USA Adventure

U of Okoboji Marathon

Published July 15, 2017

Bib pickup yesterday at Three Sons in Milford IA. For those of you taking U of O’s entrance exam, answer key is at the register 🙂

The University of Okoboji is a fictitious university in the state of Iowa. The university was the creation of three brothers (The Three Sons of their dad) in the early 1970s, who printed T-shirts with an “official” school crest. The word “Okoboji” refers to several lakes, and to the town of Okoboji, in the Iowa Great Lakes region that are popular recreational destinations.

The university is home of the undefeated Fighting Phantoms.

It is common among those claiming to be alumni to display university decor, such as car decals and T-shirts without informing unsuspecting out-of-staters that the university is fictitious. The name is now used in connection with several annual fund-raising events for charity, including bike rides, a marathon, and a winter games competition. A local radio station, KUOO, has joined in the joke and refers to itself as the “campus radio”.

5 o’clock alarm, early 6am marathon start. Luckily, my evenings digs were only 10 minutes away – not a whole lotta sleep after last night’s live ‘Little House’ performance. Double lucky? Air conditioning. 5am, already 78 degrees. Gonna be a July hot one.

Watched a lotta ultra races on YouTube while Bighorn training…including Badwater, a 135-mile endurance run thru Death Valley in JULY. 120+ degree heat, last year 84 of 97 finished. Key? Hydration AND a cold wet sponge (over the head/back of the neck). Hmm…

Start/Finish at Arnolds Park Amusement Park. Small marathon field, no more than 100. 5K turnaround at Okoboji’s The Inn, then clockwise circled West Okoboji Lake. Plan today: slow steady pace. ‘Steady’ the plan; goal: even splits.

With the exception of a fast first mile (7:25/min pace), held a steady 9:25/min pace thru 14. Multiple views of Iowan summer vacations: lotta boats, whole lotta skiers. Lost my way 3 times – almost a full mile off-course at mile 18.

[Check out my Strava pic/out-n-back line ‘bove 160^th St. Luckily, sun-bathing residents provided return directions. ARGH!]

Port-a-john at mile 19, negative splits next 4 miles. 12 min/pace, but moving. Took advantage of every opportunity to water douse my hat/head/shirt/arms/neck. iShuffle died, 7 miles to go. It’s a crutch [I know] but helps calm madness/’the voices’ after mile 20.

Walk, jog, sponge bath. Kept moving forward.

Seemingly out there by myself – but I did it, I finished. HOT day: 94 degrees & high humidity. Just under 5 hours (mere 30 seconds under). Medic placed a bag of ice on my neck. Said my thanks, collected a medal & retrieved my rental [car]. No drama 🙂

3 hour haul to Minneapolis, air conditioner on HIGH. Flying home tonite. Home sweet Colorado home.

U of Okoboji Marathon, Triathlon, Half Marathon & 10K – Marathon (Jul 15, 2017)

Haga, K R 4:59:31.95

City: Louisville, CO
Bib #: 679

: home of the Fighting Phantoms

: marathon’d West Okoboji Lake

: [me] under the Psychic sign 🙂

: an ‘unofficial’ ultra

: hot FINISH in IOWA

Posted in Heartland, Marathons/Ultras | Leave a comment

Wilder Pageant

Published July 14, 2017

Elbert & Aspen, 2 big mountain hikes. Mental fixed, done retreating. Back to marathoning.

Days after Bighorn, laid out my path for 100. Had already registered for six races, 3 more needed to hit my target in Dublin. Travel costs, proximity to home, days off required [from work] – add NO repeats. Thus far, all 91 marathons have been unique/original runs.

Lake Okoboji. Midwest humidity, 90+ degrees. Ya’ll know how I love heat, ARGH!

Friday morning flight. Said I’d never fly Frontier again but for $60 (one-way), I’d live out of my carry-on. 3-hour drive from Minneapolis. Lunch stopped in Mankato, 2 hours on flat farm roads ‘cross the Iowa border to bib pick-up. Motel check-in (another $49 bargain) in Spirit Lake then my Midwest adventure began. Hmm…what to do in rural Iowa?

An hour-half north & west using a handful of rural state roads, crossed back into Minnesota & entered Walnut Grove. ‘The’ Walnut Grove – as in, ‘Laura Ingalls/Little House on the Prairie’ Walnut Grove. Even bigger? Once a year (each July) the town celebrates with a series of events – biggest being a live outdoor performance, known as Wilder Pageant. Called, tickets available – heck yeah, I’m in.

First stop: Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum on [aptly-named] Ingalls Street. GREAT collection of both Wilder’s books AND the television series. Outside stood a replica of the Ingalls’ dugout sod home. As a kid, LOVED the show…however, was even a BIGGER FAN of the books. ‘On the Banks of Plum Creek’ (centered in Walnut Grove) was my personal favourite of the series.

Between 2^nd & 3^rd grade my family moved ‘cross country. HUGE life adjustment. Lived out of a camper while my dad built an add-on structure (lived there 3 years). Wood stove, no toilet, no running water. Dad went thru a series of assembly jobs, laid-off each winter.

Rural town, new school, tough times. Poor family, no money. That year, my 3^rd grade teacher read a chapter aloud [once a week] from ‘Little House in the Big Woods”. I was HOOKED. Reading became an escape, I was a mind traveler & the library was FREE. [could be] Transported far from my family’s struggles, their squabbles ’bout money & later divorce.

Inside the museum, a photograph of Mary, Laura & Carrie. A newspaper clipping (dated June 1879) reporting Mary’s illness & sudden blindness. An audio recording of Laura (from the 1950’s), interviewed by a newspaper reporter in Mansfield MO. Real people, real lives.

5 minute drive away, visited the Ingalls Dugout Site. $5/car to visit a sign by a creek, on a rural farm. No regrets 🙂

Car napped an hour before Wilder Pageant. Gates opened at 7, local singers entertained at 8, play began at 9pm – titled “Fragments of a Dream”, show’s 40^th anniversary. 2 Acts, 16 scenes. An older Laura (age 70) narrated the Ingalls’ story: family’s arrival in Walnut Grove, building the local church, fighting a plight of grasshoppers & Laura’s schoolyard fights with Nellie Oleson.

(FUN FACT: the infamous ‘Olesons’ were actually the ‘Owens’ – learned many names were changed in the books)

Well done Walnut Grove, well done. Sadly, left the land of many mosquitoes (Minnesota) between Acts (left at intermission). Long day, lotta hours logged in the rental. Hour-half return drive to Iowa (late midnight arrival), marathon in the morning.

: my personal favourite

: Real people, real lives

: Redwood Gazette, June 1879

: dugout sod home replica

: live outdoor performance, show’s 40th anniversary

: arrival in Walnut Grove

: Ingalls’ Dugout Home

: Laura (age 70) narrates

: Pa & his fiddle

: Nellie Oleson

: the infamous Mrs. Oleson

: Prairie Fire

: “Home is the nicest word there is”

Posted in Heartland | Tagged museo, theatre, trains | 2 Comments

FEAR, FAIL & DNS

Published June 17, 2017

“After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again.” ― C.S. Lewis

Failure/not completing what one’s started – it’s a tough pill to swallow. Some spout excuses, I’ve never been one to jump on board. Running’s a solo sport. Body failure, mental weakness, weather conditions – doesn’t matter. It’s you, the trail & a pair of shoes.

Started the weekend early like most (of my) race adventures. Booked a bus ticket, not a lotta options to northwest Wyoming 🙂 Boulder to Denver, Denver to Buffalo (Wyoming, not New York). 9 hours. Then ride-shared with a buddy to Dayton (Wyoming, not Ohio).

Bib pick-up Friday afternoon in Sheridan. 2 drop bags packed for Saturday’s 52 mile run.

2-mile taper runs all week. Half-month watching Bighorn videos [on YouTube]. Hot temps, their principle complaint. Tomorrow’s forecast? Light rain & mud, remnants from last week’s snow. PERFECT conditions. Summer’s come late to Wyoming.

Reviewed the map, reread the manual, talked with one of the race’s first 100 mile finishers.

Every T crossed, nothing left undone.

Should you drive into the Footbridge Aid Station, be aware that there are 2 creek fords to drive through. The second is quite deep at this time. Do not attempt to drive to Footbridge without a high clearance vehicle.

Our aid stations are well stocked with GU products, GU hydration, water, and a full supply of a variety of foods to help you in your endeavor for the distance you have registered and chosen to run. Please remember that the aid station volunteers who hike to their stations are limited in supplies, but are still well-stocked to assist you.

…you should yield to any runner that is catching you from behind, let them pass by stepping to the upside of the trail so that they may continue at their pace. The faster runner does have the right of way, and would be appreciative of your yielding this to them. This is true for horses as well, and others that may be on the trails.

We are expecting fairly average course conditions for 2017, but remember we are famous for the Bighorn shoe sucking mud. There will be snow, mud, rocks, roots, elk and their calves, moose and their calves, bear and their cubs, grouse, snakes, and other wildlife as well as challenges along the way, but we are in WYOMING and just consider this part of the adventure.

Welcome, and safe travels to our wild and scenic Bighorn Mountains!

Thank you,
Bighorn Race Officials

Saturday. Race morning. 5am race start, 45 minute drive from my overnight cabin.

Bed at 8:30, didn’t drop off ‘til after midnight, up again at 3. Mentally sapped.

Not the lack of sleep – FEAR. I can’t do this. It’s too many miles. All trail. I’m at elevation.

Pitch dark, in the car by 4. One deer. Two moose. Then…heavy fog. Large patches of snow [on] both sides of State Highway 14. Only 10 minutes to Start. Where is the turnoff? No cell signal, map left in the cabin.

Must have missed a turn. Back over the pass, back into the fog.

Never ever located the Start. HUGE fail. Have never missed a race – and this my goal race, my first 50.

Tough miss. Just wasn’t meant to be. Loss.

Showered at the cabin, retreated home – left a day early. Prepaid my stay, sunk cost. Home. I’ll figure it out at home.

UPDATE: 3 days later, still Bighorn-wounded but back at it. Reconnecting the dots. Have created a path for 100. All flights booked, all races registered. Ready, ready to run. Looking to Ireland: October 29th. Marathon #100. Focused.

Bighorn 2018? Yep, I’ll be back. Count on it. I’ve never run FROM anything.