2024 Wrap-Up, 2025 Ultra Plans

I tried to run five 100-milers in 2024. The last (UTMR) was cancelled due to landslides that even Swiss engineers couldn't fix quickly, so I ended up with four.

February 23: Orcas Island 100 (29:53)
June 7-8 Scout Mountain 100 (31:37)
July 20: TRT 100 (31:45)
August 30: UTMB Mont Blanc (39:26)
 
In addition, I ran Paiute Meadows 50K (May 11, 5:58) and did the 11-peak version of Desolate Peaks (August 17). I feel like the first half of the year was great--Orcas was early in the year to get me going, a nice social race, and a fun trip to the San Juan Islands and a visit to Seattle friends I hadn't seen in a while. The summer was good, with two hundreds and about two hundred miles in the Brooks Range in Alaska. 

 

Then at UTMB, it was fun to experience the insane Tour de France-like fan crowds once, but I don't think I'll bother trying to get into it again. It was nice to hang out with Lucas' mom Jan in Chamonix, and travel around Switzerland by myself, but UTMR getting delayed, delayed again, then cancelled, and then taking a fall scrambling on my own sucked. The Europaweg from Grachen to Zermatt was gorgeous, but clearly didn't make up for the cancelled 100+ miler, and I didn't really find anything to get me going again for the rest of the year. I bailed on Euchre Bar Massacre and took Margo backpacking in the John Muir Wilderness instead. I considered doing Hellgate 100K++ in southern Virginia, but realized I could be home for the holidays with Amy and the dogs in Reno rather than in DC, and chose home. I've been in maintenance mode since September, and it's getting tiresome. 

 

Matterhorn from Zermatt

 

The upside is that I'm closing in on my year-end goals. With 9 days left, I'm ahead of schedule to get the most running miles I have ever logged in a year: 2,750. And I'm only slightly behind schedule to get half a million feet of vert, which I think I should be able to get given the weekends and holidays that are left.
 

And I got into Hardrock for 2025! So I looked at my 2017 Hardrock and designed a similar buildup for the first half of next year.

(Bold means I'm already registered, italics means it's less likely)

February 8: TWOT (two loops)

March 1: Way Too Cool 50K
March 8: Seneca Creek Greenway 50K (reg open, price increase Jan 1)
March 15: Elizabeth Furnace 50K (reg opens Jan 28)

April 26: Canyons 100K by UTMB

May 9: Hellbender 100

May 27-29: Western States Training Weekend

 
June 7: Volunteer (not run) at Silver State 50/50


July 11-13: Hardrock 100 (volunteer form deadline: June 16)

August 8-10: Wyoming Range 100 (reg opens Jan 2)
Aug 31 - Sep 7: Swiss Peaks 380K
Sep 3-6: UTMR
Sep 5-6: Superior 100–MN (Jan 1-15 lottery)
Sep 12-14: The Rut VK, 28K, 50K (registration Jan 7)


Basically, as many shorter races as I can find and fit into my travel schedule, and one 100-miler. Of course, there's a lot of uncertainty in the world right now (have you noticed?) so this depends somewhat on how much I have to be back in DC. And I have nothing planned after Hardrock. 

 

So what should I do in August/September? Wyoming Range 100, one of only two US Hardrock qualifiers I won't have done? Swiss Peaks 380K--I've been saying I was going to do this in 2025 for years, but will I have enough PTO if I have to be in the office in DC 5 days/week and need to use PTO every time I visit Amy? UTMR--probably not, unless I get discounted registration. The Rut trifecta--just a fun weekend in a state I love?


And after? Between illness, high school reunions, and me being a lame-o, I can't remember the last time I actually did EBM for real, so that's always an October option. Suck it up and do Hellgate? I'd strongly prefer not to get stuck in maintenance mode for the last third of the year again.

 

Margo helping me get vert


Suggestions welcome!

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