I have been binge watching ultra videos. Your story is the one I will remember because you finished through excruciating pain. And finished without any hope in the final stretch of making it under the time limit. There is an award for this - although not a belt buckle - but a place in your soul that knows you didn’t quit. I actually think perhaps you should have stopped given the complications. As I contemplate my own big challenges, I will remember how you rose to the occasion- amazing. Thank you.
Thanks man! As silly as it may be I was just sitting here watching the video again, and damn... it makes me a little emotional just remembering what I went though..I'm doing the Orcas Island 100 Feb 7th and just working on getting myself stoked for that
@@ultratrailblazers5806 heck yeah good luck man! One foot in front of the other. I didn't realize how many ultras there are out there, especially in WA. I live in Skagit county and I'm starting to research them. God willing late 2020 will be my first 50k trail ultra! Subscribing to your channel now
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the support! I'm working on training up for the Orcas Island 100 in February and hope to make a nice film on that, thanks for watching!
Awesome vid and incredible effort, sir! Well done. I paced 50 in 2018, hoping the lottery is kind this year! Thanks for the inspiration and motivation!
Great job finishing what you started! Appreciate the journey and wish you the best! Keep it up and remember there is always another race and in that another lesson! Be well..
Thank you! I'm looking forward to training up for the Orcas Island 100 in February, it's going to be an awesome journey! (and terrifying..especially the idea of a loop course 100)
Great video and effort. Props for finishing it. Not easy knowing you won't make the 30 hr cut off, feel a bit of your pain there man. 2018 I finished in 30:12, way to gut it out. Congrats!
Thanks for watching! I appreciate every single person who watches and comments and subscribes, I started filming my journey in ultra running in April after years of running ultras, I'm having a great time, and will keep making videos even if no one watches, but it sure is cool to see people enjoying them! Check my *fingers crossed* funny videos too, the 'Tips from the Back of the Pack'
Thank you so much for letting us follow you through your journey. Stories like yours inspire me to keep looking for that next more difficult run, that next excellent trail & it helps me to temper self doubt. What a tribute to self discipline and as you mentioned "grit". My hat is off to you; I hope to some day attempt this race mostly just to answer that gnawing question, "Can I do it?"
It’s never to early to start saying I commit I won’t quit. I am all in for next year. Awesome video I will be watching every day to give me inspiration.
Great job man! I saw you about 100 yards from the finish line and it was inspiring! Just remember everyone remembers Julie Moss at Ironman and hardly anyone remembers who won that year. It was great meeting you after following your videos.
great video!! I live in Vancouver BC. when you said you were from Seattle and about the altitude i laughed cause i remember when i was in Denver for a trail running conference. I ran down the airport cosway to catch my shuttle....made it about 5 gates down and thought my lungs were bleeding!! LOL
At an early age, it was instilled in me by my father that I should never quit a race. I never did. Probably should have, but whether I pushed it to the finish line or came limping in, I gave it my best effort.
Great to see the organisers saw fit to leave the finishing line ‘open’ and the clock ticking after the official cut-off. I missed a cut-off by 21 minutes in March after going 14 hours and the clock was stopped. That sucked. You guts-it-out & that’s all that counts to me & anyone who viewed this fab video. Ultra Running needs something better than the term DNF which is a misnomer in this case and many others.
What's cool too is I'm listed as a finisher, not DNF, which gave me enough points to put my name in the lottery for UTMB next year, LOL, so here we go!! It would be like a dream come true and a nightmare if I got into UTMB annnd Western States, but what the heck, you gotta try if you have the qualifiers! And great job to you finishing your race too, what a shame they stopped the clock. When I went and paced at Teanaway and they cancelled the race we came back to the finish area and the clock was now off and I thought it was soo weird to see... Teanaway was just a weird experience all around haha
Thank you! I have a cheap garmin I use on training runs, but it only lasts about 30 miles... I tried the new coros when we did the wonderland a couple months ago, and it was going well until it got to low battery, I plugged it in to charge it and it erased everything hahahaha, so in my opinion you have to get the Fenix or nothing, I just can't afford it
@@ultratrailblazers5806 well if it makes you feel any better. I bought the Fenix 6 last week, tried it for two runs and returned it today haha. Very heavy, the maps are slow and pretty awful. I’ll just stick with my 235 but still don’t have an option for ultras longer than about 10 hours for battery
This is so moving!! It is the ultimate story of ultra running! This is no different to Goggins at last years bad water. Finishing what he stated despite of anything.
I needed some inspiration this evening and I'm so glad I found this video! I'm now subscribing to the channel. Great effort to finish Leadville! Can you share more about your lung/breathing situation? I've had respiratory problems on and off for years. I'm a baby boomer and it seems to be quite a bit better than previous years. I just started trail running a few months ago - taking things very slow. While others a lot younger than me aspire to run races like Leadville, my goal is to try for a marathon distance race. I also hope to start volunteering at some trail races! Thanks for the great video.
That's so awesome! That is the heart of what I am trying to convey to people about Leadville and about ultra running and running in general: It is all about your own personal journey, and the goal is to push yourself to discover new limits and boundaries of what is possible for you, so go get that marathon done, and then sign up for a trail 50K (you'll LOVE it) About the lungs, I grew up in New Mexico at 7K elevation, so you'd think I'd be a natural to elevation, but I moved to Seattle when I was 20 and have been living at 0 feet sea level ever since, I also smoked like a chimney for many years of my youth, which I'm a little suspicious has something to do with it... I got an Albuterol inhaler before Cruel Jewel like I mentioned and found that it helped quite a bit later on in the race when I started to get some edema in my lungs (I can feel the fluid and the wheezing and tightness), not sure if I have mild asthma/exercise induced asthma or what!?
@@ultratrailblazers5806 thanks for your note! I think you had lots of guts and fortitude to finish Leadville with those breathing issues and pain! I hope the respiratory stuff improves and that it won't impede your ultra running :-)
Sometimes, without the cups, all my things end up smashed up, maybe from the volunteers transporting all the bags together I think, the cups protect it all, and keep it organized!
Maybe this is just me (so it seems looking at previous comments) but considering it sounds from your commentary like you may very well have been suffering early onsite Pulmonary Edema, I think carrying on was endangering your life for a race... As someone who also runs ultras and rock climbs I can't believe you think your long term health and possibly your life is worth risking to prove you have grit. When Ken asks for that commitment, it's about pushing through the mental limits and low-level physical ones (cramps, soreness, aches, nausea). The race organisers don't want people dying or suffering long-term, irreversible damage. The fact you admit in a comment below that you had to be hospitalised after this race shows the seriousness of your situation :-(
It is interesting to reflect back on my experience, and it is profound to think about how committed I was to finishing, and what I put myself through to get there, as I said I broke down crying for some time when I finished... If you watch my other experiences, you'll see I bailed out at 75 miles at the Orcas Island 100 which was a real tough experience dur to the weather, and I have reflected on what all was involved in that experience and I realize that we all have our own individual limits and can perhaps only go so deep in the well so many times, or perhaps just not too close together, and looking back I truly wish I hadn't quit at the orcas island, I know I had it in me to finish, and if I had finished then I would have one more remarkable memory of overcoming what seemed to be an insurmountable task... but, I wasn't in that headspace at the time.. anyway, thanks for watching, take care!
I really enjoyed that man. It was my first leadville and what an adventure it was. You really captured the experience well and I thank you for this video. On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate leadville vs. Crewel jewel? CJ looks like a beast
Honestly, Cruel Jewel is quite a bit harder... like I said in my Cruel Jewel video I was having quitting thoughts at mile 15...which was a unique experience for me. The race starts at noon and it is HOT, by mile 1 you're drenched in sweat and starting to climb. It has a 48 hour cut off which I think is totally appropriate. Leadville is a unique race for me because it gives me such severe respiratory problems every time, ended up in the hospital this year, but body wise my legs felt surprisingly good at the end of Leadville this year, just literally couldn't breathe, I would highly recommend the Cruel Jewel...It was epic!
@@jamestrystan Hero 7..but at some point I'll probly get the 8, mine is just so unreliable hahaha... Well, I've signed up for many other races, but nothing is happening, check out the issy alps 100 video, no one could cancel that one! I'm going to go do the Wonderland again at the end of august as well (hopefully finishing this time) and I just signed up for the plain 100 if it doesnt get cancelled I'll give that a go...
Really enjoyed watching this video and was rooting for you the entire time. You displayed great grit. The elevation at Leadville would no doubt make it more difficult to breathe. However, I just watched another video in which you were on a hike with your wife, and I noticed that you were also mouth breathing a lot in it. Have you looked into nasal breathing? If not, I would suggest checking out the Buteyko Method and the work of Patrick McKeown. When I began practicing nasal breathing, the improvements in my fitness and overall well-being were immense. I've made a short video on nasal breathing if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/76434pRPIMQ/w-d-xo.html Wishing you continued success and high quality living and adventure.
@@ultratrailblazers5806 he's the lead actor in the movie twister, so you could say that. Congrats on the race. Great video. Ive done one flat 62 mile race and that was hard enough. Thinking of my first 100 next year. 🤞
I have been binge watching ultra videos. Your story is the one I will remember because you finished through excruciating pain. And finished without any hope in the final stretch of making it under the time limit. There is an award for this - although not a belt buckle - but a place in your soul that knows you didn’t quit. I actually think perhaps you should have stopped given the complications. As I contemplate my own big challenges, I will remember how you rose to the occasion- amazing. Thank you.
You fabulous, fabulous human being! Awesome.
Thank you!
Awesome, what ever it takes, and as the founders said a commitment, congrats I am in awe.
Great story and an amazing show of grit and determination. Hope your health is ok
Excellent story. Thank you for sharing it. These races are not about the win, but about the journey. Well done.
Well said, the reason we sign up for these races is the incredible adventure, and the not knowing what the outcome may be... Thanks for watching!
How am I just finding this video now. Great video brother. Not only fun to see your experience but also really helpful. Subbed!
Right on!!! Thanks man... almost to that 1000 subs...come on baby... lol
Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring!
Awesome inspiring story man. Thanks. Way to stick with it and not give up.
Thanks man! As silly as it may be I was just sitting here watching the video again, and damn... it makes me a little emotional just remembering what I went though..I'm doing the Orcas Island 100 Feb 7th and just working on getting myself stoked for that
@@ultratrailblazers5806 heck yeah good luck man! One foot in front of the other. I didn't realize how many ultras there are out there, especially in WA. I live in Skagit county and I'm starting to research them. God willing late 2020 will be my first 50k trail ultra! Subscribing to your channel now
@@ultratrailblazers5806 make a video of your orcas islands race, I'd love to watch a video on your experience of it
Awesome and inspiring! Thank you for making this movie.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate the support! I'm working on training up for the Orcas Island 100 in February and hope to make a nice film on that, thanks for watching!
UltraTrailBlazers I’ll definitely check it out!
Thanks for sharing your amazing story.
Thank you for watching! Now go crush a run!
Great effort, way to dig deep. Get your health back. Thanks for posting your journey.
Thank you! Every single 100 (for us mere mortals) is a journey into darkness and a test of how deep we can dig, I think that's why we love it so much!
You are all heart brother! It was an honor to be there with your family to support you on your journey.
Thank you guys for being there, we are lucky to have such great friends!
Awesome vid and incredible effort, sir! Well done. I paced 50 in 2018, hoping the lottery is kind this year! Thanks for the inspiration and motivation!
Great job. I was out there with you. What an experience and thanks for sharing your story
Ya, every 100 is an incredible experience, I think that's why I'll keep going back until I can't...
An amazing story
Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you, appreciate your support!
Thank you for an amazing story of perseverance, courage, and honesty. Great footage throughout.
Thank you so much! Hopefully Orcas Island 100 in February goes a little smoother!
Great job finishing what you started! Appreciate the journey and wish you the best! Keep it up and remember there is always another race and in that another lesson! Be well..
Thank you! I'm looking forward to training up for the Orcas Island 100 in February, it's going to be an awesome journey! (and terrifying..especially the idea of a loop course 100)
Awesome. Congratulations on making it to the finish. It looks like a very very tough course to say the least.
Thanks! You know, not a crazy amount of climbing, its just the damn elevation..
Loved your grit and positivity ! Great job !! 💪🏼☮️❤️
Thank you!!
A story well told. It was great meeting you. Best luck moving forward.
Great to meet you too, thanks for watching!
Great video and effort. Props for finishing it. Not easy knowing you won't make the 30 hr cut off, feel a bit of your pain there man. 2018 I finished in 30:12, way to gut it out. Congrats!
I saw you finish in 2018, were you part of the Leadman? If not, you and another guy both finished right in that time frame, and it was awesome to see!
@@ultratrailblazers5806 Thanks, I wasn't Leadman. see th-cam.com/video/Cf3FQavrchY/w-d-xo.html
Such a inspiring story!! I was moved to tears!!
Thank you! So appreciated!!
Great video man ! thanks for posting
Thanks for watching! I appreciate every single person who watches and comments and subscribes, I started filming my journey in ultra running in April after years of running ultras, I'm having a great time, and will keep making videos even if no one watches, but it sure is cool to see people enjoying them! Check my *fingers crossed* funny videos too, the 'Tips from the Back of the Pack'
Thank you so much for letting us follow you through your journey. Stories like yours inspire me to keep looking for that next more difficult run, that next excellent trail & it helps me to temper self doubt. What a tribute to self discipline and as you mentioned "grit". My hat is off to you; I hope to some day attempt this race mostly just to answer that gnawing question, "Can I do it?"
Just remember that even attempting a 100 is an amazing human achievement and experience
You finished man. Nicely done sir.
This was a great video!! Sucked me right in.... what a journey! Compelling story well told.
That's so awesome! Thanks man!
U really inspired me.. Going for a run straightway
Thank u.
Keep running 🏃 keep inspiring
RIGHT ON!!!!
It’s never to early to start saying I commit I won’t quit. I am all in for next year. Awesome video I will be watching every day to give me inspiration.
Ya buddy!! Good Luck!
Great job man! I saw you about 100 yards from the finish line and it was inspiring! Just remember everyone remembers Julie Moss at Ironman and hardly anyone remembers who won that year. It was great meeting you after following your videos.
It was great to meet you to! Thanks for being out there to volunteer and for all the support!
great video!! I live in Vancouver BC. when you said you were from Seattle and about the altitude i laughed cause i remember when i was in Denver for a trail running conference. I ran down the airport cosway to catch my shuttle....made it about 5 gates down and thought my lungs were bleeding!! LOL
Bwahahahaha! Seriously... I went up to elevation in June to train, but I guess that week wasn't quite enough....
Awesome video! Just getting into running again, thanks for the inspiration. I backpacked the Colligate West CDT last year. Hope Pass climb is brutal..
Especially after 50 miles....
Awesome story man, truly inspirational. You make me want to go out and run all day.
Ya! That's so awesome!
At an early age, it was instilled in me by my father that I should never quit a race. I never did. Probably should have, but whether I pushed it to the finish line or came limping in, I gave it my best effort.
Great to see the organisers saw fit to leave the finishing line ‘open’ and the clock ticking after the official cut-off. I missed a cut-off by 21 minutes in March after going 14 hours and the clock was stopped. That sucked. You guts-it-out & that’s all that counts to me & anyone who viewed this fab video. Ultra Running needs something better than the term DNF which is a misnomer in this case and many others.
What's cool too is I'm listed as a finisher, not DNF, which gave me enough points to put my name in the lottery for UTMB next year, LOL, so here we go!! It would be like a dream come true and a nightmare if I got into UTMB annnd Western States, but what the heck, you gotta try if you have the qualifiers! And great job to you finishing your race too, what a shame they stopped the clock. When I went and paced at Teanaway and they cancelled the race we came back to the finish area and the clock was now off and I thought it was soo weird to see... Teanaway was just a weird experience all around haha
My hat is off to you sir.
Thanks for watching!
Awesome video, you told a great story. Surprising that you don’t use a gps watch too!
Thank you! I have a cheap garmin I use on training runs, but it only lasts about 30 miles... I tried the new coros when we did the wonderland a couple months ago, and it was going well until it got to low battery, I plugged it in to charge it and it erased everything hahahaha, so in my opinion you have to get the Fenix or nothing, I just can't afford it
@@ultratrailblazers5806 well if it makes you feel any better. I bought the Fenix 6 last week, tried it for two runs and returned it today haha. Very heavy, the maps are slow and pretty awful. I’ll just stick with my 235 but still don’t have an option for ultras longer than about 10 hours for battery
@@Fulforce Seriously, in the end no watch is going to make me move any faster over 100 miles lol
This is so moving!! It is the ultimate story of ultra running! This is no different to Goggins at last years bad water. Finishing what he stated despite of anything.
Thank you so much!!!! Love that!
Dude, that was great. No quit in you.
Yes! The one and only Eric Strand! Thanks man! That was brutal...
This is really awesome! Subbed :)
Great vid!
Thanks for watching!
I needed some inspiration this evening and I'm so glad I found this video! I'm now subscribing to the channel. Great effort to finish Leadville! Can you share more about your lung/breathing situation? I've had respiratory problems on and off for years. I'm a baby boomer and it seems to be quite a bit better than previous years. I just started trail running a few months ago - taking things very slow. While others a lot younger than me aspire to run races like Leadville, my goal is to try for a marathon distance race. I also hope to start volunteering at some trail races! Thanks for the great video.
That's so awesome! That is the heart of what I am trying to convey to people about Leadville and about ultra running and running in general: It is all about your own personal journey, and the goal is to push yourself to discover new limits and boundaries of what is possible for you, so go get that marathon done, and then sign up for a trail 50K (you'll LOVE it)
About the lungs, I grew up in New Mexico at 7K elevation, so you'd think I'd be a natural to elevation, but I moved to Seattle when I was 20 and have been living at 0 feet sea level ever since, I also smoked like a chimney for many years of my youth, which I'm a little suspicious has something to do with it... I got an Albuterol inhaler before Cruel Jewel like I mentioned and found that it helped quite a bit later on in the race when I started to get some edema in my lungs (I can feel the fluid and the wheezing and tightness), not sure if I have mild asthma/exercise induced asthma or what!?
@@ultratrailblazers5806 thanks for your note! I think you had lots of guts and fortitude to finish Leadville with those breathing issues and pain! I hope the respiratory stuff improves and that it won't impede your ultra running :-)
I mirror the others, excellent job! Can you explain the use of red cups? The chips I get, but the glasses intrigue me. Thanks.
Sometimes, without the cups, all my things end up smashed up, maybe from the volunteers transporting all the bags together I think, the cups protect it all, and keep it organized!
Stay Hard.
And here I'm just trying to complete a piddly marathon. :/
And 23:49 mood = Weary AF
Seriously... the 1000 yard stare of an ultra runner...lol
Maybe this is just me (so it seems looking at previous comments) but considering it sounds from your commentary like you may very well have been suffering early onsite Pulmonary Edema, I think carrying on was endangering your life for a race... As someone who also runs ultras and rock climbs I can't believe you think your long term health and possibly your life is worth risking to prove you have grit. When Ken asks for that commitment, it's about pushing through the mental limits and low-level physical ones (cramps, soreness, aches, nausea). The race organisers don't want people dying or suffering long-term, irreversible damage. The fact you admit in a comment below that you had to be hospitalised after this race shows the seriousness of your situation :-(
It is interesting to reflect back on my experience, and it is profound to think about how committed I was to finishing, and what I put myself through to get there, as I said I broke down crying for some time when I finished... If you watch my other experiences, you'll see I bailed out at 75 miles at the Orcas Island 100 which was a real tough experience dur to the weather, and I have reflected on what all was involved in that experience and I realize that we all have our own individual limits and can perhaps only go so deep in the well so many times, or perhaps just not too close together, and looking back I truly wish I hadn't quit at the orcas island, I know I had it in me to finish, and if I had finished then I would have one more remarkable memory of overcoming what seemed to be an insurmountable task... but, I wasn't in that headspace at the time.. anyway, thanks for watching, take care!
Awesome job! Glad no permanent damage- could have been serious. 👍
Fingers crossed no permanent damage! Well, 3 weeks out and I'm doing a lot better, thanks for watching!
Did you see David Goggins???
I did! He was heading up Hope as I was going down, and I was like....David F***** Goggins! LOL
I saw him out on the course and just about had a seizure with excitement! #stayhard
Chips and brownies 🤤🤤🤤🤤
What ultra running is really all about....
I really enjoyed that man. It was my first leadville and what an adventure it was. You really captured the experience well and I thank you for this video. On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate leadville vs. Crewel jewel? CJ looks like a beast
Honestly, Cruel Jewel is quite a bit harder... like I said in my Cruel Jewel video I was having quitting thoughts at mile 15...which was a unique experience for me. The race starts at noon and it is HOT, by mile 1 you're drenched in sweat and starting to climb. It has a 48 hour cut off which I think is totally appropriate. Leadville is a unique race for me because it gives me such severe respiratory problems every time, ended up in the hospital this year, but body wise my legs felt surprisingly good at the end of Leadville this year, just literally couldn't breathe, I would highly recommend the Cruel Jewel...It was epic!
Thanks for the info guys! Maybe I'll do Crewel Jewel in the future
Great effort man, really impressive!
What camera setup are you using?
Thanks! Just a basic gopro black, thing is glitchy as hell lol
@@ultratrailblazers5806 the hero 4? Seems too good for that I'm guessing a newer model?
Are you planning to take on this race again ?
@@jamestrystan Hero 7..but at some point I'll probly get the 8, mine is just so unreliable hahaha... Well, I've signed up for many other races, but nothing is happening, check out the issy alps 100 video, no one could cancel that one! I'm going to go do the Wonderland again at the end of august as well (hopefully finishing this time) and I just signed up for the plain 100 if it doesnt get cancelled I'll give that a go...
Valiant efforts out at Leadville! I, too, am from Seattle and wonder how the altitude is at Leadville. How did you train/acclimate yourself for it?
I spent time in Colorado and wyoming in June, climbing at higher altitudes, but it's tough.. you can go to camp Muir and hike, that's up at 10K
I spent time in Colorado and wyoming in June, climbing at higher altitudes, but it's tough.. you can go to camp Muir and hike, that's up at 10K
Braveau
I spy a Bloomsday tshirt.
I could not make it even one minute because the cuts were making me sick to my stomach
Haha, well to each their own, take care:)
Outfrickinstanding!
Yes! Thank you!
Really enjoyed watching this video and was rooting for you the entire time. You displayed great grit.
The elevation at Leadville would no doubt make it more difficult to breathe. However, I just watched another video in which you were on a hike with your wife, and I noticed that you were also mouth breathing a lot in it. Have you looked into nasal breathing? If not, I would suggest checking out the Buteyko Method and the work of Patrick McKeown. When I began practicing nasal breathing, the improvements in my fitness and overall well-being were immense. I've made a short video on nasal breathing if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/76434pRPIMQ/w-d-xo.html
Wishing you continued success and high quality living and adventure.
Thanks I'll check it out! I find that my nose is congested most of the time.. maybe i should start using some flonase (not sponsored by flonase)...Lol
You sound just like bill paxton.
Wait, is that good?? Did he do super awesome stuff? :)
@@ultratrailblazers5806 he's the lead actor in the movie twister, so you could say that. Congrats on the race. Great video. Ive done one flat 62 mile race and that was hard enough. Thinking of my first 100 next year. 🤞