Antelope Canyon 50 Miler, 20 Feb 2016

Page, Arizona has two iconic locations to see when visiting there, and the Antelope Canyon Ultramarathons visit both of them.    The Antelope Canyon slot might be the most beautiful, most visited slot in the world, and it's amazingly gorgeous.   Plus there is Horseshoe Bend, a gigantic curve in the Colorado river just outside town, as the river drops from Lake Powell and begins to form the Grand Canyon.  We would see both of these on the race, and that was the reason I had signed up for the 50 miler, as the 55 k wouldn't pass through Antelope Canyon.

I haven't done a 50 mile run in a while, since I spent most of 2015 hiking while training for the Red Bull X-Alps.  So I confess I was a little nervous going into this race.   My training had consisted of only TWO marathon runs in the last few months, and really nothing else long since the X-Alps.   What I did have going for me was the fact that we now have a dog.  Spot is about 6 months old now, and I spend time each day walking him (and a few miles of extra walking each day adds up!).

Conditions were perfect for the race, light winds, moderate temperatures with full sunshine.   The 6 am start was a little chilly, but with a super light windbreaker and light arm warmers I was fine.  I had to laugh later when I passed a lady still wearing long sleeves hours later, with not one but TWO other jackets tied around her waist.  Conditions were just too nice to need much of anything.

Headlamps needed at the 6 am start

The start turned into a gigantic bottleneck, as 250 runners tried to funnel into a single track trail up the slick rock.   I wish I had known to get to the front of the line, but found myself in the middle with no where to go.  After almost 10 minutes we finally got to a wider trail, but by then the leaders were already a mile ahead of me I'm sure.    The wider trail was our first taste of sand (aside from the gigantic expanse in the check-in/expo area).   I jokingly asked the guy next to me if there would be much of it on the race, and he replied very seriously that he thought there would be 38 miles of it!   Ugh.  (I calculated later that it was actually about 32 miles of sand, which is still A LOT).

Sand.  I couldn't decide if I loved it or hated it.  On one hand, it was very soft running, and easy on muscles and joints.  The elevation grades were very gentle for most of the race, and on flats and downhills this made running pretty enjoyable.  On the other hand, each step seemed to lose energy as I sunk into the deep red fluff, and going uphill was sort of miserable.  Running at a 10 minute per mile pace (effort level) only seemed to net me about 12 minute miles, with the sand soaking up the rest of the time.   My shoes and socks soon filled up with the stuff, but I managed to make it to mile 17 before I dumped a cupful of it out of my shoes.

Antelope Canyon

At mile 4 we dropped into our first slot canyon of the race, and it was just getting light enough to enjoy the curvy sandstone walls.  We climbed out of it shortly before it dropped into a technical section.   Then we were down to wash leading to Antelope Canyon.   Three more miles of deep sand, broken by multiple tracks of the jeeps that bring tourists here all day long.   Each runner tried to find the hardest bit of trail, which often descended back to the deep stuff.  I weaved back and forth just like everyone all day long.

Antelope Canyon appeared at the end of the wash like a narrow line of darkness.  At 7 am, it was still quite dark inside, and with the walls so high above me, I had to use my headlamp to see where I was going.   Definitely not the beautiful slot it is during the daylight :(  

Getting back to the wash meant climbing up and over a hill and back down another short slot, this one airy and open with a couple short ladders.  Then we backtracked (all that SAND!) all the way to Page, before heading over to Horseshoe bend.

At mile 20 I reached my 4th aid station, which was super-well stocked with snacks and drinks.  WARM quesadillas and chocolate brownies, yum!  Jim and Spot were waiting for me here, although the poor pup had puked up his breakfast so Jim had his hands full.  Here also was my halfway bag, so I was able to drop all of my extra clothes and headlamp to lighten my pack.  I set off from there with not much besides a full load of water and a few snacks.  I had sent all of my ziploc bags (empty?!?) in my halfway bag the night before, and wasn't sure how to repackage my snacks for the start.   Luckily now that we have a dog, we have dog poop bags stashed everywhere.  I snagged a few of these (CLEAN!) ones, and brought some twizzlers and a bit of cheese.    That's really all I ate outside of munching at the aid stations.

I was looking forward to the next 8 miles as they were supposed to be on the slick rock above the Colorado River.  The views were outstanding, to be sure, as our little pink flags showed us a trail along the rim, then through the middle of a huge rock plateau.  But it wasn't smooth slick rock like Moab, rather it was pushed up into thin ridges, which would break off under my feet.   The terrain was very undulating, and added to the rough rock, this would be the slowest section of the race.   Everyone was feeling it I guess, because as I dropped to a walk and power hiked through the miles, no one passed me.  It was startlingly beautiful, and I just hoped that my water would last through the hot dry afternoon.   There was no trail to speak of here, just flags that often were hard to follow.  I had to stop a few times and scan the horizon to find the next clue.

Crossing the plateau slowly but steadily, I finally could look over Waterholes slot canyon, which would lead me to my next aid station.  My water barely lasted, and I was grateful to refill and drop into the deep canyon that is Waterholes.  Most of the slot canyon is very technical, and a LONG rappel will even get you right down to the Colorado river!   Thankfully a section of the slot above the bridge is non-technical, aside from a few rickety ladders.   It was also over a mile long, so there was great scenery, shade, and an occasional break from the deep sand.

Waterholes Slot Canyon

After climbing out, it was a few relatively hot sandy miles back to Horseshoe bend aid station and Mile 33.  I dug into my halfway bag again, this time for new shoes, a dose of Ibuprofen, and my trekking poles.   This proved to be a perfect combination to speed me into my last 17 miles of the run.     Even better, there was going to be an end to the sand eventually.   The trekking poles worked particularly well in the deep sand, allowing me to float above it a little, get less sand in my shoes, and move faster.  No one could keep up with me here.   I continued to pass almost everyone in sight for the rest of the race, as my legs just felt better and better.

This is somewhat unusual, as near the end of a long race, almost everyone around you is going the same pace (slow).   After all, if you have stayed together in a race this long, chances are your paces are similar.    Case in point.  If you want to find compatible running partners, enter a local marathon, run to about the midway point, then look around you and start making friends.  These people have kept the same pace as you have for hours!

The last 11 miles of the race were on the Page Rim Trail, a (thankfully) dirt trail following the rim all around town.  It was very runnable, and I was happy to have enough bounce left in my legs to run it.   Again the poles came in handy, as they helped me power up and down the small washes as the miles ticked off.   My goal all day had been to finish before dark, which was effectively 12 hours of racing.   The slick rock at Horseshoe had slowed me down a little bit, but I was making up time at the end, and back to averaging 13 minute miles, pretty good considering I was taking some walk breaks.

At the north end of the rim we had great views of Lake Powell (and the white bathtub ring of low water levels), plus the aid station down here was frying up fresh bacon!   With snacking on bacon and a pickle, and the watered-down Mountain Dew in my water bottle, I felt like I was a poster-child for the weird stuff people eat on ultra marathons.

From there it was only 7 miles to the finish, and although I felt tired, I was able to keep running strongly, even at 4800 feet of elevation.  I started thinking as I ran that this might be the strongest finish in an ultra that I've ever had.   Lots of dog walking probably helped with that, but I also believe trekking poles really helped me push through and keep some weight off my legs (up to 16% can go to your arms).

It was twilight as I dropped the last 1/2 mile off the mesa and had a last bit of deep sand to the finish. I actually sprinted to the line, dropping my phone in the process, but crossing in 12 hours and 15 minutes.  That was enough for 95 place out of 260 entrants.    At the finish I picked out a handmade finisher medal, and Jim and I had Navajo tacos for dinner.   Not bad!

2016 Results

The next morning, Jim and I took Spot out to the slick rock near Lake Powell...he went for the first swim of his life!  The water seemed to excite him, as he ran back and forth across the beach at full speed.   He absolutely loved running around the rocks, and by far was better at climbing them than we were.   It won't be too long before he's joining us for the long runs!

This beach was trackless before Spot arrived!

Jim and Spot above Lake Powell

Waterholes

Horseshoe Plateau (the flat part of it at least)

Slot canyon #1

Wonderful Aid Stations and helpful volunteers!

Spot above Lake Powell

Wasson Peak, Saguaro National Park

This spring I'm training for a 50 mile run in Page, Arizona.   It's called the Antelope Canyon race, and it's part of a series of races near the National Parks of the Southwest.   I'm actually not in shape for a 50 mile run (as usual), but I'll get through it (as usual), by walking the last part, however long that might take.  In fact, I probably should have signed up for the 50k, which is a significantly shorter option for the race, but...the 50 mile version goes through Antelope Canyon, and the 50k doesn't.  Antelope might be the most beautiful slot canyon in the world, and with no technical sections, it's also easy to get to.  As long as you are willing to pay a local tour company to take you there!   So a chance to run through it on my own in a race seemed really cool.   I might be regretting that decision by mile 45, but....oh, well.

It's been cold and snowy in Utah, so my first chance for a run outside came in Tucson.  We had just arrived in Arizone, but I was going to fly out for a working vacation in Iowa the next day, giving me one day to get a long run in!   Luckily the weather cooperated, and from our campsite, I was able to run to the highest point of Saguaro National Park (West) in the Tucson Mountains.    Along the way, I got my first introduction to the full desert.  It was mostly flat for the first 10 miles, and the trail deviated from straight only to go around the multitudes of cactus growing everywhere.

Wasson Peak, at 4687 feet, is surrounded by (you guessed it) Saguaro cactus by the thousands.  These beasts can grow over 40 tall and live for hundreds of years.  They stick up above the landscape of Tucson like half-buried forks, and I pity the person who ever runs into one.  It seems like every plant in this desert has vicious spines, and I was very careful where I put my feet and how I stepped.  I have been known to trip over an imaginary stone and take a header on the trail...but not today, hopefully!

From relatively flat terrain, I crossed into the National Park and climbed steeply up to the summit.  The trail was rocky, loose, and hot.  The relatively cool morning had passed and I knew the rest of the way would be pretty hot.  With temps in the 70s it was hard to stay cool enough to run.    There were a few other people on the trail but it wasn't crowded at all.

I was very happy to see the summit, because it meant I was now on the second half of my run.  Actually a little more, as I would cut off a few sections of trail and return a shorter way.  It meant running on a road for a little while, but the trail had been exceptionally slow, what with dodging cactus and running around each obstacle.   After a few road miles, and a water refill at the Desert Museum (worth visiting if you're in the area), I had a final few flat miles to be home again.  

Jim had been tracking me, and brought Spot out on the trail to meet me for the last mile.   Australian Cattle Dog or not, he doesn't like the heat, and he was grateful for a sip out of my water bottle!    My mileage for the day was about 25 miles and that was good enough for a training run.   Some of my distance for the day was on bike trails, and I am looking forward to riding them, too.

Happy Mutant AR not a Happy Ending For This Racer

Bummer.  The very first race I've ever quit...and after about 500 races that's not something I take lightly.

The rest of my team Unplugged Adventure is still out racing here in St. George, Utah.  I wish them all the best and hope they finish strong.  Unfortunately I forgot to leave the SPOT tracker with them so updates will have to come from the race management.

The first 18 hours of the race went really well.   I'll give you a recap of it and then let Jeff, Eric and Jon fill in the details for the final couple of days.  

Pre-Race Planning

Our first two checkpoints were on the bike.  Beyond that, we had no idea what to expect because we would get new checkpoints at each transition.  Conditions at the 7 pm race start were chilly, and going to get colder through the night.   After overstuffing our gear in our small team bin, we were anxious to get out there and start racing...waiting around is frustrating for everyone.

Section 1:  Biking 25 miles

Not too cold yet as we started off, on a paved flat, fast section through the town of Washington and and then gravel up onto the Warner valley plateau.  Unfortunately it was dark, so we couldn't see the nice scenery around us, but with days ahead of us everything would be revealed.   Checkpoint 1 was about a mile off the dirt road.  Jon led us out at a fast walk, even as he navigated with a compass through and around cactus and other scraggly desert bushes.   We found the sandy wash we wanted, and walked uphill to the checkpoint.  Lights of other teams were around us, but as some of them had chosen to ride their bikes instead of walk (our map had no roads in the area so we had taken a safe route), so we couldn't rely on other teams to show us the way.   The wash turned into a narrow rocky stream bed, and even in the light of our headlamps it looked pretty cool.  

Back on our bikes, we navigated around the roads to the first transition.   With ATV trail junctions everywhere it wasn't easy.   With a little moon, if we were confused we would cover all our lights and look for hill shadows sticking up above the horizon to see where we were in relationship to them.   In tricky intersections this really helped...navigating at night is a lot harder than in daytime.  

Section 2: Trekking 18 miles

At the transition, we got the next set of 7 checkpoints and fairly quickly were ready to head out. Jon had put his head down and plotted all the coordinates on the map with accuracy and precision.   With only three hours on the bike, we hadn't eaten or drank much, so our packs were still full and ready for another section.   Our first checkpoint was on the Honeymoon Trail, which we reached about midnight.  Eric was unexpectedly quiet on the walk, and it turns out he was counting his steps to help us navigate!   Every 240 right footsteps, he would call out "quarter mile" and keep counting.  This helped us find tricky intersections at night without the help of GPS or phones.  What we couldn't see in the dark, unfortunately, were the dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs scattered around the area.  

While counting, Eric pulled out his trail mix, which I guess was some Turkey Bites mixed with gummy bears, and groaned when he realized the meat had caused the gummies to melt into everything else.  It sounded and looked pretty gross, and in transition he ended up throwing the whole mess away, which was a good portion of the food he had packed... Uh oh.

The honeymoon trail had taken us into Arizona, and then climbing up the Hurricane cliffs took us temporarily back in and out of Utah.  It's fun to cross state lines!   Once up on lower Little Creek Mesa, I took over navigation and led us around the maze of little gravel roads and cross country.  Our team was traveling quickly together and keeping a very consistent pace.  I could look at the map, tell the team to look for a turnoff road in 8 minutes, and 8 minutes later there it would be!  Luckily for Eric, step counting wasn't necessary for a while, so he could talk and eat without a silent count in his head.  A few times we had to set off through the trackless desert (aside from a stray cow pie), and there Jon always had the lead with a steady compass line straight as an arrow.  On Checkpoint 6 we popped out right at the flag after a mile of stepping over an around cactus and through small washes...pretty amazing.  

At Checkpoint 7 our luck soured a bit...we spent 30 minutes searching for a checkpoint that turned out to be missing...I'm sure we had gone right to where it should have been in the first minute too.  But that sometimes happen in races, and we were relieved that all we had left to get back to the transition was a steep descent back down Hurricane cliffs.  The map showed a mass of cliffs with a stream cut through them....we took a chance there was a decent line, to avoid walking miles out of our way.  It was difficult, but we were able to find a steep rocky place to get down.  

Section 3: Biking 45 Miles

Light was showing in the west as we walked out the bottom end of the cliffs into transition.   There we got more checkpoints and back on the bike.  It was COLD...over the night we had put on almost all the clothing we had with us.  I couldn't keep my hands warm with trekking poles, so I had put them away and tucked my hands in my armpits.   We weren't eager to spend too much time outdoors and not moving, so rather than plotting all the points, we knew the first one would take us into Over the Edge bike shop in Hurricane.  Gathering up more food, water, maps and supplies for 12 hours, we rode 12 miles down into town and got breakfast at a cafe.   Food and warmth allowed us to thaw our feet up, change socks, look at the maps (we had forgotten one back in transition and so used a commercial map instead...ooops) and strategize.  

If the race so far had been relatively flat, today made up for it.  Our first climb was up onto lower Gooseberry Mesa.  The gravel roads, which had been frozen hard all night, were starting to thaw in the late morning, and we all got our first dose of mud splatters going downhill to the Virgin River.   Unfortunately we bypassed some really great single track...we were starting to realize that ground conditions weren't very good, and didn't want to mess up the trails by riding on them and leaving ruts.   We didn't realize until a little later just how bad conditions really were...more on that later.  

Where's the Checkkpoint?

Without the right map, we futilely searched for a checkpoint at the river until the race director happened to drive by and point it out to us...it was in the right spot but rather hidden...the clue was "large rock" in a forest of rocks!   The race director had been driving up to one of the next checkpoints, but turned back because the gravel road was too muddy.  That started to clue us in about how our day would go.  

The muddy descent down to the river gave us time to stare at our next ascent up to Steamboat mountain.  The three miles of paved road up to the top of the mesa was super steep...we all geared down to our granny gear and pedaled for almost an hour.   Looking out from a rest break, we could see the next checkpoint would make us climb up another steep mesa, and the one after that, climb back up on Gooseberry Mesa.   I like suffering as much as any other adventure racer, but I like a little adventure with my racing.   I could see that with the trails too muddy to ride, our adventures for the day would be limited to  suffering up a lot of steep hills.  

Finally atop Steamboat Mesa, our checkpoint was to be found out on the Flying Monkey mountain bike trail.   But it was immediately obvious that even the gravel road to the trail was impassable.   We tried to ride the road, and within a hundred feet, my back tire had locked up, the frame so full of mud that nothing could move.  Our next option was to hike to the checkpoint and leave our bikes behind...but with a few people around, we left a teammate to guard them...race rules or not, nothing is worth having our bikes stolen.  

The walk to the checkpoint sucked the life and energy right out of me.   A few inches of snow hovered on the ground in the forest, and the gravel road was a rutted mess which coated our shoes with mud and got our feet wet...just what we didn't need on a cloudy day that never seemed to warm up.  Even the ground under the snow was soft and muddy, and along the way we had to jump across a few washes, which looked like rivers of mud inching along the ground.   It was, I feared, an example of what we would find the rest of the day on the course, until the ground froze again during the night. Back at the bike, I had to scrub my wheels off with snow to get them to turn enough to ride back down the hill.  

The conditions added to my frustrations with the race organizers (I don't mean to complain but this race fell way short of my expectations).  In short, we had very limited gear storage in transition, meaning that we hadn't been able to bring much at all in the way of spare clothing and warm sleeping gear.  With temperatures hovering around freezing, any moisture at all would make us really cold.  So wet feet was a problem, especially with the transitions being outside in the freezing temperatures.  It's hard to warm up without dry clothes and a warm place to transition, and to top it off we knew we wouldn't have anywhere warm to sleep that night (we had planned on nodding off for a few hours at least).    

Plus there didn't seem to be much adventure in this race.   It was advertised as having some caving, ropes, and canyoneering sections, but all we had seen was a lot of biking and walking.  I race for fun and adventure.   When it becomes just survival, and long distances without any purpose, I fail to see the point of it.   I do that myself when I'm training, but when I pay for a race I do have expectations that the organizers should provide what they stated they would.  

So I made the decision to pull out of the race.  I didn't need to slog through another 48 hours of hiking and biking to prove anything.   A race of this length takes a lot out of me physically, and if I wasn't enjoying it on some level, then there is no reason to waste the time and energy.  Apologies to my teammates for not following through my commitment to the team, and I hope they are going on to have a wonderful rest of the race!

The guys with a flask and beer at the finish!

Post-Race Note:  It's Monday morning (40 hours later) and my teammates have just finished.   I found them at the finish line to see how the rest of the race went.  After we parted ways, they climbed back up to Gooseberry Mesa as the shortest way to get to the next TA.  On top, they found the mud so deep that they alternated riding, carrying, and cleaning their bikes off with snow to get the wheels to keep turning.    Evidently another team in the same area had decided it was faster to walk to the checkpoints and left their bikes.  After coming back to their bikes 4 hours later, they found the mud completely frozen and were unable to change gears anymore!

My team then passed a cold night in transition, trying to get a bit of sleep.  But outdoors without sleeping mats or warm bags, they said they shivered by the fire for a while before continuing on.  Eric was getting a few blisters too by now.

I'm paraphrasing here a bit as I don't know all the details.  The route took them to lower elevations, where the mud changed to deep sand atop Sand Mountain.    Several checkpoints on a night trekking section seemed to be MIA, with one team searching for 4 hours before giving up.  Whether the flags where there or not, the locations were not on "handrails", meaning next to a trail, junction, fence or other geographical feature which can be used to navigate to it.  Without a GPS, finding a point on a random tree in a forest, or a random rock on a cliff, is quite challenging and not terribly fun either.

More biking sections brought them back down to the Over the Edge bike shop in Hurricane, where they were really happy to have a hot cup of coffee.  They also stood atop Molly's Nipple, a prominent landmark on the cliffs above the town.  On Jeff's Birthday, no less! He called his wife from the top of the apply named landmark, but I'm not sure if he said where he really was....!

After a third cold night spent outside, the team skipped the final trek and biked to the finish about 8 am.  They were happy to see hot breakfast and I'm sure by now they have enjoyed a hot shower and will be asleep for the rest of the day.  They were pleased they had continued to the finish, and said they had seen some great scenery, but mentioned the deep sand in some of the trekking sections had been tough on their feet...not to mention the mud.

I had a great time racing with the guys and wish it could have been in a better run race...they were upbeat, smart with the navigation, and easy to get along with.  Jon, Jeff and Eric, I hope to see you again somewhere!

Turkey Bites and Gummy Bears do not store well together! 

Sunrise on Day 2

At the Start

Follow Us LIVE at the Happy Mutant Adventure Race in St. George, UT!

Track me LIVE January 15-18, 2016!

LIVE TRACKING:  http://xcfind.paraglide.us/map.html?id=15    (Click on Dawn Westrum in the left column)

Or here's my personal SPOT Page:    http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0Vqz7UqPY9LIyO1dnLgb3zrq61UmFKHRJ

You know me.  I can't resist the grueling races, and here's my next one.

The Happy Mutant Adventure Race is the newest AR series in the USA.   Comprised of several 72 hour races staged across the country, the inaugural race is going to be in St. George, Utah.  In other words, my backyard, when I'm at home!   I couldn't help myself from signing up, and found three guys willing to join me.   My teammates are all from Iowa, although I've only met one of them, so it will be an interesting adventure just seeing if Jeff, Jon, Eric and I can all race at a similar speed....

The race starts at 7 pm on Friday night, and ends on Monday morning.  For those of you doing quick math, that's three nights out on the course, and a little over two days.  And it's wintertime, which means loads of darkness, snow at high elevations, and probably freezing temperatures.

The race is supposed to including trekking, mountain biking, caving, orienteering and canyoneering.   Regardless of what we are doing, we will be having an adventure!

Cerro Alto Trail, California

It sounds like we are missing some cold, snowy weather in Utah while visiting family in California.   It hasn't been all that warm out here either, but at least it's not single digits!    We found out about this trail while visiting an art store, and it sounded like a great hike so we tried it the very next day.   Our favorite hike in San Luis Obispo area is Bishops peak, but at only 3 miles round trip it's a little short sometimes.  

The Cerro Alto trail is a little further north near Morro Bay.   There are multiple ways of getting to the summit, some of them steeper than others...and many other trails branching off.  I would recommend a map or GPS to not get lost.   It's about 5-6 miles round trip to this summit from the campground ($5 Day Pass).   Much of the trail follows a buried fiber line, which means the trail is well groomed and framed on both sides with thick scrub oak.  

We were happy to stay within the shelter of the trees, which helped block the rather brisk wind.  It occasionally howled around the corners with enough force to whip my hat off, but even worse, it was quite chilly.  Puppy Spot was on a leash, more to keep him from getting covered in poison oak and pass it on to us, than any need to keep up with the leash law.  There were a few other people out, including a couple of dogs, but we had the summit all to ourselves.  It was spectacularly clear, and we had nice views of Morro Rock, the ocean, and the convoluted hills around us.  In the other direction, we saw a great little valley, with nice pastures, a stream and a little pond.  It looked like a lovely secluded place to put a cabin.  

We chose to take the less steep option both up and down, which added a little distance but made the walking more pleasant.   All in all, it was a nice little hike, with about 1700 feet of elevation gain!

This valley looked like a great place to put a cottage!