Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run, August 1st
– 2nd, 2015
“Get Outta
Here!” That’s how my AC100 mile run started. It was exactly 5 am on August 1st
and 176 runners were standing in anticipation, and probably fear, for those words
to be spoken. AC100 is arguably one of
the toughest 100 milers in the Country.
Over 19,000 feet of climbing and 24,200 feet of descent. If the elevation change doesn’t get you
scared, the heat will. Through the
canyons and passes, it’s not uncommon for the temperatures to be 85 degrees
plus.
Exactly 365 days prior, I
heard those same words as my brother-in-law, Guy, was preparing for his first
100 miler at Angeles Crest. I was
crewing and pacing him that day with no real desire to ever run a 100 mile
race. Fast forward 31 hours to the
finish line and my wife, Meggin, and our family were there to welcome us. It was an unbelievable moment and one that
I’ll never forget. As soon as Guy
crossed the line, Meggin had the great idea to encourage me to sign-up for the
2015 race. In fact I recall her saying,
“You have to sign-up!” So, I obliged and
signed-up the next day promptly at 12 noon.
10 minutes later, the race was sold out and the nerves began.
AC was all I could think
about regarding my running. My coach,
Chris Vargo, prepared a running plan for several races over the next 12 months
– Bulldog 50k in August, Canyon City Marathon in November, Sean O’Brien 100k in
February, Boston Marathon in April, and Bighorn 52 miler in June – with AC
being the goal race. I followed the plan
almost exactly; 6 days per week with multiple work-out type runs. I probably averaged 70 miles per week over
the 12 months with 93 miles as the high week.
Almost each race I ran, I had a personal best. I nearly broke 3 hours in Boston (3:01:12)
and came in 14th place at a tough Bighorn course (9:59:10). The training plan was working. I was getting stronger and faster and more
importantly, I was getting mentally tough.
As AC approached, the doubts set-in but all I could say to myself was, “I’ve
done the work” and “to just trust it”.
However, with all the training and racing, the most I have ever run was
a 100k or 62 miles. Jumping to 100 miles
is another huge milestone and not one my body and mind have ever experienced. Was I ready?
 |
| Pre-Race Prayer |
It
was dark outside on race morning and fairly humid with temperatures in the low-60’s. My day started at 3:45 am with the typical
race set-up; bathroom, body glide, toast, bathroom, water, bathroom, etc. At 4:15 am my trusty crew – Meggin, Heidi,
Carlin, Bella, and Maddie – and I headed to the Wrightwood Community Center for
check-in and the customary invocation from Uncle Hal. It was the calm before the storm. I was really nervous and my stomach was
already a mess. Excitement in the
community center was palpable and all the runners and crew were ready to go.
As the mass of runners
headed north on Park Drive to Apple Avenue, the pack already seemed to thin
out. In the dark of the morning, I
settled into a nice rhythm and enjoyed the short, very short, time on the
pavement. As I reached Acorn Drive, the
pavement quickly turned to single track of loose rock, dirt, and tall
trees. One of the giants of the sport,
Andy Jones-Wilkins, wrote some advice prior to the race; absolutely walk the
Acorn trail. I heeded his advice and
remained calm and patient and did as he said.
Heading up Acorn Trail to
the Pacific Coast Trail, the sunrise appeared, gorgeous as ever. Truthfully, I don’t recall many of the early
miles. Maybe it was the dark or just the
sheer excitement that the day was finally here.
Who knows but soon the ascent turned to descent and the miles kept
going. Up and over a few mountains, and
the first aid station – Inspiration Point – was in view. In my preparation, I estimated a time window
for every aid station so Meggin and the crew would have an idea on when to be
on the lookout. I based the schedule on
a crazy goal of breaking 24 hours (only @ 15 runners break 24 hours each year) and
more realistic goal of 27 hours. I told
Meg that I would be at Inspiration Point (mile 9.3) between 7:00 – 7:15
am. I wore a watch but didn’t turn on
the GPS so I really had no idea how fast or slow I was going. I also had no idea where I was in the
race. I just told myself to take it easy
for the first 52 miles so that when my first pacer, Rob, joined me I had some
legs left (and, 52 miles was just over half way – yikes!).
Running down the single
track to Inspiration Point, I could hear the girls yelling my name. It was 7:03 am. I was so happy to see them all. It was early in the race but I already knew
it was going to be a great day. The
girls were so encouraging and before I knew it, I was climbing the next
mountain. In and out in less than a
minute.
It was clear to me that
after Inspiration Point, my focus was not on the 100 miles nor what I had left
to run but just the next station. My
mantra was, “Get to the next aid station and all will be good”. That remained my focus. The next section was 4.5 miles. I ran some miles with a guy named Jason from
Colorado. He seemed to know all the
heavy hitters – Timothy Olson, Scott Jurek, Killian Jornet, etc. He was a wealth of knowledge and encouraged
me to just keep eating. He was super helpful
and really fun to run with. Before I
knew it, Vincent Gap was there. Same
screams from the girls and what I remember from them was that I was doing well
and in the top 3rd of the race.
13.8 miles down and I was feeling very good. The schedule said I would arrive between 7:40
– 7:50. I arrived at 7:48. I was on schedule. I was also doing great with my
nutrition. Drinking a ton of Tailwind
(250 calories/25 ounces) and a lot of water.
The next section had me
scared. It was 12.1 miles up and over
Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399 feet). I had
never run this section, in fact I hadn’t run the first 52 miles of the course,
and I heard from multiple friends that it was brutal. That the altitude was a factor. After 41 switchbacks, I finally reached the
top and turns out, the altitude and the switchbacks were not that bad (maybe
because I power hiked/walked to the topJ). I passed quite a few runners towards the
crest of Baden-Powell and was excited for the long descent. It was absolutely beautiful. Long, narrow, single track meandering through
trees and shrubs. My favorite part of the
course. After 2 hours and 46 minutes, I
made it to Islip Saddle, mile 25.9. I
arrived at 10:35 am and close to my scheduled time of 10:30. Now, the morning coolness was over and the
heat was starting.
Next stop was Eagle’s
Roost. It was 4 miles from Islip up and
over Mt. Williamson. My thought was, “4
miles, no problem.” Man, was I
wrong. This may have been one of the
hardest 4 miles of my life. The ascent
was slow, tough, and hot. I must have
passed a group of 25 hikers and didn’t see any other runner till Eagle’s Roost. On the descent down, I passed another hiker,
a Chinese lady probably in her 60’s, singing beautifully. It was such a nice change to the rigor of the
run and helped me put this whole thing in perspective. The mountains are there to enjoy. They are amazing and a gift to each of us. Just before Eagle’s Roost (mile 29.9), I caught
2 runners. It was 11:37 and I was now
ahead of schedule. After 4 minutes, I
was in and out, and headed down the 3 miles of Angeles Crest Highway to the
Cooper Canyon campground. I was
fortunate to run a few miles with Andy Kumeda.
I recognized him from other races and it was his 10th
straight AC. He’s run 50+ 100 mile
races. A true legend. I loved running with him. At this point, I was 32 miles in and was
feeling a bit tired. Definitely a low
point and Andy helped get my mind refocused.
After a quick pit stop, I ran through the campground and began the long
ascent to Cloudburst Summit. I passed
Andy on the way up and ran by myself for a while. I heard running out of Cooper Canyon was hot
and steamy. Everyone was right. It was uncomfortably hot, really dusty, and not
fun. Just before the summit, I saw a few
runners coming. I picked up the pace and
made it to Cloudburst (mile 37.5) at 1:36 pm.
Still on track and in 29th place. Cloudburst was the first time I heard that
multiple runners had already dropped from the race. I was shocked but I knew this course was no
joke and if you didn’t train properly, it would be a suffer fest. I was out in 5 minutes and headed to Three
Points. I remember clearly that I only
had 2 more aid stations till Chilao and the chance to run with Rob. I was excited.
The trail to Three Points
was fast. Mostly downhill on a fire
road. I passed a few more runners early
on and then felt all alone. Not in a
depressing way but in a serene way. I
came to a campsite thinking it was the next station but it was just a campsite
in the middle of nowhere. I kept going
and then took a head first crash.
Thankfully, I was running with 2 handheld water bottles which took most
of the fall but it definitely woke me up.
I wiped off the small rocks that made their way all over me and just
like that, Three Points was there. From
first view, Three Points seems close but it’s probably a mile or so away. I heard the girls yelling which gave me a
shot of adrenaline. Across the street
and up a steep single track, I made it to Three Points in 53 minutes. Another 5 miles down and 42.7 miles for the
day. It was at Three Points that I
started feeling the effects of running for 9 ½ hours. I was hot, tired, and knew the day was just
starting. I sat in the chair for a bit
and after 16 minutes, the longest break all day, I finally left. Next stop for me was Mt. Hillyer (mile 49). Next stop for the crew was Chilao (mile
52.8), which serves as the halfway point and basically the last crew access
till Chanty Flats at mile 75 (there’s actually one final station but it’s close
to Chilao and a lot smaller than Chantry).
I was mostly alone leaving Three Points and
didn’t see anyone till the asphalt road to Mt. Hillyer. This section seemed to take forever. I was passed by 3 or 4 runners as I was mostly
walking up the steep road. It was almost
4 pm and the heat of the day was upon me.
I finally made it to Mt. Hillyer aid station at 4 pm and was the only
runner there. The volunteer jokingly
asked if I wanted some Tapatio sauce to go with my fruit. For those that don’t know, Tapatio is super
spicy or at least looked super spicy to me.
I laughed and about threw up from the thought of it. I was in and out in a few minutes and knew I
had just over 3 miles left to Chilao. I
was feeling good and my spirits were high.
After a very steep climb, I was quickly descending to Chilao. I started seeing some hikers in this section
which really helped. I knew that they
couldn’t have hiked too far out of Chilao without any water/supplies. I was close.
My quads still felt good and I was tired but felt like I had a lot of life
left in me. I made it to the asphalt
road and saw my daughters (Maddie too) and Rob waiting for me. The four of us ran to the aid station and the
assortment of food at the tents. After
chicken noodle soup, a change of socks and shirt, Rob and I were off. Rob was like a drill sergeant. He handed me my water bottles and basically,
dragged me out of Chilao. That’s exactly
what I needed! Staying long in Chilao is
the death nail. Many a runner called it
quits at Chilao, this year and previous years.
I was not one of them. After 6
minutes, we were gone. It was 4:58 and I
was still right on track with the schedule.
Next stop was Shortcut Saddle and mile 59.3.
 |
| Almost to Shortcut Saddle |
Running
with Rob was awesome. Suddenly, my legs
and body were not tired. The effect of a
pacer was in full force. We talked about
the day and I told him how much I enjoyed the first 53 miles (seriously) and
how Baden-Powell was not too bad. It was
great to see a familiar face and it was on the way to Three Points that I knew
I was going to finish the race. I was
still 45 miles away from Altadena but I just had the feeling I was going to do
it. Rob and I ran over and up another
hill then descended a bit to a basin filled with the dreaded Purple Poodle Dog
Bush, a large bush that smells good but if touched causes huge open sores. Rob actually rubbed up against one a few
weeks before and it was nasty. Out of
the bushes to another long climb, we made it to Shortcut Saddle. Just as we reached the top, my running buddy
and professional photographer, Tom Queally, was there. It was so good to see him. He took a bunch of pictures and videos which
later showed that the race was having its effects on my brain to. Not much thinking going on and a lot of blank
stares at everyone. Obviously, I had no
idea but looking back at the photos, it was clear that I was not all
there. Anyways, Rob and I were in and
out in 7 minutes. It was 6:37 pm and 25
minutes off my estimated pace. I grabbed
my headlamp and said my goodbyes to the crew.
I wasn’t going to see them till 10 pm or so.
 |
| Climb to Chantry Flats |
Leaving
Shortcut Saddle, I had two thoughts.
First, after 3 miles, I was in new territory having never run beyond 62
miles before. Second, the trail to
Newcomb’s Pass aid station was going to be tough. It was a really long 5.5 mile descent
followed by 3 miles straight up. All on
fire roads. I started the descent strong
but after running for a while, my legs were just not going the way I wanted
them to. Rob said from the beginning
that the goal was to pass 2 runners. We
did but then were passed again by those same runners. It was cat and mouse for the next few hours. As the sun was setting, the sky was
gorgeous. Bright orange and light blue. The climb up Newcomb’s was a lot longer than
the last time I ran it. On and on and
on. Before we reached the summit, the
sun was gone and the moon was just starting to appear. Time for the headlamps and the long
night. At 8:28, we made it to
Newcomb’s. I sat comfortably in the
chair. Such a relief to just sit. But no, the drill sergeant kicked me out
again. After the shortest 7 minutes of
my life, we were off and running down the single track to Chantry Flats. Last time, I ran this section in sub-7 minute
miles. This time, not a chance. I was running but not very fast. Rob and I made it to the bottom through
Sturtevant Camp and started the climb up to Chantry. I don’t remember much of that section other
than it being very dark. It was still
hot outside but I knew Meggin and the girls would be at Chantry with cold water. I was more excited than ever to see
them. The climb up to Chantry is
brutal. It’s a paved road that’s hard to
walk up with fresh legs. After 74 ½
miles, the road was hell. Near the top,
Tom appeared with camera in hand
 |
| Rob & Linda at Chantry |
again. So good to see him as well. Tom followed us up the steps to the aid
stations. To my surprise, my entire crew
was there – Meggin, Heidi, Carlin, Bella, and Maddie. Plus, my 2nd pacer, Linda, was
there and ready to go. Rob’s day was
done. He did such a great job of keeping
me going, making sure I was eating and hydrating, and getting me out of the aid
stations. Rob and I covered 22 miles in
5 hours and 20 minutes. Not
bad considering the miles
already traveled. It was 10:12 pm.
One thing that I’ve failed
to mention, was that my stomach was a mess all day. Not sure why but it was upset and not
happy. I tried to make things right at
Chantry but it was not having any part.
I just accepted it as payment for the beating I was giving my body. Good news is I was able to eat and keep
everything down. I followed my nutrition
plan and was probably ahead on hydration.
Chantry Flats was the last
crew access point till the finish line.
After 12 minutes, I said my final goodbyes to the crew. I left my headlamp for Rob’s fancy Ay-Up
headlamp (the Rolex of headlamps) and changed socks again. The next section was
one I’ve run multiple times. It’s
absolutely brutal. Really hard on fresh
legs. Can’t imagine how it would be on
legs that have been going for 17+ hours.
Not going to lie, I was panicked.
Linda and I left Chantry
at 10:24. The climb out of the aid
station was not too bad. Probably 2
miles or so of long switchbacks. The
real fun starts at Upper Winter Creek trail.
Linda was leading at this section and I was just trying to keep up. It was good to see her. I’ve run a lot with Linda and she is really
fast and just a really great person. Not
the drill sergeant type. Just quiet and
relaxed. Just what I needed at that
point. As with Rob, I was trying hard to
keep up but my legs were saying no.
After a mile or so, I had to slow down and walk a bit. We finally made it to Upper Winter
Creek. 3 miles of switchback after
switchback after switchback. It
sucked. There was a point where I was
having a hard time just walking up. So
steep and really narrow. I was passed by
2 runners on the way up and just accepted it.
No fight left to try and pass them.
After an hour or so, Deadman’s Bench and Larry Gassan appeared. Larry is another professional photographer
and ultra-runner. He takes amazing black
and white photographs and normally takes them at the finish line. This year,
unfortunately, he wasn’t able to be at the finish line. So, he was there to capture the pure
exhaustion and elation of the runners climbing out of Winter Creek. I was one of those guys. I sat on Deadman’s Bench, Larry snapped a
picture, and after a minute or so, I was climbing yet again to the Mt. Wilson
fire road. It was another really steep ½
mile climb. Good news is the Idelhour
aid station was 4.5 miles away and was all descent. Bad news is that it was 4.5 miles away and
all descent. I’m not sure what hurt more
at this point; climbing or descending.
They both hurt. Plus, the Rolex
of headlamps died leaving me with just a small flashlight that I had to
carry. Thankfully, Linda’s headlamp lit
the way.
For the first time all
day, the City was now in view. City
lights and far away but they were there.
I was getting closer. Linda and I
finally made it to Idlehour. Probably
the most festive station on the course.
The volunteer’s set-up lights everywhere. It was like Christmas in the middle of the
forest. They were all so nice and super
helpful. I didn’t eat a whole lot and
couldn’t handle any more Tailwind or Paydays.
All I wanted was Coke. I filled
up my 26 ounce handheld and it never tasted so good. Idlehour was mile 83.5 and we arrived at 1:01
am. After 10 minutes of sitting, we were
off. Again this next section is equally
as brutal as the Upper Winter Creek trail.
Idlehour trail seems to go on forever.
Leaving Idlehour, I was in
20th place. A complete
surprise to me. My main goal was to
finish and my lofty goal was to break 24 hours.
At this point, I was close to both.
The trail out of the aid station was another single track and slight
climb to a crest. Then it descended to
the bottom and to Idlehour campground. I
was nervous at this point because I knew the long ascent to Sam Merrill was
rapidly approaching. It’s only a 5.5
mile section but it took me 1 hour and 49 minutes. Not much running happened. Mostly power walking. Finally, Sam Merrill aid station was in view
and after several more switchbacks, we arrived.
It was 3:00 am. I was tired but not sleepy. Before the race, I didn’t do any nighttime
training. Probably a mistake but I was
hoping the adrenaline would get me through.
Thankfully, that’s exactly what was happening. I sat down in a chair for a few minutes,
drank more Coke then filled up the 26 ounce bottle with even more Coke. I was done eating food. Coke was doing the job. After 6 minutes, Linda and I were off and
running to the final aid station!
Unbelievable after 22 hours in the mountains. I was having a hard time comprehending that I
had run 89 miles and passed through 13 aid stations. The hours seemed like minutes. It was very surreal.
Somehow, I was now in 19th
place without passing anyone. Runners
were dropping everywhere. Not sure how
many but by end of the race, only 55% of those that started finished. Shows just how tough Angeles Crest really
is. As Linda and I headed down Middle
Sam Merrill, the trail was having its toll on me. Definitely the most technical section of the
course and even more technical given the middle of the night and miles
traveled. The first part is mostly flat
then after a bend, the City is in full view.
Does anyone down there know we are up here? Nope.
Not a soul. The flat quickly
turned to steep, rocky, rooted, and v-shaped.
Normally, I am fairly good with technical tracks but I could hardly
run. Each step was harder than the
last. It just seemed that there were
more rocks than ever. Finally, we made
it down to Mt. Lowe and headed up to Sunset Trail. I loved training on this section. Such a neat spot. Close to Lake Avenue and Loma Alta yet far
enough away from the City. A special
place. Bummer for me was that we were
not going down Echo Mountain. We still
had 9 miles to the finish and 4.5 miles to the Millard aid station. Walking mixed in with a bit of running to the
Sunset trail head. We were completely
alone here. I was passed by the eventual
3rd place women’s finisher on Middle Sam Merrill about 30-45 minutes
prior. Other than her, I hadn’t seen
anyone for quite some time. Sunset trail
is long and in better shape than Middle Sam Merrill. It was really dark as it winds its way
through the backside of the mountains.
After multiple switchbacks, we arrived at the paved road and onto the
trail just above Millard. We could see
the lights at Millard but knew it was still a mile or so away. We made it at 4:41 am. Volunteers here were also great. The aid station captain told me that if we
hurried, we could make the finish before the second sunrise. AC awards belt buckles (as does all 100 mile
races) to all finishers. Finishing
before 24 hours, the buckle is sterling silver.
Finishing between 24 hours and before the sunrise, the buckle is bronze
and says “Second Sunrise”. After 5:53
am, the remaining finishers receive a buckle that says “33 hours” which
represents the cut-off time. What color
the buckle is and what it says is immaterial.
Finishing is victory in and of itself.
I wasn’t really thinking
about the second sunrise buckle. I just
wanted to be done. Linda and I left
Millard at 4:44 am. After a 1 mile
climb, we made it to El Prieto. I love
El Prieto. A technical single track that
I’ve been on hundreds of times. First
with my buddy, Rick Wilson, who introduced me to the mountains over 16 years
ago. Rick and I would mountain bike up
Brown then down to El Prieto. We shared
many miles together and when I started trail running several years ago, Brown
and El Prieto became my staple. However,
I had never done El Prieto at 5 am before.
It was still dark but the light was coming. El Prieto is over 2 miles of single track
through a valley. I am so familiar with
it that I generally know what’s around every bend. Not today.
It took forever. I remember last
year when I paced Guy the feeling I had when we made it out of El Prieto. Pure excitement that we were almost
through. I was even more excited this
time. I couldn’t stop smiling when we
finally made it to the asphalt road and just over 1 mile to go. Still no other runner in sight, I told Linda
that we had 20 minutes to break 25 hours.
I was now motivated to get that buckle.
Climbing
up the last dirt trail to Altadena Drive was awesome. I don’t recall it hurting. I just remember that I felt a sense of
accomplishment like nothing I had ever experienced. I was walking and told Linda that we will
start running at the stop sign at Casitas.
We did just that and the corner of Lincoln and Altadena Drive came
quickly. We headed up the hill towards
Palm and all of a sudden, we saw 2 runners coming. The competitive side in me kicked in and I
ran down Palm to the grassy field at Loma Alta Park. As I write this, I have goose bumps just
thinking about my wife, kids, family, and friends that were there. First I saw Teah, then Carlin, Bella, and
Juliet. All with signs in hand. Then Meggin, my parents, Kevin, Collin, Torres’,
Javaheri’s, Tom, Ken, Rob, and Sean. It
was overwhelming. As I crossed the
finish line it was quite emotional, even for me. I don’t show emotion very well, ok none at
all, but as I look back, I am proud and sentimental of what I
accomplished. I finished at 5:46 am in
24:47:04, good for 19th place, and received the second sunrise
buckle. Easily the greatest physical
achievement of my life.
The excitement and
adrenaline quickly wore off and my body turned on me. My muscles, stomach, and head were screaming
and all I could do was lay down. After
several pictures and words of congratulations, it was over. The Angeles Crest 100 will forever be the
most special race of my life not because it was my 1st 100 nor
because it was in the San Gabriels but because of the sacrifices of so many to
make it happen. Meggin and my girls were
supportive from day one. Training
properly is tough and even tougher on the schedule. Every Saturday and Sunday mornings for a year
was consumed with running. Without their
support, this race doesn’t happen for me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing me to do this. I love each of you with all my heart. Also, thanks to my extended crew, Heidi and
Maddie. So helpful throughout the entire
race (139 is fine!). To Rob and Linda, best
pacers around. No way I make it through the
night without your guidance. Thank you
for sacrificing your time and weekend to help me. I will pay you back! To my running buddies, Tom and Craig. We have spent the better part of 8 years
running together. In fact, it was Craig
who first introduced me to running back in 2008. Our Saturday morning runs are a special time
and I’m thankful for the chance to run each week with you. Also, my trail running buddies – Rob, Linda,
Raul, Hunt, Deb, Ken, Sean. Thanks for
spending so many hours in the mountains with me. Lastly, thanks to my coach, Chris Vargo. Without his plan, there is no way I could’ve
finished AC. Developing a plan and
continuing to mold it to my abilities takes crazy talent. Chris is the best coach out there.
After a few leisurely
weeks, I’m back to running. No time to
spare as my next race is quickly approaching.
Meggin and I are headed to Mexico City in October to run the Ultra Trail
de Mexico 100k. I’m excited and nervous
at the same time.
The adventures
continue…
