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Hello TWENTY - FOURTEEN! Goodbye TWENTY - THIRTEEN!

January 15, 2014, 3:03 pm
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TWENTY - THIRTEEN: The year of the LADIES

2013 was a BIG year for Team Colorado. We added some fast guys to the team of already fast guys, we found ourselves a Chef l'équipe who still has yet to cook a team meal, we've made championship teams and then won championships, we've smiled on many podiums, received a host of awards and once again realized that despite the best training plans and quality miles sometimes it's just not your day.

We joined Facebook (Team Colorado, like us!) and Twitter (@runteamcolorado, follow us!) and even The Prez got himself his very own Facebook account...you have to wonder if Nora will go though an identity crisis when she ceases to be tagged in mustached & bearded photos?! 

We begin 2014 with two new team sponsors: Ultimate Direction has agreed to keep us hydrated in 2014 and Select Physical Therapy has agreed to TRY to keep us injury free (good luck!). Perhaps our biggest accomplishment in 2013 was the welcoming of seven fantastically talented women to Team Colorado. Stevie Kremer, Kim Dobson, Michele Yates, Brandy Erholtz, Lisa Goldsmith, Laura Haefli and Megan Kimmel make up some of the best female runners in the state and nation and in their short time on the team have added countless podium finishes, championships, trail runner of the year awards and even 1.33 babies!  

Looking back, here are some of the high's and low's of 2013 along with what these ladies are most excited for in 2014!  

Looking forward, we are honored to have all the most beautiful ladies of trail/mountain/ultra running on this team and to the companies that believe in us and even go so far as to give us stuff. 


Stevie Kremer

We welcomed Stevie "Sunshine" Kremer in September of 2013 and in 4 short months she went on to win more races than The Prez has mustache hairs! We learned that she LOVES humpday as much as mixing and matching nuts in the bulk section of the grocery store...you rebel, you! Her recent fame has led to autograph requests, lunatic CO screaming fans and even some crazy European runners nearly peeing on her during a race. Stevie's highs made headlines and her low was still so good we made her a headline.  

Here is what Stevie had to say:

"The High Point of 2013 was winning the Mont Blanc Marathon in Chamonix, France", says Stevie.  Stevie didn't just win, she finished in 4:03:16 which was just shy of 22 minutes faster than Emilie Foresburg, the next fastest female of the day and good enough for the new course record!  

Stevie est si rapide!

Stevie is the star of this film: Marathon du Mont-Blanc teaser.

Like Santa Claus, laughing all the way

Stevie says this year's low point was "the moment or the 3 hours and 27 minutes worth of moments when I realized that sometimes my body just doesn't want to move any faster and there's nothing you can do about it!" This was Stevie's reality at the 2013 JungFrau Marathon, coming off a win in 2012 she still finished 5th overall and only 6 1/2 mins behind the winner. Because if finishing 5th is the worst you could do, you are still doing pretty freakin' good in our book, Stevie.

100% confident you still made your "BIG GEEK Dad" super proud!







In 2014, Stevie is most excited to "continue running on different trails, through different mountains, hopefully in different countries, while meeting new people everywhere I go! And the icing on the cake would be doing all that and performing well! Happy New Year!"

Yes, Happy New Year indeed, because her future is looking bright. So, bright that she swam with these pigment-challenged mannequins (while wearing glasses) and was invited by Willie Wonka to his Chocolate Factory.
"I got the golden ticket…and I'm dressed like an elf!!!!"



Brandy Erholtz


   Prego and stilling winning       photo: pikespeaksports.us
Team Colorado welcomed Brandy "Mile-a-Minute" Erholtz in October of 2013 just after she gave birth (a wee bit early) to little Asher, the youngest member of the team. Brandy spent most of 2013 making a little human but did manage to pull off a few pretty impressive finishes despite having to run for two. At the end of April and the end of Brandy's first trimester she claimed first and second at the the Cheyenne Mountain 25K Trail race, she was first and Asher got second by a nose.

She went on to finish 2nd
(and 3rd) at the Mount Washington Road Race, an unrelenting 4,500m climb over 7.6 miles, this was roughly 1/2 way through her pregnancy at 19 weeks! Admittedly a bit slower than in previous years but I don't think many people carry their babies in races and still end up on the podium. Brandy continued to run but didn't race much after Mt. Washington. Here's her take on 2013...

"The high point of my year was definitely the arrival of little Asher! He is a blessing and teaching me things every day!  The day of his delivery was probably the scariest of my life as he had to be resuscitated and we spent the 29 days in the NICU", says Brandy, really quickly.  "My black lab also ran and won her first race with me which was pretty fun! She peed in the pools meant for drinking afterwards which was really funny."








Brandy didn't recall a low point of the year, but we'd guess she wouldn't want to go through Asher's delivery again. As for 2014 Brandy is, "looking forward to getting back into shape and racing. I am currently working on a race schedule some goals. I know my biggest goal is to make the U.S. Mountain running team. I would also like to set PR's at Mt. Washington and Pike Peak Ascent and run in the North Face 50 next December. More to come!" More? Who has time for more than that "little" list, Brandy? We are looking forward to seeing Brandy out on the trails again soon!  








Kim Dobson

Kim's hat trick! Pikes Peak Ascent 2013
Photo: pikespeaksports.us
Kim “Queen of Uphill” Dobson joined Team Colorado in August of 2013 after a disappointing injury early in the season ended most of her racing plans for the year. Despite her injury Kim was able to out-hike the rest of us throughout the summer leaving her fit enough to pull off her third consecutive win of the Pikes Peak Ascent to which she will quickly underplay her achievement  with the disclaimer that it’s really more of a grind than a running race.  Well call it what you want, but a win is a win and a win on Pikes Peak is a title many of us have been chasing for years. Even the Hypoxic Marmot has yet to pull it off! 

We spent some time over the holidays chatting with this busy lady and here is what Kim had to say about 2013:

Photo: Terri "Mom" Sommer

“The low point happened pretty early in the season at the Vail Mountain Games when I injured myself during the first race of the summer season, the Vail Pass Half Marathon (early June). I stepped in a hole and strained my hamstring. Unfortunately, the injury was bad enough that I was unable to finish the race and it subsequently ended my racing season for the year." 


It's all smiles until the poles come out of the bag and then
you had better watch out!

The only good part of Kim’s injury was that she was forced to slow down and Amy “half-as-fast” Perez was finally able to keep Kim in her sights (sometimes she really was just a tiny dot on the trail ahead) for much of the summer. Not many people get the chance to run with Kim all summer because she is really just way too fast. Kim’s dad is still trying to figure out how much weight she needs to carry in a pack on her back to slow her down enough for ordinary mortals to keep up with her…suffice to say, I think she could carry both Axel and The Prez before Amy could really hang with her. 

“The high point of the year was finding out that I was pregnant”, says Dobson. Now roughly 15 weeks along, Kim and Corey are sharing their joy and excitement of their future mountain running Bronco fan with the world. They are anxiously awaiting their new little blessing in early June.

It goes without saying that Kim is most excited to meet her new little human which The Prez and Amy are vying for naming privileges. Certainly if they have a girl, she will be named Amy. The Prez is pushing hard for Usarmy, Jr. or lil' Peter, but the jokes might be a little too easy with these two.  

Kim is also really looking forward to crewing for her husband, Corey, at the Leadville 100 in August. This will be his debut at the 100 mile distance right after his debut as a father all the while debuting as a doctor…seems Corey doesn’t really like to sleep. I think it is safe to say that we will not see Kim at Pikes Peak this year but who knows, if anyone can pull off being in two places at one time it would be Kim. 

2013 Ascent top ladies claiming their very pointy prizes.
photo: pikespeaksports.us



Laura Haefeli

"Still not afraid to lead!"
photo: Joe Viger
Laura "Honey Bee" Haefeli joined the team in October...Team Colorado was having some serious lady luck this fall.  Laura spent her year camping, flying, snorkeling, snowshoeing, downhill skiing, climbing 14'ers in addition to enough running to land her on some pretty prestegious podiums. All of this while working hard to keep things sweet on the Haefeli Honey Farm: http://haefelihoney.com.   It was really fun catching up with this busy lady as she shares the highs and more highs of the year being not just her accomplishments but the achievements of her sons as well.  Laura's recap is here: 

"2014 was about family, family, family and more family. I was happy to still be in the top 10 (at my age!) and 2nd master at the World Qualifying Race & Mountain Championships at Mt. Cranmore in New Hampshire, but even happier that my sons were able to go and compete and get a real taste of what mom does!  I believe they were third and fourth juniors, maybe fourth and fifth?  Here is a picture of us after the race." Brandy, can you imagine when Asher is bigger than you? Awesome photo, Laura!

How can you not bee happy with two body guards like that?
Laura mentions, in a bit of an aside, her excitement with her WIN at Mt. Washington in June 2013 ahead of our very own Brandy, win at the Barr Trail Mountain race as well as the Creede Mountain Run. Maybe there's something special in her honey, I'd say that's quite a year.


Haefeli beeating all the women up to the top of Mt. Washington

"Still not afraid to lead the WHOLE WAY!"
photo: Joe Viger



Not quick to mention anything negative, little miss honey bee herself cracked a rib (probably wrestling bees) in March which was a bit of a drag but happily reports that it only took about 4 weeks of rest to heal.  Laura says, "Happy New Year!!! Another year gone (waaaay too fast!) and another year coming! Looking forward to another great year with family, friends, great running, and great racing!" 


Michele Yates

Our very own "Bomb 'chele" is also a bombshell and certainly didn’t have any trouble delivering Team Colorado some explosive performances in 2013. Michele “Bomb 'chele” Yates joined the team in August just before she tackled the Pikes Peak Marathon, the 2013 Trail Marathon Championship Event. Michele finished 5th in a stacked international field coming off an injury which little did we know at the time but that 5th place finish would prove to be one of the lowest finishes for Michele for the rest of her hefty year! Here’s her recap…

"I'm going bear hunting!"
photo: iRunFar.com

“This year’s high was definitely my win at the Run Rabbit Run 100. I came into the race as an underdog but was determined to start strong and race smart.” Michele did just that, she beat all but 6 men, raced through snow, rain, wind, sun, warm and cold…you know, every season in 20 hours, wrestled a bear (sort of) and managed to outrun all of the other ladies for a win and big check for both her and her charity. Yep, I’d call that a good day!


Take the good with the bad. Michele said her low of the year came with an injury at the IAU Trail World Championships in Wales. Michele travelled to Llanrwst, North Wales to race a field of 120 athletes from 18 different countries. Sweltering heat and a really challenging course compounded with an injury during the race made for a rough day. Michele toughed it out and finished the race and hopefully was able to nurse some of her wounds at the Bragdy’r Nant local brewery. Doesn’t beer make everything better? Or is that bacon? 





Michele isn’t wasting any time with her race plans for 2014. In fact she is likely already thinking of her taper plans for the Rocky Raccoon 100 on February 1st. We sure hope we finish this post by then! Rocky Raccoon will be the USA 100 Mile Trail Championship Race for 2014, so I’m sure the competition will be as fierce as the alligators in the park. Good luck Michele, we will be rooting for you to race well and not get eaten by a gator!          






Megan Kimmel

photo: Rickey Gates
North Face 50        photo: iRunFar.com
Team Colorado welcomed Megan Kimmel in September of 2013.  In the few short months on the team, Megan has managed to give the 628 people living in Silverton, CO a caffeine buzz at least once a week, rolled more vegan breakfast burritos than Brandon "Birthday Suit" Stapanowich ran miles in training for his next 100 miler and managed to get all 5 stars on trip advisor for the best caffeine buzz in town. While not brewing coffee and making healthy eats at her cafe, (cafemobius.com) Megan pulled off a 3rd place finish at the USATF Trail Half Marathon Championships in Moab, UT, as well as top 10 at the North Face 50 mile race in San Francisco, CA. I guess you may as well go for the toughest races you can find if you are only going to do a couple! Well done!


Megan says in 2014 she is most looking forward to, "LESS INSANITY!" Team Colorado is looking forward to a good buzz in 2014!



Rachael Cuellar

Team Colorado rang in the new year by adding another lady to an already amazing group of women. Welcome, Rachael "I need a nickname" Cuellar to the team...formal introduction coming soon. Rachel, like Kim, spent much of the year sidelined due to an injury but learned that riding a bike can be great fun, raising a little girl isn't as easy as Angelina Jolie makes it look and the amount of free time you have when you can't run can easily be filled with housework. Here is Rachael's take on the year:

GoG 10 mile…and the Rockettes!  photo: pikespeaksports.us
"The highlight of the year was definintely my 4th place finish at Garden of the Gods 10 mile race", says Cuellar. The Garden 10 mile is often referred to as the hardest 1/2 marathon you will ever run.  Stacked with competition due to recent increases in prize money, the Garden now attracts professional runners from all over the US and even some from overseas so being the 4th lady to cross that finish line is no easy task.  

"Unfortunately, two weeks later I ended up dropping from the Mt. Evans Ascent with what turned out to be a season ending sacral stress fracture. That was certainly the low of the year, ending my racing plans early in the summer," says Cuellar.  

Rachael is looking forward to SLOWLY building up her fitness to avoid any additional injuries and racing again throughout Colorado and New Mexico and possibly some other states!  Rachael being one of the newer moms on the team is excited for Ammorie to meet Asher and baby Dobson...play dates are as fun in your 30's as they were when you couldn't talk and staring was perfectly normal.  

Welcome Rachael, we are looking forward to seeing what's in store for you in 2014!

SKY RUNNING!  


Lisa Goldsmith

Lisa "Gold in Them Thar Hills" Goldsmith is a founding father (founding mother, perhaps?) of the team, joining the inaugural ranks in August 2013. Lisa had an unavoidable low with a bothersome knee, but hoppy beers make her feel so much better! Injuries seem to be a common problem with us runners, don't they?


Lisa laid it out for us:

"THE SURGERY THAT NEVER HAPPENED!!!! THAT was a high point :). AND, I have been training for Boston rather conservatively, but successfully thus far, Woo-Hoo!  2014 IS starting off okee dokee in the running game that I play."

"The absolute highlight of my 2013 was, duh, going to ITALY for some Dolce Vita! I rode my (rented BMC racing bike) 2-wheeler nearly 400 miles winding up, down, and all around the fabulous wine country terrain of Tuscany with good friends who were unrelentingly funny and who seemed to have an insatiable appetite for The Best wines findable (they brought lots of dough) - and, SOMEHOW made it back on the bike every morning for a day of pedaling to our hearts content and always game for the village town sprints and hammer sessions to the top of Monte-this and Monte-that…"

"2013 actually started lowly with a BAD BAD BAD ankle sprain a week before a planned marathon in Carlsbad, CA...looking back, I just never got back ON.  When I was finally good again, I made the executive decision to only run uphill, ONLY and not nearly the volume of past seasons...Which fully, and unsurprisingly culminated in my slowest Mt. Evans and Pikes Peak Ascents....So, THAT experiment didn't work. ALL things can be viewed as learning experiences to improve on, right?! Oh, and there was that inflamed knee thing that lasted 3 months... I bow to cortisone....1 shot gave me the feeling of my youth, indestructible, so I promptly put in an amazing session of lunges just because...A guy at the gym, actually said to me, "Wow, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to work tomorrow!" I says, "WHO says I'll be able to walk tomorrow??!!!" But, alas I could walk 'tomorrow' and tho my knees DON'T feel like they did even a coupla years ago. I have partnerder with my hard ass roller and am getting my miles in (ie: keeping IT bands 'loose' verrrry important to happy knees)."

"I'm looking forward to my last year as a 40-something'er; focusing my running energies on my 2 favorite events: The Boston Marathon and Pikes Peak Ascent and enjoying lots of Hoppy beers along the way. YA."



Dear 2014, 

It will be ALL highs this year! 

Your truly,

Team Colorado
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H.U.R.T. 100: A Barney's Prerace Review

January 17, 2014, 10:04 pm
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Team Colorado's Brandon Stapanowich left his dog, Charlie Brown, in Colorado and took a sail boat to the Big Island out west to compete in the H.U.R.T. 100 Trail Race. That's 100 miles with 25,00 ft of elevation gain on an island! Here is what this Barney had to say before the race:

Aloha and howzit! As you can see I've been working on my Pidgin bruddah!

Climbing to the Pillboxes on Lanikai with the Mokuluas in the background. This is the Pidgin he is talking about, bruddah! 

Oddly enough, tapering here has been tough. As expected, the beaches are fantastic but the big surprise for me has been the mountains. Everywhere I look, there are mountains I want to run! Believe me when I say that the ridges of Koolau Range are more numerous than those of a Ruffles potato chip!

To cross…or not to cross!?!?!? Howzit?
The Ultimate Direction pack is going to be my quiver of calories on race day. Tried it sans shirt for the first time today, with no chaffing issues whatsoever. I may have to resort to this strategy on Saturday as it's more humid than a hot yoga studio here!

Also, while doing some recon on the HURT course, I found this guy who was  contemplating life's greatest question. 

Follow Brandon as he hurts, we know Charlie will be following!

Go Team iP!!!! Arm panties rule!!!! Where's my ball???
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Glenn Randall pulls a GR and wins the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Grand Prix Series Age Group

February 5, 2014, 10:16 pm
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Our teammate, Glenn Randall, is known for going out fast (aka "Pulling a GR") in mountain races, but is also very fast on the roads. He won his age group in Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Grand Prix race series and told us a little about it.

A little over a year ago, I ran RnR Arizona. I ran a 1:07 or something, and while I was in town, I met with the Chair of Graduate Admissions for the ASU Physics Department. Given that I'm now a graduate student in the ASU Physics Department, I'll call that trip a huge success.

Later, in February, I ran the RnR Pasadena. It was an interesting race. I thought Deena Kastor was going to take over pacing responsibilities early on, I was outkicked by a Hungarian mountain runner (seriously, in Pasadena), and Peter Maksimow photoshopped a picture of me running sans head.

Said headless photo

Later still, I ran the RnR Dallas. It was my last tune up for last year's Boston Marathon, it was windy, and people weren't too stoked on doing any pacework. I ran RnR San Diego after Boston, PR'd in a 1:06:06 after blowing up, and was beaten by almost 10 minutes by some Kenyans.

A very Hungry mountain runner

Somehow, this put me going into the final race of the RnR Half Marathon Grand Prix leading my age group. So, Competitor flew me out to San Antonio. I was less than a month off of the Chicago Marathon, it was really hot, and I did not run very fast. Granted, the winning time was 1:08. We all kind of suffered out there. But the important part was I held onto my lead, so I got a prize package. I'm waiting for my sunglasses to arrive in the mail with bated breath.

Anyways, fast forwarding to now. This last finals period I did too much physics, ate whenever I felt stressed (read, ate for 2 weeks strait), didn't sleep enough, and felt too busy to run. The result of that was something like 15 or 20 lbs of weight gain in 2 weeks. My body doesn't realize I live in AZ, so it wants the extra insulation apparently, because even putting in some fairly serious miles, I can't get it off. Anyways, I entered RnR AZ this year carrying extra lbs and having done not enough speed work. So, I ran my slowest ever half marathon that wasn't on Pikes Peak. But it was an exciting day. About 5 miles in, I heard sirens and prepared to leap out of the way as an unmarked police car flew past me on the course. Half a mile or so later I saw a truck surrounded by flashing lights and police officers with guns drawn. So, I moved to the other side of the road and kept running.

2013 US Mountain Running Championships, Cranmore, NH                            photo: Joe Viger
As for my schedule, last year, the evening after Boston, I promised myself that if I was healthy and Boston would have me, I would be there this year. So now to see whether Boston will have me. And for somebody who sees midterms as a mere blip on the horizon, planning that far in advance is a lot.
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Who Doesn't Want Free Stuff?

February 6, 2014, 8:44 am
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Free stuff?  Shoes from La Sportiva and Altra, sunglasses from Smith Optics, and free race entries are all part of the prize packages.  Team Colorado's sponsor, Ultimate Direction, has even added some gear to the list!  Chris Martinez, race director of Moab's Red Hot 55k and 33k, is hosting a prediction contest on his website. Predict this year's winners correctly on GrassRoots Events'blog posting to win! 

Team Colorado will be representing at this year's Red Hot.  TC women, Brandy Erholtz and Megan Kimmel will be throwing their hats in for La Sportiva Mountain Cup points.  TC men, Jared Scott and Justin Ricks (Co-director at GrassRoots Events) will also be racing for La Sportiva Mountain Cup points against last year's Mountain Cup winner, Jordan McDougal.  Other racers in this event include, Maria Dalzot, Geoff Roes, Jason Bryant, and Ryan Woods.


TC's Alex Nichols will be competing in the 55k this year against some of ultrarunning's top competitors. Runners Mike Foote, Joe Grant, Luke Nelson, Dave James, Chris Vargo, Karl Meltzer, and Zeke Tiernan will be lining up in the longer distance this year.  In the women's event, Jodee Adams Moore, Jenn Shelton, Darcy Africa, Anita Ortiz, and Kerrie Bruxvoort will all be participating.  

Good luck next week, Team Colorado!  
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Ultimate Direction

February 16, 2014, 5:54 pm
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When Ultimate Direction first came out, I was living in Rexburg, ID. It was a hometown product and so my dad, Thomas, was sure to support it. I began using their products immediately. I remember, in the early 90’s, wearing a two bottle waist pack as I paced my dad in 100 mile races. At fourteen, it was heavy around my waist, as I muled gear up Hope Pass. Then, I moved to the Ultimate Direction handhelds, which worked better for me. The handhelds were more accessible through aid stations, but I didn't enjoy the extra weight I had to carry. 


I have found Ultimate Direction’s new Signature Packs to offer the best of both worlds! I am able to easily access my bottles and not have to worry about carrying them, in my hands, over long distances. And, Ultimate Direction has thought of everything. They have easily accessible pockets, tie downs for extra clothing, and they are light weight. Sometimes, I forget I even have the pack on my back. I have the AK pack and the Jurek pack. When I am out hiking with my kids, I can pack a lot into the Jurek pack so that my kids do not have to carry anything. I can use the AK pack when I am out on a solo adventure. I have tried other hydration companies, but I always end up using my Ultimate Direction gear, because it is so much better.




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The Van Plan

March 14, 2014, 8:45 am
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I am a VW Vanagon owner. Her name is Olga and she is a beautiful brown, let's call it caramel apple tinted ‘84 Westy. I lived in Olga for an extended period after graduating College, prompting endless “van down by the river jokes.” But all joking aside, I love Olga. Not the way a man loves a woman, but in the way that a man loves a van. Trust me - It’s complicated. Our love is hard for others to understand, but what is harder to understand is the physiological bond we share.


Maddy, my human love, made a statement about Olga the other day that caused much indignation from me at time. She claimed that Olga’s health was a reflection of my own. At first I scoffed at this blatant slander. Both Olga and myself are, and always have been, perfectly healthy! Aside from the achilles problems, leaking gaskets, calf tears, ignition failures, swollen knees…ok maybe she had a point. The more the statement rattled around instead of my head the more I realized she was completely right (as always). In a way, it is almost absurd how much my own running related injuries have mirrored the timing of Olga’s gasoline powered flubs.


2013 was a pretty good year for me. I ran in the world mountain running championships, I won a few
races, and I broke the Spanish stranglehold on the podium of the Skyrunning series. Olga, too, had a pretty solid 2013, highlighted by a new clutch, buffed out paint, and new tires. But even with those new tires and shiny paint, Olga had her own scary moments. It all started when I strained my calf and DNF’d at the first stop of the Skyrunning world series: Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri. It was a pretty big setback for me, and because Olga didn’t want to be left out she had her engine removed, taken apart, and put back together to fix an persistant coolant leak. With some hard work and time off to heal our wounds both Olga and I cruised through the summer with relatively little difficulty. Of course we shared a few minor problems along the way - a swollen knee/burned out signal lights, a sprained ankle/faulty O2 sensor, etc. All of which were eerily synchronized. Then coming into November I started putting in big miles to get ready for a very long race in San Francisco, while Olga was putting in her own big miles as the weather made bike travel less appealing. It started with a puff of black smoke on a cold day which was, of course, prompted a cramped left calf. In denial, we both pushed through. Eventually Olga was putting down a smoke screen that would make Batman jealous and I was wincing during 30 minute runs. The result - another DNF, a trip to the mechanic, and a month of little driving or running. It makes my head spin thinking of how connected we really are.



Looking back on 2013 has armed me with the very odd but valuable knowledge that a 1984 Vanagon decides my running fate. It is a simple yet complicated gift which will require the utmost attention and tender care. In the last two months I have been working extra hard to take care of Olga and myself as Maddy’s words echo in my mind. So, now if Olga gets new tires then I get some new Inov-8’s. If I go to Select Physical Therapy, then Olga pays a visit to the mechanic. With both human and mechanical healers on speed dial I see see a bright future for Olga and I in 2014.


by Axel Nichols
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The Pikes Peak Road Runners Fall Series #1: How can you NOT get Giardia if you participate in this race?

October 11, 2013, 5:31 pm
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On Sunday, October 6, 2013 a few Team Colorado members, and 370 of their closest running friends, took to the trail and creek in race #1 of the Pikes Peak Road Runners Fall Series.

The 5K (actually, 3.7 mile) race started in Monument Valley Park (Colorado Springs, CO--the #1 most affected city in the US by the Gov. shutdown--take note Boehner!) and our very own Simon "Gute" Gutierrez commentated the race, as he avoids anything technical and, besides, his Hokas would have drowned and taken him down with them in the polluted creek. 

IN A STRONG COMMENTATORS VOICE (not Gute's soft voice): 

HERE WE ARE AT THE 35TH ANNUAL PIKES PEAK ROAD RUNNERS FALL SERIES AND THE RUNERS ARE LINED UP ON THE GRASSY KNOLL OF MONUMENT VALLEY PARK IN GOOD OL' BANKRUPT COLORADO SPRINGS. 

HERE WE GO... THE GUN...NAY...THE LOUD SCREAM "GO" IS CALLED OUT AND THEY ARE OFF!!! BALLS TO THE WALL! IT LOOKS LIKE A MILE RACE UP FRONT! TEAM COLORADO'S NEIL "BIG McD" McDONAGH AND JUSTIN "DON'T CALL ME RICK JUSTINS" RICKS TAKE THE RACE OUT FAST, LIKE A DOWNHILL MILE, LIKE A FRESHMAN MALE IN HIS FIRST HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY RACE. 
Ricks (L) and Big McD (R) make a Bowman-sandwich out of Scott Boweman (C), with Dan "Brown" Vega (in blue), Andrew Hugill (florecent green) and Pikes Peak chasing                              photo: PikesPeakSports.us

THERE IS PETER "THE PREZ" MAKSIMOW--IS HE RACING AGAIN!?--AND AXEL NICHOLS SITTING IN 10TH AND 11TH. OH, THERE IS A GUY WITH..."BORN...TO..WHINE" ON HIS UNIFORM. NOT SURE WHAT THAT MEANS, BUT LET'S HOPE HE DOESN'T WHINE WHEN THEY HIT THE CREEK. THERE IS BRANDON "STANKANOWICH" STAPANOWICH...HE JUST COMPLETED PU: THE STANK, WHERE HE RAN UP AND DOWN PIKES PEAK FOUR TIMES IN 41 HOURS 47 MINUTES FOR A TOTAL OF 96 MILES ONLY ONE WEEK AGO!! LET'S HOPE HIS LEGS DON'T FALL OFF.
The Prez, Axel and one of the Hanson brothers can't keep up with the lead pack            photo: PikesPeakSports.us

THE RACERS HEAD NORTH, CROSS A BRIDGE OVER MONUMENT CREEK AND CONTINUE SOUTH. IT'S STRINGING OUT NOW! BIG McD IS INCHING AWAY FROM THE LEAD PACK, USING HIS 4:05 BRISTOL MILE SPEED. HE HITS THE FIRST MILE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CREEK IN ABOUT 4:50. WOW! IT'S LIKE WATCHING THE SUPERHERO THE FLASH, JUST WITH WITHOUT THE FULL BODY SUIT!

OK, JUST WASTING TIME NOW, ENJOYING THE WARM WEATHER. THAT CREEK LOOKS POLLUTED, YUCK! IT CLOSELY RESEMBLES THAT SCENE IN STAR WARS WHERE LUKE, HAN SOLO, CHEWBACCA AND PRINCESS LEIA GET TRAPPED IN THE GIANT TRASH COMPACTOR.
A very appropriate depiction of Monument Creek
"What an incredible smell you've discovered!"
                                                     -Han Solo

AND NOW BIG McD GRABS SOME WATER AT A STRANGE AID STATION...OR WHAT HE THINKS IS WATER...AND NOW HE THROWS THE CUP AND GESTICULATES SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF "THAT'S NOT WATER!" I BELIEVE HE NOW REALIZES IT WAS  A BEER STATION, COMPLIMENTS OF REG LEG BREWING COMPANY.

AXEL IS NOW SLOWING MOVING UP AMONG THE FIELD AND GAINING ON RICKS, WHO IS HOLDING 4TH POSITION. DAN VEGA IS OFF THE SHOULDER OF THE PREZ IN 7TH AND 8TH POSITION, OHHHH, AND VEGA PULLS UP WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE A PULLED HAMSTRING...THAT'S HEARTBREAKING! AND NOW THE PREZ HAS STOPPED...IS HE OUT...NO, JUST REFUELING AT THE BEER STATION--TYPICAL.

AS BIG McD ENTERS THE CREEK, IT LOOKS AS THOUGH HE JUST HIT A BRICK WALL! NOW OTHER RUNNERS ARE TAKING THE PLUNGE, LITERALLY. AND DOWN GOES RICKS!!!! OH, NO, IT LOOKS LIKE HE JUST SEVERED HIS THUMB ON A RUSTY PIECE OF REBAR IN THE CREEK...HE BETTER GET A TENTNUS SHOT...AND A GIARDIA, SYPHILIS AND GONORRHEA SHOT, JUST IN CASE. YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO SAFE. THAT LOOKS BAD! 
Axel goes for a swim...just balls deep, though                              photo: PikesPeakSports.us

AXEL!!! IT'S AXEL TAKING THE LEAD AFTER BEING IN THE WATER FOR ONLY A MINUTE! HE IS LIKE A PIRANHA OR A RABID JAWS! THE WATER HAS CHANGED THE WHOLE DYNAMIC OF THE RACE! NOW THE PREZ IS MOVING INTO 3RD, NOW 2ND, NOW BACK TO 3RD, NOW 4TH, 3RD AGAIN...THAT STOP AT THE BEER STATION MUST REALLY HAVE WORKED! 


IT'S CHAOS, HEADS BOBBING THEN DISAPPEARING INTO THE WATER, SOME NECK DEEP...GROSS WATER, DID I MENTION THAT? ALL SORTS OF STYROFOAM, BROKEN GLASS AND SODA BOTTLES OF ALL BRANDS ARE ABUNDANT ON THE BANKS. WE KNOW THERE IS DEFINITELY REBAR IN THERE, PROBABLY A FINGER FLOATING AROUND SOMEWHERE. HYPODERMIC NEEDLES, PERHAPS!?
Big McD says, "Go ahead, take the lead, find the deep spots...you'll just fall into them"           photo: PikesPeakSports.us

AXEL IS THE FIRST ONE OUT OF THE WATER, THEN ONE OF THE HANSON BROTHERS, FOLLOWED BY THE PREZ, ANDREW HUGILL AND CARLOS RUIBAL...WHERE ARE THE REST OF TEAM COLORADO!? 

OH, WE SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED THIS...BRANDON STANKANOWICH HAS DECIDED TO DO ANOTHER DEATH-DEFYING STUNT--HE IS PERFORMING BURPEES IN THE CREEK! I UNDERSTAND THE STANK, BUT THIS IS TAKING IT TOO FAR. THAT'S A BOLD MOVE! HE BETTER GO TO THE CLINIC WITH JUSTIN AND GET A FEW VACCINATIONS.
Stankanowich, pushing the boundaries...burpees in the creek...yuck!             photo: PikesPeakSports.us

NOW IT SEEMS THAT EVERYONE IS DANCING, THROWING THEIR HANDS UP IN THE AIR...AND RAISING THE ROOF...LIKE THEY JUST DON'T CARE...UHHH, NA NAHH NA NAHHHHH!

The Prez raisin' the roof!                                               photo: PikesPeakSports.us






Yes, that is blood from a missing finger and not a red satin glove on his hand....RAISE THE ROOF!                         photo: PikesPeakSports.us
Big McD sings, "I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky...." as he dances through the creek             photo: PikesPeakSports.us



Amy "Chef l'équipe" Perez dances the Saturday Night Fever in solidarity with Team Colorado                       photo: PikesPeakSports.us

NOW THEY HAVE LESS THAN A MILE TO GO, BUT I CAN'T SEE THEM SO I WILL JUST TWIDDLE MY THUMBS AND WAIT AT THE FINISH LINE. 


Later...at the finish line...

IT LOOKS LIKE AXEL NICHOLS WILL TAKE THE WIN IN 24:21, FOLLOWED BY PETER "THE PREZ" MAKSIMOW IN 3RD IN 25:01. RICKS AND BIG McD MAKE UP SOME TIME AND FINISH 6TH AND 7TH IN 26:01 AND 26:03. AFTER COMPLETING HIS 30 BURPEES, STANKANOWICH COMES IN AT 29:48. JUSTIN RICKS WINS THE COVETED RED GLOVE AWARD BY ALMOST SEVERING A THUMB IN THE CREEK...DID I MENTION IT WAS GROSSLY POLLUTED!? 

SHOUT OUT TO TEAM "THE BLERCH": AMY, NORA, SARAH, BOBBI (NOT BROWN) AND A QUICK RECOVERY FOR DENISE RICKS, WHO GOT THE SHAFT (REBAR, THAT IS) THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOE, AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO SUSTAINED INJURIES. I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT YOU ARE ALL NOW DISEASED. 

NOW YOU SEE WHY I DON'T DO THESE RACES!!??
Nice butt Big McD!                                                      photo: PikesPeakSports.us

Results
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Inception: Greenland Trail Races

April 16, 2014, 9:46 am
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Last year, Team Colorado's Neil "Big McD" McDonagh and Peter "The Prez" Maksimow ran the Greenland Trail Races (25K and 50K, respectively) and both took course records. As we get closer to this year's race, we were able to get in the heads of these two during REM sleep to find out what their recollections were. We call it: Inception: Greenland Trail Races. Where you never really know who was dreaming what. You decide!


May the 4th (be with you) 2013
I shook the sleep from my eyes an hour before dawn and stepped outside of my house in Manitou Springs. I always play “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC at full volume on the cassette player before dawn of a big race, Manitou Springs loves it! The weather seemed refreshingly brisk, which I took as a good omen for the Greenland race. The weather looks nice, I muse to myself, but, then again, it always looks nice and turns out to be a giant wind tunnel at the Greenland Open Space, so I shouldn’t really concern myself with how nice it looks until an hour INTO the race. My training had been relatively unprepared for the step up in distance. I really wish I could have trained more, this seems like an awful long way to race when feeling like a wounded duck. After a quick mid-week jaunt up to Larkspur for a course preview, my gaps in fitness seemed inconsequential. Well, Roger Bannister didn’t run 5 days prior to breaking 4 minutes in the mile for the first time, so if I am doing the math correctly that means…uhhhh, three weeks off before this race is a perfect amount of down time! Team Colorado decided to carpool for the race, meaning our chauffeur  Nora, allowed a few last minute zzz’s before hitting the trails. On the ride to the race, the seats were making me itchy, “what are these things made of, CACTUS!!??”, I wonder. The rolling hills of Larkspur were teaming with all manner of Lycra and hydration system festooned ultra competitors. As I pull the last couple of cacti needles out of my arse, I use all of my warm up time to prepare my spandex and hydration gels packs of salt sticks, and even some NoDoz in case I get sleepy a few miles in, so that I am well lubricated during the race.Both races appeared ripe for fast times. ”Wow, this is going to be so slow”, I tell the race director Derek Griffiths at the start line.Even with numerous countdown reminders, the crack of the starter’s pistol felt rushed. Rush…I love that band and I think as I am caught off-guard when the blerch of the starter’s weird magafone horn-thingie goes off.Antsy to get in a good groove I made my way to the front of the lead pack. Pack mentality is how I run my races, stalk and attack in a group…sounds cruel, doesn’t it?Quickly finding myself gapping the field, I offered some mental diversion therapy. Whoa, there is I-25, I wonder if they can see me flipping the bird from here!?I looked off to the right and saw some grassy hills. All I see is blue and yellow-purple hills, I think I need some calories.Over to the left was Interstate 25. Yeah, definitely seeing the bird, I am getting some attention from people in cars now!I focused in on a lone tree way off in the distance, but it didn’t really seem to be moving any closer and it was depressing me, so I switched to the ground ten feet in front of me. I realize there is someone at my side and he has been there the whole time, it wasn’t just the noise of the car horns that have kept me company for half of the race. About a quarter of the way in to the race I felt a strange gurgle in my stomach, unfortunately all too familiar to me. All I can think of is that line from the Shakespere “boil and bubble…toil and trouble”…it’s probably not the direct quote but it paraphrasing…I’m in the middle of a race, what do you expect!? Being open prairie land, tree coverage was quite the commodity. It’s like I am getting vibes from some entity on the course. I looked left then right and deftly hopped behind a thicket to make a quick biomass deposit. Wow, this is the first year there has not been gale force winds on this course…wait, what is that wretched smell!? Relieved, in more than one sense, I was back on the course making up for lost time. I lost some time because I couldn’t brethe for about a minute there, I think something died! A zeroed in sense of directed drive pushed me through the halfway point. Am I only at the three-quarters point of this reace--this is really going to take a long time? Roughly two-thirds of the way in to the race, again my innards expressed discontent. Why does this guy at the aid station keep heckeling me and calling me a “wanker”? A significantly less camouflaged leafless tree provided the scantest of privacy for a second bowel evacuation. You really have a lot of time to think when you are in a race this long, maybe that is why I keep asking myself so many questions? Brow sweating from stress more so than effort. Am I halucinating, did I just see a Gnome?—I definitely need some energy gels. Frustration capped as not five minutes passed before a final fully digested elimination behind a hedge the size of a garden gnome. OK…almost there…keep moving…hips are tightening, buttocks is involuntarily clenching…but this guy is still at my side like flies were on that gnome back there. Convinced my internal root cellar empty, I proceeded to bomb back down the course. I wish a bomb would fall on my head right now, that’s how much I hurt—but NORAD could intercept it before it hit the ground, DANG IT! Amazed that I had somehow held my lead throughout the ordeal, I figured surging over the last quarter of the course only made sense. I am definitely hallucinating now because I was running with someone the whole race and now he has vanished without a trace. I finished the race looking peaked. This is like a dream and there is the finishd line…but why won’t my legs move…it’s like they are in wet concrete. I washed my hands promptly after crossing the line. I cross the finish line to a cheering crowd and I bow to the roaring crowd. I won the race. I won the race…I thiink? I somehow set a course record. I somehow set a…uh oh, I think I just pooped myself as I bowed.

May the 3rd be with you in 2014!
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Team Colorado Gets Boston Strong!

April 21, 2014, 5:24 am
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Brandon Stapanowich is the epitome of Boston Strong! During the 2005 Boston Marathon, he was having some "issues", you could say, but was so determined to cross the finish line that not even delirium and non-functioning muscles would keep him from that goal. 

He couldn't run anymore. Nor could he walk. What he did do was set the Strava course record for crawling on Boylston Street! 




"Boston 2005 was my second marathon. In all the years since, I'm still not quite sure on the why's but I vividly recall the what's. Fatigue was certainly an issue for the final 6 miles after heartbreak hill, but just after making the left hand turn onto Boylston, my world turned upside down. A wave of sound from cheering spectators hit and I recall becoming euphorically overwhelmed. The next thing I knew, I was on my hands and knees. My legs didn't cramp and I didn't trip on anything. They had just collapsed. With thousands of people watching, I was incredibly embarrassed and a little angry, but when I tried to stand up, I simply couldn't! My watch read 3:07 and the finish line was just ahead. For a brief moment, I weighed the options of barrel rolling or crawling the rest of the way. Ultimately, I determined that crawling would be the most efficient means of a 3:10 finish. After a half an hour and intravenous fluids I was as good as new!"


"Less than 0.00001% of the world will ever finish a marathon on all fours."
 
-Brandon Stapanowich

The authentic "Crawl" poster a year later in a Beantown T station.


Kim "Queen of Uphill" Dobson is not allergic to the roads as most mountain runners are. Boston was her first marathon and it holds a special place in her heart, for more than one reason.
"The Boston Marathon is like the hub of the running community. The incredible response from runners all over the nation after last year's tragic event proves even more how supportive, friendly, and tenacious runners are. For me, Boston is a very nostalgic race as it was the first big marathon I ran when I was a naive 19 year old. I was enamored by the experience and from that race grew my desire to compete in long distance races."

"It's also special because I stole the household Dobson marathon PR at Boston when Corey [Dobson] and I ran it in 2010. "




Glenn Randall, known for his front-running style, took out the 2012 Boston Marathon and gapped the field of elites, including Africans and some top US athletes. This is where the term "Pulling a GR" was acquired from a flurry of activity on LetsRun.com. What most people didn't know was that this is his style, he kept it honest even if others do not and he has the talent to back it up. Say what you will about him because he lives by Dr. Suess' words:

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."





Stevie "Sunshine" Kremer ran Boston back in 2010 and had her trademark oversized sweater on, luckily, because it was a cold year. When asked about her experience she recalls an image.

"Crazy thing is there was a picture from the Boston Marathon of me with my knees in my sweatshirt a few hours before the race start and the only thing behind me were army boots (legs of soldiers). It's a pretty amazing picture."




Amy Perez, Team Colorado's chef l'equipe, crossed the finish line shortly before the explosions at the finish line last year. Regardless of the finish, it was not supposed to be part of what should have been a positive experience. She's back this year for some unfinished business. 


"I finished the The Boston Marathon in 2013 and fell in love with this amazing city. I've run a few other big city marathons and no one welcomes you quite like Boston does. Last year's race was emotional on so many levels and ended on such a low, I wanted to give myself the chance to come back and see this race through the finish for all runners. Once again, welcomed with open arms, Boston has done a tremendous job with taking their city back and I'm anxious and excited to run hard. Huge thanks to Kim (Queen of Uphill) for getting me here more fit than ever before...I WILL run all the way to the finish."


Lisa Goldsmith has a history with Boston as she has run the race 5 times. Her fastest was 2:50:12 (back when the Olympic Qualifying was 2:50. "Hahaha....that's less than 1/2 second per mile tooo slow.....ah well..." says Lisa. 

"I have run 2x @ 2:59 and another 2 at just over 3 hrs..."

"I was not here last year; I was at the gym when my brother (a Bostonian) texted me that there were explosions at the finish line and then within the next few hours my siblings/parents + some clients/friends called me to see if i was ok!!! (as if I wouldn't have told them previously if I'd been going to run Boston...)"

"I became very moved and motivated to return, so hopped into the San Diego Marathon last June just to git my qualifier; I figured on the 'spur of the moment' I could eek out a 3:20..voila! I ran 3:20........
which puts me in the 2nd Wave wearing # 11831  I'm calling it my 'wrap-around#.' Hahaha, I was #38 back in 1999...."


"I think this year will be a big 'ole love-fest party scene and I am completely looking forward to the experience!"

"Each of my races do have their own story, but one of my favorites is the year I went out way too fast for meself, and was just suffering by 15+ miles, thinking 'maybe when I see my brother at 17 I will just drop out..' ...then I come up on this guy on CRUTCHES (they allow handicapped participants to start early) and in that moment knew I could at least (SHOULD AT LEAST) finish....so I passed my brother by, and of course I am happier with that decision!!!!!"

"The other memorable moment was when I was privileged to start with the elite women, and again around 15 miles the elite men who start later, came whizzing by me, WOW! I even have a photo from the race of me running "with" a few that were off the back of those leaders. The other memorable thing of that day was that I ran the entire day practically alone being off the back of the real elites and ahead of/passing the stragglers....a unique Boston experience! BOSTON STRONG!!!"


Melody Fairchild has never run the Boston Marathon, but she did just run an amazingly fast 5K this Boston Race weekend with a 16:46 to finish second female master.


"Racing on Boston Marathon weekend, this year in particular, was a thrill and an honor. Thanks to my sponsor, Newton Running, for making it all possible. Someday I will be back here to run the marathon. The level of organization, professionalism and passion that the B.A.A. has for their events, is unparalleled. I am happy with this 5k performance, a race I am "training through" en route to my "A" goal of the year, a sub-2:38 marathon at Twin Cities in October. Wonderful to see the ubiquitous Peter Maksimow out there on Commonwealth Ave. during my warm up, too! Great motivation before the race!


Peter "The Prez" Maksimow has never run the Boston Marathon (he's allergic to the roads) but has fond memories of the place and its magic.

"Boston holds a very special place in my heart for many reasons. It is a place where I lived for a short period of time but gained so much from at he same time. Back in 2006 I had finished my graduate degree at the higher learning institution where basketball was invented, Springfield College in Western Mass, and having just returned from Europe, not knowing where to go and what to do, I took a job at the Oak Square YMCA in Brighton, MA. That is where I met my best friend and wife, Nora. We watched our first Boston Marathon together in 2007 and cheered on a trainee of mine to a new marathon PR. I was deeply motivated to get back to running competitively and someday run this race. It was Boston, after all! Unfortunately, I had been unable to run for a few years due to a serious bout of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."



"Fast forward to 2014. We have made the pilgrimage back to the place that holds a few bad memories, but has even greater memories of love and perseverance, both personally and collectively. On Saturday, Nora and many friends and fellow teammates cheered and ran alongside me in the B.A.A. 5k as I gave some of the fastest men and women in the world a run for their money (they won the money, I won the lady). Although it's not the marathon, it's a step in the direction of Hopkington."



Keep it Strong Boston!
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Lessons Learned the Hard Way

May 16, 2014, 12:02 pm
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Jared "Youngster" Hazen

This past Saturday I attempted to run the tough Quad Rock 50 miler. Going into the race my goal was to win and set a new course record, preferably under 7:30, and walk away with $600 in my pocket. Having never seen the course before I had no clue that chasing that goal would almost certainly spell disaster. Nonetheless come race morning I found myself running with the leaders the first 25 miles already sensing I may have bitten off more than I could chew. The pace was fast from the start as we tackled the course that boasts 11,000 feet of elevation gain. Ryan Burch, Paul Hamilton, Jim Rebenack, and I were crushing our quads on the downhill (led by Ryan), and hammering the uphill (led by Jim). Near the end of the first loop Jim had about an 8 minute gap on me and I had about a 5 minute gap on Ryan and Paul who would both drop at the 25 mile mark. With my pace well under the 9:00 minute miles I needed to run to sneak under 7:30, I was trying to stay calm while I felt the fatigue really setting in after heading out for my second 25 mile loop. Only two miles later I got an update that Jim was only 7 minutes up, and I foolishly started pushing hard to catch him on the big climb that was in front of me. This was where I really started burying myself. In a short 3 miles I managed to get to the top of the climb and catch Jim shortly after. As soon as I caught Jim he really picked up the pace and we began another quad crushing decent. I was going nearly all out trying to keep up and watched Jim catch his toe a few times which led me to believe I still had the advantage. I was definitely tired but I was still moving really fast 30 miles into the race. Just before the aid station at mile 32 Jim caught his toe and went down hard. He said he was fine so I left him and decided this was where I was going to break away. After a quick transition through the aid station I started plugging my way up the next big climb. This is where things started getting pretty difficult; I was working really hard, but the pace on my Garmin was quickly slipping upwards. I looked back and couldn’t see Jim down any of the switchbacks and knew I had at least a few minutes on him.
            
Near the top of the climb I took another gel (I had been taking one every 30 minutes), and promptly threw it up along with all the other ones in my belly. My stomach hadn’t been feeling great but that really took me by surprise. The last time I threw up while running was in my first ultra, about a year and a half ago, and that was for good reason. I tried to stay positive and slogged my way to the next aid station less than a mile away where I was able to drink some soda and begin a 3.5 mile decent to the mile 40 aid station. Unfortunately, those 3.5 miles were my unravelling, I vomited a few more times and was having some painful abdominal cramping. I was light headed and it was really hard to focus on the trail. I knew I needed sugar, but there was no way I could stomach another gel. It seemed it was all I could do to stay on my feet. About a mile from the aid station, as I was hidden (not very well apparently) behind a tree expelling more bile, this time out the other end of my body, Jim came running past and asked if I was ok. I mumbled a quick yes with my shorts were around my ankles. I was crushed when he passed me and just focused on getting to the next aid station and trying to get my stomach settled down. Finally I shuffled my way into the aid station hunched over and had a seat. Jim had come through a couple minutes earlier, but I was only focused on myself at this point. I sipped some water, but over the next hour my stomach never came around and the thought of 10 more miles in my current state seemed nearly impossible. The aid station workers were great and lifted my spirits, but I decided the best thing to do was pull the plug, and live to run another day.
            
It was one of the more embarrassing moments of my life, and I felt pretty hollow the rest of the day. People drop out of ultras all the time, but the fact that my race came to an end due to a belly ache seemed pretty pathetic. A couple of days removed from the race I’ve had a lot of time to ponder what happened. I’m not entirely sure why I had stomach issues, but have narrowed it down to two likely things. One, I just flat out ran too hard for my own good and my body decided it was going to put a stop to it one way or another. Or two, I didn’t take in enough electrolytes; I only had one S-Cap and maybe 6 potato chips. Of course it could have been a combination of the two, or something else entirely. I’m no doctor.
            
But, I did learn some valuable lessons. In ultra-running, it’s always better to be conservative than aggressive, especially early in a difficult race. The past three ultras I have run have all been successes. I won the Oil Creek 100 in October, was third at the Rocky Raccoon 100 in February, and won the Cheyenne Mountain 50k, two weeks ago. All of which I ran my own race, and stayed patient in the early miles. At Quad Rock I thought I was too good for that. I thought I could break the course record no problem, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Also, I learned I really need to take better care of myself during ultras. I’ve always kind of winged it with electrolyte replacement. Just eating potato chips, and maybe taking an S-Cap every once in a while and hope for the best. Until now it’s worked, but now I’m looking for smarter ways to replace electrolytes. In the end my failure at Quad Rock needed to happen. Looking forward to Western States I plan on being patient and conservative in the first half of the race and hopefully picking up carnage late. Much like I did at Rocky Raccoon where 3rdplace just fell into my lap due to DNFs and blow ups. Until then I’ll be training hard and finding a solution to my electrolyte replacement problem.
           

            
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Team Colorado Welcomes Amy O'Connell

May 24, 2014, 8:09 am
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Name: Amy O'Connell

Age: 36

Hometown: Denver, Colorado

Current residence: Denver, Colorado

Sponsors: Runners Roost, Mizuno, Honey Stinger, Accelerate Health

Personal Bests: BESTS: Runnin’ of the Green 7k: 27:03, Snowmand Stampede 10 Miler: 1:05; Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon: 1:26; Colfax Marathon: 3:08; Bear Chase 50K: 4:35; Silver Rush 50M: 8:58; Leadville 100: 26:54
WORSTS: DNF’ing (we're making new words!) two 100 milers in a 5 week span was not my favorite time 

Notable Achievements: 1st Female, Steamboat Half Marathon 2008; 1st Female, Steamboat Marathon 2010, 2011; 1st Female, Bear Chase 50k, 2011; 2nd Female, Colfax Marathon 2011; 2nd Female, Run Rabbit Run 100, 2013 (Tortoise division!); 3rd Female, Leadville Marathon, 2010; 5th Female Silver Rush 50, 2013

Goals for 2014: Goal #1 – Have this baby!; Goal #2 – Return to my former glory in some form; Goal #3 – Run a sub 1:25 Half Marathon, sub-3 marathon, Sub 25 Leadville 100, gain entry to Hardrock 100 and UTMB, Finish Hardrock 100 and UTMB, Sub 8-hour 50 miler (course TBD). I could go on forever! 


Favorite trails: 4-Pass Loop, Maroon Bells, Aspen; Pawnee Buchanan Pass Loop; Barr Trail (seriously!); Mesa Trail, Boulder; Ptarmigan Peak, Summit County; Much of the; Leadville 100 course; Kepler Track, New Zealand; Routeburn Track, New Zealand




Favorite workout: I LOVE the long 6-8 hour Saturday run where you pay no attention to pace, but just run. The longer the better! This is what I’ve missed the most during pregnancy.

Favorite races: Leadville 100; Silver Rush 50; Bear Chase 50k; Pikes Peak Ascent; Run Rabbit Run 100

Website/Blog: Amy's connecting the world with Fuel Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/FuelSocialMediaLLC and blogging here: http://www.runnersroost.com/community/author/ajs1977/

Favorite beer: Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin but I’ll take a glass of Stranahan’s over anything, any day.

Why Trail/Mountain/Ultra Running?:  While I still love road running, the people/community, the races, the training, are why I fell in love with this “side” of running. There is less pressure, more fun, more beauty and more life in Mountain/Ultra running.

Anything you want to add: As we are expecting our first baby (a boy!) here in a couple months, I can’t wait to introduce him to this world and can only hope he loves it as much as I do. You will probably see me on top of a few mountains with him on my back – Maybe Kim and I will try to set some records for the most 14’ers with a baby on our backs!


 
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Team Colorado Welcomes Kerrie Bruxvoort

May 25, 2014, 11:32 am
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Name: Kerrie Bruxvoort

Age: 37

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Current residence:Broomfield, CO

Sponsors: Salomon, Honey Stinger, DryMax Socks, Bliz Eyewear

Personal Bests (or Worsts): One of my favorite experiences was at Run Rabbit Run 50 in Steamboat this past year. It was one of those races that felt easy and was truly enjoyable from start to finish. That doesn’t happen very often! Also, my first ultra ever was the Mesquite Canyon 50K in Arizona in 2012. I felt amazing that day and managed a solid course record and third overall.
A tough race for me this past year was the UROC 100k. I was having a wonderful day until about mile 40 when I got behind on calories and could no longer eat anything. It was a 100% suffer fest for about 25 miles. I was staggering around in the dark dizzy and nauseated and talking to myself. It was rough!!

Goals for 2014 and beyond:I know I have lots of room for improvement when it comes to speed, so I’d like to work on that. I’ve been running a lot of longer, more technical races, so my strength and endurance have increased, but my speed has taken a hit for sure. I hope to improve my times over 2013 at Dirty 30, Speedgoat and TNF 50 San Francisco. H.U.R.T 100 in Hawaii and Hardrock 100 are both on my list. My main goal is to continue to enjoy and appreciate every experience and to hopefully inspire my two daughters to be strong and follow their dreams!

Favorite trails: Mt. Sanitas, Boulder Area Trails, Aspen Four Pass Loop, Mosquito Pass, Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat, - anything steep, dirty and rocky!

Favorite workout: Mt. Sanitas repeats. Mt. Sanitas is easily accessible and I know I can get a lot of great technical running done in a short amount of time.  It’s a staple in my training regimen!

Favorite races: The gnarlier the better. Anything with insane amounts of rocks, roots, altitude and climbs. I love Zane Grey 50 in Arizona, Speedgoat 50K in Utah and the Dirty 30 here in Golden, CO. I’d really love to run some mountain races in Europe to experience that whole different race scene.

Website/Blog: Not yet! I will be starting a blog very soon!  Until then you can follow me here and teamcolorado.blogspot.com.

Favorite beer: I like most beers, but right now in my fridge I have: White Rascal (Avery), and Orabelle by Great Divide.

Why Trail/Mountain/Ultra Running?:  Mountain running brings joy, freedom, balance and simplicity to my life. It’s a great time to be alone with my thoughts and find inspiration from my surroundings. I love running ultra trail races because the task is so primal and simple (one foot in front of the other), yet so very humbling. Living and running in Colorado is truly a privilege. And you can’t find a better group of people anywhere!

But really, who's Kerri?
  • I have two daughters, 7 & 9 and a husband who love to come and support me at my races. I couldn’t do it without them!
  • I also have a great group of friends to run and train with here in the Boulder area. I feel very lucky!
  • I’m a Girls on the Run Coach- Love those crazy kids!
  • I cracked the bone on the side of my right ankle at mile 4 at Western States in 2014. It grew back a bigger bump than before, now I have to cut the side of all my shoes!
  • I love Pina Colada Jelly Bellies
  • I’m afraid of getting devoured by a Mountain Lion
  • I love coffee almost as much as beer
  • I have a love affair with the stair climber at my gym
  • I do cheesy workout videos in my basement
  • I try not to take myself too seriously, especially when racing. It’s all about having fun and enjoying the experience!


Watch your back!  At the Stump Jump 50k in Chattanooga, TN it rained pretty hard all day making the roots and mossy rocks super slippery. At mile 2, I was crossing a wooden bridge and slipped sideways and got my leg caught under the crossed wood. I pulled it out, hobbled a bit and started running again. It was so damn slippery! I fell countless times. The most memorable fall happened as I was climbing a rocky, mossy ridge behind a group of guys and I lost control of my feet and lunged forward. To help break my fall, I reached out for the closest thing to grab, which happened to be the guy's ASS in front of me. With a good-sized hunk of his butt in my hands I continued forward and did a face plant on his ass as well. It was pretty embarrassing and I apologized profusely. He turned and said, "Thanks for the ass massage! Can I have another?".  You gotta love ultra runners. It's such a great crowd!  
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Loon Mountain Race & Cranmore Hill Climb interview with co-RD, Paul Kirsch #NoSafeWord

June 29, 2014, 5:44 pm
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Last year we sat down with the 2013 Cranmore Hill Climb and 2014 Loon Mountain Trail Race co-RD, Paul Kirsch. We also followed up with him about this year's Loon Mountain Race, which serves as both the women's and the men's US Mountain Running Championships, he insisted we do it while running up the Upper Walking Boss. Loon Mountain Race takes place July 6th in Lincoln, NH. BE THERE!


2013 US Mtn Running Championships podium
First of all, thanks for fixing it to make sure that our Team Colorado made the US Mountain Running Team back in 2013. Well, what I mean by that is creating the most difficult course you could imagine, not actually setting boobie traps or secret aid stations. You have put this race on in many different forms in the past, how did you come up with this course?

I always look for the World Champs course profile and then try and mimic the profile.  Some years that takes 4 or 5 potential course passes.  This year, the first course myself and Paul Bazanchuk (or Pavel X2, as we like to call ourselves) measured fit the profile pretty perfectly.  

What did you think of having a guy with a golden mullet in the race (we won't use any names here--just a photo)?
The pre-mullet look, where he had flowing golden locks my wife referred to as "The Mountain Running Bobby Brady". I am guessing he turned it into a mullet because he knew I had a Tiki like Greg Brady had in Hawaii and he wanted to avoid the curse. I know, I didn't really answer your question.

People always ask, some complain, about why the National Mountain Running Champs is always in the northeast. Why are you hogging it, why can't we hold it in Colorado?

It's not really all of New England hogging it, it's just New Hampshire. It's closely tied to the First in the Nation Primary. It's written into the New Hampshire constitution that "Our Primary will be one week before every other state and we will always host the mountain championships". Thanks to our forefathers for connecting the two important parts of our democracy. A lot of people know about the state slogan, "Live Free or Die". A lot of people don't know that the runner up slogan was "My Life is Going Uphill". That gets lost in the history books.

Besides that, one of the goals of the championship is to have a course that closely resembles the World Championship course. Team USA's results have proven why that is important. We want the best people for the World course representing Team USA. That being said, we would love to have the mountain champs in other places.  There is some potential to Bend putting in a bid for 2015. I hope that happens. I want this wonderful sport to get plenty of exposure across the country. If you know of race directors interested, tell them to contact me. I think sometimes people get intimidated at the thought of hosting a National Championship. I would love to help work with some other Race Directors to help support them hosting it as well. You will never find more appreciative runners than mountain runners.

I recall one irate person saying that a race at Cranmore is not a "real" mountain race because it does not have a lot of elevation gain and loss, no tree line, no high altitude. What do you have to say to that, other than a two word response?

Mountain Running can hurt you! Brandon Birdsong
shows off his battle wounds at Cranmore. photo: The Prez
Mountain running to me is a pretty big tent. That makes even more sense since a mountain is typically a tall pointy triangle shape, just like a tent is. There are a lot of different types of mountain races, some are much longer distances, some are much shorter. Skyrunning races tend to be much longer (they also have a Vertical K) whereas the ones that the US Mountain Champs are meant to mirror are ones that meet the guidelines of the World Mountain Running Association, usually around 12K total in distance, with some specific vertical ascent/descent. But to me, running up and down steep mountains, no matter whether it's rock or grass or road, it's all mountain running. I think sometimes people associate final elevation with level of difficulty. You can have a pretty killer mountain race that starts at sea level.  

It used to be 10 years ago that all trail, mountain and ultra running events were looked at as "not real running" like road races were. We've moved past that now with golden mulleted runners who can qualify for the Olympic trials and also excel in the mountains and trails so that mountain running is now "real running". So now, I guess we all get to debate which is the most "real mountain running". That's progress. For me, I just love all of the different mountain running events, short, long, rocky, whatever. I don't see the need to define one or the other as the real thing. They both are, in their own way.

Planning an event like this has got to be time intensive. I heard you can't speak for a couple of days after the race because you have gone hoarse. You also have a full time job…and two kids...two dogs...and a wife. How is that possible?

I believe you always make time for things that are important for you. Luckily I have a very understanding and supportive family who know how much I love organizing races. The dogs actually are not supportive at all and still require just as much exercise during race planning season. They do help me mark the course, I use flags and they use, um, well you know.

Glenn Randall and Joe Gray pushing the downhill
photo: Joe Viger
Mountain running truly has changed my life. It's why I started running. It's how I go to my happy place every day. I do hope that I am playing some small part in helping support these athletes in their own quests.That helps keep me going on the short sleep nights. I also love the adrenaline rush of directing an event. I'm a much better race director than I am a racer so, you go with your strengths.

MUT has come a long way, even in the past 3 years, with the likes of Stevie Kremer, Glenn Randall, Morgan Arritola, Max King, Joe Gray…I could go on. Where to you see the sport going in the future?

I think it will continue to go uphill- except every other year when it will go up and downhill.

We are going to see more people from "traditional running" and also from nordic sports give it a try. The success of the US Team and our athletes is opening up eyes. Look at the field at Cranmore this year- we had the usual suspects but we also had an Olympic Road Marathoner (Magda Boulet) and a recent college graduate who made the team in his first mountain race (Zach Ornelas). I think we are going to see a lot more of that.  

Do you know who "Ridin Heffers" and "A-licks Nix-holes" are? Apparently, they made the US Mountain Running Team.

Didn't A-licks just come in second at the Pikes Peak Descent? The other reason I got into mountain running is I got tired of being the least mature person in a room. With questions like this, I now know I am among my own kind.
Yeah, it's that difficult! A-licks wishes he knew the safeword.
photo: Joe Viger

Will you host the National Championships again in the future?

Yes, I hope so. Actually starting the process to organize a committee to try and bring the World Champs to Cranmore in 2017. It's going to take some major sponsorship money to do it but I am optimistic. How cool would that be? We need to bring the WMRC to the lower 48.

And finally, what is your favorite beer? Inquiring minds want to know.

I have two answers to that. The first is, my favorite beer is the free beer. It's always the best one. My second answer is much like the comment about what is real mountain running. I have lots of favorite beers depending on the situation so not a specific favorite. If I need cheap, light and fast (much like you) it's PBR. Otherwise, I tend to like either very hoppy IPAs, which covers a lot of New England or a good chocolate stout. If I really had to pick one, it would be Anchor Steam. I know that isn't from New England, a hoppy IPA or a chocolate stout so I guess I've failed at this answer. 

On a completely unrelated note, you may not remember but when I was hurt in 2005/2006, you gave me a pair of Pikes Peak Ascent socks that you won- kind of to inspire me to get healed up and running again. I still have those socks. That either means they meant something to me or I am a hoarder. 


On to 2014 and the Loon Mountain Race. It seems you are back again directing a US Champs, along with Chris Dunn of Acidotic Racing, but at a different race. So tell us about Loon. Has it been a qualifier before?

Yes, it was the qualifier for one men’s team spot back in 2006 and then was the qualifier for the women’s team in 2012. This year’s uphill race actually has a decent amount of downhill and Loon has some spots so it was the perfect course for it. I was psyched to be able to host again. Some people host big New Year’s Parties, I seem to host mountain team qualifiers.

I started the race back in 2006, planning it with Dave Dunham and Richard Bolt. But Chris and acidotic RACING took it over in 2011 and I stayed on to help out.

What makes Loon unique?

Technically, there is no other race called “The Loon Mountain Race” so I guess that is what makes it unique.

But in terms of the race, I have heard it described as the most like a European-style mountain race of any race in the US. It gets increasingly harder the further you go up the mountain. It is also the only race whose slogan (“no safeword”) provides some fairly offensive search results when you search it on Google or Bing, although technically no one not named Gates uses Bing, even William Frederick.


Where did “no safeword” come from?
 
I am now starting to get uncomfortable that you keep pressing me on this topic. Does Team Colorado have an HR Department? I feel I should report you. 

Did you change the course this year? Was there a safe word for that course?

Yes. Sort of. The women’s course will be the same as 2012 when it was last a qualifier. It will have little bit more at the very end. The men’s course has another 2 mile trail section that goes through the Nordic trails. It’s a cool addition, in my opinion. It has some mud, some single track, a few rocks and roots too. The World’s Course in Italy this year has some up and down variety on it, so this should be a good test for that course as well.

Did Lincoln grow up in Lincoln, New Hampshire?

He did not. One town over from Lincoln, is Woodstock, New Hampshire. That was named after Snoopy’s friend Woodstock.  Most people don’t know that.  This kind of ties the whole interview together as it is also the home of the Woodstock Inn and Brewery, which makes some amazing beer.

What is the Collegiate Running Association and what is their mountain championship?

TiVO, suffering on Upper Walking Boss
The CRA was started by some forward thinking people in the world of college running. Steve Taylor, the coach at the University of Richmond, helped spearhead it. Their goal is really to give college students exposure to all of their post-collegiate running options, including trail and mountain running. Chris Dunn and I are honored that they picked Loon for the inaugural mountain champs.

Steve and Richmond have sent us a lot of junior athletes for the mountain team over the years. It’s become a great partnership.

You may recognize the University of Richmond name as that is where singer/songwriter Bruce Hornsby didn’t graduate from. Coach Taylor is also friends with Howard Nippert, who starred in the original Smokey and the Bandit movies as Cledus.

Explain Upper Walking Boss…or do you just have the run…walk…CRAWL up it?

Gute: "Is that Upper Walking Boss!?" Eric: "Yeah, that's why
they call me Quadzilla."
Upper Walking Boss is the result of us needing more elevation in the 2006 qualifier. So we got to the top of Loon Peak and needed some more vertical so we shuffled them over to UWB to ascend the Boss. It really is the steepest thing I have ever been on. My calves and Achilles hurt just walking up it. Ironically, my own fastest running time on it is only a few minutes faster than when I hike up it to flag the course. There is something wonderfully mind blowing of blazing down Haulback to then suddenly making a hard right turn onto UWB.  People who are just ahead of you may in fact be a full minute ahead of you. I fully expect some dreams will be made and some broken on those last few spots on the mountain team this year- all taking place in the 1km of UWB.

Thanks, Paul! We all look forward to suffering on your behalf.

***
Some media from the Cranmore Hill Climb 2013:

Race video by Rich Bolt (no relation to Usain Bolt)

USMRT

Colorado Runner Magazine

Endurance Sportswire

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Team Colorado Welcomes Hillary "Hillygoat" Allen

July 28, 2014, 8:36 pm
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Name: Hillary "Hillygoat" Allen

Age: 25

Hometown: Fort Collins, CO

Current residence:Lakewood, CO

Sponsors: Swiftwick, Hammer Nutrition

Personal Bests: Running my first 50 miler this year (2014)! Getting to train and do what I love is the accomplishment for me.

Notable Achievements: 2014 Salida Marathon, 1st woman, 3:45; 2014 Cheyenne mountain 50k, 1stwoman, 4:27:29, CR; 2014 Bighorn 50 mile, 1st woman, 8:56:39, CR; 2014 Speedgoat 50k, 4th woman, 7:03.

Goals for 2014/2015 and beyond: Place top 5 in the Run the Rut 50k. Top 5 in the Moab trail marathon. Next year I plan to run another 50-mile race (perhaps quad rock, or san juan solstice). I want to plan a running trip to the pacific northwest, run rim 2 rim 2 rim and go to new Zealand or Iceland to run!

Favorite trails: Mount Morrison, beaver brooke trail, bear creek trail (into Ouray)

Favorite workout: 3-5 min uphill repeats

Favorite races: Salida marathon, Speedgoat 50k

Website/Blog:hillygoat.wordpress.com

Favorite beer: Rampant IPA, New Belgium Brewery

Why Trail/Mountain/Ultra Running? : Although this is only my second year of trail running, it feels like a part of my soul. The mountains have always been a source of inspiration. I spent most of my childhood camping in the mountains near Fort Collins, CO where I grew up. It wasn’t until after college that I started to trail run, I had the endurance (I played tennis in college) and I discovered quickly that uphill was my favorite. Pretty soon I was logging long hours on the trails, the short distances never seemed to be enough, I always wanted to explore more trails. I decided to see how I was at the ultra/mountain running. Turns out I’m hooked and my favorite part about it, is that every day I can enjoy the mountains and trails, but there’s always more to explore!

I’m a total goofball. I’m very expressive and have a hard time smiling for cameras, instead I make silly faces. I love to be outdoors and in the mountains, it’s where I feel most connected to myself and the world. I giggle a lot too, so watch out, cuz it’s contagious.






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Team Colorado Welcomes Jared "the Youngster" Hazen

August 4, 2014, 10:08 pm
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Name: Jared "the Youngster" Hazen

Age: 19

Hometown: Titusville, PA

Current residence: Colorado Springs, CO

Sponsors: Altra Zero Drop

Personal Bests (or Worsts): Bests would probably be 3rd at Rocky Raccoon and 14that Western States. I felt like I ran a close to perfect race at Rocky Raccoon and went about hour faster than expected. At Western I moved up all day and was able to run a fast last 20 miles and felt the best I ever have at that distance. Worst would have to be my first ultra, the Baker 50 miler. My nutrition plan going in was lemonade and bananas. It got up to 85 degrees and was super humid. I led the first 30 miles, then ran with my buddy who caught up for 5 miles before I started puking everywhere and cramping. I got lost for a couple miles, but managed to finish 2nd in 8:05. I then proceeded to puke a few more times before somebody called and an ambulance (not cool). Luckily I didn’t have to go to a hospital, but I was sick for about 2 weeks after the race. And the time I dropped at the Quad Rock 50. It seems I haven’t had much luck with the 50s.

Notable Achievements: Sub 14 hours in a 100 miler. And I’ve never had any real injuries, it’s a miracle!

Goals for 2014/2015/beyond: I just want to get better, explore a lot, and be able to run until I die.

Favorite trails: Cascade Canyon trail in Grand Teton National Park, Trail 666 in Colorado Springs

Favorite workout: Long runs. The ones where you get lost, run out of food and water, and wonder if you’ll ever be done running…those are the best ;)

Favorite races: Oil Creek 100 It was my first hundred and my hometown race.

Favorite Beer: I’ll get back to you in a couple of years. (He's 19 people, we are not in Europe!)

Why Trail/Mountain/Ultra Running? Because it’s a blast! My “training” is running on sweet single track in the mountains every day for long periods of time. That totally beats trying to sprint around a track really fast. And I’ve found that running 100 miles is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. I don’t know why but I like training for months at a time and then one day trying to bring everything together and nail a hundred mile race, it’s pretty satisfying.

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Sage "The Rage" Canaday talks about his Pikes Peak Ascent Victory and WMRA World Long Course Challenge Gold

August 25, 2014, 12:41 pm
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Team Colorado caught up with the 2014 WMRA World Long Course Challenge and Pikes Peak Ascent Champion, Sage Canaday, and asked him about the race. Here is how it went.



Team Colorado: First of all, congratulations on your victory at the World Long Course Challenge at the Pike Peak Ascent in a time of 2:10:03, not to mention your Uphill Challenge at OR, Speedgoat…so many others that we don't want to have you sit through the long list…and I'm sure you know them all, you were there!

The last time your ran the Pikes Peak Ascent you struggled badly the last few miles. You were described as looking like a one of those collapsing animal toys that springs back up when you release the buttons on either side. Did you feel that way? Maybe we should make a Team Colorado collapsing Sage Canaday doll!? This time you got your piece of Pikes Peak. What was your nutrition plan for the race knowing what happened in 2012?

Sage: My nutrition plan was to fill my Ultimate Direction fanny pack full of gel and consume it in blobs. I was also looking to get in an Avery IPA near the top with about a mile to go, but no crewing was allowed out on the course. If I had that IPA in me I would've cracked 2:10 for sure!

Team Colorado: You mentioned that this was the first time you had to pee in a cup (aka get drug tested). That's a bit of a surprise since you have done a lot of other races with larger prize purses. There is quite a lot of money in some of the larger ultra races, which is starting to attract athletes trying to get their piece of the pie. What is your take on drug testing in mountain, trail, ultra running?

Sage: The more testing the better. For me it was an honor as know I feel like I've finally made it in the sport (since I got tested). I think to really catch people they need to do out of season testing and always make it a surprise, though!

Team Colorado: You did not "Pull a GR" like most Pikes Peak Ascent winners have done in recent years to win, but it sounded like you ran a smart, tactical race. Take us through it, especially when you went from 3rd to 1st in the last mile.

Sage: I don't have a high enough Vo2max to take it out hard like a lot of the guys so I was pretty forced to sit back and wait. I knew from some workouts that my strength this year was probably going to be the last 3 miles so I waited until then to make my move. It really wasn't a strong move as my motto in this section is "just don't walk," but at the time it felt intense. I got an extra boost of energy when I saw first and second place close together and I figured if I didn't give it everything I had to try catch up and win I'd regret it for the rest of my life. With about half a mile to go I put my head down and gave it everything I had...including a slow powerhike up the golden stairs (which was all I could muster).

Just before the pass, 400 meters to go            photo: PikesPeakSports.us

Team Colorado: If you could have any nickname, what would it be? "Rage" was a nickname in college, but you don't seem like an angry person. We also don't want to refer to you as a shrub or a philosopher, if you are not into that.

Sage "The Rage": You haven't seen the anger come out yet! Consider yourself lucky. The Rage gets going only after a six pack or two...

Team Colorado: You have been racing, nay, dominating races this year. What is up next for you?

Sage: I'm going to do the Rut 50km SkyRunning World Series Ultra Final. Killian Jornet is supposed to come so it will be an intense race!

Team Colorado: We know of this Kilian, he was in one of our blog posts once and was pretending to be Miley Cirus. You know, if you take out your time from this year's Pikes Peak Ascent but you keep in the The Prez's time, he has run a faster time than you did back in 2012 (2:21:16). How do you feel about that? Does it make you angry? Are you feeling the "Rage" now?

Sage: I'm happy for The Prez. He put down a solid race!

Team Colorado: We were just testing you to see if you turned green and got all muscly!

Sage: Nope, not yet.

Team Colorado: On a very important topic, what beer did you have after your Pikes Peak Ascent victory?

Sage: Avery's classic IPA.


Team Colorado: Ah, yes, lots of antioxidants in a good IPA. Tell us about your upcoming film, MUT Runner.

Sage "The Rage": MUT (Mountain-Ultra-Trail) Runner is a film project that I'm releasing at the end of next month. It's about a movement I see in the sport in terms of more competition, increased sponsorship opportunities, changes in training philosophy, the role of prize money and falling course records. I've interviewed a lot of top MUT Runners and gotten their take on things as well as included scenic footage from my travels around the world. It's going to be about 25-30 minutes long and will be available on DVD and digital download.

Team Colorado: I know, I know, you've been itching to do it, so go ahead, plug your sponsors!

Sage "The Rage": Naw, but everyone should follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @SageCanaday. That way you can see all the shameless product plugs from my sponsors!


Team USA Gold                                          photo: The Prez


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Stocking Stuffers: The North Face 50, The Ugly Sweater Run, Rock Canyon Half Marathon

December 28, 2013, 7:12 pm
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On the weekend of the day that will live in infamy (December 7th, that is, if you are history deficient) Team Colorado took to the trails, the roads and the snow to show off their awesome swants.

The North Face 50 Endurance Run

 She does it again! Michele "bomb 'chele" Yates captures another major ultra running title with perhaps the most competitive and highest paying race in the country, The North Face 50 Endurance Run in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (well, aside from that other $10,000 prize purse at Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs...which she also won). 


Bomb 'chele shows off her arm swants                                             photo: iRunFar.com

The Team Colorado train of Megan Kimmel and Michele took out the women's race and kept it honest, mixing up the top three positions with eventual 2nd place finisher, Magdalena Boulet (there might be a Lewy in there somewhere?), but Michele was determined to keep the role as the engine, leading early and just pushing the pace up front. After a lot of details that have been left out here, Michele eventually crossed under the big red arch in a winning time of 7:21:51 and was $10,000 happier! 

Megan felt the pull of the ultra running demons but was able to finish in 10th place in 8:13:28.

Megan with her nipple-topped Ultimate Direction bottle showing everyone how it is done           photo: iRunFar.com

On the men's side, Team Colorado's Alex "Axel" Nichols took on TNF50 again after a 5th place finish in the very confusing 2012 race and a mid-race sprained ankle in 2011 while leading. The ultra running demons caught Axel in their tractor beam early when an old injury reared its ugly head and he was forced to call it a day at about 17 miles. 

Sage Canaday was purported to have been at the starting line, however, we are not sure if even started the race. Rumor has it that he is still lost from his run from Moab to Boulder after the Moab Trail Marathon (he also had the flu).

Rickey "Heavenly" Gates was mixing it up in the top 10 early, but said he was steamrolled by the ultra running demons. Last year he was subjected to a DNF and soaked his feet in some nice Belgian chocolate, this year, he just felt flat. Rickey finished in 7:35:04 for 26th place.

Rickey gets his silicone water bottle filled with aquavit at an aid station                             photo: iRunFar.com
Like 40 quarters
Like a yoga mat
Like Bali Shag
Like a spare tire
Like a gutter ball
I. Got. Rolled.
                        -Rickey Gates

Flagstaffer Rob Krar turns out another amazing ultra performance with his win at TNF50 and raises the roof once again. Have a beer on Team Colorado at Mother Road Brewing Co. in Flagstaff (we'll pay you back!). Friend of Team Colorado and Colorado College grad, Dan Kraft, one-upped his college teammate, Axel Nichols, with a 4th placed finish (6:35:56).


I am Rob, hear me Krarrrrrrrrrrr!                                                photo: iRunFar.com
Men
1. Rob Krar - 6:21:10
2. Cameron Clayton - 6:31:17
3. Chris Vargo - 6:33:33
26. Rickey Gates - 7:35:04
DNF - Sage Canaday
DNF - Alex Nichols

Women
1. Michele Yates - 7:21:51
2. Magdalena Boulet - 7:31:12
3. Emelie Forsberg - 7:46:24
10. Megan Kimmel - 8:13:28

Results

What all the competitors saw of Michele during TNF50                                          photo: iRunFar.com

The Ugly Sweater Run

It all started in the Norway in the 1850's when some Norwegian brothers named Nils and Bjorn, or something to that effect, produced very warm and highly decorative sweaters to keep from turning into a popsicle in the cold northern winter climate and to look like a giant snowflake in the process. One early morning, after a long night of drinking Aquavit, Nils hears a knock on the door and quickly grabs whatever he can find and answers the door. The visitor says "Hallo, hvorfor har du på deg en genser på nedre halved?" which loosely translates to "Hi, why are you wearing a sweater on your bottom half?" 

"Uff da!" Nils replied...and thus the swants were born and so was the Ugly Sweater Run, a 5k in Monument Valley Park, Colorado Springs to benefit the Cerebral Palsy Association of Colorado Springs. 


Twerking with swants!                                             photo: PikesPeakSports.us

The race started along the mighty (mighty nasty, that is) Monument Valley Creek in Monument Valley Park, Colorado Springs, CO, at a whopping 5 degrees above zero! Luckily, ugly sweaters and sexy swants were donned to keep the runners cozy.
The Prez and godfather of PikesPeakSports.com, Tim Bergsten, showing off their frosty faces    photo: Amy Perez

Putting the "Ugly" back into "Ugly Sweater Run"               photo: PikesPeakSports.us


"Woah, did I really put these on this morning!?"                          photo: PikesPeakSports.us

And the race was started with Santa's doppleganger yelling "Ho, Ho, GO!"


Shorts...that's ridiculous, Dan, you should have worn swants!          photo: PikesPeakSports.us

What, no swants!?                                         photo: PikesPeakSports.us


Excuse me, I mustache you a question...how does one thaw a mustache?                              photo: PikesPeakSports.us
Peter "The Prez" Maksimow, aka Swantsy Pants, out-uglied everyone in the race to cross the line first in 17:58. He also turned a year older, so he is 27 years old in Kenyan years. The wool and alpaca blend in his swants kept him from freezing his...well, you know. 

Amy "Chef l'équipe" Perez wore her swants and ugly sweater enroute to 8th place female but, mysteriously, we had a photo malfunction and are unable to find her image.


Sarah "Sock Monkey" Blakeslee promoting the neon...and penguins      photo: PikesPeakSports.us

The Prez and first lady, Nora, getting a photo with retired Santa and a copy of an ugly sweater citation (he had to appear in court later that day)    photo:PikesPeakSports.us

Race director and Team Coloradan, Brandon "Stapy the Elf" Stapaowich, not only saw some of the coldest temperatures, but also the largest field in the the five year history of the race. We think his promo video says it all. Strike while the Charlie is dancing.
RD Brandon "Stapy the Elf" Stapanowich (center) hanging out prizes to Shannon Meredith (1st-right) and Donna Garcia (3rd-left)  photo: PikesPeakSports.us

"Like Justin Timberlake, I'm bringing sexy back to swants", says The Prez          photo: PikesPeakSports.us

The spoils (in this case a 20+ lbs. turkey) go to the ugliest (sexiest???) swants          photo: PikesPeakSports.us


Rock Canyon Half Marathon

Justin Ricks gets frosty at the Rock Canyon Half Marathon in his old stomping ground of Pueblo, CO. You can call him Frosty Ricks! 


And for his win, Frosty received a new Subaru! What a great award!                photo: Mrs. Frosty Ricks

With bitterly cold conditions, enough for his mild mannered beard to turn into a lumberjack's beard, Justin didn't need water (he just ate the ice from his facial hair) en route to a win in a time of  1:18:46. He holds the CR at this race with a 1:09:34 set back in 2009.

Results

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Happy Non-denominational Holiday Greetings!

December 25, 2013, 6:49 pm
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Whatever you celebrate, do it with beer.


Happy Holidays from your friends at Team Colorado!

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The State of The Pikes Peak Ascent: The Prez's Speech

September 24, 2014, 3:06 pm
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I am slow.

I can’t help it, it’s just the way I am.

                Wacker (169) eyeing Gute (3)...wins stink-eye contest!                                 photo: PikesPeakSports.us

But let us disregard my punctuality on race write-ups and talk about running uphill with some of the top mountain runners in the world, shall we?

The 2014 Pikes Peak Ascent doubled at the WMRA World Long Course Challenge and 20 countries were represented, making it an Olympic-atmosphere feel full of colorful kits and comical communication barriers. My race preparation consisted of spending the week in Detroit--don’t ask, I’m trying to forget about that part of my training. Upon my return to Manitou Springs, my legs felt like pixy sticks from running along the river with a nice southern view of Canada (yes, southern!) and my head felt like it had been punched by the very large fist statue of Joe Louis himself.

That's a big fist, Joe!

I arrived back in time for the pre-race press conference, which was chocked full of foreign athletes, which race MC, Bart Yasso, taunted in the nicest of ways and attempted to get all the English he could out of them. It’s the American way: making people feel uncomfortable in the most comfortable way possible.

Wacker, not just a name...nor a pretty face
photo:PikesPeakSports.us
Now, I didn’t have the weight on my shoulders that I potentially could have had. I thought I had a good shot at being part of Team USA after have some really good results in qualifying races but was eventually not selected. I’m often the bridesmaid and not the bride, but at least I am in the wedding party! Plus, I had Team Inov-8 and Team Colorado to represent, not to mention Team Manitou Brewing Company, which had the best post-race prizes for me no matter how I finished. It was very encouraging to have some of the Team USA members make me feel like I was part of the team with supportive comments, kind words and a good ol’ ‘merican slap on the ass. Andy Wacker gives the best ass wacks, hence the name. And that Shannon Payne, yeah, her slaps hurt pretty bad! Again, hence the name.

The grandioseness of the weekend did not set in until I began to see all the uniforms: South Africa, Wales (just one), Eritrea (it looked like a 2:10 marathon uniform, and it was worn by four-time WMRA Long Course runner up and 2012 & 2013 WMRA Grand Prix Champ, Azerya Teklay), Ukraine, Italia (that’s how they spell it on their jersey), Norway, Slovenia, Mexico, Australia, Germany, Japan (another solo), Romania (the Romantic Romanian Runner Ionut Zinca) and many more. Even Kansas! I finally met fellow Inov-8 teammate and obstacle racer-extraordinaire, Cody Moat—it’s difficult to miss a bright red jersey with a foot as an 8 on it. I searched for another Inov-8 team member, friend and all-around good guy, Scott Dunlap, but he was somewhere gathering his strength for the Ascent/Marathon Double and knew that he had to partake in our now-traditional celebratory beer on the Peak after the race. Team Colorado was well represented with Stevie "Sunshine" Kremer, Brandy "Mile-A-Minute" Erholtz, Donna "Gar-Gute" Garcia, Amy "Chef l'équipe" Perez, Simon "Gute" Gutierrez, Sage "The Rage" Canaday, Neil "Big McD" McDonagh, and myself, Le Prez, as they say in France.


A few Team Coloradans under the lined and one circle-spangled banners. 
Quick! Look right!
The start line looked intimidating with all the cleanly shaven legs (except for Team USA’s Zach Miller, you need to join the club, Zach!) and intense looks. My ego wouldn’t fit on the front line, so it was pushed back to the second row of the start line. It was, by far, the most competitive race the Pikes Peak Ascent has ever assembled, but I knew that the race was not won in the first mile so I had to run smart and know if I did I would deserve that beer at the top.

Zach: refusing to join the club. Wacker: doing his best chicken leg impression.         photo: Eddie Metro

The starting cannon detonated and either gave you an additional shot of adrenaline or stopped your heart momentarily. I did not fall down so I guess I received the former. There goes fellow Team Coloradan and 3 X Ascent Champion, Simon “Gute” Gutierrez, to the front in his patented lead-out sprint. Oh, what’s this!? The guy with the freshly shorn legs and pretty hair, Andy Wacker, goes by Gute at an even faster cadence. It is times like these that I wish auctioneers would commentate on races in the lead vehicle. Now that would be entertainment!

Watch that elbow!                                       photo: OutThereColorado.com
The lead pack is three times the size it usually is during the Ascent and I felt like I was in a swarm of bees that had just had their hive kicked, buzzing and eager, almost angry. Apparently, I was eager, too, because a 6-flat first mile on the road climb to the Barr Trailhead can lead to the death sentence in this race. Oh well, can’t take that back now!

The next section, the Ws, is one of the toughest sections of the race, in my opinion, with its long and steep switchbacks that appear as Ws on an aerial map. It seemed I wasn’t moving fast enough because the entire Italian contingent went by me in a matter of about 10 seconds, each one saying “sorry” to me as they passed. They were so nice in their competitiveness. I think the English translation would have been, “get out of my way you American with a fairly decent mustache!” Next a Mexican went by me, then others that I didn’t recognize because all I witnessed was their asses. That’s what happens with steep grades, you get right on someone’s shoulder but really you are face to ass with them.

Brandy talks as fast as she runs!         photo: PikesPeakSports.us
I had a short chat with the Scottish-Coloradan, Ryan Smith (first UK finisher--Scotland is still part of the UK, you know!--living in Colorado has done him well.). He was thoroughly impressed with how loud I was belching 2 miles into the race. We did a great job of entertaining ourselves amid the misery of the climb…and it had just begun. As the saying goes, misery loves company…and it does!

After the Ws did a good job of stringing out the field, I found my self running with Thomas Cornthwaite of England. I only understood half of what he said with his thick accent, but I appreciated every word as it took my mind off the hard uphill grind. We fed off each other like a proper English breakfast and pushed the pace when it began to slow. Every time I went by him it was, “You look crackers!” or “Bloody Good, mate!” My encouragement was usually a slap on the ass and some American words that he hopefully couldn’t understand…just so we could be on the same page. It was working! We were gradually catching and passing runners who had underestimated what wrath the mountain could impose.

Zach Miller likes to chomp bananas!
photo: PikesPeakSports.us
We caught and passed an Italian, an American, some more runners, then Gute just before Barr Camp. His race strategy was to go out hard the first half and bank some time for the second half. This is where I told myself the race was to begin, even though I had already had almost 70 minutes of hard racing and jockeying for position, I had to convince myself this is where it started. We acquired Gute in our train to the Peak and continued to catch the carnage on the trail like Pac Man chomps up fruit.

The next couple of miles was like purgatory, it had to be done to breach treeline and face the most difficult section of the course, A-Frame to the summit (3 miles) aka the surface of the moon, where you are either struggling or have already turned into a zombie. We spotted more runners up ahead! As Thomas and I approached, he stated who the runner was (Emanuele Manzi of Italy) and excitedly exclaimed “Maaaanzi, gooud runnah!” (That’s the best New Castle accent I can hope to impart in written word). I knew the field was world class and everyone we came in contact with now held an impressive resume, so I seemed to be acquiring 1UPs with every person I passed. One more person and I would have the ability to throw fireballs! Well, I already had so much red on I looked like I was on fire: racecar red Inov-8 jersey and hat, razzel red Swiftwick Aspire 4 socks and the new rad red, ectoplasm green and black TrailRoc 245 (next season’s color, keep an eye out, you can’t miss them…they're bright!).



Gute and Gar-Gute, a couple of youngster!   photo: Gar-Gute
I came up on Ionut Zinca, the Romantic from Romania, who placed 3rd at last year’s WMRA Long Course Challenge, and we exchanged a few words before he accelerated off ahead at such a difficult point in the race to do so. This explains why he was 3rd last year! I felt good, I had trained for this and I was racing to plan. How many more pieces of fruit could this Pac Man get? I looked down the switchbacks and saw friend and recent training partner Marco Sturm of Germany running well and making up ground. Gute was still right there, don’t ever count him out even though he is almost 50. Where did Thomas go, he was just right with me!? Marco’s high altitude prowess was due to his month of training and living on Pikes Peak before the race. After seeing him up on the Peak every time I was up there we got together for runs, found him Team Colorado housing in Manitou Springs and he even defected to the Colorado! (Not really, but he is still staying in Manitou Springs as of early September.)

Marco Sturm: elite mountain runner, cat sitter.
photo: PikesPeakSports.us
Stevie "Sunshine" Kremer shows that mountain who's boss!   photo: PikesPeakSports.us
Neil, exorcizing the demons!         photo: PikesPeakSports.us
2 miles to go and close ahead I could see Zinca passing a pair of runners. I followed suit and decided I needed to do the same. It was Amed from Mexico and Mei from Italy. I had no idea what place I was in at this point. I could have been anywhere from 7th to 15th from my rough calculation, but the brain doesn’t really function properly at 13,000 ft. My brain did know to run as hard as I could with as little oxygen as was available. And so I ran on…

1 mile to go. I couldn’t tell who the black singlet belonged to until I passed him, Stefan Hubert, Germany’s top runner.The front side of the German uniform is red, that's a sneaky trick! One foot in front of the other, the senses are getting blurred now. Struggling runners. I am struggling, but I am still passing them. How!?!? With a half mile to go, you encounter the crippling rock scramble which is lovingly referred to as the 16 Golden Stairs. As the name indicates, 16 tightly weaved switchbacks over boulders make 15 meters seem like 800. For lack of better terms, a real kick in the balls! Zinca is slowing to a crawl, am I really going to pass him!? I hear someone yell “10thplace!” Are they referring to me or someone else? Halfway through the stairs Zinca willingly moves over and allows me to crawl by. BluhBluhBluup--1UP! I needed that extra life!

Within a half mile of the finish, I am energized again by a red, white and blue-clad superhero perched on a precipice, waving an American flag, mullet flowing in the breeze and muscles rippling in the vacant-atmosphere sunlight. Could it be!? Captain ‘merica!? He vaguely resembled my Team Colorado teammate, Brandon Stapanowich. This put a smile on my misery-stricken face for the first time in 2 hours and 20 minutes. I still couldn’t let up since Zinca was hot on my tail. I knew the last two minutes of the race are among the most painful I would experience in life and at any second I expected the Romanian to push past me, offer me a romantic gesture and say, “Sorry!”


Zinca trying to catch me to say sorry
photo: PikesPeakSports.us
Last turn! Don’t catch your toe on that boulder! Don’t fall over! No “Sorry” was whispered from behind and I cross the line to a congratulatory high-five from race director, Ron Ilgen, and all of a sudden the world is audible again. I placed 9th overall in 2:21:11, a 5:28 personal record on the mountain, along with being 6th American and behind only two Italians and one Eritrean. I was interviewed by the local newspaper the previous week, The Colorado Springs Gazette, and was asked what I thought my chances were of winning the race. “Top 20 would be amazing, top 10 would double amazing, winning would make me famous pretty quickly,” was my response. Silly questions solicit silly answers. In previous years, my time would have made me famous pretty quickly, but I was extremely happy with “double amazing.” My “double amazing” time this year would have “made me famous pretty quickly” in a few past years. Just to display how competitive the race was, 23 males broke 2:30 and 16 women broke 3:00, while only 3 men and 4 women broke those respective barriers in 2013. Women’s winner, Allie McLaughlin, ran the 3rdfastest women’s time in race history. 4th place finisher from last year’s Ascent, David McKay, was 22nd this year…and that is even with a faster time! Holy Schiße, as they say in Germany! 

Holding hands with RD Ron Ilgen at the finish, and Nora, the First Lady quick to hold me up so I don't fall over.
photo: PikesPeakSports.us

I was very proud to be part of it.

I would like to congratulate all of the participants--winners as well as those whose goal was just to reach to finish in under the cutoff time. To the US men’s and women’s team for both capturing the individual and team gold medals (Individuals: Team Coloradan Sage Canaday and Colorado Springs native Allie McLaughlin; Women's Team: Allie McLaughlin, Morgan Arritola, Shannon Payne, Stevie Kremer, Nuta Olaru; Men's Team: Sage Canaday, Andy Wacker, Eric Blake, Joe Gray and Zach Miller). Thanks to those on the US Team for making me feel like I was part of the team, even thought I was not. After all, the slogan for Pikes Peak is “America’s Mountain.” Alanis Morissette would say “isn't it ironic…don’t you think?” I would say "it's coincidence" because, after all, it is in America.

There is an "US" in Team USA! Congrats on the gold medal Sage Canaday, Andy Wacker, Eric Blake, Joe Gray and Zach Miller.                                                                 photo: The Prez

The best part of the event, and reason why I love the sport so much, is celebrating with the amazing people after the hard effort is over. In this case, we had the Team World Pool Party at a little watering hole called La Piscina (thanks Brandon, how do you always seem to miss your own party!?), where 50+ people from all over the world turned it into the “Official (Unofficial) Post Race Party.” Because, in the long run, becoming famous is not all that important…but it definitely does help your popularity at the after party!

Team World Pool Party! Amy Perez (not pictured) taking picture.

There's Amy! This is equivalent of being photoshopped into the above photo.  
photo: Not Amy this time but, you guessed it, PikesPeakSports.us

The smallest and largest participant at the Pikes Peak Ascent. Allie McLaughlin would have been very popular if she had been at the after party.   photo: PikesPeakSports.us

There's Thomas Cornthwaite! Bloody thumbs up, mate!        photo: OutThereColorado.com

Chest bump to Manitou Springs: http://www.koaa.com/videos/runners-race-to-the-top-of-pikes-peak/
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Michele "Bomb 'chele" Yates on Pregnancy, Life and having a Big Belly

December 1, 2014, 11:46 am
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Team Colorado's exclusive interview with the very ripe Michele Yates! Maybe past her due date now, actually!

How the time does fly! It seems like just yesterday that Michele "Bomb 'chele" Yates was crushing the most prominent ultra races and earning some people's yearly income in just a few races. Well, in the past 40 weeks she has been cultivating the next great ultra runner in her belly and we talked to her about it!

Team Colorado: Hi Michele, we hear you are almost ready to take a load off! How soon!? Do you know the gender or do you and Wyatt want to be surprised?

Michele: As of today, November 30th, no baby yet...but it seems as if I have entered the early labor stages this morning. I am 40 weeks this week so it makes sense :) It is a mini-me!!!.. We are having a girl and her name is to be Maya Jo.

Team Colorado: Talking about women issues, there are a lot of stories of eating disorders in our sport and it's not just females, although, most of what we hear about tends to be female-related.  Have you seen this in the sport?  

Michele: Does it exist in our sport, yes. But, it's something I can't be for sure about or judge on necessarily because I don't want to make assumptions about people. I will say that you won't make it too far or too long if you don't take care of yourself- ESPECIALLY in the ultra world. You can still be lean AND HEALTHY!!!

Team Colorado: Your were Miss Figure Colorado in 2008 (bodybuilding, is that the proper term?). How was it to go from one extreme (bodybuilding, where one needs to gain weight to build muscle) to the other (running, where it is ideal to be slender and lean)?

Michele: I was Ms. Figure Colorado 2008. It's not actually body building (but that sport is very political and not very structured in terms of what exactly they are looking for between a figure competitor and body builder-meaning sometimes they score high for those women who should clearly be in the body building category and other times they look for a softer appearance). For me, I didn't actually change too much at first and still found success. There was only a short period of time where I was adding in more calories and an extra set of my strength training in order to compete in that world. Soon after, I realized this was not nearly as gratifying as running and my heart was not there. It was fun while it lasted. :)

Team Colorado: You ran a trail marathon (and placed second, we might add!) at 5 months pregnant and a 100K at 4 months. Do you think this amount of running could be harmful to you or your fetus? How do you decide what to do and what not to do when it comes to exerting yourself?

Michele: Yes I did, however, with the encouragement of my doctors and wisdom of my own body. There are certain warning signs (whether your running or not) that you need to be aware of in order not to hurt the fetus. YOU ALWAYS PUT THE FETUS FIRST AND AT ANY TIME IF YOU EVEN QUESTION THE SITUATION, THEN STOP. There is no shame in doing what YOU normally do while pregnant, but be aware that YOU WILL need to modify as you go. If you keep these things in mind, then both yourself and the baby should be fine. A few of the things you need to monitor, high body temperature, hydration, pain or discomfort in your abdomen..

Team Colorado: As women are still not equally paid for the same work in our society, our sport is also not at the point it should be for gender equality. For example, only 4 women compared to 6 men make the US Mountain Running Team to compete at the World Mountain Running Championships. How ridiculous is that? Does this make you angry!? Do you want to kick someone in the nuts!?!? (Pun intended)

Michele: I think in this modern world it is sad that we (as women) are not treated equally. How hard is it to make it 5 and 5? Why do sponsors feel men should get more or better sponsorships than women? Do they feel their social media following and promoting tactics are better? Is that proven? Maybe they know something I don't know...but perhaps these are questions for the companies and organizations not me :) I can't let it anger me because that doesn't do anyone any good and is not productive. I'd rather chick all the guys next year and see what the companies/organizations have to say!

Team Colorado: A wise woman once said, "giving birth is like legal doping." What changes do you think your body will go through after birth? We are sure giving birth is extremely difficult on the body (but, then again, so is a 100 mile race), how will you plan your comeback?

Michele: My come back... totally depends on how the birth goes. If it's a vaginal clean birth (no tearing), no c-section... then (although I'm not in a huge hurry), I plan to start with some cardio cross training (walking, recumbent bike, etc) after at least one week totally off. From there...after about a month, I plan to start including some running. Once I feel really, good...well I'll be hitting it hard again and trying to build up volume for my "test" race- Black Canyon 100k mid February with my "A" race being Indiana Trail 100. I have big hopes and lofty goals for the next few years, again it just depends on how my body responds to birth and the labor process. Your body does have extra hormones, blood vessels etc that are produced from labor, but the one thing I think that will top all of that for me is passion I have just to be bombing those downhills on the trail again!

Team Colorado: Tell us about this crazy idea you have been involved in which includes racing 200 miles.

Michele: Myself, Wyatt (my hubby), and Charles Johnston started a friendship at one of my previous races and got to talking about creating a 200 mile race. It has been a goal of mine to do (eventually), and Wyatt and Charles took the idea and ran with it. Wyatt and I spent the summer camping and hiking some awesome Colorado Trails in the Gunnison area. Although not without challenges, we finally were able to create our 200 mile course and get a verbal permit for 100 runners. You can check out more on our website www.colorado200.com we can promise you that you won't be disappointed! It was created "Michele Yates style"- so no trekking poles allowed, pacers only for safety, and nothing but new, technical, and various terrain trails along the way!


Team Colorado: Will "running" 200 miles be more of a race of fueling rather than one of running?

Michele: I will let you know when I do it :) But just like a hundo- nutrition/fuel will be of utmost importance. You won't have chance in hell if you don't address that early on and throughout no matter what shape you are in. The course has over 40,000 feet of elevation change so one can expect some running, sleeping, and hiking. 

Team Colorado: We know you love to dance, in closing dance us your best baby belly dance (don't worry, no one will see you)!

Michele: I will be sure to include some baby belly shots!!!.. But as far as the dance goes, I promise I will do a belly victory dance when I achieve my goal of breaking the 100 mile World Record in the next few years ;)

We wish you all the best and we look forward to meeting the newest addition to Team Colorado!

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