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Photo by Caleb Wilson - Hope Pass (Mile 44: Elev 12,200') |
I'm still wrapping my mind around my combined 2013/2014 Leadville Trail 100 race experience. Last year, I suffered by first ever DNF (Did Not Finish) and timed out at mile 60 after 19 hrs of running, and two climbs over Hope Pass (12,600 ft). NOT finishing was very, very painful for me. My body was only slightly beat up but my mind and emotions were crushed.
Finishing the Leadville Trail 100 is certainly no easy task. In the National Best Selling Book, "Born to Run", author Christopher McDougall writes, "To get a sense of what he (race founder Ken Chlouber) came up with, try running the Boston Marathon two times in a row with a sock stuffed in your mouth and then hike to the top of Pikes Peak ... Now do it again, this time with your eyes closed. That's pretty much what the Leadville Traill 100 boils down to: nearly four full marathons, half of them in the dark, with twin twenty-six hundred-foot climbs smack in the middle. Leadville's starting line is twice as high as the altitude where planes pressurize their cabins, and from there you only go up."
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Leadville Trail 100 Elevation Profile Credit: http://www.run100s.com |
I believe my 2013 down fall was caused by a combination of altitude related issues, going out to fast during the first 13.5 miles, and spending to much time in aid stations. After reviewing my Garmin file after the race, I realized I spent a combined 60 minutes in aid stations over the first 50 miles.
The next morning, I attended the award ceremony and outwardly celebrated the victories of my fellow teammates. However, as I watched them collected their well wishes and silver belt buckles, deep inside, I felt shame and disappointment for not finishing. Right then and there, in that little gym in Leadville, I decide the only way to make things right would be to return the next year for redemption. Game on! I now OFFICIALLY had unfinished business to take care of in 2014.
I decided nothing was going to prevent me from finishing in 2014. People would ask me, "what's going to be different?" I'd say, "I'm going to be different. I'm going to be the difference in that race. I'm going to create my own success there."
Shortly after I made that commitment, I was diagnosed with a thyroid autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Disease. Hashimoto's really stripped me of a lot of energy. There were days when I literally had none. I would wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, and then go back to bed for 4 to 5 hours. Soon after being diagnosed, my doctor also found a suspicious mass on the right side of my thyroid. We discussed the possibility of it being cancer and I opted to have that half of my thyroid removed in early October 2013. Immediately after, I stated up on thyroid replacement hormones. I also made the decision to NOT let this disease slow me down. Fortunately, the mass was not cancerous and the prescribed thyroid hormones began to do their job.
In order to complete Leadville, I needed to lose weight. A week after the surgery, I hired a nutrition coach and began the journey of healthy eating and fueling. It changed my life. The weight came off and my energy levels picked up. I was feeling better during runs and was recovering quicker.
In 2013, I was lucky to race in the Leadville Trail 100. I was granted a free race entry by Herbalife24. This AWESOME team showered me with free products, a place to stay in Leadville and an endless amount of support before, during and after the race. Because of my 2013 failure, I wasn't convinced they would have me back to try again in 2014. Consequently, I decided to sign up on my own in 2014 to make sure I'd be there in August. Long story short, the race sold out much quicker than I expected (48 hrs) and I was .... OUT!
I continued to hope that Herbalife would have me back in 2014. Meanwhile, I kept training, losing weight and as a result got stronger and faster. LUCKILY, in early June, I was invited back. Holy Sh*t!.... I was going back and I was very, very Grateful!!! Thank You John!!!!
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| Team Herbalife and Support Crew |
This year, I made it count. I lost 20 lbs, I changed my diet, trained harder and smarter. Got orthotics to fix a structural issue with my foot, I slept in an altitude tent for nearly six weeks, and made regular visits to my chiropractor and PT for tune ups. I made sure my body and mind were ready for anything... and they were.
This year, I charged into May Queen (mile 13.5/6:20 am) feeling strong and pressed on up and over Sugarloaf (elev 11,071 ft) and down into Outward Bound (Mile 23.5/9:00 am) at a comfortable pace. This was the first time I saw my Dad on the course. He was nice enough to come out from Las Vegas to cheer me on (Thank you Dad). He spent most of his day hanging with the Herbalife support crew (made up of Eric Sammuli, Sara Kappus and Philip Mooney.) Outward Bound was also the place I started to feel a bit of stomach distress.
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| Outward Bound Aid Station - Mile 23.5 |
My stomach turned south again around mile 35. This required me to make a dive into the nearby bushes for a few moments. As I took care of business, I could hear firearms being shot from somewhere fairly close. Keep in mind, I'm in the wood. Let me just say, gun fire is not the best sound to hear when your shorts are around your ankles. From that point on, I couldn't keep anything in or down unless is was coke, chicken broth, water or Ensure.
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| Mile 40 - Twin Lakes Herbalife Tent with Tim Gormley Jr. (Pacer) |
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| Photo by Caleb Wilson - Hope Pass with Twin Lakes in the back ground - JDF making final push to 12,600 ft |
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| Photo by Caleb Wilson - Cresting Hope Pass - All Business |
I quickly found out I could run VERY well down hill. In fact, I was passing people right and left all day and night. I was slow on the ups and steady on the downs.
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| Photo by Caleb Wilson - Cresting Hope towards Winfield |
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| Photo by Caleb Wilson - back side of Hope Pass - towards Winfield |
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| Entering Winfield - Mile 50 |
I made it into Winfield (Mile 50) at 5:05 pm; about an hour before the cut off. I drank another Ensure, filled up on Coke, picked up my Pacer Tim Gormley Jr. and headed back to Twin Lakes (mile 60). Tim was Awesome! He cleared the way for me. He told me what to look out for, muled my pack, held my trekking poles and keep me moving forward. When I felt down, he made me feel good. He'd say, "You're doing great, you're getting it done, you're moving well." I accepted all his LIES and appreciated him Greatly. We talked about our kids, mountain biking and other oddities.
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| Leaving Winfield with Tim |
Can't say enough good things about Tim. He even picked me up off the ground after I failed at clearing a downed tree. I went to jump over the hip high tree, missed my hand plant and flew over. The tree scratched a deep cut into my left buttocks and I skinned the heck out my shoulder before I crashed to the ground. I laid there a moment. Tim said, "Stay there, I've got you" and gave me a moment before pulling me to my feet. I was ok, so we proceeded to bomb the hill down to Twin Lakes after getting over Hope pass for the second time.
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| Twin Lakes - Mile 60.5 (Thinking about getting the rocks out of my shoes) |
We rolled into Twin Lake around 9:15pm (about 30 minutes ahead of the cutoff). It was about this time my legs began to ache with deep pain. To combat this, I applied Icy/Hot on my quads and hamstrings. I cracked a coke, drank some soup and thought about changing my wet socks and getting the rocky sediment out of my shoes that was collected during the river and multiple deep puddle crossings. That thought was short lived because I very quickly lost body heat and began to shiver uncontrollably.
I was starting to experience hypothermia. Eric Sammuli quickly wrapped me in a thick blanket and my Dad and one other person hustled me out of the aid station and back on the course. It was a good thing they sent me out when they did because that episode may have otherwise ended of my race. As great as their action was, they sent me out without my pacer and my only source of calories... my coke. To get my body heat back up, I ran up the steep embankment to the fire road and started the 3 mile climb out of Twin Lakes toward Half Pipe. I felt fine again after a few minutes of hard work. By this time, Tim made his way back to me and we pressed on up the hill. Once at the top of the ascent, we went back to what was working and I proceeded to steadily run down hill toward half pipe (mile 69).
Once at Half Pipe, Tim and I parted ways. His knee wasn't doing so great, but luckily I bumped into my friend Gil Blanks, from Los Angeles in the aid station tent. We stocked up on calories and made our way towards Outward Bound (Mile 75.5) together. Along the way, my stomach turned again but this time instead of heading to the bushes, I began a 3 minute dry heaving episode. Good Times!! At Outward Bound, we split up. Gil picked up his pacer and I made my way over to see my Dad. My Dad was a trooper! He stuck around the entire day and night. His presence gave me a lasting mental boost throughout the race. By this time it was 1:36 am.
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| Outward Bound - Mile 75.5 (1:36 am) - blowing clouds |
I headed off on the last 23.5 miles alone and into the abyss of darkness. I slowly made my way up the never ending and dreaded powerline climb. (The last major climb of the race: elev 11,071 ft). Near the top of the climb, a group of young guys set up a make shift aid station. They offered water, coke, whiskey and even marijuana. (To funny). They even had a sign that greeted runners with the phrase, "You "F"ing Made It."
Once at the top, I applied more Icy/Hot and ran the entire way to May Queen (mile 86.5), sediment rocks and all. I was to afraid I'd get hypothermia if I stopped so I just left them in my shoes. They were annoying, but by this time annoying was no big deal. I had a race to finish.
I ran strong into May Queen. I missed my Dad but made it out of the aid station by 5:25 am. This meant I had nearly 4 hrs and 35 minutes to cover the last 13.5 miles. For the first 7.5 miles, I hiked the ups and ran the downs and flats. During the last upward trending 6 miles, I power hiked and jogged every 2 to 3 minutes and averaged a blistering 17.5 minute mile. Turns out it was good enough to get me to the finish line by 9:08 am to secure a 29 hr - 8 minute finish time. Because my gps died at mile 92, I didn't really know how close I was to the 30 hr cut off time until I came over the last riser before the final stretch to the finish line.
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| Final Stretch to the left - Finish line is at the end of the street |
I shuffled in the last half mile until I saw my Dad, Shayna Fabrazio and Jimmy Dean Freeman about 200 yards before the finish line. After a brief hug from my dad and a picture, I focused my efforts on finishing what I started a year earlier.
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| Hug with my Dad at mile 99.9 |
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| Proud Moment with Dad |
As I approached the finish line, my heart was filled with pride, my eyes welled up, and tears ran across my cheeks. I thought to myself, "I DID IT...I DID IT." In one instant, all the pain and emotional turmoil I harbored over my 2013 DNF vanished. I then spoke it out loud, "I DID IT." I avenged my defeat and it felt good.... It felt Dam Good. In fact, it seems funny but I felt emotionally Whole!!! Redemption was sweet. I could now take a deep breath, smile, and relax.
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| Closing the Deal |
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| The Emotional Approach |
Running 100 miles is a celebration of the human spirit. Each person goes through many ups and downs along their journey which ultimately tests their resolve and character. At the end of this journey, I can say I came out the other side a better man. I shared an epic journey with friends, new teammates, and family. I also learned a lot about myself and how much I am willing to suffer to take care of unfinished business.
At the finish line, I was greeted by the entire Herbalife Team. What a Great Group!!! I can't say enough about these people. John offered his friendship and gave me a second shot to achieve this self affirming dream and goal when he could have offered it to someone else. Thank you John! I will always be grateful for this!! Eric coordinated my lodging and transportation needs and probably other things I. Sara cooked the team great meals and keep us squared away at many of the aid stations. Can't forget Christy. Thanks for the airport transportation and the use of your home. I also want to congratulate my teammates Jimmy Dean Freeman, Jenny Welch, Tony Dunnigan, and Dominic Fabrizio. Loved seeing you all on the course. I gained strength from each and every one of you.
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| Finish Time - 29hrs-8min & 9 lbs lighter |
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| The Awards with my Team Finishers & race founders Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin. "Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone." - Ken Chlouber |
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