Leadville Boom Days and the Vonnie's Voice 5k. A prelude to Burro Racing.

I drove all day on Friday and finally made it into Colorado.

  The plan was to meet up with my Burro in the evening out at Twin Lakes about 30 miles outside of Leadville, 

but alas my cell phone wasn't working so I figured I'd peruse the town a bit.

The boom days celebration was underway.  

In this particular event motorcycle riders had to lay down on a mattress. Then when the Moderator yelled "Honey I'm home" They threw on some britches climbed threw a wooden window and then throttled up their motorcycle riding it 100 or so yards as fast as they could.

(The rider just before this one lost control of his bike driving straight through a wooden sign on the sidewalk. Nobody was hurt, just par for the course and the crowd laughed it off eager for the next rider.)

That evening when I got back to my friend's home in Leadville The altitude was taking it's toll on me.  Walking up the stairs to my bed I got extremely winded. (Leadville elevation is over 10,000' plus I was on the second story) so I walked back down and had a few Stone Ales. 

While sitting around I thumbed through the preview magazine for 

Boom Days.

Vonnie's Voice 5k at 8 a.m. the following morning

That sounds like a pretty stupid idea?

Bright and early the next morning there I was.  The race raised money for a Stalking Awareness organization everybody was super nice and it seemed like a worthy cause for my $35 to go to.

The competition was tough! Check out that dude's pumps.

"So Cool"

Time to Race

Lining up at the starting line there were a couple other dudes that looked fit.  I knew that pretty much suck at elevation but I had a bit of cockiness going for me, since I had won my last three 5k's. 

If I was getting winded climbing stairs the night before I wonder what's gonna happen when I try and run at top speed? Plenty of time to breathe after the race?

The three of us went out fairly fast on course that started downhill but then had a lot of short ups and downs.  We hit the mile mark in about 5:30 with me in third place by about 50'  One of the two guys in front looked like he was about to break.  It was now time for me to make a charge during a steep climb. 

Shortly there after it became a two man race but when I tried to push harder to take the lead I couldn't find any air to breathe.  For the first half of the race I was pretending to be properly acclimated and now I was paying the price.   First place was drifting away but at the same time my lead over third was also growing.

I kind of dogged it the last mile (I had nothing).  I was in Leadville to run the 22 mile Burro race the next day and there was was very little chance I would catch the leader.

(what a weenie I am!)

This kid probably would have beat me as well if he didn't skin his knees but I got him to tough it up and smile for a pic.  I think he was 6 years old and did the whole 5k.  

What a cool kid!

:)

2nd Place

(I look exactly the same as when I began minus the gasps for air that lasted the next 20 minutes)

The dude who beat me was kid from CO working in Leadville for the summer.  He ran a good race and totally deserved to win and I'd love to race him again.

 Later that week I even made local paper

Just your average dude running 2 miles above sea level in a pair of 

Luna Sandals

Which ways the beach?

I did score me a cool mug.

and some interesting shwag.

After the race I had few hours to kill so I decided to watch the Boom Days Parade.

It was full of Shriners in funny cars,

and miners too young to hit up bars.

(I think you have to be at least 11 years old in Colorado)

It had former race directors

(Ken Choulber)

and future waste inspectors?

The burros were starting to arrive.

Time to go pic up my buddy Tyler Tomasello and get ready for tomorrows race.

What have we got ourselves into

?????

???

!

Another win for Luna Sandals at the 2013 Outdoor Retail Expo Helley Hansen 5k

Running Speed goat kind of fell into my lap.  I had planned on just taking pictures of friends but when the opportunity to run came how could I say no? The course really kicked my butt,  Although I had tried hard my time was horrific and my heart was never in the race. It was a test to see how I would react to altitude on the fly. I didn't fail miserably, nor to I pass with flying colors. At the same time I was racing, I was also conserving my legs a bit for another event 3 days later?

My real plan was to run the Helley Hansen 5k as part of the Outdoor Retail Expo. (using a 50k to warm up that's ridiculous)  What better place to show off how amazing Luna Sandals are than going up against people wearing the latest and greatest in running fads?

It was only Sunday and the race wasn't till Tuesday.  So let's go Sailing on the Great Salt Lake.

Damn you Thunderstorms on the horizon!

  Let's do some drinking instead.

(got to make the sponsors happy)

And pretend were cowgirls

and Vegan cowboys

Maybe I should start thinking about how I'm gonna win this 5k in just a few days,

Perhaps a little voodoo is in order?

First I need a tooth of a virgin.

HaHa!

And some hair from a Goldilocks 

And lastly  I need some crazy dude to massacre the competition?

(I would never condone such actions)

While Scott head cobbler at Luna Stood on his head all day showing off the new 

Luna Bandito

I spend Monday afternoon running around the Frisbee golf course loosening up my legs. I was still pretty sore but dd manage to get a hole in one.

(pic is from Tuesday not Monday but I didn't take pics on Monday so here you go)

I really hope this race goes better than Speed Goat did?

And

What kind of weird fetish porn is Caleb looking at on his computer? 

And
Look jst like the dude in the picture above?

Race Day!

The race didn't start till 9:30 a.m. and was held a reservoir about 45 minute drive from where I was staying.  we got there about an hour early which seemed like plenty of time? Wrong! There was a snafu in getting our badges for Outdoor Retailer and I had to sneak in while Scott got the situation resolved

By the time I got to the starting line it was 9:25.  Sizing up the competition it was my race to lose.  Sure there were people that looked like they could beat me but I was their to promote Luna Sandals and what better way to do so than to win.

Just as the race was about to begin Scott showed up with our badges.  I handed him the gum from mouth and giggled a bit? LOL. (the perk of being a pretentious sponsored athlete) and lined up to race.

Side-note: I often chew gum when I train and feel that it helps me reach and maintain my target heart rate but come race time I don't want to waste the energy.

 Ten steps into the race the course narrowed to a single track trail.  If I wanted to win needed to jump out to an early lead.

The course was an out and back on what looked like a very nontechnical trail.  Although I love my Luna OSO's I didn't need that much grip or the extra weight so I went with my Luna Mono's w/ ribbon laces

My legs still ached from Speed Goat but it was good pain.  Although the elevation was significantly less, only about 5,000' I have never ran a short raced that high.  Pushing at top speed I was gasping for air.  As people cheered me on from the sidelines I couldn't even spurt out a thank you.

I felt like the Nazi that choose the wrong grail in the Indiana Jones movie

At least legs were moving well and I got to the the turn around point in just over 8 minutes.  There would be plenty of time to breathe once the race was over.  As I ran back past the other runners I gauged my lead to be about 30 seconds.  (pretty comfortable but not a guarantee I would win)

I maintained my pace and by the time 2.5 mile mark I was all alone

and thanks to my my new Luna Badito I finally got to sport that KId N Play hairdo that white boys like myself could only dream of until now. Perfect for both winning a race or holding a House Party.

1st Place 16:20

If you look closely you can see a red wrist band which entitled me to 5 Sierra Nevada Ales.

:)

It was only 10 a.m. so I only had one 

:(

The Next day I made it in the official Outdoor Retail Expo magazine.  If you look closely It says that "I exhibit good form and stellar man hair."

Mom is so proud!

;)

 Outdoor retailer the next day

 Luna Booth complete with Vibram floor mat

 Only the best bands play at the outdoor retail expo.

Flying the official Luna sandals balsa wood plane through the arms of Bookis and Scott

Posing with a mangled Mach basket and the vibram Euro trail team they all ran Speed Goat but none of them wore Fivefingers.

 Posing with My Bearded Brother Chris from the bearded brother snack bar company

the dude looks just like the package.

After Outdoor retailer ended on Thursday night we went dinner with Luna Sandals distributor from Japan. Followed by seeing the 4th ever showing Anton Krupicka movie In the High Country where I won one of his signature Ultimate Direction Boob bottle holders.  I asked for some advice on my up coming burro race? It brought a smile to is face but he had no freaking clue and neither  did I.

Devils Canyon Utah

Outdoor retailer plus my whole trip to Utah was pretty great. I always have fun spending time with boys from Luna and the hospitality Shawn and Stephanie showed inviting us all into there home was really amazing.

Friday morning I hit the road to Colorado hoping to get to Leadville before dark so I could meet my Burro which I would be using in a 22 mile race that Sunday?

But little did I know I would be running another race before that?

2013 Speed Goat 50k

I got back home in from Badwater at the crack of dawn on Monday.  It was nice to be home and I couldn't wait to dig my feet down deep the sand during a couple of long beach runs. As I ran plans of my next adventure began to develop? 

Luna Sandals was exhibiting at the Outdoor Retail expo the following week Utah and I had a bunch of friends running in the Speed Goat 50k that Saturday.  Maybe it was time for a road trip?

I hadn't expected to run in the Speed Goat 50k. but then a free entry fell into my lap Wednesday afternoon how could I resist?

Game On

Early Thursday morning I was on the road to Utah but first I had to get some fuel

 Stop #1 the Stone Brewery Escondido California.  I think I had more good beer in the trunk of my car than the entire state of Utah.

Stop #2 

Las Vegas because everybody know Vegas is the best place to get vegan donuts. 

Duh!  

After driving all day and well into the night I was finally made it to Salt Lake City

There sure are a lot of white people here!

I had drove straight to Roy Utah a suburb about 30 miles past SLC just in time to have a great late night vegan curry with friends Shawn, Scott and Stephanie who would be running Speed Goat with me less than 36 hours later.

We spent the next day playing Disc golf tubing down a river and jumping out of trees.  Perfect cross training for running an Ultra Right?

What exactly is the Speed Goat 50k anyway?

  I knew it had an elite field but honestly I knew almost nothing about the race or the course, other than?

That the race director Karl Meltzer was a cool guy with a great taste in beer.

For a dude that runs on the beach everyday that's some series elevation!

What had I gotten myself into? When I climb on the roof to put up X-mas lights I get light headed and now here I was on the precipitous  of climbing 11,000 feet over 31 miles.

Cool!

You never know what's gone happen unless you try.  I wasn't there to race nor was I there to kill myself. I wanted to see how my body would react at altitude.  The Leadville 100 was 3 weeks away and although I wasn't registered for the event I had my sights on sneaking in somehow.

 Friday night before the race I found myself at some swanky ski lodge located a few hundred feet from the starting line.

 The Hotel room even had it's own red light district.  Weird but kind of cool.

If you look closely you can see a moose in the background!

(you don't see those at the beach.)

Time to Run

Normally I like to line up near the front but this was a pretty stacked field.  I had nothing to prove and had I lined up in front I would have only proved how much I suck at elevation.

I had thought the first 8 miles would be straight up the mountain but it turned out to be a series of steep climbs separated by by a few drops.  I was hoping hoping to run the whole thing but I found myself hiking much of it.

This was the first race I have ever been to where I saw someone using trekking poles.  No big deal right? Wrong! 

It's pretty scary shit to a dude in sandals

Please do not watch this video

With each step flailing poles attempted to lacerate my toes as if I were some crazy masochistic Japanese game show.

Well since I don't many pictures of me racing. Unlike my performance in the race I'm gonna pick up the pace of this race report. 

After the first climb I ran mostly down to the halfway point.  I think I got there around 3:10 or 3:30. 

I had envisioned  running a negative split to the finish line.

HA! HA!

My fantasy world was way off the mark.  The elevation was taking it's toll on my ability to push hard plus the climbs during the second half were pretty brutal.  I didn't feel sick or dizzy just slow and lethargic. 

It wasn't until the last 4 miles downhill that I really felt good but I think most people feel that way when they can smell the finish line.

Photo Courtesy of Hoka 

(Lol)

It was easily the toughest 50k I had ever ran, probably tougher than most 50 milers I have ran .  Other than the fact the I suck at elevation, steep inclines and steep declines I ran a pretty solid race.  On that 300' flat tunnel through the mountain I was amazing! On the other 163,380' not so much.

Available Now 

 I finished feeling strong with no aches or pains and my Luna Oso sandals were more than adequate for the terrain.  

The course was beautiful and very well marked and I would highly recommend it to anybody looking for a challenging short course.  Thank you to Karl Meltzer for putting on such a great event.

Time to watch my friends finish Good Job Scott!  

(Nice Sandals)

 Hello Nurse!

 Good times, Good Friends!  What else could I ask for?

 Perhaps a giant check?

Maybe next year

:)