Dear Vasque Friends,

This past weekend I had the pleasure of joining teammates Julie Fingar and Jorge Pacheco at the 13th Annual Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. It was an outstanding day!

Feeling the need to get some early season miles under my belt, I signed up for this event about a month ago and so I did three 100 mile weeks followed by a mini-taper to get ready. Julie took care of absolutely all of the logistics and even provided a crew. We had a great time together and really felt the spirit of the team concept in full force. The fact that it was also a Vasque sponsored event made it even more special.

We hooked up with Jorge and his wife Maria just before the start of race and had a chance to check in on race plans and various other Vasque related details (you know, how many times Ethan calls you etc...) before heading out on the trail.

The race is five, relatively flat 20 mile loops with some mud and roots and the Texas hospitality is out in full force. In the dark the course is like the setting from "Blair Witch Project" and by day it is the quintessential Texas State Park (barbeques, campgrounds, pickup trucks etc...) It is a great place to run fast so that's what I did. I have never run a 100 miler with so much running.

The front of the men's field was frisky on the first lap and Jorge built a four minute lead over the chase pack of Scott Eppelman, Paul Frost, Paul Pomeroy, Dave Bursler and myself by the 20 mile mark. During the day he extended that lead steadily to an hour by the end of the race. Being the smart guy that I am I knew that I would abruptly end up back in the hospital if I tried to chase down Jorge so I happily accepted the fact that I was clearly in a race for second place. Scott, Paul and I changed places a few times during laps two and three before I slowly started to pull away at the beginning of loop 4. I just felt good and thought I should push the pace a little while it was still light. By the end of the 4th loop I had a 10 minute lead on Paul and a 20 minute lead on Scott. After 80 miles I was still having fun and it looked like not only would I finish but I might also avoid a trip to the hospital. Of course, it was now dark so I was prepared to stumble a bit over the slippery, muddy roots during the last 20 miles.

I held it together during the last loop and finished in 15:14. I was happy to have run that fast and I was thrilled for Jorge (it should be duly noted that I have become accustomed to finishing behind Jorge in 100 milers and while I would like to win one of these things one day I can think of few people who I enjoy watching run more than Jorge Pacheco).

I was also incredibly humbled and awe-struck by Julie's courageous performance. As defending women's champion, Julie was running "on a mission" but she was also battling hamstring tightness and a bizarre shin injury. She battled through incredibly well and finished under 20 hours. I still feel bad that I couldn't drag my butt out of my sleeping bag to see her finish but it was just too warm and snuggly. I promised to be there to see her finish at Western States this year (but that, of course, is assuming that I finish before her which is a big assumption!) All in all, it was a great day on the trail for all.

I must say, the best part of the whole thing was the "team thing." Having the common bond with Joege and Julie just strengthened my resolve during the race. Sure, I was happy to be a part of a "V Team Sweep" but I was even more pleased to share in the group identity that this team engenders.

I have said it before but I'll say it again, there are fewer and fewer institutions in our world today in which you can enjoy true group cohesion. It can't be contrived and it can't be engineered. The reason I run and I run far is that it gives me time and space to enjoy a truly authentic experience. The Vasque team allows me to share that experience with people who "get it." That makes it all worth while.

Special thanks to Vasque, Cloudveil, Black Diamond, Dahlgren, and ProTech. You make this type of experience possible.

Yours,
Andy Jones-Wilkins
Oakland, CA