Nordic Lights

Yukon River Canoe Trip: Canada and Independence Days

2009-07-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

Eleven of us convened in Eagle on June 30th to embark on a canoe trip down the Yukon River from Dawson, on Canada Day, to Eagle, on Independence Day. Despite a few glitches--a malfuncitoning inflatable canoe and a rogue hail storm that started a forest fire--the trip went well and we all made it back with memories and tales that will last a lifetime.

Here are some pictures to chronicle the trip:

Trecherous Taylor "highway"

Small sample of the devastation in Eagle.

Yukon Queen II - Simply awesome!

The Yukon from the Yukon Queen II

Family picture on the Yukon Queen II

Robert Service Cabin

Tamara nabs candy at Canada Day parade in Dawson!

Canada Lynx

Old Man Rock

Late evening paddle

Canoeing on the Yukon

More cliffs

Midnight Sun Run Masters Rankings and Records

2009-06-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm just getting started, but here's a link to a new blog that I'm starting that will list masters winners, records, and rankings.

http://midnightsunrunmasters.blogspot.com/

Sugarloaf Hike: Father's Day Extravaganza

2009-06-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Defying common sense (most of us had completed the Midnight Sun Run 10K race barely 10 hours earlier) the Junior Nordics Comp Group left Fairbanks Sunday morning for a Father's Day hike up Sugarloaf Mountain in the Alaska Range, between Healy and Denali Village. The wind was howling and we had to endure a rain squall or two--after bushwacking through brush over the first mile. Alaska hikes are often straight up the mountain, switch backs and meandering trails be damned.

Here are a some pictures from the trip. Enjoy!

Pink Lady Slipper

Lupine

Moss Campion

27th Midnight Sun Run

2009-06-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

On a cool, wet, night, the race up front sounded exciting although I wasn't able to see much after a mile and a half. Let's see how my predictions went.

OPEN MEN
1. Tony Tomsich (32:41) - a little slower than predicted, but he was just going for the win. Hopefully Tomsich will keep running after college and will return for an all out effort. He could probably run 30 min, maybe faster on this course.

2. Justin Houck - (33:10) Here's your ringer, Houck ran 30:16 10K for the NCAA Division I Portland University cross country team last fall, and placed 159th at NCAA nationals. Houck almost missed the start of the race this time. There were no announcements and we were just milling about at the start when a woman with a cell phone walked up to the start line and started counting down 5-4-3-2...while Houck and a couple other runners were jogging back to the start line after doing a last minute strider. Wearing arm sleeves (it wasn't THAT cold!) Houck hadn't quite made his way back when we took off, so he had to swim upstream a few seconds, before jumping into the race. He passed me about 200 m in, and was up with the front runners in no time--still that may have cost him in the end, because his 5 min first mile was actually closer to 4:45 or 4:50.

(You won't see that kind of insight in the Newsminer!)

3. Stian Stensland - (33:42) Stensland took it out hard and set the pace early on and was probably at 5:00 for the first mile, so he dropped off to battle for 3rd-5th.

With five men under 34 min (Kramer 4th) and eight under 35 min, this was the most competitive Sun Run since I've been here, if not for more than a decade.

OPEN WOMEN
1. Crystal Pitney - (37:41) Just a few seconds off of my prediction, but she won again. A mild, pleasant surprise. I coached Crystal for the latter part of her high school career, but she fell on hard times during her freshman year at college and this was her first race since last October. Welcome back to Fairbanks and the winners circle!

2. Maggie Callahan - (38:02) The race ended much like last year with the two running side by side for a few miles before Pitney broke away. Let's hope they keep coming back and setting the standard

3. Melanie Nussbaumer (39:31) That's a nice run for the 25 year old Fairbanks runner.

The women were also fast this year, with five breaking 40 minutes and two more just missing it by seconds.

MASTERS MEN
1. Mike Kramer (33:49) - I've been going over the archives (old Newsminer articles and results pages), and with six years yet to count (1986 - 91), only Bob Murphy had broken 34 minutes at Midnight Sun Run as a masters, a feat he accomplished three times. His record of 32:26 still stands, but Kramer's run is (so far) in the top 3.

2. Kevin Brinegar (33:52) - I knew Kramer and Brinegar would be close, that must have been a heck of a battle. I tip my Palin certified Russia Yamal hat to them. (My best as a 40-41 yr old was 34:07, but that was 3000 miles and 10 years ago). Hopefully they'll have some more close races and bring those times down even further.

3. Boy was I off on this one. Dork butt here runs 35:45 for the third 40+ slot. Possibly a new 50+ record (the best I've seen so far is 37:17 by Jim Loftus when he was 50).

4th and 5th went to Klaus Wuttig with 36:12, who has become stronger each year, and Mark Lindberg in 36:17. Mark ran back to back marathons in April-May, just two week apart, and it looked like he hasn't quite recovered from that. He'll be back.

MASTERS WOMEN
1. Dorli McWayne (42:51) - At 56, still going strong, McWayne walked away with the title.
2. Cindy Bravo (44:36) Sub 7:30, solid for mid-40s
3. Lisa Heaney (45:01) likewise a good time.

UP AND COMERS
18 year old Werner Hoefler ran a 34:50 in his first serious attempt at 10K, and 17 year old Zach Ginn went 35:55. Max Donaldson, just 12 ran 43:56. Recent high school graduate Kayla Teslow ran 40:01, and with 5:10 mile speed could become a force in the future.

STAY TUNED
More on other masters records, rankings, and maybe trivia later this week.

Midnight Sun Run 11th Hour Preview

2009-06-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Newsminer had preview article this morning--http://www.newsminer.com/news/2009/jun/20/former-champs-head-field-fairbanks-midnight-sun-ru/

They got the basics pretty well but you'll see some of the rest of the story here.

MEN
With David Dyer out, local high school graduate and Western Washington All American runner Tony Tomsich sure does appear to be the favorite, coming off of a 3:47 for 1500m last month (equivalent to a 4:05 mile). But don't count out Stian Stensland, who ran an under the radar (and ignored by the paper 15:58) at the all comer's track meet last week. Nobody in this town has broken 16 minutes locally since I moved here in 2004. Tomsisch should be able to go sub 32:30 and for the win, but if he's not up to it, Stensland will challenge.

Win - Tomsich - 32:06
Place - Stensland - 32:51
Show - Kramer - 33:19

The paper picks Tom Ritchie to be in the mix too. With a 2:37 at Boston this spring, you betcha! He'll be right in there.

WOMEN
This will be an interesting match up, but the status of the three favorites, Crystal Pitney, Maggie Callahan, and Molly Yazwinski has been up in the air all week. Last year Pitney and Callahan waged a good battle until the final mile, when Pitney pulled away for a fourth consecutive victory. However, she has not raced since October, after taking an injury red shirt this past spring. Meanwhile, Callahan had a stellar sophomore season at Arizona, capped off with an PAC 10 finish and a PR of 10:30 in the 3000 meter steeplechase. If she's rested and ready, watch out tonight! We could see a sub 37.

Win - Callahan - 37:15
Place - Pitney - 37:45
Show - Yazwinski - 38:45

Also, Laura Brosius has been running well and if she lines up would certainly be capable of a sub 40. Pencil her in for 39:30.

MASTERS
Bob Murphy holds the all time masters record with a 32:26, set in 1993, and from the archives that I've checked so far (all years excepting 1986-91), he's the only masters runner to break 34. The 32:26 should be safe but former winners Mike Kramer and Kevin Brinegar have run well this spring. Also 46 year old Mark Lindberg, who has never run a serious 10K, is stepping down after an impressive string of marathons over the past two years.

Win - Kramer - 33:19
Place - Brinegar - 33:40
Show - Lindberg - 34:05

For the 50+, the fastest time I've seen in the archives is 37:17. [other than hoping to finish in the top 10 for a 5th time I'm not talking].

There have been some very fast masters women At Midnight Sun, Sue Faulkner ran a sub 37 one year, but that division has not been as strong in recent years. The 55+ women Jane Lanford and Dorli McWayne should win the masters division and place in the top 10. Lanford is running Mayor's Marathon this morning, but as an Ironlady she'll still probably run in the mid/high 40s.

Now let's see if a ringer shows up. I hope so.

Record Breaking 5000 meters

2009-06-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Although 5K road races remain popular in Fairbanks (and elsewhere), 5000 meter races on the track remain off the radar. In 2007 and '08 there was only one 5000 m entrant at the local all comer meets (three per year), and that was me last June. To have a little bit of competition I lined up and ran with the 1600 m runners--the winner of that race ended up drafting off me for four laps. Yeah, that worked great.

This year I pushed a little harder to get people involved and it paid off. We ended up with a record field--a dozen runners! I am grateful to each and every one of them for showing up. Doing a 5000 on the track takes concentration and guts. Conditions were good, but a little warm, about 78 degrees and sunny at race time. Wish we'd have stuck with the schedule and run later, not at 6:15.

Stian Stensland dominated the field with a first ever sub 16 on the new Lathrop track, a 15:58. Rounding out the top four were Lathrop coach Kevin Brinegar with 16:40, and recent high school graduates Werner Hoefler (16:52) and Zach Ginn (17:04). I had a good battle with Zach, but couldn't match his surges and final kick, and finished 5th in 17:08. Sixth went to high school freshman Kyle Hanson in 18:22 and seventh was Dave Arvey with 18:27.

Next up is the Midnight Sun Run 10K.

If a Tree Falls to Russia Yamal from the Ester Dome

2009-06-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

I misread the schedule and there was no all comers meet last week, but I decided to do a 3000 m time trial instead. Here is the result, plus a little stuff. Moral of the story, if you don't like the mix of things, well you just gotta shake things up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr0SkhZGW9Q

How Would World Class Runners Fare on the Ester Dome?

2009-06-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

UAF coach Scott Jerome provided a whimsical post the other day on Fasterskier.com, wondering if anyone could break 20 minutes to run 5 kilometers up the Ester Dome. The course, from the Stop sign at Ester Dome Road/St. Patrick's Road to the parking lot at the first summit known as at “Ulerhavan,” climbs approximately 1,600 feet (average grade about 10.3%).

Anyone who has run the “Dome” would tell you that it’s a tough climb, even on an average to medium training run. If you are running, there is no easy way up the Ester Dome. Add the element of competition, such as in the annual Ester Dome Hill Climb or Equinox Marathon, and the spector is downright brutal.

The course record for men is 22:47, set by Marius Korthauer in 2007 (six months before winning the 2008 NCAA Nordic ski championship); and the women’s record is 26:03 by Paula Havlova in 2005 a year when she ran to NCAA Division II status.
Some of the responses were interesting (http://blogs.fasterskier.com/uaf/2009/05/30/ester-dome/#comments).
Which leads us to the question, can it even be done?

A 20 minute 5K up the Ester Dome would require a 12.1% improvement over Korthauer’s time. That’s a lot. For women, the equivalent goal time would be approximately 22:53, which has only been matched two or three men during the past decade of record keeping.

Korthauer is a remarkable athlete: at 6 ft 5 inches and bowlegged, he does not stride either in running or in skiing; he locomotes by scuttling. No doubt if he were alive, fabled University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman would label Korthauer as a “bumble bee.” An athlete who based on technique should not be any good, but somehow gets the job done in a big way (marathoners Kenny Moore and Alberto Salazar were bumble bees). The guy has never run a fast 5K or 10K, but he can climb and he can ski.

Another testament to Korthauer's hill climbing ability was from the Equinox Relay in 2008--his 8.7 mile time (including the Dome climb and rugged Out and Back) of 1:00:21beat a low-mid 2:30s marathoner by 5 minutes that day. And it was the fastest leg ever, by 3 seconds, over Kenyan Moses Waweru (2004). Waweru had run 13:40s for 5000 meters the year before, and over the next several years was a consistent 29s and 30s runner for 10K in the USA road race circuit.

Nevertheless, I think a trained mountain running specialist (like Matt Carpenter in his prime, or more recently Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand) or world class distance runner with sub 13:30 5K abilities—who also does a lot of hill training and mountain running, e.g. the Kenyans, Ethiopians, or altitude based mountain goats such as CU Buff grads Dathan Ritzenhein or Billy Nelson could actually make a good go at it. For women to break 23, it would take the likes of Catherine Ndereba, the Dibaba sisters, Deena Kastor, or maybe upstart Jenny Berringer (a 9:22 steeplechaser soon to be out of CU).

Back to earth, Roger. For $100? Not going to happen. Not here, not in this lifetime. Maybe Scott could set up a fundraising match program. Shoot, I’d throw in some money to sweeten the pot!

[note: I ran 25:33 up Ester Dome at age 48—age graded that’s 22:42. Should I tell them?]

Ack blew that!

2009-06-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Every year that I've been here, the first of the all comer track meets has been on the first Thursday of June. That's 5 years. Well they changed it to June 11. That means no meet this week and no 3000/5000. Arrrggh! I could have run a lot faster last Saturday with plenty of time to recover for other races.

Meanwhile, no one else seems interested. Like, who wants to run with an old guy?

I'm thinking of dragging my kid out to video a 3000 time trial where I could go for a non-existent unofficial Alaska state record for 50+ runners. Maybe try for sub 10. Perhaps intersperse some winter scenes, polar bears, shake the camera to emulate an earthquake. Then I could be like Trevor Dunbar and put it on Youtube and become an instant masters sensation.

Tamara totally rolled her eyes at this suggestion and now wants to disown me.

Two Way Torture Test

2009-05-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

So I lied a little.

Temps were perfect for a half marathon, a brisk 47 degrees and humid, but threatening to rain. A name is required for this race and Mark and I agreed on the fitting team name Masters Trying to Avoid Disaster.

For whatever reason, the men’s field was sort of stacked this year, with 5 of the
top 7 runners from last year’s Equinox Marathon. Mike, Matias, and Kevin have owned the Equinox for a decade now, and here they were, doing the tougher counter counter-clockwise loop that I was running.

My first 1.5 miles was at 6:20 pace, about 30 sec per mile slower than theirs, but a little faster than I’d planned.

The long uphill was indeed a grinder (3rd mile in 7:30) and I worked it just under threshold as planned. Kevin and Matias dropped Mike half way up, and he became my focus. Rested for a half mile at the top with some easy running. Crossed half way in 44:07, about 1.5 min behind Mike, and a couple min behind Mark, who was way out in front on the clockwise loop.

It’s weird to see half of the field going the opposite direction.

I did hold the promise for leg preservation on the steep downhill section. Tamara and Tristan offered some water and cheers. Also caught some great views of the emerald lined Tanana River, a half mile wide-braided water flow, on its way to the mighty Yukon.

Tristan said I was 1:15 behind Mike, so when I got to the bottom I decided to put it down. Hit 10 miles in 1:05:22.

The last part was on a bike path mostly flat but with some strange twist, turns, ups and downs snaking over driveways and side streets. I gained but didn’t have enough, and finished about 30 sec back.

Covered the last 5K in 18:13, to finish with a 1:23:35 (5th overall). Mark (1:19:05) and I won the men’s division team race and overall. So we did avoid disaster.

Going all out, might eke out 1.5 to 2 min off my time, but the payback would be two weeks of sore quads. My legs are tired, but it seems a good tired. Besides, per usual here, there is no more reward for 1st or 30th. All the same: a piece of paper that says "I Survived the Torture Test." Maybe it's a gift certificate to the Pump House, maybe not. I wasn't clear on that.

Matias and Kevin (just turned 40) did 1:16:35, which is pretty fast for this course. And probably the last time that the course will be run (see article).

Here’s a summary from the paper: http://www.newsminer.com/news/2009/may/31/...ut-chena-ridge/

The Road Ahead

2009-05-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Two 5Ks down, one to go (next week on the track).

Meanwhile, I've been drafted by my friend Mark to run the "Two Way Torture Test" this weekend. The Torture test is a team 1/2 marathon, where one runner does a course that wraps around Chena Ridge clockwise and the other goes counter-clockwise. This should be a fun and unique event, I always like team races.

About that ridge, the course climbs about 600 feet, roughly half way through. Mark has said that I get my choice of which direction. I've decided to take it the hard way, which I hope will be easier on my legs.

It will roughly be about 1.5 miles of flat, a 4 mile climb, 2 miles of rolling-fairly flat on the ridge top, 2 miles of descent (6-8%), and 3.5 of flat. As long as I don't hammer the down, my legs should hold up pretty well, so the plan is to do the flats-rolling at marathon pace (6:30), uphills at 1/2 marathon pace (who knows, but the effort will be low 6s), and then do the downhill gingerly 6:40 to 7:00.

As a result I'll be 4-5 minutes slower than 1/2 marathon race pace but will get a good aerobic workout, not unlike a Daniels marathon training run. Hoping that won't dim our chances in the standings too much.

If things are good, then I'll do 5000 (go for under 17) next Thursday, or the 3000 (sub 10) if no one shows up. After that, I'd like to do a 1500/800 the following Thursday.

Then on June 20, the Midnight Sun Run. The Sun Run has been my focus race in years past (2004-07), but this year it's just another run on the summer calandar. Sub 35:30 would be decent, but who knows it could be anywhere from mid 36s to low 35s.

After that things are really open ended for July, other than a cutback week over the 4th while we go on a river trip. I've done Gold Discovery 4 of the past 5 years, but that one is a little insane. Fun while you're doing it, but with an 1800 foot descent it beats your legs up for a minimum of two weeks.

Besides, I'm still in the quantitative mode this year (looking to set some age group PRs, maybe records) and USATF track state championship is at about the same time in Anchorage. I'd really like to run a track 10000 m, but don't think that's on the schedule.

After that it's 50-50 on Equinox full marathon. The relay is calling! And the New York City Marathon will be waiting.

Dunbar Earned the 1600 and 3200 m Records

2009-05-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Dunbar and Aaron Fletcher pulling away from the pack in the 3200

Friday May 22, 2009, Lathrop High School
The weather was good for the Alaska state meet 3200 meters, about 70 and overcast with a slight breeze from the east (down the homestretch). Trevor Dunbar of Kodiak who has gained widespread fame for some fast running, 2nd at the Footlocker XC championships last fall and for the instantly notorious [i]youtube[/i] video which shows him running a 9:01 3200 meters in a snowstorm. Dunbar improved on that with a blistering 8:51.5 this May, which is currently 2nd in the nation.

Alaska has a weird rule for records, however. State records can only be set at the state meet. Perhaps the state’s track founders some decades ago were concerned about fast times set on a one way (wind aided) ice track in some remote village. Nor does the record book recognize Don Clary’s (later a US Olympian) 9:04.4 2 mile time—even though everyone else in track and field (even at the US high school association levels) uses the 3.2 second conversion. Anyway, the “official” standing all-time records for Alaska are Doug Herron’s 4:13 mile, set in 1986, and Jake Pariesien’s 9:11 3200 from last year.

On Friday Dunbar gave it a shot, in spite of having strep throat (below) but came up well short of the official state meet record of and his own PR. He took it out hard and unofficially ran unofficial half mile splits: 2:13, 4:28, 6:57, and faded to a 9:19.9. Tough day. Aaron Fletcher of Anchorage South hung on for a 9:26.

There will be bigger fish to take on next month with the championship-level invitationals.

On Saturday, which was in the high 70s, the blue haired (a Kodiak tradition for the state meet) Dunbar looked pasty and pensive a half hour before the race, and no one knew for sure if he would even attempt the run. But he lined up with field. Some were expecting a conservative effort, just to win. But Dunbar allayed any doubt by taking charge with a 62 second first lap, followed closely by Aaron Fletcher. Fletcher hung on for a lap and a half and then faded markedly. Would Dunbar hold on?

Dunbar crossed the 800 at 2:05, with a smooth and efficient stride that showed no wasted motion and no signs of letting up. He pulled away and ran solo as the pack began to close in on Fletcher. After crossing 1200 m in 3:10, Dunbar gave it everything he had, and he sprinted down the homestretch under the raucous cheers of maybe 1,500 athletes and spectators. 4:13.3. Just shy of the state meet "record" of 4:13.0.

Wake up Alaska High School Athletic Association—Dunbar holds the state records for the 1600 (4:10.78) and 3200 (8:51.5), but not the state meet records.

[b]Kodiak's Dunbar diagnosed with strep throat[/b]
Fairbanks Daily News Miner, May 22 2009

Two weeks ago, Kodiak's Trevor Dunbar ran 20 seconds faster than the existing state 3,200-meter run record. But he's not sure what to expect today at the state track and field championships in Fairbanks after being sidelined much of this week with strep throat.

"I think I can still win pretty easily, but I don't know how (many) records I'll be able to get. We'll see," Dunbar said.

In his final race in Kodiak on May 8, the senior blitzed eight laps around the track in 8 minutes, 51.5 seconds, a mark that is two-tenths of a second shy of the nation's best among high schoolers this season.

While it doesn't count as a state record, which can only be set at the state meet, the performance seemed to indicate he would shatter Jake Parisien's record of 9:11.27 set last year in a stirring win over Dunbar. Like many, Dunbar considers Don Clary's 1975 two-mile time of 9:04.4 -- which converts to 9:01 for 3,200 meters -- to be the true state record.

Dunbar said he felt "just awful" when he woke up on Saturday with a sore throat and headache. Then he proceeded to race the 1,600, 800 and a leg of the 3,200 relay at the Region III championships.

"Running three races that hard probably hurt my health even worse," Dunbar said. "I could barely sleep that night."

Dunbar graduated from Kodiak High the next day, then was diagnosed with strep throat and began taking antibiotics. The only training he managed was some jogging Wednesday and Thursday.

"I'm not feeling too good but each day I've gotten a little bit better," Dunbar said in a soft voice.

Dunbar has the fastest time in the state in the 800 this season at a sizzling 1:54.94. He also ran the 1,600 in 4:10.78, which is faster than Doug Herron's state record of 4:13.0 set in 1985.

Ups and Downs at Curtis Menard Memorial 5K

2009-05-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Menard run was probably the most disorganized state championship I've seen, but we still had a good time down in Palinville (Wasilla).

Saturday featured perfect conditions, high 40s, just the slightest of a breeze from the east, and a nice rolling point to point course.

I warmed up and did striders only to wait an extra 20 minutes for all the buses to unload. At 10:20 we finally lined up but I was crowded out by a bunch of 10 year olds. There were fewer hot shot looking runners than I had expected, compared to previous results when you'd see 10 to 15 runners under 17 minutes.

Picture:

My goal was low 17, or better yet sub 17. I promptly slipped into about 10th place, including one guy who also appeared to be in is 50s, and I wondered if it was the same runner who had run a 17:07 on the same course a couple years ago (it was). He looked like he meant business and I chilled for a half mile before pulling away.

Was in about 9th place at the mile (5:25); a good 25-30 sec behind the leaders, but 5th through 8th were strung out just ahead, within 10 or 15 seconds. Kept an even tempo and by 2K they were coming back one by one. That's very typical in a 5K.

Crossed 2 mile at 10:53 in 5th, right on for a sub 17. Heading south now, we had the only substantive climb of the course, a gradual incline that had to be more than half mile long.

Crested the hill and saw the chute about 500-600 meters ahead, put in a strong finish, thinking sub 17 was in the bag. But I checked my watch just after crossing and saw 17:0?.

Officially 17:01.3, my fastest since 2000!

The kids did well too. Mikko ran 22:25 (PR) and Tristan 22:27, while Mikko's friend Peter who traveled down with us ran 20:47(PR).

Give the course an A (much better than any 5Ks in Fairbanks) and we couldn't have had better weather.

Compared to our races, they were not set up that well. They usually do a much better organizational job here (sign up, logistics, food). And per capita the competition is better north of the Range. Still, I'd go back, because you know you're getting an accurate time on a certified course.

I am (Not) legend

2009-05-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Come in here dear boy and have a cigar, you're going to go far.
...by the way, which one is Pink?

(Pink Floyd)

After five years here I get it. This is a fairly interesting neck of the woods, and among its riches is a very active aerobic community, with high levels of participation and interest in skiing, running, and cycling. In addition, there are several rather extreme and multi sport events, some of which take days and hundreds of miles of transport through wilderness.

But back to running, I've been reading Pete Magill's excellent blog, Younger Legs for Older Runners (http://www.petemagill.blogspot.com/) for the past few months. Like a fleet Captain Kirk, Pete the current American 45-49 age group record holder for 3K (8:36), 5K (14:34), and 10K (31:27) has boldly traveled where no one his age has--including the likes of Olympians Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, John Tuttle, Steve Plasencia...etc. But he's never run a marathon.

In a recent post, 10 Things I Hate About Running, http://petemagill.blogspot.com/2009/05/morning-read-ten-things-i-hate-about.html, Pete's #2 hits it right on:

2. "Have you ever run a marathon?"
No, I haven't. So stop asking. I've run 20 mile training runs in well under 2 hours. I regularly run 90 miles a week and up to 100. I race cross country, track, and the roads. I've won big races in all of them and won masters national championships and set age group records to boot. So understand that just because I haven't ...

You tell 'em Pete!

Here in our town, in spite of all the interest and enthusiasm for running, it still is all about marathon. To be considered a real stud, or better yet a local legend, you have to do the marathon. Here are the official local criteria according to the pundits and scribes:

1) Win the Equinox Marathon once or place in the top 3 twice.
2) Run a marathon (preferably Boston) in 2:40 (probably 3:05 for women) or faster with the caveat that the performance must be post-2000 (I've seen this reference a half dozen times in the paper, as if the courses weren't accurate in past decades).

That's pretty much it.

Some exceptional runners might get a bye but it appears to take repeated performance at the local scene to be afforded such status.

For example two or more wins, preferably consecutive, at the Midnight Sun Run 10K could probably get you in. But one hit wonders like high school runner Devin McDowell (2004) and college All American Tony Tomsisch (2007) aren't quite there yet. Either one would need another win at MSR to make the status of local legend, regardless of whether they run sub 15 for 5000 or under 3:48 for the piddling 1500 meters.

I suppose Kenyan Moses Waweru might be a local legend. He set the all time course in every race he ran (from the mile to 16.5 miles) but was here for only a few months in 2004, didn't run Equinox, and hasn't returned. Worthy of an asterisk for sure (Waweru went on to be a dominant force in the lower 48 road racing scene for a few years after that). We'll have to consult with the anointing committee to decide on legend status.

How about weighing performance level based on the respective distances for their own sake, and not just for the marathon? The marathon is good, it's just not the ultimate.

I just like running and racing (from the mile to the marathon) and love to follow the sport from the local to the international level. I have a lot of respect for the sprinters and mid-distance runners who would never even consider running a marathon. They really get the short end of it. Once they're out of high school or college the opportunities (not to mention support or interest from the community) are almost nil.

Ultras? I'll probably never do anything longer than 50K, if that, but you have to respect what they do. Those who win those 100 milers and such are indeed good runners, but remember for legend status they have to win Equinox first!

On the race circuit again

2009-05-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Water Run was my consolation race, after missing the Chena River Run due to last week's flu bug. This week it's been allergies and hay fever. I wore a breathe strip this time. Who knows if it helped at all.

Anyway, I do like this out and back course, although the back part is crazy because you're going upstream, opposite hundreds of the walkers who are not paying attention, as well as people with dogs and baby joggers. I never had to stop but did have to stutter and dodge more than a few times, and just about got tripped up by a dog on a leash.

I've heard horror stories of runners colliding with children and then getting harrangued by angry moms. Luckily I avoided that.

The course was 50-60 meters longer than in years past. Did a 17:39, which was 9 sec faster than 2007, which was on the shorter course. So a decent start and about where I expected.

A little postscript addition (May 11, 2009)
In comparison to previous years since my comeback, this 5K debut was in the same range. Now that's consistency (just a little insider joke that I might just write about some day). The better news is that in each of those years, and before, I've been able to improve on those early season times by 20 to 45 seconds.

2004 - 17:37
2005 - 17:50
2006 - 17:38
2007 - 17:48
2008 - 17:27

Odd Year Blues?

2009-05-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

So much for my promise to post up something at least once a week. A lot has been happening since mid-April. That's my excuse. Maybe I'll have a chance to back fill on some happenings and issues, but let's get to the present by talking about the past.

It's early but I might be off to a rough start with the running season. My shoulder-neck (trapezius) seized up the other week, leaving me in abject pain for a couple of days. I went to an acupuncturist, for the first time ever, and lo! it did work. I felt immediately better and went from barely being able to move or get up and down to for an amazing glacier ski (probably 20K of skiing) the very next day. And then I did fun ski relay (2 X 1K) on the day after the glacier ski. A follow-up acupuncture treatment a few days later cleared up most of the remaining pain and stiffness.

Then last week, after a week or of some very promising workouts in preparation for the Chena River Run and other events, I came down with some sort of stomach flu--dizziness, nausea, and puking--and was out of it for two and a half days. Skipped the racing part, but did run it with my wife Tamara, so that was a good thing anyway.

Now allergies have kicked in. And at this point, I'm wondering if a cold hasn't taken over. I hadn't been sick in more than two years and have had only minimal problems with allergies.

While trying to get back to sleep the other night, in a Zyrtec induced stupor, I kind of realized that bad things have often happened running-wise in odd years going back all the way to 1993. So I created a little table, actually quite long, to see if there was a pattern (click on the table for too much information).

In the odd years from 1993 through 2007 I've been knocked out of running (either completely or limited to 20 miles a week or less) for approximately 101 weeks. Even years, it's been 70 weeks; but if you consider that 52 of those weeks were during the dark year of 2002 when I was injured for the entire year due to patellar tendonitis that started in 2001, the reality is more like 18.

Note to self: Be afraid, be very afraid. That's a 5:1 ratio (or 1.5:1 if you go by the real numbers).

The other thing I did is chart my best races at 5 and 10K for each year after college, going back all the way to 1981. Age 35 was when things really started to slow down. At the time I was into my second year of field work for my dissertation, and I purposely decided to cut back on running that spring and focus on my work. I promptly gained about 8-10 lbs, which I've never been able to shake and by August that year got injured with shin splints and compartment syndrome.

Fought back like hell for years and things were going great from age 40 to 42, when, again, I decided to curtail the running to focus more on work and family. I got injured within 6 months, and then spent years trying to recover.

Lesson learned: like Tom Petty says, Don't Back Down

Alaska Kids Built Tough

2009-04-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

The video of Trevor Dunbar running a 9:01 2 mile time trial in a snow storm late last year became an instant internet legend. We don't have anyone running that spectacularly here, in fact these are just beginner runners in middle school. But who knows what kind of talent lies buried beneath all this snow?

Here a couple of pictures from Monday's workout just to show the training conditions, and how the kids are pretty tough--wearing shorts and t-shirts and it's only in the 30s.

Phase I transition

2009-04-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

Three weeks after the Oosik Classic 43K and three weeks to go before the Chena River Run 5K, the transition to running seems to be going okay. I break this down to two phases--phase I was recovery and just getting out the door on a limited basis, while building my mileage up.

I did 4:47, 5:32, and 7:02 of training in the past three weeks, with weekly running mileage increasing from 22.5 and 27.5 to 34. Prior to that I was only running about 10 miles a week for the previous 6 or 8 weeks. Meanwhile, the snow is still nice (getting slushy after the weekend) and I've been out 2-3X week. This is a great time of year to be out on the trails, just skiing and enjoying the warmer weather an long days.

Happiness is a new pair of shoes. I bought a pair of New Balance 757s last week and they feel great.

Snowmelt this year is proceeding slowly but evenly. No big and rapid melt down. Most roads are clear now and the bike paths are getting there. But we still have 2-3 feet of snow most places.

Phase II starts now. More mileage, into the 40s and some tempos and some pace work are ahead.

Post Season Summary for an April Fool

2009-04-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

April fool’s day, a good time to summarize the ski season.

Acknowledgments
I just feel fortunate to live in a place with so much activity related to cross country skiing. If you’d asked me 20 or 25 years ago, what kind of place and what kind of situation would you like to have…this would be about it: we have a lengthy ski season with reliable snow; I have a good job with some flexibility to allow for training and racing; we have a community where racing is encouraged; and of course I’m grateful to have a family with which I can share the fun. I’m fortunate.

I’m also grateful that I didn’t get sick this year, not even a cold. It was a bad year for colds and a lot of people got whacked, including my family.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge those in the ski community who helped make this happen: NSCF for all that it does; John Estle for letting me ski with the JERCs this year, and not giving me too hard of a time for being a dweeb; Fred at Raven Sports for the good conversations, wax advice, and equipment deals. Dave, Bob, and Ken provided some great age group competition this year and laughs along the way. And of course the kids, coaches, and parents involved with the Jr. Nordics Comp Group.

The Season in a Nutshell
Hmmm, not bad. Maybe even pretty good. But I think I dropped off a bit compared to 2006 – 2008. I haven’t looked at percent back and such from those years for comparison, but throughout this entire season I never quite felt like I nailed it. The day I felt the best didn’t even count: A February time trial with the youngsters from Team FAST. That was at the end of my biggest volume week of the year (12.5 hr). Go figure.

Nevertheless, I reached my primary goal of winning the 50-54 age group at Tour of Anchorage/US Masters 50K and the Sonot Kkazoot 43K, on back to back weekends no less. Everything before March was just prep work. The Oosik was more or less on a lark, an end of the season bonus and a great party.

In a perfect world I might find big races elsewhere in January and February. World Masters or the Gatineau, Birkie, or some European World Loppet would be fun to do some year.

Where Mistakes Were Made
I don’t get it, but classic continues to be vexing and inconsistent. Down in the lower 48, and my first year here, I was generally stronger in classic. Now, it’s clearly skating.

I really worked at classic this year, and did most interval sessions with classic. Last year I tried the stiff skis, with a flex about 10 lbs heavier than me, and the results ranged from mixed to disaster. The first two races this year were also way off, so I ground the old 2nd hand Atomics (Beta) and things did get somewhat better. But it’s more than skis. Technique matters. Maybe more long uphill reps would help.

Speaking of grinding, however—Wow! What a difference that made. Early in the season I was getting dusted on the downhills, e.g., losing 10-15 seconds on the Tower/White Bear descent. Fixed that with a grinding (Duner from Goldstream Sports). Note to self: keep those bases smooth.

Training-wise, I got in the necessary hours (400 for 2008), but I lack strength (core and upper body). In the past I’ve been able to get by with a good aerobic base from running and decent technique. Need to upgrade the strength work if I want to keep up with the likes of Dave Edic who has upped the ante and walked all over us all year. I think he went undefeated this year except at World Masters. Not to mention guys like Trond Jensen of Anchorage will be turning 50 in a couple years.

Looking Ahead
I just hope to stay in good health and to keep having fun with this. Meanwhile it’s been a long cold winter and I’m really looking forward to spring and summer!

2009-03-30T12:30:00.001-07:00

The men's 50K race at the US National Cross Country Ski Championships in Fairbanks was expected to be a pack affair for 20 or 30K, followed by domination by Russian turned Canadian, Ivan Babikov. That was half right. A pack of 12 to 15 skiers, including most of the major players, formed over the first laps. Among the early casualties was Leif Zimmerman, who won the US version of the 30K on Friday, but he was out of it from the beginning.

First time's a charm: leaders power up Black Funk on the first lap of the 50K.

The pack stays tight.

And it looked like Glenn Randall of Dartmouth would be out of the picture early as he broke a pole in the first lap and fell way behind. By the 2nd or 3rd lap Randall caught up and even led the group for a while. But things seemed as expected, with Babikov biding his time while teammate Stephan Kuhn did much of the early work, leading the tight pack of skiers through the hilly course.

One anomaly was 19 old Noah Hoffman, always near the front of the lead group. He's on the US ski team and considered a huge talent, but has been erratic. He went out with the leaders last year and faded out of the top 20. This time Hoffman would have none of that. He took the lead by half way and broke up the pack, with only Babikov, Kuhn, and 10K champion James Southam in tow. After a lap, the Olympic veteran Southam dropped off, and young Hoffman kept leading. To the surprise of everyone.

Noah Hoffman (116) skis with World Cup veteran Ivan Babikov (101) in the early going.

He led from the half way through most of the 6th lap, stalked by Kuhn and Babikov, who were content to let the inexperienced USA'er do the work. Finally the US coaches, appearing mildly disgusted, ordered the youngster to relinquish the lead to the Canadians. Hoffman shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “I can't help it if my skis are so fast,” and let up. Southam was 50 seconds arrears with 10K to go.

On the final lap Hoffman began to struggle and hunch over, while the Canadians powered away. Southam was 40 sec back the beginning of the lap and by half way through it was 35 seconds, but by then Hoffman appeared to practically fall on his face with each stride. He must have crawled up South Tower hill (a 200' climb) because when they came back down five minutes later, the Canadians still had their commanding lead, but it was now Southam with an increasing gap on the fading Hoffman.

Despite working hard on the early laps, Kuhn looked more fresh than Babikov with about 5K to go. We were beginning to think Babikov was unbeatable here in Fairbanks. Announcer Adam Verrier who carried a microphone while skating around the course to give up to date splits and coverage, reminded the crowd that it's often not the fastest skier, but the one who has the freshest legs who will win the sprint over the final stretch
Starting to struggle, Hoffman leads Babikov and eventual winner Stephan Kunz up the Black Funk

Kuhn had both the sprint speed (with a top 15 World Cup to his credit this this year) and fresher legs and pulled away to win by 5 seconds. Southam came in a minute and half later, followed by a spent Hoffman who held on to second.

Meanwhile the college kid Glenn Randall had worked his way up to the Bronze medal position for 3rd, picking off Team USA members one by one over the final laps. In addition to Hoffman and Randall, the youth movement is on! Four of the top 13 were 20 and younger, including local favorite David Norris, 18, who was only 6 minutes behind the US winner in 13th place.

US Nationals Women's 30K Classic

2009-03-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a perfect day for the final events of the US National Cross Country Ski Championships. For one thing it was the first day here where it actually felt like spring. Mid-teens overnight warming to 20s during the women's race, and it was mid 30s or warmer by the time the men were racing (first time above freezing in months!).

This was no waltz through the park, however. The course is brutal. The women skied four loops, and the men seven. Each lap had two monster hills climbs up South Tower and Black Funk with total elevation gain of (3,300 ft) total for the women and 6,000 ft climbing for the men. This is a as tough as it gets.

Stephen and Arritola tuck down Competition Loop on the final lap

In the women's event, Liz Stephen, undefeated in USA standings this week, lurked in the second pack for half of the race, but only 5 to 10 seconds behind the leaders. Morgan Arritola set the early pace along with Kikkan Randall and Swedish skier Kristina Strandberg. Stephen hung back before moving up to take command on the penultimate lap.

Podium preview: Stephen, Arritola, and Randall make their way up Black Funk.

Arritola kept close and finished 14 few seconds back, followed 30 seconds by Kikkan Randall, a sprint specialist. Local product Becca Rorabaugh, 19, put on a fine race as a junior to take 7th overall. Youth is on the move, as Stephen and Arritola are only 21 or 22 years old.

Fast women climb big, Stephen and and Randall emerge from Black Funk.

US Nationals Sprint Relays: Awesome and Intriuging

2009-03-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

I took my son to the US Nationals on Wednesday, after working with the split timing crew on Tuesday. I'm not a huge fan of sprinting (but I still enjoy it!), but this is like sprint-endurance.

Talk about a rugged interval session, try doing 3X 1.5K, mostly all out, 3 times over, during a 2 hour period. We watched the men's semi-final, and both men's and women's finals. By the time the finals rolled around you could see that most of the athletes were tired, and all but a few (top two or three in each final) were rigged up with lactic acid and such by the last two legs.

In the women's final, five teams established an early break, with a pair of US Ski Team combos and the Swedes exchanging the lead, and the all-Alaskan teams of Kikkan Randall and Katie Ronsse dropping back and catching up, while local homegrown favorites Kate Pearson Arduser and Becca Rorabaugh stayed in contact until the final two or three laps before falling off the pace.

Diminutive Liz Stephen, more of distance skier, put the hurt on the entire field the 4th and 6th laps and managed to force sprint star Randall to work extra hard in a game of catch-up. Randall had 60 meters to make up on the final loop, which was too much after she had pushed hard in the 4th lap. So Stephen held off the CXC team and Swedes to win.

The men's race was tighter, with eight or nine teams still in the hunt until the last couple of laps. The team of Chris Cook and Torin Koos put the hammer down and powered to a conving win, followed the team of Garrot Kuzzy and Leif Zimmerman, just a couple ticks back. In third, a smooth sprinting Lars Flora was looking good to hold off the Canadians until the final turn; he rigged bad but held on to take third with Anders Haugen, less than half a second ahead of the Canadians.

The Oosik Was a Classic!

2009-03-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

Downtown Talkeetna

Talkeetna, the host town for the past 5 years or so, has the reputation as a “drinking town with a climbing problem” and is famous for its funky ambiance and rustic appeal as a gateway to millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness. Talkeetna is a perfect venue for the Oosik, which has been described by the race directors, the Mannix brothers, as a Big Party--preceded by a little ski race.

The course has been different every year, often tracks are set just days before the race, mostly on snow machine trails or the Susitna River. They claim 50K and 25K races, but there is huge variation. The race website promised ‘substantially longer than 50K’ for the long race, and the rumor was 54K. Moments before we started, however, race founder and 1992 Olympian Adam Verrier hollered out that we’d actually be skiing 43K.

I guess that piqued Dave’s interest, because when Verrier said GO! Dave went right with the leaders. As I suspected all that whining about being over-tired and undertrained was verbal Rope-a-Dope; he didn’t have me fooled for a second. Nevertheless, I was surprised because the guys up front were no slouches.

In addition to the likes of Verrier, that group included last year’s NCAA champion, this year’s runner up, and two top 5 finishers from NCAAs, the runner up of this year’s Tour of Anchorage, plus a national champion or two was in the mix.

I poled like mad by the time we hit the river, but by the first kilometer the 15 or 16 skiers up front were steadily pulling away like a cycling peleton in pursuit of a prime. They had 20-30 seconds on me so I took a quick glance back to see that I was leading a single file group of a dozen or more skiers! Rather than pull them along at my expense I stepped aside to let them by. Local skier/runners Mike Kramer and Harald Aas—both recent Equinox Marathon winners strode by. Oops! Guess who’d been hammering early?

Mike kindly let me into the line, about 7th or 8th into the group and we continued to double pole, north and up the river. Jesse, a 20-something former state champ and NCAA All-American picked up our group after he fell off the lead pack. He was casually taking a pee off the side of the trail. He was wearing his “Only in Alaska” race suit, which seemed rather fitting.

Perhaps I wasn’t in over my head to be in with this group, but it was close. I just settled in through the first aid station (8.5K), where fortunately no one tried to break away. In fact everyone paused long enough to grab a drink or two. We circled back to the south and east and hit 10K in 36 minutes, so this wouldn’t be a rocket fast day, but at 15 degrees the snow was perfect, and in spite of the pesky north wind, the cloudless day was perfect.

By the time we hit the first of the wooded sections, a K or two later, our train whittled down to seven skiers including myself. Young Harald (a Norwegian still in his 20s) took up most of the lead work. Also in the group was Jens, another 50 year old skier from Homer by way of Sweden. I beat him handily, by 4-5 minutes, at the Besh Cup 10Ks last month in Fairbanks and by 11 minutes at the Tour of Anchorage just two weeks ago. But here he was, looking strong and determined. Those races were past on vastly different types of terrain, and I could tell that Jens would be a force on this day.

Staying with them wasn’t taxing, but at the same time they weren’t slowing me down; it was moderate to high-end steady. A solid marathon pace. Dropping off was not an option, nor was trying to break away. These guys were my new best friends.

The course was flat and it was almost all double poling or kick-double poling. Every few minutes I’d break into a stride for 20 or 30 second just to give my arms and shoulders a break. At the next aid station we all stopped again took some drinks. No one wanted to lead, so we waited a couple seconds. Seven gentlemen. So polite.

Finally, Harald shook his head and took charge again, instantly we all followed in his wake as he scrambled up a short steep hill and back into the woods. Suddenly it was my turn to lead for a bit, so I took us for 4-5 minutes before dropping back to the back of the group.

The third aid station came up quick, only 20 minutes after the second one. Again, we took our time getting a drink or some food. Again, no one wanted to take off. And we waited. For a good 10 seconds we shuffled our feet, not looking at anyone directly. Once again, it was Harald who took off and we jumped right in line. I was third in the group behind a retro-looking guy who was wearing a t-neck and slightly baggy pants with wools socks half way up to his knees, while the rest of us were wearing lycra ski suits. He took a long pull of 6 or 7 minutes, and it was my turn.

View of Denali from the Oosik trail

Just then we skied into a vast open boggy area interspersed with scattered little spruce trees. Although the wind was in our face, averaging 10-15 miles an hour, the thing that took our breath away wasn’t that, or my attempt at holding a good pace, it was the vista. With Mt McKinley (20,300), Foraker (17,000) and Hunter (14,000) looming to our north—giant mounds of granite, snow covered and in full view. From its base just above sea level to its top in the realm of jet streams, McKinley is the tallest mountain in the world. But we don’t get full views all that often. Words like awesome or spectacular cannot do that view any justice.

What an sublime moment to be skiing hard through that bog. To borrow from REM singing about seven Chinese brothers, We were seven Alaskan brothers, double poling away, swallowing up the trail and view of the big mountains. You can’t top that. It was one of those rare, fleeting and magical moments in life where you just want a freeze frame, to enjoy it a little longer. Energized, I pulled for an extra K and dropped back. Everyone said, good pull! We were more than half way through and all was good.

Soon we turned around and started our 20K trek back to the river and Talkeetna. We came upon an aid station, and the band broke up. Mr. Big Butt (whom we later named) a somewhat paunchy skier who had done no pulling, skipped the aid station and skied away while the rest of us stopped. Heading down the river valley with a slight decline and with the wind at our back the pace picked up immediately. The racing was beginning and we strung out. Wool Socks dropped off, and Harald powered off in pursuit of Big Butt.

Fissures were showing as Jens and Jesse started pulling away too, about 20 or 30 meters ahead of Kramer and myself. I was feeling the burn, but with 18K or so to go didn’t want to push too hard. I let Kramer pass but tried to keep in contact. We were now back-tracking and passing some of the slower 50K skiers on their way out. The trail was winding through the woods and it took a lot of concentration to keep close.

In hindsight I should have grabbed a Gu before the next aid station but was so focused on keeping contact with the group. We dropped down the same short hill we had climbed a half hour earlier and the aid station was right there. For some reason they had no sport drink, only water. If I’d been thinking, I’d have grabbed a water and my Gu, some water and been gone, to make a little break from the group—to get ahead a bit and to let them catch me.

But I just waited my turn, got a drink and tucked in behind them. A couple Ks later, however, I could feel the blood sugar dropping, with 35-40 minutes of skiing ahead. I was only 10 to 15 m behind Jesse and Jens, and another 70 m behind Harald and Mike who were really making a push. Tough decision, but I took the Gu. Fumbling around my seams, I had to slow and dig one out. By the time I got going they were 100 meters up, and the competition was effectively over for me.

I kept a steady pace through the final aid station, with 8.5 K to go, took a last drink, when I dropped onto the river I was momentarily buoyed by the fact that they had congealed back into a group of four, some 30 to 40 seconds up. I was hoping that maybe one or two would drop off and I could muster the reserves to catch up—I also knew Dave was up there and couldn’t be holding that blistering pace forever—and thought that if I could rein in these guys I might get close to Dave.

I was right about that, but alas, it was not to be.

The final stretch

Within a K or two down the river, I could see that Jesse was pulling far out of sight; and that Harald, Mike, and Jens were now a minute ahead. I wasn’t quite bonking, but the energy was waning and my arms were getting weary from all the double poling. Passing the 25K skiers was getting more difficult. The river section was double tracked, with one track somewhat washed out. The other set was in better shape, but the sides were soft and my poles kept punching through, so I took the lesser tracks.

I did pick up a couple bonking skiers in the stretch and no one got me from behind, including the lead women who weren’t far back.

More excitement was up ahead. Last year’s NCAA champ Marius Korthauer won in 2:07:14, followed by Black Forest countryman Raphael Wunderle and American Dylan Watts--who remarkably had missed the start by several minutes, made up the gap by half-way, and stayed with the leaders until the final push. In the nine year history of the race, Korthauer is the only non-Norwegian to win.

I skied weakly off the river and onto the airstrip, and saw Dave check his watch. It looked like he’d been in for 10 or 15 minutes. Actually it was less than 3. Harald and Kramer had passed him with 1/2K to go, and Jens was right on his tail, just 4 seconds back at the finish. So us 50 yr olds took places 20, 21, and 22 with 2:34:54, 2:34:58, and 2:37:44 for me. A solid day for some old men.

No age group triple crown for me, but I’m happy with the effort. I raced as hard and was in a good position for most of the race but just didn’t have quite enough in tank to bring it home. My only (mild) disappointment is that I couldn’t stay with that group till the end. I’d have given big bucks, well maybe my rock skis, to be near where Jens was, and to see the look on Dave’s face!

THE PARTY
The party is why I came and that alone was worth the trip. The old Sheldon Hangar (named for a famous Bush pilot) has been converted to a community/performing arts center. They served us beer and brats and pizza while old and new ski videos played on the giant screen. Then Verrier, a natural showman with a booming dude voice (he has more of that surfer look and demeanor than your average Nordic nerd), whipped through the entire awards (acknowledgments, top 3 overall for the two races, and 100 or so door prizes) rather entertainingly I might add, in less than a half hour.

Then he said let’s rip it up, roll up the tables, put away the chairs and strike up the band for rockin’ and dancing. Dave, Kramer, and I even got dragged out to the dance floor for a half an hour or so. Meanwhile, we just milled about, socialized with other skiers, or watched the continuous stream of videos from Olympics past, World Cup, or technique demos from the Norwegian team. At 11 we finally pulled ourselves away from the fun and found our lodging at Latitude 62. We were exhausted on the return, but Wow, that was one of the best road trips ever!

The Oosik Preamble: Getting There

2009-03-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Alaska range sunset

After completing two tough marathons on the previous two weekends, I wasn’t even planning on the skiing Oosik Classic in Talkeetna on Saturday March 21. But the sub zero weather wasn’t leaving the Interior, and I had been thinking it would be fun to go for an unofficial Alaskan marathon triple crown with the Tour or Anchorage, Sonot, and Oosik in succession. Also, my wife Tamara kept bugging me because several people had been asking her if I would be going. So finally on Tuesday I started sending out some inquiries to friends.

Local racer and age group ace Dave Edic, was interested, Bad Bob was going to his cabin a few miles off of the Parks highway and wouldn’t race. But he said we were welcome to stay at his place if we were willing to ski in. The adventure was on.

It was zero and the wind was blowing as we left Fairbanks after work on Friday. As we approached Denali National Park and Cantwell, it only got colder and windier, like -5 and 30-35 mph gusts. The sun was setting behind the Alaska Range by the time we got our gear ready and the car parked.

Dave sets out on the trail

The bluff and Alaska Range

We had navigated some 5K of snow machine trail that included a 200’ climb straight up a steep bluff, so steep that we had to take off our skis and flounder in the snow.

Dave at the top of the bluff

The cabin was a welcome sight, as it was getting dark and below zero with a howling wind. I ate a late dinner of Ramen, and Dave scarfed what must have been his 5th bagel sandwhich. At 10, when we should have been heading for the loft, Bob returned from an errand to bring some building supplies and Dave brought out the Guinness, so we swapped stories and lies with Bob and his wife, Sharon, and their son Danny. We were up until midnight.

Alaska Range

Sleep was fitful and by morning there was no way I wanted to crawl out of those covers because the temp in the cabin and dropped into the 30s. But we got rolling and after warming up with some hot tea and Tang, set out for the highway and Dave’s car at a little after 8.

Bob took off before I got my poles on, and I took off after him only to take one step before falling flat on my face. Got going again and caught up just in time to see him sit back on his skis and slide straight down that 200’ chute on his butt. No way, Dave and I took our skis off and walk-slid down.

Then on the last pitch with a hair pin, Bob used the old school trick of snow plowing while using his poles, braced between his legs as a brake. The guy is nuts.

Again Dave and I walked.

We bid Bob goodbye as he attended to his pile of plywood that he was tryihng to haul up to the cabin with a snowmachine, and got we to the highway at about 8:45. Then we had another mile to walk, along the highway. It was after 9 by the time we arrived at the car, and so had hour warm-up for a 50K.

Dave hadn’t trained much since Masters World Cup in France last month (where he took a couple of 14th places for the 50-54 age group, a bit off from top 10s from last year, but impressive). He was claiming poor fitness and said he was overtired, and would probably just tour the course.

I just hoped he’d get us there without falling asleep at the wheel, but I also didn’t believe that he was so run down. He was playing verbal Rope-a-Dope.

Finally we arrived at the parking lot in Talkeetna at 11, and I waxed my skis, sorted through my junk, and tried to figure what to take on the trail. Normally I just have a drink bottle and Gu’s stapled to the seam of my ski pants, but since this was a “wilderness race” without much support and potentially windy conditions out on the trail and Susitna River, I stuffed a fanny pack with a windbreaker, an extra set of gloves, a cliff bar, and some waxes, cork, and scraper. So I was loaded up, but ended up using none of that stuff except for two Gu's!

Getting it all together over the last half hour was the typical scramble; I always need an additional 20-30 minutes.

But with 5 minutes to go before the start, I realized I hadn’t gone pee. I didn’t think I’d make it to the loo and back in time to get a decent start position, so I thought I’d just take a few steps off the airport runway/start area and go out by some trees. I took a step off the runway thinking the soft snow might be a foot or two deep and promptly sunk up to my waist in snow. That wasn’t going to work. Finally, no pride here, I found a place out in the open, some 30 yards past the start line and got lined up with just a minute to spare.

After that audacious preamble, I was not sure what would be in store in the hours ahead. Nevertheless, there was solace in the thought that I'd wanted to do this race ever since moving here to Alaska and now I'd get the chance!

Frozen Solid on the Sonot Trail (race report)

2009-03-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

The race itself was just a frigid blur, but the time seemed to go by fast even though I was 25 min slower than last year and was miserable almost every stride of the way,

Tyson Flaharty took off like a rocket and was gone up the first hill. Game set match. Race over. Apparently Davya Flaharty, did the same thing in the women’s race.

In our race, a pack of 5 or 6 skiers congealed and I tucked in behind them for less than 1K, before settling into my own pace. Then I played a game of cat & mouse with Bruce Miller who was skiing classic. Through most of the first 12K we see-sawed back and forth, staying within 100 meters or so. But he pulled way at about 14K, and I was resigned to 8th place, with Max Kaufman and an Anchorage skier about a minute or two ahead, respectively.

At the same time I was heading into the Warm-Up Loop at 15K, Mike Kramer, Dave Arvey and the Norwegian ringer, Tore Olsen were in a tight pack cresting the hill and entering the stadium area. That was the last I saw of them, but former World Cup skier (who boasts a top 20 finish, some 7-8 years ago) Olsen pulled away to finish in 2:29 to Arvey’s 2:31 and Kramer’s 2:32.

Coming into the stadium for my own lap, I shifted into a V2, a rare treat for this cold-slow day where almost everything was V1 (I did some marathon skating, with one ski in the track). At the lap, Bruce inexplicably pulled out of the race—he had been doing so well with the classic too!

Into the Black Loops, the hardest 10K of the course, where it’s dark, shady, and the snow was beyond slow—more like miserable sandpaper—and the hills are numerous and steep. The cognoscenti say that under no circumstances should a skier single stick stake (granny skate) at Birch Hill. Normally I don’t need to, but on Saturday up the steep climbs on Black Cross and Competition that’s what I did. Call me a wimp if you will, but it seemed more energy efficient than grinding up with a V1.

Caught Mr. Anchorage on Black Cross and we dueled it out for the next 8-10K, while slowly reeling Max into contact. But on Rollercoasters and White Bear, with about 12 K to go, he picked it up with some great transition-downhill skiing and caught Max at the Biathlon Range. At the far end of White Bear, just before the big hill a 200’ grinder, I caught also Max and started pulling away, hoping per chance that Mr. Anchorage, about 40 seconds up, would bonk.

Well, it was me who bonked half way up the hill at 36K. The rest of the race was a just a slow, wintery, and wobbly death march to the finish. By the top of the hill I had a good 30-40 sec on Max, after that but he whittled it down. I could barely stand going up the last hill on Warm Up. Into the stadium with 200 m to go Max was less than 20 m back and I was sure he’d take me down. We were punch drunk and frozen. But somehow I mustered enough energy to finish in 2:39:59, 12 seconds up.

I bent over and about collapsed. Race director Bad Bob, taking the day off from racing to keep things going well (which they did except for the weather), pinched my butt—Hey aren’t there laws against that kind of stuff!—and asked how’d it go?

IT SUCKED! Was all I could muster.
“Oh then, it must have been a good day out there,” he glibly replied.

Overall, it was probably as good as could be expected—maybe even better for me than the Tour, but it was not fun. I did not enjoy this year’s Sonot very much. Nevertheless, sometimes you just have to suck it up.

So let’s conclude with a list of those who, “sucked it up” and raced the two marathons, 6 days apart. Congrats to all of you!
MEN
Name Tour, Sonot, (Combined)
Tyson Flaharty 2:15:16, 2:15:06, (4:30:22)
Dave Arvey 2:23:53, 2:31:11, (4:55:04)
Chet Fehrmann 2:23:31, 2:35:15, (4:58:46)
Roger Sayre 2:34:37, 2:39:59, (5:14:36)
Max Kaufman 2:35:54, 2:40:12, (5:16:06)
Bill Pearson 2:31:17, 2:45:36, (5:16:53)
Ken Leary 2:40:47, 2:50:51, (5:31:38)
Rick Johnson 2:51:02, 3:11:06, (6:02:08)
Chris Puchner 3:29:37, 3:43:07, (7:12:44)
Tim Mowry 3:40:16, 4:40:34, (8:20:50)

WOMEN
Davya Flaharty 2:51:29 3:06:40, (5:58:09)
Jane Leblond 3:01:44 3:20:30, (6:22:14)