Potawatomi Trail Marathon (Pinckney, Michigan)

Two 13-mile laps on the hilly Poto trail can be a whole lot of pain. It wasn’t so much the pain this year as it was the lack of water. I made the mistake of relying soley on the aid stations. Still, I was lucky to avoid cramping, a two-time twisted ankle and two falls to win my age-group and take fifth overall. It was my trail marathon P.R. at 3:23:33.

XTERRA Eastern Championships (Richmond, Virginia)

Well, the undefeated streak had to end some time and it did this year. I had a fairly decent race. The lack of a swim (cancelled due to dangerous conditions) and an indexed headset on the bike added to the challenge. I still managed a third-place finish behind two very fast competitors.

MXT Off-Road Ironman (Park City, Utah)

This was the first ever off-road Ironman-distance triathlon! The swim was beautiful as was the first 40 miles of the mountain bike leg. The climbing through the mountains wasn’t too bad and the downhills were a blast. The latter half of the run was pure suffering. The temperatures hit 98F and we rode 60-some miles on an unshaded rail-trail. Still, I hooked up with my Leadville friend Adam and we rode together most of the way. I started the run and my stomach was revolting — it stopped emptying. I couldn’t drink more water without being nauseous. So, I took it easy for most of the marathon and ran slowly when I could to finish 8th overall. I couldn’t have stayed motivated without my parents, girlfriend Karen, and Michigan friends cheering me along.

Leadville 100 (Leadville, Colorado)

More stomach issues! Blah! I still managed to get a silver buckle so I’m not complaining.

Dances with Dirt 50K (Pinckney, Michigan)

This is a classic Michigan ultra-trail run. Much of it is on trail, but much of it is right through the woods, swamps, and rivers. It was enjoyable in a brutal sort of way and I finished 5th overall. It was actually longer than 31 miles since most of the top-ten racers went a couple miles off course.

North Country Trail 50-miler (Manistee, Michigan)

I’ve always wanted to run this race — an out-and-back on a beautiful trail in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. I felt strong through the halfway point running right behind 2nd place. Then came the stomach troubles. I strided back to the start and finished a decent 5th overall.

The big race goals for this year are to do well at July’s off-road Ironman-distance triathlon in Park City, Utah. The race is just like the road version except we’ll be mountain biking and running off-road, on the dirt trails, and through the mountains. Sounds brutal. Sounds like a race I can do well at.August brings a return to Leadville but for only the bike race. The goal is to get another buckle, eventually laying claim to the ten-buckle Leadville buckle. I’ve got five buckles so I’m halfway.

Sprinkled around these endurance races is the XTERRA series. I really would like to win the Regional Championships again along with the Eastern Championships in Virginia.

There are other races I may through on the schedule depending on how the legs respond, including some ultra-runs like Dances with Dirt or the North Country Trail 50 miler.

Huff 50K (Huntington, Indiana)

This was my third Huff trail run and it was a charm. The snow was loose for the first of three 11-mile loops so I went very conservatively, only picking up the pace on the road segments. The snow was perfectly packed for the remaining laps and I was able to snag third overall and win my age-group.
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Iceman (Traverse City, Michigan)

I didn’t have the same biking legs I did in ’01, when I took second among singlespeeders, but this year was different. I finished 6th then pulled on running shoes and ran the 27-mile course backwards with friend Jon Bennett. Actually it was a longer run as we got lost a couple times.
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Leadville Trail 100 Run and bike (Leadville, Colorado)

These two 100 mile races share a similar course but are a week apart. Cyclists under 9 hours get a gold and silver buckle. Runners finishing under 25 hours get a similar buckle. Both races went well for me and I limped in for two gold buckles — just the sixth person to do that and the sixth fastest combined bike-run time to date.
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XTERRA Eastern Championships (Richmond, Virginia)

Sometimes you feel bad but are still going fast. That’s definitely what happened to me as I felt out of synch for much of the race. Thankfully I wasn’t and won my third consecutive Eastern Championship title.
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Memphis in May XTERRA triathlon (Memphis, Tennessee)

Fellow Royal Oaker Eric Justice and I did the road trip and got the results. Eric took 4th overall (1st in his age-group) and I took 1st overall. We both gained mega points in the XTERRA USA Championship Points Series and got a little tan in the meantime.
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Boston Marathon (Boston, Massachusetts)

It was the 106th marathon and after 105, they have this event totally dialed in. What a great time! All of Boston becomes a running fan for the day. I have no complaints with my race, finishing a respectable 2:53 and requalified for next year. The hills kill.
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Corktown 4-Miler (Detroit, Michigan)

This is a classic early-season run just before the St. Patrick’s parade. This year’s race was extremely windy (20F, -10F wind chill), which knocked some runners off their game. Wind? What wind?  This was my best finish yet with a 4th place overall.

Winter Adventure Race (Huron Township, Michigan)

Karen Millar was looking for a last minute partner to join her in this two-person team race and I’m glad I jumped at the opportunity. The original race plan included snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, but the lack of snow forced the promoters to change the format to include more running and biking. Yeah! We finished 1st team overall

Showshoe National Championships (Traverse City, Michigan)

It was somewhat disappointing finishing well behind the main pack. I switched to my lighter running shoes on race day and was fighting blisters for the second half of the race. Duh.
14th overall and 8th in age-group.

North Central Snowshoe Championships (Big Rapids, Michigan)

I finished surprisingly well since I’d only run a mile in my showshoes this year. It was my first snowshoe race — what a hoot.  I finished 5th overall and 2nd in my age-group.

My original goal for 2002 was to earn a gold belt buckle in both the Leadville 100 bike race and the Leadville 100 run, both just one week apart. As far as I know, only one other person has successfully done it and I want to be the second.

Then, out of the blue the first off road Ironman distance triathlon is announced three weeks prior. I couldn’t pass on that! So now I have these three killer events scheduled for a four week period and the really sick thing is I’m looking forward to all of them. RACE CANCELLED BY PROMOTER

But beyond those big races, I’m hoping to defend my back-to-back titles at the XTERRA Eastern Championships in Richmond, Virginia. I’ll also travel the local XTERRA triathlon circuit and try to win a second XTERRA Regional Championship jersey.

Then, in my spare time I hope to squeeze in some singlespeed mountain bike races in Michigan, including the Iceman. Last fall I got soundly beat by an Ohio singlespeeder pushing a 46×16 gear and I’m still thinking about that.

As for running races, I’ve got a few planned, including the Boston Marathon.

What a life!

Everything gelled this year and I couldn’t be happier.The good news started with a surprising second-place finish in the Iditasport Extreme 350, one of the toughest cycling endurance races in the world. I trained very hard by riding 1,643 snowy miles in the three months prior to the race. During the race, I did took advantage of the good luck and didn’t curse the bad luck. Everything worked out.

The XTERRA Regional Race program is growing like a crazy. This year the schedule expanded and our Michigan contingent (Eric, Tim, Frank) hit the road, visiting Tennesee, Virginia, and Ohio. I snagged four 1st’s and a 2nd to claim the North Central Region title. I also defended my title at the XTERRA Eastern Championships.

The innaugural XTERRA National Championships in Lake Tahoe was special. My parents were there and my fitness peaked as planned. And my speedy run? What was up with that?

I did my first singlespeed race at the 2000 Iceman and totally enjoyed it. It was something different. This year I did the entire Michigan mountain bike season with one speed and won the MMBA Points Series. Now I just need a plan to win the Iceman…