Ultra-marathoners chase the horizon

Brian MacKenzie and Robert Baird knew what they were getting themselves into when they applied for the 33rd Western States Endurance Run ? or at least they thought they did.

Neither MacKenzie, a 31-year-old Costa Mesa resident, nor Balboa Island resident Baird, 45, is a novice to ultra-marathon races, defined as any marathon longer than the traditional 26.2 miles. Although neither had run the Western States before, both runners knew that running for 100 straight miles ? unthinkable to most ? was do-able for them.

When they got to Squaw Valley on the morning of June 24, however, the formidable task became clear. MacKenzie ended up finishing the race in 26 hours, 47 minutes, while Baird was forced to drop out more than halfway through.

Graham Cooper of Oakland won the race in 18:17:27. Nearly half of the 400 participants failed to finish.

Both local runners said the trek ? which started at 5 a.m. on Saturday at Squaw Valley and ran west across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Auburn ? took their breath away. Literally and figuratively.

“It’s not very often that a regular person can experience something that extraordinary,” Baird said. “If I wanted to play basketball with Michael Jordan, they wouldn’t let me on the court. It’s just a very special event.”

MacKenzie originally hoped to finish the run in an even 24 hours. But he said he adjusted those expectations once he got up north and experienced snow in the first portion of the race, then temperatures in excess of 100 degrees in the canyons.

“I knew it was going to be hot and mostly a downhill run,” said MacKenzie, who trained in his garage at home by setting his treadmill at an incline and using heaters. “But it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The ultimate goal was to finish, and that will probably be the goal for any ultramarathon I do.”

Both local runners had to qualify for the Western States via other 50 or 100-mile trail races. But, even then, a spot wasn’t guaranteed. Due to trail maintenance issues, there was a lottery held in December, 2005.

Out of 1,200 applicants, only 400 runners were entered in the race ? but Baird and MacKenzie both found their names on the list.

MacKenzie and Baird, who have become friends, both spent considerable time training for the race. Baird said he ran as many as 130 miles per week, while MacKenzie said he averaged training just more than 10 hours per week in preparation.

When the weekend came, both brought their “crew.” For Baird, it was his wife, mother-in-law and his niece. For MacKenzie, it was his wife and a couple of friends. They would prove valuable in providing support at some of the 25 checkpoints along the trail.

Baird had competed in 24 previous ultra-marathons, but after starting, he said it became clear that this one was different.

“I ran with a lot of runners from northern climates, and they were absolutely dying,” Baird said. “I passed a lot of people whose faces were fire-engine red. The heat wasn’t a major factor for me. The course just kicked my butt.”

Baird lost six pounds in the first 30 miles of the race, but he had to keep hurrying. At each checkpoint, there was a cutoff time runners had to make or they would be disqualified. Runners were GPS-linked via ankle bracelets, meaning supporters at home could follow their progress on the Internet.

“My friend said he experienced the very best and very worst day of his life following me,” Baird said. “That’s what it amounts to. We saw people with IVs, taking ice baths and plenty of blisters. It’s much more than just four marathons put together.”

Baird needed to make it to the Michigan Bluff checkpoint, which was 55.7 miles into the run, by 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night. He said he got there with 47 seconds to spare, but that’s where his race ended.

“The doctors took one look at me and said, ‘Robert, your day is done,’” Baird said. “I’m disappointed, but it’s a learning lesson.”

MacKenzie had just completed his first ultra-marathon last August, the Mount Disappointment 50K run in Wrightwood. After qualifying for the Western States in Placerville a month later, his training took off.

He said he felt good through the start of the Western States, and refreshed at the checkpoints with various goodies, including water, sodas, energy drinks, watermelon, bananas and smoothies.

MacKenzie said he hit his low point 38 miles into the race at the Dusty Corners checkpoint. After shedding some tears, he regrouped. He said it was at that point, he knew he would finish the race.

“The first 25 to 30 miles, it was so hot, and I just didn’t know,” MacKenzie said. “But I had run from Robinson Flat [the 55-mile mark] before.”

With the help of his friend and pacer Jeff Stein ? pacing was allowed over the latter part of the race ? MacKenzie ventured onward through the night. As he approached the finish line on Saturday morning, he said people went outside their homes in Auburn to cheer him on.

As he rounded the last turn, MacKenzie was met by his wife Melissa, who ran to the line with him.

A fitness trainer, MacKenzie estimated that he burned more than 22,000 calories during the 100-mile run. On the course, he said there was a total ascent of just less than 18,000 feet, and a total descent of just less than 23,000 feet.

Neither runner returned to Orange County totally unscathed. MacKenzie said his feet and legs were very swollen after the race.

Baird’s right big toenail is falling off, and he said his left knee still hurts him.

MacKenzie said he was sad that his friend Baird didn’t finish.

Baird vowed to not come up short next time.

“There were many excuses,” Baird said. “It was hot, and my knee was hurting. But if I’m lucky enough to go back, I will be prepared and I will finish that race.” dpt.01-runner-3-BPhotoInfo0A1SHGK420060701j1p83jncCOURTESY OF BRIAN MACKENZIE(LA)Costa Mesa resident Brian MacKenzie looks skyward after crossing the finish line of the Western States Endurance Run, June 24-25. He completed the 100-mile event in 26 hours, 47 minutes.dpt.01-runner-1-CPhotoInfo0A1SHCKA20060701j1p6o9ncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Balboa Island resident Robert Baird, who competed in but did not finish the recent Western States 100-mile endurance run, trains on trails at Crystal Cove.