I'm retired from racing. Really.

Jupiter Steeplechase

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Location:

Greenville,SC,

Member Since:

Feb 24, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I also maintain a blogspot running blog. Check it out. 

5k- 16:01, 1/2 marathon- 1:11:37, marathon- 2:34:16, 50k- 3:58, 100 mile- 15:19

Former World Record holder in 100 x 5k relay 

Ultra history:

8-100 mile, 1-100k, 9-50 mile, 2-40 mile, 14-50k-ish

12 wins, 5 CR's, plus four 2nd, five 3rd, 4th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 9th, 16th, 20th, 28th, 38th, and 62nd place, with 1 DNF 

Short-Term Running Goals:

Goals 

Enjoy running, stay fit (and maybe lose a few pounds). Play ultimate frisbee.

4 year coach of Langston Middle School- love it

Long-Term Running Goals:

Unretire at some point

Run a sub-6 hr 50 miler

Win a 100 mile ultramarathon

Personal:

I have five cute kids. And I have some rockin short green racing shorts- I wear them mainly because it embarrasses my wife so much. I like ultimate frisbee, trail running, reading, and cheering for the Denver Broncos!   And I have the absolute best wife in the world.  And I used to run for the now-disbanded national Team Pearl Izumi- Ultra!

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 11.00 Month: 51.00 Year: 150.00
Fastwitch Lifetime Miles: 82.50
Trail N1 Lifetime Miles: 86.50
Road N1 Lifetime Miles: 31.00
Trail M2 Lime/black Lifetime Miles: 297.00
Road M3 Grey And Yellow Lifetime Miles: 324.00
Road N2 Purple 2 Lifetime Miles: 222.50
Road N2 4 Grey Lifetime Miles: 51.00
Race: Jupiter Steeplechase (16 Miles) 02:02:21, Place overall: 7, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.000.0016.000.000.0020.00

Quick report- Jupiter Steeplechase today in Park City.  Great race.  I ran it last year in 2:08:00 and placed 4th.  The field was much more competitive this year- I improved my time by over 5.5 minutes, but got 7th place (my time this year would have taken 2nd place last year).  But I had a blast, loved the downhills, and am excited about a huge time improvement... 

Long report- My family had a 2 night stay in PC, so I was able to sleep in this morning.  Ran a few miles in the hotel facility (no hills) and bumped into another runner, who ended up finishing just ahead of me.  Saw Twinkies at the start, plus **lots** of good runners- this is on the La Sportiva racing circuit with big prize money, so it was stacked.  Weather was 45 deg and absolutely perfect.  Last year I started off too slow, so wanted to fix that this year.

Race started with the field heading out very quickly.  I eventually settled into about 8th spot for most of the ascent, with a bit of passing and being passed.  It is a very steady climb of over 3000 ft in 8 miles, with the last .25 mile being so steep it is barely walkable.  Splits were 9:22, 9:07, 8:48, 7:27 (this mile had some flat and some down, which was a very welcome respite from the never ending uphills), 9:59, 9:34, 14:48 (includes the very steep ascent to Jupiter Peak).  Luke Nelson (La Sportiva runner) was a couple minutes ahead at the summit, and Brad Mitchell (also La Sportiva) and another guy barely edged me out over the summit (I can't really say they passed me, since we were all just slowly bushwacking up the mountain on our own paths, but they were just ahead), so I was in 10th place at this point, with another guy just behind.  It sure is hard to breath at 10,000 ft while climbing straight up a mountain while eating Shot Blocks.  Then it is a slight downhill, then another steep climb to Tri-Counties peak.  This mile was 9:07, and I hit the summit in 1:16:50- last year was 1:21 and 7th place at this point, so I was more than 4 minutes ahead of my time but further back in the standings.  At least I can say I didn't go out too slowly this year. 

I love trail running, and by that I primarily mean I love downhill singletrack.  LOVE it.  I tolerate climbing just for the downhills.  So, now the race was getting fun.  I quickly caught the 2 guys in front of me but could not pass them due to the singletrack.  Rather than force anything, I just relaxed for about a mile and let them carry me along. 6:33 mile.  Then we turned onto a jeep trail and I picked up the pace, moving into 8th place.  Next few miles were 5:30, 5:42, and 5:16 (what!?!  That split surprised me, given the technical nature of the downhill- flying).  At this point, Luke Nelson suddenly popped into view much to my surprise.  He pulled off so I could pass him, moving into 7th place- I was very surprised to pass him, since he beat me by 7.5 minutes this year at the Wahsatch Steeplechase.  I had no idea who else was ahead of me.  Next miles were 5:40, 6:12, and 6:11.  The last 3 miles of the course have lots of switchbacks which make it very hard to keep up the pace or to see where the competition is.  I would say some miles have as many as 15 or more switchbacks.  The last mile actually has some very painful, though somewhat short, uphill which saps all momentum.  No one ever appeared ahead of me, but I finished with a fast kick (aided by a nice downhill) and 6:04 mile pace.  Total time 2:02:21, 7:38 pace- 22 seconds faster per mile than last year.  I was very, very happy with how I raced and how I felt, though nowhere near my top 3 goal.  Winning time was 1:52, 3rd place was 1:58.  Man I love trail races!

Ended up in 7th overall, which was great since the top 7 got prizes.  There were a bunch of free shoes and some ski passes to PC- I ended up with a ski pass.  Sweet.  Hopefully I can use it.  Talked to a bunch of nice guys after the race, cheered Twinkie in, then headed back to the hotel for a nice shower.  Now I'll spend the rest of the day enjoying Park City, then fly to Florida tomorrow.  If I get in some good miles and BW while there, I'll aim for a PR at TOU 1/2 and full, my next 2 races.  Then I transistion fully into my ultra training for my 100 milers next year.  Should be a blast.

 

XT Wings Miles: 20.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Dustin on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 17:07:32 from 209.33.192.10

Nice job on the race and way to improve your time from last year. Have fun in Florida

From Merri on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 17:07:57 from 160.7.234.108

Nice job Jon, that's great!!!

From allie on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 17:36:14 from 208.54.15.210

great race today, and a nice improvement from last year. awesome!

From crockett on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 18:05:11 from 71.36.80.111

Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun. I should have joined in. Maybe next year.

From James on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 18:23:56 from 174.23.45.105

6 minutes faster and 3 places back, sounds about right. Great race!

From paul on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 18:26:28 from 75.162.111.162

Nice job. But next time you need to win.

From Steve Hooper on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 19:31:16 from 209.33.254.93

Great Job Jon! Looks like some good times.

Are you still thinking Squaw Peak 50 for 2010?

From josse on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 21:11:14 from 75.216.160.107

WOW that is a smokin time on the course, great job:)

From Cody on Sat, Aug 08, 2009 at 21:54:13 from 67.161.250.22

Stellar! Great race for you. Sure beats Florida!

From redrooster on Sun, Aug 09, 2009 at 01:13:39 from 71.219.130.162

nice job Jon, and the best part is there were no rottweilers on the course.

From Twinkies on Sun, Aug 09, 2009 at 02:15:43 from 67.166.71.60

Awesome running today. I thought I was moving when I had a 6:27 split. But 5:16, that's just nuts. Great job.

From Jon on Sun, Aug 09, 2009 at 09:27:05 from 67.132.126.15

Thanks, everyone. It's a great race.

Paul, thanks for the advice. I never realized that before. I'll try to do that next time. Wish you had told me earlier.

Steve- planning on either Squaw 50 or Pocatello 50. We'll see.

From jtshad on Sun, Aug 09, 2009 at 10:20:33 from 69.20.183.178

Congrats on a strong race, glad you had a good time. Safe travels in Florida.

From Adam RW on Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 23:33:10 from 155.101.152.103

Congrats. Way to stick it out with the big dogs. Nice plan for the rest of the year and beyond...

From Superfly on Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 10:14:30 from 208.117.127.110

Great race Jon. You'll get your PR's in the half and full. Good luck the rest of the way... you'll have to plan a trip down here this winter for a training run for your 100. Come enjoy STG when the wether here is nice.

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