tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71811760675796039522024-03-12T17:26:29.278-06:00El FreakoAdventures of the bike......oh and run, yes running.Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.comBlogger472125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-61293504858987376972018-08-07T13:54:00.001-06:002018-08-07T16:47:18.920-06:00Tushar 100kThe Tushar 100k has to be hands down the toughest, rowdiest and most incredibly most beautiful race in North America.<br />
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The race is located high above Beaver, Utah in the Tushar Mountains. A little known range of mountains that are so incredibly beautiful and rugged.<i> It was time to get crushed in the Tushars.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Time to get the party started!</span></div>
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The race starts and finishes at Eagle Point Ski Resort at the base of Mt. Holly at an elevation of 10,500 feet. The race started at 5am with a slight downhill into a mud bog from the recent construction happening on the ski resort to upgrade their snow making capability. After a short descent the route takes a left up hill past an old cabin crossing through a meadow where I saw bear prints that were pretty fresh. Very cool. The route continues up and over a saddle switchbacking down a bit before going back up for awhile to a ridge line to descend down some knarly singletrack. Up and down it goes until we hit the first aid station; Alunite. We would see this aid station twice. The second time on our way back to the finish.<br />
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After leaving the Alunite aid station it was a grind up an old mining road for a mile or so, up and over a ridge and down some great single track mixed with some mining roads and up a 2000 ft climb to the top of Mt Delano, the high point on the route. Once on top it was down the other side of Delano to the second aid station; Skyline.<br />
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After passing through Skyline aid station we ran down a road which is a popular ATV camping area for the local hilljacks of Utah. Than it was onto some sweet, pretty buffed out singletrack going up for about 5 miles to Mud lake aid station. I was all by myself for the first 20 miles or so. There was a small lake which looked like mud (hence the name Mud Lake) more like a pond or tank like we call them in Arizona. My shoes became muddied from running to close to the shore line. This was a short out and back aid station. I saw Tyler (he camped near us at the start area) at this moment who I would pass later on the way to Miners Park. After leaving Mud Lake it was on to more rocky singletrack and dropping down 2000 feet in about 5 miles to Blue Lake before climbing back out of Blue Lake on a mining road to the Bullion Pasture aid station at mile 28. Almost half way!!! I was feeling pretty good still and had been running off and on with other badass runners but mostly by myself. This would change as I would meet a new "trail brother".<br />
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<i><br /></i>After leaving the Bullion Pasture aid station which we would see twice and where we had our drop bags it was on to an out and back to Copper Belt Peak. About 12ish miles total. I ran down a road for almost 3 miles where the awesome married couple of Rich and Erin McKnight were manning. Hugs from them both made my day! It was mile 31 now. I would see them again after climbing up to Copper Belt peak. The climb to Copper Belt Peak was tough. I had caught up with Tim Shupe from Lehi Utah as we had leap frogged during the first half of the race. He is a fast mofo down hill. I was in awe seeing him run down some knarly singletrack in the first 5 miles. We stuck together the remainder of the race pushing each other to our limits. He was fast downhill and I was fast uphill.<br />
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After gaining the peak of Copper Belt (I gave it the middle finger) we were happy to descend down back to the aid station to see Rich and Erin again. Mile 38. After some orange slices and chickpea wraps it was off to climb the nearly 3 mile road back up to Bullion Pasture aid station. At this aid station I changed socks and shoes. I should have left my original shoes on as the second pair felt a bit tight. Oh well. It was what it was. My middle toes are longer than my other toes and they were taking a beating with all of the descent. They would feel much worse later on.<br />
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Now we had a 4000 foot descent in 7 miles down to Miner's Park aid station. Long, long descent. Tim was crushing the downhill and I was just hanging on to keep him in sight. So far the weather had been decent, being a bit warm and only a few rain drops and high wind. Partly cloudy. Pretty ideal weather. We passed Tyler and his pacer on the long descent. I was pleasantly surprised as our overall standings just got better. Down at Miner's Park aid station the second place female was there looking a bit shattered. She had a pacer as well and they headed out just behind Tim and I. She ended up finishing about an hour after us. She didn't look overly happy when we saw her at the aid station. We ended up passing two racers putting us easily into the top ten. The day was looking better and better. In my eyes its about beating everyone: chicks or dicks!<br />
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After descending down to Miners Park it was time for the big dawg 4000 foot ascent to Edna Peak. It began with a few miles of an old mining road switch backing up and up and up! Tim was struggling and I just kept being positive. PMA....positive mental attitude! Than it got ugly making a left turn straight up about a mile on nothing at all resembling a trail. Just follow the flags. The wind was turned on high with a few clouds threatening a rain storm but nothing at all. Tim was struggling up the climb. I would wait a bit for him. It was great team work. After summiting the peak it was a couple miles down to the last aid station; Alunite which I could see from the peak. It took forever to get there. Tim and I arrived about 8.20 pm. The aid station was manned by Scout. A freako awesome person. We sat down and I had some broth with noodles. I was pretty shattered at this moment. 7 miles to go!<br />
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The last 7 miles we had done earlier in the day. It wasn't as much climbing but it was a total knife fight! We had to turn our lights on with about 5 miles to go. Tim was crushing the descents and I was still hanging in there with both feet hurting at this point. The flagging was hard to see at night as some of the reflectors had fallen off the flags. Teamwork from both of us made it easier. If I was alone it would have taken longer as I heard from other racers.<br />
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Tim and I crossed the finish line together arm in arm. It was so awesome to finish. Having a trail brother out there made a big difference. Tim and I tied for 6th place in 17 hours and 42 minutes. We were in 7th/8th place earlier on in the race and passed two racers in the second half who both had pacers but Tim and I were a great team. Covering ground quickly. My total stopped time was only about 20 minutes the whole day. What an accomplishment. 16,700 feet of climbing!<br />
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Results:<br />
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https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=57410#id985231<br />
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Race Website:<br />
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https://www.aravaiparunning.com/tushars/<br />
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Strava:<br />
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https://www.strava.com/activities/1751283789<br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-59534883063114709182018-08-07T11:19:00.002-06:002018-08-07T11:31:31.627-06:00I'm BackI'm back on blogger! With all the social media available I haven't been writing on my blog like I should have been doing this past year. I like to write but haven't committed my time to it. With Facebook and Instagram, why.<br />
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Since I finished my single speed record setting AZTR 750 race in April of 2017 I continued to have a great year going into 2018.<br />
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<b>2017 </b><br />
May-Flagstaff AES bike race: 7th overall 7:07<br />
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July-Crusher in the Tushar gravel bike race: 2nd single speeder<br />
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August-North Rim Ramble foot trail marathon: 5th overall 4:25<br />
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August-White Tanks 52k foot nite race: 9th overall 6:17<br />
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September: Stagecoach 100 miler foot race; 23 hours 18 seconds 11th overall (my first 100)<br />
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November: Colossal Cave 50 miler foot race 10th overall 10: 03<br />
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December-McDowell Mtn Frenzy 50 miler 10:2<br />
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December-Trails of Glory 30k 4th overall 3:55<br />
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New Years weekend-Curmudgeon 100 2nd place 9:15<br />
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<b>2018</b><br />
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January-Oracle Rumble 50 miler foot race 4th overall 10:29<br />
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March-Sedona Big Friggin Loop bike race 1st single speed 10th overall<br />
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April-Prescott Monster Cross endurance race 1st overall on the long course (only finisher) 9;47<br />
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May-Chino Grinder 115 miler gravel bike race 2nd single speeder (Arizona State champ by default-winner was out of state)<br />
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May-10k foot race Skull Valley 1st age group 5th overall 45:55<br />
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June-Big Pine 54k 15th overall 6:10<br />
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August -Tushar 100k run 6th overall 17:42:30 (the toughest 100k in North America)<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-31122015860151782002017-05-04T23:43:00.001-06:002017-05-04T23:56:02.488-06:00Feeling like a Rock Star until NotI felt like a rock star after completing the AZTR 750 race. The week after I finished I was so tired......similar to the Colorado Trail Race fatigue.<br />
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Than the wife got sick and I got it...my body was in the deficient, I'm pretty resilient. Until I'm not. WTF. So, I got sick, went to the doctor the other day and I'm antibiotics. I'm racing a 108 miler ss gravel race on Saturday. The pressure is on to do well. I like the pressure but than again I do not. I'm called El Freako for a reason.....revel in the chaos. Fuck. I want to win so bad at times it hurts.......the stress is worrisome.<br />
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After finishing the AZTR 750 and only being 6 hours from first it makes me wonder. I trained so hard for that and I know I beat the ss record by half a day. I yearn for more. I'm an addict. There is always more. My mind turns and turns. It's a crazy existence. I'm so fucked at times. I'm so restless. I'll be 51 soon and I feel like I'm 20. I'm a madman.<br />
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Soon I'll be running my first 100 miler trail running race: Bryce Canyon in June. After completing the AZTR 750 race it seems so minuscule. No fucks given. NFG! I may change that mindset. It's so surreal what we can do as humans.Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-32744363031842882002017-04-23T12:07:00.001-06:002017-05-03T08:13:13.950-06:00AZTR 750 2017<div class="MsoNormal">
Arizona Trail Race 750 2017: El Freako’s account of one of
the world’s toughest bike packing races. <o:p></o:p><br />
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After finishing the Colorado Trail Race (2013) and the
Arizona Trail Race 300 (2014) I have been wanting/yearning to race the entire
AZTR 750 route. I decided last year that 2017 would be the time. It’s not like
I had to really START training for the race as I am always training for
something. It’s a lifestyle I have instilled into my daily life for years.
Either it’s ultra-running the last couple years or bike racing. I’m always
training. <o:p></o:p><br />
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I spent a lot of time bike packing the months leading up to
the race as well as few ultra-running races; A couple of 50 milers, a couple of
50ks and a 100k. Ultra running is a great cross trainer for bike racing.
Especially bike packing as you are on your feet a lot hike –a-biking (HAB). One
thing I always say about training for these type of events: you have to be
uncomfortable to be comfortable. If I have to explain that than never mind.
Some of you will get it. NFG!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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On top of the training comes the expense of the gear needed
for bike packing. It really doesn’t take much gear but then again it does. I
had bought a pack just for the Grand Canyon traverse that would carry my bike
on my back. An Osprey Stratos 36. In orange color of course. I bought the newer
Fenix 35 lights. I have previously used the Fenix PD32UE for the CTR and AZTR
300. They use disposable 123 batteries which you can find at most hardware or
grocery stores. Albeit they are not cheap batteries.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The bike of choice was my Kokopelli Bike Co 29er titanium
hardtail single speed with a Rock Shox 100 mm front suspension fork. This bike
has been with me nearly four years and has survived many beat downs including
the CTR. I replaced the bottom bracket, front chain ring, chain, rear cog,
brake system (XT 8000’s) the rear brake failed during the race. So much for
new. Ha. Ergon grips, and saddle. I ran a 32x23 gearing which I was very happy
with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The majority of my frame bags are from Broad Fork Bags out
of Park City. Josh Van Jura makes some of the best bags on the market. My seat
pod and feed bags were Revelate but frame bag, top tube bags and front harness
system are from Broad Fork. And he does sweet custom colors as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My sleep system includes a Stoic 30 degree bag, Sol Escape
Bivy, Klymit x lite pad that border lines uncomfortable and a blue tarp. In all
it weighs just under 3.5 lbs including the Broad Fork Bag it all stuffs into. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Ok, after months of prep, training, memorizing the route
with food and water stops, and riding some of the route that I didn’t know it
was finally race day. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Laura, myself and Dan Holmes from Rico, Colorado drove down
to the race start the nite before the race. No time for nervousness, just go
time. The morning came fast and before you knew it, it was go time at 7am April
7<sup>th</sup> starting at the Mexico border. 750 miles to Utah! I knew just to
get into a zone and pedal within my limits and get to the 300 mile mark where
in my head the race really started. IT looked as though there were a few of us
single speeders out of the 40 racers who started. No need to worry about
anybody as it was a long race. My goal was to go under 9 days and beat the
single speed record of 9 days. Dan I were riding together as long as possible.
It is a race after all and you can’t plan to ride with somebody the whole time.
Somebody will be faster than the other at times. It was nice to have the
company though. Dan is tough as fuck and has completed the AZTR 300, Vapor
Trail, KTR and San Juan Death loops amongst other hard routes that nobody else
could fathom. Yep, Dan is tough. We have shared some good ones together. Enough about him, its about me. Ha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The race started off with nearly 17 miles of dirt road, I
was dropped as my gearing is spinny but that was ok. I knew the Canelo’s were
waiting for me and the 32x23 would be a nice gear to get through these horrible
hills. The heat was ramping up. All I had to do was cruise through and get to
Sonoita where cold drinks and food supply awaited. I made it through the
Canelo’s with only one crash over the handlebars. No damage. It was a lot of on
the bike and off the bike. It was all I was going to know the entire race. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once we made it to Sonoita and refueled it was on to
Kentucky Camp where there was water. The next food supply was Tucson. The goal
that day was to bivy at Colossal Cave but made it just a few miles shy of
Colossal Cave. 112 miles for the day. Not bad for the first day out in the
weeds. The plan was to sleep a few hours and get back at it. The morning came
and it was on the bikes to Tucson, first stopping at a farmer’s market to get
some fresh coffee and breakfast burritos. I am vegetarian and asking for a
veggie burrito was like pulling teeth from the vendor. He was an ornery east
coast type. Not that hard. Really. Next stop was Safeway, where we were way to
long as the sun was rising and Redington Pass Road awaited us. We pushed on to
Redington Pass Road where the temperatures were rapidly rising. After about
halfway up I started to question my durability. But, I’m a tough fuck and I
made it off the dirt road and into the hill jack rodeo section (knar jeep road
crap). Finally, into the single-track that would lead us to the Molina HAB
taking us over to the Mt. Lemmon Road grind up to Summerhaven and every body’s
favorite Oracle Ridge. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had a bike, not a hiking pole on Oracle Ridge. WTF!</td></tr>
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Oracle Ridge this second time around wasn’t as bad as I
remember from the AZT 300 three years ago. Sure, it keeps going but it is what
it is; a shitty hiking trail. You push your bike, bash your calf with a pedal
with sharp edges from the rocks. I received some nice cuts on my calf hidden by
my tattoo. The tattoo took a beating.
After negotiating the single track at the top of the ridge we eventually
popped out onto the jeep road that I remember being steep and loose. Well, this
time it was graded nicely. I compared it to a ski run this time. A groomed fire
road is nice in the middle of the night. Once, off of the fire road it was time
for more single-track all the way to Oracle. It just seems to keep meandering
all over the place for no good reason and the water bars installed at an odd
angle on the turns do not make any sense at all. Anti-biking trail building it is.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Arrived in Oracle a little over two days into the race.
Progress was good thus far. I had an agenda to stick to if I was going to
finish under 9 days and capture the single speed record which Cjell held at
just 9 days. After refueling in Oracle it was time to ride over a hundred miles
to the next food stop: Queen Valley just pass the 300-mile finish line at
Picket Post. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7C5M4-EG2UTTauxbYOEGt13Of0T4K1JZY-mVeDkHudRCtqUDVxKSoS2qJyqGsbKcWA-V9qaBUk9xqoMgvd26zJbqH90d2dfSNK8yM4kESUUCgriXc-ZrVZU3K57AU3NzwEfOxE3q-4Q/s1600/17861840_10208427519221702_6300082891748874370_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7C5M4-EG2UTTauxbYOEGt13Of0T4K1JZY-mVeDkHudRCtqUDVxKSoS2qJyqGsbKcWA-V9qaBUk9xqoMgvd26zJbqH90d2dfSNK8yM4kESUUCgriXc-ZrVZU3K57AU3NzwEfOxE3q-4Q/s320/17861840_10208427519221702_6300082891748874370_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNUTz6NQfW8EIh_NLFv0i5hSjWiwP-lXXI0dHuemHAy8sMnTHo5cZD_nvWo2h01bh6cJfnmgTSubdX5krksBs8npx8KY6t9WDQME-O5DJePfnVee1UDgyxge7_irtoxKTs9IOpCPXuyE/s1600/17862427_10208422296811145_3280157664351593497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNUTz6NQfW8EIh_NLFv0i5hSjWiwP-lXXI0dHuemHAy8sMnTHo5cZD_nvWo2h01bh6cJfnmgTSubdX5krksBs8npx8KY6t9WDQME-O5DJePfnVee1UDgyxge7_irtoxKTs9IOpCPXuyE/s320/17862427_10208422296811145_3280157664351593497_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNWcJY6d7Sr_wsupNLjqP0EeN8fjvK33gRYkFjDvWb9f6zy4vc3G34P1pU61Nh23fNQI2fj5bsQgKsDpHOpgQz43EGXqCwxUpbt7c0fLXuY2DgzuOoa5S0wIRzsjs5j7EBAoXUxBmkk0/s1600/17883945_10208422293811070_9166689059993768010_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNWcJY6d7Sr_wsupNLjqP0EeN8fjvK33gRYkFjDvWb9f6zy4vc3G34P1pU61Nh23fNQI2fj5bsQgKsDpHOpgQz43EGXqCwxUpbt7c0fLXuY2DgzuOoa5S0wIRzsjs5j7EBAoXUxBmkk0/s320/17883945_10208422293811070_9166689059993768010_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dude was pissed I disturbed his warming spot outside of Oracle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QDj_pq8JLVaqSz0AfVGfetZyt0K_RE_LNcc2pmFxUNT0PcRUhOOA3sZHZ5CUXurWwH4-g-zKz3lYDKB2dT-QPCQMnEXgThx_tqvRiqzE5tjz5cYRgphxAR0HtKGt2EZg3H1tN2Dn5rE/s1600/17884252_10208422301451261_1401121257951098026_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QDj_pq8JLVaqSz0AfVGfetZyt0K_RE_LNcc2pmFxUNT0PcRUhOOA3sZHZ5CUXurWwH4-g-zKz3lYDKB2dT-QPCQMnEXgThx_tqvRiqzE5tjz5cYRgphxAR0HtKGt2EZg3H1tN2Dn5rE/s320/17884252_10208422301451261_1401121257951098026_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXGVg6z1DZq6W08FgyLWWXqZPG0gGE8idjhlnuRiPUaO4TVqpOEg_ZzSd0hF-zoUNPgOLQv5Mw16vr8DxcM5l0Ydm35aSx1NxBWVa_SZbNESTRax55zrlfHcEQhJBzWMkoJMuFzOwli0/s1600/17884571_10208422248049926_8460727609829196023_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXGVg6z1DZq6W08FgyLWWXqZPG0gGE8idjhlnuRiPUaO4TVqpOEg_ZzSd0hF-zoUNPgOLQv5Mw16vr8DxcM5l0Ydm35aSx1NxBWVa_SZbNESTRax55zrlfHcEQhJBzWMkoJMuFzOwli0/s320/17884571_10208422248049926_8460727609829196023_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMqUNRFH-aR4DVyKZhNXlmtJTtQmEbnjMbzQpadaKn4gc864y9BCFZnIbuLwD_jjtQPc7PkloBjXnQ_rBeKn4sch0JF0lkIjEjHZjE3a26UGU19d0M_L2i9TVxa8rWgHLSep0kG1NssE/s1600/17903406_10208427517901669_7204985842398905854_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMqUNRFH-aR4DVyKZhNXlmtJTtQmEbnjMbzQpadaKn4gc864y9BCFZnIbuLwD_jjtQPc7PkloBjXnQ_rBeKn4sch0JF0lkIjEjHZjE3a26UGU19d0M_L2i9TVxa8rWgHLSep0kG1NssE/s1600/17903406_10208427517901669_7204985842398905854_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two thumbs up !!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfgSYt7L4aHh7NuIuv7vOZz5XqkDBQAsCZ8DekrzM8AxTn1Ny-7Q290ZZMnv8Xb6Ft8VPSVoQDlxnp747fUAEjJuHsTji3AyLsAO9pwk93YAPi8JcYVBUPSr6pAMMah8U7NlOTkEKNUY/s1600/17883527_10212278863477327_3563076162106229497_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfgSYt7L4aHh7NuIuv7vOZz5XqkDBQAsCZ8DekrzM8AxTn1Ny-7Q290ZZMnv8Xb6Ft8VPSVoQDlxnp747fUAEjJuHsTji3AyLsAO9pwk93YAPi8JcYVBUPSr6pAMMah8U7NlOTkEKNUY/s1600/17883527_10212278863477327_3563076162106229497_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picket Post! 300 + miles in!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3EHP5D3EYxBHKocdjyA6VCpdOTy22I5Ut9Cu3SGCZyCsEZtpQxBaPTOXuMT58fINGqduJs8SMyFOWfXg2yFtp15ctmqu6j0p2MWXTu_EA9q0DJdHKuNuQ93BE75Dk8La1Fp-IStFZS8/s1600/17861760_10208427521861768_6159768576364918671_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3EHP5D3EYxBHKocdjyA6VCpdOTy22I5Ut9Cu3SGCZyCsEZtpQxBaPTOXuMT58fINGqduJs8SMyFOWfXg2yFtp15ctmqu6j0p2MWXTu_EA9q0DJdHKuNuQ93BE75Dk8La1Fp-IStFZS8/s1600/17861760_10208427521861768_6159768576364918671_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, along the way to Ripsey
I suddenly lost my rear brake totally right near Antelope Peak. Nothing, lever
pulling all the way to the grip. WTF. I tried to bleed it by pumping the handle
with the screw out. I tried putting water in the caliper. Nothing worked. Oh
well, I would get it fixed later. No time to dilly dally. It was interesting
going down Ripsey in the dark on the switchbacks. No rear brake with a 50 lb
rig is no fun at all. I had called around in the interim to see what my options
were for getting the brake bled. I found a mobile bike service out of Mesa that
would meet me in Queen Valley where I wanted to be at on Monday by 7pm. The
self-supported rules apply here…..do only what everyone else can do. Well,
anybody can call a mobile service so I did. No friends, etc can help you out in
a situation like this. I was fortunate enough to be near Mesa where he was out
of and the right time of day. My goal of being at Fitz’s Stop for food by 7pm
on day 3.5 was spot on. I refueled, brakes bled and moving again before 10pm. I
was stopped longer than I wanted but that’s how it goes. So far into the race
at this point I was leading the 750. Justin Smith came along and so did Dan
Holmes. Justin took off before us and we gave chase later on putting it down
for the nite at Apache Junction close to each other. It was racing time. The
race started at mile 300. It had been hot but manageable the first few days. I
had seen a rattlesnake near Oracle and a desert tortoise so far during the
race. The desert tortoise was hanging out on the first climb out of the Gila
going toward Martinez Canyon. Pretty cool to see it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdnzvvFMZ5Q0DHYgnUQuFqxHU0MoElpzxteGXH6M6Zf-HI0XTGo1ucTAVKHCBnGEu7-rksBRqOUTGeyTFLFvZPvIsEe-giwkKxk4_a58lyP0ORw1Tncuj3lZZRWKcVfbQOnP2SET4FKE/s1600/17861493_10208427514901594_8867213019556619315_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdnzvvFMZ5Q0DHYgnUQuFqxHU0MoElpzxteGXH6M6Zf-HI0XTGo1ucTAVKHCBnGEu7-rksBRqOUTGeyTFLFvZPvIsEe-giwkKxk4_a58lyP0ORw1Tncuj3lZZRWKcVfbQOnP2SET4FKE/s320/17861493_10208427514901594_8867213019556619315_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert tortoise on the climb away from the Gila.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPVA8qHJkb5EoaW_xdHuIYDlfIa_JFHGFMl7ulJzF_97hs87VgDmapY1N1LUtTkL4VY-69iq-WXLSvsBe-NCOwVtrNX8LpW3gFu64mCRaJEIq4F-Z2FRozoOW7yhtgDX4M2WiIx-fATU/s1600/17798924_10208427516181626_6249028600623555850_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPVA8qHJkb5EoaW_xdHuIYDlfIa_JFHGFMl7ulJzF_97hs87VgDmapY1N1LUtTkL4VY-69iq-WXLSvsBe-NCOwVtrNX8LpW3gFu64mCRaJEIq4F-Z2FRozoOW7yhtgDX4M2WiIx-fATU/s1600/17798924_10208427516181626_6249028600623555850_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
After going to Basha’s on the morning of day 4 it was onto
to the Apache Trail, Roosevelt Lake and onto Payson. But first we had to ride a new route from Queen Valley to the Apache Trail. Jeep road, single track and asphalt made up this section. Nothing exciting here but
wide open exposed sun all day. Dan and I jumped into Apache Lake/Salt River
toward the end of the Apache Trail to rinse off and wring out the kits. That
felt amazing. Nothing like standing butt naked in the lake as the fisherman
cruise by in their fishing boats. Nudist beach it was for a moment. That was
the only time I really cleaned up besides the normal washing the face and
brushing the teeth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once we made it to Payson it was shopping time at Walmart
for a few items to make an all nite assault to the hi-line trail at Pine. The double
track out of Payson was freaking awful. Up, up and more up. At least it was
nite and all we saw was some cat eyes in the brush. Last time I saw a lion was
during the 300 race in 2014. I really didn’t want one following me again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Arrived in Pine the next morning with no sleep. Refueled at
the market and started our traverse on the hi-line trail. I’ve only ran on the
end of the trail that leads up to the power line road to the rim. It was as
awful as I expected. Up and down and off the bike and on the bike and off the
bike and on the bike.... repeat until you cry. About 8-10 miles into the
Hi-line trail Dan loses a bolt in his linkage on his super spendy high end full
suspension bike. The other side was starting to shear off as well. We look for a
while with no luck on finding the missing bolt. His race is over and he has to
hike out three hours back to Pine. That fucking sucked for him. I motored on
traversing the shitty terrain and finally make it up to the Mongollon Rim
around 5pm at nite. Wow, that was tough. That will break a soul. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I topped out and started making my way over some snow drifts
on the trail. It was eerie up there as no cars were allowed yet on the rim. Not
a person around. Very tranquil it was. The only evidence of a person up there
was Justin’s tire tracks in the snow. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uJG22tOfOaJX0eD9PXRkC_3Qa_EFnXdTNT51uzfs34VbUL40rcrYmnWiE2iSVeltaLmMMh4Tsh_3kKYCvVAIyqt6TPU-2RB2rhBnyIJNhFxSA6NMGkln3AWn1I6K0h1woHP5ky_s-Yk/s1600/17799339_10208441991303495_7798936390671345406_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uJG22tOfOaJX0eD9PXRkC_3Qa_EFnXdTNT51uzfs34VbUL40rcrYmnWiE2iSVeltaLmMMh4Tsh_3kKYCvVAIyqt6TPU-2RB2rhBnyIJNhFxSA6NMGkln3AWn1I6K0h1woHP5ky_s-Yk/s320/17799339_10208441991303495_7798936390671345406_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60FRuEynXxFt3Grb2w1GgxQfewRV9L7EchQmU9dE0Z9nUuHwW3e7kX_3rYmaHwMy11Ypa329wWG4uoKzvVjVE_XSWvhqvbcNDaiLquy7amu4sR9MS74jUv2sCYPiqgucU74FihUxaQR8/s1600/17523211_10208441992863534_278030860047481721_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj60FRuEynXxFt3Grb2w1GgxQfewRV9L7EchQmU9dE0Z9nUuHwW3e7kX_3rYmaHwMy11Ypa329wWG4uoKzvVjVE_XSWvhqvbcNDaiLquy7amu4sR9MS74jUv2sCYPiqgucU74FihUxaQR8/s320/17523211_10208441992863534_278030860047481721_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shitty trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzz9gRkGXMMgAI8NmH1yomHPRz70XNwysiX0yPsL6Ou0lRXfI4DU1NsPM3d4jy2-7fPgPZJEadVisRb-3gWYHQAr6z9OPvuVSxWikzJyKlONvodizU_FhXoIqH_NDUioQKA6WCvl0fWA/s1600/17904004_10208441727656904_2866580219122418820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzz9gRkGXMMgAI8NmH1yomHPRz70XNwysiX0yPsL6Ou0lRXfI4DU1NsPM3d4jy2-7fPgPZJEadVisRb-3gWYHQAr6z9OPvuVSxWikzJyKlONvodizU_FhXoIqH_NDUioQKA6WCvl0fWA/s320/17904004_10208441727656904_2866580219122418820_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shitty pushing my bike up this debacle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as dark approached the sleep
monsters started attacking. I fought them off as long as I could. I was hearing
music and voices as I neared Blue Ridge Campground. The wind was blowing and
the symphony music volume increased. The voices increased. I couldn’t
understand what they were saying but they were vocal mother fuckers. Wow, I was
starting to sleep a bit on the bike. As soon as I made it to Blue Ridge
Campground I had to lay it down for the nite. I couldn’t continue in that
state. I had been awake for over 30 hours at this point. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning came and I knew I had lost some ground to
Justin. All I had to do was ride my bike. Another racer caught me that morning;
Mike. I caught up to him and we chatted for a bit and I soon left him behind on
the climbs. He too was on a single speed.<br />
On the way to Mormon lake we had options for snow detours. I took the snow detour thinking Justin did as I saw his tracks. Turned out he didn't. Oh well. I didn't feel like dicking around in the snow anyways. It was equal playing ground, all in play. We would have another snow detour north of Flagstaff as well. I personally think it added time.<br />
<br />
I rode all day making it to
Flagstaff with daylight to spare. I refueled, ate and got back on course
attempting to put some miles into the nite to chase down Justin, aka Bigfoot. I
nicknamed him that in Pine due to the way he moves on his feet. Amazing fast
fucker he is.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got out of Flagstaff and rode the snow detour to regain
the Arizona Trail on the other side of Aspen Corner. It was dark and cold with
lots of snow on the ground on the fire road. I was happy to get on the
single-track as I was falling asleep while riding up hill. Just a few more
hours I told myself before stopping. I would ride until 1am and put in 120
miles that day. Still no sign of Bigfoot. WTF. He knew I was chasing so I
really didn’t expect to see him anytime soon. I would be correct on that
assumption. I finally got to lower elevation that nite and slept under a couple
pinion trees to avoid the wind that was howling non-stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a handful of hours of sleep, I was up and back on the
bike heading toward the Grand Canyon. I was both excited and scared of what lay
ahead of me. I was also on a time crunch as I had to be at the Grand Canyon
Post Office to pick up my pack and trail running shoes for the hike across the
big ditch. A sense of urgency came over
me…. I motored on not stopping much at all along the way. I arrived at the
Grand Canyon with two hours to spare. I picked up my pack and went to the
market to get a hot veggie sandwich and a veggie pizza. I’m a vegetarian so it
is hard at times to get the proper food. I was in heaven with some hot food
instead of cold frozen burritos. I did eat meat two times during the trip as it
was pretty much my only option. It wasn’t going to kill me. Gotta splurge
sometimes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was roughly 7.5 days at this point into the race. I was
solid on my schedule. I was pleased thus far. I pedaled over to the canyon’s
south rim and prepped my bike for the back and dived down into the abyss. It
was roughly 5pm and lots of hikers were coming up from their day hikes. I
fielded a lot of questions on what I was doing. People had some blank stares. I
should have made pamphlets to hand out. I arrived at Phantom Ranch around 9pm.
I had some lemonade and Reese’s peanut butter cups before heading out up to the
north rim. I was so tempted to drink a beer with the others hanging out in the
bar area. I chatted with some other hikers who had seen Justin earlier. They
told me he knew I was coming. The race was coming to an end soon and I knew
once he hit pavement on the north side I wouldn’t catch him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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After climbing out of the big ditch and almost falling backwards off a cliff I topped out around 8am on Saturday morning. 15 hours to cross the big Ditch! I must have bonked a hundred times on that North side. The bonk machine was tapped out. 8 days into
the race. I knew I was going to finish that nite. I reassembled my bike and
started pedaling down the road. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPluQskZdh_mTN4PwVC03hdI_TpxosVuXt1G2GCkxPu3ZkAX56I6rGTdot6PdyXTDTTtUj-TmKxRW3pv6e84W9MQSSy__wIIo7Qjqa2qA0JKJXiyz4JXi-fMG1I6ZFEQ7cN9kcXHcw6U/s1600/17904322_10208482476235593_4733239612720685762_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPluQskZdh_mTN4PwVC03hdI_TpxosVuXt1G2GCkxPu3ZkAX56I6rGTdot6PdyXTDTTtUj-TmKxRW3pv6e84W9MQSSy__wIIo7Qjqa2qA0JKJXiyz4JXi-fMG1I6ZFEQ7cN9kcXHcw6U/s320/17904322_10208482476235593_4733239612720685762_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Rim. It was a long nite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But wait, here comes the sleep monsters one more time. I fought and fought. I started seeing snow sculptures in the snow
drifts. I saw people with cars in the snow drifts. I started falling asleep on
my bike while pedaling. I got around 20 miles into the 40 miles of pavement to
Jacob Lake before I had to lay down. I propped my bike against a sign post and
laid right there in the gravel facing the sun. I flipped down my cycling bill
to cover my eyes. I thought maybe a car would drive by and honk and wake me up
eventually. Nope. Notta. I woke up hours later in a startled state of mind. I
didn’t know where I was. I looked around without a clue what I was doing. I
looked at my dirty swollen hands thinking I was in a dream. I pedaled a bit. I
stopped. I told myself to wake up. I wasn’t waking up. I pedaled again. I
stopped. I couldn’t wake up. This was real. I looked at my GPS unit to see
where I was …..fuck…….I had to get to Jacobs Lake. It was 1.40 pm. I had lost
some time. I was in a panic for a bit. I calmed down and settled into my ride.
Wow, that was a trip. It was like I was sleep riding before I snapped out of
it. That was rough. Eventually I was able to get a text out to Laura saying I
had to take a nap and I was coming. My phone was in the red. I was out of water
but had some food still. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After arriving to Jacobs Lake and getting some liquids on
board I made my way to the single track and I was like a kid in a candy store.
Literally, I had snickers on board! LOL!!! I was ripping along on some fun
fucking single track. The climbs didn’t hurt, nothing hurt. I was going to
finish the AZTR 750! The last few miles were ripping downhill single-track with
a view to die for at the finish right down to the Stateline Campground. On my way to the finish I saw two house cat looking animals. Not sure what they were. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHnF1O6mxn6dgp26FQib_YO8U3bL-0evfcQTcPukB2iIyVqTjttL5Oa-URWKLCViv008161fJOHP8nugWqXORj17WRwXLVMUSDz6ziBFRTBxwks1WXisgzZKLSy_MBdEQ2OYYW4FWw70/s1600/17990813_10209099447308233_2467818406899352033_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHnF1O6mxn6dgp26FQib_YO8U3bL-0evfcQTcPukB2iIyVqTjttL5Oa-URWKLCViv008161fJOHP8nugWqXORj17WRwXLVMUSDz6ziBFRTBxwks1WXisgzZKLSy_MBdEQ2OYYW4FWw70/s320/17990813_10209099447308233_2467818406899352033_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My awesome wife!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's do it south now. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNl6cPjzkUDZm3mWgw2VTpbmMaiaVqBHL_pGKP-QwK_Bxlr6kb5IyKWSKza4XaMb1UiXYcBR1VEcfjopwY3_0s_ZwICWMrzoPYIbzIz1afLzMeTZOsXQ2TKEy788W1hqf6Z6vYnDYuek/s1600/17861769_10209098328840272_557288392259124378_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNl6cPjzkUDZm3mWgw2VTpbmMaiaVqBHL_pGKP-QwK_Bxlr6kb5IyKWSKza4XaMb1UiXYcBR1VEcfjopwY3_0s_ZwICWMrzoPYIbzIz1afLzMeTZOsXQ2TKEy788W1hqf6Z6vYnDYuek/s320/17861769_10209098328840272_557288392259124378_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st and 2nd place. Justin rocked. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunKtzDgd7rd3y9ZO2NwcDfdTXVvrczeBBPjTJXm54OGNR5nNtFQVtzpKbCbFJyV-PGhHF2IR_hmcXf-75PgMDzlAI_aiAz55BsqbfzMXlXNFIWQMC7lCuM6dN2ID1lzzaIbUJtH65uNY/s1600/18010942_10208493834439541_849210543018569229_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunKtzDgd7rd3y9ZO2NwcDfdTXVvrczeBBPjTJXm54OGNR5nNtFQVtzpKbCbFJyV-PGhHF2IR_hmcXf-75PgMDzlAI_aiAz55BsqbfzMXlXNFIWQMC7lCuM6dN2ID1lzzaIbUJtH65uNY/s320/18010942_10208493834439541_849210543018569229_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AZT completion buckle. Fuck Yeah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Finished and just under 8.5 days capturing the single speed
record and 2nd place overall on the 750. 8 Days 11 hours and 51 minutes! NFG!!! <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Laura was waiting
with bean and cheese burritos and beer! I was so happy to see her. That was a
truly epic ride. A journey that I will never forget. All of the training and
sacrifices paid off in the end. Thank you Laura for all of your support<o:p></o:p></div>
Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-69882843408176662242016-10-04T09:28:00.001-06:002016-10-04T09:28:53.009-06:00Coconino 250 Tracking<p dir="ltr">The Coconino 250 bike packing stage race starts Friday morning. Follow us along here:</p>
<p dir="ltr"> http://trackleaders.com/coconino16</p>
Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-1840615143650440522016-10-01T07:07:00.003-06:002016-10-01T07:07:41.346-06:00Coconino 250Next up on the event schedule is the Coconino 250 bike packing stage race on October 7th. Read all about it here at this link. I'll be riding the Kokopelli Bike Co 29er...single speed of course.<br />
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<a href="https://rockyroad5050.wordpress.com/5-coconino-250-and-350/">https://rockyroad5050.wordpress.com/5-coconino-250-and-350/</a><br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-91898175196762835202016-09-28T11:29:00.003-06:002016-09-28T11:34:01.436-06:00Pacing a 100 MilerCheck out my FB post for El Freako Racing team member Holly's Stagecoach 100 trail running race. Congrats Turbo!!!!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10206886552058486&id=1117884827">https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10206886552058486&id=1117884827</a><br />
<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-44048063130020574712016-09-14T04:32:00.001-06:002016-09-14T07:42:23.068-06:00RIP Shady 9.12.2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br>
Sadly, our sweet Shady has moved on to the Rainbow Bridge. She was with Laura and I for over 8 years. She has had a progressive severe case of arthritis in all of her joints that started about three years ago. She was at the point where she could no longer walk under her own power. She used to be so active and could run all day with us on bike rides, trail runs and cross country skiing in the San Juan's of Colorado.<br>
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Shady came into our lives after I took her from a tile contractor on a job site I was working on in Telluride, CO. He was moving out of state and needed to get rid of her. Our luck. I was a trim carpenter for Telluride Woodworks at the time. I took her home and we have spoiled her since that day in April of 2008. <br>
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We will miss you dearly Shady. You now can run free without any pain, without any boundaries. You came into our lives for a reason. You have left an everlasting mark. We will never forget you. You will always be by our sides. Right next to Nacho, Miller and Roxy cat.<br>
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Shady loved camping. She was able to enjoy two camping trips this past two weekends.<br>
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Run free Shady!!!!!!!! Run!!!!!!<br>
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<br>Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-21472753351090895622016-08-30T09:40:00.001-06:002016-08-30T09:40:04.901-06:00Upcoming Races<p dir="ltr">I've been mixing a lot of running and riding this past year. I'm really enjoying both.....well the biking is more enjoyable to tell the truth. I had a DNF early in the month at a nite 50k trail running race. Too damn hot and i went out too fast on the first lap. I imploded. I did manage to get in 20 miles. My next trail race will be September 10th at McDowell park. A 50k nite race. I plan on being better prepared than the last race. </p>
<p dir="ltr">September 17th is a fat bike race here locally in Prescott. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Than the next weekend after that race is the Rico 100 on the 24th. I'm really looking forward to that race in my old stomping grounds. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Next up will be the Coconino 250 mile bike packing stage race on October 7-10. </p>
<p dir="ltr">October 29th is a 12 hour bike race here in Prescott as well. About 4 miles from the house. I love local races.... Less travel time. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I'll see what November and December bring. Maybe a 50 miler trail run race in San Francisco if I can get into it. I'm on the waiting list. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The big ones next year on the schedule will be the black canyon 100k trail run race in February, the Arizona trail 750 in April and a 100 miler trail run race in June up in Bryce canyon. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Lots to do with little time. Damn.<br></p>
Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-30150324909494246102016-08-02T08:34:00.001-06:002016-08-02T08:36:14.288-06:00Death Loop 2016<p dir="ltr"><br>
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10206486193249766&id=1117884827<br></p>
Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-22068275415205255932016-06-30T06:44:00.001-06:002016-06-30T06:44:20.739-06:00Big Pine 54kYep, another stoopid run race in the books. After racing the Whiskey Basin 88k......my first 50 plus miler back in April and the Zion Traverse, I have kept the running thing going.<br />
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The Big Pine 54k (34 miles) was in Flagstaff and consisted of 4 laps on some dirt roads and single track. It was a great course with smooth and rocky trial combined. My IT band wasn't happy after 6 miles into the race but I hung in there to finish in 6:24 and placed 18th out of 53 finishers and a 2nd in my age category. Not too fucking bad for a cyclist! I'm taking a break now to rest my IT band and focus on some bike pack training to get ready for the Coco 250 in October.Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-20941378245861496692016-06-10T07:00:00.000-06:002016-06-30T06:39:08.340-06:00Zion traverse<div dir="ltr">
May 14th I went to Zion Park to run across the park east to west with a bunch of other crazy mother fuckers. Holly and I ran 56 miles with an extra-credit loop of 6 miles. Total time was 16 hours and about 20 minutes to run across the whole park of 56 miles. With 10,000 feet of climbing. we had to filter water three times from natural springs. 9 of us finished with two of us, Holly and I getting the most miles of 56 miles. What an epic adventure that was. </div>
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Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-71632126382322262082016-06-07T23:05:00.001-06:002016-06-10T06:12:47.956-06:0050th Bday No Fucks Given on my 50th. My wife Laura knocked it out of the park with this event at the Freako Casa. More details later. Here is a pic of me doing stoopid drunk shit. Fuck Yeah!!!!<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-13047975034245007792016-04-06T12:25:00.001-06:002016-04-09T09:00:24.559-06:00Prescott Monstercross-CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER<div dir="ltr">
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER!</div>
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On tap this weekend: a kick in the teeth!!!!<br />
https://rockyroad5050.wordpress.com/pm/</div>
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I'm in for the mega!</div>
Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-35821633231411517582016-03-24T12:06:00.002-06:002016-03-24T12:12:43.521-06:00Go.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-92074799555074597162016-03-01T21:33:00.000-07:002016-03-02T19:09:26.811-07:00Gila 100The Gila 100: One of many rides of the Arizona Endurance Series. One of the hardest self supported rides out there. These routes are for the riders who have the grit to be out in the weeds all day, fully self supported and self sufficient. Mommy is not coming to help you.<br />
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I picked up Eugene and Josh Friday on the way down to Tiger Mine Road, where the Gila 100 finishes. We took a detour to drop water at the Freeman water cache. This is a metal box where thru hikers, riders etc can typically count on water. This is stocked by trail stewards and volunteers like me. And since we were to have a handful of riders utilizing this cache it is only fair to go stock it up. It is about a 40 mile round trip detour on a dirt road from the highway. When I raced the Arizona Trail 300 back in 2014 this water cache was critical to get through the race.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freeman cache stocked</td></tr>
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We arrived at the Tiger Mine trail head around 4 pm to chill out and prepare for the beating that was to take place on Saturday morning. Carlos and Ty were instrumental on getting all of us to the start line at Picket Post trail head on Saturday morning. Thank you guys.<br />
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We arrived at the start line just before 5 am after a long hour plus drive from the finish area. 10 riders in the shuttles and a few more at the start line. About 15 people total. Elliot gave a few instructions on bail out options, etc. We rolled out and the games were on.<br />
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I backed off of the guys who took off on the front. I wanted to just ride my ride and not get caught up in a pace I wouldn't be comfortable with.......true....you have to be out of your comfort zone when racing but this was to be a brutal ride. Ride your own ride. Finish. The route is hard. The single-track from the start is hard and uphill. It is dark and techy....ride clean and ride smart.<br />
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As we started off in the dark I looked back to see who was behind me. I was thinking Eugene was close but I saw no lights close by as I climbed up. After nearly two hours the darkness turned into grey light.....the sun was coming soon. As the sun rose the surrounding terrain lit up. Amazing. It is a beautiful area. Remote and rugged. Just amazing to be out there on a bike and seeing some true Arizona back country. Much different than Colorado back country.<br />
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As I climbed and than descended toward the Gila river the riders started to disperse.....I rode with a dude named Steve along the Gila River to the mining town of Kelvin where we watered up at a trailer park. A known neutral water stop for riders/hikers on the AZT. After a brief stop I headed back on course along with Steve and a dude named Bob up away from the Gila River to the climb that would lead us to Ripsey Wash. After 37 miles to Kelvin the next 27 miles to the Freeman Water Cache are hard long miles in the heat of the day. I had dropped Steve on the climb up Ripsey and caught up to Max and Bob taking a break at the top of the Ripsey climb. Elliot came along as well behind me. We all descended into Ripsey Wash.......no man-fucking-land. Hot. Unrelenting. As we navigated this area of the AZT it came down to Max and I cruising together. The Boulders section trends uphill. After many hours in the sun we arrived at the Freeman Water Cache around 3.20 pm at mile 65. We were 10 hours into our ride. I was pretty cooked. That sun was brutal. No shade. Full exposure.<br />
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Max and I chilled out in the shade of a tree at the cache and drank a enormous amount of water. Refueled and still laughing a bit we headed back onto the course. Elliot and Bob had come into the water cache looking a bit cooked as well. Elliot wasn't laughing. No words from him. It was now 4pm and we had approximately 27 miles to ride. We knew it was going to be a knife fight to the finish. I was hoping for an 8pm finish time. Yeah, that is fucking funny.<br />
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We made quick work getting over to Bloodsucker Wash. Easy miles down hill to the big wash but we knew we had to pay for the easy miles: The Black Hills..............The Black Hills to the finish are brutal. Up, up up and more up. Drop down into a wash..........climb more...walk...drop into a wash........curse. Do it again and again.<br />
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It soon became dark and the lights came back on. Stuck in the fucking Black Hills at night is miserable. It takes twice as long. No flow. Max and I were still together....we laughed and cursed as we walked, rode and walked. Soul Crushing. I got loopy and would ask Max the same question over and over. My stomach turned sour.....I turned a bit sour. I kept looking at the GPX file but we were not getting any closer to the finish. It seemed like an eternity. More of the same....up and than one last hike a bike to the finish just to piss you off. The suffering was over......9.20pm. WOW!<br />
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Overall it was a great ride except for the last ten miles where the wheels came off the bus. I'll be back to ride this again. Damn those Black Hills.<br />
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16 hours and 20 minutes out in the weeds. 12,000 plus feet of climbing. WTF!!!! That was an ass kicking.<br />
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My rig: Kokopelli Bike Co 29er. Single speed 32x21. Thanks Kokopelli!!!! Solid. No mechanicals.<br />
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http://www.strava.com/activities/505267198Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-26595871625837075142016-02-21T06:33:00.001-07:002016-02-21T06:34:20.376-07:00Gila 100 Next on TapI'm recovering my my beating at the 24 hour race last weekend and looking forward to the Gila 100 on February 26th. The Gila 100 starts at Picket Post TH and follows the Arizona Trail to Tiger Mine Road outside of Oracle. I last rode this on the AZTR 300 nearly two years ago. It will interestign toride it North to South. My goal is to finish before dark. Race starts at 5am at Picket Post TH.<br />
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Follow my SPOT tracker during the race to see my progress.<br />
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Race details here:<br />
https://rockyroad5050.wordpress.com/the-gila-100/<br />
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I'll have a race report once the event is over.<br />
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I had a nice ride from the house yesterday to spin the legs out.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-45745639977764143912016-02-18T03:13:00.001-07:002016-02-18T05:37:53.067-07:0024 Hours in the Old Pueblo........2016 Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After skipping the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo last year in 2015 I decided to give it another go. I was successful back at that race with a 4th place podium spot and the goal again was a podium spot. It was to be my 11th year at this event and 10th time solo. My best finish has been 2nd place. The competition is tough at this annual event. The big guns come out to play.<br />
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Results for all categories here: http://liveresults.epicrides.com/24results/default.aspx?event=2016<br />
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I'll get right down to the stats: 4th place Solo Single Speeder. 15 laps, 245 miles. 18,000 feet of elevation gain. Yep, that is one ass beating of a good time in 24 hours. My moving time was over 22 hours within that 24 hour period. The race started Saturday at noon and ended Sunday at noon. Well, I stopped at 11.44 and waited to noon to check in. The rules are you have to finish after 12 noon or you will receive a DNF. Stoopid.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podium....On the box!</td></tr>
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I arrived at the race venue Wednesday late afternoon to secure a sweet spot on the course as this is crucial for us solo racers. This way there is no dicking around to get off course to your pit to resupply, etc. Judd from Back of the Pack Racing had gotten there a bit earlier to stake out some real estate for his clan of hooligans and kindly for me as well. Thank you fellow freak Judd.<br />
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I set up camp and chilled out for a couple days getting all the preparations done for the 24 hours. Paul Adams came down withe fellow team racer Ashley Carelock who was going to race solo as well. Paul agreed to come crew for me. Having a crew member while racing solo is so key. Two years ago when I placed 4th I was literally a one man wrecking crew; racing and resupplying myself each lap. Paul rocked th epit taking care of me with resupply each lap, hot food and overall positive energy for me to keep the wheels on the bus moving. Paul did his job as the pit crew and I had to do my job as the racer dude. We both succeeded at each respective position. The goal was a podium spot.<br />
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As race day neared with Paul and Ashley arriving at the camp the temperatures in the desert slowly rose. It was going to be a rough afternoon once the shotgun blast sounded off on Saturday at noon. The key to racing in the heat is just to slow it down a bit....easy to say. After all it is a 24 hour race<br />
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Once the race started and we made the mad dash to our bikes running in stiff ass bike shoes down a dirt road roughly a half mile the primary goal was not to get caught up in a silly crash with another bike racer. It's like the running of the bulls but much more stoopid. LOL!!! Paul was holding our bikes for us which makes it much easier. I grabbed my bike and headed out on course. I told myself to just take it easy and get to the night laps. After a couple laps I settled in trying to maintain a good pace but not overdue it in the heat. I was running two bottles these first few laps.....one water and one electrolytes (Carbo Rocket). I was taking Carbo lytes as well in between laps at the pit.<br />
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Just before dark I came in putting on my helmet with the lights already on it. I use Ay Up lights for these 24 hour races. My batteries on the helmet and the handlebars last 12 hours. No need to mess with batteries during the night thus reducing any stress of recharging or switching out batteries. Paul was making me hot food for most of my night laps......Lean pockets, bean and cheese burritos, Mac and Cheese, Breakfast sandwich and Ravioli. I was also drinking a protein drink in between laps with some Coke once in a while. Other than that no other caffeine was needed. Too much caffeine can jack you up. It got me through. I had only a few Hammer Gels through out the race.I was also eating some turkey sticks and licorice out on the course. I never once felt nauseated or really tanked. I got tired around 3am but fought off the sleep demons. I had to get to the light and I would be rejuvenated.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3am......I said to Paul "its rough out there"</td></tr>
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Once the sun rose I was a happy camper. I was bouncing around in the standing from 4th to 7th. After a morning lap or so I was back in 5th. I told myself to keep it going and get lap 15. Based on my lap times and time remaining in the race this was going to be a realization of 15 maybe 16 laps if needed. In the end 15 laps was money and a 16th lap was not needed or would not have done any good to catch 2nd or 3rd place. I was solid. Fuck I was happy when I checked in and found out I was in 4th. Time to drink some beer and stand on the podium box. It's all about being on the box.<br />
A big thank you to Paul Adams for the super pit crew job. Definitely top pit bitch. Thank you to Kokopelli Bike and Board for all of the support. You guys all rock. And of course to my wife Laura for letting me ride my bike all I want to chase the demons out of my head.<br />
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The Kokopelli 29er titanium bike rocked. I had just put a new fork on which made it plush for the 24 hours. I ran a 32x20 gearing.....my go to gearing for these events.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pit<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul and Ashley rocking the new shirts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony and Brian rocking the Freako kits.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the box.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charging on Sunday morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashley rocking her 4th place</td></tr>
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My lap times:
Lap NumberRider<br />
Lap Finish Time<br />
Duration<br />
Home Town<br />
1<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 1:12:37 PM<br />
01:12:37<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
2<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 2:33:46 PM<br />
01:21:09<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
3<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 4:00:33 PM<br />
01:26:46<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
4<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 5:29:48 PM<br />
01:29:15<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
5<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 7:04:07 PM<br />
01:34:19<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
6<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 8:39:16 PM<br />
01:35:08<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
7<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 10:15:51 PM<br />
01:36:35<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
8<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/13/2016 11:52:43 PM<br />
01:36:52<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
9<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 1:34:41 AM<br />
01:41:57<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
10<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 3:26:14 AM<br />
01:51:32<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
11<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 5:29:47 AM<br />
02:03:33<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
12<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 7:18:16 AM<br />
01:48:29<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
13<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 8:52:26 AM<br />
01:34:09<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
14<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 10:25:01 AM<br />
01:32:34<br />
Prescott, AZ<br />
15<br />
Jeff Hemperley<br />
2/14/2016 12:01:12 PM<br />
01:36:11<br />
Prescott, AZJeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-83163899608522230282016-02-02T21:16:00.001-07:002016-02-02T21:16:40.245-07:0024 Hours in the Old PuebloNext weekend will mark my 10th year at the Old Pueblo; 9 years solo......I hope I can keep my shit together to make another podium run.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-15546139419546584652015-12-22T13:24:00.001-07:002015-12-23T10:07:53.809-07:00Man Down!As the year 2015 wraps up I guess it was time to pay the 'fun tax'. While out riding the Black Canyon Trail with a couple of buddies; Ray and Eugene I went down pretty hard in a corner crashing doen on the sharp basalt rock. It's similar to lava rock. It's like riding on marbles but sharp as razors.<br />
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I wasn't feeling all that great the entire ride due to a sinus issue I have been fighting with for nearly two weeks. After about 60 miles I did start feeling better and as we turned into a fast fun single track section of the BCT I jumped out front to let it rip. I'm pretty fast downhill but as I went hot into the second corner I was down on the deck. Dick in the dirt! As soon as I hit the ground I knew I was injured to some extent. I landed on my right arm and hip with my hands on the handle bars and feet clipped in.<br />
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I performed a quick assessment taking my cycling jacket off to find my right arm with a nice gash in it. Fuck me. I got my first aid kit out as well did Ray. As soon as I got somewhat of a bandage on my bleeding arm I reached down to feel my hip..... Oh crap.... I felt a hole in my flesh. I took my Jersey off and pulled down my bib knickers to find a huge gash in my hip. Now shit was getting serious. Stay calm I told myself. Easy to say. Ha. I pulled more first aid crap out as well did Ray and I pulled the flesh together to attempt to close the wound and stop the bleeding.<br />
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With the wounds covered I called my wife Laura to tell her I had been hurt. Ray, Eugene and I conversed on the quickest way out of there...... We were closer to highway 69 than where our cars were parked down at Rock City TH. We backtracked up to a dirt road and rode down to the junction of Cordes Ranch. We saw some dudes in an ATV. We told them what was up and they offered me a ride up to the highway. They were able to strap my bike on the back and I squeezed in with the two jolly fellas. I had them drop me off at an out of business gas station where I was to wait for Laura. It seemed like an eternity waiting for her to get there. I hobbled up to the highway as I was antsy and laid along the side of the highway putting pressure on my hip wound. I wasn't ready to pass out from a loss of blood. I managed to stay calm. Going into shock was not an option.<br />
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Laura finally showed up and we made tracks to the nearest emergency room located in Prescott Valley 25 miles away. The staff at the hospital were wonderful and had me stitched up after a morphine drip. Xrays. Etc..... 20 stitches total in the arm and hip.<br />
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It could have been worse..... I've been fortunate enough to never been seriously hurt,.... Stitches and never a broken bone. Knock on wood. Be safe out there. I carry a SPOT and<br />
various first aid items.<br />
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Here are the gory pictures Laura took. Viewer beware.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-71537501254421172532015-11-16T21:27:00.000-07:002015-11-17T07:13:10.562-07:00Pass Mt Ultra 50k Trail RaceAfter training hard for the R2R2R I decided to keep the running momentum going by registering for the Pass Mt 50k trail run for November 14th at Usery Regional Park outside of Phoenix.<br />
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With a proper taper from the Grand Canyon double I still went into the race a bit nervous. I'm not an ultra runner by nature and 50k (31 miles) is a bunch of miles on the feet. But I have grit and the mental capacity to suffer through the hard moments when most people would mentally crack and scamper off for a DNF. Not me. </div>
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The race started off with a hot pace and I backed it off knowing there were two loops with nearly 4000 feet of climbing. I came into the start/finish at 2 hours and 44 minutes knowing that was a great time for me but knew I would be slower on the second loop. The course was a mix of flattish trail and some rocky climbing. A great mix to keep it interesting for the most part. It was getting warm and I knew I had to stay on my fluids and keep trying to eat some solid food as well. Running seems so much harder than bike racing. My legs were tight but I still never had any cramping issues. I managed to catch a couple people on the second loop and held onto a 10th place overall finish and 2nd in my age group (40-49) with a time of 5 hours and 56 minutes. That was tough but yet fun. I'm definitely hooked on the ultra running. Its nice to mix it up with the biking. I'm debating my next 50k on December 5th or a 60 mile bike race in the same area at McDowell Park near Fountain Hills, AZ. Decisions, decisions.........1st world problems. Ha!</div>
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Results here: http://www.aravaiparunning.com/results/2015PMTRResults50k.htm<br />
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My Strava link with lap times: https://www.strava.com/activities/432767708<br />
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Gear used:</div>
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Altra Olympus 1.5 trail running shoes</div>
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Nathan Vapor Air running pack</div>
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Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-42209139944860637232015-11-11T10:19:00.002-07:002015-11-11T10:19:34.993-07:00Saving LivesThanks grandpa. Miss you much and you a true hero. My short stint in the Air Force doesn't come close to what you did for our country and fellow servicemen.<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/Qc6FlGIzkbk" rel="nofollow" style="color: #141823; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Saving Lives in World War II (army medic interview)</a></div>
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Saving Lives in World War II (army medic interview with Judson Hemperley) - Doug Larson (director and editor) <a href="http://www.freedrama.net/" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; position: relative; text-decoration: none; z-index: 1;" target="_blank">http://www.freedrama.net</a></div>
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-63177742783679097172015-10-31T23:48:00.002-06:002015-11-01T00:13:56.392-06:00It's All About Me.........Random thoughts tonight on October 31st 2015:<br />
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This may seem egotistical............ OK yes it is. I grew up pretty good with a caring mom. I wrestled in school...I was pissed, angry. All I cared about was to letter in varsity wrestling. Fuck the jacket bullshit just get the letter. I did. Fuck yeah! I was a motivated athlete and it drives me to this day. I thrive on those days. My mom was supportive...caring and awesome. I think my dad cared but was into his own stuff. I'm in that mod....it's a learned behavior. My dad was selfish and into his horses etc. And still is......And that is me to this day.....have an ego....arrogant....but I like to have fun and share my fun and passion for what I do........and what I do is awesome.....yes awesome............live life with an active lifestyle.<br />
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I'm writing this right now because it is what it is my head right now. I fight this fight everyday....I have a great life. I have a fabulous wife. We support each other but I am a burden at times. She loves me and puts up with my shit. I have my own racing kits: El Freako Racing. I should be really content. NOT. I put myself into this situation because I am obsessed with pushing myself beyond normal mortal capabilities. OCD. I'll figure it out in time. Maybe not. I get so wrapped up into my stuff I want to accomplish I lose sight of what is important in life and that is my life partner.... My wife. She gets lost in the washing machine that's in my my head. And as I get older the obsessions seem to get worse. I am always inpatient. Angst and anxiety. I need constant motion. Move. Move. Move. WTF!<br />
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Even though I am not like others who go beyond what I do, I respect what others do. It is so awesome.<br />
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My biggest accomplishments are what follows:<br />
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Colorado Trail Race 2013<br />
Arizona Trail Race 300 2014<br />
Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim 2015 (running)<br />
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There is so much more out there to do...it keeps my mind turning and I think this is why I am so fucked up and always thinking of what to do next as in terms of physical accomplishments. I measure life in physical accomplishments. I don't know why,. I don't know................................<br />
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Keep moving. That's my rant.<br />
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El Freako<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-14752664339386806362015-10-31T22:30:00.002-06:002015-10-31T22:30:43.947-06:00Why I Cuss.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7181176067579603952.post-46963814988496527252015-10-28T09:22:00.002-06:002015-10-28T09:22:33.178-06:00Not Giving a Fuck!http://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck<br />
<br />Jeff Hemperleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08514128794959042887noreply@blogger.com0