My fourth consecutive year to run the Western States 100 was a special one for me. While I entered last year’s run after barely recovering from knee surgery, a foot injury, and with very little training, I was entering the race this year fully recovered and with a very positive outlook. Also, my father flew in from Colombia and my beautiful niece, Daniela, came from Florida to offer encouragement and support throughout the run. I was very excited to have my family there.

The check-in on Friday before the race went very smoothly. The same wonderful lady performed my medical check as in the previous three years. It has become a tradition for me to have this nice lady check my blood pressure each year. She is only one of the many volunteers who make Western States the great run that it is. I left my drop bags at the designated location and took some pictures around Squaw Valley with my family and friends. I felt very relaxed and confident as I had the experience of three previous Western States 100 Mile Runs under my belt and I had my family and friends there for support. What more could I have asked for?

Friday night was very relaxing. We spent the night in a beautiful house in the mountains in Tahoe City. The house belongs to the sister-in-law of one of my pacers, Russell Meyer. My father, Daniela, Russell, Bob Botto (who also attempted the WS100), his pacer Mariela Botella, and my other pacer, David Holloway, and I all slept in this house in the magnificent mountain setting. We relaxed and drank wine on the deck overlooking the scenery. As we had a big day ahead of us, we all went to sleep early.

Start - Squaw Valley

The 3:30 a.m. alarm on Saturday morning aroused me from a very restful sleep. While I am usually slow to rise in the morning, the anticipation of what lay ahead propelled me out of bed to make final preparations for the 5:00 a.m. start. The start line was filled with the usual excitement of 400 runners about to embark on a big adventure. My father was very excited to be at the start of the race and took a lot of pictures of me. The air was chilly, I was rested and pumped with adrenaline, and I was ready for the challenge!

With the sound of the shotgun at 5:00 a.m., I started the steep 3.5 mile climb up to Escarpment. With two water bottles, I felt that I had enough water to last between aid stations. This later turned out to be a major mistake, one that almost caused me to be pulled from the race.

The Race

The view from Escarpment (3.5 miles) was amazing. After the steep climb, I took a moment to turn around and take in the breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe in the distance. What a sight! I love this race. Similar to last year's race, the trails were covered with large patches of snow.

As I approached Lyon Ridge (10.5 miles), the snow patches became smaller. It was at this point that I started feeling fatigue in my legs. The temperature continued to climb, so that by the time I reached Red Star Ridge (16.0 miles), I had put snow in my hat many times in an effort to cool off. It was almost 8 miles to Duncan Canyon, and running this section was tough! I ran out of water and fortunately, another runner shared his water with me. My energy was down as I was suffering from the heat. Due to a forest fire in 200x, there was no shade on this section of the course. I could even still smell smoke from the fire. It was very sad, as over 100 years of vegetation had burned. The trail was littered with many tree trunks, limbs, and rocks, which made it like running an obstacle course.

I persevered and made it to Duncan Canyon (mile 23.8). I was feeling very bad at this point. I felt cramping in my inner thighs and my right calf was very painful.

Finally I made it to Robinson Flat (mile 29.7) at 12:25 p.m. It was very uplifting to see my father, Daniela, and David waiting for me. The volunteers washed my legs and changed my shoes. My father joked that I received more attention than he did from the flight attendants on an airplane. Robinson Flat was the first medical checkpoint on the course. Unfortunately, due to the heat and lack of shade on the course, I was dehydrated and my weight was down 10 pounds. The medics asked questions to see if I was coherent, which I was. The doctor talked to me and said I could continue if I drank and rested. I did drink, but I did not rest. Although I was 1.5 hours ahead of the cutoff, I knew I had to push on. I was not going to allow the heat to get the best of me. I knew it was going to be a hard race and that I was really going to have to earn my finish under these difficult conditions. I dug down deep and found strength that I never knew I had.

I continued to move forward. My goal was to go low and slow, just to get it done. I eventually reached Last Chance (mile 43.3), the next medical check. As my weight was down 10 pounds at Robinson Flat, I was very apprehensive about this weigh-in. I even considered putting heavy rocks in my pockets to add weight. That was not necessary, however, as my weight had improved and was only down five pounds.

At Devil's Thumb (mile 47.8), the volunteers checked my feet for hot spots. The doctor powdered and taped my feet, and I changed my socks. It was getting close to the cutoff, so the volunteers kicked me out and told me that I would have to move faster.

I made it to El Dorado Creek (mile 52.9) at 7:09 p.m., over half way into the race. Fortunately, my perseverance paid off and I started feeling energized. I felt fresh and was able to run. Russell started running with me at Michigan Bluff (mile 55.7). It was great to have a pacer with me. I felt rejuvenated and passed many runners. We descended to the bottom of the canyon and then power walked up to Bath Road (mile 60.6).

It was great to see my support crew (my father, Daniella, Bob, and David) at Foresthill School (mile 62.0) when I arrived at 9:53 p.m. I was relieved to see that my weight was still down only 5 pounds, much better than the 10-pound loss I experienced at Robinson Flat. Invigorated by seeing my family and friends, Russell and I continued on our way, running through the darkness with only our headlights and flashlights to light the path. At Peachstone (mile 70.7), I ate a Subway sandwich. My body was really craving some solid food, and the sandwich tasted fantastic! It gave me the energy to make it to the Rucky Chucky River Crossing (mile 78.0) at 2:08 a.m. where David was waiting to pace me to the finish.

Since the American River was high due to the snowmelt, we had to cross in a raft, for which there was a 15 minute wait. Under normal conditions, we would have just waded across the river in waist deep water while holding onto a cable stretched across the river. This, of course, was not a normal year. I gave my GPS (Juanita) to David so that we could measure the distance between aid stations. I really like to know where I am at night. It is difficult to judge distances in the dark after running all day and feeling sleepy. The GPS was a big help.

From the Rucky Chucky, we walked almost two miles up to Green Gate (mile 79.8). It was 3:10 a.m. when we reached Green Gate, and I was getting very sleepy. I knew the sun would begin to rise in a couple of hours and that would energize me. I couldn't run very fast at this point, but I kept moving forward. A couple of guys passed me, but I later passed them.

By the time I reached Highway 49 (mile 93.5) at 7:02 a.m., it was completely daylight and I felt much more alert. I felt hot spots on my feet, but I knew that I had only 6.7 miles to the finish, so I ignored them. After No Hands Bridge (mile 96.8), I was so tired that I was ready to just power walk to the finish line. I made it up the seemingly endless climb to Robie Point (mile 98.9). At this point I was not running, and didn't even care when some guys passed me. After crossing a small bridge in Auburn, I realized that I could finish under 28 hours, so I started running again. Finally the finish line came into sight.

Placer High Finish - Mile 100.2

Even though I was very tired, I found the energy to sprint around the track to the finish at Placer High School. Linda Hurd gave me five as I raced around the track. My father, Daniella, Bob and Russell were all waiting for me at the finish line, smiling and taking pictures.

Even though this was my fourth year to run The Western States 100, every year has been very different and each was a big learning experience. Because the running conditions are never the same, it is hard to know just what to eat and drink. From record high temperatures in the canyons to deep snow in the high country, I found the course to be tougher than the previous three years. The extreme conditions resulted in only 52% of the participants finishing the race. The next time I run the race, I will pay closer attention at the pre-race meeting and I will run with an extra water bottle.