23rd Annual Palm Springs Tram Race

If you have not done the Palm Springs Tram race. You should. Record breaking 900+ participants signed up this year. As race director Greg Klein commented: People coming from everywhere: All over California out of state and some (probably snow birds)from out of the country. It has grown big over the years. It is kind of like the Mt. Baldy race. You always remember how tough it is/was so it's easy to convince yourself to skip a year. Or two. Or five. This venue is a challenge. Less than 40 runners went sub 40 minutes on this course. There is zero, zilch, nada flat section on this uphill beast of a run. It begins hard, gets harder. Then gets crazy steep. It was fun dicing it up back and forth up front with the top ten. That and painful. But this is thee kind of training we do here in our backyard: Steep grinds. Jodi(1st division) suggested on skipping the school bus ride provided back down for us runners. We ran down but after one mile I was real tempted to display my hitch hiking talent. Feeling it in the quads today. But what's new. Great race. Great time. Great competition. Great camaraderie. Can't wait until I forget how hard it was so I can return.

Some more Furnace Creek 508

That's my friend Jeff Henley on the course at last weekends race. His team of the Black Scorpions just rocked the FC 508 missing the podium by minutes. 508 miles and just minutes. Against a strong and solid field of competition.
What's even more impressive is Jeff got his employer to donate a buck for every mile ridden/raced towards The Kevin Unck Foundation. And brought Kevin along as his image was screened on all of their jerseys. Podium finishes come and go. Raising funds for a good cause ongoing memory do not. And then learning Monday night from Jeff himself that he had never even met Kevin. Jeff Henley, his employer and the Black Scorpions are: Bad ass.

Furnace creek 508(miles)!!

The Furnace Creek 508 in many ways is like an Ironman triathlon IMO. It takes a huge commitment just to enter and get accepted. Then even bigger to show up. Still larger than that: Doing it.
I see the comparison that they are both just so down right demanding. Physically, mentally and emotionally. Maybe the two of most demanding competitions on earth. Again IMO. But then I can't be 100% on that because I have never done the Furnace Creek 508. But my sister Sherry Newsham has. She is 63 years young, president and member of the San Diego Cyclo-Vets Team(oh and a Phd in sports psychology) and just finished it with her team of four all women this morning (30+ hours racing NON STOP from Valencia torching through Death Valley, Kelso, Amboy, onward finishing in the lavish town of 29 Palms under the black sky). I believe winning their category too. Congratulations Sherry. I hope I am just like you when I grow up. I always have.