Going into the 2016 Canyons 100k

May 02, 2016

Going into the 2016 Canyons 100k

My post-run treat!

The Canyons 100k picks the hardest 50km of the Western States course, and makes you do it twice - out and back. With 14.5k ft of elevation gain (16k) on my Strava, it’s much tougher than Quicksilver or Sean O’Brien 100ks, which look similar on paper. The difference on trail is what matters. And it's even 2 miles more than 100km!

Starting from Foresthill, a small town built around a Western States aid station, we ran eastward towards the trailhead. It’s typically hot in the Canyons, but by 2016, we were due for a little climate change. With a forecasted high temp of just 54F and all day rain, the trail soon turned slick. The run down from Michigan Bluff to El Dorado creek and then up to the Pump was smooth as most long runs are in the first 10 miles. For me, things started to go wrong early, starting with foot irritation. The rainy descent down Devil’s Thumb was fast, but I gave my toe to the Thumb way too often.

Tim Tollefson, champion ultrarunner passed us on the climb up, after starting his mere 50km race 90 minutes after us 100km runners. In the past three races, I ran farther than Tim, Lance Armstrong and Tim Olson. Sure, I’m just compensating - what I lack in speed, talent and good looks, I make up for in spades with senility and idiocy.

The muddy climb up the 20% grade was complicated by the runners still headed down and what was now rain soaked muddy single track. Those of us going up were doing the mud-climb tango, two steps forward, one step sliding back. The ones running down were doig the ass-wipe dance - falling on their asses and wiping the mud off.

The return trip from here, a 3000 ft mud surfing descent followed by 2000 ft climb up to Michigan Bluff made many of us idiots question their sanity. What’s wrong with 50km? After descent down the canyons of our idiocy and returning, would we be sane enough to call it good?

My stomach was already acting up, probably from the burrito the night before. I wasn’t eating very well, and was already walking dead. Would I get my second wind by mile 20 or 25 like I often do? Or was I to just continue breaking wind? Hint: not many runners ran close behind me.

The second half of the run starts with a mostly descending 25km towards Ruck-a-Chucky. Still bonking, and walking much of the runnable Cal 1-to-Cal 2 section, I decided to skip even attempting to eat at Cal 2. After all, what’s better to address a lack of energy than to skip eating? As stupid as that sounds, it worked. I finally caught a second wind at miles 40 to 48, running to Ruck-a-Chucky. My new-found burst of energy would only last so long. I’d been depleted by mile 58, and walked most of the way to the finish.

So my second foray into the canyons tested my resolve. Can I commit to something stupid, like signing up for a crazy hard 100km “training” run for AC100, and finish it on an off-day. So now we all know. When I commit to something stupid, I follow through. Either I’m committed to being stupid or I should be committed for being stupid.