Ultras

Jemez Mountain 50k

Jun 3, 2019

Some thoughts on the Jemez Mountain 50k trail race in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

1000 miles of Hardrock 100

Aug 13, 2018

I recently completed my 10th Hardrock 100, finishing in 29 hours and 26 minutes which was fast enough for 7th place. That comes to 1000 miles I’ve run on the ultra-marathon course in the San Juans.

If there’s one thing I have figured out after nine finishes at the Hardrock 100, it’s that you should never go into it thinking you’ve actually got it figured out. Train all you want, manage as many details as you think you can, but be ready for some curveballs on race day, and don’t be surprised when they come. Approach the race as a perennial student of the course, rather...

San Juan Solstice 50 miler

Jun 27, 2017

The San Juan Solstice 50 miler took place last weekend in the quiet mountain town of Lake City. We’ve always loved this hilly course in the northeast San Juan Mountains. One or both of us have run this race for most of the past ten years. It’s become an annual summer kickoff event for us. This year was as nice as ever, it was a beautiful day, the creek crossings...

2016 Hardrock 100

Jul 21, 2016

Summing up the Hardrock 100 is always a challenge, though when it goes well it’s admittedly easier. This year, my 8th time running, was relatively smooth. I finished in 28:52, my 3rd fastest time, which was good enough for 7th place overall.

Grin and Bear It

Oct 1, 2014

Christy and I returned to run the Bear 100 again last weekend. I guess we’re just gluttons for punishment. We gave it our best and finished the 100 mile course with 23,000 feet of elevation gain in respectable times, though we were both a bit slower compared to last year. We ran unsupported, that is without crew or pacers, and speaking for Christy as well as myself here— five days...

The Everest Marathon Series

Oct 24, 2013

On May 29, 2003, the inaugural Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon took place. Nepali owned and organized, the race has been run every year on May 29th, the anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic 1953 Mt. Everest ascent. The mostly downhill course descends the Khumbu Valley along popular trekking routes, from Everest Basecamp at 17,500 ft. to Namche Bazaar at 11,200 ft. In recent years, the race has...

Mahon vs. Bear

Oct 4, 2013

Start with a 100 mile race in the mountains, strip out any crew support or pacers and add a bunch of winter weather-- snow up high, mud down low, and temps in the low 20s all through the night-- and you have last weekend's Bear 100. Lucky for us, Christy and I were both able to say we had a great time. I improved on last year's finish by 45...

A little bonus race perspective

Jul 30, 2013

I thought I'd pass along a little video that recently hit the Internet about Seb Chaignieu's winning Hardrock 100. I don't usually re-post content created by others, but this race is a tough subject to accurately capture, and I think this video does a pretty good job.

Hardrock Reflection

Jul 18, 2013

This year's Hardrock 100 went well by nearly every measure. At the risk of making it sound routine, it was a fairly smooth day out there. And with the help of my crew/pacer team of Christy and Jesse Rickert-- from the Mount Everest/Global Extremes days-- I finished in 5th place, with a time of 28:19. It was my sixth time on the course and my fastest finish yet. (more…)