Cheryl Bednosky: My "Go-To-Girl"

Photo taken Christmas of our senior year in college at Mom and Dad's house.
Cheryl is on right, Annette on left.

Today is the anniversary of Cheryl's death. Cheryl was my twin: we shared looks, a room, teachers, school bus, family and last name. We did not share interests.

Cheryl ran. I did theatre. We did not mix. Like the masking tape line across our bedroom, we had an unspoken rule to hold to in order to find our seperateness. I thought she was a freak for running in rain and snow and sometimes 2-3x per day.

We moved away from one another in 1984 to go to college. She kept running and setting records. She ran NYC marathon in just over 3 hours. I got fat and started running.

Cheryl died in 1998. There is sooo very much more to say about Cheryl and her running, life,influence and even death, yet now is not the time...for now I will share a new discovery:

Last night I found this contest by Montrail/Mountain Hardwear called Go To Girl. Please check it out. Though I am not eligible for consideration to win because I am sponsored by both, I entered anyway. I had to share about Cher.
You only get 1 photo and 300 characters including spaces. This is what I submitted. (And the photo above).

"My twin sister Cheryl started running at 13: in sun, rain, snow, sometimes 2x or more a day. She ran cross country, 10ks and marathons for years. I thought she was nuts. I only ran from the house to the car in the rain. She died 1998. Now I run ultras and understand. Thank you for being you, Cher!"

The prizes for this contest are outraeously cool-yet more than anything a chance to use a meager few words to try and describe the value of the influence of an important inspirational female is awesome.

Thank you Cher!
I miss you.

Go-to-Girl

Who Inspires You? Tell us about your Go-to-Girl and win big!
Mountain Hardwear and Montrail join forces to celebrate the inspiration and motivation women provide each other to climb, bike, hike, swim, surf, trail run, and paddle. We want to know who that Go-to-Girl is that motivates you! Give us 300 characters on who motivates you and include a photo.

Let’s go! Click here to enter.

Gotogirl.mountainhardwear.com

Face + Rock = Broken Nose

Dr. David Horton checked in recently with a "best blood" story from a recent trail run. David fell while out on a 42 mile trail run and landed on his nose. He fell around mile 22, put some pretty good blood stains on his shirt, yet finished the run and ran straight to the hospital. Horton suffered a broken nose and a resulting black eye, and now resembles a hockey player more so than a trail runner.

Heal up fast Horton!

Juan De Fuca Marine Trail - British Columbia

Team Montrail-Canada runners Gary Robbins and Ryne Melcher recently ran the Juan De Fuca Marine Trail in B.C. 47km of wet, sloppy beauty. Gary took some video footage and put this sweet 6 minute clip together. Very fun. Anyone noticing a trend lately? Runners are hitting the trails with their video cameras in tow and coming up with some pretty sweet stuff. Nice work Gary.

Mid-May Daily Shoe-In Winners!

Lewis Richards- Sacramento, CA
Dan Prokop- Grand Junction, CO
Darcy Wheeler - Phoenix, AZ
Chris Kaylor - Cleveland, OH
James Pearson - San Diego, CA
Reed Gillette - Portland, OR
Sharon Bulkley - Bridgeport, CT

Every day in May, Montrail will award a free pair of shoes to a Facebook fan, as part of our Montrail Daily Shoe-In promotion. What does that mean for you? Well, become a fan of Montrail on Facebook, and your name will be in the hat. If you win, you can choose from all our styles, any color. Find Montrail on Facebook, click on the "Become a Fan" link, and you're automatically entered. The sooner you sign up, the more chances you have to win. Good luck!

Montrail Ultra Cup Standings

The following are the updated standings headed into Western States. Only those with 3 qualifying races under their belt and a Western States start ahead of them are included in the standings.

Men:
1. Eric Grossman - 6 points
2. Victor Ballesteros - 14 points
3. Joseph D'Allesio - 34 points
4. Mark Lantz - 41 points
5. Graham Cooper - 64 points
6. Scott Dunlap - 122 points
7. David Rhodes - 16o points
8. Mark Winkelman - 230 points
9. John Catts - 242 points
10. Kevin Hume - 363 points
11. Charley Jones - 564 points

Women:
1. Jenny Capel - 182 points
2. Suzie Lister - 238 points
3. Lori Heinselman-Craig - 748 points

Stay tuned for an announcement on the 2009/2010 Montrail Ultra Cup, including an expanded schedule and new guidelines and scoring system. Coming Soon!

Montrail Daily Shoe-In Winners!

Ray Jackson Jr - Hagerstown, MD
Ben Reeves - Denver, CO
Michelle Surprenant - New Port, RI
Steve Nelson - State College, PA
Bobby Gill - Maryland
Robert Newstreet - Indian Trail, NC
Jon Wheelwright - Twin Falls, ID
Karen Krieg - Washington, DC
Dan Ryan - Stamford, CT
Grizzly Adams - Western Colorado, CO
Eric Rogers - Atlanta, GA
Steve Jumps - Delaware
Francine Rapp - Richmond, VA

Every day in May, Montrail will award a free pair of shoes to a Facebook fan, as part of our Montrail Daily Shoe-In promotion. What does that mean for you? Well, become a fan of Montrail on Facebook, and your name will be in the hat. If you win, you can choose from all our styles, any color. Find Montrail on Facebook, click on the "Become a Fan" link, and you're automatically entered. The sooner you sign up, the more chances you have to win. Good luck!

Trail Running Video - Matt Has Skills

Check out this sweet video that Matt Hart put together. Him and Sean Meissner will be giving a presentation on trail running and endurance at the Mountain Hardwear - Seattle store tomorrow, Wednesday May 13th.

One more note!

I forget to mention in my previous blog about Miwok that I wore my Streaks and after nearly 10 hours of soaked feet, I ended up with not one blister or even a hot spot on either of me feet! Gotta love it.

Miwok

Well, it is nearly a week after the race and I am finally getting the chance to sit down and write about my experience at my 1st 100K race. I knew I was well trained for the 1st 5 hours of the race, but after that, it was all new to me!

On Thursday, my son and I flew to Sacramento where my Dad lives and late on Friday evening we drove to Mill Valley in the pouring rain. As usual, I couldn't sleep the night before the race (even after 2 Advil P.M.s.) and managed about 3 hours. My pre-arranged ride picked another runner and I up from the hotel at 4:15a.m. and after one more pick-up, we were headed to the start. It was dark, windy, and foggy at the start as we were all herded down to the beach for the start. Not knowing the course, I ended up in the masses and at the end of the beach had to hike up the first hill in what looked like a trail of ants. Once the trail widened, I was able to start running. I chatted briefly with several other runners as we all headed up the road. As I looked at my watch, it was fading in and out which was odd. The temperature was nearly perfect but it was very foggy, so much for all of the spectacular views I had heard so much about. After about an hour and a half, my watch completely died, so for the remainder of the race I had no idea how long I had been running. I carried a Nathan waistpack with two 10 oz water bottles and 2 packs of Clif Bloks. I'm not a big drinker or eater while running, so bonking was one of my fears. I ran through the 1st 2 aid stations without stopping, but after that I stopped at each aid station briefly and picked out a piece of potato, a cookie or, my very favorite, some peanut butter pretzels! The rain began after about 2 hours of running and never stopped. The puddles got bigger and bigger and there were new creeks on the return trip! After reaching the turn around and climbing out, my goal became not to walk at all in the race. I managed to never walk, but it was tough on the last few little climbs! Between miles 40 and 50 I got really cold, shivering from head to toe. At the aid station I put on one more shirt and as I descended a bit and got out of the wind, I warmed up. I really enjoyed myself for most of the run, even though I ran alone primarily. I wish I would have had a pacer to bring me in, I think that would have helped me pick up the pace at the end, maybe next time! I finished in 9 hours 51 minutes and was the 4th woman and 15th overall. Congrats to Eric and Kami for their great wins! The next day as we walked around San Francisco me knees were sore but the rest of me felt great. I hope to do the race again next year so I can see some of the views I missed. All in all, I had a wonderful experience and think the volunteers were amazing. To stand out there in the rain for that long and still be so friendly and helpful cannot be easy!

Montrail Ultra Cup update

The Montrail Ultra Cup qualifying season is over. Only thing left between the runners and the Cup is Western States 100. If you've finished 3 of the 6 qualifying races, and you will also be running Western States, you should register and enter your finish times. There's no reason not to. If you haven't run 3 qualifying races, but have finished at least one, you should register and enter your finish times. You'll receive a community prize contingent upon how many races you finish.

Those competing for the Cup at Western States should remember that your final Series score is the sum of your finish places for all 4 races. The lower your overall score, the higher you will be ranked. And your Western States finish place will be divided by 2 in order to weight it more heavily.

Registration closes on May 15th. You must be registered and have entered your times by May 15th in order to be counted as a participant. As of this moment, based on registration, the people who have 3 qualifying races under their belt and will be also running Western, thus competing for the championship, are (in no apparent order):

Mark Lantz
Victor Ballesteros
Eric Grossman
Scott Dunlap
John Catts
Joseph D'Alessio
David Dean
David Rhodes
Kevin Hume
Mark Winkelman
Jeff Collins
Charley Jones
Suzie Lister
Lori Heinselman-Craig

There are others out there who have 3 qualifying races and will also be at Western, but they haven't signed up and entered their times yet. After May 15th, we will release the standings heading into Western States. Keep training hard, we'll see you at Squaw in June.

Miwok

For at least 42 miles the Miwok 100K, held last Saturday, felt like a Montrail team run! Teammate Geoff Roes took the lead and set a solid pace throughout the entire first half of this West Coast favorite. We flowed into every aid station together, where we were greeted by team coordinator Jesse Malman. Francesca Conte was on the course supporting her husband, another Montrail 'mate, Russell Gill. This experience proved powerful for me, as I'm sure it did for all involved. I have blogged at length about it at http://explorefatigue.blogspot.com.

Here is an abbreviated post from that blog that summarizes the day:

Horizontal rain I've experienced. The rain blasted from the Pacific across Bolinas ridge in Marin County today struck me from below. We were socked in by fog for the whole 100K. As we like to say in the ultra community, 'it was epoch.'As with so many long ultras, this was another battle of attrition. Despite my foresworn testimony to run "from behind" (as practice for WS!) I found myself among the three leaders from early on. Geoff Roes took the front followed by Todd Braje and myself. Todd fell off first as a symptom, I believe, of an uncharacteristically bad day. Geoff charged powerfully up the "hills" (strongly resembling mountains) but took it relatively easy on the descents so that I caught up with him by the bottom. He didn't slow until the long climb up to Bolinas ridge on the way out. He was just in front of me when he stopped abruptly and emptied his stomach of substantial contents. Although he seemed to bounce back, at 42 miles in he found he couldn't hold anything down and called it a day. That left me to lead for the remaining return trip to Rodeo Beach. I was fading though, and fortunate to hold off late-charging Victor Ballesteros and Scott Jaime. My finishing time was 8:35. The women's race looked to be very competitive, and was won by Kami Semick.

Gear review: Montrail Hardrock '09 -- a first impression

Author: Rob Colenso
	Rob Colenso is an Examiner from Washington DC. You can see Rob's articles on Rob's Home Page.

I have a crush on the new Montrail Hardrock.

A runner's relationship with his shoes is personal, unique and deeply felt. And I've been out of love with the Brooks Cascadia 3 since our first trail date last fall.

So after three 50K races, a 50-miler, and too many blisters later, I decided to break it off.

Other trail runners love the Cascadia and it's got the awards to prove it. It's not a bad shoe. Really. It's me. I get it.

And now I heart Montrail's Hardrock '09. We haven't gone for our first run yet -- my Hardrocks only just got into town this evening. But after ripping open the box, tugging my SmartWool socks on and lacing up, I think I’m in love.

Some relationships just feel right, right from the start.

I'm not perfect, and the Hardrock seems like it will forgive my flaws. I have thin ankles, wide forefeet and I overpronate a bit. The Hardrock's roomy toebox and stability features may well put all that in check. And the rugged toe bumper seems tougher than the Hardrock's svelte 11.8 ounces would suggest. If Salomon's XA Pro 3D is an Abrams tank, the Hardrock is an armored Humvee. I can use that kind of protection -- if there's a root or a rock hidden on a trail, my toes will find it, guaranteed.

Our first trail run will be a blind date. Montrails are tough to find in the D.C. area, so I bought these on reputation alone. But with solid references from fellow ultrarunners and magazines like Backpacker, which named it the Best Run/Hike Crossover of 2009, who can blame me?

Yes, I kept my return receipt. I'm a firm believer in a shoe pre-nup.

Of course, I can already find a few potential flaws. The lack of a second lace eyelet at the top of the shoe could make locking in my heel difficult if I notice any slippage. And Backpacker's reviewers report quick rubber wear and durability issues with the lace hooks. Most of all, the tread doesn't seem quite as burly as I'd like for a muddy Virginia trail on a springtime run.

We're going for a run on the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail this weekend, my Hardrocks and I. That first date could be the kiss of death, or the sign of a match made in heaven. Here's hoping this relationship works out.

Montrail Daily Shoe-In

Every day in May, Montrail will award a free pair of shoes to a Facebook fan, as part of our Montrail Daily Shoe-In promotion. What does that mean for you? Well, become a fan of Montrail on Facebook, and your name will be in the hat. If you win, you can choose from all our styles, any color. Find Montrail on Facebook, click on the "Become a Fan" link, and you're automatically entered. The sooner you sign up, the more chances you have to win. Good luck!

Meet Athletes Matt & Sean

Meet Matt Hart and Sean Melssner, two accomplished Ultra Runners. With years of running and outstanding race finishes between them, they have good advice to share. What should you eat pre-race, how to train for an ultra run, how to recover from a big race...ask Matt and Sean anything!

Montrail to Help GECKO Get Kids Outdoors

Montrail is thrilled to partner with GECKO in 2009 for the inaugural Pagosa Peaks Trail Series. But more than that, Montrail is on board to help support the mission of GECKO.

Giving Every Child Knowledge of the Outdoors (GECKO) is the brainchild of endurance runner Morgan Murri and his wife Nancy. Based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, GECKO was founded after Morgan witnessed a transformation in his daughter after her participation in a NOLS program. At this point Morgan realized that an opportunity existed to give back to today's youth, and he became motivated to help get kids outdoors after reading Richard Louv's "The Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder".

Through events and partnerships on the local, regional and national scale, GECKO seeks sponsors to support their campaigns and give every child knowledge of the outdoors.

Most recently, GECKO awarded their first sponsorships, in the form of $6000 to two high school students. This money will send the students to the High Mountain Institute (HMI) in Leadville, Colorado, and help give the kids an education in outdoor leadership, a foundation to build on for a lifetime. Watch the video here.

And read more about the Pagosa Peaks Trail Series. Sign up for the June 6th trail marathon or 1/2 marathon before May 15th and you will be entered to win a $400 lodging and hot springs package for the race weekend. Talk about luxury!