Coldwater Rumble and then some

[John Paul]

I’d like to bestow a heaping dose of congratulations to Alyson & John Kirk for finishing the Coldwater Rumble 100 mile trail run in Goodyear Arizona this past weekend - January 25-26, 2014. Alyson and John came in 31st and 32nd respectively (Alyson 6F and John 26M) finishing in 28 hours and 42 minutes. Starting in the early morning hours on Saturday they proceeded to complete five 20-mile loops with 1250’ gain per loop on a “wide variety of typical desert trail running surfaces including crushed granite single track, rocks, boulders, sandy washes, old jeep roads, and dry wash beds” sometime on Sunday. Breathtaking! Here is a link to the details about the race - http://www.aravaiparunning.com/coldwater-rumble/

And here is a link to the results - http://www.aravaiparunning.com/ultracast/ - as of right now (Scroll down > click on 100 mile > see results) – this will change once the race organizers update the 2014 results link. Also, LOJ members Jennifer Roach (52 miler) and Mark Ott (4 miler) were finishers of races as well. Did I miss anyone else?

Just to add a little spice to the action Alyson and John summited 1536 on 1/25 and Tempe Butte on 1/26 to keep there streak of 437 (and counting) consecutive days with a summit alive. That’s sick!

Way to go Alyson & John (and Jennifer & Mark)!

[John Kirk]

Also, LOJ members Jennifer Roach (52 miler) and Mark Ott (4 miler) were finishers of races as well. Did I miss anyone else?

Thanks!
We were surprised to see Gerry and Jennifer logging one of the peaks near the course Friday and figured Jennifer had to be running. Sure enough, we saw them making their way toward the race check-in Friday afternoon. We didn't get to spend as much time hanging out with them as we'd have liked to before and after the race but really enjoyed the time we could. Also from CO, Alyson's sister Sarah Kreutzer ran and finished her first ultra (62k) and really enjoyed it.

[Brian Kalet]

Congrats to Alyson, Jennifer, John, Mark & Sarah; way to represent LoJ!

[Alyson Kirk]

Thanks for the congrats and Coldwater Rumble and then some post JP and Brian!

John and I actually found this race to be harder then some of the large elevation gain mountain races we do. The 'flat' course was very difficult especially because we didn't train on flat stuff prior. We definitely are a little sick to throw a peak in before and after the event, but hey, why not? We can't let 100 mile races get in our way of the consecutive streak we have going!

JP, next on the agenda for 100 mile races is the Grand Mesa 100 in July. Any interest in coming out and pacing John and I for a few miles?!

[PaulStratmoen]

Ha! I wondered what was up upon seeing that you had only done one peak on Saturday and one on Sunday. I like the way that you warmed up by doing 8 peaks on Friday!

Congrats! Hard for me to even imagine 100 miles. Anyway, I'll be glad to pace you on Green Mountain and/or 6482 some weekday morning, although it won't be much of a pace .

[John Paul]

JP, next on the agenda for 100 mile races is the Grand Mesa 100 in July. Any interest in coming out and pacing John and I for a few miles?!

Aly - That sounds like fun & hey it's right in my backyard so why not!? - http://grandmesa100.com/ For sanities sake I checked last years results and it looks like y'all started at 5am completing Section 1 "the crest" (11.5 mi, 1624' gain) in 2 hr 37 min - nice to get a peak in, Section 2 "mesa top" (11 mi, ? gain) in 2hr 30 min, Section 3 "flowing > indian > flowing" (15 mi, 600' gain) in 3 hr 21 min, Section 4 "flowing to carson" (5.5 miles, ? gain) in 1 hr 9min, Section 5 "down kannah" (9 miles, 4k loss) in 2hr 22 min, Section 6 "the crux" (8.5 miles, 4k gain) in 3hr 35 min plus 40 min at Lands End Station, Section 7 "lands end to anderson" (6 miles, ? gain) in 1 hr 40 minutes and then dropped around midnight? What's your game plan for this year? Is the course going to be the same?

I like the way that you warmed up by doing 8 peaks on Friday!

Paul - Hilarious! I was thinking the same thing...

[John Kirk]

The course will probably be the same, but hopefully not the weather (reason for dropping). We nearly were struck by lightning at the aid station at the crest before Lands End, hid in a van, then the rain got worse, got ridiculous, didn't stop...etc. We made our way to Anderson Lake, and the temperature dropped to the 30s with the rain becoming even more steady. We changed clothes at Anderson and tried to wait out the rain but were told the rain wasn't going to stop. We didn't have what was needed gearwise to continue to keep hypothermia from becoming a threat. There was 4" of standing water on the "trail" that became an off-trail soaked meadow with reflectors every 150' for the next 9 miles. People were coming back to Anderson after this loop cursing in disbelief and shivering (some dropping after this section). Only 6 finishers according to the GM100 site - 76% drop rate (ultrasignup says 10, but I know of more than one on the finishers list there who dropped). I wonder what the highest drop rate has been for a race - I'm curious if any was ever worse. Game plan is to come prepared with major rain gear (and a good pacer? ). July races in CO are risky!

[Alyson Kirk]

JP - A pacer would be amazing. Looks like you did your homework and checked out what happened during our race there last year at the Grand Mesa. For this year's run a pacer would be awesome once we get on top of the mesa. This is around mile 60. Anytime after mile 60 would work. You could do 40, 30, 20 or 10 miles with us? Our pace in the nighttime is usually around 3.5 mph. Does that sound too fast?!

[John Paul]

Does that sound too fast?!

Hey Aly – That doesn’t sound too fast depending on how many miles. It sounds like y’all would want a pacer for all or some of sections 7 – 12. We can hammer out details later but I would like to do some pre-runs (The Mesa is 30 minutes from my house) on some or all of those sections so I could let y’all know how comfortable I feel with the terrain and my fitness. This won’t be possible until the snow melts in June but I think it gives me enough time (as long as pacers don’t have to register in April or something like that) to commit to helping instead of hindering y’all. The last thing you want is a pacer who stifles your efforts. On that note, I will add that taking on the job as a pacer is a pretty serious endeavor so we would all need to be on the same page as to expectations and duties. See this article - http://trailandultrarunning.com/the-art-of-pacing/ I hope I don’t sound too serious or I just want to be clear, helpful not a pain. Sounds fun…JP

[Alyson Kirk]

Hey JP! Everything you said makes sense and I agree with. We don't need any commitment from you anytime. The last 40 miles of the course is relatively easy. Most of the elevation gain has been done by that point. There is a bit of route-finding and 'bushwacking' for parts of the last 40 miles. For this race, that is one of the main reasons a pacer would be great. After running 60 or 70 miles and trying to route-find in the dark is not very easy. We should get together before then and get out and get some peaks and get to know each other.

Also, being a pacer is not easy and very little glory comes from it. But, it's a pretty cool experience I must say having been a pacer myself before.

[John Paul]

Awesome! Helping y’all as a pacer does sound like a cool experience > 40 miles at night on the Mesa in the summer. The only thing missing is several peaks but I can work on that earlier in the day. At this point I can’t imagine not doing it. I’ll be training for this and see no problem with being ready when July comes. And yeah we should get together and climb some peaks before so we can meet each other and all that stuff. As you can see from my list I’m pretty committed to climbing peaks so anytime is good for me. I usually climb with my wife and our dog and we don’t mind long banger days…JP

BTW – y’all see this? DCI Article

[Alyson Kirk]

JP - That is too funny that you found that article. As you can probably determine yourself from reading the article, I'm a pretty tough gal. It takes a lot for me to quit and the conditions at GM last summer were too much. We will be ready and prepared this summer for any weather condition. I'm excited to hear that you think you may be joining us! How old are you and your wife if you don't mind me asking? Does she like peaks as much as you? What exactly do you do to live in a place like Cedaredge?

John has a lot of peaks he would like to do in the Delta/Montrose area so maybe we could plan a weekend out this spring? Aprilish?

Aly

[John Paul]

As you can probably determine yourself from reading the article, I'm a pretty tough gal.

That is laugh out loud funny gal! It sounded like conditions were pretty bad and believe me I can only try to imagine how bad it was for you & JK to drop - like never, no way, oh this effn ucks!

Me (I go by John Paul, John or JP) (46), Jaime (43) & Dakota (6) and she loves peaks of all flavors but I think D likes'em the most :) No kids! She's in graduate school right now so she isn't going as much but she doesn't like to miss anything exciting. I need to create an account for her as she's been up many. C'edge is a nice place to live but not many jobs so I work in GJ @ St. Mary's which actually works well for peaking around on the way to & fro work. She's a 5th grade teacher at Garnet Mesa Elementary in Delta.

Delta is a great county to climb in with 39 of the 40 rankers on public land. Looks like you & JK are kicking butt in DC already! My goal is to finish this year if I can get Jeremy to thread the Needle :) Montrose is a little different with a mix of private/public peaks but plenty of good action. Mesa also rocks! Anytime is good for us because all the weekends (and week days) going forward involve peaks and more peaks. Keep in touch...JP

[Alyson Kirk]

JP - Thanks for sharing some personal info.

It sounds like you have a peak obsession problem. I think you need some help! (Just Kidding!) It sounds like we would all have a great time together.

Let's be in touch in the next few months and plan a fun outing!

[Jeremy Hakes]

Put that article on my parent's B&B page - Hanson Mesa B&B in Hotchkiss.