TAHOE 200 Race Report

Elevation Profile

Race Date: September 8th-12th, 2017

Well, I think this year's ultra running schedule for me all started late last year, when I first saw that the Tahoe 200 Endurance Run was going to open for registration on November 5th and happen to recognize the very familiar starting date as my birthday. As in year's past, I have always done something fun and exciting on my birthday, so I immediately signed up. I knew I wanted some long distance training runs leading up to Tahoe, so over the next several months I had registered and was surprisingly selected for several ultra race lotteries, Way to Cool, Miwok, Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) and Leadville. Also, knowing that I can't back away from a challenge, I subsequently registered for more ultra races, like the Marin Ultra Challenge, Canyons, Silver State, Bighorn and Pioneer Spirit, because I thought to myself, "How in the world does one train for a 200?" I knew I wanted Tahoe to be my "A" race and everything else would be just "training runs". Unfortunately, I DNF'd at Bighorn (course conditions) and Leadville (timed out at mile 50), but nonetheless, these were great opportunities for "time on my feet".  

As the month of September grew closer, I slowly began to assemble my crew, pacers and gear. My girlfriend Julie said she would be there from start to finish and be my crew leader. I had already started to pencil in pacers for certain sections, but one question that remained was how much gear I would need. I had read that there would be 9 drop bag locations and 5 sleep stations, which gave me a good idea of how to start. 

On Thursday morning, September 7th, the packet pickup and pre-race briefing was held at the Homewood Ski Resort, on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. Here, I had the opportunity to purchase merchandise from Destination Trail (the company owned by Race Director Candice Burt, that organizes trail races (including the Tahoe 200) in Washington, California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada). 

Destination Trail Merchandise table

During the pre-race briefing, Candice and her team talked about what to expect along each section of the course, described where the aid stations would be located and answered any questions any of the runners may have. Here, I also had the chance to leave drop bags for the various aid stations along the course and since the race didn't start until 9am the next morning, I knew there should be plenty of time to get a good nights rest before I would begin my 4 day adventure.  

Lucky #262

One of Candice's team members who spoke during the briefing was medical director, Todd Nardi, who briefed the runners on what to be aware of out there on the course and to know that we were in good hands, if any of us would happen to run into any trouble. Then he talked about what he called the 2 most important essentials to take care of as we ventured out on our journey, our feet and sleep. He believed that if we took care of our feet and got enough sleep, then we could finish the run.

Race Start

Candice at the pre-race briefing

Drop Bags

As the sun rose on the morning of September 8th, I knew I was mentally and physically prepared for the biggest challenge of my ultra running career. It was just a matter of what to expect over the next 4 days. I arrived at Homewood around 8am and to my surprise, I was able to secure a parking space, before the parking lot became overwhelmed with traffic. As I was organizing my gear in the back of my truck, a running friend of mine, Scott Salisberry approached me with a "Happy Birthday" message and said he was in the area, so he thought he would just come and hang out. That was quite a surprise, since I hadn't seen him in a awhile. A few moments later, I saw Julie drive in and told her that all of my gear was in the back of my truck. She later took my keys and I started to prepare myself for what was to be the next 24 hours, essentially on my own. As the starting time of 9am approached and the runners gathered under the Destination Trail banner, I heard the immortal words of Micah True, aka Caballo Blanco, from photographer Luis Escobar. He said....

"Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. If I get hurt, lost or die, it's my own damn fault."

Luis Escobar at the start of the race

Soon after, Race Director Candice Burt gave out last minute instructions and counted the runners down and I was off and running along with a starting field of about 183 other ultra runners. 

The first 7 miles took me up the dirt roads of the ski resort past Lake Louise and onto a single-track trail. At the top of the ridge, the course markings, which consisted of black and orange flagging, took the runners through the forest, up to and over a rather large snow patch, apparently a long lost remnant of last winter's intense weather. It was like witnessing kids in a candy store, as some runner's joyously played in the frozen crystalline formation. A few hundred feet later, I eventually connected up with the Ellis Peak trail. After the course traversed a rocky ridge and began a rather steep downhill descent, I arrived at the Barker Pass Aid Station shortly after 11am, just under a 20 minute mile. I didn't stay long before I was pulled aside by RD Candice who had noticed my personal SPOT connect device apparently wasn't tracking. I subsequently showed her evidence that it was from screenshots from my iPhone, but I was given a race SPOT device per her direction. I then proceeded down the dirt road headed for the Barker Pass Trailhead. 

As I turned left onto the TRT single track, where the flagging was attached to a post, I surprisingly saw a large number of runners coming back towards me, but I knew in my mind that I was going the right way, since I was just out on a reconnaissance mission of this same section just a week prior. Some runners were claiming that they were not seeing any flagging further down the single track and that their GPS's were showing the route to be on the dirt road, which was just below and running pretty much parallel with the TRT single track. I reluctantly went with them, but didn't see any flagging further down the dirt road, so I instinctively hopped back up onto the TRT itself, while everyone else continued down the road. After running alone for awhile, I approached a crossroad where I knew I had seen flagging the week before, however, there was no flagging here. So, I turned back down this crossroad back towards Barker Pass and followed it to where I had left the rest of the group. When I arrived, they were nowhere to be found. At this point, I thought I was seriously going to run out of time continuing to search around for the flagging, but I figured as long as I continued to run in a southernly direction, I'd eventually find the right trail again. Sure enough, once I had taken a left turn on another dirt road and after having run alone for what seemed to be an eternity, I finally found some flagging and a yellow arrow sign indicating the right direction. 

The trail I was searching for

I was so relieved, as I certainly didn't want to run out of time so early in the run. I tried to pick up my pace as I made my way down to the Rubicon Trail. After passing several Rock crawlers, aka highly modified 4-wheel drive jeep type vehicles and the former settlement of Rubicon Springs, I eventually caught up to a few other runners and relayed my experience about getting lost.

Picture of a Rock Crawler from the internet

The former settlement of Rubicon Springs

I arrived at Buck Island Lake around mile 17 and about 6 hours into the race, an average of a little over a 21 minute mile. I and another runner who I had caught up with, took a few minutes to cool off before I was back out on the trail. 

Buck Island Lake

Within the next few miles, the trail became more technical as it ascended to a rocky crest that overlooked Loon Lake. As I was approached Loon Lake, the skies overhead started to darken and I knew I'd probably get rained soon. Light rain began to fall as I ran on a single track along the eastern shore of the lake. I quickly put on my rain jacket to try and keep dry. 

Loon Lake

I arrived as the Loon Lake Aid Station and mile 24 at about 5:22pm, with my pace slightly lowering to around a 20 minute mile. The rain started to increase in intensity as I took in a bacon and cheese sandwich and some electrolytes. After about 13 minutes in the aid station, I was back on the course. 

After more single track through the wilderness of the Eldorado National Forest, I eventually hooked up with Tells Creek Rd, which took me into mile 30 1/2 and the Tells Creek Aid Station. I arrived around 7:17pm, just as the sun was had begun to set. I quickly settled in to fuel up, change clothes and prepare for the first night's run. As I began to retrieve my gear out of my drop bag and hydration pack, for some reason, I couldn't get my rechargeable headlamp to work and had noticed the solid red light that indicated that it was out of charge. Fortunately, I had my rechargeable handheld flashlight with me, which did work. I remained in the aid station for about 25 minutes before I returned to the trail with only my handheld to lead the way. For the next 6 hours, I made my way through single track trails and passed a few abandoned jeeps along the way before I ran past Dark Lake (no really, that is the name of the lake) and into the Wright's Lake Aid Station at mile 44.

To my surprise, it was a smaller aid station than I had expected. The cots that were set up were already occupied by exhausted runners. I wasn’t tired enough to sleep. All I wanted to do was to fuel up, change clothes and be on my way. I remained in the aid station about 23 minutes, before I headed back out. I was 4 ½ hours ahead of the cutoff, so I knew I had plenty of time. Shortly after I had left the aid station, I made my way onto the Bloodsucker Trail and crossed the South Fork of Silver Creek, which would be the widest and deepest creek that I would traverse along the course, which would put my Injiji socks to the ultimate submersion test. They seemed to pass, for now.

At about mile 46, I joined up with the Lyons Creek single track trail and continued for another 2 miles until the Lyons Creek Trailhead. From here, I was on a paved road for another 4 miles and started to head south towards Highway 50. I was within a couple hundred feet of the highway before the course turned east and what seemed like the longest 4 ½ miles of my life, before I finally crossed the highway at just about sunrise.

I had almost a 10k left before I would see Julie again and have her pace me to Housewife Hill at mile 70. However, these last 6 miles into Sierra at Tahoe took me almost 3 hours to complete due to the fact that the gain was nearly 1,800’ in total ascent!

When I arrived at Sierra at Tahoe, around mile 62.9 and a little over 24 hours into the race, I was so relieved to see Julie and to know that to me this was a milestone on the course, where I had the chance to pick up a pacer for the rest of the run. At this point, Julie took my hydration pack and told me to head inside. I spent nearly 2 hours here, where I fueled up, hydrated, changed shoes, socks and even brushed my teeth. Soon after, Julie and I were headed back out on the course a little after 11am. The course would then take us south of Highway 50 and towards Lake Audrain, where it would re-connect to the TRT near Echo Summit.

Me and Julie at Echo Summit

We didn’t stay long on the TRT until we veered off onto a paved road, then down a steep 2 1/2 mile single track into Housewife Hill. Here, I met up with my next pacer, Sarah, and friend and co-worker Scott who had brought me a Subway sandwich, which was just what I needed. Also, I ran into my friends Annette and Roland who were helping out to man the aid station. At this point, I had felt some hot spots on my feet, so one of the medical staff here quickly applied some leukotape, which helped my feet tremendously. After about 45 minutes, Sarah and I were on our way to Armstrong Pass, a long stretch of 18 miles. As we began a slight ascent up the trail, a strong hailstorm suddenly hit us, during which I joked to Sarah, “This is exactly why you wanted to pace me, right”. She just laughed. Before long, the hailstorm stopped and we re-connected up with the TRT again, just north of Round Lake. I knew that, after a short, steep ascent, we would crest the ridge that would lead us to a rather long, gradual downhill into the Big Meadows Trailhead. We arrived at Big Meadows at around 6:10pm. After a restroom and snack break, we were once again back on the trail. At around 79 miles into the run and about half way up a long 7 mile climb, I witnessed my second sunset. Sarah and I would run just a few more hours before I became a “walking zombie”. She and I tried everything we could just to keep me awake. We finally reached Armstrong Pass at about 11:30pm, where I saw Julie once again and met up with my next pacer, Dan. I was about 6 hours ahead of the cutoff. I knew I still had plenty of time, but I desperately wanted to sleep. I was extremely tired. I had been up for nearly 40 hours! So, I climbed into the back of Julie’s van, took off my shoes and got some much needed rest. However, I was back on the trail only after about two hours.

Dan and I left the Armstrong aid station at around 1:45am and headed back up to the pass and towards Heavenly, but soon after the pass, I started to dry heave for the first time on the course, which would eventually get worse later on. I had never experienced anything like this before, so it made me nervous so early in the race. After my stomach settled, we steadily made our way up and over the Freel Peak saddle, as we headed towards Star Lake. We passed the lake at about 5:15 in the morning. The trail continued downhill, and then gradually rose to Monument Pass, where I witnessed my second sunrise.

On my way to Heavenly

We arrived at the Heavenly Aid Station and mile 103.1 at around 9am, which had an 11am cutoff, which made me a little nervous. Again, I didn't want to stay here long. As I approached the patio of the lodge, I saw Julie once again, another running friend Lauren, who volunteered to help crew and my next pacer, Shannon. After I changed, fueled up and re-hydrated, Shannon and I were headed back up the trail and on our way to Spooner Summit. Soon after we began however, Shannon told me that there would be a change in pacers at Spooner, as one of my original pacers was a no-show. A few miles later, we crossed Kingsbury Grade at around 10:46am. From here, it would be about another 15 miles of single track before we would reach Spooner Summit. I felt pretty good as we steadily made our way up the trail and passed the Castle Rock junction. For the next 10 miles, the trail ascended about 2,000' as we approached the South Camp area and "the bench”.  I knew I wanted to stop and witness in my opinion, one of the most beautiful views on all of the TRT. Located about 5 miles south of the Spooner Summit trailhead, this majestic spot is a pretty rocky stretch of the trail, but it opens up to an unbelievable view of the lake and even has a wooden bench to relax on.

After awhile, Shannon and I eventually arrived at the Spooner Summit Trailhead and mile 123 1/2 a little after 4:00 in the afternoon. We were greeted once again, by my fearless crew leader, and now next pacer Julie and my other crew member Lauren. Not long after I arrived, Julie took my pack and told me to head across the parking area to where my cot and sleeping bag were setup in the trees. The plan here was to get at least 45 minutes of sleep before I headed out back on the trail. I found it difficult to sleep due to the beating down of the sun’s rays onto the cot. At about 5pm, my crew came over and told me it was time to go and to get my butt off the cot. However, before Julie and I were ready to leave one of the race staff had to re-set my SPOT device, due to it being inadvertently powered off.

Julie and me at Spooner Summit

Not long after Julie and I started back on the trail, we crossed Highway 50 at around 5:30pm and started the ascent towards Snow Valley Peak, about 5 miles away. During this long stretch up to the peak, Julie had pushed the pace and had made me a deal. That was, if I were to pass her 10 times on this section that I would get dinner. I came nowhere close, as she continued to tell me “to move” in her stern, yet beautiful voice. She also played the game “Marco Polo” to make sure I stayed within shouting distance of her. It was about a mile before Snow Valley Peak, when the sun begun to set.

Sunset over Tahoe

We continued on the trail past Marlette Lake to the Marlette Lake Campground where we arrived around 9:30pm. We briefly stopped to rest before we headed back out. The course continued along the TRT passing Twin Lakes, before it turned left down the Tunnel Creek Rd. From here, it was about a 3 1/2 to 4 mile stretch down a winding dirt road, before we would finally arrive at mile 140 1/2 and the Tunnel Creek Café. Running down the road and just a few miles from the cafe, Julie and I witnessed our first wildlife sighting as glowing eyes appeared just to the left of the trail. It turned out to be just a deer as I saw its silhouette through the trees, created by the waning gibbous moon, which had for the past hour or so, lit up the clear, night sky. We arrived at the Tunnel Creek Café at just after 1am, 5 hours ahead of the cutoff. As we made it into the aid station, which was located behind the café, my next pacer Jack, greeted us. On the way down the road, I had told Julie that I thought this might be a sleep station. It turned out that it wasn’t. I told Jack that the plan here was for me to sleep for about an hour, before we head back out. Fortunately, one of the aid station volunteers had improvised "a sleeping area" by providing me a pad to sleep on. At least, it was something. After a little over an hour of having slept on the not so comfortable pad, I was ready to go. Jack and I readied our gear and just before 3am, we were on our way down the bike path through Incline Village towards the next aid station at mile 155 1/2 and Brockway Summit.

For the next 3 ½ mile section, we had increased the pace to under 20 minutes/mile. The cool stillness of the air and silence of the bike path created an ominous feeling as we passed million dollar properties. Just as we approached West End Park near Tahoe Blvd, I heard a noise from across the street and heard Jack exclaim, “Do you see those glowing eyes? It turned out to be 2 bears. The only bears I would see for the entire race.

Bears in Incline

After our little encounter, we continued on and began a rather extensive uphill climb, first for about a mile or so of pavement, then onto a single track called the "Power Line" climb, which took the runners up nearly 1,500’ over the next 1 1/2 miles. It reminded me of the Diamond Peak climb during the TRT Endurance Run. At one point during the climb, we came to an open area where a few other runners decided to rest. I told Jack I need a break, so I sat down and experienced the worst dry heaving episode of my life. I felt so miserable.

Not feeling good

After a few minutes, my stomach felt much better after I managed to down a power bar and hydrate some more. We were soon headed back out on the trail towards Martis Peak. I witnessed my third sunrise as we continued to climb on dirt roads and eventually re-connect back up with the Tahoe Rim Trail. It was about another 4 miles before we would reach the Brockway Summit Aid Station.

Jack and me at the Brockway Summit Trailhead

We arrived at the aid station around 9:15am, where Julie and my next pacer GN, greeted us. We had gained almost 2 hours on the overall cutoff time, so the plan was to rest for about an hour before GN and I headed out. My feet felt good and my energy level was stable, but I still needed some rest.

Julie and me at the Brockway Summit Aid Station

After about an hour, GN and I left the Brockway Aid Station around 10:20am, with the plan to run this section around 7 to 8 hours. For the next several miles, GN kept me at a decent pace as we approached Watson Lake. We arrived at the lake at about 1:15pm. We stopped briefly to rest and hydrate, but not long before we were back on the trail.

Trudging along

Watson Lake

During the next several hours, we traded stories of past and future runs, fuel and hydration. Later, I told GN about the hallucinations I had been having about trucks in the trees, bears ahead on the trail and faces in the dirt.

A view of Lake Tahoe

At about 6:30pm, as we passed Thunder Cliff and approached the Tahoe City North Trailhead, we heard thunder and saw lightning in the distance over the lake. A few hundred feet before we would reach the trailhead sign, however, a massive downpour started. All we could do was to take shelter under the 4’ wide kiosk. After about 5 minutes, GN and I joined up with a few other runners and braved the elements and started to head towards the Tahoe City Aid Station and mile 175 1/2. We arrived at the aid station, located just across Fancy Bridge at around 7pm. It was dark and still raining as GN tried to get a hold of Julie. The cutoff here was 12:30 in the morning, however, I knew I needed more sleep. After awhile, we eventually found Julie who had told us, that everything that she had set out for me in the parking lot was soaked. We'd just have to make due with what wasn't wet. A few minutes later and just as I was about to settle into Julie’s van to sleep, I once again saw Dan, who would pace me for a second time during the next section. He enthusiastically came towards me with the large slurpee that I had requested just a few hours before. He was so excited to see me and the progress that I had made up until now. I told him that I felt good, despite the downpour. The plan here was to get some rest before heading out around 10pm. For the next 2 hours I slept and after the rain had dissipated, Dan and I were back out on the trail.

The thunder and lightning continued, as we made our way towards Paige Meadows, located just before Ward Creek Canyon. Light rain continued as we began our ascent up the canyon and towards Stanford Rock. As we ascended, somewhere along the way, we started to see headlamps start to come back down the trail, which was odd. As we got closer, we had noticed another runner who had an apparent ankle injury, being helped down the mountain. A few miles later, we eventually made our way to the trail junction between Twin Peaks and Stanford Rock at about 8,500’. The course then veered left and took us down a very long descent, dropping more than 2,000’. Dan and I would reach another bike path along West Lake Blvd around 4:45 in the morning. We remained on this path for about 2 miles before the course turned right onto Grand Ave, which would lead towards the Stephen Jones aid station and mile 195. The next 2 miles or so would be partially on pavement, then onto a single track. Shortly after we started on the single track trail, we approached a female runner who had stopped and thought she saw a bear up ahead on the trail, even Dan was scared. All 3 of us didn’t know what to do at first. Even though my headlamp had faded, I apparently was the only one who had the nerve to see what it was. As I slowly moved forward on the trail, I noticed that all it turned out to be was a burned out stump next to the trail. I guess this is what you get when you’re 193 miles into a trail run!

I witnessed my fourth and final sunrise as Dan and I eventually emerged from a gradual ascent from the single track and onto a dirt road. We crossed a bridge over Blackwood Creek within a few miles of Stephen Jones. We arrived at the aid station around 6:15 in the morning. Julie greeted us again, however, my last pacer Heidi, was nowhere to be found. I still had plenty of time before the final race cutoff, so I knew that I could get some rest before Heidi and I tackled the last section. As I laid down and after awhile of anxiously and patiently waiting, Heidi finally arrived. I rested for about 45 minutes before Heidi and I were eagerly headed towards the finish line just after 7am. We climbed nearly 2,000’ over the next 5 to 7 miles where we once again reached Barker Pass at about 8:30 in the morning and re-connected up with the Ellis Peak trail where just 4 days ago, I began my journey.

My pacer Heidi and me

The last 6 months of training was about to pay off. As Heidi and I approached Lake Louise and the top of the Homewood chair lifts, I was so surprised and excited to see Julie once more, who had hiked all the way up from the bottom of Homewood to greet and run with me into the finish.

Lake Louise

Approaching the Finish

At this point, all I needed to do was to continue to move forward. It was just a matter of time before I would eventually finish the biggest challenge of my ultra running career.

                           

About a half mile from the finish, with Lake Tahoe as the background, I could finally see the finish line in sight. I knew I was going to do this.

The Finish

After descending a few switchbacks, I emerged from the trees and approached the last rocky descent. I started to hear cow bells and cheers from the spectators, who were there to greet the runners, as I approached the finish line area. As soon as I rounded the last turn, I became so emotional as I saw my mother, who had driven all the way from Reno just to see me finish. For me, that was a very special moment and emotional part of the race. I crossed the finish line and saw Julie once more. We embraced in a celebratory hug. For her to be there by my side the entire time, I couldn't ask for anything more.

I finished just after 11am, with an offical time of 98 hours, 6 minutes and 51 seconds. A few moments later, as I was recovering around the finish line area, my friend Ernesto, who was crewing another runner, came up to me and congratulated me on my finish. That was a nice surprise. For the next several hours, I watched the remaining runners finish their incredible journeys. I was really hoping to see a lot more people that I knew along the course, but to have my crew and pacers who did help me along the way, I can't thank you guys enough. It was a physically demanding and emotional journey to get through my first 200 mile race, but worth every step along the trail.

A celebratory hug

Julie and me at the finish

RD Candice Burt and me

The souvenir glasses

The Buckles

At the post-race awards ceremony around 5pm that evening, all the runners received a pasta dinner and a 2017 Finisher's print. Also, the Top 3 Men and Women were presented with overall awards. 

The Top 3 Men

The Top 3 Women

Official Race Stats:

Time:  98 hours, 6 minutes, 51 seconds.

Place – 105/123

DNF’s – 57

DNS’s - 14

Acknowledgements:

I want to thank Candice and her team at Destination Trail for putting on such an incredible and scenic trail run and to all of my pacers, Sarah, Dan, Shannon, Jack, GN and Heidi and my friend Lauren for making this a very special trail running experience for me. Lastly, to my girl Julie, who went above and beyond anything I could ever expect, to help crew, pace and just be there for me when I needed her the most.

Western States 2015 Race Report

WESTERN STATES 2015 RACE REPORT 

  Date - June 27th-28th, 2015

Location - Squaw Valley to Auburn

During the week that led up to Western States, I remembered back to what some others had told me about this race and that was, “To take it all in”. That’s exactly what I planned to do. I realized back then that this would be one of my most memorable running accomplishments. Therefore, as soon as I knew that I would be an official starter, I decided to form a small crew, recruit a pacer, and spread the word to immediate family members and numerous Facebook friends. I even created a Facebook Messenger Group of around 10 or so other family members that informed them of my participation in the run. To say that I was excited to finally be in this race was an understatement.

Here’s my story….

On the morning of Thursday June 25^th, I headed up to Squaw Valley to start the first day of the Race Week Agenda. The first item on the day's agenda was the Western States Welcome, which was to start at 9:30 am. When I arrived, I was surprised to see a smaller than expected crowd, who had gathered not too far from the starting line arch. Soon after the introductions and welcome messages concluded, the next item on the agenda was an optional 4-mile trek up to Emigrant Pass and Watson’s Monument for some Western States inspiration.

Watson's Monument

                                                                                                                                                    I debated on whether or not to take the tram ride to the monument or hike the dirt road. After I heard that the tram ride cost a little more than what I was willing to pay, I decided to go for a hike. The weather warmed up even before I started. After I arrived at the summit, a relatively large crowd gathered near a fence line, where an American Flag was placed.

During the course of the next half hour, I took in a few pictures, heard some inspirational quotes and details about the course, and was part of a large group photo. 

                I proceeded back down the mountain and arrived back at the Village just before 2:00 pm. Since the next scheduled event would not start until 2:30 pm, I decided to head over to the Village to relax. After awhile, I walked over to the Conference Center where the next scheduled event called Crewing A Western States Runner was held. I felt somewhat out of place when I arrived, since there was no one from my crew actually with me. However, I did learn some valuable information that I knew would be useful for my crew. After the presentation concluded, I decided to make my way back to Reno. 

The next morning, I headed back up to Squaw for the runner check-in and pre-race meeting. I arrived around 9:30 in the morning, and then proceeded to the drop bag collection area, where I left several bags for delivery to various aid stations along the course. Next, I headed over to the race registration and check-in area, which took place inside a building next to the Olympic Plaza near the start line arch.

It was a rather interesting check-in process. First, I was asked a few questions about past ultra races and personal running gear then went through a series of check-in stations where I picked up a race-stitched backpack and numerous other amenities before I had my picture taken in a goofy looking hat.

 






I had hoped to see the start of the Montrail 6k uphill challenge, but by the time I finished with check-in, the race had already started. For the next several hours, I strolled around the village, spotted a bear in the area and had a bite to eat at the Fireside Pizza Company. Soon after lunch, I headed over to the Conference Center for the pre-race meeting. It was standing room only. Among other information about the run, the crowd was presented with a welcome message from the CEO of Squaw Valley Andy Wirth, a medical briefing and the presentation of last year’s Top Ten finishers, on both the men’s and women’s sides. After the meeting, I decided to head home. Around 5:45 that evening, I met up for dinner with my pacer Juan and my crew of Michael, Allison, Scott, Roland and Laura. Later that night, the one thought that had run through my mind the most was, who would show up to see me run and most importantly, finish.  

The next morning, I was awake by 2:30. Soon after, Michael, Allison and Juan came to take me to the start. We arrived at the Squaw Valley parking area just after 4:00 am. I prepared my main race bag to give to Roland and Laura, whom I met up with soon after I arrived and checked in. I felt excitement in the air and the tension was high as the minutes ticked down to the 5:00 am start.

               




          Finally, I heard the sound of the shotgun and roughly 370 energized trail runners began their long-awaited journeys up the face of Squaw. For the first 4 miles, I kept a steady pace up the initial ascent of around 2,500 feet. On the way up, I saw 2 great running friends of mine, along the edge of the trail, John and Jill, whose daughter Katie, was entered in this year’s race for the first time. Further up the road, I ran into my pacer, Juan, who cheered me on as I continued up the mountain. By this time, the morning’s sunlight had already made its way to the horizon and filled the sky with an incredible sunrise. I arrived at the top at just a little over an hour, right on the pace that I had initially set for myself. Before I descended the ridge, I took one last look behind me to take in the sunrise that spread itself over Lake Tahoe.

The pace of the other runners around me intensified as the course went to a single track and through the dense forest of the Granite Chief Wilderness. I felt I ran pretty well through the first 10 1/2 miles, when I arrived at the Lyon Ridge aid station slightly faster than I had expected. The first person I recognized was my friend Cheryl. She gave me a hug and I told her that I was doing great.

Then, as soon as I looked over to the food table, I saw another friend of mine, EJ. He was so excited to see me that he stopped what he was doing, came around the table and gave me the biggest bear hug that I’ve ever had. It was fantastic.

I don’t think I stayed for more than a minute before I was back on the course. Over the next 6 miles of mostly single track, I passed one landmark that I distinctly remember and that was Cougar Rock. From this vantage point, you can see back to the vast wilderness to where the race began. I remembered this landmark from just 2 weeks earlier, when I ran with my Silver State Strider ultra group on a reconnaissance mission of the first 30 miles. Throughout this section, the pace of the other runners was still faster than I was comfortable with, but I didn’t want that to intimidate me. I just wanted to run my own race, my own pace.

I arrived at the Red Star aid station and mile 16 just before 9:00 am, slightly under my goal pace. I knew at these early aid stations, which were farther apart than I would’ve liked, I knew I had to conserve as much energy as I could without feeling uncomfortable. I spent only about 5 minutes at the aid station, before I headed back out.

I reached Duncan Canyon around 24 miles just after 10:30 am, still faster than my goal pace. It was here that I really enjoyed the effort made by all the volunteers to really take care of the runner. I noticed this dedication when I started to re-fuel, as one volunteer seemed to monitor my every move and even led me to the most refreshing part of the whole process, buckets full of ice water and sponges, or as a volunteer at a later aid station would call it, the “car wash”. Even before the race began, I knew I had to keep hydrated as much as possible, which I had thought about, the entire time I ran. I didn’t stay long before I headed downhill and towards Duncan Canyon itself. I knew there was a smaller unnamed creek just about a mile away, but I looked forward to the much larger, deeper and colder creek at around mile 26. When I arrived, I literally laid down in the water to cool off. I felt quite refreshed and re-energized after the long awaited submersion. The next 4 uphill miles, however, would slowly take its toll on me and my overall time.

I came into Robinson Flat at just under 30 miles around 12:20 pm, this time, about an hour behind my goal pace. Two of my crew members, Roland and Laura were there to greet me. I quickly re-fueled, re-hydrated and changed socks. The next 13 miles would take me into new running territory, but I knew if I could maintain a steadier pace than before, I could possibly make up some ground, given the fact that the elevation chart for this section showed that it was mostly downhill.

I arrived at Miller’s Defeat and mile 34.4 just after 1:30 pm, a still slower, yet respectable pace than I had hoped. After I fueled up and went through another “car wash”, I continued down the dirt road that headed to the next aid station, Dusty Corners. However, only a few minutes after I had left the aid station, I heard someone call out, “this way, man”. I had run slightly off course. After I turned to correct my bearings, I was finally headed in the right direction. During the next few miles, I felt alone and had no confidence in the course flagging, since they seemed so sporadic. Nevertheless, I did find my way to Dusty Corners, a rather larger than expected aid station at mile 38. There, I ran into someone who I didn’t expect to see, another running friend of mine Luis, who was there to volunteer.
 

We briefly chatted about the course and how I felt. I told him I was pretty good. I just needed to continue to fuel up and hydrate. I also saw a few other friends of mine, Bill and Dorothy, who were waiting on their runners to arrive. Once I had left Dusty Corners, one view that I looked forward to, was that of Pucker Point. Even though I had never been on this section of the course before, I knew I was there when the trail opened up to a deep canyon view and river gorge that appeared to the right of the trail. It was an incredible sight. At this point in the race, I really wanted to get to the Last Chance aid station, the part of the course that I was most familiar with. I had slightly picked up the pace, when I arrived at Last Chance at around 3:45 pm, but it was still slower than I had hoped. I knew the section ahead was flat and headed down a steep descent toward the swinging bridge. However, I started to feel sluggish and quite a bit slower as I approached that section of the course. It was also here, that I felt really alone, more than ever before. It felt as if the race wasn’t really happening, as the runners were spread out even more, but I continued to push on.

Swinging Bridge

When I arrived at the swinging bridge, I decided to take a few minutes to cool down, so I started to climb down to the water’s edge and wade in the water. I felt extreme fatigue set in as I slowly started up the massive climb to the Devil’s Thumb aid station. 

 

Swinging Bridge

It was this climb that eventually set the tone for the entire rest of my run. I had run this section quite a few times before, but it didn’t seem any easier this time around. The plan was to “walk like I meant it” and “run where I could”. In my mind, I felt energized as I passed a few runners going up the hill, but my nutrition level was at an absolute standstill the entire time, because when I arrived at Devil’s Thumb, I felt extreme hunger. I took my time as I ate, while I re-shifted my focus to just finish in less than 30 hours. A few miles later, when I reached the Deadwood Cemetery, around mile 49, my overall time was just about 13 hours. Given my current pace, I wondered if I could even make it to Michigan Bluff before dark. It didn't look good, but I knew I had a headlamp in my drop bag, so I felt reasonably safe. I managed to get through El Dorado Creek and the climb up to Michigan Bluff with no apparent issues.

Michigan Bluff

Also, I had hoped to meet another one of my crew members at the aid station, but when I arrived, there was no one there to greet me. I did however, run into Jill, who had said Katie was close to the cutoff time at Devil’s Thumb, but still doing fine. I managed to find a chair to relax in and change shirts, and then I gave my drop bag to Jill and proceeded to retrieve my headlamp. I then headed off to the Foresthill aid station, where I planned to pick up Juan, meet up with my crew once again, and hopefully see some family. By this time, my overall pace had decreased by about a minute slower than what I had hoped for.

It was quite the struggle for me as I descended into Volcano Canyon in the dark, something that I hadn’t planned on. However, I managed to get through it. I carefully crossed the creek and made my way up the trail, as other pacers made their way down. As I closed in on the metal gate that was located just before Bath Road, I shined my light to an ominous figure who was standing on the right side of the gate. I noticed that this person had the same race number as I did. It was Juan! I couldn't believe it. I was so surprised to see that he had come all the way down the road to greet me. He asked me how I felt and I told him that I never expected to come into Foresthill this late at night. We slowly made our way up Bath Road and finally arrived at Foresthill just before 10:00 pm, about 20 seconds slower than the last pace.
 

It was quite hectic, when I arrived, as I made my way to the food table, not even knowing who was there to greet me, if anybody at all. As I fueled up, I did recognize some of the volunteers that I knew, like Michael and Eric. A few minutes later, Eric came right up to me and immediately asked me how I had felt. It was an incredible surprise. Juan told me that Roland, Laura, Michael and Scott were just outside of the aid station to meet me. After I refueled and hydrated, I made my way beyond the exit and to meet up with the rest of my crew. I also saw some other running friends of mine, Enrique and Karla, who came there for support. I was so appreciative of that.

I had also hoped to see a few family members here, as well, but apparently no one showed up. After a few cups of chicken broth, I quickly changed socks and both Juan and I were on our way to the night time section of the course.

For the next 4 miles, Juan and I discussed upcoming races, like the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Ruby Mountain Relay and the plan for the rest of my run. I knew the next 16 mile section down to the river crossing would be tough, due to the fact that it was so late at night. We arrived at Dardanelles (Cal 1) in pretty good shape, but some issues with chafing slowed me down even more. Nevertheless, I continued to push forward. We arrived at Peachstone (Cal 2) just before 1:00 am, just under a 17:00 minute pace. He told me to quickly get what I needed and be ready to get out, a great asset of a pacer. When we made it to the "6 minute hill" climb, I started to calculate in my head what pace I needed to get over the next 27 miles in order to finish within the 30 hour cutoff. After the climb, the long downhill stretch to Ford’s Bar (Cal 3) felt like it was just what I needed to re-energize my mental state. Soon after I left the aid station, I had noticed there was a sign that indicated that I was about an hour ahead of the 30 hour cutoff time. I was glad that we had made it this far, because I knew the last stretch down to the river crossing was a fairly flat section.

We finally arrived at the river crossing at around 3:30 am, about a 17:17 minute per mile pace. My anxiety was at an all time high. I saw Roland and Laura at the river, but to my unexpected surprise, I also saw Allison (the daughter of Michael, who was on my crew) and another friend, Tony. I felt so disappointed in myself for having run so slow up until this point in the race, but I was also so appreciative of the support that I had so early in the morning. It was a great feeling. Juan and I quickly fueled up and were on our way across the river. The drop bags were on the other side, so I knew I would have another short break before I had to tackle the climb up to Green Gate.

For the next 2 miles, I maintained a solid pace, with both short jogs and steady hiking. Juan and I arrived at the top of the climb around 4:15 am. I felt better about my ability to cover the last 20 miles and with over 6 ½ hours left, but I really hoped to reach Auburn Lake Trails at mile 85 before dawn, but I unfortunately fell just a few miles short. We reached the aid station at ALT around 6:15 am, about a 17:46 minute per mile pace, which really had me more worried than ever before, since it closed in on the overall cutoff pace of 18 minutes per mile. Throughout the entire night, I thought that I was going to run out of time, but Juan just kept me going through the night by the motivating words of “keep it up, Roberto, you’re doing great”. I was mentally hurting inside, but I know those few words were all I needed to hear. The countdown to the finish was about to begin.

As we closed in on Brown’s Bar at mile 90, I could hear the beat of the music, a long-standing tradition of this aid station. After only a few minutes, we were on our way to the highway crossing. We arrived at the Highway 49 aid station at mile 93.5 just before 9:00 am. As I ran through the aid station, I looked off to my right and saw John and Jill once more, anxiously awaiting their daughter Katie to arrive. They enthusiastically cheered me on while I passed, which was a wonderful surprise. I quickly grabbed some hydration then headed up the trail, while Juan stayed back to re-fuel himself. A few moments later, Juan caught up to me and said that he had seen Roland, but in my rush through the aid station however, I hadn’t noticed.

I had less than 7 miles left on the course and more than 2 hours left on the clock, so I knew I could make it, if I just kept moving forward. I also had the thought of who would be there to see me finish and given the unexpected reality that I would finish within that last "magical hour", I thought for sure that somebody from my family would be there. Juan and I arrived at No Hands Bridge and mile 97 just before 10:00 am.

No Hands Bridge

I had a little more than an hour left on the clock and 3 miles to go in the race. I needed to keep moving. My nervousness was intense, for I knew there were still a few more hills to conquer before we would make it to Robie Point and the final stretch of the race.

As we left No Hands Bridge, the course became fairly flat, as it continued along the river for a stretch before it started to ascend the last dirt hill into Robie Point. 

Robie Point

As Juan and I ran through the gate and onto the road, Roland had run down the road to greet me. It was great to see him again and hear the cheers from the few spectators who had lined the road.

Somewhere around Mile 99

Before I knew it, I had made it to the white bridge on top of the last hill, and the last turn that led down the road and onto the track. 

As I approached the stadium, I recognized a well known face in the Western States community, that of Andy Jones-Wilkins, cheering me on. It was great to see someone like that towards the end of the run. When I entered the track, my energy level rose. I knew I had done it. 

As I approached the finish, I heard my friend Jason, yell “way to bring it in” or something to that effect. I crossed the finish line with less than 20 minutes to spare. It wasn’t pretty, but I did it. I had that buckle.

After I had left the finish line area, I headed toward the medical tent to finally relax and cool down. Then I walked around to see who I would recognize and had noticed that Scott and Laura, from my crew, had made it there to see my finish.

I also met up with some other Reno folks and thanked them for being out here. A few minutes later, as I relaxed by the small swimming pool full of ice cold water, another friend of mine, Dalius, came up and congratulated me on my finish. That was another unexpected surprise, which I sure appreciated. About 15 minutes later, Katie had finally entered the track and finished with less than 4 minutes on the clock. She had become the youngest female finisher in the history of the race.

Also, during this whole time, I had looked for some family members to see if they had made it, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I really would’ve liked some family to have been there to see my finish, but no one did. Now, nearly a year after that race, it still hurts to think about those three words, no one did. However, I’m not going to let that get me down. I just have to hold my head up high and appreciate the running friends I did see along the course and at the finish area and to also take satisfaction in the fact that I did accomplish what I had set out to do for myself. I wasn’t the fastest horse in the stampede, but I finished. I finished.  

So, for the next hour and a half or so, I decided to just relax on the infield grass and patiently await the awards ceremony to start at around 12:30 pm. The ceremony began by the introduction of the overall winners and presentation of the cougar trophies, and then the buckles were awarded in blocks of finish times. As I waited for my block of time to be announced, I almost fell asleep as I sat in a chair behind the award tables. Then my time was finally here. Each finisher was called up one at a time to receive their buckle. When my name was called, it was one of the most exciting experiences to happen in my ultra career. I walked away knowing that I had accomplished something incredible. Even though I had finished 3 100-mile races previously, this one was the most special, given the history of the race and the excitement that surrounded it. I will be forever grateful for the people I was able to train with and who enjoyed this journey with me.