I’m not sure where to start, or how to weave a coherent story about running 100 miles through the day and night in the Cascades of Washington State, or spending a morning bombing through Zion National Park in Utah. And how can I really put words on finally getting to see (not to mention run) the the Grand Canyon? Suffice to say, pictures are better than words, so I will use many of the former and only a few of the later.

Cascade Crest was on August 24th and almost become the first race I dropped out of…I have never run for that many hours (29:48) or that much elevation gain (21,550ft). At the risk of sounding like a whiner, I went into the event with tired legs from climbing and running Adams ~10 days prior. But I stuck with it and David Hughes picked up my spirits by pacing/crewing me through much the the night and when the sun came back up, so did a lot of my energy. I met a lot of great people, discovered a few new things about myself and the world, and met some new and old friends. Much much thanks to the volunteers and to Rich White and Rob Smith who did an awesome job making the event happen. Rich is one bad ass guy, he is so bad even his mother runs 100 milers. Congrats to everyone who crossed the line or tried! For the full picture set, please find them here…

Getting my finishers buckle from Rich White the next day
A couple weeks later, on Friday 9/6, I found myself in Utah running through Zion National Park with Nichole. We covered about 14 miles at a slow pace, totally amazed at the scenery and trying to save our legs for what was to come on Sunday. Zion was one of the most amazing trail runs I have ever done.  For all 13 pictures, please find them here..
A And then there was the Grand Canyon two days later. I’d never been there either! Lhasa? Sure. Kilimanjaro? Check. But not one of the most amazing places in the world. And so we ran. From one side to the other and then back to our car: Rim to Rim to Rim as some say, or R2R2R. It was about 42 miles, we started from the North Rim at 4:15 in the morning, bats and big cliffs illuminated by headlamps. We finished a little over 13 hours later, humbled by the scenery, the elevation change, and the scale. Run, don’t walk, to the Grand Canyon if you haven’t been. For the full 31 pictures in the album, please find them here…
So where does all this leave me? In Portlandia actually. Matt Palilla is here. And Nichole Sellon is here too. I guess that means a run is in order. Something big.  Like running around Mt Hood. Or trying. Please consider following our adventure the Delorme satellite tracker. I’m guessing we will be running by 5am PST and finish ~12 hours later. After that, beers on a porch. Hope you have a great weekend. 

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