Looking thrilled just minutes before the start

You know you’re going to be in a death march when bad weather prevents you from driving the posted speed limit on the way to a race start.

Running 100 miles at high elevation in the Rockies is tough as it is. Driving through freezing rain with the occasional lightning hitting the nearby mountaintops makes it surreal.

Fortunately there was only an occasional drizzle in Downtown Leadville prior to the 4 AM start. And unlike the Leadville bike race, there was no jockeying for a good starting position among the 466 runners. Everyone basically stands around nervously making small talk and waiting for Race Promoter Ken Chlouber to fire the shotgun. (more…)

The conditions for running in Southeast Michigan are about the worst it can get: dry, powdery snow on top of a layer of ice. If you’re lucky, someone’s shoveled the sidewalk and you can see the ice directly.

However, this is a great time to own some screw shoes.

I got the basic instructions on-line and bought 10 half-inch sheet metal screws from Frentz’s Hardware. I pre-drilled all the holes. Six screws in front and four in the back.

How did they work? Very good. They seem to work best when running directly on the ice. I did have slippage where compressed powdery snow was covering the ice. But, the slippage was pretty consistent so there aren’t many surprises. Nonetheless I did fall once, but no one saw me so that doesn’t really count, right?

I have run with these before in mixed conditions. They are not fun to use on dry pavement. In those cases I would probably take my chances with my regular shoes.

Oh yeah, these things are noisy when they’re hooking up. If people look at you funny, tell them you have bad knees.

Also, if I were doing this again, I would probably add a few more screws up front. I don’t see much of a penalty in doing so.