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The Western States Training Run - I have been running for 42 years, and I can tell you, running doesn't get any better than this; don't miss it. See the entry form below.For those of you who have never experienced Training Camp Weekend, we arrive on Friday afternoon and camp on an eastern facing slope near Foresthill. After setting up camp, we run backwards on the trail to Michigan Bluff and return to camp, a distance of 12 miles. If you positioned your Sunshower properly in the sun and early enough, you enjoy a warm shower under a small tree. As darkness decends so does the temperature. We dress warmly and walk to Foresthill, about one mile away, for dinner and a few drinks. After dinner we walk back to camp to go to bed or enjoy a nightcap near the fire. At day break, with the sun rising to the east,the camp is alive with new arrivals, all itching for the run that is coming. Those of us who have camped out, rise early, eat breakfast and prepare for the day's run. We register at the table and board the buses bound for Robinson Flat. By the time we reach Robinson Flat, perhaps 45 minutes, everyone is anxious to "let water" and we all race to get behind the nearest tree or bush. The run begins at 7,000 feet, so air is rare and snow is usually plentiful. By the time we reach "Deep Canyon 1", the first aid station, the snow is gone and it is starting to get warm. The run from Deep Canyon 1 to Deep Canyon 2 is 6 miles of smooth roads. The run from Deep Canyon 2 to Last Chance is three miles and seems to fly by. Entering the Last Chance Aid Station, I will remember that I almost stepped on a five foot long Mojave Green Rattlesnake during the same training run in 1986. I am glad that I didn't, because that rattler was disagreeable enough without more provocation. Leaving Last Chance, I remember how I threw up in the 1988 race, it was like my vomit was shot from a canon. I remember it was hot, and I was pushing hard coming into the aid station, I think I was about 6th. The doctor said, "You need to take a break, you are 4 pounds over weight, you are pushing too hard." I looked at him and thought he was crazy, I felt great, I was ahead in hydration, who was he kidding? I laughed in his face and left the aid station shouting, "Number 5 is leaving the station." Within a half mile I vomited a horizontal projectile that lives to this day in my memory. I was like a firehose, I was; it was fantastic. The trouble was, within a few a few minutes of this episode I was reduced to a walk. I was dehydrated, I was cramping and I was in serious trouble. Not to worry, I finished this race in 22:15, and defeated the legendary Laguna Man in the process. Read all about this exciting race. The next aid station is four miles and one hell of an uphill away at Devil's Thumb. From there you run to Last Chance, grab a quick drink and head down into Eldorado Canyon. Deep in the canyon the American River flows cool and fast. You cross the river and begin the long climp up (3 miles) to Michigan Bluff. From Michigan Bluff you descend 3 miles into Volcano Canyon, in my experience, the absolute hotest part of the course on race day. There is a creek at the bottom of Volcano Canyon, normally it runs fast and furious with ice cold water, but in the 1987 race, I remember it was a pool of stagnant, black water, boiling in the 115 degree heat. From the bottom of Volcano Canyon, you have a 3 mile climb to the top of Bath Road and the door of your tent on the outskirts of Foresthill. You haven't even been at the camp for 24 hours when you finish, and yet you have already experienced heaven on earth. Running doesn't get any better than this. Check out the Western States Training Camp Run Map |
RESERVATION FORMThe Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
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Copyright © 2001 by John Loeschhorn - Mail to:mtnrnr@pacbell.net April 13, 2001 |