Zuppy Lurk completes Western States 100-mile race

RoyMcC

100 miles?! :eek: [URL="javascript:emoticon(':applause:')"][/URL][URL="javascript:emoticon(':applause:')"][/URL][URL="javascript:emoticon(':applause:')"][/URL]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_FFy1reUM4&feature=player_embedded

Oisin11178

Well done bud :-)

Slogger Jogger

You're nuts Well done!

jeffontour

Congrats, you looked to be moving well at the end. Great stuff!

TFBubendorfer

Just did a double take when I saw his name in the results list.
Respect!

How the hell did he get permission to go to California when his wife has just given birth!?!

kingQuez

Legend, well done man!

TheRoadRunner

3.7 miles an hr average. Took his time didn't he!

Killerz

Congratulations - legendary stuff. WS100 is the dream!

napathy

6 year old in my car took a while to digest a hundred mile race but then wanted to know whether he would be swimming back from America. Seems a perfectly reasonable plan for a warm down! Hell of an achievement. Well Done

Zuppy

Thanks guys. In hotel now and it is a 15min round trip to the bathroom. Room service is not up to the challenge. :-)

I will write somemore on it when I make it home but as a wee taster, the canyon between last chance and devils thumb did so much damage that I reckon that's why the wheels came off my cart later on. My pacer met me at mile 62 for 20 miles and stayed till the end because I was moving so slow.

Zuppy

Oh and rumour from the medical tent was the lead women ran straight into mommy bear and her cub. No wonder they finished so fast. :-)

jeffontour

ZuppyLurk wrote: »

Oh and rumour from the medical tent was the lead women ran straight into mommy bear and her cub. No wonder they finished so fast. :-)

Interview on irunfar

Here is the story from the lady in question, you can listen as you make the journey to the loo!

Zuppy

jeffontour wrote: »

Interview on irunfar

Here is the story from the lady in question, you can listen as you make the journey to the loo!

Ha ha. The joy of wifi and phone speakers.

griffin100

How did that rate versus a channel swim?

Zuppy

griffin100 wrote: »

How did that rate versus a channel swim?

The first question I got asked in interview just after finishing. Hard to say, as a self confessed non swimmer, I found the channel tougher but then I had prepared for the channel and when running you stop to feed at the aid station buffets and change shoes etc. No stopping in the channel so no respite. Also I never dreamed of stopping swimming durning the channel but about mile 85 in WS I was reduced to limping and would gladly have thrown in the towel except my pacer and I were in the middle of nowhere.

Confusing and not really an answer I know. I need to mull over it. Both very different events but I always find the lack of cross over makes the Swimmers interested in the ultra runs and the runners in the channel.

Enduro

Well done! Not many people around can say they've done both I would imagine.

Mick Rice

Fantastic achievement, absolutly unbelievable. To be honest I wouldn't have guessed it was even possible.

How Jo let you travel to America so soon after the baby is just a mystery to me.

Oh, and well done on the race as well.

hunnymonster

Didn't he do fantastic? I'm a very very proud wife. Between the two of us, we probably have one fully functioning body. Zuppylurks legs are in bits and everything from neck to legs is shot on me after a drugless birth "experience". <begins to wonder what kind if reputation I have if so many people are surprised I "let" him go to California. I'm only sorry myself and the Hunnylurk couldn't be there to support>

jonny99

Unreal,well done.looking forward to reading about the experience..

Ruu_Old

Inspiring, well done.

Zuppy

Less of a hunnylurk and more of a zuppymonster! :-)

shotgunmcos

Coool Well done N and congrats on that and congrats again.. So WS100, double IM, MdS and Channel Swim to name but a few on your CV... impressive to say the least :cool:

ultraman1

well done zl

Zuppy

Ok, below is Dan's account of pacing me. Joe and Jess were crewing but Dan joined me at foresthill just in time to watch the wheels (all of them one by one) fall off. What started off as quad pain became a torn tendon in my ankle and pissing blood at the finishline. But you have got to love the yanks, Doctor followed up on my lab results early this morning per E MAIL after I logged in four hours post race to see them. I call that race service!


My recollections of pacing Niall:

After a few e-mails back and forth, it looked I would be a good fit to pace Niall since his goal was to finish under 30 hours. I have run every part of the trail from Foresthill to the Auburn finish, so I hoped my knowledge could help in some way. The morning of the run, I got online and saw that Niall was off at a 24 hour pace, which frightened me a bit, but he mentioned that the latter part of these things is rough on him. Long story short, Niall arrived at Foresthill about 4 hours ahead of 30 hour pace, but I had been there to watch the leaders go through and was prepared to jump in with him.

When I finally saw number 295, I jumped out introduced myself and heading in to the aid station with him. Understanding that this is the largest aid station on the course, it was important to ensure that he got everything he needed, including being weighed. This was the first time that I got to hear his name butchered, but the attempt was a game one (O-cruel-ouch!). Niall grabbed a GU topped off the hydration pack and we were back out on to Foresthill Road. There was a lot of support on both sides of the road, which was appreciated, but what we were really looking for was the elusive Joe with the drop bag. We finally realized that we either had to stop and go back or move on and the decision was to roll on down the California Street Trail.

The trail quickly leaves the small town of Foresthill and dives in to the forest. If you look at an elevation map you see that it is pretty much solid downhill from the top of a ridge all the way down to the shore of the American River. We took this time to get acquainted and caught up on the adventure up to this point. As I recall, one of the first thing Niall said is, "We don't have mountains like this in Ireland!" This was the first time that he commented on his quads being shot and running down single track for 16 miles was sure to give it quite a pounding, but much to his credit, we kept a steady pace through the various aid stations. Even at that stage, after 60+ miles, Niall would separate from me on the longer up hills and I would catch him when things leveled out. The weather was unseasonably mild, so we chatted a bit and made good progress down the hill. By the second aid station, it was getting dark and the frequency with which we caught toes on rocks was increasing, so I grabbed my headlamp and gave Niall my spare for the final trek to the river. The farthest I have ever run is a 50k, so I had a contingency plan that I would get picked up at Green Gate and meet back up on Highway 49, about 13 miles later. Niall mentioned that he was most concerned about being on his own in the middle of the night, because he figured when that is when he would be experiencing the lowest lows. So, we cut a deal, if guaranteed not to stop, I would stay with him the whole way. As we got close to the river, Niall made it clear that down hills were not treating him too well (there might have been a couple of choice words here and there), but we never stopped outside of the aid stations.

Finally getting to the famous Rucky Chucky river crossing was a site to behold and true to form, Niall blew through the aid station and got help by a brigade of volunteers down the rocks to our raft. We got a quick cruise across the fast flowing American River and were to the far side in no time. At the far side there is another aid station with a triage unit that we took advantage of and for the first time I got to meet Joe, who hiked down in the dark over two miles to meet us there. Upon removing his shoes and socks, it was clear that Niall's feet would need some treatment and the physio there got to work popping blisters, treating hot spots and getting him taped up. I grabbed some extra fuel from the snack table while Niall switched out shirts. Unfortunately the one he was looking for was in the car, so he ended up in a long sleeve fleece on what was relatively warm night. Not one to complain, he quickly saddled up and we began a quick, 2 mile hike up the steep fire road to Green Gate.

At Green Gate, we were greeted by the expected enthusiastic team of volunteers who topped us off and pointed us in the direction of the Auburn Lake Trails aid station. We were told to be alert for bears, cougars and a crazy old guy who lives in the woods (seriously). This part of the trail had its ups and downs. There were not too many noticeable hills or long drops, but it seemed to go on forever. I wasn't too focused on the scenery, because my light was focused on the ground immediately behind Niall, so we just kept trudging along until we saw the Auburn Lakes Trails aid station. There is a steep little drop in the trail right before it levels off going in to the aid station and I could tell it was going to be rough on Niall, but he made it and we headed in to the station. At this point I was a little tired and not too focused on things. Niall asked how long it was until the finish from this point and I said, "Only 13 miles, that's only a half marathon, you've got this!" He didn't seem too encouraged and upon leaving the aid station was informed by one of the volunteers that it was actually 15 miles to the finish from here! Oops, I think that was my only major failure as a pace on the night, but Niall didn't say a word, so we just kept going in search of Brown's Ravine aid station.

The first part of the trail out of the previous aid station was pretty rough, not to steep down, but full of river rocks which were rough on Niall's ankles, so we took it slow and crossed a couple of streams before settling back in to his steady pace. At this point there was not much talk outside of the occasional bad word after buckling an ankle or catching a toe on a root or rock. I am not exaggerating when I say that I must have seen Niall twist his ankle about a dozen times and each time he just kept moving forward. There was a point where he muttered about just stopping, but I kept on reassuring him that with his stellar first 60 miles, he had built a full 4 hour cushion against the 30 hour cut off. We were both trying to do the math in our head and before we knew it, but way before we got to the Brown's Ravine aid station, we could hear music. It seemed like they switched songs every couple of minutes and we figured they must have been taking requests. After coming around a bend in the trail we could see the unmistakable glow of the aid station ahead. How they managed to bring out Christmas lights, a sound system and a whole bunch of other stuff to the middle of the woods is beyond me, but I am glad they did. There was another quick weigh in here and the station doctor pulled me aside to let me know that Niall wasn't in trouble physically but that he seemed to be at a very low point and the best course of action was to get back out on the trail immediately, so that's what we did.

The next part of the trail took a curving path down to the Quarry Road which runs next to the American River. It is rolling, but relatively smooth and a much appreciated respite from all the rock hopping we had been doing before. It didn't take long for me to figure out that Niall isn't the rah rah, tell me how great everything is, kind of guy, so I decided that I would try to lead for a bit and see if I could gently pull him along. I tried to break the remaining 10 miles or so in to portions and to just get through each segment. Off of the Quarry Road there is a moderate climb that goes on a ways, it doesn't ever get too steep, but it goes on a while and is pretty much filled with ruts and isn't remotely smooth. The gift you get for cresting the hills is a relatively smooth, pine needled covered trail to the highway 49 crossing. The officials blocked the road so that we could cross and as in all the aid stations, we got a lot of support from volunteers and spectators. Niall was finally able to switch in to a short sleeve shirt and he even got in a quick interview for a documentary being done on the run before we hit the climb out of Highway 49. Another not too long (1/2 mile) hill, but very rutted and rocky in sections. I told him to enjoy this because after a short trip through a meadow at the top we were taking the long descent to No Hands Bridge. Everything up to the meadow was pretty uneventful in preparation for 3 miles of suffering. Most of the trail down to the river is not too steep, but it is rarely flat and had to be hell for someone with shot quads. We passed a couple of people and got passed by one or two, but seemed to get No Hands Bridge in decent shape.

At No Hands Bridge, we just grabbed a couple of things, took a breath and headed out for the final climb. After you cross the bridge, it starts out relatively gentle with some rises followed by almost flat terrain, but it quickly starts getting steeper and even a little technical in places. The sun was already coming up, so we were thankful that most of the trail was covered with trees and heat wasn't an issue. This was the point were eventual women's winner Ellie Greenwood ran in to a bear, but she must have been asleep and back in her den by the time we came through. Several times we saw groups of runners out for a weekend run and they all stopped to let us get through and offered their congratulations and support. We finally got to the fire road which is the final portion of the climb before arriving at Robie Point, the last aid station. When we got there, I looked back and No Hands Bridge looked tiny, way down there across the river. I took a cup of coke and when I turned around, Niall and Joe were already hiking up the street, so I quickly caught up for the final stretch. The road eventually leveled off and we began to see people in this residential neighborhood out with morning cups of coffee. A group of boys on bikes rode up to us and asked for Niall's name, then pedaled furiously up to a group of adults who gathered around the upcoming intersection. When we arrive they rang a big bell and welcomed us to Auburn. About a block later we came up to a woman who said that we only had a half hour to go. I was thinking to myself, there is no way it is going to take us a half hour to get to the finish from here and I was right. We made it to the White Bridge and finally began to congratulate Niall on a job well done. We could see the stadium and the growing number of people on the road. Joe took our packs and we made it through the gate for the lap of honor around the track to the finish line. I don't know if I was choked up over the experience, exhausted or what, but I don't think we shared many words. We just took in the sights and expressed our appreciation for all of the spectators cheering Niall to the finish line. I gave him a quick pat on the back and congratulated him on a job well done. Then I ran around the finish to take a couple of pictures.

It was hard, but it definitely reminded me of why I volunteered to pace, to see what it takes to do something like this and try to help someone reach their goal of finishing. You learn a lot about yourself and the person you run with after sharing this sort of experience and I guess if I took one thing, it would be just keep moving forward. There may have been a point, maybe several, where Niall felt like throwing in the towel, but what I saw was someone (as well as many others on the trail), who would have to be dragged off the trail before they would quit. Many people would call someone doing a 100 mile run through the Sierras crazy, but this weekend there were hundreds, probably thousands; running, spectating, crewing, pacing, volunteering and just wanting to be a part of seeing what people can do when they put their minds to it. In this day and age, it is sometimes hard to find inspiration and motivation, but I got 12 hours of it that will stay with me for the rest of my life this past weekend and I would like to thank Niall and all the runners, volunteers and supporters for that.

groovyg

well done on completing the run, sounds awesome. How did you get a slot do the race, did you get in first time or have you been trying to get in over a number of years?
Love the nickname for the little one - hunnylurk /zuppymonster brilliant.

corkrunner71

Well done. Have read a few accounts of this race in the past and it sounds incredible if not completely terrifying. It must be an amazing feeling to have completed it.

Zuppy

Well first you have to do a qualifying run. Mine was Portumna 100k last year. Picked as it was the perfect distance with a lovely course for what I wanted. (cheap too as that is a huge factor when the main event is abroad).

Portumna is listed on one of the US sites used as a bench mark for qualifying races. This is hugely important. The times for the distances change so check the site for next years.

Then you apply for the lottery. If you get in which for me last year was 1800 people for 219 slots (rumour). There is an elite field and five time loser policy and 5 places for a fund raising raffle along with one slot to each running club who man an aid station. The park service have it limited to 379 in total (off the top of my head).

After you get in you have to do trail volunteer work which is maintaining the western states trail itself. So you have to give back. The 5 slot raffle raise 20000 this year (ballpark figure from an official) for buying equipment such as snow plows and chainsaws. I myself used the exemption and volunteered at the Connemara 100 miler. They are very serious about giving back and if you don't your slot is gone. No questions and no "dog ate my form". I e mailed a scanned copy of the form filled out by the Connemarra 100 director and then posted the original. Aside from giving back it gave me a lot of insight into different aspects of a 100 miler.

I asked a local runner about their options and there seems to be no side door for locals. The running clubs have only one slot for a manned aid station that is hiked into a lot of places, on ridge tops and manned by at least 20 people not counting medical and timing and rescue and officials. And they are there nearly two days!!!

hot to trot

Dont know how I missed this thread. Fabulous run. Superb finish. Well done you .

doctorchick

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Coool Well done N and congrats on that and congrats again.. So WS100, double IM, MdS and Channel Swim to name but a few on your CV... impressive to say the least :cool:

So Zup, how is your climbing ? I am sure an Everest ascent would be a good addition to the collection

Zuppy

doctorchick wrote: »

So Zup, how is your climbing ? I am sure an Everest ascent would be a good addition to the collection

Can't do everest, apart form the cost, no head for heights. Running along single track looking at some sheer drops beside me, left me in no doubt that trail running is enough. Ice climbing along cliffs is just not for me.

I am thinking of a moon landing though.

RoyMcC

ZuppyLurk wrote: »

no head for heights.

Hold on, you're a fireman...:pac:

Keedowah

Wow - fantastic. Been reading about the Western States for some time now and I knew there was some "Irish Fella" doing it this year but only saw this thread now - well done!!! Legend.

Zuppy

RoyMcC wrote: »

Hold on, you're a fireman...:pac:

Falling two or three stories is infinitely more survivable than 300ft over a spikey cliff edge.

ger664

Just say a promo for this race on You Tube it aint your normal 100 mile run that's for sure

Well done sir.

RoyMcC

Just released, 'Unbreakable' - a film that documents the 2010 race and follows the four favourites, both in training and during the course of the race. It used to be a horse race but a certain Gordy Ainsleigh lost his horse and decided to run the course on foot :eek:

Amazing cinematography. Not sure where you'll catch it in Ireland - we got a showing over here last week.

Preview on YouTube

nerraw1111

Wheelworx had a screening of it in store last night. Couldn't make it myself. Might be a second screening. Keep an eye on IMRA forum

kingQuez

Saw this yesterday, I think you can get it on dvd now. Must give up this triathlon thing and get some new runners

RacoonQueen

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Wheelworx had a screening of it in store last night. Couldn't make it myself. Might be a second screening. Keep an eye on IMRA forum

Cool. Hoped to make it last night. Wheelworx again next time too?

kingQuez wrote: »

Saw this yesterday, I think you can get it on dvd now. Must give up this triathlon thing and get some new runners

Still time to enter Conn Ultra...

Zuppy

I have not seen it yet but since it concentrated on the front runners........You might see me at the start :-)

I will definitly be watching this as when you're in a race you get tunnel vision and miss so much happening around you. It might add perspective. Thanks for the heads up.

nerraw1111

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Cool. Hoped to make it last night. Wheelworx again next time too?



Still time to enter Conn Ultra...

Championseverywhere, http://www.championseverywhere.com/, has the screening rights to it in Ireland, and Wheelworx/runworx hosted it. I don't think they are plans for a second screening at the moment.

Bambaata

Pity i missed that screening. Wheelworx spam so bad on twitter that i now dont actually read what they say so missed that :P

RoyMcC

Zuppy wrote: »

I have not seen it yet but since it concentrated on the front runners........You might see me at the start :-)

I will definitly be watching this as when you're in a race you get tunnel vision and miss so much happening around you. It might add perspective. Thanks for the heads up.

2010 Zuppy - you didn't race that one did you?

Raighne

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Championseverywhere, http://www.championseverywhere.com/, has the screening rights to it in Ireland, and Wheelworx/runworx hosted it. I don't think they are plans for a second screening at the moment.

We would have loved to run a second screening for those who missed it. December is not the best time for such event with everything going on but the window for screenings was very tight and sadly Sunday 18th was the when the window slammed shut.

JourneyFilms have it available for purchase now I believe and overall I think everyone in the audience was very pleased with it. Certainly a great advertisement for the race, the trails are stunning.

kingQuez

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Still time to enter Conn Ultra...

I'll pretend i didnt hear that

RacoonQueen

kingQuez wrote: »

I'll pretend i didnt hear that

Sure if you miss it, we can get Ray to give you an entry anyway.

Tables. Have. Turned. :P

kingQuez

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Sure if you miss it, we can get Ray to give you an entry anyway.

Tables. Have. Turned. :P

I've prepared a press release on the subject over here:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xpadHP2LoUA/S24wVInaCCI/AAAAAAAAAq0/Qq2pMnWqOCM/S1600-R/original.jpg



No crazy running this year for me!

Zuppy

RoyMcC wrote: »

2010 Zuppy - you didn't race that one did you?

@'s

2010 would be even more interesting as the first two over the line broken the previous records and Killian J blew up.

RoyMcC

Zuppy wrote: »

2010 would be even more interesting as the first two over the line broken the previous records and Killian J blew up.

It was certainly amazing how

Kilian

seemed home and dry and his body just failed him. And the winner came from way back to win by six minutes.

I must say I have a new respect for ultra runners after seeing the film. I know how good Niall (Zuppy) is yet he was some 11 hours off the top boys though well inside the cutoff - awesome to see just how good the very best are. I wonder how (as has been asked here before) how the East Africans would fare. I've a suspicion they're not mad enough for it

GoHardOrGoHome

I know the results are freely available but could you both change your text to spoiler so that people don't see the outcome of the race.

Very few people (including myself) knew the final result as we were watching Unbreakable put on by Rene at Wheelworx.

RoyMcC

Done, though it now looks like it was Spoiler that blew up

GoHardOrGoHome

Good ol' Spoiler! Amazing athlete!