NEWSLETTER CONTENTS - Marathon Maniacs

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BADWATER REPORT: ED ETTINGHAUSEN (#1594) 24 hours to countdown. When Steve asked me to contribute a report describing my Badwater experience for the MM Newsletter, my first reaction was, “No way, can’t be done, impossible!” Because the only way for you to get a true picture of this bizarre mid-July 135 mile romp through Death Valley, is to experience it for yourselves, first hand, through your very own eyes. Ask anyone who’s been there, and they’ll tell you with great enthusiasm that Badwater infects you in ways that are indescribable. Words just can’t do justice to the experience that is Badwater - those sights, those sounds, those feelings, those emotions. But since you weren’t able to be there and experience it for yourselves this year, maybe we can do the next best thing: take you with us through one small part of the journey. So bring along your imagination and hop on board the Badwater express, and experience a trip covering the final 24 hours leading up to the Badwater start line countdown, through the eyes of The Jester. In any 100 mile race, let alone Badwater 135, one of the biggest challenges, as it gets closer and closer, is not only the endless amount of training and preparation that goes into just getting to that start line, but the tremendous amount of patience required, just waiting for race day to finally arrive. Remember when you were a kid and how Christmas and Summer vacation seemed like they would never get here? For many ultra runners, Badwater is sort of the pinnacle of our sport, our Boston Marathon of the ultras, our ultra Olympics, if you will. Now that we’re big kids, it’s kind of like Christmas and Summer vacation all rolled into one. And so it is, in much the same way as we wait for our wildest Badwater dreams to become reality. Since February, when you were notified that Team Jester was one of the lucky 96 entrants chosen for 2012 – as if your team were going to the Olympics itself - you’ve had one all-consuming singular goal: get to the Badwater start line, healthy and strong, whatever it takes. And now, that day is just around the corner. It’s almost time. You’re finally going to the big show. On Saturday night every member of Team Jester meets at your house for final preparation for the physical and mental rigors that lay ahead - by eating pizza watching movies. Laughing it up while watching the marathon movie Run, Fat Boy, Run (no resemblance to our very own “Fat Boy” Ryan Launder). Tearing up while watching Across the Sun – the documentary of Badwater 1999, in which double amputee from the UK, Chris Moon struggles to finish, and your friend and local boy Eric Clifton struggles to win the race. How are you to know that in a mere 12 hours, you’ll see both these guys in person. Chris, returning to attempt his second Badwater finish after a 13 year hiatus, with his 13 year old son on his crew, and Eric, crewing for Mike Morton, in his attempt to break the course record. And then you finish the night off by whooping it up while watching the 2011 Badwater race highlights real. The crew sleep overnight at your house, wherever an empty bed, or open spot on the floor can be found. http://www.marathonmaniacs.com Sunday morning finds the team bright and cheery and chomping at the bit to get our Badwater trip under way. After a quick breakfast you all pile into the van and head out together for the long drive into the middle of Hell itself. If you woke up from a dream and found yourself in a place with names like Stovepipe Wells, Devil’s Cornfield, Furnace Creek, Devil’s Golf Course, Death Valley, Devil’s Post Pile and Badwater, where else would you be? And with scorching temperatures that can easily top out at over 120 degrees, there's no doubt, you are truly in the very heart of Hell itself. If you’re planning a trip through Hell, you might as well take as many companions along for the ride as you can. In the hell that is Badwater you’re allowed six. You’ve handpicked these individuals as much for their running abilities as for their positive attitudes, having ran multiple marathons and ultras with every one of them, pacing with them for parts of their own ultra journeys. You might be able to run other ultras without a crew or pacers, and maybe even self-supported, but try to do that at Badwater and you’re dead meat! Each one of the crew has a nick name unique to them, all with special meaning. There’s Brady “Bacon Boy” Wentlandt, John “Vomit Boy” Wog, “Cadillac Steve” Hernandez, Ryan “Fat Boy” Launder, Martha “Mrs. Jester” Ettinghausen, “Mamma Shawna” Wentlandt, and the mascot and unofficial crew kid, Colby “mini- Jester” Wentlandt. When you saddle up to the dirt parking lot of the Furnace Creek Inn for the mandatory check-in, it’s high noon at the OK Corral. About 100 of you arrive from all around the world, converging on a tiny smudge on the map that is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. But you don’t come alone, like a modern day Western, you each arrive with your posse in tow, all dressed to the hilt, in a procession of private limos with dozens of paparazzi cameras flashing as you step out of your ride and walk down the red carpet. Close your eyes, take a moment, breath it all in. Ok, so your entourage consists of your six crew members, dressed in matching outfits - Running Skirts and bright blue and orange shirts for Team Jester. Your private limos are actually a 15 passenger white van without the back seats, and a mini SUV, loaded to the hilt with enough food and drink to supply a small army. Each ‘limo’ comes with your name and bib number plastered on all four sides, with big red “Caution Runners” signs affixed to the back. And although there isn’t a Badwater red carpet, you do get your pictures taken in front of the famous Badwater banner, as if you were an actual celebrity. And then more photo ops with your fellow athletes around the world famous Furnace Creek pool. At this place, on this day, every runner and their team is the star attraction. Yeah, it’s a bit heady for the newcomer, and the race is still a whole day away. Soon, you’re rubbing elbows with Badwater legends that stand head and shoulders above the rest, like Marshall Ulrich (the most winningest of them all – Marshall is the Chuck Norris of Badwater), Dean Karnazes (Ultramarathon Man), Art Webb, Pam Reed, Amy Palmiero-Winters, Chris Moon, Dan Jenson, Eric Clifton, Mike Morton and many others. With this crowd, the egos are left at home. They'll tell you that they are standing on the shoulders of those that came before them. But there are no free lunches here (well there is literally a free lunch for you and all the crew, Wednesday, at the celebration luncheon). They had to earn their spot, just like you did, so everyone is an equal. When it comes to getting from Badwater Basin to Whitney Portal, it’s the very same hard scrabble 135 mile challenge for every single entrant, no matter how many times they may have done it in the past. In this Badwater class reunion of 2012, you’re milling about shaking hands with new friends from all corners of the world, and hugging friends you haven’t seen since Badwater 2011 or your last big race together. And then, you finally meet up and compare notes with the real rock “stars” of the event, a few of whom you’ve shared multiple 100 mile races with on many occasions. There is but one club that was represented by over 10% of the Badwater field – 10 out of 96 entrants, more by far than any other single club, group or organization in Badwater’s history, and probably more than all other clubs combined. Last year there were seven, this year ten, and with the inspiration that Badwater Maniacs bring to their fellow club members, who knows what the future years will bring. With nearly 6,000 members strong and growing stronger every day, there is a never ending crop of future Badwater Maniacs just waiting for their chance to prove their meddle and leave their own mark on the annals of “The toughest footrace on the Planet”. This Marathon Maniacs have definitely made their presence known at Badwater, and you’re a part of it right along with the likes of “Uncle Mike” Miller, Dave Carver, Maggie Beach, Claude Hicks, Jr., Rob Cowan, Heidi Perry, Brad Lombardi, and their Maniac crews. And then there’s those esteemed veterans, four time finisher Tony Portrera, and top 10 finisher, the very first Maniac across the line in 2012, with a sub 30 hour time, Mr. Mustache himself, Badwater Badass Terry Sentinella. Whether three stars or ten stars or any stars in between, they’re all Badwater rock stars, and you’re a part of this esteemed group. Look around you with pride. Soak it in. Spending time at the Furnace Creek Ranch the day before the race is like being in the Olympic village. Everywhere you go - with the mandatory check-ins and briefings, the impromptu get togethers with friends old and new, lunch, dinner, hanging out at the pool, and everywhere you look, you see multitudes of other Badwater runners and teams. People that you’ve never met are coming up to you and saying things like, “I saw you on last year's Badwater race highlights video, good luck”. You’re constantly stopping for pictures with your fellow competitors. And after taking pictures with a foreign team that you’re barely able to communicate with, it hits you, these people are not your competition. No, they’re your allies. You’re not here to compete against them, but with them. The real competition you’ll meet tomorrow, out on the course – the road, the heat, the wind, the miles, the mountains, the elevation, the clock, and of course, yourself. But mostly, the clock. Ever the clock that never stops. Tic toc, tic toc, tic toc . . . And before you know it, this whirlwind of a day finally comes to a close. You lay your head down for the last 40 winks you’ll be getting for the next forty hours. Your head is spinning with thoughts of what you’ve already seen today, and what you’re about to see tomorrow. You visualize your team crossing the finish line fast and strong. And then you slowly drift off . . . No sooner did you close your eyes when you’re jolted awake by the ringing of the hotel phone. You quickly bolt out of bed to answer it, only to realize it’s your early morning wake-up call, which comes in just seconds before your cell phone alarm goes off. And shortly after that the hotel radio clock alarm is blasting away. A strange cacophonous chorus of modern day electronic roosters to welcome in the new day. But you don't mind because this is certainly one morning you can’t afford to wake up late. You can't wait to take in every moment of this day. With your 10:00 a.m. start, at least you don’t have to be on the line as early as the 6’ers and 8’ers. One last meal with the crew, a large breakfast for the road, filled with silliness and jollity, and then your off. Driving in to the start line, miles away at Badwater Basin, you get to see everyone on the road from the two earlier starts, already well under way. The first person you spot is but a tiny speck on the road when you first see them, a lone ranger way off in the distance with no one else is around. Long before you can make out her face, you know who she is by the unmistakable outline of a tall slender woman with a prosthetic leg coming along strong, running with a fluid motion, looking solid and smooth. Cheering Amy on as your crew vehicles head in the opposite direction towards the Furnace Creek and then the Badwater Salt Flats, while she’s heading away from the Furnace Creek checkpoint, towards the next checkpoint at Stovepipe Wells, a full marathon distance away. Of course you have no way of knowing that you’ll be exchanging words of encouragement with Amy, as the two of you play leap frog, struggling up the last few miles of Whitney, a mere 32 hours from now. Keep looking. As you continue on towards the start line you recognize many of the other runners, there’s Marsh, Art, Mags, and Tony. You honk your horn and cheer on each runner as you pass them by, spread out on the highway ahead of you as far as the eye can see. Those that you know, you call out to by name. Those that you don’t, the crew is frantically looking up by their bib number so you can shout words of encouragement to them 16
ED ETTINGHAUSEN BADWATER REPORT (CONT)… Can you feel it? Everyone is excited. The energy level in the crew vehicle is palpable and building, and you still have seven miles to get to the start line. There's an empty space on the road, with no more runners, and then you see it off in the distance. A whole new cadre of runners, a bit less spread out, with bit faster pace. It’s the 8 o’clockers, heading towards Furnace Creek at a fairly quick pace. Team Jester is definitely getting pumped up now. There’s Claude, his trademark single long braid down his back. Here comes Brian Recore, the guy you had the honored privilege of crewing for in 2010, and right on his tail, comin' on strong, is one of the most highly regarded runners in the SouthWest ultra scene “Uncle Mike” Miller. You slow down just enough to slap hands, without causing a traffic jam to the cars behind you, but the speed of the two different directions is still fast enough to leave a pretty decent stinging sensation to your palm. Strong enough to remind you that you're alive, while matching the stinging sensation in your eyes, as you’re temporarily taken back to the experiences of one year ago, sharing 40 plus miles with “Uncle Mike” on last year’s crew, including the final four miles to Whitney Portal where all the crew members clasped hands as the first Team Jester crossed the finish line in unison. You're hoping that Team Jester II will be able to share an equally memorable experience at the finish line. this trip down memory lane only lasts for a moment, drowned out by the commotion in the van. Now you can finally see it, just a couple miles ahead and curving to the right. Everyone on the team breaks out in whoops and shouts of joy as the team van get closer and closer. Around that final turn and then the start line comes into view. There it is, in all it's glory. The world famous Badwater start banner across the road. The parking lot crowded with support vehicles for the 32 runners in your wave. The crews running to and fro like busy ants, doing last minute prep inside and outside the vehicles, taping down all the magnetic signs and getting the first of hundreds of hydration bottles ready to go, while you check-in with the medical team for the mandatory weigh in. Suddently, the booming voice of Race Director Chris Kostman announces over the megaphone, “Everybody to the Badwater sing for a group picture”. For a serious race, there is a whole lot of joking and laughter taking place, as we all ham it up for the cameras for pictures with small clumps of people, all over the Badwater Salt Flats boardwalk. Everyone is in a good mood. There’s a buzz of activity all about you and electricity in the air, part of that of course being nervous energy. You find a spot behind the sign with your fellow runners, while literally dozens of camera are taking hundreds of shots. With less than 15 minutes to the start, you decide it’s prudent to hit the john one last time. The line to the outhouse is long, and you notice guys going behind it. What the heck, you only have to pee, so you graciously give up your spot in line to the guys and gals with a little more serious business, and you join a handful of international competitors, taking one last pit stop, minutes before the race. What a sport. “Ten minutes to the start!” Time for last minute prep with the team: Sunscreen – check. Ice hat – check. Sunglasses – check. Chapstick – check. Gatorade – check. The team knows that from this moment on, there is one singleminded focus - get you to Whitney Portal in under 48 hours, whatever it takes. Every single action today, and tonight, and during the next day again, will be towards seeing that goal completed. For the foreseeable future, everything else becomes secondary. Final hugs and good wishes from the crew, and a kiss from Mrs. Jester, and then you’re in the start line. Hey look, there’s Dean Karnazes right next to you, does he seem shorter in person? Pam Reed is way off to the right. Mike Morton is over there. There’s Badass Terry, right in front of you. This is it, you’re really about to do this. All the preparation you’ve done for the last five months is now coming to fruition. You’re really about to run Badwater. You hear Chris’s voice, for almost the last time you’ll hear it before he welcomes you across the finish line, a lifetime away. “Whatever you do, don’t think about the scorching 135 miles in front of you, or the three mountain passes you’re about to climb, or the 13,000 feet of elevation gain, as you stand at the lowest point in the whole race. No, don’t think about that as you’re getting ready to run the toughest footrace on the planet. We only made 50 buckles and you already have 65 people in front of you with a couple of hours head start. Good luck . . .” Then you hear the National Anthem playing, every hat comes off, including the international runners, out of respect for their American friends and their host Nation. You're jester hat is off and over your heart, as you bow your head and reverently take in each note. You’ve heard this song and been moved by it at a hundred other races. And you never get tired of it, no matter how many times you hear it. As each race goes by, each rendition brings a whole new set of memories. But this time, hearing it in the wide open expanse of the Badwater Salt Flats, it’s somehow different. Every note is crisp, and true. The temperature is already well over 100 degrees, yet you get goose bumps and chills. Each of you are lost in your own private thoughts of what sacrifices it took to get here. First your own personal sacrifices, and then you think of the sacrifices many other have made on your behalf as well. All the members of your crew. Your wife. Sometime tomorrow evening, you will celebrate your 2nd Badwater finish, on the same day that your wife lovingly and patiently waits at the finish line to celebrate your 30th wedding anniversary. Sacrafices. It's amazing how much the seconds seem to slow down at times. You hang on to each and every note, a part of you anxious for it to end, to get started, and a part of you wishing it would never end, dreading the final note. After what seems like an eternity, while at the same time a flash of an eye, you hear the final chord trail off. In the few seconds that follow, no one speaks, no one moves. You’re amongst the ranks of arguably the toughest ultra athletes on the planet, and just about every one of you are now wiping at the corners of your eyes. “Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven . . . six . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .” BADWATER REPORT: MICHAEL MILLER (#2338) What makes Badwater so special for me is the exact thing I dig most about being a Marathon Maniac – because it's a family. Though admittedly at the Badwater family reunion you have a lot less good looking younger Nieces and lot more old crusty wrinkled Uncles who could use a shave. The other thing that reminds me so much of the Maniac family is the amount of inspirational stories among the runners. I truly felt humbled and blessed to be able to share the same course with some of these incredible folks. You're there hanging with perhaps some of the most accomplished endurance athletes in our generation, yet you see nothing but a quiet humility, a willingness to share, to support, and to do whatever they can to make everyone else's experience in that Valley as enjoyable as they can. I say this a lot but I have to repeat it, friends and family that do not run have often said "you must be an adrenaline junkie"! I always tell them "No, I'm an Inspiration Junkie" and like hanging with our crazy bunch of Maniacs, the Badwater gang of runners, crews, supporters, and the team who puts on the event is like hitting the Inspiration Motherlode. I think I could probably ramble forever about all the incredible experiences I had in those few days in the desert, but for anyone thinking about running it someday, or crewing (an equally amazing experience only no Buckle but you do get to draft the runner going up Townes :)) let me share a few of my memories that will last a lifetime... Having friends and family that care enough about me to spend 5 days in the desert, getting little sleep, being hot all the time, and still kind enough to take a nasty sweaty rag from my hand, replace it with a clean one, as they run alongside me spritzing water and telling me how awesome I am doing. Standing under the AdventureCORPS banner and listening to the National Anthem. Being in a picture at the Badwater start with three beautiful members of my crew all dressed in leopard run skirts. Coming along side Marshall Ulrich during the race and saying "thanks for sharing your Valley with me today". Having a huge dust devil dance right in front of me across the street and seeing it grow in the dunes. Watching race winner Mike Morton pass me like I was standing still soon after Stovepipe (by the way he started 2 hours after!). Looking across the street and being totally surprised by friends holding a sign just for me. Being able to say ‘go get that thing’ to Amy Palmeiro-Winters as we came alongside her. Hearing about and being humbled by all the support I was getting from friends and family on the social networks. Cresting Townes Pass against the winds with the help of my 'brother from another mother' and fellow Maniac Mark Hellenthal. A bowl of the best soup ever at Panamint Springs. Running with my beautiful Redhead in the middle of the night under the most amazing sky and Milky Way. The feeling of jumping over the 100 mile marker written on the road after 21 1/2 hours of running and pushing forward. Watching as the sun arose again revealing the majesty of the Sierra Nevada's in front of me. A Popsicle in Lone Pine before heading up the Portal. Watching race winner Sumi Inagaki struggling with all she had going up the last few miles of the Portal Road climb. Thinking of, and drawing on the energy of all those friends who no longer can run, or are no longer with us, and using that to push up those final 4 steep miles. All of us crossing that finish line together – truly, truly a team event. A big kiss for the Redheaded Maniac. Holding old man tears as I hugged my friends Ken and Steph thinking how they scrambled all day and night doing everything they could and then some to help me get there. Witnessing perhaps one of the greatest endurance performances ever as I got to see Art Webb bust the tape at The Portal in some 33 hours (the man is 70 years young)!! Seeing the look of Joy on Pam Reed's face as she finished. Watching my friend, fellow Maniac, and in my humble opinion one of the most inspirational folks out there (and it has little to do with his running) Ed Ettinghausen cross the finish line with his team Jester and then give his wife of 30 years an anniversary hug that looked like he may not let go for the next 30 years. Seeing the Maniac with the coolest stash' out there go sub 30. Seeing the finish line picture of Maniac Claude Hicks with his mother's picture right there with him. Listing to the incredible Chris Moon share his race experience at the Pizza Party. Watching all the hugs and laughter among the Race support teams, the crews, and the runners at the after party. Setting a new PR for shower length (sorry Mother Nature). And…, and…, and… So when someone asks me why we run? I’m just gonna’ say “This is why….” http://www.marathonmaniacs.com 17
Page 1 and 2: NEWSLETTER CONTENTS Summer 7 2-3 Co
Page 3 and 4: Yolanda Holder http://www.marathonm
Page 5 and 6: Pascal Radley Steve Hopper Stephani
Page 7 and 8: Marathon female winner Heather Zeig
Page 9 and 10: Joe Reilly Ryan Snyder http://www.m
Page 11 and 12: Edwin Wagnild Maria Frosth http://w
Page 13 and 14: Herb Allen Light at the End of the
Page 15: BADWATER REPORT: TERRY SENTINELLA (
Page 19 and 20: Lisa Cao Allie Levy and Jackie Gali
Page 21 and 22: Douglas Dahlberg Jacqueline Choi HA
Page 23 and 24: Michelle Day Chris Warren http://ww
Page 25 and 26: Vincent Ma Robert Sokol Ed Masuoka
Page 27 and 28: If you reached a higher Maniac leve
Page 29 and 30: Mary Moran (#5651) Tom Stanfill (#5
Page 31 and 32: Jeff “Boneman” Bollman (#1058)

NEWSLETTER CONTENTS - Marathon Maniacs

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