Heartland

The Huff 50K

Published December 28, 2019

Late Christmas surprise. Midweek holiday inspired my employer to give the remainder of the week with pay. Thanks PS! Too late to extend family stays (U.S. airlines are unforgiving) – but plenty of time to schedule one last December run, last of the decade.

Chain O’ Lakes State Park. 2 ½ hours from Indianapolis, 4 from Chicago. Trail in December, ultra distance. And a prior DNF fail? the Huff in rural Indiana. Sign me up!

Friday nite touchdown. Indy airport hotel. 3am alarm. Toughest part… staying awake. Notta lotta traffic pre-dawn in Hoosier land. Two years ago, sub-zero temps & knee-deep snow. This year… overcast skies, thermometer-read hovered above freezing.

Trailhead parking FULL. Crazy tight 15 minutes ‘til race Start.

Dash to the registration tent. Bib pick-up. Two 25k laps. Secured a memorable place for my drop bag. Dry shoes, shirt, second beanie. Socks. Similar to Bighorn fails, 2017’s Huff DNF inspired a laundry list of run needs, should ever I come back to Albion, Indiana.

Race number pinned to a favourite pair of sweats. Speech eulogizing a local track coach. BAM — we’re off. Roots, rock, HILLS. Real trail. Not the crushed gravel at Tunnel Hill, U.S. athletes use to set world ‘trail’ standards.

3 hour 15 first loop. 10-minute tent-change. Dry clothes. Broth. Hydration fill. Rush, rush. Hurry, hurry, hurry. 25k was where I ended 2017. FRIGID that day. And…I’m off.

Upbeat. Plugged in. Ear buds readied, music all second half. No time goal – just get it done. HILLS looked way higher than my first lap. LOL> Physically tough course.

Mile-half to finish. More cloud. Rain to snow, starting at 4pm. Bone cold. Pretzels, oranges, hot soup. Time at the infamous HUFF Couch. No mo’ tunes (cold battery).

36^th finish of 2019 – a personal record. BELT BUCKLE GLORY.

8^th ultra of the year (double my lifetime tally). Third in the great state of Indiana. Life-changing DECADE of RUN MEMORIES. Appropriate end today. 7 hour SAGA.

Only 4 days away… 2020. Twenty-TWENTY. WOW!

I see a TEXAS-sized FINISHER medal in my New Year’s Day future 😀

The HUFF – 50K – Albion, IN

December 28, 2019

Keenan Haga Louisville CO 1057 3:11:59.27 3:53:00.02 7:04:59.29

: Welcome to Indiana

: Chain O’ Lakes State Park

: winter TRAIL

: the infamous COUCH

: last of DECADE

: BELT BUCKLE GLORY

: 8th ULTRA of 2019

: Colorado HOME ❤️

The Huff 50K

Posted in Heartland, Marathons/Ultras | Leave a comment

Tunnel Hill 50

Published November 9, 2019

FINALLY!

After 2 fails, FIFTY miles. Belt bucket reward. Finally, a real ultrarunner.

Previous history, lessons learned. Never summer, never at night. High elevation & rugged trail, those stay at Bighorn. Tunnel Hill conditions: FLAT towpath, low 40’s. Crewed. And Sis. Mile 1, Mile 51. Registered 10 days ago. Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!

Friday touchdown. Sis’ hometown, St Louis. Hertz rental. Sis’ digs 10am. Quick errand at the university. Cap-n-gown pickup. Masters degree complete. Family of overachievers. Well done Sis!

Hour lunch with niece, nephew…and Stephen. (Delta flight from New Hampshire, just landed.) Double-stuff’d the family SUV. Luggage rack, food, headlamps & lawn chairs. Next stop: Vienna. 6pm packet deadline. Tunnel Hill, Illinois. Me, Sis, Paul & Stephen. Hawaii crew reunion 🌺

Hilo-to-Volcano, Sis’ only 50K. NEW Garmin territory, the BIG badge: 50 MILES.

Early Saturday start, pre-dawn & dark. Notta lotta talk. SHOWTIME. Put up or shut up. Beanie, gloves, hydration pack. Double-layered & shorts. No wind/rain. Nervous. Pretty much perfect.

Sis & I opted for the Early Start. 7am with the 100 milers. Bunched beginning. Sunrise 🌄

Lotta folks on a single-track trail. 3 miles of walk/jog/quick bursts ’round the chatters. Place where USA elites set the world ‘trail’ record. Still, it’s a 100 miles. All these folks around me. WOW!

Two separate out-n-backs. Bowtie design. We’d see Vienna twice, end of each marathon. Run a marathon, walk a marathon. Day strategy: Maintain a 17-minute walk pace & we finish in 12 hours.

Mile 14. Sis’ run pal Nathan joined our crew. Introduced to the BEST LONG-DISTANCE food fuel EVER – Flamin’ Hot Nacho Cheese DORITOS. In real life – no, no I couldn’t. Mile 26. Mile 40. Mile 47. FOOD of the GODS! Steady, even pace. All focus on Vienna – first marathon DONE. New shoes, new layers. Stretch out the legs, back. Upbeat words. Snacks. Encouragement.

Surprisingly quiet in Vienna – not OUR CREW. Y-M-C-A. Best of the 1970’s BLARING on a portable BOSE. Dance PARTY. Shoe change, two dry shirts and… DORITOS! Yeh, yeh 20 minutes lost. Same buckle, first-place, one-hundredth place. All part of the plan. I’ve NEVER FINISHED 50. Mind refresh, body stretch’d/longer. Go, go, go! BEST CREW EVER! See y’all in 10 miles!

Second half. Step, step, step. Forward movement. Counting Aid Stations, not miles. Section where our Possum Holler past was retold/relieved again. Appears neither of us were fans of the family outhouse. Bee swarms, butt-cold Decembers (literally). LOL>

Costume change at 36. Daylight goes fast this side of solstice. Pants, headlamp, Captain America jacket. Two mile out-n-back, crew again at 40. Mentally, crossing the LAST out-n-back timing mat. YES! Everything seems doable. Impossible, possible. FORTY miles. Longest EVER, EVER.

Next longest? 7-mile stretch to our final Aid Station. Dark. Pitch-black dark. Notta lotta runners. Notta lotta chatter. Sharp headlamp flicks into the woods – Sis’ stories about eyes glaring back, all too real. Hands cold. Eyes forward. Quiet determined focus.

Walker. Gender disguised, cloaked in winter gear. Pained face/broken body. Look away.

If ever you owe a sibling a Simon Pearce crystal bowl… this is it.

Counting out miles remaining (47/crew station Aid). Tough stretch. Sis’ watch now dead, mine still plugging along. Mile 47. Mile 48. Just one-mile difference; realization today’s 50 was just an estimate. Porta-potty stop, in tandem. Hips tight, brain drain. It was a long 8 miles in the dark.

BEST CREW EVER? Paul & Stephen hiked in. Mile 48 on, going back WITH us. New stories, new material. Sibling 50-mile FINISH. 100% this is going to happen.

Bright lights, Christmas lit, muted sounds. Could feel our FINISH a mile out.

12:47:20. Not your normal pacer, nor your average Sis. TWO belt buckles. Ran/walked/slogged together, the ENTIRE 50 mile course. New PR – for BOTH of us. 2019 forever memory ❤️

Tunnel Hill – 50 Miler – Vienna, IL

Saturday, Nov 9, 2019 @ 7:00 AM

Tammy Greco Fenton MO 12:47:20

Keenan Haga Louisville CO 12:47:20

: BEST CREW EVER!

: Barkley’s Laz Cantrell

: crew NAVIGATOR

: Vienna SUNRISE

: 7am early Start

: run a marathon, walk a marathon

: TUNNEL HILL ✔️

: costume change

: we’re BACK, Vienna!

: Wonder Twin FINISH

: FOREVER memory ❤️

: 3rd time lucky

: 50 miles – FINALLY!

: badge & BUCKLE

: longest ever, EVER

Tunnel Hill 50

Posted in Family, Heartland, Marathons/Ultras | Leave a comment

Kansas City Marathon

Published October 19, 2019

Union Station

My 10-week marathon challenge ends here. Home of the Chiefs, baseball Royals & America’s BEST barbeque: KANSAS CITY. Whatta adventure! Iceland, Austria, 3x Canada. Not bragging (honest) – just amazed. SIX years ago my journey began; six CONTINENTS later. Seems I’m living someone else’s TV story. SUPER blessed 😊

Direct flight from Denver, Lyft-transport downtown, Westin Hotel check-in. EXPO literally across the street. KC’s Union Station. Both my run clubs booth-represented. GREAT to see Paula & Steve (50 State founders). Ya know they direct a hometown race every New Year. Charity supports youth-running in South Texas. 2020, hmmm….

Saturday 7am. Combined Full/Half Start. Thousands queued. Sea of runners. And RAIN. No forecast fail this week. Light precip (couple downpours) but steady.

National Anthem. Bluesy sax solo. Well done, KC.

[It’s a 2-minute tune; gals REMOVE your caps. ALL Americans share this freedom.]

Started way way back. Two miles of block-n-tackle. Dodge/zig zag, crowd-walks ‘round the curves. Caught my pace group at mile 4. Hung close for 15 miles.

Steady/strong/HILLY first-half. Bro’s Iron Warehouse tee soaked heavy with rain. Quads burning. Found myself hill-broken by marker 18. LEAD legs last eight miles. Jog, slog, walk. push, PUSH, push. Ugly endings can beat ya up, blanket the soul. Eyes forward.

5-hour FINISH, LONG 2^nd Half. [Perspective: same marathon medal an hour earlier.] We are not running anyone else’s race; we are running ‘the race that is set before us’. Message share from Mom (last Monday). Like she knew. Resonated strong ❤️

Kansas City, a USA hidden-secret. GREAT town, GREAT people, GREAT barbeque. Short hour-15 flight away.

Colorado Sunday HOME. Forecast: SNOW, our season’s SECOND ❄️