Trail Runner #36

TOP ATHLETES SHARE THEIR DIET AND TRAINING SECRETS

TrailRunner NOVEMBER 2005 ISSUE 36

One Dirty Magazine

WILD IN THE LAND OF 10,000 LAKES

Northern

Exposure DIPSEA TRIBUTE Trail Running’s Holy Grail Turns 100

FALL SHOE REVIEW

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Dean Karnazes logs another few hundred miles over mountains, through valleys and across the deserts of California. Learn more about Dean and the Ultra 103 XCRÂŽ at www.thenorthface.com. Photo: Corey Rich.

I’m going for a run.

See you next month.

CONTENTS FEATURES

NOVEMBER 2005 | WWW.TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | ISSUE 36

There’s more to northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area than canoeing and fishing. This land of “10,000 Lakes” offers a stunning array of wilderness trails. But are the mosquitoes really as bad as everyone says?

36)

BY MICHAEL BENGE PHOTOS BY DAVID CLIFFORD

42)

BY HEATHER C. LISTON

As the second oldest race in the country—next to the famed Boston Marathon—the Dipsea is indeed one of trail running’s Holy Grails. Celebrating 100 years on seven of the toughest miles anywhere.

8) MAKING TRACKS Dancing with

the Devil in Wisconsin; Q&A with ageless speed merchant Tom Borschel; first-ever USATF Trail 100-Mile Title Race, in Ohio; summer suffering—Hardrock and Vermont 100 reports.

DEPARTMENTS 4) EDITOR’S NOTE 6) LETTERS 30) TAKE YOUR MARK 50) GALLERY

16) BUSHWHACK Fault Lines. When it comes to excuses, trail runners are strong finishers.

BY JONATHAN THESENGA

18) NUTRITION Pro Formulas. A look behind the curtain at the diet and training regimens of nine top trail runners.

BY SCOTT DRUM

20) TRAIL RX Be Prepared. Trail runners should heed the old Boy Scout motto.

BY EMMA WILLIAMS

24) ASK THE COACH Good vs. Evil,

fat that is; running while pregnant; maximizing a tight running schedule.

BY THERESE IKNOIAN

26) TRAIL TIPS Dodging bullets during

fall hunting season; flasks for the trail; clothes finder.

32) GREAT ESCAPES From Mountains

to Sea. The fine “front-country” trails of Santa Barbara, California.

BY CHUCK GRAHAM

54) TRAIL TESTED 2005 Fall Trail Shoe

Review. We thrash 15 ground-hugging new models. Get the filthy final word.

THIS PAGE: Duluth speedster Greg Hexum puts some springtime in his step on the Bass Lake Trail, near Ely, Minnesota.

ON THE COVER: We trail runners love to play in the dirt … and mud … and rain. For shoes that can handle those rigors, please see our 2005 Fall Shoe Review on page 56.

BOTH PHOTOGRAPHS

by David Clifford

54) LAST GASP Empty Pockets. A runner finds that all his copious trail-race winnings won’t pay the bills.

BY BERNIE BOETTCHER

TrailRunner

LETTERS RECKLESS BEHAVIOR

I am writing in regards to the article about the amazing recoveries that runners have made from serious injuries (“Courageous Comebacks,” No. 35). Specifically, I refer to the section concerning a woman recovering from, among other injuries, a broken neck.

Having spent over three months in a halo myself, with a shattered vertebra, the article intrigued me. As I continued to read, however, I discovered that this woman had “run” 20 miles. I wasn’t surprised to read of complications in her recovery. I can only imagine that her activities, in some way led to her not healing and requiring the plate and bone graft. Having been initially treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and following their instructions on activity levels, I was able to have an intact vertebra at the end of my time in the halo. I find it disturbing that a magazine would glorify what I find to be rather reckless behavior after a severe injury.

—Rich Madden, Clinton, NY THIS WOMAN’S NUTS I was miffed at Jonathan Thesenga’s story in the Bushwhack (“Super Mega Suck A$! 50”, No. 34). He had the nerve to go on and on complaining about an unnamed race, but didn’t have the nerve to confront the race organizers to get their feedback. What a wimp!

When I was the “Unknown Runner” for the San Diego Track Club newsletter, my job was to run races and give reviews. I was frank and told it like it was. But, to be fair, I would first send my reviews (before they were printed) to the race director and get his rebuttal.

I’d be happy to take on Thesenga’s job and give fair reviews of races. This woman’s got the balls!

—Linda K. Alves, Westfall, OR

DROWNING IN SUDS I flipped open to the back page of your July 2005 issue (Run Amok, No. 34) and read “Confessions of a Runaholic.”

The sweet Trail Runner Trail Ale illustration should have given me a clue that this would be a theme issue.

Soon, the suds started piling up, from the Editor’s Note mentioning that often the best part of running is the banter and beer afterwards, to Gordy Ainsleigh’s letter nostalgic for Mad Dog runners who’d get falling-down drunk the night before a race, to the British 6 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

Columbia Sunshine Coast account of “Exhilaration, agony and beer.”

For some of us, the best part of trail running is the trails, not the beer before, during or after the run. We seek more dirt, not more suds. Some of us prefer margaritas after a long run, and (gasp!) some of us don’t drink. So what gives? Did Anheuser-Busch buy out Trail Runner?

—Kate Havelin, St. Paul, MN

fee, and also inform the IRS that I will henceforth NOT be paying for welfare, foreign aid, student grants and many other programs that I do not use.

Sound fair?

—Eric Stump, Hackettstown, NJ

SOARING EAGLE

WHO’S ELUSIVE?

I must have fallen off the old turnip truck because I never sent you a thankyou note for the July issue (No. 34) with the article on the Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT), which I developed. My 88year-old mother was impressed.

Today I am off to Elk Lake, where we are putting the finishing touches to the outside loop of the Elk Lake trail section of the SCT.

It seems hypocritical that your West-centric magazine would declare Midwestern trail runners to be “elusive” [Take Your Mark, September 2005, No. 35]. What’s truly elusive is coverage in your magazine of the abundant and challenging trails and races to be found in the Midwest.

My fellow native Wisconsinites may refer to our neighbors to the south as “flatlanders” but they run some tough terrain in Illinois. The Kennekuk Road Runners (see www.kennekuk.com) are by no means wedded to the “road.” They host the 7.6-mile Wild Wild Wilderness Trail Run in late September and the Siberian Express Trail Run in early January when you’re as likely to run in ankle-deep mud as snow. KRR also organizes the 10K and 15K Mountain Goat Hill Runs every March.

North of here we have the Wisconsin

—Moe “The Eagle” Beaulieu, Keremeos, B.C., Canada

A LA CARTE TRAIL FEES In response to your article on the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA), I wholeheartedly agree with Jennifer Eberlein, REA National Program Leader: “The costs of amenities should be offset by the people who use them.”

I therefore would like to inform Ms. Eberlein that I will start paying the REA

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» letters Off-Road Trail Running Series. Another was the inaugural Grand Island Trail Marathon in Lake Superior, which I ran with 160 others on July 30. Before dawn we were ferried to the U.S.-ForestService-managed island from the mainland of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The primitive trail of rocks, roots, mud and sand took us up and down steep hills and along vertigo-inducing cliffs. The remoteness of the course required us to carry our own water and keep an eye out for bears.

So don’t call us elusive until you’ve dared to follow in the footsteps of many Midwestern trail runners.

—Joel Patenaude, Waupaca, WI

CORRECTION In “Green and Bear It” (Making Tracks, September 2005, No. 35) the women’s 25K winner in the Greenland Trail Races should have been identified as Heather Hunt, not Heather Thomas. ■

EDITORIAL

CIRCULATION

PUBLISHER Duane Raleigh

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

draleigh@bigstonepub.com EDITOR Michael Benge mbenge@bigstonepub.com SENIOR EDITOR Garett Graubins ggraubins@bigstonepub.com COLUMNS EDITOR Alison Osius aosius@bigstonepub.com PHOTO EDITOR David Clifford dclifford@bigstonepub.com EDITORIAL INTERN Caroline Cretti CREATIVE

Paula Stepp pstepp@bigstonepub.com SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER

Lindsay Brown lbrown@bigstonepub.com RETAIL SALES COORDINATOR

Rowan Fryer rfryer@bigstonepub.com

ACCOUNTING Mark Kittay CPA accounting@bigstonepub.com

ART DIRECTOR Bret Roedemeier

broedemeier@bigstonepub.com ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

Run at least 20 miles or more per week trails?

Keep a year’s worth of Trail Runner issues stacked in your bathroom for quick reference?

Prefer flossing dirt from your teeth over sucking exhaust fumes?

Go to www.trailrunnermag.com and click on the Mad Rock logo and send in your stats to become a member of the test team.

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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. All manuscripts and photos are subject to Trail Runner’s terms, conditions and rates •Please allow up to 6 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 2005 by Big Stone Publishing Ltd.

Welcome aboard and see you on the trails.

8 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

EDITO R’S NOTE

by DUANE RALEIGH

A Feast of Friends

BRET ROEDEMEIER

TRAIL RUNNER DISHES UP MORE INSIDE DIRT If trail runners have a flaw, it’s gluttony. Who can get enough? When we’re out on the trail, we want to squeeze in one more hill, round one more corner, go “just a little farther.” Once, my wife (bless her) became so concerned when I failed to return from a run at the appointed time that she started organizing a search party of locals familiar with the area. It didn’t go over too well when I came stomping down the trail, late simply because I’d wanted to stretch the run a bit long and had lost track of time.

And we’re almost as bad when we aren’t on the trail. Stuck behind a jackhammer, cash register or keyboard, it’s too easy to let the mind wander and scheme on the next outing or concoct ways to make time for another quick burn. Underscoring our flaw is the gargantuan, annual outdoor trade show in Salt Lake City, this past August. There, just a tablet’s toss from the Mormon’s holy Temple, tens of thousands of retailers from the Appalachian Trail to the Pacific Crest Trail and beyond converge to check out the newest inventory, including trail shoes, apparel, hydration systems, socks, caps, sunglasses, gels and gizmos. If you can conjure a piece of trail-running gear, it was there.

All of that specialized gear helps smooth out nature’s bumps, but it also feeds our hollow leg for all things trail running.

Indications are, however, that we have an insatiable appetite.

At this magazine, for instance, a common “complaint” from our readers is that there “just isn’t enough Trail Runner.” Well, we’ve heard you clear as a dinner bell. Beginning November 15, we are pleased to announce the launch of Trail Runner’s electronic spawn, Inside Dirt. Emailed monthly, the e-zine, as the name implies, will keep you tuned into trail running with content you won’t find anywhere else. There will be Q and A’s with the sport’s strangest cats. Behind-the-scenes reports. Training secrets. Very late-breaking news. And loads of lively jousting that keep the trail-running community spicy. In short, we’ll be feeding the trail-running jones, but won’t axe down more trees to do it. (Don’t fret, the print version of Trail Runner will continue full steam ahead.)

If you currently subscribe to Trail Runner, and we have your email address, we’ll send you the first-month’s e-issue, free. After that, if you like what you see, for just a buck a month, we’ll continue to send you Inside Dirt. If you don’t already subscribe, or we don’t have your e-mail, and you would like to receive the debut November issue, simply e-mail insidedirt@trailrunnermag.com with your name and e-mail address, and we will add you to the list.

We’ll send you more trail running to digest during those lengthy eight weeks between regular issues.

■ 2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 9

MAKING TRACKS ALL THE TRAIL NEWS YOU CAN USE // BY GARETT GRAUBINS

Devil of a Race JULY

16,

2005,

TEVA

DEVIL’S

RUN

15K/10K,

a hot and humid July day, 66 runners lined the start of the Teva Devil’s Run to compete for two slots on the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. The Devil’s Head Ski Resort course in Merrimac, Wisconsin, was home to the first-ever team-qualifying race held in America’s heartland, and the winners from the men’s and women’s competition would join their teammates at the 2005 World Mountain Running Trophy Championship, held in late September in New Zealand.

The Teva Devil’s Run was composed of multiple five-kilometer loops, completed twice by the women and three times by the men. Each loop included two ascents and descents, totaling a burly 940 feet of elevation change over each lap. The loop-structure and course profile mirrored terrain that qualifiers would face in New Zealand.

Ryan Pauling, 29, a 2001 Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team member from Rochester, New York, rebounded from a one-minute deficit to win the men’s race and a guaranteed spot on the 2005 team. On the final climb, Pauling had pulled ahead of second-place Greg Hexum, but pure exhaustion caused him to collapse just seconds from the finish line. He recovered and crawled the remaining distance for a dramatic finishing time of 1 hour 5 minutes 2 seconds. He was later hospitalized for dehydration.

The women’s race had a similar come-frombehind story. Halfway through the race, 41-yearold Anita Ortiz of Eagle, Colorado, moved up from fourth place and never looked back.

She-devil: Ortiz came from behind to earn her fourth U.S. Mountain Running Team berth.

“At the midway point, I caught and passed the first woman and just dug in my heels for the finish,” says Ortiz, who finished the 10-kilometer race in 50 BY Percent decrease in sperm minutes 22 seconds.

THE count (i.e. male fertility) Pauling and Ortiz joined Timothy when subjects were asked Log jumps in the Trail Run to over train for two weeks. Testosterone Parr (Gunnison, CO), Simon Gutierrez Extreme 10K, held over levels also fell 36 percent immediately (Albuquerque, NM), Laura Haefeli (Del Memorial Day Weekend in after over training, but returned to normal Norte, CO) and Chris Lundy (Sausalito, Portage, Indiana. levels shortly afterwards.

CA) on the Teva U.S. Mountain University of Wyoming Trail miles linking the Grand Canyon’s Running Team. (Note: Additional Teva cross-country team runners north and south rims. The Rim-to-Rim run, U.S. Mountain Running Team qualikilled by a drunk driver on popularly known as “R2R,” has become fiers took place after press time.)

September 16, 2001. The Silent a rite of passage for many trail

NUMBERS

Trail Memorial Run (www.uwyo.edu/ runners, who flock to the National silenttrails) takes place every October in Park each fall and spring to cover the challenging and scenic canyons. Laramie, Wyoming, in their memory.

10 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

–CAROLINE CRETTI

For complete results, visit www.wors. org/trailrun.

GARY SMITS OF EXTREME PHOTOGRAPHY UNLIMITED

MERRIMAC, WISCONSIN— On

making tracks «

Footloose and Well-Grounded TRAIL RUNNER TOM BORSCHEL TAKES IT ALL IN STRIDE

DAVID CLIFFORD

It’s easy to stereotype a 47-year-old, trail-running, University of California Berkeley degree-holder as a loose-hanging, uninhibited spirit. Close your eyes and picture him running the trails in a tie-dyed tee shirt, listening to the Grateful Dead on his headphones.

“Actually, I like Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes,” says Tom Borschel, who now lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. “Besides, I studied geotechnical engineering and that requires some serious thought,” he says. “You’d see the more liberal thinkers on the other side of [Berkeley’s] campus.”

It seems Borschel takes many things seriously to the umpteenth degree— including his running. For 30 years, he has humbled competition on roads, tracks and mountain trails. In the late 1980s, he ran the Bay Area’s Mt. Tamalpais Hill Climb, a punishing 2.8 miles that climbs 2571 feet, in 30:37—a record that still stands. He has also won Utah’s infamous Wasatch

The first time we ran together, we talked about beer. You have an unabashed and public love of adult beverages, don’t you?

I’ve been brewing my own beer since 1982. I’m in contact with many other brewers, and I’m also a certified judge.

While racing and traveling, I try to collect different beers and tastes.

and method of getting the job done. I know several runners who don’t drink and that’s great.

The way I see it, there are four vices: sugar, fats, alcohol and caffeine. If you only do two, you’re OK. I don’t eat a lot of sugar, donuts, or ice cream. Plus, at this point in my running career, I’m not chasing Olympic dreams.

And you’re also a coffee fanatic?

That’s how I start the day. I’m up at 4:30 and out the door by 5:15, and I drink about a thermos-full every day.

Every Friday, I roast a week’s worth of coffee.

It does seem you are helping youngsters to chase their own running dreams.

I’m team manager for the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team Juniors.

That means I work with high-school and college cross-country and track coaches to coordinate recruitment, training and development of athletes. Along with the coaches, I’ll try to get these under-20 runners into the best shape possible for the Championships.

Do you feel caffeine helps your athletic performance?

It does wake me up in the morning and help my digestion. A long-time friend of mine—Brian Maxwell, the late founder of PowerBar—touted the benefits of caffeine.

Puritan athletes might poo-poo your enjoyment of caffeine and alcohol .

Everybody has their own style

Does this offer you glimpses of the future of the sport?

This is only the fourth year that USATF has had a Juniors program,

Steeplechase four times—no small feat, considering the course’s 16 miles and 4500 feet in climbing.

Today—although he admits that he has slowed down a bit (“But taking age grading into account, I’m the same percentage back from the big boys,” he says)—he continues to astound. Most recently, he won the 45-49 age division at the 2004 USATF National Cross-Country Championships in Portland, Oregon, out kicking several previous Olympians. In September of 2004, Borschel took the open citizen’s title at the World Mountain Running Trophy Championships in Sauze d’Oulx, Italy.

Borschel, a member of the LaSportiva/GoLite Mountain Running Team, is far from a one-dimensional Type A runner, however. He’s also a devoted family man with two sons and varied passions.

Trail Runner recently cornered the enigmatic but well-grounded Borschel with a few questions.

so it’s tough to point at stories where these runners have gone on to excel in mountain running. That will change in the next few years, as many of them leave college and graduate to the senior levels of the sport.

That’s a good segue to your sons.

Do you run with them?

Alan is only nine years old, but he’s still run a few races. He even ran a 1K race in 5:11—at an altitude of 6000 feet. Erik is 20 and we run a bit together. He’s a walk-on track and cross-country athlete at Utah State.

Right now, we’re at the point where our running careers are crossing paths. I’m on my way out and he’s on his way up. He recently spanked me at an indoor mile.

Do you coach Erik at all?

I don’t coach him. I’m more of a technical advisor, so to speak. Really, I don’t need to live vicariously through Erik because I’ve had my own running over the years.

You can’t run for somebody else; you have to run for yourself.

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 11

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making tracks «

Doing Hard Time MELTZER, JOHNSTON ROCK THE ROCKIES 100, that with a little luck and a smart race, ultrarunI had a good chance of winning.” ning wisdom has long held that if Johnston’s hopes nearly dissolved you’re a speed machine, it’s best to when she experienced stomach probstay away from the Hardrock, with its lems after the Sherman Aid Station technical trails, 33,000 feet in climb(mile 29). “I made the mistake of ing and finishing times topping 30 and eating butternut squash soup and a even 40 hours. popsicle,” she says. After three hours That changed at this year’s Hardrock, of nausea, she recovered and held tight as many top-shelf trail runners flocked to her lead, eventually winning with a to Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. time of 32 hours 7 minutes. SecondPre-race wagering had any of sevplace finisher Betsy Kalmeyer finished eral speedsters reaching the finish almost three hours later. line first—Hal Koerner (Seattle, WA), Ian Torrence (Boulder City, NV), Nate Complete race results are available at McDowell (Jemez Springs, NM) and www.hardrock100.com. defending champ Paul Sweeney (Truckee, CA).

Two-time Hardrock winner and course-record holder Karl Meltzer embraced the competition, training and acclimatizing with rivals for three weeks before race day.

Once the race began, Meltzer ran conservatively, while Koerner pushed the pace through the Ouray Aid Station (mile 56), at which point he began to pay the price. “My stomach was pretty shot,” says Koerner. “You can’t run that [fast] pace too early at Hardrock.”

Meltzer passed Koerner 11 miles later, just over 13,000-foot Virginius Pass.

“Patience paid off for me and [second-place finisher] Paul Sweeney,” says Meltzer, who won in 28 hours 29 minutes, roughly 90 minutes ahead of Sweeney.

The women’s race featured three previous Hardrock winners—Betsy Nye (Truckee, CA), Betsy K almeyer (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Sue Johnston (Waterford, VT).

Beforehand, Johnston liked her chances. She had spent about three weeks Meltzer’s rhythm—and patience—won him his third Hardrock acclimatizing and “felt title. Here, he powers toward Green Mountain early in the race.

JULY

8-10,

2005,

HARDROCK

TOPHER DONAHUE

SILVERTON, COLORADO—Trail

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 13

» making tracks

First of the Mohicans JUNE 18, 2005, MOHICAN TRAIL 100, LOUDONVILLE, OHIO—

Though 2005 marked the 16th running of the Mohican Trail 100 Mile, this year’s race will be remembered as the first-ever USATF-sanctioned 100-Mile Trail National Championship.

On a cool, humid Saturday morning, amongst over 150 people anxiously braced for the race to begin, stood Boulder, Colorado’s Stephanie Ehret, a veteran trail runner with several 100-mile wins under her belt. Despite her record, Ehret felt anything but confident. She had cracked a rib at a party the previous weekend (“trying to keep my plate of food from falling on the host’s beautiful wood floors,” she explained). Still, Ehret flew to Ohio, hoping for a miracle recovery.

Ehret’s concerns were unwarranted. She blazed the Mohican’s 11,230 feet in elevation gain in 20 hours 21 minutes, almost two hours in front of second-place woman, Cathy Tibbetts of Farmington, New Mexico. Perhaps most impressive, Ehret finished sixth overall in an extremely talented field.

Sean Andrish of Leesburg, Virginia, redeemed himself after a disappointing DNF at the Massanutten Mountain 100 (May 21), and won the national title with a time of 16 hours 45 minutes. Ohio’s own Mark Godale came in second, roughly an hour later.

—CAROLINE CRETTI

Complete results available at www.mohican100.org.

Going vertical, Ohio style. Mohican runners scramble and claw out of Little Lyons Falls.

Wickedly Wonderful SCENIC VERMONT 100 RATTLES MANY, INCLUDING CHAMPS DEWITT AND SYBROWSKY JULY

16,

2005,

ENDURANCE

RUN,

VERMONT WEST

100-MILE WINDSOR,

VERMONT—Vermont 100 first-timers often

Rick Hessek of Colorado Springs, Colorado, barnstormed the Vermont course, finishing fifth overall.

14 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

underestimate the race’s rolling hills and dirt roads. Many see race photos of willowed countryside, cow pastures and bright red barns and think, “I’ll take it easy this year and head to New England.”

“I had heard it was basically a hilly road race,” said 36-year-old Paul DeWitt of Colorado Springs, Colorado. On race day, he quickly realized the Vermont 100 is no cakewalk. “I tried to ignore the fact that I was sweating like a pig from the first mile.”

DeWitt took the lead near the 24-mile mark, when Todd Walker (Amherst, MA), took a wrong turn. Later, near mile 70, DeWitt was passed by Serge EnglandArbona (Baltimore, MD). “I thought I’d never see him again,” says DeWitt.

DeWitt collected himself at an aid station and caught England-Arbona a short time later, eventually winning with a time of 16 hours 14 minutes. “[The course] seemed hillier than I had imagined and the trail portions were rough,” he says.

Twenty-seven-year-old Krissy Sybrowsky (Seattle, WA) turned in a stellar performance to win the women’s race.

Sybrowsky, who completed the Vermont as the second leg of her summer-long Grand Slam attempt (running the country’s four major 100-mile trail races), finished in 18 hours 41 minutes, one hour in front of Kristy Delacruz (New York, NY).

Sybrowsky’s quadriceps were so sore following her win that her father carried her from the finish line.

Complete race results are available at www.vermont100.com.

JOHN MILLER/SPECTRUM PHOTOGRAPHY (LOWER LEFT); DAN FOX/LUMINA STUDIO

ANDRISH, EHRET WIN FIRST 100-MILE TRAIL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

making tracks «

Inclined to Impress GUTIERREZ, PARR SHOCK AND AWE THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY ups pitted Brooks’ seven-time Western States 100 champion Scott Jurek against normally business-like environment of Nike’s USATF Ultramarathoner of the the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show shook Year, Dave Mackey (Mackey won, 1.55 with seismic-type excitement during the miles to 1.45 miles) and LaSportiva/ first-ever Uphill Challenge. Presented by GoLite Mountain Running Team memTrail Runner Magazine and GoLite, the ber Tom Borschel against Montrail/ Uphill Challenge featured dueling treadPatagonia Ultrarunning Team star Karl mills, inclined to a 15-percent grade for Meltzer (Borschel won, 1.55 to 1.44).

15 minutes at a time. The athlete coverOther participants included two-time ing the most mileage during each matchU.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team member up was declared the winner.

Billy DeMong (1.57 miles), adventure“We couldn’t drag mountainous trails racing champion Rebecca Rusch (1.09 into the trade show to highlight the sport miles), extreme kayaker Tao Berman of trail running,” said GoLite’s co-found(1.30 miles) and trail ultrarunner Krissy er and CEO, Kim Coupounas, “so we Sybrowsky (the female champion with did the next best thing: we set up these 1.21 miles). athletes on the best incline treadmills we The day’s final round drew two memcould find.” bers of the 2005 Teva U.S. Mountain Throughout the one-day event, elite Running Team, Simon Gutierrez of athletes, journalists and outdoor-indusAlbuquerque, New Mexico, and Timothy try professionals did battle against each Parr of Gunnison, Colorado. With other and unforgiving, inclined Nordic upwards of 50 stunned onlookers, they Track treadmills. Memorable matchran an identical, blistering pace through the first 12 minutes. At that point, they agreed to increase their treadmills’ inclines to 20 percent.

Still running stride for stride and motivated by the crowd’s encouragement, Gutierrez and Parr then raised the incline to 25 percent for the final 60 seconds of the run. In the end, they both covered 1.7 miles—far-andaway the day’s top two performances.

“The crowd was definitely crucial,” said Parr. “On a race course, you hear only a few cheers, but we had the Uphill Challenge crowd all around us and they cheered the whole time.”

Each U.C. participant ran with the support of a sponsoring company that contributed a dollar amount based upon their performance. The event raised over $1000 for the National Trails Ain’t no mountain steep enough: Gutierrez (pictured) and Parr Fund (www.americanhikpushed their treadmills’ inclines to a whopping 25 percent. ing.org).

AUGUST 12, 2005, INAUGURAL UPHILL

MARIO CANTU

CHALLENGE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—The

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 15

B U S H WH ACK

by JONATHAN THESENGA

» Illustration by JEREMY COLLINS

Fault Lines THE TRAIL RUNNER’S GUIDE TO EXCUSE MAKING Everyone makes excuses, but trail runners are among the most prolific. Excuses are not lies, though, so there’s no need to fret over morality.

They are merely rationalizations for less-than-optimal performances or slip-ups, and just plain make you feel better about yourself.

Win, lose or tie, you should have a library of excuses to explain why you failed to pull off the win, bombed far from your personal record or DNFed because you were so miserably undertrained. Following are some proven winners to add to your repertoire.

WEATHER u It was so hot I got heat stroke and was so disoriented that I spent 90 minutes sitting at an aid station thinking I was in the waiting room of a day spa, awaiting my cucumber facial and pedi. u It must have been (insert appropriately freezing temp). I lost circulation in my fingers/toes/nipples. u It was just too dusty/dry/humid/smoky/mosquito-y/foggy for my delicate skin. u Too weathery.

16 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

THE COURSE u Trail was totally mis-marked. I lost over (insert appropriate time) trying to get back on course. u No one warned me that it was all uphill. u No one warned me that it was all downhill. u I didn’t want to get my feet wet on the creek crossing, because I prune easily, so I ended up traversing the creeks until I could find a bridge. u I run better on wider, flatter trails with less rocky stuff, like carriage roads or bike paths.

AID STATIONS uThey didn’t have fruit-punch flavored drink, and that’s the only flavor that doesn’t give me explosive diarrhea. uThey only had Coke—everyone knows that in a 25K/50K/50-mile/ 100-mile race, Pepsi is the bomb. u Gummy Bears had Splenda in them. u The boiled potatoes were mushy, and there was no gravy. u They only had food and beverages.

EQUIPMENT u My shoelace blew out—twice. u The ergonomics on my water bottle were totally jacked. u My gel bottle was: clogged/too big/too small/an ugly color/filled with skanky, two-month-old GU. u These new shorts/shirt gave me a horrible crotch/armpit/nipple/buttcrack rash. u The tread pattern on my shoes was terrible for that type of terrain.

FAMILY AND WORK u I’m been trying to save my marriage, and my counselor said not to get my heart rate too high. u I haven’t been able to train. The boss has me working 60-hour weeks because the company is: going bankrupt/public/being audited/expanding/down-sizing/being sued by 18 retirees from Yuma. uMy wife/husband/mistress/cabana boy/nanny hasn’t been putting out, so I haven’t been able to release my sexual chi. u I’ve spent the past month remodeling the bathroom for a euro-chic feel with a strong bohemian paisley motif.

PHYSICAL AILMENTS Author’s note: excuses based upon physical problems are the most convincing. Who’s to say you really didn’t twist your ankle or get a migraine? u I ate some bad meat and now have an extreme case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. u I subluxed my (insert the medical term for any body part; the more technical sounding the better, e.g. “radial ulnastic capillarium”). u My allergies/herpes/acne/gangrene/hemorrhoids/leprosy/dandruff is really bad at this altitude. u I’m PMS-ing (note: only works for women and really bitchy men). u I barfed. u I couldn’t barf. u My chakra was completely out of alignment and I didn’t have my healing wands or vision crystals with me. u I think my hamstring/Achilles tendon/liver/large intestine/gall bladder/rectum is torn/ripped/ruptured/tweaked/snapped/torqued/ mangled/strained.

But you can’t just lamely dribble the excuse out—you must sell it with gusto! With proper body language (no slouching) and verbal delivery (sound pissed off) you can convince anyone that your excuse is not some illegitimate alibi, but a statement of fact.

If the person doesn’t look like he or she is buying it, throw in a few “seriously’s,” “I swear on my grandmother’s grave’s,” and “I shit you not’s” to seal the deal.

So there you go. Have a bad race? Ha! Who cares? Sell one of the above excuses and you’re blame free. Just hope that the person you’re dropping the excuse on actually finished the race so you don’t have to listen to him/her whine a litany of unbelievably lame excuses.

Jonathan Thesenga was late turning in this column because he was surfing in Mexico to rehab a torn meniscus. Seriously.

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 17

NUTRITION

by SCOTT DRUM

» photo by BRET ROEDEMEIER

While every runner is unique and has his/her own quirks, routines and preferences, the pros share certain dietary habits. During performances, they ingest easy-to-carry sport drinks, gels and bars.

Twenty-four hours before a big race and during most training days, the pros chow pastas, breads, fruits, cereals and vegetables. Three to four hours before a race, these trail masters favor more easily digestible foods and simple sugars, such as their favorite sports drinks, gels and bars along with cereals and always plenty of water. After a hard training effort and especially after an intense and grueling race, they choose quick fuel within six hours of exertion, including sports drinks, gels and bars in addition to breads, fruits and even candy. Finally, one to three days after a big race or training day, they diversify their nutritional intake, turning to pastas, rice, breads, fruits, veggies, beans, meat, fish, yogurt and cereals.

DAVE DUNHAM Hometown: Bradford, MA Profession: Supervisory Financial Assistant at the IRS Favorite Racing Distance: 50K Age:40

The Pros Exposed EVEN A BACK-OF-THE-PACKER CAN LEARN FROM THE ELITES

Matt Carpenter, Eric Clifton, Dave Dunham, William Emerson, Simon Gutierrez, Erica Larson, Paul Low, Dave Mackey and Anita Ortiz have at least two things in common. They’re way over-the-top trail runners, and they know what works best for them when eating and training. Does the same hold true for you? Peruse the following athlete profiles and glean some tips that you can work into your training and eating.

18 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

Height: 5' 7" Weight: 125 lbs.

Number of years trail running: 15 Total number of years running: 26 Preparation mileage: 90/wk Typical mileage when racing: 90/wk 2004 mileage: 3000 miles (injured part of year) Key workouts: Track work (6 to 8 x 800m) and trail speed (3 to 4 x 1 mile) Standout facts: Seven-time Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team member; twotime Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier; 2nd overall World Mountain Running Championships (1993) Indulgences: 3-4 hours before a race: Coffee Every Friday: Chocolate-frosted coffee roll from Dunkin’ Donuts Bottom line: “Eating properly is intrinsically part of running and racing well,” says Dunham. “While training, eat before you get hungry and eat a little bit of

» nutrition

everything.” Dunham struggled with his dietary needs the past few years and lost weight to improve performance.

While constricting dietary intake he slowly increased mileage. “Eventually I was running three times a day and barely eating,” he says. At some point, he crossed the line, and his performance plummeted. His race weight was a scant 110 pounds (he races best at 125 pounds). “I eventually got help at an eating-disorder clinic for anorexia, and I’m now on the road to recovery.”

During training, Dunham suggests that most runs should be at a relatively easy pace and on terrain that matches your goal racing course. On race day, you want to have “something in the tank.”

ANITA ORTIZ Hometown: Eagle, CO Profession: Kindergarten teacher Favorite Racing Distance: 10K, half marathon Age: 41 Height: 5' 3" Weight: 105 lbs.

Number of years trail running: 8 Total number of years running: 35 (since 2nd grade) Preparation mileage: 18/day Typical mileage when racing: 12/day 2004 mileage: 4000 plus (trains year round, including snowshoe running during the winter) Key workouts: “Pikes Peak” run on treadmill once a week (15-percent grade at 11:15 minute-per-mile pace for 10 miles); intervals once per week (up to 20 x 400m with 34 seconds rest); tempo run over an hour (runs same course for time) once a week.

Standout facts: 8th place at World Mountain Running Championships (2003); 1st place World Masters Mountain Running Championships (2004); North American Snowshoe Champion (2002); four-time winner of Pikes Peak Ascent; 2002 USATF Mountain Runner of the Year.

Indulgences: 24 hours before a race: Peas, lettuce, spaghetti, tuna 3-4 hours before a race: Cinnamon

20 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

roll, coffee, Pop Tarts (they travel well), Starbucks Double Shot (even an hour before race) During races over an hour: Jolly Ranchers, fruit chewies, liquid carb drinks, bars Post race or workout: Whatever I feel like; Power Bar recovery drink and Shaklee Physique drink mix with milk.

Any time: Ortiz is a candy fanatic and enjoys Rollos and Laffy Taffy.

Bottom Line: Ortiz suggests trying lots of different eating choices. Ortiz explains that a nutritionist friend says she “has it all wrong,” but Ortiz’s successful racing career indicates that she’s found what works best for her nutritionally.

Ortiz trains up to five hours and three times a day, but not all running. A cornerstone of her training is a 1.5-hour stair-machine workout. She is an exceptional time manager as she is also raising four children.

ERIC CLIFTON Hometown: Albuquerque, NM Profession: Projectionist at a multiplex theater Favorite Racing Distance: Ultramarathons Age: 46 Gender: Male Height: 5' 10" Weight: 135 lbs.

Number of years trail running: 28 Total number of years running: 28 Preparation mileage: 90/week Typical mileage when racing: 85100/week 2004 mileage: 3048 miles (lowest since 1989) Key workouts: Tempo run (16 miles); 16- to 24-mile “long run;” track workout (800-meter and one-mile repeats) Standout facts: Normally wins or is in contention in the ultra races he enters; won 2004 San Diego 100-Miler Indulgences: 3-4 hours before a race: Coca Cola, green tea, Red Bull and Matte During a performance: Green tea, chocolate milk and sodas 1-3 days post race: More sodas

Bottom line: “Experiment with food and drink, and find out what works best for you,” says Clifton. Also, he diversifies his races from 100-milers to 5Ks.

ERICA LARSON Hometown: Los Alamos, NM Profession: Chemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory Favorite Racing Distance: Marathon Age: 33 Height:: 5' 2" Weight (lbs): 107 Number of years trail running: 7 Total number of years running: 17 Preparation mileage: 60-70/week Typical mileage when racing: 60-80/week 2004 mileage: 3324 miles Key workouts: 30- to 60-minute tempo runs or variations (on treadmill or uphill road); two- to five-hour long runs; increases frequency of workouts during racing season Standout facts: Won 2004 Pikes Peak and Leadville Trail marathons; 34th overall Women’s Olympic marathon trials (2004); 24th overall World Mountain Running Trophy Championships (2004) Indulgences: Any time and post workout: Chocolate (“I just really can’t live without it,” says Larson) and a tall glass of root beer with ice after a long, hot run.

Bottom line: “Anyone aspiring to long trail runs or races should plan to eat often during the run—probably more than they might expect,” says Larson. “I eat at least one gel per hour for a threeto five-hour effort. Some people prefer bars or fruit, other people like sports drinks. When I’m not eating enough, I can just feel my blood sugar dropping.”

Larson underscores the need for hard and really easy days during training. “I don’t want all of my days to be medium intensity,” she says. “I get more out of my hard days if I let myself recover from them.”

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least an hour and a half per day for about one month, then increases to at least two hours per day for several months, including runs up to four hours; later includes tempo runs to sharpen his speed.

Standout facts: Wins just about everything he enters (such as Pikes Peak Marathon and Barr Trail Mountain race); on August 22, 2005, set new course record for the Leadville 100, smashing the previous record by 92 minutes; won 2004 San Juan Summer Solstice 50 Miler and set a new course record by over 40 minutes; worldrecord holder for high-altitude marathon (above 14,000 feet) in 2:52:57 (1998 at the Fila Everest Sky Marathon in Tingri, Tibet).

Indulgences: During a performance: High-carb liquid meals in a can and energy gels.

Bottom line: Carpenter eats typical fare, such as pastas, cereals, breads and fruit the day before big races or training days, and then sport drinks, gels and bars during races. He practices what to eat and how to drink before big races.

Carpenter typically trains with a heart-rate monitor and knows when to run easy and when to go hard. For longer trail races (ultras), he gradually increases his one-a-day runs to over four hours.

WILLIAM EMERSON

Matt Carpenter en route to crushing the Leadville Trail 100-Miler record in August 2005.

MATT CARPENTER Hometown: Manitou Springs, CO Profession: Graphic designer Favorite Racing Distance: 10K to 50 miles Age: 40 Height: 5' 8" Weight: 123 lbs.

Number of years trail running: 18 Total number of years running: 23 Preparation mileage: 14-16 hours/ week (does not count miles, only time)

22 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

Typical mileage when racing: Three to fives times a season cuts down weekly training hours before a big race; runs seven hours per week two weeks before a race and three-and-ahalf hours one week before the race; then builds back up to normal training schedule.

2004 mileage: 550 hours Key workouts: In preparation for racing season builds up by running at

Hometown: Portland, OR Profession: Full-time ultrarunner and running coach (runcoachrun @yahoo.com) Favorite Racing Distance: 50K, 50 miles, 100K Age: 41 Height: 5' 10" Weight: 145 Number of years trail running: 5 Total number of years running: 20 Preparation mileage: 100/week Typical mileage when racing: 100/week 2004 mileage: 2750 Key workouts: 10-mile recovery runs,

nutrition «

sometimes mile repeats, but considers high-mileage base the key to his racing performance and he races “a lot;” drops down to 10-20 miles/week after major ultras.

Standout facts: Won 18 ultramarathons in 2004 throughout the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii; 2004 USATF Masters Ultrarunner of the Year.

Indulgences: During racing & training: V8 Juice (“because it is a good source of sodium despite being low in calories.”)

Bottom line: “Sometimes I trail run for up to four hours without food or drink to condition my body to be more efficient at energy utilization," says Emerson. "Also, this mentally and physically prepares me for those occasions when I miss my crew person or an aid station doesn’t have what I need.” During ultras, Emerson ingests between 250 to 300 calories per hour and drinks 15 to 30 ounces each hour. After long endurance events, Emerson downs a recovery drink with carbohydrates, potassium, some fat and protein along with a Clif Bar. Then he eats a large meal within two hours when possible.

“Occasionally I will run mile repeats when it fits into my racing schedule,” he says. Otherwise, Emerson uses races as workouts.

“Training smart is the best preparation for racing hard. Rest days and easy recovery days allow you to reap the benefits of hard workouts during training.”

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DAVE MACKEY Hometown: Boulder, CO Profession: Real-estate broker Favorite Racing Distance: 50K to 50 miles Age: 35 Height: 6' 1" Weigh: 168 lbs Number of years trail running: 10 Total number of years running: 10

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 23

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Preparation mileage: 80-100/week Typical mileage when racing: 50-70/week 2004 mileage: 3300 (plus lots of cross training—snowshoeing, biking, climbing, skate skiing) Key workouts: Tempo runs, interval and track workouts, and long runs Standout facts: Won 2004 Way Too Cool 50K; 2 nd place 2004 Western State 100-Mile Endurance Run; usually wins trail marathons to 50-milers Indulgences: During races: Gels, carbo drinks and water 1-3 days post race: Good beer along with coffee Bottom line: “Run your own race,” advises Mackey, “and let the extrinsic pressures slide off you like the water off a duck’s back. Your best performance comes from finding your own zone.”

SIMON GUTIERREZ Hometown: Albuquerque, NM Profession: Physical therapist Favorite Racing Distance: 10K, half marathon, trail/road ascents Age: 39 Height: 5' 6" Weight: 124 Number of years trail running: 6 Total number of years running: 24 Preparation mileage: 110-120/week Typical mileage when racing: 90-100/week 2004 mileage: 4700 Key workouts: Long runs (two hours), mile repeats at 5K to 10K pace; hill repeats (one to three minutes), fartleks (once every 10 days); adds in

ascent running for one hour at 11- to 15-percent grade and fast downhill trail repeats.

Standout facts: 17th place World Mountain Running Championship (2004); 2004 U.S. 10K Trail Champion; 2002-2003 Mount Washington winner; Pikes Peak Ascent winner (2003); 3 rd at U.S. High School National Cross Country Championships (1984) Indulgences: 3-4 hours before a race: Coffee Big treat: Biggest cinnamon roll in town; he takes it home without frosting and smothers it in natural peanut butter and real maple syrup.

Post big workout: Smoothie with protein powder and fruit plus eggs Bottom line: “I focus more on nutrition, cross training and mental preparation than I ever have,” says Gutierrez as he approaches 40. “My legs feel better than when I was in college and my enjoyment and dedi-

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cation to running have never been greater.”

To avoid overuse injuries, Gutierrez suggests “varying your training between flat, hilly runs on trails, roads, grass, dirt and even the track year round. To run faster on trails you need to, of course, run on trails over about a four- to five-week period [two to three times/week] to become more sure-footed and trail efficient.”

PAUL LOW Hometown: Amherst, MA Profession: Geosciences Ph.D. candidate at University of Massachusetts Favorite Racing Distance: 50 to 120 minutes Age: 31

Height: 5' 11" Weight: 140 lbs Number of years trail running: 8 Total number of years running: 17 Preparation mileage: 150-190/week Typical mileage when racing: 120-150/week 2004 mileage: 6000 plus Key workouts: “Just running;” hill repeats of 25 seconds to 6 minutes, and low-key races Standout facts: 2004 USATF National Mountain Running Champion; five-time U.S. Mountain Running team member; winner New England Mountain Running Championship and Barr Trail Mountain Race (2003); top U.S. finisher at World Mountain Running Championship (2002 and 2003) Indulgences: Night before race: Fiber (“If you have to ask why then you probably don’t eat enough fiber,” says Low) 3-4 hours before a race: PowerGel with lots of water

During a performance: Several PowerGels if the run is over two hours.

Post race/training: Beer (“And not as part of the one-a-day-is-goodfor-your-heart regimen, if you know what I mean,” explains Low) and a basket of French fries.

During a day at the office: Power Bars.

Other indulgences: Ice cream, eggs.

Bottom line: “I eat whatever is available,” says Low. “I have a pathological aversion to turning down free food.”

Regarding training, Low says to “run as much as you can without getting injured.” He says to emphasize soft surfaces and to train in beautiful places to keep motivated. “If you show up at a race thinking you have trained harder than anyone else there, you are probably more likely to win it than if you show up thinking that you are the most talented person there.”

■

A S K THE CO A C H

by THERESE IKNOIAN

» Illustration by JEREMY COLLINS

TRAILS & PREGNANCY; GOOD FAT, BAD FAT; MAXIMIZING WEEKEND RUNS RUNNING WITH A STORK I am an obstetrician/gynecologist/ultrarunner who wants to train pregnant woman during and after pregnancy. But the medical literature gives no advice on the physiology of running while pregnant.

What’s the deal?

—THOMAS R. WHALEN, M.D., ST. LOUIS, MO

Here’s what’s up, doc. In the 1990s, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that pregnant athletes not let their heart rates rise above 140 b.p.m., warning that the fetus would overheat and suffer damage.

Any pregnant woman, however, couldn’t take a few steps without reaching 140 b.p.m., and there was no real proof of potential harm to the fetus.

Recommendations have since been revised several times, the latest in 2002. They are now more lenient, but also quite vague—partly because every women and every pregnancy is so different. Plus, little hard research is done on pregnant women, particularly involving strenuous exercise like trail or ultrarunning, because of the inherent risks.

Basically, ACOG now says that recreational and competitive athletes with uncomplicated pregnancies can “remain active” in consultation with their doctors, and if a woman plans strenuous exercise she should be under “close medical supervision.”

Every woman should be evaluated by her own doctor, listen to her body and avoid suddenly taking on more strenuous exercise. Of note for pregnant trail runners is a caution that they may be more susceptible to altitude sickness and should avoid exercise at altitudes over about 6000 feet. Signs to end exercise in

general could include breathlessness when not exercising, vaginal bleeding, headache, amniotic fluid leakage and calf pain or swelling, which are among the details in ACOG’s patient education pamphlet No. AP119, “Exercise During Pregnancy” (to get a copy, call 202-863-2518 or email resources@acog.org).

FAT CITY Can you tell me about transfat and why it is so bad for your body? Can it really cause a drop in my performance?

—DEREK COWAN, GREENSBORO, NC

It’s a good time to start thinking about trans-fats, because as of January 2006 all food labels will be required to reveal how much of the nasty stuff is inside. Until then, read the ingredient list to see if the food contains any “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” fats (including normally good ones like soybean).

“Trans-fat is probably the most horrible man-made manipulation,” says Bob Seebohar, a Colorado-based dietician, exercise physiologist and trail runner. Food manufacturers discovered that they could lengthen shelf life if they pushed hydrogen into liquid fat.

Didn’t you ever wonder why those crackers never go bad?

Trans-fats have been shown to increase total blood cholesterol and the risk of diseases like diabetes and some cancers.

Now, about athletic performance: Seebohar, author of Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes (Bull Publishing, 2004), says there hasn’t been any research on trans-fats as it relates to exercise. However, too much fat in general can make you sluggish and raise your perceived level of effort.

This doesn’t mean that you should avoid all fats, he explains, but should include

26 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

healthier sources of fats, such as olive oil, avocados and nuts. Athletes should shoot for about 25- to 30-percent fat of daily caloric intake.

Consume too little fat, and you can also endanger performance and health.

WEEKEND WARRIOR STRATEGY My new job forces me to run only on the weekends. Instead of running three-and-a-half miles twice a week and five miles once on the weekend, I’m running five miles on both Saturday and Sunday. My goals are fitness related only; I don’t race. What are the pros and cons of doing all of your running on the weekends?

—TARA TANAKA, TALLAHASSEE, FL

Although some exercise is always better than none, your routine isn’t ideal and can actually be counterproductive. By allowing your body five days of rest between workouts, you are minimizing fitness gains.

Boulder, Colorado-based endurance coach Bobby McGee recommends that you find just one day mid-week to do even a 30-minute brisk walk; challenging terrain would be a bonus.

Another tip: Research has found shorter workouts of even five or 10 minutes can

add up to similar health and fitness gains as one longer workout, so don’t feel locked into firing off 30 or 45 minutes all at once. Whenever possible, add in five-minute brisk walks, quick stair jaunts or 10-minute lunchtime jogs with a few sprints sprinkled in. Then take it a step further, says McGee, author of Magical Running, and find a few minutes for some ab work (e.g. sit-ups or crunches) or strength training (pushups or curls). You might try adding those exercises when you’re doing something else, such as squats when you’re on the phone, calf raises while waiting in line in the grocery store, crunches while watching TV or pushups off your desk while on hold. Don’t let your time master you—look for a small nook of freedom and take advantage of it.

■

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T R AIL TIPS

by PHILLIP BENNINGFIELD

» Photo by DAVID CLIFFORD

Reader Wisdom Gear Positioning System

Of Triggers and Trails HOW TO AVOID THE CROSSHAIRS DURING HUNTING SEASON

There’s no need to stop using a favorite trail when the hunters swarm the woods and plains in the autumn, usually October and November (you can easily find out the hunting seasons in your area by searching the internet). Before jumping on the trail, plan accordingly. Even though you may think those hunters are locals familiar with the foot traffic on the neighborhood trails, many are visitors from other states.

Here are some guidelines: 4Avoiding trails frequented by hunters

is one way to minimize your vulnerability. At the trailhead, look for trucks and trailers (usually with out-of-state plates), ATVs, horse tracks and canvastent camps.

4If you choose to run on a hunter-populated trail, then use the most popular routes (such as those clearly marked in Gazetteers and topographical maps).

You’re more likely to be mistaken for an animal on an obscure trail.

4Wear brightly colored clothing, including a vest or jacket. It may not be your 28 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

fashion of choice, but hunter orange makes you highly visible, which is your goal. You can pick up these items cheaply at sporting-good and hardware stores.

4 Make human noises, e.g. talk, clap, sing. Maybe even put a bell on your shoe or hydration pack.

4 Travel in a group and take rest breaks in open areas where you can be easily seen.

4 Be especially careful to make human sounds when rounding blind turns, cresting ridges or entering open meadows.

4 Be respectful. Hunters belong in the woods, too.

WHILE ON THE TRAILS, many runners sometimes drop a jacket, pack or water bottle to pick up on the return trip (I’ve even dropped my cross-country skis when the snow got too patchy, so I could run for a while). Or, for long runs, they might dump water or food at different spots as “aid stations.” But, even if you’ve planned a straightforward, out-and-back route, it can still be difficult to relocate your gear—funny how things look different in the opposite direction.

The solution: run with a GPS and make a waypoint for your gear. Or, if you don’t use a GPS, set your watch alarm as a reminder.

—Tina Ure Mt. Shasta, California

Flask Fan I’M A RECENT CONVERT to gel flasks for on-trail refueling (as opposed to using individual packets). It doesn’t seem like a big change, but it sure beats fumbling to tear open a packet and then storing the sticky casing until you get to a trailhead trashcan. A gel flask is convenient, compact, reusable and encourages more frequent refueling.

—Chris Gardner Duluth, Minnesota

Icy Relief COMBINE ONE PART rubbing alcohol and three parts water in a sturdy Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. This concoction freezes to a slushy consistency—in other words, an excellent, squishy ice pack for treating injuries, aches or pains.

—Christy Zacharias Martensville, Saskatchewan, Canada

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Emma Davies, Mount Diablo ©2004 Kristoffer Erickson (photo) © 2005 Red Wing Shoe Company

TAKE YOUR MARK

by ZOIE CLIFT BEAU ROGERS GARETT GRAUBINS

by DAVE CLIFFORD » photo »byIllustration

Sylamore Trail 50K Allison, Arkansas Course Description: 15.5 miles of out-and-back single track along Sylamore Creek and the White River.

Limestone bluffs and deceptively big climbs. 2500 feet of climbing.

Two wide water crossings (brrrrr!).

Race date: February 18, 2006 Info: www.runarkansas.com

2005 finisher James Allen of Arkansas, fords Sylamore Creek in one (very) fluid motion.

Southern Comfort OZARK SPLENDOR, GNARLY TERRAIN AND ICY WATERS GREET SYLAMORE 50K-ERS. For 12 years, trail runners have scurried to a remote corner of Arkansas’ Ozark mountains every February like trophy trout chasing flies. The lure?

A simple but powerful combination of thickly forested trails and a low-key race atmosphere—the Sylamore Trail 50K. Held in and around the town of Allison, a blip of only 250 people in the northcentral part of the state, the Sylamore course is like a secret fishing hole frequented by relatively few, but legendary in status. Says 33-year-old four-time Sylamore finisher Greg Eason, “Sylamore is held on one of the most beautiful trails in Arkansas, if not the whole South.”

The region’s name was given by early French and Spanish explorers who referred to the area as the land of the bows, or “aux arcs” in French, as a nod to the intricate and beautiful bows made by the area’s Native Americans, the 30 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER MARCH 2005 2005

Osage and Cherokee tribes. The area was once lawless and remote and, nowadays, still basks in a mysterious aura.

From Allison, Sylamore runners tread the singletrack Sylamore Trail 15.5 miles out before turning and heading back on the same route. “For the most part, the trail is underutilized as it is kind of isolated,” says Eason. “So this race is a fine excuse to explore and enjoy the trail.”

Along the way, the trail weaves around the sparkling clear waters of Sylamore Creek and the White River.

But the Sylamore is far from a leisurely cruise along sleepy creeks. Fern beds and lichen-covered limestone bluffs escort runners through a valley. Waterfalls cascade at points along the trail, such as at Slick Rock Hollow, and barns and old cellar holes mark where turn-of-the-century homesteads once stood. One third of the way through the course, the trail

funnels through a narrow rock fissure and suddenly emerges on a high narrow ledge overlooking the creek. Racers often lose time here savoring the view.

Bluffs and 2500 feet of elevation gain aside, water plays the leading role in the Sylamore. Says course record holder Dink Taylor, a veteran trail runner and owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Huntsville, Alabama, “There are times when you are so close to the creek that you can dip in your hand.”

Two waist-high, 100-foot crossings of Sylamore Creek’s frigid waters—in the very beginning and again near the end—also ensure that runners literally soak in the Sylamore experience. These two spots have earned a dubious reputation amongst regulars, and have been described as either an “invigorating experience,” or “catered to the whips and chains crowd,” by racer Jim Stroup, a 57year old machinist from St. Louis.

The water crossings explain why some Sylamore racers tote an extra pair of shoes during the race. “We see a lot of folks changing shoes after crossing the creek,” says race director Randy Davidson. “But I don’t recommend it as you will get your feet wet again in the next half mile.”

Though relatively young, the Sylamore has quietly but quickly taken root in the trail-running community. In 2004, close to 300 runners took part. Taylor explains how certain events have stuck with him over the years, and the Sylamore is one of them. “It’s still a secret and has a nice, laid-back feel.”

Although the event might be grounded in a town so small it lacks a post office, there are still plenty of outlets for busy post-race revelry. Many runners often celebrate with a mixture of bonfire and barbecue at Jack’s Fishing Resort, a local camping spot on the White River, where there’s never a shortage of trail tales … or fish stories.

■

FACES

by GARETT GRAUBINS

» photo by ETHAN VENEKLASEN

Jones-Wilkins doesn’t mind second place, but he’s focused on an eventual 100-mile title.

The Bridesmaid SECOND-PLACE FINISHES DON’T FAZE ANDY JONES-WILKINS

At the 2005 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Andy JonesWilkins, 37, finished second behind seven-time winner Scott Jurek.

Says Joe Kulak, who finished in third place, “Next year, Andy’s Western States number should be L1 – for first loser.” (Western States assigns race numbers based upon the previous year’s finishing place.)

“Tell Kulak that second is better than third,” rebuts Jones-Wilkins. “Let him chew on that for awhile.”

Such is the good-natured smack talk between rivals. Still, it’s also become a standing legacy that Jones-Wilkins is invariably the bridesmaid at the country’s major trail 100-milers, and never the bride.

To date, Jones-Wilkins of Oakland, California, has finished second at the Western States, Rocky Raccoon (Huntsville, Texas) and Angeles Crest 32 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

(Los Angeles, California) 100 milers.

But, while many argue that second-place finishers are quickly forgotten, that’s not the case with Jones-Wilkins.

“Andy is indeed one of a kind,” says Ethan Veneklasen, a friend of JonesWilkins and captain of the Vasque Ultrarunning Team. “There are many people like Andy—professionally successful, involved with the community, family-oriented—but not many who can run a 17-hour Western States.”

The six-foot-tall, skinny-framed Jones-

Wilkins sports khaki pants and a shortsleeve oxford shirt as he shakes hands at an outdoor industry trade show. Here, it’s difficult to imagine this clean-cut, gregarious gentleman caked in mud and dust, locked in trail-racing battle. He resembles a lawyer or accountant on casual-dress Friday. In fact, Jones-Wilkins is middle school head of Oakland’s Head-Royce School.

But Jones-Wilkins enjoys the dual, duel-ing identities. It’s indicative of the clear, unblurred distinctions he draws between running and life.

Jones-Wilkins’ eyebrows jump high on his forehead and he smiles wide as he talks about one of his favorite books, “Miles from Nowhere” by Barbara Savage.

The book tells the true, first-hand story of Savage and her husband shunning the formulaic, marriage-house-children life sequence they had mapped, and spending two years riding their bicycles around the world.

The book struck a chord with JonesWilkins.

“When I graduated from college,” says Jones-Wilkins, “my then-girlfriend [Shelly, his present-day wife] said she was riding a bike from Philadelphia to Colorado Springs, Colorado.” JonesWilkins was an out-of-shape, frat-boy college golfer and weighed 230 pounds, but Shelly “worked on him” and eventually convinced him to join the bike ride.

“We skipped Colorado Springs,” says Jones-Wilkins, “and continued riding all the way to the west coast.” Jones-Wilkins lost 25 pounds on their ride. Since then, he and Shelly have ridden bikes in Latin America and Asia, including a journey across India.

“While in New Delhi, India, we stayed in a walled compound,” says JonesWilkins, “and I recognized the place as the exact spot where Savage and her husband camped.”

Returning from their bike adventures in 1996, Jones-Wilkins and Shelly settled in Phoenix, Arizona. Jones-Wilkins soon found himself running the local trails, Squaw Peak and Camelback Mountain, and entering races.

Today, he holds true to the theme he

faces « found in Savage’s book. “Do it before it’s too late,” he says. “I won’t be able to race at an elite level forever, so I want to make the most of it now.”

Jones-Wilkins’ approach shows in his trail-running ethic. He tries to run two 100-mile trail races per year, with several other ultra-distance events sprinkled in for training and gut checks. “I hit my peak weekly mileage of about 130 for three or four straight weeks,” says Jones-Wilkins.

Despite his remarkable success, JonesWilkins’ climb to the top of the trailultrarunning world has not come without doubts and trying times.

The week following his third-place finish at the 2004 Angeles Crest 100, he experienced flu-like symptoms and discomfort around his back and abdomen. Finally, his wife brought him to the local hospital emergency room. Doctors diagnosed him with Rhabdomyolysis (muscle protein in the blood and kidneys) and concluded that he was in acute renal failure. JonesWilkins spent the next five days in a hospital bed and required 18 liters of

fluid and one kidney ultrasound.

“I was laying in a hospital bed, shaking my head, thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can do that again.’” he says.

His wife, a psychologist by trade, remained supportive. “Yes, you can,” she said, “You’re going to do another one of these races.”

“I WON’T BE ABLE TO RACE AT AN ELITE LEVEL FOREVER, SO I WANT TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT NOW.” “That was just what I needed to hear,” says Jones-Wilkins. He was back running a few weeks later, and ran the Rocky Raccoon 100 the following February, finishing (what else?) second.

Jones-Wilkins is quick to note the vital role his wife and three boys have played in his running success. It is a team effort, he explains, and everybody takes part.

“Shelly motivates me to train, kicks my butt to get on the track for speed

work, and helps plan my races,” he says. Carson, his seven-year-old son, mixes the Cytomax energy drinks (“We call those mixtures ‘Carson Specials,’” laughs Jones-Wilkins). Logan, 5, loads energy gels into his dad’s shorts pockets (“He’s the perfect height for that job”).

The two-year-old Tully helps pack electrolyte caps into plastic bags.

“It’s all highly orchestrated,” says Jones-Wilkins.

Aside from raising a family and running trails—which he squeezes into his schedule by leaving the house by 5:30 a.m.—Jones-Wilkins remains intensely involved in the community. He regularly attends school board meetings—mandatory with his job—and also coaches youth soccer in West Oakland.

If Jones-Wilkins had a less-hectic schedule, could he finally dispel his close-but-no-cigar reputation? He smiles, shrugs and says, “I really don’t mind being the bridesmaid—it’s not a monkey that I need to get off my back.”

Then, after a pause and a far-off glance, he adds, “But maybe I’ll increase my mileage before Western States next year.” ■

GREAT ESCAPES by CROCKER»»photos photographs

by DAVID BRANSON byBRIDGET CHUCK GRAHAM

by JEFFREY BROWN

Lisa Welch, Amy Bigelow and Peter Parks (L to R) traversing the Edison Catway with views of the Channel Islands in the distance.

From Mountains to Shining Sea DISCOVER SANTA BARBARA’S “FRONTCOUNTRY” TRAIL PARADISE

I

I look out on long, sweeping lines of cobalt blue waves stacked to the horizon and ultimately crashing on a deserted beach, as I run the Romero Trail up steep switchbacks to a craggy mountain ridgeline. The crisp air of a November dawn greets me along with the symphony of a flowing creek and bellowing frogs. I run beneath groves of swaying alders, sycamores and oaks, while crisscrossing the boulder-filled creek. Lush, green ferns and dewy grass brush against my legs.

When I reach treeline, the first rays of the morn-

34 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

ing sun warm my back. Now I run over crumbling shale and gritty sandstone coated in lichens of red, green, black and yellow. Higher, dry, overgrown chaparral dominates the Romero Trail and the rest of Santa Barbara’s rugged “frontcountry” trails that overlook this scenic coastal town. In the distance, I can make out the remote backcountry of the Los Padres National Forest, with its 1200 miles of trails, where prehistoric California condors still soar, Chumash Indians once thrived and miners staked their hopeless claims.

PUT SPRINGS IN YOUR STEP While catching my breath on the Santa Ynez Mountain ridgeline, one of the few mountain ranges in the world that runs east to west, I embrace views of two worlds. Lying 3000 feet below and to the west is Santa Barbara. I see boats cruising out of the harbor, possibly heading to Channel Islands National Park, an archipelago that lies 20 miles off the mainland. To the east are the snowcapped peaks of the San Raphael and Sierra Madre Mountains.

At over 6000 feet, Big Pine Mountain towers above the rest.

After taking in these magnificent surroundings, I run back down the narrow, unstable trail, leaping over loose rocks and tree roots, while sidestepping scampering lizards. The soothing sound of the creek signals my return to the trailhead.

Santa Barbara’s frontcountry trails are many, but only six will deliver trail runners to the remote backcountry: Romero, San Ysidro, Cold Springs, Rattlesnake, Tunnel and Arroyo Burro are all steep, technical routes beginning in the heart of Santa Barbara. These runs average four miles one way to the summit of the Santa Ynez ridgeline. A seasoned trail runner can link the six trails, creating a challenging 17.5-mile run of peaks and valleys.

During the fall and winter, these trails offer ultimate solitude, but come spring and summer, the lure of longer, warmer days and swimming holes brings many hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers to the frontcountry.

You can start the day with a five-mile trail run, kayak in the early afternoon and catch the evening “glass-off” for a surf at Rincon Point, world-renowned for its half-mile-long rides. Multi-sport athletes abound throughout Santa Barbara County, and because of its mild, year-round Mediterranean climate, there isn’t a bad time to sample this coastal jewel’s outdoor pursuits.

One of Santa Barbara’s most popular routes is the Cold Springs Trail. The trailhead is located on East Mountain Drive, in the affluent neighborhood of Montecito. From Highway 101 north, take the Olive Mill exit; turn right and go to East Mountain Drive.

Turn left and park near where the creek runs across the road. Cold Springs involves a five-mile run to the Santa Ynez ridge. It begins alongside a consistent year-round creek that holds trout. The gradual trail heads east, past a park bench overlooking a swimming hole. From here it steepens into sharp switchbacks over sandstone rocks before reaching another creek crossing with a waterfall. Here you leave the creek and ascend more switchbacks through shaded forest until reaching a fire road and the first views of Santa Barbara and the islands. During spring and summer, keep a wary lookout for rattlesnakes.

As you follow the fire road east it steepens and becomes more technical through dense chaparral and sharp yucca plants. This section of Cold Springs leads to Montecito Peak, with its sweeping vistas. From here it’s another mile to the ridge.

Once on the ridge, you can reverse the Cold Springs Trail, or drop into the backcountry for a larger challenge. Sharply descend one and a half miles (1100 feet) to Forbush Flat, an old homestead and now a campsite. It’s two more downhill miles east to the Santa Ynez River. From Forbush Flat, the trail rises quickly before rounding a knoll, descending through brush and then connecting with a creek that has more small pools. Then, drop into a narrow canyon on loose shale. Eventually you’ll reach the Santa Ynez River. Round-trip from the Cold Springs Trailhead in Montecito is 17 miles. This is an extremely challenging run, but one that possesses epic scenery to offset the leg-burning agony.

Lisa Welch splashes across San Ysidro Creek on the San Ysidro Trail.

TRAILHEAD >> GETTING THERE. From Los Angeles, take Highway 101 north 75 miles to Santa Barbara.

This will bring you into downtown and State Street, which hosts an array of restaurants, shops and entertainment. >> SEASONS. There really is no winter in Santa Barbara. Average rainfall is 12 to 14 inches per year. Fall and winter offer clear, cool days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Spring and summer temps average in the 80s and up. >> GUIDEBOOKS/INFORMATION. Many guidebooks cover Santa Barbara’s trails. The best is Santa Barbara Day Hikes, by Raymond Ford Jr. Another is Santa Barbara Trail Guide, compiled by Arthur Benkaim. For more info, see the Los Padres National Forest website: www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres/

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Runners on the Girard Trail, where it intersects the McMenemy Trail.

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interviews with the sport’s > In-depth strange birds and the Trail Runner of the Month.

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great escapes «

Santa Barbara, California >> ACCOMMODATIONS. Santa Barbara offers a myriad of campsites in state parks to upscale lodges, inns, bed-and-breakfasts and resorts. For a thorough listing, go to www.santabarbara.com. >> FOOD AND DRINK. Santa Barbara is well known for its diverse cuisine ranging from fresh fish and Mexican food to Italian and steak houses. Check out the Fish Enterprise (805-9623313); Cold Springs Tavern (805967-0066); Delgados (805-6844822); and Esau’s Coffee Shop (805-965-4416). >> ETC. Some of southern California’s best hiking, diving, whale watching, rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and surfing lie within Santa Barbara.

For info, visit www.santabarbara. com//dept.asp?dept=6, or www. maintour.com/socal/stbrecr.html.

Welch savors some shady, cruiser singletrack.

RACE #1 MASAI 5K, February 5, 2005 Observatory Hill Trails, Charlottesville, VA

Presented by:

RACE #2 KINABALU 10K, February 19, 2005 Foxhaven Trails, Charlottesville, VA

RACE #3 AND #4 BEL MONTE ENDURANCE RUN 50K AND HARDROCK 25K, March 26, 2005 Sherando Lake Recreation Area, VA RACE #5 HIGHLANDS SKY 40 MILE TRAIL RUN, June 18, 2005 Monongahela National Forest, Davis, West Virginia

RACE #6 VERMONT 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUN, July 16-17, 2005 Green Mountains, Woodstock, VT RACE #7 AND #8 GREAT EASTERN ENDURANCE RUNS 100K/50K, September 17, 2005 George Washington National Forest, Charlottesville, VA RACE #9 AND #10 VITESSE 10 MILE AND HALF MARATHON TRAIL RACES, November 19, 2005 Walnut Creek Park, Charlottesville, VA

Third Annual Great Eastern Trail Run Series

Got Trails?

We do...

Race Registration/Information www.badtothebone.biz badtothebone@adelphia.net Phone: 434-293-7115 Contact: Gill, Race Director

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

—Goethe

Churning and burning among the alpine splendor of Lacs des Cheserys, Mount Blanc Massif, Chamonix, France.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PATITUCCIPHOTO

DECADES OF

DIPSEAS Trail Running’s Holy Grail

Celebrates 100 years

By Heather C. Liston 40 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

Ed Hartlety, 5 3, gets big style points in his Dipsea finish.

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 41

Oliver Millard winning the 1913 Dipsea.

J

“Just go ahead and park anywhere,” said a stranger in bright orange shorts. “Anything goes today.” So I did. Although it made me a little nervous, I parked illegally in the usually hyper-vigilant town of Mill Valley, California, and followed the crowd—followed everyone, since all normal activities were suspended—to the center of town, where 1500 people were finding their places for the start of the 100th anniversary of the Dipsea race. Spectators and race volunteers shared the excitement by providing last-minute coffee, hugs and encouragement, as race officials and media personalities shared stories of Dipseas past over a loudspeaker.

Many of the people who raced on that 12th day of June 2005 had been running the Dipsea faithfully for decades and training hard all year. To a journalist who scored one of the coveted entry spots just by virtue of a writing contract, the course was jaw-droppingly grueling, and still, the stunning scenery, the constant changes and challenges and—especially—the spirit of the participants and fans made it one of the most exhilarating races I’ve ever done.

42 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

ROUGH COMPANY

It’s been called the hardest seven-mile race in the world. And when runners are struggling up the steep, hot, rugged trail, suffering from aching quads and twisted ankles, they sometimes call the race a few other things as well. The course, which begins in Mill Valley (about five miles north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge) starts by heading straight up 676 uneven wooden stairs. Not accustomed to beginning my mornings this way, I stared at my feet to avoid tripping, and ended up dizzy from the heat and the jostling of other runners who wanted to break out of the crowd before things really got difficult.

The Dipsea consists of hills upon hills with almost no time spent on flat ground.

By the time you cross the finish line on the Pacific Ocean’s Stinson Beach, you have gone up over 2200 feet and down about the same. You’ve jockeyed for foot-space on singletrack trails, risked heat exhaustion on exposed cliffs in the blazing sun, descended suddenly into forests so dark you have to whip off

Cliff Lentz (5th place) passes Judy Rabinowitz in the Chute at the 2005 Dipsea.

“

poem about a “Deepsea chantey.” Most runners don’t care where the race got the name. They just want to be there every year and keep collecting finisher shirts bearing the strange word.

The second-oldest running race in the country (after the Boston Marathon), the legendary Dipsea is the hands-

was not run.) Kirk, who ran it every time it happened, holds the world record for consecutive participation in an annual sporting event.

Or take Russ Kiernan, who won the 2005 race and started training for 2006 the next day. The 67-year-old Mill Valley resident has run the Dipsea 34

“

your sunglasses to avoid slamming into redwoods, and hopped over downed competitors who tripped on slippery rocks or collapsed from dehydration.

Yet the Dipsea is host to some of the most loyal runners in the history of the sport.

Like all great names, “Dipsea” has

It’s been called the hardest seven-mile race in the world.

And when runners are struggling up the steep, hot, rugged trail, suffering from aching quads and twisted ankles, they sometimes call the race a few other things as well.

multiple myths of origin. Some say finishers have traditionally taken a dip in the sea. The official explanation in this year’s program is that the event was named after the nearby Dipsea Inn, which opened in 1904, and was in turn named after a Rudyard Kipling

down favorite of many dedicated trail runners. For example, Jack Kirk, the “Dipsea Demon,” who started running the race in 1930, won it twice and didn’t stop until 2003, when he was 96.

(During the Depression and World War II, there were five years when the race

times now, with three victories.

Race Director Edda Stickle points out that the Dipsea organizers always receive double or triple the number of applications they can accept, which, because of environmental concerns and crowding on the trails, is firmly 2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 43

Runners suffering up the Cardiac section, 2005 Dipsea.

“

“

capped at 1500. “Everybody who’s ever run the Dipsea wants to keep doing it,” says the 63-year-old Stickle, who has run the Dipsea 19 of the last 20 years.

“And then new people hear about it and want to run it, too.” One of the

past by making a comeback in a slightly fictionalized version of the race (called the “Cielo-Sea” in the movie; Dern himself ran the Dipsea in 1974).

“You think ‘Dipsea’ from one year to the next,” says Melody-Anne Schultz,

“Slow down and pass to the side!” he yelled, trying to protect a bloody racer who had tripped and was nursing his wounds at the side of the trail. ways people hear about it is through the gritty but heartwarming 1985 film On the Edge, which starred Bruce Dern as a middle-aged runner who was unfairly banned from competition 20 years earlier and tries to exorcise his 44 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

a three-time winner who placed third this year. The 63-year-old grandmother, who has won her age group in the Boston, New York and Melbourne marathons, and set a world record for her marathons class in the London

Flora Marathon (3:15:03), says, “It’s the toughest course I’ve run so far.”

But she also plans to keep doing the Dipsea as long as her knees hold out.

“I prefer trail running,” she says, as one explanation for why she’s so passionate about this race. “It’s easier on the legs, and you’ve got your ups and downs and undulating land.”

“Undulating” is one way to describe the trail, which essentially consists of a large hill (760 feet) followed by a larger hill (1360 feet), both of which have a lot of smaller rises and falls resting on top of them. Although it’s often referred to as a seven-mile race, that’s an approximation. The trail is an “open course,” which means there are options for your actual route.

Originally—when the race was first run in 1905 as a challenge among friends from the local Olympic Club— the rule was just that you had to begin at the start line and finish at the beach and how you got there was your business.

Since then, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mt. Tamalpais State Park and Muir Woods National Monument, through which the race meanders, have declared some areas off limits. Still, enough choices abound to make strategy count. Volunteers hold up large signs at around the twomile mark: one says “Suicide,” and the other says “Safer.” The “Suicide” route, naturally, is shorter and steeper.

All the contenders take it, hoping to cut seconds off their time. Runners with nothing to prove take the “Safer” route, in part to avoid being trampled by the speedsters. A later sign announces “Swoop in Extreme Disrepair,” and volunteers encourage runners to try the more woodsy and gradual Gail Scott Trail. Most—even those of us who don’t have a prayer of winning— opt for the Swoop anyway. It’s a sharp, eroded, exhilarating descent—a long slippery skid in rainy times and dusty and gravel-riddled in this year’s dry weather.

“No running!” ordered one of the dozen or so yellow-suited paramedics who came into view as I rounded a bend on the Swoop. “Slow down and pass to the side!” he yelled, trying to protect a bloody racer who had tripped and was nursing his wounds at the side of the trail. Slowing down at that point was almost as difficult as speeding up on the way to the peak, but I applied my quadriceps brakes and hopped onto

RACE DAY: Second Sunday in June NEXT RUNNING: June 11, 2006 DISTANCE: About 7.1 miles

▲

ELEVATION GAIN: About 2200 feet

▲

WEBSITE: www.dipsea.org

▲

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ANNUALLY: 1500

▲

Heather Liston is a San Franciscobased freelance writer who will have to depend on a well-crafted application to get into the 2006 Dipsea.

MOST RECENT (100TH ANNIVERSARY): June 12, 2005

▲

There are no prizes other than black T-shirts for the first 35 finishers (everyone else gets blue), a few trophies and a carved bear for first place, but participants and fans gush more about those strange items than most people ever talk about the prize money in the big marathons. Kiernan, for example, likes to claim he’s cool about the whole thing, that he’s in it just for fun, but he knows the exact number of black shirts—24—that he has earned in his 34 finishes, and relishes wearing them around town.

“People see me and they go, ‘Oh you’re the Dipsea guy!’” he says. “I love everything about this race—all the history and the hype. It’s our Super Bowl and Indy 500 all rolled into one.”

FIRST RUNNING: November 19, 1905

▲

GLORY BE

DIPSEA ▲

The unique and complex handicapping of this race is one thing that keeps runners of all ages coming back year after year. The 1500 runners have 40 different starting times to help adjust for differences in age and gender. The original racers, back in 1905, all knew each other and assigned individual handicaps to try to even out the competition. Now, with the help of M.I.T.trained engineer and runner James Weil, the system is a little more scientific, although the board of directors re-examines and tweaks it every year.

First, participants are divided into two groups: “Invitational” for racers who placed well in the previous year’s event (that is, the first 450 finishers from the previous year’s “Invitational” runners, plus anyone else who finished in the top 750); and “Runners” for everyone else who got in by virtue of lottery, auction or a convincing sob story. Then, each group is sub-divided and assigned head starts in accord with the average performances of people like themselves in previous Dipseas. At 8:30 a.m., for example, “Invitational” boys six and under or men 72 and over get to start, along with Invitational girls eight and under or women 63 and over.

(Some of these age categories are theoretical, of course. The youngest starter this year was seven-year-old Zachary Kopstein of Tiburon, California, and the oldest was Mill Valley’s 79-year-old Roy Harvey.) At 8:31 a.m., 71-yearold men and 62-year-old women take off. This continues steadily until 9:18 a.m., when men from 19 to 30, in the “Runners” group, finally get to start.

THE DOPE ON

▲

STATISTICAL STAGGERING

The beginning is complicated; the ending is simple. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins. There is no need at that point to give “agegroup awards.”

“I love handicapped races,” says Kiernan. “I can win ’em!” Regarding the Dipsea system, he explains, “At this age, I gain a minute a year. So the trick is to lose only 10 or 15 seconds of speed each year. If I keep that up, eventually it’ll be like a time zone—I’ll be at Stinson Beach before I ever leave the start line.”

Christopher Phipps was actually the fastest man in the race (at 51:24) but came in 8th place because, at the age of 35, he had a head start of only one minute. “The handicapping is kind of a bummer right now,” says Phipps, who has been the fastest finisher three of the seven times he’s done the Dipsea, “but I hope it stays in place until I’m Russ’s age. I plan to do the race every year for the rest of my life, so I know I’ll appreciate it later.”

The years Melody-Anne Schultz won—1999 and 2003—her margins of victory were 5:14 and 5:33, respectively. Those were so dramatic that the race officials changed the handicapping. In the past, the winner was penalized one minute when he or she came back the following year; now it’s three minutes.

▲

some rocks as I careened past.

“There are no secrets left,” says Kiernan. “I’ve told everybody my shortcuts by now.” Still, he does have his strategies. As he neared the finish line, he kept looking over his shoulder to locate the runners-up. As he passed race officials, he asked them whether anyone was in sight. “I didn’t want a really big margin,” he explains. “If I won by more than a minute, they might reconsider the handicapping.”

His 49-second lead over second-place Roy Rivers was designed to minimize attention, so that Kiernan wouldn’t jeopardize his head start next year.

If that sounds complicated, that’s because it is.

NUMBER OF STARTING TIMES: 40

WINNER’S CLUB FIRST (1905): John Hassard LAST (2005): Russ Kiernan MOST FREQUENT: Sal Vasquez (7 times) FASTEST: Ron Elijah, at 44:49 in 1974 TOP WOMAN: Shirley Matson, with 4 wins MOST PERSISTENT: Jack Kirk, a.k.a.

“Dipsea Demon,” completed the race every year it was run between 1930 and 2003.

DIPSEA ON FILM On the Edge, 1985, starring Bruce Dern, and written and directed by Rob Nilsson.

The Dipsea Demon, 2004, a documentary by Drow Millar about Jack Kirk (www.dipseademon.com).

The Dipsea Race, a video documentary 1989, (www.dipsea.org).

Russ Kiernan’s Secrets to Running the Dipsea Race, 2004 (www.dipsea.org).

DOUBLE YOUR FUN The Double Dipsea, an out-and-back

version of the course, run 13 days after the Dipsea (also won by Russ Kiernan in 2005).

The Quadruple Dipsea, two repeats of the above, for a total of 28.4 miles, run in November.

46 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

The author soaks up the serenity of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on the 26-mile Snowbank Trail.

O N RTHERN

EXPOSURE Most people associate the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota, country of “10,000 Lakes,� with canoeing and fishing. What no one knows is that the area offers a stunning array of wilderness trails, from rolling one-hour jaunts to multi-day, rugged fastpacking adventures. But are the mosquitoes really as bad as everyone says?

By Michael Benge / Photos by David Clifford

S

haking his head with skepticism, Dennis Schmidt, co-owner of Smitty’s on Snowbank, the rustic north-country lodge where we were staying, asked, “Are you really going to run that trail?”

“Yup,” we said nonchalantly.

“Well, ya better have some good boots,” cautioned Dennis. “It’s a rocky, rooty son-of-a-gun.” Five locals leaning on the tiny bar, where you can buy cold beer, live bait and fishing licenses, nodded. Glass-eyed lake trout, walleye and smallmouth-bass mounts, a set

of deer antlers and topo maps of the lake showing prime fishing grounds, graced the lodge’s knotty-pine walls.

On the rafters were pinned hundreds of baseball caps, with logos from John Deere to the Yankees, from guests who’d visited. Over in the dining room hung Native American feather dressings,

paintings of moose and wolves and even a mounted golden eagle.

We smiled smugly, knowing our kind host hadn’t seen many trail runners before, and stepped out onto the porch to the lonely, lilting call of loons. David and Rixt Clifford and I were in extreme northern Minnesota,

(left) Water, water everywhere: David “Off the Couch” Clifford pounds out the miles near Disappointment Lake on the Snowbank Trail. (above) Dennis Schmidt running the shop at Smitty’s on Snowbank, located just moments from the Snowbank/Kekekabic Trailhead. (bottom) Rixt Clifford savors an evening paddle on Snowbank Lake.

preparing to run the Snowbank Lake Trail, a rambling marathon loop in the wilderness.

FULL CIRCLE

As a 10-year-old boy back in Kansas, I lived for hunting and fishing, and, intrigued by the great, mysterious north woods, wrote to the Ely, Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce for information. After poring over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) lodge brochures featuring rocky-bottomed lakes, endless pine forests, moose, bear and fish of mythical proportions, I begged my parents to take me and

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 49

my brother, John, fishing there. The trip was eventually successful, and our family would return to Snowbank Lake and its surrounds numerous times, until my brother and I began taking our own trips in our college years and beyond.

Two years ago, after an 18-year hiatus, I returned to Snowbank and its portage-connected lakes with my then nine-year-old son Teddy, to canoe, fish and remember. Memories flooded back, visions of my dad, brother and me spending long days fishing for toothy northern pike, tasty bronzed walleye and tail-dancing smallmouth bass. In 2003, my dad was 87 and lay in a convalescent home, and I vowed to make this area part of my sons’ lives, and my own again.

During that trip, on a midday fishing break, I paged through an old issue of the Boundary Waters Journal, and stopped at an article on the Snowbank Lake Trail. The authors sported big backpacks and heavy leather boots, but an idea sparked in my trail runner’s brain. When I returned home and surfed

the internet, I discovered a handful of other trails that probed the wilderness area. I once again contacted the Ely Chamber of Commerce and arranged a trip.

It didn’t take much arm twisting to convince an adventurous cohort, David “Off the Couch” Clifford, to join me, so nicknamed for his propensity to take on big challenges with little conditioning. Rixt, his wife and a solid trail runner herself, was able to come as well. I timed the trip to coincide with my brother’s plans to fish there.

HOW DO YOU SPELL RELIEF? D.E.E.T.

As we stood on the porch, a mature bald eagle glided overhead. On my first trip here, we stayed in a resort under different ownership on this very spot.

Everything had seemed impossibly large—the giant lake trout mount hanging in the lodge, and even the depth of the lake, an unfathomable 150 feet.

My nostalgic reverie was interrupted by the high-pitched whine of buzzing mosquitoes. Ah, yes. Before we left

My nostalgic reverie was interrupted by the high-pitched

whine of buzzing mosquitoes.

Colorado, friends had smothered us with warnings: “Better be able to outrun the ’skeeters … Hope you’re bringing a head net … You know what the Minnesota state bird is, right?”

I brushed them off, espousing the repelling benefits of DEET. The next morning, fueled by a heaping breakfast at Smitty’s, we plunged into lush forest, brushing against rainmoistened ferns, columbines and the rare pink and white lady’s slipper (the Minnesota state flower). We negotiated a couple of cryptic forks in the trail (there would be no signage for our entire route), hoping we’d picked the right way. After a couple of miles, climbing the scanty trail over slick, sharp granite and roots, we came to an opening offering a view of Snowbank Lake, four miles long, dotted with thickly treed islands below a steely sky spitting rain. Today, Rixt had planned to accompany us just a few miles, but

the tricky route finding had her waffling on whether to turn back alone.

“Would you guys mind if I came the whole way?” she asked, somewhat sheepishly, her hands swatting mosquitoes. “I don’t think I can find my way.”

Earlier in the morning, my brother John and I had motored across Snowbank (a few of the wilderness-border lakes allow motorized boat travel), and set a camp at one of the BWCA’s designated sites, the approximate halfway mark for the trail, allowing David and me to travel reasonably light. John had planned to meet us that evening (with refreshments); Rixt hoped to catch a boat ride back with him.

We kept a steady pace, weaving through tight vegetation, balancing across a rickety beaver dam and rollercoastering around some small, clear lakes. Occasionally we broke into stands of stately pines, akin to our ponderosas

DIRTY 7

BEST OF ELY’S WILD TRAILS SNOWBANK TRAIL: A marathon’s worth of classic north-country running.

KEKEKABIC TRAIL: A rugged, wooded 40-mile point-to-point outing from Snowbank Lake to the Gunflint Trail. Plenty of solitude and possible route-finding challenges.

BASS LAKE TRAILS: Loop options up to six miles, with a variety of terrain and interesting ecology. Six miles north of Ely. ANGLEWORM TRAIL: One of Ely local Roger Pekuri’s favorites. An elongated lollypop loop around Angleworm Lake north of Ely with rocky shoreline and pine forest; hilly with lots of ledgerock and numerous overlooks; not unusual to run into moose and wolves.

POW WOW TRAIL: A 28-mile lollypop loop east of Ely on a very rugged trail, with stands of old-growth cedars and challenging beaver-dam crossings. Bring a map and compass. “Of the Ely-area trails, I particularly enjoy the Pow Wow Trail,” says Larry Pederson, race director of the Superior Trail 50 Mile Run and Moose Mountain Marathon (see North Country Race Finder). “It took me just over 10 hours, and I was really beat up.”

SECRET/BLACKSTONE TRAIL: Rolling trail near Moose Lake off Fernberg Trail road northeast, with great vistas from bluffs. Approximately five miles with a couple of short connecting-spur options.

SIOUX-HUSTLER TRAIL: A remote 27-mile loop northwest of Ely, passing several lakes and with plenty of campsite options.

(left) Rixt Clifford with northcountry essentials: beer and bug juice. (right) The author and Rixt Clifford move swiftly through prime mosquito breeding grounds.

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 51

back in Colorado. We stopped several times to marvel at hand-sized moose tracks in the trail.

On a rain-slickened downhill, David stubbed his foot on a rock, and his weighty camera gear drove him forward. He started dancing around on one leg, as if performing some sort of Sun Dance. “I’ll be losing that toenail,” he lamented, wincing.

NORTHERN CULTURE

Before leaving for the great north, I hoped to find some kindred souls who had actually run in the area, and contacted an old climbing friend from Duluth, Minnesota, who fired off a list of area runners for me to contact. My first call was to Greg Hexum—and I needed to go no farther down the list.

“I’ve developed an affinity for foot travel in the BWCA,” said Hexum, 34, an ex-collegiate track and crosscountry runner with a long road-racing history. “To me, it is the last great place in the Lower 48 where you can truly be alone.”

52 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

So what trails have you run up there?

“One of the coolest things I’ve ever done was run the Snowbank Trail two months after the big blowdown,” said Hexum. (In that July 4, 1999, storm, a rogue, uni-directional wind blasted a 30-by-20-mile swath of the BWCA, flattening trees into a plain of dinosaur toothpicks.) “The trail was officially open, and for the first six miles, it was fine, but then it was as if the world had been turned on its side. The trail for the next 20-some miles was marked by single-cut sawn logs—it was like running a high-hurdle race.”

WILD ROOTS

Perhaps no other author captures the mystic and aura of the BWCA better than the late Sigurd Olson, a naturalist and conservationist who fought for wilderness protection of the area and penned numerous books on his adventures around Ely, the jumpingoff point for trips into the area. “The singing wilderness has to do with the calling of loons, with northern lights,

and the great silences of land lying northwest of Lake Superior,” wrote Olson in The Singing Wilderness. “It is concerned with the simple joys, the timelessness and perspective found in a way of life that is close to the past. I have heard the singing in many places, but I seem to hear it best in the wilderness lake country of the Quetico-Superior.”

Protected by the 1964 Wilderness Act, the BWCA butts up to the Quetico Provincial Park, its Canadian counterpart, for a total area of over two million square acres. A topo map of the area shows copious blue, delineating lakes, rivers, bogs and creeks. The Ojibwa Indians and, subsequently, the fur traders known as the Voyageurs used the lakes and rivers as their travel routes, and canoeists today travel many of their same portages through the dense pine forests.

In 1978 the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act mandated more wilderness protections, and also encouraged construction of more

hiking trails. Trail runners, along with hikers, hunters and snowshoers, are beneficiaries of this legislation, as the flagship 26-mile Snowbank Trail was a result.

UPS AND DOWNS

(left) Duluth runners Greg Hexum and Rod Raymond enjoy a quick jaunt on the convenient Bass Lake Trail north of Ely. (below) Raymond and Rixt Clifford getting their morning java at the Northern Grounds in Ely.

On the north end of Snowbank Lake, the trail climbs to soaring viewpoints. As we stairstepped up green ledgerock to one promontory, a weathered whitetail deer antler sat atop a cairn, and a breeze blew away the mosquitoes. Across Snowbank Lake, the Three Sisters islands seemed to bob like toy ships in a giant bathtub, and shimmering waters and pine forests unfolded before us.

We were all feeling worked from 12 miles on the go. The relatively level terrain is quite deceptive, being far from smooth and with numerous small climbs. “When they laid out that trail,” says Roger Pekuri, 55, of Ely, a forest engineer for the Superior National Forest and an avid trail runner, “they looked for hills and went straight up and down every one.” Pekuri himself has run the trail several times. While we hadn’t humped up any hills over 200 feet high, my altimeter watch showed a healthy 2200 feet of climbing.

We guessed it was about a mile or so to camp, with only one small obstacle left. Ron Schmidt, Dennis’ brother and Smitty’s co-owner, had warned us that the log crossing at the Boot Lake portage might be dicey because of the high water from a wet spring. “It’s a big drop off down the rapids if you go in,” he warned. To our relief, we arm-waved over the slick logs without mishap.

Maybe it’s just a guy thing, not looking at the map when in doubt. And so it was as we came to a vague fork in the trail. Certainly that right-hand route just leads to a lakeside fishing spot, I surmised. So, eager to get to camp and welcome David and Rixt, I plunged on … and on. At every turn I expected to encounter the dilapidated campsite marker I had scoped earlier when we set camp. After 30 minutes of fumbling on, I realized my mistake and started backtracking to find Rixt and David.

Rixt tactfully convinced me to pull out the map, and we determined that we had gone off track—onto the appropriately named Disappointment Trail. Rixt wasn’t impressed with my route finding, having not planned on 13, let alone 15, rugged miles.

“Your brother had better be there,”

TRAILHEAD

BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA, ELY, MINNESOTA GETTING THERE. Ely and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness lie in far northeastern Minnesota, about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from the Twin Cities, the area’s main air hub. Closer to the BWCA, you may also fly into Duluth and Hibbing, although flights and car-rental options are limited.

SEASONS. Spring comes late in the far north, and the season starts in early June and goes through October (although snow may fly and shut trails down sooner). If you’re black fly/tick/mosquito-phobic, then opt for late May/early June or late August through October. Perhaps the most beautiful season is late September through early October, when BWCA use decreases, the temps are cool, and the fall colors are going off.

RESOURCES. Kekekabic Trail Club, www.kek.org; www.superiornationalforest. com; www.bwcaw.org; www.canoecountry.com (great bulletin boards). Maps are available from McKenzie Maps, www.bwcamaps.com and W.A. Fisher Maps, www.fishermaps.com CAMPING/PERMITS/RESTRICTIONS. Wilderness permits are required for all overnight travel within the BWCA, and must be reserved beforehand. Visit www. bwcaw.org or call 877-550-6777. Day tripping requires only a self-completed, day-use permit, available at entry points, canoe trip outfitters, forest-service headquarters and most lodging establishments AMENITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS. Ely and its surrounding area offer a plethora of lodging and dining options. A good starting point is the Ely Chamber of Commerce (www.ely.org). It is hard to beat staying on Snowbank Lake as we did.

The Snowbank and Kekekabic trails are out the door, and we enjoyed being away from the tourism bustle of Ely. Contact Smitty’s on Snowbank (800-950-8310).

Climbing to a prime vista on the north end of the Snowbank Trail.

“We like to say there is

no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.”

she warned. “I can’t take another day of this!”

A half hour later, we dragged into camp, buoyed by the stellar view across the quiet lake—and the sound of a motorboat. We celebrated the day with John’s venison sausage and 54 TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM | NOVEMBER 2005

cold beverages. Later, John and Rixt motored across the glassy lake into the sunset. David and I basked in the glow of a fire and profound silence.

Day two of our Snowbank Trail run dawned with whitecaps unfurling in staggered lines across the lake, which bode well for David and me. A

stiff breeze is the best medicine for mosquitoes; ticks are another story.

We shouldered our packs and on stiff legs headed into the fragrant forest, soon passing an idyllic pine-needlecarpeted campsite on Disappointment Lake, where I had once spent several days with my brother and dad. We had caught some fine stringers of walleye and enjoyed lakeside fish fries each morning. My father was fit for his age, and my brother and I had not yet confronted the possibility of his weakening.

On the southwest end of Disappointment Lake, we intersected the portage to Snowbank Lake. There, a fellow dressed in khakis and a flannel shirt sat atop a mountain of Duluth packs next to three Kevlar canoes, awaiting his fellow portagers, who were retrieving a final load. He curiously eyed us in our trail-running kits. Lighting a cigarette (maybe it’s a good mosquito repellent), he said, “We’re a bunch of old guys, so we’re just taking our time, hitting as many lakes as we can.”

We tipped our hats, crossed a creek and filled our bottles. Compared to yesterday’s thin, intermittent trail, today’s was wider and less rocky, sometimes blanketed in pine needles.

We passed marshes with yellow lilies and even saw a perfect, fresh timberwolf track in the mud. Glowing-green ferns lined the trail. “Smelling the barn,” I forged ahead, intersecting the Kekekabic Trail, and beelined to the finish. On badly blistered feet and with a potentially broken toe, David limped in a half hour later to complete our 26mile loop, one of the best trail runs I’ve ever done. A five-minute stroll took us from the trailhead back to Smitty’s, hot showers and a nap.

THE DULUTH CONNECTION

In the morning, we drove the 20 miles into Ely to meet Hexum and a buddy of his at Northern Grounds, an Ely coffee shop and café. The joint had a hip vibe, with a poster of Salvador Dali on the wall, knotty pine booths and youthful pierced counter help. We all ordered big cups of joe, and grabbed one of the tables conveniently topped with a map of the BWCA. Hexum had made the two-hour trek north from Duluth to join us for a trail run, and impart some wisdom on what

makes north-country trail runners tick in the tough environment, with its short, wicked winter days.

What is your secret? I asked.

“The growing season up here is only 45 days,” said Hexum. “If you wait for that, you’re going to be pretty miserable.

You need to deal with the harsh climate here, and enjoy every season.”

“We like to say there’s no such thing as bad weather,” chimed in Rod Raymond, Hexum’s friend and another Duluth athlete. “Just bad gear.” He raved about 30-below winter runs, and threw a hand over his mouth to imitate a bundledup runner mumbling through a mask, “Greg, is that you?”

Raymond, 40, is an accomplished trail runner, Nordic skier and triathlete, with numerous top-20 Ironman finishes, and two wins at the Swiss Expo Gigathlon (a brutal multi-sport, multi-day event). His rapid-fire commentary on the Ely area was borderline manic. I wondered if he should’ve ordered decaf.

These top-level athletes seemed to have no intention of moving elsewhere.

What about a place like Boulder? I asked.

Wouldn’t the climate be more conducive to year-round training?

“In Duluth, you find out who you can become,” said Raymond. “There’s more substance, culture and high ideals.” A bevy of top-end athletes have called Duluth home, they said, including Olympic cross-country skier John Bauer (considered the second greatest American Nordic skier in U.S. history), Olympic biathlete Kara Salmela and the newest star in road ultras, Patrick Russell (14th place at this year’s World 100K Championship in Japan).

Hexum ran high-school cross country there with the now-famous trail ultrarunner Scott Jurek, who currently lives in Seattle. After a successful roadrunning stint post college, Hexum, too, turned to the trails. “Road running seems like work, while trail running feels like play,” said Hexum. “I feel like a little kid running barefoot in the woods. And from downtown Duluth, I can access hundreds of miles of trails.”

Adaptability is the mantra of these north-country trails runners. Take the following from Hexum: “I have an ultimate dream trip for the BWCA. Occasionally, we get a really cold fall and the lakes freeze over but there’s no snow.

I want to skate the lakes and run the portages, a fastpacking-running-skating

trip. Sigurd Olson [the writer] used to do it hiking, and they would wear life jackets while skating because you never know about the ice.”

Sufficiently caffeinated, we all needed to burn some energy, so we hopped in the car and blasted up to the Bass Lake trails, six miles north of town. An interesting area historically and ecologically, the trail system offers some great loops up to six miles in length, with an interesting mix of lake views, boardwalks over boggy sections and pine-scented woodlands, even a waterfall.

We were all enjoying the day, and occasionally loitered to take in the setting. “I just did what any northcountry veteran knows not to do,” said Hexum during a lakeside break. “I just scratched a mosquito bite.” Seeing that Hexum already had a dozen welts on the back of his legs, we punched it for the cars and lunch.

FINISH LINE

Ely is a compact town of 4000, with a roly-poly, bustling (at least in the summer) main drag, and a slew of canoe outfitters, restaurants from health food to greasy spoons and now even the Ely Surf Shop, an internet café. You’ll see license plates from just about every state.

After our Bass Lake outing, we hit the Chocolate Moose for lunch, where Raymond devoured most of its inventory while fueling up for a 100-mile road cycle back to Duluth. Hexum and Raymond hit the road. The next day David and Rixt headed out to a wedding on the East Coast. I stayed back to reconnect with my brother and a few memories.

Over the next few days, I ran more trails and fished on Snowbank Lake with my brother and his buddy, Tony Bushinski, a master fisherman who knows the lake intimately. Each morning, we gorged on fresh-caught, expertly filleted fish, fried in a huge cast-iron skillet.

One memorable run was the Secret/ Blackstone Trail, a roller-coaster cruise past several small lakes, with eagle-eye vantage points atop bluffs. Running alone, I thought about my father, and the seeds he planted by taking me here as a kid. Now, with his passing only less than a year ago, I slowed in appreciation of that gift.

Today, I’m already scheming my next trip up to that mysterious north country.

My only dilemma is when to go. By all accounts, fall is tops, with no bugs, few

tourists, gorgeous fall colors and crisp running temps. On the other hand, June offers prime fishing, lush woods, superlong days—and ticks and mosquitoes.

But how bad can they really be? It’s a good thing we trail runners have selective short memories. And Hexum was right, you’ve got to be able to savor every season in the north country.

Michael Benge Trail Runner.

is

Editor

of

NORTH-COUNTRY

RACE FINDER MINNESOTA VOYAGEUR TRAIL ULTRA 50-MILE ENDURANCE RUN (25th annual), July 29, 2006, out and back from Carlton to Duluth, MN. Rough woodland trails, with stream crossings, mud, rolling hills, red clay. Scott Jurek cut his teeth here, and still holds the course record of 6:41. Only three runners have broken seven hours. (mvtu.slovis.com/voyageur.html; 218-729-5949) MINNESOTA VOYAGEUR TRAIL MARATHON (25th annual), July 15, 2006, Duluth to Carlton, MN. Same trail as above, one way. (mvtu.slovis.com/voyageur.html; 218-729-5949) SUPERIOR TRAIL SPRING RACES, 25K and 50K, May 20, 2006, Lutsen, MN. Run on the gorgeous and rugged Superior Hiking Trail on the North Shore of Lake Superior. (www.superiortrailrace.com) SUPERIOR TRAIL 50-MILE AND MOOSE MOUNTAIN MARATHON, September 9, 2006, Lutsen, MN. Also run on the Superior Hiking Trail, the course is rough singletrack with numerous bridge crossings and spectacular views of Lake Superior. Roots, rocks and occasional mud patches. (www. superiortrailrace.com) AMERICAN BIRKEBEINER 15K TRAIL RUN, late September 2006, Cable to Hayward, WI. Runs the same trail as the famous Nordic race in the height of fall colors. (www.birkie.com)

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 55

T R AIL TES T E D

by GARETT GRAUBINS

» photos by DAVID CLIFFORD

TRAIL-RUNNING LAB RATS >> There

is method to our shoe-testing madness. Trail Runner began receiving models for the 2005 Fall Shoe Review last spring, and subsequently evaluated each shoe’s strengths and weaknesses—some models seemed best for pronation control (the downward and inward roll of the ankle beginning with heel strike), others for muddy terrain and still others in inclement conditions.

>> As shoe models arrived at

our “lab” (it’s a muddy, carpeted cubicle with topo maps, posters and gear all around), Trail Runner shipped them to a roster of shoe testers, based upon their trail experience, foot mechanics, weight and other factors.

They mashed and challenged the shoes, providing detailed feedback.

15

>> This review is the culmina-

MODELS

Singletrack Psychosis

tion of thousands of trail miles by over 50 testers.

TRAIL SHOES FOR ANY OFF-ROAD BEHAVIORAL DISORDER

Take this trail runner’s Rorschach Inkblot Test.

testing team—see sidebar) for in-action analy-

Look at the muddy trail-shoe tread pattern on this

sis. Certain truths and trends emerged from the

page, and evaluate your feelings. Do you yearn to

depths of the dirt.

lace up, and run wildly through the woods? Good,

Cynics say the Rorschach is poppycock, compar-

because we received 15 of the latest trail-running

ing it to astrology, Ouija Boards and fortune tell-

shoe models, and thrashed them on a variety of

ing. And maybe they’re right. If that’s the case, we

trails. We fled to the wooded trails and mountain

can confidently say that we see the future of trail

highlands (as did members of our coast-to-coast

running within these ground-breaking models.

trail tested «

< ADIDAS ADISTAR ADAPT •

13.2 oz., $110

www.thestore.adidas.com FINAL WORD: The Adapt continues Adidas’ legacy of dependable and comfortable trail munchers. Testers raved about the beastly tread pattern—outer lugs bite on lateral moves and the overall pattern grips like a clingy girlfriend. The heavy-duty upper sports a protective toe bumper and rubbery mesh side features. The shoe offers moderate pronation control, with a stabilizing heel mechanism that absorbs shock and keeps the foot steady at the beginning of each stride. The Adapt had a tendency to overheat in summery temps, and some testers requested more forefoot cushioning. TESTER TAKE: “I appreciated the simple, sleek design of the shoe—no girly pink or blue—and the fine, clean workmanship.” –Eileen Clark, La Verne, CA

12.7 oz., $90 •

ASICS GEL-TRABUCO VIII >

www.asicsamerica.com FINAL WORD: An all-purpose shoe that bounds seamlessly from the pavement to rugged trail. An aggressive outsole provides grippy traction, and Asics’ gel cushioning reduces vicious impacts to mere tip-taps. The mesh upper breathes well, and the lacing system locks the midfoot and heel in a plushy vice grip. On the downside, the upper’s suede tended to hold water and the forefoot errs on the flexible side. Overall, a star of the review— and an ideal pick for neutral runners craving comfort and cushioning. TESTER TAKE: “It performs equally well on trails and roads and even offers good traction in muddy conditions.”—Michelle Payne, Cambridge, ON, Canada

< BROOKS ADRENALINE ASR2

• 12.7 oz., $90

www.brooksrunning.com FINAL WORD: A lightweight, sleek design true to Brooks’ road roots, but with an aggressive outsole. A hydrophobic upper repels light water (e.g. a dewy trail) and transfers moisture (e.g. sweat) effectively. Posting provides good pronation control. Unencumbered by a starchy forefoot plate, the ASR2 shines on non-techie trails, gravel paths and fire roads. A pliable, spacious toe box is comfortable—but a liability on rock-strewn routes. TESTER TAKE: “The ASR2 is a versatile shoe, equally at home on the road and groomed trails.”—Rachel Landon, Portland, OR

9.1 oz., $95 •

INOV8 MUDCLAW >

www.inov-8.com FINAL WORD: The classic-rockish, Trans-Am-influenced upper aside (our mullet-head testers loved it), this is a streamlined model with aggressive, deep lugs that chew up mud and wet grass that send other shoes flying.

An off-center lacing system cradles the foot’s curves and eliminates pressure points. With a weight that rivals some racing flats, the Mudclaw may get play on the fall cross-country circuit. Not ideal for rough, rocky trails or runners who need stability and support. Best for mechanically sound striders. TESTER TAKE: “The Mudclaw has the cat-like nimbleness of other inov-8 shoes, with claws out.”—Michael Benge, Carbondale, CO

< LASPORTIVA RAJAS

• 14.0 oz., $90

www.sportiva.com FINAL WORD: Built for extreme terrain, the Rajas sports an aggressive, grippy outsole for technical routes or cross-country scrambles. High marks for fit: the lacing system begins low in the toe box, evenly hugging the forefoot. The heel-strike zone deadens impact, while outsole grooves flex fluidly. A shoe that hogs the spotlight in grueling mountain country. As a result, it’s on the beefy side. TESTER TAKE: “The outsoles are great—I could fly downhill with no concern of slipping and they helped me stick to boulders as I scrambled out of some tough spots.”—Annette Fortune, Denver, CO * All shoe weights reflect men’s size 9 1/2

» trail tested

< MAD ROCK APEX TRAIL

• 13.1 oz., $60

www.madrockclimbing.com FINAL WORD: Mad Rock successfully parlays its climbing expertise and sticky rubber know-how to the trails.

Witness the Apex Trail’s plush fit with a locked-in lacing system that extends down to the base of the toes, and the airy, double-mesh side panels. Boogie down rocky surfaces with the grippy outsole. Best yet, this kicker will barely dent your wallet. On the downside, the tread did lack aggressiveness, and the extra upper cushioning took a little while to dry out. TESTER TAKE: “Climbing companies could give traditional trail-shoe manufacturers a run for their money—pun intended—and Mad Rock’s starting out on the right foot with the Apex Trail.”—Garett Graubins, Carbondale, CO

14.6 oz., $100 •

MERRELL PURSUIT SHIELD > www.merrell.com

FINAL WORD: Merrell’s best trail-running model yet. The lacing system contributes to a close fit—the padded tongue loops up through the lace eyelets. The heel impact zone is cushy and a protective underfoot shield guards the forefoot, but there’s a tradeoff: it’s torsionally stiff. Light-footed runners found the heel-to-toe transition rough.

A fine choice for pronators. TESTER TAKE: “This shoe was firm without being bulky; it seemed to eliminate the chance of rolling an ankle.”—Laura Kelley, Peoria, IL

< MONTRAIL MOUNTAIN MIST XCR

• 15.3 oz., $125

www.montrail.com FINAL WORD: Montrail’s smash-hit Hardrock goes Gore-Tex. Pronators will cherish the medial posting in the heel. A firm forefoot plate (plus cushioning) softens the blow of rocky trails. The stretch-fit, gusseted, waterproof) tongue wraps the foot like an Ace bandage. There are “guard rails” encircling the foot, delivering more protection than the New England Patriots’ offensive line. The shoe’s all-weather, all-trail durability, however, makes it a bulky hombre. TESTER TAKE: “I tend to turn my ankles when I run, and I never once turned an ankle in this shoe. It’s firm and stable.”—Diana Davis, Williamstown, MA

13.0 oz., $100 •

NEW BALANCE 907 >

www.newbalance.com FINAL WORD: So comfortable and breathable you’d swear it’s a sandal—the upper dries faster than a desert creek bed. Still, don’t let the 907’s mesh-enhanced airiness fool you—there’s adequate armament in all the right places: the toe box, sides and underfoot. An aggro tread grabbed rocks and switchbacks. Bubble lacing held tight. Overall, a reliable running partner for surfaces ranging from roads to semi-technical trails. Some testers wished for a bit more stability. TESTER TAKE: “The 907 seems to whisper, ‘Go ahead, pick up the pace a bit.’”—Michael Becker, Los Angeles, CA. “I just found a new favorite shoe!”—Phillip Sinclair, Palmdale, CA

< NIKE AIR ZOOM STEENS II •

12.9 oz., $65

www.nikerunning.com FINAL WORD: The agile and lightweight Steens II tackles the trail with minimalist gusto. Combo sticky and hard rubber outsole delivers foolproof traction. Geared toward neutral striders, the entire shoe revolves around the midsole: a pliable core that cushions at the heel, stiffens in the foot’s center and softens as the ball of the foot propels towards toe-off. A snug fit (it runs a half size small) provides an intimate feel for the trail. Craving cushion? Replace the stock insert with a beefier insole. The jet-black color and lack of ventilation caused the shoe to overheat under direct sun. TESTER TAKE: “The shoe’s grippy outsole gave me ultimate confidence while rock hopping.”—Lin Gentling, Rochester, MN

trail tested «

< SAUCONY GRID OMNI 5 TR

• 12.4 oz., $95

www.saucony.com FINAL WORD: Saucony eschews its successful road-running formula in favor of a meaty, hardcore trail beast. Case in point: a tread with attitude, stability control, great cushioning and a bombproof upper.

But don’t be fooled by the burly appearance—this shoe magically compares to the light weight of road runners. Bubble laces hold tight and a gusseted tongue detours crud. Mild pronators and neutral striders will value this surprisingly nimble number. TESTER TAKE: “For a trail shoe, it was light on my feet, and had enough durability to handle rough terrain.”—Diana Stump, Conestoga, PA

13.1 oz., $115 •

PEARL IZUMI SYNCHRO SHIFT XCR > www.pearlizumi.com

FINAL WORD: Let’s face it: not everybody can bomb down technical singletrack every day. Trail fanatics from Chicago to Manhattan are often limited to gravel paths (at least on weekdays). Enter the Shift XCR. Svelte, spongy soft, waterproof and reflective, this model is tailor made for cold- and wet-weather seasons on forgiving routes. The heel strike zone felt downright springy, and forefoot flex grooves created a fine roll toward toe-off. A gentle tread completes this road/occasional-trail package. The cloth upper tended to fray after aggressive, rocky runs. TESTER TAKE: “I’ve had many runs in slush and have always come back with wet feet.

With this shoe, you can’t use weather as an excuse not to get out there.”—Sarah Trachy, Cold Brook, NY

< THE NORTH FACE ULTRA 103 XCR

• 16.2 oz., $110

www.thenorthface.com FINAL WORD: A McMansion for your feet, from the cavernous toe box to the spacious—but firm—heel cup.

The venus-fly-trap lacing system locks gently around the foot. The Ultra 103 XCR is beefy, but still strikes a silky smooth heel-to-toe roll uncommon to other big boys. More supportive than a Hummer body frame, with pronation control and stonewall foot protection. Too rigid (and overkill) for pavement. Runs big. TESTER TAKE: “This shoe smiles in wet weather, muddy trails and technical runs.”—Chris Rumohr, Fairfax, VA

13.3 oz., $100 •

TIMBERLAND DELERION PRO > www.timberland.com

FINAL WORD: The Delerion Pro boasts a lightweight wiry mesh upper for breathability and quick drying. Synthetic overlays protect the toe box and sidefoot battle zones—but do feel stiff. The gusseted tongue and gaiter attachment flick away additional debris; the latter is the most innovative, reliable system we’ve seen. A neutral shoe with mucho midfoot flexibility. The lacing system needs a better tie-down mechanism (the cinch attaches to the laces with a difficult-to-manipulate, Velcro loop), and the tread could use some sharper teeth. Waterproof Gore-Tex XCR version also available ($115). TESTER TAKE: “This shoe feels quick and breathes well. The gaiters are super light and easy to work.”—Devin Gardiner, Basalt, CO

< VASQUE ENDORPHIN • 13.4 oz., $90 www.vasque.com FINAL WORD: The theme of the Endorphin story is motion control, making it a favorite for pronators and also neutral striders seeking stability. Few shoes lock in the foot like the Endorphin, with a high cuff, snug heel cup and midfoot plate that branches into the rearfoot. The durable mesh upper and pliable exoskeleton pamper the foot. The aggressive outsole has bite—although some lugs rubbed loose after long miles. A winning pick for technical trail junkies who don’t want to be weighed down. TESTER TAKE: “The Endorphin offers great support without too much extra weight—it’s sturdy without being too stiff.”—Courtney Ludden, Bozeman, MT 2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 59

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MARYLAND RUNNING REVOLUTION 511 E Campbell Ave Campbell, CA 95008 408-374-9310 www.runningrevolution.com info@runningrevolution.com

WALK & RUN 4140 Bonita Rd Bonita CA 91902 619-472-2500 www.walkandrun.com jeff@walkandrun.com

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UTAH

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VERMONT SKIRACK 85 Main St Burlington VT 05401 802-658-3313 F 802 658-5083 800-882-4530 www.skirack.com info@skirack.com

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LAST GASP

by BERNIE BOETTCHER

» Illustration by JEREMY COLLINS

Empty Pockets THE REWARD FOR BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS ON THE TRAIL MAY NOT PAY THE BILLS I went to the bank to make a deposit with my hoard of winnings. I had my two belt buckles, a fossil candleholder, a sand painting, a gold spray-painted snowshoe screwed to a board, a wooden photo album, 74 T-shirts, 39 medals, 26 ribbons, 13 trophies, 12 mugs, nine shoe certificates, eight decorative plates, four bottles of liquor, four watches, three hats, two vests, two jackets, two engraved pie tins, two key chains, two painted river rocks, a Swiss Army tool, an aspen branch glued to a rock, a Camelbak, an engraved coaster, a frozen turkey, and a free massage certificate from another state, all stuffed into an embroidered trail-running luggage set.

“There’s plenty more where this came “It took me 1083.5 hours of training, from,” I said, glowing. racing and traveling to 54 races all over “I’m sorry, sir, this just won’t do,” said the country in one year to earn this,” I the teller. pleaded. “What can you give me?”

“What do you mean?” I gasped. “I’ve got “I’m sorry, sir,” was all she said. bills to pay!”

My heart sank. I rolled my embroidered “We need actual money to complete the trail-running luggage set out to the street transaction, sir.” corner and sat in the hot sun on my frozen “But this is better than money!” I said, turkey, carving dirt out from under my holding up my aspen branch glued to a fingernails with the Swiss Army tool while rock with the Magic Marker lettering that I waited for the light to change. said First Place Overall. “I beat the guy Maybe I should’ve worn a tie, I thought. from Germany and set the course record I’ve seen road runners wear ties, and they at this race!” make some money, it “I’m sorry, sir, but seems. Ah, the heck I’VE SEEN ROAD RUNthe cash machine with it.

NERS WEAR TIES, AND won’t accept it.”

The light changed “What about gold and I strolled past THEY MAKE SOME and silver?” I sugthe sandwich shop, MONEY, IT SEEMS. gested as I offered up savoring the aroma of two gold- and silverfresh bread. If only plated belt buckles I’d won on the same that race director hadn’t changed his mind weekend in back-to-back races. “I put in at the awards ceremony last weekend and over 400 hours of training for these,” I decided to give all the prize money to his declared. She shook her head. favorite charity instead of saving some Knowing I was going to have to play for the top three runners, as had been hardball, I pulled out the heart of my portadvertised, I’d be having a sandwich right folio—my wooden photo album with the now. I also could’ve saved $50 on gas and plastic engraved label that the legendary entry fees.

Tom Borschel called, “Mountain Running’s Back at the car with my trunkful of Geezer of the Year Award.” It was filled trail-running loot, I noticed a guy checkwith ... well, it wasn’t filled with anything ing out my license plate. He peered in the but memories of a magical year of running back windows at my muddy running-shoe and the acknowledgement thereof. collection, talking into his cell phone. I’d

parked illegally in one of his firm’s marked spaces. He read off my plate number to the tow-truck operator as I fumbled for my keys.

Suddenly he stopped and said, “Hey! Aren’t you that famous runner guy?”

My chest swelled as I puffed, “Why, yes, yes, I am. Nice to meet you.”

He smiled and barked, “Cancel that!” into his cell phone and we spent the next 15 minutes swapping stories of the trail. We talked about muddy races, bear sightings, swollen river crossings and shoe selections. He reached out his hand and said, “Charlie, it was a real pleasure meeting you!”

My name’s not Charlie, I thought, as I drove off to get in a mid-morning run.

Thirty minutes later I was miles down a trail and a world away from “No Parking” signs. I had to hop a bull snake on the first climb, saw two spotted fawns and a doe in a meadow, surprised a pair of mallards in an irrigation canal, watched a blue heron stalk crawdads across a lake inlet, and saw three trout at a stream crossing. I found a turkey feather to add to my collection.

I concluded that I am a rich man. Trail running is its own reward. I wonder if they take turkey feathers at the sandwich shop?

Bernie Boettcher feeds his spirit on the trail, with or without sandwiches, in Western Colorado and beyond.

2005 NOVEMBER | TRAILRUNNERMAG.COM 63

“I feel like a little kid running barefoot in the woods.”

— GREG HEXUM Duluth, Minnesota

TrailRunner One Dirty Magazine

Please turn to page 46 for an exposé on Minnesota Northwoods wilderness running.