2024 Ragnar Bourbon Chase Relay - Race Report

Just got done this past weekend (Oct 4-5) with a great event - The 2024 Bourbon Chase Relay.  While it is nice to run in my home state what makes it even more fun is the camaraderie of doing a relay with 12 others and even more so with the 6 people you spend - in our case - 27+ hours with.  If you did not know what this race is about here is the basic run down.  The course is a 200 mile relay from The Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont KY, where it started this year, and winds it way over some great countryside - albeit hilly - and ends in Downtown Lexington Ky.  

Teams are made up of 12 people who are grouped together in 2 vans of 6 people each - by the way there is an Ultra category that I want to do in 2026 where you have one van of 6 runners who cover the same course.  The Vans cover 6 individual legs and then after the 6th runner - I was number 6 this year - hand off to the first running in Van 2 who takes over for the next 6 legs while Van 2 rests.  Then this is repeated until all 36 legs have been run and goes straight through the night to do so.  The time between running legs all depends on the speed of the runners and the distance and for me it was about 6 hours from my first leg (Leg 6)  to my second (Leg 18) and then  about 7:30+ for my start of Leg 30.  For our teams we reserved a couple hotel room in a central location teams could go to to rest and eat - we had it great this year as out team captain, along with is wife, set us up with homemade food that looked like a Chipotle Bar but way better, I mean way way better.  After our second transfer, from leg 18 to 19, we went back and a few people slept I did not as just could not and as you only get  - well for us - about 3 hours or so till have to leave for the next exchange so just relaxed.  I will tell you the running is a challenge and then you add to that being up for quite a few hours.  We had an early start and as I had to drive about an hour to meet my team I had to get up at 3AM Friday morning by the time I got home Saturday and relaxed and got to bed  - yea I should have gone to bead earlier - it was 10PM so was up for 43 hours.  While as I get older it hard to stay up that long but after a bit it just happens and really not a problem - well till its over then I started to feel it:).  Reminds me of the days back building Carbon Masts for the Americas cup and having to work 36 - 48 hour shifts to get it done - there is no late with the Americas Cup.  

So, that is the basic run down of the format but to this you also factor in the run legs range from the longest of 12.25 miles to the shortest of 2 miles - often driven by exchange zones.  This also adds in some work to figure out what works best for the runners you have.  Then you have to be ready for the unforeseen such as injuries as we had.  One of our runners at the end of his first leg hurt his knee so we had to adapt as for the next two legs he would have run were connected to the person running the previous leg for the first change and to the leg after for the final change.  I can tell you the person who got hurt really was upset he could not do his legs but as we told him - damaging his knee more was not worth it - yea no one wants to stop but there is a time when that is the best decision.  Same thing happened when I did this 2 years ago and I filled in by doing the extra leg at the end.  Just makes it more exciting.

In the race there are a number of categories for Standard (S) and Ultra(U) with Mixed, Women and Mens teams - we were in the Standard Men’s Masters (over 40) - you can enter.  This year at the BC there were a total of 212 teams that finished and we (Souther Express) were 24th overall and 4th in our division. The team that won our Division averaged 7:09/mile and was 4th Overall.  But places 2-4 in our division were very close as over 200 miles we were only separated by 12 minutes

Here was our Southern Express team in order, 1-6 in Van 1 and 7-12 in Van 2:

1 - Arnie Tempel           7 - Nathan Frey

2 - Paul Kiser                8 - Gordon Turner

3 - Matt Cook                9 - Jeffery Golden

4 - George Corder.       10 - Cliff Jasper

5 - Eric Burton             11 - Jason Braegelmann

6 - Tony Konvalin.       12 - Adam Gullett

A big thanks to Paul Hoffman and Alton Blakely Ford in Somerset Ky for supplying us vans to use and to Prairie Farms who suppled a cooler of chocolate milk - not my thing but some like it:)

The following are overviews of each leg with fueling, what I can remember, and such.  Titles of legs are linked to Strava data:

Run Down of Leg #6 - 12.25 Miles  (Listed as Very Hard) - Started at 2:11PM EST (Oct 4, 2024)

For me, running legs 6, 18 and 30 I started with what The Bourbon Chase lists as the hardest with a hilly 12.25 miler, you even get a special medal for this leg.  Also, the way it works out the next two legs for me were short.  I think the leg just before mine, #5, may have been about as hard due to hills but a little shorter at 9 miles.  That said with the heat (82F), hills and length this was a hard leg.  It starts out with a generally uphill first 4 miles - first a 1.3 mile up then rolling up to about mile 4.5 where I averaged about 8:12/mile. I may have run a little harder than I should as did not want to lose time.  From mile 4.5 to 7.0 it is mostly downhill with shorter climbs and by Mile 7 I was pretty close to an average of 8:00/mile.  About now, for me, the heat was making life miserable and at the same time turned to run on a main road that was uphill for the next 2.5 miles and just started slowing before a small downhill and then backup hill to mile 11.7 where I made an error and turned right and not left and went up hill a little more.  Thankfully I caught this fairly quickly so only ran about 1:30 farther but added some uphill.  Once back on track got to the finish in 1:43:31 officially for an official pace of 8:25 but on my watch with the extra distance it would be about 8:21/mile.  While pace was much slower than my 1/2 marathon about 3 weeks before and having a similar elevation of 837FT it was much hotter and legs were just not feeling it so all in all not bad.  Also, with the way the race works there were few runners around as passed 4-5 runners, one passed me, so not much to chase.  I would agree it was a tough leg but the heat to me is what made it even worse but all the the legs during the day were hot and I did holdback some as did not want to dig a hole I would not get out of for the next legs.  Having done this before and having done the Hood to Coast race in Oregon a few years ago the hard part after a hard run is not getting too tight when in the van.  Being the last leg before we rested helped as only had a short ride back to the hotel to rest and eat.  Was not sure how the next legs, #18- 4.2 miles and #30 - 3.8 miles, would go as they needed to be quicker.

Fueling:

   -Breakfast (3AM) was usual Modified Bulletproof coffee (Coffee, Collagen, Coconut Oil, Ghee, Egg, 1/3 pack of LMNT, small square of 85% Dark Chocolate)

   - On way to race start (8:00 - small chicken wrap)

   - 1 Hour before - 1 Sur AltRED

   - 1/2 Hour Before - Vespa UC

During race:

  - 1/2 Hour in 1/2 SIS Gel

  - 1 Hour in 1/2 SIS Gel

  - 1 Hour in 3/4 bottle KetoneAid Shot

  - Some water and electrolytes

  - 1.5 hours in1/2 SIS Gel

After Race:

  - 1 Can of LMNT Seltzer

  - 160z water

Between Van Exchanges

  - Small portion or rice, black beans, Chicken, Steak

  - Small cookie

  - Water

  - Coffee w/cream and a little sugar

Run Down of Leg #18 - 4.2 Miles (Listed as Moderate) - Started at 11:51PM EST (Oct 4, 2024)

The question when it came to running my second leg - Leg #18 of the Bourbon chase - was how had I recovered and after a 6 hour or so rest would I be ready to go.  After the long Leg #6 my legs were sore and had a blister on my big toe.  The positive was that while hard to get up and out of the van was that once I got moving was better.  That said this leg was starting at almost midnight so had been up by then for almost 21 hours.  I had not eaten a lot at the break but did get something in and had hydrated so was not hungry.  Got to the start, not far from where we stayed and while not getting much warmup I did get in some short strides to get a feel of how I was moving and while it took effort to get going once I was moving felt pretty good.

The key for this leg was to get out quickly as was downhill for the first 1.6 miles and went down about 100ft.  After that while there were a few downhills it was mostly a gradual rise for 100ft or so as leg had a total elevation of 144ft.  Once I got the hand off there was a good initial drop off and got out quick and then pushed the flat and got to the next downhill section and got the first mile in at 6:51/mile and legs felt good.  As was not sure about how I would feel further in I did control the pace but wanted to keep it up.  After a little more downhill once I got to 1.6 miles the route started a gradual rise to mile 2.9 miles with mile 2 at 7:04 pace with mile 3 at 7:31 pace.  With the more down and up done I worked to keep pace as best I could over the next mile and thus mile 4 was 7:07 pace.  This led to a path around the park and other than a small miss on a turn I worked to pick it up some and did last 1/4 mile at about 6:29/mile pace.  My milage came up a little short on my watch but at that milage my pace average was 7:06 but at the advertised dance of 4.24 my average was 7:00/mile.  Was pretty happy with the recovery and able to get close to sub 7:00/mile.  Now time to get back in the van and get back to the hotel for a shower and some rest.  While some got some sleep I did not as I just cold not do so but did get some rest.

Fueling:

Between Van Exchanges

  - Sausage Egg and Cheese Sandwich

  - Water

  - Coffee w/cream and a little sugar

Before race - nothing during

  - 1 hr before, 1 Sur AltRED

  - 1/2 hour before - 1 Vespa UC

  - Right before leg - 1 Vespa Jr

  - 2 Bonk Breaker Gels

After Race

  - 16oz water - forgot to get the LMNT Seltzer

Run Down of Leg #30 - 3.8 (Listed as Easy) - Started at 8:08AM PST (Oct 5, 2024)

With the gap to this last leg a little longer, 7.5+ hours, than the last one my legs while sore were not any worse than they had been even after a good second leg.  This leg started, after a short false flat, down hill to about 1.5 miles before a 1.2 mile climb that went up 286ft - total vert of this leg was 302ft - and then was flat for about a 1/4 mile before descending 69 feet to the finish over the final 0.8 miles.  Due to the initial flat then downhill I worked to gain some time and get in a rhythm so after working out the kinks over the first 1/2 mile I got into a good pace and averaged 6:54/mile for the first mile split.  Then at 1.5 miles started up hill and while it was not easy it was a good grade as while hard I could get in a rhythm without getting bogged down so with a mix of downhill and up I wavered 7:28 for mile 2.  I had caught a few people on the way to the hill and at about 2 miles caught anther runner which gave good incentive, once caught, to keep up the pace to increase the gap and maybe catch someone else - did not catch anyone as next time I saw someone they were too far ahead to catch.  Mile 3 which was all uphill but for the last flat for 1/4 mile my pace was 8:08/mile.  Once I hit mile 3 it was mostly downhill I worked up the pace to get the best average I could and my final 0.8 mile split was 6:36/mile - in hindsight should have pushed it a little harder but in the end am happy with the leg.  Do find it funny this leg was listed “Easy’ when it had more climbing than leg #18 and while shorter was only about a 1/2 mile shorter.  

Fueling:

Before race - nothing during

  - 1 hr before, 1 Sur AltRED

  - 1/2 hour before - 1 Vespa UC

  - 2 Bonk Breaker Gels

After Race:

  - 1 Can of LMNT Seltzer

  - 16oz water

Overview

While I did not run as fast as I wanted to or think I could have leg #6 was acceptable with the heat and training for that length run.  While I did the 1/2 marathon 3 weeks before and had run a 20 miler in the last months my running is decidedly better for shorter distances.  My speed may not be where I want it but I would say it is good enough when tired as running my last two legs at a good pace on sore and tired legs bares out.  If I would change anything I may have gone out a little slower to start as may have burned some matches I needed later.  That said with the heat and my training after the Lake Cumberland Half this may have just been where I was at.  I do know I wish I could have done what I had planned as would have helped up place in the top three - maybe next year.  

Now it is time for a really easy week then get back to training for the Tsali Trail Race in January.  I will get in a week or two with low milage and some short rides just to get back into it.  I also have 5 races left this year with all but one being 5Ks and the one other is a mile race.  These will be good speed work as want to up that even for a 50K.  Also, have 8 week left in my Foot Strengthening class which I am hoping will hole minimize the chance of injuries as that is the main thing to avoid in the year ahead.

  Click on images for more information and if you want more info on OFM check out this post: 

• What is OFM (Optimized Fat Metabolism)

2024 Dust Bowl 100 Race Report

I think I have found what is one of my top two gravel races I have done.  I feel I need to put it at number one as while I have done some bigger rides they have things that make them just a little lower.  I have done Steamboat and while the roads are great and it is a good race but being that it starts at altitude and goes up from there is not great for me being from the low lands.  Gravel Worlds is great as nothing really technical but it is long at 150+ miles and lots of rolling climbing as well as can be really hot.  I have done others but for me as of right now my favorites are our local All Road Championships (ARC) put on by Boondoggle Events and now the Dust Bowl 100 in Indiana.  

I give the Dust Bowl the nod as it is long but not overly so at 100 miles and the climbing is minimal at around 3400ft.  Also, the gravel is about just right and maybe it can change but not much I would suspect and it is fast - well seemed so to me.  I give it the nod over the ARC as its type of course and and the amount of elevation is more up my alley as the ARC has some really steep climbs on gravel and some correspondingly steep descents, including a more technical one in a more off road section, that I just do not push all that hard to avoid crashing.  The Dust Bowl has a couple fast descents that did have crashes this year but they are not close to what we get out my way.  All this to say it is a great race and about perfect for me that I will be doing again - along with the ARC as it is a good prep event for the Dust Bowl.

So what about this years race?  As I had not ridden outside much this year due to life and up until the ARC race a couple weeks ago (7/13/24) had not been on my gravel bike since last years The Rad ride in Trinidad Colorado - another good ride- this was looking to be interesting.  Also, to get ready for these longer rides I usually do quite a few long rides, centuries, on Zwift and outside but not so this year as 2 of the Centuries I planned to ride to get ready for this I had to miss. I think in checking I have ridden outside this year about 340miles out of about 4525 before the ARC race.  Thankful to have done the ARC race to at least get some feel for the gravel before I did the Dust Bowl 100.  So while I was in good shape I was not quite in shape for a fast 100 let alone one on gravel but game to give it a try.

The start was pretty chill as was a neutral start but I was a ways back.  As usual the chute for the start filled early but I was able to get to the 18-20 mph area so not bad but still a ways back.  I was where I needed to be be projected time wise but wanted to be a little further forward so as being able to draft on a fast start.  That said in waiting around for the start my GPS started but the route was not on so had to set it when the race started and with my eyesight that was not easy.  Thus I lost more places getting it set but got it done in the first bit.  The road was packed so was not able to move up before the first gravel section when the neutral roll out was done.  As I figured things when out fast and saw the pack ahead string out but could not move up yet as first stretch of gravel was chunky and hardish to find the best line so just stayed where I needed to be knowing things would string out.

After the first stretch of gravel (3miles of it) starting at mile 2.8 things began to stretch out but still 2 or 3 across in places.  Once we hit the road at mile 6 I started the work of moving up.  Initially it was just about slowly moving up but then when hit the front of a group had to push to bridge to the next group.  Thankfully had another guy that was doing the same so we pulled in 2-3 groups over the next miles.  I did not really look back but think as we pushed past groups we picked up some more people as soon saw a pretty big group behind us.  Not really sure of the milage in this as just kept trying to move quickly and catch groups.

Our group moved up but was a little stretched and I tried to stay at the front so as not to have to jump splits which happens as people hit their limits.  Thankful I was at the front since at about 32.7 miles came to some train tracks and as we got there the lights started and I got across before the barriers came down and pretty sure some went around but not everyone got across and they had to wait.  Again, another reason to stay near the front even if there is a better draft farther back.  We were now down to a group that stayed together for quite a while.

At mile 49 we started one of the steeper downhills with this one on gravel.  Was good to see while we went quick we took it safe as at the bottom of the hill the road bends left and is a little off camber and then you go into a covered bridge.  While we did not have any accidents did see a video of one of the lead groups that had a few guys go down.  After you got through the bridge you then have a climb and gearing I had was fine but the issue I have is I have to keep it going and many have much smaller gears so often they slow down and if I slow I will lose grip and have to stop - but thankfully got a round a few so did not have to stop.  At mile 53.8 had another steep descent, this one on some roughish road and also into a bridge with a climb on the other side and it went well.  The group lost a few on the way but at the mile 62 aid station had some stop.

The next fun section was on the Vandalia Trail from mile 67.2 to mile 70.3.  This was not technical at all as basically a walking trail but was rolly in places and the group stayed together.  Once left the trail had some more road to ride for about 4 miles.  We did not really push this section which I may have liked to but probably good as saved some energy.

The group I was in then went on together and I decided to make sure I had enough waster so stopped at the aid station at 77.6 miles and a few went on.  In hindsight I did not need to stop but better safe than sorry as it was getting warm and I was feeling the miles.  I was also able to get a nice cold Coke Mini and that gave a short term energy boost.  My friend Brad Wunderlich had stopped at the same aid station and we rode together from there and picked up other riders as we went on.  Was good to have some company as so often in these races near the end you are on your own.  Also nice to have someone to share the pulls.  We then hit the one section that cut through some private property and was sort of a jeep double track at mile 84 - 85 and while this could have been exciting if really wet with all we ride out in my area this was really tame and the worry I had was not needed.  Again, it it rained or had rained a lot it could have been a muddiest and not fun.

From there to the finish there were a few climbs but nothing too terrible.  Brad and I worked together till we hit the last 2 miles and I wanted to push it in and Brad was not feeling great.  The last 2.5 miles covers  the way we started except for the last half mile.  The race finished by riding in the back way about a half mile to where we started and is on a ribboned off grass section.   When done I was a mess dust wise and almost fell as my left cleat I think was so dry it did nto want to release but avoided the embarrassment of a fall.

In conclusion it was a great race and while I would have liked to podium, missed by about 13 minutes for first and 11 minutes for third, I can say averaging about 18.1mph for the course with how my training went was a win.  I ended up 121st OA out of 376 riders and was 6th in the 60+ AG.  I was pleased to see  47 60+ riders registered and 37 showed up the day of the race.  That is a good turn out for our age group and great to see.

One thing I have seen others share, and is true, this course has a lot of turns.  These, when using care in the gravel, make it harder to keep a steady pace so as have to work out of all the corners and in gravel that can be fun.  The weather while hot at the end was cooler than expected for about the first half so nothing to complain about.  The race organizers did a good job of marshaling the race as while most corners and road crossing we were on our won at more major roads there were Sheriffs there to stop traffic and it was much appreciated.  I think we only had one road we had to stop at as like many of these races the local traffic was very light.  One thing I do think needs to be done - even though I had no issue since my GPS worked great - is to have a sign about the turn coming maybe 200m before turn as with so many people hard to see the sign at the turn and with gravel you want to set up for the turn.  All this said I had no issues as I knew the turns were coming, so just a thought.

Will add some more pictures as they come out.

Here is the Strava data for the race - Dust Bowl 100 Race   

Here is a video I found that was done by a rider who did the course in 5:09 and shows the entire route

Fueling went well, tried using some Ketones (KetoneAid Ke1 - The new one is Ketone Shot ) and upped my carbs a little but still very low.  Not sure on the Ketones if they did anything but they did not hurt and it is known you have fine tune the protocol.  The thing with Ketones it seems is often it is what you do not notice is what is key.  Probably did not get enough water but only drank to thirst so that was not bad and did work to take in more electrolytes.  As usual a main part of my fueling is Vespa to help with fat burning which is also key, via OFM, to how I race endurance races.  Did things a little different for the start as could not really warmup as I would like (30-40 minutes slow to get to the switch) due to having to get to the line and not wanting to be right at the back as happened to me at Steamboat.  So for the start which would be quick I needed a trickle of carbs to get past the start and used a Ketone Shot (5g ketones) and a Vespa Jr as it has 8 grams of carbs and a Bonk Breaker chew.  See below for my fueling, Pre-Ride and Ride below;

Pre-Ride AM (Approx 3 hours before Race)
- Coffee with Ghee, Coconut Oil, Collagen, LMNT, Heavy Cream
- One packet of Oatmeal (Maple and Brown Sugar
- 2 GPLCs

Totals:
Cals - 569
Protein - 23g
Carbs - 34g
Fat - 40g

Ride Fueling - for 5:36 race
- 1 UC Vespa - 30 minutes before start
- 1 Ketone Shot & 1 Vespa Jr & 10 minutes before Start
- 1 Bonkbreaker Chew after start in first few minutes
- 1 Ketone Shot at 1 hr
- 1 SIS Gel at about 1:30 into ride
- 1 UC Vespa at 2 Hours
- 1 Ketone Shot at 3hrs
- 1 SIS Gel at 3:30
- 1 UC Vespa at 4 hours
- 3/4 Small Coke at last rest stop at about 4:11 (77.6 miles) as got refill on water
- 1 SIS Gell at 4:30
- During ride took 5 S!Caps
- Also took an additional 4 Bonk Breaker Gels
- Total water was about 3.0L
- 1 Watermelon LMNT

Total
Cals - 649.5
Protein - 0g
Carbs - 124.5g
Fat - 0g 

So what about next year - unless something conflicts this will be tops of my list - with the ARC race - that, if the dates stay around the same time, will be a great race to get ready for the 2025 Dust Bowl 100.   I will for sure put more effort into getting in more longer rides and while doing them outside may be best it will just be about getting some longer hard efforts to make the ongoing hard effort at the Dust Bowl feel better.  This year I have been running more 5Ks in a series but will do less of them next year and focus on the Dust Bowl and then move back into running.  Will work more on my fueling to do a ride this fast as that is still an area I need to work on.

Looking forward to next year already!!!

The Pistol Ultra Report

It has been a week since I ventured down to Alcoa Tennessee for The Pistol Ultra races which were run on March 9th and 10th.  I went down to have a Vespa / OFM table at Check-In and during the day on Saturday as well as to help be a guide for vision and hearing impaired runner Jeremy Sexton who was running the 100K.  I was looking forward to the trip as this was one of the races on my radar to run as while I love trails my feet and body have not done as well lately and especially if I want to run a 100 miler this is one to do as it is all on paved greenway trails and while harder on the body are for sure easier to navigate when the sun goes down.  Not sure what I will run next year as, and will discuss this more later, the race has a number of distances over the two days (Saturday and Sunday) from 1/2 Marathon to 100 miles and if you are really looking for a challenge you can do multiple races.

The Event
This all started for me when Gordon Turner, along with Brian Gajus, took over not only the Tsali Ultra Trail races which were run in Almond North Carolina on Sat January 14th of this year but they also took over The Pistol Ultra races in Alcoa Tennessee which has been going on since 2013.  I know Gordon from his great work in timing races in my part of the world with GTRaces - if you need a timing company I highly recommend them - and know Brian from his work on The Yamacraw Trail races which I have run 3 times as well as the No Business 100 which I have not run but have paced once at. 

After talking to Gordon and Brian about Vespa/OFM we came on as a race sponsor and I looked forward to sharing with those who were interested about Fat Adaption and Vespa and how they can greatly help with not only endurance races but even more importantly overall health.  Gordon then mentioned there was a Vision and Hearing Impaired runner, Jeremy Sexton, that needed guides for the 100 miler on the 10 mile loops - Jeremy later changed to the 100K.  While I have to admit having never done this before - being a guide - I was a little apprehensive as was a lot of responsibility never-the-less I offered to help and became part of Jeremey’s first 100k.  Another benefit was I would also be able to check out the course for next year.

One of the unique things about the Pistol, compared to many ultras, is the variety of races offered over the two days - and there used to be more with a relay as well.  For this year you had a choice of a 50K/100K/100 mile that started Saturday morning then a 50 miler that started at 8PM Saturday night.  Then on Sunday morning you could do a 1/2 marathon or full marathon.  One other aside there was an option to do what is called the Double Barrel where you can run the 50K/50Mile, 100K/50 Mile or 100Mile/50Mile.  So you can see there is something for everyone and that is why there is such a diverse crowd as compared to some ultra events - and the course adds to this as well.

The good part about the course - and I am sure some trail runners will say it’s not good:) - is that it is run on a 10mile/10.4mile loop, depends on if you are running the imperial or metric distances, and is paved. This makes logistics easy as you have easy access to multiple aid stations and at the turn around/finish line you can get warm if needed, and it was, as well change clothes and refuel easily.  Now I get it for some this can also be bad as it does provide an easy drop-out place you come across numerous times but I think the benefits out weight this aspect.  An advantage of the course being paved is that you do need to watch out for roots, rocks and such but you did have to be aware of uneven pavement, thus it removes the issues some like me get in running trails in the dark.  Another advantage is you can easily use numerous pacers as they can just jump in for a lap as we did with Jeremy.  The course while not flat with a few rises along the way is far from hilly with less than 200ft of elevation change per lap

The Race
This year there were 400+ participants in all the races and some great times were put down.  In the 50K Hector Falcon from West Virginia ran 3:22:39 to win the men’s race and Audrey Carter was the first women and second OA running a great time of 3:52:19.  In the 100K, which was started just after the 50K the Overall winner was Francesca Muccini in 10:16:25 and the first man was also second OA was Zach Bihlman who ran 11:19:46.  As for the 100 miler The Overall winner and first man was Chris Stamen in a course and Tennessee State record of 14:01:32 with the first woman, and 3rd OA, being Whitney Richman in 18:37:09.  The 50 Mile, which started at 8PM, winner and first man was Owen Thornton in 6:15:53 with the first woman, also 3rd OA, was Shelby Singleton in 8:36:53.  The Marathon and 1/2 marathon started Sunday morning with Jakeli winning in 3:22:17.5 and the first woman being Lucy Fischer in 4:16:56.  The Half Marathon was won by Peter Osickey in 1:24:23 with the women’s winner being Abbey Shepard in 1:50:54.  Also of note in the 100 miler Maurice LaFond at 70 competed the course in 31:47:01 and Steve Troxel completed the Double Barrel (100miler & 50 Miler) by running the 100 miler in 19:55 then doing the 50 miler in 11:59.

Start of 50K

Start of 100K/100Mile

Start of 50 Mile

Pacing the 100K
As I had mentioned I was helping to pace/guide Jeremy Sexton who is vision and hearing impaired and was one of 6 people to do so with each of us doing one lap - I ran the 4th lap.  Having never done this before I have to admit I was nervous as did not want to get it wrong.  I was not too worried about pace as the initial desired pace was in the 9:00-10:00 but knew from running close to 60miles before the things get slower later   into the race.  I just knew form taking to others there were areas where the pavement was a little rough so had to call that out as well as there were very few straight parts as while not super windy it is sort of a meandering path.  Started out a little tentative but got the hang of it pretty quickly - what I was not as ready for was having to speak loudly as I thought I was loud enough but found out I was not.  

Jeremy finishing with Kevin McDonnell

Also, kept forgetting when I would make a comment to an oncoming runner Jeremey would mistake it for me saying something to him.  I did find that the best method to use, as we were tethered on his right side, was to let him go and if he strayed left then sort of tug back and when going right sort of play bumper cars to straighten things out.  We did get caught in one really hard downpour that was also very cold and then had wind, which made it even harder to hear and pretty cold.  Then we came to where the path went under abridge that had water that was over ankle deep and while some went around on the rocks I did not think that was safe Jeremy.  As he was going to change his shoes anyway and we only had a little over two miles to go we just plowed through the water.  We got to the turn around and got Jeremy all changed and fed and off he went with his next pacer.  Jeremy did complete the 100K in 13:32:43 and in the process getting 11th OA and 3rd in his 40-49 AG, he is 47.  He was pretty knackered when done but a little birdie told me he was interested in doing it again next year:)

Wrap-Up
It was a great weekend and look forward to going next year to not only share about VESPA and OFM as well as do a race.  Gordon and Brian did a great job putting on such a big race - especially since people likely come into it with expectations from past years - but as far as I can tell they met those expectations.  It will be good to see where the race goes from here but for sure is one to do.  It was also great to talk to people working toward goals that others in the world would see as crazy.  I do enjoy sharing about how OFM and Vespa can help people not only reach their crazy goals, really not that crazy, as well as achieve better metabolic health.  As for me I will see how my right foot does this year as I know I can run the 50K and go to break my PR and get under 4:30 and maybe under 4:00 but deep down I want to do a 100 miles or maybe 100K .  My concern is if I do the 100K and it is hard on my foot I may not do a 100 miler and truthfully while I want to do one can live if I never do on.

I would encourage you to put the The Pistol Ultra on your schedule for next year and join in the fun - see you then.

Is this the Nail in the Fat Adaption Coffin - NOT

Gravel Worlds 2022

It is always interesting when a new paper comes out - especially when it reveals confirmation bias whichmost of the time is the case.  By the way we all have them - confirmation biases that is - the thing is to recognize them so you can check them at the door when making conclusions from papers and studies.

Such is the case with a recent study (https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/2/318) entitled: A Five-Week Periodized Carbohydrate Diet Does Not Improve Maximal Lactate Steady-State Exercise Capacity and Substrate Oxidation in Well-Trained Cyclists compared to a High-Carbohydrate Diet

Of course the tile spurred many of those who are largely carb-centric to claim this was the nail in the preverbal coffin of those who put forward a different paradigm.  Sort of interesting that this one paper leads to so many articles such that the public starts to think there is some ground breaking findings but it is simply a number of authors espousing their biases were indeed correct based on a single study.  A study by the way that I think these purveyors of the death of fat adaptation - Using Fat as Fuel -  incorrectly interpret. Here are some examples:

GCN - admittedly they do little the is actually scientific but is more entertainment based:  
Velo - Nothing new for them as if anyone writes anything that may be used to dispel fat adaption they are all over it:   
Trail Runner Magazine - The author admits at least that this study made him feel good- glad he fell affirmed - about his bias: 

So what is in this study - well for one I will give my take but please read it for yourselves.  I find too often people tend to not look into the studies themselves and thus take for gospel whatever they are told.  

This is a quick take from the abstract/study and my observations:
“There is a growing interest in studies involving carbohydrate (CHO) manipulation and subsequent adaptations to endurance training. This study aimed to analyze whether a periodized carbohydrate feeding strategy based on a daily training session has any advantages compared to a high-carbohydrate diet in well-trained cyclists.”

So right off the bat you see this is not about fat adaption or even low carb but about how manipulating carbs might, or might not “increase” performance.  I can tell you very few of us that think Fat Adaption is a great tool for health and performance say that one will go faster, jump higher, etc on a low carb diet.  Most simply say you do not need a high carb diet to do so.  Then there are some, like we at Vespa/OFM, that do say that to better ones “performance” one needs to use carbs strategically as required for a given effort - thus using the fuel required for a given effort and that with training you can up the effort that canoe covers by fat but there is a limit - just higher than most will say.  Also, keep in mind most that endorse a fat adapted diet also are not simply looking at how one performs today but also about health in general for the future.

Next there is the set up for the study - First the Who:
“Seventeen male cyclists classified as highly trained [22] volunteered to participate in this study. All participants were training 15 to 20 h per week and competing in the U23 national-level cycling categories before the study. Participants undertook the study in early November after a two-week post-season break and were informed about the tests to be performed. All participants signed an informed consent form before participating in the study, which was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee (CEISH 113/2019).”

Now while I find it interesting to know what the more elite athletes do and how they train the vast majority that will read most articles that reference this study and their conclusions do not fit most of those in the study.  So, in this case these are highly trained - not the average rider/athlete.  Then you find they are under 23 so they are fit young guys - who in general have not jacked up their metabolism yet and can get by with any number of errors nutritionally.  Also, they in general do not worry about the future as most of us do, or should, and if you are older have less time to correct errors.  Thus, while many use this article to make some general conclusions just seeing who this study was about does not align with a very, very large part of the population.

The Study Protocol:
“Seventeen trained cyclists (VO2peak = 70.8 ± 6.5 mL·kg−1·min−1) were divided into two groups, a periodized (PCHO) group and a high-carbohydrate (HCHO) group. Both groups performed the same training sessions for five weeks. In the PCHO group, 13 training sessions were performed with low carbohydrate availability. In the HCHO group, all sessions were completed following previous carbohydrate intake to ensure high pre-exercise glycogen levels. In both groups, there was an increase in the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) (PCHO: 244.1 ± 29.9 W to 253.2 ± 28.4 W; p = 0.008; HCHO: 235.8 ± 21.4 W to 246.9 ± 16.7 W; p = 0.012) but not in the time to exhaustion at MLSS intensity.”

OK, a lot here but what I can tell you carb-periodization is not fat adaption and the fact this was done over only 5 weeks and done as it was will not allow the lower/periodized carb group to get their bodies to use fat as it was designed to do and the most efficiently.  This is where I see a major flaw - not in the study per se as it is what they were looking at - in how many read this study.  The study was to see if the manipulation of carbs would lead to “BETTER” performance not to see if being fat adapted or lower carb or using carbs strategically would work but if a particular way of using carbs would improve performance.

So what were the general conclusion in the paper:
“Both groups increased the percentage of muscle mass (PCHO: p = 0.021; HCHO: p = 0.042) and decreased the percent body fat (PCHO: p = 0.021; HCHO: p = 0.012). We found no differences in carbohydrate or lipid oxidation, heart rate, and post-exercise lactate concentration. Periodizing the CHO intake in well-trained cyclists during a 5-week intervention did not elicit superior results to an energy intake-matched high-carbohydrate diet in any of the measured outcomes.”

The bottom line “Periodization” of carbs did not increase performance but also, as the study said, it did not hinder performance.  This is key and overlooked, by accident or on purpose, by many I saw that commented on this.  If there was no difference then why do high carb as you don’t need to based on this study at least.

Here are some of my take aways from this study and then I will follow up with some general observations:

1. If there was no difference then to look at it the another way the carbs did not add anything
2. The fact High Carb people went down in carbs some amount and still performed says the fat did some work.  Imagine if they really worked at fat adaption
3. These are young fit guys so a change to lower carb - even just periodized - will limit the future issues due to high sugar intake with no detriment in performance
4. The study really says little about fat adaption and only deals with high carb athlete cutting back on carbs in a particular way
5. This study does not deal with the long term effects of high carb and that you can still perform on relatively less carbs with no performance hits but long term benefits

Let me here say that those that wanted to use this to say it is time to “Take the High Carb Way or the Highway” and use this study as a proof of that did not get the study.  But I also want to say that most of those that want to dismiss fat adaption simply, and incorrectly, often look at Keto as the only way to do fat adaption.  However, we at Vespa/OFM, and there are others but not many, see the need for carbs for performance but just not the quantity that is being pushed today.  I often see articles that have to give a nod to fat burning for “less strenuous” activities since it is basic science that fat is the best fuel to burn for lower intensities.  I have even seen some articles that say that Zone 2 can be done on fat and even that many do most activity at Zone 2 but then ignore this and go to how they need to up the carbs used.  Think about this for a moment - putting the elite athlete, who is often younger, aside for a moment - even in most marathons and ultras you will be running or riding at Zone 2 for most of it and thus fat would be your best fuel.  By fat here I am not saying taking in fat exogenously but using your endogenous fat that you have copious quantities of even if you are thin and with a lower body fat percentage.  Thus you can burn fat and conserver cabs till you really need them.  Again, this does not mean you will not need carbs but will need far less and thus getting less GI distress and minimizing to netting bonking.

Check out the OFM blogs for more info and remember to read the studies that you are presented for and try and see they really say.  

  Click on images for more information and if you want more info on OFM check out this post: 

• What is OFM (Optimized Fat Metabolism)