The Week - June 27th

Don't worry - no mention of Football here other than the fact that I won't mention football....

It has been a quiet week for me so the blog is going to be short and concise. The last two weeks left me jaded and in particular, 11,000 feet and 50k of trails in hot sun last weekend left me frazzled.

So, I had three days off. Ran a pacey 8 miles Wednesday, 8 miles Thursday and then had a BRUTAL massage on Friday. Boy oh boy did Mark nail my legs with some seriously painful trigger point massage.

Saturday I did a double day with another pacey 8 miles and then a steady 6 mile trail run in the evening. Sunday, today, I ran a half marathon at just under 8 min miles which felt pretty good. I went out early to avoid most of the heat... having said that, it was still hot!

For me, this week and this weekend was all about Western States 100 mile Trail Race. http://www.ws100.com/

This race is very much considered one of THE ultras to do in your lifetime. Of course, actually getting in the race is hard enough. Running it is torture. I had particular interest this year as Brit, Ian Sharman was taking part.

Ian is my 'hot tip' for an ultra star in the making. He has pace and a natural ability that many would die for.

Following on line he obviously started nice and steady. Two reasons I guess: respect for the race and also the field he was racing against. It was very much a 'who's who' of named ultra runners. In particular: Anton Krupicka, Kilian Jornet Burgada and Geoff Roes. As it turned out this was the top three but not in that order. Roes won in a ridiculous course record of 15:07 - YES, 15:07 for 100 fantastically tough trail miles..... my tip for the race, Krupicka came in 2nd and Burgada came in 3rd. I think many thought Burgada had a great overall chance but he had run 1000km just two weeks earlier.... not the ideal taper!! As it turned out, Ian Sharman came through the field and finished a superb 8th. H e has told me it was the HARDEST thing he has ever done and he said from mile 62 he felt awful.... that is a long way to feel awful!!

Race history:

In 1955, the late Wendell T. Robie with a party of five horsemen rode the Western States Trail from Squaw Valley to Auburn, proving that horses could still cover 100 miles in one day. Through his energy and vision, he subsequently founded the Western States Trail Foundation and organized the annual Western States Trail Ride, also known as the Tevis Cup "100 Miles - One Day" Ride.

Wendell Robie during an early Tevis Ride

In 1974, with the inspiration and encouragement of Drucilla Barner, 1st woman to win the Tevis Cup and Secretary of the WSTF, Tevis veteran Gordy Ainsleigh joined the horses of the Western States Trail Ride to see if he could complete the course on foot. Twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes later Gordy arrived in Auburn, proving that a runner could indeed traverse the rugged 100 miles in one day. Gordy's own account is HERE.

In 1975, a second runner, Ron Kelley, attempted the same feat, only to withdraw within two miles of the finish with ample time remaining. In 1976, Ken "Cowman" Shirk ran the 100 miles, finishing just 30 minutes over the 24-hour mark.

In 1977, 14 men from four states participated in the 1st official Western States Endurance Run, which was held in conjunction with the Tevis Cup Ride. Runners were monitored by Dr. Bob Lind at the three veterinary stops set up for the horses, and although the race organization transported the entrants gear, runners were responsible for producing all of their own supplies, except water. Three runners finished the course: Andy Gonzales, age 22, in the record-breaking time of 22:57, and Peter Mattei and Ralph Paffenbarger, ages 53 and 54, who tied in 28:36 (and the 30-hour award was born!).

Founding Runners, Gordy Ainsleigh and Cowman Shirk

In the fall of 1977, the Board of Directors for the Western States Endurance Run was formed as part of the Western States Trail Foundation. It was made up primarily of the handful of runners and riders who had helped monitor the progress of the 14 pioneers earlier that summer. The Run organization later became its own entity and is now known as the Western States Endurance Run Foundation.

1978 heralded a dramatic increase in both interest and participation in the Western States Run. Culminating a year-long effort by the inspired Gang of Four (Phil Gardner, Mo Livermore, Shannon Weil, and Curt Sproul) to create an independent event, the race took place in June, a month earlier than the Tevis Cup Ride. The event mushroomed to include 21 aid stations and six medical checks, thanks to an ever-growing corps of loyal volunteers and the support of the Placer County Sheriff 's Communications Reserve and the Search and Rescue Unit. 63 adventurers ran the race, and the first woman, Pat Smythe, finished in 29:34.

One hundred forty-three runners from 21 states and three foreign countries attempted the course in 1979.