Old Man Still running

Pony Express Traill 100-mile Endurance Run

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Location:

Saratoga Springs,UT,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

2016 Finished 12 100-milers during the year.  86 career 100-mile finishes, 9th in the world.   First person to do 6 consecutive summits of Mount Timpanogos.  Won Crooked Road 24-hour race. Achieved the 5th, 6th, and 8th fastest 100-mile times in the world for runners age 57+ for the year.

2013  First person to bag the six highest Wasatch peaks in one day. First and only person to do a Kings Peak double (highest peak in Utah).  I've now accomplished it four times. 

2010 - Overall first place Across the Years 48-hour run (187 miles), Overall first place Pony Express Traill 100.

2009 - Utah State Grand Masters 5K champion (Road Runners Club of America).  National 100-mile Grand Masters Champion (Road Runners Club of America). USATF 100-mile National Champion for age 50-54.

2006 - Set record of five consecutive Timpanogos Summits ("A record for the criminally insane")  See: http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=42

2007 - Summited 7 Utah 13-ers in one day.  See: http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?p=14 

Only person to have finished nine different 100-mile races in Utah: Wasatch, Bear, Moab, Pony Express Trail, Buffalo Run, Salt Flats, Bryce, Monument Valley, Capitol Reef.

PRs - all accomplished when over 50 years old

5K - 19:51 - 2010 Run to Walk 5K

10K - 42:04 - 2010 Smile Center

1/2 Marathon: 1:29:13 - 2011 Utah Valley

Marathon - 3:23:43 - 2010 Ogden Marathon

50K - 4:38 - 2010 Across the Years split

50-mile - 8:07 - 2010 Across the Years split

100K - 10:49 - 2010 Across The Years split

12-hours 67.1 miles - 2010 Across The Years split

100-mile 19:40 - 2011 Across the Years split

24-hours 117.8 miles - 2011 Across the Years split

48-hours 187.033 miles - 2010 Across the Years

Long-Term Running Goals:

I would like to keep running ultras into my 60s. 

Personal:

Details at: http://www.crockettclan.org/ultras/ultracrockett.pdf Married with six kids and six grandchildren.  Started running at the age of 46 in 2004.  My first race since Junior High days was a 50K. I skipped the shorter road stuff and went straight to ultramarathons.  I started as a back-of-the packer, but have progressed to a top-10-percent ultra finisher.  Wish I would have started running at a much earlier age.  Have had several articles published in national running magazines.  Check out my running adventure blog at www.crockettclan.org/blog

Favorite Blogs:

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Race: Pony Express Traill 100-mile Endurance Run (100 Miles) 25:14:35, Place overall: 9, Place in age division: 3
Total Distance
100.00

Great highs and lows putting on the race and running it too.  Won't do that again, the race is getting too big.  Way too much stress.

I only slept 5 hours Wednesday night and only 1 hour Thursday night.  Zero hours Friday night. Not good.

I was in a great mood heading out to the course until my car died a couple miles from the start because of shoddy work done on it Tuesday.   I had to hike into the start and Frank's crew camped there helped me shuttle all my stuff to the start.  It was frustrating not to have a car there and it changed all the plans that I had put together. To make things worse, I had badly burned two fingers working on the car and they blistered up terribly. 

But Maurine showed up and perked me up. We all had great fun in the evening with a campfire with a group of runners.

Little sleep during the night thinking about all the things that needed to get done including getting ready to run too.  I finally got up at 3 a.m. and started getting things ready for everyone.

Runners started to arrive by 4:30 and it was great fun to greet everyone and start the various waves of the race.

But then I needed to run.  I was scrambling like crazy.  My crew car was so unorganized.  My stuff was just in a heap in a box.  This was not good.

But I started and felt OK and ran well for the first few miles, but then could tell that it would not be my day.  Finally about mile 12, I started to warm up and feel better and started to gain on Craig, but it didn't last long.

I just couldn't find the speed I usually have during this race.  By mile 35, I usually have passed all the early starters.  Not so today.  Oh well.  I just enjoyed the run.  A 15-minute bathroom break was a bummer. I would catch up with someone and then run slower with them for awhile which was great fun.  It was super to see my son Kevin at about mile 32 running well.

At about mile 40, Britta and Matt ran passed as I was sitting in a chair near my crew car.  I got up fast and within a mile caught up and passed them, doing 8-minute pace, but my stomach told me to quit it, so I did and slowed down.

When I reached Blackrock, mile 48.5, it was a grand party there.  Britta had finished her 50-mile victory and didn't even look tired.  It was so fun to see all the smiles on the runners and crew.  The race seemed to be going great.

But my race was a mess.  Oh well.  It was only about 73 degrees, but with the sun out, it felt hotter.  Jim Kern ran with me for a couple miles.  It was fun to talk to him about how things were going.   Jay, the leader of the 100 was walking slowly into Blackrock, badly dehydrated.  I hoped he could get things fixed.  I saw Phil and Craig on the out-and-back about 6 miles ahead, where I should have been, and was close to last year.

I plodded on.  Fish Springs area was amazing before dusk.  The colors were spectacular.  Wow!   At Fish Springs Carl and his son ran with me back to Blackrock.  Carl was great company.  He ran that stretch with me last year and reminded me how I really worked him.  Not so this year, he reached Blackrock well before me.

The night was a disaster for me.  Because I wasn't moving fast enough I got cold.  Once cold, I would get very drowsy and started to stumble around like a zombie.   Finally on the long stretch from Dugway Pass to the finish, I had no choice but to jump in the car, turn up the heat, get in warmer clothes, and try to rest my eyes.   A few runners eventually passed me, including Matt Watts who I had been about six miles or more ahead of.

I must have spent a total of 1.5 hours sitting in my crew car a dozen times.  One stop was long, 20 minutes and I managed to sleep for a few minutes.

I discussed with my crew chief Paul about quitting, and belive it or not, I wished I would have.  It would have been much more fun to drive to the finish and greet all the runners coming in.  But I thought of my non-DNF streak, and my goal to finish 10 100-milers this year. So I pushed myself out the door and ran again.  I would have some good stretches, running 10-minute pace, but only for a mile, then the drowsy spells would start again.  I even had to have Paul stop every mile, just in case I was having trouble.  In past years, I could do that stretch with 3-4 mile stops.  It was very hard.

What was crazy was the change in temperature.  We would go through pockets of about 32 degrees, and then it would be 45 or more.  Clothes went on, came off, went back on, etc.  I had plenty of time to think about what went wrong and I concluded that with all the stress, my concentration was just not there.  I decided that this would be the last year I would run and direct.  It was time to only direct.  My little fun run had grown up.   I almost DNFed again with about 8 miles to go, but I kept it up.  It was fun to see the lights of the cars in a line across the desert floor.  There were lights ahead too, and at times I was reeling them in, but then faded again.

Dawn arrived, and now my goal was to get to the finish before the sun hit it.  I reached that little goal.  Next, I was greatly disappointed that the belt buckles were missing.  No one knew where they were.  Brad and driven all over during the night trying to find them.  It was so disappointing to see runners finish and not have the buckle for them.  (It turns out that because of my car trouble, back at the start during clean-up, someone by mistake put a container in my wife's car that needed to go to Simpson Springs.  I had failed to label it because I planned on just sticking it in my car which would go there.)  So, I'll mail out all the buckles.

I was grouchy for awhile, but all the smiles on the faces of runners and crews finishing in the back of the pack perked me up.  It seemed like everyone had a great time.

It really was a couple days of highs and lows.  My race staff worked so hard and did so well.  They are very good and know how to run a good race now.  I really look forward to next year.  I will cruise around the course, jump out and run with many runners.  That will probably be a first during an ultra, to see the race director running all over the place.  It will be great fun.

The race was a great success as far as I can tell.  Almost every runner set a PR, and there were a ton of very happy first-time finishers.  Wow!

So, my little adventure run that I started in 2005 with a dream seems like it has turned into quite the production.  It makes me very happy that I have been able to share this dream with others and know that I have done something to make them very happy.

On another bright side, when I got home, I checked the car repair invoice and sure enough they had replaced the oil cooler hose that came loose.

Hoka Bondi B - New Miles: 100.00
Comments
From jun on Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 23:36:29 from 174.23.189.233

I would call it a phenomenal success. Everyone I talked to that day and since has had nothing but positive things to say. They are incredibly impressed with what you've put together. Thanks again for an amazing adventure.

From Dorsimus on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 12:56:30 from 67.2.20.184

Truly a success indeed! I certainly can't imagine adding the stress of an RD to the mental and physical drain running a 100 miles! You put on a fantastic race AND finished 100 miles (not to mention it being the 9th of the year!!)! I'd say that's quite an accomplishment. I think it will be fun for you in the years to come to enjoy the race as the full fledged RD. Thanks again for such a great weekend, I know my crew and me had a great time out there.

Any chance we could get a Slurpee machine at about mile 30? That'd be great. Ha ha. :)

From crockett on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 13:00:57 from 216.49.181.254

That does give me ideas. Mile 30 is where I would probably be running with everyone. I should set up a mobile aid station with ice cream or popcicles, something like that.

From Dorsimus on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 13:07:30 from 67.2.20.184

An ice cream truck at mile 30! YEAH! :)

From MatthewVH on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 13:18:33 from 69.27.9.106

The PET 50 was my introduction to the sport of ultra running, and for me it was a very positive experience. Thanks for organizing a terrific event. I will be back next year.

From Steve on Mon, Oct 24, 2011 at 19:24:07 from 76.27.108.183

Awesome race! I did my first long trail run this weekend at the Grand Canyon and we read your R2R2R report on the drive down to get into the spirit! Keep it up!

From Smooth on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 22:30:54 from 75.162.88.196

Davy ~ You ARE SO AWESOME!!! THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH for putting this race up and helping people fulfill their dreams. I remember reading your blog entry of the PET100 run back in 2005. It was so inspiring and fascinating. THANK YOU for making my dream/goal of running 50 miles a reality on Fri. I had a wonderful experience. Your superb organization, follow up emails and communication was impeccable and most appreciated. You are a class act, Davy! I cannot imagine putting on an ultra event that has grown so big and with the added stress of running 100 miles with zero sleep over the week. You are my hero!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! :) Yes, it was a HUGE success indeed!!!

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