What A Beast!

The Adventure Blog: Kilian Jornet Sets New Speed Record Up Mt. Olympus

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Pictures, Maps, and Snide Remarks from this week's adventures!

34.5mi, 10k ft elevation gain

Monday's run was another epic day, the kind that  inspires deep and profound thoughts on life (yeah not really). On this particular day I couldn't get passed the thought of "Damn I'm hungry!" Lucky for me, Allyson of LeConte Lodge was kind enough to part with two HUGE no bake cookies. Afterward I wondered if I was the first person to run across the summit of LeConte while double-fisting cookies...

18 miles of slow river, A 1PM start time...

Me: Cody Zurhellen!!!

Random Stranger: Did you lose your dog???

Me: I lost a guy in a kayak actually, (walking away muttering), Who the hell names a dog Cody Zurhellen?

Tuesday was a classic Dave and Cody ordventure (part ordeal, part adventure). We began a 10hr float trip with about 8hr of daylight left. Genius. Throw in some liquid brain dis-abler and you have the makings of a great day.

One of Suttree's hang-outs I'm sure...

We surprisingly made it through most of the day without a hitch. But near the end of the day there were some, uh, hiccups. And I wouldn't even say mistakes were made... Cody perhaps simply "over-achieved." It could be said that soon to be father Cody is a man who sometimes doesn't know when to quit. When the day was done (or should have been) he unknowingly kept charging down river, several miles past our exit point on the river. A long series of borrowed cell phones, hitched rides, and other logistical miracles ensued. I will not get into the details just yet...

Seeing as how I didn't get home until early Wednesday morning (or late Tuesday night) it would've made sense to spend my final day off resting, packing, and preparing for heading back up the hill... I of course went cycling with Dad instead.

A fine 32mile circuit of highways 416, 339, and 321.

Only a few negligible climbs...

Time to go back to work so I can get some rest!

Snails and Fails

The day that Dave ran up Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte in 52:22 I was working the late shift. I came into my office to find a tiny sticky note with his time on it stuck to my computer screen. It was at that moment that I knew something was about to happen between him and running. Don't get me wrong he had always been ultra motivated and had put in his fair share of miles, but it was that incredible feat(not even a record) that marks the beginning in my mind.

Dave contemplating his mountain...proof that he does sit down.

Since then I have traveled with Dave to Chattanooga for his first 50 miler (standing in the freezing cold at each aid station, just to see him for 30 seconds), to drop him off at Newfound Gap for his trip from Newfound to Davenport Gap(a test run for his record attempt on the AT through the park) and I was there to hike up to meet him right above the shelter on Davenport Gap the day he shattered the record on that run from Fontana to Davenport.

People have always thought Dave was a little crazy in his own way, and that therefore I must be a little crazy too. But, since that AT record was set I have been getting the same question over and over again, when I am talking about it with people. "How do you keep up with him?" They say.

Truth be told, the answer to this question is one that I have struggled to answer, but here goes.

I have never expected to "keep up" with Dave. I am an incredibly slow runner, so running together is something we rarely do. I used to think that if I could just run the same amount of time as him, that would work, but that was a mega fail as well. Then I came to the realization that his goals and my goals have nothing to do with each others in this regard.

I know how you feel buddy.

I run 50, 60 sometimes 70 miles a month, sure he has done this in a day, but that doesn't matter to me, I am still proud of myself. When I come home after working all day long and Dave has run 35 miles in like 5 hours, he doesn't look at me and say, "Well aren't you gonna do something?". We hang out, and eat dinner like a normal couple. Sure he is exhausted and eats ALOT, but beyond that he is no different than if he had come home from a 9 to 5 like me.

Motivation is the one thing that his hobby has given me day in and day out. My running has given me the confidence to do many things that I was previously afraid to do or do on my own. But Daves running has inspired me to be a better runner and a better me. Last year when he began his season on the mountain, I got it set in my mind that I would make it up to see him 1 time for every month that he worked there. GOAL Accomplished. Although I did double dip in September to make up for November.

Horse Gate at the top of Alum Cave Trail..where you know the torture is over

And I also got it in my mind that I would make it up Alum Cave in under 2 hours. This one, it turns out, I will have to chip away at. Previous to this weekend I had done it in just under 2 hours 10 minutes. Friday, I made it in a disappointing 2:06:35. Some people would not even set a goal like this when their husband or wife had made it in under half the time, but for me I think I do it BECAUSE he has.

Every day I sit down in my office and look at that tiny sticky note with "Alum 52:22" written on it in Dave's crazy scrawl that I know so well, and I think about how lucky I am to know a guy that is so motivating just by doing what he loves.

To think I had planned to write a post about Snails....maybe some other time :) ~~~Caitlin

A Big Loop Around Big Creek

Since the traverse my runs have all felt like utility miles. I've been running enough to maintain decent weekly mileage, but that's about it. Nothing too exciting. My runs have barely been worth getting my shirt sweaty, much less writing a blog entry about. In the past this has been a routine that once I begin, I have a hard time breaking from. So to preemptively attack this issue I actually took two (two whole days!) off from running and planned an attack on a run I've been eye-balling for a while now.

Linking Mt. Sterling, Mt. Guyot, and Mt. Cammerer with one terrible loop

The loop begins with 4,500ft of elevation gain, (profile does not include 1.2mi sidetrip to Mt. Cam)

I hit the route clock-wise, beginning with a 6.2 mile ascent to Mt. Sterling. This trail has more elevation gain than any other in the Smokies, a perfect way to begin a 35 mile run. After about 40 minutes I abandoned any previous ambitions of running up Baxter Creek tr and settled in to a fast hiking pace. After an 1hr39min of shirt, shorts, and backpack soaking work I was relieved to be at the top of the tower.

A big appeal to me for this route is that after ascending Mt. Sterling you can see the entire days route.

Perhaps the worst 10k in the world???

Looking toward Big Cataloochee and Mt. Guyot

On the ascent to Mt. Sterling I spent a little time thinking about my own motivations for running long isolated sections of rugged trail for hours on end... a question that has been posed to me often lately. Typically to answer this question I will provide some glib response like, "Good question, maybe I should go for another run and see if I can figure it out." Today does not provide any better answers.


There are times when I think I can describe the "why" behind my own running. My attempts at describing why always seem to ring hollow though, and the process nothing more than grabbing handfuls of wind. In the end it is beyond my reach to truly say why I run, I only know why while I'm running.


By the time I've reached the Balsam Mountain Trail, I've moved on from such questions. I am simply a body in motion, moving quietly along the ridge and taking in the world around me. Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Brown Creeper, and Black-Throated Blue Warblers are singing their hearts out along the trail and I'm just happy to be passing through. The ridgeline section from Mt. Sterling to the AT is mostly runnable except for being brushed in and washed out in a few places. I hit the AT after about 3hr45min and it seems like a 4 lane highway by comparison. 

Cruisin' along near Cosby Knob

Heading North on the AT I kept myself motivated by comparing how I currently feel to how I felt when running the whole AT through the park. (Note: For this days run I feel much better).

I'm still experimenting with how to deal with this summer heat. Chronically I have issues with cramping, which for me is typically tied more to salt consumption rather than simple hydration. Finding a cheap and portable solution to this problem is challenging. For todays run I tested single serving packets of soy sauce. ...Did it work? Well, I didn't cramp so I guess so.

About 4 1/2hrs later I'm looking at Mt. Sterling from the other side

No one else at the tower today

Though there was great temptation to skip the side trip to the tower ( I was having very vivid day dreams of sitting in ice cold Big Creek) I pressed on and made the side trip. As always, completely worth it. This has always been one of my favorite destinations in the park.

Stomping along the descent past Mt. Cammerer an older couple asked me to take their picture. I wish I'd had a voice recorder to more accurately capture the conversation. Here's an abridged version.

Hikers: Are you a ridge runner?

Me: I am running along a ridge.

Hikers: How far you goin' today?

Me: I'm on about mile 30 of 35.

Hikers: ....Good grief.

Hikers: Well what are you gonna do once your done?

Me: Go home I guess.

I believe I might've been the only trail-runner they've ever met...

The last few miles were a blast. Bombing through the downhill sections was the most fun I had all day and the call of Big Creek was not quiet in my mind.

Soaking the legs and cooling off

After 6hr58min of running I'm back where I started. Upon finding a good spot to relax I spend not a short amount of time sitting in the creek drinking a recovery drink (not the kind you get at a running shop). Today was exhausting in some ways, but absolutely invigorating in others. A solid reminder of why I run so  much.