Trekking In Nepal

Over the last few weeks I have be traveling in Nepal trekking and trail running. The trip has been an amazing adventure and I feel very lucky to have been able to do it.

On the way to Nepal I had a stop in the UAE and was able to see a bit of country and some amazing sights. Highlights included seeing the Grand Mosque and going in the Persian Gulf. I only wish I had more time there.

After landing in Katmandu I spent some time in the city seeing the sights and bringing some supplies over for a charity I am involved with, the Basa Village Foundation (www.basavillagefoundationusa.org). After that I flew to the Lukla airport and began my trek.

I was able to go through some of the most beautiful parts of Nepal and the Himalayas. I trekked through Namche Bazar, Dola, Monchermo, Goyko, over the Cho La Pass, through Gorka Shep to Kalapatter and Everest base camp. I then headed back south through Penrechie, Tengobeche, and am now headed back to Lukla and Katmandu.

Some of the most interesting parts of the trek included delivering the supplies for the Basa Village Foundation, experiencing my first ever earth quake, climbing Kalapatter, Gokyo RI, and several other peaks, meeting the local people of Nepal, and pushing my physical limits.

When I get back to the US and have a faster internet connection I hope to post some photos from the trek as well.

Until then, Namaste!

The Black Hills Ultra

At the end of June I traveled to the Black Hills to race in the Black Hills Ultra.  The race has a 50 Miler, 100k, 100 Mile, and a 100 Mile mountain bike race.  I was racing in the 50 Miler.  The race starts in Sturgis and ran along the Centennial trail south along the out and back and course.    

Photo of the race start 

The race was very well organized, with easy check in, a delicious pre race dinner, well stocked aid stations, and a great and well marked course. 

 A typical scene along the race course

As the race started I lead the field out of the track stadium and onto the centennial trail.  Another runner ran with me for the first few miles of the race until we hit the first aid station where I was able to sail right on through with my still nearly full Nathon hydration pack.  From that point on I lead the race. 

One of my crew members, my cousin Max 

As the race progressed, the heat started to climb with temperatures reaching the mid 90's by the end.  Coming into the last few aid stations I was more than happy to see my awesome crew with water and ice!  At the turn around point I had a roughly 5 minute lead on the second place 50 Mile runner. 

Another of my crew members, my friend Anne.  Possibly concerned about the heat? 

I crossed the line in first place in 8:32:30, and had expanded my lead to nearly an hour.  It was a great race, and an especially strong second half performance for me.  At the awards ceremony I received one of the coolest winners awards I have seen, a Buffalo skull with Native American paintings on it.  

A big thanks to my crew, the race directors and volunteers, and congratulations to all the runners who were racing at the Black Hills Ultras and the other races that weekend - like Western States.

Miles and Miles at the FANS 12 Hour

Last week I joined a few other crazy, and by that I mean crazy cool, ultra runners for the FANS 12 Hour race at Lake Nakomis in the Twin Cities.  The race is in it's 23rd year and is a fundraiser for the FANS association, which is an academic support program for Twin Cities students.  Last year I had a great race in tough conditions with temps over 90 degrees!  I was hoping for better weather this year.

Crew area at FANS about 45 min before the start

As the race started I went out with the leaders, but after about 2 hours I decided to slow down just a bit.  Some of the other runners in the lead pack were shooting for PR times and distances in the 50 Mile and 100k to try to earn a spot on the US National 100K team.  I ran for about 4:00 with Carolyn Smith and we ended up closing the gap with some of the early race leaders as their strong pace started to ware on them. 

Just after the 50 Mile mark of the race, almost 7 Hours in

The weather was much better this year, with highs of about 72 degrees.  I felt much stronger this year and was able to run a much more even pace throughout the race.  During the course of the race I was running in second and third, and ended in third place with 75.2 miles - a New 12 Hour PR for me.  I also got a new 50 Mile Road PR at 6:50:00.  I know that my coach Jason, as well as my former teammates Tyler and Anne's visits and pacing during the race really helped me and pushed me to both my new PR's - so a big thanks to them and my always awesome crew!  

Listening to "Stuff You Should Know" Podcasts

 After the race, I felt much better then I did last year.  I felt like my race pacing, nutrition, and post race recovery was dialed in really well.  A big thanks goes out to all of the volunteers and the massage therapists who helped me after the race too.  Congrats to all of the runners at FANS and who raced at other weekend races, including my friends and teammates at the Minneapolis Marathon and Half Marathon.