We have another guest post to share, from one of Matt’s runners, Daisy, who recently completed her first 100 mile race. We’ve also shared her White River 50 mile race report before and wanted to share yet another inspirational story, this time from her first 100 mile race. Daisy, we … Continue reading
It’s an important question. Why do we run? It’s not often that we’re able to capture the emotions and feelings that truly answer that question, which is why we wanted to share a race report with you that does just that. One of Matt’s runners, Daisy, ran her first 50 … Continue reading
“Lets do this” the email from the race director said, capping off a wild Thursday, full of new adventure plans concocted by David and me. And while battling conflicted feelings, Julie could not help but admit that this was one of those life opportunities presenting itself to us, we just … Continue reading
What happened? I literally went from feeling like I was “putting on a clinic” – this was the actual thought going through my mind at mile 80, to “this might be the worst suffering at a finish I can ever recall”. I haven’t even wanted to write about this, let … Continue reading
“This sucks!” “It definitely sucks!” responded Dave. We both then smiled and laughed. It wasn’t a “this is hilarious” kind of laugh, it was more of a “we’ve done everything we can and all we can do now is laugh” kind of laugh. We were more than fifty miles into … Continue reading
On attempt #7, I have finally run what I believe is my most complete 100 mile race. I was running the entire time minus a few steep and rocky climbs. I didn’t bonk, I didn’t blow up, and I stayed positive throughout. There was no notorious death march. Western States … Continue reading
Why LA? From the moment I stepped outside on November 30th, 2014, into a brisk, 27 degree morning in Seattle, awaiting the start of the Seattle Marathon, I thought to myself, “Damn, I need to find a warmer marathon.” I had signed up for the marathon back in October, when … Continue reading
I’ll start with the facts of the story as I know them: 16:26.42 to complete the 100 mile course at Rocky Raccoon 2015 18th place overall, 8th male in the USATF Trail Championship race Best 100 miler I’ve raced yet. Course is five twenty mile loops on rolling, rooty, soft … Continue reading
Wow. I got worked by the Run Rabbit Run 100 miler. I’m really happy with the results. I know I can race in the mountains now and given a few simple twists of fate, I think I can and should be much more competitive in years to come in mountain … Continue reading
The Fat Dog race had a homey, low key vibe that was ideal for what I was looking for. Waiting in the bathroom line before the start of the 70 miler a local who had run the race in a previous year said that the people that come to this … Continue reading
My White River 50 race results made perfect logical sense to me, but I still felt like crying as I neared the road at Buck Creek near the finish line. I mustered a smile, I kept running, felt the emotions swell up again, and kept pushing toward the line for … Continue reading
My racing season so far this year can be characterized by one word: sluggish. I haven’t exactly filled up the calendar, but out of the few races I’ve run, including the Chuckanut 50k and the Gorge 100k, I barely managed to keep my pride during one race and DNF’d in … Continue reading
After taking a few days to regroup and recover from the Gorge Waterfall 100k, it is time to reflect on the experience and as I do, numbers flood my head. Here are the eleven most memorable numbers from this uniquely brutal race: 1:45(am): The time we had to wake up … Continue reading
I recently read a Runner’s World article by Lauren Fleshman titled, “How to Injure Yourself Like a Pro,” where she comically spelled out all the bad training and racing habits that led her to injuries, burnout, and unsuccessful racing. I thought about the article today as I tried to sift … Continue reading
A curious guy walking around Green Lake asked me, “What are you all doing? I see you wearing race bibs, what’s going on?” I excitedly told him that it was Dizzy Daze and that whoever ran the most laps (3.2 miles each lap) around the lake in 12 hours was … Continue reading
As part of my training for the upcoming Tahoe 200 in September, I’m letting all my failures and weaknesses materialize in race settings before Tahoe so that I can continually improve and hopefully arrive at the 200 as a strong, mentally tough, well-prepared runner. I would say that mission was accomplished … Continue reading
The weekend really was a good experience and I’m so glad we were able to be part of the Rocky Raccoon 100 in Huntsville, Texas once again. It does indeed suck to DNF and to not finish what I started. However, this was a good experience for me and … Continue reading
All was moving along swimmingly leading up to my first 100 miler since the CDT hike. I won both of my recent local 50ks and I had a solid showing at the Seattle Marathon in December. Then the mystery pain started. Two weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon after an … Continue reading
We didn’t even know if this event was going to happen. As we all stood under tents like little sheep staying dry from the rain, waiting to hear the word, the thought of the race being cancelled had never actually crossed my mind. Then the race director, after nearly half … Continue reading
First road marathon in 1.5 years and it felt awesome. I’m pumped to be back, I’m pumped to be racing well, and I’m still feeling the buzz 10 days later! Why have I waited so long to race again? After my ambitious 2012 racing schedule that included 11 road marathons … Continue reading
Matt and I spent the better part of yesterday in 40 degree temps, intermittent rain, and gusty winds, and had a blast (nearly) the entire time. Ourselves and 700 other runners toed the starting line for a trail race about twenty miles outside of Seattle in Issaquah, Washington, the Grand … Continue reading
While Matt’s race report is titled, “I Didn’t Walk,” my race report speaks of another victory, perhaps not as admirable as running a fast time in addition to running the entire course, but just as important in races such as ultramarathons. To sum up this past weekend’s Ice Age 50 … Continue reading
My biggest accomplishment at the Ice Age 50 mile race this past weekend was that I ran the entire 50 mile race without walking. There are other aspects of the race that I’m happy about as well, but in my progression as an ultra runner, this feat of continuing to … Continue reading
My mantra during the 50 Mile Land Between the Lakes trail race yesterday was simple, “Keep it together.” I didn’t want to fall, I didn’t want to blow up late in the race, I wanted to run as much as possible of the course, and most of all, I wanted … Continue reading
I kept it together mentally and physically, I ran the entire 50 mile course, and I won my first ever ultra marathon at the 2013 Land Between the Lakes 50 miler in southern Kentucky yesterday. My background as a runner started on the track, eventually moved to the roads and … Continue reading
“Campers, it’s 5:30. You should be up by now. Actually, it’s 5:29 and 37 seconds.” I didn’t hear my alarm clock go off, but I heard the voice of David Horton, the race director of the Holiday Lake 50k++ race, pierce through my cabin walls as he stood outside at … Continue reading
From the moment we met David Horton last July at the White River 50, I think we’ve steadily heard the phrase “You’ve got to come out and run one of my races!”. And then after he read Julie’s new book about the Appalachian Trail, he emailed and said we had … Continue reading
My second marathon in eight days was a winner and filled with good times and a few firsts in my running career. After last weekend’s night marathon in Indianapolis where Julie won the women’s race and I finished second in the guy’s race, we spent the next few days with … Continue reading
As we arrived at Eagle Creek park on the outskirts of Indianapolis late yesterday afternoon there was definite excitement in the air and it’s fair to say that Julie and I were both a bit nervous. Despite racing 26 combined marathons or ultras last year, neither of us had raced … Continue reading
Last night was a lot of firsts. First time running a marathon at night, first time running a marathon on snowy trails, first time running a marathon in 20 degree weather, and most surprisingly, first time winning! The race started at 6:30 last night and was exciting all the way … Continue reading
As this year wraps up it’s time to make plans for the next. We’ve had an awesome 2012 on many levels, running included, and as a result, we’ve set the bar high for ourselves to keep pushing on for new experiences and new perspectives. We’re currently road-tripping down the West … Continue reading
Over the course of the countless races that Matt and I have run, none of those races would have been possible without the volunteers. They help with sign-up, they mark the course, they hand out water and Gatorade and they block the road crossings. They are definitely the unseen heroes … Continue reading
I made it! I finished the 100 mile Race Across the Sky and while I know it’s a big accomplishment and that I dug deep in order to get through it, I also realize that there is indeed an element of luck involved. And while luck was in my favor, … Continue reading
Hanging with ultra-legend David Horton before the start of the White River 50 race I know we’ve titled a few blog stories just like this one, but there is no other title that fits the bill for the events that ensued this weekend while crewing for Matt in the White … Continue reading
Success. Awesome. Frustrated (a little). Prepared for Leadville, I think so. Overall experience, really cool. These are the basics when I think about yesterday’s 50 mile race through the mountains just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. I ran the White River 50 miler yesterday, my second time running the … Continue reading
I made a discovery this past weekend while running the Missoula Half Marathon: a half marathon is a fabulous alternative to the full marathon. I was done in half the time, my legs felt great afterwards, and I still felt that sense of accomplishment that comes from running a race. … Continue reading
This past weekend was our first official weekend back in Washington, and what better way to spend it than in Vancouver for a marathon? We always manage to fit a lot of stuff into a short amount of time, and this weekend was no exception. On Thursday we moved into … Continue reading
We woke up yesterday to crystal clear skies, temps climbing into the 80’s, and a 0% chance of rain, asking ourselves, “Are we still in Ireland?” Then we heard the gusty, 20mph winds and saw the whitecaps on the sea just outside our window, and said, “Yep, that’s the Ireland … Continue reading
While Julie was cruising to her 18thcareer marathon and staying in her beautifully consistent time range she has managed on her 8thmarathon of 2012 (along with a 50k and a 100-miler), I was dropping a bomb on the beautiful course in Leiden in the Netherlands. Julie put together her 5thfastest … Continue reading
Knee pain: check. Weather: check. Awesome city: Czech! After two weeks off from running the Madrid Marathon 3 weeks ago and not being sure if I’d be able to actually run the Prague Marathon or not, this weekend turned out about as well as I could possibly hope for. I … Continue reading
Today marked not only the first running of the Madrid Rock n’ Roll Marathon here in Spain, but also the first time for us to run a marathon in Europe. Without fail, it turned out to have its highlights, its highs and lows, and though I’m not happy that this … Continue reading
What’s an ultramarathon in Guatemala without a few “firsts?” Already, I’d like to forget and never repeat some of the first-time experiences from this race, yet there are a few keepers in there that were pleasant surprises. On Saturday morning, Matt and I rode the 4 hour bus ride from … Continue reading
The Plan Based on last year’s failure after 60 miles, I decided that this year, I needed a plan. Not that a plan could guarantee success, but it sure couldn’t hurt. The plan started with getting to the race course a full 5 days before the race even started. We … Continue reading
I slept for about 10 minutes and then I heard Julie’s voice. She had finished the race and was so excited. Normally I’m there for her at the end cheering her in and this time I’m laying face down in a tent under blankets with twenty miles left to go. … Continue reading
As I woke up in the tent on Saturday afternoon after almost 3 hours of sleep my first thought was about my stomach. It wasn’t hurting nearly as bad and wasn’t bloated anymore. I ate some crackers, no problems. I drank some Gatorade, it felt pretty normal. I took some … Continue reading
The race kicked off in the pouring rain at 6 am. I had decided I was going to start in the front and get out quickly because the trail narrowed 100 yards into the race and had lots of sharp turns in the first couple miles. Plus, I thought I’d … Continue reading
There is so much to tell when it comes to the culmination of Marathon Madness 2012 and the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler that I am breaking my story up into four parts. Not only do I have three stories worth of stuff, but I’m also only covering my race experience … Continue reading
Marathon Madness has come to an end, and marathon #5 in Ocala, FL certainly closed it out with many more memorable experiences. It was one of the hardest races of the 5, not only because of the course, but because it was the last one. This past week, I made … Continue reading
With the completion of Sunday’s Ocala Marathon in Florida I’ve now completed 12 marathons and for only the first time in my brief marathoning career, I actually hit negative splits. I stayed mentally positive throughout the race and wrapped up our 5 Southern States marathoning tour with a good run. … Continue reading
For those numbers kind of people, including myself, here are all the stats for each runner across all five races, along with any awards or places: Matt Jackson, MS – 2:48.29, 7thOverall, 6thMale Mobile, AL – 2:47.26, 4thOverall Warner Robins, GA – 2:44.35, 3rdOverall Baton Rouge, LA – 2:51.55, 4thOverall, … Continue reading
