Good hard fun

I’m not going to let frustrating traffic entanglements, and some dubious decisions about expanding the race limits, detract from what was a magnificent and historic 2011 relay adventure for the UltraLords team.

We set out to perform a first-time-ever double rendition, beginning in Seaside, climbing to Timberline, and returning to the Pacific Ocean. Make no mistake, we did it!!! If not effortlessly, for sure earnestly and enthusiastically, overcoming lightning, dogs and loneliness on the way up, then heat, fatigue and bumper-to-bumper conditions coming back down.

Dave, Jim, Todd, Mike, Joe, Kevin, Mark, Lance and I ran a combined 400 miles in 53 ½ hours plus a 2 hour intermission. Our conditioning efforts and smart pacing helped us enter the post-race beach party with muscles and joints comfortably taxed but essentially pain-free. We’ve created new bonds and solidified old ones – the memories will be long cherished, with plenty of documentation to back it up.

On behalf of my teammates, I wish to express the most sincere gratitude to our families and many friends who blessed us with their patience, contributions and support. This includes Christine, Rachel and Frank, our course volunteers; David and Kam Gray, who provided their home as a critical stopover point; all of our generous charity contributors; and our sponsors, whose apparel, consumables and other investments definitely enriched our Coast to Hood to Coast experience.

Along with immense pride in our individual and group effort, extreme satisfaction in our collective achievement, and quiet relief that nothing worse than slight sunburn (and in my case a small bump on the forehead from a rambunctious canine) occurred, I can proclaim with confidence that we were most definitely not going the “wrong” way, but instead and indeed the best way! Wow, that was great!!!

Congratulations to the 20,000+ other HTC runners and PTC walkers, and thanks to all those who worked the course, officially and unofficially, or otherwise cheered everyone on. STEVE.

Some pictures from the run

The Coast to Hood to Coast   ("Start/Finish")

Dave getting prepped for the start

Joe Dudman finishing Van 1's first set of legs

The exchange at Olney School (Eastbound). We sure enjoyed all of the parking space. 

Kevin Flanigan starts his first leg

The Ultralord vehicles

Mark ran in what?

Mark takes a cooling dip in the creek at the top of Pittsburg exchange. 

(L to R) Dave Bryant, Joe Dudman, Todd Peterson at Timberline.
Halfway there!

Mike wearing one of our sponsors T-Shirs. Thanks Dave's Killer Bread.

The finish line 53 hours later.

Where are you guys?

Captain Steve brings it home!

Ultralords ! (L-R) Mark Anderson, Lance Dayton, Steve Strauss, Todd Peterson

We Did It !!!

400 miles in 53 hours. Coast to Hood 26 then Hood to Coast 27. It was a grand adventure with everyone stepping up and contributing above and beyond. Use this address to visit the Ultralords facebook

Here goes nothin'

We've done the time, now it's time to do the crime. Hundreds of trips up and down hills a car driver would downshift on. More Gatorade (r) than is exported to China. Hours and hours of race visualization, or merely staring off into space, when the family (or the supervisor) is vying for our attention.

Rested? Doubtful. Tan? Unavoidably. Ready? No choice but to be. Today we ride. Tomorrow we fly. Hopefully Friday we don't crawl. Saturday, we'll stand tall.

(Just don't wake us on Sunday.)

Captain Steve

Ready or Not!

I have to admit. The tapering has been nice. However, I know what's ahead of me because I'm tapering. I'm experiencing some of the pre event nervousness that always seems to get me. The Ultralord vehicle is decked out in  new tires. At least that's one thing I won't worry about. I had to change a tire at an exchange point one year and I don't want to do that again.  Trying to make sure I get plenty of rest while I can. If any of my teammates are reading this I hope they are doing the same. Getting to the beach seems to be all sorted out and a carb fest is in the plans. I am going to try and send regular updates to our facebook 2011ultralords as we make our way to the mountain. Jim O'Connell

Powered by Dr. Will Bars

Another company has stepped up to support our efforts. Thanks to the people of Dr. Will Bars for the nutrition donation and giving us another way to get the word out to the public. Make sure to click on to the link and check out this tasty treat.

Working out the details

We had a good team meeting on Wednesday at Mike Flanigan's house. Thanks to Mike and Peggy for hosting. I think the reality of what we are doing is starting to become even more clear. Our 10:30 a.m. start time on Friday has made for some slight changes but nothing major. I guess I better get used to running in the morning since our start at the beach will be around 6:30 a.m. and I'm runner number two. The team talked about updating the blog with posts as we are completing the run. I'm not sure how to manage that technically. Perhaps one of our more techno savvy readers could offer some advice (yes that's a hint to my two sons).
Jim O'Connell

Logistically speaking

A lightly-traveled and commercially underdeveloped forest “highway”. Then a series of winding roads on the edge of civilization illuminated by the faintest of moonlight. A busy metropolis shut down for the morning’s wee hours. Finally, an arduous climb towards a majestic peak while all the foot traffic is going the other way. This is the landscape the UltraLords have chosen to traverse just to reach the starting line of their “official” race.

There will be no schools throwing open the gymnasium doors or church groups hosting BBQs when we meander through on Thursday afternoon through Friday morning. No rows of porta-potties occupying the far-flung exchange areas. No volunteers to remind us of the turns or to caution other road users of our presence. In the calm before the storm, we may go completely unnoticed except for an ambivalent cow or horse, but better them than a perturbed, energetic and unleashed rural dog of size…

The cell phone coverage will be spotty. The pavement will undulate but for a long while will otherwise be indistinguishable from what we saw an hour before. What time is it? Where are we? Are you sure we go this way? Who’s turn to run? Can we sleep a little yet?

If you are thinking, how hard can it be, it’s just the same course run the other way, then you need to think again. Individually, we have to consider how to pace ourselves to get through 8 legs and between 40 and 50 miles; collectively, we need to know when to begin the trip so we aren’t late for the mountain “start”. As a courtesy to the tiny communities we will be visiting, locating real bathrooms is the right thing to do. Where are the points that will allow for safe handoffs and runner support?  What are the alternatives to a deserted bike path before dawn arrives and far from van access? How long, and where, can we hope to break away for a shower and a snooze? What is available if we run into a medical or vehicle issue? How do we carry out our little relay without interfering with the opposing hordes fighting for the same narrow shoulders? When can we ditch some of our laundry? Or get a cup of coffee, for criminy sakes?

Not to mention the before and after lodging, managing the charity angle, all the documentation and publicity that might occur, and all the usual Hood to Coast stuff like enticing volunteers, securing appropriate transportation, ordering team t-shirts, getting 9 busy people in 3 cities to interact in person once in a while, and a whole lot of praying that we don’t need to find an alternate at the last minute. And more. And more after that. And stuff I’ve already forgotten or haven’t yet remembered the first time.

I’ve always said that the easiest part of a relay race is the running. Never more true than this time around. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Steve