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.

Running and Relaxing in the Black Hills

Over the long Labor Day weekend I traveled out to the Black Hills for a bit of running and relaxation. The Black Hills are only 12 hours away from my home in Duluth, MN and have great trail running, forests, lakes, and weather - all at 4,000 to 6,000 feet altitude! They are a great place to visit.

What $4 gets you for breakfast at Wall Drug

After driving through the night my trip of course started with breakfast at Wall Drug. It is amazing what a few bucks buys you to eat there. After that I drove into Badlands National Park for a morning run. The temps were still mild when I started, but as the sun came up and I was finishing my run the temps started to rise.

At Badlands National Park

I then finished driving to Rapid City and the Black Hills. I found a camp site at one of the National Forest campgrounds and then set out to find some geocaches. By the end of the trip I found about 20 caches in addition to all the miles I racked up on the area's trails. Dinner at camp that night was excellent - and topped off with Jiffy Pop! Can't beat that!!

On the way up Harney Peak on one of my assents

The next morning I set out from camp early and drove to the Harney Peak trail head at Silvan Lake in Custer State park. Harney Peak is the highest point in the USA east of the rocky mountains at 7,250 feet, and the trail to the top climbs about 3,000 feet. I had a long run to do today so I ran the trail to the top 4 1/2 times - which was about 50k and 12,000 feet of climbing - in 4:28:58. It was a great place to do a long run, and a nice challange too!

At the top of Harney Peak on the first asscent

Relaxing after the long run

After my long run I ate lunch and drove into Custer, SD to get some delicious and well deserved frozen yogurt. I then drove the wildlife loop and Iron Mt. road getting a few more geocaches, taking in the views, and of course feeding the mostly tame burros of Custer State Park. It was a great trip for both training and rest & relaxation.