If you have ever wondered what it would be like to trek through New York City, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and return back to New York City in 30 hours or under, following a scenic route that visits tons of key sites with check-ins at volunteer-run aid stations to replenish on food and water, The Great New York 100 Mile Running…
Tag: ultra running
Badwater Cape Fear 2016 – All In
It was my third time making the journey out to Bald Head Island, North Carolina, to take part in Badwater Cape Fear 51.4 mile race. Traveling from south Florida, the trek includes two flights, a car ride, a ferry, then a tram that delivers you to your rented million-dollar weekend home. Is it worth it? Absolutely! There is something old…
Ancient Oaks: The Good, The Bad, and The Close of 2015
For me, ultra-running is not about belonging to a group, or about acquiring belt buckles. It is not about my undying love for running, or any desire to win a race. Most days running is my salvation; some days it’s not. But each time I am out there, on the road, on the trail, on a bridge, I learn something.…
Javelina Jundred 100 – 2015
What draws so many of us to Javelina Jundred 100 mile/100K trail race each year? For starters, McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona hosts trails that are just the right blend of climbs and descents to keep runners engaged and moving – not to mention the picturesque landscape. The course, which mainly consists of the Pemberton Trail, is…
National Endurance Sports Summit (NESS) 2015
While it’s easy to convince ourselves that only super humans can climb the Seven Summits and complete Badwater Quads (584 miles back and forth from Badwater Basin to the summit of Mount Whitney), the endurance athletes we met at the 2nd annual National Endurance Sports Summit (NESS), hosted by Team U at Princeton University, reminded us that when one has…
Grits, Guts, and Determination: Leadville Trail 100 – A Crew Member’s Perspective
Leadville – The Town We arrived in the town of Leadville late Thursday afternoon. A Florida flat lander, I was apprehensive that the altitude was going to wreak havoc on me. The town of Leadville, where we were to stay pre and post-race, sits at 10,200 feet, which is the highest altitude of any incorporated city in North America. I…
Badwater 135 – Going the Distance
Pre-race check in smiles. For me, Badwater 135 was a race whose magic didn’t fully set in until a few days after I finished. Perhaps it’s because I had so much fear and doubt going into the race—what if I failed? What if one of my crew mates or myself got sick? What if something happened to my dad? I…
Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge and other adventures in and around Manhattan
The pre-story to this race is a tale within itself, as I only gained entry to the race—I had been waitlisted along with Chip— a week prior to the event. Aside from the short notice, I was going to be in Death Valley training for Badwater 135 up until Tuesday of that week, when I was to fly home to…
Keys 100 – The Little Bag’s Journey
May 17 – 18 2015 Sometimes things in our lives are inextricably tied together. For me, the Keys 100 is tied to my mom, both in the flesh and in her passing. I will never forget that first year I ran the Keys 50 in 2011. I felt in my being that my mom was passing, that the end was…
Badwater Salton Sea: A tale of hummus, break dancing, and the many uses of hotel rags
Sometime in March, we began to consider Badwater Salton Sea. We, being Bonnie and I. We would discuss it, and then forget about it. Life was hectic. We were all training for Keys 100, which occurs10 days after Salton Sea, and well, we already had so many race and travel plans for the year. But then as with most race…