Grin and Bear it- Bear 100

The Bear 100 has been by far the hardest and most scenic 100 miler I've done. I don't know if it is because I'm so spoiled by Tahoe terrain, but the fall colors here made for a stunning course. The course profile and tough weather conditions made for a brutal course. 

I signed up last winter after looking at some pictures of the course and taking a peak at the course profile. I was intrigued by running somewhere new and completely different to home. What I hadn't planned on was running the entire Tahoe Rim Trail 3 weeks prior. Recovery from that included a lot of work and standing on my feet. Not the best recovery, but the week before the race I was feeling okay and I really wanted to run this course. I had spent lots of time with the foam roller and one visit to the chiro to get my all realigned before I beat myself up again.

Race week itself was slightly chaotic. I worked through Tuesday and Ryan was going to be my pacer and he was working until Thursday morning at 8. Packet pick up and the pre race meeting was Thursday afternoon. This left me solo to complete the 10 hour drive out from Tahoe on Wednesday while Ryan got stuck flying out Thursday and taking a bus to Logan. In the rush of throwing stuff in a bag to get on the road Wednesday I forgot to grab key things like my nutrition. Thursday I got a quick 20 minute jog in to shake the legs out after sitting in a car the entire previous day. I felt tired and had heavy legs, but brushed that off thinking it was the car ride. After that it was a chaotic packing of drop bags and buying items I had left at home. I didn't have a crew to meet me at aid stations so I needed to pack everything I thought I might need into drop bags. Usually this is fairly easy, but the weather predicted made this slightly more complicated. Friday had highs in the 80-90s with a storm blowing in Friday night with the prediction of rain and cold. Ryan was going to pace me from mile 45 to the finish where we had planned to leave the car. Race morning for him was going to be driving to the finish and hitchhiking to the Temple Fork aid station. Not having a crew definitely made this more of an adventure for both of us.

22,518ft of climing, but it felt like a whole lot more

All smiles pre race

The start went smoothly and after a short section of pavement we were funneled onto a 3500 ft single track climb. I tried to stay near the front as we formed a conga line, but others were running hard from go. I was slightly frustrated as the line of people that had been running hard now slowed to a slow walk, and I had to remind myself it was going to be a long day. Obviously many of these people started too hard as I came through the first aid station in 139th place and eventually moved up to 31st. 
The first hour of this climb was in the dark and I'd really like to come back and see it in the light. There were sections of it that had a golden trail weaving around the trees. Fall here is really magical. It started getting light after this first climb and I was wishing I had brought my camera. After the initial climb there is short descent and roughly another 1500ft of climbing. 

The 9ish miles from aid station 1-2 are mostly downhill and the crowd of runners was finally spreading out a bit. There was about a 45 minute section here where I didn't see anyone. My legs weren't feeling great and I could feel some niggles in my right shin and left glute. I took note of the pain to see if it stayed the same or increased over the coming miles. The pain I was in here was manageable, but this was awfully early to be hurting. Only 80ish more miles to go..... I suspect that this was residual from my TRT run.

I was power walking the steeper parts of the climbs and shuffling the mellower parts and trying to run flats and downhills. The downhills on this course are hard to run. Most are steep and rocky, and with somewhat broken legs I'm sure my "run" looked pathetic. I remember it getting really hot on the run into the Right Hand Fork aid station (mile 36). I've had a particularly cold summer with no heat training. August was spent in Colorado where it rained almost every day. I was suffering in the heat. I made note of the creek leading into the aid station and promised myself to hop in after refueling. After leaving Right Hand I got in the river and lay flat to allow the icy cold water to cover my entire body. Wow that felt good. For the next 30 minutes of climbing I felt great and then the heat started in again. Thankfully on this 8 mile segment there was a water refill. Yep, in 8 miles I went through 4 bottles of fluid. On the descent into the aid station there was thankfully another creek and in I went. This might have been my favorite part of the day. A couple miles later I found Ryan at the aid station waiting to pace me for the last 55 miles. Little did I know that the last half is way harder than the first half. 

Heading into Tony Grove. Beautiful camping spots here!

 I wasn't moving great, but I was still moving. Storm clouds were blowing in, but I was still warm so I opted to leave my first pair of tights and wait until the next drop bag where I had another pair. The 10 mile section from Tony Grove to Franklin were some of my favorite of the race. It had it all. Beautiful fall colors and crazy rock formations. The descent into the aid station was a really rough one and it was starting to get dark. We stopped quickly and put headlamps on and kept on cruising. 

 At Franklin I switched out my vest for a hydration pack. Up to this point I had been carrying one handheld and kept the other in the back pocket. Placing my rain jacket, puffy, hat, gloved, hot hands, and pack at the mile 61 aid was a bit of a strategic decision. I knew I would need the warm stuff and rain gear at night, but I didn't want to have to carry it during the hot day. The bet paid off and we did get a little rain leading into Franklin, but the skies didn't open up until afterwards.

It was cold during the night, but as long as I kept moving and didn't stop too long at aid stations I kept the shivers at bay. I did have a 15ish mile stretch where I felt horrible. I have never felt so tired during a 100 miler. I kept wanting to take a nap, but I knew if I lay down I probably wasn't going to get back up. I was falling asleep while running/shuffling. I started tripping over rocks and roots and took a couple diggers. I went down hard once and was really glad I had tights on to protect at least some of my skin. I lost some skin on my hand, knee, and elbow and used my ear warmer to stop the bleeding. I stubbled into the warm den of Beaver Lodge aid station and didn't want to come out. About this time it really started to downpour. I pried myself out of the warm chair and stumbled back into the dark wet night. This is fun right! Somewhere in here the dirt turned to slip and slide mud and I was wishing I had poles. I was in road Hokas that had zero traction. Anytime I tried to push off or change direction I would slip and nearly fall. I think I did go down half a dozen times between mile 80 and the finish. Strangely I started feeling better and was laughing as I fell. I don't remember a lot of details about the dark section. I do remember a section where the trail seemed to branch off in a couple different directions and not seeing markers. Turns out all trails went to the same place. I also remember sitting down on a paved road when I wasn't sure which way to go and waiting for the runners behind us. Maybe I was just using this as an excuse to sit down. 

We slowly picked our way towards the finish and I finally found myself at the last aid station where they warned us that the steepest hill on the course was coming up. Yeah!! As we started up the hill there was a river of water coming down the hill. The road was a slippery river. Every step I took I slipped backwards and fell onto my hands. Ryan and I both ended up using branches as poles to claw our way up this steep bit. Meanwhile as we are climbing up there was a lightning show going on around us. I was moving with purpose. I wanted to get up and over this thing before the lightning closed in on us. My relief at hitting the top was short lived as the downhill was a mud disaster. What probably would have been a tough descent in dry conditions was downright treacherous when wet. The mud was both slippery and sticking to the bottom of our shoes. I was grabbing the branches of the bushes on the side of the trail in an effort to stay upright. Finally after many tumbles we were at the bottom. I could see a gravel road on the other side of the cattle guard! When we got there the trail turned left up another mud hill to add further insult. Wohoo! I was not stoked about this turn and may have dropped a couple 4 letter words. I was no longer appreciating the beauty of the fall leaves. Finally we made our way to the finish line in 26hr 14min. This ended up being good enough for 31st overall and 4th female. 

Overall this race had everything I wanted. The course was scenic, challenging, and fairly well marked. I also liked that it didn't coddle the athletes. There were long sections without aid and one had to be prepared and pay attention. I was tested me every step of the way. The weather only added to the fun. Part of running ultras for me is to learn something about myself and how I handle adversity. I highly recommend adding this race to your list if you like a challenge.

Lessons learned are to put dry socks/clothes in zip locks so that I do have dry stuff to put on. The other thing I would do different is have poles. With the rain they would have been amazing. Even in dry conditions I would have liked poles on the climbs, and I might have kept rubber side down.

Somewhere in the dark of night crossing the border

Trying to find any traction on the last downhill

Second sunrise and the finish in sight

And done!

Amazingly supportive husband and pacer

Grizzly buckle and course profile on plaque

Trail Runner article

Had a great time doing a photo shoot with Dave Clock the week after my run. Did a quick run out to "The Bench" on the TRT section from Spooner to Kingsbury.

 http://www.davidclockphotography.com

The article with Trail Runner is linked below

http://trailrunnermag.com/people/adventure/1484-9-qs-with-amber-monforte-new-tahoe-fkt-holder

Tahoe Rim Trail FKT

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." —T.S. Elliot

The Tahoe Rim Trail has been my favorite trail for the 12 years I've been running. When I was living in Reno I would often drive up to Mt Rose Meadows to get my long run done as an out an back heading south from Mt. Rose. The views along this section are stunning. In places one can see both Tahoe and Washoe Valley. About 3 years ago I first thought of doing the whole trail, but originally my plan was to do it as a fast pack over 4 days. After moving to South Lake Tahoe a year and a half ago I first thought about doing the trail in one shot. 

With the low snow year the backcountry opened up early and I made a go at the trail in the end of June. I started in Tahoe City and went clockwise. My goal was to get Desolation done in the daylight. It is a brutal section around 35 miles with no easy access should things go sideways. I made it nearly 80 miles (Freel Pass) before Ryan pulled the plug for me. It was the right decision. I hadn't consumed enough calories and was having trouble taking in fluids. I had audible wheezes and was having difficulty breathing. After a brutal 6 mile hike out I was back at the car. I was bummed, but I looked at the experience from a learning standpoint. 

We learned a lot about how to plan for this in the future. Doing something like this is a bit of a logistical nightmare. Planning included food, fluids, crew, maps for crew, lights, clothing for day and night running, pacers, and what to bring on each section. For each section I carried my own water, food, and lightweight windbreaker. The pacer carried the water purifier and puffy jacket, gloves, extra lights, and space blanket. The pacer was also my extra set of eyes to make sure I didn't miss a turn and in case things went sideways they were my safety.

I wanted to try the TRT again this summer but between other planned trips and work my summer was completely full. August included a 3 week racecation in Colorado for the Trans Rockies Run. I'll try and get a post about this up soon. The Trans Rockies Run was 120 miles in 6 days with Ryan as my teammate. We had a great time during the run and the next week we slowly meandered our way back to Tahoe through Southwest Colorado. We did a couple mountain bike rides in Crested Butte and Durango, but the highlight of the trip for me was 2 runs we did on the Hardrock 100 course. One was up Bear Creek Trail and the other was up to Island Lake. On the long drive home I started thinking about TRT. We had plans to run the Wonderland Trail the first weekend in September with friends, but the crew fell through. A couple text messages to friends later and TRT attempt 2 was in the works. 

FKT Tahoe Rim Trail

One of the hardest things about this run is all the planning. We had a little bit of a skeleton crew on this attempt with 2 main pacers running 7 of the 8 segments, one additional pacer, and family coming along the way to help at some of the major crossings. The day before we sat down and went over the plan. Ryan and Keeven were planning on running about every other segment up until Brockway to Mt Rose. After pacing they would them jump in the van and get to the next trailhead where they would organize and hopefully get some sleep. 

Section 1: Kingsbury to Big Meadow- 27 miles

We started at Kingsbury at 6am. I actually turned the delorme (tracker) on at the car and then walked to the trail. Because of the road construction we started on the trail that connects into Buchanan Road. The first 15 minutes were dark, but then we had our first sunrise. 

 

The view over Garnerville

Me cruising past Star Lake. We filtered water here and refilled. With the low water year I wasn't sure if the streams would still have water and I didn't want to chance it.

Climbing up Freel

On top of Freel Pass. One mountain down

Section 2: Big Meadow to Echo Lake - 17 miles

After a quick refill of my pack and restock of food I was on my way. Keevin paced me on this section. He was one of my friends I had initially planned on running Wonderland with, and we were super excited to have him along on this adventure. This section is one of my favorites when I run it in the opposite direction. Clockwise there is a ton of climbing, but the scenery is stunning. Earlier in the year running here there were waist high flowers overflowing onto the trail.

Still smiling at Round Lake

Meiss Meadows

The view of Tahoe on the descent to Echo Pass

The descent here is steep and a little technical. I was really glad to have it done on somewhat fresh legs.

Section 3: Echo Lake to Barker Pass - 34 miles

Echo Lake was a welcome site and I ate and relaxed for about 10 minutes. It was also my first shoe and sock change. I ran in Hokas for most of the run, but for this section I put on a lower profile shoe. I was headed into nighttime and this section is a super technical rocky section. Ryan was with me again on this section. This is my favorite section of the trail, but it's not an easy one. It was the longest time we would be without crew support. 

Ultraman sighting!! Jen (super crew) from Hawaii was here crewing an athlete for the Tahoe 200 and popped over to say hi. It was really good to see a familiar face.

There was a beautiful glow as we got to Aloha Lake. The lake had been drained since last time I was here.

Heather Lake

Full moon over Heather Lake

Our plan was to a partial water refill at Susie Lake and then fill up at Fontanillis Lake. At Susie we stopped and Ryan discovered he forgot the bag part of our water filter. Crap!! I didn't freak out too much. I was ready to just fill up from the lake and worry about Giardia later when Ryan saw a couple backpackers. Turns out they had the same water filtration system and we borrowed their bag. 15 minutes later with full packs we were on our way hoping the water would last until Barker. This was about sunset and we were into our first night!

Top of Dicks Pass

The rest of the section went smoothly and the water lasted the remainder of the segment. At about 10 pm we came across a guy standing alongside the trail just past middle Velma Lake. He asked, "Are you guys lost too?" I replied no and asked what he needed. Turns out they had passed Velma Lake where they had wanted to camp. I left Ryan behind to help him with directions.

Section 4: Barker Pass to Tahoe City -17 miles

At Barker Pass I got in a sleeping bag and tried to sleep for about 30 minutes. My legs were too achy to sleep, but I do think stopping and letting my heart rate drop helped. Keevin ran this leg with me and I was bummed for him because it was still dark. It's a stunning section in the light. A couple miles from Tahoe City I got to see sunrise number 2 of this adventure.

Section 5: Tahoe City to Brockway - 20 miles

I took 10-15 minutes and ate in Tahoe City and changed my shoes and socks again. Thankfully my sister and brother in law Sami and Dan were there to help the boys out and keep me moving. It was such a mental boost to see them. Ryan was supposed to run this section with me, but he looked cooked. I told him to sit this one out. I wanted him on the night section from Mt. Rose to Spooner more than this leg in the daytime. The nice thing about this section is that they could drive in and were planning on meeting me at Watson Lake. It was a good thing they did because about a mile out from Watson I ran out of water. It was getting hot out, and I ended up sitting in a mud hole for a minute to cool off. After a quick fill at Watson I asked Keevin if he wouldn't mind riding his bike with me for the last 6 miles of this section. I usually like running solo, but this was getting long and I was enjoying seeing people.

Trailhead in Tahoe City

Using the stick on my ouchy legs

  

My brother in law Dan and Keevin getting me ready to head out

Somewhere past Watson Lake

Section 6: Brockway to Mt Rose Meadows - 21 miles

It was getting hot out and I wasn't looking forward to this next section. It is basically one reaaaally long climb with a short descent. There are no water sources to filter at so the crew was going to drive in a couple miles to top us off. Sienna an ICU RN was my pacer on this section. I was moving slow here and she was power hiking faster than my shuffle. I was having solid type 2 fun with dashes of type 3 fun. Food was not easy to force down, but I kept on moving. The last section of the climb up to Relay Peak seemed to drag on forever. Once on top it was just a little descent to the next trailhead right? nope! We passed a sign that had 2.5 miles to the the trailhead posted, but since that sign went up they extended the single track and keep us off the fire road. Amazing new single track, but I wasn't so jazzed about the added miles at the time.

Cooling off at Brockway

Quick top off 

Pringles were my go to salty snack

Relay Peak

Eating soup before my "nap"

attempting nap #2, eyes closed but no sleeping

Section 7: Mt Rose Meadows to Spooner -23 miles

After a 40 minute rest and attempted nap at Mt Rose I headed out with Ryan. I was excited about seeing some of the Tahoe 200 runner that would be coming from the opposite direction. This section was pure mental as everything hurt and I started wheezing. Shortly after the sun went down I started hallucinating a little. Unless there really are human sized lizard sitting along the trail. It was a little chilly going over Snow Valley  Peak and I put on a puffy and gloves. We saw a couple runners coming the other way and cheered them on as we moved along. Just before getting to Spooner I saw a guy curled up in the fetal position on the side of the trail. Unsure if he was real I asked if he was okay. He replied, "Yes, I started hallucinating so I'm taking a little nap". He didn't want anything so I carried on and was soon at Spooner.

Somewhere on the spine above Washoe Valleys and Tahoe

Section 8: Spooner to Kingsbury - 15 miles

Keevin and I were quickly off for our last segment. I had a handheld (usually bar mounted) bike light because my headlamp had called it quits. I was in solid type 3 fun by this point and having a hard time breathing. I think breathing the fine dust for over 2 days was the problem.  My breathing was limiting my pace at this point. It was a little nerve wracking not being able to get a good breath. 

We started to see more and more of the Tahoe 200 runners that kept telling us we were going the wrong way. It was a big boost to see other people out there from the middle of the night to the early morning. About a half mile from the finish Ryan was waiting. Right before crossing Kingsbury Sienna and here fiance Scott were waiting. We all jogged in to the finish together where family and friends were waiting.

Final finish time was 49hrs and 17 minutes. This stands as the current women's FKT. I have no doubt that one day this time will fall. That's what records are there for. I enjoyed the challenge of pushing myself further than I thought possible and look forward to new challenges.

Ryan and Keevin herding me in to the finish

And done!!

My pacers Sienna, Keevin, and Ryan

So glad there is a bed in the van

Thanks so much to my amazing crew and family for coming out and supporting me on this crazy adventure. I am so lucky to have you all in my life!