Laramie – 24 Hours of Fun
July 14th, 2009 at 7:29The t-shirt asks…”How much fun can you have in 24 hours?”
The answer: As much as you decide you want to have. And I had a TON of fun in my first 24-hour event.
A couple of weeks ago, I took a road trip from Boise to Laramie, Wyoming, to participate in this 24-Hour “race.” I use the word race loosely because for most ultrarunners, the event is not like the traditional race that most runners are accustomed to. It’s an event, a run, a run/walk even…but not really a race…except for a handful of the faster runners.
People often ask me, “You RUN for 24 hours?” or “You RUN for 65 miles?” Technically, the answer is “no – you have to take walk breaks.” And, the fact is, all ultrarunners walk part of the course. So, probably, a better title is “endurance event.” It’s all about endurance – of both body and mind.
At the Laramie 24-Hour endurance event, there were actually several “events”: a 12-hour, a 24-hour, and a 100-miler. I chose to participate in the 24-hour in preparation for my 100-mile event (the Bear 100) in September…to practice and experiment with clothes, shoes, socks, headlamps, flashlights, food, drink, sleep deprivation…and such things.
My two main goals were 1)to go through the whole night and 2)to go more miles than I had ever gone before. I had previously gone 62 miles, so I felt 65 was a reasonable goal. Speed was not a goal. It is amazing what happens when you “dial in” a distance in your head – can you figure how many miles I went in Laramie? Yep, 65 miles.
The whole experience was terrific. Just the education of what worked and what didn’t was worth the 10-hour drive (each way).
Reid Delman, the race director, was great as were the volunteers. They took care of all the runners’ needs day and night. The course was well-marked, the food was super, and the cheerfulness of the volunteers helped to inspire the runners to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Reid puts on a number of events – his company is Gemini Adventures. Not only would I recommend his events to other runners, but also I plan to do another one sometime.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:10 am
I’m considering trying to do something like this; the Hood to Coast (in Oregon, from the top of Mt. Hood to the Ocean). It’s a great event that I’ve done several times with a team, but I’m thinking I might try it on my own. It’s a lot to bite off, so I’m not going to do it this year. I’ll stay tuned in to your blog as well as talk to a few of the one-man/woman participants in this year’s event to see if I can pick up any tips or direction to help me make up my mind. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and will keep you posted on mine, if I decide to go that route.
All the best,
Matt A.
July 16th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Congratulations, that is quite a accomplishment to finish that big of a race, you really have to have dedication and mental focus to finish a race that last that long, it doesn’t matter if you have to walk at some point in the race. Good luck on your next adventure.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Sounds like you had a great time!
July 17th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
one of my closest friends is a blind runner. She has a blog at http://www.RunnerInsight.com She just finished a half-marathon this past weekend. Obviously she has to run in a controlled environment, but what impresses me most about runners is that they just keep on,no matter the challenge…whether it’s running blind or running for 24 hours…Wow!
September 6th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Mt. Rainier to Ocean Shores, Wa is the best run I’ve taken part in.