Running Art

I was inspired after my trip to the MOMA today. I realize it's difficult reading vertical copy but so is running this race. I was trying to communicate visually that this race has a lot of elevation. Click here for the high-res copy. The type is actually readable, actually this isn't too bad.

Well I didn't get in to Western States this year. Kind of a bummer because it's a great party and an amazing experience but I already had a back up race planned - Bighorn 100miler in Sheridan, Wyoming. The great thing about this race is that there are multiple distances, besides the 100m they have a 30k, 50k and a 50 miler. My rematch with the WS trail will have to wait at least another year.

I spent the afternoon with my good friend Jason Arth at the MOMA and I suggested that he should come out and run the 50-miler. Our friend Stephen Goldmann might come and join us as well since he didn't get in either. It will be a bit tricky since he and his wife Amy are expecting their first child in May. We'll see, it'd be great to get some folks together for the trip and take advantage of the multiple distances.

The trip to the museum was an inspiring one. Soon as I got home I spent the next two hours crafting this poster. Not a lot of thinking, made it up as I went along. A great exercise. Before I left the apartment I already knew that I hadn't got in to WS (thanks Olga), so I spent part of the day already thinking about Bighorn.

Here's some info on the race taken from the event website.

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BIGHORN TRAIL 100 MILE ENDURANCE RUN 2007 RUNNER INFORMATION
The 5th annual Bighorn Trail 100 Mile Run is an arduous trail run that will take place in the Little Bighorn – Tongue River areas of the Bighorn National Forest. Starting time for the event will be 11 AM, Friday June 15, 2007, with a 34 hour (average pace of 2.94 mph) time limit to finish the event. Runners must be prepared for potential extreme temperature variation and weather conditions during the event with possible temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the day in the canyons and being well below freezing at night in the mountains. The course is wild and scenic traversing territory inhabited by elk, deer, moose, bears, cougars, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes with the potential for wildlife encounters with runners. Crew access points on parts of the course are limited and the runner should be prepared to participate with a fanny pack and other necessary equipment to ensure their ability to safely traverse difficult remote mountainous trails in potentially unpredictable weather conditions. The course is an out-and-back consisting of 76 miles of single track trail, 16 miles of rugged double track jeep trail, and 8 miles of gravel road with approximately 17,500 feet of climb and 18,000 feet of descent.

And something that made me feel secure...
We are fortunate to have Sheridan Search and Rescue participate in our race. They provide difficult to establish communication links on the course which are necessary for the safety of our participants. Sheridan Search and Rescue were of vital assistance in a difficult rescue of a runner from a very remote location in the Little Bighorn Canyon in the middle of the night during the 2002 Bighorn Trail 100. The participant, who was in need of emergency medical attention because of hypothermia and seizures secondary to hyponatremia, fortunately made a full recovery after a several day hospital stay.

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