Congratulations to Soon-Chul (and team), and thanks for this insightful crew/pacer view of things. I have my own account to write (soon), and reading how other people saw things helps with that. I have to admit that I was mildly skeptical of the WSER hype, but I was absolutely wrong about that in nearly every way - I'm a full-on fan of this very worthy race now (and the celebration that surrounds it). My own performance was not what I'd hoped (thanks in part to a stomach bug that hit me and my crew), but I stuck it out and came away with so many memorable moments - a peak experience in every sense.
This was such a great write up. I sent it to my kids. Zoe helped with course marking and checking all 4 days and has announced that she’s officially “obsessed” with the race. It helps that Courtney is such a lovable role model. I guess this means we’ll have to keep doing the course marking for a lot of years to come. 😅
Thank you so much, that means a lot! Also -- I got your book, read the intro, but had to put it aside so I could focus on reading the whole Western States history book and review it in last week's newsletter. I'm eager to get back to your book and definitely will, then will write about it in an upcoming newsletter here!
What an amazing story!!! So cool makes me want to start paying my dues as a pacer with a goal to run it someday. Thanks and I signed on to the environment protection link. ❤️
Thank you so much! Both for reading, and for caring to log a comment on the public lands proposal. Pacing/crewing is such an awesome way to participate.
Great write up SLS! Thank you for giving so much to SC and getting him to the track on time - so great to see the ol’ Cocodona crew finishing together 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you for reading my long post, and especially thanks for all YOU do to cover WS and to serve on the board! I went back and watched/listened to some of the livestream such as your Courtney interview. Way to go.
Love this recap! Congratulations Team Soon-Chul! And I have to laugh at seeing how many spectators he had at the finish line — his time was just a few minutes faster than my 29:17 in 2006, when the Golden Hour was not yet a thing! I’ll send you the pic of me with just a few random people clapping at the finish :-)
And yes, crewing and pacing at WS in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were the highlights of those years, hands down. Chasing my runner to the river in 2018 and trying not to get dropped was a total blast — and in 2015, pacing 70-year-old Gary Knipling as he stayed ahead of the horses at Foresthill and ultimately getting pulled at ALT (we heard the hoof beats following us all the way from Greengate) was alternating thrilling and heartbreaking. What a gift to be part of those adventures!
Congratulations to Soon-Chul (and team), and thanks for this insightful crew/pacer view of things. I have my own account to write (soon), and reading how other people saw things helps with that. I have to admit that I was mildly skeptical of the WSER hype, but I was absolutely wrong about that in nearly every way - I'm a full-on fan of this very worthy race now (and the celebration that surrounds it). My own performance was not what I'd hoped (thanks in part to a stomach bug that hit me and my crew), but I stuck it out and came away with so many memorable moments - a peak experience in every sense.
Thanks for reading! As Coree said, "a finish is a finish." Every ultra is a learning experience.
This was such a great write up. I sent it to my kids. Zoe helped with course marking and checking all 4 days and has announced that she’s officially “obsessed” with the race. It helps that Courtney is such a lovable role model. I guess this means we’ll have to keep doing the course marking for a lot of years to come. 😅
Thanks Jennifer. That is so amazing & wonderful about Zoe!
I love this write-up and being there with you all on the course!
Thank you so much, that means a lot! Also -- I got your book, read the intro, but had to put it aside so I could focus on reading the whole Western States history book and review it in last week's newsletter. I'm eager to get back to your book and definitely will, then will write about it in an upcoming newsletter here!
oh my gosh, thank you for reading and considering writing about it. That is very kind of you! And I appreciate it.
What an amazing story!!! So cool makes me want to start paying my dues as a pacer with a goal to run it someday. Thanks and I signed on to the environment protection link. ❤️
Thank you so much! Both for reading, and for caring to log a comment on the public lands proposal. Pacing/crewing is such an awesome way to participate.
Great write up SLS! Thank you for giving so much to SC and getting him to the track on time - so great to see the ol’ Cocodona crew finishing together 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you for reading my long post, and especially thanks for all YOU do to cover WS and to serve on the board! I went back and watched/listened to some of the livestream such as your Courtney interview. Way to go.
Love this recap! Congratulations Team Soon-Chul! And I have to laugh at seeing how many spectators he had at the finish line — his time was just a few minutes faster than my 29:17 in 2006, when the Golden Hour was not yet a thing! I’ll send you the pic of me with just a few random people clapping at the finish :-)
And yes, crewing and pacing at WS in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were the highlights of those years, hands down. Chasing my runner to the river in 2018 and trying not to get dropped was a total blast — and in 2015, pacing 70-year-old Gary Knipling as he stayed ahead of the horses at Foresthill and ultimately getting pulled at ALT (we heard the hoof beats following us all the way from Greengate) was alternating thrilling and heartbreaking. What a gift to be part of those adventures!
Thanks for sharing this with us. So fun!
Thank you so much Sophie! Can't wait to see you.
Congratulations to Soon-Chul! What an amazing accomplishment. It was great to meet you at the food line!
Thanks! And thank you for volunteering. It was nice to meet you!