SMUT at Red Rocks

Maraya, Shane, Brad, and I went to Red Rocks on Saturday for the second SMUT field trip. Despite the small group this ended up being one of the most memorable SMUT runs yet.

We were treated to a pretty sunrise as we met at the Visitor's Center

Those pesky clouds would make the day interesting

We met at the Visitor's Center and drove to the Willow Springs parking lot. Maraya had her dog and husband to keep her company as Shane, Brad, and I did the White Rock Loop which is probably my favorite trail int the Las Vegas Area.

Shane behind White Rocks

Shad's behind

We originally planned on going up Rocky Gap Road to North Peak after the Willow Loop. The clouds looked pretty ugly up there, but after some discussion we decided to give it a shot and turn back if things got too bad. Shane took off a bit ahead going up the long climb up Rocky Gap Road. As we ascended the weather got worse and worse. I looked over to Brad and admitted I was constantly looking up in hopes of seeing Shane coming back the other way after calling it quits. The wind picked up and we even started seeing snow flakes around the 5000' level.

Brad on Red Rock Summit at the top of Rocky Gap Road

Looks  kind of peaceful here, but it was cold and windy

Just over a half hour after leaving the misery of Red Rock Summit we returned to a beautiful Fall day. The change was dramatic and almost unbelievable.

This was a really fun run for me due in no small part to the excellent company. Even the gaggle of unleashed dogs that went by didn't ruin this day. If this run was any indication, the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim the three of us are planning next weekend is going to be truly off the hook.

Congratulations Karen

Congratulations to Karen for finishing the Javalina Jundred this weekend.

The JJ is run the Pemberton Trail in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park outside of Phoenix

She finished in a time of 27:48. Guess she gets the foot-time award for this week. Judging from her splits it looks like Karen ran a smart race. I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

Typical view along trail

Javalina Jundred Update

Despite an excellent start Josh had to drop at mile 41. He was through the 30 mile mark in under 4 hours and well below course record pace. On the third lap, however, he had severe pain in his pelvis. He said it's a possible stress fracture.

Tough luck Josh. Nothing can be done about unforeseen freak injuries. It's been a brutal year for him at the 100 mile distance.

Bootleg Canyon 10-16-2010

Saturday we were back out at Bootleg Canyon. That 30 extra minutes of sleep seemed like a couple of hours

to me. Several members were out at the Dragon Boat races at Lake Mead which benefits breast cancer services. Brad, Peggy, Richard, Regino, Tim, and Britta are running the length of the River Mountain Trail Sunday. Looking forward to hearing about it. Send me some photos if any of you guys took any.

Next week Josh and Karen are running the Javalina Jundred down in Fountain Hills, AZ east of Scottsdale. This race is a loop course in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. The is a fast desert course with mountain views and a forest of cacti. Good luck to you both. 

Hillary with a big smile early in the morning

Tim hamming it up.

Shane, Sexy Back, descending the swithbacks

Brad Hawley

River Mtn trail follows a wash up to the benches

Somewhere down there is Shane and our guest Reed

SMUT runner Steven Dean at the 2010 Senior Games

Congratulations Steven on a great race at the 2010 Senior Games up in St. George Utah. Steven not only crushed his age group by almost 5 minutes, he beat the whippersnappers in the 50-54 and 55-59 age categories. Steven has been an elite runner for longer than most of us have been alive and I'm proud to have him apart of our little community and to call him a friend. Way to go Steven congratulations again on a great race.

See results here:

http://seniorgames.net/results/2010/roadRaces/10K/

Race Report Desert Dash 50k October 2nd 2010

Here is Brad's race report from this past weekend's Desert Dash race. Congratulations again Brad on a well run race.

The forecasted temperature for race day was the low 90's, but it felt much warmer at the 9:00 a.m start because the sun was out in full force. The sun did momentarily relent at, however, and we even had a little rain around hour 5.

For the 50k course, we did a couple loops on the Cottonwood trails and a couple loops on the Mustang trails. We passed through the race headquarters at the Late Night trail head between every loop and there was also an aid station on both of the trails, totaling 6 aid station stops during the race. The elevation was between approx. 4000 and 5000 feet, with a net gain/loss of approx. 4800 feet. 

Approximately 40 of us, comprising of a mixture of half-marathon and 50k runners, took off for the Cottonwood trails from the Late Night trail head parking lot, but the initial pace for the entire field of runners was pretty conservative due to the initial temperature and climb, which was approximately 1000 feet over the first few miles.

Brad, with the race in hand, heading out for his final few miles

 

I did not keep track of my place at the start of the race, so I didn't realize that I was in the lead, nor did I ask, until Josh and Shad’s aid station around mile 26 where they told me about my significant lead. During the few miles prior to this point, I was having a tough time and only focused on finishing, but their encouraging words and news of my position provided me with a 2nd wind, allowing me to pick up my pace and enjoy the fun down-hill section of the final few miles. 

It appears that 17 people started the 50k, with 9 finished. The remaining runners were either DNF or moved to the half-marathon race distance. Finishing times ranged from 5:32 to 9:37.

Desert Dash organized an excellent race, as the course was beautiful, the route was very well marked, and the aid stations were well stocked. I would especially like to thank the volunteers, including SMUT members Dana, Hillary, Josh, Richard, Shad, and Shane.

Brad Hawley 

Red Rock Fat Ass 50K January 8th 2011

The Red Rock Fat Ass 50K is a long running trail event here in Las Vegas. It covers some of the best trails in majestic Red Rock Canyon. The event has declined in participation over the last couple years, but Ian Torrence has taken it upon himself to resurrect the event to its former glory. If you don't know Ian, he is a ultrarunning veteran of over 150 races with 50 victories who used to live in Las Vegas and now lives and coaches in Flagstaff.

Fat Ass events are low key, no cost, and no frills. Basically, it's just a bunch of runners getting together to run because they love to run. For more information go to http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=11213 or on
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100788886653578

Desert Dash 50k 10/2/2010

Congratulations to SMUT runner Brad Hawley for winning the Desert Dash 50k yesterday. It was a pretty tough day out there as several of us working the aid station can attest to. The 9:00 a.m. start assured runners would be facing the brunt of a abnormally warm day. Brad was the first runner through, including half marathoners, and didn't look back all day. The runners got a little relief later in the day when the wind picked and some even got some welcome sprinkles of rain.

Brad on his first trip through the checkpoint

Shane, Josh, Hillary, and I worked the aid station that the 50k runners passed by twice and the half marathoners once. This was my first time volunteering at a race and I have a new appreciation for all the people have helped me through the races I've done. I almost think I would have been less tired running the race. We had a good time though and it felt great helping others through their races.

Fellow SMUT Hillary Brimhall getting everyone what they need

Congratulations to Brad again on a great race.

Brad heading out on final leg