Marathon/Ultramarathon Archive Update 2012

Just like to keep my list up-to-date once a year. Still shooting for 100 Marathons & Ultras before age 32 and all 50 states perhaps sometime before 40.
Marathons

1. Wichita Marathon October 2003
2. Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon April 2004
3. Dallas White Rock Marathon December 2004
4. Chicago Marathon October 2005
5. New York City Marathon November 2006
6. Oklahoma Marathon (Tulsa) November 2006
7. Salt Lake City Marathon April 2007
8. Andy Payne Memorial Marathon (OKC) May 2007
9. Heart of America Marathon (Columbia, Missouri) September 2007
10. Marine Corps Marathon (Washington D.C.) October 2007
11. St. Jude Marathon (Memphis, Tennessee) December 2007
12. Olathe Marathon (KS) March 2008
13. Mountain Home Marathon (Arkansas) November 2008
14. Thunder Road Marathon (Charlotte, NC) December 2008
15. Rockin' K Marathon April 2009
16. Salt Lake City Marathon April 2009
17. Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon April 2009
18. Los Angeles Marathon May 2009
19. Kansas City Marathon October 2009
20. Eisenhower (Abilene, KS) Marathon April 2010
21. Fargo Marathon May 2010
22. Rock Creek Night Marathon July 2010 Trail Marathon PR of 5:10
23. Kansas City Marathon PR 3:27 October 2010
24. Eisenhower Marathon April 2011
25. Oz Marathon (Olathe, KS) April 2011
26. Lincoln (NE) Marathon May 2011
27. Hawk Marathon (trails, Clinton Lake, Lawnrence, KS) May 2011
28. Grizzly Marathon (Choteau, MT) July 2011
29. Kansas City Marathon October 2011
30. Des Moines, IA Marathon October 2011 (back-to-back)
31. Eisenhower Marathon April 2012
32. Garmin Marathon (Olathe) April 2012

32 marathons in 16 states as of 4/21/12

Ultra-marathons

1. Flatrock September 50K 2007
2. Psycho-Wyco Ice-Version 50K Februrary 2008
3. Cross Timbers 50-Mile (Texas) February 2008
4. Rockin' K 50-Mile April 2008
5. Free State 100K April 2008
6. Psycho-Wyco Fire-Version 50K July 2008
7. Lunar Trek 40 Mile July 2008
   Leadville Trail 100 (DNF at 50 Mile) August 2008
8. Flatrock 50K September 2008
9. Heartland 100 Mile October 2008
10. Rock Creek 50K October 2008
11. Run for Missions 103.9 miles November 2008
12. One Hill at a Time 50K December 2008
13. Kansas Ultrarunners Society Members Only Flint Hills 50 mile March 2009
14. Free State 40 Mile April 2009
15. Lunar Trek 100K July 2009
    Leadville Trail 100 (DNF at 50Kish) August 2009
16. Flatrock 50K September 2009
17. Heartland 100 Mile October 2009
18. Rock Creek 50K October 2009
19. Run for Missions 104.2 miles November 2009
20. One Hill at a Time 50K November 2009
21. Rockin' K 50 mile April 2010
22. Free State 100K April 2010
23. Moonlight Madness 50 Miler July 2010
24. Patriots' Run (53 miles) September 2010
25. Flatrock 50K September 2010
26. Heartland 100 October 2010 (PR 22:22)
27. Run for Missions 104.2 miles November 2010
28. Grasslands 50 mile (trail PR of 10:52) March 2011
29. Rockin' K 50 mile April 2011
30. Free State 100K (13:01) April 2011
31. Lunar Trek 40 Miles July 2011
    Canadian Death Race 125K (DNF at about 45 miles) July 2011
32. Flatrock 50K September 2011
33. Heartland 100 October 2011
34. Run for Missions 104.2 October 2011
35. Cross Timbers Trail 50 (Lake Texoma, TX) February 2012
36. Brew to Brew 44 miles (KC to Lawrence) April 2012
37. Rockin' K 50 Mile Trail April 2012
38. Lake Perry Rocks 50K, May 2012

38 ultramarathons as of 5/14/12
70 Marathons & Ultramarathons as of 5/14/12

April Marathons

Eisenhower Marathon

I ran the Eisenhower Marathon on Saturday, April 13 in Abilene. It was a hot and humid but not nearly as bad as 2011 when the temperature really sored. A mostly cloudy sky helped a lot to keep the intensity of the sun away. It was that kind of day in Kansas where you could just feel ‘it’ in the air – it was the same day when so many tornadoes broke out all over the state later in the afternoon/evening. Apparently one came right across the highway where the course was, but several hours after the conclusion of the marathon.

Before the start the Race Director gave the announcement that the storms weren’t supposed to come until later in the afternoon but if something did pop up to make your way to the nearest house and seek shelter. Then she said if no one was home find a way to get in their house and into the basement. Several hundred runners burst out laughing about the blanket permission from the RD for such an intrusion. But if a real tornado was coming we for sure would have done it.

This marathon was my first ever run with a GPS watch – my new Garmin. I found it really helpful for keeping the pace and meeting my goal, which was sub 3:45. I finished in the chip time of 3:44:48. My watch measured 26.7 and I don’t have any clue if that margin of error for the watch is normal for that distance.

This was the 3^rd time I’ve run Eisenhower and I keep going back because it’s a nice race with great hospitality and feel.

Garmin Marathon in the Land of Oz

I ran the Garmin Marathon in Olathe on Saturday, April 21. I was the pacer for the 4:00 hour group. This was my 4^th time as a marathon pacer and second time as a pacer for this race  (3rd time running running this race overall). Also, my first time to serve as a pacer with a GPS watch. I’m not sure if the watch made it easier or harder, I’m thinking harder. But I’m also convinced that the course was long by over a half-mile, either that or I need to leave the GPS at home next time.

I love this race and this course, especially the out and back section on the asphalt paved Indian Creek Trail. It’s shaded and scenic and a fun break from the concrete roads from the first 12 miles.

I was following my smart pace strategy really well except for the fact that I was following it perfectly on my watch and not on the course mile markers. So after 10 miles I had to speed up a bit to catch up with goal pace and unfortunately, this is where I lost several of my very large pack that I started with. But I still had a pack of a dozen or so until the last 10K when a few just could keep the pace and I finally finished with about 4 or so right by me, with a few going ahead and several just a bit behind me. If I would have had two of me I believe I could’ve pulled in about 6 more with the 4 hour goal.

My final finish chip time was 3:58:59 which averages to 9:08/mile.

This completed my 69^th marathon/ultra-marathon. I am hoping to complete my 70^th in May – hopefully the Lake Perry Rocks 50K.

Rockin' K 2012

Rockin' K 2012 is now history and I completed the 50 mile trail run there for the 3rd year in a row and 4th time in the past 5 years. The race is one of my top favorite trail ultras (top three being Flatrock, Heartland and Rockin' K; Freestate is also a favorite). I ran the marathon loop feeling great most of the way and surged into the turnaround feeling kind of worn out but I've felt so much worse at that point before, I really had nothing to worry about. I'm thankful for my friend and running partner, Andy Bowman, who came to pace me again this year, for the third year in a row, for the last 24 miles. The second loop was ugly but I survived it. I really don't have much more to say about it. It was slow, it was ugly, I slowly stumbled through it and eventually I was sprinting to the finish!

I've chronicled every detail of the course before, section by section. The remains the same just about every year. The weather in 2012 was by far the best of the 5 years I've run it - the most reasonable temperature with the most reasonable wind though the gusts were still pretty brutal much of the day.

A friend of mine asked me on Sunday morning why it took me so long to finish the 50 miles race (like 12 hours and 34 minutes)? He said didn't you finish a road 50 miler in like under 9 hours? He is right. It's just so different. Then my friend asked me if maybe I just wasn't trained up well enough or maybe I was just not tough enough. Then I punched him.
Phil and Stacy Sheridan have become world class race directors and they announced that this will be their last year leading this race. It will be so sad to see this change but look forward to returning to Rockin' K nevertheless. Links to Rockin' K 2011 and prior years.

Brew to Brew 2012

The 44 mile Brew to Brew race from Kansas City, MO to Lawrence, KS can be added to my list of ultras successfully completed. Considering all the circumstances regarding the day the result was a pretty good success and I am very well pleased with it. I finished in 8 hours and 42 minutes. Could I have finished a little bit faster? Probably. Do I want to try again some year and finish faster? Sure!

The forecast was for record high temps of 90 degrees on April 1st. It hit that, at least, I would say and there wasn't any clouds most of the day. I drank at least two bottles an hour during the hottest part of the day. I don't think I got dehydrated but the heat took it's toll with about 10 miles to go and I lost my drive to push hard and kind of wimped out and slow down. My legs were pretty trashed but not in an out of the ordainairy way or anything. It was a great first ultra of the month and one I would love to do again since it's mostly roads and gravel roads with some short "other" sections".

Official results: https://enter2run.com/results/default.aspx?event=11323&r=2218.
I have fun running with my friends from Lawrence and KC areas as made a few new friends along the way! Time to heal up for Rockin' K 50 this Saturday.

Spring Invasion 2012

Spring Invasion 2012, serving the Mexican Friends Churches in Coahuila, Mexico is now history. Two weeks of Spring Breaks with groups from Mid America churches all turned out very well. I miss the people and especially the pastors in Coahuila already.

My brother in law, Jacob Angell, joined me the first week. Here is his report and pics.

Cross Timbers 50 Trail Run

I've actually done this race before. It was my first 50 miler ever, and only 3rd ultra in February 2008. See report here. You would've thought I learned my lesson then. Guess not. (Now I've completed 35 ultras and another 30 marathons. See full archive here.)

Trail runs are always tough but when you add rain and mud, it can get down right nasty, slow, and just obnoxious. But you push and fight and climb and stumble and fall and keep going towards the finish, sometimes wondering if you'll ever make it but you keep fighting and then you get there. I guess that's the long and short of it.

The trail around Lake Texoma would be a tough trail even in the best conditions. I believe it has a lot of similarities to some of the toughest parts of Flatrock, Psycho Wyco and Free State as well as Rockin' K. But add to it that it rained literally all day Saturday, the day of the race and the trail turned the clay to a sticky, shoe-sucking mud. Sometimes forward momentum up the hills was one-step forward and two-steps (skiing steps) backwards.

The start was at 6:30 and it was still pitch dark so started with a headlamp. Made a few friends on the trail and realized that I recognized some people from Tulsa I've run with several times before at Flatrock. Talking and sharing the stories really helps the time to fly. I was conservative for the first hour allowing my body to warm up and felt great through most of the first half.

The course is 12.5 miles out and 12.5 miles back on the same trail and then repeat. Of that 12.5 the first 6.5 is really hard, mostly a 5 out of a 5 scale (5 being the hardest kind of terrain to run on with wicked climbs, roots, rocks, and all that good stuff). The other 6 miles is more reasonable with longer runable sections but still with plenty of mud and rocks and climbs, etc.

The first 25 was really uneventful, though I was kind of discouraged with my time of 5 hours and 45 minutes at the end of 25 miles. I was working really hard out there - how could I be going so slow. The return trip on the hard 6.5 was atrocious with the mud becoming a sticky clay which almost pulls your shoes right off you. Makes climbing and descending the hills on the trail much more challenging and even dangerous. There was about a 4 mile section where I just kept thinking "brutality" as I was trying to get to top of the next hill.

Just after I left the aid station at the start/finish to start the 2nd half of the run the rain picked up harder and stayed pretty steady at this level for the rest of the day, into the night. The trails turned into creeks and were mostly all covered in water - this was our trail to run on!

Out of 50 miles I ran at least 30-35 by myself getting in some great solitude. At one point I even found myself practicing some of the ninja yoga labor breathing techniques we are learning in advance of giving birth.

Above two pictures are at the finish line. Weary, muddy and relieved to be done.

The last hardest hour to hour and a half was definitely the most challenging because darkness set in. I had my headlamp but, not thinking, I didn't grab my best headlamp for some reason because I didn't think I would be out after dark, hoping to finish well before sunset. Anyway, I should've had my best headlamp and an additional handheld LED flashlight. It was absolute darkness with no ambient light from any source. I was hunched over with my light pointed at the ground to make it possible to see the next step. The pace at this point was ridiculously slow and manuevering on the trail was just ridiculous. Unless you have tried to run on such trails in the mud in the dark you can't really imagine what it's like. My first and only wipeout came at mile 49, hitting my knee pretty hard on the ground. I was determined to stumble my way into the finish. I didn't pass anyone or get passed by anyone or really see anyone for the last 10 miles. All by myself in the dark woods. It was just what I needed this day. Somehow the sheer misery of 13 hours and 1 minute on the course and the pure victory of the finish line just seem to rejuvinate the soul and teach me even more lessons about discipline and perservance and patience and keeping my eyes fixed on the prize/goal and running my own race. I was definitely glad to be done but looking back I find myself even thankful for the journey and lessons learned.

BOOK REVIEW: Barefoot Church: Serving the Least in a Consumer Culture

Barefoot Church: Serving the Least in a Consumer Culture
By Brandon Hatmaker

Barefoot Church is an excellent complimentary book to the missional church movement literature, taking a hard look at the responsibility and power of the sent church to be the hands and feet of Jesus, contributing to individual, collective and social renewal. One of Hatmaker’s themes is that serving the least is not a trendy act of benevolence but a lifestyle of authentic community and even spiritual transformation.

Mother Teresa lived by a belief that there is physical, emotional, and spiritual need in every community. Need is everywhere, yet we too often fail to see it. If we don’t see it, we won’t be bothered by it. If we’re not bothered by it, we won’t engage it. By our neglect, we become the oppressor. 22

Some of us need an organizational tweak, some a structural overhaul, but there’s one hard truth we all have to hear: all movement toward mission requires sacrifice. Nothing of great value comes without great cost. That said, there’s hope for the church. There always is. 24

Let’s stop complaining about the church we see and start becoming the church we dream of. 25

We feel bad. We recognize need. WE talk about it with others, buy the T-shirt, and even read the books. But so often we fall short of doing anything. We often confuse the heart of compassion that requires a response with the feeling of sympathy that remains idle. Most of us hear about need and sympathize. But that’s not compassion. It’s not justice. It’s not mercy. Sympathy remains only sympathy until we do something about it. Then it becomes an act of compassion: an appropriate response to the call of need. 34

Jesus did not define “neighbor” by proximity. He defined it by mercy. The whole world is our neighbor. Only after we move past the argument of who our neighbors are and what Jesus meant by loving them will we be moved to accomplish anything of significance. Until then, our questions remain excuses. 37

The purpose of missional communities is to be a source of radical hope, to witness to the new identity and vision, the new way of life that has become a social reality in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. The persistent problem is not how to keep the church from withdrawing from the world, but how to keep the world from withdrawing from the church…The forming of Christian community is therefore not an option but the very lifestyle and vocation of the church. 69

The wrong kind of tension occurs when we protect what we do. The right kind of tension occurs when we proclaim what God does. The wrong kind of tension comes when we make it about us and our kingdom. The right kind of tension comes when we make it about God and his kingdom. The wrong kind of tension comes from using Scripture to defend our lives. The right kind of tension comes from letting Scripture define our lives. 126

God’s movement will never be safe, predictable, and clean. God’s movement will never be about your ministry. God’s movement will always be about his kingdom. God’s movement cannot be based on the old measurements of success. 160

We have to cultivate a healing culture—where it’s okay to be imperfect. We have to become a forgiving culture—where grace is expected and extended. We have to create a culture of acceptance—where love is unconditional. We have to offer a culture of permission—where we can wait to move until we hear God’s voice. 191

BOOK REVIEW: "The Treasure Principle" by Randy Alcorn

…first and foremost we give to God (2 Corinthians 8:5). Before anything else, giving is an act of worship. Giving jump-starts our relationship with God. It opens our fists so we can receive what God has for us. When we see what it does for others and for us, we open our fists sooner and wider when the next chance comes. 33

Another benefit of giving is freedom. It’s a matter of basic physics. The greater the mass, the greater the hold that mass exerts. The more things we own—the greater their total mass—the more they grip us, setting us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, they suck us in. Giving changes all that. It breaks us out of orbit around our possessions. We escape their gravity, entering a new orbit around our treasures in heaven. 34

Treasure Principle Key #2: My heart always goes where I put God’s money…As surely as the compass needle follows north, your heart will follow your treasure. Money leads; hearts follow. 43-44

Treasure Principle Key #4: I should live not for the dot (life on earth) but for the line (life in the kingdom of the heavens).

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot 51

Commentary on Ecclesiastes 5:10-15…the more you have, the more you want…the more you have, the more people will come after it…the more you have, the more you realize it does you no good…the more you have, the more you have to worry about…the more you have, the more you hurt yourself by holding on to it…the more you have, the more you have to lose…the more you have, the more you’ll leave behind. 55-56

The act of giving is a vivid reminder that it’s all about God, not about us. It’s saying I am not the point, He is the point. He does not exist for me. I exist for Him. God’s money has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. It breaks the chains of mammon that would enslave me. 59

Nearly every study indicated that American Christians give on average between 2 and 3 percent of their income. 63

When it comes to giving, churches operate under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. We lack communication, accountability, and modeling. It’s as if we have an unspoken agreement: “I won’t talk about it if you won’t, so we can go right on living as we are.” Think about it. How does a young Christian in the church learn to give? Where can he go to see what giving looks like in the life of a believer captivated by Christ? Why are we surprised when, seeing no other example, he takes his cues from a materialistic society? 84

Life in Northern Bangladesh (State of Nilphimari)

Bangladesh Mission Trip 2012

How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news! Romans 10:15 NLT


Albert and Metali Adhikari are the EFM National Leaders in Bangladesh. They've been working with EFM since 2005. They are such effective, wise, and powerful leaders, and are carefully and patiently leading an indigenous Friends Church planting movement in Bangladesh. Albert says one of his goals is to one day have a Friends Church in every one of the 64 provinces of Bangladesh. Albert and Metali continue to impress and challenge me with their radical commitment to the gospel and ministry of Jesus Christ. They are so, so faithful to the ministry God has called them to and live out faithfully the disturbing words of Jesus in Luke 14:26-27 & 33 so well!


The 2012 prayer, encouragement, and exposure mission trip to Bangladesh was a great success! Team members consisted of Kevin Johnson (Crossroads Worship Leader), Lisa Leslie (Crossroads Elder and Mission Team Leader), Matt Macy, myself, and Dana Quigley, all from Crossroads. This is Crossroads 5th annual trip and my 4th> to be a part of. I believe this trip may have been one that will have some of the greatest impact on me, my teammates who went, and on my church (and hopefully even Mid America as well).


There are so many new Christians and new churches popping up and so many new ministry sites where new Christians are taking the gospel to new places. With only a few exceptions, in my four trips to Bangladesh, we have visited new sites (whether churches or ‘preaching points’ or ministry outreach sites) almost every time. This shows how fast the church is growing and how quickly new disciples are making new disciples.


On this trip, we very intentionally continued our deep friendship between the Bangladesh mission and Crossroads Friends. We presented our greetings and gifts (pictures and other tokens of love and reminders of our care as a church). The Bangladesh Christians send back their greetings! We also were able to hand-deliver greeting cards handmade by Crossroads Kids, church people and especially meaningful were the cards from Crossroads Friends Women.


Our ministry consisted of Bible teachings, impromptu messages of encouragement and discipleship to people who are new Christians or who are newly exploring the Christian faith and know almost nothing about the Bible. We visited a dozen different villages, some with newly baptized Christians and some that are preaching points where the gospel was newly being shared. In every occasion, our ministry of presence and our words of testimony were an important encouragement to the Bangladeshi believers, many of whom have endured significant persecution for making their important decision to follow Christ. Each group we visited offered us very kind hospitality (tea and a snack, like fruit from a nearby tree and crackers) and was very eager to hear our words, demonstrating a spiritual hunger and desire to learn and grow.


Other Trip Highlights:


The Beautiful Women’s Movement that was born in the Fall 2011 women’s retreat has been having a powerful impact on us and some very practical implications for our family and church, and possibly even some other areas in the Friends Church. We are thinking about how to apply it to Crossroads, probably calling it the Beautiful Feet Movement, based on Romans 10 passage which states, “beautiful are the feet that take the good news.” Disciples make disciples and have beautiful feet that serve and sacrifice for others.


We washed feet on our last morning and it was quite the experience. We washed the feet of Kanok, the persecuted Christian and Depali, the hero apostolic gospel-preaching woman worker, and of course Albert/Metali as well as our team. And they also washed our feet. And the most moving thing to me was that they washed each other’s feet, with much weeping, and they just kept doing it over and over. It was a sort of commissioning as we consider feet washing to commission more at Crossroads to live as sent people.


Albert challenged us with the clarity of his passion and strategy that he is called not to be in the office but to be “in the field”. They had ministry months in November and December, which means they said no to everything except taking the gospel to people. They produced great fruit because of that focus. We are so challenged by this and realize it speaks to our condition at Crossroads…less ‘office work’ and less ‘in the church walls’ work and more getting into the neighborhood and entering people’s lives.


We enjoyed riding in the EFM car that we raised the money for. It was perfect size for 7 and sometimes 8 of us. So it was different this year not riding public transportation as much.


We did not stay in the hotel down in Khulna, as we have done every year in the past, but rather stayed in Albert and Metali’s home, which they were so afraid of because they don’t have hot water or soft beds or toilets (just squatties) or even a door on the bedroom us guys stayed in, but it ended up being a great blessing to us. We had such a wonderful time of fellowship with them over the three nights there. The meals and time with them was invaluable. Some of the best conversations were during morning and night times that we wouldn’t have been present for if we had gone back to the hotel.


Our small missionary team was such that we were on maximum silliness much of the time, so we were plenty goofy and laughed plenty hard. Kevin Johnson was a tremendous blessing and so smoothly and easily participated in the ministry and interactions with people/kids (his first mission trip). Dana Quigley’s ministry of presence was super good and her gifting in offering very timely words of encouragement was a blessing. Lisa Leslie, aka “missionary Lisa”, has that chemistry that even when in a totally cross-cultural environment, puts people at ease with her smile. Thanks for your faithfulness to send, support, and pray. Personally I am grateful and I believe whole-heartedly that the Church is blessed and advanced because of it!


Adam Monaghan

Link to Kevin Johnson's blog report: http://kevinjohnsonhasablog.blogspot.com/2012/02/bangladesh-2012-trip-report.html?spref=fb.

From Lisa Leslie: trip was amazing... told cal that i didn't want to come home, just wished he could get on a plane with the kids and meet me there. my heart has melted for these people who so want and need the good news. i'm anxious ...to be back with them. i know it's God because it was not an easy vacation of a trip! so many crazy things that i would almost always shrink from...food, squatties, buses/trucks/bikes/motorbikes/ricksaws coming at you at unknown speeds with really no traffic laws, people staring all the time, etc... so many good things and watching God work makes all of that seem like nothing. they are church planting fools! taking the good news to hindus and muslims like crazy. there is lots of persecution, so when they accept Jesus, it's no walk in the park easy thing. we live like kings and can choose to act like a christian or not, eat whatever we want whenever we want, buy whatever we want, move to another part of the country at a whim, be wasteful, etc... my life has been changed for the better. i want to have the "beautiful feet who bring the good news." but how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? and how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? and how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? and how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? as those who love Jesus, we are all sent out. who are you sent to?

From Matt Macy: We are addicted to hanging out with the unreached peoples that God desperately pursues, telling the beautiful story of Good News, and becoming better disciples of Christ while rubbing shoulders with the persecuted church.

As they traveled from town to town…the churches were strengthened in the faith…they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them...Then they left Acts 16:4-5

Out life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love. Acts 20:24

When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Acts 11:23