Back in 2013, Jamie Hobbs was kind enough to show Ron and I The Devil’s Path out in New York’s Catskills Mountains. Repeatedly ranked as one of the hardest/most dangerous trails on the planet, Devil’s packs somewhere around +/-19,000′ of climb/descent across 6 mountains (and 8 peaks) in its 25 miles of highly technical trail. It’s rated as a highly strenuous, three-day hike. In 2014 I was able to run the whole thing (along with my friends Ron and Ryan) in 12 hours (for comparison, the fastest known time is just under the 5 hour mark). In addition lots of climb and descent (there are no ridges in between the peaks), the trail is highly technical, riddled with roots, rocks, and cliff bands. If you’ve heard absurd descriptions of this trail? Don’t write it off as hyperbole. It’s almost impossible to overstate how challenging this trail can be.
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Well, my 2nd Escarpment Trail Run is in the books. Barely. Had my ass unceremoniously handed to me by the infamous wall of Manitou this weekend. Which… is basically what makes Escarpment the race that it is. With 10k’ of climb/descent over 6 mountains in just 30k, this race will make you work for it even on the best of days. On a bad day you’ll be happy just finishing.
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Pretty humbling to be featured in two running media outlets regarding my recent Manitou’s Revenge experience. Thanks to Chris O’Brien and Eric Eagan for allowing me to share my adventures. Links below – hope y’all enjoy!!
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Well, that was one hell of an adventure. This past weekend’s Manitou’s Revenge Ultramarathon more than lived up to its brutal reputation, and I had an absolute blast. This was easily the most fun I’ve ever had in a race due to the beautiful setting, the amazing racers and volunteers, and the sheer ridiculousness of the course and the conditions. It was also probably the worst time I’ve ever had in a race due to circumstances out of my control that, ultimately, ended up costing me the chance to finish – exiting the race at mile 44, scratching my head on what had become a pretty bizarre situation.
Sometimes, I collect my thoughts in writing before a big race. I haven’t done that for awhile now, but Manitou’s Revenge, now just over 2…
Leave a CommentBack in October, as the temps fell, and autumn descended on the Northeast, I piled our family of six into the van and went camping…
Leave a CommentAh, the infamous Devil’s Path. An unassuming little foot path through the gently rolling green mountains of the Catskills in upstate New York. Don’t let…
5 Comments(Image: Sweeping view of the Hudson Valley on the final climb up Stoppel Point 6ish miles from the finish.) In many ways, The Escarpment Trail…
6 CommentsLate last weekend, word started circulating in the trail running community that someone had broken Ben Nephew‘s legendary FKT (Fastest Known Time) on The Devil’s…
5 CommentsBack in December I found myself in the enviable predicament of heading to Albany, NY for the day on business with a meeting that ended…
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