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...
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...
The coveted finishers buckle. It was about as smooth as they get for me. That’s my take as I reflect on last weekend’s Bear 100 run. Considering how many different ways one can come up short in these things, and that I ran the race without any crew or pacers, smooth is good. And to finish near the front with a sense of things being somewhat routine made it even...
Saturday’s Bear 100 was about as good as it gets for me. After three consecutive years at Hardrock, and running no other races at the 100 mile distance, I mistakenly came to believe all 100’s are like that massive San Juan suffer-fest. They’re not. And the early July date of Hardrock, being so close to the spring skiing season which has always taken priority, usually means I’m just barely feeling...
The 100 mile course across the Bear Range comes in at about 22,000 feet of gain. Click to enlarge. Time for another long one. The Bear 100 starts at six on Friday morning. (more…)
We met in Aspen in 2000 and have been happily stuck in the rockies ever since, getting out in the mountains every day we can, in every season and by all means possible. Read More
