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What Epic Awesomeness Will You Conquer This Year?

Gabe PetersonGabe Peterson
in General Training Discussions
It's been pretty quiet in the Epic forum.  What are you planning to tackle this year from the Master List of Epic Races?

I just found out that I was selected in the lottery for the Wasatch 100, so my season has finally come into focus.  My plan is a trifecta of ultra distance events: Ironman, ultra distance MTB race, and 100 ultra run.
  • Ironman Santa Rosa in May.
  • Tushar Crusher in July.  This is a 70-mile bike race with over 10k ft of vert on roads and dirt where racers get to choose a MTB or CX bike.  The joke is "whatever you choose you'll be wrong at some point in the race."  I'll ride my XC MTB.
  • Wasatch 100 in September.  This is one of the original 100s and was considered the toughest until races like Hard Rock and HURT 100 came on the scene.  With 24k ft of vert, it's still one of the toughest.  Luckily, the entire course is in my backyard, so I can pre-run pretty much the whole thing.  I'll also get to do some fun local ultras as part of the build up, including Twisted Fork 64k and Kat'cina Mosa 100k, both within an hour of my home.
The Moab 240 in October lingers in the back of my mind.  It's exciting and terrifying at the same time.  But I'll probably be smoked from the above by October.  I'll have to see how I hold up.

Share your epic awesomeness!
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Comments

  • Tim SullivanTim Sullivan
    I'm going to do the Austin Rattler 100k MTB on March 31 and then attempt the 66k trail run on April 1st. I have never done a MTB race and haven't run that far before so should be fun.  Only 5 people did both the mtb and run last year.  

    These races are Leadville qualifiers and they have some lottery slots so well see how this all ends up.


  • Gabe PetersonGabe Peterson
    @Tim%20Sullivan, wow that sounds epic!  Leadville has a similar race series with the Silver Rush events.  You do the 50 mile MTB on Saturday and the same course as a run on Sunday.  I did the MTB but was just too smoked to try the run.  The competition is called the Silver King/Queen and they give out special awards.  Does Austin Rattler do a similar award?
  • Tim SullivanTim Sullivan
    @Gabe Peterson oh no! I hope I'm not too smoked for the run the next day. (Very likely could be) Yes, Austin Rattler does the King & Queen for doing both the MTB and run.  Just like in the Silver Rush, the run is 2 loops of the bike course instead of the 3 for the MTB.  I figure that if I get too smoked, I can stop after 1 loop of the trail run.  I will most likely camp at the ranch to get the whole experience.
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Tim Cronk has coerced me into doing this with him come September in the Catskills:

    https://www.sostriathlon.com/course
  • Gabe PetersonGabe Peterson
    @Tim%20Sullivan the Silver Rush MTB 50 is probably one of the hardest MTB races, and it was my first MTB race of any kind.  It is still pound-for-pound the hardest ride I've ever done.  I figured it wasn't worth the risk of injury with the Leadville MTB and Run 100s coming up.  You should have no problem.  Look forward to hearing about your epic adventure at Austin!

    @Al Truscott that looks like a boatload of fun!
  • tim cronktim cronk
    @Gabe Peterson  Wasatch looks insane.  MOAB 240 ?  Really ? 

    @Tim Sullivan   Cant wait to follow that double.

    @Al Truscott   Yeah I twisted your arm :-)  Really looking forward to this race, its been on my list for so long.

    My list- Nothing really EPIC but that 100 looks impossible :-)
    1.Oracle 50k done 9 days ago - 32 miles 4600' elevation in 5:38 all on the AZT 2nd in AG and 7thOA  and still recovering at the moment
    2.Antelope Canyon 50 miler in 3 weeks - lots and lots of sand
    3.R2R2R in April - 
    4.Vermont 100 in July - "A" Goal mostly dirt roads but 17k elevation
    5.SOS in Sept - point to point triathlon 30mile bike, run, swim, run ,swim, run , swim, run
    6.Ghost Train 100 in October as back up - flat rail trail in NH near where I grew up, laps of 15 miles and you can choose any distance you want, rumor has it there will be a large crew of EN at this race!
  • scott dinhoferscott dinhofer
    @Al Truscott - technically it's not the "catskills"
    the Catskills have two zones, the 3400' peaks around Hunter/ Windham, which is about 35 miles north and the "Borscht Belt" which barely comes near this area. This is the Shawangunk mountains or the 'gunks. As time would attest from his climbing days, this is actually a world class climbing mecca. 

    my epic is actually the tame roads of IM.. my goal is to get to Kona.. Preferably by KQ. if I can't do that and I can hold my body together, I have 3 IMs on the docket which will take me to #12... then soon to be announced is a new focus on other endeavors for 2019 & beyond.. 

    I am also doing the American Zofingen Long Course which I said I'd never do!
  • Gabe PetersonGabe Peterson
    @tim cronk yeah, Moab 240 sounds really stupid, but also epic.  The average finish time is something like 100 hours.  Here's an interesting podcast on Trail Manners by a Utahan who did the triple crown of 200s, including Moab.
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @Gabe Peterson - well, I'm not doing anything off the list, but I'm going to take credit for Ironman Norway (1 Jul) since it looks like there will be very few athletes racing compared to a typical IM.  It's already February and they don't even have a 1,000 athletes signed up!  If WTC pulls the plug on this race after 2018, I'll be patting myself on the back for years for having the good fortune to have actually done it.  And at 6562 ft elevation gain on a single loop bike course it's not a gimme.  The run isn't flat either with an elevation gain of 787 ft.

    I'm going to throw in three Half IMs this year to put a little icing on the cake.  But overall, this is a lighter year for me than last year.

  • Tim SullivanTim Sullivan
    I'm planning on IM Norway as well @Paul Hough
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @Tim - as in this year?!  That would be awesome.  Tier 1 pricing is still in effect which is how I know they don't have 1000 entrants.  They have a note that says it will be changing soon but that has been there for over 2 months.  With 10-15% DNS this race will be lucky to get 800-900 finishers.  Where are you staying?
  • tim cronktim cronk
    @Tim Sullivan and @Paul Hough  anything in Norway is EPIC :-)

    @Gabe Peterson  I think I will start a Ultra 2018 thread.  We can discuss training/racing/prep through out the year.... Such a small group I imagine one thread is good.
  • Gabe PetersonGabe Peterson
    @Paul Hough and @Tim Sullivan IM Norway looks pretty epic to me!

    @tim cronk great idea!  That will be a good way to share training tips and moral support through the year.
  • Peter NoyesPeter Noyes
    Hi Guys!

    I am doing IM Santa Rosa in May and then the AC 100 in August. I sprained my ankle in November and wasn't able to do a 50 miler yet this year so I have to cram one in for either June or July. I have been eyeing a couple options in Oregon. I will see how I am feeling after AC, but it would be great to get one more epic thing in for the end of the year!
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    @PeterNoyes - you are nuts; NUTS I SAY!!

    OK, if the stars align on the timing of a work conference, then I do have an EPIC idea for mid-May that will be part of my lead-up to IM Norway.  To wit, the Cheaha Challenge ULTRA category in Alabama on 20 May.  That would be a 125 mile Gran Fondo with 12,835 feet of climbing ... about as epic as it gets for me.  
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