Posts Tagged ‘Team Potato’
Marin Ultra Challenge 50K–Trail running where it all started!
Towering redwoods, stunning coastal headlands, sprawling ocean beaches, and open rolling verdant hills, California’s Marin County is an exceptionally beautiful place. Located just north of San Francisco and connected to the city by the majestic Golden Gate Bridge, Marin’s natural landscapes form quite a contrasting background to the city by the bay. More than half…
Read MoreWoolley Runs 50K– Returning to Where this Team Potato Runner First Sprouted
I remember welcoming the new decade with excitement and a little bit of trepidation. Would the 2020s roar like the 1920s? News of a potential pandemic was giving me a little anxiety. But trying to remain optimistic, this was the year that I decided to return to ultra-running after a long hiatus (blame work and…
Read MoreWhat Happens in Vegas might be something to share! Red Rock Canyon Marathon
With its 2700 feet of elevation gain over two long sustained climbs, I knew that the Red Rock Canyon Marathon was not going to be one of my faster races. Plus, the course is out-and-back, which I generally shun preferring non-repeating loops instead. The field is small, and when it comes to road marathons I…
Read MoreThe Opposite of Orlando — Wild Florida 50K
I love Florida! Love visiting—have been since I was a teen growing up on the East Coast. But my trips to Florida don’t include Orlando and its alternative realty entertainment complexes. I don’t go to overdeveloped beaches lined with high rise condos either. And I don’t golf. I go to Florida to embrace its incredible…
Read MoreA Golden Opportunity and Stage Debut – The Golden Ultra
“What do you cover?” asked Andy Brown, Communication Manager of Tourism Golden. “Hiking, history, paddling, conservation—and running—especially marathons and ultras,” I replied as we got acquainted at a writer’s conference two years ago. “Well, I’ve got an event for you,” Andy responded. “Have you heard of the Golden Ultra? It’s a challenging three day staged…
Read MoreAll’s Good in the Hood! — Wy’east Wonder 50 Mile Race
Oregon’s Mount Hood is indeed a majestic sight to behold. At 11,249 feet, it’s the state’s highest summit and 4th highest among the Cascades volcanoes. It was at Hood four years ago that I fell in love with ultra-running. I flirted with it back in 2011, training for and running my first 50K and soon…
Read MoreFeeling the Heat!- Smith Rock Classic 50K
Be careful what you wish for! After running Eastern Washington’s Badger Mountain 50 mile in pouring rain with 30 mph winds, Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon in 50 degrees and rain, and then a marathon training run on Northwestern Washington’s Whitehorse Trail in monsoonal downpours—I turned to my running partner with exasperation and exclaimed, “I’d rather…
Read MoreGoing Hog Wild in Cincinnati – The Flying Pig Marathon
“Good job piggies!”and “Go pigs!” exclaimed a myriad of folks lining the streets as I along with more than 4,000 other determined runners plodded down the streets of Cincinnati. Anywhere else but in this city in southern Ohio on this day would those cheers be considered rude and offensive. But not here on this day.…
Read MoreA Badger of Honor — The Badger Mountain 50 Mile Challenge Run
Eastern Washington’s Badger Mountain 50 Mile Challenge Run was never a race I planned on doing! The course is tough and the weather can be a doozy! But, I heard great things about the race director Jason Reathaford and his tireless volunteers. I knew that this race raised money for the Friends of Badger Mountain, the…
Read MoreSteak and Potatoes — The Cowtown Marathon
Even with more than one million residents making it the 11th largest city in the country, Fort Worth Texas retains much of its cattle rearing past. A sprawling city affectionately referred to as Cowtown, Fort Worth has also retained many of its historic art deco buildings and its stockyards, now a national historic district. The…
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