Gaining more than you lose

The fabled Quest for Kings Marathon...

Two years ago I was probably still shaking my head thinking these guys were crazy for trying such a thing. Last year I wasn't able to make it since we were out of town. Finally, I was going to be around to hit the highest point in Utah - a place that I had never been before.

I really had two concerns going into this run - First, I had never run higher than Timp, so I just had no idea how I would deal with the elevation (what with all of Scotts horror stories...). Second, my recent training has been less than I would like (new job and all), and I hadn't had a run over 20 miles for 3 or 4 months (yikes!). Nonetheless, I was really itching to get up in mountains and run.

The crew (Jun, Josh, Scott & I) all met up Friday afternoon and made our way up. In Mountain View we stopped for a burger and when I pulled up to the Maverick to run in and grab a lighter so we could have a fire, Craig said "I need two things, a lighter - and if someone buys me one of those hats, I'll wear it to the top of Kings" - pointing to a rack of trendy cowboy hats visible from the window. I ran in and took a look at the hats, and Craig (from the car) pointed out the one he wanted. I had shown him ones with eagles, swords, bullets, and mudflap girls - the one he picks out? a simple hat with a nice green, pink and white beaded band, complete with a heart charm...Ha, once I showed it to him in the car he ran back into the store and exchanged it for a different one. We had a good laugh in the car anticipating him wearing the hat for the entire duration of the run. Turns out, he actually liked it quite a bit. :)

Spent the evening setting up camp and getting to know some of the other runners that had shown up to run and hike the trail. Had fun hanging around the fire for a bit, and then we turned in for the night. 

Scott and Josh headed out bright and early around 5am to get an early crack at the triple crown, with other runners starting at 6. About 5 of us started around the start time of 7am, with Jun and I starting a little after as we waited for one runner to get situated. 

Enjoyed the morning running, got to Elkhorn Crossing in little over an hour, where we stashed our jackets. I loved breaking out into the open (after running through the forest) and seeing Kings, our destination, looming far far ahead. With a brief pit stop (and some hikers probably seeing more than they bargained for), we made our way up to Gunsight pass, taking the switchbacks up. Once there we just kept moving over to the cutoff trail and began climbing. From below, this trail looks like you climb a cliff face, but as you go through it, its really not bad at all, just the standard scrambling that pretty much the rest of this route is full of. Getting to the flats I was certainly starting to feel the elevation, but only in the sense that I couldn't move very fast. I otherwise still felt pretty good, which I was very happy about. Just as we started climbing the ridge to the summit we started running into people coming down that had started an hour before us. We also ran into Josh and Scott as they were making their way down after summiting Kings, South Kings and Kings again - in pursuit of the Triple Crown. 

Hit the top in about 3:41, spending about 10 minutes hanging out and enjoying the scenery. A couple of hikers with our 'group' were there and hooked us up with an orange and some carrot sticks....yum. Making our way back down we caught up to Scott and Josh at the bottom of the ridge taking a quick lunch break. It was fun to run with them for a few miles and get an update on their journey and just have a good time laughing while we run. We went straight down the trail from Gunsight, and I think I definitely prefer that over the switchbacks - from the bottom it looked like you had to scramble up through huge boulders, but really there's a decent trail winding through them.

A couple miles later Scott and Josh peeled off to go and tag Gilbert peak, so Jun and I were on our own again. Felt like we kept a decent, but never pushing, pace as we made our way back to Elkhorn crossing. We were slowed for a minute at the bridge, where a woman was holding the hands of another as she walked backwards, leading the other across the bridge. Once clear, Craig and I bounded across in a couple of steps...we didn't dare turn to look back at them. At Elkhorn we grabbed our jackets, and as Craig was stashing mine in my pack for me, a Scout leader and a couple of scouts were sitting across the trail getting ready for lunch. Craig noticed he was cutting open a big ol' beef stick, and said something about "now that's how you do it!", so the guy offered us a couple of meaty pieces, which really seemed to hit the spot and get us moving along.

For the most part, I actually enjoyed this last stretch. While the rocky, technical terrain makes it difficult to move extremely fast, it does keep your mind focuses on what you're doing. I ate my last gel with about 4 miles to go, and think I probably could have used one extra for the last couple miles. I had made some mental checkpoints earlier in the morning around certain distances, so I had a pretty good idea of how much distance I had left, but it sure did seem like it was farther. :) The last mile stretched on for quite a while, but I just kept running, knowing that I'd have to keep moving to get in under 7 hours. Craig had shot ahead with the camera so he could catch me coming in, so I was flying solo. Started to get some cramping in my calf and hammie, so I'd stop quickly and stretch, and then kept moving. Pushed hard at the end and came in 6:58.31, and feeling really good. Followed it up with an awesome dip in the river, cold Pepsi in hand. 

I was really happy with having completed this run for many reasons. First and foremost - its just a freaking awesome run. Secondly, I felt like my fueling and hydration was spot on. I never once bonked or had stomach issues. I actually focused on eating more and drinking less...weird, I know, but I think I tend to drink more than I need to, which can cause all sorts of other problems. I was also really happy with how I felt I responded to the altitude. Sure it slowed me down, but I never felt dizzy, nauseous, or any of that other nastiness that can sometimes hit people (also took Davy's advise of breathing deeply and eating plenty). Maybe I've just heard Scotts horror stories too often...:). Gotta hand it to Jun for sticking with me and giving me the complete guided tour - that certainly helped me learn the area and keep on pace. 

We ended up hanging out for several more hours for Scott and Josh to come in from the Triple Crown. It was great to see them as we were just starting to get a little worried. They were happy as can be, with Scott looking completely punch-drunk from the beating that the winds on Gilbert had given them, but still joking around and having a grand ol time. 

I definitely love those high alpine trails!