Running Up For Air 2014 - Mark

Salt Lake City's air quality worsens every year. This last winter we had worse air quality than Beijing, China 3 consecutive days. On a "red air day" 15 minutes outside is roughly the equivalent of smoking a half pack of cigarettes. Last year in SLC there were 22 red air days. SLCers that spent anytime outside roughly smoked 11 packs of cigarettes. It is a disgusting problem!! Jared Campbell, a local ultra-runner, organized a fund raiser for Breathe Utah. Breathe Utah addresses the root causes of air pollution in Utah by engaging affected local communities, creating partnerships and fostering collaboration. Read more about them at www.breatheutah.org Jared's fundraiser is called Running Up For Air (RUFA).

The fundraiser consists of runners/hikers summiting Granduer Peak via the west side route. The route has over 3,300 feet of vert in just over two miles. It is extremely taxing. Each time a runner/hiker summits a pledge or donation is made. My goal this year was 3-5 summits. Jared's was 15. He is an animal. 

This was my first day of major climbing since my surgery. I was unsure what to expect but excited to spend a day on the hill with several friends. On Friday night the wind and rain beat against our house. It kept me up a fair part of the night. I was really looking forward to a great nights rest but it was not to be. As such I started an hour later than the other runners. I figured I would see them coming down as I was headed up. 

I started my first lap and felt really good. I was taking it easy but pleased with my pace. A little under half way up I saw Jared and Luke Nelson coming down. These two are legit! Luke took second at the Wasatch a few years back and is a member of Patagonia's ultra team. They were both jumping into the wind and it was moving them back a bit. It was crazy. The wind howled more than I had ever seen. It beat against me so hard a couple of times that I became fearful that it would blow me off of one of the many open faces. 

I trudged up the hill and ran into many other great runners and great running friends. The higher I went the more the winds beat and the icier the conditions. I ended up putting on my micro-spikes and that helped with the ice. Nothing would help with the wind. At one point I literally had to lay down to protect myself. Many runners making their way down said that it had literally blown them off of their feet. I saw this happen to two different runners. The other report was that the wind calmed on the summit. I heard it was peaceful up there. 

I pushed on and ran into QB and Kara. It is always good to see them. I reached the summit and was greeted with beautiful clear skies and temporary respite from the wind. I ran into a great gal named Bethany. She was flying up the hill and we had a nice chat on the summit. We would leap frog each other on the way down. 

The decent was awesome until about a quarter mile from the bottom. That is when I realized that I do not have the quads that I once did. They were FRIED. It hurt bad! When I reached the bottom I was pleased with the first go. I decided to drive home, shower, get fresh clothes and shoes and head back for lap 2. 

I felt good for the bottom half of lap 2. I ran into Ty Draney who I have seen at a race or two. He is the race director for El Vacquero Loco in Afton, WY. He is a very strong athlete and later this year will attempt a double Bear 100 or in his case Bear 200. We climbed together for a bit and had a nice chat. He is a good dude. 

I hit the hole and really started to struggle through the wind. I caloried up and started to feel better but I had no bounce in my legs. After a grudge match I reached the summit for the second time of the day. Conditions on the way down were brutal. I can best describe it as running down a very steep grade on soft butter. I fell three separate times. One of which was feet to shoulders. OUCH! My foot began to ache and by the time I reached the bottom I had a pronounced limp. I figured two summits would be enough today. 

I look forward to climbing this mountain several more times this summer. It is an essential trainer for the Wasatch. Today I can barely walk. My quads are DESTROYED. My foot is sore but not injured. I will continue to nurse it and ease my way back in. All in all it was a great day. Jared finished with 12 summits. I was able to raise $620 to donate to Breathe Utah. I was pumped about that.  I will likely remember that wind for the rest of my life.

Here is a view from the top. Summit 1 and summit 2.