One
of the wonderful traits that Ryan possesses that helped me fall in love
with him, is his ability to think big and go after his goals! He is
the most motivated person I know and his focus amazes me!
Ryan
fell in love with Ultra Running in 2009 as he tackled a 50K trail race
in WY. The next year he succeeded in the 50Mile distance and so 2011
brought on the Leadville Trail 100. Yes, that is 100 MILES for those not
familiar. (I can't even drive 100 miles without a cup of coffee and a
bathroom break!).
The
Leadville Trail 100 is near and dear to my heart as I was first exposed
to it in 1998 or 1999 when our great friend Garett Graubins tackled the
incredible Race Across the Sky. I was a member of his crew that year
and it was a joy to watch people of all ages, sizes, and abilities see
just how far their minds and bodies could take them! Garett finished
that race in about 28 hours. Ryan and I have since been lucky enough to see
Garett in several other Leadville 100 races over the years (including a
sub 20 hour finish!!!). Needless to say, Ryan taking on the challenge
of this race was a huge endeavor.
As
one can imagine, the training for a 100 mile endurance run is no small
task! Ryan logged hundreds and hundreds of miles in preparation (in fact he logged just over 1,500 miles for the year 2011). He ran
in the snow and wind and rain. He ran with friends, he ran with me, he
ran alone. Many weekends the girls and I would head to Boulder to pick
up Ryan from Chatauqua Park after a 25-31 mile training run. As we
would drive into Boulder I would point to the Flatirons out the front of
the car window and say, "Look girls Daddy started from house and now is
running WAY over there and climbing those BIG mountains"!!
Ryan ran a couple races to prepare for the 100 mile challenge, including his second appearance in the 50 Mile Wild and Scenic Big Horn Trail Run in Dayton, WY.
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| Ryan after finishing his 50Mile trail race in WY (talk about a training run!) |
The girls and I were busy "training" too. Our incredibly talented neighbor, Heather (also an awesome photographer Heather Gray Photography) helped by painting these shirts for the girls to wear on race day to cheer on their dad!
Alas August rolled around and the training, taper, and planning were complete and it was finally
time for the big challenge! Ryan and I packed up the car and headed to
Copper Mountain where we met his parents who graciously took Matigan
and Sarah for a couple days. The girls LOVE spending time alone with
their Nana and Bubba and Ryan and I were so grateful for the much-needed
help!
Ryan and I strolled through the great mountain town of Leadville, met other runners and attended the race briefing before having some dinner and an early bedtime. A 2:20am wake-up call was set for Saturday morning!
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| Ryan in Leadville the day before the race |
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