The Anatomy of a "DNF"

Until yesterday, I had never dropped out of a race.  I admittedly took pride in this fact, but evidently not an immense amount judging by my end result.  No valid excuses.  It just wasn't my day, I wasn't having fun, and I quit.

From the beginning, I was "off".  A couple pit-stops on the side of the trail made the first couple sections about 10-minutes slower than what I planned, but my head just wasn't in it.  I tried every trick in the book to derail my apathy, but nothing seemed to be working.  By Edinburg Gap (mile-12), I was tired and not having fun.  This was uncharted territory since each of the other four 100's that I've done, the first 50K just flew by. 

A few good pukes and several miles lacking fluids put me at the 50K mark at Elizabeth Furnace well off my planned pace and in a depleted state.  I talked of pulling the plug there, but my crew would not hear of it.  I told them I'd run to Shawl, but that I didn't think I had 70 more miles in me that day.  I somewhat hesitantly regrouped at the aid-station (mainly to appease my crew) and got myself physically ready to go on.  To make what could be a long story short, my crew spurred me along since I was certainly mentally and physically fit to continue -- all the way to Camp Roosevelt, mile 63.9 (around 14hrs 30min).  That's where I ended the needless mental suffering of a race gone wrong.

I finished MMT in 21:37 in '08 and 22:39 in '09.  I am proud of those finishes, but I know that I can run much faster.  I came into the race this year with the plan to run at least faster than I ever had.  I had no plan-B in place though.  When things went bad early on, I think I checked out mentally.  Actually, I know I checked out mentally.  End of story, but a lesson learned . . . the anatomy and physiology of a Did Not Finish -- it was all between my ears.  I just didn't want it enough.

I am absolutely fine with my decision to drop -- which somewhat dumbfounds me.  I am embarrassed by my failure and egotism exhibited by quitting because "I'm not having fun and not running a good race." I feel that what could be taken as a depressingly negative result though, will only be fuel for the fire next go round.

Thanks to my friends Clay and Caitlin Warner for giving their time and effort to help me and of course my wife Kadra who is always there for me.  I'm sorry that I didn't come through for the three of you.  I owe you a mega-effort next time!

MMT 100

It's time for my third crack at the MMT 100 in Virginia this weekend.  I ran 21:37 in '08 and 22:39 in '09 so after a three year hiatus, I'm interested to see what I'm capable of.  Just like every runner, I'm hoping for a huge PR.  Anything less than 21:37 will admittedly be a bit of a disappointment.  Regardless of the outcome, I'm looking forward to the single-minded focus of simply running for a day on Saturday and Sunday -- a joy that I certainly do not take for granted.

Time to get my head screwed-on right . . . the most important aspect of running 100-miles (in my opinion, of course).

Enjoy some pictures from my first 100-mile experience in 2008.

The invaluable crew at Edinburgh Gap

 Mongold on pacing duty

 More crew -- the embarrassingly selfish part of trying to run 100-miles fast

Mongold will have pacing duties over the last 16-miles again this year (My friend Clay is also kind enough to spur me along for some miles)

 Gap Creek blister service

My AWESOME wife; who will be crewing this year 6-mths pregnant (she's tough)

 Paul giving info: "speed up!"

 great shot by Aaron Schwartzbard

A Happy Finish: What will the clock read in '12? . . . I hope at least an hour faster
Race Report from MMT '08

Shoe Overload

Hello my name is Adam and I am an addict.  I can't quit buying shoes.

Well . . . it's actually not entirely my fault (spoken like a true addict).  My feet grew a full size over the past year and (cue feminine lisp) nothing in my closet would fit me.

For the past few years I have run trails in the Mizuno Wave Ascend with much success at distances from 50K to 100 Miles.  After a couple of updates that I wasn't crazy about, the shoe slowly fell out of my best graces.  As as was gearing up for the AT last year, I tried to get used to something a bit more substantial to handle the stresses of long days on a rugged trail -- a "tank" per se -- quite contrary to the minimalist trend.  I found that in the Montrail Sabino Trail and happily destroyed nearly six pair of them last summer.  Even though most folks didn't like the Sabino (evidenced by Montrail discontinuing the shoe), the shoe worked great for my needs on the AT.  Once I got back home and back to normal training, it was obvious that the Sabino was far too stiff and bulky for the kind of running I was accustomed to (read: actually trying to run fast again).  So it was back to the drawing board.  Here are my cursory impressions of some of the shoes I've recently purchased and tried. 

Shoe #1: Montrail Mountain Masochist (original model):
My first impression was pretty good, but something just didn't feel "right".  Regardless, I put in quite a bit of mileage on two different pairs.  I have pretty high arches with a slight supinating foot-strike and this shoe didn't feel like it gave me the support that I needed for longer runs.  I can always tell when a shoe is insufficient in this support when my right arch starts giving me grief during a long run.  To fix this, I got a pair of the Montrail Enduro Insoles.  This helped immensely, but I ended up getting some pretty bad blisters in the last 20-miles of the 50-mile day at 3 Days of Syllamo.  My philosophy is that if a shoe causes you any problems at shorter distances, that it is a definite "no-go" for 100-milers.  Impression: Good shoe -- just not THE shoe for me.  The Masochist certainly has a place in my arsenal though.  Very light-weight and versatile.

Shoe #2: Montrail Bajada:
I was super excited to try this shoe after I read the preliminary review at IRF.com.  Montrail is certainly on to something here -- a minimal/mesh upper on a neutral base with a substantial rock plate.  Even though the Bajada is still a very good shoe, there are a few things that Montrail got very wrong.  My biggest problem is that they did not gusset the tongue.  I knew this was going to be a problem for me on the first run.  For some reason on my left shoe, the tongue slides way over and exposes the sock, leaving plenty of room for debris to get in.  This problem is exacerbated by the placing of the second lace eyelet being too far back, leaving yet another gap for debris.  Oddly enough, with all the issues getting stuff in, I found the shoe to drain very poorly -- go figure?  I partially fixed this problem by sewing a loop to attach the tongue through one of the upper eyelets.  This has helped, but the shoes are far too pricey to justify the need to augment them at home.  Hopefully when Montrail updates this shoe they'll wise-up and gusset the tongue.


Shoe #3: Montrail Badrock:
Sticking with the Montrail line -- which I believe to be one of the best they have ever offered -- I next tried the Badrock.  On paper, the Badrock looked like it might be perfect for 100-mile shoe for me.  Mesh upper, minimal toe-bumper, ample protection, medially posted (which I prefer in a shoe for 100-miles), and a wide toe box.  The Badrock is all these things, but something wasn't "right" for me in the heel.  I've been dealing with a nagging achilles issue on my left heel for the last year (probably secondary to a mild Haglund's deformity) and the heel just didn't fit me well.  All things considered, a good shoe but just not for me.  The Badrock is a great shoe to tackle the gnarliest of courses.

Shoe #4: Mizuno Wave Cabrakan 3:
Finally, this was the shoe I had been looking for -- right back to my first love (actually second love after the Montrail Leona Divide).  The Cabrakan sports ample underfoot protection (great for a rugged race like the upcoming MMT 100), yet is flexible with a fairly minimally overlaid upper.  It's far more shoe than the Wave Ascend that I was accustomed to.  The arch is probably a little higher than normal and thus well-suited to me.  In the past, I've worn after-market insoles to give myself enough support in shoes lacking a solid arch, but I really want to get away from this since it's just one more avenue of encouraging blisters.  I seem to be able to get by without the insoles in these.  One negative is that this shoe is a bit heavier than I would like and retains water a bit much, but hey, MMT is in 2-weeks and I better get my stuff together right?  I really like the gusseted elasticity of the tongue, the soft toe-bumper, and how the shoe eats up technical trail.  The shoe is by no means "perfect, no shoe is, but hopefully I've found at least a temporary winner.

So there you have it.  I hope someone finds this info helpful in their own search.  I've got to work extra hard now to make money to cover my habit!

3 Days of Syllamo - Race Report

I was fortunate enough to revisit one of my favorite races, 3 Days of Syllamo, and enjoy the trip to AR with my friend Dan Lehmann.  This is a great race and a beautiful area.  I was really looking forward to it, the break from work, and seeing all the great friends that I had made the last time at 3 Days in '09.
 
Dan and I rolled into Blanchard Springs Campground on Thursday afternoon and quickly set our tents up in the light drizzle of what was promising to be a soaking rain.  The prospect of extra suffering looked great as we heard some pretty dismal reports of constant rain on the horizon.  Luckily, the clouds and rain avoided us and we had some great running weather for the races.

In '09 I was fortunate enough to win this race.  The course was re-routed that year due to an ice storm that had decimated the trails.  Even though we repeated much of the trails and had quite a bit of dirt FS roads in the 50-mile day, I loved every minute of it.  I was looking forward to seeing the "real" course this year, even though I knew it would be far more challenging.

I had no preconceived notions of grandeur for this year.  I knew Nick Lewis, the previous year's winner, was in the race and it was his to lose.  I just really wanted to test my fitness and to see where I stood in the 8-weeks preceding Masasnutten. My pre-race goal was to run conservatively for the entire 50K, run easy for the first 50K of the 50-mile day, then try to run as hard as possible for the last 20-miles.  I figured that this would be some of the best simulation for 100-mile training that you can get.  I didn't even think about the 20K on Day 3 . . . that may have proved to be oversight.

This race really is more about camaraderie and fellowship, than competition.  But . . . there was still some racing going on and here's how it shook out for me.

Day 1: 50K
Immediately the pace went out faster than I wanted to go.  I knew the distance would be no problem, but if I ran too hard the first day I knew I would pay dearly on Day 2.  In a wise move, I quickly decided to just run my own race -- just as I planned, but I've been known to be persuaded.  Although my fitness has greatly improved over the last 3-4 months, I still have not yet regained my pre-AT speed; not that I ever was a super speed demon, but I've historically had much better turnover than I do now.  It will come (it will most likely require more effort than what I've been giving it), but on this day I knew well enough to pay heed to some restraint.  Ashley Nordell and I fell into a comfortable pace together very early on and we simply stuck together until the end.  It was great catching up with Ashley and I was amazed at how well she was running after giving birth just 9-months ago.  She is tough as nails and ultimately ran her way to yet another unanimous victory at 3 Days.  Ashley and I crossed the line in 4:55.  A solid time and legs "well"-preserved.

Day 2: 50M

As race director Steve Kirk says, "This is where the fun begins!"  His words proved true as he sent us out at daylight to tackle the unrelenting hills of the out-and-back single track course he had prepared for us intrepid runners.  I ended up running with Travis Liles to the turn around and had a good time getting to know him better -- yet another awesome person that I've been lucky enough to meet in the sport of ultrarunning.  At the 30-mile mark, I moved through the aid-station a little quicker than the group I was running with and slowly picked up the pace to try to catch up with Darin Schneidewind -- a very strong runner from KS.  I eventually caught up and Darin and I ran together for quite a while and enjoyed the boost of conversation and shared pace.  From there it was nothing exciting, just putting my head down and making sure I did the work to find the finish line.  I finished in 9:29 and felt no worse for the wear after the arduous day of running aside from some nasty heel blisters from the insoles in my shoes.  Back to the drawing board there I suppose . . .

Day 3: 20K
"2 out of 3 ain't bad."  Dan and I both decided to not start the 20K.  My left achilles was pretty sore when I arose from the tent the next morning and I had no desire to push the issue and jeopardize my training or ultimately my race at MMT.  Dan had some tendinitis in his shin and wisely decided to abstain as well -- for the same reason.  Regardless, the 20K wisely didn't happen for me.  We enjoyed an earlier than planned start to the trip home and the comfort of knowing that we might actually be becoming smarter with age.  I'm glad I decided not to run since I recovered in just a day or two and was back to running my normal load this week (until I got the inevitable horrible cold that comes with with post-race immune system depression and working in the health care profession).

Full race results HERE.

3 Days of Syllamo is an awesome race.  I highly recommend it.  This race was the impetus behind Dan and myself starting the WV Trilogy.  Multi-day races provide a unique challenge and are a very rewarding experience.  If you've not yet entered this realm of running, I suggest you give it a try.

Don't just take my word for it, check out this video tht Dave Wakefield put together.

Run For WWP

On March 26, Jamie Summerlin (Morgantown, WV) will embark on a 100-day journey across the U.S.A. -- covering over 3,300 miles.  He is running in part as a fundraiser to support the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and other Veteran's organizations.  Check out his website: http://www.runforwwp.com/  

Please consider donating to his cause, helping with connections across the country, or sharing some miles along the way.

Highlands Trail Foundation

I am excited to announce the formation of a "new" trail maintenance/advocacy group in the WV Highlands.  The Highlands Trail Foundation (a non-profit organization) has been around for quite a while with its main focus being the completion of the Allegheny Highlands Trail -- a rails-to-trails path following the original route of the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway traveling from Elkins to Thomas.  Now that the route is nearly complete, save the final mile in to the Elkins Train Depot, the group is initiating a new committee to focus on other trail maintenance and advocacy in the surrounding areas of the AHT.

If you're a Facebook user, be sure to check out the newly created page HERE.  As spring approaches, we plan to hit the ground running with a concerted effort of improving and maintaining local trails.  One of our goals as a committee is to establish a network of trails in or very near the city of Elkins.  If joining or helping with such activities interests you and you're from the area, please feel free to join us! 

Frozen Sasquatch 50K

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of running the 3rd Annual Frozen Sasquatch 50K (yes, this is a quite belated race report).  This is one of my favorite races for several reasons.  First, it's directed by my good friend Mike Dolin, secondly it's a great race to start the year on the buttery single track of Kanawha State Forest outside of Charleston, WV.  The first two years were indicative of the namesake -- Frozen -- this year it felt more like spring.  Here are my race reports from the previous two year for proof: 2010   2011.

The year 2011 was all about the AT-Journey for me.  Although I ran this race in 2011, I didn't really "race" it or any other races for the entire year as I prepared for and recovered from such a big effort.  To say that I've missed racing over the past year would be a vast understatement.  I was very excited for this return to racing, but I had reasonable expectations.  Although I had been running fairly well for about two months prior, I knew that I wouldn't have the speed to keep up with the guys at the very front.  Did I mention that I was super excited to be running a race?

Photo: Dan Todd

The race started out benignly enough and I was ushered along as the first man to hit the tight single track.  I led the way for the speedy peleton behind me up the first climb and onto the double track around mile-2.  I knew that they were going to leave me in their dust, but I enjoyed the few minutes of glory.  The lead pack stuck together for a bit -- chatting goals, making introductions, and enjoying the company on a beautiful day in the woods.  Before too many miles passed by, Michael Owen and his friend John Williams (in his first ultra) took the opportunity to break the race wide-open.  I was correct in my thinking that they were gone for good -- ultimately en route to smashing Eric Grossman's course record by 25-minutes (with the aid of the more generous condtions).  Very impressive times for sure.

I was running a "Ryan Hall race".  Not so much the new RH that obviously has honed his racing prowess (ie. Boston '11 and the recent OT's), but RH circa 2010 that was known more for running his own race and almost "time-trialing" the marathon.  A friend of mine was kind enough to give me a Garmin 405 that he was not getting any use out of.  This is not something that I thought I ever wanted, but after messing around with it some in the previous weeks, I thought it could be useful for at least being cognizant of my pacing.  I set the little trainer dude at 8:42 pace/mile which equated to a 4:30 finish and thought I'd see how close I could stay to that pace.  I looked at it a time or two during the first lap, but was definitely surprised to come through the first half in 2:08/2:09.  This was probably way too fast for my current fitness (considering the CR for the 25K was 2:07), but I thought I could do another lap in 2:11-2:15 without much difficulty.  This is where I was mistaken.  I didn't blow-up or consciously slow down, but lap two became an even-split nightmare.  What I forgot from not racing for a full year was that as the race progresses, you must increase the effort (read: pain) to keep the pace even close to even!  I kept the effort even and what I got was a big floppin' 2:26.  You can check out the fancy tech. watch info HERE.

Rounding the corner to the finish.  Photo: Dan Todd

So there it was, 4:35 and 4th place, but pure bliss to be back out on the trails RACING again.  It's fun to go your own pace for a while, but there's nothing like the race day magic to get the competitive juices flowing and to pull the best out of yourself.  I've missed the camaraderie of the sport and just being around "my people".  It's good to be back and I count myself privileged to be part of this great sport and community.

The End of 2011

Well . . . it's that time of year again (the end).  A time of reflection and a time to ponder the future.  I've done plenty of reflecting over the past few months, but minimal amounts of future pondering.  That is changing though and new goals are forming on the horizon.

I'm going to finish out the year with over 4,500 miles for the year.  That a new PR for sure -- by about 900 miles I believe.  Sure it's inflated by the AT stuck in there, but it would have been way more had I jumped back into my normal mileage sooner than about a month ago.  Regardless, I'm pleased that I was healthy and fortunate enough to cover than many miles.  Lots of fun, beauty, and camaraderie mixed in those miles.

Plans for 2012?  I'm planning on running the Frozen Sasquatch 50K next weekend, 3 Days of Syllamo in Arkansas in March (one of my favorite races), then the Massanutten 100 in May.  There may be some other stuff mixed in, but that's all the farther I'm planning.  I'd like to do another 100-miler or two this year, but I'll just have to see how things play out.  Massunutten is the big goal race for the first half of the year.  I ran 21:37 there as my first 100 ('08).  I'd love to run sub-20 there and that's going to be what I've got my sights on over the next five months.

So here's to a great 2011!  Happy New Year everyone!

I know who I'll be smoochin' when the ball drops . . .

The Need for Adventure

Photo: Joel Wolpert

I have been doing quite a bit of thinking over the last few months about the need for adventure - both mine and in general.  Since completing the AT in July, there has been a void in my life.  Yes, after successfully completing a lifetime goal I found myself wondering, "So what now?"  People would congratulate me and say things like, "the adventure of a lifetime", leaving me with a depressed feeling and thoughts of "maybe that WAS the adventure of my lifetime - it's all downhill from here."  I experienced the worst case of post-race blues that I'd ever experienced.  The feelings went on for months.  Don't get me wrong, the AT was everything I hoped it would be, but life was no more clear-cut upon returning home than it was when I left.  Maybe even more hectic.  I had a sense of accomplishment and deep joy, yet I was restless.  My insatiable quest for adventure had been fed . . . but not quenched.

I had consciously planned to take some much-needed time to recover, both physically and mentally, and purposefully planned no racing or major adventures until at least the end of the year.  I took a few days off from running initially and seriously planned to take plenty more until I felt the time was right to resume training.  I quickly realized that I was not capable of this vital respite.  I really missed my daily adventures that I've only known through at least an hour of unviolated time alone; running.  Life as I had known it was flooding in and I needed my outlet.  Fast!  After only a few days, I was back out on the trails and roads hobbling along; longing for my days of "real living" on the Trail.  "What is wrong with me?", I introspectively asked.  "Am I really this selfish and needy? . . . what's with this compulsion, this need for adventure?", I further rhetorically implored.

This pondering has been mostly directed as to whether this personal compulsion to seek adventure is a self-serving desire that I've perpetuated, or something intrinsically deeper?  My opinion is leaning heavily toward the latter and I certainly think that I'm not alone in this sentiment.  You see, for many of us the mundane daily lifestyle that we unfortunately find a necessary part of being a "contributing part of society" yields an insufficient amount of adventure.  Somewhere between boyhood and adolescence, a young man's wild heart is squelched by the confines of the pragmatic world that we live in.  Games of King of the Hill, building forts, and searching for buried treasures are slowly traded in for logic, materialism, and status.  What if it's actually o.k. to be wild at heart?  What if that's actually how we're wired, but somewhere along the line the world rips the joy from our hearts?  I happen to believe that it's actually a God-given desire for men and women to seek adventure in this life.  We truly are designed to yearn for much more than the "9-5 materialism" and superficiality of this world.

I've stuck to my guns and I've been laying pretty low over the past few months.  I've been running with zero agenda aside from the pure joy and adventure that comes from cruising over some mountain single-track - albeit fairly slowly for the most part.  It's taken quite a while to get "right" after the Trail.  A surprising PR on a solo-run of the North Fork Mtn Tr a couple of weeks ago tells me that things are moving in the right direction.  I've learned that just because a major goal is reached, it doesn't mean that a sense of accomplishment will take the place of the desire for adventure that spurred the journey in the first place.  In many cases, the fire only burns brighter.  I've found that at the top of a mountain, there are only more mountains.

So as I approach 2012, I do so with much anticipation for adventures to come.

Enjoy a few pertinent quotes:

The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, "What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?" and my answer must at once be, "It is no use." There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.
~George Leigh Mallory, 1922

You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.
~Rene Daumal

If the conquest of a great peak brings moments of exultation and bliss, which in the monotonous, materialistic existence of modern times nothing else can approach, it also presents great dangers. It is not the goal of grand alpinism to face peril, but it is one of the tests one must undergo to deserve the joy of rising for an instant above the state of crawling grubs. On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal, warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men. It is hard to return to servitude.
~ Lionel Terray

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

. . . and a good tune to leave you with from a band that one of my high school friends is part of.

WV Trilogy - 2011 Co-RD Report

The Trilogy is a special event.  Just ask anyone who has experienced first-hand the magical environment of The Mountain Institute and the rugged beauty of the WV Highlands.  We were once again blessed with unbelievably gorgeous weather for all three days of the event.  We must be doing something right!

The 50K on Friday foreshadowed the events to come -- beautiful weather and fast running.  David Frazier and Chris Reed set a blistering pace from the start, distancing themselves from the pack, and did not let up en route to their shared victory in 4:39 -- a very fast time on this course which was slowed by a plethora of downed timber thanks to an early season snow and ice storm earlier in the week.  Always steady John Logar (second overall in the Trilogy '10) was third in a solid time of 5:15.  Kathy Wolf returned to the Trilogy after a disappointing DNF in '10 and sent a loud message with her 7:01 victory.  We all knew that she was there to take care of business this year.  Her friend and training partner Darcy Lallathin was close behind in 7:02 and trailed by Angie Smith in 7:20.

Did I run too fast?  Recover properly?  Will my legs work? . . . these were the questions bouncing around the runners' brains as they awoke to clear skies and cool temperatures on Saturday. Stepping out of their damp tents was the first intrepid step of what would be many in the day's ominous 50-mile adventure.  Dan and I man the first aid-station (just as in the 50K) at the top of Spruce Knob -- the highest point in WV.  We could not believe how fast the front group was moving!  We had his big-green-van at 60mph on the road up to the Knob in order to beat Chris Reed and Dave Frazier to the aid spot.  It was obvious that these guys were unfazed by the previous day's miles.  Reed and Frazier held their impressive paces until Frazier was able to pull ahead near the end to take the win in a speedy 7:46, while Reed finished close behind in 7:56.  Steve Miles had a solid second run of the weekend in 10:08; good enough for a distant third.  The 2010 Women's Trilogy Champion, Kristen Krempasky, rebounded from an unfortunate course-following error in the 50K (resulting in a DNF) and showed her true form by blowing away the competition in a time of 11:37.  Darcy Lallathin stayed strong and solidified herself at the top of the leader board with a finishing time of 12:43, followed by Adele Fenwick in 12:59.  It was a long day for all the competitors.  Those who finished were relieved to know that they had conquered the majority of the Trilogy.  All that was left was a "little" half marathon the next day . . . enough distance for some jostling in the standings.

Sunday saw another beautiful sunrise, although many of the runners took full advantage of the later start time and spent some quality time with their sleeping pads.  More runners converged upon the campus of TMI and the race headquarters was buzzing with excitement.  Reed and Frazier shot out from the start -- out pacing even the fresh half marathoners.  Dave Frazier held off Chris Reed once again as the pair went one-two respectively over the amplified field in respective times of 1:30 and 1:32 -- an inspiring ending to an impressive triptych of performances.  John Logar finished in 1:40, solidifying his overall third place position.  The women's field was conversely dominated by "a la carte" runners (ie. just there for the half marathon).  Heather Parks ran uncontested for the win in 1:47, followed by Hannah Underdahl in 1:57 and Jody Logar in 2:01.  Darcy Lallathin secured her overall Trilogy victory with her 2:27, while Adele Fenwick took second with her 2:29 finish. Kathy Wolf finished what she started in 2010 and earned third place for her monumental efforts.  Complete results can be found here.

The 2011 WV Trilogy saw the entrants list more than double as word is getting out about this event.  I expect to see it grow even more in years to come.  This event truly is more about camaraderie than competition.  There is racing to be had, don't get me wrong, but the root of this event is more about celebrating the joy of friends, running, and life. 

Enjoy the line-up of pics below and I hope to see you at the next WV Trilogy; Oct 12-14, 2012.