Big 2020 Plans! — Will to Run

After a 5 week break from running at the end of last year, I started laying down plans for 2020 races. It is going to be a big year!

I waffled back and forth on prioritizing UTMB or Tor des Geants as the primary focus for the year, finally deciding to put the chips down on UTMB. The Tor is still at the top of the bucket list, but I’m OK waiting a few more years. I will be fortunate to return to UTMB for the 3rd time this year and tough I doubt I can improve on my 28 hour finish last year, I am excited to go back to the big dance of 100 mile mountain races.

Can’t wait to look back on Val Ferret from Grand Col Ferret for the 3rd time

I wanted to find a challenge for the first half of the year, and many of my running friends and fellow VHTRC club members signed up for the Cruel Jewel 100 on May 15th. It is easily the most difficult 100 on the east coast and one of the toughest in the US with 33,000 feet of vertical over 106 miles through Georgia’s Chattahoochee Forest. I have wanted to do Cruel Jewel since hearing about it, so even though it is a bit more than I was planning to bite off, with so many friends going I figured this was as good a year as any!

33,000 feet of vertical on the East Coast!

I was happy with Cruel Jewel and UTMB as the two big races for 2020. However, after my struggles with injury at the end of last year, I also started to think about how many bucket list races I had left – Hardrock, Fatdog 120, Bigfoot 200, Tor des Geants, Ronda del Cims, Diagonale des Fous, Ultra Trail Mount Fuji, Cascade Crest, The Bear, Run Rabbit Run, and the list goes on. Would I have the time, health, and lottery luck to run all of these? To make it even more difficult, most of these races all fall between July and September since they are at high altitude in the mountains.

As I contemplated the bucket list, I found out I was eligible for a 6-week sabbatical that would expire after this summer. That same day, I listened to an episode of Ultrarunner Podcast with Zach Violett on his finish of Ronda del Cims, which was high on my bucket list. The stars all aligned. My wife was game to extend our trip to Europe to include Barcelona and the Pyrenees before heading to Chamonix. Miraculously, there were still spots left in the race, and we were able to change our flights with no charge. I love it when a plan comes together!

16 high altitude passes as you circumnavigate the country of Andorra

Ronda del Cims is a true monster. It packs 44,000 feet of vertical in 105 miles of rugged, technical terrain. It will be the toughest race I have attempted by a wide margin and honestly terrifies me. Cruel Jewel, Ronda, and UTMB (dubbed the “trifecta of insanity”) will collectively cover 320 miles and 110,000 feet in a span of just 3.5 months.

I am so excited for the adventure. I love to explore new places, and it will be a gift to spend 4.5 weeks traveling in the mountains with my family. I also look forward to the other races I’ve signed up for:

Jan 20 – Waterfall 50km – Done!
Feb 8 – Sean O’Brien 100km
March 21 – Terrapin 50km
April 4 – Bull Run Run 50
April 20 – Boston Marathon (tentative on this one)
July 25 – Montreax 55km

These will be fun and challenging in their own right and will help me build up to the Trifecta. Now it is time for me to get out there and train!