Sean O’Brien 100km – A real SOB of a run
“It's too big a world
to be in competition with everyone. The only person who I have to be
better than is myself.” ~Colonel Potter, MASH 4077
After my recent failure at RDL100, I rushed to find another hard race where I could prove to myself that I had the mental toughness that I would need for AC. SOB was the convenient choice. It comes early in the 2016 season and has a well deserved reputation as being of the hardest 100km courses around.
The weekend started with a guys’ road trip, with Kevin, Satpal and Alex – otherwise known as an Earth friendly carpool. We arrived a little late, but the race director, Keira Henninger, was kind enough to sign us in the race anyway, along with free beer. What bad race begins with “free beer”? None, of course.
"We all know it's brutal up there at the front, especially those of us at the rear" ~Frank Burns, MASH 4077
Our 62 mile run began the way all 62 mile runs do – the first 23 miles were sooo easy. By then, the cool morning gave way, or relented, to our mid-winter heat wave. The 9 mile slog up the hill was thankfully broken up with a cool creek crossing. Those of us brining up the rear had the luxury of taking our time. Kevin had to fight keeping up with Stephen Wassather and Jesse Haynes – a tall order for us mortals. Kevin finished third male. What a champ!
“For your condition you are in great condition.” ~Hawkeye Pierce, MASH 4077
With aggressive cut-offs and a drop-down option, SOB proved to be a mental challenge as well as a physical one. With an uphill finish to a 3:30 cutoff at mile 43, I wasn’t sure I could make it. My climbing legs seemed finished. I was passed by an older woman who looked just like ultrarunning champion, Nikki Kimball. As she passed, she said, “You pass me again in a few minutes, OK?”. Was she even real, or did I just imagine the whole exchange? I needed to hear that. I ran every section I could, and hiked the climbs as fast I could. When I arrived with just 5 minutes to spare, a couple of runners that I zig-zagged with were slumped in chairs. While they seemed strong to me, they threw in the towel, not even taking the “easier” 50-mile out.
Well, I'm certainly a lot luckier than some of the people we've seen come through here. ~Father Mulcahy, MASH 4077
The 90-minute deadline to make the next 6.5 section was generous for a change, giving me enough time to take pictures at the M.A.S.H. filming site, and do some yoga (seriously). Was it the yoga or the cool night air, I found my climbing legs, and made the 2,000 ft climb far faster than the 2.5 hrs allotted. The run down from the final aid station through the “Angry Chihuahua” was largely uneventful. I took it easy, figuring it didn’t matter if I finished in 15 hours or 15:41. I chose the latter option. I may have finished just 66th out of 72 finishers, but that’s still better than the 67 non-finishers.
“You'll have to excuse these two, they are themselves today”. ~Colonel Potter, MASH 4077
Kevin and my adventures paled in comparison to what Alex and Satpal went through. They opted to drop down to the 50-mile route, but instead were redirected by a pair of course vandals into a late night adventure including a trip to Malibu Beach and a 1,600 ft climb. Fortunately, this pair of ultra running veterans took it all in stride. They were eventually rescued by a bi-curious park ranger, as in curious about bipedal exercise. With adventures like these, who wouldn’t be?
After my recent failure at RDL100, I rushed to find another hard race where I could prove to myself that I had the mental toughness that I would need for AC. SOB was the convenient choice. It comes early in the 2016 season and has a well deserved reputation as being of the hardest 100km courses around.
The weekend started with a guys’ road trip, with Kevin, Satpal and Alex – otherwise known as an Earth friendly carpool. We arrived a little late, but the race director, Keira Henninger, was kind enough to sign us in the race anyway, along with free beer. What bad race begins with “free beer”? None, of course.
"We all know it's brutal up there at the front, especially those of us at the rear" ~Frank Burns, MASH 4077
Our 62 mile run began the way all 62 mile runs do – the first 23 miles were sooo easy. By then, the cool morning gave way, or relented, to our mid-winter heat wave. The 9 mile slog up the hill was thankfully broken up with a cool creek crossing. Those of us brining up the rear had the luxury of taking our time. Kevin had to fight keeping up with Stephen Wassather and Jesse Haynes – a tall order for us mortals. Kevin finished third male. What a champ!
“For your condition you are in great condition.” ~Hawkeye Pierce, MASH 4077
With aggressive cut-offs and a drop-down option, SOB proved to be a mental challenge as well as a physical one. With an uphill finish to a 3:30 cutoff at mile 43, I wasn’t sure I could make it. My climbing legs seemed finished. I was passed by an older woman who looked just like ultrarunning champion, Nikki Kimball. As she passed, she said, “You pass me again in a few minutes, OK?”. Was she even real, or did I just imagine the whole exchange? I needed to hear that. I ran every section I could, and hiked the climbs as fast I could. When I arrived with just 5 minutes to spare, a couple of runners that I zig-zagged with were slumped in chairs. While they seemed strong to me, they threw in the towel, not even taking the “easier” 50-mile out.
Well, I'm certainly a lot luckier than some of the people we've seen come through here. ~Father Mulcahy, MASH 4077
The 90-minute deadline to make the next 6.5 section was generous for a change, giving me enough time to take pictures at the M.A.S.H. filming site, and do some yoga (seriously). Was it the yoga or the cool night air, I found my climbing legs, and made the 2,000 ft climb far faster than the 2.5 hrs allotted. The run down from the final aid station through the “Angry Chihuahua” was largely uneventful. I took it easy, figuring it didn’t matter if I finished in 15 hours or 15:41. I chose the latter option. I may have finished just 66th out of 72 finishers, but that’s still better than the 67 non-finishers.
“You'll have to excuse these two, they are themselves today”. ~Colonel Potter, MASH 4077
Kevin and my adventures paled in comparison to what Alex and Satpal went through. They opted to drop down to the 50-mile route, but instead were redirected by a pair of course vandals into a late night adventure including a trip to Malibu Beach and a 1,600 ft climb. Fortunately, this pair of ultra running veterans took it all in stride. They were eventually rescued by a bi-curious park ranger, as in curious about bipedal exercise. With adventures like these, who wouldn’t be?
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