Superstition Wilderness 25K & 50K / Sunday 1.2.11

Come join the Group for a fun Run though the Superstition Wilderness this Sunday, January 2^nd. We are starting from First Water Trail head off the Apache Trail just past the Lost Dutchman State Park entrance in Apache Junction at 7:00 AM. Should be a fun group running through the Wilderness Area on the 18.6 mile Dutchman Trail to the Peralta Trail head. We’ll have a water refill station and some food there and a ride back to the start line for those that want to call it a day at 18 miles (space is limited so let me know if you can.) The 50K’ers will head back up the Peralta Trail finishing the circle of Weaver’s Needle and back down Black Mesa to the start/finish. Amazing views, cool temps, and some of the best single track trail running outside of the Canyon. Should be chilly? Bring a long sleeve. Gaiters recommended. Contact Jeremy D at 480-415-5315 or jdougherty@hotelvalleyho.com for more details!

Last Wednesday run of 2010

Come join us on the last Wednesday run of the year. Run off that excess eggnog and fruit cake and partake in about an hour run in the mountain preserves on the trails. Meet at the top of Squaw Peak drive at 5:15 a.m. Dress warm it should be a cold one this week.

Runners of the week are all the peeps that joined in on Honey’s Christmas Eve Day run in the Preserve. Two and half hours of up and down every mountain. Lots of fun and good times.

Santa Says Go Run 12.22.10

Hey group, Santa is coming to town. He's been working out at core-class getting ready for the big day. One of Santa's elf told us we all need to go for a group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Rain or shine. Wednesday morning 5:16 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive. Bring a headlamp because Rudolph will be a no show. Be prepared for an hour run at a slow to moderate pace.

Remember Kopol Run 12.14.10

Blizzard like conditions, two feet of snow, below zero temperature. Or 55 degrees under clear skies. The latter sounds more appealing for a trail run and that's what we have in Phoenix. Lets eat it up. Group trail run tomorrow in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. 5:17 AM at the end of squaw peak drive trail head. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Over the weekend we lost a long time WMRCer and running partner. Jeff and Rachel had to put down Kopol. Kopal lived a wonderful 12 years. He was strong, friendly and a great runner. He had the best owners a dog could have. Just last year the 11 year old Kopol ran the rugged Cave Creek Trail Marathon. Check out the footage below and the Kopol Blog. RIP Kopol!!!

Jody's Run 2010 from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

Also, a shout out to the McDowell Mountain Frenzy runners. 50K Paulette (1st place Female), Joe G (top 10), Mark Hellenthal. 25K Albert Shank (6th), Jon Roig, Laura Encinas (2nd female, Lisa Osinga. Please let us know if we missed any WMRCer!! We want to know!

Cave Creek Trail Marathon Fun Run / 1.30.11

When: January 30th, 2011

Time: 7:30 AM

Where: Spur Cross Conservation Area

Cave Creek, Arizona

Distance: 26.2 Miles with 6,200' elevation gain

Hydration: 60 oz. Minimum to start

Aid Station: There is one aid station at the 12 mile mark. It will have all the regular ultra type food.

Jody Chase would like to invite her running friends to participate in another trail run in beautiful Tonto National Forest. This is only a gathering of friends who enjoy each other's company, the trails and would like to train on this gorgeous loop in a semi supported fashion. Last year was a record turn out of over 40 people. I will provide water/aid at the "top" of the loop, approximately 12 miles and will mark the course so I don't lose anyone. Maps will be provided. Although you are responsible for your own direction finding and well being. Donations of $10.00 will be graciously accepted. Whatever is left over after I pay for aid station supplies will be given to charity or other needy entity. This is a tough course that is not for the timid. The average finishing time is 6 hours. If you are not familiar with trail running, trail finding, trail etiquette, are ill-equipped, do not hydrate or are not prepared for the rigors, challenges of trail running in Arizona's back country, please wait another year. Search and rescue are not in my budget. Otherwise, for those who meet the above criteria, I would love to see you in January as some of the toughest runners in the valley gather to share a great run.

2010 Report and Results

2010 Videos: Here and Here

Directions to the start and finish

For additional information contact Jody Chase at: ultrachase_1@yahoo.com

WMRC 12/8

We are on for a 1:06 moderatley paced trail run Wed am at 5:16 am. Meet at the top lot of Sq Pk Dr. Very dark out there this am with no moon, get some new batteries for your headlamp.

Congrats to the sun devils for the current streak of one win in a row against the Cats. It took a miracle but you can actually miss an extra point twice in one game. Now I know how the devils felt all season. On to B-ball season for the devils-hee hee. Good luck to all 85 Div 1 teams that made it to a bowl game this year.

Runner of the week goes Andrew Heard for his return to the trails. He "won" the South Mountain 50 K fun run organized by Robert Andrulis on Sat, great job Robert! Here are somne other results....well done everyone.

- The ‘whole enchilada’
Andrew Heard 5:23
Debbie Leftwich 7:20
Melissa Masteller 8:05
- 20.8 miles (or so)
Nick Coury 3:26
Nathan Coury 3:28
Jeremy Dougherty 4:13
- Some other variation up to (or maybe more than) 20 miles
Kate Hansen 4:45
Tiffany Foster * 4:50
Stephanie Taylor* 4:50
Stephanie Buettner 4:54
Katie Daugherty 4:59
Justin Fredricksen 4:59
Paul Norberg ^ 6:25

See everyone tomorrow, bright and early.

Pre Game ASU Vs UofA trail run 12/1/10

Thursday is the big game between the Sun Devils and the Wild Cats!! Come on out for a group trail run Wednesday morning to discuss Mike Stoops' anger issues and how the Sun Devils will make him blow another gasket. Meet at the very top lot of squaw peak drive in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve Park. Departure time is 5:16AM. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. Or any pace that you can handle without getting lost.

Runners of the Week: a bunch of hardy runners ran Donovan's Tom Thumb 50K over the weekend. Paul Bonnet won in a course record 5:34 followed by Bourque, Honey (1st female), Deb Hamberlin, Brian soto, Laura Nagy and Hall Gensler. Marathon finishers Jon Woehl, Jerry Portelli, Melissa Masteller. There was some 60K runners too!!! Paul Rondeau, Liz Everly, Jeff Byant and Gary Coronado. Who says wrong turns are bad?

Help the Troops: I know this is short notice but any help would be great. Jeff Jones has organized the following. I'm sure everyone has old cell phones laying around.

Here's two way to help the troops, do them both.

On Wednesday 12/1 bring any and all care package items. Jeff Jones will take it from there and get them delivered through a KPHO TV 5 promotion. You can also give him your goodies at the South Mountain "get together" 50K on Saturday. Care package donation list

Also, if anyone has any old cell phones laying around. Dust that relic off and donate it to a good cause. Over the next 3 WMRC runs give your old phones to Jeff Jones. He'll get them into the right hands so they can be sold and turned into phone minutes for the troops. Below is the link of the charity we will be using. Make sure to purge your phone all all personal data. http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

WMRC 11/24

It is time for a pre turkey day trot. We will meet at 5:16am at the top lot of SQ PK Dr. An easy paced 1:05 run in the preserve. There shouldbe an A team and B team this week as well.

Congrats to all Ironman finishers.

The water was 6o degrees and Joe G said he felt like Jack Dawson sinking into the Atlantic.

Here Joe gets his seal skin pulled off him, looks fun huh?

Joe Galope
Swim: 1:51:03 Bike: 7:12:40 Run: 5:00:56 14:17:40

Kirk McCarville
Swim: 1:19:30 Bike: 6:29:49 Run: 7:27:06 15:30:03

There was also a Coury bro's event somewhere on the westside. Jeremy ran around in circles for 50 miles. Great job to the Coury boys for another great event.

See everyone Wed 5:16 am.

Run Reminder 11.17.10

Hello Peeps!! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the wonderful Arizona weather. Tomorrow is Wednesday. Group run day. Come on out and enjoy a group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Meet at the trail head at the very top of Squaw Peak Drive North of Glendale / Lincoln. 5:16 AM. Plan on a little over 1 hour at a slow to moderate pace. If you are completely out of shape and scared to attend, no worries, Bigg Higg is worse off than you and will be leading group B in meandering shorter route.

Runners of the Week: Lots of known worthy individuals and I am sure not known worthy individuals. BTW The Cardinals are NOT WORTHY!!! Congrats to the finishers of Pass Mountain 50K: Jon, Paulette, Jeremy, Laura N. Congrats to Mad Dog 50K first place female finisher: Kate McCarville. Special note to Back Country Grand Canyon survivors: Art, Honey, John P. Another special note to White Tank runners: Mark C, Katie C, Molly and Jethro. BLUE TOO!

The Arizona Ironman is Sunday. I assume the water is flowing into Tempe Town Lake. Good luck to all WMRC runners: Joe G, Kirk and Mark M. Missing anyone???

Who is putting their name into the hat for Western States 100? Sign-ups are happening now!!!

Wednesday reminder for Nov. 10th

What a fantastic week of running we’ve had. This past Saturday was the inaugural Sedona 50K. Rachel and Liz enjoyed the beautiful scenery with great runs. Honey gets runner of the week for her strong finish as 2^nd woman finisher. I found some very nice pics here and here of the race. We may have to mark this one down on our calendar for next year.

Looking out towards the Northwest, the Coury Bros. ran the 2010 USA Marathon Trail Championships. Jamil was 18^th in a time of 3:17:20, Nick was 21^st , 3:25:40. Well done!

Looking forward, check out the run Donovan is putting on at Tom’s Thumb in three weeks on November 27^th. Jeff made a really cool award that will be raffled off. Check it out here. Aravaipa Running continues with their fall line of running events. And Zane Grey 50 registration is now open.

Looking to the immediate future, come join us for a trail run in the morning. We’re hitting the trail at 5:15 a.m. from the top of Squaw Peak drive and running into Higg’s neighborhood to bang on his door in the pre-dawn hours to get him to make us all pancakes if he doesn’t show up tomorrow!

Wednesday reminder for Nov. 3rd

Come celebrate the election to end all elections....for another two years.

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve Wednesday morning 5:16 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Dr. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Aravaipa Running is hosting the Pass Mountain Trail runs next weekend out at Usery Park in Mesa as part of their Desert Runner Trail Series. Jamil and Nick are offering us a discount to this run. If you register online through ultrasignup with code WMRC20, you'll get 20% off any of the distances. They'll keep the code active through Thursday night. The info for the run is here and the sign up link is here.

WMRC Run reminder 10/27

The 2010 Javelina 100-mile run is in the books. Arizona’s largest ultra was another great success, produced by Nick and Jamil. The event had a large WMRC turnout with the gang either running, pacing, crewing, volunteering, spectating or burning the midnight oil at an aid station. Congratulations to everyone who was a part of it.

Come out and join us for a Wednesday morning run on the trails at 5:15 a.m. at the top of Squaw Peak Drive. It’s guaranteed to be easier than last week (because I can’t imagine it being any harder).

Cool Wednesday Morning Run Reminder

Come run with some cool people and some not so cool people on the Wednesday morning trail run from the top of Squaw Peak drive. A moderately paced one hour trot over hill and dale departing from the parking lot at 5:15 a.m.

A bunch of cool people went and did a double crossing of the Grand Canyon this past weekend. I wasn’t one of them, so I’m not cool. Instead I rode my bike up and down the Beeline Hwy. three times past the garbage dump. Fun! The cool people consisted of Paul R., Donovan, Honey, Liz, Jeremy and Anthony. Anthony did a whole bunch more extra miles, just enough for him to have a close encounter with God. Runner of the week goes to Paul R. who completed the double crossing for his first time. Well done!

WMRC Run reminder - 10/13

Another week, and another illustrious day for run out on the trails. Come join us for an hour or so jaunt through the mountain preserve starting at the top of Squaw Peak drive, departing at 5:15 a.m.

Kudos to Honey and Debbie for race directing the Mazatzals Trail Run (a.k.a. mini-Zane Grey). Runners of the week go to Jamil and Laura for their glorious victories on Sunday at Matazals. Lots of WMRC’ers also running included Nick, Paul, Jon, Paulette and Jeremy.

Congratulations to Chris Latvaaho at the Kona Ironman World Championship this past Saturday. After swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles (averaging 22 mph) he ran a 3:18 marathon to close out the day finishing 40th in his division. Well done!

Summer is over celebration run

Summer is over! Come join us for a run on the trails with a dozen of your best friends! 5:16 a.m. at the top of Squaw Peak Drive.

Congratulations to everyone that ran Man Against Horse up in Prescott over the weekend. Honey, Jamil, Nick, Joanne (first woman overall) and Jon R. all ran solid performances. I haven’t seen results yet, so apologies to anyone that I may have missed. Runner’s of the week go out to Paul Randeau who completed his first 50-miler at Man Against Horse, and also to Debbie Leftwich who ran her SIXTEENTH 100-miler at Arkansas 100. She was 7^th woman overall.

Last month, Jody went to Europe to run the Ultra-Trail de Monte Blanc and put together this nice video of her adventure.

France/Italy 2010 from Jody Chase on Vimeo.

Wednesday morning reminder.

Come join us on our weekly Wednesday morning run starting at 5:16 a.m. tomorrow at the top of Squaw Peak Drive where the road ends and the trail begins. Plan on about a moderately paced hour through the trails with a brief stop for water/restrooms at 40th street returning for a total of about 5.5-miles. Bring a friend, bring a neighbor, bring yourself. Good times and happy trails.

Congratulations to Jody for finishing the Bear 100-mile endurance run through Utah and Idaho finishing 4th woman overall. And congratulations to everyone that participated in the 12-hour run in the McDowell Mountain Park over the weekend. Good job Nick, Jamil and the rest of the Coury clan for another excellently well run event. See you in the morning!

BEAR 100 Webcast

Go Jeff Jones & Jody Chase!!!!

2010 Bear 100 Live Results Page
Good Morning Everyone,
Just wanted you all to know that JJ and Jody both looked good this morning at the start. It was in the 40's with a beautiful full moon. JJ slept well but was a little nervous this morning. At the race meeting yesterday the main concern was to watch out for the elk hunters! I will hopefully see JJ at Cowley, Right Hand Fork and Temple Fork. RJ

Nick makes Team USA at National Championship

Come out and enjoy a beautiful Wednesday morning run with your friends in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and help celebrate this week’s Runner of the Week, Nick Coury. Not only did Nick run 136-miles in under 24-hours, placing third for men, winning $500 and making the national team to go to the World Championships in Switzerland, but he did it in Cleveland! His splits were 50 miles in 7:49, 100K in 9:29, 100 miles in 17:50, and 136 miles in 23:56.

Looking forward, JJ and Jody will both be running the Bear 100-mile run in Utah/Idaho this weekend. So if JJ shows up, we’ll take it easy to try and not kill him before his long run. Rachel will be pacing him and we don’t want her mad at us.

Be there, or be square at the top of Squaw Peak Drive. Departure time is 5:17 a.m.

WMRC Run reminder 9/15

This is your friendly reminder for our weekly group run. Meet at 5:16am at the top lot of SQ PK drive. We will go for an 1:04 run in the mtns behind SQ PK. Moderate pace with some hills and maybe some hooters. Explain later.

Runners of the week: Shout out to Mike Auther, WMRC newbie. He completed his longest run (time wise) in the Imogene Mountain run. This is a run from Ouray to Telluride in Colorado. The race is 9 miles up and 9 miles down peaking at 13,000 ft. He finished in just over 5 hours. Way to go Mike! Keep it going.

WMRC Friend and JJ man crush, Anthony Culpepper, got 4th place in the Wasatch 100 miler in the Mountains of Utah. This is one of the hardest 100's out there and AC finished in just over 21 hours. JJ is very proud of him!

Honey, Higgie, Paulette, Joe G, Skipper, Bluedog and I ran the 911 reflection run on Sat. We all took turns carrying the flag and did an easy hour Saturday morning to celebrate our freedom and thank those who provide it for us like our WMRCer's Bill Barthen and Robert Andrulis. Thanks, see you out on the trails.

9/11 Reflection Run

9/11 Reflection Run: We are going to meet at 7:00 AM at Dreamy Draw Park Parking lot (exit Northern off SR-51) for the annual "Reflection Run. This is a SLOW run in the preserve up and around red mound. No one should run alone on this day. Slow pace, good company, be thankful, reflect, look-forward.

Wednesday Reminder 9.8.10

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning 5:17 AM. We've been meeting at the same location for years so no need to change now:) Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Runner of the Week: Joe Galope runs his 96th marathon during the Buckeye Endurance Runs this past weekend. Nice work Joe! Also props to the Coury boys for putting one two events this weekend. The Silverton 6day, 72hr, 48hr and 24hr run Colorado and the Buckeye Endurance Runs in Arizona. Thanks Jamil, Nick, and Nathan.

9/11 Reflection Run: Saturday is 9/11. We are going to meet at 7:00 AM at Dreamy Draw Parking lot (exit Northern off SR-51) for the annual "Reflection Run". This is a SLOW run in the preserve up and around red mound. Nothing better than running with a group on this day. Slow pace, good company, be thankful, reflect, look-forward.

Wednesday Run Reminder 9.1.10

The morning weather is getting nice! Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve Wednesday morning 5:16 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Dr. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Check out Paulette Zillmer's Leadville Race Report. Great job Paulette!

Bulldog recovery run 8.25.10

Reminder: Group trail run this Wednesday Morning 5:15 AM in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Meet at the very top parking lot on Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Drive. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Runner of the Week: Congratulations to Dave westhoff who ran and completed his first Ultra Marathon the Bulldog 50K near Malibu California. Chris Harrison, who also ran the race, reports that Westy ran a great race with very few challenges - strong and steady was the theme of the day as he powered up the hills to finish in 6:29. Great job Westy and Hos!

Kudos also go to Liz Everly and Laura Nagy who ran the Where's Waldo 100K in Oregon. Laura finished in 15:13 with Liz just 5 min back.

Pacing Duty of the weekend: Art Bourque was spotted sporting his WMRC shirt at the Leadville 100 Trail Run this past weekend. Bourque paced Neil Blake to a 27:11 finish. The picture below is the calm before the storm. 6 hours later the smiles turning into puking and staggering in the night. Good job Blake and Bourque.

Nice write-up in the Trail Runner's Magazine news letter on Jeff Jones TPC slam. Check it out.

Leadville Taper Run 8.18.10

Reminder: Group trail run tomorrow morning in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Meet at 5:16 AM at the very top parking lot of squaw peak drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Drive. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. B-team hung til the end last Week. Will he / they do it again?

ROW: The streak is broken...Cosmas has failed to submit his weekly exploit to the Board of Directors thus he will not be awarded a fifth Runner of the Week in a row. Congrats to Donovan Sarka for his completion of the El Vaquero 50K in Wyoming. Looks like a very pretty run.

Leadville 100: Good luck to WMRC runner Paulette Zillmer who is running the Leadville Trail 100 mile run starting early Saturday morning. We know she is going to do really well. Have fun. Stay safe.

Late addition: this administrator is asleep at the wheel. How could we forget two other big events this weekend? Good luck to Liz Everly and Laura Nagy in Where's Waldo 100K in Oregon and Dave Westhoff and Chris Harrison running the Bulldog 50K in Malibu. This will be Westy's 1st ultra marathon!!

Back To School Morning Run 8.11.10

School is now in session! Time to hit the trails with new energy. Reminder: Group trail run tomorrow morning. 5:15 AM. Top parking lot squaw peak drive in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Group A Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. Group B join Higgy on a stroll with no apparent aim.

Is it possible that someone can win Runner of the Week four weeks in a row? Apparently yes. After completing the world's hardest 50K in Utah just 3 days prior, Cosmas competes in the prestigious Trail Runner Magazine's Treadmill Uphill Challenge. Cos held his own against the likes of Timmy Parr, Kurpicka, and Max King Finishing 18th overall!!....out of a field of 18... No photography was allowed so we hired a courtroom artist to give us a rendering. We didn't have much in the budget to pay anyone with actual experience. Went with a laid off cartoonist. Nice job Cos!!!

Ultra Marathon Study / Participants Needed

Fat Use and Optimal Running Speed Study for Ultramarathons

This study, led by Christos Katsanos, PhD from Arizona State University, along with honors Kinesiology students Nathan Coury and John Kline (serving as their honors theses), aims to determine 1) If there is an optimal running speed where fat is the primary substrate used for energy and 2) If this optimal running speed is a better predictor of performance than VO2max. By measuring the ratio of fat versus carbohydrates used at a given speed either running or walking, we hope to determine the highest speed that a runner can travel at over a given distance while still using primarily fat as his or her main fuel source. We would like to recruit 15 male runners for this study, mainly to avoid complications with menstrual cycles, but future studies may include female subjects as well. Potential participants must also have completed a 50 mile or longer run in the past 5 years and be in a healthy condition.

The study will be conducted both in the lab and in the field. For the lab portion, subjects will be asked to come in on 4 separate occasions to the Clinical Research Unit exercise laboratory at Arizona State University Tempe campus. One session will be used to determine optimal walking speed (a sub-maximal test) and VO2max (a maximal test), and the other three days will be used to determine optimal running speed (a sub-maximal test), all performed on the treadmill. Lab tests will all be completed in the mornings, save special circumstances, but definitely between the hours of 8am-5pm Monday through Friday. For the field portion, subjects will participate in a 50 mile race on a flat 500-meter dirt track as a test of performance to validate lab findings. The race will take place in Buckeye, Arizona on November 20th starting at 7am. Free race entry will be given to all study participants. During both the lab and field tests, participants will eat an individually-determined standardized breakfast before each lab session and on race morning, use a heart rate monitor, use an accelerometer, a Rate of Perceived Exertion scale, and a non-invasive scale used to measure Body Mass Index (BMI). We will be taking an inventory of all food and fluid intake during the race, as well as assessing each subjects medical condition and rate of perceived exertion in 5 mile intervals.

Participation is voluntary and each subject is free to withdraw from the study at any time. There are no costs associated with participation. The risks associated with participation in this trial do not exceed the risks normally associated with participating in a 50 mile ultramarathon race. Your participation will help the ultra endurance running community at large by determining what the optimal speed to run ultramarathon races in order to maximize fat use and thus help runners to achieve their personal best performances, and to minimize problems associated with incorrect pacing. If we find that this optimal running speed is also a better indicator of performance in ultramarathon races than VO2max, this could mean hope for those who do not perform as well in shorter races because they may still be able to do well in longer ultramarathon events.

If you are interested in a chance to become a participant in this study, please send an email with “Ultramarathon Study” in the subject line to Nathan.Coury@asu.edu to receive more information.

Speed Goat Recovery Run 8.4.10

Reminder: Group Trail Run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve Wednesday Morning 5:17 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace (unless Kirk is leading). First timers are always welcome. Are we forgetting anything?? ...

Runner of the week: Congrats to Mark Cosmas who ran the Speedgoat 50K last Saturday. 9:56. This is the race that Karl Meltzer is the director of. Its touted at the hardest 50K in the world. A mini Hardrock. 12K in 32 miles! Mark said its buy far the hardest 50K even harder than some 50 mile races. Mark has promised to enlighten us with a race report after he catches his breath and finishes his travels.
Check out Jamil's Grand Mesa 100 race report. As noted last week Jamil finished 3rd overall. Just 4 weeks out from his Western States finish. Photo above courtesy of Duncan Callahan.

Group Memo: As always let us know about your adventures. We all can use some motivation to get out and run!

Waiting for Mark at mile 26 in Snowbird

Speed Goat Taper Run 7.28.10

Reminder: Wednesday morning, another group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. 5:17 AM. Top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Ave. (7200 E. Squaw Peak Drive, Phoenix, AZ). Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. A few times each year the park ranger is slow to open up the gate. Last week very slow. I don't think the gate opened until 6:00 AM. Sorry the run got messed up for everyone. In the future, when that happens the backup plan is to meet head out from the 32nd Street / Lincoln trail head. There is a small lot there but across the street you can also park in the Shopping Center.

Runners of the week: Lots of happenings. Mark, Honey, Paullete and Liz ran the classic flagstaff route of Weatherford, Humphries, Kachina. 26 miles or so which reaches the highest point in Arizona 12,633 ft.
Jamil ran the Grand Mesa 100 miler in Colorado. From his FaceBook Page, "26:12 for 3rd place. Only 5 finishers out of 26 or so starters. Ryan Burch won in 23:26. Markings were hit or miss. Some sections were really well marked while others kept you guessing. The course was deceivingly tough...."

Joe Galope won the Holy Hell 6.66 mile trail run when he took advantage of the early leaders (triathletes) getting lost. Don't know if they've been found??

Travel Award: Jeremy Dougherty, Crow Pass Crossing, Alaska. 24 miles. Need a report???

Speed Goat 50K: Good luck to Mark Cosmas this weekend when he runs the Speed Goat 50K in Utah. The "hardest 50K in the US"

Messed up morning / Roll Call

Hope everyone ended up having a good morning. Not sure what happened but the park entry appeared to be closed this morning. There was a line of cars down the street. The park entry appeared to reopen around 6:00 AM. In the future we need to have a back-up plan in the event that happens again. Maybe head over to 32nd street and Lincoln trail head. So, does anyone know what happened? Was it just a matter of the ranger getting to the park late? What did everyone end up doing?

Run Reminder 7.21.10

Run Reminder: Group trail run tomorrow morning at 5:16 AM in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Avenue. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. It will be warm so be prepared.

Runners of the Week: Mark, Lizzy, Paulette, Boone and Matt hit Flagstaff on Saturday and ran Kendrick Peak. Elevation 10,400 ft. 18 miles round trip. Sounds like one nice run.

Over that last couple of months we've followed Jeff Jones quest in running the four hardest 50 mile trail races in the country. There is actually much more to the story. Its a story of how the passing of Little Taylor Paige Cosmas a week before the Zane Grey 50 changed us all. Its as story on how a little girl's short life left a legacy. Jeff Jone's 50 mile slam has spurred into the TPC Slam. Check it out.

The following is JJ's TPC Slam recap. The video and images are from the four 50 mile races, Wednesday morning runs and past Zane Grey races.

The TPC Slam from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

Hardrock Recovery Run 7.14.10

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve tomorrow morning 5:16 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive. North of Glendale / Lincoln past the main trail head of Piestewa Peak. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.
Runner of the week: Congratulations to Robert Andrulis who completed his 4th Hardrock 100 mile Endurance Run. One more finish and he bypasses the lottery and receives automatic entry each year. Also props to Kirk and Honey. Although they didn't complete the race this year they sure covered a lot of ground. Honey had to drop at mile 71 and Kirk timed out at 85. Lots of adversity. They both completed Hardrock before so they will always be Hardrockers!

Check out this Video of one of the Hardrock finishers. Gives the run some perspective:

Heading out of Ouray!

Kirk just left Ouray with his Pacer Chris Latvaaho. Early on in the race heading into Telluride Kirk took a fall. Possible fractured thumb. Very swollen. Aid station in Ouray put a splint on it. As our on location reporter and photographer Art Bourque stated. Here comes the Pain Cave! 30 hours of racing left.

BTW reports are that Honey is running real strong. Jamil Coury is now pacing her from Ouray mile 43 to Grouse mile 58. Fun Fun Fun

Kirk heading out of Telluride

Kirk feeling good looking good.

Hardrock start

Hardrock 100 - Game On!

Good Morning! Kirk, Honey and Robert are up and rolling. Follow their progress and your other favorite runners at Hardrock 100 Live. Race officials will also be posting updates on Hardrock on Twitter. Thanks to Latvaaho and Coury for supplying update photos.

The 3 amigos 30 min before start.
Great Photo of Kirk and Honey!

Big guns lined up

1st River Crossing.

Have a great day everyone!

Let the Hardrock Games Begin!

New Finish line for Hardrock. Honey and Liz in the Background practicing:) Cold and raining in Ouary. Stay tuned for more up-to-date live reports Friday from our on scene reporter / Pacer Chris Latvaaho.

"Ultra Runner"

Guest Staring Scott Jurek:

ULTRA RUNNER from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.

Hardrock 100 Taper Run 7.7.10

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning 5:15 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Silverton, Telluride, Ouray, Lake City: 100 miles. 67,984 total elevation change. Average elevation of 11,186 ft. 6 times over 13,000 ft, High point 14,048 ft. Who would do this? Honey Albrecht, Kirk McCarvile and Robert Andrulis Friday starting at 6:00 AM Colorado time. Follow their progress live at the main website: Hardrock Live

GOOD LUCK!! HAVE FUN!! STAY SAFE!!

Western States Recovery Run 6.30.10

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning 5:16 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Runners of the week: Congrats to those that completed the Western States 100 mile endurance run on Saturday. This is the oldest and one of the most prestigious of all Ultra Runs. Out of a field that approached 500 runners Andrew Heard finished in 44th place with a time of 20:44:56. Very impressive in itself but when you factor Andrew was coming off a broken foot with limited training WOW. Jamil Coury finished just behind in 58th place. 21:41:08. Both those guys get the coveted Silver Buckle for finishing under 24 hours. Also finishing was Join Roig and Ron Harding. Both finished under the 30 hour cutoff to get the Gold Buckle.

Andrew at the finish with his his sister and pacer (not Higg or Cos! The've been replaced!)


Check out the last video instalment of JJ's 50 mile slam. Four 50 mile trail races within a couple months. The last one is from the San Juan Solstice 50 in Colorado. Beautiful scenery. Great work JJ!

2010 San Juan Solstice 50M Run from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

Western States Taper Run 6.23.10

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning, 5:15 AM. Meet at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Runners of the Week: Congrats to Jody Chase (new Colorado Resident) who ran the Big Horn 100 mile trail run in Wyoming. She was having a stellar race through the first 48 miles until her IT band started acting up. Battling 28 degree temps at night she gutted it out to finish in 28:40. Way to get it done Jody.

Jeff Jones completed his season slam of running the four hardest 50 mile races within a two month period. Jeff ran the San Juan Solstice 50 mile on Saturday finishing in 14:07:41. Now Jeff has to rank the all and give us all a little perspective.

Huge weekend: Saturday is the granddaddy of them all. The Western States 100 mile trail run from Squaw Valley to Auburn. We have 3 runners from the Group. Andrew Heard, Jamil Coury and Jon Roig. Good luck to you all. The Western States has the best Webcast out there for 100 mile races. Follow along. This years field is incredible. Who is going to win: Koerner, Roes, Krupicka, Killian, Clark, Brimhall. The list goes on and one. Follow our local boys and the whole race here. Western States 100 Mile Webcast

Flagstaff 50K Results 2010

Flagstaff 50K Results are up. Check out here.

Flagstaff 50 Recovery Run 6.16.10

Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve tomorrow morning. Meet at the very top of Squaw Peak Drive at 5:15 AM. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. Some good training going on so don't miss out!

Runner of the week: Congrats to Noah Dougherty for running his first Ultra (or Marathon) distance last weekend in the inaugural Flagstaff 50K. Nice picture of Noah on the Waterline. Also congrats to the first female finisher Honey. Jamil and Nick haven't posted the complete finishers list but it sounds like it was a very fun time for all. Paul R, Paulette, Kirk, Donovan and Jeremy included.

Laura P just forwarded the news that Caballo Blanco, the central figure in the book Born To Run is appearing at Sole Sports in Tempe for a group run and Benefit talk on Thursday June 24th. More info Here. Bring your book to get signed.

Good luck to Jeff Jones who is going for number 4 in his 50 mile slam this weekend running the San Juan Solstice 50 mile in Colorado. Also good luck to our WMRC Colorado friend Scott Jaime who is also running. Scott has had an impressive 2010 leading up to Hardrock 100 in July. Keep it going!

Squaw Kettle Deuce Recovery Run 6.9.19

Reminder: we are on for a group trail run tomorrow morning 5:17 AM within the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. Meet at the same location as always. Very top of Squaw Peak Drive north of Glendale / Lincoln Ave.Runners of the Week... and Tri-athletes too? We were spread out last weekend. Jeff Jones completed his 3rd 5o mile race this season running the Squaw Peak 50 mile above Provo Utah. 12:37 very nice. One more to go to complete his slam! Check out his latest video below. Congrats to Aaron Mascarella on completing the Kettle Moraine 100 mile run in Wisconsin. Aaron battled the weather / rain / cold. I've been assured that the picture above is indeed Aaron. Debbie Leftwich ran the 100K at Kettle Moraine and finish 3rd Women overall. Nice work Deb!

Two notables Tri-Athletes (former Ultra Trail Runners) completed in the Deuceman. Chris Latvaaho finished the Deuce's Wild Olympic Distance 6th overall 2:14:12. Very impressive but raise your hand if you want Chris to get back to 50 and 100 mile trail runs.....I do! Joe Galope who actually hasn't given up on Ultra Trail runs finished the Deuceman Triathlon 70.3 in 6:25:16. Great job Joe!!!

Squaw Peak 50 from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

WMRC Squaw Peak 50 Taper Run

Taper for whom? Jeff Jones that’s who! Reminder: We are on for a group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve tomorrow morning. 5:16 AM at the very top lot of Squaw Peak Drive. Get it while its good. 72 degrees at kickoff tomorrow. 108 degrees this weekend! Ugh.

Good luck to Jeff Jones who continues his quest on running the hardest 50-mile races this season. Only 2 weeks out from Jemez 50 Jeff is going to Utah and running the Squaw Peak 50 on Saturday. Another very tough but beautiful course. Good luck JJ!

Runner of the week goes to Andrew Heard who did the Western States training runs this past weekend. Over 70 miles of the Western States Trail over a three-day period. Nice picture of the Rucky Chucky crossing at the American River. Paul Bonnet was up there visiting and ran day 1.

Need some more motivation to get out tomorrow? Its National Running Day.

Jody's Last Wednesday Morning Run?? 5.26.10

Last week of May and it will be 68 degrees tomorrow morning! Are you kidding me? Don't miss out. Reminder: we are on for a group trail run tomorrow morning in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. 5:17 AM at the very top lot on Squaw Peak Drive. North of Glendale. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace.

Jody Chase is moving!! Jody has decided that she wants to get some real training in so she is moving to Lake City Colorado at the end of the month. This won't be her last Wednesday run with the group but it's going to be awhile. My guess we will see her when it's a negative 20 degrees with 20 feet of snow on the ground:) Everyone is invited to "Jody's I'm out of here Run / Party" Saturday morning. Come on out and line up for a hug. You can go through the line as many times as you like!

Runner of the week: Jeff Jones is on a quest to run the hardest 50 mile trail runs this summer. A different one each month. April it was Zane Grey 50. Last weekend it was number 2, The Jemez 50 mile in Los Alamos N.M. Check out JJ's latest video essay. Great job JJ. What is next month?

Jemez 50M 2010 from Jeff Jones on Vimeo.

Hamster Taper Morning Run 5/19

Does the morning weather in Phoenix get any better than right now for a run? I think Not! Reminder: Group trail run in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve tomorrow morning 5:17 AM. Meet at the beautiful trailhead located at the end of Squaw Peak Drive. Plan on a little over one hour at a slow to moderate pace. It's so bright out in the morning now I guess many of you don't even need to set an alarm:>)A Big Runner of the Week Group: Congrats to Honey, Jody, Paulette, Debbie L, Kirk, Jon and Aaron who did a R2R2R last weekend. Sounds like all had a really fun time leap frogging and finished close together. 25 degrees at the top of the north rim. Brrrr


Hotfoot Hamster 12 Hour Run, this Friday night starting at 6pm! Join us in Buckeye at Nardini Manor for a gathering of friends to circle the 500 meter dirt track as many or few times as you would like. This fun run is a no fee, fixed time event. Laps will be recorded and posted throughout the run. More info at the Hotfoot Hamster Website.


Running Hope Through America w/ Lisa Batchen from April 19th to June 19th, 2010. Lisa Smith Batchen, one of the world's premier ultra-runners, will be the first person to attempt to run 50 miles in each of the 50 states. Though two people have previously run a marathon distance in each state, no one has ever taken on the challenge of completing an ultra in the same period of time. Lisa will be in Phoenix on Tuesday, June 8th. It would be cool to get a group out to support her. Jamil is planning to run with her for a least a couple of hours. The Phoenix route isn't posted yet but will be some sort of looped course. Check it out