Monument Valley Ultra

Post by Matthew Van Horn.

The Monument Valley Ultra marked my second Ultra Adventure's event and it did not disappoint. Driving to Moab from Flagstaff three times over the past year I had glimpses of the valley on several occasions and seen what I thought was everything the valley had to offer. I was severely mistaken.

A magical turn that leads visitors to the most driven dirt road in the country, opens up gates to a sacred land that few (besides Navajo) are allowed to step foot on. Yet again, Matt Gunn managed to find a way to open up the courses even more this year. Gracefully passing by thousand year old ruins, million year old arches, while summiting one of the best views on the Navajo Reservation in Mitchell Mesa - the entire course provided runners with a truly memorable experience.

Most of the course changes were because of Larry and his family (Navajo tribe members) who live in Monument Valley and have ancestry going back thousands of years in the area. Gunn first met Larry while hiring a horse tour guide to plot out the original MV course. Larry is through and through a traditional cowboy. From his sharp brimmed hat and dusty wranglers to his hardworked leather-worn hands, it is easy to see this is a man who lives off the land and with the land. Soft spoken and always deep in observation, Larry led a pre-race blessing on both mornings of the 100 mile race start and the shorter distances. His daughter gave a pre-race presentation the night before the race on the traditional role of Navajo women in the Hogan. This included touching on topics like Navajo belief systems, family roles, traditional customs and language. It was incredibly special to witness and take part.

Larry's daughter giving her presentation the afternoon before the race.

I arrived Thursday to offer my help and watch the 100 milers start on Friday morning. Friday I was able to drive around with Matt and the Ultra Adventure's media crew to shoot footage and see a part of the area that only 100 M runners would be able to encounter during their first 36 miles. (No other race distances go through this section)

I don't know this gentlemen's name, but if there was an award for best beard - he would have won, hands down.

Candice Burt and Kelly Agnew running along side during the early stages of the 100M race

Kelly Agnew on his way to a 4th place finish over all in the 100M

Sunset over the horizon taken from race headquarters 

Matt Gunn and his crew arrived almost a week early to help distribute aid to local Navajo people affected by the severe winter storm that deposited almost 2 feet of snow in Mystery Valley. With their encouragement runners donated money, supplies, and goods that would be distributed to those in need. I wasn't able to take a picture of the pile of donations at race headquarters, but it was definitely significant and inspiring.

Arriving a couple days early allowed me to observe just how much hard work goes into making a race like this function smoothly. Learning that one guy (Rick) marked 100% of the courses for all the distances blew my mind! For those of you who don't know, that takes an insane amount of time and dedication to be out there entire days before the race in the hot baking sun, while you are sticking flags to trees and signs to the sand. All while knowing you will have to go out and retrieve all of these markers immediately after all the races end. Another guy (goes by the name of Turtle) organized every aid station and was in charge of making sure supplies, volunteers, and drop bags found their way to and from aid points. Not to mention all the wonderful volunteers who worked aid stations and helped set up and break down camp. The people involved in this race amazed me. The camaraderie and genuine concern for each other and the environment was refreshing. Something that often gets lost in the deep midst of heavy competition at races. This group was their for a higher purpose.

When I drove around with Matt and the film crew on Friday I was wondering how he managed to attract so many amazing people to make his events truly special. That question was already answered. The guy (Gunn) is simply doing good things for good reasons. These reasons greatly exceed any profit oriented prerogatives or fame. They speak to the nature of love and understanding. It is crystal clear, once you experience an Ultra Adventure's event you know it is taking place for the people, locals, culture, and environment. There's no top dollar price purse or looming international recognition hanging over head for the winners. These events are purely and solely about compassion and love, for beautiful areas and cultures.

I want to send out a huge thank you to all the volunteers, ambassadors, runners, local navajos, and of course Matt Gunn for making this a truly memorable experience. I am humbled and excited to be joining the Ultra Adventures Ambassador Team and work alongside so many amazing people using trail/ultra running as a medium to do a bit of selfless good in the world.

Huge shout out to Christian Gering (Durango, CO) for putting on yet another stellar performance at the 50k in Monument Valley. I first met Christian at this years Moab Red Hot 55k where it was both our first cracks at competing against a heavily competitive field. Christian is as humble as they come and you can tell he's out there loving it all. Respectful in nature to everyone he comes in contact with, I look forward to seeing what he does in his races to come. Another shout out to Andy Pearson, who was coming off a win and course record at the Antelope Canyon 50M. Andy put on yet another impressive performance at the Monument Valley 50M and finished in a strong second, only minutes off the eventual winner. Kelly Agnew, another Ultra Adventures ambassador along with the 2 gentlemen I just previously mentioned finished the grueling sand filled 100M in 4th place overall. Lynette McDougal went on to finish as the 2nd woman overall in the 100M and looked absolutely un-phased after pulling into the 36M aid-station with a golfball size blister on her heel.  Jackie Achter rounded out the top placing ambassadors with a 2nd place finish in the tough 50k course. Last, but not least a huge thank you to Cherri Marcinko and Jennilyn Eaton who made the drive all the way from Salt Lake and weren't even running in any of the events. Both of these gals volunteered the entire weekend, either working aid stations, setting up camp, or helping check runners in. They both swept the courses after the races were completed and embody the phenomenal good vibes that freely float around at all UA events.

 It's safe to say the ambassadors Gunn has selected aren't just strong runners, but also phenomenal human-beings. I'm looking forward to my next UA event (Bryce Canyon 50M in June). Here's a link to all the UA events Grand Circle Trail Series

100M and 50M hand made finisher tokens

Sunset during my last night in Monument Valley

Sol back on her home soil (Rez dogs are the best dogs)

Sunrise during the 100M race start

Aftermath of a hard ran 25k (1:43)

When the mind is clear, the body is calm, and the heart is at rest

It has been a while since my last post, life has been full of surprises and now I am back in Santiago, living, working, and running here.

Today I had the opportunity to run with a group of ultra runners based out of Santiago, Chile. To state it simply: it was one of the best and most beautiful runs I have ever had.

Our mission: summit Cerro Provencia. A small peak tightly nestled in the graces of the white soldiers they call 'Los Andes'. Cerro Provencia holds its own in technicality (according to running standards) and at some points was a (bit) dangerous in parts of the 25km climb and descent. That just adds to the fun right?

The beginning of our ascent

We made our way up the backside of the mountain, scrambling up some extremely steep cliffs. With a glimpse to our left we had a beautiful view of the Andes and to our right we had an amazing overlook of the entire city of Santiago.

The view to the left

The view to the right

As we made our way closer to the summit the winds were relentless and the trail was covered in slick ice. Needless to say this made for a very interesting descent!

The last push to the summit

On the way down myself and a fellow runner (Moises) burned our way down the trail. It was one of the most amazing descents I have had the chance to experience in my young ultra-running career. In comparing the steepness of this run to the the likes of the Bright Angel Trail head and North Kaibab in the Grand Canyon, I have to admit that the backside of Cerro Provencia is much stepper and more technical (which made for a couple close encounters with the rocks and my backside). As we floated down the trail head, riding the edges like waves, we were able to gaze upon the grandness of the snow covered Andes and soak up their prestige. It was a beautiful run and being joined by great people made it that much better!

Fellow runners Moises, Felipe, and myself (almost at the summit)

Clarity

In total we were on our feet for around 3 hours and 30 minutes. 25km in 3:30 for a couple quick and young ultra runners should put the steepness in perspective!

I'm looking forward to many more runs on this trailhead and discovering many new ones with my new found ultra friends. The Patagonia International Marathon is at the end of September and I'll be training for it until then! I'm also planning on running the North Face Endurance 50 miler in October, which happens to be in my backyard.

Our view at the end of our run

Bienvenido a Bariloche!

This past week was spent in the snow-caped mountains of Bariloche, Argentina. A city known for its beautiful scenery and tasty chocolate. The drive in on the bus was a once in a lifetime experience, with each winding turn emerged a new lake surrounded by beautiful mountains filled with lush green canopies.

I ran up one of the local peaks (Cerro Otto) twice during my stay and had a very lengthy run along the lake as well. Running up Cerro Otto was a beautiful experience. The mountain was covered in snow and the trail loosely defined in the winter, which gave me the opportunity to make my own way up the local slant. The runs were followed by a trip to the local chocolate factories and then a visit to a local brewery for some great brew.

Bariloche is an amazing place to live if you are an outdoor enthusiast. With tons of routes to climb, mountains to run, lakes to kayak and trails to hike...mountaineers can't go wrong with this Patagonian gem. It reminds me of Flagstaff, Arizona or a slightly smaller Boulder, Colorado.

Snowboarding on the top of Cerro Catedral

Rule number one of chocolate making...you need a good mustache

Bariloche has some amazing graffiti and street art

As well as some amazing local brew at Cerveceria Manush!

One of the many amazing views from the top of Cerro Otto

In Dalcahue, Chiloé! A runners paradise.

After a long week of orientation in Santiago, Chile I am finally in my placement town of Dalcahue, Chiloé. A small and quaint fishing village located on the beautiful and lush landscaped island of Chiloé.  I will be teaching at a local high school in the capital city of Castro.

The people of Chiloé are humble, warm, and genuine. They welcome complete strangers in with open arms and friendly smiles. The town itself is a small niche in a sea of green hills and farms, surrounded by endless ocean. 

The rain and wind is relentless on Chiloé, but when the clouds slowly dissipate and the sun is allowed to shine his warmth upon the rolling hills....Chiloé looks a little something like this:

I took my first decent run today (being so busy in Santiago I barely had time for a quick jog), but in Chiloé....there is plenty of time to soak up the pleasant aroma of burning fire wood as you run through the country side. It is not common for people to run in Chiloé, so this explains the perturbed looks as I zipped past locals. The people, however, perplexed and surprised, greeted me with big smiles and warm 'holas'. Chiloé is a beautiful place indeed. A musicians dream land to compose, a writers dream land to write, and a runners dream land to run. For all the rain and clouds that constantly cover the sky, Chiloé has an abundance of warmth and happiness to keep anyone content.

Counting to Infinity

The closer my departure date gets, the more the restlessness builds. A mix of excitement, curiosity, naivety, and anticipation is all being stirred around simultaneously in the cauldron between my ears. I suppose this is normal for anyone moving to a new country!

I've been having my fair share of those future predicting deja vu mental scenarios lately. Vivid scenes that have me exploring a street in downtown Santiago or running up a volcano in Los Lagos. The mind definitely is not shy about showing the body where it wants to go! The connection between mind and body is something 'ultra' runners come to know very well. I have found many parallels between aspects of life and lessons I've learned while spending 6+ hours shuffling on my feet in search of the next aid station. One of them being this deep sense of continuity between what I'm thinking and what I'm doing. Often in life we find our minds running (no pun intended) at Usain Bolt speed, with a variety of thoughts flowing in and out, having no necessary relation to what we are actually doing at that moment. This is not the case when I am running for an extended distance. At a certain milage my outside thoughts fade and my sole mental being becomes intertwined with each stride and successive foot strike. This awareness is comparable to what many athletes consider to be the 'in the zone' feeling. However, there is most definitely something unique about this certain mental and physical blend of heightened consciousness achieved during long distance runs.

I believe the feeling is best described to outsiders as a sort of 'counting to infinity'. Simply start counting, with absolutely no goal in mind, by the time you blink and realize you've been staring blankly at the carpet repeating the number one hundred and fifty seven over and over again...the moment just before you realized what it was you were doing, is precisely what it feels like to enter this zen-like state of perception while running.

With 2 days before I leave for Chile and embark on this journey, leaving all that I know behind and stepping on that plane, it most definitely feels like I'm counting to infinity.

Good luck SD 100 runners!

Wanted to wish all my amigos and amigas running the SD 100 this weekend a huge good luck! I was scheduled to pace 30 miles of the race, but due to my recent stint with mono I'm still working on recovering. This time off has provided for an interesting perspective and as a result has forced me to focus on the importance of recovery, rest, and adequate sleep before a big run.

Below is a video compilation of the Solomon running team's 2011 season, awesome work by Seb Montaz! Check out Seb Montaz's videography and photography, he is the film maker working with Kilian on his Summits of Life piece. Chile in 7 days! Vamos!

Krupicka on "restraint and patience"

Anton Krupicka on exercising "restraint and patience" in your ultra running career

Notorious ultra runner Anton Krupicka is known for his insanely high volume training runs. Sometimes reaching above the daunting 200 mile mark per week, Krupicka is no slouch when it comes to adequate preparation before race day. However, he is also a proponent of the sheer beauty of being and simply enjoying it all. Enjoying the mountains is not possible when one is injured and like all of us mountain runners know to well, injuries are common when you are charging up and barreling down slopes.

Leading Krupicka to the cognizance: “It has re-opened my eyes to just how necessary the mountains are in my life and that I need to exercise better discipline in the future to avoid injuries,” he concludes. “Restraint and patience.”

Our competitive nature that pushes us to greatness sometimes simultaneously consumes our ability to rationalize. Anton has found one of the most important lessons that ultra running or any passionate endeavor provides. It is not the accumulation of social acceptance, but the sheer feeling we get during, that provides us with this immense amount of satisfaction and clarity. As with everything in life, there are times to exercise "restraint and patience" and times to do the exact opposite. Just like Anton, we have to figure out which one applies and when.