Ten Years at the Zane Grey 50 Mile Endurance Run

Number 10 finishes his tenth!

In 1998 I ran my first Zane Grey 50 Mile.  I chased Scott Jurek and Brandon Sybrowsky over the most rugged trail I had ever seen.  I made wrong turns, ran out of water, and finished as a crumpled mess.  Even to this day Zane remains the toughest 50 miler I've ever run.  I'd return nine more times just to do it all again.  During those subsequent years I'd see the course in reverse, win a few, set a course record, run too fast, run too slow, be followed by a naked pacer, run through snow, water and mud, be eaten by briers, manzanita, and rocks, laugh, cry, curse, and stumble.  Here's to another ten!  Full 2012 Zane Results can be found here.

Thanks to Justin Lutick, Scott Livingston, Jay Danek and Meghan Powers for the following photography.

Missy Gosney, Justin Lutick, Karl Meltzer, and Brett Gosney enjoy pre-race beverages the evening before.

Another dark start at Zane.  Meltzer, Joe Grant, Justin, and Torrence with lights.

Meltzer rolls into Washington Park (mile 17).

Lutick commented, "The Zane Train is rolling into the station."  Rhet Stinson leads Torrence, Lutick, and Jay Danek into Washington Park.

Crossing Webber Creek.

Still got smiles.

Brian Tinder applies lube and smacks on the ass at Fish Hatchery Aid Station (mile 33).

Meltzer gets watered at See Canyon (mile 44).

Paulette Zillmer wins with the 8th fastest time ever:  10:13:07.

Diane Finkel rolls into See Canyon.  She ends the day placing second and winning the master's title.

Torrence and Kyle Hills get help at See Canyon.  Liz Davis and Scott Bajer from Flagstaff look on.

Evidence of the tenth finish.

Post race pizza and brew never tasted so good.

Your Moment of Zen

Assuming the position.  When the dust settles, all the talk is done, the heart rate calms, and the neuroses are laid to rest you are simply boiled down to what remains:  A very hungry and tired lump of useless flesh.