Scott McKenzie is one of Southern California's finest trail runners, he is a strong contender at any distance but excels at distances between 50K and 100K. Scott started training with me in early 1993, I noticed very early on he had an aptitude for trail running and after three years of training, his aptitude was obvious to all. In 1996 Scott tied for 1st at the San Juan Trail 50 Mile. In 1997 he won the Winter Trail Run Series, a series of bi-weekly races culminating in a gnarly 50K. Later in the year he ran 22:17 at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, finished second at the San Juan Trail 50 Mile and finished 7th in the prestigious Sunmart 50K. His finishing time at Sunmart was the fastest time run by any runner over the age of 40, on the trails that year. In 1998 Scott again won the Winter Trail Run Series, placed 2nd at the inaugural Catalina 100K and was featured on ESPN for his efforts. Later in the year he placed 9th in the Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run in Southern Colorado, a race held at altitudes between 7800 and 14,050 feet. He capped the year off with another victory at the San Juan Trail 50 Mile. In 1999 Scott finished second in both the Pacific Crest Trail 50 Mile and the San Juan Trail 50 Mile. In 2000 Scott concentrated on shorter races placing well in several trail marathons and winning the Master's Division at the Catalina Marathon. His lone ultra-distance race accounted for a 5th place finish at the Bull Bull Run in Virginia. Asked what's on tap for 2001, Scott glances toward the mountains and says, "I have a dream of running the John Muir Trail this summer." Doesn't sound like a competitive event, but it certainly will be challenging.

Scott's Running Biography

Scott's first memory related to running dates back to 1966 when he got in big trouble with his 6th grade teacher, Miss Capner, because he refused to play basketball during recess. Scott said, "I hated basketball because I was only about 4 feet tall at the time. Miss Capner sentenced Scott and a friend to run 4 laps around the backstops, a distance of about ½ mile per lap. The boys were miffed, so after four laps they decided to punish her by continuing to run even though recess was over. They continued to run until the final bell signaled the end of the day. Scott said, "Miss Capner was in tears by then so we pulled the plug on our prank and called it a day. She gave us a big lecture, made us write some kind of an essay about respecting authority and sent us home. The next day Bill and I were celebrities. I'm sure we ran nearly ten miles that day. Maybe Miss Capner was my first coach - who knows?"

In the summer of 1979 Scott's grandfather gave him an article written by a guy who had just run the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, a race from Squaw Valley to Auburn over mountain trails. Scott read the article and thought, "What a whacko!" Scott said, "I think his name might have been Jeff Collins, but I can't remember for sure. Fifteen years later I entered the same race; hey, it takes a long time to train for these things."

"In 1980, after 6 years of racing off road motorcycles, I set off from the California-Mexico border to hike the Pacific Crest Trail to Canada," explained Scott. He walked the entire 2600 miles in 197 days. When he returned home he was in pretty fair physical condition, as you might imagine. An old high school friend invited him to run a 10K with him the following weekend. Scott said, "I wasn't sure what a 10K was but I agreed to run. The day before the race I bought some "running shoes" and headed for the track. I ran two miles pretty hard. Thanks to this last minute training, I was sore the next day and barely managed to finish in about 42 minutes."

In 1982, while a student at Calif. State University, Long Beach a professor of Scott's invited him and a few other students to join him on a trip to Catalina on his boat. Scott told me, "This was supposed to be a fishing, diving, and beer drinking trip. When we got to the island we learned about a 25K that would be held on Saturday morning. On a lark, my professor, and I, and one other guy entered. The "other guy" had run a marathon, so we hung on every word he had to say about running so far. I finished ahead of him, but I could barely walk the next day. From this experience, I guessed that one might need to train for an event such as this. I ran in the same shoes I had purchased to run the 10K."

Scott continues, "In 1985 I read a book about training for a marathon and decided to try one. I entered several 10K's and a couple of ½ marathons before sending in my entry for the 1986 Los Alamitos Marathon. I followed the Galloway training plan - sort of. I ran about 5 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Thursday, and an increasingly long run on Saturdays culminating with a 20 mile run two weeks before the race. It rained for at least half of the race, but I was pleased with my eleventh place finish in 3:07. I still have the T-shirt!"

"My next marathon was in 1990, when I ran the Wild Wild West Marathon, a challenging trail marathon near Lone Pine, California," said Scott. "I grossly under estimated how hard that race would be and followed the training plan I had used for my first marathon. It was very hot on race day and I died in a big way. I think a 90-year old woman in clogs passed me, but that may have been a hallucination. I enjoyed running on the trails and when I went back in 1991, I did a bit better. I trained harder for that race, but I was still not doing the work necessary to achieve my potential. I played around with my running, doing a few events here and there, but I hardly ever trained more than 25 miles per week. At that time I thought a 100 mile month was a big achievement."

"In 1993 I read an article about a guy named Barry Hawley (The Baz) who was directing trail races in the Cleveland National Forest," Scott continued. "After talking to him on the phone, I entered all of the races in his Winter Trail Run Series except the 50K. When I arrived at the first race I found a small group of runners hanging out around a campsite waiting to start. I didn't know a soul. This race was perhaps the epiphany of my running career. I really enjoyed the trail and the competition. After I finished, I reviewed the posted results. 'Wow,' I exclaimed, 'some of these people can really fly.' I commented to one runner nearby how I would love to be able to cover the course that fast. He was friendly and encouraging. The following week I saw his name in a Lifestyles article in the Los Angeles Times, his name was Fred Shufflebarger. Fred was coached by a guy named John Loeschhorn. A coach - now that was an interesting idea. As a teacher I'm all in favor of seeking out expert guidance. I had actually met this Loeschhorn character at a little injury prevention seminar he had hosted. I dug up his number and gave him a call. We met at a local restaurant to discus my interests and his coaching ideas. I couldn't help but remember his words, "It will take you seven years to develop your running abilities." The "seven year plan" might put some people off but everything of value I had ever achieved, had taken time and hard work and I very much wanted to improve my running. Over the next few years I would log hundreds of miles running with both Fred and John."

Scott explained, "John presented new ideas to me about pacing, training, nutrition, and what I needed to accomplish to become a master runner. I was now immersed in training with some very experienced runners. We ran on the track, on the roads, and on the trails. I entered the San Juan Trail 50K, my first ultra distance event, in March 1993 and I was proud of my eighth place finish. I ran my first 50 mile race that summer in Washington."

"In 1994, I was entered the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run," Scott continued. "In preparation for that event, John and I traveled to Santa Rosa to run the Ledson Marsh 50 Mile. He and his wife, Gail, and I checked out a local micro brew pub the night before. This left me nice and relaxed going into the race. The race was on a course that looped around for just under 3 miles. We had to run 17 loops. It might sound boring, but I was definitely not bored. I was having a good day. My prior 50 mile experience had taken me 8 hours and 54 minutes. With about 9 miles to go I had moved into second place passing Bruce Linscott. Dave Scott was way out ahead. Bruce re-passed me with about two miles to go, but I finished in third place with a time of 6:57, a time almost 2 hours faster than my previous 50- mile race. The course was less demanding but I had run relaxed and paced myself very well. My coach complimented me on my pacing, and this compliment held great meaning for me because I knew good pacing was critical to peak performance. In June I competed in the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. I felt invincible at the start, but by the 49th mile, I was history. Inexperience, poor hydration, and a fast opening pace (all my own fault) had left me wiped out. I dropped out at mile 55 with my tail between my legs. It was tough to explain to my friends and family, how after all their support, my race had unraveled."

Scott explained, "I redeemed myself in September at the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run when I won a silver buckle for completing the difficult course in less than 24 hours. Fred Shufflebarger paced me for the last 25 miles so I had expert advice along the way to supplement the confidence I had already gained from the training plan John Loeschhorn had set out for me. The hours and miles of training were beginning to pay off!"

"During 1995 and 1996, I continued building my base running more than 3,000 miles each year - a pace I have maintained ever since 1993, " said Scott. "I completed the Angeles Crest 100 twice more, improved on my road marathon time, and gained confidence and racing experience. In 1996 I tied for first place with Tom Nielsen at the San Juan Trail 50 Mile. We still like to joke that we hold the record for the slowest winning time on that course. It was a miserably hot day."

"1997 was a 'magic year' as the Baz would say," exclaimed Scott. "I was finally accepted to run in the Western States 100 again and I began training in earnest. I won the Winter Trail Series and ran several other races as training runs. The big day came with no excuses. I took a conservative approach for the first 55 miles. I felt great leaving Michigan Bluff (the 55 mile aid station) and ran a strong split to Forresthill (62 miles). I picked up Larry Kelly as my pacer and his jovial spirit carried me across the river at Rucky Chucky and up to Green Gate (78 miles). Here I picked up Fred Shufflebarger who has always been a good pacer for me. I crossed the finish line in 22:17. Boy was I glad to get that off my back and to have so few problems along the way. Later that year I finished 2nd at the Mule Run 50K, 2nd at the San Juan 50 Mile, and 7th at the Sunmart 50K. Sunmart was special because I ran a personal best time at 50K and at the age of 43 I won the USA Track & Field Master's Award for 1st place in the 50K trail distance for the year. Again, I raced relaxed and paced myself well, finishing with a strong kick at the end."

Scott continued, "1998 was another magic year as John's seven year plan was beginning to really pay off. I won the Winter Trail Series again, scored a 2nd place at the inaugural Catalina 100K (I was featured on ESPN's Running and Racing), earned prize money for the first and only time by winning the master's division at the Lost Boys 50 miler, and finally I finished 9th at the Hardrock 100 miler in Colorado. This race is run at altitudes between 7,800' and 14,050 feet, and that finish was by far my most satisfying finish in any 100 mile event. Doug Spencer and his wife Sarah crewed for me and paced me brilliantly there. I was ready to quit after a bad stretch from 35-43 miles, but with Doug and Sarah's encouragement, I recovered nicely and ran strong for the remainder of the race. I finished the year with a strong win at the San Juan Trail 50 miler finishing ahead of Rob McNair and Doug Spencer. "

"1999 was a bit of a down year," explained Scott. "Although I had several good finishes including a 2nd place at the PCT 50 miler, a 4th place at the Saddleback Marathon, and a 2nd place at the San Juan 50 miler, it was also a year where I dropped out of the Angeles Crest 100 Mile at 75 miles. After all of these races I know that all runners encounter bad days once in a while. I have learned to look past a bad day or week or month and to have confidence that if I continue to do the things that got me to this point in the first place, I will resurface with new invigorated performances."

"In the year 2000, I decided to try some new races and return to some shorter distances," explained Scott. "I tried the Catalina Marathon for the first time and won the master's division beating Rob McNair who is very fast at this distance. I traveled to Virginia to race the Bull Run Run 50 miler and had a great race finishing 5th. In May I returned to Lone Pine to race the Wild Wild West Marathon again finishing in 4th place with my best time ever on that course. My time was almost 1 hour and 20 minutes faster than when I had raced this course 10 years earlier. Proper training has made all the difference. I capped this year with one of my most satisfying wins, ever, I won the Saddleback Marathon."

Asked about his plans for 2001, Scott smiled and with a glimmer in his eyes exclaimed, "I have a dream of running the John Muir Trail this summer." Uuummm, now that's a trail run, you can sink your teeth in!!!

Copyright © 2001 by John Loeschhorn - Mail to:mtnrnr@pacbell.net
June 9, 2001