ruffled the trees, and sun-dapples shivered across the benches where Oswald and

Haskins sat conversing in sign language. The strain of communication had vanished from Haskins’ face and posture. A river of conversation poured from her hands, arms and expressions as she wove her language in space, her face lit with joy. I “saw” her voice for the first time.

Haskins has never heard a human voice, nor a note of music.

She has never heard the sound of the wind, nor the bellow of a Yosemite waterfall. Yet Patti Haskins has battled a potentially isolating disability and reached out to embrace the full range of life’s possibilities. Full of zest and ideas, she says of visiting Africa, of one day having children, of attending nursing school, of India and Tibet and Patagonia, of running the Pacific Crest T rail from Mexico to Canada, and of helping women and children in the Third World. “There will be time for all that,” she says.

In the meantime there is the cobalt Sierra sky , the swaying pines, Yosemite’s parabolic walls of granite, the dynamic splendor of the Valley’s waterfalls and the soundless feel of her swift feet touching the mountain trails. “I’ll always run,” says Haskins. “I love the feel of running. It’ s just so relaxing.”

Gregory Crouch is the author of Enduring Patagonia (Random House, 2001), a regular contributor to outdoor magazines, and the Field Director of Conservacion Patagonica, a non-profit organization dedicated to wilderness preservation in Patagonia.

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Running Costa Rica’s ARENAL VOLCANO, two adventurous souls encounter the mountain’s cantankerous spirit—and appease it with some STRONG MEDICINE of their own.

BY BRIDGET CROCKER

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“Dios mio,” Leo whispers eerily as he slowly turns around, eyes frozen wide open with terror. We stand paralyzed mid-step, ankle-deep in boggy , T ootsie-roll-colored mud. Straining to listen over fight-or -flight heart pounding, I lean against a giant Ceiba tree, its thick roots weaving through the orange-and-red-impatiens-lined trail we’re climbing. An iridescent Blue Morpho circles us lazily. I nod my head in the butterfly’s direction, bringing Leo’ s attention to the good-luck omen. He lifts his eyebrows hopefully , then utters in hushed tones, “You heard that, no?”

The rumblings of an active volcano are hard to miss, especially when you’re just 1500 feet below its summit. I flash him a nervous smile.

“It’s not going to erupt right now, do you think?” I ask, laughing shakily. I’m no volcanologist, but the odds of being killed by pyroclastic flow seem very low. According to the lodge brochure I had read, only 10 people in every three million have the opportunity to see a volcano erupt. Surely , those who are actually engulfed by lava represent even a much smaller statistic.

Weeks earlier, I had contacted Leo Vazquez, a long-time guiding friend of mine and co-owner of the Costa Rican outfit H2O Adventures, to tell him of my plans to travel to Costa Rica and trail run Arenal Volcano with my friend, Wyoming photographer Greg Von Doersten. Leo laughed and replied simply, as if talking to a kindergartner, “You can’t run up Arenal, people die doing that.”

Now standing on Arenal’ s angry face, I tug at my mudencrusted shoes, trying to remove the gritty volcanic earth imbedded in my socks. As we bide our time deciding what to do, I try to picture the eruption of August 2000. During that event, central Costa Rica’ s V olcan Arenal spewed high-temperature gases, boulders and lava down its flanks, killing a guide and a young American girl. Temperatures from the blast were so high that vegetation nearly a mile away was instantly dehydrated and carbonized. My mind races further back, to Arenal’s original blast of July 1968, when 87 people were killed in the nearby villages of T abacon and Pueblo Nuevo, which were obliterated by an avalanche of fire.

For now , the volcano huffing has stopped, so we push upward, running toward a lava-rock clearing. We hear only the low hum of cicadas echoing through the rain forest behind us in tell-tale waves, perhaps a warning: Turn back now and your lives may be spared.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREG VON DOERSTEN

“We have about 25 seconds to run away if the volcano decides to explode at this moment,” Leo estimates. He skeptically peers up at the scorched swath spilling down from the crater’s lip to where we’re standing.

If we weren’ t such adrenaline junkies, we’d have turned back hours earlier at the sign warning: Peligro, no pasar de este Punto(danger, don’t pass beyond this point). We took pictures of ourselves standing next to the sign, laughing at our bravado and rebelliousness like school kids lighting firecrackers at recess. That was before we heard the hissing rumble from the cloud-covered summit above us.

Preoccupied with getting a photograph of the summit, which we haven’t actually seen yet, Greg seems oblivious to the volcano’s escalating clamor, which has suddenly returned and now resembles the panting of a huge winded demon. We had rolled into La Fortuna the previous day after a five-hour drive from the central Pacific coast. Upon arrival, the local outfitter Suresh Krishnan of Desafio Adventure Center warned us we’d be lucky to see the volcano unveiled. The animate cone remains cloaked in clouds more than half the time, shrouded from prying tourist cameras.

Waiting for a view of the summit, we sit silently on sharp volcanic rocks in the old lava path. The panting from deep inside the volcano continues, and a sulfuric, rotten-egg smell wafts down through the mist. The longer we hang out here, the harder it becomes to ignore the energy pulsing off the ground—a nearly tangible foreboding. The earth here has that juststruck-by-lightning, spooky feeling.

We linger, and the feisty giant emits a slow , steady hiss. Leo bolts down the trail, throwing a hasty , “ Vaminos,” over his shoulder. We follow suit, cameras and water bottles flailing.

It hits me in the slow-motion clarity of flight that we’ve crossed over a boundary , committing a disrespectful act in thinking that the previous lives lost, park signs and warnings from the volcano itself somehow don’ t apply to us. At this point, we need powerful protection to put us in good graces with the being locals refer to as “El Coloso Arenal,” the god of the volcano.

In my fanny pack, I’ve brought the ashes of my Uncle Bob, who died of cancer a year earlier . Before his death, my uncle often told me how he wanted to travel and explore the world. He never had the chance, however , so I take some of his ashes with me on trips and leave them in spiritual places.

I rein in my descent on the worn lava trail, lagging behind Leo and Greg, and come to a halt at the edge of the adjoining rain forest. Pent-up humidity drips from the forest canopy . I place some of Uncle Bob inside a flaming red bromeliad flower FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 35

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sprouting from a fallen, lichen-covered log beside the trail. From here, he can see god-rays breaking through the rainy-season cloud cover hitting the lake in pillars of radiance, and (on a good day) the fiery mouth of El Coloso.

Just as I finish the ceremony , a tiny, lone cricket from a tree branch directly overhead lets loose a tremendous song. The deafening, continuous note goes on long enough for me to dig out my dictaphone from the bottom of my pack. The instant I push the record button, the singing stops.

I gently descend the volcano, hyper-conscious of each step I lay onto its body. If I am disrespectful by trampling too harshly , El Coloso may be riled to a challenge.

I don’ t want a misstep to spark a runaway hellfire. After the cricket episode, I’m aware of how powerful one’s legs can be.

From the forest interior , raucous Howler monkeys suddenly appear , circling and escorting me off the volcano. They run through the trees, clearing the way with penetrating territorial roars. The monkeys vanish as the trail flattens out near the intersecting Rio Agua Caliente drainage.

I can barely hear the others yelling for me through the deafening waves of chicharra song, a prelude to the usual afternoon downpour .

Thunderclouds unleash their heaviness in a vicious torrent, but I remain mostly protected underneath the dense canopy umbrella.

“Que paso?” Leo wants to know what took me so long. Normally , I’m breathing steam down his raincoat while trying to pass him.

“I put Uncle Bob up there,” I say , motioning toward the 5356-foot giant nearly two miles behind us.

His face lights up. “Cool, man,” Leo laughs, “pura vida.”

In a benevolent moment, El Coloso Arenal allows the author an Greg looks me over like I’m a unobstructed view of his frequently cloud-shrouded summit.

Grade A nut job and asks if I’ve been drinking enough water. He suggests we head to Tabacon, the Arenal Lake dam site, then cap it off with a nine-mile tara nearby hot-springs resort for a quick soak to ease our weary mac cruise back to La Fortuna. W e opt to take the van. muscles.

The rain picks up as we reach the end of the Old Lava trail That night, over succulent beef filets and and arrive mud-smeared at the Arenal Observatory Lodge gallo pinto at a local restaurant, Greg confides that he is foyer. If we were feeling ambitious, we could run another five worried about getting a good photo of the volcano. W e have and a half miles on a rough 4x4 road from the Observatory to only one day left to shoot.

“

“

If I am disrespectful by trampling too harshly, El Coloso may be riled to a challenge. I don’t want a misstep to SPARK A RUNAWAY HELLFIRE.

36 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM

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“Don’t worry about it,” I say , stuffed with carne. “Uncle Bob’s got it handled.”

Greg rolls his eyes. “OK, darling, I know you’ve got this whole thing with your uncle, but let’ s be realistic. I think we should get up at four tomorrow morning to maximize our shooting time.”

Leo snorts limonada down the wrong tube. “I’ll sleep in the van,” he says.

The volcano’s completely socked in as the 6 a.m. equatorial sun hits the Tilaran mountain range, home to half the species of land-dwelling vertebrates in Costa Rica. W e cruise along a gradually rising 4x4 road shooting off the north end of Arenal Lake. From the dam site, we lope to the trilling morning melodies of Montezuma Oropendulas in a two-mile arc around the southwest side of the volcano to Arenal V olcano National Park. We stride past a towering Guayaba tree, and discover hyperactive, blue confetti-dotted butterflies engaged in their own Guayaba feeding party. Leo picks up the fallen, apple-like fruit and gleefully pelts us. Howler monkeys whoop it up in the distance while, from above, vultures scour the landscape for breakfast.

Getting past the park entrance, we have a great view of where the volcano would be if it weren’ t still hidden in cloud.

We veer off onto the Coladas T rail, meandering through a tunnel of lofty wild cane. Used by indigenous Maleku to build their houses, the bamboo-like shoots fall among the ferns, littering the trail with decaying shards that create the perfect hide-out for Fer -de-lance and other deadly poisonous snakes.

We emerge from the cane tunnel unscathed and are deposited onto black lava beds that unfurl like enormous tentacles left in the wake of the 1993 flow . Running through this “craters of the moon” landscape, we’re egged on by keel-billed toucans calling out “kiyoro” (their local name) from the scorched regrowth of secondary rain forest ahead.

The Coladas trail links up with the Toucan and Pilon trails in a continuous, nine-mile loop along the base of Arenal. The trail scenery is as

Trailhead: Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica GETTING THERE: From San Jose, rent a car or catch a bus/van to La Fortuna, roughly a 4-hour drive northwest along the spectacular Cordillera de Tilaran.

SEASON: The best weather for volcano viewing is during the dry season from December through March, which is also the high tourist season. Trails are less crowded during the rest of the year, and off-season deals abound.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Come nightfall, revel in a hot soak with a fiery view of the volcano at the idyllic Tabacon Hot Springs Resort (011-506-256-1500, www.tabacon.com, $139-$284/night), or if it’s booked try the Arenal Observatory Lodge (011-506-290-7011, www.arenalobservatory.co.cr, $52-$170/night).

Nearby, La Fortuna offers more economical guest accommodations to fit budgets from $5 a night hostels to $50 a night luxury volcano-view rooms.

GUIDES AND GUIDEBOOKS: Check in with Desafio Adventure Center (011-506479-9464, desafio@racsa.co.cr, www.desafiocostarica.com) for local trail info and tours. H2O Adventures (011506-777-4092, leo@aventurash2o.com, www.aventurash2o.com) is a great incountry resource for trip planning. Pack Lonely Planet’s Costa Rica, by Rob Rachowiecki and John Thompson for onthe-road support.

RECOMMENDED TRAILS: In Arenal National Park, check out the 1.2-mile Sendero Coladas trail along the base of the volcano and link up to the Sendero Pilon trail (1.8 miles) to add distance.

Loop back on the Sendero Tucanes (1.2 miles) for a change of scenery; the 7-mile roundtrip jaunt takes you through wild cane forests, lava fields and secondary rain forest thick with toucans.

ETC. Whitewater rafting, interpretive biological tours and Maleku cultural tours are fabulous rest-day options; all can be arranged through the outfitters listed above.

varied as the nationalities of visitors to the park, ranging from stark lava bed to rain forest to overgrown cane. The chances of getting bored are even with your odds of getting engulfed by lava.

“I guess we should head back,” says Greg, hardly masking the disappointment in his voice. We’re already late to meet our driver and it’ s 15 minutes from sunset. Apparently, El Coloso isn’t keen on revealing himself today . Like the park ranger told me at the entrance, “We need El Coloso, but He doesn’ t need us.”

We traipse through the pitted lava field as the sun pitches steadily , sliding closer to Arenal Lake. Then, we hear it: more lion-like roaring from the blanketed pinnacle that gets louder as the clouds drift apart, until all at once El Coloso shows His cratered face.

Laughing from behind his camera, Greg shouts out, “Uncle Bob, you rule!”

The volcano answers, magnificently spewing ash and steam toward the heavens as the sun’ s last rays cling to its body . Leo grins, his body turned toward the glowing volcano, arms spread wide.

From the safety of my California office, I read that Arenal V olcano has once again erupted; the story makes the front page of La Nacion in Costa Rica.

On September 5, 2003, a month to the day from our encounter, El Coloso spilt lava and ash down the northwest side near Tabacon in four consecutive pyroclastic avalanches traveling 200 kilometers/hour, closing the park under green alert, the least serious threat followed by yellow and red alerts. Under green alert, residents are advised to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

My skin quivers as I slip on my trainers, their tread’ s still caked with volcanic sand and rain-forest mud, frayed remains of cane are stuck in the laces.

Salt coats my skin as I stretch out for a run along the coastline, singing a prayer of thanks to Uncle Bob. I have faith that from where he sits in the Pacific Ocean, as well as on Arenal, he can hear my cricket song.

To learn more about author Bridget Crocker, please turn to Contributors, page 6.

TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 37

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GALLERY

Joni Earp runs Crow Creek Pass, Girdwood, Alaska.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CAMERON LAWSON

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TRAILTESTED HYDRATION PACKS HEADLAMPS

Splashy Sidekicks A HYDRATION PACK SHOULD NOT BE A BEAST OF BURDEN. Instead, it should be the trail runner’s best friend, one that performs through thick and thin. Thirsty? Drink from a convenient, easy-to-use tube. Hungry? Grab a gel from an accessible pocket. Cold? Pull out your windbreaker and a pair of gloves.

Trail Runner assembled eight of the latest over-the-shoulder hydration packs ranging from 80 to 400 cubic inches of cargo space and with bladder capacities of 70 to 100 ounces. Whether you’re in search of thin air on high peaks or on a cruise through the grasslands of Oklahoma, there’s a pack here for you.

To test the packs, Trail Runner’s test crew ran several serene New Mexico trails and then hit the road. What better way to become acquainted with the packs than on a two-month hiatus from the working world? Throughout the trip, our mantra was 40 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

“Form and Function.” A pack may look good, but if it doesn’ t perform, it’ s useless. We tested the packs by shuffling up demanding peaks, going on cruiser runs through valleys and even huffing through some trail races. W e evaluated fit, construction and materials, bladder reliability, bite valve functionality and cargo space convenience. W e’ll leave it to you to decide which of these may be your next trail-running compadre.

NICOLE MORGENTHAU

8 HYDRATION COMPANIONS THAT GO WITH THE FLOW BY JEFF PURTON

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TRAIL TESTED A. GREGORY SWIFT The crew at Gregory Mountain Products has been making packs for over a quarter-century and have learned about fit. The Swift’s yoke-style harness and flared bottom offer both comfort and stability. The breathable-mesh back panel wicks moisture well, keeping your back remarkably dry, and the internal mesh storage pocket prevents little things from rattling around. An easy-to-use bite valve and insulated reservoir pocket construction are a stellar combination, but the bladder was difficult to access and stuff back in. SPECS: $55; 200 cu. in. (cargo); 70 oz. (reservoir). PROS: Comfortable fit and low-profile design. CONS: Inconvenient bladder access. INFO: 800-477-3420; www.gregorypacks.com

B. EMS FLUME Leaving all the bells and whistles behind, EMS has created a sleek, functional, durable pack for half the price of some models. Extra soft back-panel padding and the cushioned, contoured straps make this pack a pleasure to wear.

The open-topped, expanding pocket on the back is perfect for bars and gels, but gapes open when it’s full. Whereas most other bladders are tinted, the Flume’s crystalclear plastic reservoir and tubing allow you to quickly spot funky mold. SPECS: $35; 145 cu. in.; 70 oz. PROS: Simple, functional design; low price. CONS: Back pocket needs closure. INFO: 888-463-6367; www.ems.com

C. DAKINE ENDO Best known for its ski packs and surf gear, Dakine is now making waves with its hydro packs. The Endo is a well-designed, functional pack boasting a wide, accessible back mesh pocket, a small accessories zip pocket and a full-length compartment behind the bladder. The raised back panels and mesh shoulder straps allow for more airflow, keeping you cool and dry when the sun beats down. A slightly rigid, flared design spreads the weight evenly, hugging your hips to give the pack just a touch of stability. The Endo uses a durable, Nalgene-made reservoir but the bite valve tended to leak, even when it was locked down. SPECS: $60; 360 cu. in.; 70 oz. PROS: Plenty of stash space in a sleek design that carries well. CONS: Bite valve locking device prone to leakage. INFO: 541386-3166; www.dakine.com

B

A

Edito Chorics’ e

D. ULTIMATE DIRECTION SIPSTREAM Some runners complain that over-theshoulder packs can feel like a monkey squirming on their back. The SipStream may be the pack for runners sensitive to weight on their backs. The adjustable yoke harness design lowers the weight several inches to allow you to custom fit the pack.

The roll-top design of the bladder is leakproof and easy to clean. The DoubleShot™ bite valve has a unique hinging locking system and an unusually high flow rate.

SPECS: $60; 225 cu. in.; 96 oz. PROS: Yoke design helps stabilize pack weight. CONS: The bite valve takes some getting used toand what’s with the pack’s color? INFO: 800426-7229; www.ultimatedirection.com

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D

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TRAIL TESTED E. KELTY AVALON Perhaps the designers at Kelty found inspiration from the shell of an armadillo. The Avalon’s clever back design allows for expandable cargo room, thereby eliminating wasted space and providing a snug fit. The bladder is a durable plastic sheet folded in half and sewn together with a thick nylon seam and boasts a spring-loaded bite valve. The bladder and bite valve’s plastic caps are a little troublesome as they’re tethered with a thin nylon string that could break or come untied. For hassle-free access to bars or gels, the Avalon also has stash pockets built into side wings attached to the waist belt. SPECS: $55; 325 cu. in.; 70 oz. PROS: Unique design maximizes space and fit.

CONS: “Wing” stash pockets can be bulky when loaded down. INFO: 800-423-2320; www.kelty.com

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F. CAMELBAK ROGUE Although it’s intended for bikers, the Rogue offers up an ultra-slim profile for the minimalist trail runner. You hardly realize you’re wearing the thing and it’s packed with unique features like Velcro straps to keep excess webbing under wraps. The bladder is top notch with an easy-to-use opening that doesn’t require you to remove the reservoir to refill and the bite valve lock works perfectly. Out of the box, the slightly arched design of the back panel made me feel a bit hunched, but the pack quickly loosened up. A cinch strap to hold a shell would be a big plus, too. SPECS: $50; 80 cu. in.; 70 oz. PROS: Streamlined, minimalist design. CONS: Tailored for bikers; uncomfortable humpback design. INFO: 800-7678725; www.camelbak.com G. GOLITE BEAT With feather-light ripstop nylon, air-mesh back panels and yokestyle shoulder straps offering top adjustment for a customized fit, the Beat is one svelte little pack. The cargo pocket allows you to shove gear to the bottom of the pack and the handy waist-belt pockets put the essentials at your fingertips. A top-notch bladder (Nalgene-made) with a wide opening at the top allows for quick refills, but the simple bite valve is a little shy on water flow and doesn’t have a locking mechanism.

SPECS: $69; 400 cu. in.; 70 oz. PROS: Feather-light, with heaps of cargo space.

Quick-fill bladder. CONS: Slow bite-valve flow.

INFO: 888-546-5483; www.golite.com H. THE NORTH FACE SLIM Although it

!

IN A RECENT TRAIL RUNNER WEBSITE POLL, 32% OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY PREFER BACKPACK HYDRATION SYSTEMS TO ANY OTHER METHOD OF DRINKING ON THE RUN. ≠ 2% ANSWERED THEY DRINK OUT OF STREAMS AND PONDS WHILE TRAIL RUNNING. WATER-BORN PARASITES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE POLL.

may offer enough cargo space for an epic run in the backcountry, the Slim is not overly chunky. Breathable mesh lets the air flow to the back and shoulders, keeping you cool. Side mesh pockets are great for a quick stash of GU, but difficult to reach.

The puncture-resistant, nylon-backed reservoir is cold-crack tested down to -60 degrees, and is exceptionally pliable allowing you to turn it inside-out for easy cleaning. This is an extremely versatile pack, adaptable to a wide range of distances and activities. SPECS: $59; 300 cu. in.; 70 oz.

PROS: Ideal for extended trail runs-lots of room for stash. CONS: Shorter-distance minimalists need not apply. INFO: 800-4472333; www.thenorthface.com

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JUST IN

Beam Me Up DUAL-LIGHT-SOURCE HEADLAMPS BLAZE THE WAY The newest innovations in headlamps are driving handheld flashlights to the brink of extinction. Durable, lightweight and affordable, many headlamps now offer both LED and Xenon halogen lights—in the same lamp. LEDs provide enough visibility (between 25 and 40 feet) for slower slogs, exponentially stretching battery life, while the Xenon halogen lamp offers more light for a faster night-time pace. Trail Runner tested two of today’s top dual-light-source headlamps. Needless to say , they both left us feeling superbly light-headed.

PETZL MYO 3 COST: $45 (comes with 4 AA batteries) WEIGHT (w/batteries): 8.2 oz Petzl’s lightweight, rugged MYO 3 is fast becoming the headlamp-of-choice for ultrarunners. A row of three LED bulbs lights the way at a slow pace, while the Xenon halogen bulb boosts visibility and is great for anything faster than a trot.

Switch between the two lighting options with a simple twist of the lamp’s bezel. The bezel rotates even further to widen the focus of the halogen beam. The MYO’s battery pack sits on the back of the user’s head (a waistpack option is available) and, even though it holds four batteries, does not create a “bobblehead” effect—a criticism common to many lamps with rear battery packs. Three wide, adjustable elastic bands make for a comfortable, stocking-cap-like fit. The battery pack features an extraordinarily tight fit for water resistance, but is tough to open with cold fingers. Otherwise, the Petzl MYO 3 is possibly the perfect headlamp at this price point. www.petzl.com

BLACK DIAMOND GEMINI COST:: $38.50 (batteries not included) WEIGHT (w/batteries): 7.1 oz Pick up the Gemini and the words that float to mind are: versatile, lightweight and minimalist. Two LEDs surrounded by a prismatic reflector emit as much brightness as the MYO 3’s three LEDs. Need

more candle power? No problem. An on/off button tucked under the light casing requires just a double click to the brighter Xenon halogen light. Need even more? The Gemini comes with a brighter spare bulb, extending visibility. One caveat: the Gemini’s adjustable focus barely allows fine-tuning of the width of the light beam. The battery case sits on the back of the head and houses three AA batteries in a rubber-gasket-sealed cover, resulting in a tidy, non-bulky fit. The battery cover, however, was easy to open but tougher to close tightly. The Gemini packs easily into a fist-sized ball. And, if it begins to rain, no worries-the lamp is tested to the international IPX-7 Waterproof Standard (immersion for 30 minutes at 1 meter of depth). Add it up, and the Gemini is a trusted all-weather, night-time running companion. www.bdel.com

www.campmor.com OUTDOOR ADVENTURE GEAR • BACKPACKING • TRAVEL • FAMILY CAMPING • CLIMBING • RUGGED CLOTHING, OUTERWEAR & FOOTWEAR • BIKE TOURING • WATERSPORTS For a Free Catalog, Call: 1-800-CAMPMOR (800-226-7667)

or Write: PO BOX 700-3TR SADDLE RIVER, N.J. 07458-0700 AOL keyword: CAMPMOR

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TRAINING

MORE BEAST BUILDING

(Continued from page 15)

more difficult workouts in later phases.

Doing some short strides or pickups (short bursts of faster , up-tempo running during or at the end of a training run) a few times a week during the base phase will help minimize some effects of higher mileage weeks.

your base training, adding a little more each week as you build strength and confidence that will help lead you into a strength-training phase. Be careful, though: too many hills early in the phase may break you down, limiting the length of your runs.

“Where I live in western Massachusetts it’s inevitable that there will be some climbs on any trail run,”says Schmitt. “But I avoid the big hills in an

WHERE TO BASE YOUR BASE

early base period, or I take them slow .”

With a good layer of base mileage, a runner can make the transition to harder, more race-specific workouts like hill and interval sessions. More on those training phases later in this series.

New Englander Dave Hannon has been running and racing on trails for 10 years. He has also coached both track and cross-country.

DURING BASE TRAINING, get off-road as much as possible. Running on trails, grass or even in a pool can help minimize risk of injury or general soreness and let you build mileage more comfortably.

Below are some suggested base-training mileages for runners of various abilities.

Base training does not even have to be running. Cross-training is effective in this WEEKONE WEEKTWO WEEKTHREE WEEKFOUR WEEKFIVE WEEKSIX phase, especially if you are recovering A Level 20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 30-35 40-45 from an injury . Swimming-pool running, Less-experienced runners focusing on distances from 10K to 20 miles. biking, swimming or skiing are popular This six-week base period should follow a short layoff. options that help build aerobic capacity WEEKONE WEEKTWO WEEKTHREE WEEKFOUR WEEKFIVE WEEKSIX while giving your legs a rest from the B Level 30-35 40-45 50-55 55-60+ 50-55 60-70 pounding of running.

More-experienced runners focusing on race distances up to the marathon distance.

“I actually use cross-training in all This runner can spend less time at lower mileages and progress more quickly. phases of training because I cannot run the mileage that some runners do,” WEEKONE WEEKTWO WEEKTHREE WEEKFOUR WEEKFIVE WEEKSIX says Livingston.

C Level 45-55 55-70 70-75 80-90 70-75 90-100 It’s also a good idea to gradually Very experienced runners focusing on marathons and ultra distances. increase the amount of hill running in Most of the mileage is done at a slow pace—even hiking.

BASE-BUILDING A-B-C'S

The All American Trail Running Association (AATRA), is a 501 (c) not for profit corporation founded in 1996 to represent and promote trail and mountain running.

Join today and support our sport. Visit our web site, www.trailrunner.com

JUNE 19, 2004 • DAVIS, WV

40 Miles of Wild, Wet & Wrocky West Virginia

Our goals: • To educate & provide information about our sport to the media and non-running entities that have similar goals and objectives • To organize AATRA sponsored & supported events • To provide a forum whereby the business of the sport can be discussed and organized •To create and nurture alliances with other organizations • To develop recreational participation and provide opportunities for families to enjoy our sport through events and clinics AATRA benefits include our newsletter Trail Times.

"Toughest ultra mile for mile on the East Coast" —David Horton

hosted by West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners WVMTR is a permittee of the USFS Contact; Dan Lehmann WVMTR, PO Box 18 Helvetia, WV 26224 304 924-5835 www.wvmtr.org

AATRA Membership Form (check one) ❏ Individual = $25/year ❏ Race = $50/year ❏ Club = $50/year ❏ Corporation = $100/year Name: ____________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________ City/State/Zip: ____________________________________________ Phone/Fax: ________________________________________________ E-mail:____________________________________________________ Birth Date:____________ Age:____________ Sex: ______________ Corp/Club/Race:____________________________________________ Race Date: ________________________________________________

Support; Montrail, Fuelbelt, Hammergel, Patagonia, Canaan Valley Resort, Timberline Ski Resort, Tygart Valley Orthopedics For area lodging & information contact the Tucker County CVB 1-800-782-2775

❏ Please delete my address from outside mailings.

Send your membership form and check made payable to: AATRA, P.O. Box 9454, Colorado Springs, CO 80932.

Questions? Call (719) 573-4405

p.045 Gear Finder.26 1/6/04 4:46 PM Page 45

Gear Finder BLISTER PREVENTION

Performance Conditioning Tights

Spyroflex Skinsavers are ideal for the prevention of blisters and friction burns. Each dressing is Water Resistant and may be worn up to 7 days. Spyroflex Skinsavers are thin, pliable and allow freedom of movement. Spyroflex Skinsavers are available at leading Sporting Goods Stores and Running Stores. MSRP $ 4.99

800-531-5731 www.spyroflex.com

Created in the running capital of the world (Eugene, Oregon), Beyond Fleece creates award winning, custom cold weather clothing. From Fleece to Soft Shell, you choose the custom options, we create the per fect fit. Go to BeyondFleece.com and order a catalog. W e’ll even send samples of our fabrics.

800-741-3369 www.beyondfleece.com

Essential Gear

Green Extreme

Ultra 7 LED Headlamp If you value brightness above all else, the Ultra 7 is for you. This model offers 7 LED bulbs, 3 brightness settings, adjustable head strap, handy tilt function and water-resistant case.

Available in White, Red, Blue & Green LED colors.

Weighs only 5 ounces with 3 AAA batteries.

Buff Multi-functional headwear - a magical piece of clothing that acts as a bandana, sun-guard, thermal scarf or hat, hair tie, muffler or dust-screen. Seamless and made from a Micro-fibre that wicks moisture. The headwear of choice for the Eco-Challenge, Primal Quest and Marathon des Sables. Available in 200 plus colours. FREE shipping.

800-582-3861 www.essentialgear.com

866-473-3639 www.buyabuff.com

By CW-X

Featuring the patented Conditioning W eb™, CW -X Conditioning T ights are anatomically-engineered and designed to maximize support for the runner in the key areas of the leg, specifically the knee joint, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. By minimizing muscle vibration and keeping muscle groups in alignment the tights also improve running efficiency.

CW-X tights retail for $80.00 and shorts for $60.00 and are available at leading running specialty shops.

www.cw-x.com

Road ID

Still running without id?

If you have an accident while running or cycling, do you want your family to be contacted? Do you want to receive immediate and proper medical treatment? If so, make Road ID® part of your gear -- for safety and peace of mind.

Road ID ® has created 4 awesome ways for athletes to wear ID: the SHOE, the WRIST , the ANKLE, and the NECK. Order yours today - Your mother would want you to!

800-345-6336 www.RoadID.com

Dragonfly XCR The LOW A Dragonfly XCR combines trailinspired design with rugged performance. It features light-weight synthetic uppers with waterproof/breathable GORE-TEX® XCR® liners and is lasted on an injected PU midsole with integrated stabilizer and ultra-light TPU sole, for durable, dependable per formance under foot. Check www.lowaboots.com for additional information and a dealer near you. A vailable 2/15/04.

www.lowaboots.com

p.046-52 Race Calendar.26 1/7/04 4:54 PM Page 46

RACE CALENDAR te

rn

at io

2/14

Camp Saratoga 8K Wilton, NY; (518) 581-0499; laurac@sspl.org; www.runwmac.com

2/29

Wilsonville Wild 8K Trail Run; Wilsonville, OR; (503) 4974080; director@xdogevents.com; www.xdogevents.com

2/14

Holiday Lake 50K; Appomattox, VA; (434) 582-2386; dhorton@liberty.edu; www.extremeultrarunning.com

2/15

2/07

Alley Loop Snowshoe Race 5K, 10K; Crested Butte, CO; (970) 349-1707; info@cbnordic.org; cbnordic.org

MTC 50K; Sarasota, FL; (941) 955-5495; Siegwald@comcast.net; www.manasotatrackclub.org

2/21

2/07

Neilsen Challenge 2M; Colorado Springs, CO; (719) 6332055; zgunta@juno.com; www.pprrun.org

Frosty Feb Fourteen Run 14M; Waynesville, OH; (937) 2996712; heyrunnr@aol.com

2/21

2/07

Winter Series III 5M, 20K; Colorado Springs, CO; patlockhart@worldnet.att.net; www.pprrun.org

Hawley Kiln Klassic 4.5M, 7M; Hawley, MA; (413) 772-3768; trlfool@the-spa.com; www.runwmac.com

2/21

2/08

Frisco Gold Rush 5K; Frisco, CO; (303) 635-2815; emgmh@emgcolorado.com; www.emgcolorado.com

Masai 5K Trail Run; Charlottesville, VA; (434) 293-7115; rungillrun@adelphia.net; www.badtothebone.biz/ultra.shtml

2/08

Steamboat Nordic Challenge 4K, 10K; Steamboat Springs, CO; (970) 879-8180; xcski@springsips.com; www.steamboatxcski.org/nordicchallenge.htm#info

2/21

The Trail Run 3M, 10M; Shreveport, LA; (318)798-1241; info@sportspectrumusa.com; www.sportspectrum.com

2/22

2/08

The Screamin’ Snowman 5K, 10K; Eldora, CO; (303) 5271798; darrin@racingunderground.com; www.racingunderground.com

Hartshorne Woods-Winter’s End Trail Run 4M, 5M, 7.2M; Highlands, NJ; (732) 578-1771; event2@comcast.net; www.njrrc.org

2/14

Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon 44M; Grants, NM; (800) 748-2142; quad@mttaylor.com; www.mttaylorquad.org

2/14

Red Hot Fat Ass 50K; Moab, Utah; (435)719-4091; itgoes@moci.net

2/14

Winter Trails 2004 Various; Estes Park, CO; reese@rdbevents.com; www.winter-trails.org

2/21

Beaver Creek Snowshoe Fun Fest 5K, 10K; Beaver Creek, CO; (970) 476-6797; info@gohighline.com; www.BritishColumbiasnowshoe.com

an

d

ROCKIES

He

a

l rt

Ea st

t

Winter Trail Run IV 13.1M; Lake Elsinore, CA; (949) 8571055; rndrunning@aol.com; www.rndrunning.com

na l

ROCKIES: CO, ID, MT, NM, UT, WY HEARTLAND: AL, AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, ND, NE, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, WI EAST: CT, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV PACIFIC/DESERT: AK, AZ, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA INTERNATIONAL (INCLUDING CANADA)

▼

* Indicates that a race date was tentative at press time. However, it is wise to confirm all the details of any race in this calendar before making plans.

FOR REGULAR UPDATES TO OUR 2004 RACE CALENDAR AND TROPHY SERIES LINEUP, VISIT WWW.TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM. Indicates a TROPHY SERIES event (see p.48).

FEBRUARY

2/21

Winter Series IV 10K, 25K; Colorado Springs, CO; patlockhart@worldnet.att.net; www.pprrun.org

2/28

Snowmass Winter Wild Adventure Race 3-5H; Snowmass Village, CO; (970)920-5140; chadd@ci.aspen.co.us; www.aspenrecreation.com

2/28

Swift Skedaddle 3K, 10K; Frisco, CO; (970) 389-4838; danelle@colorado.net; www.racingunderground.com

2/TBA

High Altitude Snowshoe Race 5K, 10K; Silverton, CO; (970) 387-5522; silverton@frontier.net; www.ci.silverton.co.us

2/TBA

Run to Stomp out Breast Cancer 1K, 5K; Mountain Dell, UT; (801) 583-6281; sports-am@abac.com; www.sportsam.com

PACIFIC/DESERT

2/28

Covered Bridges 8 Miler; MA; www.wmac.org

2/29

Off-Road Duathlon & 5K Trail Run #1 5K run, 9M bike, 5K run; Bluffton, SC; (843)815-5267; andy5267@aol.com; www.palmettorace.com

2/07

Yeti Silver Star 5K, 10K; Mount Seymour, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 738-0217; info@theyeti.ca; www.theyeti.ca/races.asp

2/14

Yeti Mount Seymour 5K, 10K; Mount Seymour, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 738-0217; info@theyeti.ca; www.theyeti.ca/races.asp

2/14

Yukon Arctic Ultra 100M, 300M; Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; robert.pollhammer@arcticultra.com; www.arcticultra.com

2/15

Foulées du Sri Lanka 200K+; Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka; srilanka@sdpo.com; www.sdpo.com

2/21

Grouse Mountain Snowrunner 5K, 10K; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 980-9311; info@grousemountain.com; www.grousemountain.com

2/21

MACPAC Kaweka Challenge 13K, 40K; Hawkes Bay, New Zealand; (006) 870-6829; rmb@clear.net.nz; www.ramhb.co.nz/kaweka

2/TBA

Pencarrow Lighthouse 15.5km Run 5K, 10K, 15.5K; Bishop Park, Eastbourne, New Zealand; www.coolrunning.co.nz/pencarrow

INTERNATIONAL

HEARTLAND

2/01

Jack Frost 5 Hour Trail Run; West Linn, OR; (503) 4974080; director@xdogevents.com; www.xdogevents.com

2/01

2/07

Buffalo Run 13.1M; Avalon, CA; (714) 978-1528; buffalo@pacificsportsllc.com; www.pacificsportsllc.com

Bop to the Top 515’; 806 steps; Indianapolis, IN; (317) 7333300; tuxbro@indy.rr.com; www.tuxbro.com

2/01

2/07

Death Valley Trail Marathon and 30K; Death Valley, CA; (415) 868-1829; info@envirosports.com; envirosports.com

Groundhog’s Revenge 6H+navigation; Laurelville, OH; (614) 397-6112; bradhunt@americanbushwhackingclub.org; americanbushwhackingclub.org/gr.html

2/07

Jed Smith Ultra Classic 30K, 50K, 50M; Sacramento, CA; (916) 331-3840; mccladdi.joe@sBritish Columbiaglobal.net; www.buffalochips.net

2/07

Lord Hill Trails Fun Run 10M, 20M, 32M; Snohomish, WA; (425) 280-6158; cumulus84@aol.com; hometown.aol.com/cumulus84/lordhillfunrun.html

2/07

Pemberton Trail Race 50K; Fountain Hills, AZ; (480) 8160089; bquick50k@hotmail.com; www.wpsp.org/pemberton50k

2/14

East Texas Ultra Runners 25K/50K; Tyler State Park, TX; (908) 894-3788; pstone@palestineherald.com; www.nttr.org

2/14

New World Championship Snowshoe Races 5K, 10K, 20K; Luck, WI; (715) 472-8231; newworld@lakeland.ws

2/21

Frosty Feb Fourteen Run 14M; Waynesville, OH; (937) 2996712; heyrunnr@aol.com

2/21

Sylamore Trail 50K Allison, AR; (501) 868-5555; sylamore50k@excite.com

3/06

NorCal John Frank Memorial 1M, 3M, 10M; Redding, CA; (530) 241-5268; sweatrc@hotmail.com; geocities.com/sweatrc Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run; Sonoita, AZ; (520) 529-2985; oldpueblo50@bblabs.net; www.ultrazone.us/op50

3/06

Palo Alto Vista Trail Run 5K, 10K, 13.1M; Palo Alto, CA; (650)354-8256; eric@redwoodtrails.com; redwoodtrails.com

3/06

Winter Trail Run V Relay 40K; Lake Elsinore, CA; (949) 857-1055; rndrunning@aol.com; www.rndrunning.com

3/07

Iron Creek Winter Duathlon & Snowshoe 5M; Mt. Hood, OR; (503) 497-4080; director@xdogevents.com; www.xdogevents.com

3/07

Nike ACG US National Snowshoe Championships 5K, 10K; Olympic Village, CA; (518) 643-8806; snowshoeguy@yahoo.com

3/06

2/07

Winter Trail Run III 15K; Lake Elsinore, CA; (949) 857-1055; rndrunning@aol.com; www.rndrunning.com

2/21

The Trail Run 3M, 10M; Shreveport, LA; (318) 798-1241; info@sportspectrumusa.com; www.sportspectrumusa.com

2/08

Frog Lake 5 Mile Snowshoe; Mt. Hood, OR; (503) 4974080; director@xdogevents.com; www.xdogevents.com

2/28

Pearl Izumi Toe Stumpin' Trail Run 1M, 5M; Tulsa, OK; (918)232-2115; oklaking@sbcglobal.net

2/14

Great American Adventure Run 2.8M, 4.8M; Huntington Beach, CA; (714) 841-5417; OJRFINISH@aol.com; www.nealand.com/finishline

2/TBA

Asaph Whittlesey 5K, 10K; Bayfield, WI; (800) 447-4094; bayfieldchamber@charter.net; www.bayfield.org

2/TBA

2/14

Little Su 50K; Big Lake, AK; (907)345-2282; brooksandrita@aol.com; www.susitna100.com

Run On Water 5M; Bayfield, WI; (800) 447-4094; bayfieldchamber@charter.net; www.bayfield.org

2/14

Susitna 100 Race Across Frozen Alaska 100M; Big Lake, AK; (907)345-2282; brooksandrita@aol.com; www.susitna100.com

2/01

Saratoga Winterfest 5K; Saratoga Springs, NY; (518) 5817550; laurac@sspl.org; www.runwmac.com

2/07

Northfield Mountain Snowshoe Race 4.5M; Northfield Mountain, MA; (978) 373-9118; dave.dunham@verizon.net; www.runwmac.com Uwharrie Mountain Run 8M, 20M, 40M; Uwharrie National Forest, NC; (919) 833-4776; info@raceuwharrie.com; www.raceuwharrie.com

Redwoods Trails of Napa 5K, 10K, 13.1M; Calistoga, CA; (650)354-8256; eric@redwoodtrails.com; www.redwoodtrails.com Way too Cool 50K; Cool, CA; (916) 456-1122; gsoderlund@juno.com; www.run100s.com/snu

2/21

Hagg Lake Trail Run 25K, 50K; Forest Grove, OR; (503) 643-6779; fun@scottdiamond.com; www.scottdiamond.com

2/21

Lake Tahoe “Fresh Tracks” 5K Snowshoe; South Lake Tahoe, CA; (530) 542-3424; freshtracks5k@sBritish Columbiaglobal.net; www.tahoemtnmilers.org

EAST

2/07

46 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

▼

Purisima Creek Redwoods Trail 14K, 33K, 50K; Woodside, CA; (925) 680-4871; info@pacifictrailruns.com; www.pacifictrailruns.com

Catalina Island Marathon 5K, 10K, 26.2M; Two Harbors, CA; (714) 978-1528; catmar@pacificsportsllc.com; pacificsportsllc.com

▼

2/07

▼

Rocky Raccoon Trail 100 50M, 100M; Huntsville, TX; (512) 895-6100; jprusaitis@austin.rr.com; hillcountrytrailrunners.com/raceRockyRaccoon.html

▼

2/07

MARCH PACIFIC/DESERT

▼

In

er

kies Roc

Pac i f i c / D

es

2/21

▼

Interna tion al

2004

3/13

Chuckanut Mountain 50K; Bellingham, WA; (206) 7150919; krissy@montrail.com; www.gbrc.net

3/13

Crown King Scramble 50K, 50M; Phoenix, AZ; (623) 9548341; mmaggie1@juno.com; arizonaroadracers.com

3/13

Marin Trail Races 5M, 13.1M; San Rafael, CA; (415) 8681829; info@envirosports.com; envirosports.com

3/13

3/13

3/13

p.047 Merrell.26 1/5/04 11:38 AM Page 1

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Trophy Series spread.26 01/08/2004 02:48 PM Page 48

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2004 N A'S N I RIC JOI E AM , TH GEST AST R O G O N BI O-C ING T N T AS -RUN IES! CO L I ER A TR S S T IN PO

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FINISH any Trail Runner Trophy Series race and you’re automatically entered.

EARN bonus points for placing within your age group. Both ultramarathon and shorter distance divisions.

WIN a trail-running prize package loaded with gear from Trophy Series sponsors (see right). Top male and female age-group finishers and end-of-the-season raffle winners will enjoy all the latest bling! www.trailrunnermag.com For complete Trophy Series details and updates.

<

TRAIL RUNNER TROPHY SERIES SANCTIONED RACES DATE RACE

LOCATION

03/06 03/06 03/06 03/06 03/13 03/13 03/13 03/13 03/13 03/14 03/14 03/20 03/20 03/20 03/20 03/27

Laurel, MS North Vancouver, BC Sonoita, AZ Palo Alto, CA Two Harbors, CA Bellingham, WA Indianapolis, IN Calistoga, CA Cool, CA Kansas City, MO Reading, PA Lake Texoma, TX Decatur, TX Charlottesville, VA Grand Rivers, KY San Francisco, CA

Carl Touchstone Mississippi 50 Trail Run 20K, 50K, 50M Dirty Duo 25K, 50K Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run Palo Alto Vista Trail Run 5K, 10K, 1/2 Marathon Catalina Marathon 5K, 10K, Marathon Chuckanut Mountain 50K DINO Trail Run Series #1 5K, 15K Redwoods Trails of Napa 5K, 10K 1/2 Marathon Way too Cool 50K Brew to Brew 42.5 Miler Ugly Mudder Trail Run 12K Cross Timbers Trail Run 25M, 50M Grasslands Run 13.1M, 26.2M, 50M Kinabalu 10K Trail Race Land Between the Lakes 13.1M, 60K S.F. Coastline Challenge 8.5 Mile

03/28 03/28 04/tba 04/03 04/03 04/03 04/03 04/03 04/03 04/03 04/04 04/10 04/10 04/17 04/17 04/17 04/17 04/17 04/18 04/24 04/24 04/24 04/24 04/25 05/tba 05/01 05/01 05/01 05/01 05/01 05/08 05/08 05/08 05/08 05/15 05/15 05/15 05/15 05/15 05/16 05/16 05/16 05/22 05/22 05/22 05/22 05/29 05/30 05/30 05/30 05/30 06/02 06/05 06/05 06/05

Flatwoods Four Trail Race 4M Mudders and Grunters 5M Rock Creek River Gorge Trail Race 6.5M, 10.2M Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run 100M, 50M American River 50 Mile Endurance Run Croom Trail 50 Mile Fools Run 15M, 50K, 50M Golden Gate Trail Races 7M, 13.1M, 26.2M Illinois 100 Mile Trail Run McNaughton Park 30M, 50M, 100M Rockin’ K Trail Runs 26.2M, 50M Mt Si Relay and Ultra Runs 50K, 50M Mt. Penn Mudfest 15K Mount Hamilton Trail Run 5K, 10K, 13.1M Bull Run Run 50M DINO Trail Run Series #2 5K, 15K Gutbuster Trail Run 001 5K, 11K Leona Divide 50 Miler Shoe-sucker Seven 7.2M Buffalo Creek Trail Race 16M Ganaraska Trail Runs 25K, 50K Promise Land 50K Trail Triple Crown 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon Zane Grey High Line Trail 50M Squamish Thunder 10K Silver State 50K, 50M Collegiate Peaks Races 25M, 50M Malibu Creek Trail Challenge 4M, 14M Miwok Trail 100K Prescott YMCA Whiskey Row 2M, 10K, 13.1M, Marathon Spring Desert Ultra 25M, 50M Massanutten Mountain Trails 100M McDonald Forest Ultramarathon 50K Pilot Knob Trail Race 15K Devil Summit Trail Run 9M, 14M 24 Hours of Boulder...The Run Team Relay and Solo Bishop High Sierra Ultra Marathons 20M, 50K, 50M Hayden Cog Run 8.2M Keremeos Kruncher 50K Waterfalls of Big Basin Trail Run 10K, 11M, 17M Highland Forest 1-2-3 10M, 20M, 30M La Jolla Canyon Challenge 5.5M, 16.5M Ohlone Wilderness 50K Trail Run Hot Springs Short Cut Run 7M Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Sulphur Springs Trail Runs 10K, 25K, 50K, 50M, 100M Wyoming Marathon 26.2M Half Knacker Trail Race 24K Medicine Bow Half Marathon 13.1M Rocky Mountain Double Marathon 52.4M Summit Trail Running Series #1 10K, 50K Adam’s Gulch Fun Run 4.2M DINO Trail Run Series #3 5K, 15K GutBuster Trail Run 002 5K, 12K

Thonotosassa, FL Yorktown, NY Chattanooga, TN Raleigh, NC Sacramento, CA Brooksville, FL Sausalito, CA Pekin, IL Pekin, IL Kanopolis State Lake, KS Snoqualmie, WA Reading, PA San Jose, CA Clifton, VA Avon, IN Duncan, BC Lake Hughes, CA Huntington, IN Bailey, CO Orillia, ON Bedford, VA Newark, DE Payson, AZ Squamish, BC Reno, NV Buena Vista, CO Calabasas, CA Sausalito, CA Prescott, AZ Fruita, CO Front Royal, VA Corvallis, OR Forest City, IA Clayton, CA Boulder, CO Bishop, CA Steamboat, CO Keremeos, BC Boulder Creek, CA Fabius, NY Calabasas, CA Fremont, CA Steamboat, CO Wintergreen, AB Golden Ears, BC Mansfield, ON Ancaster, ON Medicine Bow National Forest, WY North Vancouver, BC Laramie, WY Medicine Bow National Forest, WY Breckenridge, CO Ketchum, ID Indianapolis, IN Nanaimo, BC

PRIZE PACKAGES PROVIDED BY THESE

Trophy Series spread.26 01/08/2004 02:51 PM Page 49

TROPHY

SERIES 06/05 06/06 06/06 06/09 06/12 06/12 06/12 06/12 06/16 06/18 06/18 06/18 06/19 06/19 06/19 06/19 06/19 06/19 06/20 06/26 06/26 06/26 06/26 06/26 06/27 06/27 06/30 07/tba 07/03 07/03 07/04 07/04 07/04 07/07 07/10 07/10 07/10 07/10 07/10 07/11 07/17 07/17 07/17 07/17 07/21 07/24 07/24 07/24 07/24 07/24 07/24 07/25 07/25 07/25 07/31

Kettle Moraine Endurance Runs 100K, 100M NipMuck Trail Marathon 26.4M Valley Crest Half-Marathon ORRRC Sugarcreek Trail Race 5K, 10K Hardrock Carter Mountain Challenge 15K Lake Mingo Trail Run 7.1M Mt. Falcon Trail Run 8M Park City Marathon 26.2M Summit Trail Running Series #2 5K, 10K Big Horn Mountain Wild & Scenic Run 100M Mohican Trail 100M Big Horn Mountain Wild & Scenic Run 30K, 50K, 50M Highlands Sky 40 Miler Jim Bridger Trail Run 10.1M Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Benefit Run Vail 10K @ 10,000 Feet Aspen Grove Trail Race 10K, 13.1M Pilot Hill 8K, 25K Slacker Half Marathon & Relay 5K, 13.1M Spring Creek Memorial 5k, 10K Western States 100M Endurance Run Comfortably Numb 25K Double Trouble Trail Runs 15K, 30K Summit Trail Running Series #3 5M, 10M Snow King Hill Climb 2.3M DINO Trail Run Series #4 5K, 15K Finger Lakes Trail Fifty 25K, 50K, 50M Anvil Mountain Run 12.5M Mt. Marathon Race 3.1M Vail Hill Climb 7.5M Summit Trail Running Series #4 5K, 15K Daybreak Climb a Mountain 34.3M Evergreen Mountain 10K GutBuster Trail Run 003 5K, 11K Knee Knacker 25M Minnesota 1/2 Voyageur Trail Ultra 25M Summer Roundup Trail Run 12K Damn Tuff Ruff Bluff Trail Run 25K, 50K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Summit Trail Running Series #5 5M, 12M Baldy Peaks 50K Damn Wakely Dam Ultra 32.6M Jay Mountain Marathon Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra 50M The Backcountry Run 10M, 16.5M The Eagle 50M, 100M Hash House Harriers Syle Race 7M The 'Original' Bare Buns Fun Run - 5K Vail Half Marathon 13.1M Conquer the Canuck, 25K, 42.2K, 50K, 92.2K

Eagle, WI Ashford, CT Reseda, CA Bellbrook, OH Charlottesville, VA Danville, IL Morrison, CO Park City, UT Breckenridge, CO Sheridan, WY Loudonville, OH Sheridan, WY Davis, WV Bozeman, MT Canmore, AB Mount Seymour, BC Rattlesnake Point, ON Lake City, CO Vail, CO Aspen, CO Laramie, WY Clear Creek County, CO Steamboat, CO Squaw Valley, CA Whistler, BC Morgantown, PA Breckenridge, CO Jackson Hole, WY North Vernon, IN Hector, NY Nome, AK Seward, AK Vail, CO Breckenridge, CO Spokane, WA Evergreen, CO Victoria, BC North Vancouver, BC Carlton, MN Colorado Springs, CO Owen Sound, ON Jewell Pass, AB Whistler Mountain, BC Dundas Valley, ON Breckenridge, CO Mt Baldy Village, CA Pisceo, NY Jay, VT Carlton, MN Ketchum, ID Keremeos, BC Steamboat, CO Issaquah, WA Vail, CO Kitchener, ON

07/31 07/31 07/31 08/01 08/06 08/07 08/07 08/14 08/14 08/14 08/14 08/15 08/15 08/18 08/21 08/21 08/21 08/21 08/22 08/26 08/28 09/tba 09/tba 09/tba 09/tba 09/01 09/04 09/04 09/04 09/05 09/05 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/11 09/12 09/18 09/18 09/18 09/18 09/19 09/24 09/25 09/25 09/26 09/26 09/26

Empire Haven Clover Run 4.8M, 16.8M Grand Prix Classic 10K Scott McQueeney Memorial Mt. Hood PCT 50K/50M Golden Gate Canyon Trail Run 10.3M Resurrection Pass 100 Miler Mt. Werner Classic 5M, 12M Resurrection Pass 50 Miler Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Stormy 67K Half Wit Trail Run 13.1M Vail Berry Picker Trail Climb 3M Summit Trail Running Series #6 5K, 10K Golden Gate Headlands 50K Iroquoia Trail Run 32K Round Valley Run 5.3M Shop to the Top of Baldy 6M Continental Divide Trail Run 16M Musk Ox Run 11.5M DINO Trail Run Series #5 5K, 15K Anvil 59 Minute 39 Second Challenge 2.75M Gilpin Grinder & Gallop 5M Gilpin Grinder & Gallop 10M Helvetia Mountain Trail Run 10K Are You Nuts? Trail Race: Squak Mountain 10K Bergen Peak Trail Run 11.5M Creede Mountain Runs 2M, 12M, 22M Elk Meadow Trail Run 5.6M Breckenridge Crest Mountain Marathon 5M, 10M, 24.5M Steamboat 10K at 10,000 ft Bulldog Ultra 30K, 50K Haliburton Forest 50K, 50M, 100M Horsethief Canyon Trail Run 6.5M Imogene Pass Run 17.1M Kremmling Road Kill Trail 5K, 10K, 13.1M Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K Nike ACG Five Peaks Trail Series 8K No 02 10K Desert RATS 148M Autumn Color Run 5K, 10K, 13.1M Jelm Mountain Run 11M Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Loop 10M Vail Evergold Trail 10K Golden Leaf Half Marathon 13.5M Lost Soul Ultra 50K, 100K, 100M Great Eastern Endurance Run 50K, 100K Running Bares XC 5K Boulder Back Roads Marathon/Half Marathon Vermont 50K, 50M Wild Wild Wilderness Trail Run 7.6M

TRAIL RUNNER TROPHY SERIES SPONSORS:

Summerhill, NY Colorado Springs, CO Mt. Hood, OR Gilpin County, CA Hope, AK Steamboat, CO Cooper Landing, AK Nakiska, AB Cypress, BC Dagmar, ON Squamish, BC Reading, PA Vail, CO Breckenridge, CO Sausalito, CA Burlington, ON Greenville, CA Ketchum, ID Steamboat, CO Fairbanks, AK Richmond, IN Nome, AK Gilpin County, CO Gilpin County, CO Helvetia, WV Issaquah, WA Evergrenn, CO Creede, CO Evergreen, CO Breckenridge, CO Steamboat, CO Malibu, CA West Guilford, ON Horsethief Canyon, KS Ouray, CO Kremmling, CO Delta Lodge, AB Buntzen Lake, BC Hardwood Hills, ON Leadville, CO Fruita, CO Buena Vista, CO Laramie, WY Grand Junction, CO Vail, CO Aspen, CO Lethbridge, AB Charlottesville, VA Weatherford, TX Boulder, CO Brownsville, VT Danville, IL

p.046-52 Race Calendar.26 1/7/04 4:48 PM Page 50

RACE CALENDAR

Rucky Chuck Roundabout 50K/50K Relay; Forest Hill, CA; (775) 828-1647; Robert@ultrarunner.net; ultrarunner.net/ruckychuckyroundabout50K.html

3/21

Mojo Madness 8K Trail Run; Hagg Lake, OR; (503) 4974080; director@xdogevents.com; www.xdogevents.com

3/27

Napa Valley Trail Races 10K, 13.1M, 26.2M; Calistoga, CA; (415) 868-1829; info@envirosports.com; envirosports.com

3/27

San Juan Trail 50 50K; Cleveland National Forest, CA; (949) 857-1055; rndrunning@aol.com; www.rndrunning.com

3/TBA

Haleakala Run to the Sun 36.2M; Kahului, Maui, HI; (808) 566-6543; hurtpals@aol.com

3/TBA

3/14

Moby Dick Snowshoe 9M; Lanesboro, MA; www.wmac.org

▼

Umstead Trail Marathon; Raleigh, NC; (919) 676-2347; mnelson13@nc.rr.com; www.carolinagodiva.org/umsteadmarathon

3/13

DINO Trail Run Series #1 5K, 15K; Indianapolis, IN; (317) 308-6449; Brian@DINOseries.com; www.DINOseries.com

3/14

Brew to Brew 42.5 Miler; Kansas City, MO; (816) 5784565; ljoline@aol.com; www.brewtobrew.com

3/20

Cross Timbers Trail Run 25M, 50M; Lake Texoma, TX; (580) 924-9293; greenmd@simplynet.net; www.simplynet.net/greenmd/trail.html

3/20

Kentucky Ultra Trail Sojourn 30M, 50M; Morehead, KY; (606) 674-6286; h.hedgec@morehead-st.edu.; people.morehead-st.edu/fs/h.hedgec

▼

San Francisco Coastline Challenge 8.5M; San Francisco, CA; (650)354-8256; eric@redwoodtrails.com; www.redwoodtrails.com

Mad Cow Urban Adventure Race 35M; Columbus, OH; (614) 397-6112; bradhunt@ambushadventuresports.com; ambushadventuresports.com

Land Between the Lakes Ultra & Half Marathon Trail Runs 13.1M, 60K; Grand Rivers, KY; (800)456-9404; sdurbin@marquettetrans.com

▼

3/27

3/13

3/07

3/20

The Grasslands Run 13.1M, 26.2M, 50M; Decatur, TX; (817) 410-2401; 4suzi@ix.netcom.com; www.nttr.org

Point Defiance 10K; Tacoma, WA; info@are-you-nuts-trailrace.com; www.are-you-nuts-trail-race.com

3/21

Brew to Brew 43 Mile Relay and Solo Run; Kansas City, MO; (816)228-3842; ljoline@aol.com; www.kctrack.org

3/TBA

Smuggler’s Trail 50 Mile; Campo, CA; (858) 689-2410; smcdonal@strubix.com; movinshoes.com/surf

3/21

Caesar Creek Sprint Adventure Race 50M; Waynesville, OH; (614)397-6112; bradhunt@ambushadventuresports.com; ambushadventuresports.com

3/06

Neilsen Challenge 2M; Colorado Springs, CO; (719) 6332055; zgunta@juno.com; www.pprrun.org

3/27

3/06

Vail Mountain Uphill 3-5M; Vail, CO; (970) 845-0931

Trailbreaker 3.1M, 13.1M, 26.2M; Waukesha, WI; (262) 549-2249; remax@execpc.com; trailbreakermarathon.com

3/06

Steamboat Nordic Challenge 4K, 10K; Steamboat Springs, CO; (970) 879-8180; xcski@springsips.com; www.steamboatxcski.org/nordicchallenge.htm#info

3/13

North American Snowshoe Championships 5K, 10K; Beaver Creek, CO; (970) 476-6797; highline@colorado.net; www.BritishColumbiasnowshoe.com

3/20 3/27

3/20

ROCKIES

▼

3/20

Genesis Adventures Winter Adventure Race #2 20M; Grafton, VT; (203)262-3396; info@genesisadventures.com; www.genesisadventures.com

HEARTLAND

3/27

Germantown Trail 7M, 14M; Germantown, OH; (937) 5866546; joerunner69@hotmail.com; www.orrrc.org

3/27

No Frills, All Thrills Trail Run 5M; Brighton, MI; (517) 5463465; jyoung262@yahoo.com; www.brightonarearoadstriders.org

America’s Uphill 2.7M; Aspen, CO; (970) 925-2849; www.utemountaineer.com

3/05

Island Multisport Camp; Hilton Head Island, SC; (843) 815-5267; andy5267@aol.com; www.palmettorace.com

AdventureXstream Race Series 50+M; Moab, UT; (970)259-7771; info@gravityplay.com; www.gravityplay.com

3/06

Moody Springs 10K, 15K; West Hawley, MA; (860) 6687484; edtrnews@yahoo.com; www.runwmac.com

3/14

Ugly Mudder Trail Run 12K; Reading, PA; (610) 779-2668; rhornpcs@aol.com; www.pagodapacers.com

3/14

Virginia Creeper Marathon 26.2M; Abingdon, VA; (276) 452-4724; runfrankrun@hotmail.com; www.runsftc.org/creepermarathon/

▼

Romancing the Island 12K, 25K; Tiburon, CA; (415) 8681829; info@envirosports.com; envirosports.com

▼

3/20

Carl Touchstone Mississippi Trail 50 20K, 50K, 50M; Laurel, MS; (601) 544-7896; info@ms50.com; www.ms50.com

3/20

Kinabalu 10K Trail Race; Charlottesville, VA; (434) 293-7115; rungillrun@adelphia.net; www.badtothebone.biz/ultra.html

3/27

Foothills Trail Run 10K, 13.1M, 26.2M, 50K, 50M; Oconee, SC; (843) 815-5267; andy5267@aol.com; www.palmettorace.com

3/27

Gator Trail 50K Run; Lake Waccamaw, NC; (910)646-4851; gatortrailrun31@yahoo.com

3/27

Hinte-Anderson Trail Run 50K; Susquehana State Park, MD; (410) 879-7679; npanders@provbank.com; www.hatrun.com

3/27

Merrimack River Trail Run 10M; Andover, MA; (508) 4864519; SPeterson@concord.com; www.usatfne.org

▼ ▼

Rodeo Beach Trail Runs 8K, 20K, 30K, 50K; Sausalito, CA; (925) 680-4871; info@pacifictrailruns.com; pacifictrailruns.com

3/07

3/06

Flatwoods Four Trail Race 4M; Thonotosassa, FL; (813) 404-9002; ricky@tamparaces.com; tamparaces.com

▼

3/20

Woodside King’s Mountain Trail Races 5M, 13.1M; Woodside, CA; (415) 868-1829; info@envirosports.com; www.envirosports.com

▼ ▼ ▼

3/13

2004

3/06

Dirty Duo 25K, 50K, off-road duathlon; North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 924-0008; info@dirtyduo.com; www.dirtyduo.com

3/06

Sun Peaks 5K, 10K; Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 738-0217; info@theyeti.ca; www.theyeti.ca/races.asp

3/07

La Sierra Madre Copper Canyon to Canyon 29M; Cerocaui,Urique,Chihuahua, Mexico; (303) 584-3076; truecaballoblanco@yahoo.com; www.mexicohorse.com

3/13

Tararua Mountain Race 35K; Kaitoke, Wellington, New Zealand; lyndsay-fletcher@xtra.co.nz; www.coolrunning.co.nz/races/tararua

EAST

3/28 3/28

Mudders and Grunters 5M; FDR Park, Yorktown, NY; (914) 628-0648; www.runner.org/tacsch.htm

INTERNATIONAL

GREAT EASTERN TRAIL RUN SERIES Do you like trails?

How much do you like them?

RACE #1 Masai 5K Trail Race Feb. 21, 2004 Start Time: 8:00 AM Observatory Trails Charlottesville, Virginia

RACE #2 Kinabalu 10K Trail Race March 20, 2004 Start Time: 8:00 AM Foxhaven Trails Charlottesville, Virginia

RACE #3 Hardrock Carter Mountain Challenge 15K June 12, 2004 Start Time: 8:00 AM Carter Mountain Charlottesville, Virginia

RACE #4 Highlands Sky 40 Mile Trail Race June 19, 2004 Start Time: 6:00 a.m.

Monongahela National Forest Davis, West Virginia

RACE #5 Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run July 17-18, 2004 Start Time: 4:00 AM Green Mountains Woodstock, Vermont

RACE #6 Great Eastern Endurance Run 100K/50K September 25, 2004 Start Time: 6:00 AM Blue Ridge Mountains, George Washington Ntl. Forest Charlottesville, Virginia

RACE #7 Vitesse 10 Mile & Half Marathon Trail Races November 20, 2004 Start Time: 8:00 AM Walnut Creek Park Trails Charlottesville, Virginia

The Great Eastern Trail Run Series is the first series in the country to encompass all distances from 5 kilometers to 100 miles, all on some of the most beautiful trails in the East Coast.

From the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to the Green Mountains of V ermont, you will run distances just as vast as the views from these trails.

Become a Trail Series Finisher by completing 4 out of the 5 shorter trail races powered by Montrail shoes (Masai 5K, Kinabalu 10K, Hardrock 15K, V itesse 10 miler or Half Marathon). If it’ s distance you long for , complete 3 out of the 4 longer trail races (Great Eastern 100K or 50K, Highlands Sky 40 Mile Trail Race and the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run) to be recognized as an Ultra

Series Finisher.

If you were just a little late for that Everest climbing permit, you can become a Bad to the 7 Bone! Finisher instead, and complete all possible races! Winners of the series will be awarded Patagonia prizes. Series point will be assigned depending on the race distance and the runner’ s finishing position: the higher the finishing position and the longer the race, the fewer the points; the runner with the least points will be the Series winner.

So, pick your poison and join us on the trails!

For more information on the series, points, awards and other details go to the race website at: www.badtothebone.biz badtothebone@adelphia.net Phone: 434-293-7115 Contact: Gill, Race Director

p.051 Vasque.26

1/5/04

11:40 AM

Page 1

Finish

The breathable Velocity trail runner will help you decide. Its aggressive Mako sole, with multi-directional teeth, chews up trails but spits out dirt.

1-800-224-4453 vasque.com

Š 2003

How far do you want to go?

Vasque

Start

p.046-52 Race Calendar.26 1/7/04 4:49 PM Page 52

RACE CALENDAR

2004

3/21

Adidas Breakfast Run 8M, 16M; Kingston, Surrey, England; info@humanrace.co.uk; www.humanrace.co.uk

4/24

Road Ends Trail Run 5M; Pinckney, MI; (248) 347-4568; tami@runningfit.com; www.trailmarathon.com

3/29

Blackfoot Ultra 25K, 50K, 50M, 100K; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; (780) 431-2775; info@blackfootultra.com; www.blackfootultra.com

4/24

Rocky Hill Ranch Trail Runs 25K, 50K; Smithville, TX; (512) 895-6100; joe.prusaitis@motorola.com; www.hillcountrytrailrunners.com

4/24

Skinnydipper Sun Run 5K; Decatur, TX; (940) 627-2280; info@wildwoodnaturist.com; www.skinnydippersunrun.com

4/25

Michigan Trail Half Marathon and Marathon 13.1M, 26.2M; Pinckney, MI; (248) 347-4568; tami@runningfit.com; www.trailmarathon.com

APRIL

4/04

Mt Si Relay and Ultra Runs 50K, 50M; Snoqualmie, WA; (877) 242-1634; luckyal@juno.com; www.ontherun.com/mtsirelay

THE MEMORIES Turkey Ridge • Lyons Falls • Fire Tower • Covered Bridge Clear Fork Gorge • Infamous BIG HILL & Mohican Wilderness • The Best Volunteers and Aid Stations • Sunday Family Brunch for ALL The Family & Support Crew • Camping and Canoeing • Amish Country and SHOPPING • Hiking and Horse Back Riding • And MORE SHOPPING • Ohio’s ‘Ruby’ Award Scenic Landoll’s Mohican Castle THE REWARDS • Buckles to 100 mile finishers • Medals to 50 + mile finishers--(50 mile results will be submitted to Ultra Running) JOURNEY BEGINS HERE: $120 pre-entry postmark by May 15th 2004; $145 thereafter For an application or questions, send

4/17

Mt. Hamilton Trail Run 5K, 10K, 13.1M, San Jose, CA; (650)354-8256; eric@redwoodtrails.com; www.redwoodtrails.com La Sportiva Mt. Diablo Trail Run 10K, 13.1M; Clayton, CA; (415) 999-2532; sportiva@redwoodtrails.com; www.redwoodtrails.com

4/17

Leona Divide 50 Miler; Lake Hughes, CA; (760) 765-1149; glenda@leonadivide.com; www.leonadivide.com

4/17

Pony Express 50 Mile Run/50K Sprint/30K Jaunt; Cameron Park, CA; (775) 828-1647; robert@ultrarunner.net; www.ultrarunner.net

4/17

Rattler Half Marathon 13.1M; Winthrop, WA; (509) 9963287; www.mvsta.com

4/17

XTERRA Saipan Sunset Trail Run 5K, 10K; Northern Marianas, HI; (877) 751-8880; info@xterraplanet.com; www.xterraplanet.com

4/18

Peterson Ridge Ramble 16.5M, 35M; Sisters, OR; (541)5491298; smeissner@lycos.com; www.footzonebend.com/prr/rumble.html

4/TBA

Rock Creek River Gorge Trail Race 6.5M, 10.2M; Chattanooga, TN; (423) 265-5969; simsmatt@msn.com; www.rockcreek.com

4/TBA

Sahnoan Bare Buns Run 5K; McDade, TX; (512) 273-2257; www.starranch.net Croom Trail 50 Mile Fools Run 15M, 50K, 50M; Brooksville, FL; (727) 504-3113; ediet@gte.net

4/03

European Cross Country 10K; Camp LeJeune, NC; (910) 451-1799; sheena@coastalnet.com; www.mccslejeune.com

4/03

Tyler Arboretum Trail Run 6.2M; Media, PA; (215) 2957061; roberthuey@aol.com; www.delcorrc.org

4/03

Umstead 100 Mile Endurance Run 50M, 100M; Raleigh, NC; (919) 847-7613; BlakeNorwood@nc.rr.com; www.ncroadrunners.org/umstead/

4/04

Urban Environmental Challenge 10K; Bronx, NY; coquipro@worldnet.att.net; www.vctc.org

4/10

Mt. Penn Mudfest 15K; Reading, PA; (610) 779-2668; rhornpcs@aol.com; www.pagodapacers.com

4/17

Bull Run Run 50M; Clifton, VA; (703) 548-9466; scottmills@aol.com; www.vhtrc.org/brr

4/17

Muddy Sneaker 20K Trail Run; Italy, NY; (585)271-7045; goutnow@yahoo.com; www.geocities.com/goutnow

Spokane River Run 5K, 10K; Spokane, WA; (509) 324-8804; spokeaho@msn.com; www.spokaneriverrun.com

4/17

Off-Road Triathlon; McCormick, SC; (843)815-5267; andy5267@aol.com; www.palmettorace.com

4/24

Muir Woods Marathon 7M, 25K, 26.2M; Stinson Beach, CA; (415) 868-1829; info@envirosports.com; envirosports.com

4/17

The Yough Xtreme Adventure Race 80+M; Ohiopyle, PA; (814) 397-4316; info@americanadventuresports.com; www.americanadventuresports.com

4/24

High Rock Challenge 10K; Staten Island, NY; (718) 4426048; chris@nyara.org; www.nyara.org

4/24

Zane Grey High Line Trail 50K, 50M; Payson, AZ; (520)760-0810; jazzzaz@aol.com; www.zanegrey50.com

4/25

The Dirt Dash 10K; Hagg Lake, OR; (503) 497-4080; director@xdogevents.com; www.xdogevents.com

ROCKIES Neilsen Challenge 2M; Colorado Springs, CO; (719) 6332055; zgunta@juno.com; www.pprrun.org

4/03

Snowshoe Shuffle in Beaver Creek 5K, 10K; Avon, CO; (970) 926-7485; www.vvmc.com/calendar.htm

Promise Land 50K; Bedford, VA; (434) 582-2386; runhorton@juno.com; www.extremeultrarunning.com

4/24

Rollin Irish Half Marathon Essex Junction, VT; (802) 8993398; info@gmaa.net; www.gmaa.net

4/24

Triple Crown Trail Races 5K, 10K, 13.1M, 26.2M; Newark, DE; (302) 453-0859; johnmack@udel.edu; www.traildawgs.org

4/25

Muddy Moose Trail Races 4M, 14M; Wolfeboro, NH; (603) 569-9084; FergusCullen@aol.com; www.metricmarathon.com

4/18*

Buffalo Creek Trail Race 16M; Bailey, CO; (303) 282-3921; runahill@yahoo.com; www.runuphillracing.com

4/24

Hidden Peak Snowshoe Challenge 4M; Snowbird, UT; (801) 583-6281; sports-am@abac.com; www.sports-am.com

4/29

4/TBA

The Great Escape 5K, 10K, 13.1M; Littleton, CO; (303) 6641737; thegreatescape@cancerclimber.org; www.bewellweb.com/oneworld/thegreatescape.htm

Bluffton Off-Road Duathlon & 5K Trail Run #2 5K run, 9M bike, 5K run; (843) 815-5267; andy5267@aol.com; www.palmettorace.com

4/TBA

Mount Summit Challenge 3.5M; Hopwood, PA; (724) 4380628; fayettestriders@netscape.net; www.iplayoutside.com

4/02

North Pole Arctic Marathon 26.2M; North Pole; rd@npmarathon.com; www.npmarathon.com

▼

4/24

McNaughton Park Trail Races and Illinois 100 30M, 50M, 100M; Pekin, IL; (309)346-3601; aweinberg@pekinhigh.net; www.geocities.com/running_50/homepage.html

4/04

Whistler/Blackcomb 5K, 10K; Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 738-0217; info@theyeti.ca; www.theyeti.ca/races.asp

▼

▼

4/03

4/03

Rockin’ K Trail Runs 26.2M, 50M; Kanopolis State Lake, KS; (785) 472-5454; sheridan@wwwebservice.net; www.ultrarunners.info

4/10

Diez Vista 50K; Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 461-8330; pslayer@mail.com; diezvista.itgo.com

4/10

Buffalo Trace Trail Run 5M; Mahomet, IL; (217)649-2505; migotsky@uiuc.edu; www.secondwindrunningclub.org

4/17

Double Chubb Trail Runs 25K, 50K; St Louis, MO; (314) 487-2908; fuerst1@mindspring.com; www.stlouisultrarunnersgroup.net

4/17

Ouachita Trail 50 50K, 50M; Little Rock, AR; (501) 3296688; Stanchrissy@earthlink.net; www.runarkansas.com

HEARTLAND

Peruvian Andes Running Adventure July 11 to 25, 2004 Ecuador Running Adventure June 24 to July 2, 2004 Patagonia Running Adventure December 19, 2004 to January 5, 2005

(800) 289-9470 www.andesadventures.com

4/17

Shoe-sucker Seven 7.2M; Huntington, IN; (260) 356-6338; rickybeemer@yahoo.com; www.rbeemer.com

4/17

Trail Mix 25K, 50K; Bloomington, MN; (763) 588-1132; OCW1949@aol.com; www.trailmixracemn.org

INTERNATIONAL

▼

Chasqui Challenge & Inca Trail Marathon - Peru June 6 to 19, 2004

4/03

▼

.

▼

.

Hog’s Hunt Trail Run 14.3M, 28.7M; Huntsville, TX; (903) 894-3788; pstone@palestineherald.com; www.geocities.com/badwater75757/etultra.html

4/17

GutBuster Trail Run 001 5K, 11K; Duncan, British Columbia, Canada; (250)715-8933; info@mindovermountain.com; www.mindovermountain.com

4/20

Cypress Mountain 5K, 10K; Cypress Mountain, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 738-0217; info@theyeti.ca; www.theyeti.ca/races.asp

4/24

Alpine Lodge Loop the Lake 25K; South Island, New Zealand; nelsonstriders@clear.net.nz; www.coolrunning.co.nz/nelsonstriders

▼ ▼

4/03

.

EAST

4/03

4/18

▼

SASE TO: Bob Strong, Mohican 100 PO Box 7, Loudonville, Ohio 44842 USA rlstrong@neo.rr.com

4/10

▼

THE CHALLENGE • 11,000 + feet of CLIMB on mostly TRAILS in 30 hours • Numerous Climbs through Mohican Forest • Lots of stream crossings…and a few rocks to trip over

▼

(June Saturday-Sunday 19-20, 2004 Loudonville, Ohio)

▼

Golden Gate Trail Races 7M, 13.1M, 26.2M; Sausalito, CA; (415) 868-1829; info@envirosports.com; envirosports.com

▼

4/03

▼

MOHICAN 100 TRAIL RUN—15TH ANNUAL

American River 50 50M; Sacramento, CA; (510) 534-3440; superlisa@sbcglobal.net; www.run100s.com/ar50/index.htm

▼ ▼

presents the:

4/03

▼

THE CLEVELAND WEST ROAD RUNNING CLUB

▼ ▼ ▼

PACIFIC/DESERT

4/24

Ganaraska Trail Runs 25K, 50K; Ontario, Canada; (705) 327-2156; cdanrun@sympatico.ca; ous.kw.net/races.htm

4/25

Squamish Thunder 10K; Squamish, British Columbia, Canada; (604) 987-5901; info@ironlung.ca; www.ironlung.ca

4/17

DINO Trail Run Series #2 5K, 15K; Avon, IN; (317)8944625; Brian@DINOSeries.com; www.DINOseries.com

4/25

Three Peaks Race 26K; Dunedin, New Zealand; steve@leithharriers.com; www.leithharriers.com

4/24

Pine Line Trail Marathon 5K, 26.2M; Medford, WI; (888) 682-9567; chamber@dwave.net; www.medfordwis.com

4/TBA

North Pole Marathon 26.2M; North Pole; (850) 770-5961; northpole@cybertron.com; northpolemarathon.com

p.053 Classifieds.26 1/7/04 3:05 PM Page 53

RUNNER’S RESOURCE OUTFITTERS

TRAIL RUNNING SOUTHERN SPAIN in the Sierra Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama mountains of Andalucia. www.axarsport.com or info@axarsport.com

Shopping for the latest gear?

Visit these fine retailers for all your trail running needs.

Online Outfitters

www.rockcreek.com info@rockcreek.com 888-707-6708 100 Tremont St. Chattanooga, TN 37405

www.summithut.com summit@summithut.com 800-499-8696 F 520-795-7350 5045 E. Speedway Tucson, AZ 85712

Gord's Running Store 919 Centre St. NW Calgary, Alberta T2E 2P6 403-270-8606 F 403-283-8341

www.runningshopaz.com Summit Hut 5045 E. Speedway Tucson, AZ 85712 and 605 E. Wetmore Tucson, AZ 85705 800-499-8696

www.summithut.com

www.holabirdsports.com

239 Newport Dr. Portmoody, BC V3H5C9 604-461-8330

MISSOURI

www.eliterunners.com shoes@eliterunners.com TENNESSEE

www.runnersden.ca

Metro Walk + Run 7449 Broadway Kansas City, MO 64114 816-822-9000 F 816-822-9003

COLORADO Boulder Running Company 2775 Pearl St. #103 Boulder, CO 80302 303-RUN-WALK

Boulder Running Company 3659 Austin Bluffs Pkwy #32 Colorado Springs, CO 80918 719-278-3535

www.boulderrunningcompany.com Boulder Running Company 8116 W. Bowles #C Littleton, CO 80123 303-932-6000

www.boulderrunningcompany.com

6160 Stanford Ranch Rd. Suite 200 Rocklin, CA 95765 916-316-6202

www.runningracing.com info@runningracing.com The Outland Mountain Shop 929 E. California Blvd.

Pasadena, CA 91106 626-568-8828

www.mountainoutlet.com Run With Us 235 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101 626-568-3331 F 626-568-3345

runwithus@earthlink.net

209 W. Hampden Ave. Englewood, CO 80110 800-841-0707

www.mountainmiser.com

The Running Company of Montvale 14 A Chestnut Ridge Rd Montvale, NJ 07645 201-391-6008 F 201-391-6012

100 Tremont St. Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-265-5969 and 2220 Hamilton Place Blvd.

Chattanooga, TN 37421 423-485-8775

www.rockcreek.com Runners Market 4443 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919 865-588-1650

www.njrunningco.com montvalerunning@aol.com

UTAH

NEW MEXICO

Summit Running

Running Hub 333 Montezuma #6 Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-820-2523

www.runsantafe.com

114 S. Plaza Taos, NM 87571 505-758-9292

www.taosmountainoutfitters.com

Skirack 85 Main St. Burlington, VT 05401 802-658-3313 F 802-658-5083 800-882-4530

VIRGINIA

184 Main New Paltz, NY 12561 845-255-8200

Just the Right Gear

Summit Canyon Mountaineering

Westchester Road Runner

732 Grand Ave Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 970-945-6994 F 970-945-7586 800-360-6994

179 E Post Rd White Plains, NY 10601 914-682-0637 F 914-949-4166

www.westchesterroadrunner.com westchesterrr@aol.com

2265 Catawba Valley Rd. Salem, VA 24153 540-384-7800 F 540-384-8100

justtherightgear@aol.com

www.fairhavenrunners.com steve@fairhavenrunners.com

CONNECTICUT

Jus Running

Sound Sports

523 Merrimon Ave Asheville, NC 28804 828-252-7867 F 828-252-7817

80 Madison St. Seattle, WA 98104 206-624-6717 F 206-622-3121 800-279-7551

North Shore Athletics

ILLINOIS Runner’s High 7 S. Dunton Ave Arlington Heights, IL 60005 847-670-9255

www.runnershigh.biz runrshigh@aol.com

www.jusrunning.com jusrun@bellsouth.net Tortoise & Hare Running Outfitters Inc. Suite 145 One Town Square Asheville, NC 28803 828- 681-5325 F 828-681-5371

www.thrunning.com wrashley@hotmail.com

WITH

Contact LISEN GUSTAFSON 877-762-5423 ext. 10 lgustafson@bigstonepub.com

1209 Eleventh St Bellingham, WA 98225 360-676-4955

NORTH CAROLINA

1008 Main St. Branford, CT 06405 203-483-8222 F 203-483-8298

ADVERTISE

WASHINGTON Fairhaven Runners

www.summitcanyon.com shop@summitcanyon.com

Sound Runner

Choose "Runner," "Marathoner", "Ultra Runner" and more. Shop sportframesonline.com, or call (253) 588-3049 or fax (253) 588-4527. $9.95 each or 2/$15.00. Add $3 S&H.

VERMONT

Peak Performance Sports

www.peakperformancesports.net

LICENSE PLATE FRAMES FOR RUNNERS.

www.summitrunning.com info@summitrunning.com

Paradox Footwear

paradox@rmi.net

NORTHERN ATHLETIC EXPERIENCES. Trail running, ultra, marathon and adventure racing vacations in the Yukon Canada.

Yukon Arctic Ultra. Mayo Midnight Marathon. www.northernathleticexperiences.com

1890 Bonanza Dr. #108 Park City, UT 84060 435-940-9101

www.skirack.com skirack@skirack.com

326 Elk Ave. Crested Butte, CO 81224 970-349-9711 F 970-349-9712

ADVENTURE SPORTS ONLINE: Your inside resource for outside adventure! Easy navigtion to find gear, out-fitters, travel guides, shops, events, links to outdoor resources, "how to" and equipment information more. We stay open as long as the outdoors does! www.adventuresports.com

"NEW" Stinger energy bars

NEW YORK

CANADA

www.northshoreathletics.com info@northshoreathletics.com

NEW JERSEY

Rock/Creek Outfitters

Free Shipping!

www.soundrunner.net soundrunner@snet.net

1200 Londsdale # 101 N. Vancouver, BC V7M3H6 604-990-6888

www.metrowalkandrun.com sally@metrowalkandrun.com

Taos Mountain Outfitters

Adventure 16

www.adventure16.com

5992-E Steubenville Pike McKees Rocks, PA 15136 412-490-0881 F 412-490-0882 877-RUN-WALK

Runner’s Den

CALIFORNIA 1116 W. Pico Blvd.

West Los Angeles, CA 90064 310-473-4574 for other SO CAL locations see:

Elite Runners & Walkers

www.gordsrunningstore.com info@gordsrunningstore.com

www.boulderrunningcompany.com

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RUN AMOK

Off Beat

TRYING TO OUTRUN THE TOP 40 DEMONS

WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF AN INJUR Y OR ANIMAL A TTACK, it’s hard to have a bad experience when you’re trail running.

Unless you somehow get Duran Duran’s “Hungry like the Wolf” stuck in your head. If that’s the case, the best you can do is walk back to the trailhead, take off your shoes and clothes and burn them right there, because your run is doomed.

It’s not that I have Duran Duran’ s Greatest Hits—isn’t that an oxymoron?—cued up on my car stereo before a run. But it’ s one of those silly tunes that has crept into my noggin during runs since the mid-1980s. Maybe it’ s because the video shows a scantily clad woman running through the jungle while being stalked by a wolf. Regardless, it’ s maddening. That stupid pop song isn’t the only one that hounds me like chafed nipples when I’m out on the trails. Jimmy Buffett, Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morissette, Metallica and even sappy Phil Collins have also been unwelcome guests.

And I’m not the only one who has been musically disturbed out there. In fact, it seems to be a universal dilemma among trail runners.

“Yeah, for me it’s ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ by Arlo Guthrie,” says Ted Swider of Kirkwood, Missouri, who has run the Sunmart 50K four times. “That song is long enough to begin 54 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM FEBRUARY | MARCH 2004

BY BRIAN METZLER with, but that crazy chorus—‘You can get anything you want at Alice’ s Restaurant’ —can get troublesome. I started running with headphones just to get that out of my head.”

Running with a tune on your mind— whether imagined or electronically piped in—can be inspirational or it can be a complete curse. Some songs make you run faster, climb more vigorously or just feel more relaxed and free. Others, like Toto’s “Africa,” Survivor’ s “Eye of the Tiger” and just about anything by Cher, make you want to quit running and have your head examined.

“The worst,” says Blair Anderson, a trail marathoner from Burlington, Vermont, “is around holiday season when you hear Christmas songs and jingles ad nauseum. For some reason, if I hear ‘The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful’ once, it sticks with me for weeks, and haunts me when I’m running in bad weather.”

A handful of elite trail runners, including Utah ultrarunning fiend Karl Meltzer and Colorado’ s Scott Elliott, a seven-time Pikes Peak Ascent champ, almost always run with headphones. I only run with an MP3 player occasionally, but it definitely helps beat the blahs on those days when I’m too tired, too sore or too wired to get into a groove. It’s like creating your own personal soundtrack to your experience out on the trails.

Lately I’ve been running to a handful of Dave Matthews Band concert tracks I downloaded from my PC. The soulful rhythms, dynamic sounds and thoughtful but not-too-intense lyrics are ideal for a 90-minute run on the undulating trails near my house. It helps me forget that I might be sucking air on a steep climb or suffering from the heat.

My all-time fave? A 23-minute live version of the Allman Brothers Band jamming to “Blue Sky.” It has happy-golucky lyrics, a building cadence and a long guitar solo that makes me feel like I’m floating over the trail, almost as if I’m in a music video. But not a Duran Duran video, of course.

Brian Metzler is the author of Running Colorado’s Front Range (Mountain Sports Press, 2003) and a host of silly songs that he’s made up during his trail runs.

ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY COLLINS

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