A Few 2018 Race Reflections

Prairie Spirit 100M - This is the picture in Ultrarunning Magazine.

It’s been a pretty amazing year for running and racing.  I kept a very busy schedule, but remained relatively injury free and was able to push past my previous, self imposed limits.  I was blessed to be able to run my personal best this past year in the marathon (3:03:37), 50K (4:00:57), 50 miles (7:10:55), and 100 miles (16:25:31)!  I won a 5K, 30K, 2 - 50Ks, a 50M, and a 100M race. Ultrarunning magazine had a full page picture of me running to a win in the Prairie Spirit 100M! Crazy!!  I had some podium finishes and AG awards in other races too. I was able to give 200 miles a shot at Lake Tahoe and had a blast getting it done in a respectable time!

Wolverine and Storm at Route 66 Marathon

Jen and I had a great time travelling to do some races together, dressing up, and having fun! You may have seen The Flash and Lady Flash, Wolverine and Storm, Batman and Robin, 80s characters, and Thor and Valkarie in various races.  I'm blessed to be able to enjoy this craziness with my amazing wife.  She was also so awesome crewing me for the Tahoe 200!

I was able to finish out the year with a 3rd place finish at Loup Garou 100 miler at Chicot State park in Louisiana. This was the perfect way to finish out the year for a few reasons. My first ultra was done on this course in 2013 as the Cajun Coyote 100M. It was good to do it again. It’s my “home” trail and I got to be supported and race surrounded by my friends, the amazing Mud N Guts crew!  Also, I DNF’d the last time I tried this course due to a tear in my calf muscle. I was able to get my redemption in spite of an ankle sprain at around mile 19!!

Here’s a quick list of 2018’s races this year:

  • 5K - 2
  • 15K - 1
  • Marathons - 6
  • 50Ks - 3
  • 50M - 2
  • 100M - 3
  • 200M - 1

A big thanks to Altra for allowing me to be on the Red Team and represent the brand I wore and believed in already.  Amazing shoes!!!

 

I’m looking forward to 2019!  I’ll be running Boston again in April.  Then, everything will be focused on Western States!  I’m so excited that I get to run it! I’m also hoping to get into Leadville!  Once I know if I get in, I will fill in the gaps with other races for training and just to race.  Be looking for Jen and I wearing ridiculous stuff she’s got planned and running random races wherever we can find them!

I’m incredibly blessed to get to run all these races!  I always put in the work to be my best…..so many miles in training for one race.  I love the process of tearing my body down and building it back up! Mining for potential. That word:  Potential. God has put great potential into all of us. Don’t squander it! Keep moving! Relentless Forward Progress!

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