Antelope Canyon 50 mile race report

I used to keep a blog.  I used to write about my training and races and life as a triathlete.  But then I got bored with the blog.  Facebook, Instagram, and Strava became the social media outlet of choice.  Plus, I was only writing for myself.  I had this lame idea that I would be a better writer if I just wrote MORE.

Well, back on topic. Even though I have done a number of races since my last Ironman, this past weekend deserves a write up.  I ran in the first Antelope Canyon 50 mile trail race.  I hope that I can do justice to the amazing race that Matt and Tim put together.

Now I realize that these guys want to put on a race "without the parade and circus-like atmosphere" but when I showed up at check in and Tim handed me a number and said "Good luck" I was thinking "Really?  That's it".  Well, they only ordered 2 XL shirts for the 3 people that needed that size.  Oh well.  I wasn't here to pick up a shirt.  I have PLENTY of those.  The only shirt I ever ordered that I really wanted and never got was the cool Altra Boston Marathon memorial shirt.

So I showed up the next morning along with 50 or so other folks.  Tim gave a brief overview of the course including some encouragement that when we got to the first slot canyon to not be nervous and and climb down into the canyon.  Sweet!

DJ and I just before the start

I was excited to use my new Nao headlamp in a race.  We had a good hour or so before the sun would come up.  Off we went and within minutes left the city limits of Page and headed out to Antelope Canyon country.  We ran for several miles in the dark, occasionally taking a wrong turn but as it got light we approached the first slot canyon.

To get down into the canyon there was a steep scramble with a ladder at the bottom for the last 10 feet or so.  Nothing really difficult and not nearly as scary as Tim made it out to be.  The first slot wasn't much at all and and at the end I found myself saying "that was it?  that's what I came to run through?  Lame."  I had been through a number of cool slot canyons in Southern Utah and this one really wasn't that special  Carry on carry on carry on.

Coming out of the slot and running across the wash to the next canyon was pleasant.  A nice snow storm blew in and it was coming down pretty good.  Thanks to the discovery of Cat Crap at the OR show a couple of weeks ago my glasses stayed fairly fog-free. 

The second slot canyon was simply amazing.  Just like you see in the pictures of Antelope Canyon.  Sand on the bottom floor, a few tumbleweeds but running around through this maze was just a simple treat.  You almost wanted to do it over and over again it was that much fun.

On the way to the next slot canyon we were passed by a few tour trucks taking people on guided tours of the canyons.  I'm sure the foreigners were baffled by these crazy people out in the middle of nowhere running around in the snow storm.  I mean who does that???

Running in the sand in a snowstorm

The slot canyons continued to get better and better as the morning went on.  I took pictures and video and was just amazed at the beauty.  This particular slot canyon had a number of ladders to help you get through the canyon.  My canyoneering family called that "cheating".  There is no way most of us could have made it through the slots without the ladders.

We were soon heading out the slot canyons and sandy washes to find more sand.  It's interesting some of the thoughts and reasoning that goes through your head as you are trying to pick your next step that is LESS sandy.  IT'S ALL SAND!  I knew that the Colorado River was our next destination but it seemed like we were miles away from there.  And we were.  I remember coming to the top of this long, straight sandy road.  As I looked west, clear out in the distance I could see the cars and the next aid station.  This was 1 of 2 aid stations where your crew could meet up with you.  And by crew I mean my wonderful wife.  She would be waiting with all sorts of treats at the end of the long, sandy road. 

Running down the hill was really aggravating my IT band on my left leg. I tried to ignore it, tried to run through it, tried to pretend but all I could think about was that I would have to at some point come back up this same hill.  The aid station couldn't come soon enough.  My wife had all sorts of yummy treats (Ensure, chocolate milk, and more).  What a sweetheart.

It wasn't long and I was heading out of the aid station and ducking under a barbed-wire fence.  I was back on Navajo land headed to Horseshoe Bend.  This part of the run was incredible.  You are at the edge of a 1000+ cliff overlooking the Colorado River.  This is below the dam and the location gets its name for an obvious reason.  So then we continued along the edge for several miles.  It was fun.  A bit scary at times and not for the faint of heart.  Do you ever go for a run somewhere and you are just smiling and laughing out loud because you are having so much fun?  Even though I had already been running 25+ miles and for several hours I was having the time of my life. 

Ducking under the fence

Overlooking the Colorado River

Running on the slickrock

Don't fall down THAT crack

Beautiful day

My favorite picture

What a great looking runner - all smiles

The next stretch was the do or die for many of the runners.  There were a few places earlier in the run where it wasn't clear where the trail was.  The markers were too far apart or difficult to spot.  Well here at this point there were NO MORE flags.  Huh?  How does that work?  I had heard that the race organizers had run out of flags but I'm not sure if that could have been the case.  So you had about 5 of us wandering around looking for nothing and guessing where we were supposed to go.  For some people this was just unacceptable.  Some got frustrated.  Some got angry.  Some gave up.  Although I can understand the frustration how could you get upset running in such a beautiful place?  It really didn't matter how long I would wander this was a great experience.

Soon we saw off in the distance people coming toward us with bags of flour (or chalk).  They were showing us the way out of the desert.  I was beginning to feel like Moses and the children of Israel wandering for 40 years. 

I soon reached the Water Holes aid station and that was a big relief and after a short refuelingI soon entered the 4th and final slot canyon on the run.  Water Holes canyon.  I think this was my favorite.  A number of ladders helped us get through the canyon.  Lots of scrambling and I was loving it.  There was a lady from Taos that I was able to help up a few of the places. Without the ladders you really would have had a tough time making it through the canyon without some canyoneering skills.  Running through this area was just exciting.

Waterhole Canyon

Cheating?  I don't think so.

I was soon headed back to the Horseshoe Bend aid station.  A fairly long steady climb up another sandy trail.  Of course my wife was pretty worried that I had gotten lost again and I told her about my experience running along Horseshoe Bend.  She watched as runner after runner come back and exclaimed "I've had enough".  Tim later told us that much of the land that we had run on that day hadn't seen a single white person for 60+ years.  How cool is that?

After a quick change of socks, a pickle, some Coke, some pain relievers, and a hug I was ready to will myself back up the long sandy hill.  Did I mention it was long?  What about the sandy part? The next aid station couldn't come soon enough.  This is the part in a race where you have to be mentally tough.  You not really at the "last little bit" and you would rather just sit down and rest.  I was pretty much running by myself at this point.  Sometimes I could see someone WAY up ahead of me and occasionally I could see a few people WAY behind me.

I just want to give a big thanks to those that operated the 5 different aid stations.  Very nice and helpful people.  I really like the idea of using the UA reusable cups.  I picked one up at the first aid station and used it at every stop.  Now, I'll just keep it in my running vest to use it in the future.  No waste of plastic cups everywhere.  I really liked having the pickles at every stop.  But at Slick Rock they had run out by the time I got there so I just drank all of the juice.  Yum!  I'm convinced that this really does reduce the likelihood of getting cramps.

The 3rd and final feature of the Antelope Canyon 50 was a loop around a portion of Lake Powell followed by the Page rim trail circling the city.  By now it was in mid afternoon and the sun was out, blue skies in the backdrop made for another wonderful setting to run.  You got close enough to tell that the lake level is REALLY low.  The area is currently seeing the worst  14 year drought period in the last 100 years.  And for the first time since the dam was built water flows from the lake were reduced last summer. 

So this loop just wouldn't be right if I didn't happen to get lost.  Pretty soon I stopped seeing trail flags and I had to figure out where I was supposed to go.  I knew I had to circle the airport so I ended up running right along the security fence for a mile or two.  Luckily I ran into a Native American lady and she let me know that I was "way off the course".  Following her directions I took another path and soon connected up with the right trail.  The adventure continued. 

Lake Powell

I soon came up to the last aid station and stopped and talked to my wife for a few minutes before making the final 5 miles back to the starting point.  I put my headlamp back on because I knew I didn't have much daylight left and would need help seeing the trail for the last few miles.  The Page rim trail was probably the nicest trail we ran on all day long.  There were a few icy spots but for the most part it was hardpacked and easy to run.  I was running all by myself at this point and only saw one person.  He was running toward me trying to pick up the trail again.  It was now completely dark.  It was getting chilly again but the lights of the city were pretty.

The eventful day was just about over.  I finished the rim trail and ran about a mile or so on the street back to the Start/Finish line.  There my wife was waiting for me at the finish line.  What finish line?  There was no finish line. No one there.  Just my wife.  I was happy to be done.  I was really hungry.  My feet were tired.  My IT band was beyond done.  I think it was the first race I had finished that I did not roll across the finish line.  Mostly because there wasn't a finish line.

So what was the best part of finishing this race?  Well, believe it or not it was NOT finishing the race.  As I approached my wife she said over and over "You got in!  You got in!"  I had just spent the last 13 hours running all over the Arizona desert to find out that I got in this year's Wasatch 100 race.  I was SO excited!!!! 

So how do you officially finish this race?  You go inside and tell Tim "Hi, I'm #8".  Congratulations, you just finished the inaugural Antelope Canyon 50.  The prize?  A very cool handmade Indian necklace made by a nearby tribal village. Out back I was treated to a yummy dinner of chili, corn bread and apple cobbler. 

I realize that this report was long and maybe boring to some/most of you.  But it captures my memories and the experience I had here in Page. Hats off to the Tim and Matt, the race directors and all of the volunteers.  They were great.  There were lots of angry and frustrated runners  and quite a few people quit.  But how can you be angry/upset with this amazing experience.  It's not like there was a big money purse that you were trying to win.  I came here to have a great experience.  So what if you ran more than 50 miles – you got to spend a day in heaven doing what you love best.

I also wanted to mention another great part of these events is the wonderful people that you get to meet.  I met folks from St. Louis, Chicago, Taos, Scottsdale, Albuquerque, San Francisco, New York, and Toquerville.

Finisher's necklace

For me, this race was NOT an experience of a lifetime. I’m planning on doing this one again. (and again probably).

Larsen children - 2010

Well, with the blending of our family, the Larsen children were subjected to the annual "take your picture on the porch on the first day of school" torture. Smile for the camera.

Hawaiian Punch

Can our "stinky guy" really be a Junior? Wow. Time flies. Jake is looking forward to this year in kicking butt on the lacrosse field and in AP US. Jake is the tallest sibling and it won't surprise me if he gets as tall as me. We shall see.

Yeah! It's high-tops time!

Well, another year is starting. My princess is growing up. This year she was so excited to hear high-tops to school. I can't imagine that someone that likes flip-flops and no-lace shoes wants to wear them. Oh well, we shall see how long they last. Olive was excited for the new school year to start and see all of her friends again.

College bound!

In keeping the tradition of "first day of school" posts, I'm posting this picture of the newest college student in the family. I cannot believe that JJ is this old. We are so excited for him and wish him the best. He will be attending Southern Utah University where he will be double majoring in Theater Design and Civil Engineering. I should write more and maybe I will later. Good luck, JJ!

Two Thousand Ten???

Holy Moly! Is it really 2010? For some odd reason (okay, it wasn't that odd, I need to write a report and I'm stalling) I was checking out this blog - "Why I'm Here". I have pretty much let this die for the past several months. I'm completely addicted to Facebook. If you are reading this blog and you are NOT my "friend" then hop on over and send me an invite. I'm still looking to pass up my son with the number of "friends". There is so much I could say so much I could write. One thing I can write about is a couple of my newest toys. A couple of months ago I got a new phone, the Blackberry Tour. I thought I would never own or need a smartphone but I love it. My second toy was a Christmas present, the Garmin Forerunner 310XT. I haven't had much of a chance to use this new toy because a couple of weeks ago I broke my FREAKIN FOOT! I thought it would be fun to play in the Winterfest hockey tournament and I was having a blast until I took a puck to my right foot. The 5th metatarsal bone will need 8 weeks to heal. This completely SCREWS my training for my half-Ironman and Ironman races coming up but what are you going to do? Anyhow, I need to do something else but at least there is a blog post for the new year. Change is in the air. What I need to do is do another post here soon and introduce the love of my life. That's all, signing off for another night.

3rd Grade's a Charm

My little angel. I help her get ready in the morning but the hair I leave to her. She does a great job. All I ask of her is that all of the "rats" are combed out. She is darling. I love her SO MUCH.

Stop growing!

Underneath that hair is a VERY cute high school kid. He's fast. He's smart. And he's coming to a field near you.

Senior Year!

Looking good. No backpack, wearing flip flops. I CANNOT believe that he is a senior.

Slow!

This is how I feel lately.

Smile and Be Happy

Smile and Be Happy

Ironman CdA

Okay, I know that I need to write all of this down. It was an incredible experience and I look forward to my next Ironman race. I'm not going to post any pictures here (at least not right now). I posted a bunch on my Facebook page. If you read this and you're not my "friend", just ask me (jeff at aquaveo dot com).

PRE-RACE

So we left on Tuesday and drove half way to Coeur d'Alene and stayed at Butte, Montana. Not much to report there. The next day we met up with my training buddy and his family and headed in to town. The Ironman village was already being set up. It was pretty cool. We forked out hundreds of dollars in Ironman merchandice. It is ridiculous how much we are willing to fork out to wear Ironman stuff. It's a racket for sure. This was going to be my first race on race wheels. We rented them (sorry don't have a few K's laying around) from RaceDayWheels. Nice people. I decided on a 1080 on the back and a 404 on the front. I was happy with my decision. I also went with tubulars for the first time. For some reason I wasn't nervous at all. I had them show me how to change them. I did a test change and was ready to rock.

We did a short 5 mile run on Thursday followed by a swim in Lake Pend Oreille. Temperature felt great but the strange current out in the middle of the lake scared us both a little. I was calm. I felt great. I was getting lots of sleep. I had no internet access so work so nothing on my mind at all.

So the next day I took Donkey out for a quick spin. It was raining just a bit so I wanted to see how the bike/wheels would handle in the rain. What I didn’t like was how all of the dirt and rocks would stick to the tires and rub on the brake pads and frame. This had me a bit worried so before I checked in my bike I had a tech look at it and make an adjustment to the back tire. The morning before checking in our bikes we went for another ride together. Everything felt great. Donkey was fast and ready to run.

So on Saturday we checked in our bikes, and our swim->bike bag and our bike->run bag. Thousands of bags on the ground, all in order. It was pretty cool. The special needs bags we would bring on race day. It was pretty nice to show up on race day with just our wetsuits. I wasn’t nervous at all but excited to start racing.

We went home, had an early dinner and packed our special needs bags. I put in Pringles, pretzels, fig newtons, a pair of socks, and in each bag I had a small bag of pills (3 salt tablets, 2 Advil, and 2 Alieve). I had no problem falling asleep and got a good 5 ½ hours of sleep.

We woke up at 3:30 and I had my normal breakfast – oatmeal, yogurt, juice, and a banana.

SWIM

It is pretty amazing to see 2000+ athletes standing on the beach ready to swim. We watched the pros make it around the first loop with the helicopter following the leader. I had to get bodymarked TWICE because the spray on sunblock completely made my numbers run. No worries. I wasn’t worried at all. Rich asked me if I was going to just jump in the middle and swim or go on the side. I told him that I was just going to go for it with everyone else. I’m glad I did. I had no problem. In fact, I was less stressed in this race than other local smaller races. I’m not sure if it was because these athletes were more courteous or what but I had no troubles. I made my first loop around in just over 40 minutes (right on plan). This particular race has you actually get out of the water, cross the mat and then run along the beach and get back in. I actually enjoyed that, threw my hands up in the air and exclaimed “One more time!” to the crowd. Talk about the crowd. They were fantastic.

The second lap on swim proved a bit more difficult as the wind really picked up and that made the waves bigger. If you’ve ever swam in wind and waves then you know how difficult it is to 1) stay straight and 2) breath without taking in a bunch of water. Nevertheless, the swim was quickly over and I was on my way to T1. Within literally seconds, the strippers had my wetsuit off and someone handed me my bag with my bike helmet and shoes.

BIKE

Tri-Rich was right behind me out of the water and we were soon heading out on our bikes. So much buzz in the air. So many people cheering everyone on. It was really cool. We started out fast. Much faster than we had wanted to. Neither of our bike computers were functioning correctly the whole time but we didn’t really care. We just continued to pass bike after bike. We made it around the first loop no problem. All along the way, there were many people cheering from their driveways or the sides of the road. Although drafting is illegal behind other racers there is nothing in the rulebook that prohibits drafting behind ambulances. That was fun.

Then this is the point where all Hell brakes loose. We were starting our second loop going out of town and had just made the tight turn off of Northwest Blvd. to Government Way. I was slightly ahead of TR and as I rounded the corner I had to ride around a slower biker that was too far over to the left. After passing him/her I looked back to see TR trying to get around the same person, but all of a sudden he was flying over his bike. I thought maybe he might have overcorrected too much, some of the bystanders thought maybe his gears had locked up. Regardless, TR went down, and went down hard. I stopped, jumped off my bike, gave it to a bystander and ran back down the street. TR was out cold but still screaming in pain. TR doesn’t remember anything about the crash. Quickly a couple of the race assistants showed up. I tried to get TR untangled from his bike and off of him. He was pretty scrapped up in several places. One of the race officials showed up in a truck and parked below us to protect all of us and then they set up a “NASCAR” type caution zone for all of the other racers. I grabbed TR’s iPhone out of the back of his jersey. See, our kids were following us via GPS for the day so that they knew where we were. I called his wife and luckily she was only a couple of blocks away. It still took her a good 15 minutes to get through the crowd and barricades. TR came to enough that we moved him off the street and into the nearby parking lot. He was in lots of pain in his back and sides. Just before the ambulance showed up, I asked him what he wanted me to do. There was no way I was racing without him. We started this together and we were going to finish together. It was a tough decision. TR told me he wanted me to finish so that is what I did.

So I hopped back on my bike and began to finish the second loop. That next 5 or so miles was VERY tough. I was bawling like a baby. How could this happen to my buddy. WHY????? Was he going to be okay? Well, I finally was able to focus in on the rest of the race. I was going fast. No one, not a single rider passed me on those last 50 miles and I passed PLENTY of riders. There were a couple of downhill sections out by Hayden that were a bit dicey because the wind had picked up a bit and those cross winds can give those ZIPP wheels extra movement. Everything was going just fine until……

Coming down Government way I was cruising about 30 mph. I felt good. Only a couple more miles and then it was run time. The weather had held. No rain on the bike and I was really happy about that. The police had done a great job keeping the roads clear until….WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING??????

This young girl on a bike decides to cross Government Way. The only thing I can think of is that she WAY underestimated how fast I was coming down the street. “Surely, she is going to stop. Surely, she is not going to keep going” is what I’m telling myself. Now, this is really only taking seconds to pass. Does she stop? No, she keeps going and I hit her broadside. For some reason my instincts told me to lay the bike down as if I was setting a motorcycle down (not that I really know how to ride a motorcycle). My momentum carried me down the street several more yards. I finally stopped, got untangled from my bike and began my OUT OF CONTROL TIRADE (for those of you that need a Webster definition - a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language). The police ran over to me first and told me that medics were on their way. Medics? I didn’t need no stinkin’ medics. I just needed some help to get my bike working again. I picked it up, straightened out the rear derailleur, adjusted the rear wheel, and put the chain back on (all while continuing with the tirade). I got back on the bike and started down the street. I hadn’t gone but 10 feet when I had to get back off. The back wheel wasn’t spinning right and there was too much unwanted noise. CRAP!!!! (more tirades). I tried making more adjustments thinking to myself, if I have to carry Donkey the last couple of miles, I was going to do that. I WOULD finish no matter what. Well, I got everything working. The rear wheel was okay. As long as I didn’t change gears I think I could make it the rest of the way.

Rolled into T2 with my feet out of my bike shoes ready to run. The race support was great. They took my bike, gave me my run bag and ushered me into the changing tent.

As I sat in the changing tent, I kept going over and over in my head the crash. It was crazy. I could have been laying in the hospital next to my buddy. I was lucky. I was blessed. It should have been much worse. Then I realized that I hadn’t even thought about the girl I had hit. I was pretty sure she was okay. She was getting chewed out by the cop pretty bad when I had left “the scene”. Now it was time to but one the gay socks and the running shoes. Some Advil, Aleve, salt tablets, and a bottle of Ensure and I was off.

RUN

For the first few miles I continued to have flashbacks of the crash. I was also still worried about my buddy. I wondered if he was okay. More flashbacks. Well, that was NOT going to work for the next 4 hours. With no iPod to listen to I just started singing to myself. Not loud but enough that I was able to clear my head and focus on the run. As lucky as we were on the swim and bike with the rain, not so much for the run. It pretty much rained the entire time. Not bad. I wasn’t really cold. Just keep moving and I stayed warm enough. I was feeling actually pretty good. I was running about 9 minute miles and felt like I could hold that pace for the entire time. I would walk through most of the aid stations as I continued to sip at Gatorade, an occasional cup of Cola, and a few pretzels, bananas, and orange slices. As the run continued, it got colder and wetter. More and more people were walking with those emergency blankets on. I just didn’t get it. Wasn’t this a race? An Ironman race? TR used to say something crude about these people but I’ll refrain.

Prior to the race Jake and Olive made cheer signs. They were very cool. Jake made a big one and these were placed all over the run portion of the race. I happened to find his (among the 100s of posters), so on my last leg back I pulled the sign out of the ground and carried it the last 3 miles or so. Kind of corny I know but I wanted the sign. So then when I was coming down the final stretch I was running and holding the sign above my head. The sign read “The legs feed the wolf” (from the movie Miracle). Everyone was yelling and cheering. It was WAY cool. I approached the finish line, dropped to my knees and rolled across in proper Jon Blais form.

“Jeff Davis, you are an IRONMAN!”

POST-RACE

Well, this post has taken me over a week to finish. At times I cannot believe I did it. Part of it doesn’t seem real. Frankly, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. My first time took me just over 13 hours to finish. I am very confident that I can do it closer to 11 hours. I need to train, get faster in the water and be a much better runner but I know that an 11 hour Ironman is well within my reach. TR is hurting. Broken ribs SUCK and he’ll be out of the water and away from running for several more weeks. It just really SUCKS. We trained so hard together for over a year. I want to be happy for what I was able to accomplish but it’s pretty hard to. When I crossed the finish line and they gave me the medal, I tried putting it around TR’s neck. He’s the Ironman in my book. He wore it that night and then gave it back. He’s working with the WTC folks to hopefully get him in either Arizona, Wisconsin, or Louisville. We’ll see how that goes.

I’ve eaten tons of CRAP food this past week and have done very little in the way of exercising. I ran on Saturday in preparation for the 4th of July Freedom Festival 5K. Most of my road rash is gone and my knee isn’t too stiff anymore. We signed up today for our traditional Jordanelle triathlon. This was my first triathlon and it was the same for TR when he started. Well, there you go. Short and Sweet.

Is this me?

Wearable towel?

Give me a break!

Easter 09

Here is Olivia in her pretty baptism dress. Olivia picked out the shoes and gloves of course. What a beautiful child. This was taken on Easter morning.

Here is Father and daughter on Easter morning (with a little bit of Jake's finger). Olivia has been SO excited to have her very own scriptures. She reads them and asks me questions about what she reads. It was kind of cute that she started with the book of Genesis. A couple of weeks later we got a cute pink bag to carry her scriptures in.

Here are the "cool" boys. Man, they sure do grow up quickly.

After church we went to the Anderson's for family, food, and fun (and an actual Easter egg hunt). The Easter bunny more or less skipped the Davis home this year so the kids were excited to get treats (and of course a bunny). Jenny is always such a great host. The food was yummy! Thanks to Katherine for the very tasty strawberry dessert.

Olivia's Baptism

On April 11, 2009, Olivia Pilar Davis was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her father performed the baptism and confirmation. Her grandfathers were the witnesses and a number of family and friends participated in the confirmation. It was a beautiful day and words cannot express my joy and happiness to see this day come. Olivia is such a sweet child and such an example to me.

This was right before her baptism. This is Olivia and her favorite cousin, Becca.

Olivia and her grandparents (Wolfgang and Grammy).

Did you know?

Anger vs. Empathy

Anger creates resentment and rebellion.

Empathy ups the odds of genuine remorse and responsibility.

Anger says, "I can barely handle you!"

Empathy communicates, "I'm such a great parent that I can handle you without breaking a sweat!"

Anger creates kids who get sneaky and do irresponsible things behind our backs.

Empathy creates kids who are more likely to behave even when we aren't watching them.

Engelbert's the MAN!