Argh! Does ANYTHING compare to the agony of writing out a whole blog post, only to have it eaten by computer gremlins before it’s saved or published? Yep, I’m pretty sure lack of auto-saving blog software is the biggest problem facing the world today. You will just have to take my word that I had crafted a beautiful, moving, eloquent blog post all about the upcoming Western States 100 mile race this weekend. There was humor. There was pathos. There were statistics. It was a thing of beauty, and it is lost forever.

Instead, you get this half-hearted, second-rate babble studded with movie links. It’s at least 35% less satisfying. Either create some auto-saving blog software for me, or deal with it.

So long story short, the great-granddaddy of hundred mile races, Western States, is this weekend. I haven’t run a hundred miler and I don’t have the itch…yet…but when I do, you can bet WS will be the one I gun for.  Last year’s race was absolutely epic, with the first two finishers both breaking the course record substantially and coming in under 15:30 (and this on a course with 18000 ft elevation gain and 22000 ft loss.)  There’s a movie coming out this fall that captures the showdown last year, and I recently saw the trailer and immediately fell in love:

I know this is unbearably cheesy, but I got goosebumps seeing all those running greats featured one after another: Scott Jurek, Tim Twietmeyer, David Horton…I just hope they interviewed Ann Transon for the movie as well. No WS narrative would be complete without her. And how awesome were those action sequences? I’m already planning on being first in line, popcorn in my purse, to watch this one. (What? Am I the only one who sneaks in my own movie snacks?)

For this year’s race, I’m cheering on last year’s champ Geoff Roes to win again. After Scott Jurek he’s my favorite ultrarunner. Both he and Jurek seem so modest and humble, and it’s an attitude that’s really appealing to me and a refreshing change from the ego of many top athletes. I think Roes has a good chance, although there are probably 5 or 6 guys that will (bad pun ahoy) give him a run for his money. Last year’s second place guy (and leader for the first 80 miles) Tony Krupicka is out with an injury, but there are a half-dozen other runners there who could take it. Still, Roes is a beast in the mountains and I think he’s good for it.

If you’re not all movie-d out, here’s a video profile of Roes recently featured on Running Times. It really highlights his low-key nature and modesty.

One of the things that appeals to me about his style—and Jurek’s too—is that he really seems to value the experience of running outdoors in these beautiful places over the ultra-competitive nature of the sport. Being a midpack nature lover, that really strikes a chord with me. And it also makes sense, for longevity’s sake. You really only have a short period of time as a highly competitive ultrarunner—maybe a decade if you’re lucky. But if your main pleasure is derived from experiencing the beauty of the trails, with winning being secondary, then you can pursue that and enjoy that well into your 80s and beyond. Along these same lines, here’s a quote from his blog a few months ago that I really enjoyed:

“Before we set off on our journey [at the start of a 100 mile race] we all gathered in a circle for a blessing led by a local Chumash Elder. This was one of my favorite parts of a really enjoyable weekend. He spoke of (among other things) running for a cause, for a cause of compassion. Compassion for the land and thus compassion for everyone since we are all part of the land. This compassion is a huge part of why I feel so drawn to running out in the mountains and through beautiful and wild places. I think a lot of us run for these reasons, but it was really cool to have this recognized and encouraged just moments before starting on our journey. This experience alone made this a wonderful and worthwhile event. I remember feeling 5 minutes into the race that I was already fully satisfied, and that I could twist my ankle right then and drop out of the race and it would all still be worth it.”

I actually think about this quote a lot when I run. I think running long distances has made me a more patient person, and I can only hope that it will make me a more compassionate person too. That is definitely still a work in progress.