A Tribute to a Band of Brothers

I’ve written three different versions of this blog post and have yet to capture the raw emotion that I felt the entire weekend and suppressed for four days, until I spoke to Annie tonight at length for the first time.  So I’ll potentially post subsequent versions, but there are really not enough words, adjectives and emotional context to capture everything.

The first night, Thursday was warm with fellowship, like so many times in the past at Hood to Coast as we come together to celebrate running together and living life together each year.  I saw faces I’ve not seen for over a year and in some cases even longer, nothing compares to direct human contact, Facebook and email are great, but in person is the humanity we all know and crave.

Friday was filled with preparation, anxiety, anticipation, more fellowship and a sense of peace that I am among people I care about and admire.  I was asked to give grace at dinner Friday and while I was taken off guard and jumbled words at the dinner table struggling to put feelings I had into words, I was simply grateful for the presence of these people around the table and the others breaking bread a few miles away.

Saturday brought a solemn reminder of the bond we all share as Randy read a passage from Shakespeare to start off the race.  The entire team and crew gathered round as he read his passage and I was moved immeasurably by the words he spoke and the togetherness I felt.  We witnessed heroic efforts all day long in the searing heat across treacherous terrain, terrain these fellows hadn’t experienced in their life.  The stories from the trails as each member arrived at the aid stations, built overwhelming pride and admiration for their efforts, courage, self discovery and renewal.  They would all be rewarded in their own way come Sunday.  Pamela confirmed for me, what I already knew about her, she is a strong woman with unbounded enthusiasm and a heart of solid gold.  I made a personal discovery of my own; I really like fixing people, attending to their medical needs.  I fixed a lot of feet and that felt good, I think I’ve found my second calling and could very easily see myself as an EMT after my career in software.

Saturday, late afternoon, I took up the charge with Steve, pacing him the last 50 miles and was already in deep admiration for all that he had already accomplished.  The entire team had peered into the abyss of their soul to find resolve in continuing on, I was fresh and ready to contribute in any way possible to get him home.  I found myself giggling at times, when we were consumed by a deluge of rain, hail and lightening as the sun found the horizon on Saturday night.  Those compact ponchos came in handy for sure, but I was transported back to childhood and all the times I had explored the wooded meadows and hills around the various homes I occupied growing up, only this time I was with another brother, someone that I had shared so many memories with and was now creating endurable more on this soulful journey.  We survived, we persevered, we found hope and support in Pamela at every aid station.  Running at night is like nothing you’ve ever experienced.  There’s just you and the headlamp and your runner and his, the silence is deafening.  The path, the journey is peppered with unwavering obstacles that must be overcome and we moved among the sounds of the night like ghosts and in some instances a bit more human with every stub of the toe on a stump or rock.  As Saturday turned into Sunday, the light began filling the sky and I was giggling again as we crossed the creek five times using ropes as we plunged waist deep into the frigid, yet refreshing water.

Sunday morning brought joy and jubilation as we entered the second to last manned aid station.  We sat by the fire, conversed with friends, changed clothes, filled our bellies and undertook the last part of the journey.  The journey isn’t so much about that finish line when you’re talking about a 100 mile race, yet more so about how much your physical body is willing to listen to your mind.  All throughout the night I was witness to a man pushing beyond his physical limits to complete his journey, for that I am grateful.  Steve is in a word “driven” and will push himself beyond all physical restrictions to achieve whatever is in front of him.  His body gave him everything and more.  He had overcome so much to even be at the starting line of this race, I was humbled in so many ways.  Steve never wavered, at each aid station he thanked volunteers, calmly asked me to perform minor surgery on his blisters, kissed his wife and set out again and again.  I’ve never seen such resilience, determination and enthusiasm.  I learned a lot from him this weekend.  In fact I learned a lot from all the runners Paul, Randy, Scott, Todd, Seth and Barry.

Tears welled as I left him to run ahead after nearly 90 miles, I was running to the next manned aid station without him to get support.  I saw in his eyes the desire and the will, but sometimes our physical being is too human, too fragile to meet our mental and emotional capacity.  I ran as hard as I could to get there, remembering all that we had conquered together through the night, knowing that this would not be the last time.  Steve is unstoppable in so many ways, professionally and personally.  He is force to be reckoned with on any level.  This race did not do anything more than further shape that fortitude and resilience.

As I read this, I am still not capturing all the emotions I felt throughout the weekend, I just don’t have the words or the prose to fully communicate the impact this had on me, my life, my relationships, my friendships and my upcoming race at Leadville.  What I can say is that if they can make it to Leadville, I’d like to have them there to bring me back to this experience.  As I will remember it on my own, their presence will undoubtedly be a huge benefit to the experience.

In the end the AD4AP team raised over $90,000 in a few short months, conquered and endured on their own terms, feats they’d never done before.  Bless you, you Band of Brothers.

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” – William Barclay

7 Summit Salute - Boulder Skyline Traverse

The AD4AP Team is in taper mode for the upcoming BH100.  Pacing charts are fully scrutinized and developed, nutrition plans are made, gear list complete...now they wait.  There's something about an impending race that starts the adrenaline flowing and the anticipation of "what will be" the day of the race.  These guys have battled through a tough winter to prepare for a grueling course, nothing like any of them have seen to date.

There is trepidation but that is far outweighed by the camaraderie of this group of runners and the fervent courage these fellows posses.  I am honored to partake in their soulful journey to the finish line.  I am reminded of the movie "Dead Poets Society" where near the beginning of the film, Robin Williams whispers to the boys, "Carpe Diem", seize the day, and I know this band of merry compadres will in fact, do just that.

To the team of runners:  The air will be crisp, the sunlight cresting over the eastern horizon, tingling in the muscles, warmth in knowledge, you'll know you are not alone in this journey and today is a good day to run.  Remember your preparation, your fellow runners, your love of running and bask in the glory of climbing the first hill and descending the last.  Patience is, yes, a virtue.  Remember the visualizations you used to spur a completion of a long training run and how you felt.  Cherish the rush.  Observe the scenery, as it will be vivid beyond detail you will have felt before.  Finish strong.


As a tribute to those who ran this weekend and are running next weekend attempting new endeavors, I did the same on Saturday with a first run of "most" of the Boulder Skyline Traverse (sans Sanitas, as that is the mountain where I've rolled my foot twice).  I completed a seven summit salute for over 6,700 ft elevation gain over 20 miles.  I was on tired legs from long miles earlier in the week, but the weather was perfect, so I said what the hell.
This week was a milestone for me as well, after two weeks of nursing a bad foot, I ran almost 98 miles (97.99) with a 30, 20, 20 and some in between over the course of six days.  After finishing 20 today, I feel like I've passed over a marker of some kind...I'll have to wait and see how the next week goes, but I do feel the tide has shifted into a territory I am unfamiliar with in this lifetime, yet today I did feel like I've been here before, over 10 years ago. The tingling in my muscles, the unexpected surges, the smiles and enthusiasm.  Pain seemed to stop existing and only feel as a passing twinge...alter stride and continue on.

This weekend, my cousin and Stephen finished San Juan Solstice on their own own terms, I'm impressed with both of them.  Andy beat his goal and I am proud of the effort it took.  Another friend, Bob Africa crushed a 50 mile course in Wyoming, finishing 3rd.  I'll be with him at Leadville, but probably only at the start, he's an animal.
This is all about celebrating life.  Where are you and what are you doing to celebrate your gifts?  Yes, one thing I am celebrating this weekend is running, but there are countless other things we all can celebrate...a relationship, a child, another gift we've been given, whatever that may be for you.  I am grateful for my wife, Annie.  I am grateful for my family and my friends.  I am grateful for my job.  I am grateful that on any given weekend, I can escape to these mountains and find myself again and again.  What are you grateful for in your life?  Celebrate that and celebrate it often.  I am off in a three days to make the trek to my compadres running the BH100...I can not wait.  I am seeking awe inspiring courage and amazing feats of self renewal and discovery, they will find it, for sure.  Through their discovery, I will find the courage to continue on and finish the Leadville 100 in August.  I am blessed to have such a good group of guys in my life.

The weekend ended with a cleansing from the gods, the sky filled with thunder, lightening and rain.  Fortunately, we got all the yard done, the run complete and were able to enjoy under cover.  I love the smell of rain.


"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." - Neil from DPS, quoting Henry David Thoreau

Live Bolder, Run Boulder Baby!

Training was pretty consistent up till about two weeks ago when I rolled my right ankle.  Memorial Day weekend brought many good memories.  Matt and Jenny joined us along with Kyle, Celeste and Cole as well as a whole host of other friends and family.  We had a great weekend with all of them, culminating on Monday, Memorial Day, participating in the Bolder Boulder 10k.  The weather held and for the first time in a long time, I got to run with my brother.

Here we are at the finish line in the CU Boulder stadium.  Way back in 1996 when I decided to run my first marathon, the Twin Cities, Matt was still in college.  I flew in from Charlotte and stayed with him at the dorm.  He and my Mom were awesome that day, I got to see them a few times throughout the race and I certainly needed them.  After the race Matt said he wanted to do a marathon too.   We had the chance to do it again in the Twin Cities and then again in Charlotte a few years later.  Running means a lot to me for a myriad of reasons and I've always cherished the moments I've had with Matt doing marathons or the Hood to Coast relay in Oregon.  I like to run with him, I have fun and get to feel like a big brother again, even though we are now adults (most of the time).  The BB10k was especially important to me since it had been so long since we'd run together.  The feeling of camaraderie, togetherness, achievement and love were so overwhelming for me.  It's part of why I run and why I enjoy running with friends.  We had a bonus too, Annie and our friend Katy jumped in and ran a significant portion of the race with us.  So we all decided to have a little fun along the way.  Our friends Ashley and Eric play in a band, The Goonies and as with every BB10k, there are bands strewn along the course for entertainment and motivation.


Here we are singing "Take on Me" by A-ha, The Goonies are AWESOME fun and it was tremendous to see them so close to the finish.

Looking ahead, I'm still recovering from rolling my foot a second time last week, but things are looking up, Molly Bockmann a good friend and massage therapist worked her magic on my legs yesterday and things seem to be firing again.

In two short weeks I'll be joining a merry band of friends and runners in South Dakota for the Black Hills 100.   We've all run Hood to Coast together for a number of years now and I'm very impressed with this most recent adventure.  They all teamed up with some other runner friends and are raising funds for Admission Possible, a non-profit that helps students gain admission and graduate from college.  Their team name is AD4AP, All Day for Admission Possible.  To donate to this worthy cause and support a bunch of crazy guys from the Mid West who've been training since last year, through one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record, go to this link: Donate to AD 4 AP.  As much as I would like to be running with them, my previous ailments and injuries precluded me from being ready for this historic event, so I am crewing for Steve Byrnes with his wife Pamela.  You might recognize that name from a previous post, a year and half ago, Steve ran 40 miles for his 40th birthday.  I'm excited to see these guys finish and celebrate a good run with them.

I've been speaking with my cousin Andrew, who I ran into while racing in Fruita and he's helping me get ready for the Leadville 100 on August 21st.  He'll also be pacing me to the finish line, for which I am indebted to him, particularly given his amazing race schedule this year.  He's already run the Fruita 50 and the Jemez 50 and is teed up to crush the San Jaun Solstice 50, a grueling endeavor with over 10,000 feet of elevation gain on some of the most rugged terrain in the Rocky Mountains.  But he's not done after that, he'll do the Silver Rush 50 and then the Bear 100 later in the summer...not to mention the possibility of getting a shot at the Hard Rock 100 in July, arguably the hardest 100 mile race in the world.  Stephen Price will also be running SJS, so I wish them both success in the race.

To the right is the elevation profile for SJS, absolutely insane!  It's been great reconnecting with Andrew and I look forward to August and finishing Leadville.


“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” - James Dean