Zion 100/50

Beat the heat with an all natural, electrolyte shaved ice…

zion100 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:03:07 +0000

One of my biggest concerns on race day is the mid-afternoon heat as runners cross the desert between Smith and Gooseberry Mesas (or after dropping off of Little Creek Mesa for the 50 milers.) One of the ideas that we’ve come up with to help runners stay comfortable is electrolyte snow cones. A couple of months ago, I exchanged emails with a veteran ultrarunner that has over 30 years of running 100′s under her belt. She mentioned that the most welcome aid station that she has ever experienced was a slushee machine in the middle of the desert. That got me started and one thought led to another and here’s what we’ve come up with: All natural electrolyte shaved ice. The above ingredients are all that will going into these babies and they taste marvelous. Just water, organic sugar, lemon juice and Elyte Edge electrolyte concentrate.

After bringing the ingredients to a boil and letting it cool, we just freeze the mixture in these containers and then transfer the frozen product into baggies to be stored in the big chest freezer until race day. We’ll have 200 of these frozen cylinders ready to go on race day waiting for you at Sheep’s Bridge Aid station on the 100 and Little Creek Mesa for the 50. We’ve purchased 3 simple shaved ice machines which are hand cranked, so they can be used anywhere- no need for electricity. They crank out a shaved ice in about 20 seconds flat so hopefully we won’t keep anyone waiting that’s in a hurry.

My 9 year 0ld son, Abe, will be helping me out with this. He is a little entrepreneur and loves selling lemonade, etc. out on the street corner, so naturally he asked if he could sell some Electro-Ice at the finish line. So if you like the one you try on the run, come and support this ambitious little guy at the finish line as he tries to earn enough $ to buy a better Nerf gun and a Wii game.

Training Run Video

zion100 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:37:26 +0000

Thanks, 3D Media Watch!

Grumpy Goat Wood-Fired Pizza for Pre-Race Meal!

zion100 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:38:16 +0000

We think you’ll be happy to hear that The Grumpy Goat will be bringing their portable wood-fired pizza oven to the start/finish line to cook you an organic pie for your pre-race meal. Each runner will receive a voucher in their pre-race packet for a free pizza of their choice. These pizzas only take 2-3 minutes each to cook once the oven is heated up, and since runners will be spread out between 5-9pm on both Thurs. and Fri. nights for pre-race packet pickup, the Grumpy Goat should be able to keep up with our orders without too much of a wait. If pre-race pizza isn’t your thing, you can hang on to your voucher until after the race and eat it then if you just can’t hold out for the Wildcat Willie’s dutch oven cookout at 6pm. The Grumpy Goat will also be at the park during the entirety of the race to take orders from your friends and family so that they don’t have to travel too far to get something to eat.

We’ll be doing a group run up onto Little Creek Mesa this Saturday for anyone interested. Meeting at the Kokapelli Golf Club parking lot at 7:15am. Out and back or loop, depending on your schedule.

Check the FB page for some lodging/camping opportunities with a couple of locals in Virgin and Rockville…

Buckles!

zion100 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:15:59 +0000

Kali has finished the first batch of buckles. Here’s a look at the “Ephedra” and “Juniper” models. Each buckle is unique from all of the others and goes through a pretty tedious process to be created. We’ll have them displayed on a table at the finish line and runners can choose their buckle after they’ve finished.

The 50 mile medallions are being done by a local company as well (Kenworthy Monument Co.) They are circular pieces of sandstone that have our logo printed on them with a varnish coat over the top. We’ll post pictures as soon as they’re ready.

Course update

zion100 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:24:48 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

We have had to make some adjustments to the 100 mile course recently due to a permitting issue. All aid stations will remain the same except for the two on Smith Mesa road will be slid back about a mile. The area of change will be from mile 17 to mile 24.5 (aid station #3 on Kolob Terrace Road.) We’ll be dropping down off of the mesa and following some primitive single track and double track for about 8.5 miles until it hits the paved road, just below the park entrance.

The changes are exciting, adding a little canyoneering, about 5 miles of single track, and 3.5 miles of double track. It will be slow going for a few hundred yards as it is a steep scramble descending down through the top layer of Smith Mesa. Although not necessary, we will have a rope set up (as seen in one of the pictures above) to give runners something to hold onto for added stability in the roughest part of the descent. Volunteers will be present to make sure you stay on course in this critical area. (The turnoff from Smith Mesa road will be aid station #2.) After this, you’ll follow a stream bed for a quarter mile and then get on some of my favorite single track of the course through boulder fields, piñon pine, manzanita, scrub oak, and juniper.

Click here to see the updated version of the map.

Half full or half empty?

zion100 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:35:09 +0000

We recently passed the half way mark for 100 mile registrations! We’ll be capping it at 100 runners in order to keep things more manageable in our first year. There are currently 53 runners registered for the 100. The cap on the 50 miler will be the same. (There are 34 runners registered for it.)

So far, we have runners coming from 23 different states and 3 Canadian provinces!

The Facebook page has proven helpful for runners to communicate about different things, be sure to “like” us when you visit there.

Also, please note that the aid stations have been named according to their location. This will help us avoid confusion since several aid stations had two different numbers assigned to them for the 100 and 50 mile courses.

Post Race Meal, Music, and Awards

zion100 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:37:40 +0000

We’re very excited to announce our post-race agenda for those that can stick around or come back at 6pm on Saturday. The dutch oven dinner will be catered by Wildcat Willies out of Springdale. Here’s the menu:

Green salad with sage vinaigrette dressing

Water melon

BBQ pulled pork

BBQ chicken

Dutch oven potatoes

Ranch style beans
Corn on the cob

Raspberry peach Cobbler

Corn bread

Runners are free of course, but additional meal tickets for family and friends can be purchased at pre-race check in for $11.

While you’re dishing up and enjoying your dinner, Erik the Red- a favorite local band that fits the bill perfectly will be providing the live music.

We’ll hand out awards/ buckles/medals and do the raffle at 7. (We’ve got some great prizes lined up- UltrAspire packs, St. George Running Center gift certificates, Smith Optics sunglasses, lodging at Cable Mtn. Lodge and Holiday Inn Express, Unshoes custom made huarache sandals, Elyte Edge concentrate, and gift certificates from several businesses.

Pacer Sign-up

zion100 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:27:08 +0000

Here’s a form for runners to fill out that would like to request a pacer. Here is the form for those that would like to volunteer to be a pacer. If you have people traveling with you that will not be pacing you, you might ask them to consider pacing somebody else. We’ll have volunteers that transport pacers from the finish line to the aid station that they’ll be pacing from. These forms can also be found on the recently created “Volunteer” page.

January 12, 2010

zion100 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:07:12 +0000

Today marked two years since the earthquake in Haiti that forever changed so many lives including my own. I spent 6 months of 2010 in Haiti involved in the post-earthquake relief effort and part of me will never be the same. Here’s a link to the blog that I kept while I was there. One of the biggest motivators that I have for putting on this race is to raise money for some worthy projects in Haiti. While this year our goal is to break even with the event, part of me still has hope that we can earn enough to put in a composting toilet at a tent city near where I lived in Haiti. Composting toilets are one thing that I saw make a palpable difference amidst some of the worst conditions that I witnessed there. They address two major problems facing the country- improper disposal of sewage and depleted soil. Here’s a look at composting toilets in Haiti, including one that we put in at the school and orphanage I was working with. We will work through Give Love each year to put in composting toilets in the Zion 100′s name. I wish that we could have composting toilets at the Zion 100, they are nearly odorless and so much more pleasant than the port-a-potties that you typically have to use at most running events.

We’ll also be giving back to the local community here in southern Utah. Each aid station is being manned by a different organization such as local cross country teams and boy scout troops and in exchange for their services, we make a donation to either their organization or a charity of their choice. Donations will also be made to the Dixie Amateur Radio Club, Washington County Search and Rescue, and the Bureau of Land Management.

T-shirt Preview

zion100 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:05:33 +0000

Here’s a peek at this year’s T-shirts that will be sent off to print in a couple of weeks. It’s usually a love/hate reaction to the design. In my book, anyone running 50-100 miles is made of steel.

BM-ZION-ZTee-Jan9-2012

We’ve had several prototype belt buckles made and haven’t quite nailed it yet. We’ve hired an artist that specializes in custom epoxy finished belt buckles. She’ll be making them using materials (sand, plant samples) that we’ve gathered and sent her from the trails that you’ll be running on. We’re very excited about these, they’ll make a perfect souvenir of your run in Zion country. We should have a picture of the final product in the next little while, we’ve almost got the design where we want it.