Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Ride The Wind 100


RTW (Ride the Wind) was by far the hardest race I have every done, but guess what? I did my first 100 miler!

The course is composed of three technical 31 mile loops and one 7 mile loop.

At the beginning of the race it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest because I was super excited. My Mom was going to run the first 100K with me and then my Dad was going to run the rest with me. 

The first five miles went by pretty fast because it was cool and and we spent time talking to our friend Giovanni and another runner. But after that it started to get hard. After the first aid station, there was an extremely steep down hill and then it was basically like running in a riverbed full of rocks.
part of the downhill portion after AS1
The good thing about getting out of the riverbed was there was some solid ground. Getting to the next aid station was hard considering it was hot and we were out of water. As I was running I was starting to feel good, when my toe got caught under a big rock and I fell and scraped up my elbow. After the fall I shot back up and kept running, but it hurt a lot.

When we hit mile 20 my Dad and sister came out and prepared us for the hardest part of the loop, the last 11 miles. They were exposed, mostly uphill, and it was really easy to get lost. So after getting lost, and gaining about two bonus miles, we got on the right trail and managed to make it to the next aid station. There was little water and the heat was really effecting me, but my Mom managed to encourage me and we made it to the start/finish.

As we ventured the 2nd loop I realized that the hardest part of the race was the heat, because the hills were not tough at all. I also struggled with the rocks and tripped several times throughout the race.
As we were getting closer to mile 50 it was getting really dark, we had to use my Mom's iPhone  for light because we had not made it to the aid station in time to get flashlights. It was really scary until finally we heard bells and saw our friend Ed with our lights. 
What really sucked about running in the dark was those dang Joshua trees... Since it was dark and we didn't have any lights, they looked like people following us!

During the last 11 miles of the loop I felt awful. We had gotten lost again and that added mileage. I was exhausted. I got discouraged, but Ed and my Mom helped cheer me up. 
We ended up finding a main road and we finally made it to the aid station. Ok... so lets get a few things straight now that we are more then half way done with my journey... The last 38 miles were NOT easy, in fact they are the hardest part in my opinion! Since you have gotten this far I am not going to sugar coat it! My Mom said the night part was hard, and boy was she right!

Now that I was running with my Dad and Ed I was exhausted. A mile felt like 10 miles and I felt really tired. By far the worst part of that loop was that awful riverbed, it was dark so it was hard to see the rocks and I wasn't lifting my feet up very high so I stubbed my toe numerous times. 
The one thing I found really nice about the last loop was that the glorious sun was coming up!! As the sun came up my energy slowly came up too. It also helped that my Dad and Ed made a game out of the trail markings. We came up with some unique ice cream flavors. You probably would have had to been there to understand!

I went a little faster when I was starting to realize that I was almost done!  Although I was getting tired it felt really nice to see the mile 20 aid station. At the aid station I ate a donut and slept for a few minutes before heading off again. The good thing about the sun coming up is the recharge of energy you get but the bad thing is that it gets hot...

Boy did it get hot on the last 11 miles! I started bonking again. The only positive thing I can recall from the last 11 miles is the fact that I was so close to that amazing buckle. My pace seemed to increase slightly as I got closer to the start/finish. When I hit the start/finish I basically got an anxiety attack, I was so excited. After that loop the only thing between me and my dream buckle was the last small 7 mile loop.

The last 7 miles hurt a lot, but people came out to help me.  The first 3 miles were all uphill, and the rest of it was flat and rocky. About 4 miles in my knee just started burning and it made me walk even slower. I was just really ready to be done! 

My Dad and I on the last loop
On the last little stretch my Dad and I start running! Our friends made a human tunnel for me to run through and I got the buckle!! 

I was so happy!
When it was in my hands all the pain was worth it. 
It didn't take very long for me to feel normal again after this race. I can't wait to do it again!

only 3 finishers and I was one of them!
My first 100 mile and 100 kilometer buckles!

30 comments:

  1. Great race report, Colby! So proud of you and happy to have been there to see you get this accomplishment!

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    1. Thanks Mrs. Deb, I really appreciate your support :)

      -Colby

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  2. That is one epic journey! You were amazing out there Colby. Thanks for letting me share some miles with you. It was quite an honor. Can't wait to see where your next adventure will take you.

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    1. Thank you once again for getting me through those last 50 miles. And believe the honor is mine. :)

      -Colby

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  3. So proud of you Colby! You are an amazing young man! I was very inspired to walk with you those last 7 miles. You are right, those first couple of miles up hill were hard. I kept thinking, "Damn, this kid just ran/walked all night, and I'm not sure I can keep up with his pace up this hill, and I just started!" You really impressed me beyond belief! And to top it off, there was no complaining or whining. I never knew your knee hurt. In fact, it was just the opposite! You were polite- kept saying "thank you" to those around you, you were smiling (well most of the time), and you were very coherent- you carried on intelligible conversations with me and others. I was, and still am so impressed! A lot of adults can learn a few good lessons from you, as I did. Keep it up Colby, I see great things from you in your future! You are an inspiration!

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    1. Thanks Martha, I really appreciate your support/motivation on that last loop.

      -Colby

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  4. Great job Colby! I just got my first 100m belt buckle last weekend too and you're right, the pain was worth it!

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    1. Congratulation on your first buckle!! and thanks for the support :)

      -Colby

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  5. Great race report Colby, congrats on a good finish. You have inspired me to get back in it and sign up for another Ultra!

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    1. Thank you, and good luck with your next Ultra!

      -Colby

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  6. Thanks for the race report Colby. Your run was very inspiring! Congratulations! I believe that you will find many benefits in the years ahead from conquering the 100 mile distance. I look forward to following your accomplishments in the future.

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  7. "When it was in my hands all the pain was worth it.
    It didn't take very long for me to feel normal again after this race. I can't wait to do it again!"

    I haven't made it to ultra distances yet, but ain't that the truth? :D The pain is worth it, and you can't wait to do it again. Great job persevering through your first 100 miler! You rock!

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  8. Colby, I know you don't know me, nor remember me, but I got to be there and do the 6 miles, to witness your epic finale and it was grand. I have shared your story with my students and they are amazed. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't.

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    1. Thanks for helping me out in that last loop June! By the way I do remember you :)

      -Colby

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  9. You have so much fire and spirit! I can't remember the last time I was inspired by a 12 year old :) You made the experience sound so fun and enjoyable. Makes me feel like someday I might tackle a 100 miler also. Thanks for spreading the inspiration! Keep running, you have a bright future ahead!

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    1. Thank you for the encouragement, and good luck on your first 100 miler!!

      -Colby

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  10. Colby, Louie and I sit here and wonder how and how and how you can do this. it is your energy, perservance and love that got you there. You are such a fantastic young man. We knew you could do it. Had we known we would have been there for your human tunnel.....next time! So proud of you.

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  11. Reading your race report makes me wish that I had gotten into endurance running when I was much younger. Congratulations on achieving such an incredible feat only a few can claim!

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  12. Congratulations Colby, this is so amazing!! I love your comments about how dark one feels in the night, and the sense of hope and enenergy as the sun comes up. Great post, great race!!

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  13. Colby,
    Congrats on a great finish! It is so inspiring to hear your story and the struggles you overcame to finish the race. Happy that you got your buckle. Keep up the amazing effort and keep enjoying running and being in nature.
    All the best,
    Timothy

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    1. I'm honored that you took the time to read my blog. You and your accomplishments are an inspiration to me. Hope to see you at a race soon!

      -Colby

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  14. You are such an inspiration. I'm amazing not only at your accomplishment, but at the hubris with which you attack the challenge, acknowledging the difficulty of the task but never letting that difficulty dissuade you from completing it. Congratulations, and thank you for reminding all of us that we can do anything.

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    1. thank you so much, running makes me happy :D

      -Colby

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  15. Awesome feat!
    One day, you got to run the 100km trail race in Malaysia. All the best in your future races!

    Deo,
    Malaysia

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  16. hi Colby good run boy i hope to see you doing this again when next time they are having another race, i admired your s t u m i n a & courage in what you did!

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