Tearin' Up Tungsten City Road!

As Karl Meltzer would say, "It was a heater." Race #2 in the S2S Winter Series at Millpond was the fastest, most highly competitive 10K I've raced in a looooong time...maybe since college. How exciting it was to have several guys strung out but within contact for the entire 6.2. I suppose it could be argued that Dan Yarborough ran the 2nd 5K as his own personal time trial, but at least he gave the rest of us the illusion of keeping it close during the gut-wrenching uphill 1st half.
To be sure this 1oK course was nothing like what you would find on the road circuit: approximately 1000' of wind-sucking climb in the 1st 5K then, you guessed it, an equal amount of gravity-enhanced, hold-onto-your-hats descent. The modest gradient and dirt surface combined for a blessedly forgiving all-out downhill sprint that was easy on the joints. No quad-thrashing brakes needed on this one. With no wind, high clouds and temperatures rising through the 40s into the low 50s it was another perfect day on the Eastside for racing.
And lest you think the early to mid-adult range was the only scene where a top 3 age-group placing would have been a challenge, check out the 11-15 age category. I think there were 4, maybe 5 representing the future of Owens Valley running. It is VERY REFRESHING indeed to see that at least some of the youth of today realize there is more to life than computers and video games.

Winter Race Series - Race 2

It was an extremely exciting race on Saturday. Five people finished in under 40 minutes; something races don't often see here in Bishop! Congratulations to all of the runners.
Clair Jellison age 11 finishes in 1:02:26
Jennifer, Morgan and Jessie Thornburg
Curtis Milliron and Dog finishing strong!
Old Faithful, Floyd timing the race
Brannon and Jeff

Millpond Winter Race Series 10K #2

It's that time of the month again...time to gear up for a 10K fun run with one of the finest mountain backgrounds around. The Sierra Nevada are finally living up to their name, now adorned in more typical winter attire courtesy of this recent round of storms. Race #1 had Juneuary conditions and, as luck would have it, the up-coming brief break in the storm cycle is timed with the next race this weekend: 9am, Saturday, February 21. Highs are expected to be around 60 after a morning low in the upper 20s with calm conditions. I don't know about you but that sounds perfect to me for an appetite-inducing hour of running on the dirt roads of Millpond and the Tungsten Hills. The roads should be in great shape with the recent low elevation rain and snow firming up the beach-sand zones. Post-race, you can satisfy that hunger with Great Basin Bakery bagels, orange juice and bananas, and re-fueling products generously donated by a few of Sage To Summit's vendors: Endurox recovery mix, Accelerade, and an assortment of Clif items. As the sun climbs higher in the sky, the after-race socializing should heat up as well. You can question Phil Kiddoo about how is year on foot and bike is progressing (Here's some gossip juice: I was astonished to see him in a vehicle last week.). So pull that favorite pair of running shoes out from underneath all your ski gear and come join us on Saturday. My Cascadias are polished and ready to roll.

26.2 In The Rain: Not Your Average Day In Death Valley

I finally dropped the cabbage and signed up for a backyard event I had yet to experience: the Death Valley Trail (It's really a dirt road, truth be told.) Marathon. And experience it I did, in the most surreal of ways. The paved road leading toward Beatty, NV and the start of the Titus Canyon version of this event was wiped out by a debris flow the Thursday before the race; but Mother Nature was just getting started. Storm number two arrived in the pre-dawn, race-day darkness, waking me up sometime after midnight to the sound of fairly heavy rain on my camper shell. It let up briefly as the 300+ runners (combined marathon and 30K entrants) excitedly gathered at the starting line on West Side Road (This is the alkali dirt and gravel road that forms a horseshoe around Badwater, at -282 feet, the lowest spot in North America.) The wall of gray to the south reached us by mile two and, getting progressively heavier throughout the remainder of the race and day, the rain did not let up until after dark. It is one of the greatest ironies of my trail running career that the wettest I have ever been during a race was in the driest location in the U.S. Furnace Creek received a good chunk of its 2" annual precipitation on Saturday, February 7th.
The out-and-back course was in relatively decent shape on the outbound journey but, because of the continuous rain and 600-plus feet in perpetual motion, it had become a quagmire on the return trip. Throw in a tailwind on the way south that transformed into a stiff headwind for the northbound homeward slog and the second half was decidedly more difficult than the first. Temperatures were in the low 50s, quite pleasant when running hard, even while wet. I opted for shorts and t-shirt with gloves and rain-deflecting awning (Sage To Summit hat) and stayed comfortable until I crossed the finish line. I barely had time to retrieve my gear bag, don a dry windbreaker and get on the shuttle bus though before shivering set in.
While soaking the fatigue out of my chilled, water-logged muscles at the warm, spring-fed pool back at the resort, mesmerized by the multitude of rain-drops splashing in the soothing waters, the conditions were really getting interesting for the runners still on the course. The parched earth had had it's fill and was now dealing with the bloat by way of streams of slobber. Small rivers and mudflows were forming everywhere. A course that had been creek-crossing free only hours earlier now had several to ford. The runners pushing the 6 hour cutoff were treated to a bus ride back to Furnace Creek that included three debris flow crossings. Literally minutes later the park service closed the road.
The following morning I went for a recovery spin on my road bike out to Badwater on the still-closed road. It was more of a cyclocross endeavor as I had to repeatedly hop off my skinny tires and run (walk, actually!) through the relocated desert pavement. Amazingly enough, the vegetation was already beginning to green-up in response to the moisture. I suspect the wildflowers will be abundant in the upcoming weeks. I have had many incredible experiences in Death Valley over the years, but this one has certainly leaped to the top of the list.
For more information on the event, check out envirosports.com.