IMTUF 100 - Four for Four

2017 has been yet another heavy racing year for me, and what better way to cap off the season with one more huge effort up in McCall at IMTUF 100. Many of my races this year were impacted in some way by the weather, either with snow pack or flooding for several of my early races this season (Black Canyon, Pulse Endurance, Salt Flats to name a few). Last year at IMTUF, we were treated to pouring rain for the entire second half of the race through the night and into the second day, it made for a unique challenge on an already tough course. This year, heading into race weekend, the weather looked to be shaping up to allow for nearly perfect running conditions and I felt ready.

In the four weeks leading up to IMTUF, I had two final long efforts and felt like I had recovered quite well from each and that they had definitely helped prepare me for what lay ahead. First, in mid-August, I spent 19 hours on the Leadville 100 course with my friend Ryan Lund, pacing the entire back half of his 100 mile race concluding his Leadman Series. I followed this effort up two weeks later (and two weeks before IMTUF) with ‘just’ a 50k up at The Rut in Big Sky, Montana. The Rut beat me up more than I ever anticipated during the race (a great event in its own right), but the recovery went quickly and I felt like it was just what I needed to prime my system for another tour of the IMTUF course.

I took Friday before the race off of work and headed up to McCall early in the day – as I drove north from Boise, I watched the temperature continue to drop and the skies turn grey despite the clear forecast for the weekend. By the time I arrived at Burgdorf in the early afternoon, it was a balmy 38 degrees and windy. I spent some time catching up with my good friend Rachel as we waited for the pre-race meeting and reminiscing about years past at IMTUF and how much it has grown. It began to rain and then gradually turned to sloppy wet snowflakes. The wet didn’t last long, but it was enough to set a deep chill in the air, and by the time the meeting started, everyone looked fairly frozen.

Jeremy and Brandi put on another great show at the prerace meeting, the amount of passion they have for everything about this event is unmatched. You could feel the excitement and anxiety in the air, as a good portion of the field would be toeing this start line for the first time.

Burgdorf Lodge

Jeremy and Brandi - Our Gracious RD's

As I crawled into my sleeping bag that night, the feeling was not unlike the excitement of a child on Christmas Eve, generally aware of what to expect the next morning, but still ready for anything. I slept poorly, waking up several times with random cold spots, but I still felt rested enough when the 4:00 alarm finally went off.

When Rachel and I lined up at the start line, we were soon joined with Tony Huff and Wayne Rancourt, a couple of other IMTUF veterans. Between the four of us we had 15 IMTUF finishes, likely more than the rest of the field combined, and good company to be in with.

Rachel and I at the Start Line

Top of Bear Pete Climb

The air was crisp when the elk bugle sounded, signifying the start of the race. We had a big climb to look forward in the first few miles, so I wasn’t too worried about the temperatures. As we grinded up Bear Pete headed toward Cloochman Aid station on the other side, the mood was elevated and everyone around me seemed to be settling in nicely. Just as we gained the ridge and began to cross to the other side, we were treated with a gorgeous sunrise that lit up the ice frosted brush and trees. We passed Howie Stern taking photos on the fast descent into Cloochman where Mariah and the gang had bacon and pancakes ready for us.

Descending into Cloochman - PC: Howie Stern Photography

After Cloochman, we had a bomber descent down to the bottom and some easy miles down the road to Upper Payette Lake. As we hit the road, I caught up with Garrick Arrends running his first 100 and hoping to have a good day. I saw the familiar faces of Ryan Anderson and Jeremy at the aid station, Elsa Cervantes also gave me a bite of her breakfast burrito and I interpreted it as her offering me the whole thing (as I found out later) and scarfed it down. Garrick and I headed off around the lake together and headed up through Terrible Terrance Trail to Pearl Creek road. TTT wasn’t nearly as bad in the daylight and we made quick work of a typically rough section of trail. The climb up Pearl Creek road towards North Crestline is straightforward and just steep enough to question whether we should have been running or not. Garrick and I choose to hike most of it, and on the way into the aid station we caught up with Ben Gibbard. Yes, that Ben Gibbard – frontman for Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, and tons of other solo work. I’ve been a fan of his music for years, and it was a great opportunity to introduce myself and run with a really genuine guy who also happens to be a famous musician.

Start of the Crestline

At North Crestline Aid Station I was greeted by Mike Blessing, Kari Porter, and Stephanie Heimberg – they took care of me and filled me with bacon, quesadillas, and a shot of fireball to make sure I was ready for the daunting Crestline trail we were headed straight into.

PC: Garrick Arends

Miles 24-38 on the Crestline seemed to move by quickly – we had slowed our pace and were enjoying the scenery. Technical trail required slower more surefooted steps; at this point, I had already begun the rock kicking party. Garrick, Ben, I and a few others stayed together for most of this section and had good conversation while ticking off the miles, gorgeous scenery around every corner.

Arriving at South Crestline aid station Garrick and I were moving well and had pulled a bit ahead of the others; we fueled up heavy again and got ready for one more climb up and over Fall Creek Summit before descending down to Lake Fork. Helen Pelster caught us as soon as we rolled into the aid station; she was leading the woman’s race after a strong third-place performance the prior year. An incredible runner based out of the Tahoe area, we chatted as we left the aid station together with Garrick. She gradually pulled away from us on the climb.

On the techy descent from Fall Creek, Garrick’s IT band started acting up and he opted to take it easy rather than risk further damage so I descended on my own for a minute – Ben caught up to me and we took the rest of the descent together. We trotted and chatted along the seemingly unending dirt road (actually only 2.8 miles) on the way into Lake Fork Aid around mile 45.

Fall Creek Descent - PC: Howie Stern Photography

I stayed in Lake Fork for a few minutes and refueled with homemade pizza and coke while BSing with Derek Call who was running the aid station, knowing that the next section up and over Snowslide would be a challenge. Garrick came into the aid a few minutes after Ben and I did and was working with his crew to get some of his physical ailments sorted out. Ben had picked up his first pacer and left the aid station within a few seconds of me and we quickly settled into a fairly efficient pace that we would hold for the next five miles of single track that was reminiscent of typical PNW forest trails. This quickly gave me another opportunity to be star struck – as Ben’s pacer was none other than Brian Morrison, an elite runner a few years back, coming within a quarter mile of finishing first in the WS 100 mile race in 2006. Last year he ran WS again and was able to redeem himself by toughing out a fine finish with Ben pacing him for a chunk of miles.

We chatted and climbed together and picked off a few runners in the process, but once the climb pitched up to a steeper grade Ben needed to take a breather. I forged ahead knowing that the inky black night wasn’t far off and I wanted to make sure that I was able to get down off of the mountain before dark. I passed a few runners on the climb, the higher we got, the steeper it got. I finally crested the saddle with the evening sun lighting up the granite all around me. I started the descent and quickly caught up with Helen again, we had planned on taking the descent easy, but as we got closer to the lake and the midpoint of the descent we saw a familiar figure on a rock below. Jeremy, the RD had climbed up to admire his handiwork. As we got down to him and passed him he hopped up and asked if he could pace us down to the aid station, we happily obliged. It was surreal bombing downhill with the female leader and the race director in tow.

Helen and I headed in to Snowslide

As we neared the aid station at mile 55, the smell of pulled pork filled the air. This aid station is also notorious for great food and even better volunteers. I met Garrick’s crew and wife there and they talked with me for a few minutes as I changed my shoes and socks and bundled up with a coat and a couple buffs for the night. I had 4.5 miles to the next aid station at Duck Lake with a significant climb and a short descent all on good forest road to look forward to. Before heading out, I grabbed a pulled pork sandwich from the gracious volunteers and then Helen (along with her new pacer) and I left the aid together and set off on a respectable power hike and let the night take us over. In and out of Duck Lake Aid station quickly, I slowly started to pull away from Helen as I worked my way down Twenty Mile Trail, this is a 10-mile section that is net downhill, but still fairly technical.

Somewhere along this section, I heard voices and saw headlamps behind me gaining quickly, it turns out that Ben had come back from his rough spot and was moving quite well. I latched on to their pace and we finished up the section and rolled on into Upper Payette Lake at mile 70 for the second time just before midnight. We had a 50k left and only one significant climb remaining in the race, but I knew that my legs had seen the last of their fast miles for the day. Jose and Elsa were still at Upper Payette taking care of everyone and it was great to see them again. I asked Jose how many people had been through and he informed me that Ben and I were in 31/32 place.

It had gotten cold over the last few hours and I was having trouble heat regulating so I dropped my sweaty running jacket and traded it out for a sturdier North Face Windwall jacket with some insulation. I drank some broth and warmed up by the campfire for a couple of minutes and then Ben and I set out again. Ben had swapped pacers here and we would be treated with some more stories and a fresh set of legs to help push us up the Victor/Diamond Ridge climb.

The climb up Diamond Ridge is long and unforgiving; in the dark, on tired legs, it doesn’t feel any easier. The wind had picked up and once we got out into the old burn scar I began to worry about whether I had enough warm gear to keep me moving. It had to be close to freezing temperatures and the wind was howling through the trees. An eerie whistling sound was ejected from the darkness around us, but still, we forged ahead. Around mile 77, we finally came across an aid station tucked in away from the wind. Thankful for a warm fire and more broth, I chatted with the volunteers that had hauled everything for the aid station up the mountain with their pack goats and would be out in the weather for nearly as long as we would by the time they would get to break camp. Knowing that we shouldn’t stay long, Ben, his pacer, and I headed out to finish the climb and begin the long technical descent down to Willow Basket.

Goats at Diamond Ridge - PC: Irene Saphra

With the bulk of the race behind me and very ‘runnable’ terrain ahead I was wishing that my legs had more left in them, but I knew it would be a slow marathon to finish out the course. Race amnesia had kicked in hard and it felt like this section would never end. Rolling downhill trail, but the pace had slowed considerably. Ben and his pacer stuck with me and I was appreciative of the company. We swapped stories of races and adventures as we slogged down the trail, despite what felt like an impossibly slow pace, we began passing people, I guess the race had taken its toll on everyone by this point. As the miles slowly ticked away we came across more and more headlamps and watched them fade into the darkness behind us.

Finally, we popped out over a hill and saw the aid station below us – Doug and Vicky Trees always pack this aid station in and take care of the runners twice, before and after the 10-mile loop around the Secesh River and Loon Lake. Right when we got there I saw a guy named Brian who I had ran with earlier in the race, he was having an awesome day and had just finished his loop and was about to head in for the final 10 mile stretch to the finish. I wished him luck and we headed out in the opposite direction – 3 miles to the next aid station and my final drop bag at Chinook Campground. Ben, his pacer, and I pressed on and passed a few more people on the way into Chinook. I knew that the 7-mile stretch back to Willow Basket would be the coldest section of the day, so I had stashed a puffy jacket to throw on in my drop bag and would carry it with me for the rest of the day.

The undulating trail followed the Secesh River down for several miles before we eventually crossed the river and began climbing back out of the river bottom. A small out and back to Loon Lake seemed a daunting task to undertake. One downside for moving as fast as we were was that we arrived at the lake in the dark still and were unable to ‘appreciate’ the detour as much as the runners who would arrive after the sun came up. Just over a mile and we would be back at Willow Basket for one last section through Ruby Meadows and on to the finish.

As we left Willow Basket, Ben and his pacer were able to hit a speed that was just out of my reach, he was ready to be done and moving well. I did my best to keep up with them for the first few miles, but gradually fell off and watched them disappear around the corner ahead of me. I was fine with this, as I was still passing the occasional runner and felt good about where my finish time would be. 

Everything hurt and I wanted to be done, but I wasn’t able to move any faster. Daylight had come just before we had left the last aid station, so I took my time and enjoyed watching the sun peak out over the mountains and light up the granite and colorful flora across the meadows. Reds, yellows, and oranges accented with the stark black of charcoal of burned trees stretched across the meadow. Everything was coated with a blanket of frost and it was hard not to appreciate the beauty of it all.

Eventually, I hit the final climb up and out of the meadows and saw Ben and another runner a few switchbacks ahead of me, I settled in and climbed as efficiently as I could and popped out onto the road at the trailhead. We had several miles of this dirt road before we crossed the pavement onto the road to Burgdorf. Again, the dirt road seemed longer than it should have, and I had no choice but to continue on. Alas, I reached the campground which meant I was only a few hundred yards from the pavement. O crossed the pavement at Warren Wagon Road and onto the road to Burgdorf for the final two miles of the race. Now that I could smell the finish line I was moving really well, employing a run/walk strategy. With a mile left I passed the last runner I’d see, he was moving slow and hurting bad but would finish a few minutes behind me. I saw Jose and Elsa drive by and shout words of encouragement as I trotted along the road. The final turn came into sight and I felt my emotions start to well up inside.

The feeling of accomplishment in running 100 miles is intense, it is unlike anything else. To battle the elements, the terrain, mental demons, and everything else that goes along with running your body through the wringer for more than a day is a special thing that we do. No matter how much I suffer and how bad I feel during the race, the last 100 yards I can’t help but smile and appreciate everything.

My fourth attempt at this course yielded yet another finish, and like the others, this one will stick in my memory for years to come. This was my second fastest finish time, and a 15^th place overall finish, in the last 30 miles of the race I ended up passing 17 people on my way in. This was my 10^th race finish of 100 miles or more, and it came as an early birthday present for me as I prepare to enter my 30’s two weeks from now.  

Jer and I at the Finish Line

27 hours and 43 minutes after I left Burgdorf, Jeremy and Brandi were waiting at the finish line to welcome me back. I can’t say enough about the heart and compassion these two have for this race, their runners, and the environment. Without these two, IMTUF wouldn’t exist, and I have so much gratitude for everything they do for the running community.

Obligatory Fan Photo - Ben Gibbard and I after some hard fought miles.

The course itself was in incredible condition, I think there were a total of three downed trees in the entire 100 miles. The markings were spot on, and there was never a doubt or question on navigation. The terrain is challenging, there’s no way around it, each year I hear people saying that it is much more difficult than it looks on paper, I agree, and that is why I keep coming back each year.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in the race, volunteers, race directors, family, and crews, you all make it possible for us runners to do what we love to do and it is so rewarding to be able to share these experiences with all of you.