"On the first loop, don't be stupid. On the second loop, don't be a wimp." It was a chilly, foggy Saturday morning, and I was huddled at the top of a paved hill with about 30 other runners, getting ready to start the 2019 "Foothills 50K", a part of the "Conquer the Rock" race weekend. For whatever reason, I was a nervous wreck, which isn't like me at all. Especially for an event that was Continue reading →
2019 Almost 9 Miler – with Kids – Recap
Every month, on the 15th day, thirty dollars is automatically drafted out of my bank account for my membership to the Eagle Endurance "$30 Club". The premise is this: sign up for one year of monthly $30 payments, race any (or all, in our case) of Eagle Endurance's race for no additional cost. When you look at the rising cost of ultras these days, and then figure $360 can get you, in theory, 9 Continue reading →
2019 Hallucination 6/12/24 Recap
14 years ago this month, I "ran" my first half marathon. I use the term "ran" loosely, because it was more like a 13.1 mile jog/walk/shuffle where I was entirely out of my element, questioned what the hell I was doing with every painful step, and wondered why I hadn't opted to just cheer on my sister at the finish line from the beer tent instead of trailing along behind her down the streets of Continue reading →
2019 Retreat Repeat Recap
I don't remember the exact context of the conversation. We were about 25 miles in to our run, and my friend Raquel was discussing parties. "I don't go to parties anymore, I'm too old and tired for that" I quipped. "Unless...does this count? Friends, music, junk food, beer, and fun...well at least my kind of fun? That's a party, right?" It was around 2:00 in the afternoon, and Raquel, Geoff, Continue reading →
2018 Last Chance 50K – Race Recap
If the world is about to end, the most logical thing to do is go for a run, right? That is...well, was...the premise of the Last Chance 25 & 50K, put on by Eagle Endurance in Huger, SC. The very first running of this event, 6 years ago, was held on the day the world was supposed to end according to the Mayan Calendar. The good news is that the world did NOT end on that fateful day Continue reading →
2018 Hairy Bison 15K/30K Recap
One of my favorite things about the trail and ultra running community is the easy-going, welcoming, and supportive attitude exuded by almost everyone involved. Despite the fact that most undertakings in this group of runners are huge - we're talking difficult, technical trails, running upwards of 50 to 100 miles or more, muddy trails, sleepless nights, and other insane feats of human athleticism Continue reading →
2018 Table Rock Ultras 50K – Race Report
"Fatigue makes cowards of us all." - George S. Patton, Jr. ______________________ Between labored breaths and awkward stabs into the ground with my trekking poles, I desperately glance down at my GPS watch. It reads 17.1 miles, only 0.2 miles more than it read the last time I checked. "You've got to be kidding me" I mumble under my breath, with a few other choice expletives. I'm Continue reading →
2018 Eagle Endurance Dirt Dash Half Marathon Recap
How many times do you have to participate in an annual event before it official becomes deemed a family tradition? I'm going to go ahead and say three, therefore making our annual trek down to Eagle Endurance's Dirt Dash now a family tradition. In 2015, shortly after we moved back to the beach, Geoff was given an entry to a race down in the Francis Marion National Forest: the Dirt Dash Continue reading →
2018 Hell Hole Hundred: Stories from a Chicken Bell Ringer
It would be safe to say that signing up for the Hell Hole Hundred two weeks after running 90 miles at Knock on Wood was a bad decision, except for the fact that I signed up for Hell Hole first. So in retrospect, perhaps attempting a 100 miler at Knock on Wood when I knew I was going to attempt running 100 miles two weeks later was a bad decision... ...except that nothing about this sport is Continue reading →
Knock on Wood 100 – 2018 Race Report
"Sometimes think I'm in this for the wrong reasons." It was somewhere around 9:30 pm on Saturday night and I was sitting on the floor of a massive wooden observation deck among the trees in the middle of the Lake Conestee woods. In retrospect, it was an absolutely ridiculous place to be. I had spent the last 25.5 hours and 87 miles on my feet and the 25 or so steps I had to climb to Continue reading →
Wambaw Swamp Stomp 50 Mile – Race Report
"Miserable" is perhaps the first word that comes to mind when asked to describe the woods of the Swamp Fox Passage in the Francis Marion National Forest. It's notoriously hot, humid, and buggy, as swamps typically are. The trail itself is deceptively difficult, with knobby roots and grass covered holes just waiting to turn an ankle, making sure you can never truly open up and run the endless Continue reading →
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