Lotta planning goes into completing a 50 State journey.
Work, home life, travel, weather, expense. Places you wanna see, times of year you wanna see ’em. Running all the continents, all of Canada (ok, maybe that’s just me). But – when down to your last dozen states, ya start thinkin’: Where am I gonna finish? Like picking a burial plot, kinda a big deal. My first Quest was super strategized/organized/planned. Since marathon 10, knew my journey would end in Colorado. No HOME TURF REPEAT – May’s Colfax medal was Colorado #18.
Fast forward 2019. South Dakota or Wyoming. Just two states left, west of the Mississippi. Seemed poetic to complete at Bighorn (after 2 fails). Then, Pistol (in March). Far too much (self-imposed) pressure to finish BIG at goal races. Finish, finish with a smile. Go there & enjoy the day. Still registered, flying to Sheridan, running mid-June but… taking the mental outta Bighorn this year.
CHOSE the Black Hills of South Dakota for my Round 2 finish.
Scenic, historic. Right time of year & only 5 hours from my Colorado front door.
Land of Wild Bill Hickok. Lived/breathed THREE WEEKS here, yet he’s Deadwood immortalized (gunned down, buried here). Statues, billboards, black-n-white museum pics, name of my downtown Hotel. Not your typical marathoner journey (casinos, booze, cigarettes). But…the Wild West it is.
Deadwood Mickelson Trail, a runner favourite. More folks race-registered than town residents. Will complete marathon ONE HUNDRED FIFTY tomorrow. Add to the list; it’s a good one.
3 highway hours Friday, sleeps in Lusk [Wyoming]. Chuck wagon omelette, minutes from the border. South Dakota: Great Faces, Great Places. Bib pick-up, hotel check-in – all business done – 1pm ticket, Boot Hill bus tour (cash only please). Wild West stories. Gold claims, poker cheats, saloon girls, a U.S. President & the death of Wild Bill Hickok. Railroad Museum, Adams Museum, Days of ’76 Museum, a shootout on Main Street. Pre-race HISTORY NERD holiday, LOVE LOVED! Deadwood Social Club for dinner ❤️
5:30am, look for the trolley. 50 State road ends in Deadwood. SOUTH DAKOTA!
-
- Land of Hickok
-
- Boot Hill Tour
-
- Wild Bill & Calamity Jane
-
- Adams Museum
-
- Great Faces, Great Places
-
- HISTORY NERD holiday
-
- Native Lakota treasure
-
- Black Hills’ first locomotive
-
- local Plesiosaur DIG
-
- downtown Deadwood
-
- gold claims & poker cheats
-
- Main Street shootout
-
- 50 State road ends HERE
-
- 5:30 Start tomorrow
Deadwood Day
7am Start @ the Lincoln Monument.
Nope, not that Lincoln Monument. Exit 323 I-80 East, 10 miles outside Laramie. 8,640ft elevation. High point of the Lincoln Highway. Park Ranger greeting: “Welcome to the Summit” 🗻
Buffalo NY Memorial Day last, Buffalo image on today’s state flag – high flying beside a WYOMING roadside museum. Museum? Yep, I’ll be back ✅ First… 32 miles of Ponderosa Pine, Colorado Aspen, dirt trail, old Highway 30 and HILLS. Billed as Wyoming’s toughest marathon – it’s a high elevation hilly one. Training run for Bighorn? Third times a charm me thinks, only a few weeks away.
Chilly/foggy/overcast Start, dodged another hot one. Notta lotta tree cover after 6 miles. Pine are scenic aromatherapy but not broad leaf green. Cup-less course. Hydration vest ready. Let’s roll.
Downhill first 2 miles. Wonky gut only 4 miles in. Elevation, lotta trail bounce. Slowed pace. Gonna finish, finish with a smile. That’s the Milano mantra. “Be the person your dog thinks you are.”
Strong headwind past the Halfers’ turnaround. Asphalt next few miles, old Highway 30. 10% grade (and wind) but pavement appreciated under my feet. Change is good, mixes it up. Lost all the crowd (notta lotta 50k or marathoners). Cranked up my tunes, head/body feelin’ good by Vedauwoo.
5-mile stretch of trees & campers on a dirt ranch road. Memorial Day weekend. Grills & lawn chairs early-morn abandoned, waiting for holidayers to waken. Breakfast cooking on my return thru town.
Marathon turnaround. HILL. Two miles more ‘til my orange cone & race rep check-in. Good bit of climb between the respective half-way points. Sun HIGH, getting warm. Run, walk. Refuel’d, dumped sand/rocks outta my shoes before the short 3-mile highway reverse. Easy steady pace – NO WALK, NO STOPPING ‘til I see dirt on the other side. Goals are good 🙂.
STRONG legs, stomach a-ok, smile on my face. I’ve got this. 6-hour goal in my head. Well, that’s not happening. Would miss 6:30 too, but enjoying the ride. Steady. AND know what’s coming – 2 miles of UP – then FINISH BANNER a blowin’.
My first belt buckle, fourth ultra of 2019 and my 49th state. Eyes on Deadwood & a SECOND 50 State finish. 7 days.
Highway drive HOME, shower, quick sleeps. Bolder Boulder tomorrow! It’s a Colorado tradition ❤️
2019 Wyoming Marathon Series
50K Results
KR Haga Colorado M 6:52:47
-
- Lincoln Monument
-
- 32 miles along the Lincoln Highway
-
- 4th ULTRA of 2019
-
- high elevation & HILLS
-
- WYOMING roadside bonanza
Vedauwoo
Memorial Day weekend. Unofficial start of SUMMER. Estimated 42 million Americans on the road next 3 days. Lucky for me, notta lotta folks holidaying outside Laramie WYOMING. LOL>
Backpack, run clothes & – dog treats. Pup couldn’t be more excited. Quick stop in Cheyenne for [Sunday’s 50K] bib pick-up, hour highway more: I-80 Vedauwoo exit. Dirt-flying gritty ranch roads. Airbnb SUCCESS! Secluded, no cell, no TV, fenced yard, FRESH eggs & two Tom turkeys.
Overstimulated Pup. In/out in/out. Near perfect weather – early season, no bugs – finally, just left the door ajar. Smell of fried eggs inside, wild Wyoming outdoors. Paw-friendly Ro destination.
Stars, BIG sky. Zero people noise, ambient light void. BESTEST sleeping weather. Early pre-dawn rise. Watched a herd of ELK before booting-up for Saturday’s hike in nearby Vedauwoo. Camped here couple years back with Ash & Tom. Easy 4-mile loop, 8000ft elevation. Welcome Summer!
Quick supply run into Laramie (always room for COCONUT CREAM PIE).
Gobble, gobble. Clatter of big bird Toms. Back on the Ranch/Home on the Range. Pup now on chipmunk patrol, guarding the perimeter. Popcorn & a DVD before surrendering our day done.
Wyoming unplugged. Gotta/hafta/must do. Highly recommended 😊
-
- ROAD TRIP ready
-
- Holiday HOME
-
- Wyoming sunset
-
- FRESH eggs & TURKEY
-
- morning ELK
Vedauwoo (Medicine Bow Nat’l Forest)
-
- 4-mile loop
-
- Turtle Rock Trail
-
- Vedauwoo SPRING
-
- Colorado ASPEN
-
- Wyoming WILD
Laramie Wyoming
-
- Pyramid on the Plains
-
- Ames Monument
-
- Cowboys Stadium
-
- ALWAYS room for pie
-
- Goodnite Wyoming 🌓
