Welcome to 2014!!
Pre-Race briefing 2013 https://ultrasignup.com/entrants_event.aspx?did=26358
As of March 6th the above link is the current entrants list. 36 runners total at this point. We've got an exciting mix of runners and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Lots of returning runners in Jim Crosson, Honey Albrecht, Geoffrey Foote, Morgan Goff, Rod Sinclair, and Angel Vega. All with their own stories and only Morgan having previously finished the race. I'm sure each are coming back for their own reasons and excited to see them come through the finish line in Pine this year.
There are a fast group of runners this year as well with local speedster Christian Rios taking his chances against the Monster. Jeremy Bradford is joining us, winner of the Black Hills 100 the last couple years, a course that plays well for the Highline trail, and winner of a number of other hundreds over the years. Angela Shartel recently entered and last year broke the course record at Angeles Crest 100 in 21 hours and change. Liza Howard can break 20 hours at a hundred breast feeding her way through the course and locals like Erin Phelps help with a great field to see if the woman's time from last year (only year with female finishers) goes down and by how much. Brandon Worthington won the tortoise race at Run Rabbit run last year which would have beaten a lot of the hares and will be out there. Lorenzo Sanchez is fast and from Texas. That worked out well for Steven Moore last year...
Brian Hopton-Jones has done well at Zane Grey in the past. Michael Miller of Scottsdale is one of the toughest runners on the circuit and I know will do well on the course. Even if he tries to tell you he's slow, old and sweaty, he'll probably pass you somewhere around 75 miles...and he'll probably offer you his last gel and water as he goes by. Be sure to thank him.
Andy Pearson finished 2nd place in the first year in a strong 28 hours and has since gone on to crush a lot of races against some great competition. Assuming his wedding doesn't get in the way of him coming back he's a smart runner and handled the rocks in his slippers better than I could have imagined. I hope he makes it back to Pine this fall.
Part of what's great about ultrarunning is ten "elite" runners can show up to a race half of them get beat by people you otherwise haven't heard of buy maybe are speedy local runners or a specific course or conditions played to their strengths and the killed it. Marius Toma is one of those guys. He lives here in Arizona, doesn't run a lot of races but has finished the Monster the only two years we've had it, the only person to have done so, and finshed third this year passing three guys on the final descent. Gabriel Szerda finished 2nd last year and lives in NYC. He lives at sea level and it was his first 100...of course I later found out he wrested in the Sydney Olympics for Australia so he's obviously a competitor but it just goes to show you, anyone can win any race. Especially one so technical and with so many unknowns as the Monster with weather, heat and cold affecting runners throughout the race. It's a lot of fun to see it all unfold come race day.
Team Red White & Blue (Team RWB)
I get emails asking what organization or charity the race supports with portions of the entry fee's. For anyone that has started a race from scratch before...the first few years are not exactly revenue generators and therefore allocating funds to a charity or cause is challenging. In 2013 I started my involvement with Team RWB and that involvement continues into 2014 and now the Mogollon Monster 100.
Team RWB is a foundation built around the need and drive to enrich the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to the community through physical and social activity. It's an organization I choose to be involved with an support because the people behind it are real, honest and passionate about making a difference in our veteran's lives. And its working.
This year we have several Team RWB members running the Monster and we're donating a portion of entrants fee's to Team RWB at the end of the registration period in hopes our small contribution can continue to help both our local chapter as well as those across the country. Having runners wearing the RWB "Eagle" shirts along the course is something special to see and I hope more and more sign up throughout the year to fill the trails with Red, White and Blue come September. If you are interested in learning more about Team RWB visit their website at www.teamrwb.org. You don't have to be a veteran to join. There are chapters all over the country now and if there's not, then maybe you can start one for your community. It's all on the website and this video gives you a great overview of the cause Team RWB supports. We are fortunate to have Liza Howard, Bill Egan, John Markham, Rainer Schulz running the race (and I think I'm missing someone...) as well as Jay & Traci Danek and others volunteering on race day.
We'll be running the Mountain 2 Fountain 15K road race as the Team RWB team this Sunday! More exciting news on the Team RWB front as we get closer to race day!
Team RWB is a foundation built around the need and drive to enrich the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to the community through physical and social activity. It's an organization I choose to be involved with an support because the people behind it are real, honest and passionate about making a difference in our veteran's lives. And its working.
This year we have several Team RWB members running the Monster and we're donating a portion of entrants fee's to Team RWB at the end of the registration period in hopes our small contribution can continue to help both our local chapter as well as those across the country. Having runners wearing the RWB "Eagle" shirts along the course is something special to see and I hope more and more sign up throughout the year to fill the trails with Red, White and Blue come September. If you are interested in learning more about Team RWB visit their website at www.teamrwb.org. You don't have to be a veteran to join. There are chapters all over the country now and if there's not, then maybe you can start one for your community. It's all on the website and this video gives you a great overview of the cause Team RWB supports. We are fortunate to have Liza Howard, Bill Egan, John Markham, Rainer Schulz running the race (and I think I'm missing someone...) as well as Jay & Traci Danek and others volunteering on race day.
We'll be running the Mountain 2 Fountain 15K road race as the Team RWB team this Sunday! More exciting news on the Team RWB front as we get closer to race day!
Mogollon Monster Mudder - June 7th, 2013 - Payson, AZ
Mudder races have never really interested me. Yet last year the Town of Payson, Arizona added one to their annual Mountain High Games they have each spring and called it...
"The Mogollon Monster Mudder 5K"
I was admittedly annoyed at the name as I knew I would start getting emails mixing up the two races. It was unavoidable and sure enough...still happens.
So I signed up last year the same day and was thrown into one of the last heats. Some local kid, tall Varsity Blues 6'3" 18 year old star QB was in my heat and everyone was talking about how he was going to win the entire race, out of all 300+ people. Having never done an obstacle course except for those in the Army years ago, I wasn't quite sure how to pace an event like that. So I just fell in behind this kid who went out like a rocket. After the first two walls and 1/4 mile we were carrying 50lb bags of sand through thick (and rocky) mud. He walked, I ran. As I went by him I gave him a little encouragement to pick up the pace and we took off. I hammered the rest of the course and beat him despite being stuck behind the last people in the heat in front of me on the ladder obstacles and unable to pass. We finished a few minutes apart but ended up 4th and 5th place overall respectively. I left the race completely battered, bruised and bleeding.
It may have been a 5k but even the 5k's in the Mogollon Rim country are rocky, rough and brutal.
And I can't wait to go back! http://paysonrimcountry.com/Portals/0/2014_Mud%20Run_Information_Registration_packet.pdf
"The Mogollon Monster Mudder 5K"
I was admittedly annoyed at the name as I knew I would start getting emails mixing up the two races. It was unavoidable and sure enough...still happens.
So I signed up last year the same day and was thrown into one of the last heats. Some local kid, tall Varsity Blues 6'3" 18 year old star QB was in my heat and everyone was talking about how he was going to win the entire race, out of all 300+ people. Having never done an obstacle course except for those in the Army years ago, I wasn't quite sure how to pace an event like that. So I just fell in behind this kid who went out like a rocket. After the first two walls and 1/4 mile we were carrying 50lb bags of sand through thick (and rocky) mud. He walked, I ran. As I went by him I gave him a little encouragement to pick up the pace and we took off. I hammered the rest of the course and beat him despite being stuck behind the last people in the heat in front of me on the ladder obstacles and unable to pass. We finished a few minutes apart but ended up 4th and 5th place overall respectively. I left the race completely battered, bruised and bleeding.
It may have been a 5k but even the 5k's in the Mogollon Rim country are rocky, rough and brutal.
And I can't wait to go back! http://paysonrimcountry.com/Portals/0/2014_Mud%20Run_Information_Registration_packet.pdf
The Search continues...
Click on this picture for a world of bigfoot knowledge... It continues to amaze me how much is available on the internet regarding the Mogollon Monster and search to find him/her. Click on the photo above and you'll see...it's out there.
Apparently.
Apparently.
Trail Work Weekend - April 5th & 6th, 2014
The Highline Trail #31...
Trail work is a constant effort on the Mogollon Rim. Manzanita grows annually over the trail and needs to be cut back or it cuts you. Many trails of the Mogollon Monster are clear, many need work. The winter and heavy snow and runoff wreck havoc on erosion bars or cutting away new sections of trail and creating misleading turnoff's on the trail. It requires a lot of work and the reason that we require 8 hours of volunteer work along with the registration. Because this isn't the only race that needs this kind of help, it's required all over the country with simply different degrees of need.
So April 5th and 6th we will be basing out of Washington Park Aid Station (Mile 26,51 and 86 of the race) and working along the Highline Trail to clear brush, manzanita and areas of need before the upcoming Zane Grey 50M race. We'll start at 8am on Saturday and 8am on Sunday and will work sections throughout the day. We'll be camping overnight and will provide food and drink for anyone that wants to stick around or camp. Any amount of help is appreciated, either one day or two or partial days. We'll take whatever you can provide. Please bring gloves, a chainsaw if you happen to have one and you obviously can safely use one. We'll provide the rest assuming you have a pack to carry your own water and trail food while out working.
The Highline Trail is beautiful in the early spring with occassional snowfall on the Rim above the trail. It's an opportunity to fulfill 8 hours of trail work needed for not only Mogollon (we also accept volunteer hours at ultras) but also for other 100's you may be running this summer with the same requirements. We can sign off on that for you and happy to do so with your assistance. If you are interested in joining us for one or both of the days please email me at azadventures@getoutgetlost.com so I know how many will be joining us.
So April 5th and 6th we will be basing out of Washington Park Aid Station (Mile 26,51 and 86 of the race) and working along the Highline Trail to clear brush, manzanita and areas of need before the upcoming Zane Grey 50M race. We'll start at 8am on Saturday and 8am on Sunday and will work sections throughout the day. We'll be camping overnight and will provide food and drink for anyone that wants to stick around or camp. Any amount of help is appreciated, either one day or two or partial days. We'll take whatever you can provide. Please bring gloves, a chainsaw if you happen to have one and you obviously can safely use one. We'll provide the rest assuming you have a pack to carry your own water and trail food while out working.
The Highline Trail is beautiful in the early spring with occassional snowfall on the Rim above the trail. It's an opportunity to fulfill 8 hours of trail work needed for not only Mogollon (we also accept volunteer hours at ultras) but also for other 100's you may be running this summer with the same requirements. We can sign off on that for you and happy to do so with your assistance. If you are interested in joining us for one or both of the days please email me at azadventures@getoutgetlost.com so I know how many will be joining us.
RD's wife Jen now carrying baby #2!
And just to keep things interesting...we're adding to the family on July 22nd this year. Jen and I are welcoming our second child, a baby girl, into the Monster family this summer and Dean will be almost 2 and a half come race day. First an infant at the race the first year, then running around this past year. I think I can get him to carry 5 gallon water jugs by 2015. :)
Safe training and we'll see you out on the trail soon! Monthly training runs to be detailed soon with dates and routes after Zane Grey concludes in late April.
Have you seen this video yet? Seriously, it's incredible. http://zanegrey50.com/
Safe training and we'll see you out on the trail soon! Monthly training runs to be detailed soon with dates and routes after Zane Grey concludes in late April.
Have you seen this video yet? Seriously, it's incredible. http://zanegrey50.com/
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