About my blog

Welcome to my trail running site. I enjoy being on the trail where I can take in nature and clear my mind. I prefer running in the mountains, but anywhere rural will do. In years past, I have completed four 100 mile trail races and many other ultramarathons. I spend countless hours running in the Franklin Mountains and the surrounding desert in far West Texas, which I call my church. My little Mexican hairless dog, Taz tags along sometimes. I am slowing down in my old age and am mostly running 50K trail races these days.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

An Endurance Event Like No Other

I was recently a pacer/ handler for a very special person in my life as she completed an endurance feat. What is a pacer or handler, you ask? In ultramarathon races, runners are allowed to have a running buddy or coach run with them later in the race as they travel through the mountains often at night to complete their 50-100 mile race. The pacer helps the participant find the route and keeps them safe and motivated to finish no matter what.

I had the honor this time of coaching my friend, and as soon as we started the journey I knew we were in for an amazing race. This event was not a typical 50K, 50 mile, or 100 mile trail run, because she did not know how long the distance was when she started. When my companion reached the first medical check point, she was told to keep going and she would be finished in 12-24 hours!