Trail runner spotlight: Julie Wolfe

Julie Wolfe crossing Sweetwater Creek during her first ultra race at the 2012 SweetH20 50K.

Last week, I posted an interview with Roxanne Zobava, a veteran trail runner with a number of ultrarunning highlights on her running resume. To contrast that, I seeked out someone who, while may have the road miles under their belt, was just getting their feet wet, literally, in the world of trail running and ultra distance races.

I caught up with local Atlanta TV "backpack reporter", Julie Wolfe, for a quick interview. You'll read in her own words how running has been a part of her life for some time now but also how she's getting started in the trail running community. As a reporter, Julie has a crazy schedule, but she still manages to get her training in. She's getting geared up for a very busy Fall racing season including The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K Georgia in October.

Here's our little chat...

Crossing the finish at Mayor's Alaska
Marathon with Team In Training.

How long have you been running and when was your first marathon? What attracted you to trying 26.2 miles for the first time?

I grew up in a family where my three sisters and I would shudder with embarrassment when our dad came running down the block in his tiny bright-blue nylon shorts. My whole life, my dad has been a runner.  I was never interested until I turned 19. A young man I went to high school with was killed in a car crash during his senior year. It marked the time in Metro Atlanta before license restrictions when it seemed like teen driving tragedies came so often we were numb. My dad was a member at his church and started a 5K to raise money for the scholarship in his name. I couldn’t run 5K when I started training, but I ran it that day and never really looked back.

Over the years, as I’ve moved from city to city following my career in television, I’ve always sought out local running groups for support and friendship. When I first told my dad I was running a marathon, he laughed. But that was 15 full marathons ago and too many halves to count. It includes a few my dad and I have run together. He still owns those blue nylon shorts.

What was your favorite road marathon experience and why?

Every marathon is good and bad for different reasons, so that’s hard for me to say. My favorite destination was Anchorage. My favorite post-race was Napa to Sonoma. My fastest time was in Buffalo, NY. My most social run was in Chicago. I haven’t found the “perfect” marathon yet. I guess that’s why I keep running them.

Earlier this year, you decided to try your hand at trail running and you ran your first 50K. What inspired you to do so?

I was bored. I either had to get faster or run longer. Running is like therapy to me.  I believe every person with a stressful job must have an outlet. Your choice is whether it’s going to be a healthy one or a destructive one. Running relaxes me and brings back focus. Because of that, I’ve always shied away from the intense training effort I’d need to put in to push my times into the competitive region. I own a Garmin, but I don’t want to be a slave to it. I’m afraid of making running another job, of making it a source of stress instead of a stress reliever. And so, running longer was the only choice left.

How would you describe your experience at the SweetH20?

I loved it. It’s been so long since I ran a race I wasn’t even sure I could finish. I forgot how scary, fun, and exciting that can be. Everything that was making me feel stifled in marathon road races was nowhere to be found on that trail. Both draw amazing, incredible athletes and intense competitors. But there is such a feeling of community on the trails that you don’t feel in a road race, even the smaller ones.

What first attracted you to racing a TNF Endurance Challenge race?

After the SweetH2O, I was searching for another 50K. The TNF was close to home and good timing, so it was an easy choice.

After the 50K distance, do you have plans to go even further in a race? Why or why not?

I’d like to do a 50 mile race in 2013. Right now, I have no desire to do a 100 miler. But if you’d asked me five years ago if I’d be running ultras, I would have laughed. So, we’ll see what the future holds. If I’ve learned anything from running over the years, it’s that the “post-race glow” is a strong pull towards the next big challenge.

I think the biggest hurdle for me on increasing distance is training time. Between working six day weeks during the Olympics, getting sick with the cold that’s sweeping Atlanta right now, and traveling; getting those extra long runs (20+ miles) has been a real challenge this year. I’ve learned if you want to be a distance runner and you want to have a life, there are compromises on both ends. I think like all of us, I do the best I can and hope it’s enough on race day.

What is your goal at this year's TNF Endurance Challenge?

Leading up to my first 50K I posted my 3 goals on Facebook: (1) To not die (2) To Keep Moving Forward and (3) to not get swept.  I wasn’t really kidding. Because I’d never run an ultra, I had no idea what to expect. This time, I have a reference point. Still, I’ll keep those original goals plus the hope of finishing in a better time. This ultra is part of a triple-header I’m running this fall: Wineglass 26.2 in September, the North face Challenge in October, and the Savannah Rock n’ Roll 13.1 in November. Instead of treating them as individual races, I see it as one big “fall race plan”.

What would you advise to someone trying trail running for the first time?

Curb your expectations and just let go. For me, trail running is very different than road running. You use so many different muscles. You have to stay mentally engaged. You burn about 15% more calories, so I’m also much hungrier after and during long trail runs. But I think us running nerds over think it. It’s still just putting one foot in front of the other. Consider leaving your watch at home. Explore the trails. Stop to take pictures of the sunset and gape at the deer staring you down. There’s something about trail running that makes me feel free and very, very far away from everything. It’s a whole new kind of running high.

It is still about putting one foot in front of the other and I agree, go exploring. Thanks Julie and good luck with your races this Fall.

Thanks and my pleasure!

~~~~~~~~~~

I was glad to catch up with Julie and get her thoughts about her upcoming races. You can follow Julie on Twitter (@JulieWolfe), and drop her a note of encouragement as she gets ready. You can also join Julie at The North Face Endurance Challenge Georgia which takes place at Pine Mountain, GA on October 13-14 weekend. Register at http://tnf.ec/0o and follow @TheNorthFaceECS on Twitter. Happy trails!

Trail runner spotlight: Roxanne Zobava

Roxanne Zobava tearing it up at the
'08 The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Miler in Wisconsin.

I've used this blog to mostly share my adventures while trail running or to post race reports, but I want to give the blog a new dimension. I want to explore connecting with other runners in the trail running community and sharing their love of the sport. I thought I'd start with a good friend of mine who I have had the pleasure of running many trail miles together, but who is an accomplished runner with an impressive resume. 

TNFEC Madison finish.

And since I'm busy helping The North Face folks promote their upcoming Endurance Challenge in Georgia, what a better way to connect the two but to talk to someone who has run at three different TNFEC events. Rox took 2nd female at TNFEC Madison 50 miler back in 2008 and took 5th female at TNFEC Washington 50 miler in 2010. Her resume also includes winning her very first 50K in 2007 and standing on the podium at 16 more races after that including 2nd female at the 2009 Pinhoti 100. Rox is on the Rock/Creek trail racing team and is also a GUTS member.

I had a chance to sit down with Rox and ask her some questions. Here's a recap of that interview:

How long have you been running and racing on trails and what attracted you to ultra distance races?

My first ultra distance race was back in 2007, the inaugural SweetH2O 50K near Atlanta. I love being outside and being out in nature. I prefer wilderness and mountain running much more than the roads or city. I like the community of trail/ultra runners too. Its a very chill environment which suits me. Once I ran one ultra I was hooked and now I want to run all over the U.S and even the world.

Which race destinations have you run in The North Face Endurance Challenge race series and how did you place at each?

I first ran The North Face Endurance Challenge Madison 50 mile in 2008 and I was 2nd female. That same year I ran TNFEC San Francisco 50 mile where I was 12th female and third in my age group. In June of 2009, I ran my third and last for now TNFEC race in Washington D.C. I raced the 50 mile where I was fifth female and third in my age group.

Which one was your favorite and why?

I loved TNFEC Madison because my family was out there and it was a PR for me. TNFEC San Francisco was SOOOO beautiful. I take a little something from every race. They are all wonderful in their own way. I meet such amazing people at every event!

What first attracted you to racing a TNF Endurance Challenge race?

I wanted to run a 50 mile race that was close to my aunt. She had never seen me race before, so Madison was a perfect place for me to plan a race where at the time she lived close to that venue.

Sharin' the hardware 
with Nikki Kimball!

What is it that TNF Endurance Challenge races do better than others?

The event is VERY well run from course markings to the swag bag. It is a very well oiled machine and organized event! The fact that there are so many distances to choose is a great draw to TNF events also.

You haven't run TNF Endurance Challenge race in Georgia before, but you have run the trails at FDR State Park near Pine Mountain. How would you describe the trails and what would you advise to someone on how to get ready for them?

Pine Mountain has a little bit of everything. Some good climbs and descends with awesome single track. Depending on the time of year, the trail could get a bit technical with leaves covering the rocky trail segments. Recently, a tornado storm went thru FDR park and there is still some evidence of that. Its not a speedy course, but you definitely run well if you're trained and in the right mind set. It's a beautiful place to run. I wish it were even closer to Atlanta.

TNFEC Georgia will be your fourth in the series, what is your goal at this year's TNF Endurance Challenge?

This will be my first race back from injury, so I want to finish the race strong and feel good the whole time. I'M EXCITED!!

Thanks Rox and good luck at TNFEC Georgia in October. I can't wait to get some trail miles together while you get ready for the race.

Thanks Javi! It's been my pleasure and I can't wait either!

~~~~~~~~~~

I'm excited to see how Rox does at TNFEC Georgia in about a month and a half. Her race calendar the rest of the year also includes the Duncan Ridge 50K in November, one of the toughest 50K courses in the Southeast.

You can join Rox at The North Face Endurance Challenge Georgia which takes place at Pine Mountain, GA on October 13-14 weekend. Register at http://tnf.ec/0o and follow @TheNorthFaceECS on Twitter.

Come back to the blog in a couple of weeks as I hope to interview and post about another local trail runner, John Dove, after he comes back from a unique mountain stage racing experience in Wales, the Dragon's Back Race.

The North Face Endurance Challenge Georgia 10/13-10/14: Free Race Entry Give-Away!

2010 TNFECS Georgia 50-miler winner,
 Geoff Roes, on the Pine Mountain trail.

The North Face Endurance Challenge race series is coming back to Georgia. It's a big weekend packed with races in nine different distances. Everything from a kids race to a 50 miler and all on beautiful trails mostly the Pine Mountain Trail leading out of FDR State Park near Warm Springs, GA. The Georgia edition of The North Face Endurance Challenge takes place on October 13-14, 2012. It's two days of challenging racing and you have an opportunity to win a free entry to the race distance of your choice: 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, 50K or 50 miler. Of course, if I were you, I would use it to register for the 50K or the 50 miler. 

And by the way, if you are into great swag…nothing beats the goodies you receive at any of The North Face Endurance Challenge race. The Finish Line Festival features music, refreshments and food. Not to mention, it will also offer free samples, product trials, demonstrations and raffle prizes from The North Face, GORE-TEX, and more.

Expect to hob knob with the big dogs too...2010 50 miler winner was Geoff Roes and last year's 50 miler winner was Hal Koerner!

Meet & greet with Karnazes! A Meet and Greet with Dean Karnazes will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at The North Face Retail booth at the Finish Line Festival. Dean will be answering questions, taking photos and signing autographs during this time.

So how do you win the free entry? It's easy really, all you have to do is help me spread the word in order to enter a random drawing and here's what I ask you to do. To qualify for the drawing, you will receive one entry for each one of the tasks you complete below:

• Follow @TheNorthFaceECS on Twitter
• Follow me (@aReyoUiN) on Twitter
• Follow this blog
• Post this on Twitter:
  Check out @aReyoUiN's blog, he's giving away a free entry into #TheNorthFace #EnduranceChallenge Georgia. http://bit.ly/NsqM0Q Plz RT. 
• Like The North Face Endurance Challenge Race Series on Facebook

Complete all five equals five entries!

Once you have completed any or all of the tasks above, come back to this blog entry and let me know by posting a comment on what you completed. I'll start the contest now and close it on Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. EST (midnight). 

Each entry will be assigned a random number and the winner will be pulled by selecting the entry with the highest assigned random number. Drawing will be held by Monday, August 27th, 2012 and the winner will be announced on the blog. You must be a US resident to qualify and be at least 18 years of age.

Check back on the blog too, as I'll be posting stories and interviews featuring 2012 TNF Endurance Challenge participants in the next couple of weeks.

Don't wait? Start earning your entries and best of luck! I hope to see you on the trails.

The Good, the Bad and the Not-So-Ugly: Pine Mountain 40-Miler 12.4.11

High fiving Woody as I was coming into the first aid station.

I ran the Pine Mountain 40-Miler back in 2009 and at the time, I provided a play-by-play report then of that race on the blog. So, I thought I’d take a different approach to this race report. I’m gonna break this up for what it was in reality, an experience that proved to be…the good, the bad and the not-so-ugly.

THE GOOD

As always, the good included an opportunity to trail run in the woods with a bunch of friends. It was so great to see so many out on the course, whether they were running, or volunteering. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers and specifically to thank Kena (even though she was following and supporting another runner, it almost seemed like she was supporting me every time I saw her at every aid station), Phillip (who pointed out my bloody nipples at mile 31 and offered sports tape), Kim, Harry, Joel, Jenn, Jason, Rachel and all the other volunteers  for the killer support at the Mollyhugger Hill, Dowden Knob and Rocky Point aid stations, and to Sarah (the RD) and the rest of the GUTS crew for another well organized and supported event. Frank gets special mention for serving up the grilled cheese sandwiches at the TV Tower aid stop. Too many friends out there running to list here, but I did get to catch up with many of them post-race at the finish line. A couple of special shout outs to Laura, Aaron D. and Woody D., it was not to be their day for any of them as they all DNF’d for various reasons, but that’s how it goes some times. We’ve all been there. The beauty of the sport is that there’s always the next race.

Another good thing about the race was the swag. Everyone received a really nice, fleece winter cap and all the finishers took home a sporty, fleece half-zip top. That beats a t-shirt any day.

When it comes to the race itself and how the day went for me, my first 24 miles definitely represent the good. I arrived at the start with just a few minutes to spare to hit the bathroom and pick up my number. I also realized when I arrived, that I had forgotten my hand-held water bottle. Not again! This happened to me at Stump Jump a couple of months ago, but luckily this time I had a spare one liter water bottle in the car that  I had brought for after the race. It would be my faux football to carry the whole race, but it was a savior. Anyway my buddy, Woody, drove separately, but we both managed to arrive about the same time. We lined up with everyone and after a few words from the RD, we were off. Woody took off with the leaders and I held back and decided to find a spot closer to the middle of the pack. Soon we were on single track trail and the pecking order seemed pretty set since no one seemed overly anxious to pass for the first few miles. I really did feel good. I was chatting it up with others around me. I met some great people that I would end up seeing all day long, like John from Oak Ridge, TN who was running his first 40-miler, and Elizabeth from Atlanta, GA who would end up dropping me for good at around mile 33 after passing each other several times through out the race. When I ran part of the course with my buddy, Doug, a couple of weeks ago, we ran out past the point where the Mollyhugger Hill aid stop would be during the race, which is about mile 11 of the course. I remember then thinking that I wanted to be at this spot two hours into the race and sure enough, that’s what happened. In fact, I hit mile 12 or so at the two hour mark and I started thinking that a sub-8 hour race would be doable after all. I ran the course in 7:58 the last time, but I was coming into this race a lot less prepared and with fewer long runs on my legs. So a sub-8 hour race was optimistic. The next couple of aid stops were very welcome sights because to get to them we had to traverse through tornado devastated portions of the course, but more on that later. Needless to say, I reached the TV Tower aid stop (about mile 22) and I was still feeling pretty decent, but the wheels would soon come off.

THE BAD

Refueling on an uphill.

Back in April, a storm and several tornadoes laid waste to the immediate area in and near the park. Huge sections of forest trees were tumbled over like little toothpicks. Trees were down, uprooted and slashed. Volunteers had obviously spent many man hours cleaning up and chain sawing miles and miles of the trail. We would encounter the first of these sections about 12 miles into the race and it was a good mile long, between the Mollyhugger Hill and Dowdell Knob aid stops. On the upside, because the trees were down, there were no leaves on the trail. One of the stand out characteristics of the Pine Mountain 40-miler is the leaves you encounter on the trail from the autumn foliage and the level of difficulty they add on the already technical and rocky trail. In the tornado sections, there were no leaves, but there was also nothing else. I mean no life. It was kind of eerie and depressing to see. And when I spoke with other runners later, we agreed that there was like a bad spiritual vibe, a bad energy of sorts. There were other sections on the course that were just as devastated and I couldn’t help feel the same thing every time. On the way back at around mile 30, I was crossing one of these sections for the last time and the sun was out. Even though it was December, it was unseasonably warm and I was already feeling crappy at this point. Between the sun, the depressing landscape and the miles on my legs, I hit the wall hard. By the time I arrived at the Mollyhugger Hill aid station again around 31.5 miles in, I was walking and I still had my least favorite section of the trail left to go.

We all hit the wall at some point, right?  I mean it happens to the most experienced of athletes, the Lance Armstrongs and even Kilian Jornets of the world. But man, there’s no comfort in knowing that and it always sucks. Like I said, I started to fall apart and at mile 30 started walking without running again and it lasted several miles. I wasn’t injured. I didn’t have any blisters. I felt like I had managed my nutrition just fine. But obviously some thing just turned off like a switch inside. Earlier at around mile 23, I had a second wind and I had passed several runners that I had shared the trail with for a few miles. I had tucked my water bottle into my arm and I kept a steady pace. I even managed to run up one of the few decent climbs on the race course and I thought I put some distance on runners behind me. But when things went south for me, they went south fast. Many of those same runners, now caught me and passed me. After the aid station, we jumped on a white-blazed trail that is a lot less traveled by hikers and the footing was more difficult with the leaves and rocks. I was so fried, that it was all I could do to just put one foot in front of the other. As I walked, more and more runners would pass including Elizabeth who dropped me here for the last time. I wouldn’t see her again until after crossing the finish. She gave me a smile and a thumbs up and flew by me like I was standing still. I walked and walked and just tried to stay positive. Now I thought if I finished in under nine hours, I would be lucky. But in ultras, many times if you feel like crap, you just gotta hang on and some times things can turn around. And they did.

THE NOT-SO-UGLY

I came off the white-blazed trail and hit the last manned aid station of the course, Fox Den Cove, at around mile 34 of the course. I lingered at the aid station and drank and ate my fill. I was joking around with the volunteers and they were great. At one point, one of them told me that my time was up and that I had to get moving. I looked at him and thanked him. A sign of a good aid station in a race is they know when to push the runners along. There’s no sense in my hanging out and the only way I was going to finish the race was to get a move on. Leaving the station, there was a slight down hill and feeling a bit rejuvenated I tried to jog a bit. It didn’t feel too bad. I alternated jogging the down hills and walking the up hills until I eventually came up on a runner that had passed me earlier when I was really feeling terrible. Now it looked like it was his turn to feel like crap, but he was managing to stay in front of me, the more I tried to catch him. This went on for a little bit until we crossed a road and started on the final climb of the day. We were both walking, but I was determined to pass him. Slowly I inched up on him and finally passed him. Encouraged by this, I started running up the hill and realized that I could hold the pace. Once on the ridge, I made it a point to put some distance between the two of us and I didn’t look back. I crossed the final road crossing and the rest of the way was down hill. Just a little over two miles to go. I was so excited. I ran down the descent and never really walked again. The trail soon leveled off and followed a creek back to the finish. As I was nearing the end, I saw local ultra-legend, Richard Schick ahead of me. He had passed me earlier when I was toast. He has also “schicked” me before at the Mt. Cheaha 50K when he passed me with less than a mile to go at that race. So, I thought that maybe I could return the favor. He was getting closer, but as we crossed the last foot bridge he had about a 20 yard lead on me and the finish line was too close. He finished with 8:32:23 on the race clock and I crossed the line at 8:32:34. I high fived Richard, thanked  some of the GUTS crew hanging out at the finish and found the nearest spot to sit my tired ass down. Tough race, but I had seen the good, the bad, and the not-so-ugly of it. I was happy to be done and with my time.

Thank you to Vikena Yutz for the photos!

2011 Pine Mountain 40-Miler blog roll:

Sarah Woerner (female winner and new course record holder)
Aaron Dwileski