Coyote Two Moons 100M

On March 13th Ray went down to run in the Coyote Two Moons 100M.

Results

100M 23:55:00

The events started early in the week with events all which can earn you bonus minutes with participation. This is one of the only races where the start is at night. They staggered the start so all the runners could finish relatively close to each other. Ray started in the early morning at 3am friday night in a group of 8. He started slow, trying to run conservative. This was good as his muscles felt good and strong. It was on the first big climb where he was surprised to see some snow. It was a good thing as he stopped to take some of that snow and ice down his legs. Throughout the race he went back and forth with some other runners before he went ahead. Ray ended up finishing in first but after all the bonus minutes were given out he found himself in 2nd overall. He really enjoyed this challenging race as the atmosphere was fun and very organized. Even though he thought it was harder than Angels Crest he will be back next year.

After the race and the flight home he wasn't feeling that great so he end to the hospital to get checked out where they ended up admitting him for 3 days. He had suffered from dehydration. The symptoms didn't start to present themselves until after the race. Knowing Ray though he will be back sooner than anyone else would be.

This was his second 100 mile or more race this year and its only March. He has one more in his sights before he heads out to Badwater and that race is the San Diego 100M in June.

Going back to Badwater in 2009!

Now that the official roster has been posted everyone can see Ray is headed back to Badwater this summer(2009). He feels he can do much better than his 37 hour finish you put in last year(2008). Last year Ray fought though some dehydration to make it. The doctors were all surprise and happy he was able to but when he had lost 13lbs in the first 40miles it wasn't looking good. A little food, water and rest allowed the body to keep going.

Ray is pulling together the logistics and the crew now. With more experience and training his goal is to finish under 30 hours. If all goes as planned it is surely attainable since he was forced to rest for about 8 hours last year.

This year Ray will be raising money for charity. He will raise money for the official charity of the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Challenged Athlete Foundation. The money raised for CAF will help them help others with physical disabilities realize a goal of an active lifestyle through physical fitness and athletics. CAF's mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, competitive lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sport they love.

Your help is appreciated and will help others realize their goals. The link is on the right column or here.

Pony Express 50M/50K on 2/28/09

I was able to run with Ray during this race which in Cameron Park on a 1.25 mile loop. It was a beautiful day in between all the rain we have been having. Ray set a new PR for the 50M coming in around 6:58:00 breaking the 7hr mark and finishing in 3rd. He must have been in a hurry since he had to drive out to Napa to make it to the Napa Valley marathon race expo in time. Yup this is one of those back-to-back weekends for Ray.

These official results haven't been posted yet.

Buzz Marathon in San Miguel 2/21/09

Ray went down to San Miguel and ran the Buzz marathon. This one was special since it was the one of the first runs he ran when he first started not to long ago. The results haven't been posted yet but Ray finished around 3:07:00 in first place.

Jed Smith 50 Mile race

Ray and I both ran the Jed Smith 50 mile race this past weekend. It turned out to be a great run. This photo is of Ray and a fellow runner (I will get his name) just before the start

This was Ray's first run just two weeks after coming back from Brazil. He was able to cruise in for a nice finish around 6th place with a time of 7:07:00. With it is still early in the year, Ray is trying to really work on the nutrition part of the race. It has sometimes been more of a challenge than the runs themselves. When Ray was finished he thankfully stuck around and helped me through the last 12 miles or so I had still to finish. I told him he didn't have to stick around but he stayed to support me. He said "If I leave now you will run slower and if I stay you will make sure to run harder and faster." He was right, knowing he was there waiting pushed me to finish stronger.

Ray has another race planned for next week. If the schedule works out he may even have two.