Thursday, October 30, 2008
Peacock 54 Results and Photos
Results are up on the HURT site, but only recorded for those that completed both loops. Also some great pics by Gordon!!!
An Adventure in the Making, Part I: H.U.R.T. Peacock Flats 54-miler
This is the second entry about this past weekend's Peacock 54-(56-)miler at Dillingham Air Field (Mokuleia/Kaena/Waianae) by the editor. In first writing this, it was very long and expansive since I experienced so much during the short span of 20-hours. I condensed several parts in order to not have too much detail and not make it too lengthy. Sorry no pictures, as given the circumstances, there might have only been mud figures to see! Enjoy!
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep; But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
As I’ve always told many, trail runs to me are just that, I don’t consider them races or have a much desire to run the at a race pace. Perhaps the only ‘trail’ run I’ve really did do so were the Volcano Marathon, though this was only after the route was changed this year and consisted more of paved roads with parts of the back trails intermittently put in (still sad to see the whole event gone). For me trail running is a way for me to get back to the pure essence of why I started running, finding my inner peace and just being free.
When the 2008 H.U.R.T. Trail Series came out, I noticed that the 24-hours of Hogsback had been replaced with the 54-miler. I thought ‘Wow! That’ll be something to do!’ At the time I was still considering whether to re-enter the H.U.R.T. 100 (and did so after much conversation with John S., Maniacles, Ray, and numerous other H.U.R.T. runners). Gordon and Fish proclaimed this to be ‘the test’ in seeing where you were in terms of training for the 100-miler.
As many know, through guilt by association with a certain Hawai‘i Marathon Maniac, Shaka and I are often faced with deciding to do another ‘tour of the Islands’ with the numerous annual marathons (and a few ultras) on each Island. When we saw the date of the Peacock event, we both thought ‘that could be manageable to do’ following the Maui Marathon in mid-September. I looked as this as a means to increasing my mileage for the H.U.R.T. 100 in January. We (Shaka, Heather, and I) were able to get in two sessions of it, though Shaka got an extra…all with a great coach and mentor in Rex! WilyC & Habu were able to make the last practice run though it was the day that everyone did a make or break in pushing the pace on the route!
During the practice sessions or ‘tours’, the weather was basically the same…hot and humid with occasional gusts that produced mini dust storms. Someone mentioned that it never really rained much during this event and when it did well…
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep; But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
As I’ve always told many, trail runs to me are just that, I don’t consider them races or have a much desire to run the at a race pace. Perhaps the only ‘trail’ run I’ve really did do so were the Volcano Marathon, though this was only after the route was changed this year and consisted more of paved roads with parts of the back trails intermittently put in (still sad to see the whole event gone). For me trail running is a way for me to get back to the pure essence of why I started running, finding my inner peace and just being free.
When the 2008 H.U.R.T. Trail Series came out, I noticed that the 24-hours of Hogsback had been replaced with the 54-miler. I thought ‘Wow! That’ll be something to do!’ At the time I was still considering whether to re-enter the H.U.R.T. 100 (and did so after much conversation with John S., Maniacles, Ray, and numerous other H.U.R.T. runners). Gordon and Fish proclaimed this to be ‘the test’ in seeing where you were in terms of training for the 100-miler.
As many know, through guilt by association with a certain Hawai‘i Marathon Maniac, Shaka and I are often faced with deciding to do another ‘tour of the Islands’ with the numerous annual marathons (and a few ultras) on each Island. When we saw the date of the Peacock event, we both thought ‘that could be manageable to do’ following the Maui Marathon in mid-September. I looked as this as a means to increasing my mileage for the H.U.R.T. 100 in January. We (Shaka, Heather, and I) were able to get in two sessions of it, though Shaka got an extra…all with a great coach and mentor in Rex! WilyC & Habu were able to make the last practice run though it was the day that everyone did a make or break in pushing the pace on the route!
During the practice sessions or ‘tours’, the weather was basically the same…hot and humid with occasional gusts that produced mini dust storms. Someone mentioned that it never really rained much during this event and when it did well…
As the days counted down to the event, Shaka and I took stock of what we needed in terms of nutrition, equipment, and clothing. Gordon reminded us repeatedly to take at least a good long sleeve (if not jacket) as during the evening, the upper trails do get a bit cold. Here’s a listing of what I packed for the event:
- my hydration pack
- 20 gels (assortment of Hammer and Power)
- 2 bags of marguarita (xtra sodium) ClifBlocs
- 6 ClifBars + 2 trail mix bars + 2 PowerBars
- three 24-oz bottles of Gatorade
- 3 peanut butter sandwiches
- 1 gallon of drinking water
- a 12-oz cans of Red Bull
- two handheld flashlights (actually my ‘Catseye’ cycling lights)
- two headlamps
- extra batteries (AA & AAA)
- two extra technical shirts to change into (after each loop)
- a long sleeve technical shirt for the evening
- a thin windbreaker
- toilet paper
- a small first-aide kit
- my cell phone (fully charged)
- three beach towels
- extra clothes for post-race
- a small cooler for my ‘stash’ at the turnaround on Long Road containing a bottle of Gatorade, a Nalgene of water, a can of Red Bull, a bag of Oreo cookies, three gels, and two ClifBars.
- $10 for the entry fee
- my hydration pack
- 20 gels (assortment of Hammer and Power)
- 2 bags of marguarita (xtra sodium) ClifBlocs
- 6 ClifBars + 2 trail mix bars + 2 PowerBars
- three 24-oz bottles of Gatorade
- 3 peanut butter sandwiches
- 1 gallon of drinking water
- a 12-oz cans of Red Bull
- two handheld flashlights (actually my ‘Catseye’ cycling lights)
- two headlamps
- extra batteries (AA & AAA)
- two extra technical shirts to change into (after each loop)
- a long sleeve technical shirt for the evening
- a thin windbreaker
- toilet paper
- a small first-aide kit
- my cell phone (fully charged)
- three beach towels
- extra clothes for post-race
- a small cooler for my ‘stash’ at the turnaround on Long Road containing a bottle of Gatorade, a Nalgene of water, a can of Red Bull, a bag of Oreo cookies, three gels, and two ClifBars.
- $10 for the entry fee
The morning of the event, I ‘woke to the sound of pouring rain’, but figured when we got to the other side it would be quite clear. WRONG!!! The rain intensified as we (Heather, Shaka, and I) traveled down to Dillingham Airfield with numerous puddles forming along the roadway. Participants stood in the rain getting last minute items packed into their hydration packs or pockets and putting on partially drenched shoes.As with most major events, things don’t always turn out as planned. In my haste to leave I forgot my ‘stash’ when I set it down to pet my dog goodbye for the day. During the trek there, my pack had tipped over and most of the water leaked out.
The start of H.U.R.T. races are no spectacular event (with exception of the Maunawili run), ‘just out ya all go!’ As Don and Gordon gave final instructions, they warned us of the impending elements and treacherous areas that may await us. ‘Safety is the main thing!’ With all being said and done, Don the reported, “20 seconds to start!” Whoops guess I wasn’t gonna be able to refill my water, oh well there was copious amounts falling from the sky! I had only about 50-oz of water still inside when we started, but luckily I also put a bottle of Gatorade in the exterior pocket of the pack.
As Don and Gordon gave final instructions, they warned us of the impending elements and treacherous areas that may await us. ‘Safety is the main thing!’ With all being said and done, Don the reported, “20 seconds to start!” Whoops guess I wasn’t gonna be able to refill my water, oh well there was copious amounts falling from the sky!
About 28 people braved the rain to sign up and start the run that morning, all having various goals and reasons for doing this. For Brenda, Ryan, Shakaman and I, it was just all about finishing and within the allotted time…so basically the clock was our main adversary. So as we began our initial approach to the singletrack switchbacks ascending the mountain, I did a quick job up to jockey a good position and not get stuck to far in the back.
I managed to pace out with Marian and a young Army cadet named Mike. It’s always fun hanging out and passing time with Marian. We shared fun stories and interesting experiences, including her recent mainland ultras (Miwok & Rocky Raccoon) and my ‘Iceman’ incedent (getting hypothermia at Hilo2Volcano)…perhaps a foretelling of things to come!
Three simple words most characterize the event that day…wet and muddy! The switchbacks and steep sets of jeep trail inclines were quickly becoming miniature waterfalls with the base ponding with mud and water. As we rounded several curves, we felt our feet skidding across the loose surfacing with little purchase beneath the mud. Throughout all the tumultuous amount of mud and constant drizzle of rain, we all remained positive and optimistic…better cool, wet and a bit muddy than hot, humid and dust, right? Besides we (or at least most of us) were having a great time! I’ve always mentioned to John S. that a good amount of mud is a requirement for events to be actual H.U.R.T. runs!
In reaching the short asphalt road, Rob was at the bottom providing Gatorade, water, snacks, and much support. He had braved the mud in his truck to set up a makeshift station, despite the wind and rain he was all smiles in making sure we were good to go for the duration of the two loops! Thanks Rob!
In reaching the single-track trail along the ridgeline of the mountain range (time at 2 hours, 30 minutes), I let Marian go first, with that she sped off along the ridge. Mike was still pacing off with me but I could tell he was losing steam as we traversed the route to the intersection going to Peacock Flats. He fell back about 100 meters but made up the distance once we returned to the jeep trail. He looked pretty exhausted so tried to keep up a conversation with him to get him to settle down and just keep a steady pace. He was rather pensive, so I settled on just commenting on a few landmarks and observances I made out loud to just cut the silence of the run.
The trail out to Peacock Flats and Long Road was already accumulating a lot of water and mud, about halfway through we encountered an off-roader going in the opposite direction. We exchanged ‘shakas’ and went our way. About a mile to the Green gate, I picked up a flattened can of ‘Monster’ Energy Drink that seemed to have been recently tossed and took it with me to dispose of. Gotta take care of the ‘aina!
The aide station at the bottom of Long Road was perhaps one of the best highlights of the entire event! Cheryl and Wah were instrumental in not only having everything ready there and aiding runners with refilling hydration packs, but also keeping our morale up! They were totally AWESOME! Words cannot describe the amount of support and motivation they gave each time a runner came in to refuel! Mahalos ladies! Fish, who was waiting for the second loop to pace Marian, was also great in making sure I was well stocked with fuel and remind me to make sure I had what I needed for my next loop.
As I began my way back up Long Road, Cheryl and Fish shoved a bag of Sun Chips into my hand, reminding me to pull out and devour my pbj sandwich I had packed earlier. As I devoured sections of the sandwich, I scanned the road to see what happened to Mike. I had stopped for about 10 minutes (in at 4 hrs, 3 min; out by 4:13) and he had not even been sighted coming down the road yet. As I got to within 200 meters of the gate, he had just crossed over it and was jogging toward me. He looked a bit beat but was maintaining that he had pushed the descent too much (I later found out that he pulled out at the aid station). Following him were Brenda, Ryan, Johnny, Ernest, and Mike M, all in great spirits and moving quickly to the aid station! Alright gang! Halfway up to the first water tank, Habu came ‘a motorin’ around’…with a big smile on his face! He made a few comments about the mud but was having a great time! Looking at my watch it was not yet 5 hours! He could actually do the entire event, just making it in at the cutoff! Go Habu-sama!! In reaching the second water tank, I encountered Heather and few others doing only one loop. She looked very warm in her pullover! Yup was jealous!
My plan was to push up Long Road with a very moderate tempo’d power walk, then go back to running at a good pace once I got back onto the trails. It was all proceeding well. The rain was still falling creating additional mud and causing some rockfall along the side of the trail going back to the Kealia trail. I was in great spirits and even stopped to pick up more discarded material, a very large rain poncho rolled up neatly and two additional drink cans. About 1/3 of the way there I encountered a group of off-roading vehicles (three trucks and two jeeps), the people were amazed at all the runners and were having fun themselves. Many of the drivers were having quite a challenge maneuvering their vehicles in the slick mud!
I made great time in getting back to the Kealia trail and even better time to the switchbacks…much due to Gordon’s great marking of the route! At first I thought the shale and loose rocks on the descent back down would be the problem, turned out the saturated trail had turned to goo making slipping the primary issue. Nonetheless I proceeded down unfaltered, acknowledging and cheering on those beginning their second loop.
I completed my first loop in just over 7 hours (7:03). After checking in with John & PJ, they quickly offered to help me reload everything. I thanked them for their kokua but had my supplies on my truck only a 100 meters away. ‘Mr & Mrs H.U.R.T.’ are always so supportive and helpful! In making my way to my vehicle, I ran through my mind what I was gonna do. I got off my pack then switched shirts, drying off with a warm towel in between. I then got my wet shoes and socks off, got them bagged up, and got on clean, dry ones. I traded my cap for a visor then pulled out what I needed for the next loop: long-sleeve shirt, two hand held lights, headlamp, five more gels, another sandwich, and a ClifBar just in case.
During my first loop I had consumed half a Powerbar, 6 gels, a bag of PowerBurst energy gummies, and four ClifBlocs (along with the sandwich and chips), along with drinking my bottle of Gatorade. Figured I’d be out longer this time so had a total of 7 gels, a bag of ClifBlocs, three ClifBars, a PowerBar, half a bag of PowerBursts, and another pbj sandwich. I refilled my Gatorade bottle and water pouch, packed my equipment up, did a once over, then secured my car. I thought about taking my jacket but thought, ‘Well the rain is getting lighter and I do see a few patches of blue on the horizon…nah, I’ll be okay without it.’ I informed PJ and John I was heading out and gave Clem a high five in exchange for a bag of chips before proceeding back out.
Just as I was making my way past the guard dogs and storage bins, Brenda comes barreling out of the trailhead with Ryan in close pursuit! We exchanged salutations, with Ryan jokingly telling me I was going too fast. Found Shaka about 400 m behind Ryan looking very pleased and somewhat enjoying the rain and mud! Way to go Bro! Habu was about 10 to 15 minutes behind him still smiling and enjoying the trails! Amazing!
I got up the switchbacks and ascended the three hard hills at a quicker pace than before, even stopping to congratulate Heather at the picnic table as she began her descent and completing her loop. That was when things turned well…messy! The ground had become sooo saturated the mud literally engulfed your foot all the way to your ankles, often threatening to steal your shoes! At one point as I was coming down one of the twisting ascents, my leg sunk up to mid-calf and I had to use my arms to pull it free! In struggling to gain some foothold in the mud, navigate around the mud and water patches, and ascertain where I was, I got disoriented and forgot what section was coming up. I began thinking I was slowing down and I was tiring out, when in reality I was maintaining the same pace! I just had not remembered the order of the landmarks and sections due to my state of frustration with the mud and increase in rainfall. I got to Rob’s in 2 hours and was back to traversing the singletrack over the ridgeline in the same time as before (at 2 hrs and 30 minutes)! Upon realizing this I settled down and decided it was time for a little reward! Grabbing a chocolate chip peanut butter ClifBar, I casually walked for a good five minutes of the trail out to Peacock, enjoying a midafternoon snack.
About half way to Long Road, the rain was still not letting up and the winds were beginning to pickup. I felt the familiar sensation I had gotten in Janauary, tinges of cold entering my muscles, major shivering in my arms and shoulders, pensiveness in my thoughts as well as a feeling of despair. I then stopped to switch out of my wet shirt and get my long sleeve on, much better though it would be soaked by the time I began making my way back up Long Road. Oh well. I decided to deal with that when that point came and jogged the rest of the trail, greeting the leaders as they began making their way back to the Kealia trail then finishing up.
It was about 4:45 pm by the time I got out to the beginning of Long Road and 5:15pm when I got to the Peacock Flats gate. The rain had created a good mist and it was getting a bit dark, but not where lights were needed (though many of the leaders had already put theirs on). In attempting to jog down Long Road, I found that my legs were so tight from the cold, I couldn’t summon the strength to get them moving again. Just before the first water tank going down, I encountered Fish and Marian heading back up. Fish checked in with me, noticing I seemed less enthused. After informing him that I was feeling the ‘Iceman’ returning, both of them told me to ‘just keep moving and don’t think negatively…I had 15-miles left to go and I was in terrific shape..don’t worry about running just do the power walk!’
As I got a little over halfway down, I began to hear and see things. Movement in the pasture on my left, someone calling me from behind….oh boy! I’ve often heard that during ultras many competitors hallucinate and hear things…wow guess this an ultra!!! Several posts and small trees got mistaken as people cheering for me…even thought I saw a menehune, nope that was a small post by the open storm drain! Woooahhh!!!!
I got to the bottom of Long Road around 6:30pm (12 hours, 30+ minutes accumulated time), dragging my shivering behind in and feeling pretty unsure about what I could do to warm up. Cheryl felt sad about not having anything warm to give but did massage my arms to get the blood flowing, then passed me two good sized hunks of peanut butter & jam bread and another bag of chips. Ernest helped get my hydration bag off, fill it up with Gatorade, then pull out my lights. Heather who had been hanging out, informed me that Habu had decided to do some extra mileage and had set back out to do just the main upper loop (which he later told me proved to be more than he thought it was supposed to be). He had just called and told her he was in and was gonna leave after cleaning up a bit. She had also picked up some musubis for Shaka and I. Seeing that I was shivering, she quickly got her jacket off and got it on me. Ahhhhh…instant warmth!!! They got me suited back up and on my way. Rob had just gotten back from closing up ‘shop’ on the loop and told me that Brenda, Ryan, Johnny, Rex, Devon, and Mike M. were the last on the trail.
As I headed back out, I could see the various lights coming down the mountain side, though they were a bit obscured by the misting rain (still going). I was about a mile out when Brenda came by followed closely by Ryan and Johnny (all trading words of encouragement). Just as the ‘world went black’ save the small specks of road illuminated by my lights, my phone went off. Half thinking it was either Maniacles checking on our progress or Heather calling to tell me that Johnny wanted the jacket, I pulled the cell out and answered…it was Laura K (aka Frayed Laces)! Just trying to talk a few sentences was a bit challenging as my teeth were still chattering from the wet shirt underneath the jacket. However I was very excited to hear another person’s voice in the dark…at least I knew it wasn’t a hallucination or voices in my head! She was calling to see how I was gonna run the Niketown 30k the next morning. ‘Well right now I’m concentrating on navigating in the dark up Long Road and trying to remember all of the landmarks and route back to the Kealia trail…sorry kiddo, the 30k is the furthest thing from my mind right now!’ Huh, was her first reaction (think she thought I was losing it or something), then she remembered what we were up to…yup, I have 11+ more miles to go….yes, I am still running, errr jogging…okay walking. No, fo’ real…Hey Brenda, Ryan!...really they just ran by to the aid station and I just left…Hey it’s Shaka! Dude, Laura says Hi!! (Shaka yells out ‘Hi!’ over the phone).’ Laura conversed me for the better part of 15-minutes of the beginning of the ascent up Long Road. Though it was sounding like a dazed and confused person jabbering to someone more sane, it was great to have the conversation and get my mind off my present situation. After hanging up, I began to see lights out of the corner of my eye..oh boy, here come the hallucinations again. Five minutes later, a pair of lights came right at me…crap…oh it’s Devon. Alright buddy keep it going! It’s amazing what a little company can do for you! Mike M. followed a couple minutes later, we stopped for a few moments to shake hands. He then warned me that the upper area was becoming pretty iffy, the clouds and misting rains were moving in so visibility was be very hard. Alright! Thanks Mike! Oh boy!
As I tried pushing up the road, my usual power walk was more like a trudge up the hill. I felt a lot more disoriented in not being able to see exactly where I was and the extents of the road…knew I had zig-zagged quite a few times across it. Felt the road curve and a few inclines…okay so where are those water towers?!?!?! After what felt like over an hour (actually was just under) I saw some reflective material in the middle of the road…it’s a gate!! But which one? I then saw the signs for Peacock Flats! Wow I’m here! Did I pass the hard section of Long Road already?!?! I then attempted to shine my lights past the gate and could not see a darn thing beyond 5 feet in front of me! Oh- kay!
I really felt pretty uncertain about continuing on in the dark, I had a couple of times where I ended up on the side of the road, almost coming totally off it. I didn’t wanna end up somewhere I shouldn’t. Despite the jacket, the light rain and winds were making me cold again. Being alone up there wasn’t in my best interest at that point…on the H.U.R.T. loop, yeah, I’m okay there..here NO WAY! I pulled out my phone and called Heather to find out where Shaka, Brenda and Ryan were in terms of time when I left. She told me that they were at least 35 to 40 minutes behind me, they all left together. Rex was not too far behind…and he was running a bit! I then attempted to call Brenda and Johnny on their phones, no answer from Shaka and Wah had Brenda’s phone. Well just gotta wait…began walking and jogging in circles about the mauka side of the gate, checking my watch every so often and hoping the batteries in my lights wouldn’t give out. Exactly 35 minutes later I thought I saw two pairs of lights far down the trail, then they disappeared for a moment, then came back up. ‘BRENDA! RYAN!’ No answer. All of a sudden the trail seemed to light up VERY brightly and there was a loud whoosh! Is that a truck?
The sound ended up being the wind blowing through the valley below. The lights were Brenda and Ryan! Yes!!! After yelling out to them and attempting to jump up, I re-iterated my predicament and asked if they minded a third with them. They were both very happy to have me along with them…the more the better!
Though we first thought we were moving along rather slow, we were actually making very good time. We had already passed the hardest part of ascending Long Road (though we never saw the water tanks) and were back on the jeep trail 10-minutes after meeting up at the gate! As we sloshed about in the muddy trails and kept an eye out for signs of where we were, we conversed about things we wanted to do once we were finished….taking a long luxurious hot bath and soaking, curling up with the dog, and anything but running this course anytime in the next few months were several answers (you can guess who said what)!
We continued moving at a steady pace, stopping a couple times for no. 1, then keeping up the tempo. Rex came flying out of the darkness like the Batman, he checked up on us and gave us words of encouragement…then he was gone…I mean he was really moving like he just started the event!!!
We got back to the Kealia trail faster than we anticipated and even were at the picnic table in no time! Our descent down the switchbacks was a bit rugged, including a couple slips, spills, and many calls of slight pains as we tried to get the proper footing and keep eye to foot coordination. Several areas had been reduced to mud bogs and many rocks loosened.
As the trail slope began to flatten, we realized ‘the worse is over, we’re almost through!’ In coming out of the fencing at the trail head, we celebrated with long congratulatory hugs and thanking each other for getting us all through. We triumphantly strode toward the canopy at the parking lot, the lights shining there beacons of celebration! Wah came out to us halfway and gave us all hugs and joined in our moment! Ernest also came up and congratulated us about 200 meters out, and joined in the procession to the finish. He then had us look up the mountain and we could see Shaka and Devon making their way down the switchbacks! Despite the warning of being quiet, I could not resist and let out a whoop of excitement for Brother Shaka as I knew he was gonna be finished and well within the time limit!
I didn’t hear our official time from John but stopped my chrono a few minutes following our finish…16:57:05! My second loop took me 9 hrs and 44 minutes. I had anticipated about 8hours to 8:30 but having the company of Brenda and Ryan was well worth the wait. John, PJ, and Clem congratulated us and offered some very good pizza that the Huffs’ had brought. Johnny finished about 15-20 minutes later, very happy and feeling triumphant as well, though he was very anxious to get home shower and hit the sack!
Much thanks should go out the H.U.R.T. gang, especially John & PJ, Cheryl/’Catra’, Clem, Rob, and Wah for doing the aid stations and time keeping; Gordon, Larry, and Don for devising this (mad) event, coordinating the use of the trails and airfield, getting the DLNR permitting, and marking the trail so well! Despite the conditions, the event went along very well! All the participants should be proud of what they accomplished, moreover feel that they also helped each other to do so. What I have always noticed about the H.U.R.T. events is that though there is some competition, everyone is so supportive on each other not matter what place, speed, or time you are in. It’s all about finishing and having a great time! For Shaka, Habu, Brenda and I, this was THE LONGEST distance we’ve ran in a single event to date (Ryan has done the 100k for the 2008 H.U.R.T. 100). I’m very proud to have been able to participate in this event and been in the company of all that participated.
People will often bring up names like Carnazes when the word ultrumarathon is brought up. True he’s done some pretty impressive things and won his share, however my first thoughts will always be of the awesome group of people that I’ve had the honor and pleasure of sharing the trails with during all the H.U.R.T. events!. As I mentioned before, I never liked ‘racing’ on the trail and it’s been where I have had the most fun and experienced a lot…wanna keep it that way for quite some time.
My Mahalo list is quite extensive: Fish, Gordon, Larry, Bob McC and Huddy for plethora of trail advice; John and PJ for refusing to let me NOT enter the 100; Marian for keeping me entertained on the main loop; my two angels, Cheryl and Wah, who made sure I was well fed and in the proper spirit; Brother Shaka for getting me to get out and do the practice loops and really think about what I needed to do for this; Heather for all the support, company on the trails, and use of the jacket (what a lifesaver!); Brenda and Ryan, for company not only during the event but also in training (next is H.U.R.T.!), and the constant support and words of encouragement; Ernest for not letting me think about stopping longer and refilling my water pouch; Maniacles, for the constant words of encouragement and sage advice in extending my weekly distances; Ray, for all the support, testing of products, use of his store as a second home, and the endless training and racing advice; the Essenbergs for being my second (or third) family; my two trail sisters, Elisa and Amy, (they’ve never met each other) though both having moved back to the continental US, the times I spent with them doing the various trail runs will never be forgotten…hope we can do more soon; Laura K/Frayed Laces, for the ‘call’…misery loves company!, still waiting for ya to ‘get out there’; and most of all to both my entire Runners’ HI Ohana and the H.U.R.T gang for the constant support, encouragement, and great times together! Though the event was during just that single 20 hour period, the adventure to get there started in January and all of you have been instrumental in getting me to this point and beyond!
The start of H.U.R.T. races are no spectacular event (with exception of the Maunawili run), ‘just out ya all go!’ As Don and Gordon gave final instructions, they warned us of the impending elements and treacherous areas that may await us. ‘Safety is the main thing!’ With all being said and done, Don the reported, “20 seconds to start!” Whoops guess I wasn’t gonna be able to refill my water, oh well there was copious amounts falling from the sky! I had only about 50-oz of water still inside when we started, but luckily I also put a bottle of Gatorade in the exterior pocket of the pack.
As Don and Gordon gave final instructions, they warned us of the impending elements and treacherous areas that may await us. ‘Safety is the main thing!’ With all being said and done, Don the reported, “20 seconds to start!” Whoops guess I wasn’t gonna be able to refill my water, oh well there was copious amounts falling from the sky!
About 28 people braved the rain to sign up and start the run that morning, all having various goals and reasons for doing this. For Brenda, Ryan, Shakaman and I, it was just all about finishing and within the allotted time…so basically the clock was our main adversary. So as we began our initial approach to the singletrack switchbacks ascending the mountain, I did a quick job up to jockey a good position and not get stuck to far in the back.
I managed to pace out with Marian and a young Army cadet named Mike. It’s always fun hanging out and passing time with Marian. We shared fun stories and interesting experiences, including her recent mainland ultras (Miwok & Rocky Raccoon) and my ‘Iceman’ incedent (getting hypothermia at Hilo2Volcano)…perhaps a foretelling of things to come!
Three simple words most characterize the event that day…wet and muddy! The switchbacks and steep sets of jeep trail inclines were quickly becoming miniature waterfalls with the base ponding with mud and water. As we rounded several curves, we felt our feet skidding across the loose surfacing with little purchase beneath the mud. Throughout all the tumultuous amount of mud and constant drizzle of rain, we all remained positive and optimistic…better cool, wet and a bit muddy than hot, humid and dust, right? Besides we (or at least most of us) were having a great time! I’ve always mentioned to John S. that a good amount of mud is a requirement for events to be actual H.U.R.T. runs!
In reaching the short asphalt road, Rob was at the bottom providing Gatorade, water, snacks, and much support. He had braved the mud in his truck to set up a makeshift station, despite the wind and rain he was all smiles in making sure we were good to go for the duration of the two loops! Thanks Rob!
In reaching the single-track trail along the ridgeline of the mountain range (time at 2 hours, 30 minutes), I let Marian go first, with that she sped off along the ridge. Mike was still pacing off with me but I could tell he was losing steam as we traversed the route to the intersection going to Peacock Flats. He fell back about 100 meters but made up the distance once we returned to the jeep trail. He looked pretty exhausted so tried to keep up a conversation with him to get him to settle down and just keep a steady pace. He was rather pensive, so I settled on just commenting on a few landmarks and observances I made out loud to just cut the silence of the run.
The trail out to Peacock Flats and Long Road was already accumulating a lot of water and mud, about halfway through we encountered an off-roader going in the opposite direction. We exchanged ‘shakas’ and went our way. About a mile to the Green gate, I picked up a flattened can of ‘Monster’ Energy Drink that seemed to have been recently tossed and took it with me to dispose of. Gotta take care of the ‘aina!
The aide station at the bottom of Long Road was perhaps one of the best highlights of the entire event! Cheryl and Wah were instrumental in not only having everything ready there and aiding runners with refilling hydration packs, but also keeping our morale up! They were totally AWESOME! Words cannot describe the amount of support and motivation they gave each time a runner came in to refuel! Mahalos ladies! Fish, who was waiting for the second loop to pace Marian, was also great in making sure I was well stocked with fuel and remind me to make sure I had what I needed for my next loop.
As I began my way back up Long Road, Cheryl and Fish shoved a bag of Sun Chips into my hand, reminding me to pull out and devour my pbj sandwich I had packed earlier. As I devoured sections of the sandwich, I scanned the road to see what happened to Mike. I had stopped for about 10 minutes (in at 4 hrs, 3 min; out by 4:13) and he had not even been sighted coming down the road yet. As I got to within 200 meters of the gate, he had just crossed over it and was jogging toward me. He looked a bit beat but was maintaining that he had pushed the descent too much (I later found out that he pulled out at the aid station). Following him were Brenda, Ryan, Johnny, Ernest, and Mike M, all in great spirits and moving quickly to the aid station! Alright gang! Halfway up to the first water tank, Habu came ‘a motorin’ around’…with a big smile on his face! He made a few comments about the mud but was having a great time! Looking at my watch it was not yet 5 hours! He could actually do the entire event, just making it in at the cutoff! Go Habu-sama!! In reaching the second water tank, I encountered Heather and few others doing only one loop. She looked very warm in her pullover! Yup was jealous!
My plan was to push up Long Road with a very moderate tempo’d power walk, then go back to running at a good pace once I got back onto the trails. It was all proceeding well. The rain was still falling creating additional mud and causing some rockfall along the side of the trail going back to the Kealia trail. I was in great spirits and even stopped to pick up more discarded material, a very large rain poncho rolled up neatly and two additional drink cans. About 1/3 of the way there I encountered a group of off-roading vehicles (three trucks and two jeeps), the people were amazed at all the runners and were having fun themselves. Many of the drivers were having quite a challenge maneuvering their vehicles in the slick mud!
I made great time in getting back to the Kealia trail and even better time to the switchbacks…much due to Gordon’s great marking of the route! At first I thought the shale and loose rocks on the descent back down would be the problem, turned out the saturated trail had turned to goo making slipping the primary issue. Nonetheless I proceeded down unfaltered, acknowledging and cheering on those beginning their second loop.
I completed my first loop in just over 7 hours (7:03). After checking in with John & PJ, they quickly offered to help me reload everything. I thanked them for their kokua but had my supplies on my truck only a 100 meters away. ‘Mr & Mrs H.U.R.T.’ are always so supportive and helpful! In making my way to my vehicle, I ran through my mind what I was gonna do. I got off my pack then switched shirts, drying off with a warm towel in between. I then got my wet shoes and socks off, got them bagged up, and got on clean, dry ones. I traded my cap for a visor then pulled out what I needed for the next loop: long-sleeve shirt, two hand held lights, headlamp, five more gels, another sandwich, and a ClifBar just in case.
During my first loop I had consumed half a Powerbar, 6 gels, a bag of PowerBurst energy gummies, and four ClifBlocs (along with the sandwich and chips), along with drinking my bottle of Gatorade. Figured I’d be out longer this time so had a total of 7 gels, a bag of ClifBlocs, three ClifBars, a PowerBar, half a bag of PowerBursts, and another pbj sandwich. I refilled my Gatorade bottle and water pouch, packed my equipment up, did a once over, then secured my car. I thought about taking my jacket but thought, ‘Well the rain is getting lighter and I do see a few patches of blue on the horizon…nah, I’ll be okay without it.’ I informed PJ and John I was heading out and gave Clem a high five in exchange for a bag of chips before proceeding back out.
Just as I was making my way past the guard dogs and storage bins, Brenda comes barreling out of the trailhead with Ryan in close pursuit! We exchanged salutations, with Ryan jokingly telling me I was going too fast. Found Shaka about 400 m behind Ryan looking very pleased and somewhat enjoying the rain and mud! Way to go Bro! Habu was about 10 to 15 minutes behind him still smiling and enjoying the trails! Amazing!
I got up the switchbacks and ascended the three hard hills at a quicker pace than before, even stopping to congratulate Heather at the picnic table as she began her descent and completing her loop. That was when things turned well…messy! The ground had become sooo saturated the mud literally engulfed your foot all the way to your ankles, often threatening to steal your shoes! At one point as I was coming down one of the twisting ascents, my leg sunk up to mid-calf and I had to use my arms to pull it free! In struggling to gain some foothold in the mud, navigate around the mud and water patches, and ascertain where I was, I got disoriented and forgot what section was coming up. I began thinking I was slowing down and I was tiring out, when in reality I was maintaining the same pace! I just had not remembered the order of the landmarks and sections due to my state of frustration with the mud and increase in rainfall. I got to Rob’s in 2 hours and was back to traversing the singletrack over the ridgeline in the same time as before (at 2 hrs and 30 minutes)! Upon realizing this I settled down and decided it was time for a little reward! Grabbing a chocolate chip peanut butter ClifBar, I casually walked for a good five minutes of the trail out to Peacock, enjoying a midafternoon snack.
About half way to Long Road, the rain was still not letting up and the winds were beginning to pickup. I felt the familiar sensation I had gotten in Janauary, tinges of cold entering my muscles, major shivering in my arms and shoulders, pensiveness in my thoughts as well as a feeling of despair. I then stopped to switch out of my wet shirt and get my long sleeve on, much better though it would be soaked by the time I began making my way back up Long Road. Oh well. I decided to deal with that when that point came and jogged the rest of the trail, greeting the leaders as they began making their way back to the Kealia trail then finishing up.
It was about 4:45 pm by the time I got out to the beginning of Long Road and 5:15pm when I got to the Peacock Flats gate. The rain had created a good mist and it was getting a bit dark, but not where lights were needed (though many of the leaders had already put theirs on). In attempting to jog down Long Road, I found that my legs were so tight from the cold, I couldn’t summon the strength to get them moving again. Just before the first water tank going down, I encountered Fish and Marian heading back up. Fish checked in with me, noticing I seemed less enthused. After informing him that I was feeling the ‘Iceman’ returning, both of them told me to ‘just keep moving and don’t think negatively…I had 15-miles left to go and I was in terrific shape..don’t worry about running just do the power walk!’
As I got a little over halfway down, I began to hear and see things. Movement in the pasture on my left, someone calling me from behind….oh boy! I’ve often heard that during ultras many competitors hallucinate and hear things…wow guess this an ultra!!! Several posts and small trees got mistaken as people cheering for me…even thought I saw a menehune, nope that was a small post by the open storm drain! Woooahhh!!!!
I got to the bottom of Long Road around 6:30pm (12 hours, 30+ minutes accumulated time), dragging my shivering behind in and feeling pretty unsure about what I could do to warm up. Cheryl felt sad about not having anything warm to give but did massage my arms to get the blood flowing, then passed me two good sized hunks of peanut butter & jam bread and another bag of chips. Ernest helped get my hydration bag off, fill it up with Gatorade, then pull out my lights. Heather who had been hanging out, informed me that Habu had decided to do some extra mileage and had set back out to do just the main upper loop (which he later told me proved to be more than he thought it was supposed to be). He had just called and told her he was in and was gonna leave after cleaning up a bit. She had also picked up some musubis for Shaka and I. Seeing that I was shivering, she quickly got her jacket off and got it on me. Ahhhhh…instant warmth!!! They got me suited back up and on my way. Rob had just gotten back from closing up ‘shop’ on the loop and told me that Brenda, Ryan, Johnny, Rex, Devon, and Mike M. were the last on the trail.
As I headed back out, I could see the various lights coming down the mountain side, though they were a bit obscured by the misting rain (still going). I was about a mile out when Brenda came by followed closely by Ryan and Johnny (all trading words of encouragement). Just as the ‘world went black’ save the small specks of road illuminated by my lights, my phone went off. Half thinking it was either Maniacles checking on our progress or Heather calling to tell me that Johnny wanted the jacket, I pulled the cell out and answered…it was Laura K (aka Frayed Laces)! Just trying to talk a few sentences was a bit challenging as my teeth were still chattering from the wet shirt underneath the jacket. However I was very excited to hear another person’s voice in the dark…at least I knew it wasn’t a hallucination or voices in my head! She was calling to see how I was gonna run the Niketown 30k the next morning. ‘Well right now I’m concentrating on navigating in the dark up Long Road and trying to remember all of the landmarks and route back to the Kealia trail…sorry kiddo, the 30k is the furthest thing from my mind right now!’ Huh, was her first reaction (think she thought I was losing it or something), then she remembered what we were up to…yup, I have 11+ more miles to go….yes, I am still running, errr jogging…okay walking. No, fo’ real…Hey Brenda, Ryan!...really they just ran by to the aid station and I just left…Hey it’s Shaka! Dude, Laura says Hi!! (Shaka yells out ‘Hi!’ over the phone).’ Laura conversed me for the better part of 15-minutes of the beginning of the ascent up Long Road. Though it was sounding like a dazed and confused person jabbering to someone more sane, it was great to have the conversation and get my mind off my present situation. After hanging up, I began to see lights out of the corner of my eye..oh boy, here come the hallucinations again. Five minutes later, a pair of lights came right at me…crap…oh it’s Devon. Alright buddy keep it going! It’s amazing what a little company can do for you! Mike M. followed a couple minutes later, we stopped for a few moments to shake hands. He then warned me that the upper area was becoming pretty iffy, the clouds and misting rains were moving in so visibility was be very hard. Alright! Thanks Mike! Oh boy!
As I tried pushing up the road, my usual power walk was more like a trudge up the hill. I felt a lot more disoriented in not being able to see exactly where I was and the extents of the road…knew I had zig-zagged quite a few times across it. Felt the road curve and a few inclines…okay so where are those water towers?!?!?! After what felt like over an hour (actually was just under) I saw some reflective material in the middle of the road…it’s a gate!! But which one? I then saw the signs for Peacock Flats! Wow I’m here! Did I pass the hard section of Long Road already?!?! I then attempted to shine my lights past the gate and could not see a darn thing beyond 5 feet in front of me! Oh- kay!
I really felt pretty uncertain about continuing on in the dark, I had a couple of times where I ended up on the side of the road, almost coming totally off it. I didn’t wanna end up somewhere I shouldn’t. Despite the jacket, the light rain and winds were making me cold again. Being alone up there wasn’t in my best interest at that point…on the H.U.R.T. loop, yeah, I’m okay there..here NO WAY! I pulled out my phone and called Heather to find out where Shaka, Brenda and Ryan were in terms of time when I left. She told me that they were at least 35 to 40 minutes behind me, they all left together. Rex was not too far behind…and he was running a bit! I then attempted to call Brenda and Johnny on their phones, no answer from Shaka and Wah had Brenda’s phone. Well just gotta wait…began walking and jogging in circles about the mauka side of the gate, checking my watch every so often and hoping the batteries in my lights wouldn’t give out. Exactly 35 minutes later I thought I saw two pairs of lights far down the trail, then they disappeared for a moment, then came back up. ‘BRENDA! RYAN!’ No answer. All of a sudden the trail seemed to light up VERY brightly and there was a loud whoosh! Is that a truck?
The sound ended up being the wind blowing through the valley below. The lights were Brenda and Ryan! Yes!!! After yelling out to them and attempting to jump up, I re-iterated my predicament and asked if they minded a third with them. They were both very happy to have me along with them…the more the better!
Though we first thought we were moving along rather slow, we were actually making very good time. We had already passed the hardest part of ascending Long Road (though we never saw the water tanks) and were back on the jeep trail 10-minutes after meeting up at the gate! As we sloshed about in the muddy trails and kept an eye out for signs of where we were, we conversed about things we wanted to do once we were finished….taking a long luxurious hot bath and soaking, curling up with the dog, and anything but running this course anytime in the next few months were several answers (you can guess who said what)!
We continued moving at a steady pace, stopping a couple times for no. 1, then keeping up the tempo. Rex came flying out of the darkness like the Batman, he checked up on us and gave us words of encouragement…then he was gone…I mean he was really moving like he just started the event!!!
We got back to the Kealia trail faster than we anticipated and even were at the picnic table in no time! Our descent down the switchbacks was a bit rugged, including a couple slips, spills, and many calls of slight pains as we tried to get the proper footing and keep eye to foot coordination. Several areas had been reduced to mud bogs and many rocks loosened.
As the trail slope began to flatten, we realized ‘the worse is over, we’re almost through!’ In coming out of the fencing at the trail head, we celebrated with long congratulatory hugs and thanking each other for getting us all through. We triumphantly strode toward the canopy at the parking lot, the lights shining there beacons of celebration! Wah came out to us halfway and gave us all hugs and joined in our moment! Ernest also came up and congratulated us about 200 meters out, and joined in the procession to the finish. He then had us look up the mountain and we could see Shaka and Devon making their way down the switchbacks! Despite the warning of being quiet, I could not resist and let out a whoop of excitement for Brother Shaka as I knew he was gonna be finished and well within the time limit!
I didn’t hear our official time from John but stopped my chrono a few minutes following our finish…16:57:05! My second loop took me 9 hrs and 44 minutes. I had anticipated about 8hours to 8:30 but having the company of Brenda and Ryan was well worth the wait. John, PJ, and Clem congratulated us and offered some very good pizza that the Huffs’ had brought. Johnny finished about 15-20 minutes later, very happy and feeling triumphant as well, though he was very anxious to get home shower and hit the sack!
Much thanks should go out the H.U.R.T. gang, especially John & PJ, Cheryl/’Catra’, Clem, Rob, and Wah for doing the aid stations and time keeping; Gordon, Larry, and Don for devising this (mad) event, coordinating the use of the trails and airfield, getting the DLNR permitting, and marking the trail so well! Despite the conditions, the event went along very well! All the participants should be proud of what they accomplished, moreover feel that they also helped each other to do so. What I have always noticed about the H.U.R.T. events is that though there is some competition, everyone is so supportive on each other not matter what place, speed, or time you are in. It’s all about finishing and having a great time! For Shaka, Habu, Brenda and I, this was THE LONGEST distance we’ve ran in a single event to date (Ryan has done the 100k for the 2008 H.U.R.T. 100). I’m very proud to have been able to participate in this event and been in the company of all that participated.
People will often bring up names like Carnazes when the word ultrumarathon is brought up. True he’s done some pretty impressive things and won his share, however my first thoughts will always be of the awesome group of people that I’ve had the honor and pleasure of sharing the trails with during all the H.U.R.T. events!. As I mentioned before, I never liked ‘racing’ on the trail and it’s been where I have had the most fun and experienced a lot…wanna keep it that way for quite some time.
My Mahalo list is quite extensive: Fish, Gordon, Larry, Bob McC and Huddy for plethora of trail advice; John and PJ for refusing to let me NOT enter the 100; Marian for keeping me entertained on the main loop; my two angels, Cheryl and Wah, who made sure I was well fed and in the proper spirit; Brother Shaka for getting me to get out and do the practice loops and really think about what I needed to do for this; Heather for all the support, company on the trails, and use of the jacket (what a lifesaver!); Brenda and Ryan, for company not only during the event but also in training (next is H.U.R.T.!), and the constant support and words of encouragement; Ernest for not letting me think about stopping longer and refilling my water pouch; Maniacles, for the constant words of encouragement and sage advice in extending my weekly distances; Ray, for all the support, testing of products, use of his store as a second home, and the endless training and racing advice; the Essenbergs for being my second (or third) family; my two trail sisters, Elisa and Amy, (they’ve never met each other) though both having moved back to the continental US, the times I spent with them doing the various trail runs will never be forgotten…hope we can do more soon; Laura K/Frayed Laces, for the ‘call’…misery loves company!, still waiting for ya to ‘get out there’; and most of all to both my entire Runners’ HI Ohana and the H.U.R.T gang for the constant support, encouragement, and great times together! Though the event was during just that single 20 hour period, the adventure to get there started in January and all of you have been instrumental in getting me to this point and beyond!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Shakaman Files: Peacock Flats 54-miler...what an experience!!
The following is one of four race reviews on the H.U.R.T. Peacock Flats 54-miler that took place on Saturday, October 25th 2008. Under rainy, windy, and muddy conditions, 28 intrepid runners took part in an exceptionally challenging event. Here's my bro's review. As aforementioned in the previous blog this was the furthest we (he, Habu, and I) have ran to date. Awesome job and congrats! Will be savoring this one for quite some time!
So where do I begin...
Just a warning...This is a lengthy report so when you have the time...
To just read my Peacock 54 miler report, go down about midway where you see the first sentence in ORANGE. The first section explains what lead up to my decision to do it.
It all began when HURT put out their race calendar earlier this year. The very last event listed was this Peacock 54 miler. I just shook my head and said to myself: "I won't be doing that one!!!"
I eventually heard through the grapevine that last year was the first time for this run and that only two people finished: Gordon Lau and Ed Bugarin. Very few people on this island are tougher than these two.
Well fast forward to the Maunawili 22 miler. On a Maunawili training run while going DOWN to the turn around, Heather, Mark and I were chatting about the Peacock 54 miler. We were considering it as we were leisurely running downhill. Funny how our attitudes changed on our way back UP to the Pali lookout. As we were huffing and puffing, we thought that maybe the 54 miler is not a realistic goal after all. If anything, maybe we'll just do 1/2 the distance, just one loop.
Fast forward to late August and the Red Rabbit (Gary Marr who now lives in Washington State) is quickly gaining on me in overall marathons completed (We Marathon Maniacs are a little competitive in that sense). I figure I had to try and stay ahead of him somehow. Some of us decided not to do Portland and the only other race on the horizon to consider was the Peacock 54, basically the distance of more than two marathons. At this point I had never been on the course so I had no idea what the ultra entailed and the farthest I have ever gone was the HURT Run to the Sun. Looking at Gary's upcoming race schedule, I was basically screwed. The weekend of the Maui Marathon, we were tied and the following week he passed me and he continues to add more marathons under his belt. Washington State is Marathon Maniac country and there are marathons almost every week in the surrounding area. Why bother doing Peacock now? I will not be able to catch the Red Rabbit! For some reason though, I still was interested in doing it.
Now the next thing I needed to do was to actually make it out on the course and see what I will be getting myself into. For one reason or another I could not make it to the first two or three practice runs that HURT was putting on. Finally Heather, Jeff F. and I were able to make it to the September 27th workout. Just so happens it was the same day as Brenda's birthday party out in Waialua. The party was in the same area as the course so I told Ray that we will swing by when we were done.
There were 21 of us that morning who started off around 6:15am. The first thing we had to do was to go up 1.2 miles of rocky switch backs. Well about 7 hours into our run I get a phone call from Ray. He was checking on us being that I told him that we will probably be at the party around noon. It was around 1pm and I told him: "We're still running!" He said: "What?!" We both laughed. Heather and I made it back to the car a little after 2pm. Jeff was waiting patiently for us. It was a very tough, hilly and hot course. Some of the regulars say that it rarely rains out in this area. The first thing I noticed once at the car was the burning sensation in my eyes. The dust and sun really irritated my contacts. And the very first thought that came to my mind: "How the heck am I suppose to do this loop one more time???"
The following Saturday, I went out to Peacocks on my own and met up with others. I wanted to run 40 miles but I was not going to do it by myself. Fortunately someone else (Rex) wanted to do 40 miles as well so after the first loop, he and I went back up to do twelve more miles. This was the farthest I have ever gone. And the whole time, Rex was giving me pointers about pacing, hydrating, and other very valuable tips to have a successful event. It took us 13 hours to cover the 40 miles. My eyes again were very irritated and very bloodshot. And I asked myself: "How am I going to cover the 16 additional very hilly miles in the dark and by midnight?
With the third and final practice run (which was two weeks before the actual run) Heather and Jeff were able to come out again and we were able to bring Mike H (Habu) and Wily (Coyote) along with us. My goal was to do an additional 5 more miles to make 33 for the day. Well I really pushed doing one loop and I finished in 7 hours. But when I went back up for the additional 5 on my own, I died!!! I cramped, I bonked, and I had major contact issues. I learned a lot in those extra 5 miles: Take the first loop at an easy pace; constantly eat to keep up the energy; and do not use contacts for the actual run!!! I was very appreciative of Heather, Jeff, Mike and Wily for waiting for me!
The morning of Peacock I woke up at 1:25am. It was raining in `Aiea and being that it rarely rains out in the Peacock area, I made a last minute decision to bring along my contacts anyway being that I the decided to run with my prescription glasses.
As Heather, Jeff and I followed each other to the start, the rain followed us all the way to the start. There was a steady rain. I WAS SO HAPPY I DECIDED TO BRING ALONG MY CONTACTS!!!!! I quickly popped them in my eyes and got ready for the 6am start. Dry air, dust and sun were not were not going to be issues today to irritate my eyes and contacts.
I most likely had the heaviest camelbak. I started off with 100 ounces of water, 50 ounces of gatorade, three packs of clif shot bloks, three clif bars, 8 power gels, 23 salt tablets, my prescription glasses, tp, first aid pouch, headlight, flashlight and other little knick knacks. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for anything.
Certain sections were VERY MUDDY AND VERY SLIPPERY! About 4 miles into the run I had my first fall. Not a good sign. I scraped up my left knee and my left palm but nothing major. I quickly got up, used the water from my camelbak to rinse off the mud and continued on. I was initially with Ernest Tay, Brenda Yim, and Ryan Seto. At one moment I would be with them and the next moment I would be by myself. I always had to play catch up. Well I survived the first loop with just that one fall and got to the starting area around 1:30pm. I changed my shirt and debated whether to switch shoes. I chose to stick with the pair I had on and was back on the trail by 1:42pm. I had three time goals I needed to meet in order to finish by midnight. On my way to my first goal time of 5pm at the three way, I fell again along the single track area where if you fall either side, you were going down for quite a distance. Fortunately where I fell, there was a little area that kept me from going over. Well when I caught up with Brenda and Ryan for the last time, both of them slipped in the exact same spot as I did. I reached my first goal of 5pm at the three way. This gave me 3 hours to get to the end of the long road by the 8pm cut off time. I was on a jeep trail now and I was happy that I had another hour of daylight until I get to paved road. About midway to the paved road, the lead runner's were already on their way back. In the lead was Ben Cavazos followed by Rod H (Huddy). VERY IMPRESSIVE!!! At this point, I knew I had at the very least another 5 hours to go. I got to the paved road by the time it was dark so I got my headlight out and headed down long road to the last aid station. On my way down, I did not realize it but before I reached the aid station, I surpassed the farthest distance I have every gone of 40 miles.
As I reached the final aid station, I was greeted by Cheryl Loomis, Ernest Tay, Wah Berman, and HEATHER!!! She decided to volunteer for a bit after she did her one loop. It was nice seeing her. Jeff had just left the aid station and as we passed each other, he was talking on the phone with frayedlaces (Laura K.) Jeff was looking strong. I reached my second time goal of 7pm. I had 5 hours to cover 10 miles. Ernest decided that one loop was enough for him. I was surprised that he was going slow with me but found out that he recently had knee surgery and the cold weather was affecting his right knee. Well Cheryl gave me something to eat and told me that I ONLY had 10 more miles to go. Earnest helped me refill my water and gatorade. I changed into a long sleeve shirt and put on a windbreaker. I took everything I had left in my drop bag. I had 6 power gels, 2 1/2 clif bars, and 2 1/2 packs of clif shot bloks. Heather mentioned that she had a spam musubi for me for the end of the run but I asked her if I can have it now. As I was getting resupplied, Rex pulled in and he wasted no time and was back on the road very quickly! I left shortly after him. I was about to go the farthest I have ever gone and I will be doing it in the dark, in the cold, in the rain and most than likely all by myself! As I was heading back up, only two people were behind me: Devon and Mike M. I was one of the last persons out on the course.
About two thirds up long road, I looked down and I saw a headlight. This was either Devon or Mike. When I looked up, I saw a headlight. I was able to catch up with the light above and it turned out to be Rex. I stayed with him until we got off the paved road. He gave me one last piece of advice that proved to be very helpful. He asked if I had a flashlight and I did. So I had him get it out of my pack and the next thing I knew, he disappeared into the dark. I was all alone. The next 4 miles was the longest miles I have covered in my entire life! I could only see a few feet in front of me due to the rain, fog/mist and the shear darkness of the night. I saw a couple of centipedes along the trail. My biggest worry though was coming across a pig with babies. The only thing that I could do was to hug the hillside and use it as a guide. The only problem with this is that rocks were falling and sure enough there were rocks on the trail that were not there earlier. I had no choice though because the other side was the down slope. What seemed an eternity and way more than 4 miles, I finally reached the three way. I had 2.7 miles to go. I needed to make sure that I did not miss three major turns in which I made successfully. It was the section between the last left turn and the picnic table that I got turned around a bit. It was VERY HARD to see at this point and I made three wrong turns. Fortunately in this section, the only turns were dead end dirt piles used to keep the road clear. I made my last time goal of 10:30pm at the picnic table which was the start of the very last section: the switch backs back down to the finish line. I had 1 1/2 hours to complete it.
Well right when I passed the picnic table and made my first turn on the switch back, I fell for the third time. It was when I got back on my feet that my calves cramped for the first time. I was able to walk it off and then I was on my way down to the finish line. Luckily it stopped raining so I only had to deal with the slick rocks and very uneven terrain. I TOOK MY TIME and safely made it to solid flat ground. I jogged the final section and was met by several people yards before the finish line. Cheryl jogged next to me. I jokingly said to her: "Ah...That was kind of hard" As the HURT saying goes: A`ole makou e ho`o hikiwale kela!Rough translation: We wouldn't want it easy!
I finished around 11:12pm. The official results have not been posted yet but I believe I was second to the last. I am so happy that I was able to complete the run and complete it in one piece.
http://www.hurthawaii.blogs.com/
The results should be posted on this website soon. Also, you will see other stories, two in particular from Mike M and Devon. I posted a comment on Devon's story so just scoll down the bottom of his story and you'll see the tail end of my report.
I have so many people to thank but the two who really helped me were HURT veterens Cheryl Loomis and Rex V. Jeff F. was very supportive and believed in me the whole entire time that I would be able to finish. I would like to thank Heather because she is the person who she is! I would like to thank Ray and the entire Runner's Hi Ohana for providing the base I needed to get through this very tough Peacock 54 (56) mile run.
Aloha,
Shaka
p.s. I forgot to mention that I just finished the Peacock report from Ray's as we're sipping on a couple of cold one's and eating poke!!! This has been my foundation that carried me through my recent marathons and definitely through this ultra run!!!
So where do I begin...
Just a warning...This is a lengthy report so when you have the time...
To just read my Peacock 54 miler report, go down about midway where you see the first sentence in ORANGE. The first section explains what lead up to my decision to do it.
It all began when HURT put out their race calendar earlier this year. The very last event listed was this Peacock 54 miler. I just shook my head and said to myself: "I won't be doing that one!!!"
I eventually heard through the grapevine that last year was the first time for this run and that only two people finished: Gordon Lau and Ed Bugarin. Very few people on this island are tougher than these two.
Well fast forward to the Maunawili 22 miler. On a Maunawili training run while going DOWN to the turn around, Heather, Mark and I were chatting about the Peacock 54 miler. We were considering it as we were leisurely running downhill. Funny how our attitudes changed on our way back UP to the Pali lookout. As we were huffing and puffing, we thought that maybe the 54 miler is not a realistic goal after all. If anything, maybe we'll just do 1/2 the distance, just one loop.
Fast forward to late August and the Red Rabbit (Gary Marr who now lives in Washington State) is quickly gaining on me in overall marathons completed (We Marathon Maniacs are a little competitive in that sense). I figure I had to try and stay ahead of him somehow. Some of us decided not to do Portland and the only other race on the horizon to consider was the Peacock 54, basically the distance of more than two marathons. At this point I had never been on the course so I had no idea what the ultra entailed and the farthest I have ever gone was the HURT Run to the Sun. Looking at Gary's upcoming race schedule, I was basically screwed. The weekend of the Maui Marathon, we were tied and the following week he passed me and he continues to add more marathons under his belt. Washington State is Marathon Maniac country and there are marathons almost every week in the surrounding area. Why bother doing Peacock now? I will not be able to catch the Red Rabbit! For some reason though, I still was interested in doing it.
Now the next thing I needed to do was to actually make it out on the course and see what I will be getting myself into. For one reason or another I could not make it to the first two or three practice runs that HURT was putting on. Finally Heather, Jeff F. and I were able to make it to the September 27th workout. Just so happens it was the same day as Brenda's birthday party out in Waialua. The party was in the same area as the course so I told Ray that we will swing by when we were done.
There were 21 of us that morning who started off around 6:15am. The first thing we had to do was to go up 1.2 miles of rocky switch backs. Well about 7 hours into our run I get a phone call from Ray. He was checking on us being that I told him that we will probably be at the party around noon. It was around 1pm and I told him: "We're still running!" He said: "What?!" We both laughed. Heather and I made it back to the car a little after 2pm. Jeff was waiting patiently for us. It was a very tough, hilly and hot course. Some of the regulars say that it rarely rains out in this area. The first thing I noticed once at the car was the burning sensation in my eyes. The dust and sun really irritated my contacts. And the very first thought that came to my mind: "How the heck am I suppose to do this loop one more time???"
The following Saturday, I went out to Peacocks on my own and met up with others. I wanted to run 40 miles but I was not going to do it by myself. Fortunately someone else (Rex) wanted to do 40 miles as well so after the first loop, he and I went back up to do twelve more miles. This was the farthest I have ever gone. And the whole time, Rex was giving me pointers about pacing, hydrating, and other very valuable tips to have a successful event. It took us 13 hours to cover the 40 miles. My eyes again were very irritated and very bloodshot. And I asked myself: "How am I going to cover the 16 additional very hilly miles in the dark and by midnight?
With the third and final practice run (which was two weeks before the actual run) Heather and Jeff were able to come out again and we were able to bring Mike H (Habu) and Wily (Coyote) along with us. My goal was to do an additional 5 more miles to make 33 for the day. Well I really pushed doing one loop and I finished in 7 hours. But when I went back up for the additional 5 on my own, I died!!! I cramped, I bonked, and I had major contact issues. I learned a lot in those extra 5 miles: Take the first loop at an easy pace; constantly eat to keep up the energy; and do not use contacts for the actual run!!! I was very appreciative of Heather, Jeff, Mike and Wily for waiting for me!
The morning of Peacock I woke up at 1:25am. It was raining in `Aiea and being that it rarely rains out in the Peacock area, I made a last minute decision to bring along my contacts anyway being that I the decided to run with my prescription glasses.
As Heather, Jeff and I followed each other to the start, the rain followed us all the way to the start. There was a steady rain. I WAS SO HAPPY I DECIDED TO BRING ALONG MY CONTACTS!!!!! I quickly popped them in my eyes and got ready for the 6am start. Dry air, dust and sun were not were not going to be issues today to irritate my eyes and contacts.
I most likely had the heaviest camelbak. I started off with 100 ounces of water, 50 ounces of gatorade, three packs of clif shot bloks, three clif bars, 8 power gels, 23 salt tablets, my prescription glasses, tp, first aid pouch, headlight, flashlight and other little knick knacks. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for anything.
Certain sections were VERY MUDDY AND VERY SLIPPERY! About 4 miles into the run I had my first fall. Not a good sign. I scraped up my left knee and my left palm but nothing major. I quickly got up, used the water from my camelbak to rinse off the mud and continued on. I was initially with Ernest Tay, Brenda Yim, and Ryan Seto. At one moment I would be with them and the next moment I would be by myself. I always had to play catch up. Well I survived the first loop with just that one fall and got to the starting area around 1:30pm. I changed my shirt and debated whether to switch shoes. I chose to stick with the pair I had on and was back on the trail by 1:42pm. I had three time goals I needed to meet in order to finish by midnight. On my way to my first goal time of 5pm at the three way, I fell again along the single track area where if you fall either side, you were going down for quite a distance. Fortunately where I fell, there was a little area that kept me from going over. Well when I caught up with Brenda and Ryan for the last time, both of them slipped in the exact same spot as I did. I reached my first goal of 5pm at the three way. This gave me 3 hours to get to the end of the long road by the 8pm cut off time. I was on a jeep trail now and I was happy that I had another hour of daylight until I get to paved road. About midway to the paved road, the lead runner's were already on their way back. In the lead was Ben Cavazos followed by Rod H (Huddy). VERY IMPRESSIVE!!! At this point, I knew I had at the very least another 5 hours to go. I got to the paved road by the time it was dark so I got my headlight out and headed down long road to the last aid station. On my way down, I did not realize it but before I reached the aid station, I surpassed the farthest distance I have every gone of 40 miles.
As I reached the final aid station, I was greeted by Cheryl Loomis, Ernest Tay, Wah Berman, and HEATHER!!! She decided to volunteer for a bit after she did her one loop. It was nice seeing her. Jeff had just left the aid station and as we passed each other, he was talking on the phone with frayedlaces (Laura K.) Jeff was looking strong. I reached my second time goal of 7pm. I had 5 hours to cover 10 miles. Ernest decided that one loop was enough for him. I was surprised that he was going slow with me but found out that he recently had knee surgery and the cold weather was affecting his right knee. Well Cheryl gave me something to eat and told me that I ONLY had 10 more miles to go. Earnest helped me refill my water and gatorade. I changed into a long sleeve shirt and put on a windbreaker. I took everything I had left in my drop bag. I had 6 power gels, 2 1/2 clif bars, and 2 1/2 packs of clif shot bloks. Heather mentioned that she had a spam musubi for me for the end of the run but I asked her if I can have it now. As I was getting resupplied, Rex pulled in and he wasted no time and was back on the road very quickly! I left shortly after him. I was about to go the farthest I have ever gone and I will be doing it in the dark, in the cold, in the rain and most than likely all by myself! As I was heading back up, only two people were behind me: Devon and Mike M. I was one of the last persons out on the course.
About two thirds up long road, I looked down and I saw a headlight. This was either Devon or Mike. When I looked up, I saw a headlight. I was able to catch up with the light above and it turned out to be Rex. I stayed with him until we got off the paved road. He gave me one last piece of advice that proved to be very helpful. He asked if I had a flashlight and I did. So I had him get it out of my pack and the next thing I knew, he disappeared into the dark. I was all alone. The next 4 miles was the longest miles I have covered in my entire life! I could only see a few feet in front of me due to the rain, fog/mist and the shear darkness of the night. I saw a couple of centipedes along the trail. My biggest worry though was coming across a pig with babies. The only thing that I could do was to hug the hillside and use it as a guide. The only problem with this is that rocks were falling and sure enough there were rocks on the trail that were not there earlier. I had no choice though because the other side was the down slope. What seemed an eternity and way more than 4 miles, I finally reached the three way. I had 2.7 miles to go. I needed to make sure that I did not miss three major turns in which I made successfully. It was the section between the last left turn and the picnic table that I got turned around a bit. It was VERY HARD to see at this point and I made three wrong turns. Fortunately in this section, the only turns were dead end dirt piles used to keep the road clear. I made my last time goal of 10:30pm at the picnic table which was the start of the very last section: the switch backs back down to the finish line. I had 1 1/2 hours to complete it.
Well right when I passed the picnic table and made my first turn on the switch back, I fell for the third time. It was when I got back on my feet that my calves cramped for the first time. I was able to walk it off and then I was on my way down to the finish line. Luckily it stopped raining so I only had to deal with the slick rocks and very uneven terrain. I TOOK MY TIME and safely made it to solid flat ground. I jogged the final section and was met by several people yards before the finish line. Cheryl jogged next to me. I jokingly said to her: "Ah...That was kind of hard" As the HURT saying goes: A`ole makou e ho`o hikiwale kela!Rough translation: We wouldn't want it easy!
I finished around 11:12pm. The official results have not been posted yet but I believe I was second to the last. I am so happy that I was able to complete the run and complete it in one piece.
http://www.hurthawaii.blogs.com/
The results should be posted on this website soon. Also, you will see other stories, two in particular from Mike M and Devon. I posted a comment on Devon's story so just scoll down the bottom of his story and you'll see the tail end of my report.
I have so many people to thank but the two who really helped me were HURT veterens Cheryl Loomis and Rex V. Jeff F. was very supportive and believed in me the whole entire time that I would be able to finish. I would like to thank Heather because she is the person who she is! I would like to thank Ray and the entire Runner's Hi Ohana for providing the base I needed to get through this very tough Peacock 54 (56) mile run.
Aloha,
Shaka
p.s. I forgot to mention that I just finished the Peacock report from Ray's as we're sipping on a couple of cold one's and eating poke!!! This has been my foundation that carried me through my recent marathons and definitely through this ultra run!!!
Runners' HI Update...A LOOOONG Weekend!
This past weekend, October 25 & 26th, was perhaps the busiest in terms of not only the Ohana participating in various events but as Maniacles reports "There were 24 different marathons across the US last weekend."
On continental U.S. both our East Coast Ohana of Stroller Mom & Dad as well as Laura & Jason have been keeping quite busy. Stroller Mom participated in the 33rd annual Marine Corps Marathon, while Dad took the kids out on the Gobblin' Gallop:
On this end, I paced my friend Kyrah at Marine Corps today. It was slow going for both of us, she hasn't had quite the training she wanted since she had her daughter in May. But we set out to have a great time and achieved that goal in excellent fashion. We met goal two of finishing and eventually goal three of coming in under six hours. Sure, we would have liked to be faster, but we both enjoyed the race. It's sort of a first for me, side by side coaching someone through a marathon (Dan's first marathon was my only other experience), I was really flattered that she trusted me to get her through.We had spectacular (!!!) weather. Cool at the start (we didn't toss our long-sleeved T's until mile 4 where we had an incredible view of the Potomac river and Georgetown shrouded in fog). It warmed up, but wasn't nearly as warm as Baltimore or AF. There was enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable, that breeze was at our backs for the last two miles. Huge change from yesterday's rain showers.So a new marathon experience for me.
Dan did a Gobblin Gallop with the kids (5K) and had a great time. Kids even went in costume.
The 5k sounds fun...any treats? Gels, ShotBlocs, and energy shots make great Halloween candy substitutes for endurance athletes!
Laura reports that both she and Jason will be quite busy in the forthcoming months as yet another Marathon Maniac is in the making:
Jason and I decided to go up to Atlanta on Thanksgiving day for the Weather Channel Atlanta Marathon. I'm planning on running the the full and he's going to do the half. I've really stepped up the mileage these last two weeks from what I was doing. Hopefully, I'll stay injury free and finish before the 5 hour cut off!:) Now, I haven't told Jason this yet, but I think if I do Atlanta, and then the Aviation Museum Marathon in Warner Robins, and then Run with Donna Marathon in Jacksonvill, FL -- I could achieve Maniac Status. :) I can't believe I'm actually considering it, but we'll see.
Good luck (future) Maniac Laura! Guess we have to work on Jason next!!! HEHEHE!!!
On the Northwest, da Red Rabbit is still living it up in the capitol of the Maniacs (WA). He just did his 'sevententh marathon (the Tri-Cities Marathon) of the year today (Sunday, 10/26) but you can tell Shakaman I stayed three ahead (of him in the MM total marathons ran to date). I ran with a few Maniacs #30 Diana , SrLopez ,Pigtails Ken Briggsand a bunch I did not know. It was cold and windy I dont know my official time but itwas around 3:46 and third in my age group.'
Man is on a mission!!! Next month, Brother Mark (aka da Rock) heads up there and will be doing a 50k with RR...ohhh, RR almost forgot to mention to Mark that this will be all on trails and with only one aide station!!! Woops! You Maniacs!!
On the homefront in O`ahu, this past weekend was no walk, errr run in paradise as the heavens opened up and constant rains soaked the island. Not that we didn't need (the state is at or very near drought conditions), but the constant soaking did cause a few snags and complaints from a few of the Ohana. On Saturday, 10/25, the H.U.R.T. Peacock Flats 54-miler had it's first 'run' as an 'open' event to any up to the challenge. On Sunday, 10/26, the second to the last of the HM Readiness Series, the Niketown 30k, took place. The Ohana was well rep'd in each. We'll go from shortest distance to longest
Niketown 30k - Race #4 in the Marathon Readiness Series
Sunday, October 26th at Kapiolani Park - 5am start
From Maniacles' report, things went pretty well as by Sunday the rains were not as bad and spirits not as dampened:
It was humid early in the run until the showers arrived (but no complaints about the weather lest our Peacock runners call us wimps!). Despite the weather there was a good turnout with many regulars as well as many new faces among the crowd of 823 finishers. Few stayed to see Carole, Judith and Tom claim their AG awards as the rain put a damper on the post run festivities. Representing the Ohana this morning were Alison, John S, Bob, Matt, Glen, Laura K, Alfredo, Mike G, Tom, Mark, Roger, Marge, Vera, Jay, Lynda, Jerelyn,Carole, Wyatt and myself.
As we gear up for the busy fall running season, it is always a pleasure to share the joys of running with our Ohana. Train safe.
Here are the results.
H.U.R.T. Peacock Flats (Trail) 54-miler, Dillingham Air Field (Mokuleia)
Saturday, October 25th @ 6am
This was the first time the H.U.R.T. gang opened this race to the general public. Prior to this, the organizers/trailblazers (Gordon, Larry, and Don) had deemed the course too brutal and iffy to enable others, except the most capable to attempt this. Moreover due to the amount of time that they (H.U.R.T.) could keep the airfield gates open (originally only til 10pm), the cutoff time was at 16 hours. After talking with the airfield caretaker and DLNR, the cutoff time was increased to 20 hours (finish by 12am, Sunday morning) and permits were obtained to increase the number of people.
A basically the course is two-'loops' about the Kealia and Kuaokala trail systems. Starting at the Dillingham Airfield parking area, a single loop takes you the aforementioned trails that form a loop. These are primarily wide jeep trails and a stretch of single-track trail along the Waianae Mountain Range. Prior to returning to the start, runners segway out to Peacock Flats then proceed down 'Long (asphalt) Road' to the aide-station/turnaround. Completion of the loop is a return back up 'Long Road' and along the Peacock Flats trail to the intersection with the Kealia trail and back to the airfield. This was previously measured as 27-miles but according to recent GPS records is actually 28..go figure!
A basic requirement or piece of advice were for participants to take at least one tour of the loop to assess it and get a feel of it. Even after one practice 'run' at it, Shaka and I had some skepticism about it.
Event day, four intrepid members of the Ohana showed up at the airfield: Heather, Habu-sama, Shakaman, and myself. Heather & Habu had goals of just doing a single loop (though the latter decided otherwise). Shaka and myself were 'all in' for the entire distance! Three words describe the entire day....rainy and muddy! Previous training sessions on the course were all in the hot, humid climate that is usual to the Kaena/Waianae side, now all prep for such conditions were thrown out the door.
The four of us all have many stories and experiences to share. Basically, Heather braved the entire rain and mud (and looked like the warmest and driest of all of us in her jacket), completing her loop in more than satisfactory time. Habu went the distance and then some doing another 15 miles, to make it 42 for the day. Shaka and I continued our quest into the wee dark hours, both completing well within the cutoff time. During the next few blog entries, I'll post everyone's comments and experiences. The HURT website featured a few great posts including Devon's very inspiring and motivational post on the HURT-site, along with comments/congrats/mahalso from Don. Many of us also echo Mike M's sentiments and comments in welcoming back Ben C.!
No matter what the biggest thing is that everyone finished and got back safe. For Habu, Shaka, and I this was perhaps THE LONGEST the three of us have ever ran all in a consectutive time (until the H.U.R.T. 100)! It was a sense of accomplishment that all who took part in will never forget!
Great job to all in running a very successfull and for a few 'bittersweet' weekend of events! Take care, stay safe, and above all ALOHAS!!! See ya on the roads and trails!!!
On continental U.S. both our East Coast Ohana of Stroller Mom & Dad as well as Laura & Jason have been keeping quite busy. Stroller Mom participated in the 33rd annual Marine Corps Marathon, while Dad took the kids out on the Gobblin' Gallop:
On this end, I paced my friend Kyrah at Marine Corps today. It was slow going for both of us, she hasn't had quite the training she wanted since she had her daughter in May. But we set out to have a great time and achieved that goal in excellent fashion. We met goal two of finishing and eventually goal three of coming in under six hours. Sure, we would have liked to be faster, but we both enjoyed the race. It's sort of a first for me, side by side coaching someone through a marathon (Dan's first marathon was my only other experience), I was really flattered that she trusted me to get her through.We had spectacular (!!!) weather. Cool at the start (we didn't toss our long-sleeved T's until mile 4 where we had an incredible view of the Potomac river and Georgetown shrouded in fog). It warmed up, but wasn't nearly as warm as Baltimore or AF. There was enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable, that breeze was at our backs for the last two miles. Huge change from yesterday's rain showers.So a new marathon experience for me.
Dan did a Gobblin Gallop with the kids (5K) and had a great time. Kids even went in costume.
The 5k sounds fun...any treats? Gels, ShotBlocs, and energy shots make great Halloween candy substitutes for endurance athletes!
Laura reports that both she and Jason will be quite busy in the forthcoming months as yet another Marathon Maniac is in the making:
Jason and I decided to go up to Atlanta on Thanksgiving day for the Weather Channel Atlanta Marathon. I'm planning on running the the full and he's going to do the half. I've really stepped up the mileage these last two weeks from what I was doing. Hopefully, I'll stay injury free and finish before the 5 hour cut off!:) Now, I haven't told Jason this yet, but I think if I do Atlanta, and then the Aviation Museum Marathon in Warner Robins, and then Run with Donna Marathon in Jacksonvill, FL -- I could achieve Maniac Status. :) I can't believe I'm actually considering it, but we'll see.
Good luck (future) Maniac Laura! Guess we have to work on Jason next!!! HEHEHE!!!
On the Northwest, da Red Rabbit is still living it up in the capitol of the Maniacs (WA). He just did his 'sevententh marathon (the Tri-Cities Marathon) of the year today (Sunday, 10/26) but you can tell Shakaman I stayed three ahead (of him in the MM total marathons ran to date). I ran with a few Maniacs #30 Diana , SrLopez ,Pigtails Ken Briggsand a bunch I did not know. It was cold and windy I dont know my official time but itwas around 3:46 and third in my age group.'
Man is on a mission!!! Next month, Brother Mark (aka da Rock) heads up there and will be doing a 50k with RR...ohhh, RR almost forgot to mention to Mark that this will be all on trails and with only one aide station!!! Woops! You Maniacs!!
On the homefront in O`ahu, this past weekend was no walk, errr run in paradise as the heavens opened up and constant rains soaked the island. Not that we didn't need (the state is at or very near drought conditions), but the constant soaking did cause a few snags and complaints from a few of the Ohana. On Saturday, 10/25, the H.U.R.T. Peacock Flats 54-miler had it's first 'run' as an 'open' event to any up to the challenge. On Sunday, 10/26, the second to the last of the HM Readiness Series, the Niketown 30k, took place. The Ohana was well rep'd in each. We'll go from shortest distance to longest
Niketown 30k - Race #4 in the Marathon Readiness Series
Sunday, October 26th at Kapiolani Park - 5am start
From Maniacles' report, things went pretty well as by Sunday the rains were not as bad and spirits not as dampened:
It was humid early in the run until the showers arrived (but no complaints about the weather lest our Peacock runners call us wimps!). Despite the weather there was a good turnout with many regulars as well as many new faces among the crowd of 823 finishers. Few stayed to see Carole, Judith and Tom claim their AG awards as the rain put a damper on the post run festivities. Representing the Ohana this morning were Alison, John S, Bob, Matt, Glen, Laura K, Alfredo, Mike G, Tom, Mark, Roger, Marge, Vera, Jay, Lynda, Jerelyn,Carole, Wyatt and myself.
As we gear up for the busy fall running season, it is always a pleasure to share the joys of running with our Ohana. Train safe.
Here are the results.
H.U.R.T. Peacock Flats (Trail) 54-miler, Dillingham Air Field (Mokuleia)
Saturday, October 25th @ 6am
This was the first time the H.U.R.T. gang opened this race to the general public. Prior to this, the organizers/trailblazers (Gordon, Larry, and Don) had deemed the course too brutal and iffy to enable others, except the most capable to attempt this. Moreover due to the amount of time that they (H.U.R.T.) could keep the airfield gates open (originally only til 10pm), the cutoff time was at 16 hours. After talking with the airfield caretaker and DLNR, the cutoff time was increased to 20 hours (finish by 12am, Sunday morning) and permits were obtained to increase the number of people.
A basically the course is two-'loops' about the Kealia and Kuaokala trail systems. Starting at the Dillingham Airfield parking area, a single loop takes you the aforementioned trails that form a loop. These are primarily wide jeep trails and a stretch of single-track trail along the Waianae Mountain Range. Prior to returning to the start, runners segway out to Peacock Flats then proceed down 'Long (asphalt) Road' to the aide-station/turnaround. Completion of the loop is a return back up 'Long Road' and along the Peacock Flats trail to the intersection with the Kealia trail and back to the airfield. This was previously measured as 27-miles but according to recent GPS records is actually 28..go figure!
A basic requirement or piece of advice were for participants to take at least one tour of the loop to assess it and get a feel of it. Even after one practice 'run' at it, Shaka and I had some skepticism about it.
Event day, four intrepid members of the Ohana showed up at the airfield: Heather, Habu-sama, Shakaman, and myself. Heather & Habu had goals of just doing a single loop (though the latter decided otherwise). Shaka and myself were 'all in' for the entire distance! Three words describe the entire day....rainy and muddy! Previous training sessions on the course were all in the hot, humid climate that is usual to the Kaena/Waianae side, now all prep for such conditions were thrown out the door.
The four of us all have many stories and experiences to share. Basically, Heather braved the entire rain and mud (and looked like the warmest and driest of all of us in her jacket), completing her loop in more than satisfactory time. Habu went the distance and then some doing another 15 miles, to make it 42 for the day. Shaka and I continued our quest into the wee dark hours, both completing well within the cutoff time. During the next few blog entries, I'll post everyone's comments and experiences. The HURT website featured a few great posts including Devon's very inspiring and motivational post on the HURT-site, along with comments/congrats/mahalso from Don. Many of us also echo Mike M's sentiments and comments in welcoming back Ben C.!
No matter what the biggest thing is that everyone finished and got back safe. For Habu, Shaka, and I this was perhaps THE LONGEST the three of us have ever ran all in a consectutive time (until the H.U.R.T. 100)! It was a sense of accomplishment that all who took part in will never forget!
Great job to all in running a very successfull and for a few 'bittersweet' weekend of events! Take care, stay safe, and above all ALOHAS!!! See ya on the roads and trails!!!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Let the H.U.R.T.ing begin!!!
With the official start of the fall running season is the advent of many of the Ohana's training. Many will be getting their final distance runs in to get ready for the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday, December 14th. For several members of the Ohana, this will mark their first marathon ever!!! There are, however, a few that have decided to add a little extra twist to this. A few have embarked on doing the December Double of the Las Vegas (12/7) & Honolulu Marathons (so far the list being Frayed Laces, Denise, Maniacles, and Shaka...think there are a few more). There is also the H.U.R.T. 100 in January being run by two of the more insane (or masocistic) members of the gang. However a few souls couldn't wait this long and have fast-forwarded thier efforts to this weekend which will be a culmination of all of their training and knowledge to date.
On Saturday, October 25th at 6am, begins the H.U.R.T Peacock 54-miler (really a 56-miler)! As seen in previous blogs, this event takes place out on the Kaena/Waianae side of O`ahu. Starting at the parking lot of Dillingham Airfield, runners sally-forth up the Kealia & Kuaolala Trail into the northern section of the Waianae Mountain Range. Offering spectacular views of both the North Shore and Waianae side of the island, participants must concentrate on pacing, hydration, route, and above all time (completion cutoff time of 18 hrs...12am)! Though these trails are only about 14 miles, runners must segway off 4/5 of the way through down another trail leading to Peacock Flats then head down a 'long (concrete) road' to the aid station/turnaround at the base of the mountains. Thereafter, participants make their way back up to the Kealia trail and back down to the start. This would be the completion of one 27-mile (measured by Garmin to be 28+) loop. Those still game (or wanting more pain) head back out for another loop to complete the entire race course.
Shaka and myself have decidedly taken up the challenge to complete the full race. Three others of the Ohana, Heather, Wily/Klepto-Coyote, and Habu-sama, will be embarking on half of the odyssey...though that is half more than anyone else that isn't doing it.
For our more sane and normal members, there is the Readiness Series 30k on Sunday, 10/26, starting at 5am. While many of our 'rookie' marathoners have already done this distance, this race is a good way to examine one's progress and either affirm or set new goals for the Honolulu Marathon. For some of the veterans, it's an event to see old friends and acquaintences as well as renew friendly rivalries...all in all, a great day to go out and run 18-miles.
For those participating in either or both events, good luck!
Whatever you all do this weekend, get out, be safe and have fun! Alohas!!!
On Saturday, October 25th at 6am, begins the H.U.R.T Peacock 54-miler (really a 56-miler)! As seen in previous blogs, this event takes place out on the Kaena/Waianae side of O`ahu. Starting at the parking lot of Dillingham Airfield, runners sally-forth up the Kealia & Kuaolala Trail into the northern section of the Waianae Mountain Range. Offering spectacular views of both the North Shore and Waianae side of the island, participants must concentrate on pacing, hydration, route, and above all time (completion cutoff time of 18 hrs...12am)! Though these trails are only about 14 miles, runners must segway off 4/5 of the way through down another trail leading to Peacock Flats then head down a 'long (concrete) road' to the aid station/turnaround at the base of the mountains. Thereafter, participants make their way back up to the Kealia trail and back down to the start. This would be the completion of one 27-mile (measured by Garmin to be 28+) loop. Those still game (or wanting more pain) head back out for another loop to complete the entire race course.
Shaka and myself have decidedly taken up the challenge to complete the full race. Three others of the Ohana, Heather, Wily/Klepto-Coyote, and Habu-sama, will be embarking on half of the odyssey...though that is half more than anyone else that isn't doing it.
For our more sane and normal members, there is the Readiness Series 30k on Sunday, 10/26, starting at 5am. While many of our 'rookie' marathoners have already done this distance, this race is a good way to examine one's progress and either affirm or set new goals for the Honolulu Marathon. For some of the veterans, it's an event to see old friends and acquaintences as well as renew friendly rivalries...all in all, a great day to go out and run 18-miles.
For those participating in either or both events, good luck!
Whatever you all do this weekend, get out, be safe and have fun! Alohas!!!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A Very Special Day...Val's Ohana!!
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Kapi`olani Park - Sunday, October 19th
"ALOHA HAS NO BOUNDARIES"
-Motto of the 2008 Race for the Cure
Near the end of 2007, one of our Ohana, Valerie, was diagnosed with cancer. As she went through treatment, the gang showed an outgrowth of support visiting her website and checking with her husband, Timm about progress. Through much challenges and tribulations, Val has successfully completed her treatments and returned to running regularly with the Ohana!
To celebrate her victory and return to running, as well as support those diagnosed and undergoing treatment, a good number of the Runners' HI gang signed up for this very inspirational race. Today however we didn't run just as an ohana but as Val's Ohana!!!
As we gathered up to meet up with Val, Timm, & George,
a quick observation of the area showed that this was not about a running race but rather a race to find a cure for cancer. Many participants wore shirts and signs dedicating the race to a loved one. Moreover there was little talk of people attempting to win the race or run hard (other than to put in a good workout). This was a celebration of life and supporting all affected by this disease.
As the race proceeded, we formed a loose group with a rather easy pace, though this soon broke up as people found their own individual groove to run at. The awesome spectacle I notice as I examined the droves of people making their way around the park were all of the different types of people and support groups! The Runners' HI singlets were in full effect with flecks of yellow, pink, and lime-green amongst the other runners. There was also a sighting of the 'Pink Energizer Bunny' in full Runners HI regalia (perhaps akin to the Red Rabbit?) though no real proof has been brought forth.At the finish, we all gathered to cheer Val as she crossed the finish
line! At the post-run ceremony, survivors were recognized and cheered for over twenty minutes! It is amazing how many lives this illness has touched but more importantly the awesome strength of these survivors! All in all, a spectular day to celebrate Val's victory over cancer and spend with the everyone!
Everyone, especially the survivors who ran, were winners! Though Maniacles came out of this event with an added bonus, winning the grand prize drawing of roundtrip tickets to any destination that American Airlines flies too!!! So what is he going to use them for??? Go to the Boston Marathon? Find an exotic marathon/ultra-run to do?
"I'm gonna take my wife on a nice vacation!" Okay, is this the real first Hawai`i Marathon Maniac speaking?!?!
In participating in this event, it shows not only what great friends we've become but also how much of a real Ohana we are!
Here's a few other pics taken during the event:
Pre-run pic with Frayed Laces & Brother Shaka!
Photographing runners while running....still working on the methodology!!!
Mahalos Volunteers!!! You folks were awesome!!!
It's the Flyin' Hawaiian...err, Habu-sama!!!!
Post-race smiles for Val! Congratulations!!!
Aloha all! Mahalos for being part of the best running Ohana!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Haleiwa Triathlon
After a great summer full of triathlon races, several of the Ohana took part in the fun out in Haleiwa. Omitted from last year's itnerary (due to issues with the timing keeping company), it was a very awesome day in welcoming this event back. Didn't get all the times and placings but thanks to Carl & Lynda, here's a couple of pics. Hope all had fun! One more tri left this year, the Tradewinds Triathlon in mid-November!!!
Mainland Marathon Madness!!!
The past few weeks have seen a spike in the 'marathon-meter' for our mainland Ohana as well as several of our gang heading up to do 'a few'. Stroller Mom & Dad as well as the Red Rabbit have been pretty busy stretching their Marathon Maniac lists (and making several here pretty jealous)!!!
US Air Force Marathon - 20September2008
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio
The 12th running of this event gave Stroller Mom & Dad a few things to think about. Here's 'Mom's' quick race review:
The AF marathon went well. We were concerned about the course changes, they turned out to be all for the good. It was a very warm day (didn't need a t-shirt at the start to stay warm), but cloud cover towards the end of the run helped. We were slow, much slower than either one of us wanted to be. But summer hasn't been all that great for either one of us training-wise (Stroller Dad's heel is still bothering him, I did some time in the hospital a few weeks back).So we made it a date marathon and kissed at every mile marker. Picked up a few followers in the process, it was that happy a race. We also came across people I've worked with in the past, people we've raced with in the past (to include one gentleman from Hawaii who remembered Dan always passing him with the stroller). My watch (with autopause) said 4:59, chip time was 5:10 and change. So eleven minutes in potty stops, it adds up.
Lake Chelan Shore-to-Shore Marathon - Sept 20, 2008
Lake Chelan, Washington
Being a resident of Washington State, home of the Marathon Maniacs, definitely has it's advantages for those with the running bug! The Red Rabbit has now accumulated 46 marathons lifetime...and counting!!! Having already bagged in 14 so far, RR turned in 4:01:54, good enough for 2nd in his AG!
MyoMed Ragnar Relay - Sept 26-27, 2008
Cumberland, Maryland to Washington D.C.
Stroller Mom & Dad were at it again, along with a couple (9, one got injured) of friends, doing a 183-mile relay:
We survived our relay run from Cumberland to DC (182 miles). Our team was mixed military and by virtue of being the only one in the category, we won. We wound up with eleven runners (our 12th broke his leg playing soccer), so I ran double legs. We had rain on and off, mostly for the second van (two vans leap-frogged, we did the first six legs, Dan's van did the next six, and so on for 36 legs) who also had two night-time legs, most of the hills, and most of the distance. But the runners in that van all asked for the hardest, longest, darkest uphill legs in the rain. So I delivered :)It was a challenge, but extremely well organized. We had way too much food, not enough sleep, and a lot of fun. It was a good mix of personalities.And Dan and I were extremely happy when both Chase and Grace headed to bed much earlier than usual Saturday evening after we got back!
Portland (PDX) Marathon - October 5, 2008
Portland, Oregon
Four of the gang ventured up to meet with R.R. (making this #47)to run this very fast and cool course! Many surprised themselves at the times they turned in!
Kat T- 3:59:01
Judith - 4:31:25
TC - 3:45:45 (BQ!)
Red Rabbit - 3:43:33 (BQ...again!)
Invincible Bob - 5:50:20 (PR!!)
Congrats all on a great bunch few weekends of racing! Stroller Mom and Dad have the Baltimore Marathon up next, and as usual the Red Rabbit will likely continue his string of weekend marathons! Keep up the running and great training!
US Air Force Marathon - 20September2008
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio
The 12th running of this event gave Stroller Mom & Dad a few things to think about. Here's 'Mom's' quick race review:
The AF marathon went well. We were concerned about the course changes, they turned out to be all for the good. It was a very warm day (didn't need a t-shirt at the start to stay warm), but cloud cover towards the end of the run helped. We were slow, much slower than either one of us wanted to be. But summer hasn't been all that great for either one of us training-wise (Stroller Dad's heel is still bothering him, I did some time in the hospital a few weeks back).So we made it a date marathon and kissed at every mile marker. Picked up a few followers in the process, it was that happy a race. We also came across people I've worked with in the past, people we've raced with in the past (to include one gentleman from Hawaii who remembered Dan always passing him with the stroller). My watch (with autopause) said 4:59, chip time was 5:10 and change. So eleven minutes in potty stops, it adds up.
Lake Chelan Shore-to-Shore Marathon - Sept 20, 2008
Lake Chelan, Washington
Being a resident of Washington State, home of the Marathon Maniacs, definitely has it's advantages for those with the running bug! The Red Rabbit has now accumulated 46 marathons lifetime...and counting!!! Having already bagged in 14 so far, RR turned in 4:01:54, good enough for 2nd in his AG!
MyoMed Ragnar Relay - Sept 26-27, 2008
Cumberland, Maryland to Washington D.C.
Stroller Mom & Dad were at it again, along with a couple (9, one got injured) of friends, doing a 183-mile relay:
We survived our relay run from Cumberland to DC (182 miles). Our team was mixed military and by virtue of being the only one in the category, we won. We wound up with eleven runners (our 12th broke his leg playing soccer), so I ran double legs. We had rain on and off, mostly for the second van (two vans leap-frogged, we did the first six legs, Dan's van did the next six, and so on for 36 legs) who also had two night-time legs, most of the hills, and most of the distance. But the runners in that van all asked for the hardest, longest, darkest uphill legs in the rain. So I delivered :)It was a challenge, but extremely well organized. We had way too much food, not enough sleep, and a lot of fun. It was a good mix of personalities.And Dan and I were extremely happy when both Chase and Grace headed to bed much earlier than usual Saturday evening after we got back!
Portland (PDX) Marathon - October 5, 2008
Portland, Oregon
Four of the gang ventured up to meet with R.R. (making this #47)to run this very fast and cool course! Many surprised themselves at the times they turned in!
Kat T- 3:59:01
Judith - 4:31:25
TC - 3:45:45 (BQ!)
Red Rabbit - 3:43:33 (BQ...again!)
Invincible Bob - 5:50:20 (PR!!)
Congrats all on a great bunch few weekends of racing! Stroller Mom and Dad have the Baltimore Marathon up next, and as usual the Red Rabbit will likely continue his string of weekend marathons! Keep up the running and great training!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
