Sunset over Canyon del Muerto, night before race day.

In early 2013 a friend, and Navajo, informed me that for the first time ever a public ultra marathon race was going to be held in Canyon de Chelly, AZ. While I’d heard of the canyon, I definitely did not know much about it, though the more I read, the more intrigued I became and knew that I could not pass up the opportunity to explore a place that is usually only made available to the public via specially guided tours. Canyon de Chelly sits right smack dab in the middle of the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. After dropping out of UTMB with a knee injury, I was unsure whether I’d be healthy enough to run and finish the Canyon de Chelly 55k, but after three solid weeks of rest, recovery and rehab I was able to get a few 12-15mile runs in. I was definitely no where near peak form, but I felt as though I could complete the race and thus couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the canyon and the Navajo culture first hand.

Runners at the start line of the Canyon de Chelly 55k.

Saturday October 12^th runners gathered around the bonfire in an attempt too escape the 35F chill that greeted us. One of the local Navajo stepped forward and led us in a traditional Navajo morning prayer as we greeted the rising sun. After an additional moment of silence the race director, Shaun Martin, herded us over to the small starting gate for our 7am-ish start. No starting gun, instead Shaun sent us off by leading us in a loud whoop, and down the sandy wash we went, toward the rising sun. I cruised down the first few miles of sand, thankfully wet from a light rain, and into the mouth of the canyon. The red sandstone walls rose slowly from the sandy wash, but soon they engulfed us, towering 500ft above on all sides. The double track road in the wash bottom was a mix of packed sand and dirt, and made for fairly easy running. As I cruised into the White House aid station I became aware that I had no desire to ‘race’ that day, and that I was perfectly content to just enjoy the beautiful run and take in the pristine surroundings.

Morning sun touching down on the cottonwoods and the valley floor.

From White House on I ran alone, sure there were other people around, but I barely noticed them as my mind was in its own world. As I cruised up the canyon, through the numerous stream crossings, the massive sandstone walls continued to rise and signs of life began to appear. The barren wash had given away to a stream bed lined with cottonwood trees, showing just a hint of gold in their leaves. Small hogans dotted the valley floor, its inhabitants living in the style long forgotten by most. Here there were no department stores, no McDonalds, no Apple Store, no electricity, just the land and its inhabitants. Wild horses roamed the meadows and the only noises that broke the silence were the occasional rumbling of a jeep down the road and the loud whoops let out by the other runners. Where a western man like John Muir would preach for people to “go in silence…”, the Navajo prefer to announce their presence to the canyon and its inhabitants, so we were also encouraged to do so by Shaun.

Runner passing by Spider Rock.

As I continued to run the easy rolling road my eyes wandered the canyon; from rocky alcoves to ancient ruins, petroglyphs to modern hogans, the one word that kept coming into my mind was serene. While the canyon was beautiful, its architecture stunning, there are many other canyons that would rival its soaring sandstone walls and geologic beauty, but what Canyon de Chelly has that Zion, Grand Canyon, Buckskin Gulch don’t is a sense of purity and tradition. Entering the canyon is like stepping back in time, into a culture that existed long before Europeans arrived on these shores, long before the white man ‘civilized’ the West, where inhabitants tried to live in harmony with their surroundings.

Ascending the Bat Canyon trail, woohoo rocks.

After nearly two hours of running I rounded one of the many bends the canyon, but this time I was greeted by an 800ft pillar of rock towering overhead, Spider Rock. The first rays of sun were just beginning to penetrate the 1500ft canyon walls, illuminating just the tip of Spider Rock and a few select spots on the valley floor. To the Navajo Spider Rock is sacred, a place where it is said the Spider Woman lives, watching over and protecting the Navajo. The sight of this soaring spire rising from the middle of the confluence of two canyons must even give pause to the most unaware Westerner, as its majestic beauty can’t be denied. Just after Spider Rock our route turned up BatCanyon and onto the rocky Bat Trail, finally some technical hills, my favorite! I hike/jogged up the rocky slopes and through the final scramble to the BatCanyon aid station and turn around.

I took off bombing down the fun rocky technical trail and back onto the single track, and eventually double track in the canyon bottom. The sun’s full rays now warmed the cottonwood lined trail as I continued my steady pace, this time down canyon back toward Chinle. I stopped quite a few times to take photos, video and even paused by Spider Rock to have another runner snap a shot of me. I was in no hurry, but when I was moving I kept a steady pace, just enjoying cruising through the peaceful cottonwood lined valley. By the time I had reached the White House aid station I’d passed maybe half a dozen people and figured I was borderline top 10, thus finally decided to do a little racing. I pushed a little harder, dug down, and told myself that no matter what I wasn’t allowed to walk any of the last 5.5miles to the finish.

Towering walls of Canyon de Chelly, headed back down canyon.

The Top 9 finishers at the 2013 Canyon de Chelly 55k.

The last several miles were a grind, with several miles of now sandy wash to navigate. Finally at 5hours 19min I crossed the finish line in 8^th place, woohoo. Not a bad day’s work considering I’d been in cruise control for 29miles and had taken forty photos and 5-10min of video along the way. As it turns out 8^th was good enough to net me a Navajo fleece blanket, along with the standard finisher handmade turquoise necklace. In all the event had been a fantastic experience, one that had started before the race but did not conclude with me crossing the finish line. I am very grateful to Shaun Martin and the Navajo for allowing me to experience their culture in such a unique way, and for sharing their home and backyard. I would love a chance to explore more of the canyon, to see more of the history and the ruins, but that will have to wait for another day. Shaun is hopeful that the Canyon de Chelly Ultra will become a mainstay and that each year he will be able to share this special experience with a small intimate crowd of enthusiastic ultra runners, and I hope he and all future entrants do get this chance. Special thanks to Hind clothing for supporting my adventures and to Vfuel for fueling the long days on the trail. Run fast, run healthy, but mostly run happy.

In a previous blog report I outlined my gut reaction/experience after DNFing the UTMB race. Here is a more detailed report with more photos from my shortened run at the UTMB race 3 weeks ago. For those interested in getting a better visual on the course and a better understanding of what makes the race so unique read on, sorry if its a bit lengthy. I’ll try and upload a video with some more photos and live action from the trail soon as well. Happy trails.
UTMB Race Report

Vernazza, Cinque Terre. Surrounded by vineyards and precipitous cliffs.

Old town Siena and the Duomo lit up at night.

…of Boulder that is. It’s been 3 weeks since I boarded a plane bound for Switzerland and the Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc. As I sit on the plane headed back to Washington and ultimately Colorado, I can say the whole trip was fantastic, but I am very excited to return to my normal life and the mountains. The cities of Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena and Rome have been interesting and a true blast from the past (as in 2000+ years); isolated villages surrounded by vineyards, swims in the Mediterranean, some of the greatest artwork of the Renaissance, ancient ruins and some of the most spectacular structures ever built by man. But all of this has only further reminded me that while I enjoy the city sights I am not a city boy and I belong roaming the mountains and forests.

Roman Coliseum, 2000 year old marvel.

As I previously wrote about, my race(UTMB) did not go as planned, resulting in my first DNF in an ultra marathon. While I greatly enjoyed my time in the race and the experience as a whole was fantastic, after 3 weeks the knee pain has dissipated, but the disappointment still lingers. Many have said I should not be disappointed, but proud of what I had accomplished. After much thought, I would argue that these two feelings are not mutually exclusive. Even though I had a good experience with the race, my goal was not to just start, but to push my physical limits and to ultimately finish the infamous UTMB.

Night on Piazza Navona in Rome.

Yes my DNF was caused by a physical limitation, but one I knew could be an issue and was preventable if I’d done the proper work in the months leading up ton the race. The fact that I knew better, but hoped I could get by is why I am disappointed. I am capable of the goal I set, but didn’t realize it for lack of proper training. After the accidents the past year I need to refocus not on running, but on rebalancing my body to the state it was last year when I completed Nolans14. With plenty of work ahead for the winter its time to get back to cross training; yoga, weights and cycling. As ultra runners we are often concerned with how much training can we squeeze in, especially for those of us who have full time jobs. What we need to remember is to not just train harder, but smarter. Know what you body needs and what it can handle. I am still undecided on whether to run the Canyon de Chelly 50km in October, this will mostly depend on how my body responds to am few longer training runs in the wake my my issues at UTMB. To all you out there, run fast, run healthy, but mostly run happy.

Trail running outside Zermatt, high in the Alps where I belong.

Relaxing along the river in Old Town Annecy, 8/26/13.

After bowing out of Hardrock in July for personal reasons I’d made the infamous Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc my one big goal race for the year. After running around the Colorado mountains all summer I was feeling as though I was trained and ready for the challenge. After a long flight to Geneva I spent a few days relaxing in Annecy with my family before we made our way to Chamonix on Wed before the race. The town was abuzz due to the sheer volume of runners and supporters in town, definitely easy to see how one could get caught up in it, I tried to relax and lay low, but between everything that needed to be done and all that was going on around town I got caught up a bit more than I would have liked.

Me (blue) at check-in.

Finally race morning arrived and after a solid 9h+ of sleep I was feeling rested and ready to go, problem is UTMB doesn’t start until 4:30pm. After a few last minute prep items, I laid down for an hour and a half ‘nap’, though didn’t really sleep. I met up with my friend Chris and his family and we all headed down to the start line to find our place in the amongst the masses who had already started to gather at the start. As we sat/stood around for almost an hour, I could feel the anxious excitement brewing and did my best to stay calm and collected.

Chris (yellow) amongst the throngs at the start of the UTMB.

Representing the USA at the start of UTMB.

Finally 16:30 arrived, music blared over the speakers and the announcer shouted things in French. Then came the count down and off went the lead runners at break neck speed, the middle of the pack, not quite so fast. In fact it took me 45sec to cross the start line and almost 4min to start consistently running. Crowds packed Chamonix as we trotted our way out of town, finally onto some dirt, enroute to Les Houches. While the trail was more than 2m wide, I found opportunities to pass few and far between, so slowly picked my way back into the top quarter of the race. We finally popped out in Les Houches, crossed the highway and started up our first climb of the day to le delevret. I was feeling good and of course was caught up in the excitement so pounded up the hill, hitting the summit in 1:44, faster than I should have. The descent into Saint Gervais was incredibly steep grass, and my quads could feel it. When I hit Saint Gervais I saw I was almost 15min up on my 27h pace, so needed to reign it in big time. I spent the next 14km to Notre Dame cruising the flat rolling terrain, taking it easy, and getting my fluids and fuels back in order.

Top of the me delevret climb, looking back at Les Houches.

It was here that I stopped racing and just started running (or hiking). Just like the stock market my place was due for a readjustment, so I quickly went from 348th to 392nd, no big deal, cause I was running my pace now. As the sun set I approached our first major climb, a 1200m ascent to Col du Bonhomme. As I power hiked up the mellow switchbacks, I was thoroughly impressed with the hiking speed of some of the Europeans, not being used to such smooth footing, I didn’t have that extra gear they did. As we climbed past La Balme high into the valley, I would occasionally glance back at the seemingly endless stream of lights snaking their way up the valley below, a serene and incredible sight to see. As I passed 2000m I noticed many of the Europeans slowing, I kept right on chugging away, soon catching those who had passed me below, I guess we Coloradans do have an altitude advantage.

After a short traverse I was soon on my way to Les Chapieux on some nice technical downhill, at last my advantage. I cruised on through Les Chapieux and and on up the long slow road toward the Col de la Siegne, the   first 6km of pavement were the least enjoyable part of the race, thankfully I was able to share it with Adam from Australia, taking my mind off it for a bit. As with the previous climb I started to reel people in near the top of the 2500m pass, then on the rocky part of the descent down to Lac Combal. On the descent I caught up to my friend Chris who had slipped by near Notre Dame. It was nice to have a friend and good company for the steep climb to Arête du Mont-Favre and steep descent into Courmayeur, our third big hill in the dark.

As we ground our way up the Arête du Mont-Favre Chris had a bit of a tired spell, so I chugged on ahead down toward Courmayeur. After a mellow start to the descent the trail pitched over at a precipitous angle losing 800m in just a few km. I could feel the twinge in my left quad, so I tried to take it easy, but the extreme steepness took its toll. The trail dumped us onto the back streets of Courmayeur, where the route wound its way along the narrow cobble stone streets, past people’s front doors finally popping out in downtown at the aid station. Being nearly 5am it was good to see the aid station and my parents.

Sunrise on the Mont Blanc massif near Refugio Bertone.

I was feeling quite alert and running well on the flats, but the twinge in my quad was disconcerting so early in the race. I tried to work on it, then bid my parents farewell, grabbed some soup and began the steep climb to Refugio Bertone. I met back up with Chris and Adam (Australian), and we pushed on up the hill. As the sun rose, we were treated to some amazing views of the back side of the Mont Blanc massif. We cruises through Refugio Bertone and across to the rolling traverse to Refugio Bonatti. While I was still moving well uphill and across the flats, my tight quad was beginning to put pressure on my the top of my patella and knee. On the descent into Arnuva Chris took off ahead, as I gingerly trotted down into Arnuva I had to stop a few times to massage out my quad, but that only provided temporary relief.

The descent into La Fouly, wish I could have enjoyed it more.

I hit Arnuva still moving OK, but becoming more concerned. As I sat in the aid station trying to work on my quad, a nice French young lady working at the aid asked Chris and I if we would like massages, hell yes! After 10-15min of working my quads, we thanked the two young ladies and headed out the door for the long climb to the Grand Col Ferret, our highest point on the course at just over 2500m. As we climbed out of the aid station, the trail just kept getting steeper, reducing me to a slow grind. I finally topped out at the Grand Col at 17hours30min into the race in 196th place. Ahead lay my worst nightmare, a 20km/1300m descent. I slowly shuffled off down the easy part of the descent, but after a few km the terrain steepened and the pain in my knee grew. I wrapped it up, massaged my quad, stretched…but nothing helped for more than a few minutes. I limped my way into the La Fouly aid at 108km, pain in every downhill step, and there my race would end. Everything else was working great; good energy, muscles still moving, no stomach issues, but that one point was enough to end my day. The tight quad and knee pain were not completely unfamiliar, something I’d suffered at Bighorn in 2011. I knew how to fix it, but just didn’t put in the time in the gym to properly balance my muscles, so I can only blame myself.

Congratulating Chris and Andrea, both finished UTMB and represented the US and Colorado well.

This season has been full of tough and disappointing races and goals, but this one hurt the worst. Four days after dropping the physical pain has subsided, but leaving those last 60km/3300m of UTMB unfinished will probably haunt me until I get another crack at redeeming myself. After spending all winter recovering from the car accident, having a rough run at Quadrock, not running Hardrock, failing to finish the CO 14ers, and DNF-ing at UTMB it might be time to call this season and move on. My lone bright spot was my victory at the Mississippi 50. I don’t know what next year will bring, I don’t know if will get my shots at Hardrock and/or UTMB, but I do know that I am ready to start anew, get myself healthy and strong, and to try and leave this race season where it now resides, in the past. Special thanks to Hind clothing for supporting my endeavors and Vfuel for keeping me energized throughout all the long runs.

Contemplating my tough race year while on a recovery hike/run high above Zermatt, 9/4/13.

14ers Summmited: Nine (Evans, Bierstadt, Torreys, Grays, Quandary, Democrat, Lincoln, Bross, Sherman)

Total Time: 18hours 37min (splits below)

Total Distance on Foot: 50.9miles

Total Elevation Gain/Loss: 18500ft

Previous 24h Record: To my knowledge Zachary Dong, nine peaks in 23hours using the 3000ft rule.

5am on the Mt Evans Rd, its go time!

It was a dark and stormy night, no really it was. I met my friend Reese in Frisco, CO Thursday evening as the rain pounded the surrounding mountains and lightning and thunder crackled all around us. How was I going to run for 24hours tomorrow, let alone do so all above 11000ft in elevation? I was prepped, somewhat rested, and just had to trust that in the weather report that Friday 7/26/13 was going to be more stable and hopefully less stormy. The idea of trying to climb as many 14ers in 24h had been hatched over a year ago when talking with a former coworker he relayed that he had once climbed nine 14000ft peaks in under 24hours using the 3000ft rule. In searching the internet and asking around I was unable to find any record other than what my coworker had relayed. I felt that someone needed to set out and put down a faster time (or more peaks), why not me?

The final summit push to Mt Evans in the early morning light.

Descending toward the Sawtooth and Mt Bierstadt amidst fresh snow.

My alarm blared at 4:15am, and Reese and I quickly set to work assembling gear for the day. Then at 5:00am I set out from 11200ft on the Mt Evans Rd to begin my journey to see how many 14ers I could climb in the next 24hours. As the shining moonlight gave way to the warm pink glow of sunrise, I climbed the last 1000ft to the summit of Mt Evans at 6:50am. I was greeted by a thin crust of snow atop Mt Evans and across the Sawtooth over to Mt Bierstadt. After carefully scrambling my way across the Sawtooth and around the patches of snow and ice I topped out on Mt Bierstadt at 7:48am. I snapped a photo, and quickly bombed down the trail toward Guanella Pass, hitting the road and finally finding my crew at 11000ft at 8:32am. I hopped in the car and we sped off toward Georgetown, next destination Stevens Gulch.

Looking up at Torreys Peak, #3.

Ascending Cristo Couloir toward Quandary Peak.

I hit the trail to Torrey’s Peak at 9:17am, headed toward one of my favorite 14ers, with its aesthetic shape and plethora of lines I always seem to enjoy climbing it. I ran into a few friends on the climb up, summiting Torrey’s at 10:37am and Gray’s not long after at 10:57am. The run down was just bliss; clear skies, clean air, endless views, good trail, wild flowers blooming and trail crews hard at work (much appreciated). I once again jumped right into the vehicle this time for the long ride to Quandary. I stretched out, rehydrated and refueled as Reese cruised down I-70 toward Frisco. After a quick nap I guided Reese onto Blue Lake Rd where at 11200ft we pulled over, I hopped out and began jogging on up the road toward Cristo Couloir at 12:46pm. Dark clouds loomed overhead as I climbed up Cristo, 2400ft in just over a mile. As I pushed toward the summit the clouds broke, summitting at 2:15pm with blue skies overhead and clouds billowing around on all sides. I scrambled my way back down the couloir reaching the car at 2:55pm, so far so good.

Looking back at Kite Lake enroute to Democrat.

Mt goat hanging out on Mt Democrat.

Next up Democrat, Lincoln, Cameron (unofficial) and Bross, know as the DeCaLiBron. As I jogged up Kite Lake Rd the afternoon light was softly filtering through the clouds overhead. KiteLake was surrounded by tents, but the trail was quiet as most people were settling in for the afternoon. As I began my hike up toward Democrat I could tell the previous five peaks had taken a toll on my legs and lungs. At 13000ft my pace slowed to a trudge, and I finally summitted Democrat at 5:05pm. I descended back to the saddle where I paused for 15-20min as I watched a dark cloud slowly roll over Mt Cameron,nothing came to pass so on I went to Mt Lincoln (6:05pm) and Mt Bross (6:34pm). As I hopped down the rocky slopes of Mt Bross I could tell the fatigue was building and my pace was slowly slipping. I finally reached Kari (crew #2) and the car at 7:19pm, almost an hour later than I’d hoped for.

Sunset over the Leavick mining site near Sherman.

As we drove toward Fourmile Creek I caught Kari up on the day’s adventure, the good weather, the smooth running and now the labored movement above 13k. At 8:02pm she dropped me off at 11000ft on the Fourmile Creek Rd and off I went, again jogging the flattish uphill this time toward Mt Sherman. As I passed the old Leavick mine site the setting sun illuminated the passing clouds a bright pink color, forcing me to pause for a photo and to absorb the beauty surrounding me. After all, that’s why I’d come out here in the first place instead of just running mountains around Boulder. As I pushed up the ever steepening road into the darkness a cold wind began to blow and my pace again began to suffer because of the altitude. I slowly ascended the rocky ridge toward the top of Mt Sherman, plopping down on the summit at 10:06pm in the silence of the dark night. Since my SPOT had long ago died, I shot out a text to a few friends to let them know I was ok and about to head down into Iowa Gulch.

Summit of Mt Sherman, 9th and final 14er for the day.

The descent was rough and rocky, just how I’d remembered Sherman. I slowly trotted my way back to the saddle, then struggled for a bit trying to find the descent trail into Iowa Gulch, finally giving up and just heading downhill into the basin. Eventually I crossed right onto the trail, which consisted of steep hard pack dirt with a fine layer of gravel on top, yuck. I slowly picked my way over to the Iowa Gulch Rd where my friend Shad was parked to make sure I was ok. It felt soooo nice to be on the dirt road and to let the legs just turn over and run downhill, but the 3miles of dirt road seemed to take forever. During the descent my mind had moved on to whether or not I’d continue for another peak, time was running short and with the UTMB 100mile looming 5weeks away I was worried about a major setback. I reached Kari and the 11000ft point on the Iowa Gulch Rd at 10:37pm at which point I sadly informed them that was it for me.

I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t sick, I wasn’t too tired to continue, I’d just had enough and decided it was time to live to fight another day. While I had not completed the 11-12 14ers I’d initially hoped to, I’d finished nine in 18hours 37min and had felt pretty strong (other than altitude issues) all day. The weather had cooperated after the torrential downpour on Thursday night; my crew had been phenomenal in getting me where I needed to go, keeping me fueled up and being great company. So the current number of 14ers in 24hours still stands at nine, but now with a time of 18hours 37min. Definitely a soft number that can be bested by one of the faster elite mountain runners or someone a little more rested and a little better acclimated than I was on Friday 7/26, either by climbing more peaks in 24hours (>10) or running nine peaks faster than I did. I invite some of you out there to test yourself and see what you can accomplish. Because until you push yourself beyond the perceived limits, you may never know what your ultimate potential might be. Next up for me is to finish the CO 14ers in the coming weeks, to pace my friend Nick at Leadville (yes there will be a costume), and on August 30^th the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France. A special thanks to Hind outerwear for supporting my adventures and VFuel Endurance gel for keeping me energized throughout the long days. Full Photo album here.