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.
If the Bataan Memorial Death March wasn’t painful, it wouldn’t be as meaningful. No matter how miserable the experience though, it can’t even come close to the misery the original marchers had to endure. To honor and thank the heroes of Bataan, we all want a glimpse, no matter how insignificant, of what they went through during WWII. This year’s event at White Sands Missile Range, NM did not disappoint. With temperatures pushing 90 degrees, 7000 marchers and runners showed up to remember the fallen and shake the hands of survivors on this 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March.
I was there along with many of my fellow Team RWB Eagles to try to tackle the 26.2 mile mostly dirt and sand course. This was my sixth year running and I was on the field when the ceremony started before sunup. Several survivors were in attendance as well as many wounded warriors, active duty and veterans of all ages. The highlight was when several Army Black Daggers parachuted in with red smoke trailing from their feet as they spiraled down and landed on the field. The Black Daggers are trained to jump behind enemy lines with special parachutes with ram-air airfoils to help them control speed and direction.
Earlier this month I ran the Sierra Vista Trail 30K in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces, NM. I ran the inaugural edition of this race about five years ago when it was free and have watched it grow into a legitimate trail ultramarathon while still maintaining a real down-home feel. Runners from El Paso, Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and all places in between gathered for a day of beauty, camaraderie and, of course, some misery while tackling the Sierra Vista Trail beneath the towering needles of the Organ Mountains. The race is organized by the Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance and offers 5K through 50K distances as well as a kids fun run. I decided to do the 30K since the Bataan Memorial Death March was looming several weeks later.
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| Organ Mountains |
