Running Free: A Touch of gray made my day!! Western States 100

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A Touch of gray made my day!! Western States 100

Western States 100 is always an exciting day for me. Whether I am running it or pacing, there is always so much excitement going on. This year was no exception.

I paced my friend Tim Quinn who is a member of TEAM DIABLO and who also happens to be 63 years old. I picked him up at Foresthill (mile 62), and ran with him to Green Gate (mile 80). He ran so well and it was great watching his enthusiasm build as he passed runner after runner on our way down to the river. His daughter Tiffany took over at Green Gate and she brought him to the finish in a great time of 26:42! Fellow TEAM DIABLO runner and good friend, Wally Hesseltine is a fast runner who happens to be 66 years young. I love Wally because he is so competitive and such a great guy! He finished in an amazing time of 27:27! Dan Williams, another TEAM DIABLO runner at age 61 finished his 20th WS in a great time of 27:48! Dan is a special friend and such a competitor! He is so tough and I just love his energy! 64 year old Rod Dixon, a friend I met years ago while doing a Ride n Tie, ran a great race in 29:44! He pushed hard and despite hating the heat, finished strong and with a smile on his face!

These four sexy, fast men all have something in common. They are all sexagenarians! Wikipedia says that a sexagenarian is a person who is 60 years old or between the ages of 60 and 69. These guys are so impressive and I am so proud of them. In my world, I know many men that run ultras in that age group. For many people, imagining a 60+ year old man running 50 miles, much less 100 miles, would be mind boggling. For some of you, it might be impossible to imagine anyone running 100 miles. It takes so much physical strength and a heap of mental strength to run 100 miles. Through heat, snow, mud, rivers, creeks, elevation and uneven trails, these guys pushed their graying hair from Squaw Valley to Auburn. How is that for inspiration? Wow, just thinking about these guys makes me tired. If this doesn't motivate you, then you must be dead. Don't couch potato it and let yourself be old. Get up and get moving. One day you will be a Sexagenarian!

6 comments:

Olga said...: Those are really inspirational, totally agree! Too bad I didn't get to see you. I've met Tim Quinn a few years ago (5?) at Capitol Peak 54 miler 2 weeks before WS. He is super-strong! And just getting better!; June 29, 2010 at 4:42 PM
meredith said...: Such a treat to see you at Foresthill!!! I DID IT!!

Now let's go have fun at 50s :); June 29, 2010 at 5:37 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Kelly, I'm pretty sure it was Tim I ran with up to Robinson, but I thought he said his name was Kim. We've run together before, and he is a great guy! You are right, they are all amazing! Best, Lina; June 29, 2010 at 7:02 PM
Chris and Amy said...: I just met my mom for a vacation in California. While we were there we ran the Angel Island 25K trail race. She's 63 and this was her first trail run and her first hilly course since she's from FL. We finished together in 3:30. I'm so proud of her and hope I'm still running like her in 30 years.; July 3, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Jen said...: Great post! I think I have a touch of grey somewhere under all this blonde hair. Western States, here I come! Jen; July 4, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Norma Bastidas said...: Hi Kelly,

Thanks so much for the post! my sister has a lot of questions about diet, she is a very healthy eater and has been for a long time, a vegan mostly except for the occasional fish, is there anything else she can do to help her Lupus? can she contact you as well? thanks

Norma; July 6, 2010 at 2:21 AM

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Not Even Lupus Can Slow Ridgway

NOT EVEN LUPUS CAN SLOW RIDGWAY Published on June 26, 2004 © 2004- The Press Democrat BYLINE: BRUCE MEADOWS Three years ago when she was diagnosed with lupus, Kelly Ridgway didn't take much time plotting her course. ``I figured I could lay on the couch and be a drug-seeker for pain or I could choose to be as healthy as I can be,'' said Ridgway, 46, an outpatient surgery nurse at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Ridgway, defying the odds, is entered in the Western States 100 Endurance Run, which starts at the base of Squaw Valley at 5 this morning and ends 100 miles away in Auburn. ``I see people at the hospital in horrible shape because of lupus, but I realized I had a choice how to deal with it,'' Ridgway said. Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease affecting mainly women. The immune system attacks the body's own tissues as a foreign substance, producing antibodies to fight it. The cause of the disease is unknown although research has shown it occurs when a specific set of susceptible genes is exposed to a combination of environmental factors such as infectious agents, certain drugs, excessive ultraviolet light, physical trauma or emotional stress. Ridgway said she has been a ``serious runner'' for 14 years and has also competed in 50- and 100-mile events on horseback. She started running to get in shape after the last of her three children -- Caleb (18), Chelsea (16) and Courtney (14) -- were born. ``I've found I really love ultras,'' said Ridgway, a single mother who graduated from Montgomery High, then earned a nursing degree from Santa Rosa JC. Dr. Lisa Kremer, Ridgway's rheumatologist said, fatigue is the most universal symptom of lupus. ``For somebody to run 100 miles with an auto-immune disease is incredible.'' Ridgway first experienced flu-like symptoms, then fatigue. ``But when I started having problems with cognitive stuff, I knew there was something more to it.'' She was having trouble doing simple math or even finding her way around town. ``I thought of all sorts of things, including a brain tumor,'' said Ridgway. Ridgway has been training with Santa Rosan Karen Hanke, 42, and Suzanna Bon, 39 of Sonoma. This is the second Western States for Hanke, who finished last year in 29 hours, 47 minutes, running the last 70 miles on severely blistered feet. It is the first Western States for Ridgway and Bon. Because of the glut of applicants -- more than 1,000 annually apply for 400 spots -- runners must not only qualify with an acceptable 50-mile run time but also get lucky by having their name drawn by lot. Bon, whose goal is ``just to finish although I'd love to do it in under 24 hours,'' is impressed with Ridgway's effort. ``Kelly is strong and smart about training,'' said Bon. ``We'll run at our own pace this weekend, not together, but we want to do the best we can.'' Ridgway sees herself as a runner who happens to have lupus. ``My case is relatively minor and medication has really helped,'' said Ridgway, who logs 75 miles a week. ``But I don't know anybody with lupus who runs as much as I do.'' She has bouts of fatigue and deals with them. ``There are days I am really tired and need to come home and rest for a while,'' she said. But this weekend there will no place to rest. ``I'm not the type to quit,'' she said. ``I will persevere.'' Kremer said people with lupus react differently to the disease. ``Some have a real tough time with it and others take it as a challenge,'' said the doctor. ``In general, a disease like lupus provokes self-evaluation ... some patients look at it as a way to straighten out their lives, physically and socially.'' Kremer said most lupus patients with a positive outlook exercise to some degree. ``For them, making an effort is a personal victory.'' Ridgway, who left for Squaw Valley Thursday, has been on the Western States course before, having competed in the Tevis Cup horse race and also working the run the past two years as a medical helper. ``It's beautiful ... I fell in love with the trail,'' she said. ``I'm excited but not nervous.'' Ridgway will be tested following the race to determine how running 100 miles affects a lupus patient. ``I know I am capable of doing this.'' She likes to run, even 100 miles, because it makes her feel healthy and alive. ``Maybe in some ways this will speak to people who are trying to make choices,'' she said. ``You can push ahead and take charge of your life.''