Feeds:
Posts
Comments

IMG_9106

The 3d Annual Miles for Food was our biggest year to date and Operation Food Search, the beneficiary of our event, could not be happier.  Thirty two entrants on four different teams raised a total donation amount of $21,762.09!  That amount will feed over 5,000 individuals for a full week!  Miles for Food was the highest yielding single day event held in 2009.  And I’m proud to say that of the hundreds of food drives held last year, which include huge corporations, public & private organizations, the whole gambit, Miles for Food is ranked in the top five for the year!   Amazing what a few people can do when they come together working towards a common goal.

The St. Louis Ultrarunners Group (SLUGS), joining the event for the first time, bound on the scene in true “ULTRARUNNER” style.  Exceeding the minimums just seems to be par for the course for this group.  With a team of nine they raised $2006.00 and 3,532 can food items – more than double the team minimums of $750.00 and 1,250 can items.  Their total team donation was worth an incredible $7,071.32.
Member of Team SLUGS won first and second place for highest can food items raised by individuals.  Noelle Chilcoat took second place at 1,185 items while Carol King won first place with an astonishing 1,340 items!

For team mileage a cumulative total of 66 must be covered by each team on event day.  The SLUGS opted to do a bit more covering a whopping 204.4 miles putting them in an easy first place for highest event day miles.  Fantastic effort!
Special thanks to; Team Captain, Jennifer Eichelberger, who put the team together;  Lee Hess, President of the St. Louis Ultrarunners Group, who supported runners on event day working an aid station and provided equipment; and all the volunteers who helped on event day.
Each individual and team should be very proud of what has been accomplished this season.  Thanks to these entrants thousands of people in our area will eat this winter that would have otherwise gone hungry.  It has been an honor to work with such a great group of runners for such a worthy cause.

Congratulations Team SLUGS.  See you in 2010.

Michael N. Linkogel, Event Coordinator
Miles for Food
2510 South Brentwood Blvd., Suite 212
Brentwood, MO 63144
Phone: 314.706.4882
E-mail: MilesforFood@unifieldtherapy.com
Website: http://www.shiftingconsciousness.com/MilesforFood.html

chubbsign Is trail and utlrarunning becoming even more popular?  If you want to gauge that question on how quick our first race of the 2010 season filled up, I’d say so.  Double Chubb 25k/50k filled up in a mere 5 days compared to the 11 days of last year.  Both of those timelines are extremely fast.  Hope you were able to get in, if not make sure to check out our other races too!!

 

Check them out here http://stlouisultrarunnersgroup.net/index.html

by Carol King

Titusville, PA
October 10, 2009

 

Gold100Buckle-Jogger-FINAL It’s official…I am a real live SLUG now
Warning…you know me…this is long. I can’t apologize. For me, writing about a 31 mile race takes almost as much time as it does to run it.

 

As a newish runner, I can honestly say that when I started running a little over two years ago, I never really imagined running more than a 5K. That was all I aspired to be able to do. Lose a few pounds, achieve a goal…move on to the next thing. Well, funny things happen to a person when they start running. We get sidetracked or in my case…super focused on running farther and farther. We all run for some reason or another. I am sure my reasons are not unique.

So, somehow I run the 5K, and then a half-marathon and a few other short distances. Next up, I run the 25K version of the Double Chubb the year we had to do out and backs on the West Tyson side only. So then…I decide I have to do a full marathon, then a trail marathon, then I wind up becoming a Marathon Maniac, and next I sign up for my first 50K during what is probably a run-induced high and a little peer pressure from some friends.

So there I was on Friday, October 9th on an airplane flying to Cleveland by myself, to rent a car and drive to Titusville, PA to run the Inaugural Event of the Oil Creek 100 Trail Runs. I am pretty sure this will be one of those races that is immediately sold out next year based on the reviews and the difficulty of the course. I am just happy to say that I got in on the ground floor because I knew the RD from an online running group I belong to and a group of us signed up to support Tom Jennings in his huge endeavor.

I meet up with my friends, meeting most for the first time in person. We arrive at the Titusville Middle School for the pre-race dinner and meeting where there are tons of giveaways taking place. I got a brand new Nathan handheld (same as the one I already have, minus the gross sweat smell and remnants of Gu in the pocket. Others got microspikes and some supercool hydration packs that are not even for sale in the US right now, among many other cool items up for grabs. 
So, after a good night’s sleep at the Comfort Inn, I get up with my friend Brent and we head to the start less than a mile away at the middle school. This is really happening. I think I should be more nervous or scared, but I am not for some reason. I am unusually calm. Maybe I am finally over the pre-race nerves that I used to have.

CIMG0222
The race starts with an air horn blast and we are off in the dark, headlamps aglow. I purposely start in the back of the pack, as I know I will be there anyway. We run through the town and out to a paved bike path for basically a 5K before we hit the Gerard Hiking Trail in Oil Creek State Park. The trail is pretty much all single-track and gorgeous. The tough part is that you are immediately thrown into a huge uphill climb that seems to go on forever. It is so steep that my calves are screaming at me. The 5K paved run was all flat so the calves need a little more time to acclimate to climbing mode. 
I keep thinking…”when do we get to just run on something flat or downhill?” Note to self…praying for downhills is kind of a mixed bag.

I do get my wish and find that at the top of this huge climb was the most beautiful running for a long time. Nice, flatish, runnable trails that go on and on. We had been warned we may see bears and were told to have a bear bell along. I opted to wear my dog’s tags from her collar as she went to heaven just 4 days before the race. Appropriately, her name was Miss Bear. So….I am running along at a nice pace when I hear something rustling to my right and at the same time the dog’s tags pop out from where I had them tucked away and begin to jingle. I look over to see a black bear clinging to a tree about 2/3 up. Of course this is very exciting and I am trying to get out my camera, but by the time I do, the bear is out of sight. I have to figure that my dog warned me from heaven. (awwww….)

Her tags would pop out from time to time along the course. I didn’t see any more bears, but they usually started jingling when I was in a particularly dangerous section. I know she was watching over me.

By the time I reached the first aid station at mile 7, I was feeling totally exhilarated. The best part was I ran into two of my friends who were hiking the 50K and had started an hour earlier. I was surprised I had caught up to them so fast. I had a hot spot on my foot that I had Vaseline slathered on, refilled with Gatorade, a potty stop, photo op, and a bite or two…I was gone again. The climb out of that aid station was epic to say the least. Switchback after switchback that seemed to never end. I just walked and walked until I could finally get to a runnable section again. I kept making comparisons in my head to the Chubb and Berryman, but this seemed to be way more intense. I was with my friends for the climbing and left them as soon as it got a little easier. This would be the last time I would see them until the next morning. The next 8 or so miles were pretty good again. I was making good time and feeling fine…except for the nagging spot on my foot that I just know is going to be a blister soon. I enjoy the beauty of the trail. Waterfalls are flowing and just add to the incredible journey. This trail is very well maintained and marked. I have a few dicey moments going down slippery stairs and footbridges, but I manage to stay on my feet.

 
There are funny signs placed on the trail along the way to entertain. My favorite is the one labeled. “Pioneer Section – The Birthplace of Rocks”…it was no joke, but I have run on worse rocky sections on the Chubb, so I am not intimidated at all. I know that aspects of my training have paid off. Another great sign just said “Unforgiving”. This served as a nice warning. Several of these signs would be seen along the trail.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of the trail is a section called “Hemlock Run”. The trail opens up to a wider path of pine needles and the trees are so tall and the forest is dark and cool. I don’t think I have ever seen a more peaceful place in my life. I really should have stopped for a picture here, but I was just enjoying the running so much I couldn’t. I just felt when I was able to run, I better. There would be much more walking in my future.

CIMG0225
Getting the 7 or so miles to the next aid station seemed to take forever, but it was such a great place when I got there. One of my friend’s crew was there waiting for me and I ended up having him take care of my newly formed blister…it was pretty huge. I sat there while he popped and fixed up the blister…aid station workers brought me soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, filled my bottles and I also got a couple Tums. I was really hungry as my pre-race meal was a little sparse and the trail was working me really hard. After getting my foot fixed, changing socks and dropping off my headlamp, I was ready to leave. I thanked and hugged Gene for taking care of me and took off.

Huge climb again. Geez. This one was the worst. On top of the fact, the blister is burning now. The fresh socks feel weird too. I am still puzzled about the blister because I have never gotten a blister running. Really, I just want to focus on something to get me up this monster climb and make me forget my foot. I guess it works because after a mile or so, I don’t feel the blister at all and I feel good as new. I guess Gene knew what he was doing.

The miles from AS2 to AS3 are a blur. The trail is gorgeous at every turn and things are starting to look the same now. I get to run through more hemlock tree sections. I get startled by chipmunks playing in the woods a few times and it makes me laugh.

The slanted nature of the trail is making my right foot take a beating and I stop at a big rock to tie my shoes differently. I decided I better put on the heel lock and this seems to help a great deal. While I am stopped, I meet up with another runner, Terri, and she and I pass the time chatting while we make some pretty big climbs. I find out she is a race director from South Carolina and she operates free races for donations only. Pretty cool gal. She has been running ultras since the 80’s and is a very neat lady to hang with. We run together for a bit, but she is more suited to walking so I leave her. I see her again at AS #3 for a few minutes when she arrives. She had taken a little spill, but was still moving along fine. She went on to finish the 50 miler.

AS#3 was uneventful except for the fact that I was really hungry for salt. I had salted potatoes, hot soup, a piece of a banana, and a Hammergel. My fingers were really swollen. This doesn’t normally happen to me, so I can only assume I was just working really hard. I didn’t notice how much I was sweating because it was so much cooler than normal conditions I had been training in. There is a lot of traffic at this station as the first of the 100 milers are now lapping me. I think I saw 3. One was in the woods behind me right before we hit the road for the aid station and then I saw two more come through as I was refueiing. Lots of 50 milers were also coming through from the opposite direction as they were finishing their extra loops on the back of the course. I really loved the festive atmosphere out there. I can’t say enough about the volunteers for this race. It seems that the entire town of Titusville, PA was born to work an aid station at an ultra. Tom Jennings must have trained them well. No one would ever know they had never worked an event like this one. They were pros.

I leave the last aid station and know that I have about 8 miles to go now. It is the longest 8 miles of my life for some reason. I am trying to think to myself…”just a little shorter than a loop from home to Forest Park and back” That doesn’t work as I know that my loop to “the Fo” is not even a fair comparison to the epic hills I am about to encounter. If I thought the other hills were bad before, these are monumentally harder to me. Steep and long…they go on forever. I even attempted walking up backwards for a bit so that I couldn’t see how far I had to go. That was too hard on my calves so I had to turn back around and just face it. I would see a Facebook friend and runner Thomas Tan coming and this is where we officially meet in person. What a nice guy. We comment on each other’s status’ all of the time online, but have never met. It was so fun to chat. He looks great and is eating the monster climb, even walking it. He tells me that he thinks he is bonking. He didn’t look like it to me. He was running the 50. I say goodbye and he tells me that I look great and to keep moving.

I see a few more runners along this section and know I am getting closer. One woman in a running skirt flew past me singing to her iPod. She was having a blast and told me to finish strong. I just wanted to finish…strong or not. The miles kept clicking by and I just kept thinking that the woods would go on forever. I could hear sounds of human activity and possibly industry. There must be a mine or something around there. I even heard an end of work whistle (reminded me of the Flintstones). I finally see a bridge and know that I am coming out of the woods soon. Bam! I am on pavement for the first time in a really long time. A quick jog across a bridge and I am directed by a volunteer to the asphalt bike path I had been on at 7 a.m. that morning. I can’t believe how hard it is to run on pavement now. Every step is excruciatingly painful for some reason. I guess soft mud and pine needles all day is kind of a nice way to spend your day running. I end up walking a lot of the 1.5 miles on the bike path until I see the turn to the street which heads to the finish. For some reason, I am able to run like crazy now. Heading to the finish I still can’t believe that I am almost there. Crossing the finish line is a blur. I am handed my belt buckle and a sticker for my car that says OC100 50K finisher. Then I look up to see my new friend Thomas Tan standing there to give me a hug. He had been sitting there at the finish line waiting for me to come in. I am totally flattered that he waited. I still haven’t checked his finish time to see just how long he was there, but it was a really nice gesture. He said he wanted to see me finish my first ultra. I know…awwwwwww.

I wander into the school to look for my friend Brent, who I find sitting in the cafeteria chatting with another runner. He is totally shocked that I am finished already and hugs me so hard. He gives me the low-down on the cool plan to shower the mud off of my legs in the locker room and then go to the gym for my free massage. How awesome is that?? After the massage, Brent and I return to our hotel for real showers, warm, dry clothes and then back to the school to wait for our friends to come in to finish or to help out at the aid station before sending them back for their last 15 miles. Waiting there to support our friends was a great feeling.

So, it is 8 days later and I am still in shock that I did this race. Not only did I finish a 50K, I think I may well have picked one of the most difficult out there to be my first. There is big talk around about this race and how some of the big name ultra dudes are all wanting to run this course. Hmmmm…all I can say is that I did it before it got cool and big and out of reach. I ran it first. I was there for the Inaugural Run and no one can ever take that away. Next year….I think I might try 50 miles. We’ll see.

Ozark Trail Fun Run

  – Saturday, 9/26/09

trail markerWeather was great for the fun run last Saturday and trail conditions were phenomenal. The only thing better than the weather and conditions were the company! I had the pleasure of riding down to the area with Joe Neubauer, whom I was just meeting for the 1st time. I was glad to learn that, even at 4:45am, Joe was lively and talkative. What a great guy with interesting stories! That drive would have been dreadfully boring without Joe’s company (thanks for riding along, Joe).

Also a fortunate break was the fact that Ryan & Jenn were following us down, because their map came in handy since my map really failed me. Or perhaps it was just my map reading/usage skills? Eventually, with the help of some other SLUG’s scrambling to the Hazel Creek Rec Area for the 7am meeting, we found our way there and met up with Lee Hess, Paul Schoenlaub and several other runners.

We gathered in a few shuttle cars and rode to what is the Aid-Station 7/HWY DD point during the OT100 race. Our plan was to begin there, and run our way back to Hazel Creek Rec Area to experience this 17.5-mile section of the racecourse. With a quick briefing and the snap of a group photo by Lee we WERE OFF! With cool temperatures and a downhill beginning from HWY DD you could really open it up at the start.

group

 

The trail is so well maintained that you can’t help but appreciate all of the work the Ozark Trail Association puts in to the trail each & every month. Clear markings and great maintenance made this a real treat to run. Having never run any portion of OT (Berryman included), I didn’t know what to expect. I was really glad to see that pretty much all of this section, even the hills were ‘run-able’. Although, ‘run-able’ is completely redefined at a higher hurdle rate after 50 miles in to a run, which this section will be on November 7th ;)

trail-pic

The 17+ miles offered everything from smooth downhill’s, to rocks & mud, SEVERAL creek crossing (an especially wet one at Hazel Creek) and a couple of challenging climbs. In the middle of the 17 miles, we runners were glad to find Lee serving as our support & aid station at what will be Aid-Station 8/Martin Rd. This was about 8 miles in to our day’s run. I had taken a spill at about miles 2 into the run, so Lee helped me out with some “gash cleaning” on my palm with some clean water. Thanks Lee!leehess

I waited for the next round of runners to come in and tagged along with them for a mile or two heading out of the Martin Rd crossing. I only stuck with them for a short while because I wanted to stop for a few photos and I took the opportunity to run the sections longest hills out-and-back a few times. With that, I was able to stretch this section in to something just over 20 miles according to the GPS watch – but who really trusts those things in the middle of the woods anyhow?

old-chimney

When I finally made it back to Hazel Creek I found Lee and some others chatting by the cars. I took the chance to dip my legs in the cool creek alongside the campground – what a refreshing move! As other runners came in I learned they had taken a similar approach to the creek when crossing Hazel Creek earlier in the run. FYI – the Hazel Creek crossing on-course is actually about 1.4 miles BEFORE you get to the Hazel Creek Rec Area. While Hazel Creek does border the rec area, it’s a wider portion of the creek, so during dryer times of the season, the portion we cross on “race day” is probably more likely to allow you an opportunity to keep your feet dry.

Give or take, 3-4 hours after our start at HWY DD we had all collected back at Hazel Creek Rec Area and shared our appreciation for the fantastic weather, course conditions and hard work that Paul, Stuart & a whole host of other folks (like Lee!) have been pouring in to this event. The numbers are proving out their efforts and the allure of the Ozarks. To date there are over 120 entrants! OT100, no doubt, is slated to be a fantastic event.

Thanks, SLUG’s, for sharing the experience. I look forward to seeing you all out again soon.

Health & Happiness in the meantime,

Jason Eads

What started with a little rain ended up being a decent day for those running the Double Chubb 25 and 50k on Saturday.  We saw some pretty fast times despite the slick mud that we started with.  Official results can be found here.

Thanks to all the runners and people that helped make this event happen!!!

Below is a video of the start and a couple of pics.  Hope you enjoy them!

 

ccrawford

Women’s 50k winner – Christine Crawford – 4:34:11

IMG_2024

Men’s 50k winner – Will Harlin – 3:41:24

IMG_2028

Our fantastic RD’s David and Victoria White along with Carol King man the finish line

IMG_2032

Runners hang around to enjoy the post race cook out and some conversation

This week marks the first ever Double Chubb 50k and Chubb 25k…. well maybe not the first (it’s the 11th actually), but we do have a new course this year so it’s a clean slate for the records. 

The race starts at 7:30 am from the new start/finish location.

There are too many SLUGs running to list, but we’ll be sure to get lots of good pictures.  As for the weather.. well, a little rain and mud never hurt a trail runner, but it sure made them smile bigger at the finish!

Good luck to all SLUG and non-SLUGs out there tomorrow!!

McNaughton Results

50 Miles Finishers

Jeremy Bolt – 11:50:44

Gena Bonini – 13:14:52

100 Mile Finishers

Travis Liles – 25:32:54

David Stores – 31:24:54

Joe Neubauer –47:47:07 (including a nap and a full night sleep)

 

Start of the 150 mile run

 

header This week’s big ticket item for some of the SLUGs is the McNaughton Park Trail runs.   McNaughton Park located in Pekin, IL is a 10 mile loop course that offers runners the options of 50, 100 or even 150 mile distances.  The 150 milers will start Friday at noon and the 100 milers and 50 milers will start at 6am Saturday.

 

Toeing the line for this event:

150

Joe Neubauer

100

David Stores
Jeremy Bolt
Chris Migotsky
Gena Bonini
Travis Liles

Not only do we have folks running the event, but we also have some volunteering at the race, working aid stations and even pacing during the night. Even better, some of these will have ran the Illinois Marathon earlier in the day.  How’s that for dedication?!?!

Real time results will be updated and posted here http://www.timetorun.net/Results/McNaughton%20Park%202009/overall.htm

 

ClintonLake6

Last Saturday some of our folks ran the Clinton Lake 30 mile run in Dewit, IL.  Not only did we have SLUGs running the event, but our very own Chris Migotsky is the race director.   The course is described as:

Three loops of 10 mile trail through forest, hills, and meadows at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area.  Almost all single-track trail except for small section on road & bridge that connects two sides of the trail loop around the lake.  About 1500 feet of elevation gain per loop.  Two full aid stations each loop (start/finish & half-way), but runners should bring a water bottle.  This is a trail run so be careful about rocks, roots, and logs on the course.  Elevation chart and topography map.

 

Congratulations to the runners on a not so perfect day!!

Jeremy Bolt -6:00:15
Gena Bonini – 6:29:39

Don Frichtl – 6:16:36

The RD’s race report can be found here.

Interested in running with the SLUGS and hearing about a 100 mile Point-to-Point being held in MO? If so, come out to our weekly training run. We will be starting at Queeny Park in the upper parking lot off of Wiedman Road at 7am. Click here for a map .  The Ozark Trail 100 meeting will start following the run at 10am in the Greensfelder Rec. buillding.

For more  details on the Ozark Trail 100 please visit http://www.ozarktrail100.com/

Older Posts »